#We Are All Whalers

[thatsleepymermaid]

Tidepool's Top Five List of Environmental Books

(personal opinion this is just a list of book recs)

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmer This book expertly blends indigenous knowledge and Western scientific methods. Highly emphasizes precocity and living with the environment instead of separating ourselves further as many Western green movements would have you believe. This book also has realistic strategies for dealing with the climate crisis other than just personal choice.

Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall Amazing conservation wins from animals that have been brought back from the brink of extinction by zoos and aquariums. Stories like the California condor and the black-footed ferret are featured prominently. This book gave me hope that there may be a solution to saving species from extinction.

We Are All Whalers by Michael Moore Focuses on threats the northern right whale and other whales face out in the ocean and the connection we all have to it as consumers. This book does not shame consumers for their choices though, but rather calls for systematic changes in the fishing and plastic industry. One of the four books that made me cry while I was reading it.

Fresh Banana Leaves by Dr. Jessica Hernandez Amazing criticisms focusing on the Western Conservation Movement and the role of displacement in the environmental movement. The editing could be a bit better, but the message that indigenous knowledge should be centered in the environmentalist movement is impact.

Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gums: This book is the second in the "Emergent Strategies" anthology. While all the books are amazing this one is my favorite. The book focuses on the shared relationship between white-western colonialism and the current ways we are affecting the marine environment. She gets a few scientific facts wrong regarding marine biology, but this book is so beautifully poetic I'm willing to over look it.

[no-light-left-on]

thinking still about how the Heart calls the Whalers 'puppets' and the amount of mystery there is around them, when playing as Corvo and perceiving them through the Heart, in comparison to how they are in reality.

we see them talk to each other in a manner any people would. they consider insubordination, they talk badly of Daud behind his back, we have Billie betray him. there are some that are loyal, yes, be it because they believe in Daud or because they see gain in this path, but by no means are they a monolyth.

however, we do hear from the Heart about a 'fog that surrounds them and hides their secrets' and it is even confirmed, by Billie (and also Galia in the books) that leaving Daud made them 'think clearly for the first time in years'

I've seen a couple theories and I do want to dive into each, to an extent.

there's the suggestion of the Heart talking badly of them, calling them mindless drones that only kill out of hatred and hurt. which, valid. the Heart also says certain things about Daud, 'why did you bring me here? do you expect me to forgive him?', so it's not unlikely that their attitude towards human lives and their willingness to kill for Daud is repulsive enough that the Heart does not see past it

another option is that the mindless puppets is more of a metaphor and is meant to talk about how the Whalers are, in a sense, a cult. which would be incredibly interesting to explore if we had more information on how the Whalers function. now I do want to point out that by cult I do not mean it in a Secluded Religious Organization but as a sociological thing. a literal cult if you will, with a leader that charms their followers, the seclusion and all the unhealthy attitudes of losing oneself to the group. and, that does check out - the loss of individuality, they are as one, following someone's orders without hesitation, someone they would die for. there are a lot of unsavory implications here (if you know how cults work, you probably had some cross your mind already), but arguably Daud is not charming enough to be a proper cult leader. the appeal is the magic, and his excellent skills as an assassin and a leader. maybe it's because of the time we see the Whalers at, right before a collapse, but Daud is regularly doubted and we see a lot of insubordination. the Whalers are not necessarily loyal to him because of who he is as a person. they want the power, they want the influence, maybe the protection, and the things keeping them from disobeying are fear, rather than loyalty.

the third thought or theory is, then, that many of these symptoms can be explained by the influence of the Void. we know the Void affects people, both physically as we see with Delilah's Witches or the Eyeless, as it influences them mentally, if the high numbers of people going mad because of their worship are something to go by. if, then, the Whalers are bound to the Void through Daud, it only makes sense that they would be influenced by this link to something that messes with people's brains. Galia saying she feels better after her Arcane Bond faded could easily mean that the influence the Void had on her has faded, and the creeping madness of it has subsided significantly.

all of these most likely come into play. one of the Heart's lines in dh2, if we point at a Witch, is reciting some of the recipes the Witches chant before quickly apologising. we do learn significantly more about them than we do about the Whalers, of course, possibly because Jessamine has more ill will towards the Whalers than to the Witches. still we see the Void affect the Heart. there is also a notion that the Witches are 'not quite human' due to their Arcane bond.

there's no real conclusion. it's just interesting

[mycological-mariner]

Finished Desolation Island this morning and I’m so pleasantly surprised and delighted by how nice the ending was. At least, within the context of the series and it’s characters

[4th-make-quail]

god... my all likes shuffle putting on dishonored songs is NOT helping my urge to replay dh2!!!!

i suck SO BADLY at the games and i never finished dh2 (got past the clockwork mansion) cos for some stupid reason i decided to go for ghost and clean hands on my first run??? SELF, WHY

[andromedasummer]

speak for yourself dave im fucking cackling.

new zealand losing 10% of our navy in a day because someone steered that ship we got from norway so bad it set on fire, plopped over and sank is VERY funny

[jesslovesboats]

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT, I'm back with more Sad Boat Books for Sad Boat People! But first, some words.

I never dreamed that a silly little graphic I made for some friends would generate this much response on twitter and here, but I'm overjoyed that it resonated with so many of you! I read every single comment and tag, and by far my favorites are all of the people who say some variation of "I thought I was the only one who loved these books." We are NOT alone, there are literally thousands of people who reblogged or retweeted this list-- people of all ages and backgrounds and gender identities. Sad Boat isn't just for old white men! I was also delighted to hear from other librarians who are using this in displays and for reader's advisory. PLEASE go forth and do so with my blessing, nothing would make me happier! I was recently laid off from my librarian job as part of a restructuring under new management (don't worry about me, it sucks right now but I'm gonna be fine), so I would love to think that I'm still contributing to the library ecosystem while I'm out of commission. I would also love to keep making these lists (including one that deals with Sad Boat fiction and one with recommendations for other types of media), and I've never had more time to do it, so if you have suggestions, please drop them in my inbox!

Anyway, enough of that-- here are more books! I've either read all of these, or the recommendation came from someone I trust, so read with confidence!

First Hand Accounts

The Quiet Land: The Antarctic Diaries of Frank Debenham edited by June Debenham Back

The Voyage of the Discovery by Robert Falcon Scott

Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen

Endurance by F.A. Worsley

Boats boats boats!

Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus by Alanna Mitchell and John Geiger

The Voyages of the Discovery: The Illustrated History of Scott's Ship by Ann Savours

HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting, and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship by Matthew Betts

The SS Terra Nova (1884-1943): Whaler, Sealer, and Polar Exploration Ship by Michael C. Tarver

You'll learn about the Ross Sea Party and you'll like it

Shackleton's Heroes by Wilson McOrist

Shackleton’s Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Bickel

The Ross Sea Shore Party 1914-1917 by R.W. Richards

The Lost Men by Kelly Tyler-Lewis*

Polar Castaways by Richard McElrea and David Harrowfield*

*These were on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want

Sad Airships and Planes

From Pole to Pole: Roald Amundsen's Journey in Flight by Garth James Cameron

N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia by Mark Piesing

Antarctica's Lost Aviator by Jeff Maynard

Disaster at the Pole: The Tragedy of the Airship Italia and the 1928 Nobile Expedition to the North Pole by Wilbur Cross

More Shackleton Content

Shackleton: A Life in Poetry by Jim Mayer

Shackleton's Last Voyage by Frank Wild

The Quest Chronicle: The Story of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition by Jan Chojecki

Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition: The Voyage of the Nimrod by Beau Riffenburgh

Polar Partners

Snow Widows by Katherine MacInnes

Polar Wives: The Remarkable Women Behind the World's Most Daring Explorers by Kari Herbert

Widows of the Ice by Anne Fletcher

Sad Boat Graphic Novels

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

How To Survive in the North by Luke Healy

*This was also on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want

Biographies

Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane

Ice Captain: The Life of J.R. Stenhouse by Stephen Haddelsey

Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard by Sara Wheeler

Birdie Bowers: Captain Scott's Marvel by Anne Strathie

Roald Amundsen by Tor Bomann-Larsen

Miscellaneous sad boat books that are well worth your time

I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination by Francis Spufford

Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, The First US Expedition to the North Pole by Bruce Henderson

Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy by Fergus Fleming

Pilgrims on the Ice by T.H. Baughman

The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture by Michael F. Robinson

Ghosts of Cape Sabine by Leonard F. Guttridge

Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer

If you read and enjoy any of these, please let me know!

EDITED TO ADD: OG Sad Boat Books post here!

[wayfayrr]

Love like you ✧*.⚝⋆

Here's the 400 follower raffle grand prize for @wailing-whaler!! Got Sky and reader collecting rocks <3 This went a little off of the initial base, but they do definitely collect rocks together (what a geologist not going utterly obsessed with rocks? it's a miracle) But this was very fun to write!! just soft soft fluff with the soft sleepy boy himself.

[masterlist]

“I’m still sorry for dragging you into this by the way.”

“You aren’t, and you don’t need to keep apologising for something you would happily do again in a heartbeat.”

“I am - I really am, I didn’t mean to drag you here.”

“You are an awful liar.”

He drooped like a puppet cut from its strings at that, offended I bet for calling him out. Despite it being the truth, he knows as well as I do that he was bouncing from the walls when I was brought into the game, happier than I’ve ever seen anyone before in my life. And emotions are new for him, kinda. 

“No- I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Hmph.” 

“Come on, I’ve already said that I really don’t mind it, why are you still so pouty?”

“Cause I wanted to get out rather than trapping you here with me.”

Oh, that admission is new. He’s dodged the reason why he brought me here since it happened, so that makes sense more than anything… The way that he’s leaning on me is also new though, and nice despite his grumbles, which come to a halt as he snakes his arms around me and buries his head into my neck from behind with a soft sigh. 

“Look it doesn’t really matter right now, you’ve got to save zelda right? So we should really get going, gaepora asked me to help you and I really don’t want to make a bad impression.”

That got me a squeeze and a little whine, does - does he not want to save her?

“But no matter how fast I am impa is going to tell me I’m late anyway, so why does it matter… I just wanna spend time with you.”

…

How does he know that..?How does he know what will happen??? He - this is his first time going through this journey… right? But it isn’t is it, even though he’s been trying to act like it is it’s not. I’ve played through this game once already, and he can remember that. The acceptance of it is like a cold chill down my spine, Link already knows me and has been pretending that he doesn’t, half-heartedly but still pretending. Or has he? Just because he hasn’t said it outright doesn’t mean that he’s trying to hide it, maybe he just assumed I knew already. Either way, would I be bothered by him hiding it? It’s not insidious or anything, he’s just like a lovesick puppy. 

“...Love? You - are you alright? I didn’t say something wrong did I?”  

“I was just thinking… link did you know about before?”

“Before? You mean your other playthrough right?”

Well that settles that, he wasn’t trying to hide it. It was just never mentioned, no reason for it to be honest. No one on skyloft needs to know their entire life is a game which could be very easily overheard on the tiny island and sky thought that I knew he knew so why reiterate the obvious already. 

“Sure I didn’t remember completely right away but going through Faron with you here- here brought everything crashing back so quickly.”

His grip on my waist tightened for a split second before loosening, like he’s not sure if I’ll want to be held close now that he’s sharing this. It’s only made clearer by the sigh he lets out as he takes a step away from me.

“I mean I remember remembering you when I tried to get out now, it was like… like when you fell here, on skyloft that is, everything got locked away but since we met the elder kikwi, everything has come back including how felt about it all and how I fell in l-!”

“How you ‘fell in l-’, why’d you cut yourself off there link, I’d love to know what you were going to say.” 

Almost by instinct, my head turns to follow him as he’s fumbling about in his own flustered embarrassment, having said just a tiny bit more than he’d probably meant. Stopping himself mid-word so sharply you’d think he’d bit his tongue to force himself to stop, but not soon enough that I didn’t know what he meant anyway.  

I won’t lie to myself. It’s something strange to know, and honestly all of this is making way more questions than it answers. Questions that it will be pretty hard to get answers too really, for one he and I both know this is a game and yet I’m here - he’s practically a person and… and he’s said it himself. He fell in love with me. But, I don’t dislike that. I really don’t dislike that. 

“I - I fell in love with you, and how you act and all the little things you do and how you make even the smallest things seem exciting, and it’s why I wanted out so badly so that I could hold you close and tell you how much I love every part of you, from the way your hair falls, to the way you smile, how you collect things that others wouldn’t see worth in but you give them so much worth. I can’t even tell you just how much I’ve wanted to get out even if just for a second to hand you a crystal or even a cute pebble I think would bring a smile to your face - even if it meant I’d go back to being trapped in this hell afterwards.”

My face feels like it’s about to set alight, and not from being on an active volcano. He’s still rambling about what made him fall for me, and it’s only getting more and more natural, he’s getting more and more human over time. More real. As with all good things though, it has to come to an end with him looking up only to realise that he’s been going on for a good few minutes now. Ceasing up like a deer in headlights as he struggles to move his mouth again, almost reflexively licking his lips before glancing down confusedly. Better to break through the awkwardness now so that it won’t get any worse. 

“You know, I wouldn’t be against having a relationship with you…”

“- You wouldn’t - I thought that you… you’d… you’d-”

“But.”

“...b-but?”

“I think I’d like to get to know you first link.”

“Wh - What..?”

“Well, right now I haven’t spent much time with ‘you’ you, and I don’t think it’s fair for you if I’m dating you expecting to you to be exactly like the character the game had you as.”

It’s easy to tell he’s thinking about it, with the hurt but pensive look on his face from being denied something he so clearly wanted a yes to. 

“But, I think I’ve been starting to fall for you too, for who you are link. I’d like to spend some more time with you before we have anything romantic.”

He perked up at that, a lot. Which I don’t blame him for. 

“There’s plenty of time for that then, we aren’t in any rush are we?”

“But zelda-?”

“Even if we were to teleport to the end of the dungeon we’d still be too late. Why not take it slow?”

Despite his leather gauntlets his hands are still nice to hold with how he’s intertwined ours, sneaking his fingers so that they snake between mine. Pulling my hand up to rest up on his cheek, leaning into it with a gentle sigh. 

“You’ve talked about wanting rocks from Eldin to study before, how it looked like a different volcano to anything you’ve ever seen. What if we just I don't know, went off and got you as many as you could ever want of them?”

His eyes look almost pleading, begging for me just to say yes, to give him this precious time so that he can win me over to being with him romantically. And really, how could I dream of saying no? Since ending up in skyloft those few weeks ago he’s been nothing but kind, patient and caring towards me and plus even though I said I wouldn’t compare him to the character he’s come to life around, he’s still link. Still the kind-hearted hero that I fell in love with when playing the game for the very first time, who i grew to wish was real when reading comics about his journey, why shouldn’t I be a little selfish when he cares for me as much as I do for him?

“I-”

Biting down hard on his lip now, the pleading look in his eyes switching to something more akin to outright begging. Just for me to say yes. As if there were any other options available to me. 

“I think I’d love to do that with you sky, as long as you’re certain we have the time.”

No words needed to be said after that, his face lighting up like the sky at a new years celebration. I swear if you looked closely you’d be able to see the very fireworks he was initiating in his own eyes. All the while his face was graced with the softest grin I could have hoped to see. It was definitely the right thing to say. 

“So, do you have anywhere that you think would be good places to collect some?”

“You really think after all this I wouldn’t have somewhere nearby in mind?”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask though, does it?”

“Well my pride might have gotten a little bruised, but that’ll heal in time.”

“...Do you reckon a kiss could help speed up that healing?”

“...”

“Link? Are you alright?”

“Are- would you do that for me?”

“If it’ll help fix your pride then, of course… wouldn’t want an injured hero would we?”

That shut him up well and truly, not even his usual confused soft stutters could be hurt as it seemed his code bluescreened at that idea. A full reboot happening in the time it took his face to go through a multitude of different emotions, settling on a gentle, yet mildly confused, look of contentment. Kinda spelling out his answer for me, but still, I’ll wait for clear consent before doing anything more forward than a suggestion. 

“...”

“Take your time, there’s no rush on an answer.”

A nod. Clearly he doesn’t feel comfortable speaking right now, but that's more than fine. It’s not exactly like I’m not used to him being mute again, if anything it’s not an awkward silence as he leads me over to the spot he was thinking of. A small patch to the south of Eldin, littered with just so many different stones. A dream spot for any collector, so close to an active volcano to get fresh samples well as fresh as you can get without quenching the lava. 

Will they even be able to come back out with me? Link seems to think he would have been able to come out of the game, but that only dragged me in here instead. Can I even get - don't ruin this moment with that line of thinking. We can figure that out later. 

“Hey [name], mind coming over here for a moment?” 

“Hmm? Sure, it isn't an issue.”

Speaking again now is a good sign, clearly his brain - does he have one? - has finished dealing with the bombshell I dropped on it earlier. Moving over to him isn’t a bad thing to do though, with whatever he’s holding seemingly a pleasant surprise. As soon as I’m back in front of him, he takes my chin in his hand delicately tilting it upright as he stares into my eyes. Biting down on his lips as he thinks of what to say, lifting up his other hand to my eye level, like he’s comparing whatever he’s holding to them. 

“...It really is the same colour.”

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me we were doing that, I would have been looking as well.”

“No, no collect whatever you’d like for your own collection, I just… wanted to do something where I could still just um… admire your beauty really. If you don’t want this one then, I- I can just keep it instead.”

“I’ll keep it. Thank you link, but really now we've got to get you one too.”

[penig]

Today is the second day of the climactic whale chase in Moby Dick, and I am so strongly on the side of the whale, it's hard to believe anyone ever wasn't.

Up to this point, we can side with the whale in a general sense, mostly on the basis of our modern sensibilities about endangered species and industrial exploitation of the environment, which no one expects either Melville or the average contemporary reader to have. The omens, Ishmael/Melville's dropped hints about the fates of the crew, and Starbuck's common sense awareness that Ahab needs to get over this stupid revenge fantasy and do his capitalist duty to hunt whales for oil instead of personal satisfaction are all enough to make everyone aware of the need to turn back and let the damn whale go, but we can grasp how a 19th century audience, primed to Conquer Nature, can succumb - like the sailors - to the thrill of the hunt and prospect of symbolic destruction of Nemesis.

But now that Moby Dick is actually on stage, his behavior is that of an animal trying to get on with its own business and acting in self-defense. Indeed, his self-defense is reasonable and measured. Smashing up four boats with only one fatality? He had a man in his mouth! He may or may not recognize Ahab, but he is familiar with humans in whaleboats, their vulnerabilities, and their aggressive tendencies. He could probably kill the whole lot of them, and from his point of view it would serve them right!

But he's a predator, humans are not his prey, and if he stays to kill them there's a chance their nasty pointy things will damage him severely. Also he knows that the amount of damage he's dealing out is enough to make whalers back off, like sensible predators, and look for easier prey. So he smashes the boats and keeps swimming, encumbered by those stupid ropes. Whales can't unwind ropes; he'll have to find a place to scrape it off or wait till it rots and falls away.

(We all know the meaning of Fedallah's prophecy here, don't we?)

Nothing this whale does is savage, vicious, cruel, malicious, or vindictive.

What happens tomorrow is all on Ahab.

[resident-dumb-fuck]

fuck it. moby dick dashboard simulator

⛵ishy-whale Follow

girl help the horrors

⛵ishy-whale

[voice of a guy who knows this will not help at all] might fuck around and go to sea instead of therapy

506 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

new bedford kinda sucks but i did meet a hot guy and we immediately got married. which kicks ass

#shout out my bf he is cool andi love him. we are going to nantucket tomorrow hell yea!!!!

17 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

HELLO GAY PEOPLE DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CHOOSING A WHALESHIP TO SHIP ON

⛵ishy-whale

wait this one has whale bones on it. surely theyve killed at least one whale before. FIGURED IT OUT GUYS

#whaling tag

57 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

why the first mate kinda. why he kinda.

⛵ishy-whale

no tumblr i dont want to tag this post no one needs to see this

786 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

where is the captain

#the captain hasnt appeared yet we are three weeks out at sea is this normal #other whalers please explain #whaling tag

3 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

um. um hey so the captain just appeared on deck and called all hands aft and UM WHAT THE FUCK IS MOBY DICK

WHY DOES THE CAPTAIN HAVE A VENDETTA AGAINST A WHALE

I WANT TO GO HOME

#whaling tag

17 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

Hey wouldn't it be super fucked up if we did phrenology on a whale: a long ass post

Read More

#whaling tag

57 notes

⛵ishy-whale Follow

ARE ALL WHALE HUNTS LIKE THIS

🐋queerqueg

oh yeah absolutely

⛵ishy-whale

welp. time to draft my will

38 notes

[no-light-left-on]

how short/long do you like chapters in the fics you read? is there a minimum/maximum word count you look for or does it fluctuate with different stories and the delivery?

[the-golden-vanity]

Is there anything that’s stood out to you as different or unexpected the first time you went sailing? Especially if you’ve ever spent long trips out at sea. I’m writing a seafaring character and I’d love to hear any firsthand experience about it 👀✨

Hello, shipmate!

Firstly, I'm honored to be asked such a question. I'm far from an expert, but I suppose crewing a tall ship on the open ocean is an experience few are lucky enough to share in this day and age.

I signed on to the Pride of Baltimore II for a voyage up the coast with the idea that after reading so many books about pirates, whalers, explorers, and other seafarers, and after watching so many movies and TV series set during the Age of Sail, the only way I could feel truly complete was by experiencing the Age of Sail firsthand. I think I told more than one person on Boat Tumblr that this would either fix me or it would make me worse.

...I'd like you to guess which one happened.

Much of what I encountered on the ship was familiar to me from history and fiction. However, what reading and watching movies can never quite capture are the physical sensations. Here are a few:

The ship makes noise. All the time. It's very rhythmic and predictable, and it is constant. Timbers creak, ropes strain; if the wind is variable or unfavorable, the sails flap loudly. Some of my fellow guest crew were bothered by this, but I loved it. At the end of a watch, especially one where a lot of work needed doing, the rhythmic noises and the rocking motion of the ship were just what I needed to fall asleep for the next seven hours, or until I was called up for standby. I understand now what it means to be "rocked in the cradle of the deep."

If your vessel is well-ventilated, your vessel is sinking! When you are belowdecks, you are essentially in a wooden box. If it's warm on deck, it is oppressively hot and stuffy below, and although my berth had a door, I kept it open most of the time to catch what little breeze came through the main hatchway. The temperature cooled down as we sailed north, and was eventually pretty decent, except when the auxiliary engines were on. I can only imagine in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with steam-powered auxiliary engines, it would have been even hotter!

No one knows what day it is on board. Everyone's on watch on a "4 hours on—4 hours off—4 hours standby" schedule, so you're on duty for 8 hours total, split between opposite sides of the 24-hour day, so "days" don't really have much meaning. This would probably also explain why I saw several of my shipmates wearing an outfit multiple days in a row–it just didn't occur to them that it was a different day.

Before you get your sea legs, you will spend a lot of time stumbling around, falling on your ass, holding onto things for dear life. This, I think, is pretty common knowledge. What I don't think is common knowledge is the fact that once you get your sea legs, land feels like it's moving under your feet. While you're fully awake, it goes away pretty quickly. However, I was waking up for days afterward—like, 4 or 5 days afterwards—convinced that my room was rocking like a ship. Deeply strange, but absolutely worth it, since it meant I had been at sea.

That's what I can think of right now! Let me know if you have any other questions, I'm always happy to answer them.

[hacash]

Terror AUs where some or all of the crew survive are a lot of fun, but I think we need to lean more into the comedy of the fact that – no matter where in the story the men get rescued, no matter from which particular brink of danger they’re snatched, no matter the context - that would have to have been an incredibly awkward journey home. As in, awkward enough that the crew of the random whaler that picked the boys up petitions their captain never to rescue any survivors from a maritime wreck ever again because honestly, captain, the vibes are just too toxic right now.

-

Little: You embarrassed me in front of all the men! And then, yeah, the whole mutiny thing, but that thing at the armoury was so fucking mean.

-

Jopson: I was right there, dying, and you bastards just left me!

-

Gibson: Were you about to fucking eat me?!

-

Fitzjames: Whoa, hold up George, you were happy to eat our dog?!

-

The entire crew: YOU TRIED TO SET US ON FIRE.

-

Crozier: Hey, anyone from Erebus remember how I said this was an act of hubris none of us would survive, and then none of you bastards backed me up? And then we almost didn’t survive it? Remember that, huh? Huh?

-

Hartnell: Look, Captain, I appreciate you saving our lives and all but the next time you fire off a rocket would you mind not doing so straight at my face, please? Thanks for understanding. Also Hickey and Tozer you fucked us all over and nearly killed us all, you absolute colossal pricks.

-

Goodsir: First girlfriend in my entire life and you wankers ruined EVERYTHING. And also that whole cannibalism thing.

-

Blanky: Remember when I lost my leg because you were having a hissy fit, Francis?

-

The Marines: Listen to Hickey, you said…he’s got a plan, you said…get out of here all in one piece, you said…

-

Tozer: You KNOCKED ME OUT and tried to use me as TUUNBAQ BAIT.

-

Irving: HEY HICKEY, THE BOOK OF PROVERBS SAYS ‘THE WRINGING OF THE NOSE BRINGETH FORTH BLOOD’ AND ONCE LITTLE AND HODGSON STOP SITTING ON ME I’M GONNA PROVE IT TO YOU, ARSEHOLE.

-

Sir John: …Ok, ok, my bad.

[beautiful-basque-country]

What are things the French and Spanish get credit for that are actually Basque?

Kaixo anon!

That's a very interesting question! There'll surely be more, but the main ones could be:

1 - the "French" beret, invented by and for Basque, Bearnese, and Aragonese working people and taken away from us by French chic-ness.

2 - the "discovery" of America. Leaving aside America was already discovered by the locals, we all know Basque whalers went to and came from America regularly before Columbus.

3 - the discovery of the only chemical element that happened in Spain, the wolfram. It was isolated in Azkoitia by brothers Delhuyar, of Basque origin.

[lxstingravity]

ATTENTION DUNWALL CITIZENS

With the permission of Daud @infernalfool themselves, I am here to give out a public invitation to join the Whalers. A small community that welcomes everyone from around the Isles.

If you are looking for fellow plague infested Dishonored enjoying individuals, look no further, for you have come to the right place! We provide a small space where you are free to meet for whiskey and cigars, not just tonight but every day if you so desire.

Share your excitement with like minded people, your creative works, your stories and maybe you will get your own squad after joining us tonight.

Click here to join The Drunken Whalers!

Guys, the plague brainrot is real and has fully taken over. I might not be in the fandom for long, but I did notice that the fanbase is very... Small and inactive. Might be mistaken, might be looking in the wrong places, but I think we can all agree that these beautiful games deserve a place to be cherished! @infernalfool and me created a little Discord server, see the link above, and if you want to join our little community you are welcome to do so!

[emry-stars-art]

I didnt mean to rediscover how much I like brainstorming and world building stuff but here we are - this time it’s (mostly) pirate Neil and shark Andrew flavored!

@tell-me-your-vision had some very good tags on the last post like this so of course I started thinking harder about it lol, you all know by now that the best way to get me to draw more is to leave ideas and questions in your tags 😘 it’s very interesting figuring out what parts I want to be drawn directly from the source animal and what I want to have artistic liberty with! Sometimes you just gotta say “it’s this way because I decided it is” and offer no more explanation, not even to yourself.

That being said. If the snippet interested you, find more of the unfinished scene here :D (and if you want to leave a comment… 👀)

I don’t know how clear this image is going to end up being, so here’s the important notes typed up:

Does [Andrew’s] missing fin cause maneuverability problems? Yep. Fins keep the body stable and streamlined in the water. No fin/half detached fins means Andrew spends a lot more energy to be equally as efficient while swimming. (That’s part of why he had more upper body strength than most mers.)

Does jelly Neil feel pain like humans? Not at all. Pain vs nociception - the detection of averse stimulus. So Neil can sense and respond to ‘painful’ stimuli, and he does feel some pain like a person would in his upper half, but it’s mostly just a sensation that he responds to. (This is dangerous. Less pain means he doesn’t realize how dire a situation may be.)

A second eyelid - like a crocodile/etc; a clear secondary eyelid that closes horizontally beneath the primary eyelid, developed to keep the eye safe and clear underwater. Why jelly Neil rarely ‘actually’ blinks

Pirate Neil’s prosthesis. Most of it is always hidden under clothes; it’s made of leather, copper, rubber, and cumaru wood. It was given to him by Stuart as soon as the man found out that Neil had lost his leg, and Stuart had it custom made through his vast connections. At one point in the timeline, Neil angrily takes it off to show a wary and lashing-out sharkDrew that he has also once been on the wrong end of a ‘whaler’s’ knife.

The tiny two panel comic in the bottom right corner: pirate Neil says “stop trying to stab me in the leg” while sharkDrew was fairly certain he just took out this pirate’s kneecap with his sharp rock

The snippet:

“And it was terrified. It’s second eyelids fluttered, it’s eyes were hazy. It held the rough stone ready in case Neil tried to get close again. It still wasn’t breathing right. It was still bleeding.

“Okay,” Neil said softly. He held his own hands out a little to the side. “I’m not going to hurt you more.”

The shark snarled, though it’s mouth never opened.

“I didn’t hurt you in the first place. They’re still finning mers?”

Neil tried to step in, slowly, and was met with another vicious swing. He was ready this time, avoiding the sharp stone neatly.

“Hey, thing. Keep moving like that and you’ll bleed to death.”

Another attempt, and another swing. Neil looked at the place it’s fin had been, now a horrible, gaping wound on its back. He could see the meat beneath the blood. If he didn’t help soon, the shark would go into shock, if not simply die here on the rocks.

“Do you even realize what’s at stake for you?”

[thebadgerclan]

Wolf of the Waves

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader

Summary: Sturmhond returns to his beloved Wolf of the Waves, and to his beloved wife...

A/N: This is a combo of some book events and what we saw in the trailer, bc idk how true to the book they’re staying for this season.  Also “Hellcat” is the reader’s pseudonym like Sturmhond is Nikolai’s

The Volkvolny crept up alongside the whaler your husband had stolen, the whaler that was currently under siege from the Darkling’s shadow monsters.  The Sun Summoner’s light cut through them, but there were far too many of them for her to Cut down.  You set off the flare that would signal to Nikolai that his ship was ready, and not a moment later did you hear his cry.  “To me, hounds!”

Your husband’s loyal crew and Grisha began flinging themselves overboard, hitting the deck of the Volkvolny and rolling to their feet.  The Bataar twins landed, nodding in greeting to you before rising and steadying themselves into fighting stances.  The Sun Summoner landed next, an ungraceful heap on the deck, followed by who you recognized to be the deserter from the 37th.  And finally, your husband, who managed to roll straight up to his knees before you.

“Hello, beautiful,” Nikolai said, taking your offered hand as he stood.  “Always one for the dramatics, aren’t you?”  Your husband barked a laugh and kissed your cheek as he moved to man the mast.  One of the crew tossed you a rifle, and you set your focus on ridding the hull of the Darkling’s soldiers.  The Squallers managed to get you clear of the whaler and the Darkling’s range, and you stood along the rails as Alina took the Sea Whip’s life and its scales.

Tamar took the Summoner to her bunk while Tolya took the tracker to his, and you followed Nikoli to his quarters below decks.  As soon as the door was latched, he was pulling you into his arms, kissing you deeply.  “Saints, I missed you,” Nikolai said, snaking his arms around your middle.  “How was my crew?  Bearable?”  You laughed, running your hands through his sandy hair.

“Only just.  I only had to threaten to have Privyet walk the plank three times.”  “A marked improvement, then.”  You laughed, and Nikolai kissed you again, happy to have you in his arms again after weeks apart.  But far too soon, there was a knock at the door.  “Captain?” Tamar called.  “The Summoner and her tracker are asking to speak with you.”  Nikolai sighed, shaking his head.  “Send them in.”

He sat himself behind his desk, and you pulled a chair up as well, sitting at your husband’s side.  Nikolai took your hand and kissed it, smiling at the sight of your wedding and engagement rings glinting in the light.  A moment later, the door opened, and Alina Starkov, the Sun Summoner, supposed Saint, stepped through, followed by her tracker.  “Good to see you out of the clutches of that madman, Miss Starkov,” Nikolai said, leaning back in his chair.

“What do you want from us?” she asked, and you felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl.  “Who says I want anything from you?  Maybe I just wanted to get you away from the man who seems so desperate to control you.”  “Darling,” you said, laying a hand on his arm.  “They’ve been through enough.  Don’t taunt them.”  “Who are you?”  You sat up a bit straighter, and your husband took your hand.

“You can call me Hellcat.  I’m Sturmhond’s wife and his second; so if he gets on your nerves too much, tell me and I’ll put him in his place.”  The tracker–Mal–laughed softly at that, but Alina was still on guard.  “We’re not going to hurt you, Alina,” you said.  “What Sturmhond said is true, we did want to get you away from the Darkling.  Because if you’re in his control, there’s no telling what he could do.”

Your husband nodded his agreement.  “You are Alina Starkov,” he said.  “I think we all know what you’re capable of.”  Alina held out her hands, letting two globes of pure, golden sunlight shine.  “Will you help us tear down the Fold?”  Nikolai smirked, cocking his head.  “I’d love to, Sunshine, but you couldn’t do it with one amplifier, could you?”  You shot him a look at the jab, and he squeezed your hand.  “I need the power of all three.”  Before Nikolai could speak, you jumped in.

“You have the stag, now the Sea Whip.  What’s left?”  “The Firebird,” Mal supplied, and Alina stepped forward and laid a slender red book on the desk.  “It’s there,” she said.  “Sankt Ilya, the stag, the Sea Whip, and the Firebird.”  “And do you have any idea of where this mythical flaming chicken might be?” your husband asked, and while his approach was a bit callous, you were thinking the same thing.

“No, but that’s what we intend to find out,” Alina replied.  “You saw how I tracked the Sea Whip,” Mal said.  “I can track anything.”  “So you can,” Nikolai said, reaching for the decanter of brandy on the desk and pouring himself a glass.  “Want some?”  “No, thanks.”  “Hmm.  So, what would tracking this mythical ancient bird entail?”  “Well,” Alina began.  “We’d have to figure out where it is, which might take some time, then we’d have to hunt it, obviously.”

“Adventure?  Danger?” your husband asked, and both Alina and Mal nodded at once.  Nikolai broke into a massive smile.  “Now you’re speaking my language!  Tamar!”  The Heartrender entered, her axes holstered at her waist.  “Da, Kapitan?”  “Take these two back deckside, get the crew acquainted with them.  It seems we’ll be working with them for a while yet.”

Once Mal and Alina had been led out, Nikolai pulled you into his lap, kissing you deeply.  “Do you think they’d notice if I kept you down here for a few days and had my way with you?”  Your husband began kissing a path down your neck, and you giggled, letting yourself melt in his embrace.  “I think they might.  But they might not notice if you don’t show up for the rest of the night…”  Nikolai grinned, a wolfish, wicked grin, and carried you over to the bed tucked into the corner.  Your husband was thankful his crew was so rowdy when the sun set, as there was no need to silence your moans.