#when do i get to go to the scale at the zoo

[chubbychiquita]

the radiology center thinks i might be too big for their mri machine 🥵

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Favorite Guest | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

Visiting the controversial but fascinating zoo: Twisted Territories is something you finally got around to doing. Usually satisfied with the attached aquarium and petting zoo; it’s a bit of an adventure going into the very popular exhibit. 

“Here is our exhibit for our Nagas! If you don’t see them don’t feel bad they are a little shy. So if you like you may look up at the screen where we have some footage of our training with them–”

The zookeeper kept talking as the crowd made a makeshift line along the glass of the giant enclosure—moving awfully quickly because of the lack of action. Letting yourself fall into the back of the line you took your time admiring the grand enclosure. Much larger than any you’ve seen it was likely they could’ve been in plain sight camouflaging with the foliage inside it. Finally telling yourself to move on you take one last look at a specific spot in the bushes. Doing a double take you try to see if you saw the shimmer of someone’s eyes. 

“Mommy, when will I get a chance to see?”

Hearing the child’s whining you decide your time at the glass was up, writing off what you’d seen as an especially shiny plant in the exhibit. Pushing it to the back of your mind, the memory fades with the attraction of the merpeople and the wolf-hybrids who were much more present. It’s good enough to encourage you to come back, once again giving the Naga exhibit a chance. 

Spending a little while looking at the unreal nature, hoping you’ll find some hidden pattern of scales or a tiny bit of movement that reveals where the Nagas may be. It didn’t take long before your eyes were drawn to the open space right behind the glass. Only having time to look befuddled before a crowd of people started to form around you. 

“Look that snake-man came right up to the glass! Quick get your camera!”

As so many voices began to point out, a pale upper human half with a silver tail coiling behind him was right up against the glass. Hands-on the glass with his dark eyes trained on you, this Naga with a choppy bowl cut didn’t seem keen on moving. His intense eye-bags made it hard to tell if you were angering him or just entertaining him. You weren’t keen to find out. 

It took a while but you let the crowd take your place struggling to get through them to move on to the next exhibit. Taking advantage of the crowd’s excitement, when you looked back you couldn’t see the Naga which you could delude yourself into believing it was pure coincidence. Trying to enjoy the rest of your trip to the zoo, once again you tried to push your weird encounter into the back of your head. When that doesn’t work you settle for calling yourself ‘lucky.’ Who else has gotten such a close view of one of the illusive Nagas in the enclosure? 

This is why you internally scold yourself when you find a special invitation to that part of the zoo again. The email claims it's a prize for being such a frequent visitor and it makes sense that they offer a discounted price. If only to shake away the memories of the odd encounter you do again this time avoiding that exhibit for last, with plans to go at the end of your stay. You try to hurriedly rush through the path without incident.

The sound of a glass being banged and a muted hiss has you turning to look at the nagas exhibit. This time there are two–the grey one who’s tail was still on the glass and the other whose tail is a vibrant blue with hair to match. The blue one was coiled in on himself practically hiding behind the grey haired one–but he was also looking at you. Both leaning in tandem as you tested going further down the path. Once again the crowd was in an uproar surrounding the spot. You could see the blue one hurriedly retreat into the bushes of the exhibit while the grey one lingered. Through the surrounding crowd you found yourself locking eyes with dark grey ones. The glare was the same as before—a demanding sort of stare that weirdly made you feel guilty for turning away. 

Well…you were never coming to this zoo again.

__________________________________________________________

“Hi, can you please please come to the zoo again? I’m asking personally because legally that wouldn’t be right but there’s this neat grey area where I can–”

Cater couldn’t help but ramble as he spoke to the former frequent guest of the zoo. Tasked by his superiors to do whatever was needed to get the Nagas corporation. Since uniting the three specimens their murderous tendencies had increased. For a time there were vague signals of in-fighting but that quickly died down and suddenly their scientists and zookeepers were turning up dead. 

It seemed like there was no end to the carnage. 

Until (Y/n) came along.

In the zoo’s database, they were listed as a common face. An annual pass and accessories to match it was a matter of time before they visited the new mystical exhibits. What no one expected that it’d be them who got the Nagas to be active. With cameras placed on the ceiling and some trees, the scientist smart enough not to go inside could watch. But the Nagas were smart they knew precisely where they were and their intense strength didn’t help. Taking advantage of the terrain that didn’t need to be changed the Nagas made their supposed nest in a cave which meant that no scientists could see them even at rest. 

So it shocked everyone when they saw multiple dashes across the screen at the fifth big crowd of the day. Unlike some of their other creatures who had fun toying with the guests and were rewarded for it. The Naga s were never a part of this group usually ignoring guests or making themselves completely unseen on purpose. But now they were rushing to the edges of the forest without a care for the cameras or the eyes of amazed onlookers all to look at one person in particular.

“That one human. When will they be here again?”

Cater was the unlucky understudy who was finally spoken to rather than immediately suffocated for simply delivering food. He was shaking like a leaf as he promised to find out for them. It was a wonder they spoke at all let alone the biggest one of all. 

The creatures Twisted Territories had gathered were oddly enough quite close to one another. Already having split themselves into factions and hierarchies that fit with their species. But the greatest predator and the most feared was none other than the rumored dragon. Illusive and feared the only reason he hadn’t decided to end the organization was because he was looking for something specific. 

He said this after leaving nothing of an army of men and women. 

No bones. No blood. No survivors to speak of.

This is why it was a miracle that Cater was able to return to the guffawing scientists with a message at all. Bringing this up to the Superiors he was praised and tasked with making sure that their requests were fulfilled. 

Did these creatures have a type they liked to kill?

An interest in specific blood types or was it something else?

Was it a mating interest?

Competition?

The possibilities were endless and those superiors of his were hungry for answers. Granted it would come at the cost of this poor person’s life but he wasn’t in a position to argue. Not when he told the dragon he’d find you himself.

“I’m not really interested in returning anytime soon.”

That wasn’t going to work.

“I…actually would like to offer you an exclusive look at one of our exhibits. We’ll give you a free meal and some extra merch–”

“I’m sorry but I really don’t want to. Those Nagas really put me on edge.”

Cater’s heart sunk even deeper into his stomach. Letting his mind wander to the consequences of failing to get the subject to come willingly. His superiors would no doubt go to the extremes– buying the land around them, blackmailing, entrapping their family. It would be so much worse than a simple call. 

“I shouldn’t be saying this but the next time someone calls you about coming…there will be dire consequences.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if they’ve already heard me…just pack a bag and come, please. I don’t know what they’ll do.”

Cater hung up the call, his heart aching in his chest. Looking at his feet he was acutely aware of the shadow that stretched in the doorway near them. 

He thought he was safe.

He thought he was essential.

The first one to speak to The Dragon without being dead.

Perhaps he wouldn’t get to deliver the guest to the dragon himself. 

Maybe you’d be better off on your own.

__________________________________________________________

“Welcome (Y/n) (L/n) to your official behind-the-scenes of Twisted Terrain. Is there anything I can get you before we start?”

“The guy I was talking to…where is he?”

“.....Right this way honored guest.”

You didn’t like how they deflected but it prepared you for what you may be dealing with. Despite the media denouncing it, you’ve been looking at the forums. Written off as hurtful conspiracies to zoos they provided their speculation about the zoo’s latest additions and how far their willing to go to keep them. Sadly it aligned with everything that’s happened so far; more people with suits surrounded you as you further traversed into the maze of staff-only doors. It didn’t make you feel so bad about scheduling a post about this thing. They’d take it down eventually sure but if you were never coming back it’d be best to warn others about this wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

“So here is the private extension of the Naga exhibit, where our scientists do their best to learn while taking care of our reptile friends.”

Seeing where this part of the exhibit expanded from the one the public saw was shocking. From a previous perspective, it already looked like a small forest, this larger part just made it so much larger. You realize this makes the Naga’s interest in one specific side of the glass that much weirder.

“Now if you’ll do me a favor and step up to the glass so you can have a closer look at their habitat?”

It wasn’t really a question, the slight inching of the others in suits said so. Adjusting your hold on the strap you were holding some luggage with, you step forward. In your heart of hearts, you almost hope that nothing will happen. That this would all turn out to be some ruse that happened to be triggered by the environment or the color of the clothes you wore. 

Like the feeling of realizing something so uncomfortable, so nightmarish, happening to you, and when you blink your eyes, you are not dreaming. The whole wood seemed to rustle as a long green tail much larger than the other Nagas’ you’d seen reached for the glass between you two. Almost caressing the glass. 

“Spectacular! I would’ve never believed it if I hadn’t seen it! Alright, let’s get them in there! Get those cameras ready I don’t want to miss an angle–”

“What?! Ahhh!”

The people in suits held you tight, maneuvering to a vault-like door where they took you and your bag inside. Feeling the bruises on your skin you tried to regulate your breathing and it was proving hopeless. The gaggle of people surrounding you in lab coats with cameras and notepads, it seemed as though they truly were prepared to feed you to these Naga. The feeling really sunk in when you were slammed into the dirt watching from over your shoulder as thousands of people watched like an audience of Colosseum—practically cheering for your massacre. Breathing in and out, you tried to ignore the burning ache of cuts on your hands and knees. You squeezed the handle of your bag as you walked into the forest, a glance back showed the gaggle behind the glass groaning and whining that you didn’t stand in the clearing the gate opened up.

You thought about flipping them off but this would have to do.

The second you stepped past the forest’s edge it was that same green tail that gently wrapped around your back guiding you through the forest. It was alarming but oddly comforting that the muscles underneath those evergreen scales were somehow softer than the humans who brought you here. 

“Where are you taking me?”

You continued to follow its light pushing and support over more rocky terrain. It eventually stops at the mouth of a cave, the tail disappearing into its darkness. Popping out again to imitate a finger calling you to come in.

You patted your pockets for your phone; coming up empty they must’ve swiped it while they were manhandling you into the enclosure. Figuring you’re better off relying on another sense you let your hand drag along one side of the cave, leaning on it as the ground dipped as you got even farther. 

“I can’t believe they brought you.”

Turning to the left of you, you were sure you heard a voice there. Looking in the darkness for any kind of movement you continued along. After that, you make sure to listen for some kind of sliding equated with the sound of Naga s slithering but you hear nothing. 

“D-did they put any wires on you?”

Turning again and seeing no one you put your back to the wall. Hoping that this will eliminate the directions someone can come at you. Shimmying along the wall you debate with yourself about how to react to these voices around you, whether you’d respond or swipe if only to prove you weren’t going insane. Before you could decide you felt something swiftly pull at your clothes.

“Ah!”

“S-s-orry it’s just that they did put something on you.”

“Uh, thanks?”

Whoever was the owner of this shaky voice made a sound you’ve never heard before. It sounded close but when you dared to reach a hand out you found nothing again. Continuing on your way, you wondered how far you’d get before you reached wherever you should have gone.

A cool sensation spread across your waist, making you jump. Thinking it was water or something you sent a speculative finger down to check finding what stopped you in your tracks was a Naga tail. It pulled you from the wall into a warm and lean chest; for good measure matching pair of arms wrapped around you trapping you against what you assumed to be one of the Nagas you were meant to meet. Seeing as the coils that wrapped around you were only moderately squeezing you figured you could let your guard down. 

“To think you had to be with those nasty humans this whole time makes me sick.”

That voice was the first you heard. The voice was smooth authoritative and a little snobbish you wondered which of the Nagas you’d seen was the owner. 

“Um, can I ask some–AcK!”

“Don’t squirm, I’m checking past these infernal coverings.”

The hands inspecting you were just as chilly as his tail which was maneuvering you in all sorts of ways to help remove the ‘infernal coverings.’ Trying to push the hands away proved to be nothing but a nuisance to the Naga who casually slapped your hands away to continue trying to remove your clothes.

“Wait don’t—”

“Stop whining! I can look better if you just stop–”

“Rollo, please.”

The voice that spoke from somewhere unusually close was deep, a baritone that practically shook the air of the cave. A command that had the Naga holding you stopping their attempt at removing your clothes, letting you rest in their coils.

The light draft of the cave became more intense, wafting against your cheeks in a cold thrush. A light brush became an intense whirl, making you shut your eyes from the dark expanse of the cave. There was the sound of something cackling like a fire and then the faint wave of light reaching through the cover of your eyelids. Opening your eyes to a whole new cave, a green flame burning on a torch being the main reason.

“You must be gentle. Their eyesight is much different than ours it makes sense they’d be  disoriented.”

The owner of the deep voice was a pale man with hair as long and dark as the cave, you’d entered. With a pair of horns on his head and evergreen scales trailing from his cheeks down his unclothed chest blending with the length of his tail. His tail was hard to see for its true color with the glow of the green flame but accounting for it you recognized the scales for the evergreen ones that guided you into the cave. Looking at the now illuminated ground it was that same evergreen tail that seemed to curve and coil all around. Trying to pinpoint the end of the tail to its beginnings led you to meet its owner. Resting on one of many coils of his, with a fanged smile you could feel the heat rising from the pit of your stomach as slitted evergreen eyes looked deep into your own. 

Taking a gulp you tried to speak,” You led me here right?”

 He was still smiling at you, making you wonder if he planned to respond to you at all. Unable to hold his gaze you found yourself looking away. 

“Haha, I did!”

His laugh reverberated through the cave sending shivers up your spine. When you dared to look again he was much closer. Seconds ago he was leagues away now barely a hair from your nose, it only served to make you turn away again in embarrassment.

“I am glad you found a way in here considering how dark it is for you.”

“T-thanks.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with checking you for wounds.”

The snobbish voice of your captor reminded you that he was there, finally looking over to put a face to the voice. He was the gray-haired Naga with tired eyes that you recalled glaring at you through the glass. 

“You!?”

“Is there a reason you're pointing at me like that?”

“You were the one who was glaring at me that one time I came.”

He sighed exasperated as though it was tiresome to recount the frightening experience. He crossed his arms upturning his nose at you as he turned his head, all the while keeping those grey eyes trained on you.

“I wasn’t glaring. I was watching.”

“Why’d you slam against the glass then!?”

“You weren’t looking, it was just a light tap to get your attention.”

“And the hissing?!”

“Well, I think it was wrong of you to just ignore me like that, especially after you left last time.”

“You freaked me out! Of course, I left!”

He rolled his eyes at you, “I don’t see why this is still important.”

The one with the black hair came close again, tilting his head in your direction. 

“First impressions are very important Rollo. If you scared them you have to take responsibility.”

“Y-y-yeah!” 

The Naga with the grey hair—Rollo rolled his eyes again bringing the tip of his tail to cover the bottom half of his face. Very badly hiding the sneer on his face.

“Whatever. You’ve been dodging the topic of those injured of yours. I think whatever I’ve done in the past doesn’t quite matter now.”

You immediately wanted to protest as the green-eyed Naga beside you gently grabbed your hands and opened them to reveal scratches from bracing your fall. Trailing up your wrist and to your arm gently caressing the bruises you could feel forming. 

For the first time since you’d met him, he wasn’t smiling. A neutral expression on his face but the sharp twists and twirls of his tail said otherwise. You turned to Rollo who was still holding the tip of his tail over his mouth, this time hiding a subtle act of gritted teeth. His tired eyes were also on your arms where the other Naga was still caressing. 

“Those in the coats did this to you?”

“Uh yes.”

Rollo spoke up again, his tail wrapping around you tighter, “Despicable humans! They can’t do a single thing right!”

Shooting him a look, he brought the tip of his tail down to fold his hands in front of him. 

“Don’t get me wrong. I adore you all the same. It’s just all other humans.”

As if that was any better. 

A flurry of sparkling lights flooded your vision bringing your attention to the Naga who was solemnly guiding the lights on your wounds. The dull ache coming from them began to dissipate as the open scratches closed themselves and the discoloration from the bruises faded away. 

“I think this is reason enough.” 

“I agree. I’ve been wanting to tear those humans apart the day they brought us here!”

“If I can take their tech that’s fine with me!” 

The third voice came from behind you, revealing the blue-haired Naga you saw shyly poking out that one day. Now he was smiling happily, slithering closer to the other Naga as he looked at your arms. 

“If they did that there’s no way they’ll be living another day.”

A lot of things were being said and they all pointed to an uprising against the scientists. There was just one glaring issue. 

“But why?”

It was like the scratching of a record. They all turned to look at you like you’d grown a second head. Rollo’s face looked almost offended. The blue-haired Naga’s jaw was dropped. Even the one with the horns had his green eyes widened in shock.  You feel your cheeks burn in embarrassment. Closing your eyes to block the image of their judgment being cast. 

Feeling the cool tips of fingers and elongated claws lightly caress your cheek and jaw; tilting your face upward, goading you to open your eyes. Doing so slowly you were face-to-face with the ethereal face of the Naga who healed you. Eyebrows knitted together with sorrow in his eyes, it felt wrong to look away.  

“You are our mate.”

Searching his expression, hoping he’d elaborate it didn’t look like he was going to. 

“Like imprinting?”

Rollo scooched closer to you lightly tugging you from the other Naga’s grip to put you in his own. Nuzzling his nose into your own, holding you firm when you naturally attempted to back away.

“Deeper than that. It’s destiny that you’re mine.”

“Ours.” The black-haired Naga corrected. 

Rollo huffed,” Ours.”

Coming close to him was the blue-haired Naga. Practically snuggling into Rollo’s side he let his tail coil on top of his, lightly shifting you into his hold. Bringing you close to him, he encouraged you to wrap your arms around his neck. Hugging you tightly with his arms you finally got to see his face. Framed by his wild blue tresses, golden eyes, and matching blue lips that were spread in an awkward smile.

“We were waiting for you this whole time.”

“Me? Are you sure?”

Rollo leaned into the blue-haired one this time, batting at some hair that got in his way. Turning to you with a smirk.

“We told you, didn’t we? You are ours. Guess that human side of yours has a problem with accepting the truth.”

Feeling a kiss on your neck, then a nudge of someone resting their head on your shoulder. 

Looking down the Naga’s green eyes practically glowed as he spoke, “Then we will have to fix that. Right, (Y/n)?”

__________________________________________________

“So what’s the plan?” 

After getting some much-needed introductions and a vague talk about the biological herrings of mates. You would like to be the voice of reason when it comes to this uprising they planned to do. 

Malleus took his head off your own to cutely tilt his head, “Plan? Do we need one?” 

Rollo’s claws dug into the sides of his hands which were folded on top of his coils. 

“I was going to just go for the ones that disrespected me the most.”

Idia let out that sound you equated with happiness, now that you could see his blue tail wiggle about in excitement.

“I’m so glad you asked–”

He held nothing back as he rambled on and on about the plan he had. While you were following for the first half you couldn’t keep up after he mentioned opening an interdimensional portal. Feeling the vibrations of laughter on your back you looked to Malleus who was doing just as you felt. Perching his head back on the top of yours, he squeezed you closer to his chest turning his head to whisper just above your ear.

“Can you tell now? We really do need you.”

You couldn’t help to chuckle along with him. Noticing that Idia had run out of breath and was panting over the schematics he’d drawn in the dirt. While Rollo looked disgusted that he was heaving so heavily. Clapping your hands to get their attention they turned to you. 

“Alright, so this is the plan….”

More!

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Yandere Nagas

Their gender(s) are up to you. Yandere nagas x gn reader

Idea I might think more on later

Several yandere nagas you take care of that are in a type of zoo. They’re abnormal in that they’re not the typical rumored antisocial kind. They have a more human-like nature added to their personalities, making them rather sociable. However, they’re such a rare and unique creature, that they’ve been put in the zoo for show. It’s actually for their safety. Many others that were found in the wild were either illegally hunted and killed or died by the harsh climates their body just couldn’t tolerate. 

At the zoo upon their first meeting with each other, they had separate caves in the enclosure. There are no windows or cameras for them to have their privacy if they wanted, but it wasn’t needed. They all shared so the cave was remodeled to be one big cave. 

They’re incredibly intelligent and picked up on human language very quickly. They were taught by the previous “caretaker” of them, but they sensed some malice within that person. They killed him when he brought in a gun one night and tried to shoot them. After that, the new “caretakers” were thoroughly run through to make sure there was no illegal hunting background. They found the old one was found of poaching a tiger and skinning it, then brung it back to his house in a different country. 

After that, you started, and they were all drawn to you instantly. You hate to admit it, but you were fascinated by them. You always wanted a pet snake and love the feel of their scales. You just didn’t have the money at the moment to properly take care of one. 

Their love for you grew all the more when you noticed one of them acting a little different and figured out fast they had some sort of illness that wasn’t contagious to humans. They were separated for a while for treatment, and you made sure to visit them frequently as to not let them get lonely. 

The end of their tail started to latch onto your bare ankle whenever you were nearby cleaning their sterile enclosure. You didn’t mind it and accidentally let it slip you like their scale’s texture. 

They took that as the go-ahead and latched on more. It got worse when the sick one went back to being with the others since they all wanted in on it. At least they’re careful and make sure you never fall and hit the ground. 

One thing is they don’t know personal space so it becomes more and more common to be wrapped in one or more of their tails one way or another. 

It gets worse when the days start getting colder. They have their heated cave, but it just isn’t enough in their opinions. They want you in the cuddle pile. 

One day it’s a record-breaking cold that slips through the glass even with the zoo’s best efforts. It was late at night and you were finishing up searching for any holes to temporarily fill with foam to easily find and be fixed later. 

One distracts you while another trips you. A third quickly coils around you and a fourth does the same, also covering your mouth as they drag you into the rather dark cave. Only a very dim light in the ceiling making you just barely able to see their traits. The temperature difference is rather great. 

The other two quickly follow in and quickly find a place around your body to coil as well. 

You’re piled and stuck in a knot with the nagas wrapping and coiling snugly around you. Their heads, torsos, and tails all going together to not leave any uncovered skin besides your face and hands.

The nagas all fully agree they do not want to let you go, and will find any way possible to make sure you can do this again. Maybe they can talk the zoo owners to allowing it and making you stay~

Struggling is absolutely fruitless with all the solid muscle around your body. Even if you managed to escape, there are four compared to just one of you. 

… well, at least they’re smart enough to not coil tight enough to cut off your oxygen. Almost though.

[theminecraftbee]

The thing in her cargo hold is looking at her again.

Really, Gem should have sold it by now. If the fishmonger had refused to take it--and really, it seems unlikely, Gem thinks, that the fishmonger would refuse to take it; he has taken and carved up and made meals of far stranger fish than one with a human face and hands and torso--she could have easily sold it to the man on the train, who takes exotic catches for his zoo. She could have even taken it to Grian; it's not a mending book, but it's the sort of thing he'd like to make fun of her for catching, instead of anything she's after.

Really, she should have. The longer she keeps the thing in her cargo hold, the more it starts to look properly human to her. She should know better. She has caught far stranger fish, and none of them have been human. It's another trick these seas have been playing on her, she thinks.

Long nights alone do that to a woman.

She ignores it. Instead, she opens the lid of the tank and starts depositing salmon. "It's a really weird request, that I keep them alive the whole time. You won't eat them, right?" Gem says, knowing the thing in her cargo hold can't answer. "Because if you eat them, this time, I really am going to sell you to the fishmonger. Or maybe I can figure out how to get fillets from you on my own? I've certainly eaten weirder fish..."

The thing in the cargo hold continues to stare. It has eyes that look like little moons, and brown hair, and it is smiling for some reason. Gem huffs.

"Don't give me that look! You are a fish. I am a fisherman. If mere human faces stopped me from doing my job, I would have gone mad a long time ago."

The thing in the cargo hold smiles wider. The lights flicker. Gem rolls her eyes and finishes putting salmon in the tank. As though to spite her, the thing in the cargo hold immediately lashes out, grabbing one in the claws on her otherwise-human hands and then tearing it apart with razor-sharp teeth. Blood rises on the water. Gem sighs.

"I have a harpoon in here somewhere, or at least a very sharp knife," she says to herself. She doesn't really want to use her nice knife, the one she always keeps on her belt, but she ought to have another knife around with which she can finish the job, right?

The lights flicker and go out. When she looks across at the tank, there are two silvery-moon eyes looking at her.

Gem pulls a wire. Gem turns the lights back on. She takes a deep breath.

"I really should have sold you by now, really. If the fishmonger won't take you, then the zookeeper would love you," Gem says.

The radio crackles. Gem startles. Very, very few people ever contact her on the shipboard radio, but if she's getting a signal, that's more important than a grudge match with a fish. She heads over to answer the call.

An amalgamation of voices responds:

YOU ARE FUNNY. I HAVE A MESSAGE. A DELIVERY. YOU'VE TRAPPED ME THOUGH.

Slowly, Gem turns around to the thing in the cargo hold.

"This won't stop me from treating you like a fish," she says. "If messages from the ocean stopped me--"

A terrible, crackling laugh sounds from the radio.

I AM THE MOON'S PEARL. YOU WILL NOT HOLD ME FOREVER. WE WILL SEE WHO EATS WHO.

Gem wags her finger. "We'll see, for sure, as long as you don't eat my salmon. That man in the fish-scaled suit was VERY insistent, you know."

TELL ME MORE.

"You're tying up my radio. What if there's another ship? What if there's something important?"

OH GEM. YOU KNOW THERE WON'T BE.

Gem swallows.

The thing in the cargo hold is staring at her.

"I need to sleep. I need to go to shore," she says.

YOU WON'T, the radio says.

She won't.

[kathaynesart]

Now that we're starting to hop around the timeline a bit, I figured it would be wise to post an official timeline of events to avoid confusion (note: always subject to change). I had also considered doing a similar Happy>Angst Scale Timeline like what Cass and Tapa have done in the past but... even I'm not 100% sure I want to see what that is going to look like haha.

NOTES OF INTEREST LISTED BELOW:

Pre 2022 is literally just the show ROTTMNT. These boys are supposed to be as close to canon as possible so it's a good reminder that everything that happened in the show happened to them as well (no they were not human kids that got mutated at a zoo, that was a big fat lie they told the EPF, I keep getting questions about that haha).

2022 - The Invasion catches them all by surprise and the Krang begin their conquest of the planet Earth. The Mad Dogs do what they can, but are as much in the dark as the rest of the world as to what these things are and where they came from.

2026 - This is the point where THIS INTERVIEW happens. Their Lair is destroyed by the Krang, as is the Hidden City. Splinter is killed and with nowhere left to go the boys turn to the last remaining human colony in the US. It is here they finally discover the true origins of the Krang and Leo realizes his hand in it.

2028 - The Holiday Special when Casey Junior is born! Look forward to it!

2030 - "The Day the Sky Bled Red" The fall of the Central Park Colony, the EPF, and the last remnants of the US Government. The survivors create the Liberty Colony located beneath the Statue of Liberty and form the Resistance, where humans, yokai, and mutants are treated equally.

2036-44 - Where the vast majority of Replica's story will be told.

Leaving some details sparse because they'll probably be addressed at some point in the story, but hopefully this information might help give better context.

[pop-punklouis]

wanted to ask your opinion on the chappel roan tiktoks she made the other day about fame and boundaries. i know a lot of people are siding with her, but i just feel like she could've been nicer about what she said...? i get that she had this crazy rise in fame the past few months. and i dont know how i would respond to that change, but to be upset bc fans want to take photos with you and to be so rude about it bc you're on "your time" just???. idk i feel like im in the minority here

i think you're missing the entire point of her message, babe. you're choosing to focus on the "taking pictures with fans" part of her rant instead of what she was really talking about, which is the harassments and objectifications she's been the victim of due to this meteoric rise to fame. she was not saying you couldn't come up and ask her for a photo. she was saying, if she told a fan "no" that some fans have immediately called her rude and tried to start an agenda about her being ungrateful and harsh in person. she was never talking about nice fan interactions. she was most definitely talking about every other interaction she's gotten that has been. inhumane

regardless, why should she be nicer about... anything... she was talking about? i'm tired of the parasocial and chronically online dictating how celebrities must react to fame and to their fans. harassment, stalking, manipulation, condescension.... these do not have to be synonymous with fame because hey! people don't have to treat other human beings like they're caged animals in a zoo! because they! signed up for this lifestyle! those aren't normal things and no one should expect someone to just. adapt to those things like it is. she can be as mean as she wants, dude. i don't blame her

why are people stalking her family? why are people pushing her boundaries? why are people pretending like her very valid and raw critique of how she's been treated since she went uber-viral are actually her "showing her true colors" and being "unappreciative" for what she chose to do for a living? like she stated in her videos, you don't know her. she doesn't know you. it is not normal to pretend like you do and to interact with her like you do. tiktok has made this parasocial relationship with celebrities worse than i ever could've imagined and we are seeing the darker side of it with chappel roan right now because she is being vocal about it. it's overwhelming. it's very abnormal. and it should be discussed more.

these people don't owe you anything. it's one thing to be ungrateful for what fans have given you. its another thing to feel like you are living in a fish bowl because people are treating you like a commodity instead of a living, breathing human being. i'm all for more celebrities drawing a harsh line in the sand when it comes to their personal life and their public persona. you are not obligated to their time no matter how much you feel you are. i cannot imagine becoming a practical overnight-sensation like she has the past summer. i would go absolutely insane on day three. so, why don't people turn on their dome piece and think for two seconds about how irrational and brainless it is to be upset that she "could've said :( things nicer :(" and she needs to be "more :( grateful :( otherwise :( she's not cut out :( for fame :(" liiiiike. no perhaps its you that needs to reevaluate how you treat other human beings depending on if they have the label "celebrity" over their head and go from there!

because what she said is something that's needed to be said for a long, long time regarding celebrity culture i just hate it's happening to her on such a scale that she needed to say it at all.

[heck-theo]

ROTTMNT Pride Flag Icons

The response to my last post about these was very encouraging so I finished them! Here are some examples using popular headcanons and/or headcanons that I like (so hard to pick cause there are so many great ones).

Below these examples are some rules for use and then below that are the blanks with the green flags for you!

Rules: First I wanna acknowledge that there's nothing I can really do to stop people using these however they want, and while I would disapprove, I'm not going to get mad and fight you about it. I won't give you the attention.

If you have any good faith/genuine questions or criticisms about these rules please let me know.

TLDR:Keep it respectful and PG.

Who can use these? I don't mind anyone using these if it follows the rules. Please credit me in some way if you use (even if it's just a text post), and don't claim that they are your own. If you would like to use it in a way that isn't specified here or with a flag not mentioned, feel free to ask.

Editing? I don't mind if you want to add small details, adjust colours etc, but I'd rather you didn't make large adjustments that could really change the overall picture.

How do I use these? I actually have no clue how to mask over a colour in a flat image, these are all clipped over the flag colour layer. If you do know please feel free to leave a comment. If you would like to request a specific flag go ahead and ask. If I only get a few requests I probably won't mind doing them for you. This is not a guarantee though, and it just depends on what I have going on and how I feel at the time.

What flags can I use? This is intended for flags that represent or support LGBTQIA identities. To be clear this does NOT include anything like TERF, MAP or Zoo flags. Also please don't use any flags representing kink and stuff.

Country flags? That is not the intended use and I'd really rather you didn't, however in the end as long as the flag isn't being used in a way that supports war, genocide or bigotry I'm not toooo fussed.

I really hope I'm being paranoid and this won't be an issue but I feel the need to say it cause I've been on the internet long enough to know it's full of trolls, grifters and creeps. If you see anyone being problematic, bigoted or disrespectful with these feel free to let me know. Free block list.

One last thing: There is a more "fem" leaning/alt version and a more "masc" presenting version. I tried not to get too carried away with changing their designs in the alt version. Also I'm still trying to figure out this style so it's not perfect but I was flattered that you guys were interested so I wanted to finish them off. Also they were designed to read well on a small scale so a lot of choices were made specifically to try and increase readability when they're itty bitty and some things might look slightly odd on full scale? Anyway.

Ok without further ado here are the blanks (I hope you can get some use out of them and enjoy ^^):

[itsabouttimex2]

May I ask

Which characters will include in the primal moon scenario ?

Essentially, whichever characters I can think of scenarios for- writing Monkiefam was pretty easy, because monkeys have complex hierarchies to draw from. I spent a while observing different species at a local zoo (they’re mean. God, they’re so mean.) and decided to write a fic based on the behaviors I saw. (I’ll post that video at the bottom!)

Despite their status as the lowest ranked member of the ‘troop’, Wukong sees Y/N as his biological child. He won’t listen to any arguments about the difference in age or species, no matter what evidence is presented to refute him. Macaque is seen as his ‘little brother’, their rivalry temporarily forgotten. (Though only on Wukong’s end.)

The Great Sage is just lucid enough to recognize MK as his cherished student, and tries to give him advice… but his mind is a little too muddled by viridescence to offer anything sound. He also accidentally enables the worst of Primal!MK’s traits by complimenting and comforting him whenever things go wrong.

He’s thankfully rather laidback about the whole thing, only getting violent when he feels that his ‘family’ or status are threatened.

Macaque returns to his long-forgotten docile demeanor, a remnant of his days as a member of the Sworn Brotherhood- though he tries to fight the shift. It butchers the simian’s pride to resume a position of submissiveness, especially now that it’s to two people- one of whom may well be a teenager. Also, he’s sincerely desperate for comfort and companionship, so he spends most of the week fighting himself to not participate in any bonding activities.

He’ll make a ‘rank-scaling’ attempt or two, only to get beaten down and potentially pushed behind even Y/N in terms of status if he does it enough.

Sun Wukong->MK->Macaque->Y/N is the troop ranking, and it’s pretty rigid.

MK is, uh… in a pretty rough state. He’s never had any preparation for the Primal Moon, thinking himself a regular human for almost the entire time that he’s been alive.

———————————————————————

Honestly, it’s Tang that gives me the hardest time! assuming we can call upon his cicada ancestry, he’s- got absolutely nothing. Female cicadas use their ovipositors to slice into thin branches many times, leaving clutches of eggs as they go- that’s about as far as parental instincts go for them, given that they and the males die soon after breeding. (The males, in fact, die pretty much directly after.) I guess I’d place him with Princess Iron Fan and Ne Zha as the ‘normal’ guys.

Pigsy is, as you know- a male pig. Who are notorious piglet-killers. Eating piglets, stepping on piglets, rolling over and crushing piglets- intentionally killing entire piglet litters to force females back into estrus- it gets pretty brutal. So I still haven’t figured out what I want to do with him for this story- though I imagine he’ll be aggressive/hair-trigger, with Tang being the one thing that holds him back.

———————————————————————

Mei was pretty easy to write, but I did a lot of research on Chinese dragons in order to keep my representation of her respectful. Dragons in the west are usually reduced to bloodthirsty beasts of pride and rage- creatures to be slain and overcome as monstrous final obstacles. This portrayal even dates back to Beowulf, with the dragon portrayed then going on to characterize many dragons that came after it. (For example, Smaug was based partly on Beowulf’s dragon, and partly on Fafnir- so if any others dragons are based on Smaug, then they too call back upon the original.

In Chinese culture, dragons are considered wise and powerful beings. They’re worshipped as symbols of prosperity and good luck, and considered very auspicious beings.

So, Mei seems more composed in this AU- but it’s all an act. Given the stigma that non-humans have on account of the Primal Moon, she spends a lot of time pretending to be something that she’s not so that no one ends up being afraid. Mei’s obsession with with Y/N primarily stems from their complete acceptance of who she is, inside and out. Instead of having to pretend to be dignified and wise and rational, she gets to be the real Mei. She can goofy and energetic with you, not afraid to roughhouse or throw hands.

———————————————————————-

For Bullfam, I think Princess Iron Fan very much would be the ‘only sane man’- if two things weren’t occurring:

1. Her husband wasn’t trying to talk her into having a second child and worshipping her every step, his tongue spinning crude admirations of her beauty and battle prowess.

2. Her son wasn’t clinging to her waist and arms, begging for validation and attention, futilely trying to drag her into his workshop to compliment his blueprints and machines.

So she has her boy (after some headpats and a little bit of buttering up) run off to the surface and snatch a suitably young human who’s been left unattended, imposing them as a temporary ‘second child’ and ‘younger sibling’… before getting attached. Even though they were supposed to be disposable, she works them into a more permanent fixture of her family.

Given that Red Son is the one who picks you out, he feels a special bond with you. Instead of being more aggressive or even prouder- Red gets clingy. His desire for love and respect comes to the forefront, leading him to latch onto Y/N as tightly as possible. Hugs, headpats, back rubs, hair combing- he wants affection in as many forms as possible. I like to think he temporarily grows horns during the Primal Moon, and that he really likes having them rubbed and polished.

And as for Demon Bull King… this man is already aggressive as hell and pretty damn tempestuous, seeing red at the drop of a hat. So, with very little inhibition as is, he’s the sort of demon hit hardest. Bull King’s mental faculties degrade by a touch or two, rendering him very animalistic. He’s the opposite of Mei here- she puts herself through a ton of suppression and training and it all pays off spectacularly. He actively leans into the instincts and new power the viridescence brings, reveling in a more bestial state.

So, while Y/N openly and freely gives Mei love and affection, they instead cower and hide from Demon Bull King.

He wants more kids. Wants to spend more time with his wife. Wants to fight and break and feast. And when Y/N is abducted brought home, his aggression outright doubles. This is kinda good, though- now he’s so protective that he’s pacing the fortress in hourly patrols, wearing himself out as he digs deep grooves into the earth, carving his sigil into the stones around him many times over, marking the territory as inextricably his.

And all he wants upon returning home is a nap- with his entire family piled onto the bed, of course.

———————————————————————

Also, if anyone has recommendations for how characters should act, I’d be happy to hear them!

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

You mentioned that sometimes zoos don’t get the funding they need? Is there anything that we, as visitors, can do to help with that? Donations, contacting representatives, things like that? What can we do to help zoos, zookeepers, and the animals they love and care for?

What a nice question!

So on a “we need funding for this new habitat or major renovation” level, the cost is pretty astronomical compared to what the average person can contribute. For example, the Oregon Zoo’s brand new Polar Passage habitat (started 2016, finished 2021) cost $19 million. The Brookfield Zoo is planning to add on a new indoor/outdoor ape habitat to their Tropics Building and that’s estimated at $9 million. Unless you happen to know folk with very deep pockets, personal donations aren’t going to have an impact on that scale - although that doesn’t mean they don’t help the zoo in other ways!

Contacting your representatives and expressing your support for your local facilities is absolutely something you can do that helps. Especially so if the facility is funded by the city or the county, but even if they’re not, it’s really good for reps to know that their constituents value the facility and want to see it supported. You can always write them whenever, but it’s most useful if there’s stuff happening that’s directly related (funding allocation, new rules being proposed, etc).

I’m going to take this opportunity to plug another way you can help zoos, though, that’s a bit different. Your question is really timely because there’s actually an ongoing need for support at the moment (date stamp: 6/11/23). There’s an organization I volunteer with, called Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) and they do, well, what it says on the tin. When zoological facilities, sanctuaries, and other facilities with exotic animals experience disasters - think getting flattened by a hurricane - ZDR3 coordinates a network of 130+ facilities who can show up and help. This is everything from sending food and needed supplies that are limited because of supply lines, deploying staff to physically assist an impacted facility with recovery, and even helping evacuate animals and house them until it’s safe for them to return. And it’s really important that it’s other zoos doing this work: if you’ve got to go chainsaw fallen trees out of an alligator habitat, you need people who know how to work safely around alligators! It’s a type of response work that other major disaster organizations don’t really do, because they don’t have the expertise with the animals or the needs of the industry.

ZDR3 can always use support, but, right now, they’re in the middle of a response in Guam where financial support is more necessary than normal. Guam got hit by the Super Typhoon Mawar on May 25th, and it absolutely ravaged the zoo there. It’s a small facility, with mostly geriatric, disabled, and unreleasable animals living there. A USDA representative asked ZDR3 if they’d be able to assist. The director flew out to assess the site and help as much as she could, but the thing is, because Guam is an island, they can’t ask teams from other facilities to deploy there the way the can with facilities in the continental United States. Instead the zoo is having to purchase all the supplies they need for recovery - and could really use assistance. There’s an Amazon wishlist set up with the tools and supplies they need, as well as a DonorBox link for direct donations (which go directly to the zoo, not ZDR3). If you want a tangible way to contribute to the immediate welfare of zoo animals and function of a facility, this a fantastic way to do it.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Floyd Leech - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: Honestly, before comin' here, I was only expecting to see paintings of the Great Seven…

Floyd: But there's actually a ton of unusual and cool lookin' stuff, like paintings of all their underlings.

Floyd: What should I check out next…? AH!

Floyd: It's the eels who worked for the Sea Witch. Look at those glowing eyes and those sharp fangs… So cool～

???: Hey, hey, don't you think these two look alike? Are they brothers?

Kalim: Also, kinda feels like they're similar to you and Jade.

Floyd: Oh hey, it's Sea Otter-chan. Yeah, I guess we might have similar color scales 'n all.

Floyd: But it's not like Jade and me think we're actually similar to each other at all.

Kalim: Eh, really?

Floyd: Yeah. Sometimes people'll mess me and Jade up and can't tell us apart, but I really don't get how they can't figure it out.

Floyd: Back when I first came to the surface, there was this one time that I got some funny looks in a hair salon that I went into for a haircut.

Floyd: They cut it just the way I asked, but what they were saying just wasn't adding up. And then, when I went to pay, they said this:

Floyd: "Leech-san, your hair grows back very quickly. I only just cut it a moment ago, I'm so surprised that it grew this long already."

Floyd: Yeaah, I'd say I was the one who was more surprised. This was my first time, but they said "a moment ago." Isn't that weird?

Kalim: Eh? What does it mean? Did you lengthen your hair with magic?

Floyd: Nah, come on, think. It was my first time in the shop, but…

Kalim: Ah, no way…!?

Floyd: Did you finally figure it out, Sea Otter-chan? Yeah, basically, Jade went and got his hair cut from the same place right before I did.

Kalim: I get it. So basically, the stylists there thought you two were the same person.

Floyd: Yup. Guess they didn't realize it because we both made the reservation under the name "Leech."

Floyd: Before that, even, when I went to get my passport photo taken to come to the surface, something similar happened.

Floyd: I'm like, seriously, how do they not realize it? Everyone's so bad at details.

Kalim: Wooow. I thought it'd be fun to have a twin sibling, but I guess it's not always great.

Floyd: Not really? Just like you said, there's a ton of fun that comes out of it.

Floyd: I'm never bored when Jade's around. Also…

Floyd: If I ever randomly feel like wearing something completely different from my usual stuff, I can just borrow stuff from him, from the clothes down to the shoes.

Floyd: Me 'n Jade like different colors and styles of clothes, and even go to completely different clothing stores.

Floyd: I can swap up my style in a snap, so it's actually pretty cool.

Kalim: Ahaha, yeah, that sounds like a blast!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Kalim: The King of Beasts here looks like he's relaxing, what a great painting～!

Floyd: Oh, there's an explanation next to it. It says, "This depicts the scene where the hornbill chamberlain is soothing the King of Beasts with a song."

Floyd: Huuuuh. So even lions relax while listening to music, huh.

Floyd: They say that this king was always strategizing, so maybe it was important for him to have his relaxation time, huh.

Floyd: Y'know, Sea Lion-senpai's the same, but aren't lions always just sleeping?

Floyd: I thought they were supposed to be ferocious, but even when I went to the zoo as a part of our land boot camp, they were all asleep… That was a major letdown.

Kalim: Hm? What do you mean by boot camp? Did you attend somewhere else other than Night Raven College?

Floyd: Yeah. Uh, so basically, the land boot camp is basically where the merfolk that're lookin' to come up to the surface go to study and practice stuff about land.

Floyd: You live there for a month, and they do a ton of different lessons, like how to walk, or how to live on land.

Kalim: Wow, that sounds really cool! So, what kind of stuff did you learn at the zoo?

Floyd: Uhhh, something about figuring the differences out between land animals? I have a super hard time telling apart animals that look similar, so.

Floyd: At first, I thought a giraffe was just a horse with a long neck, and I couldn't even tell the difference between foxes, dogs, and racoons.

Kalim: FOXES AND DOGS AND RACCOONS～!? BUT THEY'RE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!?

Floyd: Are they? They're all fuzzballs to me.

Floyd: But I could tell that an elephant was different from horses and the like, because it wasn't all fuzzy.

Floyd: Oh yeah, and the lions too. I thought all those cats I'd run into would one day grow large like them.

Kalim: EEEHH!! You'd mix up cats and lions too? I don't think I've ever seen cats with a mane…

Kalim: Ah, but… I guess I can't say anything. I used to think that when dolphins grew up, they turned into whales.

Floyd: Huuuh～? No way that'd happen. Why'd you think the name'd change like that?

Kalim: I don't really know, but I think I can get how someone who was raised in the ocean could believe that a cat would grow into a lion.

Floyd: Yeah, yeah. I bet if one of you surface dwellers came to the ocean floor, there'd be a ton of stuff you don't know, too.

Floyd: ―Oooh! That painting over there looks awesome. I'ma go check it out.

Kalim: Oh, which one? …HEY, FLOYD! WAIT FOR ME, I'M COMING TOO!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: The color composition in this painting's super amazing. The blue sky with the golden bug is a perfect combo.

Kalim: It's a painting of the Sorcerer of the Sands and a scarab! Both his posture and expression is really cool.

Floyd: I heard that this golden bug thing was the key to finding a magical cave… Why'd they make it look like a bug?

Floyd: Wouldn't that be hard to figure out? Insects and keys look nothin' alike.

Kalim: Hmmm, well, maybe… Maybe they tried to make it hard to figure out on purpose.

Kalim: They say there was some legendary treasure inside the cave. So I guess it's because no one would ever think a little bug would be the key, right?

Floyd: I get it. So then, if this was the ocean, the key might've been in the shape of a shell, or a crab.

Floyd: I bet it took the Sorcerer of the Sands a long time to find that magic cave because of that key.

Floyd: Or maybe, he was actually enjoying the treasure hunt?

Floyd: I know I get more excited tryin' everything I can to get my hands on something. The more difficult the better.

Kalim: What, have you gone treasure hunting too, Floyd?

Floyd: Not really treasure, but a ring.

Floyd: I once found this silver ring online that looks like an eel is wrapped around your finger.

Kalim: Woah! I've never seen a ring that looks like that before! I bet it'd look good on you.

Floyd: Riiight? But the manufacturers had already discontinued it. I wouldn't be able to find it so easily.

Floyd: And when something is hard to get… doesn't it just make you want it more?

Floyd: So, after that, I went looking for it, big time.

Floyd: I went 'round to a bunch of second-hand shops that carry the brand, and even asked my pops to reach out to some of his connections who'd know about stuff like that.

Floyd: I get bored pretty easily, so I usually don't try that hard trying to find just one thing. Cool, huh?

Kalim: You must have really wanted it, then! So? Were you able to find it?

Floyd: Yup. One of pop's connections was able to find it and get it for me.

Floyd: When I put it on, it totally felt like the ring was made just for me! And I got super attached to it.

Floyd: So then, I wore it pretty much all the time after that, even when I exercised or took showers…

Floyd: It ended up getting a ton of scratches, and got all tarnished, man～

Floyd: Silver stuff tends to degrade pretty quickly if you don't take care of it, but the ring's design was a bit complicated, so it was way too annoying to clean.

Kalim: Then, what if you remake it in platinum or white gold? They don't tarnish that easily. I can introduce you to one of my family's craftsmen!

Floyd: Naaah.

Kalim: Eh, why? I thought that was a pretty good idea…

Floyd: C'mon, Sea Otter-chan. I was all happy because it was hard to get my hands on.

Floyd: If I had someone make it for me, then that's not the same thing.

Floyd: It's 'cause it took a ton of hard work and searching for it was fun that I like that specific ring.

Floyd: Maybe it's a pain to clean, but I like it. So I'll use it until it breaks.

Kalim: Searching for it was fun, huh. I guess I never thought of it like that.

Kalim: Okay then, well, let me know if you're ever in a bind again. I'll totally help you then!

Floyd: 'Kaaay. I think I'm bored of this floor. I'm gonna go somewhere else. Bye, Sea Otter-chan.

Kalim: Yeah! See you later, Floyd.

Floyd: Hmmm, what should I look at next… Ooh. I've seen this painting of the Mer-King before, back in the ocean～

Floyd: I think they said that he was a super good guy, but could be unreasonable, too… Ugh, stubborn leaders like that sound like a paaain.

Floyd: Yeaaaah... The best kinda boss's gotta be someone like the benevolent Sea Witch.

[ddejavvu]

For MVM how about dbf hotch x reader where she gets drunk and she starts getting clingy and lovey around him,completely forgetting her dad's there and Aaron has to try to sneak them both away for a second

today is multiverse monday! send me any au you can think of :)

this post is 18+ (and so are its characters), minors dni.

Aaron knows from experience that wine is dangerous for you. Not because you're an angry drunk, or because you drink so much that you black out and need supervision. No, it's because you're a clingy drunk.

It's acceptable, endearing even, when you're at his place. When he's sitting on his couch and you're smushing yourself so hard against him that he thinks you'll fuse and become one. When you kiss his nose and trail downwards in smeary smooches that leave his face burning and his chest shaking with laughter, it's fun. But now, it's a nightmare.

Your dad is sitting two feet away from you, only half paying attention to the way you're kneeling beside Aaron on the couch. He's reclined, but you're hovering over him, leaning into his personal space and insisting that he show you pictures of Jack. It's taking every ounce of willpower in his entire body not to turn his head and kiss you right then and there, but he knows he has to do what he can to salvage this.

"Oh," You gush, mouth right by his ear, "That one's adorable! Is that the-" You hiccup, "-shirt I got him for his birthday?"

"Yeah," Aaron hums, zooming in slightly to show you the slightly worn design on the front, "He wears it all the time. It's his favorite shirt, even more than the one I got him at the zoo."

"He loves that one," You recall, knocking your nose into his cheek. Your dad doesn't notice, too preoccupied with his phone, but Aaron is starting to see your patience wane.

He acts fast, knocking his hand against the wine glass in your hand and subsequently spilling it onto your white shirt.

"Oh!" You gasp, red stains dripping down your torso, and Aaron takes the now-empty glass from your hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey. C'mere," He stands, nudging your hands off of his thighs and helping you to your feet, "You can borrow one of my shirts, I'll throw yours in the washing machine."

As soon as he leads you into his bedroom for a new shirt, you're on him. You're coming on so strong that he's pressed against the wall, and he grips beneath your thighs to haul you up around his waist while you try scaling him like a ladder.

"Okay, okay," He hums, but the words muffle where you're feverishly pressing your lips to his, "Wait, sweetheart, let's- mmf, get you a shirt."

He manages to grip your cheeks, pushing your face away from his so that he can speak. He does relent and peck your puckered lips, but he hauls you over to his bed and plops you down onto the mattress so that he can freely dig through his dresser.

"This one?" He asks, turning around with your favorite shirt in his hands. You nod vigorously, and he realizes you'll have trouble undoing the straps on your shirt.

"Here," He helps you shimmy it off, pointedly avoiding a glance down at your topless form to preserve what little self-control he has, "Okay, now-"

"Now we kiss," You gush, standing on unsteady legs to hold his face again.

"Now we go and rejoin your dad," He reminds you in a hushed murmur, though he just can't resist giving in one last time and kissing your wine-flavored lips, "But if you fall asleep on the couch, he might let you stay. And we can kiss tomorrow."

"Promise?" You grin at him, giddy.

"Promise." He nods, unhooking your arms from around his neck so that he can lead you back out with one hand on the small of your back, much less suspicious than hauling you along, "And you can keep the shirt."

[pjohoo-reclists]

Percy Jackson & Triton Fic Recs

A list of fic recommendations with Percy and Triton's relationship as brothers.

Wait, No, Stop! by PunkFlame

G | 1.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton

Seafam, Brotherly Bonding, Mer Percy Jackson

"I'll go and tell Father, or better yet, Mother, that you're abandoning your precious baby brother in his time of need." The Crown Prince froze and immediately whipped back around, and stared his brother dead in the eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

A Pain in My Ass by PunkFlame

Not Rated | 1.1k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton

Seafam, Brotherly Bonding, Fluff

Triton froze then jolted forward. He zoomed towards him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and spun him back around. "Don’t say that. Take it back."

Questions Unanswered by EclecticPhoenix

G | 1.2k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton

Brotherly Bonding, Triton is a Good Sibling, Fluff and Angst

Triton never gave much thought to his bastard half-brother. Not after their first meeting. It was supposed to be an easy job to lend a helping hand as a favor to one of his oldest friends. It also worked out perfectly because Triton needed a small break. He did not expect to meet the demigod that had the divine world wound up.

Zoo Day by PunkFlame

G | 1.5k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton

Brotherly Bonding, Insecurity, Hurt/Comfort

"I am unsure as to how much you know about me and my myths." "Only a bit," He admitted, "But I tend to build my knowledge off of first hand encounters, rather than some old texts." Triton nodded, "Did you know that I had a daughter?" Percy drew his eyebrows together, "Had?" "Her name was Pallas."

ευσεβή αδέρφια by GravityEffect17

G | 1.6k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Abused Percy Jackson, Good Parent Sally Jackson, Good Sibling Triton

Triton has a mortal sibling. His father broke his oath.. Triton should dislike his sibling. But...He can't. Watching the child crying themselves to sleep. Triton couldn't hate them.

the waters connect them, unseen by Nightingale231

T | 2.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Poseidon & Triton

Family Fluff, Good Sibling Triton, Atlantis

Delphin doesn't know how they're doing it, but somehow it works. He can see Prince Perseus' body change a little, pink and blue scales bubbling just under his skin as King-prince Triton forces him to own up to his heritage. They are so similar in their instinct even when they are different. It's strange, especially to an outsider who happens to know that they didn't grow up together, because looking at them now - clashing but together, a force to be reckoned with - he wouldn't have been able to tell. (Percy, Triton, and Poseidon experiencing each other, from the views of outsiders and, eventually, themselves.)

We are the warriors that learned to love the pain by Violettavonviolet

G | 2.9k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Case, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Percy Jackson, Touch Starved

When people touched him, they usually flinched and took a few steps back. Some got really pale in the face and once, a teacher had fainted after grabbing his arm. He didn’t really get why, other people never seemed to have the problem, but that was just another way he was special. The only person that ever really touched him was his mom, but even she was hesitant and he knew she hurt just as much as everyone else. It was his fault. His freaky body. It felt unfair, kind of, that so many kids had these traits, but only Percy was debilitated by them. He wanted a hug. He wanted to high-five Grover and give Annabeth a fist-bump. Hell, he couldn’t even train normally, because his opponents couldn’t touch him. It made him hate himself. Hate his Dad. Hate the fates. -- Percy had returned from the stupid quest with Annabeth and had stupidly touched the statue, leaving him gasping on the ground, as a coldness like never before spread through his entire body. Distantly, he could hear Annabeth shout and try to touch him, but he hurriedly rolled away, she couldn’t touch him! or: Percy inherits some fun blowfish traits and when trouble comes, he has to turn to his family for help

behind this mask by Sappho_of_Space

T | 3.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Poseidon & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Character Study, Triton is Protective, Undersea Family

Triton had never been a big fan of his younger brother. His mortal younger brother. But, Percy was of the sea, just as him. The same ichor flowed in their veins. When someone threatens Percy, Triton only did what came naturally.

terrorbane by Nightingale231 

T | 3.3k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Powerful Percy Jackson, Brotherly Bonding, Good Sibling Triton

He laughs, wild and free with the power that come of the Storm and the Seas, and lets the earth beneath him give him strength as the Storm does around him. Zeus may be the god of thunder, of lightning, and the ruler of the Winds, but he was not the god of the storms. The Storm and the Seas envelop him as the earth feeds him its strength, and he keeps laughing. It tears itself out of his throat just as he tears a bloody trail through the horde of monsters and leaves nothing but the hint of gold dust suspended in the air. - Or, Percy comes into his full powers, Triton and Poseidon are good family members, and Percy is a fucking badass.

Triton's no good, very bad day by Ghxst_Bird 

T | 3.5k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Misunderstandings, Undersea Family, Deity Percy Jackson

While Poseidon and Triton contemplate why Percy does not want to accept godhood Percy has a surprise in store for them... if only Triton and him didn't decide to spar. aka. Waiting for others to deduce a surprise may lead to catastrophic events. such as the flooding of the entire Atlantic Coast. I don't make the rules.

Triton: Professional Date Crasher by anxious_tofu 

T | 5.2k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Kymopoleia

Fluff, Sibling Bonding, Established Relationship

Percy finally bonds with Triton only to run into one, tiny problem. He won't stop interrupting Percy's dates.

Get Well by PunkFlame

Not Rated | 6.8k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Amphitrite

Chicken Pox, Protective Triton, Family Feels

Normally Percy wasn’t huge on physical contact, which is what made the demigod utterly melting into him - and even nuzzling against his chest - all the more bewildering. Not that a single thing in the past few minutes made much of any sense. Firstly Percy never prayed to him, so hearing him do so filled the god with trepidation. Despite whatever situation he thought he would find the demigod in, not for a moment did the messenger even consider that his brother would be lying face first in a bathtub, one foot hooked over the edge of the tub, and the other wedged in the corner. What had happened to him now?

I'm Not Inclined to Resign to Maturity by Butterflies_Stormclouds

T | 14k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Kymopoleia

Family Issues, Prince Percy Jackson, Seafam

Triton found himself investigating the recent spate of thefts from the palace kitchens. With an eccentric father, pestering cousins, and a recently legitimized self-sacrificing demigod, what could possibly go wrong?

Love Blooms From Within by PunkFlame

T | 16k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Amphitrite

Hanahaki Disease, Undersea Family, Happy Ending

Percy grabbed a tissue from the nearby box to cough into, only to nearly faint when he caught sight of what was nestled in the bloody mess. “Are those… petals?” He pushed it to the back of his mind, and tried his very best to forget all about them. Even though the cough and the petals never truly went away. ____   All Percy ever wanted was his Father's love. Some brotherly love would certainly have been nice too, but how could they possibly ever love someone as fleeting as him? (Hanahaki with a familial twist.)

The Sea Does Not Like to Be Restrained by PunkFlame

T | 20k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Amphitrite

Protective Triton, Atlantis Centric, Family Bonding

As it turns out, when a demigod rejects their godly parent’s domain with such vehemence, the god and their child could become entirely severed from one another. There was little knowledge on the matter, the bottom line seemed to be that if the two did not mend the sever, Perseus would slowly fade away and die, step by step loosing more and more of himself as his soul desperately tried to mend the gaping hole in itself. Triton couldn't even imagine. The most terrifying concept to him was piece by piece loosing what made him who he was. To have parts of oneself ripped from one's very soul until they remain a husk of what they once were, there were scarcely worse things.

How to Avoid a Prophetic Death by PunkFlame

G | 24k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Amphitrite

Protective Triton, Baby Percy, Triton Raises Percy

"What in Hades have you just handed me?” The King looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “An infant?” “No Father. I'm well aware of that. But why the-” He took a moment to calm and collect himself, “Father? Why do you have a demigod?” “I don't.” Poseidon replied simply, holding his empty hands up, “You do. If I were to have a demigod, he would be doomed to a tragic Fate. If you, my son, were to have a demigod, he could live a long life tucked away where no one would dare come and take him from you.”

Fishing in Alaska by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

G | 112k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Poseidon

Family Feels, PTSD, Triton is a Good Sibling

[Note: fic was deleted from ao3. Link is to a google drive copy. The hassle is worth it].

“This… this would qualify as a mental breakdown, right?” Triton asked, frowning over his shoulder to where Percy was still fuming in the corner. The lady at the counter curiously glanced over before lifting a questioning brow. “My brother – half-brother, technically, I have much better breeding – decided to run away from home to where our father can’t reach him and now he won’t leave. And now I can’t leave unless he leaves,” Triton continued. Percy opened his mouth to object that wasn’t what happened at all, but the tyrant only waved a hand to silence him. “He’s seen war or whatever, so if you could maybe just drug him then I’ll throw him into a suitcase and we can be out of here by the Summer Solstice!” Silence. Finally, the woman cleared her throat and turned to Percy. “I’m guessing he’s the one you want checked into the mental hospital?” She asked. Triton gasped as Percy punched the air in victory. “Aha!” Or: Getting in trouble works a little differently when your parent is an all-powerful god. Sometimes you have to escape to the land beyond gods and get your immortal brother turned human to drag you back so you can be exploded a million pieces. You know, normal teenage stuff.

Hold Tight and Pretend It's a Plan by Rynna_Aurelius

M | 112k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson & Triton

Time Travel Fix It, BAMF Percy Jackson, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Olympus has fallen. The second Gigantomachy has ended far differently than the first, and in Gaea's triumph, the world has been torn apart. But the Fates have seen what ends their failed meddling have brought, look on at the dead—and undo what should never have happened the only way they possibly can. Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, is returned to his twelve-year-old self, memories intact and determined to save everyone he can. But he is not alone. The Moirai underestimated the strength of the Lord of Time when stealing his power, and there is something about this particular demigod brat that intrigues him. . . Perseus Jackson came roaring to life with a violent gasp, green eyes wild. After a moment of panicked flailing and struggling to breathe, his fear-filled gaze settled upon a girl with blonde hair and stormy grey eyes, her face stern and unimpressed. "You drool in your sleep." Part 1 of Sing, O Muse (OF Heroes Once More)

Who Would Dare? by PunkFlame

T | 120k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Amphitrite

Extreme Medical Trauma, Prince Percy, Undersea Family

"Listen." Triton's voice cut through Percy’s haze "We both know you're hurt, but you don’t have to play the hero. Now let me see your damn wound." Percy nodded, opening up his stance and allowing Triton to approach him. He lifted the hem of Percy’s shirt carefully, to reveal an inch deep gash that stretched from the top of his shoulder to his upper thigh. Triton froze, eyes widening in disbelief, but he remained silent. He reached out but stopped himself just short of touching the wound. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and grave. "Tell me who did this to you... Now." ________ Triton, at Poseidon's request, goes to seek out Percy; however, he finds him on the brink of death, and brings him back to Atlantis in an attempt to save his life. What will this mean for them, what will this mean for the royal family as a whole, and who would dare to have done this in the first place?

ATLOP: Trial by Fire by WardofWinters (QoLife)

T | 225k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson & Triton, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

BAMF Percy, Water bender Percy, Smart Percy

Percy was having a normal day at the beach, until he decided to try to waterbend like Katara from his favorite show. Problem is, he succeeds. Now he has to figure out how to waterbend, and keep the normal people from finding out they have a waterbender in their midst. Finding out he's actually a child of Poseidon will probably explain a few things. Part 1 of To Make a Legend

[igotsnothing]

OC Deep Dive Questionnaire

Thank you for tagging me, @lynzishell! You are the best and I enjoyed reading about Atlas and Asher so much- their warmth and affection were so evident throughout the entire questionnaire! ❤️

For this I chose Sasha and Gideon. If anyone is interested in a different pair, I'd be glad to do it again!

Gideon: Oh, we’ve been invited to do a Deep Dive Questionnaire!

Sasha: No. It’s absurd.

Gideon: We were tagged by Asher and Atlas, though. They’re so nice!

Sasha:  Buuh…Fine.

-What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Gideon: Are you scared of anything, Sasha? You have to be one of the most fearless people I know. Who walks into a vampire coven meeting like you did? You are something else.

Sasha: When I was little, my mom took me to a petting zoo and bought me feeding pellets to give to the geese; they all kept crowding me and chasing me around this pond and I thought I was going to die.

Gideon: What did you do?

Sasha: I threw all the pellets at them and jumped into the pond.

Gideon: That’s actually very scary for a young child! Did your mother have to jump in after you?

Sasha: Nooo. The pond was pretty shallow.

Gideon...How old were you?

Sasha: Like 10.

Gideon: PFFFF!

Sasha: Shut up.

Gideon: You’re so dramatic.

Sasha: What about you?

Gideon: I fear... not ever having you by my side.

Sasha: [Turning red and burying his face in Gideon’s chest]

Do they have any pet peeves?

Gideon: Hmm...Probably people who are rude, especially in public. It’s not that hard to hold the door for people or say excuse me, or turn your blinker on before making a turn.

Sasha: OMG, when people sit down at a table and keep talking to each other and when I come over to take their order, they’re like, “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to look at the menu yet.” I’m like- there are FOUR things on the menu. Just order or I will choose your food for you!

Gideon: You also dislike bad tippers.

Sasha: If I get another religious tract as a tip, someone is going to be meeting their lord sooner than they expected.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Sasha: We bought a bunch of stuff recently! We got a sofa bed and a fridge... What's one more thing?

Gideon: What about Mrs. Kachky?

Sasha: She goes where I go. She’s the only thing I have left of my mom’s.

Gideon: I'm feeling a little jealous. I think she gets more cuddles than I do...

Sasha: Awww! I’ll let you cuddle her too.

Gideon: [Inhaling deeply] I’m throwing you back into that pond.

What do they notice first in a person?

Gideon: Appearances can be deceiving. I’m more interested in seeing how people treat those they perceive as being beneath them. People often behave badly when they have any kind of power.

Sasha: I was raised in the Spice District! You think we make eye contact with people while walking around here? You keep walking- mind your business.

Gideon: Let’s combine the next two questions because I think they’re related.

On a scale of 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?  And -do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Gideon: I was a soldier when I was mortal and as a vampire, I’ve endured my share of attempts on my unlife: I’ve been stabbed, beaten, and I’ve escaped more than one attempt to burn me into ashes. I assess a situation before fighting. I won’t necessarily run if the odds are stacked heavily against me, but I may try to explore an alternative. I’d say I have a high tolerance. A 9.

Sasha: Me too.

Gideon: [Squinting and shaking his head]

Sasha: Okay, but in my defense that comb snagged my hair really hard- I didn’t expect that. Let’s say a 7.

Gideon: Or a 4... It’s ironic, because you won’t run from a fight. Even if you know you’ll get beaten up. It’s very paradoxical.

Sasha: In Sparta, we die like men!

Gideon: [Rolls his eyes].

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Gideon: My coven is my family, and it is a fairly large one. I think I’ve been somewhat absent and disconnected from them for a while now. I do miss that closeness we shared over the decades.

Sasha: Nope. It was my mom and my dad and me. After she died, I was pretty much on my own. My dad and I haven't spoken in years.

[Gideon reaches for his hand and clasps it tightly.]

Gideon: I'm always here for you, Sasha. You're not alone.

What animal represents them best?

Gideon: [Laughs]

Sasha: PASS!

What is a smell that they dislike?

Sasha: Depending on where you are walking in this city, every once in a while you’ll catch a whiff of weed that’s just skunky-ass bad. Or pee. Or trash water on the sidewalk.

Gideon: Garlic.

Have they broken any bones? if so, how?

Gideon: Oof...I’ve broken a few. I used to ride horses when I was a soldier and had my share of bad falls.

Sasha: I broke my arm falling off a jungle gym. I was in first or second grade. It wasn’t too bad. All my friends drew on my cast and then my arm was super stinky when the cast came off.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Sasha: Gideon? Sophisticated. And...Suede.

Gideon: Suede?

Sasha: Yeah! You know, someone like super confident and elegant...

Gideon: Did you mean...suave?

Sasha: ...Wut?

Gideon: [Quickly] Sasha is completely and devastatingly adorable and endearing.

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Gideon: I don’t need much sleep, but I find myself keeping hours similar to Sasha’s now.

Sasha: I stay up late when I work at the diner.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Sasha: This man loves the flavor of his fancy-pants whiskey.

Gideon: You forgot my favorite one: you.

Sasha: Stop it...And you hated Twizzlers.

Gideon: Why someone would eat a rope of twisted wax is beyond me. You hate fine whiskey- I'll never forget “liquid leather”. But you love junk food, which baffles me. Have some Styrofoam instead- at least it doesn't pretend to be real food.

Sasha: Heh! I got you some Tootsie Rolls and Necco candy... Can't wait to see you try those...

Do they have any hobbies?

Gideon: I love the arts. I frequented the theatre, museums, and concert halls often. I'd love to take Sasha with me sometime.

Sasha: I like walking around the city. There is always something interesting or new to see. Oh, and piling stuff into the hall closet so the contents fall down on Dima when he opens it. He falls for it. Every. Time.

Boom, surprise birthday party! how do they react to surprises?

Sasha and Gideon look at each other: No.

Sasha: Let’s say what we hate about surprise parties at the count of three. Ready? 1...2...3!

Gideon: Surprises.

Sasha: People.

Do they like to wear jewelry? if so, what is their favorite piece?

Gideon: I don’t really wear anything except for my Rolex Daytona.

Sasha: F*ck. How am I supposed to follow that? A few pizza-shaped earrings from Claire’s? They were super cute, though. Oh, and a friendship bracelet Tito made me a couple years ago. It broke off but I still have it somewhere.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Sasha: Have you seen his writing? It’s like he signed the Declaration of Independence. Mine is barely legible.  

What are two emotions they feel the most?

Gideon: I sense many of Sasha’s emotions, but I don’t want to put him on the spot.

Sasha: I do feel anxious and upset a lot.

Gideon: My emotions would be frustration and...Hmm...

Sasha: Horniness.

Gideon [Stares in mock surprise as Sasha snickers]

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Gideon: I like linen. It has an elegant simplicity that is timeless.

Sasha: I like flannel.

Gideon: [Playfully] Not suede?

Sasha: Oh, haha, you dick.

What kind of accent do they have?

Sasha: Do I even have an accent?

Gideon: You sound like you’re from San Myshuno. No doubt. What about me?

Sasha: You do have a pretty neutral accent, but every once in a while you’ll sound like you’re from Henford-on-Bagley.

Gideon: Well, it was more likely to hear Simlish from Henford since it is closer to where I hail from.

Sasha, imitating Gideon very hammily: Say, old chap, do you fancy a tipple of liquid leather with some freshly harvested Cheetos? No, wait- Cheeee-tooows!

[Laughing]

Sasha: Heh! I guess that wasn't so bad, after all...

I'm tagging the following storytellers who are wonderful: @agena87, @aurorangen, @eljeebee, @miss-may-i, @aheathen-conceivably, and if anyone else wants to play, please do so. And because I believe in miracles: @damseljamselI and @greighish. @lynzishell, if you wanted to do this for Phoenix and Dawn...here is your chance! I'd totally read it up! I'd tag more folks but I'm feeling a bit off these days and (irrationally- I hope) worried about bothering people. In that vein- this is totally optional! (butifyoudoitiwannareaditall!)

[ghostlspirit]

Suffocated

(Male!Yan x gn! Mermaid/Siren Reader)

(part 1)

Masterlist

tw: Yandere, Imprisonment, mentions of cutting you open, Blood, idk I still try to keep things tame

note: Still trying to get comfortable lmao. I know mermay is over but I just had to write this. Exams are over and I can work on stuff now wohoo!! Hope this isn't too long. Happy Pride and I hope you enjoy~

You were a never-before-seen species. A mythical creature, a mermaid, a siren. Gifted with beautiful scales, a luscious tail, and captivating eyes. Every one is mesmerized.

Especially Krish, a researcher and part of the team of caretakers for you. He was also there when they found you, and boy, was that a day to remember. He remembers your open mouth full of sharp teeth trying to bite through the nets, and your voice, oh your voice, letting out screams and hisses as they dragged you up on boat.

He couldn't wait to research you! Who would have thought that a mermaid exists? Who knows how many more are out there, waiting to be discovered. He was beyond curious on your behavior and diet, how intelligent you are and if you understand humans. You must be curious too, Krish know it, you must be curious too, he says, while you look at him with those mesmerizing eyes. You never let him out of your sight, always watching him, hissing when he gets too close. You must be able to remember faces, he notes down in his notebook.

He watches you swim in your aquarium. Because of your size, and the lack of preparation, they opted to letting you stay in a Zoo aquarium for the meantime. Of course, no visitors are allowed here, and all the animals were moved, so you're alone in this...fake ocean, held up inside these glass walls.

You hated it. You hated everything, even yourself. Your mother always told you not to be stupid, not to be foolish and swim too high. Yet you just had to fight with her, argue and rebel, swimming in hopes of a new life, outside of your home. You wanted adventure, taste other seas and swim through different coral reefs. She was always against it, always so cautious and protective. You felt suffocated. What irony you find yourself in. Here you are, fake coral reefs surrounding you in a closed off space, swimming in water that tastes off, and some dammed creature watching you. You feel more suffocated than ever. This isn't what you wanted.

You're scared, terrified even. No tales, stories or warnings could have prepared you for this situation. What are you going to do? How are you going to get out? Will you ever see your mother again? Where even are you? What will they do to you? Are they going to eat you? Do they want your scales, or maybe eyes? You anxiously search for a corner to hide in to collect yourself, away from their gaze, away from his gaze.

Krish notes ever flicker of your tail, ever movement of your arms, everything you observe. You're probably struggling to get comfortable in your environment, is it too bright maybe? Or do you just need time? He has so many questions rushing through his mind, eyes practically shining like a kid opening presents.

The other researchers are just as excited as him, your very existence opening so many doors of possibilities. They have so much planned for you, from taking your measurements to opening you up to explore your insides. Not that Krish is unaware of their plans, he just suggests it would be more beneficial to observe and get to know you before putting you under the mercy of a scalpel. Thank God he has some authority, otherwise he doesn't get to experience your curiosity. Plus, who wouldn’t be more fitted for the task of getting to know you other than him?

Because of your sharp teeth he opts to getting you different kind of fishes, shells, and algae, to guess your preferences. Though for the first few days you seem to refuse to eat. After five days of having to fish out the remains of uneaten food, Krish comes personally to deliver the food at the opening at the top of the tank, in hopes of figuring you out. No, he isn't worried. You’ve been hiding, he is thinking of removing those hiding spots so he can have a better view. But that might make you more stressed, he can’t have that.

Krish has his blond hair in a bun, rain boots on, as he dangles a fish above the waters, occasionally dipping it in to create commotion. “Come one now, I know you’re hungry,” another dip, “It’s alright, you can come out,” he tries to keep his voice soft, as if he’s speaking to a puppy, “I know you want it.” Another few dips and now he’s keeping the fish in the water and swirling it around. Still no response. “You have to eat.” Still nothing. With a sigh he turns around and asks the assistant to dim the lights. He doesn’t notice the hand is still holding the fish under the water. He also doesn’t notice your predatory eyes, glowing in the depths, fixating on the fish.

A second passes, it’s as if time stopped, as you dart out of your spot. Krish turns around in time, and unaware, he meets your captivating eyes, right in front of him in the waters. He doesn’t even register anything else as everything happened so fast, he doesn’t even notice he has let go of the fish. With a quick bite you turn around, your tail splashing water in Krish’s face, as you dart back into your hiding place, fish between your teeth. The fish is leaving a trail of blood, and slowly Krish registers what happened. He blinks, dumbfounded, as your eyes and the sudden rush of adrenalin ignite a flame in him.

Drenched, he lets the voices of the worried assistance become a buzz in his mind. The trail of blood looking like a red string, connecting you both. It’s the proof that grounds his mind, knowing this interaction just happened, as short it might’ve been.

“The lights should stay dimmed”, he frantically scribbles in his notebook, “And order more of that fish.”

We wouldn’t want you to starve now.

[lalalian]

why do dragons bond with humans in the first place?

date: july 10, 2024

it’s been a while since I’ve done a post like this, hasn’t it? Do keep this info in mind, as it has a large impact on the storyline, conflict, and plot.

intro; humans vs dragons

Dragons and humans haven’t necessarily been in much conflict until dragon riders came to be.

“But what about territory and land? Wouldn’t humans fight dragons for their lands?”

No. Would you fight a colony of magically armed polar bears for an orchard?

Okay well people have certainly tried, but only a handful of times. Each time ended in… a very clear victory for the dragons.

Humans who messed with dragon riders frequently got cocky. Why? Riders refused to let their dragons get involved humanxrider disputes due to the sheer impact their anger would have on people who aren’t even part of the conflict. Of course, some riders have let their dragons run wild, but it’s generally a pretty terrible thing to do— plus, it breeds even more hatred between humans and riders.

Because of this, dragons typically despise humans (not riders, humans). No matter how bad things get between humans and riders, dragons are told to stand down. This built up anger within a community isn’t healthy. Dragons who are much older (I’m talking like thousands of years) sometimes visit dragon rider schools and spread this sentiment to the hatchlings. Let’s just take the older dragons out the equation for a sec— what if a younger dragon never came into contact with someone who hated humans?

A dragon is going to come across a human sometime in their lifetime— and it’s not always gonna be a nice experience. Dragons generally don’t like being treated like zoo animals (I mean, would you?). Dragons want to be respected just like anyone else does, but humans usually cross quite a few boundaries.

A dragon will very very likely to come to dislike humans.

Some things that humans find acceptable that dragons don’t like are:

- touching without permission

- being poked and prodded for the wrong reasons

- the ‘baby voice’ from people who aren’t their riders, even then a lot of dragons prefer their riders to speak to them as they would with another rider

- disrespecting their riders, especially since riders are instructed to keep their dragon from lashing out

- throwing food carelessly towards them as if they’re dogs, teasing them with their food (move the food towards their mouths and then snatching it away)

- humans who don’t shower— humans have a sulfur smelling odor (to dragons) even after showers, but it’s much less intense

- generally just being treated like a dog (fetch the stick!) unless it’s with their rider

- overworking without nourishment, a popular sentiment amongst humans is: “dragons are beasts of magic, they don’t require as many resources because they can replenish themselves with mana” …Some dragons don’t even consume mana… even then, all beings need rest

- stealing and selling of unshed scale (unshed scale = scale that is still attached to the body, will bleed if removed before the body sheds it on its own)

- “all dragons consume meat” …Some only eat grubs and fruits sir… leads to malnourished dragons in the workforce, they need a balanced diet

- “Mommy, can I have a pet dragon when I grow up?” Innocent question to us, but since dragons mature quickly, they resent human kids for their stupidity; also there has been an illegal dragon pet trade going around, but gov officials have tried to end it numerous times

weren’t riders humans once?

Riders appear to be humans, but they were never really humans in the first place. They look and smell the same without literally any training, especially if a rider refuses to use magic— but they are different.

Riders are born with either an open link attached to their soul or immediately bond with another dragon’s soul upon birth.

In the case of an open link, another dragon’s soul is always bonded to theirs by the time a rider reaches 15. The existence of a bond allows mana to be distributed throughout a rider’s aura. The linking of the two souls creates a channel between them, thus funneling mana into the rider. Humans and riders both have auras, but riders, even the lowest tiered rider, have enough space to store mana. It’s important to recognize that humans cannot, under any circumstances, control the flow of their own mana because they don’t have any. Humans cannot hold mana in their aura. No mana=No magic. A rider’s mana capacity is the amount of mana an aura can hold. A human’s mana capacity is always 0, no amount of training will increase it. Can you fill a straw up with water? It’s like that.

Once a rider nurtures the aura through movement (using magic, doing more difficult spells, even telepathy with dragons stirs the mana in your aura) the differences between a human and a rider becomes more apparent.

getting to the point..

So… why do dragons bond with riders in the first place?

Well, now it’s usually not on through complete choice, but it was the first few times. A very small colony of dragons came to accept a human boy as their own after raising a hatchling. Sure, there have been some (very very few, humans were scared of dragons after seeing/hearing about the destruction they can cause) humans who have tried to raise a hatchling, but most were either killed by the hatchling, surrounding dragons, or even other humans for their ‘traitorous’ actions.

The accepted boy was granted with a blood spell that made it so his children would be able to bond with dragons as he did.

These children had to nurture dragons just like their father did, and the hatchling would consider the human as their own. Eventually, this colony of dragons came to trust this human’s lineage. The bond began to mutate into something else— a soul bond. This mutation wasn’t intentional, but it did lead to the same kind of bond that we experience today.

wanna know more about my aethergarde academy dr? here's a masterlist with everything I've posted about it!

[hughiecampbelle]

Dependence Pt. 3 (Roy!Sibling x Roy Family)

Character/s: Connor, Kendall, Shiv, Roman, Logan

Word Count: 2,054

Warning: addiction, drugs, alcohol, death mention

Tag: @locke-writes

A/N: Idk how angsty this is on a scale of 1-10, but I can tell you it's actually very sweet and very heartbreaking. Baby Roy is going through it!!! I love them!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Dependence Pt. 1 / Dependency Pt. 2 / Dependence Pt. 4 / Dependence Pt. 5

Being The Youngest Roy Would Include Pt One.

Being The Youngest Roy Would Include Pt. Two

The first number you called was Logan’s. The next was Kendalls. The last was Connor’s. Slurred, sleepy, assuring him you were going to be okay. You would be okay because the shaking had stopped, you were warming up again, you were feeling better. You couldn’t keep your eyes open though, the lids too heavy. Curled into a ball in the booth, cradling a stranger's phone, slipping into unconsciousness. He said something, something that sounded sad, panicked. You were going to be okay, you felt so light. Your pulse is barely there. He yelled again, but it was incoherent. You were tired, the exhaustion setting deep into your bones. If you just put your head down, if you shut your eyes for a moment, then you could get some sleep. You’d be alright. The last coherent words from your mouth was an apology: I’m so sorry, I’m fucked up. I’m sorry. . . You were so light, so far away. It felt nice. No more anger. No more rage. No more self-hatred. Finally, you were free. Free from it all, free from him, from life. 

He peered over your crib, taking you all in. you were a few months old, just staring up at him. Your eyes are so wide, so new to the world. You slept in the nursery they’d all been in, though things were different. Boxes of things had been placed in the corners, on the floor of the closet, as if you were only a temporary guest. You reached up, cooing at the mobile. Zoo animals spinning round and round. Your mother and Logan off somewhere, doing something, unbothered by the little life they created. You were a quiet baby, as if you already knew what was coming, as if you could sense the irritation in your fathers voice every time you cried, hissing at your mother to quiet you down. Neither of them were fit for this kind of job, as young as he was, Roman could sense it. When your smile fell, he picked you up, out of the crib, and sat back in the rocking chair. A few whimpers was all you let out, as if you were already bottling it up inside. He remembers how small you were, how sorry he was. Not just for your father, your mother, the both of them terribly one minded, only ever thinking of themselves, but for this life as well. It wasn’t easy, that much he’d learned in his short life. It would never be easy. The money, the luxury, it helped, but it could only do so much cushioning. A fresh bruise throbbed over his eye. That day, in your cramped bedroom where it seemed like they put just about anything in, he made a promise to you. He’d never let you get hurt. He’d never let them hurt you the way they hurt him. You smiled up at him, all gums, like you knew what he was saying, like you were thanking him. It would not be an easy job. Pacing the floors of the emergency room, the realization struck him like a slap to the face: he failed. He failed you. He hadn’t protected you from anything, especially your father. He didn’t do what he’d promised you. 

You stood to the side of Shiv’s bed, blankie thrown over your shoulder. You were too frightened to wake her, not wanting to scare her, so you were as still as possible. Your breathing ragged from the nightmare, your cheeks still wet. Lately, you've been having one every night. Your room, without the toys, without the decorations, without anything, felt more like a prison than your bedroom. You were being punished again. Quietly, you tiptoed down the hall, down the stairs, to where their bedrooms were. The boys doors were shut, but Shiv’s had been left slightly open. You took that as a sign, taking the handle in your chubby little hand. Her room had looked the same since you could remember. She slept soundly on her side. Barely above a whisper, you called her name. Shivy? Over and over again until she stirred. She used to jump when you came in, when you woke her, but this had become routine the last few weeks. If it wasn’t her, it was Ken or Rome. One of them always woke up to you in their bed, unable to bear yours any longer. A nightmare, you’d confess. They’d nod, understanding all too well, making room for you beside them. She doesn’t say anything, wordlessly moving to the other side, opening the blankets. You climbed up next to her, making sure Blankie got there too. She let her arm fall on to you, holding you close. She’d always remembered the way you smelled. Sweet, sweaty, warm. Her face buried in your hair, tightening her grip. You were so small, so scared. She couldn’t fall back to sleep until she heard your shallow breathing even. You never had any nightmares with her. That’s what she thought of you when she saw you in that bed, how she was living a nightmare, that if she’d been there for you, if she’d let you climb into her bed, none of this would have happened.

He’d asked you to dance at your mothers wedding. It was one of the first times in a long time you weren’t drinking yourself to bed. She’d been married four, five times. It wouldn’t last long, they never did. You were just thankful she decided not to have anymore kids. Though, what did that say about you? He found you sitting at one of the many tables, watching everyone else dance. He held out his hand. It took you a moment to realize just what he was asking, shrugging before you stood, taking his hand. She’d invited your brothers and sister despite not knowing them very well, needing bodies to fill up chairs. She invited everyone she knew every time, though the guest list grew smaller and smaller with every debut. There were only so many last names a woman could collect before people stopped caring. She’d whined about it to you before she walked down the aisle, calling them ungrateful and selfish for ruining her day. She seemed happy now, swaying in the arms of another Logan-type, her veil lifted by the wind. Picturesque. He leads you to the dance floor, his hand on your back, the other in yours. Kendall seemed content, a rare occurrence for him. He looked nice, dressed in a lightly colored suit for the summer wedding, smiling down at you. You placed your head against his chest, taking him in, grateful for his presence in that moment. You hadn’t realized how unhappy you’d been, how taxing doing this all over again was. Your mother wasn’t the root cause for your problems, but she didn’t help. It felt like every day was her wedding day. Every day it was about her, her wants, her needs, and it was all a disaster. In the end she got what she wanted, in the end she was the only one left smiling. You caught him watching you think, unsure of what his mind was doing. He remembered it like it was yesterday. You seemed so grown up, so worn down. Not like the baby he remembered. He hugged you a little tighter, not wanting this moment to pass. Now it was too late. You looked so defeated, so young, it scared him. What could he have done to stop this? Surely there was something, something he could have done to prevent this. He never should have let you go. 

That night is burned into his memory forever. You were crying, sobbing into the phone. You were so scared, so alone. When he got the call, he moved without thinking. He got in the car and started driving, trying to keep you on the phone. You dropped a pin in the middle of nowhere. You were so tired. Not just exhausted, but you ached in the marrow of your bones. You were so done with this life, with everything. You’d hoped, in your moment of desperation, of sincerity, that your father would care. That he would come to your rescue, save you from yourself. Instead Connor pulled up to the sidewalk you’d been sitting on, opening the passenger side door for you. You wiped your tears with the palms of your hands, unable to say anything, to defend yourself, your actions. He didn’t yell like you were expecting, he didn’t ask a million questions or patronize you. Internally he was lost. Should he drive you to the hospital? Back to Dads? In the end, he brought you home, to his place. You wanted to thank him, to apologize for being such a mess, but all you could do was press your head against the cold window and cry. You weren’t sure what time it was, what day it was, the last time you slept. Days, probably. He grabbed your hand, the other on the wheel, rubbing his thumb against the back of it. That made you cry harder. Connor hated to see you like that. You were his baby after all. He squeezed your hand off and on, three times. I love you. You were small in his car, fragile, covered in bruises. The bags under your eyes were so dark, so painful looking. He’d never forget it, the way you flinched at the sight of him, like you were waiting for an explosion. He wasn’t angry or disappointed, he was petrified for you. If he could go back, would he have done anything differently? He’s not sure. Would changing anything have an impact now? You were sleeping, IV’s in your arms, wires stuck to your chest, the hospital gown hanging off you. You were skin and bone. The rings around your eyes so black, so bruised. He didn’t think you could look worse after that night, and yet, again, you’ve proved him wrong. He didn’t think it could get worse. He squeezed your hand three times, over and over again, so it would be the first thing you felt when you woke up. I love you. I love you. I love you.

They say when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. That didn’t happen to you, not even when you were sure you were gone for good. Instead, it was your life that flashed before their eyes. All the best moments, the worst, the things they had and hadn’t done as older siblings, all their failings. Someone called an ambulance. They used Narcan and charcoal. You were covered in sickness, shaking, gasping for air. In and out of it, not wanting any of them to see you like this. It was you and the nurses, everyone else left to wait in the emergency room, trickling in as soon as they got there. You hadn’t slept in days, exhausted, sobbing. The nurses held you as you cried out, sucked from the blackness back to real life. Everything hurts. Everything stung. Everything you’d done came flooding back. Regret sat heavy on your chest. You were almost gone, so close. It was so light, so airy. You screamed, wanting to go back, wanting to be back there, in that booth, in the club, far away from here. The frustration at yourself suffocated you. It was inescapable. There was no running from it anymore. They gave you something to calm you down, letting you sleep. Finally, It wasn’t the same kind of floating feeling, but it was close enough. Your brothers and sister sat beside you, scared to touch you. You were so little, so broken. Of course you wouldn’t do well, they thought. Of course you shouldn’t have been left on your own like that. Of course this happened. Connor held your hand, the only one brave enough to touch you. They weren’t sure what they were going to do or say when you woke up, but they could feel it on the tip of their tongues: the sadness, the anger, the apologies, the hurt. They knew, whatever they did, they had to be there for you, like they’d been before. When you cried. When you had nightmares. When you were getting better and when you fell again. They’d be there for everything.