#oc: devon

[eemamminy-art]

New oc idea I had :3 she's kind of a fuckboy reckless type, and I want to give her a cougar gf 👀 all I got so far. Her gf's design coming soon maybe? Her name is Devon!

[daniigh0ul]

local band in your area

[chaosduckies]

Sleeping With Sirens (1)

Decided to a little Mer AU with Kieran and Devon because I could NOT stop thinking about how cute they would be if they lived in the ocean- Safe to say that I've been having a little too much fun thinking up scenarios-

Word Count: 4.2k

CW: Talks of death, starvation, depictions of vore (barely mentioned), blood, mentions of being eaten alive

The ocean is a dangerous place for everyone. No matter if you were huge like the leviathans that lived in the trenches fighting for territory or a guppy like me that had to swim away from fish that could easily find a snail or something to eat. The ocean was just another deadly hunting ground. 

The water today was nice, though that didn’t mean that it was going to be peaceful. The ocean was known as one of the most ruthless places despite its beauty. I’ve learned that the hard way. Everywhere I went there seemed to be predators just waiting for a snack. To be honest, I wouldn’t even qualify as such. Even when I thought I could just rest for the night there was just another fish or animal there that drove me out. One time I even stayed with another mer, but they didn’t let me stay for long. Such is the way life is here. I wasn’t part of a pod anymore so it was a million times harder to find a place to live. 

My parents and I were separated when our previous home was taken over by another pod of mers. So when that happened we swam and eventually ran into several predators and couldn’t keep up with one another. Especially me since I was a runt even though I had no siblings. Smaller than mers my size, my only fight or flight plan was to swim away at any inconvenience, not to mention how hard it was to find food. Where I used to live there were plenty of edible plants. But they seemed so scarce in whatever direction I would hopefully find my parents. If they were still alive. I kept reminding myself that if I was somehow alive on my own then they were definitely alive, but some part of me doubted that was true with all the events and misfortunes that have happened. 

It’s been about three days of non-stop swimming. I was tired, hungry, and to be honest a small part of me wished that a predator would end my suffering. Maybe I would be reunited with my parents? That was crazy talk! If I live then I can see them. There was no way they were dead. I’d see them again for sure. That's what I kept telling myself at least. The only thing keeping me from just letting a predator eat me at this point if I were being honest. 

I swam past the endless fields of seaweed and sand, the waves above calm and the sun right above. It was nice and warm, there didn’t seem to be any other fish or animals here other than the half-dead coral and kelp that were soon to be dead here in just a few months. Maybe even years. Strange to realize that this place was just going to become another barren wasteland with no food. For now, there were just barely enough anacharis plants for me to eat before I would reach another coral reef. Hopefully that would be where I could find my parents intact and well, alive. 

Soon enough the sun was just barely over the horizon now, the water above reflecting the orange and pinkish sky. I was so worried about getting to the other coral reef that I had hoped was across that I forgot to look for a place to rest for the night. Thankfully I didn’t run into anything today but digging into the sand and just hoping a predator wouldn’t notice me was wishful thinking. I knew at night was when all the hungry animals came out. Especially in wastelands like these. Sharks were definitely around this area, including other mers that probably wouldn’t hesitate to scoop me right out of my hiding spot to mess around with me. Such are the cruel ways of those who thrived on people weaker than they were. I shuddered at the last time we ran into a mer. One that resembled a shark. I don’t think I’d ever get the image out of my head. 

I pushed aside those thoughts and decided that hiding myself under the sand was better than nothing. Even if it might make me even more vulnerable than taking the time to find a rock to hide under or a piece of coral that wasn’t so dead that would hide me. 

The sand was nice and warm despite the slight temperature change in the water. For some odd reason digging in the sand was more of a comfort to me than a survival instinct. My mom used to think it was silly of me to but now that I was alone and struggling for survival it was actually pretty useful in some situations. Not to mention cozy when I wasn’t worried about being left out in the open, extremely vulnerable. 

It was peaceful throughout the night for a while. At some point, the worry and anxiousness that was keeping me from closing my eyes and resting went away so I could at least get a little bit of rest. There wasn’t a sound around me except for the very few plants that grew here rubbing against each other. When I woke up in the middle of the night, there was an eerie silence that seemed to fall onto the ocean around me. I yawned, just barely pushing some part of the sand off of me and peeked my head out to see if the waves were just calm right now. Even though it was dark I could still kind of see around me. The seaweed fields that I swam through nearly all day just in the distance. 

It did seem kind of calm though. The waves just barely moved anything right now, but then my eyes landed on a bright light that seemed to fade and flash just in the distance. I ducked my head even though I knew I was far enough that they would see me unless they came closer. A light? Another mer? It didn’t come as a huge surprise, but what could another mer be looking for here? There was practically nothing. It was just a barren wasteland. Unless they were just passing by. Either way, I hid from the light that faded away into the field of kelp and seaweed, letting out a tiny huff of relief and buried myself back under the sand. Just overreacted was all. No need to worry about something that wasn’t going to bother me. At least for now. They might’ve headed in the opposite direction I was going but there was no telling if this was just a barren hunting ground of theirs. 

I buried myself back into the sand, making sure I was entirely covered before resting my head once again, closing my eyes, mindful of my surroundings and being just a little more alert. If that mer, or whatever was here, found me, there was no way I would have survived. I shuddered slightly at the thought of being handled like some toy or eaten alive, but quickly shoved the thoughts away as sleep took hold of me once again. 

——————

When I woke up, it was still a little bit dark, but I knew that it was morning. I pushed some sand out of the way to look up at the reflection, seeing the silhouette of dark storm clouds and flashes of bright light above. Of course yesterday was too good to be true so it had to storm the next day. Meaning more predators would be out. I didn’t trust being in the sand any longer than I already had to hide in it, so I dug myself out and started to slowly swim out, noting the currents that were a little more harsh today than normal. 

Despite the storm above, I continued on. Storms only affected the surface and not so much the water, but sometimes the waves above messed with the currents down here. Especially when the trenches were only a tiny swim away that affected how they would suck you into the deep, dark ocean water where you can’t even see your arms out in front of your face without light. The only creatures that could live down there were very few fish and the true monsters of the ocean. Leviathans. Sure there were krakens who were only terrifying to any sailors who threatened them and their place of living, but they would never harm anything or anyone unless provoked first. With leviathans? The stories I’ve heard about them are ruthless. If you even so much as swim a little bit into their territory they’ll kill you. Not only were they much bigger than shark mers, but they were extremely threatening. I’ve never seen one but my parents would always tell me horror stories that they’d think of the most horrific ways to kill you before finally eating you. Not that I’d qualify as a sample snack to one in the least. 

The uneasiness I set upon myself didn’t sit right in my stomach as I eyed the hole that stretched from left to right with no end to it in sight. There were a few plants and coral that grew along the edges, but not much. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared out at the large hole, my breath trembling at how much open space I’d have to swim across. Just in plain sight. Above a hole that was home to the most deadliest creatures that lived in the ocean. That could snatch me up without so much as using a muscle. 

I swallowed, hard, before taking a few minutes to debate my decision. Would my parents really be on the other side? What if they weren’t there and I was just crossing the chasm only to die in the end? What if they weren’t on the other side? What if I cross it and live, but they were always on this side just waiting for me and I’d never know? Thoughts circled my head, but I decided that I could take a break for today. Maybe they were close and I wouldn’t have to cross one of the deadly trenches that wreaked death. 

So instead of crossing what could very well be the end of me, I decided to just find some extra food around the place. Better to be prepared than to travel all this way and starve to death in the end. 

As I swam through the water gathering up the scarce edible plants that were here, I noticed a similar light from last night. Only it was just more dim. I paused in place, gliding down to the sand below and watched the faint light move around as if searching for something. The apparent mer swam closer checking every small place. On instinct, I dropped everything and swam away. If they were searching all the small spots I couldn’t just hide under a rock or something they’d find me. In such a panic I didn’t stop swimming until a flash of lightning flickered above and nearly scared me into thinking that the mer caught up to me somehow without me hearing them. Thunder roared so loud above that you could hear it from the floor of the ocean, and that only made this situation even more alarming. 

The mer that used to be behind me was no longer in sight when I turned back around. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I stared at my empty hands and cursed myself for dropping everything I had picked earlier, feeling my stomach growl quietly. Maybe after this mer goes away I’d have the courage to go back out and look for food. I knew it was too good to be true that there were barely any predators around here. Or maybe it was just the storm that kept them out. 

Even with thinking that the other mer wouldn’t come here, I was entirely wrong. It didn’t take them long to come back into view, and this time they seemed to be a little faster. Like they knew something was here. Maybe another mer like me. My breath hitched in my throat as I found a rock and hid under the bottom of it, burying myself in the sand for extra cover. Not that it would help much. But even if I swam away again they’d just come back. It seemed like they were keen on finding whatever it was they were looking for. I was just praying it wasn’t me somehow. 

I peeked my head out every so often, and then I knew that it was time to hide when a large shadow loomed overhead. It turned dark for a second as I heard moving. The mer cursed at himself like he was angry, their voice harsh and mean. Then, from the small hole that the rock I was under provided, my eyes widened. This wasn’t a mer at all. A leviathan. Their long tail dimly glowed, several scar marks on them too that seemed to just barely be healing. I was probably only a little taller than their fingers. I held a hand over my mouth to keep from letting out a noise as they searched around the area. There was no way they’d find me, right? I wasn’t going to die today. I couldn’t. If they flipped it over I could just swim away and hopefully lose them. Sure I wasn’t the fastest swimmer but I was not about to die just like this. Not a snack to an extremely terrifying… scary…. Leviathan. 

My eyes watched them carefully, holding my breath as they swam closer. Everything would be okay! They would see that I’m not here and then move on! Yeah! Or at least that's what I told myself. Which was the exact opposite of what happened. 

It all happened so fast. One second I was hiding and the next the rock I was hiding was flipped over effortlessly and I was exposed. Before the leviathan could react, I wiggled myself out of the sand and swam as fast as I could away from them. It felt like I had been swimming for hours, but in just a few seconds I was caught up to, their shadow catching up to me fast. My heart pounded in my chest as I continued swimming, looking for a way to get out. 

That’s when I spotted the trench. It was entirely risky. But this leviathan was a lot bigger than me. They would get noticed first before me. Maybe for once in my life I’d be right about this. Otherwise I’d be making a huge mistake and inevitably my entire life would end right there because of another one of my many mistakes. Though, if it does work there was just a sliver of a chance of surviving than just letting myself get eaten. I shuddered at the thought before quickly swimming down into the dark abyss. 

“Oh you little-” I yelped when I heard a growl behind me, pushing myself to swim faster so they wouldn’t catch me. Oh please work. Don’t notice me. Whatever lives down here please don’t notice me. I turned my head slightly, seeing the leviathan swimming fast and reaching out, but their tail was still lit up. A dim blue light that I had hoped some other leviathan or predator that lived down here would see other than me. How could they even see in this dark? I could barely see my own arms in front of me. 

I yelped when something gripped around me harshly. Pressure on my sides that felt like it was crushing my ribs. I couldn’t even breathe anymore as I stared at the two pairs of blue eyes glued to me. Pupils slit as the leviathan held me up to their face. 

“Usually I’d play around for a bit. But since you’ve made me come all the way back down here…” They growled and opened their mouth, sharp fangs that were waiting to tear me apart. I whimpered, pushing at the fingers that kept me trapped but it was useless at this point. I was going to die. There was nothing down here. It was just my luck to think that there was some other dangerous predator and there actually wasn’t. I was scared for no reason. There was nothing here and now I was going to die. 

Tears pricked my eyes as I continued to fight back against the fingers, almost about to get eaten alive. “Nononono-” I leaned back away from the fangs, shutting my eyes tightly and getting ready to face the immense pain waiting for me. 

And that’s when it all stopped. I was waiting for the pain, but when nothing came I looked back up, eyes widening at another light emitting. A little brighter than the one that was coming from the leviathan that was about to eat me. 

The leviathan holding me quickly turned around frantically, glancing at me and growling like I was the one who was doing this. Maybe I was the one who brought him down here, but not the one who was currently circling us. I tried pushing at their fingers again to try and get out before whatever the heck was here decided it was going to eat me too.

Soon enough the light disappeared completely, and then there were two more pairs of eyes that stared at the one holding me. Another leviathan. A much bigger one. Maybe I shouldn’t have come down here. My body trembled and shook, more so than when I was caught the first time. We’re both dead. What was I thinking! I didn’t take into account if I was caught. The realization of death was settling in deep. Like I said before. The ocean was a ruthless place. No mercy. Even if you were just trying to reunite with your family again. It was hopeless to even have had the thought. 

There was a low growl before their pupils slit like they felt threatened. We were in their territory now. This was technically my choice, but in my head I played it out as I swam down, another leviathan would come and chase after the other, and I could swim back up and everything would be back to somewhat normal. This was not at all part of it. And now, I was dead. Absolutely no doubt about it. Even if the other leviathan was chased off, who was to say that this bigger, more terrifying one wasn’t going to kill me or use me as some toy like I know other mers do? 

“Okay! I’ll leave! Just don’t hurt me!” The other leviathan screamed for practical mercy, letting me go, the current from when they swam off pushing me back. Their light disappeared, the other leviathan that was currently moving again, the light from their tail moving towards the other mer, but not any further, and soon it was dark again. I whimpered, holding my arms close to my chest and keeping myself afloat as I looked around, searching for any recognition of a wall or just wherever this other leviathan was. Just… something to tell me how to get out of here without dying. 

It was so eerily quiet that I heard my own heartbeat ring through my ears. I took shallow breaths and kept myself close. I knew they were still in here. Quiet and observing me. I could feel their eyes on me even. As soon as I heard a noise, I bolted up, reaching to get out of the trench. For a second I thought that I would’ve made it. There was nothing following me, and the other leviathan was gone now, right? I smiled to myself, happy that I was going to survive. Though, it didn’t sit right with me how the other just left me alone. They had noticed me for sure, but why not do anything other than drive the other one off? 

I was too concentrated on my thoughts to notice the same leviathan that was driven off coming straight for me again, only this time a hand shot out in front of me, another cupping around me as there was another growl, a scream, “Should’ve run away.” Their voice sounded so threatening, but I was in too much shock to even grasp what was happening. One moment I was listening to the other leviathan plead for their life, and the next I was scooped up and watched as they swam away, clutching their stomach. 

I trembled and shook, trying to guess where they were taking me but I had no idea. My vision was blurry from the fast movement, and the next thing I knew I was back on the ocean floor. I took a second to catch my breath, my vision coming back to me and grateful that I could see my surroundings again. The storm above was letting up, and there didn’t seem to be anything in sight. Other than the huge leviathan that was still watching me of course. 

I quickly turned around, my heart skipping a beat as I stared back at purple eyes. Their pupils rounded out like he was fascinated by me. This leviathan had what looked like a tie around their neck, multiple pieces of metal that stuck through their ears, and even some parts torn off. There were only a few scars on his face, but that was more than what I had. 

He let out a sigh, squinting up and getting used to how light it was up here. If I lived up in the trenches then I would’ve hated coming up. Except, this was the least of my worries as I clenched a fistful of sand in my fists as I stared at what could possibly be my death. Even if they saved me they could’ve done it just to keep me for themselves. I was never going to see my parents. 

“What’s a guppy like you doing all the way out here?” They asked, voice quiet but also a hint of harshness to it. I flinched, inching away but they didn’t seem to care that much. Both pairs of eyes were set on me, but all four looked tired with bags under their eyes. They used their arms as a pillow and leaned over the edge where the dive into his home was. 

I opened my mouth to speak, to at least try to answer, “Trying t-to find my p-parents.” I choked on the last few words but at least managed to get them out. Do I owe him a thank you for saving me? Probably. There was no way I was going to be on his bad side. I was maybe the size of one of his fangs, maybe slightly smaller. I wasn’t risking anything in the slightest bit. 

The leviathan hummed to himself before letting out a huff through his nose, “They’re not here.” My heart raced at the thought. Does he actually know or was he just telling me that so I would get out of his territory? Why not just kill me if he wanted that though? 

“Thank y-you.” I stuttered, forcing myself to swim back even though I was scared that he’d just reach out and take me back down. 

His eyes widened, shock on his face for a few seconds before scoffing and turning his head, “Don’t be stupid next time.” 

I jumped at the comeback, rubbing my arms together. Yeah. That was definitely something I could work on. Especially the false hope that my parents were still alive. I sighed to myself and cautiously started swimming away before I heard movement behind me and stopped, eyes wide as the leviathan lifted himself up. 

“I think I might know where to look,” He sighed heavily like he was already regretting this decision, “Follow.” He swam up and my breath hitched in my throat. They were a lot bigger than I initially thought. I swallowed before they stopped and nudged their head forward like they were waiting for me, their second pair of arms gesturing to follow him. I shook my head and forced myself to swim up. They didn’t start until I was right by their hand, cupping behind me. He rolled his eyes but kept watching me from the corner of his eyes. 

This was the strangest thing that has ever happened to me. Leviathans were killers, and sure my first encounter with one wanted nothing but to eat me alive, but now? Still wasn’t sure if they were going to eat me alive, leading me to my doom, or genuinely helping me. This one was probably the biggest thing that lived in the ocean and yet, he was helping me. I think. I had hoped at least. 

“U-um. Why a-are you h-helping me?” I squeaked out embarrassingly. They looked down, “Better to get a guppy like you out of here than to leave you here to die.” I flinched at their response but continued swimming either way, heading in a direction where sharks roamed. A ship graveyard. I swallowed hard, hoping that he was going to feed me to them. The thought of reuniting with my parents gave me enough courage to at least trust him enough to travel with them. If I wasn’t so full of adrenaline I would’ve been freaking out and tried to hide and run away at this point. There was only one way to find out if the ocean was at cruel and ruthless as I thought.

——————

okay it’s a slow start and tbh I didn’t really know what to do but it’s just going to be a bunch of cute scenes plus angst and fearplay because why not.

Not my best I know but I promise the next chapter (it’s halfway done already) has tons of fearplay and will be so MUCH better-

Taglist: @da3dm @dav8530

If you would like to be added or removed please let me know!

[lorata]

hey here's 200 words of a thing i'm never going to finish! it's been in my drafts for 2 years and i want it out lol

------

The boy is young, the kind of beautiful that makes Devon’s teeth ache, and so furious it seems to poison his bones. He doesn’t eat, only smashes his food against the plate and stares openly at Enobaria until she bares her glinting fangs at him, when something that might pass for the the ghost of a smirk twitches at one corner of his mouth. 

He says nothing for the whole meal; ignores Devon’s limping, dutiful attempts to make conversation until the very end, when he upends his untouched bowl of soup across the table into Devon’s face. They’re all too fresh out of the Arena for that to work; Devon ducks by instinct, the bowl is plastic rather than hard porcelain, and the soup had long gone cold. Soon the One team ushers their new Victor out, murmuring half-hearted apologies. 

Devon’s shirt is soggy and he smells like sweet potatoes. He’d almost rather have the broken nose if it would have helped crack the tension for real.

(It could have been worse. Last year, the sister raked her nails across Devon’s cheekbone. Another inch, the doctor tutted, and he might have lost an eye.)

[diactrl]

push the button

[anhdaosart]

tagged by @jacobseed to post a wip,

art block so bad i spent hours on my shepard's hair and no idk what she's wearing

[treahollow]

The Faces I've Worn

[cryptcombat]

me playing me3

[shadowlinktheshadow]

tonights magma doodles with @strangerasher

[tepli-mravenci]

V místním klášteře mají vodníka

[paradoxbeta]

What are your alien ocs thoughts on eating corn?

here's all my opinionated aliens! thank you for the question, it was very fun :) text transcript under the cut

YIEL: Um... I can't eat <nervous> but I wish I could. Apparently GAR'S old enough to have eaten before, he says it's nothing special but I think he's just never had anything good <skeptical>

LADY: I had corn once and, um... clogged the toilet. I'm sure your Earth exports are lovely, I just can't handle so much fiber.

GUNNELL: Ho-ho, corn? That's exotic exotic. I've had it before and I like the taste but I wouldn't eat it as part of a home meal.

THE PIRATE: Well maybe I'd have an answer for you if I could get my talons on anything other than NUTRIENT PASTE

CIPRIAN: Man, you can eat people for all I care, just clean up after yourself and we're cool.

STELLA: ...Bro

IUWAU: I HATE CORN. I don't even have anything against the taste, but the sound of someone eating it makes me want to leap out of my skin.

MOLLIMAR: Tastes okay, but pretty much everything tastes similar to me. I'll shamelessly piggyback off of Devon's opinion and say it's great.

BYZOW: It is unlike anything on my home planet! I like it. The taste is not good to me but the appearance is so funny.

PHIER-KEL: I love corn. I'm #1 corn warrior. Corn fears me. I'm the bane of corn. I love it so much, I have a t-shirt about it. The day I die is the day 70% more corn becomes available on the market. Corn. 4. Life. (He talks like this about all food he likes.)

DEVON: I'm no alien, but I'm out here for team corn.

[eemamminy-art]

Okay so 👀 Devon is a grad student who recently became involved with an eccentric older businesswoman, Kimberly. She's having fun until her professor Max, who happens to be Kimberly's ex-wife, learns of the relationship and wants to take Devon for herself out of spite.

butch 4 butch 4 butch toxic love triangle basically

[p0tat0-4rt]

(smash bros narrator voice) CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER

(coughs) I drew more Lesson One character inserts (singles under the cut)

[chaosduckies]

Sleeping With Sirens (2)

I planned to make this wayyyy earlier but life happened. But it's here now! Enjoy some small fearplay and angst with my mer au

Word Count: 5.2k

CW: mentions of death, mentions of being eaten alive

2-

If you had told me the day before that I would be willingly traveling with a leviathan, the scariest thing in the ocean, I probably wouldn’t have believed you in the slightest.

And now there was a huge sea monster waiting for me to catch up with them. As reluctant as I was about all of this, the promise of maybe finding my parents kept what little bravery I had intact so I wouldn’t swim away in fear. Not that I could escape this leviathan if I had tried. 

It had only been about an hour since he had started guiding me to wherever he was thinking of. Whether it was just another hunting ground or not I just had to trust him. I could maybe make it across the trench, but there’s no guarantee that my parents made it across. They might just be waiting for me somewhere out here. If only we hadn’t been driven away from our home. Maybe things would’ve ended up differently. I wouldn’t be between life and death. Literally, or almost died countless times. 

The leviathan never talked. When I grew tired of swimming and couldn’t keep up with him anymore he’d stop moving before he caught me in his hand that was trailing just behind. I think the only reason I kept going was because I was terrified of making him impatient. Who knew what he would do to me? The worst was being eaten alive, but I think being abandoned and left out in the open was just as bad. Hiding obviously didn’t work with what happened before. So I was just a snack to pretty much any and everything that lived here. 

Even after traveling for a full straight hour, it was still open ocean and the kelp forests. My stomach grumbled from the lack of food, but I was too terrified to mention it. If I could even speak with my mouth practically glued together. This entire situation was terrifying. 

The water grew darker, the clouds covering up the sun so the water didn’t look like its usual nice shade of pink. There was nowhere to hide so I could sleep, no sign of stopping to take a well-deserved break on my end, and there was no sign of life. At least not yet. My newfound fear of the dark crept up inside me as I very subtly inched closer to the leviathan. They didn’t seem to notice, and if they did they didn’t seem to care too much. A sigh of relief escaped me as I held my arms close and watched as the same scenery of kelp and loose gravel and sand passed by. 

We continued for another half hour I would guess. Darkness settling in. I could still see a little bit out, but not too much. Better than the trenches at least. What I wasn’t expecting was for the leviathan to start glowing with a very dim but somehow vivid purple light. I yawned, tired from swimming nearly all day. It wasn’t surprising that the leviathan could keep on going though. They hadn’t even so much as complained either. Perks of probably being the biggest predator out here I guess. He had nothing to worry about. Though, there were faint scars along his arms and side. Meaning that there were some things out there that could hurt him. That just terrified me more. What could be capable of that? 

I hadn’t realized I was trailing behind until I noticed the hand they placed behind me coming closer. I cringed at the sight of the claws before trying to swim up more, but I was too exhausted to keep pushing myself. My eyes threatened to close shut every time I blinked, slowly dozing off. 

With a quiet wince, I forced myself to keep going, but it wasn’t long before my body was too exhausted to move anymore. As soon as I stopped his hand seemed to scoop me up, and that just terrified me even more. Was he going to yell at me for not being able to keep up? Well, yelling was the least of my worries. I was literally in his hand. In his complete mercy. Sure I was the second he laid eyes on me, but this was different. Making him angry or annoyed now was probably not in my best interest. Or life. 

I held my breath as soon as he stopped and glared back. I didn’t dare make eye contact as my body trembled in fear. Breathing was all of a sudden a trivial task as I felt his eyes bore into me. In my mind all I could do was beg and hope that nothing would happen. Though, a very big part of me doubted it. 

The leviathan hummed quietly before peering out in the distance to scan the area. Nothing but kelp, sand, and gravel. He let out an annoyed huff, his fingers slightly curling around my tiny frame. It took everything in me not to yelp or swim off. I’m sure I would be in even more trouble then. It felt like everything around me was getting closer as my chest grew tighter and tighter, cringing away every time his fingers would flinch. I didn’t like this at all. The fear and anxiousness were not a good combo. 

They didn’t say a word before my world quite literally became a blur. I couldn’t react in time before being closed in a fist. It felt suffocating. Trapped. The first thought that came to my mind was that I was dead. So dead. It was stupid of me for even believe that they wouldn’t kill me. My heart rang in my ears as I felt the water rush. All of a sudden I just felt dizzy and too weak to attempt to escape. My eyes felt heavy and tired from the day that I’d had that it was practically an impossible challenge to keep them open for any longer. 

Out of fear, I pushed against their fingers to try and get out, tears pricking the edges of my eyes. I didn’t want to die like this. How could I just leave my parents? They might still be out there looking for me just like I was looking for them! After surviving countless attacks and hiding and being as brave as I could this was how I was going to die?

I pushed against their fingers one last time, never noticing the gentle and soft grip they had around me before opening their hand. I took a deep breath for what seemed like the first time and coughed, now sitting in their palm. I was… alive? Intact? 

My head perked up at the sight of a broken ship that was covered in algae, tiny pieces of coral and plenty of other plants. Some even looked edible. The wood looked like it would crumble at even the slightest touch, but it was huge. Well, at least to me. The ship itself could probably be carried around easily by the leviathan. It was terrifying to think about. My mind quickly changed over when I saw small schools of fish that swam by, finding this place to be a home. If I weren’t on the brink of tears from my earlier circumstances I would say that this place wasn’t bad at all. It seemed to have everything you would need. Food, shelter, plenty of places to hide. This honestly wouldn’t be a bad home. Though I was sure this place was empty for a reason. I just didn’t want to know why. 

The leviathan let out a huff through their nose before cupping their hand around me and slowly bringing me to the entrance. I turned to look back, jumping when they lowered themselves to the ground to be at eye level with me. I gulped, staring at the vivid purple in their eyes that let off a small glow. He tilted his head as if asking why I wasn’t going in. If I wasn’t so scared of him I would’ve laughed at how clueless he looked. 

I forced myself to swim in, taking small glances back at the leviathan as they pulled their hand away. He pushed himself off of the ground and swam around for a bit before laying down in a spot beside the ship I was in. There was a small crack in the wood that acted as a window between us that was as big as his eye, and now I could see why he chose that spot. He was making sure I wouldn’t swim off. Suddenly this place didn’t feel like a home at all. It just felt like a prison. 

I ignored the thought as much as I could before studying my surroundings. There were a few coral pieces that surrounded the area I could probably sleep on. There weren’t any fish here either which was good for me. There were a few patches of seaweed on the ground along with tiny bits of kelp. I don’t usually eat them, but if it’s what it’ll take to not starve to death then oh well. As soon as the thought crossed my mind my stomach growled quietly. I sighed, grabbing a few pieces and eating them. Anything to survive I guess. 

I swam around the place for a little and decided to sleep on a rock that was smooth and soft enough. I curled up onto it, my heart beating fast when I heard moving outside, the ship letting out a moan as the leviathan outside moved. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out the overwhelmingness of it all. First losing my parents, second being chased by countless monsters and predators, and now at the complete mercy of a leviathan that for some reason was helping me. Or maybe just saving me for later. I had no clue yet. 

After everything went quiet, I yawned to myself, trying to fall asleep. It was hard to knowing that there was a leviathan much bigger than the ship you were in just outside but after a while I finally calmed down enough even though it was still nerve-wracking. I just shut my eyes, and finally fell asleep. 

– – – – – – 

When I woke up it was bright again, as if the storm and the clouds from the morning before had never happened. It was much clearer and warmer today which felt so amazing I didn’t even want to get up. It felt like absolutely nothing was wrong in the world. Well, at least it was until I opened my eyes and looked around. 

This wasn’t home. 

My eyes surveyed the area, finding small bright coral spread out across the place, algae and a few other plants that crawled up the walls of the torn-apart ship. A few small fish as big as I was came swimming out of anemones and some of the coral ready to start their day. As amazing and peaceful as it looked, I knew what was lying just outside the confines of the ship I was in. 

I swam around a bit, eating a few tiny pieces of kelp before my day even started. The second that I shoved a few pieces in my mouth the place dimmed, something blocking the hole above. I tilted my head back and back until my eyes met one of his that peeked in. His pupils were slit as they darted around like he was trying to find me, his purple irises seemingly having a faint glow to them. Once he had his eye on me his pupils rounded, like he was relieved I hadn’t swam off.

Out of pure instinct my body began trembling, holding the few pieces of kelp in a fist as I stopped chewing. I dropped what I had and inched further away. It felt like I was just like some kind of… pet. My eyes widened at the realization. Was I being kept as a pet? Was this what was happening? It would explain why there hadn’t seemed to be any other predators here, but why go through all the trouble of keeping me as a pet? Just to observe me? I winced at the idea, staring down at the sand and seagrass that swayed with the small current. Anything to take my mind off of it. 

There was a small huff before the light came back through the hole. I picked my head up and saw them move away from the hole. The wood creaked above as they moved to sit up. I swam cautiously closer to a smaller hole near the bottom and peeked out, watching as they yawned and stretched out all four of their arms. A shudder escaped my mouth just watching. They were horrifyingly big. Even more so now that I wasn’t right beside them. It made me wonder how I even had the courage to stay here anymore. 

My eyes trailed their long tail lined with spikes and the same faint purple glow like it was dimming away. There were scratch marks and deep cuts all over and somehow it didn’t even seem to bother him. How was he not in constant pain even if they looked healed already? 

A tiny gasp escaped my lips when they started moving, their shadow dimming the place just as quickly as it lit back up. I quickly turned to the entrance where the ship was split into half, my heart skipping a beat when one of their hands rested nearby, clawing at the sand slightly. Was he angry at me? This couldn’t be good. I bit the bottom of my lip as he lowered his head, pressing it up against the sand to peer inside. I swallowed hard, my heart ringing through my ears once again as he just stared and squinted his eyes like he was sorry for scaring me. 

My breath hitched in my throat as they opened their mouth, revealing the sharp fangs that used to just barely peak under their lips. It took everything in me not to scream before they spoke, “Ready?” Although he tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible it still shook me to the core. He could’ve just grabbed me. His hand could fit in the opening. Maybe two if he really tried. So why didn’t he? Why wait for me to gather up whatever remaining courage I had left over from yesterday just to come out? I didn’t understand it at all. I thought leviathans were supposed to be blood-thirsty murderers. So why was he just waiting? He’s made me so confused about everything ever since he saved me. 

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly swam forward. The leviathan just watched, his eyes wide with wonder for a split second. He was shocked I was willingly doing all of this, and if I were being honest, I was just as shocked by my own actions as he was. My parents would probably call me crazy for trusting a leviathan. They’d scream and try to get me to stay away, probably using themselves as shields. That’s just how protective they were of me. My heart throbbed just thinking of them. And I guess that’s why I had to trust the leviathan so that I could maybe reunite with them. 

When I was close enough he lifted himself up slowly, taking a few glances before moving his hand a little bit behind me again. He pointed in the direction we were going, continuing on from yesterday. How far was he taking me? I was still tired from last night but there was no way I would go against the leviathan when I was completely at his mercy. 

So I forced myself to keep swimming. The leviathan swam slower this time finally realizing why I was so tired in the first place. He was so confusing. He didn’t talk unless he absolutely had to, didn’t tell me his name, and for some reason didn’t even seem the least interested in eating me. It seemed like he was even protecting me from danger with how he insisted his hand stay behind me. Almost like it was there to grab me at a moment's notice if he sensed danger rather than it being there to catch me if I fell behind. Maybe… his intentions really were just to help me. Doubt washed away in me just a little, but it quickly came back just as fast as it came.

There was a quiet but low grumbling, and I could already tell what it was without even having to see the leviathan place a hand over his stomach, biting down so hard on his lips that blood came out. I stopped dead in my tracks, completely forgetting that his hand was behind me as his fingers came into view. I squeaked embarrassingly enough but didn’t move as he turned to face me, moving his hand away from his stomach. He was hungry. I was pretty sure I was one of the only living things out here for miles. 

I shuddered, not daring to look him in the eyes. I didn’t want to die here. Maybe if I just didn’t look at him he wouldn’t think of anything? He’d leave me alone? Wouldn’t want to eat me? I felt the bile crawl up my throat at the thought, jumping and pressing my back into his palm when he opened his mouth, “I don’t eat mers.” He explained, fingers twitching around me like he was holding himself back. Or like he was just attempting to comfort me. Well, while it was doing the exact opposite, I was shocked to find out that they don’t eat mers. Grateful, but shocked. 

I took a deep breath before very cautiously swimming forward and stopped, staring between his hand and himself, “Wh-where are you t-taking me?” I couldn’t help but ask, my voice trembling with fear. Both pairs of his eyes widened before he pointed out in the direction we were heading. Though, this time I could see a silhouette of what looked to be another ship. It looked dark and gloomy like it was haunted. I just gave off a bad feeling. 

“I-in there?” I pointed, my arm shaking as I tilted my head back to watch them nod once. 

“There’s a coral reef on the other side. I’d go around the shipyard but you’re already tired.” He shrugged. I rubbed my arms, staring off. Was there really a coral reef on the other side? It would make plenty of sense if my parents were there. They always loved the colorful scenery. They might’ve thought I went there to look for them. My heart pounded at the thought of seeing them again, sucking in a deep breath as I pushed myself to swim towards the shipyard. There were tons of them that either crashed into the sand or were torn in half. Some were huge, even bigger than the one I stayed in last night. Pieces lay everywhere, the only plants growing around was the seagrass that swayed with the subtle current. 

I still couldn’t shake the bad feeling about this place. This place didn’t seem friendly at all. There was barely any noise. No colorful fish swimming around, and in the far distance you could see where the coral reef begins, the faint outlines of red, blue and pink in the background. 

I bit the side of my cheek as I swam out, flinching when the ship would creak or if I caught some movement in the corner of my eye. Even if it was only a plant that was moving strangely. My nerves weren’t calmed when I turned to face the leviathan who remained swimming beside me, his eyes showing no emotion. Maybe it would be a good idea to have a conversation? He didn’t look like he minded. I just wanted to take my mind off the eeriness of this place. 

“U-um. C-can I know y-your name?” I bit my tongue for stuttering, looking away out of embarrassment. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and sighed. 

“Why?” His voice didn’t come out as harsh as I thought it would, but it did have an edge to it which made me doubt if I wanted to push more. Or even continue talking. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked even if I was curious. Well, at least his tone almost made me want to drop the entire thing altogether. 

“You’re helping me. I-I’d like to know who you are…” My voice stopped working after a while like that was all I was able to say to him before fear took over and shut down everything. I still kept on swimming though, keeping my arms close and watching from the corner of my vision as his hand started to slowly come into view. He knew something was off about this place too. 

He turned to look down at me for a split second like he was trying to see if I was lying, then turned to stare back into the deep ocean where the reef was just lying in the distance.

“Kieran.” Was all he said, his voice a little sharp but at the same time I caught a hint of happiness. Well, Kieran was extremely hard to read. I couldn’t tell if he just didn’t care at some times or if he did and just never showed it. I couldn’t tell if he had bad intentions, but I told myself to believe him. It was great to know the name of the person who saved me and then decided he was going to willingly help me get out of this place.

“I’m Devon. Um, th-thank you.” It wouldn’t sit right with me if I never thanked him for offering the help. I rubbed my arms and stared down, flinching when I heard another creak, but this time Kieran stopped, placing one of his other hands in front of me so I couldn’t swim further. Not that I could’ve swam too far from him with how fast he reacted. 

My heart beat hard against my chest as I stared with wide eyes out into the shipyard. Nothing seemed to be moving. It was quiet. Too quiet. Not even the current seemed to make the seagrass that was lined all over the sandy ground sway. I let out a soft breath, eyes scanning the place for any danger.

“Yeah… sure.” He whispered, shaking his head and moving his hands away from me. Was there no danger? No other monster lurking in the shadows? Nothing waiting to pounce at me? I looked up to see what Kieran was doing, a tiny squeak being let out as he swam down towards a ship that looked worse for wear, stopping to wait for me as he nudged his head down towards it. 

Down there? Was he leading me to a death trap or something? It looked dark and murky. A place I would usually avoid. I thought we were going to the reef. Why would he- My thoughts were interrupted when he rolled his eyes and his hand scooped me up, fingers curling slightly so that I couldn’t find a way to swim out. Breathing became hard when I was being brought deeper into the murky water, the ships somehow looking even more untrusting than before. The eeriness settled in even deeper. Something was wrong with this place and I was being forced into it. Nothing good could come out of this. 

My ears couldn’t register noise anymore, everything muffled and cloudy as my vision blurred. The water was moving too fast around me. It was hard to keep up with anything happening. Even when everything had stopped and faintly glowing purple eyes stared down at me. My body was trembling and it felt like I was about to throw up the little bit of breakfast that I had. 

It took a moment for my senses to come back to me. Kieran was looming above, a look on his face that screamed that he was sorry. It was still so strange to me that he wasn’t like how I pictured a leviathan. Maybe the other one that tried to eat me yesterday but for some reason the one that was easily much bigger than a literal kraken was the nicest person I’ve met other than my parents. I wasn’t complaining though. I’d much rather be alive than as a tiny snack. 

I scanned the area now that my vision wasn’t as blurry, though my head started to hurt. It was dark. Colder. The ship sitting in front of us was absolutely huge. Kieran could still probably carry it effortlessly. That’s what scared me the most.

The ship was mostly intact with a huge hole on one side. The mast was broken in half. Indentured on either side of the ship like something was crushing it. Maybe a kraken used to live here? Or what if it still did? I sucked in a deep breath at the thought, staring up wide-eyed at Kieran who tilted his head, his two pairs of eyes staring right back at me with a hint of sympathy in them. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a sudden crash. Metal hitting metal. Which meant that something was here. Something big enough to move some parts of the ship that was coming off. Though, it seemed more like it was hiding rather than coming after anything. Hiding from the huge leviathan that was looming above the ship? Yeah, I’d do the same. 

Kieran blinked, “I saw… something. You can look.” He pointed towards the hole and lowered himself to the ground, laying on his arms trying to peak in through another small hole. Me? Go in? What if it’s not another mer? I guess there wasn’t really any way to know unless I checked, seeing as he was too big to get even one of his hands through the hole and probably could barely see what was inside. 

I swam closer and stood at the foot of the large hole and peered in. There didn’t seem to be anything but tons of metal parts thrown around everywhere. It just seemed like a dark cave from the inside. Though, there was another clang, making me cower behind the entrance. I peered in once more, terrified of what I might find, but there was nothing. Kieran gave up on what he was trying to do, now moving to check on me. He tilted his head again as I cowered by the entrance. 

“I h-heard something…” and just as I said it there was another clang followed by a fast-moving shadow. I whimpered. Whatever was in here was fast. All my instincts were in full working motion, but I had to deny every single one of them. I couldn’t swim away. Kieran would just catch me by barely moving any of his limbs. If I screamed it would just alert whatever was in there, and there was no way I was going to fight it. 

Kieran huffed softly, ruffling my hair a bit as he lowered himself to the ground. Was he annoyed? That wasn’t good for me. A shiver ran down my spine before there was a bright ball of light. It illuminated a small area, swaying with the waves. My eyes widened, swimming in just a little bit. Kieran squinted his eyes, trying to see what was going on. Then it all happened so fast. Next thing I know sharp fangs lunge right at me. I was barely given enough time to react to dodge, and luckily I did. 

It was a strange-looking fish that was hell-bent on trying to eat me. I swam away, forgetting who was behind me when I swam backward. The second I did though, I rammed right into the bridge of Kieran’s nose, and I wish that I hadn’t. 

He growled. Deep, and threatening. It rumbled throughout my entire body, with no control over my limbs anymore as tears pricked my eyes. It was amazing how only his voice could make anything tremble with fear. It all felt too much. Too loud. Somehow, his growling only grew deeper and louder. Like he wasn’t even trying before. I clasped my hands over my ears, wincing and just hoping that this would go away. Tha tI wouldn’t feel like my insides were shaking inside or that I was going to throw up my insides. It was terrifying that someone was capable of this. 

When it didn’t feel like my insides were shaking anymore, I peered up, cringing away at the sight of him baring fangs that were sharper and deadlier than the strange fish that was trying to eat me. Kieran glanced down at me, letting out what I thought, surprisingly, was a sigh of relief. My breath hitched in my throat when he backed away further and stared back at me with tired eyes like nothing had happened. 

My breathing quickened as I grabbed at my chest trying to calm my heartbeat, but that was no use. When his mouth so much as twitched, I bolted into the ship, pressing my back into the cold metal. Dead. I was so amazingly dead. There was no way I was going to survive. He was going to tear this ship apart and dig me out. No way out of this alive. 

I heard him moving outside, a shadow covering up the entryway, but nothing happened. I whimpered, not expecting it to echo throughout the place. He for sure heard that, and in response he whispered softly, “Sorry guppy.” 

And I didn’t know what to say. What could I even say? My breath became ragged as I peeked outside and just watched. Something was calming about it. Away from everything big and threatening. A sort of calm quiet without the eeriness of it all. Kieran messed with a smaller boat, trying to tear off the big pieces of metal. He looked so tired. There were small bags under his eyes from what I could only guess was from lack of sleep. Not to mention I knew that he was hungry, and I didn’t even want to think about what he could eat. It was just… so terrifying, but at the same time calming that someone was helping me. It was crazy but the truth. 

With a shaky sigh, I swam over to a small rock and lay on it, using my arms as a pillow. It was dark and to be honest I think I’ve had enough of an adrenaline rush for today. This wasn’t a place I’d usually sleep in, but I had no right to complain. It was better than digging myself into the sand again only to be found by yet another hungry predator. 

I sighed, trying to ignore the movement outside and how fast my heart raced. I’d just have to hope that he wasn’t angry. Or leave. I’ve been alone for a while. I guess it was nice to have any kind of company at this point. I shut my eyes, curling in on myself slowly and tried to keep a calm mind. Even though it didn’t work.

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

Little cliffhanger even though it's not much, and I admit that this was a little rushed but it's in the spirit of mermay so that's okay! (I love mermay so much) Thank you for reading!

Taglist: @da3dm @dav8530

(If you would like to be added or removed please let me know!)

[lorata]

How did Devon's family react the first time he contacted them (and then met up with them!) after he won? He's such a fascinating character

i have never written this but i imagine they were overjoyed, they love their little shrimp cracker, their tiny bean (devon: I'M SIX FEET)

brutus called them first before he said anything to devon, in case they reacted badly and then he would never have to know. what probably happened is dad cried and mom got briskly cheerful and started asking brutus' favourite foods etc so yes PLEASE visit

it was prrrrobably a little awkward at first since they didn't know if they could make fun of him and if they were supposed to like. call him sir???? but eventually someone cracks and then they are all teasing and yelling and dogpiling and it's fine. devon does have a few moments where he has to pull away because arena-devon gets too close but it's fine, no big deal, everyone pretends not to notice

they don't bring the babies the first time but they will after a bit! and not long after that he invites misha down and it's all chaos after that

[hungry-hobbits-art]

been curating a new oc for a bit now, his name is devon!!!

i told @henrylevesconte "it'd be really funny if devon had an emo phase" so i finally did a ref for his face - you know he was destroying his hair from the ages of 15-18 for the aesthetic

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