#red rock crab

[daily-crabbys]

Today's crab is: patiently waiting and polite

[unofficial-sean]

crab uber

[snototter]

A Sally Lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus) on the Galapagos Islands

by Oleg Nabrovenkov

[jelmet]

red rock crab

Grapsus grapsus

[aquaristintern]

Meet Ace, our new octopus!

Been with us for two weeks and will be released after two more, as she will be too big to be kept for longer (for reference, she’s currently 31 pounds, and Tanner was 23 by the time he was released)

[mycological-mariner]

The only thing worth knowing about me is that I have three separate books on types of rocks and how to identify them in the wild and my house is filled with rocks ranging from tiny pebble to multi kilogram monstrosity I somehow got inside

[thoughtsandmusingsandideas]

Dehya + Arlecchino Forgotten!Creator AU

A proper response to @ninjacomix sorry for the wait!

Dehya

You woke up in the deserts of Sumeru when you first arrived in Teyvat, so it’s no surprise that the first people you met were Eremites 

Unlike the Traveler, you are not immediately attacked- half because of your divinity subtly making them more docile, and half because you’re covered in sand and dressed in foreign clothes and practically melting under the sun- and yeah, you look too pathetic to rob

They end up taking you back to Aaru Village, and that’s where you end up meeting Dehya.

Well, technically you meet Dehya the day after you arrive, when you rush outside during a sandstorm and spot her fighting monsters

It’s a bit surreal, watching an actual fight like this, and you’re frozen in awe

At least until you notice the Rifthound sneaking up on her

You’re panicking as you lunge forward, feeling something begin to expand inside you, and-

Everything is still

Both the storm and the Rifthounds are frozen in place, and Dehya is looking at you, extremely confused

“What is this?!?” “HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!?!” “YOU’RE THE ONE DOING IT!!!!”

Dehya dispatches the Rifthounds quickly, and the sandstorm resumes

And the next day, the both of you set out towards the Akademiya, wanting to figure out what your deal is

(You don’t realize that now the gods are remembering the creator, the Akademiya is Scrambling to find any and all information on you and why they forgot you)

During the journey the both of you grow close, and a few weeks in, the both of you wrapped in a blanket to protect from the chill of a desert night, you turn to her.

“Hey, let’s get married.”

And after choking on her water, she agrees to it

Congratulations! You have a wife!

The Creator, showing up hand in hand with an Eremite is not what an Akademiya scholar expected to see at four in the morning on a random day, but that is what he saw- and he thinks the subsequent panic is very understandable

Before you know it, you and your new wife are sitting in the acting grand sages office as Nahida uses some kind of Archon communication to page the other Archons

It takes about an hour for them to burst through the door

(In that time you’ve taught Alhaitham and Dehya how to play Rock Paper Scissors, Go Fish, Uno, and you’re in the middle of teaching them slapjack. Alhaithams hands are suspiciously red and Dehya is smirking)

They’re instantly fretting over you, apologizing for forgetting you and generally praising you, completely overwhelming until Dehya pulls you away

“Hey! Who are you supposed to be!” It’s Venti, disappointed that his god has been taken from him

“That’s my wife!” You state proudly.

And then everything clicks

“Wait, I’m a god?” 

The room explodes in noise, but Dehya’s hand never leaves yours

Arlecchino

When it comes to Arlecchino, instead of taking you to Aaru Village, you ask them to take you to the border of Fontaine

You’ve only made it to the end of Sumeru in the Archon Quests- maybe if you head to Fontaine now, you’ll get to see the Archon Quest in person!

It’s only once you’ve taken the Aquabus to the Court of Fontaine that you realize you do not have a single mora on your person. 

It’s after a day of exploring that you end up near the sea, and after being startled by a giant crab appearing from nowhere (It was Very Scary I promise) you end up tumbling into the water, you’re trapped under, and-

Wait… you can still breathe!

You light up with excitement, diving deeper, and that begins your life as a diver.

You end up becoming a collector, selling cool shells and oddities to anyone in the Court who’s willing to buy them (You’ve built up a pretty good rapport with the supply manager of Chiori’s Boutique)

It’s also underwater that you discover you’re the creator- finding an old abandoned temple with murals of a god that look just like you, helping you make sense of the power beneath your skin

But hey, if no one else was gonna bring it up, you wouldn’t either

And it’s underwater that you end up meeting your first Fatui member: Freminet

He was surprised when he first saw you swimming around- but now he’s grown pretty accustomed to you, and sometimes you guys even interact

Admittedly, sound doesn’t travel well underwater, so most of your communication is via charades, but the two of you end up growing close

Freminet shows you cool diving spots, you collect valuables from the ocean floor together, swim together in blissful silence, and play with all the friendly ocean animals you seem to attract

It only takes about a month for Freminet to begin mentally referring to you as mother (This boy is starved of a parental figure)

And after that it only takes a week before he slips up

He’s waiting in Father’s office, looking around as he waits for him to arrive

It’s pretty sparsely decorated- but there are a few ornaments still left around.

“Mother would like this…” Freminet muses, looking at a small model boat, delicate and intricately carved.

A flash of heat at his back. “… What did you just say?”

After a very long and frantic explanation, and a slightly shorter lecture on stranger danger, Arlecchino demands to meet you.

You first meet the harbinger after a day diving with Freminet, and he shoots you an apologetic look as you both surface to find a harbinger on the shore

And then you make eye contact

Your thoughts: That is a harbinger. From the Fatui. Huh. I’m going to pretend not to know that.

Arlecchino’s thoughts: That is the Creator that The Tsaritsa told me to look out for. They have the exact same appearance. I will pretend not to know that.

Arlecchino asks you to tea to get to know you better, and it devolves from there.

At your tea party, she introduces herself as a completely normal orphanage matron, and you’re polite enough to not point out that her brooch is a tiny Fatui emblem

You introduce yourself as a normal diver and she ignores the fact that your spoon has been stirring sugar into your tea without you even touching it

Your relationship continues in a similar fashion, with the both of you pretending to be a completely normal couple

After a few months, when both of you are getting married, you both ignore the oddities of your guests

“Ah, darling, the Fatui are here.” “Oh yes, they sponsor my orphanage, how polite of them to come.”

“Angel, Morax is here.” “Huh. Isn’t he supposed to be dead?” “Yes.” “Well, I’m glad he could make it.” 

The both of you continue with intense purposeful ignorance

Venti: Your grace, do you really want to marry the harbinger? Is she threatening you?

You: What harbinger? I’m marrying a completely normal and totally average orphanage owner. So kind and generous she is.

Arlecchino, in the background, kicking Childe for trying to start a fight at her wedding, pausing to turn and wave: Hello.

Also Freminet is the flower girl

[iamsuckateverythingtobehonest]

Between The Wall

Pairing: Sagau!Aether x Reader

Summary: Aether finds solace in the voice, he once hated and now loves.

!Warning!: First Time Writing, might be bad!

Part 1/3

Aether's first memory after he woke up from his long slumber is hearing a voice talking. It was distant but felt close to his ear but he saw no one near the vicinity.

He pushed himself up from the ground, patting his hair to clean off the remaining sand that stuck on his clothes.

'Where is this? How long I have been sleeping?'

Aether's eyes enlarged when he looked up to look around.

The world... He looking at is incomplete like it was just building itself. The sky had sun but it was dark, the birds that were flying in the sky moved without flapping their wings. The ocean and the sand he steps on, doesn't make a sound.

Aether started walking trailing along the shore, his frown evident. He doesn't know what to think about his situation at all, his first thought is to search for his sister who has been taken away fromm him but now he doesn't know what to do when he doesn't understand what kind of world he is in the first place.

Once again the voice he heard came up again, they sound frustrated but unfortunately, Aether couldn't understand the language they spoke, he couldn't decipher any of it even from the language he learned from another world he visited.

None of it fit.

Abruptly, Aether is frozen in place, his step is halted like some force holding him in place. He struggles through it, but his body doesn't respond to him, only his eyes can move to feel which wide as far as he can be.

Aether felt fears through his veins and fate, 'Lumine...' Aether's last thought before a bright light consumed him.

Aether opened his eyes with a jolt, breathing heavily, he turned his head when he felt movement only to meet with his beloved sister's eyes.

"L-Lumine..." Aether uttered, he quickly embraced her which surprised the other.

"Aether? What's wrong?" She said, worriedly.

"I have a long dream that you and me-"

Aether doesn't manage to say the rest of his words when everything happens so fast. He froze in place when fighting midair to escape before his sister was taken again.

Again they were separated.

Accompany with a voice that screams with him before his world becomes dark and consumes the bright light again.

"Lumine!"

Aether woke up again on the same beach but it was complete. The sun that bright, the bird flapping its wings, the sound of the ocean, and the sand he stepped on.

It's different, the voice too no longer there, and for a few months he is there.

He then meets paimon whom he saves from drowning, and not long after that excited voice enters his eardrums, this time the voice is clear like the flow of river.

Aether's eyes widened involuntarily which Paimon comments on, confused.

"No, it's nothing," he shook his head but then he heard a squeal, he still didn't understand the language but his cheeks went a bit red when he heard his name between the squealing.

But the moment is gone when Aether's body starts to move by itself around the beach, slashing at the bushes, running after golden crabs and Lizard, and jumping every step take took.

He almost died by drowning when the body suddenly moved to swim in the ocean and by the end of it, there was is treasure chest behind the rock.

The whole time Aether's face is full of terror, he even loses the capability to speak, he can't even ask for help from Paimon.

Suddenly he regained his body control and there was a light glow around his body. His body felt a little bit stronger and his stamina increase after the effect was gone.

He hears a gasp from Paimon, "An artifact blessing!"

"Artifact blessing?" Aether asked quietly, hugging himself, still feeling spooked by what just happened.

Paimon's nodded, "Uh-huh! You are so lucky even as an Outlander! You don't even have a vision but you got a blessing from the creator itself!"

"Creator? Do you mean Archon?"

"No! Archon is different from than Creator, The Creator is the one who created the world we live in right now, one of the people that even Celestia respect and believe in!" Paimon said, waving her hand around to prove her point.

"You will see!"

Paimon brought Aerher to the status of seven, the Anemo God. "Look up, if you see the clock the Anemo Archon wore, it belongs to the creator!" Paimon started.

"Each Statue has at least one or two things they hold of Creator belonging on their statues which to show they were favor by them!"

Aether looks at the statues, his face looks firm, and has a lot of thoughts in his head.

"What if...you can hear the so-called Creator's voice? They even can control your body anytime they please...what would the person be then...?"

Paimom blinked with a frown evident on her face, "That...would be...dangerous,"

"Huh?"

"I-I mean! Everyone herein Teyvat even the Archon loves the Creator if they know someone who can hear their beloved Creator and even can be controlled by them..." Paimon trailed off as she crossed her arms in troubled faces, "The person certainly would be a target."

"...I see," Aether nodded, "you still don't answer my question, Paimon."

"Well, that just means, the person is the Creator's vessel, and The Creator is fond of them to even let them hear their voices." Paimon said, "Also having a Creator by your side certainly will bring a lot of fortune, power, and a bright future to your side right?"

[zwhoreo]

Second post… i’m BACK!

swimming - luffy x gn!reader

suggestive fluff

summary: luffy needs a bath, but he can’t swim. how can you help?

includes.. just detailed descriptions of you washing luffy in the ocean, basically

words: 1.7k

_________________________________________

It’s warm today, the sun on the water is nearly blistering, the waves are gentle in the cove you’ve found and it’s all electric blue. The morning is ripe. There’s no wind to stir the ocean here. You sit on a low cliff, white rock over sky water, kicking your feet. You want to go swimming

You’re in a bathing suit, white, small, your hair is salt-burned, dry. The water is clear, you wouldn’t get hurt if you dove from here, right?

Luffy is playing on the beach, investigating something you can’t see, wandering around without a shirt on, tanned by the summer. He sits down on the sand and looks up, excitedly, waving to you, shouting, “[name]! I found something cool! Hey, [name]!”

You wave back, then motion for him to join you on the rock, beckoning him with a smile, and he doesn’t hesitate before scrambling up to sit beside you. He’s holding a crab in his hands, tiny and red and obviously furious, scared. 

“LUFFY! Put that down, he’ll pinch you.” You take the crab gently, looking around for a tidepool, and on cue you feel a sharp sting on your finger as it grabs hold of you, flailing, falling into the water below. You yelp and Luffy quickly takes your hand, inspecting the drop of blood pooling on your skin. 

He looks sad, a little angry. But concerned, too, as he stares down at your finger. “You ok?” His voice is genuine, kind. You reach out with your other hand, petting his shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m alright, it doesn’t hurt.” You smile reassuringly, laughing a little. “I liked the crab.”

“Ya did?” His smile glows, he gets close to your face, his eye contact almost too much. He’s almost in your lap is how close he is to you. So you put a hand in his hair, because that’s what it seems like he wants. 

His hair is greasy. 

Trying to be nice, you don’t pull away, you pet his stringy, sticky hair and he’s still just shining with happiness at your touch, so it’s worth it. You notice the shimmer of sweat across his skin, the sand stuck to his body, he hasn’t had a bath in awhile. 

Maybe it’s the effort it takes? The way his energy fades away, how it gets hard to move in even as little as a few minutes in a bath? So times like that it’s just so much easier not to, he’s usually pretty dirty, which annoys you but you understand a bit. 

“Luffy…” You run your thumb along his forehead. “You’re a little sweaty, want me to help you clean off?”

He looks at you curiously, big-eyed and uncomprehending. 

“Wanna go swimming?”

“Huh? But… but I can’t, remember?” Luffy tilts his head a bit, his hands fidgeting, playing with the skin on your bare thighs. 

“Yeah, I know. But I’m gonna hold you. And I’ll help you wash yourself.” You cup his face in your hands, feeling him lean forward a little into your touch.

“Oh- okay!” He smiles at you, excited at the prospect of being held, which he always loves, no matter the context, so he turns around and jumps off the rock on the beach again. 

“Hold on!” You follow him onto the sand, catching him by the shoulders, and when you’re right up in his face again you say, ��lemme undress you first.” 

His eyes light up, he grins and tries to hold still as you drop to your knees, unbuttoning his pants, but he immediately starts rolling back and forth on his feet as you slide your hands down the smooth skin of his bare hips. He’s brimming with energy, he shudders under your every touch, you admire him as you undress him, tossing his shorts into the sand behind you, now he’s standing naked on the beach of your little cove. He looks good like this. 

But you don’t want him for anything else, right now, you just wanna go swimming, so as you press your body against his it’s an embrace of friendship more than lust, showing him that you’re here and you’re gonna keep him safe in the water. 

He pulls away so he can kiss you, his lips warm and damp, pushing against you with too much pressure so you stumble a little before he grabs your waist and lets you relax into his arms, comfortably, quietly. 

“This is gonna be fun, huh?” He says into your mouth, still wanting to keep the kiss. And his hips stutter against yours instinctively, so you place your hands on his thighs gently to settle him down.

“Mm.. mhm..” you say, muffled by his kiss. He’s so eager, just to be close to you, to be doing something with you, it’s adorable. 

You take his hand and dip your feet into the water, the shock of the cold is startling but it soothes the burns from the white sand and you pull him along with you. 

But Luffy doesn’t need encouragement. He runs up to his knees, soft waves hitting his legs as he giggles and looks back at you, his naked form a silhouette against the cloudless sky, framed wonderfully by the cove, you look him up and down slowly even as he tugs your hand to pull you in with him. 

“I’m coming!” You assure him with a smile as you ignore the icy feelings and wade deeper, lazy currents pushing you towards him. “You’re beautiful,” you tell him honestly. 

“Thanks!” He goes further, up to his hips, shuddering a bit as the water laps between his exposed legs, staring deep into your eyes. “So are you.”

And without much thought you lay down in the water, temperature shock coursing through you, your hair drifting away in a swirling halo. Luffy wastes no time in laying himself on top of you. 

“H-hey- no-“ You wrestle him off and into your arms, fighting to keep from sinking, and his body is soft, skin like velvet, he slips easily into your tight embrace, and smiles innocently and this is what he wanted from the start. 

He hasn’t lost his energy yet, he still squirms playfully as you drag him further out, feet kicking the water, splashing you, so you splash him back and he shrieks, biting down on your shoulder and shoving himself against you. 

“You gonna wash me?” He seems joyful at the thought, which is a bit surprising, you thought he’d complain more, but he just gazes up at you expectantly and stretches a bit, leaning back in the water, muscles shifting under his skin as the sun dances off of his glistening curves. 

“Y-yeah, hold on…” So you wade out to where the water encircles your waist and you let his body drift, supported by your arms and the salt in the water, and you dig your fingers into his hair again, pulling gently as you caress his scalp and he closes his eyes in complete bliss already. 

His thick, black hair becomes loose and shimmery against the waves. He leans into your touch and it moves with him, he’s alive but at peace, his skin is golden in the sun and against the water and he has turned to silk. 

So it’s easy to slip your hand down his hair and over the back of his neck as he shivers in your arms, eyes opening, hooded. Your nails dig into his upper back and he arches into you sharply, you adjust your hold on his arms. And time slows as you curl your fingers around his waist, a gentle gasp escaping his lips as you begin to knead the sensitive muscle and you bring your face against his, just so you can hear and feel his breathing. And you set out to go swimming so you raise your feet above the sand of the ocean floor and float beside him, the curves of your body rising above the water for Luffy to sleepily admire.

He is getting sleepy. Those hooded eyes turn down further as his body sways in the water that’s been taking his energy slowly, then all at once. He’s going slack against you so you have to work more to keep him up as you still touch and rub him diligently. The ocean cradles him even as it drains him.

“Don’t fall asleep yet,” you whisper in his ear as you trace your fingers to his chest, his abs, an intimate grace as you lean even closer. His breathing hitches, then slows. He kicks the water again, a desperate struggle to stay awake so he can feel your touch for longer. You feel the rise and fall of his stomach as your hands slide lower, pressing into his skin almost painfully, the salt of the water helping to raw his skin and wash away the dirt and sweat of the week. 

He tries to say something but you can’t hear him, you quickly put a hand under his head to keep him above water. Propping him up you return to his hips - the sensitive, soft skin just inside his hips - making him squirm with dwindling strength, making a smaller sound, a sound of pleasure. You kiss him delicately, taking time to savor his quiet need and want. 

Digging your fingers into his upper thighs makes him tremble and whine for you. His body is still warm through the water, his muscles flex instinctively at the foreign touch, this is what he’s been craving. The sensation, for him, only grows as you move inwards, the caressing of the inside of his legs is nearly too much. He’s so tired now, that feeling is the only thing left in his mind. 

As your touch becomes a rhythm he begins to slip away, clouded with fatigue, the water hungry for the last of his energy. You feel him begin to go limp in your arms and you speed up your cleaning, you don’t want him to be out for too long, his slacked mouth curls into a smile as he falls asleep. 

And when you’re done, and his skin looks polished, his hair not so stringy anymore, you find the sandbed again with your toes and swim him back to shore. He becomes heavy as you leave the ocean. You drag him onto the beach and immediately kneel over him to check on him, make sure he’s ok, and he’s still asleep but he moves a bit, just enough to reach up and squeeze your hand.

[that-angry-noldo]

Finrod was not feeling well.

Everything felt too bright and too dull at the same time. He managed only to drag himself to the window and close the curtains, and then to drop back into his bed; covered himself in all the blankets he could gather and still felt awfully cold and dizzy.

Outside was raining, and the weather made his bones ache with pains of past life, and the scars on his chest and hands began to itch. It all made Finrod want to become very small and very little and to be far, far away from everything.

He shut his eyes. There were things he needed to do today, he knew; visitors he had to take in, old acquintances from Nargothrond who he agreed to meet with today. But he was feeling awful, and the thought of getting up and facing other people made him almost want to sob.

He felt very immature, and very foolish. But his body was weary, and refused to get up. It was as if he was chained all over again; familiar hopelessness settled into his chest, and he shuddered.

The clock on the wall said it was just the time for breakfast.

His house was a quiet one, in the more secluded part of Tirion, and he lived alone. His parents' palace was always open for him; but it could grow busy, and he loved to have a place to himself. Now he regretted the decision to spend the week here. He wasn't feeling well from yesterday; he was caught in the rain returning from the market, and spent the evening shivering, but he did not think the sickness would get to him in the night.

He was only bitter it happenned now, when he did not even have a messanger to inform the people he invited he was in no state to see them today. He thought of reaching out to Finarfin, or Eärwen; but his mind was too weary, and his thoughts too tangled.

The last thing he remembered was his eyelids growing more and more heavy, and his skin getting more and more hot; until his eyes finally shut closed, and he gave in to the uneasy sleep that found him.

***

He woke up slowly to the sound of someone's voice calling him.

"Good," it crooned, and it was soft and soothing and familiar. "There you are."

The rain was still falling outside. Finrod opened his eyes; saw Finarfin looking right back at him, brushing his hand at Finrod's forehead.

Finrod clasped his father's hand, feeling weak and very tired, and pressed it to his face.

"Atya," he mumbled. Finarfin sat by his side; put his head into his lap. Finrod sunk into his presence; noted dully the clatter of kitchenware coming from downstairs.

"Hush," Finarfin said, and lifted Finrod's head ever so slightly, pressing a glass with something warm to Finrod's lips and coaxing him to drink. It was warm soup, Finrod registered; and felt some warmth return into his bones. "I was right to worry about you today. I'm glad your mother and I decided to take a longer route on our way from the palace and check on you."

"What hour is it?" Finrod mumbled, and tried to sit up—but Finarfin held him down softly, and Finrod had no strength to fight back. "I had—I had a meeting today."

"It is way past lunch," Finarfin said. Then, slipping into Finrod's thoughts, his voice softening: "Your meeting is tomorrow, jewel. You need not worry; I will make sure it is moved a day or two if you do not feel better, yonya."

"Oh," Finrod said, and felt the tips of his ears grow red with embarassment. "Oh. Alright."

He heard Finarfin's quiet laugh, and closed his eyes. "I wil sleep some more, then," he mumbled. "Thank you."

"Always," Finarfin murmured in response, caressing Finrod's hair. "Sleep well, yonya."

He started humming a quiet melody; it wrapped over Finrod, and ran over the edges of his mind, and soothed the fever just a little bit.

Finrod drifted away, and dreamed of sea, and sea-shells, and crabs hiding between the rocks, and for a moment forgot about the fever and pain, both past and present.

[meidnightrain]

MEET ME IN THE AFTERGLOW❞ - gaming

summary: there’s something magical about watching the sunset from the coast of yaoguang shoal with him

warnings: reader is gn, pure fluff

notes: this is my entry for @staarri’s 100 follower + birthday event! happy birthday zira, may you have a blessed day ahead.

taglist(open): @akutasoda, @ryuryuryuyurboat, @thestarswhisper, @luvkvni, @yvnaology, @tragedy-of-commons, @rainswept

“are we there yet?” you whined for about the fifth time since you both set off from liyue harbor with GAMING, your best friend, or sorta. you weren’t too sure what you were at the moment, stuck in this tricky spot between friends and more than friends. you weren’t too brave anyway to find out what you were, in fear that you’d ruin your friendship with him.  

he slowed down for a bit, allowing you to catch up to him before continuing to walk alongside you. he’s close to you, maybe a little too close that you could feel your breath hitch at the way his fingers nearly touched yours. “almost! getting tired, are you?”  

“pfft nope.” you huffed, your lips popping at the ‘p’ as you looked away from him in mock offense.

“don’t be like that!” he pouted, pulling you closer to him until your hip bumped his. you swore it was like you were a malfunctioning ruin guard, hands covering your face that were quickly flushing an embarrassing shade of red.  

you let out a sigh of relief when you finally arrived at your destination, a little island off the coast of yaoguang shoal. you knew every part of your homeland like the back of your hand, but you’ve never been here before. he looked proud for a moment, puffing his chest like the lions he’d dance to would at the start of every performance.  

“i came across here when i ran away from home a while back.” GAMING explained slowly, grabbing your hand and dragging you with him. the sudden movement was so jarring that you were momentarily shocked, tripping over a rock in your path and nearly falling flat on your face. that was, if he hadn’t caught you by your waist.  

and time slows down for a moment, and you can see the gorgeous sunset, the sun melting into the sky, painting it into a view you’ve never seen before. the sun dancing across the sky, the fleeting colors of dusk began to fade away. the sound of water lapping at the shore calmly, like placing a kiss on the forehead of your beloved, you can picture kissing him, and you nearly fall back down again.  

you’re both stuck in this awkward position, unsure how else to move away and save yourselves from what would entail your relationship afterwards. his hands on your waist and your arms hanging around his neck, him dipping you in a position reminiscent of the final move of a waltz. the same move you’d read in a novel and squeal afterwards when the protagonist kisses his love interest.  

“i took you here because of this special place; i heard about it from the traveler and paimon.” he doesn’t catch on to the rising heat in your cheeks, your face could just blend in with the pink sky right now. you’re somewhat relieved that he could carry on with whatever he wanted to say, blatantly ignoring the position you were both stuck in.  

“for the beach? it’s a beautiful sunset.” your voice came off as squeaky, making you wince, and that voice in your ears began to wail in agony because you kept screwing up around him.  

he paused for a moment. you can hear the squawking of seagulls and the hollow tapping that came with the crabs knocking on starconches. “actually, it’s because i heard that it’s good luck for couples to come to the heart island.”  

this time you nearly fall over again, your hands slipping from him as GAMING quickly caught you and brought you back to your feet. that’s when you realised that the rocks surrounding you both were in the shape of a heart, and your pulse started to race even faster at the implications of his words. and some part of you feels so relieved that you could just lie down on the beach and just be one with the sand.

“then i hope that superstition is true,” you beamed at him, and it was his turn to be embarrassed.  

the golden sands of the beach are beautiful, and the sun gives you life, but they could never compare with the color of his eyes and the kiss you felt like you'd waited your whole life for.

© AVENTURNE 2024. DO NOT COPY, REPOST, SHARE, TRANSLATE OR REUPLOAD MY WORKS ONTO ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

[unofficial-sean]

world's bravest crab

[feather-bone]

Yosemite cave pseudoscorpion! Looks like a scorpion, but with no tail or stinger. These creepy guys live in talus caves in Yosemite - those are caves that form when the rock walls of a valley are eroded by a stream and fall, forming a ceiling over the water. The stream keeps eroding and the space under the rockfall forms into a tunnel. And then is discovered and settled by fingernail-sized arachnids!

[ID: an illustration of a long arachnid with a red head and crab-like claws, a striped yellow back section, and eight legs. It is on a textured background resembling moss and lichen. End.]

[marineexplorer]

Red rock crab under the jetty #marineexplorer by John Turnbull Via Flickr: Clifton Gardens, Sydney Harbour. Exploring the capabilities of my new Samyang 12 mm behind dome port.