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magz · 11 months

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The planet Duendi. (magz worldbuilding from 2019)

Inorganic Elements

On this planet called Duendi, there are green puffs of smoke and glittering twinkles suspended in it’s atmosphere. There are clashes of rock formation, usually having an artificial looking matte red and grey surface.

A cool blue light bends and spreads after bouncing around the puffy emerald green and cyan colored clouds that occasionally rain yellow sulphur, and heavy showers of water a couple times a year.

Those clouds are always present as thin floating sheets in the sky. The blue light comes from the white dwarf star 11 light minutes away, the sort of light that got distorted by the filtering skies.

The sky looks like a big tub of moving marbling paint fixed right above everything, a slow but satisfying movement of swirls and ribbons where greens, blacks, light blues, and any other of the frequently changing colors that pierced through the stratosphere at different times of the day.

At the middle of a 65 hour day, just as the white dwarf star would shine brightly upon most of one side of Duendi, the skies would look thinner and less opaque. They would look like the depths of deep, rolling water. Most of Duendi has anywhere from a 60% to 95% humidity rate despite the infrequent water showers, but the ground and the air retain the humid rather well.

Uneven patches of temperature of hot 65 degrees and cold -35 degrees Celsius with subtle shifts between different zones of temperature is like this because of how the water reserves everywhere would absorb and sometimes heat up everything around as a consistent rate when hit by warming light rays.

The feeling was often warm and damp, like a wet thick sweater being worn close to a fireplace.

Organic Elements

Algae loved the humidity of this place. Duendi had plenty of water and other liquids that would pool together in cracks, deep holes, and dips in almost anywhere, but especially the ground.

The algae adapted to the conditions of the planet by taking on a light color and fuzzy edges in parts of Duendi where there was sparse light and a lot of damp dirt and minerals.

The fuzzy edges would bury deep, sometimes like roots, sipping on the rich mineral waters below.

And in the places with an overabundance of water and light rays, the algae came in many different forms, some would float like flat buoyant disks that were dry and hard at the top, some would anchor at the bottom, others would fill themselves up at the edges of the water and inflate. And from those kinds of algae, there was everything in between. They thrived rather well on Duendi.

Why talk so much about such simple creatures? Well, they thrived so well that they make up a lot of things, influenced almost everything, and were certainly on or in a huge chunk of Duendi.

When they bunched up together, depending on the situation they could either:

A) Become brittle and break down into dust, enriching their surroundings.

B) Pack tightly and under the heat and pressure of Duendi’s rock and 3.5G Gravity, become beautiful crystals that often decorated the oldest of formations.

C) Explode in unison upon their death, in hopes of reproducing, often creating rainbows and sometimes becoming a part of the dense atmosphere and clouds.

Over time, different creatures formed, dependent on the oversaturation of algae in the environment to thrive.

“The vegetation” are all short and close to the ground, from round ‘bubbles’, underwater spindly tentacles, spirals that clung tightly to rocks, small beads that flew in the air and burrowed once settled, and so many more.

Many species of vegetation provided more of the silicon, salts, and carbon (dioxide and disulfide and benzene) on Duendi. The green and yellow bubbling plants grew at high heights, the sulfide rains would slide on the crystalline rocky slabs they would pop up on.

Those plants would drip carbon disulfide and absorb the rains, reproducing from the hot liquid that would overflow.

Conscious slimy blobs would eat and sip from these liquids and the plants themselves, digesting them slowly for many planet rotations.

Thinking beings

These are the main thinking beings on Duendi, however ther are more, but they do not have as wide an influence as these two.

--The Asanjei are individual masses of viscous substance and a central nervous system with several, specialized tiny brains branching off inside of them.

They usually bind themselves in soothing bandages made of the fibers of drooping plants that grow close to Duendi’s pools of water, their outer layers of “skin” (a thin layer that forms around the surface of their bodies) are hyper-sensitive to many sensations. That skin works as a protective layer that prevents their insides from moving on their own and it can be uncomfortable to not be bound by woven fibers.

The Asanjei move rather slowly (1.5 miles per hour when they exert themselves), have pre-tensile extended limbs that can retract into their bodies, and have slug-like lower halves. They do not have very specialized developed eyes but they can see with preliminary spots around their upper and middle half that can sense light.

They also have concave spots spread out on their bodies that can perceive forms, as a result, they can “see” at many different angles like an extreme and somewhat blurry fish-eye lense as a result of the many inputs getting filtered through a couple of their tiny “brains” to have a complete image.

They can secrete poisonous liquids from their skin as a result of eating poisonous plants that they build immunity towards, starting from when they are basically toddlers.

They reproduce by using a “host” as a receptacle, which can be the corpse of a fleshy meal in rare occasions (it’s seen in bad taste to do that) or as is more common -- using the warm fibers of trees and plants that grow close to them, and their nutrients left inside after many Asanjei members of age deposit reproductive materials. After a few rotations, in the Duendi equivalent of spring and fall, Asanjei pupas will come out and be cared for.

They have 4 “genders”: they can be translated as spade, sphere, leaf, and fire. Anything from their receptacle’s temperature, the kind of nutrients they absorb, the climate, and anything else from before they are born chooses what gender they are.

The way the different genders are distinguished between each other are through markings on their bodies and the colors they are. Their genders do not fundamentally change what they are capable of doing nor their organ’s functionality except through their culture’s expectations, variation in hormonal discharges, and who they are allowed contact with (only their own gender) until they grow up as adolescents before they are fully matured.

Spades and Spheres are focused on physical exertion to get closer to their higher powers, Spades use tools more often, with Spheres more likely to be bare besides their bindings.

Leaf and Fire are both covered a lot more for social conventions to allow for longer periods of reflective meditation and rituals without risking their skins, Leafs usually grow out spindles and tubes of gelatinous masses that serve aesthetic functions and can rarely act as extra limbs when they reach older age, and Fires are likely to focus on the teaching aspects of religion.

Though this might seem as rather superficial or that it could heavily affect the kinds of jobs they get in society, any gender is capable of getting any job, however the way they are expected to act in the roles they get heavily relies on their genders, with certain methods and handicaps expected for each gender and how they act when doing jobs.

For example, if a leaf Asanjei becomes a warrior, they are still expected to wear a lot of bindings and grow out (often vistigial) appendages, and as a result they have to pin those appendages in place so as to not get in the way and be careful not to overheat and are allowed to have more access to water than their different gendered warrior peers.

There are 2 main cultural categories of Asanjei, that are defined by their location.

The ones from Northern Duendi close to swamps and wetlands, that often live in the waters. They see the waters as holy and it is a rite of passage for a young Asanjei to be allowed to swim and practice their religious rituals in the large body of water their settlement was built around.

They grow from their pupal stage (they are like balls of viscous slime with big faux eyes and thick “skin” and stubby limbs. Their appearance is similar to a pupal earth bee.) where they’ll have to be protected by an assigned “wet mistress” (like a temporary adoptive parent) until they metamorph to their final adult form after becoming much bigger and then hibernating for about 15 Duendi days.

While hibernating, they are protected several at a time in cool-aired huts close to the large body of water, and tended to by several wet mistresses.

The coming of age ritual is very important as the waters they are dipped in for the first time decide their role in later stages in life, like whether they are a priest, sanitations worker, wet mistress, warrior, food preparer, “manager”, teacher, etc.

The ones from West Duendi’s sweltering deserts wear more varieties of bindings and clothing to protect them, and rely on tool-making for survival.

There are 15% more spades in Western Asanjei populations than in Northern ones. They are a nomadic culture unlike the Northern Asanjei. Western Asanjei are raised in groups with many children being raised by many adults. They eat much more meats and other slimes moreso than plants (2 to 1 ratio), with exception of poisonous plants they consume to produce their own poison.

Early in life, they are taught various skills for survival and it’s mandatory for young Asanjei to cycle between different groups of adults with different roles, so that they learn from as many groups before maturing. However, they are not expected to have strong emotional connections until they grow up and are urged to focus on personal development instead.

Despite being more “community” driven overall, young Asanjei are given different treatment and expectations to the point that they will not know how it really is to be a “part of a family” until they grow up, so they generally do not get attached to any specific group or individual as by the time they are adults those adult members that raised them often die or are no longer a part of their trade.

There is a lot of importance given towards broadening their knowledge. Once they metamorphose they are expected to choose their roles themselves and are taken under the wing of an adult with a workshop for hundreds of rotations until they become independent, get to choose a more permanent group of the community to be a part of, and are allowed to participate in creating Asanjai pupas.

--Purple Jains. As their name implies they are purple, but not from their own pigmentation. It’s from eating and rubbing against purple spores that grow around Southern and Western Duendi.

Their actual color is a very dark blue that borders on black, with grey flesh and skin. The spores help distinguish between them more and they use them to make markings on themselves, that can have many meanings between what time of year it is like holiday wear, when they were born, their religious affiliation, and so on.

The spores also prevent parasites from getting on their skin. They are very small and often form beneficial relationships with other organisms, even the Asanjei. The average full-grown Purple Jain is 25 inches tall, have many thousands of spindly feathers that aeriate heat through miniscule tube structures that are a part of the feather, have two long triple jointed legs that are good for jumping and assisting in swimming whenever needed, and 4 arms attached to insect-like sections to their abdomen that swivel as much as 80 degrees independently of each other.

They have sharp chiseled beeks and blunt teeth inside their mouths. And they have a long strip of an “eye” above their beeks that can sense visible light and part of uv rays emitted by the white dwarf star, useful for finding prey rich in nutrients -- those that usually bounce more uv rays in Duendi.

They don’t have societies that vary heavily from each other besides small variations of their main form of communication (dialects of language), they migrate often and keep constant tabs on each member of their race.

They have a fast and efficient hub of communication between each branch of Purple Jains. Their language is modular and easy to learn for young Purple Jains. Adult Purple Jains make the babies and toddlers absorb the meanings of various noises, scratches, symbols, and smoke signals in the way they communicate as part of how they are raised.

When a purple jain dies, for 3 days (around an earth week) they are mourned and given ceremonies of respect with their bodies covered, plants and objects are then presented around their covered bodies signifying how they were in life or what they could have been, and then they are stripped and spread where they originally died or where they used to live. Where a purple jain is buried or spread, purple flowers (buds of circular shapes) bloom.

They are formed from a mixture of the nutrients of the Purple Jain’s corpse, their remaining unused energy before dying if any, and the spores that had become a part of their bodies and mutated in the Purple Jains’ presence to last longer on their bodies and survive. Those flowers are seen as the continuation of the purple jain’s spirit, and their buds are eaten on days of rememberance that happen every time the white dwarf star aligns with the Southern or Western Duendi skies to create rippling sky phenomenons (about every 3 to 8 earth months). Purple jains do not have specialized roles or genders and are a jack of all trades. They are able to communicate with many species by imitating their sounds, body languages, and the smells of other creatures. They hunt, bathe, court, eat, nurse, and procreate entirely dependent on the time of day and season.

In other words, everything has a set time to be done, and synchronization and pre-planning is what makes them strong as a sense of community and as force, besides their adaptability in forming symbiotic relationships with other native beings.

They are born as tinier, featherless versions of adults with softer membranes and only 2 developed sections of their abdomens instead of 3 with rudimentary stubs for their second set of arms. The babies are carried around by their parents that gave birth to them through sexual reproduction, and are taught to hunt very early on, immediately after they learn how to communicate and understand their language.

Purple jains always keep tabs of their frequency of hunting and the number of prey as to not have too little later on and complicate their matters. If a purple jain over-hunts or hunts when it is not time to, then they are punished, punishment can be anything from cutting a limb, being buried for a whole Duendi day, or being killed.

The bodies of traitorous Purple Jains are also given respect and ceremonies through their rituals, but they are not given as much respect to be buried where they died or lived in unlike their non-traitorous counterparts, and instead are dumped in special graves for “the damned”. The flowers born of those bodies are not allowed to be consumed, it is believed they are somehow twisted. and are instead used for religious purposes to be burned and exume evil 4 times a Duendi year to re-new energies.

Locations

In the Northern wetlands, beyond heavy fogs, lies a sparkling natural fountain with a sparkling bluish liquid that absorbs the energy of spirits and the rays of the white dwarf star, such that it is protected by the Asanjei as a politically and religiously important ground. The Northern Asanjei have a monopoly on the consumption of the liquid, nicknamed “the star’s tears”.

They enforce and protect the sparkling liquid by any and all means, making it impossible to touch it without permission without dying. Once the liquid is consumed, they can transform the individual into a stronger, semi-immortal being whose frame of thought and understanding is forever changed (“enlightenment”).

The issue with this is that the one who consumed are often inclined to separate themselves from their own societies to do the bidding of the One Entity and not necessarily do what was previously in their or their species’/culture’s best interest. It is rare for someone to be allowed to consume The Star’s Tears because of how they lose themselves, especially if weak-willed, and can be a serious threat. Regardless, there are fanatics that desire to one day be allowed access to it, whether for financial gains or to threaten the current status quo or to be strong enough to protect what they hold dear.

Large bodies of water that western Asanjei settlements worship and hold dear have a very, very diluted version of the star’s tears. That’s why those bodies of water are closed off and a part of Asanjei property. Asanjei members (and other species even) are sometimes sacrificed or punished by being fed to the fountain, absorbing their life and dying as a fodried husk.

-The millenium trees. These are located in East Duendi, and make it hard to inhabit the East as they attract chaos and death. Millenium trees are the only “real trees” on Duendi and are several thousands of years old. Under their soil and roots, they all connect to one point, towards the sleeping chamber of an unspoken entity that warps and crafts many aspects of Duendi in their slumber. No one is aware of this, nor are they allowed to by the many anomalies that appear in these several hundred of thousands of miles of woods.

-”Eternal fire pit”. It’s not actually eternal and they are not one specific place. These fire pits are located in southern, northern, central, and western duendi as several sepearate spaces that connect to each other as an interconnected hub of fire (which is why they may be referred to as one place) and continually fuel burning. Useful for survival to find these fire pits.

Sensor anomalies

The spirit is just as it sounds, it is a form of you beyond your fleshy body. All inhabitors of Duendi have spirit, spirit cannot be completely destroyed or created, they are basically recycled between each other bit by bit like matter and energy. It is strong enough to allow life and consciousness, and to allow the existence of magic.

Magic is quite simple on Duendi, the limit is how much spirit you have access to and there are limitations of how much can be used by one mortal at a time, as well as per lifetime.

With this in mind, anything from using up your own limited spirit until you die or lose consciousness, to sacrificing others, or using material with a lot of spirit accumulated… are allowed.

Magic is dangerous and risky, so it is not uncommon to restrict it’s usage in cultures. Magic is capable of healing, destruction, re-construction, and combination/reaction.

Something that’s practical to be achieved by the average lifeform, assuming they would be allowed to use magic, would be to create an explosion of a 15 yard radius as destruction for one “spell”; capable of re-constructing a blasted limb up to a foot long; Heal one individual’s severe burn wounds; or make two otherwise non-reactive elements combine into a concentrated rich edible food that can fuel any organism for up to a week… before losing consciousness.

Duendi is home to The One Entity Being a mass of old spirit that never dissipated and has it’s own will, a great deal of power and influence due to it’s mass collection of spirit that keeps replenishing itself once spirit is used for magic by others or spirit is left unguarded / unclaimed and it decides to make that spirit a part of itself. It is so huge and enormous as a mass that would be hard to imagine and quantify for us, and it would virtually + practically never run out of spirit to use for magic even if it tried.

Limitations of magic usage are not in place for The One Entity Being, as it has enough spirit and does not count as one consciousness / lifetime / individual such that it circumvents those conventions.

The One Entity is the closest thing to a g-d that Duendi has. It is hard to understand it’s reasoning and self-interest, it can be benevolent or rather cruel with living inhabitants of Duendi, and the only thing known for sure is that it wants to keep existing for as long as it can.

#very long #duendi #my words #text post #o post

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chaletnz · 7 months

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Amazon: Arriving at Maniti Camp

Despite plans to wake up extra early to go and get breakfast before it got super hot, I had been woken many times overnight from the heat and the noisy fan blowing on me. I took a cold shower to refresh and stepped out to find a massive jungle bug in there on the wall. I noped out of there and quickly took all my stuff out of the bathroom and closed the door. My breakfast spot was about a ten minute walk away at La Mona Cafeteria. My expectations were a little high, but I was still happy with my croissant and a papaya/pineapple juice to fill the hole before I got picked up for my tour. The café had a resident skinny cat and on the walk back I passed a street cat with kittens! The guide, Wellington Marcielo, arrived a little early while I was still finishing up packing but he was happy to wait a few minutes and then flagged down a mototaxi to drive me and my bag to the port while he rode his motorbike in front of us. The drive north of Iquitos was about 20 minutes or so and through a market where the road got very bumpy. At the port I was introduced to the tour guide Rodrigo, and the other four guests going to the eco-lodge camp with me. It was a family of Puerto Ricans but the girls, Naomi and Rachel, who were probably around my age or a few years younger lived in Massachusetts with some cushy sounding government jobs. This trip was for the dad, who had always wanted to visit the Amazon rainforest. We set off on our boat ride towards the jungle camp down the River Nay, the water eventually changed from blue to dirty brown as we entered the Amazon river and continued north. As we rode slowly Rodrigo told us about the famous river. There are 30 different species of piranha in the Amazon rainforest although most live in lakes, the river contains a lot of catfish – some up to 3-4 feet long. The dolphins here are protected by law and by superstition as the shamans say that dolphins used to be people that chose to come back and live in the water. He also said that he’d led tours where Chinese tourists wanted to eat the dolphins, he was shocked and said “they’ll start eating each other in China!” The Amazon river changes shape every year as the current erodes the banks and washes away parts of the land, but then other parts get drier and form more pockets of land. Quite a marvel. Rodrigo also explained his masters’ thesis about sloth poop and how they bury it under the soil at the base of their tree so that pumas and jaguars won’t find it and know the sloth is there to attack. There is also a specific type of moth that feeds off the algae that forms on a sloth’s fur as it eats leaves and dribbles the juices on itself. This moth lays its eggs in the sloth poop and this mini ecosystem continues. After about two hours of riding down the river we entered a small inlet that led us to our camp where we all unloaded ourselves and our luggage and walked across wooden boards, and tree trunks to get up the bank to our camp. We were allocated our rooms and went in to unpack and use the facilities, then we regrouped for a jungle walk before lunch with Rodrigo. He showed us the “veggie ivory” that is shipped to China to make buttons, a tree that produces iodine that is used as antiseptic in jungle communities, the pona walking palm tree with a spiky trunk used as a grater, as well as a lovely leech pit and bullet ant nest. The walk was only about 40 minutes but in that time I amassed so many bites on my arms but the baby insect repellent cream seemed to work on my legs as I didn’t end up with nearly as many there!

#Peru #Iquitos #Amazon

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cybermeep · 6 months

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bursting through my front door & screen and chirping “i’m home!” to the look of a completely pitch black house.. im glad to be home! today was a bit long.. not entirely, but long to my own perspective. went up and visited my grandmother and the like. stopped and visited another place again— the house next to the water. god i love the house in the ocean*.. anyway! i got to walk on one of the docks. was pondering bringing a certain book with me and taking a photo of it on the dock, but was far too afraid of something going wrong to do said thing. also because it would be reckless.

its worth noting the dock was stable, yet simultaneously finicky at parts. had to make sure i had a decent amount of balance. it was scary! i got to see some seaweed and algae growing, also a horseshoe crab shell. didnt get the chance to catch it, but yknow. (The reason i think it was just the shell was because it wasnt moving— they have their telson for the whole reason of helping themselves flip back up, so i don’t think it was still living..) i also saw a good chunk of other things like tiny minnows swimming about. was able to borrow a net and a small rectangular.. container? not exactly a box.

low tide, found a variety of mussels in the sand. they were strong! glued in there. pulled some out to inspect what ones were alive and what ones were dead. once i was done, plunked some back in the water— quietly regarding how they should get a bit further away from land if they could. didn’t keep any of the mussels, because i dont exactly know the laws surrounding them— but also because i have no clue how i’d take care of one. also because of the simple fact im not a seafood person, so it’s not like i’d eat ‘em either. as i was inspecting along the bay, found the shell of a crab! remarked they must’ve really treated him dirty… then also found the same crabs arm! one of them, anyway. a very mesmerizing red & blue mixture with some white as well. not sure what specific species, but ill make sure to research it later. kept the shell and arm as both a souvenir and something to investigate. feet also hurt extensively after said walk along the bay— water was absolutely freezing. still, was very fun! enjoyed basking in nautical nature..

not sure what ill do now that im home.. likely going to do some sketches and portraits. wish to specifically draw different kinds of noses.. i have a few ideas i haven’t started, might get to those. have a three canvas idea for ‘beauty in the mundane’— and or cyber saying a vague statement because hes dumb again.. the ideas are all different animals but same focal point in each piece! have some thumbnail sketches for it. last time i painted on canvas it didn’t exactly go great.. i’ll see how i feel. also should clean my room a bit more & read more of house of leaves, but that’s always something on my to do list anyway. cant wait for my buddy asbestos.. or hal… im trying to pinpoint what my final names are but because of space odyssey and my indecisiveness theres always more.

*house in the ocean is one of the projects mr. manticore has made! silly and goofy, but its overall message always seems to punch me in the gut.

#cybers tangents

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wishesunderthestars · 3 years

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Ocean Waves // Ch. 1

Pairings: Wizard!Namjoon x Witch!reader

Summary: Wizards were arrogant and self-entitled, they looked down on witches when they were the ones who desperately tried to control magic, to become like them. Better than them. You had your own troubles, struggling to make enough money to escape the judgement of your community and the past mistakes haunting you. Getting involved with a wizard was the last thing you needed. But you had never been lucky.

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 12.2k

Warnings: none

Talking books were a pain in the ass. They could talk miles around the same subject and never stop. The worst part? They were impossible to close if they didn't want to. Which witch had thought it would be a good idea to give voice to a know-it-all?

You had made the mistake of opening one and now it wouldn't shut up.

It was going on and on about all the different kinds of seaweed, their uses and complaining about people confusing them. It was causing you a headache. If someone associated books with ancient deep voices they were sadly mistaken. This one had the most high pitched voice you had ever heard and it was so loud the whole ocean would be able to hear it.

You couldn't care less about seaweed types at the moment. Why had you made the mistake of opening it? It depicted various ingredients for potions but it had become obvious it was most fond of seaweed. Titled "Guide to Underwater Plants and their Contribution to Magic", the writer had described thousands of plants in its pages and then he had made the mistake of animating it. You vowed to yourself that if you ever reached that lever of magic you would never repeat that. Too many speaking books had been made, way more than the world needed in the first place. Zero, that's exactly how many it needed.

"Chlorophyta, also called Prasinophyra, is a taxon of green algae. Depending on the author the name is used in two very different senses. In older classification systems, it refers to a highly paraphyletic group of all the green algae within the green plants, which includes more than seven thousand species. "

You put a book back in its place on the bookshelf carved into the cave wall. "Yeah, yeah."

"Contrary to popular belief not all species live in freshwater but about 90% of them do, 10% can be found in seawater in secluded regions."

"Amazing." You picked up another book. You were extra careful not to open another book that would make your headache worse. "You sound like a Wikipedia article."

A moment of silence. You read the first few pages of the book in your hands then put it back. Nothing interesting there. Rustling of paper that could only be described as aggressive came from the book on the stone table in the middle of the library.

"Did you just compare me to a Wikipedia article?" You clenched your eyes as the pitch of the voice got higher, it should have been impossible, but you had never been lucky. "The blasphemy, the insult! How do you wound me so? Are you so ungrateful to my services? Then I shall service you no more." The book closed with a bang echoing through the library.

You rushed to the table to pick it up and shove it in one of the shelves. You added the seaweed book to the list of people and now things you had managed to offend. At least it had stopped talking. Books were too sensitive these days.

The library hadn't been much help this time. You had been coming for so long taking comfort in the dim lights under the water and the lanterns with the silver flames. You found solace in the cave above the water where the books were kept safe from being soaked and destroyed.

The lower levels were underwater, much larger in size. They were like huge museums of things old and new, anything that would interest the sea creatures that gathered them. Some were displayed in glass cases and others on carved stone. Forgotten relics centuries old and statues of a different age. Beautiful jewelry worth a fortune was preserved by the librarians.

It was an underwater wonderland.

You collected your notes, divided them by kind and hid them away in your waterproof bag. You hadn't made many new ones. You would have to figure out the rest of the details for the potion yourself. You didn't look forward to that.

With one last look at the dry section of the library and the blue sky that was visible through a hole in the cave's ceiling, you dove back in the sea.

The water was soothing against your skin. You closed your eyes at the feeling of freedom.

"Did you find what you needed?" the selkie polishing one of the statues asked you. She was the head librarian and always had a smile on her face.

"I came close," you said. You had perfected the art of speaking and hearing underwater. It had taken many hours of practice and nearly drowning twice but it had been worth it. Your mother wouldn't have let you drown anyway. She had been the one to teach you. "Nothing too specific."

"I could help you look next time, not that I would be much help if you didn't find anything." The selkie ran a hot pink pad over the curls of the statue. The attention to detail of the sculptor was incredible, the man looked alive. He reminded you of the ancient statues in the western human civilizations and their beauty. You could recognize it didn’t originate there though, it wasn't that old, but the untrained eye could mistake them.

"I can try to do the rest on my own. I'll experiment a little, try it a few different ways until it works," you said.

Snickers followed your statement. "Oh no, we all have to hide. Y/N is doing magic again. On her own." More snickers. "Everyone in twenty miles from her house is in danger."

A group of mermaids emerged from one of the pathways. The mermaid's words were accompanied by the giggles of her two friends. They were swimming gracefully in the water, their hair floating around them like halos. Their words were much less angelic than their appearance.

You gritted your teeth. "Too bad for you. You better start hiding then." You kept yourself back from saying anything worse.

The mermaid who had spoken before giggled. "Maybe you should be the one to start hiding. There are much bigger fish in the ocean and they will swallow you whole."

Their giggles echoed in the chamber as they left.

The selkie looked at you with sympathy. "They are all talk, nothing else."

You gave her a weak smile. "Don't worry. Don't I know?" You tightened your grip on your bag, adjusting it over your shoulder. "Take care. I'll see you."

"See you around, little sea witch," the selkie said fondly.

You disappeared deeper into the library, passing through different rooms and narrow paths. The library was difficult to navigate at first but it grew on you. The longer you spent there you gradually unraveled its secrets and understood the structure, the way it was made. There was a method to its madness.

Out of the series of caves, the sun was but a faint vision above. A couple of fish followed you as you swam to the surface. They were drawn to you like moths to the flame, your magic drawing them in. Anna would joke about it, say that if you ever went hungry you could catch the fish surrounding you to feed your belly.

You went higher and higher, closer to the light.

Most water creatures didn't spare you a second glance. A group of kelpies were heading north, their manes swirling around them, and a mermaid was arguing with a water nymph about the pros and cons of sea shells as hair accessories.

You emerged by the rocks on the forgotten trail to the sea. The sharp points of the stones dug into your palms as you pulled yourself up. The water had smoothed parts of them and left others sharp enough to cut through skin with one wrong move, you had to be careful which ones you held onto. You stood up barefoot on steady feet. The underwater library was a twenty minute swim away from the shore at best. By all means your limbs should have been sore from going and coming back but you were used to it.

With a flick of your hand and a few muttered words under your breath the water clinging on your ripped jeans, crop top and hair slipped away like it was being pulled by some kind of magnet. It left your hair in a not so favorable condition but it was nothing some combing with your fingers couldn't fix. That way you at least looked a little presentable. Not that you had a mirror to look at but you had enough years of experience to have a general image in your head of what you looked like.

You pushed your hair back as best as you could to get it out of your face and started your way up. The rocky trail wasn't easy to navigate but you had a lot of practice. Under a larger stone, one the water couldn't touch, you found your sandals. You had left them there before diving into the sea. Shoes restricted your movements underwater making you slower.

You slipped them on, happy to avoid the pain of the sharp rock edges poking the soles of your feet. You were used to it but it was nice to avoid it whenever you could.

Moss was growing between the stones, it wrapped around them creating patches of green amidst the black and dark brown landscape. You were careful not to step on them, they were slippery and the rocky terrain could be dangerous. If you slipped and fell your, head and body wouldn't stay intact.

You climbed up the familiar way with ease. Your bag was securely wrapped around your shoulders, the spell work cast on it still working wonders. As you went up, the rocks gave way to a dirt road.

A few trees surrounded the road. Pine trees and lemon trees provided shade from the sun during the day. You patted one of the older trees in the area and felt its life force thrum underneath your fingertips. A spark of warmth greeted you.

You didn't have to walk long to your house. It peaked on the horizon as you walked down the hillside. More trees were growing around the area and grass and different kinds of wild flowers were everywhere you looked.

The house was perched on the plain near to where the woods ended and on the other side the hill gave way and gazed over the sea. Vibrant red flowers, like small roses, bloomed on the vines climbing up the stone walls. They had been there as long as you could remember and they bloomed all year long. Thin lines of smoke were coming out of the chimney. The windows were open letting the early spring breeze inside, the gossamer curtains billowing in its pass.

As you came closer warm tingles ran through your body, the protective charms around the house were welcoming you. Your wards were very powerful, they could detect someone with unsavory intentions from miles away. The white stones littered around the grounds were only a small part of them.

You were the most proud of your garden. It took up a wide ring around the house. It was your mother's garden and you had learnt how to care of it early on. You planted all the kinds of herbs you would need for potions, salves and spells and some of your mother's favorite flowers. Lemon and apple trees had been around the path to the door since you had been little and moonflowers, that would open at night and release their sweet aroma, littered the window sills. They were your favorites.

By the door the charmed dreamcatcher danced with the wind. The white strings were made by kelpie hair and it was decorated with Phoenix feathers for added effect (both gifted voluntarily). Tokens like that were all over the house, inside and outside. You had picked up the habit and created charms and amulets of all kinds. It was easy and some of your best work.

You opened the door making the small bells ring softly.

As expected, Anna was sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through Instagram. Her long black hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her nails, painted black, made a clinking sound whenever they touched the screen.

"Did you find everything?" she asked, too engrossed to look up.

"I wouldn't go that far. I would say I found at least some things I can work with." You pulled off your bag and placed it on the kitchen table. The kitchen doubled as your "witchy laboratory" as your brother like to call it and its usual state was a mess. "I'm closer than I was yesterday. I count that as a win. Where are the boys?"

"John, upstairs. Nathaniel is out." Anna's syrupy voice carried to the kitchen.

Out of the bag you pulled out your spellbook. You liked to call it a spellbook but it was the combination of many notes and observations you had compiled over the years. Pretty much everything was inside.

"Where did Nathaniel go?" you asked.

"No idea, I didn't ask. Just be glad he won't be messing with anything you are working," Anna said. "Any explosives yet?"

"I don't use explosives, I'm not a miner." You flipped through the pages, pausing at a drawing of a vial next to a staghorn coral, like its name suggested it resembled the horns of a deer. "Should I start working now? If any of you have any plans that are going to distract me, please let me know."

"Nah, I don't think we do. I doubt John will be coming down until our shift starts."

That was good enough for now.

Your housemates could be loud to an extreme. Even their silence was loud. They filled the kitchen with noise, threw things around by accident or not, messed with your work and generally made a mess. They were the biggest obstacle to your work and you couldn't wait for the time you would have your own space. No more spilled potions, lion cubs Nathaniel was supposed to be babysitting running between your feet, torn or lost books, destroyed charms and constant talking and fighting. The last was the worst.

You were close to forgetting a time before all of them had entered your life. The time before Nathaniel was like a dream. Scattered memories of swinging high in the garden, pushed by a faceless father, picking flowers and swimming without an extra voice accompanying you and no over excited boy running behind you. Anna and John came later so your memories without them were clearer but still too far away.

Nathaniel was your mother’s best friend only son. You had grown up together but you didn't spend half as much time with each other as you did after his parents died. It had been a heavy blow to your mother, only a few months after your father had disappeared. In the same year she had lost two of the people most dear to her. After your father's disappearance, she was strong, she continued like nothing had happened. She read her books, attended on her customers, tended to her garden. When her best friend was killed at the hands of hunters everything stopped, the facade fell.

Hunting supernatural beings was illegal. It had been outlawed decades ago, yet some people just refused to give up. There weren't that many but enough to cause worry and fear. They were enough to make you double check if someone was following you and never lose your focus in case you needed to cast a spell to escape when you were outside the supernatural communities. The risk was much greater outside.

You didn't see the bodies but your mother came back with her voice so hoarse from screaming she couldn't speak for days. It was only natural that Nathaniel would stay with you, no questions were raised about it and no one complained. And so the werewolf became a part of your little family.

John and Anna's story was different, the reasons similar.

"What are you making?" Anna was leaning on the doorframe between the kitchen and the living room. Her phone was in her hand, hanging by her side.

You stopped measuring the white liquid in the vial you were holding. "I thought you wouldn't distract me."

"I don't have any plans that will distract you. I'm bored," she whined. "What are you making?"

"I told you about this yesterday. It's for a customer."

"Oh right, the memory potion." She grimaced. "I don't understand how that's supposed to work. If his memories are gone, they won't be coming back with a potion. What if someone stole them? You can't grow them back."

"Memories aren't trees, of course I'm not growing them back. The potion isn't going to make the memories suddenly appear," you tried to explain as you opened the cupboards looking for the ingredients you needed. "Some memories are suppressed, living deep in the subconscious. That can happen because of trauma or simply because the brain deemed them not important enough. They haven't truly disappeared. This is one of the mildest potions, it is supposed to bring the missing memories to the front slowly, one by one."

"Interesting." Anna stepped away from the wall and came closer. "Are you going to crush that?"

You had an orange coral in one hand. "It's going to melt in the potion. If I do this right, it won't need crushing. Careful!"

Thanks to Anna's fast reflexes the vial was saved from crashing to the floor. However, you didn't feel that thankful when she was the one who had knocked it over in the first place. Vampires were supposed to be graceful and elegant, it was just your luck you had ended up with the only two clumsy ones ever made.

You continued working on the potion. Anna got bored of you and your monotonous answers and returned to the living room with her phone. Instagram was far more interesting than potions, apparently.

Thumping was coming from upstairs. It could be nothing else but John jumping up and down like maniac, listening to heavy metal or rock ‘n’ roll or any other kind of music with a loud beat that had drawn his attention. You needed to cast the silencing spell between the rooms again for all of your benefits and your own peace of mind. It wore off too quickly and with four people living in the house, you couldn't do without it.

The last ingredient was the most important. It was one you hadn't found exactly the correct technique for, but based on most of the potions it was used in you had to add it with precision and slowly. Not a drop more. You kept your hands steady, holding your breath. One, two, th-

"Y/N!"

Surprised, you squeezed the dropper harder than you should have, a copious amount falling into the mix. The potion turned green instead of royal blue. An epic failure.

You growled, throwing the dropper to the side. What had you asked for? A few hours to let you work in peace. Why couldn't they do that? You didn't go and sabotage their jobs. Now the potion was destroyed and you should start all over again. In two days the potion had to be ready for the client and you were miles away from that, it seemed. You had to test the method, let it brew overnight and make sure it was effective. But in this house, you doubted you would be able to do that.

"What the heck do you want?" you shouted back.

Nathaniel appeared in the kitchen, chocolate brown hair tussled. "Have you seen my favorite top? The dark blue sleeveless one? The one I wear with the black choker?"

You gripped the sides of the table, your long nails digging into the wood. "That's it? That's what you wanted to ask me? You ruined my potion!"

Nathaniel sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Technically, you-"

"Don't finish that thought if you want your body to stay intact," you growled.

"Not finishing that thought." He lingered by the door as you picked up the ruined potion, and after casting an easy spell on it so it wouldn't be dangerous to any creatures or nature, you disposed of it by throwing it outside the window. The earth shallowing up the liquid rapidly. Nathaniel shifted on his feet. "Did you see the shirt?"

You narrowed your eyes. "No, I didn't see the damn shirt. It's either in your room or the laundry basket. Choose and take. Unless it sprouted wings, then good luck finding it," you said forcefully.

You could feel Nathaniel's eyes on your back as you cleaned the vials you had used one by one. "Okay," he dragged the vowels as he spoke. "I'll look there."

"Geez, what's up with her?" You heard John's voice from the living room. The silencing spells definitely needed to be recast.

By nightfall, you had come close to melting a cauldron and ruined another two potions. You were close to perfecting it, though. Your three housemates had left for the club shortly after dusk. Anna and John worked at a supernatural club as bartenders, clubs needed charming bartenders and vampires were nothing if not charming. Nathaniel worked there too as a bouncer. His height, wide shoulders and muscles made him perfect for the job.

Having the house to yourself was a blessing. By all means, you should take advantage of the nights they were gone but you were a morning person and it was more difficult working at night, it didn't help that a lot of spells needed daylight to be cast properly.

In a drawer, there was a talisman for protection you had put together a few days ago. The small pouch was a deep purple, on the front a rune was sewn in it. It was in the old language of the people of the sea, so old only few words survived the trial of time. One of them was adorning the talisman, meaning "protection". A white stone, with a thin blue line like a crack running through it, was inside along with a few anemone petals and a couple seashells.

You made metal talismans too, like rings and charms for necklaces, but the process was more difficult. Carving the rune into the metal was a struggle and the spells could be too time consuming.

The forest was very close to your house and it was mostly quiet at night. Many supernatural creatures lived in its embrace or around it. It wasn't dangerous usually but you were cautious as you treaded the path to a small clearing. You liked working under the moon, away from the house, the memories and the responsibilities.

You pulled out the talisman from your bag and continued working on it.

You were twirling the white thread in your fingers when you heard the footsteps. They were approaching.

You leveled your breath, keeping it to its normal pace. You recited every spell you could use in your head. Speed, power and counterattacks. Which spell would be best for each supernatural creature?

The steps were coming closer. Whoever it was, they were taking their sweet time. If it was a predator, a wild werewolf for example, they would have smelt you from miles away. They could be playing with their pray, playing cat and mouse. Or it could be someone else simply out for a walk at night.

You didn't move, didn't make a sound.

A tall shadow emerged from the trees. Taking a better look at him, he wasn't a shadow anymore. His silver hair was shining under the moon, like beams of its light had landed and stayed there. He was wearing a long tan coat, like a cloak, and he was carrying four books in his arms.

Familiar tingles went up your arms, like when you were doing magic. Hia aura spoke to you.

Magic.

"Oh." His eyes widened as they landed on you. You hadn't moved, waiting for his move. "I didn't expect to find anyone here."

You raised your eyebrows, placing the pouch in your lap. "Clearly I didn't either."

His magic crawled up your arms, leaving the ghost of its touch behind. If you focused on it, you could see deeper into his energy. Potions might not be your strongest suit, but since a baby you had been very sensitive to magic, you could sense it in the air, you could feel the different kinds of magic, but you hadn't been exposed to it much and you couldn't recognize them. The man's magic was different to what you were used to, subtle and refined. It wasn't free and earthy.

You narrowed your eyes. A wizard.

What was a wizard doing here? Wizards stayed in their libraries and grand universities. They didn't just take strolls in the woods unless they were looking for something, they preferred to act mighty and knowledgeable in luxurious rooms with the most prestigious of companies. They bragged as if magic was their own creation just because they had managed to master a part of it. Magic wasn't in their blood like it was for witches, maybe they had an inkling, but it was nothing like the way magic flowed through witches connecting them with nature.

Yet they viewed witches as inferior when they were the ones who forced magic and as much as they studied the most powerful wizard couldn't hold a candle to the power a witch could achieve.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just looking for a quiet place," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The whole forest is quiet."

Instead of being annoyed at your sharp tone, the wizard smiled sheepishly at you. Twin dimples appeared on his cheeks. You had an urge to scowl. "That's right I guess. I was walking around and stumbled upon the clearing. I didn't mean to interrupt." You scoffed looking down at the talisman, you hoped that if you didn't say anything, he would eventually leave. Tough luck. "Are you making a talisman?"

You rolled your eyes. "No, I'm sewing a pouch for fun. What do you think?"

His cheeks were tinted in pink but that might have been a trick of the moonlight. Moonlight was well-known for fooling your senses. "You're a witch, aren't you? Protective talismans are a challenge, it's tough to get them right."

It had taken him long enough to realize. You were about to come up with another sarcastic retort but that would only keep him here longer. It wasn't that difficult to see you didn't want company, yet he insisted on staying. "I get them right just fine."

The wizard's eyes widened for a moment. "Do you live around here? One of our customers told us about a witch who made a few protection charms for her, she said they were the strongest and most efficient she had ever used, they stopped two goblins from sneaking into her garden on two different occasions."

You remembered that customer, she had come to you a few weeks ago, looking for a way to ward off unwanted visitors who ravaged her garden. She was a nice woman, long auburn hair and flowy dress. She must have been some kind of nymph but you couldn't be sure. He had said their customer. You had never heard of wizards working before, they usually lived on the money of the rich, who funded their Universities. A wizard selling any kind of magic sounded more ridiculous to you than the already ridiculous meeting with a wizard in the forest.

One of the druids had mentioned something about a new magic shop. You had overheard him while you were gathering herbs for a potion, but he hadn't mentioned anything about a wizard. Witches were the ones who owned magic shops. Wizards made fun of said magic shops.

A magic shop in the area wouldn't be good for businesses. Luckily they were selling things out of your expertise, like healing potions and some rare ingredients. Potions weren't your strong suit but you could make some money out of them. The ones related to the sea were the closest to your comfort zone, but it was a long process. You were already struggling as it was, not many people trusted you for important work and it cost you.

"Protection charms are routine work," you said curtly.

The wizard shrugged. "I'm awful at making them, I tried a few times but they would barely work. Jin is a little better than me but his aren't that strong either. Ah, I forgot, sorry. My name is Namjoon. We moved here a few weeks ago and opened a shop."

"I have heard," you muttered, glancing at his extended hands. You might be pissed at being interrupted and at the stranger's insistence on not getting lost, but you had some manners. Begrudgingly, you shook his hand and told him your name.

"You're a sea witch, right? I've never met a sea witch before." You came close to rolling your eyes again. Of course he hadn't met a sea witch before. Pure elemental magic was rare in witches and the witches who had it wouldn't hang out in the places wizards did.

You cut the white thread in a sharp move and balled the unused part in your fist. It was clear Namjoon wouldn't leave you alone to your work. You got up, dusting off your clothes. "Excuse me, but I have to go. It's late."

Taken aback, Namjoon looked up at the sky, like the moon could tell him the time. Didn't wizards have phones? "Oh, yeah. It was nice meeting you." The dimples popped out again, you averted your gaze.

"You, too," you said before disappearing in the trees. Great, you didn't have any other place to go. The trek to the sea was long and dangerous at night and you weren't in the mood for a midnight swim. A couple mischievous hobgoblins frequented the rocky grounds and you didn't feel like becoming their next target.

There goes your night.

~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~

You were woken up bright and early when your housemates made their appearance. The door banged once against the wall and one more time as it closed. Nathaniel really needed to control his strength when he was tired. The door couldn't take much more before it flew away from the hinges at best or shattered into splinters at worst. When Nathaniel's werewolf strength and senses had started manifesting when he was sixteen as his first shift was coming closer, everything and everyone around him had suffered. He had broken your favorite couldron, three of your vials, the door to his room, a broom and the most memorable; the toilet, to this day you still didn't know how that had happened. He had also come very close to squeezing you to death hugging you.

He had cut off your airflow for approximately three minutes.

John was singing off-key to an EDM track that wasn't meant to be sung without some form of autotune. It was a rare John ability, but he somehow made it sound like a failed heavy metal track.

The house was in desperate need of recasting the silencing spells between the rooms. They were wearing off far too quickly. But what did you expect when some of the loudest people did everything to overload them?

You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and sat up in your bed. Light was streaming in from the window, the rays stopping at the foot of the bed. The thin curtains didn't do much to stop it. It was nice waking up to a partly illuminated room, without having the sun shining straight to your eyes and blinding you.

Feet were climbing up the stairs. Nathaniel was heading to bed, after being awake all night at the club. John and Anna were at an advantage, as vampires they didn't have to sleep. They still got tired though and spent the mornings bitching about the rude clients or fawning over the attractive ones or gradually getting over an alcohol-blood hungover. Vampires couldn't get drunk the conventional way but they had found a hack. If they drank blood from someone drunk, they would get drunk too. Of course, they had managed to create a drink for that.

You changed into a pair of black jeans. They had faded from all the times they had been washed, diving in the sea wearing them also caused some damage. You picked out a simple white blouse that would allow you to move comfortably. You had given up on wearing nice clothes because a potion or a new spell could easily backfire. Climbing down the stairs, you caught sight of John and Anna sprawled on the couch, and partly on each other, watching a morning show on TV and making fun of the hosts. You couldn't blame them, the dress the woman was wearing made her look like a colorful lamp. But who were you to judge?

"Good morning." Their keen hearing hadn't missed you moving around. The weak silencing spells didn't help.

"Morning," you greeted them, going straight to the kitchen. You hadn't eaten a large dinner last night and you were ravenous. It was a pity that eating too much was bad for swimming.

You pulled out a carton of milk from the fridge, careful of the vials you were storing inside, and a box of cereal from one of the cupboards. A tentacle slithered around your wrist but you tapped it with a spoon and it retreated. That octopus-like creature had been staying in your cupboard for a few years now. Really, it was harmless but it could scare some customers away. There was a spell you could use to banish it but it was nice enough and didn't bother you. It actually bothered you less than your housemates did. Occasionally, it would open the cupboard and pass you the ingredients you needed. Also, it had an appetite for mice and cockroaches, which you didn't mind at all and firmly encouraged.

One of your books was open in the table on a page about weather-related spells. You had been doing some late night studying and had left it like that before stumbling up the stairs way later than you should have. Weather spells weren't very popular and there were many different kinds that required different levels of magical abilities. As an elemental witch, you should have been able to execute most of them with ease. Should, but you hadn’t tried your hand at them in a long time. Well, it didn’t hurt to do some research, you thought, as you flipped through the pages as you ate your breakfast.

You didn't have many customers, so most of your days were dedicated to doing your own studying and perfecting easy spells and potions or learning new ones that might be useful in the future. The sound of the TV accompanied you as you poured a few vials together and watched them change colors into a pastel yellow. You stayed still for a few minutes and when no foul-smelling cloud followed, you counted the potion as a success and transferred it into an oval-shaped bottle.

"Hey, did you hear of the new magic shop in the area?" Anna was leaning against the doorframe, her long black hair clipped back with a claw clip carelessly. Even that looked good on her. She was still wearing the short red dress that hugged her curves just right. The nightclub didn't have a dress code for their employees and Anna used that in her favor.

You stored the bottle with the rest of the successful potions in an enchanted cupboard your three roommates weren't allowed to touch. "I heard. Where did you hear?" It was obvious but you still asked. Word got around fast in the club.

"There was this guy, really cute, " she said. "Really cute and really hot. He pulled off both so well I'm jealous. A fairy. You should have seen the way he danced. His friend was also rather handsome but I didn't get a good look at him." Her lips formed a pout, red lipstick immaculate like she had just applied it. "I hadn't seen them in the club before so I asked. They moved here a few days ago from somewhere in the North, I forget the name of the region now. It started with R... Rio- Or was it N? Anyway, that's not the point. They are new and two of his friends own the shop. I think we should pay them a visit."

You thought back to the night in the forest and the tall wizard, who whenever he smiled dimples appeared on his cheeks. There was no chance you were going to his shop. The last thing you wanted was getting involved with arrogant wizards. Your magic was already belittled and ridiculed by the people in your community, the last thing you needed was wizards calling your magic inferior.

"Why on earth would we go to the new magic shop?" you asked, trying to hide the disdain in your voice. One perfectly drawn eyebrow lifted. You hadn't succeeded.

"Why wouldn't we go to the new magic shop?" Anna came closer, sitting on one of the mismatched chairs around the table. "Are you afraid they'll steal your clients? They don't just do spells and potions. They sell ingredients too, they might have something you need."

"I don't need anything, I can get my ingredients myself. I have everything I need here." You motioned to the cupboards, the baskets of herbs and the random boxes you had stored some of the most odd supplies. "And why would I be afraid of losing my clients? It isn't like I have many, anyway."

Anna's expression softened. "You have just enough clients and you're getting more. They are loyal, they know no one can cast water related spells the way you do. Ms Rogers wouldn't go to anyone else to clean the water in her stream and Mr Klutze will always come to you for talismans. I just think the new shop is worth checking out. Maybe you could exchange some tips, magic user to magic user."

As if. You scoffed. A wizard and a witch exchanging magic tips, that sounded like a bad joke.

"I'm fine where I am. I'm busy, anyway," you said.

"You aren't busy," Anna stated. "You don't have any orders. Your time will be spent more constructively if you come with me to check out the new magic shop."

"Anna, I really don't want to go," you pleaded.

It didn't change anything. "That's why you have to go. You need to socialize more. Who knows? Maybe you'll make some new friends."

You very much doubted that. You might not have that many friends but you weren't that desperate to turn to wizards. And if those wizards ever learnt what you had done, you would become a laughing stock for them and their friends. At best. At worst, they would demand you stop practicing magic, something that would only happen over your dead body. Not a nice path to go down in the morning.

"Why are you so intrigued anyway?" You raised your eyebrows at Anna who seemed to be counting your potion bottles. "Does it have anything to do with how good-looking the owners' friend is."

She didn't deny it, thankfully taking her perfectly manicured nails away from your bottles. "They were both good-looking. Who knows? Maybe they have more cute friends."

You closed the spellbook on the table, afraid her meddling would ruin something and your spellbook was too valuable to become her victim. "You can find handsome men everywhere. It's like a weird vampire ability. I don't want to get involved in your romantic escapades."

"You’re my best friend, of course you will be involved in my romantic escapades. If you don't come with me to the magic shop, I will go by myself. I'll get every random ingredient I can find and tell them you were too shy to come yourself so you sent me." She grinned, her fangs peeking through.

Your heart stopped. You could swear it did. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, but I would," she said, her words tilting in a playful melody.

You groaned. Anna knew you so well she could be your worst nightmare. "Okay, fine. I'll come. Are you going to go like this?"

She looked down at her dress. "What? Don't I look marvelous in it?" She laughed at the look you sent her. "I'll change, I'll change. Be ready in a few." She stopped herself before leaving, saying over her shoulder, "Don't even think about running away. You need to get out of the funk you have buried yourself in."

Funk. You scoffed. You hadn't buried yourself in a funk or whatever Anna claimed you had done. You were perfectly fine and as social as you needed to be. You had your job and your clients and the selkie you talked to at the library. And you had the three of them who wouldn't get out of your hair. That's all you needed. For now.

The remnants of a protection charm John had destroyed by spilling a glass of water on it was left on the counter. The water interfered with the magic and rendered it useless. You had to cleanse it and throw it out before the remaining magic seeped into something it shouldn't.

Your roommates somehow never failed to sabotage something you were working on at least once a week. The kitchen was small, not leaving much space for the four of you to move around but it was the only place you could use. You didn't have your own magic shop like your mother used to and you had learnt from her to never practice complex spells or brew potions in your bedroom. You didn't make a lot of money, not nearly as much as your mother did. But your mother was a trusted witch in your community, everyone came to her with any problems they had. She could do everything. And you... You were trying.

In a small jar, hidden deep in the cupboard that didn't house any tentacle creatures, with a pastel blue ribbon wrapped around it, a small metal book-like charm *filled* with positive energy dangling from it, you had stored your savings. Money to open your own shop and finally move from this community that had done nothing but laugh at you. You would go north at the Great Waterfalls, where you knew no one and no one knew about your mistakes. Or maybe you would settle in one of the human cities, one by the sea, they were many more than the supernatural communities.

The supernatural world's relationships with humans had been getting better and better and at this point it was completely normal to see fairy run coffee shops in human cities or gargoyles employed as guardians for libraries or museums. Supernatural beings mingled with humans, became friends and co-workers. Because of that a lot of half-blood children were born. Children of forest nymphs and humans who had a magic touch with plants, ones who had inherited alluring voices from sirens but the magic wasn't strong enough to control the listener's mind. But a few of them had more supernatural than human blood. Genetics were hard to guess and as society developed and old boundaries were broken down, questions they hadn't bothered with before surfaced.

You sighed, cleaning the table and hiding away anything that could potentially harm your roommates. Your magic wasn't particularly dangerous, the ingredients you used were mostly natural, like corals, seashells, herbs and crystals, but there were a couple you would rather not have Nathaniel messing with.

On your way to store some herbs in the cupboard, you stopped in front of the mirror hanging on the wall. The oval-shaped mirror with the gold lining snaking around the edges had been there all your life, above the counter and close to the window. The kitchen wasn't the place someone would expect to find a mirror but it fit in a weird way. You combed your fingers through your tousled hair and winced a little when you met a few tangles. You hadn't put on any makeup thinking you wouldn't be going anywhere. Did you have enough time to go upstairs and apply some? Anna liked to take her time getting ready.

No, you were fine. You looked fine. You didn't need to get dressed up or look like a movie star. It was just a visit to a shop and you had no one to impress.

Anna swirled into the living room wearing an elegant black jumpsuit, complete with a wide belt and golden jewelry. If there was one thing Anna was amazing at, that was fashion. She dressed herself like she was going to a photoshoot for the cover of Vogue. You looked severely underdressed next to her.

With a wide smile she opened the door and motioned for you to follow her. It was a nice day and Anna lowered her sunglasses a little to take in the vibrant colors. Contrary to popular belief sunlight didn't hurt or kill vampires, although they did tend to dislike it. Because they were pale, they were prone to sunburns therefore they avoided it. Anna attempted to solve the problem by layering a ton of sunscreen on her skin. She had been through a phase as a young vampire in which she had taken to carrying a parasol around, but had eventually given up on it because it didn't fit her style. And she was tired of carrying it. Although you could never forget the time she had smacked a more-than-shady man with it when he had grabbed her waist.

You took the path through the forest, Anna told you it was faster that way. You had no idea where the shop was located so you followed. Anna had her way of gathering information so you weren't the least bit surprised she knew where the shop was. Maybe the fairy boy had told her.

The forest was full of life in the morning. Small animals running around the ground, squirrels jumping from tree to tree. A nymph was scolding a small rabbit for something, stopping when she saw you and shouting a greeting. The trees rustled with it. Anna winked at her. She had helped her approach the boy she liked a couple of years ago and they had been together ever since. Anna was a quite friendly vampire, connected with every kind of creature.

The trees were getting further with larger spaces between them, the path leading up to a more modern building than what you would have expected to find in the middle of the forest. Climbing roses creeped up to the second floor wrapping around the roof. The lovely white blooms must have been magicked to reach that high. The walls were painted a soft peach. The balcony, surrounded by a white railing, was filled with colorful pots. Various kinds of plants were growing in them, many spilling over the balcony. In the middle of all the plants, there was a small table and two chairs.

Anna skipped ahead, motioning for you to follow her. You took a deep breath and straightened your back. You could deal with this, you had dealt with much worse than going to a magic shop of two wizards.

She pushed the half-opened cherry wood door. The open sign was written in careful calligraphy. Fairy bells jingled as you walked inside, their melody sweet and welcoming. The shop was moderately large with many selves lined with crystals, herbs and vials. The world of magic contained in one room. Waiting.

A man with black hair was standing behind the counter flipping through a book. Whispers of autumn brushed your skin every time he turned the yellowed and torn at places pages. It was spring.

Upon hearing the bells, he looked up at you with a wide smile. You were the only ones inside. You reckoned it was pretty early for a stroll to the magic shop.

"Welcome," he greeted you, his bangs falling into his eyes. "Can I help you?"

Anna strolled to the counter, her eyes flitting over the artifacts. "We heard you came here recently and my friend here would like to take a look around. She'll probably know what to get better than me." She turned to you with a smirk. You held yourself back from cursing her into a bat. You had been considering it for years. "I'm Anna," she introduced herself. "I met your friend Jimin last night. Or this morning, if you'd like."

She roped him into a conversation with ease while you hid between the shelves. The aura of the shop was pulling you in, tucking you into its depth. This feeling wasn't something you would use to describe a warlock's magic. It flowed through you, seeping into your bones and warming you inside. You looked between the crystal balls at the handsome stranger.

He wasn't a warlock. He was a witch.

You frowned. What was a witch doing here?

A yellow crystal slipped from your fingers when Anna called your name. You caught it last minute, placing it back with a relieved sigh.

Anna had made herself home, standing against the counter with one hand in the pocket of her jumpsuit. "This is Y/N, she's the one you heard about. She's a sea witch." You hadn't wanted to strangle Anna as much since she had got into a fight with a siren who had been badmouthing you. She had landed a killer punch, though.

The man turned his blinding smile to you. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Seokjin. Our customers have told us about you. We didn't expect to meet an elemental witch here."

If there were multiple customers who had told them about you, all of it couldn't be good. Most of it wouldn't be good. There were many who preferred to travel all the way to the communities on the other side of the forest to find a witch than come to you. One mistake and it had cost you your credibility. The worst part was that you couldn't blame them. You should have never agreed to do the job.

"You have a lot of things here," you said, trying to steer the conversation away from yourself. "I think I saw a snow crystal from the White Peaks."

"Oh, yeah," Seokjin chuckled. "That has been with us for years. Someone gave it to Namjoon, I think, as payment for a spell. Namjoon manages the shop with me, it was his idea. We have managed to stack up on a lot of stuff over the years. Knowing the right people helps a lot. I'm not a fancy witch like you, I'm a plain old green witch but I'm very handy with potions."

Green witches were the most common. They utilized herbs and traditional forms of magic. There were many types of witches, each specializing in different branches of magic. But the basics were the same for every type, like potions and herbs. You could have done without the potions.

The bells sounded again as the door opened. Someone walked inside, his upper body hidden by the boxes he was carrying.

"Hyung, the delivery from Fornwick arrived today. Where is Namjoon hyung? He was supposed to help me." One of the top boxes trembled and Seokjin rushed to take it. "I could carry that."

"You could drop that and it's expensive," Seokjin chided him. "We'll be just a moment," he said to you.

He took some of the boxes but not enough to reveal the other's face and they carried them to the backroom. Anna turned to you with one of her arms resting on the counter.

"Did you see him? I told you they would have more have more handsome friends." Anna didn't toss out compliments at random. When she said someone was handsome, they were handsome. She was a sweet-talker but an honest one.

You couldn't deny that Seokjin was handsome but you were more focused on the fact that he was a witch owning a magic shop with a wizard. Witches and wizards had a long-standing rivalry. A centuries old rivalry. Your mother was a strong believer that no wizard would ever do anything other than look down on witches. Your mother's words were what you lived by and yet...

"Are you looking for a date?" you asked.

Anna pursed her lips. They were the same shade of red as her nails. "Maybe. Maybe not. I just like meeting people. And looking at pretty things. Look how lucky I am."

You couldn't argue with that. Seokjin came back soon after, a boy younger than him trailing behind him. He had chestnut brown hair and wide doe eyes.

"This is Jungkook, he's staying with us and helping with the shop," Seokjin said. Anna looked at you, raising her eyebrows. You had become a master at reading her eyebrow-talk. Another handsome one. Seokjin introduced you and the younger boy nodded, staying behind him. He asked if he could help with anything before Seokjin dismissed him.

Anna was in her element, picking up the talk with Seokjin who seemed to be enjoying himself. You inched away, getting lost between the shelves and the magical items calling to you. A pink crystal for positive energy. Dried wisteria, it could be used in so many spells. Sunflower powder, add a pinch of it in your tea and you would feel happier.

You reached for a small pouch of dried goblin daisies (they were very hard to grow and even harder to pick, they tended to bite) when you collided with someone coming out of the backroom. The shock combined with the push made you lose your balance, sending you back and flat on your butt. You winced at the pain blooming on your behind.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry!" The voice was familiar. It was just your luck. Namjoon was standing over you, one hand extended as if he had tried to catch you but hadn't been fast enough. He rushed to help you to your feet and pick up a few pouches you had knocked over when you fell. "I wasn't looking where I was going and then you were there. It was too early so I thought we wouldn't have many customers..."

"Joon!" Jin was suddenly next to you, delivering a slap on the back of Namjoon's neck. "Yah, you knocked the poor girl over with your clumsiness! Didn't I tell you to be more careful? No one ever listens to me. Are you okay?" he asked you.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you said, dusting yourself off to hide your embarrassment.

Anna held up two fingers. "How many is that?"

"I didn't hit my head. You do that when someone hits their head."

She looked down on her fingers. "Do you ? Still, how many is it? I wish I'd seen you fall. I just heard the thud."

You rubbed your backside. It still hurt, it had been a hard fall. "Thanks for that. I'll remember it."

"Did she look funny?" she asked Namjoon. The wizard looked like he didn't know what to say and you wanted to hide in a cave underwater and never surface again. You should have never agreed to come with Anna in the first place. Nothing good could come out of this visit.

If they had heard about you, the unsavory things wouldn't have escaped their notice. You were unreliable. Your magic was out of control. You were putting people in danger. You had heard it all. What were you doing here? They were the ones who would replace you. Your customers were already few and far between, no one came to you for important things. With a new magic shop in the community it wouldn't be long until those few customers preferred this place. You couldn't blame them. Who would choose you with your history, doing spellwork in a kitchen, over this?

You bit the inside of your cheek. "Yes, Anna, it was really funny." The vampire's grin faltered. You grabbed the pouch with the goblin daisies a little harder than was needed. "I'll get this. I need to go, I have work to do. How much is it?"

Seokjin gazed at you and the pouch. "Just take it. Consider it a welcoming gift."

You clutched the pouch in your hand, ready to protest but Anna beat you to it, "Shouldn't we be giving you a welcoming gift? You're the ones who moved here."

"We wouldn't be opposed to any gifts," he said. "But please accept this one. You can come here whenever you need anything."

You said your goodbyes and left the entracing shop behind. The pouch warmed up your hand, your fingers caressing the cotton material. Anna didn't say much on your way back. Her back straight and eyes looking ahead. You hadn't expected much from the visit but it was obvious she had.

The pain had ceased, leaving behind a dull throb. Your fall replayed again and again in your mind like an endless current. The force pushing you back, grabbing at the shelves, at anything to keep you upright, your hand knocking against the pouches and dragging them down with you and that wizard and his stupid silver hair standing over you with his mouth forming an o. Your first time at their shop and you had embarrassed yourself beyond belief. They wouldn't need more than that as confirmation for what was being said about you. Not that there was any chance they wouldn't listen to all the gossip surrounding you. You just hoped you hadn't ruined any of the pouches.

John wasn't in the house and Nathaniel was still sleeping. At least he had remembered to lock the door before leaving. The times you had returned to the house to find the door unlocked were many. Although the protection spells around the house were strong and you reapplied them often, that didn't mean it was alright to be careless. You placed the pouch in the cupboard with the rest of magical herbs. Herbs' prices depended on how rare they were. Goblin daisies only grew in very specific parts of the world and few people dared to pick them up. As useful as they were, they were hard to find. And Seokjin had gifted them to you. Probably as an apology for his friend crashing into you.

You heard the kettle being turned on. Anna had followed you into the kitchen and she was pulling your your favorite mug out of the cupboard. A cup of your favorite tea was left on the table. Anna had a silent way of apologizing.

Sipping on the tea, you started your research on goblin daisies. You knew a lot of potions and spells they were used for but you had never used them before. That meant looking up the quantity you should use. Using too much would make any potion or spell too aggressive and no one wanted their potion fighting them.

~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~

Nathaniel was babysitting again. And whenever Nathaniel was babysitting, you were all babysitting. Anna had conveniently made herself scarce, off to visit a centaur friend of hers (or that's what she told you), leaving you and the two men of the household chasing after three lion cubs and a baby panther. Nathaniel really needed to find a different day job. For the sake of your house. And your sanity.

"Tom, don't climb on the couch! Your nails-" You had to pull off the little lion, maneuvering him so he wouldn't rip the back of the couch. The couch was saved but his nails sunk into your shirt and he refused to leave your arms.

They were still young and they couldn't control the shift well. Shapshifters were complicated creatures. When they shifted shapes something inside them shifted too, not enough to forget who they were or lose control of themselves, but their instincts were different and they were much more likely to follow them in their other form. It was easier for young Shapshifters to give into their animal side a little more.

Tom had your shirt caught in his claws and his hind legs around your waist. You would have found it cute if they weren't digging into your skin, most likely leaving marks behind. He was wrapped around you like a baby ten times harder to get off.

All had been well at first. Their parents had dropped them off early in the morning for a small trip to the nearest city, promising to come back by nightfall. The four children had been entertained by Nathaniel for the first two hours. Watching TV, playing games, Playstation, Nathaniel had tried every trick in the book in the past year. You had been brewing a potion, forgetting one minor detail. It erupted into a small explosion when it was ready. An explosion that had scared all four of the boys, who shapshifted the moment the boom sounded.

The three lion cubs were the sons of your mother's close friends, the couple were both lion shapeshifters. The small panther was their adoptive son and he was the youngest of the four. He used to be the most shy, staying quiet while the other three created a ruckus. Now, he had grown closer to you and he was just as bad as the rest.

John was sitting on the floor in the kitchen, Nathaniel running after a lion cub in circles around him. One tentacle had sneaked out from the cupboard and it was holding another cub upside down from its foot while it writhed around, playfully trying to bite it. John was throwing something at the cupboard.

"John, stop throwing milk chocolate at it, I think it's lactose intolerant," you called, Tom still holding onto your shirt. John pouted. Noah stumbled on John, Nathaniel didn't have to stop running and the three of them ended up in a John-Nathaniel-lion pile on the floor. The tentacle let the lion cub fall and it landed on them. Seeing the pile, the Panther who had been occupying itself with a cat toy, ran to them.

It took some more time before you kicked them all out of the kitchen. You had a charm for clean water to make. Ignoring the cubs' whining, you shut the door. You would spend some time with them later. The charm was relatively simple, a shirt incantation and a few supplies, all tied into…

A deep sea crystal. And you were out of them. You groaned, rummaging through the cupboards and the shelves, only to come up empty. Expected. You had completely forgotten you had used the last one. Those crystals were hard to find and you didn't have enough time to go looking in the ocean. That would take you the whole day. There was one thing you could do.

Crap.

"I'm going out," you shouted to the boys. The replies came in various forms of protests. You didn't stay long enough to let them pull you back.

You remembered the way you had followed with Anna and the magic thrumming in the path wouldn't let you go astray. You missed the presence next to you as you walked alone. Anna was good at talking and diverting the attention away from you. Alone, you were too exposed. You didn't know what to do with yourself.

The house peeked from between the trees, flowers blooming all around it, the trees leaning close to it as if pulled by the magic inside. You climbed over a root sticking over the ground and landed on your feet, you had been doing this as long as you remembered. Taking a deep breath, you pushed open the door hearing the sweet melody of the bells.

The shop welcomed you, drawing you in. Sunlight spilled through the windows, showering the room in a golden glow, the crystals shining and casting rainbows on the walls. This time it wasn't Seokjin behind the counter. It was Namjoon.

There we go.

Namjoon was writing something in a notebook but he put the pen down when he saw you. "Oh, hey. I mean, welcome." He cringed at his awkwardness. It seemed like you weren't the only one in this state. "Can I help you with something?"

You swallowed down anything you could say to embarrass yourself. "Yeah, I'm looking for a Deep Sea crystal."

Namjoon strode to the shelves in the middle of the shop and you followed him, that's where most of the crystals were. "I'm sure we have a few here. What do you need it for?" His hand hovering over an oval hot pink crystal paused. "If you want to tell me, of course. It's alright if you don't."

You glanced around for anything to catch your attention but you came up empty. You could tell him, it wasn't a complicated spell. Very difficult to backfire. "It's a spell for clean water. They are having some problems in the western part of the forest. The water is so dirty they can't drink it."

"Taehyung told me of that, he said it was affecting some of the creatures. They were looking for a solution." Namjoon crouched down to look through the lower shelf. "Uhmmm, I also wanted to say sorry. About last time." He pulled at his collar, revealing a glimpse of his collarbones. You turned back to the shelves. "Jin hyung was always saying that I would hurt someone else with my clumsiness, not only myself."

You shrugged. He had already apologized, you hadn't expected he would again. "It's alright." It hadn't felt alright at the time but a few days' distance and you could admit to yourself that you had overreacted. You had been embarrassed and felt horribly cornered and it had brought out the worst of you. "Are you working alone today?"

"Not exactly. Jin hyung will be out with Hoseok until later tonight, so I'm taking care of the shop for now." Hoseok. He must be another friend. Namjoon stopped and took a crystal in his hand. A royal blue so dense it would look like a stone, not a crystal, in the absence of the morning light. "Here we are. A Deep Sea crystal purified and ready for use."

Taking the crystal, you weighted it in your palm. It was indeed purified and cleansed of any traces of magic other than its own raw form. "This is perfect. I'll take it."

You followed him to the counter and gave him the money he asked for. It was a smaller amount than what you had expected to pay. You wondered if Namjoon still felt guilty for knocking you over and instead of gifting you things like Jin, something you wouldn't accept for the second time, he was reducing the price of what you bought. You hoped it wasn't that and the crystal was simply cheap. Your pockets cheered that they wouldn't have to part with much.

"Do you want anything else?" Namjoon asked.

You looked down at the crystal in your hand. "No, that's all."

He opened his mouth but it seemed like he couldn't find anything to say. He closed it and opened it again. "Have you been staying here for long?"

“I haven’t stayed anywhere else.” The magical community nestled in the forest, the sea and the surrounding area had always been your home. Your mother’s warnings about hunters had prevented you from venturing far and soon you had stopped asking her to take you with her to trips outside the communities.

Supernatural creatures had been living peacefully among humans for decades but the laws didn’t stop those so intensely afraid of difference. Hunters were diminishing in number year by the year but sometimes you wondered if there would really be a time no supernatural creature lost their life because of fear. Witches had it the easiest in recent years. You looked like humans and your services were useful to them. Humans chased your power and made their own kind. Wizards. They couldn’t hunt you for something they were striving to become.

“It’s nice here,” Namjoon said. “Calm. It’s very different from the city.”

It was only expected that Namjoon was coming from a big city. Humans had built grand Universities in their largest cities, the ones the world marveled at and was attracted to them like moths to light. There, they taught how to channel magic, force it in an unnatural way. Magic wasn’t meant to be controlled, it was meant to flow. You didn’t control magic, you guided the stream.

But humans didn’t understand and they didn’t want to.

“I’ll be going now.” You nodded at Namjoon, turning to leave.

“We’re here for whatever you need,” he said a little hurriedly, like he had panicked and decided on saying the first thing on his mind instead of staying silent.

You looked at him over your shoulder, standing behind the counter in a shop he co-owned with a witch, wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt. The only thing standing out about him was his silver hair. Another thing way too different from the image of wizards you had in your head.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you said.

~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~°°×°°~

You were incredibly stupid. The amount of stupidity required to end up in your position was astronomical. Earlier in the day you had visited the underwater library to find some information for a potion. Everything had been like any other day and you hadn’t stumbled upon any mishaps, finding the book you needed rather quickly. The weather had been getting progressively worse, you could see it in the way the clouds gathered and the waves lashed the rocks.

In a hurry, you had run to your house, failing to notice the protective charm falling from your pocket. Thunder was striking when you remembered to look for it. The storm would hit full force soon, trees trembling dangerously, the sky lighting up every few moments followed by deep rambles. But you needed the charm. The client would be coming to get you tomorrow and you had neither the materials nor the time to make another one.

“Where are you going?” John shouted over the whistles of the wind. It was whipping at the door and you struggled to keep it open.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” you shouted back and you only heard half of his next shout having closed the door behind you. It was something following the lines of “Are you crazy?”.

You were lucky your house was built so close to the shore. Your mother had found the spot and deemed it perfect, near the sea and the forest. She used to tell you it was everything she needed, if she didn’t feel the magic of the sea an emptiness grew inside her. Spending all your life next to the sea, you had never experienced that and you wondered if your connection to the ocean run deep enough to ever do.

The force of the wind made you lose your footing a couple of times but you powered on. That charm was hard to make and the longer it stayed there the more chances the waves had to claim it. You scanned the floor as you stumbled forward. The way you took to the shore was always the same and you could tread it in the wind. You found yourself wishing for lightning. You didn’t dare to take your phone with you in this weather and the clouds had turned the afternoon into night.

That’s exactly what I needed, you thought as a raindrop landed on your cheek and before you could take another step, thunder struck and the rain descended on you. You started running. There was no way you wouldn’t get back home drenched to the bone. In the distance you could see the rocks and the sight gave you more strength.

You halted. There were people there. Two of them. They were leaving, trying to escape the rain when one of them slipped. You watched as he fell behind, the wind carrying him, and landed face first into the water.

He disappeared.

It was enough to set you into motion.

“Stop! Don’t jump in!!! You’ll both drown!” you shouted, hoping his companion heard you over the wind.

“I have to do something!!!” You could now see his transparent wings and bubblegum pink hair and how he stumbled under the force of the weather. He was a fairy and a tiny one at that, shorter than you and probably as light as a feather.

You reached the edge of the rocks, tearing your eyes away from him. You didn’t say another word before jumping in.

Please reblog and comment, it motivates me and keeps me writing.

A/N: This has been in my drafts for a very long time and in my desperation to get away from studying but also do something productive I found myself returning to this project. It will probably be some time until I can write anything else but I have another chapter of this work completed so I thought it would be as good of a time to post this as any.

P.S.: For those who have read Eunoia, the John in this story is a completely different character from the John in Eunoia. This John is a very old character of mine and I had completely forgotten the two of them ended up with the same names.

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darklingichor · 3 years

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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir **MAJOR SPOILERS**

So, this is a first, I've never written a revisit this fast.

I do often read or listen to an especially good book, again, right after I finish it. Usually because I can't get into another book until I do.

I did it with Lamb, and I did it with the Martian.

This one is going to be chock full of spoilers, I really want to analyze the main characters in this book, and I can't do that without going into details. This is why I marked the hell out of this.

Project Hail Mary is even better the second time around. This is often the case. Books are like soup. The leftovers from the fridge are often even better than when you had it the first time.

*SPOILERS* *SERIOUSLY SPOILERS TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK* *SPOILERS* *THE REST OF THIS RAMBLE WILL RUIN THE BOOK* *SPOILERS*

Okay, so run down.

The book opens with our main character waking up to an annoying computer asking him basic math questions. This is detecting cognitive function, that's my guess anyway.

Our character quickly discovers a few things. First, he's in a room with robot arms tending to him, including unhooking him from various life support systems as it figures out that he is awake and functioning. He's not alone in the room, there are two others, but they are long dead. And he has no idea, who he is, where he is, or why he's there.

What follows for a little while is what I would call a psychological screwball comedy. It takes him several days to work out that his name is Ryland Grace and he is a microbiologist PhD who had a falling out with the academic community and found his calling as a Jr. High science teacher. Though exploration, experiments, and memory flashes, he works out that he is on a spaceship, the corpses were his crewmates, and he is on a mission to Tau Ceti to save earth from an alien algae like creature, called Astropgage, that is dimming the sun and setting earth on the course to an ice age that will begin to wipe out humanity in 30 years. Tau Ceti, which is 12 light years away from earth, is resistant to this energy sucking algae.

We get all the backstory of how he became a crew member aboard the ship Hail Mary, in flashbacks as his memories return. A big memory that returns? Project Hail Mary is a suicide mission, he will not be going home.

In the meantime, he is slowly trying to figure out how to save earth, while he does this, he sees a very weird spaceship and meets an intelligent alien being. This being (Grace calls him Rocky) comes from a world (Earid) that is in the same situation as Earth. Together, Grace and Rocky have to work out how to save both of their home worlds.

Ryland Grace is a complex character, he’s very very different from Mark Watney (I haven't read Artimis so I can't make comparisons to those characters).

The Martian points out that Astronauts are inherently noble, willing to risk their lives for science and a good cause.

Grace is not an astronaut. That's not to say that he isn't a good person, just that he is an average person. He can be all at once self-sacrificing and selfish.

Early on he is drafted into the research team on what would be called Astropgage as a science expert by Eva Strat, a woman in charge of figuring out what is going on and how to stop it.

Once he was released from his part in this research, he goes back to teaching, only to be struck by the fact that his students would be in their early forties when all hell breaks loose, and that they might die. He then goes back to Strat and demands to be part of the research again.

This back and forth happens a few times in the story. In fact, it becomes a big part of it. See, the crew of the Hail Mary were put into comas to ensure that they would not go nuts and kill each other on the 12 light-year (four years from their perspective) journey, a medical company discovered that 1 in 7000 people have the genes to survive long comas and still function when they wake up. Grace is one of those people, but he is not volunteering for this mission. It's not that he doesn't care, or even that he doesn't want to help, it's that he's scared. And who wouldn't be? But honestly? I think Grace has imposture syndrome and is generally very sensitive. He realized that his kids would suffer, after starting to teach a class, that speed him to become a part of Strat's team again. Events happen that lead him to being the only logical candidate for the science expert aboard the Hail Mary. He refused, Strat basically kidnaps him, sets the computer induce amnesia in only Grace and plunks him on board.

Before she does this, she harshly calls Grace out.

“Do you think I don’t know you, Dr. Grace?!” she yelled. “You’re a coward and you always have been. You abandoned a promising scientific career because people didn’t like a paper you wrote. You retreated to the safety of children who worship you for being the cool teacher. You don’t have a romantic partner in your life because that would mean you might suffer heartbreak. You avoid risk like the plague.” (pg. 392 Kindle Edition)

This all seems to be true, but we don't know Grace's full story. Other than a mention of one girlfriend in college, and brief mentions of friends, There is nothing in the book about his life before he started teaching. This could be because the amnesia has left those things fuzzy, but in my head, it's because he doesn't want to think about it. Maybe he had a bad family life, maybe he had *no* family life, maybe he had an early tragedy. Maybe he realized his short comings and that, no matter his talent, he just didn't have the temperament for acidemia.

He does like being the cool teacher, he does say he likes being looked up to, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. He's a *good* teacher.

I had cool teachers before I switched to home school. They weren't all good. I had one that would literally just let us mess around during class because they didn't want to actually grade papers. Cool to a kid? Absolutely! Good for education? Not on your life.

Grace isn't like that, he loves science, he loves teaching, and the kids are learning.

He doesn't like animal testing, he's emotional at the fragility of humanity. In short, in his quiet way he loves life.

He leaves his comfort zone to be a part of Strat's team because he knows he's good at what he does and he couldn't look at his students and knowing they could die when he could help prevent it. That doesn't mean he thinks he will be Earth's savior, just that he can help.

He's unwilling to die.

Usually in books and movies, this translates to coward, but really? It's not. Most people wouldn't volunteer for a suicide mission, especially one this pressure filled. "So, we need you to go into a coma, go to a different solar system, save your whole species, and then kill yourselves so you won't starve to death. We good? Cool."

You can't fault a living being for wanting to live. Plus, the other crew members had time to think it through, really decide, make peace with the decision and *then* carry through with the training. Grace? He was given the training, but Strat always said it was for the science of the mission. She was a little like Dumbledore, in that she was training him in case he had to go, but never told him it was a possibility. When it became clear that he was the choice for the vacant spot, he was given less than five hours to decide, and then was told he had no choice.

He makes noble choices throughout the book, but that one choice was not his own, because Strat was given absolute power and used it absolutely.

I can't say that Strat is a villain, either. She was elected to save earth and given the power to cut through any red tape. Handed all this authority, she doesn't become corrupt, she uses this power ruthlessly, but always with the only goal being Save Earth, full stop, that's it. And even as Grace, understandably terrified, yells at her she tells him that she likes him, that she knows that he is a good man, that he will give this his all. She doesn't *want* to send this unwilling and scared man on a suicide mission. She *has* to. Strat is also complex, she is not nonsense and is committed to her role in saving humanity. I like the reason she gives as to why, toward the end of the book. She got her undergrad degree in history. She takes to heart the old saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The climate scientists and their models assumed survival based on the idea that all countries will work together for the common goal. However, Strat points out that history shows that that ideal scenario, is not likely to work. She says that most wars, up until very recently, were fought over food, and resulting in famine. As the sun loses energy and crops fail, there will be wars, and they will be over food. And that is what she is desperately trying to avoid – the horror of history brought to the modern day.

I started as a history major, and history is interwoven into anthropology – I understand this perspective.

I am not going to get into politics, but I’ve experienced the agonizing frustration of watching history repeat itself, more than once in the last couple of years. Guessing at how something will probably go due to how something lines up with a similar event in the past and knowing that if someone in power would just listen it might turn out different, or that the eventual problems could at least be prepared for, and watch it happen anyway and everyone act surprised. It’s enough to make you pull your hair out.

Strat has the knowledge and the authority to act on it, I can’t say, that in her position I wouldn’t act the same way.

That is the major difference between Grace and Strat: viewpoint. By necessity of her position and by virtue of her education, she sees the big picture clearly, Grace, however, doesn’t. He’s a microbiologist, his entire career and education is looking closely at the small things and how they would translate to big things. He studies the universe by studying the smallest things in it. It is no surprise that he would need the smaller things to make the bigger things to snap into focus. When he was forced to start research on astrophage, it wasn’t until he was faced with the small scale (his kids could suffer) to make him see his part in the grand scheme of things. Strat is right, he does avoid risk, because he’s avoiding pain, he doesn’t let things in because he feels too much. Yes, the realization about the kids, puts steel in his spine, but not before he narrowly avoids a break down. For Grace, seeing Strat’s point of view, without being able to work it though to his scale, is like yelling at someone standing too close to a mountain for not being able to see the peak. It just can’t be done from where they are.

It makes me wonder, had Strat been up front with Grace, would he have willingly gone? It takes him a while to come around to the idea of helping the project in the first place. If he were told sooner, given some time, had been able to go home, and think, I feel like he would have gone. Something would have set him on the course. Maybe it would have been one of his former students, telling him about their plans for trying out for high school track, or going to college, maybe he would have gone to his usual cafe for breakfast and found out that one of the waitresses had just gotten engaged, maybe he would be told these things and see the fear and desperate need to keep life as normal as possible in the person's eyes, and then he would decide, if, on the off chance no one else could go, he would. Until he remembers his refusal, nearly at the end of the book, he accepts quickly that he volunteered for the mission. Of course, that could have been simply because he couldn't imagine someone forcing someone into something like that, but even as his memories and sense of self come back to him, he doesn't have a sense of terror or blind panic at the fact that he's not going home. I would think that if his unwillingness were something hard wired into his personality, he would know soon after remembering who he is, that he would have never considered being a part of the voyage.

So, I think, had Strat told Grace early on that he had the coma resistant genes and that there was a small possibility that he may have to be the backup for the backup, and then allowed him to come to terms with it, he would have gone without the drama. Don’t get me wrong, there is the possibility that he would have run off and had to have been hunted down, but I think, just like when he went to his class and saw his students, something would have made his conscious kick in, and he would have come back.

That might have been interesting, him running scared for a little while and then coming back? Might have given a little more background into why he is the way he is. But that’s not really what this book is about, I think it’s a forgone about conclusion that Grace would have helped, but what’s really interesting is how Grace and Rocky work together.

Rocky is cool! I love that Weir didn’t go the easy route with the creation of an alien character. Rocky is no Roswell gray with a humanoid form. No no, for our sympathetic alien, we have a spider like creature with liquid mercury for blood who “sees” with echolocation and speaks in musical notes. And it works!!

Rocky is expressive and funny and is great with Grace. It’s hilarious, other than the Russian scientist on Project Hail Mary, he doesn’t get along with anyone as well as he does with Rocky, out of everyone in the book, Grace connects most with a spider shaped rock being, he has to make a computer program to speak with.

Rocky is a tad steadier than Grace, but that makes sense simply because of the two, Rocky knew what he was getting into, and Eridens not only have more time before their star dims to the point of causing a problem, but also, they live a long long time, so, Rocky knows he is going home. But the steadiness is also built into his personality. He and Grace are both analytical problem solvers, but seeing that Rocky is an engineer, his focus is to fix things. A problem arises, and his first reaction is “I will fix that.” He won’t be dissuaded until he has all avenues exhausted.

Grace has a habit, early on, of moping for a little while before rallying and getting to work. His interaction with Rocky brings that pouting time down a bit, and he even pulls Rocky out of a slump a time or two.

The relationship between these two is interesting because Grace says flat out that he is not a social person, he feels awkward in groups with people. But he easily communicates with his students, and he easily communicates with Rocky. Rocky is not childlike, but he does have something in common with the students, Grace, like any teacher, teaches his students, and learns from them. Grace teaches Rocky and learns from him. Grace is comfortable with this sort of interaction; with his students this is where the relationship stops. With Rocky, it doesn’t have that boundary. By virtue of the fact that both are alone in space and crave interaction, they talk a lot. Also, activities that Grace is use to doing alone, Rocky’s culture requires to be done in pairs. The biggest: Sleeping.

Eridens do not sleep without another person watching them. So, he insists that he watch Grace sleep and that Grace watches him. It is not expressly said what other things Eridens don’t do alone, but it is implied (at least to me) that they work better in pairs or in groups. This is true of humans as well, but Grace in particular is a loner, even as he complains that science doesn’t happen with one scientist doing the work (and he’s right) but he does work alone even when the astrophage project opened up to more people, the feeling I get is that he still does most of his work alone unless asked to teach others, or forced to come along by Strat.

Grace quickly becomes acclimated to Rocky’s way of doing things, in an odd way, Grace is more comfortable being Eriden, than he is being human. And I really think that this is the crux of their relationship.

I read somewhere recently that family isn’t necessarily blood, but who you would bleed for.

I feel that Rocky and Grace would sacrifice themselves for their respective home worlds, but they will bleed for each other. Grace must go to a different star system to find family, which is actually really cool to me, because the story manages to have Grace have a story of growth and even a quiet redemption arc all with the background noise of a potential double Armageddon, and we manage not to lose sight of any of these elements. Add to this that the book will make you laugh, cry and think all at once. I love the Martian, but I honestly think this one is better!

#project hail mary #andy weir #book #books #revisit 21 #spoilers #major spoilers #book blogging 2021

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onyxoverride · 3 years

Note

What about Siren reader? Zeke almost died in the ocean but he vaguely remembers a humanoid creature saving him. Nobody believes him and his grandparents beg him to cease this nonsense, to just thank the stars he survived and moved on. But this is Zeke so he won’t. Every night he goes to the beach in search of a sign. He almost loses hope. Until he spots you. You had dark scales and a long elegant tail. He didn’t expect the creature who saved him to be so enchanting. (1/2) sorry 😅

"He just wants you, to know more about your species, about your world. And why did you save him? As planned, he falls deeper into your trap every time you visit him. When he realizes, he’s into it too deep to care. He just wants to repay this otherworldly creature for saving him and to follow them into the ends of the earth. Unbeknownst to him, you’re having very different thoughts. The elders of your home are wrong. You CAN tame a human into a obedient pet. (2/2)"

Never apologize, I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.

He's fine with being seen as a madman as long as he stays true to what he saw. He almost started to give up on you -- the mysterious creature that somehow pulled him away from the edges of death.

Zeke wants to repay you but also satisfy his curiosity. If you exist, more must right? Do you have a whole underwater city no ones discovered yet? What do you look like again? He tried to savor every single fuzzy memory but still its not enough.

You realize he's searching for you a few days after you saved him. It's curious what took you over and demanded to save him. Maybe because he looked so weak, so accepting of his fate that caused you to give him a second chance rather than letting him drown like the others.

Plus, his eyes looked like the sea. You'll always have a soft spot for eyes like those.

Consider him an experiment.

His eyes draw to you just like his soul is. Dark scales reflecting to his eyes until he sees your tail fade into a cove not far from him and he's running. Losing his shoes in the sand, holding his book tightly in his palm until rocks are scratching at his feet and he's slipping on the wet algae. Gasping and looking into the water until he sees you lax against the rocks hanging in the coves water.

He almost doesn't want to speak as if it'll scare you away. Until you're laughing, something magical and ensnaring just like your voice. He looks like a child who just got the gift of a lifetime.

"I- I'm-" he doesn't even know what to say, looking at you in all your glory. Naked as the day you were born.

You mockingly repeat his stuttered words back to him with a giggle, "come," and he's stumbling over himself to listen. Staring at your tail rippling through the water and trying to look at you.

You look different, less human definitely but still close besides the tail and other fishy extensions. Including your voice -- that is something otherworldly. He's already enraptured by you, your hand trailing along his face to inspect him.

Like quicksand, he's falling into you slowly before he realizes it's a trap but he is so prepared for that. Bearing his neck for a collar and leash just for you, he lets you draw him in. An experiment to prove everyone in your home just how wrong they are about humans, turning this one into your little pet has been so easy. You didn't have to manipulate him, no he's too smart for that anyways. Zeke's too curious for his own good.

But when he listens to you sing in some language he doesn't know, parts of his curiosity starts to get satisfied, writing feverishly in his little book.

"It sounds better underwater," your hand trails along your throat, "want to try and hear?"

Nodding before he even knows it, slipping into the cool water until your hands are caressing his neck, pulling him under in one stroke. He struggles to open his eyes in the salt water but it's so worth it just to see you. This is your true natural state. And when you sing it's not some opened mouth singing the humans do, it's from your chest and throat, some deep tones he never know someone could do and light almost airy ones that makes bubbles push out your nose. It sounds much more magical here in the way is supposed to be heard. He's so focused he doesn't even notice his vision gaining static until you're pulling him back up so he can gasp for air.

Drowning isn't exactly how you want him but it's sweet to see his expression to your true voice. How cute. Your own hairy human pet.

#◆.aot #❖.zeke jaeger #⚠️.manipulation #siren au #zeke jaeger x reader #⚫.drabbles #⚫.answered

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siorca · 3 years

Note

Autobots set up cameras to spy on the Decepticons but they instead witness Momma Soundwave (any verse)

Anon I have no idea why you send me this prompt because I literally have not written in years, but I felt inspired. Didn’t edit, might fuck around and put a proper version on my AO3:

“What are you doing?”

Ratchet was tired, and the throb of a processor ache buzzed between his optics. His voice echoed his state, dull and unperturbed where he might have shown a level of concern on a good day. Meetings with Prowl tended to do that. Primus, did he have respect for that mech, but how frustrating it was to sway his stubborn nature on issues of medicine.

Sideswipe spared him a passing glance, returning to his task with added fever, as if completing it quickly could keep Ratchet from spoiling his fun. Ratchet had pulled rank on him for more minor infractions before. In a rare case of fortune, Ratchet had no interest in the resulting paperwork today.

Laid before him was one of the few drones that the Ark still had left, between the crash, Decepticon interference, and drunken Autobot hassling. Its simple processor was split open neatly, and Sideswipe moved between its internals with precision. In another life, Ratchet would have gladly mentored him as a junior surgeon for such a display, but knowing what he knew of him after millions of years, he could only muster a vague sort of impressed detachment.

Sunstreaker was only a few feet away, not contributing much, aside from a cool atmosphere, leaned against the wall like he was the last line of defense before a sudden collapse. While Sunstreaker rarely participated in Sideswipe’s more mischievous endeavors, he was never far behind to witness the fallout, like a specter of misfortune. A classic form of sibling bonding, in Ratchet’s experience.

He locked optics with Ratchet, raising an expectant optic ridge, the edges of a smug smile pulling at his lips. Ratchet waved at him in polite greeting.

Sideswipe let out a loud huff, hovering over his pet project protectively when he realized Ratchet wasn’t moving - mostly because a majority of the hallway had been turned into a makeshift workshop and Ratchet ached in too many places to try maneuvering around the little space left for travel.

“I’m winning a bet,” he said, oozing the brand of determined confidence that only Sideswipe was foolish enough to exude. Ratchet rubbed his optics, unimpressed, trying to keep his processor ache from spreading. Deflated, Sideswipe fiddled with his screwdriver a moment more, ducking back into his task, neatly and swiftly installing a small camera in the midst of the fissures he had created in the cranial unit.

“And what bet involves you vandalizing Autobot property?”

“He thinks the Decepticons have a pet sea monster,” Sunstreaker supplied, helpfully. “He got hooked on one of Hound’s stories about Earth creatures.”

“What?” said Sideswipe, incensed. “Just because the humans haven’t been able to get much scientific proof, doesn’t mean the Decepticons haven’t discovered something they missed. They live down there, for Primus’ sake!”

“Don’t you think they would have managed to outfit it with some sort of Cyber-tech to make our lives more difficult by now? Megatron would have at least called to brag the first deca-cycle they captured it.”

“Maybe they’re saving it for a secret mission? You never know!”

Ratchet’s shushed them, waving his hands frantically to avoid a brawl. Sunstreaker still looked unperturbed, but Sideswipe’s hackles were raised enough to hint at an inevitable pounce. Sideswipe pouted, welding the suffering drone back together with far more force than was necessary. The camera poked out of its head inelegantly, though blinking steady enough to prove that it worked.

Ratchet held onto only enough processing power to put the pieces together.“Are you...planning on breaking into the Decepticon base with that? To see if they have a sea monster?”

Ratchet was impressed, truth be told. This sort of ingenuity was something that Jazz would be interested in. It was almost a shame that Sideswipe was not cut out for Special Ops. Still, he could appreciate the craftsmanship, not to mention the sheer absurdity of going to these levels for the sake of pride. It reminded him of something Wheeljack would do, and it was only the fond thought of his conjunx that fueled his further investment.

“Yeah. Good to make sure the ‘cons aren’t planning anything.” Sunstreaker scoffed behind him. Sideswipe shot a glare over his shoulder.

“Huh,” said Ratchet. “If only you could muster this much effort on any of your assigned projects.”

Sideswipe sputtered in indignation, standing from his crouched position. He naturally towered over Ratchet, but knew better than to use his bulk for intimidation where Ratchet was involved. Sunstreaker snickered behind him. The drone, which had finished powering up, chirped, hovering around Sideswipe’s knees like an eager youngling.

Sideswipe gathered himself, brushing past

Ratchet brusquely. “Excuse me, I have a point to make,” he shot over his shoulder. The drone chirped again, matching his pace quickly. Sunstreaker peeled himself away from the wall, trailing behind him, sighing dramatically.

Ratchet looked down the empty expanse of hallway, his quarters tantalizingly close. The processor ache was starting to fade, replaced with a dangerous curiosity. “You doing this now?”

“No time better.”

“Curfew is soon.”

“So?” said Sideswipe, crossing his arms in a defensive manner.

Ratchet sighed, cursing every weak process in his body that caused him to make equally as foolish decisions as those around him. “So, it’s best to have an officer escort you. After all, said officer might be able to cover for you if you happen to be late.”

Sideswipe grinned. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m more so interested in seeing if your monstrosity can get the job done.” Said monstrosity beeped irritatedly, as if its neglect was a personal affront to something that held no personality.

Sunstreaker groaned. “Don’t encourage him. This is only going to end badly.”

“Most likely, but what else do we have to do right now?” said Ratchet, trailing after the strange trio and out of the base.

—

The sun was just beginning to set by the time they made it to the shore, the pinks and oranges of the sky reflecting on the ocean in a dazzling kaleidoscope. In the distance, the one moon was beginning to peek through the clouds, struggling to outshine the fiery final performance of the sun. Humans found something romantic in such periods of transition. Ratchet, of a species who built their existence out of transformations, remained nonplussed.

“Mirage mentioned a security loophole near the back hull of the Nemesis a while back. Fancy words for ‘there’s a hole in it.’ Salt water makes it difficult for repairs to take, I guess.” Sideswipe placed the drone near the edge of the water, facing the general direction of where the Nemesis lay dormant. The drone did not move, ever eagerly awaiting orders.

Ratchet made a humming noise. On the other side of the beach, Sunstreaker was hassling a tiny crab that didn’t make it back to the water before low tide. It couldn’t harm him, yet it’s posturing begged to differ. If force of will could kill a mech, Sunstreaker would be in critical condition right now. Sunstreaker smiled crookedly at the creature, taking care not to accidentally step on it.

Sideswipe reached into his subspace for a datapad, tapping at it with his stylus in a rhythmic manner while he waited for it to fully boot up.

“Rigged this up.” Sideswipe waved the awakened pad, the crisp image of the sunset on full view.

“Clever,” said Ratchet. “You even sure the drone’s going to survive the water?” Most Cybertronian tech did not play well with salt water. One of the drawbacks of being born on a planet that was not intimate with the substance.

“It’s survived this long. Seems to be made of sturdier stuff than the average drone.” Sideswipe patted it good-naturedly on the shoulder.

“If you say so. Let’s get started before a ‘con patrol shows up.” Ratchet waved Sunstreaker over. He grumbled something too low to hear, moving down the beach. Once reunited, he folded his arms, cocking one hip to the side in his usual aloof stance, shooting his brother a challenging glare. Sideswipe stuck his glossa out at him in retaliation.

Sideswipe turned his attention to the datapad. He nudged the drone with his foot. It beeped, inching its way forward slowly. He nudged it again, the drone making a more affronted noise, quickening its pace.

There was a palpable tension as the drone immersed itself, the watery image of the Pacific melting into itself as the camera adjusted to its new temporary home. The image crisped the deeper it went, the shapes of small fish, scampering away from their newest visitor, becoming clearer. Sideswipe let out a whoop of excitement, the drone dutifully fulfilling its task and Sunstreaker huffed in annoyance.

“Well I’ll be slagged,” said Ratchet, placing his hands on his hips in astonishment. Autobot ingenuity was truly only at its best when petty pride was involved.

The drone traveled deeper, the pressure of the depths squeezing around the hydraulics in its lower half, slowing its momentum only slightly. The remains of the Nemesis were laid deep, near to the point where light had difficulty penetrating to the sea floor. Just enough sunlight peeked through to illuminate the remains of coral and the clinging vines of seaweed crisscrossing the outer hull. It looked monstrous in the semi-dark. If any sea monsters were lurking here, the Nemesis could certainly qualify as one with the right argument.

A large hole, poorly obscured by a large wad of algae, pocketed the side, toward the back. Small creatures hovered near it, mistaking it for a haven from the larger predators. The drone made its way through the throng, scampering up the remaining shrapnel that passed for a crude ramp into the interior. Inside, the Decepticons had managed to use some feat of engineering to stave off the water after a few feet. The result was a lagoon in the middle of what Ratchet would assume was the remains of part of the cargo bay.

Emergency lights flickered overhead, bathing the otherwise empty space in an eerie, energon-pink glow. The bay was smaller than expected, only made more obvious by the tall wall of concrete, sectioning off one side, no doubt to protect their precious mechanical stores on the other side. The drone gave a quick sweep of the area.

Sunstreaker tapped his foot impatiently. “Nothing here.”

“Yeah, yeah, we just got here,” shushed Sideswipe.

A convenient ventilation shaft lay across the room, wide enough to pass through. The drone meandered its way there, clambering inside with little effort. The tunnel was dark, but the basic night vision on the drone could make out the forward path.

“They probably have it stored somewhere where they can keep an eye on it,” said Sideswipe, matter-of-factly.

Ratchet kept a close optic on the screen, his sharp senses picking up the tell tale notes of conversation. Up ahead, a vent peaked out into a hallway, somewhere near the living quarters. Ratchet hushed them, pointing at the screen firmly. Valuable reconnaissance was important, regardless if sea monsters were involved or not.

Sideswipe commandeered the drone toward the vent, tilting the datapad to encourage the drone to look through the grates. It pressed up against them firmly. Even distorted, the distinct, blocky shape of Soundwave was hard to mistake, two smaller bodies with him that could only be his own pair of twins.

One brother was cradled in his arms with a painful looking dent in his right cheek. A sour frown marred his face while his body sagged in an overdramatic sprawl over Soundwave’s arm. The other had his arms crossed over his chest, his visible forearm sporting a nasty scratch, petulant scowl twisting his features.

“You must mind your strength, Rumble. You nearly cracked Frenzy’s optic,” chastised Soundwave, gentle and firm in only the way a creator could manage. There weren’t many of those left, between the two armies, and it only made it extra bizarre to hear such a rare tone from Soundwave, of all mechs.

It was obvious that the drone had stumbled upon some sort of familiar conflict. Perhaps not imperative to the war effort, but tantalizing all the same.

“Should they be doing this out in the hallway?” said Sideswipe, absentmindedly.

Sunstreaker shrugged. “Maybe it’s a Decepticon thing.”

On the feed, a loud huff came from Rumble. “Well, he started it!”

“And yet I have told both of you multiple times to stop rough-housing.”

“Soundwave, I’m fine,” piped up Frenzy, drooping further down Soundwave’s hip. He seemed to be trying to turn himself into pure liquid in order to escape his creator’s arms. Soundwave only tightened his hold.

“That is not the point. You will seriously hurt each other one day. Last week, you nearly blew out Rumble’s audials. What will it be next time?” Soundwave’s words must have struck a nerve. Frenzy had the decency to look bashful, pausing in his squirming. Rumble simply pursed his lips.

“Both of you must be more careful until you have better control of your sigma abilities.” Soundwave finally freed Frenzy from his makeshift prison, who promptly scampered to his brother’s side.

Soundwave’s concern was familiar to Ratchet, echoing a time long ago when creators used to bring their Outlier sparklings to his Dead End clinic. Those whose abilities were extreme enough to affect their health or those around them and the rarer cases of those that thought he might be able to help control their abilities.

He empathized with him. Soundwave himself was an infamously powerful telepath, and it was only logical that his creations would inherit some sort of power. The proof was in their terror on the battlefield, the few times that they had participated in the more small scale scuffles. He had nearly forgotten how this would reflect in what would pass for home these days.

Soundwave sighed, for the moment deflated. “Go to Hook. He owes me a favor. Make sure to behave yourselves.” The twins nodded, for now behaving themselves as they made their way down the opposite side of the hallway. Soundwave, himself walked a few doors down, assuredly to his own quarters.

Sideswipe pulled the drone away from the grate. “Give them a few days, they’ll be right back to trying to kill each other.”

Sunstreaker grinned. “Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a round 2 before they hit the medbay.”

Ratchet barked a laugh. “Probably.”

“Now to find that sea monster.”

#cass fics

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fishingtel · 3 years

Photo

10 Best Fishing Line for Trout

In case you want fishing, you could enjoy trout fishing. It is one of the maximum famous pastimes as you may fish for trout in all styles of water, be it bloodless water, lakes, sea, streams, and rivers. So, no longer don't forget in that you stay so long as you may get proper of access to smooth water our bodies which might be replete with crawfish and bugs which shape the principle diet plan of several trout species.

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10 Best Fishing Line for Trout Reviews

1. Fluorocarbon Fishing Line via KastKing

This precise fishing line via KastKing had the difference of prevailing the 2015 ICAST Award, making it the pleasant fishing line for trout. The fishing line can capture the fish without a problem and is pretty sturdy.

The internal middle crafted from copolymer

The outer coating of fluorocarbon

Diameter varies from 0.18mm to 0.48mm

Test pound variety is from 4lb to 30lb

Why We Recommend This Product

We cherished this fishing line as it stands as plenty as its claims. It is notably resilient and sturdy and sinks right away to the lowest after casting. It is evidence in opposition to difficult utilization and abrasions. We placed that it has low reminiscence and this allowed us to fish withinside the sea and now no longer the use of problem and we did now no longer want to fear approximately breaks and bends withinside the line. It is invisible in water so we did now no longer scare away the trout.

Pros

Coated with resilient fluorocarbon

Resistant to abrasion

Practically invisible in water

Sinks quick

Cons

The line can destroy at times

Occasional backlash can cause the road to snap

Tip: The invisibility of the fishing line is similar to a 100% fluorocarbon fishing line.

Info alert: This trout fishing line has little or no reminiscence and hence, you do now no longer want to address tangles, curls, and bends, permitting you to enjoy advanced trout fishing enjoy.

2. Trout Fishing Line via Trout Magnet

This fishing line for trout, From Trout Magnet, is crafted from the copolymer. As a result, it's far gentle and as an alternative smooth to sturdy. You will discover that it resists abrasions and can stretch to make sure you may toughen an extended distance. The stretch does now no longer make the road limp or affect its sensitivity.

Made from copolymer

0.16mm diameter

2lb check

350 yards

Why We Recommend This Product

We placed that this fishing line is invisible and hence, awesome for trout fishing. It is inexperienced in color, making it difficult for trout to understand it. It is long-lasting and sturdy and does now no longer snaps without problem even though the fish is heavy. It is pretty touchy and we must enjoy the pull while a trout has become exploring the entice.

Pros

Made from copolymer

Abrasion-resistant

Lightweight

Resilient and sturdy line

Cons

Tends to tangle on spinning reels

Tip: To save you the road from tangling, near the bail the use your palms in preference to the handle.

Info alert: There isn't always any want to apply a fluorocarbon chief with the fishing line in case you are fishing for trout in stained and murky water.

3. 100% Fluorocarbon Trout Fishing Line via RUNCL

If you're looking for a pleasant fluorocarbon line for trout, this fishing line via RUNCL is a great desire. It is invisible, making it smooth to bait trout with relative ease. Also, the road is pretty sturdy and resilient so the threat of snapping is minimum.

Fluorocarbon production

150/three hundred yards withinside the period

4lb to 20lb check a variety

Why We Recommend This Product

This fluorocarbon fishing line is resilient and relatively long-lasting. It is invisible underwater, making it the proper desire for trout fishing. It guarantees the entice sinks quickly and efficaciously. It has excessive-density production and hence, it does now no longer soak up water. As a result, the road does now no longer iced up in a bloodless climate, making the fishing line the pleasant desire for ice fishing.

Pros

100% fluorocarbon fishing line

Resistant to abrasion

Durable

Invisible underwater

Sinks faster than monofilament fishing lines

Cons

Tends to tangle

Tip: Use this line while the entice is dragging alongside the lowest or in thick cover; it resists abrasions beautifully.

Info alert: Do now no longer use topwater lures with this fishing line because of the truth the excessive-density production reasons the road to sink quick.

4. High Impact Fishing Line via Stren

This fishing line makes it to the listing of pleasant fishing traces for trout due to its flexibility and sturdiness. It is to be had especially weights, starting from 10lb check to 30lb to check. So, you've got were given tremendous weight choices.

Monofilament line

0.33mm thickness

Why We Recommend This Product

We placed this fishing line as awesome for offshore and coastal fishing. The excessive visibility line is ideal for muddy and algae-infested waters. It helps you to maintain the road in your sight. It comes with unique weights so that you can select out what you're snug with. It is particularly long-lasting and does now no longer snap without a problem.

Pros

Durable

Highly bendy

High visibility line great for murky water

Resistant to shock

Cons

Limited yardage and weight options

Tip: Use the excessive visibility fishing line for trolling and keeping the road perception will save you from tangling with the rod.

Info alert: The fishing line has an incredible reminiscence, that could final for as plenty as a year.

5. Fluorocarbon Fishing Line via Berkley

This is an advanced first-rate fishing line, and one of the many fluorocarbon lines that are likely assisting trout anglers to bait extra fish. It is famed for its flexibility and that makes it smooth to sturdy the road a manner and extra efficaciously.

Fluorocarbon production

110 yards

Test shape of 12lb

Why We Recommend This Product

It is crafted from fluorocarbon and that makes it a lethal line while fishing in waters with excessive visibility. It is evidence in opposition to underwater abrasions and helps you to toughen the road very efficaciously. It gives awesome results.

Pros

Made from fluorocarbon

Invisible underwater

Highly evidence in opposition to abrasions

Strong and sturdy

Cons

Tends to interrupt while reeling with inside the capture

Tip: Use this fluorocarbon fishing line with stay bait while fishing in crystal clear waters; it gives remarkable results.

Info alert: It is pleasant to lubricate the knots earlier than tightening them; it'll save you friction that could result in the breakage of the road.

6. Trilene 6lb Fishing Line via Berkley

This is monofilament line is taken into consideration as one of the best fishing lines for trout. It is notably bendy and remains limp. As a result, you may knot and sturdy it without a problem. It is going pretty a distance.

Monofilament line

10lb check

330 yards

0.15mm

Why We Recommend This Product

This fishing line for trout is probably very bendy and has knots without a problem. It is gentle and limp, permitting you to bolster it efficaciously and in a manner. It isn't always very seen so that you will now no longer frighten the trout withinside the water. It is pleasantly suitable for water without an excessive amount of cover.

Pros

Monofilament

Highly bendy

Does now no longer destroy or tangle without problem

Durable and long-lasting

Cons

The line tends to wrap in the course of the reel

Tip: The fishing line is particularly touchy and slightly has any reminiscence, making it an awesome trout fishing line.

Info alert: This fishing line does now no longer stretches masses while snagged and the use of an excessive amount of stress can snap it.

7. Braided Fishing Line through Spiderwire

This is the pleasant-braided line for trout that you could discover. You will now no longer fear approximately the UV rays fading the color of the road because it comes with sedation-lock technology. This guarantees you may use this long-lasting line for a long term and now no longer the use of symptoms and symptoms and symptoms and symptoms of sick effects.

PE microfiber production

hundred yards

Pound check the variety from 20lb to 100lb

Color-lock coating

Why We Recommend This Product

The color-lock coating in this fluorocarbon braided line guarantees it enjoys safety from the damaging UV rays that could harm the road. It is evidence in opposition to fraying and it's far notably light-weight to will let you sturdy it further on your anticipated.

Pros

Monofilament

Color-lock technology

Lightweight

Durable

Does now no longer fray without problem

Cons

The line tends to snap with weight and backlash

Tip: The line is skinny sufficient to glide and this makes it smooth to capture trout in addition to carp.

Info alert: If the road frays, recuperation it via melting the prevent with fire. It saves time and effort.

8. Monofilament Trout Fishing Line via KastKing

Constructed from excessive-density nylon, this trout fishing line boasts advanced strength and sturdiness. It may be used each in freshwater and saltwater.

High-density nylon production

0.2mm to 0.5mm diameter

three hundred yards to six hundred yards period

Pound check plenty of 4lb to 30lb

Why We Recommend This Product

This line makes it to the listing of the pleasant fishing line for trout due to its performance. It is easy and cuts through water very without a problem. It has a glittery bait movement and shows awesome tensile strength. It is long-lasting and has low absorption, making it smooth and brief to retrieve the road.

Pros

Resilient and sturdy

Memory-free so it does now no longer knot or curls

Avoids decrease lower back flashes and twists

Resistant to abrasion

Cons

May emerge as feeling too stretchy

Not the pleasant fishing line for easy water

Tip: Use a slight entice with this fishing line to sturdy far and enjoy achievement.

Info alert: Even if the road snags with inside the rocks, provide it a top-notch pull without stress approximately the road breaking or getting tangled.

9. Braided Trout Fishing Line via PowerPro

This is some other braided line for trout which you need to take a more in-depth appearance at. It does now no longer have any stretch and due to this that the road will now no longer destroy very often. It is robust, long-lasting, and pretty touchy.

The braided line crafted from Spectra fiber

Test pound shape of 20lb

1500 yards

Why We Recommend This Product

This braided fishing line comes with a three-give-up braided structure, making it notably sturdy. You will discover that this line does now no longer snaps or destroy in assessment to wonderful braided lines. It has nearly no stretch and the ultra-skinny diameter makes it great for deep-water fishing with light lures.

Pros

Diameter is thinner than wonderful braided lines

Fits maximum spools

Does now no longer tangle very often

Lightweight and easy

Cons

The color of the road fades, making it seen underwater

Tip: When fishing for trout with this fishing line, use a Palomar knot; it's far a pleasant desire.

Info alert: Make positive you put money into a fishing line cutter as this line is honestly too sturdy to reduce with something else.

10. Copolymer Trout Fishing Line via KastKing

This trout fishing line gives a cash price. It is robust and does now no longer destroy very without a problem. It furthermore has low reminiscence so you can achieve longer casts with ease.

Made from monofilament nylon

three hundred yards

0.18 to 0.50mm diameter

Test pound shape of 4lb to 30lb

Why We Recommend This Product

We placed that this copolymer line has advanced knot strength. It has low stretch and reminiscence, permitting you to bolster the road away. It has low visibility below the water and hence, does now no longer spook the fish. It is particularly evident in opposition to abrasion.

Pros

Resistant to abrasion

Strong and sturdy

Less stretch

Low visibility withinside the water

Cons

Tends to tangle up

Tip: To keep away from the fishing line from tangling, do now no longer over spool the spinning reel.

Info alert: If you're looking for a possible line for your fluorocarbon chief, that is the road which you need to select out.

The Best Fishing Line for Trout Buying Guide

When you're looking to shop for a pleasant fishing line for trout, it can be complex to discover the proper line. Remember, your achievement in trout fishing will rely on the masses at the shape of the line you purchase. So, do now no longer select out out any line. You want to cautiously weigh your choice earlier than figuring out to buy a line.

To will let you select the proper fishing line for trout fishing, right proper right here are a few suggestions that you could discover invaluable.

Fishing Line Strength:

This is the primary trouble which you need to maintain in mind. The fishing line wants to be sturdy. If you're using a telescopic fishing rod, you want a pointy fishing line that isn't always free. Remember, you do now no longer want a line that continues breaking and snapping. It will mar your trout fishing enjoy and frighten away the fish.

So, irrespective of the trout baits you use, continual recognition of the strength of the fishing line. It wants to be sturdy sufficient to capture a fighter and need to now no longer snap while you reel withinside the fish or pull it onto your boat.

Choosing Between Monofilament, Fluorocarbon, or Braided Fishing Line:

It is based on your choice. A monofilament line tends to stretch while it's far weighed down with weight. This may be beneficial in case you are fishing for trout in heavy cover. The stretch will save you the road from breaking if it receives stuck withinside the cover. However, do preserve in mind that you could enjoy lag while fishing, and that could damage your fishing enjoyment.

On the opportunity hand, a fluorocarbon fishing line is robust and sturdy. It has low stretch and this makes it smooth to reel withinside the fish. Since the road displays the rays of the sun, it's far obvious in water and hence, it does now no longer spook the fish. Also, you could discover that it is simple to knot fluorocarbon fishing lines. It does now no longer destroy without a problem and that may be a blessing in disguise.

The braided fishing line is extra inflexible than the opportunity lines. This helps you to toughen it further and deeper. Also, the road is notably sturdy and relying on the material of the road, it can be invisible withinside the water. Most braided lines have low reminiscence and also you do now no longer want to fear approximately curling and tangling.

As you may see, the selection is based upon what you need and anticipate out of your fishing line.

Your Trout Fishing Skill:

Even in case you purchase a pleasant fishing line for trout, it'll now no longer don't forget in case you do now no longer have trout fishing skills. So, about selecting the pleasant line, masses depend on your fishing skills. You do now no longer want to be an expert or particularly professional angler to shop for the pleasant line.

Choose a fishing line that you may manage and one this is made at your knowledge level. You can discover trout fishing lines for amateurs, intermediates, and expert anglers. The secret is to do your studies properly after which select out a line that suits your knowledge level.

Weather:

The weather can also additionally need to affect your fishing line. If you fish in an area with lots of UV rays, you need a trout fishing line that doesn't fade and will become seen withinside the water.

Also, the climate will decide the load of the fish, so check the pound check the fishing line earlier than making a decision it's far the proper one. Most trout fishermen have multiple fishing traces for unique pound tests so that you can fish for trout irrespective of the climate.

Fishing Location:

Just just like the climate, even the location impacts your desire for a fishing line. If the water is murky, you require a unique shape of a fishing line in assessment to easy water. For murky water, you may need to move it for a seen fishing line that you may maintain for your internet web page and save it from getting tangled.

In easy waters, you need to move for an invisible fishing line so you do now no longer emerge as spooking the fish. Also, if the water is choppy, you may need to put money into a sturdy and heavy-obligation fishing line a good way to now no longer snap or destroy.

Some fishing lines are made for the ocean while others are for sea and freshwater. Choose your fishing line relying on whether or not or now no longer or now no longer you fishing for freshwater or saltwater trout.

Weight of the Fishing Line:

Fishing lines may be heavy or lightweight. The weight will determine if you may toughen the road methods and the dimensions of the trout that you may capture. If you're fishing in freshwater, you may now no longer require a heavy fishing line. On the opportunity hand, in case you enjoy fishing in saltwater, you may need to apply a weighted fishing line.

Remember that during ponds and lakes, light-weight fishing lines are withinside the order they will be extra snug. In a drift, with taking walks of water, your fishing line wants to be heavy. However, you may flow into a fluorocarbon or braided fishing line this is long-lasting and sturdy, and hence, you do now no longer want to cope with too many breaks withinside the line.

Color of the Fishing Line:

The color of the fishing line impacts the visibility of the road. You can also furthermore need to move in for a line that you may see so that when the entice manages to get a bite, you may be capable of seeing the road moving. However, make sure that the road isn't always seen to the trout or it'll scare them away.

Your desire for fishing line color will rely on the water. If the water is murky, select out a fishing line with an extraordinary color In case the water is easy, the pleasant desire is an invisible fishing line.

Sensitivity of the Fishing Line:

Sensitivity manner the texture of the fishing line. When you're fishing with a touchy fishing line, you may be capable of enjoying even a small pull. Most trout fishermen declare that this complements their fishing enjoyment and permits them to capture extra fish.

If a line isn't always touchy, you may skip over your threat of reeling withinside the fish, and you may now no longer be capable of maximizing the ratio of the dimensions. So, it's far pleasant to go along with a touchy fishing line in case you are into trout fishing.

The sturdiness of the Fishing Line:

This refers back to the strength of the fishing line. Read critiques to discover excessive smooth or difficult it's far straightforward for the fishing line to snap while positioned below stress. The final trouble you need is a line that snaps without problem, with minimum stress.

The fishing line may want to now no longer want to be thick however it wants to be synthetic and examined to make sure that it does now no longer destroy below stress. All trout fishing lines embody a take-a-have a look at pound variety that tells you the most weight it can tolerate earlier than breaking. So, check that cautiously to select out a fishing line that helps you to capture fish without snapping.

Fishing Line Memory:

Fishing line reminiscence refers back to the form that the road continues even as you wind it withinside the reel. A fishing line with excessive reminiscence will maintain the curls and bends, and this impacts the period of the road and the casting distance.

If you're fishing in a drift or river, the reminiscence of the road will now no longer have an effect at the casting distance as you could now no longer sturdy the road methods. On the opportunity hand, in case you are trout fishing in a lake or sea, you need a fishing line with low reminiscence so you are sturdy with the road methods and make sure you get the capture you envisaged.

Our Verdict

This is the listing of the ten pleasant fishing lines for trout. To make it plenty much less complicated for you, we've got were given furthermore included a buy for the manual so that primarily based totally on the parameters listed, you select out the pleasant fishing line for trout and enjoy an advanced fishing revel.

While numerous fishing lines are particularly rated and competencies had been given awesome critiques, primarily based totally on our tests, we enjoy that the Fluorocarbon Fishing Line via KastKing is the pleasant fishing line for trout.

For one, it's far an award-prevailing fishing line. It is notably resilient and sturdy. It comes with a copolymer middle it truly is protected with a fluorocarbon coating. As a result, the road is notably sturdy and can resist fraying and abrasion. The color of the road renders it invisible in water so that you do now no longer want to fear approximately scaring away the fish.

Depending on the diameter you select out (it's far to be had in diameters starting from 0.18mm to 0.48mm), you may select out a heavy or light-weight line. The check pound tiers are from 4lb to 30lb so that you can select out a line that could reel with inside the weight you're trying to capture.

We furthermore placed that the road has low reminiscence and this indicates you may toughen the road methods into the water. Also, it does now no longer tangle or knot, so that you can spool it into the reel with relative ease. We used the fishing line shape of and in harsh conditions, and it did now no longer display any symptoms and symptoms and symptoms and symptoms of damage and wear and tear and tear.

For more information check out our: Best fishing line for trout.

#Trout fishing #fishing line #fly fishing #fishing boat #fishing

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bluecoffeemugs · 4 years

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Hey guys... so i just re-wrote the very first chapter to my fic.

I did it bc of many factors, but mainly it was bc I didn’t like it anymore and I noticed how much my writing had improved. It just didn’t seem fair that the ending was much better written than the beginning, bc i feel like no one would get past the first chapters bc of my writing. I mean yeah, it has much more attention that i could hope for, but i’m pretty self-critical about my work, so i just had to re-write it.

Anyway, I’ll just post the chapter here because I want you to give it another chance, maybe it spikes your interest now. I’m putting a whole lot of effort in the ending, it’s got just a couple of chapters left, so it will be a finished fic soon.

Here it is:

(bill cipher x dipper pines. pirate au. pirate!bill. siren!dipper.)

- - - - - - - - - -

The gigantic ship swayed calmly over the ocean. The night was clear, the fresh salty scent of the sea lingered on the deck of the Golden Giant. The only sound besides the water below the ship, crashing small waves on the wooden walls of the ship, was the croaking sound of the captain's footsteps on the wood.

The crew had already released the plank, readying the ship for what they had been planning to do for months. And so, they stood, expectant and eager for what was to come, waiting for orders on deck.

The blond captain walked out of his cabin with a grin on his face. See, their crew had been waiting to catch this creature for months, but he had been waiting years. Oh, captain Bill Cipher knows about sirens. He knows how those beasts slaughter his kind. But he is not afraid of them, not a single ounce! The pirate also know how difficult it can be to catch one, he has heard countless stories and legends, none of them have succeeded. However, there has never been a legendary pirate that has tried to capture a siren.

Indeed. Bill Cipher is a legend. He has been living in the sea for as long as he can remember, and it has slowly become his life as a whole. Since he was a little boy, he was not only charming and ambitious but also highly curious. The supernatural and mystic myths spiked his interest from a very early age, so his drive for adventure and the unknown has never ceased.

Bill Cipher had always been so invested on mysteries, that he became a mystery himself.

The captain seeks creatures — all around the seven seas, and of any kind or species — studies them, and then sells them. The highest bidding of gold takes the price! Cipher doesn't need the creature anymore, what else could he do with them? Set them free? Now that would be insane. Setting them free means letting them go for free. If they won't pay, Cipher won't deliver. Besides, it's none of the blond's concern what the bidders do with the creatures after they buy them. Will they study them as he does? Will they slaughter them? Will they cook them, even if they're still alive, just to know what they taste like and brag about eating a mythic creature? Meh, Cipher doesn't care. He never has.

The blond went down the stairs and on to the deck to meet his crew. Such familiar faces that have grown into a family. See, Bill Cipher didn't always have his own ship and crew. Of course, he did acquire his ship — through a most epic fight he will never forget — when he was eleven years old, but still, not belonging to a family for his entire childhood until he was almost a teenager was not easy.

Belonging. Ha! Bill Cipher knows he doesn't belong. He actually takes pride in it! Because you know what? He figured that belonging to made you somebody else's possession, so he swore to himself he would be the only one who ever got to own himself and/or others.

Nonetheless, his current crew is better than what he could ask for. They are invested in the supernatural almost as much as he is, all of them have unique abilities that benefit him either on battle, on investigation, navigation, or plans, and most importantly, they are loyal. That's the quality Cipher values the most.

The captain was finally greeted by his crew. They were standing in line, looking at their pirate in anticipation, eager. All of them were loaded with their weapons of choice, let it be guns, knives, swords, or even knuckles.

The crew cheered at their captain, smiling widely at him. As the moonlight and oil lanterns were the only light that lit their faces, the shadows looked menacing and eerie.

The blonde returned the sly grin and humorously vowed to his crew's cheers. He was wearing a tail-coat made of leathery-fabric, a white button-down shirt that wasn't all that white anymore, black pants, and a slightly loose golden and weaponized belt around the hips. He was carrying his favorite gun and sword, plus other minor weapons that he hid not only around his belt but also around his whole body. And of course, he wore leather boots that reached almost up to his knees and his fancy black pirate hat, which had a single golden feather and some jewels adorning it.

"Tonight's the night, fellas," he spoke, his crew finally shutting up. "As we speak, fierce beasts are swimming below us, ready to devour another pack of men. Creatures that have forever lured uncountable men to their deaths by using their celestial voices and bodies."

His crew nodded. They knew all of this already, but something about hearing it right was those beasts live made it a whole lot more difficult to bear. Now they weren't only listening to a story, they were about to experience one. And maybe, they wouldn't even get to live to tell it.

"We will be the first known pirates to ever defeat them; conquer them!" The captain continued to speak. The crew's nerves turning into excitement, "Tonight, we catch a siren!"

Everyone cheered and punched their fists in the air. Noise returning to its natural state.

“Kitty,” Cipher continued, nodding to the toughest-looking man on the crew, “you will be in charge of the ship while I go on the rowboat.”

The man nodded in return, so the captain kept speaking, “Bigfoot, Cain, Red, Onyx, and Tiny, you will be staying here too.”

The biggest man in the crew, a man with a scar across his face, a red-haired young adult male, a woman with almost charcoal-black skin, and a small boy nodded in response.

“Guard my baby while I'm out," Cipher joked and winked. They all knew how much he loved his ship. “And that leaves Hellhound, Dawn, Dagger, and Cheat with me."

A muscular young man, a tough but very beautiful looking woman, another woman highly equipped with at least half a dozen daggers and swords, and a teenage boy agreed.

“Get settled, then.”

And with that, they all retreated to stuff their ears with cloth or wax to muffle de sound of the sirens' voices. They had been preparing for this, they knew exactly what to do. They also knew perfectly well to stand their ground, no matter how tempting a siren could look. And most importantly, they knew that their goal was to catch a siren, not kill one. If for some reason they started to get aggressive, which they figured would be bound to happen, they would result in violence.

A few minutes later, the rowboat with Cipher's chosen crew was lowered down to the ocean. They paddled slightly further away from the ship, and then stopped when they started to notice the shadows under them. They were currently surrounded by huge boulders, covered in algae and coral, where they also spotted movement. A wave of adrenaline washed over everyone's veins, making the captain smile even more widely.

Cipher's team had their ears shut by different types of material, except for the captain himself. He was wearing an enchanted necklace of black pearls, which made him completely immune to the sirens' singing.

Soon enough, a ginger-haired siren came out of the water, and the pirates were immediately amazed by her beauty. However, none of them moved, as they waited for their captain's orders.

The siren swam closer to the boat, her eyes fixed on Cheat, the youngest one on the boat. The ginger held a powerful gaze, making the boy shiver, which was either because of her captivating beauty or because he realized he had been chosen as her meal.

The captain shot Cheat a confident look, making the teenager feel just a tiny bit better.

When the siren was practically touching the ship, another one came up to them. This one had curly, black hair and was staring straight at Dagger. Then a few seconds later, another creature appeared, she had darker skin and powerful blue eyes, swimming closer to Hellhound. The captain felt slightly overwhelmed by the sudden arrivals, but he never lost his calm.

Suddenly they realized that the ginger siren had gotten so close to the boat, she could easily snatch Cheat and drown him. Then, she saw the spears and fishnets, freezing on the spot.

"They're hunters!" She yelled, making all of the other sirens gasp and submerge back underwater. Cipher thought they were going to attack, but apparently, this pack of sirens had had other experiences with pirates and did not wish to repeat them.

Sure enough, however, the ginger siren was not going to leave her favorite meal alive, so she launched, grabbing Cheat with her sharp nails, and pulling him underwater with her. Hellhound threw himself forward and grabbed onto Cheat's legs.

The siren's strength was immense, causing Hellhound to begin to sink. Dawn and Dagger grabbed his torso and began to pull him to the boat. At this point, Cheat was completely submerged. In the meantime, Cipher loaded a crossbow and aimed to the spot where the siren was holding Cheat.

"No!" Dawn exclaimed although she could barely hear her own words because of the wax in her ears, "You might shoot Cheat!"

"Don't worry, sweetie" Cipher said calmly, fully aware that Dawn knew him enough to be able to read his lips perfectly, then shot the arrow. The movement below the water stopped. Hellhound pulled Cheat back to the surface. The boy was unconscious. Dawn began trying to remove the water from the teen's lungs.

Cheat suddenly coughed a great amount of water and took in shaky breaths, shivering. Dawn just looked at the captain and slowly shook her head.

"I never miss," Cipher said, obvious pride in his voice, Dawn could see it by the look of his face. She turned away.

The blond nodded at the coughing boy, and the teen managed a smile. Then the captain took off his coat and handed it to him, as the boy obviously needed it more than him at the moment. Cheat muttered a thank you.

Cipher sat down with a sigh and looked around. He signaled his crew to hide the weapons and the fishnets, he should've known better. He might have blown their chance for the night, maybe their only chance! How could he have not foreseen that?

Time passed, and as he feared, no one else showed up. The pirates waited in silence. Cheat was almost completely dry now.

The captain fixed his eyes on the boulder closest to them, lost in thought, when he spotted another pair of eyes staring back. Immediately after those eyes noticed the pirate was looking at them, they hid behind the huge rock. Cipher stood up with a jolt, making the others around him jump in surprise. Then, nodded towards the rock and signaled his crew to remain silent.

"Hello?" Cipher said loudly, with the kindest voice he could manage, "We don't want to hurt you."

After waiting a few minutes for a sign of life, and not seeing the eyes again, he sat back down and sighed. He looked at the boat's wooden floor, sighing in defeat. Maybe he had imagined it.

Then, his crew gasped.

Cipher looked up and saw the siren far away, right beside the boulder. The light from their boat did not reach that far, so he could only see a dark figure the clear brown eyes looking back at him.

The captain stood up again, this time more slowly. He smiled gently at the creature, and spoke, just loud enough for the siren to hear, "We're just curious about your species, we don't mean any harm."

"I saw you shoot one of us," the siren said, still in the dark. His voice cracked but tried to remain steady. This only intrigued Cipher even more, because he had found himself a male siren.

The crew looked at each other with wide eyes, they didn't understand what the captain and the siren were saying, but they sure as hell knew they were having a conversation.

Cipher remained calm, answering to the siren, "She was trying to drown one of us."

"You're hunters," the siren said gravely, much more as a statement than a question.

"We're pirates," the blond responded, as if it were pretty obvious, "we have weapons to defend ourselves, it's in our nature. Just as much as it is in your nature to lure us to death. Fair game, don't you think?"

The siren thought in silence, analyzing the words. But Cipher was not about to wait anymore, so he offered, "If you don't harm us, we don't harm you. Deal?"

Something about the way the pirate spoke made the siren want to trust him. Even if he knew the stories of pirates, how reckless and dangerous they were"¦ curiosity had always won him over. And something in his gut made him think that this pirate was not lying.

The words lingered. Cipher was afraid the siren might be smarter than him and swim away for good. But he was proven wrong when the siren slowly came into view, swimming closer to the boat.

When the siren was just a few feet away from the rowboat, the lantern's light finally glowed on his skin. Instantly, the pirates were captivated by his beauty. They had never seen a merman, much less a male siren.

"You can come closer," the captain said, leaning closer to the water, "See? I have nothing on my hands," he said as he lifted his hands up innocently.

The siren moved closer, feeling just slightly safer and a whole lot more curious. He was intrigued by the sailors, he had never seen so many up close, and they were all staring back at him. The feeling was overwhelming.

Cipher smiled at the siren, then turned to Hellhound and winked, which roughly meant wait for my signal.

The siren's light blue tail was almost touching the rowboat's wood from below. He looked about Cheat's age.

The blond placed both of his hands behind his back. The siren and he just stared at each other in awe, each of them amazed by the other. Cipher noticed there were splashes of tiny blue scales on his shoulders, he had chocolate brown hair, and the most entrancing deep brown eyes the captain had ever seen. His gaze was purely innocent and curious.

"You're magnificent," the captain whispered to the siren, completely lost in the siren's eyes, almost forgetting what he was there for. Almost. Behind his back, he closed his hand into a fist. And so, the crew launched the fishnet at the siren and fastened it as fat and swiftly as possible, apprehending the siren.

The brunet screamed an unholy scream, Cipher was suddenly jealous of his crewmates with wax on their ears. The siren tried to escape the nets, almost knocking the boat over, but the crew acted faster. They lifted him, and with a loud thump, the siren was on the boat.

The captain had a large grin on his face and got closer to the siren. The siren had never felt so much fright in his entire life. He felt as if his heart had run up to his throat and was about to be regurgitated. He was about to scream louder, and try to knock the boat over once again, but with one swift move, one of the men that was holding him down injected a syringe into his skin. The last thing he saw was the grin on the blond pirate that had just betrayed him, until all faded to black.

#billdip #fanfic #fanfic billdip #fanfiction #bill cipher #dipper pines #dipper x bill #bill x dipper #pirate au #golden giant #siren dipper pines #pirate bill cipher #fantasy

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