#like a sea or an ocean... so yeah they have more in common than you may think!

[nmoroder]

after the modern meurcliff au stuff my mind slowly wandered towards the relationship of two very specific sinners. and i was actually surprised to find nothing on them... i honestly thought the whole bus has already been studied under a microscope (i might not be looking for content in the right places but anyways. i will not go searching on ex-twitter thats just not my ground)

sorry for the scribbly sketchy nature of these pics, i originally wasnt planning on posting them here but then it turned out pretty fun and i wont be polishing this post anyway.

[rafeandonlyrafe]

bruised knees

words: 2.1k

warnings: mentions of blowjobs, losing virginity, virgin!reader (but fic is not smut), jealous! and overprotective!rafe, childhood friends to lovers, fluffy

rafe has been beyond overprotective of you his whole life. ever since you met in first grade and you let him borrow your brand new crayon box, only for a bully to come up and tug on your pigtails, causing rafe to pause his coloring to shove him away and tell him not to touch you ever again.

you smiled at rafe, the same smile you look at him with now, and he knew he would take care of you no matter what. you hugged him tightly and from that day on always shared your crayons, and everything else you had, with your new best friend.

“ready?” rafe slings his arm around your shoulder, pulling you towards the boat.

“yes!” you squeal, trying to navigate holding your tote bag and backpack at once, when suddenly both are out of your hands as rafe takes them and carries them down the pier.

“rafe, i can carry my own stuff.” you roll your eyes. it's a losing battle, your best friend will always lessen your load, hating seeing you do any sort of physical labor, feeling like that's his job.

“yeah, whatever.” rafe just ignores your argument, it's one he's heard so many times before, yet you make no attempt to take the bags back. “who all did you invite again?” rafe asks as you enter onto the boat, quickly beginning preparations for the day at sea, having gone through the motions so many times, knowing the boat like the back of your hand even though it's the cameron familys.

“uhh, topper, tina, kelce, steph, tiffy and hayden.” you go through the list of names in your head of friends that will be joining you and rafe on the yacht.

“how is tiffy since the break up?” rafe asks, knowing you like to talk while you work, pulling various lines while you straighten up the boat to make it more presentable, going through the motions together, always together.

rafes question launches you into a gossip session with rafe, spilling all the secrets your friends told you at your last hang out, but they know you don't keep anything from rafe, so it's no surprise when he knows as well, not that any of the girls would complain, rafe often takes over the role of protector to your friends as well, caring about who you care about.

“there's hayden!” you call to rafe, pointing down the dock to the parking lot where haydens truck just pulled in, a few minutes earlier than you expected anyone to start arriving.

“great.” rafe mumbles under his breath, making sure you don't hear his upset tone. he liked hayden at first, sharing some common interests (mostly golf), but then hayden got far too touchy with you, his gaze heating when it turned to you in a way that infuriated rafe, and he made sure to show hayden when you weren't around how much it pissed him off.

rafe is probably to credit for you never having a boyfriend for an extended period of time, but he can't help it, you're so perfect and no guy can possibly deserve you, so he has to scare them off before you get too invested and give them all of your attention instead of him.

“hey, heyds.” you greet him with a hug after he makes his way down the pier, making rafe grunts as haydens hand rests a little too low on your back for his liking, making rafes mind reel at the possibility of something going on between the two of you.

your other friends slowly begin to pile onto the boat, steph being the last one to get there as she is notorious for being late, which is why you told her to show up half an hour before everyone else, and somehow still managed to get there last.

“ready for takeoff?” you ask rafe, stepping away to join him at the wheel while your group of friends find places to sit while rafe navigates the boat towards the ocean.

“i am.” rafe nods, having disconnected the last line. no matter what is happening, you always sit next to rafe on the bench as he directs the boat, ready to be his second in command at any moment, even if its just fetching him a drink or checking the water depth.

“i can’t wait to swim.” you say with a sigh, having not gotten out into the water all week, which is rare with how much peace you find in the ocean.

“how about that one sandbar we took wheezie to?” rafe questions, wanting you to decide where he anchors the boat.

“ooh, yes.” you nod.

“she complained to me last night that you weren’t over.” rafe smiles at you when you let out a laugh.

“i don’t spend one friday night and she complains! ugh, i love that girl.” you grin thinking about wheezie, treating her like she’s your own little sister, having known her since she was born.

“you’ll stay tonight, right?” rafe asks, missing you sharing his bed like you do every weekend. 

“mhm, i’m not driving home after being out on the boat all day, gonna be so exhausted.” you roll your eyes.

rafe smiles at you, wrapping one arm around his shoulder, leaving him to drive with one hand, but wanting you close to him, secretly hoping hayden would look through the windows from the lower deck and see you all cuddled up into his side.

neither of you have ever broached the topic of taking things beyond just friendship, despite rafe desperately wanting to take things further, he doesn’t want to mess up the one good thing he has in his life. you’re such a source of brightness that when you’re around him he forgets all about his fights with his dad, or issues with barry.

“here.” rafe nods to you, immediately going to drop the anchor, planning to stay in one spot all day.

you help him make sure its secure before moving to the main deck with everyone else. “alright, who is ready to swim?” you shout with glee.

“you know i am.” hayden smirks at you, pulling his shirt off over his head.

“mhm, that’s why i like you, not afraid to get wet.” you say, rafe carefully watching the interaction, unsure if you meant the innuendo or not.

you take your tshirt off as well, tossing it onto the pile that everyone is making on the sofa, revealing swimsuits underneath their clothes. rafe also undresses, but slowly and quietly.

you tug your yoga pants down next, having kicked your shoes off upon entering the boat. you turn towards rafe, always checking in with him, seeking him out amongst the crowd.

rafe smiles at you, his eyes dropping subtly down your body, quickly checking out your pale lilac swimsuit before he sees a different shade of purple, this time blossoming around your knees.

hayden seems to notice too, a smirk growing on his face when he sees the localized bruises.

“what the fuck did you do?” rafe grunts out before he can stop himself and use the calming methods you so carefully taught him.

“what?” hayden turns to look at rafe, but he’s already charging at him. rafe shoves hayden backwards, making him stumble but he manages to maintain his footing.

“rafe, chill!” you shout, grabbing at his arm.

“did he-did you fucking blow him?” rafe questions, pointing to your knees. “how did you get those bruises?” “jesus, rafe!” you take a step back, but don’t drop your grip on his arm, not sure if he would try to pull away. “you seriously ask me that in front of all our friends? for your information i was working out in the garden yesterday and bruised my knees kneeling on the pavers. but thanks for embarrassing me.”

you drop his arm when you feel tears welling in your eyes, quickly turning and sprinting into the interior of the boat.

you throw yourself onto the bed in one of the two bedrooms, hiding your face in the white pillow as you cry. 

“y/n…” rafe says softly. you don’t jump at his voice, you expected him to follow you, but you don’t feel like talking to him.

“please, y/n.” rafe pleads, and you feel his weight dip the bed down as he climbs onto the mattress.

“stop it.” you whine when rafe pulls you into him, but you don’t struggle as he cuddles into you, pressing a kiss against your hair. you’ve cuddled rafe before, of course since you’ve been friends for so long, but never with this little clothing on, and you are very aware of how much of his bare skin is touching yours.

“i didn’t mean to embarrass you, y/n. i just… i just got so angry thinking about you possibly doing anything with hayden. i don’t like him. he’s not good enough for you.”

“why would you even think i would do that though? you know im a virgin.”

the words shock rafe, and you can physically feel him tense up. you pick up your head to look at him, brows furrowed together.

“i-i didn’t know that.” rafe just assumed you lost it to one of your short term boyfriends.

“no… no i would have told you, rafey. you’re my best friend, i… you told me when you lost yours.” you remind rafe of when he was 16 years old and had sex for the first time, calling you only an hour after to confide in you, partly hoping you would get jealous.

“i thought you knew that i wouldn’t want to hear about you sleeping with someone. i guess i just figured you kept it to yourself for my sake.” rafe doesn’t realize the implication of his words as they flow from between his lips.

“why would i?- wait… you like me?” you blink up at him.

rafe pauses. now is as good as time as any, especially with the growing threat of hayden and other guys who aren’t scared of rafe potentially taking you away from him. “yes. i love you. i think i’ve loved you since first grade.” “holy shit, you asshole!” you shout, and it’s not the reaction rafe was expecting as he tenses, waiting for you to run off, or get mad, but instead your shout turns into a laugh, “i can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner!” and then your lips are on his, finally feeling the perfect meld of your mouths together as rafe quickly snaps into action, his lips moving against yours as he cups your face.

“i love you too, in case it wasn’t obvious.” you whisper against his mouth before resuming the kiss.

“thank fuck, i was ready to murder hayden just because i thought you liked him.” rafe laughs, tugging on your waist to bring your bodies even closer together, leaving his large hand resting against your bare back.

“pshht.” you shake your head. “he’s not even half the man you are.” 

“holy shit, i love you.” rafe repeats, taking you in for another kiss.

“my friends are never gonna believe that we finally got together.” you giggle. “i think they’ve all placed bets.”

“your friends?” rafe shakes his head. “baby, i think even our parents have.”

“i… i’m really happy we admitted are feelings.” you say shyly, a blush covering your cheeks as you look down, breaking eye contact. “everyone told me that you liked me too but i was too nervous to ruin what we had.”

“hey, it’s okay.” rafe says softly. “we have forever this way.”

you feel tears well up in your eyes again as you wrap your arms around rafe, pressing your head into his bare chest.

“gosh, i can’t wait to go tell everyone.” you admit with a giggle.

“yeah? wanna go get in the water too?” rafe asks, unsure if your friends waiting for your argument to be over to swim.

“hell yeah.” you slide off the bed, rafe taking a minute to check out your body, not hiding his heated gaze as you catch him.

“holy shit, you are checking me out!” 

“duh, you’re my girl now.” rafe smirks, also getting off the bed, placing an arm around your shoulder. “gonna give you bruised knees for a different reason, baby.”

“wait, rafe-” you begin, suddenly not feeling like swimming anymore, but he pulls you out onto the deck, seeing all your friends sitting awkwardly on the sofas, waiting for whatever argument to be over with.

“don’t worry baby.” rafe drops his mouth to your ear, making sure your friends can’t hear. “we can talk about that virginity of yours later.” rafe doesn’t give you a second to respond, placing his fingers on your chin and tilting your head towards him to press a kiss to your lips to the chorus of all of your friends letting out woops and claps, along with shouts of “finally!”

“i told you!” tiffy shouts, holding her hand out towards stephanie. “you owe me 20 bucks!”

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[the-travelling-witch]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇𝐒

summary: it’s said that, on the shortcut of a common trading route, there lives a fearsome kraken and all those who want to cross have to part with some of their valuables. so, take a gulp and take a breath, then go ahead and pay the toll….

pairing: kraken! azul x gn! reader

warnings: fluff; mentions of drowning, allusion to death, tentacles (it is a kraken after all), softie azul (someone’s in loveee)

a/n: a small idea i had that i thought would be perfect for halloween; i thought it was a fun premise and works as a neat cross between azul’s unique magic, ursula’s “you got to pay the toll” and the superstition of neptune’s toll; happy halloween ♡

twisted wonderland masterlist

The salty breeze bit at your skin and your hair whipped against your cheeks. Absentmindedly you pushed the loose strands from your eyes in repetitive motions, useless as they were. However, your focus was elsewhere entirely. On the horizon, landmasses contrasted with the vast ocean surrounding you, the steep cliffs on one side and the wide- stretched cluster of islands on the other leaving only a narrow gap for your ship to navigate through.

It was beautiful against the deep red of the sinking sun.

“Nasty sight yer pushin’ on us, cartographer.” A gruff voice joined you at the railing, grating as it always was. You couldn’t say you liked the captain of the Triton Trading Company much, a man withered by decades of seafare and about as stubborn as the cliffs coming up ahead. “But cuttin’ days worth of journey with that might be worth listenin’ to a guppy like ya.”

“I assure you, Captain, I’ve made this trip safely on numerous occasions,” you sighed, trying to suppress the urge for a pettier response. “As long as you remember what I’ve told you before our departure, the price for—“

“Yeah yeah, I heard ya perfectly fine the first time,” the burly man grunted, waving you off like a bothersome fly. “Still, yer so green behind the ears, I first thought ya were growin’ algae there. Makes it hard to believe ya, ya know.”

“And if you don’t it’ll cost us all greatly,” you hissed back, fixing your eyes on the horizon again. “In any case, I suggest you think this through carefully, it’s almost time to make your decision.”

“Hah, as if I needed advice from ya,” the captain scoffed before stomping down the deck again. You exhaled more forcefully than necessary.

Either way, you could soon part ways with him again, pockets lined with a hefty sum of gold for charting a course that shortened trading routes significantly. You’d also see your beloved again. Those thoughts comforted you and kept you from decking one or the other member of the crew. Sea spray reached all the way over the railing to sprinkle your face with thousand kisses from the ocean and you smiled fondly.

By the time the cliffs loomed high over the ship, the only natural light source illuminating the deck was the pale moonlight, intersected by the shadows of clouds travelling with you. The few lanterns people were holding floated like wisps in the fog. Since daylight, the temperature had dropped steeply, a chill creeping from the sea onto deck, wafts of mist licking and coiling around your ankles. 

“It’s time to pay the toll, Captain,” you announced, voice strong even among the uneasy shifting of the crew. “Let me see what you chose.”

Arms like tree trunks crossed over a wrinkled uniform, the skin around his elbows grey and dry from years of being exposed to salty air. His bushy eyebrows were knit tightly together in what could only be a foreboding omen of trouble. “Now tell me why I wouldn’t throw ya overboard for even suggestin’ something so ludicrous. Reckon ya’d be enough to pay yer nonsense toll?”

“While you’re right that me and my skills are worth quite a lot of gold, you need me to navigate your way through the waters up ahead.” You mirrored his stance, determined not to budge either. “Though if you want to crash against a wall of rocks and sink your ship, be my guest. Well, if something else doesn’t sink it first.”

“Pah, as if I’d throw valuable treasure overboard because of some little fairy tale you’ve spun, guppy.” The captain’s voice was a mixture of amusement and a scoff as he made the biggest mistake of his life. “I won’t part with a single coin to appease your little—“

A cry cut him off, the head of a crew member slamming against the grimey wood before his nails scratched along the deck as he was dragged backwards and overboard by his ankle. It happened again. And again. And again.

All around you, crew members were pulled into the endless abyss of the sea, screams of terror and dread following them into the depths. The captain’s eyes wavering with regret as his gaze trailed along the shadows eclipsing the moon, reaching higher than the ship’s mast, curling and uncurling languidly as if savouring the moment before crashing down on the deck.

“Kraken! It’s the Kraken!”

The crew’s shrieks broke whatever daze their disbelief had them in and panic broke over them like a wave against a cliffside. Not that any of their running and crying could save them now. Wood splintered under the assault of tentacles that stretched longer than the ship by far and more men were caught in coils of inky black. The ship started to dip where the bow had been crushed mercilessly, water now pouring in.

You watched on in apathy, a hand on the railing where you could feel the sea spray against your skin. The scene did not come as a surprise to you. Honestly, you had expected it when the captain first hired you.  In all fairness, you had warned them, had made it abundantly clear that the condition for passing through this shortcut was that the Kraken’s toll had to be paid if you wanted to sail on unharmed.

It didn’t take long until it was only the captain and you left tumbling along the wreck of the former deck. His face was contorted in an expression that could only be described as pathetic and it robbed you of every urge to gloat. You couldn’t hear his stammering over the crashing of the waves, and you didn’t care for it either, as eight winding appendages ensnared the ship whole and pulled it underwater for good.

Closing your eyes, you embraced the familiar caress of the ocean as you held your breath.

You awoke in the soft blue glow of a rocky lagoon, the bioluminescence of flowers growing in the dim light reflected in the vast pool of water murmuring gently just a few steps away from you. Sitting up somewhat groggily, you checked for any injuries, certain as you were that you had none, and only found pulsing marks littered across your skin, some the size of dinner plates. You reached your hand into the water, speaking fondly.

“A little eager, were we, darling?” 

Water rushed down in streams from the figure emerging from the depths of the sea, pearling on his lilac and onyx skin and making him glitter like a million jewels. Shells and corals adorned his body in elegant clusters and perfectly framed the golden sundial shell dangling around his neck. However, nothing compared to the gorgeous pair of sea-blue eyes shining down at you.

“My apologies, beloved.” His voice echoed around the cave, melodic and more beautiful than any song, as he swam closer to you, submerging himself back into the water up until his neck, so he could be at least somewhat on eye-level with you. “But it has been so long since I last saw you and I missed you dearly.”

“Well, I can’t blame you,” you mused, stretching out your arm so he could lean his face against the palm of your hand. It hardly covered his cheek at all, yet you still stroked along the smooth skin adoringly. “Azul, I love you.”

“And I love you more, my pearl.” The giant octopus merman gently returned your affection by coiling a tentacle around the length of your leg, the width of which thicker than your own thigh. Its tip slipped under the hem of your shirt, mirroring your soft caress against the dip of your lower back. “Even if that foolish captain had thrown three chests of gold overboard, I might have sunk the ship anyway just for the way he spoke to you.”

“You heard that, huh?” Smiling you let yourself be pulled closer to the water by the alluring tug of the tentacle massaging the flesh of your thigh. “Though it wouldn’t exactly help our business model if you also drowned the people actually giving you their valuables.”

“Dead men tell no tales,” Azul simply said, shrugging his beautifully sculpted shoulders as he closed his eyes in faux sympathy. “You could have just said they did not listen and paid the price.”

“Mhm, and it wouldn’t be suspicious at all if I am always the only one to miraculously survive these attacks of the scary, merciless Kraken,” you teased, sliding your hand up to push some of his silvery strands out of his eyes so you could admire more of his beautiful face. “Besides, people would start avoiding this area again if nobody made it out alive anymore.”

“Must you always be right about these things, my dear?” His sigh was one of deep sorrow, a melancholic air to the way he slowly rose and sank in the lagoon’s pool. Another tentacle slowly curled around your middle as two strong, human arms encircled you, clasping together behind your back, so your lover could lean further onto land. “Is it so wrong of me to wish that you would never have to part from me again? That I could appreciate and hold your lovely form whenever I wish to?”

“But you said it yourself, didn’t you? That I came up with a very efficient way of generating wealth,” you reminded him, playful lilt to your voice as your hands wandered over his slick lilac skin. “And it has been pretty effective, hasn’t it? Word of the Kraken’s toll has spread far and wide from what I’ve heard.”

“It’s true, most ships passing through here have thrown some of their prized possessions overboard,” Azul admitted. Something flickered in his gaze and the appendage around your middle tightened its hold on you, though careful not to hurt you. One of its smaller suckers latched onto the exposed skin of your collarbones to leave a possessive mark, soothing your partner even if he was the only one who knew of its existence. “Don’t you think your work is done now? You’ve successfully planted the scheme in people’s heads, there’s no need for you to sail with them now. Stay by my side, don’t return to the ports.”

The rippling of the water was comforting to your ears, moving with your lover’s languid movements, inky tentacles unfurling and curling around you. Never had you believed that you would survive your first meeting, let alone come to love Azul. Now, however, his presence was soothing and safe, knowing full well he would never hurt you, nor let you come to any harm.

“Are you sure?” Your hand slid down his shoulder, then stroked along the smooth black limb still holding you close. “You know I hate to be away from you just as much, but I also want to help you wring the most profit out of this.”

“I’d rather lose out on some of that gold, it’s pocket change in the grand scheme of things anyway. But I don’t want to see you leave again, waiting for you while not knowing if you’re safe, whether some sleaze is trying to steal you away,” he gravely confessed, sliding closer to you than he already had been. Soft lips placed a kiss on the crown of your head, light as sea spray, though it covered far more than just that. “You’re the one treasure I can never part with.”

Something heavy draped around your neck, droplets of water hitting your face as you angled it to look at the octopus arm hovering over your head. When you glanced the other direction, a pearl necklace gleamed up at you, soaking your shirt. You felt more tentacles wrap around your wrist, your waist, your ankle and even sliding gently over your ear, slowly and intimately leaving gleaming golden accessories in their wake, tickling the pads of your fingers in parting.

“You’re so beautiful,” Azul whispered meaningfully, oceanic eyes drinking you up with the reverence people usually reserved for deities. “I’d lay the world down at your feet and pluck the stars from the sky if you asked me to. If you say the word, whatever you long for shall be yours. As long as you stay with me, I’ll gladly grant every one of your wishes. Just don’t leave me again.”

The jewellery clinked as you moved, equal parts gift and claim staked on you. Standing on your tiptoes you started trailing kisses over his shoulders, avoiding shells and corals, his skin slick and cool under your lips. With equal rapture as he bestowed upon you, you charted a course from his collarbones, over his throat and up to his jaw, a path you had mapped out multiple times before. A soft sigh grazed your ear as your kisses reached the corner of his lips, the beauty mark you adored so much receiving special attention. 

With the utmost care, your affection was returned, the pads of human fingers brushing over the curve of your back and down the slope of your arms, making Azul hum as the various valuables adorning you clinked pleasantly under his ministrations. The lagoon’s blue luminescence reflected off the pieces and bathed your skin in a soft azure glow, reinforcing his supposition that you had never belonged with those humans, but that it had been preordained for you to be a part of the ocean; a part of him. “What’s your answer, my pearl?”

“Well, when you ask me like that…” You trailed off playfully, leaning against the comfortable pressure of the hands holding you, knowing he’d never let you fall. Languidly, you ghosted your fingertips along the sable appendages embracing you, then lifted your gaze to meet his, a smile coiling around your lips. “It’s a deal.”

It was always a welcome sight to see his bright eyes go wide in surprise before a smug smile illuminated his face. Clearing his throat, which did nothing to dispel the flush of colour dusting his cheeks, the merman swiftly swept you up into the palm of his hand to bring you to his eye-level. Azul hadn’t always been so comfortable with touching you or being touched himself, so the fact that you could now lean in and flutter kisses against his eyelids, and he let you without any complaints, warmed you from the heart out.

“You know what that means, right? The contract is binding now.” His eyes were positively sparkling now, more dazzling than ever as he slowly reclined backwards, slowly drifting towards the open sea with you. However, instead of drinking in the splendid grandeur of the sun rising over the waves, the two of you were completely enchanted by the other. “I never break my contracts, as you are aware. And I can only hope that you are much the same, my love.”

Grinning fondly down at him, you were certain you could put all his worries to rest. Meeting Azul had been a mercy granted on your poor soul, so until the song of your heart ended and the sun set on the two of you, you were more than happy to bind yourself to him. It was a deal you would honour for the rest of your life.

© the-travelling-witch 2024 - do not repost, translate, copy or edit; do not copy into an ai

if you like my writing, reblogs, comments and asks are always much appreciated ♡

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[plaguedocboi]

Bottomless Pits

We post holes here, sir.

Sinkholes, pit caves, wells and cenotes all have one thing in common; sometimes they’re bottomless. Not truly “bottomless”, of course, but in appearance, reputation, or of incredible depth. We’ve seen a few of these “bottomless pits” in prior lists such as the Lost Sea in Tennessee or the Devil’s Hole in Nevada, but today we will focus on those strange places in the earth that seem to be endless.

1. Laguna Kaan Luum, Mexico

This one threw me for a loop because I was originally only seeing pictures like the one above, so I was like ‘oh, that’s cool, so it’s kinda like Dean’s Blue Hole, where it’s an ocean sinkhole right off the shore…’

No. It’s not that. Let’s zoom out a bit.

Yeah. This is a lake with one giant sinkhole in the middle! It’s about 2,000 feet across and reaches depths of 278 feet, with the surrounding shallows a very pleasant 4 feet deep! I’m mostly including it on the list because the full image hit me like a bus.

2. Sima Humboldt, Venezuela

Tepuis are large plateau mountains found across Venezuela, often with sheer sides and inaccessible tops that inspired explorers to imagine dinosaurs still surviving on these isolated mesas. Even on their own, tepuis are incredible, beautiful and mysterious. Add a sinkhole with an even more isolated forest at the bottom, and you have all the ingredients for some crazy shit to happen. Sima Humboldt and Sima Martel are two enormous sinkholes at the top of Cerro Sarisariñama. Humboldt is the largest at over a thousand feet across and nearly the same in depth, with a jungle flourishing at the bottom. The sinkhole forests are home to many endemic species of both plant and animals, but so far, no prehistoric monsters have been found in any of them.

3. Well of Barhout, Yemen

The “well of hell” is a massive sinkhole in the desert, measuring about 100 feet in diameter and plunging down over 300 feet. Understandably, there are many myths and legends about this place, including a story about an evil djinn which lives at the bottom and takes the head of anyone foolish enough to climb in. In fact, so pervasive are these legends that the sinkhole was only formally explored in 2021! Luckily they did not find any evil spirits, but they did find stalagmites which reached 30 feet tall, cave pearls, and waterfalls which provided refuge for frogs and snakes.

4. Myakka sinkhole, Florida

This murky abyss is filled with more than just water, it is also home to over a hundred alligators. Due to the poor visibility and very high concentration of large carnivores, it is very difficult to study this pit. Only a few people have ever glimpsed the bottom of this 134-foot deep sinkhole, but apparently we aren’t missing much because the water down there is stagnant and inhospitable to most life. Exactly why this area is so popular among alligators is still unknown, but it’s likely due to a combination of food availability and ideal temperatures.

5. The Pit cenote, Mexico

Like Cenote Angelita, The Pit is a layered cenote. The first 88 feet is freshwater, then there is a “fog” of hydrogen sulfide, below which lies over 300 feet of brackish water. The Pit is a spectacular-looking cenote, with an almost otherworldly quality, which makes it very popular among divers. So far, this pit has been explored to a depth of 390 feet, but unexplored passages extend further.

6. Thor’s well, Oregon

Like a drainpipe continuously swallowing an unbroken stream of ocean water, Thor’s well is often likened to a bottomless pit. However, it is actually only about 20 feet deep, and the drain effect is due to the fact that it connects back to the ocean, not swallowing the water but simply rerouting it. This does not mean that there is no danger, though. The rocks are slippery and sharp, and this area sees a higher than average number of ‘sneaker waves’; waves that look normal as they roll in but are actually much larger than they appear, potentially sweeping people out to sea as they retreat. The true danger here is the ocean, not the well.

7. Vouliagmeni Lake, Greece

This incredibly beautiful saltwater lake has been rumored to have healing properties for thousands of years, and today continues to draw in visitors for its medicinal minerals and “doctor fish”. But this famous lake hides a secret; a labyrinth of caves whose depths have never been fully explored, and whose connection to the ocean remains undiscovered. Passages stretch over a mile into the mountains, with an average depth of 260 feet. The largest of these caverns is nearly 500 feet wide and full of warm sea water. Although a spectacular diving spot, these unknown caverns are best not underestimated.

8. Santa Rosa blue hole, New Mexico

A gorgeous natural swimming hole, this cenote is roughly 80 feet wide and 80 feet deep (in most places) and is a popular destination for tourists. It was also used for diving certification tests, until an incident in 1976. There is one spot in this picturesque cenote that goes down much further than 80 feet; the entrance to a cave. In the dark, twisting passages, two young divers got lost and died, and the cave was later sealed with a metal grate to prevent other divers from attempting to enter. The cave was mostly forgotten about until 2013, when cave divers were given permission to attempt to map the area. The blue hole is at least 200 feet deep, but the bottom of the cave still has not been found.

9. Roaring River Spring, Missouri

This turquoise river bubbles up from a ten-foot wide pool of deep water hidden within a sheer-sided canyon. But despite its peaceful appearance, this spring discharges 20 million gallons of water a day, and the exact source is still unknown. In 1979, divers attempted to map the cave, but reached a point 225 feet down where the passage constricted and had a water flow like “the force of an open fire hydrant”, preventing them from going any further. In 2020, divers waited until the water flow was lowest in the summer and descended to a depth of 472 feet with no bottom in sight, making this the deepest spring in the US!

10. Your Mom.

I jest, of course. Here’s the real one:

Hranice Abyss, Czech Republic

A tiny greenish lake in the forest is the opening to the deepest freshwater cave in the world, deeper than the Empire State Building is high and still seemingly bottomless. It is so deep that scientists think it may have been formed by a totally different process than most freshwater caves; instead of water eroding away the ground from above, it may have been created by acidic groundwater coming up from below. And this water is extremely acidic, able to burn a diver’s skin if not covered properly. This, combined with fallen trees and other debris, poor visibility, and the sheer vertical drop of the cave, creates incredibly dangerous conditions for diving. Because of this, no diver or ROV has reached the bottom yet. But with a recent study using seismic sensors, scientists have estimated that the abyss may be over a kilometer deep, twice what was previously thought.

[five-rivers]

Alien

Danny doodled absently in the margins of his homework.  He’d gotten into the Astronomy elective this year, and although he’d finished that homework, he wasn’t ready to start on his Language Arts homework.  Instead, he daydreamed, his thoughts drifting slowly from the sun, to satellites, to stars, to planets.  

“Clockwork, are there ghost portals on other planets?  I mean,” he said, revising his question, “could a person travel to another planet, like, um, Mars, using natural portals?”

For a long moment, Clockwork didn’t answer, and Danny sighed, aware that he did sometimes push his luck when it came to Clockwork and questions.  As Clockwork said, he couldn’t give Danny all the answers.  

“That’s an interesting question,” said Clockwork.  

“It is?” asked Danny, sitting up on the couch (which bore a remarkable similarity to the couch Danny’s parents had blown up when he was six).  

“Yes,” said Clockwork.  “It is.”  He moved to the side of the time screen he’d been looking at, letting Danny see it.  

The screen showed a starscape, detailed, bright, and familiar.  Earth’s night sky.  

“A portal may form anywhere that sufficiently captures the soul,” said Clockwork.  

“Like… imagination-wise?”

“That is the most common element in these situations, yes.”  

Danny squinted at Clockwork.  “The way you phrased that is weird.”

“But no less true.”  

“People imagine Mars all the time,” said Danny.  

“So they do,” said Clockwork.  He flicked his hand and the image on the screen dispersed into static, only to resolve into what Danny quickly recognized as the beginning of Sam, Tucker, and his disastrous trip with the Infi-Map.  "But natural portals do not only pierce through space."

Danny floated up off the couch, abandoning his homework.  "Is this your way of telling me that we're going to start finding weirdly old bodies on Mars and stuff?"

"There are other planets than Mars," said Clockwork.  "And more than humans pass through portals."

"Yeah, I know, but Mars was–" he stopped.  "You don't mean planets in this solar system, do you?  You mean– you're talking about things from Earth going to other solar systems."

"It is a possibility."

"But," continued Danny, approaching the screen, "people didn't know about exoplanets until pretty recently.  So, were the portals just aimed at the stars, or…?"

Rather pointedly, the Danny on the screen tumbled from the sixteen-hundreds to Rome.  

"Right.  I guess time, um."  He winced.  "Portals can form regardless of time."

"Nice save," said Clockwork with a raised eyebrow.  

"I'm trying to follow your clues," complained Danny.  He continued to watch the screen.  "Is that just one sided, from the future that knows about things, to the past that doesn't?"

"Were you trapped in the past?"

"No," said Danny, "but we also knew about the future."

"Hm," said Clockwork.  

"I guess I'm trying to ask…  If you had something in, like, I don't know, the time when bacteria started producing oxygen–"

"The Siderian Period."

"Yeah, then.  Could a portal open then, in the, uh, the Siderian Period on Earth, and go through the Ghost Zone, and have the other side be on planet that it could, um.  Live on?  That wasn't Earth?"

"The chances are small," said Clockwork.

"But they exist?" pressed Danny.  

Clockwork waved his hand again, and the screen flickered, going from Danny and Vlad fighting in a coliseum to a cloudy blue-green ocean.  A neon green whirl came to life among the blue, and the point of view zoomed through it, coming to a stop above a gray ocean under a whitish sun.  Bluish water trickled through the tiny portal, splashing into the gray sea.  The color diffused, slowly.  

Danny bounced in the air, excited.  "And it could live?"

"I believe you are the one who told me humans had calculated the odds of a mouse surviving on the surface of the sun for a week."

"Then that means, that means that there could be real alien life that ultimately came from Earth."

"What makes you think this is not Earth?" asked Clockwork, tilting his staff at the screen.  "The sky you know takes much of its color from the composition of its atmosphere.  What makes you think either of them were Earth?”

Danny’s mouth slowly formed an O of surprise.  

"But then," said Danny, “you could basically have a chain.  Life going from one planet to the next and the next after that…  Would things get traded back and forth like that?  Is that where missing links go?”

“Most holes in the fossil record are simply due to chance, or certain organisms being difficult to preserve.”

“But not all of them?”

Clockwork hummed noncommittally.  

“That’s so cool,” said Danny.  “Like, aliens had to exist, either way.  Life happening in one place and not anywhere else– Well, that’s way too unlikely.  But this is really cool.”

“As you have said.”

“But if the crossover is consistent… if it’s consistent, wouldn’t someone have noticed?  I know people disappear all the time, but people showing up out of nowhere is different.  Isn’t it?”

“Remember,” said Clockwork, “the current awareness of your world is a relatively recent development.  For most of human history, if a new group of people arrived in an area, and local people were not able to recognize where they came from, they simply assumed they were from somewhere far away, but still knowable."

"Well…  okay.  I can see that.  Just.  Wow."  He leaned back in the air, still caught in a sense of wonder.  "There could be whole civilizations out there…  Imagine if we could make portals that go to those places and visit.   I know there's the Infi-Map, but still."

"There are reasons that ghosts no longer seek such things out, except for the foolish and the power-hungry."

"Oh," said Danny, but he only deflated a little bit.   

"Daniel."  

Danny righted himself to look at Clockwork.  "Yeah?"

"It may come, someday, that you will ask a question that seems to have no answer, or encounter a situation to which there seems to be no solution.  Think back to this when you do."

"Okay," said Danny.

"Now, get back to your homework. I know you haven't done it all." 

Danny stuck out his tongue and flitted back to the couch.  Clockwork was right, but he didn’t have to say it.

[cxptain-capsicle]

Beyond the Sea | Luke Castellan | V

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Unclaimed Poseidon!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, established relationship, slow burn flashbacks, Gods being terrible parents

A/n: sorry this took so long to come out and it's a little short but i hope you all enjoy

Series Masterlist

You woke up to the feeling of your bed being shaken back and forth. You rolled over to see the disturbance only to see Luke shaking the bunk bed by the top bunk.

“What are you doing?” You grumbled as you pulled the blanket over your eyes.

“It’s your birthday!” He exclaimed.

“I wanna sleep in.” You mumbled from under the blanket.

Luke was quiet for a moment, you curiously peeked out from under the blanket to see Luke crouched down right in front of you. He held out a paper plate with a big chocolate chip cookie in the center. On the cookie was a big “17” in sloppy handwriting, he had a wide grin on his face.

“I made it myself.” He said proudly. “Eat it while it's still warm.”

You popped up in the bed and grabbed the plate, Luke came to sit on the side of the bed with you. You split the warm cookie in half and handed one side to Luke. 

“Happy birthday Y/n” He whispered as you took a bite of your cookie. You could tell he made it himself but it was still good.

Luke had the whole day planned with your favorite things. Your favorite breakfast then canoeing. He planned a picnic in the woods and even convinced the nymphs to leave you two alone. You did swordplay by the beach which you loved but he hated since you always beat him when you were close to the water. You visited the arts and crafts cabin, the climbing wall, and the archery range before dinner. At dinner, Luke doubled the size of his offering because ‘you shouldn’t have to give up food on your birthday’. You didn’t think it worked that way but the gods never answered your prayers anyway so you didn’t mind.

“So what else do you wanna do on your birthday?” Luke asked as you took the last bite of your dinner. You contemplated for a few seconds.

“Let’s go swimming.” You proposed.

When you got to the beach the sun was beginning to set, casting pink and orange hues over the water. After the morning on the beach with Luke when you discovered you could control the water you began to resent the ocean. It symbolized Poseidon to you and all of the resentment you held for him. However you couldn’t stay away from it. The sea made you stronger, it helped you win battles. It made you feel free, you finally felt like you found somewhere you belonged. You could swim better and hold your breath longer than anyone else at camp. Sometimes you would swim as far out as you could, go under the water, and watch the animals until you had to come up for air. Unfortunately communicating with the sea creatures was a power you did not possess. Luke said that gods have to grant their children powers when they are claimed. Forbidden children are more powerful, more unpredictable, uncontrollable, and can sometimes harness certain powers without the permission of the gods. 

“You coming or what?” Luke snapped you out of your thoughts. 

“Yeah, I’m coming.” You smiled and followed him to the water. Luke quickly discarded his shirt and shorts leaving him in his boxers. This was a common experience by now, you and Luke went swimming most days of the week and at camp, everyone swam in their underwear and never thought anything of it. However, as time went on Luke got taller, leaner, more muscular. He looked more like a Greek statue as time went on, a dark-haired Apollo. 

It was impossible for you to deny your feelings for Luke since you two had almost kissed on the beach a few weeks ago. Just before your discovery of your father and your whole life changed. You have always loved Luke. From the moment he had rescued you and brought you to camp, you were bonded. You were only children then but now you had both changed, and grown, and it was impossible to deny his charm and good looks. Luke was kind, loyal, funny, righteous, everything you could ever ask for. He was also undoubtedly your best friend, your person. You would follow Luke to war and he would do the same for you and the fear of ruining that was stronger than any other feelings you had.

“Okay, turn around.” You ordered Luke. He chuckled a little but followed the command.

“You’d think we wouldn’t still be doing this after this long.” He said as you removed your top layers.

“Yeah yeah whatever.” He turned around to look at you. It made you self-conscious and you were glad it was getting dark to cover your red cheeks. “Bet I’ll beat you to the water.”

You took off sprinting with Luke on your heels. You dove into the water submerging yourself under the waves. Beneath the water, you saw Luke coming in after you but you knew he wouldn’t be able to see you beyond the sunset reflecting on the water. You jumped out of the water behind him, splashing him with water.

“Oh my gods,” He placed his hand over his chest. “You can’t do that to me.”

You laughed so hard it made your stomach hurt. A strong wave came barelling into you nearly knocking you both off of your feet. Luke wrapped his arm around your waist to keep himself above the water. 

“Don’t drown us.” He half joked. His voice was soft and almost anxious. You became acutely aware of the situation. You could feel Luke’s skin against yours, pressed right up together. You looked up into his brown eyes and could tell that he had come to the same realization. Neither of you moved, the waves became earily absent. The sun was gone by now and the moon casted shadows on Luke’s grecian features. You realized Luke was looking at you too, looking at you in a way you’d never seen before. He was looking at you the way you looked at him. Time felt like it was moving in slow motion as he slowly got closer and closer. Last time this had happened a massive cold wave interrupted the moment. You had no idea of that was your emotions out of control or Poseidon being a petty father but either way you prayed for the water to stay calm. As some kind of birthday miracle the waves stayed still and Luke’s lips met yours. 

The kiss was sweet and timid, you knew that this was his first kiss as well as yours. The two of you pulled away just enough to make eye contact but neither of your said anything. Quickly Luke’s hand came up and wrapped around the back of your neck pulling you in again. You brought your hands up to ravel in the hair by the base of his neck and suddenly the kiss was not sweet and timid anymore. It was desperate and longing like it had been a long time coming. Luke lifted you off the sand and you wrapped your legs around him bringing you somehow closer. You couldn’t help but think that this was the most defiant thing you’d done and you should stop before Poseidon drowned you both. But you couldn’t stop.

“Mr. Castellan!” Chirons voice came from the beach. You practically knocked Luke over trying to separate yourself. You sank down in the water with embarrassment until only your eyes and ears were above water. “Get dressed and meet me in my office.” With that he turned and trotted back to the big house.

You and Luke hurried to the beach and quickly got dressed. The two of you shot eachother nervous glances, unsure of what punishment was to come.

“I better get going.” Luke cleared his throat. “I’ll see you in the cabin.” You nodded as he turned towards the big house. He got a few yards ahead of you before turning around and shouting back at you. “Happy Birthday Y/n!”

That night as you walked back to the cabin your face was plastered with a wide grin.

Feedback is appreciated <3

Taglist: @fudosl @lenasvoid @light-23 @petrichorvzlia-blog @heartzflwers @vampsaddicted @bbgkaykay @shiara04 @teigo-the-explorer @number-onekidqueen @moonyslovrpng @niktwazny303 @bonnie-tz @purplerose291 @yarnify

[fictionstudent]

How to pull off "show not tell"

“Show, not tell” is a common advice that both emerging and emerged writers (lol) hear quite often. But most of us don’t really understand what it completely means, until really later.

Personally, I took the advice by heart. But I had the definition wrong. I thought the advice meant that you don’t write “he was angry” but rather “he frowned”, “he glared” or something like that. And it’s kinda right. But kinda. And you can really mess it up when you only half-know what it means—believe me, my first couple of novels were a mess.

So, you might ask what “show, not tell” even means—what it actually means. And I’m here to tell you everything I know about it.

***

What is “show, not tell”

Well, it’s actually a quite recent writing tool in the industry. I don’t really know how and where the term originated—and I’m too lazy to actually Google it—so I won’t get to that.

I’ve heard and read about this term a lot—right from the time I’ve begun writing. It’s quite famous. In fact, it’s a prerequisite these days. Many beginning writers would have heard this criticism that their prose doesn’t really show, it just tells. It’s filled with telling. You should show, not tell.

So, what does this “show, not tell” even mean? The advice is quite self-explanatory, you see. It’s when you show your characters doing or feeling something rather than just telling your readers what happened. So, on one aspect, it refrains you from narrating your story.

And by narrating your story, I mean the parts where the characters are not moving in real-time, but the writer is narrating what had happened. For example,

And we crossed the seas. The journey wasn’t long, but those days we had nothing to do. We were bored the heck out of our brains. Those days felt like an eternity. Until today, when we finally found what we were looking for—a piece of land in the middle of the Pacific. The Hirohoto Islands.

You don’t do this. It’s okay when a character is telling the story to another character. But a narrator should refrain from doing this.

According to this advice, you actually show scenes of the journey—maybe show that the MC was fiddling with stuff all day long, people were drinking booze or something day and night, and some just stared into the blue oceans day in and day out, until this one guy saw a green dot far away. In fact, whatever I just said can be used quite literally, if you don’t wanna go into the details of the scenes. Yeah, you can even go into more details and maybe write a little chapter filled with such scenes.

But, well, as you could have guessed, it’s on a macro-level. The advice can also be used on a micro-level.

For example, you don’t write,

I was angry at Sara. But she didn’t care.

Instead, you write,

I wanted to kill Sara on the spot. I wanted to choke her, I wanted to stab a knife in her chest. But Sara—the damn audacity! She just stood there, simply staring at me like nothing happened just now, like she never said anything to rage me up like this. She didn’t care about me, did she? She never cared.

The second one is filled with anger. And the dejection that the narrator feels, knowing that Sara doesn’t care about him anyway.

On micro-level, there are two actually two ways to imply this advice. And this is something that I had to figure out on my own—no one told me that there were two ways to do this, no article mentions this.

One way is to use visuals, the other monologues.

***

Visuals

Let me explain. When you see the movie, you don’t witness the inner monologues or thoughts of your narrators. You just experience the way the actors act—the way their gazes shift, their body movement changes, and all that. That’s using visuals. For example, read this scene where the character is just betrayed,

Her fists clenched hard. Her arms were trembling. And her eyes… They tried hard to fight back those tears. But the dam could break any moment now.

You get the feeling that the character was betrayed in some way, and that she was both angry and dejected at the situation. She wanted to cry. She wanted to punch.

But I never wrote,

She was so angry at them. She wanted to cry, but she controlled herself.

The second one doesn’t give us the same form of feeling as the first one. The first one obviously reads better, and everyone would prefer that.

***

Monologues

This is something that’s unique to the art of prose. It’s only in prose that you can witness the inner monologues of the characters, and use them to tell a story. Films, comics, and other visual media don’t do this.

And yes, that’s what I mean when I say monologues. Use these monologues to show what the characters feel, and how they react.

For example, let’s take the previous example where the character has just been betrayed,

She couldn’t believe this. Was this for real? Was this… really happening? Really?

How could someone do something like this? And… And to her? What had she done to be betrayed like this?

Again, you hear what the characters are feeling. You understand their tone. And you emphasize with them this way.

***

Visuals or Monologues - How to choose

Now, you might be wondering that if you can use the “show, not tell” in two ways, how do you choose which one to use and which one not, especially in a particular scene?

Well, for that, read the two examples above again—the ones about the betrayed character. Take about a minute to scroll up, c’mon.

You’d understand that on a subconscious level, there’s something oddly different between the two. It’s as if none of the two really give a complete picture of the scene. You get one aspect from the visuals, one from the monologue. But you don’t really get that the character is actually betrayed until I tell you that before you read the examples.

That’s the problem with using one over the other—you often miss out something or the other. In some scenes, maybe where you use stronger action verbs, the visuals might be enough, while in some scenes, visuals won’t really matter, but rather, the monologue will.

But in most scenes, you’d need to mix the two types. Read this,

She couldn’t believe this. Was this for real? Was this… really happening? Really?

Her fists clenched hard. Her arms were trembling. And her eyes… They tried hard to fight back those tears. But the dam could break any moment now.

How could someone do something like this? And… And to her? What had she done to be betrayed like this?

I simply mixed the two—both visuals and monologues. And now, the prose tells the whole story. It can stand on its own, without me telling the context. It feels complete.

See, visuals and monologues are not two ways to “show, not tell” technique, but rather, are two tools that complement each other. Yeah, you can always use one instead of both, but you don’t need to choose one over the other—choose both. Or rather, choose none, if you think that helps the scene better.

***

A common mistake to avoid

Some writers often make this mistake that you should try avoiding. This mistake is really hard to notice, sometimes, but with practice, maybe you can learn how to solve it.

And that mistake is that you often show and tell. For example,

She was angry. She glared at him, her fists clenched hard, like she’d just punch him in the face and get this crap done with.

It’s two sentences. Notice this—the first sentence clearly tells you that the character is angry. And then the second one shows it.

This way, you’re repeating the action twice. The reader would make one mental image in their head when they read the first sentence, and then you make it up for them, in which case, they’d need to adjust that image. That’s not how you make your prose flow.

Never repeat action. An action that happens once in the prose should be mentioned once. The later sentences can expand on it, but not mention the action again. Repeating actions happen a lot in “show, not tell”, and sometimes, it’s not so easy to point it out.

***

Solution

I’ve recently got a hold on this “show, not tell” advice too, to be honest. And as someone who’s recently cleared its basics, I’d admit it—it’s tough to just go and start implementing it.

Therefore, in my current WIP—in which I’m really making sure I follow this rule—I’ve developed a technique that might work for you too, for someone who’s just started out.

Don’t care about this rule in the first draft. You can tell as much as you want in your first draft—go for it. In fact, that’s what I’ve been doing currently too.

But when you’re done with the draft, mark all the places where you think you’ve told and not shown, and then when you’re writing the second draft, just replace all the telling parts with the showing parts. Simply replace them all, and rewrite.

It’s that simple, really.

Even if you’re far into your project and now feel you’ve not really stuck with the advice and messed up, don’t scrap the whole project. I’ve always scrapped projects because sometimes I felt I messed up quite hard, and that’s why I’d advise you not to. In your case, simply go for a re-read, mark the ­telling phrases, and re-write them. You’re done.

***

Conclusion

I hope this article will help you guys. I also wanted to talk about why you should follow this advice of “show, not tell”, why the readers today love it, and when to actually break this rule to tell stuff to the readers. But I thought that it’d deviate this article too much, so I stuck to the basics. I might talk about the other stuff in some other article.

Anyway, see you around!

[winterpinetrees]

Okay yeah I’m still thinking about logistics. I am aware that lord of the rings is whimsical and I don’t care.

There must be so many people in Rivendell. It’s the Last Homely House, the last decent place before you go off into the deep wilderness. It’s at the bottom of a valley in the middle of nowhere. They aren’t getting everything imported. Elrond must have a full sized settlement there to produce most of the food, even if we are assuming that preserving magic makes it an easy place to live. Rivendell is a refuge too. It’s home to Elrond, his family, a significant number of Noldor like Glorfindel, and who knows how many wanderers. Elves don’t die of old age, and in the Third Age they don’t get murdered particularly often either, so I have to imagine that the population is large and just keeps growing. I don’t get the sense that many travel across the sea until after Sauron falls, and there really isn’t anywhere else for them to go. Lothlorien, maybe? There’s got to be thousands of people in that valley, supporting the Last Homely House and keeping the forces of darkness at bay.

More than that, it’s a huge place fit for the most powerful people in Middle Earth. Rivendell can easily accommodate Bilbo’s entire party in the hobbit and all of the visiting diplomats for the Council of Elrond. Do you have any idea how much manpower (elf power?) it takes to keep a place clean, well-lit, and functional without modern technology? It takes an absurd amount of work. There is nothing in the legendarium that I’m aware of to suggest that elves use magic as a labor saving tool. That means that people are doing all of that work by hand.

Are there elven servants in Rivendell? What about in Valinor? In the Silmarillion, we only ever really read about noble bloodlines, and in LoTR, elves are kept very mysterious. There’s craftsmen who make silmarils and magic rings, but who is forging gear for the average soldier? We know that there are a whole lot of average soldiers. Lord of the rings is a story of battles between armies. Is there upward mobility in an undying land? Whoever is cleaning clothes in Valinor, have they been doing that since the age of the two trees?

Maybe Valinor is more equal than that. Maybe in a place where everyone expects to live forever, they’ve found ways to share the load. But they did have a high king, long ago, and Feanor uses the argument that the elves should go to Beleriand to find freedom and treasure. He’s not a reliable narrator, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about.

What must it be like to be one of the other Noldor? To be a common elf and go east seeking freedom and adventure, only to find suffering like you cannot imagine? To watch that land sink beneath the ocean, to see Numenor be corrupted and fall, to fight Morgoth and Sauron and Sauron again? To finally leave it all behind as everything, even Rivendell and Lindon and Lothlorien, fades? Or maybe you die in combat and spend an eon in the halls of Mandos before reawakening in Valinor. Either way, you’re back!

And someone needs to do the laundry.

[purplealmonds]

Extrapolating on my "Karakasa is an abnormally strong mononoke" theory.

Just as a refresher, this was my comment in @sarahwatchesthings's post in the Mononoke community:

I wonder - in the lore video Kusu confirms the existence of other exorcism swords and by extension, more Kusus. Narratively, this newly revealed information should have a payoff. The karakasa is a formidable mononoke - it manifests as a tsunami-like entity and creepy sky vagina. Far more powerful than any mononoke we've encountered. Perhaps we will have an "Avengers Assemble" moment in this movie to, err, shall we say, unfuck the Sky Vagina?

Let's examine the mononoke anime-Kusu previously encountered as a baseline:

The Zashikiwarashi were confined within the brothel-turned-inn and as far as we know, didn't harm anyone except the innkeeper and her assistant. Even Shino's child, who we thought died from miscarriage, was revealed to be alive and well at the end of the story arc.

The Umibozu, while attracting an ocean of Ayakashi, originated from Genkei's soul rather than the sea itself. No casualties here either.

The Nopperabou was bound to Ochou. It's highly implied the murder of her in-laws was a delusion (along with the rest of her daydreams with Fox Mask). The only thing that was metaphorically "killed" was her sense of self but even that is restored in the end.

The Nue probably has the highest body count, but it is all localized in Ruri-Hime's estate.

The Bakeneko is haunting one (1) carriage of a train. Most of the people involved in Setsuko's murder were spared when they showed remorse, and the bystanders were unharmed.

Even the original Bakeneko, as powerful as it was, haunted just the Sakai estate. Although everyone on the premises but Kusu, Kayo, Odajima, and Yoshiyuki were slaughtered, the palanquin drivers just outside the gates were unharmed and none the wiser.

There are a few common threads with these mononoke:

Their influence is constrained to a single location.

Save for the original bakeneko arc, these mononoke did not harm or haunt anyone that was undeserving of their wrath.

They are created from the intense repressed negative emotions of a handful of individuals.

@the-mononoke-facade If any of the Shu novel mononoke support this theory, let me know!

Now let's examine the Karakasa:

In Kusu's words, it is created by the grudge of women- plural. This is not just a few women working in a brothel like in Zashikiwarashi, this encompasses all women's suffering within the ooku. Because each woman's suffering is unique, the form, truth, and reason will be all the more difficult to unravel even if everyone's forthcoming with information.

The Karakasa's manifestations very much resembles the hellish geographical and weather conditions that Japan faces even to this day. The Sky Vagina = typhoons. The rising/exploding water = earthquakes and tsunamis. The Karakasa is not just an entity, it is a forces of nature. And like all forces of nature, it cannot be reigned in, only weathered.

There are massive crowds of civilians in the fourth trailer. Hell, even the faceless women in the ooku can be considered innocent bystanders. If Kusu doesn't solve the mystery quickly enough, the Karakasa will break confinement. The Karakasa is a mass casualty event in the making.

Judging from the second image below of the Karakasa-tsunami expanding beyond the ooku's walls, Kusu failed and people will die because of that failure.

And moments before that disaster, he was at its epicenter taking a bath in the hot tub.

Actually...you could even say that this explosion resembles like that of an atom bomb. And that's a whole other can of worms to unravel.

So, yeah. Although this mononoke originated from a ratty old umbrella, it's abnormally powerful. Too powerful, perhaps, for movie-Kusu and Shingi to best.

It is said that Japanese society is shaped by the forces of nature it must contend with. In order to survive these earthquakes and typhoons and tsunamis, a community must put aside their petty grudges and differences to work as a team. Simultaneously, this tribal mentality is also what makes the ooku a miserable place to live; an outsider who doesn't fall in line is punished no matter how small the infraction.

With these themes in mind, my conclusions/predictions are:

Kusu and Shingi cannot defeat the Karakasa alone. They must put aside their pride and ask for help.

When faced with adversity, the women (and maybe the men too, but they're on thin fuckin ice) in the ooku will band together to assist Kusu in warding off the Karakasa.

To reiterate what I said earlier, Kusu implied the existence of multiple other Kusu's and exorcism sword. Perhaps these other Kusu's will also make an appearance to help him vanquish the Karakasa. Because, you know. The Kun exorcism sword is affiliated with the earth element and Pokemon logic says earth is weak against water.

And as a final bonus observation, given Shingi's more human-like (shall we say down-to-earth? ha-ha earth puns) appearance compared to anime-Hyper, I believe he is not as invincible as one would believe even when the sword is drawn. To supplement this, I'll share a spoiler from the light novel. Putting it below the cut! As a disclaimer, I'm unsure if it is spoilers for the Shu or Oni novel, so look at your own risk!

So, Hyper and by extension all other manifestations of him are not always effortlessly slaying all mononoke nor invulnerable to harm. Like Mani, I'm also rather curious if this will be reflected in Karakasa. The production team's already throwing all sorts of insane lore nuggets at us. This metaphorical curveball of Shingi getting roughed up by the Karakasa is not entirely implausible!!

[kenphobia]

CAN'T SLEEP, LOVE！

summary. ace couldn't sleep, and sanji happens to the same as well.

characters. ace/sanji

contents. no general plot, fluff mostly; possibly ooc? (i don't know how to write both of them), more or lessself-indulgent; dedicated to my friend, rocket, the acesan shipper fr; mentions of smoking; subtle mutual pining

› notes featured at the end.

The ship was silent, save for Luffy's loud snores. The waves rock the vessel ever so slightly, keeping Ace awake with the motion of it all. He leaned on the rails, staring into the star-dotted sky with not much on his face. The air was cool and brushed against his arms, like a comforting yet distant hug. He sighed.

Staying with the Strawhats sure have gotten him tired, but it was the most fun he has had ever since he set on finding Blackbeard. The mere thought of the man soured Ace's mood, his nose scrunching up as he balled up his fist tightly.

As Ace glared down at the sea below him, he felt a presence behind him and a voice called out.

"What are you doing out here, Ace?"

Ace turned around upon the mention of his name, seeing the Strawhats' cook standing behind him. He was still dressed in his usual outfit, but it was clear that he was about to take them off and change out for a more comfortable attire.

"I should be asking that." Ace offered a smile and a place for Sanji to stand beside him. Sanji took the offer and smiled back, pulling out a cigarette and lighter.

Sanji fiddled with the lighter, flicking it open several time but the end of the cigarette didn't catch fire. "Well, I couldn't sleep even if I tried to." He responded with gritted teeth, brows furrowed in irritation as sweat drip from his temple.

Ace took hold of the cook's hand, pushing it away gently as fire ignited on his fingertips and lit the cigarette. Sanji felt his face warm up, color dusting his cheeks as Ace moved his face closer to his. Whether the action be intentional or not, it still made something burn up inside of the blonde man.

Sanji turned away once the end of his cigarette burned a bright red-orange glow. He thanked Ace who, in turn, just grinned. He took a puff, smoke filling his mouth and exhaling it all out into the night. The air, once smelling like the ocean and salt, now held a smoky scent.

"And you?" Sanji turned to Ace.

Ace simply shrugged, tucking his hands under his arms. He leaned more against the rails. "Same reason. Plus, the night is too pretty to sleep off, isn't it?" He met Sanji's eyes, the blue-grey tome swirlimg within them gave Ace a sense of comfort, a cooling feeling.

Sanji nodded, the cigarette hanging off the side of his mouth as his lips curved upwards. "The stars are twinkling brightly tonight, more than usual, aren't they?"

The two stood there in silence, reveling the night and the moonlight shining down on them. The breeze becomes strong for a short moment and the two of them seem to have move closer to each other, a common instinct to find warmth within your nearest companion.

"Thanks again," Ace suddenly spoke up. "For, well, taking care of my brother. Must be hard cooking for him, huh?"

Sanji chuckled. "I mean, yeah. But I love cooking, so it's not exactly a problem. It's just the supplies diminish too quickly for my liking." He answered, feeling exhaustion settling into his bones at the memory of multiple shopping trips and restocking on each island.

Ace nodded, leaning his head atop the blonde's. He reveled in Sanji's warmth, in the smoke held tightly between soft lips. "And I'd like to thank you for another thing."

"What another thing?" Sanji raised a brow, now holding the cigarette between his fingers.

"For keeping me company."

notes. INSPIRED BY ALL OF THE ACESAN ART @/HUYANDERE ART DID!!! THE ACESAN ARTIST FR!!! live laugh love acesan

also yeah i do write character x character, but im a bit picky on the ships soo :'))

[taro-pdf]

tell me about the sunfish

OH BOY DO YOU KNOW HWAT YOU HAVE DONE??? HERE I GO:

(IDs in alt text.)

So there's this family of fish called molidae, yeah? and in molidae there's three families, Mola, Masturus, and Ranzania, and five species.

All of them have weirdo tails, in that their tails are like, gone. Their caudal fin is very stunted and used like a rudder, while anal and dorsal are used to propel. See below.

That's a Mola alexandrini and Mola tecta (drawn by yours truely), aka gian sunfish and hoodwinker sunfish! Molidae start their life as teeny tiny larva only a few cells large, and only a few of the thousands eggs released make it to adulthood. Molas are also the largest boney fish. The largest recorded Mola is M. alexandrini, with the most recent record breaker being about 11 feet long and weighing 6,000 lbs. Thats about 3.4 meters & 2700 kg! !!! WILD.

Despite being ginormous, Molidae as a whole are actually really low in nutritional value. See, the fish of Molidea's diet is soft squishy low calorie things they can inhale. They inhale because they can't close their mouths; they're always open, looking extremely surprised. So they eat things like jellyfish, zooplankton, and squid.

And how they go about eating is really cool, too. All the genus Mola dives thousands of feet in the ocean! Durring the day, most of their prey is down there due to the "diurnal vertical migration"--zooplankton travel up at night and down durring the day. Mola's eyesight isn't the best, so they dive durring the day to have better light.

Funny thing is, they don't have swim bladders. How do they move through the changing pressure? Their bone's and flesh just happen to be about the same density as water, so they just hang out wherever they stop swimming.

Another funny thing, Molidae are cold blooded. And the ocean is cold! this limits how long they can dive for. Older, larger adults can dive for much longer than smaller ones. Regardless, when they come up they have to warm up again, which they do by lying parallel and sunning themselves. Which where the Mola mola's common name comes from! Ocean Sunfish!

The larvea don't sun themselves, though, because they are not the same shape as all. Observe the bean!

The larvae try their best to survive, but most of them die. Thats why Molidae adults produce so many eggs---they (read: have evolved to) to essentially cross their fingers and hope some of them survive to adulthood.

Once adults, their survival chances greatly increase for a lot of reasons. One, their skin is mostly tough cartilage, hard to bite through, though sea lions and orcas do try. Then, like said before, they are pretty low in nutritional value. And finally, that I know of, they are open ocean fish. It doesn't always feel like it, but the ocean is very big. It's not often that molidae come across predators.

They do come across reefs fairly often though, and there are some interesting behaviors they exhibit. Like many other fishes, they let cleaner fish clean them. For more pesky parasites, they float at the very surface of the water and let seabirds eat the parasites off their skin.

Speaking of skin, i most recently learned that M. alexandrini changes color, and it can do it quite rapidly. It seems like when they are startled they can make their patterns more bold, a display showing just how large they really are. These patterns remain relatively stable & can be used for identification.

[breoasis]

Do you have any codfather/empire headcanons?

i'm not very creative in that sense and i can't really come up with cool ideas outside of the canon but i got some minor headcanons yeah

-i've said this one multiple times already i believe: Jimmy and Lizzie don't look alike at all, they hatched from eggs laid by a godly ancient sea creature thing so they dont need to, god things i guess

-also the people from the Cod Empire look quite different from Jimmy as well, more fish like, he doesn't have a tail nor fins and i like to think everyone else does. Same reason as before, he is an "ancient sea-dweller" (citing canon) why would the common people look like him or Lizzie?

-according to canon: Lizzie waited centuries for Jimmy's egg to hatch and both of them were "ancient sea-dwellers who ruled the oceans long before human empires ever stood", which makes them very cool creatures. For a while my headcanon for this was that Jimmy was like, 26 years old, while Lizzie was a little bit older,, like 500 years maybe (just because it's funny to see a young fish guy who apparently is a sea god and his older sister who's lived longer than some empires have existed). However i'm starting to lean more onto the ancient ocean god side who was doomed to forget his past when he decided to leave the ocean (just like lizzie basically)

-this one is for art purposes but in my mind the Cod Empire is more colorful than it is in reality, specially more oranges and reds... because they match nicely with the greens and browns

[rsaccountonhere]

4, 25, 52, 54! 🤔

4 - What's a rare fear that you have? - Starfish. Not so much the little five-limbed colourful ones. But like the big fuckers in the ocean with like twenty limbs that crawl around like giant fucked up spiders and envelop things. Creeps me out. The open ocean in general scares me, but that's not terribly uncommon. It's common sense actually. But yeah, deep sea starfish.

25 - What's your favourite holiday? - My family has always done Christmas really well. There was a religious element to it when I was younger, but that's basically fully phased out now to my great relief. So instead we get to enjoy a slow morning with a big late breakfast, then visit one of my grandmothers in the afternoon/evening, and then the other side of the family on Boxing Day. Then the 27th is what we call pajama day. We all stay in, don't even bother changing into proper clothes, and just hang out and enjoy each other's company and the holiday atmosphere. We've been opening presents extremely slowly for the past few years too, so we usually have at least a few things left unopened by that point now too. It's a really nice three-day holiday. And I'm a sucker for the lights and cozy vibes.

52 - What's your favourite book? - Hmm. I really don't read enough anymore. Triggers my anxiety and makes me think I should be doing something else, like I'm not being productive enough. So once I get through that and read some of the books on my shelf I've never touched, or some Terry Pratchett or such, I'm sure I'll have a better answer. But for now, Time Trap. I have yet to encounter a ballsier move in all of fiction than using the concept of linear time itself as a bargaining chip.

54 - What's your best hot take? - Alright well aside from the obligatory "billionaires should not exist" and "trains are the premier form of mass transportation bar none," I think my most interesting hot take is that if romantic love were not so heavily idealized and marketed and positioned as this ideal to strive for in our society, I think a lot fewer people would ever fall in love in the first place. That might sound weird coming from me, hopeless romantic that I am, but genuinely, if finding love and settling down were not treated as The Single Most Important Thing You Ever Do That Should Be Your Top Priority Always, I think a lot of people just wouldn't. And I kind of think the world would be better for it? Like if being single late into your life wasn't treated as this terrible thing, and instead was just the norm, and actually sharing romantic love with someone was allowed to be this cool thing that happens sometimes but is never expected of you, I think we'd all be a bit more relaxed. People wouldn't really get into relationships just for the sake of being in one, and those romances that did occur would be stronger and more genuine. Basically, I'm not aro or demiromantic, but I believe in their beliefs.

[headingalaxys-spicy]

yandere norway headcanons pls (maybe some nsfw teehee)

Forgive me but I can’t think of N$F W headcannons right now for him. His personality airs on the side of asexual and not really the type to be into situations. But what’s do I know it’s just the ramblings of a woman who’s lost her mind probably.

Anyways hope you like this post!

He’s one of the most difficult to read Yandere, similar to that of Sweden, Iceland, and Japan.

When he does have a darling that he takes an interest in he will not approach you at all.

In fact by the time you do meet him it’s at least a year before he will introduce himself to you. He takes his sweet time in trying to figure out your personality through parasocial interaction, information that his magical friends bring him, and through subtle gestures that you get the hint and follow his lead. He’s not a particularly dangerous Yandere, somewhat forceful but not to the degree where it trips red flags like England would, as a fellow magical yandere.

Dude will go through all of your socials and read the backlogs. He will be entertained by the more than a decade old post that you wrote and about how you hate HS. He will build a perfect picture in his head of how you actually are in reality and anticipates the changes that have occurred in your life that have led you to be the human that you are now. Perfect in his eyes, and feels that you waste too much time in (home country). Where the standards of living are pathetic compared to the happiness that his people have.

He will occasionally join a stream you have going, IG live, Tiktok live etc Just to hear your voice so that when he goes to sleep at night he has something that can ease his mind and add to his imagination. The sight and sound of you flood his mind like great tides flowing in from the Northern Sea. He can sleep soundly.

His magical friends from the other side will aid him by pilfering things that you 9 times out of 10 won’t realize are missing. Things like a lip-gloss, sticky-notes that you used for meetings over zoom, that water bottle you thought you left on the bus.

He watches you like a tv show of sorts from his magical room. It’s nice for him to be able to gaze at your beauty from afar without having to exert himself.

Eventually the numerous sea of strings will overwhelm his soul and he will eventually want to be much closer to you than to have just the vision of you. Which at least as far as Yandere’s go is not nearly as bad as what England might do.

Norway is going to want to meet you in a fantasy he created and keep you there. He was able to look into your past memories using his magic to learn more about you and what makes you comfortable, what are your deepest dreams, etc.

“What makes you happy?”

Late one night. You brought your tired eyelids to a close. You had just survived a long tumultuous day . You didn’t want to think about anything. You didn’t want to think about anyone. You just wanted to sleep. When your eyelids closed for the last time you were brought to a new reality, one of which were it felt as though it were real.

“Oh (insert greeting that is most common for your nationality but for more friendly terms) Y/N how are you? Ready to bake (favorite dessert) and watch the ocean cam? I heard that tonight is supposed to be particularly exciting because of the storms raging on tonight.”

“Oh yeah! I’ve been in a haze of sorts. Hahah.” Not fully aware of your body but you wanted to at least try to regain some control. Everything felt fine even though you felt a little lightheaded but nothing too intense to hinder your basic functionality. All will be fine in this sweet daydream since Norway is great at keeping his close family entertained.

[land-of-holly]

Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 6 Liveblog

Are we going to try to hit every plotline this episode? I really think that's too many

Nice soundtrack. Go Arondir!

Shagrat and Gorbag 0.5?

Welp, guess they'll never get their happy retirement.

Are mice allowed in the forge? Seemse dangerous

Tell him, Mirdania!

He doesn't know her name??

Are we getting to the 'gaslight' stage, Annatar??

AUGHHH Charles E is so good, why am I only now getting to see this?

Never give Annatar a task, he will find some way to do it FOR EVIL

A COUP???

Where'd you get those feathers, Annatar?Runes? Carved into the body? Yikes???

You know how those Feanorian smiths get...

YOU CAN'T TRUST HIM MIRDANIA

Where is who?? Sauron?

Dinner at Adar's house!

GIRL WHERE DO YOU GET OFF Can you just admit he got you but good?

Refusing to admit you have anything in common with Adar will do you no good

'Children' Oh yeah, that can definitely be taken A Way

The spikey crown of murder!

Okay good call not fucking talking to him about the rings tho. Opsec ffs

I do appreciate that this entire season's plot rests on information not getting to Eregion. Modern writers often underestimate the power and necessity of reliable communication

I'm interested to see how they'll write the various players' reaction to what is obviously a sham trial

Like they all basically have full mutual knowledge that Pharazon is lying out his ass, right? Are they gonna be dumb and cringe about it?

Pharazon certainly knows how to play a crowd

Well, Elendil is certainly making use of the stage he was given. Good on him

Yeah I'll buy that. No dumb or cringe here.

Trial by ordeal??

Nori's got a nomad's perspective. She has to learn about being attatched to places

They are cute together, sure

Stop it. Slapping your hand. This is not a quote insertion contest. It's not even appropriate. Of course the only good path is to save your friends.

Just surrounding himself with piles of gold

Tell him Durin Jr!

GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN

Oh right, he's ACTUALLY doing his job. Evilly.

Selling arms to the highest bidder is a long Dwarf tradition, come on!

See, 'It's mine. Belongs to me.' is how you create resonanance without being dumb and cringe.

Violence!!

I love them so much. True OTP. Poor Durin.

Okay but this Trial by Abyss had better have more to it than just spectacle.

Earien, if you didn't want leopards to eat your dad's face...

It"s called having principles, girl

Earien has gotten on her knees for Pharazon confirmed (Sorry.)

Where have they been stashing Miriel, anyway?

So we're really doing this? I'm not categorically opposed to the ship, but it seems a little superfluous. Best left to fanfiction IMO

My boy Narvi!

LAY DOWN IN FRONT OF THAT BULLDOZER GIRL

Theory one, Narvi can't even recognize stone singing. Theory two, he knows enough about it to know Disa wasn't doing anything dangerous.

SHE IS THE NIGHT

Well that would look like an inviting ocean ready for a swim if not for the threat of sea monster

LITERAL QUEEN

Ulmo give her back

Woops that didn't go as planned

Damn the Numenorean aristocracy are more easily swayed than the clan leaders in MDZS

Dude what are you doing to that palantir. I think that'll void the warranty

One more for the harem

Galadriel's so good at making this sound like it was her plan all along

I mean numbers aren't going to win this battle. It's all about narrative supremacy.

It's like thinking you can outsmart the devil. You can't

Battle time?

Oughg he's pulling out the big guns. Full immersion illusion, and absolutely beautiful. Elf extras galore!!!

PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN IT IS NOT YOURS

I mean, from a Doylistic perspective Sauron is not wrong about which works are more well known GOD I HATE HIM SM

STOP TEMPTING HIM

The Eregion scenes this season really have been everything I wanted

Damn they sure have some seige weaponry

This episode was actually fairly well-paced in my opinion! We checked in with everyone (except Elrond rip)(and technically Isildur ig) and were able to make some serious progress on a couple of storylines.

[spearxwind]

since talas has to eat One Big Thing every month or so like you said and i assume communities around the globe are reeling in their own leviathans, what are their populations like? are there plenty, are they going extinct, are leviathans each unique things, or are there things like common and rare species etc and if so do these normal, not shapeshifter leviathans display special abilities like hades' being a blowtorch or talas' ice beam (SORRY for this i love the idea of gigantic ocean creatures being regular things and would love to see more of the biome sort of stuff this world has if you've given it any thought!!! love the characters and the gay eels yes but the enviromence...) are there leviathan hunting rules/regulations like throwing back female blue crabs...........

Oh good question! :]

Leviathans are one hundred percent NOT going extinct. The ocean is massive and immensely deep, there are MANY of them out there. Comparatively, there are very few mers because there's very little land, and they hunt for resources, not to fill a quota or just for sport, so leviathan hunting does not drive them to extinction. If we're gonna use Talas as a comparison, average mer communities would be able to rely on maybe one hunt a month or so as well, roughly.

And yeah there is a hunting guild that somewhat regulates hunts (there's not like,,, hard law syndicate or whatever), for the most part to make sure the ecosystem does not take damage. Merfolk are a part of the ecosystem too just like the big leviathans are so they both fulfil their role in it

In general leviathans do have some "species" that they can be categorized in but in general tend to be unique, but that's because I like designing different things and I like the idea of some of them being completely unexplained x) so I guess the answer of that is there's both kinds. Could be theres a species of leviathans that are like whales and live in pods, sometimes a fish just Becomes Fucking Huge, sometimes [redacted information], etc etc. Free real estate

Some DO have special abilities as well, the most common beam attack ones are water jets, poison, and acid (siege for example, is a non-shifter leviathan who spits acid). Fire is really rare but it happens. Sometimes they do have other abilities like hypnosis or illusions that are meant to be more defensive than offensive. I don't have a whole lot of info on that though bc the general vibe for that is giving them the vibes of some irl sailor legends for "what sea monsters could potentially do", some of em could be tall tales some of em could be real

As for biomes.... I have the overland ones set pretty much. Still have not decided on a lot of the ocean ones, but theres a lot. I would like to have a subnautica-esque variety of them (as in, really varied with some of them really colorful) but I havent gotten around to actually think thonking of them very much yet. Funny enough my own world's oceans are largely unexplored to me at the moment x) but I will get on that for sure!

Currently the biomes ive at least thought out are the polar areas (especially voids embrace), a volcanic area around the spine, with a lot of hydrothermal vents and stuff (things get real weird there), the tropic belt is filled with life and colors and is neighbored by grand reefs which are also filled with life and colors