#all-weather lifeboat

[streetsofdublin]

HOWTH RNLI LIFEBOAT STATION

For nearly 190 years an all-weather lifeboat has launched into Dublin Bay from Howth and the crews have been honoured with 20 awards for gallantry.

SATURDAY 19 AUGUST For nearly 190 years an all-weather lifeboat has launched into Dublin Bay from Howth and the crews have been honoured with 20 awards for gallantry. Today the station operates both a Trent class lifeboat and an inshore D class lifeboat. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom,…

[fezwearingjellybananas]

Whoops accidentally started another Barriscowest Sherlock Holmes fic for a Multiamory March prompt.

[sadclowncentral]

hi would you say the barrier of entry for sailing is very high?

my family had a house near the beach so i spent every summer in the sea so i absolutely ADORE IT and wanted to learn how to sail recreationally but it's always seemed so expensive + hard to get into

advice or opinions are greatly appreciated if you have any to offer<3

btw i love ur blog ty :)

i would absolutely encourage you to try sailing out and i think it's a great sport to get into! i have introduced dozens of people to sailing so far and almost all of them hit the ground running. the learning curve is steep and even just joining for the first times without touching anything is exhilarating so no moment learning is wasted. strong motion sickness or a paralyzing fear of the ocean notwithstanding, i truly think everyone can learn the ropes (haha) and that quickly! we always joke that it is very easy to get a boat sailing and very hard to get it sailing fast, but you have the rest of the life to figure out the latter and even if you don't you will have a grand time on the water.

you did not specify if you want to get on a sailing yacht (that you can sleep and do long tours on) or a smaller dhingy so i will answer both and i hope it is helpful!

SAILING YACHTS:

when it comes to sailing yacht, the real challenge is not sailing but owning a boat, and that is where the financial barriers come in. i will not lie to you - owning a boat is really expensive, and i am talking 5 to 6 figures a year expensive for a middle-sized sailing yacht including mooring, fixes, equipment, utilities, tools, and everything else. you can absolutely find cheap boats sold at every coast line - but buying a boat is not expensive, having a boat is. (guy who just bought a rope for 600 human dollars voice) heed my warning.

THE GOOD NEWS: you absolutely do NOT need a boat to learn sailing on a yacht. everywhere there is a marina there is people looking for crew, and many sailing clubs have programmes for beginners to get you on a yacht and try it out! there are also many summer programmes to join on larger tours and learn sailing. i would encourage you to bring a friend or two because it's much easier to flounder around on a new ship in groups, but it is absolutely worth trying out and again - even being on a boat is exiting, and you learn by doing!

now. sailing is not a dangerous sport and this is my heightened sense for safety of a sailing instructor speaking. but! if you join on a boat even as a visitor please think of that sailing tumblr blog in your life and tell the captain that before you go out of the water you would like to know: 1) the number for local search and rescue, and 2) the position of the fire extinguisher, the lifeboat/life ring, and the emergency shut-off and 3) that you want to wear a life vest unrelated to weather conditions. if they make jokes about you being a worry-wart, take them in stride, but if they refuse to do any of this, you tell them that they are irresponsible and leave. things rarely go wrong but they can and i want you to know what to do. okay? sailing is not scary but being unprepared is. okay PSA over.

DHINGY SAILING:

dhingy sailing is the most fun, the closest to the water, and the fastest way to learning sailing because you are together with one other person max facing the winds. yes you will most certainly get wet, but it is very safe, close to shore, incredibly fun and exhilarating, teaching you self-reliance, reflexes, trains your sense of balance and gives you abs. it's the perfect sport. can you tell i teach dhingy sailing

if you want to learn dhingy sailing, again, do NOT immediately buy a dhingy. while they are far less expensive they are still a hassle and setting up the mast without knowing your way around a boat will discourage you from sailing forever. instead, again, join a sailing club or a short course to learn dhingy sailing!

many places can give you intensive courses and certificates that qualify you to lend out dhingys afterwards our you join a sailing club with their own dhingys (which there are a lot of everywhere!). most offer weekly or even daily sailing lessons and group sailing and faster than you know you will flying over the water. the financial barrier here could be the course cost as they vary widely (my students pay 50 euros a year but some places will cost you that or more an hour it's hard to gauge). apart from that, you will have to invest in a neoprene suit and a sailing west, but that's the extent of it.

all in all, give sailing a try! it is the most rewarding hobby i can think of and my heart aches for everyone who lives at the coast and doesn't best the waves one way or another. and again, i cannot stress it enough: being on the water is half the fun. everything else will happen in due time. the ocean waits for you! happy sailing!

[jelzorz]

154.

Callum makes a couple of ice packs after Villads declares himself Captain of Sea Legs: a little air, a little water, both things he can do magic with now, and a wonderful relief on the bruises on his face. Rayla clucks her tongue thoughtfully at the patch of purple blossoming beneath his eye, but her hands are gentle and cool, and honestly, the proximity, and the knowledge that she's safe, is what feels best.

She leaves him (reluctantly) to talk to Nyx and Villads about borrowing a lifeboat once they're all fixed up, and Soren fills her absence looking far too pleased with himself for someone with a black eye.

"Look at you," he says. "All beat up for the girl. Bet she thought it was super heroic."

Callum scoffs in spite of himself and shakes his head. "I didn't do it to be heroic," he mumbles. "I did it so she wouldn't get hurt."

"I know." Soren doffs his arm gently. "Always knew you had it in you. You're pretty tough for a skinny mage."

"If you say so," laughs Callum. "How're you doing?"

"Eh." Soren shrugs and grins. "I've definitely had worse. I have been wondering, though. How'd you get out of those chains? You got muscles hiding under those noodle arms?"

Callum pauses. Then he flinches. Then he looks away, his stomach pitching like the Ruthless in stormy weather. He can still taste the power on his tongue, the warped hissing syllables like spiders slipping from his mouth.

Soren's face falls. "You didn't."

Callum doesn't answer. Not right away. He glances at Rayla and anchors his thoughts to her, to the concept of her whole and unhurt and safe. He swallows. "I would do anything for the people I love."

"I'll bet you would," says Soren quietly. "Careful. I've heard other people say that too."

Callum scoffs. "I'm sure you have."

[lilkumquat27]

Another snippet of my AU ‘While It Sleeps’ Chapter 4: Scotland Forever, a confrontation between Trots and Rennick about the conditions of the Beira. Haven’t published the chap yet, but will sometime today. Can be found on my FFN. Man, do I love writing these two. Frenemies trope all the way!

Trots came down from the Administration steps calling eagerly, “Rennick! Can I have a minute, please?”

Rennick exhaled grievously, “Can I have a minute of fucking peace?”

“Sacrebleu! Here comes Union Man. Have fun, Capitaine.” Josie said cheekily as she started to make her confident jaunt back to Engineering.

Trots caught up in heavy breath, “Aye, sorry, Rennick. This couldnae wait. Can we speak in your office?”

“What’s this about?”

“You’re gonnae wanna talk to me.”

Trots and Rennick reached his office in shared silence before they finally took their seats. Rennick spread out his hands and asked, “Well? What’s this about, Ivan?”

“Look. You and I have history, so it didn’t feel right going forward with this without at least giving you a heads up.”

“I served in the war with many faces. I barely paid mind to yours’. Donny do me a favour, just spit it out.” Rennick said crassly.

“Right, then. I’ve assembled an enquiry of demands that I’ll be taking to Cadal management and yourself, considering the unsafe conditions on the Beira. I’ve received some concerning complaints and it’s upon my discretion that industrial action will be imminent if care is not taken on managements end.”

Rennick glowered, “You’ve got to be pulling my leg with this, Campbell.”

“Come now, Davey. Even my sense of humour ain’t that bad.”

“What’re these complaints? Everyone is always fucking complaining. What else they do?”

“Well, just two days ago Brodie nearly died on the dive because an umbilical came loose.”

“Aye, an octopus pulled it out. Was a doozy.”

“You and I both ken that umbilical could have never been dislodged by the likes of a marine animal. A damn octopus. Those things are made to weather much worse. It was degraded and corroded to shite when I saw it. Was due for replacing months ago. The railings down in the Under Rig are a complete travesty. At anytime they’ll give, and you’ll have a death on your hands.”

Rennick took off his glasses nonchalantly to wipe them clean as he said, “You expect me to just pull these supplies outta me arse? You think I haven’t been on Cadal every chance I get about those fucking walkways?”

“The pipefitters, Alex and Sunil, they have knowledge in those kinds of repairs. Delegate them down there for a week or two to get it done. We already have what we need.”

“They were hired for pipefitting, they’re needed at that, too. If it’s getting repaired, it’s getting done right. Best we can do is a patch, that’s not right enough.”

Trots shook his head in exasperation and continued, “Fine. The lifeboats still haven’t been installed properly. I’ve been on this rig for 2 years, and every time they’re soon to be installed it’s backdropped again!”

“Do you want me to fix the Under Rig trail or lifeboats? You canny have both, Trots.”

“That’s just it!” Trots reanimated in upset, “There’s too many to count! By all accounts, this rig shouldn’t even have personnel on it. Not until the repairs are done away and safety measures concrete. You and Cadal were so hellbent to get this operation off the ground and start drilling, you slapped this rig together with sticks and rocks just to have the face of an offshore oil rig so you could get to what really matters. Oil! Profit. Not the crew. Not the safety requirements needed for an operation with this kind of risk. It’s unacceptable, Davey! It’s immoral and frankly it should be illegal. We’re still scheduled to be out here for another eight months before we move the rig. In that time a death is a very real possibility in these kinds of conditions!”

“So, what’re you proposing? You expecting a miracle?”

“The rig should be shut down for a month or two with no personnel…” Trots started to elucidate as Rennick wheezed in disbelief, “… other than the chippies and engies to fix this rig up right as the rest of us go home. We should continue to be paid for our absence as the state of the rig isn’t our fault, it’s yours and Cadal. Then, and only then can this operation continue.”

“You’ve got to tell me what’s rattling around in that egg-shaped noggin of yours. Seems like you’ve got a fantasy world in there,” belittled Rennick as he slapped his hand to his armchair, “Honestly. You really think it’s that simple, do you?”

Trots bit down his anger at the comment and continued, “The lifeboats. God forbid there’s an accident, such as a fire that canny be contained or a lethal gas leak. If we canny evacuate efficiently enough, it’ll be a massacre. A nightmare!”

“The chopper pad…!”

Rennick was cut off by a stern Trots, “- Is not good enough execution when an evacuation order is on way! To anyone who is not on the Administration port of the rig would need to navigate and risk life to get there! When they could easily use the lifeboats to the centre of the rig and avoid being too late to evacuate. Honestly, Davey. You’re not this daft! I ken you taking the piss, right? I may have not been a face you cared to remember from the war, but I remember you were a Boy Scout for making sure your lads were kept frosty. It’s been decades, sure, but you canny tell me you forgot just… common sense! You ken this a complete joke but you’re thinking about the money. Who’s gonnae get paid when this place becomes the death trap it really is and kills us all!”

[thedrowsydoormouse]

Ok I don't know if I'm sleep deprived or if this actually makes sense but bear with me because I think I've figured out the backstory for Finetime! Spoilers for Dot and Bubble below the cut.

Ok so what do we KNOW about Finetime?

It's on a different planet than the Home World

It is literally in a bubble that is cut off from the outside world

Everyone there is between the ages of 17-27

It's filled with all the rich (racist) kids who could afford to go there

They "work" for two hours each day

The weather is controlled by a satelite

The home world was also overrun by the slugs

So what can we hypothesize from that information? (Side note, anything you are about to read that is racist, classist, or both are not my actual words but what I would assume someone from that society would think or say. I do not hold those beliefs and I do not wish to associate with anyone who does.)

The grown ups back on the Home World (an already racist, classist society) had already started to drive their Dots insane and they knew their days were numbered. So they gathered up a bunch of their "least valuable" (to them) citizens to Boldy Go and find a new planet that won't immediately kill them and build a new settlement, not really caring how many of them make it back, if any, because again, racist and classist.

While the new settlement is being discovered and built, the people back on the Home World got to work planning. They knew there would only be so many spots available in the new community (think like lifeboats on the Titanic) so the easiest way they could think to secure those spots is to have people pay for them and they needed to make sure every person going could fend for themself (more or less) and was within reproductive age, thus the 17-27 year age limit. But that creates a problem. If your entire population is made up of a bunch of rich 20 somethings who have no marketable skills, how will society continue to function? So they automate everything with computer programs and AI to handle the nitty gritty and the 2 hours of "work" are basically games that keep the AI running smoothly. Then construction of Finetime is complete, the "undesirables" leave the bubble and move out into the jungle (I'm assuming. We never really find out what happened to the people who built everything because the only person we meet who would know is Ricky and well ...........), the bubble is sterilized because poor people cooties, and the stage is set for our "adventure".

So off they go, a rocket full of Rich White kids who, if they were told they were going to be the last of their kind, they either weren't paying attention or didn't care. They assume it's going to be a long holiday and once they turn 27 they'll all head back to the Home World and back to Mummy and Daddy. So they continue on, business as usual. They play their little games for two hours every day to maintain the status quo then spend the rest of their time living like rich kids on vacation. All the while their Dots are plotting to wipe out all of them the same way they started (and eventually finished) back on the Home World because nothing has fundamentally changed. The problem is the computers that run everything need above a certain population to continue functioning normally, so the first few slug victims (#allhailthegloriousslugs) didn't really make that much of a difference. But as more and more of them get eaten, the computers start to struggle to keep up and things start to go a bit haywire, like the weather satellites having issues (I know that was a real world issue and not meant to be part of the plot but it works so well in my backstory theory that I'm going with it).

TLDR: a bunch of rich, racist assholes did what rich, racist assholes do and basically destroyed their planet, used a bunch of working class people and people of color to find and build a new society on a new planet, sent their obnoxious, self absorbed trust fund babies to go live in that society, and the the completely expected thing happens when the problems continue in the new community because nothing about the society itself fundamentally changed. Any of the people who managed to escape Finetime who also manage to not drown when the boat their on inevitably runs aground (because they can't even walk without arrows, no way in hell they'll know how to drive a boat) are either going to starve to death or have to contend with countless wild animals and potentially even the people who built the bubble city in the first place. Not a single person on that boat will live longer than a week.

[fandomscraziness22]

ok this is mostly a list for @tangledstarlight who asked for bellarke fic recs, but is also for anyone who wants them!

alrighty im gonna kinda put these in some semblance of an order-ish lol, we shall see how it goes

vengeance is a dish best served cold -- slight au from 1x09, ANGST YESSSSS i love this fic so much we love to see early bellarke The meeting with the Grounders didn't go quite as planned. Now they're torturing Clarke, and hell hath no fury like Bellamy scorned.

Tears of August -- au from s2 ending, very long and not finished fic but i remember it being very good. accidental baby acquisition! and bellarke cuteness! this one is kinda famous i think?? i don't think i ever fully read it all lol She grabbed his hand and held it tight, checking over her shoulder. “Listen, okay. I’m his mother now, and I always will be, but he wasn’t always mine, Bellamy. I found him.”

who's taking care of you? -- s2finale au where bellarke are stuck in a cave and clarke has to reckon with what mount weather did to bellamy I thought about how the show never acknowledged Bellamy's torture in Mount Weather once it was over and it made me so mad that I wrote 7000 words about it.

so this is how rumors get started -- s2au where bellarke gets mistaken for being married lol, i enjoyed this one a lot! (is rated E for steamy stuff so if that's not your jam then no worries) Or: Bellamy is not as fluent in Trig as he thinks he is

then the ice runs through her veins -- 3x04 divergent, bellamy captured/tortured and clarke to the rescue GOD I LOVE ANGSTY BELLARKE The Ice Nation takes Bellamy hostage in an effort to learn Clarke’s secrets. Or — Azgeda tries to get at Wanheda through her greatest weakness, but Clarke’s not about to just let the Ice Queen send her Bellamy’s head in a box.

Common Ground -- season 4 speculation fic, INCREDIBLE i have reread this one multiple times Or: Earth is the Titanic, and there aren't enough lifeboats. Bellamy doesn't think he deserves to be on one. listne i know that's the description but that STICKS WITH ME!!!!!

you still have hope? -- s4 THE LIST SCENE i'm pretty sure i have a bunch of these ones saved lol because how can you not??? Clarke is no Titan, but in the rare quiet moments when Bellamy brings up ancient myths, she can’t help but empathize with Atlas. Except instead of the weight of the world on her shoulders, it is in the palm of her hand, millions of pounds weighing down her pen as she marks the page, each swoop of her handwriting taking strength Clarke isn’t sure she has. It’s not a burden she chose to carry, but now it’s one she must. If she doesn’t bear this weight, who will?

Bites, Bites -- another s4 List scene!! “The new hundred,” Bellamy observes from over her shoulder. She hadn’t realised he was standing right behind her. “Why is it always a hundred?” “The universe must have a taste for irony," she says, tapping the pen on the desk. She's getting very tired of the universe's antics of late.

you were clearly meant for more, than a life lost in the war --post s4, the Ring hears Clarke once a year. unfinished but soooooooo good and sad!!!! (They hear from Clarke once a year, and this is how it happens, but first: first, they mourn.)

is he alright, all alone? -- another post s4 sad bellamy fic because that's who i am as a person They’ve all tried different ways to get him to open up, so to speak.

The Wall Between Us -- 5x10 au clarke goes back to fight for bellamy, i don't remember this one as well but i do know it was good!! Clarke goes back to the bunker to fight for Bellamy's life, even though his words from the day before echo in her mind, reminding her where she really stands.

Come Get A Hold Of Me -- s6 touchstarved Clarke my absolute beloved, this fic i have also reread multiple times and i love it Clarke is overwhelmed by the intensity of being around a civilization after six years of solitude with Madi. She is also very touch-starved. Bellamy notices.

and it goes like this -- s6 clarke thoughts about bellamy! Clarke has always known Bellamy loved her. She’s just never thought she was good enough for it.

Forfeit -- 6x12 speculation, feat. bellarke kissinggggggg to throw off the suspicions we love to see it When Russell captures Bellamy and demands proof of her identity, Clarke is forced to think fast.

We shall not cross into an unfamiliar land -- clarke can see ghosts and this fic is so good! (AU where Clarke see ghosts and is the Commander of Death in more than one way)

now for some AU fics!

It's something sinister to love (without regard for dear tomorrow) -- met on the ark/ghosts au, by our wonderful friend @pink-flame (who probs also has some good bellarke recs!!) When the ghost of the Alpha Station Princess turns up in his quarters, Bellamy knows he has enough on his plate without getting involved in her problems. He just wants her to figure out her unfinished business and move on. As things start to unravel on the Ark their relationship begins to change until he would follow her anywhere. Even hell.

Passing of the Skye Boat -- ok this is an outlander au that's pretty epic!! i know very little about outlander but i enjoyed this one! (s2 and on becomes au) After returning from war as an army nurse, Clarke and her fiancé are exploring Washington D.C. as a way to relearn each other due to their time apart. But when Clarke stumbles across a NASA exhibit about ways to prevent the human race from dying from nuclear war – by way of livable space ship they are calling the ‘Ark’ – Clarke is transported elsewhere, and into another war.

If the Right One Came Along -- modern au where Clarke works at a library and Bellamy comes back home. it's really long but also really good!!!! The fact that it’s with her former best friend-slash-crush isn’t a big deal. After all, their arrangement is only for the few weeks he’s in town before he returns to his celebrity life. That’s definitely not enough time for her to fall for him again…

I Found Peace in Your Violence -- THIS IS THE COOLEST FIC I HAVE EVER READ!!! it's a very unique modern au where a "kill gene" has been found and they send everyone to a special school for it. i think of this one every time i hear that song, but also this is just such a good one. another long one, but man alive it's real good Clarke Griffin has it all. She’s popular, an artistic prodigy and has a wealthy family to boot. So when her perfect world comes crashing down around her, it’s time to sink or swim. She tests positive for the Homicidal Tendency Syndrome gene, also known as the kill gene. Clarke is plucked from her comfortable life and placed into a school with people just like her - carriers, delinquents.

What's A Little Quaffle Between Friends? -- hp au where Clarke has to patch up quidditch player bellamy a bunch, i remember this one being very witty and banter-y? (haven't read it in a while so don't quote me on that lol) Bellamy gets injured in a Quidditch game and gets sent to the hospital wing, where Clarke volunteers during her free periods. She checks up on him during the night, and the next time he gets injured, she happens to be there again. Then it keeps happening.

Your words on my skin -- modern soulmate au that's pretty cute! Clarke is nine when she realises she has a soulmate.

in grief, Demeter circles the earth -- super unique au, mashing s3 and s5 in a really cool way!! havne't read this one in a while but i remember it being amazing. also very long "Not a ship from the sea," Indra snaps, a split second before Monty draws in a sharp, shocked breath. "A ship from the sky." Clarke understands before the others do. "You think Skaikru did it," she says softly.

ok we gotta give @pawprinterfanfic props for coming up with such good au fics for them because ahhhhhhh these last ones are all by them!!!!

a castle in the clouds -- star wars au because why the heck not?? it's soooooo good i do love this one or: a princess falls in love with a criminal over the course of a week and a day

starry eyes and galaxy minds -- spiderman au that i remember being super cute and fun!!! Five times Clarke Griffin met Spider-Man and the one time she met Bellamy Blake.

Simple Pleasures -- hunger games au MY BELOVED this fic is long but soooooo good!!!! Clarke is a medic from District 6. More importantly, she’s a dangerous criminal in the eyes of the Capitol. It isn’t a surprise when she is reaped for the 45th Hunger Games; it’s the only way for the Capitol to silence her. Bellamy spent his life protecting his younger sister. When Octavia volunteers for the Games to honour their district, he knows it’s his responsibility to follow her into the arena. He would give anything for her to become the Victor, even his safety. When they meet in the Capitol, Clarke can’t deny the connection she feels to him. He makes her feel more than a sacrifice. He makes her feel hope. She knows it’s dangerous to trust others, especially when in the arena, but why deny herself some final few simple pleasures?

Paint me in Trust -- MY OTHER FAV FIC OF ALL TIME this is an hp au but like, set during the war where they're on the run AND IT'S SO GOOD!! very long and also rated E but that doesn't come in for a while and you could easily skip if wanted Somehow, she finds her way to a safe house where she meets with other wizards and witches on the run.

[scotianostra]

On February 5th 1941 the S S Politician, with a cargo of whisky, ran aground of the North Shore of the Island of Eriskay.

The SS Politician was an 8000-tonne cargo ship which left Liverpool on the 3rd February 1941 laden with amongst other things 260,000 bottles of whisky, bound for Kingston in Jamaica and New Orleans. The whisky was for the American market and therefore no duty had been paid. She sailed up past the Isle of Man towards the Hebrides where the winds increased to gale force.

On the morning of 5th February a young man was combing a beach in South Uist when he saw the ship in trouble and beginning to list. After a valiant struggle by the Captain, Beaconsfield Worthington, to keep his ship on course, the SS Politician eventually ran aground in the storm onto sandbanks off the Isle of Eriskay where she began to flood. Unfortunately as the ship had veered off course an incorrect location was given to the lifeboat crew on Barra. Local islanders were roused and they set forth in a sailing boat to offer assistance to the crew. The lifeboat finally reached the ship and all the crew were rescued.

When the locals learned from the crew exactly what the ship was carrying, a series of illegal salvage operations took place at night, before the customs and excise officials arrived. The islands supplies of whisky had dried up due to war-time rationing, so the islanders periodically helped themselves to some of the 260,000 bottles of whisky before winter weather broke up the ship. Boats came from as far away as Lewis as news of the whisky travelled across the Outer Hebrides. No islander regarded it as stealing, as for them the rules of salvage meant that once the bounty was in the sea, it was theirs to rescue.

This of course was not the view of the local customs officer, Charles McColl, who was incensed at the blatant thievery that was going on. Not a penny had been paid in duty for this whisky so Mr McColl whipped up a furore and made an official complaint to the police. Villages were raided and crofts were turned upside down. Bottles were hidden, secreted, or sometimes drunk in order to hide the evidence.

On 26 April at Lochmaddy Sheriff Court a group of men from Barra pleaded guilty to theft and were fined between three and five pounds. Mr McColl was furious at the leniency of the men’s sentences, but the police, being mainly locals themselves, were tired of the bothering the locals who had not, in their minds, done such a bad thing. However, Mr McColl continued his crusade against these illegal salvagers and some of the men were sentenced to up to six weeks in prison in Inverness and Peterhead.

Back at sea, the official salvage attempts were not going too well, and it was eventually decided to let the Politician remain where she was. Mr McColl, who had already estimated that the islanders had stolen 24,000 bottles of whisky, ensured that there would be no more temptation. He applied for, and was granted, permission to explode her hull and as one islander, Angus John Campbell, commented: “Dynamiting whisky. You wouldn’t think there’d be men in the world so crazy as that!”

In 1987 Donald MacPhee, a local South Uist man, found eight bottles of whisky in the wreck. He sold them at auction for £4,000.

The wreck of the SS Politician still lies off the coast of Eriskay, although it is below the water line as winter gales have destroyed the deck and cabins. In 1988 the island got its own ‘legitimate’ pub, named ‘Am Politician’.

The story was used by Compton Mackenzie for his book Whisky Galore, and later for the Ealing Studio comedy by the same name.A remake was released in 2016 starring James Cosmo and Gregor Fisher amongst others, I didn't expect it to be any good, but was pleasantly surprised.

[happyminyards]

i'd be interested in the titanic fact-check post if you'd still like to write it 👀

Oh tumblr user @burr-ell, i am giving you a friendly little kiss on the forehead for asking this. I would love nothing more. 

Let's give the rundown of some common Titanic "facts" that people love to parade around especially nowadays and why they're either fully wrong, misinterpretations or actually close to the truth! With sources, because I'm nice like that. 

This will be long, but I feel like it needs to be to actually give y'all the proper information and context, and frankly I think I'm writing this mostly for myself. 

I'll divide it up into two parts, so here's "not enough lifeboats", "untrained crew", "no lifeboat drills" and "speeding & ignoring ice warnings".

Part two featuring "half empty lifeboats", "locking folks below deck", “missing binoculars", and "fire sank the Titanic, actually" is here!

"They didn't have enough lifeboats because they thought the ship was unsinkable"

Almost ship back then had enough lifeboats for all its passengers. Lifeboats were considered a very, very last ditch attempt at safety and more often than not resulted in the deaths of the people in them due to capsizing in bad weather, accidents while being lowered, drifting off etc etc. (SS Clallam, SS Valencia, SS Atlantic). 

If they had to be used, the idea was to use them as ferries to other boats. Ocean liners started getting more watertight compartments, bulkheads and double bottoms, meaning they were able to survive collisions and stay floating for longer. Since the Atlantic shipping lanes were VERY busy back then and most accidents happened near the harbor someone was expected to be in reasonable distance at all times when such an accident occurred. 

Besides that, ships had just gotten new, sparkly wireless machines, the Marconi transmitters. While their operators were technically not employed by the ship and their tasks consisted of sending letters from passengers, it was expected that they'd facilitate communication in accidents. And that system worked, for a while! 

Best example is the sinking of another White Star Line ship, the RMS Republic in 1909. She got rammed, sunk, every ship nearby ran up to help her, all her passengers got transferred over, how nice, our procedures worked!

So while it's true that regulations for the amount of lifeboats hadn't kept up with the steeply increasing size of the new ocean liners (Titanic was actually carrying more than her size demanded), the authorities expected that these new technological advancements were sufficient. 

Titanic showed them that this was not correct, so they were adjusted mainly through the SOLAS treaty (which actually resulted in tragedy itself, when ships not designed to fit so many lifeboats suffered from accidents due to the refitting, like the SS Eastland, who rolled over in dock, killing 844 people)

As for the ship being unsinkable, some surviving advertisements described Titanic and her sister Olympic as "And as far as it is possible to do so, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable". Which was fairly common at the time (Captain Rostron actually does it in the inquiry after the sinking) due to the aforementioned new, fancy safety features. Hubris? Yes, but not a stand out characteristic of the Titanic.

"The Titanic Crew was untrained & overwhelmed"

Captain Smith had been at sea for 49 years, a commander for White Star for 25 years and the captain of their maiden voyages for ten years, including the then biggest ships in the world Baltic and Olympic. He was regarded as a "safe captain" by both the line and passengers, some who only booked with him. His most notable incident was probably when Olympic collided with the HSM Hawke, but he wasn't even in command of the ship at the time. They were under compulsory pilotage, i.e. a harbor pilot was giving the orders.

All her officers were also very experienced. From Chief to Sixth:

Wilde, on sea since his teens, with White Star for 15, including Majestic and Olympic

Murdoch, on the sea since he was 18, 12 years at White Star line, including Olympic, Celtic and Adriatic

Lightroller, with White Star for 13 years, including Oceanic and Majestic

Pitman, on the sea for 16 years, White Star for 5/12

Boxhall, on the sea for 13 years, with White Star for about 4 1/2 years 

Lowe, on the sea for 14 years, with White Star for 15 months

Moody, on the sea for about 9-10 years (including his Navy education), with White Star for about half a year on the Oceanic

So really the only one you could clock for being inexperienced was Moody, who was the sixth officer. And he was well educated and perfectly qualified for that position. Wilde was actually pulled in sort of last minute just after Titanic's sea trials, bumping down Murdoch & Lightroller one position and causing Officer David Blair to leave the ship entirely, presumably so that the well-oiled team of officers from the Olympic could set Titanic up for a good start. 

(This also caused the supposed missing binoculars, more on that below).

This was White Star's newest, biggest ship. White Star's whole sales pitch was luxury and comfort, they're the line running the "Millionaire's ship". They're not gonna risk anything, even if it's just their rich passengers having to deal with inexperienced officers. They were gonna put their best on it.

There were no lifeboat drills

Titanic needed drills to get her certifications and completed them in early April. The officers (minus Wilde plus Blair) were all there and involved, everything got checked and a bunch of the lifeboats lowered. 

There was also a separate Board of Trade drill on the 10th of April. Lightoller, Pitman, Lowe, Moody and "[nearly all seaman], including able-bodied seamen, ordinary seamen, lookouts and quartermasters" were all involved. There was also the bulkhead and the emergency boat drill.

Now there is some confusion around the "Sunday Drill". This was another drill involving the crew, not the passengers. 

It's essentially a muster plus a check of the boats, not actually anything to do with the procedure of loading the boats. This didn't happen on Titanic, but there seems to be no clear reason why. Some crew members state it was scheduled, others said the drill didn't happen due to weather, some said they only happened on Sundays "in New York", potentially because otherwise the firemen wouldn't join in. The "Sunday in New York" one is the one that gets mentioned the most, but truly this is anyone's guess. 

However, it's clear that this drill would have changed nothing. The crew already had undergone similar drills before, this one was not new information. Here's a really good, well sourced article on the whole drill issue.

The Titanic was speeding & ignoring ice warnings.

Titanic had received multiple ice warnings throughout her journey. This was nothing unusual, it was April in the North Atlantic. The ice warnings were communicated via the wireless, given to the bridge and marked on the board. 

We know of a bunch of specific warnings that were received and posted on the bridge, mainly from the Caronia and the Baltic. The Baltic one is the famous message that made it to Bruce Ismay's, chairman of the White Star Line, pocket. He showed it to some passengers before giving it back to Captain Smith.

There's two warnings that probably didn't make it to the bridge, captain or all officers. One from the Californian to the Antillian that the Titanic happened to overhear, warning of "three large bergs 5 miles southward of latitude 42° 3′ N, longitude 49° 9′ W". Harold Bride, junior wireless operator, testified he delivered this warning to the bridge, but Pitman testified he wasn’t aware of it. It could be that Murdoch, who was actually on duty at time of collision, was, but he ended up dying in the sinking. 

The other one is from the Mesaba at around 9:40 PM, stating: "In latitude 42° N to 41° 25′, longitude 49° W to longitude 50° 30′ W, saw much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs, also field ice, weather good, clear". While this message was received by Phillips, Titanic's senior wireless operator, we’re pretty sure it never made it to the bridge.

There's also the infamous Californian warning at 11:00 PM, about 40 minutes before Titanic hit the iceberg, that Phillips interrupted with a seemingly harsh "Shut up, I'm busy, I'm working Cape Race". Now, that seems rough, but was actually a really common "tone" between the wireless operators of the time:

They were a fraternity of pioneers, considered to be cranks, and had the curious habit of addressing one another as O M ("Old Man"). A common signal exchanged between them was GTHOMQRL ("Get to hell, old man, shut up, I'm busy"), or A S O M ("Wait a minute, old man!"). [James Bisett, Commodore of the Cunard Line, “Tramps and Ladies - My Early Years At Steam]

What happened is that Phillips was working through a backlog of messages, Titanic's wireless had been broken earlier and he had fixed it against standing orders from the Marconi company (which actually made it possible for any of them to survive in the end). 

He had cranked the power all the way up to be able to understand the messages of Cape Race, which was on the edge of his receivers' span. Californian's operator, Cyril Evans, chimed in in the middle of that with a "I SAY, OLD MAN, WE ARE STOPPED AND SURROUNDED BY ICE!" essentially blasting Phillips' ears off, since Californian was much closer. 

Phillips told him to pipe down, Evans signed off and went to bed. The issue is: no one is at fault here. Phillips had already received and delivered multiple ice warnings, Evans was telling him nothing new or indicating that it was an urgent message, so Phillips had no reason to consider it important. Evans, in his inquiry, literally states that he was "jamming" him and gives no indication that Phillips was acting rude.

Titanic's speed at the time is debated. Boxhall says he estimates it at around 22 knots based on the propeller speed, Lightoller at 21.5, the US inquiry at "no less than 21". However, that is an estimation, and we nowadays think that Titanic was going around 20-21 knots. 

The officers were also unsure about the exact position of the Titanic, Boxhall actually calculated her a good 13 nautical miles further west than she was, so some mis-estimates are to be expected. We actually aren't quite sure what her exact top speed would have been, Lightoller estimated it at 22-23 knots based on "general rumours", Lowe at 24 to 25, which is a really hefty difference. 

We can assume Titanic's top speed to be similar to her sister ship Olympic's after Olympic got refitted with a three-bladed central propeller, which was around 24.5 knots (according to Chirnside). So while we can't be fully sure of her potential, it's a pretty safe bet that she wasn't going full speed, she was essentially going "cruising" speed. 

Now, was Titanic ignoring all the ice warnings? No. The surviving officers testified they were aware of them, and that Smith had told them to expect ice at around midnight and to get him immediately (his cabin was right on the bridge) if anything changed. 

Now, was she speeding? That, actually, comes down to your interpretation of events. Some could say that going "cruising" speed at night with ice warnings would be constituted as reckless speeding. However, all evidence indicates that holding your speed and posting look outs, only reducing once you actually spot dangerous ice yourself, was the common procedure. Here's an excerpt from the UK inquiry that sums it up well:

It was shown that for many years past, indeed, for a quarter of a century or more, the practice of liners using this track when in the vicinity of ice at night had been in clear weather to keep the course, to maintain the speed and to trust to a sharp look-out to enable them to avoid the danger. This practice, it was said, had been justified by experience, no casualties having resulted from it. I accept the evidence as to the practice and as to the immunity from casualties which is said to have accompanied it. But the event has proved the practice to be bad.

Titanic, by her best judgment, was not acting recklessly. She was following common procedures for a ship her size and built at the time (very, very unlike the Titan, since I see that comparison often). 

The idea that "as long as the weather is clear, you go top/normal speed" is also backed up by other captains in the inquiry, mainly Pritchard (commander of the Mauretania, who as mentioned was much quicker) but also Andrew Braes, Hugh Young, Edwin Cannons and William Stewart as well as others. They all say the exact same thing: if they were warned about ice and it was clear weather, they'd go their normal speed, day and night. They would only add extra lookouts in bad weather conditions, and only do "what they thought was proper" once they actually saw any ice themselves. 

They really emphasize the "in clear weather" part, and we know that the Titanic thought they were traveling in clear weather (Smith and Lightoller had even discussed it that very night). And they were! 

The issue is that it was almost TOO clear. 

The waves didn't even break on the iceberg, and the stars didn't even reflect off it. Meaning they saw it way later than they would usually. This was very, very unusual. Lightroller said that "the first time in my experience in the Atlantic in 24 years, and I have been going across the Atlantic nearly all the time, of seeing an absolutely flat sea.". 

This was an unprecedented condition for them, and they had no way of knowing how it would impact visibility of icebergs.

Cameron shows a scene where Ismay urges Captain Smith to go quicker to reach New York a day earlier. This seems to be entirely based on the testimony of Elizabeth Lindsey Lines, who states that she overheard Ismay and Smith discussing Olympic's and Titanic's maiden voyages, and that Ismay was saying:

"Well, we did better to-day than we did yesterday, we made a better run to-day than we did yesterday, we will make a better run to-morrow. Things are working smoothly, the machinery is bearing the test, the boilers are working well". They went on discussing it, and then I heard [Ismay] make the statement: "We will beat the Olympic and get in to New York on Tuesday."

It's true that Titanic was being quicker than Olympic, but we know now that that is mostly down to Titanic's superior propellor system (something we actually didn't know until someone dug up an engineering notebook like a decade ago). We have zero other evidence that Titanic was trying to be quicker, or that Ismay somehow was trying to force Smith to speed. 

No other passenger or crew member testified anything of that nature. Titanic was also not gonna get the Blue Ribband, as mentioned previously Mauretania was a whole few knots quicker. Arriving a whole day earlier would only throw the travel plans and hotel bookings of the passengers into chaos. There was nothing to gain from speeding.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Lifeboat: 02 Fishing Day

[Full chapter on A03]

It had to be a few hours of being trapped before there was a vibrating thud through the bench. The giant was breathing a bit harder than before, but was satisfied reaching first for the canteen, and Sesa paused at just hearing the yip from inside as her fingers started to touch the glass. She winced, belatedly remembering the little Bitta that she had been talking at, more than to. 

“Sorry Bitta,” the giant woman said, wincing again and turned to grab another canteen. Taking several sips before pausing, then sighed as she glanced up at the faint clouds in the sky. It was turning into a really hot spring day and Sesa turned to reach behind her. First carefully picking up the wish boat that the Bitta was inside of, then one of the brand new crates that she had replaced her older ones with. This one was solid almost all the way through, and even had a lid. 

“This will have to do,” the woman said, getting up, turning to sit on her knees and setting the unused, new, catch crate on the bench. She reached for her discarded scarf, wrapping it into a snug loop, half fold. Then set the Bitta’s little boat inside, checking to see if there was anything that fell out onto the hull. 

It looked like the Bitta had her own, perfectly miniature supplies in the wish boat, even a little back pack! It would have stayed nice and dry inside on the surface of the sea, if Sesa had not cut the cover on the boat. Now she felt guilty, but this far from shore, the only thing other than Sesa that would have found the little creature, would be a predator of some sort.

Sesa reached over to the not so empty canteen and lifted it despite the sad sound she just heard from inside. The woman sat back, not minding sitting on the deck, moving the crate down as well before resting her back against the bench. Then wrapped both hands around the thick glass, moving to tilt it slowly with the open end resting on her left hand. She could see the little form sliding down to the edge and catching herself there. 

The bitta scrambled, trying to not be dumped on the hand, and as Sesa had not tipped the canteen too much, the little being could sit just inside of the opening.

Taking a deep breath, Sesa made sure her hands were steady, and tried to soften her voice, “I’m sorry for leaving you in the canteen. I just want to help, I’m sorry if I’ve been scaring you bitta.”

“...that’s not my name.” a tiny, scared voice said from the edge of the container opening.

Sesa blinked, oh. She felt like an ass now, just calling someone by a species title instead of a name. “What is it?”

There was just quiet for a bit, there was the barest of movement of the bitta peeking out.

“My name is Sesa,” the woman tried again, still trying to make sure her voice was soft. Though she could not help the bit of a rasp. Calm and steady then, not unlike talking to the hatchling creatures back home, only this was someone that could understand her. “I’m… I live alone, not far from the shore. I like to fish and go hunting on the mountain behind my home, and make my garden nice.”

“...Lana…” the small voice was almost missed, and if the weather was not so nice it would have been lost. “I don't know what a Bitta is, but my name is Lana, I'm human.”

Sesa could just see little feet bracing on the inside of the glass. They were so small, and she could just make out with the angle of the canteen, little shoes. Slippers? Sesa wanted a better look, had the not so sudden want to just gently shake the empty container. To hold this tiny being from childhood stories and examine them. Her.

Her.

“Lana,” Sesa repeated the name and felt part of her inside softened at the realization once more that this was real . The name was cute, but not some over exaggerated thing like copper or black-cut or something that the new stories claimed Bitta had… human?

Human was such an old-school term, and regional more inland, Bitta was more widely known. More so in the last few generations.

“I'm sorry for sticking you in my canteen… Lana.” Sesa spoke, trying to be calm, to not let her voice boom for the little one. “I did think you'd be safer in there from what I was fishing. It's going to get hotter now, I can move you to somewhere better. Just as safe, but shaded.”

Those little feet shifted into view, the Bitta- human, her feet just touched the calloused palm. Light and almost no noticeable weight like when holding, before the… before Lana peeked out of the not really safe of the canteen opening. Like the quick look before, Sesa saw the short, red tinted blond hair. The woman could not get a good look at the eye color right then, but noted the gray pants that had salt stains on them. The shirt was a bright yellow, what looked like flower pattern on it, but also likely needed to be cleaned too. 

“How…long were you in that little…boat?” Sesa asked once the human was in her hand. Lowering the canteen away and getting a good, clear look.

“Four…five days?” Lana started and then corrected, hugging herself as she watched Sesa back as intently. Sitting awkwardly on her knees in the massive palm, side-eyeing the digits shifting around her. Most of Sesa's fingers were just a bit bigger than her. “I think. I was unconscious for part of it, someone put me in the lifeboat.”

“Lifeboat?” Sesa echoed, turning her head to look at the box with the little boat inside, and the bright orange color of it. Her now free right hand came up to cup against the other. Trying to give some more stability to Lana as her arms settled into a comfortable position braced against her front. “That's a life raft? Gods of the sea, what happened to your real boat then?”

“Ferry.”

“Fairy?”

“It was a ferry I was on.” Lana said slowly, “I was taking an overnight ferry to visit family. In the evening it got… weird. Darker than it should have and the storm that came had different colored lightning.”

The tiny woman looked up again, but seeing the worried, and empathetic expression on the giant. Lana felt brave enough to keep going. “Oh…”

A Ferryboat. Not a bigger fairy .

[ltwilliammowett]

The Zetland- the world's oldest surviving lifeboat

The Zetland named after the Marquess of Zetland was launched in Redcar, North Yorkshire in 1802. She had a clinker hull, was 9.15m long and 3.1m wide and a crew of 13 and could be enlarged to 20. She was housed in a boathouse near the beach and was launched using a trolley. It was pulled across the beach to the sea by local people, sometimes by a team of horses from the local farm. When the lifeboat was needed, the crew was called through the streets by a local boy with a drum.

The Zetland (x)

It served for a total of 73 years, saving over 500 lives, but not everything always went well. On Christmas Day 1836, the Zetland was launched to rescue the crew of the Caroline, a Danish tugboat. During the rescue attempt, one of the crew, William Guy, was washed overboard and drowned. This was the only death among the crew in the lifeboat's long history. The Zetland was then washed ashore and was unable to launch, and tragically the crew of the Caroline also drowned.

(x)

However, a remarkable rescue operation took place in 1854 when the Jane Erskine ran aground off Redcar. Several local fishermen went out in their boats to refloat the ship, but ran into trouble when the weather deteriorated. The Zetland went out and rescued all the crew and the 26 fishermen, who had a total of 52 people on board.

Zetland (x)

After being damaged in 1864 while rescuing a crew from the Brigg Brothers, the Zetland was deemed unserviceable and was to be scrapped. This caused great protests among the population and so the Zetland was handed over to them, who repaired her and so she went out for the last time on 29 October 1880. On that day the schooner Luna rammed the pier at Redcar in a gusty wind and broke in two. Emma and Burton-on-Trent the other two local lifeboats were both out of action after rescuing crew members from two other distressed vessels. Zetland was very successful one last time and rescued the 7 Sailors. She was then decommissioned and can now be admired as the oldest lifeboat in the Zetland Lifeboat Museum in Redcar.

[storytimewriting]

Natural Disaster

I’ve never been good at asking for help.

I don’t want you to go out of your way for me Or feel as though you have to take care of me; I fear it will only bring resentment.

Guilt sits on my chest like an evergrowing mountain; Erosion seems to work inversely for me, The weight persistently increasing internally.

I am a natural disaster. I am a hurricane- A permanently stormy day- The kind of weather you don’t leave your house in.

You try to hand me an umbrella, But my clothes already stick to my skin. My hair drips water droplets, Streams flow down my face. An umbrella is useless- You should know to stay away.

Step back from the lightning, Shield your ears from the scream of the thunder. There is no need for us both to hurt in the storm.

When the weather is too much for me to bear, I will send you a lifeboat with a lifejacket to wear. In it will be a note Scribbled letters of all the things I haven’t said yet.

I would drown in my own tears If it meant you didn’t have to get your feet wet.

[myhauntedsalem]

The SS Valencia

In 1906, nine officers, 56 crew members and 108 passengers set sail on the 1,598-ton Valencia from San Francisco in route to Seattle. The weather became atrocious, visibility was nearly impossible, and the winds kicked in. After colliding with ac reef near Vancouver Island, hysteria led to the flipping of lifeboats, two eventually capsized and one disappeared.

These rescuers watched helplessly as the violent waves tore the Valencia apart. They also watched as countless people were swept into the sea and drowned. Some passengers and crew managed to climb high into the ship’s rigging, some hung on for two days before the sea claimed them as well.

All the women and children on board died, and the final death toll was recorded at 136. Twenty-seven years after the accident, one of the Valencia’s lifeboats was found floating near the site of the wreck in surprisingly good condition. There have been countless reports of supernatural sightings since the disaster.

As the City of Topeka headed toward Seattle they met an outward-bound ship. They slowed to tell this ship the sad news of the wreck. Black smoke from the Topeka’s stacks settled over the water in a dense cloud. As this cloud broke up the people on the Topeka were horrified to see the familiar shape of a steamship, it was the Valencia.

Ever since the wreck, seamen sailing past the west coast of Vancouver Island where the Valencia broke apart have reported seeing the form of a ghost ship. They describe seeing waves wash over the floundering ship with human forms clinging desperately to its rigging.

Indians that have explored the caves in Pachena Bay report that they found a lifeboat with eight skeletons in it in a large cave. It remains a mystery how this boat got in the cave for a very large boulder blocks its entrance. This and the fact that there are dangerous waters at the cave’s entrance have prevented the removal of this boat.

One legend states fishermen in the area for years have reported seeing lifeboats moving across the water manned by skeletons.

[odybee]

G/t Secret Santa Gift

@sugarthegecko hello! I'm your Secret Santa. I'm sorry it took me this long to get this gift to you, things have been a bit hectic where I am.

I wanted to try something new and wrote a one shot! It also comes with a few colored sketches I made along the way of the two antagonists. I will put the drawings at the end of the story. Hope you enjoy!

---===+===------===+===------===+===------===+===---

Hadotrauma

Word count- 3854

Contains: Intentional fearplay, implied vore (let me know if you think I should add more here, this is my first time posting something like this)

---===+===---

It was a beautiful day to be beneath the waves. The normally dull weather that hangs over the Bermuda Triangle was set to clear for the entire week, leaving uncharacteristically safe conditions for a reconnaissance mission that Jack had been losing his little mind over for months.

A small vessel carrying a family heirloom, a gold-crested lock box dating back a few hundred years, had gotten hit by a stray wave, forcing the captain onto a lifeboat as his ship capsized and quickly sank. The good news is that the captain survived, which is how Jack got enough information to take the job at all. His recounting of where the boat was when it went under was spot on too, which is especially nice because finding out where the wreck is was only half the battle for this particular job. See, in escaping the ship with his life, the captain wasn’t able to get the lockbox, meaning it went down with his ship. The family it belonged to was less than thrilled, to say the very least.

And that’s when Jack heard about it. The family was willing to pay a fortune to whoever stepped up and got the box back; not that Jack was diving for an extra paycheck. Even before he had decided he wanted to be a marine archaeologist, he'd been enamored with stories of the mythical Bermuda Triangle. Tales of monsters appearing from its shadowy depths, however unrealistic, were something he liked to think about to keep his job interesting when things got slow. He could just see a megalodon’s lifeless eye peering up at him from the inky water, just waiting for him to get close enough to-

“Helloo, Jack? You there?” A voice sounded from the receiver in Jack’s mask, making him jump a little in surprise.

“M-Huh? Sorry Lori, yea, I’m here.”

“Good. Please try to focus? There could be sharks or marlins.”

“Of course, my bad.”

Lori is Jack’s assistant. A bit of a hardass, but he’s been getting through to her lately. Once the nerves of jumping into the water and sinking into the dark wear off and it’s just the two of them, she can be really fun to talk to. For however long the communications decide to keep working in their masks, that is. Water pressure doesn’t play nice with lightweight electronics.

As the silent descent continued and Jack made a mental note to complain to his manager, a boxy silhouette began taking form in the sea of shadows beneath him. A thin line of bubbles excitedly glimmering in the glow of Jack’s headlight made its way up from the shape,  meaning they were right on target.

“Bingo! You got an eye on it, Lori?”

“Sure do. Here’s hoping my camera’s still works, I just got a new lens for it.”

“Camera? Ooo, we actually gonna try to get a picture of a sea monster?”

“As much as I’d love to, no. Our clients just said they wanted to see where the box ended up. Plus, it’s great publicity. Tourist subs don’t get this far down. I’ll send you a postcard from the kraken’s stomach if we end up finding one though.” Lori fidgeted with the bulky tool as she descended a little ways above Jack, ensuring that nothing was gunking up the lens.

“What? You can’t get eaten! I’d be all alone down here..”

“A great white shark once said, ‘fish are friends, not food’. You can be friends with the kraken, or you can join me in its belly.”

“Yea yea, I bet the fish would be fresh in there anyways.” Jack made first contact with the wreckage now just beneath his feet as Lori playfully responded in disgust. The white plating of the boat’s hull barely had time to erode, much less allow algae growth, so it almost looked like it could float again. And it probably could have, were it not for the captain’s incompetence. Jack had thought it sounded strange for just one stray wave to send a boat under so quickly, so it was likely that the poor guy just didn’t do proper maintenance on the vessel’s coolant pipes and didn’t want to admit it. Nothing short of a missile could send a boat down that easily otherwise.

Feeling satisfied with his inspection of the boat’s port side, Jack made his way up to the open door of what appeared to be the helm. Peering in, there looked to be a small ladder leading down from right behind the captain’s controls.

“Okay, I’m gonna start looking for the box. You coming?”

“Yea, just getting some pictures of the outside first. Let me know when you find it so we can swap out. The two of us might clog up the cabin if we both go.”

“Aah, good thinking. Alright, I’ll let you know.” And into the wreckage he went.

---===+===---

“What the hell is that? Some kind of malformed angler fish?”

“I’m trying to tell you dude, it’s a human! I saw another one swim into that wreck, too!”

Nac layed low to the seabed, shyly pointing a claw at a tiny figure as it waved a cone of light around in the water. Every now and then it would suddenly flash an even brighter light from a box in its hands, then swim off to flash it at something else. Nac had to suppress a startled flinch in his tail at the brightness.

Nac’s more squid-shaped friend Rel rested in the seabed alongside him, squinting in confusion at the little human as it floundered about, flashing its light seemingly at random. “I didn’t know humans had lures, nor that they came down this deep. Are you absolutely positive that it isn’t just a big angler? I’m hungry.”

“Yes! Positive! I’m pretty sure that one’s ‘lure’ is just another human gadget, which I’ll bet is how they got all the way down here too. Cool, right?”

“Yea, I guess,” Rel sighed. “Oh well, they’re small but they’ll have to do. Dibs on this one,” he finished as he tried to take off from the sand. But before he could get anywhere, Nac latched onto one of his tentacles and held fast.

“Ugh, what is it Nac?”

“Jeez, chill out for a second, dude! We never get to see humans down here. Could we at least..” Nac’s tail twitched a bit as his eyes lit up. “Could we at least mess with them a little first? You’re hungry, I’m bored, it’s a win-win!”

Rel pulled back and put two fingers up to his chin, mulling over Nac’s proposal. “Mmm fine. But I’m taking both of them.”

“What? Hey! I’ve never tried human either, dude! Share!” Nac pouted, his claws subconsciously digging into Rel’s flesh.

“Ow! Okay, fine! I’ll take the one closest, you take the one in the wreck. Now would you please let go?”

“Sounds good, buddy! Have fun and don’t get hooked!” Nac exclaimed as he bolted off into the dark.

“Right.” Rel moped, staring at his prey. The passengers on this boat were supposed to have been his anyway! How was he supposed to know that it was only empty because the one thing he sank it for had gotten away?

Whatever. Perhaps this really would be more fun.

---===+===---

“What was that?”

Lori’s voice came on suddenly after silence had taken hold of the comms for a good ten minutes, making Jack bump his head against the ship’s hull. Ow!

“If you mean the sounds coming from the boat, that would be my head slamming against the hull.”

“No no, it wasn’t a sound, just..” Lori went quiet for a moment. “Nevermind. I’m seeing things.”

“We can call the expedition early if you want,” Jack checked his oxygen gauge. “I could do with a fresh tank anyway. We’re gonna have to make stops on the way up.”

“It’s fine, just keep looking for the box. I’m done out here.” Lori swiveled her head around as she made her way up to the door that Jack’d swam in through, but she couldn’t see anything. It was all black past the cone of her headlight, which was beginning to feel uncomfortably small. “Could you hurry up please? The water isn’t getting any warmer.”

“Sheesh, alright, hold on. I just need to- Ah! There it is! Lori, I found the-”

…

“Hello? Jack, you there?”

But the comms were nothing but static. It wasn’t exactly a surprise; these microphones were in desperate need of an upgrade. But something didn’t feel right this time. Something felt terribly, terribly wrong. There was a shadow, some inky blot that kept just to the corners of her eyes. It could be a shoal of fish, but then, why would it move like that? It’s almost as if.. As if..

Lori jumped violently as a few rhythmic knocks sounded from the boat’s main body, a signal that she and Jack had come up with the first time their microphones cut out to make sure they could still keep track of each other in the wreckage. She swam close to the hull to return the knocks, and as she did so, something brushed past her foot.

Immediately, Lori flipped around and prepared to bop a shark in the nose, but nothing was there. It was still just water, sand, and the void beyond her light, unknown and unyielding. She could feel her heartbeat start to pick up, the claustrophobic confines of her suit seeming to constrict her body in nervous warmth.

Just then, through the static of Lori’s mask, Jack’s voice started coming back through. “Hellooo? Loriii? Lori Dory Oreo, you there?” 

Lori steadied herself, the relief of hearing Jack’s voice overshadowed by the intense need to stay completely on alert as she took a moment to respond. “Jack, I think something is here.”

“Uuh yea? There is a boat, maybe some fish, and this totally awesome box that I’m coming out to let you take a picture of.”

“No, Jack, I mean something is in the water. I think it’s watching us.”

Jack laughed in cruel dismission. “Oh haha Lori. Good try, but I’m not that easy to scare. Good on you for taking the opportunity while we’re here, though!”

“Jack, seriously. We have to go right now. Screw the bends, we just need to-”

“Need to what?” 

… 

“Lori? Did this stupid thing cut out again?”

“It sees me.”

“What? What sees you? Lori, are you okay?”

…

“Lori, come on, this isn’t funny anymore. I’ll be out in a sec, just hang ti-”

…

The feed cut to static once more, leaving Lori completely alone, staring at two huge, luminous yellow eyes like a guppy in floodlights. She wanted to move, wanted to swim up and out of the water with all her might, but she simply couldn’t. The thing’s gaze froze her muscles into place, as if the water itself had turned to ice.

Without warning, a ginormous clawed hand shot out from the black shroud, enveloping Lori’s entire body before she could even scream.

Lori wasted no time in thrashing against the creature’s flesh with everything she had. The utility knife that’d been clipped to her belt was instantly freed, wildly slashing an escape into the walls of her pale prison. The creature loosened its grip in response, but only just enough to let Lori’s head pop out while it squeezed the life out of her. Even as dark spots began taking up her vision, she dared to look up at its face.

Dark, navy blue skin beautifully complimented the yellow eyes of a face that looked insultingly human, apart from two long, pointy ears. Long, white hair unfurled from the top of its head; each lock a set of tangling waves to further drown Lori’s hopes in. But she was too exhausted to fight now; any oxygen she had was forced from her lungs. Unwilling to gaze into the creature’s maw, she let the last of her waking moments be spent looking into its eyes.

She wondered why it looked so disappointed.

And all went dark.

---===+===---

“Lori? Lori?! Goddamnit, this stupid microphone! One second Lori, I’ll be right out!” Jack called into the dark cabins of the boat, his fists banging against the walls as he made his way out. In all his panic, Jack hadn’t realized that he made a wrong turn somewhere along the way, placing him on the starboard side of the hull’s interior.

Right where he could see a huge, perfectly circular gash that’d been punched into the ship’s metal plating.

“What the hell?! But he said-” but he had no time to waste. He had to get out of the ship right now, and he figured the breach should be just large enough to let him through, even with all his gear on.

Without a second thought, Jack grabbed the edges of the hole and prepared to hoist himself out into the open water. He only needed one mighty kick, and then he’d be able to find Lori and get the hell out of he-

“Hello~”

..!

Jack snapped his head up at the sudden noise, only to be met face-to-face with some massive thing with a human face. It had a long, toothy grin on its pale, scarred countenance, and every one of its teeth looked sharp enough to cut diamond.

…

Jack retreated back into the boat.

He clawed onto any surface he could in an attempt to force himself deeper into the ship’s body, desperate to get away from the thing just outside the paper thin walls. Jack could hear it chuckle as he clamored away, but just as he had clung onto a door, the thing started sucking water out through the breach. The force of the current was so strong that Jack’s hands were ripped away from the doorframe, sending him careening into the beast’s terrible jaws.

Rather than being instantly ripped apart, Jack growled into his mask as his stomach was met with several rows of teeth and his tank clinked against the thing’s lower set. The sharp points were catching on the fabric of his suit, just barely avoiding cutting into his skin. In an attempt to regain his bearings, he curled up and placed his hands against the monster’s lips, desperately trying to ignore the fact that he was about to be bitten in half.

“Nac, would you quit toying with it? I’m still hungry and the sun will be down soon.” another voice suddenly chided from somewhere behind Jack’s head.

“One shecond,” the sharkish creature responded, its voice rattling through Jack’s skull like a bell. “Itsh really hutting uh a hight!”

The other voice gained an edge in its tone. “Don’t speak with your mouth full.”

Jack’s fruitless struggle against the shark’s jaws suddenly came to a halt as it plucked him out of its lips like a cherry stem, thankfully with all of his lower body intact, except the utility knife that was supposed to be clipped to his hip was gone. Fingers were wrapped around him just as he tried to kick away, and there he continued to squirm.

“I said it’s really putting up a fight! See? Look at this one go! Even now it’s still wiggling around.”

“Yea, they tend to do that when they’re about to die. Speaking of, you should really be getting on with it.”

“Whatever dude, I was getting to that!”

The hand holding Jack’s entire body in place loosened up, allowing his blood to run cold and fast at the sight of an approaching maw. His headlight served to reveal every gruesome detail he hadn’t been privy to from the beast’s lips, including bits of viscera stuck between its three rows of teeth.

What if thats-

“OH MY GOD, WAIT, WAIT! PLEASE!” Jack pleaded through his mask after suppressing a gag. But his cries didn’t even reach the shark, not even a flinch came of its ears.

Flippers met the surface of the monster's tongue. It was too soft to push off of, not that anything he did would allow him to escape. The shark’s gills were probably quivering in anticipation, waiting to bring him down, down, down. What more could he do but jam his eyes shut and.. and..!

“STOP!!”

…

A pause. It seemed to last an eternity. Jack’s mouth had opened, but he didn’t know why. Let alone that it had released a sound loud enough to rival the thing he was about to be silenced by.

…

“Nac, please. This is getting old. And why do you look like that? It doesn’t taste that bad.”

The monster, henceforth known as Nac, once again plucked Jack out of his jaws, then brought Jack to the front of his face. The two stared at each other, both some strange mix of horrified and confused.

“Did.. did you hear that?” Nac spoke, almost in a coo. “I think it just talked to me.”

“Oh sure, Nac, because that makes complete sense. Listen, if you don’t want to eat it that badly, just give it to me. No need to make up such utter nonsense.”

“No, really!” Nac’s voice shot up again. Jack felt like he was going to implode. “I think it made a word! Like, a word word! Listen, I bet it can do it again, see?”

Jack was abruptly turned around and presented to a second enormous creature with a human face, this one having a tentacled lower half and extremely long hair. If the lack of care Nac had in handling Jack’s body didn’t kill him first, then surely his heart would pound hard enough to escape from his chest.

The other creature raised an eyebrow at Jack, then sighed and leaned in so he was close to its ear. He supposed that meant he was supposed to speak, but the words weren’t coming out. The lump in his throat just wouldn’t al-

“Ow! QUIT IT!” Jack yelled, feeling three rough taps against the top of his helmet. The navy blue creature in front of him jumped slightly. Jack froze in place.

“See! I told you!” Nac barked as his friend pulled away.

“B-but, how is that even-” it paused. “I’ll be.. Right back.”

The other monster’s tentacles disappeared into the abyss, leaving Jack and Nac alone together. For a moment, they just stared at each other in silence, but Nac was quick to fill it with a torrent of questions and niceties.

“This is so gnarly, dude! Oh my god, hiii! I can actually say that now and it isn’t weird! Do you think it’s weird to talk to fish? Rel says it's stupid because they can’t understand what you’re saying, so it’s even more weird that you of all things would be able to talk back! Do you have a name? Do humans even have names? Do you guys know any other fish like us? Go on, talk!” 

Nac’s smile returned to his face, somehow even larger than it’d been when Jack was trapped halfway inside of it. This couldn’t possibly be happening. It had to be some sort of decompression-induced fever dream. In just a moment, Jack would wake up to Lori squawking at him to get back on the boat.

Wait..

“LORI!” Nac’s ears twitched as Jack piped up again. “Where is Lori?!”

Nac’s slit eyes seemed to stare straight through Jack at the question.

“Aheheh, erm, uh, well, about that. The other human, they’re..” Nac looked around as though trying to catch her swimming away. “Theeeyyy’rrreee- oh! They’re right there! See? Rel has them!”

Nac turned Jack and pointed into the dark, where two yellow spots preceded the return of the second giant creature, Rel. In its hand was the comparatively small, black-and-silver form of Lori, lying completely still.

“O-oh my god. Oh my GOD! LORI! LORI!” Jack began squirming again, wanting nothing more than to make sure his friend was okay. But the shark held firm.

“Calm down, this human is fine.. Somehow. I felt its heart beating through this extra layer of skin you wear. Is it how you two managed to get down here?” Rel quizzed Jack, who had ceased struggling to lock eyes with the thing holding his friend.

“I-I, just..” Jack checked his oxygen gauge. Less out of necessity, and more out of habit for the sheer fact that not a bone in his body wanted him looking these monsters in the eyes. Forty-five minutes remaining, miraculously. He steeled himself, “Could you please, please bring us back up? I need to know if she’s okay.”

“Eh? Why would we need to go up?” Nac swam to Rel’s side, turning Jack along the way so that both monsters were in his view. “Are you trying to leave?”

“No! No, we just.. Our tanks only have enough time left for a few stops, and I don’t want Lori to get the bends. It might kill her if we don’t take our time.” As much as he wanted to get out of the water, Jack knew that it would only make matters worse if he wasn’t careful. Though he couldn’t see Lori’s actual condition, he chanced a guess that it wasn’t great if she’d passed out. Even if the monsters were just toying with him again, asking for their help was a risk he had to take. It didn’t seem like either of them wanted him gone anyway.

“Right.” Rel said promptly, though he looked at Jack like he’d just grown an extra head. “And, what exactly does that mean? Can’t you breathe here?” “..What?” Jack felt like he’d been slapped in the face. What kind of a question.. “N- Okay, you know what, wait. How about this. I’ll explain everything on the way up, and if you really want to, we can chat on the boat. I’ll also let you know when to stop and go, that way we can avoid barotrauma. Does that sound okay?”

…

“Yea, sure dude! Sounds good!” Nac, surprise surprise, put on a big stupid grin once again.

“I.. Suppose so. Just, don’t try to leave. Okay?” Though it seemed like Rel had composed himself, his eye twitched a smidge as he looked at Jack again.

Jack shrank back a little. “No problem!”

Jack wasn’t sure how long either of their composures would last in the long, cold journey back up to the surface, but he had to hope that it would be enough time for him to at least see Lori awake again. He himself had questions for the two sentient fish men he was somehow communicating with, and he had to admit that it was a bit exciting. Never once did he think that the stories he’d been told as a child were anywhere close to reality, and yet here he was, wrapped in the claws of a megalodon and conversing with a kraken, all while being in one piece. Of all the things to come of this trip beneath the waves, only one was certain.

It was going to be a long way up.

---===+===------===+===------===+===------===+===---

(This last drawing is a reference to a Spongebob scene. Just seemed in-character for a guy like Nac)

[theblogtini]

I think behind all of this, there is the apology issue. H&M have wanted a public apology from the fam since day 1. I wouldn´t put it past them to have threated them with all the interviews, their reality show and the book if they didn´t get it. And clearly the fam didn´t give a damn. They threw their “recollections etc” claim that one time, put a stone on the Sussex issue and decided to weather it out come what may (which they probably knew wasn´t really all that much). I imagine someone in the family or an adviser must have been very pragmatic and said: “the damage has already been done (especially after Oprah). Acquiescing to their demands will not benefit you; in fact an admission could even be hurtful. Cut your losses and move on, don´t ever look back.”

Two years later, the Sussexes are still playing the same song, there are already too many articles criticizing them for this and even pointing out that any newer shocking revelations would most likely be met with skepticism after all this time. Not even a hint of a public statement (let alone apology) from the royals. And people don´t really expect them to explain themselves because they never have done so. Let’s say the fam does offer them a lifeboat: come back to live here, all expenses covered, security covered, invitations to family events (I think it’s safe to say officially representing the BRF ever again is totally out of the question). Despite some whining from reporters and overzealous fans, most people wouldn´t question or expect the royals to explain why they aren´t willing to let their relatives go poor in America. But what about H&M? They talked ALL THE TIME. They made ACCUSATIONS. They would be expected to explain why they are returning. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to say the fam finally apologize when they didn´t.

It seems to me Harry is basically asking them to please throw him a rope or something, a gesture, to somehow justify their coming back to the fold.

I 100% agree with all of this - and especially like your final sentiment.

At the end of the day, publicly going out there and saying "I want to reconcile with my family" is Harry basically being like "c'mon guys we're backed into a corner and I am really going to need you to help us out here."

[eorzean-tale]

FFxivWrite2024 - Prompt #1: Steer

Airships were odd things, weren’t they? It wasn’t the first time the thought had come to him, but it was all the more noticeable when he gazed down upon a giant ship below him. Buckle had been born on a sky vessel and felt at home in the air. Its aether currents, winds, and turbulence were all things he understood intrinsically, like instinct. And yet when he looked down to that ship, cutting through the waters like a knife, he couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t think of it as a ‘water ship’. It was just a ship. The CETEA and other vessels like it were similar, yet so very different. 

And always they borrowed from them, these older vessels. Their terminology, their designs. Even the small manacutter he was steering towards Ala Mhigo for his last supply run until they reached Cape Mete looked eerily similar to the lifeboats his sharp eyes spotted rigged to the sides of the vessel. It irked him, and he couldn’t really explain why.

“Probably just tired,” he mused out loud, but he knew there was more to it than that. Ever since Osric and the others had vanished right before his eyes he had felt it. An unrest he’d never experienced before. Buckle loved the CETEA, his home in the sky. Had always felt free in its embrace and with its crew. But now he found himself anxious, like the ship was getting too small for him. Constricting instead of embracing, just like…

He shook his head, shaking the thought before it could fully take root. This was different. This wasn’t him outgrowing something in a direction he didn’t want to go. This was just the stress of the last few suns and the concern he had for his friends. And yet…

Buckle glanced down at the ship again, letting out a soft sigh. “We’re your children in the sky, set to replace you, and yet you linger.” He truly saw no point in them anymore, skyborn as he was he couldn’t really understand why anyone, if given the choice, would pick water over air. They were sluggish compared to them, and prone to horrible weather that they could simply fly over. Not that airships never went down, his crew’s name ‘Dreadstorm Castaways’ was a stark reminder of that. But in his mind, it happened far less frequently. 

“And yet, these damned aetherythes may give us both a run for our gil,” he continued, letting a rambling mouth finally give voice to troubled thoughts. They hadn’t even been trying to teleport. Hadn’t paid anything either. Hadn’t been near a proper aetheryte, just a half-broken device discarded by the thief that had threatened Buckle’s crew. His family. He felt goosflesh prickle up his skin, and he knew he was afraid.

“Maybe we should stick together, old girl,” he told the ship below. “Make sure they don’t replace us both.”