#the heart of the ocean

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 11: The One About the Heart of the Ocean

My father is a big history buff. He fancies himself a bit of an expert about the U.S. Civil War, U.S. Presidents, and World War II. In fact, he’s gifted me with the Useless Knowledge of which four U.S. Presidents were assassinated while in office (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy – you’re welcome for that little addition to your own Library of Useless Knowledge).

But, more importantly, my dad has instilled in me the importance of a timeline. The idea that, if you’re collecting information, it’s vital to keep it in chronological order, that way you can look at it, (try to) understand it, and theorize about what happened before and after an event. If the facts are out of order, the conclusion you reach may be in error.

My father and I also like to solve True Crime together. When he visits, we spend hours on the porch studying some random, usually cold, true crime event. We timeline the shit out of it, connect the puzzle pieces together, and exclaim in the end, “We’ve solved it!” I suppose that is part of what keeps me interested in Lukola – not that there is anything criminal in Lukola, except perhaps the “Single White Female” that pops up behind Nicola from time to time – I just enjoy the game of trying to put the pieces together.

Lukola has become a rather intriguing puzzle, don’t you think? It’s definitely one to which I do not have all the pieces. I do, however, enjoy collecting the information and chronologizing it, and now I find it enjoyable to scribble my thoughts out on Tumblr.

So, how did I get here?

Well, it started with boredom and ended with a timeline.

My first entry to the timeline?

July 20, 2024.

What happened on that date?

Well, nothing spectacular really, except JVN posted –

HOLD UP!

HOLD THE FUCK UP!!

OH SHIT!!

YES!

YES, you guessed it! After blowing JVN off for at least three, maybe four, posts in a row, I’m finally getting around to dedicating an entire entry to Their Royal Highness.

JVN is such a fascinating creature. I mean, you get beautiful, witty, and intelligent wrapped into one human being. Oh, and they are kind of a catty bitch, too, and who doesn’t love one of those? That’s why they're the Heart of the Ocean on the USS Lukola; they just give off this very rare blue diamond vibe. Well, that, and because something they did marks the focal point – the heart – from which the rest of my timeline branches.

*I will cut in here to note that I am referring to JVN as they/their in this entry as their Instagram bio indicates they accept “they/he/she.”

Okay, back to July 20.

On that date, JVN posted to TikTok their version of the Charli xcx “Apple” dance. You know that annoying TikTok trend that took over our summer? Yeah, that’s the one – the same one Antonia tried doing – she just couldn’t pull off the JVN version of it. Dear girl couldn’t come close to matching JVN’s “enthusiasm,” and JVN’s version was only made more enjoyable in that they were seemingly mocking Antonia!

But, all’s fair in love and war, right?

JVN’s bestie, Nicola, had already spent the entire summer subtlety combating Antonia over social media. The vibe in the fandom was that Antonia was always trying to one-up Nicola, with Nicola always coming out the victor. I’m sorry, Antonia, you just can’t beat some perfectly timed BTS drops.

So, why did JVN’s TikTok post intrigue me? It wasn’t because it was that amusing. It was because they’d done something I hadn’t noticed before – they’d taunted Antonia on a public forum.

Curious, that.

Now, I’m not saying it was the first time JVN mocked Antonia, but July 20 was the first time I noticed it. That date is the heart of my timeline, but it does not have to be the heart of yours. We can all start at different times but still reach the same conclusions, so long as we keep the information in order.

You would think one wouldn’t mess with the “girl friend” of your best friend’s “best friend,” at least not publicly. But, here was JVN shamelessly mocking Antonia on TikTok. And, just so we’re clear, the public opinion of what JVN was doing with this TikTok is available to view in the comments of their TikTok post. It wasn’t just me that came to this conclusion – and JVN has left these comments up for four months at this point.

JVN’s “Apple” dance was only made more interesting the following day – July 21 – when they included it in their Sunday Dump post on Instagram.

And, Nicola liked it.

Hmm, things were becoming curiouser and curiouser.

Let’s not even pretend that Nicola isn’t street savvy and didn’t understand the context of that video. And, let’s definitely not underestimate the length of her claws.

To be honest, I hadn’t paid too much attention to Lukola since mid-June. It was an “it is what it is” thing for me. Even though I believed the relationship between Luke and Nicola was complicated (see my first blog for that story), Luke had also apparently disappeared into the summertime sun with his friend group, which included Antonia.

Something about JVN openly making fun of Antonia, and Nicola, at the very least acknowledging it with an Instagram like, made me realize something in Luke’s situation must be shifting.

What have I said about little changes? That deviations in modus operandi are what make people start giving the side-eye to a situation.

And, side-eye I did!

I started paying attention to JVN and, on July 25, they posted a series of photos on TikTok and Instagram showcasing “What I would wear if you invited me to your…” We will fast-forward through all the slides until we get to the last one, which read, “…just got dumped and going to take 8 shots dinner at Lupe’s in SoHo.” Was it possible that JVN was hinting at a dumpster fire at the Soho Farmhouse?

If you don’t know what the Soho Farmhouse is, it’s the place where Luke and his friend group, including Antonia, frequented, probably on Luke’s dime (*insert wicked laugh – oh, and a disclaimer that this is all speculation).

Funny that Nicola liked this post on Instagram, too, and it wasn’t even buried in a Sunday Dump.

At this point, JVN had really sparked my damn interest. Like, dear one, what are you hinting at?

On July 29, Deux Moi creeped out from under its rock and reminded the fandom to hate Luke by rehashing Papsmear. Thank you, we needed that. I mean, half of us almost forgot how much we hated him! That’s me being a sarcastic tart, by the way. If we were to fast-forward to today, I’d argue that Luke was the most darling thing to come out of Bridgerton.

Any ways, again, thank you, Deux Moi, for those suspiciously timed Papsmear pictures because they aligned perfectly with the pap pictures People dropped the following day – July 30.

Yep, I am talking about those strangely awkward pap pictures of Luke hanging out in the murky waters of Sorrento with Antonia. Oh, and let’s not forget the video footage of that encounter, which I am sure still upsets and confuses people to this day. In fact, I know it does because, as I was researching this, I had a couple of people get annoyed after I asked them to view it. Funny thing is, that shit never bothered me (I didn’t say that it didn’t later confuse me!). The first time I saw them, I was like, “Luke is not into that girl at all,” and my next thought was, “I wonder how old these pictures are because I would have sworn JVN was hinting at something.”

Now, this story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t address the rumor portion of it.

First rumor? That Antonia set up the entire Italy pap photo-op because she seemingly knew where to find the cameraman. So, let’s discuss that video everyone seems to hate to acknowledge exists. In the video, you can see Antonia maybe looking in the direction of the cameraman. She then leans into Luke, either to whisper something to him or to reach for something behind him. In my opinion – and this is strictly my opinion – it looks like she’s pretending to reach for something over his shoulder. Still shots of this interaction are the photos People published, presumably because Luke and Antonia looked like they were cheek to cheek.

Okay, notice I said, “first rumor,” because, yeah, there’s a second rumor, too! But, it fits snuggly into that first rumor. Almost immediately – because that’s how fast the Lukola Sleuths get to work around here – rumors began to circulate that Antonia was following on Instagram the photographer that took the Italy pap pictures. In fact, several people I’ve spoken to swear that they witnessed during a TikTok Live a host prove that Antonia was following this photographer. That’s a bit suspicious, isn’t it? Yeah, it fucking is.

Let’s keep moving.

That same day, we had that video drop of Luke watching fireworks, at night, with sunglasses. Speaking of sunglasses, I guess Luke found those motherfuckers because he sure as shit didn’t have them while floating around in that dirty ass water. Any ways, at the end of the video, Rory appears behind Luke, looking in the direction of the camera and smiling like a condescending, sneaky little shit. Now, who was the cameraman? Well, a possible suspect would be Antonia since she was not seen in the video. Go figure.

Alright, so that day finally ended and on July 31, JVN posted to TikTok a cutesy video of themself at the market titled, “When you catch someone trying to sneak a pic but you were born for these moments.” They prance around the market and randomly look at the cameraman (Mark) with a smile and a pose. The caption reads, “I welcome sneaky pics but I can’t guarantee I won’t sneak some back or put on a show for you.”

WAIT A MINUTE!

Did JVN just inexplicably confirm Luke was getting papped by his own friends?

Yeah, I kind of think JVN did.

And, Nicola liked this one as well when JVN posted it to Instagram on August 8.

Didn’t I tell you JVN was a fascinating creature? And, to be honest, JVN only gets better as this Lukola ship continues on its voyage.

Oh, strangely enough, a few days after the Italy pap crap, Luke returned to London alone. The friend group became unsettlingly silent, and Nicola started to get really, really loud – Chaos Week was incoming! And, so were some more JVN crumbs (and nicely timed clap backs).

[howifeltabouthim]

. . . there had been a moment. And it had been numinous and wonderful and transcendent and all those other words for the metaphysical, but that was what it was—a moment. As if he had been given a precious diamond and had held it for only a second before before accidentally dropping it into the ocean and having to feel the agony of watching it fall, glinting, through the water, less bright with every passing moment, knowing it could never be retrieved from the depths. (Was he just remembering a scene in Titanic?)

Kate Atkinson, from Death at the Sign of the Rook

[sentientcave]

IT'S WIP WEDNESDAY LADS - For something a little different, have a taste of one of my original works *The Heart of the Ocean*. It's just a fun little treasure hunting fantasy novel, featuring pirates, and magic and princesses and elves and intrigue! And orcs!

Tycho ducked into an ally to catch his breath, listening for the tell-tale clatter of hob-nailed boots down the cities narrow cobblestone streets. It was quiet, a sign that he had lost his pursuers, for the moment at least.

He was too big to blend in with human crowds, forcing him to navigate his way from the castle on the hill to the safe house on Pine street through the narrow, winding back streets, where he was less likely to be seen by anyone who would turn him over to the Imps. Other criminals would be likely to turn a blind eye, as loathe to draw Imperial attention as Tycho was.

He kept going, walking rather than running now, although his long legs carried him along the streets at a brisk pace. The medallion in his boot was chafing slightly and he looked forward to kicking them off once he made it to Pine Street.

“Now gentlemen, I really do think you’ve made a mistake. If you go about your business you will not be harmed, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to play nice. Get out of my way.”

Tycho’s ears pricked forward at the voice spilling out from around a corner. A woman, nervous, if not fearful, despite her bold words. There were gangs in King's Head that ruled the streets, and they would be none too kind to a woman out on her own in the back alleys. Why wasn’t she out on the well-patrolled main streets? Didn’t she know any better?

Harsh laughter followed. “Big words from such a pretty little girl, hey lads? It’s sweet of her to think about our welfare.”

Tycho peered around the corner, contemplating the scene. A plump little woman stood with her back to the brick wall, with four men standing in a loose semi-circle around her. She held the strap of her satchel with both hands, her dark eyes wide and anxious. She dressed simply, dark trousers tucked into boots and a well-made blue tunic belted around her middle, a warm woolen cloak pinned around her shoulders. Her hair was braided, but curling hair had escaped all around her face, giving her a slightly disheveled air, and her cheeks were rosy-red from either anger or the cold weather.

“I’m not concerned about your welfare,” she snapped. “I’m warning you.”

Mist was collecting around her ankles, rolling in from the far end of the alley. The thugs laughed again, not paying any heed to the thick, static feel of magic in the air. Humans weren’t as well-attuned to it, unless they worked their own spells, and even the worst human mage could make better coin than what could be made robbing women in dark corners of the city.

She must have been a mage, but she held herself like a noble, shoulders back, spine straight and stiff, her chin raised. She was someone who did not like to have to repeat herself, and she was running out of patience. The mist climbed higher, around her knees now, thick and clinging like un-spun wool.

The leader of the men stepped closer, not touching her yet, clearly intending to intimidate with his size. She glared back, unimpressed even though he was nearly a foot taller than her, and heavyset with muscle. “Warn me again,” he said, laughing down at her nastily. “I like the sound of your voice.”

The fog swallowed them whole.

The leader was the first to start swearing, and then there was the sound of bodies colliding, and the voices multiplied, accompanied by grunts and the sounds of bodies hitting each other. The woman appeared a moment later, backing out of the fog, an expression of deep concentration on her face. She bumped right into Tycho, and jumped, squeaking with surprise, and the fog disappeared in an instant, revealing the pile of fighting men, who froze in position, realizing that they were attacking each other rather than the slippery little mage.

She looked at Tycho, her eyes wide and wild, and then back at the others, who were beginning to recover from their own shock, and then back to Tycho again.

He wasn’t sure what had possessed him. She could clearly take care of herself. He grabbed her hand, and started walking fast, pulling her along. “Come on,” he said urgently, keeping his voice soft. “Let’s get out of here.”

She had to run to keep up with him, with her much shorter legs, so he slowed once they had taken enough random twists and turns to lose their pursuers, if they had even bothered to follow. Tycho was fairly sure his appearance would have scared them off. He was head and shoulders taller than the biggest among them, and a Breskar*, and his people had a fearsome reputation all across the world.

Tycho let go of her hand and she staggered back a few steps, breathing hard. “Are you alright?” he asked, a bit worried that he had pushed her too hard.

“Oh, yes,” she huffed. “I’m just—” She pressed a hand to her ribs, tipping her head back to look up at him properly. “Goddess you’re big. The legs on you!” She waved her hand vaguely at his lower half, like she’d never seen anyone his size in her life. “I’m Coraline. Thanks for the help.”

“You didn’t need my help,” Tycho said warmly. “I surprised you out of your spell.”

Coraline smiled at him. It said thanks for saying so and I don’t believe you at the same time. “Well, it hardly matters now. They're gone. Or, we’re gone, rather. I have no idea where we are.” She looked up and around, frowning at the brick buildings that loomed up around them, blocking out the daylight and leaving them in gloom. Brighter daylight spilled across the end of their path, where it crossed a much wider, much busier street. People streamed past in both directions, not so much as glancing at the darker spaces between the tall, narrow buildings.

*Breskarians are a sort of half-orc tiefling type of guy. So you know. HOT.

[burningchandelier]

Exactly what I would say about a cursed diamond.

[take-a-dip-in-the-deadpool]

It maybe the marijuana talking but i think one of the most beautiful and poignant scenes in cinematic history is when Moana returns the heart to Te Fiti. The whole thing is breathtaking.

[shadlad24]

The Full Heart and Full Circle

On this anniversary of the Titanic sinking, I’d like to explain Rose’s necklace drop at the end of the movie Titanic. Simply put, it was the culmination of a love story and the fulfillment of a promise. Multiple promises, really.

First of all, why would a frail little old lady who largely gets around by wheelchair scale slippery metal over the Northern Atlantic in the dead of night? Well, you see, ledges were her and Jack’s special thing. When young Rose’s inner turmoil burst outward, chased her to the brink of death, Jack appeared. He saw her. He… extended his hand. A complete stranger not only came alongside Rose but swore to go over after her if need be. Then he pulled her back from that ledge before leading her to another, showing her not an abyss but freedom. Even with the unholy trinity of terror, death, and despair surrounding them, literally clawing at the couple, the impact of what Jack had already done for Rose remained. That place was where he had met her and turned all of the darkness around her into light.

Yes, Jack saw Rose. He cared about her. That change for Rose was so great that she came out of her Titanic experience married as far as she was concerned.

Because in preventing her suicide, Jack gave Rose new life. Opened up a whole new world to her, one filled with bright possibilities. 

And more than blather the empty small talk that Rose hated so, Jack made his words real, made her promise.

But then he was gone. Dark, cold reality nearly took her breath away as it did to Jack. Even a flicker of hope was meaningless without him by her side. So, she watched the sole returning lifeboat drift away from her. Broke down and surrendered to the darkness because Jack was not there to give her light. Until she remembered her promise. The chill became a breath of fresh air, of life, and Rose used it to call for help. Refused to let that lifeboat leave without her.

Yet again, all too soon, her depression reemerged. Her bleak emptiness had gained survivor’s guilt for company. Never letting go of her promise required letting go of Jack’s hand… allowing him to plummet to the black, freezing depths that he had saved her from time and time again.

Nevertheless, Rose spent the rest of her life turning Jack’s dreams for her into reality.

Thus, she reached the end of her journey at long last. “The Heart of the Ocean” became her heart, full of the ocean that held Jack.

There was only one thing left for her to do.

Rose, near the Titanic for the first time in eighty-four years, likely never having set foot on another ship in that time, had come full circle. She made her life count before dying an old lady warm in her bed, as promised, but also took the dive over that ledge. Her heart plunged into the water to meet the challenge of “You jump; I jump.” And finally, finally, was she able to take Jack’s hand again. At last were they wed (note her wedding dress and hair ribbons) in front of all their friends who did not make it out of the ocean alive. They will be together forevermore.

[superkursunaskr]

[melphelia]

Near...far...whereeeeever you are!

[anitalenia]

s u m m e r & o c e a n d i v i d e r s ⋆⭒˚｡⋆⊹₊ ⋆

credits to me. feel free to use and save. of course credit would be appreciated but it is not required. I’m just making these for fun <3 | requested by @justcallmesakira ( I hope these are to your liking, if not don’t hesitate to tell me. I know I said three days but I was up all night and decided to just do them. I gave you a lot of options if you couldn’t tell 😭 and I put some simple line dividers at the bottom, I really hope you like them 🫶🏻✨)

[18crowsinatrenchcoat]

Hello Ride the Cyclone fandom. A line up of the six doomed teens.

[haranikala]

Trains of Ghibli

☛ twitter, instagram, website ✉ art print shop

[callmehaneul]

🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊𓇼🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊𓇼🫧✩🐚

[sentientcave]

hi charlie! i’m sidling into your askbox because i can’t stop thinking about the snippet of the heart of the ocean (and tycho) that you shared!

if you want to share, what is one of your favourite parts of tycho’s characterisation? what have you found most challenging?

���� pfhwrittes

Hi! It's P from @pfhwrittes! Everyone say hi to P.

Oh ho ho. It's really exciting that he snagged your attention, because the same thing happened to me when I started this whole thing (a story for another time).

I think my favourite thing about Tycho Mori is that his ass is so inconsistent. He's the kind of guy that reads the room, he pays attention, he makes plans and executes them, and when things don't go well he's got the strength of an orc and the luck of a devil to fall back on. He's smart, he's charming, he's got a cool head-- Until a certain type of woman walks into his life.

Tycho's biggest problem is that he's emotional, and volatile, so when the right person tips him off balance, he swings pretty wildly before he can return to equilibrium, and he's making stupid decisions and saying the wrong things and overlooking traps. Tycho when he's centered is a very different person than Tycho when someone's gotten under his skin. It's probably one of the more challenging aspects of writing his character too, playing up these two major facets and still maintaining clear characterization.

I just think he's neat!

[agirlinteruppted]

- stamps made my me! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖

[montereybayaquarium]

✨Thank you volunteers✨

🌊 Our fin-tastic volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium have been making waves since before our doors even opened in 1984, cumulatively giving over 4.5 million hours of their time! From sea otter rescues to keeping our exhibits sparkling— underwater, no less—they've truly buoyed our spirits and kept us afloat for 40 years. Thank you, volunteers, for your tireless dedication to inspiring conservation of the ocean! 🐠💙🦦🫂

[amaterasou]

ghibli films