#fisher superstition

[ltwilliammowett]

Superstitions of Scotland's fishermen

Perhaps due to the dangers of their profession or their interdependence, fishing communities developed their own unique customs and folklore. They were close-knit and conservative, and their names, food and way of life differed from those of the neighbouring population. There was often rivalry even between different fishing villages, and they rarely married outside their own community.

Because of the dangerous nature of their work, they were unusually superstitious, as were all those involved with the sea. There were words that were considered very unlucky, for example the word minister was never mentioned - he was called the man in the black coat, and the words hare, salmon (red fish), rat (long tail), pig (curly tail) and salt were among the most forbidden words. If the men came across a hare, a dog or a red-haired man, they refused to set sail, and if they found a rabbit, a hare, a pigeon or a dove on board, they certainly did not disembark. The antidote to bad luck was to touch cauld iron.

Other customs were associated with sailing and fishing. For example, it was bad luck to cast the nets on the port side, to taste the food before the first fish was caught or not to take the blood of the first fish. In some places, fights were instigated so that blood could be spilt before the fleet set sail. Some boats were considered unlucky in themselves because they had the wrong names or did not behave according to the rules. One way to avoid bad luck was to never row against the sun (anti-clockwise) when leaving the harbour.

Rituals and spells were said to influence the weather. It was believed that you could whistle up the wind or untie it with special knots in a rope - one knot would cause a breeze, the second a hurricane and the third a storm. The weather was always expected to change on a Friday.

In some areas, other days of the week had special significance, bringing either good or bad luck. For example, most communities did not fish on Sunday, even though it was considered a lucky day. It was believed that work started on a Saturday took seven more Saturdays, while work started on a Monday was quickly completed.

Before a young man could become a fisherman, there were initiation rituals where he had to prove himself, and even today, customs and superstitions still influence the life of a fisherman. Echoes of the old customs can still be found in the villages today. However, as you may have just realised, this type of superstition is confined purely to Scottish fishermen, these types were also regularly found on ships. The reason for this was that many sailors came from the fishing villages as well as their compatriots, and so their superstitions and rituals were taken on board and spread.

[goryhorroor]

the devil rides out (1968) directed by terence fisher

"These are facts, Rex, not superstition. The final proof was in the hamper. They were about to practice the age-old sacrifice to their infernal master: the slaughter of the black cockerel and the white hen."

[christian-oc-tournament]

Please vote based on the picture AND the description!

Ril'siiya [@kazeharuhime]

The local island wild child (technically 17), Ril'siiya is a fast-talking gal with a heavy Vyren accent, which sounds like a mix of Asian and Hispanic. She tends to think on her feet, or on the go as she Tarzans her way through the trees. She helps her grandma run a medicine house in the village and has some knowledge of herbs and remedies, but she mostly just slacks off and collects things.

Ripple Fisher [Fallen Breath @larissa-the-scribe]

Secretly a fae, and it's only a secret because it never occurred to him to tell people. Uses his sea powers to keep the wharf cats well-fed, and has accidentally started a superstition among the fishermen that if you give offerings, you will get a bountiful catch--he is just being nice to the sweet people who are giving him gifts (even if it's weird stuff like gold or silver coins smh).

[larissa-the-scribe]

Ripple Fisher, proverbial wharf rat and more literal water fae, now in color!

He may or may not have started a superstition among the fishermen about making offerings to the ocean to give them safety. In his defense, he thinks gifts are nice and that nice people should be protected. Also he loves cats.

[crazysnakey]

Just some thoughts but I can't stop thinking about how it would have been so much better if there had been some more build up about Nika in One Piece before and up to Wano. like I know Oda has a big story and is building up an insane number of storylines and characters but still. Joy Boy has been talked about since Fishman Island but Nika came out of nowhere, it was first brought up in the climax of the Wano Arc 5 minutes before it was revealed, and then after Wano suddenly every character that shows up knows about it and brings it up by name. there's no build up to that aspect of it! and I can think of some good ways the foreshadowing could have been done personally.

Doing it in the Impel Down arc would have been the best. Literally I can't stop thinking about it. Who's Who is the first to bring Nika up, and he says he heard about it while imprisoned in Impel Down. think about it, the arc where Luffy busts into a place from outside (outside from under the sun's light and freedom) and leads a massive jailbreak freeing hundreds of people from their chains is the one where Nika, sun god and warrior of liberation is first brought up?? imagine Luffy running roughshod through the place, prisoners hearing about the commotion, and maybe a few elderly prisoners are like "ahhh, Nika has heard our prayers" "he has come to free us" "we will be taken out to sea, to freedom under the sun!" and maybe some younger prisoners are just like "eugh, those old-timers are still holding on to their old superstitions". just a few quick panels, no more than a page or two in total, yet that would lay the main foundation for Nika in the future, so that when it gets brought up again in Wano we can feel that there was something to it, that it wasn't just a one-off mention for no reason or empty worldbuilding.

I see ppl mentioning Skypiea bc of Eneru (mr. "i'm god"!!!) and how it's in the sky but I raise you Fishman Island instead, since Nika's the sun god (like god of light) and that's also where Joy Boy was first brought up, to tie Luffy to them both at once retroactively. since Fishman Island is underwater and a big part of the arc is the desire for its people to "live under the sun's light above freely"! (literally one of the main themes there is their history of oppression and slavery srsly) it would fit so well.

Also, since Fisher Tiger was a slave to the world nobles and created the sun pirates, imagine him mentioning it to any of the Sun Pirates. He literally formed the Sun Pirates with the mark/brand of the sun!!! Imagine him mentioning it in Jimbei's flashback, and we don't know anything about Nika yet, so we brush it off (or the diehard theorists connect it to the aforementioned example in Impel Down) until the reveal. Kuma's memories show that his dad used to tell Nika's stories to slaves in Mariejois so imagine Fisher Tiger hears it while he's there. and Jimbei not really understanding it until Vegapunk explains it in Egghead, and he's shocked to realize the being/deity Tiger spoke of was real and is Luffy himself, and realizes it's fitting considering how he fights for freedom and helped Fishman Island before.

imagine. that would have been so good! Not only tying Luffy himself to Nika in how he's perceived by the oppressed and imprisoned (like how Kuma saw him in his flashbacks) but also emphasizing the whole "liberation" and "freedom" aspects in regards to others more (adding onto his beef with slavery and celestial dragons/world government more) as something that's just inherently Luffy, his personality which led to the devil fruit choosing him.

It would make Nika's presence feel like less of a last-minute thing stuffed in with the Joy Boy, more sprinkled in along the way, especially considering the devil fruit is named after it specifically. I know the World Government went through a lot of trouble to try and erase those names but we can tell they weren't completely successful, so it should've been brought up more. it would also add to Saturn's fury, that no matter what they do to erase Nika's existence people will constantly hope for it, people will literally wish it into existence (devil fruits) and it will always survive like a stubborn cockroach, in the places that should be most devoid of hope (prisoners in Impel Down and slaves in Mariejois).

[isthatyouhatsunemiku]

And now for some

for our finalists;

Lily Hoshikawa is an idol herself, like Miku; (her winning would also fulfill a certain pattern of losses, if you like superstitions)

Sal Fisher is an underdog here, having lost Round 1, before getting revived and winning a hard-fought semi-finals match

Ene was made as a Miku Clone; the source "Kagerou Project" is a series of vocaloid songs, and Ene's introduction song "Artificial Enemy" is sung by Miku

[shipwreckedwithcaptainmarrow]

After nearly 6 years of research and writing, “𝑃𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐺ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 & 𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 & 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵: 𝘈 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦” is not only complete, but you can pre-order signed copies now by messaging the page!

The book comes in at 343 pages, relaying all pirate folklore along the American shores of Maryland up to Maine. Tales within, consisting of pirate-relevant hauntings and buried treasures, are presented as they are known, and then extrapolated on regarding true pirate history, my own notes on their origins, and those who have sought them out. The book begins largely the same as my first title, the "𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵," exploring the history of pirates and their associations with buried treasure and the undead, before delving into the mysteries of New England superstitions and William Kidd!

Every pre-order also comes with a color-printed slip on period-appropriate laid paper of a 1700 period pamphlet cover titled “𝘚𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴, 𝘰𝘳, 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 : 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 : 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.” by Joseph Glanvil. This book, originally printed prior in 1681, heavily influenced puritan clergyman Cotton Mather regarding the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and his own publications, and is mentioned by name within the fictional short story “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭” by Rhode Island horror author H.P. Lovecraft.

PRE-ORDER: $25 + $5 Shipping (within US), Message this page to place an order.

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PLUNDER EDITION PRE-ORDER PACKAGE: $65 + $5 Shipping (within US), message to place an order.

As a surprise for you all, for those interested, a deluxe pre-order package exists as well! In addition to your signed copy of Northeast Coast and your pamphlet cover, you will also receive the following plunder!

1x 9”x12” Aged map on laid paper of Fishers Island, New York. This particular island has a sizeable entry within the book’s chapter on New York, with numerous claims of buried treasure and ghost ships. This map is a more modern recreation of a 19th century map of the isle with many interesting locations noted, two of which are alleged “treasure sites” mentioned in the book’s entry. Note that this map will come tri-folded in your package.

1x 5.5”x8” Aged Wanted Poster on laid paper for Captain William Kidd. This poster, stylized after those within the movie Cutthroat Island, and utilizing a woodcut-style depiction of Kidd burying his Bible (turning his back on an honest life), is imagined as if issued by Governor Richard Coote, Lord Bellomont, who historically was responsible for Kidd’s capture. His name will come up a lot in the book - with this Wanted Poster you can look at his name one more time.

1x .999 Pure Silver Pine Tree Shilling. Through collaboration with The Black Spot Guild - shop in New Hampshire, included in your package will be one hand-struck silver shilling. These coins are of particular importance regarding the Northeast Coast’s colonial history, as one of the first types of coins ever struck in the American Colonies, minted in Boston, Massachusetts in 1652. This coin, however, features the date of 1692, noting the year of the Salem Witch Trials, which come up time and again within the book. The pine tree is depicted upon them as the New England area provided many pines, which were straight and tall - prime material as ship’s masts. One side reads "In Masathvsets," the other "New England An Dom."

Note that these Plunder Edition Pre-Order Packages are of limited quantity, first come - first serve (in order of messages received on my end)

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I am accepting payments of Zelle, PayPal, and Venmo. Please reach out stating your preferred payment option, state if you’d like the Plunder Package, and how you would like your book/s signed - either just the Author Signature or if you would like it to be addressed to a particular name/crew, or otherwise personalized message.

Please understand that I will be addressing messages as timely as possible, there will be enough books for all, and I will honor the timestamp of messages in order for the limited supply of Plunder Packages.

Those who place pre-orders within this first week will likely receive their copies before the actual Release Date of the book. I kindly ask that if you have a chance to reasonably check out the book before that date, and are comfortable doing so: Please leave a review of the book, if you will, on Amazon's listing the day it goes live - September 18th. Day-1 reviews help a ton for authors on Amazon.

For those placing orders outside of the US - please allow me some time to calculate shipping and get back to you with a final total.

For those attending the Northeast Coast Book Launch Party in Goose Creek, SC, on September 18th - feel free to place a Pre-Order now with no shipping costs, and pick up your copies in-person! Let me know when you message if you'll be opting for this, if not I will assume it's being shipped to you. Lastly, thank you all so much for your continued support over the years, and please, if you can: Share this post and help me reach friends and family interested in pirates and/or the coastal history and folklore of the northeast coast!

[adarkrainbow]

Spooky season fairytales (5)

We have looked at movies (or additional material) exploring individual fairytales that could fit the spooky season. For the candy and the witchy, we looked at Hansel and Gretel. For the apples and the disguises, Snow White. For the monsters and horror, Little Red Riding Hood. But now let's take a look at those stories that are definitively dark, spooky, horrifying stories... But that use several fairytales together at once.

Let's start with...

Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm.

Aka probably the most disturbing fairytale movie you will have ever seen. And not even fully disturbing on purpose... I mean, there are many moments intended to be disturbing, but there's just as many that were disturbing by accident. But this movie marked an entire generation and gave nightmares to many, many people. Be ready... for disturbing stuff.

The plot of the story is quite simple to explain, but it hides deeper things. The story is basically an alternative history exploring a different incarnation of the brothers Grimm, now poor crooks trying to make a life in a Germany ravaged by the Napoleonian wars by being fake "ghost/witch/goblin" hunters, using their folkloric knowledge to play on the terror of villagers. It all backfires on them, however, when the French authorities send them to "investigate" a problem of missing girls in a remote village - a series of mysterious disappearances the villagers explain with a bunch of superstitions and folktales. The two brothers will then discover that some fairytales are real, and evil lurks within the woods...

Now, there is ONE thing, one VERY important thing to know to understand the nature of this movie. This movie was the result of a sterile and useless war that disappointed everyone - and this is why you have in effect a movie that could have been great, but is just... okay, alright, with some very good, some very bad... and a LOT of disturbingness. This movie is a Terry Gilliam product, a Terry Gilliam fantasy film, and if you know his other works, you'll recognize his brand. His exploration of the themes of dreams, belief, escapism, hope in front of corruption, despair, the death of the imagination and tyranny ; his style of oniric, surrealistic fantasy superposing creepy and dark creatures with extravagant and comical characters resulting in disturbing comedy and absurd horror and unsettling wonders. We are talking of the man behind Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchaunsen, Time Badits, The Zero Theorem, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, etc etc... And this movie still bears the mark of his imagination, mind and style, and you can see how he twisted fairytales into a horrifying nightmare. But it is only half of a Gilliam film.

Because the other half was the result of another man imposing with brute power, a lot of anger, and a lot of money, his own ideas upon the piece. Bob Weinstein, yes, of the Weinstein brothers. He was a producer of the movie, and the kind of producer that was going to direct, write and do everything with the movie. Weinstein's idea of the piece was basically what would later be known as "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters". This movie was that Weinstein wanted "The Brothers Grimm" to be. While Gilliam wanted a movie in line with his "Time Bandits", his "Brazil", his "Fisher King" and... well his Gilliam brand. But Weinstein wanted more action, more battle scenes, only big-name actors, he wanted all the women to be sexy... Heck, Bob Weinstein refused to have Gilliam's choice of Johnny Depp playing William Grimm, because he wasn't "commercial" enough, and when he was replaced by Matt Damon, Gilliam wanted Damon to wear a prosthetic nose so he looked more like the historical Grimm, only for Weinstein to refuse again because it would have ruined his "good looks". Similarly, for the main female role of Angelika Gilliam wanted Samantha Morton, but the Weinstein brothers (yes both of them) refused because she wasn't sexy, and insisted on having a sexy actress - in this case Lena Headey.

This movie was a constant, constant battle, feuds and struggles with no end - and it was so frustating that Terry Gilliam, out of spite and despair at seeing his project ruined, went on to make a separate movie while "The Brothers Grimm" was done (and this movie was the very disturbing and unfamous "Tideland", which is a good reflection of what Gilliam's state of mind was at the time). In the end, in Gilliam's own word, he managed to make a movie that wasn't what the Weinstein brothers wanted, and in such a way it was good... but he also couldn't make the movie he wanted either, and so nobody won here. And you can feel that indeed this movie is tugged between two directions, stuck between two roads, halfway between "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" and "The Company of Wolves", a monstrous hybrid between "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Pan's Labyrinth".

But it still has its own horror, its own charm, you can see the movie that was intended to be made, that was half-made - and it still marked the history of fairytale cinematic adaptatons with some of the creepiest, most nightmarish ideas and imageries that ever were. This movie is probably the most disturbed adaptation of "The Gingerbread Man" you'll have ever seen, and the HORSE! By all gosh, you think Little Red Riding Hood's wolf was bad, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE BIG BAD HORSE! This is a nightmare-fuel movie, people. And I do not sugar-coat this.

Next on our list would be the 2015's "Tale of Tales" movie, an Italian product (with French and British help and participation). This movie is, to my knowledge, the only movie adaptation of Basile's Pentamerone, and since it couldn't possibly cover the hundred and so stories, three were selected and readapted to fit into a greater ensemble: The Enchanted Doe, The Flea, and The Flayed Old Lady.

Together, these three stories were reinterpreted and woven to focus on the Maiden-Mother-Crone archetype (the girl-princess in The Flea, the mother-queen in The Enchanted Doe, the old women of The Flayed Old Lady), and thus explore women's relationships to men in their most negative lights ; but moreso, the movie was designed around the themes of extreme and dangerous desires - the theme of obsession.

This movie is beautifully shot and designed, with incredible sets, excellent practical special effects and gorgeous costumes - but this movie is also very mature, very sad and very dark. One thing that needs to be known is that the original Pentamerone is a comedic work. Its fairytales are all pieces of vulgar humor and extravagant farces, filled with slapstick-gore scenes and lots of sexual jokes. It wasn't the oniric folk-wonder of the Grimms, it wasn't the refined and elegant terror interwoven with modern and delicate miracles of Perrault and d'Aulnoy - these were "laugh-out-loud" and "burst-your-gut" stories of old women pissing and ogres farting loudly and husbands cheating on their wives and bad people scamming idiots before being strongly beaten up...

What this movie did was take back the stories, and remove all the humor and extravagance of it. And as the saying goes, when you remove the laugh track of a sitcom, you get an uncomfortable tragedy. This movie still has the gore, the sex, the crazy or foolish characters, the caricatures and the bizarre... But without the humor and the jokes, it all becomes sadness and horror, it becomes distubring and grotesque. In a way, this movie at the same time works as the antithesis of Basile's original work, and yet as a very faithful adaptation since, while it betrays the original intentions, it brings to light what the stories are fundamentaly made of and the themes it was driven by.

It also helps understanding the aesthetic of the movie to know that one of the main inspirations for this piece were the drawings and paintings of Goya.

And the final piece of this post would be Adam Gidwitz's "A Tale Dark and Grimm".

Now, you might be aware of a certain Netflix animated adaptation that was released not so long ago. Aka this one:

But it will not appear on this list - or rather I will mention it by extension of the original book, which is the one I wanted featured on this list.

Because very simply - the original novel is actually "darker and grimmer" than the series adaptation. Gidwitz's novel and the Netflix series both begin with a a heavy dose of dark humor, creepy slapstick and child-level jokes - but the novel relied on a progression. Tale after tale, with each new chapter in Hansel and Gretel's life, as they grew from children to adulsts, the stories got gloomier and more serious, and the humor became scarse and more cynical. There was really a neat and clear evolution from a "big laughs" goofy-gory show in the first chapters to a teary tragedy/sinister epic in the end. But with the Netflix series? They decided to emphasize the humor and jokes a lot to give the story a truly "cartoony" feeling, and they kept jokes and humor all throughout stories which originally did not have any...

So overall, while everybody called the show "dark", in truth I found it much more light-hearted and kid-friendly than the original novel X) And for this spooky season, I truly advise you go read the ORIGINAL book.

[EDIT: My friend @lapluieellepleut warned me I might have been a bit misleading with this description so I will insist: the original novel is still aimed at kids and pre-teens. Aka... this is a children's novel. This is not an adult read, not even a full teenager one. It is still a simple, sweet, funny story, though with morbid humor and trying to highlight the brutality and darkness of the Brothers Grimm fairytales. But... don't expect a Stephen King novel or a Shakespearian tragedy. Its still a kid tale. If you want something more adult in tone, go look at The Book of Lost Things - "A Tale Dark and Grimm" would be for the age range below The Book of Lost Things.]

If you have read it already, the book had two sequels to form a trilogy. The first one is "In a Glass Grimmly", which is just as good as the original ; and the second sequel (third part of the trilogy) is "The Grimm Conclusion"... Which I did not read. I heard it isn't as good as the others and the quality drops, but I'll give you more info once I actually read it.

Oh, and if you are ever in France or able to read French, do yourself a favor and pick the French edition of this book, aka, this one:

"The terrifying tale and bloody fate of Hansel and Gretel". On top of having perfectly creepy shadow-puppet silhouettes full page illustrations, it also uses a color-code for the text (mixing night-black and blood-red) similar to what for example The Neverending Story used. Truly emphasizes the creepiness and darkness of the novel - while making it even more obvious the humoristic part and more jarring the jokes.

[nightshadow2518]

Okay so long time ago I wrote a process analyzation of tremolo stating that he does not really like these girls but rather he likes cards because he usually calls his cards cutie and this episode kind of proved me right in a way, finish the sub so let me talk about it. (Before I do please keep in mind that I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion I am just tellin scrollg you what I've analyzed from this episode if you do not like it, scroll away. I'm good with any respectful debates or criticism but if you're just going to disagree with me harshly and say something out of pocket, I will not be responding to it. Delete it ignore it but I will not be acknowledging you)

Now when we see the mermaids for the first time I actually thought that they were the duel monsters or as I was thinking while the episode was subbed before watching it that maybe he made them in the girls image as a way of sharing tribute to their loyalty and respect for them. However we find out that's not the case as he says "I hired you because of your resemblance to them" and "your secretary names were all so choosing by me" and the question their hairstyles "yes because they were also made by me" this is rather creepy and kind of controlling because this means we don't even know how they really look besides that maybe their faces actually look like the mermaids? What this means is that tomorrow only had chose them because of a superstitial fact that they look like cards and less that he probably chose them because of anything like their ability to do any task for him, if he even respects them or not, etc. now this is not out of character for tremolo because I feel like we're all forgetting that he is possessive and remember he treats his cards almost as if they are living beings so seeing three beautiful women who look exactly like the cards he saw he found a way to sort of control them. Although he tries to deny this this could possibly be him not realizing how creepy it is at the moment and what he uses to excuses is that at the time they thought it was cute but keep in mind that they're obsessed with him. Obsession and love are two different things, though sometimes they will toe to toe the fact that the matter is that they're more described as obsessed with him and not in love. They also seem genuinely creeped out by this and it started making me think of a theory

What if the girls are actually not human or duel monsters but some form of alien. Keep in mind that not all aliens have the type like Velgears. We seen Zaion, Chupa, and Fisher all have eyes that kind of resemble the humans. Angie also has horns that kind of resembles the ones that Pawnsters have. And keep in mind the major thing that space dragons ATTRACT aliens. Cuz why would he need to go this far into changing everything about them and claim to love them when he's not really getting to love the real versions of them but more the superstition ones that he created? Why would they go along with it? Unless they feel compelled to do it because they can't understand why they're so drawn.

And this pretty much concludes my analysis of this episode, The girls and Tremolo. Overall, I still Like Tremolo since he's been my favorite and every time I see him I get a little happy. My opinions of the girls changed because I went from not liking them to now just feeling bad about every time I see them since what the heck does this all mean?? Given this show it's probably going to get wrapped up into his creepy obsession is actually his way of loving people....yikes...also Yuhi and Yuamu are so real for also thinking that it's gross. As for the ship overall? Ehhhh yk what, maybe we don't need a polyamorous tremolo. Maybe he needs therapy and these girls need to quit their job and move to another town. Didn't already like this ship at all but now I'm more disgusted

[its-ya-girl-phoeni]

An American Were-Rapper in London

Two American graduate students from New York City, Bonnie Freeman and Giles Fisher, are trekking across the moors in Yorkshire. As night falls, they stop at the Slaughtered Lamb, a local pub. Bonnie notices a five-pointed star on the pub's wall. When she asks about it, the pub-goers grow hostile, prompting her and Giles to leave. The pub-goers warn the pair to keep to the road, stay clear of the moors, and beware of the full moon. David and Jack wander off the road and onto the moors, where a vicious creature attacks them. Giles is mauled and Bonnie is seriously injured. The beast is shot and killed by some concerned pub-goers who followed the pair. Instead of an animal carcass, Bonnie sees an unconscious blue haired man lying next to her before passing out.

Bonnie wakes up three weeks later in a London hospital. Inspector Philip interviews Bonnie and informs her that the locals reported that an escaped lunatic attacked her and Giles. Bonnie insists a rabid dog or wolf attacked them. A ghostly Giles later appears to Bonnie and explains that they were attacked by a weretoon; since Bonnie was bitten, she is now a weretoon too. Giles is cursed to walk the earth in limbo, neither dead nor alive, until the toon's bloodline is severed. Giles urges Bonnie to kill herself before the next full moon so she does not harm anyone.

Dr. Morgana visits the Slaughtered Lamb to investigate, suspecting that Bonnie might have been influenced by local superstitions. When asked about the incident, the pub-goers deny any knowledge of Bonnie, Giles, or the attack. However, one distraught pub-goer privately tells Dr. Morgana that Bonnie will rap battle other people when she transforms.

Upon being released from the hospital, Bonnie stays with Bobby Friedkin, the part-time doctor who cared for her. Bobby tells Bonnie that he is worried about her mental state. Giles, now even more transparent, appears and warns Bonnie that she will transform into a weretoon the following night, and again advises her to commit suicide. Bonnie refuses to believe him but when the full moon rises, she transforms into Boyfriend Fnf. He prowls the streets and the London Underground, rap battling six people and turning them into weretoons. She wakes up the next morning on the floor of a toon enclosure at Joey Drew Studios, with little recollection of what happened, and returns to Bobby's flat.

After learning of the previous night's rap battles and realizing that she is responsible, Bonnie unsuccessfully attempts to get herself arrested in Trafalgar Square. She calls her family to say she loves them, then loses the courage to slit her wrists with a pocket knife. Bonnie spots Giles, whose skeleton is now showing, outside an adult movie theatre. Inside, Giles introduces Bonnie to her previous night's victims, some of whom are furious with Bonnie and suggest different suicide methods to free them from their toony state.

Bonnie transforms into a weretoon inside the cinema. She turns Inspector Philip into a weretoon and wreaks havoc in the streets, transforming several motorists and bystanders into toony caricatures of Newgrounds characters such as Alien Hominid and the Knights from Castle Crashers. The police surround and trap Bonnie in an alleyway. Bobby arrives, runs down the alley and tries calming Bonnie by saying he's a weretoon too. Although Bonnie's consciousness briefly appears to recognize Bobby, she lunges forward and is tranquilised by the police, reverting to human form as Bobby sobs in Simlish.

Ah, yes. Peak cinema

[dapandapod]

Hii! For mermay prompts, how about depth for geraskier (ofc)

WHY YES OF COURSE FRANKSTER! and uh, I made you choose between prince and amnesia, because both of those popped into my head at the prompt. Prince was chosen and here we are! Hope you enjoy! <3

(also feel free to prompt me, here or on tumblr, i am on a writing spree and olsdfkj sorry for posting like 4 times in a day)

Send me a pairing and a word and I will make you some words? ❤️

On Ao3 here

Jaskier has been gone for too long. Geralt has been pacing their room for hours.

Yes, he did promise to stay put for a couple days, to wait for Jaskier’s… whatever he is doing. Or who.

The shoddy fisher village is gray, cold, everything covered in a thin layer of salt the spray of the waves offer in its violent rage.

Wind is whipping around the little wooden houses– sheds, really. It’s been three days since Jaskier left. Three days, and he was supposed to be back this morning.

Is this how it feels to be left behind when Geralt himself leaves for a contract?

Possibly, because no matter how much Jaskier had told him to stay put, to wait, to just fucking trust him damnit, Geralt is fretting.

Finally he gives in.

Leaving the room the kind elderly lady is lending them, Geralt stalks outside. It doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense.

The people here are not afraid of him, but seem to keep a distance from the bard. Everything about this place seems grey, but still it seems like the ever colorful Jaskier returns here, over and over again.

He starts with the aldermans house. They don’t have a tavern, the little gathering of houses far too small for such luxuries.

“The bard? You should check by the docks, or the boat house. He usually is out with the boat this time a year.”

He..what? Boat?

What the fuck is Jaskier doing?!

Geralt leaves without saying good bye, and the bard would have scolded Geralt for his bad manners, but he isn’t fucking here, is he?!

The boat house is, predictably, just down by the water. There is a long dock leading into the water, two smaller fishing boats tied to it.

An elderly man and someone who looks like his son sits by the house, mending nets.They look up when he approaches, shielding their eyes against the setting sun.

“Have you seen a bard around here? Jaskier? Brown hair, blue eyes, a lute and the worst fashion sense known to man?”

The elderly man presses his lips to a thin line and ducks his head. His son studies the witcher for a long moment, sizing him up, before responding.

“Aye,” he says, “What is it to you, witcher?”

“He’s my friend.” Geralt manages, working hard around a word that feels so inadequate. “And he is missing.”

“No more, lad,” the elderly man mutters, “Bad luck, it is.”

Geral frowns, trying not to let his impatience get the better of him.

“I’ll make it worth your while. Six crowns.”

“Florens.” The son corrects. “Ten. And I’ll take you to where we left him.”

-

The elderly fisherman refuses to come. Speaking of ill omens and bad luck, of not talking to the sea. The son takes him anyway, the sea getting oddly misty as they go further out with the boat.

“Coin is sparse out here, but my niece is sick. I’d rather leave the sea altogether than see her hurt,” the son says, rowing the boat towards a previously hidden little rock formation, barely an island. “Da doesn’t want to speak of it, speak of evil and it shall come, he says. We don’t need more sirens, he says.”

Geralt eyes him, then the sky. He can’t hear any flapping of wings, nor splashing of their tails. The water is calm, but the mist lays thick and hides both sight and sound.

The little boat touches the edge of the rock with a soft sound when they arrive.

“This is where I let him off every year,” the son says. “And pick him up after a few days. Know nothing but that.”

The florens trade hands, and when Geralt gets off, he pushes back into the water.

“I’ll be back in an hour. It’s probably superstition, but I don’t much like this place.”

-

Inspecting the area, Geralt finds it bare of both bards and life. He climbs around it, eventually finding an expensive looking chest with a solid lock on it.

It looks strange out here, oddly devoid of the wear and tear one would expect wood around the shore. Geralt picks the lock with ease, and when opens the lid, it doesn’t make a sound.

Inside it is a very familiar lute, and neatly folded clothes. Geralt’s heart sinks, but he has a trace now, something. He rummages around, finding everything Jaskier had brought but his jewellery. Even his underclothes is here.

Geralt closes it again, locks it carefully.

There should be traces here, anything to lead him to where Jaskier is.

The scent is old, barely there and hidden by the salty smell of the sea. Geralt will never complain about Jaskier’s perfume ever again.

It leads him to the other side of the little island, across the rocks on a path that looks surprisingly smooth and well walked.

Geralt stops when water starts lapping at his feet.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

Either Jaskier has been hiding something from him, or something very bad has happened. And either truth still means Jaskier is missing, and that he went into the water. And from the sound of it, has been coming to the water for years.

Geralt trails back to the chest, takes off his boots and heavy armor. Takes off everything but his trousers, and two silver daggers.

The stone is smooth under his feet, and quickly gets slippery as it continues out into the water.

It’s cold, his skin pebbles when he gets as deep as his knees. Then the rock abruptly ends. Geralt breathes deep, and dives. Cat and killer whale would have been useful, but he didn’t know he would have to go swimming when they got out here.

Geralt has almost swum around the entire island when he notices the formations. Runes carved into stone, worn smooth by time and water.

With another deep breath, he follows it down, down, down, and what little sunlight was left quickly disappears down here.

There is an opening a bit further down. And eyes. Many eyes.

Geralt realizes too late that he is surrounded, and there are clawed fingers and webbed hands pulling him deeper still, and into the opening.

His lungs are burning for air, and he is quickly disoriented, his elbows scraping against stone and harsh hands making him unable to reach for his knives.

Suddenly, they breach the surface, and Geralt pants harshly as he is dragged onwards and thrown onto a slimy rock. Broken shells of crabs and clams are spread out, and bones of fishes of all sizes lie spread among them.

Now free from his attacker, Geralt reaches for the dagger and turns to face them, but a beautiful face filled with fangs hisses at him as they retreat backwards, and another set of hands grip him hard.

Geralt can’t entirely make out if it is siren or mer people or something completely else, but more hands grip him, wrestling the knife from his hand.

“Walk!” one hisses, “You were looking, and you found us. Walk!”

Her voice is almost human, but her tongue is unused to his language. They shove him forward, deeper into the cave. It gets darker and darker, until suddenly Geralt realizes the walls are glowing.

Aluminescent is probably the right word for it. Algae covers the walks, swirling lines make patterns he feels like he has seen somewhere before.

It takes him until the now narrow walkway opens up into a bigger space that Geralt realizes where he recognizes it from. The embroidery of Jaskier’s clothes.

When Geralt locks eyes with Jaskier across the room, the bard’s jaw is slack with surprise when he sees him

“Geralt,” he says, but oh.

Oh.

Jaskier doesn’t have a tail, but his skin is glimmering with the same pattern as the walls. He is sitting in the middle of the open space, on a rock slanting out to a deep, clear pool. It almost looks like a throne room.

Around his feet are merpeople of different shapes and sizes.

The guards shoves him back when Geralt attempts to take a step forward, and Geralt bares his teeth to them.

“Stop it,” Jaskier says, voice commanding.

The guards, now that Geralt sees them, look like a strange hybrid of fish and man. Claws and fins and webbed fingers and hissing breaths, but they keep their distance, as they are told.

Jaskier is still wearing his rings and his necklace, but little else. On his brow is a circlet, thin and adorned with shells and crowned with a mother of pearls.

“I told you to wait,” Jaskier says, tilting his head.

“You didn’t come back. It’s been three days,” Geralt says, feeling foolish without not really knowing why.

“Has it? I’m sorry, time passes strangely down here.”

They just look at each other for a long while, for once the bard too seems at a loss for words.

“You don’t look like them,” Geralt says finally, indicating at the more fish-like guards behind him.

“I don’t,” Jaskier agrees, “Many mer these days are closer to sirens, but those close to the royal family are more humanoid.”

Jaskier gives a crooked smile when he sees Geralt wracks his brain.

“I told you I was a noble, didn’t I?”

“You said viscount.” Geralt suddenly remembers. “Viscount Julian Alfred Pankratz de Lettenove.”

“Ah yes, well. That is some of the truth, yes. Don’t give me that look, Geralt, I didn’t lie to you. I just happen to be a prince too.”

Geralt blinks, and Jaskier looks back at him, sitting proudly despite the light frown.

“Mer prince? Is that why you don’t have a tail?” Geralt asks carefully, and the guard next to him rolls his eyes so hard his head moves with it.

“I do have a tail, my friend. When I choose to. The perks of royalty, wouldn’t you say?” he says with a smirk, “Now, as happy as I am to see you here, and for you to meet my family, this is… not ideal. I wish… It doesn’t matter. You are here now. Ligeia, let him through. I think it is time he is given the tour.”

“But my prince-” Ligeia says with her weird, hissing voice, but Jaskier waves her off.

“I have spent more time with him than you are old. Let him come to me.”

Geralt is let through, and Jaskier offers his hand. It is not something they usually do, not while awake, but Geralt accepts it anyway.

Jaskier is cool to the touch, but his hands feel the same. Same callouses, same scar just over his thumb from a stupid accident with a branch.

He is led towards the other side of the rock, into the clear pool.

“Not the way I wanted to show you, but I’m glad you are here,” Jaskier whispers, like a confession. Hand in hand, they dive.

-

When they return to the outside world, the stars are out. When Geralt worries about how they will get back, Jaskier waves him off.

“They always kind of know when I need to go back. I think that is a part of why they don’t trust me.”

Yeah, that makes sense. Splashing of ores breaks the serene silence around them, and the son stares at them a bit wide eyed.

The ride back is more tense than last time, despite Jaskier’s chattering.

When they get back to their room, Geralt realizes they are still holding hands.

“Well, my prince,” he says teasingly, “I think we have some talking to do.”

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

I watched The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

The Hammer studios version of the classic Sherlock Holmes story.

Sherlock Holmes is on the case of a folk tale about a murderous hell hound who supposedly killed a member of the Baskerville family.

As a lover of both Hammer horror and Sherlock Holmes, it's a shock to myself that I've never sat down and watched this film.

Before this, the version of the Hound Of The Baskervilles I was familiar with was the 1939 version starring Basil Rathbone, in one of his many turns as the greatest detective of all time.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles is the very story that peaked my interest in Sherlock Holmes as a kid. With it's clear horror and monster elements it spoke to the little weirdo I was. It also spoke to the skeptic in me, as Holmes is a hero who uses reason and logic to see past superstition and solve the case. A version of this story put out by one of the most classic of horror film production companies in the history of film pretty much means I'm going to love this movie.

British director Terrance Fisher has directed many classic horror films, including many of Hammer's most well known. He has a great eye for Hammer's colorful aesthetic and gothic sensibilities. There are some great shots right off the bat in this film. Some of which I even paused just to admire.

This version of the classic Story, written originally by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, gives us Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes, Andre Morell as Dr. Watson and Christopher Lee as as the film's man in danger. Cushing and Lee being a great team of character actors who were often used to great success by Hammer films. Honestly, Cushing was made to play Sherlock Holmes. From his look to his personality, he is the character. The cast overall is fantastic.

Any issues with the film really stem from the changes made to the story. While somewhat minor in the grand scheme of things, they are changes that seem a tad unnecessary.

Of course this is an older film and therefore a bit slower. And, it's a hammer film so it goes big in it's expressive gestures, but honestly it's all part of the joy that is watching a Hammer film. Bright and colorful with great sets and a nearly perfect cast. Just enough spooky mist on the moors and howls in the distance.

It's a piece of old fashioned candy on Halloween.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Please vote based on the picture AND the description!

Ripple Fisher [Fallen Breath @larissa-the-scribe]

Secretly a fae, and it's only a secret because it never occurred to him to tell people. Uses his sea powers to keep the wharf cats well-fed, and has accidentally started a superstition among the fishermen that if you give offerings, you will get a bountiful catch--he is just being nice to the sweet people who are giving him gifts (even if it's weird stuff like gold or silver coins smh).

Riema [8 men @starrystories2]

Riema is a street urchan in the town/city of Sylva, who has unknowingly made a name for herself. She's a pickpocket on her time, and a hiest burgular on other people's time. She's got a smart mouth but more brains than her appearance give her credit for. She learned the rules of the underground quickly and efficantly crafts a niche for herself in the underbelly of society. To her own annoyance, she will show kindness to those she deems worthy of it, as if a memory whispers it into her ear. But she'll steal your underwear if she thinks you deserve it.

[legiomiam]

Tagged by @awritingcaitlin to shuffle my spotify and pick the first 10 songs.

I’m with you by mayday parade

1x1 by bring me the horizon

Forever unstoppable by hot chelle rae

Blinding lights by the weekend

Shivers by ed sheeran

Superstition by natalie walker

Alone again by asking alexandria

Body by léon

BLACK PARADE by beyonce

Shake it out by florence + the machine

Tagged by @awritingcaitlin again for 10 more songs

Coping by rosie darling

Xo by stand atlantic

The other - stripped by lauv

Slow motion- john lenox vers by charlotte lawrence

Carrion flowers by chelsea wolfe

Go to war by nothing more

Let me down slowly by alec benjamin

My love will never die by AG

Totally fucked by jonathan groff

Shelter by machineheart

Tagged by @turnips-creates for 10 songs too

I say no by carrie hope fisher

Line without a hook by ricky montgomery

Feral love by chelsea wolfe

Bob dylan by fall out boy

Down by simon

A call to arms by laura jansen

Every man is a warrior by lena faye

I miss you, i’m sorry by gracie abrams

Blood hunter by varien

Continuum by tanerélle

and I tag: @awritingcaitlin and @turnips-creates in an uno reverse. @tananaphone, @juls-writes, @mr-writes, @winglesswriter, @mariahwritesstuff, @pinespittinink, @baroquesse

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Image ID: a grainy black and white photo of a pelican, shot from a high angle that makes its beak appear ominously long. The pelican’s eyes are reflecting light, which gives it an even more spooky look. End ID.

What kind of significance do birds have in your campaign setting? In medieval Europe, pelicans carried a connotation of self-sacrifice and caretaking, since they believed the birds would feed their babies with their own blood. But this image is giving me ideas for an omen of death…

The fisher-lords of Ghellaera have a superstition that has made pelicans untouchable in their lands for centuries. While inland farmers depict the Grim Reaper and his scythe coming for the souls of the dead, the Ghellaerans imagine Death as a ghostly pelican, swooping and carving out lives from the sea. Witches of this land make amulets out of shed pelican feathers, which are said to ward off deadly storms and diseases. But killing a pelican is a certain way to bring ruin and disaster onto everyone around you!

hey guys you wanna see a really really bad image of a pelican

YEAH you do. here it is. jesus fucking christ

[memento-morianon]

(image description: a digital painting in shades of muted green and yellow. it depicts someone fishing from a canoe on a lake, during a rainstorm. end description.)

artober day 10, rain.

I don't really have much story lore to divulge for this one lol. the main setting is heavily based/inspired on the american pacific northwest, the region I call home. It does get rainy here, but that sure doesn't stop people from going out and doing their hobbies. So here's just some dedicated fisher, enduring the rain in the hopes of a big catch.

Well, I do have a little lore for it. I didn't draw my protagonist Morianon in this one, but he does have a natural diet of fish, so he often goes out to the local lake to catch them fresh by diving face first into the water. He's become favored by the other fishers in town, who have watched him grow up since he was adopted by a local family. Helping him learn to fly when he had no other quetzalin around to teach him was a community effort. Nowadays, the fishing community in town view him as a bit of a good luck charm. The faster he manages to catch a fish, and the bigger it is, the better their luck for catching, or so the new superstition goes.