#though I did research a lot about storms at sea

[ephemeral-cryptid]

why some gods are more commonly worshiped than others

So, we all know that some deities are much more commonly worked with and worshiped than others, and most of us have our own ideas as to why. I think there’s a multitude of reasons, including the unsavory myths surrounding them, cultural bias, and lack of pop culture fame. However, the factor I want to talk about in this post is this: a lot of the less popular deities are deities with less obvious/direct impacts on our lives. 

I’m going to go through each of the 12 Olympians (plus Hestia) and explain how I believe this impacts our view of them and how we can recognize and get closer to them in our everyday lives. I’m only doing the 12 Olympians because I am most familiar with the Hellenic pantheon and if I did every single deity in this post, it would take a million years. I might do other deities in the future if anyone is interested or I feel called to.

Zeus:

So, I have to address the elephant in the room on this one. The big reason that people are wary of working with/worshiping Zeus is because of the popular myths surrounding him. With that out of the way, another thing influencing his worship, or lack thereof, is the fact that many people only think of him as the god of thunder, lightning, and rain. So, for the people that live in very dry areas, especially areas in a drought, it might feel unimportant to worship him. 

However, that is silly, as Zeus is not only the god of rainstorms. He also rules over the sky as a whole, all forms of weather, law and order, destiny and fate, and leadership.

Some ways to connect to Zeus in your day-to-day life are admiring and appreciating the sky and the weather, being thankful for nice weather, following fair rules and laws, acknowledging their importance, and being appreciative of them, taking initiative when necessary, and being a good leader if you’re in a leadership role. Zeus affects everyone in a very direct way, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Hera:

Another deity whose worship is negatively impacted by her mythology is Hera. She is also affected by the common misconceptions about her dominion. For lots of people, when they think of Hera, they think of weddings. Everyone knows she’s the goddess of marriage, but a lot of people ignore the part that comes after the wedding, and weddings aren’t exactly an everyday occurrence, so this means a lot of people skimp out on their worship of her. 

She is not only the ruler of weddings though. She also rules marital harmony (the part that comes after the wedding), family, women, and a protector of women during childbirth/some say the goddess of birth itself. 

Some ways to connect with her in daily life are spending time with your family and/or partner, showing appreciation to your family and/or partner, setting healthy boundaries and having an open line of communication with your family and/or partner, researching parenthood/childbirth before you have kids or if you already have kids, expressing your femininity (this goes for men to, everyone has different levels of femininity and masculinity, no matter the gender) if you feel comfortable doing so, celebrating/appreciating the miracle of birth and fertility, and just in general being a good family member, partner, and parent. 

Poseidon:

Poseidon also has negative connotations due to his myths, though to a lesser extent than Hera and Zeus. Many people also choose not to worship him because they live inland far from the ocean. They feel disconnected from him because they’re so far from his domain (or so they think). Many of us don’t take into consideration his other aspects besides being the lord of the sea.

However, he also lords over earthquakes, any ocean-related storms (such as hurricanes and tsunamis), horses, droughts, and floods. If you have a connection to horses or experience a lot of floods, earthquakes, and/or ocean-related storms, you probably have a deeper connection with Poseidon than you think.

Some ways to involve him in your everyday life include being aware of and prepared for any incoming storms, possible floods, droughts, and earthquakes, getting involved with horses if that’s something you are interested in and capable of doing, conserve water, support foundations dedicated to cleaning the ocean, hurricane/drought/flood relief, and horse rescues if you are able, staying hydrated, doing what you can to reduce pollution (like not littering and picking up garbage off the ground), learning about geology/the ocean and the creatures in it/horses, and just appreciating water, horses, and the earth.

Demeter:

Demeter is an interesting case because I feel like a lot of us know how directly she impacts us but don’t feel close to her because of how uninvolved most people in first world countries are from the harvest. Most people inhabiting developed nations don’t grow our own food, so we aren’t knowledgeable about planting and harvesting, therefore we don’t feel connected enough to Demeter to worship her, much less devote ourselves to her.

She is primarily the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, but she also presides over fertility, plants in general but specifically grain, the life cycle, sacred law, and soil.

Some ways you can include her in your daily routine are planting a garden or even just a few flowers, appreciating and being grateful for the food you eat, educating yourself on what types of plants grow in your area and how to grow/harvest them, growing your own food when possible, learning about the life cycle, acknowledging the beauty of life and death, enjoying nature, and grounding yourself with the earth. 

Athena:

Athena is perhaps the most popular deity on this list so far, but she is still underappreciated in the modern era. I’m not exactly sure why she is worshiped so little. Perhaps it is because many people find her primary domain (wisdom) to be boring or maybe they just don’t think they’re “smart” enough or “good” enough to worship a goddess so revered as Athena (which I personally think is likely in a lot of cases). 

Athena is not only the goddess of wisdom but also war, good council, weaving and sewing, handicraft of any form (pottery, arts and crafts, etc.), and practical reasoning. You don’t have to have a certain “level of intelligence” in order to connect with her, only the desire to gain wisdom and knowledge.

Some ways to honor and connect with Athena in your everyday are learning about what you’re passionate about, reading, doing any form of crafts or handiwork, sewing or weaving, using your reasoning skills when you need to, making well-informed decisions, asking for and listening to advice from people more knowledgeable than you (if the advice is good), controlling your temper and impulses, learning how to channel your anger into something productive, standing up for yourself when necessary, and just in general pursuing wisdom and knowledge. 

Ares:

Ares is also a victim of unfavorable myths and representation in pop culture, which makes him less popular to worship. Unlike many of the other deities on this list who are unpopular only in the modern era, Ares was never popular, even in Ancient Greece. He suffers from having a domain that not many individuals like and most people nowadays will never directly experience. Most people in most developed countries will never go to war and a lot won’t even know anybody directly impacted by war, so they don’t think worshiping Ares is important. Seeing the Russia-Ukraine war is not enough for a lot of people because they’re just not there. In reality, everybody is impacted by war all the time, but I think a lot of people just don’t really consider how deeply it affects them. War is a core foundation of the human experience, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Ares is the god of war (particularly brutal war), courage, battlelust, civil order, and the spirit of war personified. For this reason, I believe a lot of people are also afraid to worship him, but war is a constant in the human experience, whether we like it or not (which most of us obviously don’t), and Ares is much more important than people give him credit for.

Some ways to connect with Ares on the daily are being as courageous as you possibly can (without being stupid, of course), educating yourself on wars of the past, why they occurred, how they went down, etc., educating yourself on and perhaps getting involved in ongoing wars (what I mean by this is just spreading awareness and donating money if you can), being an activist for causes that are important to you, standing up for yourself, learning how wars from the past and ongoing wars are still affecting people in the modern day, acknowledging both the positive and negative aspects of war, and channeling your anger in a productive way.

Hephaestus:

Hephaestus is unpopular, in my opinion, mostly because people either think he’s unattractive and wrongfully judge him for it and/or they don’t do metalwork themselves, so they think that he has little impact on their lives. Of course, that’s not the only thing he rules over, but that’s what he’s most known for, so people tend to forget him.

Hephaestus is not only the god of metalwork and blacksmithing, but also fire, volcanoes, carpentry, the art of sculpture, metallurgy, artisans, and technology in general. (I personally also see him as a protector of people with disabilities, but that’s just a UPG.) The device you’re using to read this post right now is a blessing of Hephaestus.

Some things you can do to include him in your daily life are acknowledging and appreciating all the ways technology helps you everyday, building and putting together things (this can be as simple as building with legos or doing a jigsaw puzzle), building a fire in a fireplace or creating a bonfire if possible, appreciating the beauty of fire and acknowledging how it benefits you, sculpting if that’s something you enjoy, and creating new things (even doing art falls under Hephaestus’s sphere of influence). Anytime you are creating something new, you are honoring Hephaestus.

Aphrodite:

Aphrodite is the first deity on this list that I feel doesn’t suffer from a lack of popularity, likely because love is something almost everyone has some form of experience with. Aphrodite impacts us all in a very obvious, direct way, which makes approaching her easy and desirable. It’s crazy how much of our lives revolve around love.

Aphrodite is the goddess of all forms of love, beauty, sexuality, desire, lust, fertility, and procreation. 

Some ways you can honor Aphrodite are by being a good friend, family member, and partner, seeing the beauty in everything, setting boundaries and having healthy communication in your relationships, loving the little things in life, being kind and loving to others, seeing the beauty in yourself and others, having confidence in yourself, not feeling shame over lustful feelings, educating yourself on reproduction and healthy relationships, not judging others for their physical appearance, and appreciating the beauty of life and fertility

Artemis:

Artemis is less popular than Aphrodite, but she doesn’t have the lack of popularity that the other deities on this list do. She has a very direct impact on people’s lives as well. The moon is something everybody has experience with and it comes out everyday and nature is everywhere, which makes her sphere of influence very noticeable, hence the popularity. Nature and wildlife is also everywhere and has a very easily observable effect on our lives. She is also a very empowering protector of women, which adds to her popularity. 

She is the goddess of the moon, the hunt, nature, wildlife, young women, animals, virginity, archery, sudden death of women and girls, and childbirth.

Some ways to get closer to Artemis everyday are appreciating the beauty of nature and the moon, treating all animals with kindness (unless they’re endangering you or something), volunteering or donating to animal shelters if possible, not littering, cleaning up litter, learning archery if you are able and want to, getting involved with feminist movements and other movements you’re interested in, help hurt animals or women that need it, if you go hunting, thank your prey after you kill it and use all parts of the body that you can, thank all the meat that you eat for their sacrifice and don’t take it for granted, get educated on reproductive health, treat  all people, but specifically women, nature, and wildlife with respect and kindness, learn about the wildlife and nature in your area, and learn about moon cycles and how the moon affects the earth

Apollo:

Apollo is arguably the most popular deity among modern day polytheists, which makes sense given the sheer amount of domains he rules over. Health, the sun, art, prophecy, and archery are probably the first things that come to mind for most of us, but that only begins to cover the things that he rules over.

Apollo is the god of health, archery, prophecy and oracles, music, all forms of art, plague and disease, protection of the young, the sun, knowledge, herds and flocks, light, truth, guilt, poetry, protection of cities, and more (if I listed everything, we’d be here for days). So you can probably see why he’s so popular.

There are so many things you could do to honor him in your daily life. You can make art, music, or poetry, you can listen to music, read poetry, or look at art, you can keep yourself as healthy as you can, you can learn archery if you’re able, you can help the sick and the young in any way you can, you can sit outside and enjoy the sunlight when it’s out or just open your curtains, you can learn about things you’re interested in, you can try to be as honest as possible, you can work through your guilt and overcome it, you can protect children if you see they’re in danger, you can learn an instrument, you could share your knowledge with other people, and I’m sure you could think of much more given his wide sphere of influence.

Hermes:

Hermes is probably the second most popular deity in modern days after Apollo. Again, this makes sense given how many things he has dominion over. His realm of influence is also very important and easy to see the direct influence of in your real life, which also boosts his popularity. He’s also said to be the “most human” god because he interacted with them the most often through his messages and being a psychopomp, and he’s known to be quite easy-going and easy to work with, which definitely helps. 

He is the god of communication, herds and flocks, travelers, hospitality, trade, thievery, cunning, heralds, diplomacy, language, writing, athleticism and competitions, astronomy, astrology, merchants, wit, speed, commerce, and he was a psychopomp and messenger of the gods. Like Apollo, I’m sure there’s some things that I’ve missed, but if I covered everything it would take forever.

There are soooo many things you can do to connect with Hermes, more than I could ever list, but some things you can do are improving your communication skills, setting boundaries in your relationships, travelling if you want to and are able, learning a new language, journalling, working on your writing skills, being kind and hospitable to strangers, talking to people, doing sports/taking a walk/anything athletic, participating in competitions if that’s something you enjoy, learning  about astronomy and/or astrology, and being diplomatic in your conversations with others (unless you have a good reason not to). Again, I’m sure there’s much more, but these are just some ideas.

Dionysus:

Dionysus is another fairly commonly worshiped deity among current polytheists. Unsurprising considering how popular alcohol and theater is in most cultures. Dionysus has always been and will always be popular due to his fun, chaotic nature and how popular his sphere of rule is. 

He is the god of alcohol (specifically wine), theater, madness, ecstasy, festivity, insanity, orchards and fruit,  vegetation, fertility, and wild frenzy. 

Some things you can due to get closer to Dionysus in the day-to-day are drinking alcohol if you are of age (responsibly), watching live theater and movies/tv, doing things you enjoy, dancing (bonus points if you’re dancing erratically), eating fruit or drinking fruit juice (especially grapes), taking care of your mental health, educating yourself on mental health, learning about the history of theater, and just enjoying life.

Hestia: 

Hestia is another deity that does not get enough appreciation. She used to be one of, if not, the most universally worshiped deity, but now it’s very rare to find someone that regularly worships her. I think maybe a part of it is that she’s considered more “boring,” but I also think lots of polytheists are uneducated on what she actually has influence on. I think people hear that she’s the goddess of the “hearth” and think that she must be outdated since we don’t have hearths anymore. Meals also aren’t as valued as they were back in Ancient Greece because they are so much easier to access, so she just isn’t quite as relevant as in the past. 

Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, the home, sacred and sacrificial fire, virginity, family, and the state. She has some very important influence in our life, but a lot of people just don’t know what she’s really the goddess of.

Some things you can do to honor Hestia are cooking, cleaning, burning a fire in your fireplace or starting a bonfire if you’re able, being kind to people, being good to your family, and being a contributing member of the state.

I hope some of you found this useful. If you disagree with me on anything, that’s alright. My word isn’t law. This is just my opinion, and you’re free to leave yours in the comments. There are many nuances and details that are left out of this post because it’s not comprehensive, so just know there’s a lot I left out. If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you got something out of this :)

[fran-in-the-deep]

Mind-maps and PowerPoint presentations

1,2k words | mostly fluff, a little angsty, just Hange being Hange | Collage AU

To Hange there was nothing more frightening than attending a party. Okay, maybe getting lost at sea in a storm while out on a research vessel and then all the lights shut off and they’re out of power and it’s all dark so they don’t see the wave coming that would tip over the boat and catapult them out into the open water where streams would pull them under and- Okay, maybe a party wasn’t so bad after all.

Dying from a heart attack would be though, something Hange felt they were continuously getting closer to as their heart rate jumped from mountains to valleys while trying to figure out how the hell they would make this work. Asking you out, that is. Asking you out to that party. And being that Marine Biology major most famously known for accidentally shutting down the faculties lab for a day after mixing sea floor sediment with substances it turned out they should not be mixed with, was not helping their case on why you should go to that party with them. To be fair, it helped figure out a lot of cool stuff, but not like anyone but Hange was invested in it. Well, and maybe you.

Hange had to this day no idea how or why you - different faculty, absolutely popular, good looking, they could go on - decided to help them out when there was no incentive to except the absolutely pure goodness of your heart that Hange just absolutely fell in love with. You had somehow convinced the faculty to not ban them from the lab and had even asked and listened when Hange told you about their findings that turned into a thirty minute impromptu PowerPoint presentation.

Speaking of which, what if they made a funny PowerPoint to ask you to the party? Hange frowned, pen grasped tightly in their hand as they searched for a free spot on the page in front of them that was filled by unintelligible scribbles. Finally they managed to squeeze the point between Cultivate colourful bacteria to spell the question and show it to you and Bribe Levi with an expensive bag of tea to ask you whether you even wanted to go to the party at all. It was all grouped between the point of Asking you to the party indirectly which was another branch under the question How do I ask you to go to that party with me? in the centre of this abomination of a mind-map.

Despite sitting at the back of the cafeteria and working on this for what must be legitimate hours on this point on a Friday afternoon, Hange was no closer to even a working hypothesis. Why did this have to be so hard? They had gotten so far already - making sure that it was the kind of party where there was actual stuff to do, which the one organized by the student council always had, that it was during a time where the next day was free, that they had their good button up shirt with the shrimp pattern (that you had complimented every time they wore it) washed and ready. Of course that was overdoing it, but Hange wouldn’t be Hange if they didn’t. And their way of approaching things had brought them this far already, so they were out to do at least something right.

With an exasperated sigh they pushed the paper out of the way, resting their head on the table between their arms. They still had a full week, not like it was the most urgent matter. Yet with every passing day the chance that someone else would ask you was growing. You were pretty popular after all. Even if you kept texting back and forth with them and spend lunchtime and the walks back to the dorms together. Hange didn’t know why you even stuck around in the first place, they were just this weird and overly excited person- Hange didn’t get to turn in their self-deprecating spiral for too long as they heard steps approach. Couldn’t the world at least let them wallow in their self pity for longer than a minute for once? Bet it would be Levi or Moblit to tell them that they should just ask you. As if it was that easy.

So as they lifted their head, prepared for another round of unsolicited advice, the last thing they expected was of you to stand there, looking absolutely gorgeous and perfect in the setting sunlight of course. The same rays of light that perfectly illuminated the scribbles on the page in front of you, that even though your eyes were fixed on Hanges you definitely must have seen. At least the How do I ask you to go to that party with me? headline in those bold letters. Maybe freezing in the ocean after getting shipwrecked wouldn’t be so bad. Or a heart attack. Or a spontaneous sink-hole, would be great if the ground could just swallow them whole as to avoid the most embarrassing moment of their life, right?

Hange tried to casually reach out and grasp the paper without it being too obvious.

“Hey, didn’t expect you to be here.” A nervous laugh, gaze constantly flicking between the page and you as they finally grasped it.

“Class ended early, so I thought I’d look whether you’re still here.” You gave them the most beautiful smile in this world, nearly making Hange forget their embarrassment for a split second.

“Oh, yeah, I see. I was just thinking about what would be the best way to ask you out for that party next week.” Another nervous laugh in the hopes that being casual about it would make it less obvious how weird and stupid that had been. Your reaction was - honestly, Hange had no idea. Reading body language in people was never their strong suit. What they knew though, what that it approximately took you four and a half seconds to answer.

“And you made the whole mind-map for it?” You asked and Hanges brain just froze, but luckily you continued. “That’s really sweet, actually.”

You didn’t just say that. But then, Hange hadn’t been near any substances in the lab that could cause auditory hallucinations, so it must be real.

“Hah, not really. I mean, it’s really embarrassing. That I’m too stupid to just ask, you know?” There was no getting out of that. But then you just shrugged as you sat down opposite them and Hange just stared like a fish.

“You’re definitely not alone in that. And the whole mind-map and thinking so much is just your thing, which also why you’re so much fun to be around. I would have taken a PowerPoint presentation and still said Yes. Well, that would have been really exciting.”

“So you’re saying you want to go out with me?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Hange blinked. Huh. So it really was that easy. But then, it was you. And you just said that you liked them, that you thought they were sweet, you agreed to the date. And that was just everything right now.

------------------------------

A/N: As promised, the other scenario to Wait, really? because I misread the prompt and got really invested so I did both. Will I be able to resist the urge to draw that shrimp shirt for Hange? No promises. but it's likely it will happen eventually. I'm again living vicariously through them because my shirts aren't that cool (yet)

[stvrdsts]

Is that  MARY MACDONALD  stepping out into Diagon Alley? Ministry records tell us that they were born on  12TH JULY 1956  and are a  23  year old,  MUGGLEBORN  who works as a  HEALER.  Some have said that they can be described as being  CHARISMATIC, PROTECTIVE & REALISTIC,  however, they also see themselves as being ISOLATED, CALLOUS & VENGEFUL.  Apparently,  SHE  look(s) a lot like  SARAH PIDGEON,  whoever that is, and if they had to pick a side in the war, they would choose to  JOIN THE ORDER.

god hood is a lot like girlhood ; a begging to be believed.

basic.

Full Name: Mary Estrella Macdonald.

Name Origin: mary; star of the sea, bitterness, beloved. estrella; star. macdonald; world ruler.

Nicknames: mare, m, mack, little lamb ( this is a nickname she definitely hates)

Age: 23

Birthday: 12 july, 1956? did i math that correctly who knows

Gender & Pronouns: cis woman & she/her

Sexuality: bisexual

Relationship Status: single

magic.

Patronus: lynx

Boggart: being locked in a cage

Wand Type: i am going to come back to this

Occupation: Healer for St Mungos, sometimes helps the research department too

Affiliation: the order of the phoenix

Face Claim: Sarah Pidgeon

bio. trigger warning ; mentions of torture. general angst.

LIFE ISN'T FAIR. it was cruel and twisted, filled with bad creatures lurking in the darkest corners of the world. sometimes people who didn't love each other had kids. her father used to call her older brother the calm before the storm, with the storm coming two years later. her mother named her mary. for the first few formative years of mary's life it had been filled with laughter and love - at least that's what she thought, though it wasn't until her random bursts of magic had revealed the truth. her parents barely tolerated each other. that plus a daughter with unknown magic abilities? well.

she was a kid, trying to be the mediating adult between her parents - her brother was off with school friends, intent on never spending any spare time at home, so mary was often left alone with hushed squabbles behind closed doors, before one day her mother packed their things, and as soon as sebastian got home, she had taken the two of them from the only home they've ever known in scotland - travelling all the way to nottingham to stay with their aunt.

things seemed to be going well for a while ; mary was making friends at the local primary school, sebastian was hitting high marks in his classes, the macdonald family were slowly building a life. she was finally allowed to be a careless kid coming home with scraped knees and a wide smile, until the fateful knock on the door one saturday afternoon which changed their lives - mary was a witch, part of a magical community hidden to their eye. for a good while, she herself didn't believe it despite the facts laid out in front of her. weird things always happening in the vicinity of her, or if she was especially pissed off.

as she came around to the news, her mother had not, refusing to believe any of it was real until mary had to go and pick up her school supplies. her brother was supportive, but he was still a kid. he thought magic was cool. the days leading up to mary's eventual departure her mother had avoided her until the last minute, and it was sebastian that helped her carry her trunk to the platform.

despite the sour farewell, mary was well and truly excited to learn about magic, having poured over her school textbooks the night before, and when the hat was placed on her head it had called out gryffindor. home of the reckless. house of the brave. it was where she had made a home for herself, amongst the jokesters and know-it-all's. over the years mary had grown into a confident and kind girl, always willing to lend a helping hand. her easy going nature had made it easier for mary to make friends, and just as easy to make enemies.

[tw torture] because as kind as mary was, she was still a hot-head, often arguing with people in class, creating grudges bigger than she was. mary wasn't quite prepared for the bully named Mulciber, who had been sneaky with their attack; a facade of friendship until they had sunk their claws into her unexpectedly. a traumatic event at barely sixteen - all signs point to torture of some form, yet the night of the attack Mary's memory still remains blank. without the proof, despite being in the hospital wing for days afterwards, and a scar that kept coming back no matter how many remedies tried, mulciber was able to stay in school. [end tw] mary had reached out to her parents, at least to her mother and brother, but she doubted that her mother would even tell sebastian she had written to him - and after that night, mary stopped picking up a quill and parchment to write them.

it took mary years after the attack until she felt somewhat okay; instead of seeking help she instead buried herself in her school work, staying up until all hours of the morning with her head in her textbooks or drawing in her sketchbook by the window nook in the gryffindor common room. anger never looked good on girls that thrived from being kind to others, so within the new year mary had decided to put that anger to good use by joining the gryffindor quidditch team as a beater, and despite years of arguing that quidditch was a senseless game, mary felt like herself for the first time in years after her first match. she remained on the team until graduation, before being accepted into the trainee healers program.

that same day someone had come to her with a proposition ; one she couldn't refuse. sick of the injustice done to her, done to other muggleborns that weren't strong enough to get back up, mary gladly accepted the order's invitation with a fire in her eyes that no one had seen in years. she was grit. she was teeth. she was a girl who learned how to use her claws and smile while she was stabbing you in the back.

on the eve of her twenty second birthday, mary decided to go home, feeling nostalgic, missing the girl she could've been ; untouched by war, she'd almost be done with university, probably have a boyfriend she'd be planning her future with. instead she was in the middle of a war against her kind, a constant target on her back. what she saw made her stop her knock on the door - a crack through the curtains revealed her mother smiling and happy, with a man she didn't recognize. instead she decided to search for her brother, spending the night getting drunk on his couch and catching up. she might not have had her mother, but at least mary had her brother, promising to keep in touch - and to this day they still write letters back and forth, which has helped ground mary in the wizarding world.

her natural affinity for helping others and extensive knowledge had given mary a boost in her trainee program, and graduated a year earlier than her class, accepting a position at st mungos not long afterwards, while actively helping the order in her spare time; her flat soon becoming a pit-stop to patch up quick wounds if needed. a pillar of courage she's become, even if she's still haunted by her own memories.

[sergeantsporks]

Yay! Writing requests are open! I've been waiting for so long for more of your writing. THIS MAMAS READY FOR TRAUMA.

Can i request hunter (+ king maybe) swimming? or doing boiling-rain/water resistant stuff? idk. please?

The ocean was calm today. Hunter could see boats out in the distance, probably fishing. Or maybe some of them were bounty hunter boats, out to catch a demon.

Probably not the second, though. The best time to catch a sea beast was when it was raining, when they thought it was safe, because surely no creature would be out in a boiling storm, right?

Hunter kicked a bunch of sand into the water. The water spit and hissed.

Just as hot as ever.

Hunter flopped backwards into it. Warmth seeped into his bones, the kind of warmth he’d never been able to get from regularly warm water, or even from the sun (except for particularly hot days). The tide pushed waves over his face in a gentle lull. Water over. Water recede. Breathe. Water over. Repeat.

A shadow fell over him, and he opened his eyes to see King standing over him, blocking the light. “Luz sent me over to see if you were okay.”

“Mmm.” Hunter accidentally inhaled at the wrong time and sat up, sputtering and trying to hack the water out of his nose and lungs. “Well—I—was—” he choked, retching one last time and snorting to get the last of the salt out.

“Sorry.” King kicked at the water. “So. You can swim in it, too?”

Hunter nodded. “Selkidomus scales. Crazy, huh? Guess it doesn’t seem that way to you, though. Titan and everything.”

King shrugged. “No one else can do it.” He kicked at the water. “Do you know how to swim?”

“A bit. Ocean isn’t the best place for beginners, though. Currents, riptides… it’s just better not to. I used to use my staff to propel myself through the water, it was safer and faster.”

King side-eyed him. “I remember.”

Hunter winced. “Sorry about that.” He waded further out into the ocean, spotting a bubbling spot in the sand. He swooped down and plunged his hands into the sand, pulling out a crab. “Look!”

King splashed over, the water up to his neck. He bobbed gently up and down with the waves, and Hunter bent down to show him.

“They live in the sand.”

“A pinchface!” King exclaimed, “Beast type demon, scavenger and bottomfeeder. Watch out for the—”

Hunter moved his fingers away as the crab opened its mouth and a third pincer reached out, snapping for his finger. “Ha! Nice try.”

“…mouth pincer,” King finished, “Its final defense mechanism.”

Hunter tossed the crab back into the water. “How do you know so much about crabs?”

“I used to do a lot of research on demons. So… you know… I could figure out what I was.”

“Ah. Yeah, me TOO,” Hunter yelped, yanking his foot out of the water. The pinchface had fastened onto his big toe, glaring at him. Hunter hopped around on one foot, splashing water everywhere as he struggled to shake the crab off, or grab it with his hands. “Get it off, get it off, get it—”

“I’ve got it!” King yelled, “I’ve—got—IT!” A soundwave blasted out of his mouth.

It did, in fact, successfully dislodge the pinchface!

It also sent Hunter flying backwards, skidding across the surface of the ocean like a stone on a smooth pond. Hunter sputtered, righting himself and treading water, bobbing up and down in the waves.

King splashed towards him. “Sorry! That worked a lot better in my head! Are you okaaaaahhhhhhhh!”

A wave swept the little titan off his feet, sending him circling and tumbling in the water. Hunter cut through the water towards him, scooping him out of the water and putting him up on his shoulder.

“Hey! You good?”

King coughed. “Yep. Yep. I’m fine.”

“You can’t swim,” Hunter scolded, stroking towards shore. King clung to his back, so light he was barely even noticeable.

“I know, but I sort of blasted you into the ocean. I wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”

Luz ran across the beach towards them. “King! Hunter!”

She held out her hands for King, but Hunter held onto him, staying back far enough in the surf where she couldn’t reach. “Nuh-uh, he’ll be boiling hot to the touch right now, you’ll burn yourself.”

She hopped from one foot to the other. “Mrrrrrgh.”

Hunter gently set King down. “You could have drowned!”

“I wouldn’t have if someone would teach me how to swim.”

Hunter opened his mouth, then closed it. Fine. That was true.

“Swim-ing less-ons, swim-ing less-ons!” Luz started chanting.

Hunter jabbed one finger at her. “Last I checked, you were not boiling water proof, Luz. Plus, I know you already know how to swim!”

“Swim-ing less-ons!” King joined in, “Swim-ing less-ons!”

“Fine! Fine, I will teach you how to swim in the ocean, happy?!”

“Yeaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” Luz and King cheered in unison.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose, flopping backwards into the ocean again.

Titan hel—wait. No.

Literally, anything else help me.

[johannstutt413]

Need a Light?

(also up on AO3, since I actually had a title ready to go for it... yes, that is a good part of the reason I don’t usually cross-post fics for here onto there, but I like this ship a lot so goddamn it I’ll sail it on every sea)

Jordi didn’t get many chances to visit Rhodes Island, but when he did, he thoroughly took advantage of the opportunity - shadowing the Doctor, watching reel after reel of operation records in the Intelligence Processing Room, and occasionally trying to recreate some of the technology his parents worked on before their disappearance. Sometimes an operator would find him and have a chat, and he was more than happy to listen for a while. In all those visits, however, there was one person he never saw. Really, he didn’t expect to, but he could hope, and hope he did.

Of course, the day Irene did arrive at Rhodes Island while he was there, he had no idea… until he heard a familiar voice in the cafeteria line ahead of him. “I must have left my meal card at home. No, no, if I can’t pay, then I-”

“Miss Irene?” The Aegir sprinted to the register, card already in hand. “I’d like to pay for both of us, if it’s alright.”

“That will work just fine, Lumen. I’ll charge it to your account when you bring your meal to the register.” Gitano winked at him as he went to the line, sheepishly accepting when an Operator about to order gave him their place in line.

The former Inquisitor stood there waiting for him to return. “You’re here, too,” she said when he did.

“The, uh, Inquisition keeps me busy,” he replied as he handed over his meal card, “but every now and again, they let me visit. How’ve you been?”

“Me? Oh, um, busy, quite busy. We can talk more while we eat, maybe?”

The Elafia finished ringing him up; neither she nor Jordi mentioned the fact he’d only been charged for his meal. He picked up his tray and turned to follow Irene. “Have a good day, Gitano.”

“You as well, Lumen,” she smiled. “And good luck.”

“Good luck?” That slipped over his head for the moment. After all, Irene was waiting for him.

She’d found a booth for them in a corner, which didn’t help the butterflies in his stomach. It wasn’t that she was a former Inquisitor that made him nervous - after the time he’d spent training with the Inquisition, he was used to that kind of discomfort. No, this was something else, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced in his life. 

Fortunately, those feelings didn’t hurt his ability to ask questions as he sat down. “You’ve been busy, you said?”

“More or less. The waves bring new tidings almost daily of the gathering storm.” She smiled dryly at the unintended pun. “I must admit, though, that even with all of Rhodes Island’s research materials and training offerings, I’ve found myself with more time to think than I did with the Inquisition. How are your studies going? Are they mistreating you? If they are, let me know, and I’ll make sure something’s done about it.”

“I’m learning a lot. No worries. I’m not suffering for being an Aegir.” Not especially, anyway.

Irene sighed with relief. “Good.”

“Were you…” He blushed at the thought but carried on. “Were you worried about me, Irene?”

“Somewhat.” She blushed, too, eyes firmly trained on her plate.

For a moment, they ate in silence. Lumen didn’t mind, though. It was nice seeing her again, even if things were still a tad awkward.

They certainly got more awkward when their hands touched the salt at the same time. He managed to pull back first. “Um, after you,” the Aegir said, gesturing to the shaker.

“Oh, no, please, you first.” The Liberi pushed it towards him. “You reached it before I did.”

“Okay. How much would you like?” He positioned his hand over her tray instead of his own.

Irene stared at him for a moment before replying, red as a rose, “Two shakes, please.”

“Over the potatoes?” She nodded; he obliged. “For your steak?”

“No, thank you. Please, salt your food.” The former Inquisitor watched as he did - two for his potatoes, one for his steak.

Jordi resumed his previous line of questioning. “You mentioned that you’ve had time to think recently? More than you expected?”

“Ah, um, yes. I thought that as a Messenger, I’d be going from place to place constantly, and that is true, but not as drastically as I anticipated.” She ate a potato, visibly surprised by how much flavor it had. “It’s strange how much my life has changed since that mission…”

“A watershed moment for both of us,” Lumen agreed, trying to admire the light in her eyes without staring too intently.

The Liberi nodded. “Thank you again. If you hadn’t been there to bring us back to the shore, I don’t think we would have made it back.”

“Oh, I-” He saw the look on her face as she bit into a piece of steak and passed her the salt. “It, um, well, Doctor Kal’tsit was fighting the monsters, and I tried to get the boat ready for the both of us, but-”

“But she stayed behind to fight, and you came to our aid alone. An extraordinary deed of bravery.”

Lumen’s face lit up as he looked away. “In the face of danger, even ordinary people can be heroes, I guess.”

“Ordinary?” Irene smiled as she applied one salt-shake to her steak. “If you’re truly ordinary, Jordi, then Terra’s future must be bright.”

“Th-thank you, Irene.” The Aegir noticed that she’d stopped at one shake. He noticed the little nod she gave when that proved more than satisfactory.

He noticed the way her eyes had lit up when she was complimenting him.

He noticed the scars on her hand, some of which reminded him of his training with the Inquisition, and wondered if she had other scars in other places like he did- And with that thought bouncing around in his head, he barely heard her question. “Are you busy tonight?”

“Busy? Me? Not too busy for you.” He hadn’t meant to phrase it that way; it just sort of happened that way. “Um, why do you ask?”

“It’s maybe a bit silly, but… My lantern isn’t working quite the same as it did before, and I was wondering if you could take a look at it?” The former Inquisitor smiled again, more shakily this time.

The thought of something to work on calmed his churning stomach. “I’m happy to help.”

“Thank you.” She brushed her hair back and suddenly frowned. “Ah, right, I just arrived from Iberia. After dinner might be a better time than right now.”

“Oh, okay. After dinner works, too.”

The Liberi nodded. “Good. After dinner, then. Are you done with your tray?”

“I am.” He reached over and took hers. “Tonight, then?”

“Tonight,” she confirmed, a little breathlessly.

Lumen noticed that but decided to leave it be for now, which was the right decision.

After all, it meant Irene was free to freak out about their date, and subsequently calm down, at her own pace.

----- Later -----

Irene looked over herself in the mirror one more time. She’d gotten back from dinner at the cafeteria with plenty of time to freshen up, but she was certain she still smelt like the ocean. Maybe. That could’ve just been her worrying about making a good impression on Jordi.

God, had she worried. Ever since their afternoon encounter, the Liberi had found herself fondly remembering the ship ride back to the shore. The water had churned, but not with nearly as many Sea Terrors as it had before Jordi’s arrival, and he’d looked absolutely magnificent at the helm, hands so firmly grasping the wheel they shook. It’d been a miracle he’d found them, a miracle of his own determination and understated intellect, and even now, thinking of it sent both chills and warmth through her. What a terribly wonderful, or wonderfully terrible, journey that had been…

She managed to pull herself from her self-enrapturement when there was a knock on her door. One last glance to make sure she hadn’t missed something - no? - before she went to answer. “Good evening, Jordi.”

“Good evening.” The Aegir was out of breath, it seemed. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” She stepped out of his way, glancing at the clock as she did. Not that they had a curfew or anything as operators, but she remembered the Inquisition’s policy on such things and didn’t want to make trouble for Lumen.

Her guest flitted over to the lantern on the coffee table with a moth’s focus. “You said it isn't the same as it was before that night?”

“It’s not as bright as it used to be,” she admitted, “even when I use the same amount of energy.”

“I see.” Jordi scratched the back of his head, moving around to look at it from different angles without touching it.

Irene wondered if he’d actually seen her at the threshold. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Um, water, please?” He looked directly at her, a coffee table between them, and his eyes were gleaming. “I may be here a while.”

“I’ll be right back.” Which was true, after a moment to collect herself before returning with water for both of them.

As the Inquisitor initiate took out his motley assortment of tools - the same he’d had with him that night - he glanced around the room. “You have a record player?”

“I asked Specter if I could borrow it for a night.” And endured no small amount of teasing because of it. That shark enjoyed watching her squirm, apparently. “I can turn it on, if you’d like?”

“Yes, please. I’m not sure how talkative I’ll be once I start with my tools.”

The Liberi retrieved one of her personal favorites from Iberia’s Golden Age - also, admittedly, borrowed from Laurentina for the night, but she’d known the song much longer. Eventually, she’d get her own, but not on eight hours’ notice of needing it. “I won’t disturb you.”

“Actually, I might need your help,” he admitted with a blush. “I’ve never worked with Inquisition technology before.”

“Oh, um, then I’ll sit here.” She sat on the couch, doing her best to leave him room to move around, and watched him lift the lantern.

Lumen frowned almost immediately after. “Is there a screw, or can I unscrew the top?”

“No screw,” Irene confirmed. She watched him remove the lid and gently remove the Arts mechanism from inside it… Oh, was he squinting? It was rather dark in the room - she kept the overheads off because the darkness reminded her of better days. “Need a light?”

“Another would be nice,” Jordi agreed.

The former Inquisitor glanced around her room. “Another one?”

“...I said that out loud,” he realized, also out loud. “Um, yes.”

“I suppose you are holding one,” Irene admitted, going to turn up the slider.

The Aegir cleared his throat. “I was… referring to you.”

“I’m sorry?” She accidentally turned the overheads all the way on, temporarily blinding them both, before bringing them down to a more manageable level.

“You, um…” Lumen couldn’t believe he’d actually said that either. “Meeting you was like stumbling over a candle in the dark. Not just because you introduced me to the Inquisition, that was part of it, but you… How do I explain this…”

The Liberi walked back to the table, fiercely blushing. “Do you know how to dance, Jordi?”

“Eh? No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Neither do I,” she replied, holding out a hand, “but maybe we can figure it out?”

Jordi took her hand as he stood up; the top of her head barely reached the base of his neck, he learned as she drew closer. He vaguely remembered how his parents would sometimes sway together in the living room. “I’m not too tall for you, am I?”

“As long as I’m not too short for you,” Irene chuckled, locking her fingers with his and putting a hand behind his waist.

“That’s good.” He put a hand on her shoulder. Something seemed a little off, but it didn’t matter. “Um…”

The former Inquisitor took the lead, and after a few missteps, they settled into the rhythm of the music, one quarter-turn at a time. “Are you working out of Gran Taro, by any chance?”

“When I’m on Inquisition business, I travel a lot… but I go back to Gran Taro when I can’t come back here.” That Iberian town was still home, even if RI’s ship called to him often.

“Good.” She set her head against his chest. “I’ll be able to visit you easily, then.”

He couldn’t have heard that right. “Visit me?”

“I like spending time with you. More time with you would be better for me.”

“You can visit me whenever you want,” Lumen agreed, voice dropping to a whisper. The hand he’d set on her shoulder drifted to her cheek. “Irene?”

The Liberi looked up at him, eyes momentarily shimmering before she closed them. She hoped he got the message. “Jordi…”

He didn’t recognize the gesture immediately, but he followed through on his instincts and bent forward to reach her face.

The lantern could wait until the morning; after all, neither of them were going anywhere else the rest of the night…

[raventroll80]

Stowaway Mer Au Lore Dump!

I have a bunch of info I want to share but was unable to fit most of it into the story so far. So, here’s a lore dump instead! We’re gonna go in order of character appearance so let’s begin! Also holy hell this is a long post.

Main Cast

Em

She’s lived in Port Murlow since she was about twelve, she’s currently in her early twenties.

Prior to moving in with Flynn Em lived with Nimh at her apartment.

Works two part time jobs; one at one of the bait shops on the harbour, and at Mr. Grimmar’s Occult Shop.

Speaking of Mr. Grimmar, Em sees Silas as a sort of mentor. He also shares this sentiment and cares a great deal for both her and Nimh.

Em has a few hobbies including beach-combing and diving. She also likes to draw from time to time.

Em also considers Nimh to also be a mentor and parental figure. Though she isn’t actually related to Nimh, everyone except Silas and Hiram Grimmar thinks they’re related.

Em used to want to be a marine biologist, but now she plans to take on the mantle of head mortician at Mr. Grimmar’s mortuary, or ownership of the occult shop.

Loves creature feature films and practical effects

Seth

Seth grew up in the Indo Pacific seas, he wouldn’t really be able to point out where exactly if you showed him a map though.

His eyesight is not the greatest. He can see kinda ok under water but out of water he has a lot more trouble seeing.

Seth has a fairly large family, three older siblings and two younger siblings, along with his mother and father.

He’s also had a few run ins with humans prior to meeting Em.

The first time he was caught in a fishing net and had to be rescued by his older brother. This incident left him with a smallish scar on the left side of his tail. The second time he had a run in with some scientists but he quickly swam away before they could approach.

Seth doesn’t fully remember how he got to Port Murlow, all he does remember is being caught really bad storm, then drifting about the open ocean before some whales saved him from some orcas.

He’s also a curious person, though sometimes his curiosity clashes with his nervousness.

He used to have a pet garden eel named Coral

Dr. Vega Triton

A marine biologist in his early to mid fifties.

Graduated from Harvard University along with his friends and colleagues Dr. Samuel Hayden and Dr. Olivia Pierce.

Made quite a few discoveries with the two, even writing a few books as well.

Unfortunately a series of discoveries and events lead to Olivia’s untimely death, along with several other scientists working on their most recent research project.

Vega did not take the death of his friend well, which lead to many arguments and an eventual falling out with Hayden.

Two are no longer on speaking terms, and Vega still feels guilty about the deaths.

Vega has been in Port Murlow for a little over two months during the events of the Stowaway Mer AU.

He’s currently studying a new species of algae he discovered in one of the local sea caves. He has named this new species Vegastella scriptorseintillais.

During this time he has become something of a local enigma. Often referred to as Murlow’s Cryptid Scientist, he can often be seen poking around the tide pools whenever the tide is low.

Even if it’s at the dead of night.

This has resulted in him unintentionally spooking some locals when he emerged from the water one night covered in loose kelp with his head light on.

He cares a great deal about the wellbeing of fish and animals in general. And plants… and his equipment. Vega is a very caring person in general.

He’ll often talk to his equipment and specimens, even before the incident with Olivia. Hayden would often poke fun at him for it.

He also loves plants.

And cuttlefish

He’s also the most tech savvy out of the characters.

Flynn Taggart

Late twenties early thirties in age.

Ex military, was luckily discharged due to mental health and injury.

And not blowing up a small mountain and putting is commanding officer in a full body cast.

Was buddies with Valen before he retired.

Has a picture of Daisy in his wallet.

Speaking of Daisy, she was a gift to him from his grandfather before he died/disappeared.

Used to be close to his grandfather but they drifted apart as he got older.

Doesn’t trust the bridge to the house after his foot fell through an old plank when he was a kid.

The house had always given him the creeps, and still does now but he’s afraid to admit it.

Not a big fan of eye contact after the incident at the mountain

Nimh (Nimbus) Barbatus

Mid to late fourties

“Freelance Security Guard”

Met Em on one of her jobs and offered her a place to stay

She has a soft spot for her but she tries (and fails) to hide it

Hadn’t really lived in Port Murlow before Em showed up. She had an apartment but never really used it.

She started taking more jobs now that Em’s an adult which is how she met Flynn.

Has a big family, like a really big family.

Still calls Em kid from time to time much to Em’s mild chagrin.

Side Characters

Silas Grimmar

Late sixties early seventies.

Comes from a family of morticians and runs the local mortuary.

He also runs the occult shop across from his husbands antique shop.

Town Grandpa

Standing at seven feet tall, Silas is Port Murlow’s biggest goth.

He has hit his head on almost every public doorframe, even the ones to his own business.

This has resulted in Hiram continuously asking him to get a bigger door for the occult shop, but he refuses.

He loves his husband very much and is very dramatic about it too.

He’s also a very theatrical and jovial person.

He does have a religion but keeps what it is as secret because he finds people’s guesses amusing.

Graduated from Miskatonic University in Arkham Massachusetts.

Hiram Grimmar

Late sixties early seventies

Silas’ husband

Runs the antique store across from Silas’ occult shop.

Met Silas when he hit his head on the doorframe of his antique store so hard he cracked the frame.

Has not stopped worrying about him since.

Hiram has a degree in history and often volunteers at the local museum and library.

Can and will recite the history of pottery and sculpting

Valen

Friend of Flynn and his grandfather

Recently ex military, retired around the same time as the Mountain Incident with Flynn.

Missing his left arm, but no one knows how or why.

Lived in Port Murlow for as long as anyone can remember.

Had a son but refuses to talk about him to anyone. Only thing close friends of his know is that his scarf belonged to said son.

He’s reclusive and only comes to town for groceries or for the annual sailing competition.

He was a good portion of Flynn’s impulse control while they served. Though I doubt that would have stopped the Mountain Incident…

Grandpa Keen

Status: Dead/Lost at Sea

Ex military

Some folks in Port Murlow called him Old Man Keen.

Flynn’s once beloved grandfather whom he later became estranged from.

Though the man was always a little odd, telling exaggerated tales of sea monsters and enormous fish. Flynn always thought it was to entertain him as a kid, even if grandpa Keen was always looking over his shoulder at sea.

Had a boat called “The Dopefish”, he crashed it after “being attacked by a Sea Demon”.

As Flynn grew older grandpa Keen would invite him over less and less often until he just stopped offering all together.

After that he’d only been seen at big family gatherings, like Christmas or thanksgiving.

Then about halfway through high school Keen stopped visiting too.

He was last seen on Flynn’s 19th birthday where he gifted him Daisy.

He looked tired, eyes bloodshot, like he hadn’t slept in days. His breathing was irregular and ragged. His face was pale and sunken as well. When he left he apologized for his absence and distance from the family. He also gave Flynn ownership of his house in Port Murlow.

About a month after Flynn and his family would receive a call asking if they knew the whereabouts of grandpa Keen by some government agents. They said that he was wanted for theft of government property.

Valen would later inform Flynn that said property was an experimental submarine.

That was the last they ever heard of old grandpa Keen.

Locations

Port Murlow

Former whaling town founded in the early 1870’s in Massachusetts.

The founders were the Murlow and Taggart families but after a falling out between the two disputes began over who founded the town.

Whenever one family became mayor of the town they’d change the name to that of their family. The townsfolk found this amusing and kept voting for the other each election.

Both families ran whaling companies.

The Taggart family left the whaling business after encountering a terrible sea monster during a trip, and were allegedly saved by a whale.

The town suffered when the Taggart family left the whaling business, but quickly recovered when they switched to shipping. Though members of the Taggart family would be seen leaving the bay with the boat loaded with whaling equipment.

After the incident it was as though the family became cursed with members of the family going mad or disappearing without a trace. This earned the family the nickname the Mad Taggarts.

But a few years after the incident ships began to crash and sink with alarming frequency, no matter how bright the lighthouse shined.

The Taggart family also ran a brewery though they had to “shut it down” in the prohibition era.

Though in actuality they opted to open a speakeasy in the cliffs of the bay. With a strict set of rules to keep the location a secret. Though an incident would result in it’s abandonment and the destruction of another town.

Nowadays the Port Murlow is a quiet fishing town known for its plentiful fish and abundance of sea caves.

One of these caves is famous for being “haunted” my a mysterious green light and “Horrors”. In actuality it turns out the cave is home to a unique and previously undiscovered species of bioluminescent algae, Vegastella scriptorseintillais

The town is also known for its twin lighthouses at each side of the bay, one for each family. Though only the Murlow lighthouse is operational and used.

The Taggart Family

As stated above, the Taggart family was one of the founders of Port Murlow. The once large family has now dwindled down to only a few people, Flynn included.

The Family once owned a successful whaling company but left the trade after an incident at sea left the head of the family at the time (Francis Archibald Taggart) rambling about a demon from the deep.

Even after the family switched to shipping and brewing alcohol, Francis and a the other whalers from that day would periodically leave for about a week loaded up with whaling equipment. Only to come back with a fraction of the equipment and a damaged ship.

One day the ship set sail and never came back.

That was also the day the Curse of the Taggarts began.

After that at least once a generation someone would die under mysterious circumstances or go insane.

One of the more well known member family members was Miranda Taggart, who after the attack on the family’s speakeasy The Whale’s Graveyard burned the town of Innsmouth and crashed the family’s last whaling ship on Devi’s Reef.

[theultrablog]

Pulp Storytime #30 Part 2: Hearts of iron, fists of clay!

In one of the more lighthearted moments of the session, the group was traveling through rural Germany to make it to a port. They found a farm family burning western flags and singing about German supremacy… which led to a beatdown from Gyatso. “Tell these kids I’m the spirit of American freedom, and if they ever disrespect our flag again, I’ll beat them up too!”

The players didn’t cause much more destruction on the way to Sweden. They did discover destruction that they'd already caused: economic hardship for Ibn Nasiruddin, the kindly smuggler Oksana had exposed Beginner's Luck! At sea, the group was able to repel a storm of nightmarish, acid-drooling bat-like creatures with barely any damage to the ship. —— When I wrote the adventure, I had planned for the players to go to a farm in Gothenburg. Of course, the players were low on fate points, so there was a detour; Bebe Bouchard, Florence’s rival, was playing a big show in Copenhagen. The players, who had thus far kept the golem and themselves out of Nazi clutches, decided to throw a nightclub show and advertise it in the newspaper. This turned into the toughest fight in the campaign. The Nazis had a numbers advantage and hot dice. The players were physically and psychologically battered, barely able to turn things around by defeating some mook squads. They would’ve lost completely until they had the idea of unleashing the golem. The 8-foot-tall, 2000-pound rock monster was not the game changer the players had hoped for. It was able to dent Klaus’s armor, but the Reich’s supersoldier was able to lay beatdowns on Gyatso and Oksana at will. Meanwhile, Claudia harangued Florence with vile, well-researched invective. It was a shame that someone of such fine Aryan stock had to pollute themselves in the beds of other women, making a living as a second-rate version of Bebe the Schwarzer-sänger! Florence might’ve been able to bear this, until Claudia spoke a few words breathily into her ear… directly to Florence Zee’s demon. As the Aussie fled the stage in tears, the Nazi She-Wolf climbed the rock monster and disabled its wards! —— Steel Eagle was too clever for Klaus though. The All-American American used the stage equipment to electrocute Adler’s armor, ducked into the crowd, and fired his derringer at Claudia. Oksana launched a series of kicks at the bullet wound, taking her out and turning it into a 2 on 1 fight. Feeling the spirit of Florence lead them onwards**, they were able to kick through the floorboards on the stage, sending Klaus tumbling, his armor shredded, into the sub-basement. Meanwhile, Florence shoveled quarters into a payphone, waking her beau Tessie Truman. The sobbing Flo tried admitting to adultery, which her girlfriend refused to accept at 5 AM AEST. Florence was told to fly to Melbourne immediately… and prepare for a long conversation. With the help of local authorities and Rabbis, the group was able to hide the golem in an old barn on the Larrson property. The players had won, and all they had to do was endanger a lot, and I mean a lot, of civilians. —— *Hugo was being hunted by NPC Javid Kulfi. They had been enemies since Javid helped destroy the Nazi fashion automaton on the banks of the Seine. The players only inconvenienced Hugo so that Javid wouldn’t give away their position by killing a member of high command on the train. **Florence had taken three consequences in the fight, one from a stunt that lets her choose action order, two from Claudia’s verbal abuse. Flo conceded the conflict and got a whopping FOUR points, which the players needed to survive.

Klaus Adler, Super Soldier!

[casspurrjoybell-25]

November - Chapter 26

*Warning Adult Content*

- Cooper -

Cooper could tell Oliver was quietly worrying about him leaving for his fishing job.

He was still freaked out after watching 'The Perfect Storm' despite all Cooper had done to reassure him he'd be fine.

Cooper understood how Oliver felt though because no matter how many times the older man reassured himself that his boyfriend would still be here when he got back, he was afraid he wouldn't be.

Cooper knew he was asking a lot of Oliver to be without him for months after he had just moved here.

Oliver was snuggled against Cooper on the couch, playing with a loose thread on his boyfriends flannel shirt.

"I know you said you don't have a lot of down time when you're fishing but can we try to set up a time to call each other? I want to make sure we keep in touch."

A sense of dread settled in Cooper’s chest.

"Uh, Oliver? You know there usually isn't cell phone service all the way out on the ocean, right?"

"What?"

Oliver sat up and looked at Cooper, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Once we get a certain distance from the shore, we're too far away from any cell towers. I'll have cell service again when we dock every month and I'll see all of your texts then. I can call you and spend the entire day and night on the phone with you until we head back out to sea."

"So I'll only be able to talk to you three times while you're gone?" Oliver asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah," Cooper said, avoiding his boyfriend’s eyes.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew about the lack of cell service. I guess I assumed you've been on a cruise or something and experienced it then."

Oliver was quiet and Cooper didn't know if he was going to yell at him or get up and storm off.

Was this going to be their first fight?

Cooper knew this was probably his fault for not being clear about everything but he didn't want Oliver to be upset with him.

When Cooper dared to glance over at Oliver, he was slumped down on the couch, looking completely dejected.

It pained the older man to see his boyfriend’s pretty chestnut eyes without any light in them.

Cooper reached over and took Oliver’s hand, gently brushing his thumb over the back of his knuckles.

"I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

Oliver sighed and shook his head.

"It's not your fault. The situation just sucks. Is there anything we can do? How does the boat communicate with someone on shore if there's an emergency?"

"By satellite. So we're covered for crucial communications, like information about the weather and we can get help if we need it. It's tough to be away from our families for that long, but all the guys just deal with it."

Cooper smiled and tried to joke with Oliver.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"

Oliver leaned forward and buried his face in Cooper’s chest.

"It does but I hate it. I'm going to miss you," Oliver said, his voice muffled by Cooper’s shirt.

The older man wrapped his arms around his body’s slender frame.

"I know. I'm going to miss you too. More than you know."

 - Oliver -

Less than two weeks later, the day had finally come.

This time, Cooper was leaving out of a port in Seattle, so he didn't have to fly anywhere.

Oliver drove his boyfriend to Seattle the night before and they spent one last night together in a hotel before he had to be at the pier in the morning.

Oliver was dreading the moment Cooper would get on a ship and leave him behind but he tried to focus on the surprise he had for him.

He wasn't content to do nothing about their communication situation.

He did some research and found out there were satellite phones that could be used in remote areas, like in the mountains or out at sea.

Some of them only had texting capabilities but he bought one that could make calls too.

After parking his car, Oliver walked with Cooper to the pier where the fishing vessel was docked.

It was bigger than he expected.

There were a few other large ships docked nearby and the pier was bustling with activity and people all around but Oliver didn't care.

Cooper didn't either because he set his bag on the ground and turned to face Oliver, taking both of his tiny hands in his.

"I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to you."

"I know. But I'm optimistic that it won't be that bad."

Oliver gently let go of his hands and shrugged off the small backpack he was wearing and then opened it up and took out the satellite phone.

"I got this for you so you can text and call me when you get a chance. It's all set up and ready to go, and I put all of your family member's phone numbers in it too."

Cooper stared at Oliver, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock.

He looked down at the phone and took it, shaking his head.

"These phones are expensive. I know one guy who has one and he paid over a thousand dollars for it. And you have to pay for a subscription to the satellite service, which isn't cheap either. Oliver... I don't know what to say."

Oliver smiled at him.

"Well, I have an incredible boyfriend who won't let me pay rent, so I had a chunk of money laying around."

Cooper surprised his boyfriend by lunging forward and throwing his arms around him, squeezing him tight and lifting him enough that his feet left the ground.

"Thank you," Cooper mumbled into his hair.

"Put me down," Oliver laughed.

"There was no way I wasn't going to buy it. I need to be able to text you more than once a month and I need to hear your voice."

Cooper set him back down but kept his arms around his waist and kissed him.

Oliver pressed closer to Cooper, kissing back deeply enough that he couldn't breathe.

Oliver’s hands were in his boyfriend’s hair and he could smell him and feel his beard tickling his face.

Oliver tried to memorize all of it.

He couldn't believe it was going to be four months until he got to see him and touch him again.

He was getting choked up but he convinced himself to keep it together and not embarrass them by being a teary mess.

Cooper's lips left his but he continued to hug Oliver tightly, swaying them in place.

One of the guys near the fishing vessel called Cooper's name and Oliver knew they couldn't put off the goodbye any longer.

Oliver steps back, giving Cooper space to pick up his bag and straighten out his clothes.

Cooper smiled at Oliver but his eyes were wet.

"Promise me you'll still be here when I get back? I know this is a lot for a brand new relationship and I'm scared of losing you."

"You won't lose me. I'll be counting down the days until you're back. I'm not going anywhere."

Oliver reached out and took one of Cooper’s larger hands.

"I love you."

"I love you too. So much."

Cooper kissed him again and when he pulled away, Oliver held onto his hand until the last second, until their arms were both stretched out and they were forced to let go.

Oliver watched the man he loves board the fishing vessel and he stood there until it left the port and was a speck in the distance.

Then, he turned around to go back to his car and start the long drive home, with nothing waiting for him except an empty house.

[safereturndoubtful]

On St Ninian’s Beach

26th June 2023

I had booked the most basic accommodation on the overnight boat from Kirkwall to Lerwick, a reclining seat. But I had hoped not to use it, preferring the illegal option of staying in my van bed. I had researched on the internet and read that it was something truckers did do. An article from an incident in January of 2006 was easily found, when in stormy conditions three trucks had toppled over during the crossing. On arrival in Lerwick it was found 6 drivers had stayed in their cabs, one stuck there until he was rescued.

Northlink stresses how dangerous it is, yet they are quite happy to let my dog stay there.. do they value his life any less than mine? By circumstance rather than choice, I boarded last, and had to reverse on with the studious attention of all the boarding crew. At the appropriate moment I disappeared behind the curtain. They either didn’t see, or weren’t bothered. Before the boat sailed I was in bed, waking at 7:15 am as drivers returned to their vehicles. The coach driver next to me gave me a knowing nod. It was clear he had done the same.

By 8 am I was at St Ninian’s Beach, about a half hour drive away, in heavy rain and just 9C. Roja and I had breakfast, and I read while Roja dozed and the rain eased, and by mid-morning the cloud cleared and the sun emerged.

This is my second visit of the year to the Wild Atlantic coast, the first being the Costa del Morte in Galicia in February, equally impressive.

The first photo is of the ruin of St Ninians’s Chapel, which dates back to the 12th Century. Before that it was an Iron Age Burial Ground. It’s other claim to fame is that in 1958 a local schoolboy found a wooden box on the site, which contained 28 silver objects of Pictish treasure.

St Ninian’s Isle is quite a spectacular sight from the car park, with its jagged rock cliffs, strikingly green pasture, and it’s shell-sand tombolo, the finest example of one in Western Europe. It is occasionally breached, in storms and at high tide, but today it was at its best, a superb wander though Roja chose not to use it and swim alongside for most of the way.

The perimeter of the Isle is about four and a half miles, but most who walk as far as the island, then choose shortcuts. As with most of the ocean facing coasts here, the south and west headlands are the wildest and most spectacular. There were a few other visitors. I met the couple in the other campervan at the carpark, from Durham, and prior to that at Dentdale, and we chatted for a while.

We were back at the van for 2 pm, and spent the afternoon with the dramatic backdrop trying to concentrate enough to attend to a few business matters.

Last week here was the Shetland Noir Book Festival, attended by writers such as Martin Edwards, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths. They even had a session here at St Ninian’s Beach. Cleeves write the Shetland series, that has now been adapted for television. It strikes me that the literary body count here on the tranquil Shetland Islands is bigger than most places, with the possible exception of Midsomer.

These rocky outcrops put me in mind of Chris Cameron, who is currently mid-way through his 60 day record attempt for the longest stay on a remote uninhabited North Atlantic rock, on Rockall, 200 miles west of St Kilda, and 300 miles from the mainland. It says a lot about the teaching profession that a guy has to go to such lengths to get a peaceful break. Maybe he won’t return to his post, and stay on Rockall.

Roja seems unbothered by the various dive-bomb attacks from the sea birds he receives. They concern themselves with him rather than me thankfully. With my untrained eye, those who bombed him include, the Fulmar which comes off the cliffs and hovers in the wind, the territorial Curlew with its recognisable squeal and curved beak from the scrub land, and the much rarer Arctic Tern from its slumber in the grass.

And a ‘spot-the-van’ pic..

[muffinlance]

State of the Muffin Report: 2021 Writing Goals

Overall Goal: Balance fanfic with Serious Face noveling, by adapting one of my AUs into a fully original fic that will be posted chapter by chapter with a "please support the author" pretty version self-pubbed at the end. If that's successful, we will have FUN in the years to come.

On the fanfic side, the goal is to not start anything new dangit while finishing up some of my shorter long works.

Concrete Goals:

Finish Salvage -- the end is in sight, yo, just need to tap-tap on my keyboard some more

Towards the Sun -- Boiling Rock arc, possibly the entirety of Book One but no promises

Cheating at Pai Sho -- hopefully finish! This only has one book so, Tiny Child God Willing, that should be achievable

OG Scaled Over: outlining is in process, but I'm not sure it's ready yet; still teasing out the shape in my head, deciding what influences/character archetypes to include v cut, and where to break up the plot arcs. So you're either getting this or...

OG S&S, aka the "Hakoda and Jun co-parent Zuko" fic, which is already so AU that I just need to change names and it'll be fine. Also I've been thinking about it for a year and a half already, so most of the major issues have been teased out in my subconscious already. Gonna outline this officially soon and see if it's fully ready, then I'll decide on whether to launch this or Scaled Over as my first self-pubbed-novel experiment. You haven't met this story yet, but I guarantee you have a this-story-shaped hole in your life.

Also I will continue rearing a tiny human person, upon whose whims the exact timeline of these goals rest. There was a lot of giggling and playing today which was an altogether agreeable way to begin the New Year. Planning to write but bouncing on a bed with a baby instead is a Good Day.

Edit Because Apparently This Needs Saying I Guess: Please note that my goal is to write the equivalent of three novels this next year. Asking for more is not a good look.

[srbachchan]

DAY 4826

Jalsa, Mumbai                 May 15/16,  2021              Sat/Sun 12:29 AM

The Gods are angered .. CoViD continues but the efforts are coming in and the graphs at some places are beginning to show some stability, though not completely out of the woods ..

Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea intensifies along the Western Coasts of India .. from the South moving up .. the effects of its arrival have begun here in Mumbai with rain as I write ..  the preparations for the monsoon rain sheds had just begun so the vulnerability of leaks , is there and the dealing with rain leakages about is a concern .. we try to make some make shift arrangements .. but they are weak and not entirely protective .. 

The severity of the monsoons as you all know is massive and all buildings and locations become most vulnerable during those 3-4 months of its presence ..

The JVPD Scheme is a low lying area and flooding is most imminent .. so ..

The word ‘tauktae’ .. the naming of storms cyclones typhoons et all are taken up and suggested by the countries in the region and this name has been given by Myanmar , erstwhile Burma , which is the name of a ‘vocal lizard’ ..

The work though on the care fronts continues and happily I was able to deliver the first lot of 10 ventilators to the desired locations .. the Municipal Corporation of the City , and 3 Hospitals and one clinic .. the balance 10 that I have ordered should be in in a few days and they too shall be distributed to care centres and Hospitals in dire need .. 

6 were sent to the BMC, under the request of its Commissioner Mr Iqbal Singh Chahal, who has done great innovative work in controlling the spread of the virus in the City, by bringing down the numbers .. the ventilators were asked to be directed to his Addl., Com., Mr Chore, who then directed it to ms Shashibala, the lady from the Comm., office looking after deliveries , who then directed us to send it to the Andheri Sports Complex to Mr Raju Palkar, who has received them and the distribution shall be under the discretion of BMC, looking at the various needs .. 

I shall be requesting the BMC to let me have a report on the delivery, the setting up and the functioning of these machines at the allocated locations, so we can keep a record of its proper usage ..

The other 4 have been delivered to Hospitals - Sion Hospital along with some accessories that they needed to help in the detection process in these times ; Nair Hospital ;  Kaleskar Hospital  and the Jewel Nursing Home .. 

This is no way a reflection or an indication , that these Hospitals do not have facilities of their own, they do, but in extenuating circumstances, such as what we are facing, every drop counts ..  

The first consignment of the 50 Oxygen Concentrators ordered and bought by me from Poland should be on a plane as I write, and shall be landing in Delhi by 6 am tomorrow morning, on the Polish Airline LOT .. flight WAW/DEL /LO 1071 .. these shall be cleared by the Gurudwara Committee where I have donated in the building of the 400 bed facility and which was inaugurated the other day .. 300 functional immediately and the balance 100 in due time .. and the O2 concentrators shall also be donated to this facility for their discretionary use.

These are the 10 litre concentrators, but research from my office informs me that the 5 litre ones are also acceptable and in greater demand .. so I have bought another 50 oxygen concentrators today of the 5 litre capacity, and hopefully they should be despatched to us in a few days .. these shall be distributed to the needy facilities in Mumbai ..

My gratitude and gracious thanks to several people in the fructification of this delivery - The Govt.of Poland, the Mayor of Wroclaw,   Mr Jacek Sutryk , the Indian Ambassador Mr Namgyal, and the Indian Consul Mr Johri for most generously helping in easing the logistics of transporting it over to India. 

The 25 bedded Care Centre that I had donated for to be put up in a School in Juhu is happily all ready .. the facilities are all in place .. and just today the relevant OC’s have beem obtained from the BMC and the Fire Brigade .. just one more permission is due to come tomorrow and with that the facility shall be ready to operate by Tuesday or Wednesday .. this is for the really needy and those that cannot afford the expenses required for their treatment ..  

...👆🏾 the 25 bedder facility .. beds , store room , numbering of beds in process .. all oxygen piping etc., all done .. 

And the Diagnostic Centre that I donated to for the Bangla Sahib Centre for the needy at free to very low affordable rates is all set and the MRI machine and some other ancillaries that I bought for them, all supplied and ready for operation ..

This 👇🏿 is the lay out of the Centre :

.. there shall be a dedication of course .. but details of that later .. 

There is always a sense of satisfaction on seeing your efforts at giving to the needy .. to those in distress .. to them that have lost their jobs due to the non functional-ability of their work professions .. those on the daily wages .. those who’s production films have been stopped because no shootings are allowed .. those who had bet their last Rupee on the completion of a film or a web series they were working on and getting paid .. 

I give wherever I can .. my means are extremely limited .. it may not seem so , but they are .. somehow by the grace of the Almighty they come to me .. I have not made any effort to collect them through campaigns or donations to a cause that I may have instituted .. I just feel asking someone for funds is embarrassing for me .. yes there have been events in the past where the voice is for contributing, but I feel uncomfortable to ask , to contribute .. I may have partaken in the event as a voice over, but never directly asked to give or contribute .. and if there have been such unseen or unknown incidents then I seek forgiveness .. 

I have, not out of seeking praise, given descriptions of the work done this time, but just to assure all, of the delivery and the visuals of where the funds have been used and to what avail .. that they are not just blank promises .. 

There have been many such campaigns and events where the organisers have collected funds for most worthy causes .. and that is most laudable .. but with all due respect and modesty, at times the amount that I have personally individually donated, matches the funds collected out of the campaigns .. 

I did not ask .. I gave ..  

This has probably been a most un endearing post for the Blog .. and I do apologise for that .. for one that has ever promulgated a desire to be silent and do my work, I have crossed my own LOC - the Line of Control .. 

It has come about through incessant cries from many to SPEAK .. but speak is not the desired element according to me in these times .. and the less said on this the better ..

ek chup sau sukh .. एक चुप सौ सुख  

AND .. I really must stop .. before my own words get thrown back at me :

 “a sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of his own verbosity” 

BECAUSE  ..

“the whole country of the system is juxtapositioned by the haemoglobin in the atmosphere”

GN ..

[yamayuandadu]

The Contendings of  History and Seth

Seth as a serpent-slayer (MET) It's safe to say that the myth of Osiris is one of the only non-Greek myths to enjoy a comparable degree of recognition in modern popculture. There are few direct adaptations, sure, but the core narrative is well known, and as a result works themed after ancient Egypt use Seth as a villain almost without fail if only the premise allows the use of fantastical elements. However, in this article I will instead examine the other side of Seth, and especially his role as a protagonist of myths in his own right, including the historical circumstances of this development. While I mostly want to introduce you to a little known but fascinating world of heroic(?) portrayals of Seth, naturally I will also cover Seth's later loss of relevance and complete vilification to explain why it survived as the dominant tradition.

Early history of Seth

Seth protecting Ra from Apep (wikimedia commons) From the dawn of recorded history Seth's status in Egyptian religion was ambivalent, and it continues to be a topic of heated debate among researchers what degree of popularity he enjoyed in particular very early on. Some aspects of Seth character, like his evident interest in both men and women and whether it reflects broader Egyptian cultural norms (or if it’s merely yet another way in which Seth was an outsider among gods and men, as the author of the first monograph dealing with Seth proposed in the 1960s) are likewise a hotly debated topic. Seth was associated with many animals, such as the hippopotamus and the crocodile, but his main symbol is the sha or “Seth animal” which is regarded as either a mystery or a fictional creation, and in Egyptian texts inhabits zones inhospitable to humans. Seth was called “the god of confusion” by Herman Te Velde (the first writer to dedicate a monograph to him) and while this opinion has been since called into question, it is undeniable that it’s hard to form a coherent image of him. In addition to various versions of the well known myth mentioned above there are other instances of combat between Seth and Horus (most likely initially a distinct myth combined with the narrative about Osiris’ death and resurrection at a later date) and of Seth as a menace to the established order. Some of the Pyramid Texts present even the human followers of Seth as enemies to be conquered (which is held by some researchers a mythical memory of strife between local kings before the unification of Egypt). . However, there are also texts where Seth is a rightful member of the Ennead; where he and Horus act in harmony as protectors of the ruler; where he assists pharaohs in their resurrection in the afterlife; and even to Seth as one of the gods responsible for returning Osiris to life. A recurring motif in texts dealing with the afterlife in particular is a description of Seth offering a ladder to the dead who can reach some destination themselves. Mentuhotep II of the XI dynasty seemingly had Seth and Hathor depicted behind his throne in art; Hatshepsut described Seth positively as well. Personal names invoking Seth are known, too; and as established by Willam Berg in his studies of a different ambivalent deity, “children are not called after spooks.” Seth's ambiguous character made him ideal to represent The Other in Egyptian culture –  the foreigners, especially these arriving from the Levant, their culture, and generally “un-Egyptian” traits. In that capacity, he functioned as an “ambassador” or “minister of foreign affairs,” to put it in modern terms. Or perhaps a foreigner in his own country, so to speak. As a result, he came to be associated with a group of deities which, while part of the official pantheon, had their origin outside Egypt.

The Ramessides and foreign gods

Generally speaking, there were two primary sources for foreign deities incorporated into Egyptian religion: Levantine trade centers like Gebal (Byblos in Lebanon) or Ugarit (Ras Shamra in Syria); and Egypt's vassal/enemy/ally/very occasional ruler Nubia (roughly corresponding to present day Sudan). Libyan influence was smaller, and to my knowledge there is no evidence of any major impact of Egypt's other trading partners (Punt, located near Horn of Africa, and Minoan Crete; the latter absorbed many Egyptian influences instead, though) or enemies (like the Hittites) on religion. The peculiar history of Seth is related to the the first of these areas. Early researchers saw the “Syrian” deities as worshiped at best by slaves or mercenaries – they didn't fit neatly into the image of Egypt presented by some royal inscriptions: an unmovable, unchanging and homogeneous country, a vision as appealing to absolute rulers in the bronze age as it was to many 19th and 20th century researchers. However, the truth was much more complex, and in fact some of the best preserved accounts of foreign cults in Egypt indicate that the process was in no small part related to the pharaohs themselves. For example Ramses II in particular was an enthusiast of Anat, as evidenced by statues he left behind:

Ramses II and Anat (wikimedia commons) He also named his daughter Bint-Anat (“daughter of Anat”) and his favorite pets and possessions bore Anat-derived names too. Not only only Ramses II himself, but the entire XIXth  dynasty – the “Ramessides” (a term also applied to the XXth dynasty) - was particularly keen on these imported deities. Curiously, one of its founders was named Seti - “man of Seth,” and Seth was seemingly the tutelary deity of his family. The well known case of Ramses II's red hair might be connected to this – this uncommon trait was associated with Seth. As a result of the Ramessides' rise to power Seth became one of the state gods in Egypt, alongside heavyweights like Amun, Ptah or Ra. However, it's also safe to say that he was popular in everyday cult among commoners, as evidenced by finds from camps for workers partaking in various construction projects.

Part of Egypt of the Ramessides at its maximal extent (in green; wikimedia commons) During the discussed period, Egypt was as the peak of its power, both military and cultural; the “other” recognized Egypt's power. Weaker states in the proximity of Egypt paid tribute, while the more distant fellow “superpowers”of the era (the Hittites and the Mitanni, rivals of Egypt in Syria and the Levant, and the more distant Kassite Babylon) bargained with Egypt for dynastic marriages, luxury goods or craftsmen. While some foreign rulers didn't necessarily get that the pharaohs might not want to play by their rules and expressed frustration with that in their letters sometimes (see a particularly funny example below), overall the relations were positive, and resulted in a lot of interchange between cultures.

(source) The incorporation of foreign deities into Egyptian pantheon was a phenomenon distinct both from the well known practice of interpretatio graeca and from the monumental Mesopotamian god lists, and foreign gods were adopted rather selectively. Some researchers propose that the incorporated deities were often chosen because their sphere of influence wasn't covered by any native god. For example, Astarte (more accurately Ashtart or Athtart, considering the Ugaritic orthography; however the Greek spelling is used in literature to refer to the Egyptian version and I'll stick to that) was associated with horses and chariot warfare. As the animal wasn't known in Egypt in the formative period of the state, it wasn't among the symbols of any local deity; at the same time chariots were a prominent component of the Egyptian military at the height of its power, and as such required a deity to be put in charge of it. Six deities of broadly “Syrian” origin are usually listed among Egyptian gods in modern scholarly literature: Anat, Astarte, Resheph, Houron, Baal (the Ugaritic weather controlling one) and Qadesh. Of these, four were pretty similar to their original versions. Qadesh is a complex case as it's uncertain if such a deity existed outside Egypt – it's possible she developed as a combination of a divine title (“the holy one”) and the general Egyptian perception of foreign religion. Some scholars in the past asserted she is simply Athirat/Asherah but this interpretation relied on the false premise of Athirat forming a trinity with Anat and Ashtart and the three of them being the only prominent goddesses in cities like Ugarit. There are also curiosities like Chaitau, a god with Egyptian name (“he who appears burning”) but attested only in sources from Levantine cities (though ones written in hieroglyphics) and in magical formulas of similar origin. Baal is the most puzzling case: simply put, it's clear Baal was introduced to Egypt. It's clear Baal was depicted in Egyptian art. It's even clear that Egyptians knew that Anat and Astarte were deities from Baal's circle back at home, and that Baal was tied to a narrative about combat with the sea. And yet, it's not easy to say where the Egyptian reception of Baal ends and where Seth starts. Baal's name was even written with the Seth animal symbol as determinative. When exactly did this identification first occur is unknown: while it would be sensible to assume the Hyksos, a Canaanite group which settled in Egypt and briefly ruled the Nile delta, are responsible, there is some evidence which might indicate this already happened before.

Baal and Seth

Baal was a natural match for Seth: Seth represented the foreigners, Baal was the most popular god of the foreign group most keen on settling in Egypt; Baal has a somewhat unruly character in myths; both rule over storms and have a pronounced warrior character. Additionally, both of them were depicted as enemies of monstrous serpents. Baal was identified with Seth in Egypt, but in turn Seth became more Baal-like too. So-called “Stela of year 400” depicts an entity labeled as Seth more similar in appearance to Baal due to the human face and Levantine, rather than Egyptian, garb:

(source) It is well known that the main myth of Baal, in Ugarit the first part of the “Baal cycle,”describes his combat with the sea, personified by the god Yam, seemingly described both as humanoid and serpentine. In Egypt, this narrative was associated with the composite Seth-Baal, and a fragmentary version is recorded in the so-called Astarte papyrus. Curiously, it was actually discovered long before the Baal cycle itself – however, it only became a subject of in depth studies in the wake of the discovery of Ugarit. There are also many similarities to the Hurrian myth “Song of the Sea,” known only from fragments, and to the Song of Hedammu from Hittite archives. While in the Ugaritic version Baal fought the personified Sea against the wishes of the head god El, in the Egyptian version the confrontation happens because the Ennead fears Yam, who threatens to flood the earth and demands tribute, much like the Hurrian Sea. Before Seth properly enters the scene, we learn about how Ptah and Renenutet, a harvest goddess, appeal to his associate Astarte (as already noted before viewed as Ptah's daughter in Egypt), hoping she'll act as a tribute bearer. Astarte is described as a fearsome warrior; however, she is not meant to fight Yam herself, but merely temporarily placate him. She seemingly strips down and brings offerings – this is, once again, closer to the Hurrian than Ugaritic version, where Shaushka, an “Ishtar type” goddess like Astarte, seduces the sea monster Hedammu in a similar way. It is not clear if Yam is interested, though - in fact he appears to question why Astarte isn’t dressed (possibly mocking what must’ve been a humiliating situation for a warrior deity, I’d assume). Eventually, Seth arrives and presumably fights Yam, likely with Astarte's help - the rest of the papyrus is too poorly preserved to decipher, but as indicated by the foreign equivalents Seth and Astarte win. This is confirmed by the Hearst Medical Papyrus, imploring Seth to expel illness from the treated person just like he vanquished the personified Sea. The Ugaritic version of the myth doesn’t include a tribute scene among surviving fragments, though it’s worth pointing out that the Ugaritic Ashtart/Astarte cheers on Baal during his battle against Yam and berates him for not acting quick enough, which is easy to interpret as hostility caused by a similar episode. Many researches assume that it existed among the lost fragments of the Baal Cycle tablets, though this is for now purely speculative. A variant of the myth of Seth and Horus - The Contendings of Horus and Seth - presents a further  curious case of Seth-Baal syncretism, this time incorporated into well established Egyptian myth rather than an imported foreign one. Seth and Horus compete for the right to rule after Osiris' death. Ra thinks Seth is the better option to nominate as a successor because Seth killed Apophis on his behalf, but a few other of the elder gods disagree and try to delay the process by insisting to ask various deities to provide their expert opinions. These generally favor Horus much to Ra's annoyance, but he can't go against them so he insults Horus (calling him "feeble and weak-limbed" and criticizing his hygiene) but doesn't stop his rise to power. The semi-humorous portrayal of Ra is rather unusual; in addition to showing annoyance with other gods, at one point he vanishes, and only agrees to return because Hathor lured him out. It seems Horus' mother Isis insults Seth in response to Ra's comments. Seth, offended, refuses to partake in the divine assembly unless Isis leaves; Ra orders that and the gods gather again without her. However, Isis disguises herself and asks Seth who should inherit first, a child or a brother who can provide for himself (and is a foreigner), to which Seth replies that the former; this was a trick, obviously, and Isis holds it as  proof that Seth forfeited his right to rule, which Ra accepts. After multiple chaotic tribulations (including the [in]famous lettuce episode as well as Horus decapitating his mother because he decides she doesn't do enough) Horus is re-declared king but Ra, implored by Ptah (otherwise absent from the myth) gives Seth two wives (eg. Anat and Astarte; this solution was suggested already earlier by the gods providing the opinion; some authors question if they are meant to be Seth’s wives or merely allies, much like the relationship between Baal, Anat and Ashtart in Ugarit is considered debatable) and the storm clouds as his new domain. He is to strike fear into hearts of men, but will also get to be treated as if he were Ra's own son. Considering the emphasis on storm and the mention of Anat and Astarte, it's pretty clear to me that Egyptians essentially invented their own Baal backstory meant to integrate the foreign tradition with their own by recasting Baal and Seth as the same entity.  The text is however unusual because of its humorous tone – the gods insult each other, act ineptly and all around hardly provide an inspiring example. Perhaps the focus on Seth made this possible. As a final note before I'll move on to times much less prosperous for Seth it's worth to mention that not only Baal but also other foreign gods were at times equated with Seth. The Libyan god Ash was conflated with him in the  western oases, while treaties with the Hittites assign the name of Seth to various members of their pantheon, including the Baal-like Tarhunna (equivalent of Hurrian Teshub) but also the sun goddess of Arinna.

Demonization of Seth

While in the late bronze age Seth greatly benefited from his role as a god of foreigners, in later periods this has proven to be his undoing. Egypt couldn't maintain its power forever, and eventually fell to the Assyrians, who showed little respect for local culture and looted Thebes. While the Assyrian domination was only temporary, it severely damaged the country, and a spiritual scapegoat was needed to reconcile the carnage with the idea that Egypt was a land chosen and protected by the gods. The change seemingly occurred under the rule of Psamtik – in a new version of the myth of Seth and Horus, Seth not only lost decisively, but also was punished afterwards, and religious texts spoke of a “rebellion”of Seth. Seth was never associated with Ashur, the head god of the Assyrians, before, but in Egyptian imagination he was blamed for bringing the invaders under “his” command to ravage and subjugate the country. A mythical text has Isis implore Ra to punish Seth for robbing temples, much like the Assyrian armies did. Even later accounts tell various tales about Seth being punished, either gruesomely (a few texts recount massacred of towns belonging to Seth) or humorously (for example in one text Thoth makes him impotent with a spell) and exiled from among gods. There's evidence that the worship of Seth, previously commonplace, came to be abhorred and depictions of Seth were destroyed or altered. A famous example is a Seth statue converted to look like Knhnum or Amun instead:

Seth no more (wikimedia commons) A late relief from Edfu, from the Ptolemaic times, seems to indicate that even Seth's role as a guardian of the solar barge was lost: Seth, depicted as a hippopotamus, was defeated by Horus from the solar barge of Re. However, while Apep is usually depicted as huge and menacing, hippo Seth is tiny and pathetic.

Seth as a tiny hippo representing the forces of chaos (wikimedia commons) Curiously, despite the official policies, which continued under Ptolemaic rule, it seems that until the 2nd century CE, Seth continued to be popular in the Dahkleh oasis, possibly even serving as the main deity there. Sadly due to lack of research I am unable to provide any more detailed information about that.

Closing remarks

Even further demonization of Seth is evident in the fact that the Greeks and Romans referred to Seth as Typhon, leaving no room for ambiguity of interpretation. As the Greek accounts of the late version of Seth were all that was known for centuries due to ability to read hieroglyphic writing vanishing with the advent of new religions, it remains dominant in media today. Perhaps it would be beneficial to leave some room for the serpent-slaying hero Seth hanging out with foreign deities in modern works, though? Surely his peculiar outsider status is even more appealing to modern readers than it was to the public of the Ramesside period.

Bibliography

N. Ayali-Darshan, The Other Version of the Story of the Storm-god’s Combat with the Sea in the Light of Egyptian, Ugaritic, and Hurro-Hittite Texts

G. Beckman, Foreigners in the Ancient Near East 

M. Dijkstra, Ishtar seduces the Sea-serpent. A New Join in the Epic of Hedammu (KUB 36, 56+95) and its meaning for the battle between Baal and Yam in Ugaritic Tradition

T. J. Lewis, ʿAthtartu’s Incantations and the Use of Divine Names as Weapons 

D. Schorsch and M. T. Wypyski,  Seth, "Figure of Mystery"         

D. T. Sugimoto (ed.), Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite - especially the chapters ‘Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts by M. S. Smith and Astarte in New Kingdom Egypt: Reconsideration of Her Role and Function by K. Tazawa

H. Te Velde, Seth, God of Confusion: A Study of His Role in Egyptian Mythology and Religion

P. J. Turner, Seth - a misrepresented god in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon? (PhD thesis)

C. Zivie-Coche, Foreign Deities in Egypt

[outofangband]

Flora, Fauna, and Environment of Nevrast

Originally requested by @polutrope and @echoofthemusic! I wanted to repost this with more information! 

 Flora, Fauna and Environment of Arda

Disclaimer: I used both what we can extrapolate based on descriptions of the landscape and climate as well as my own headcanons and inspirations. I also used Gerald Durrell’s writing on wooded areas and coastal regions (I don’t remember if I’ve talked about it much here but I actually do some work during the spring and summer keeping tabs on our local wetlands and so I have lots of reference books on hand)

I really love working on and researching these! and as always feel free to ask more, even if I’ve already done a place I’d always enjoy going into more detail of tacking a more specific kind of life there

Some overlap with flora will be found with Sirion! 

Nevrast, “Hither shore”, was a region in Western Beleriand by the coast of Belegaer. It was surrounded by the Ered Wethrin (Mountains of Shadow) which divided it from Dor-lómin and Hithlum to the East. It was among the first places the Noldor settled and was the realm of Turgon prior to the foundation of Gondolin. 

Nevrast was forested and covered in wetlands, the most prominent of these being the Marshes of Nevrast that surrounded Lake Linawaen but with salt and coastal marshes closer to the ocean.  The climate was much more mild and humid than Hithlum.  Warm air came from the sea and the region did not have harsh winters. 

Flora here will be primarily divided into two categories for convenience; flora of the salt marshes and closer to the coast and in the freshwater marshes around Linawaen though with some overlap. 

 For both wetland areas, a variety of marsh grasses (cord grasses, manna or sweet-grass, sicklegrass, species in the genus Hymenachne,  and more ) and reeds (common reed and reed canary grass) are found as well as algae and lichens.  

Maritime pine and old world white pines as well as beeches and willow species, river birch, likely made up the forested areas. 

Cattails and species of fern (sensitive fern, royal fern and more) are found in the wetlands around Linawaen as well as St. Johnswort species, winterberry, laurels, nettles, jewel weeds, sedges, 

Needlerush, wall pennywart, thistles, thrifts, pickle weed, sea aster, sea lavender, seaside goldenrod, highbush blueberry, and bayberry are possible herbaceous plants that grow along the coast. 

Closer to and in the water are eel grasses, surfgrass, and seaweeds in the sea and brackish water with water lettuce, duck weed, water hyacinth, peatmoss,  Hydrillia, pond lilies, water starwort, in the lake and other freshwater. 

Linawaen’s name translates in Sindarin to ‘lake of birds’ and the region has a huge variety of species, both on the coast and around the lake and woodlands. 

Coastal birds (I am writing a post also on birds of coastal Beleriand that will have more specifics) include water rails, turnstones, roseate, Caspian and black winged terns, storm petrels, kentish plover, dunlin, least and Western sandpipers, common murre, Sabine and common gulls, ospreys, gannets, and cormorants.  I do wonder if something like the great auk, species of Plotopteridae, dodos, or other extinct birds could live here. 

In the marshes and around Linawaen, the marsh and wood sandpiper, common snipes, marbled teal, common loons, widgeon, pintails, long tailed ducks, shelduck, grebe, crake, glossy ibis, night herons, both great and little egrets, spotted eagles and marsh hawks, gray catbird, marsh wren, common blackbird, dusky thrush, nightingale, brambling, and pine bunting are some examples. 

In the marshes and lake there are pond terrapins, leaf turtles, yellow pond turtles and painted turtles.  Green sea turtles might occasionally come to the shores too. 

Other reptiles and amphibians might include the green lizard, species of rock lizard, rough and shining leaf frogs, other tree frogs, certain species of skink (to elaborate) Eastern and marbled newts. 

On the shores there are likely tide pools, another post I want to make as its own thing but species of forcipulatida starfish, hermit crabs, species of true crabs (striped shore crab, fiddler crabs),  porcelain crabs, cnidarians like anemones, 

As for mammals, red and crab eating foxes, swamp cat, grey and common seals, roe deer, marsh deer,  long eared hedgehog, various shrews, cape hares, squirrels and marmots, 

This is of course only an overview as a full list of species would likely be thousands, even tens of thousands long! But I hope this is ok! These kinds of questions are really fun to research and write, definitely feel free to ask more!

[blossom-hwa]

hi hi hi!! for the drabble game, could I request a continuation of Stay (Changbin mermaid!au)?? I'm really curious about what happens next after the reader wakes up! Thank you!!

two mermaid aus in a row! I'm really happy you enjoyed that first changbin mermaid drabble anon, so I hope you like this continuation at least that much <3

4 year anniversary drabble game: send me a Stray Kids/The Boyz/Golden Child/Ateez member + a prompt (check out the post for ideas) and I’ll write a drabble for you!

Read the original drabble, Stay, here!

~

Title: Silver Song

Pairing: Changbin x gender neutral!reader

Word count: 1.3k

Triggers: cursing, mentions of almost drowning (nothing graphic)

~

When you wake up in the hospital the night after the storm, no one believes you when you say that something saved you from the crashing waves and the thrashing wind. Which, to be fair, is valid. If someone you knew started trying to say a guy with a fish tail saved you from drowning after the storm caught your boat, you'd probably write them off as hallucinating, too. You're not even sure you saw it correctly. It really could have been a hallucination.

But it felt real. Too real. There was nothing fuzzy about that flash of silver when your eyes opened just a crack as you hacked water from your lungs. The song you remember as you woke was clear, perfect, like nothing you've ever heard before, and you know you couldn't have come up with such a melody by yourself. It had to have come from someone else. The person who saved you.

At least, that's what you tell yourself when you step onto the empty beach, feet digging into the cool sand as you make your way to the spot where they found you. No one's here. Technically, you shouldn't even be here - only the fact that you're a marine bio student who's supposedly doing research got you in past hours. If your professor gets wind that you're abusing your lab privileges...

You swallow. That won't happen. You won't get caught. You're just going to be here for a few moments to look around and try to see if you can find anything that indicates what actually happened the night of the storm. You definitely won't be here for long, because there probably isn't even anything to find - you already feel kind of stupid, walking around the same damn spot looking for nothing -

Something flashes in the corner of your eye and you whip around just in time to see a spot of silver disappear beneath the waves.

That -!

Sand flies beneath your feet as you stumble forward. That was the same silver you saw when you woke up that night. You're sure of it.

It's gone by the time you reach the water's edge, but you stay there, staring at the craggy rocks jutting out a short distance away. You saw it. You swear you saw it - you weren't hallucinating -

"You aren't going to leave, are you?"

Something between a strangled scream and gasp leaves your throat and you almost fall flat on your back at the sound of the voice that isn't yours. It takes a moment for you to realize where it came from, but finally you see the eyes glittering above the dark waves, almost sparkling in the moonlight.

"Oh my God." You try to breathe, placing a hand on your pounding chest. "Oh my God, I -" One breath at a time. In, out. In, out... "You - I -"

Pale shoulders rise out of the water too, then a full torso. Your breath sticks in your throat as the person - creature - whatever - drags itself out of the water to sit on one of the rocks you were watching just minutes ago. Something long and silvery curls around the rock, shining under the stars and the moon.

A tail.

A fucking tail.

Too late, you realize how weak your knees have gotten. You almost fall into the sand. "What the -"

The glittering eyes only stare at you intently, the lips not moving to say a word. It's fine. You're fine with the silence, totally. One hundred percent. If anyone were speaking, you wouldn't even be able to process it because you're still trying to figure out what this person is -

A merman. A fucking merman. Torso of a human, tail of a very long fish. Like the ones you read about in fairy tales and stories as a kid and sometimes as an adult.

This isn't it. You take a deep breath and squeeze your eyes shut hard before opening them once more. The tail is still shimmering in the moonlight. Not a hallucination.

You decide to focus on the reason you came here before your mind actually explodes. "Did you -" your voice cracks embarrassingly, and you cough before you continue. "Were you the one who saved me? The night of the storm?"

The eyes blink slowly once, twice before the merman speaks. "Yes."

Oh, God, you really weren't hallucinating. That's the same voice as the one who sang the song, the melody still looping through your head like no tomorrow. "Why?" you manage to ask.

His eyes narrow and he stays silent for a lot longer than before, almost as though wondering whether or not to answer. You don't speak though, just wait, and eventually he opens his mouth again. "The winds told me to."

You blink. "The winds?"

"They speak to me."

Feeling almost foolish, you try to listen to the wind. You hear nothing but air rushing past your face. "I don't hear anything."

At that, the merman snorts. "Of course you don't. You're human."

Embarrassment floods your body. "So you hear it? As a..."

"Mer." His eyes bore into yours like he's staring into your soul. He very well might be. "Yes, I hear it. It told me to come here tonight."

Words come a little more easily now that you have questions to ask. "Why did you listen to them?"

"The voices of those claimed by the sea have never been wrong." The merman shrugs. "I don't make it a habit to question them."

That sounds a little weird, but you can't question it. You're here talking to a merman, after all. "Why did they tell you to come here?"

"Well, I gather it has something to do with you." The silvery tail flicks once, splashing water into the air. "Though I'm not entirely sure why the winds chose you, if that's what you mean."

Your head is spinning. Mer are real, one is speaking to you, the winds can speak, and they talked about you... "Oh," is all you finally manage to say.

Silence falls once again, with the two of you simply staring at each other for several minutes more. It's starting to feel a little awkward when the merman's tail splashes softly and he blinks. "Well, if there's nothing more to say, I'll be going," he says as his tail begins to uncurl from around the rock.

The words register just as he's begun uncurling his tail from around the rock and you realize he's about to leave. Something in you panics for no reason and instinctively, you open your mouth -

"Wait!"

The tail stops uncurling. The merman cocks his head, dark eyes boring into yours. "Yes?"

You stammer, trying to come up with a reason for why you asked him to wait. Come on, brain, come up with something -

"What's your name?"

You feel very small under the eyes that narrow, scrutinizing you closely as though debating whether or not you're worthy of such information. You're about to give up hope when he finally speaks.

"Changbin." He says the name so softly you almost don't hear. "My name is Changbin." The guarded eyes turn cautiously curious. "What is yours?"

"Y/N," you say, thankful you didn't stutter.

"Y/N," he repeats, like he's testing the way it sounds on his tongue. It sounds surprisingly soothing, coming from his voice. "Well, Y/N, I have a feeling we may be seeing each other more often if the winds have anything to do with it."

Your eyebrows furrow. "What do you -"

Too late. The tail slips beneath the waves with barely a splash, leaving you with only a flash of silver and the memory of two glittering eyes to remember Changbin by.

[naminethewriter]

A Fateful Encounter

Another ship week, here we go! 🥳🥳 My second time participating in Intrulogical Week and I’m so excited! This is technically part of my Pirate!AU but that hasn’t been written yet, so go ahead and read it, no context required.

@intrulogicalweek2021

Here on Ao3

Masterpost | Intrulogical Week 2021 Masterpost

Characters: Remus, Logan

Relationship: platonic Intrulogical

Rating: T

Words: 1,513

Summary: Remus expected the island to be uninhibited. He did not expect to be startled by the same guy twice.

Remus ducked under another tree branch, one hand holding onto his hat to make sure he didn’t lose it. It took him forever to find one he liked and he wasn’t keen on raiding another fifteen ships to replace this one. He made his way further through the tick jungle that seemed to encompass most of the unchartered island his crew had landed on. They hadn’t needed to stop necessarily; their supplies should last for at least two more weeks on sea but Remus always liked exploration and it wasn’t very common to stumble upon unchartered islands.

So far it hadn’t been the most exciting trip he’d taken, he saw some animals and plants he had never seen before but that’s it. He was almost bored. But one thing that kept him moving forward was the few paths he had found. It seemed like he wasn’t the first human on this island after all and he was curious as to where these paths lead. They weren’t as defined so not travelled along a lot but still. Remus was always too curious for his own good.

 Soon he found himself at the edge of a chasm. It wasn’t very wide but deep with many jagged rocks along its walls. If he threw someone down there, how many bones would they break before hitting the bottom, he wondered. He took another step closer to try and get a better look.

 “I would advise you to stay away from the edge. The ground is rather unstable.” Remus quickly turned, hand flying towards the pistol holster at his hip, startled by the sudden voice beside him. He had told his crew to stay at the ship and he didn’t recognize the voice. A few feet away stood a man, tall and lean. His clothes were worn down but rather clean. He had glasses and deep black hair like the feathers of a crow. He regarded Remus with a neutral expression, his blue eyes never wavering.

 “Where the fuck did you come from?” Remus asked, still a bit shocked. The other cocked his head slightly but his expression didn’t change.

 “From my camp. I was on my way to check on a bird’s nest that I am observing. Where did you come from?” Remus vaguely gestured into the direction he had come from while slowly moving towards there. He didn’t like being stuck between a chasm and a guy who seemed to live on an otherwise seemingly deserted island. His hand remained at his hip even though the other didn’t seem to be armed.

 “You live here?”

 “Yes.”

 “Alone?”

 “Yes.”

 “Why?”

 “Because there are species living on this island that I wanted to research.” The man didn’t seem perturbed by his questions or the fact that he was holding onto a weapon. Instead he looked away from Remus, seemed to spot something and moved closer to the chasm though he didn’t go as near as Remus had been only moments prior.

 “You a scientist or something?” The man’s eyes flickered back to him but soon focused back on a spot on the ground. Remus didn’t like this guy. He was too calm.

 “Indeed. And you are a pirate, I presume?” Again with the nonchalance! He acted like pirates were harmless. Something was off, way off. Remus hand grabbed the pistol but he didn’t draw, not yet.

 “What off it?”

 “Nothing. I was merely attempting to converse with you. But I am not particularly interested in your business here.” Remus narrowed his eyes.

 “Then why approach me at all?”

 “Because I feared you might fall.”

 “The fuck do you care if I fall or not?”

 “I simply do, is that so surprising?” The man stood, apparently done with inspecting the ground. Remus huffed.

 “Pretty much. Never met anybody who cared about a stranger getting hurt just ‘cause.”

 “Well, there is a first time for everything, I suppose. So what brings you here, pirate?”

 “Thought you weren’t interested in my business here.”

 “Again, attempt at conversation but if you do not wish to share-“

 “I don’t”

 “- then I will not ask further.” Remus grip on his pistol tightened, still very uncomfortable with the situation. All his instincts were telling him that man was dangerous despite him not being armed and seemingly having no muscles whatsoever. The other wasn’t bothered by his silence, simply watched him for a few moments before speaking again.

 “If you are here to hide treasure, please take care to not disturb the wildlife.” Finally, Remus snapped. Why exactly he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the talk of treasure but within seconds he pulled up his pistol, aimed and shot the man in the shoulder. He hadn’t aimed to kill but the recoil send the man stumbling closer to the chasm, the ground gave away and he tumbled over the edge. Remus stood frozen, listening to the sounds of the body colliding with stone several times before a loud crunch announced its arrival at the bottom. There was no way he survived that but Remus didn’t chance a look. Instead he surveyed the sky, noting that the sun was close to setting.

 “Time to get back to the ship,” he mumbled. He pulled out his compass to make sure he didn’t get lost and headed back toward the shore.

   The next day, Remus left alone again. A storm seemed to be brewing in the distance so he decided to postpone their departure until the next day and gave the crew a day off. A few accompanied him to shore, to swim and explore a bit but Remus went off to the deeper parts of the jungle alone. Nobody questioned him, they learned a long time ago that it was pointless.

 Heading a different direction this time, Remus focused more on finding a good spot to hide the wooded box he carried, hidden from his crew. A bounty off a ship they raided not so long ago that could land all of them in trouble if it were found in their possession. It was for the best to get rid of it. Fast.

 It took almost three hours until Remus stumbled over the entrance to a cave. It was small and dark and he contemplated if he should try to squeeze in there when he was once again startled by a voice.

 “You will not fit in there.” In a very reminiscent way, Remus spun around to face… the guy from yesterday? They stared at each other before Remus finally found his voice.

 “Wha- How? I killed you!”

 “Technically it was the injuries of the fall that killed me, not your… bullet I believe they are called?” Remus just stared at him, unbelieving.

 “Who the fuck cares how, you still died!”

 “Yes. I do not see your problem.”

 “How are you here if you died?” Again the man cocked his head to the side.

 “Do you not know the legends of Immortals? When I was young they were quite common.”

 “Of course I know the legends!” Remus sputtered. “But they’re just that: legends! Like I expect some random guy I shot to just come back to life!” The man nodded as if this was a typical discussion topic and he hadn’t just turned Remus’ entire world view on its head.

 “I suppose that is true. But considering the existence of other mystical creatures is well known and the elemental spirits have been proven to exist as well, I am a bit surprised that this comes as a shock to you.” Remus was once again at a loss for words. Sure, as many other had, he had hoped the stories were true, that humans could gain immortality like the sirens had but there was never any proof. And the elemental spirits were known to dislike humans once the lands were taken over and many forests destroyed. It was one reason why the seas had become so dangerous to travel, the spirits would not let the humans take any more control.

 For an immortal to be in front of him now… it was a dream come true. And suddenly, like a switch was flipped, the excitement overrode the shock, the doubt, and the carefulness. A grin broke across his face and with quick steps he made his way over to the man who now was the one to look startled.

 “That means you met the spirits? They approved of you? You really can’t die???” Their faces were now inches apart. The man blinked at him, the sudden change in demeanour throwing him off before he took a step back and cleared his throat.

 “Yes to all of those questions. Unless the council deems me no longer useful, I will revive no matter the injuries.” Remus’ grin grew impossibly wide and he let out a cackle. Then he grabbed the man’s hand and shook it widely.

 “Name’s Remus and you’re going to tell me everything now.” The man eyed him for a moment before pulling his hand back and rightening his glasses.

 “Logan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

[artisqueer]

RetroBangBoy AU - My Time, Finale (ao3)

Word Count: 6.8k

Pairings: Jungkook x reader, OT7 x reader, ft namkook, namjin, taekook.

Warnings: Language, brief mentions of violence, death and alcohol.

“…oh yes, so pretty, Dear. Whoever receives this must be very special,” the old woman says as she wraps a small item for one of your classmates.

You peer over their shoulder to get a look. It’s a marbly bracelet. Each glass bead resembles a colorful beach stone, with one long pendant carved in the shape of a crescent moon. It's very pretty and must hold great significance. The classmate bows to the woman and turns around to leave.

Your eyes meet.

“Jungkook??”

His widened eyes match yours twice over.

Jungkook is on this trip too? But he’s a greaser…How did I not see this one coming!

  Field Observation #6: You are not doing a good job avoiding boy drama, Bighead.

 “Hi, big—I mean, Y/N…” Jungkook stammers. A camellia-hue blushes at his round cheeks as he moves aside for you to set your items on the counter. He drops his gaze down to his shoes and his long hair falls over his face.

The tone of surprise in your voice echoes in your ears. You cringe at yourself, hoping Jungkook didn’t notice and take offense. It just never occurred to you that Jungkook is the academic type. You round off the reasons in your head. He’s a greaser and rides in Joon’s motorcycle gang, you’ve never shared a class or seen him study, he’s always dressed like a punk and has skipped every school event ever, and, and… when you went on that date to the drive-in movie he never mentioned school. You get a flashback of him making out with the french fries and drinking two chocolate milkshakes. He had no interest in you at all.

Did he really keep this persona from you? That he’s so… cool?

The lady looks from you to Jungkook and back to you, very clearly enticed by the tension. You scramble out of the awkwardness, trying to make light talk. Jin made it so easy.

“How have you been? I didn’t see you on the bus earlier or else I would have—" you ramble on, quickly paying for your items.

“It’s OK. I tend to lay low. I was in the back…on the bus, I mean. Rode here with Tae, actually.” He rubs the back of his neck nervously.

The old woman slides a small card across the counter. “For the ring, Dear,” she gestures to the small ring in your hand and smiles at you both tenderly. “It’s from the future, so use it well.” She gives you a wink. (mood rings first appeared in 1970)

You tuck the small card into your jacket pocket along with your tangerines and slide the ring onto your middle finger. You both bow to the old woman and walk out of Yeongjusan House with your souvenirs in tow. Once outside, the ring changes color from amber to yellow.

“Oh, you rode with Tae? Is that…OK?” you pose curiously.

“What, because we’re into different subcultures?” he chuckles from behind his messy long hair. His voice is always so quiet speaking to you like if he used his full volume he could break something, or someone. “Pfft, Bighead really,” he continues, “I wonder how you even got nominated for this retreat.” He laughs as he runs away. You make to playfully hit his arm but miss as he pulls away with excellent reflexes, giggling behind his tiny travel bag while you gawk at the size of his arms. There’s no way. What do greasers, eat??? It’s like their muscles just pop out at the most inconvenient times, like right now.  

“I thought greasers and jocks hate each other. It’s kind of the point. Having different class backgrounds and all…” You kick some tall grass.

“That’s a stereotype, Bighead. Just because an ideology is popular in a group doesn’t mean we all believe it. Tae isn’t like most jocks, he’s…different.” Jungkook’s smile seems to be the only thing visible behind his shaggy rockabilly.

“So you guys are…friends?” You ask hesitantly.

“I guess,” he plays with his tattooed fingers. “He’s been helping me with a project, so we’ve been hanging out a lot lately. But,” he pouts, “my gang doesn’t really know.”

“About the project or Taehyung?”

“Well, both,” he laughs nervously, “it’s a bit complicated.” He rubs the back of his neck again, and you notice the pulsing veinery dancing from his knuckles up to his forearms. Damn.

He doesn’t seem ready to talk about it. You clear your throat and change the subject. “Well, we have half an hour before the next group activity. Want a tangerine? It’s grown locally! ” You chuck one to him and he catches it with both hands.

You settle on the hillside, a shady patch of grass overlooking the northern face of the island.

“So,” you say between peels of the tiny fruit, “what subject were you nominated for?”

“Physics. I don’t usually participate in school stuff,” he stares down his tangerine, “but I really want to see the caves.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a ribbon. You stop peeling to watch him gather his hair and tie it up. When did it get so long? Now you can finally see his big eyes.

“Huh? Caves?” you weren’t listening because you were distracted by his beautiful side profile. What is it with these nerds and their caves?

Jungkook returns your gaze. “Have you heard of the Bermuda Triangle?” he says with big round eyes sparkling. He gets up and approaches the flat rock next to you. With one swift motion, he jumps and lands on top of it, no hands. Core strength. He stretches his arms above his head and his shirt rides up a bit. From your position on the ground, a glimpse of the unobtrusive trail below his navel invites your mind to fantasies of a very different kind of field trip. He looks down at you sweetly, waiting for your reply.

You shake your head, “I’m more of a biologist. Educate me?”

He gestures for you to join him up on the rock. Though Jungkook made it look easy, the climb for you is much more grueling. He lifts you up with the strength of one arm until you’re shoulder to shoulder. You try to get breath into your lungs without seeming too obvious. Struggling, your nostrils flare and the wind picks up. It carries hints of his musk and sweat. You can’t help but inhale deeply until his fragrance fills you with assurance. Glancing down at your hand, you notice the ring is bluish-green but you can’t recall what the card said.

The bluish-green ocean on the horizon looks like the perfect backdrop for Jungkook’s physics lesson. He starts, “Eight years ago, ships started disappearing out in the western sea. First a small fishing boat, then a big cargo ship, it didn’t matter how big or how many people. They just, vanished. No bodies, no debris, no trace. No one could explain the missing wreckage, so the papers wrote about violent storms to give the families of the lost some closure, something to blame. Only, it would happen again, within the exact same coordinates…The Bermuda Triangle. I think I have a theory. It can be explained with physics, the magnetic field, more specifically. Some physicists believe there’s something special about the Bermuda Triangle’s location in the magnetic field. There are believed to be other places like Bermuda,” Jungkook looks from you to the coast, “and one of them is here.”

“You mean, the legend of the caves? Where the pirates disappeared? I thought it’s just a local myth…"

“There’s more to it than the legend.” He leans in and whispers, “The government’s studying it closely too.”

“What,” you chortle loudly, “the government is funding myth-busters?”

Jungkook’s face is serious af. “It’s not a myth, Bighead. The Republic of Korea started building a naval base here in 1933.” He points to the east. The tall glass building of the research facility can be seen from here, shimmering in unnatural contrast to everything else on the island. You squint.

  Field Observation #7: You definitely need specs..and to read more news.

 Jungkook continues, “They started planning a naval base on the island some years ago. Construction started in Gangjeong village right over there,” he points west to the ferry docks where you first arrived. “The base was designed to be a mixed military-commercial port so that it could handle ferries, cruise ships, and…warships and submarines.” 

“Why would they want a naval base here? It’s just a quiet little sanctuary…” you say as you both sit down on the rock.

He rests his arms over his knees. “That’s exactly what the local villagers said. They were strongly opposed to it. Many worried that the private lab was doing experiments hazardous to the environment. They organized many protests, but in the end, they could only slow down the process. The military moved in with force and built the complex anyway.”

“But that’s like, totally against everything this retreat is about. What about all these scientists working at the conservatory, aren’t they here to study wildlife and protect it?”

“Where do you think their funds come from, Y/N? The lab is backed by the military, which means everything they do is government research.”

“How do you know all this?”

“It’s the subject of my research.” He looks around again, the bun atop his head bobbing side to side. “That’s what Tae has been helping me with.”

“Jungkook, I don’t understand. What’s Tae helping you expose the lab for? What do you think they are hiding?” You stare down his side profile. He bites his bottom lip with his bunny teeth.

“It’d become very dangerous for you if you knew,” he reaches to fix your wind-tousled hair. “Trust me.”

  Field Observation #8: Don’t trust men, unless they are Jungkook.

 He gives you a warm, reassuring smile. “Let’s get going now, we don’t wanna miss the next activity.”

 ***

 The chaperones lead everyone down the hill for the next activity on schedule. The Butterfly House.

Jin has not returned yet, you’re starting to miss his chaotic antics. At the front of the crowd, Professor Choi is desperately trying to get the class’s attention. Several stern scientists are hovering on the side, waiting for silence so they can deliver the welcome introduction. Once it quiets down, two of the scientists give a run-through on the Butterfly House rules. Among them, it is expected that all students keep their touching to a minimum and especially, keep out of the restricted areas marked by red fence. Hunger strikes your tummy, and you wish Jin were here to cure it with his magic snack bag. A nudge to your rib sends you out of your daydream. You turn to your side. Jungkook has a giant butterfly resting on the tip of his nose. Its shimmery blue wings gently tilting up and down. Jungkook is still, afraid it will fly away. You giggle at the sight of him holding the breath in his cheeks.  

The class breaks off into groups to tour the facility.

“Good Afternoon, students. Welcome to our 30-by-15-meter glass atrium.” Your group leader reads off a script as student’s heads tilt back to observe the magnificent architecture above. “We are proud to receive you as guests of the first walk-through butterfly habitat in the eastern hemisphere. It first opened in 1957, so you are the first scholars to visit. Inside these walls, you will find some 500 free-flying butterflies of up to 25 different species. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 known species of butterflies found worldwide and many yet to be discovered. You may find swallowtails and birdwings, brightly colored, or camouflaged among the plants.  Some might be difficult to spot, as butterflies can be as small as 3 mm, but can also be as large as 304 mm….”

A small butterfly floats past the guide’s shoulder and rests on it. “Ah, a Sasakia charonda, the great purple emperor. Native to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, China, and northern Taiwan, and Vietnam. As we see, butterflies can be orange, white, black, and even purple. However, they cannot see how beautiful they look because butterflies can only see red, green, and yellow. The journey to becoming a butterfly is always an inspiring tale.” The guide struggles to find their place on the script.

You tilt your head back and stare in awe, the scale of technology here is incredible. Your biologist brain buzzes with millions of questions. How did they replicate a tropical rainforest like this in 1958? Are there places like this in Japan too, or perhaps the United States? The facility is lush with amazon trees and exotic plants. It’s so dense. Thousands of vines cover the floors and wrap around the trees. Layers of moss and countless species of flora and fauna lie in the shaded canopies. Vines dominating the taller trees cross overhead, reaching over through air to dominate the other side. Some climb so high they span the atrium’s glass ceiling, where the sunlight pours in strongest. An astonishing vision of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

The guide has found their place in the script and begins reading. “There are, um, four cycles of the butterfly’s life. A butterfly starts out as an egg. Then it hatches into a caterpillar, called the larva. The larva goes into a cocoon called the pupa stage, and finally, emerges as an adult butterfly free to spread their wings and fly. We have a display with pupa ready to hatch, please follow me…” The students clamor excitedly after the guide, who disappears down the pathway in the thick greenery.

Yelps can be heard in the distance as students and chaperones alike encounter all sorts of buzzing insects. You duck below the low-hanging vines. One thing they forgot to mention is the climate control in here. Somehow, the air in the atrium is kept very humid to mimic that of the Amazon rainforest. After a while, the moisture in the air becomes nearly suffocating. Jungkook, however, seems to be doing just fine. Suddenly, he reaches for your hand and clasps it in his, clammy.

“Look, there’s Jin!” you almost yell. Your hands are torn apart as you run over to the fence. Jin is working on the other side in a glass office. His face is buried in an apparatus that looks something like an advanced microscope. Dozens of flasks, books, and petri dishes are strewn across the bench before him. He looks like he’s busy.

“This area’s off-limits. I don’t think we can interrupt him.” Jungkook tugs at your sleeve. You expel air and look back at Jungkook to find that the blue butterfly has returned. Right atop his head, it sits, flitting its wings as Jungkook scrunches his nose. The butterfly doesn’t budge.

“Looks like Morpho adonis.” The angelic voice comes from behind you.

Jungkook rolls his eyes with the butterfly still on his head.

“Jin! You looked really preoccupied. What are you working on over there?” you indicate the room guarded by the fence.

“Oh, just some plant cell assays. They think they discovered a new species of moss in a cavern, so I’m helping look at samples. It’s promising. I’m running the RNA against the ones from my own research. If it matches, the cave is likely the one they’ve been looking for, a habitable location for—well, uh it’s confidential. Sorry, you understand.” His smile is still so genuine even when he’s withholding secret government information.

Jungkook tenses at the mention of “caves”.

“Have you seen it?” he asks.

“Seen what?” Jin returns.

“The cave. Have you been there?” Jungkook’s hands are shaking a little, so you move closer by his side and take his hand.

Jin’s eyes follow the movements of your hands. Just like they did back at the library the first time you met.

“I haven’t, no.” He lies.

“Sorry Choco, I’ll have to join you again tomorrow. Professor Moon asked for my help and it seems like it's going to take the rest of the evening. I’m sure Jungkook will keep you company for dinner in my place?” He gives you another sweet smile, but it has a bitter undertone. Much like Namjoon, when he had seen you with Yoongi’s jacket on that weird day.

  Field Observation #9: Stop reading between the lines, they don’t like you like that.

 “Before you both go—Jungkook, I have something for you,” Jin rolls up the sleeves of his lab coat and steps back into the room before returning.

He holds his hands out and you both peer down at the delicate thing sitting in his palms.

“What is it?” Jungkook nudges.

“Juniperus shimpaku,” Jin beams, “a bonsai.”

You watch Jin place the small tree in Jungkook’s outstretched hands.

“Give it to Namjoon, as my peace offering. Tell him it grows near the sea, so it will prefer regular misting. The foliage is needle-like now because it’s young, but as it grows older it will get scalier. One of the best things about Shimpaku is its hard resinous wood…ideal for advanced sculptural techniques such as jin, shari and sabamiki.” Jin bursts into his signature windshield laugh.

This time you roll your eyes, but Jungkook giggles along.

“Uh, thanks I guess,” Jungkook accepts the gift. “But I don’t know why you don't give it to him yourself. Knowing Joon, he’s pretty old-fashioned. If you've pissed him off, he can be really petty and hold a grudge. He holds things in until it gets really heavy—”

At that moment, a loud engine bang is heard from outside the atrium. The glass walls shake and the birds in the trees fly away in droves of panic.

“What the hell was that?” you say, but nothing else happens. The disturbance was momentary. 

"Nothing to fear folks," one of the chaperones calls from a distance. "A small aircraft had to make an emergency landing nearby. Idiots over-estimated their weight capacity and ran out of gas. Carry on."

“Anyway,” Jin continues, “take good care of it until you can give it to him. Oh, and if you’re prone to Drosophila melanogaster with your regular houseplants, you might want to lay off drowning the soil...”

“Droso-whatagaster?” you both say.

“Fruit. Flies.” Jin sighs. “Now please, go before someone sees you here. I am restricted material!” He grins at you and waves you off.

On your way out, your hand finds Jungkook’s again. Less clammy than before.

“Thank you for visiting the Butterfly Habitat, we hope you’ll gain a greater appreciation for butterflies and their place in the world’s ecosystems. Before you leave though, remember to check your clothing for any hitchhikers and pose by the Heaven Lotus for a memorable photo!” the chaperones guide you out toward the Heaven Lotus, where Taehyung is snapping photos.

“Jungkook, are we still on for tomorrow?” Tae heavily eyes your locked hands before Jungkook lets it go. Jungkook nods. You both smile, ready for the flash. Click.

 ***

 Jungkook eats dinner with you at a Haenyeo House. Four bowls of jeonbokjuk (abalone porridge) to be exact. Afterward, you browse the framed black and white photos on the wall. They tell the story of the haenyeo (sea women), the island’s legendary sea divers. Since the 18th century, deep-sea diving for fish became the work of women until their workforce outnumbered the men. So much so, the island has become a semi-matriarchal society, where the head of the heterosexual household is the woman, not the man. You and Jungkook remark if that is possible here in 1958, then why not on the mainland? The villages here seems to be ahead of their time. Patriarchy and heteronormative standards are still dominant in most places and probably will be for many years to come. After digesting your abalone with more discourse about dismantling the patriarchy and capitalism, you and Jungkook go out on the beach.

The sun has already gone down, marking the first day of the retreat over. The only light source radiating from the campfires along the beach and the star-lit sky. The campfire nearest your sleeping tent is vacant. The question of sharing a tent crosses your mind.

“Arent you going to tent up with your assigned travel buddy?” you ask Jungkook.

“My what?” he sips from his flask then stares expectantly at you.

“Your travel…buddy??” It’s not a weird question, right?

“Where did you hear that? I can guarantee there's no travel buddy list,” he giggles into his flask.

“But, Jin said…” You reflect on the words as you stare into the fire.

Water shoots from Jungkook’s nose as he tumbles forward. “He said he was your assigned travel buddy?! Ahahaha—”

Apparently, there was no such thing. Jin made it up just to have a reason to be with you during the trip. What are you supposed to think now?

You’ve had a long first day, to say the least. Jungkook helps you relax. The night passes too quickly as you exchange stories under the stars. At some point, you pass out asleep and feel Jungkook place his jacket over your chest. He carries you into the tent. You roll over onto your stomach and splay like a starfish. Jungkook struggles to remove your shoes and get you into the sleeping bag. Then the darkness swallows you and you drift into a deep sleep. Whatever comes tomorrow can’t possibly top the day you’ve had.

 ***

 You wake the next morning to an empty tent and two layers of sleeping bag. The extra is not yours. Your back is stiff and you feel like your whole body has sunk two feet in the sand. After a little morning spruce, you find Jungkook having breakfast by the campfire. The bonsai tree sits on a rock in front of him and the souvenir bracelet rolls between his fingers.

“That’s a really nice souvenir!” you sit beside him.

“Thanks. It’s for, um, Namjoon actually. Ha ha. You think he’ll like it? Joon loves the sea but, he works so much. He’s studying part-time and can’t take advanced classes.” He scratches the back of his round head again.

“That’s lovely, Jungkook. I think he will definitely love it.” Jungkook is so sweet, you can’t help feel a little jealous after how aloof he was with you on your first date. “Oh, this is totally random but speaking of Namjoon, you haven’t heard anything from him, have you? Last time we spoke was kinda weird…I thought maybe he said someth—"

“Y/N. I have to tell you something,” he hesitates, lingering for permission.

“What is it?” you say. The morning wind on the beach is a little chilly. You fold your arms across your chest for some warmth.

“Do you remember that day? The day I was supposed to pick you up after work?” he fiddles with the bracelet.

Now it’s your turn to choke on your flask. Your stomach feels like it’s going to sink with all the emotions of that day returning. Jin completely avoided this conversation, but here goes Jungkook getting right into it.

“Yes, I remember it all too clearly,” you sigh. “I was on my way to the parking lot where I thought you were picking me up. I was walking by the court while the jocks were playing a game. Then the ball went out of bounds and hit me. I passed out and woke up after Yoongi, uh, resuscitated me. His hand was injured and he looked really mad. He still took me to Namjoon’s. Namjoon was acting all weird about it, but I still don't know why.”

“Well, that’s one version of it. But that’s not our version.” Jungkook explains.

“You see, I have um, I have a secret. The project I mentioned that Tae is helping me with, it’s a dangerous project. A few months ago, I discovered something while experimenting. I may have sort of opened a dimensional rift.” He waits anxiously for your response.

“What does that mean, Jungkook. You farted?”

“No! Haha. In quantum physics, there’s a theorem called the Casimir effect, it essentially says that if you conduct the right amount of energy through the right materials at the right time, you can open a door through space-time.”

“Time travel?” you question.

“Yes!!! Time travel.” He whispers. “I messed with it and got it right. That day you got hit with a basketball, it wasn’t the players' fault, it was me! Haha—.” He says it too happily for your taste.

“Hey!… I thought the jocks might have done it on purpose,” you pout.

“It was an accident, I swear to Namjoon! I haven't completely mastered control over this thing yet. That day I was running a bit late, so I thought, "why not?" . It worked obviously, but there was some, uh, glitching. It was not a clean jump. I injured some people when I jumped back, especially you. I'm really sorry. Only Yoongi and Namjoon knew about my jumping experiments then. Yoongi rushed there to stop me. It could have been a disaster, Y/N. But I figured out that I can do a cleaner jump if I have a stronger source of energy. The vacuum isn't it. ” his eyes are sparkly again.

You are quiet, thinking.

“So, let me see. You can travel through time using science, but you don’t have a good grip on the specifics yet. Yoongi, Jin, and basically everyone else knows about it now. You all got together while I was passed out and schemed a lie so I wouldn’t find out I got knocked by an experimental poltergeist. Am I understanding it correctly?”

He blinks. “That was easier than I thought.”

“Jungkook. You are so cool…”

He blushes, “I’d rather be dead than cool…”

“Since I’ve already been a victim of your jumping experiments. Can I know about the cave?”

Jungkook sighs. “I told you yesterday that the cave is like the Bermuda Triangle. Under ideal conditions, the cave can be a portal for time travel. The lab doesn’t know what conditions exactly, but I do. They aren’t up to anything good with it. If the lab got its hands on time portal capability, it would have the power to manipulate the past and future. Taehyung did some journalistic investigating on the lab. It's called Heaven, Inc. Before it got the military permission to colonize the island, they were just another underfunded private lab, doing shady work for shady leaders. Corrupt stuff. Tae discovered that the lab has already found the cave and they've closed it off. It’s not much time before they get the conditions right. Do you see why we have to intervene? Only we know about it. The cave would be weaponized. A weapon of dimensional shifting.”

“Jin can't know what he’s part of, right? I mean, he would never volunteer for something like that. He’s good…”

“I dunno, he definitely knows where the cave is. Tae and I have a plan. We’ll follow him to the cave and film it all. The video will be released to the papers and the government will have to shut down the complex.”

“That’s doesn’t sound like a good plan, Jungkook. It’s dangerous. They have the strictest enforcement here. What if they stop you?”

“Trust me, Y/N. They need a really big source of energy to open the portal. After my experiments, I think I figured out how it works, but I’ll need your help..." He looks at you with the same expression he’s had the whole time, “Can I kiss you?” Endearing and determined.

You are completely startled at the turn of confessions.“It's for science, right?” 

“For science,” he grins.

“Ok, I trust you.”

He lunges forward and kisses you passionately on the lips. Your eyes shut tight and butterflies erupt in your atrium. Not counting Yoongi’s resuscitation technique, this is your first real kiss. Jungkook’s hand comes up to hold your face. He brushes your cheek and lingers, savoring you as long as he can.

At last, you break. “Wow,” he pants, “thank you.”

“Hey?” you pant back, “this better earn us the Nobel Prize.”

 ***

 Taehyung joins you and Jungkook at 7 o’clock sharp, carrying several duffle bags. He sets them down and slicks back his hair. “The name’s Bond, James Bond,” he says with a deep voice. Jungkook ignores him, too deep in thought focusing on the surroundings. Tae turns to you for approval and flashes his adorable boxy smile. You are really about to embark on a covert operation with Taekook.

You squat behind the dense thicket, waiting. Jin passes by with a group of serious scientists. As usual, Jin looks too chippy first thing in the morning. He stands out like a sore thumb. The youngest in the group and the most enthusiastic. Still, he remains well-mannered and eagerly follows orders as they prep for their second day excavating the hidden site.

The three of you follow the group down to the north-facing coastline, staying out of view. The group you’re tailing disappears into a tunnel behind a glistening waterfall. You wait behind some big rocks. A branch cracks behind you and you spin around. Funny. You could swear you saw a glimpse of the big-breasted mathematician's ass hanging out of a tree. No way. You're probably still dazed from locking lips with Jungkook. There's no way Namjoon would ever be here. Then, Jin’s laughter emerges from the cave as he leads the group back out. He saunters past, delightedly chatting up the eldest scientist. You sigh. Poor Jin, he really believes this about some moss.

“Well, we found it.” Taehyung whispers. “That was easy.”

Too easy. An uneasy feeling settles in your stomach. Like right before you are about to lose something. You glance over to Jungkook who is contemplating the next move. Your lips are still tingling from his kiss. Was it real? During your first date, he seemed so aloof. Sure, he was always sweet and protective, but it didn’t mean anything. That’s just how Jungkook is.

 Yoongi’s old words ring in your ears,

“Listen, Dove, it’s just a random coincidence. It could have been anybody…”

Yoongi really meant it. He knew. They all knew.

 Taehyung holds the fence open for you and Jungkook to climb through. He leaves the duffle bags by the waterfall and only grabs the camera. He takes photos of the chain-link fence protecting the cave entrance. A sign reads “RESTRICTED ACCESS”. Inside, the cave is more like a tunnel. It's cold, dark, rocky, and slippery. Jungkook lights a match and asks you to stay while he explores the interior.

You stick with Taehyung as he takes more photos. “You knew about Jungkook’s experiments?” you probe.

“Sweetcheeks, I’ve always told you, haven’t I? I appreciate art.”

Jungkook runs back from the tunnel, excited. “Hey guys, come check this out!”

You both chase after him.

“Careful, it’s slippery in here!” he yells back through the darkness.

You reach a clearing lit by torches. There's a lot of industrial equipment. Looks like the scientists have come this far. Jungkook examines the mysterious gadgets laying around, one by one. Everything has the same logo, Heaven, Inc.

“Extensional tectonics,” Jungkook mumbles. He walks to the center of the clearing and looks at the wet floor. A man-made “X” marks the spot. “It’s here, inside the Manjjanggul Lava tube. This is the dimensional rift..."

In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart. They form over thousands of years, often at the central axis of most mid-ocean ridges. The new oceanic crust and lithosphere form at a divergent boundary between two tectonic plates. The Manjjanggul Lava tube tunnel is said to be one of the longest, measuring around 7.5 kilometers deep.

Extensional tectonics, as Jungkook said. The Manjjanggul Lava tube is the second Bermuda Triangle. Conditions just right for space-time travel, if supported with a powerful catalyst.

The kiss. The kiss was the energy. Jungkook is trying to manifest the kiss into the big energy he needs to open the portal. You must be…his catalyst.

A purple light begins forming in front of Jungkook as he stands still.

“Wait don't start yet, I need to get the video camera!” 

"Well Taehyung, I don't know how it starts only when it starts...and it's starting now!"

Tae runs to retrieve the equipment from outside.

You flinch as water drips on your head from lava rock on the ceiling. The walls of the cavern start vibrating on rhythms, like the pace of a butterfly’s wings or a human heartbeat. The ring on your finger blackens as a void opens within you, a creeping bad feeling. You push it down.

“What’s happening?” you move to the edge of the wall.

“It’s stopped. I felt stronger energy a few minutes ago. It’s gotten weaker for some reason…” he concentrates hard. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“Jungkook—” you start to say. But Taehyung runs back.

“Has it worked yet? Did I miss anything?” he tosses the bags down and starts to assemble the video camera as quickly as he can.

“Wait, I feel something…” Jungkook plants his feet on the marking and holds his arms out in front of him like there’s an invisible wall there. An obscure purple cloud glows before him and the tunnel vibrates with more strength.

Tae starts filming. You flatten your bodies against the wall as more water drips from the shaking ceiling.

“I feel it.” Jungkook closes his eyes, eyebrows furrowed. He extends his arms farther out, pushing against the translucid wall. “It’s….happening…” he grunts as he puts all his might into the force. Blue and white hues emerge from the vortex developing at his hands. The walls of the cavern pulse even harder. You cling to the wall as you brace for the unknown.

Then, an echo of running footsteps down the tunnel gets louder. Indiscernible yelling and swearing as the heavy steps approach.

One deep voice penetrates the cave and spikes the walls harder than the supernatural force at Jungkook’s fingertips can.

“Stop!” Namjoon shouts.

“Choco! Get away from him!” Jin appears behind Joon. Your eyes nearly pop out of your head. Jungkook is not listening anymore. The force in his hands surges and cave walls begin to give way. Tae fumbles with the camera, desperately trying to capture the phenomenon as the tunnel shakes more violently.

Jimin approaches calmly, “I think we would all like to live, so let’s all hold hands and walk out of here in one piece…”

“I can’t leave,” Jungkook replies through the translucent shimmer. "We have to destroy this place."

Namjoon steps closer, cautious of the rocks beginning to crumble overhead.

“Jungkook, please. You are putting yourself in danger…” he pleads. The leader’s fear growing with each passing second until Namjoon breaks down and tears flow from his eyes. With that, the portal opens, rendering Jungkook helpless to its mystical aura.

Everyone is puzzled. Yoongi’s level voice is heard over the rumbling, “What just happened, why is it getting worse?” Jungkook doesn’t know, but his mesmerization with the portal overtakes him and he can’t hear the others anymore. A deep part of his conscious is already elsewhere, they’re losing him.

 Jungkook’s peaceful face shimmers with waves of violet and pink. His eyes wide open, soul entering into a new dimension while his body still hangs back. Grounded in something. Or someone.

Seokjin pulls you away, trying to get you out of the tunnel. Before he can get you very far, Namjoon grabs hold of your free arm. A massive pulse sends a long fissure across the floor, dividing the space in two. You’re being pulled in two directions, Jin on one side and Joon on the other. The tunnel begins to collapse. Hoseok yells for everyone to get out. You must pick a side or you'll die. 

A segment of lava rock falls, nearly crushing Taehyung who has dropped the camera. He runs to Jungkook but more rock falls, blocking him. You’re held on both sides. You look up from Namjoon’s chest. His cheeks are soaked in tears.

“You put everyone at risk,” he glares at Jin.

“Me?” Jin argues back, tugging you to himself. “Your greasers are to blame! You let Jungkook and Taehyung do something dangerous. They even brought Y/N to the cave. I made you all swear, did I not, to keep Y/N out of this! What Jungkook was doing was never safe! We had a choice to stop the lab from finding the portal key. I mocked up the plant samples to destroy the evidence and convince them this is not the place. No one was going to get hurt! But Jungkook, he made his choice. He chose to destroy the site altogether. He chose violence!”

You’re suddenly thrust away from the pair as Namjoon lunges toward Jin. He throws the first punch. Jin collides with the wall behind them. Joon makes for another hit but Jin headbutts him first, tackling the six-foot-tall man to the ground, which is now being pelted with falling lava rocks. You lose balance on the shaky floor and start to fall backward. Yoongi catches you in time and shields you from the debris, looking for a way out.

Was that true? Was Taekook’s plan all along to destroy the cave? Who is right? Who is trusted? You remember Jungkook's words. Trust me.

NamJin curse at one another as they wrestle to the ground. The leader of the greasers and the leader of the jocks. Peace was never an option, was it.

Suddenly, the pulsing hum stops and there is silence. From Yoongi’s embrace, you can still see Jungkook. One moment he is there, standing on the X mark. Namjoon reaches for him but in a moment that feels frozen, lasting longer than a moment should, a whirring noise slices through the cold air, then…Jungkook vanishes. ZAP.

All that’s left in Namjoon’s large hand, the moon bracelet. Only the sounds of heavy breathing and dripping water fill the void. Jin rises from the ground and catches his breath. He looks up at Namjoon in confusion. Still silence.

Namjoon is about to say something. Then ZAP… he vanishes through thin air. The bracelet drops to the wet ground and rolls toward you. What the fuck! Everyone looks at each other. What is happening?! A moment later, Yoongi follows. ZAP. Jimin. Taehyung. Hoseok. ZAP ZAP ZAP.

Only you and Jin are left.

 ***

 The following morning, your school formally announces the reported disappearance of six of its students, four of whom were not attending the retreat. Their names are printed in the paper, along with their photos.

Kim Namjoon. Min Yoongi. Jung Hoseok. Park Jimin. Kim Taehyung. Jeon Jungkook.

 All Heaven, Inc. facilities are shut down for further investigation. The remaining students are sent home early in the morning. Police recover the Heaven, Inc. lab equipment from the Manjjanggul Lava tube, but can't find a single trace of the missing students. Seokjin's father gets a lawyer for the other families and files a civil suit.

The long bus ride home is melancholic. You were up all night being questioned by the police, nothing you said was written down. The reporters will dismiss the truth and release their own narrative in a few months. 

The students had a secret party on a sailboat, they got drunk, had a dispute, forgot to tie it to the dock and drifted out in the middle of the night. No bodies were found. It was an accident. A simple mistake of rambunctious youth.

You and Seokjin remain quiet. Neither of you feel like talking. Six of your friends have just vanished. You fear the worst. You have endless questions. Where are they? Why did everyone but Jin jump? Did they make it through safe? Will they ever come back? What will their families do? The void inside only grows. Your racing mind exhausts and you lean your head on Jin’s shoulder. It’s big and sturdy and safe. Whatever happens from now on, at least you will have Jin by your side. You fall asleep.

 ***

 The sound of Professor Choi quietly nudging you awake causes you to jump, “Wake up, Dear. You are home.”

“Huh, what year is it?” You rub the sleep from your eyes and feel a cramp in your neck. There’s no other student left on the bus but you. The spot next to you empty, with all but a snack left on the seat. You pick up the wrapped choco pie and stare at it. No way. Did Jin get time warped? He couldn’t have he was with me…

“It’s 1958, Dear,” Choi laughs. “Don’t forget your belongings. I’ll leave you to it.” The professor walks off the bus.

 Jin got time-warped with the rest. This is not a dream. You are not dreaming.

 All seven of them...left you.

  Field Observation #10: It was a f*ckboy au after all. What did you expect, Bighead? 

 See you in 1985 :)