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kaihuntrr · 8 months

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The Sea Prince; Hide & Seek

I don’t think you should look behind you, Lizzie.

The sea was dangerous.

It was no place for a human.

Sheer cold winds howled as the waves crashed against each other. The sky was pitch black, only illuminated by the bright crash of lightning overhead. The torrential rain pelted the ocean around her, driving the waves higher and making it harder to see. Warring sounds of nature were the only thing the survivor could hear as she kept as still as possible, clinging to floating pieces of driftwood and debris to hide her frail body from the terrors of the deep.

The survivor was drenched in water, barely breathing as she pressed her body down against the wooden planks as she tried to make herself smaller than she already was. She shivered, the freezing air surrounded her. Thunder rumbled overhead, and her blue eyes narrowed as she adjusted her blurry vision from the chaos around her. She shouldn’t be here. She should be on the island with her friends. She should be safe. She was supposed to be safe. The survivor took in deep breaths, her hands covering her head as she tried her best not to scream in fear.

Don’t let them find you.

A blinding flash of lightning struck the sinking, burning vessel in front of her. What was once the ship that she and her parents had boarded was now nothing more than a wooden plaything for those monsters. She strained her ears, listening for any screeches or roars that bellowed from the deep, but there were none. Only then did she dare to move.

She couldn’t believe this was happening. Her eyes were glued to the destroyed ship, the only thing left that provided her a sick sense of relief. It was a reminder of how lonely she was. She hated being alone. She moved the messy pink hair away from her face as tears began to form. Her fingers ran pulled at her hair as her breathing quickened and her vision blurred.

She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest and her stomach twisted in pain as her head hit the wood below her. She had to be strong. Her parents told her to be strong. She had to be. She was the unshakable Elizabeth Shadow, inheritor of the Shadow Pearl corporation, nothing should scare her. Nothing should scare her. She was a big girl. Big girls shouldn’t panic. This should all be over soon.

How did this all happen? Just a few hours ago all she saw was the clear, sunny sky and peaceful waves. Lizzie closed her eyes as she took in another deep breath, casting her mind back to the once-calm waves and breezy chill that danced across the ships. She needed to calm down.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

—————

The skies overhead were a beautiful baby blue, lazily hung with small specks of clouds and filled with the songs of migratory birds that passed by. How these birds flew across these long patches of ocean was baffling to her. Lizzie stood on the upper deck of a grand cruise ship, watching the birds fly in the distance. Her hands against the railing as the salty sea air blew through her hair as she cherished the view of the ocean. The ship was a fine white vessel used for transportation and leisure. It had several polished wooden floors with different levels to accommodate all the people on board. The ship rumbled with the vibrations of big engines propelling forward. The ship’s hull was lined in the typical metal plating meant to defend the ship from the sea monsters infesting the ocean.

It was hard to believe this place was as scary as all the stories her friends had told her. She heard lots of stories of dangerous sea monsters, and while she did fear them as any kid did, the sea didn’t look like what she pictured in her mind. It was just a big pond filled with fish enough to feed the entire human race, all animalkind even! Ponds aren’t scary.

There was no storm. There were no tall sharp rocks to destroy ships. There was not even a hint of mist! Most importantly, there aren’t any vicious monsters coming for their ship. She didn’t think there would be any monster coming close to her ship. With their ship being a transportation boat, they were protected by several hunting ships that formed a circle around the big boat. No monsters would attack them, they’d be fine.

Hunters, Lizzie knew of the profession through Grian. His parents were hunters; trained and ready to kill any sea monster that comes their way. Grian described their ships as being covered in big weaponry and parts of the monsters they killed as trophies. Lizzie stared at the metal walls covered in spikes and harder material, showing some dents and bitemarks as they stuck to the passenger ship’s side. The hunter ships all had huge sails to carry them across the waters and an engine for a speedy getaway, all for the safety of fellow humans.

Lizzie stared at the hunters’ ships as Grian’s words echoed through her mind. His parents were no longer in this world, but Grian was still excited about becoming a hunter.

Lizzie could see the passion in Grian’s eyes as he spoke about hunting, full of wonder and amazement as he recollected what his birth parents had told him. Her friends all had different thoughts about hunters. She asked Martyn what being a hunter was like, given he was already training to be one, and he gave her a huge grin as he answered her: It was awesome.

She remembered the look on Grian’s face as Martyn recounted all the cool tricks his parents had taught him, the sour expression on his face was priceless. He’d said, “How come you get to do all of that? Why can’t I?”

Lizzie visualized Martyn’s cocky smirk as he rustled with Grian’s hair, “That’s because my parents are actual hunters! Yours are smarty-pants hunters, you don’t do these sorts of stuff!”

When she asked Jimmy if he wanted to be a hunter too, his eyes had gotten big and he’d shook his head, “No way! That’s too much for me. I’d rather do what Mum and Dad do, it’s more my speed.”

Lizzie could practically hear the loud laugh Joel made when Jimmy had said that, causing a light chuckle to slip out of her. Joel had wrapped an arm around his taller brother, rolling his eyes, “He’s way too scared to do it. He thinks a monster is gonna come up to eat him or something. We’ll save him though!”

The memory of their shared laughter warmed her heart. She was excited to see them again.

Lizzie and her parents were on their way to meet with her friends and their parents, the adults planning on talking about some sort of deal she didn’t fully grasp yet. Eh, that was adult talk, she didn’t care for it. She wanted to be there to see her friends.

Lizzie walked along the upper deck, one hand tracing the railing as she stared outward, passing small waves at hunters when they looked her way, smiling and laughing. She heard two voices up ahead, discussing something. There was nothing for her to do there other than to watch the ships go by, so Lizzie abruptly stopped walking to listen in. Two people were leaning by the wall, and to not look like she was eavesdropping Lizzie walked past them and ducked behind the wall. They wouldn’t notice her.

The two people were in a hushed conversation, one figure leaning towards the other as they spoke. It didn't seem to register to either stranger how loud they were being with their whispers. One of the voices was more frantic in their speech, stuttering, “What if they find us?”

The other voice chuckled, soft thuds indicated they were patting their friend’s shoulder as they sighed, “They won’t. They’re not real.”

What wasn’t real?

The first voice spoke up again, their tone unchanging, “B-But they are! If not them, then–”

The second voice sighed loudly, raising their voice and cutting the other off, “Then nothing, my friend. If monsters try to approach we’ll be protected.”

The first voice spoke up again, much more quietly and less frantic. It didn’t seem like they were arguing anymore, “It’s not them I’m worried about, it’s–” If they weren’t arguing, Lizzie wanted to know why the first one was so scared.

The second one spoke up again, their tone in a low hiss, “The sea princes don’t exist, mate. They’re fairytales.”

Sea princes? Weren’t those the stories Grian and Martyn used to tell her? Her thoughts were interrupted as a low growl of thunder rumbled above, dark clouds began to form. Uh oh. Best to go downstairs with her parents. She didn’t want to get hit by the rain. Rain was scary.

Her mind wandered back to the sea princes as she walked to her parents’ room, getting as far from the rain as possible. It was a popular story. As far as she knew, the sea princes were these big and ugly creatures who towered over all of the sea monsters. Mermaids fought them, which made Lizzie interested in the myths.

Lizzie walked down the staircase leading her down to her room. Which one was it? The third floor. It should be there.

She shook her head, coming back to her thoughts. Mermaids, right.

Mermaids were a beautiful mix of human and fish, guarding humanity from the evil sea princes as their sworn enemy. People sometimes caught sight of them as they stood on the edge of port towns or sailed on big ships. Lizzie gasped in realization. Big ships just like this one! Maybe she’d get to see a mermaid! Stories said seeing one was a blessing. It would be a magical moment for her to meet one on her very first ship ride!

The other thing was the treasures. The way Martyn described them made them sound so cool. There were ancient totems that could defy death, apples made of pure gold, even tomes and texts that could turn people into gods. Supposedly all those treasures existed somewhere in the ocean, surely giving anyone thoughts of what powers they could have with it. People could live forever, talk to fishes, make plants grow, anything was possible!

Lizzie visualized finding one of the treasures, a great and shiny orb that turned her into an axolotl mermaid queen that could fight off all sorts of danger to protect her friends. To her, it didn’t sound outlandish at all, it sounded cool. A lot of people wanted to find sea prince treasures, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to find it too. All sorts of cool things could be under the ocean, they just needed to look.

Lizzie peered through a big wall of glass looking in on one of the lower floors. She saw plenty of people sitting on couches and talking. Some of them were noticeably hunters, looking out towards the open sea with weapons hung on their belts and scars marked on their bodies.

They were fine, they were safe. That one person from earlier was wrong, they were protected from whatever danger came their way.

She turned away, continuing down the stairs and into the hallways, pulling out a key with a tag of her room number. Three-four-one. It was somewhere down the corridor. She looked at each of the plates by the doors before stopping at one. Three-four-one, that was it! Lizzie inserted the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. She greeted her parents with a smile, “I’m back!”

Lizzie’s father turned and grinned, crouching as his daughter ran up to give him a hug, “How was your little exploration? Find anything cool?” She looked at him with her big eyes, shaking her head.

The room was spacious, but maybe it was because she was still so small, her parents looked big in the room. They didn’t seem to fit on the bed together, as Lizzie remembered her father offering to sleep on the couch. At the end of the room was a window overlooking the sea, a big bed, and a couch beside it. There was a small sitting area with a couple of bookshelves and complimentary snacks left with a desk. The door to the bathroom was next to the entrance of the room, with a closet off to the side.

Lizzie sat on the couch, swinging her feet, “Nothing much! I did hear two big kids talk about the sea princes though.”

Her mother looked up from the bed, closing the book she was reading as her husband sat beside her. The couple shared an amused glance, smiling at each other before looking at their child. Her mother tilted her head, “And you don’t look scared at all! What a big girl you are, Lizzie.” Lizzie giggled, her feet kicking faster.

Her father sighed loudly, striking a dramatic pose, “Honey, she’s getting so old! We’re getting old!”

Her mother laughed, rolling her eyes, “Ay, that we are. She’s brave enough to be out on her own, exploring the ship and reporting her findings. I remember how scared you were when we first told you about them,” she sighed, glancing to the side as she chuckled, “You’re growing up so fast.”

Lizzie stuck her tongue out, furrowing her eyebrows, “But I don’t wanna be old yet! I still–”

Loud, piercing bells began to ring in the distance as the ship made a loud creaking noise and nearly went sideways with a sudden push, sending them sprawling. Lizzie gripped the bed as her parents reoriented themselves. Lizzie’s father approached the window and stuck his head out as her mother motioned for her to come to her. Lizzie shifted on the bed. She didn’t want to move, she just got there! The bed felt comfortable.

Lizzie could hear a low trilling sound from the open window, echoing as glass windows began to crack. The noise vibrated the ship. The bells continued to ring as voices of the hunters rang through the air. There were loads of hunters around the ship. She should be fine. They all should be fine.

Her father shut the window, turning to his wife and child. His eyes were wide, but he tried to stabilize his breathing, “We have to leave. Now.”

Her mother nodded as she shot out of bed and hastily gathered her things. Lizzie sat on the bed, shifting around as her parents paced around the room in haste. “Why do we need to leave?” she questioned, “The hunters should be able to stop the monsters!” That was their job, wasn’t it? There were four hunting ships in the area, they should be enough.

It didn’t stop her father from continuing, “I know they will, but we also need to be protected. We have to stay safe.”

The waves continued to jostle the ship, the gentle swaying became harsher as some kind of noise escaped from the ocean. Lizzie could hear the muffled sounds of the hunters firing their weapons, but there was no sound of a creature getting hurt. Lizzie’s eyebrows furrowed, “But the hunters–”

Her mother was the one to cut in this time, carrying bags with some of their clothes hanging loosely out of the top, “Lizzie, no buts. You’re a big girl, but even big girls get scared when the threat is very real.”

No. Big kids don’t get scared. She won’t be scared. Stories about sea monsters used to frighten her, but not anymore. She’d be brave.

Lizzie hit her fist against the cushiony bed. Her voice rose as she firmly declared, “I’m not scared!” The light from the window had cut off before either of her parents could say anything in return, tossing the family into the pitch black darkness.

Lizzie saw her parents walking backwards in fear, staring at the window. Their faces were pale and their eyes widened as they took shaky steps. She watched her parents’ breathing quicken as they sank to their knees. Lizzie cocked her head, raising an eyebrow with a frown, “What’s wrong?”

Her parents didn’t look at her, staring at the window instead, but her mother spoke, “Lizzie. Walk to us, slowly.” Lizzie had the gut feeling to turn back. She shifted her body, starting to turn, but her mother caught on. “Don’t look behind you. Look at us. Me.” Why not look behind her? What could possibly– another monstrous trill resonated in the air, shaking the ground.

Something was blocking the window.

Now her mother was staring right at Lizzie, her eyes wide as her breathing became loud and uneven. Lizzie got off the bed, slowly taking small steps before her mother took one second to glance back at the window.

Lizzie looked behind her.

An eye. A huge one. The white of the eye was a pitch black abyss with a piercing orange and blue iris staring directly at them. The creature’s pupil was large and ice white. A sound emitted from its throat as it rumbled through the structure of the ship. Lizzie could feel it shake the floor beneath her feet, her body shook along with it.

Time seemed to stop around them as they were locked in a staring match with a monster that could so easily tear them apart. Lizzie’s body shook, her heart was pounding out of her chest as she shakily took a step backwards, away from the eye. The eye moved along with her, as if following Lizzie’s every movement.

The eye moved in closer as the ship began to tilt. Lizzie and her parents lost their footing, sliding across the floor and hitting the door as the creature made another low trill before a sudden shriek, distant from the ship, broke the air of silence. The white pupil suddenly narrowed into a slit as the massive monster produced an unholy roar that shattered the window.

The creaking wood of the ship crumbled and cracked, metal bending and twisting before snapping open as water rushed in. Horrified screams and gasps came from the other rooms and were drowned out as the echoing trill resounded through the deep. Lizzie’s parents grabbed her and swam out through the shattered window. The beast was no longer in sight.

Lizzie learned an important thing that day; she didn’t know how to swim.

Don’t panic. Panicking will make things worse.

Lizzie could feel her mother’s arm wrap around her, hurriedly placed on a wooden door. Lizzie’s heart pounded out of her chest. Her parents were there, close to her. They weren’t on the door like she was.

Everything became a blur after.

Rain started to pour. Hunters screamed in fear, “What is that thing?!” before their ships snapped open and bodies fell into the salty sea water below.

There were people in the water. So many people were in the water.

Thunder and lightning raged in the sky as the creature’s long tail pierced out of the water from time to time, slowly but surely circling around them. Lizzie didn’t know where the ship was; she’d lost her parents. They’d become separated as chunks of different ships had begun to scatter and crash into the water as two different beasts roared and shrieked.

Lizzie could hear her parents call out to her. She flailed her arms, “Mom?! Dad?! Where are you?!” She looked around her surroundings in hopes of finding them. Please. She needed to see them again. She looked at the direction she had heard her parents. Where were–

The monster let out a bellowing roar, rattling the water as a gigantic red fin shot up from the depths swiftly knocked Lizzie into the water as it swam past. She was disoriented– where were her parents? She called out to them again. She needed to find them.

“Mom?! Dad?!”

She couldn’t hear their voices anymore.

Lizzie didn’t know where to go. She flailed her arms aimlessly while the cold waters tried to consume her, eventually finding something to desperately latch onto as she struggled to remain afloat. She remembered she had grabbed a wooden wall and stuck to it for dear life. More and more voices were drowned out by the rain. The only thing she could hear over the sound of the burning ships and the angry weather were the monsters. She prayed to whatever god was out there to spare her. She didn’t want to die.

The monsters disappeared, but not for long. They were coming back for her, weren’t they?

Lizzie had been able to wedge herself between two pieces of debris to hide. The monsters didn’t seem to have noticed her. The waves that used to crash against her only pushed her slightly. Lizzie looked up to see the long finned tail of the creatures sink below.

Why had it been staring at her? Her parents? Was it some kind of sick game? She did not want to play.

She was alone.

Everything had been fine until now. Maybe if she never boarded the ship, her parents would be okay. She wanted them here with her. Maybe it was better if her friends visited her instead of the other way around.

The waves rocked her shelter, as if trying to calm her down. It wasn’t working.

Lizzie looked up from the piece of wooden wall beneath her, her vision blurry with tears, and saw a lot of the floating debris moving in the same direction. Lizzie wiped the tears away from her eyes as she tried to focus. The… the debris weren’t moving because of the waves. They were moving because the creature was circling them! Lizzie covered her mouth from screaming as a small vortex was created, her head becoming light as she heard the beast roar.

Stay calm. Inhale. Exhale.

The spinning got faster, making Lizzie want to puke, but the motions came to an abrupt stop as she was gathered with the other floating debris. Her eyes widened as she heard other people crying out in fear. She wasn’t the only one! There were others who were still alive!

The rain made it hard to see the looming figure rising out of the water before her. She saw faint hints of blue, its chest had stripes of other colors glowed faintly in the darkness. Lizzie heard shouts over the ocean, but the storm and the crashing waves swallowed the noise. She heard a rumble in the water before a second figure appeared, something blurry white and red bursting up. The other beast. There was another one.

What if they were looking for her?

Lizzie could hear the beasts ‘speak’, grunts and guttural echoes boomed above, she wished she could shut her eyes but they were fixed on the monsters. She didn’t even have a clear look at either one, just knowing one of them was red and the other was blue. She heard something rise from the water as the terrified shrieks of the other people filled the air between rolls of thunder, “P-Please! Spare us! We have families– children to come home to!”

Lizzie heard a loud crash of water, likely the monster was angry at their response. Did they even understand human speech? She didn’t need to worry about that.

The air hung silent as thunder echoed. One of the humans began to speak, “Y-Your eye… we apologize for–” The red beast growled. Its sounds were different from the blue one, a rumbling echo instead of a rattling thrill, yet carried the same booming volume. Its tail swished, jostling Lizzie’s hiding spot, unknowingly giving her a better view of the creatures.

One of the beasts was covered in shiny, golden spikes. Its tail was armored, red with a blue-green tail fin. The other beast’s tail was blue with colorful splotches, its fins were a red sunset-like hue with patterns of flickering stars. She couldn’t see the end of its tail, likely underwater.

Something that stuck out to her weren’t the colors or the shape of their tails though.

She could be seeing things, but they looked human.

The blue one’s colorful stripes almost looked like tattoos along its back, Lizzie could see red fins coming from its head and she swore it had long teal hair. The red one had pearlescent white hair with brown streaks coming from it, unable to see much else other than that.

Why did they look human?

The men’s screams were tossed upward, the beasts thrashing and moving the debris, along with Lizzie, around. She swore the beasts were laughing, their bellowing unholy roars boomed as Lizzie braced for something. Anything. She was expecting the monsters to end it, to just kill them and leave.

Yet…

“HUNTERS…”

Lizzie shut her eyes. There was no way this was real. She had to be dreaming. This was just one bad dream, right?

“...DON’T BELONG HERE.”

It spoke.

Those were human words.

No ordinary beast can just talk, right?

This was all a bad dream. Lizzie just needed to wake up. She covered her ears, blocking out the dozens of screams as they were silenced by the sound of jaws snapping. Her heart began pounding and with one final crash of lightning, she shut her eyes for a long, long time.

—————

“Lizzie?”

Where was she?

“Lizzie, wake up.”

Was she dead?

“Are you okay?”

Are her parents alive?

“Lizzie, are you there?”

Was she back home?

“Please. Wake up, Lizzie.”

…Those were her friends calling her, weren’t they?

Lizzie shot up, breathing heavily as she grasped her chest. This wasn’t the ocean. It was bright and sunny. She could hear birdsong outside and the gentle brush of leaves against the wind. Sunlight filtered through the window behind her, looking around, she could see the expressions her friends were giving her.

Joel was right beside Lizzie, clenching his fists with hunched shoulders, his eyes glued on her. Jimmy was on the other side, one of his hands held onto his head, gripping his blonde hair as he leaned over. Grian was beside Jimmy, his wide eyes stared at her as his eyebrows furrowed, biting his lip.

They were here. She was here with them. Her parents.

Lizzie took in a deep breath, “Where are my parents?”

The three brothers shared a glance, exchanging mini expressions until Joel nodded, placing his hand on the bed as an offering. Lizzie placed her hand on top of his. Joel glanced at the floor as he sighed, “They’re… they’re.. How do I phrase this?” Joel’s eyes couldn’t meet hers. They were what? What happened?

Lizzie glanced at Grian and Jimmy, who kept their heads low. Why was everyone acting so weird? Lizzie’s grip on Joel tightened as an air of silence washed over them.

“Everyone was-.”

His voice trailed off. Silence. If it weren’t for the birdsong outside, the silence would have been deafening. He didn’t finish his sentence. That only meant one thing, right? They were gone. Dead. Not in this world anymore. The last thing she did was be a disobedient child. She was the worst. Lizzie felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, her hands covered her face as she screamed. She screamed so loudly the brothers flinched, Lizzie’s chest heaving as she sobbed.

She wanted her parents.

She needed her parents.

This wasn’t fair.

Lizzie’s hands slumped on her sides as she laid on the bed. This can’t be real. She felt Joel hold her hand as he looked at her.

Joel rubbed his thumb over Lizzie’s hand as she gripped it tight. “But you survived. It’s… a lot to take in, but I promise, we’ll be there for you.” Joel looked back at her with a smile, tilting his head.

Grian stood up from his chair, slamming his hands on the sheets, “We’ll find out what beast did it, and tear its heart out!” Grian’s enthusiasm for being a hunter was strong, surprising her now with how intense his gaze was, affirming his resolve. Maybe it was because his birth parents died, he felt something new towards Lizzie. She decided not to think about it.

Jimmy placed a hand on her shoulder, “You need time to calm down, Liz. However long it takes, we’ll be there.” Jimmy was always the butt of the joke, always made dumb little quips, but he was an amazing friend. She was glad she met all of them. They were her best friends. She couldn’t imagine facing life without them. All of them.

Lizzie smiled, looking at all three as tears formed in her eyes, not of sadness, but relief, “...Thank you.”

—————

She never did find out what beasts took her parents that day, but she would learn it eventually. Lizzie breathed the fresh salty air, it was just as she remembered. The waves rippled past the ship, birds called in the open air. All she needed now was time. Time to recover, time to heal. Time to figure out the rest of her life. She held the steering wheel firmly as she exhaled, closing her eyes. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and opened her eyes to see Joel with his hand on her shoulder, their engagement ring glistening in the sunlight.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, “Any attacks before we charter home?” She could see a glint in Joel’s eyes as he smirked.

Joel took his hand off of Lizzie’s shoulder and shoved it into his pocket, “Maybe. Let’s have one last hurrah before we head home, sounds good?” The mischievousness in his eyes faded as he tilted his head. Lizzie adored how much he cared about her. She’d be fine. She felt reassured with everyone on board supporting her recovery. She gave Joel a small kiss on the lips.

“Aye, captain. Love you.”

But maybe, maybe it was better to leave some mysteries unsolved.

#the sea prince au #sea prince chapters #limited life #limited life smp #life series #life smp #trafficblr #scott smajor #smajor1995 #dangthatsalongname #pearlescentmoon #lizzie ldshadowlady #ldshadowlady

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mmkin · 5 months

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Shark Bait - Arlong x Reader

Arlong x Fish/Human Hybrid AFAB Reader

Content Warning – This is a darker story than my other Arlong Pirates related work (and has no connection to said works, consider this my dark Arlong AU) and was inspired from a prompt/headcanons from @sheisabitchbicth here on Tumblr and contains elements of yandere, dubcon, and noncon. (and yes, this work is 18+/NSFW!)

If no likey, there’s the Back button. I have other OP stories or other works that may be more your taste.

If you like this kind of thing though, then read on. I’ve been wanting to do something dark for a bit, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so, so have fun with this guilty pleasure project of mine :) All feedback is very much appreciated. (Update - the story is now available to read on my AO3. The story will be updated here and there, follow where you wish. Enjoy!)

Shark Bait - Part 1

You had never met another fishperson in your life until Arlong’s crew came across you. Your parents were slaves who had escaped together, using their combined skills to make their way out. From what your mother told you, they became friends while they were slaves, and after their escape they were lovers for a while. Eventually, they parted, though on amicable terms. Your mother never told your father that she was pregnant, though.

She did not want to return to her family or native land, though. So she found an island that seemed out of the way, and settled there. People felt bad for her for being a former slave, so when you were born, they looked in the other direction, so you for the most part led a quiet life. Your father’s heritage gave you the ability to breathe underwater, so you would go fishing, or search for various items that would augment your mother’s meager income. Sometimes you might help out neighbors in a similar manner, so even though you were half fishwoman, you found some acceptance in your community.

By the time you were in your late teens, you were used to most people not noticing your gills, or the color of your skin. You stayed out of trouble and often out of sight. If you dressed appropriately and wore a large hat or hood, you could escape the notice of Marines who touched upon your island during their trips. It was a quiet life. Were you happy? Sometimes you were not sure. As you’d gotten older, you wanted to know more about your father’s people, and there was only so much your mother could tell you.

So one day, you’re out swimming, and looking for treasures that you can bring home. Since you’ve pretty much picked clean the areas closest to the island, you’ve had to venture out further, which hey, it’s great swimming practice. You feel at peace in the sea, feeling it move through your lungs as you move through the water. You know there are fish- and merfolk and Sea Kings and beasts out there, but at the moment it’s easy to imagine that you are alone in this world. You drift past the coral, admiring it.

Suddenly, you see movement out of the corner of your eye and turn around to see what you are almost certain is another person darting off in the murky distance, if it’s not a large fish. A few of the people on the island dive, but you know that none can dive this far or deep. So maybe it’s a big fish that would probably be a welcome meal for your mother. You’re debating whether you should go after it before a shadow passes overhead, and you look up, wondering if it’s another fish, when in shock you realize it’s a ship. You were so absorbed in your work that you’d failed to notice the coming of a ship, nor did you expect one as the Marines did not come by often. You drift towards the hulking dark shape before something much, much closer swoops down in front of you, close enough that you feel the water displacement against your body as he fills the space.

You see clear blue eyes and the longest nose you’ve ever seen, and there is a grin full of the sharpest teeth you’ve ever seen or even imagined. A short shriek bursts from your throat before a wave of lightheadedness overcomes you.

The next moments are a haze as you try to fight passing out. You are pulled to a strong chest before you are dragged to the surface, a red sun filling much of your vision as you stare dumbly at the chest of the person who’s taken you. You gasp softly as the two of you break the surface of the water, and your limbs hang limp as you’re hauled onto a ship that is most decidedly not a Marine ship. Or even a merchant ship, from the looks of it.

As your head lolls back, you get another look at the face of your captor. No, you didn’t imagine that serrated nose, or the mouth full of sharp teeth, and you start to panic, finding your strength and starting to push against him.

“Oh, we have a feisty one here,” Sawnose chortles, letting you go for but a moment before he grabs your wrists in his large hand, hoisting your hands above your head, leaving you helpless under his scrutiny, and he is not the only one staring.

“Let me go!” you cry, trying to kick him as other men surround you, with a variety of skin colors, some of them having fins, or other fishlike features, in a wide assortment. One thing they all have in common – and you do with them – are their gills. If you were not so frightened and anxious, you might be reveling in the fact that you’re finally meeting other fishmen for the first time in your life.

You are lifted off your feet, and can not help but feel like a hooked fish that is being held up by a fisherman for inspection or display. You try a few more kicks, but Sawnose is incredibly tall and his arm is long enough to keep you at just enough distance to keep you from any effective kick. He laughs as your feet graze his upper legs and stomach.

Your next instinct is to curl up as you see the hungry gazes that are fixed on your damp and near-nude form. You’ve found that diving is more comfortable the less clothes you wear, so you’re in a tank top and briefs, which both cling to you, your net bag hanging empty at your side. The way you’re being handled makes you wonder if these fishmen might try to sell you into slavery. You know your mother will worry about that if you do not come home.

“So, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?” Sawnose asks with an amused tone. You try to be silent, but he snarls at you, and it’s obvious he could cause serious injury, so you have no choice but to answer his question, and any other that he wants to ask you. You confirm that you are indeed the child of a fishperson. When asked what that parent’s name was, you utter it, and his eyes widen.

You are dropped to the deck, wincing as you land on the bare wood. It is then that you learn that your father was once a crewmate of the man who’d just kidnapped you. For a moment you feel your heart leap up in your throat. Will you have the chance to meet him? But your heart plummets to the pit of your stomach when you learn he’s been dead for years. You start crying, and surprisingly, Sawnose kneels next to you, stroking your hair.

“I want to go home,” you plead.

“Silly girl. You are home,” he asserts as you give him a confused stare. He informs you that since you are the offspring of someone from his crew, it means you belong to the crew, and to its captain above all else. So… this means you’re not going to be sold into slavery? You’re just going to be conscripted into a pirate crew?

Fuck. Your mind races as you wonder how you can find your way out of this predicament. Because this can not fucking happen to you. Just because your father was a pirate… a father you’ve never met, who’d never even held you in his arms after you were born. What cruel fate has wrought this?

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” you manage to inquire as you rise to your feet, crossing your arms to maintain as much modesty as you can. It’s one thing to dive near-naked, when there is no one else around to impede on your enjoyment of the sea, and another to be ogled at by so many eyes. When’s the last time these men saw a woman?

Sawnose laughs, and introduces himself and his crew. He is the mighty captain Arlong the Saw, leader of the Arlong Pirates, and Lord of the East Blue. Your island is his next target in the expansion of his territory, and his men have been scouting around it for a couple of days, staying out of sight. You are an unexpected – but not unwelcome, Arlong assures you – find. Since you’re now part of the crew, you will be spared the tribute that Arlong and his crew are going to extract from the island.

Your thoughts fly to your mother. As a single mother, your mother never had much money. Usually there was food in your belly, and always a roof over your head. Your mother occasionally managed to scrape together enough money for a treat, for what was life without small enjoyments, she would say. You knew she had a bit of money squirreled away for medicine or doctors, and to your dismay, you remember how she has needed more of these in the last couple of years. How will she be able to afford all that on top of Arlong’s tribute, especially if you’re not there to help her?

As Arlong’s words sink in, and the reality of what your mother and the rest of the village faces, you feel light-headed again. Since you were a child, you would get an attack like this rarely, usually after being dealt with an emotional blow.

And this isn’t just an emotional blow. It’s a fucking emotional sucker-punch, and you actually pass out.

Someone is stroking your forehead and hair, and for a moment, you think it’s your mother tending to you. But you’re not in a bed, you’re… on someone’s lap, and your head and neck is on top of what you’re pretty sure is an arm. You hear conversation going on around you, footsteps bustling about, commands being given as the island comes into sight. A quiet whine escapes your throat as you struggle to gain consciousness.

“Looks like the little clownfish is coming awake,” you hear someone chuckle. You would come to hate being called that, for your captor uses it when he thinks you are being silly or stupid.

Who is calling you that, you wonder, and it all comes crashing upon you. Arlong. Arlong the Saw. Who just claimed you for himself and his crew. Who just told you the ultimate fate of your father. And who will terrorize your island and collect tribute from villagers who only want to live a quiet life. You try to bat away the hand that’s touching you, and suddenly find your wrist ensconced in the iron grip of the hand you just tried to defend yourself from.

“Now, now, there will be none of that,” you hear him chide, and you open your eyes, seeing these bright blue eyes and that impressive nose hovering over your face. Your first instinct is to scoot back but the arm that had been supporting you now holds you in his lap in an iron grip. It’s hard to not feel vulnerable pressed up against this impressive specimen of a fishman. And as your gaze darts around, you realize that the other fishmen are pretty tall too. Taller than even the tallest man in your village.

Now you really do feel like a little clownfish, surrounded by all sorts of predatory sea creatures.

#yandere #arlong #arlong pirates #one piece #arlong x reader #opla #opla x reader #one piece x reader #writing #fanfiction #arlong/reader #sharks are sexy #arlong the saw

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suspicious-whumping-egg · 8 months

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Hey blue, could you tell me about whale sharks? :]

-LT

WHALE SHARKKSSSSSSS

Whale sharks (scientific name Rhincodon Typus) are the largest fish in the sea (specifically females)! The longest whale shark recorded is 61.5 feet long, and the heaviest about 47,000 pounds, or 23.5 tons! Their mouths can be around 4-5 feet wide. They also have the thickest skin of any animal, with various sources estimating it to be anywhere between 4-11 inches thick! Their spot patterns are unique like fingerprints and can be used for identification.

Whale sharks are gentle, slow swimming (up to 3 mph) filter feeders that swim around, open their mouth, suction in water like a vacuum, and eat the little organisms that end up inside! These include plankton, krill, and squid! They have tiny little teeth on the inside of their mouth so when the water floods in, the organisms are trapped in the mouth, and then the water goes back out their gills. They have very small throats so they can only eat small organisms, and as such, they pose no threat to humans.

Like many types of sharks, whale sharks are covered in teeth-like scales called dermal denticles that reduce drag while swimming. However, unlike most sharks, whale sharks have these denticles ON THEIR EYES! It is thought to be that this is a method of protecting the eye, and whale sharks can also retract their eyes between 1/2 inch and 1 inch into their skulls to protect them.

Another fun fact is that no one has ever seen a whale shark give birth!! However, it is known that whale sharks are ovivipariois, meaning the pups (baby whale sharks) hatch from eggs while still inside the mother and then the mother gives birth to live young. A pregnant whale shark was caught and the number of embryos inside her were counted at around 300, so it’s estimated they give birth to about 300 pups at a time. Unfortunately, whale shark pups do have predators including other shark species and orcas, even though adult whale sharks are mainly only threatened by humans, and the survival rate of a whale shark pup to adulthood about one in ten.

Human threat is of high concern to whale sharks, as they are an endangered species. Habitat loss due to overfishing and pollution, illegal poaching and selling of whale shark fins, oil, and meat, entanglement in nets and other debris, boat strikes, and unsustainable tourism all pose threats to these remarkable creatures. However, sustainable ecotourism provides a valuable incentive to keep these animals thriving and their environments intact.

Whale sharks are highly migratory animals that prefer deep trenches of water next to a shallower shelf, as nutrients rise into the shallow water and then they can dive to feed on plankton, krill, squid, etc before coming up to warm back up in the shallow area. Prime coastal feeding spots (at certain times in the season) include Ningaloo Reef in Australia, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, and Isla Holbox in Mexico, Mafia Island in Tanzania, Utila in Honduras, Donsol Bay in the Philippines, the Galápagos Islands, Tofo Beach in Mozambique, and the South Ari Atoll in the Maldives.

For many of these places, ecotourism involving whale shark snorkeling excursions has boosted the area’s economy while providing a powerful incentive for the natural environment to be preserved. However, overcrowding can prove a danger to these beautiful fish, so an ethical whale shark snorkeling trip must: forbid “chumming the waters” or feeding the whale sharks to attract them, limit the number of tourists and boats in the area at a time, only allow snorkeling so the whale shark can safely and quickly swim out of a tourists’ reach if frightened or distressed, and prohibit tourists from touching the whale sharks because touching a whale shark can disrupt the delicate mucous membranes over their skin that help protect them from parasites and bacteria.

I fell in love with whale sharks after seeing them at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, the only aquarium in the West to house whale sharks. These whale sharks came from Taiwan, in the mid/late 2000s, and were transported by a UPS plane in specially built tanks!

Links for if you want to learn more, assist conservation, or just for fun!

World Wildlife Fund: Facts and Conservation (article)

WWF: Adopt a Whale Shark (and receive whale shark stuffie!)

Britannica: Whale Sharks

Georgia Aquarium: Whale Shark Facts (article)

How the Whale Sharks got from Taiwan to Atlanta (video)

One Minute Whale Shark Informational Video

Watch a livestream of the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium!!

One of my whale shark stuffies

Yellow lab kisses a whale shark (my favorite video on the Internet)

Whale Shark Octonauts (it’s literally so cute) and creature report song. (both videos)

#whale sharks #whale shark #whalesharkposting #whale shark posting #rhincodon #rhincodon typus

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tobiasdrake · 4 months

Text

Okay, time to check out The Messenger, which was released before Sea of Stars but takes place chronologically after it, I guess? Playing these out of order but here we go.

Exile from what? That's an ominous sentiment.

Minions of the Fleshmancer, then?

I wonder if this is what happened to Brugaves? We never did hear from him again after the deal with Aephorul was finalized. Fleshy promised to give him a new body, wipe his memory, and send him away to a world where he'd never have to face Solstice Warriors ever again

Then that was never followed up on, save for a brief glimpse of his shiny new monster body in some world somewhere during the closing credits. We know it was him because Erlina, who never died in the True Ending, was reunited with him.

Maybe this is that world.

Hey look, it's Resh'an. And I guess that's probably the hero riding his back, but I'm more focused on Resh'an.

UGGGGGGH I have been Ninja Gaidening for weeks and this guy is so late. Fucking Westerners have no sense of propriety. If I was riding a magic bird across the ocean, I'd get there on time, dammit.

There are so many fucking prophecies in this mythology. Too many prophecies. The ancient fables are just prophecy this and prophecy that. Legend has it that the moon goddess Luana once got so fed up with prophecies that she drowned a fish. To this day, no one's quite sure what the hell that means.

You know what, that's on me. I was the one that tempted fate. I do not apologize.

I should probably go take a look, though. You never know, this could be a wacky misunderstandi--

Not much room for ambiguity there.

Hey, I'm confused. The number of horns on each of your heads clearly implies levels of authority but then you also have a crown guy? Why does that guy get a crown if he's not the #1 Most Horniest?

You should go bicker about this. Somewhere else. Please. Thank you.

Buddy, you have no idea who you're messing with. Go ahead. Come at me, bruh. Hit me with your best--

OH THANK LUANA

I'm gonna be honest, I was talking straight out of my ass. I have no idea who I'm messing with but I'm pretty sure my basic-ass ninja skills were not going to cut it.

THERE HE IS! THAT'S THE GUY! That's the demon that Brugaves became. I would wave hihi but I am not the person that learned everything she knows from him. I am instead a very manly man, whoa ho ho look at my manly biceps.

You know what, his biceps are the size of my torso so this isn't a good time to boast.

Uh, okay. Guess Brugaves is a creepy voyeur now. You know what, that's fair; He did spend a lot of time with the Acolytes, some things might have rubbed off.

Have fun watching me poop, asshole.

Wait, the same Autumn Hills? Are we on Mesa Island right now? Is this Home World? I thought it was a third, unrelated world.

I'd like to take that as a compliment but your options are me, the old man, or a pile of corpses. Though I suppose winning by default is still winning. *chest puff* Yes, I AM the best candidate for the job and I appreciate you for recognizing my greatness! I will proudly be your--

Mail boy. I will proudly be your mail boy. ._. Okay.

We are. We are on Mesa Island.

Holy shit. What the hell happened to our world? Is this because Solstice Warriors became defunct as an organization after the last two trained warriors turned into gods and fucked off into space, leaving nobody to teach a new generation?

...

Oh. Wait. No. The multiverse is made up of different timelines, not holistically different realities altogether. So we might still be a third, unrelated world.

Looks like a full moon's risen. Before I venture forward into the Autumn Hills, I should take a moment to recite the lunar prayer of protection.

"Luana, may your beautiful and amazing radiance, way better than the sun, guide me in these dark times. May my blade drink deep in the blood of all fuckos and shitweasels, that I may carry out Mad Bitchin' Deeds in your glorious name. Also robots are valid people and your hair looks amazing like that. So let it be."

So our coins are Resh'an's Time Shards. Huh. That's. Odd.

Don't these only appear when he's recursing time loops?

That is definitely one of Resh'an's portals. Are we... Where are we going? Is this going to take me to the Archives?

That's. Not. Necessarily. A no.

What the fuck is this place? Are you Resh'an? I need you to tell me if you're Resh'an. Legally, you have to tell me if you are, because I might not be allowed to interact with you. I'm pretty sure I'm required to call you an 'assclown', whatever that is, and tell you "She hasn't forgotten" in a threatening voice.

I don't know why. My village is under siege by demons. I am not looking to make enemies. But that's what I've been told.

What does that fucking mean?

Ugh, the Scripture of Luana warned us that the keepers of lore are always full of cryptic bullshit but I thought she just meant that old history keepers have spotty memories.

Honestly, despite the demons all over the place, this place is kind of nice; Don't look at my health bar.

Sure, there's weird-ass turtle demons and stuff, but they're pretty slow and manageable. And the woods, lingering in a perpetual state of autumn as they always have, remain beautiful even at night. Mesa Island would be a pretty nice place to live if it weren't for, y'know, all that evil shit.

I mean, I could lived without that, honestly. Don't know why we installed so many deathtraps. I guess it was to keep the demons out but I'm the one having to bend over backwards to navigate while they're crawling all over the place, so who's this really fucking over?

The moral of the story is, always keep a killswitch for your defenses somewhere in your own camp.

#the messenger #drake plays the messenger #drake plays sea of stars

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thecreaturecodex · 1 year

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Furēta

“Fin Monster” © Jia Hao, accessed at his ArtStation here

[I just finished reading Folk Tales of the Maldives, which is a culture and mythology I knew nothing about before reading. Maldivian society puts a lot of stock in fishing, sailing and other seamanship, and like all seamen, they have a lot of sea monsters. The author of the book was less interested in monster stories than in collecting more “realistic” oral traditions (boo), so there’s a number of them that make cameo appearances that leave me wanting more. There are giant jellyfish that are so hard that boats (and even people) smash to bits when colliding with them. Pearlfish (which live inside the anuses of sea cucumbers) are the larvae of giant deep sea monsters. Most of the monster tales that get a full plot are about the furētas, which are shapeshifting reef monsters loosely equivalent to an ogre or troll. They eat people, are super strong, but dumb enough to be scared of people crunching on fried breadfruit. I slotted my version as a CR 8 to make it fit into adventures in the same place as D&D/PFRPG’s traditional “ogre-with-magic-powers-based-on-Asian-mythology”, the ogre mage/oni.]

Furēta CR 8 CE Monstrous Humanoid This giant is vaguely piscine, with spiny fins along its limbs, back and neck. It smells like a low tide and has enormous sharp teeth.

A furēta is an aquatic shapechanger that prey on people living on tropical islands. They typically live underwater, in caves and crevices on reefs or rocky shores, and move onto land to hunt. They can disguise themselves as humans, and may walk undetected into villages to scout for victims, whom they then ambush. Most furētas keep a handful of costumes, weapons and tools in a safe dry space, so they can more easily pass for humanoids. Furētas are somewhat foolish, and few of them know much about the humanoids they impersonate. Thus, they can sometimes be tricked into revealing their identities, or bluffed or intimidated by customs or technology they are unfamiliar with.

A furēta can stretch its body to supernatural lengths, letting it look above rooftops or claw at sailors on a boat from the water line. Their claws and spiny fins carry a vile rotting disease, which afflicts those who succumb to it with leprosy-like rotting sores. Most furētas hunt alone, but they do occasionally form gangs of friends and family. These associations are more competitive than cooperative during combat, with each furēta trying to prove themselves the strongest and the toughest.

In its natural form, a furēta is about ten feet tall, but they can stretch to at least twice that height for brief intervals.

Furēta CR 8 XP 4,800 CE Large monstrous humanoid (aquatic, shapechanger) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +16, scent Defense AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural) hp 105 (10d10+50) Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +6; +4 vs. disease, poison, sickness and nausea SR 19 Defensive Abilities innate foulness, spiny Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft. Melee bite +15 (1d8+6 plus grab), 2 claws +15 (1d6+6 plus disease) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks elastic lunge Statistics Str 22, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 15 Base Atk +10; CMB +17 (+21 grapple); CMD 30 Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lunge (B), Power Attack, Skill Focus (Disguise) Skills Disguise +11, Perception +16, Stealth +7 (+11 underwater), Swim +23, Survival +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth when underwater, +4 Survival Languages Aquan, Common SQ amphibious, change shape (humanoid, alter self) Ecology Environment warm aquatic and coastal Organization solitary, pair or gang (3-6) Treasure standard Special Abilities Disease (Su) Reef rot; claw or spine—injury; save Fort DC 20; onset 1 hour; frequency 1/day; effect 2d4 Con damage, affected character must make a second save or 2 points of Con damage are drain instead; cure 3 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based. Elastic Lunge (Ex/Su) A furēta gains Lunge as a bonus feat. It may choose to gain an additional 5 feet of reach in exchange for an additional -2 penalty on attack rolls, to a maximum of 15 feet of reach and a -6 to attack rolls. A furēta may use this ability in conjunction with change shape. Innate Foulness (Ex) A furēta gains a +4 racial bonus on all saves against diseases, poisons and spells and effects that cause the sickened or nauseated conditions. Spiny (Ex) Any creature that strikes a furēta with a touch attack, melee attack or unarmed strike must succeed a DC 17 Reflex save or be scratched by one of its spines, taking 1d6+3 points of piercing damage and being exposed to the creature’s disease. Manufactured weapons with the reach property do not endanger their wielders in this way.

#fureta #ogre #shapeshifter #maldivian folklore #the maldives #sea monster #pathfinder 1e #world tour

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garuda4321 · 17 days

Text

Alright. So Endless Ocean Luminous has been out for… a day. Or so. Location dependent (midnight releases). Now, I’ve played some of it and I have some thoughts I’ll share here. And I’ll also include some other opinions the Endless Ocean fan base has as they are worth considering.

Yes this means spoilers ahead. And no spoiling for me as I haven’t gotten too too far in the story

So. First and foremost, the game does have a menu! However upon the first opening that is not what happens. It just dumps you into the story mission 1-1 to acquaint you with swimming (left joystick), camera movement (right joystick), and scanning (left bumper). Now, previous installments (EO1/2) we had someone guiding us. Those people being Katherine Sunday (1) and Oceanne Louvier (2, Rouvier if you weren’t NA). In Luminous we have Sera. Sera is an AI and the name is an acronym (off the top of my head I think it’s “Sea Exploration Research Assistant”). Not as witty, not as much personality. We scan a humphead wrasse and “light” jumps off it. We’ll get back to that later (4 missions later).

Before I forget, we are a new and very prospective member of the Aegis Research Team/Group/whatever they are.

1-2 is where we meet Yggdrasil- I mean the World Coral. Vibrant ecosystem of coral and fish in a small canyon cave. Looks like a tree. Apparently it’s dying from necrosis and your organization is trying to help Ygdr- the World Coral not die. We’re asked if we’re ready to help (our choices are “Yeah!” and “Uh… Sure”). We leave the cave and the screen shakes. A lot. This massive (golden) blue coelacanth passes by and we are told to leave because it’s mad for some reason which means it’s too dangerous.

1-3 a quick side note, brief Blue World notice. There was a character named GG (Gaston Grey). GG was a treasure hunter, only in it for the treasure that the Okeanides (mysterious people that were really connected to the sea) left behind. Bit of a scaredy cat (see Cortica River segment). What does this have to do with Luminous though? A lot actually. We meet Daniel, a senior diver with the foundation. He’s a treasure hunter and only in it for the treasure the Oannes (mysterious people that were really connected to the sea) left behind. He challenges you to salvage more/better stuff than him. You smoke him and then you find a “cutting board”. Sorry, a “chess board”. That has squares 11 across 9 deep. Sorry, it’s a “Mystery Board”. Each square represents one mystery of the sea we operate in. Sera says this is preposterous and unlikely. Aegis decides to investigate it more.

1-4 We’re back with Daniel! He’s still a little hurt at our success considering what we found. An actual Oannes artifact (mystery board). Apparently the squares glow when we solve a mystery! Sera says this is preposterous (note that the mystery tablet is glowing as she says this). Nothing else memorable happens.

1-5 We’re back! And someone is joining us! Oh, just Daniel (he swears he was just nearby and passing through the area). We do a bit of swimming and scan a giant sunfish. Gold Blue coelacanth shows up again and things start shaking. Daniel runs swims away like a chicken (yes he admits it himself!) and we decide to scan this gold blue coelacanth. Soon as we scan it all the “light” jumps off of it and it’s revealed to be a golden coelacanth. Apparently it’s a UML (Unidentified Marine Life) that is quickly dubbed something (Raja something…). HQ is on top of naming things at least! That light though. It’s not light per se. It’s a bacteria specific to the sea we work in that covers essentially everything and pacifies them. When we scan them with our scanner, we scare them off and they jump into our pockets. (I’m not kidding…). Also according to HQ this is helping the Ygdr- sorry, World Coral heal so we just need more light! Yay! Easy solution!

Gonna break from story for a bit to mention something. That’s the ENTIRETY of Chapter 1. Now it wasn’t “do chapter 1 now do chapter 2”. It was “do chapter 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, do a solo dive, do 1-4, solo dive, 1-5, dive, 2-1 repeat”. So now I’ll talk about solo dives. (Yes shared dives are a thing but I didn’t activate my free week yet, that’s happening later).

Solo doves. This is essentially the core of Endless Ocean. Diving, discovering locations and creatures and learning about them. Now, Luminous has an interesting way of doing this. In Endless Ocean the map was A-M, 1-8 (really C8-M1) with some sub areas (Ship’s Rest, Moia Atoll, Abyss). Endless Ocean Blue World had zones, some large, some small, some had small sub zones (Gamma Atoll had Deep Hole and the Private Reef, Cicero’s Strait had Valka Castle, Zahhab Region had Abyss and Cavern of the Gods, and such). Luminous now, will randomly generate a 16 digit Dive Site ID that is a 10x10. (0-9, A-J). You can continue diving in the same site until you choose to get a new one. Let’s say this now. 10x10 is huge. 2 hours of swimming (admittedly in circles a bit) and I discovered half a map and half the creatures on the map. So the maps are MASSIVE. And you get a lot of light from scanning everything (every single school gives light PER creature in the school, not just one, and some larger creatures give multiple light).

Next thing, zoom spots. Endless Ocean did this well. Your diving zone of choice had certain fish that lived there (fish that lived in Rock Bluff weren’t necessarily near Coral Forest). And there were tiny fish that lived in zoom spots (not static, they always moved and you had to find them). Some zooms would have one critter (looking at you Moorish Idol), others would have several (slugs, Moorish Idol, Stark’s Demoiselle and other combinations). Endless Ocean 2 had static zooms and they weren’t as hard to find if you dove with Oceanne, but again you’d find the smaller fish (slugs, moorish idol, Stark’s demoiselle, and other combinations). Luminous doesn’t HAVE zoom spots. These tiny creatures are just out there with the large creatures (example being the Whale Shark I saw swimming over the Red Spotted Blenny).

Onto Legendaries. Endless Ocean only had two that were named. Those two being Maga Tapa, a ferocious looking Great White with a ton of scars, and the Ancient Mother (a type of Albino Blue Whale with slightly different DNA meaning it’s a different species). The Ancient Mother was unlocked by finishing the story. Maga Tapa though, was more difficult. You had to find a shark tooth necklace through the salvage system (I’ll get into it more in the next section), unlock 80% of the map (or however much was required to get an email about a ghost ship), find the ghost ship to enter Ship’s Rest at NIGHT to unlock him. Now, you notice I said two that were named. The Beluga Whale and Orca also were difficult to unlock but weren’t named. Beluga required finding another salvage item and going to Moia Atoll and finding it in a room. The Orca required finding 100% of the map (or however much it took to get an email about the Jewels of Life), finding them in Moia Atoll through the salvage system, and then entire ring Ship’s Rest during the DAY.

Legendaries for Blue Workd worked differently. They were quest related usually. (The dog found a small island turns out to be a turtle, large shadow in Cicero’s Strait is a plesiosaur, healing a large penguin, finding a log is actually a formerly extinct crocodile, etc.) but some are just there (black humpback whale is a moon cycle thing, large sperm whale is in Zahhab, off the cliff side). There’s a LOT here, but one main one is Thanatos, a large ferocious Great White with scars and an attitude problem and is the embodiment of evil basically. (Yes he’s Maga Tapa but actually capable of harming the player because BW had an aggression system).

Luminous Legendaries. A lot of these legendaries from Blue World (which does include the Orca and most likely the Ancient Mother) appear to have made it into Luminous! This is fabulous if you never met them originally. I’ve met Apollo (sunfish), Phantom (Ray), and Emperor (coelacanth). You might be wondering about that UML, I’ll get there don’t worry. However, I’ve also found Thanatos. There’s no aggression system so he’s just chilling. They’re rather easy to find this time. They have “yellow light” which is used to indicate a rare/large/small/legendary creature. There’s a lot of rare creatures (example, red bicolor parrotfish). Now, this is nice though I do find it a little concerning that every square seems to have a rare creature. A minor complaint in the grand scheme really.

You’ve seen me talk salvage, so how’s the time to do that. EO’s salvage system was abysmal. You had to either search specific quadrants/squares to find the piece you were looking for (fixed salvage), or open every zoom spot on every surface (walls, floor, ceiling, etc.) for a CHANCE of finding salvage (rotating) and hope it’s not a duplicate. Blue World improved this a bit. Some salvage (coins… just a hundred coins) we’re in zoom spots and they were all fixed. Now, other salvage, had to be found with a tool (sensor) and then appraised so you knew what you had found. Tedious but better as you could guess what you had grabbed (wood, metal, stone, dense, none/all/some of those). Luminous… doesn’t have zoom spots or a sensor. So how does it work? There’s a dot in the top left that might flash yellow. If it’s yellow, treasure is near. Pick it up and it’s added to collections. Nice but duplicates do happen. Now, there are also treasure chests (that contain a variety of things) and tablets. Both contribute to the mystery board. There’s also some large stone circles on the ground that require a creature companion to do a thing but I haven’t figured them out/had the capacity to do it (Apollo requires 150 capacity but I have 70 capacity now at rank 26).

UMLS, our Unidentified Marine Lifeforms! They don’t just appear. You need to find anomalous fish/creatures to lure it out. (Seems to be 7). Your cursor (middle of the screen will pulse red if it’s near and pulse rapidly if you’re on the creature in question). Then the UML is lured out. These UMLS are quite something. They’re like a new legendary with an annoying salvage system (finding the last one can be a pain as the area gets smaller every time)

Personal opinion from my experience so far then? I’m loving it. I think it’s great and while it could do with a LITTLE polishing, it’s still great and what I was expecting from trailers and such.

The community is not all as thrilled as I am. Some say that it’s too fast with discovering creatures (half the encyclopedia in 2ish hours). That we should have a “home base”. That the Aquarium should exist. That Daniel is just discount GG and that Sera is too bland. Others see this as more of a test run to see if people will play a franchise that’s 15 years old and that if another one releases it will be considerably more polished and have more features.

Lengthy post. I am well aware of it but if you’re here, you reached the end! I still think it’s a fabulous game and am going to play it a LOT.

#endless ocean luminous #my thoughts on it #endless ocean luminous spoilers #long post

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drinkinggblood · 2 years

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why i hate seawings design

i hate this thing so much heres my rant lol

why does it have bio scales? "for communication via language" creatures dont evolve specific parts FOR languages, bio parts are not evolved in open waters for the point of communication; that is usually limited to DEEP-SEA CREATURES due to the lack of light making visual communication difficult. it would make more sense for seawings to communicate via NOISE rather than BIO SCALES. why do they have barbels? barbells are essentially fish whiskers; they work as sensory organs to allow fish to see in murky/dark conditions (hence why you see them on many species of river/swamp fish that reside in water that is often murky/cloudy/dirty, or on hagfish, which live in deep depths of the ocean); seawings do not need barbels as they are OPEN-SEA DWELLING ANIMALS. they (seem too) reside in only the most upper levels of the ocean, not near the depths or within rivers/murky water. they have no reason for barbells. their fins are useless too; they don't need back fins or tail fins really, fins are for steering, balance and stability; seawings do not have the proper fin anatomy to do any of those things, even if they DID, they wouldn't need it seeing as they have a tail with similar purpose to a crocodile's (thrust in water via tail)

the entire design makes no sense from a biological standpoint, let alone a fantastical one either. It is poorly made. heres some examples with (my opinion) reasons why THEY work and seawings don't.

example 1:

Namielle.

namielle's design is HEAVILY fiction and would not work in OUR WORLD (she has biology in the monster hunter world that explains a lot of her features but ehhh whatever) but do you know why it works? because it is unique and has features that make sense for her and her enviroment; her design is good because it's UNIQUE and it looks otherworldly, which is the purpose of her design

namielle is like that in how a lot of it's features are mashed together from animal parts, but that IS the point of it's design and it executes it well; it's meant to look otherwordly and unsettling, alien yet beautiful. it was put together with design elements that are meant to build on it's concept of an creepy, otherworldly sea dragon who lives in an alien environment; that IS the point of it's design. it is meant to look familiar yet off. seawings had not been made with the idea of making them look alien/otherworldly, it was made with the idea in mind of "sea creature" and that is it

seawings don't work in this regard because it's just "mash all the sea things to together, hope it sticks" so it feels unbalanced and a giant mess because none of it's features are set in stone or make sense for it to have. It's features are not placed mashed on PURPOSE to create a fluent design with a message to tell. Namielle's design IS a mash of many sea creatures, but she has fantastical biology to explain why as well as get the message of: Unsettling, Eerie, familiar yet beautiful.

example 2:

Shadowmane.

Why do Shadowmanes work?

Simple: It's a design with a clear point. It's a VERY basic concept with a in my opinion, GREAT execution. "Lionfish but a Lion" is the basic concept for the design. And That's It. It's simplicity yet complex design is why I think it works over the Seawing's because it's design has a clear concept, while Seawings have a mess of marine-life stuck together to make a generic 'sea-dragon' design.

"But Seawings are based on traditional sea dragons"

No. They really aren't. If it was, it's design would reflect that and be a lot more visually interesting. /hj

"Seawings are based on Leviathan"

No They clearly are not. I WISH THEY HAD BEEN, it would make for a far more interesting fantasy sea-dragon design, but they aren't. The features are inspired by real-world animals.

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scumtrout · 8 months

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What's rustling my jimmies lately:

While I love my parents and there are advantages to living with them, I still want to buy property because my current living arrangement is rather Damn Bitch, You Live Like This? Now is technically as good a time as any to buy property, but I need to pick an area that isn't a complete shithole yet still provides access to jobs. The things that currently make me stare into the abyss at 1 AM are: 1) My current workplace seems toxic AF and the only apparent rememedies for this are either staying at a certain paygrade instead of being promoted AND/OR not really giving a fuck. Your ability to not give a fuck changes somewhat when you have a mortgage to pay, although my [employment entity] is an elderly lumbering beast and it's hard for them to really get rid of people. The worst your coworkers can do is bully you, so a lot rests on how you internally respond to that. (How you respond externally is a different kettle of fish, but I know from personal experience that things like the Grey Rock Method don't count for much if you still find yourself thinking, 'I want to beat [coworker] to death with a phone handset,' at the end of the day.) 2) I do wonder, 'Do I really want to live in this country?' but there are multiple things keeping me here so the question seems redundant when my odds of leaving are slim.

I am. So angry. A lot of the time. This feels a lot like some sort of generational curse. I sort of... arrange my life around it by avoiding people. (In many ways it's like having a large aggressive dog. The dog is trying to protect me, and I'm also trying to protect people from the dog, and CHRIST this involves work.) I should have health insurance by the end of the year so I'm running out of reasons to get therapy again, but it's awkward that instead of having One Big Traumatic Event I have multiple smaller events that have twisted me up over the years and now I'm like a fucked up bonsai tree of a human being. Or one of those deep sea fish that have evolved to look gnarly. All I'm really doing is surviving within my environment (which is all you can ask for from an organism) but if you dredged me up into daylight, I'd end up in a buzzfeed article titled 'Top Ten Fucked Up Fish'.

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venusdevotea · 2 months

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Tav Posting Part 2!

So, for my next campaign I decided to play my irl dnd character Nami Peros! Unfortunately a lot of important details about her, such as her race, goddess and subclass aren't available in the game organically so I had to download a couple more mods to truly make an authentic 1:1 adaptation to BG3.

Introducing Nami Peros!

Water Genasi Grave Cleric Goddess: Eldath in campaign Selune

AKA: Best fish gal around!! I actually LOVE how her design turned out in game, and to see her fully realized like this and being able to PLAY AS HER in game has been such an awesome experience. Shout out to the developers on Nexus Mods for the Elemental Power Genasi Mod and the Cleric Subclasses Release mod that made her run possible!

A little bit about her lore, my friends and I are still pretty early in our campaign but her basic backstory is that she is a half genasi/half elf; her marid mother is far, far, in the elemental plane and her father a humble elven seafarer. She grew up lonely, longing for a maternal presence in her life when she came upon the Goddess Eldath, Mother of the Waters, and began her worship as a way to fill the void her mother left. She often accompanied her father on his voyages, a healer is always needed on board, lest there be sickness, monsters, or pirates that lurk deep in the waters.

She always felt more comfortable when surrounded by sea anyway, closest to her element, her mother's love, and Eldath. After witnessing many losses and deaths in her childhood, witnessing many crew members lost due to illness or the perils that lie at sea, she turned to her worship and solidified her role as a grave cleric to at least keep the tempest of death at bay until they could dock at the nearest port to the closest temples. Professional big sister, aspiring pacifist, while in town Nami enjoys meeting the local townspeople and often stays at the local temple to lend a helping hand. She loves her nomadic lifestyle, comforted by the stability of her father's presence in her life, the unshaken solidity of her faith, and excited by the thrill of adventure and discovery, journeying through all that the material plane has to offer. She wants to venture to the Elemental Plane one day to find her mother, see if she lives or dies, and explore her marid heritage.

For the rest of our party, I was more than happy to adapt their characters into the BG3 character maker and will introduce them here:

Resident Hot Guy Cinder Fire Genasi Barbarian Party Guide (played by DM) Nami's crush?

Our DM is extremely proficient in creating drop dead gorgeous himbos and twunks, and our boy Cinder here does NOT disappoint. Poor boy can't lie to save his life, nor let those around him needlessly suffer. Selfless to the point of being a little aloof, has no real need for money or possessions as he too wanders around town to town responding to local bounty postings and working to protect those around around him as a shining beacon of earnesty than leaving behind a wildfire of destruction. Has a connection to the local thieves guild? Folk Hero In Over His Head™️

Chaos Gremlin Inkling Tiefling Rogue lives to be Nami's mortal enemy

"Inkling is a rogue thiefling. She has made a name for herself at acquiring the seemingly impossible. Gold, treasure, art she can find anything for a price. The scars she carries are covered with intricate markings. Their significance know only to her; everyone else has perished long before she reached adulthood. Delicate and bold lines trace across her skin in stark contrast to her lilac skin. Inkling has known only fear and prejudice, as a half demon most people cower under her gaze or sidestep her presence entirely. If everyone views you as a monster might as well embrace the flames and make money while you are at it 😈😈." -- PC for Inkling's description of her

Yes she and Nami butt heads ALL. THE. TIME.

Cool guy Druid (don't look at explosions) Dretchroyaster AKA Dretch

"Dretch is to never return to his village, lest he has a death wish. A former sentinel of his clan the Royasters, Dretch was always seen as someone of an outcast. His green scales marked him as part of the Ashwen lineage, a clan that was born from the blood of one of the most malicious dragons, Ashwenezl. Ashwenezl had killed many, using his poisonous saliva to poison the wells and water supply of any village that dared to setup near his forest.

Thousands of years have passed since Ashwenzl lived, but the human descendants of those who were terrorized by the dragon do not forget. Three villages conspired to get revenge among the Dragonborns that lived in the forest. Three villages went into the woods, waiting for the darkness of night to strike. As they approached the campsite of where these Dragonborns lived, one villager set the forest ablaze.

Dretch was on duty that night, and was among the first to see the sparks of flames that soon engulfed their homes. In a moment of haste, Dretch made a decision that would forever alter his life and mark him as an outcast among his clan; he warned the neighboring druids first. Dretch did not think, he knew that a majority of the Dragonborns in his clan were fire resistant, that their sturdy scales would protect them from any burns. But the creatures that lived nearby, the ones who cared for and neutered the trees, did not. He went as fast as he could, but made the error of not sounding the alarm. He was able to warn the Druids in time for enough to escape, but the lack of the warning bell left his fellow clanmates in the dark. They did not realize they were among an ambush until it was too late.

The Dragonborns were eventually able to fend off the villagers, and many died in this attack. Many were from the three villages. But five Dragonborns died that night, among them the daughter of the Clan Leader, Tzark. Dretch had dishonored his clan, an unforgivable sin among the Dragonborn" -- as written by PC for Dretch

Soft Boy Gonk Gluronk! Half-Orc Rogue/Painter Extraordinaire

"Gonk Gluronk is a half-orc rogue who, while seeming big and tough on the outside, is kind and gentle on the inside. Throughout his youth, pure necessity facilitated his rogue capabilities. As a small boy, his village was taken siege by a raging tyrant, whose friends in high places turned a blind eye to the violence and inequality. Gonk did not appreciate seeing the people he loved be taken advantage of, so he decided to do something about it. He became somewhat of a village myth, as rumors of his good deeds done by not so good means began to make their way around the locals. Defying the tyrant, Gonk has had a target on his back since he was a teenager, but with the village behind him, the tyrant has never been able to prove Gonk guilty. Now, as the tyrant grows older and weaker, he fears retribution from the very villagers he has oppressed." -- as written by PC for Gonk

One of the only characters who the BG3 character creator did sooo dirty!!! Our half orc here is actually a handsome handsome boy, and I wish (I should go digging through nexus) there were more facial options for half-orcs :( Here is another render of Gonk through Heroforge!

I tried to be as faithful as I could to his counterpart here and worked with what I had!! 😭😭

Last but not least, our mysterious Mikhail Elf Druid/Shapeshifter

Mikhail's PC hasn't provided a backstory just yet, as he's the newest addition to our party but trust me he is a very grumpy and mysterious emo boy.

During our first encounter with him, we found him trapped in a cage surrounded by goblins in an underground cave. He was cloaked, his hood hiding his face before we had taken care of the goblins and freed him. When he rose and pulled back his hood, Nami was taken aback to find that the stranger wore her face exactly. A perfect match, a one to one copy, and the shock of it all hung in the air for a few beats until Nami gently placed her hand in camaraderie to the figure who wore her face. "You are just like me," she remarked softly, smiling sweetly even, ....... and cast Inflict Wounds. 9HP Nami had chunked half his HP in one go, and he quickly backtracked to reveal his true self as Mikhail, one of the 3 leaders of the Thieves Guild, on a mission to solve a mystery. He's hot.

and that wraps up Nami Peros and her party as seen in our irl campaign at home! Thanks for reading this long post and hope you enjoyed!

Here's the link to part 1 if you'd like to see my first set of Tavs plus my current Durge run!

#bg3 #bg3 posting #bg3 tav #baldurs gate 3 #my tavs #baldur's gate iii #baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 ocs #bg3 oc #tav posting #tav nami peros #nami peros #dungeons and dragons #dnd #dnd character #dnd ocs

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jyngerpeach · 2 years

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Midnight Snack (ch. 1/2)

I'm back for a second swing at some smut and I'm only kinda sorry. In which Father Paul is feral.

Father Paul x Reader

Explicit (nsfw! 18+)

words: 2412

He may have devoted his life to God, but you know you recognize the need written so plainly across his face.

Chapter 1

"You're right, you know," Erin says with a toothy grin. "It is great to have you here."

She hands you a cup of tea and joins you in admiring the clear April day.

It felt good to hear her say that. You had made weekend trips from the mainland when you could, helping here and there when she was saddled with the painful burden of sorting through Peggy's house, which Erin had finally reclaimed enough to call her own. But now your job enabled you to work remotely, so despite her objections that she could manage on her own, she caved to your insistence that you stay to support her through her pregnancy.

With much of the emotional labor behind you, you were free to fall into the easy rhythms of life on the island. You woke with the sun to see the fishing families off to the docks, raised a friendly hand to the hunky sheriff sipping his coffee as you biked past the general store. You even helped organize a used book sale at the school.

Everything felt like a natural fit. Everything except church.

Like Erin and the other residents of Crockett Island, you were raised Catholic, but you had long since given up religion in adulthood. The few times you had visited Erin since her return home, you had always been content to let her go to Sunday mass while you stayed behind to enjoy the mornings. For you, church was the sanctity of listening to the crashing sea waves from the solitude of her front porch.

But Crockett was a different place since the last time you were here. There was a new, young priest; one who had supposedly brought with him promises of revival to this fledgling community. He was working miracles, Erin said, recounting the spectacle of Leeza Scarborough rising to her feet, and you were curious enough to let her convince you to tag along. What was the harm, really?

What Erin somehow neglected to mention was that the priest was a goddamn smokeshow. He introduced himself after mass and the moment you were on the receiving end of his spirited gaze, those twinkling brown eyes framed by deep smile lines, you were bewitched.

Before you knew it, you had shown up for several Sunday evenings. Services were at night now--something about accommodating Father Paul's health. Strange, because to you he seemed the picture of vitality up on that altar, the lilt of his voice dipping and swelling with passion to deliver the homily. You had even started taking Communion again, so swayed were you by the stirring way in which he described the virtues of the flesh and the body.

Of Christ, you scold yourself.

But whatever holy absolution you were meant to receive clearly wasn't working. Because when you nestle into bed one night after mass, the impure thoughts that had begun leeching into the corners of your brain many weeks ago were no longer something you could ignore.

As your eyelids flutter shut, you picture in your mind how his frame towered over you at the altar for Communion, recalling the challenge you felt in holding his stare. A stare full of security and affection, but shaded by an intensity you didn't think wasn't imagined.

The hands that presented you with the wafer, their long, supple fingers working miracles of their own.

The depth of the voice that murmured "Body of Christ" giving you other commands to fulfill.

It had been a while--rather a long time--since anyone stirred this kind of desire within you, but soon you were panting like you had just run a mile, thoroughly spent atop a tangle of dampened bedsheets.

------

Damn.

When you awaken the next morning, you know immediately that you're in trouble. Now that you had allowed your mind to go there, you'd never have another innocuous thought about the man. A man whose beauty was positively wasted on God.

Still, you make a noble effort. You sit at your makeshift workspace at Erin's kitchen table, mindlessly opening and closing documents, refreshing your inbox, getting up to make cup after cup of tea until you're shivering from the overdose of caffeine. Suddenly the entire afternoon had passed and you hadn't done a lick of anything resembling work.

So you welcome the distraction when Erin comes home from school and you stand around her kitchen counter, snacking on a makeshift dinner of grapes and crackers as she tells you about the outrageous lesson plan Bev Keane has been trying to get away with.

But at dusk she leaves to take a walk with Riley, and as soon as you're alone again, the familiar itch of guilt and shame returns to threaten you with another sleepless night.

You daftly wonder if confession can, ah, relieve you of your sins. You can be obtuse. Vague. It'll be fine. Before you can overthink it, you hop on your borrowed bicycle and ride to St. Patrick's, pushing away the doubt that sinks in with every pedal.

------

When you arrive, night has fallen and the church is illuminated by the gleam of candles lining the windows. A few tentative steps into the nave and you spot him, doubled over a pew in the middle of the church, head bent in prayer. He's wearing his full vestments--the violet robe catching your eye among the walls of browns and beige--and immediately you realize you had completely forgotten about daily mass.

You halt in your tracks, hoping you could reverse course and leave undetected. But as if sensing your presence, he turns and instantly rises from his knees to greet you in the aisle.

"Ah, Y/N." Father Paul smiled, but the warmth that was usually there doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Will you be joining us today? I'm flattered that my sermon would bring you back for more."

"Oh, not--not exactly, Father. I actually came to see if you were holding confession, but--" You glance at your watch: almost twenty to eight. "I--I forgot--I can come back--"

His brows knit together and his mouth forms a hard line. He seems tense, working his fingers along his thumb in agitation, as if rubbing some invisible coin. "No," his voice quavering slightly as he closes some distance between you. "I would love for you to stay."

You mean to protest, but the unformed words die on your lips when you notice his gaze slide first to your mouth, then to your throat. He may have devoted his life to God, but you know you recognize the need written so plainly across his face.

What you don't know is that moments before, Father Paul drank of the blood-laced wine in his flask. But he has had to ration; he needed to save enough for his flock today. And although the taste was invigorating, he is far from sated. Your smell hits his nostrils like a stimulant, your elevated heartbeat fills his ears and it is at once the most inviting and damning sound he's ever heard. Like a sailor seduced by a siren's song, he wants so badly to let himself be pulled under, into the deep. But he can't--not here. Not now.

Instead, he reaches his rosary-adorned hand toward your face, his breathing labored.

"Father Paul?" You squeeze the question out as a whisper as you look up into his face. His eyes are dark pools cast with a reflective glow, almost like a cat, from the dancing candlelight of the dim church. Under the potency of his gaze, a cold rush of adrenaline washes through your veins. But the memory of why you have come has turned your lower body to lead. You couldn't move even if you wanted to, his proximity reigniting your arousal and sending a searing flush creeping up your neck.

Paul's hand makes contact with your cheek and at the same moment he backs you into the nearest pew, leaning over you onto the bench.

He'll stop himself from feeding his hunger, but the strength that it requires is simply too much to keep the dam of control from breaking entirely. If he gives in to other bodily temptations, maybe it would curb this wicked state of agony into something bearable. Maybe if he succumbs to this carnal desire to fuck you, it would be enough to get him through until the Angel returns to him. Or at the very least through mass.

He crashes his lips into yours with a desperate fervor, and the momentary shock overwhelms your rational brain. Your fantasy had been immersive, but really, was this real? You register the smell of myrrh entwined with something sharp and metallic. The taste of wine lingers on his tongue.

Why was he drinking wine, you wonder, when mass hadn't happened yet?

You can't even chase the thought because he groans deeply against your mouth, sending lightning straight down your spine. One hand fists the brocade accents of his chasuble, while the other flails against the book rack next to you, searching for something to grasp. You drag your pinky along the edge of a Bible, lightly fingering the corner of the onionskin.

He drags hot, open-mouthed kisses down your jaw, dancing around the pulse point of your neck. Between breaths you whisper, "O God, it is You who knows my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You."

A verse pulled from somewhere in the recesses of your memory.

The words of the scripture yank him back to the moment, as he searches the fog of his hunger for a response.

“If we confess our sins--" he begins in a low monotone, "He is faithful and just to forgive us--"

You try to lift the cumbersome purple fabric draped over you, fruitlessly searching for the sins that were surely hidden underneath.

"--forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It's almost comical, the struggle. Like fighting a losing battle with a fitted bedsheet. Father Paul lifts his hips, one arm propping himself against the bench next to you to create space between your bodies. But the narrow seat was not made for these transgressions, and with his weight no longer pinning you down, you begin to tip sideways toward the floor.

Your fist tightens around his robes enough to slow your fall, and you pull him down with you. It's clumsy, and you want to laugh. But Paul seems to instantly recognize how it's made things easier; with a grunt, he rolls you onto your front and positions himself with his knees on either side, now in a much better position to find the belt buckle securing his black dress slacks.

It all happened so fast, your head is spinning from the sheer lunacy of your current position: Squeezed between the bench and the back of the seat, facedown among the dust and grit of sand that made its way here on the boots of pious fishermen. Flowy skirt bunched around your waist, underwear yanked down to your knees. Hand planted on the floor next to your prostrate body, hips tipped upward, skin sticking to the wood from the humid evening air.

"Good," he rasps, admiring his work. "Can you stay still? Be a good little lamb for me?"

You hear the zip of his pants and a shiver runs through you in anticipation. You can't see what's happening, so you jump when he bumps against your entrance. Taking himself firmly in hand, he glides his cock slowly forward along your slick folds, once, twice, eliciting a simultaneous groan from both of you.

It feels lewd how wet you are. You've never in your life wanted anything this bad. "God, please," you beg, desire strangling your voice.

You lean into the pressure as the head of his cock begins to part your lips, when suddenly there's a noise from the direction of the sacristy. The determined footsteps of Bev Keane, no doubt, puttering around to prepare for the service.

In a flash Father Paul ducks down, laying his body on top of you so he is no longer visible above the pews. You can't help the frustrated whine that escapes your throat, and he hushes you gently.

"Shh, shh shhh," he purrs, hand coming to rest over your own, rosary beads pressing uncomfortably into delicate bone.

Your pulse is thrumming a mile a minute--both in your chest and between your legs. He's panting against your neck, and the weight of him exhausts all the remaining air from your lungs. The ache of needing to be filled by him is nearly unbearable.

Seconds stretch by, and you feel the energy shift. Father Paul's breathing shallows until you hear it coming in small sniffs. He inhales deeply, grazing his nose along the sensitive area behind your ear, now clammy with sweat. There's that pitch of anxiety again, and you think it might be more than just the fear of getting caught.

But suddenly you're aware there's silence, and from his position the priest seems confident that Bev has left. Probably gone to look for him in the rectory. That should give you some time, but there's an unspoken understanding that if you resume, you must remain quiet.

He adjusts himself to start again from this new angle, his weight pushing you down into the floor and you're ready, so ready to take it, Father, but for--

Fuck.

Bev is back already, throwing open the doors of the church in anticipation of the small crowd that's expected--several more than just Annie and Leeza these days--for the daily evening service.

You drop your forehead to the floor in defeat and your body wilts with the knowledge that this definitely as far as you're going to get.

You wait until you're sure the coast is clear to sit up and begin the seemingly impossible task of making yourself decent without detection. You pull your twisted underwear shamefully back up your dripping thighs and adjust the waistband of your skirt as best you can. When you've straightened Paul's collar for him he stands up, raising a finger to his lips, and glances pointedly toward the vestibule, your best hope for leaving undetected.

As you slip out through the back, Bev's reedy voice carries through the sanctuary, "Oh, Father, there you are!"

You curse that hateful woman under your breath. You'll be seeing her in hell, that's for sure.

#i had no plans to write this it just sorta happened #help #fanfic #midnight mass #father paul hill #monsignor pruitt #father paul x reader #hamfam

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