#i don't remember exactly what jellyfish this was

[littlehornedoak]

jelly

[we-do-be-writing]

Swimming with the Jellies

Sebastian (Stardew Valley) x Reader

It was your first year in Pelican Town, and Lewis had invited you to the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies festival. When you asked the other villagers about the event, many expressed their love for the tranquil night of celebrating the jellyfish migration. However, Sam's eyes twinkled with mischief, and he told you this would be one to remember.

You had pushed this from the front of your mind and had almost forgotten as you walked onto the beach. You greet villagers as you pass by, heading down to the far end of the pier to find Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian. Waving hello to the trio of friends, you move next to Sebastian and give him a little smile.

Ever since you moved to the Valley, you have been absolutely smitten with the frog and fantasy-loving programmer. Unfortunately, you could not gain his trust enough to have him as a dance partner at the Flower Dance, but you understood his hesitation. Nonetheless, you continued to crush on him, giving him gifts at least once a week.

"Hey Sebastian, here's an earth crystal I found in the mines."

"Hey! I accidentally brewed an extra cup of coffee this morning, here you go."

"Sebastian! I heard you were working on something important, so I brought you a sashimi. Make sure you take a break to eat!"

You only hoped he didn't think your gifts were overbearing, but he didn't reject them and seemed genuinely grateful, making you hopeful. Still, you weren't going to push him, taking it slow as Abigail informed you that Sebastian didn't exactly have a lot of experience.

Before you can speak to the man, Sam waves you over to the other side of the pier. Walking over, you see the same twinkle as earlier and become a little wary of what the skateboarder is scheming.

"What if I push Sebastian into the water?" Sam whispers.

"Considering jellyfish are about to come near the pier, and who knows if they're deadly, that might not be a good idea." You respond, crinkling your eyebrows at the thought of Sebastian being stung.

He reassures you, but you can't help feeling unsure. You raise an eyebrow at him, and Sam holds up his hands in a surrender gesture.

Returning to Sebastian, you sit on the edge of the pier, ensuring your feet don't touch the water. He follows suit, making himself comfortable, resting his hands by his sides. You glance to your left and see his fingers almost touching yours. With your heartbeat thundering in your ears, you take a deep breath and turn to him.

Your attempt at starting a conversation gets cut short abruptly as you watch Sebastian go flying into the water, Sam's hands pushing him right off the edge.

Chaos follows as people start shouting, and the mixed voices of Abigail, Robin, and Jodi chastising Sam.

Clearly, they have Sam covered, so you focus on Sebastian, who just popped up from beneath the water. Based on his numerous rejections to swimming this Summer, you can only imagine that he gained his swimming skills when catching frogs.

You shake your head to clear your mind of these curiosities and immediately grab the pier's edge with one hand, extending your other to the man. He tightly grasps around your wrist, and you can see the surprise on his face as you haul him back to the safety of the wood. Now soaking wet, he ruffles his hair to remove the clinging water, and you can tell he's forcing down the shivers.

He insists that he's fine, pushing aside everyone's worried comments. Abigail takes a quick glance at you, and it's clear that she has something on her mind. You only hope it's not as dangerous as Sam's plan.

"How about Y/n takes him home, so he can warm up." She suggests.

Before anyone can respond, you chime in with an "I'd be happy to, Haley can show me pictures tomorrow."

Although she doesn't exactly understand your liking of the isolated man, Haley gives you a little wink and ushers you two from the pier. You don't see it, but she and Abigail share a little low-five as they settle next to each other. Perhaps this is the start of a beautiful friendship...

Nonetheless, you and Sebastian make your way to his home in the Mountains. Still, he's suppressing the shivers, but the way he rubs his hands against his arms tells you all you need to know.

Getting to his home, you both descend the stairs to his room, a new place for you. See, you've been working on building his trust for you, but you've never been invited into his room. Of course, you wish it was in different circumstances, but you'll take the win.

"Um, I'll grab a warm drink while you change." You say, turning on your heel to go back up the stairs. Sebastian hums his agreement, and you continue on your quest, finding some apple cider that you quickly heat up.

Bringing two mugs carefully downstairs, you push open the door to find Sebastian's shirtless back turned your way. He looks over, hearing the door creak, and notices your slightly wide-eyed look.

He clears his throat as a blush coats his pale skin before he speaks, "Whatcha got there?"

"I found some apple cider that I warmed up, I hope that's alright." You say, handing him a mug as you avert your gaze, "sorry for walking in unannounced."

"Meh, it's alright," He replies, taking a sip of the drink, "thanks for the cider."

"Of course, I guess I'll leave you to it." You begin to walk backwards towards the door.

"Hey," He says, walking up to you and bending down a little to catch your eyes, "you can stay if you want. Everyone else is going to be at the festival, and I could use your company after my brush with death."

You laugh at his dramatics, making eye contact with him again, trying not to draw out how your eyes travel up his chest first.

"Plus, you made a cup for yourself... unless they're both for me." He hands you the other mug and you mentally smack your forehead for forgetting that.

"Yeah, that's a good point."

You two sit on the couch in his room, warming up as you sip from the apple cider. The silence is comfortable, something that's a little hard to find in the busy Valley. Looking over, Sebastian starts to doze off, sinking further into the cushions.

Quietly, you take the cup from his hands and set it on his desk. As you go to get up, Sebastian's fingers gently grasp wrist again.

"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep." He mumbles, rubbing his eyes with his other hand.

"It's no problem, you've had a chaotic night. I was just going to grab a blanket." You respond, to which he nods his head.

Grabbing the blanket from his bed, you wrap it around him as he curls up further on the couch.

"You can stay," he says with a raspy voice, "I'm awake."

He very clearly was not staying awake much longer, but you don't mind. Taking your seat beside him again, you feel his arm sling over you as he covers you with the blanket as well.

You expect him to move his arm, but Sebastian seems content with where it is as you feel more of his body weight lean against you. Being very aware that the sleepy man is likely not thinking straight and his chest is still quite bare, you can't help the blush on your cheeks.

Not wanting to disturb him, you shift slightly to get more comfortable and hug your arms lightly around his body on top of the blanket. Listening to Sebastian's content breathing and feeling the warmth from his renewed body heat slowly lulls you into sleep.

Neither of you hears the front door swing open or Robin descending the stairs and opening the door to check on her son, meaning you miss the soft smile that graces her lips.

[peachy-skies-writings]

Moonlight Jellies

Pairing: Sebastian (SDV) x f!Reader

A/N: Based on an interaction between my married farmer and Sebastian in the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies where he said, "I remember the first Moonlight Jellies festival that you came to. You didn't notice, but I was watching you when the jellies came up. You looked beautiful in that blue light..."

I think it's from the new 1.6 update but it was too cute. I felt inspired.

Not proofread but I will in the morning and update on ao3 too :)

------

Summer was coming to an end, with the weather cooling down significantly over the past few days. It was your first Summer in Pelican Farm, having moved to the town only one season ago for a fresh start. Mayor Lewis had excitedly told you about the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies and how it was a must-see on the final day of the Summer season.

Pelican Town traditionally saw out the Summer months with this festival every year, with the entire of the town coming to witness the spectacle at the beach. Even Abby, Sam and Sebastian were going to be there.

The four of you had made fast friends, being around the same age, and having similar interests made it all the more easier to join their friendship group. Fortunately you fit in incredibly well.

Unfortunately, however, you'd developed a crush on Sebastian. The dark-haired emo boy who lived in his mother's basement. Yup, that's the one.

It had been unexpected. And you were pretty sure he didn't like you back. And it's not like the crush was even that strong, right?

Yeah, sure you had thought he was cute when you first met him. And yeah, sure you had thought about him every day at least twice. Oh, and sure, you were often seen heading to his house to drop off a Frozen Tear but you didn't mean anything by it, right?

Genuinely, you thought you had everyone fooled until Abby pulled you aside at the saloon the night before the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies.

"What are you going to wear tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Probably some jeans and a shirt... why? Do I need to dress up? Will I need a swimsuit?" You started to panic, fearing you weren't quite as prepared for the festival as you thought you were.

"No... I just- It's one of Sebastian's favourite holidays and... I think it'd be nice if you dressed in that dress Emily made for you." She stuttered out.

"Huh? What's that black dress got to do with.... Abby..."

"What? I know you like him. And I see how he looks at you. Why don't you give him something new to look at?" She wiggled her eyebrows, gesturing to your body.

Not sure if it was the alcohol in your veins or if it was a newfound surge of confidence, you agreed. Well, Abby made you swear that if you didn't then you had to give all your pumpkins to her for the entire of the Fall season. Nevertheless, you agreed.

The next day, you arrived at the beach at 10pm exactly, excited to see an age-old traditional in your new town. As promised, you were wearing your new (f/c) dress, and you had to admit: you looked damned good.

You made your way around the townspeople, speaking to everyone where you could, finally landing on your three friends.

"Whoa, you look nice!" Sam exclaimed.

"You wore it! It looks great!" Abby smiled, pulling you closer to the edge of the pier.

"Thanks guys." You blushed, looking at your friends. Sebastian hadn't said anything but you could see a faint tint of red on his cheeks, which only served to make your face flush more.

He looked at you and gave a shy smile, before turning back towards the sea. The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies began, illuminating the beach with their iridescent blue glow.

It was breath-takingly beautiful.

Sebastian felt the same as he looked at you, bathed in the blue light from the jellyfish. It gave you an ethereal glow, like a goddess.

"I see a green one!" Abby yelled.

You lean forward to see if you can make out the rare green one you'd heard so much about.

"Oh! I see it! Abby, I see it!" You exclaimed excitedly back at her.

Sebastian smiled to himself, another blush creeping up on his face. That night made him realise that he had to tell you how he felt.

[askew-d]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "askew-d "?

hello, there! sorry for the long wait, i forgot to check my notifs :( i will do better next time. thank you for this question! i feel like i’ve waited ages for someone to ask me exactly that, lol. i could talk about well-written fanfics forever!! can i give you a hug? because this is wonderful, really.

let’s go for it! my range of fanfiction that i enjoy vary, but one thing remains: i will adore your fic, no matter the fandom, if it’s written with passion and if it contains good, poetic introspection. i love poetry. for me, if there’s melancholic tropes of any kind i’m into it. immortal character and reincarnation? give me now. supernatural elements or slice of life with doomed narrative? i’ll ignore sleep to read it. angst with happy ending? my endgame, for sure.

however, i also adore silly, comedic, cute pieces of domestic life or otherwise. i had a hard time choosing from my bookmarks for this, and i also reviewed some of my favorites, it was fun. before we continue, here are some of the tags that i don’t dive into for whatever reason: porn without plot (it personally just doesn’t interest me at all), non-con, gore, a/b/o dynamics, soulmates au. sorry if you were hoping for it! i’ll try classify them into an order of what i like most.

1. jellyfish, by mystery twin, for the haikyuu!! fandom — i read this when i was finishing high school and coincidentally the story talks about finishing high school! i have a personal attachment that makes me reread it every year. it’s some sort of tradition at this point. not to mention i love kagehina dearly.

2. teen project to change the world, by animeloverhomura, for the mo dao zu shi fandom — respectfully speaking, i would find this author and give them a big hug. their writing is spetacular! if you've never seen this one and you're into mdzs, know it's a story where the characters get to see every event from the novel and donghua, even the dead characters. they watch wei wuxian journey, can you believe it? so goddamn entertaining. promptly waiting for the next update!

3. a hundred or so hellos, by iwillstillopenthewindow, for the haikyuu!! fandom — remember i said i love melancholic stories? well, this one broke me so hard, i had to mention how i hold it with tenderness (we love things that breaks us, dont we?). this fandom manages to write the cutest, most unhinged things sometimes. even it's an anime about sports. i always get amazed by it.

4. no certainty of doors between us, by betts, for the mo dao zu shi fandom — certainly the most silly little fanfic i've ever seen, it's hilariously sweet. i want everyone to read this masterpiece because, seriously, whoever did this deserves only the best. so, so, cute. it had to be in my top 10!

5. their kindred encounters, by fireflavoredwhiskey, for the untamed rpf fandom (bjyx) — you know those kinds of shows, books, any piece of media, that tears up apart? well, this one was it for me. it's a very famous one that deserves all praise, certainly well-written and enjoyable to the core, with doses of angst, romance and beauty overall.

6. as the clouds part and clear, we finally meet again, by 12262325, for the mo dao zu shi fandom — aaaaa, i was truly torn between putting this in the third or fourth place, but i ended up putting it here. come on, i love an age difference kind of story, especially for wangxian, and this one was perfectly done. sweet and funny. the development? the yearning?? outstanding!! i read this many times already, i'll never get tired.

7. pursuit, by emleewrites, for the haikyuu!! fandom — mystery, romance, lawsuits, poker games, adventure, slice of life, AMAZING depictions and so, so goddamn well-written? that's what you're looking for in any fanfiction. the author dedicated herself entirely for this story, and, like i said, i love stories that are written with passion, you can see it pouring through every paragraph. besides, highly entertaining. i'm not very into long fics, but once i started it off, i couldn't stop. that's how addicting it is.

8. linger by the door (i’ve always been yours), by piecrust, for the mo dao zu shi fandom — epistolary?? have i mentioned how i love it?? some of the phrases in this are gold, in my bookmarks you can check some of them (i ought to make a list of my favorite fic quotes, btw, i will sure do it). through each letter i could comprehend more of wei wuxian's feelings and his internal conflict. i love feeling this connected to a character.

9. all the world is ours to take, by khrys, for the fugou keiji fandom — i have more than one favorite fanfiction for this couple. you know these kinds of developing relationship where the transition from (maybe enemies too) friends to lovers happens so smoothly that it feels like they've been soulmates first and foremost at the end? i don't even know how to explain. i just love how, when they finally are together, it's like they've been together for years. and they just... made it official? i like it. i love my mr. kambe haru.

10. he won’t tell you that he loves you, by hellshandbasket, for the house m.d fandom — i found this to be the most fitting, perfect story for this specific couple. they deserved more stories like this, but we dont see it anymore. i would hightlight the feelings realization in this one, that is so fucking real? haha in any case, it's a fanfic that i enjoyed a great deal.

that's it, i guess! i wanted to add link click fanfics also, however i barely started reading fanfictions from its fandom, i'm drowning in it lately but it's just a start. perhaps very sooon!

oh, i’m gonna finish explaining about the name! in my native language, i’ve heard someone tell me before that ‘life’s a little askew, nothing’s ever perfect’, and that quote remained in every biography of any english website i ever went to. then in literature class someday i had to write about historical women and came across this one named anne askew (i wanted to write about the mostly barely-spoken women). it was the second time i saw this word. i didn’t think of it as a proper name before, but then i had to create a nickname for my ao3 profile and thought, humn, why not just ‘askew’? the quote has been engraved in my heart anyway, so i went for it. we’re all flawed and askew. so, yeah, it just… fit? the ‘d’ here on tumblr it’s only because my surname has a ‘de morais’ in it. i also liked that it resembled ‘alaska’, the john green character i was kinda of obsessed with back in my teenager grunge phase. i don’t like these kinds of books anymore, but i guess some details stay with you. do you think it’s weird? never thought of changing.

thanks for this outstanding ask, it certainly entertained me. and hope you have a nice sleep today, big hugs coming your way! 🤍

[silvervioletvalentine]

❣️! Strange love !❣️

Pairing : max verstappen X femOC (Cherrie)

Word count : 6.1k

Warnings: pure fluff / Cherrie being a menace. Max permanently being exasperated. That’s it I think xoxo

As Max stepped out from their bedroom in confusion after a while of not hearing his girlfriends loud voice bellowing out the lyrics to the songs that were blaring from the radio in the kitchen , he could only hesitantly poke his head around the corner with trepidation .

Because when his girlfriend went quiet , it was not a good sign.

The only time she ever shut her big mouth up was either when she was sleeping or doing something that she knew he wouldn't agree with.

Which was a lot . Because the love of his life apparently liked to keep him on his toes and was determined to give him Grey hair as soon as possible.

He spent about fifty percent of his time worrying about racing and the other fifty percent worrying about what the hell Cherrie was going to do next.

She was an absolute nutcase who didn't seem to ever think twice . She just did whatever strange idea popped into her head without even considering the consequences.

It was often Max that was left to deal with them. Rushing to fix whatever mess she had made and apologise to anybody that she had brought into her chaos as well.

He got asked a lot about why he was with her if he spent half the time scolding her or dragging her away from bad decisions.

She wasn't exactly the type of girl that people pictured him with.

She wasn't serious . She wasn't level headed or competitive . She wasn't like him at all.

Instead she was loud , obscene and careless. And barely ever did she take anything seriously .

He could remember the time that he had crashed a few months ago and instead of his girlfriend fretting over him and being in tears with worry, he had returned back to his trailer to find her waiting for him with some hello kitty plasters in her hands and a mischievous smile on her pretty face .

He hadn't been in the best of moods so he had huffed in annoyance at her .

"You can't be serious!" Yet he had stood still and let her plaster one on his cheek where there was the smallest of scratches from where he had pulled off his helmet too roughly.

She had merely laughed and patted him on the shoulder with a shrug . "That looked insane on tv. What did you do that for? Made my heart jump!" She had exclaimed as she hurried back over to the couch to continue watching the rest of the race that was playing out.

Max had gaped at her , hands pressed firmly on his hips in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He had exclaimed looking at his girlfriend with a small pout when she had started to cheer on Charles in front of the tv instead of coddling him like he had stupidly expected.

Huffing to himself as he pulled off the rest of his suit and flung it aside , not caring where it landed.

He was too busy side eyeing Cherrie moodily , wanting her to make a fuss over him .

Having at least expected more than a little pat on the shoulder! But he should have known that his adrenaline junkie , uncaring , so fucking strange wonder of a girlfriend would act like this.

He had once watched her get stung by two jellyfishes and laugh about it. Forcing him to take a picture of her painful leg while he nearly had a full blown panic attack , hurriedly Googling if you could die from jelly fish stings.

So him crashing into the wall and getting out completely unharmed probably didn't even make her flinch.

She was a nutcase!

"I can't believe you're cheering on another man after I've just lost like that! Don't you have any pity for me Cher?" He couldn't help but wine as he threw himself down on-top of her so that she had no Choice but to pay him attention.

She had just smiled and ran her fingers through his hair , still not taking her eyes away from the screen not matter how hard he huffed and puffed.

"You haven't lost . You'll win the next race and then the next one after that .." she simply replied. Letting out a small cheer as Charles overtook Lewis around the corner bend.

Ignoring the way that Max was scowling up at her from her lap as she did so. Instead she just gently patted his cheek and even gave it a little pinch.

Realising that she wasn't going to give in, he let out a loud sigh of defeat. Snuggling his face into her thigh as he wrapped his arm around her leg and got more comfortable .

"You think I'll win?" His voice was quiet and unsure, needing reassurance after that little disaster of his.

There was no hesitation in her voice as she answered him "every time you get into that car I believe that you can win Max. I wouldn't be dating you if I thought you were a loser!" She joked .

Referring to the comments that had been made about her being after his money and only dating him for the fame. Cherrie thought they were funny because she hadn't even been that interested in him at first .

And max had spent the whole summer stubbornly following her around until she agreed to go on a date with him.

And well, the rest was history.

He was stuck with her annoying ass now.

But he had wanted her annoying ass first , so it was all his own fault really .

He had known how odd she was from the beginning. The first time that he had saw her while on holiday , she had been stood in front of a board with a smile on her pretty face while a blindfolded man threw knives around her head.

Watching the way she had giggled after it was done and asked the man if she could try doing that to him as well , and well, he had been hooked since then.

And true, she stressed him the fuck out sometimes but she also gave him some of the best , funniest and most insane memories of his life .

Everyday was an adventure with Cherrie by his side , she would drag him along to all this crazy shit that he would have never even had known existed if it wasn't for her.

So when people wondered why he was so firm in his belief that she was the one , he merely smiled and told them the same thing.

It was the way she made him feel.

She made him feel normal, she made him feel alive.

Since the moment he had met her butterfly's had become a permanent residence in his chest, no matter how much time passed between them, he still looked at her smile and felt the love right through his whole fucking being.

'But she makes you worry!' They would frown in confusion as to why he was willing to put up with a woman who permanently did stupid shit and had him on the edge of his seat.

I love her . He would simply reply. And when you loved someone you constantly worried about them. It was normal.

Perhaps his girlfriend wasn't exactly a hundred percent normal but the feeling he got whenever she did something stupid was.

But mostly it was because she loved him too. And she liked him.

She liked being around him no matter what mood he was in.

A lot of people didn't like to be around him because they thought that he was too brash and blunt , too boring and serious .

But not Cherrie.

She loved him and she liked him.

She had told him that she loved hearing him rant to her about the troubles with his car and crew even though she hardly understood the terms he was saying.

It's your passion. She had whispered to him one night after he was finished telling her about how he wasn't satisfied with the new engine that had been fitted and tested that day. Any other woman would have bored out of her mind but not her.

Never her.

Instead she had a pretty smile on her face as she rested her chin on his bare chest and looked up at him with a soft sigh. Contentness a heavy blanket around them.

You mean everything that you say. I can feel it.

And he loved her and liked her too.

He loved being by her side in the morning while she sat up in bed and tried out some brightly coloured eyeshadow that would start out on her eyes and then spread down to her Cheeks.

Getting Glitter everywhere as she drew art on her face without a care in the world while he silently laid back in bed and took pictures other without her even knowing .

He loved watching her try new foods after he had spent all night convincing her to do so. The way that she would scrunch up her nose and let out a little hum as she tasted it. Although she would never admit that he was right . Instead she would just swap their plates around and give him a apologetic kiss.

He loved the way that he was the one that she ran to when she had news or even just to tell him stupid shit that meant absolutely nothing.

He liked that he was always the one that she wanted to know about it first .

He liked the way that she would take the lead in a busy crowd and reach back for his hand without even saying a word. He would let her pull him to whatever destination she had in mind, knowing that no matter what they did she would make him happy.

He liked the way that she wasn't afraid to stick up for him either. Having picked up on some of his own bluntness and curses , she wouldn't hesitate to go up to someone that had wronged him and call them out. Refusing to budge until she had forced that person to apologise to him face to face , sincerely.

Max thought it was funny that his five foot four girlfriend was such a wildcard. It always was the short ones that were the craziest after all.

What she lacked in height she made up for in impulsiveness .

His friends often liked to tease him about how he looked like a concerned father with a naughty child that was acting out . He supposed they weren't that wrong to think so.

He knew that he was the mature one in their relationship, that wasn't a secret .

So with her lack of loudness making him uneasy , he walked into the kitchen with worry and then paused by the doorway at the sight in front of him.

Making direct eye contact with his girlfriend who was sat cross legged on their dining table with only her lace knickers on, with scissors held up to her head as she tried to cut herself some bangs. A heap of hair already covering her lap .

He could see that she had also hacked at the ends of her hair too. It now rested to the middle of her waist instead of the bottom of her back like it had an hour ago.

He sighed loudly , not at all surprised.

“We have dinner in half an hour Cher." He stated matter of factly as he glanced down at his watch with worry.

"Was now really the right time for a new look?" He asked her as he walked over to her and gently took the scissors from her hands before she could do any more damage to her pretty hair.

She just smiled and laughed a little at the look on his face . Smoothing her hand over his smart dress shirt with a appreciative hum.

"You look handsome." She told him as she leant up to kiss him. Momentarily forgetting about the mess of hair she was dealing with.

Max didn't. He let her kiss him for a moment longer before pulling away and looking sternly down at her.

Patting down her new bangs so he could see how uneven she had cut them, shaking his head at her in exasperation.

"You look insane. Couldn't you have waited baby? Keep still a minute while I fix it.." he told her firmly as he began to fix her bangs for her.

Lifting up the scissors to her hair and Cutting off the longer pieces till they were all even , grabbing the brush from beside her and brushing through them to make sure that it was right.

Missing the way that Cherrie was gazing at him fondly as he focused on cutting her hair. Sectioning the rest of her her hair into two parts and pulling them to the front of her chest so he could see what he was working with.

"My dress is low on the back so I wanted my hair to rest at the end of the fabric so it covers it." She simply informed him of her brilliant idea.

He rolled his eyes in amusement as he started cutting the end of her hair straight.

Typical. He thought with a smirk .

“why the bangs then? What does that cover?" He murmured with a small smile, one that he just couldn't help but let out whenever she was near.

Cherrie just hummed "absolutely nothing. I just thought they'd look cute. Don't you agree?" She pressed when he was finally done. Shaking out her hair and shooting him a pleased grin , her dimples showing.

Max wiped down the hair from her skin the best he could , trying to ignore the fact that the love of his life was sat in front of him with just a thong on.

They had a important dinner to get to. He reminded himself firmly as he tore his eyes away from her pierced tits and back up to her glimmering eyes instead .

"Don't play cute with me. You know I think you look good in anything." He warned her playfully as he helped her get down off the table.

"We're going to be late. You can be the one to tell them why this time! I'm not covering for you again!" He told her seriously. Fed up with her constant lateness.

Having been the one to take the blame the last time she had made them late because she wanted to finish watching the football match first. Even though max had told her that they could simply record it on their tv so she could rewatch it when they got back instead.

You would have though he had told her to kill one of the players with the disgraced look she had shot him at his rational suggestion.

“It’s not the same! I want to see it as it happens! That’s like messi being in our house and instead of seeing him we just get someone else to take a video so we can watch it when he’s gone! Don’t be ridiculous Max!” She had yelled at him dramatically before shoving a football jersey over his head and grabbing the beers, shoving one into his hand with a grin as the game started.

So Max had been forced to yet again lie to his friends.

'I couldn't find the car keys. Sorry guys .'He had told their friends with a grimace as he held out the seat for his girlfriend who was already tipsy from downing beer after beer during the match , once they finally arrived an hour later .

Cherrie absolutely buzzing from her teams win. She hasn’t stopped beaming since he managed to finally drag her out of their home and into the car.

He supposed the face paint with her favourite players number on her cheeks really hadn't helped to sell his lie either.

But Cherrie refused to be the one to take the blame despite everybody knowing that the reason he was always late was 99.9% always her fault.

Cherrie just huffed at him as she pulled her dress over her head , wiggling her body from side to side as she tried to adjust it. Leaving Max to stare at the low neck and cut out sides and back with an open mouth.

Swallowing Thickly as he looked at her in awe. Feeling like he was going to have a stroke as he tugged at the collar of his shirt , his skin flushing just from the sight of her.

He didn’t think that there would ever be a day where her beauty didn’t make him breathless.

"Please baby! They're already pissy with me for making us late to your birthday party a few weeks ago!" She whined as she leant down to slide her feet into some high heels. Placing her hand on his shoulder to keep her balance .

Max snorted as he ran his fingers through her newly cut hair to help it frame her face like he knew she liked it.

"Once again. That was your fault. Because only you could make me late to my own surprise party." He mused beyond amused at the reminder of that day .

His friends had spent two hours in a darkened room waiting for him to come through the door so that they could jump out and surprise him.

Only Cherrie had taken him one look at him wearing the new tight shirt and even tighter jeans that she had bought him before dragging him to the backseat of his car .

It was only after the third orgasm that she had came back up for air with a shocked gasp , eyes wide as she blurted out 'your party!' Before quickly pulling her dress back down and dragging him out of the car while he hurried to button up his jeans again.

His friends had taken on look at his lipstick covered face and neck , as well as her swollen lips and messy hair before rolling their eyes and scolding her for not being able to keep her hands off him while max just helped himself to his cake while laughing hysterically .

Cherrie looked up at him pleadingly as he ushered her out the door while muttering about how late they were. Again.

"Please max! Just tell them that you had stomach troubles or something! I don't want them to know it's my fault again!" She pleaded to him.

Max merely shot her a unimpressed glance as he shoved her into the passenger seat of his car with a huff.

"Absolutely not. I'm not taking the blame this time! Forget it! You’re on your own with this one!”

Max gave their friends a apologetic smile as they finally arrived at the table, everyone looking up at them exasperatedly .

He glanced between their unimpressed expressions and his girlfriends pretty face with her newly cut hair and sighed in deafest.

"Sorry we're late ..I had some stomach troubles." He blurted out .

Shooting cherrie a look as she tried not to giggle from beside him.

Having already known that he wouldn't let her take the blame no matter how much he wanted to throw her under the bus.

He loved her too much to actually do it.

Charles looked over at him with a concerned frown "like food poisoning or something? I hope there's not a bug going around." He questioned him worriedly.

Max grimaced as he pulled out a chair for Cherrie and carefully tucked her into the table before sitting down beside her. Placing his hand on her thigh.

"Maybe. I'm fine now though. Don't worry." He muttered not looking at him in the eye in case the lie was written all across his face.

Then he ended up catching eyes with Daniel who was already grinning between them, his cheek in his hand as he eyed Max’s girlfriend in amusement.

"New hair?" He asked making max frown at him in bewilderment as he wondered how the hell he had noticed so quickly .

“You didn't have bangs this morning Cherrie ." He said knowingly.

Then max remembered that Cherrie always met up at the cafe with Daniel after her morning work out and fought back a annoyed groan.

Turning his head to squint his eyes in disbelief at his sheepish girlfriend who had seemed to forgotten that little detail .

"Did you cut them while max had the shits?" Daniel joked. Already guessing what had happened but ribbing him for it.

"Max has the shits?" Pierre called down the table , only catching the end of what he said.

It seemed to set a chain reaction as everybody started questioning him about his bowel movements .

Max's Face went bright red as he glared at his giggling girlfriend who he had lied for. Shaking his head with a annoyed huff as he pinched her thigh in retaliation.

"No I don't have the shits!" He exclaimed a little louder than he meant to. Making a few peoples heads turn towards their table.

He wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. He was going to take Cherrie with him too for putting him in this awkward position!

Their was a pause before Cherrie snorted and muttered "try telling that to our toilet."

Max smacked the back of her head .

"That's it! No wine for you!" He yanked the glass from her hands with a scowl. Sliding the bottle away from her as well in punishment .

That was the last time he covered for her. He lied to himself . No more!

He ended up telling his health coach that he had injured his wrists from his gloves being too tight when he asked him why his wrists were red.

Too mortified to admit that it was because Cherrie had the idea to tie him up and make him see god an hour before he had to get to the paddock.

Just another normal Wednesday.

As Max stood by the side of the track that overlooked a lake, looking over the barrier down at his girlfriend who has thrown herself in after stripping naked , he couldn't help but sigh.

Hands on his hips like a concerned parent as he watched  her splash around , frown deepening even further as Daniel also threw himself in as well.

He had just won p1 and Cherrie had decided to skinny dip to celebrate . He mightn't have been so annoyed if it wasn't for the hundreds of cameras that were following them around all day.

He really didn't want his girlfriend's naked body to be seen by anybody but him.

Feeling his blood pressure rise as he watched Daniel splash at her as the both of them laughed loudly , playing Around like little kids.

"Not so close Daniel!" He snapped down to his also naked friend in exasperation and worry as he saw how close the both were to each other . He did not want any part of Daniel's body to be touching hers.

Daniel just laughed and grinned up at him cheekily .

"Who's going to keep her warm then?! Just get in! It's nice!" He called up to him , Cherrie shouting her agreements as she leant her arm against his shoulder and beamed up at him happily .

Seemingly not giving too shits that everybody could see her tits as she waved up at him happily.

It was times like this that max often wondered if she did drugs when he wasn't looking.

It would make a lot of sense. It really would.

"Absolutely not! All of you need to get out and put your clothes back on! Especially you baby!" He shouted at them sternly as he took the towels from his assistants hands that he had asked her to run for.

Daniel cooed at him "aww he's nicknamed me baby how sweet! I knew you'd come around to our love Max!" He teased him. Deliberately putting his arm around cherries bare shoulder just to wind him up some more .

Max hated it when the two of them were together because all Daniel ever did was encourage his girlfriend to do crazy shit and instead of talking her down from the ledge , he jumped off it with her!

"Shut up! Watch your hands Daniel! I'm serious!"

Cherrie just laughed at his furious expression, not caring at all.

"I'm so proud of you by the way! Watching you get soaked with champagne was really hot!" She shouted up at him honestly.

Eyeing his sticky racing suit with a raise of her brow "are you sure you doing want to jump in and wash it off?" She double checked.

Max just deadpanned at her. Shaking his head with a exasperated groan. Giving up.

"You're very lucky that I love you Cherrie because you're getting on my nerves." He informed her bluntly before pulling out his phone and pressing a familiar contact.

He then looked at her in the eye smugly as he brought his phone up to his ear.

"But If you won't listen to me then I guess I'll just have to call your father-" he threatened her. Pulling out the last card in the pack, the one that he knew would work without any hesitation.

Grinning slyly when she let out a sharp gasp and quickly pushed herself away from Daniel who was calling him a party pooper as they both pulled themselves out of the water.

"Don't ring him! You bastard!" She ran over to him completely naked . Making him pocket his phone in amusement . She then Let him wrap her up in the towel till she was swaddled in it like a big baby.

Chuckling to himself as he wrapped one around her hair too, rubbing at the fabric to dry her quicker .

Daniel side eyed them as he wrapped himself in his own towel . "Are you sure you're not her daddy max? You're always telling her off like one!" He joked while laughing.

Max couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at his lips , eyes twinkling as Cherrie placed a kiss on his neck and whispered in his ear about how she was going to personally congratulate him for winning when they got home.

"I'm just a concerned boyfriend who doesn't want the whole world to see his girlfriends boobs." He said as he then wrapped her in a dressing gown as well. Flipping the hood up to keep her warm.

Daniel just smirked "too late mate." He then turned to look at Cherrie with a friendly smile .

“They’re very nice. Lovely and round." He told her casually as though he was complimenting some fruit .

Cherrie beamed back at him happily. "thank you! Grew them myself!" She joked . The both of them ignoring Max's eyes glaring daggers at them.

Shaking his head with a disbelieving huff as he decided that he had enough of the two of them being around each other .

He hauled his girlfriend away before they decided to do some more stupid shit together that would make his blood pressure rise rapidly.

"Love you." Cherrie muttered to him quietly as they made their way back to his trailer . Tucked underneath his arm where she belonged .

Max softened , any annoyance he felt quickly fading at the honesty in her voice .

He just sighed fondly and gave the side of her head a gently kiss .

"I love you." He simply replied. So utterly in love that it overwhelmed him.

Because If be didn't love her like he did , he would have ran away screaming from her years ago.

She was an absolute pain in his ass.

It was a clear fact that was further proven to him when she tried to breakup with him one night after they had been arguing over why he thought it was a bad idea to get a dog.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing when she first told him that she wanted a pug.

He had looked at her in disbelief , feeling the need to remind her the obvious.

“You're allergic to dogs." It was said bluntly and in bewilderment as he wondered what the hell she was going on about.

They couldn't get a dog when she was allergic to them! Had she gone mad?

Cherrie had frowned at him like what he told her was a lie . As though she didn't start sneezing and coughing up a lung whenever she touched one.

"I can take medicine to help. I want one Max. It's too lonely when you're not here with me !" She had exclaimed , upset  with him as she threw herself up off the bed .

Flicking on the lamp as she glared down at him unhappily .

It was three o'clock in the morning and max couldn't believe that she had woken him up for this shit.

Rubbing at his eyes tiredly as he squinted up at her from the bed. Judgement across his face. He found it hard to have patience with her when it was this early in the fucking morning!

He had just been nodding off too!

"Don't be daft! You'll make yourself ill! And how can you be lonely when you constantly have those hippies around here when I'm gone? Don't think I can't smell the lavender oil that they leave behind!" He warned her. Huffing in annoyance.

Cherrie just wouldn't let it go. Tired and emotional herself and max had known that it was a bad idea for them to watch a heartbreak chick flick film before bed.

But he had still let her put it on anyways .

And now he was paying the price because his girlfriend was a melodramatic drama queen who had watched a film about a man who didn't love his girlfriend anymore , who had also refused to let them get a dog in the film as well.

Clearly she had gotten it into her head that they were doomed to be like the characters too. Having tested him all night long with utter bullshit.

"They say a man is falling out of love when he spends more time on his phone when his partner is right beside him to talk to." She had muttered with a scowl when he had been replying to some work emails on his phone before bed.

Knowing that she had heard it from that stupid movie , he had merely glanced up at her in amusement .

"Do you like your diamond jewellery  and expensive clothes?" He had returned to her . Their huge closet filled with her shit already giving him the answer .

She had just frowned harder. Not answering him.

He smirked triumphantly "these emails I'm answering about promotions will get you more of those things . So shut your trap and get back into bed." He scolded her.

Only perhaps he should have settled her mind further than that before they went to sleep.

Maybe then she wouldn't have been trying to break up with him because he wouldn't let her get a dog.

"We need to break up max . This isn't going to work. You obviously don't understand my needs anymore-"

Max Couldn’t have scoffed any louder if he tried. Finally Sitting up in the bed with a loud, annoyed groan as he eyed her in disbelief .

"Your need to annoy me you mean?" He yawned, casually leaning back against the pillow with a small amused smile playing on his lips .

The look on his face only seemed to piss her off even more but he couldn't help it.

She was being completely ridiculous!

She then sniffled loudly, dialling up her drama.

"why are you smiling? Are you happy that I'm not your girlfriend anymore?" She almost cried . Glaring back at him tearfully.

Max just snorted , rolling his eyes at her .

“We're not breaking up stupid. Now Get back into the bed!" He snapped at her tiredly .

Pointing sternly to the space beside him, impatiently patting it to further get his point across when she made no love to do as he said.

"No! You obviously don’t want me to be happy!"

"Because I don't want you to get a pet that's going to make you never breathe properly again?!"

"You're being dramatic! I'll just take the medicine for my allergies!"

Max groaned  loudly , covering his face with his hands as he tried not to lose his shit at her.

"Me? You're being crazy." He ground out "I never said we couldn't get a pet. Just not a dog that you’re allergic to !"

There was a long pause before Cherrie blinked away her tears and cautiously approached the bed again.

"A cat?" She murmured hopefully. Already crawling back into the bed and sliding underneath the covers now that her hysterics were over. Knowing that she was about to get her own way again.

Perhaps also opening that bottle of wine during the movie was a bad idea too.

Max had forgotten how emotional she got after drinking it. It was like she went through five stages of grief when she drank red wine.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders with his eyes already closed, kissing the side of her head with a little laugh.

"Fine but you're changing the litter tray." He warned her. Feeling her smile brightly against his chest.

"I will! I promise! You won't have to do anything!" She had promised him gleefully . Giving him a kiss before promptly falling back to sleep now that she had gotten her own way.

Leaving max to sigh to himself as he tried to go back to sleep. Having a feeling that she wouldn’t be that helpful at all.

It just wasn’t in cherries nature to pick up cat poo.

Yet another lie of here that was proven as two weeks later he was knelt down with a grimace as he cleaned out the litter box for the fluffy ginger cat that was nudging him against his leg.

Glaring up at his girlfriend who was dancing around the kitchen while singing to the radio , without a care in the world.

Instead she was too busy rambling on about how she was going to get herself some pole dancing lessons, jumping from one subject to another. Filled with endless ideas ths never seemed to stop.

Sighing to himself as he finished cleaning it up and set out some food for the fur ball as well .

Then he got to his feet and pursed his lips as he eyed the love of his life with a feeling of acceptance.

This was going to be the rest of his life.

Pretending that he wore the trousers in their relationship and acting like he wasn't ready to do anything he could to make her happy .

Even if it meant cleaning up cat poo so that she didn’t have to.

So with that thought in mind, how he must be crazy to love her even more than he did yesterday despite how much she drove him up the wall.

He knew it was time.

He walked over to her and gently grabbed her hand , making her look over at him with a curious

smile on her pretty face.

"What's up handsome?" She had chirped obliviously at him. Leaning forward to give him a quick kiss.

Not even noticing the way he pulled something out of his Jean pocket and slid it smoothly onto her finger , his eyes locked with hers as he let out a small laugh at how oblivious she was.

"I'm gonna be your husband." He decided to tell her bluntly . 

Because he had no doubt in his mind that if he decided to plan a fancy proposal that she would somehow find a way to ruin in.

Not on purpose but that was just the way she was.

So instead he settled on simply letting her know instead.

Cherrie looked at him with wide eyes before finally noticing the diamond ring on her finger.

Then she did the most her thing possible and laughed loudly in response .

Casually shrugging her shoulders as she wrappped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss.

"Okay. Sounds fun." She simply said once they pulled away to breathe again .

"Yeah?" He grinned . Looking between her eyes to be sure. His heart squeezing in his chest, so full of love for his little pain in the ass.

She just beamed back at him happily. As in love with him as he was her .

"yeah. I'm gonna be your wife."

Then she tilted her head cheekily "can we get married in Vegas after you win the race there?" The pure confidence that she had that he would win that race made him grin like a lovesick idiot.

Squeezing her hips and blinking back happy tears from his eyes as he kissed her again and again and again.

They could get married in the basement for all he cared. As long as she was officially his to worry about for the rest of his life , he didn't care.

She may have been a little strange but she was his wildcard  . Nobody else's.

He wouldn't change her for anyone.

[babeilovemonsters]

It's incredibly rare for me to post twice in one day, but I can't get merfolk out of my head. This one is more self indulgent, but I still hope you enjoy!

You just love to collect seaglass and rocks. Who doesn't? Seaglass is so, so pretty, and soft, the result of something ugly and dangerous becoming delicate and smooth, while every single stone and rock is completely unique, with it's own story to whisper in your ear, as gentle as the lapping waves.

But the beach is connected to one of the most vast biomes known to us. Few people truly know what goes on in that place. What lurks beneath the surface, cleverly dodging our eyes and avoiding our traps. Yet from time to time, something is bound to slip up. Sometimes as small as a scale, and sometimes as big as a whale. Today, you found that something. A mer.

They were nothing like what you were maybe expecting. You'd heard tales of perfect, pale skinned models, with the lower bodies of beautiful fish. This merfolk was nothing like that. Their skin a dark green, like seaweed, with bumps and scrapes, freckles and spots. Their tail was a nice red, and looked to mimic the appearance of a red snapper in both colouration and shape. They were fairly small, only around 4ft long, and thick, with a soft, round belly and chubby arms. Their hair was a darker shade of green than their skin, but didn't look at all like hair, moreso like the tendrils of a jellyfish. They were... beautiful.

You weren't sure what to do exactly. It's not like this had ever happened to you before. It was barely out of sight of the public beach, half in the water, half out, bleeding out from several deep wounds all over their body. If you left them here, they'd likely die. But if they were a siren, they could kill you soon after rescue. You thought about it for a while, not even sure if they were still alive, before jumping back as they let out a sudden gasp. They appeared to be able to breathe air at least, blessed with both lungs and gills, so that's one less problem.

You decide to do the selfless thing, and gently wrap the mer in your beach towel, leaving room for them to breathe, but making sure to cover them from the masses. You hurry back home as quick as possible, checking for their pulse every now and then to make sure they're still kicking. Metaphorically speaking. Once home, you head straight to the bathroom, turning on the bathtub tap and carefully placing them inside, tending to their wounds as the tub slowly fills. You remember salt water fish can't really breathe in fresh water, so you just hope the air is enough intake for them, and leave to let them heal in peace.

In all honesty, you nearly forget about them. It isn't until a few hours later when you hear water splashing from the bathroom that you're hit with a sudden realisation. You quickly hurry to the bathroom, only to find your little catch very much awake, thrashing and panicking at the strange environment. You attempt to coax them down, but alerting them to your presence only startles them more, as they breach the water's surface, snarling like a feral animal, baring their jagged shark-like teeth. Their bold yellow eyes stare daggers into you, unblinking.

You take a few steps back out of the bathroom, holding up your hands in surrender. You speak gently, in the softest way possible, just hoping they can understand English. They don't back down at first, but eventually, they grow fatigued from their injuries, seeming to just give up and accept your words of reassurance. Worst case scenario to them, you eat them and their pain ends. But of course, you don't do that. You sit with them, trying to encourage them to talk back.

They certainly seem to understand, as they respond to your questions with a tired nod or head shake, but they only ever verbally respond with little chirps and growls. You realise they may not have the same vocal chords as you do. Shit. Scratch that plan. You then turn to sign, telling them how to sign certain things. They barely pay attention at first, but eventually begin to cooperate, copying your signs. Your praise seems to surprise them at first, like they don't fully get why it's a big deal, but by the early hours of the morning, you've taught them basic phrases and letters, and they've started to take this praise as something to work towards.

Of course you aren't immune to sleep, so after ordering some foods containing shrimp and seaweed from your local Chinese restaurant for them, you go to bed.

This routine keeps up for a while. You get some actual fish for them to eat, not just takeout, and try teaching them more sign, to make communication much easier. As the days turn into weeks, they begin to heal, until eventually, they're well enough to go back out there. Still not fully recovered, but no longer bleeding, and now strong enough to brace the waters.

You wait for nighttime before daring to take them back to the beach, and duck down in a small cove to release them. They dart off at first, leaving you a bit sad, as they didn't seem to bother saying goodbye. But they soon return before you can sulk off back home, offering you a fish they had caught in their jaws. You politely decline, but tell them you'd love to see them again, and teach them more sign.

And so you do. Nearly every day, you duck down in your little cove, and meet your fast healing friend, to catch up and Google new things to sign together. It becomes routine for you now. The mer even begins to bring you rocks, shells and seaglass every time you visit. You think nothing of it, of course. They're just being nice! Until one day, they get visibly fed up with this part of the routine, and use whatever signing knowledge they have to ask why you keep taking the gifts without accepting the request.

Request? You weren't aware. Was this gift giving actually a ritual in mer culture? You apologise profusely, asking what their request was, and offering to give back what they'd given. They decline that offer, but finally clarify, that's how merfolk request a partnership. They had been trying to court you for little over a month, and you hadn't noticed.

You at first decline, unsure if that's morally acceptable. But... you give it some thought. Actually, why would that be so bad? They're sweet, and cute. And you've always been a bit of a monsterfucker. Surely it's worth a shot!

... right?

Part 2 is in the comments now.

[twistedroseytoesy]

Hey I love your work so much you brought back my love for sea creatures and stumbled across this beautiful creature.

The phantom jellyfish the most rarest jellyfish

Look at this beautiful jellyfish.

I ever found this beautiful fanart of a human phantom jellyfish I could not find the artist but its beautiful.

woa!!! I’ve never heard of this jelly before but it looks so pretty!!! Has a gothic-like or somewhat deadly kind of vibe. Oooooo! I'm going to do the ocatrio with malleus for this one since you didn't specify. Hope that's alright! These jellys are so cool cause they dont have stingers! their arms are used to just scoop up plankton and carry that to the mouth.

Description

A beautiful creature of the deep, rare, and rather secluded but you always found comfort in the pressure and darkness around you as you drifted through the void. Scavenging what you could from the waters with your long ribbon-like arms. You don't have the ability to sting, but your ribbons can be used to strangle and disorient predators. Especially since your dark skin matches the darkness of home. You have dark skin with a dark brown/orange undertone. Your body and arms make you up to 30 ft long! Your arms are 25 of those feet.

When you were called to the surface and NRC you struggled greatly with the harsh light. Your human form is only 6 ft tall with long, dark, ribbon-like hair and longer-than-average arms. you are able to manipulate your hair but you keep that more of a secret. you are fairly secluded and try to avoid crowds as much as physically possible. You have dark skin and your eyes are a startling orange color. You usually wear dark sunglasses so no one can really see your eyes unless the sun has set or it's fairly dark in the room.

Octavinelle

Azul: Knows your a mer, he likes keeping tabs on all the merfolk on campus. Your strange ribbon-like hair was what really caught his attention and he asked blackmailed you about it. Found out the hard way what it can do. He underestimated you since you seemed rather... soft-mannered. The twins wouldn't let him live it down for like a week. You do visit the lounge since it reminded you of the few times you floated closer to the twilight zone from your midnight home. the lower lighting was also the only lighting you could handle ok without your glasses so you visited and studied there quite often. He appreciates your patronage and somehow your calm demeanor and strength draw him to you. He liked being around you since your calm aura helps calm him. After long enough you are invited to sit in his VIP room where he turns all the lights off other than the aquarium or a controlled light over his desk and only his desk. You greatly appreciate it. He does try many times to have you work for him, your hair acts like his many arms back in the sea! imagine how efficient you would be! but he does understand how you wouldn't be able to work in the light.

When he first saw you merform in the magic pressure pool he was amazed at how LONG you were! He thought you were like the twin's size not double their length and then some! loves how silky your arms are and how you don't sting but he can feel the strength in those arms and remembers to not underestimate you. If you invite him to swim with you he will try to stammer out a smooth response. Maybe someday. Does with to have you do some sort of sink dancing thing, you would do amazing with it! the way your arms are already like silk makes him dream. if you ever are close and you wrap your soft arms around him he will immediately melt and even have some tears build up in his eyes. Your hugs are understanding and kind and calm.

Jade: Your hair is what really caught his attention. The way it seemed to squirm along with you when he asked many uncomfortable questions. Knew you were a mer from Azul and was trying to figure out what exactly you were, you didn't cover up like other jellyfish mers yet you had that calmness they are known for. Probably figured it out when he overheard you tell someone else what you were. Such a rare specimen had Jade all the more intrigued. Asked even more questions and even subtly hinted he knew what you were, he got hair slapped when he gave you a dark jello treat he created and mentioned wanting to test if its taste was accurate. Super surprised that your hair actually had that kind of force, he knew it could move but you made him take a full step back to catch himself. Impressive~ also likes to try and see your eyes but is more respectful than Floyd, usually lowers the lights in your area of the lounge with some magic, just to see those beautiful glowing orange orbs.

When he first saw your mer form he was very curious about your long arms. Asking politely to hold one since he knew he couldn't reach you in the pressure pool without risking bodily harm. He compliments the texture and strength of the silky ribbons. Happily offering a job at the mostro louge for a once-a-week show from the depths. You kindly turned him down, saying you like to be more in the shadows than the star. He nods at this. you both connect by watching things from a distance. Asks many questions still but won't hint at trying to eat you after he saw Floyd get strangled for biting you.

Floyd: Squishy!! He likes squeezing you, You're so soft and easy to squeeze, but you don't wiggle as much! He calls you black jellyfish. He likes to mess with your hair. it looks so cool! one time it slapped him when he tried to bite it and he loved it even more! Pokes and prods at it to annoy you. Thought you were boring but another time stole your sunglasses and really liked your eyes! He's never seen glowing orange eyes before! so now this man pokes at your hair and tries to blind you a lot. You try to stay away from him but that's fairly difficult to do. Over time he clams a bit around you, especially when he really pissed you off and you strangled him to near passing out. Likes to see you try new foods, and your faces of delight are so cute! he also pesters you with a lot of questions. he changes his nickname for you when you correct him. "phantom jelly!" he would usually call out before you are lifted off of your feet. sometimes he will break turn off the lights to get you to show off your glowing eyes.

When he first saw your merform in the pressure pool he wanted to hop right in but just before he jumped in you cocooned him in your silky arms, telling him he's an idiot for trying to swim in the most dangerous pool, he would be crushed like a tin can even in his merform! he said you were no fun but did have to agree that a broken tail would suck more. You keep an arm and eye on him to make sure he doesn't try anything particularly stupid. He really likes your cool silky arms! keeps asking when you would want to swim with him in the dorm underwater sanctuary. He's very lucky you are very patient with his very excitable self.

With special guest

Malleus: You both connected by being out at night, when the world is still and you feel closer to home. The darkness is a welcome relief to you. You and he crossed paths on a late-night walk. No words were needed as you both continued to walk through the night, pointing out some stars or other small things of interest. You even let your hair down and he happily allowed his magic fireflies to show themselves. You were the best of mute friends understanding each other's lonely life with no words needed. He and you took a few weeks before words were spoken and it was comfortable. he enjoys the smooth texture of your hair and is always pleasantly surprised at its strength when you do use it. you admire his dark power and how his horns are so tough and strong on his head.

When he first sees your merform in a lake one night he couldn't help but be mesmerized by your long silky arms. The way they floated and swayed in the water, the gentle glow from just under your skin, and the softness of your body in the water. He complimented you and your form, promising to show you his true form someday when you were both ready for it. He treasures your trust and tries to help you with his magic, even creating a spell to make a bubble of darkness around you so light doesn't hurt your eyes as much. He also really likes your eyes, unnatural yet powerful, like his.

[mrsleepytello]

Can You Tell me Abt Your favorite sea Creature(s)? :3 /gen

hoo.

ok so while i really like sea creatures and i try to watch and collect things about them i don't ... exactly know as much info as you'd think i would. i haven't started researching everything i can ( which i want to do, desperately ) so i get embarassed everytime the topic of my liking of sea creatures comes along cause it's expected that i would know alot info and facts ... which i don't somehow but whatever whatever

so this question is ... difficult but i'll try yeah. yeah. i really like most sea creatures, they're such ... interesting things like you at them and it's like what the fuck but uh back to the question. my favorite sea creatures are sea turtles and which my favorite sea turtle is a leatherback cause like ... they look ... cool. i don't know like info/facts like "oh where can you find them" etc but like ... i weirdly know about the anatomy of sea turtles and certain things since i had tmnt ocs who were sea turtles and i still remember certain anatomy details specifically with hawksbills, they have sharper claws on their like fins, sharper beaks where they get their name from and the like ends of their shell the back is sharp. i also really like sharks and jellyfish but i haven't done much research on them

me personally i think i'm just insanely interested on the anatomy and looks of sea creatures cause studying it is weirdly so fascinating and satisfying in my brain. learning all the little details just makes me happy but again like i said before i don't know alot so i get embarassed and even a little ashamed when i say i like sea creatures and people ask for info and i don't really have alot to say ... but also i literally just wrote a long ass paragraph so woah.

anyways this was too long, short answer is i haven't learned alot but from memory of studying the anatomy of hawksbill turtles they have sharper beaks, claws and edges on their shell ... yeah.

[ner0scum]

Magia Record just released new witch forms in the latest Factor of Despair event and I'd like to go through them and give my thoughts!

Do be aware that these are just my opinions :3 (also don't expect an in depth analysis this is just me gushing incoherently over designs)

Spoilers Below

Starting with Obariyon, Tsumugi Wakana's witch.

I'd like to start this by saying that this might be one of my favorites of the bunch. They're all really good, but something about this one just really pleases me. When I first saw it my first thought was "witch" and I know that's silly because obviously it is a witch, but the design really encapsulates the witch designs in the series, at least to me. What I'm trying to say is that it fits. It's beastly, it's bizarre, and it has a theme*.

I wasn't exactly sure how a vacuum witch was going to look but they pleasantly surprised me with this one. I especially like how they turned her into a bear, I find that very neat.

*Note that this is a crude list of what witches are. I'm sorry for the shallow, dumbed-down tldr of a witch but I really liked this design and couldn't find the right words to explain why, plus my brain is running on fumes. I hope the paragraph made a little bit of sense to at least someone reading ^^;

Carmela, Manaka Kurumi's witch.

What I like about this is how they continued to play into the jellyfish idea. When looking back at the doppel form, it gives me the idea of the jellyfish life cycle: going through the ephyra stage and transforming into the medusa stage, where the tentacles grow longer. It also eludes to an octopus with its many arms all multitasking, but the jellyfish idea still works, and is probably better.

Jellyfish have two kinds of tentacles: the stingers to paralyze the prey, and the oral arms to bring food into its mouth. Carmela has these two arm types as shown above: the ones with the burners and the ones that hold the cooking equipment—the dangerous arms that could harm anyone if they got too close, and the arms to serve food.

It also appears that Carmela lost her chairs that once stood on her face, only to be replaced by some kind of mass. I'm not sure what it could be, but I think it could either be fuel or the mysterious meat that she serves to guests.

Hevelius, Mifuyu Azusa's witch.

I'll be honest and say I didn't know what to think of this witch form at first. I'm not exactly a huge fan of the witch designs that are more on the humanoid side; however, this design does make sense for the bird-catcher theme.

A bird-catcher isn't just an object like a cage (which was what I originally thought of when hearing the term), but also a person who catches birds, and as we know, Mifuyu's doppel's description is a reference to the bird-catcher character from the novel Night on the Galactic Railroad.

When I remembered that detail, I came to appreciate the witch form much more.

Pennen Nenemu, Nemu Hiiragi's witch.

I originally didn't like this witch form because I thought it broke the whole bird-theming shared between Iroha, Touka, and Nemu's doppels (the loss of the red beak the doppel had). The only thing it has left that could tie into birds are the tail feathers and cape but that seems about it.

Still, I don't hate this design and I in fact still like it in its own way. I know I said that I wasn't a fan of the more humanoid witches, but that's not to say I outright hate them. Besides, the more I look at the picture the more I come to admire it.

Pennen Nolde, Touka Satomi's witch.

Something I liked in Pennen Nolde's doppel design was how the matchsticks were attached to its hanger, but here it seems more like she carries them around in her little basket. Another thing that's different is the clothes. The more elegant, frilly cloak/dress the doppel had is now more modest and meek, which does tie into the character that the doppel/witch references: the poor girl selling matches in Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince.

Still, in my personal opinion, I feel like they could've done more with this design while still maintaining the ties to the girl from the story. I feel like they should've kept the matches attached to the hanger (which in turn would still be coming out her back) as that would've made her seem more intimidating, kind of like a peacock. But then again, Charlotte wasn't intimidating and she was still dangerous and kicked ass.

Overall it's solid.

Finally, Old Dorothy, Alina Gray's witch.

Obviously we weren't going to get a bunch of paint splatters as those weren't the doppel's true form and was instead the cute little paint tube that sprouted from Alina's back. I was most excited about this one as Alina's one of my favorites and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

I adore the gas mask as it plays into the toxicity and virus-like quality of the paint she produces. The little blue lines on the face also play into that theme as it appears she's sick as well, putting her in a perpetual state of dismay. Perhaps she looks like that because Alina herself is disgusted that she got a cute witch form as opposed to a nightmare creature.

Unfortunately I don't have much to say other than I like it and would love to see how Old Dorothy fights in battle

Finally, we're done. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions of these designs if you'd like.

[angelofchaos001]

Okay, time for another update on my Outer Wilds journey!

I know this definitely contains Spoilers for the game, so be warned.

-Found Feldspar

-Looked at a lot more projection stones and such

-I know the Nomai were trying to find the Eye of the universe, but it was proving futile

-The thing orbiting Giant's Deep (I forgot it's name and can't look it up bc spoilers) is missing a part, that part is in the core of Giant's Deep

-I need a jellyfish's insulation to get into the core

-Don't know how to get past the current yet

-Did a quantum tower (Planning to explore the quantum moon soon, after I finish doing what I'm doing currently)

-The Ash Twin Project started after they figured there was a delay between . . . something with white and black holes, I can't remember the exact thing but again I can't look it up, their goal was to create a 22 minute delay

-The Sun Station was made to power the Ash Twin Project

Things I'm currently exploring:

-The Hanging City

-The Sunless City

Things I plan to explore but either haven't found/havent gone to yet:

-Black Hole Forge

-Quantum Moon

-Statue Island

I can't remember everything I've done exactly, but I remember the big stuff. Also I got the ability to meditate to skip loops, and I've gotten the dialogue for dying to ghost matter (Finally) and being autopiloted into the sun.

How much of this is right? I have no idea.

All I know is I hate trying to explore Ember Twin.

[rpstartersinc]

* 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐔𝐍.

feel free to change pronouns / wording!

“ don't be merciful, don't come back like snow white and the huntsman. ”

“ i've never been to a funeral, i wouldn't have come to this one if i'd known there'd be a dead person. ”

“ i know how emotional occasions like this can be. ”

“ i think we'll manage. ”

“ as soon as he clicks his fingers, you come running. ”

“ is this actually your car? ”

“ i don't make the rules. ”

“ what do you remember? ”

“ i really thought she was my soulmate. ”

“ he might've tied her up and now he's using us as bait. ”

“ we're hansel and fucking gretel. ”

“ i told you not to come in here. ”

“ i've been lied to all my life. ”

“ a jellyfish has no heart and no brain, yet it lives. what could be scarier than that? ”

“ i told you, you can't smoke it straight from the plants! ”

“ women seem to keep drifting away from me. ”

“ you look very cold. ”

“ driving slow in this kind of car is more suspicious. ”

“ who is sitting next to me right now? who, fucking... pablo escobar? ”

“ if you're going to do something ridiculous, i don't want to miss it. ”

“ you saw the blood on the laptop, right? ”

“ why do i have to wait in the car? ”

“ two types of people wear sunglasses in the dark, blind musicians, and cunts. ”

“ not who you were expecting? ”

“ if that sequence of events does not transpire exactly as described, i will murder you, slowly. ”

“ this is your fault. ”

“ if we stay here, we're fucked. ”

“ i can't leave him there, looks like... i killed him. ”

“ don't be sorry, just be helpful. ”

“ why did they do that? why did they shoot him? ”

“ i don't let personal matters get in the way of business. ”

“ did i say to stop? ”

“ can you just... can you stop disappointing me? ”

“ don't shoot anyone until i tell you to. ”

“ i just like it. what's that called? when you can't stop picturing bullets ripping through human flesh. ”

“ i don't wanna kill anyone. ”

“ none of that's secret, it's private. ”

“ what tracker? there's no tracker, this isn't james bond! ”

“ i'm keeping us alive. ”

“ you are the reason that we are running for our lives right now! ”

“ excuse me for taking an opportunity when i saw one. ”

“ no one's ever given me shit. ”

“ we're supposed to be keeping a low profile! ”

“ i used to have a terrible appetite for destruction on me. ”

“ do you think we're safe? ”

“ a great artist knows when to stop. ”

“ i should have known it was you. ”

“ you love a grand entrance. ”

“ your body count shouldn't define you. ”

“ can we just stop talking about death? ”

“ how is love going to make you strong? ”

“ i just fucking killed someone! ”

“ i hear nothing but empty words from everyone. please, i need you to say something real. ”

“ people have died. it just needs to stop, doesn't it? ”

“ breaking and entering is a crime, you know. ”

“ i know you're withholding information. ”

“ i bet they're fucking terrified of you. ”

“ there's no one who will help you out there. ”

“ people respect me, they listen to me. ”

“ you're ruthless, i like that. ”

“ what do you do on a day like this? ”

“ i don't think i can handle prison. ”

“ you shot my fucking phone! ”

“ you don't shoot friends! ”

“ you better not have broken my nose. ”

“ will you shut the fuck up! i'm trying to hear a bird. ”

“ i have a code. ”

“ bit of fun, never mind the consequences to yourself or anybody else. ”

“ you're gonna lecture me? you murder people for money! ”

“ i put up barriers between myself and the world, and there is, there's an isolation. ”

“ for the first time in my life, i'm making an actual choice. ”

“ i am not your friend. ”

“ could i come with you? ”

“ that wasn't part of the arrangement. ”

“ you have no idea what i'm capable of. ”

“ you shouldn't mess with friendship. ”

“ everywhere the awe-inspiring landscapes, i like to be the one inspiring awe. ”

“ you can be driven to do extraordinary things, things you didn't even know were inside of you, that no one understands.. ”

“ some of the things i've done... it's like i'm infected. ”

“ you can act tough all you want... ”

“ there's no reason for violence. ”

“ you're just making it worse. ”

“ i'm sorry i disappointed you, but you disappointed me too. ”

“ i'm sick of pretending i'm something i'm not. ”

“ get away from me, get back! ”

“ you tried to fucking kill me! ”

“ you said you wanted us to get to know each other. ”

“ it's me, i'm getting you out of here. ”

“ that's my fucking sore leg! ”

“ because i said to, now do it and shut up. ”

“ people like me don't get to be in that world. ”

“ my body, my do-whatever-the-fuck-i-feel-like. ”

“ friends for life? fucking bollocks. ”

“ you think i would join you? ”

“ do not sit there waiting for him to find you! ”

“ people get hallucinations, there's like treatment for that shit. ”

“ people see death, they all have the same thought. don't be next, be the survivor. ”

“ you don't just get something because you say you want it. ”

“ be someone people want to be around. ”

“ why is there dead bodies everywhere? ”

“ you came back. ”

“ we look out for each other, that's the rule. ”

[sunshinecircusworld]

story test - tom and carousel

this is the second time i tried writing a scene for this project, i wrote it last month and i've decided that i'll post it publicly :)

format, story, etc all subject to change

[Tom is a black-furred anthropomorphic tomcat. He is approaching a multicolored, primarily pink anthropomorphic zebra named Carousel.]

So your name is 'Carousel'?

𖦹 Yes. It is what I am and have always been, and thus it is what I should be called. 

Why are you always walking in circles? 

𖦹 The answer might be the same. It is what I am. A carousel spins in circles unendingly. 

But you aren't a carousel, you're a person.

𖦹 I know that. I am a person, but I haven't always been. I think I only started 'living' recently. 

...

[Tom feels an uneasy sense of understanding for what Carousel has just said.] 

𖦹 Do you think there's a difference between being 'alive' and 'living'? 

...Yes, I think. We're all alive, but we aren't always living. I think I've experienced something similar, maybe. 

𖦹 Oh, really? I'm intrigued.

Well, I don't know what you've been through, but, for me at least, when I was at home I was definitely alive, but I don't think I was living. 

𖦹 What was your home like? 

I don't really wanna talk about it, sorry. 

𖦹 I understand 

Sorry for bringing it up pointlessly...

𖦹 No, it was valuable to hear. I do think we have some things in common, but I don't think you're the same type as I am. 

What do you mean by that...?

𖦹 Being 'alive' is often juxtaposed with being 'inanimate,' right? 

Yeah, like inanimate objects, like, stuff and things, and stuff... But not all of the things we refer to objects are actually inanimate or actually not alive, you know? Like plants, they're definitely alive, and somewhere in between animate and inanimate, but usually categorized as objects when compared to stuff like people and animals. 

𖦹 Yes, precisely. In actuality, there is very little distinction between what is 'alive,' 'inanimate,' an 'object,' a 'thing'. All of those words have overlap with each other when arbitrarily categorizing the beings of the world. 

I've always wondered why people and animals are considered more alive than plants. And besides that there's all sorts of other weird stuff that I don't even really understand. Like jellyfish and corals and all that stuff? And bacteria and viruses too. I don't really get it.

𖦹 You don't need to 'get' it. Just understand that we all exist in this world together and we all perceive and understand and value it in different ways. 

Do you think things like corals, and objects can perceive and value things...? I know we were talking about animals, but I don't really know how plants feel about the world. Well, actually maybe they like the sun. Maybe they think the sun is the most beautiful thing in the world. 

𖦹 Yes, exactly.

But then what about things like rocks? I can't really imagine how a rock would perceive the world. 

𖦹 You don't need to. There will always be existences and perceptions that cannot be understood. 

Ah... I guess that's true.

𖦹 Anyway, I forgot to get to the point. I was once an inanimate object, but I was still 'alive'. However, I had not yet begun 'living'. 

What do you mean you were an inanimate object? That doesn't make any sense. 

𖦹 ...I'm disappointed in you, Tom, honestly. I'd have thought you'd have noticed by now that things here don't make sense. 

...Yeah I guess that's fair. 

𖦹 Like I was saying, I was once an inanimate object, I was literally an animal on a carousel, a zebra spending every day galloping around in circles while not moving a single muscle. 

Wait, you were like a carousel animal, like a ride? Being ridden? And able to remember all this? 

𖦹 Yes, I was likely cast in a mold and installed onto the ride, although I don't remember that part. I just remember being on the carousel, pierced by the pole and ridden by the guests. Around and around and around and around. 

What was it like? If that's okay to ask. Being alive but not able to move, not really 'living' yet...?

𖦹 I can't recall many emotional memories or details... I think my emotional capabilities may be abnormal or lagging behind in some ways. Maybe I didn't yet have a 'heart' when I was on the carousel. 

[Tom thinks deeply about this sentiment.]

I see...

𖦹 What I do remember was galloping, and the feeling of the pole and the guests, and the sound of the music. The latter was quite beautiful but the first two were... perhaps uncomfortable. But I tolerated it. I'm strong, after all. I needed to be.

You were 'alive,' but definitely struggling, but still surviving. So...when did you start 'living' and stop being an object?

𖦹 That I can't remember. 

Ah, sorry for asking. 

𖦹 What I do remember is when the pole piercing my belly was finally removed. It felt like finally being freed from a restraint after being stuck for so long... and the pole then became my walking stick, allowing me once again to gallop. 

Well, it's not the same as you, but I think I understand the feeling of being stuck, and then getting a bit more freedom. 

𖦹 Yes, it's wonderful. It was the best thing to ever happen to me. 

It is wonderful. 

𖦹 I was blessed to be given this new body, the ability to be an 'animate object,' the pole that has become my walking stick. All of them were given to me so that I can continue galloping. 

Is that why you just walk in circles every day...? I still don't really get it. Where are you going?

𖦹 There is nowhere to go when you gallop in a circle. It is the act itself, galloping, walking, running in a circle which holds significance. 

And that significance is...? 

𖦹 The strength to keep going.

Like how you kept going on the carousel despite your constant discomfort from the pole? Or do you mean it's about endurance in general, or the strength to keep living.

𖦹 Even now, although the pole no longer burdens me, it appears that the fact that I have been given a new body and the ability to move has left me with a residual eternal discomfort. And yet I keep going.

Do you mean you can still feel the discomfort from before even though you're not an object anymore? 

𖦹 Sometimes I do feel the pole, yes, but that's not what I'm talking about. My joints often ache throughout the day, for seemingly no reason. It'll start in the wrists, spread to the elbows, transfer to the knees, hips, and just keeps going in it's own loop within my body. It's like the discomfort and pain are also galloping in a loop, and each stop along the circle is one of my joints. I think it is because my body was stagnant for so long, and then altered to my new form, and it isn't quite used to it yet. Maybe it never will be.

Oh, wow. I'm sorry to hear that. 

𖦹 Don't be. It's how I live. I'm 'living' now, after all, even with discomfort and pain. I'm quite happy to be 'living,' even like this. 

Again, it's not the same as you, but I also get aches in my back and neck pretty frequently. And I seem to get tired faster than other people... So, I know what it's like to have a day where it feels like you're not strong enough to keep going. 

𖦹 I am strong enough to keep going. I know I am and I know I always will be 

Ah... I didn't mean to imply otherwise...

𖦹 It's fine. I know I am strong because every day I continue to walk, to gallop, in my circles and loops as I know I must, and every time I take even one step, it hurts. But I continue to take the next step, and the next step, and the next step. 

Wait, it hurts every time?! If that's the case don't you think you should take a break or something...? 

𖦹 It makes no difference. Discomfort and pain persist even when sitting, when lying down, and after resting, I still feel pain. 

Wow... You really are strong. 

𖦹 I need to become stronger. I know this because I have begun noticing changes in my body. It seems the joints will ache for longer and longer, and the pain too, stronger and stronger. 

Can't you take medicine for the pain? 

𖦹 It is not so simple. The medicine that has helped relieve the pain has had the side effect of interfering with my galloping. I can't have that. I must keep galloping. 

Ah, I see. That sounds tough.

𖦹 Indeed, it is. But I have been strong in the past, and endured much discomfort, so I believe I will be possible to do it again. I was blessed with this body and this ability to move. I'm certain it won't be stolen from me, and I definitely won't become an inanimate object again. 

That's great that you have so much confidence and motivation. 

[Tom feels somewhat jealous of Carousel's faith and drive for self improvement.]

𖦹 Yes, although I don't see it as an impressive skill or anything. I simply have no other choice than to live this way. 

Right...I guess that can be said about all of us, I mean, in terms of what bodies and abilities we happen to have. It's not really something we have all that much control over, so we adapt, and we live.

𖦹 Yes, we adapt, and we live.

[takami-takami]

Boundaries perhaps? I think it's being firm vs angry (???) is it that sometimes sounding firm can come off as sounding angry?

You're firm with boundaries and that extends to certain kinks and fetishes but I don't recall you being angry about it other than if someone has not been respecting your boundaries

- 🪼 / Jellyfish

Yeah I remember in the beginning reminding people not to send me in noncon in particular a few times because it's in my blacklist! Nowadays, I hardly get any asks that violate my boundaries though which is good.

I did yell at people for sending in aged up though back in the day, I remember like actually being angry about that. But that's not exactly a "kink" so I doubt that's what they're referring to...

[lesbianswarm]

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (282-283)

MAJOR SPOILERS

"Do you know?" she wheezed. "Do you know what they’re about to do”

"Yes, Execarne said, sadly. "We're enacting a guarantine. Exactly like we quarantine any other outbreak. Do you understand the problem of this disease? The long incubation period? They get better for a while. They can travel before they start to bleed. Once it's out it can't be stopped."

"I know," she moaned. "But ..."

But if all the Kyprananoki died, the things they believed in would all be gone. Their gods and holidays. Their food. Their grudges, their gifts. All the things they had made of what they had.

"I can't remember," Barhu said.

"What? What can't you remember?"

"Taranoke. I swear to the caldera gods, sometimes. But I don't remember their names. I remember plantain leaf and cooked pineapple. Coffee. Iron salt. But I don't know how to make our food. I don't remember the right word for the elders. I remember hating plainsiders but not why...”

"Hush," he said, blowing smoke. "Hush, you're rambling. You're putting confusion in the air. Vital to hold onto our subjective control of reality, with such chaos around us."

"We can't do this. You can't allow this.”

"There are less than a hundred thousand Kyprananoki. Even if we had a ninety percent chane of containing the disease—which is grossly optimistic—a ten percent chance of the Kettling escaping to kill a million people, just a million, outweighs the entire population of Kyprananoke."

No. That was accountant logic, the logic that had failed her in Aurdwynn. Because numbers alone couldn't count what Tain Hu had meant to her. She was one life on paper and yet a universe to Barhu. Kyprananoke was more than a tally on a page. They had a heritage, the Jellyfish Eaters and the Scyphu and the Tiatro Tsun. And they had a language. And so many irreplaceable people, people like Ngaio Ngaonic, who she had met at the embassy.

She knew that Tain Hu wouldn't drop the mountain. Tain Hu had survived plague. She'd lost her parents to it. And doggedly, determinedly, she had gathered the survivors to rebuild. Because she believed that the right of an individual or a people to have a chance, even the smallest chance, was inviolable. That right was what kept powers from rationalizing the destruction of entire peoples as an acceptable cost.

"This is the wrong way," she said.

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

"The female isn't yours to objectify, not in art nor anywhere else!"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "That's rich coming from you, Tequila. You had some pretty wild views about women last weekend..."

KIM KITSURAGI - "I don't know where he picked up these views, but wherever it was, he seems to be sincere about them."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that mixing art and sex can make you fucking *rich*. Just don't go on a jog, unleashing a cascade of doom that washes it all away."

2. "What's up with the tracksuit?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "What? You never seen 100% Lickra(TM) before? Go on, feel that primo material." The man extends his arm...

Touch it.

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Pretty nice, huh? This might be one of the last of its kind. Should probably be in a museum, honestly." He takes another sip.

INTERFACING [Impossible: Failure] - Good god, it's nearly impossible to describe how dirty this texture is. It's like rubbing two jellyfish skins together. You feel about 15% less human for having touched it.

-1 Morale

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Easy: Success] - Randomized trials have also found Lickra(TM) to be associated with a number of exotic, highly malignant cancers. So you also have that to look forward to.

PERCEPTION (SMELL) [Easy: Success] - And then there's the smell, but you don't even want to think about that.

ROSEMARY - "Wow, you're lucky. He never lets me feel it."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "That's because your paws are fucking filthy, Rosie! We're right next to the bay, you could wash them anytime."

3. "What about the other drunks?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "My fellow members of the Union of Moribund Alcoholics? They're exactly what they look like."

ROSEMARY - "'Ey! Tequila! You wanna buy some speed?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Shut the fuck up, Rosemary! He's a cop, remember?"

ROSEMARY - "I thought he was a cool cop."

DON'T CALL ABIGAIL - "Don't call Abigail!"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "And this is Abs." He points to the man in the pipe. "So yeah, that's basically us. We drink together."

4. "What's this about a lost jacket?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Tequila, it's a verifiable tragedy. It was practically brand new. Sure, it didn't really go with my Lickra(TM) threads, but it did itch a lot less..."

"Say, you're a detective, right?" He looks at you, bleary-eyed. "Maybe you can help ol' Doom Spiral out… solve the case of the missing jacket! What do you say, Tequila?"

"Wait. You're asking a police officer to help find a jacket you stole and then lost?"

"Okay, sure. Where'd you lose it?"

"I don't have time for this."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Yeah, exactly. You're here to serve, right?"

2. "Okay, sure. Where'd you lose it?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "If I knew where I lost it don't you think I'd have it? I mean -- maybe I was up by the boardwalk? Or walking along the beach? Or checking out the abandoned fish market?"

"That's a lot of places."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Somewhere north of here, that's for sure. You could ask around, see if anyone's seen it."

New task: Find Idiot Doom Spiral's jacket

5. "Let me ask you something else." (Conclude.)

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "I'm all ears, Tequila."

4. "Have you got any more stories?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "I do -- but as you can see my fuel tank is running quite low, if you catch my drift..." He spins the bottle in his hand. Not a single drop of liquid remains.

"I don't have any on me right now."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Cotton mouth is keeping my tongue imprisoned." He shrugs his shoulders dramatically.

3. "Be seein' you." [Leave.]

ROSEMARY - "Good to see you, friend! Do I have *deals* set up for you, buddy-boy!" He spreads his arms as if wanting to embrace you.

"What are you talking about?"

"Good to see you too, friend."

"I'm a police officer, not your friend."

ROSEMARY - "So whadda'ya want?" He tilts his head. "I got smokes. They're cheap. Very cheap. I got pilsner. Great deal. You won't get a better deal on that piss... Spirits I can let go for 300 reál. I also have speed. And by *speed* I mean amphetamine."

HORRIFIC NECKTIE - See, there it is, bratushka! -- you feel your necktie *strangle* you with excitement -- the *spirit*! Let's buy the spirit! 300 reál is a lot, but this has to be done.

It's our END GAME.

This is just another stupid drunk idea I'm having, that I'm attributing to my necktie.

This is the mystery and the truth and I need to buy that spirit.

What if I don't want to listen to my necktie anymore?

HORRIFIC NECKTIE - Bratan, you don't understand. It's not just another drink. This is what our relationship has been building towards all these years. This is the climax. The mystery. The virginal sigh.

You *have* to buy it from him. Get it off him. Kill him, if you have to. Our ultimate fate depends on it. And the fate of *many worlds*.

New task: Spirit is eternal

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant looks at you looking at the bottle of spirits. Then at Rosemary, suspiciously.

So, we can buy cheap drugs from Rosemary, including more alcohol if we want to immediately pass it on to Doom Spiral. We very obviously cannot afford the 300 reál spirits.

"Amphetamine?"

"Quite the business venture you've set up here."

"Why does the bottle of spirits cost 300 reál?"

[300 reál] "Here's the money for the spirits."

[2 reál] "I want a pack of smokes."

[1.50 reál] "Here's the money for a pilsner."

[15 reál] "Sell me some speed."

"I'm off." [Leave.]

ROSEMARY - "Aye, by amphetamine I mean speed."

"I think you didn't hear me, when I said I'm a police officer."

"I thought by speed you meant amphetamine?"

"Right. Got it."

ROSEMARY - "Sure did, buddy-boy," he taps the side of his nose. "That's why I said amphetamine. I mean speed. I mean amphetamine. I got both."

"I thought by speed you meant amphetamine?"

ROSEMARY - "Aye, 's'what I said."

"Right. Got it."

ROSEMARY - "Good-good, my man." He takes a chug from his beer bottle. "Now what can I offer ya?"

2. "Quite the business venture you've set up here."

ROSEMARY - "Oh..." He gets a proud gleam in his eyes. "The system's been good to old Rosemary here and I'm milkin' 'er like a bitch goat in the backyard."

"What do you mean?"

ROSEMARY - "You see, friend," he raises his index finger, "man makes his own luck -- and I made mine real good. Got my hands on three bottles of *liqueur exquise*, sold two to the fellows around here and *immediately* invested the profit."

"Bought cigarettes, bought beer, even bought a bit of speed. And look at me now… I got everyone on my hook." He spreads his arms and smiles a crooked toothless smile.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - The hook -- where is it? I can't see it.

[ganymedesclock]

I've been reading Monsters Of The Sea by Richard Ellis, a book recommended by Jacob Geller in his youtube video Fear Of Big Things Underwater.

As an avid fantasy enthusiast where a lot of my childhood was committed to rpgs, especially Final Fantasy, I think often about the categorization of Monsters. In most of these worlds, monsters have no apparent ecology and little biology except what makes them either more intimidating or more plot-profitable.

A lot of these worlds also feature novelty animals that don't exist in reality- Final Fantasy's iconic chocobo is a stand-out example. But really, what about a domesticated terror-bird isn't monstrous? The presence of chocobo as fighting summons alone tells us that huge beak and long legs aren't for show.

But the chocobo is domesticated; it has a niche, to humans at least. The monster is "the other". In Monsters Of The Sea, a section detailing the anatomy of known and studied squid discusses two different accounts of the Humboldt Squid, sometimes called the Jumbo Squid. One by a research vessel:

He was different from the other lesser squids, not only in size and shape, but in color... Hardly had we gasped out our joy, when in exactly the same spot he appeared again, and went through the same maneuvers... None of us will ever forget the spectacle of that long, torpedo body shooting out of the froth of the rip, the snaky, outreaching arms beaded with big vacuum cups, and above all, the huge disks of eyes which glowed like silver plates in the tan flesh.

And another from a group of big game fishermen.

Only then did we realize how grotesque and truly fearsome were these creatures we had been fighting. The first squid caught on rod and reel was a terrible thing. Stretched on the stern of the boat, it measured nearly 9 feet in length and weighed more than 100 pounds. One end supported ten armlike tentacles which were frightening to behold. Nested at the apex of these tentacles was a glistening beak, against the slashing attack of which few living things could survive. As if not sufficiently ghastly, the creature was endowed with two baleful, unblinking eyes, laterally placed behind the head.

It truly and abjectly baffles me that these are descriptions of the same animal. They seem like night and day. One is unmistakably a monster, described caught in an eerie phosphorescent feeding frenzy with innumerate fellows. The narrator muses about how intuitive it must be that locals fear this location because of how numerous and potentially aggressive the squid are. I can hear the classic final fantasy battle music. The Kraken appeared!

But it is only an animal. Only alive. A predator, and a social one, but no more foul or virulent than anything else on land or sea. This same animal, seen in the light of day, is a highlight to a research trip, gaped at in admiring wonder by the men lucky enough to see it breach.

The cephalopod's reputation is mired deep in preconceptions of monstrosity. Say the word "Lovecraft" to the average person and the image they conjure is the god of all monster squids, the unrelenting horror. Cthulu's out there and he's gonna get you!

And yet, I can only remember that evergreen tumblr post that discussed jellyfish in space; "Your cthulu is an infant with a migraine."