Regular account: @idiot-annonymous. Picrew: https://picrew.me/image_maker/296093 Their Instagram: https://instagram.com/poi.ka Hi! I am Rain, and I write sometimes. I have a fairly odd writing style, so if it's not your cup of tea, feel free to leave. I have a bad habit of not writing, but I kind of want to start writing out my feelings instead of bottling them up. Because of this, a lot of my writing will probably be very personal and Not Relatable at all, so apologies. I do take feedback. Anyways, thank you for checking me out, even if it's not by very much!
Leopard shark :)) 4th friendliest shark in the world <33
Couldn't decide what clothes to give them so they're nakey </3 get this bitch a shirt ppllsss
Clue my beloved <333 Thank you for the inspiration to write lmao
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“The fuck is that?” Rain barely hears a biologist shout from behind faer. A few weeks ago, fae would have been asking the same thing; now, fae only blinks at the sight of a tail fused to a humanoid torso, faer surprise only coming from seeing a mer in the wild. These creatures of legends– something Rain had dreamed of as a kid– were now an everyday part of faer life. To think it all started from an irresponsible coworker sending faer into an off-limits exhibit.
The poor mermaid was struggling in the net they were caught in, their tail thrashing in the nets as they tried to untangle themself. A pang of regret and remorse hits Rain at their distress.
“We’re trying to help!” Rain exclaims, starting to approach the net holding the mer resembling a leopard shark. Their tail was beautiful, but also the reason for capturing the mer in the first place; someone must have mistaken the mer for an actual shark and fired the harpoon that was stuck in the creature’s tail. It was broken, making Rain wonder if they had done it intentionally.
As fae gets closer, the mer becomes more and more panicked before finally letting out a scream that pierces the air around the boat. The rest of the crew clutches their ears, some ducking, some falling to the ground in pain. Instinctively, Rain ducks faer head down and detaches faer cochlear implant, easing the high-pitched screech that was reverberating through faer head moments ago.
Rain shouts over the noise, desperation and guilt laced in faer voice.
“Please, we don’t want to hurt you, only help!” She watches as the mer’s mouth closes in confusion. “You’re wounded," fae says, "we know how to help you, if you’ll let us.”
The panicked, clouded eyes of the mer seem to lose their focus even more as they dart between the few crew members on the boat behind Rain. The mer says something Rain isn’t able to catch before the adrenaline wears off and the mer finally succumbs to exhaustion, their eyes closing and head falling onto the net.
When the mermaid finally wakes, they feel hands on their tail and odd, loose fabric clinging to their torso. They grab at it, trying to tug it off, before the hand moves from their tail to their arm.
“Don’t,” a voice says, gently pulling the mer’s hand off the fabric. “Keep the shirt on, please, until we can find you something else to wear.”
The tries to say something back, but their words come out tangled. The hand moves back to their tail, continuing to wrap around their wound with a slightly scratchier fabric than the "shirt" the voice was talking about.
“We removed the harpoon from your tail the best we could. I’m just here to rewrap your wounds. You’ll be able to meet the others shortly, but at the moment you’ll be lifted into the recovery pool to heal.”
The mer blinks, a look of confusion crossing their face.
Slowly, the mer begins to wake up more, pushing themself into a sitting position but keeping their tail still. A chill bleeds from the gray metal surface they are sitting on. They look around the room, confused; there was a circular tank filled with water in the center, desks, and strange devices. When they look at their tail, they see a human– the same one from the boat– wrapping a bandage around their tail to protect their wound. Vaguely, they get the sense they should be alarmed, but something about the human’s presence was comforting. Familiar, almost.
“There,” the human said suddenly, taking faer hands from the mer’s tail and pushing faerself away, seemingly cleaning up. “All done. I can move you to the tank, if you’ll let me?”
It takes a second before the mer processes what fae was saying.
“Where?” asks the mer, looking at their surroundings again, their spotted tail bending closer to themself. “And who?”
“You’re in an aquarium–” a look of alarm starts to spread across the mer’s face– “but it’s safe here! You won’t be put on display. As far as I know, they have no intention of showing you to the public.” The mer relaxes slightly, but their shoulders and tail stay tensed. “The recovery tank is just until you heal a little bit, and then we’re going to introduce you to the other mers, and if you get along, you’ll stay with them until you’re ready to leave.”
“...okay,” the mer says hesitantly.
“I’m Rain,” the human says, holding a hand out towards the mer. “I’m kind of… in charge of taking care of the mers here. It’s nice to meet you.” Fae smiles at the mer, waiting for a response.
“Clue,” the mer finally says in response, smiling kindly and showing their sharp teeth. “Thank you.”
---
I love the idea of Rain finding mer!Clue and going “nope. No shirt no medical attention. Put it on.” And I can definitely imagine them ruining shirts on purpose to spite Rain lmao
Also I think it’d be interesting if Rain is giving the aquarium a lot more credit than it deserves– as in fae thinks that the aquarium won’t put the mers on display and let them go after recovery, but they won’t
Once, a very long time ago, when the house was still old but the town was young, a caretaker wandered the woods.
For once, she had no goal in mind. No one to catch, no one to kill. Her axe remained hanging on the wall at home, clean of the blood that had stained the metal the previous night.
No; tonight, she would wander, ducking under branches and breathing the misty air. The edges of her skirt scraped against the moss as she walked.
She passes a trail of slime, smiling softly as she continues on.
Soon the dirt turns to rock as she comes across a cave. A voice echoes out loudly, swirling past her ears and sending a shivering feeling down her neck. It was beautiful, a careful melody weaving through the air.
The caretaker wondered why she hadn't heard it sooner.
Quietly, she ducks into the cave, a wave of gentle humidity settling over her shoulders and in her lungs. This is the calmest she has felt in a while, she idly notices as she carefully walks down the slight slope.
A curtain of leaves covers the source of the music. Carefully, she pushes them aside, ducking again to avoid the stone arch acting as a doorway.
A rocky ledge holds her up as the caretaker looks down at a deep lagoon nestled into the stone, blue water reflecting silver patterns into the stone ceiling above. Another, wider hole than the one she had stepped through leads to a body of water that is recognizable as the lake a little ways away from the house.
Her eyes scan the sides of the cave before finally settling in the water where the voice was coming from. There, the caretaker sees a figure lazily swimming on their back through the water, her voice filling the whole of the cave.
Wanting to get closer, the caretaker finds a path leading down to a ledge the water is lapping against. She tugs on her crinoline and skirts, stepping down the path carefully as the soothing music falls against her.
Upon reaching the bottom, the caretaker lightly sits on the ground, her skirt barely touching the edge of the water. She can't seem to find it in herself to care.
Looking across the water, her eyes fall upon the figure swimming.
The caretaker recognizes the figure as a siren, her long hair floating on the water as she swims circles on her back. The siren's pale pink and white tail briefly flickers against the surface of the water as she uses it to propel her body forward. The scales catch the silver light coming from outside of the lagoon, glinting and shimmering as she moves.
The caretaker notices sharp claws underwater and fangs pointing from her mouth as she sings. Her eyes are closed, but the caretaker suspects that they're of the same monstrous nature as the rest of her.
She's beautiful, the caretaker concludes, closing her eyes as she listens to the siren's song.
Eventually, it tapers off to silence, and only the slight splash of water can be heard against the shore of rock. The caretaker hears the sound of water moving before coming to a stop in front of her.
A presence gets closer... and closer... and closer...
The caretaker opens her eyes, meeting the slitted pupils of the siren. One of her hands is outstretched as if she were trying to pull the caretaker under.
The caretaker smiles, a different feeling from the sadistic grin that adorns her face when she is taking care of the intruders harming her children in the forest.
"Hello," she says softly, not wanting to disturb the lapping water and gentle lights. The siren furrows her eyebrows in confusion, drawing her hand back.
The siren hums another melody, retreating so her shoulders are submerged. She backs up, and the caretaker almost wants to follow her in the water. Of course, she makes no move to do so.
The siren stops humming once again, her eyes moving across the caretaker's face.
"You aren't charmed?" a quiet, sweet voice rings throughout the cave, laced with confusion and curiosity.
"I would argue that I am," the caretaker answers, her gaze settling over the siren's face.
The sharp grin of the siren is matched by the caretaker's own as they look over one another.
"Who are you?" the siren asks.
"I've been called the caretaker of these woods," comes the reply. The questions continue, bouncing against the walls in a rhythm/
Quiet whispers go back and forth and two singing voices occasionally spill out from the cave. A promise to return is made as shoes click against the ground, farewells bid as one steps away.
---
"And that, my dear," finishes an old voice, "is the story of how the Caretaker of the woods met the siren of the Black Lake." Wide eyes look up at the woman.
"What happened to them?" the child asks, their voice raised in wonder.
"It was said that the two fell for each other. Two beautiful monsters able to relish in the other's company without their fear." A book is closed, discarded onto the bedside table. A pair of wire-framed reading glasses catch the light of the lamp as they are placed on top of the book. "I'd like to think that they still find each other every night."
"Why..." the child starts, looking around the room. "Why are we afraid of them? If they're so nice to each other?"
"They're monsters, my dear. We're only afraid of them because of what they've done to our people. I'm sure if we stopped our foolish wandering, we wouldn't fall for their traps. But it's better to be afraid than lose our lives to our mistakes."
The old woman stands up, brushing off her dress. "Now!" she says, moving the chair against the wall. "It's time for little ones like you," the woman places a kiss on the child's forehead, "to go to bed."
"Goodnight, grandma," the child calls.
"Goodnight, dear. Sleep well."
That night, a child goes to sleep thinking of two monsters becoming human, if only for a few moments.
Hi I'm not sure how happy I am with this but here it is anyways
This is for the pirate au because I have brainrot dskfjdlfkj
It’s chaos at the docks.
You know because you and your mother had gone there to do some shopping. It had been a fairly peaceful day at first, people flitting around from stand to stand to do their own errands, picking up foods and ignoring the stench of freshly caught fish.
As usual, you were miserable. The mundaneness of it all weighed on your shoulders heavily as you followed alongside your mother, who was carrying a basket and humming to herself. Just as she typically does, the woman had practically dragged you out of the house, claiming that you needed to do something useful instead of reading your “stupid tomes.”
Books: the one thing that let you escape the miserable life you lived. Your home life had been awful for as long as you could remember; full of shouting in the other rooms and parents who constantly smelled of tobacco and mead. The only times they seemed to pay any mind to you were when they needed something from you, seemingly annoyed by the fact you didn’t know what they wanted without them telling you.
So of course you turned to books. They helped drown out the shouting when you could immerse yourself in the ink scrawled across the pages, taking you to someone else’s life. The more you read, the more you wanted to put yourself in the main character’s place. You started to imagine yourself in the pages, befriending the characters and slaying monsters, being important.
The more you imagined it, the more you longed for something to interrupt your routine life.
Of course, this wasn’t really how you expected it to happen.
It started with crows. It was only two, circling over the docks and cawing loudly. After a few minutes, murmurs had started. Everyone had heard about the pirate crew that ventured from town to town, the captains almost always having crows with them. Some laughed at the prospect of the infamous pirates coming to such a small town. Surely they wouldn’t bother with ransacking this place, even with as wealthy as most people were here. Others started to cautiously walk away from the docks, not wanting to be there if a ship did pull up to the pier. You tried tugging on your mother’s sleeve, wanting to point out the crows, but she waved you off with a “not now” before returning to her conversation with one of the stand owners.
Suddenly, your head turned to the sound of shouting. The docks went quiet for a moment as they looked towards the man shouting about a ship approaching the town.
“I promise you,” he shouted, pointing off into the sea. “I swear, it was their ship! There’s no way it could’ve belonged to someone else.” A few people laughed at the man, making fun of his panic. Sure enough, in the distance, you could see the distinct shape of a large ship quickly making its way towards the docks.
You would recognize the octopus emblem anywhere. One of your favorite stories was of the Gloop Pirates (an admittedly strange name for one of the most formidable pirate crews), appearing in books and spoken tales where children were kidnapped from their parents. The memory of these stories fills your head, and suddenly you’ve never wanted anything more than to be picked up by the ruthless captain trying to escape the navy.
As you stare towards the rapidly approaching ship, a hand tightly closes around your arm.
“We need to leave, let’s go,” your mother says, apparently recognizing the ship as well. You open your mouth to protest before you’re jerked forward in the direction your mother is walking.
More shouting erupts behind you as your mother pulls you along, talking to you about something. You can’t hear her over the sound of your own thoughts rushing past your ears.
What would happen if you were to pull back? If you were to turn around and run towards the ship? Would the captains pick you up and take you? Would they ignore you? Would they try to do something else?
“Could you move any slower?” you somehow hear your mother say as she shoves you in front of her. Anger swirls in the base of your stomach-- of course that would be the thing she says to you in this situation.
You stop moving. “What are you doing?” she sneers, running into your back abruptly. “Let’s go, I can’t deal with you right now.” Bravely, you shake your head.
“No,” you hear yourself protest, looking up at your mother.
“No?” she repeats incredulously. “We don’t have time for this, we need to go.” You take a step back from her and look towards the docks. There, you can see the ship. It was just barely coming to the edge of the pier, and a tall figure had jumped off the boat and onto the wood with a thud. Your mother’s head turned towards the figure momentarily.
You realize that her attempts to get you to move weren’t to protect you, they were to protect herself. She wanted to get out of there for herself, not for you.
With that realization in mind, you find yourself able to move, running past your mother and towards the boat.
“What are you doing!” Your mother shouts from behind you angrily, but you pay her no mind. Your eyes are set on the figure grinning ear to ear, looking around the docks with a hand on faer dagger. One of the crows swoops past you and lands on the captain’s shoulder, cawing loudly.
Finally, you slow to a stop. The captain’s eyes fall on you, then to your clothes, then to the bruise forming on your arm.
“You!” the woman shouts, the frown that had developed on faer face smoothing to a grin, “are you looking for a place to stay? Maybe a way to leave here?” Your eyes widen and, without hesitation, you nod. She takes a few strides towards you before dropping a knee to the wood below you, making herself eye level with you.
“How about,” fae starts, “we do a little stealing, and then we can move onto the sailing part.”
“Hey!” you hear the familiar sound of a woman’s voice approaching you. “Get away from my child!” A scoff erupts from the pirate.
“No,” fae responds, faer voice booming throughout the docks.
“T-that’s not how this works!” your mother stutters. “You give her back, or else… I’ll…”
“Do what, call the navy?” The pirate laughs before stepping away from you and towards your mother. Brandishing the dagger fae had faer hand on moments ago, fae points it towards your mother. “Leave,” fae warns, “unless you want me to slice your chest open.”
You watch as your mother glances between the dagger and you before backing up, turning on her heel, and speed walking away.
The pirate turns to you, slipping faer dagger back into its sheath. “Rain,” fae introduces faerself, holding a hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Later that night, as you’re laying on a cot, looking up to the wooden planks of the ship, you can finally relax to the sound of waves hitting the edge of the boat. You smile to yourself as your hand comes to rest on the bandages wrapped around your arm, grateful that, for once, you didn’t do what you were told.
you like my idea? If so I dare you to write pirate!rains POV. Also the whole time I was wearing a red swimsuit not like. Any normal clothes. And probably goggles. (It’d be… a weird sight)
"Captain Rain!"
Fae's head whips around to look at faer's first mate.
"Turtle?"
"Michael said he heard something moving around below deck-- wanted to know if someone could check it out." Rain's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A weird sound could mean a stowaway, but the ship hadn't docked in quite awhile. If there was a stowaway, that meant they had been stealing provisions, and rations weren't running out faster than usual.
"I'm sure it's nothing," fae responded, putting a hand on Turtle's shoulder as fae began to walk behind him, "but I'll check it out."
With a wave, Rain started down the ladder to the rooms below deck.
Since there was a slim chance that it was a stowaway, fae was willing to bet that the noise was a box of some sort falling over in the storage room. Fae passed a few of faer crewmates as fae walked past the cots.
Music from above deck carried through the floorboards, a duet probably between Bunny and Bean, leaving Rain to hum as fae walked.
A familiar-looking head of hair on one of the cots pulled a scoff from Rain's lips.
"Wilde!" fae shouted, pushing the cot. A groan spilled out from under a blanket. "Wake up; I believe you lost a bet to me and now you're on scrubbing duty."
With that taken care of, fae returned their attention wto the door to the storage room. Fae unhooked the keys from the wall next to the door and fumbled through a few of them before finding the one to the lock hanging below the doorknob.
After a slight jingle of keys and the click of a lock, fae unlatched the door and pushed it open with faer shoulder, grabbing a lantern from a box next to faer and lighting it.
A glow was cast onto the crates around faer and Rain slowly began to peak around the storage room crates. Eventually, fae caught sight of a bin that had been pushed to the ground.
"There it is..." fae muttered, placing the lantern besides faer and lifting up the box.
Pushing it back into its place, fae picked up faer lantern and, to faer surprise, found a person standing next to it.
A hand came to rest against faer dagger before Rain realized that this person, whoever they may be, was... t-posing?
"How did you get here?" fae asks, astounded, but with a hint of humor on their breath. This figure was, oddly enough, wearing a bathing suit and goggles. The implications of this were terrifying.
"Listen, bitch," neo starts, pulling a startled laugh from Rain, "it was adrenaline and a... I don't know. And a something."
"Well," fae grins. "You're on a ship in the middle of the ocean, meaning you don't exactly have a way to get to land at the moment." The figure shrugs, neos arms coming to a neutral position. "I guess you're stuck here for the time being."
Fae's mind is already rushing with things fae needs to do to get yet another person set up on board. They have enough space for another cot, right? And the ship can just make an extra stop if it looks like they'll run out of food. And fae will need to find clothes to replace the red swim suit.
Screw it, Rain thinks to faerself, what's one more?
"Hi," fae says, holding out faer hand to them, "my name is Rain."
"Mellohi," neo replies, reaching out to return the gesture.
Fae has spent the last few hours being outfitted in the most absurd, over-the-top dress they could possibly imagine. Not to mention the heavy, overly adorned jewelry hanging from faer neck and ears.
Fae just wants out of this stupid room, away from this annoying castle, off of this horrible island. The amount of time fae has been here is far too much, and fae misses the feeling of wind combing through faer hair and water spraying on faer face. Of course, it’s not fae’s choice. After the first time fae had left the island, fae wasn’t allowed out of any of the guards’ sight. Now, to keep faer in check, fae was ordered into an arranged marriage.
Rain had met him once. He was a nice man, calm and respectable, and maybe fae wouldn’t have minded being married to him, had fae not have met someone else.
No; the only person fae would want to be with was who knows where, likely sailing on the large ship she had called home. Cadence, a siren of a pirate that had somehow managed to sweep fae off faer feet in the handful of weeks Rain was with her.
Now, as a veil is draped over faer head, the only thing fae can hope for is that the letter made it in time.
Cadence stands tall at the bow of the ship, looking out over the figurehead. Behind her, some of the crew move about, adjusting sails and preparing weapons. The sharp sound of ceramic grating across metal passes through the salty air surrounding the boat.
“How close are we!” Cadence shouts eagerly, looking up towards the person in the crow’s nest.
“I think I see the docks,” Poppy, the barrelman of the ship, yells back, leaning forwards to get a better view.
Finally, Cadence would be able to make it back to the island she had landed on not too long ago. It was there she had met Rain, an heir to the throne of a powerful chain of islands in the Southern Ocean.
Now that the island fae resided on was in view, Cadence was practically bursting with excitement.
“Captain!” Honey called, emerging from below deck. Cadence spun to meet them. “Most of the canons are loaded and ready to go. Should we be expecting to use them today?”
Honey was practically covered in gunpowder, and as they wiped their hands off on their pants, a cloud of gray powder was sent flying into the air. They were the newest crew member on the ship and had made quick progress in getting themselves promoted from a cabin mate to the master gunnar. They were one of the three people on the ship familiar enough with the canons to actually handle them, which had made Cadence eager to set them up with their defenses.
“Maybe,” Cadence said after a moment. “Hopefully we won’t need to, but it won’t hurt to send them a little departing message,” she winks.
Honey smiles back before going back downstairs, probably to wash off some of the gunpowder.
“Get ready to dock!” the captain hears from above, the call leading her to the anchor. With the ship being guided towards port, and help hauling the anchor overboard, the crew made their way off of the ship and onto the dock.
“Remember the plan, everyone?” the captain asks as the last people move towards them. “Zero, Vee, Squishy; the three of you will take care of the vault…”
The crew of eleven split into groups, trying to make the most of the time they had. Cadence had known she was pushing it, but as the sun rose overhead and the twelfth bell chimed, she realized just how close she was to the deadline.
Now, as she stands in front of the grandiose doors, Cadence takes a deep breath before pressing an ear to the expensive mahogany.
“If anyone has any objections, speak now or you may forever hold your peace.”
With a letter clutched in one hand and a sword in the other, the captain bursts through the door.
The entire room flinches as the doors are kicked open, several people from the audience standing up. Rain’s hand flies towards faer waist, only to be met with more skirt. A flicker of annoyance passes across faer face before fae finally begins to understand what is happening.
For the first time during this ceremony, excitement begins to bubble in faer chest.
“How’s this for an objection?” a familiar voice shouts-- and of course that’s what she says; Cadence had always been one for theatrics.
For a moment, the only thing that was moving was the dust floating between the colored sunlight pouring from the stained glass windows. Fae could hear the room breathing.
Rain is giddy.
After a moment, more pirates began to enter from a few of the side doors, finally stirring someone into action.
“Who are you, and what do you want!” Fae’s father calls out, his voice shaking almost imperceptibly.
“To stop this fucking wedding,” one of the crewmates that fae faintly remembers being named Zero says. With those words and the echoing sound of a gunshot, chaos breaks in the wedding hall.
People rush out of their seats, some taking up weapons and others attempting to flee. The guards who had been standing at the back and sides of the altar had rushed to the front, trying to take over the small band of pirates towards the front. Rain watches in delight; good, the wedding won’t proceed.
“We need to get out of here!” fae feels what would have been faer husband take faer hand.
“No, I'm not going with you,” fae says, stepping away from him. His eyebrows furrow and his mouth opens to say something before an arm snakes around Rain’s waist and a hand covers faer mouth.
“I’ll be taking this,” Rain hears Cadence grin, and suddenly Rain is being picked up bridal style and moved away from the altar.
A voice whispers into faer ear: “I got your letter,” Cadence said. “Ready to leave?”
“I’ve waited for this,” fae says, uncaring of how late she was. “I’ve waited for this for far too long. Of course I’m ready to leave.”
With a loud whistle, the pirates take one their swings before darting, leaving the wedding hall and the people inside behind them. Guards shout from over their shoulders, but with a ridiculous amount of money now in their possession and a rescued crew member, none of them paid any mind to what was happening behind them.
Finally, as the crew makes it to the ship, Rain is set down on the wooden pier. The ship was just as fae remembered it, except with an additional tentacle attached to the figurehead. Fae grinned, turning to face Cadence.
The light of the sun behind her cast her face a glow, illuminating the wisps of her hair that surrounded her head. Letters only did so much, and fae found faerself missing her and the sea every day fae was stuck on the island.
“Come on, fuckers!” the two hear from the boat, causing Rain to whip faer head in the person’s direction. “Stop looking at each other and get up here!” Rain and Cadence look towards each other, Cadence shooting a grin in faer way, before pulling Rain by the wrist onto the boat.
“Honey!” Cadence calls from next to fae, and an unfamiliar face emerges from below deck.
“Is it time?” The person smiles sadistically, clearly excited for whatever is about to come. Cadence nods and Honey slips back below deck.
“That was Honey,” Cadence says before walking towards the stern of the ship to the wheel. “They’re the master gunnar.” Rain’s eyes go wide and fae runs towards the side of the ship closest to the dock, just in time to hear the firing of a cannon.
“Just in time, too!” she calls as the cannonballs hit the ships. The guards that had been following finally skid to a stop, lost on what to do. The cannons were aimed to hit the boats in just the right way to make them impossible to use without repairs, and the guards seemed to have realized this. Their boat starts to move away from the docks, at long last leaving behind the dread that pooled in Rain's stomach.
Fae grins as a cannon below starts to sizzle again and, with their departure, another cannon is fired, hitting the last of the ships.
“So,” Cadence starts when the boat has finally settled on the water, a sarcastic and amused tone on her lips, “a staged kidnapping, huh?”
“Big talk coming from someone who was late,” Rain retorts, walking up towards where Cadence was standing at the wheel.
“I was fashionably late,” she argues, facing Rain and opening her arms.
The two fall into an embrace, laughing slightly, pressing together as they rock with the ship.
As the boat sails away from now heirless islands, a new pirate introduces faerself to the others and falls asleep, content, next to the person who rescued faer.
I wrote this all today and I'm not the most proud of it but I do like the idea so shhhhhhh. Here you go
(@clearlyclueless came up with this by the way)
.
"05-10," your assistant holds out a file towards you. "Look at this."
You take the file from him, looking down at the contents. The heading reads, "SCP-092's Behavior Shift." You thank him and lean against the desk positioned in front of the filing cabinets.
Briefly, you look up at your unfamiliar surroundings, taking a second from the reading you have been doing all morning. Currently, you were situated in the Director of Site G-100P's office, combing through file after file to try and understand more about the anomalous entities that currently resided in the facility. The room, like the rest of the facility, was devoid of colour. The walls were grey, the floors were white-- the only thing that stood out was the red pen cup sitting on the desk.
You were initially told to investigate the facility through your library of records made on this particular site's anomalies. The unusual and unexpected change in the behaviors ever since the new Site Director was appointed created some concern within the Council, and since you had access to the majority of records, you had been tasked with gathering information about this place. Eventually, you had enough of reading through log after log; nothing was telling you anything. Out of curiosity-- no, out of a burning desire to find out what was happening, you found where the facility was located and booked a flight near to where it was hiding.
After arriving, you addressed a handful of the research personnel who were going to and from their jobs, asking about the anomalous entities and what had caused their change in behavior. None of them gave you a straight answer, but many brought up the Site Director.
Rain A. Vex, the newly promoted Site Director of Site G-100P, was as much as an anomaly as the rest of the entities here. After hearing stories about fae, you began to wonder how fae was still able to hold faer level 4 clearance. Apparently, Vex was reckless, known for neglecting many of the security protocols for a certain group of anomalies.
Now, you think as you look towards the window separating you from the containment room access, you're here to hopefully observe and talk to the Site Director to figure out the best course of action.
Your trail of thought is cut off by the loud groaning of metal, drawing your eyes from looking at the glass to one of the containment area doors. Each of the doors was made of a thick metal, and can only be opened by the panels next to the doors and the panel situated in front of the window in this office. The panels next to the doors were all palm scanners, a measure of security taken by every facility to make sure that only certain clearance levels could open certain doors.
Two security officers stand outside of the opening door, their weapons held in their hands and attention drawn to the anomaly that is likely residing in the room. There doesn't seem to be another person, meaning that the guards were not there to monitor a cleaning.
"What do you suppose they're doing?" your assistant asks, stepping a bit closer to the glass. You hum in thought.
You observe the guards as they wait for the door to completely open, standing tensely with their eyes glued in front of them. When the door is fully opened, you are barely able to see the small, humanoid form of an anomalous entity sitting on what looks to be a cot. SCP-092, a Euclid class anomaly, if you are remembering correctly, one that is known for changing its appearance frequently, almost like it is constantly unsatisfied. You recall the reports submitted by Vex, talking about how none of the researchers were able to get any information out of it.
You turn back to the sheets of paper in your hand and start skimming through them, reading about how the entity's behavior was once incredibly violent. On several occasions, it had tried attacking guards by shifting its hands into sharp objects, attempting to jump onto their backs. Now, SCP-092 only seems to do that when--
A horrendous noise blares from the other side of the glass, the emergency lights flashing red. Your gaze is snapped from the place you were reading to the window, and you slowly make your way towards where your assistant is standing.
Outside, you could see red staining the otherwise pristine ground. The blood of one of the guards seeped into the floor. Luckily for the guard, SCP-092 seemed to have sliced his arm open rather than his throat.
"A containment breach?" your assistant questions as you step next to him, your hands clasped behind your back. "Do you think it would be safer to leave or to stay here?"
"Stay," you reply, not leaving room for argument. The facility was known for its quick resolutions of breaches, and you wanted to see this in action. With SCP-092 nowhere to be seen and an injured guard, you currently were not very hopeful. You could feel your assistant's unease grow with each pulse of the alarm, until finally-
"Kit!" A voice shouts, heard even above the sound of the alarm. The very director you had been waiting to see calmly entered the room, paying little mind to the guards. You and your assistant watch as Vex motions to the guards to put their weapons down.
"What is fae doing?" your assistant asks, astounded.
The guards, hesitant, lower their weapons. Vex makes the motion again, faer arm lowering harshly, and the two place them on the ground. Fae must have said something, because one of the guards walks over to a panel and turns off the alarms, submerging the facility into peace.
With the wailing alarms off and the guns on the ground, Vex lowers one knee to the ground, faer lab coat pooling around faer. You can somewhat discern faer calling something.
Slowly, you notice the small figure emerge from a place behind Vex. Your assistant sucks a breath through their mouth and his body tenses, clearly expecting the worst. SCP-092 gets closer to Vex's back, but instead of reforming its arms, two wings appear from the entity's back, and it walks in front of Vex. Fae stands up and turns towards the guards, the entity in faer hands.
Surely the woman is insane, you think to yourself as you look at faer face, which seems to be smiling down at the entity. Vex makes a motion with the hand fae are not using, and the uninjured guard makes their way towards a different panel, opening another door.
You turn towards your assistant, who is still standing, astounded, at the Site Director.
"This woman," he says, turning to you, "Is crazy. Who in their right mind would pick that thing up? You saw their behavior before, right? Most were hostile, and there were likely a handful of casualties."
Your hand reaches up to cover your mouth as your head turns back to the window. Something about Vex was... off, to say the least. Fae was able to calm down the SCP-092, but what was it about faer that made it possible?
The Site Director moves to the second open door and gently sets down the entity. With the way Vex was treating it, you could almost mistake it for a child. From the corner of the newly opened room comes a blue ball leaving a trail behind it. SCP-026-1, one of the slimes that had split from one another.
Vex steps out of the containment area and motions for the guards to close the doors.
"...make sure to get that cleaned up,"' you can hear faer say to the injured guard, likely talking about the injury. The injured guard leaves and Vex releases an exhale before faer eyes land on you and your assistant. Fae seems to examine you for a moment, sending a shiver down your spine, before starting to make faer way towards the staircase leading to the office door.
You and your assistant move away from the window. He resumes his browsing through the filing cabinets and you briefly skim the paper once more before the door unlocks and swings open. Vex enters faer office, beginning to shed faer lab coat, and you set your papers down.
A guard enters behind faer as Vex removes faer gloves, throwing them into a trash can next to the door.
"05-10," fae says, finally looking at you. The guard goes rigid upon hearing your title.
"Site Director Vex," you respond.
"Please, call me Rain. It is a pleasure to meet you." Fae extends a hand towards you.
"You as well," you say, bowing your head and ignoring faer hand.
Vex lets faer hand fall to faer side before moving to take a seat at the desk you had been leaning against, taking a pen from the red pen cup. Fae scribbles something down.
"Site Director Vex, I wanted to talk about--"
"Rain," fae interrupts.
"Rain," you repeat, a hint of irritation slipping into your voice. "I wanted to talk to you about your behavior in dealing with the anomalies." Vex lets out a hum of acknowledgment. Your assistant closes the drawer of the cabinet he was looking through and returns to stand next to you. "You are being reckless with your procedures. This is a dangerous behavior to have, and if you continue, I'm afraid I will have to--"
"I don't see the problem." You pause, taking in faer words.
"Pardon?"
"An actual, serious containment breach has not happened here since I was appointed Site Director," Vex says, setting the pen down on faer desk and looking up at you. "I'd say we are perfectly capable of handling this facility."
"There was just an alarm sounding," your assistant says, his voice wavering. "How is that a demonstration of the facility 'running smoothly?'"
"It wasn't a problem. My guard was slightly injured and I came in and dealt with it efficiently. I was able to move Ki-" Vex cuts faerself off and clears faer throat, "and moved SCP-092 to the enclosure they were supposed to be in."
"How," you ask, straightening your posture. "How were you able to calm it?"
"We- the researchers and I- are currently figuring that out," Vex says, faer voice even. "There was a reason I was promoted in the first place, 05-10. It was not done without warrant; I assure you that there is nothing to worry about."
"That doesn't explain anything!" your assistant exclaims from beside you, seemingly bothered by Vex's disposition.
"A Site Director shouldn't be managing the anomalous entities, Vex, and you know this," you state cooly, crossing your arms.
"And a Council Member shouldn't be visiting a site without the knowledge of the other Council Members."
You blink, taken aback by the Site Director's words. How did fae know..?
"Now," Vex says, standing up and cracking their neck, "I have a few more anomalous entities to deal with." Fae starts to make faer way towards where faer lab coat is hanging. "You know, you came at a rather poor time. We always begin the anomalies' socialization at this time." Fae slips on the lab coat before returning to faer desk once again, pulling on another pair of gloves and grabbing a clipboard.
"if you'll excuse me, I'll be going." And with a bowed head and a turn, Vex opens the door and starts faer way down the metal staircase, the guard quickly following.
You purse your lips, processing what the Site Director had said. That was the first time you had ever experienced someone with a lower clearance threatening you.
"Will-" your assistant starts, "will you be demoting faer?"
"No," you say, surprising even yourself. "We keep monitoring this facility. And we keep monitoring Site Director Vex for suspicious behavior. In a field like this, you can never be too careful." He nods at you.
The two of you grab the files that were pulled from the cabinet and begin to leave the office.
Whatever was happening at this site would need to be watched closely. The interactions of Vex and the anomalous entities were too strange to be ignored, and you knew something would need to be done eventually. For now, you would take the files back to your own office and look through them.
Something here feels wrong. Eventually, you will get to the bottom of this. Even if it's the last thing you do.
I largely don't know how to feel about this but I love the ideas that writing this has given me
This could match with a few different things, but I specifically wrote it with the D&D campaign I'm working on in mind; if that's the case, a lot of the other people mentioned would be referred to as knights rather than sailors, even though this still takes place on the seas
The first paragraph comes from this prompt!
Hopefully I was able to convey the tone I wanted to try and hold throughout the whole piece (:
---
“You know,” the figure standing at the end of the docks starts, “the sirens never liked us much. Until your royal sailors started harassing them. Shooting at them. Murdering them. And suddenly, there’s a brand new alliance between us pirates and them.” The captain’s razor smile glittered in the moonlight. “Who would’ve guessed?”
With hair whipping around her face wildly and her chin tilted slightly towards the sky, the Captain of the Midnight’s Gold radiates an aura that creeps into the navy general’s skin, sending a chill down his spine. Her eyes pierce through his own as his breath shutters in his chest.
“You fib,” he breathes out, his air of confidence turning into a poorly upheld act. “And even if it is true, what do you plan to do with them? They can do little to stop us from taking hold of your precious pirate ships and capturing the land you claim.”
A low chuckle passes the captain’s lips, and it’s all the navy general can do to stop himself from shivering in fear.
“Come now,” she says, “surely you know the sirens are more than just a pretty face and an ignorable nuisance.”
“My men aren’t stopped by a haunting voice.” If they were, he would have given up his pursuit of this captain a very long time ago. Her voice rang through his ears, rebounding in his skull and covering his body in a chill that settled in his bones. If they were stopped by a haunting voice, he would’ve let the captain be, and the pirates would have won a long time ago.
The captain tsked. “You, general, of all people, should know that sirens have a tinge of magic coursing through their blood.”
Magic. Of course the creatures would have magic on their side, though the thought never occurred to him. The few sirens he had encountered had never intended any harm initially– no, he and his men were the ones who initiated the violence, and tried to capture the sirens for the expensive scales adorning their tail. It was only then that he witnessed one of his sailors dropping into the rocky waters below, never to be seen again. And it was only then that he would have realized they wielded magic.
“Now we’re remembering, are we?” She mocks, reading the expression from his face, “It’s your dreaded magic that draws your poor, unfortunate sailors into their watery coffin. And how is a magic-less society supposed to defeat that, without aid from the very thing you condemn?”
The navy general feels the blood drain from his face; she was right, how were they supposed to defeat that? A whole army of sirens trying to lure them to their demise is far different from the odd one or two fighting against capture.
“You should think in advance before allowing your men to behave the way they are, catcalling the sirens coming to the surface and killing the ones who lie in their own realm.” The captain takes a step forward, and leans down to the navy general’s ear. “I’d be careful sailing the seas from now on, general. This is war, and this is our domain.” Her whisper echoes in his mind as she steps back with another glaring grin and slips back onto the Midnight’s Gold.
Despite his previous intentions for this encounter, he stands on the docks, trying to regain his composure as the captain begins to sail away, her piercing gaze fixated on the navy general and her arm settled around a woman’s waist.
Dread and a small hint of envy swirl in his stomach. If it’s a war she wants, it’s a war he will provide.
Stormy Daycare: a child-care centre nestled right in front of the wooded area of town and thought to be one of the weirdest things in this town. There were already some oddities here; some of the people walking the streets seemed to be nervous, looking around as if someone were watching them. So it was not as big of a surprise to hear that there was something going on within the daycare as well.
The brightly painted building was quaint, neatly trimmed vines climbing up one of the sides of the house. Flowers were planted in the beds out front with garden equipment scattered on the ground nearby. A playground sat next to the house, freshly painted with newer mulch scattered inside. It was almost picturesque, with the sun beaming right over the treetops, spilling onto the house below.
It was a wonder how such a strange place could look so normal from the outside.
Residents who frequently pass the small building claim to never see any cars dropping the children off. It was almost as if one moment, the house was empty, and the next, the joyful screeches of children were rebounding inside. Some who have looked a little closer take note of children whose eyes seem a little too bright, children with dress-up wings look a little too realistic, and plant themed hats that are just a little too perfect. Some have claimed that when they look at some of the children, the children stare right back, no matter how far away they are.
“Freaks, the lot of them,” some would claim. “They’re just as weird as the rest of us,” others would argue. Rumors spread around town about the true intentions of the daycare.
Some would overlook the oddities of the place, asking to enroll their children in the daycare program. “It’s affordable and nearby,” they would argue to astounded looks, only to find that their children never stayed for long.
The few people who were allowed to enroll their children were disappointed and astonished to find out that, somehow, their child was returned home. Many told tales of the other kids in the daycare, describing whimsical details that were oddly specific. An apology note would be sent a few days later, saying that they were sorry that the children weren’t compatible and the parents would be receiving a refund.
Of course, suspicions arose about the strangely normal daycare owner taking care of the enigmatic children. She was friendly, occasionally stopping by shops to purchase food and toys and making polite conversation before leaving. Eventually, people started to notice odd behaviors. Just like the children she watches, her smile seems off when greeting people. Her eyes seem to flicker in even lighting. When they look too closely, her presence seems to shimmer.
People tend to not look too closely, anymore.
Those who pass by the daycare know to turn away from the building. Those who pass by the daycare know to walk quickly. Those who pass by the daycare know to not ask too many questions.
Stormy Daycare is one of the nicest daycare centres in the area. But with the strange children and even stranger owner… no one seems to be in a rush to send their kids there anymore.
Yeah, that's right, I did it again.
I wrote something else for the Gloop AUs that @natsueyama has been coming up with. This time it's for the horror au
You’re lost. Back in Tempeston, you made a bet: if you could get a picture of the house and come back with it, your friend would give you 100 dollars.
Now that you’re here, you wish that you hadn’t agreed to it.
Tempeston was a small town in approximately the middle of nowhere. You would have to travel at least an hour, maybe two, to find the next trace of civilization. Maybe that’s why there was an old house out here, in the middle of the woods. This far away from town, someone could get away with almost anything.
Your eyes follow the beam of the flashlight as it skates over the landscape. Dust and bugs flit around the light as you watch the scenery, ever unchanging. The camera slung around your neck hangs heavily.
You thought you were traveling in a straight line, but you could've sworn that you've passed the same tree over and over again.
As you wander, you think about the rumors passed along in town. The foolish tales rebound in your skull now that you are here, your friend's words ringing in your ears. Tales of children roaming the woods and their caretaker looking over them. Tales saying that the house is guarded by an axe and piercing eyes watching your every move.
A shiver runs up your spine.
You return your attention to the scenery in front of you, hoping to find the edge of the woods. Once you do that, maybe you'll finally get service to call someone.
You step over a large branch, one of your hands stabilizing yourself to help with balance. When you stand back up, you notice green slime coating your hand. Looking back at the log, you see a trail of slime going into the darkness of the forest. You write it off as a slime, ignoring the stories of a group of the caretaker's children who were made of slime.
The number of branches and leaves that have fallen to the ground makes it hard to walk quietly. The one you stepped over was one of the largest you've come across. You're thankful for it, though; no one would be able to sneak up on you.
As you pass by yet another gnarled, old tree, you hear a loud crunch.
You tense, flicking your flashlight between each of the trees. Faintly, you think you hear laughing, almost as if they were taking your confusion as a joke. A bead of sweat rolls down your neck.
Are you starting to hear things? No one would've been able to follow you this far out into the woods-- surely you would've heard them by now, right?
In between your frantic scanning, you see a blur of white and the shaking of a bush. You feel yourself drop to the ground, your hand searching along the damp ground and curling around a stick. Cautiously, you stand back up.
The rustling stops. Your eyes flicker across the landscape. You wait, your body tense and shaking as the wood digs into your hand.
Suddenly, a shape jolts from out of the bush. You flinch, throwing the stick forwards in a weak attempt to deter whatever is following you.
A rabbit cries.
You inhale sharply as a small, white rabbit with red eyes darts away, screaming, almost like it was complaining. You sigh, sliding against a tree onto the ground.
Willing your erratic heartbeat to slow, you silently thank the fact that it was only a rabbit. On second thought, maybe throwing a flimsy branch at someone isn't a good idea. You laugh bitterly.
Of course it was only a rabbit. Obviously rabbits would be in this forest, and it would explain the fox you had seen earlier. The one that stared at you, scanning you before trotting off into the darkness of the woods.
Standing up, you continue, still tense. You think you hear something heavy dragging across the ground, but when you look back, nothing is there. You're still hearing things.
When you turn to face in front of you, you're met with the sight of someone else. You scream, falling backward and looking up. A sweet voice talks to you.
"You know, if dad finds you, fae won't be too happy. She never likes people wandering in the forest at this time of night." Their voice echos strangely, seemingly warping with the breeze that rustles the leaves. The stranger smiles, getting closer despite your desperate attempts to scramble back. The figure leans forward, and now that they're this close, you realize that you can almost see through them.
"Boop!" the figure exclaims, tapping your nose with their blue-covered finger. You vaguely see that your nose is now stained with the same color. They step back, their yellow sweater illuminated by the flashlight that had rolled out of your hand, before vanishing.
You blink, trying to comprehend the encounter. How did they disappear, and why could you see through them? A violent tremor ripples through your body, snapping you from your stupor and sending you lurching for your flashlight.
After the second strange encounter, you don't waste any time. If the figure was telling the truth, something is following you.
You do the only thing you can do, now: you run.
Your feet hit the ground in a fast rhythm, crushing leaves and snapping twigs as your flashlight's beam jolts up and down with your arm. The faster you run, the faster you can leave, right?
You keep going, your head snapping between the trees around you. You want out. The sweat that dampens your hair and the back of your shirt makes you crave a nice shower to scrub off the dirt and blood collected around your knees and scratches from the branches.
Your camera pounds against your stomach, taunting you, almost as if it was reminding you what you came here for. You never even found the building; how were you supposed to take pictures of something you never saw?
The laughter returns, almost like it was coming from the trees themselves. It sounds like the children are teasing you.
"Why are you running," you think you hear from the trees. "Let us play with you," two voices sing.
Their laughter returns, the sharp sound hurting your ears. Your running slows as you lift your hands over your ears, trying to block the piercing sound masking your thoughts.
It stops suddenly, an eerie silence settling over your shoulders. The only sound left in the forest is the sound of your own panting, heavily filling the air around you. You direct your flashlight across the tops of the trees, hoping to find whoever, whatever, was laughing.
Then another sound fills the forest. Mixing with your heavy breaths is the sound of metal scraping against wood. Your flashlight darts around to find the sound before flickering.
At long last, you remember the last thing you were supposed to do before leaving.
Before you left, you were warned to switch the flashlight batteries, being told that they were old and hadn't been replaced since the first time the flashlight was bought. Now, with the flashlight flickering on and off, your stomach drops. You must have forgotten to grab extra batteries, and now you'll be lost in the woods without a flashlight to guide you.
The flashlight flickers out, plunging you into darkness.
With shaking hands and the distant sound of scraping, you carefully lift your camera from where it's sitting against your torso. The weight is removed from your neck as you bring it up to your face. You hit the power button.
The camera turns on, ready to take a picture. The scraping comes to a stop behind you and you swivel around, pointing the camera in the direction of the noise.
With a click of the shutter, a flash is emitted from the camera. Finally, you're able to see what was responsible for the noise.
A gleaming axe has left a trail through the twigs and leaves piled on the forest floor. Holding the axe is a woman towering above your height. She is dressed in black, a dress spilling onto the ground around her. Her eyes stare into your own, sending a feeling of inescapable dread into your heart.
She stands, unmoving. Maybe she'll leave you alone? You stare at one another. You think she's studying you.
A bush rustles, breaking her stare. She looks towards the noise: the same rabbit and fox you had seen earlier. The fox slinks around the caretaker, jumping onto her arm and draping over her shoulders. The rabbit bounds towards her next, still crying. The woman-- the caretaker, your mind supplies-- gently picks up the rabbit in one hand, bringing it closer to her chest. In the next moment, a child is hanging onto her, arms around her neck. A bright blue bruise stands out against the pale, almost white skin of the child.
"Dad," the rabbit-child cries, its ears drooping down across the back of its head, "the scary person hit me when I was trying to play with them." Gently, the caretaker shushes the crying child.
Leaning over, she whispers something into the child's ears. The rabbit-child grins, locking eyes with you before jumping down from the caretaker's arms. A rabbit bounds away, its chittering sounding like laughter.
When you look back to where the caretaker was standing, you realize she's gone. Rustling comes from behind you. Something is breathing down on your neck.
Slowly, you turn. Your eyes drift up, up, up...
To find the woman smiling sadistically, the heavy-looking axe hoisted above her.
You dart away just in time, the head of the axe barely missing you and hitting the ground with a dull thud. You go as fast as your sore legs can carry you, your feet unevenly hitting the ground as you frantically push through the trees and foliage.
You recognize these trees. You're in the same spot you started in. A moment too late, you remember...
There is a branch here.
With a terrible thud, you hit the ground, your hands stopping your head from slamming against the forest floor. Slowly, you raise yourself from the moss, huffing loudly. You meet eyes with two children standing in front of you. Twins, you think, standing side by side. Vermillion glints in their eyes as they grin wildly.
One of them shouts loudly, and your eyes go wide as their grin gets impossibly wider. A presence falls behind you. Frantically, you flip onto your back, meeting eyes with the caretaker once more.
Shadows spill onto the ground next to her. You feel eyes on you, making your hair stand on end. Raising a finger to her lips, the caretaker motions to the children behind her.
Your eyes widen as you see the looming figure raise her axe--
"There there, my dears," a saccharine voice speaks. "I told you the stranger would learn their lesson for upsetting you."
