#national sea serpent day

[subby-sab]

Today is 7th of August.

Today is National Lighthouse Day, National Raspberries N Cream Day, National Sea Serpent Day, Professional Speakers Day.

[sabine-smitten-obviously]

Good Omens Fanfic Recs - April 2025 🥳🩷

Multichapterfics

55] Richfront Valley (E) by @captainblou

Human AU. Crowley needs a time-out and ends up in Richfront Valley National Park for 3 weeks. Dr. Aziraphale Fell, former surgeon, already leads a very secluded life in a cabin there, occasionally helping out the rangers when tourists get hurt and need help. They both might not have been what they were looking for, but sometimes life just has different plans. 🫡Bearded Aziraphale - wahoo!!! 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Captainblou calls this story a 80% smut-fic, it might be a little more than that. I love this author and as in already other recs - pls go and enjoy.

56] Out of Alignment (M) by @dragonfire42

Set somewhere after a possible S3, Aziraphale notices that Crowley's bodylanguage is off. He sits wrong, he moves wrong - something IS wrong, though the demon of course doesn´t say so. Until one day he collapses. 😖

A hurt-comfort sickfic (that had me crying) with a soft ending. 🩷

57] Times New Romance (E) by @caedmonfaith

Human Au, in which both Crowley and Aziraphale work as journalists for the Ineffable Times. They are silently pining for each other, as the company has strict anti-dating-rules for their employees. But what can you do, when a rainy day, a closed metro-station and an angel in need come together? 😅

A typical caedmon-fic, nice to read, lots of smut and I absolutely adore the obligatory pauses she orders the readers to take!

58] The Beginning of the end (again) by @addledmongoose

Set after S2, Crowley likes to spend his days getting drunk on the worst possible booze. Aziraphale spends his days in heaven searching for a solution. They both numb in their own ways. One day Crowley is visited by demons and they hatch a plan to stop the second coming on their own. When the angel hears that hell's minions are taking the son of god around the world, he needs to see on his own. He wasn't expecting to find Crowley taking Yeshua on ... dates? 🤨

I really like that this fic is written from 1person-view and in alternating POVs. I have never read a fic in this style and found it quite captivating!

59] Series: Bookwyrm & Serpent: In the dragon's lair (T) by @rattatatosk

A series of 3 parts, in which Crowley is a cursed, elvish thief, trying to steal a book. What he didn't know is that the book would come guarded by a dragon. What he even less expected, is the dragon to help him break the curse. 🩷

Very sweet, a story about ace-love. Just start with the linked story and click on the *next work at the end!

60] crosseyed and painless (E) by @ineffabildaddy

Crowley has had a bad day, Aziraphale helps her to relax ... on a very physical level. 🌶️

What starts off as hot smut, ends eventually very sweet and loving. 🩷

61] A love lost and found (E) by @darkromance

After Aziraphale leaves with the Metatron, Crowley finds himself in a bar full of demons. When he wakes the next day, he is naked - and not alone. 🫣 Definitely mind the tags upfront - it´s Crowley and Furfur!

Oneshots

62] The exponent of breath (T) by @possibilityleft

A short collection of our beloved angels attending weddings throughout history - and finally having one for themselves. 🩷

63] A change of plans (GA) by @chaos_breed

Set after S2, Aziraphale returns from heaven after 8 minutes and 42 seconds. Why? You'll have to read this little one-shot.

64] Our Ship is ineffable (T) by @serenitystargazer

A sweet little crossover with Our Flag Means Death. Crowley and Aziraphale are captains sailing the seas aboard the Serpent and the Eden. 🩷

It's a well known scene of OFMD taken and placed in the GO-Universe, you will probably still enjoy it if you don't know about OFMD!

65] The End of the Beginning (M) by @queenstrata

Set after the book (so not even S1), there was a second apocalypse. Crowley has lost Aziraphale and is sent on earth to come back with an angel to hell - which means he will probably die, either smitten by an angel or by hell for not dragging down an angel. When 2 angels stumble upon the drunk demon, things take on a different direction.

He gave Aziraphale a weird look when the angel actually giggled. "Angel, if we actually had been human, you'd have been the gayest gay man that ever existed."

"Unless, of course, you were female," Aziraphale pointed out innocently. "Then I'd be the gayest straight man that ever existed. …Well, second gayest, at any rate."

"If anyone is the girl in this relationship, it's you." 😂

I found this little gem on Google, it's not on AO3 and actually from 2004! There are no tags, I chose the M-rating just to be on the safe side. The story takes unexpected turns and is clearly written before the TV-adaptation, but it's somehow endearing to know the fandom has been there long before. 🩷 And the dialogues!

66] Damn Fool (T) by @vampiremama

Mr. Brown is on his lunchbreak, when Mr. Fell walks in. Today is the day - he know it. Today he will finally talk to him ... Will he, though?? 😉

Hope you enjoy the list, pls share the love with kudos, comments and shares! 🤗

Follow along for short summaries and recs on the books i read🩷 The numbers are for funsies - i want to count my reads throughout 2025.

I only read finished stories and one-shots. You will find no WIPs in here. Also you will only find happy or at least hopeful endings here - i couldn´t handle anything else.

Also i try to find every author here on tumblr to link-to, but some times i am out of luck. If you happen to know them, please tell them, write to me in the comments or DM me and i will update the post!

Fanfiction is my happyplace 💕

[discordiansamba]

some more general spitballing for the pirate zuko au:

once katara gets over her rough start with him, she's actually glad to have another waterbender around. kou's status as Most Experienced Waterbender in the group is a temporary one, but he enjoys it while he can.

local pirate still steals things on the regular. it's just a habit at this point.

kou picked his new name by using the last half of his old one, because he's not very creative when put on the spot. it's a total coincidence that it sounds like koh, but he feels like it's vaguely appropriate, given that he's already had half of his face stolen from him.

traveling via appa has him missing the ocean.

neither aang, nor katara or sokka think to tell toph that kou is fire nation. they think it's obvious- but of course, toph is blind, so she just assumes that since he's a waterbender, he's water tribe. it's kou who has to clear up this misunderstanding.

they forge a tight bond. former rich kids who were forbidden to learn their element and who embraced a less than legal lifestyle in secret? hell yeah. they've got one eye between them and they're ready to be absolute menaces.

aang has to step in so many time because people keep trying to arrest kou. his reputation as a pirate proceeds him.

sokka, as they're being attacked by the sea serpent at serpent's pass: i know! kou should try talking to him. they're kin, right?

kou: NO?????

(toph's nickname for him is, inevitably, sea serpent.)

the gaang just learns to accept that roughly 80% of kou's proposed plans involve illegal activity. you can take the pirate off of his ship, but you can't take the pirate out of the boy.

if you think kou isn't still incorporating breakdancing into his waterbending well. you'd be wrong. pretty sure it drives pakku nuts whenever he does it. that is NOT even remotely a proper waterbending form, young man.

kou: and yet. it works.

zuko's status as a waterbender was likewise hidden from mai and ty lee. when it comes out in the open, they have plenty of questions for azula. she just shrugs and says that her brother is a freak of nature.

learning that his great-grandfather was avatar roku finally clicks things into place for kou. that's why he's a waterbender.

imagine everyone's surprise when the person who gets arrested in chin village is aang, not kou.

local pirate still carries two water skins to go with his dual dao. just absolutely dedicated to the art of dual-wielding. at least it means they have a little more water on them when they're traveling through the desert.

kou meeting the swampbenders and realizing that there are other waterbenders out there who aren't water tribe.

whenever kou brushes off his high society skills, it always throws everyone for a loop. like. oh yeah. you were a prince at one point, weren't you?

it is a beautiful day in ba sing se, and you are a horrible pirate.

the dai li hate him! local pirate infiltrates their base and sets the avatar's sky bison free and departs with plenty of physical proof of their underhanded activities. thanks for keeping meticulous records long feng!

the gaang is jut like. we left you alone for FIVE MINUTES.

the gaang arrives in the fire nation and immediately sets to work spreading rumors that a.) prince zuko is alive and b.) was born a waterbender.

kou's just offended toph started the scams without him. hello? you didn't think to ask the pirate to do scams with you?

kou has zero talent for healing. he has no idea why it's so looked down on and dismissed as 'women's work' when it's actually incredibly difficult to learn.

(hama touches kou's cheek and says it's such a shame. he could have been such a handsome young man. kou is keenly aware she's touching the right half of his face.)

the day of black sun like. your prince has returned. he's a waterbender now. the solar eclipse has taken away your bending, but it hasn't taken away his.

(he still gets to confront his father. he winds up having to dodge his lightning because he can't redirect it.)

he and katara tag team that final fight against azula. kou picks the palace courtyard on purpose. there's water that runs underneath it. it's the perfect place to fight a souped up firebender.

[conkreetmonkey]

Splatoon 3 is wild because imagine if you were living in Japan due to a recent economic and cultural boom, and suddenly a space shuttle with a mutant house-sized T-rex riding it suddenly burst from the center of Mt. Fuji and disappeared into space without explanation, and all you ever find out about what the fuck that was about is that Zuckerburg mysteriously disappeared the same day and was never seen again, but still "officially" ran Meta through an open secret Queen-Elizabeth-being-in-good-health gaslighting campaign, and everybody kind of suspected he may have been connected but never figured out anything conclusive.

Also the T-rex is now orbiting the earth in the fetal position like the guy from Jojo, and there are rumors of a substance that, if touched, turns you into a half-dinosaur monster. Nobody understands any of this but Meta employees just keep going to work and pretending Zuck still exists. The same 12 prerecorded voicelines constantly squak from the PA system.

Oddly, the statue in front of Meta HQ of a T-rex eating a human changes overnight into one of a giant human eating a tiny T-rex. Nobody noticed the switch, despite the statue being in a constantly bustling area. It happened shortly after the shuttle incident.

Jack Black's tiny clone, Lil' Jack, now wears a headset at all times and has been acting really shady since the incident. Also they're both hyperintelligent, immortal velociraptors found in an ancient cryogenic chamber who spend their days judging college football and eating the legally harvested flesh of hillbillies. Lil' Jack is probably plotting to kill Big Jack, but Big Jack doesn't seem to care, growing fat and lazy, sleeping on public benches in a bed of throw pillows. Also, he's very open about the fact that, as a velociraptor, humans look delicious, but he hasn't actually eaten anybody aside from the aforementioned hillbillies because he's civil.

Everyone is just expected to move on with their lives after this. This is normal to you.

The local art school was recently attacked by giant sea serpents, which were actually hideously bioengineered hillbillies, fulfilling a biblical doomsday prophecy, and they were driven back by Meta's army of minimum wage, part time child soldiers armed with warcrimey jury-rigged weaponry. The sea serpents had giant frying pans grafted into their mouths, which launched primitive tactical nukes made by filling garbage bags with their explosive phlegm. They still exist, and occasionally defend their comrades, but spend most of their time in the deep sea.

The local homeless emo twink everyone's attracted to is a closet millionaire who sells bootleg clothing in exchange for live rats, which he messily devours behind closed doors. He's also 8 feet tall and British and only has one eye.

North Korean refugees now flood the western world, after a greasy 14 year old hipster, under the guidance of Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, beat Kim Jong Un in a mech battle, and the EDM remix of the Japanese national anthem they performed caused like half the soldiers to immediately realize North Korea sucks ass and defect. One of these individuals, 7 foot tall hypergenius, becomes a newscaster alongside a nepo baby rapper with dwarfism who likes to eat entire jars of mayo, and also they're a popular band. Also also, they may or may not be gay. Almost the entire population is gay, so this isn't a huge deal.

The new local newscasters are a famous Japanese lion tamer, an Indian girl with a bloodline trait allowing her to control snakes, and a Brazillian man the size of a smart car who exclusively communicates via grunts.

Gods, souls and zombies are objectively real, and you're effectively immortal because real-life respawning was invented a while ago. It works like a Keurig, but with mucus instead of coffee. Submersion in water kills you.

A good deal of the population is a hivemind. They pretend to be individuals for no reason.

Almost all men are now femboys.

Despite all this, you still have to go to work at 9 tomorrow.

[wishicoulddisappear]

I’ve been noticing a lot of connections between The Book of Exodus & Sleep Token’s lore. There are probably dozens of fans that are way more knowledgeable about this than me. But I summarized everything to the best of my ability, trying to really focus on the important bits and the connections I felt were there.  

The phrase “Take Me Back to Eden” implies that Vessel has been cast out of Eden. I thought of The Book of Exodus: the Israelites are led by Moses to leave Egypt, under the guidance of God, to travel towards the Promised Land of Canaan.

The Book of Exodus is regarded as a story about justice; how deliverance, development, and destiny are intertwined. It is about God’s anger, punishment, and wrath. Salvation, redemption, rebirth. It is the first time God gets angry. It is about human rebellion and how it fractures the relationship with their God. 

In the first part of Exodus, Moses meets God face-to-face; God “appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed”. (Think of the smoke we saw in the most recent update.) Here, God chooses Moses to act as his messenger. Moses’ brother Aaron will be the one to speak on his behalf at the royal courts.

Something else interesting about Aaron is that he made a covenant of salt with God. God asked the Israelites to add salt to their offerings to God. The Hebrew word for salt “melach” means to rub to pieces/pulverize, to disappear as dust (I'm thinking of “you cast the dust into nothing, and wash out the salt from my hands”). “Melach” is primarily used to describe the Salt/Dead Sea which has an important message in Ezekiel -- in it there is a vision of a river flowing from the temple in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea that will heal the land (rebirth).  It will be made anew.

I found connections with this story and their first record One. Would we be surprised if it circled back to that? The cycle must end. Go back to Aaron and the staff that God gave him. What is a staff used for? To correct and guide a flock. Who uses a staff? A shepherd. The Arcadian Shepherds are what you see depicted in Shugborough Hall. In the Bible, Aaron’s staff is used to cast the first plague, which is the Nile River being turned to blood (“everything we touch turns water into blood”). The staff also becomes a serpent (think of “coiled up like the venomous serpent”; the visuals of Vessel with a serpent; the references to the Garden of Eden). ((Speaking on serpents-- Jesus told his apostles "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.")) Aaron stood between the dead and the living and halted the plague. Later, Aaron's rod miraculously sprouted almond blossoms (unvanquished branch?) to symbolize God choosing him for a special purpose (look at the cover of One). And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept there, for a token against the rebellious children; that there may be made an end of their murmurings against Me, that they die not…When the Messiah comes it [the rod] will be given to him for a scepter in token of his authority over the nations.”

After the pharaoh & his army are defeated (lured into the Red Sea) and the Israelites are passed into freedom, the first song of worship appears in the bible-  interestingly enough, in this song is also the first time we read the word “salvation" in the Bible. The Book of Exodus is also the first time we see the word “redemption”. 

God punishes the Israelites, making them wander through the desert for forty years on their journey to The Promised Land-- all because they initially refused to enter the land out of fear, refusing to trust God. “The current generation would wander in the wilderness until they died, allowing a new generation to enter the land with faith and trust in God”. They are guided on their exodus by a "pillar of cloud" (by day) and a "pillar of fire" (by night) as a dual manifestation of God. Fire is used throughout scripture, another one that stood out to me was the story of Elijah who called down fire from heaven as a sign of God's power (“like fire from the heavens”).

The Israelites arrive at Mt. Sinai and a covenant is intended to be made - God asks Israel to obey the Ten Commandments and that they can then become a blessing to the nations. 

“I am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.”

God’s presence frightens them, so Moses goes by himself to the top of the mountain (Mt. Sinai) to be with God. God orders Moses to build an elaborate tent (tabernacle) in which God can be among his people. The blueprint for the tent is laid out in multiple detailed chapters. It is full of imagery regarding the Garden of Eden. While Moses was on Mt. Sinai the Israelites (including Aaron) have cast an idol out of gold due to their impatience. They’re throwing a ritual and worshipping the idol. God says to Moses: “Go down; for thy people have corrupted themselves”. Corruption implies moral decay and ruin. Moses comes down and tells them of the Ten Commandments and they reply with “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” “And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying ‘Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. Everyone that cometh near unto the tabernacle is to die, shall we wholly perish?”

Moses pleads with God to spare them. Their conversation showcases God’s own grief and pain due to their disobedience. God agrees. He comes down, and Moses goes to enter the tabernacle to be in his presence….but he’s not able to go inside because it is filled with God’s presence. It served as a reminder of both God's power and the consequence of sin. This is the opposite of what takes place at the close of Exodus's second movement—Moses walks straight into God's fiery presence.

TLDR Vessel is a big nerd and I think this album will be all about rebirth by fire.

If you’re interested in this, read about The Ark of the Covenant and Solomon’s Temple (I think it could be what is shown in the newer images) too.

[bybobbysbeard]

Clever and Beloved

Day 6 for @bucktommyfluffebruary: stargazing. read on ao3 read other days here

Roughly halfway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, along historic Route 66, is a dormant volcano. 

It's called the Amboy Crater. At 250 feet tall, the basaltic cone stands like a sentinel, high above the surrounding lava field. The Crater is a national landmark, protected by the State of California. There’s a paved road, a parking lot, even bathrooms. The trail to hike up and into the crater is rated moderately difficult, and takes the average visitor one and a half hours. If it was daylight, Buck could stand on the rim and see for miles and miles. 

It’s also an unofficial Dark Sky site. 

Buck knows all this, because when Tommy told him the Perseids meteor shower was peaking this week, he immediately started researching. A few Wikipedia deep-dives later, he knows what the Perseids are (debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle), who Swift and Tuttle were (two separate astronomers who discovered the comet three days apart in 1862), why the Perseids are called that (they appear to originate out of the Perseus constellation), and who Perseus was. Of course, that sent him into Greek mythology. 

He rambled the whole drive. About King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, who boasted that Princess Andromeda was more beautiful than Poseidon’s daughters. About the sea serpent Cetus, sent by an enraged Poseidon to destroy their kingdom. About the beautiful princess, sacrificed on the altar of her parent’s pride. And Perseus the demigod. Clever and beloved by the gods, blessed with Hermes’ sandals, and Athena’s shield. He killed Medusa, and used her head to save Andromeda. In doing so, he won her heart. Or at least, her hand in marriage.

Tommy had listened to every word and smiled that scrunchy smile. He laughed at Buck’s commentary, and told him they had several movies of questionable quality to watch. He was looking forward to Buck pointing out all the inaccuracies. 

So, here they are. Stretched out in the bed of Tommy’s truck, pressed together from shoulder to ankle. Tommy has one arm tucked behind his head, staring up at the Milky Way wheeling overhead. His other hand is tangled up with Buck’s, calloused thumb stroking over his knuckles. 

A meteor streaks across the sky. For less than a second, there’s a line of blue-green fire, magnesium and ice igniting in a flash. Buck blinks the after-effects away. 

It’s August, but it’s late, nearing midnight. Neither of them have shifts tomorrow, and they’re both used to strange hours, so driving out to the middle of the Mojave after a late dinner on a random Tuesday isn’t as irresponsible as it sounds. Buck snuggles down into the sleeping bag beneath them and pulls the fleece blanket higher up his chest. 

8 years in California and he still forgets how cold the desert can get at night. 

Of course, Tommy notices his fussing. He tilts his head to catch Buck’s eye. “Alright?”

Another meteor burns overheard; friction overcoming the chill of deep space. This one flares out, a white fireball at the end of its trajectory. Catchlights scatter like sparks as the bright flame reflects in Tommy’s eyes. 

“Should’ve brought another blanket.”

“I can help with that. C’mere.” He sits up, urging Buck onto his knees so he can bunch the sleeping bag up against the truck's rear window. There’s some awkward shuffling, lit only by the light of the stars and the occasional meteoric flash.

His boyfriend ends up slouched against the truck, half upright, spreading denim-clad legs and guiding Buck to recline between them. Tommy straightens out the blanket with a snap of his wrists, letting it drift down over them gently. He tucks the top corners in around Buck’s shoulders and worms his own arms underneath the fleece to wrap around Buck’s torso. Warm fingers brush down Buck’s sleeves, finding his hands and directing their shared grasp into the front pocket of his hoodie.   

It’s cozy. Intimate and practical, the exact mix he’s come to expect from Tommy. He’s instantly warmer, heated through by the feel of Tommy’s chest against his shoulders, his hips bracketed by muscular thighs. Big hands curl over his inside his sweater. Their fingers slot together, rough knuckles and scarred hands, warming the little pocket of air and resting on Buck's stomach. He feels surrounded and protected. Cherished, in a way that no other partner has ever made him feel. Buck lets himself relax, going boneless in Tommy’s lap. His arms tighten, almost a hug, reaching that perfect, grounding pressure that sends serotonin surging in his brain.

Buck could stay here forever. Until the meteor shower is over, until the sun comes up, until the heat of the desert melts them into the sand below. 

Tommy shifts behind him, pressing the chilled tip of his nose to the back of Buck’s neck. “That better?”

The next meteor bursts into light, shooting towards the Earth. A short tail, in bright, vibrant yellow-orange. Iron and sodium. Perseus stands on the horizon, reaching up towards his queen, Andromeda.

“That’s perfect.”

[anarchotolkienist]

Watching the construction of a nation at work is really weird. I got a freelance translation job (for a fucking orchestra thing - classical music as the main ideological vector of European nationalism) translating a shitey fake 'folk tale' mixing Lowland and Highland folklore wildly without any consistency to create a false origin story for the scottish islands based on a battle in "the land of Tiree" between a young hero (given the fake Gaelic name 'Coran' - it means Sickle and is not a name that a real person or fictional hero has ever had, but appears in like 'baby name lists' as a Gaelic name coming from Spear, which is fake) and the enemy being a sea serpent given the terrible name "misterstourworm" (beginning with Mister. Fucking brits man. "Stour worm" means like "fight-dragon" in older Scots, that's a fine enough name for a dragon. Why Mister?), and he is assisted by the QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES to catch a Kelpie! Now how the fuck am I meant to translate that? If the queen of the fairies appears to you in the Highlands, RUN THE FUCK AWAY. It's a really shitey mix of Lowland and Highland with like Victorian romantic Fairy Tales, and I think the reason they mix this is because they're consciously ideologically constructing a new nation that doesn't exist. Peer Gynt, which clearly is the model for this, was at least clearly and recognisably an expanded Norweigan folk tale! All the creatures that appear behave as those creatures do in folk tales. Why not take an actual folk epic and compose music to it? Why do they feel the need to ceate this fucking monster? But at the end of the day, 75 quid is 75 quid.

[opencommunion]

"Dead are my people, gone are my people, but I exist yet, lamenting them in my solitude. Dead are my friends, and in their death my life is naught but great disaster. The knolls of my country are submerged by tears and blood, for my people and my beloved are gone, and I am here living as I did when my people and my beloved were enjoying life and the bounty of life, and when the hills of my country were blessed and engulfed by the light of the sun. My people died from hunger, and he who did not perish from starvation was butchered with the sword; and I am here in this distant land, roaming amongst a joyful people who sleep upon soft beds, and smile at the days while the days smile upon them. My people died a painful and shameful death, and here am I living in plenty and in peace. This is deep tragedy ever enacted upon the stage of my heart; few would care to witness this drama, for my people are as birds with broken wings, left behind the flock. If I were hungry and living amid my famished people, and persecuted among my oppressed countrymen, the burden of the black days would be lighter upon my restless dreams, and the obscurity of the night would be less dark before my hollow eyes and my crying heart and my wounded soul. For he who shares with his people their sorrow and agony will feel a supreme comfort created only by suffering in sacrifice. And he will be at peace with himself when he dies innocent with his fellow innocents. But I am not living with my hungry and persecuted people who are walking in the procession of death toward martyrdom. I am here beyond the broad seas living in the shadow of tranquillity, and in the sunshine of peace. I am afar from the pitiful arena and the distressed, and cannot be proud of ought, not even of my own tears. What can an exiled son do for his starving people, and of what value unto them is the lamentation of an absent poet?

Were I an ear of corn grown in the earth of my country, the hungry child would pluck me and remove with my kernels the hand of Death form his soul. Were I a ripe fruit in the gardens of my country, the starving women would gather me and sustain life. Were I a bird flying the sky of my country, my hungry brother would hunt me and remove with the flesh of my body the shadow of the grave from his body. But, alas! I am not an ear of corn grown in the plains of Syria, nor a ripe fruit in the valleys of Lebanon; this is my disaster, and this is my mute calamity which brings humiliation before my soul and before the phantoms of the night. This is the painful tragedy which tightens my tongue and pinions my arms and arrests me usurped of power and of will and of action. This is the curse burned upon my forehead before God and man.

And oftentimes they say unto me, the disaster of your country is but naught to calamity of the world, and the tears and blood shed by your people are as nothing to the rivers of blood and tears pouring each day and night in the valleys and plains of the earth. Yes, but the death of my people is a silent accusation; it is a crime conceived by the heads of the unseen serpents. It is a sceneless tragedy. And if my people had attacked the despots and oppressors and died rebels, I would have said, 'Dying for freedom is nobler than living in the shadow of weak submission, for he who embraces death with the sword of Truth in his hand will eternalize with the Eternity of Truth, for Life is weaker than Death and Death is weaker than Truth.' If my nation had partaken in the war of all nations and had died in the field of battle, I would say that the raging tempest had broken with its might the green branches; and strong death under the canopy of the tempest is nobler than slow perishment in the arms of senility. But there was no rescue from the closing jaws. My people dropped and wept with the crying angels. If an earthquake had torn my country asunder and the earth had engulfed my people into its bosom, I would have said, 'A great and mysterious law has been moved by the will of divine force, and it would be pure madness if we frail mortals endeavoured to probe its deep secrets.' But my people did not die as rebels; they were not killed in the field of battle; nor did the earthquake shatter my country and subdue them. Death was their only rescuer, and starvation their only spoils.

My people died on the cross. They died while their hands stretched toward the East and West, while the remnants of their eyes stared at the blackness of the firmament. They died silently, for humanity had closed its ears to their cry. They died because they did not befriend their enemy. They died because they loved their neighbours. They died because they placed trust in all humanity. They died because they did not oppress the oppressors. They died because they were the crushed flowers, and not the crushing feet. They died because they were peace makers. They perished from hunger in a land rich with milk and honey. They died because monsters of hell arose and destroyed all that their fields grew, and devoured the last provisions in their bins. They died because the vipers and sons of vipers spat out poison into the space where the Holy Cedars and the roses and the jasmine breathe their fragrance. My people and your people, my Syrian Brothers, are dead. What can be done for those who are dying? Our lamentations will not satisfy their hunger, and our tears will not quench their thirst; what can we do to save them between the iron paws of hunger? My brother, the kindness which compels you to give a part of your life to any human who is in the shadow of losing his life is the only virtue which makes you worthy of the light of day and the peace of the night. Remember, my brother, that the coin which you drop into the withered hand stretching toward you is the only golden chain that binds your rich heart to the loving heart of God."

Gibran Khalil Gibran, "Dead Are My People," written during the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon, in which 200,000 people were starved to death by a blockade imposed by European forces to weaken their Ottoman opponents in World War I. The man-made famine killed one in three people in Beirut and the surrounding Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate (which encompassed today's North, Keserwan-Jbeil, and Mount Lebanon governorates). This peasant population was strangled by threefold oppression: from the European imperialist war machine, Ottoman Turkish imperial oversight, and the local capitalist class. The boom and bust of the global silk industry, monopolized by France, destroyed Mount Lebanon's silk-centered economy shortly before the war, leaving the population impoverished and vulnerable. The famine was key to the European victory which led to the occupation and partition of the Levant and enabled the colonization of Palestine. The partition placed Lebanon under French control, fulfilling a longstanding French colonial desire for Lebanese land and labor.

Further reading/listening: Graham Auman Pitts, "Was Capitalism the Crisis? Mount Lebanon's World War I Famine" and "A Hungry Population Stops Thinking About Resistance: Class, Famine, and Lebanon's World War I Legacy" Kais Firro, "Silk and Agrarian Changes in Lebanon, 1860-1914" Melanie Tanielian, "The War of Famine: Everyday Life in Wartime Beirut and Mount Lebanon (1914-1918)" and The Charity of War: Famine, Humanitarian Aid, and World War I in the Middle East The Fire These Times, Lina Mounzer and Timour Azhari, Legacy of the Great Lebanon Famine (audio)

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

Mila creates headlines around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. Now a teenager, she has been raised by dolphins from the age of four.

Researchers teach Mila language and music. She learns, too, about rules and expectations, about locked doors and broken promies, disappointment and betrayal.

But the more Mila finds out what it means to be human, the more deeply she longs for her ocean home.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Emmy was a good girl. At least she tried very hard to be good. She did her homework without being told. She ate all her vegetables, even the slimy ones. And she never talked back to her nanny, Miss Barmy, although it was almost impossible to keep quiet, some days.

She really was a little too good. Which is why she liked to sit by the Rat. The Rat was not good at all . . .

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

1763.

Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine -- and Kate and Peter's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Kate, and Peter are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon

It's not easy for Danny Dragonbreath to be the sole mythical creature in a school for reptiles and amphibians -- especially because he can't breathe fire like other dragons (as the school bully loves to remind him). But having a unique family comes in handy sometimes, like when his sea-serpent cousin takes Danny and his best iguana friend on a mindboggling underwater tour, complete with vomiting sea cucumbers and giant squid. It sure beats reading the encyclopedia to research his ocean report . . .

Undertow by Michael Buckley

Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Poison by Chris Wooding

Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back.

But finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that's beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine. . . .

Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller

Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…

Willa by Robert Beatty

Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

Willa, a young night-spirit, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work--the day-folk kill whatever they don't understand--but Willa will do anything to win the approval of the padaran, the charismatic leader of the Faeran people.

When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to escape. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her day-folk enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her own Faeran society are crumbling. What do you do when you realize that the society you were born and raised in is rife with evil? Do you raise your voice? Do you stand up against it?

As forces of unfathomable destruction encroach on her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is, facing deadly force with the warmest compassion, sinister corruption with trusted alliance, and finding a home for her longing heart.

Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen

Grams always told her those binoculars would get her into trouble. Now Sammy's witnessed a crime at the Heavenly Hotel-a light fingered thief stealing $4,000 from Madame Nashira, the astrologer with the fire-hazard hair-do. Thing is, while she was watching him, he was watching her, too...

First Light by Rebecca Stead

Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and finally share in his dad's adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they've built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth's surface, Peter's search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home.

[garden-of-thoughts-fruit-of-lips]

Revelation: 13:9

If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

2 Peter 1: 19-21

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place (until day dawns and a daystar rises) in your hearts. For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit

Revelation 12:3

Another sign was seen in heaven. Look! A great fiery-colored dragon

Revelation 12:4

and its tail drags a third of the stars of heaven

Isaiah 9:15

...And the prophet giving false instruction is the tail

Revelation 12:9

So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth

Revelation 12:17

So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus

Revelation 13:5

It was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for 42 months. And it opened its mouth in blasphemies against God to blaspheme his name and his dwelling place, even those residing in heaven

Revelation 20:8,9

and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Maʹgog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea. And they advanced over the whole earth and encircled the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down out of heaven and consumed them.

[joshsindigostreak]

O, Pioneers

Prologue

“Resist much, obey little.” - Walt Whitman

Sam Kiszka x F!OC

Authors note: Welcome Sam lane!!! This is the official start to Sam’s journey in the ISHIYE universe. This one starts around the same time ISHIYE started, so we’ll basically see what Sam has been up to this whole time. I will say that O, Pioneers along with every other spin off will make the most sense if ISHIYE is read beforehand. It’s all an interconnected universe and all the fics will reference each other to varying degrees. Every chapter besides this one will include a flashback to his Uni days. I hope you guys love this and I want to make Sammy Nation proud! I also hope you love my OC Natasha, as she just jumped into my head one day and hasn’t shut up since. Danny will also be heavily featured, it his actual story will be its own titled, “Running Through the Garden.” This is relatively short, but it’s a good little preview of what’s to come! Enjoy!

Word Count: 2060

Warnings: None for this chapter other than sweating!

It started with an email. One, stupid, email. One, professional, email. An email from one academic to another. Natasha just needed an extra source. Specifically, she needed to get her hands on a very specific journal. A journal that contained anatomical drawings and first hand accounts of the Lake Leelanau Creature. Colloquially it is referred to as the Leelanau Lake Monster, but the use of the word “monster” is frowned upon in Supernatural and Academic circles. Annoyingly, she only knew of one person who would be in possession of said journal. The one person whom she was perfectly fine never speaking to again: Sam Kiszka. He had built up quite the reputation in recent years with rumors of his immense archives and collection of particular artifacts. 

Natasha wrinkled her nose and adjusted her glasses as the cursor blinked on the screen. She could write emails like this in her sleep but the thought of asking him for something? Giving him the satisfaction that she needed his help? She’d rather be hit by a bus. However, she needed this information for an upcoming presentation and she had gathered almost all of her resources except this one. Adjusting her cat-eye frames one more time, she began typing.

From: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu 

To: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com

CC:

Subject: Lake Leelanau Journal

Dear Sam,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you for a request for some scans from a book I know you possess and are familiar with: the Gautheir journal. Currently I am in the middle of a research project involving North American Sea Serpents and I need the pages with the anatomical drawings in particular, as well as any other pages pertaining to the first sighting of the Creature. Any contributions beyond that would be most appreciated. 

Kind Regards, 

Natasha E. Delaney 

States away, in eastern Michigan, a young scholar was startled by the sudden ding on his laptop, alerting him of a new email. With an arched brow he opened his inbox, and seeing the email address in the top bar brought back hoards of memories. 

Natasha. Fucking. Delaney. The only person to ever score higher on tests than him, to easily skate past him in grades, keep up with him during lectures, and narrowly beat out his GPA for the top of their graduating glass. He hadn’t spoken to her since graduation almost three years ago, but he couldn’t help being amused at the fact that she needed his help. He could just imagine that icy blonde hair of hers sitting on top of her head in a bun, those obnoxious cat-eye glasses resting on her nose while she bites the bullet and asks for his help. With a smirk on his face, he clicked on the reply button and began typing.

From: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com

To: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu 

CC:

Attachments: Secondary Leelanau sources.pdf

Subject: Re: Lake Leelanau Journal

Dear Natasha, 

Unfortunately your email did not find me well, as I am in the middle of several projects myself. Here at Stardust Archives™ the stream of knowledge never stops, and neither shall I. I also regret to inform you that scanning said journal for those particular pages will be impossible, as that journal is much too fragile to be handled in such a way. I do however have a few recommendations for similar sources, which I have attached to this email. I am so sorry I was not able to assist you further. 

Good luck on your endeavors, 

Sam F. Kiszka 

He sat back as he clicked send, knowing that most of it was horse shit. He hadn’t been in an actual project in nearly a month, but she didn’t know that. But he wasn’t lying about the journal being too fragile for scanning. Theoretically it would be ok with current technology, but he didn’t want to risk it as it was a trusted family heirloom that was given to him in confidence. In this business, keeping contacts happy was nearly half the job. Word of mouth was crucial, and if you couldn’t be trusted to handle things with respect and care, what good were you? Satisfied, he stood up from his desk to go back to the new shipment of books he was sorting. 

“That mother fucker,” she seethed. Natasha read his email again, mocking the ‘here at Stardust Archives™…’ line to herself while scrunching up her face. She knew for a fact that while that journal was old, it wasn’t that old. The librarian who had recommended that particular volume to her in the first place even said that it shouldn’t be any trouble to get scans of the pages. To make it worse, those ‘resources’ he had sent weren’t helpful at all, and didn't even go into detail of the anatomy of the Creature, which was what she truly needed. Rolling her eyes, her fingers began tapping out her rebuttal. 

From: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu

To: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com 

CC:

Attachments: Secondary Leelanau sources.pdf

Subject: Re: Re: Lake Leelanau Journal

Sam,

I’m so sorry to hear how busy you are. However I was told specifically that the Gauthier journal was preserved enough that scans wouldn’t be a problem at all. Has something changed? Has it been damaged in any way since it was last made public? I hope such an integral part to your own state's history would be treated with the utmost care. If I remember correctly from that class we both took, with Professor Andrews, paper from that time period would still be stable if exposed to light or a scanning device. In fact I remember he said once, “as long as you’re not mashing it down on a decrepit photo copier from 1993…”. Surely you have a better scanner than that? If you could get those scans to me as soon as you’re able, that would be wonderful. 

Regards, 

Natasha

The ding from Sam’s laptop alerted him again, and his smile quickly faded when he opened the mail program and saw Natasha’s response. On one hand, she had the right idea, but on the other hand, whatever project she needed it for was not worth the risk in his eyes. His mouth hung open in offense with her questioning his integrity to Michigan history. Artifacts from his home state were always given top priority, and to have her imply that he was being careless with any of them made his entire body tense. Instinctively, he wanted to just send back a simple, ‘no,’ but he knew that would only make her more relentless. 

From: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com

To: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu 

CC:

Attachments: Secondary Leelanau sources.pdf

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Lake Leelanau Journal

Nat,

You aren’t entirely wrong about it being possible, however the family who entrusted it to me made me promise -in writing- to keep it as well preserved as I possibly could. As such, any form of scanning or sudden exposure to light is just not an option.  I hope that the other resources I sent you were enough to suffice. I know whatever project you’re needing them for will manifest in the most riveting way. 

Godspeed, 

Sam F. Kiszka

Natasha tilted her head and cracked her neck when she saw the shortened form of her first name. She hated being called Nat. It was too close to the word for those annoying bugs. Worst of all, it was what her older sisters called her just to get under her skin. All three of them would repeat it over and over again when she was little and laughed when she got upset. Her oldest sister would even take it a step further and call her ‘Natty’ on occasion. She hated how it sounded, how it looked, and she much preferred the nickname ‘Tasha’ if she had a choice. Most of her fellow students called her Tasha, as well as her close friends. Even on blind dates she’d introduce herself as Tasha before anything else. 

From: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu

To: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com 

CC:

Attachments: Secondary Leelanau sources.pdf

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lake Leelanau Journal

Samuel,

I appreciate your passion for the preservation of critical documents, it’s truly inspiring, Professor Andrews would be proud. But I think you’re being rather difficult here. If not unreasonable. And no, those other resources did not help as they are not relevant to my ongoing project. I appreciate your confidence in my work, but what would truly help me be on my way would be your cooperation. 

Impatiently, 

Tasha

Sam stared at the screen. She really wasn’t going to let up, was she? He thought for a moment, and something in his brain wanted to physically hear her ask for his help. Maybe it was his ego, maybe it wasn’t, but he was impulsive enough to go out on a limb to satiate it. 

From: sfkiszka@stardustarchives.com

To: nedelaney@lakewooduniversity.edu 

CC:

Attachments: Secondary Leelanau sources.pdf

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lake Leelanau Journal

‘Tasha’,

Unfortunately, I must be away from my desk at this time due to other projects and meetings. However, if you would like to continue our correspondence, I will happily provide you my number for your convenience. 

(248) 555-9423

In eternal anticipation, 

‘Muel’

Natasha stared at the phone number on her screen. That little shit. He wanted to hear her ask. It didn’t take a genius to figure that part out. Maybe he wanted her to beg? He was arrogant enough to want such a thing. She wasn’t going to give in that easily. She wanted his arrogance in writing. If he couldn’t be professional and stick to emails, he was going to have her in his pocket at all times, constantly making his phone go off. Quickly she added his number as a new contact, and typed out her first ever text to Sam F. Kiszka. 

Natasha: Ok cut the shit, Kiszka why are you being difficult? 

Sam: Who is this?

Natasha: I swear to god, Sam

Sam: Ok ok, fine. Do you really want to see this journal that badly? 

Natasha: I have wasted an entire afternoon emailing you about it, so yes. 

Sam: Well as I said I can’t scan the pages. But if you would like to view them in person for your research, that can easily be arranged. 

Natasha: In person?

Sam: Yes, that's when people meet face to face. 

Natasha: I’m going to ignore that for my sanity, but don’t you live in Michigan?

Sam: Yes.

Natasha: You do know that I’m in Lakewood for my Masters right?

Sam: Yes, what is the issue?

Natasha: So you want to travel all the way to Vermont just because you are refusing to scan the pages? 

Sam: Oh I wouldn’t bring an artifact that fragile on a plane, you know that. You can simply come here. I know there’s a break coming up, if I remember our old schedule correctly. 

Natasha nearly threw her phone, but she wasn’t going to give up. Before she could fully type out a response she got another text.

Sam: And don’t worry about needing a hotel there’s plenty of room upstairs for you. My parents are in Canada on business and my brothers are off doing god knows what. 

Natasha: I’m sure I can find a hotel I don’t want to put you out

Sam: It's really no trouble, we have a separate guest room anyway that barely gets used 

She mulled it over for a few minutes. 

Natasha: Well I’ve never been to Michigan.

Sam: It’s much better than Vermont.

She sighed.

Natasha: Fine. I’ll talk to my professors and get it sorted out. The break starts in two days. 

Sam smirked at his phone and leaned back in his chair,  he was right.

Sam: Excellent. I’ll go dust the window sills and pick out the fanciest chocolate for your pillow.

Natasha: I’ll text you my flight details. 

Sam: Can’t wait, Nat ;)

Not wanting him to know that he bothered her, Natasha set her phone down and opened up another webpage to look up flights. By the weekend she was going to not only be in Sam Kiszka’s presence for the first time since graduation, but staying at his fucking house. 

What the fuck did she just agree to? 

To be continued...

Tag List:  @dannyandthekiszkas , @readyforthegarden  , @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine , @wideminded-dreamer , @runwayblues , @wildbluesorbit , @llightmyllovee , @rhythm-of-space , @sacredthefran , @writingcold , @alwaysonthemend , @wetkleenex-gvf , @josh-iamyour-mama , @lightsofthe-living-gvf , @gvfcinema , @sacredthethreadgvf , @losfacedevil , @jakekiszkasbuttsweat , @shutupdevvie , @hearts-hunger , @gretavanfleetposts , @ascendingtostardust , @mackalah , @andromeda-raine-gvf , @jake-kiszkas-smirk , @gracev0609 , @sacredjake , @earthlysorrows , @gvfpal , @myownparadise96 , @itsafullmoon , @gvfmelbourne , @twistedmelodies , @that-witchy-pan , @gold-mines-melting , @texas-bbq-pringles , @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface , @sadiechar , @char289 , @stardustvanfleet , @sunfl0wer-power , @holdingup-fallingsky ,

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for the threatening my friends?

(OCs from the book I’m writing :])

Hello. So I’m (24F) a warrior. I slay monsters that threaten the lives of citizens. Not that bad of a career, honestly. It gives me something to do with my time, and I’m grateful that I get to help others. But I digress.

Recently, I was… promoted—there’s no better word for it—by a member of the High Council, the ones making the decisions for the betterment of the land. Directly after defeating a great sea monster, High Councilwoman Lady C (30F) approached me and offered the chance to travel into the capital city and work as her… advisor/bodyguard/honestly I was so caught up in the sea serpent thing I wasn’t entirely paying attention when I agreed. All I can really remember is that I heard the words “better pay” and immediately jumped for it.

But I did agree, so me and my partners P (22F) and Iv (25M) made the journey to the city.

That is… “partners” as in the ones that fight by my side, who I trust more than anyone else in the world. Not, uh, romantic partners. Not that I would be opposed to that but I am a busy person.

Over this past month since we’ve arrived, I’ve been able to spend less and less time with them. Lady C rarely even sends me into the world outside the city anymore (you know, my actual job?), I just have to stand there and look scary while she goes about her day. It’s incredibly dull, but I don’t mind her company.

Here’s where I messed up.

Yesterday, I caught P and Iv rummaging through Lady C’s workroom, where they were definitely not supposed to be. When I confronted them about it, they told me that they had heard some truly horrible rumors about Lady C, and were worried about me. The rumors were impossible, she wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t believe them, not one bit. At that moment, Lady C walked into the room. I told her what was going on, and she ordered that they leave.

P and Iv started pleading with me to believe them, and… I blew up at them. They told me she was dangerous, and I told them they were the danger for questioning our nation’s leadership and spreading those rumors. I threatened them with my battleaxe, and they left. I haven’t seen them since. I didn’t go home that night.

I thought that was the right thing to do, and Lady C did seem pleased. But… I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve made a horrible mistake. They’re my closest friends, and in the time that I’ve known them they’ve never once lied to me.

What if… what they’re right? I’m so scared of them being right. I’m going to the archives later, just to clear my mind a bit. But what do you all think?

Gods, this is worse than when the giant snake showed up…

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

The Serpent part 3

Prequel, part 1, part 2

A lesser man might crumple to his knees and beg for mercy, but not me. I do not bow or scrape. I rear back and hack her door down, forcing myself into the home of the truest evil I know. I slay her guards, their sickly sizzling sweet blood splattering me black and red. I give death a second dying, crunching down on twitching severed limbs like I were walking across a field of dry twigs.

The serpent winds itself up a crumbling tower. She is there, it knows. The Queen of Undeath lives in her ancient castle, that which was there before she rose and will be there long after she falls. 

The sea of monsters and beasts swells, a never-ending tide of blood and gore for me to wash myself in. Where was this back when I thirsted for it? I want to revel in this massacre, but all I can see is my love and our children. 

The memory proves too much, and I call for the serpent. Take me, I beg. Take me and make me care for nothing again. Make me Maizen, Shatterer of Worlds.

For a moment I fear the worst, that the serpent has abandoned me in my time of need, just as I did to my family. My scything falters, and the horde presses in. A ghoul reaches out and snags my arm, scratching a red ribbon onto my skin.

That finally catches the serpent's eye. The red haze fills my vision again, clotting out all emotion. I have peace again, peace at the centre of a whirlwind of blades and blood. I can feel the serpent in all my movements, its coils tightening against me, puppeteering me.

When I reach the base of the Lich-Queen's tower, it is with regret that I flee the battle. I would gleefully fight the thralls until their corpses drowned me, but the serpent has other plans. Or perhaps I did, me with my loving pulsating fleshbag of a wife, back in the days when that mattered. When was that? A hundred years ago? A thousand? The effort of trying to remember makes my head spin, and the serpent has to force me up the stairs.

I slam into the door to her throne room, heaving against it with my shoulder. The wood is ancient oak, too-moist and rotting, no match for me and my serpent. Splinters as big as some daggers embed themselves in my flesh, but I do not care.

All I have eyes for is the Lich-Queen, seated on her throne of bone and twitching sinew. Her crown drips with horrors, blood and bile and worse besides. Her gown is dotted with eyes too large to belong to an adult, and her corset is adorned with the ribs of some fool man. Those eyes stun me, blue like a stormy sky, more awe-inspiring than the finest siren.

But that is not where her majesty lies. No, her true beauty comes from her power. It comes from the way the ground of Ceredell shakes with the footsteps of her army. It comes from the way her magic has brought a nation to its knees. It comes from her sheer power, breathtaking as the sun and twice as deadly.

Taglist:

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @fortunatetragedy, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

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[valarhalla]

"Gone are my people, but I exist yet,

Lamenting them in my solitude...

Dead are my friends, and in their Death my life is naught but great

Disaster.

The knolls of my country are submerged

By tears and blood, for my people and

My beloved are gone, and I am here

Living as I did when my people and my

Beloved were enjoying life and the

Bounty of life, and when the hills of

My country were blessed and engulfed

By the light of the sun.

My people died from hunger, and he who

Did not perish from starvation was

Butchered with the sword; and I am

Here in this distant land, roaming

Amongst a joyful people who sleep

Upon soft beds, and smile at the days

While the days smile upon them.

My people died a painful and shameful

Death, and here am I living in plenty

And in peace...This is deep tragedy

Ever-enacted upon the stage of my

Heart; few would care to witness this

Drama, for my people are as birds with

Broken wings, left behind the flock.

If I were hungry and living amid my

Famished people, and persecuted among

My oppressed countrymen, the burden

Of the black days would be lighter

Upon my restless dreams, and the

Obscurity of the night would be less

Dark before my hollow eyes and my

Crying heart and my wounded soul.

For he who shares with his people

Their sorrow and agony will feel a

Supreme comfort created only by

Suffering in sacrifice. And he will

Be at peace with himself when he dies

Innocent with his fellow innocents.

But I am not living with my hungry

And persecuted people who are walking

In the procession of death toward

Martyrdom...I am here beyond the

Broad seas living in the shadow of

Tranquillity, and in the sunshine of

Peace...I am afar from the pitiful

Arena and the distressed, and cannot

Be proud of ought, not even of my own

Tears.

What can an exiled son do for his

Starving people, and of what value

Unto them is the lamentation of an

Absent poet?

Were I an ear of corn grown in the earth

of my country, the hungry child would

Pluck me and remove with my kernels

The hand of Death form his soul. Were

I a ripe fruit in the gardens of my

Country, the starving women would

Gather me and sustain life. Were I

A bird flying the sky of my country,

My hungry brother would hunt me and

Remove with the flesh of my body the

Shadow of the grave from his body.

But, alas! I am not an ear of corn

Grown in the plains of Syria, nor a

Ripe fruit in the valleys of Lebanon;

This is my disaster, and this is my

Mute calamity which brings humiliation

Before my soul and before the phantoms

Of the night...This is the painful

Tragedy which tightens my tongue and

Pinions my arms and arrests me usurped

Of power and of will and of action.

This is the curse burned upon my

Forehead before God and man.

And oftentimes they say unto me,

'The disaster of your country is

But naught to calamity of the

World, and the tears and blood shed

By your people are as nothing to

The rivers of blood and tears

Pouring each day and night in the

Valleys and plains of the earth...'

Yes, but the death of my people is

A silent accusation; it is a crime

Conceived by the heads of the unseen serpents...

It is a Sceneless tragedy...And if my

People had attacked the despots

And oppressors and died rebels,

I would have said, 'Dying for

Freedom is nobler than living in

The shadow of weak submission, for

He who embraces death with the sword

Of Truth in his hand will eternalize

With the Eternity of Truth, for Life

Is weaker than Death and Death is

Weaker than Truth.

If my nation had partaken in the war

Of all nations and had died in the

Field of battle, I would say that

The raging tempest had broken with

Its might the green branches; and

Strong death under the canopy of

The tempest is nobler than slow

Perishment in the arms of senility.

But there was no rescue from the

Closing jaws...My people dropped

And wept with the crying angels.

If an earthquake had torn my

Country asunder and the earth had

Engulfed my people into its bosom,

I would have said, 'A great and

Mysterious law has been moved by

The will of divine force, and it

Would be pure madness if we frail

Mortals endeavoured to probe its

Deep secrets...'

But my people did not die as rebels;

They were not killed in the field

Of Battle; nor did the earthquake

Shatter my country and subdue them.

Death was their only rescuer, and

Starvation their only spoils.

My people died on the cross....

They died while their hands

stretched toward the East and West,

While the remnants of their eyes

Stared at the blackness of the

Firmament...They died silently,

For humanity had closed its ears

To their cry. They died because

They did not befriend their enemy.

They died because they loved their

Neighbours. They died because

They placed trust in all humanity.

They died because they did not

Oppress the oppressors. They died

Because they were the crushed

Flowers, and not the crushing feet.

They died because they were peace

Makers. They perished from hunger

In a land rich with milk and honey.

They died because monsters of

Hell arose and destroyed all that

Their fields grew, and devoured the

Last provisions in their bins....

They died because the vipers and

Sons of vipers spat out poison into

The space where the Holy Cedars and

The roses and the jasmine breathe

Their fragrance.

My people and your people, my Syrian

Brother, are dead....What can be

Done for those who are dying? Our

Lamentations will not satisfy their

Hunger, and our tears will not quench

Their thirst; what can we do to save

Them between the iron paws of

Hunger? My brother, the kindness

Which compels you to give a part of

Your life to any human who is in the

Shadow of losing his life is the only

Virtue which makes you worthy of the

Light of day and the peace of the

Night....Remember, my brother,

That the coin which you drop into

The withered hand stretching toward

You is the only golden chain that

Binds your rich heart to the

Loving heart of God....."

"Dead are My People," Kahlil Gibran, written in response to the Great Famine of Lebanon in 1916.

[mx24]

updated DR predictions, theories, thoughts list cuz th next chapters are bound t come out any day now.

not going into depth about these predictions here. some of them arent quite so literal also. theyre just things that might be worked into the story and stuff

CHARACTER

"false prophet" / beast out of the earth Ralsei Ralsei = nameless angel who imprisoned Satan in the Abyss with a great chain in its hand (scarf.) Ralsei is probably Kris' missing red horned headband deconstructing his only understanding of reality, Ralsei WILL have a breakdown huge moment with Ralsei featuring flowers, vines, thorns, the whole shebang

"King of Monsters" Susie / Susiezilla (Godzilla titan species) /related to DR Titans and/or Echidna in some way. Typhon (AKA father of all monsters) somewhere in there Susie beast out of the sea / biblical dragons and serpents / chaoskampf monster "King of Beasts" lion Susie / circus lion

Mayor Holiknight (my personal favorite of the candidates) Vassal / Vessel Knight possibly Dess Knight instead?

Dess never shows up in the present (or she does. who fuckin knows lmao)

Seam will have an important role. maybe as an antagonist

Seam took out their own eye

King of Spades and Jevil will return with a large role Everyman. at some point

Gaster's experiment (Deltarune) has Kris (originally the Vessel) as a "controlled variable", Ralsei as a "dependent variable", and Susie as an "independent variable"

the Soul's role is meant to resemble a guardian angel, the Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart of Jesus. in the weird route, the devil that possibly possessed Judas, and possibly the angel that comforts Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

Weird Route Noelle and Kris have similarities to Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot, respectively Noelle is the only one who can free Kris from the player (specifically in the Weird Route, possibly in the main route)

Mayor Holiday's name is Mary C Holiday. in my heart

ITEMS

Devilsknife (scythe), will be used as a tool of freedom

Tree Egg = Orphic World Egg? something about the Orphic World Egg in general though

LOCATION

Chaos (the literal location) is a layer between the Light World and the Dark World, a locked gate to it lies in Castle Town (probably through the true Dark Fountain. beyond that big door with the heart/soul and wings.)

The Cliffs / Strange Place meant to resemble Tartarus, the biblical Abyss, possibly Sheol

Titans are imprisoned in Chaos. Roaring likely emerges from the Cliffs in the Dark World, and the lake in the Light World

PROPHECY

prophecy is untrustworthy

"Angel Trinity Theory" / The Angel is The Father, Noelle Holiday is The Son, and the Soul is the Holy Spirit, together forming the Angel's trinity. contrasted by the Delta Warriors, an unholy trinity or something like that

closing Dark Fountains + recruiting Darkners = parallel to Book of Revelation, Satan "deceiving nations" and gathering them for the last holy battle

Deltarune experiment end goal = changing the world order, and its people. metamorphoses of the protagonists in particular, delta / change

the prophecy (Legend of Delta Rune, The Roaring) parallel the Greek creation myth, and the bible's Genesis

KINDA RANDOM / LESS DEVELOPED THOUGHTS

Seam and Catti moment :]

the Undertale characters, while present, will not have as large of roles as compared to Deltarune-original characters (this includes Papyrus)

something about the angel Dumah? i forgot to look into this one lmao

humans, maybe in particular Kris, are related to the Titans (potentially made from the waters of Chaos?)

mirror and reflections theme, through the Dark Fountains, Shadow Crystals, Light/Dark World, Kris, Ralsei and Asriel, etc etc

ive definitely forgot a few things, shit i didnt write down lol

[mother-liquor]

Some Sunless Sea (Chapter 1)

Pairing: captain!Hongjoong x gn!welder!reader 

Plot/Theme: After Death of The Outsider/Magical Steampunk

Warning: English is not my first language

Word Count: 1.8k

Author-note: I’m new ATINY so I don't quite grasp the concept of the group and their characters. The MC is supposedly my mute OC but I will make it as general as possible becoming Y/N.

Genre-note: It could be “Romantic or Platonic” according to your interpretations. I take a lot of details from Dishonored (video game) and inspirations from Treasure Planet (movie) settings.

Hongjoong : captain

Seonghwa : navigator

Yunho : quarter master

Yeosang : surgeon

San : gun slinger

Mingi : sail master

Wooyoung : cook

Jongho : boatswain

“The High Artificer has found a way to melt the stars.” - Yunho

"You have lost to politics." - Seonghwa

"Even though they made a discovery, they will keep them from anyone. That kept each nation from developing itself, industrially and militarily." - Yeosang

"What makes people want to reach space?" - Mingi

"We have an untouchable ocean and unexplorable continent." - Seonghwa

“It really sounds legendary but honestly I think it’s not more than a tale.” - Jongho

"There are land whales and flying serpents in Pandyssia. People will not crawl on the moon any time soon." - San

"So, we can't get this ship to fly? What if the tale is true?" - Wooyoung 

“That person must be working in restricted areas.” - Mingi

"You mean The High Artificer?" - Yunho

"Yup." - Mingi 

“We can break all the curbs and blast them.” - San

"How can we get richer than the Empire when you turn all coins into fire?!". - Wooyoung

As usual, the crew banter while Hongjoong takes his time admiring the sunset. The energy shifts between day and night. A renewal moment for the notorious pirate captain.

"Should we go for an inspection? We have already reached Gristol." - Seonghwa asks Hongjoong.

"I heard his name was Bartholomew. But I assumed he died and has been replaced by someone more proficient." - Hongjoong 

"Well a lot is happening after the young Empress rule again." - Yunho

"She is known as The Just, The Clever." - Mingi

[A while later]

"We're arriving in Potterstead." - Mingi

"I thought we are meeting the Empress in Dunwall." - Wooyoung

"Well, I shall crown you the Emperor first." - Hongjoong

[After loading in port]

"San and I will go to the black market. Seonghwa and Wooyoung will go to the fresh market. Yeosang and Yunho will go for maintenance supplies. Mingi and Jongho will go looking for extra janitors."  - Hongjoong 

"Okay time for non-sailing job." - Mingi

[At the black market]

"Hyung, are we lost?" - S

"This is exploration, San." - H

"The town looks crowded." - S

"It's a busy business port." - H

"Look, hyung, I can see the sign." - S

"Finally." - H [Rush] 

The shopkeeper is intrigued by the new faces. "Oh, welcome, how can I help you?"

Underground, Hongjoong can distinguish shabby and tidy appearance. This person seems rather natty for a black market shopkeeper (BMS).

"Yes, let me have a look." - S

After San gets some ammunities, Hongjoong notices a wristbow from the shopkeeper's sleeve.

"Can I commission the weapon on your wrist?" - H

"Sorry, Sir. This is not for sale." - BMS

"Why not?" - H

"It requires a masterwork blueprint." - BMS

"How much does it cost to make yours?" - H

"Smashing smoke, some sorcery, and special steel." - BMS

"I see, it requires delicate work and material. I will grant your price." - H

"1000 coins for a six day process." - BMS

"How about I give you 2000 so I can get it in three days?" - H

"I will try for a sneaky businessman." - BMS

Hongjoong grabs one of the shop bar, putting a gold ingot on the counter. His sudden move makes the shopkeeper study his face.

"Do you need my name for it?" - H

"Only if you want your name on the wristbow." - BMS

"You can put 'DESTINY' on it." - H

"Alright Mr. Destiny. May you always look sharp." - BMS

Sharp, Hongjoong likes that. Unfortunately, San is still concentrating on how to remember their way back to the ship and doesn't catch his captain smirking a little on the way.

"I hope we can meet again outside the Velentzas (secured shop counter bars brand)." - H in his mind

"Any good news from the streets?" - San

"A bunch of loud, affectionate, and tired men." - Seonghwa 

"The Empress has ordered the dissolution of Abbey." - Yunho

"HA??" - Wooyoung

"The High Overseer became insane and a mess showed up." - Yeosang

"What mess?" - Mingi

"After Emily Kaldwin announced the dissolution of the Abbey of the Everyman, Void rifts appeared shortly." - Seonghwa

"Void rifts?" - Wooyoung 

"A crack between two worlds." - Yunho

"That sounds like a harmless portal." - Jongho

"No, it is destroying everything in its path." - Yunho

"Wait, that means no High Overseer, no High Artificer." - Yeosang 

"They are all gone! We can't go to space!" - Wooyoung 

"Is this the end of the world? The end of Aarde?" - San

"Why is there a Void rift in the first place." - Hongjoong

"I heard from a mercenary that the Outsider is no more. " - Mingi

"How do you know that?" - Hongjoong 

"I rented her skiff. She told me to be cautious about the current situation." - Mingi

"There are dangers lurking." - Seonghwa

"This is too much fear for a short time. I need my rich sleep time." - Wooyoung 

"Why does the Isle suddenly go into pieces?" - Yunho

"It is not suddenly, it is gradually expected like the Roseburrow Industries." - Hongjoong 

From my understanding of the Empire, Dunwall holds the refining processes necessary to give whale oil its full potential. The disappearance of whale oil as a power source evokes the discovery of another type of fuel. We only see slaughterhouses in Karnaca, but no oil refinery. As I see it, the companies in Dunwall and the ruling Empress, or Emperor, before controlled the state of industrialism of each nation by keeping that science for themselves. But the whales started to become scarce around quickly, which led to a whale oil rationing by official decree by now. 

The next day, Hongjoong and Jongho went to the Estate District. 

"We're going to deliver goods for the Boyles." - H

"They're still in business?" - J

"The plague makes some of the richest getting richer." - H

(Arriving at the Estate District)

"Such a fine estuary." - J

"That's why we dress up nicely today." - H

"Why are they watching us?" - J

"High treasure, high patrol." - H

Hongjoong shows the guard his cameo with the name "EE" and a figure. The guard recognises it as Emperor Euhorn special seal.

"Let them pass." - Guard

"How did you get that thing?" - H

"A collection of my treasure." - J

Reaching the Boyle's mansion, they are welcomed by the sight of a beautiful garden, white stone building, and clean air much different from the port atmosphere. A woman in a fine suit approaches them.

"Captain Hongjoong." - Lydia 

They sit at the garden chairs.

"Lady Boyle. Thank you for the hospitality." - H

"Oh I am sorry, the house is still on preparation for a party." - L

"The Pennant Festival?" - H

"Yes. I hope it will be frolic after people recover from the plague. It has never been the same since those days. I'm sure the world will recover." - L

"I hope so." - H

"So, what can I help you with?" - L

"I come to deliver the oud wood from the Pandyssian desert. It already extracted for convenient use. Your package." - H

"Oh, thank you. I remember also to give you this." She hands a letter with the Chief of the City Watch seal, Samantha Nathaniels.

"This can make you enter Dunwall with your ship. And also this" She hands a pouch of pearls and ingots.

"I can make my mansion scented otherworldly for the party. Memorable." - L

"Thank you. We shouldn't take too much of your time." - H

"You should come in two days. I cordially invite you and your friends may come too." Lydia hands an invitation.

"Should I bring any surprises?" - H

"I heard that pirates sing sea shanties the magical way." - L

"You expect a performance." - H

"Many talented people gone, to be honest, I also wonder what kind of adventure you can bring out of the ship." - L

They excuse theirself from the mansion area.

"Let's get some stuff first." - H

"What stuff? A map?" - J

"Another blueprint and yes, a rundown map of the Festival." - H

"What kind of blueprint?" - J

"One I commissioned from The Royal Morley Constabulary." - H

"A military grade? San will be delighted." - J

(I can't interpret from the game and wiki perspective what kind of status is Lady Boyle in the story. At first, I thought they were three wives of Lord Boyle. After I learn again, they are sisters or different women, idk. But, I take their personality to my story, not accurate with the game plot.)

***

"Wait, it was a water desalination unit?" - Jongho 

"Yeah, we need fresh water." - Hongjoong 

"I thought it was a weapon or bomb." - San

"Why?" - Wooyoung 

"Because we are not spending the rest of our life with sea water for bath." - Seonghwa 

"It's time to not get stinky." - Yunho 

"It's just a fragment. We need a real engineer." - Hongjoong 

"Or we can make Wooyoung goes to engineering school." - Mingi

"But, Mingi is smart." - Wooyoung 

"Can we just extract the knowledge somewhere?" - Yeosang 

"How about everyone gets a copy and look around town so we can get a person who can actually work with it." - Hongjoong 

"I'm not going." - Mingi

"Whoever has the result first can…." - Hongjoong 

(This sentence turn on their competitive brain and all of them all gone)

***

At night, the black market shopkeeper (you) takes a stroll to a nearby tidal creek. You have made a small battery from salt water. It started with making voltameter from an industrial commission. Saltwater batteries have a lower energy density than whale oil tanks, meaning they store less energy in the same amount of space. But you decide this option is more cost efficient especially for the increasing whale scarcity and the official restrictions.

It is absolutely revolting scenery especially with the darkness and smell. You wish you could feel mountain quality fresh water. 

"Ubun-Ubun." You called your familiar ride. A magical whale shark with stars sparkling across its body. You fly to harvest some water from the clouds instead with your magic.

Gristol is a temperate land known for its rolling green hills and foggy meadows. Spending time in the air is always refreshing. Unfortunately you can't do this during the day time. People might get panicked. It feels like stealing the rain.

Neither of you or your ride sense the presence of a flying ship. Well, there are no street lights up here. You didn't notice but Hongjoong saw you. He put his spyglass down. No words, he only gazes at the sky with a wonder-struck face.