#were doing underwater now folks

[snowballseal]

Breathe

Zayne X Reader

Summary: Trying to cope with losing Caleb and your grandmother, you throw yourself into work and push yourself to the very limit, only to break at the end of a particularly bad day. Thankfully, Zayne is there to get you through it.

Word Count: 2953

Warnings: dealing poorly with grief, depression, anxiety, what could be considered a panic attack, this is all hurt comfort folks, Zayne calls you good girl cause it's CANON and I can't get over it

Enjoy

---

One person can only take so much before they break. And the harder they try not to, the worse it gets.

Your day sucked. First you were late to the team meeting because you spilled coffee - piping hot you might add - on yourself right before leaving. Then, you and Xavier got into a stupid fight - he thought you were pushing yourself too hard. A part of you knew he was just concerned, they all were, but as soon as those pitying eyes turned on you, you could feel yourself bristling like an angry street cat.

You were fine.

Was it that wrong that you just wanted to work? You hate being home alone, which happens often since Zayne has to work extra hours, what with the increase in wanderer attacks. Not seeing him has already made you a little grumpy. But even worse, is the deafening silence of that apartment. Every time you’re alone, every time it gets just a little to quiet, you can’t stop your thoughts from drifting to Caleb and Gran- 

So you work. You take extra hours, cover shifts, field the reports nobody wants to do, even if it means you stay up all night, even if it means you skip a few meals. At least then you don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to deal with the nightmares. Maybe if you throw yourself into work, you might be able to outrun the storm creeping on your horizon.

And that’s how you ended up messing up on a mission. Pushed to your limits, your mind was foggy and your body just. wouldn’t. move.

You hadn’t gotten out of the way fast enough. A stray energy blast narrowly caught your shoulder, sending you careening into the nearest wall. The impact sent your head spinning, your vision going blurry for a second too long. You could hardly make out Xavier’s face when he kneeled beside you, telling you to stay down, that he could handle it.

A bitter taste had filled your mouth when he said those words.

You were utterly and completely useless. And that thought seeded itself somewhere in your chest, wrapping tight around your ribs until you couldn’t breathe.

Jenna sent you home after that, with a stern command to rest. You wanted to argue, tell them you’re fine, but your shoulder was screaming and the look she gave you when you opened your mouth was seering enough to shut down the most experienced hunter.

So you threw your jacket over your shoulders and stormed out of the office, trying to ignore the way your team’s gaze followed you, not even bothering to hide their concern. You could feel it burning on your skin all the way home. And that was only the beginning.

Now you find yourself laying on your couch, staring blankly at the television, the volume turned up too loud, just to drown out the thoughts swirling like a storm in your head.

You hate it. This feeling. Like you’re stuck underwater, trying so hard to reach the surface, but everything you do just drags you deeper and deeper. Your muscles are burning for any relief, but you can’t let yourself stop. You’re too scared to let yourself stop. Because if you do-

“Are you aware that listening to the television at this volume could cause damage to your hearing?”

You jump at the sudden calm voice that speaks behind you, flipping around to come face to face with a rather unamused Zayne. Quickly, you snatch the tv remote, turning it down until it’s barely a whisper in the background.

“Zayne! I thought you were working late tonight,” you chirp, the waver in your voice almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

Zayne’s eyes narrow, making you shift uncomfortably. Sometimes it feels like he can see right through you, right to the very core of your being.

“Things were not as busy as expected, so I decided to come home early and make sure you eat a full meal,” he explains, voice calm despite the way his gaze burns through you.

Skin prickling with unease, you jump from the couch, forcing a playful laugh, “What are you, my doctor?”

“Yes.”

Right. You awkwardly shift around him, heading towards the kitchen, “Well, then I guess we should start dinner, huh? What do you want?”

“You are also home early.” It’s not a question, merely an observation, but it makes your throat go dry.

Sometimes having such an observant boyfriend is amazing. You love Zayne more than anything, love how attentive he is, but in moments like this, you feel like a creature under a microscope. Every single flaw and action under his sharp scrutiny. There’s nowhere to hide, and all you want to do is run.

“We have some leftover moo shoo pork,” you hum shakily, hands unsteady as you pull it from the fridge. “And I could make some rice, I think it’s up he-”

Forgetting about your shoulder, you reach up to one of the cupboards. Pain shoots up to your fingers like electricity, searing back down your spine. You inhale sharply, momentarily paralyzed as you clutch it to your chest, eyes squeezing shut.

Zayne is there in an instant. His fingers ease over your taut jaw, his skin cool to the touch. He doesn’t say a word, but you can practically feel his concern in the way he barely touches you, like he’s scared you’ll break. It makes your chest tighten.

“I’m fine,” you breathe, gritting your teeth.

“You’re injured,” he counters, voice still irritatingly calm, “Why don’t you let me-”

“I said I’m fine,” you bite out again, this time with a little more force, “I’m perfectly capable of making dinner. I’m not useless.”

Zayne pauses, partially taken aback by your words. They feel out of place, and he can tell you didn’t mean to say them when you glance away, cheeks burning a vicious pink. His brow furrows, confusion flickering over his features.

“I wasn’t suggesting you are,” he says, each word measured carefully, like the wrong ones could set you off.

And now you feel guilty. God, you can’t do anything right today.

Biting your tongue, you grab the rice with your good arm, stepping around him to busy yourself at the counter. Not that setting up the rice cooker takes up much time. Soon enough you've nothing more to do, bracing yourself against the counter just to stay upright. The silence that creeps between you is unbearable, thick enough to cut, especially when you can still feel Zayne’s eyes following you so closely.

“God, this is so stupid,” you huff out, false bravado broken as your voice warbles, “I’m fine. I can handle it. I’m a hunter. I’m supposed to handle it. I’m supposed to- I’m supposed to help people. Not-”

You bite off the rest, fingers digging into the counter. The pain in your shoulder distracts you, keeps the tears at bay. You can’t cry. Not now. Not-

A hand traces lightly against your waist. You tremble at the gentle touch, a lump forming in your throat as his arm circles around you. Zayne pauses for only a moment before pulling you back into a rare embrace when you show no signs of moving away. He presses his face against your hair and holds you like you’re the most fragile thing in the world, like you’re made of the thinnest ice, which is how you feel.

Tears blur your vision. You take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to hold it all together. Until-

“It wasn’t your fault, (Y/n).”

His voice is so quiet, so certain.

And you break.

You don’t know what sound leaves your body at that moment, but you’re sure it’s ugly and broken. Your entire body trembles in his hold, but he doesn’t waver, simply holds you tighter as everything spills out.

It’s so much. So much weight, so much grief, your throat is raw in seconds from crying. Every breath is like knives, until suddenly, you can’t breathe.

It’s like your lungs are full of sand, your chest spasming as you fail to take in air. It hurts. It all hurts.

“Darling, I need you to breathe,” Zayne’s voice speaks urgently at your ear, and you want to, you need to, but all you can muster is a pathetic whimper and shake your head. Before you can blink, Zayne has you turned around and lifted onto the counter, slotting himself between your legs. He catches one of your hands, pressing it firmly against his chest as his green eyes bore into yours, a hint of desperation pulling at his features. “I know you can. Be a good girl and copy me, alright? Can you do that?”

You nod shakily, trying to focus on him and not the burning in your chest. Zayne takes a deep, exaggerated breath, his chest rising against your hand. You try to do the same, your body shaking with the effort.

“Now breathe out.”

His chest falls and you once again copy him, the breath leaving you shakily. It takes a few repetitions until your breathing comes to any normal pattern, and Zayne silently tracks the time in his head. He traces your wrist gently, subtly checking your pulse to see how your heart is doing. It’s racing, but still within a normal range, which is enough to ease his firing nerves a little.

Not that this is over.

“‘m sorry,” you hiccup softly, gasping down breathes, fresh tears spilling over your cheeks. “God I’m sorry, Zayne. I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean to snap at you, and I just, I-”

The doctor hums, tone stern, making you fall silent. He traces his fingers against your cheek, the cold of his touch welcome against your overheated skin. He carefully wipes your tears away.

“I accept your apology. It is very common for people dealing with grief to lash out at those closest to them. I am merely thankful you trusted me enough to let me help you through it.”

You sag into his touch, lips wobbling. To most, that wouldn’t be comforting. But for you, knowing Zayne, it’s like finally having a hand to hold you above the water. He’s unmoving, unyielding in the way he loves you, all of you. Even like this.

“I trust you with my life, Zayne,” you whisper and lean forward to press your forehead against his chest.

“Then I assume you’ll allow me to examine your shoulder.” It’s not really a question, but you nod anyway. Zayne leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to your hair. “I will go get the first aid kit. Please take off your shirt if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, I ask that you change into something that will give me access to do a thorough exam.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“That’s my good girl,” he hums approvingly, a ghost of a smile in his voice.

Your heart jumps a little at that and you’re thankful for the curtain of hair hiding your face. It’s not often Zayne indulges you with such soft praise and you can’t help but soak it in, especially now. Your eyes flicker shut when he presses another kiss to your head, the touch lingering before he disappears to go retrieve the kit.

Sighing softly, you set to work on trying to get your shirt off. The nerves have settled back in your chest, not sure what to expect. You haven’t looked at your shoulder once since the fight, dead set on ignoring it as long as you could. Which was stupid. If the pain tells you anything, it’s probably pretty bad.

Bad enough that you can’t actually get your shirt off. You’re able to slip one arm out, but wince when you try to lift your bad one. So you're stuck like that, half undressed. Which is how Zayne finds you when he comes back, medical kit in hand.

He glances at you, dark brow raising a fraction. If he’s amused, his face doesn’t give it away.

“Will you um, will you help me?” You ask, voice quiet, “I can’t…I can’t lift my arm.”

Zayne’s lips press into a thin line. He nods, setting the kit aside. You can’t help but hold your breath as his fingers brush against your knee, slowly tracing up your thigh, jumping to your waist and brushing against your ribs, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. His touch is unbearably soft, and your heart squeezes as you watch his face, noticing the way his brows twitch as he works, and how focused his gaze is. Every movement is calm, self-assured. You hardly have to move as he lifts the shirt over your head, sliding it down your injured arm.

 And once it’s off, his hand returns to your waist, thumb brushing tenderly over your ribs. His eyes stay focused on your shoulder, and yours stay glued to his expression, catching the smallest flicker of shock.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” You ask, biting your cheek.

Zayne carefully schools his expression, but you can still see his disapproval in the tight set of his jaw, “You should have gone to the hospital immediately. I am surprised your team let you walk away with such an injury.”

“They didn’t know,” you mumble, trying to defend them at least a little bit. It really was your fault.

“So you hid this injury from your team?” He doesn’t hide his disapproval this time. You flush, looking down at your lap again, though that’s hard with him settled right between your legs.

“I didn’t…” The words get caught in your mouth. It’s so silly now, you know that. Your team would never look down on you for being injured, but- “I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle it. I just, I didn’t want to seem…useless.”

Zayne clicks his tongue, but he doesn’t say anything else. His fingers graze lightly against your shoulder and you wince, a low hiss passing between your teeth. Murmuring an apology, he moves to grab a few things from the kit. The silence returns as he sets to work, though this time, it’s not so uncomfortable.

Your head feels a little clearer now. You’re not through it, that’s for sure, but the pain from losing Caleb and your grandmother lingers a little less sharply. Zayne’s words from before repeat like a mantra in your head, and for once, you can feel yourself almost accepting them.

It wasn’t your fault.

There’s nothing you could have done. You can’t change the outcome of that day in the same way that you can’t change the color of the sky. That doesn’t stop how deeply you feel their absence, though.

“I miss them so much,” you admit, mostly to yourself.

Zayne pauses, already wrapping your shoulder after applying some medicine and deciding that the hospital could wait until tomorrow. He finishes pinning the bandage down before shifting back, eyes trailing over your face. You look up at him, exhaustion gleaming in your wide, (e/c) eyes. It’s like looking at a sad, little puppy. He breathes out a low sigh, brushing a few rogue hairs from your face.

“Your grandmother and Caleb were kind, caring people,” he says slowly, thoughtful, “It is right that you should miss them. It is not a sign of weakness to feel grief.”

“I know.” You reach for his hand, desperate for some form of contact. He gives in without hesitation, fingers brushing against your jaw to hold your face. You turn, nuzzling into his palm with a sigh. His touch gives you the comfort to continue, “Sometimes it just feels like if I let myself sit with it too long, I’ll be swallowed whole. And that…scares me. A lot.”

A pause. You keep your face tucked against his palm, enjoying the way he pets you as he thinks. Zayne has never been the strongest when it comes to emotions. With everything else he likes to distance himself from them to stay objective, so you know he needs the time to figure out what he wants to say. 

“I suppose…” he starts, and you glance back up at his face, catching the serious gleam in his eyes, “if it gives you any comfort, I would like to remind you that I will always be here to bring you back from whatever depths you fall to. Even if risking your life is your choice of coping mechanism.”

He pinches your cheek ever so lightly, and finally, finally, a smile pulls at your lips.

“I’ll work on it, I promise.”

He doesn’t look like he truly believes you, but Zayne nods.

“As your doctor, I would deeply appreciate it if you would.”

Eyes dancing with a bit of mirth, you lean forward, pressing a loving kiss to his cheek. Zayne catches you before you can pull back, fingers curling along your jaw as he draws you into a deeper kiss. It’s slow, his lips slanting perfectly over your own, like a well-rehearsed dance. When he pulls away, you can’t help but sigh, leaning your forehead against his chest again.

“What on earth would I do without you, Zayne?”

He presses another kiss to your hair, voice a low, teasing murmur, “You would likely die from an untreated wound.”

And just like that, you’re laughing. Zayne smiles, relief washing over him at the sound. 

You’ll be alright. He knows that today was just the first step, that grief is complex and differs from person to person, and you might have another bad day like this, but he doesn’t mind that. Not now that he’s finally by your side and can take care of you.

Nothing could drive him away.

---

I literally started this game 11 days ago and I'm so down bad for these characters, it's shameful. Anyways! Hope y'all enjoyed!

Feel free to send requests!

[yuri-is-online]

Jade desperately googling and reading threads about mer x human pregnancies before he even dates yuu.

It differs from species to species, usually fem mer x male human results in viable pregnancies, there are a two articles about eels and humans, but none about morays.

His hope is dwindling, and the general consensus about deep sea folk relationships with humans isn't very good.

I HC that male mer x female human pregnancies don't last very long. After the sperm makes contact with an egg, it'll need a few months of growth before it's expelled from the body and put into the sea. Those kinds of couples usually have one child at a time, it depends on the number of available eggs.

Modern day people in twst have aquariums that are made to hold the clutches in a safe environment away from predators. The aquariums can be used both underwater and on land. After 'hatching' the babies are translucent, they are kept in the aquariums until they gain colour. Once they have enough colour they are let out.

The smallest aquariums need to hold at least one human adult, so that a parent can interact and communicate with their clutch during the growing process.

I think I read a post/fic with a similar headcannon to this? Long long ago, perhaps even before I even downloaded Twisted Wonderland. I don't fully remember... but it is something I have been thinking about a decent bit ever since you sent this ask because it raises so many questions.

I think it makes the most sense in human x mer relationships for one or the other to take a transformation potion and move onto the land/into the sea. In these cases pregnancy/egg laying would go as it would "normally" but what you're suggesting made me think about what would happen if a couple got it on raw in their normal forms and not transformed. Would that result in a viable pregnancy? If it did would it produce the sorts of offspring you are suggesting or would it result in some sort of hybrid child, barely held together by their own magic?

The aquariums are a good idea, the story seems to suggest that Jade and Floyd had other siblings once but they didn't make it. Their mother's obsession with checking up on them and teaching self defense makes a lot of sense if you think of that... she lost most of her babies, she wants the two she has to remain safe (i bet she's going feral rn, let Mama Leech into the enclosure S.T.Y.X. she'll put Malleus in his place ٩(๑`^´๑)۶) My question is whether or not that would interfere with the development of the eggs, especially on land. The deep ocean is very cold, recreating that on land could be problematic. With how few merfolk seem to bother with land (Azul mentions not many people bother with the free program in Book 6) there likely wouldn't be much of anyone thinking up a solution to this problem so few people have.

But Jade has that problem. Or will, he's sure of it but that's a minor detail- point is this is a problem he's actively thinking about. It keeps him awake at night, Jade strikes me as someone who would do a lot of research about this. It's part of how he loves, pouring through a pile of scientific articles that was slim to begin with but feel irrelevant now. None of these help him understand his chances because he is from the deep sea, Jade might be hardened towards the death of his siblings but he thinks of his own children and a rage unlike any he's ever known begins to stir in the pit of his stomach. Later, much later when he is explaining this all to you he will brush it off as him considering your human sensibilities, but the truth is written plain on his face. This little aquarium he has made was a solution painstakingly crafted with help from his own obsessions. It's the most important terrarium he has ever made because it will contain the most precious of all life forms, ones he watches grow in awe as he coos softly. These children were wanted long before they were ever born, their parents loved them to the point of invention and every second up until they hatch and forever after.

[tellnotalespod]

List: Queer creatives to spend your money on instead half-arsed pride merch from Target 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We're all aware by now that when you buy pride merch from one of Those Companies, your money is just going to a CEO who half-heartedly told someone to slap a rainbow on it and call it a day. So why not use that money to support an actual queer person who’s working hard to make art?

I've collected a(n incomplete) list of queer creatives who would benefit from your support this Pride Month - this is fairly limited in scope, as it only includes creators who responded to my call for links (or whose links were sent by friends & fans). It is also, for that reason, fairly audio-drama-heavy, but not exclusively so! It includes sections for crowdfunds, online stores, ttrpgs, and ko-fis and patreons for creators of a variety of different art forms.

The list is long, but worth a look through. Have a browse, see if anything appeals, and if you'd like to add any links, please do! Share the list around, shout out your friends and peers, boost your favourite artist, and vitally, self-promo is strongly encouraged!

Crowdfund campaigns:

Starting off strong with Forged Bonds @forgedbondspod — A queer, myth-bending audio drama retelling of Aphrodite and Hephaestus's love story.

This one takes pride of place as the inspiration for this post. Pine is working SO hard to make sure their cast gets paid regardless of crowdfunding outcomes, even if that means paying out-of-pocket. Help them avoid having to do that by supporting a truly kind and wonderful creator. (Crowdfund ends in a little over two weeks!)

We've also got a tight time-sensitive crowdfund for Waiting For October @monkeymanproductions — an upcoming queer supernatural audio drama series from the creators of Moonbase Theta, Out.

At the time of posting, they only have 13 hours left on their crowdfund, but they're 93% there! Help them cross the threshold and tell what I'm sure will be another gorgeous and wild story.

And for the horror lovers, a new crowdfund from The Morbid Forest — a deep dive into all things grusesome!

They are hoping to fund their fifth season, and it's looking to be their biggest yet. A lot of what they're asking for will be used to pay guest authors they're bringing in for the new season, allowing platforms for up-and-coming writers. Help them make this a reality!

All three of these creators also have Patreons you can subscribe to instead of (or in addition to!) their crowdfund: Pine Tree Pods, Monkeyman Productions, Morbid Forest

Buy yourself a little treat:

Saph the Something creates ethically handmade clothes made with vintage materials by a non-binary queer individual, with an emphasis on non-default clothes for non-default people.

You can find Saph's physical goods on xaer ko-fi (including a GORGEOUS loose-knit subtle trans flag tee)! Or support xem on Patreon for early access to content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more

For prints and pins of some truly stunning art, visit Survival of the Artist's ko-fi!

If you love gorgeous, unsettling underwater horror, you're going to absolutely love these prints

Eeler's Choice @eelerschoice is offering their season 1 soundtrack on Bandcamp!

Eeler’s Choice is a maritime horror fantasy podcast that serves as a reminder that the ocean never gives back what it takes unchanged. The music is GORGEOUS and if you love sea shanties, folk music, and eerie ambient instrumentals, you'll love this album.

They also have merch on sale, the logo sweatshirt is one of the best things I own

Pyon is an afro-latino freelance artist, writer, designer, and indie game developer

He is currently working on a visual novel magical girl project, @magicalwarriordiamondheart and you can buy prints, plushies, apparrel, charms and more from their store (or support him on Ko-fi!)

Xan Larson is an Illustrator, Comic Artist and Content Creator with a specialty and marked enthusiasm for mythological creatures of all kinds and all cultures.

She offers a huge range of treats on her website, including art prints (& original paintings), resin art, and books

Dylan Birtolo is a writer, a gamer, and a professional sword-swinger

Dylan has a huge number of books on offer, primarily fantasy, including anthologies, novellas, and novels.

TTRPGs galore:

(these also fall under the little treat category, but there were so many that I felt they needed their own section)

Sunken Rust are a game company run by married couple Dave Eisinger and Jazz Eisinger, and they offer a range of absolutely delightful TTRPGs, ranging from a wholesome GBBO-inspired micro RPG, to a solo journaling game about exploring an abandoned mansion.

Tea Witch Games is run by Anna Landin, a queer Swedish illustrator, comic artist and game designer. She offers games that run the gamut from sweet and cozy to weird, sad and spooky.

K. Petker offers games from wonderfully unique perspecitves including heroines of the princess council, children facing the apocalypse, and cats protecting their humans from the supernatural.

Christine Prevas is a writer, designer, PhD student & erstwhile librarian offering TTRPGs that range from two-player steamy horror to theatrical tragedy, and more.

Unseeliejess is a game designer and social worker, and my personal favourites from her offerings include Oops! All Draculas! and multiple sapphic-focused TTRPGs

Thoughty is run by Beau Jágr Sheldon, including innovative TTRPGs in a range of formats, as well as some games that break away from the table entirely.

Riverhouse Games includes a ton of fun concepts, including a micro-game about cleaning your kitchen and a game about telling your hot gay (dragon) boyfriend you love him. They also offer a guide to writing your own RPG!

E. Chris Garrison is the proprietor of Chris's Compendium of Free RPGs, one of the oldest game repositories on the web. They are also the designer of Saving People / Hunting Things, a TTRPG inspired by monster-of-the-week style television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural. They also have a ton of fantasy, supernatural, and sci-fi books on offer

Handsofblue offers a campy horror game about awful people and a serial killer, and a solo knitting game

Drazillion is an award-winning narrative designer, writer, and artist, offering a huge portfolio of games with a strong focus on queer narratives and themes. You can also support her on Patreon

Patreons & Ko-Fis:

Finally we have some ways to directly support the creators you love or their ongoing projects!

Soul Operator @souloperatorpod is a multi-genre fiction podcast, created to highlight solo ttrpgs.

If you haven't listened yet, you absolutely should - this show will rip out your heart and you'll be grateful for it. Support them for behind-the-scenes content, exclusive short stories, and more

Divine Rodentia Studios @divinerodentiastudios is releasing a new fiction anthology audio drama, Sixth Door to the Left

This is some truly intriguing and wonderful storytelling, and you can support them through the development of their upcoming project, The Loser's Game.

YamiKakyuu @yamikakyuu is a writer, photographer, amateur digital artist, and horror podcast enthusiast.

Supporting them will help an up-and-coming voice actor invest in decent equipment (a huge barrier to so many incredibly talented VAs breaking into the industry!)

Daisy McNamara is an *incredibly prolific* podcaster, the co-creator of Eeler's Choice and Waterlogged, and has contributed his talents to so many more

Daisy has made such a huge contribution to the audio drama world, so if you've listened to any podcasts to speak of, you've probably enjoyed some of her work. Your support can help him make ends meet and continue creating!

And finally (because I fave a few pals who'd kill me dead if I didn't do a bit of self-promo), I'm Leanne Egan, the creator of Tell No Tales, an audio drama about ghosts and the people who refuse to hunt them. While there is currently no way to support the show financially, my debut novel, Lover Birds, releases soon!

As a bonus, if you're in the UK, you can pre-order it from a North-West-based queer indie bookshop too!

[fireheartwraith]

Hello everyone. Climate change and lack of infrastructure has cause severe floods in the south of brazil and thousands of people are displaced or missing. If you can help, please do, especially those who use dollar or euro. You don't know far your money can take us

This tweet has a video showing how absurdly fast the water rose. Image if this was your home, completely taken by water in under three minutes. Imagine if you had children, elderly, disabled people living here. What would you do in this situation? What can you even do?

Most of the state is now underwater, and the parts that aren't don’t have power or water. Getting prescription meds and other necessities like hygiene kits and food is difficult because capitalism sucks. The military police are protecting supermarkets because the people are hungry and taking the food. Mind you, the food will spoil anyway. But god forbid people don't go hungry.

And in the midst of this chaos, public transport still isn't free. People are charging to rescue folks. So people can only be rescued by helicopter because of the currents. There are people debating whether or not they should leave pets to die.

And the government has done basically nothing. It is the government's fault, everyone knows this. The money that was supposed to go to preventing something like this simply doesn't exist. The people organizing rescues are distributing resources are the people themselves. Influencers have been doing more to the cause than the government at this point.

Some people were bringing up Madonna because the flood hit the night of her show, and they were saying the money she received should have gone to the affected people. And so she donated 10 MILLION reais. It is utter madness. There are bodies floating in the water people have to wade through.

If you can do something to help, please do

Here's a link to donate to an ngo that is feeding the displaced people

Paypal: Fathiele14@gmail.com

Edit: Floods are also displacing people in the northeast, literally on the other side of the country. The situation is dire. Remember, you are closer to being a climate refugee than being a billionaire. If I find where you make international donations to help Maranhão I'll share it here

[hxjikonn]

(Artist: @/wrt_428 on twtr)

Octavinelle trio x GN!Reader who loves exploring the ocean

☆Staring☆: Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, And Floyd Leech

TW!! Just some foul words and cusses (all in a light hearted manner though nothing serious)

Synopsis: Octavinelle trio reaction to GN!Reader who loves to dive under the sea to explore.

Azul Ashengrotto

Was weirded out by you. As in “I’m gonna keep an eye on this odd human who like to go down the ocean to play with fish just incase”

He met you at a beach at night (and no not the romantic “beach at moonlight love at first sight” thing) he was looking for coins for his coin collection…and you…you just dived into the water

He didn’t care at first cuz you were just one human, but he noticed it’s been too long since you’ve went down. He thought you drowned😭

Slightly concerned he went after you but then saw you just swimming around following a group of sea horses

He kinda sorta just watched you play around, lay on the sea bed, collect a few shells and rocks you thought were pretty

You occasionally came up for air, and when you do he hides behind big rocks thinking you wont notice. (You did.)

Neither of you made a move to approach each other though. Untilllllll you found a pretty shiny coin.

Azul gasped (underwater?? Idk if you can do that but whatevs) you heard it and for the first time you actually made eye contact with the human octopus guy

Azul thought you’d be afraid of him so he started scaring you that he was a sea witch and that he’d curse you if you don’t give him the coin.

Your dumbass (yes I’m calling you out) laughed…underwater…and you were waayyy down to get up the surface without drowning.

Azul thought he scared you too much (he’s sorta dumb too lol) so one of his tentacles grabbed you and swam up as fast as he could.

Long story short, after you vomited the gallon of sea water in your system, you thanked him and gave him the coin, he was happy but didn’t try to make it obvious (it was very obvious)

You started looking for him whenever you went diving since that day, he was lowkey waiting for you everyday too and is sad when you dont come

When you do come you ask him tons of questions about his tentacles and use them as your personal chair, or cling to one of them when Azul starts swimming just because it’s fun

He acts annoyed, but he really enjoys your company. Even finding ways for you to stay underwater longer so you could stay with him more often

He tries to keep you near shore, he wants to show you around more but you’re a small human. Perfect prey for big underwater predators.

Helps you collect shells and rocks, thinks it’s endearing that you have the same hobby as he does.

And ofc Azul isn’t azul without his contracts, practically sales talk you to make a contract with him so he can make you breathe underwater

Not because he’s worried you accidentally drown or anything no totally not that /sarcasm folks *wink wink*

It’s because according to him “he wants to make you his coin searcher so he can complete his coin collection” (it’s already complete, he has like 25 complete albums just of coins…)

You never agree though 💀💀💀 I guess Azul just has a human to watch after now so they wont drown

——————————————————————————

Jade Leech

Would be fascinated by you. Bro would “observe” you for hours…

When he found you, you were laying on the sea bed…eye closed…star fish pose…he thought you were a dead body 😭😭

“Floyd forgot to clean up his mess again…” he said to himself…thinking Floyd prolly went on a squeezing spree again

He approached you, because he was gonna pull your body up shore so the other humans can deal with. But when you opened your eyes and saw the long wiggly worm fish man you freaked out

You freaked out so hard you inhaled water 💀 And it took him a few seconds to realize that you weren’t dead…but you were about to be if he doesn’t get you up

He did though, really quickly too. You thought you guys were gonna jump through a different dimension due to how fast he swam.

Once you were up, and you got the sea water you inhaled out of your system, Jade was still watching you…just staring at you with half his face still in the water, his unblinking eyes are the only ones that are surfaced…

You were scared outta your damned body but you still thanked him for saving your stupid ass.

You were more scared when he talked. 💀💀💀

“HOLY SHIT YOU CAN TALK?!!?” “yes. ^^”

He started asking questions about why the fuck you were laying down where he found you cuz tbh who wouldn’t???

You explained to him that you just like to stay underwater and explore, and that you can hold your breath for a long time so it doesn’t bother you that much

He apologized for scaring you and offered to take you to different parts of the ocean when you go diving again…

You agreed of course, and after that he’s stuck to you. Fascinated by the human who loves being underwater.

When he takes you to places, he doesn’t really go exploring with you, he just follows along, watching you curiously look at everything

You two made a signal where you blink two times to tell him you need to go up for air, and he would swim you up and wait for you to catch your breath before swimming back down

He lets you cling onto him when he swims cuz he knows you have fun when you do that.

He keeps you away from danger too, he can fight but he rather not considering you’re a fragile little human who he might put at risk when he fights off predators who’d want to eat you.

Thinks it’s cute that you play with fishes, so cute he almost buys you a collar with “Jade’s pet human” written on it 😭

Is sad when you have to go home, he understands you need to go back to your home up shore cuz your a human and you get tired

But he ALWAYS asks for an extra hour, if you’re tired, you can use him as a bed…underwater…where he’s close to you.

Tries to send subliminal messages to Azul for him to turn you into a fish already so Jade can keep you with him and you never have to leave.

——————————————————————————

Floyd Leech

Thought you were trying to find creative ways to die 😭💀

He wasn’t in a good mood when he found you, he wanted to squeeze the life out of you for trespassing in his territory

But then he saw you dancing with jellyfishes… ��what in the spongebob squarepants are they doing?” He thought.

Saw you get stung a couple of times and expected you to get angry at the jellyfish but you didn’t, it hurt sure but when you got stung you just rubbed it and continued on

You were happy with what you were doing which is what made Floyd more curious, he silently followed you around after that, he didn’t bother hiding from you

In fact you notice him following you, and look at him a couple of times thinking he wants to eat you, but he doesn’t even make a move, just stares

As much as he was curious about you, you too were curious about him. So one time, you saw his tail poking out form behind a rock….you touched it…he was shocked so his first instinct was to strangle you thinking you were some guy tryna pick a fight with him…you passed out 💀

When you woke up you were up shore…instead of the sky though, you saw a couple of dilated pupils staring back at you…

“Uhhh hi?” You blinked at him a couple of times

He thought you died, he was happy you didn’t cuz he was amused by your guts to touch his tail like that knowing you could probably die

He asked if you were okay before squeezing you into a tight soul crushing hug claiming that your “his human” now

He asks you lots of questions and you try your best to answer each one, still shaken up about the near death experience you had just went through

After that he waits for you at the beach everyday, he wants you by his side all the time from then on

He clings on to you all the time when you’re underwater, wraps himself around your little body, does the swimming for you since he thinks you’re slow carrying you with him

Gets bored when you collect shells and rocks but still tries his best to be patient since you looks so cute and small just searching the sea bed for them

He doesn’t see value in the things you’re collecting but when you gave him a green rock he kept it on his shelves at home always looking at it and smiling

His mood cant always tolerate your rock and shell collecting so takes you to a ship wreck to collect shinier things.

Scares, kills, beats the living shit out of any predator who tries to harm his little human companion

He has his mood swings and the first time you encountered that you didn’t know how to handle him, he ended up hitting you with his tail hurting you in the process

You got hit so hard you thought flew across the Pacific Ocean…(I was being sarcastic on this part😭🤚🏻 y’all in replies are sending me💀💀)

When you swam up badly hurt he followed you realizing what he did and rushed to help, but you were already running out the beach when he got there

Floyd was upset the whole week, you didn’t come back and he was afraid you never will come back ever again.

When you did though he squeezed you (gently) trying not to hurt you even more he kept apologizing and for the rest of the day he was just wrapped up around you not letting you go

Doesn’t ever snap at you when he has his mood swings ever again.

Possessive of you, doesn’t want you to meet others like him cuz he thinks you’d make a lot of friends and leave him behind

“Mine.” “Floyd no.” “Floyd yes.”

A/N: This was fun to make, laughed a lot while writing this. Again…I did not proofread this I never proofread 💀💀 I’m lazy like that

Edit A/N: THX TO THAT REPLY TELLING ME THEY CANT STING OML I’M STUPID😭 I changed it though dw :D

[cacodaemonia]

Fic Self-Recs

Fic authors self rec! List your favorite five fics that you've written, then tag at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

(Yes, this was originally an ask game, but I know some folks, myself included, have closed asks due to spam, so I guess it's a tag game now 😂)

Thanks for the tag, @elismor! These kinds of things are always so tough, haha (also, it could be kind of cool if there was an art version, since most of these tag things are focused on fics...)

My Heart's Red Muscle - (E, for one smut scene) I think this is probably my best fic, and also one of the longest. Cyborg!Waxer has no memories of his life before he came online. Paired with ARF trooper Boil, who doesn't seem to know what to do with him, Waxer has no idea how to fit in among clones when he's so very different. As he makes connections with those around him, he and Boil try to figure out who he might have been—and more importantly, who he is now.

Kinktober 2022 - (E, obviously) Set in the giant Open Skies AU. Where's that Trojan Horse smut post... Yeah so the fic is basically this for Waxer/Boil 😂

We Could Breathe Underwater - (T) What if shiny Waxer and Boil were both a bit Force-sensitive, and—oopsie, created a Force bond?

Interference - (T) Set in the RCAU/Open Skies AU, but it can be read as a standalone. It follows some OCs and canon characters as they figure out what Krell is up to on Umbara. The problem is that Torrent Company and Waxer's platoon are already on a collision course...

Fading Light and Cooling Space - (T, but heed the tags on this one) After Boil suffers through the horrifying events on Umbara, something nudges him to steal a strange necklace from Krell's body that teleports him to an even stranger place (and time?).

The last two fics are a bit older, so I'm sure they have a lot of room for technical improvement, but I still like them overall.

No-pressure tags: @lizardberries @theproblemwithstardust @come-chaos @valkeakuulas @whiskygoldwings

@marbled-polecat @petrifiedforests

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/15/2024 Daily OFMD Recap Part 1

TLDR; Cast&Crew; Rhys; Samba BTS; Con O'Neill; New Watch Parties: NextGoalWins; Watch Party Reminders; A Safe Space Ship; Hoff The Beaten Path Drama; Florida SuperCon;

Wow yall, I actually have to do a 2 parter today for all the crap that happened. Just. WOW.

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys' IG blew up today with all sorts of photos. This was after Samba BTS dumped on us earlier in the day, because apparently our fragile brains needed to explode.

Just to add to the excitement of the day, there were 2 cameos added.

Regarding Short Poppies - On Cameo - IG link = tysm @lividturkeys and Short Poppies Crew! for the video!

Regarding Rhys' Cats! - On Twitter / GD = tysm @elphia_3 for this vid!

Oh look, Rhys is trending on twitter, I wonder why?!

= Samba Schutte BTS =

Everybody say thank you Samba because HE SERIOUSLY DELIVERED today and this time it's featuring Taika!!!!

Thank goodness for all the folks bringing over videos to tumblr because there were a lot today. Pictures first, video links below.

Src: Samba's Instagram

Wanna see all the stills on Tumblr? See @londonspirit's post here.

Some background pictures of the videos produced some VERY INTERESTING research material.

Tumblr Video Links:

Rhys In the Rain - @bizarrelittlemew

The Underwater BTS - @blakbonnet

Taika Pan Up / David Give Them What They Want - @ blakbonnet

Archie Barrel Lifts / Cast In the Rain - @rhysdarbinizedarby

Getting Into the Water - @ rhysdarbinizedarby

Rhys' IG Story About the Sandwich - @ rhysdarbinizedarby

David Fane Veil - @ rhysdarbinizedarby

Taika Running Into Rhys' Arms - @ rhysdarbinizedarby

= Con O'Neill =

Con O'Neill left a really wonderful thanks today, and special shoutout to @ringasunn and all the folks who contributed to his Con O' Neill Love Project!

Src: Con's IG

If you missed the love projects or want to see part 4, here's the links to the Instagram videos:

Love Project: Part 1

Love Project: Part 2 

Love Project: Part 3

Love Project: Part 4

== New Watch Parties! ==

Wanna check out NextGoalWins? It's available on Hulu/Disney+ Watch Party: Feb 25, 2 pm PST, 5 pm EST, 10pm GMT

Watch Party HashTags:

#OurFlagWins

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

= Feb 16: Ongoing Watch Parties =

People of Earth S1 is still going strong! Episode 9&10 tomorrow Feb 16, at 4PM CST/ 10PM GMT Replay of episodes 1-10 Saturday Feb 17, 8 AM CST /2 PM GMT Need access? Contact @iamadequate1!

== Uncle Season 1 Watch Party ==

Episodes 4 5 6 tomorrow Fri 16th Feb! GMT - 8 PM / ET 3PM / PST - 12 PM and as always those outside the UK: VPN Article

== A Safe Space Ship Meetup! ==

Remember the in-person A Safe Space Ship event in San Diego CA on the 11th? A bunch of the crew got together and got some fantastic pictures at the Maritime Museum of San Diego! Check it out! Src: Fangirlfoto IG

== Hoff The Beaten Track Drama ==

Apparently some studios didn't pay their bills so there's some drama going on with Rhys' show Hoff The Beaten Track. If you wanna read the article without a paywall visit: No Paywall / Paywall

== Florida Super Con ==

Who wants some Revenge? 🏴‍☠️ Welcome aboard the stars of Our Flag Means Death, Vico Ortiz and Samba Schutte to Supercon! Join these pirates July 13 and 14 for a weekend full of Autographs, Photo Ops, and a cast panel. Buy tickets now or walk the plank: Supercon24.com/BuyTickets⁣ ⁣ Photo Op and Autograph onsale dates will be shared soon. Src: Florida Super Con IG

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map Pt. 7

The sea monster shoots you a skeptical glance, waiting for you to start the conversation. You know roughly the topics you want to broach, but not the specific questions you want to ask. As the awkward silence wears on and her skeptical glare gets more concerned, you decide to organize your thoughts in an unconventional way.

"Four questions about our fight... three about who and what she is... two about where we are... and one about other humans, I think," you mutter to yourself.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing!" you say, too hastily for her to believe you. "So, um, I guess we should talk about our, um, fight last night?"

She frowns and nods her head. "Yeah, it got a little ugly, didn't it," she says as she leans back and shoots you a charming, sharp-toothed smile. "But don't worry, I forgive you."

"Fuh - forgi... You forgive me? You forgive me?" you splutter. "You tried to eat me!"

"Yeah, and you tossed a net on me and ran me over with your boat," she answers calmly. "Overall, I think you got the better of that situation."

"You tried to eat me!" you reiterate. "I only fought back in self defense!"

"And I only attacked in hunger," she says, tossing her long hair back. "We both did what we did to survive, and I don't see why we have to make a big deal about it."

"I can't believe this," you mutter is frustration. "Are you at least sorry?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 3 of 4)

She narrows her serpentine eyes as she looks at you. "No. I mean, I'm not happy about it, as you seem like a nice enough person, and I was touched by your concern for my well-being, but human sailors are a staple of my diet. I am built to hunt your kind. I'm not going to apologize for my biology."

It's a frustrating answer you want to argue against, but you don't see an angle at the moment to do so. "Well, can you promise not to try and eat me again?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 2 of 4)

Her eyes drift towards her tail, which has shrunk considerably in size since your confrontation the previous night. "I don't think I actually can," she says. "I hunt your kind by luring them close, sinking my hooked claws into them, and dragging them underwater to drown. The sheer muscle provided by my tail is what makes it such an effective strategy, and our tussle left me so beat up that I had to consume most of its mass to recover. Trying to drown you now would be a lot riskier, so no, I don't think I can eat you."

A look at your face makes her smile nervously and add, "But I can tell that's not the answer you were looking for, so, uh... I promise not to try to eat you, specifically, anymore?" She flashes another sharp-toothed grin at you. "Even when I grow the rest of my tail back. You can be my special exception!"

That wasn't the answer you wanted either, but it's probably the best you'll get. "Are humans even that nutritious, anyway? Surely there's better prey you can chase." (East Questions Left: 1 of 4)

"Humans are among the largest and most nutritious things I can catch at full strength," she answers. "There are plenty of larger sea creatures, but I'm not built to hunt them. I don't have huge jaws or big, meaty claws, you see. I eat what I can get, like anyone else."

None of these answers have been particularly comforting, so you decide to get the very heart of this matter. "Can I trust you not to hurt me?" (East Questions Left: 0 of 4)

She cocks her head to the side, the coils of her many locks of hair bouncing in the process. "You barely know me, and I barely know you. I don't think either of is at a place where 'trust' can come into play yet."

"Fair enough," you say. "Let's get to know each other, then. What's your name?" (West Questions Left: 2 of 3)

Her yellow eyes peer at you for a moment, studying you closely. "My name is Calibani," she says.

"Calibani? What, were your folks a fan of Shakespeare?" (West Questions Left: 1 of 3)

"Not to my knowledge," she says. "I never met my parents, much less saw them shake any spears. I was alone when I hatched. What about you? What's your name?"

There's no answer to that question, or at least none you can recall. You've been alone so long that there's been no need for it, and as you try to remember, you draw a blank. "Sailor," you say. "I'm a sailor."

"Kind of on the nose, isn't it?" she says with a small laugh, her nose scrunching a bit as she smirks. "Like calling a fish Swimmy or something."

A part of you wants to laugh too, but you decide to focus. "Are there others like you out there?" you ask. (West Questions Left: 0 of 3).

A soft plap fills the air as her finned tail idly strikes the floor. "Hmm... other sea monsters in general? Oh yes, lots. Others of my kind, specifically?" She thinks for a moment, her face tense with concentration. "I don't know. There might be? I'm the only one of my kind I've ever seen, but it's a big sea out there."

"That's a point," you say. "This is a big sea. Where exactly are we, right now? The Pacific? The Atlantic?" (North Questions Left: 1 of 2)

You feel a chill run down your spine as her big, yellow eyes stare at you with a mix of concern and disbelief. "We're in the Sea of Monsters, of course. So-named because it is a monstrously large sea, and because its denizens are all quite monstrous themselves." She leans in closer as she elaborates, "You know the dread you get when you see the ocean in its enormity, and all the strange horrors it might hold in its deepest depths? That's where we are, deep in that dread. Take every sea monster you've heard tales of, and imagine every variation of them you can, and you will not only have a good idea of what you can find here, but also only have a small fraction of what lives within these waters. Do you get the picture?"

With a lump of fear in your throat, you nod slowly. "Ok. Ok, ok, ok. So... um..." You scratch your head and try to figure out how to phrase your next question. "Why can't I remember anything from before I came here?" (North Questions Left: 0 of 2)

Calibani regards you with pity. "I have no idea, sweetness, but you have my sympathy."

"What about others of my kind?" you blurt out. "You say you prey on sailors, so you must have seen some. What do you know about other humans out here?" "South Questions Left: 0 of 1)

Her face scrunches up in an apologetic frown as she reluctantly answers, "Not much? Every now and then a boat comes into my hunting grounds. Usually there aren't many of your kind - a handful at most. I wait until one is alone, then approach and lure them into the water. I generally don't stop to make small talk, as I assume you don't make small talk with whatever it is you eat." She gives you another apologetic frown and shrugs her shoulders. "I wish I could be more help, but I don't actually know a lot about your species beyond ways to hunt them."

Despair overtakes you - not in a dramatic way, but in a slow, sinking feeling, like you're being dragged slowly into the water, air leaving your lungs in small bursts, darkness surrounding you as the light above grows more distant. This is the first person you've met and she's told you almost nothing useful. You sink down in your chair and hold your head in your hands.

Calibani notices your grief and, despite herself, catches some of it second hand. "Listen, I'm going to try and get some fish to eat," she says quietly. "Maybe we'll both feel better with some food." She casts a guilty look at you and adds, "Plus there's an island to explore, right? You humans love dry land, don't you? Maybe it'll be good to stretch your legs!"

She waits for a response, but you don't give her one, and so the sea monster quietly walks upstairs and leaves you alone in the cabin of your ship. A while after she leaves, you pull yourself out of your funk enough to take action.

You consult your compass:

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

Ok, I've not seen it here but why are so many people on like TikTok and Twitter saying that the people in the Appalachians who didn't evacuate for the hurricane got what they deserved? I genuinely don't understand. People typically evacuate TO the Appalachians to avoid hurricane weather. All we got were flash flood warnings, which happen and are typically pretty easy to get over and recover from. And it's not just the fact that we don't get hurricane warnings, when things started to look worse we were told to stay put. And even for the few people who were told to evacuate, 30 minutes to an hour before they got hit, when you live in a place where people typically go to when they evacuate, where do you go? How do you know how far is far enough to be safe?

Let's take Asheville, a day trip from where my brother and his family live. It's underwater. A place 300 miles off the coast and 2100 feet above sea level. Ashville is one of the places people typically go to to avoid hurricane weather.

The damage in the Appalachians from Hurricane Helene is absolutely devastating. I have lived in Virginia my whole life and have never seen anything worse than a few flooded fields and raised creeks, this was not that. I've never seen the schools be turned into shelters. I'm almost 20, and I know that isn't a long time when you look at everything from before but that's still a good chunk of years. I don't recognize a lot of places anymore.

People's houses have been washed away, there are people dead and missing. Most people didn't have cell service for days and the first thing they see when they get back online to maybe see how folks are doing or get the news is people saying they deserved what they got. Entire towns have been washed away, bridges and roads are literally gone. They're not just underwater or damaged, they're gone. a damn broke and water had to be released into the already flooded rivers to stop others from breaking.

The land and infrastructure of the Appalachians isn't made for this. In most places the water has nowhere to go. It's too much for the ground, which is mostly clay, to soak up and in most places, like the valley my house sits in, the mountains form bowl-like shapes that keep the water from flowing out.

The wind was so bad we had a small twister touch down at my house. I joked with a few friends how it was a polite windstorm because it stayed in the road but stuff like that is literally terrifying. It threw something that knocked one of my windows in and I had to hold it up by myself. Our house is surrounded by 100 year old oaks and pines. If the one that fell had fallen to the left instead of the right, I'd probably be dead because it would have landed in my bedroom. One of our generators started leaking in the middle of the night and as my dad got up for work at 2 am he had to check to see if my mom, who had fallen asleep in the living room, was still alive because you could smell the gas which carries carbon monoxide. And that's just our personal experience. I feel absolutely awful for those that had it worse.

The Great Smokey Mountains, America's most visited national park, had 13.3 million visitors last year. Judging by everything that's been said online I doubt half of those people sympathize with what the people that live in that area are going through. As I said, we get flash flood warnings but nobody prepares you for this level of flooding! I guess it's easy to sit back and criticize the people that are literally suffering right now when you aren't affected at all. I can say I have never criticized people who got caught in a disaster nor have I met people who do so this is all so bizarre to me. It's crazy that the bar is so low and people can't even get across it. Hardly any sympathy and even less aid.

I really hate to put all of this here but I really need to get it off my chest. This was supposed to be a short ramble but seeing how completely unsympathetic people are being made me so angry.

[mariabtsos]

Unsinkable ||j.jk|| Chapter 9

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Description: The 1910s are the peak of passenger ships, it was also the peak of classism, Jungkook is a third class immigrant from Korea, and you are a first class “prisoner” not wanting to go back to a life of strict standards. Once you meet Jungkook, life seems worth living, but when tragedy strikes, will you guys make it out to live the life you planned?

Genre: One-shot, Titanic AU, poor/artist!JK x rich!f reader, angst, fluff, very slight smut, forbidden love.

Warnings: ANGST, major character death, descriptions of drowning or being stuck underwater, mentions of coma and it's effect (Brain Death wasn't discovered until 1968), ending of life supporting measures, grief, amputation of a limb.

AN: This is the second to last chapter, next one will be the final one, it will include a source list with excellent channels and educational sources for you to inform yourself about the Titanic and how everything played out according to history if you are not aware of the actual story, even if the 1997 film is somewhat accurate, there's things it got wrong that even I didn't know until my research for this story.

Word Count: 1.7K+

Thank goodness both Yoongi and Jungkook were being sent to the same hospital, Taehyung and Jimin arrived an hour or so after you, you made sure to give their names to the nurses so they could come see you, since you had to be admitted due to your knee, and the horrible frostbite on your nose and fingers.

You’d been put in the same ambulance as Jungkook, and although you were so happy to see him, his state made your heart shrivel up. His eyes were shut, and he looked so pale, you could still see some little spots of frost on his hair. He was still breathing from what you could tell, and you wondered if he could still hear you.

You tried reaching for his hand but the EMT stopped you, explaining that they had to take his temperature and then wrap him up in wool blankets, given how cold he was to the touch. All you could do was talk to him.

“We made it, Jungkook! We're almost at the hospital, you just have to hold on for a little longer,” you felt yourself tear up, why had this happened this way? You were supposed to be running off together right now, with Jimin, Taehyung, and Chris in tow. How had it all gone so wrong?

You were separated once you made it to the hospital, they had to take him for some tests and you to get your knee and ribs taken care of. The pain was unbearable, you hadn't realized how bad your knee was hurt until they set it back in place, then again, the doctors said that you had just reached normal temperature. Maybe you were too cold and too worried about Jungkook to care.

You were given crutches and pain meds and sent on your way, the hospital needed the beds.

“Ynie?” You saw Taehyung standing in the waiting room, tears in his eyes. You were so grateful they had made it to the hospital, and you didn't hesitate to give him a hug.

“Tae, thank goodness you're here!” He hugged you tightly, and soon after Jimin hugged you as well, the baby in his arms was now swaddled and had a little beanie, “did they tell you when Jungkook might be waking up?” the latter asked as you pulled away, you simply shook your head.

“I hope it's soon, did you guys see Yoongi? Is he okay?”

“We know he's awake, and we know he was screaming, but so were a lot of other folks,” Jimin answered. It was like he called on something, all of the sudden more screaming was heard. It wasn't just victims in pain anymore.

You saw a woman with one of her children down on her knees screaming. A bigger family hugging a pair of small children, a man quietly sobbing in the corner, and so many others. You were so lucky to still be alive, to have the one you love still be alive. You felt horrible for all of them.

“That big family over there, aren't those Martha's kids?” Jimin nudged Taehyung, who immediately made his way to them, followed quickly by Jimin.

You watched as they talked to them all, the kids immediately hugging Tae’s legs, his face contorted a bit as he kneeled down to be at the children's level, they hugged him tightly. You realized quickly that their mom probably begged for someone to take them up to the lifeboats, or maybe she'd managed to get there before they launched and she put them in there first?

Did you see her floating body when you were in the water with Jungkook? Had she been one of the first screams to dull down, or one of the last ones along with you? You assumed it was the latter, you hoped that's what it was and not that their other family had to come get them because they had no one else left.

Taehyung and Jimin sat quietly next to you in the waiting room, the dread you felt was unbearable, almost like the same dread you felt just a five days ago, when you boarded the ship that was now thousands of feet underwater, you wondered if there were alive toward the end, and you shivered at how horrifying, dark and lonely that must’ve been, going down with a ship and seeing nothing but darkness during your final moments.

You shuddered.

After what felt like hours to you, a doctor finally came out “Relatives of Jungkook Jeon?” The man called, he butchered your lover's name so horribly, but you didn't care at the moment, you stood up faster than your brain could realize and Taehyung ended up having to hold you up since you forgot your crutches.

“I'm his wife, is he okay? Can we go see him? Will he be discharged soon?” your mouth was moving faster than ever as you asked the questions.

“Mrs Jeon…” the doctor took a deep breath, you'd seen the look he was giving you before, you and your mother got that look when your father passed away. You started breaking down. “We did all we could but he seems to be in a deep comatose state and he can't breathe on his own,” he explained. You felt your knees buckle under you.

“Do you want us to stop life saving measures?”

How can this be? You both made it, you both got taken out of the water, he made it to a hospital. Why was that not enough? Why did his life have to end? You couldn't go on without him, you could go on, you were supposed to run off together.

“Mrs. Jeon?”

How could they ask you such a thing? You weren't going to kill the one you loved, who would do that? Surely there was something they could do, Jungkook would pull through, he was going to come back to you and they would have to, they were doctors afterall, if they couldn't save Jungkook then who could they save?

You suddenly felt faint, and all you heard Taehyung and Jimin yelling your name.

Where am I?

That was your first thought as you floated through the bright void you found yourself in. It wasn't like that for long, morphing into what seemed to be Jungkook’s hospital room.

“Hey darling,” hearing his voice made your knees buckle again. You turned and ran toward him, he was awake and smiling, you jumped into his arms and he hugged you tightly.

“What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here,” you were confused.

“What do you mean? We're supposed to leave together?”

Your lover sighed, the pain in his eyes was something you hated seeing. “This is my stop darling, I won't be able to join you,” he explained, and you felt yourself break all over again, “Remember what I said in the water? You need to live, make each day count, and one day we’ll meet again okay?” he held your face in his hands, “it’s okay to let me go, just don’t let them bury me okay, my body being in one place forever is not like me at all,” he wiped the tears streaming down your face.

“I’ll never let go, I will live for both of us Kook,” you bid farewell tearfully as his hospital room door opened. At the last second you felt him pull you, giving you one last kiss before what felt like a gust of wind pushed you out of the room.

And then you woke up.

You were still on the ground, Taehyung was holding you and the doctor was checking your pupils with a small light, “Are you okay? You scared us half to death, Yn!” Jimin sounded frustrated but relieved, you attempted to get up, but the doctor and Taehyung held you down, encouraging you to do so slowly.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered as they helped you up, Jimin handed you your crutches, and the doctor placed his hand on your shoulder. “It’s okay Mrs. Jeon, I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news, I’ll let you think about it and you can let one of the nurses know what you’d like, and they’ll let me know.”

Once he was gone you let Jimin and Taehyung know about what had happened, about your…dream? That’s what it had to have been. You told them what Jungkook told you and they were nothing but supportive, letting you know that whatever decision you made they’d be by your side. So you decided to let him go. It wasn’t the easiest decision, and the last few minutes of Jungkook’s life were the most painful you had ever felt in your short 18 years of life. You sobbed as they listened for a heartbeat or for any breathing. “Nurse, let it be on record, time of death is 20:25,” he put his supplies back into his coat pockets, “I’m very sorry for your loss Mrs. Jeon.”

Taehyung held you and Jimin rubbed your back, as he had his baby in his arms, you sobbed until your head hurt. The only good thing about this was that Yoongi did pull through, his right leg had to be amputated due to how broken it was and the damage the frostbite had done to it. It was a few more weeks before he was fully discharged, and thankfully a lot of first class passengers had come together to get accommodations for less fortunate survivors, Ms. Molly ended up finding Tae and Jimin, and you hid behind a pillar with Yoongi, who begged to not be seen by anyone you knew, whilst they spoke.

“Have any of you seen Yn? Or Jungkook?” she asked with a concerned look on her face. “We think they died in the water,” Taehyung sounded somber. You peeked to see the woman who had been so motherly to you, for a split second you thought she caught a glimpse of you.

“Oh…” the older woman’s voice shook, “well, I’ll give you this, I had set it aside for Jungkook, he was a wonderful young man and he deserved a better start here, you should be getting checks as well shortly with some compensation and Mr. Ismay has arranged for transportation for you and…anyone else who traveled with you,” she said a little louder. She whispered a last take care of her, before she walked away. They did end up getting $950 each, totalling a good $1900. You all set to travel up to northern New York, you wanted life away from the busy city for now, but you will ensure to live life to the fullest. For yourself and for Jungkook.

[ghoul-foolery]

Dirty Windows | 9 | Nora x Hancock

A Fallout 4 Soulmate AU

\\

Fic Summary:

Hancock never thought he would find his soulmate. Once a common occurrence, soulmates turned into a bit of a rarity after the bombs dropped. It was to be expected when there was an influx of people getting shot in the face on a daily basis. So when Hancock discovered that he had a soulmate he was ecstatic; all of the people in the Commonwealth, and he was one of the lucky few.

Too bad his soulmate didn't want anything to do with him.

When Nora thought for sure she was going to die too, the pain stopped – and then there was nothing. Nothing but the emptiness. Nothing but the grief. Half of her soul was suddenly gone forever. She was dropped in the middle of the ocean, drifting among the waves with no land in sight. Then just as suddenly she had been cast adrift, she found land. The hole was filled the moment it had been created. As she gripped Nate’s vault suit and begged him to open his eyes, Nora found herself battling with the horrifying realization that she had another soulmate; that some stranger had taken Nate's place.

\\

[ 1 ] <- [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] - [ 10 ]

\\

After coming down from the worst of his hangover, Hancock took a little time to clean up his office. Cleaning in general was one of his least favorite past times, but it was an easy enough task that allowed him time to think while he kept his hands busy. The entirety of the office was introduced to a broom. The mess that had accumulated was both revolting and impressive. Old inhalers and syringes were tossed, empty pill bottles were set aside for later use. The overflowing ashtrays were emptied. Old liquor bottles were sent down to the Third Rail for cleaning and eventual reuse. It was all menial work, but Hancock felt rather accomplished once he was finished. To punctuate the end of his cleaning spree, he opened one of the windows in the office to blow the stink out.

Hancock celebrated with a cigarette, and a bottle of water. Dragging his desk chair to the window, Hancock plopped down with a heavy sigh. Kicking his feet up onto the windowsill, he enjoyed the occasional breeze as he finished his smoke and sipped at his water.

While he cleaned, Hancock mulled over a number of things. He thought about the town; how he would have to get some of the building projects moving so folks would have a place to stay. The gate around Goodneighbor would have to be reinforced soon, and it would be a decent opportunity to give a few people a job so they could earn some caps. Maybe he could pay someone to mop the statehouse; he sure as shit wasn’t doing it. His thoughts flit from one thing to another, only to inevitably return to her.

Hancock felt like an asshole, but he couldn’t help but think that all of it could have been avoided had she just said something – anything. He thought he was an understanding guy. It would have chafed a bit, but he would have been more sensitive to his soulmate’s plight. There was nothing saying they had to be romantically involved. They could keep it strictly platonic if that's what she wanted. None of that really mattered though, considering the fact that the woman was wholeheartedly unwilling to give him a fucking chance.

Regardless, he had a terribly persistent urge to offer up an apology.

After stomping out the cigarette in the now empty ashtray, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He prepared to get yelled at again, he prepared himself for the wave of sadness and bitter anguish.

Another deep, steadying breath and he reached out for the bond that connected his soul to hers. The sounds were murky at first, as if he was underwater, but then he processed a pitchy ringing echoing in his skull that seemed to be punctuated by the sound of gunfire. Hancock knew on instinct that his breathing immediately matched hers; heavy, labored, panicked. His hands began to tremble as if he was suffering from withdrawal. His emotions went absolutely rampant. The connection was established when he was calm, and collected, and as soon as the link was in place he was bombarded by the feeling of terror. Fuck, he hoped he could get control of this shit soon.

A small box of ammo settled over the vision of his office. Wood, concrete, and rubble surrounded him. Smooth, trembling hands desperately tried to reload a pistol magazine. There was active gunfire all around him, people yelling in the not-so-far distance. Bullets whizzed, chipped away at the ground a few feet in front of his soulmate’s face.

The panic overcame Hancock, and he found himself yelling, “What the fuck — are you trying to get yourself fucking killed, lady?!”

The woman yelped her surprise. Her fingers fumbled the bullet and it shot from the magazine and clattered to the debris covered floor. There was a distinct sound of creaking floorboards paired with aggressive, rapid footfalls. The woman scrambled to get the magazine back into the gun. The mag snapped into place, but she struggled to chamber a round. Trembling fingers tugged at the slide, but her grip was too weak to crank it back.

And what was a gun without a bullet in the chamber?

Fucking useless.

Pain erupted in his scalp, as hair he didn’t have got gripped and pulled with breathtaking force. The face of a man swam into view, all rotten teeth and wild eyes. Blood was smeared around his eyes like it was war paint. The breath was knocked out of Hancock as his woman received a punch to the gut.

He coughed and gasped, “Shoot him! Shoot him in the fucking head!”

Another punch and a pitifully breathless scream – and then he got a first person view of the woman rearing her head back and slamming her forehead into the bridge of the man’s nose. Pain radiated between his eyes. As the man yowled and stumbled back, the woman shrieked and lifted the gun. Adrenaline gave her mercy, and the capability to rack the slide on the gun. She took aim. The first shot somehow missed. So did the second. The third shot went right into the man’s neck and he dropped to the ground. She sank to her knees, gasping and trembling like a leaf in the wind as the man proceeded to gasp and choke on his own blood. Hancock watched; he heard more yelling from her end of the connection, laughter and taunting.

“Hey,” he rasped, taking a deep breath and taking back control of his rampant emotions. He wasn't scared, he told himself. This was war, and war was fucking easy.  “Search his body.”

She didn’t move.

“If you just keep sittin’ there, yer gonna die, do you hear me? Is that what you fuckin’ want?”

No response, but he was suddenly seeing the dead man's body in his vision.

“Check his body,” he urged again.

The woman crawled forward, staying low, and he watched as her small hands patted the man down. She took a slow, deep breath, sniffling.

“He’s-he’s got a knife,” she whispered, pulling the weapon free. It was a small fold-up knife, rusted beyond belief but it could be of use. “And he had a, um…” she took another deliberate breath, trying to calm herself. “I think he had a pipe or…Immgonna be sick.”

Hancock scoffed. He wasn’t sure when he had gotten to his feet, but he had taken to aggressively pacing the length of the room. He could still see from her perspective, but it was as if he adjusted the opacity enough that he wouldn't walk into a wall.

“You ain’t got the time for that,” he growled. “You got yerself into a goddamn mess. Unless you see a way to run out of this one, you need to ready yourself for a fight, you hear me?”

She dry heaved. He did not feel sick, he insisted to himself as his stomach rolled. He was fine.

“He’s got nothin’ else? Absolutely nothing?”

Even as her stomach lurched, the woman patted down the man’s pockets again. ”Bottlecaps.”

“You can come back for those later. Now, okay… Listen.”

A bullet whizzed by and she shrieked, dropping flat to the ground near the man’s corpse.

“Listen!” He yelled, hoping to grab her attention over the sound of gunfire. “I can help you, but yer gonna hafta trust me!”

”St-stop yelling at me.” It was a weak response, but even then it still tugged the briefest of smiles onto Hancock’s otherwise worried features. She had a little bit of a fight in her.

“Trust me,” he urged. “And do everything I say.”

Another heaving gag, and then a weak response, “Okay— okay.”

“Good girl. I want you to sit his body up. We are going to use our new friend here to draw fire.”

[violetomnivore]

Fresh Catch

its come to my notice that a lot of ppl missed out on these MerMay bits I did last year so here a repost

Okay so for this mermaid AU All those years ago Gotham never got built so where it should be sitting is actually still the original fishing village. Flotsam pop ~11,000. The township as it is now sits on the rocky shoreline. The bridges were never built so the islands are basically not inhabited and still filled with suspicious largely unexplored underwater caves. Rumors that supernatural creatures lurk in the dark waters there.

The township of flotsam is the home of Kent & Kyle fishing Co. Clark Kent 41 carries on his adopted parents' business. A few years ago after the passing of his wife he took on a Business Partner Selena Kyle 38, Clark believes that Selena is a bit shady but good hearted. He hasn't caught Selena doing anything illegal yet, but she is Smuggling a little on the side. Together they have two boats ( The Lois, & Fatkitty) and a pair of crews made up of Clark's sons ( Conner 20, Jon & Jordan 16), and Selena's strays ( Roy Harper 24, Jason Todd 20, Stephanie 18)

There is a second village hidden in the caves under the isles. Its population ( ~100) is made up of Mermen/ Mermaids and ruled by King Bruce 45. Among his royal family is Dickie 24, Cassandra 20, Tim 18, and Damian 15. For the safety of his people King Bruce has always has strict rules against association with the surface folk. ( Even if there are a few he watches from a distance himself ) Dick has always pushed back against Bruce's Hypocritical Rules. He likes to swim close to the surface and play pranks on the fishermen boats. Sometimes his younger brothers sneakily follow him.

Okay that's my brain rot. Sorry. Too bad I'm rubbish at putting together actual story.

[sorrowful-hyacinth]

Character Sheet {Masterlist}

Name: Caspian Glaucus

Age: 25

Height: 5’ 11” [Human Form] ; 8’ 5” [Siren Form]

Weight: 175 lbs [Human Form] ; 350 lbs [Siren Form]

Eye Color: Yellow w/ Specs Of Gold

Markings: Vitiligo w/ A Moon Crest On His Back

Scarring: None [Yet]

Sexuality: Bisexual

Family Status:

Siren Royalty

Parents: Mother and Father [Alive]

Sibling(s): Sister [Alive]

Background:

Caspian has had a relatively easy life. He’s a siren Prince that lives in an underwater palace along the Mediterranean Sea. He had a good childhood, although some might call him spoiled, because he is. He likes to do whatever he wants when he can. Sometimes sneaking off to play or go on adventures with other sea creatures. Sometimes you’ll catch him messing with fishermen and releasing sea animals that were caught in nets. He’s not very fond of humans, his father hates them too, but his mother tries to keep an optimism that’s fleeting.

Building up to the present day story, Caspian had escaped the palace to go mess around with some dolphins. A vicious storm caught him off guard and the waves ended up forcibly dragging him through the sea away from home. Landing him into the northern Atlantic. That’s how he ended up so far west towards the Caribbean.

His family name, Glaucus, was true to its origins as the royal family were only ever representative of Glaucus Atlanticus characteristics. As the generation went on, sirens became more powerful and learned how to use their powers and now they can shift to different creatures.

Royalty have distinct features that separate them from their common folk. Their eyes for example, they will always be a variation of gold or purple and they’ll have two freckles diagonal from each other in the iris. One feature that’s rare, but still only presents itself in royal bloodlines is the birthmark of a moon crest. Caspian has one on his back. What’s special about it is that— HA! I’m not going to spoil it until we get to that part 🙈 He couldn’t get the best of both worlds though, because those with the crest aren’t born with a siren song. So his voice doesn’t have an effect on anyone.

Personality:

You better believe this guy is spoiled. He inherited some entitlement and sadism from his father, while still inheriting some compassion and respect from his mother. He can be really defiant and rebellious, mostly because his parents always tried to keep him cooped up. If anybody defies him or says anything he takes offense to, his immediate thought process tends to result in thinking about hurting them. He doesn’t always go through with it if it’s too dramatic of a response. Mercy doesn’t always come so easy to him, though. That being said, he can be very playful and easy going when he’s alone with people or creatures he likes. When he doesn’t someone, he can get a big ego trip from overpowering them and putting them in their place until they crumble at his feet.

Hobbies:

Collecting Sea Glass and Sea Shells

Playing w/ Other Sea Creatures and Animals

Visiting Land to Observe Humans

Tearing Sailors Nets to Save Sea Life

Racing Dolphins

Exploring the Deep Sea

Fun Facts:

Has the Ability to Shift Appearance Like Different Sea Creature Characteristics and Be a Human

Was Born Without His Siren Song 🫢

Twin Sister

He Has a Taste For Human Food

I’ll add more later if I have anything else to say.

- 🪻

[polyamorouspunk]

what’s it like going to a punk/metal show? I’ve always wanted to go to one but i live way too rural for there to be any nearby

Hmm, okay.

For me, personally, I always feel like I don’t belong there. But at the same time it feels like home.

And that goes for almost any show no matter the size.

There are exceptions! I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way at an INK show, and I didn’t feel that way going to see them with Metallica. There were people of all ages and race etc. at Metallica, from downright conservatives to queer as fuck folks.

Looking around at Beartooth I had a hard time not comparing myself to others. I wasn’t traditionally pretty like the skinny white sorority looking girls. I didn’t feel like I looked “hardcore” enough. I didn’t feel like I looked queer enough. But at the end of the day you’re in a stadium full of other people who get you in some way or another.

I’ve never been to a show where I didn’t end up talking to someone. I’ve always been able to make conversation with those around me with ease. It’s an ease that is different than talking to people in public. Maybe more similar to if you went to a convention and there are a ton of people in costumes and you’re able to just walk up to them and tell them you like their cosplay. Or you’re standing at a booth and a group of friends is fawning over a button pin or a sticker the artist is selling and you chime in and agree it’s super cute and you were thinking of getting it yourself. Small talk like that.

Smaller scene shows can be hard to break into and feel comfortable talking to people like that if everyone knows each other and you don’t know any of them. It’s a lot easier if THEY come to you.

Going to a show, by the time the opening acts are through, your hearing is fucked up, and you’re hearing everything as if you’re underwater. If you know the songs you can pick them out and sing along, but if you don’t, you’re not picking up on much because it all just sounds like noise soup.

Every once in a while you have to stop what you’re doing (filming, vibing, drinking, smoking, etc.) to help crowd surf someone. Sometimes you’re helping the same person crowd surf like 8 times.

I’ve never seen anyone say that someone was too big to crowd surf. Big tiddy goth girls? They crowd surfing.

You have to be okay with other people touching you. You have to be okay with getting grabbed, getting pushed, getting shoved, getting hands laid on you, etc. and you have to not freak out about it.

It becomes VERY easy to get separated from people you’re with, but everyone around you is cool, so it’s fine.

I saw a fight break out at Beartooth RIGHT inbetween my best friend and I, and we were on opposite sides, and it was enough Caleb stopped the show, and they cussed each other out, and then made up and hugged it out after. You have to learn to not be afraid of these people, even if they are people you would never associate with otherwise.

Of course shit happens. People get drunk, people get high, etc. and a lot of times if something happens you hear about it after the fact, but I haven’t had that happen honestly.

You get this sort of anxiety beforehand, waiting in line. No matter what I feel like I always have anxiety at shows. It goes away and gets replaced by this euphoric high though that a few days later leaves you deprived of that chemical and you FEEL a depression. Post-concert blues is a REAL fucking thing. It’s very hard to go back to your “normal” life after an amazing night. Truly “I shouldn’t be here, I should be at a concert right now”.

Trash everywhere.

Smaller shows are personal enough you can just hang out and talk to artists. A lot of them are just people with regular day jobs who do this on the side. Slightly larger bands might do music as a full time gig but work their own merch table and stuff so you can go talk to them. You can pretty easily find them outside the venue and just sit down and hang out with them. I ran into Remington Leith of Palaye Royale the first Warped tour I ever went to and I walked around with him a bit. I found Tallah outside the venue when I went the other week and just sat with them while I scrolled through tumblr and listened to them talk to each other and occasionally chimed in and talked to them. Alex said she liked my homemade Tallah shirt. They were looking at a weird bug. I asked about it. Shit like that.

When I went to see Beartooth I could see Caleb side stage and I excitedly pointed him out to my best friend and she was like idk who that is and I said he was the lead singer of Beartooth and I had to mime that I had a crush on him. Embarrassing shit.

The singers will talk to the audience on stage. Sometimes they ramble on, sometimes they perform bits, like comedy. Caleb was talking about how he’d played the venue we saw them in more times than any other venue.

Moshing starts off strong and then dies down quickly a lot. A singer will fire up the crowd and it does not last. People are tired.

Costumes? A lot of costumes. Both the bands and the fans.

Sometimes the merch line is worth it, sometimes it is not.

I personally never get food or drink at concerts. I also don’t wear hearing protection. I really, really should. But I don’t. There is nothing unsexy about hearing protection.

Someone’s head is always in the way and when it’a not it’s truly a magical moment blessed from the gods.

You may get stuff thrown at or dumped on you. It happens. Once again you just gotta be cool with it.

If you don’t want to be in the pit everyone just kind of shuffles away and if you do you gotta push through and be like “LET ME IN”. 90% of people there do not want to be in the mosh pit. We are old and decrepit. Also that much attention on me would make me anxious.

Every band is just a group of Some Guys™️ truly. Just some fucking dudes. Sometimes there are girls and they are hot. Hi Alex from Tallah.

Lead singers love to climb things. Guitarists love to spin in circles. Drummers like to go hard for drum solos and they’re right and they should s(pl)ay it.

Local shows you’ll probably end up knowing some people by sight at least if not by name if you go more than once. So far people have come up to me and introduced themselves so I know some faces. It’s hard to not have imposter syndrome about it, at least for me. It’s hard not to feel transient or like you don’t belong when everyone knows each other and has history and talks about “hey were you there when-” “YEAH I WAS” and you don’t see any of these people ever. They’ll include you as best as they can but it can still be kind of isolating.

I’m sure if you’re already a pillar in your scene, then it’s truly a life style. Drinking, smoking, hosting shows in your bedroom, going to other shows in other people’s bedrooms and living rooms, house parties ever weekend or shows at the local venue where you know everyone that works there. Shit like that.

This has been a mix of my experiences the last few shows I’ve been to, which in order, has been Tallah, Beartooth, Metallica, and then just a house party with DJs.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

David Rowe, American Financial Review

* * * *

Harris and Walz work through Labor Day while Trump golfs and complains

September 3, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

The Democratic ticket and surrogates were out in force on Labor Day weekend—including Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, President Joe Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Gwen Walz. That is a formidable lineup. The Harris-Walz ticket is campaigning like they want to win. Kamala Harris continues to exhibit confidence and positivity as she refines her call-and-response stump speech while courting the labor vote. Tim Walz is on the offensive against Trump, while Gwen Walz is going “full English teacher” on Trump.

Joe Biden gave a spirited pro-union speech that attacked Trump's anti-union history. See Campaign Event in Pittsburgh | Joe Biden. Joe introduced Kamala with a warm embrace and a smile. Harris then gave her stump speech (with variations and riffs). See Campaign Event in Pittsburgh | Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump and JD Vance stayed off the campaign trail on Labor Day--which may be their best strategy to stop the erosion of their support among eligible voters. See The Independent, Harris, Biden court union vote at first official joint rally as Trump accused of ‘dodging’ Labor Day.

But Trump couldn’t help himself and spent much of the day on his vanity social media platform posting statements that appeal to people who subscribe to Truth Social—i.e., Trump's most hard-core supporters. But even on Truth Social, the Harris-Walz campaign was on the offensive, posting a “Labor Day” picture of Harris and Walz in split screen with Trump.

The Harris-Walz portion of the photo was superimposed with the words:

Vice President Harris with union workers in Detroit

Gov. Walz with union workers in Milwaukee

Vice President Harris and President Biden with union workers in Pittsburgh

The Trump portion of the split screen had the following words superimposed:

Trump . . . golfing?

Does it matter that the Harris-Walz campaign is trolling Trump on his social media platform? Yes. Trump is famously thin-skinned and easily provoked. When provoked, he makes unforced errors—a lot of them. Over the next two months, Trump will continue to remind voters why they are tired of his stale agenda of hate and division.

But . . . as we enter the final two months of the campaign it would serve us well to recall the words of Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention:

So, no matter how good we feel tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies. . . because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

The Trump-Vance campaign has fumbled for an attack line on Kamala Harris for weeks. They have now settled on an attack strategy: pure ugliness and hate. Expect it, ignore it, and focus on registering new voters and urging registered voters to turn out.

It will be difficult to ignore the ugliness, in part, because it will be pervasive—and the media will be complicit by treating Trump's ugly attacks as “politics as usual.”

Elon Musk has turned Twitter into a Trump campaign attack platform against Kamala Harris. Musk is personally posting outright propaganda against Harris. For example, on Monday, Musk posted a picture of Kamala Harris in communist garb with the words:

Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!?

With his 200 million followers (albeit many of them bots), Musk’s ridiculous ideas will spread like a virus through the hateful MAGA ecosphere.

The good news is that Trump and Vance are “underwater” with favorability ratings, while Kamala Harris has seen a 17-point surge in her favorability rating (to a slight net-positive).

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo explains that the difference in favorability ratings will help Kamala Harris withstand the ugly attacks to come:

[F]avorability is the prism through which all of us see new attacks, new news. The more positive impression we have of a person, the more we see new information about them in glass-full more than glass-empty terms; we revolve benefits of the doubt in their favor. So, it can be both predictive and protective

See Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo, Keep an Eye on Those Favorability Numbers.

I would add to Marshall’s comments that Kamala Harris has momentum, likability, decency, and dozens of other positive attributes that will cause voters to give her the benefit of the doubt—while Trump and Vance are increasingly desperate. Just as Kamala Harris will benefit from the “positive lens” of favorability, Trump and Vance will suffer from the “negative lens” of their mean-spirited, misogynistic, judgmental style.

Here's my point: Don’t wince and cringe with every ugly attack thrown at Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over the next two months. Trust that most Americans see through those attacks for what they are—signs of desperation by Trump. We have two months to drive more voters to the polls. There is no time to worry or fret. As Michelle Obama told us at the Democratic convention, “Do something!”

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[herearedragons]

Cold Water (chapter 4: Anthu: The End - Part 2)

AO3 | chapter 1 | next chapter

Spoiler warning: spoilers for The White March.

What do you say when you meet your god?

Like most folks, Edèr had never heard Eothas speak - and now he never would. It would be a lie to say he never imagined it, though, both before and after the Godhammer. Sometimes, the conversation was crystal clear in his mind; sometimes it was fuzzy around the edges.

Sometimes it felt right. Sometimes it felt a little too close to blasphemy.

Selene met her god while standing right next to the split skull of another, less than an hour after everything that happened with the Low Tide. 

They had just left Kaoto and his friends in the dust - hurt, but not dead; Selene insisted - and finished climbing all those flights of ice-slick stairs in the freezing wind, stopping just short of that enormous skull with its right eye socket blown clear off.

Selene went to look at it.

One moment, everything was fine, and the next, everything went cold and dark. They weren’t really underwater - at least Edèr didn’t think so - but it definitely felt like it: no way to tell where’s up and where’s down, no way to really move, and way-too-big shadows drifting by.

Ondra’s voice felt like pressure in your ears and water filling your lungs; just hearing her speak made you want to gasp for air, even though you were breathing just fine a second ago.

Deceitful wretch!

Grave robber!

You, who dig for that which you did not bury, speak!

Explain yourself and be judged.

From where he was standing (floating?), he couldn’t see Selene’s face; just hear her voice, muffled, as if he was hearing her from behind a wall - or from underwater.

She said:

“...I do what I must to survive.”

Her voice was steady; steadier than his own would have been in the same situation. She’d made up her mind.

The current around them stirred. Down below (or up above?), a shadow began floating closer; something immense coming to take a better look at them all.

Selene’s hair was floating around her head, the glow muted.

And Ondra said:

You.

You were supposed to be gone thirty-five years ago.

Thrice have you stolen from me, and now you come to steal

A   G   A   I   N

And the shadow rose closer, closer, closer.

The Battery

O   P   E   N   E   D

The Forge

I   G   N   I   T   E   D

THE LOW AND HIGH TIDE BOTH TAKEN FROM ME

And here you are now

Denying PEACE to the buried

Selene asked:

“...The army is yours, isn’t it?”

And it seemed to him that the weariness in her voice said: I should have known all along.

It is mine now.

“Whose was it before?”

And, suddenly, the shadow below them stopped growing.

His.

They were lost children, abandoned.

Fixed on a purpose that no longer had meaning.

I took them in. Gave them new purpose.

I did not create them, but now they are mine.

The current, tearing at their clothes and skin just a moment ago, slowed down; the water around slightly less murky than it was before. He could see Selene clearly now, floating just a few feet away from him, blue cloak and glowing hair and crescent horns.

She was looking up, as if she could see something they didn’t. Maybe she really could.

And she asked Ondra:

“What are the remains of one god doing in the temple of another?”

And Ondra told them. For whatever reason, she told them everything. She spoke and spoke, and, just when it felt like his eardrums would burst any second now, suddenly, there was silence.

That was the whole story. Engwithans and the moon and gods murdering each other over things he still couldn’t fully grasp.

And, of all things, Selene said:

“...You loved him, didn’t you? You loved Abydon. This is why you're even willing to speak to me; this is what the abbey is for. To remember him as he was.”

There was an undertone to her voice that he couldn't understand. It might have been anger, or something else.

The current swelled around them.

The shadows darkened.

And the goddess of oblivion said:

His death belongs to me now.