#pufferfishes are REALLY heavy

[two-red-lungs]

Sneaking Eddie over and making him stay quiet because your family is downstairs 😩

Ooh, and loudly playing Black Sabbath so your family thinks you're just listening to music but you're actually going down on the one guy they told you to stay away from

The hold this guy has on me is ASTRONOMICAL 😭

NO I LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS you rule bestie thank you for this

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel" (Eddie x Fem!Reader)

"Oh, you can absolutely have boys over." Your father had said cheerfully. Your eyebrows went up. He fluffed his newspaper. "...When you have a place of your own."

So going forward that was the rule. Stay straight-laced, even after you graduated: no boys, no booze, no drugs, no sneaking out. It was overbearing. You weren't blind. You had just kind of given in and accepted your life was really only going to get interesting when you moved out.

That was, until you met Munson.

You shut your bedroom door, locking it, and crank the speakers up until Ozzy is scream-singing about Lady Evil loud enough to drown out the television downstairs and your mother's phone call two doors down.

Outside your window, in the twilight semidarkness, a tall figure scrambles over your yard fence, falling into a rosebush. You snicker: it rights itself, skirting the kitchen window light with all the grace and tact of a rock-and-roll peacock.

Eddie presses his mouth to your windowpane, puffing his cheeks like a pufferfish, shit-eating giddy grin on his face when you pull an exasperated expression and haul the latch open.

He tumbles onto your bed with a grunt and you shush him, smacking his shoulder a few times.

Eddie just catches your wrist, grip going to your forearm, and drags you on top of him. The electric guitar picks up its wild, note-bending solo and you sink into his heat, broad chest and sturdy hips under you, mouth hot and wet. He tastes like skunky weed and gas station Lil Debbie's cakes.

He is your Dionysus, and he revels in the fact. It tickles him pink. He tries to give you everything in the world.

Even now, he's pulling a pocket-sized bottle of Hendrick's gin out of his coat pocket and pressing it into your palm, pecking you in the cheek with a smile, and rolling off the bed to tuck your desk chair against your door handle. Bobbing his head a few times to your choice of music, watching your take an uncut gulp.

"I thought your folks wouldn't let you play this stuff." He says softly, barely audible over the next track of thrashing drums and low bass.

The burn of booze is good: it feels real, more real than the stuffy Sunday family dinners and framed holiday photos. "They didn't, at first. But I guess the whole 'giving me no adult freedoms' really guilted them into letting me have this one thing."

He put a hand to his chest, moseying over and dropping down onto your mattress hard enough to nearly send you flying. "They'd flip if they learned who gave you the mixtape. Like, can you imagine your mom going all-" He pulls a monstrous face, making a loud gagging, aghast noise. It threatens to cut over the guitar.

You gasp-laugh and clap hands over his mouth, dragging him close to you. "Shut up!" You hiss, emphasis ruined by a smile.

His dark brown eyes glitter. "Make me, princess." He says, muffled through your fingers.

Then you're on him, like every Friday night. Sitting on his lap and lazily making out with him, his back against your wall still painted the same baby periwinkle from youth. In between long, slow, heated kisses you exchange drags on the blunt under the window. The smoke disappears up into the starry sky. Ozzy continues to rage.

He looks good like this, you decide. Red-cheeked under your weight, hands settled comfortably on your thighs, lips shiny and swollen from kissing. Just looking completely blissed out and fucking enchanted to even be here.

The tips of your fingers graze over the sparse start of his happy trail, visible over his heavy belt and top of his jeans. He sucks in a soft breath.

"Killing me over here, babe." He mutters, lips on yours, leaving wet spots down your chin, your neck. Not greedy, or aggressive. More his way of begging, than anything.

"Have you been naughty or nice this week, Munson?" You tease.

A slow, stupid smile. "Oh, so nice. The nicest. Helping old ladies, picking up litter and shit."

"Mm. You know what they say. Good boys get treats."

When you nose at his cock, half-hard and out of his jeans, his head hits the wall with a clunk. Your lips, your tongue, never fail to render him nonfunctional. He's murmuring words of praise and going completely stupid, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

And when he cums it's almost tender, how much he thanks you for it. How he buckles over on himself, all lithe limbs and long hair and a low, guttural moan punched from his chest.

A loud, insistent knock on the door. "Hon? You doin' alright in there? You sick?" Your dad's voice says through the wood. The knob rattles.

You freeze on the bed between Eddie's knees, smelling like sweat and weed and booze. "...Yeah. Uh, cramps! Bad period cramps, so bad." It drives him away insanely fast. When you look back, Eddie is wetting his lips with his tongue and silently laughing, shoulders shaking.

"What is so funny?" You hiss admonishingly. His silent laughs have devolved into cackles he smothers in a fist.

"Oh my god," Eddie chuckles, "He would have died on the spot if he came in here. Like, 'Excuse me, daughter, can you finish smoking weed and blowing the freak so you can put the dishes away'?"

"You are incorrigible." You scold him, going in for another kiss. He leans into it, deep and warm and salty.

Suddenly your world tilts and your head hits the mess of pillows. Eddie's already sneaking fingertips under your hemline. "Haven't you heard the neighbors?" He says sagely. "I'm a public menace."

With that he's pulling your bottoms off and rubbing hands up up, up, up your bare thighs until they meet-

"Oh. Oh, Eddie."

#On god i am down bad for this man #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things s4 #my writing #minors dont look

[cloth-moths]

In the playground au, I like to imagine Grian was just taking a nap this session. He got really tired feom playing, and just laid down. He's a very heavy sleeper

The bad boys got some pillows and a blanket, and put him in their llama-shaped wagon.

Everyone else keeps trying to steal him. They're drawing on his face. Somebody put a pufferfish sticker on his forehead.

At the end, they're all telling him secrets, and leaving random things in his wagon

He's going to be very confused when he wakes up

#limlsmp #limlife #limited life #limited life smp #limitedlifesmp #trafficblr #traffic smp #trafficsmp #grian #the bad boys

[twistedroseytoesy]

Octavinelle with a blue sea dragon reader

second most popular from the poll!

A blue sea dragon is a type of poisonous sea slug with beautiful blue fins. it's poisonous from the food it eats; the Japanese man of war jellyfish. they are pretty but don't touch them!

Octavinelle

Azul: Honestly thought your blue accents along your skin were special tattoos at first and found your seafood-heavy diet odd. Like everyone he tried to get you to work for him for a nice price. your colorful markings and beautiful hairstyle are able to catch just about anyone's attention! does find it odd how you wear gloves often and cover up a lot, even if most of the stuff you wear is somewhat silky/see-through. Once it's revealed you are a blue sea dragon all the dots are connected. Now he's trying to have you as a special bouncer for the more rough and rody guests, inviting others in with your colors but slightly poisoning any who cause trouble.

Doesn't pressure you to see your merform since he knows how sensitive that kind of thing can be, especially if you were bullied for your poisonous touch. When you do show him when you become friends he will stay back and be amazed at the mesmerizing blues and white that adorn your skin and body. With a special antidote potion he made with your permission, he was able to gently hold you and traced a few of the patterns on your skin, making both of you really happy and at peace. hell shyly show his octo-form too and you'll both happily vibe in the water.

Overall he really appreciates your beauty despite your poisonous nature. Defends you if anyone gets on your case and also happily helps supply you with the dangerous ingredients you like to eat.

Jade: Was interested at first just by your unique body markings and asked about them. Was the one who found some old pictures of your mer-form and then gave that info to Azul and Floyd over some tea. Over the course of your coming over due to Azul's insistence, he started to serve you more and more dangerous kinds of seafood. you seemed to love it, he was a bit surprised at that fact. You especially enjoyed his still-poisonous pufferfish dish. Started to try and introduce some poisonous mushrooms and you didn't mind but still preferred seafood. Of course, you knew they were poisonous, you were just waiting to see if he would get upset once he realized that you were immune to just about every poison imaginable. If you confront him about the attempted poisonings he will just smile and feign hurt at your accusation. Playfuly tease and offer to talk about it over tea and a snack~

Saw your merform from pictures on your phone but will say that a photo does no justice to your beauty in the flesh. asks about the poisonous slime that you create and asks to use some to "study". will keep his distance since he knows that the poison can be quite strong in your mer form. Even in your human form it's strong enough to make someone sick for a week with just a handshake. Happily swims around you and helps you hunt and gather the more dangerous ingredients, might even make special sauces full of poisonous ingredients just for you. and if somone was stupid enough to try and take your food, *cough ace and grim cough* they will be in for a painful next few days~

Floyd: Calls out how pretty your markings are and how they remind him of a cool sea slug! calls you "sea slug" at first, but that changes to "sea dragon" once he is informed of what you are. Got really sick when he surprise squeezed you one day when he was bored and you were the only one nearby. Was a bit scared for you when he saw you eat a pufferfish dish that was illegal due to how difficult it was to make it correctly. was running up to you as you ate before Jade grabbed him and told him it was fine. Laughed and joked at how well you can handle your poisons. Doesn't touch you without gloves but luckily the uniform has some available so he uses those and the long sleeves to protect himself to give you squeezes.

When he sees your merform he wouldn't care if you're poisonous, you're just too pretty to not squeeze! Would be ok for a bit thanks to his own slime protecting him for a bit. happily comments on your pretty little wing fins and how soft you are! also is usually the one handling the food and helping jade prepare some of the more dangerous food for ya. If he sees any of the others *cough again ace and grim caugh* he would just laugh at them before saying that they'll regret eating sea dragons food. but he wont squeese them. the poison will wreck enough havic on its own~

overall still the same Floyd as ever. He throws caution to the wind and doesn't regret getting poisoned when he makes your food or squeezes you cause you're so squishy!

#octavinelle #azul x reader #azul ashengrotto #my stuff #my writing #jade leech #Floyd leech #tweels #octatrio #twst x reader #Floyd x reader #jade x reader #flyd will demand some hugs when hes poisoned #you usually get into a full body suit to ensure he wont get worse #poor azul #has to deal with this eel as hes sick due to his own stupidity #all help get the more illegal ingredients since the more poisonous the more you like it #Had alot of fun riting this #especially floyds #and jades #he would try to see if you have a limit to the poison you can handle #its so interesting #sea creatures are so cool! #anyways #roses ramblings #hope you like it!

[demonslayedher]

For someone who hates cooking, I did pretty well this year on my Kimetsu Kitchen series, and this Pillar Meal turned out really good, actually. (Of course, I did not bother making the ohagi, that is store bought. Also, this heavy of a meal did not need ohagi, but you'd be surprised what a girl my size can eat... well, nevermind, no, as KnY fans you probably wouldn't.)

Omake below the cut!

You may notice a Pillar conspicuously missing from these meals.

Although not all pufferfish is poisonous, I'm willing to bet that Uzui's favorite is the dangerous kind. You know, the one you need a special license to prepare and that you need to sign a waiver to eat. No, thank you.

As for my takikomi gohan this time, I tried a recipe with chicken and mushrooms, and then made a delicious bentou, although the dengaku miso sauce on the furofuki daikon doesn't work well for that and gets discolored.

Links to more details about these foods and/or my first attempts at making them:

Sweet Potato Miso Soup (satsumaimo miso-shiru) Mixed Rice (takikomi-gohan) & Daikon Radish with White Miso Sauce (furofuki daikon) Ohagi (you know… ohagi)

#rengoku kyojuro #rengoku kyoujurou #tokito muichiro #tokitou muichirou #shinazugawa sanemi #himejima gyomei #himejima gyoumei #uzui tengen #kimetsu kitchen #my art #my nice art

[mitsukiwa]

Baby, love me cause I'm playing on the radio.

Previous I Pt 7

WARNING!!! There will include: angst, fluff, smut, love triangle Summary: You love bill and there’s no doubt in your heart, unbeknownst to you he feels the same way. You both have to overcome challenging events that leads the both of you to grow apart, what happens when his twin brother feels for you? Will you be able to crush his heart? What will you do to prevent hurting them both?

• • •

I wake up by the lousy alarm ringing on repeat, I was a heavy sleeper.

There was this one time I slept through my entire alarm I had set It to ring for an hour, and the next hour after that.

So, yes, I'm kinda psyched I woke up with my alarm.

Though unlike other times I woke up with someone in my bed.

My back was pressed to a body behind me, with strong arms wrapped around my middle.

I'm confused for a moment, until I remember a fragment of yesterday's events.

I groan out, slapping my hand on my forehead.

Tom behind me begins to stir awake, and I tense.

I'm sober now, and not to mention hung over, I really need a aspirin right about now.

"Guten morgen, meine Engel" he rasps out.

I wiggle out of his hold, sitting upright and leaning over to the side to shut off the alarm, that was obnoxiously ringing.

"Morgen" I simply say.

I was too hungover to complain about it.

I rub the sleep off my eyes with my palms. A yawn escapes me while doing so.

I turn back to look at him, "wow, you look so angelic in the morning" he saids teasingly.

I flash a fake smile, "and you look like a puffed up pufferfish" I make sure to give a sassy tone.

"She's cranky in the mornings" he states with a hand over his mouth as he let out a yawn.

Ew, why is he talking to me in second person?  Well, whatever.

"He's annoying in the mornings"

He rolls his eyes at me.

I turn back around, reaching for my phone on the nightstand.

I go through any new messages from yesterday or today. Some from yesterday were from the museum in New York, some from friends.

Bill to be precise, he must've sent it last night. I click open the message.

(Bill💙)

1:32 am. Bill:Where did you run off too?

1:55 am. Bill:Gustav said you were with Tom?

2:30am. Bill:Get home safe❤️

Tom peers over my shoulder, I quickly turn my phone away from him.

"Stop being nosy" I move away.

He had a shit eating grin. "Gustav said you were with Tom" he mocked.

I roll my eyes "stop being immature."

He says something after that, but I ignore him. He absolutely hates when I ignore him.

Instead I respond to bill.

(Bill💙)

10:15 am. You: Tom drived me home

I texted. Not a minute after he texted back.

10:15 am. Bill: that's good

I get a call and it's from bill, on instinct I answer.

"Hey" I speak into the line.

Tom immediately mouths, "who is it?"

"I take it Tom's there with you?" Bill asks.

"Yes, unfortunately, the child's with me" I sigh out.

Bill laughs, and I couldn't help but laugh too. My mood lightens when bill laughs.

Tom only scowled at me.

(TOM'S POV)

"So, how did it go with that girl last night?" She asks bill.

Oh,no she was only making shit worse for herself by asking that question.

She didn't have the phone on speaker, so I wasn't able to hear what bill replied but by the looks of it, she didn't like he answer.

"Are you guys official?"

I was cringing. She was just so stubborn sometimes.

I shook my head at her disapprovingly.

Again the answer she was met with wasn't one she liked.

"Congrats"

It was obvious that was faked.

"Well,uh I've gotta go, I'm supposed to be picking up my sister from the airport, she staying with me for a few days" she than saids goodbye, and hangs up the phone.

She sighs out. I get up from the bed and walk up to her, enveloping my arms around her form.

I wanted her to feel better, it pained me that she was sad.

I also hated bill for hurting her like this and for him not even noticing it.

She looks up at me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"He's happy"

"No, he's not-" she shushes me.

"Tom, I need to be honest"

I stay silent for her to continue.

"I like bill, but your making it hard for me"

I'm stunned, confused and a bit of amused. (Why did that rhyme 😭)

"Your being all nice and sweet, and I hate it-its confusing me" she lets out a frustrated sigh.

I smile down at her, she looks up at me for a few moments before smiling back at me.

"You're such an ass" she states. She had on a huge grin.

"I'm such an ass" I repeat.

She playfully punches my shoulder. "Shut up"

I bring up my thumb and index finger pinching them together, I act as if I were zipping my mouth shut.

And locking it, throwing the imaginary key away. She giggles at me.

She then wiggles out of my hold, walking over her closet and picking out some clothing.

She begins stripping off her clothes. I clear my throat to get her attention.

"Turn around perv" she said. Her round cheeks flushed a crimson red.

I chuckle as I turn around.

When she finished she called out "done".

I turn around, flashing her a smirk.

I put on my shoes while she runs around the room to gather her things.

I'm sat on her bed when she finally finished.

"Ima head out, lock the doors before leaving, okay?"

I gave her a firm nod. "got it," I gave her a thumbs up.

Before she leaves, i clear my throat causing her to freeze. She turns around.

"what is it?"

I tap on my cheek with my index finger. She rolls her eyes.

Begrudgingly she walks over to my spot on the bed. I can't help but grin as she stalks closer.

She leans down to peck my cheek. "be safe" I call out before she's out the door.

© Mitsukiwa 2023-Do not copy,post or translate my work anywhere.

#bill kaulitz #tom kaulitz #tokio hotel

[finalgrillwillgraham]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE MARINE ARCHIVES AU (I'm using the Eyes power to Compell you and it's working)

OKAY SO BASICALLY. I made this AU because of the dumbest pun imaginable, involving Helen and Melanie.

I’ll show the pun at the end of the post.

Under the cut is an assortment of fish character conversions and headcanons. :)

Melanie King: pufferfish.

Helen Distortion: I originally thought of her as an eel, but later on I changed her character to a catfish. Y’know. (as much as the Distortion can be one single species)

Michael Distortion: cuttlefish. They can change their colors/patterns to deceive prey!

Jonah Magnus: Malawi Eyebiter. This one might be self-explanatory, but I think it’s fun to picture little eyebiter Jonah living inside Eel-Elias’s head. speaking of which,

Elias Bouchard: Green Moray Eel. Did you know that green moray eels aren’t even actually green. How fucked up is that.

Jonathan Sims: Cuatros Ojos (Four Eyes). They technically only have two eyes, but their eyes are split so that they can see above and below the surface of the water!! I think they’re neat. They’re also known for refusing to die when they’re outside of the water and exposed to air.

Nikola Orsinov: clownfish. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.

NotThem: octopus. Slimy little bastards who mimic other animals.

Georgie Barker: jellyfish. It just feels right to me.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten with character conversions, but I also have some random headcanons:

During the fisheyepocalypse, holes in coral could be seen to have eyes peeking out of them.

Allegiances between entities are slightly different! For example:

The Dark and the Stranger kinda band together at the bottom of the ocean, and the Vast is extremely powerful.

The Buried has a lot more to do with water pressure, but many statements that would have been related to heavy rain or getting choked on water now have to do with suffocating on air underwater.

The Hunt now obviously has a lot more to do with underwater predators than wolves and things like that above water. They have more power in this fish world.

The Vast also has pretty easy prey, and avatars sometimes take the shape of very large creatures such as blue whales.

The Slaughter is probably not as powerful here, because I don’t know how many fish go to war with each other…

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t look up spider fish because that sounds like nightmare fuel to me, but I know that they exist. They scuttle around on the floor, and that’s what the Web embodies itself as, instead of regular spiders.

I think that the Extinction might actually be more powerful here, and may have become a fully fledged Fear. Y’know, because of all the plastic, oil, and general trash that’s contaminating the ocean.

The Corruption probably has a similar influence, but maybe a little less potent because of the lack of hive-minded bugs (at least, I think there are no hive-bugs underwater. I don’t really want to look that up).

I think it’d be really funny if the Spiral just worked like normal, and it opened like, mini doors in coral for fish to swim through.

Although I guess in this AU, there needs to be some sort of institute and fish society. So yeah, the Distortion could function pretty similarly to canon TMA.

As for the Lonely, I think that would work pretty similarly (see above), but its famous fog might not work out underwater. Maybe it just makes the water go really still and cold, indicating the absence of other life-forms.

The Eye is one I’m not so sure about, but if we believe the previous (^^) statement, the Eye might function pretty similarly to canon.

Now I’m gonna include the joke that started this off in the first place, but bear in mind that this might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever thought of….

Fish!Helen: What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fish!Melanie: ... Fish!Helen: A fsh! :)

(I’ll tag you because I know that tumblr can be weird about answered asks. @samwise1548 )

#its okay the pun is pretty much the dumbest thing ever #but i like this au lol #damn i guess the eye really did compel me because this might be the longest post i’ve ever written #tma #the marine archives #tma au #ALSO im sorry for the ass formatting; tumblr just will not work with me

[chaisshitposts]

EYELASHES/🍓 ANON POPS UP RANDOMLY

Here is a little detox questions for you because you deserve it for the hard work 😔✨

1. OOOO your MBTI?

2. What's your favorite season? Like a season that makes you melt in bed 🏃🏃🏃 (only me?)

3. Favorite singer? And their favorite song?

4. ANY FUNNY SCENARIO HAPPENED THAT IS STILL IN YOUR MIND?

5. If you had the ability to posses one power, what will it be? 😗🧐

6. Do fishes have thirst for water 🧍

(yes that last one was random and had me thinking nonstop like wtf do fishes drink water orrr-)

ANYWAYS LOVE U AND TAKE CARE, YOU DESERVE THE WORLD

aw :( ty 🍓 !!! you're v sweet, these are some fun lil' questions :D ya should tell me yer own answers if ya get the chance, I'm curious !!!

1- I honestly have no idea 😭 I took the test a couple times before bc I kept forgetting cause all those letters are hard to remember and I still don't remember!!! heh im sorry 👉👈

2- melt in bed... that sounds so funny 💀 I'm a fan of winter!!!!!! I love the chrimuth decorations and the cold weather bc I like to get all warm and toasty, plus I like to wear the sweaters I crochet/knit throughout the year

3- favorite singer... That's a hard one indeed 🤔 I listen to all types of music that makes my brain go brrr especially music with lots and lots of bass, I think my favorite type has to be hard metal screamo rap music simply because headbangin' is somethin' I do to stim when I'm overwhelmed with hefty emotions. 🧍 my favorite song that I'm currently hyperfixatin' on though is 'I love you hoe' by odetari & 9lives, I don't care for the lyrics but I really enjoy the 'spacey' feelin' I get when I listen to it... Kinda like that one song where people had this belief that it made people do their homework faster I think it was somethin' like... 'i can run faster with no wind resistance' or something, but the beat was so wiggly I have to find that song again... I JUST LOOKED IT UP-- the song is literally called 'no wind resistance' holy shit 😭

4- sigh... for some reason, I can't keep myself from laughin' when I hear someone pourin' liquid??? I used to have a thermos (I need to buy a new one) that I would fill with hot black/green tea and then whenever id pour the tea into the lil' cup I would giggle hysterically like some crazy person 😭 I think it's hereditary however, cause this morning I was drinkin' coffee near my mom and I have a tendency to 'slurp' from my mug and she kept gigglin' when I would slurp from it 😭 she also laughs when things are poured. the autism is strong in the family ngl. I even laughed RN at the memory of pourin' a cup of tea ._.

5- oh ya already know I'm gonna have my mailtda powers manifested soon 🧍 I'm talkin' telepathy, spell castin', teleportation, levitation, all that shit, but I do not want the ability to mind read bc that does not sound fun. hmm... pyrokinesis could be fun too

6- you'll have to ask 🐠 anon for that one 💀 bUt!!! I did learn a terrible fact today about dolphins! did y'know that dolphins terrorize pufferfish so that they can get high off the chemical that the pufferfish release in defense of predators? they throw the pufferfish around with the use of their teeth and stuff, tossin' them up and around, even above water, and then they like know when they need to stop gettin' high before the chemicals become lethal. there's enough poison in one pufferfish to kill 30 human adults but dolphins just love gettin' fuckin' HIGH!

im sorry for the ramblin' but if there's one thing to be told about me... I talk way too fuckin' much despite bein' an ambivert with a heavy lean towards bein' an introvert 🧍

#— chai's asks. !! ~ #— 🍓 anon. !!~

[nat-seal-well]

WIP Wednesday!

tagged by @bicyclepainting and @k9rage 💙

Title: worth the price

Pairing: Angel/David and Darlin’/Sam, but this really just focused on Angel and Darlin’

Warnings: cursing, mostly. And I’m writing about my (nb) Darlin’ OC, so they’re described. I try to keep it minimal, though

Rating: T (but only for Darlin’s language)

Tagging: @friendlyfaded, @thesunandmoons-blog, @zozo-01, and anyone else who wants to share!

“I don’t know about this,” Tank says, which itself is a rarity—there’s probably only been a handful of times they can recall actually saying it aloud.

Hesitation and Tank aren’t really two words that pair well. Someone should take a photograph so this can be saved forever and commemorated. There should be one of those plaques installed that no one reads. Maybe—

“It won’t be an issue,” Angel tells them wisely, “if no one finds out about it.”

David’s mate is grinning. The white of their teeth and curve of their lips are full of nothing but promises of mischief and a future lecture from the pack Alpha. And probably Tank’s own mate, too, because Sam is nothing but a stickler for not causing undue trouble. Tank doesn’t think Sam was ever younger than the age he was when he was immortalized; he just spawned one day, like those NPCs in the video games Asher plays.

Callus-toughened hands interlock as Tank cracks their knuckles in contemplation. They’re wearing fingerless gloves in a sad attempt to fight back the early-winter cold, and the black yarn is beginning to fray at the edges. The unempowered human in front of them makes a face at the sound of their joints.

“Maybe I was wrong. You might be getting too old,” they say, like it’s an afterthought. Something glimmers behind their eyes.

Like an affronted pufferfish, Tank inhales sharply. “I am not,” they snap, “too old. You’re only two years younger than me.”

“Yeah, but you’re a wolf. In dog years, you’re practically ancient—”

Angel is playing them like a fiddle, and Tank knows it. The fact that it’s working only makes it worse, but they take the bait anyway. “Oh, yeah? I’ll fuckin’ prove you otherwise.”

What Angel says next doesn’t surprise them in the least, but the words still make them cringe anyway. Or makes Tank do their own version of it, which is to making a face like they just bit into a lemon and running a hand through their red hair, shorn in an undercut.

“Then help me plan something for David’s birthday, because it is literally next month, and I don’t have a single clue what to do for it. But Christian says you’re the best at this kind of stuff. I’ll love you forever if you help me figure this out.”

Tank can already see it now—David coming home to a cake from one of those fancy bakeries because Angel can’t bake for shit, a banner over the backdoor in the kitchen, and every single member of the Shaw Pack crammed into the home he shares with his mate. Oh, yeah. He’s going to be pissed. And then Sam will be annoyed too, but only because David will round on him and demand to know why he didn’t do anything to stop the two of them sooner, which will only earn Tank a second, more tired scolding.

…The cost will be worth it. Even if Angel’s only going to use them for their muscles to carry all the shit to the truck, and to pick up the heavy boxes at Costco, because they are not nearly too old for any of that. Tank is more than capable of planning one party, especially if it’s for David.

They can’t wait to see the look on his face.

“Get your coat,” they sigh. “It’s cold as hell out here, and if I’m freezing to death, then you are, too. And then get your Costco card.”

“How do you know I have—”

“Your mate is David Gabriel Shaw,” Tank says. “Go get it and meet me in the truck. I’m not turning into a popsicle on your front porch.”

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted darlin #redacted angel #redacted fanfic #fic wip #wip wednesday #wip excerpt

[sunieepo]

tbh i've purposefully avoided posting anything about AI art onto any of my public accounts because i just know my opinions on it wouldn't be popular. and i'm saying this as someone who is really, REALLY passionate about art - creating and critiquing art are literally my lifelong passions. but so much of this AI art debacle has become about people making bizarre declarations about what is or isn't "real art" - defining it using nebulous metrics like "the soul" and such.

the ethical issues with AI art as it currently exists are undeniable, and i wish people would focus on that instead of trying to define what "real art" is. because the thing is, gatekeeping the definition of "real art" has been going on for centuries! there are still people today who think video games aren't real art, even. a few decades ago, there were people who thought movies (cinema, film) couldn't be real art! the definition of art evolves and grows, and i resist and question any effort to suppress that.

some thought exercises for people who think they can define "real art" so simply:

is animal-created art real art? are pufferfish nests real art? are elephant paintings real art? does an animal have to reach a certain threshold of intelligence in order for its creations to be considered art?

is duchamp's fountain real art? for those unaware, this was a mass-manufactured urinal that the artist signed and submitted for an art exhibition as is, with no alterations aside from signing it with a marker.

is digital art real art? remember that digital art comes from machines translating human input into pixels on a screen. is this an acceptable use of machine intervention in art creation because the software performing these actions was not created using machine learning? is it because the human has more perceived control over the output?

is photography real art?

is music real art? is music composed using digital software real art? if a song utilizes a heavy amount of sampling, is it still real art?

many digital artists use software that allows them to create layers with filter options that adjust the colors of the layers beneath them using an algorithm (overlays like multiply, screen, etc). in this case, the colors of their images have been digitally altered by a piece of software in ways that most artists don't fully understand. is the image created as a result of this process still real art? can the artist claim full human ownership of the colors, which were digitally altered using a machine algorithm? would your opinion on this change if the machine algorithms behind overlay layers were created using machine learning?

some digital artists make use of "pen stabilization", a type of software algorithm that manipulates tablet pet inputs into a steadier curve to remove jitter. are lines drawn using heavy amounts of stabilization still the artist's? can the artist claim human ownership of lines drawn using near 100% stabilization?

many digital artists will use stamp brushes to get past having to repeatedly draw a static pattern, such as to fill the leaves in a tree. this is essentially a glorified version of copy and pasting repeatedly, except that a software algorithm introduces semi-random rotations and color jitter to give a more natural appearance. is a tree drawn using this process still real art? does your opinion on this change if the artist created the stamp themself, vs downloading it from another artist? does it change depending on how granular the artist was with making manual adjustments to the stamp outputs?

what proportion of an image is allowed to come from stamps, filters, and software tool usage before it stops being real art? is photobashing real art? what percent of an image has to come from freehand drawing for it be considered real art?

are edits of other people's art real art? does your opinion on this change if the editor had the original artist's consent? what percentage of the pixels has to have been changed by the editor before it is worthy of being considered real art?

one popular usage of "AI art" is to apply an "AI filter" over an existing image, which takes a drawing and then utilizes a machine learning based model to alter the image pixels. is an image created using this process real art?

if a person generates an image using a machine learning model, such as stable diffusion, and then draws over that image, is the resultant drawn-over image real art? what percentage of the pixels has to come from a human hand for it be considered real art? what if it was only 1 or 2 pixels that were manually manipulated? what if the only thing a human adds is an overlay filter?

if a person generates an image using a machine learning model, such as stable diffusion, and has very strong intent and emotion about how they want the resultant image to look, tweaking their prompts and specifically trying many different options before the output is in accordance with their vision, why is this not real art? is it because they did not specifically intend on every single pixel in this image? what percentage of pixels in an image has to have specific human intent for an image to be considered real art?

in 3d animation, physics simulations are used to calculate the positions of moving objects, and then artists manually adjust the outputs in accordance with their desired product. spider-verse, for example, was partially created using a combination of "traditional" software and some in-house created machine learning models. is the animation created using this software real art? does it only become real art once a human has gone in and reviewed it? is an individual frame of animation that hasn't been reviewed by a person and was generated via software and simulations not real art? would your opinion of this change if the machine learning models had not been created in-house? would it change if the training datasets had been acquired unethically?

if a traditional artist closes their eyes and splashes paint at a canvas, is the resultant splash of paint real art? if the artist had no emotion or specific intent when casting the paint across the canvas, is this still real art? are pollock paintings real art?

can a mistake be real art? if an artist tips over a can of paint and creates a beautiful spill, could they present the canvas as is with no further alteration, and that resultant image be considered real art?

can art styles be "stolen"? do artist own their art styles?

do you support copyright law? how much inspiration is allowed to be taken from something before it is considered plagiarism vs derivative, and should derivative works be punished?

what is the precise difference between the way ai art "steals" art styles, vs the way a human being takes inspiration from them? remember that many machine learning models take directions and instructions from humans, and often do not learn in a vacuum devoid of human intervention.

some very popular artists, who i will not name, have been accused of having "soulless" art. these artists "mass-manufacture" their images to look very similar and consistent and have seen a lot of financial success as a result of their repetitive works. is their "soulless" art still real art, even if it was made completely without the use of AI technology?

were you bothered by images generated by dall-e, back before stable diffusion became popular? did you consider images generated by dall-e to be art? did you consider dall-e to be unethical?

what is it about machine learning models that separate any software derived from it from software made without the use of machine learning? why is the usage of an art program that did not come from machine learning seen as ethically superior? what is ethically wrong with machine learning models? is it only if the training dataset was scraped without acquiring explicit consent? is it only if the learning was performed supervised vs unsupervised?

can software itself be art? can you find artistry in the way a program has been written - in the lines of code created by a human? in the intent and emotion of the programmer who crafted a piece of software?

please note i'm not trying to be condescending by asking these, and don't assume you know my answers to these questions, either. these are questions i asked myself when i was chewing through these debates and trying to quantify exactly what i found so objectionable about many of these "what constitutes 'real art'" takes.

reblogs off because i don't want to engage with strangers on this topic. i'm open to debate but only if you're going to be civil about it. please remember that i'm an artist too.

#and if i may personally as a neurodivergent person who has never really felt quite fully human #some of the arguments being made really alienate me im not gonna lie! #anyways i dont fully know yet what i truly define art to be #but perhaps i enjoy it being some undefinable thing! #i think to me art is a conversation between the viewer and the creator #and art can be found in so many places where people dont traditionally think to look #art can be anything to me. it becomes worthy of critique because it evokes thought #i can't guarantee that whoever made something had intent or a soul or whatever #but i can guarantee what i myself feel in reaction to the things i view as art. #that's real enough to me and much more quantifiable than things i can't prove or know for sure. #i might delete this later and if i lose any followers i'm sorry LMAO. #i really don't mean to come off as pretentious im just really passionate about art and also about logical consistency #sunie posts #long post

[aretaix]

afterimage

They say there’s a ghost on the school’s rooftop.

​Read on Ao3

Topics: Original characters, one shot, f/f, hurt comfort, magical realism

CW: Suicide, implied suicidal ideation, suicide attempt that is not completed, implied bullying

Word count: 1.4k

There was a story at my school. They said my school was haunted – some generic story of a girl who died decades ago. It would change depending on whom you asked: some said she committed suicide, and others said she died when a fire broke out at the school… it wasn’t ever consistent. I knew that there was a kernel of truth in all of them, though. All rumors have at least one true thing.

I learned that yes, there was a fire at the school. No, there were no suicides on school grounds that were recorded. There were records of mortalities, but no names, just numbers. Some of the dates lined up. That was enough to satisfy my curiosity.

The rituals to get her to appear were all different too. Some said you had to wear a red ribbon around your pinky and cut the ribbon when you get to the roof, and others said you had to walk up the stairs with a mouth full of saltwater. Some said you had to put your hair up or else she’d light it on fire.

Since I wasn’t sure which would work, I decided to do all of them at the same time. I tied my hair up and emptied salt packets into a plastic bottle, the emptied packets drifting lazily to the bathroom floor like the petals of a dying flower. Tepid tap water flowed from the faucet into the bottle then over my hands, drenching the ribbon tied around my finger. I wondered briefly if that would affect the ritual, but I shrugged it off since these legends were never that specific. Rumors were more about the intent than the actions. Once it was full, I capped it, shook the bottle, and watched the salt dissolve into the clear liquid.

I’d stayed after school hours before, but I had to be more quiet than usual this time. Most people didn’t stay after on Fridays. And besides…I didn’t want people asking why I was drinking bathroom tap water.

With the bottle pressed to my lips, I filled my mouth with saltwater and took care not to swallow any. I poured it in until my cheeks poked out like pufferfish. Since I took extra care so no one would notice me and so I wouldn’t spill a drop of water, ascending the stairs took forever.

Once I reached the top, I pushed the heavy door leading out onto the rooftop open. After glancing around quickly, I undid the ribbon on my pinky and waited.

“Y’know, if you’re trying to look ridiculous, you’re doing a really good job at it”. Startled, I spun to look at the speaker with my cheeks still full of water. A lanky girl leaned against the wall behind the door, right where a less observant person wouldn’t see. We locked eyes… and I wasn’t sure whether to swallow or spit out the water. But as if reading my mind, she said, “…You can spit it out, you know,” the girl spoke while a mischievous smile crept onto the ends of her mouth.

I spat it out, though her laughter made it feel like I was vomiting in slow motion. Her eyes remained fixed on me while I wiped my face with my sleeve and spat out the salt sticking to my tongue. She didn’t look like a ghost, at least not at first glance. Long and messy brown hair draped over her shoulders. Her hazel eyes reflected the sunset’s reddish light in an almost unearthly way – as if she was staring right into my heart.

“Are you the–”

“The ghost? If you want to call me that, sure.” She stood straight and walked towards me like a curious animal. “You’re the first person not to run off screaming to tell her friends.” She inched closer and closer, her golden eyes shimmering with unknowable intent. I rubbed my damp hands against my skirt and gripped it tight to hide my trembling.

“I just wanted to find out the truth,” I almost said, I don’t have any friends which wouldn’t have been a lie… but it’s not something I wanted to tell the not-ghost not-human girl.

“The truth? Hah, I think I’m better left as a rumor barely clinging onto life,” she laughed frostily. Though, it’s nice to not have someone running off, for once.” Her fingers combed through her hair, and she looked at me again with those piercing eyes. “…But… you don’t look like one of those goth occult-y types that usually come up here to harass me.” Curiosity colored her words, even if it wasn’t an obvious question.

“…I was wondering if there was someone up here to stop me.” The words flowed naturally from my lips. I felt like the air around her was pulling my feelings out of my chest, spilling them for everyone to see.

“Stop you?” She asked.

My eyes darted away from that unshakeable gaze. I knew that if I kept going, I wouldn’t be able to stop.

Silence filled the space between us, punctuated by the chirps and coos of birds flying overhead. I walked away to the edge of the rooftop. A wire fence was the only barrier that stood between me and the ground, which lay far, far below. The shadows’ crosshatch pattern covered the whole roof in a cloak as if its solidness was dissolving in the early evening shadow. Faint footsteps approach me from behind and a hand pressed lightly on my shoulder, but I barely noticed until she started speaking again.

“You don’t have to tell me, but I can’t promise to ‘stop you’,” Her words would’ve sounded unfeeling to anyone else, but to me, they were the greatest comfort. Everyone else – the few who would listen anyway – would press me for the finest details. They’d ask as if they hadn’t already turned a blind eye towards me, all the people who would walk away when those girls cornered me, and–… no, these feelings aren’t for display here, either. My pain isn’t for anyone else’s entertainment. I turned to the spectral, yet material girl who seemed to occupy a space in between those worlds.

“But do you understand how it feels… to just be a spectacle?” I struggled to meet those burning eyes of hers, those that were filled with more vitality than my own.

“I do,” she stepped closer to the fence and put her fingers through the openings. “I mentioned earlier, didn’t I? Those goth occulty types just come up here to harass me,” her mouth twisted into a grimace.” To them, I’m nothing more than a grotesque rumor given shape. Proof of whatever fantasy they have of this school’s ‘dark secret’,” she removed her fingers which clinked against the fence as they made contact with the metal, then she looked at me. With the sunlight behind her and the shadows cast over the roof, her form melted into the darkness. “You don’t have to tell me anything now, but I’m always up here,” her expression of disdain turned into one of kindness. “It is nice to have someone that isn’t running off in fear or to tell people that ghosts are real.”

I instinctively drew closer to her. Was it pity? Sympathy? Did I feel like she was a kindred spirit? I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t even sure if she was a ghost, a demon playing a prank on me, a figment of my imagination, or someone playing along with my delusions for their amusement. But it didn’t matter, for once, I felt seen, not obligated to spell things out for someone. Cautiously, I wrapped my arms around her. I was afraid that holding her too tightly would make her shatter and disappear.

She felt intangible in my arms as if she’d disappear if I took my eyes off of her for even a second. At that moment, I took that risk and closed my eyes. Something pressed to my forehead, too soft to be a hand yet too light to be a cheek. From the warmth, I imagined it was her lips. It was too faint to be a kiss, but just enough to show she understood what I was trying to say without words. Us two spectacles were alone at last.

We stayed that way for what felt like an eternity. I was afraid that if I clung too long, she’d disappear. I pulled away from her, and my worries were confirmed. Instead of the phantom I had embraced, there was nothing there but empty air – she hadn’t even left an afterimage. Yet this instilled a strange sense of security in my heart as if I knew we’d see each other again when the time was right.

#original #one shot

[delimeful]

(don’t) take this the wrong way (7) (END)

final chapter of dtttww :) i had a lot of fun with this verse so i may take requests set in it in the future, and this might receive some more copy editing later, but for now this is the epilogue!

warnings: mild injury, mild hypnosis, for once no miscommunication :)

-

[Several months later…]

Sunlight trickled down through the water in wavy bands, illuminating the shallows and growing fainter and fainter as the distance from the surface increased.

Virgil didn’t spend much time in the shallows, too wary of being without escape, being made vulnerable to human vessels or poachers. Despite his dark and gloomy aesthetic, he couldn’t go too far into the depths either, simply because his fragile fish bones weren't built for it. His eyes weren’t built for it either, and down there where anything could be lurking, he would need more than speed to avoid danger.

So, on an average, sunny day like this, he could be found miles offshore, in waters that were easily too deep for unsuited humans to reach, but still well-illuminated by the light above.

There were a few old wrecks scattered about the ocean floor here, and though they’d probably been stripped by a pod in the past, he figured he’d go through them and check for anything that was left behind. Things that weren’t useful to a pod could certainly be things that were useful to him, after all.

He’d been poking through the undercarriage of one of the larger ships for an hour or two, relaxed as he ever got. He could take his time. The only creatures around to judge him were the shoals of fish and layers of barnacles built up amidst the metal, wood, and rust.

Actually… Virgil paused in his inspection of an old cutlery set to glance around.

What had happened to the fish?

Through a hole in the ship’s hull, he watched as a broad shadow passed over the ground and ships alike, large enough to belong to a whale.

There hadn’t been a single shred of whalesong above.

Virgil edged further back from the hole, eyeing the outside warily as the shadow receded, leaving behind only wavering sunlight on sand as though it had never been there at all.

There was nothing here that was worth sticking around.

He carefully made his way back to one of the other exits, in the opposite direction of where he’d seen the shadow head, the strokes of his fin cutting through the water with barely a whisper. The porthole was easily wide enough for him, and the ocean stretched out blue and vast before him, a promise of safety if he just moved fast enough.

A moment’s pause, to make sure he didn’t hear or see anything out of place, and then he was out, flitting from rock outcropping to bone reef and scanning the seas above. Not for the first time, he wished his scales were a little less distinctive in the day.

Behind him, an ominous creak.

He froze, and watched with mounting apprehension as a shadow spilled over him, looming closer and darker than before. The silhouette of an arm stretched out, heading towards him…

“Virgil, you must help,” a huge voice pleaded, “I’ve been had.”

He twisted around just in time to see a huge arm flop down onto the floor next to him, kicking up a cloud of sand and panicked burrower fish in the process.

It was wrapped in heavy wire netting from fingertips to forearm, and behind it, a giant mer was pouting at him with the best seal pup eyes he could manage, which, considering who his best friend was, were fairly potent.

Roman was huge, and he was a shark, with teeth and claws designed to shred and tear, and hands that could enclose him entirely-- but his elbows were braced against the ground with delicate balance so he wouldn’t crush anything, and he’d never grabbed for Virgil past that first disastrous encounter, and even now, his brow was furrowing with worry.

“Pufferfish status?” he asked, voice lowered from the dramatic plea of before.

Virgil’s mouth pulled up at the corners without his permission.

Roman was huge, yes, but he was also theatrical and eager and witty, full of sharp return quips for every barb Virgil had to offer.

He could hurt him, but he wouldn’t. Virgil believed that much.

“Prickly for a second, but I’m smooth now,” he answered, shrugging away the last of the tension. “Try not to sneak up on me without a warning click?”

“You have my word,” Roman replied, and if someone had told him months ago that he’d dare to ask anything of a giant mer, he’d have laughed in their faces. Now, Virgil knew that just like all the other requests, Roman would do his best to heed it.

“But really, my fingers are starting to feel numb. Help?” he entreated with a tilt of his head, shifting his net-wrapped hand a little closer.

Virgil rolled his eyes, but his smile didn’t go away, though it tilted more towards amused now. He darted forward, twisting in a spiral around Roman’s hand to try and see the extent of the damage.

“How’d you even manage this? At least I had the excuse of being caught up in a storm,” he snarked, picking at a loose section with his claws. Roman’s fingers twitched a little, and he shot him an apologetic glance.

“I was… perhaps… trying to get a glimpse of those sailors that Logan mentioned patrolled the coast?” Roman offered, more than a little sheepish.

Virgil’s gaze turned sharp in a heartbeat. “Did they spot you?”

Logan had warned both Patton and Roman several times that not many humans would take as kindly to their long-term existence near human settlements as Logan himself had.

“No!” Roman assured, “I was very stealthy, truly, I was just… so focused on being stealthy that I missed the other vessel and the nets it had dragging along behind it. It could have happened to anyone!”

“I seriously doubt that,” Virgil replied dryly. He’d snapped a few of the looser wires with his teeth, but already his jaw was beginning to ache with the strain. “Well, you get to explain this to Specs, ‘cause we’re going to need his expertise in detangling for this one.”

Roman groaned in answer, dropping his head to plonk against the ground.

---

Logan carefully set one foot in front of the other, all of his focus on the thin strip of rock below him.

If he switched his gaze to even a few inches to either side, he’d be faced with the sight of a vertigo-inducing drop to the waves below, one that would have all but the most experienced tightrope walkers dizzy with panic.

His gaze didn’t move, though, unerringly focused on the ground beneath him, and on his own body. There was no need to look at anything but the ledge, a soft presence confirmed in the back of his mind, because he wasn’t going to fall.

Another part of him was skeptical, seeing as he wasn’t known for a lack of clumsiness by most. There was just so much to get distracted by, and it was so easy to look away and miss a curb or accidentally trip over his own feet--

But not now. Now, he was focused on just this one task, a gentle voice dragging his attention back whenever it began to stray. He was hyper aware of where each of his limbs were and where he needed to put them to continue forward, step by careful step.

Only a little farther…

“Logan!”

The harsh call snapped him right out of the trance, and he was abruptly made very aware of both the distance he could fall and the effects that sudden instinctual terror had on his sense of balance.

“Newton’s fucking Cradle,” he swore, and then wobbled again, precariously close to falling over.

There was the sound of water crashing against rock, and in the next moment, two giant hands had curled up on either side of him like the shells of an oyster. They provided him some much needed stability to lean his weight against, and he struggled to steady his breathing as relief swept through him.

“It’s okay, Virgil, I won’t let him fall! No cliffs, ands, or buts about it,” Patton’s voice was muffled, but not enough to miss the pun.

Logan sighed loudly, but he also shifted to let his full weight rest against the curl of Patton’s left palm, tapping twice to let him know it was alright for him to move.

His stomach still swooped slightly as Patton slowly shifted his hands away from the thin rock ledge, but there were some things that one had to adapt to when living with two very affectionate, grabby sea giants, and being toted around was one of those things.

Before long, he was level with the flattest segment of rock that made up their meeting place, which could be called an island if one was feeling gracious, but was really more of a collection of rocky spires and bridges that stuck out of the ocean.

Logan was barely able to sit up before Virgil pulled himself up at the edge of Patton’s palm, expression thunderous but his hands gentle as he carefully checked him over for scrapes or injuries.

“Nearly gave me a heart attack,” he grumbled, a phrase that he used much more frequently around Logan for some reason. Logan had already been reassured that it was an exaggeration and Virgil had no heart problems he knew of, so instead of worrying, he bore his friend’s fussing with good grace. “Did we or did we not agree that you need a spotter if you want to play around with bullshit sirensong magic?”

The mer paused. “No offense, Pat.”

“None taken!” Patton replied from where he had sunk further into the water to put himself closer to eye-level.

“I figured you would be along shortly,” Logan defended, and then perked up at the reminder of his most recent experiment. “Besides, one of the things tested in this trial was if the siren song could overshadow significant fear or even terror, and I wouldn’t have been nearly as afraid if you’d been there with me.”

“Aw,” Roman cooed, curling his tail up and leaning against one of the larger rock outcroppings, his posture slightly off.

Virgil dragged a hand over his face with a sigh, and then flapped a ‘go on’ gesture at Logan, distracting him. “So, what’d you figure out this time?”

Logan needed no further encouragement.

“Even the lightest application of a siren’s song can overwhelm other emotions,” he started, recalling the utter honed focus he had experienced. “While in the past I’ve felt distant or removed from my body while under its effects, this time I had Patton focus on requesting a very specific task, and due to the intense concentration it took, I was very present in the moment while fulfilling that task.”

“You didn’t snap out of it until I called for you,” Virgil interjected, more curious than wary. “Was it harder than normal to use the grounding tactics?”

One of the first things Logan had investigated was what it took for him to resist and even break free from Patton’s song, a task that Virgil had demanded in order to let him run any experiments with the siren’s magic. Back then, Virgil hadn’t expected Patton to agree, and he’d outright sulked for weeks to cover up the nerves he felt whenever the siren thralled Logan.

“It was,” Logan said, his excitement growing as he considered the new information. “Without significant outside stimulus, all of my attention was focused on the task, and so I couldn’t pull away mentally to do my normal grounding techniques!”

“I’ve never heard someone so excited about being hypnotized better,” Roman commented wryly.

“He should get a hypnoprize,” Patton added, and Virgil grinned, because he was a traitor who enabled Patton’s wordplay habits.

“Is there an award for smart people doing dumb things?” Virgil mused teasingly. “Logan could be voted ‘most likely to throw himself into danger in the pursuit of knowledge.’”

“That’s why he has us, Finding Emo,” Roman countered, gesturing extravagantly with one hand. “We would never abandon him to the cruel clutches of his own nerdiness.”

Logan couldn’t help but feel a thrill of pride at the casual way that Virgil ducked beneath one of Roman’s sweeping gestures, no trace of the blatant fear or suspicion that had been present as recently as a month ago.

They’d really come a long way from the misunderstandings of that first encounter, all of them.

A glint of light at the edge of the shark mer’s submerged forearm caught Logan’s eye, and he frowned. “Roman, what’s happened to your arm?”

Roman’s prideful grin dropped into sheepishness immediately. “Well, about that…”

“Princey here was abandoned to the cruel clutches of his own reckless dumbassery,” Virgil informed him, ignoring Roman’s trill of offense to drift back and shove at the hand in question until Roman finally lifted it, displaying the impressive collection of netting that he’d managed to get tangled in.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Patton clucked sympathetically, and Roman soaked in the attention like a very dramatic sponge. Virgil rolled his eyes even as he sawed at a few of the looser wires, and Logan sighed in fond exasperation as he reached for his pocket knife.

Perhaps some things would never change.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #sanders sides g/t #mermaid au #ts virgil #ts roman #ts logan #ts patton #dtttww #dont take this the wrong way #my writing #writing #mermaid #giant mermaid

[stuff-from-the-void-matron]

My MC Headcanons (Potions)

Awkward Potion

• Smell - An empty but clean room. Not dusty or super clean, just that odd middle ground of ‘not lived in but livable’.

• Taste - Like room temperature water. Only difference is the barely noticeable film on the top of the potion to show it’s not plain water.

Thick Potion

• Smell - Air, but ‘thick’ air. No I won’t explain further.

• Taste - Exactly like thick water, down to the almost syrupy consistency. Only way to differentiate the two is the vague potion fumes the Thick Potion gives off.

Mundane Potion

• Smell - Barely there vanilla that’s so insubstantial that most people miss it.

• Taste - A very watered down wintergreen oil flavor that almost blends into the vanilla scent.

Potion of Healing

• Smell - Healing potions have a strong natural sweet floral scent, similar to roses or meadowsweet. It can be overwhelming if you smell too deeply.

• Taste - If you make the potion right then it has a fresh olive oil that goes down smoothly and leaves a little tingle on your tongue.

Potion of Strength

• Smell - Smells strongly of cinnamon with turmeric undertones. 

• Taste - Very flavorful, like sugary spiced cinnamon. Some have described it as tasting very similar to the Red Hots candy. Some find it nice while others dislike it. It’s just a matter of personal taste.

Potion of Fire Resistance

• Smell - An almost milky room temperature strawberry custard that smells like it was cooked in the pot a bit too long and almost burnt.

• Taste - It tastes heavily of cream cheese with some bursts of strawberry. The burnt flavor is stronger when tasting than smelling.

Regeneration Potion

• Smell - A bag of pretzels. Just a regular bag of pretzels.

• Taste - The dominant flavor is still actually pretzels. But the aftertaste is less nice. Because it tastes like your sweat. You know when you’re sweating and you lick your lips and you get a brief salty taste of your own sweat? Yeah that is the aftertaste of this potion. Enjoy.

Night Vision Potion

• Smell - Carrots, obviously. But it’s not as strong as you’d expect. 

• Taste - Again, carrots, clearly. But there’s a gentle sweetness to it as well. And besides that you also get an almost buttery twang at the end. 

Potion of Swiftness

• Smell - Roses, but very strong. Very sweet smelling. Enough to make you at least wrinkle your nose and lean back to escape the overly fragrant scent.

• Taste - Candied rose petals. Cloyingly sweet enough to make your jaw buzz from the sugary taste.

Invisibility Potion

• Smell - A faint acrid scent, almost like old socks. Unpleasant. 

• Taste - It has a mild fermented flavor thanks to the fermented spider eye, but it also has a slightly bitter, earthy undertone that some have described as being similar to aged Stilton cheese.

Potion of Water Breathing

• Smell - It really depends on how fresh the pufferfish you used for the potion was. Fresh pufferfish gives the potion a sea breeze scent. But the older the pufferfish the more ‘fishy’ it will smell. 

• Taste - Again, it depends on the freshness of the pufferfish. The fresher it is the better it will taste, like a subtle cool taste with a hint of iodine and cucumber. But if older pufferfish is used then it tastes uncomfortably salty. 

Potion of Harming

• Smell - Honeydew and melted butter. A very disarming scent for something that can hurt you. Best to keep out of reach of children since the sweet smell is often very misleading to those who don’t recognize it for what it is. 

• Taste - Melon but it tastes utterly artificial. And it’s so chemically sweet it causes pain in your teeth and jaw. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the aftertaste is likened to fermented liver an onions. The utterly jarring shift from the saccharine sweetness of the melon to the malodorous flavor of the liver and onions has been said to make the damage you take from the potion SO much worse.

Potion of Poison 

• Smell - Vaguely like vinegar on first whiff but if you go in for a second smell you’ll be surprised to note a strange and unidentifiable sweetness underneath it. 

• Taste - Like slimy uncooked shrimp and a mystery spice. Not terrible but not in any way good either. But strangely fitting for a potion of poison.

Slowness Potion

• Smell - It has a heavy musky scent to it, like the air wafting off of the potion is somehow more dense than the air around it. But aside from the musk it smells quite similar to agar.

• Taste - Awful, just simply awful. Like fermented soybeans blended with raw goat milk. If you can get this potion down without gagging then you’re not normal.

Potion of Weakness 

• Smell - The unpleasant scent of burning cinnamon that feels like it’s singing your nose hair with every whiff. Very unpleasant. Hurry to cork this potion so the whole room you’re in doesn’t stink like it.

• Taste - It tastes like warm pickles and sweaty candy corn. A truly dreadful combo that will definitely make you gag.

Leaping Potion

• Smell - It’s stinky, but in that good way that all pets stink. A comforting stinky. Which is a bit sad considering you had to kill a rabbit to make this potion.

• Taste - Almost tastes like tepid bone broth. Not a terrible taste all things considered but try not to burp after drinking it or you’ll start to taste cartilage. Which is less nice.

Potion of Slow Falling

• Smell - It has a salty odor to it. Not particularly overpowering to the point where it would knock you off your feet but it’s still the aromatic equivalent to a slap to the face. Likened to Spirit of Hartshorn.

• Taste - Somehow slimy and watery at the same time. And tastes suspiciously like bland calamari and mushroom broth. How well you handle the taste depends on how much you enjoy raw sea food.

Potion of Luck

• Smell - Fresh morning dew and peaches. A bright and nice scent that gives you a boost of energy. Or so the few who have had this sought after potion have said~

• Taste - A bit of a peppery flavor (but not too strong) on top of a fresh crisp taste. Almost like seasoned raw watercress. Really puts some pep in your step.

Turtle Master Potion

• Smell - Strangely enough this potion smells like salted meats, a jerky scent. Most find the smell pleasant or at least not bad. 

• Taste - Like a fatty meat, savory and delicious. Some have even likened the flavor to that of cooked veal. Though it’s not spiced or seasoned at all so it’s a good taste but not necessarily a great taste.

Potion of Decay

• Smell - The unholy combination of rotting meat and rancid compost. I feel like if you smell this and then drink it anyways then you deserve the wither effect.

• Taste - The taste is three times as bad as just the smell. It tastes like you’re drinking stagnant fetid swamp algae. But again, why are you drinking this? 

#Minecraft #Minecraft potions #potions #mc #mc potions #minecraft headcanon

[likesplatterpaint]

Are all pufferfish kinda hard to care for or is there a species that is a little easier on beginners? I would love to buy one one day but I want to be able to narrow it down so I can do proper research..

Hiya! So in short…yes and no. Some of it comes down to if you have experience as a fish keeper already! If you’re already solid on the nitrogen cycle and how to keep water parameters safe and clean, you have a leg up. I wouldn’t recommend puffs as a very first fish. Puffs are messssssyy and need heavy filtration and weekly water changes. They are generally more sensitive to ammonia build up and water quality than some hardier fish.

The other component to consider is the food you can provide. Can you offer a healthy array of crunchy foods (snails mostly, to wear down ever growing teeth. Mine get clams frequently), earthworms/bloodworms/black worms, crustaceans, and the other things puffs need based on their species?

Are you comfortable working with brackish or saltwater? Some of the commonly recommended beginner puffs either need brackish, or eventual full marine (like Burd, our GSP)

Most puffs do best in at least a 20 gal, but of course it varies from species to species.

The species *I* started with, and the ones I see recommended often are dwarf puffers (ten gal min), figure 8 puffers (20 gal min), and green spotted puffers (40 gal min). The last two fall into that salinity issue I mentioned above. Dwarf puffers are freshwater and should be kept in groups, if certain criteria is met (that’s newer info to me- I had been told keeping a singleton was okay, but apparently it’s really stressful for them. Fish keeping gets less black and white and more gray as I get older)

South American puffers are similar in size to GSPs and F8s, and very personable. They are also shoaling fish like I’ve recently learned about DPs, and need a group of at least 6…which means around a 55 gal tank. I love them but have stayed away from keeping them because of all the freshwater puffers, their teeth grow the fastest, even with crunchy foods. And tbh puffer dentistry is something you should be prepared for with a lot of these guys. I’ve had to sedate Burd and trim his teeth. It’s my least favorite thing, because honestly sedating them scares me, but it’s a responsibility I have to deal with that I signed up for when we brought him home.

There are a looooot of species tbh! We also have Louie the fahaka (freshwater, 180 gal) and Yamuel the Congo/potato puffer (freshwater, 20 gal- but Yamuel is spoiled and lives in a 45. Honestly he uses the space!). I wouldn’t recommend them as beginner puffs at all. There are other freshwater puffers out there too, but they tend to be lurkers and not as interactive.

I’ve found ThePufferForum dot com to be very helpful with articles and such. PufferfishEnthusiastsWorldwide also seems to have great info and LEGIT info. I’ve become friends with admins from both, a lady much older than I keeping puffs longer than I’ve been alive (Jeni/PufferPunk) and Macauley, who I don’t know as well but knows his fish info forward and back. I also have a friend Sabrina who runs BeFishy, another site that has reputable info. She has MANY species of freshwater puff and is a joy to talk to. I don’t know if Mari is still around, but Aquariadise also had some solid puffer care sheets.

It’s very easy to run into misinformation on these adorable fish, so thanks for asking and doing your research first! I’m happy to talk puff more once you have some specifics about size/salinity/food available/activity level! And talk deworming- most puffers are wild caught. If you click the tag I gave this there should be more info and links, though be aware I may have learned more since I wrote older posts. Good luck!

#puffer resources

[teawaffles]

Louis and the Aquaria: Chapter 5 / End

Now, we return to the scene at the beginning of the story.

A little regretfully, Fred left for his work as the “Crime Consultant’s” point of contact, and Louis was alone in the hall once again.

However, the situation was completely different from before. He was no longer watching helplessly as the fish grew weaker — instead, he’d found a ray of hope for its recovery.

Standing before the aquarium, Louis was now gambling on both the medicine’s efficacy and the fish’s own willpower.

“Please, help him……”

Fervently, he prayed for the angelfish’s recovery.

And as the so-called king of the aquarium swam about its tank, the image of his brother surfaced in his mind.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Five days after that, the time had finally come for the tropical fish to be transported to Stapleton’s residence.

It was early in the morning, and the sky was perfectly clear. Several horse-drawn carts lay parked on the street outside their mansion. For ease of transport, the fish had been transferred to suitably-sized bottles; and as the members of the Moriarty household carried the bottles, tanks and other aquarium equipment onto the carts, Louis stood at the mansion entrance, quietly watching over the scene.

Although he’d nearly collapsed after those consecutive days of exertion, by the time the fish were set to be moved out, Louis had been able to recover his full strength. That haggard complexion of his was now restored to its healthy glow, and behind those spectacle lenses, his eyes shone with the sparkle of success.

At first, Louis had wanted to move the items onto the carts all by himself, saying that the entire enterprise down to the fishes’ transport was his responsibility. However, knowing he had contributed the most this time around, the rest of the Moriarty household insisted that he not work any longer. As a result, though dissatisfied, Louis had hence been relegated to a spectating role.

Occasionally, as they moved past him while carrying the fish in their bottles, the glint in Louis’s eyes would tremble ever so slightly. And when that happened, he would pretend to adjust his spectacles in order to hide the tremors in his heart.

“Feeling emotional, Louis?”

Seeing his younger brother readjust his perfectly-positioned spectacles for the fifth time, William walked up beside him.

Embarrassed, Louis gave a small cough, then straightened his back.

“I would never——”

He stopped. Then, looking at the carts, his voice grew soft.

“No, you’re right. I didn’t want to acknowledge it — but for once, I’m feeling rather sentimental.”

Hearing Louis reveal his true feelings, William gave him a fond look.

Before the two men, the bottles containing the pufferfish and guppies were being loaded onto the carts. Ever since the tiny fish had been given names, Louis’s tropical fish-keeping endeavour had taken a strange turn.

Recalling the reason that a spanner had been thrown in the works of this enterprise, Louis turned solemn, and dipped his head.

“Nii-san. I am truly sorry for what happened before. I went overboard, and ended up causing everyone unnecessary worry. I was immature, and I shall reflect gravely on that.”

Not only did he grow fanatical over the angelfish named after his brother, he even made the aquarium layout needlessly extravagant, and recreated a South American habitat through and through. To top it off, in caring for the sick fish, he had nearly destroyed his own health. Looking back on it all with a cool eye, he had really been quite reckless.

As Louis reflected on his actions in earnest, right then, Moran and Fred walked past bearing pots of tropical plants: the by-products of his over-enthusiasm. They would now become a surprise gift for Stapleton.

Without taking his gaze off the trees, Louis burned those symbols of his inadequacy firmly into his eyes.

Watching his brother ruminate on the subject so gravely, after a beat of silence, William spoke.

“You may be right. If the situation had persisted, and you’d collapsed, the care of the other fish may’ve been impacted. Although you took care not to let that happen, I do wish you had taken the worst-case scenario into account and talked with me more.”

“…………”

Louis knew that. But still, to have his faults pointed out by someone he respected — those words had pierced through his chest.

Naturally, the sense of achievement that’d grown within Louis now began to wilt; though his face once bore a proud expression, he now favoured looking down instead.

“But you know, that’s just one part of the story.”

“Eh?”

Out of the blue, William had added that in a gentle voice, and Louis was startled.

He couldn’t decipher the meaning behind that remark. Then, William narrated his own thoughts.

“Louis, you went overboard for a single fish, so much so you neglected your own body — I don’t think you should’ve done that, since there were in fact two other angelfish which could act as substitutes. But in a way, to go so far in order to ensure that not even a single life is wasted: that could be seen as an expression of your sincerity.”

Sincerity.

Louis knew he’d been driven by an impulse akin to selfishness. But strangely, he did not resist as that word seeped into his heart.

“Certainly, I had said that it’s possible to replace the fish if they die. But I think it’s wrong to take that at face value, and put one’s faith in how there’ll be replacements, or second chances.”

William moved on to talk about the attitude Louis had taken towards his work.

“Such naive thinking can undermine one’s focus on the task at hand. For example, if you were to think ‘There’s two more of them, anyway’, and approach the enterprise with that optimistic mindset, it wouldn’t be a surprise if all the fish ended up dying right away. In other words, Louis: from that point of view, I would say your earnestness towards that one fish was exceptionally appropriate.”

“……Nii-san.”

William’s tone had contained no more emotion than what his words conveyed, and in no way had he defended Louis’s actions. He was simply assessing them from an objective standpoint.

And that, was precisely why Louis was glad.

He’d thought his actions were nothing more than a mistake born from his own foolishness. But William had shown him that they could in fact be seen as the complete opposite. Taken another way, his persistence towards that one fish was proof of his ardour for his work — that, was what his older brother was telling him.

For now, William fell silent. And right then, the two brothers caught sight of Moran carrying an aquarium tank toward the carts. He hadn’t faltered at all since the start: with his physical strength, it seemed no load was too heavy for him to bear.

It looked like there were only a few things left to move; Fred, who’d also been hard at work loading the items, now put in a last burst of energy. Incidentally, Albert had already moved his share of the items onto the carts earlier, and left for his work at the universal trading company.

Taking his gaze off Moran, Louis now stared at the empty tanks lined up on the carts.

Then, the sight of the three angelfish swimming in close formation sprang to mind.

“…………”

In truth, before their departure from the mansion, he had wanted to return ‘William’ to the tank with the other two angelfish. He’d thought it would be nice to see them swimming harmoniously together once more.

But that wish had not been fulfilled. For Louis, who was in charge of this endeavour, it was truly a pity.

Then, following behind Moran, Fred stepped out the doorway of the mansion. In his arms was a bottle that held a certain fish.

Louis stood before the entrance. Fred studied his expression, and asked him a question.

“This’s the last one…… Is it really alright to load it up?”

“……Yes, please do.”

His reply bore a faint sense of loneliness. Hearing that, Fred nodded solemnly, and proceeded towards the carts.

For one last time, Louis looked at the bottle Fred was holding.

Swimming within it, was the angelfish that’d been ill up to a few days ago.

Earlier, as Fred spoke to him, Louis had noticed it swimming languidly yet powerfully through the water. The rays of the morning sun, just risen, gleamed off its silver scales — their lustre was simply beautiful.

In other words—— the angelfish had thoroughly regained its former elegance.

The day after he used the treatment William provided, the fish had gradually recovered, and fully regained its strength just the day before. However, as Louis was hesitant to stop the treatment immediately after it had recuperated, he had no choice but to abandon the thought of letting it rejoin its former tank mates. Instead, it spent its remaining days in the mansion confined to the small aquarium.

At the very least, he’d wanted to see the “three brothers” together once more.

However, as Fred loaded the bottle onto the cart, Louis quietly closed his eyes, and put that thought away.

——They are but three fish; they’re not the same as us, by any means.

That cold line was directed at himself.

After caring for them so wholeheartedly, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t grown fond of them in the slightest.

Moreover, if he had asked his brother seriously, it might have been possible to leave just the three angelfish behind in the mansion. In any case, there were many other varieties of tropical fish: they didn’t necessarily have to part with those three.

However, Louis did not do that.

As Fred had brought up, the one who’d asserted that the fish were nothing more than tools — was none other than himself.

He had no intention of retracting his words now. Furthermore, he was afraid that when the next mission came around, he might just let his emotions get the better of him, and end up causing irreversible damage.

When all was said and done, those stunning tropical fish were simply tools — a means to an end.

There were some things that could only be obtained by pushing aside sentimentality, disciplining oneself, and devoting one’s heart to their work, just as he had done.

And he was sure that his brother understood those feelings of his.

Even as he felt a pang of regret, Louis banished those thoughts, and met his brother’s gaze beside him.

William smiled back. “Well then, we’ve had a rather long chat, if I do say so myself,” he said. “But all that was just waffle. There’s only one thing I want to tell you, Louis.”

He knew what Louis truly wanted to hear right now. Then, he spoke in a warm and gentle voice — not as the leader of a criminal organisation that lurked in the darkness, but as an older brother.

“You didn’t let a single life go to waste: you did a great job, Louis.”

“……Yes!”

Louis replied with vigour. Then, dropping his guard, he nearly broke into a grin — and tried to suppress it in a panic. But he barely managed to stop himself from cracking a smile; emotion welled up from the depths of his heart, and his eyes misted over: it seemed that such sentiment could not be suppressed, even by a cool-headed man like himself. Through a mist of tears, he could vaguely make out the figure of his brother standing before him.

To become his brother’s strength. To fulfil his brother’s wishes. And, if possible, even if it was only for a little bit: to receive his brother’s praise.

Right after receiving that task from William, he had inadvertently obtained what he’d desired — and Louis was trembling with emotion.

William adjusted his tie. “Well then, it seems everything has been loaded up,” he murmured. “I think it’s time for me to get ready to leave as well.”

Then, he softly placed a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Leave the rest to me, Louis. I’ll make sure your work wasn’t in vain.”

“I know, nii-san.”

Without a shadow of a doubt, Louis was certain of it. ——That his brother, would never let his own efforts go to waste.

Hearing that, William smiled; then, his expression immediately reverted to that of the “Crime Consultant”, and he went back into the mansion.

After seeing his brother off, Louis glanced at the carts full of glass tanks, and murmured to himself.

“……It’ll be time to make breakfast soon.”

Once he’d ascertained that the transport preparations were complete, the memories of his arduous days spent with the fish then morphed into a record of observations. In his mind, his thoughts switched back to their usual subjects: those of managing the mansion and their estate.

However, deep in his heart, that gorgeous silver light remained as an unfading memory.

Louis had taken on the challenge of maintaining aquaria, and completed his mission since. Surrounding him was a refined atmosphere, and the air of a man who’d finally brought an enterprise to fruition.

T/N: omg I have so many thoughts about this one — much longer than the usual one-liner at the end of each story — so they’re in a separate section below if you’re interested :3

Translator’s thoughts (haha)

Louis’s growth

I think this story in particular is the previously-untold link in Louis’s character development! As seen in the Baskervilles arc and the start of this story, Louis initially had this worldview that he needed to be a cold-blooded machine to fulfil William’s wishes. To him, everything else was unnecessary if they did not serve his brother’s goals.

But in the course of caring for the angelfish, Louis was forced to confront the fact that he was actually fond of the angelfish — even though this contradicted his existing worldview, since emotion is unnecessary in rearing mere tools. And upon reflecting on how he handled the whole debacle, he finally realised that although the way in which he acted on that affection was not entirely right — showering the fish with too much love, which might’ve led to its falling ill, and sacrificing his own health and potentially the entire endeavour to save just one fish — the very presence of that affection was not a bad thing; and as William affirmed, he should continue to value every single life.

So I think this was the turning point from which Louis started to let go of that obsession toward his brother, and act on his own emotions and wishes: what he thinks is right, as opposed to merely what William wants. And this culminated in him seeking Sherlock’s help to save his brother, even as William himself did not want to be saved.

So in short, I really think this story is a key point in Louis’s character development, connecting the Louis of the Baskervilles arc with the Louis we see in the Final Problem arc — a missing link in the narrative, if you will!

Some random thoughts:

I’d think that sometime after the events of this story, Louis would properly apologise to Fred over what happened in the Baskerville mission

William told Louis he was right to not let even a single life go to waste — I think those words would’ve echoed in Louis’s mind when he sought Sherlock’s help together with Fred

Parallels to the Final Problem arc

Furthermore, some aspects of this story do parallel what happened in the Final Problem arc:

‘William’ being the one to fall ill

Louis trying very hard to save him

Louis praying for someone to help his brother

Help coming from a friend, rather than Louis himself

‘William’ remaining separate from the other two angelfish for a time

I wonder if it’s intentional, in the same vein as that past illustration by Hikaru-sensei where William covered his left eye with a rose… It could be possible: this book was published alongside the Phantom arc (Volume 7), so it’s conceivable that the Final Problem arc had already been planned out by that point.

Wow this has been a long one — thank you for reading this far! And onward to the next story ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #yuumori #english translation #a study in scarlet

[laws-yellow-submarine]

Uhhhh hi? Lol I dunno if anyone remembers this, but this past May I mentioned I was going through quite a lot, and at the time I had a Hazel-focused Mother's Day angst one-shot half-written, that never got finished.

Well, it's 3:30 am, and it's finished! 😃 this was written on my phone, so it may not be well edited, and I can't guarantee it's 100% in character; but it was cathartic as hell. I won't be including this in Together With Fruit (it just doesn't fit anywhere), but I will say it's 100% canon to Hazel’s character/story. That being said, you don't have to read it if you don't want to - it's a little heavy, imo, and I won't be offended if people skip it.

But without further ado, I present: The Problems with Mother's Day

TW/CW: Parental angst, estranged parent relationships, mentions of death, feelings of inadequacy (if I need to add anything lemme know!)

Word Count: 2,052

-------

From the moment Hazel opened her eyes, she knew it was going to be a long day. The skies were cloudy, the waves choppy, and her roommate’s face was about ten inches away, smiling a little too sweetly.

“Ahh!” she yelled, jumping back in bed. “Nami, what the hell?!”

“Oh good, you’re up!” Nami chirped at her, doing nothing to alleviate the suspicion in Hazel’s gut. “I need a favor!”

“I told you before: if Luffy gets his head stuck between the railings, it’s better to just leave him there or he’ll never learn his lesson.”

“No, no, not that, silly!” Hazel glared further at the young woman, suspicion thoroughly piqued. “See, it’s Mother’s Day! Normally, Nojiko and I have a tradition of cooking a big breakfast, but since she’s obviously not here, I was wondering if you’d like to join me?” and then she flashed the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes Hazel had ever seen. Which was saying something, considering how often Ace had tried to use that on her when they were kids. 

There was just one issue.

“It’s Mother’s Day?” Hazel groaned, rubbing one hand over her face. Nami took her groaning as a sign of tiredness, and enthusiastically nodded her head.

“Please, Hazel? My sister and I do this every year, and I’d really like to share it with you!”

Guilt gnawed at Hazel’s gut. How could she possibly say “no” now?

“Sure, Nami...just,” she sighed, “give me a second to get dressed.” And then Nami let out a squeal, of all things, hugged the purple-haired girl around the shoulders, and bounded up the stairs.

Left alone, Hazel took a deep, shuddery breath. Then she took another one. Then another, on and on until they became steadier, and the world didn’t feel like it’d swallow her up right there. She stood up, padding over to the closet the girls shared, and quickly threw on a plain t-shirt and shorts; something she wouldn’t be upset about getting messy. She threw her curly hair into a messy ponytail, squared her shoulders, and with a firm nod of her head, she followed after Nami.

It was early, enough so that the sun had barely peaked over the horizon. With all the clouds in the sky, the seascape remained a rather dull blue, the orange of the sun’s rays blocked from view. Even Sanji, who normally woke up pretty early to get a start on breakfast, was still nestled deep in his hammock down below.

“How’d you manage to secure the kitchen for the day?” she asked as she entered the galley, deftly catching the apron Nami tossed her way.

“I told Sanji-kun I had something special planned, batted my eyelashes a bit, and he was convinced to sleep in for a day,” Nami explained, pulling the last of the ingredients from the fridge and setting them on the counter. “I’ve got the pancake batter covered, if you wanna get a start on the bacon!”

Hazel slid up to the counter, eyeing the array of food and utensils the navigator had set out. It had been a while since she'd made bacon - Luffy had a habit of stealing the still sizzling strips from the pan - but she dutifully set to work at the stove as Nami chatted on.

"One year, Belle-mere wasn't able to afford our usual breakfast ingredients, so Nojiko and I had to improvise," the younger woman was saying as she steadily dribbled pancake batter onto the skillet. "We snuck into the tangerine grove and picked as many as we could find, but we stuck to the smaller ones so they wouldn't be missed." Hazel hummed in acknowledgement, gut churning. "Nojiko set up an entire tray of tangerines cut into different shapes, but when Belle-mere tried to eat? Her face puckered up like this!"

Nami's face scrunched into an expression that resembled a dried up pufferfish, cheeks sunken in and eyes screwed shut, before she bust out laughing at the memory. Hazel smiled good-naturedly, piling more bacon onto the plate beside her, and Nami launched into another story.

"Oh! And then there was the year I tried to make the pancakes by myself for the first time! Normally that was Nojiko's job, but I convinced her to let me try," the navigator said, eyes far away as she expertly flipped another pancake. "The entire kitchen ended up covered in batter! I'm not even sure how it happened - I thought Belle-mere would be furious! I was so scared I hid in the closet, but I didn't realize I'd tracked flour behind me." Nami shook her head, smiling. "Belle-mere opened the closet door, took one look at me, and grinned this huge grin. She said it was the 'best year ever'..."

Hazel bit her cheek as Nami sighed wistfully. "Belle-mere was always saying that: it was the 'best year ever', no matter how much we ruined breakfast."

"Hm."

"Hazel, are you ok?"

"Huh?" Hazel glanced at her in surprise, then quickly resumed her task, tension coiling in her gut as she nodded. Just breathe, Hazel…

"Are you sure?" Nami asked, worry ringing in her voice. "You don't seem to be having much fun."

"I'm fine, Nami," Hazel grit out, flinching back as a drop of grease jumped out at her.

"No you're not! What's wrong?"

"Look, I said I'm fine, alright?!" Hazel snapped, turning from the bacon to glare at the young girl. "I just don't really give a shit about Mother's Day!"

Nami's gasp was accented by the galley door opening, their crew's footsteps halting as Hazel’s statement hung in the air. All at once, her anger fled, replaced quickly with burning shame at Nami's watery gaze. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, and the warmth growing in her cheeks, Hazel muttered a quick "sorry" before bolting from the room.

The others watched her go, breakfast momentarily forgotten, until the familiar thwap thwap of their captain's flip flops broke the silence, punctuated by Luffy’s excited cry: "Sanji! Food!"

--------

"I just don't get it!" Nami yelled as she sat at the table, anger, embarrassment, and guilt all warring within her. Hazel still hadn't returned to the kitchen. "It's just Mother's Day. It should be a day to celebrate!"

"I'm sure Hazel-chan has her reasons, Nami-san," Sanji said around his cigarette, unhappy that "his girls" were at odds. Luffy scratched under his hat. 

"What's Mother's Day?"

Luckily for him, Luffy was used to the incredulous stares his crew often bestowed on him. Even Zoro was looking at him like he'd grown a second head. Wait. Could he do that?

"Even you should know what Mother's Day is," Nami scolded the boy as he inexplicably began to pull at the skin on his shoulder.

Luffy shrugged. "Nope!"

"It's the day you celebrate your mom!" Nami was met with a blank stare. "You know, the one who provides for you, even if it means she goes without."

"The one who encourages your dreams, and loves you unconditionally," Sanji added, a wistful look in his eye as he flicked his cigarette.

"The one who tells you stories, and tucks you into bed at night," Usopp chimed in, face alight with happy memories.

But Luffy merely raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Hazel already has a birthday, I'm supposed to give her two parties?!"

And then the room grew silent once more as the weight of his question settled on the others' shoulders. Nami felt her stomach clench, threatening to evict a breakfast she hadn't even eaten as she realized what had happened. She pushed herself to her feet, rushing out of the kitchen with barely a word to the others.

She had to find Hazel.

-------

Nami found her standing against the railing, on the complete opposite side of the ship. Hazel’s arms were crossed in front of her, the wind blowing through her loose, purple curls as she gazed out at the sea. The navigator approached slowly, suddenly nervous now that she was here. But before she could utter any apology, Hazel beat her to it.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. That wasn't very fair, and you didn't deserve it."

Nami's brown eyes snapped up to the other woman's face, still not facing her, and swallowed against the growing lump in her throat.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," she said, leaning on the rail beside her. "I should have asked you first. I shouldn't have assumed you'd be OK with it."

Hazel shrugged. "You had good intentions, at least. It's the thought that counts."

"Is it?" But Hazel didn't answer, and the two slipped into a heavy silence broken only by the crash of waves against the hull. "What happened to her?" Nami finally asked, shoulders tensed as she waited for the older woman to either answer or scold her.

Hazel only sighed. "Honestly?" she clicked her tongue, shrugging her shoulders and biting her lip. "No idea. Don't really remember her."

"But if you don't remember…" Nami started, eyes lighting up as an idea struck her. "Then she could still be out there somewhere! Maybe we'll find her-!"

"I hope she's dead."

The finality of the statement struck Nami dumb, mouth hanging open in shock at the woman's deadened expression. There was no waver in Hazel’s tone, no room for any doubt that she meant it. "What…?"

Hazel laughed through her nose, a bitter sound. "Sounds horrible, right? Especially today of all days? But it's true." Hazel’s jaw clenched, her fists curling around the Merry's railing. "If she's dead, then it wasn't a choice. If she's dead, then she didn't decide to -! She didn't just -!" Her shoulders shook, breaths coming out in ragged gasps, unable to finish the statement.

Nami reacted without thinking, pulling the shaking woman into her arms without hesitation. Hazel's voice broke, heartache echoing between them as she gasped out: "why wasn't I enough?"

"Now you look at me!" Nami cried, pulling back to lock her eyes onto Hazel’s. "Don't you ever think you aren't enough! Just look at everything you've done! We're all here because of you, Hazel!"

Hazel rolled her watery gray eyes. "You're here because of Luffy - I'm just emotional support." But Nami shook her head.

"Luffy may have brought us together, but he only got to where he is because you supported him! He thinks the absolute world of you, he loves you - we all love you! And you've done all of this without her! Screw her!" Hazel dissolved into a new round of tears, and Nami pulled her back into her warm embrace. "New tradition: from now on, let us show you how much we appreciate you, whether that's through breakfast together, or leaving you the hell alone."

Hazel choked out a wet, shaky laugh, fingers clutching tightly to Nami's t-shirt as the tears flowed through her. Finally, they subsided, and as she leaned back Nami helped wipe the remaining tear tracks away. Hazel took a deep breath, then another, feeling lighter than she had all day. Then, her stomach growled.

"I think I'm ready to go back to breakfast," she murmured, too drained to be embarrassed. Nami just smiled, linking their arms together as she led the way back to the others.

When they entered the galley, the pair were separated when a rubbery figure launched itself at Hazel. Luffy wrapped his limbs around his sister, squeezing so tight it was a wonder she didn't break a rib. "Hazel! Sanji made you coffee! He wouldn't let me try it but I did anyway - how do you drink that stuff?!"

Hazel just smiled at his rambling, wiggling her arms free of her brother's embrace, surprising the boy when she hugged him back (almost) as tightly, and kissed him on the forehead. "Heeey!" He whined, pulling away to angrily rub at the spot she'd kissed. "What was that for?!"

"Nothing, just…I'm proud of you, Luff." The boy's face broke into a grin.

"Shishishi! I'm proud of you, too! Now, let's eat!"

Finally, the Straw Hats gathered around the table, digging into their meal with an excited frenzy. Sipping her coffee, Hazel nudged the woman beside her. "Thanks, Nami," she said, smiling easily after the events of that morning. "But, for future reference? On Father's Day, you may just wanna let me stay in bed."

#monkey d. hazel #one piece oc #one piece original character #together with fruit #one piece #one piece fanfiction #one piece fan fic #monkey siblings #monkey d. luffy #black leg sanji #roronoa zoro #usopp #cat burglar nami #straw hat pirates #yes it's a mother's day fic in October - sue me lol #leyna go to bed at a decent time challenge

[elizabeatrice]

Episode 12 - The Little Mermaid

Let’s Talk About JSHK Anime #3

Warning: Manga spoilers for The Little Mermaid arc, The Clock Keeper arc, and chapter 64!!! (just a bit, skip point no. 5, 6, and 10 if you don’t want to get spoiled) Also … this ended up way longer than I intended.

Well that was one heck of a feels trip. It’s probably my new favorite episode, just because everyone is here being wholesome lmao.

This is mostly hananene meta I ain’t even gonna lie.

Before we begin, shout out to Black Canyon, our newest anime cutie pie. Just look at him, folks. Just chilling with his sunflower seed.

He has no idea the kind of life his owner leads.

I said before that the best part of episode 12 is how it made Daydream worse, so now I’m gonna ramble about it.

“Maybe different species can’t understand each other after all.”

“Maybe it would be better if I were an apparition too.”

This is my favorite part of the episode. And no, not in the sense that I want Nene to die just so that she and Hanako can be together. But because of how Lerche actually explored deeper what was said only once in the manga.

Well, both in the manga and anime Nene ended up accepting the mermaid’s blood because of her desire to be popular, but the anime decided to revisit what she said earlier in the episode.

Not only did that make her decision kinda less selfish, it’s also just … sad. Thinking that your friend, someone you really cared about, doesn’t trust you enough to tell you things about themselves, to the point where you’re willing to go to such lengths as turning into an apparition just to understand them.

And if you think about it, isn’t this part of her true wish? To have her feelings be reciprocated? Man I just realized that as I wrote this and I am mindblown.

She thought she finally got her wish with Hanako. I mean, he said it himself in the first ep (”You wanted someone, anyone, to return your feelings, right? And as far as you’re concerned, sharing a bond with someone is the same thing, right?”). So it must’ve hit her really hard when she thought he didn’t trust her. Especially with all the wrong ideas the fishes were feeding her mind.

Then we got this little flashback. At first I was like, “Girl, you really be thinking that he doesn’t care about you while recalling the moment he apologized to you and hugged you? Are you insane?”

But after some thinking of my own, it occurred to me. Maybe she was too used to having her feelings not reciprocated, she couldn’t believe it when someone finally did. Not to mention Hanako did kinda trick her with his fake confession a while back (heh, he’s not the only one with trust issues, eh?). And that just made the entire thing even sadder.

So when Nene said, “But I thought, if I were an apparition like you, I could get closer to you. Then, maybe I’d be able to understand you, Hanako-kun. Although I know I probably don’t mean anything to you.”

That was a harsh wake up call for Hanako.

(Btw even more full circle, Hanako brought up Nene’s wish to become human again in the first episode. Nice.)

So. We got one daikon girl who’s afraid of not having her feelings reciprocated, and one ghost boy who’s afraid that daikon girl wouldn’t be his friend anymore if she knew about his past.

While in actuality, said daikon girl already decided she wanted to and would be his friend no matter what, and ghost boy had grown to care about her more than he thought he would.

He heard what she said to Tsuchigomori. He knew all about regret, too.  I mean, honestly, I think if she had said no, he’d let her walk away right then and there, no questions asked. But she didn’t.

Nene’s wish finally came true here. And the best part? It wasn’t the work of magic or curses. Just Hanako finally shoving his fear aside, offering himself as he was, and letting her decide.

And she still chose to be with him.

Heh. Lemme just. Sob for a bit.

Is my hananene trash brain reading too much into this? Idk. Maybe.

So props to the production team for managing to add even more weight to this arc. Which, they had to, since it’s the season finale and all. But I love what they did!

Onto my commentaries!

1. The KouNene

Good shit. She was worried about him but he didn’t want her to worry so he just smiled it off? These two are precious. Thought they were gonna interact. Sadly not. Buuuut! (see point 12)

2. Hanako’s classroom visit

He. Is. So. Adorable. Someone please take his babey license away he’s too dangerous.

Hanako’s classroom visit is like my absolute favorite clingy Hanako moment, so I’m really happy I get to see it this season. Ugh. My kokoro. Hugging her from behind, that semi confession vibe … Smooth mf.

The Mokke brushing Nene’s hair!!! The radish hairdo tho lmao.

On a sidenote, as a history nerd I appreciate that they’re actually putting lessons in the background. And the teacher talked about Apollo 11 again??? While my boy was in the room? That ish both hurt and pleased me.

3. The Clock Keeper rumor drop

Heeeeeehhhhh? What’s thiiiiiissss?

4. This freaking thing

*flips table* Darn production team been knew I’m hananene trash how dare they do this to me.

And lookie here there’s Kodama chilling.

5. Fishies! (!!!manga spoiler for The Little Mermaid arc!!!)

Pufferfish didn’t die. Well, good for him. Also I can’t believe they just call the other fish ‘yeah yeah’ lmao what the freak. Has it always been like that in the manga?

6. AOI AND AKANE (!!!spoilers for chapter 64!!!)

I swear I did not intend this numbering coincidence.

*claps* Boi. Nene asking Aoi about cutting ties with someone she’s interested in? And then Akane just swooped in and say he’d rather cut his head off than cut ties with Aoi? What about getting impaled, huh, boy? Would that do?

The not-so-subtle call out to these two pairs’ parallel? BOI.

7. Nene and Yako

These two just chilling together having girl talk, and Yako let Nene pet her? That’s some adorable shit right there. Admit it Yako you like her.

Yako also be really hitting home with what she said. It was extra heavy coming from her, considering what happened to her and Misaki. Boiiiiii.

8. Tsuchigomori

Oh my God, his laughter. Just … oh my God.

Tsuchigomori in dad mode is always one of the highlights of the episode/chapter.

By the way, in this scene according to the sub, Nene asked Tsuchigomori who Tsukasa is. But she knew who he is already. Is it possible that the sub misinterpreted it? ‘Cause I think what she actually meant was, “What happened to him and Tsukasa-kun in the past?”

If someone who speaks Japanese could share their wisdom, please do!

9. The 5 pm bell and twilight

Look how pretty they are!!!

Lo and behold, another important hananene interaction while the 5 pm bell plays in the background. Also, twilight? Y’all giving me Kimi no Na wa flashbacks.

“Twilight, when it’s neither day or night. When the world blurs and one might encounter something not human.”

Huh … kinda fits the ‘boundary’ concept but it still hurt.

Anyway they still had Hanako tell her what she already knew. And I did say in my ‘Walking Blind’ post that it’d be redundant. But since the episode kinda emphasized Nene’s desire to understand Hanako, having him actually tell her himself, even though she already knew it, was a big deal. It’s not about what she knows, it’s about him opening up to her. So I’m super cool with it.

10. The Broadcasting Club (!!!spoilers for The Clock Keeper arc!!!)

I love how Natsuhiko and Sakura are actually decent people. When he told Mitsuba that he was free to choose to stay with them or not? That’s solid, man. Though, of course, Tsukasa might not be as kind.

Speaking of, I know it couldn’t be anything else, but I’m still not sure if Tsukasa’s drawing was confirmation for season 2. Don’t wanna get my hopes up. Imma just enjoy what I currently have.

Kinda curious, though. Because Clock Keeper wasn’t Tsukasa’s doing. Maybe he was the one who released Mirai? But tbh I’d prefer if it wasn’t so. Because having more cases of supernaturals going loco without it being one of Tsukasa’s games is interesting, and kinda underlines the need of The Seven Wonders to keep supernaturals in check.

11. Kodama just chilling

12. The Adventures of Minamoto and the Summer Vegetables

You go, Kou! I’m rooting for you oh my God you’re so precious.

And look at that ikemen smile! Him supporting Kou is just top notch sweet y’all I can’t-

Ngl this was the biggest surprise of the episode. Teru finding out that summer vegetables = Nene? Broooooo. Interesting. I don’t think this little addition warrants any changes to their future interaction, so it should be safe. Clever replacement, too, those veggies.

It’s so sweet that Nene delivered those veggies to Kou! Just imagine the Minamoto family having veggies for dinner. Awww.

(Also, Nene wrote her name in hiragana instead of kanji. Is that a reference to how bad Kou is with kanji? Lol, so sweet)

13. The Coda!!!

Look at him. Just look at him. Look how lovesick he is y’all I can’t-

THEY’RE SO ADORABLE.

All in all, I love this episode. Sorry for how long this post is. I’m just dealing with so many feels right now. Gaaahhhhh.

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #toilet bound hanako kun #hanako #minamoto kou #yashiro nene #akane aoi #aoi akane #yako #tsuchigomori #mitsuba sousuke #hyuuga natsuhiko #nanamine sakura #yugi tsukasa #kodama #minamoto teru #let's talk about jshk anime #bea rambles #hananene