#Ware Shoals

[unteriors]

Smith Street, Ware Shoals, South Carolina.

[autotrails]

American Auto Trail-Dixie Highway (Hodges to Ware Shoals SC)

American Auto Trail-Dixie Highway (Hodges to Ware Shoals SC) https://youtu.be/-Csa2yD6EmA This American auto trail explores a section of the Dixie Highway auto trail from near Hodges, South Carolina, to the town of Ware Shoals.

[seelestia]

◇ A Blessed Imperfection ◇

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

LIA'S NOTE: aaaaa, thank you sm for submitting and writing this masterpiece, ☆ starlight anon! i'm so sorry that i wasn't able to post this asap but now, i'm sobbing as i read this. (/pos) do give this a read if you have the time and show ☆ starlight anon (@/hermosacolibri) some support for their godly writing 💐 this work does not belong to me, all credits go to ☆ starlight anon!

+ tagging @zhongrin — ehe! rin jie, you gotta take a look at this <3

CW: fem!reader, mentions of pregnancy and childbirth (in zhongli's part), reader has a vision (geo for zhongli and electro for ayato).

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

SYNOPSIS: Many consider your disability as a burden, but he finds a way to make it a blessing in disguise. What makes us flawed is what makes us unique, and that is what he considers the most beautiful thing about you—an imperfection he dearly adores. Nevertheless, he knows of your lingering sorrows and thus seeks a way to support you in the best way he could.

CHARACTERS: Zhongli, Kamisato Ayato

NOTE: I have decided to just submit the excerpts for these two and dedicated them to Rin and you respectively lol. I kept getting ideas and suddenly there were more characters to write, which made the entry too long. If you or the others wish to read more, I have an account on Quotev (a writing platform) that compiled all these sorts of literary works. People can also request there. I will provide the link if anyone is interested once I get everything cleaned up :)

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ZHONGLI is a god whom has lived for eons, and has yet to begin his life at the same time. After his six millennia of existence, he has been known by many names and bestowed countless titles. Some are hearsay, and some are legitimate—all are bonded through his contracts. As the Prime Adeptus, he is the warrior god named Morax who subdued the rage of oceans and monsters by rain of spears. To all of Liyue, he is the mighty Rex Lapis whom stood as the overseer of contracts, history, and commerce. By the word of Celestia, he is the Geo Archon whom holds dominion over the Gnosis; and in the eyes of Teyvat, that made him god amongst gods even if he felt otherwise under the divine gaze.

Alas, when he finally stepped down from the lonely throne, his words to the Traveler omitted a particular truth from him—

—that is, his reason of retirement.

Zhongli spoke of erosion, and even the merchant whom made him realize that his job was done.

However, he did not speak of you.

Of course, with two Harbingers present, his secrecy is understandably sound judgment. Nevertheless, even when he attained privacy to speak personally, he finds it hard to disclose about you. Perhaps, it is a draconic instinct to hoard and protect what he has claimed to be his.

The only other individual just as protective over any knowledge of your existence is Ningguang.

After all, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing is also known as your dear older sister.

Ningguang raised you since the beginning, even if she had been a mere child herself. Your parents are never spoken, and you never asked. Even when you find yourself in comparison to other children with mothers and fathers, your older sister was always all you needed and wanted. Tirelessly, she carried you on her back while her arms were occupied by a basket of wares to be sold. Barefoot, she journeyed from the sands of Yaoguang Shoal to the main capital of Liyue Harbor to make ends meet. Every weekend, you will both scavenge anything that can be sold.

The first gift she ever bought you was an intricate erhu of the best craftsmanship.

It had been your smiles that told her everything will be worth the effort. It had been your songs that soothed the ache of muscles and the weariness of mind. It had been your words that invigorated her ambition to become something more.

“I love you, jiejie!”

“…I love you too, meimei.”

Nothing would stop Ningguang from rising to the top and giving you the life you deserve.

Time is cruel to mortals and always issues a test of faith to see them thrive. In one such incident, it has been proven that you and Ningguang are true sisters in every sense of the word. Her determination can only be rivalled by yours, and the resolve which shine like stars in your eyes is unconquerable.

Your older sister had once fallen to sickness. She refused to tell you where she kept the money, not wanting to waste it to buy medicine. You furiously argued with her about it but nothing could change her mind. Thus, at the dark of night, you treaded the path towards Jueyun Karst. The entire map of Liyue has been engraved in your mind since you could walk. Even when nothing but black greets your blank eyes, it would have been child’s play to travel into the abode of adepti.

That is, of course, if not for the adepti’s indignant anger at your trespassing.

Fortunately, you stole a Sigil of Permission.

“My sister is ill,” you told them, “and I require your aid to concoct a medicine.”

You will never know that what eventually convinced them is how gold illuminated your form. It channels your soul, and then solidifies into a circlet. At its center, a Geo Vision proudly sparkled.

Mountain Shaper thus led you to collect herbs that you would need. Moon Carver carried you on his back while Cloud Retainer flew towards Yaoguang Shoal with Ganyu on hers to check on your sister. In the distance, the Conqueror of Demons obliterated all other threats that may come your way.

By morning, Ningguang was on a road to recovery and you thanked the adepti by playing your erhu for them every day.

Amongst these private performances, you ended up in Guili Plains alone.

A melody has been haunting your dreams. It is very melancholic yet profoundly moving, like a promise between lovers. The composition began to write itself in the abyssal void of your sight. Then, it played smoothly by your delicate hands on the strings. Your voice echoed across the plains, bequeathing a sense of serenity that mortals rarely have talent to supply.

Once again, the Lord of Geo has been enchanted as he listened to your lullaby.

“Milord, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

Your inquiry was met with silence, but you can still feel his piercing eyes on you. Thankfully, you are patient as you are resilient.

The sound of footsteps made your ears perk up. You could not stop yourself from tilting your head to the direction of its origin. The omnipotence of adeptal energy dominated the air, making you dazed for a few seconds. However, there was a charming scent that you recognize. It belongs to a wild glaze lily, one especially helped to bloom by music.

Morax paused before where you sat, staring into your curious gaze looking up at him. The blindness clouded them yet your earnest intrigue made them shimmer glamorously. Autumn ginkgo leaves rain upon you whom sat beneath the shade of its tree, and he whom loomed over your mortal form. He lifts the glaze lily in his hand to bless its petals with a chaste kiss. Then, he slowly presents it to you.

A steady hand tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, planting the flower as an ornament. Your sensitive skin felt the callouses that must be from a lifetime of battle and slaughter. Alas, your cheeks only flush brightly at their tender caress. His fingertips glide through your tresses very subtly, giving you agency to pull away from his touch.

Morax pulls a lock of hair towards his lips, giving it the same attention as he did the glaze lily.

Then, with a promising smile, he lets go—

—and then vanishes in a blink.

That encounter was the first of many secrets you kept from your older sister.

A week later, a gentleman named Zhongli introduces himself to you. You narrow your eyes in suspicion and confusion. His presence, the aura of Rex Lapis, is unmistakable to you. Nevertheless, you respond with quiet acceptance while listening to his pulse settle down in relief.

It was not your place to question an archon anyway, nor is it your responsibility.

Aside from music, you always held fascination for botany. After refusing your sister’s offer to live with her in the Jade Chamber, she built you an estate with a large garden and a quaint greenhouse. From here, you have invented a unique art known as Geo Crystalline Preservation. You use the flowers in your garden to crystallize them with your Vision, but retain their scent like a real flower. By this method, you manage to pluck wild glaze lilies and preserve their natural fragrance after cultivation.

Your first specimen was the glaze lily gifted by your archon, now a part of your circlet.

Suddenly, wild glaze lilies were being revived to its former vast numbers in your garden.

Your artform can be applied to anything too. It can become a stained glass decor, a clothing design, an unwilting bouquet, and even a way to preserve food ingredients. For this reason, your fresh business had immediately made connections with all sorts of exchange across Liyue Harbor. In turn, you have developed a very reliable information network that answers to nobody but yourself. Twice, a visit from Yelan made your heart swell with pride to know you have information that eludes her.

Zhongli was more of a consultant or an advisor who directs you to the most beneficial proposals. It can be most helpful whenever you felt lost in making critical decisions that require more tact. He even made it possible for you to create a strong alliance with the Feiyun Commerce Guild. A part of you is still uncertain if that was worth the hassle that the esteemed Young Master Xingqiu tends to bring to your doorstep.

By the words of Rex Lapis, the core foundation of contracts is fairness. Thus, you asked Zhongli what he wants in exchange for his hard work.

“I only wish for your company,” Zhongli replied, “and—if you would allow it—a chance to court you.”

A gentle kiss lands upon your forehead. It brought back flashes of your first meeting under the ginkgo tree, when he was a god rather than a mortal. You used names to keep them separate, yet this moment has proven that Zhongli is Rex Lapis and Morax.

A cor lapis by any other name would nonetheless be as resplendent.

Then, two years later, he proposed and you said yes.

That resulted to an interesting private discussion between Zhongli and Ningguang. Neither of them disclosed any details other than the fact your sister gave her sincere blessings for the marriage. The wedding was reserved yet was also nothing short of extravagant. The collaboration of your sister and husband had you expecting nothing less, if you were being honest.

Another year later, the final Rite of Descension turns into a Rite of Parting.

You knew of Zhongli’s plan. He had to confide the details to you, excluding the Tsaritsa’s contract. It was the only way to persuade you into staying in Wangshu Inn for a few weeks, to make sure you do not get caught in the crossfire. He promises his intervention if all goes awry, if it endangers your sister as well as the rest of Liyue Harbor.

Then, it was all over.

Zhongli came home to kiss you with fervor you have never felt from him since your wedding night.

Later, the geo lines on his arms pulse with luminous glow in your marital bedroom. It reflected upon his amber eyes, pupils alternating between slits and dilation as his instincts purred. He closed his eyes with an inaudible sigh before projecting himself into your dreamscape.

As a blind person, you have an odd way of dreaming.

You only hear amidst the abyss and a composition always reverberates. When visited by him, everything gets reconstructed to a meadow of glaze lilies. At its heart is a Statue of the Seven. He had learnt that the imagery of stars twinkling above your heads is a sign that his own dreamscape had begun to merge with yours. A golden aurora borealis emanated pure geo energy, representing elemental resonance.

Always, the Geo Archon finds himself replacing his own self on the statue when he visits. He opens his eyes to the perspective of the statue. The illusionary Memory of Dust remains afloat beside him with a few geo crystalflies. He shall always find you fast asleep, wearing a hanfu composed of his colors. At times, your head is only resting on the armrest or his lap; and other times you are already in his arms.

Then, he cradles you closely while he listens to the tunes you dream. He has grown familiar with most of them through your erhu. A few would puzzle him, and he would then realize they are your unfinished compositions.

There was also one other reason he strictly kept you far from the events in the harbor.

You are with child.

Zhongli recalls the time you discussed the concept of illumination with him. It is the method of possibly enlightening a mortal to become an adeptus. The topic of you becoming immortal was only broached once and never again. Your own perspective in the matter was irrelevant, mostly because you were incompatible for the procedure. Although far from being an invalid, your constitution is far from ideal for such arduous illumination.

The Lord of Geo was overjoyed when you relayed the news of your pregnancy the first time. Alas, when the celebratory mood had gone, the slap of reality finally registered.

This will be a difficult ordeal for you, carrying a child that is half-adeptus.

Yanfei was conceived and born by a human mother, delivered through a complicated pregnancy. The health concerns never seemed to end, and her mother’s miraculous survival was only thanks to her tenacity according to her father. Even then, she is a mortal woman in perfectly good health.

If you were not capable of undergoing illumination, can you even survive this pregnancy?

No matter the answer though, Zhongli knows you are determined to persevere. For the sake of the life within your womb, you will endure all the hardships that will be thrown your way.

That fact is why he fell in love with you.

Perhaps, there was one thing he could do to help you even if it was not a full illumination.

As he once did for Azhdaha, the Lord of Geo can bless you the gift of sight.

You can see your child when they are born.

Zhongli lifts his head from where it rested on your crown. He tilts your chin up to gaze upon your visage and feel your breath against his skin. His fingertips grazed your eyelids, and the golden light of his geo energy engulfs the dreamscape. As everything fades into white, he leans down so his lips meet yours…

…and then, you both awaken.

However, for the first time, the haunting darkness that usually welcomed you has been replaced with color.

You saw a man hovering over you, lips millimeters apart from yours. Dark brown hair is embellished with honey gold, long strands gliding over his toned shoulders. Sharp amber eyes glared into yours, an unreadable sheen making them glow. Your hand reaches up to touch his pale cheek, thumb tracing the red outlining his gaze.

You realize. This is your husband.

“Zhongli…!” You gasped, tears in your eyes.

He smiles like a breathtaking work of art, a godly beauty that blessed you to be his wife.

“Hello, tian xin.”

Your arms wrapped around his neck to pull him into an ecstatic embrace and blissful kiss. He obliges, taking all you have and giving you all that is his.

Someday, you will no longer stay by his side.

Nevertheless, the proof of your existence will live through your child—and so will the love, the miracle that conceived them, which you shared with him. As such, you will continue to shine like gold in his memories forevermore.

This is not a mere contract, but a solemn promise that even Celestia can never break—

“My memories of you are treasures not even erosion can steal away.”

•~•~•

KAMISATO AYATO is a man whose heart seeks an equally capable partner. The idea of one day having to choose another half is something to consider as part of his duty. After all, the head of a noble clan is responsible for ensuring that its bloodline continues to prosper. To sire an heir, he must someday select a bride. His choice will lead to the rise of a matriarch within the Kamisato Clan. It must be a woman with the caliber to lead as the gentle hand of the Yashiro Commission to his iron fist. A fierce yet kind soul is necessary to command the Shuumatsuban in his place should the need ever arise. Furthermore, if he must eventually settle for a loveless marriage, his desire is to at least gain a lifelong friend. They must have the same depth of loyalty to his family, and the same steadfast resolve to uphold their principles.

Otherwise, he is very certain any other whom wishes to stand by his side will only break. With how he acts and carries himself, the people of Inazuma are more inclined to agree. Indeed, a wife less than up to par would be nothing short of disappointing.

Be that as it may, the Yashiro Commissioner can be a complicated man to love.

Ayato is a man who lives his life wearing a thousand masks, with little to no distinction between his true self and facades. At the early deaths of his parents, he was a young boy that had been forced into the lethal grind of political battles. To protect his little sister, he took up the blade to eliminate those who threaten them amidst the power struggle.

Just like that, his heart became a closely guarded vault privy to a trusted few.

Loving Ayato is likened to water, the same element he wields as weapon and shield. In calm days, he is transparent and clear to see. In chaotic nights, his own motives are harder to understand. There are times he can be as volatile as rapids, and others be as nurturing as a cool spring.

The most dangerous thing about loving Ayato is if you allow yourself to drown in him.

Alas, all of Inazuma is left dumbfounded when he abruptly announces his marriage to you.

The Yashiro Commissioner had gone missing for a week. A note with his penmanship claims he has a personal errand to run. Then, he returns to the estate—holding your hand while another clenches a scroll, sealed by the wax insignia of the Narukami Shrine and the Raiden Shogun. A glance at your respective hands reveal the glint of silver wedding bands, with camellia flower engravement filled by white jade.

Kamisato Ayato eloped with you.

“From here onwards,” Ayato declared, “[Name] shall be living in the Kamisato Estate as my wife. Please treat her with the same respect you do for me.”

The idea seems to intimidate you, a frown tugging your lips. Your husband, however, squeezed your hand in reassurance. Pacified, you end up snuggling your cheek onto his arm. The action is successful in grounding your senses, focusing on Ayato’s scent and body heat. He obliges this by gently pulling you closer, practically trapping your own arm to his side.

Ayaka hid a smile of amusement behind her fan, as her eyes softened in endearment.

“Of course, brother.” She replied.

Thoma nodded, beaming in welcome as you peeked at him and the young miss. Despite their slightest reservation upon this rushed turn of events, they trust Ayato.

Although, the Shirasagi Himegimi cannot help but feel you looked somewhat familiar.

You are a very peculiar woman, especially in a nation as conservative and traditional as Inazuma. In fact, some believe you seem more like an antithesis to your husband. Whereas he is always poised and very composed, there is always an untamed ferocity in you that refuses to comply to social norms. You can nevertheless dress as elegantly as any other noble aristocrat, speak as eloquently as any well-educated lady. If not for your infamous eccentricities, nobody would have doubted why Ayato chose you. It is quite renowned that you shamelessly stroll Inazuma’s main city in a commoner’s yukata—a messy bun for a hairstyle, and sometimes going barefoot. You despise social events and acted more elusive than your mysterious husband.

The servants were initially wary yet none of them can deny your positive influence. The household has never been so efficient and organized until you took on managing its affairs. Thoma was astonished to realize that he ended up with more free time under your authority. The meticulous way you stick to a form of schedule and your quick wit to adapt have enabled the Kamisato Estate to operate smoothly, with or without the siblings present. In fact, some unique tasks you assign to Thoma aided him into securing businesses in Ritou. As equal exchange for your patronage, you have flawlessly expanded the Shuumatsuban’s spy network.

Ayaka also found respite in her endeavors as face of the clan. She initially had a difficult time with being your mentor of sorts in the life of nobility. However, your creativity in problem solving and quick wit has been such help in balancing her own matters.

Thoma began to understand your ways when he has become in charge of all your meals. There is a set routine for every day of the week, and then a specific assortment of snacks with tea expected at certain hours. Each ingredient is meticulously picked and every dish is carefully prepared. If even one thing is out of place, you will notice with a single bite/sip and you would refuse to eat—which results to a very moody mistress for the rest of the estate.

It was only thanks to how well Ayato knew you that everyone else was able to keep up. He is aware of all factors to your behavior and how to aptly respond to them. His stern yet precise instructions left no room for mistakes if it meant taking care of you properly in his absence. It was as if he grew up with you due to the sheer amount of experience he has in how to deal with your odd patterns.

As months passed, Ayaka finally realized.

That is because her brother did grow up with you.

Ayato met you long ago when he was a mere lonely boy, burdened with the title of clan heir. He found you digging around the beach near his estate, an Electro Vision on your waist. A line of seashells were set on a flat rock beside you, all arranged by type as rows and by size as columns.

You glanced up at him. Your Vision flickers, making him tense—

—and then lightning struck the sands.

As a boy, Ayato watched in awe as the grains turned into glass. You manipulated the temperature of the element, heating the sand in quick seconds to create multiple pieces. He ended up getting closer, and it was enough to spook you. After you were finished, you hastily stood up and collected your things before sprinting away.

“Wait…!” Ayato exclaimed.

You did not listen.

The young master pouted, thinking he would never see you again. It was a shame since he found you so fascinating. He looked down and saw some strange hollow tubes in the shores, resembling coral.

That day, he went home a little despondent.

Ayato was pleasantly surprised to see you again the next day—same place, same hour. You are polishing the shells this time, and occasionally refining them to the shape you want. Small pots of paint surround you, and the Electro Vision is pulsing to be used at any given notice.

This time, you did not run when he got close.

“Fulgurite.”

He flinches as you suddenly spoke. Your eyes were focused on the glass tubes he picked up. They hung from the string of his obi now, which got odd looks from his parents a while ago.

“These…?”

You nodded, “They are fulgurites. You can use them to make jewelry. Want to see?”

That was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Ayato figures out your schedule and how you like sticking to it, so he never misses out when to visit you. It was something you never minded as long as he remained consistent. The times when he did not get the memo, you got annoyed and told him harshly to stop showing up. At first, he felt hurt since he misunderstood. Thankfully, he was mature enough to clarify it with you. Since then, he promised his arrival only on particular days wherein he can assure his free time. At his words, you acted less bothered by his presence and worked on your craft.

The two of you grew up together in those constant stolen moments. He finds out you have a younger brother, and he tells you he has a younger sister. On weekends, you are not on the beach. That is the only time your brother is able to spend time with you instead of honing his swordsmanship.

In stormy days, he had to struggle pulling you into the estate. Every time, he braced himself for your ire but patiently coaxes you over it. The most effective method is to occupy your mind with something else, and let your hands be busy crafting. Once you are fixated, Ayato can be allowed into your safe space again and he is able to take care of you. Henceforth, rainy days are spent in his estate and that became the new norm for your daily routine. Ayato adapts into creating amendments for your unhealthy habits.

You still persistently argue that storms are perfect for making petrified lightning glass.

Nevertheless, you express gratitude for his sincere care and affection. No one has ever been so doting on you aside from your brother. In turn, Ayato felt touched that you treat him as one of the only two people you explicitly trust. You even adjust yourself to be considerate of his own needs, despite the clear discomfort it sometimes caused you.

When his parents died, you were his greatest pillar of support.

Ayato has always known to never underestimate you in any way. What made you different did not make you dumb. In fact, it is revealed in that dark period that you were more brilliant than your peers. It was only thanks to your guidance that he found direction how to proceed. It was due to your judgment that he knew who to trust, which ties needed to be severed for safety. Every critical decision was consulted by you, and he was awed when the results you predict come to fruition. When his demons made him lose sleep, you provided relief by playing with his hair.

When he finally triumphed in the succession, you gave him a precious gift.

You smiled. Of utmost sincerity, you smiled ever so sweetly and so warmly.

That is the day Ayato knew you were the one.

Unfortunately, he had taken too long to confess that to you. Too many years slipped past his fingers due to his obligations.

Then, the Vision Hunt Decree happened—

—and you went missing.

A young man named Kaedehara Kazuha barged into his estate, panicked and distressed. He called for Ayato, kneeling as he pleaded for help in finding his older sister—you. The wind has gone silent regarding your whereabouts, and he feared the worst due to the recent decree.

Of course, the Yashiro Commissioner wasted no time in utilizing his power to be of aid.

It was for naught.

Soon, he could not even protect your brother when the young man was branded as a wanted criminal.

Kazuha witnessed the love Ayato holds for you—a passion he deems worthy of his kin. He knew of the bond you shared with him, which is why he came to the man for help. Meeting the man personally, the winds crooned in approval—to which the ronin only smiled, a little resigned yet mostly relieved.

Someone else can take care of you now.

“Aneue spoke of you fondly.” He said, “If anyone can find her, it’s you.”

The younger male presents him a box.

“She called it a tassel chime,” Kazuha explained, “and referred to that piece as Rainmaker.”

It contains a small windchime in the size and design of a tassel, thus the name. A single clamshell ties the knot for the top noose. Camellias on rippling waters is carved onto the blue glass, painted with glittering golden lacquer. Rather than a striker, a ball of glowing white jade is inside the spherical glass with a cowrie shell at its base. The tail is a familiar indigo satin ribbon, his gift to you on the last Irodori Festival. His name is embroidered in your favorite fulgurite threads, and yours on the other side:

Kaedehara [Name].

Ayato knew this is the equivalent of a blessing. He ties it to his sword, aware by use of elemental sight that the energy within it will prevent the glass from breaking even in a skirmish. He makes a promise to your brother that he will stop at nothing to find you, and then ask for your hand.

Eventually, he did.

You stood in an abandoned temple amidst the call of summer. The crystalflies illuminated your form, and the water shimmered like liquid diamonds. The tinkling sounds echoed in Chinju Forest, as the sails of windchimes blew with the nightly breeze.

“[Name]…”

At the call of your name, you turned to face him and Ayato embraces you immediately.

“I want to go home.” You murmur.

The broken tone of your voice devastated him, and he nods while tightening his arms. You hugged him back, hiding your face on his chest while his nuzzled your shoulder.

“Yes, let’s go home now.” He whispered.

The Yashiro Commissioner spared nothing at your expense. He used the name of Kamisato to protect you. As his wife, you are an integral part of the Tri-Commission and one with the Raiden Shogun’s faction. You cannot be touched by the decree like your brother feared. Although you desire no riches, Ayato sought to provide something that will soothe your unease at the drastic changes in your life.

Thus, in an isolated wing of the estate, there was your personal workshop.

A safe haven. All for you.

Ayato leaned back with you in his arms, cuddling by the veranda. You were sorting through your brother’s letters, worried, and missing him dearly. Looking up at your husband, he smiles and kisses you fervently.

“I’m here.” He reassures.

You wrap your arms around his neck in response, snuggling his chest to nap. He adjusts you on his lap and rewraps the blanket around you. His long fingers comb through your hair, humming contently.

Heartbound lullabies in hiraeth, ever so mellifluous—

“You are my clarity amidst sullied waters, a wish to forever keep.”

[delusionaid]

closed starter for @resolutepath | Ningguang

The night is warm, there's lightning on the horizon above the sea far in the distance - but it is safe here. The moon is shining down on the shore, dipping every rock and grain of salt and the waves washing up against them into its milky light. It's peaceful even with the quiet thunder in the distance, the area empty but for a single small mortal standing near the water and gazing in the distance, perhaps watching the spectacle across the ocean. He's seen her many times, gazing at the world in her very own way, walking great distances tirelessly. But to what end?

There's no announcement, no fanfare when he appears, descending from the clouds to make himself known to her, though for a moment the sky darkens and the air is charged with energy that's almost palpable. Compared to her his form is massive, taking up half the beach, his long body and tail swaying as he floats above the ground, close to her, before slowly sinking down, claws digging into the sand. They're like a picture on a mural, an image torn from a vision: the great dragon and the girl.

She's small and fragile but he knows of her strength and resolution. He's watched her collects shells on the beach and carry her wares in baskets from the shoal to the harbor time and time again. Her bare feet must hurt from the rough ground she walks on, burned by the hot sand in the midday sun, her back hurting from picking things up along the way and carrying a heavy weight. Her wares seem to be different things at different times - sometimes herbs, sometimes fruit, sometimes gems or pretty shells - but never something without value and never entirely random.

He looks at her for a long moment, golden eyes resting on her fragile form and thinking of all those who came before her and those who will come after her. She won't endure the ages, might not even live a full life - but she shines with a determination rarely found in mortals. The spirit of one made to withstand; the spirit of a leader.. perhaps.

"Little one.. what fate do you seek on these shores?" his voice rumbles through the night, like the thunder in the distance. Will she run and cower in fear, faced with her god, or will she stand her ground like he hopes she will? Either way, her answer will play a role in the future of Liyue - a great weight placed on words not yet uttered that she may not realize.

[brookston]

Holidays 5.23

Holidays

Angelica Day (French Republic)

Aretha Franklin Appreciation Day (Michigan)

Aromanian National Day (Balkans; a.k.a. Aromanians, Vlachs, or Macedo-Romanians)

Asian Corpsetwt Day [Every 23rd]

Best Friend-in-Law Day

Bifocals Day

Bluebell Day

Caracal Day

Climb A Tree Day

Day of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Azerbaijan)

Day of Ukrainian Marines (Ukraine)

Divorce Day (UK)

Empire Air Day (UK)

Empire Day (Bermuda)

EMS Save-a-Life Day Day

Festival of Saint Sarah the Egyptian (Sara Kali the Black Queen; a.k.a. Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France) begins [until 25th]

Go For A Walk In Your Swim Fins Day

Go Nissan Day

Harvesting Healing Day

Heroes’ Day (Ukraine)

International Day of Women’s Football

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (UN)

International GM1 Gangliosidosis Awareness Day

International Synthesizer Day

Isis Asteroid Day

Kids Ocean Day (California)

Kiss Day (Japan)

Komagata Maru Remembrance Day (Canada)

Labour Day (Jamaica)

Linnaeus Day (Sweden)

Lucky Penny Day

Mass Graves Day (Iraq)

Mayoring Day (Rye, Sussex, UK)

Melissa McBride Day

Mesmerism Day

Moog Day

National Apology Day

National Best Friend-in-Law Day

National Braid Day

National Canine Cancer Awareness Day

National Day (Morocco)

National Ethan Day

National Fill Your Thermos Brand Bottle Day

National Girls Learn Coding Day

National Goat Day

National Infantry Day (Ukraine)

National Medical Coder Day

National MILF Day

National Reed Day

National Stop the Bleed Day

National Tea Cosy Day

143 Day (Mr. Rogers)

PitDark Pitch Day

Stormy Daniels Day

Students’ Day (Mexico)

World Crohn's and Colitis Day

World Day Against Melanoma

World Turtle Day

World Wrestling Day

Youth Day (Tajikistan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Dunkin Iced Coffee Day

National Asparagus Day

National Drinking with Chickens Day

National Pork Roll Day

National Taffy Day

Independence & Related Days

Ausveria (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Bonumland (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Germany)

Plan for Palestine Independence by 1949 (Approved by UK Parliament; 1939)

Reberia (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

South Carolina Statehood Day (#8; 1788)

4th Thursday in May

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day [Thursday of Memorial Day Weekend]

Red Nose Day (US) [Last Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

World Chardonnay Day [Thursday before Memorial Day]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 23 (3rd Full Week)

National Safe Sun Week (thru 5.29)

Festivals Beginning May 23, 2024

Asian Festival of Children’s Content (Singapore) [thru 5.26]

Book World Prague (Prague, Czech Republic) [thru 5.26]

Hay Festival of Literature and Arts (Hay-on-Wye, United Kingdom) [thru 6.2]

Hot Luck (Auto, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Kerrville Folk Festival (Kerrville, Texas) [thru 6.9]

Kodiak Crab Festival (Kodiak, Alaska) [thru 5.27]

Main Street Port Clinton Walleye Festival (Port Clinton, Ohio) [thru 5.27]

Patriotic Festival (Norfolk, Virginia) [thru 5.26]

Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival (Ware Shoals, South Carolina) [thru 5.25]

Feast Days

Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Amaldus Nielsen (Artology)

Anathansius (Positivist; Saint)

Appreciate Reptiles Day (Pastafarian)

Bertholet Flemalle (Artology)

Bluebell Day (Shamanism)

Bufi the Toad (Muppetism)

Carl Bloch (Artology)

Carista (Day of Peace in the Family; Pagan)

Declaration of the Bab (Baba'i)

Desiderius, Bishop of Langres (Christian; Saint)

Desiderius of Vienne (Christian; Saint)

Euphrosyne of Polotsk (Christian; Saint)

Franz Kline (Artology)

Giovanni Battista de' Rossi (Christian; Saint)

Guibert of Gemblours (Christian; Saint)

Harold Hitchcock (Artology)

Ivo of Chartres (Christian; Saint)

John Baptist Rossi (Christian; Saint)

József Rippl-Rónai (Artology)

Julia of Corsica (Christian; Saint)

Leontius of Rostov (Christian; Marty)

Margaret Fuller (Writerism)

Mitch Albom (Writerism)

Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))

Peter Matthiessen (Writerism)

Quintian, Lucius and Julian (Christian; Saints)

Rosalia (Ancient Rome)

Simon the Zealot (Abkhazia)

Slim Pickens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Tubilustrium (Ceremony to Purify the Ceremonial Trumpets; Ancient Rome) [also 3.23]

Turtle Day (Pastafarian)

Vulcan's Day (Ancient Rome)

William of Perth (Christian; Saint)

William of Rochester (Christian; Saint)

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Full Moon [5th of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Bright Moon (Celtic)

Buddha Day (Buddhism)

Budding Moon (Traditional)

Corn Planting Moon (Alternate)

Dragon Moon (China)

Egg Laying Moon (Traditional)

Fell Moon (South Africa)

Flower Moon (Amer. Indian, North America, Traditional)

Grass Moon (Neo-Pagan)

Hare Moon (England, Wicca)

Leaf Budding Moon (Traditional)

Milk Moon (Colonial)

Panther Moon (Choctaw)

Planting (Cherokee, Traditional)

Southern Hemisphere: Beaver, Frost, Hunter’s

Buddha Day [Around 5th Full Moon of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Buddha Jayanti (Nepal)

Buddha Purnima (Parts of India)

Buddha Purnuma (Bangladesh)

Hari Raya Waisaki (Indonesia)

Lord Buddha’s Parinirvana (Bhutan)

Saga Dawa (Sikkim, India)

Shyadar Pidar (Parts of India)

Vesak Day (Singapore, Sri Lanka)

Visakha Bucha Day (Thailand)

Visakh Bochea (Cambodia)

Wesak (Malaysia)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Addicted to Love (Film; 1997)

The Asphalt Jungle (Film; 1950)

Blended (Film; 2014)

Born This Way, by Lady Gaga (Album; 2011)

Brassed Off (Film; 1996)

Bruce Almighty (Film; 2003)

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (Novel; 2012)

Cat Nipped (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1932)

The China Plate (Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1931)

David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell (Book; 2014)

Doctor Faustus, by Thomas Mann (Novel; 1947)

Dragonquest, by Anne McCaffrey (Novel; 1971) [Dragonriders of Pern #2]

The Dwarf, by Pär Lagerkvist (Novel; 1944)

The Fabulous Riverboat, by Philip José Farmer (Novel; 1971) [Riverworld #2]

Fidelio (Final Version), by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Opera; 1814)

Fish Tales (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

Follow That Dream (Film; 1964)

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns (Music Documentary Film; 2003)

The Gong Show Movie (Film; 1980)

I’ll Be There For You, by The Rembrandt’s (Song/Friends Theme Song; 1995)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Film; 1984)

Injun Trouble (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1951)

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell (Novel; 1960)

The Kids Are Alright (Documentary Film; 1979)

Law and Audrey (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1952)

Lights Fantastic (WB MM Cartoon; 1942)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Film; 1997)

The Marshall Mathers LP, by Eminem (Album; 2000)

Much Ado About Nutting (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

A Mutt in a Rut (WB LT Cartoon; 1959)

Nutty News (WB LT Cartoon; 1942)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (Film; 1973)

Patience, by Gilbert & Sullivan (Operetta; 1881)

Persepolis (Animated Film; 2007)

The Shining (Film; 1980)

Silly Scandals (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1931)

Taking the Long Way, by the Dixie Chicks (Album; 2006)

The Thin Man (Film; 1934)

Tommy, by The Who (Album; 1969)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (Film; 2014)

Today’s Name Days

Alma, Desiree, Renate (Austria)

Deziderije, Nada, Vilim, Želimir, Željko (Croatia)

Vladimír (Czech Republic)

Desiderus (Denmark)

Lii, Liidi, Liidia, Ly, Lydia (Estonia)

Lyydia, Lyyli (Finland)

Didier (France)

Alma, Désirée, Renate (Germany)

Dezső (Hungary)

Desiderio (Italy)

Leontīne, Ligija, Lonija (Latvia)

Gertautas, Ivona, Tautvydė (Lithuania)

Oddlaug, Oddleif (Norway)

Budziwoj, Dezyderiusz, Dezydery, Emilia, Iwona, Jan, Leontyna, Michał, Symeon (Poland)

Mihail (România)

Želmíra (Slovakia)

Desiderio (Spain)

Desideria, Desirée (Sweden)

Allard, Desirae, Desire, Desiree (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 222 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 15 (Ding-Hai)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 15 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 15 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 24 Magenta; Threesday [24 of 30]

Julian: 10 May 2024

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 3 St. Paul (6th Month) [Anathansius]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 3 of 31)

[whatthehelloh]

An actor known for a character who hunts ghosts on the show "Supernatural" has a new house in the state of Connecticut — also famous in pop culture for alleged “haunted” happenings.

Jensen Ackles, his wife Danneel Ackles and their Stone Park Trust Agreement purchased the historic Gold Coast mansion at 1143 Sasco Hill Road in Southport in July for $9.375 million, according to mortgage and warranty deeds that are publicly available for viewing by the town of Fairfield. The property had previously been on the market for $14 million.

Jensen Ackles portrayed Dean Winchester on all 15 seasons of the drama series "Supernatural" and its 2022 spinoff, "The Winchesters." Dean Winchester alongside his brother Sam Winchester hunt a variety of malevolent entities on the show. Some of the villains have been inspired by Connecticut legends, such as season one's Woman in White, a ghost who appears in the center of roads to lure in victims. The fictional brothers also traveled to the Nutmeg State to face ghosts during season two and a shapeshifter in season 10.

Aside from his over 15-year-long role as Dean Winchester, Jensen Ackles recently appeared in "The Boys," a show about villainous super heroes. He portrays Soldier Boy, a World War II veteran and father of Homelander, the show's main antagonist.

The Ackles’ new property was once the centerpiece of one of the most expensive estates along Connecticut’s Gold Coast. Real estate company William Raveis told Hearst Connecticut Media in February that the estate was split into seven lots. The complete property last sold for nearly $50 million in 2001 and was listed at $62 million in 2013. This most recent sale was for the main house.

The Elizabethan Renaissance-style mansion sits on 3 acres of land and has more than 30 rooms across four stories and more than 19,000 square feet. It has nine bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. An elevator transports residents between levels from the basement — with a safe room, large recreation area, storage rooms and halls — to the third floor and its numerous bedrooms, gym, game room, study and more. The grand entrance on the first floor leads to a library, movie theater, wine-tasting room, grand ballroom and more.

New York architect Henry C. Pelton built the estate for Benjamin DeWitt Riegel and Leila Edmonston Riegel in 1923. DeWitt Reigel was a mill owner and businessman who split his time between Manhattan and Ware Shoals, South Carolina, according to preservationists at Historic New England.

The home stayed in the Riegel family for decades. In 1997, Katherine Riegel Emory, daughter of the original owners, deeded a conservation restriction to the Aspetuck Land Trust protecting nearly 2,000 feet of waterfront from development to serve "as one of the last remaining examples of the gracious and expansive open spaces on Long Island Sound that were traditionally a part of the large estates that formerly flourished in the area," according to the deed.

"The views of this open space have given pleasure, not only to generations of owners and their families, but also to generations of the public, who enjoy the sight of the scenic, undeveloped shoreline from two nearby public beaches, from the public road past Southport Beach, and from the waters of Long Island Sound,” Emory wrote in the deed. “In an area as rapidly and as intensively developing as the Connecticut shore, this remaining, highly-scenic open space is a unique treasure which provides pleasure and spiritual renewal to many, as well as sanctuary to birds and animals."

[meilunye]

♡ Ship: Beidou/Ningguang ♡ Word count: 6,4k ♡ AO3: meow

This fic was written for Explosion: Sapphic Big Bang as a collaboration with lingua di gatto. You can find her art inside the fic and on twitter at this link! ♥♥♥

While moving from job to job to survive, Beidou once met a poor street seller with a sharp tongue. She surely couldn't imagine that, throughout the years, their bond would continue and evolve, until…

❝When she first saw her hanging around the docks, Beidou didn’t think much of it. A chance encounter like countless others, perhaps not even the most fortunate— that’s all there was to it.

Liyue Harbor was home to a multitude of different people, ranging from businessmen to artists, from shady traders to curious tourists. Beidou’s earliest meeting with the crowded atmosphere of the city had been shocking, an overwhelming surprise for someone used to the peaceful life of a humble village.

Moving from the shoal with its white sandy beaches tickling her soles and its skin-scorching sun, Beidou had greeted the hustle of the city with fearsome worship, quivering before that beacon of civility.

The ocean was still the lead scenery of Beidou’s days. Every morning she woke up at dawn, crawled out of the loaned raft she slept in, then rushed to the docks to begin work. As she breathed in the salty scent of the waves and felt the mischievous breeze running through her hair, she observed.

Her eyes scanned the port in search of anything that could mean profit. Her master had been painfully clear in his teachings: scout the area, weed out the people in dire need of help, state your conditions to solve the issue at hand. Make the most of any chance, seize the moment to rise like a star in the night canvas.

Beidou didn’t share the old man’s glorious dreams. When she rolled in bed at night, what lulled her to sleep weren’t fantasies of fame, wealth, or power. Everything her heart craved was already in front of her: the sea, the foam, the boundless horizon. Helping others out wasn’t but a temporary source of income, some savings to someday purchase her own ship.

The road ahead was long and paved with difficulties. Mora wasn’t easy to gather, especially when Beidou had nothing to offer except for her labor. Translating, transporting wares, deliveries… She put on the market everything she could do and everything to her knowledge. Food, water, and a roof above the head were vital, yet didn’t come at a low price— Beidou had to live off the bare necessities to take shy steps towards her dream future.

Being a child was another disadvantage. People often took pity on her, mistaking her for a lost girl. They handed her candy and treats as they would to a stray puppy. Once she explained what she had come for, their attitude shifted: they grew cold, turning her down and running away.

The mantra accompanying her along the journey was a song she had heard from the sailors: “its fins formed the ocean deep, its tail the mountains high” . That image alone, the battle of fishermen and pirates waiting in ambush in the mist, one to flee and one to prey, was enough to push her to cling to her dream for just a little longer.

While days rolled by on the calendar and the age of innocence began blossoming into glimpses of youth, Beidou understood that Liyue Harbor was a place where people tried their hardest. Fishermen sold their loot, children carried silk flowers and violetgrass in baskets bigger than them… She wasn’t alone in her endurance.❞

— • Read on AO3 • —

[writer59january13]

Yours truly embarks on wild goose chase after elusive pot of gold

alternately titled: incorrigible lottery dreamer big plans to relocate self and spouse

to some tropical island paradise by the dashboard light

(the above line credited to musician named Meatloaf) upon arrival of Stanley steamer. When my ship comes in loaded and laden with precious cargo from busy ports far and wide captains trumpeting their arrival donning sunglasses traipsing incognito yours truly spied at merchants wares cast dark shadows

from the outer limits at noontide. A fool's errand finds me emptying out billfold, while being gagged and bound with a blindfold

My blood runs cold My memory has just been sold My angel is the centerfold steaming with madness analogous to exhaust or intake manifold, especially as the winnings increase ninefold videre licet building castles in the air courtesy precarious scaffold

tumbles down into a bajillion little pieces untold. Paradise visage and eyes a bulge with dollar signs whets imagination with Mega Millions ticket bought for potential wealth overtakes rational self with delusions of grandeur caught allow, enable and provide flirtation with fate to experience rich draught envision emancipation proclamation and utter premature ejaculation from penury a distant battle fought

expect the usual outcome after next drawing to yield monetary naught temptation for instant millions eagerly sought human foible to reach until life lesson taut for elusive pot of riches streak of universal desire and tacked clear of shoals, where hand to mouth hardscrabble existence wrought. This poor man's pipe dream nsync with the milkmaid and her pail, where fanciful notions pluck me out being day late and dollar short essentially pennilessness in the extreme story of mein kampf fortune teller also known as Zoltar speaks machine said contraption did foredeem substantiated, kickstarted, corroborated... courtesy an archenemy Joaquim (fiend nixed) and his tall sidekick Kareem both rogues could shine figurative longerbeam and discern mine ill fate, Meanwhile creative endeavors and linguistic pleasure thru the literary attempt suitably with my poetic side

third eye blind (living a life of total focus on the empty, finite lusts of the material world, instead of on the promise of eternal realms of life hereafter) palliative, yet less rewarding versus garnering large sum of money would be a dog send

delivered by one blessed angel in disguise redemption and salvation assuage temptation considered thankful find with challenges or commiserate and complement via words of positive kind feeble attempt where words synchronize readers may espy hidden puns within this rhyme lined to pry poem or prose from mind deliberate semblance to communicate and extract idea from cranial rind analogous how stitcher doth tightly wind a tapestry of rich and royal hue. No..no...no...DON'T GET CLOSE cuz, yea...yea...yea... I suppose mailing altruistic donation would be the safest lagniappe bet, where over exposure would most likely NOT infect thee, though these really quirky, phony (funny) germs can be inhaled across transmission wires thru the nose or data packets

bounced off satellites as telecommunications specialists worth while (and/or) even if I fall precautions taken even extreme measures such as cryogenics, (where an individual ideally after they die) doth get froze, nonetheless this communiqué must be heeded cuz most effective,

and best assimilated before one takes a doze essentially (non fatal) lottery mania flow within my entire being from head to toe fungus infected what this old rattletrap specs castles in the air akin to a house of cards careering into scattered mess (resembling 52 pickup), thus unknown reader

dune hot dare casinos, gambling halls, horse racing, et cetera lest ye contract an immobilizing, yet fearless innocuous diagnosis, buffer in themselves with aspirin do sing glaring bug eyes, plus affecting a hair styled, and swiftly tailored demeanor accompanied with Scrooge

(tiny timid lee)

intimating lurching, and ogling qua monopolistic greed

expending every last red cent indeed finding one impoverishing themselves

at reo wagon light speed, especially after getting flying high courtesy stone temple pilot buzzfeeding me with weed.

[tilosecretbirb]

Send (protect) For Fár to protect your muse / Elyssa to Fár, because I wanna see this.

She had one large highlighted rule for those entering the mountain: Don't do things that would involve a trip to the jail.

So why was it every time she was able to leave her office for the marketplace floor she came acrossed someone about to have a One night stand with a jail cell?

 The raised voice of the merchant calls her like a sirens song over the market place din. Interrupting her search for a sweet treat to eat.

“Listen here if you're going to be a problem-”

The crowd parts- a shoal of fish before a diving bird. Fár pops up beside the customer leaning against the counter her eyes quickly fixating upon the merchant. His mottled face tensing further at her sudden appearance. “M'lord Fár! I thought you were in the vaults today!”

“Master Talvir, owner of the finest healing herbs within the mountain. “ her words flow sweet as rhododendron honey. One taste will be your last. “ I am afraid you are mistaken both in my place today and that our esteemed guest here shall not be the problem. I shall be.”

 Twisting her head she looks between them, “and what seems to be the cause?”

Talvir puffs wringing his aged hands beneath her unwavering expression. “She is paying with the wrong coin my lord.”

Fár nods sagely gazing between her and the merchant with a pert frown. “Ah. A simple problem for are you not a merchant with an exchange of tender cache within your booth?”

He blusters, “yes my lord but there is the main exchang-”

She raises her hand and he falls silent. “The main exchange that has a sign written in runes, Master Talvir? Which no one but we can read?”

Closing his eyes he grumbles in their mother tongue something foul and dark.

Something that leaves Fárs face falling flat her eyes deadening. “Should that be your belief on expanding our alliance and you wish to keep your permit for sales you will be giving her her wares for free.”

Talvir's jaw opens again but once more she interjects with a steady even threat. “ Or i will take the gold you require. Convert it to copper. Place it in a sock and beat you with it. Your age does not excuse your hatred. Now supply her goods.”

Finally addressing Elyssa she tosses her head to Talvir. Braided beard swaying. “See to it he does not disturb your purchases while he packs them. Then I will personally take you to the exchange."

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.23

Holidays

Angelica Day (French Republic)

Aretha Franklin Appreciation Day (Michigan)

Aromanian National Day (Balkans; a.k.a. Aromanians, Vlachs, or Macedo-Romanians)

Asian Corpsetwt Day [Every 23rd]

Best Friend-in-Law Day

Bifocals Day

Bluebell Day

Caracal Day

Climb A Tree Day

Day of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Azerbaijan)

Day of Ukrainian Marines (Ukraine)

Divorce Day (UK)

Empire Air Day (UK)

Empire Day (Bermuda)

EMS Save-a-Life Day Day

Festival of Saint Sarah the Egyptian (Sara Kali the Black Queen; a.k.a. Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France) begins [until 25th]

Go For A Walk In Your Swim Fins Day

Go Nissan Day

Harvesting Healing Day

Heroes’ Day (Ukraine)

International Day of Women’s Football

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (UN)

International GM1 Gangliosidosis Awareness Day

International Synthesizer Day

Isis Asteroid Day

Kids Ocean Day (California)

Kiss Day (Japan)

Komagata Maru Remembrance Day (Canada)

Labour Day (Jamaica)

Linnaeus Day (Sweden)

Lucky Penny Day

Mass Graves Day (Iraq)

Mayoring Day (Rye, Sussex, UK)

Melissa McBride Day

Mesmerism Day

Moog Day

National Apology Day

National Best Friend-in-Law Day

National Braid Day

National Canine Cancer Awareness Day

National Day (Morocco)

National Ethan Day

National Fill Your Thermos Brand Bottle Day

National Girls Learn Coding Day

National Goat Day

National Infantry Day (Ukraine)

National Medical Coder Day

National MILF Day

National Reed Day

National Stop the Bleed Day

National Tea Cosy Day

143 Day (Mr. Rogers)

PitDark Pitch Day

Stormy Daniels Day

Students’ Day (Mexico)

World Crohn's and Colitis Day

World Day Against Melanoma

World Turtle Day

World Wrestling Day

Youth Day (Tajikistan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Dunkin Iced Coffee Day

National Asparagus Day

National Drinking with Chickens Day

National Pork Roll Day

National Taffy Day

Independence & Related Days

Ausveria (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Bonumland (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Germany)

Plan for Palestine Independence by 1949 (Approved by UK Parliament; 1939)

Reberia (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

South Carolina Statehood Day (#8; 1788)

4th Thursday in May

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day [Thursday of Memorial Day Weekend]

Red Nose Day (US) [Last Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

World Chardonnay Day [Thursday before Memorial Day]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 23 (3rd Full Week)

National Safe Sun Week (thru 5.29)

Festivals Beginning May 23, 2024

Asian Festival of Children’s Content (Singapore) [thru 5.26]

Book World Prague (Prague, Czech Republic) [thru 5.26]

Hay Festival of Literature and Arts (Hay-on-Wye, United Kingdom) [thru 6.2]

Hot Luck (Auto, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Kerrville Folk Festival (Kerrville, Texas) [thru 6.9]

Kodiak Crab Festival (Kodiak, Alaska) [thru 5.27]

Main Street Port Clinton Walleye Festival (Port Clinton, Ohio) [thru 5.27]

Patriotic Festival (Norfolk, Virginia) [thru 5.26]

Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival (Ware Shoals, South Carolina) [thru 5.25]

Feast Days

Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Amaldus Nielsen (Artology)

Anathansius (Positivist; Saint)

Appreciate Reptiles Day (Pastafarian)

Bertholet Flemalle (Artology)

Bluebell Day (Shamanism)

Bufi the Toad (Muppetism)

Carl Bloch (Artology)

Carista (Day of Peace in the Family; Pagan)

Declaration of the Bab (Baba'i)

Desiderius, Bishop of Langres (Christian; Saint)

Desiderius of Vienne (Christian; Saint)

Euphrosyne of Polotsk (Christian; Saint)

Franz Kline (Artology)

Giovanni Battista de' Rossi (Christian; Saint)

Guibert of Gemblours (Christian; Saint)

Harold Hitchcock (Artology)

Ivo of Chartres (Christian; Saint)

John Baptist Rossi (Christian; Saint)

József Rippl-Rónai (Artology)

Julia of Corsica (Christian; Saint)

Leontius of Rostov (Christian; Marty)

Margaret Fuller (Writerism)

Mitch Albom (Writerism)

Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))

Peter Matthiessen (Writerism)

Quintian, Lucius and Julian (Christian; Saints)

Rosalia (Ancient Rome)

Simon the Zealot (Abkhazia)

Slim Pickens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Tubilustrium (Ceremony to Purify the Ceremonial Trumpets; Ancient Rome) [also 3.23]

Turtle Day (Pastafarian)

Vulcan's Day (Ancient Rome)

William of Perth (Christian; Saint)

William of Rochester (Christian; Saint)

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Full Moon [5th of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Bright Moon (Celtic)

Buddha Day (Buddhism)

Budding Moon (Traditional)

Corn Planting Moon (Alternate)

Dragon Moon (China)

Egg Laying Moon (Traditional)

Fell Moon (South Africa)

Flower Moon (Amer. Indian, North America, Traditional)

Grass Moon (Neo-Pagan)

Hare Moon (England, Wicca)

Leaf Budding Moon (Traditional)

Milk Moon (Colonial)

Panther Moon (Choctaw)

Planting (Cherokee, Traditional)

Southern Hemisphere: Beaver, Frost, Hunter’s

Buddha Day [Around 5th Full Moon of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Buddha Jayanti (Nepal)

Buddha Purnima (Parts of India)

Buddha Purnuma (Bangladesh)

Hari Raya Waisaki (Indonesia)

Lord Buddha’s Parinirvana (Bhutan)

Saga Dawa (Sikkim, India)

Shyadar Pidar (Parts of India)

Vesak Day (Singapore, Sri Lanka)

Visakha Bucha Day (Thailand)

Visakh Bochea (Cambodia)

Wesak (Malaysia)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Addicted to Love (Film; 1997)

The Asphalt Jungle (Film; 1950)

Blended (Film; 2014)

Born This Way, by Lady Gaga (Album; 2011)

Brassed Off (Film; 1996)

Bruce Almighty (Film; 2003)

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (Novel; 2012)

Cat Nipped (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1932)

The China Plate (Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1931)

David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell (Book; 2014)

Doctor Faustus, by Thomas Mann (Novel; 1947)

Dragonquest, by Anne McCaffrey (Novel; 1971) [Dragonriders of Pern #2]

The Dwarf, by Pär Lagerkvist (Novel; 1944)

The Fabulous Riverboat, by Philip José Farmer (Novel; 1971) [Riverworld #2]

Fidelio (Final Version), by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Opera; 1814)

Fish Tales (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

Follow That Dream (Film; 1964)

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns (Music Documentary Film; 2003)

The Gong Show Movie (Film; 1980)

I’ll Be There For You, by The Rembrandt’s (Song/Friends Theme Song; 1995)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Film; 1984)

Injun Trouble (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1951)

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell (Novel; 1960)

The Kids Are Alright (Documentary Film; 1979)

Law and Audrey (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1952)

Lights Fantastic (WB MM Cartoon; 1942)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Film; 1997)

The Marshall Mathers LP, by Eminem (Album; 2000)

Much Ado About Nutting (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

A Mutt in a Rut (WB LT Cartoon; 1959)

Nutty News (WB LT Cartoon; 1942)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (Film; 1973)

Patience, by Gilbert & Sullivan (Operetta; 1881)

Persepolis (Animated Film; 2007)

The Shining (Film; 1980)

Silly Scandals (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1931)

Taking the Long Way, by the Dixie Chicks (Album; 2006)

The Thin Man (Film; 1934)

Tommy, by The Who (Album; 1969)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (Film; 2014)

Today’s Name Days

Alma, Desiree, Renate (Austria)

Deziderije, Nada, Vilim, Želimir, Željko (Croatia)

Vladimír (Czech Republic)

Desiderus (Denmark)

Lii, Liidi, Liidia, Ly, Lydia (Estonia)

Lyydia, Lyyli (Finland)

Didier (France)

Alma, Désirée, Renate (Germany)

Dezső (Hungary)

Desiderio (Italy)

Leontīne, Ligija, Lonija (Latvia)

Gertautas, Ivona, Tautvydė (Lithuania)

Oddlaug, Oddleif (Norway)

Budziwoj, Dezyderiusz, Dezydery, Emilia, Iwona, Jan, Leontyna, Michał, Symeon (Poland)

Mihail (România)

Želmíra (Slovakia)

Desiderio (Spain)

Desideria, Desirée (Sweden)

Allard, Desirae, Desire, Desiree (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 222 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 15 (Ding-Hai)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 15 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 15 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 24 Magenta; Threesday [24 of 30]

Julian: 10 May 2024

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 3 St. Paul (6th Month) [Anathansius]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 3 of 31)

[wutbju]

Karl Leatherman, 90, of Wilmington, DE, formerly of Ware Shoals, SC, passed away Thursday, December 14, 2023 at Christiana Care Hospital, Wilmington, DE.

Born on June 1, 1933 in Collegeville, PA, he was a son of the late Jacob and Mary Jones Leatherman. He was a member of Poplar Springs Baptist Church of Ware Shoals, SC where he had served as a deacon and was active in the church choir. He was a graduate of Collegeville Trappe High School, Collegeville, PA and Bob Jones University, He was a retired engineer, having worked for Bob Jones University and S.C.E.T.V.

Surviving are his wife of the home, Katie Leatherman; two daughters, Karla Gray (Mark) of Greenwood, SC, and Donna Hahn (Chris) of Ninety Six, SC; a step-son, Robert Edgar of Wilmington, DE; a step-daughter, Rebecca Shaw of WV; one brother, Glenn Leatherman (Kathryn) of Pelford, PA; grandchildren, Kayla Maddox (Steven), Elizabeth Gray, Nikki Sanders (Argus), Jill Browne (Daniel), Alexis Vaughn (Levi), Matthew (Angela), Bobby Edgar, Danny Edgar (Lauren), and Melissa Edgar (Nick); great-grandchildren, Mayce, Carter, Tucker, Cooper, Taivyn, Emrie, Everette, Izaiah, Asher, Axell, Britton, Gunner, Liam, Fiadh, Isla, Boe, Max, Josephine, Ellie, Vaida, Sullivan, Shane, and Maggie.

He was twice married, first to the late Catherine Kabino Leatherman. He was also predeceased by his parents, and a step-son, Mark Edgar.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at the New Life Church, 2712 Old Milltown Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808 beginning at 11AM. Interment will be held at a later date in South Carolina.

[prof-peach]

PREFACE

the blog is run based more on the manga than games, as the game mechanics don't suit real life. The principal here is to rationalise and use logic and sometimes real life facts to make the pokemon world seem very real and even more amazing than it already is! We have a Patreon for those who would like to support more work being made, and a website dedicated to hosting the full comics.

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WHAT WE DO

Our work centralises on grass pokemon, their care, their health, and the general relationships we share with them. many are responsible for the health of the ecosystem, and provide valuable nutrition and support to not only the plants but pokemon they live near.

Though we focus the study aspects of our work on grass types, each of the staff have different areas of expertise, and we often handle very difficult, or "last chance" pokemon that are far too aggressive, damaged, or difficult for the average handler.

Our lab handles all sorts, and offers a multitude of events for the public to partake in. The care facilities here match any pokecentre you may come across, with available rooms for short stay rental, along with rental tents for those who want to camp out in the grounds at designated locations.

We also rehabilitate and rehome many species, should both parties be interested in the partnership, with many open days to come visit, and flexible personal visits should the open days be inconvenient.

All public locations are signposted, pokemon guides frequent most locations should you become lost, and you're free to wander the grounds in your own time, so long as you don't go to the north side.

WHERE WE ARE - HOW TO FIND US

Our location is closest to Johto, You can ferry across from Cianwood or Olivine city should you not have travel pokemon, or of course surf/fly over at your own leisure. We advise guests to check the weather before hand, travelling to us can land you in some stormy waters if not too careful.

EVENTS

SPRING Foraging for Beginners - Helpful plants when you're in a pinch. Blossom walk - An opportunity to enjoy the spring blooms. Flower show - The latest in fashion for your garden spaces. Egg hunt - Search for as many as you can! Passing of the Finneon -Watch many shoals illuminate the sea. Garden Tours - Varying times, ask at front desk. Adoption fair - Repeated each season.

SUMMER Beach Cook-Out - Time for a tasty break in the sunshine. Annual Battle Contest - Your Chance to walk away with a trophy. Yard Sale - local business and crafty folks come to sell their wares. Surfing Contest - See how far around the race track you can get. Movie Showing - Open air movies on display, get comfy! Jumpluff Migration - Watch thousands float by, date varying. Garden Tours - Varying times, ask at front desk. Adoption Fair - Repeated each season.

AUTUMN Fungi Foraging 101 - Learn how to find helpful fungi. Bonfire Night - A chance to enjoy fire light and stars. Annual Costume contest - Show off your style and moves! Stantler Rutting - A display of strength and stamina, thrilling. Garden Tours - Varying times, ask at front desk. Adoption Fair - Repeated each season.

WINTER Capture the Flag - Play along side Island pokemon teams. Comedy Club - shows for people and pokemon. Chilli contest - Cook up a delicious treat to try and win. Open Slopes - bookings required, great for sledding or skiing ect. Garden Tours - Varying times, ask at front desk. Adoption Fair - Repeated each season.

FACILITIES

GREENHOUSES - Offering several different climate zones, hosting many pokemon and plants, tended to by dedicated staff, volunteers and various species.

MAIN LAB - The heart of our operation, it serves as a surgery, housing for travellers above the labs, research facility, and pokecentre. Should you have questions, this is a good place to go.

GREY'S LAB - Full of equipment and items, where the crafting goes on. Those who need prostetics or adjustments to items come here for work and care.

CONTAINMENT - Areas used to keep and calm aggressive species, mostly off limits to the general public.

MOUNTAINS - A Beautiful trail for visitors to walk, safe and signposted, with guide pokemon dotted around to help those in need. One mountain summit overlooks the other, where you can observe many unusual pokemon that frequent the north side at a safe distance

DAYCARE - A place to leave your partners should you like to have a break, giving them time to relax and rest.

DOCKS - Souvenir shops, food and drink on sale, areas to tie up boats, a small lighthouse, and plenty of seating areas for visitors to relax at. There is also a groomers with cater-to-all facilities.

FORMAL GARDENS - A number of tended locations, decorative floral displays, topiaries, and the best colour each season has to offer. Ornate fountains sit centrally, and floral scent wafts heavy here.

PLAYGROUND - A great place to go for kids and pokemon alike, plenty of areas to climb, run, play, a shallow pond, trees to climb, swings and other equipment, both suiting people and pokemon. A great place for lunch.

SOUTH LAKE - Clear fresh waters, isolated islands inside the large lake, if you're lucky you'll spot a very friendly Gyarados that rules these waters with a gentle touch. A Campsite sits to one side of this lake, for visitors to utilise.

GRAVEYARD - A place of quiet contemplation, occupied by a number of ghost pokemon. Access is across a large bridge, technically its situated off the main island.

ADOPTION ZONE - The only area on the island where catching a pokemon is allowed. If a pokemon goes to this location and stays there, it is looking for a new partner. This space has many toys, we hold open sporting activities, and theres a multitude of activities to take part in, to get to know each other well before adopting.

WATER TREATMENT PLANT - Not only the Islands water stores, but a place for Grey and others to handle water types within a secure internal space, great when a storm comes, to house small water pokemon who would get washed away easily.

NORTH SIDE - Heavily fenced and signposted. We do not allow anyone to enter this area. It is littered with terrifyingly strong pokemon, individuals who aren't comfortable with humans, and those who need a lot of care and routine. These pokemon don't want to know about people, and so we give them the space to be as free as the island can allow. If you enter, despite the signage posted everywhere, you risk your own life. Only go in if one of the professors are present and allowing.

BATTLE ZONES - several regulation sized battle fields have been set up, where friendly battle minded pokemon can go, awaiting trainers to come and challenge them to a friendly match. Test your metal against a huge host of species, and then come on by the lab for some healing up.

GENERAL FACILITIES - We offer transport to anyone who needs it, simply call ahead, theres WC blocks dotted about, camping areas have drinking water and bathrooms, and we do offer a number of pokemon as guides/mounts for those who have mobility issues, so no one misses out on the islands beauty.

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FAQ

Do you hand out starters?

Yes, but the individual has to prove they're ready for the responsibility, we only let pokemon go if THEY choose a partner, the human has less say in the matter, but we like it when theres a mutual feeling from both parties. We hand out starters on dedicated days, not just as and when people show up. You can phone ahead to see what we have for rehoming too, and we offer these services no matter your age. Should the adoption days not suit your schedule, phone ahead and we can arrange something that'd better suit your needs.

I caught a legendary.

Nope. Just nope. Release that thing immediately.

I want to start a blog like this, is that ok?

Please go for it! Theres no such thing as too many researchers and specialists!

Can I do fanart of your characters?

Yes but please tag us, love to see what you folks make!

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[demisexual-deesaster]

Like Mother...

(More About Wei Lin)

The youngest daughter of The Tianquan Ningguang and the legendary Sea Captain Beidou, Wei Lin, inherited the latter's thirst for adventure. However, just because she didn't want anything to do with the commercial line of work, doesn't mean she didn't have a knack for it.

When she was 6 years old, Wei Lin had desperately wanted a toy, but given how one of her mothers was away at sea, and the other busy with meetings, the youngest daughter took matters into her own hands, and decided to earn the money on her own, by visiting Yaoguang Shoal, and collecting Starconches.

After collecting plenty, she set up a stand on her own by borrowing a wooden box and setting down her wares next to the other stalls in Liyue harbour. After ensuring she had a proper disguise, the young Wei Lin began her business, encountering another conch salesman a year or two older than her, who challenged her to a conch selling competition. The person to have the most Mora by sundown would win. After signing the contract that stated the loser would do anything the winner wanted, their fierce competition began.

Their actions were not unnoticed, because right before sundown, she saw the Tianquan approach, looking rather amused. She told them both that if given a good reason, she'd entirety of both their remaining stock. In the end, she brought their whole stock anyway, but not before giving them both advice for the future. Unfortunately for the competitor, Wei Lin had more conches collected than her, and had won by 500 Mora.

Satisfied with her win, Wei grinned and shook her competitor's hand, before she untied the bag of Mora she'd earned and placed it in front of the girl.

"You can keep it." She said to her. "You need it more than me."

The girl protested, telling Wei that she'd earned the Mora, to which Wei responded by pulling up the contract they had both signed, stating that the loser would do what the winner wanted.

"You're not going to break the terms of your contract with the Tianquan standing right in front of us, are you?" She had added with a grin, and the girl looks up to the imposing lady standing next to them, smile still in place, an eyebrow raised.

"No." The girl mumbled. "I won't."

"That's what I thought." Wei Lin grinned.

"Who are you?" Yao had asked, and the girl took off her mask with a grin, feeling a thrill of pride at the slow realisation that dawns on her competitor's face.

"I'm Wei Lin." She tells her, before looking up at her mother with a grin.

She looks back at her competitor again and continues

"Daughter of the Tianquan and the infamous Captain Beidou; and I'm gonna be the world's greatest adventurer!"

A/N: FFS I need to stop losing sleep by writing about and imagining the children of my faves in fictional situations at 2 am in the fuckin morning. Anyway, Wei Lin is my OC, Beigguang's youngest child and a lil shit

[the1920sinpictures]

1920 Postcard of the Ware Shoals department store in Ware Shoals, South Carolina. From Dave Etchie, FB.

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

The dirty secret of the Chesapeake operation was that the Royal Navy depended on local help to sustain the blockade, for their crews needed fresh water and provisions from the farms and plantations along the shore. The British also relied on American pilots to guide them around the treacherous shoals and up the shallow rivers. In addition, the naval officers paid informants to reveal the strong and weak points of the American defenses. Deftly deploying flattery, trickery, and money, Cockburn cultivated suppliers, guides, pilots, and spies. He learned much simply by reading the American newspapers, which reported military deployments in surprising detail. A visitor noted that the admiral routinely received ‘newspapers, smoking from the press, and every other information they could obtain to our strength, dispositions of force, &c.”

Many Americans readily sold their wares and principles for British gold. Loading their vessels with cattle, poultry, sheep, hogs, and vegetables, they sailed straight for British warships while flying a white flag. By Cockburn’s prearrangement, the British “captured” the ships, took off the cargo, but then generously paid the captains and released their ships to return home with a phony story. One canny captain damaged his sails, “to shew when he went home, that he had been fired at and compelled (sorely against his will!) to go along-side one of the enemy’s ships.” In another trick, the merchant captain hid a cargo of provisions beneath a load of lumber. After buying the food, Cockburn gave the obliging captain a pass to sail unmolested through the British fleet to another American port to sell the lumber, thereby making a double profit.

from the Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 by Alan Taylor

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Soulmate September - Day 9

Day 9 - When you write something on your own skin it appears on your soulmate’s skin as well. (Pirates and Sirens AU)

Pairing(s): Romantic Dukeceit, Background Romantic Prinxiety

TWs: Swearing, murder mention, Remus being Remus, semi-detailed leg  and fin injury

–

Those who ran afoul of The Witch’s Serpent rarely lived to tell the tale. Many a foolish young sea-farer - far too inexperienced and overly cocky - had met their end at the hands of the galleon’s captain long before they could even hope to make their mark on the open seas. 

Captain Remus Gaspar was an impulsive, enigma of a man; capable of great feats of bravery and reckless daring do, alongside acts of cold blooded murder and remorseless torture inflicted upon those who crossed him. The sea choked on the bodies of his victims while he and his crew sipped the finest stolen wines with nary a hiccup. The naval officers of the mainland cowered in fear while Remus decimated their trade routes and sent their men to the depths to keep the fish company. In fact, only one man had faced the Captain and lived to see another day, but kept coming back for more. 

Commodore Logan Callows.

Remus would have admired him - in all senses - if not for his fanatic loyalty to the crown and it’s laws. Make no mistake, Remus very much wanted Logan’s head for a bow ornament with every fibre of his mortal being, but outside factors forbade Remus from fatally wounding the man. Namely, Logan’s first mate and closest friend was his brother-in-law, Virgil Giordano. Why did Roman’s soulmate have to be a man who could rival any opponent in a knife fight, despite being the sort to panic over the smallest change in weather conditions? Remus had no goddamn idea what fate was playing at, but he knew for certain that killing Logan would result in having to run from Virgil’s swift and immediate crusade for revenge. And if there’s one thing Remus Gaspar refused to do, it wold be spending his life in hiding.

Remus loved his brother dearly but all the familial loyalty in the world wouldn’t save him from Virgil’s wrath. He’d learned that much from his last encounter with Logan’s ship, The Inquisitor. Too many cocky remarks and attempts to stall while his men pillaged the lower decks of the ship in secret had earned him a close encounter with the business end of Virgil’s dagger. Naturally, the Captain had made things worse by uttering a rather salacious remark for which he was gifted a shiny new slash mark along his cheek.

“As a warning.”, his brother in law had hissed.

When forced to retreat, Remus had lamented the size of their haul at first. Not nearly enough sugar and spices as they’d been hoping for, but a small crate of flintlock pistols ripe for sale more than made up for the loss once they’d been discovered among the spoils. 

Thus we come to the present moment; Captain Remus, sat upon the docks with a bottle of expensive rum, staring out into the ocean blue. His men had been more than happy to give the Captain his space while they spent their time merrily drinking in the local tavern. Once he was sure he was alone, Remus removed his black leather bracer and rolled his white sleeve to stare at the message written upon it. The Captain had seen many an alphabet in his day - either scrawled upon the foreign exports stolen from trading vessels, or within his memories of home, being tutored alongside his twin as children - but Remus had never laid eyes upon the letters that adorned his skin in a shimmering golden cursive.

Naturally, ever since he’d first been written to, Remus had made an effort to search for the script, but the only ‘lead’ he had been given was an old woman selling wares a couple of ports prior who had raved on and on, claiming it to be the language of the sirens. He’d scoffed at the idea and decided it likely wasn’t worth trying to work out in the first place.

Remus had never been one to buy into this whole soulmates arrangement. Even the day Roman had shown him the violet cursive that had appeared like magic, Remus had rolled his eyes and sworn off taking such a thing seriously. After all, acknowledging that kind of thing brought about some rather unpleasant thoughts he would rather not think about. The fierce Captain liked to play remorseless, but in truth, Remus simply knew that life at sea demanded blood, and it was up to him whether it’d be the blood of his enemies, or his crew and himself. But that didn't stop his mind wandering into territories he wished it would stay out of.  How many men lay on the sandy shores of the depths with messages from soulmates unaware of their beloved’s fate? Did severing the connection hurt? Would fate allow those whom he’d unknowingly widowed to love again? Or had he doomed them to a life alone with no one to share such a connection with ever again?

… More rum would be needed it seemed. 

A clattering from the nearby rock shoal drew Remus out from his own mind with a couple of curses leaving the Captain as he knocked over the rum bottle and watched a good portion of it pour away before he could right it again. 

“Son of a bitch!”, he hissed, corking it and casting a glare towards the rockpool where the clattering had come from. Whoever had just cost him a good amount of rum was in for the brawl of their life. Remus threw on his coat and cursed his inebriated steps over the craggy rock face, swearing once again as he nearly rolled his ankle when his boot sunk into an unseen rockpool. He wrenched his leg free and crested the large flat rock in his way. 

The second his eyes could focus, Remus made a mental note to find that old woman on their round trip and apologise. 

Sprawled on it’s side nestled in the sand was an honest to god siren. The Captain was mesmerised by the creature; it’s long golden hair flowed over it’s scaled shoulders and torso, complimented by it’s black and yellow streaked fin-like ears that fluttered angrily each time it hissed. It wasn’t hard to work out why it was so angry. The creature’s left leg fin had been hooked in a rather nasty mess of fishing line and barbed hooks. The Captain had seen the technique used before to ensure a plentiful haul, who knew it could catch such a creature of legend so easily?

Perhaps Remus was succumbing to the creature’s charms, or maybe he was just too drunk already to think things through, but he found himself whistling to the creature to catch it’s attention. The way the creature’s panicked, beautiful eyes met his own momentarily knocked the wind from his chest as he wheezed out, “Need help?”

 It let out a strangled sound and scrambled backwards, only to let out a cry of pain as it’s injured leg dragged along the sand. The Captain dropped down from his rock perch and made his way over,

“Woah there! Unless you want that fin ripped out you should lemme unhook you-”

Despite the excruciating pain it must’ve been in, it still managed to hiss dangerously at Remus in a voice that felt like a million tiny hands groping around in his brain with every syllable,

“Stay back!”

Remus’ halted momentarily, the voice in his head warning him, “Come any closer and I won’t hesitate to eat you alive!”

In spite of any semblance of common sense, Remus impulsively shot a cocky grin the creature’s way, “Kinky!”

The siren wasn’t amused. 

It lunged forward to swipe at Remus, but the Captain caught it’s arm, making sure his grasp wasn’t painful, but firm.

“Watch it, you’re gonna take someone’s eye out! Or maybe these beauties will just gouge a couple chunks outta my face-” 

Remus’ rambling was cut short as he saw the siren’s expression shift from a ferocious snarl to one of immediate fear.

“Please don’t kill me-”, it murmured quietly, slapping it’s free hand over its mouth. It tried to change back to a more aggressive persona but Remus refused to be intimidated,

“The last thing I wanna do is hurt you. Now are you gonna be a good lil fishy and let me unhook you?” 

The siren scanned his face with those enchanting eyes once again, scrutinising every inch of Remus before it huffed and turned away from his gaze. The Captain took it as a sign of an indignant ‘do whatever you want’ and sat on the sand next to the siren, already beginning to carefully remove the hooks as best he could. Each wince the creature gave was met with an apology until Remus got the hang of it. 

“.....What’s your name?”, Remus mused to the surprised siren, “Might as well get to know each other, right?”

The creature mumbled something Remus couldn’t understand under it’s breath but relented reluctantly, “My name is Janus. At least, that's how you humans would pronounce it.” 

“It’s a beautiful name. Mine’s Remus.”, the Captain mumbled, too hyper focused on removing the hooks to see the way Janus’ cheeks flushed a dark ochre colour. Once the last hook had come loose, both of them let out a shared sigh of relief; Remus admired his job well done but grew concerned as Janus went to stand up. “Hey, you’re going to hurt yourself doing that.”, he warned, to which Janus scoffed, attempting to hide his emotions once more.

“I’ll be fine, Remus, I’ll heal quickly-”

“The salt water’s gonna sting like a bitch.”, Remus cut in.

Noting the wince Janus gave in response, he continued, “At least let me take you to my ship so I can bandage you up proper-“ 

“No!”, Janus declined fiercely, though he softened right after, letting Remus know it was likely a reflexive reaction, “I apologise. I… I’m rather wary of that kind of thing. Please understand.”

Remus sighed and stood up, taking off his coat to place it around Janus’ shoulders. The siren stiffened, though curiosity got the better of him and he softly touched the warm material. Janus inhaled and immediately was hit with the smell of the garment; a mix of body odour, dried blood, sea salt, and countless food-like smells. Not to mention the reek of old alcohol.

“In the name of Uranus, do you never clean this ornate rag!?”

Remus cackled, taking Janus’ hand to lead him to The Witch’s Serpent, noting that his fingers were webbed. Adorable. 

“Nope! Not since I hauled it off the guy I ran through to get it!”

Janus’ nose crinkled at that yet the siren kept following Remus towards his ship. With a proper glance in the light of the port, Janus piped up, “Oh. That’s an interesting coincidence.”

“What is?”, Remus questioned, making sure no one was aboard yet so he could lift a flustered Janus on deck despite the embarrassed glare he received from the siren.

“I’ve been following your ship for months.”, Janus elaborated, trying to regain his footing on the decks, “With the scraps and bodies you leave behind in your wake, I rarely have to bother hunting for new prey.”

Ah. Remus wasn’t sure what to make of that yet, simply shrugging, “Good to know you’ve been freeloading this whole time.”. 

Once more taking the hand of the siren, Remus led him towards the Captain’s Quarters; the room was just as gilded and ornate as the coat keeping Janus warm, with various trinkets, maps, paintings, and oddities given their own place within the room. Taking the opportunity to snoop around while Remus was rooting around in his desk drawer for bandages, Janus allowed his eyes to lead him on a journey around the room. A telescope, a star map, family photos, animal bones, even a goblet made from a man’s skull connected atop a metal stem, Janus had never seen so many interesting and macabre items. His interest peaked when his gaze landed on a beautiful topaz necklace resting on a book of fairytales.

Janus’ fingers traced the jewellery adoringly. It was rare for such trinkets to end up on the seafloor unless a storm had sent an unfortunate vessel to the depths. Not that Janus was ever lucky enough to get at the spoils; the boisterous captain may be sweet on him, for who knows what reason, but his own kind were never too fond of Janus’ standoffish nature and biting remarks. Of course, Janus didn’t care if he was lonely. He didn’t. Not at all. “You can have it if you want.”

Remus’ voice startled the siren who nearly tripped over the end of the Captain’s large coat. He chuckled and slowly lifted the necklace off the book to carefully let it loop over Janus’ neck.

“It suits you. Really brings out the scales.”, he complimented. Without giving Janus a second to process the act of kindness, Remus led him towards a wooden armchair in front of his desk. He guided Janus to sit down in the chair while Remus sat on the desk itself. To his side was a roll of bandages and a cloth, ‘for the blood trail’ he’d explained, gesturing to the droplets patterning their route. Janus watched the captain remove his bracers and sink to the floor to tend to his wounds. By the gentle way the Captain held and bandaged him, Janus assumed the man had sobered enough for the siren to pose the question,

“Why?”

Remus frowned, looking up to lock eyes with the siren, “Why what?”

“Why’re you...”, being so kind? Treating me so sweetly? Not trying to kill me to sell my skin? “.... treating me like this? You realise I threatened to eat you earlier, right?”

The Captain shrugged, his expression as blank as before, “Yeah. But you didn’t. And you got all fucked up in some moron’s fishing line, so it wasn’t like you posed much of a threat-”

“Exactly.”, Janus interrupted in frustrated confusion in his tone, “My voice is out of practice, if you wanted to, you could’ve slaughtered me for my skin. Any human would be a fool not to. But here you are, treating me like I’m worth more to you alive than dead. Adorning me in such… expensive trinkets.”

Remus’ brow furrowed at that. “For someone who threatened to eat me earlier, I figured you’d practice a little more self preservation.”

The siren scoffed, “I didn’t say I wanted to be slaughtered, I’m merely trying to work out why you wouldn’t take such a chance. Doesn’t your species enjoy monetary gain? Like I said, any human would be a fool to miss such an opportunity- oW!”

Janus fixed Remus a glare as the Captain flicked the abused tip of his leg fin, “First off, yeah, I like money but that's not what I do this shit for. Secondly, most humans think your kind aren’t even real. If I waltzed into town claiming I had siren skin to sell, I’d be run outta town as a conman. Besides, if I’m nice to you, I’ll have an ally in the water, and that's far more valuable to me.”

As he wrapped up the calf area for good, Remus grinned up at the siren, “You’re also really handsome, so that helps.”

Janus’ face crinkled in a flustered surprise, “Remus, I’m part fish-”

“You’re still handsome as fuck.”

“I’m not even using my human glamour-”

“And? You’re hot.”

“I’m literally covered in fish scales-!”

“Still hot!”

Janus couldn’t think of another rebuttal, so Remus counted it as a win for him. He rolled his sleeves to tackle the rest of the injuries when he caught Janus’ eyes tracing the fresh scar on his cheek.

“Wondering how I got this scar?”

“I may be interested.” came the coy reply.

Remus smirked, “You could call it a gift from my brother-in-law. I got a little too up close and personal with his best friend and found up with this beauty. It’s a shame, said bestie’s pretty fun but he’s the biggest pain in my ass since this one time I ate some bad eels-”

“That’s charming,”, Janus interrupted in disgust, “Why don’t you simply dispatch this ‘bestie’ and be done with him?”

“Can’t. If I did that, Virge-”

“Who?”

“My brother-in-law.”

“Ah. Continue.”

“Virge would hunt me down to the ends of the Earth and the last thing I wanna do is trade away my freedom to do whatever the fuck I want.”, he averted his gaze to Janus’ leg and kept bandaging it; whoever had put that line into the ocean had no idea the damage it’d caused to such a beautiful creature. “Besides, if I hurt Virge like that, my brother Roman would be miserable. Even if he probably hates me, some dumb bitch part of me really doesn’t want him to feel like shit just ‘cause I went and upset his soulmate.”

Janus scoffed quietly. It lacked the venom he no doubt intended it to have but the disdain was enough to draw the Captain’s attention. “You humans are far too sentimental. My kind have no qualms treating even close family like scum if we so desire. Even our soulmates it would seem..”

Remus caught the darting glance Janus sent towards his scaled wrist, noting the sigh he suppressed. “.... They’re a damn fool to not want you.”, the Captain murmured thoughtfully as he finally finished the upper shin bandaging. He wiped his brow with the heel of his palm but stopped as he felt smoothe fingers wrap around his wrist. His confusion was answered as the siren bore holes into the sliver of writing on his arm with those mesmerising eyes.

“You’re not the only one having soulmate trouble,”, Remus began answering, “Never really cared much for this shit, but now I got a message, I can’t make heads or tails of it-”

“Help me. I need you.”

Remus locked eyes with Janus, the siren’s own eyes wide with realisation and looking ready to bubble with tears, “That's what it says. It’s in Aquan. I wrote that to my soulmate while I was feeling…. rather vulnerable.”

Unsure of how to react to this turn of events, Remus stood and sat on his desk once more. He was too stunned to reply at first. A million questions swelled and crashed upon the shores of his brain, all fighting to be asked, but Janus beat him to the punch.

“Why did you never write back?”, the hurt in his voice stabbed at the Captain’s heart, “I mean, even if you couldn’t understand me, why didn’t you just...”

Remus wasn’t sure himself. No, that was a lie. He simply never fathomed that the message had been a cry for help. 

“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”, he began, looking to Janus - no, his soulmate, and asking in return, “What happened?”

Janus sucked in a breath through his teeth, “.... It was a moment of weakness but….. My family had cast me out. Not that it was all too surprising, nor could I stand most of them anyway, but… being left alone to wander by yourself is a rather terrifying thought no matter the situation. I’d reached my breaking point. I felt like I’d been abandoned by my kin entirely. I thought perhaps my soulmate would be there for me. I never imagined you were human.”

“Makes sense. I’m sorry your family sucks ass.”. Eloquent as always. But hey, the snicker that got from the siren was worth it in Remus’ eyes. “And I’m sorry I didn’t write back. But I guess it’s good we finally crossed paths.”

Remus gestured for Janus to join him on the desk, to which the siren accepted the offer, being careful not to catch the coat he was still adorned in on anything on the way up. With his soulmate seated by his side, Remus wrapped an arm around the siren and held him close. Janus gave a lop-sided, fond smile, leaning into the act of comfort and gently resting a hand on Remus’ chest.

“What now then, my Captain?”, Janus’ voice was as soft and sweet as a ripe peach. Remus knew it’d require a lot of explanation where his crew was concerned, but he wasn’t about to let Janus slip away from him. He pressed a kiss to the siren’s temple, relishing the blush that spread over Janus’ cheeks. With a grin, Remus cackled,

“Simple, we make good on this alone time we’ve got ‘til my crew get back!”

--

Sorry this one’s so late TTvTT I miight need some time to finish days 10 and up, but I’ll get things written asap. @tsshipmonth2020

Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account @cateye-glasses @fandomsofrandom