#school of small reef fish

[sitting-on-me-bum]

With measuring tape and notepad, marine ecologist Enric Ballesteros surveys the organisms living on a healthy reef in the islands. When author Enric Sala and his team first visited here in 2009, they found these reefs in a pristine state, with a profusion of species, many of them rare.

Jon Betz/National Geographic

This coral reef resurrected itself — and showed scientists how to replicate it

A parrotfish scrapes off and eats turf algae from coral skeletons at Millennium (Caroline) Atoll. This promotes the growth of pink, rock-hard crustose coralline algae — the best surface for coral larvae to settle on and rebuild the reef.

Enric Sala/National Geographic

A school of small reef fish, one of many fish species that inhabit these waters.

Manu San Félix/National Geographic

[diejager]

Saccharine and Monstrosity pt.1

Pairing: Eldritch Horror!König x mermaid!reader

Cw: kidnapping, manipulation, DARK FIC, trap, luring, mention of breeding kink, protective König, mention of partial nudity, hunting, tell me if I missed any. Wc: 4K

I got inspired by @konigsblog ‘s post.

You enjoyed the sun as much as any other betta fish mermaid, laying on the warm rocks and bathing under the bright, yellow sun. You lived in a school of fish that moved near the shores of a tropical island a few generations before, building houses under the coral reef and rocks where newly placed branches would grow and work as a natural shield. The world you lived in - the part of the ocean you called your home - was bright and colourful, the shallow waters clear and gleaming under the warming sun.

You liked all things bright and colourful, either big or small, you decorated your part of the cave with things you found while swimming around your territory. Be it a golden coin shining on the ocean floor, or a shard of coloured glass, you picked it all up and stuck it around your room. Sometimes, you found pretty things near the limits of your home, and other times, you ventured closer to the edge of the darkness when something shiny caught your attention. 

Over the ridge of sand that drew the start of the darkness, that deep and menacing slope down to the deepest part of your ocean, where darker, meaner and cruel beings born of cruelty and madness lived. It was somewhere all mers were warned of, to stay far away from the darkness and never stray from the light that fed and protected you. You thrived in the light, your body absorbing the warmth from the sun that made your scales vibrant and feeding from the fauna and flora that lived beside you: seaweeds and small fishes. 

Your kind grew up with stories of horrifying monsters and cruel creatures that lived in that abyss, lingering near the shallow to catch a pretty, little mer for their hoard. Whatever became of the taken was still unknown, once a mer was taken by One, no one would hear from them from then on. Your parents had warned you about straying too close from the shallow, daring fate when you swam over the ridge to collect those pretty gems you fancied so much.

“Don’t worry,” you’d grin at her, fins flickering behind you. “I’m a fast swimmer, mom!”

You were a fast swimmer, slipping between rocks and corals, hands cradling your little shells while you fled from the dark, twisting over the ridge and vanishing between the corals. That’s what you did most days, picking up people’s trash to make it your treasure, fingers cleaning the sand off the holes and crevasses before sticking them to your walls. You also tinkered with metal creations you found, a silver fork or a rusted-looking instrument. 

Granted, you joined in hunts, catching sardines and herrings, claws digging into its scaled bodies and teeth ripping into its flesh, the only other taste being sea salt, or bathed under the sun, but you preferred scavenging for loot. Although mers hunted alone, most found it easier to do it in groups, swarming shoals of fish and catching in a group of a dozen at a time for your little colony. So when you were fed and rested, you were back out, treading the line between the shallow and the abyss.

You swam slowly, head turning left and right for anything that would catch your attention, for that small glint hidden under a thin veil of sand or a long metallic object sticking out from the ground. You already had a few things in your arms, a few shells, human objects thrown overboard or floated into the sea, and small treasures: white pearls. You picked things up from both sides, mind in a comfortable and pleasant space, prideful of your catch so far that you were oblivious of the eyes following your colourful body. 

His pale eyes wandered over your puffy cheeks and sweet lips, those squinted eyes in mirth as you searched for more. He went down the curve of your shoulders and the swell of your breasts, perky nipples covered by pretty shells, over your soft stomach and that bright, colourful tail of yours that first caught his attention. Every scale glistened under the sun, reflecting the light on the sand while you swam, your fins curving with the twist of your tail. 

You were the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, an angel collecting treasure, just like he did. He saw the batch in your arms, clutched between your breasts when you dove to pick something up on his side. You were as adorable and innocent as you were pretty, your action oblivious of his predatory eyes, dipping into his territory without fear of retribution on his part. He liked that bold and daring attitude of yours, fitting for someone so courageously bright and flashing your bold colours to him. 

If he were to drop something closer to him, would you still swim towards it or ignore it for something closer to the ridge? If he hid until you were close enough, would he be able to wrap his limb around you? To feel your soft skin and coarse scales under his slimy arm. He was glad he decided to hunt today, searching for both prey - mer or fish, he isn’t picky about what he ate - and treasure. Hidden under a couple of tentacles, he dropped a golden coin a few feet away from him, his veil and the darkness helping him hide from your sight. 

His heart soared when he saw your eyes widen, a smile curling at the corners of your lips when you saw his little coin, diving towards him with enthusiasm. You were so close to him, hand stretching to grab the object with small, clawed fingers. When you held it in your hand, appraising it, he felt pride bubble in his chest, rising to his mind as he took this occasion to get his arm around you. You flinched when he wrapped the tip of his tentacle around your tail, squirming around in terror. In a panicked struggle to escape him, you dropped everything you’d collected and fled from him with a cry.

He watched you swim away from him through saddened eyes, hearing the thudding from the things you dropped, even the coin he gifted you. His eyes never left your fleeing body until you jumped over the edge, your tail the last thing he saw in that moment of self-deprivation and sadness. He hoped you’d come back, forgetting the fear of his sudden attention and daring fate once more.

He came the next day and the day after that, but you weren’t there, your precious smile and happy eyes were a memory in his mind, a fleeting moment in his gloomy world. He came back every day, hiding in the darkness, on the line between pitch darkness and light shading. He wished you were there every day, his eyes bleeding with optimism and hope for a single smidgen of bright colours. 

He hadn’t seen you in the following week. His shoulders slumped and caved into himself in sadness every time he came by, his blue eyes dulling bit by bit, that hopeful thinking drowning under realistic thinking and a pessimistic mind. Then he caught a glimpse of colour against the white sand. Before long, he saw arms filled with shiny items, trailing nearer to your side than his, but still chasing for treasures. 

If he wanted to approach you, to touch your soft-looking skin and run his arms over your scaled tail, he’d have to find a way to lure you in. He watched you the first few days, his tentacles curling on itself and burying himself in the sand, the hundreds of suckers searching for buried treasures to leave for you. When you turned your back to him, his unwinding arm left the things he found near the ridge for you to find and take. Little gifts for you, courting gifts he left and gifted you in an attempt to woo you. 

You were skittish and fleeing but took all his gifts with shaky smiles and grateful eyes, you knew he gave them to you. Of course, you did, you were his brave and smart little mermaid, approaching his offerings with apprehension - he felt hurt you feared and got nervous around him, but he understood you, his kind ate yours - and scanned the sand around you for any danger before crossing the line. He felt giddy when you added them to your stack, his mind-blowing with dreams and thoughts of you decorating your little cave with the things he gave you. On the ceiling, against the wall and on the ground or surfaces, you would use the things he gave you for your home. 

It sent him up the walls of his caves with joy and excitement, his limbs curling to rearrange his home to prepare for you, to accommodate your arrival to his big, lonely home.

It took a week or two - or so he thought, his perception of time was and had always been warped in some way - before you became comfortable enough to approach him, to let him curl his slimy tentacle around your tail and up your body. He could finally feel you and it made him ecstatic - he was over the moon every time he got to touch you. Little pokes, fleeting squeezes and feathery bites from his suckers on your flesh, all things he let himself taste before your coupling. A coupling between the prettiest and the cruellest beings in the ocean would unwind the seams that made your worlds, pulling the string that separated the beauty and the beast in this cursed universe.

Granted, you hesitated to cross into the pitch darkness of the abyss, dancing just a few inches from his abode with an armful of trinkets from König. Your slow and steady breath, words you blessed him with when you muttered to him, calling out to know if he was there and your grateful grin were a common, yet welcome sight in his daily swim. While a bit reluctant to join him on the other side, you eventually swam across, your eyes melting into the black before you. You were unseeing as much as you were blind, if not for the guiding palm of the Eldritch creature that you befriended and the shine of treasure you saw around him. 

You wished you could see anything but the gleam of treasure and the black mist of the abyss, your hand wandered over his, searching for his body, to feel the one who’s been gifting you treasures. Your fingers trailed upwards, feeling the tightness of his muscles, the curves and hardness of his arms were sinful. You truly wished you could see him at this moment, but you kept at your advance, clawed fingers moving slowly with unbridled curiosity. When you reached his broad shoulders and well-pronounced chest, it rumbled, a purr coming from König. Its deep sound shook you with need, your tail enthusiastically moving back and forth as you listened to him. 

“Are you happy, Schatz?”

His voice was even better than his soft purrs, in a way that made you want to melt into his arms and never bother moving if he kept talking to you, the sound of the creature that gave you gifts and affection. König’s spine-chilling voice seemed like a mix of many voices, both soft and raspy, and both deep and smooth, but it was something you enjoyed, that you found yourself liking a bit too much. 

“Yes,” you breathed, eyes travelling skyward, towards the source of his voice.

Your breath caught in your throat, choking a gasp at the prettiest blues you’d seen staring down at you. They were majestic, gem-like with a pretty sheen that made them glow like a beacon of light. You wondered why you’d never seen them, seeing how bright his eyes were. They lit up his face, or the veil he wore over his face, showing the pale streak of makeshift tears down the incision he made for his eyes. You shamelessly admired him, unbothered by the lost puppy-like stare you gave him in your glowing beauty. 

You’d crossed a threshold, where a creature of light never dared to cross, stepping into the arms of an Old One and embracing their madness. Although you were oblivious to his intentions, the loud proclamation of his courting rituals and attempts of crying out his love - the Old One’s rituals and cultures were much of a mystery to those who didn’t study them, much of a taboo for anyone outside of delusion and greed - he hadn’t refrained from his deliberate show that would be nearly shameful and embarrassing to others of his kind. 

Some wouldn’t bother with such frivolous acts: confessions from the deepest part of their dark soul, proclamation of love and undying adoration, or having to scavenge for gifts - offerings - to the subject of their attention. His kind took and took, reaching for that small glimmer of hope and beauty and corrupted it, bending it to their liking and building something from the ashes. It wouldn’t - would never - be the same as they were before, but that was how the Old Ones liked it: control, corruption, ruin, madness and power.

König wouldn’t do that, he wanted to cherish you, add to what you were and watch it bloom like those bioluminescent creatures in the abyss; even against his creator’s wishes. He’ll put you on the highest pedestal he has, eternally imprinting the image of you as his most precious treasure into his mind. You’ll be a thing of miracles, a thing of blessings, a thing of new beginnings. He wanted all and everything with you, but he’d have to take it slow, to coax you into this redundant pattern that ensured your trust and comfort and have you follow him of your own volition. 

He doesn’t mind waiting, he’s had hundreds of years of sitting and waiting, patience was a virtue he grew to learn, to hold in his giant palm and clutch like a gift from the ever-growing, chaotic universe. He can wait and plan, so he will, König will lay down his plan and wait until he can bring it to reality.

Wait he did, for you to grow comfortable enough to follow him deeper and let him pull you in from your side. It took you a month of back and forth, squirming around your infatuation with König and exchanging trinkets, words and fleeting kisses with him. He adored your little giggles when he traced your sides with a bolt tentacle, curling under your plush tits and the tip sliding under your strap. He loved the pretty shells you gave him, cleaned from sand and any barnacles, it showed him how much time you spent on it for him. His heart bloomed and swelled to impossible heights when you pecked his lips, giving him shy and gentle kisses that he grew addicted to. 

You were so sweet and so soft, your lips the taste of heaven for a creature of madness. Your hands were gentle like a cool balm over a burn, soothing his wild thoughts. Your little gifts for him - reciprocating his affection - were currently the most important things in his cave, a sign of your love and devotion. It made him wonder what would you let him do once you gave yourself to him. Would you succumb to the everlasting pleasures he could give you, or would you demand to help him take care of his own in a mutual haze? He couldn’t help himself, letting his chaotic mind conjure the most absurd and erotic dreams, his body vibrating with excitement; and now, at the peak of your trust in him, he watched his plan - a well-placed trap - come to fruition. 

“Come, Schatz,” he beckoned you forward, his burly arm stretching to coax you to follow him, holding out his open palm to you. “I have something I want to show you. Pretty things.”

Without a thought, to question his intentions or to ask why he couldn’t have bought them for you like he usually did, you took his hand and let his fingers curl over yours, intertwining your smaller digits to his as he pulled you to his chest. His embrace was as safe and pleasant as the last one - yesterday - and caused a flurry of emotions to erupt in your chest, he was warm in the cool darkness, loving in all the ways you could think. You could close your eyes and imagine a smile rippling across his face with joyfully squinted eyes peering down at you. 

Held against his chest, his other arm wrapped around your waist with a firm squeeze of his hand where your skin turned to scales. He whispered sweet promises, words of encouragement to see the way to his home and excited explanations of what awaited you. Pretty things, he said, you knew what he meant - at least you think you did - you shared much in common, and pretty things were something you both agreed on: shiny metals, interesting trinkets, shimmering shells or finely-minted coins. All things humans valued before throwing away; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 

How unfortunate that you couldn’t see in the dark, yet how fortunate you wouldn’t know the way back, it was something he relied on heavily to keep you, if you didn’t know how to navigate in this utter blindness, there were no risks of you trying to escape his caring hand. You were smart, you wouldn’t simply venture off without knowing where to go and how to see, especially with how vast his territory was and how dangerous it was. He shared his home with other simple-minded animals, sharks, fishes, eels and any other abyssal creature that lived and depended on the dark to live. 

Your innocent curiosity about the things he deemed pretty enough to hoard made his heartbeat, that addicting feeling he got from touching you, kissing you and speaking to you. Even if the deeper he went, the colder it became, you never once complained, your wide eyes and grinning face were the only thing you gave him. He was truly relieved to know that you were patient and understanding of his home, not one hiss or pout while you shook and clung to him, depending on him for warmth. He liked that, to see you rely on him so much. 

“We’re here, mein Liebling,” he hushed, cradling your face as he dove down, through the entrance of his cave. He shielded your fragile body with his many arms, protecting you from the rush of water current flowing against him. He chose this one to build his nest, using the strong current as a natural barrier against weaker creatures. 

When the waters calmed to a still, he loosened his hold on you, unravelling his arms to let you explore the many passages and alcoves in his home. To accommodate you, he strung up bioluminescent flora, using them as light to find your way around, with silken algae over a few rocks to mimic the beds mers slept in and a few other things that he thought you’d need: a mirror, a few floating plants to add to its mystical beauty and clusters of soft materials in nearly every room. 

He let you wander, your tail flapping back and forth to lead you down the long hall and explore the many rooms. He used a room to sleep, one as a pantry and storage, and another one to hold his hoard, but he had a lot of empty and unused space, more than enough for you and your children to thrive. He wanted to let you roam at your own pace, but he had something to show you, something he was proud of making. 

He pulled you from your little cloud of joy, wrapping an arm around you, his sticky suckers latching onto you as he coaxed you his way. Only then had you taken the time to admire König under blue light, cheeks warm with a burning flush and doe-like eyes staring at the naked expense of his hard abdomen, stomach sculpted to perfection that had Adonis shying away. His arms were big and round, muscles straining the scarred skin with delicious appeal. 

Downwards, following the sharp dip of his navel, were dozens of dark tentacles lined with round, pulsing suckers. Like an octopus, they were covered in a slimy sheen, every limb flexible and able to move independently. The lower ones were thick and soft, acting as a cover for whatever he hid beneath them, while some were thinner, whose source came from under his veil. Those, however, were a mix of normal and horrific tentacles, some had eyes replacing the usual suckers, tinted in the same colour as his irises, that glowing, pale blue. 

It made your body heat up, fingers tingling with nerves - or was it? When faced with something you found appealing, it’d be natural to feel flustered, no? König thought so, that’s how he spent the first days reacting to you, heating up to a bothersome flush to everything you did. He watched your awed stare, that daydreaming haze in your eyes when you looked him over, his whole body clear under the gentle light in his cave. 

“This way.”

Without making your gaze leave his figure, he drew you in, heading towards his biggest room where he caught and strung everything to fit his pleasure and mood. It was somewhere deeper into the system with walls strong and sturdy, and the round ceiling higher than the other rooms. On one side was a pile of golden objects of all shades, light yellow to a darkish gold, nearly bronze; on the other was a mix of pretty silver things and metallic black objects, rusted by age and the salty ocean; and on another, the smallest of them all, comprised of a few dozens of colourful shells and corals frozen in time that you’d given him. 

He saw your chest expand, your smile growing brighter and brighter at the pile of gifts you gave him, your bubbly laugh as you swam towards it, twirling around it proudly. You looked around the room, admiring his large collection and how it seemed to spill down every pile in an attempt to reach the other one, forming a protective ring around your presents, but always coming back to the bright pink, blue and yellow shells. You were happy and appreciative of the time he spent working and arranging his hoard. If he could, he’d preen and purr to you, to show just how much your proud smile meant to him, watching you appraise his work was satisfying. 

He already felt like things were falling into place perfectly, he could see the life he had envisioned with you coming to life, the little intricacies that popped into his mind seeming too appealing. His dreams were slowly becoming a reality, the things that he could only imagine were now tangible to his hands, and the future he salivated at was so, so close that he could sink his teeth into its flesh. 

He knew it. He knew it when he watched you swim to him with that big, adorable smile on your face, that it was in his hands. He could see it now, how his lonely cave would be filled with life and laughter, children with a mix of your beauty and his madness chasing one another between the many openings and your round, swollen stomach welcoming another of your children to the world. That was all he could think of while he cradled you in his arms, his tentacles latching to your tail and back. 

“You’re happy, ja?”

Next

Taglist: @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @tallmanlover @distracteddragoness @vxnilla-hxrddrugs @konigsblog @candlewitch-cryptic @im-making-an-effort @0alk0msan 

[honey-minded-hivemind]

🐋Siren AU, Scene One:

(Warning: mentions of cannibalism, Reader being chased from their old home, possible child murder, and Reader wanting to bite everything that tries to touch them. You have been advised)

• The ocean before you spreads beyond you, vast and impending. There is no coral, no colorful fish, no seaweed. It is an unending abyss of blue, fading darker and darker the farther it is from the sunlit water above... But, you have nowhere else to go...

• You used to have a different home, a different life. Born to a school of reef mers, all colorful and elegant, you were different from birth. You were black and white, not a speck of any other color to your tail... And your tail, it wasn't built like the others', full of trailing fins and frills, but bulkier, thicker. While the other guppies made fun of you, you took care of yourself. After all, you were stronger than them. If one bit you, you whapped your tail against their head. If they scratched you, you pinned them to the sandy floor until they begged to be let up. After awhile, you were just left alone, ignored and abandoned in favor of more similar playmates...

• You hated when you found out what you were... It had been a regular day, learning what you could from an elder, playing by yourself, and keeping away from the gossipy guppies, until a hunter had burst into the coral reef. The moment they saw you, they had screeched, "I finally know what they are! A siren!" Murmurs went up, followed by an elder asking for proof... "Proof! Here is your 'proof '" they had spat and they tossed a fin, just like the one along your back, into the group. "I tore that from a siren north of our territory! It was large, a behemoth! In the same colors of that one, bone white and ink black! It wasn't just any siren, but an orca!"

• THAT set the entire school into an uproar. Shrieks and cries burbled into the water as the nearest adults lunged at you, claws aiming for your fins and eyes. You managed to duck by, swimming as fast as you could around the panicking mer. The reef flashed past you as you swam, bits of rock and coral scraping against you as you dodged reaching claws and sharp harpoons. Until finally, you slipped out into the open waters, slapped out by the tail of one of the hunters, who tried to follow you. It only took that for you to turn tail and flee, striking out into the uncharted waters...

• And here you were now, alone, bleeding, and with no skills or school to help you survive. The one thing you had that was yours was your pearl earring, long and dangling, that you had found by yourself when you were only twelve winters old... You weren't sure how it wasn't torn off in the chase, but it brought you a small comfort to keep it. With a bubble-filled sigh, you kept swimming...

• The sea stretched on, never stopping or ending. No signs of any other life were to be found, save for small squid that came up at night, fleeting and swift. It was... unnerving. It had only been a week since you left, and your wounds had started to heal. You found out, only a few hours after leaving the reef, that a harpoon had nicked your tail, leaving a jagged, painful scratch along its side. That complicated swimming, but you couldn't stop. If you stopped, it was likely something would try to eat you while you rested. You couldn't risk a shark, or dolphins, or another siren finding you. If mer would kick out one of their own, someone they had raised, all because they were a siren... Would an actual siren do worse?

• Your reprieve from these thoughts was finding a small, rocky outcrop pointing out of the endless blue. The waters here were colder, foggy and sometimes filled with chunks of white. It wasn't ideal to stop here, but you needed rest, and this was the only opportunity you had had since your escape... Still... You approach the rock carefully, and once found clear of danger, you curl into a small crack, just big enough to fit you.

• Your dreams are fitful, full of sharp claws and deadly spears and familiar voices leering at you, pouncing in for the kill-!

•With a sharp, fearful click, you wake up. Your fingers rub over your arms, as your tail curls up, trying to squeeze yourself into a smaller ball. You feel the small gills of your neck flit, until you are able to calm down from the nightmare... But just as you settle back down... You hear an eerie sound, something that reverberates through the water around you...

• Tensing up, you stay quiet, staring out into the darkness beyond the crack. The moonlight filters through the water, painting everything in alien blacks and silvers, until the noise dies out... Everything is quiet, save for the small rush of a current nearby. The world seems still, unmoving... until something shifts into the light, something large and dark, and you shrink further into the crack. It's the largest thing you've ever seen...

• Another eerie sound rings out, something between a hum and a wail, loud and fervent. You clap your hands over your ears, trying to muffle the noise. Whatever is out there moves again, until you can't see it anymore... With a small shudder, you turn your head away from the crack entrance, and drift back into slumber.

• In the morning, when you wake up, you cautiously approach the crack entrance, sensing the water near it for any vibrations. Luckily, none are there... When you gather your nerves, you slip out, careful not to aggravate the scars on your tail. There are more white chunks in the water, and there are small bits of light turning the water a jewel green. Nothing seems off... No mers, no fish...

• "So, that's where you were hiding."

• A shriek escapes you as you turn around, only to find something larger than you and the rock outcrop...

• It's large, with scars banding it's arm and chest, with old wounds lining its tail. Their teeth are sharp, and their eyes are reddish-brown, like drying blood. Talons as sharp as hooks are at the end of each of its fingers, long and deadly... And their tail... It's... It's... the same as, yours...?

• "What, never seen another siren before, kid?" it asks, in a growl-like voice. In a sharp arc, you dive back into the crack you came out of. A curse echoes around you, as the being shifts around the rock so they can gaze into the small crevice. "Kid, kid, calm down. It's just a joke."

• "..."

• "You've... never seen another siren, have you?" It- he, it sounds like a he- peers at the entrance. One of their claws scrapes at it, but it won't entirely go in. "You can come out, kid, I'm not gonna eat you," he tries. You push yourself as far back as you can go, even when you feel the rough walls scrape your harpoon wound open. A hiss escapes you, following a small stream of blood. Another sound comes from the much (much much) larger siren, like a low growl. "Are you bleeding, kid?"

• You don't answer, only squeezing yourself in further. You're uncomfortable, pressed this far back, but it's the farthest you can get from what is essentially an adult who is bigger and obviously more dangerous than the mers you knew. A billowing sigh escapes the larger creature, the water rippling around it. "Kid... if you're bleeding, it needs to be looked at. Can you please come out?"

• "... No..." You shiver, trying to will yourself to be strong. If push comes to shove, you can't go down without a fight. What are you, afraid? You survived a murder attempt! SEVERAL, murder attempts! You can face some oversized whale, right?!

• "Kid, I can't take 'no' for an answer. Now, please come out. Don't make this difficult." The creature sounds tired now, maybe a little irritated. You let out a warbling click, the most threatening one you can muster. The creature stills, and seems to back off...

• Then... something weird happens. A loud, mournful wail-click, filled with a desperate, assertive tone rocks the waters, sending a cool ripple into you... But... the song sounds nice... Soothing... You shake your head, ripping yourself free from it.

• "No! I'm not going out there! You might eat me! Or WORSE!" you yell, covering your ears. The siren outside let's out an annoyed noise, only for it to pause...

• "Why the h*ll would I eat ya, kid? And what do you mean, 'do worse'?" Then there's a loud, deafening growl, and he speaks again. "The mers... they did that to you, didn't they?" When you don't speak up, he takes that as an answer. "Of course those sons of eels would do that... Kid, look, I'm not like them. We are not like them. We don't do that. We don't scare off kids, we don't try to kill 'em, and we definitely aren't about to make you bleed. Now, I'm going to say this one more time: Please come out."

• You shiver as the water only seems to get colder the longer you stay still... But still... "I... I can't...." You can't go back out there just to be chased off again, or have to battle against a siren whose older and stronger than you, who could easily rip you apart and leave you for the sharks...

• "I'm sorry, kid. That gives me no choice..." The calm wail-click starts again, and even though you try to cover your ears, it does nothing to block it out or to stop the vibrations rocking you gently. Tears enter your eyes, and you try to beg him to stop... But the song seems to echo inside your own head, a peaceful noise offering only relief and warmth... A small whimper escapes you, only for the song to get louder, softer, until you're lying down on the rocky floor and drifting off... The song keeps going, deep and affectionate, until you feel relaxed and tired... A slow rumble halts the song, and you let out a small warble, asking for it to come back...

• " 'Kay, kid, let's see ya." Something clicks besides you, dragging you out of the dark rock and into a warm palm. You sigh contentedly, the heat from it like the warmth of a thermal vent, constant and inviting... Something turns you, until you're staring into dark, vibrant eyes. You blink sluggishly, reaching out a hand to touch it...

• "Oh cr*p, kid... they did a number on you, didn't they?" A sad noise escapes you, and the voice stops. "Don't worry, we'll fix you up... Wait..." A nudge rolls you onto your stomach. "Kid... you look... just like me..." A croon comes from above you, and you feel more warmth pressed into you. "Okay, kid... Looks like I might just have to keep ya, huh? You sure are quite the little survivor, aren't you?" When you nod sleepily, the grip shifts, until your tucked against a warm wall... "'Kay, I can't say no to that... Let's get ya back to the pod, okay, kid? I know the other pups will be happy to see you..."

• You yawn, hearing a deep chuckle. "Seems like you need a nap... Night, kid. Get some rest. I'll keep you safe..." And with the gentle heat keeping you content and sleepy, you fall asleep... "Let's just hope Creed doesn't get word of you..."

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the bonnethead shark!

The bonnethead shark, also called bonnet shark, or shovelhead, scientific name Sphyrna tiburo, is known for its unique head shape. It is often thought that the bonnethead shark is a young hammerhead shark, and despite belonging to the same family, Sphyrnidae, they are not the same species. Unlike the hammerheads worldwide range, the bonnethead shark's natural range only stretches from Southern Canada down to The coast of Brazil and Peru, with populations on both coasts of the Americas. It lives primarily in estuaries or bays, living around vegetation, sandy bottomed areas, or reefs. These are a migratory species: during the summer they move inshore and further North, but during Winter they move back south. Eastern populations concentrate around the Carolinas in Summer, and the Florida coast or Caribbean sea during the other months, but there are no concentrated points known for Pacific populations.

Bonnethead sharks, similar to other sharks of their size, eat primarily crustaceans. Crabs, shrimp, mollusks, and small fish.  Similar to hammerhead sharks, they have many electromagnetic sensors on the underside of the head, this is the reason for the spade shape as the spacing of the sensors allows them to better find prey below them. They hunt along the sea bed, moving the head similar to how one moves a metal detector, looking for electromagnetic irregularities produced by living beings. After detection, the shark turns sharply and bites into the sediment, then grinding prey and swallowing. When unable to find prey, or in larger groups they also have been found eating seagrass. Other than for detection of prey, this head can also be used for better vision: as the eyes are faced to the sides this gives them a much wider field of view, allowing them to see if any predators are around, something that gives them a higher chance of surviving past childhood.

The reproduction of the bonnethead shark is viviparous, meaning that the baby is formed inside the mother and born alive. breeding is thought to take place around spring and autumn in the Atlantic populations, but may take place year round without a proper season for it. However, these fish will breed only after they've reached 31 inches in females, and 24 inches in males at around their second year of life. Then, after breeding, gestation takes only 5 months before they have anywhere between 4-12 pups, who are already 12 inches in length. These pups are then abandoned, primarily to keep the parents from feeding on their own offspring, and will live in and around seagrass beds they were born in. This is where they can hide from predators for the first few years. The largest bonnethead shark reported was 4 feet in length, but most are only 2.5-3 feet long. Male and female bonnetheads can be told apart by the sexual dimorphic morophology of the head shape. In females, the head is rounded, but males have a bulge shape around the midline of the head, referred to as a cephalofoil.

Their behavior is unlike many sharks, as bonnetheads are known to exist in groups. Living in smaller numbers of 5-15 in a pod, although there have been schools of thousands reported to be traveling with one another. These groups are not territorial, but they have a hierarchy within them. Strangest of all, these sharks appear to communicate with one another using cerebrospinal fluid as a chemical communicator between individual sharks, letting the others know where they are at any given time.

That's the bonnethead shark, everybody! Have a wonderful day.

[nights-legacy]

Gift from Eywa Pt. 1 - Neteyam

Main Masterlist ~ Avatar Masterlist

Spoilers, if you have not seen Avatar The Way Of Water!!!!

1912 words

Part 2

Warnings: anxiety attack, mentions of Neteyam's Death.

+ Losing Neteyam was hard on everyone. Especially his family and soon to be mate, you. Near the anniversary of his death, you start to see things. Like hallucinations of Neteyam being there. You think you're going crazy but in reality, it is something very different.

It had been about a year since the battle at Three Brothers Rock. Nearly a year since I lost Neteyam. It still hurts and I still cry every now and then but I've grown to accept his absence. I had followed him here when his family fled and I stayed even after his death. He was my mate to be and they were my family, I would never abandon them.

I rolled my eyes as Lo'ak tripped over the edge of the walkway, falling into the water. Tsireya and I kept walking, laughing as he sputtered in the water. I could hear Ao'nung teasing him before another splash turned our attention.

"How?" I asked Upon seeing both boys in the water with a net over their heads.

"Gotcha!" I jumped and saw Tuk jump out doing a happy dance. I laughed and looked at Tsireya.

"Your brother and future mate." I teased.

"Oh you!" She lightly hit my shoulder. She went to help the boys.

"I'd help but I really need to get these meals out to the fisherman out past the East shores. I'll see you later!" I called.

"Bye!" She waved. I nearly made it to the sand when Tuk came running up.

"Can I go with you?" She asked, holding her hands together with a pout.

"Oh, I guess. Here carry this one for me." I motioned to the small basket on top of the other one I was carrying.

"Yay!" She cheered before grabbing the basket. She skipped ahead while singing some tune. It was a bit of a walk to where the fishermen were at. 

We were just about there and Tuk ran ahead. I chuckled and called out for her to be careful. Movement in the corner of my eye pulled my attention. On a sandbar, just a little ways off shore was a Navi male. I shielded my eyes from the sun to get a closer look at who it could be. I stilled, not believing my eyes. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was for sure Neteyam.

"Nete..." I whispered. The Navi turned toward me as if he heard me. A heat wave distorted his appearance for a second and then my heart fluttered at the familiar sight.

"Hey, sweetheart!" I quickly looked to see Jake atop a sand dune with Tuk, waving me over. "Come on."

"Coming!" I called. I looked back to the sand bar and saw no one. I looked around confused. The water wasn't disturbed around the area and the sand itself was smooth as if no one had been standing there. I jogged over to Jake and he took the basket from me.

"You alright, sweetheart?" He set a hand on my shoulder, looking at me worried.

"Yes. Just a bit hot." I assured him.

"Okay. If you're sure?" He asked. I nodded. "Alright. Go sit in the shade before heading back, both of you. Cool off for a bit."

"Okay." I agreed. He kissed Tuk's head before walking off. I sent one last toward the sand bar before heading towards the shade.

~

The Sully's decided to have a family day and invited Tonowari and his family as well. We were all at a small private cove after a leisurely fly. My ikran was playing with the others and the ilus a little farther offshore. The adults were lounging in the shallow water while the rest of us were out in deeper water.

"Catch me if you can!" Lo'ak yelled before splashing us. He drove down and swam away. We chased after Him for a bit. I veered off after a little bit to venture through the reef. I giggled as I was visited and nuzzled by some small fish.

Ahead of me just a bit, a small school of fish were scared off by something. A hand reached out from behind some plants and pulled themselves forward slightly. Before me was Neteyam again. I was in disbelief as he cocked his head to the side and smiled at me.

Neteyam? I signed and he nodded. He waved me over before backing out of sight. I quickly swam forward and rounded the corner... there was nothing there. I swam around a bit and found no sign of him. A hand was placed on my shoulder and jumped back into the reef. I flinched as I was cut up a bit. I turned to see Kiri.

Are you okay? She signed. I looked around and nodded. She came over and inspected my shoulder and pointed toward the shore. I went reluctantly.

~

A feast was being held for the anniversary of the defeat of the Sky people and a memorial for the lost in the battle. I was sitting in a hammock off to the side and just watching the festivities. I was nibbling on a sweet treat that Tseriya insisted I have when Neytiri came over to pull me to dance.

"Neytiri!" I whined but followed nonetheless. After a long, tiring dance I retreated to the side again. 

It was late and I decided to turn in. After saying my goodbyes and goodnights I slipped away. I headed towards my marui but as I got there, there was someone standing in the entrance. I paused midstep, squinted at the figure.

"Who's there?" I called out and moved forward slowly. I thought about going back to get Jake or Lo'ak when the person responded back.

"Welcome home, Yawne." They said, The familiar voice struck a chord in my heart. Neteyam looked over his shoulder with a smirk before walking further in. I ran in after him only to find the space empty, There was a subtle trace of his scent in the air.

"No... why... I don't under..." I was so confused at what was happening. Why was I seeing Neteyam everywhere? So many emotions hit me all at once and a sob escaped my throat. Wails and sobs forced their way out as I cried and let out the frustration from all this.

I dropped to my knees as I cried. I doubled over on myself and wrapped my arms tightly around myself. I began to cry so hard that my breathing became irregular. I began to hyperventilate when I heard someone yelling behind me.

"Hey! Hey! Breath. What's wrong, sweetheart?" Jake appeared in my vision. He looked scared. I couldn't answer him as I began to choke. He helped me sit up. "Shit. Come on. I need you to breathe. Please!"

"Cc-can't." I was able to force out as the corners of my vision blurred. He said something else but it was muffled. Before anything else, I promptly passed out.

A cold sensation on my forehead woke me up from my dreamless slumber. I reached up and batted at the cold sensation.

"Yawne She's awake!" Someone called softly. I pried my eyes open and saw the ceiling of the tsahik's marui above me. I looked off to my left and saw Tonowari kneeling next to me. Ronal came in quickly and took his spot.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, brushing a hand over my head.

"Alright. A bit groggy but okay." I answered honestly. She nodded and began to check me over. Not long after, Jake & Kiri came running in.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" Jake asked, kneeling on the other side of me. Kiri sat at my feet.

"Okay. What happened?"

"You passed out. Dad found you crying hysterically and you began to hyperventilate before passing out." She ran a comforting hand over my ankle.

"Sit up child." Ronal instructed. Jake helped me up and Ronal began to check my head. "Has anything strange happened recently?"

"Well actually..." I sighed.

"What is going on?" Kiri asked.

"Well, lately I've been having I don't know how to describe it... hallucinations maybe? Visions?"

"Of what?" Ronal set a hand on my shoulder. I didn't answer right away.

"Of Neteyam." I said softly. "It's like I'm seeing him everywhere. On the beach, on the reef, in my home... but everytime I see him he disappears just as quickly. It feels like he's actually there. I even could smell his scent this last time and and... I feel like I'm going crazy."

"No, child. There has to be an explanation. It could be due to the anniversary of his death and stress of the memory that comes with it. Grief has been known to play many tricks on the mind."

"I don't know..." I sniffled and leant into Kiri's side as she moved up next to me. She began to run her hands through my hair.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry." Jake said. He squeezed my hand in comfort with a smile. I nodded my head and closed my eyes.

Later that day, I was walking down the beach with Ao'noug and Tsireya. I held my wrap around my shoulders as they argued about something. I hardly paid attention to them. I let the sea air calm me as I walked along wading in the shallow water.

"Shit..." I heard a voice speak faintly from somewhere followed by faint coughing. I looked back at the siblings to see if it was them or if they noticed but they were still arguing. I continued on until the sound of the cough happened again. I looked around and found nothing. Afraid someone may be hurt, I walked out of the water to look more. I paused when a figure entered my vision.

"Oh no. Not again." I saw Neteyam on his hands and knees across a bit of foliage on another piece of shore. I sighed, letting my shoulders fall. This was getting ridiculous.

"What is wrong? Do you see something?" Tsireya called out to me.

"No" I turned to look at her. "Nothing. I..." I turned back fully expecting the specter to be gone but he was still there, only trying to stand now. He coughed loudly.

"What was that? Was that someone coughing?" I looked at Ao'noug in disbelief. He had heard him. That must mean...

"Impossible." I turned back yet again to see him still there. "Neteyam... Neteyam!" I took off running for the boy. I ignored the calls from Tsireya and Ao'nong. He looked up when he heard me.

"Yawne..." He said before coughing again. He began to collapse just as I reached him. I caught him before he hit the ground, laying him in my lap.

"Nete... Oh my... you're here." Tears clouded my vision as I brushed my hand across his forehead. The two came running up but skidded to a halt when they saw Neteyam.

"Oh my Eywa. Neteyam?" Tsireya knelt next to us. Neteyam's eyes never left mine. I traced my fingers across his face, taking in the markings I missed so much and down to his chest to where the bullet wound should be but there was nothing.

"Go. Go get your father, mother, Jake, Neytiri. Someone! Quickly." They both took off and dove in the water towards the village.

"Yawne... I'm so tired. What happened? Where were you?" Neteyam asked.

"All in due time, love. For now, just rest. Yes?" I adjusted him to be leaning with his head against my shoulder. He reached up and held my bicep tightly.

"Yeah, yeah. Rest." He mumbled before closing his eyes. I refused to take my eyes off him even as everyone arrived, afraid he would disappear from me again.

Part 2

[luxudus]

The Six Lords of Ko-ve-dor, and an introduction to my friend's project Star Odyssey

One last art piece to end the year on a high note. It's an entry @jennywolfgal's sophont in her sci-fi / spec-evo / worldbuilding project Star odyssey. A far future where humanity and a few other advanced species help to found a Galactic Coalition of Worlds spanning half the galaxy. Everyone go follow her and check out her project!

I genuinley consider this atm my magnum opus in every aspect, Linework, Texturing, Coloring, Composition, and ESPECIALLY rendering.

    The Commonality of Ko-ve-dor is an alliance between multiple sophont species evolving side by side on the same planet. All working together towards the prosperity for all denizens of the known galaxy.

     Planet Ko-ve-dor, also known as Kepler-442 B, is a super earth in a 3 planet star system all orbiting a K-Type main sequence star known as O-uosa. Ko-Ve-Dor’s higher mass, larger magnetosphere, denser atmosphere, 3 moons, larger continents and O-uosa’s longer lifespan make Ko-ve-dor a superhabitable world. Capable of hosting more biodiversity than our own earth for a far longer time.

    Plantlife on Ko-Ve-Dor is just as complex as it’s animal life and it shows. Most terrestrial flora possess a segmented exoskeleton that vary in shape and size akin to an insect. Most forms of plantlife exhibit both radial and bilateral symmetry in their overall body plan. Some species of Ko-ve-dor plantlife can even take in their surroundings with special segments that act as one big sensory organ.     And aside from some greenish phytoplankton, most flora on this world take on a red pigmentation to make the most out of its star’s dimmer light.

Not only is Ko-ve-dor more biodiverse than earth. But it’s greater abundance of life and more surface area means there's far more consumable biomass too. Allowing it’s animal life to reach greater heights and the option for greater brainpower. This paired with evolution’s trend towards more socialization. Means that sapient life has developed not once, or twice. But six times, all within a similar enough time frame for them to all interact with one another.      As each sophont species is a good representative of Ko-ve-dor’s kingdom of life. We will be skipping over the planet’s animal life to discuss their biology.     The Dor-Eø are the largest of the six sophonts and represent the planet’s many soft-bodied invertebrates. They take on a body plan very similar to earth’s flatworms. And being filter-feeders, they fill a niche not too different from whales. Their large carpet-like fins are actually enlarged partially external gills to aid in respiration. And they manipulate their environment with their two mitten shaped mandibles and opposable tusk thumbs.     They live in tight-knit nomadic pods where they ride the waves in search of plankton. They hunt said plankton like dolphins, continuously switching roles to either shepard the plankton and strike the condensed schools. And as they achieved sapience they’ve built nets to catch more plankton and dorsal fin flags to distinguish which pod they’re apart of.     The Dor-Ssri’ii represent a sapient species of aquatic, radially symmetrical fish analogs. They possess twelve eyes, with three on each side, a four sided jaw, and eight fins, four anterior fins and four posterior fins. Their intricate color palette helps them blend in with the yellow and red reefs.      They live in borderline eusocial schools where they manipulate their environment through their mouth like a tuskfish

    The Ko-Ka’Kta are terrestrial relatives of the Dor-Ssri’cai, these are a sapient species of para-reptilian pack hunters native to the deserts and shrublands of Ko-ve-dor. They retain their radial symmetry and are quite basal compared to their relatives. Their forearms have atrophied into small rudders used by females to attract mates and live in matriarchal packs.     And they manipulate their environment with four highly specialized tongues. Their lack of claws or fangs pushed them to crafting an array of weapons to hunt. That and their hierarchical pack structure paved way for sapience    The Ko-A’atur represent the most derived group of Ko-ve-dor’s Vertebrates. Descending from a group that forgone their radial symmetry and became secondarily bilateral. Their heads hyper-elongated to the point where it’s now two separate body parts all together. Their lips have pulled back and became large flaps to cool off and express emotions.     Of all the sophonts they live the least socially, They forage and occasionally hunt in groups of 3-5 individuals. But the social bonds formed are so tight and complex that it managed to bring them up to sapience.     Onto life in the sky. The Ve-Huik are one of two representatives of Ko-ve-dor’s aerial invertebrates. They are a species of hexapodal invertebrate flyers protected by a sturdy exoskeleton. They fill a niche similar to parrots,  capable of crushing nuts and fruits with their large mandibles that clench together like a fist. They live in small flocks and communicate by short whistles and hums. And they manipulate their environment with their remarkably dexterous six legs.    

    And lastly the Ve-Z’qi, a Is a seafaring relative to the Ve-huik, they are a sapient species of flying arthropod analogs native to the many coastlines of Dorveko. They live in nomadic flocks, hopping from island to island. They hunt their aquatic prey by looking for disturbances in the water before diving in to catch their target     Their history is one defined by sheer first contact and a long road to equality. The Dor-Eø and the Ve-Z'qi,a were the pioneers of exploration due in part of their nomadic lifestyles giving them a global range to freely explore. Slowly each species would suddenly learn the existence of their contemporaries and how to work with them.     Their society is egalitarian and very xenophilic, each species is born with full citizenship and everyone regardless of origin and identity are treated truly equally. yet their government is surprisingly autocratic. Each planet is ruled by a handfull of philosopher kings and queens who come from all walks of life. And are chosen by the state based on their view of life and understanding of the humanities. All to improve the lives of their people. They are also very welcoming towards outsiders, and have made themselves a beacon of liberty and safety for the galaxy's downtrodded.     With so many different sapient minds at work in a society that promotes harmony and teamwork. The Ko-ve-dor Commonality has advanced rapidly, being able to become a spacefaring civilization a thousand years before mankind. Their architecture and spaceships are large and bulbous, containing vast aquariums and spacious domes to accommodate all the different lifestyles. And have become one of the Galactic Coalition of Worlds' most important members.     Depicted here is a human diplomat posing with a friend group eager to take a photo with an unfamiliar face.

I'm happy i managed to get this out before 2024, though there still maybe work to be done, mainly to expand on their worldbuilding, and i hope everyone else has a happy new year!

[estellan0vella]

Beauty In Simplicity ❀ Choso Kamo Masterlist

You step into the quiet, dimly lit entrance of the aquarium, the gentle hum of filtration systems a soothing background noise. Beside you, Choso Kamo, tall and imposing with his distinctive facial markings and somber demeanor, looks around with a mix of curiosity and reserve. This date is your idea, a chance to show him the simpler, beautiful side of life. His life has been filled with chaos and pain, and you want to offer him a moment of peace and wonder.

As you walk through the arched glass tunnel that leads into the heart of the aquarium, the first display catches your eye. Neon-lit jellyfish drift gracefully in their tanks, their bioluminescence creating an ethereal glow. You glance at Choso, watching his usually stoic face soften slightly in the soft light.

"Look at these," you say, pointing to a particularly vibrant jellyfish. "They're like living art, don’t you think?"

Choso nods, his gaze fixed on the drifting creatures. "They move so slowly, like they're dancing."

You smile at his observation, feeling a small victory in seeing him appreciate the beauty. Moving further, you reach the main attraction: a massive tank that houses a diverse array of marine life. Schools of fish dart and weave through the water, while larger creatures like rays and sharks glide effortlessly. Choso stands beside you, his eyes wide with awe.

"It's incredible," he murmurs, almost to himself.

You lean closer to him, feeling the warmth of his presence. "It really is. Sometimes, we forget how amazing the world can be."

His eyes meet yours, and for a moment, the weight of his past seems to lift. The two of you stand there, side by side, simply enjoying the scene. You decide to take him on a tour of your favorite parts of the aquarium, starting with the coral reef exhibit.

The tank is a riot of color, teeming with life. Tiny clownfish dart among the anemones, while vibrant corals sway with the water's gentle currents. Choso seems particularly taken with a pair of seahorses, their tails entwined as they float together.

"They mate for life," you tell him softly. "Once they find their partner, they stay together."

He nods, a contemplative look on his face. "It's...nice to know that kind of bond exists in the world."

You reach out and gently squeeze his hand. "It does. And it's worth finding."

As you move to the next exhibit, you guide Choso towards the touch tank. It's filled with various sea creatures that visitors can gently touch under the guidance of the staff. You can see the hesitation in his eyes, but you give him an encouraging smile.

"Come on, it's safe. You'll like it."

He watches as you reach into the tank, your fingers brushing against a starfish. His reluctance slowly fades as he follows your lead, tentatively reaching out. The look of surprise on his face when he feels the starfish's rough texture is priceless.

"It's...different than I expected," he says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

You laugh softly. "See? There's so much to discover when you take a moment to experience it."

Choso seems more relaxed now, the rigid lines of tension easing from his posture. The next stop is the tunnel that passes through the shark tank. As you walk through, sharks and rays swim overhead, their sleek bodies casting shadows on the floor.

"These creatures are so powerful, yet they move with such grace," Choso observes, his voice filled with wonder.

"Yes," you agree, "they're perfectly adapted to their environment. It's a reminder that strength and beauty can coexist."

He nods, his eyes tracking the movement of a particularly large shark. "It's a good reminder."

As you continue through the aquarium, you share stories and facts about the different species, each one bringing a new spark of interest to Choso's eyes. You can see him slowly opening up, his usual guarded demeanor giving way to a more relaxed and curious side.

Eventually, you reach the final exhibit: a tranquil tank filled with glowing, bioluminescent creatures. The room is dark, the only light coming from the soft glow of the organisms in the water. It's like stepping into another world.

Choso stands in the center of the room, mesmerized by the sight. "This is...breathtaking."

You stand beside him, taking in the beauty of the moment. "It's moments like these that remind me why life is so precious."

He turns to you, his expression softening. "Thank you for bringing me here. I didn't realize how much I needed this."

You smile, your heart swelling with warmth. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sometimes, we all need a reminder to slow down and appreciate the simple things."

As you leave the aquarium, the sun is setting, casting a golden glow over the city. You walk side by side, the experience of the day leaving a lingering sense of peace and connection. Choso reaches for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours.

"Today was...different," he says, his voice thoughtful. "But it was good. Thank you."

You squeeze his hand gently. "Anytime, Choso. There's so much more to see and experience. Life can be beautiful, even in its simplest moments."

He nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'd like to see more of it. With you."

Your heart skips a beat at his words. "I'd like that too."

As you walk together into the evening, you can't help but feel hopeful for the future. Today was just the beginning, a small step towards healing and discovering the beauty in life. With Choso by your side, you're ready to face whatever comes next, one simple, beautiful moment at a time.

The next weekend, you plan another simple outing, a picnic in the park. Choso arrives punctually, as always, but there’s a noticeable difference in his demeanor. He’s carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers, his awkward attempt at reciprocating the kindness you showed him at the aquarium. Your heart melts at the gesture, and you thank him with a kiss on the cheek that makes him blush.

You find a quiet spot under a large oak tree, its branches providing a cool shade. Spreading out the picnic blanket, you unpack the food you’ve prepared: sandwiches, fresh fruit, and homemade cookies. Choso helps, his movements careful and deliberate, as if he’s still getting used to this new normalcy.

As you eat, you talk about everything and nothing. You share funny anecdotes from your childhood, and Choso listens intently, occasionally sharing a rare laugh. You notice he’s becoming more expressive, his smiles more frequent and genuine.

After lunch, you suggest a stroll around the park. The air is filled with the scent of blooming flowers, and the sound of children playing in the distance adds a joyful background to your walk. Choso seems more at ease in this natural setting, his steps lighter and his gaze softer.

You lead him to a small pond, where ducks paddle lazily and lily pads float on the surface. Sitting on the grassy bank, you both watch the tranquil scene. A mother duck leads her ducklings in a line, their tiny bodies creating ripples in the water.

"Look at them," you say, pointing to the ducklings. "So small, yet so determined."

Choso watches them, a thoughtful expression on his face. "They remind me of you," he says quietly.

You turn to him, surprised. "Me?"

He nods. "You’re small, but you have a strong spirit. You lead with kindness, just like that mother duck."

His words touch you deeply, and you reach for his hand, holding it tightly. "Thank you, Choso. That means a lot to me."

You sit there in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence. It’s moments like these that you cherish, the simple beauty of life that you’re helping Choso discover.

As the months pass, you and Choso continue to explore the simpler joys of life together. You take him to a local farmer’s market, where he marvels at the variety of fresh produce and homemade goods. You spend afternoons at the library, getting lost in different worlds through books. You even introduce him to the joy of baking, his serious concentration on measuring ingredients a source of endless amusement for you.

Each experience brings you closer, the bond between you growing stronger. Choso begins to open up more about his past, and you listen without judgment, offering support and understanding. You can see the change in him, the way his eyes light up with curiosity and his smiles come more easily.

One evening, after a particularly enjoyable day at a botanical garden, Choso surprises you with a question.

"Why do you do this?" he asks, his tone serious but gentle. "Why do you show me these things?"

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before answering. "Because I care about you, Choso. I want you to see that there’s more to life than pain and struggle. There’s beauty and joy in the simplest things, and you deserve to experience that."

He looks at you, his eyes filled with an emotion you can’t quite decipher. "Thank you," he says softly. "For everything."

You smile, reaching out to cup his cheek. "You don’t have to thank me. Just promise me that you’ll keep looking for the beauty in life, no matter what."

He covers your hand with his, his expression earnest. "I promise."

And with that promise, you know that you’ve made a difference. Choso is beginning to see the world through new eyes, finding hope and beauty in the everyday. It’s a journey, one that you’re both on together, discovering the simple, beautiful side of life one day at a time.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[pikatsum]

high tide (came and brought you in) - chapter one.

summary: you’d originally rescued the injured merman out of kindness, and perhaps a healthy undercurrent of fear of what others in your town might do to the creature. the last thing you ever expected after returning him to the sea, was for him to try to stay.

tags: afab reader, merfolk, mention of explicitly-inhumane fishing practices.

this fic is a part of the teahouse collab, on discord!

A hunting party had left port, yesterday.

It was made up of the usual kind of tourist, you gathered, overhearing the neighborhood gossip on the sandy, well-trodden path into town. It was made up of a bunch of trigger-happy business students, likely bored with another year of academia and looking for something visceral. Looking to harm in a way that was sanctioned— even celebrated, in some corners of your seaside town. Doubtlessly, they were after the biggest creatures they could catch: sharks, dolphins, or something even more dangerous. Most of those you passed seem to believe that they’d be headed to the outer reefs.

This year, the annual merfolk migration had come early. You had heard through the grapevine that some of the offshore boats had begun to radio in with the usual signs: faulty sonar, empty traps and a general sense of unease, the closer they got to the outer-lying reefs, where multitudes of traveling pods made their temporary homes. Anyone with sense usually knew to stay far away from merfolk-territory, no matter how temporary their stay.

But now that that the sudden departure of the town’s gaudiest fishermen had combined with this news, it was collectively generating more rumor than Baralou Island had handled in months. As the path transitioned to craggy, uneven sidewalk, you still heard people on their porches, gossiping about what could’ve drawn the group’s attention so suddenly. Perhaps it was one of the cartload of technological additions that they’d constantly been wheeling up onto the sleek convertible boat they’d rented. You’d already had to duck through their large group by the harbor yesterday, and through the small crowds that had gathered to see what the fuss was about.

One of their number had been particularly boastful, perched at the top of the gangplank. His cerulean hair almost blinding in the sun, you’d heard him claim that he possessed the skill to capture merfolk— “I could snag a whole pod, in a single net!” — Anywhere else, those statements would’ve warned a call to the coast guard, if not the police. On Baralou, however, it was met with scattered applause and a single wolf-whistle.

Anti-merfolk sentiment always reached a peak in the summertime. The reason always varied: a lesser catch of fish that year, an increase in hurricane warnings. Merfolk— intelligent, powerful and little-understood— made the perfect scapegoats. With the early arrival of their annual migration, it was the opinion of some locals that the large pods passing through the reefs of the island were choking out the tourism industry. Never mind the fact that it was barely the start of summer, and the migration never lasted longer than a month. Nothing got people riled up like the notion of losing out on their most important source of income.

As a former resident, you knew that Baralou took great, and often dubiously-legal pains to advertise itself as having the “safest beaches in the world.” Entire books recounted years worth of fishing competitions with consistently high numbers of so-called “incidental harm” to merfolk. When taking these years’ worth of torment and fear tactics into account, it was little wonder that no mer would dare cross the reefs near the island, these days.

As a teenager, you too had sworn you would never come back to the island again— though this was more to do with Baralou’s pitifully-tiny size outside of tourist season, and the maddening frustration of growing up amongst the same faces you’d seen since nursery school. Nearing the end of your college career has reignited that passion to stay away— but unfortunately, your budget wasn’t quite in agreement with those plans. A summer of housesitting for your aunt and uncle, as well as your waitstaff position at one of Baralou’s many dockside restaurants would ideally give you enough to leave for good, come the fall.

Although you could barely wait to repack your overflowing suitcases, your first weeks back home had reminded you that not everything here was abjectly awful. Your expression lightened once you’d ordered from your usual café, turning to find an outside table already occupied with your favorite resident.

Camie Utshushimi wasted no time in shattering your hopes for normalcy.

“I heard—“ she began in a low voice, as you seated yourself, “—that somebody on the south-side offered to guide the business yuppies to a huge mer pod.”

You exhaled your disapproval over a warm mug of tea.

“That’s gotta be a scam. Even if they wanted to go out there, those reefs are nationally-protected. The fines alone would keep anybody away.”

“Babes, you know as well as I do that won’t stop them.”

“Even if they make it—” you retorted, “—I highly doubt a mer from these parts would be so easily caught, especially by that group.”

Camie at least seemed to take that point into consideration, a brief smile playing at her lips. She took a slow sip of coffee, her warm brown eyes pensively scanning the water.

“If anything, they’ll snag a nesting sea turtle, or a manatee that got washed in by mistake. The poor thing.” still you frowned, considering, “I hope they come back with nothing. But with all that fancy gear…”

This seemed to shake Camie out of her reverie, turning from the sea with a dismissive click of her tongue.

“Nah, Inasa already gave me the deets— that’s all rented. Fat chance they know how to use all of it.”

“Are you sure?” your lower lip worried anxiously, under your teeth.

Despite her agreeable chirp, you knew by the actual look in her eyes that she couldn’t be fully certain. You both finished your drinks in uneasy silence.

Camie was always amongst the island’s earliest risers, which meshed well with you. Shame that she had a social calendar more tightly packed than a visiting royal— she was never available in the evenings, no matter how many nights you tried to invite her to join you at the beach bars. Regardless, she was your closest friend on the island, and if these short moments outside the cobblestone cafe were what you had with her each morning, it was something you were grateful for.

On your way home, you cut back through the fishing harbor— at least, until you were stopped by a growing crowd. You couldn’t make out what was going on amongst their fluctuating number, but with everyone talking and the piercing beep of a large convertible boat backing in along the docks, you could only assume the town’s ‘conquering heroes’ had finally returned. Disgusted, you gave up your gawking and diverted to walk along the craggy shoreline for the last half-mile, back towards your borrowed home.

Most beachgoers preferred the island’s largest offerings, located just outside the shopping district at the other end of the island. These days, you preferred this semi-deserted spit of sand, despite the high tide forcing you to walk through the shallows for most of the way home.

Your weak earbuds were cranked to the max, but still did little against the crash of the waves. Slowly, you picked your way through a bed of oyster shells— even if any accidental cuts would be soothed in an instant, once the saltwater raced over your feet, again. At last, you reached the end of the shell bed, picking up the pace as the wind pushed insistently at you, spraying sand into your face and forcing you to stop, until it calmed.

Your podcast faded to ringing static in your ears when you spotted the torn fishing net, lying ahead.

Its edges had gouged deep into the sand— and, as it was so close to the shoreline itself, the waves that followed had buried them under more silt, throughly entrapping it. It was doubtlessly lost from the harbor. Was that the source of the commotion you’d missed? But, more horrifying than its condition (so tangled up on itself that it resembled a massive bunch of seaweed) or location, far from the fishing harbor, was the fact that it was moving.

Fear coursed through your veins. You needed to call some kind of authority. There should be a phone number at the prior beach access for the wildlife conservatory, if you could just get back to it. You’d have to go back over the oyster bed, but if something was still alive in that monstrosity, there wasn’t much choice to make. You’d taken all of two steps back, preparing yourself for the pain, when an odd sound rose in the lull of the tide. You tore out your cheap earbuds and strained to listen.

The sound that followed defied explanation. You’d never heard anything close to it. The only comparative experience you could draw from was mourning. A harsh, desperate cry, from something that was quite literally on its last hope.

The next thing you knew, your hands were plunging into damp tangles of rope. You cursed as it slid from your hands, as you first tried to wrench it apart, and then upwards— but of course, its moorings were stuck fast. It vaguely occurred that you had absolutely no idea what you were attempting to unearth, but the thought was quickly forgotten. Whatever this was, you could hear breathing from within the mass— shaky, ragged, and quick. You didn’t have much time.

And so, you turned instead to the edges themselves. You plunged your hands into the wet sand and dug as fast as you could. Fortunately, the fasteners weren’t buried too deeply. It didn’t take long for you to pry one up, and then another, the raspy catch of breathing serving as an inefficient and rapidly-dwindling timer. Your fingers burned. Your arms ached. And yet, you continued to tear at the bindings, tugging at the base of the netting until you could finally start to pry up a corner.

You‘a heard of hysterical strength before, but you’d never truly acknowledged the sensation until the soaked, dripping netting was held high above your head. Very quickly, those considerations vanished entirely at the sight of the form underneath.

A pair of bright dichromatic eyes blinked at you through the gloom. The moment would be almost ethereal, if their owner wasn’t literally heaving for breath, both arms stuck akimbo in the holes of the netting. You gave voice to the only thought that actually made sense in this situation.

“…What the hell…?”

Your arms burned from the sopping weight of the net. Water and damp pieces of seaweed were falling on the both of you. With a grunt of effort, you finally stepped forward and chucked the excess portion backwards, before you immediately knelt to loosen the remaining bindings.

The man— not human, not fully, your brain warned— almost immediately began to thrash, displacing a spray of water between you as the tide came in. You bit back a yelp, but repressed the urge to flinch, caught up by the look on his face.

Whatever he was or wasn’t, you knew he was afraid.

You couldn’t be sure if he would understand, as you raised your hands, palms out. Was there really such a thing as a universal sight of surrender? Although your next movement forward earned a flash of sharp teeth, he didn’t move against you. With that, your hands returned to the net, and you set to work untangling it from his body.

You stared down at your hands as you worked, pulse thrumming in your ears. Outside of them, you couldn’t feel anything, outside the numbing sting of adrenaline. Because of that, your motor control was tenuous at best— all you could do was continue working at the net. Heart in your mouth, you snuck another glance up, to confirm your suspicions. Sharp teeth. Bright eyes. Fins, twitching and alert, where ears would be.

If anyone else happened upon your rescue of a beached merman, you would be in very serious trouble.

You re-doubled your efforts, trying to get him loose, wishing that you’d somehow had the foresight to grab something sharp—

—oh, wait.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow—!”

One painstaking pick-over of the oyster graveyard later and you had yourself a prime specimen. You’d exchanged a fair bit of blood to the sand, but that was neither here nor there. You half-ran, half-limped back to the fallen net, makeshift tool held high and set to work, ignoring the latest attempt to swipe at you. This particular shell had sliced open the ball of your foot, so, soon enough, it had started a tear into the tangled net.

The merman didn’t seem to appreciate your ingenuity. You’d barely gotten his right arm free before he was using it to grab onto yours, tugging you forwards as his other, bound arm tried to gesture to his throat.

“Wait—!” you panicked at the strength of his grip, “I’m getting your other arm out, just breathe—!”

A feeling like ice water ran down your spine.

“….Can’t…”

“You ca—?” you’d barely gotten through the repetition before you saw the small slits in his throat, gaping and closing frantically.

You had no idea how long the mer had been breathing above-water, but those rattling wheezes sounded like he was reaching his limit.

“Oh, shit— hold on!”

You cut through the last binding of his left arm and began to feverishly hack away at the snarled mass behind him. It wasn’t long before the shimmer of scales became apparent through the remaining bindings. You couldn’t think much about the full magnitude of what all you had uncovered— how could he speak? — because the merman in question could barely breathe at all. The small gasps of air he managed to draw seemed more like hiccups.

With no time to spare, you dragged whatever remained of the net backwards, wincing as a massive number of koi-like scales were caught and sloughed off in your haste. Supposedly the merman would sooner be alive than care about the finer details of his appearance.

The net had barely dropped before his powerful tail slammed down into the surface of the wet sand— sending fragments of it splashing back over you. You took a few steps back as the merman— tail uselessly trying to propel him forwards— was forced to use an approximation of an army-crawl to get towards the shallows.

Without the snarled ropes in the way, you only saw the injuries left behind. A multitude of bruising and deep scratches marred his back, some still sluggishly-bleeding. There was a long gouge of scales missing on his left flank, revealing the smooth muscle of his tail which seemed to share the unique dichromatic coloring of the rest of him. A few pairs of dorsal fins twitched valiantly as he tried to propel himself forwards.

Finally, the merman made it to the sea. It was easier going from there, especially after he’d managed to fully submerge his head and neck underwater. He stayed for a long moment, doubtlessly drinking in the relief of oxygen that he could fully process. But no mer would ever want to stay this close to Baralou’s shore. As he sank into the shallows, you expected him to tear off, instantly.

Instead, he broke the surface again, split hair tumbling over his broad shoulders, before another of those indecipherable sounds carried itself over the shush of the incoming tide, back to you. This one sounded like a challenge. He’d fought his way through whatever hell had gotten him trapped in that netting, suffered through a slow asphyxiation and crawled himself back to the sea. He’d very nearly been killed. But now, he seemed to dare the land and anyone living there to try it, again.

Caught in the early-morning rays, he was the most breathtaking creature you had ever seen.

In spite of the sentiments, the posted warnings, and the merman’s borderline war-cry, you made your way back down the sand and into the shallows. The merman had vanished far into the deeper waters by then. You doubted he’d return for such a silly reason. And yet….

A few small tide-pools were receding beneath the tangles of net you’d torn away. You knelt and began to dig through their broken coils, to extract as many of the curved, glimmering scales as you could. They were ivory, with splashes of wine red, each one with its own unique pattern. Perhaps, like snakeskin, a mer’s scales were destined to be shed. Still, you felt like they had to serve some purpose.

Once you’d gathered up as many as you could carry, you made your way down the shore, following the shallow trench that his tail had left. You went along it, into the sea, out until it lapped up over your kneecaps, where the merman had first shoved his face underwater, and then you went a bit further, just for good measure. It would be nothing but bad news to have these wash back up, after all.

There, you lowered your hands, and let the scales slip through, to the ocean floor. Even if the merman didn’t come back, perhaps the currents would be kind enough to return at least some of them back where they belonged. With one final glance outwards, you took your leave, walking determinedly towards the shore, even as the ocean’s receding current pulled enticingly, trying to lure you to follow, into its depths.

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 19

MASTAPOST

Danny woke from his little cat nap soon after, stretching his tail out like a lounging snake. Damian sat next to him, characteristically unimpressed as the teenager cracked his knuckles and shook off the remaining grogginess.

“Are you done?” Damian asked.

Danny yawned again. “Yeah what time is it?”

“It has been about two hours. We are wasting time.”

Damian swam to Danny’s left side and nudged him with his head. Danny bonelessly flopped to the side without moving. “Dude, what’s the rush? I thought you liked animals.”

“The whales have been amenable company, but my father needs me back as soon as possible. In addition, we have entered a coral reef.”

Danny blinked, and got up. The boy leaned his head over the edge of the mother whale. Seemed Damian was right. The waterscape in front of them was filled with tall kelp forests in the distance. Below the, the sea floor housed miles of vibrant coral in all sorts of colours. Red, purple, yellow and green coral spiraled and twisted and grew from the rocks and sand, living alongside schools of big and small fish. Clownfish peeked in an out of anemones. Little critters like shrimps and lobsters crawled in and out of crevices, sheltered from predators.

Damian apparently thought he was taking too long. Danny belatedly realised his harness was untied, just as Damian rammed into his back and pushed him off the edge.

“We need to replenish our supplies.” Damian said. “Teach me how to gather forage and hunt.”

Well that was a slight issue. Being a modern American teenager with access to such things as fridges and a global supply chain meant that he was perhaps less suited to roughing it than the younger boy might have assumed. It was not like he never had to live off the land, but the less said about long swim home after Vlad happened, the better.

“Well?” Damian repeated, arms crossed, looking down Danny expectantly.

“Alright then. I’ll teach you silly human what it’s like to live off the land, like your ancestors long before you.” He said sagely.

The whale pod crooned a deep farewell as the continued on their journey. He and Damian waved them off, before returning to their own needs.

He led his young charge to perch atop a cliff overlooking the reef. The boys laid their fins flat so as to avoid drawing attention. Danny scanned the landscape, settling his eyes on a lobster hiding underneath a rock. Despite their reputation these days, lobsters did not look nearly as appetising raw and alive. From the bottom, they looked more like cockroaches than delicacies. Plus, they were literally the worst possible travelling food ever. No.

Instead, Danny caught sight of his real prize. Mussels!

“You good with shellfish?” He asked the younger boy. Damian turned up his nose, looking haughty like Sam’s parents were it not for the adorable pout he’d put on too.

“If the only other option is starvation.”

“We’ll keep an eye for more plants on the way.” Danny said, preparing to descend.

The thing about mussels was that you didn’t need to kill them to bring them along. They came with their own natural packaging, even if it was a bit heavy. Danny stuffed his pockets with a couple handfuls of the shellfish, leaving space for a more varied diet, and leaving the rest to stay and reproduce. He wasn’t greedy! Sam had taught him about these things. Mussels were very important to the environment. Evidently Damian was aware too. The boy nodded in approval as Danny continued his search.

Damian’s sword came in useful as well (he would’ve taken it away if he wasn’t sure that the kid would slash him for it) for harvesting kelp and seaweed. The pair snacked on kelp strips as Danny took them to their next prey.

However, Damian protested. “I do not wish to kill this one.”

The huge trout, easily as big as Damian, floated blissfully ignorant of the two predators eyeing it like hawks. Danny ‘s head spun as he tried to keep track of Damian’s seemingly endlessly shifting opinion towards eating fish or not. “That thing could feed us for like 300 miles.”

“The largest fish also reproduce the most. This one is a female.” Damian continued. Now that he thought of it, didn’t Sam make a whole protest about this in the beginning of summer? “Many oceans are in danger due to overfishing from humans. As a human myself, it is my responsibility to fish sustainably.”

The boy’s fins puffed with pride and conservationist fervor, a quiet determination that reminded him of Sam. Danny had some doubts. “If we eat the small fry, there won’t be many left to grow big and ‘reproduce’ as you say.”

This point seemed to put pause on Damian’s previous showboating. The boy gritted his teeth, looking for a comeback. “What about invasive species? Those that threaten the natural balance.”

Danny shrugged. That was a good point, except Danny didn’t know how to identify any of those.

“But you live in the ocean!” Damian protested when this point was brought up.

“Yeah. You live on land. Does that mean you know about every species that lives on Gotham?”

“Yes.” Well he kinda walked into that one, didn’t he?

“Well if you know so much about invasive species, why don’t you look for them?” Danny challenged. Animal hyperfixation or not, surely this kid couldn’t identify the hundreds of species that lived in this reef.

Damian’s ear fins tensed, something he’d noticed in himself whenever he was concentrating on something. The boy turned away from Danny and to the reef in front of them. Suddenly, the boy’s body slumped.

A smug grin split open Danny’s face.

Damian groaned, as if his next words were like Soviet torture. “There are no saltwater invasive fish near California, to my knowledge.”

“Hah! Suck on that, fishboy!”

Damian mewled angrily. His hand drifted down to the hilt of his sword. On dear.

“Alright, alright, alright. What about a compromise?” Danny waved his arms defensively.

“Speak.”

“We grab the fish that we were gonna grab before you interrupted.” Damian hissed at that. “BUUttt only one. And we fill our pockets with small fry. A balanced fishing diet. What do you say?”

The grumpy child pouted one more time for good measure, before sinking back to the floor. “Fine. You still need to teach me how to make a kill.”

“You sure you won’t get attached?”

“I can suppress my emotions to complete the mission.” It spoke something about Damian that Danny wasn’t even that phased this time. That being said please let that just be a boast with nothing to back that up.

Danny lay prone, fins flat, head down, like a tiger about to pounce. In the entire conversation they’d had, the trout had drifted about five inches from its previous position. Survival instincts this poor girl had not.

“All you need to do is shut your gills, like holding a breath. Just get closer… and closer… and POUNCE!”

Danny leapt at the trout, using his powers to accelerate into a blur. His hands pinned it down in an instant, the trout thrashing and slapping him, trying to escape. With a swift motion, Danny bit clean through its gills. The trout rapidly lost strength, slowly fading until it went still.

He held the trout up like a trophy. “Tada!”

Damian frowned deeply. “That was an unclean kill. It suffered immensely.”

“Ughh!” Danny groaned. “What do you want from me. I’m a siren not an assassin.”

Damian unsheathed his sword, looking about 50% more menacing as any other six-year-old Danny had ever met. “It seems I will have to show you, instead.”

Five minutes later, his idea of showing Danny how to kill resulted in a fresh bruise and a bent fin. The carp he had tried to pounce managed to escape with a shallow cut on its side.

“I’m very educated now, Damian. Thank you.” He snickered as Damian roared in anger.

“Shut your mouth! You have an unfair advantage, seeing as you can use your powers, while I am hampered by my body.”

“You’ll grow into them. I think. I dunno I haven’t met a lot of siren kids.”

“I am not a child!” Damian said, pouting very maturely.

The rest of the morning was spent like that, roaming the reef in search of food and bickering over this and that. At one point they debated over dolphins were whales or not (Danny personally thought whales were too nice to encompass dolphins under their umbrella).

Their food supplies replenished and energy still raring to go, the boys sealed their satchels shut, and continued south.

Meanwihle…

Hundreds of miles away in the ocean, Bruce stands at the helm of the Fenton Family SAV, its modified engines going at full throttle.

In a hidden compartment in his room, Tucker Foley slams into the firewall of the Fenton’s new database with everything he has. Schematics, blueprints, notes. He needs that data and he needs it now.

Sam Manson meditates on her bed, surrounded by candles. She recites warding spells, a staple for any young magician.

Skulker sits in his private yacht, bandaging his wounded leg, sliding the pieces for his next upgrade. Behind him, an ornate fish tank sits empty, awaiting its guest.

Agent K and Agent O monitor the news. The sonars around Amity. A report sits on the desk. The Fentons have just left town? That will be interesting… 

[dougdimmadodo]

Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)

Family: Wrasse Family (Labridae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Named for its elongated snout which it uses to root through sediment in search of crabs and other seabed-dwelling prey, the Hogfish is a unique species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean, where it mainly inhabits areas near coral reefs (particularly reefs dominated by soft corals.) All Hogfishes are born as females, but as they progress through their lives some may develop into males upon reaching older age; members of this species live in small schools consisting of numerous small females and a single large male (which can be distinguished from the females around him by his larger size, darker colouration, longer fin spines and the distinctive black spot near the base of his tail,) responsible for fertilizing all the group's eggs, and in the event of the school's male dying or otherwise being separated from the rest of the group the largest, oldest remaining female will lose the ability to lay eggs, increase in size, develop the colouration of a male and gain the ability to produce sperm, taking his place. In addition to changing in colouration when changing sex, Hogfishes are also known to be capable of changing colour in order to avoid detection by predators (taking on duller colouration to match their surroundings upon spotting predators such as Sand Tiger Sharks,) and surprisingly it seems this colour-changing ability is managed purely by the chromatophores (colour-changing cells) in their skin with little input from the brain, as the skin will continue to change colour to match its surroundings for a short period even after being removed from the fish's body.

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Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49432-Lachnolaimus-maximus

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

A silly thought I had 👀

What about Rook begging Auron to go on a zoo or aquarium date and after like a week of asking he reluctantly agrees

BUT THEN they go and it goes great until they do one of those things where you hold an animal (or for an aquarium; a touch tank) and he freaks out internally cause he doesn’t know what to do and then what happens next to is up to you 😋

Aquarium date!

"Please can we go to the Aquarium??" Begging with puppy dog eyes Rook was leaning on Auron's bed. Both were enjoying time together when Rook got a date idea, but Auron was a bit iffy on it. He had some bad memories there, like a hermit crab crawled on his had when younger and he cried. His mom took almost half an hour to calm him down, so yeah he kinda didn't want to go there. Auron didn't know how to tell them this because it was really, really embarrassing, but they never really chose where the date is so he agreed to make them happy.

"I don't see why not. Let's do it Friday, is that okay with you?" The red head already knew it was okay with them, he knew their schedule and everything they do in a week. Rook smiled wide and leaned over to kiss Auron all over his face while saying "Thank you!" Over and over again.

Now fast forward top Friday, Auron was wearing something causal for this date. But Rook always said he doesn't have causal in his vocabulary and his definition is very different compared to others. But hopefully he wasn't over dressed, his thinking was cut short by Rook tapping his shoulder. He turned to greet his partner, he was picking them up from their apartment and gave them a chaste kiss.

"Are you ready, dear?" Getting confirmation from his lover he gave the chauffeur the signal to drive. It was 11 am so they can be the first few people to get there so they don't get interrupted by children. On the way there the couple were talking about their day, mostly Rook since they had things to do in the morning starting at 6 am.

"And the lady just glared at me like I caused her to slip! I was trying to warn her that there was a paper on the floor." Huffing Rook looked out the window for a moment to ease themselves. "Oh! We're here! This is going to be so fun!" Excitingly chirping as they turned to look at Auron. Their smile made him smile, yeah maybe ding this won't be so bad for him. As long as their happy with this date that's all that matters to him.

"I hope so, there's lots of sea creatures to look at here. It was newly opened last month." Of course when Rook asked to go to this specific aquarium he looked into it to see if it was good or just claimed to be so. He was pleased to find that it was, there is many exhibits you can go to here. There was even some penguins here, it was a good idea to put the aquarium almost in he center of the city, lots of foot traffic.

Getting the tickets were easy, walking into the aquarium was interesting to do. There seemed to be some schools here for a trip for the children, shrugging that off Auron looked at Rook as they skimmed the map they got form one of the workers where to go to.

"hhmm, where should we go? Auron is there anything that catches your interest?" Questioning as they kept their eyes on the map. Auron looked and saw a shark tank, turtles, penguins, coral reef and even the touch tank.

"How about the penguins?" Rook nodded and wrapped their arm around Auron's. Both smiling from the simple contact and walked to the exhibit they agreed on. Seeing penguins in person was really interesting, watching them dive in to the water, doing small tricks for fish and Rook even got to feed one. They clapped excitedly when the small penguin 'Rock' took it, it even let them pet it a bit!

"Auron oh my god that was so cool! And Rock was so cute I'm going to cry." Gushing about the penguins Auron smiled as they walked to the next exhibit, the shark tank. "Wow that's a big shark." Rook looked in awe at the Coral Cat shark the aquarium had.

They both watched the shark a bit before Rook "Wanna go somewhere else? I think there's a touch tank somewhere?" Hesitantly saying as Rook looked back at the map to confirm yes, there was one. Auron froze a bit and was thinking about his memory before seeing Rook look up to him waiting for an answer.

"Anything you want, dear." Rook gave him a suspicious look but decided not to pry. Both walked in arms Rook pointed at the many tanks they passed going to the touch tank. They ended up hearing a lot of laughter as people touched random animals that were okay to feel.

"Oh I always wanted to touch a hermit crab! Oh I hope they have some bamboo sharks. They are so cute!" Auron nodded as he looked slightly uncomfortable to be there, but got his shit together when Rook came up to the side of a touch tank and marveled at the animals in it. Slowly they let their hands in and lightly pet a hermit crab, "This is so weird!" Giggling as they continued Auron slowly came next to them.

"Hey Auron, are...you okay?" Rook decided to bite the bullet and ask their partner. Auron went to open his mouth to slightly lie but Rook gave him a look that said 'tell me the truth, please.' and he sighed.

"I don;t have the fondest memories of it. Where I was like 6 I cried bc a hermit crab touched me." Looking away in slight shame but Rook asked for him to look at them.

"It's okay if you don't wanna be here, this is a date for both of us. If your not comfortable I'm not. Lets go to a different part of the aquarium then." Taking out the map Rook was trying to find something that Auron would like. Seeing Rook do this made him fall a bit more in love with them, and because of that he decided something.

"I think I want to touch one, animal from here." Saying as he turned back to the touch tank, Rook paused and looked at him.

"Are you sure?" Getting a look in return they giggled and nodded, "Okay then, what do you wanna touch?" Auron looked and saw a hermit crab, seeing how small it was he was sure it would do anything if he touched it lightly. And so he did, it felt a little weird kinda reminding him of that memory when younger but, he didn't freak out. Was just a bit discomforted, the little creature simply stood there not doing a lot and Auron took his hand away.

"Okay now I see how silly it was to be scared of this hermit crab I guess." The red head said then turn to Rook, "Wanna go some where else now?" Rook nodded then pointed to one part of the Aquarium map. Seeing where it was Auron smiled, "Sure Rook let's go see the jelly fish." Locking arms once again, the couple enjoyed the rest of their date.

[aahsharks]

🦈Shark Of The Week!🦈

todays very long awaited shark of the week is,,

the blacktip reef shark!! (carcharhinus melanopterus)

Physical Attributes:

they usually range from 3 to 5 ft (91 cm - 1.5 m) with females being on the larger size than males. their max length is generally around 6ft. (1.9 m) though there have been records of sizes slightly larger!

they seem to average around 30lbs (13 kg) to 50lbs (22 kg) with females being on the heavier side

like the name suggests, they have black tips on their fins that help them camouflage!

they give birth to their pups live instead of eggs, with litter sizes around 2 to 4 pups

blacktip reef sharks live around 10-12 years on average

Personality:

These cute little puppies of the pacific are inquisitive and a bit timid! their size along with their shy but curious nature means they don't pose much of a threat to humans outside of maybe startling an unsuspecting diver when the shark swims up to investigate

as with all sharks, the best way to interact with the blacktip reef shark is to admire its beauty from afar and do not touch!! they're still predators with sharp teeth after all!

Diet and Hunting:

Blacktip reef shark have a diet consisting of many kinds of small fish that vary depending on their habitat

They have the typical style of hunting most sharks have where they stalk their prey, as well as having been observed to herd schools of fish closer to shore for easier hunting!

Other Facts:

They're found in the shallow waters of the pacific and indian oceans!

Blacktip reef sharks are a migratory species who often migrate in the spring time

They're very fast! so fast i couldn't find an accurate consistent number for this fact, no thoughts only speed!

They tend to live in shallow waters, watch your ankles! they've been known to mistakenly bite people thinking their ankles are prey

[crabcollectorskykid]

Hey it’s moi again coming at you live!

Can the reader be arora male reader from sky children of the light x metkayina clan

May I request where the metkayina family meeting arora male reader for the first time and then being so fascinated with the male reader who’s gentle and kind and them being for fascinated when they sing because it’s so calming and it attracts the sea animals.

It’s okay if you don’t want to do this but I saw on you resent post that you wanted a request from someone so here I am gracing your presence :>

Metkayina family x aurora/M!Reader

Genre: pure fluff, I swear it's pure fluff

Warnings: none

Pronouns: he/him

HEYY, sorry I haven't been active lately. I was a bit stress thinking about how I'm going back to school soon and got writers block :'>.

Now how did you get here hmmm, oh right. You fell from the sky like meteor right-/hj

But seriously you really did fell from the sky, so the clan was a bit cautious of you.

But once you showed them that you really can't harm them because of how fragile you are, they tolerated you.

They liked how you were kind,gentle,and helpful you are to them.

You even made an effort to learn and try their ways of life.

But uh-like I said before, you were fragile. Like a glass.

So you only helped around inside the village, not aloud to go outside the reef.

The tsahik and the olo'eyktan were surprised to see how the sea animals would go to you, they were surprised how easy it was for you to attract them easily even after living a few days with them.

Aonung and Tsiyera would start to hang out with you more. Mostly tsiyera

Aonung would help you learn a few self defense tips,teaches you how to hunt,ride an ilu too. The ilu part was a bit hard but was surprisingly patient with you, maybe it's because you very small compared to them. He was there when you caught your first fish, he praised you alot. He would always try to avoid you when he's with his friends not because he's embarrassed that he hangs out with you. No never, it's because he doesn't you getting made fun of.

Tsiyera was like a big sister to you! She helped you with your breathing, you were honestly happy that she was the one who taught you because aonung was a bit intimidating. Meditating during free time is a must, after getting lost and don't know how to get back to your original home caused you to be a bit stressed, so meditating helped you alot. Especially with Tsiyera because how calm and gentle she was with you.

Tonowari and Ronal, wellll...your relationship with them..is complicated-

I mean they aren't bad or harsh on you, you interacted with them but not much. But they are very much happy how kind and gentle you are with their children. They were even suprised how aonung hanged out with you. They tolerated you (ended up adopting you at the end-)

In the middle of the night, you couldn't sleep. You don't really sleep much in your original home, you would pretend to sleep incase they check on you. But when the village are asleep you would sneek out and go to the shore.

Singing helps you relax but you were a bit shy to show your voice yet so you just sneek out in the middle of the night since you know everyone is gonna be asleep.

Unfortunately, aonung wasn't very tired that night and heard singing. It almost made him go to sleep but he had to investigate who was singing at this time of the night.

He also woke up Tsiyera since he ain't going alone.

They saw you at the shore, singing or humming to the sea animals around you.

They were fascinated. Fascinated on how you attracted the sea animals. Fascinated how you sang or hum. Fascinated how gentle and calming your voice was. They were in awe on how your voice goes well with your personality.

" 🎵 hmmmm, hmmm...

I was listenin' to the ocean

I saw a face in the sand

But when I picked it up

Then it vanished away from my hands, dah

I had a dream, I was seven

Climbin' my way in a tree

I saw a piece of Heaven

Waitin' in patience for me, dah

And I was runnin' far away

Would I run off the world someday?

Nobody knows, nobody knows

And I was dancing in the rain

I felt alive and I can't complain

But no, take me home

Take me home where I belong

I can't take it anymore🎵"

You sang while petting the sea animals around you, you didn't even notice the two metkayina admiring you from afar.

Aonung accidentally stepped on a twig and that caught your attention "huh-is anyone there?" You asked looking back, the two of them covered their mouths and signalled to eachother to go. You just shrugged and thought you were just imagining things.

The next day, the two tried to summon their confidence to talk to you about last night but no word came out of their mouth. "Were you guys spying on me last night" you spoke in their language, you suprisingly caught up to their language well which was very help and useful to you when talking to them. Aonung and Tsiyera eyes widen at the sudden question "H-how did you-" "I heard your hurried footsteps last night and muttering about me about last night" you answered aonung.

"Tsiyera this is your fault" aonung said looking at Tsiyera who had an offended look on her face "no it isnt-you were the one who stepped on a twig." She defended, the two kept arguing completely forgetting you were there until you giggled.

"no worries, I don't mind. Besides I would be curious too on who was singing in the middle of the night." You smiled, aonung and Tsiyera watched as your smile reflect the sun...you were certainly an angel-

"I uhm-ahem. I'm just wondering, how are you so good at singing." Aonung asked you scratched the back of your neck "In my original home I was a singer, many skykids liked me and majority of the time they wanted to be my friend."

That day on, you always sang in the morning instead of the night. Many metkayina would watch you sing, some even stayed till the very end.

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the the Pelagic thresher shark!

The pelagic thresher, also known as the pacific common thresher shark, scientific name Alopias pelagicus, is a common thresher shark. Found along the tropical and subtropical waters in the Pacific and Indian ocean, stretching from South Africa to The West Coast of America. Like other thresher sharks, the pelagic thresher inhabits the open ocean, occasionally coming close to the continental shelf near coral reefs, and seamounts. Seasonally, they migrate North and South, to follow warmer waters. Pelagic threshers are the smallest species of thresher shark, and despite being visually similar to their relatives they can be differentiated by the dark pigment above the pectoral fins and the rounded fin tips.Similar to other threshers, the teeth are smooth and small, with 20-22 teeth per jaw, curved inward to trap prey inside their mouth.

Due to their medium size, the pelagic thresher is predated on by many larger predators. Primarily larger sharks, orcas, and other toothed whales that share an area. They are known to have tapeworm parasites and copepods in the skin. This leads to the symbiotic relationship with cleaner wrasses, who eat their parasites. The pelagic thresher's diet consists of small prey along the mesopelagic zone, primarily lightfishes, barracudas, flying fishes, herrings, squids, and mackerels. This keeps them from competing with other oceanic predators in their size range, such as tuna, billfish, and other sharks. They hunt similar to other thrasher sharks, by swimming tight circles around a school of prey, until they condense. Then, striking with the upper caudal fin tip lobe of the tail to stun. This long tail is often the cause for plegic threshers getting hooked as bycatch for other fishing efforts, specifically having issues with longlines.  Although several commercial fisheries go out of their way to hunt for plegic threshers, leading to their status as endangered.

Just like all other mackerel sharks, the pelagic thresher shark is ovoviviparous, meaning they have young kept in eggs within the mother, and when they hatch, they are born live. Similar to other thresher sharks , the pelagic thresher gives birth to two pups at a time, one per each uterus. They have no defined breeding season and the gestation period is unknown, but assumed to be similar to the year gestation period of common threshers. Pups are born surprisingly large, at about 5 feet in length. As compared to the sexually mature adult size of about 10 feet, the largest recorded being around 11feet. Maturity is reached at around 9 feet in length, which is usually around the 8th or 9th year in females, and around 7-8 years in males. Their lifespan is about 28 years in females, possibly longer, whereas male threshers get the short stick, living only 17 years in comparison.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

[nadinefromwhere]

Chapter 2 - Different from what i'm used to (rafayel x real world reader)

Prologue , Chapter 1, , Chapter 3

Hours had passed and the sky became dark, the moon shining bright in the night. Y/n was finally done from the ballet session, feeling happy for doing something she wanted to do.

The same driver from earlier picks her up from the ballet studio, going back to the mansion that she was in earlier. 

The front of the mansion was fancy and very neat. And the insides of the mansion? Well it was very luxurious and clean. It is like a vacation everyday there without doing any single chore at all as the maids will do it.

Hours later, y/n was asleep. 

She finds herself in the ocean, in the coral reefs. A school of fishes passed by her as some small fishes would kiss her finger tips. She looks at someone beside her, A man with purple hair .She had found this individual familiar but who was he? He was familiar but she just couldn't remember.

Her orange - yellow tail moves a bit as the young man’s blue tail wanted to be beside hers

“After all the fish really do like you huh?” he says, giving y/n a seashell.

“Well i guess so” y/n giggles looking up at the waves above them. “I have something for you” the young man says telling her to close her eyes “Then what is it?” y/n says, her eyes closed curious about what the man wanted to give her “You can open them now” He grabs her hand intertwining his hand with hers, kissing it y/n opens her hand, a blue fish comes out of it.

“For you” the man smiles y/n suddenly wakes up from the dream, who even was that? She rubs her eyes wondering. Rafayel at 3 am in the morning was busy painting and suddenly felt like something was missing. Oh how he wished to meet his beloved bride again…..

[the-possum-writes]

Heya! Is it ok if I request romantic headcanons of Fern with a fish princess reader please?

Fishy Buisness

❥Character: Fern Mertens

❥Tags: SFW, Wholesome, Friends to lovers, Fish!Reader, Gender neutral pronouns, Hcs

❥Synopsis: Fern kept practicing his fishing only to find most of the fishes he catches are already dead, when he decides to get to the bottom of this mystery it leads him to make a new friend.

❥For the past week, Fern had been practicing his fishing every day until he returned home with a proud smile and a clutch of fish. "Take a look at this bounty, boys! I guess my luck is changing for the better, huh?"

❥But upon closer inspection, the fish's eyes were evidently lifeless.

Finn is the first to comment, saying, "I don't know fern, they look like they were dead before you caught them."

"Yeah, did you get them from the market?" Jake plays it off.

"What? No! I just reeled them in this morning." Fern then starts questioning himself.

❥When he went back to his fishing spot as usual, Fern feels a tug on his line and reels it in only to find out that fish is dead too. "Then how are they biting the line??"

❥To figure out what was going on, he made a dummy that looked like him and connected a fishing pole to it. He placed the dummy in his normal spot while studying the river waters from atop a tree branch. From that height, he could notice turbulent waters near the fishing line and swim away upstream, following the turbulence until plunging in after whatever was in the water.

❥He caught the most surprising fish there; instead of the river monster he was expecting, Fern was greeted by a fish person with scales, fins, and everything. Despite being bipedal, they nevertheless maintained aquatic features that gave them an amphibian-like appearance.

❥"AHH! They scream, "PLEASE DON'T EAT MEEEEE, I DON'T TASTE GOOD.

"I don't want to eat you, I wanna know why you're leaving dead fish in my line." Fern raises his voice. He would have been shocked that he could yell underwater, but at the time, he was too furious to care.

❥"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do with them after the monster assaulted the Coral Reef Kingdom, so I decided to give them to you and continue their life cycle." You explain your situation, which piqued Fern's curiosity and helped to calm him down.

"Just quit doing that! It's embarrassing that my brothers think I'm cheating at fishing. Fern speaks from his own perspective. "What is this monster you're talking about? Will you let me fish in peace if I kill it?"

❥You agree to Fern's demands and direct him to your kingdom of a neighboring coral reef where an invasive species of fish monsters is taking over. These fish monsters eat anything swimming nearby and mix up the water to the point where nothing can grow or be seen through the sand.

❥You'd be lying if you claimed you didn't have any doubts about his abilities, but Fern had no trouble killing the monsters and sending them swimming away. However, when he returned to you, he was still in poor condition.

❥"There, I need to go back and..." Fern passed in front of you, and you scooped him up before he could plunge into the deeper waters.

When Fern woke up, the first thing he noticed was the light sand intermingled with patches of green grass. He also noticed a small handcrafted basket made of a giant seashell and rope, which contained some seaweed salad and what he guessed was a paste that was intended for medical purposes. The words "Thanks" were scribbled in the sand but there was no other note left behind.

❥Fern returned to his fishing spot and had better luck the next several days; it seemed that schools of fish started to travel through the river more frequently. Even though he was successful in recovering his reputation at home, he couldn't help but think about the fish person.

❥In his thoughts, he justified his behavior by saying that he was returning to the spot where he had first awoken in order to catch different creatures, although this was only partially true.

❥Not long after he castes his line it immediately started tugging it, but just like before, instead of seeing a regular fish he was met with the sight of you.

❥"Hey."

He responds, "Hey."

"You returned, why?" You emerge from the water, resting your arms on the riverbank before laying your head.

He thinks for a moment, then says, "I don't know, I guess I was getting bored at my same spot. You sent those fishes my way, didn't you?"

You answer casually, making patterns in the sand to divert his attention. "Well, my part of the deal was to stop hitching dead fishes to your line."

"But now that you made things too easy for me, what fun is that anymore?" Fern grumbles.

At the sound of that, you turn your head. "Oh, you're more of a challenge kind of guy?" You put him to the test:

❥Fern doesn't require air, so you feel at ease knowing that you may swim without being in a rush. You led him to a special underwater stream. The unique location you led him to is a network of underground caverns teeming with aquatic life such as fish, crabs, and algae. "Only the toughest fish and marine animals can survive here because of the powerful currents; it would be lucky to even see one, let alone catch one."

❥He soon became hyper focused on the task, meanwhile you'd just sit back back and say. "Oh so close."

❥It quickly became routine to sit back and watch Fern attempt to capture fish with his bare hands; he was always within reach, but the fish always slipped his grip. He was also incredibly competitive; he'd go at it for hours, only pausing to eat a small photosynthetic lunch at the surface.

❥You would accompany him with your own catch of the day and serve it with a substantial serving of seaweed salad or some crab flesh on the side.

❥You two discuss a variety of subjects, including hunting techniques, animal species you have encountered or heard about, your explorations of sunken ships, and his exploits on dry land.

❥Fern gradually lost his sense of competition and came to enjoy your company to the point where he would come see you for more than just catching.

❥Finn is happy to see his grass brother in a good mood (he's also secretly pleased that they stopped eating fish every night, but he doesn't have the guts to admit it), while Jake jokes that he's been underwater for so long that he'll develop algae and smell like fish.

❥Once you finally met Fern's two brothers, you served them a seafood mixture. It's nice to finally meet you; Fern always talks about you.

"He does?"

❥Fern doesn't realize he has a strong crush on you until Jake points it out; of course, he believes he's joking, but Jake insists otherwise. "I'm being honest here; you two have good chemistry, and you'd understand if you noticed how they look at you," the speaker said.

❥He doesn't fully comprehend what Jake is getting at until the day he finally catches a fish in the cavern currents.

"I did it? I DID IT!! Hah take that! You thought I'd never make it did ya?!" Fern unknowingly flexes his catch in front of you out of excitement, but he immediately shut up when he saw nothing but fondness in your eyes and expression.

The hug caught him off guard too, almost letting go of his catch. "I always knew you were capable of it, it was just a matter of time." you confess.

❥Fern felt warm inside despite the chilly waters and your low body temperature. It didn't even bother him to release his rare catch in favor of returning the hug with a tight squeeze."Thanks, wouldn't have done it without you."

❥After that, you two became even closer. Talking about your pasts, insecurities, and even future plans. Before you knew it confessions were also made and feelings were reciprocated.

❥Dating was usually the same as hanging out as friends, with the main difference being the physical affection. Since you don't have hair, braiding Fern's hair is one of your favorite past times. Fern would sit on the bank of the river and splash the water at his pointy feet.

❥You crafted the two of you identical seashell bracelets for your one-year anniversary.

❥Fern would try to take you on a romantic boat ride into the sea but he looses a paddle midway and you offer to pull it since you're great at swimming, but he insist on being a gentleman and offers to tug it instead.

❥Since you already met Fern's family it was your turn to have him meet your family, or in this case the citizens of your kingdom. A large array of fishes and sentient sea life where three of them in particular are the equivalent of your "royal" staff. "This oyster is Sheila my maid, that octopus over there is Otto he's the chef and that old sea slug is Ralph, he's the butler if you couldn't tell by the snazzy bow tie."

❥Fern didn't know much about your status as royalty but he soon came to learn that your title of princess is mostly self proclaimed, with your crown being handmade with seashells that are stylized more like a protective helm.

❥Fern doesn't know how, but you introduce him to every creature that frequents your coral reef by name (he isn't sure if that's their real names or if you named them)

It's then that he realizes how lonely you are being the only fish person in an underwater kingdom but you reassure him that. "Ever since I met you, I never really felt that lonely anymore."