#I just like sea serpents and dragons ok?

[sparrowlucero]

So what do we think Beebe's fish were then? I heard tell that the sailfin might have been a squid and that the angelfish was probably a comb jelly, but what about the giant dragonfish or the rainbow gar?

For those not in the know, in the 1930s, biologist William Beebe (who you (read: I) might know as the guy who predicted microraptor) and engineer Otis Barton (hollywood actor?? and designer of fucked up submarines and "jungle spaceships", ok otis) got into a fucked up submarine and went to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of bermuda (in what, iirc, was the first study of deep sea fish in their natural habitat), where he described several fish unknown to science. None of these fish have been identified since. (Side Note: to continue off of "audubon was unfamiliar with the bald eagle" in my last post, this one also has a theory I find a bit silly in "perhaps they just hallucinated fake fish from oxygen deprivation" despite both witnessing the same fish and a lot of his scary book about the dive that you can read here including many lucid observations of known species. It wasn't like he got down there and only saw weird fish and nothing else) The fish in order: Three-starred anglerfish, Abyssal Rainbow Gar, Pallid sailfin, Five-lined Constellation Fish

and yeah I do see why people think these might have been invertebrates mistakenly identified as fish. In his book, Beebe holds off on describing unfamiliar fish if he didn't see them well, but, you know, those little gars really do look like squid. I personally think the most likely one to be a real fish is the angler, since he saw it closely and was able to note several physiological differences in jaw structure that distinguished it from other angler fish.

The most notable one is the "Untouchable Bathysphere Fish", a giant 6 foot long dragonfish (largest known dragonfish is about 2 feet long):

Several minutes later, at 2100 feet, I had the most exciting experience of the whole dive. Two fish went very slowly by, not more than six or eight feet away, each of which was at least six feet in length. They were of the general shape of large barracudas, but with shorter jaws which were kept wide open all the time I watched them. A single line of strong lights, pale bluish, was strung down the body. The usual second line was quite absent. The eyes were very large, even for the great length of the fish. The undershot jaw was armed with numerous fangs which were illumined either by mucus or indirect internal lights. Vertical fins well back were one of the characters which placed it among the sea-dragons, Melanostomiatids, and were clearly seen when the fish passed through the beam. There were two long tentacles, hanging down from the body, each tipped with a pair of separate, luminous bodies, the upper reddish, the lower one blue. These twitched and jerked along beneath the fish, one undoubtedly arising from the chin, and the other far back near the tail. I could see neither the stem of the tentacles nor any paired fins, although both were certainly present. This is the fish I subsequently named Bathysphera intacta, the Untouchable Bathysphere Fish.

I believe this solely because it's really cool Though I want posit a theory I've never heard before: it's almost never remarked upon that he discovered these weird fish over a live (now lost media that no one is searching for, get on that) NBC radio broadcast. Maybe he just made up some cool sea monsters with a big climactic sea serpent for said broadcast, both because I would totally do that if it were me and also so he had a good excuse to sign off and get the fuck out of this situation:

[just-some-user-hunny]

Girl...I just was thinking

HOW DO YOU RIDE A SEA DRAGON?

like, do you ride it like the metkayina from the avatar movie or like a how a snake moves?

I know reader would be happy to fly on cannibal while her twin follows her from below, sometimes pranking her as the dragon jumps out of the water?

Targaryen will be seathing and wanting reader's twin by each of their side because they could have the advantage to win the war from below cause: who would expect a sea dragon to appear out of nowhere? 🤷

Ok so I’ve had to brainstorm how it would actually work, and I have some ideas!

For a giant serpent-like sea dragon, I imagine they’d work more as a ‘kraken’ like creature. They crush ships and leap out of the water to snatch up dragons if need be, and go by their riders command. Although the idea of riding them like the water creatures from the avatar movie, realistically it would be like that scene of that guy getting dragged under the water and struggle-drowning 😭 but hey, we can imagine!

For the other water dragons who can fly and go on land, they’d operate the same as any other dragon- but just have the option to chill underwater if they wish. You could also chill on their back like those swan boats and just float around a bit. (Or you know how horses are strong swimmers? You kinda just mount them as they swim, and hope they keep your head above water. You’ll probably get a little soggy, but hey, it’s still fun!)

I also like the idea of applying deep sea gigantism to sea dragons! Can you image a big dragon head peeking above the surface of the water, and when called to fly, the rest of their body emerges from the ocean and they are huuugggeee

[bakawitch]

Ok so it's been a while since we heard about Enchantlings so let's hear something about it. Either a random fact you want to share or maybe the qualities and power domains of the submission enchantling gems?

Why not both? XD

Here's 5 fun facts about Enchantlings! And all the Enchantlings power domains!

Fun facts!

I partially have the lyrics written for the theoretical musical episode and I hate myself for it XD (also yes I am completely talentless when it comes to both lyrics and music)

There is going to be at least 1 "on screen" Enchantling gem that will be irreparably destroyed by an antagonist in front of the Enchantling's holder's eyes

Lisha is technically not an only child.

Medea, Ramona, and Kaito are often in detention together. Medea and Ramona are sort of friends but not really

Besides Myrtille, Cosette, and Colette, there's another duo of girly fashioning girls who seem kind of shallow and condescending at first glance but are actually true girls' girls

Now for the Domains of each Enchantling gem! (Note that some of these domains are not necessarily as elemental as I would like, these are just the ones I felt confident assigning them XD)

Dragon Opal - Light

Chimera Ruby - Fire

Naiad Sapphire - Ice

Sea Serpent Emerald - Water

Angel Pearl - Wind

Gargoyle Amethyst - Darkness

Fairy Agate - Mind

••••• •••• - Spirit

Simurgh Rhodonite - Stars

Sky Whale Tourmaline - Sky

Jackalope Hematite - Metal

Nekomata Morganite - Control

Cù-Sìth Peridot - Earth

Daltokki Moonstone - Gravity

Strix Jasper - Hunt

Demon Bloodstone - Drain

Kotobuki Cinnabrite - Time

And that one I'm undecided on

[himboblackdragon]

chapter idk anymore but it was SO MUCH FUN

summary: xlh and dfqc leave qylj’s island on the back of a sea serpent (named dayu!) and xlh enters her Robinson Crusoe era while dfqc is in a coma

- piggyback ride? piggyback ride

- dragon? sea serpent? dfqc’s sea serpent???

- xlh holds onto him really tightly, but 东方青苍并未指责小兰花. heh heh

- halfway through this book and I already want smut of this couple. the longing

- so happy she got a dragon ride after all

- 她下意识地一把抱住东方青苍，一手圈着他的肩膀，一手捂着他的脑袋，不是寻求保护的姿势，倒像是要去保护东方青苍 SHE PROTECC!

- I appreciate how consistent the worldbuilding and magic are. the gulan’s rule is that it only activates when there’s killing qi around. it’s meant to be defensive, but to use it to do other things, he manufactures or spreads around the killing qi so the gulan is tricked into responding and then he can use it how he wishes. it’s a nice exploitation of a loophole

- dfqc revealing his plan against qianyin shan…breathtaking ability and malevolence

- oh he must have been conscious for the protecc

- it’s almost like he wants to keep her close to him 😆

- xlh trying to activate the gulan is adorable. and of course she can’t because she doesn’t really intend him any harm

- I think he kind of trusts her just like she kind of trusts him (unrelated to the gulan responding to her or not). part of it is he doesn’t really think she can harm him but part of it is he trusts that she really wouldn’t

- wot

- maybe the stones of this island are lethal?

- does she not need to eat or drink?

- oh my god oh my god. she was trying to get a fishing rod all along. that’s hilarious

- oh that’s smart hahaha

- I wonder why a plant spirit knows how to fish though

- I’m loving this robinson crusoe xlh arc. basically a beach episode. love that she tricked a stick out of dfqc’s bone orchid

- she’s using his nails as a knife LMAO. this is xianxia robinson crusoe ft. dfqc as the toolbox

- he smile! in spite of himself!

- ahahaha he’s mad about her fishing pole. made from the gulan’s vine branch and his own hair

- THE SEA SERPENT IS PUTTING FISH ON HER HOOK LMAO. has been all this time lmfaoooo. and she’s been too sleepy/bored to notice. “she didn’t know whether heaven had favored her or whether her luck was just good” LOL

- aw, the sea serpent’s name is dayu

- DAYU IS THE GOODEST BOI

- ahahaha she’s scared but doesn’t know dayu likes her so much

- ok we’re back to the sorta romantic gestures delivered with a bored countenance. BEST ARC IS OVER

[lumilasi]

Someone stole his cheetos

(Ok but in all seriousness, this would probably be the part in his BG story where he goes to save his baby cousin Caelan. He basically climbed on-board damaging the hull, as some fishermen had accidentally fished up his baby cousin, after he got poisoned by an oil spill.)

I decided I also wanted to draw his other half-merman-sea-serpent transformation he has after yesterday's merman thing. Initially I thought about giving him more animal-like legs, but then realized that since his full sea serpent form doesn't even have any, I left them as human like with just those dragonic feet.

This took around 7 hours total to make, which is admittedly faster than I expected. His fin/tail feels a bit big perhaps for this form in hindsight, but he does look better with it than without. (he can un-summon it, the most default version/first step in the transformation chain from human to Sea serpent is this form without the tailfin)

[hrodvitnon]

So we all know by now that Abraxasverse is fair game for stuff like Zerm's recursive fics, and that you're totally cool with concepts getting borrowed from both the canonized stuff and the extended universe ask stuff from this blog.

But what's your stance on Shamhat stuff? How ok are you with people taking some inspiration from that story?

I ask because I figure it's status as incomplete would probably have an effect on this, and my personal assumption is that you'd rather not have major recursive fics that build off that story until it's finished. Which is totally understandable btw.

Main reason I'm asking is because of the more conceptual stuff in the story I really jive with (Godzilla having a knot, Titan mating cycles, Mothra pheromones, double-dick Ghidorah), basically unique ideas you've come up with that others (me) may want to utilize in their own fics.

Just trying to gauge how you'd feel about stuff like that being used by others.

I'm also absolutely okay with anyone taking inspiration from Shamhat! I don't mind any recursive fics going in a different direction than I would have gone; it's a fun way to see how anyone else chooses to interpret things or add things to the table that I might not think of.

Though I should say that certain concepts are likely not a Hrodvitnon Original – as far as I know, Goji having both a prehensile penis and knot hadn't been done before Shamhat (the prehensile part is based on an idea I'd heard that old sea serpent sightings may have been sailors freaking out over whales going to the surface and, ahem, Freeing their Willies. And I thought dolphins were pervs). Though I'm fairly sure double-dong Ghidorah existed prior to Shamhat (unless I've been lax in my spicy fanart research), that just feels right for our favorite golden space dragon to be packing, plus some real life reptiles have double the red rockets as it were.

So... yeah. Feel free to borrow ideas from Shamhat! Go forth and create smut!

[possumkingluca]

dnd story time so.. the party I'm in was camping out on this island to avoid a giant fucking sea serpent swimming around while we figure out what we're gonna do about it, and while on final watch our druid saw a sahuagin peeking around the corner at us.. so they woke us up because gross fish person alert and also what the fuck are they supposed to about it. They might speak every language in the phb but the very specific ones??? They don't speak fish person. Also they only have a +1 in charisma and also are the bluntest mf alive they are NOT allowed to speak. now we are awake and very clearly see it trying to hide behind a rock and we start plotting how the hell we're gonna deal with it. I play an eloquence bard. I have universal speech. I wont be able to understand it because universal speech is a dumb feature BUT idk we can play charades or some shit. Draw in the sand maybe ???

fun little fact: i fucked up a conversation with someone really bad the prior session (i was eepy and couldn't think very well :((( ) and ended up buying a dried fish from them to escape. fighter: you could offer them that fish me: i could..... .....does that count as cannibalism??? DM: ...probably not So i walk up close enough to it so i can use universal speech and held out the dried fish me: would you like fish?

sahuagin: *very carefully walks up* and

ok. so the sahuagin goes back into the water for a minute and.. out comes, a lot of them. ten fish people. ten. me: ... *turns back to our druid* WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE FISH. druid: *starts frantically catching fish* so we start a like fish conveyor belt with our druid catching the fish, throwing it to our fighter, and our fighter tossing it to me to offer. eventually the fighter joins in fishing and luckily they both have a good survival skill so it goes pretty quickly. then out comes one that is a.. woman? maybe? i don't know fish person anatomy, why would i know fish person anatomy this is like the third/fourth time i've ever seen an ocean. and while she's fucking staring me down another one comes out who is much. much. bigger. we just mugged a young dragon (yeah this session started out with us mugging a dragon, happens all the time don't worry about it) and this fucker is the like same height as it. and he has four arms. (kackles is that you ???? (no it's not he's much shorter. and also a bug.)) me: ..do i need like two fish for each of his pair of arms????? priestess sahuagin: touches her finger to my head me: oh shit she gon blow my head off she did not. instead she cast tounges on me. great. because I WANT to have a conversation with these people. so they complement our fishing ability and big fuck asks us if we take commissions.

me: what the fuck do they mean commissions druid's player: say yes. me: ...yes. they want us to catch 50 pounds of fish.

They are offering payment though! Got a pearl necklace worth about 1000 gold.. some earrings worth i think about 500 gold idk i forgor and a big ass gold ship steering wheel worth who fucking knows what the hell ??? They claim they got these from 'the beast' which we assumed meant a ship Now back to the 50 pounds of fish issue. We do have a solution to this problem. Kill the sea serpent and take 50 pounds of meat from it. Solving two problems at once. We give these guys their fish, and we deal with the serpent. But because we are sometimes smart I ask about their opinion on the serpent so we don't like accidentally kill their friend or some shit cause that'd be certified not good

"We care not for the monster who protects the beast" ...sea serpents eat ships.... W A I T. TANAZIR?????

so. this campaign started as a Strixhaven campaign that we continued on after graduation. currently one of our many tasks on our quest to save the world (why are we here what are we doing none of us should be here besides the fighter) is to find where all the founder dragons are hiding. We've already found Shadrix Silverquill and we guessed that Tanazir Quandrix (women in S.T.E.M!!!!) was around here and during mine and the fighter's watches we saw her come out of this whirpool thing and talk to the sea serpent. these fuckers stole from one of the fucking founder dragons. how? how the hell do you accomplish that??

and also now we know that the serpent is friends with Tanazir so we can't kill it because that'd probably piss her off and uh let's not do that. (also we should probably return the treasure to her :((( our money :(((( don't you know robbing two young dragons of their entire hoard is simply not nearly enough money ??? (we are greedy and also lunatics)) anyway okay so not killing the serpent. and we are 100% gonna have to backstab our new fish friends :((( we end up deciding to send our fighter (who has a cloak of the manta ray) and our druid (can just.. become a fish) to go into deeper water to hopefully find some tuna, while me and our wizard (he's here too, just has been comatose cause his player wasn't here. gonna be a fun surprise for him next session.) stay here to make sure the sahuagin don't think we're scamming them or something. Also i can compensate for our wizard's zero in charisma, and while our fighter has a -1 in charisma he was a quandrix student so he'll probably be ok if they encounter the serpent maybe. the sahuagin asked how long it would take for us to get the fish (it would take maybe a week maybe longer) so with a not technically a lie (the DM let me use persuasion thank god because i can't get lower than a 21 in persuasion (silver tounge rizz)) i convinced them that'd it take about two weeks BUT if they provided us a harpoon (the fighter wanted one) it'd only take a week-ish Before our druid and fighter could escape the sahuagin start circling around them.. singing? some ritual's going on, mayhaps blessing their trip. maybe. and the fuckin priestess one comes up to me and starts having a conversation. Priestess Sahuagin: Are you of faith? Me: /i don't follow any gods i'm just an english major. welp the founder dragons are like almost gods so Shadrix can count sure why not/ ..yes Priestess Sahuagin: *asking me if i like the spell guiding bolt* (I forgot exactly what she said) Me: *considers the like 10 times i've ended a fight with a well timed crit using guiding bolt* yes. Priestess Sahuagin: *something about their shark god i don't remember i'm tired* druid's player: he's pretty neat Me: ...he's pretty neat. Priestess Sahuagin: He is pretty neat :) (help) anyway so I planned for our wizard and i to kinda hang out on the beach while we wait for the other two to return. the sahuagin had other plans. They ask if we have gills (no) They ask what we are

me: do they want an actual answer ??? DM: yeah me: ...im a lizardfolk ...*points at fighter* he's a dragonborn *points at druid* they're a tiefling (the sahuagin have no fucking clue what the hell (heh) a tiefling is and maybe that's for the best) and *points at wizard* he's a human. Sahuagin: *death staring our wizard* that explains why he's elf like. ??why does everyone have beef with elves?? let's just leave out the fact our druid has an elven husband. and be glad we didn't bring him with us on this trip. i mean he's not a sea elf but y'know anyway so the session ends with our wizard and i about to be kidnapped and dragged to the ocean where the sahuagin live (im pretty sure we were given potions of water breathing which is good cause i would prefer not drowning.) and the druid and fighter setting out to go get a shit ton of fish pray for our souls

@datfatnerd are you proud us

[ygo-monster-type-tournament]

Ok just for reference here is the list of types in alphabetical order, not including Divine-Beast which may or may not make it in (this will NOT be the tournament order. probably)

Aqua

Beast

Beast-Warrior

Cyberse

Dinosaur

Dragon

Fairy

Fiend

Fish

Galaxy

Insect

Machine

Plant

Psychic

Pyro

Reptile

Rock

Sea Serpent

Spellcaster

Thunder

Warrior

Winged Beast

Wyrm

Zombie

side note i personally think Cyberse should have been translated as Cyverse i think it sounds cooler, like Cyber Universe. But that's neither here, there nor anywhere.

[borntolurk]

OK, inspired by this EXCELLENT listing and the comments I have an idea- a probably insane idea but an idea nonetheless-

SPOILERS BELOW:

So we know that the Apocalypse is supposed to have happened four years before the start of S1. Clearly a lot of preparations were made for it, and I'm sure that someone like Gabriel would have been very very mad that it didn't go off.

As mentioned in the above post, the matchbox that Muriel finds has a verse from Job written on it that describes the Leviathan, a massive sea creature that has different kinds of significance in Jewish and Christian religious texts but one unifying factor is that in both, it has a significance for the end of days. As early as the book of Isaiah, it's described as a tortuous serpent that will be slain at the end of days, and later in the Book of Revelation it is likely the seven-headed dragon that is, as in Isaiah, killed by God at the very end. Since the Leviathan represents chaos, this is the last thing needed to be done before a world of peace is born- the final act of the Apocalypse.

(Also worth noting- Aquinas identifies the Leviathan with the sin of envy, the Talmud has the skin of the Leviathan being used as shelter in the World to Come and its flesh being eaten by the righteous [with the Zohar saying that it's a metaphor for enlightenment], and the Gnostics considered the Leviathan and the snake that tempted Eve to be one and the same. Putting a pin in all of those, especially the last one, because while they don't fit into my current theory they are still INTERESTING.)

So my theory is:

When the Apocalypse was supposed to be happening, something happened with the Leviathan. I'm not so sure. Maybe it never existed on Earth and was supposed to be figurative until the big moment, maybe it withered to dust because of something Adam did, who knows. But Gabriel, disappointed that the whole thing didn't happen, has gone rogue and is growing a new one. Because after all, if the slaying of the Leviathan by God is the final step toward the victory of Heaven over Hell, then surely going straight to the Leviathan is a cheat code? Won't he be a hero if he just presents the Almighty with the Leviathan to slay, skipping all those pesky steps in between?

Now, a massive sea monster, described in an entire chapter of Job in terms of its hugeness and scariness, and one that has existed for thousands of years, may well grow pretty slowly. So Gabriel- secretly, because officially the Apocalypse is off- starts to grow one. As a tadpole (or whatever) it's small, and can fit in a matchbox, and nobody has to know that it's there.

But then it starts to get bigger. It doesn't fit in the matchbox anymore... and someone finds out. No idea who, but it's what leads to Gabriel packed off out of Heaven, his memory wiped, and with only the one possession that he's been prizing for the last four years- his Leviathan. Which he then proceeds to take with him to the bookshop... where it crawls/slithers out of the box after Gabriel (I mean Jim) goes inside.

Are there a gazillion holes in this theory? Yes, of course. I mean, where would Gabriel have gotten the matchbox which is clearly not Heaven issue and clearly a human artifact? Why would he have been able to bring the Leviathan with him? How the hell does this relate to the, well, literally everything else in our list of clues? (Though maybe it is relevant to the lizards...)

But it DOES explain why there are two empty boxes, both of which are associated with Gabriel; why the Leviathan is brought up and why the minisode is about Job; and why we're still getting things that feel pretty dang Apocalypse-y with the Resurrectionist pub and "everyday, things are getting closer." And a demonic (in Christian texts at least) snake being an antagonist figure in the season would be an interesting contrast with whatever Crowley arc is in the mix.

Anyway, it was a fun twenty minutes writing it up, so... and hey, if even one aspect of it ends up being accurate I will die laughing, which will be fun.

Neil has hinted that the plot of Good Omens S2 is a solvable “Clue” esque mystery

Here’s the Puzzle pieces we have received thus far :

❓the box: held by Gabriel while he is naked and amnesiac - it is left on the bookshop stoop for a few minutes and is empty by the time azirpahale looks inside in ep 1

❓the matchbox from the resurrectionist pub - found on the ground in heaven by Muriel, has a quote from the book of job on the side that was SPECIFICALLY zoomed in on before the Job epsiodes even started (HELP someone: what was the quote I was too drunk) EDIT: someone told be its Job 41:19 “Out of his mouth to burning lamps, and sparks of fire pour forth” which is a description of the biblical beast the “Leviathan”

❓everyday by buddy holly - hummed by Gabriel in the bookshop though he has no idea where it’s from or what it is, in fact he thinks he made it up; the restrictionist pub has a jukebox that turns all vinyl records into everyday by buddy holly

❓the miracle to hide Gabriel - both Crowley and Azirpahale work together to perform “half a miracle” each so it’s small and unnoticeable, however the angels show up and tell Azirpahale it was a HUGE miracle

❓Jane Austen - theming the street party/festival as an Austen ball, both azirpahale and Crowley apparently met her

❓lizards - they were in a lot of the promotional material posters, is it just reference to Job’s children being hidden as lizards by Crowley ?

I swear, after two epsiodes which is a third of the show you have NO IDEA how these things fit together …… any ideas friends ?? Especially confused by the Job story tying into the pub ??

[nasod-bird]

I want to see a situation where a malnomen isn’t an entirely bad thing.

We saw Jean-Jacques give up his true name willingly to protect Chloé, and we also saw Chloé give up her true name to get revenge on Naenia for Jean-Jacques.

What I want to see was not either of those, and how our protagonists react.

What I want to see is a situation where a person hates their true name so viscerally that they thought anything would be better than it, so willingly gave it up and became a curse-bearer.

Personally, I think and hope the person that will fill my desire for this is Loki.

This was an idea that briefly touched upon in Chapter 13.

Lord Ruthven says this when Noé brings up healing Loki:

“Salvation takes many forms. Being freed from the curse does not necessarily bring happiness to the person in question.”

I wonder if that was something Lord Ruthven interpreted from Loki, if it was something Loki told Lord Ruthven but not Lucas, or a mix of both.

I think this is something Vanitas already understand on some level, but Noé does not.

When Noé tells Vanitas that Jean-Jacques was the Beast and that Chloé became a curse-bearer of his accord, he says this:

“…Well, this was a wasted trip.”

At that point, he didn’t understand why either if them became curse-bearers willingly, just that they did.

This was after he was visibly saddened after he came too late to save Catherine and had to kill her in Chapter 10.

Even though afterwards Noé shakes him and demands to know what salvation is, Vanitas states that he has no idea. I’m of the opinion he does know on some level, and is either unwilling or unable to voice it.

However he also quotes words from Chapter 1.

“No matter what you want… I will save you without fail.”

Note he doesn’t say ‘heal’. Noé just interpreted this as salvation = being healed from a curse-bearer. This almost definitely comes from seeing Louis killed in front of him by his teacher as he lost control as a curse-bearer. And based on his narration at the end of Chapter 1, it still doesn’t seem like he gets over it by the time that narration occurs.

Back to Loki. He doesn’t seem bothered by the fact he’s chained up all that much. Of course he could just be hiding it for Lucas’ sake.

In the shadows in Chapter 38, right before Naenia gets incarnated, there’s a figure that looks to be Loki. And notably, his hands are not bound. I wonder why. If we go on the theory that he was bound willingly, he might genuinely not be bothered.

And that leads to what I want to see, either from Loki or someone else: a person that became a malnomen willingly for no reason other than that they loathe their true name to the point where they’re willing to do anything to get rid of it. Even warp it into a malnomen.

I feel like Loki is a good canditate for what I want to see. His given name is Loki, which is the name of the trickster god of Norse mythology. This opens up the possibility that Loki’s true name is something along the lines of Ragnarök: the events that include a great battle and lead to a death of a number of great figures, and that will submerge the current world in water.

He already makes references to the fact that “we went to the trouble of smashing her corpse up for her,” implying he was around for her death, and may have taken part.

In that vein, I theorize that his malnomen might be something like Jörmungandr, the world serpent who heralds Ragnarök by releasing it’s tail. Malnomen are shown to be related to the true name: Millie is the theater of ice and snow, and the malnomen of Canorus, she who plays snow crystals.

Lupe Garou, wolf who hunts crimson, is the malnomen of Bucolicus, he who composes Idylls. An “idyll” is defined as:

“An extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque episode or scene, typically an idealized or unsustainable one.”

So the malnomen Lupe Garou destroys the idylls composed by Bucolicus.

And then that brings us to the first malnomen/true name pair: Eglantine, prison of briars and Florifel, she who guides spring. When one thinks of spring, they usually think of flowers. Prison of Briars can be interpreted as “the briars that strangle the spring blooms.”

They are related like Jörmungandr is to Ragnarök.

As to why I posit Jörmungandr instead of Fenrir for the malnomen? Because based on my  understanding of Norse mythology, Jörmungandr encircles Midgard, which is surrounded by water, and so large it grasps it’s own tail. When it releases its tail, Ragnarök begins, sinking Midgard into the water. It can be argued that Jörmungandr is the thing that keeps Ragnarök at bay.

Going along with this theory, if the malnomen Jörmungandr is born from Ragnarök, then “healing” the malnomen could be analogous to  “the ouroboros releasing it’s tail, and heralding the end of the world as we know it”.

This could explain why Lord Ruthven doesn’t want Loki healed.

However, this is all conjecture.

Please feel free to comment and correct me on my understanding of Vanitas no Carte ad well as Norse Mythology!

<

p>Edit: I forgot about Bucolicus and Lupe Garou. And Eglanine and Florifel. Ack.

[holydramon]

gonna make a dragon au for duck show

[guardian-rising]

Ok so yesterday I was lucky and got this to happen:

However, no matter how much I tried to make it work or even just like the combo for this dragon, ngl I just couldn't. So I rescattered him

I got this from the scatter and a scry (he's completely gened as well now!) and man, I couldn't be happier with him right now! A perfect combo for a Sea Serpent and while he's no longer a double he is a one off!

[merklins]

Other hlvrv fish for consideration

(THIS GOT A LITTLE LONG SO I PUT IT UNDER A READ MORE. Enjoy fish <3 )

Overlord: Sea serpent! I think he'd love being a sea serpent, specifically the really old ones that were drawn all over maps. They looked like dragons and were HUGE! Come on. Tell me The Overlord himself wouldn't want to be an awesome creature of mythos. It's like being an oarfish, but even better! AND he gets to cause fear and panic in sailors and sink their ships! Perfect.

Polite Benrey: Dark shyshark! That's a type of catshark (Polite Benrey loves cats) that ALSO has the common name of. wait for it. "Pretty Happy". These creatures are called pretty happys. ISN'T THAT SO COOL? And want to know why they're called shysharks? It's because when something scares them they curl up and hide their face behind their tail! Picture (:

It's really cute, BUT NOT TO WORRY!! Polite Benrey has a helmet so he feels extra secure wherever he is, and he can still swim around and hang out with friends without turning into a burnt onion ring!

Y2KVR Benrey: Hermit crab! BUT NOT JUST ANY HERMIT CRAB! He'd be one of the hermit crabs from the ocean that carry around anemones and other sea life on/insteadof shells! (I TRIED TO RESEARCH THIS MORE BUT I GOT CONFUSED.) Whichever it is, there seems to be a case of mutualism between the two, where the crab is protected by the stinging cells of the anemone, and the anemone gets a free mode of transport! (AHA, LIKE THE VIRUS AND IT'S MESSENGER!) If the events of y2kvr were fish I imagine he'd start off with some kind of VERY BAD REEF-WRECKING CREATURE, but after finally talking it out with Gordon B and eventually feeling safe around him, they'd find him an even better shell that doubles as a necklace and lets Benrey carry around good sea life (:

The Old Man (YES I KNOW THIS IS AN ODD CHARACTER TO DO THIS FOR): Greenland shark. They're old hehe end of post.

KIDDING! Greenland sharks are a type of sleeper shark that have a... very slow metabolism... (do you see what I'm doing here) which allows them to live longer than any other vertebrae! And yet? WE RARELY SEE THESE GUYS BECAUSE THEY'RE OFF IN THE DEPTHS OF THE ARCTIC DOING WHATEVER IT IS SHARKS DO! Classic G-man behavior. Oh and also sometimes these guys MIGHT (it's only theorised right now) have cool glowing blue eyes because of little creatures that live on the sharks and attract prey for them! This usually causes damage to their eyes, but it's ok because greenland sharks are so good at hunting by smell and hearing that vision loss doesn't even slow them down! (ahha slow them down. they can't get any slower! SLOWEST FISH ON EARTH COMPARED TO SIZE. TRUE FACT!) And they haven't hurt anyone and they have such a big smile and they look a little vintage! Trust me it's a good match (:

Project Coolatta: So yesterday I learned that one time. true real life story. some fisherman over in Belize doing shark research found a shark that was SUPER UNUSUAL FOR THE REGION hanging around a coral reef, but they weren't able to keep the shark long enough to get a proper ID because there was a storm coming, so they settled for the video they had rolling and released the shark so it would have enough time to get out of there. AND THEN LATER ONCE THEY WERE TRYING TO ID THIS THING they find out that. oopsies oh shit. that's the only sleeper shark to ever be spotted in that region, and they let it go without gathering ANY DATA on it. And not only that, but it was PROBABLY a hybrid between two different sleeper sharks with two DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT [RANGES?]. Although a hybrid of the two wasn't a first or very shocking, WHAT WAS A DEEP SEA SHARK DOING IN A SHALLOW REEF SYSTEM?? Visiting his friends of course (: That shark. That shark SPECIFICALLY is Project Coolatta. ANYWAY! Additional fun fact: Pacific Sleeper Sharks, the suspected other half to the Greenland shark hybrid, are known for swimming in really hot and acidic waters. And by that I mean they've been spotted swimming under a volcano! Project Coolatta loves a good swim in a volcano green sludge <3

Leading Light: Flamboyant cuttlefish! I saw Loverboy drawn as a cuttlefish a few times, so I think it's only fair that Leading Light gets to be a cooler cuttlefish. They're poisonous! VERY POISONOUS! They turn pink as a threat! They're sooo so good at creating a disguise to blend in and hide their true selves... to look like dirt so they can eat shrimp and crabs and stuff of course. No double meanings here at all! /sar

ohhh uh. hhhmmm. it's ok man you don't look like someone else! You look like a pile of sand. (:

BREAKING NEWS! Oarfish faces the wrath of Casa De Neo

[gamerbearmira]

In mermaid au what colour would the madrigals tails be?

OK I. Had to redo this. Because it didnt save the schedule and post 😭😭 so sorry it took so long

Isabela's is a dark blue with a kind of light bluish-purple flowers, and she glows a light indigo. Dolores is just red and has pink soundwaves, and glows a dark red-pink. Luisa has a indigo tail; she has no fins because hers is more eel based; she has weight patterning and glows a more light purple. Camilo's is orange, and hss geometric patterning; he glows light orange. Mirabel's is teal with sky blue butterflies, and glows the same color as the butt fly. Antonio's is light yellow, with even lighter patterning; his tail is like Diego's (Felix's grandfather).

Pedro's base color is red, but he has dark red and light red spots that glow. Alma and Juliet a technically don't have tails, so they don't glow, but their tridents do. Alma's is the same color as her dress while Julieta is blue either navy blue patterning. Pepa's is similsr to a sunset, and her fins are white; she glows white. Bruno's base color green, and has dark and light green spots that glow, similar to Pedro.

In the alt universe with Felix is similar to Antonio, but a little dark, and the pattern is slightly different. Agustin isn't a mer person either, he's a sea dragon/serpent; his sea features are mostly navy blue with some black amd white. His eyes and inside of his mouth glow tho lmao

Hope this helps????

[theparanormalperiodical]

Everything You Never Knew About Dragons: Folklore, Fossils And Praying For Rain

Ever heard of the Monster of Troy? Didn’t think so. Go look up the “Monster of Troy vase” on Google. 

Most of us wouldn’t be that excited by this ancient Greek ornament.

Yeah, no, it’s really cool that it was made in 600BC, and like, I don’t hate the aesthetic but it just won’t go with my new mustard shag rug.

But there’s something rather special about this vase.

What you can see here is a typical mythological scene: it’s Hercules rescuing Hesoine from this great, lurching sea serpent. But what makes this accent piece quite so interesting is how the large head of the ‘Monster of Troy’ is detailed with a tongue and lizard-like eyes.

But this isn’t any old defeat-evil-be-heroic-and-become-disney-cult-classic vase.

We think this vase is one of the first records of a fossil discovery.

The ancient Greeks didn’t know about the dinosaurs. They didn’t know that just beneath the soles of their sandals (yes, I checked that they wore sandals) were the bones of distant worlds that in this case had been wiped out 7 million years ago.

So, when those living around the Aegean Sea and Turkey started finding these strange, unknown, beast-like skulls…

I mean, I’d be worried.

They were convinced it was a sea serpent, a creature that has slithered into its folklore and was ruling its resulting myths. But these days, we know that they probably unearthed a Samotherium - an extinct, mid-size Giraffe.

If the Greeks stumbled across the skulls of these adorable creatures, finding bigger, more terrifying dinosaur skulls enriched with sharp teeth, sweeping claws, and deep, deep eye sockets must’ve convinced them that dragons really existed.

It was a short leap to the fully-fledged, fire breathing, satan-repesentin’, emperors-only dragons that still soar the skies of our fantasy lands. Today, I’m giving you the lowdown on the history of dragon folklore across the world, the cultural significance of the mythical beasts, and why we believed in them once upon a time.

Ok, let’s just guess this out there.

Dragons do exist.

*Technically.*

This is a komodo dragon.

They can grow to 2.6m (8.5 feet) long, release venom which can paralyse you, and the females can even reproduce without the males.

‘Draco’, the latin name for ‘dragon’, is still applied to several lizards. But unfortunately they aren’t as exciting as the beasts soaring through Dragonstone or terrorising the good people of Skyrim.

What Are Dragons?

A dragon is a legendary creature that typically takes the form of a large serpentine beast often adorned with wings and the ability to breathe fire. They are a staple of fantasy fiction and are normally associated with the medieval age - when folklore that featured them reached its peak of popularity in Europe - or with Chinese New Year.

When we think of dragons, we think of a cookie cutter image of a lizard-dinosaur hybrid. But in East Asian cultures, the snake-like dragon free of wings (and sometimes endowed with facial hair) is the main character of festivals.

There has been a wide range of dragons reported and described in folklore across the world since 3000 BC, but there are significant features and tropes that draw them together across borders.

Some represent evil, some bring luck; some are symbols of gods and kings, some are to be defeated by them. As with all mythical and paranormal creatures, they reflect the world in which they were created.

A Brief History Of Dragons

Due to the significance of dragons in East Asian history and culture, I’ve segmented this section into non-Eastern and Eastern history.

Our story starts 5000 years ago, in ancient Egypt. But it doesn’t start with a dragon. It starts with a snake.

According to tradition, every time the sun goes down it's because the sun god, Ra, is descending to the depths of the underworld to battle Apep. Apep was a giant serpent that came in at 8-men-long with a roar so powerful it could send storms and earthquakes to the living realm. But Apep ain’t the only giant snake slitherin’ round Duat.

Sometimes, Nehebkua (a snake so big the earth was thought to rest on its coils) would help Ra in his daily battles. And then there was Denwen, a snake made of fire that nearly destroyed all of the gods.

Denwen was defeated by a pharaoh, a victory used to established his right to rule. This was the first battle between a proto-dragon and a king. It would set a precedent for thousands of years.

This was not the only legacy of ancient Egypt for dragon folklore: protectively enshrouding Ra was an ouroboros: a serpent that swallowed its one tale. This would prevail as an iconic image of a dragon chewing on its own tail and has featured in numerous belief systems over the years.

800 miles down the road in ancient Mesopotamia, a more familiar image of a dragon emerged. In Sumerian poetry, kings are being compared to giant serpentine monsters, an association with the divine and power that would grip mythology for centuries. But we start to see a more familiar dragon-like creature appear around 2300 BC.

It’s the front half of a lion, and the back and wings of a bird. Known as the nā’iru, it was a "roaring weather beast". Throughout history, dragons are typically associated with storms, wind, and crappy weather, and this was one of the first dragons to be directly linked to it. A few other dragons also appeared, such as the mušḫuššu, which was associated with deities and even considered a protective emblem.

So far, there were no strong lines demarcating whether dragons or giant serpents were good or bad.

Then, the Bible was written.

In the Old Testament (estimated to have been written around 1200 BC), we encounter one of the most famous dragons featured in folklore: Leviathan.

In the Book of Psalms, the sea dragon is slain by Yahweh, the god of Israel and Judah as a part of the creation of the world. By claiming victory over the beast, this verified the beginning of a new world.

But to me, Leviathan also heralded a new era of dragons as his form took on the features of a modern beast: he breathes fire and smoke as well as representing the battle between Yahweh and the nations that stand against him.

Shone under the spotlight of good and evil, the dragon then began to take on association with sin. According to Sufi literature (Islamic mysticism), the dragon represents greed and lust and needs to be overcome in a spiritual battle. This was immortalised in the battle between Rostam, an Iranian monster, who needed to slay an invisible 80m dragon. Rostam slayed this dragon amongst others, including one notable feat from which he is swallowed by a dragon and kills it from the inside.

Indo-European mythology bears similar burn marks with the story of a hero slaying a dragon/serpent being copy-and-pasted across folklore.

Ancient Greece and Rome was apparently littered with serpents bursting with paranormal powers, many of which had more than one head. From the gods taking on these monsters themselves to one of their favourite heroes defeating them in a trial, this tradition cemented that dragons were to feature as a part of a hero’s tale for eternity.

This would go on to influence the bible yet again, but this time in the New Testament: according to the Book of Daniel, the Great Red Dragon is the culprit for knocking some of the sun, moon, and stars out of the sky. Then, there was a war in heaven.

This ended with the dragon being tossed down to earth, confirming that he represented the Devil.

As we enter Norse mythology, we see a more medieval approach to dragons form. Take Beowulf: in this old English epic, a slave steals a cup from a sleeping dragon. The dragon wakes up and goes on a rampage. In steps Beowulf - but he doesn’t get that far into battle before he gets hurt.

Then Wiglaf gives it a go and he succeeds! The dragon is slayed!

*Hooray*

But what really matters in this story is that Wiglaf is told by Beowulf to bury the dragon’s treasure. Yep, enter the Tolkein trope: dragons have and hoard large amounts of treasure. I don’t know how they get it or why they want it, but it probably speaks volumes of the excessive power associated with having lots of cash. It parallels them with the gods and kings they are typically associated with.

We then arrive at the 12th century - when belief in dragons in Europe is at its peak. This is when we have the legendary battle between the red and white dragon to symbolise the victory of England over Wales, and of course the legend of St George and the Dragon.

First popularised in mainstream English culture in the 11th century, it's’ a typical tale of a brave hero overcoming a horrific beast - but he only promises to kill the dragon if everyone agrees to become Christian.

This medieval approach would be immortalised by fantasy books, films, and of course the other timeless legends that inspired them. But the dragon in Eastern Asian culture takes a far more significant position.

Dragons In East Asia

China

According to Chinese tradition, it is the highest-ranking animal in the animal hierarchy. It was first detailed on Neolithic pottery (we’re talking 10,000-4000 BC), and the word ‘dragon’ actually sounds like thunder in Cantonese.

Most Eastern belief systems and traditions depict dragons not necessarily something to be defeated but something one is descended from. In fact, many of the oldest stories detail how people had dragons like pets, including the emperor Kongjia and a man named Dongfu who could tame dragons.

One of the most interesting tales, however, is that of the sighting of lung ma by Fu Hsi. This horse-dragon had dots across its back, so Fu Hsi drew a picture of it as he was mesmerised by its form. This drawing - namely the dots - was used to invent Chinese writing.

Around 500BC a new tradition emerged: the belief that people were being impregnated by dragons. The Miao of southwest China still supposedly believe a dragon created people by breathing on monkeys.

Many of these tales tap into the shared belief that dragons are associated with rain and drought - that is, if a dragon is lazy, there will be a drought. Rainmaking rituals in these nations revolve around dragons.

As we entered the Han dynasty (200 BC), dragons began to be associated with deities. And then, they became associated with emperors. They claimed to be incarnates of the beasts, having imagery of dragons on their goods, houses, and clothing. Any commoners that dared wear a dragon’s image were swiftly executed.

After 1911, when the last emperor was overthrown, many Chinese people considered themselves descendants of dragons. This is still a common belief, but few literally believe they descended from mythological beasts - it is a metaphor for the creation of the universe and the nation.

Japan

Inspired by chinese myths, Japan closely follows the lore of dragons. But they emphasize that dragons are water deities often residing in wet locations.

They can also be exorcised or appeased with metal. The association with deities was intensified when it was adopted by Buddhism; many Buddhist gods are shown sitting on dragons.

To this day, in the village of Okumura, the villagers still make an effigy of a dragon during times of drought to encourage rainfall.

Korea

Again, the Korean dragon bears a similarity to other Eastern dragons. But for some reason they tend to have facial hair and sometimes carry an orb. Those that carry it have the power to create at will.

Just like other dragons, they are associated with water and storms, and reside in lakes and oceans. The dragon also became a symbol of the monarch here and the imagery was used exclusively by their rulers.

But unlike other myths, Korean dragons have a long lifecycle documented by folklore: most dragons start out as imugis (serpents). If they caught one of the orbs that fell from heaven, they could take the title. Another version claims imugis must survive 1000 years to become a dragon.

As they live in caves, a sighting is considered good luck, chiming with the belief across East Asian cultures that dragons symbolise good fortune.

Does Anyone Still Believe In Dragons?

Dragons are still heavily utilised in East Asian festivals, such as dragon boat races or dragon dances. But few actually believe that they exist.

This lack of belief, even amongst hardcore paranormalists, for example, is pretty rare when it comes to mythical creatures or supernatural entities. But this is because of their size: if they existed, you’d probably often see a great, hulking dinosaur flip-flappin’ past your bathroom window.

They don’t have many places to hide like ghosts or other entities can.

But some belief systems do have a special place reserved for dragons.

The Bible, amongst other religious texts, does mention dragons as stated previously. Of course, very few believe these beasts are real. They consider them, much like East Asian communities, a metaphor or a symbol.

Some devout believers will believe they exist, but we aren’t talking about them today.

We’re talking about draconic wiccans.

Now, this group of people are pretty underground, by the looks of it. They’re kind of mentioned in passing and no one really talks about what they do or why they do it. So, I did some digging.

Draconic wicca is a branch that believes in the power of dragons. They work with dragons a bit like other wiccans work with gods and entities: they believe there are lots of different dragons to pick and choose from but at the top of the hierarchy there is The Dragon that they believe has the combined powers of the God and the Goddess.

If you want to practice draconic wicca, just invoke a dragon and ask them to assume your spiritual body. Through this, you can use their power for your magic. There are a range of dragons to choose from including guardian dragons, faery dragons, elemental dragons, and chaos dragons.

If you want to learn more about draconic wicca, check out this really helpful blog post I discovered!

Why Did We Believe In Dragons?

So, we know that not many people believe in dragons anymore. But why did we all those centuries ago?

Firstly, we have to consider that dragons aren’t that alien from the creatures we contend with on a daily basis. Scholars claim dragons are a hybrid of our instinctive fears. The creatures we fear the most were basically amalgamated into one terrifying beast: snakes, birds, and big cats.

But scholars also believe a big influence on belief was the discovery of fossils. In 400 BC, one chinese scholar found bones we now know were that of a dinosaur. But he recorded them as the bones of a dragon.

There are numerous cases of such discoveries, all of which would’ve helped build a picture that wasn’t that far off the creatures detailed in their religious texts.

There is also evidence to suggest that we might’ve gotten them confused with other animals, like the Nile crocodile or goannas. Either way, I don’t blame ‘em for thinking dragons might’ve existed.

If I unearthed one of the T-Rexes that ended up in a museum, I’d be terrified, too.

We also have to consider where these dragons reportedly lived. Most mythical creatures were associated with places like forests, caves, lakes - places associated with danger. These were places people didn’t go, didn’t know much about, and with limited visibility. They were as mysterious as the dragons rumoured to be swimming ‘round them.

We might now know dragons don’t exist, but their power and significance is still very real today.

Do you think dragons could exist?

If you liked this post go ahead and like ‘n reblog this post! And if you can’t wait to hear more spooky shizz, make sure you hit follow.

Byyyyyyyyeeeeeee.

[alice-beaumont-ravenclaw]

Corcovado e Samba

A/N #1: Finally! The penultimate fic of my Brazilian series is done! Factor in a new job and lack of inspiration when I had some free time, and you got the explanation as to why it took forever!

Alice's outfits: Day | Samba Night

Cidade maravilhosa, cheia de encantos mil! Cidade maravilhosa, coração do meu Brasil!

Alice stared at the bay, the statue of Christ the Redeemer standing firmly behind her, his arms extended as if to welcome everyone to Rio. She couldn’t help but think about someone seemingly calling out her name the day before, not to mention the creature she had seen, certain it wasn’t a figment of her imagination. Part of her was worried the heat had gotten to her, and everything might have just been the effect of said heat. But imagining a dragon-like creature… That seemed more like something that could happen to Charlie. And the voice. It didn’t sound like the voice of anyone she knew. Could one imagine hearing an unknown voice? She always figured that she'd start hearing Rowan's voice if she became mad as a hatter.

She turned around, leaning back against the balustrade. “Am I losing my marbles?” she asked, looking up at the statue’s face.

“I would say talking to statues is not a good sign,” said Tonks, as she leaned back next to Alice.

Alice stuck out her tongue at her. “I was not expecting a reply. Mostly talking to myself. Anyway, why aren’t you with the others?”

“Got tired of squinting at things we’re supposed to see from here. Should have brought binoculars. Also, talking to oneself is not a good sign either,” replied Tonks, Alice elbowing her slightly as she turned back towards the sea. “But why the sudden concern regarding your mental state?”

“It’s just… Oh, you’ll probably think I’m crazy.”

“My mother named me Nymphadora. I don’t think you can achieve that level of crazy.”

“Ok, fine. I think I saw a dragon-like sea serpent or something in the water yesterday.”

“You’re spending too much time with Weasley.”

“Funny. I was just thinking that was more the kind of thing Charlie would imagine than me.”

“Anyway, it’s not completely farfetched for you to have seen a magical creature. Some could be hiding in the sea.”

“But the worst part is… I think it called out my name.”

“Hmmm…” hummed Tonks, tapping her finger against her chin. “Well, some creatures are capable of legilimency, like that Wampus cat that terrorized Hogsmeade, but never heard of sea serpents or dragons having that skill. Maybe you should ask Charlie or Barnaby about it?”

“What if they think I’m crazy?”

“Why would they think that? Even if they’ve never heard of such mind-reading creatures, maybe you just discovered a new species. Maybe it will be named after you! Alicus Serpentus!”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“Still, I don’t think you should be worried. Worst case scenario is that all you saw was a plastic bottle floating around, and you heard someone else call out your name or something that sounded like it. Alice is not some super rare name, not like Nymphadora.”

“Eh, you’re probably right,” said Alice as she pushed herself off the railing. “We’d better go join the others. Wouldn’t want them to leave without us.”

“Do we really have to go back at squinting at things?”

“We are actually done ‘squinting at things,’” said Charlie, who was walking up to them. “The others are waiting for us at the station,” he added, holding out his hand for Alice to take.

“Well, we shouldn’t make them wait, then,” said Alice, taking Charlie’s hand.

“Look at you two! It’s sickening,” said Tonks with a smirk before walking ahead of them.

Alice glanced behind her at the bay as they made their way to the Corcovado Rack Railway station. Maybe Tonks was right. Maybe what she had heard and seen yesterday had a simple explanation. Maybe…

“Alice?” said Charlie, looking at her and then looking at the bay. “Is everything ok?”

“Oh! Hum, yes, just admiring the view one last time,” said Alice, quickly turning her glance to Tonks walking in front of them.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, dubious, but he knew better than press Alice on a subject she didn’t want to talk about. They eventually met up with their friends, and it wasn’t long before they boarded the train that would bring them back to the base station in Cosme Velho.

Inside the train, Andre was gushing about the outfit he had planned for Alice for their evening of samba. “Wait until you see it. She’s going to be the belle of the ball!” he said, his eyes twinkling.

“I think Andre is more excited about your outfit than you are,” whispered Penny to Alice.

“That’s true for all the outfits he puts together for me,” said Alice, a small smile spreading across her lips.

“Hum, Andre?” chimed in Alanza, looking worried. “About Alice’s outfit… It isn’t too much, right?”

“Nothing is ever ‘too much!’” exclaimed Andre.

“Speak for yourself,” grumbled Alice.

“No, what I mean is that people don’t dress up fancy like it’s done in São Paulo when they go out to samba, mostly because it usually takes place outside, like at Pedra do Sal or just outside a small bar like the one we are going to tonight. Not to mention that wearing fancy clothes can bring you the wrong kind of attention,” explained Alanza, as the colour drained from Andre’s face.

“Someone should write down the time Andre’s fashion instinct failed him for the first time,” said Tulip, grinning.

“Does this mean I don’t have to change for samba night?” asked Alice.

Before Alanza could say anything, Andre said, “As much as this overall-crop top combo is cute—”

“Look at him, complimenting the outfit he created,” interrupted Alice.

“As I was saying, as cute as this creation of mine is, I still want to see you in that dress I picked out for you. We will just have to… casualize your outfit.”

“It’s a first! Andre Egwu will have to tone down one of his creations!” exclaimed Tulip, Andre sticking out his tongue to her before getting deep in thoughts to figure out how to salvage the outfit he had planned.

“Wait, that also means we all have to rethink our outfits,” pointed out Diego.

“Though I don’t think any of us planned outfits as extravagant as Andre’s,” said Tonks.

“The boys probably just have to stick to a shirt and pants and skip the tie and blazer if they had one in mind,” noted Penny.

“Definitely no heels for the ladies,” chimed Tulip.

“Oh, heels are fine, just nothing as glitzy as what Alice wore for the New Year’s Eve party,” explained Alanza.

“I’m still going to stick to my no heels rule,” replied Tulip.

“I approve of that rule,” said Tonks.

“I think I’ll go with heels. What about you, Alice?” asked Penny.

“You ask me like I have a say in the matter,” replied Alice, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t worry, ladies, I’ll take care of all your outfits,” said Andre. “You just need to go and relax at the spa.”

“Spa? We don’t have spa appointments,” said Alice.

“I made them the moment I knew when we’d go samba. Even if the affair is much less formal than I thought, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be pampered,” replied Andre.

“Oh! I want a mud bath!” exclaimed Tonks.

“NO!” exclaimed Alice and Penny.

“Awww, come on. Tulip and I will behave this time,” replied Tonks.

“And I promise to leave Dennis in the room,” added Tulip.

“I am not risking Mud Bath Disaster at the Spa: Rio Edition. That one time on the cruise was enough,” replied Alice.

“Wait, what happened on the cruise?” asked Andre, an eyebrow raised.

“You don’t want to know,” said Alice, shaking her head.

The rest of the time on the train and in the taxi getting them back to the hotel, the girls talked about what treatment they would get at the spa. Once they arrived at the hotel, the group waved goodbye to Alanza, who promised to be back at 8:30 pm to head to the bar where musicians would play samba music. They headed to the hotel’s restaurant for lunch before the girls went to their spa appointments, Tulip leaving Dennis in Barnaby’s care.

“What do you think the boys will do while we’re here?” asked Alice as they looked at the menu of the various treatments available.

“Plan our outfits,” said Penny absent-mindedly.

“That’s for Andre. While I’m not the most fashion-conscious person around, I can’t imagine Barnaby or Charlie coming up with an outfit that wouldn’t look ridiculous. One would take inspiration from creatures in general, while the other would dress us up as dragons,” said Tonks, making Alice laugh.

“Alice, Tonks just made fun of your boyfriend’s proclivity for anything dragon and his lack of fashion sense, and all you do is laugh?” pointed out Penny.

“Come on, Penny. Alice Beaumont may love Charlie, but she’s not stupid. Anytime the guy is well dressed, Andre has a hand in it. Neither Barnaby nor Charlie would have worn Speedos if Andre had been around when we convinced them that they would look great in them,” pointed out Tulip.

“Not to mention that while I agree Charlie’s fashion sense is basically non-existent and imagining him being involved in that world is hilarious, I didn’t start to date him because of the way he dressed, but because he’s kind, gentle, supportive, and an all-around great guy to be around,” said Alice, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

“Awww, look at Alice! She’s blushing!” pointed out Penny.

“Shut up,” grumbled Alice. “Oh, look, I think they’re coming to get you for your massages,” she added, relieved that she’d get a break from the teasing.

“What about you? What treatment are you getting?” asked Tonks as she got up.

“Manicure and pedicure.”

“Riiiight, I forgot you’re little Miss ‘No Touchy’ when it comes to strangers,” said Tulip, smirking.

“True, but it also means I’ll be away from you lot and have some peace and quiet.”

“Ouch, my feelings are hurt,” said Tonks before being dragged away by Penny.

Alice then went to another room and sat in a chair to have her hands and feet pampered. She closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet. Knowing Penny was with Tonks and Tulip, making sure they wouldn’t create a mess at the spa, helped her relax. She still wasn’t entirely sure if they had been banned from that cruise line.

Thankfully, the appointments went without any hitch this time, and the girls returned to their room to get ready for the evening.

“Are you ladies ready?” asked Andre, knocking as he opened the door, Dennis hopping inside.

“Dennis!” exclaimed Tulip, taking her friend from the floor and hugging it.

“Andre! We could have been in our underwear!” said Penny, throwing a cushion at him.

Andre caught it, saying, “Oh, honey, I’ve been dressing Alice since the Celestial ball during our fifth year, so I’ve seen it all already.”

“‘Seen it all?’” repeated Tonks, eyebrows raised.

“As in he already saw a girl in her underwear. Don’t go start any rumours,” said Alice, slipping her feet into her black platform sandals.

But it was too late. Tonks had already run out the door, shouting, “Charlie! Andre has seen your girlfriend naked!” which resulted in Charlie coming running into the girls’ room.

“What is she—” started saying Charlie.

“She’s exaggerating, as always,” interrupted Alice. “He only ever saw me in my undies.”

“Oh. Ok… Wait, what?!” said Charlie, his eyes widening as the other girls left the room.

“Charlie, dear, it was to take my measurements, nothing more. There’s nothing to be worried about,” said Alice, giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips as she took his hand, leading him outside the room.

“I’m not worried,” grumbled Charlie.

“Your face says otherwise, Dragon Boy,” whispered Andre, smirking. “It’s understandable, though. Alice is quite the catch—” Charlie stared at him. “For someone other than me,” completed Andre. “But Alice sees only one person, and that’s you, Dragon Boy.”

Charlie looked at Alice, who was still holding his hand as she talked to Penny. He looked down at their intertwined fingers, and he couldn’t help but grin. Andre was right. Alice had never given him cause to worry regarding to whom her heart belonged. But there was always a tiny voice in his head wondering why someone who was now known as the Hero of Hogwarts had chosen him, a Seeker with a passion for dragons.

Lost in these thoughts, he hadn’t realized that they had already made their way to the restaurant until Alice released his hand to sit down. Everyone chatted happily during the meal, excited about their upcoming evening of samba.

At 8:30 sharp, Alanza was waiting for them in the hotel's lobby, dressed in a simple green sundress. She looked at Alice before saying, “Well, I suppose the t-shirt and the casual black sandals do make the outfit a little bit less extravagant. You will still get noticed, though.”

“Good! I want Rio to notice my creation!” exclaimed Andre.

“As long as they just notice the creation and not the girl wearing said creation,” grumbled Alice, now very much aware of her colourful attire.

“Alice, if they don’t notice you, I will have failed. I don’t want the clothes to wear you; I want you to wear the clothes,” replied Andre.

“I think Alice looks great,” said Charlie, looking at Alice with a warm smile.

Alice couldn’t help but blush when she noticed the tenderness in Charlie’s eyes. She cleared her throat before taking Charlie’s hand and saying, “I think we should go. We don’t want to be late.”

The group left the hotel and made their way down Copacabana’s boardwalk, full of people drinking at the bars along the beach, hanging out with friends, or just walking with their families. The area was just as alive in the evening as in the day. Perhaps even more so, with music blasting from the different bars. About twenty minutes later, they crossed the avenue onto a small street and arrived at the boteco known as Bip Bip.

Musicians were seated inside and playing while a crowd stood outside, listening to the rhythm of the samba music. Some couples were standing further away from the crowds, the sound of the samba music inviting them to dance. Alanza greeted a man that seemed like the owner and returned to her group of friends.

“Was that the owner?” asked Alice, tapping her foot to the beat of the music.

“Yes, Alfredo. If you want to drink anything, there’s a fridge at the back. Just take whatever you want and let him know what you took,” explained Alanza, waving at one of the musicians.

“And pay?” added Penny, glancing at the musicians.

“Only when we leave,” replied Alanza.

“Isn’t there a risk that someone might leave without paying?” asked Charlie.

“Sure, but this place is full of regulars, so good luck trying to pull that off,” said Alanza.

“Who’s that musician you waved at?” asked Tulip, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, my cousin. He’s a musician, and he comes to play here quite often.”

“I was hoping for something a bit juicier,” whispered Penny.

“Explains why you seem so familiar with the place, though,” noted Tonks.

“Yes, I’m the only one in the family who knows about this. The rest of the family just wants him to get a job at the Ministério da Magia.”

“That would be a waste of his talent,” said Diego as he danced to the music, fully entranced.

“If he makes Diego dance like that, I have to agree,” said Andre as he looked at the other patrons. “Good thing you made me modify Alice’s outfit, too. She would have clashed if she had worn what I originally planned.”

“I still think I clash,” muttered Alice, looking at her bright pink dress and then at the more casual outfits everyone else was wearing.

“You don’t clash; you stand out. There’s a difference,” replied Andre, adjusting something at the back of Alice’s dress.

Just as he said that the music stopped. The group of friends was about to clap, but Alanza stopped them, pointing at the rest of the audience, who were snapping their fingers. “We don’t clap not to disturb the neighbours. We snap our fingers instead to show our appreciation.”

The others started to snap their fingers just as the music started again. Tulip and Tonks decided to dance in the street, while Diego took Alanza’s hand to samba, Andre and Penny following their lead. Alice and Charlie stood with the rest of the crowd, Charlie’s arms wrapped around the Curse-Breaker. Alice looked at the musicians, mesmerized by the lively music they were playing. Listening to samba music on a CD was one thing; listening to it live was quite another experience. The music enveloped you; you could see the concentration mixed with joy of the musicians; you could sense the crowd feeling the same thing as you.

Alice was pulled out of her reverie when she felt someone taking her hand. Diego pulled her out of Charlie’s arms and started dancing with her, Alanza now dancing with Barnaby. He twirled her around before springing some samba moves on her. While Alice’s dancing skills had improved since her Celestial Ball dance lessons, she still needed a heads up to know she would be dancing. She was no match for Diego’s fast moves, feeling like she had two left feet. It didn’t take too long for her to trip on her own foot, Charlie catching her before she hit the ground.

“I guess it is time for the return of Diego, dance instructor extraordinario,” said Diego, as he observed Charlie help Alice get back on her feet.

“Can’t we just sway to the beat of the music?” asked Alice.

“We came all the way here for samba night, and all you want to do is ‘sway?’ This won’t do!” exclaimed Diego, grabbing Charlie’s right wrist and placing his hand on Alice’s back, and then placing Alice’s left hand on Charlie’s shoulder blade. “Now, take each other’s free hand.”

“I’m starting to have a feeling of deja vu,” whispered Charlie, as Diego demonstrated the basic steps they had to follow.

“As long as he doesn’t start to psychoanalyze us. I think I’m over my desire to lead–”

“Alice! You have to let Charlie lead!” exclaimed Diego, frowning.

“Or not,” whispered Alice. “I would like to point out that I’m following your steps,” she added louder.

“No, no, no. Charlie has to mimic my steps. You have to mirror them.”

“Now you tell me,” grumbled the young Ravenclaw.

“You are both too stiff,” pointed out Alanza as she danced by with Barnaby, who was looking down at his feet.

“Ok, now let’s add a bit of bounce to your moves,” said Diego, a hand on his hip as he observed his proteges.

“You want us to jump?” asked Charlie, eyebrows raised.

“No, no, just bend your knees slightly and bounce up and down through each step, without actually jumping,” explained Diego.

“Oh, and Alice should rock her hips to the right and left every time she makes a step,” added Alanza.

“So, I have to mirror Charlie's steps, bounce, AND sway my hips. This is not how you samba, is it? This is a plot to make me trip and fall!” said Alice.

“If Merula were the one teaching you how to samba, I would agree with your paranoia,” chimed Andre, dancing close by with Penny. “But this is Diego. Has he ever led you astray when it comes to dancing?”

“Diego would never do that! Dancing is not something you should mess with,” said Diego, shaking his head. “Anyway, for someone so convinced she will fall on her back, you're doing quite well.”

“Though having to think about steps, sways, and bounces is no easy feat. If I don’t do it right, I might end up looking like some weird dancing kangaroo,” said Alice, looking at her feet.

“Just let the rhythm of the music guide you,” said Diego, crossing his arms and shaking his head as he observed the couple dance.

“You told a girl that brought textbooks on vacation to follow steps, to sway, and to bounce. Her mind will be on that, not on the music,” pointed out Tulip.

“Are you saying Diego ruined samba night for Alice?” said Diego, panic in his voice.

“Charlie!” Andre cried out. “Make Alice look into your eyes!”

“Huh? Why?” asked Charlie, eyebrow raised as he stared at Andre.

“Just trust me, Dragon Boy,” replied Andre, giving a slight nod of reassurance to Diego.

Charlie turned his attention back to Alice, who was still looking at the ground. He freed his hand holding hers, and lifted her chin slowly until their eyes met. They stopped dancing, just staring into each other’s eyes. Charlie took back Alice’s hand and slowly started to samba again, not taking his eyes away from hers. While still not dancing like Diego or Alanza, their movements were more fluid this time, and they looked like they enjoyed themselves.

“How did you know?” whispered Diego to Andre as they watched the young couple dance.

“Remember at the Celestial Ball? Both of them were bundles of nerves before entering the Great Hall, but the moment they looked into each other’s eyes and started dancing, it’s like the rest of the world didn’t exist,” explained Andre.

“So romantic,” sighed Penny, handing Andre a water bottle.

Diego looked at the couple, deep in thought, “Interesting…”

“Why are you suddenly so serious, Diego?” asked Andre, eyebrows raised.

“Mmm? Oh! I was just thinking that when Alice isn’t ‘lost’ in Charlie’s eyes, she instinctively wants to lead, and Charlie has a hard time imposing himself as the leader even when necessary. Sometimes I wonder if spending some time apart wouldn’t be beneficial for their relationship in the long run,” replied Diego, following the pair with his eyes.

“You came to that conclusion just by watching them dance?” said Andre, skeptic.

“Dancing can reveal a lot about people,” replied Diego, smirking. “For example, you and Penny dance so well together because you are close friends who are perfectly in sync with one another. Like friendship soulmates.”

“Oh, please, we’re just great dancers, that’s all. Don’t ruin Alice and Charlie’s perfect relationship with cheap psychobabble,” Penny said, grabbing Diego’s collar. “Do you know how much time I spent trying to make Alice realize her feelings for Dragon Boy? Don’t ruin this for me,” she added in an angry whisper.

“Penny? Is everything ok?” asked Alice. Both her and Charlie were staring at her wide-eyed.

“Huh? Oh!” she released Diego’s collar, scratching the back of her hand. “He was just flirting a bit too much, as usual,” replied Penny, laughing nervously. “It was getting on my nerves.”

Alice and Charlie looked at Penny, then at Diego, before returning to Penny, their eyes narrowing. “Suuuure,” they said in unison.

Alice grabbed the water bottle Penny was holding, taking a sip from it before saying, “Pretty sure I heard my name being said.” She stared straight at her friend.

“Your name? No, I don’t think so… I did say Alanza; maybe that’s what you heard. Alice, Alanza… they sound alike!” tried to explain Penny, finding it hard to hold Alice’s gaze.

“Right… That must be it,” said Alice, raising an eyebrow while her lips formed a slight smirk. She handed Penny her bottle back and went to stand near the musicians with Charlie.

“Nice save,” whispered Andre as Penny let out a sigh of relief.

Alice glanced back at her friends. Noticing Penny’s air of relief, she was now sure she had indeed heard her name. Just like she had yesterday… Yes, she was now sure of what she had seen and heard the day before. As she got absorbed by these thoughts, she felt Charlie’s arms wrap around her. She looked up at his face, her eyes wide.

“You seemed distracted by something,” said Charlie, smiling softly.

“Oh, just listening to the music,” tried to explain Alice.

“Alice, you were making a face that reminded me more of the time when you were looking for your father,” replied Charlie, his eyebrow raised.

“Ah, I guess you know me pretty well,” said Alice, looking away before looking straight back at him. “Charlie, do you know if sea serpents are capable of speech or telepathy?”

“Not to my knowledge. Then again, I know more about dragons than sea serpents. Why do you want to know? You usually only ask questions about creatures that we see in class or that were related to the Vaults.”

“Just that… I read a Muggle legend where there was a talking sea serpent,” said Alice, looking back at the musicians.

“A Muggle legend? That explains it, then. They rarely get their facts straight when it comes to legends involving magical creatures!” replied Charlie, chuckling.

“You’re probably right,” said Alice, frowning. A frown that went unnoticed by Charlie.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to the music and dancing a little, Alice trying to keep her mind away from talking magical creatures. After having paid their tab at the end of the music session, they walked back to their hotel, once again walking by the still lively beach. On the other hand, the sea was as dark as the night sky, only reflecting the few stars above.

While her friends were talking and laughing as they reminisced about their vacation, Alice, holding Charlie’s hand, couldn’t help but glance at this pitch-black body of water. The secrets it could hide…

Da janela vê-se o Corcovado O Redentor que lindo Quero a vida sempre assim, com você perto de mim Até o apagar da velha chama

A/N #2: I hope you enjoyed it. The lyrics at the beginning of the fic are from Cidade Maravilhosa, while the ones at the end are from Corcovado by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Only one fic left to write in the Brazilian series!