#scuba diving tips

[hilooceanadventures]

Embarking on a scuba adventure? Navigate the waters wisely by choosing the perfect scuba gear rental shop. Conduct thorough research on specialized manufacturers, seek recommendations from seasoned divers, and personally visit shops to assess equipment and ambiance. Don't hesitate to ask questions—finding the right shop ensures a safe and exhilarating diving experience.

[theadventurebuddies]

Escape to Paradise: The Best Experience at Ray Caye Resort Belize (Recap)

Embark on a family adventure like no other with The Adventure Buddies as they recap their best experiences at Ray Caye Resort Belize. Nestled amidst the beauty of the Caribbean, Ray Caye Resort offers a stunning blend of luxury and adventure, reminiscent of Tahiti and Fiji. From the moment you arrive at this beautiful raiki island resort, you'll be enchanted by its pristine beaches and modern amenities.

[seahawksscuba]

Scuba diving is a safe underwater diving sport unless all diving rules are strictly followed. We have outlined 10 important rules to follow for safe and confident diving. The rules equally guide you to practice safe diving techniques irrespective of your experience and skill levels. Check our blog page to learn more about safe scuba diving rules.

[dragonfly-ventures001]

Get ready for Hundreds of exciting escapades, practical tips, in 'Video Book' form and a DraGonFly Ventures deep dive into Great Weekly Adventure Thrills and More !

[theanthrotorian]

In order to get a PADI certification, you need to take a 3-5 day course that is a combo of classroom and in-the-water training. Most dive shops will not rent equipment to you, or take you out on dive tours unless you have at least the basic PADI training.

Here are ten of the best spots in the world to learn to scuba dive.

[anokha-swad]

[twinsimming]

Boarding Schools Skill, Career, & Trait Additions by Twinsimming 🏀🎶🏐🎻🎥

The boarding school feature from The Sims 3: Generations wasn't updated to include any new skills, careers, or traits from subsequent expansion packs, so I originally made this mod to fix that.

Then I realized that there were also some base game traits and careers missing, as well as most of the hidden skills, so I added those too!

This is a tuning mod that can be placed in your Overrides folder.

Requirements

This mod requires The Sims 3: Generations.

Skill, Career, & Trait Additions

Additions are in bold.

Removals are struck through.

Prep School

School Traits: Ambitious, Snob, Charismatic, Schmoozer,  Genius, Bookworm, Perfectionist, Proper

Offensive Traits: Couch Potato, Slob, Easily Impressed, Inappropriate, and Rebellious

Learnable Skills: Logic, Writing, Charisma, Chess, Homework, Golfing, Social Networking

Recommended Occupations: Business, Political, Medical, Journalism, Writer, Education

Military School

School Traits: Neat, Handy, Good, Brave, Disciplined, Computer Whiz

Offensive Traits: Loser, Slob, Couch Potato, Over Emotional, Clumsy, Insane, Party Animal, Inappropriate, Rebellious

Learnable Skills: Homework, Logic, Athletic, Martial Arts, Handiness, Inventing, Scuba Diving

Recommended Occupations: Firefighter, Military, Law Enforcement, Criminal, Private Eye, Lifeguard, Inventor, Scuba Diver

Art School

School Traits: Virtuoso, Artistic, Dramatic, Charismatic, Photographer's Eye, Natural Born Performer, Savvy Sculptor, Avant Garde

Offensive Traits: Can't Stand Art. Couch Potato

Learnable Skills: Dancing, Club Dancing, Piano, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Drums, Painting, Charisma, Sculpting, Photography, Street Art, DJ Turntable

Recommended Occupations: Music, Stylist, Interior Designer, Nectar Maker, Painter, Photographer, Sculptor, Writer, Film, PT Film, Art Appraiser

Hippy School

School Traits: Loves The Outdoors, Artistic, Green Thumb, Vegetarian, and Environmentally Conscious, Good

Offensive Traits: Mean Spirited, Hates Outdoors, Snob, Evil

Learnable Skills: Child Cooking, Gardening, Cooking, Fishing, Inventing, Nectar, Science

Recommended Occupations: Science, Culinary, PT Bookstore Clerk, Fisher, Gardener, Inventor, Nectar Maker, Fortune Teller Career, PT Grocery Store Clerk, PT Mausoleum, PT Day Spa Specialist, PT Day Spa Receptionist

Sports School

School Traits: Athletic, Loves The Outdoors, Handy, Adventurous, and Disciplined

Offensive Traits: Loser, Slob, Couch Potato, Clumsy, Hates Outdoors, and Rebellious

Learnable Skills: Athletic, Handiness, Martial Arts, Foosball, Homework, Trampoline, Blocks, Golfing, Skating, Snowboarding, Ping Pong, Bowling

Recommended Occupations: Professional Sports, Law Enforcement, Criminal, Firefighter, and Sports Agent

Conflicts & Known Issues

Conflicts with any mod that edits the BoardingSchool xml file. This includes Madam Doofie's Higher Boarding School Costs mod.

Credits

EA/Maxis for The Sims 3, s3pe, and Notepad++

If you like my work, please consider tipping me on Ko-fi 💙

Download @ ModTheSims

[vidavalor]

The Ok Sign's historical ties to Vavooming

When Crowley describes his "hypothetical" (😉) Vavoom scenario in S2, he gesticulates a moving version of the OK hand sign to Aziraphale. The history of this particular gesture is rather interesting... especially when you consider what Crowley is saying when he is choosing to use it.

In modern times, the initial, vertical part of what Crowley is doing while talking about canopies is a sign known as "the OK sign" and, in most places, it is seen as signaling a positive response to something. Even though something that is "okay" is seen as sort of middling-- more "not terrible" than "good"-- the OK hand gesture has a much more positive connotation than the word itself does and generally means that something is excellent. It came to mean that in the United States and many other countries through American political campaigns of the early 19th century. The gesture itself, though, is much, much older than that and can be traced back to ancient Rome and ancient Greece... where it has ties to romantic love.

When painted on vases and the like, the gesture was meant to evoke a kiss through the touching of the tips of the thumb and the index finger. Interesting considering the topic of a vavoomy first kiss in the scene while Crowley is making this gesture, no?

In first century Rome-- a time and place we know to be significant to Crowley and Aziraphale's history-- it was a gesture of assent and if a person made the gesture towards another person in the Greco-Roman world? It was a way of professing romantic love for that person.

While describing a hypothetical scenario for Maggie and Nina that many of us suspect is really a recounting of his and Aziraphale's first kiss, Crowley is gesturing "I love you" to Aziraphale by the social customs of classical antiquity.

There's also a bit of fish, food and Jesus in this as well... so, very Ineffable Husbands. In the modern era, the OK sign is also the gesture used universally by scuba divers to signal that they are feeling good while on a dive. It is also a version of the "chef's kiss"-- the one that is more of an OK sign near the face than kissing the tips of your fingers. In the original version of 'The Prisoner,' the watched prisoners use the OK sign to communicate with each other, which was famously inspired by use of The Sign of the Fish/Jesus Fish as a secret symbol used by early Christians.

The gesture is also used in another unspoken language: Christian monks who took a vow of silence would also use the gesture as a base to indicate other things to communicate-- forming the index finger and thumb into a ring and holding it in front of one's self as Crowley does in this scene would indicate in that language an oblation, or offering, to God.

Crowley then keeps his fingers in the OK position and tips his hand down when he says "together", turning it all into a second gesture-- one that is known as gyan/jnana mudra, which is a hand sign used most frequently in meditation and sometimes in yoga. It is known as the knowledge mudra. Crowley also used it during the Gabriel miracle while Aziraphale used its pair at the same time-- chin mudra-- which is the same gesture, just with the palm facing up, and focuses on similar things.

Both focus on knowledge gained and the calming effects of the unification of the individual soul/ego (represented by the index finger) with the thumb (the supreme soul/paramatman-- the more actualized individual soul made boundless by light and wisdom.) The gesture is done as part of meditation to create a circuit that redirects the prana-- life force/energy-- through the body, alleviating anxiety and calming the mind through a grounding sense of connection, calm and peace.

By connecting the two gestures into one while talking about this canopy scenario, Crowley seems to be connecting the erotic and the spiritual and referencing his millennia-old romantic passion for Aziraphale to Aziraphale by using a gesture for love from antiquity... and that's somehow all before this shows up:

Who knew Richard Curtis films were this hot?

[majorleagueupdates]

Brandon Nimmo has been kidnapped by a scuba diving dentist and is currently being held in Australia, early reports say his father is on a globetrotting journey to find him

Thank you for your tip. As usual, all news about the New York Mets will be printed in the Obituaries & Condolences section of our weekly report.

[lunarmoves]

mentions: mer au, near death experience kind of yea im making this a full fic i think

the mer was judging you. 

you could just tell, no translation necessary. call it intuition, but you were certain the way it was circling you slowly in the water was its way of mocking you for your predicament. high-pitched chirps and clicks echoed murkily through the water. poking fun at you for sure, you thought miserably to yourself. you couldn’t really muster up the strength to do anything more than turn your head to track it around you. but that wouldn’t matter for much longer if you didn’t figure something out soon. 

your foolishness was what had led to your entrapment—thinking you could help free a flailing turtle from a fisher’s net when you had no sharp tools on hand to cut through the firm material. foolish. your reasoning had been to carefully unwrap it, but in your focus you hadn’t realized that whilst you were indeed untangling the turtle, you were also simultaneously trapping yourself. and then it had been too late. 

an instinct to panic had to be heavily squashed down. you were calm at first and tried to methodically untangle yourself. one loose end here, another loose end there. but, to your mounting frustration, you were making things worse. that calmness gave way to some kind of innate desperation and you idiotically writhed about (a moment of weakness, you grumbled to yourself later) until your leg was wrapped unforgivingly in metal and rope. 

and thus, here you were, hours after the turtle had left with not even a thank you. floating vertically in the water like you were anchored to davy jones locker itself as your leg grew steadily number and number the longer time went on. 

you had resigned yourself to your fate not too long ago. there was nothing around you on the sea floor that you could use to cut yourself free. and no matter how many times you yanked and clawed at the netting, nothing but a raw tenderness to your skin was your agonizing reward. you couldn’t even hold out hope that someone would notice you were gone since, well, you hadn’t really told anyone you were going scuba diving. foolish, foolish, foolish. hope had never seemed so fragile. 

but then the mer showed up. and you were so utterly done with everything. 

it was, quite honestly, difficult not to notice it at first. it had swam out from some large rock in the distance, aglow like it was trying to set the ocean itself on fire. you had just enough time to catch a glimpse of vibrant, white eyes before it had turned tail and darted right back behind the rock formation. you blinked and wondered if you’d started hallucinating for some time before the glow peeked around the deep blue-gray rock. it was staring right at you. so, naturally, the only thing you did was stare back. 

awkward. after a time, you looked away to rake your gaze over the netting in a vain attempt to figure out a way to free yourself once more. maybe if you ignored it, it would go away. mers were rare and unpredictable creatures—your best bet regarding an encounter with one was to just avoid it altogether. tough luck doing that with your leg trapped, idiot, you told yourself with a huff that made bubbles burst from your nose. 

the water got brighter just then, and a quick jerk of your head upwards revealed that the mer had drifted closer. startlingly closer. enough that you realized one pertinent detail that you hadn’t processed before when it had been hiding a distance away behind the rock. 

it was fucking massive. 

not ‘leviathan-class’ massive, but definitely one or two below that. its tail length alone was thrice your height with a skinny torso and unnaturally long arms. it was colored a warm gold with fluid, swirling patterns of white along its tail that reminded you of the crests of waves. bright flukes of orange tipped in white that seemed to burn through the water lined its circular head in a way that reminded you of a flower—wispy and nearly iridescent despite the sunlight from above being so far away. frills reminiscent of the burn of the setting sun decorated the side of its neck and arms. you would have been utterly captivated by the sight of it had you not noticed the mouthful of teeth it bared at you in a treacherous smile. you looked away immediately. 

whatever reason the mer had decided to venture closer for was definitely not a good one, you decided. it started to slowly circle you in a way that reminded you of a shark—not a good thing by far, though you knew sharks circled things to see them better. this mer didn’t have eyes positioned at the sides of its head like a fish, though, so there was no way the intention was the same. 

you grouched internally to yourself as you eyed the pressure gauge attached to your arm. you were running out of gas—on fumes, really. there was just enough left that your brain was starting to kick into a rapid overdrive in a vain last minute attempt to figure out what to do. but you couldn’t stop eyeing the mer, gaze latched onto its teeth that gleamed like the curve of a blade, or its white claws that cut swiftly through the water like it was mere air. 

was this thing going to eat you or what? you shuddered at the thought, then pondered if you preferred that over suffocating. you weren’t sure. you were starting to feel lightheaded.

you watched as the mer seemed to look at the netting wrapped around your leg, then at your hands, and finally at its own. its claws flexed purposely. it was close enough that it reached out with two sharp fingers to pluck tauntingly at a piece of rope. it made a series of clicking sounds—almost amused in a way? or perhaps not amused… and then you realized—as the mer swam around you again with an all-telling curve to its grin—that it was judging you. for getting trapped in something manmade. you know, as a human. 

it was humiliating. but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. your thoughts—that had been so rapid previously as you flitted through possible actions you could take to save yourself—had stuttered to a slow crawl. you were tired. you were tired and your leg hurt too damn much for you to care about some stupid mer. whatever. maybe you were hallucinating this entire thing. you closed your eyes and let yourself drift there, breaths shallow to try to milk out your remaining oxygen for as long as possible. 

…

…

the netting was getting looser. 

your eyes blinked sluggishly open just in time to see rope and wire drift away from your aching limb. you—you were free. the loss of feeling to your leg was imminent, but you were finally free. before you could process it completely, however, something grabbed you under the arms. tightly. you couldn’t even scream. all you could do was brace yourself against the rush of water as you were hauled up and up and up—a flash of gold and white accompanying you all the way until you broke through the surface with a large splash. 

[appaloosawhims]

sims 3 barbie legacy challenge

this is pretty much a conversation from the sims 4 barbie legacy challenge by @sims-himbo but i did change up some of the generations as well just to use more features from ts3 that arent in ts4 as add some extra optional ones for occult/supernatural players

mods i recommend downloading

• nraas porter (for moving towns without traveler file bloat)

• nraas master controller

• family secrets (in case you wanna add drama)

rules

• all heirs must be female and named barbie

• you can use money cheats just starting out but nothing after that

• do not sell the future portal that is summoned when you first start a save, to get rid of it “testingcheatsenabled true > shift click > delete” no free money here

gen one: housewife barbie

• complete the surrounded by family lifetime wish

• you must never get a job, earn money through opportunities, painting, playing the guitar for tips, etc

• have at least one pet

• must have the family oriented and nurturing traits

gen two: business barbie

• complete the ceo of a mega corporation lifetime wish

• be worth at least 50k simeoleans

• master logic and charisma skills

• must have ambitious and born saleswoman traits

gen three: equestrian barbie

• complete the ark builder aspiration

• dont have an actual job and make money through horse riding competitions

• all of your children must have a small pet of their own (by small i mean snake, lizard, turtle, etc)

• must have the equestrian trait

gen four: sea pearl barbie

• move to isla paradiso

• become a mermaid

• master the grand explorer lifetime wish

• live on a houseboat

• master the scuba diving and logic skills

• must have the loves to swim trait

gen five: best seller barbie

• complete the professional author lifetime wish

• max writing skill

• master the journalism career

• must have the artistic, bookworm and virtuoso traits

gen six: academic barbie

• complete the perfect studio lifetime wish

• max out the nerds social group

• master the science and painting skills

• earn a fine arts degree

• must have the socially awkward and genius traits

gen seven: movie star barbie

• complete the superstar actor lifetime wish

• become a 5 star celebrity

• have a secret affair with a fellow actor

• master the film career (acting branch)

• fall in love with a non celebrity

• master the charisma skill

• must have the star quality, schmoozer and charismatic traits

gen eight: rockstar barbie

• complete the one sim one band lifetime wish

• master the music career (rock star branch)

• must have the virtuoso trait

gen nine: president barbie

• complete the leader of the free world lifetime wish

• be the richest sim in town

• max the politics career

• never be lower than a 2 star celebrity

• must have the charismatic trait

gen ten: time traveling barbie

• complete the made the most of my time lifetime wish

• become best friends with emit relevant

• build a plumbot

• master the bot building, advanced technology, and handiness skills

• own a jetpack

• must have the ambitious and bot fan traits

optional generations

gen eleven: vampire barbie

• move to midnight hollow

• complete the turn the town lifetime wish

• must have the proper and night owl traits

gen twelve: fairy barbie

• move to moonlight falls and live their for the rest of the legacy

• complete the mystic healer lifetime wish

• marry and fall in love with a werewolf since fairies live longer do not get into another relationship after they die

• must have the gatherer trait

gen thirteen: werewolf barbie

• complete the leader of the pack lifetime wish

• purchase the alpha wolf lifetime reward

• must have the loves the outdoors trait

gen fourteen: witch barbie

• complete the greener gardens lifetime wish

• master the fortune teller career (scam artist branch)

• master the charmisa, logic, gardening, and alchemy skills

• must have the evil and green thumb traits

[bergoop]

why do you think they are like this? Why are they descibing things that sound more sexual than they really are?

Hi Anon!

Hmm…

On the surface, it's a simple question. But depending on how much reading between the lines you want to do, you could dive pretty deep. And I hope you packed your scuba suit...

The easy answer is, they make dirty jokes because it's funny - but we already knew that! I think the meat of this question really is asking about the extent of their relationship. Are they flirting/dirty joking because it's funny, nothing more? Or is it because they're making out sloppy style the second the camera shuts off?

I think the most straight (ha) forward answer is, it's 80% just their type of humor and 20% they like the buzz it generates when they imply things. There is nothing wrong with this answer. But, it feels like it's missing some nuance.

It's natural to wonder if the dirty joking is the tip of the iceberg, and if they're romantically/sexually involved on their own time. And honestly, hey, they could be! Certainly we don't know for sure. It creates this pocket of mystery, and I think that's a fun space to play around in. You could assume they are together and keeping it on the DL, referencing it through their dirty jokes.

I don't really believe that's happening. What I DO think is that their affection goes deeper than regular friendship, and that they share more physical affection than the average best friends. I think they hold hands, I think they cuddle, and I think they've kissed.

But, I don't believe that affection is the reason they're so flirty and dirty on camera. I think it goes like this:

Shane is devoted to Ryan, and Ryan knows this, and he loves it. And if his jokes imply that the devotion goes even deeper, then he loves that too!

To me, all the pestering/joking is them saying to each other, you allow me to be a pest because you love me. But they are careful with it, careful in their relationship. And, reader, that's what makes it such a fantastic dynamic. They love each other SO much.

But this just my personal onion. Sorry this got so long. Thank you for the ask!

[thefusioncelestial]

Mix 5: The Rich Bear

Here is Tyler:

Nature boy disguised as park ranger. Very out doorsey, loves camping, and an astrologist. Apparently, the lack of light pollution, many night shifts in the woods will introduce you to the stars. And he wrestles bears, races with the deer, swims with the fishes, and lord knows what he does with birds. Sings with them? Basically the Avatar of the Park. And in all his time as a park ranger, poaching has gone down to zilch in his nature reserve.

And then there is John:

The city boy. You would think he was a typical rich play boy. But its an act. When you are put together & don't have to work a day in your life, a lot of people want to use you to get to that status. He spends his waking hours funding charitable causes through art auctions. Yes, the fake play boy has an artist side. Very good for fashion tips too.

They both know each other. They hated each other in high school. Something about being rivals io the same basketball team back in the day. The clashing energy pushing their team to win state every year until graduation. They started out at different colleges. But depending on who you ask, they followed or stalked each other because they ended up at the same uni for the actual undergrad work.

Tyler studied Zoology. John, Fashion Design. And despite not sharing a single class, they ended up at the same club: Scuba diving. The experience inspired them in different ways, and before graduation, they buried the hatchet. They made a promise. If they were not married in five years, they would meet up at a certain park at its main pavilion. This wasn't a marriage proposal, they just were curious on how two different life trajectories could lead to the same resort of being single.

John could have married anyone. He was well liked, well known, and never struggled for a thing. His relationships just ended when he found out their motives or at least his perception of such. His money. One scheme was marriage, divorce, and then a rich alimony. Another, she didn't need to marry him, just get her pregnant. He hoped Tyler was having a better time...

But Tyler never tried. He put his full focus into animal related work, and found he could do the most good as a park ranger. He liked the outdoors too. He could be a bit much, at least once or twice or week, he would go out working shirtless. Something about a better connection to life. Thank god he didn't turn into one of those online life gurus. He figured John would have baby mommas all over the city by now. The ladies were al over him in Uni. A new girlfriend every week. Tyler shuddered at the child support payments. Especially once the court knew he was loaded.

And that was the life, avoiding baby traps, and snapping bear traps, but eventually that date came closer.

At first neither of them were going to show up. What are the chances they both messed up? But they went anyway. A change of environment helps anyone no matter the settings.

Knotfield Park. A giant hilly grass land with pavilions on selected hilltops. The one this pair aimed for was the biggest one in the middle. John came in a Mercedes-Ben, & Tyler a park ranger truck.

They both arrived at the pavilion at the same time. They were both surprised.

"Uncommitted Playboi," Tyler blerted.

"Senator Moosefarts," John responded.

A few moments of awkward silence passed before they both broke into a smile and hugged each other.

John started. "Who knew we striked out unlucky. A rich boy with nothing to do, and a nature boy living it up with bears."

"How did you know? Were you spying on me?" Tyler asked.

"Word got around that the God of the Wild emigrated to the US and I investigated. Come to find out, it was you being you. No matter how much you hide from the world, it finds you. Maybe we should switch lives..", John said, ending in a sad tone.

"All I got is money. Doesn't lead to healthy foundations in the relationship department," he exclaimed.

"Bears scare off the ladies you know." Tyler quipped.

"So what now?" he asked.

"You know I work in auction houses right? So, I get a peek at a lot of stuff with a lot of history. Snagged one for this occasion. It's ~~~Magic~~~." John said enthusiastically.

Tyler remembered that John was into supernatural stuff when he was in high school.

"How is a magic item going to fix our problems? Is a genie's lamp? First wish: never ending apple pie.." Tyler licked his lips.

"Haha, no. A magic mirror. One from ancient Mesopotamia." John Said.

"Historical trash. We going to admire ourselves into a new future?" Tyler said sarcastically.

"Moosefarts, the mirror works as a fortune telling device. You put a piece of your own hair on the polished surface and point it to the stars, and it illuminates the way."

It was now night time. The stars clear in view.

"Let's try it." Tyler said.

"Oh?" John said in confusion.

Tyler already cut off a piece of his hair to put on this mirror. John quickly did the same.

"Why at the same time, Playboi?" Tyler asked.

"Why not." John responded.

He pointed the mirror at the sky. Nothing a happened.

"Maybe you are doing it wrong, Maybe the stars don't give enough light. Point at the moon," insistently said by Tyler.

"Someone is a bit excited by my expensive trash." John Smiled.

He tried the moon, and then the etchings around the mirror glowed. Both Tyler & John could read it for some reason, and they both said

"Two paths, under the moon, converge as one. The source of life, a river."

The mirror's polished surface glowed brighter and brighter until they were both glowing. A light path formed from their feet forming two light roads. Leading to the nearby forest.

"You see what I am seeing?" John asked.

"Yes." Tyler responded.

Tyler trusted his instincts and started following his path.

John hesitated, and then following Tyler's example to not be outdone, followed his.

After 30 minutes, they were in the middle of the woods. Skinny trees, it was fall time to, so not much foliage blocking the way. A lot of brown leaves on the forest floor tho.

Their paths eventually converged, a figure cloaked in light was at the convergence point. They couldn't make out any features except it being humanoid shaped.

"Do yo trust me, John?" Tyler asked.

"This time sure, I got you into this." John joked.

They both walked closer. But as they did. They became enamored by this being. They never stopped walking, and soon they were up real close to it. And yet they didn't stop. They were inside the glowing figure. John half way on one side, Tyler the other. Was it a hologram?

Just then, the light exploded and the two best friends were jerked forward. They smashed against each other & then turned into light particles. They floated for a bit and then swirled around the glowing figure.

The swirling lights that was once John & Tyler converged inside this light being in waves, smashing into it. Each time, the light being gained distinguishing features and became more solid, the light glowing dimmer.

The first wave: The humanoid being was now a skeletal frame surrounded by light.

The second wave: the nervous and vascular system started growing like vines and grew around in and the skeletal frame. A brain was forming.

The third wave: organs and & muscles were formed. It looked like one of those life sized cadaver models of the body without skin.

The fourth wave: Blood starts pumping and skin is formed.

Mentally, John & Tyler were confused. They were inside this light being & at the same time swirling around it.

The fifth wave: They understood. The light being was them. Both of them. In a sense they met their future self and he used the past to bring himself to the present. They were broken down into light and used to make him. Their destiny was to become one and chart a new future. Strangely, they excepted this. Life always brought them together. Maybe that was the hint that they were one being in two bodes. And now they shall be whole.

They gave in. Their minds were broken apart and put back together as one mind.

The sixth wave: John & Tyler's dna was mixed together and added to being. With this set of new instructions, the generic body began to morph.

Tyler's physique was used as the template. The skin tightened & etched Tyler's features the neck down. Loud stretching noises were produced. The biceps bulged out and the shoulders & pecs grew with a popping noise, but John's physique was added as well, and the H body shape was more fleshed out, like being pulled from both sides from the waist. The skin was fighting against this and so he became more cut, and his veins became more visible.

John's face was used as the template. The features morphed to copy John's but soon Tyler's characteristics had their say in this. The eyes became more sunken, the lip color more towards the skin tone. The ears moved to be more like Tyler's. When it came to hair, it was short cut like John's but darker like Tyler's. John's hairline won out, but Tyler's eyes would be used. Tyler's jawline and chin would win out, but John 's potential for facial hair gave him a lowkey grizzled look. The chin was a combination of both, long & thick.

Tyler's ass would form on it, and in the front, John won out. He was well endowed and needed no upgrading. Like his chin, his jewels would get hairy. But Tyler had better leg days from being out in nature, but it would use John's feet. Though for this new being its leg muscles got bigger and stronger than Tyler's, thanks to John.

Throughout this process, he would not make a sound. No moaning, no grunting. The only noise being made was from his body forming. He would find that he had a high pain tolerance.

The Seventh wave: It was shirtless like Tyler likes to be, but it had John's denim jeans.

The final wave: Their life force was added. The light built up again and let out a quick, but bright flash. He was alive. He slumped to the ground and began breathing air. His lungs sucked in the oxygen like a pair of black holes.

Who was he? This was the true final step. The name he chose would solidify the merger of the best friends, there would be one mind going forward. Just say who you are.

He stood up and opened his eyes:

I am James. His jeans became unbuttoned. He fixed that. He would need to get some new clothing.

What does he do in life? Run's charities to fund wildlife refuges. He spends his life between city & nature. James felt a sudden rush confidence. It was his John half pushing away what kept John from forming relationships: a fear of commitment. He knew someone, Analise. And with John helped pushed away Tyler's social anxiety. He kept his love of nature, but would not selfishly keep that to himself. And with John's money, he could hire a team of new park rangers to protect Tyler's old park. He would still wrestles bears, race with deer, swim with the fish, and lord knows what he does with birds. He would just not do it alone anymore.

[itsybitsybluesy]

OPEN WATER

CHAPTER 5 // ELUCIEN / EXPLICIT / CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 for @elucienweekofficial Stuck in the Florida Keys and tired of letting her sisters make decisions for her, Elain ditches their group vacay plans and signs herself up for a scuba diving course on an impulse. The instructor Lucien tells her he’s never had to fail anyone after the four days she’ll spend with him. What’s the worst that could happen?

it's day 6: Fearless! elain faces her first scare underwater, and, well, these two idiots are experiencing some pain above water, too.

as a reminder: this fic will be 6 chapters, and the last chapter will be published on day 7: AU / Tension or Healing.

xoxo, and, importantly, tip your divemasters any time you dive (they are making sure you don't freak out and hurt yourself)! <3

***chapter 5 snippet under the cut!

On their surface interval between the dives, she chose a candy bar and cheerfully picked her way across the deck to stand next to Lucien, who was looking out over starboard, quiet with his bottle of Gatorade. 

“Hi,” Elain said, smiling shyly at him. She still remembered what he’d smelled like in the morning and how he’d tasted fresh from sleep. “I liked that dive site,” she said. ‘Will we do another wall today?” 

Lucien shook his head. “We’re going back to Molasses Reef,” he said. “You guys are all done with skills, so we can just take a look around, practice more buoyancy.” 

“And then I’ll be certified,” Elain said. And free to spend more time with you, she wanted to say. Look at me and you’ll see how much I want to. 

“And then you’ll be certified,” Lucien said back. But he didn’t look at her. She waited, drumming her fingers on the railing, until he turned and met her eyes over the rim of his Gatorade bottle. He took a swallow and wiped his mouth, throat bobbing. “Did you need help with something?” he said, his voice nothing but polite. 

Elain took a step back, as if he’d slapped her in the face. It was like the other day, like they were starting over; he was pulling back from her again with a vengeance, and this time she wouldn’t see him tomorrow. 

“I’m gonna go switch out my tank,” Elain mumbled, and turned and fled, knowing full well Vassa had already done so for her. So that was that, then, she thought desperately -- one awkward night in her hotel room the culmination of all their time together, and now he was back to acting like none of it meant anything. Elain shoved her fins under the bench, grabbed her BCD and angrily did up the snaps, trying to calm herself down. For a few moments she couldn’t focus, couldn’t have told anyone what she was even doing with her hands, wracking her brain for a reason he could be acting so cold when they’d been in each other’s arms just that morning. 

She mulled it over the whole way to the next dive, content to put mask on and regulator in her mouth during the briefing for an excuse not to speak to him. Lucien talked them through the plan, watched them step off the boat, flashed the Okay to Jurian and gave everyone the signal to descend. 

Elain was still fuming as she dropped down, the mild waves pushing her gently to and fro as she kept a hand on the mooring line. How dare he piss her off like this, she thought, ruining her last dive of the trip; she nearly batted at a parrotfish with her fin by accident, swinging her foot out of the way last-minute.

The surge rocked her to the left and then harder, to the right, and then Elain was jolted out of her anger by the mooring line scraping against her and knocking the regulator right out of her mouth.

[xenonsreturn]

The Diver

(a short story for adults ... who like tentacles)

The diver swam through the water, enjoying the resistance of it - the need to push through it, the need to drive herself, the need to kick and pull. The constant pressure surrounding her, the thrill of effort in her muscles, feeling the liquid warmth slide over her skin.

God, she loved the ocean. Some would say the sea had a mind of its own; but to her, it had no mind, none at all. That was one of the things she liked so much about it. It was a slave to stimulus, its response complete obedience to the laws of the natural world, the way the moon pulled the tides, the way the waves crashed upon the shore – there was no mind whatsoever. Just unthinking, colossal power. It couldn’t help itself but be the sea. And so many sailors and swimmers had learned – fatally sometimes – that you cannot resist the ocean. All you can do is swim with the tide. If you try, the sea will pull you under and swallow you whole.

She wondered about that sometimes, because she knew so many people that were not so different. Sure, the people she knew had sharp, complex minds; but there was always a part of them that could only respond to their most primal selves, no intellect getting in the way. Most of the time, she felt frustrated by their lack of mental engagement – never seeming to consider the world around them, never stopping to think – but sometimes, more often than she wanted to admit, she envied them. Sometimes, she wanted to be like that – to let go of her thoughts (so many goddamn thoughts sometimes!) and just . . . be. Right here, right now, no stresses or worries or plans or analysis. She supposed that was the way of the world – we needed that kind of intellectual involvement to survive, to grow – but sometimes, she just wanted to let that all go.

She wondered if animals felt the same. Did they have thoughts, complex thoughts, tangled in their brains? Or were they only driven by survival, just to the next moment and then the next. Of course, they weren’t completely guided by just stimulus and response, like the ocean, or like plants; their minds could indeed handle complicated tasks – but how much was just instinct? She felt the question was more interesting than whatever answer she might find in a biology textbook. She was sure science had an answer – at least a hypothesis – but she didn’t want more analysis, more quantifiable knowledge. She preferred to ponder.

She swam up close to the surface again, taking a breath through the snorkel (snorkel, she thought, was a very funny word, and she had no desire whatsoever to discover its origins, lest it ruin the enjoyment of just saying it), then turned and kicked back down again. She enjoyed skin diving more than true snorkeling, and far more than scuba diving. It was freeing, unencumbered – not limited to the surface, but not carrying a tank. Plus, she didn’t enjoy the wetsuits. Just her bathing suit and her mask and the water was perfect.

Through her mask, she spied something a little further out, just deep enough that she couldn’t make it out. It looked like some kind of bundle or tangle or something. Maybe a squid? Maybe just seaweed. Maybe – she hoped not – garbage. She kicked herself in the direction of the thing, determined to investigate.

As she drew closer, she could see it wasn’t garbage and was pretty sure it wasn’t seaweed either. It didn’t quite look like any squid she had ever seen. It was smaller than she was, but not by a lot. Its skin was pearly, like an abalone shell, shifting in the sunlight that filtered down from the surface. It was covered in some sort of tendrils, each moving lazily in the water, swaying almost hypnotically. Each tendril ended in an oblong, bulbous tip. It seemed to move slowly and rhythmically through the water under its own power, but almost just kind of drifting.

She had been around sea creatures many times before, and always felt fascinated to see how they thrived in such an alien environment. So she felt no fear as she approached, just curiosity. When she was about six feet from the thing (she wasn’t quite ready to call it a creature yet), it stopped moving. All the tendrils froze and went limp, and the thing just floated there. She began to have an eerie feeling, as if it was watching; although it didn’t seem to have anything resembling eyes. She wondered if somehow this creature (fine, yes, it wasn’t a plant) lived in the far depths of the sea, and somehow had risen to the surface. Was that even possible?

She climbed to the surface to take a breath through her tube, her eyes never straying from the creature. To her surprise, it began to follow her up, its tendrils beginning to stir again. She was glad her presence wasn’t causing it distress. She was suddenly insatiably curious, and she began to get the feeling that the creature was feeling much the same about her.

To test her theory, she swam back down; and sure enough, it followed, mimicking her movement almost exactly. To the left, same thing. To the right, and it mirrored her again. She swam back away, expecting the creature to back away as well; but instead, it swam towards her. Hmmm. Interesting. I guess you like to play, she thought. She swam back up, just far enough that she could breathe through the snorkel. The creature floated up with her, getting a bit closer. Its tendrils began moving, more agitated, more curious.

The tendrils began to uncoil from the creature’s body, and she began to see that some of them were quite long, like a squid’s tentacles. Could this thing be a squid? The ends of each of them seemed to shimmer and pulse as they moved about her. One of them seemed to reach out slowly, wavering in the current. She reached out as well, intrigued. Her hand touched the tip of the tendril and it pulsed slightly faster. She had expected it to be cold, but it was actually pleasantly warm, surprising her. Her fingertips stroked along the length of the feeler, and it seemed to respond to her touch, rubbing itself along her hand, then over her wrist and forearm, seeming to explore her. She drew back, but the tentacle extended, continuing to touch her arm.

She looked down, startled, as she felt another of the appendages touching her leg; tentatively stroking her skin. It was gentle, but she could feel the strength there as well. What was this thing? She shivered in spite of the warm touch of the tendrils. The bulging ends of each were pulsing faster now, in rhythm with each other. There was another snaking around her waist, and she felt it begin to pull her closer. She tried to disentangle herself, but the creature’s grip was snug and strong. She was just below the surface, and could breathe easily, but she didn’t want to become tangled in this creature’s grip, lest it dive too deep for her to breathe. With her free hand, she sought to pull her left arm free of the coiled tentacle, but it held her too snug, and then her free hand was no longer free, ensnared by another of the creature’s appendages.

She found herself surrounded by them, each pulsing faster, nearly throbbing now. They coiled about her, her arms, her legs, her waist, pulling her body slowly to and fro, the tips of the tentacles seeming to seek over her, prodding and pressing against her skin. The pulses were radiating from the heart of the thing, out to each tip. It was as if it was breathing, in and out, each pulse faster, the colours of the tentacles scintillating. She shuddered, still trying to free herself from the warm, throbbing grip of the creature.

One of the tentacles stroked the back of her knee, and she nearly gasped. That part of her had always been particularly sensitive, and the warmth from the creature flushed her with pleasure in spite of her distress. The creature seemed to sense it too, returning to perform the same stroking motion against her there again and again.

The bulging tips of the tentacles, too many now to count, seemed to engorge as they moved over her, touching, stroking, rubbing her everywhere. Oh fuck, what the hell is happening? She felt her thoughts almost evaporating; the touches of the creature were overwhelming, warm and slippery pressure all over her. One touched her throat, another sensitive area, and she felt her body tense and her breath catch. The small of her back, the inside of her wrist, her belly, even slipping between her fingers; the creature’s touch seemed to seek until it found a particularly responsive part of her and then moved to play over it, almost as if it was feeding on the feelings it created in her.

One of them slid over her chest and she felt her nipples stiffen, poking against the fabric of her suit. It grazed over the cloth, then seemed to vibrate as if frustrated, unfurling itself until it found the edge of her suit, and then pushing it aside until it found her bare nipple, rubbing and rubbing back and forth. It curled around her, then the tip began to open, like a flower. This then settled itself upon her and she felt a gentle sucking sensation. She began to writhe against the creature, no longer trying to escape, but feeling her body move involuntarily as pleasure flowed through her. Another tentacle caressed her other nipple, this one seeming content to rub through the fabric.

Two of them coiled around her thighs, prodding and poking and fondling, pulling them gently apart. Another two snaked up her leg, pushing and pressing. Oh god. The tip found the little hollows on either side of her suit bottoms, brushing against her, coiling and uncoiling. Oh fuck. They slithered over the front of her suit, and she began to shake, trepidation and pleasure mixing at the idea of what might come next.

One of them found the edge of her suit and pulled it aside, its pulsing tip pressing against her now-swollen clit with an intense rhythm that made her eyes roll back. The other tentacle stroked the sensitive folds of her pussy, moving up and down the length of her, then pushing inside her, still throbbing. It explored her while the other vibrated against her little button.

She was barely aware of another tentacle moving down her back until it pushed inside her suit and parted her cheeks, brushing in between and finding her dark pucker, pressing slowly and firmly against her, pushing inside her.

All coherent thoughts fled as the creature fucked her, fucked into her, throbbing and pulsing, faster and faster, filling her, her mind completed empty except for the sense of delight and thrill and hhnnnnnnngggggggg.

The heart of the creature was pulsing too, its entire being enraptured, nearly glowing, its coils capturing her, drawing her close, flexing around and inside her; firm yet supple strength surrounding her as she felt her body responding to the ministrations of the tentacles. And she could see the creature responding as well, the rhythm of its pulses in time with the delicious throbbing of her most delicate, sensitive areas.

She could feel the pleasure building and mounting and growing in herself, coming on strong and hard, insistent, an orgasm approaching like waves crashing against the shore; and this one was going to be a fucking tsunami.

The creature began to shudder, its pulses strobing and stroking around her, contracting and expanding. She could feel it inside her, deep and vibrating, insistently thrusting. She felt it enveloping her, each tendril touching and caressing and feeling her everywhere, her pussy, her nipples, between her fingers, her ass, her thighs, her elbows, her throat, her back, her ankles, her wrists, oh god it was everywhere, it was all over, she was consumed and writhing and ready to explode.

And then she felt herself cum, rippling over her, radiating out from her clit along every muscle and line and curve of her body, every sensation in her mind, waves rising and crashing over and over and over, world without end. The creature also seemed to erupt in feeling, every tendril touching her swelling and throbbing and then gushing, pumping hot thick white liquid inside her and over her, covering her, coating her as her orgasm continued, a warm pulse of her own rippling through her body.

Slowly, the creature’s spasms subsided. Hers began to ebb as well. She felt glowy and delightfully exhausted, although a bit apprehensive. What the hell did I just do?

The creature’s tendrils began to disengage from her body, slowly becoming more supple, withdrawing from inside her, drawing back to the heart of the creature. She moved her arms and legs, slightly surprised to discover they still worked after the experience. The fluid sloughed from her skin, drifting and sinking into the depths.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. The creature began to slowly push away, swimming deeper and further out, its tendrils waving in the current.

As she swam back to shore, she pondered her earlier thoughts. Was that just stimulus and response, no mind, or was there a conscious intelligence directing the creature’s actions? Was there a primal need it was serving, with no consideration, or could there be direct intent behind it? She didn’t know which answer would be more reassuring.

As with so many other things, it was a question she preferred to ponder rather than answer, and she wanted to ponder it again and again, starting with her return to this cove . . . as soon as possible.

[wickedsrest-rp]

The sun is shining, the air is growing hot, and the sand is burping out some beach towels after eating whoever was on them. Everyone loves summertime, especially the students, who are out of school for the summer and ready to enjoy everything Wicked's Rest has to offer. Who isn't put in a good mood? So relax, have fun, and soak up the 2 weeks of perfect weather you get when you live in New England. This event will run until September, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy!

Vicker’s Beach has turned into a prime beach party location this summer. On a nice day, you can pack a cooler, towel, and umbrella and enjoy everything Maine’s beaches have to offer: sun, waves fit for surfing and boogie boarding, and tidepooling on the rocks. Every weekend (weather permitting), the township hosts a beach party, which is free to the public and full of activities:

SANDCASTLE CONTEST! Calling all Resters to the beach. While they’re called sandcastles, any work of art made out of sand can and should be entered into the competition (sand mausoleums encouraged). Judging is on July 28th and participants are already mapping out their plans for the most impressive castles and sculptures. There are three categories this year: classic, haunting, and sealife. Anyone can enter! Post your character’s castle or sculpture on their blog some time prior to judging, with the category they’re entering under (and send a link in ModMail). The all-knowing judges have indicated “thematic” prizes this year, which might bode poorly for those entering the ‘haunting’ category. Who knows?

If you’re more of a sporty type than artsy type, you might be interested in signing up for volleyball or water polo tournaments! These tend to be less weird than the sandcastle contest but some of the equipment might not be quite right. 

Sea Breeze Boathouse has donated some of their boats for use for these beach party weekends. They usually paint the bottom of their boats red to signal that selkies shouldn’t tip them over, but the paint is missing from a good chunk of these, and people might find themselves in the water with hungry or territorial selkies. Some of the youngsters might just be out to play, but there are a couple of fierce individuals that will gnash on any boats that happen to steer themselves in the wrong place.

Have you ever wanted to earn your SCUBA certification? ADI (Association of Diving Instructors… where did the P go?) is here and offering training courses. There are also plenty of opportunities to snorkel, with or without a guide. If you’re lucky you may even find some very range-restricted species. So restricted, they’re not in any of the field guides of Maine marine life. Weird!

Monsters lurk in the depths. Salques, topnik, and mermaids are sighted in the coastal waters along the shore. Meanwhile, sand chompers and lulluscs patrol the beach. They all love this time of year. The eating is good.

Kids and adults alike enjoy the “pirate’s treasure hunt” that’s put on every year at the beach. The town has buried some neat coins and other goodies in the sand in a roped off area, and everyone tries to find them. As it happens, the beach has some real treasures – some quite cursed – hidden in the sand, and no one can guarantee you won’t find one of those prizes instead.

Mind your location. You don’t want to wander too far south from all the festivities, or you’ll end up in the hungry sand south of the beach. And whatever you do, do not build your sandcastle out of hungry sand.

Wicked’s Rest very own renaissance faire is in town this summer, the Midsummer Faire. Is it safe? No. But was the renaissance safe? Probably not. Danger breeds creativity. Show us your cosplay! And don’t look too hard at the individuals running the faire, because the fae might find that offensive, and you will never be seen again. Oh, right, it’s operated by fae (and a few promise bound humans, plus Larry, who just has no idea what’s going on). 

You can find all your ren faire favorites here: games, a maze to disappear in, vendors selling some legitimate old things, and some incredibly impressive costumes. 

Fae magic is stronger on the faire grounds, which usually ends poorly for humans on the other end of things. Word binding comes easier, deals seem a little more enticing, and it’s less work for hungry fae to get a human meal. There are an increasing number of disappearances being linked to the faire and those who investigate often end up vanishing, too. The fae, though? Thriving. 

Of course there are games. Have a great time with throwing sharp things around – darts, knives, axes, arrows, stars. That’s a favorite pastime around here. There’s also a strength test (a hammer and a bell), “drench a wench” which is a nix who tries to steal the names of those dunking her, and human chess where humans can face off unknowingly against fae (mind the consequences for being knocked out). The games are often rigged – sometimes in the direction of having the human win for a “prize”. Winners tend to receive free vouchers to into the sprawling hedge maze at the faire, which should be entered at your own risk.

Speaking of the maze, be careful where you wander. It looks bigger on the inside, and the fae are exercising some of their best illusions between those hedges to lead people astray. If you get out on the other side as intended, you’re fine. But if you end up turned around, you might be lost in the maze forever, find yourself in an aos si, or be picked off by someone looking for a snack. You might find other people in the maze with scraggly appearances and tattered clothes, claiming to have stuck in there for decades or even centuries. Neat! Fae are fair, though, and there’s an opportunity for a true reward – you can find the exit that leads to a secret garden, which has some supernaturally delicious food, the cleanest water, and the most beautiful flowers. You might find something else you’re looking for while you’re there.

You can both watch and take part in the jousting tournament, which is on kelpie-back. The kelpies eat any humans who ride them and then lose – they’re only interested in respecting humans who lead them to victory. So like, one human should be fine. There is also an aquatic version. 

Vendors everywhere! Tinkerbells & Whistles has a very successful pop up store at the fair, which the fae have mixed opinions on but no one can deny the humans love it. There’s a crystal and rock seller who is made out of crystal herself, and a honeybee nymph selling mead, honey, and wax. There are multiple stalls with spriggans selling some pretty sketchy things. Then there are the plant vendors, selling all of the best fae plants and other supernatural varieties alongside some especially healthy normal plants (“hungry grass” and “vegetable lamb” are probably just cute little names for flavor, people think). Some of the vendors are very passionate and wander around to make sure the humans are enjoying things – they have a lot to say! 

The wine garden is run by faun, and people tend to get a lot drunker than intended here. Whenever everyone breaks out in dance, it’s assumed that the performers (run by muses) are just that good. To be fair, the faun really love the bagpipe band, harpists, and other bards, too.

It’s seriously impressive how real some of those fairy costumes seem, isn’t it? The fae here don’t always care to keep their glamours up. They’ll take any compliments you give their wings (perhaps literally).

Overseeing everything is a mysterious fae called Swarm. Some of the employees suspect Swarm is dozens of pixies in a trenchcoat and they would be correct, but it would be rude to expose them. Swarm really likes mingling with all the people at the faire so you might make a new friend or thirty if you chat them up.

Every coastal Maine town has some lighthouses, and Wicked’s Rest is no exception, boasting 3 that are functional, and a handful of defunct ones (though some people report seeing lights flashing from them on the darkest nights). This summer, you can go on a special tour to visit each of the lighthouses. Run by Patchy Beard, the owner of Bottomless Booty (and joined by his possibly cursed parrot), these tours operate both day and night. The day tours have been rather uneventful and good for the kids and families especially in nice weather. The night tours, which attract a more adventurous crew, have been a little rockier. 

Some locals know about The Keeper – a mysterious figure who is said to haunt the town’s lighthouses, luring sailors to their deaths. Some theorize the Keeper is the ghost of a former lighthouse keeper who drowned in a storm, now seeking to claim the lives of others who venture too close to its domain. Sightings of the Keeper often align with storms and shipwrecks, leading many to speculate that it can manipulate the sea. Despite its fearsome reputation, the Lighthouse Keeper is often depicted as a tragic figure by the locals, doomed to haunt the lighthouses for eternity. Some tales even suggest that it is trying to warn sailors of the dangers of the sea, in hopes of sparing them the same fate that befell it.

Patchy Beard should have paid these stories more heed. One night, his parrot started squawking warnings, and then several tourists fell out of the top of one of the supposedly-defunct lighthouses, as blinding white light flared over the sea. The tours resumed, of course. Patchy just updated the liability waiver. 

Some reasonably expect a ghost to be behind this. Whether this ghost is the very same Keeper the locals whisper about, or something else entirely, remains to be seen. But as the tours go on and more people cycle through the town’s lighthouses, the ghost flickers the lights more and more – warning of danger, while causing approaching vessels to crash. Tragic backstory or not, this seems like a problem to be dealt with, before entire tour groups go missing, or a cruise ship pulls up to town.

Anyway, here is the tour itinerary. Have fun!

Deersprings Lighthouse - Despite rumors of being haunted, this lighthouse is generally considered to be reliable, if not a bit boring in its views.

Hanging Rock Lighthouse - A functional lighthouse located right near Hanging Rock, one of the most picturesque.

Stormwatch Tower - Before Hanging Rock Lighthouse was constructed, Stormwatch Tower was the only lighthouse in Harborside. When the lighthouse keeper died suddenly, no one was able to continue using it. Why? According to local lore, anyone who tried to light it was pushed off the top. Instead of trying to fix this in any sensible way the town just put a new lighthouse up by Hanging Rock.

Pointy - It doesn't seem like anyone remembers the actual name of this lighthouse, so they just call it Pointy after the especially pointy top it has. It's found up in the northeastern part of the Pines and no one knows the last time it lit up, or knows if anyone works there at all.

World's End Lighthouse - Out on World's End Isle, you can hop on a ferry to see the most scenic angles. This impressive lighthouse is seen on a lot of postcards. It usually works.

Darkling Peak - Why this lighthouse was constructed by a lake, no one knows. It's not especially tall and it doesn't work, but it does seem to be an actual lighthouse. DON'T GO AT NIGHT.

The Wormhouse - Where else would this lighthouse be than near the Wormwoods? It used to function, but the worms have taken it now.

The first bonfire was an accident, because someone's grill exploded on the beach. But the gathering that formed around it was heartwarming <3 Now, Wicked's Rest has a few bonfire nights toward the end of the summer each year to foster a sense of community. If you're not going to join the shrimp temple, how else are you going to meet people? The bonfire. That's how.

This will be a group-wide thread. Timebound, short replies, and opportunities to branch off if you want something smaller. We'll be doing two of these so we can find a good balance for different timezones and availability. Stay tuned in August for more details and specific timing!

If you prefer to do individual longer form threads for the bonfire, that's welcome, too!

The grill that exploded was cursed, and its magic soaked into the sand. Now, the land the bonfire is held on has some magical properties, keeping anyone able to supernaturally detect others from doing so. Slayers won't know who's undead and fae won't know who else is fae, and so on. Also, the sand smells like hamburgers and kabobs.

Periodical cicadas aren’t in the northeast… you thought. But Wicked’s Rest has its own species of cicada, and these ones are much bigger and louder than those you’d see in other parts of the country. Emerging from the ground every 13 years, the Wicked’s Rest brood molts by the hundreds of thousands, and the 2 foot long adults take flight across the town. Their screams can be heard for miles and give people real headaches. 

By most accounts, these are regular cicadas. But huge. For a lot of people, no more horror is needed. The bugs aren’t aggressive and don’t go after anyone, but they can deliver a painful bite with their straw-like mouth if handled. Trees and shrubs aren’t so lucky and are being drained of all of their sap, leaving large swaths of the woods dead from the invasion. 

Well… most of them are normal. Some of the cicadas that emerged from the ground around the leg are different. These special bugs have jet black wings and fly in silence. Rather than joining the rest of the cicadas, they appear to just be fluttering around town. They seem curious, smarter, and watch people go about their lives. Once they’ve seen enough, they fly back to the leg and feed on it like other cicadas might feed on trees. 

Some of the townies say they remember the last brood or two (or dozen...) emerging, but they used to be bigger. Whether this is true or a 'back in my day' situation is unclear; the university's old specimens indicate otherwise.

While the cicadas' buzzing isn't loud enough to break things on its own, they vibrate a lot and can break glass surfaces (like windows...) if they land on them and then buzz.

Some people are very into collecting the molts of these giant cicadas. They are accepted as currency at the Bizarre.

Karkaskuttles don’t like being the 2nd worst invertebrate around. They’ve been doing battle with any cicadas that cross their path, leading people to see the two species duking it out, often in very inconvenient places. 

These cicadas do have one especially damaging habit... they're highly attracted to light at night. Anyone who leaves their lights on after sunset will find their home covered in cicadas. Which, as mentioned, can break windows. There have been a couple of reported instances of cicadas smothering someone to death because they were near a light while it was dark out.