#Something something deep-sea gigantism

[toad-in-a-trenchcoat]

“Quite a bit of confidence there, hm?”

— — — — —

The Leviathan of Ghost Spit; an alternate universe

[leapdayowo]

Having fun with the troll designs :3

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

✧ All the graces from Heaven

✦ Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader ✦ Summary: Arthur and you enjoy a steamy morning at Strawberry's Hotel, much to the outlaw's delight. ✦ Warnings: SMUT 18+, MDNI! Oral (both reader and Arthur receiving), 69, a bit of fluff if you squint, porn without a plot, Arthur is more of a high/mid honor but loses it and gets a little bit rough, established relationship. ✦ Words: 2,6k ✦ a/n: Yeeeaah so. This is basically a 69 fic, it's pretty filthy and a bit less figurative than my usual works. Just pure smutty smut. I hope you'll enjoy it still! Pic is mine, not proofread! And as English isn't my first language, prepare for some misspellings.

The bedroom of Strawberry’s Hotel is filled with chuckles, and full of scattered clothes on the floor. Leathered boots, two shirts tangled together, jackets and holster belts thrown away messily on furniture. As a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, a black gambler hat stands tall hung on one of the bed's huge footboard legs over this tide of abandoned clothing.

Above it, the old wood creaks as two people mess with each other under the blankets, threatening to make the worn hat fall from its perch. Both are nude as the day they were born, and glued to each other as if they were wearing the other one’s skin.

You and Arthur had quite a time, last night. And since you had woken up, it was nothing but sweet words, cuddling and tickling. Teasing each other had become a private religion between you both, his sarcastic comments always met with a witty answer from you. It made him love you even more.

“Come on darlin’, stay.” Arthur’s deep voice asks you, as he buries his head in the crook of your neck, his nose impregnating with your smell, eyes closing on their own.

He feels good, there. It's in these simple shared moments, those laughs you sew together, those fingers and body you intertwine, those deep and dreamy conversations about your brighter future you share that Arthur finds his remedy. As if after all this life of surviving and fighting for a greater cause, a bigger picture, it was the simplest of things that appeared like an epiphany to him when it came to happiness.

You being the main source and Messiah of most of these humble pleasures, of course. His personal angel.

“You know I can’t. You may have the morning off for once, but I have somewhere else to be. Hosea needs me at the Tracker’s Hotel for a job.”

Arthur doesn’t hide his annoyance and grumbles against your skin, something about “Damn jobs always in the way” and “ The old man can wait a lil’ bit more.”

It makes you smile. As tempting as staying in bed all morning with a naked Arthur seems, especially considering how you can feel his fat cock feeling so soft against your hip, you feel self-conscious about leaving Hosea alone on your mission. You turn your head to the side to kiss your lover’s head, his sandy locks tickling your nose.

“Alright tough guy, time to go.” You decide before getting up in a sitting position, then crawling to the end of the bed to grab your ungarments.

“Not so fast, lil’ missy.” He objects with a low chuckle, obviously enjoying this little chase after you.

Before you can reach your aim, Arthur snakes his hands around your thighs and pulls you back to him in a quick and powerful motion, handling you as if you were the lightest feather, which makes you let out a squeal of protest mixed with surprise.

His laugh resonates for a second and then, he freezes. You had ended up on all four on top of him, but usually, your face was turned to his. This time, Arthur's nose is met with your plump rear, your chest to the other side, just above his crotch. You can feel his body, underneath you, getting tensed. This gigantic, massive, muscled body, so big and tall that his chest feels larger than a tree trunk between your spread legs. What was innocent playing for him just seconds ago had turned into a needy tension between the both of you. The air suddenly feels thick and a silence settles, a tense calm on the shore before a Maelstrom.

Your blouse and Hosea are a long time gone when you realize you can feel his breath on your pussy, the sensation making you shiver. You try to get up from the position, thinking he wouldn’t like to have his face shoved in your intimate parts, but his hands grip tighter and stop you, grounding you in place. You turn your head to him as much as you can considering your situation, taking an interrogative look at his face above your body.

His cheeks are red. Dark red. His eyes are fixated on your entrance, throat swallowing with difficulty. His bust rises and falls heavily, pectorals muscles swelling up before relaxing and rising again. He sighs, and you feel it again, hot air all against you, all against your now aroused and needy slit.

“We hum… We never tried like this…” He starts, voice low and suggestive about what he's implying, his hands traveling from your thighs to grab your ass, one hand for each cheek. They’re so big and firm, and feel so good there, as he squeezes, again and again, driving himself crazy as he admires how the perfect heart shape of your rear looks all squished under his fingers.

“You sure you want-”

Before you can even finish your sentence, Arthur answers it by pressing his lips to your pussy, exhaling through his nose and tightening his fingers on your flesh. This man always had such huge self-control for every dangerous situation known to mankind, but right now, it seems like he couldn’t resist taking a bite when having your perfect cunt under his nose…

A sharp and depraved noise leaves you, making his body burn like redden coal, his mind consumed more and more by your whole being and the simple feeling of your wetness all against his face. His whole universe reduced into this touch, lips against flesh, saliva mixing with arousal. Your sinful nectar and his.

“God, honey!” You whine, back arching without your permission, body moving backward to him, searching for more, needing more.

“Taste so goddamn good… Never gonna have enough of ‘this…” He rasps between a few more kisses to your folds, as a praise or a statement, you’re not sure, and he’s not either as words just flow through him and he lets them out without a drop of restraint or reflection. A rough, unstoppable river. That's how he feels every time he eats you out.

His tongue slowly slips out of his filthy mouth and licks your folds, slowly, tortuously, from bellow aaaall the way up to the inside of your ass. You could have been scared of not being clean enough for him or feeling nervous about his face almost buried in there, but the sound, the moan he had made suppresses all these anxious thoughts all at once.

You have to face the obvious: he’s loving it.

“Aah- Arthur…” Your hips roll against his face, desperate for some more friction, unsatisfied and so aroused by his teasing.

“You go on moanin’ ma name like that and am gonna come without ya even touchin’ me, darlin’.” He warns you, voice hoarse, lips mumbling against your folds, his beard and mustache tickling you just the right way.

You answer his words with a deep sigh, the filth of them burning you to the core. He laps at you the same way again, in one then two long and slow licks, as if savoring you like the finest whiskey he would have tasted. A mewl leaves your lips after each one of them. You’re starting to get impatient, and he knows it, he knows you after all those intimate moments. He stops his lips right at the entrance of your core and gently slides his right hand between your thighs.

The way he has to fold his arm to touch you there isn’t comfortable for him, his bicep being way too big to be crushed like that; but hearing you, feeling your thighs clenching and the appreciative words you let out when his fingers land on your sensitive bud is worth this slight pain. Always putting other’s needs before his own, always being devoted and loyal, always finding happiness in being useful, that was Arthur’s nature. And the bed was no exception to it.

“Was you not supposed to go somewhere?” He asks cockily in a falsely innocent tone, brimming with sarcasm and smugness.

“P-please, Arthur… Quit the teasing, for God's sake…” You ask, trying not to sound too pitiful, probably failing at it.

“A lil’ needy after all, ain’t ya? Ma sweet girl…” He coos, and you can feel his lips stretch into his usual grin, his heart gorging with pride and excitement to have this sort of impact on you.

Bending to your wishes, his fingers start to rub and trace tight circles on your clit as his mouth makes love to your pussy, his tongue delving in as deeply as he can, and the pleasure finally hits you like an earthquake. It feels so good, so damn good, your breathing quickly turning into loud moans.

Your head snaps back forward, and your body pushes your rear up all against him as a cat who would stretch after a nap. Arthur hums in delight and appreciation, unable to speak but encouraging you still. He increases his pace, his digits quick and sharp and so precise against your sensitive spot.

Your face falls down as every fiber of your body hardens, and that’s when your gaze is caught on his cock. Your pussy clenches hard around his tongue just by the sight of it.

It looks so hard and swollen that it must be painful for him. His hips buck forward into nothing, his member almost hitting your chin, with every lick of his tongue inside you. His round and reddish tip is leaking, pre-cum spurting out even more than usual, flowing all the way down into his dark curly pubic hair. His pants would have been completely soaked if he was wearing them.

You're salivating.

It would have been cruel to let him like this, right?

Focusing on him to try and not collapse from your own pleasure, you suddenly press your chest against his belly and take his cock inside your mouth without any warning. The taste of him, this strong saline flavor, fills your mouth.

“Damn!” Arthur shouts in surprise, momentarily parting his lips from yours, fingers slowing their pace. “Jesus, girl!”

This time, it’s your turn to grin, as much as you can, considering how big Arthur is between your lips. You don’t let him any time to think or protest, knowing he would insist that you’d come first.

The way you're crawling on top of him makes it even simpler for you to suck him off, your head naturally placed at the right angle on top of his crotch, and you take advantage of that. Finding support on the mattress with your arms, hands gripping his legs, you bring your mouth up and down hard and fast, sucking his shaft with such vigor you can feel his body squirming underneath you.

“Ngh-! Darlin’! S-stop, slow down! I ain’t gonna last like this!” He tries to plead but his words are drowned in a flood of groans and harsh sighs.

Despite what he’s saying, his body acts in the exact opposite way, hips jerking, cock shoving into your throat at the same time you’re working him. He tries, he really tries to keep on pleasuring you back while you work him, but he feels like he’s completely losing himself, unable to do anything else, to focus on anything else at all.

Your breasts pressed against his belly, his face buried in your pussy and ass, each of your thighs surrounding his head, and your goddamn mouth around his cock, this devilish tongue sliding all around it… He's completely losing his head. It's like being drowned in an Ocean of You. It’s too much. It’s way too much at once for a simple man. A simple, weak, mortal man feeling like he’s receiving every grace of Heaven all at the same time.

His basic instincts win the best of him. His arms are now wrapped around you, pulling you flush against his body, a hand back on your ass cheek, the other on your neck, spurring you into moving your mouth just like he needs to.

“Oh, shit! Yes, go on, go on, take it!”

You've rarely seen him losing his temper like this. He's usually gentle and soft, patient with you during sex, savoring the moment, making it last as much as possible, playing you like an Andante movement from the most sophisticated piece of a symphony.

Right now, he's unchained and rough, rushing to the Grand Finale without minding about false notes, drunk from you and the sensation of warmth he is feeling on every edge of his body; face, chest, cock, every inch of him merging with every inch of you.

He groans all against your pussy, as your saliva drools from this erratic pace. His fingers grip your head and ass tighter as he chases his high carelessly, already coming, way too soon and fast for him. His cock stiffens even more as he fucks your silky mouth, veins gorging with blood, tip throbbing in the back of your head.

“Aaah- Damn… Good… Girl!” He growls loudly with a thrust of his hips after each word.

The last one is followed by a loud and throaty whine, higher-pitched and vulgar, the kind of sounds he would usually let out when being hurt.

He shuts his eyes in a pleasured-filled frown as he pushes his face even deeper between your legs and, more from instinct than anything else, sucks hard on your cunt while he comes, lost, so lost in a sea of primal bliss and pure organic pleasure. His large body burns and tenses one hard final time, and you can feel the path of his cum traveling along his length against your lips as he releases inside you.

It fills you, his saline and strong taste blinding your other senses, cum as hot and sinful as his state, and you exhale with satisfaction as you swallow both this remnant of his ecstasy and the last drops of his sanity.

Arthur falls back heavily on the mattress, completely spent, his sweat staining the white sheets, his hands loosening their grip. Before removing them from your body, he allows himself a playful little spank on your butt as he speaks again, a revenge not strong enough to his liking for your sneaky move.

“Jesus, you’re… completely wild...” He sighs, his heart slowing after having beaten like war drums.

He’s still panting, mouth open and covered with a mix of this sweet cocktail of saliva and arousal. He licks his lips, feeling so satisfied, the sensation of your body everywhere on his skin still vivid and present. Like a stamp of black, indelible ink that has left its mark on a blank sheet of paper.

“You really enjoyed all this, didn’t you?” You ask back while getting off him, legs a bit shaky, your throat starting to feel a bit sore from the intensity you had chosen to go with. “I haven’t heard you whine like this for a long time…”

“I don’t “whine”.” He scoffs, knowing damn well he did, and suddenly feeling ashamed of the sounds he had made and guilty for the rough behavior he had displayed. His negative feelings are soon brushed off though, thanks to your beautiful and mischievous smile enlightening him.

“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that. I’ve still got ears to hear, Mister.”

“Hush. Now come here, 'gonna make ya feel as good and miserable as me from finishin’ that fast.”

His eyes burn with that fire he has. The one reserved for you and the excitement and adrenaline of action. You already know there's no way you'll walk out of this bedroom without being completely satisfied.

“Tonight. I’m already way too late to-”

“Now.”

The piece of clothes remains abandoned on the floor as the bed creaks again, that old gambler's hat only witness of Arthur's payback to you.

After all, he never liked leaving a job unfinished.

--

tagging some people who were interested in the scenario! : @amyispxnk @a-court-of-valkyries @fleouris

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the Giant isopod! 

The giant isopod, describes around 20 species in the Bathynomus genus, but most information is based on the Bathynomus giganteus, which is known for being the first giant isopod discovered, and the largest. Giant isopods, as an arthropod, have seven pairs of legs, four jaws, and compound eyes that have over 4,000 facets. The first set of legs is modified into an appendage for grabbing food and bringing it into the mouth, along with attacking prey, and all species with the  Bathynomus genus are similar, showing a lack of evolution between populations The full range of this family is unknown, but they can be found around the Indo-Pacific and the Eastern Atlantic ocean. The first time a giant isopod was found and recorded was in 1879 in the Gulf of Mexico, where the largest populations of giant isopods live, with a depth range of 310-2140 meters of depth. Outside of the Gulf of Mexico the other populations have a near identical depth range, and due to their similarity to their close land dwelling cousins, rolly pollies or woodlouse as you might know them, they are one of the textbook examples of deep sea gigantism.

Deep sea gigantism is an observed phenomena where deep sea animals have a habit of getting far larger than their more shallow relatives. Examples of this would be the giant squid, giant sea spider, deepwater stingrays, the bigfin squid,oarfish,  and many more. There is currently no encompassing explanation for why this phenomena is so prevalent, but there are multiple theories that have been proven partially correct by different genus. Food scarcity is often referenced, and often thought to be the reason for the giant isopods' large size. as without much food in the deep ocean organisms with the ability to store more food can live for longer periods without prey. Another explanation is the increase in dissolved oxygen, which is often a limiting factor in how large animals can become in their environments. A study of amphipod crustaceans in 1999 discovered their increase in size as the populations found in deeper waters directly increased with the amount of dissolved oxygen. The last and often most damning explanation for deep sea gigantism is the lowered temperature in deeper waters. This one can increase the size in animals by increasing cell size and lifespan, something that can also be found at the world's poles. Deep sea gigantism allows for the giant isopod to get anywhere between 19-36cm (7.5-14.3 inches) in length, with the largest recorded being 20 inches, about the size of a small dog. As compared to their close land relatives, which come in at less than an inch of length.

The diet of the deep sea isopod is remarkably similar to that of the land dwelling isopods, as the land dwelling isopods live off of dead or decomposing animals or plant materials. Which is similar to the diet of the giant isopod, which is an essential scavenger and carnivore in the deep. Once believed to be only scavengers, it is now known that giant isopods also actively pursue prey, usually fish, squid, shrimp, crabs, and other deep sea animals they can catch, as shown by a video of an isopod grabbing a dogfish shark and eating its face. These isopods can take down prey several times larger than them, but this may be only when in a confined space, as they don't swim fast and can only attack prey they can catch. But, as scavengers in the deep the giant isopod is primarily known for eating from whalefalls. A whalefall being when the carcass of a dead whale drifts to the deep seafloor, creating huge ecosystem hotspots and specialized animals in deep waters that feed almost exclusively on them. After eating from these whalefalls, giant isopods have been shown to go as long as 5 years in captivity without eating again, and for this reason when in the presence of food they eat far more than their body weight or size, willing to sacrifice locomotion in favor of excess, an easy trade considering they have no natural predators. Despite having no predators, they still have several behaviors similar to land pill bugs, as they can still roll into a ball shape, using their chitin armor to protect themselves, and burrow into the sediment to semi-hibernate.

The reproduction of the giant deep sea isopod is like that of many other arthropods, relying on eggs. In the spring and winter months the isopod females will begin brooding eggs, this is done in a pouch above the stomach and it will store anywhere between 20-30 eggs. During the brooding the female will burrow down into the sediment and refuses to leave until all eggs are hatched, at which point the juveniles are left. Captive isopods eggs measure 13mm in diameter and are thought to possibly be the largest marine invertebrate egg. Once born, these juvenile giant isopods will be as large as 4 inches in length ,and set off on their own in a stage called manca. At this stage, these are almost fully developed giant isopods, lacking only the last pair of legs. These will grow over time, and these animals gain size through molts. Their full lifespan is unknown, but estimated to be decades long, with the age of sexual maturity being unknown but estimated anywhere from 15-18 months.

Have a good day, everybody!

[diejager]

just hear me out for one second.... what if hunter was a titan?... yk like aot (attack on titan)

reader looks totally normal, nothing indicating that they were something other than human. Even laswell wasnt 100% sure on what reader was. A stirring mystery within 141 that they all collectively decide to ignore.

then one day, they were out on a mission that was going horribly, horribly wrong.. incorrect information, sabotage, dangerous illegal weapons, low ammunition, scarce supplies, severe injuries, etc.. you name it.

141 was backed into a corner. definitely not the first time something like this has happened in their career...but they always manage to find a way out. Always making it back home, injured sure- but safe..alive.

this time it wasn't the case. there was no way out, none. death was knocking on the door and soon they had to answer.....

and unfortunately reader was the first to greet death.. a clean shot to the head by a sniper

one minute reader was laying in a pool of their own blood and the next they turn into this gigantic humanoid beast.

in a fit of rage, reader starts to completely destroy the battlefield. not a damn soul alive besides 141.

bodies scattered from the sea to the forest and heavens above ..nothing but pure gore and blood.

reader standing over the battlefield bloodied from head to toe, watching the devastation below.

(This is really long im sorry)

Cw: implied death, blood and gore, Canon-typical violence, titan!reader, gun violence?, tell me if I missed any.

The last thing Horangi remembered hearing through the angered hisses and growls, Price screaming at Laswell and her informants through the coms to find a way out their thick predicament was the shuddering shot that boomed through the air. The hair of his arms raised when he watched you turn towards the sound, your wide eyes and choked breath. You flinched back and lurched forward, hands grasping at your bleeding throat, choking and gurgling on the blood that rose from your wound. He rushed to pull you into cover, biting his lip at your pained expression, you were choking on your blood, dying by the thing that substained you, that cycled life and oxygen through your body. 

Your words were sputtered, splattered crimson on Horangi’s mask as he fussed over you, your pinched brows and scrunched nose, the angered gleam in your dulling eyes and your bloody and sneering lips. You pushed him away, stumbling forward with one step at a time, risking being shot a second and third time, but you kept marching away from them, ignoring their attempt to stop you and reach for you. 

“B- bast- ard-!” He heard you screech.

He didn’t know if some God or Gods favoured you or if you were extremely lucky for still being alive, a second bullet landing by your feet and a third scratching your arm. You raised a bloody hand, palm facing you, the crease and groves of every fold a dark red, then you bit down on it. Hard. He admired the strength behind your bite, the crunch of your skin breaking under your teeth and red exploding, he could only imagine how painful it was, but you were already in so much agony, your body’s probably numb. 

And suddenly, lighting sparked around you, bright yellow and loud, scarily close to you before one thick and dangerous one struck where you stood. Within seconds, he gaped at the mass of muscles, red fibres interlocking and sticking to ligaments and fat that kept it together, tying themselves to bone and tendons, wrapping away the red and white with a wide array of red and blue, building a system of veins that were finally covered by skin. In your place was a giant —a titan, one that he’d heard through the grapevines of black markets and hushed whispered and rumours from the underworld when he gambled his life away. 

The titan - you - let out a loud scream, head thrown back and arms reeling back, fingers clenched in anger, deep sated vitriol that carried you around them. He could only stare on in amazement as you trampled over the surrounding enemies, bending down to grip a man, your thick fingers clenching around him and squeezing the life out of him, leaving his entrails spilling out of his broken abdomen. You moved around stepping and squeezing them to death, a trail of carnage behind you, bodies strewed about, spines broken and heads rolling. 

He let you go on without a word, his breath stolen away by you when you slumped over, your nape breaking open with a loud hiss, steam billowing up the air from how hot your body ran, you arched out, body curled backward with a loud sigh. Horangi stared at you, unmoving and unbreathing, and only moved when Price rushed to you, climbing your titan body to pull the rest of you out, your arms and lower body still attached to it by thick, red muscle. Your feet stuttered, eyes blinking tiredly while you leaned on Price, groaning and rubbing the tension out of your temples. 

He realised the blood that was supposed to stain your skin and clothes were gone, evaporated in the heat of it. Your wound healed and energy spent, you were tired and grumbling about wanting to sleep, face pinched in irritation or annoyance, something he could feel. And without any complaints from them, Price had called for evac and waited at the LZ, everyone huddled around you, sharing the same amount of awe and surprise in their expression. You were a wonder to him, a beast of legends that Horangi had only heard of, but he had many, many questions and curiosities that he wanted fulfilled.

Taglist: @craxy-person @crowbird @dead-cipher @iwannabealocalcryptid @iizx7y @mxtokko @capricorn-anon @perfectus-in-morte @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @bvxygriimes @distracteddragoness @konigsblog @angelcakes-22 @ramadiiiisme @ramblingsofachaoticthinker @im-making-an-effort @love-dove-noora @jinxxangel13 @daisychainsinknots @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @mul-pi @danielle143 @beau-min @makayla-666 @urfavsunkissedleo @notspiders @brokenpieces-72 @luvecarson @petwifed @randominstake @heartelysia @jggykhug09090 @hayleybarnesx @shironasumi @sparky--bunny @bloobewy @call-me-nyxx @sans-chara @cod-z @sweetnanah @aldis-nuts @thigh-o-saur @evolutionarry @kaoyamamegami @cassiecasluciluce

[thegnomelord]

I love your monster au so much. It makes the monsterlover/fucker in me real happy. Sorry just wanted to share my appreciation.

I've been thinking too, how would you feel about writing a underwater sea creature reader? (No pressure but I hope this idea tickles your fancy so I'll infodump my ideas on you) They can live on land and stuff but drag their prospective mate into a deep underwater ravine when they want to mate. Idk how to describe it, like I have an idea in my head of what the creature's traits would be but I can't find a way to put it into words.

I'm going to give it a try though, (excuse the fact it won't make much sense, my thoughts jump around a lot. But I'll try and make it coherent.) Basically, my mind went to underwater dragons. So with most of the traits that you wrote for dragons, like the purring and the tails intertwining (and the sharing of scales). But I was thinking without wings, because you don't need them underwater. But we glow in the dark, because we are deepsea creatures we have adapted to become bioluminescent. Oh and also we have gills and stuff still when we are on land.

Idk if this is confusing or just something you don't want to write but I was hoping for you to include a more sfw part with the mating dance maybe and then then an actual nsfw part (dom top male reader??)

But at the end of the day this is just a suggestion and it's up to you if you want to write it or not. (If you do write it can it be with ghost or gaz?? gaz giving us shiny things but sea related, like shells? and/or ghost struggling through knowing how to court us. Both of them being confused of what to do because we are a new type of dragon that not many people knew existed and our courting traditions are mostly unknown??

Okay this is cool and it tickles my brain of having just this big fucking monster that's gigantic due to deep sea gigantism :D, I also picked Gaz cause I like the sea/sky duality.

CW:NSFW, subbot gaz, domtop Mreader, quick and rough

When you first joined the taskforce, Gaz didn't know what to expect. Your species had been newly discovered, barely any information about you, but something about you put some ancient part of his mind on edge, ants nipping on the sinew of his wings until his body begged to return to the safety of the sky.

First time he met you, you reminded him less of a dragon and more of a Leviathan — something that dwelled where the light didn't reach, far too big than anything should be allowed to be, bright bioluminescent markings shimmering against dark scales to lure prey into crushing jaws filled with sharp crooked teeth, horns like spears to pin down what couldn't fit in your maw, powerful legs built to swim and breach the surface of the water to catch unaware flyers like Gaz just to pull them down into the abyss to be devoured.

He would have been more. . . unsettled by you had you not been so nice.

You towered over him even in your mostly human form, but you were a gentle giant, happy to let him use you as a perch and humming along as he talks, joining in on his and Johnny's pranks and hiding them when Price eventually catches them.

And Gaz doesn't even notice when your presence no longer makes his feathers puff up, the shadow you cast over him now warm and welcoming after all the times you'd been a meat shield for him. He tils his head back to catch sight of your eyes as he leans back, soft feathers rubbing against your clothes, "Hey there big man." Gaz smiled.

You hum, your hand coming to loosely hold his hip, holding the pretty thing close to you. "Hi." You purr, the small biolights along your body flickering in seemingly random patterns, but nothing about them was random to you or your kin, your interest in him painfully obvious.

But to your dismay Gaz doesn't understand, just snorts at your colorful display. "What's got you in a good mood today?" He asks, eyes tracing the dancing lights, that instinctual bird part of his mind liking the sight, and the low rumble of your voice, and just. . . being near you.

You blink, "You," You say simply, your people aren't ones to mince words.

Gaz can feel his body heat up at your declaration, feathers puffing up, but strikes down any thoughts about you before they turn inappropriate and cause him to coo at you. "Fine, keep yer secrets." He huffs and gets out of your hold, wings stretching out to purposely show off his feathers as he walks away, tail feathers flickering.

He can feel your eyes follow after him, hummingbirds pecking at his spine and he doesn't know if he should feel that way. And all you can think of is how you could drag your pretty bird down into the abyss without clipping his wings.

. . .

Gaz watches you lazily swim around the lake near their current base in your real form, "Havin' a nice soak in there Nessie?" He asks as he walks the short pier and sits down, dipping his feet in the water as his wings spread out lazily behind him.

A low rumble leaves you like a distorted whale song, your large form pushing through the water like a submarine cutting through the ice. "Nessie?" You ask as swim over to him, "Who's that?"

"Never mind about that," Kyle grins, his eyes roaming along your large form as the biolights flicker once again in that specific pattern that means nothing to him but everything to you. "You look happy."

You shrug, "It's nice to be back in the water." Without a word you heave yourself out of the water and onto the pier, large hands clutching the wood on either side of him, a deep purr rumbling in your chest at how close he is to you now. "Did you need something?" You ask, biolights flickering seductively.

Kyle swallows drily, eyes going wide as he registers you loom over him, can smell the sea and salt still clinging to your scales, something other than fear buzzing down his spine from how close your dangerous teeth are to him. "Oh, right, uh," He clears his throat to clear the molasses clinging to it, wings spreading out in a way that got his feathers shining in the setting sun as he reached into his pocket.

"I, um. . . I got you this." He said, holding out the seashell he'd found for you. His breath caught in his throat as you looked at it, hoping you liked it; he'd spent hours polishing it until it was shining, the colors vibrant and every single scratch buffed out.

"Thank you," You rumbled and took the seashell into your hand. Your pupils dilated, a very pleased purr rumbling in your chest — oh, he was so thoughtful, such a good mate to bring a rare treat for you.

Kyle felt like a bloody peacock at the way his wings spread out, but he couldn't care less about his posturing when you accepted his gift, his heart fluttering like butterflies in a jar.

Then you ate it.

You ate his gift.

His heart shatters like the seashell between your fangs, wings dropping like a rock, never having expected to be rejected like that. "I- what- why did- if you-" He couldn't even form words to say what he wanted, pressing a hand to his face in an attempt to hide the way his eyes prickled with vestiges of tears.

Unfortunately for him, you notice. "Oh, little bird, what's wrong?" Your voice is soothing, biolights pulsing in a slow and calming way as you gently pry his hand from his face, looking into his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kyle doesn't look you in the eyes, doesn't know what the hell to feel right now, the words spewing out of his mouth before he could control them. "Why would you do that!" He hisses.

You tilt your head. "You gifted it to me." You say like it's supposed to explain everything, reaching up to cup his cheek, your clawed hand cold and wet against his skin. "It was very good." You lean in closer, a deep purr rumbling in your throat, your long tail moving to curl around his leg.

Kyle sucks in a sharp breath as you push you loom over him your hands on either sides of him keeping him in place, feeling himself slowly lay back as you creep over him onto the pier, heart drumming in his chest. "Wh-what?"

You snort, eyes glowing like anglerfish lures, lowering your head down to lick a stripe up his neck, claws raking down his front. "Let me show you my appreciation, yes?"

Kyle shivers at the sensation of your teeth against his throat, body heating up, your scent — of sea and salt and something very very old — invading his nose, an involuntary chirp escaping his chest. "Ah, yeah, sure just-" Kyle yelps as your claws cut through his clothes, wings quivering as they're pressed against the wooden pier behind him.

"Relax little bird," You coo softly, licking around his lips in what counts as a kiss for you when your maw is filled with vicious teeth, tongue trailing down to lick up the drops of his salty sweat. "I'll be gentle."

And gentle you are; softly licking up the blood after your fangs had left marks on his skin, sharp claws holding his trembling hips tenderly as your rough tongue worms inside him, soft purrs and deep rumbles vibrating your tongue against his prostate until he's sobbing, his hands clutching your horns to hold your head closer as his cock leaks a puddle of pre onto his abdomen.

He whines when you continue stretching him with your tongue, "Please, mate, just-" Kyle sucks in a sharp breath as your tongue once again grazes his prostate, thighs clenching around your head. "-just please fuck me already! I can't- I'm not going to-"

Kyle sobs with joy and anguish when you pull your tongue out, the slimy appendage slithering back into your maw and leaving him painfully empty. "Alright, alright," You coo, moving up to drape your body over his, nuzzling your cheek against his as you line your hard cock with his stretched hole. "Relax,"

The tip of your cock breaching his puckered hole has Kyle sucking in a sharp breath, "Easier said than done mate," He chuckles, closing his eyes and just trying to focus on your scent and just you, groaning. Fuck, you're big in all aspects, his body clenching down like a vice before relaxing enough for you to slowly push further, spreading his walls wide until you're fully inside him, your hips resting against his.

"There you go," You purr, letting Kyle adjust as you nibble on his neck, biolights flickering happily when he rocks his hips into yours. "Taking me so well,"

Gaz can feel his body heat up at your words, throwing his head back when you rock your hips, cock hard and heavy inside him, dragging against his walls with every minute movement that has him panting and whining, his legs crossing behind your back to pull your hips closer every time you pull out.

The world escapes your notice, all your attention fully on him as you focus on mating him, pulling needy desperate sounds from Kyle's lips, your large hand gently stroking his leaking dick as your cock rubs against his prostate, your unhurried pace making him cum again and again and again until he's a moaning boneless mess by the time you cum inside him.

[cyber-dump-171]

Chapter 1: Fire

Objection! Stand your ground! Marvelous! (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

← Prologue | Masterlist | Chapter 2 →

Word count: 4.4 k.

WARNING: N/A

Note: thank you for the likes, reblogs, and comments! I'm really happy you guys are enjoying this story! This chapter is based on the beginning of the manga "Disney Twisted Wonderland - Episode of Heartslaby

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

You stand on the edge of a cliff. Below you, your boots leave deep impressions in the dark green grass, and the loose parts of your wet clothes dance with the violent wind.

A storm. It was supposed to be a thunderstorm, but somehow it turned into a powerful hurricane.

You can't see what's in front of you, just three silhouettes — on the opposite sides of you are two people you believe to be male. They're screaming, but not a sound is coming out of their mouths.

But there's a third figure in front of you, a terrifying gigantic creature emerging from a whirlpool created by the pale blue sea.

Elongated limbs with claw-like fingers extend into oblivion, a set of pointy teeth form a psychotic smile that opens and closes as if it is laughing or talking, and sharp spikes sprout from its head, forming a crooked crown. But what scares you the most are its empty, void-like eyes. Even though the creature is shrouded in darkness, you can feel it staring at you. Not with anger or hunger, but… with curiosity.

“Kneel, for before you rises the king of gods!”

The gray light in front of you casts a shadow on the monster, making it appear ethereal, even though its form is that of what you would find in your worst nightmares.

“Thine presence in this world…”

Before the voice can finish its sentence, you awaken.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Everything around you is silent. Small particles of dust dance around your body, landing softly on your hair, eyelids, and chest. You feel dizzy as your eyes open and confusion sets in as you find yourself surrounded by a terrifying darkness. It's so dark that you can only see your own hands and shoes and nothing beyond.

The piercing headache from earlier has now subsided to a mild throbbing, a reminder of the voices that once plagued your thoughts, begging you to reveal your hidden desires. Under your hands you feel a velvety surface, like that of felt, gently scratching against your palms. Your back feels warm, but the rest of your body is strangely cold.

"Where am I?" you whisper weakly, raising a hand to reach into the void, only to come in contact with an icy, solid surface a few inches away from your body. Moving the rest of your limbs, you try to measure how much space you have, only to find yourself constantly bumping into a steel-like material.

You feel enclosed, as if you have been placed inside a box. And suddenly, a flood of memories comes back, the scenes flash like a movie as you remember the horses, the missing people, the hearse carrying three coffins... wait a minute.

"Am I... dead?"

No way! You can still feel temperatures and sensations, so you must still be alive. But just in case, you decide to double-check, as your hand immediately flies to your neck and quickly finds your carotid artery. You breathe a small sigh of relief as you feel the pulse of your heart beating against your fingers, but your stomach drops as you reach a secondary and more terrifying conclusion.

You are going to be buried alive!?

Panic runs through your veins as your hands fly over to the object on top of your body, and you begin to push with all your might. Damn it! You don't want to die like this, you thought your death would at least be peaceful and in your sleep, surrounded by your loved ones or your precious and extremely expensive figurines. Instead, you probably got run over by a horse and are now being buried alive by accident or worse, on purpose!

There’s something strange though, as you don’t feel any pain. You were most likely crushed beneath an animal that on average weighs around 900 to a thousand pounds, followed then by a vehicle that’s carrying three coffins. Yet you feel completely normal, minus the small headache. No body pain, no broken bones, not even a single scratch. Just what is going on!?

But your thoughts come to a screeching halt as you feel your hands push the lid open with surprising ease. After applying a little more force, the lid slams against something, the loud sound making you cringe. Light finally pours into the small, darkened space and your eyes squint, taking a while to adjust to the brightness. 

"Holy shit! Someone else managed to open the 'door' by themselves!" you hear hushed and surprised whispers outside your box, eerily reminiscent of the voices that plagued your mind earlier, but thankfully not coming from inside your head. ‘Okay, time to find out who the hell wanted to bury me alive.’

You stumble out of the space, your bag smacking the side of your thigh as you accidentally miscalculated the distance between the floor and where you're standing, but fortunately, you don't fall. The whispering grows even louder, as if your appearance stirs something in the room. The slightly warm air from the room brushes against your cold skin, sending a shiver down your spine as you open your eyes to examine your surroundings. 

An enormous glass chandelier hangs over your head, its warm light reflecting off the huge mirror that strangely floats below. Elegant curtains are placed in front of the tall windows with intricate designs showing the stars that decorate the dark sky, and in their reflection, you can see the flames of the small candles softly dancing.

Your eyes widened in disbelief at the hundreds of coffins floating softly around the mirror, the lid in yours fully open revealing a burgundy-colored interior. Were you drugged? No, maybe you're still dreaming! Nothing like this is physically possible unless you have landed in some sort of simulation, or perhaps you somehow ended up inside an elaborate theme park.

As you turn your head around to see the source of the whispering, you can feel the color drain from your face as your mouth hangs open in pure shock and your stomach lurches. Sitting in rows of pews there’s a sea of people in front of you, wearing elaborate black and purple cloaks that obscure their features. “Is this a cult!?” you can’t help but shout at the scene in front of you, quickly backing away from them as if they were a group of predators. Your outburst causes some figures in the crowd to snicker and snort at your comment, others taking out their phones or using their figures to point at you.

“Honestly, you children are very impatient! Coming through the door of your own accord is practically unheard of”, a voice speaks in an exasperated tone, as you hear the sound of a cane approaching. Instinctively, you turn in the direction of the voice and laugh almost sarcastically when you see the person standing in front of you. You're too tired and confused to even question what's going on.

What the hell is that man wearing? Two glowing orbs are staring right at you from behind a crow mask, the over-the-top feather coat completely ruining the rest of his expensive-looking outfit. You wonder how long it takes this man to get dressed and undressed, given the amount of accessories he carries.

"Hello? Are you listening, young-", out of the corner of your eye, the crow man slowly approaches, golden claw rings shining in the warm light of the chandelier as a hand reaches out to you. Out of instinct to get away from this man, your hand quickly reaches into your pocket before coming in contact with a small rectangular object. 

Driven by pure adrenaline and desperation to get out of this place, you pull out said object and point it at the man, who recoils in shock. Wasting no time, you turn the device on and press the button, a flash of light followed by a crackling sound has the man emitting a short shriek. "One more step and you'll be eating 50,000 volts of pure electricity, my friend."

"What is wrong with you two!? First, you break the door and get out before being called, and now you two are threatening me with weapons!" Two? Who else is he talking about? The man steps aside, revealing the other person he was referring to, a young man holding a large covered object while pointing it at the crow man.

Your breath catches as you instantly recognize the undercut haircut and piercing eyes. You briefly recall his grandmother's screams and the CCTV footage of him exiting the gym before it cuts to black still very fresh in your mind.

"Yuuken Enma?" you whisper his name in disbelief, it feels unreal to see him in the flesh after spending so much time discussing his disappearance. 

Hearing his name, the Kendo student turns in your direction, his eyes widening in surprise, and he opens his mouth to speak, but he resumes his defensive position as soon as the crow man moves again.

"Please, both of you, calm down, I mean no harm!" he raises his hands in surrender, and you loosen the grip on your taser slightly. You have tons of questions that desperately need to be answered, and it doesn't look like the crow man has any intention of harming you.

To be honest, he looks even paler than when you first saw him, so it's best to interrogate him before he shuts down and refuses to answer any questions. 

"No offense, dude, but you're suspicious as hell," you suddenly find Yuuken standing at your side, still holding what you assume to be his Kendo sword. When did he get here? You weren't the only one who didn't notice the sudden movement, as the crow man stares back and forth from where the Kendo student once stood to you.

Anyway, you don't have time for this, you want to get out of this bizarre place as soon as possible. "Where are we?" you begin, getting straight to the point. At your question, the crow man relaxes, his shoulders straightening as he clears his throat. "I see, you two aren't quite lucid yet. Ah! Must be the effects of transportation fogging your brains," he whispers the last part, a pointy finger scratching his chin. 

You and Yuuken exchange a confused look. With a sigh, the crow closes his eyes before continuing. "Very well, let me explain. You're currently at Night Raven College, a magic school in Twisted Wonderland. Here, students with exceptional magic gather and are trained to become the best magicians in the world," he explains, proudly puffing out his chest like a bird as he finishes his explanation.

On the contrary, you and Yuuken are completely lost, the explanation making no sense to any of you. "Ma... gic... As in the type you see in an anime or a movie?" the black-haired boy asks innocently, his eyes widening in shock. You can hear the previously silent "students" now laughing softly at the two of you, mockery evident in their voices as they whisper between each other. Fuck this, you're so over this sick joke! 

"I don't know what kind of crazy cult you're running here, but we want nothing to do with it!" you yell, this time tightening your grip on the taser. Even though you're speaking on behalf of Yuuken, you can guarantee that he's also incredibly disturbed by what's going on here.

"Well, you're here because the Mirror of Darkness" — the crow-man points to the giant floating mirror in the middle of the room — "has recognized your magical abilities. You were picked up by a carriage, weren't you?" you instantly remember the panic that ran through you as you watched the horses run towards you. That thing going so fast was supposed to pick you up? 

You slowly nod. "I see! Now that we're done clearing up any questions, it's time for the entrance ceremony to begin!" his tone suddenly changes to a more cheerful one and the crow man begins to walk away with a slight bounce in his step. Millions of questions run through your mind, but his nonchalant reaction makes you even more angry.

"Wait a damn minute! We were never even informed of this decision! Our families must be so worried, we suddenly just disappeared out of the blue!" you yell angrily, while Yuuken nods fervently at your side. "Yes! Besides, the two of us can't even use magic!" This sentence seems to silence the entire room. Suddenly, the student's eyes feel like bullets as they dig into your back and neck, staring at you with scrutiny or surprise.

"What did you say?" the crow man stops and turns to look at you with a puzzled expression on his face. Is this man on drugs? No one can use magic!

Fortunately, Yuuken has grown tired of the conversation and prepares to leave, swinging his Kendo sword over his right shoulder and grabbing the strap of his gym bag with his free hand. "This is pointless! Pembroke and I have important things to do, and our families must be worried. So excuse us," you're surprised he knows your last name since the two of you never really interacted.

But you don't pay much attention to it, giving the crow man a nod before turning off your taser and stowing it in your bag as you follow Yuuken down the large corridor. The whispers of the "students" now turn into full conversations, expressing their disbelief that the two of you would just walk away from a "once in a lifetime opportunity", as one of them put it.

Yeah, right... being kidnapped from your hometown to suddenly wake up in a coffin with bizarre special effects decorating a gothic-looking room, and having a cult leader with furry tendencies dressed like a crow tell you that you're in a school where they can teach you magic. Ha! ‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, my ass.’

Behind you, you hear a gasp before a pair of footsteps quickly approach the two of you.“W-wait just a moment! Let’s all calm down and–”

BAM!

The sound of breaking glass frightens everyone in the room, shocked gasps and quiet screams can be heard as everyone turns to face the source of the sound. The window behind the mirror now has a huge hole in the middle of it. Shards of crystal fall at your feet, but what scares you most is the creature that has caused such a scene. 

A rather large gray cat with blue flames sprouting from its ears and a tattered black and white ribbon tied around its neck stands proudly on its hind legs. Its right paw reaches to the sky, showing a row of sharp claws before it points them at you and Yuuken. "I've been listening to ya!" it, no, he shouts proudly. "Do ya know how many people would kill for a chance to get into this school?"

The little guy walks awkwardly towards you, and you can't help but freak out as you stare at whatever this creature is. "So, tell ya what? If you don't want it, let me enroll in your place!" the cat exclaims happily, a grin spreading across his face. You can hear the crow man complaining about something, but you're too busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

"Pembroke," Yuuken's soft voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you turn to face the young man. A look of pure disbelief is on his face as he points a finger at the creature. "Why is the raccoon talking?" the creature's face contorts into an expression of annoyance, the flames on its ears growing larger in pure rage. "HUH!? I AM NOT A RACCOON! I am the Great Grim, who’s going to become the greatest wizard of all time!"

You’re going to pass out. Laughter can be heard across the room as the "students" criticize and mock the cat's sentences. This angers the creature even more. "Yeah right! A monster becoming a wizard? As if!" a certain row of students to your left roars in laughter at the thought, but you are more concerned with the next words "Grim" says.

“OH YEAH!? I just have to show ya, what I’m made of!” the creature spits a small ball of flames as a test try, before inhaling a large gulp of air and–

FWOOSH!

He’s setting the students on fire!

In a matter of seconds, the entire room is engulfed in blue fire and chaos. The beautiful linen curtains burn quickly, you hear how the chandeliers fall and the metal twists in the flames, and you feel Yuuken take your wrist as he guides you through the sea of ​​people trying to escape the room. 

The students scream in panic, and you end up helping several of them extinguish their cloaks that have caught fire. As one boy thanks you under his breath for the help and promptly heads for the door, another guy accidentally runs into you while screaming at the top of his lungs, the tail of his cloak slowly burning.

You don't waste a second before stomping on the fabric, quickly extinguishing the fire as the boy breathes a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the help!" he replies in a cheerful tone, surprising given the situation, short white hair peeking out from under the hood as his red eyes stare up at you. He's quickly led away by another man who carries him to safety.

Your head swivels again as you hear more cries for help, but out of the corner of your eye, you see a strange movement in the background.

One of the coffins floating near the ceiling begins to move violently from side to side. You don't know if it's the heat waves or the smoke that's making you cough and sneeze, but you swear you can see the lid starting to open. You are still unable to move, a blockade has now formed at the entrance of the room, and the students are shouting in panic for those at the front to move.

"I'm not done yet!" Grim continues to spit small balls of fire, not aiming at anything, just showing off the amount of chaos he can cause. Your eyes briefly focus on the creature jumping happily in the middle of the room- ‘That thing's a tiny psychopath!’ -but your attention is quickly diverted as you hear a loud banging noise.

Your eyes focus on the previously moving coffin, the lid now open and whoever was inside is lying on his side on the floor, completely still. The flames continue to spread and you soon realize that the most likely unconscious person is incredibly close to a curtain that is about to be completely consumed by the fire. 

"Enma! I’m going over there! Another person has escaped from the coffin! You get out!" you free your wrist from Yuuken's grip and move skillfully through the crowd, slowly approaching the person.

‘Move! Move! Someone is about to be burned alive!’

Yuuken shouts for you to wait for him, but you don't pay attention, as you manage to get out of the crowd and can move more freely. The person is already a few meters away from you, curling himself into a fetal position, the fall of the coffin has possibly knocked the air out of him, or worse, a rib may have been broken. ‘Shit! Hopefully, the injury isn’t too bad!’

You're stopped in your tracks, however, when a red-haired young man crosses your path and begins to make his way to Grim with full determination. "First people refuse to enroll, and now a monster breaks in? How dare you sully our initiation ceremony!" the young man points what looks like a pen at the creature, who glares back at him with a frown.

"You... REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY!" his scream projects throughout the room, causing some of the students who were previously panicking to stop dead in their tracks. You, on the other hand, are completely taken aback by the display in front of you. What is this kid thinking? Does he have a death wish!? Grim, however, takes his command as a challenge, as you can see the hairs on his back stand up, and this time he stands on all four paws.

"Get out of my WAY!" the small creature screams, spewing a huge ball of blue fire straight at the boy. Even from where you stand, you can feel the heat of the fire warming your skin. The boy does not even attempt to move out of the path of the threat, much less impressed at the magnitude of the attack.

You turn your head to look at the crowd behind you, staring intently at the scene. "HEY! ALL OF YOU, GET ON THE GROUND, NOW!" you yell, snapping some students out of their stupor.

Instinctively, as if you were a puppet, your legs move on their own as you run toward the redheaded boy, the projectile growing larger and larger. Your right arm quickly hooks around the young man's waist, and you pull him hard against your chest, he gasps in surprise as his hands clench into fists and grab a hold of your shirt. You pay no attention to it, more preoccupied with the threat in front of you, so you quickly maneuver your two bodies away from the path of the fireball.

You turn your head to look at the students, who fortunately heard your command, as they lie flat on the floor, the fire quickly leaving the building through the open doors and exploding in the air outside. Some students scream at the sound, hands flying to their ears; from the corner of your eye, you see Yuuken covering the heads of some boys, shielding them from the debris.

You breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that nobody got hurt. But the momentary calmness is gone when you hear someone grunting in anger. "You... JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" the pair of hands that were clinging to your shirt now lie flat on your shoulders, and he shoves you, hard, your back hitting the side of a nearby pew, the air momentarily leaving your lungs. 

You stare owlishly at the red-haired boy, who doesn't even spare you a glance as he points his pen at Grim. ‘How the hell does such a tiny person have so much power?’

Your lungs feel like they're on fire, the room spinning as the throbbing of your headache seems to rear its ugly head around the corner. You feel two pairs of hands grab your forearms tightly, lifting you off the ground with ease, and you come face to face with Yuuken, whose expression is one of concern.

"Pembroke, are you okay?" the tone of his voice is soft, you can hear it despite the screams and relaxation in the background. You nod slightly, the adrenaline coursing through your veins a few minutes ago now replaced by exhaustion. "The guy... the one who fell out of the coffins," you remember the poor man writhing on the ground in pain and Yuuken takes his eyes off your face for a moment to observe where the boy is. 

"I'll go get him, you get out of here, and we'll meet again outside. Can you walk?" the Kendo student studies your appearance with complete determination, and you nod quickly, praying that nothing has happened to the boy. You feel a tad intimidated underneath his watchful eyes.

After a few seconds of staring, the two of you separate, Yuuken swing his gym bag on his free shoulder, sprinting towards the figure at full speed while you make your way to the entrance, helping various students up from the floor and pushing them to get out of the boiling hot room.

"SILENCE!" the redheaded boy yells behind you, but you ignore him, still pushing through the crowd. "Get ready!" someone steps hard on your foot, and you're pushed, your body turning to the opposite side. Yuuken grabs the injured man's arm and swings it over his shoulder, helping him to stand.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" your eyes shift to the redhead, watching the tip of the pen lights up before it shoots a bright light. Dust-like particles, twinkling like stars, surround the creature's neck before a heart-shaped collar magically appears on the creature, who screams in disbelief.

‘… No way… there’s no way…’

"What is this thing? Get this shit off me!" Grim uses his small paws to pull at the collar, then his hind legs to kick at it, but the object doesn't even move. His head whips around to look at the redhead with fury, and he sucks in air again to launch another attack. But this time, not even a tiny flame comes out of its mouth. "HA!? My magic! What have you done to the Great Grim?"

The red-haired boy sneers, and even from where you're standing, you can feel the shit-eating grin he's giving the monster. "I used my magic to seal yours," the Grim's eyes widen in shock as he continues to kick at the collar, unintelligible complaints and colorful words coming out of his mouth.

Soon, several cloaked figures begin to use their "magic" to put out the fire, spraying water on the flames that are eating away at the curtains and carpet. Another group focuses on calming the students, getting them back into the room, and checking for injuries; fortunately, it doesn't appear that anyone has been badly burned beyond their clothing.

Suddenly, the crow man, who you strangely didn't see during all the chaos, reappears from the shadows and proudly claps as he heads towards the red-head. "As expected from the Heartslabyul house warden! Great catch, Mr. Riddle Rosehearts!"

Suddenly, the crow man, who you strangely didn't see during all the chaos, reappears from the shadows and proudly claps as he heads toward the redhead. "As expected from the Heartslabyul house warden! Great catch, Mr. Riddle Rosehearts!"

The boy named Riddle is showered with compliments, however, he ignores them, more concerned with cleaning the dust and debris that have soiled his cloak. But, between the celebrations and gasps of relief, you and Yuuken stare at each other with pale complexions and worried looks.  It's clear you're both thinking the same thing.

The monster, the magic fire, the heart-shaped collar and the pen... where exactly are you right now? How far away from home are you?

Honestly, fuck this place.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Tag list:

@rotknox @agaygothicmushroom @sherryclover @mielle-estelar

[protectoursharks]

OMG I FOUND ANOTHER BIOLOGIST BLOG!!!!

PLEASE GIVE ME FUN FACTS ABOUT GIANT ISOPOD PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 🙏🙏🙏🙏🥺

ALWAYS HAPPY TO DISCUSS THESE LITTLE GUYS I LOVE THEM!

3lllD< 3lllD< 3lllD< 3lllD< 3lllD< 3lllD< 3lllD<

There are 20 known species of giant isopods (Genus: Bathynomus). The largest species is Bathynomus giganteus which can grow, on average, between 19 and 40 cm (7.5 - 15.5 cm).

What seperates the genus Bathynomus from other isopods is their location and depth. They're located specifically "from about 35° north to 35° south in the Indo-West Pacific and western Atlantic Ocean." They also are confined to the deep sea (170–2140 m or 550–7020 ft). Bathynomus are also between 8-15 cm (3-6 in) in size.

The reason these isopods are so giant is because of deep-sea gigantism, which (as the name suggests) is the phenomenon of deep sea creatures to grow larger than shallow water animals. We don't really know what causes this, but the proposed theory is that it has something to do with the rich supply of oxygen and slowed metabolism

They can be found in colors like beige, brown, cream, and even pink and lilac! And even though they're mostly scavengers, they have been observed to prey on some of the slower-moving creatures of the deep like sponges or sea cucumbers. Because of their deep sea slow metabolism, they can go a long time without eating (at least up to five years!)

[twistedsocials]

⚠️SPOILERS FOR THE NEW CHAPTER OF THE OCTAVINELLE MANGA ‼️‼️⚠️

If we don’t get OB/Octomer Azul basically being 20ft tall due to something like deep sea gigantism and also due to that happening w Ursula I’m gonna tweak.

THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS SO COOL I REALLY CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW HIS OB WOULD PLAY OUT IN THE MANGA

[hexxalite-hecate]

I used the Flycam mod to go to the Black City.

Ever since I first played Origins 13 years ago, I've been curious about how the devs represented the Black City in the game. There are a few main masses, and they generally look equidistant from most areas of the Fade. But I noticed a long time ago that when Sloth sends you to your personal nightmare in the fake Weisshaupt in Broken Circle, one of the Black City islands looks way, WAY bigger. I just happened to be playing that section today, and I'd been using the new Flycam mod to take some screenshots. It occurred to me: why not see the throne of the Maker, and find out if it is empty? 

I was interested in this mass of 6 islands, which appears from different angles in different sections of Sloth's realm.

It takes a LONG time to get here, even with flycam. About 5 minutes realtime. but it's worth it. It was so cool but I was also unexpectedly and HUGELY creeped out. The half-rendered textures feel like something out of a weird nightmare, the lighting is strange, and some sections are completely hidden in mist until they loom over you. And the creepy Fade music was playing over the top of everything.

Getting closer to the left spur. Some shapes are visible that look like structures.

Getting closer, the structures become clearer. This one looks kind of industrial and factory-like:

The highest island has these long strings coming down from it, almost like a deep sea squid.

A spire-like structure on the highest island:

The main mass is GIGANTIC, so big I couldn't get it in one screenshot. It's like a huge capsized ship, like the titanic. Or like a massive eldritch sea creature mid-dive with its tail flipping up. Somwhere between organic and mechanic. It's honestly SO CREEPY. Also I have megalophobia and this thing was setting it off BIG TIME.

From the top, looking down. Images don't do justice to how enormous it is. The blob on the left is Weisshaupt.

This thing is so big that the perspective got really confusing and it was sending the camera HAYWIRE. It kept shaking and pinging around. This is looking vertically down:

Looking back up the “tail” of the main mass to the highest island:

Next I was interested in this guy way off to the left, who looked like he had some cool structures. We shall call him: genie lamp!

The structures here are far more uniform and city-like. They reminded me of cathedrals and cloisters. Honestly the atmosphere here was neat. The models are obviously low-poly but the fog kind of obscures that, the lighting is almost pretty (although sometimes it hit weird and creeped me out again). I love my lil dark academia genie lamp. This is like if Hogwarts went to hell (which, granted, it kind of has considering everything going on right now).

Anyway I guess I have the Blight now. Corypheus and me can be buddies.

Flycam mod here!

[clavissionary-position]

Ikeprinces Ranked By Birthday Candle Extinguishing Skills

*A baseline of 34 candles is used

1. CHEVALIER

You came here today hoping to see Chevalier blow out 34 candles with a single huff of his laugh. You leave here today after seeing Chevalier chuck his sword at an intruding Clavis, where the mere act of drawing said-sword produced a blade of wind so supreme that not only the candles on his cake but all candles in a 10-room radius were decimated down to their quivering wicks.

2. LUKE

You would think Luke would have no problem. He’s a Big Fuccin Lad with Big Fuccin Lungs. And you'd be right, except he gets bored during the process of you lighting 34 candles and decides he'd much rather get to work on devouring you first. Your make-out sesh lasts up until you see the still-burning near-stub shape of 34 candles out of the corner of your eye. At which point Luke does the whole snuffing-a-flame-out-with-one's-fingers thing except it's 34 candles versus his gigantic fist.

3. JIN

You’ve set the cake down in front of him; he’s distracting you with playful acts of misplaced hands and roaming lips; you're both chatting, laughing, and somewhere amidst that revelry he leans over and takes all 34 spirited flames out with little more than a casual exhale. The candles are in the way now, and you two happily work them off the cake before putting the dessert to more stimulating use.

4. SARIEL

Your unwavering faith in him in the face of this celebratory sea of fire is enough to marshal the air in his lungs out through his bewitching, decadently puckered lips. Not that the candles wouldn't have already voluntarily noped off the cake in perfect rank-and-file regardless of your presence, but you being here today makes Sariel lean into mischief. (Candle POV: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY—*cut off by static*)

5. YVES

He trips while carrying the cake and the candles put themselves out. That's what the preliminary report written by an anti-Obsidian palace minister says, anyway. In reality, Yves strategically and deftly rearranges the candles before you light them. The new formation is much easier to take down with minimal exertion. The most touching moment is not when he takes out all the candles at once, but when he sits back, satisfied, chest puffed out while his eyes are wide with disbelief that he’s actually able to get something right.

6. RIO

Rio can do anything he sets his mind to if you set his mind onto it first. When you surprise him with the cake, he clearly reads the expectation in your glittering gaze. He knows you don’t care if he can take out all the candles in one go or not, but he still has his pride. He pulls his chair closer to the cake before giving you that charming, blue sky of a smile and holding both your hands under the table. At the end of a simple countdown that he gives himself, he wipes all the flames across the board so spectacularly that you feel as though you’ve witnessed a magic trick.

7. LICHT

He blows out 33 but the final candle refuses to yield. Palms on either side of the cake now, Licht leans in, his brow set into a stern line. He draws a deep breath while eyeing you to make sure you're a safe distance away. You don’t see him exchange that fleeting, somber glance with Nokto. It is the hidden conversation of wombmates: if something happens to Licht, Nokto is to look after you. After making peace with his fate, Licht squares his shoulders, zeroes in on the remaining candle, and puckers his lips...

8. NOKTO

He blows out more than half, presumably exhausting his skills, before spontaneously refusing to extinguish the rest unless you do him a favor in return. Apparently this favor has nothing to do with giving him a kiss or letting him get handsy with you because he’s already doing that as he presents the deal. Stripping? You two were naked to begin with. So what is it then? When you ask Nokto to elaborate, he pins you to the bed and asks if you’ll replace the candles with carrots because that would make things a whole lot easier for him. You follow-up with the perfectly valid point of “blowing out burning carrots means you’re rescuing them.” A point which Nokto begrudgingly accepts before quickly blowing out the rest of the candles so he can bury himself inside you.

9. LEON

34 candles is no problem for him, but he would much rather intentionally draw the process out and extinguish only a handful at a time. Poor Leon, he's having suuuuch a tough time of it. You’ll help out, won't you? Sit on his lap while you work together? This cake business is really digging into his private time with you. Wouldn’t it be better to just leave it for now and… He grins at your insistence, suddenly walking off, but coming back behind you and surprising you so astoundingly that your yelp extinguishes the rest of the candles before being cut off by a whirlwind kiss.

10. KEITH

He is absolutely determined not to let his alter switch in for this. If he can't do something as simple as blow out 34 birthday candles then what hope does he have of looking かっこいい in your eyes? After several minutes of tense discussion, both Keiths arrive at an agreement to let Shy Keith have 50 attempts to get it right before Wicked Keith steps in to save the birthday. Of course you’re fully aware that the only reason such a ridiculous margin would be offered is if a certain someone had no intention of interfering in the first place. Nevertheless it takes Shy Keith 49 tries to get every single candle in one go, just as he’s always dreamed. Like a tiny supernova in the darkness of the greenhouse. Before a couple of nearby plants catch fire.

11. SILVIO

He blows all 34 candles out in one flashy exhale, and all 34 candles instantly revive in one sassy flicker. He glares at you, then, as if you and the candles and Rio are conspiring together. But the truth is he's just embarrassed and mad at himself for looking like such a loser in front of you. Carlo gets ordered to produce a second cake with more agreeable candles. You snap at Silvio about wasting a perfectly good cake. You try not to be grumpy about it for the duration of the party, but it’s hard to stay mad when the first cake reappears in your shared bedroom later with a very different fate in store for it… "Dammit, do I gotta spell it out!? I'm sayin' I need you to blow the damn candles out for me first!"

12. GILBERT

He could resort to a simple stage trick to avoid exerting himself at all if he so wanted, but instead he refuses to engage with the candles altogether in favor of casually threatening you to do it for him. When you childishly complain that his birthday wish won’t come true like this, he gently cups your face and assures you that your wish is more than enough to count for his (while also being conducive to the world’s continued existence).

13. CLAVIS

It’s like a music box. Or a self-playing piano. Each syllable of his infamous laughter triggers a subset of the candles to go out. When all is said and done, you push the birthday hellcat aside to investigate, but to your surprise, the candles are totally legita… no they’re not. And why do they smell like that!? Clavis wraps an arm around your waist to give you a tour of how his miraculous candles work… and how edible they are, down to the wick. He gets last-place for using his own materials but first-place for showmanship and inventing edible flammable non-toxic candles in the medieval age.

[rebuilding-the-garg]

The Gargantuan Fossil

This post was from the beginning of my project, thus some information I’ve written here is outdated. Please read my recent posts to see up to date information.

The Gargantuan Fossil is one of the most recognizable parts of the mid-portion of Subnautica’s gameplay. Its sheer size strikes both terror and awe into the hearts of players who stumble upon it. It’s unfortunate that only a third of the creature’s fossilized remains can be seen. Even using the Freecam command to check under the map reveals that the rest of the skeleton remains unmodeled. This is all we have of the Leviathan.

“Gargantuan Fossil” is quite the accurate name, considering just a third of this creature’s skeleton measures 402 meters in length, with the creature’s total size being an estimated 1,100-1,500 meters. Just the skull itself is under 100 meters, and our human player character can nestle comfortably in even its smallest eye socket. I would’ve tried to show our human character’s model for a size comparison, but this thing is so large you wouldn’t even be able to see him.

There have been many different reconstructions of this behemoth of a fossil, the most popular being this commission piece made by Tapwing, for the YouTuber Anthomnia, shown below. And while it’s cool, it’s... not all that accurate.

In the past, I actually helped create a Gargantuan Leviathan mod based off Tapwing’s concept, working alongside other incredibly talented artists (who will remain anonymous, they can talk about their experiences as they please) and some... not so savory individuals. I don’t want to be associated with that old Garg. This reconstruction project is both a way for me to move on and make something better than what I had in the past, and to test my skills and knowledge in the various natural sciences.

Although there is a second specimen, the skull of a younger instance, this fossil holds no significant data outside of showing just how small these creatures start out as. As shown in the image below, despite being a much younger instance, our player character could still fit inside the Leviathan’s smallest eye socket, although it wouldn’t be as spacious as its adult counterpart.

The game’s PDA (Personal Data Assistant) states that the Gargantuan Fossil is approximately 3 million years old, which is INCREDIBLY RECENT. For reference, 3 million years ago we still shared the planet with multiple other hominid species like Australopithecus afarensis back in the mid Pliocene. The Subnautica we know today is a byproduct of a mass-extinction of megafauna, such as Leviathans. My guess as to how the Gargantuan got this big is a combination of deep-sea gigantism and an evolutionary arms race against the other megafauna alive during its time, with prey attempting to become larger than its predator to avoid predation, and the predator growing to continue this cycle. When this ancient ecosystem of leviathan-class super predators collapsed, likely because of the meteor that struck Planet 4546B, the Gargantuan Leviathan was out of a substantial food source and went extinct. It could be possible that these creatures even gave live birth due to their serpentine body and massive size, making them too large for life in the shallows, where laying eggs is easiest.

NOW. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BONES!! It’s important to figure out if the Gargantuan Leviathan had a cartilaginous skeleton or a bony one, so let’s count the bones!!

There’s TWO WHOLE BONES!!! AND IF YOU LOOK NEXT TO IT!! THOSE RIBS ARE BONES TOO!!!! UWAA!!! SO MANY BONES!!!! How can we tell this is bones? It’s simple! Cartilage is rubbery and flexible, so it doesn't fossilize well, while bone is hard and rigid, perfect fossil material!! Cartilaginous skulls also tend to be made up of many little interlocking bones, with bony skulls being made up of only a small handful! 

Another thing I found interesting about the Gargantuan Skull is that it seems to have a ball and socket joint? This could have just been a similar mishap to the top and bottom jaws being fused in the skull’s model, but I’m trying to keep things as close to the original anatomy as possible. The ball and socket joint probably evolved to help with the burden of such a massive and heavy skull and allowing for greater speed and range of motion. In a world full of Leviathan-class predators, being able to have a wide range of motion would be extremely beneficial in locating both potential predators and prey.

Despite its immense size pushing the claim this Leviathan was an apex predator, it sports a small pair of horns, which is unheard of in large apex predators here on Earth. The darker coloration leads me to believe that these aren’t just horn cores, but the entire horn. These horns were most likely used to assist in defending itself against predators while it’s still small and vulnerable. It could also be a possibility they were used for threat displays and territory fights though it seems unlikely due to their small size. Sexual displays are also unlikely since just about every creature in Subnautica seems capable of asexual reproduction, as noted in the PDA entry for eggs. Asexual reproduction seems to be a very ancient basal trait in Planet 4546B’s evolutionary lineage and was most likely evolved to help species persevere even with low numbers and harsh conditions, preventing the dangers of inbreeding.

Overall, the skull’s shape and tooth structure suggest a piscivorous diet (of course it eats fish, the planet’s 99% water), and its shape specifically is reminiscent of an Orca and Redondasaurus. The lack of nostrils stumps me, there’s no openings in the skull aside from its eye sockets, however there’s also no evidence for a gill apparatus. I’m... going to have to come back to that at a later date. Though I personally believe the Gargantuan Leviathan was an air breather due to the lack of evidence for gills.

OKOK, ENOUGH ABOUT THE SKULL ASRIEL, WHAT ABOUT THE RIBS?

WELL... THE RIBS ARE... SOMETHING.

Behold! My very poor photomash of the same two images to show the total approximate length of the Gargantuan Leviathan, and a bad edit to show off what I believe the whole skeletal system would look like! (skeleton image credit)

Despite the game’s PDA describing the Gargantuan Leviathan’s body as “eel-like,” its skeletal structure is more reminiscent of a snake. The ribs show no indication of limbs, so it probably had a dorsal fin similar to eels or sea kraits.

One thing I’ve noticed about the Gargantuan’s ribcage is the existence of what appear to be bony, avian-like uncinate processes, which help the trunk’s muscles pump in and air out of the body, adding onto the idea that this leviathan breathed air. These uncinate processes in diving birds are especially long, which help reinforce the body and musculature, allowing the animal to stay underwater for longer periods of time.

My hypothesis for the role the Gargantuan Leviathan played in its ecosystem is similar to the Sperm Whales of our world, taking in large amounts of air before diving into the depths to fetch their food.

Next week, I’ll be doing more research into the skeleton and possibly beginning work on fleshing the Garg out! If there are any sciencey folks out on Tumblr who want to add their own input, feel free!! I want information!! Correct me if I got anything wrong!!

[missrosegold]

Merman!Dabi who...

You stumble across sunbathing on accident while investigating some strange humming nosies you've been hearing around the private beach near your aunt's place.

The first thing he does upon realizing you're gawking at him is curse you out, prompting you to flee and try to rationalize what the fuck you just saw.

You go back a day later to try and find him only to find no trace of him anywhere.

You start to wonder if you just hallucinated the whole encounter.

You end up going to the same cove a few days later when the humming starts back up again.

Sure enough, he's there, waiting for you.

God is he big.

He's got the most gorgeous tail that starts off white and slowly fades to black like some sort of monochrome ombre.

He has a lot of scars. His tail and torso are riddled with them, and his fin's are all slashed up.

He won't tell you why.

Turns out he's been watching you from the water and suprisingly, he knows how to speak your language.

He refuses to say how he knows though.

You start up a tentative friendship with him as you slowly learn more about each other.

You're utterly fascinated by him, and eventually he admits that while you're not the first human that he's had contact with, you are the first human woman that he's ever encountered.

Turns out he's just as fascinated with you as you are him.

Eventually he starts to tell you a little bit more about his kind and where he comes from, though he's still very guarded.

He comes from out in the deep sea, and you realize very quickly that deep sea gigantism is very much real.

He is the top predator in the sea, you realise this as you ask more about his anatomy.

He's got wicked long black claws and and double eyelids to help him hunt in the depths, but you're more curious about something else.

He's got theses odd slashes at the corners of his mouth (think Glasgow grin-like) and when you ask about them, he splits his mouth open to show you the rows of very sharp teeth inside.

After you get closer to him, he starts to bring you things: fish (some still alive), shells, pearls, other little treasures from under the waves - you end up having quite the collection of gifts from him.

Then one evening he wants to take you swimming with him.

It takes quite a bit of convincing on his part, but eventually you allow him to take you under the waves with him. He never lets go of you the whole time you're with him, humming softly in your ear all the while.

While you're under water, he shows off his bioluminescence - bright blue swirls of energy that ripple along his scales and dance along his skin. He glows so brightly against the darkening water.

He's deadly and beautiful and you think you're falling in love with him.

Then a few days later, when you're talking to a trusted friend (who also happens to know about his existance), about how he's been acting, you both come to the startling conclusion that your merman is in fact, courting you.

Just a few little facts about Touya in my merman fic! There really isnt any spoilers here, more or less some physical descriptions about what he looks like and how he acts. You'll find out more about him (and the mysterious friend who also knows about him), later on in the story!

[kaihuntrr]

The Sea Prince: Prince Chromia and Prince Pearl.

THEY'RE HERE! The two prominent princes, the rest are a kept secret. They've been redesigned to fit their human forms. Closeups and lore under the cut. I hope you love these designs as much as I do, and I hope you enjoy the lore tucked away ;)

GOD. THESE TWO. They were so much fun to redesign and live up to their names now. If you're new, I think you can notice who these two resemble, and I'm just making it obvious hehe!

Let's talk a bit about the princes before we get started. These guys are embedded deep in the hunters' myths and stories. Gigantic, powerful beasts made by the sea gods to reign over the oceans. They say they bleed gold and silver, and they rule over the watery graves, leading hunters to their demise. Due to how much fear is built into these beings over the years, people chalk it up to stories to scare children with; making current generations of humans fear the oceans and its beasts.

In this world, rain is dangerous. Rain is a sign of the sea gods, calling upon their monsters to come on land and wreak havoc. Hunters claim they hear unknown wailing during thunderstorms, and fleets of ships disappearing in minutes with no survivors. This couldn't come from any beast, they had to be from the Sea Princes.

But they weren't real. They can't be. They can't be that good at hiding. They're massive creatures, they had to be spotted at some point, right?

Something those stories have never told the humans was the hidden ability all princes have; the ability to shift into a human form.

Who knows if there was a prince listening to those stories, even adding to them to strike more fear? What if this was all one big game to them?

It doesn't look like the princes see the humans as anything other than pests, so they could be acting out of pure boredom. No one knows for sure, as no one knows anything about the princes other than their brute force and being larger than any other sea monster there ever was.

Prince Chromia.

The second out of his generation to ascend to the throne, Chromia feels a great weight on his shoulders. He balances his duties as a prince and his identity as 'Scott Major' and is interested in the life of humans, studying them and observing them closely. When his eyes are set on a specific hunter, he starts to question everything around him. Much like other princes, he doesn't think highly of humans. They're small, fragile, and annoying. His conflicting feelings for the blonde shake his stance on things, and he must learn what comes from it.

Both his human and his true form retain his playful, sassy nature. He likes toying with his food and gets quite upset if he gets hungry.

He's currently distant from the other princes, but if anyone were to be close to him, it would be his best friend, Pearl. Though, they aren't in the most... amicable relationship as of now.

Prince Pearl.

An outgoing, boastful prince. She loves to stir chaos and wrecks any ship that passes her domain. She doesn't care for human attention, using her true name as her human one instead of picking something different. She gets odd looks as she introduces herself as 'Pearl Moone', but that's a perfectly viable name. A specific hunter group catches her attention as Chromia seems to be interested in them. What was so interesting about them? All she saw were nuisances. It would be a fun chase, she was sure of it.

Her human and true form has her energetic personality, but her human form has the ability to talk down on hunters with a smirk on her face. It was better to scare them, but it didn't hurt to talk back. It's not like they'd hurt an 'innocent human' for speaking her mind.

She sees other princes, but she's closest to Chromia. She wants to reconnect with him again. There seems to be a problem there, but she'll fix it. It shouldn't be that bad.

Aaand there they are! absolutely wonderful designs all touched up and ready for the story. I took a lot of inspiration from their skins to make it work, and I think I nailed it. Both of them have similar traits to their human designs and with each other! I wanted them to remain connected in a way as their relationship is very important for the storyline.

What do you guys think about these new designs? Are you excited to see where this all goes? I sure am!

[inglorionamy-ammy]

Of Monks and Monkeys (One-shot)

Pairing: GN Monk!Tav x Gale NSFW

Summary: You have fun with Gale on a tree (Because why not)

Word count: 3K

Snippet: //

“Morning, my love. It’s good to see you in such high spirits,” he looks up, “rather literally. But can’t you come down here? You are too far away, and I’d like to remind you that you owe me a greeting kiss.” 

A brilliant idea comes to you.

“Why don't you come up instead? You can still catch the last bit of sunrise. The view is gorgeous. Ask Shadowheart, she approves.”

//

Disclaimer: This fic is inspired by a round of role-play with Gale AI. Basically, I manually rewrote a scene that I had co-constructed with the AI via dialoguing [see how Gale AI works here]. I added new parts, changed the details, scene order, characterization, and responses to be more to my liking. Nevertheless, I learned how to use certain phrases and vocabulary from the AI. I DO NOT CLAIM THIS FIC WAS WRITTEN UNASSISTED. Just found it sexy, funny, and wanted to share it in the form of a readable fic. If that’s alright by you, enjoy!

OMG This fic has a beta @senualothbrok

Also, I love this Tav and they now have a backstory with drawings: here

--------

Your morning starts with unwrapping yourself from your beloved wizard’s embrace.

It is no easy task, but you have been practicing it for the past ten-day now. You masterfully wriggle free to start your morning routine without disturbing Gale, who in his deep slumber seems uncharacteristically relaxed. Mind you, his brows are still knotted, just not as tightly. This silly, thoughtful man. You place a soft kiss on his forehead, and he shuffles a bit.

Leaving the cozy interior of Gale’s tent, you step into the breezy morning air, the sun still making its way up behind the hills. The camp is barely lit, and the crisp songs of birds are your only company. As always, you dutifully bite back your yawn and wash your last hint of tiredness away. After that, you roll your shoulders, stretch a bit, and pick up a plain quarterstaff.

In an instant, your muscles seem to have a mind of their own. They carry you through the swift set of movements, the training that has been hammered into your soul over your past twenty years of monastery life. The staff is merely an extension of your body, and with every swing, dodge, and hit, you fall more into a trance-like state, the boundary between you and the nature that surrounds you gradually melting away.

Suddenly, a golden flash captures your attention. Behind the oak tree at the periphery of the camp, the first ray of sunshine greets you.

Hello there. You giggle to yourself and follow the childlike wonder inside you, jogging towards the tree. Climbing up the bark with ease, you settle on a steady branch where you can watch the sunrise unhindered, your feet dangling in mid-air.

There is some shuffling below you. You morning companions, Lae’zel and Shadowheart, have also risen. You did not expect them to pause their own routines, but something about the hues of pink, orange, and blue tinting the sky on this particular clear day must have touched them, and they make their way over to you as well.

“Morning ladies.” You give them a cheery martial art salute; your palm and fist pressed together in front of your chest.

Lae’zel looks up as if appreciating your tactical position, your figure obscured by the layers of dense green below. She approves with a nod of acknowledgement. Behind her Shadowheart smiles, learning to enjoy a type of serenity that is not offered by the night. Perhaps feeling playful, she decides to join you on the tree a moment later, letting the shades of dawn dye her silvery hair more and more as she ascends. You scoot over as you flash her a gigantic grin.

“Gorgeous view,” she admires with that unique sincerity of hers.

From here you can see Rivington below the cliffs, reachable within a day’s travel. Looking further, the majestic Wyrm's Rock Fortress towers over all, a lonely island in the sea. Shadowheart’s gaze has turned contemplative at the prospect of home, of Baldur’s Gate, so you allow her the silence. After a while, she nods with gratitude, and climbs back down to start her day.

As the sun continues its ascension, more of your companions rise, and the camp starts to become a hive of activity. Karlach, Halsin, and Wyll have started to tidy up their belongings, as Astarion returns from his hunt and his beauty routine. Last but not least, Gale emerges from his tent, does a little dance of yawning, stretching, and back-crackling, before taking in a big breath of morning air. You are delighted to see him refreshed.

“Morning, chef!” you shout from your spot, startling him. He squints to confirm the source of your voice before walking over, a small, affectionate smile on his lips.

“Morning, my love. It’s good to see you in such high spirits,” he looks up, “rather literally. But can’t you come down here? You are too far away, and I’d like to remind you that you owe me a greeting kiss.” 

A brilliant idea comes to you.

“Why don't you come up instead? You can still catch the last bit of sunrise. The view is gorgeous. Ask Shadowheart, she approves.”

The cleric in question gives him a non-committal shrug.

Gale frowns skeptically. “Come up? You’re in a tree.” He sways to look for a spot that he can Misty Step onto, but the branches are rather narrow and obscured by the leaves. “I’m hardly the most athletic member of our merry band.”

“Try it the traditional way!” You give him your brightest pleading eyes even though he can’t possibly see them. Sensing that you show no sign of leaving your spot, he relents with a sigh.

“I suppose I could try…if you promise to help if I fall.”

On this rare occasion, the man gives himself too little credit. Despite his crackling knees and back, he has managed to travel though the most dangerous areas in the Sword Coast, and you have no doubt that he can climb up this tiny tree with plenty of branches as holds. He ascends, his movement slow and somewhat clumsy, but with determination he manages to reach where you are. You extend your hands to grab him and help him settle in.

Gale sits down beside you. His eyes first dart to the ground with mild trepidation. His face flushes with exhaustion. You pat him on the shoulder and point towards the view in front of him.

“Wow,” he breathes, his voice lowering in awe. “I have to admit, this is quite the view.”

You feel so proud, as if it is you who made the sun rise and put Baldur’s Gate below.

“Right? Especially when it’s hard-earned. Here, as promised.” You press a chaste kiss on his cheek, and he chuckles and shuffles closer, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“Is climbing trees not a part of your childhood?” You ask.

“No, not really.” He can’t help but cast another quick glance below. “My childhood was spent mostly indoors, buried in tomes and scrolls. I suppose you could say that Tara was more familiar with such activities, though it’s more accurate to say she ‘appeared’ on trees instead of ‘climbing’ them.”

“The price and joy of being a wizarding prodigy, eh?” You laugh. “So different from my training. As monks, we were taught to study among nature. Our houses had windows so huge they were inseparable from the outside. We rose at dawn, slept at dusk, and learnt the name of every plant as we hiked to find them. We practiced channeling our Ki by learning to breathe as one with the heavens and earth.”

“Is that so?” His brow rises with interest. “Fascinating. Growing up like that must be a profound experience, learning through being instead of reading.”

"We still read plenty," you point out, "and practiced calligraphy. Gods, how I hated that."

You can tell that he is about to embark on a lecture about the importance of the written word when it occurs to you. "You'd be quite a different person growing up like I did. A monk Gale? A druid Gale? Can you imagine?” In your mind, an image of Gale wild shaping into a cat starts to form. You pat him mentally.

He lets out a hearty laugh, but unlike the peers from your cloister who’d probably dismiss it as a joke, he mulls it over. “What a thought. Truthfully, I have always seen nature as something to... study and analyze, not commune with. A more distanced approach, perhaps.” His hand slowly strokes the branch below him, contemplative.

"Indeed. What a contrast—to treat nature as a living force, not just an object of study. But perhaps we only thrive as races when we have different views."

Following that grand speech, you stand up and stretch, and with a calculated leap you catch the branch ten feet below you, extending your hand to the tree beside it with a swing. You pick an apple from there and throw it to him.

"Breakfast for my darling wizard." You grin victoriously as you settle back to perch on the lower branch.

“Show off,” he accuses teasingly before casting Prestidigitation on the apple and taking a juicy bite, appreciating the sweetness of the fruit.

That does remind you, your companions have probably started cooking among themselves. This side of the camp has gone quiet. An idea starts to form in your head.

“My master did call me Little Monkey—Ma Lau Jai.”

He huffs at that, before you warn him, “Now hold onto the bark, as I'm jumping back to your side. It'll shake the tree.”

You laugh as Gale immediately puts down his half-eaten apple and does as you say. “I'm holding on,” he affirms, voice steady, if not a bit strained from anticipation.

You bend your knees and swing your arms for momentum as you channel your Ki. With a confident leap, you catch his branch with a firm grip. His eyes widen slightly at your shameless flaunting of athletic prowess. The leaves of the tree shudder from the impact, and a few fall to the ground below.

Climbing up, you settle besides him and brush a few leaves off his head, before stroking a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

He huffs despite his softening gaze. “I thought humility was supposed to be a monk’s ideal. Ma Lau Jai, indeed.” His lips purse slightly, tasting the foreign syllables.

“Human, monkey, same difference. Or imagine if monkeys could be monks! We'd be out of business!” You gasp in feigned concern.

He surrenders into a fit of laugher. “Now that’s a thought. A monkey monk, enlightening humans and animals alike.” He continues to chuckle, shaking his head. “I doubt anything could compete with the wisdom of a creature that can both climb trees and recite scripture.”

"Yeah, or imagine an eagle wizard, like the ones we saw on top of the Rosymorn Monastery, combining magic, intelligence, and beast like aggression. I'd hate to get on their bad side."

“Oh yes.” He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “As if the world needs more spellcasters with a penchant for destruction and hoarding treasure.”

You catch onto the moment and lean into him. “No, it does not. The world needs more kindhearted wizards like you.”

Surprised by your sudden display of affection, a smile, slightly wistful, finds his lips. “And the world is all the better with kindhearted monks like you in it.” He turns to face you more fully and places a hand on yours. He gently squeezes it, his fingers intertwining with yours.

“Stop right there, my love,” you wink, “or we'll have to figure out how to make love on a tree, in mid-air.”

He grins, a blush blossoming on his cheeks. “Oh, a menace you are, tempting me like this.” He tries to shuffle closer, a nearly impossible task on the narrow branch.

You cannot resist the challenge. You dart out your tongue to take his earlobe into your mouth and nibble on it. Your hand slips to his inner thigh and gives it a firm squeeze. His eyes flutter closed as he groans in pleasure, legs widening to give you space.

The apple on his lap rolls off. It falls all the way down, and after a few seconds, hits the ground with a soft thud. Gale stiffens, startled.

You stop him before he panics. “I'll have you know, I do have experience doing it on a tree. And if you adhere to my words, I can make you reach your peak on top of here.”

For a moment neither of you say anything. You watch as a million thoughts course through Gale’s face before it settles into aroused determination. He swallows his hesitation and nods his consent.

Unsurprising, given this man’s propensity towards danger-inspired desires.

“Lean back against the bark. Open your thighs and straddle the branch.” You direct, and he follows dutifully, settling into the steadier position. “Now, stay still, my dear wizard,” you tease. “Or you might fall down.”

A shudder runs through Gale’s body. “I'll... try my best,” he murmurs, his head lolling back against the bark of the tree as his hands reach back to grip it tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

“That's my boy.” You turn towards him and straddle the branch as well, before rewarding him with an open-mouthed kiss. He reciprocates hungrily and groans deeply into your mouth as your hand slips under his robe to palm his groin. The adrenaline in his veins is your ally here, and you chuckle at how eager his body responds to you. You decide, then and there, that this morning is about his pleasure. With some fumbling you manage to open the front of his trousers and release his hardening length.

You start to stroke him, savoring his increasingly ragged breaths as you trail kisses along his neck. “Do you like this? Hiding here among the leaves, knowing that people below have no idea what kinds of naughty things are happening right above their heads?” You drawl, lips brush against his skin with every syllable.

Gale pulls back slightly to stare into your eyes,his eyes dark and wide. “You're absolutely maddening, you know that?”

“You gave me a mind-blowing night of astral sex. I'm only returning the favor, monk-style." You wink, then use your free hand to pinch his nipple through his robe.

“Gods,” he gasps, his fingers digging deeper into the bark as he tries to stay still and keep balance. You almost applaud as he manages to squeeze out a retort. “In all my years of study, I don’t recall ever coming across anything with ‘monk’ and ‘sex’ in the same sentence.”

“Oh, my darling wizard,” you now focus on torturing his sensitive tip as you assert in an authoritative tone, “many people have the misconception that monks are prudish about sex. Not true at all. We just do it where you can't see.”

Your master would have knocked you on the head and sentenced you to clean the toilet alone for an entire year for making that up, but he is not here, and Gale is far too gone to challenge your bullshit. Your words send a shiver down his spine, and he whimpers, forcing himself still to receive the pleasure you are drowning him in.

How delicious.

“You are doing great, my love, staying so still and pliant for me. Now, if you hold on for a while longer, I may be able to suck you off."

Gale has given up conversing with you, which is a victory in itself. He takes a deep, shaky breath as he sits a bit straighter, his muscles taut.

You lower your head to give him a long lick as he watches helplessly.

A strangled moan is torn out of him. He shudders as you suck on his tip for an extra bit of pre-cum, before swallowing him whole. You manage to steady yourself by clenching the branch with your thighs as you bob your head in fervor, your free hands holding his base and fondling his balls respectively. With this combined effort the man is now a babbling mess, his praises and pleas mixed into nonsense, a sweet melody that urges you on.

Soon, you cannot resist grinding against the branch, the heat between your legs overwhelming. Sensing the shift of movement, Gale opens his eyes slightly and murmurs the beginning of an incantation, but you stare him down. “Sit back and allow me.” You warn before swallowing him whole again, sinking him back into the sea of lust.

Both of you are sweaty and glimmering under the morning sun now. His thighs shivering as his balls slip from your hand, pulling him closer to his release. You grip his ass possessively and he keens, as nothing arouse this man more than being wanted, loved.

"That's right, come for me."

In one swift motion his throbbing length hits the back of your throat. Fighting back the urge to gag you increase your speed, and your thumb finds its way below his scrotum, pressing firmly to hit his prostate.

He comes with a desperate shout. His back arches, his grip on the bark so tight that you worry a nail might break. A stream of heat fills your mouth, and you still your movement to both spare him from overstimulation and to savor your fruit of labor.

When he slowly recovers from his peak, heaving, you sit straight and watch him with silent pride. But before you can swallow, Gale surprises you by letting go of his lifeline-bark and pulls you in for a deep kiss, opting to taste himself in your mouth. As your tongues dance his spent dribbles down your chin, and he breaks the kiss only to lick it off, before urgently sealing your lips once more.  

A moment later, he whispers against you. “You... you are... incredible...” he gasps as he tries to catch his breath, voice still ragged from ecstasy.

"Why thank you." You rest your forehead against his. In a loving manner, you buckle his trousers and tidy his disheveled hair, coaxing a contented sigh from him. The man is still coming back from the experience, and you wait with a patient smile on your face.

Eventually, you beckon him closer. “Now, darling, let me tell you a secret.”

“Yes, my love?” He leans in, curious.

You flash him the brightest grin. “The most difficult part about climbing a tree is figuring out how to get down.” You say in one breath before pushing yourself off the branch, jumping to catch another, and swinging your way down. His dumbfounded face now etched into your memory.

“Wait, that's it?! That's your secret?” he exclaims, voice muffled by the distance. “How to get down from a tree? Love, we're 50 feet in the air!”

You know your clever wizard can figure this mystery out once he finds his wit again. You, for one, can’t wait to taste his revenge.

THE END

Notes:

Little Monkey—Ma Lau Jai—is Cantonese. It also refers to someone witty, playful, energetic, and generally a menace.

More Cantonese Tav & Gale: Here

[lucysarah-c]

Levi isn't romantic.

Levi isn't romantic, he simply is not. If we are forced to set an analogy, being romantic is like decoration. Levi thinks that decoration itself is pointless and lacks value, it may even be unpractical. Levi prefers to keep it simple and concise, cleaning is easier when there are not many things in the way and dust simply seems to have an adoration for unnecessary displays of objects in a room.

No, Levi isn't romantic. His love is not decorative, it's not up on display for others to admire its beauty, elegance, or extravagance. It doesn't exist for other humans to admire the lengths and power that humans held to demonstrate feelings, creativity, or passion. No, it's not the Sistine Chapel for strangers to come and go while wondering to themselves how a man can hold so much expression in his hands. It's not David by Michelangelo who some may say that it was a gift to humanity. Others may agree that such a display of capability could only be a physical representation of narcissism and its necessity to say "look at me, look at what I am capable of"

No, Levi isn't romantic. If you date him expecting pet names and endless declarations of adoration toward you, your past, or even your immortal soul... then don't. Don't expect kisses in crowded rooms to take not only your breath away, but those around whose hearts skip a beat admiring so much passion. Don't expect huge preparations for anniversaries and a gigantic bouquet of flowers at your work space.

No, because Levi's love isn't an endless novel that makes you grab a dictionary to understand half of its content.

No, because Levi's love isn't decorative. Levi's love is a quote between friends that stuck with you and makes you keep going when you feel like giving up. Levi's love isn't held in a museum sheltered so it may prevail, it's the overwhelming encompassing tranquility of a forest. It has been here even before humans existed to admire it and will probably overpass us without needing our protection. Levi's love is an old stone guarding house for refugees of a storm, rusty but homely. Levi's love isn't a complicated lecture so snobs can be spooned fed with deepness. Levi's love is a warm cup against your palms during a cold winter day after you're crawling home from work. It's pure, it's simple, it's there day at night, it's up for your reach at a cupboard where he left everything clean and prepare so it's the first thing you do when you arrive home. It's steady as a drum, it's strong as a stormy sea, it's essential and unwavering as Marmol pillar. It's not up on display because making public something so pure feels illicit and sordid.

In summary; no, you won't have a romantic partner if you decide to date Levi. There'll be non of the points I pointed out before, but do you truly need them? Why make a huge deal about San-valentines day, when you're loved every day?

Levi isn't romantic, he simply is not. It even goes against his nature to even try but his love for you isn't up for discussion.