#mer-engines

[number1spongebobfan]

:)

[captainsvscaptains]

Battle of the Ships

Round 1 Part 2 Poll 1

The Nautilus picture was submitted via the Google form, with the submitter mentioning this pic is from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen's comic.

Description for the Nautilus : Nemo's submarine. It is referred to as "The Nautilus", the original is from the book written in 1870, but there have been various versions of it over the years.

There's some concept art made for various copies of the novel from over the years.

It features in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Both the comics and the movie have different cool Nautilus designs.

Propaganda for the Nautilus : Main character in the book, the naturalist whatshisname, didn’t gush over the sub for chapters and chapters, didn't ad drop for a gear shop in Paris that definitely doesn't exist anymore, and loved the ship so much he didn't mind the fact that he and his friends had been kidnapped and held against their will, for me not to nominate The Nautilus. (The book is such a trip to read. The protagonist is so unintentionally funny.) The Nautilus was supposed to be a futuristic version of what technology should be capable of in some decades. Electric long lasting lights, technical design that allows it to dive to unrivaled depths and speed, a research vessel, etc. It was such an influential ship for the sci-fi genre that I believe it's the most well recognized fictional submarine there currently is.

Description for Skiff : Railboat

Propaganda for Skiff : what the fuck... he can go on land AND sea. pretty op if you ask me

[grijakultur]

Conversations whilst cleaning The Engine

911 fox S4x12 - Tokyo MER 2021 Ep. 8

First responder husbands (911 fox - Tokyo MER 2021) part 3

[part 1] , [part 2] , [part 3] , [part 4] , [part 5] , [part 6] , [part 7] , [part 8]

[the-tf2-gremlin]

WHAT LURKS BENEATH: CHAPTER 2: HUMAN

NO WARNINGS THIS TIME, SMALL AMOUNTS OF BLOOD IS THE WORST AND SOME CLASSIC AUSSIE CUSSING AND PROBABLY A BADLY BOTCHED GERMAN ACCENT... XD SORRY I GAVE OUR LOVELY GRUMPY OLD MAN OF A MEDIC A VERY THICK ACCENT. YOU’LL SEE WHAT I MEAN LATER.

ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN LINK: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42437688

All he remembers was sinking. The crushing weight as the waters grew colder and darker, before his eyelids fluttered closed. Now having lost all his strength and energy, he was unable to keep his buoyancy, which now was sending him seemingly to his demise.

Mother never took him that deep, she warned of all the bigger more aggressive mer folk and the sharks that preyed on the weak within the deeper ends of the oceans. Mother always kept him in close to the shallows of the coat, and chased off any that drew too near to her pup. Some left missing pieces thanks to his mother, which she’d always hug and nuzzle him after such a close encounter. How badly he wished mother was able to do that now. To just hold him close and stroke his hair, tell him it would all be okay….

After several long minutes of nose diving, his body painfully made contact with a grainy sands of the ocean floor, his gills feebly opening and closing. With lidded eyes, he did his best to raise his head. From what little orientation he has left, he thinks his landed on his sensitive nose, and then flopped onto his side, before rolling onto his belly. Not that he has any memory of this. His head swam viciously, leaving him feeling nauseous and scared.

Smaller reef fish swam closer, gently picking off bits of bugs and algae on his skin. Apparently his “relaxed” demeanor was a open invitation for smaller fish to come feast. That truly didn’t bode well if something bigger came alon-

The smaller fish scattered. A strange oddly shaped shadow loomed over his body. Not even with the strength to lift his head or open his eyes, he just laid there. Utterly helpless. It made unsettling noises, like when orcas and whales would blow bubbles from their blow holes, to entrap fish or to communicate. This sounded like a eerily alien sound that made him unconsciously grit his teeth. It made his head hurt, his stomach churn. Weakly, his gills moved, and he pathetically gnashed his jaws in protest and as a threat. A very stupid looking one but a threat none the less.

Whatever made that shadow was now right besides him, possibly just shy of a couple inches. With what little strength he had left from adrenaline, he opened his eyes wearily. If he was going to die, he was going to die staring the beast down, showing he still had fight left. Or at the bare minimum, defiance. The tip of his long sleek tail twitched. He was beginning to regain some feeling in limbs… When he shifted his gaze, he froze up in sheer terror.

The thing, looked like a weirdly stretched out hairless seal, it was utterly horrifying! its colors were all wrong, a painfully dark blue streak running down its shoulders and the rest black. It seemed to have horrid gills that spewed bubbles and were horribly misshapen gills, with some weird single gleaming eye in the middle of its face! It practically ate it’s entire face! What was that horrid thing?! Slowly, it raised it’s “arms” in some sort of pacifying gesture, as if trying to indicate it meant no harm. Unfortunately, the gesture left him incredibly unconvinced.

The strange abomination's hand reached out, before gently touching his right cheek, giving his face gentle taps. He blinked slowly, eyes blearily focusing on the up close movement. It made him nearly blanch. Anything he did with his eyes made his stomach protest angrily, threatening to heave any small fragments of fish he did just eat earlier right back up. No thanks. Weakly, he moved his head to the side, whining softly. 

The creature seemed to give some sort of worried grunt, before its hand went up into his hair. It stroked him gently, doing the same comforting thing his mother would do. Out of reflex his eyelids fluttered, and against his will he leaned his head into the touch. If he had the strength he would’ve bitten that limb clean off from the bone. His blood boiled as his tail gave away how much he was secretly enjoying the touch and attention.

There was a sharp prick of pain down where he felt something stab him when he was at the surface trying to outrun that strange pod. Panic gripped him, his body coming to life in the blink of an eye. All his strength seemed to ignite in his body, as with one slap of his tail he left the strange creature in his wake, doing his best to resurface. His air bladder was empty, and that would make swimming back up topside extremely difficult. Without the ability to resurface and no energy to get enough water flowing over his gills... He would surely suffocate. Granted, he could remain still and breathe. Just, not at this depth. The weight of the water was beginning to already eat away at his body and fragile lungs.

Unfortunately that small outburst inly landed him 2 feet away from the creature, panting and shaking. At least being underwater the thing wouldn’t see the stinging of his eyes and if he were crying. The creature paused, watching him carefully. In it’s hand was a strange small black metal tip, which he hadn’t noticed was there the pain from the surface came from. Weakly, he turned his gaze to the right side of his lower tail.

A small trickle of blood seeped from the foreign object that has imbedded itself in his side…. That was where the numbing sensation and where his energy seemed to start being sapped first. His blood even drifted lazily off the metal thing in the creature’s hand. The creature didn’t move, it’s unblinking eye just watched him, very cautiously. Once more, it did its best to make that “I mean no harm” gesture, before ever so slowly creeping forward to him. Weakly, he just stared, eyes barely focusing on the odd creature. There was little more he could do. 

*** Sniper’s Perspective ***

This time, the shark was half turned to face him, breathing labored. That tranq dart sure did a number on this poor little fellow. Awfully young, he looks so skinny and afraid. It’s gorgeous large blue cat like eyes bored holes into him, watching every move he made very cautiously. It was on the defensive, and being newly weened from its mother it would be incredibly skittish. Strange, this fella was bit of a runt, yet judging from the growth notches in his dorsal fin, it seemed to be roughly 26 years of age... Granted Makos didn't GET big but damn this one is small...

Even netting one this small would’ve meant it’s too small for breeding... But it’s coloration and vibrant eyes would’ve done extremely well as a zoo critter. Such a fate for this lil bloke seemed horrible.. That and sending him to a sanctuary... A soft twitch of the critter’s tail made him jump faintly. Tended to forget this was still a wild animal... And despite it’s runty size it could rip him to pieces.

The reason he wasn’t dead was thanks to it being exhausted. That and it’s air filled lungs that helped it remain at a certain depth in the waters got depleted once the dart hit it. If it weren’t that he’d surely be in it’s stomach right now. Unfortunately, it would most likely die if it didn’t make to the surface and refilled those. Worse yet, he hasn’t seen any sign of the others approaching yet.

Shit. It didn’t have long, and if he came back up without it unconscious and tied up, he’d be the one in the chum bucket. Or as live prey for the next shark. worry began to gnaw at him, as he looked up. Still no sign of them... Why were they taking so long?!

The man grit his teeth, before very slowly creeping towards the mer shark. It flinched, baring it’s teeth as a warning. It was half on its left side now, clearly still struggling from the narcotics in its system and the lack of buoyancy. God this was fucking insane. Why the hell was he doing this?! This was the definition of insanity. He’d be lucky if he kept all his limbs after this, if not his head and throat...

Gently but quickly, he pressed a hand on the bleeding wound, making the creature cry out in distress. Slowly and softly, he stroked its back, just behind its dorsal fin. All it did was flare it’s nostrils, gnashing its teeth at him softly, but besides that it didn’t react. In fact it seemed to relax, as it shivered each time at the touch of its scales being petted. It even arched its back, trying to make contact with his hand each his hand left it’s body to give another pet. This earned a very small smile out of the man, as he watched it’s tail wag very slowly.

This was very common for newly weened pups, their very touch starved and are very used to being over coddled by their mothers. Weening it very hard on youngsters, so he guessed this small amount of touch was making worlds of difference to the pup. The pup made soft what he could best guess and chirping and clicking sounds, close to a dolphin or an orca, but much deeper and more guttural.

It’s eyes were half closed and it’s tail wagged gently, clearly enjoying the attention in it’s half conscious state. He wasn’t gonna lie, this creature was gorgeous. And judging form the build of its face, torso and jawline, it undoubtedly was a male. And the claspers were a dead giveaway. Handsome lil fella he was… The man flushed and shook his head, cheeks burning under he mask. Bloody hell the pressure had to be getting to him…

The man steadied himself, realizing this could kill them both if this failed. Mustering all his courage, he took as deep of a breath he could muster from his oxygen mask, before slipping it off his own face. Quickly he laid right besides the mer shark, who was still dazed and soothed by the sensation of being pet. Carefully, he grabbed at the smaller male’s bottom jaw, very gently prying it open. Oddly, it didn’t react. It seemed to lulled into sleep like state, meaning he easily could be too late. SHIT, if those dumb asses murdered this lil fella in cold blood, their blood would be all over his hands by the time he got back to the boat... 

Despite the fact he could feel the mer sharks teeth cutting his own fingers, he slipped the oxygen mask into it’s jaws, doing his best to get it to close it’s jaws around it. It seemed to blink a few times, as he did his best to stroke its back, hoping it’ll start taking greedy gulps of air. Meanwhile, his lungs were starting to scream at him, begging for that mask back. A huge relief was when he saw the mer shark’s eyes snap open, taking hearty breaths, it’s gills now pumping furiously. It was working! As stupid as this plan was…

It was managing to get its air back, and the oxygen seemed to be what it badly needed. After even a few moments, the shark seemed to lift off the gravelly sea bed, and was regaining its much needed buoyancy. Pups did not have the lung capacity yet to breathe under such deep pressure, and clearly it nearly killed this little fellow. For a tense moment, it locked eyes with him, seeing through the glass of his diving goggles. It’s eyes seemed to bore and search into his, all fear seemed to be erased with curiosity.

The creature stared, and tilted its head. Slowly, it released the oxygen mask apparatus from its jaws, before gently nudging it back onto his face. With extreme gratitude, he hastily grabbed it and slipped it back on with shaking hands. Seeing was getting hard and he felt incredibly dizzy. Taking greedy hungry gulps of air, he felt his lungs scream and writhe for holding his breath over 3 minutes under immense pressure.

How his heart, lungs or brain didn't burst he wasn’t sure. The man sat there for a few moments, busy trying to regain his his breathing and lower his heart rate. While he was distracted he didn’t notice the mer shark move besides him. Gently, it reached its clawed hand out to caress his face. He flinched, eyes widened with fear. Their eyes met. They just stared.

For the tense time he was busy feeling the pressures of the waters nearly crush him, he forgot he was LITERALLY pressed side to side with a fucking mako mer shark. This… was so incredibly awesome and yet so utterly horrifying.

It’s jaws was fully closed, and it began trying to mimic the same things he was doing to calm the mer shark down minutes ago. It seemed to think his oxygen tank was his strange dorsal fin, as it was gently rubbing/stroking just to the sides of it. It... It was FUCKING petting him?! The entire time it refused to break eye contact, and to be frank he was too scared to.

This entire moment couldn’t be happening. THIS WAS A HALLUCINATION, THERE WAS NO WAY. Humans and the mer folk were in a state of unspoken war, both sides getting more and more hostile towards one another. This was possibly one of the few reasons the others weren’t rushing to his aide. At the moment, the ones who banned the illegal black market selling and dealings had... Turned a blind eye in light of the recent attacks. Meaning, there was less ground for the law enforcement to do anything about it. Sales of living mer people had increased ten fold, along with selling their parts. Truly, he was glad this lil bloke was well off enough not to require him taking it to his animal sanctuary, when he first saw it he feared it was so small and sickly it wouldn’t be of use to the other men, alive.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the mer folk now curiously poking at his sides and touching his cheeks. He was utterly flabbergasted, this sort of closeness between humans and mer folks have ever been recorded. Not for years at least. Once decades ago it was speculated they got along... but... Stupidly, he just sat there, unable to formulate any thoughts in his head. Mostly just how badly he was blushing having his lower back touched by a half human half shark being…

Something startled the creature, as it glances at him before dashing off towards the nearby coral reef, heading to safety. The man looked up. A series of 4 other boats were heading in the direction of the one floating above him. About damn time! Lazy wankas! A lot of yelling could be heard, as the men in the stalled ship began reviving the engine and speeding off, two of the boats further away turning in hot pursuit after them.

He smiled, knowing that his job was successful. Slowly, he turned back to the reef, waved, and slowly began making his way up to the surface, taking it slow as to avoid giving himself the bends. Every few minutes, he’d stop and allow his body to catch up. By the time he got to the surface an hour had passed. He breached the surface, ripping off his mask and breathing in hasty gulps of salty air.

The sounds of voices and loud talking of many men met his ears, and he recognized the thick Scottish accent and a heavy commanding German one barking orders as usual. Ugh. Of course he was stuck with them. Bugger. Slowly and begrudgingly, he swam towards the coast guard’s boat, not sure how exactly what he was going to be greeted with. Perhaps his tip off might buy him some leniency… With the German there, that was extremely unlikely.

Welp, whatever came next would be well worth it. He saved a life today and it didn’t matter if anyone but the little mer shark noticed. Before he grabbed onto the rungs of the metal ladder, he turned out to the sea. His eyes widened slightly, as he saw a very large dorsal fin cutting through the surface, about where the reef was, before quickly vanishing back into the reefs below. Was… was it saying thank you…? Maybe it was just curious of the commotion… The small gesture made his heart hammer against his ribs, his cheeks once again flushing slightly.

His dazed daydream was cut off by a strong red gloved hand reaching down and grasping his wet suit, before he yelped in shock and surprise to be hoisted up and being tossed onto the boats floor, wincing from the impact the scuba tank had against his spine. There was loud yelling, before strong arms pinned his arms behind his back and had a firm grasp on his shoulders, before holding him still long enough for him to glance up at the man’s face. Rigid posture, extremely agitated, and a long scar running over his right eye. Fuck. Oh he was so buggered. 

“AH, mistor Mavoerrich, longh time no see hmmm~? So kind of youh to send us zhat little tip off, about the illegal poaching of zhe local wildlife, vhich vas greatly appreciated... BUT zheeing how youh also are still operating zhat animal sancurary vithout a legal license und and collecting ill creatures for it, doesn't exactly bode vhell in zhe court of law, does it? But, ratting out your comrades, might earn youh some... leniancy. Especially zince these SHCWEINHUNDS have managed to escape zhe law for years... UND mein comrade sees zomethigh in youh as redeemable..” The German man stared down at him, despite him actually being a whole foot taller, the impressive ache in his back wasn’t exactly helping and it kept him hunched over. Maverick kept his mouth shut, glaring daggers at the German. With a faint smile, the German tsked him a few times before shaking his head with a eerie grin.

“Awe, remaining silent again, hm? You’hre taking all zhe fun out of mein job. Seeingh zhat we have nothingh to discuss, toss him in zhe brig. Make SHURE he has NOTHINGH on him! Jetzt Jetzt!” The German motioned a shooing motion with his hand, before turning his back to Maverick. Hastily, the two burly men hauled him below deck, stripping him of his diving and other miscellaneous  gear before confiscating it and aggressively throwing him into a holding cell with a change of clothes. Piss, they were weren’t happy to see him were they...  With a pained whine, he sat up, staring down at the orange jump suit sitting in his lap. Crickey, he wasn’t weaseling out of jail time today was he...

Everything hurt… honestly he would’ve seen this coming. If it was just the Scotsman he could’ve weaseled a conversation out of him. The German, oooh they had history. With a loud and defeated sigh, Maverick shivered as the cold sea air made contact with his sopping wet suit. With a great amount effort, he changed into the jumper, staring at his very cramped accommodations. This was gonna be a very long drive home… And all he could do was sit and wait for the hell that was about to befall him. All he hoped was that little fella makes it out there alright and has a good long life…

The sound of the ocean winds hummed gently at the open window on the other side of the boat far from his reach. There was another sound, too. Faint singing of a mer shark in the distance, being carried along the waves. Haunting, beautiful, and eerie. Maverick gave a tired smile, listening to it. There was a sneaking hunch of which which mer man was singing, and at least it meant the lil bloke was alright.

With that, he curled up best he could on that uncomfortable metal bed with a flimsy mattress and a sheet, doing his best to doze off being sung a oceanic lullaby by the mer man he saved earlier that day. Maybe… maybe he could change… Perhaps after he did his time he could get a legal license, and own a proper sanctuary… maybe… he’d see that quirky little ankle biter again… maybe…. Maybe….

[norrisleclercf1]

Forever Mine

Pairing: Mafia!Charles x Reader

Rating: R

Words: 2.6K

Warnings: Charles gives us whiplash with his emotions, hinted of kidnapping, smut, nothing crazy descriptive, p in v, drugging, Charles thinks about killing so no one else can have you

Requested: Yes/No

Request: Could you do mafia Charles but he’s like obsessed with reader and maybe kidnaps her or mafia dark obsessed ex Charles who finally found her after reader ran from him?

Synopsis: You had no idea who your boyfriend is

A/N: I did not edit this because I’m exhausted and just didn’t feel like doing it

The buzzing on the nightstand has Charles smacking his phone. Grumbling in annoyance, he pats around for his phone; grabbing it, he squints at it.

3:12 am

"Qui que ce soit, il a intérêt à mourir." Charles snarls, hitting the green button, pressing the phone to his ear. (Whoever this is, better be dying)

Charles fully expects it to be one of his men, instead a sob rattles his chest as your voice fills the other end. "Can you please come and get me?" Words catching as you hiccup on a sob.

He doesn't think twice as he jumps out of bed, hissing as the stitches on his wound stretch and burn. Ripping up his pants he keeps his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder.

"Que s'est-il passé ? Quelqu'un vous a-t-il touché ? Je vais les jeter à la mer avec les autres." Charles hears sniffles, booming music, and people probably drunk laugh around you. (What happened? Did someone touch you? I'm going to throw them in the sea with the others)

"English, Charles." You whimper, yelping when a body crashes into you. He swears red filled his eyesight when he hears you whimper, rushing down the stairs. Ignoring the private doctor that just finished stitching him up. "I'm sorry Mon monde. Where are you?" Heading straight for his signature Ferrari.

"I don't know, some club." He tries very hard not to snap at you. How could you go out? Without telling him? You're crying, clearly terrified in his own fucking city. "Y/n, listen to me. What do you see, anything familiar?" Voice calm, but that deadly calm that'd seen grown men cry.

"Um, oh I see the port. Your yacht I can see it." Calming slightly as you move away from the club towards the comfort of something familiar. "Go there, some of my me-" He stops knowing that you know nothing about his life. "Some people I know and trust are there. I'll be there in 5 minutes." He hangs up.

"You're 20 minutes away." You whisper, staring at your phone confused. Now that you knew where you were, you stumble your way to the gorgeous yacht owned by your boyfriend. "Who are you?" A deep pissed off voice has you jumping, looking up at a giant man tattooed and buff.

"Charles, he said to come here and wait for him." You whisper, clutching your phone to your chest. "Listen, if you're one of his who-" He stops talking when a shrill ringing sounds. Grabbing his phone he answers it.

You watch as color drains from his face, eyes wide as he stares at you. "Yes sir, she's here. Yes, sir. I apologize sir." Hanging the phone up the guy clears his throat, sliding sideways. "Come in." Voice softer as he helps you step onto the deck.

No one talks to you, the sound of a roaring engine has the 3 men around your straighten up. "Where is she?" The accent is like ice filling your veins. He's furious. "She's on the deck with the others." The scary guy from earlier answers.

Thundering feet has you lifting your head, looking right at Charles. "What the fuck were you think?" Mouth open, Charles stops you. "No, you know what? You weren't fucking thinking! Do you have any idea the type of men or women that live here? What'd they do to you? DO YOU?" Curling in on yourself, vision blurs from the tears pooling.

He's never yelled at you like this. A harsh tone, a look, he refuses to even touch you without your permission. So, to have him snap like this has you....scared.

"You're scaring me." Hoarse, that's what your throat is after all the crying you've done. Something in Charles, breaks. You're the one person he's never wanted to scare you. And here he was, showing that one side he's never wanted to show.

Dropping to his knees, he gathers you in his arms. Body shaking, Charles whispers secret apologies, hands running all over your body. "I'm sorry, fuck. I'm so sorry." Nose burying in your neck, smelling the slight hints of sweat, his body wash, and alcohol.

"I didn't do anything wrong, why are you yelling at me." If that didn't sound like such a childish excuse, nothing will. To him you did something wrong, went into his city without telling him. "You scared me, do you know what type of people live here? They're not good people." He whispers, leaving the words I'm not good on his tongue.

Charles chose to leave you in the dark about his secret life. All you knew is that, he has money, people respect him, his name carries some type of power. You've questioned it once, Charles snapped and said for you to never ask him again.

It's a constant tension between you two.

"Come on, we're going home." An edge to his tone, trying to keep that shadow in him tied down. "Just take me to my place." Charles was scaring you more and more by the minute. This was not the man you love.

The sweet giggles, soft touches. How his voice warms you, treats you like his queen. This wasn't the man before, it's a shell of him.

"No, we're going to my place. End of discussion." He gathers you up, standing as he carries you off the boat. Face hidden in his chest, your heart thunders in your throat. You want to argue more, but your scared that it might set him off. "Okay."

Bright lights flash, a beep and you're placed in the black leather interior of his Ferrari. Clicking the door closed, he might as well slammed it with the echoing silence of the car. Even with how scared you are, you can't help but admire his beauty.

The way he slides into the car, his hair pushed in different directions. So enraptured with him, you miss the wincing he does as he sits in the car. Purring of the engine is the only sound between the two of you. It's like he's daring you to say the first words, to submit and explain what you were doing.

He wins.

"It was a friends party." White knuckling the steering wheel he remains quiet, leaving you to further explain. "It got out of hand, got scared. I called you. Should've called Pierre instead." The last end of the sentence a whisper.

Smoke and tires screech, flinging you forward a scream is ripped from your mouth. "What the fuck!" You gasp, chest hurting from the seatbelt that dug into your chest . "Call him." Whipping your head to the side, mouth open in shock.

"What?" Confused by his action. "Call him. You wanted Pierre more than your boyfriend. Call him, see if he's willing to come here and pick your ass up on the side of the road." His voice held no anger, nothing. Utterly emotionless.

"Charles, are you seriously kicking me out of your car?" This sobered you up quickly, the words sucking it right out of you. "I don't know, am I?" The fucker was challenging you, testing you almost.

"I'm drunk and tired, are you really going to holds my words against me?" Forcing yourself to look small. It's a reflex now. Whenever Charles got mad, your body reacted and would submit while your mouth raged to fight back.

His whole demeanor overpowered yours. A tiger and it's prey, the way his eyes bored into you. Waiting to pounce or see if you run.

"Yes, I will. Especially when the woman I fucking love, wishes she called my best friend than me." If you could, you'd slap the shit out of him. Charles is an enigma if you knew how he'd react you'd do it. He was constantly changing, new sides and reactions each time you did something. One thing never changed though.

His jealously.

It's a raging storm, once caught your never free. "Charles, take me home. Please." A soft beg, you just wanted to go home, didn't matter if it was his or yours. The engine purrs back to life, seats shaking softly as he pulls back into the road.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We're here." He startles you, it's the first thing he says to you after his little stunt on the road. You don't answer him, flinging the door open. Heels click on the pebbled pavement that leads to the front door.

How he owns a mansion in Monaco is beyond you, living in the outskirts of the city.

The door slams, rattling the car an Charles with it. "Putain de salope, tu devrais t'enchaîner dans la cave." The hiss of French makes your ears burn. He knew you didn't speak it, and here he was speaking it. "Fucking English, Charles! You know I don't understand!" You hollar slamming the front door open. (Fucking bitch, should chain you up in the basement.)

Unlocked. Why the hell is such a fancy house left unlocked without a care in the world. As quickly the thought comes it leaves, hands wrapping in your hair yanking you into a chest.

"Listen here," Charles voice deep, like thunder whispers in your ear. "I will speak the language I want. Now, stop being a fucking brat and go take a shower." His hand slips out, leaving a sting in your scalp that has you seething.

Stomping up the stairs, Charles storms to his office slamming the door. Heavy breaths pass his lips, trying to calm himself down not wanting to do something drastic.

"Sir?" 3 taps on the door has Charles gruffing out a 'come in'. The doctor from earlier steps in, asking how his wound is. Charles furious with you, forgot about opening his wound slightly opening when he rushed to your side.

"It's fine, get everyone out of the house. Now. I need to do something what I've been putting off." Nodding, the doctor slips out of the door. The soft taps of feet against the marble floor and echoing click of the door lets Charles know, everyone has left.

He makes his way through the empty, cold house following the sound of running water. He doesn't head straight to the bathroom, going to his liquor cabinet. Pouring himself some whiskey he sips on it, watching the outline of your body in the foggy mirror.

"Tu aimes faire croire que tu as le contrôle, je vais te prouver que tu as tort." Charles sighs moving to the bathroom, you knew he was here. The air growing stiff the feeling of eyes on your body let you know that Charles was the one watching you. (You like to act you're in control, how wrong I will be proving you)

"Can I join." It was meant to be a question, with him though he was going to join you wither you wanted him to or not. Sitting his glass down, he undresses not caring if you see his wound or not. A gush of cold air hits your back, pushing you further into the hot water.

Jumping when icy fingers touch you, they quickly remove themselves from your hip. "Fuck.....I've fucked up haven't I?" You hate the way his voice sounds so broken, even worse the way your heart aches hearing it. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? What it's like getting that call in the middle of the night? It terrified me." He whispers.

You hate yourself for turning around, for seeing the way his head is down. The utter disgust deep inside you for wrapping your arms around his neck pulling both your naked bodies close.

"Just kiss me." He wastes no time granting your wish, lips soft press against yours. Hands trailing over your back, fingers moving around your curves. His tongue gently prying your lips open, slipping past he doesn't speed anything up.

He takes his time, remembering every inch of your body. He knew after tonight you'd never remember him the same nor let him touch you. Tonight he was going to relish in this.

"Je t'aime." Air catches in his throat, hearing those soft french words pass your lips. Looking in your eyes, it's like your soul is ripped open showing him the love, trust, hopefulness. "Je t'aime." He repeats, nudging your legs open, stepping between them.

He takes your air, sinking into him your lips move across one another. This time it's not so soft, he's kissing you like it's the last time. Like he's a dying man gasping for air.

"Charles." You whimper feeling him rub against you, he can't help the smirk that grows against your lips. "What is it love?" Voice teasing as he thrusts his hips up forward again you drop your mouth open.

"Take me to bed." Hands move to your ass, lifting you up legs wrap around his waist as he lays kisses over your chest. "Always." Stepping out of the shower the two leaving a trail from the shower to the bed.

Giggling as Charles drops you on the bed, you finally take notice of the fresh wound. "What happened?" Body shrinking in on itself when your fingers ghost over the stitches. "Work injury, no need to worry. It'll heal." Covering your naked body with his, he nips at your breast.

"Mhgm." Unable to help the sound that passes your lips, as his lips warp around your tit the other being twisting and pulled between his pointer and forefinger. "I love you, you know that right?" A lick to your nipple as his eyes bore into yours.

"I know that." His fingers move under your knees lifting them up as he spreads them, making sure he doesn't hurt you. "Ready?" He asks, lining himself up, you nod. "Always." You repeat pulling a smile out of him.

Slowly he slides in, watching the way you swallow him. "Shit." You gasp, the way he stretches you always feel so damn good. Charles says nothing as he takes deep breaths through his nose you wrap your legs around his waist.

Moving his hips back and forth, he can't help but watch the way your face contorts with pleasure letting yourself go completely. How easy it'd be to just take the life out of you right here and now.

End his suffering, the end the constant terror gripping him that someone will take you from him. He refuses to let anyone else own you, to make you moan, see your body like this, anything. He'd kill you before anyone could have you.

"Charles, fuck right there." Biting your lip, Charles moves deeper keeping the same slow torturous pace as he angles his hips to hit that one spot that makes you see stars. "Right here? Hm?" Charles asks moving his hips faster which has you gapsing.

"Fuck yes, right there." Fingers digging into his back as you drag them down leaving your mark on him, it hates how he wants it to hurt to remind him of the pain he's going to be causing you.

The two of you lose yourself in each other chasing your own highs. "I...I'm fuck." Legs tighten on his waist locking him in as you come Charles pumping into you a couple more times before he shudders placing his weight on top of you.

"You'll love me forever, right?" Charles's question shocks you out of your euphoric high. "What?" You can't help the little giggle that escapes you. It dies fast when you see the harsh stare of your boyfriend.

"Of course, Charles." You sit up sliding out from under him. "You're the love of my life. I'm never leaving you." He nods, but hands move around reaching into his nightstand he nods. "I don't believe you." He whispers hand wrapping around what he was looking for.

"Charles, how could you say that? I love you, I will always lo-" Eyes widen feeling a little prick in your neck, Charles staring at you no emotion displayed. "You can say it all you want, but this is the only way. Only way I can keep you. You're either mine, or no one's." He whispers watching you fall back into the pillows.

"The only way, only way."

[thisisnotthenerd]

and now the best battles of the intrepid heroes go head to head

feel free to give reasoning/propaganda as you like!

the sidequest poll

quick episode descriptions:

arcade ambush: fighting biz in the arcade. the failed perception checks. getting sucked in and out of the games. riz in the palimpsest. beating a nat 20 in the box of doom. shooting off biz's fingers on the count of three.

broadway brawl: the show must go on. misty having the performance of a lifetime. queen titania. i may be little but i am fierce. esther in the rafters. don confetti. ricky, naked, bodyrolling on misty. stephen sondheim riding a bear. subduing titania with a waist trainer.

blast from the passed: after the trial for gorthalax. completely indecipherable battle. bill seacaster kills gilear. johnny spells can't get a word in edgewise. statistically i have just a good a chance at rolling good as any of you. toxic masculinity is dead, i dance now! riz is blasted off the ship into the iron city of dis.

boys' night (Roll20Con): just the lads, going to a party, where they are supremely uncool. extorting gilear for alcohol [uncle pappy's dag nasty rocket hooch] emergency poem for ragh and corey. stealth mode down the highway. chungledown bim is back. fabian falling under the car with the liquor. warping space time and going to the lan party.

deep bleu sea: peppermint batman is invisible in the darkness. primsy is attacked. jet sends stilton to the bottom of the ocean. shenanigan time. the boats sinking and shifting. cumulous appears. throwing the cheese marauders to induce a dexterity check. can i use swirlwarden to get back into the boat. annabelle in the yogurt

treachery at gramercy: fighting around the umbral engine. ricky's bat counterspell. pete surges twice. cody is a mounted combatant who read dante's inferno. tony simos is a crazy level 20 open hand monk. pete has subtle spell. ricky says tony get fucked and does 90 damage. kingston's spirits of the city. sofia stunning everyone. cody meets lucifer and makes a new contract. sofia pulls dale out of the past and into the present.

battle of the brands: the gang buys truly so much stuff. you are required to do a certain amount of drugs. barry is the angel of mercy. the sisters of the cosmic veil having a bikini party. taking kublacaine. we are the ball. barry taking brutus to the finals on a nat 20. nat 20 death save from aurora nebbins. margaret speaks to the plinth and then is down to 1 hit point. skip crits on the plinth. free teleportation shenanigans are not allowed. gunnie casts explosion. barry rapid shots the plinth and does product placement. operation slippery puppet. am i getting ocean's'd 11'd on my own fucking show? what the fuck is happening? a real son of a bitch is no more. sundry sidney has saved the dog!

terror on toy island: a soft little touch. mer-king's insect plague. no daddy. pib getting the little guys. i'm so fucking scared! the water surges around the mer-king. the terrible dogfish is here. daddy-meter is spinning. pinocchio crits to figure it out. pinocchio screaming to wake the dead. it has asthma! and another thing, with the eyes! you were about to instantly die. gerard is wearing full chain mail in the ocean.. rosamund & ylfa are swallowed. the sea witch shows up. murph causes a nat 20. call of destiny. rosamund gets the eye with a seven. i'm a lion in the water. pib's acrobatic crit. one v. one.

[starshideurfics]

Thirsty Thursday - Mer-May

steddie, omegaverse, mdni🔞, inspired by Emma’s (crybabyao3 on twt) mersteve and pearls

Eddie didn’t believe the kids at first when they said they found a mermaid. Especially after Dustin explained that he didn’t have a tail.

“He said he got it taken away by a sea witch. That she’s helping him find his alpha.”

“And just where is this tailless mermaid anyway?” Eddie asks, arms crossed over his chest.

“We’re hiding him at Hopper’s beach house for now,” Lucas starts.

“Yeah, he’s not exactly dressed for us to bring him out in public,” Max adds with a smirk.

Eddie shakes his head, rubs at his eyes. “Please tell me you don’t have a naked omega sitting in Hopper’s place. He’s gonna freak.”

“That’s why you need to come with us, get him out of there. You’ve gotta bring him to your place,” Dustin says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Eddie wants to argue, but instead he grabs the keys for his van. “Fine. But I need to meet the guys in an hour, Joyce got us a gig down at the Surf Shack.” It’s a big step up from the high school beach parties they usually play, since they’re getting paid in more than shitty beer and enough money for gas.

“Thank you, let’s move!” Mike yells, grabbing Dustin to lead the group out to the parking lot.

The kids yell the whole way, recounting how the found Steve—the mermaid’s name is Steve  for chrissakes—wandering the beach, completely unsteady on his feet. Max thought he was drunk, but El was worried he was hurt, so they asked him what was wrong and he spilled everything.

He probably found the best group of 12-year-olds possible, since they believed him.

Reaching Hopper’s beach house, Eddie cuts the engine, doesn’t bother waiting for the kids as he heads inside; they catch up almost instantly anyway.

“Steve! We’re back!” Dustin yells as he walks through the side door behind El, since she’s the one with a key.

“We brought our friend Eddie, he’s got his own place so you won’t need to hide there,” Max adds, right on Dustin’s heels.

Eddie is prepared for nudity as he hears awkward shuffling from down the hall. But that’s not what he gets.

Steve walks into the kitchen covered in pearls. The bits of fabric they’re attached to fit perfectly around his torso, but have been tied to cover his bottom a bit haphazardly.

The pearls must be worth a fortune, what with the size and color, but all of Eddie’s focus is drawn by the man’s beautiful face, flecked with moles, his eyes the rich brown-green of sea kelp.

More importantly, his face lights up with his smile. “Thank you! I don’t want to be any trouble, but I’m so grateful for your help!” At first, his smile is just for the kids. But then he looks up, and his eyes go soft.

When his eyes lock with Eddie’s.

“Hi,” Eddie manages to make his stupid mouth say.

“Hello,” Steve answers, not as dumb, but just as soft. “I’ll be staying with you?”

“Yes!” Dustin answers for him. “Eddie has his own apartment, you’ll be safe there.”

“Okay, shitheads—and El—get on back to whatever you were up to before, I’ll get Steve settled.”

The kids try to protest, but Steve agrees, says he won’t be interesting the rest of the day since he’s tired. It’s true, since he dozes off in the van on the way to Eddie’s. He looks so peaceful it pains Eddie to wake him.

But he does, gently, gets another soft smile as he escorts Steve up to his second-floor apartment.

“I’ve got clothes you can borrow for now, then we can find you something you like. But I’m pretty sure you’d get a citation for indecent exposure if you went out in that again.”

“Oh,” Steve says, sadly looking down at his chest. “I wanted to be wearing it when I found my alpha. My pearls show I am ready to be claimed, that I have my dowry for my mate.”

“Did you harvest them all? That’s a lot of oysters to open, especially for the colors,” Eddie says, unable to hide the awe in his voice.

“No, they’re my pearls,” Steve says, like Eddie should understand more than he does. “Mers lay eggs, and if they aren’t fertilized they become pearls. These are the pearls from my heats.”

Eddie suddenly feels the need to readjust himself. “From your heats,” he repeats softly.

“That’s why they’re for my alpha, to show I’m ready for pups.”

“But your alpha is here, on land?”

“Yes!”

“Then you aren’t going to be laying any more eggs, sweetheart. That’s not how heats work for humans.”

Steve’s hand rests low on his belly, covering the perfect circle of pearls. “I know.”

“And how do you know your alpha is here? You can’t have gotten close enough to scent him.”

“I heard him, playing my heartsong. I hear it every so often, coming from the shore, fast like my heartbeat, like he needs to scream to the world. Like he’s calling for me.”

That really piques Eddie’s interest. “He’s playing on the beach? Is he alone?”

“Not always, but I can still pick him out, that’s how heartsongs work.”

Eddie’s mouth feels too dry, and he swallows hard. “Can you hum any of it? Maybe I’ve heard it before, can help you find him faster.”

Steve smiles, hums a melody Eddie knows all too well. One he based on the songs his mother would sing him when he was little. Without a word, Eddie reaches for his acoustic guitar, easily taking over the melody from Steve, playing on as the omega falls quiet.

When Eddie stops, he looks up to see Steve’s big eyes, tears on his cheeks. “It’s you,” he whispers, reverent as he steps closer, far more sure on his new legs now.

“I guess it is.” Eddie puts down the guitar and pulls Steve close, finally scenting at his neck and feeling like there are new colors in his world as he smells waterlilies and coconut and fresh salt air.

Steve leans in first, kissing his mouth, awkwardly guiding Eddie’s hands to tease at his nipples through the gaps in the pearls. Then he grips Eddie’s hips, pulls their groins together and moans at the feeling of his alpha’s cock pressing against his new, human pussy.

“Alpha, please!” he groans. “Want to feel you.”

Eddie obliges, pulls at the ties over Steve’s ass, lets the fabric fall from between his legs, and carefully traces his fingers along his seam, already wet with slick. 

He doesn’t have time to knot Steve. Not if he wants to make it to the gig. So instead, he guides Steve to sit on the couch, Eddie kneeling between his thighs, using his mouth to make his omega come.

————

Steve accompanies Eddie to the gig that night. He’s wearing his clothes: a black band tee and ripped jeans that cover a bite high on his thigh.

Eddie has a single, blue-grey pearl added to the chain around his throat.

part 2

[thepersonnamedsam]

hello I hope you’re doing well 🥰

A very specific scenario I have is coming home to a sleeping Carlos after being away for a few days and he wakes up to the sound of the bedroom door and it’s just very soft warm fluff both are so affectionate and cuddly Carlos is still sleepy and giving each other long hugs and neck kisses as they missed each other, thank you very much just thinking about this helps me sleep at night it would be incredible to read it

the love i feel for you - cs55

pairing: carlos sainz x fem!reader

summary: carlos came home from austria before you, you find him sleeping slightly and enjoy his sleepiness

word count: 1.6k

warnings: tooth rotting fluff

note: thank you so much for your request, one of my absolute favs to this day!! hope you enjoy reading it and you can sleep better at night :)

masterlist / taglist

You were a nurse, working late was your standard. You knew Carlos came home today. You had watched the race on Sunday before you went to work. Happy and sad at the same time. The time penalty didn’t help the case. But you had to focus on work.

You knew he would be home before you. Asking yourself if he‘d stay awake or was already in bed. You car was loud when you parked it. Cursing it, you killed the engine and stepped out onto the parking lot. Feet heavy, they dragged against the concrete. You were tired and just wanted to feel Carlos‘ arms against your body.

He was gone since the last Monday, you haven’t seen him in a week. Your heart clenched for the man. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you started dating Carlos. But you didn’t think it would be this hard.

You tried to be as silent as possible, but the door didn’t play your game. The loud creak made you still your movements.

You knew Carlos was asleep by the dark apartment. Everything seemed lifeless and still. Your heart was beating like crazy in your chest. You just hoped that Carlos didn’t hear the bloody door.

Carlos heard the door squeak. His body stirred and the pillows didn’t seem right anymore. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes and wondered if he’d only imagined the sound, as he didn’t hear anything else.

His feet hit the floor, the cold wooden tiles sent shocks up his legs. He needed a moment to collect himself, before he could trust his body to stand up without falling down again. He was exhausted. The race robbed his last nerve and his body ached.

It took him five steps to grip the door handle and push the door open. Your eyes scanned the room and saw your bedroom door opening. You cursed yourself out - you did wake him. You rushed to take your shoes off and hang your jacket on the wall.

A slouchy Carlos entered the room and his eyes were searching for you. Head heavy and and eyes tired, he saw you standing in the entrance. He sighed, a sigh that signaled you, that he was glad you were finally home. He dragged his body through the corridor, where he finally met you.

Your arms snaked around your body, scratching his naked torso on the way. Your head hit his shoulders and he felt your breath on his collarbone, tickling it. His chin found its way to your shoulder and laid there. His scruff grazing your cheek.

You felt him tightening his grip on you and pulling you closer to him. You held him close, until your heartbeats raced in sync. Both hearts on P1.

You wanted to say something, even opened your mouth, but closed it again; you didn’t want to ruin the moment. You guided him towards the bedroom, you were so tired. He followed you, hand in hand.

You felt him lift your arm, warm and dry lips mer your hand. One, two, three, ten kisses were placed on your soft skin. His eyes closed, he felt the goosebumps on your skin. You shuddered.

You turned around and embraced the love of your life. His warm body pressed against yours. His hand stroking up and down your back. You sighed. Suddenly your clothes felt too much and you had to take them off. He helped you out of your pants and your shirt.

Underwear long gone you grabbed under your pillow to find your night gown - an old shirt of Carlos. It felt cool against your skin and Carlos‘ look made you shudder even more. You sat down on your side of the bed and Carlos scooted over towards you. His hands laid on your shoulders, massaging them lightly. No words were spoken, but you didn’t have to, you understood each other perfectly without them.

You took a deep breath, the tension leaving your body with every touch of your man. He came closer, his torso now against your backside. Hardness reached softness. He slowly guided you to lay down. Your back now against his chest. His hands on your hair, grabbing and twisting at loose strands. Your hands roamed his thighs up and down. Nails scratching the surface, you felt his hair standing.

Both of your eyes were closed, content with the contact. You missed him dearly. You had to look at him. You turned around to take a good glance at the Spaniard. His face relaxed, no trace of worry in sight. His long eyelashes covering his closed eyes. His nose only barley moving with his every breath - you wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t staring. His big and kissable lips just looking at you. You pressed your lips together. Putting your hands down onto the mattress, you lifted yourself up, just so much you could reach his face with your face.

He didn’t open his eyes, but his mouth ever so lightly twitched. He knew what you were going to do. You blew onto his face, something he didn’t expect - his face scrunched up and opened one eye. Your amused face greeted his sight. He loved your smile, even though you only smiled at him, because you were teasing him. He didn’t care.

You leaned your face closer to his, until your lips met. Slow and soft. The kiss was dry and warm. It felt almost too dry. Slowly you let your tongue swipe over his lower lip. He smiled and let you pass. The kiss turned into a slow burn make out session. Passionate and loving. Tongues touching and lips parting.

Your hands were placed on the side of his face, your whole body weight put on his - he didn’t mind. His hands were on your back, stroking up and down. You had to part some time, gasping for air he only smiled at you. He could still make you breathless - after all these years.

You weren’t laying in bed right, heads on the side, rather than on top. Your pillows were to your left. Carlos rearranged you two until you laid in bed like normal people. Your hand searched for his, when you found it he immediately took it into his big and calloused hand. It felt right, like your hands were made for each other.

You turned your body towards him, pecking his lips softly. But for him, it wasn’t enough. It began to get hot, his body heat and yours mixing together and creating a hotness you never experienced before. It felt like your body was on fire - but it felt good. His lips met your again for the fourth time that evening. Not dry anymore, but wet with your own salvia. It was more a smooch than a kiss. The plopping sound loud in the quiet and dark room. Your right hand on his bare waist, the left still in his.

You knew he was ticklish, that’s why you tried to be as soft and light as possible. You embraced him, your nails leaving half lion imprints on his skin at one point. You kissed his shoulder, moving up to his neck. You felt his stubble against your lips. It felt like some sort of massage. His breath hitched as you reached his most sensitive part. Sucking on it he almost moaned. You felt his hot breath on your neck. Soon it was replaced with his hot kisses. He did the same to you - he found your sensitive spot and started sucking.

You were sure you needed quite some make up to cover it up tomorrow. But at that moment, life was good and you didn’t think about anything after right this second. His tongue met your hot skin, it almost made a sizzling sound, so hot was your neck. He licked a stripe up to your ear, took your earlobe between his teeth and pulled on it.

You smiled. It was your favourite thing - laying in bed with Carlos and feeling him everywhere. Suddenly he turned on his back, took you with him. This position was familiar, the same you had earlier. Your head on his hairy chest, you felt him kiss your head multiple times. You closed your eyes again, ready to sleep.

It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep and Carlos enjoyed just holding you and looking at you - all relaxed and safe and sound.

Bonus scene:

The next morning Carlos was up early. When you woke up you tried to feel for his body but only met an empty and cool bed side. But you did smell coffee. Your feet hit the ground and carried you to the kitchen. Two mugs with steaming coffee stood on the table. Next to it a little note.

Will be back soon, love you xx

As soon as you read it, the front door opened and the smell of fresh croissants filled your nose. You heard his shoes hit the floor and the keys dangle from the keyhole. When he entered the kitchen he smiled at you. His head leaned down and reached your lips. They tasted like mint, that means he already brushed his teeth. You kissed him back with poor mouth breath. He didn’t care.

You two sat down and had breakfast. It was lovely and as you got up to bring the dishes into the kitchen and clean the table, he grabbed your arm and pulled you into his lap. His face buried deep into your hole between your neck and shoulders. His nose nuzzled against the bare skins showing. You closed your eyes and tried to savour this moment, tried to save it and put it into your brain, so you’d never forget it.

°°°

taglist: @ironmaiden1313 , @topguncultleader , @biglittlesecret , @gulabjamooon , @lovelyy-moonlight , @peachyplumsss , @mistrose23 , @copper-boom , @love4lando , @champomiel , @serenityleah , @iloveyou3000morgan , @angelwithoutmywings , @elleeeee21 , @youkissedareaderinthedark , @mikauraur , @thybulleric , @lpab , @fdl305 , @mellowarcadefun

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Congratulations!!

If you feel inspired by this combo and have time, could you write a ficlet using "I", 🍨, 🥰 or 😂, and 🔨?

Thank you!

(Apologies if you already got this ask--my device froze when I sent it the first time, so I don't know if it went through)

Thank you so much! 🥰I still remember your lovely comments on the mer-dude fic, so I hope you enjoy this little bonus! 🦕❤️🧜🏻‍♂️

Of mates and mer-dudes

Words: 996

Rated: T

Tags: summer camp AU; mer!Steve; established relationship; flirting; sexual tension; fade to black

Notes: Set in the same universe as Just add water

“Hammer.” 

“Hammer,” Eddie repeats dutifully. Dustin spends two or three seconds trying to drive the nail in with the object he's been handed, until he realizes it's a screwdriver. 

“Very funny. I said hammer.” 

“Apologies,” Eddie mutters, chucking the screwdriver back into the mess that is their toolbox with one hand and wiping his sunburnt forehead with the other. “I think we've been out here longer than is strictly healthy. How ‘bout we call it a day and head back to camp? It's almost dinner time.” 

Dustin scowls. The hair under his Thinking Cap is matted with sweat and he is red-faced and splotchy. An unavoidable side effect of working out on the secluded pier all afternoon. 

“We can't just stop now, it's almost done,” Dustin claims, gesturing at their rickety construction of wood and mesh - it’s supposed to be an oversized fish trap, even though Eddie thinks it’s turning out to be more of a funky modern art installation. “This'll work, I know it. This time, I'll prove that Lovie is real. All those past times, it got away too quickly, but if I could just-” 

“Jesus, kid,” Eddie groans. “You and your lake monster. You don't know when to give up, do you?” 

“Give up?” Dustin scoffs. “If Thomas Edison had given up, we'd still be lighting candles. If Homer Ahr had given up, we would've never walked on the moon. I sure as hell won't-?” 

“The fuck is Homer Ahr?” 

Dustin heaves a long-suffering sigh. 

“Only mission control's chief engineer, Eddie? Honestly, that's the kinda question I'd expect from Steve, not you. Where is he, by the way? I thought he wanted to help us.”

“No idea,” Eddie admits. “Lucky bastard.” 

Dustin draws a breath, probably to ask what he means, but Eddie is saved by the sound of the dinner bell floating over from the camp grounds. 

“Okay, you gremlin, off you go,” he says, pushing the kid towards the sound before another argument can break loose. “We can finish this tomorrow when we aren't dehydrated and grouchy.” 

Dustin grumbles. “What about you?”

Eddie waves him off. “Be there in a sec, lemme put away your shit first.” 

He starts picking up their scattered tools, throwing them back into the box. Only when he's sure that Dustin is well out of earshot does he collapse at the edge of the pier, naked feet dangling over the water's surface. 

“Man,” he says. “That kid, right?” 

There's a soft growl from behind him, and the barest of sloshing sounds, and a shadow falls over him. He only just manages to suck in a breath - knowing he'll need it - before a massive snout pushes between his shoulder blades and he goes plummeting into the lake. He’s dimly aware of the toolbox going down with him, and then the world vanishes in a whirl of bubbles.

He resurfaces to the feeling of arms wrapping around his waist and massive fins brushing his legs, and the sound of laughing voices - one human, one very much not so. He tries to glower at their owners, but actually needs a second to part the sopping curtain of his hair.  

“So fucking hilarious, you aquatic asshats. I thought I told you to quit doing that.” 

Lovie the lake creature just chirps merrily and dives back under again, splashing him with her fins as she goes. 

Steve shrugs. The motion makes tiny droplets of water run down his bare shoulders and collarbones, bringing out his freckles and moles and tiny, glittering scales. Eddie wants to lick them. He has long stopped worrying about what that says about him.

“Sorry. She just wants you in the water with us. She likes it when the flock is together.”

His smile is apologetic, but his tail curls around Eddie’s legs in the water, fins wrapping around the two of them possessively.

Because, see, here's the thing. Over the past year, Eddie has not only discovered that his infuriatingly pretty fellow camp counselor is a mermaid and the guardian of an ancient lake creature. He has also somehow managed to score said mer-dude as a boyfriend and been adopted into the lake creature's flock.  

“She never does that shit with Buckley,” he grouses, even though Steve’s words make something flutter in his chest. Steve's touch, also - hands on his hips, fins on his ankles. “She's part of the flock, too, isn't she?” 

“Yeah…” Steve blushes, a delicious pink hue on wet, sun-tanned skin. Eddie wants to lick that, too. “But Robin isn't my…” 

He trails off into an unintelligible mumble after that. Eddie wrinkles his brow. 

“Your what? Come again, fish boy, I didn’t-” 

“My mate,” Steve blurts, and the fins on his hips flutter excitedly under Eddie’s fingers. “Robin isn’t my mate.” 

Eddie feels his mouth drop open. The water is unpleasantly cold against his flushed skin. 

“Wait,” he says when he finally remembers how to form words again. “Hold on a second. When did that happen?” 

Steve’s face is still scarlet, but his lips start twitching when he meets Eddie’s eyes. “That’s just the way she sees it. You can’t expect her to think in human standards. Now c’mon, we gotta get to dinner or the kids will wonder where-” 

“Oh, no!” Eddie interrupts him, mouth tugging into a stupid, wide grin of his own. “No, no, no, sweetheart. You don’t get to tell me that we’ve been mer-mated for God knows how long and never officially consummated that sacred connection. I’m gonna get a mer-divorce if you don’t-” 

“Oh God, shut up,” Steve groans, and kisses him. 

As he gets dragged off to their favorite little shore, well out of sight from the camp grounds, Eddie bids a brief mental farewell to the toolbox lying abandoned at the ground of the lake. He’ll have to make up some story about where it went when Dustin asks him, but that's a problem for later. 

For now, he’s got other things to think about. 

More celebration ficlets

[number1spongebobfan]

He is so splendid

[muppenthings]

Cetus, a freshwater mer with gigantism.

Age: young adult

World: Jordh

Timeperiod: Modern time, 2020's

Personality: Childish and willful. Very sensitive. If he's around people he likes he can be relaxed and amiable. He's tactile which can be an issue due to the size difference.

As a freshwater mer he's very sensitive to the mood and energy of others. If he's met with nervousness or frustration, he'll be stressed or agitated. He'll then engage in behaviour such as chewing on things, flicking his fins or tail, fidget with things. Or people if they're not calm and assertive with him. Which can be quite problematic.

Gigantism: Due to a genetic mutation, Cetus has a very special case of gigantism. He'd be growing indefinitely if not medicated monthly. There's a slightly more elaborate answer about it in this post.

Background: As a baby, his parents left him with humans as he was growing too big too fast due to his gigantism and they didn't know what else to do. At the time humans didn't know much about freshwater mers either as they are elusive (and dwindling in numbers). Initially it didn't go very well with the humans failing to properly handle the young mer. And the trial and errors with medications to stop the growth led to him feeling quite sick. It all led to a young Cetus escaping the humans for a while. He was later found and lured back into a bay where he's still kept. The humans that work with him have a better understanding of him now so it's easier for both parties.

Other notes

Communication: Due to his gigantism, the membranes in his syrinx (that produce sound) have thickened so much they can only produce a deep rumble, leaving him unable to speak mer or human language. There's still variation to his rumbles; ones that resemble thunder to ones so deep the human ear can't hear them (but oh can you feel them vibrate through your bones).

Senses: Cetus has low vision in both of his eyes so he often keeps the nictitating membrane (third eyelid) over them to focus on his other, much stronger senses. He also has electroreception which is very keen. It allows him to sense electric currents, meaning he can detect muscle contractions, like heartbeats, twitches etc. All this gives him an uncanny ability to now exactly where a person is and if they're calm or not. It doesn't help with inanimate objects however.

Scars: The scars along his sides and back are from motorboat propellers. Freshwater mer rubs their bodies against eachother as a sign of affection. Given his size, Cetus struggles to satisfy this instinct properly so he'll rub against the objects that "his" humans are on. If they're on a boat and the engines are running... welp.

Also freshwater mers live in pairs, which can be romantic or platonic. So Cetus is quite lonely, often staring out at the open sea.

[steviewashere]

Want to Go Home With You (Bring Me a Home)

Rating: Teen and Up (May Change With Future Chapters) CW: None, at least for now Tags: Alternate Universe - Mermaids, Hurt/Comfort, Dialogue Heavy, Took Canon Out Back And Pulled an Old Yeller, Mer!Steve Harrington, Fisherman!Eddie Munson, Soft Steve Harrington, Confused Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington Wants to be Loved, Mermaids with Animal Like Instincts, Future Propositioning, Lowkey Might Involve Some Omegaverse Aspects in the Future (Not Sorry)

This is chapter one of ????. Also this takes place in Oregon because that's what I know and the idea of a merman living in an Indiana lake-beach is odd to me. So...bear with me. This is my first like actual alternate universe, completely separate from Stranger Things, so be nice.

Also, I've written Steve here as a merman who's had no contacts with humans—his English is choppy and his understanding of basic human communication is weird. If that's a turn-off for you, turn back now.

Read Part Two Here

Can also be read on AO3

🧜‍♂️—————🧜‍♂️ Fishing wasn’t the ideal career to be going into after high school, but Eddie had to do something while he waited for his dreams to kickstart. Granted, going into this business was easy because his uncle owned the local bait shack. But it didn’t make the job any more appealing in the end. Not even the many beaches he had the chance to truck out to. There was Cannon Beach and Seaside’s, but he stayed close to home in Newport’s.

The beach wasn’t anything super spectacular. Sure, there were parts of it inhabited by the native seal population, some of the areas overloaded with crab shells. And it was damn near majestic during the summertime. Eddie, however, didn’t see the gist of spending time there, though. Maybe it had to do with how every single one of his work days would go, the hours spent sitting in the serene stretches of water. But nothing was intriguing or worthwhile about spending his time there.

That is, until one particular early summer day.

June isn’t a busy summer month for Eddie and his uncle. It was the right temperature, but there was still the risk of storms. Heavy duty kind of storms. Business didn’t stop, though. He woke up at 5:30am, when the sun was still acclimating to the baby blue sky, and readied himself in coveralls, thick and tall rubber boots, and a bucket hat that protected his lopsided mop of curls. His hair remained back in a bun and his skin was doused with paste-like sunscreen. In one hand he carried a red fishing rod and in the other, an old black lunchbox transformed for tackle.

He went out to the docks. To the few run down boats. And climbed aboard his uncle’s tried and true, S.S. Lenore—a tiny thing, made for up to four people, overrun with nets and crusted muddy footprints, and equipped with a singular cooler. The engine always took a few pulls to start up, jostling and crunching like food run through a garbage disposal, but it did the trick. And then he was off.

Eddie always took the chance to float out for a handful of minutes. Sometimes fifteen. Sometimes ten. Set himself up stagnant in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nobody, with no chance in hell he’ll be interrupted. Today he just needed to get a cooler full of trout. Rainbow trout, to be more exact. They’re easy fish to gut and debone, good for baking in the oven, and stuffing full of herbs for marinated fish stew. He’d gone out previously to hoist in mackerels and herrings. This was the last trip he’d need to take for a good two weeks, but he was going to do a damn great amount of work for it.

“This should be good,” he mumbles to himself, just barely breeching the edge of his boat. The ocean underneath him moves in subtle pushes, rocking him lightly against itself. Its color is bright and shining—bluer, somehow, than the last time he visited just a few days ago. He can see schools of trout idling underneath the sheen of the water. And so he rigs one of his nets, tosses it over the side of his boat, and slowly sinks it into the water.

And he waits.

It isn’t until half past when he came out that the net begins to rustle. Tugging and splashing, but it doesn’t settle the way it does when it’s some regular trout. No, this threatens to topple Eddie straight into the cold depths of the water below. To sink his boat and turn it over of all its resources.

He grips to the ropes holding the damned thing up. Pulling at it hard enough to give him the starts of burns on his soft palms. And he heaves. Groaning with it. Panting unrelenting in the face of this thing trapped inside his net. Whatever he caught is surely not some common fish for his soup, this is something more—maybe even more dangerous. And he hadn’t thought to bring anything with him to ward off danger.

There had been one time where a shark got caught. Eddie happened to have a knife on him that time. He gave in, cut the ropes on the net, and let it free—which cost him the equipment, but luckily saved his life.

This is a time where having that knife would be spectacular. But as he hefts the net, he realizes that this creature caught is no ordinary thing. It’s not a shark. Not a seal. Not a school of fish. However, through the floundering waves around him, he catches on a fish-esque glimmer. Scales of some sort shifting with the catch of light breaking through.

He wrestles with the net for a few minutes more before eventually getting a good enough grasp to tie it down. Pulling up the rest with his hands, he’s met face to…tail with this creature. It has scales—pearl white and baby pink and pastel yellows—they shine iridescent in the high rise of sunlight. The end of the tail sports two fins, both of them crescent shaped, thicker towards the base of the tail, and spindly where it faces Eddie. Before he can stop himself, he’s poking at the scales, where they taper into absence at the creature’s fins. It’s then that the creature really notices him.

In one fell motion, grand and heaving, the boat rocks. Teetering into flipping. The creature turns its head to him and…hisses. Like the guttural bubbling hiss of a harbor seal. It rocks in the net again, as it lunges towards Eddie.

Immediately, Eddie pulls his hands away and steps as far back as the boat will allow him. Granted, it’s only four feet in width, but that puts space between him and this thing. The thing that he calculates slowly with his eyes. Tail—yeah, he already knew about that. But then he rakes up to the torso of the fish like creature, where his tail is ombre with the glistening, golden skin of a nude torso.

“That—That isn’t right,” Eddie finds himself stuttering, surveying the torso once again. Sure enough, there’s skin. Dotted with moles and freckles. Dark brunette chest hair that could almost be mistaken as black. Toned arms and big, veiny hands. At the ends of this creature’s fingertips are short, curved towards the palms, white claws. Gills where its ribs are. And then Eddie goes to its head. Square-ish jaw, more freckles and moles, smile lines and baby crows feet. Thick eyebrows, triangular nose with a bridge that angles slightly to the left. Ears that threaten to point at the tops. Brunette hair that swoops to the right, falls to its collarbones, wavy and stringy with saltwater.

And its eyes.

Human eyes. Hazel, glowing honey in the sun. Long eyelashes. Drooping eyelids. Pupils that are pinpoint small, dilating with every hiss that leaves the creature’s throat.

A mermaid.

Eddie Munson is looking at a fucking mermaid.

Or…merman? It doesn’t have the seashell bra like all the mermaids he’s heard tales about, but maybe that’s just fable. He’s played all kinds of fantasy games, but he never thought what he described would be looking at him. Wild eyes and baby shark-like teeth, though without the second row. Hissing.

It struggles in the net again, lunging. Wrapping its hands on the edge of Eddie’s boat, squeezing at the metal material. The force of this merman’s grip enough to cause the edge to creak. Eddie’s stomach drops.

“Woah! Alright, okay!” He exclaims, hands up and placating. Briefly, he wonders if it has a good sense of smell and hearing. Like it can scent the excretion of his sweat even in the cold air. Or how his heart beats like the galloping of a race horse. “Easy! I ain’t—I’ve got no reason to hurt you!”

It seems to know what he’s saying, as it relaxes in the net for the first time. But it shoots him a pitiful, pleading look. Petulantly whining at him, though the sound is gargled.

Eddie wipes his sweating palms on his coveralls and takes a tentative step forward. “Easy,” he murmurs, “I’ll free you, but you have to stay calm.”

But the merman shakes its head. “No,” it croaks, “No free.”

Okay, so the guy speaks. It knows English. Even as choppy and awkward as it sounds.

“No free?” Eddie questions, “You don’t want me to free you?”

It shakes its head again. Whines, gargling again in the back of its throat. Its hands grip to the boat again, this time lugging some of its weight. As if it’s trying to…climb in.

Eddie startles back once more. “Hey, no,” he barks, “no climbing in. You can’t come onto my boat.” Though he wants to take it all back the moment he locks eyes again. If it didn’t have scales and gills, Eddie would almost think it was a sad puppy hybrid. He can almost imagine the droopy tail paired with the glistening, fearful, and pleading eyes. “Why shouldn’t I free you? My boat isn’t your home and I can’t take you back with me. You belong in the water.”

“Home,” the merman echoes, croaking. “Your home…warm?”

“Uh—“ What the fuck, he can’t help but think, exasperated. “—uh, sure. Home is warm. My, uh, home is warm. I live by the sand with my uncle, selling worms and cooking fish. The sun hits my skin every morning.” He doesn’t know why he’s answering the guy, but something in its stare, the broken words—Eddie’s allured. “Can you please answer my question? I’d like to go home. So, why shouldn’t I free you?”

The merman points a clawed finger at itself. “My home not warm. Cold.” Eddie nods along because—of course, duh, the ocean is cold. But it murmurs, “Love.” And now Eddie’s confused all over again.

“Love?”

Its voice is soft and sweet, curious. “You have love?”

Eddie shouldn’t be indulging this. He shouldn’t. But maybe the merman is a siren with how he’s drawn to answer. “I don’t have a partner, if that’s what you’re asking. But my uncle loves me. And I love him. That’s—I have love like that.”

It nods like it understands. Looks away over its shoulder, to the cold, salty water. And visibly shudders before facing Eddie again. “No love,” it says, pointing at itself again. “I no have love. No warm.” It tries to climb in again, even as Eddie’s moving to pry its hands away, but it holds tight and hisses again. “Want warm. Go with. Want to go. Go now,” it demands in a low timber.

And even as pretty as this merman is, Eddie has to refuse. He shakes his head softly. Gently, he says, “You can’t. I—I don’t know you. And…I don’t have an ocean in my house. You’ll die if you come with me.”

“Steven,” it mutters.

What? “What.”

“Know me—Steven,” it says. “Know you? Name?”

Tentatively, Eddie relaxes again. Realizes that this won’t be an end all conversation. “My name is Eddie. It’s short for Edward,” he answers, “but I like Eddie more.”

It hums, observing. “Eh-die,” it sounds out. “Eddie,” it whispers. Without warning, it trills at him. High pitched, chirping and bubbling from the back of its throat. Smiling with the sound, squinting its pretty honey eyes. Something in Eddie stirs. “Like that,” it chirps. “Short and easy. I want.”

“You want a short and easy name, too?” Eddie clarifies. It nods at him, squeaking an affirmative thing. “How about…Hm, what’s a good name for Steven?” He ponders as the merman continues to look on at him, eyes bright and curious. “How about Steve? Is that good enough for you?”

“Steve!” It crows. Trilling again, higher pitched than the last, squirming again in the net, closer and closer to heaving itself into the boat. “Easy, easy, easy,” it says at him.

Eddie can’t help but chuckle. “So…Steve, am I able to call you a he? Like…His name is Steve?”

He nods at Eddie. Wriggling again as if he can’t contain his excitement.

“Well, now I know you, huh? It’s a shame I still can’t take you to my home.”

And now Steve frowns, eyes saddening again. “But…My home is cold. You have warm,” he says solemnly.

“I know,” Eddie murmurs, “but I don’t have space for you, Steve. Your home is in the water. If I take you out of the water for too long, you’ll die. You need the water.”

“I will see you again?”

Eddie shrugs. “If you see my boat again, you can visit me. How about that? And…what’s special about that, is that I can bring you things that aren’t in the ocean.”

“Man’s stuff?”

Befuddled, Eddie asks, “What are man’s stuff?”

“Stuff I see from up here. From Eddie’s home,” Steve answers. “I find and I keep and I hide. Nobody knows. Just Eddie. Eddie is nice, though. You make me happy.”

Humming, Eddie assesses Steve again. Smiles softly. “You’re nice, too, Steve. Even though you scared me earlier. But you were scared, too, huh? Caught in my stupid net.” He takes a careful step closer, standing over where Steve rests in the net still. He places a hand on one of Steve’s, tentatively, but purposefully. “But if you see my boat again, you can come visit. Maybe next time I’ll bring some fish soup? Do you eat fish?”

“Fish are tasty,” Steve says as a response.

Eddie chuckles again. “Okay, Steve. I’ll bring you fish soup. Tomorrow, though. I have to free you and go home, okay?” He reaches down for the ropes that he tied down earlier. Tugs on one of the knots and frees one side. Steve yelps.

“Promise you come back?” Steve meekly asks.

“Promise,” Eddie murmurs intensely, unraveling the last of the rope. “Look for Lenore. She’ll bring you back to me.”

🧜‍♂️—————🧜‍♂️ If you'd like to be tagged in future updates, let me know. Taglist for this is open <3

[spacexseven]

tuna I am. thinking about eelzai. for it is mermay and thus His Time.

imagine. you go out on the water. very cold night, very shitty boat. your engine stalls (definitely didn't get viciously tail-thwacked by a certain eel until it broke that's definitely not what happened) and you get stuck out there, and there's no one else out who will hear you call for a tow, so you're in for the night.

because hes just OH so nice amd has ZERO ulterior motives, dazai hauls his huge ass into your boat (with just how fucking long he is you're surprised he didn't sink it) and offers to let you huddle up with him for warmth! well less offers and more like immediately starts coiling around you before you can respond but you get it. while he's a naturally cold blooded creature, his human half runs pretty hot- perhaps in order to regulate his species' body temp in various underwater environments. it's hard to deny that the heat he radiates its very nice... even if he's soaking wet and his grip is too tight and he keeps licking you with he thinks you won't notice.

I have been Thinking about this for like 3 hours. need him so bad.

- 🩹

omg i really wanted to get to this before may ends and!! i made it cheers

if you're new to mer au check out some of the other stuff so you know what to expect from eelzai! yandere character.

the reason why you're out in the cold, guided only by your tiny lamp and the moonlight is because of dazai, since he won't leave you alone in the morning. trying to traverse the waters in daytime is terribly inefficient because a giant sea creature grabs onto the side of your boat and threatens to topple you over if you don't play (and with a perfectly unassuming smile on his face too, the devil).

you beloved boat has served you for a long time now, a simple but trusty thing that has travelled many hours with you and survived many attempts at dazai's...playtime. but there's only so much tail smacking and claw digging it can take before it gives in on itself, and it just so happens that tonight's when it finally surrenders to dazai's attacks. it only takes a little shove from dazai for the engine to splutter and come to a complete stop, refusing to budge no matter how many times you kick it or plead it to start up again.

and who else shows up but dazai himself? he doesn't even have the shame to pretend to feel guilty about stranding you in the middle of nowhere with your lamp flickering out thanks to his shove, and your phone unable to call for help, and instead he looks up at you like he just so happened to come across you, like he had absolutely nothing to do with your current predicament. he straightens himself out until he's face to face with you, and then looks at your boat with a surprised expression.

"that looks bad," he says, and the surprise morphs into something more wicked, "poor you. can a little human really survive out here on their own?"

"i have a lighter," you lie, "and i will singe your eyebrows off."

he pouts and drags himself down under the dark waters before popping up again on the other side, splashing more cold water onto you, "you must be cold," he croons, clearly relishing in your troubles, "a little flame won't help."

you can't even deny it because you're shivering, even under all your layers. but you won't let him win, can't let him hold yet another victory over your head and grin at you with his too-sharp teeth and his piercing eyes, calling you a weak human once again.

but you've come prepared, and you pull out a thick blanket to wrap over yourself while you consider your options to make it out of the water, either by rowing or finding a way to start up the engine again. except, as you unfurl the wonderful piece of cloth, dazai glares at it and dives head-first, frighteningly fast, making sure to flick his tail in your direction to drench your newfound ray of hope with freezing water. you stare at it, your mind numb and your heart shattered.

"oops," he giggles from behind you, "i didn't mean to do that."

sighing, you resign yourself to your fate. if you rowed hard enough, you could forget about the cold chilling your limbs, right? and you'd have to reach shore eventually, even if it takes...a few hours. you didn't go out that far anyway. but as you rummage in your boat for your oar—the one you went out of your way to get just in case you had to smack dazai in the face whenever he got a little too handsy and eager—you feel the boat tilt backwards, and you turn to face dazai grinning at you with his hands grabbing onto the rear of the boat.

"don't worry about the cold," he, in a motion so fluid you barely see it happening, hauls himself onto the boat, causing you to stumble over and creating a perfect opportunity for dazai to lean over and grab you, ignoring your screeching as he brings you over to him, "i can keep you warm!"

and, oh—you hate it. you hate the unfamiliar sensation of a tail wrapping itself around your legs, you hate his long arms holding your upper body still and his head on your shoulder, looking up at you with faux innocence. you hate the fact that though he's dripping wet and he should be freezing cold, he's surprisingly warm, and somewhat comfortable to be contained within. you hate the way he's careful, too, because you'd have never expected him to be so delicate with the way his claws press over your skin. of course, his caution doesn't extend to stopping himself from placing a few wet kisses here and there, or playfully nipping at the skin of your neck, but it's more than you'd hoped from the same dazai that regularly threatened to eat you.

you're practically immobilized, too, gently rocking with the waves as dazai hums delightedly, but the sight of the stars against the dark sky is gorgeous and the slow movement of the water is reassuring, even with an unfamiliar weight around your body and a predator over you. your oar is long abandoned, and your engine peacefully resting, but you can't find it in yourself to be panicked when dazai's warmth is so comforting against the chill in the air and his stroking slowly lulls you to a much needed rest.

just a few moments, you tell yourself. but when you wake up, the sun has risen and dazai is long gone, but your boat is close to shore, and you know exactly who pushed you all the way here.

maybe night trips weren't that bad.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Good news on the Recycling Front (recycling the polyester in cotton/poly blend fabrics): recent science.

Yesterday (27 September, 2023) I watched this video: Why you can't Recycle Your Pants (until now). And it gave me a reason to be potentially optimistic.

Summary: Getting into the nitty-gritty of the chemistry science (with molecular diagrams and all), the video host explains why it is so hard to recycle so much cotton/polyester blend fabrics (which is why so many clothes, and other fabrics, end up in landfills).

Basically, in order to recycle polyester (a poly-mer), you have to break it down into a mono-mer, so you can put the bits back together into a new polymer. But in a cotton/polyester blend fabric, we haven't been able to do that without destroying the cotton fibers, and ending up with waste, anyway.

In this video, the host goes through an article from ACS: Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (17 July, 2023) and describes the experiment of how scientists managed to break down polyester in a cotton blend fabric -- without destroying the cotton.

And then, he tries to replicate their experiment, and (after a couple of tries), appears to succeed -- in his own kitchen, using a cut up tee-shirt and a toaster oven.

This technique has not been scaled up -- yet -- and is not a ready solution -- yet. But it's a big step in the right direction.

Video:

under 15 minutes. Eye contact. Science formulae Properly closed captioned From PBS

[mychlapci]

Oh my goddddddd the idea of mer megatron being SO desperate to breed Ultra Magnus that he loses his mind a little bit, every time he tries filling Ultra Magnus up with more transfluid convinced it'll take this time. By the time Minimus comes clean and megatron finally gets access to the minimussy, he just goes wild, like he should be more careful because of their size differences but instead he ruin's minimus valve. He fills minimus up with just as much transfluid as he would Ultra Magnus, which leaves minimus so full he can barely swim, he certainly cant pull himself off megatron's spike, and megatron is perfectly fine leaving minimus there as a 'punishment' for lying to him

mhmmm Megatron filling Magnus up multiple times a day, snatching him away anytime he pleases and pounding into his valve while promising to give him those young he spent so long denying himself, only to be met with more disappointmet as Magnus remains un-fertilized... Minimus crawling out of the Magnus shell and revealing himself probably angers Megatron at first, but it slowly starts to make sense, why Magnus’ engine always purred so quietly, too quietly for such a big mer, why he seemed to remain unsatisfied and irritable after every breeding session, why they were incapable of sparking... but no matter, Megatron made a vow to fill Minimus up with his pups, and he will deliver on that.

Minimus probably struggles in Megatron’s hold a little, kicking his legs as Megatron lines his spike up with the valve slit on his tail. He’s so vulnerable like this, devoid of his shell, so much smaller than Megs, his frame burning with need, and for the first time, he feels the proper, real drive to mate... Megatron keeping Minimus on his spike, pushing him down whenever he clenches too hard in overload and accidentally moves a few inches up, his belly swollen with loads of transfluid. There’s no way he won’t grow heavy with pups this time around, but just to make sure, Megatron takes his time with him anyways, fucking him every chance he gets over the course of several days, driven a little insane with lust now that he knows it’ll take <33

[mynamesaplant]

Calm Before the Storm

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: The night before her final trial against a berserk Lord Avalugg, Dawn is spending her time with Ingo, and requires a little bit of a distraction.

Content Warning: Drowning

Notes: Don't want to read it on Tumblr? Read it on AO3! I've been feeling creatively stifled lately, so if it feels like two fics smashed together... I plead the fifth. Thanks to monsoon-of-art for beta reading and all their inspiration for PLA and their Mer AU. Please enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You are never going to build up your muscles by hitching a ride on my cab.”

Ingo tried to point out, cutting through the glassy surface of the water and feeling the tip of Dawn’s tail brush against his left ear. Even without seeing her, he sensed that it was a happy sort of tail flap, each movement rhythmic and languid. She was at ease.

“But this is so much easier,” Dawn chirped, watching the sea bird serenely glide overhead.

She was trying to name them in her head, trying to, in some way, make a learning experience out of this strange situation. She recognized the luminescent orange bill and thin, forked tail of a tern. A few gulls, too high up to be clearly identified, were coasting on air currents, the distinctive W-shape to their wings offering a picturesque feel to the azure horizon. 

Ingo sank a little lower into the water, his eyes almost parallel with the water, a quiet threat to his passenger to vacate. She was a little too distracted with her observations to notice her ride was slowly vanishing into the sea. Dawn tumbled into the water with an objectionable squawk when the chilly water hit her back and, when she surfaced, her pin straight hair clinging to her face. A few meters away, she saw Ingo’s shadow beneath the ripples, and Dawn sighed; she closed her eyes, straightened her back like Palina had suggested, and felt her lungs expand to their fullest before following after the warden.

Beside her, Ingo was chuckling, slowing his movement to a light flick of his tail so she didn’t strain herself.

“Proper maintenance includes running the engines to check for faults.”

“Ugh,” his young companion huffed, and this just earned her a heartier laugh.

Ingo pointed to the ice floes jutting into the water like so many stalactites, indicating to Dawn that if she could swim that far without his assistance then he would permit her to catch a ride.

“You have to admit, I’ve gotten a lot better since I first started out.”

“Yes, that is true.” Ingo hummed, leveling out her back with his hand as it began to bow. “Keep your back straight. No scrunching. It only leads to sinking.”

She straightened, still astounded by just how powerful her tail was as it propelled her forward. Truth be told, she could be very good at swimming, but it was usually under extreme duress – like when Gaeric somehow ended up chasing her. It had taken a lot of practice to get there, with many covert lessons in shallow waters which Dawn knew hadn’t been the most comfortable for Ingo.

All of her swimming experience could be chalked up to Ingo’s interventions and/or patience. 

Dawn’s first trip into the water, the completely accidental tumble that introduced her to Ingo, even if she hadn’t known it at the time, had been nearly fatal. Neither of them liked to think about it. Ingo quite nearly let her drown, frozen with indecision, and petrified of such a small creature when it burst into an abrupt and violent coughing fit on the rocks below him. He used his large body to shield her from the rain pelting down, its whole frame shaking violently and as pale as glacier ice. The air smelt like petrichor and iron, it stung Ingo’s nose with its unpleasant mix, and he grimaced as the human fell unconscious again.

Ingo could still feel shame of the white-hot fear that had filled him when he abandoned Dawn there.

How could he anticipate that a few short weeks later that he would see that human again, but she looked remarkably less human than before. Ingo had stuck closer to the shore – he wanted to tell himself that he was doing it in the name of his warden’s duties, but in truth, he was anxious to see that human that spent so much of its time down in the tidal pools. After a week of absence, Ingo was starting to lose hope that the young human had survived, despite his efforts to save her.

He remembered the day everything changed.

-----

Ingo remembered just how heavy his heart felt as he prepared to leave and resume his duties. That’s when he heard music above him. The eerie resonance of a flute seemed to strike something deep within his bones, even if he couldn’t quite put a finger on what. A splash. A small and all too familiar form was in the water before him, about as graceful as all the previous times he had seen it in the surf.

“Whoa!” Dawn floundered in the water, her clothes weighing down her torso as the fabric took on water. She was too busy trying to get her bearings to notice the massive mer only a few meters from her. “Okay. So, if I…?”

Ingo watched, utterly dumbstruck as this… this was a human, wasn’t it? He could not believe his eyes. Turning and twisting like an orbiting planet, the human was able to right itself… with the pearly white tail of a harp seal pup.

-----

“HA! Now you have to carry me!”

The warden returned to the present, finding his young friend excitedly spinning around in front of him.

“A deal’s a deal.” Ingo agreed, gingerly scooping her up and holding Dawn against his chest. “I was just reminiscing about when our tracks first intersected. You’ve made a vast improvement since then.”

“Thanks! All the lessons helped.”

Dawn agreed, her own thoughts straying to the warden’s initial shock after her transformation. Admittedly, Dawn had been shocked too. When she first played the flute in her quarters, the sensation had been… odd, the surveyor would even argue that it was painful if it hadn’t happened in the space of a heartbeat.

Her whole body had broken out into a cold sweat, but Dawn was anything but cold. She felt like she was on fire. Bones snapping and re-fusing. Flesh tearing and smoothing over. The milliseconds of pain had been enough to force her into unconsciousness, but the absence of her legs almost sent her right back into the dark. Dawn had swallowed and focused on the tail sprouting from her torso, trying to admire it rather than being frightened.

Those first couple of days had been… stressful would have been an understatement. Ingo, who Dawn found to be pretty lax in most scenarios, became increasingly anxious about her and her complete inability to swim. Especially when the clans become involved.

“Please, use the handrail.” Ingo had groaned, scooping her up from the tidal pool when she lost her grip on the edge, and setting her down on the rocks, watching her cough and gasp. Were pups always this delicate and awkward? Dawn was just so small and her muscles so weak, her lack of confidence was making the process of learning to swim all the more difficult. “You must get used to the motions.”

He was trying with all his might to be a good, patient teacher, but that, coupled with his anxieties about her true nature, all but solidified Ingo’s reluctance to take Dawn any further than the shore. Which made the day that Mai stumbled upon her all the more panic-inducing as Ingo quickly had to claim her and keep her as enshrouded in mystery as possible. All his cohorts were extremely curious and protective – both instincts brought about in the vicinity to pups.

Sure, they all had questions and concerns and misgivings, but Ingo had proved himself worthy enough to watch over “his” pup. Irida did not assert her dominance and override Ingo’s and Dawn’s wish to remain coupled, for which both were eternally grateful. The warden was also under the impression that his clan mates thought that caring for a pup was doing wonders for his mental health - and it was - but it was also exhausting and nerve-wracking work.

She was one of the best things that had happened to him in his time with Pearl Clan.

“Uh, Ingo?” Dawn murmured, fiddling with the hem of her tunic. A lump in her throat was preventing her from saying the words that were coming from the heart. Something she had been meaning to say for a while now. Ingo hummed his acknowledgement. “Th-… Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

The warden physically had to prevent his grip from getting too tight as he was stung with an unidentifiable emotion that just made him want to hold the surveyor even closer to him. He had not realized until that moment just how much he cherished his time with her.

“Of course, Dawn.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The settlement was relatively quiet due to the lateness of the hour. Dawn had already informed her superiors that she would be out in the field for a few days, so no one on land would grow anxious with her absence. Tomorrow Dawn would face off against Lord Avalugg and Ingo knew she was looking for any distractions so she wouldn’t back out. Not that the other nobles were easy, but Lord Avalugg’s sheer size was the most daunting thing about the trial.

A good meal and a good night of sleep would be better than attempting to coordinate and strategize with the frantic teen. So, Ingo did not even attempt. His sole task was to keep her mind preoccupied and to tucker her out so she could fall asleep, and he took that job very seriously.

A pool leads straight to his chambers from the surrounding water – the clan had taken the time to specifically carve it out for him since the tunnels through most of the settlement were not large enough for him. Ingo boosted Dawn up and told her to clear the way so he could haul himself out, hoisting himself from the chilly sea. A fire on the opposite side of the chamber was toasty against their backs, both mers shaking themselves out to shed any excess water, with Dawn quick to swath herself into a bear fur located next to said fire.

With her help, the fish that Ingo had specifically caught for the two of them to enjoy was roasting over the flame, filling the space with a heavenly aroma.

“I brought you a little something.”

Dawn admitted, revealing the fruit that she had snuck along with her. Ingo had thought her bag had been oddly lumpy, but he had assumed that it had been filled with supplies to craft balms.

“You should not take from your team’s stock.”

Although he was attempting to adopt a chiding tone, Ingo felt a swell of warmth radiating through his chest. Fruits and vegetables were such a rare treat for him; Dawn had remembered that.

“They’ll never notice.”

Dawn said airily, motioning for Ingo to give her his hand and he received a few apples, the fruits feeling cool and refreshing against his palm when they had been submerged for their journey. She leaned against his flank, her presence and touch welcomed more than Ingo would have anticipated as he worked with the fish over the open flame.

The goal was to keep her mind occupied, which meant that he needed to get Dawn to talk - which was a relatively easy task when he was able to target a source of interest. Tonight, he was settling on her most recent, and favorite, topic of research: penguins.

Dawn was currently studying the Emperor penguin when she wasn’t saving the world from its inevitable destruction. Her dedication to her work took her to the coldest parts of the region, sitting for hours in temperatures averaging in the teens with a windchill that made those same conditions dip into negative integers. She would do this for days on end, taking down detailed notes about penguin behaviors and drawing the most exquisite illustrations in her little waterproof field book, which she presented to Ingo now with a glimmer of pride in her eyes as he congratulated her for meticulousness.

She was content to talk all about her studies, about her chats with the man called Laventon about their diet and habits, she told Ingo about the fluffy gray chicks that made her swoon and coo as they tottered around.

“I chucked rocks at the petrels… Even though I’m not supposed to interfere with the colony. Captain Cyllene tells me that I do that because I have a soft heart, but Professor Laventon told me to interpret that as the Captain saying I care a lot about my work.”

“I would have to agree with this professor of yours.”

Ingo replied, balancing Dawn on his tail and, with the control and precision that would demand for such a maneuver, launched her into the air before outstretching his hands to catch her. This game always left her giggling and euphoric, grinning broadly which never failed to make him return her smile with one of his own. This was usually something they did over the water – just in case Ingo missed – but he needed to offer some distractions… and wanted to see that brilliant smile on her face if only for a moment.

This escalated to play fighting something that was less usual for Dawn, but very usual for other pups; Dawn was repeatedly offering him chirps and growls, flashing her small teeth in threat displays that would have frightened a sardine, but not Ingo.

“So scary,” Ingo chortled, allowing for his hand to get pinned which made Dawn erupt into triumphant cheers. He was quick to flip his hand and pin her back, which made the surveyor snarl. “You must be faster than that, Dawn.”

Unbeknownst to either Ingo or Dawn, a pair of eyes was watching from the mouth of the cavern, crinkling fondly while watching the two playfight. Palina’s beatific smile was almost instantly wiped from her face when she heard Gaeric hollering her name down the corridor, she must have been gone longer than she thought.

“Shhh!”

She hissed at his approach, smacking his arm when he failed to conceal an eye roll. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but she shushed him again. Gaeric frowned, mouth twitching in frustration at the command, and he was about to ignore her when she hissed at him to shut up.

“I will not – where’s Ingo?”

“They’re playing!”

“Who’s playing?”

Palina’s excitement was practically radiating off her in waves, infectious to the point of Gaeric’s brow softened from its agitated slant over his eyes.

“Ingo! With Dawn!”

No way.

He cautiously peered around the corner to the duo obliviously initiating a playfight that Ingo could win in a heartbeat, but that wasn’t the point of a playfight between adults and pups. Ingo didn’t usually play with pups, he had nervously confided in Gaeric that he was afraid of squashing them – which made sense, orca mer pups were probably much bigger than many of the pups of Pearl Clan. However, Ingo seemed perfectly capable of playfighting (Gaeric couldn’t even being to imagine just how much restraint Ingo was exhibiting to make sure there were zero injuries).

“Huh...” That was the only sound that came out of his mouth. He was only struck dumb for a moment, “Hey, wait a minute. She’ll play with Ingo, but not with me?”

It was Palina’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Get over yourself.”

She could feel Gaeric pressed against her back, could practically hear him grinding his teeth in envy with each passing second. She shrugged him off, trying to focus on the nice moment that Ingo and Dawn were sharing… Palina was almost able to forget about Gaeric breathing down her next, almost able to ignore his indignant grumbles about being great at playing.

“Lian loves it when we playfight.”

“Sinnoh above, Gaeric. If you can’t be happy for them, then get out of here.”

That got him to shut up with a grunt, turning to head back to the feast hall to leave Palina to watch the scene in silence.

Yank.

“Let’s go, Lina. Don’t want Ingo to think we're voyeurs.

That was a fair point, but Gaeric didn’t have to drag her by the tail! She stifled her yelp and whisper-yelled at him down the length of the corridor.

In the chamber, Dawn’s face was red with the laughter she was trying to hold in. Ingo was suppressing his own smile, his embarrassment overriding amusement for the time being.

“I can’t believe they didn’t think we could hear them!”

Ingo could only shake his head in disbelief.

With only that minor disturbance, they managed to get to sleep with the embers of the fire providing the only ambient light. Warm and comfortable, Dawn did not worry for the rest of the evening about the looming trial ahead of her.