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Failed (?) stealth check.

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"problematic tropes like abuse should only be portrayed as bad things in media!" so i can't use fiction for escapism because i have to make it realistic... what's the point of enjoying fiction if you're not allowed to use it for exploration?

policing what is and isn't allowed in fiction defeats its intended purpose. it's not real, it's versatile, and you can do whatever you want with it. why bother restricting creativity in a genre that's built on it?

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Ah, yes, I see you’ve taken notice of the fine knight I keep dangling in a big gilded cage above my evil throne. Quite the pretty little ornament the would be savior makes, wouldn’t you agree~?

What? No, it IS a big cage. That’s- it’s the standard size for a knight’s cage I’m pretty sure. NO I’m not going to invest in 500 square feet of dungeon, it’s ONE knight! I’m pretty sure knights live in hovels in the wild anyways which is basically the same- Look, the cage is quite literally gilded. He loves the cage! He loves obediently preening in the cage! Yeah well, when you capture your own knight you can keep it in whatever size castle you want to, but this one’s mine. Especially since you’re so obviously jealous of me and my cute and awesome knight anyway.

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here are some angsty g/t prompts to feed the brainworms

(come get y'alls juice.)

recently shrunken/borrower friend who has had to lower all defenses around someone so utterly terrifying to be around simply because of how much them there is. learning how to develop a relationship with someone capable of any amount of destruction with minimal effort. the truth that, for some things, they are completely dependant on the giant. over the course of days/weeks/months fragile trust is slowly cultivated as they both learn how to adjust to each other's presence, only for it to be shattered in a moment due to a giant's carelessness. a voice raised too loud, a hand slammed a little too close, a grab just too tight. and ultimately, no amount of guilt or remorse will fix the damage done.

the utter helplessness of size shifting. like, i know size shifting is a popular concept for g/t scenarios, but if you think about it- it's legitimately body horror. consider it, a signifigant aspect of your physical body robbed from you over the course of a few moments. the rushing feeling of anxiety crashed with the abject panic knowing that the world around you is going to transform, that you are going to change. overwhelming vertigo as the ceiling begins to stretch above you, as your surroundings change from a neutral space to an immense and overwhelming enclosure. even the most banal and mundane items are now obtacles, if not actively dangerous. shifting somewhere you can't leave, shifting somewhere you shouldn't leave. shifting somewhere where you can't reach someone you trust.

tinies discovered by someone curious and stolen away from their trusted giants in a moment. the tiny has to endure this new giant that is over ten times their size and unconcerned with their wellbeing like their friend/partner, while the giant spirals into panic searching for their vulnerable friend/partner who trusted them- blaming themselves all the way.

tinies stuck in thunderstorms. the sky roars with claps of deafening thunder as they scramble to find cover against the frigid, heavy raindrops that pound against them. their vision is nonexistant as they stumble through the soft earth, unsure of where they are running towards but just hoping its somewhere away.

the prompts below are a little more intense/whumpy fyi!!

borrowers caught in traps intended for pests. maybe they were being careless or overconfident - maybe they just weren't paying attention... until the metal bar of a mousetrap snaps over their ankle or they find themselves stuck in a glue trap, pinned in place and in the open. they can't cry out in pain in fear of being discovered, while also knowing it's inevitable. injured and growing more panicked by the minute, they hear the resounding sounds of a giant approaching them.

tinies locked in things. bird cages, jars, drawers, lockboxes- take your pick. bonus points if it's claustrophobic. bonus bonus points if its pitch black. bonus bonus bonus points if the tiny has no idea how long till they get out and can breathe again.

g/t fearplay lightning round: giants that love to see how little they need to do in order to panic a tiny, tinies being tossed around like keys, rubber bands used as restraints, shock collars, tinies held out over tall heights, the works

it's ok though because in all of these scenarios they end up being taken care of by a gentle and caring giant because i'll be damned if this hurt isn't eventually going to have comfort.

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hi, a lot of you need a perspective reset

the average human lifespan globally is 70+ years

taking the threshold of adulthood as 18, you are likely to spend at least 52 years as a fully grown adult

at the age of 30 you have lived less than one quarter of your adult life (12/52 years)

'middle age' is typically considered to be between 45-65

it is extremely common to switch careers, start new relationships, emigrate, go to college for the first or second time, or make other life-changing decisions in middle age

it's wild that I even have to spell it out, but older adults (60+) still have social lives and hobbies and interests.

you can still date when you get old. you can still fuck. you can still learn new skills, fashionable, be competitive. you can still gossip, you can still travel, you can still read. you can still transition. you can still come out.

young doesn't mean peaked. you're inexperienced in your 20s! you're still learning and practicing! you're developing social skills and muscle memory that will last decades!

there are a million things to do in the world, and they don't vanish overnight because an imaginary number gets too big

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the original leeroy jenkins video was posted may 11th 2005… 10 years ago today… yowee

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Additional checkups are required when accidental shifts occur on-base. Especially in those early days when he could only go between his regular height and small.

Jax hates those gloves so much.

—-

I received an ask from @nightmares06 for one of the palette challenges, and as sometimes happens, I got carried away and it’s just it’s own dude now.

Edit: Added another colourway because I was playing around and liked it.

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Strong Bad got invited to be on Hot Ones but declined because of his dearly held belief that ones should be cold

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I think this could fix me

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Oh to win a merfolk in a carnival game

You don’t know who won who though yet ;D

Version with no background and plastic bag under the cut because I worked hard on the little merman and THEY AREN’T EVEN VISIBLE

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Omg its mermay

Have an AU where Cirro is a narwhal(also half leopard seal and other sea creatures perhaps?)

And Fernando who's a human photographer

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American

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Office Decor -- [One Shot]

Happy Mermay to Everyone But This Guy!

Word Count: 2000 Summary: Harlan has betrayed his employer, and the consequences could leave him gasping for air.

Content: Merman Transformation, Shrunken Man, Elements of Fear

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Divider by strangergraphics

“You haven’t been very honest with me, have you Harlan?” The man behind the desk hummed, the words almost sing-song and yet still dripping with a calm, unsettling malice. “If I understand the situation correctly, you’ve been deceiving me from the start.”

“I wish you would let me explain-“

“What is there to explain, dearest? That you’ve been working here under a false identity? That I was part of some wider, undercover investigation? That you were playing a role until you could find the most opportune moment to take me down?” Mr. Price grinned at the other, as if it were all some silly little ruse or a joke that he had been aware of all along. “I don’t need an explanation from you dear, but an apology might be a good place to start.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Harlan breathed, eager to claw his way out of this however he could. “I never meant for this to go as far as it did, I never wanted to get this deep, I never intended to-…” There was an abrupt end to the sentence as the pale, gangly fool of a supposed assistant choked on his own words, reluctant to admit just how far he’d fallen into this mess…

…or worse, just how far he’d fallen for the man he was meant to be investigating.

“Mm, I suppose matters of the heart are rarely anticipated.” Price sighed, his tongue tutting a slight in feigned disapproval. “If I’m honest —and I do so love when I get the chance to be— I also had not planned on you developing the feelings you did. It was my fascination with that particular fact that kept you around this long.”

“Then you must know that I don’t intend to betray you, Friedrich. Let me prove-“

“-Oh there is absolutely nothing you can prove to me now, dearest. Your betrayal started the moment you introduced yourself, I’m afraid. You may consider me flattered, perhaps even endeared, but it will not save you.”

Harlan could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing at the very idea of what Price could do to him, and just how easily he could do it. That had always been the risk, it was something he thought he’d accepted going into this whole thing. He wasn’t so foolish as to think that going undercover and playing the role of assistant to one of the most powerful magic users in the city wasn’t going to be dangerous. Harlan was trying to link him with the disappearances of several people at this point; he had been perfectly aware that this was something he might not get to walk away from.

It was only when the unthinkable happened, when the idiot would-be journalist began to develop feelings for the man, that he began to think that he could be saved from the inevitable downfall. Price had been so charming, so kind, and had practically spoiled Harlan with attention and appreciation and little gifts and dinners since he’d arrived. The conversations had been so rich, the laughter so genuine, that life plans had started to change. Suddenly, Harlan had found himself caring less and less about frivolities like missing persons and a shot at writing the biggest story of the decade; life with Friedrich Price had been so comfortable, that it had simply become life for him.

In a perfect world, Harlan would have never been found out. In a perfect world he could continue bringing Price his morning coffee and logging his calls and appointments and everything else. In a perfect world… Price might love him back, and they could be happy.

But this was anything but a perfect world, and Harlan was well aware that his fate had already been sealed.

“I didn’t want it to be this way.” He muttered, voice cracking as he squeezed his eyes shut. Whatever the sorcerer was going to do to him, he could already feel it beginning to send deep aches through his bones. “I had hoped… I thought that maybe…”

“…Maybe what? Maybe I would think you were special? That you’d changed? That you could be trusted?” Price chuckled as he stood from his desk, suddenly looking ten feet tall without having grown an inch. “ That all the evenings we’ve enjoyed together might make me sentimental enough to spare you from the sort of fate you were here to investigate, perhaps?” His grin was wicked as he took slow, casual steps towards the shivering man seated across from him, the very one that was now refusing to look at him as the first hints of his spell began to take shape.

The deep ache in his bones persisted, now spreading through his muscles and out to his skin where it began to take the form of a dreadful, widespread itch.

“Please, I’d give anything to stay at your side, just as we were.” Harlan whimpered as he began to double over in his seat. He couldn’t bear to witness what was happening to him, to see why his bones were shifting inside of him, or why his organs needed to re-arrange themselves. It would have been nausea inducing, but his stomach was clearly occupied with other pressing matters, and his terror and sickness only manifested in the hot tears that escaped his shut eyes. “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to betray you, I just want to be with you Friedrich, please grant me the chance to do so, please.”

“Shhhhh.” The older man hushed the other as he reached forward to pet at his hair. “Have some composure, sweet Harlan. You’re not going to die, and I’m not going to send you away.”

The cracking and shifting of bone in Harlan’s legs told a different story, but still he wanted to believe it.

“You’re not?” he squeaked, daring to open his eyes and look up at the predator he managed to fall in love with — a tall, dark, well dressed man with stark black hair and eyes that could make you swoon on sight. Even now, as Harlan felt himself under the effects of wicked magic, as Price grew larger and more terrifying as he loomed over him, he could not help but appreciate the beauty of those damned eyes.

“Of course not. I enjoy you far too much to do away with you entirely.” The monster cooed, his petting hand trailing gently down Harlan’s shrinking face until he could tilt his chin with the tips of his fingers. “I’m going to be keeping you very close, somewhere I can admire you as often as I wish.”

Friedrich Price had no fangs, but you would have a hard time believing it when faced with the grin he was wearing now.

It might have been enough to petrify Harlan, to cause his very heart to stop and ice over in horror for at least some moments, had it not been for the exquisite and novel pain that had spread over the whole of his body. For the first time since the spell had taken hold, Harlan dared to tear his eyes away from Price to look at himself, though the sight was no less terrifying.

Not only was he already well under half the size he’d been before, he was finding that a significant portion of himself was covered in deep blue scales that might have been beautiful had they any business crawling up his chest and down his arms, revealing more and more of themselves as his giant clothes began to pool around him in the seat. At the ends of his arms he witnessed clawed fingers elongating before him with a translucent webbing growing up between each digit, and along his sides he could see spines and fins of a similar deep red pushing through skin and scales.

None of this, however, could compare to the pain and terror of his own legs. Most of the hurt had been centered there, and it was easy to see why; not only where they covered in scales, not only had they stretched and thinned and twisted his dwindling feet to strange sideways angles, but it was clear that they were starting to merge.

He was turning into a small mer-creature, or something like it.

A cry, almost animal in its pure primal nature, escaped him as the reality of it all hammered into him with each wave of excruciating pain. It was simply too much to handle, to much to even think of for very long, and yet he was powerless to stop it, much less reverse it.

“Please, Friedrich.” He sobbed, looking up at man as he seemed to get further and further away. “I’ll do anything, I’ll repay you in a million ways, please don’t do this.“

“But you’re truly so very lucky Harlan. You do know that, don’t you?” Price laughed as he bent down, not wanting to miss a detail of his assistant’s fate. “Generally when someone upsets me like this, they become the seed I give my birds or little bugs I set loose into the big wide world, and those are just the speakable ones. Why, you’ll practically be living a life of luxury by comparison.”

Harlan’s neck was burning as though white hot knives were carving into his skin, but still he did what he could to look into the massive, terrifying, beautiful eyes of the man who was currently destroying his life.

There were no sounds, no pleas, no apologies or curses; the man who had centered his life around his words suddenly found himself at a loss. There were simply none to be had.

There was only terror.

There was only pain.

There was only Friedrich Price.

And Friedrich Price knew it.

“It’s more than a sneak like you deserves, but I think it’ll do the trick.” He grinned, “After all, Harlan, this is a punishment, and a good one I think for self reflection.”

A large hand, the same that had so recently pet at his hair and tilted his chin, now descended upon him like an unthinkable entity. He plucked the tiny merman from the seat he was stuck on between his thumb and forefinger, holding him at eye level as he straightened his posture, a look of wretched satisfaction written across his face like the world’s most horrifying billboard.

Not that Harlan could take it in, not while he writhed and wiggled and flailed around in the giant’s grasp, completely uncoordinated with the new appendage that made up his lower half. The burning cuts in his neck had split open, and suddenly Harlan found himself struggling to breathe. It was as though each lungful of air was only giving him  half of what he needed, leaving him gasping between sobs and attempted screams.

“And I really to want you to think on what it took to get us here, you understand?” Price hummed, the singsong tone returning to his voice as he crossed the room to one of the many elaborate aquariums that filled the office. “Every lie, every risk, everything you had to coordinate to not only maintain the ruse, but to even get as far as you did. I want you to ruminate on every single step it took for you to get here Harlan…”

He paused at the tank, the pathetic little fish of a man still wiggling uncontrollably between his fingers.

“…They’ll be the last ones you ever take.”

In a flash of an instant he was splashing down into the tank, enveloped by the cold water that would now be his home. He wanted to hate it, he wanted to feel uncomfortable or ill or something, but the terrible truth was that he couldn’t.

He would need the relief that his brand new prison provided, and he could do nothing but try to hide himself from those beautiful eyes just outside of the glass.

The newest resident in a vast aquarium.

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Baby you take my breath away!

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this is my favourite thing ever