#group builder located

[l3ry4]

Hatred runs within

Wᥲrᥒіᥒgs - Angst - violence - tension - No fluff YET - Series - Enemies to lovers -

ˢᵘᵐᵐᵃʳʸ Being tasked with keeping an eye on the saja boys, you unexpectedly fall in love

Baby saja X demon reader

You stood infront of the flame of the demon king, humming a soft tune as your foot tapped against the stone floors.

You have no idea how you came to this point honestly, you started out as a hitman tasked with going to korea to kill an army General. Unexpectedly you died and now ended up here, being tormented by your past.

"___" The demon king spoke causing you to divert your attention to him

You immediately bowed, paying respect.

"keep an eye on the saja boys, specifically Jinu." The demon king demanded.

" what do I get in return?" A smirk formed bewteen your lips

The demon king scoffed "What do you want?"

You reverted your gaze thinking for a moment before speaking "My life back."

The demon king laughed "I cannot give you that foolish girl, you are here for a reason."

You clenched your fist "Then I want to countinue my job as a hitman"

The demon king stayed silent, "Deal, watch them from the shadows only."

Soon black smoke engulfed you, that was the last thing you saw before waking up in the middle of some traditional korean homes.

You stood up dusting your self off before noticing what you were wearing. A black fitted suit with a mask. Atleast the demon king gave you something nice to wear.

You walked around for a while before making it to the raging city of Seoul. As you walked around you couldn't help but notice the posters everywhere.

You grabbed a poster from a pole. You brought the poster close before reading 'Saja boys free concert at ___" You laughed under your breath.

You ran to the said location, running against alley ways and bumping into countless people.

You had finally made it pushing yourself into the crowed yet remaining stealthy.

The saja boys performed "My little soda pop"

You cringed, really a demon boy group and thats the song they chose?

You continued listening, arms crossed against your chest. Soon the song rotated into a rap part, a member came in the front.

"Baby saja" You mumbled, despite his innocent appearance his voice was quite deep. You nodded your head, back then before you were a demon you did listen to a fair share of rap.

To you this was decent. The concert kept going on, the saja boys made hearts out of thin air, one heart hitting you directly in the face.

You growled, if you werent trying to avoid attention youd definitely throw that heart back at them.

The concert finally ended,the saja boys disappeared. You stomped hard on the concrete floor angrily, you had lost the saja boys once again.

You immediately covered your face with your hands in irritation "Their songs arent even good!"

After searching for days you finally had encountered the saja boys again. This time on a game show.

You snuck back stage knocking out a team member and stealing his outfit and card. This way you were able to sneak past the security guards.

You watched as baby saja had won the game of drinking hot sauce, his victory phrase being "Googoo gaga"

You scoffed as you bit your tongue, who forced him to say that? Honestly.

"We have some very special guest tonight." jinu spoke.

The crows waited in anticipation. "HUNTRIX!" Jinu exposed the demon hunters hiding upstate. "Baffoons, if your gonna hide do better than that." You thought.

"Bring out the slide!" Jinu held a cheeky grin.

Soon some stage builders pushed a slide onstage.

Huntrix smiled awkwardly, going down the slide causing a horrendus noise. Your eyes twitched at the irritating sound.

Finally they had made it down, falling into the ballpit. The saja boys smirked evily.

"It is an honor to share the stage with you" Jinu grinned.

"No the honor is ours" Huntrix hissed back bowing.

"No its ours" The saja boys bowed lower

"Ours"

"Ours"

"Ours"

The saja boys bowed so low their head was up to their ankles. Your eyebrows furrowed cringing heavily.

Finally the strange encounter ended and the saja boys ran off stage. You quickly followed behind them.

When suddenly you felt a grip on your wrist, as you turned back, you noticed it was baby saja.

"Shit" you muttered under your breath as baby saja slammed you against the wall holding his claws against your neck.

Um thats the end of ep 1 because um.. Im lazy but ill make a pt2 at 10 likes

[serpentface]

Ancient funerary cairn mounds in Wardi territories: a post:

The internal structure consists of an above-ground tomb made with bricks or large stone slabs, upon which rocks are piled. Most mounds found in the lowlands also have multiple layers of dirt piled atop, resulting in the mounds becoming covered in grass and appearing as a small unnatural hill. The entrances to the tombs are always sealed with slabs or stacked stone, though the east-facing 'windows' are left open. Pillar shaped cairns were often built on their peaks, though few of these remain standing. If one looked inside, they would find a human body laid on its back with its feet towards the door, and usually at least one khait (tacked with reins and a saddle blanket) buried in there with them. The person would be fully clothed and surrounded by grave goods, sometimes carrying weapons and almost always carrying a torch.

A how a well-preserved mound looks in the present day, with its 'window' still exposed and pillar cairn intact. The stones piled around it is the work of contemporary people, intended (more as a psychological/magical barrier than a physical one) to keep livestock out and ghosts inside.

Burial mounds are associated with one the major prehistoric material cultures found across and beyond the region. Societies that formed cairn-building material culture were probably ancestral to all proto-Wardi peoples, but the practice split and existed concurrently to others as a matter of cultural shifts (most significantly the adoption of khait for highly mobile nomadic pastoralism, with other populations retaining on-foot travel or adopting settled/semi-settled subsistence methods). Khait-nomadic populations retained this cairn grave practice, while others shifted to smaller above-ground tombs located near settlements (and eventually shifted entirely to cremation). As such, cairn mounds can be found everywhere but occur most densely in open grasslands of the interior.

The cairn-building practice gradually diminished and eventually was restricted to a few major groups, some of whom abandoned khait-nomadism while retaining the practice and some of whom even traveled short distances overseas. The last two populations who built cairn graves were clustered in the Highlands and the Elumuqi island chain to the south. The latter went culturally extinct in conflict with early proto-Jazaiti migrants by 2500 years BP, while the former went extinct in the Yellowtail River Valley and northwestern ranges of the Highlands by about ~1700 years BP. Neither was a wholesale extinction of the population itself (members likely abandoned settlements and dispersed elsewheren in small groups, resulting in the final cultural extinction), but both entailed rapid depopulation, and the Highlands remained unusually sparsely inhabited compared to surrounding lowlands when proto-Finnic migrants started arriving a couple centuries later.

The most specific (though heavily mythologized) descriptions of these people in the oral record occur in Jazait and Atig Wermani cultures. In the former, the story of their settlement describes encounters with the fierce people who inhabited the islands and built the cairns. They looked like humans, but were feathered like birds and could transform into albatross to hunt for fish. They would kidnap newborn Jazait children in the night, exsanguinate them atop the cairns to feed their dead in the underworld, and would perform horrible shrieks and screams throughout the process. The early Jazait went to war with the cairn-builders and killed their clanmother, and the rest fled as birds. This story may contain traces of the real people, as the wearing of gull and albatross feathers is likely, and the shrieking Might refer to funerary wailing practices (which are ubiquitous enough among minimally connected peoples west of the Blackmane mountains to be likely Very ancient).

The ancestors of the Atig Wermani story would have encountered their neighboring cairn-builders much more recently (relatively speaking) and their accounts are a little more grounded as a result. It describes them as a people who lived in the Yellowtail River Valley, herding horses, hunting deer, and interring their dead within the cairns. The entire people was cursed by the Yellowtail river itself after their king drowned his own brother within it. The valley was flooded and most of the people drowned. Those who fled up into the hills survived, but were transformed into feydhi khait. The Highland cairn-builders are Exceptionally unlikely to have had any form of monarchy, but the other descriptions of their subsistence may be accurate, and it is almost certain that the feydhi khait landrace largely descends from this people's herds (and were found feral and re-tamed by later proto-Finnic settlers).

---

The consensus on these mounds tends to be that they are Extremely haunted. It's well-known that they're graves, and that they contain bodies that have been left to rot (and thus are assumed to contain trapped earthbound spirits, especially dangerous given their great age). Some taboos regulating behavior around the mounds are near-ubiquitous, such as belief that one should never tread over a mound, point at a mound, or look directly at its window on a moonless night (when earthbound ghosts are considered most active). It's usually difficult to prevent free-ranging livestock from walking on them to graze, and unexplained disappearances from herds are sometimes attributed to the mounds. Other taboos tend to be localized in nature, as a matter of small communities near mounds figuring out how to coexist with the dangerous ghosts.

These tombs are generally left untouched and don't frequently suffer robbery, but are sometimes broken into to exhume and cremate the body and their associated grave goods when the spirit is blamed for grave local misfortune. This is generally considered a desperate measure and very risky maneuver, as chances are very low that earthbound spirits that old can be sent onwards by even by the best of funerals.

[forsaken-headcanons]

I may be submitting a lot but hear me out.

I feel like one of Elliot’s relatives would own builder brothers, causing him to inherit it sometime after forsaken. He would improve everything by not stretching staff and opening more locations. He would eventually open one in Chance’s casino, where they hang out.

After this happens, they would get in contact with some of the others from Forsaken. C00lkidd would be fine and would apologize to elliot for what he did. John Doe would still be somewhat corrupted but be mostly back to his normal life with Jane Doe. Two Time and Azure would make up eventually and maybe even leave the spawn cult. Guest 1337 would continue his life normally. And Shedletsky would do whatever he does ig.

Mafioso would show more remorse for them after what the spectre put him through. Builderman would mostly be back to his normal life, and Taph would be off doing… something…

And once they gather everyone, every so often they would hang out at chance’s casino. Him, Elliot, Mafioso, Guest 1337, Builderman, and 007n7 (and c00lkidd by inclusion) would decorate and everyone would show up with their friends and family. Guest 1337 would bring his daughter and she would get along with c00lkidd. John Doe and Jane Doe would interact with others to try and get themselves out there again. Shedletsky might also bring 1x1x1x1 if he still exists, but would probably have him more under control. Despite this, 1x would have a decent time either way. Taph and John Doe would get along as John Doe is still mute from the slight corruption, but he’s improving. And Mafioso would collect debts from a few people and get along with the others. And even since they escaped, the spectre still watches in disgust and goes off to find a new group to torment.

-4 anon

I love post-forsaken headcanons. They're always adorable.

[blueiscoool]

Rome’s Ancient Arch of Constantine Struck by Lightening

During a storm on September 3, lightning struck Rome’s Arch of Constantine, chipping the structure’s marble surface. The 1,700-year-old arch and its neighbor, the Colosseum, were two of several sites affected by the thunderstorm, which produced 2.36 inches of rain in less than an hour. Usually, the city sees a similar amount over the entire month of September.

“A lightning strike hit the arch right here and then hit the corner,” a tourist at the site told Reuters’ Alberto Lingria. “We saw this fly off,” the tourist added while pointing to a fallen block of stone.

Finished in 315 C.E., the Arch of Constantine is one of Rome’s three surviving ancient triumphal arches, each erected to honor a person or event. This arch commemorates Constantine I’s 312 victory over the emperor Maxentius. That same year, Constantine devoted himself to Christianity—the first Roman ruler to do so.

The fierce storm also felled two large trees near the Circus Maximus, flooded the Trevi Fountain and flooded the Colosseum’s subterranean tunnels, reports CNN. After lightning struck the arch, staff of the Colosseum Archaeological Park quickly gathered its dislodged pieces and placed them in a secure location, according to a statement from Italy’s Ministry of Culture.

In the days that followed, some tourists stumbled upon additional pieces on the ground.

​​“My American group found these fragments, and we’re handing them over to the workmen,” tour guide Serena Giuliani told the London Times’ Tom Kington on the morning of September 4.

Specialists are now examining the condition of the fragments. Officials say the damage was limited to the monument’s southern side, where unrelated restoration work had started just days earlier, allowing for quick repairs.

At roughly 70 feet tall and 85 feet wide, the Arch of Constantine contains three separate arches, each framed by columns. The intricately decorated structure is adorned with recycled fragments, or spolia, taken from other ancient buildings, including monuments honoring Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius.

The arch is also decorated with carvings of Constantine, including a series of reliefs depicting his victorious fight against Maxentius in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

In 306, Constantine was leading Roman troops in Britain—then part of the Roman Empire—when his military declared him their emperor. His brother-in-law, Maxentius, also declared himself the emperor around the same time. After years of complex power struggles, the two rulers ultimately faced off in 312 at Rome’s Milvian Bridge, which overlooks the river Tiber. Panels on the Arch of Constantine depict the battle’s conclusion, showing Maxentius’ troops drowning in the river.

The arch’s recent encounter with lightning may have carried spiritual significance for its ancient builders, as “the bolts were believed to be the work of the gods,” per the Times. These spots were sacred for the Romans, who sometimes erected temples at such sites.

By Sonja Anderson.

[animatronicappreciation]

do you have more info. on Fifi La mue and the Mardi gras cats? I think they are really cool :)

here are some images I have of them:

Sure! Here's some information that friend of the blog @amazing-animatronics dug up about them:

"I found this mention in NY Daily News which says there were 7 cats and gives us their names:

1 million for seven computer-driven audio animatronic cats that sing, talk and “play” instruments. Fifi La Mue & the Mardi Gras Cats made their debut on Friday in the Bourbon Street Corridor and immediately became a fave attraction with visitors. The robots stand 3 feet tall in glittering costumes, and each has its very own stage. Besides Fifi, there’s Paws McCalico, Scratchpost Mulligan, Catfish Goodman, Fats Wailer, Landon LaFitte and Pee Wee.

This article from 2002 (when they were removed) also talks about them:

Those were actually state-of-the-art animatronics when they were first installed,“ explains Showboat spokesman Susan Tulino as we walked by the shuttered hovels of the unemployed cats. “But some of them were not in very good repair, and we decided they had run their course.”"

And here's the showtape for this show (audio only):

Here's what friend of the blog Kevin "Pasq Notrook" wrote for the description of this video: "Fifi La Mue & the Mardi Gras Cats is a show created by Landmark Entertainment Group for Showboat Atlantic City casino and hotel, it was located at the entrance. The soundtrack was produced by Ted King, voice of Paws McCalico. The voice of Fifi La Mue was provided by Diane Michelle. The characters have since been removed from Showboat Atlantic City and sold to animatronic builder Eric Princz."

Sorry for a copy-paste response, since you've likely already seen these posts, but this is pretty much all that's known about this show at the time. Hope that helps!

-Mod Possum

[huggywuggysuppy]

Piggybacking off @applepixls hermitcraft economy post, what’s up with Pearl and Keralis’ surprisingly lucrative flowers and dyes shop?

Flowers and dyes are ideal for shops. They’re used a lot in building and material gathering, but are generally too tedious to make a proper farm for. For example, black dye commonly comes from squids, which are annoying to kill in bulk. Unlike Joel’s glow ink where he’s pretty much the only one using glow ink in enough bulk to buy — aside from Impulse and other redstoners who can make their own farms. Also, there’s a wide variety of product, to match the assortment of constant demand. False needs dye for her concrete shop, as do some of the glass collective. All builders love spore blossoms and most hermits haven’t bothered playing around with sniffers to have easy access to their flowers. Every hermit has at least one need from the flower and dyes shop.

Importantly, the shop has unique infrastructure only Pearl can take advantage of. Dye-duction is the stand out, being on the higher end of minigames, both in replayability but also quality like Oli’s custom soundtrack. Speaking of, Pearl’s drawn several other neighbors to her side of the shopping district. Along with Gem who was already there, Impulse and False directly themed off Pearl’s building — even including mini-games — for plant shops cohesion and Pearl’s own friendly relationships (soup group!) The greatest location benefit of all is Pearl building the secondary shopping district portal directly nextdoor. All these qualities bring in customers and keep the shop fresh in their minds.

The flower shop dodges many of the permit system downsides too. As applepixl described: its very difficult to build let alone stock so many shops singlehandedly. But the flower shop is a joint venture with Keralis and they very much split the work. She handles the operation and publicity/events (ex: Doc’s llama tour, eventual Peardle tournament,) while he supplies the wide array of products. Even being in opposite work hours helps: there’s always someone to catch if the store needs restocking. (Their efficiency is very similar to the Post Office — down to Pearl as the public-facing operative.) The flowers and dyes shop has steady demand, amplified by intentional infrastructure and management, which is sustained through a joint venture. If only they could split and use the well-earned profits!

[collapsedsquid]

The radical libertarian city builders of the tech-bro set have an audacious new proposal: They want to convert Guantánamo Bay, host to the infamous prison, into the high-tech charter city of their wildest imaginations, which will double as a “proving ground” for migrants seeking to enter the United States. The Charter Cities Institute, or CCI, which has lobbied the Trump administration on setting up so-called freedom cities in the U.S, suggests the president take advantage of Guantánamo’s special legal status to convert the controversial detention camp into “a beacon of 21st-century prosperity.” CCI promotes the worldwide development of charter cities, semiautonomous zones designed to be exempt from the regulations and taxes of the nations in which they’re located. The freedom cities idea pushed by CCI and other groups fits this mold: tech hubs that would be exempt from some federal laws. Adherents to this movement argue that these arrangements drive innovation and prosperity. But as New Republic contributor J.J. Anselmi explained back in March, there’s not much innovation to be had—freedom cities are little more than spit-shined reboots of the “company towns” of yesteryear. Nevertheless, the president has proven receptive to the idea, and the groups have claimed that his inner circle is engaging with their proposals. Now they’ve come up with an eye-catching new site for him to consider. “By transforming Guantanamo Bay into a charter city, the U.S. government can catalyze economic growth, manage immigration flows, and project America’s unparalleled capacity for innovation and statecraft—all while requiring no legislation,” claims the CCI proposal from earlier this year.

[kanohivolitakk]

Ok can we stop talking about the "gymbo inika were the reason love isn't canon"when there's stuff in the prototype plans that are far more insane and interesting including (but not limited to)

One of the earliest concepts for 06 was set in Mata nui where Toa nuva fought the morally gray Toa Rahna, who served as a more negative reflection of Toa. A major theme for this idea was exploring if toa could be evil.

While 08 always had bat themed villains, initially 08 was supposed to have army builder mooks instead of BoM Makuta. Also originally 08s villains were supposed to be Karda nui natives

That said, Makuta as a species and Brotherhood of Makuta were planned to by the story team as early as 2004, and were already considered to be the villains of 08. Though by this time only the titan sets.

There's at least two different concepts for aquatic villains that vastly differ from the Barraki. One of them were soldiers that were possibly army-builder villains, while the others were traders who weren't necessarily evil(?) Regardless both of them very were starkly different to the Barraki in canon, thoguh the soldier concept is far more align to with what we ended up getting.

The Piraka we know and love(?) seem to be a fusion of the two prototype concepts of 06 villains: A greedy brigand species who terrorize the locals called Hagalakh and the aforementioned Toa Rahna. The Piraka took the aesthetics/lore/culture of the Hagalakh and the "anti-toa team/ group of six individuals who served as evil disorted version of toa" concept from toa Rahna.

In the concept with the Hagalakh as 06's antagonists, their goal was to wake up Tren Krom who was supposed to be the final boss. Tren Krom in this version was supposed to be a dead giant whose corpse hosts a temple and the treasures the villains seek.

In some of the plans the hunt for mask of life started in 07, not 06. 06 instead had a different goal that depended on which version of the story plans wer'e talking about

Some plans had the toa Inika/Mahri be the main team for all three years, while some plans had the team change every year. The plan

Some of the plans indicate the "Matorans" were meant to be different species of beneveloent creatures, as they used different title than Matoran to describe them. These include the Rana and the Ihoian, though the Rana may have been Matoran

Lot of plans had the titan sets be either Rahi, or at least, other Rahi-like creatures and beasts. Many of 06 and 07s concepts had these beasts be protectors for sacred locations or the Mask of Life.

There were plans for character titans. One of the Haglak/TK concepts had the leader of Haglaks, Torak, while one of the prototype Barraki were meant to have their leader be a titan set

06 was designed a shakeup that would revitalized the brand by addressing major flaws the storyteam felt prevented new kids getting hooked. One of the bigger roadblocks was the lack of a main protagonist. This was corrected by introducing a new Matoran protagonist with a connection to Mask of Life who would act as the centerpiece of the Ignition trilogy and eventually become a Toa.

At the end of 06 the Toa of Fire (Jaller??) was supposed to die and be replaced by the aforementioned Matoran protagonist as the toa of fire

Mazeka was the name of a corridor in 06 plans

Takanuva was supposed to use Mask of Life at some point

Toa Mahri were called Toa Awkwa at one point

[scotianostra]

Winchester Waggoners.

Parked in various places in the Highlands during a 1939 tour of Scotland by the ‘Winchester Waggoners’, a group of Winchester caravan owners. Taken by caravan builder Bertram Hutchings.

I grabbed these from Getty, they aren't tagged for locations, but one sign post points to Glencoe Village, and Ben Nevis is recognisable in another. They are dated 1939, but I would say they are probably between May and August of that year, one, I think they would have chosen a time when there would be a better chance of good weather, and two, the Second World War began in September, so I doubt if it would have been during this time.

[athena-gundampla]

HGUC 1/144 E.F.S.F. Mass-Produced Mobile Suit RMS-179 "GM-II" [Torrington Base Livery]

GM-II!! Saw this for $30 alongside the HGUC Nemo and had to add it to my growing GM collection. The GM-II was the Federation's contemporary to the Nemo, and was a direct improvement upon the original GM. Although it does wield the same beam rifle as the Nemo, (reusing the same sprue moulds that the Nemo uses) it had a less efficient fire control system and thus weaker output from the weapon. It also only holds a single beam saber, unlike the dual sabers of the Nemo.

This kit had excellent color separation. Like other GM-style kits, it only needs a little red detailing on the vents and boosters, plus some yellow for the head vulcans. I also used my chrome marker to paint the sensor behind the visor, which makes it stand out in a really distinct way, almost like a foil sticker. As usual, I also added some gunmetal and silver weathering to the grey parts, with some additional gold highlights. I also picked out all the sensors with a UV reactive green metallic, as the kit didn't include any foil stickers.

I wanted to use this kit for my local hobby group's photography competition, so I went the extra mile on detailing. The livery here is directly inspired by the Qantas Flying Art series, specifically the "Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa/White Dots" livery by Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker, and is meant to reflect the suit's (fictional) home base being in Australia. The design on the shield in particular reflects the fictional location of Torrington Base in relation to Sydney Crater, although this itself is rather inconsistent in UC media.

To make the build look professional I also used lots of decals and stickers. As mentioned in other posts, I'd already cannibalized the sticker sheet for my Asshimar and Nemo, but I saved most of the E.F.S.F. stickers for this kit. It includes some Torrington Base decals as well, as a nod to the GM-II's cameo in Unicorn. In addition I used spare decals from a variety of sheets including the Woundwort, GM Spartan, and a generic multi-use UC sheet. The "106" designation is purely based on what numbers I had left from stickers and decals. I locked everything in place with a second matte top coat.

The kit doesn't come with too many option parts. There's just an extra pistol grip hand as well as the two open fist options, and two beam saber effects in trans-yellow. I don't think it's necessarily a downside though, as it does limit how many leftovers there are to store after posing. It's a fairly flexible kit, with good hip and shoulder articulation, but it has no ab-crunch and limited waist rotation. You can still get it to hit some nice looking poses though.

For the photo competition, I took it out to The Beach, a horribly named location near Sydney Airport. It's a good spot for watching planes take off. I got some really nice pics, but I do wish I had something better than my phone camera to take advantage of the amazing weather and location.

Overall I had a lot of fun with this build, and I hope it does well in the competition! I'm super proud of how it turned out and I'm tempted to submit it for the Gunpla Builder's World Cup too.

The UC shelf just keeps getting more full...

[whencyclopedia]

Ancient Jordan

Jordan is a country in the Near East bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The country's name comes from the Arabic Al Urdun, referencing a fortified site but also meaning "prominence", though various sources also claim the name comes from the Hebrew word Yarad ("descender"), referencing the downward flow of the River Jordan.

The region has a long history as an important trade center for every major empire from the ancient world to the present age (from the Akkadian Empire to the Ottoman Empire), and numerous sites in the country are mentioned throughout the Bible; 180 times in the Old Testament and 15 times in the New Testament.

Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BCE) founded cities in the region (such as Gerasa) and the Nabateans carved their capital city of Petra there from sandstone cliffs. Early in its history, the area attracted and inspired traders, artists, philosophers, craftspeople, and, inevitably, conquerors, all of whom have left their mark on the history of the modern-day country.

Jordan, formally known as The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has been an independent nation since 1946 after thousands of years as a vassal state of foreign empires and European powers and has developed into one of the most stable and resourceful nations in the Near East. Its capital city, Amman, is considered one of the most prosperous in the world and a popular destination for tourists. The history of the region is vast, going back more than 8,000 years, and encompassing the tale of the rise and fall of empires and the evolution of the modern state.

Early History

Archaeological excavations date human habitation in the region of Jordan back to the Paleolithic Age (around two million years ago). Tools such as stone hand-axes, scrapers, drills, knives, and stone spear points dated to this time period have been found in various locations throughout the country. The people were hunter-gatherers, who led a nomadic life moving from place to place in search of game. In time, they began building permanent settlements and establishing agricultural communities.

The Neolithic Age (c. 10,000 BCE) saw the rise of stable, sedentary communities and the growth of agriculture. These small villages eventually became urban centers with their own industry and initiated trade with others. Large urban centers developed such as the city of Jericho, claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with an approximate founding date of 9,000 BCE.

According to scholar G. Lankester Harding:

far higher culture than we had hitherto suspected, for here was not merely a village of well-built houses with fine plaster floors, but there was a great stone wall all around the settlement with a ditch or dry moat in front of it. This implies a high degree of communal organization, of subordinating the personal interests to those of the many.

(29)

Communal interests are also evident in the ancient monuments raised at this time. Throughout the Neolithic Age, the people constructed megalithic dolmens across the land (very similar in size, shape, and methods used to those of Ireland). These dolmens are thought to be monuments to the dead or possibly passageways between worlds. These dolmens are often found in fields of circled stones whose meaning remains unclear, but it is obvious that the builders would have had to work in groups for a common cause to create these sites.

Lime Plaster Statue from Ain Al-Ghazal

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright)

The dolmen sites were most likely religious in nature and visited for worship, divination, and festivals by the people of the nearby cities. The largest settlement of the Neolithic Age in Jordan was Ain Ghazal, located in the northwest (near the present-day capital of Amman). Inhabited c. 7000 BCE, Ain Ghazal was an agricultural community whose artisans created some of the most striking anthropomorphic statuary in early history. The statues found at Ain Ghazal are among the oldest in the world today.

The community had over 3,000 citizens and engaged in trade and the manufacture of pottery, which increased the wealth of the people individually and the city collectively. Ain Ghazal continued as a prosperous settlement for 2000 years between c. 7000 BCE and 5000 BCE when it was abandoned, most likely due to overuse of the land.

Continue reading...

[carionto]

"It's perfect" a Human said about a Deathworld

Continuing with this trio

Gieverne exclaimed upon reading the latest report on the atmospheric and soil and vegetation conditions of a new batch of surveyed planets. One particular planet read: 43% oxygen, 56% nitrogen, 0.03 carbon dioxide, and lesser traces of other gasses. Lows of 16 and highs of 33 degrees C at mid-latitudes, plus/minus 4 at the equator/poles.

From pictures taken by a survey drone, it was completely covered in kilometers high verdant green ferns and trees. Even the few oceans, or, more appropriately - land-locked seas, also had a greenish-purple algae coating still half a meter thick furthest from any coastline. Indications of extensive microbial lifeforms, but no traces of any macroscopic creatures.

He quickly rushed to his colleagues, and upon hearing the news, Everie was ecstatic, while Henrietta pondered something:

"It's a good start, but we'll first have to introduce smaller herbivores better suited to digesting such dense plants. I'll call up the girls on the Bountiful Kaleidoscope, I suspect the gliding mammals they're working with would serve as better initial prey animals, and all we introduce will have to be tree climbers and nest builders or the lack of sunlight on the ground will just kill them."

There was a short discussion about the best starting species and locations, when Everie suddenly looked as if he had experience a Eureka:

"What if we cleared a spot from orbit first, see how fast it regrows? If it's slow enough, we'll have more options and the ecosystem could better adapt to their new friends without killing them."

The other two thought for a second, then enthusiastically nodded in agreement. After a few more short discussions and consultations with other relevant groups of scientists and natural disaster response experts, they adjourned, with Gieverne concluding the meeting:

"Then it's decided, I'll file the necessary paperwork, and this station should be on its way to our new orbital home by the end of the month."

[softheartthrobs]

do y'all play minecraft? what kinda player are u? (builder, miner, pvp, redstone, explorer, etc)

📚 "We do. The four of us will have the occasional group playing session on boring and lonesome nights, thanks to our beloved Sayori for introducing the concept to us. Within the group, I suppose I could classify as the gatherer or the farmer? I operate our gardens at our home, as well as going out to search for things such as wood and other materials."

🧁 "I do the mob killing and loot hunting! (Because I'm the only one who remembers where our base is...) I do some of the building, too."

🖋 "I think my role would be to help with the redstone - Yuri has a slight fixation on that and potion making -, the cooking and smelting, and maybe the mining? Though..."

☁️ "I do the mining and the exploring!"

🧁 "(It's not exploring if I have to get in a boat and travel four Minecraft days to find you.)"

☁️ "SHUT THE FUCK UP NATSUKI THIS IS WHY YOUR HOUSE GOT BLOWN UP."

🧁 "YOU FUCKING BLEW IT UP???"

📚 "...Natsuki does the hunting, Monika assists with pretty much everything, and Sayori finds new locations for us to explore."

[indiepressrevolution]

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[skyscratch-wc]

Skyfall: Shire Cultural Traits

Some of the things that make the shires unique from one another. This is not an extensive list, but provides a decent idea of the ideals and traditions that each shire values.

Thunderheart Shire:

Most militaristic of the remaining four shires

Reeves are nearly always Hunters

Place a lot of emphasis on honor in battle. Thunderhearts value fairness on the battlefield and do not take kindly to dishonorable behavior. If a warrior fights a young cat or apprentice knowingly they will be punished. Killing in battle is also very harshly punished— even more so than in other shires.

Sparring is a commonly used method for settling disputes

While not a rule, an apprentice of the thegn is most likely to become reeve and then thegn themselves. Leadership is rigged in some capacity. Thegn’s will specifically take on apprentices with leadership potential and tend to favor them when selecting a reeve.

Scars are seen as beauty marks. The more scars, the more near-death experiences or battles a cat has endured. This is seen as a sign of bravery, a highly valued trait in the shire

The Thunderhearts have a special rank called the Trail Builder that is responsible for creating and maintaining pathways in their densely forested territory

The symbol of the shire is a badger

Shadoweye Shire:

Following the reign of Brokentail, the famine and plague under Nightpelt, and the tyranny of Tigerclaw, most of the Shadoweyes stopped actively worshipping the Stars. As such, they are the least pious modern shire and many of them are not religious at all

Many Shadoweyes wear small accessories, most often made of skin, leather, bone, and feathers. Many Shadoweyes wear leather patches over scrapes and tears to prevent infection from the sitting water in their territory. They use leather so often that one of their artisans has the special title of the Tanner

The Shadoweyes generally have the best relationship with outsiders and often bring rogues and loners into their midst. They have good trading relations with local cat groups. Some Shadoweyes have even learned to communicate with dogs.

The Shadoweyes leadership style is a monarchy based in primogeniture. The eldest of the Thegn’s kittens is the heir. They will become reeve after training their first apprentice and will become thegn when their parent passes. In the event that a thegn has no kittens, the eldest living sibling or cousin becomes thegn.

The symbol of the shire is a crow

Windpaw Shire:

The Windpaws are extremely pious. The Priest plays an especially important role in this shire and performs most rituals alongside the Thegn.

Daily prayers to the Stars are said at sunrise and sunset.

All Windpaw kittens are given their first names by the Priest rather than their parents

The Priest names the next Reeve from among the close relatives of the current Thegn.

The Windpaw Roamers are the farthest travelled and thus have the best knowledge of the lands beyond the Shire territories. They are the best acquainted with cats to the north of the Shirelands.

The Windpaws are the only shire that hunt underground and have the special tunneler rank to go along with this strategy

Despite their acquaintance with cats outside their shire, the Windpaws are the most closed off. They do not typically allow adult outsiders to join their ranks and will only allow outsider kittens on most occasions. Any cat who joins must accept the Stars as their faith.

To reject the Stars is considered a serious offense in the shire and depending on the Thegn could result in exile.

All Windpaw cats receive some medical training as apprentices. This is so if there is a minor injury or illness while out on the vast territory, the injured can be treated or stabilized while the physician makes their way to their location

The symbol of the shire is a rabbit

Rivertail Shire:

Apprentices are trained communally for much of their apprenticeship. This allows apprentices to get to know each other and their fellows better. This is especially relevant for the point below:

Rivertail churls are split into patrolling groups (just called “patrols”). These groups are usually 3-4 cats and they will go on every patrol and into every battle as a unit. More often than not, patrols are formed of apprentices who trained together or if there are few apprentices in the same age group they are added to the patrol of their mentor. Patrols are a mix of roles since all roles patrol in some capacity. Only hunting, which is typically only undertaken by Hunters, is done outside the patrol unit. Many patrols even share dens rather than share with their blood families as is typical in other shires

Rivertails are known for their excellent craftsmanship. They are known to produce intricate accessories, especially woven and carved.

Carved wooden fish are given to kittens by their parents when they graduate to apprenticeship. These are kept in the cat’s nest alongside other trinkets they are gifted by friends or other objects they find out and about. If a kitten is parentless, the elders or another relative often produce the fish for the kitten.

If a parent refuses to give their kitten a wooden fish it is considered an act of disowning and is extremely disrespectful.

A carved tail band is given to new churls by their mentors when they graduate from apprenticeship. These bands have symbols specific to the patrol the cat will be joining and/or their rank

A silent meditation is lead by the Priest every sunset. This was a tradition introduced by River Ripple, the shire founder

Rivertail roamers sometimes make journeys to the ocean (which is much closer than in Warrior Cats canon)

The Rivertails have a special rank called the Sentinel. These cats are trained in weather patterns and can recognize the signs of an oncoming flood so the shire can prepare and evacuate in time

Rivertail Reeves are selected by the Master Churls, usually from among their own number.

The symbol of the shire is a fish

Modern Skyclaw Shire:

The modern Skyclaws are easily the most democratic of the shires. Nearly all important decisions are made as a community and the Reeve is elected by the shire.

The Skyclaws have a special rank named the mediator who leads the shire in voting and is responsible for the overall emotional well being of the shire

The Skyclaws are the only shire to allow outsider cats to live among them part time. House-cats are allowed the join the shire as Daylight Churls. These cats participate in shire activities during the day and return to their homes at night. This is less common at the Lake but was very common at the Gorge territory.

The Skyclaws do not worship the Stars and instead worship the Skypelt, a separate group of their own ancestors. This has been the case since the other shires drove the Skyclaws from the forest. The exiled Skyclaws turned their backs on the Stars and decided to only follow the spirits of those who had not wronged them.

The Skyclaws speak a slightly different dialect than the other shires due their time at the Gorge.

The Skyclaws are the most likely to offer help and shelter to outsider cats in need

The symbol of the shire is a bat

Ancient Skyclaw Shire:

The Ancient Skyclaws were the most militaristic shire prior to their exile

The Master Hunter automatically became the Reeve when the previous Reeve died, retired, or was otherwise stripped of their position.

They had a special rank called the Scout. Scouts served as an ambush patrol at the front of Skyclaw battles. They functioned as a team and were well known for their silence and ferocity.

The Skyclaws trained their apprentices slightly longer than others, extending their training to around 8 months long rather than 6. This is so the cat could adjust and become confident in their own paws on rocky, dangerous territory

The Skyclaws were by far the most territorial. They defended their territory to a degree that was seen as excessive by most other shire cats. This often got them in trouble with their neighbors: the Thunderhearts and the Rivertails.

The symbol of the shire is a bat

[starqueen87]

BEN HARDY (1921-1994)

Custom motorcycle builder Ben Hardy was born Benjamin F. Hardy on July 25, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. However, historical data regarding his family, upbringing, and obituary have yet to be recovered from the annals of time.

After World War II, as the United States experienced a slight depression with high unemployment, and California had an unemployment rate of 8.8% compared to a national average of 3.9% in 1946, Hardy established Hardy’s Motorcycle Service shop in South Central Los Angeles, located at 1168 E. Florence Avenue. He built two ‘Billy’ bikes and three’ Captain Americas,’ made at that time from a 20-year-old, heavily customized Harley-Davidson Panhead, with the assistance of another Black motorcycle builder, Cliff Vaughn, the most famous motorcycles ever made.

Los Angeles, California, was a city divided and segregated along racial lines, and it did not welcome Hardy and his creation into the mainstream motorcycle world. However, Hardy and Black motorcyclists continued riding the typical ‘Billy’ bike in their limited circle. In the 1950s, during the high point of Jim Crow, some viewed the camaraderie of riding a customized Harley chopper creatively in a group as a revolutionary act.

In 1969, Hardy’s chopper was showcased in the iconic 1969 motorcycle film Easy Rider, in which two bikers travel through the Southwest and South of the U.S. with lots of money from a cocaine deal. His bikes were duplicated for this movie if mechanical failure or wreckage during film shortage were anticipated. The film Easy Rider brought in more than $60 million; however, Hardy was inadequately recognized and did not benefit financially from the movie’s success.

In 2014, 20 years after the death of Hardy, the Captain America bike sold for $1.35 million. Four years later, in 2018, Hardy’s work was featured in the “Black Chrome” at the California African American Museum. This exhibit, sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California, the most prominent member of the AAA Federation of Motor Clubs, was about the historical development of African American motorcycle culture. A replica of Hardy’s Captain America bike is housed in one of Germany’s largest motorcycle collections at the German Two-Wheeler and NSU Museum in northern Baden-Württemberg.

Ben Hardy died in 1994. He was 74.