#A Botanist's Guide to Secrets and Societies

[willowbites]

I've not been reading much lately, but maybe this blog will help. Worth a try. Here goes...

Book #1- A Botanist's Guide to Secrets and Societies by Kate Khavari. I'd rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Saffron Everleigh, a botanical researcher, gets in trouble yet again while seeking to solve a murder that her former love interest Alexander Ashton's brother is being invested for. She goes undercover at a research laboratory to find answers and gets wrapped up in something even bigger.

I like this one. The characters are good. There's subtle hints leading towards the ending that you don't realize until you get there. I was a little dissatisfied with the way things wrapped up. But overall, pretty good.

Mothman Rating- 2/5 not enough lamps

Up next is My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets | Author: Kate Khavari | Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (2024)

[vacantgodling]

a guide to: hyacinthus shrapnel

thank you to anyone who's expressed interest in my favorite asshole man--at some point i'll do this for more ocs, but i am not immune to favoritism. gently tagging those who i think would wanna see this:

@henrike-does-writing-sometimes @outpost51 @void-botanist @jezifster @mjjune @sergeantnarwhalwrites @ink-flavored @astral-runic @calicohyde @kk7-rbs @foxys-fantasy-tales @inadequatecowboy @sarahlizziewrites @multi-lefaiye

transposed under the cut!

SLIDE 1: A GUIDE TO HYACINTHUS SHRAPNEL -- the meanest, prettiest, and most emotionally constipated man ever. by @vacantgodling, yours truly

SLIDE 2: BASIC INFORMATION pt. 1

FULL NAME: HYACINTHUS SHRAPNEL (nicknames: HYA (by amon), CINTHY (by aloe, lovingly, and tagetes, degradingly), CINTH (by narci))

AGE: 31

BIRTHDAY: he hates talking about his birthday, so you won’t get the exact date. just know that it falls during the galerian form of “christmas” which is the two weeks of may 12th — may 24th. its somewhere in there :)

GENDER: TROIBEMME (HE/HIM PRONOUNS ONLY)

the galerian equivalent to our nonbinary; an entirely separate gender denomination that blurs the line between masculine and feminine; encompassing everything inbetween, nothing at all, or outside of a binary frame altogether. its considered a ‘third gender’ by the galerian people, and has been observed in galerian history for centuries. old galerian even features multiple pronoun sets, but they have been lost in the modern age. nowadays, those who present as troibemme usually use “they” “he” or “she” but this does not negate their troibemme status. gender =/= pronouns etc.

SOCIAL STATUS: WIFE OF THE KEEPER OF CHATEAU AUX AISLES D’OR

husband and wife refer to the specific social hierarchy in galere. “wife” and “husband” respectively refer to the role of being a breadwinner and connection maker (husband) versus the manager of the house and finances (wife). wives do occasionally lead the way in organizing at home balls. child rearing (in upper society) is usually left to maids and nanny’s—not a responsibility of either parent. traditionalists believe wives should take on this task as children are part of the “home”, but in actual valerian society children are usually pawned off. all of the gunn clan, sans aloe (as he is part of the clergy) are wives.

SLIDE 3: THE GUNN FAMILY TREE

a family tree that showcases the main gunn family tree. lonicera gunn and clematis gunn are crossed out because they are deceased. they were wed first and had 3 children, tagetes gunn de beneaux (40, they/them), iberis winch (36, he/him) and narcissus spokes (33, she/her). while it is not indicated by the chart, clematis had a relationship with moxie shrapnel in lonicera's twilight years, giving birth to hyacinthus shrapnel (31, he/him) and his name is in bold lettering. then, clematis finally married belladonna anvil (who hyphenated her name to anvil-gunn) and had 2 children, lavendula caldern (28, she/her) and aloe anvil-gunn (24, he/him).

SLIDE 4: BASIC INFORMATION PT. 2

SOCIAL STATUS: aside from a wife, hya is also a BASTARD. this is not a well kept secret.

bastards, as per the definition, are illegitimate heirs. hyacinthus is the 4th child of the dodgy businessman, CLEMATIS GUNN, who had an affair with a prostitute, MOXIE SHRAPNEL (where hya gets his surname), during his first wife’s decline in health. 

bastards have no claim to family fortunes, so when clematis passed, hya would’ve been shit out of luck if he wasn’t essentially adopted by tagetes. hya has also never met his mother to his own knowledge as she fled the situation when clematis started getting more abusive.

in order to marry the keeper, tagetes had birth certificates forged. whether or not the keeper knows of this deceit is questionable; but the large dowry tagetes paid to facilitate the marriage has seemed to placate them enough not to question it.

MISC LIKES: coffee (misted ivory geisha is his favorite in universe blend—its imported from the northeast country i have yet to name), fashion (dresses, shoulder pads, and embroidery are his favorite things), gold & white (for jewelry, dress, and aesthetically), MONEY (he’s extremely materialistic), reading & literature (he’s very critical however—in a modern au he would probably be a pretty well renowned critic).

in general however, hya is easily annoyed.

SLIDE 5: what annoys hya, you may ask? FUCKING EVERYTHING. thank you for being polite because he's not :D

SLIDE 6: GENERAL APPEARANCE

HEIGHT: 5’11” (~180cm)

EYE COLOR: dark brown

HAIR COLOR: black, with hime bangs (square bangs in the front with short, square cut side bangs that frame the face and chin), and long hair that reaches to his mid back.

BUILD: broad, girthy👀, and imposing. when he finds time to work out is a mystery to most, but his physique shows he clearly does.

there are 2 photos of hyacinthus to display his looks; a broad shouldered, dark brown skinned man with fox-shaped and narrow eyes, multiple piercings (nose, ears, and lip), and two beauty marks under his left eye. he is wearing an intricate white and gold outfit in the picture on the right. in the one on the left he is wearing an intricate white and gold choker. there are 2 thought bubbles over each. one says "RBF STRONG AF". the other says "even though hya is so well manicured he hates showers bc #childhoodtrauma. he does take baths though!"

SLIDE 7: everything on hya glitters like gold -> here’s a map of hya’s piercings and notable features

the picture shows various arrows pointing to hyacinthus (who has his mouth open to reveal that his canine teeth on his upper row of teeth have been replaced by sharp, solid gold). they point to his beauty marks, canines, and various piercings.

SLIDE 8: IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS

as an aside, hya didn’t have friends growing up because he literally wasn’t allowed to leave the estate his father trapped him in until he was 19… and that was bc his dad died and tagetes ‘adopted’ him.

TAGETES ⟶ despite the fact that tagetes basically raised hya, the two of them hardly see eye to eye. tagetes views, treats, and exploits hya (as they do everyone) as a means to their end goals—though what those goals are is anyone’s guess. hya doesn’t trust tagetes as far as he could throw them. yet, at the same time, they have a strange sense of obligation and “care” (if it can be called that) towards one another. tagetes was definitely the main influence into why hya is Like That.

ALOE ⟶ since aloe turned 10 and learned that he had an older brother whom he hadn’t met yet, he began to try and write letters getting to know hya. despite being generally brash, crass, and a pain in the ass, hya really cherishes aloe’s letters and companionship, and they actually meet for the first time in person during the events of paramour. 

AMON ⟶ y’all knew it was coming. i feel like i don’t even have to explain this one they are obsessed with each other in the most toxic of ways lmao. amon infuriates hya down to a molecular level, yet he is also the only man—only person—hya has ever been attracted to. (and he will not EVER admit that)

SLIDE 9: HIS OPINIONS ON...

… Narcissus ⟶ she annoys him and he can’t understand why she’s so obsessed with trying to ‘fit in’ with other people. also he wished she wouldn’t try to talk his ear off every time she saw him.

… Iberis ⟶ he literally doesn’t have one. the two of them avoid each other like the plague.

… Lavendula ⟶ avoids her like the plague if he can help it, but she actually looks up to him in a way, especially based on the things aloe has told her about him. they aren’t close and don’t really speak until her book but that’s a whole other thing.

… Clematis ⟶ #daddyissues. hates the man’s guts and is glad he’s dead.

… Lonicera ⟶ she died before he was born, but even if she lived, he would’ve never met her regardless. no opinion.

… Moxie ⟶ he’s never met his mother to his knowledge, so he has no opinion of her. she loves him very much and there’s more to that story that we won’t hear about until empire (tagetes’s book)

… Belladonna ⟶ the loathing is mutual

… Erecia ⟶ he doesn’t gain an opinion of her until lavendula’s book, and even then it’s mostly just “that’s amon’s friend” territory

… Viola, Barbatus, & Rumex ⟶ he’s not good with kids so he tries not to interact if he can avoid it

… Helianthus ⟶ finds him EXTREMELY obnoxious

… Terian ⟶ no opinion, they’ve never met.

… Miss Shanin ⟶ she’s always in his way and he’s generally annoyed by and suspicious of her

… Vira, Tamhas, Asahel ⟶ no opinion at all. they’re just servants.

… The Keeper & The Bishop ⟶ finds them genuinely disturbing. distrusts them HEAVILY.

SLIDE 10: ASSOCIATIONS

alcoholic drink: white russian

food: steak bechamel

colors: white & gold

flower: yellow hyacinths

animal: leopard

zodiac: taurus

tarot: six of swords

song: lyin’ to myself — todrick hall

[whisperingspinesliterary]

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the library.

As far as wrap-ups go - I'm a little late. And as far as intro posts go, well - I'm not quite sure this is the best way to start. But here we are. You may call me Whisper; I'm 28, a life-long reader, self-taught writer, an avid gamer, and a movie enthusiast. I've been in a years-long reading slump, and finally managed to crawl my way out of it in early 2024. Trust me when I say, my love of reading is something I never want to forget about myself again. So here I am!

I had a blog years ago, but I couldn't even tell you what I used to write about. I decided, in order to keep in my rediscovered booksphere, why not start a blog to log my adventures in reading and maybe even talk about my own books that I'm crafting and movies that I love? A catch all place for story lovers. I'm also starting a YouTube channel, which you can watch HERE. It has some new videos, as well as some old writing videos from last year when I originally started posting on it.

I'm so excited to be diving into this endeavor!

As a whole, 2024 was a hell of a ride. Both in life and in books. I spent most of 2024 unemployed, which hasn't happened since I was a teenager. (I still am unemployed; it is a rough market out there...) But I also found some new favorites and read books that I will gladly never touch again. I started tracking my progress on StoryGraph (you can follow HERE). It's an app and website that was created and is owned by a black woman. I find it much more intuitive and user friendly than GoodReads. It also gives more in-depth breakdowns of your reads up to the current! Honestly, I can hardly navigate the GoodReads app.

Last year, I tracked 12 novels, 29 manga, 1 audiobook, 2 novellas, roughly 17 short stories, and only DNF'd 2 books. Pretty solid for just rewetting my feet. My goals this year are to read 25 novels (about 2 a month), 3 complete manga series, and double the amount of short stories I read. I think they're pretty reasonable goals, and I'm looking forward to challenging myself!

I have a bad habit of judging books based off their covers. My very first read of last year caught my attention because of its stunning cover. It was the whole reason I bought it. A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poison is a detective novel set in 1920s London. It follows 23-year-old Saffron Everleigh as she struggles with being a woman botanist working at University College London in a time when women in the sciences weren't respected. She finds herself wrapped up in a mystery when a department head's wife is poisoned at a party she's attending, and the professor she works under is the main suspect.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is Kate Khavari's debut mystery novel. Honestly, you can tell a bit in the writing, and especially in the way that Saffron handles certain aspects of her mystery. But overall, I really enjoyed the book. I found Saffron delightful to follow and her seedling romance with Alexander Ashton to be adorable. I liked it so much that I bought and read the subsequent sequels - A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality and A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets. I'm looking forward to A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge, which is releasing later this year.

I'm a huge fan of Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and Franklin W. Dixon’s Hardy Boys. So these books absolutely tickled my fancy. Each mystery gets more intriguing, and the world around Saffron keeps growing and getting richer. My only issue is that in Flowers and Fatality and Society and Secrets Saffron just seems to get angry for no reason. Everything irritates her, and her character is slightly changed from her original personality in Parties and Poisons. As a whole, I give the series a 3/5 and definitely would recommend giving it a read!

I followed Up A Botanist's Guide with a complete genre leap. I dove head long into My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. It was her debut book, which may be why it falls a bit flat. Just as the title suggests, we follow Korede as she cleans up after her sister, Ayoola, who has a tendency to kill her boyfriends. As a massive horror fan, I was so disappointed in this book. I really, really wanted to like it. It was such a good premise, and the beginning was so strong. But that's all it has going for it in my eyes.

Ayoola decides to go after the man that Korede has a crush on at work. We're supposed to follow Korede's moral push and pull in the wake of another of her sister's murders while keeping the man she loves from being killed. However, it's never really felt. It's just a bit of wishy-washy back and forth inner dialogue. The climax didn't really hit a screaming pitch. It just kind of...comes and goes and then the book is over. Leaving us with an unsatisfying ending. You end up right back at square one, where the novel began. This is one book I would say not to waste your time on.

Luckily, I wasn't disappointed for long. I discovered a new favorite completed series. It was advertised comparing it to Howl's Moving Castle - which is my all-time favorite book and movie. I didn't think twice before I bought the first book. The Lord of Stariel is a gaslamp fantasy series. It has a historical type of fantasy setting, where magicians, enchanters, and illusionists practice true magic. Fae are still creatures of myth, but it doesn't stay that way for long.

The series follows Hetta Valstar, the estranged daughter of the Lord of Stariel. When he dies, she has to go back home to the estate of Stariel - a sentient Fae land that bonds with a person. The first book suffered similar to A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons - when the climax came, they talked it out instead of it actually being climactic. But each subsequent book in the series gets better.

It has dangerous magic, a swoon worthy suitor, and an utterly whimsical world to get lost in. It even has a spin off book, A Rake of His Own, which follows Hetta's brother, Marius. I devoured all five books in about two months. I simply could not get enough. As a series, it's a 5 out of 5 and I can't recommend it enough if you like fantasy.

Sometimes, in the middle of reading a long series, you need a bit of a pallet cleanser. I broke up my reading with a book set in our own world. My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine is a monster romcom, a genre I didn't even think existed outside of comics and manga. The book follows Cassie Greenberg, who's an artist struggling to make a living. She finds an advertisement for an apartment and quickly learns that her roommate is a bit of a weirdo. It definitely gave me a chuckle and had a bit of unexpected spicy. There are parts where the story gets serious, and the tone shift can make it a little muddy. But it's one of those books I'd recommend for anyone looking for a light read. The companion novel, My Vampire Plus-One, recently came out and I can't wait to sink my teeth into that one!

In real life, I don't have ton of friends who read books and most of those who do don't read the same books. So, I was surprised when my friend's wife let me borrow her copy of The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. And even more surprised by how much I loved it. It's a cozy, enchanting story about a man named Linus Baker, who works at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He goes and evaluates orphanages that home magical youth. Every day he trudges through a never ending, grey storm. But one day he's summoned by Extremely Upper Management and sent to a house on an island, where he must decide if the children there are too dangerous.

I cannot put into words how charming this story is. I love all the characters, how warm the world feels, and the soft, subtle way that Linus and the head of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, fall in love. This was another book that I absolutely devoured. I can't sing its praises high enough. It's just a fun, feel good read. I loved it so much that I bought the recently released sequel - Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my TBR. I can only hope that it lives up to the same standards as the first one.

Right at the end of December, I managed to squeeze one last book. I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones was my final read of 2024. It's a memoir written by adult 30-something-year-old Tolly Driver as he reminisces about 1989 - the year he became a slasher. I liked the idea; seeing everything from the killer's point of view, finding out what was going through their mind. However, I was sorely let down.

Tolly's narration is a stream of consciousness. Apparently, the whole thing is supposed to be type out on receipt paper. He bounces around from 1989, to previous years, to his present adult self and back. There were spots I had to read three or four times before I released which time period everything was taking place in. There were spots where the sequence of events or the actions of the character were unclear.

As a whole, I found the whole thing a bit ridiculous. It's supposed to be a horror thriller, a serious story about a serious character. But reads like a parody/comedy horror that's taking itself way too seriously. There were supernatural elements that could've been interesting. Tolly's transformation into a slasher was like an infection and the "powers" it gave him just pulled me out of it. I just found that the whole story fell flat. I read the whole book because I was too curious what ludicrous thing was going to happen next.

I'm normally a huge fan of horror comedies, but not when I go in expecting it to be a real, solid horror story. Anybody looking to read a decent horror book, I'd say pass this one over. But if you're looking for a horror parody, then you came to the right place. I'm disappointed since I've heard such good things about Stephan Graham Jones as a horror novelist. However, this was just not the book for me and ended up with a 2/5 on my StoryGraph.

As you can see, 2024 was definitely a wild year for my reading list. I found new series that I absolutely love and some books I will happily never read again. I'm looking forward to many more adventures this year, and I can't wait to see where those books take me. I especially can't wait to bring you all along for the ride!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon!

- Whisper

Let Me Know: Have you read any of the books in my wrap-up? If you did, what did you think? What books did you read in 2024?

____________________

OTHER PLACES TO FOLLOW ME

WEBSITE

YOUTUBE

BLUESKY

INSTAGRAM

STORYGRAPH

~

[lynnwriting]

WOMS: A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets

Saffron Everleigh is at it again, so this week's #bookreview is "A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets"! Click below to read all about her latest adventure! #murdermystery #historicalmystery #STEMinist #womeninSTEM #amreadingmystery

Saffron Everleigh is at it again, and this time she’s going undercover to unravel the secrets of a sinister society in the heart of the British government. This week for “What’s on My Shelf,” it’s A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets! In the third installment of a series I am absolutely adoring, Saffron is tasked with helping clear Alexander Ashton’s brother name as a suspect in King’s…

[bwitzenhausen]

#NetGalley #BookReview A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3) by Kate Khavari #Historical #Mystery #CrookedLaneBooks

A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets  A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3 Kate Khavari Release date: June 4th, 2024   🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟 (4.5 rounded up) I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets(A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3) by Kate Khavari from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.   … A Botanist’s Guide to Society and…

[booklovindogmom]

Thankful for Dogs & Audiobooks

New #blogpost just in time for a long holiday weekend! #happythanksgiving #audiobooks #dogs #thankful

If it wasn’t for my Bella’s morning kisses I don’t think I would get out of bed in the morning. Well, that’s not true; she would yell at me via her barking and tell me to walk and feed her as soon as she was done loving me up. Since adopting Bella, I have learned her language through yips, barks, side-eyed glances and pawing. When it’s time to go for a walk (a word I have to spell out in front of…

[dark-nat-ones-blessing]

A portrait of @1nchwyrm​‘s bug-loving druid, Heather Winterbright. Though big, uncoordinated Heather struggles to gauge her own half-orcish strength around most folk, she is gentle as can be with her creepy-crawly friends. They deserve to be treated kindly too; after all, Heather knows how it is to be feared for no good reason. But they don’t fear her even a little.

Backstory/ more about her under the cut!

- Backstory - Heather is the daughter of a noble family, though you might not know it from her coarse accent and clumsy bearing - and she doesn’t talk about her family much, anyway.

In short, Heather’s mother was young and full of rebellion against her overbearing parents and their looming pressure upon her to find a respectable suitor. She did quite the opposite, covertly embarking upon a tryst with a commoner - and an orc, to boot.

Though the relationship was conducted entirely in secret, the cover was blown by...well, Heather. The pregnancy was one thing, but a half-orc infant was scandal in the making. Heather’s mother refused to give her up, choosing disownment over being parted from her child.

Her mother loved her always, but things said in frustration can’t always be taken back. She did not have an easy childhood - her half-orc blood saw her mature and grow faster than her human peers. There were playground rhymes about her. Hairy Heather, hulking Heather, ham-hands Heather. The times she lost her patience were blamed on her orcish blood. To cut a long story short, Heather inherited a lot of baggage.

So she ran away, in the end - from her mother, pining for the life she’d given up, and from the teasing and stares of her classmates. She had always found comfort in the woods, and the woods took her in as their own without judgement. They paid her back in kind for the tenderness she had always shown to creatures others saw as ugly, or gross, or scary.

- In-game, Heather’s sort of the moral center of our party. She does not stand for unkindness - especially not to her friends, and extra especially not to the creatures of the wild. She’s very vocal about that, and if she needs to drum her point home with a shove or a warning smack with her staff so be it! (She is not easily swayed to violence, but if pushed her temper can be startlingly fierce. Heather is very much a protector - hurt what she loves and there will be a reckoning.) She really struggles to gauge her own strength - not helped at all by her -2 in Dexterity! A playful shove from Heather has been known to send a man flying into the nearby wall. One time she tried to nonlethally knock out a bullywug, and missed so badly that she smacked the one next to it over the head full-force, nearly killing it outright. It would be a very bad idea to take her into a glassware shop, basically.

Her negative experiences with being a half-orc in a primarily human society have made her very shy of large settlements and crowds of people. In a small group she’s quite an animated presence, but she shrinks if too many eyes are on her. In our first session, she needed a lot of reassurance before she dared set foot in a town - and was very surprised to discover that not everywhere is as bad as home. She’s starting to adjust, slowly but surely.

She gets on very well with Julian, our party’s wizard - the two have known one another for a while before the campaign began. Having lived so long in the woodland, she knows its flora like the back of her hand - and he, a botanist, could not have asked for a better guide. After she knocked him out when she found him taking a cutting, that is. (She’d only meant to tap him on the shoulder with her staff...) Heather’s got a romance budding with one of the NPCs aboard the boat we’re all travelling on - a Goliath woman named Tara. Heather’s never met a woman taller than she is before. Add the soft Scottish accent and her competence with a crossbow, and her muscles when she’s climbing the rigging... our druid’s just a wee bit smitten, it seems! And even better, so’s Tara. They’re currently in the middle of a Useless Gay Flirt Cycle where they awkwardly give gifts and make excuses to spend time with one another. It’s super cute.

ANYWAY, enough of me gushing about Heather. I just love our big orc friend okay, she’s just really good <3

[warsofasoiaf]

So since this is evidently a series now, I'll ask you for your take on Deirdre Skye, and the Gaians.

Deidre is an interesting contrast, she is an exceptionally intelligent biologist and botanist who follows a philosophy of relatively pacifistic environmentalism and a religion with similarities to New Age esoteric paganism. The Gaian acolyte’s prayer: “I shall not confront Planet as an enemy, but shall accept its mysteries as gifts to be cherished. Nor shall I crudely seek to peel the layers away like the skin from an onion. Instead I shall gather them together as the tree gathers the breeze. The wind shall blow and I shall bend. The sky shall open and I shall drink my fill” appears to stress inter connectivity, symbiosis, and holistic understanding, all of which were key tenets of the 1970′s New Age movement.

This was likely key to the SMAC writing team, to avoid the negative hippie stereotypes and create Deidre as a fully-fleshed character, one who focuses on the cerebral and spiritual spheres. This puts her in stark contrast with Zakharov (who non-concur’ed on her appointment as Chief Xenobiologist), who considers religion superstitious poppycock to be swept away by the realism of new and further scientific discovery. Deidre’s initial quotes are scientific in nature, “The prevalence of anoxic environments rich in organic material, combined with the presence of nitrated compounds has led to an astonishing variety of underground organisms which live in the absence of oxygen and “breathe” nitrate. Likewise, the scarcity of carbon in the environment has forced plants to economize on its use. Thus, all our efforts to return carbon to the biosphere will encourage the native life to proliferate. Conversely, the huge quantities of nitrate in the soil will be heaven to human farmers,” is the sort of dry scientific language you’d expect from Zakharov, yet later Deidre states simply: “Observe the Razorbeak as it tends so carefully to the fungal blooms; just the right bit from the yellow, then a swatch from the pink. Follow the Glow Mites as they gather and organize the fallen spores. What higher order guides their work? Mark my words: someone or something is managing the ecology of this planet,“ suggesting a higher order level, a neural net of staggering proportions on the whole of the Planet, an idea that would be laughed out of any hard scientific conference today. Important to note, the religion of Gaia’s Stepdaughters was not developed only after Deidre learned of the planet’s sentience in the later technology tree with “Centauri Empathy” or “Centauri Psi.” The Weather Paradigm is one of the earliest Secret Projects and it includes the prayer, so it is likely that the religion was either carried with them from Earth and adapted to their new environment, or developed shortly after Planetfall and used as a social fabric to weave the scared survivors together.

While Deidre is pacifistic, she is not unwilling to use violence. Her in-game tract “Our Secret War” details her war with the Spartan Federation, and she uses Quantum Tanks and Mindworms both. It appears that her use of telepathy and the control over the Mindworms is what gave her the edge she needed. The former is discussed when building a “Headquarters,” and the latter is discovered horrifically in the “Dream Twister” Secret Project, where Assassin’s Redoubt’s final transmission is a nursery rhyme, likely used as a psychic defense against psi attacks. Telepathy is used in “The Empath Guild,” where Deidre mentions being able to “penetrate the vaults” of her enemies and gain the decisive advantage. This use of psychic attacks is represented well in game, boosting the Planet score gives a corresponding bonus to psi attack, and morale becomes important hence why Deidre embraces the religion and writes poems about “a blanket to shield the soul,” an empirical reality on a sentient planet with psychic aliens.

Of course, no faction is without their weaknesses, and Deidre indeed has her own. Like Lal, she is a massive hypocrite, waging a secret war against Sparta in complete violation of her democratic, pacifist tendencies. She is incredibly intolerant and attacks those who fail to live up to her own standards with psychic monsters to lay eggs in their brains, a horrific fate by any stretch of the imagination. Today, the calls for people to stop having children because of their environmental impact is deeply controversial, under Deidre such a practice would be commonplace, her preferred Green economics drop population growth significantly. On the other side, Deidre’s embrace of environmental concerns is poignant given that Earth’s fate was ecological collapse, wanting to avoid the same mistakes is a natural response, and hoping for science to solve the problem didn’t work for Earth, so why bring that failure of a philosophy to Planet? 

Governmentally, Deidre is suggested to favor democracy in her biography, but she is capable of committing any choice. Democracy is the preferred choice for Deidre, it permits her to increase efficiency and offset the penalties to population her economic policy invokes, but the loss to military support is huge, a pacifistic democracy simply can’t justify a high military budget. Deidre under a Police State likely acts under state of emergency laws, pushing a higher military budget for foreign threats and more police to handle domestic unrest, while allowing her focus on recycling to handle the economic shuffle. A Fundamentalist Deidre likely makes the Gaian religion the central tenet, with public readings of poems and ritual similar to environmental-based animism in our own world. Economically, Deidre favors Green economics to minimize her ecological footprint, her economy is not as large as Morgan’s, but it wastes nothing thanks to recycling programs and a conscious desire to reuse everything. Deidre does not permit Free Market economics, as the environmental impact is too great, suggesting that at some level, resources are owned and distributed via a state apparatus, with social reinforcement used to promote an ecologically-friendly lifestyle. The Planned economics likely would be a policy focused on industrialization, again using the recycling programs and reusable materials to handle the inevitable waste and bloat, to build up in response to a pressing need. For values, a Deidre that values wealth almost certainly gives special privileges to her psychics that control the Mindworms, fostering a strong sense of national unity that services the society in psychic attack and defense. A Knowledge-focused Deidre almost certainly devotes laboratory space and effort to understanding the Planet and the mysteries of psychic science. A Wealth-focused Deidre puts the society into creature comfort mode, increasing energy gain and factory production. For a future society, Cybernetic is the most likely path for Deidre, as automation further eliminates the ecological footprint and permits further embrace of the Gaian religion and devotion to the well-being of the people and Planet both. Eudaimonia is likely a psychic phenomena, the perfect expression of the self, though at the cost of social disunity and further unwillingness to fight in pursuit of pacifistic ideals. Thought Control Deidre sees mankind as incapable of understanding their own impact and so must be controlled for the good of the Planet, likely through a combination of drugs and powerful trusted psychics that turn the Gaian’s into a dystopia in the style of Brave New World.

Thanks for the question, Calagon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[ninja-muse]

Science Fiction Recommendation Masterpost

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for problematic content ! for #ownvoices

(all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

Does not include time travel, superheroes, or alternate history.

Classics

1984 - George Orwell

Winston is a patriot, until a chance encounter and his job altering history start him thinking. Big Brother, it turns out, isn’t acting in his best interests.

A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller

In the centuries after a nuclear war, a group of desert monks have devoted themselves to preserving scientific knowledge with the hope of someday rebuilding civilization.

The Chrysalids - John Wyndham *

In a Newfoundland rife with religious fundamentalism and genetic mutation, a boy, his cousin, and his sister must hide their telepathy or risk everything to live freely.

Dune - Frank Herbert $*£*

Even before fleeing to the open desert of Arakkis and its taciturn worm-riding nomads, Paul Atreides’ life was fraught with danger. Now he must use his understanding of people and politics to weather everything his world can throw at him, including sandstorms, a baron with a grudge, and those who want him to be a prophesied hero.

Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Hari Seldon has designed a program that predicts the paths of civilization. What better way to test it than to start a utopian colony at the furthest edge of known space?

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Victor Frankenstein is fascinated by anatomy and determined to prove resurrection possible. Once he succeeds, he’s equally determined to get as far from the sentient corpse as he can, when all the Creature wants is a hug and someone to talk to.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

When Arthur Dent woke up, he thought the bulldozer levelling his house was the worst his day could get. By teatime, he’s halfway across the galaxy on a ship that runs on probability, with his alien best friend, the two-headed President of the Galaxy, and a depressed robot—and things are just getting started.

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

A series of short stories that outlines the evolution of robotic technology and society around it.

The Planet of the Apes - Pierre Bowles

An astronaut crashes on an alien planet populated by sentient, speaking great apes. They put him in a zoo until he proves he’s not an animal. A brilliant examination of race and what it means to be human.

Space Opera

the Expanse series - James S.A. Corey $£€

Humanity has colonized the solar system, but hasn’t fixed its other problems. The Belters are disenfranchised and preparing a rebellion. Earth and Mars are in a paranoid arms race. Corporations can do just about anything they want. Throw in a terrifying virus, an alien threat, and a space crew who do the right thing and damn the consequences, and things are about to get very interesting.

Fortuna - Kristyn Merbeth - $ - *

Scorpia Kaiser is a screw-up, the family pilot, and out to prove she has what it takes to take over smuggling operations from Mama. Corvus Kaiser, exiled from his family to fight a war he doesn’t believe in, is finally coming home. Then a smuggling deal goes massively south and suddenly, what was going to be a difficult time becomes much, much worse.

the Saga series - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples $£€

An inter-species family flees the military powers tearing the galaxy apart. Their luck goes up. Their luck goes down. They meet the best and worst the galaxy can offer—and through it all, a little girl grows up. A nuanced look at prejudice, hope, and love.

the Shieldrunner Pirates series - R.E. Stearns $£€

A lesbian couple arrives at the pirate base on Barbary Station expecting a welcome to the crew, but are assigned to take out the murderous station A.I. instead. As much about social skills and interpersonal dynamics as it is about guns and hacking.

the Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold $*£€

How do you solve a problem like Miles Vorkosigan? He’s too smart for his own good, too impulsive and progressive for his military culture, surely too disabled to amount to anything. And he (and his accidental mercenary fleet) are going to prove everyone wrong. Dryly witty and generally feminist.

Horror, Apocalypses, and Dystopias

The Rampart Trilogy - M.R. Carey $£€

Koli wants more than his future offers, starting with becoming a Rampart, with control of ancient technology. His attempts to change his cards send him on an unforgettable journey of discovery.

Devolution - Max Brooks $£€

An elite sustainable community outside Seattle finds itself stranded after Mount Rainier erupts—and there are creatures in the forest. Hairy ones, with big feet.

The Girl with All the Gifts - M.R. Carey £

Melanie gets up, goes to school, eats her food, and idolises her teacher just like any pre-teen. However, when her school’s attacked by Hungries and she, her teacher, a doctor, and the surviving soldiers have to flee, Melanie begins to realise she’s … not exactly normal after all.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

When Jonah turns twelve, his regimented community assigns him to apprentice to the Keeper of Memories. The memories Jonah receives throw everything he knows into question, and he must choose between the quiet life laid out for him and the emotion and independence he’s discovering.

The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

In a world where most women are sterile, Handmaids are stripped of their identity and given out as surrogate wombs. This is Offred’s story of oppression, resistance, and escape.

the Hunger Games trilogy - Susanne Collins £€

In an America where teens fight to the death for entertainment and the survival of their District, Katniss Everdeen volunteers—and finds herself the unwilling face of the rebellion.

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant $£€ !

Was the terror on the Atargatis a hoax? Are there mermaids deep in the Pacific? A ship full of scientists has been sent to find out. They are not prepared.

the Newsflesh trilogy - Mira Grant $£€ *

A generation after the zombie apocalypse, humanity’s secure behind blood tests and heightened security and Georgia and Shaun Mason, and their Newflesh team, have been hired to blog the Presidential campaign, which is perfect until the first outbreak. Conspiracies, mad and sane science, and social critique ensue.

the Parasitology trilogy - Mira Grant $£€

Sal awoke from her coma to a family she didn’t remember, a body that wouldn’t respond, and restrictions on her autonomy that seriously chafe. Now she’s on her feet and resisting, but at the worst time. People are starting to die from their miracle-cure tapeworm implants and it’s looking like Sal’s implant might be … different.

the Passage trilogy - Justin Cronin £

A century ago, a virus turned most of humanity into bloodsucking monsters or food. Now the descendants of a group of survivors must strike out across a wasteland, looking for a safe new home. Better and darker than it sounds. Christian overtones.

The Space Between Worlds - Mikaiah Johnson $£ !

Cara’s climbed out of the toxic slums and into a job as a traverser, visiting parallel worlds and capturing data. She’s this close to having all her dreams—and then she uncovers a murder.

Other

Blindsight - Peter Watts

An independent observer is sent on a first contact mission, but the aliens and the secrets on board push him into a completely different role. About perception and ethics more than anything else, and I nearly “shelved” it in the horror section.

Congo - Michael Crichton £*

A team of scientists push deep into the African jungle in search of a society of mythical sentient gorillas, but the jungle pushes back.

The Diamond Age, or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer - Neal Stephenson £€

An inventor misplaces a one-of-a-kind book. A girl from the slums finds it and it changes her life. A nearly Dickensian future full of hope, tenacity, vim, and nanotech.

Eifelheim - Michael Flynn

An alien ship crashes in the medieval Black Forest and the village priest, steeped in heretical philosophy and medieval science, must intercede between the survivors and the peasants who see only demons.

The Martian - Andy Weir £

Mark Watney wakes up to find he’s been left behind on Mars. Fortunately he’s a botanist, he’s smart, and he has potatoes. A thrilling survival story paired with hilariously explained science that will leave you believing it already happened.

Passage - Connie Willis €

Joanna Lander is a psychologist studying near-death experiences, which is hard when you never know who in the hospital will have one. When a new (and cute) neurologist finds a way to induce them, she turns to the closest subject she can find—herself. The most heart-wrenching of Willis’s novels.

Shine - Jetse de Vries, ed. £

An anthology of optimistic, uplifting science fiction, with stories ranging from space opera to solarpunk and everything in between.

Snowcrash - Neal Stephenson £

Hiro Protagonist is the hacker’s hacker. There’s a virus in the Metaverse that’s killing people and he’s on the case. At least when he’s not delivering pizza. Both glorious cyberpunk and a send-up of the same.

[treeofsalvation-blog]

Confessions | Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfic

Notes: What’s this? Another fanfic from me? Surely the world is coming to an end? Probably, but here we are. I’m surprised too. But I had to write these two adorable idiots after writing about the previous two precious boys. From Alexis’ point of view this time. And yes yet again thanks to @theshatteredrose​ for the PROMPT. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this one :3c

Characters: Alexis (dragoon), Theron (Earthlain)

Guild: Enchanted

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

Alexis’ POV:

Alexis rushes up the stairs leading to the entrance of their guild’s unofficial guildhouse. It is actually Theron’s home, an estate that he inherited from a great uncle. His entire family were members of high society. Despite that, and despite the way his family constantly looked down upon ruffian explorers, Theron continues to allow the members of their guild to come and go as they please. To stay the night. To eat and live there without any qualms.

He is their guild’s leader. He claims that it is part of his duty to look after his guild.

Theron is also Alexis’ childhood friend. They’ve known each other for years. Many of those years though consisted of Alexis’ hiding his secret crush on the other man.

Despite knowing him for so long, and joining the guild the moment he made it, Alexis is stunned by what he had recently commanded of the guild. Commanded of him.

How could he order Alexis not to participate in the next battle? It’s an important one! Against the monster that rules over the second stratum. Surely they needed his shield for this battle?

Alexis could understand if Theron found that his shield wouldn’t be needed, or that other members of their guild had specifically wanted to fight the BOSS on their own. He could even understand and reluctantly accept if he was to be…useless for this battle. He could understand all of that. He could understand that he was to simply be in the way.

But Theron purposely kept the battle arrangements from him. He didn’t even give him a chance to plead his case. He didn’t tell him anything. He had to hear it from another teammate.

“You weren’t supposed to know,” Naoko had told him with a guilty and sympathetic look. “Theron purposely chose a time when you were working in your family’s chocolatier to hold the meeting. He stressed that you weren’t to participate in any way. He asked us not to tell you anything but that…didn’t sit right with me. If I was in that predicament I would want to know.”

Alexis is grateful that Naoko had the generosity and kindness to tell him.

But this is just cruel. To hold a meeting, to specifically single him out with the strict orders not to get involved…that hurt so much. Was he that useless? That worthless? To the guild? To Theron?

Alexis blinks back the tears as he heads upstairs to Theron’s room. Though he feels guilty, he ignores his guildmates’ voices of concern. He wants and needs answers. He needs to hear it straight from Theon. It will hurt…a lot to finally learn how useless he is to Theron. But perhaps it is best that he finally hears the truth.

It’s going to be scary but he needs to know.

Alexis tries to swallow back the lump of pure emotion in his throat as he bangs his fist on Theron’s door. “Theron! I know you’re in there. We need to talk.”

As the door opens, Theron looks at him with an expression of confusion on his face. That confusion turns to worry as he furrows his brow. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m pretty sure you already know what’s wrong,” Alexis retorts, surprisingly himself how bitter and angry he sounds.

That anger catches Theron off guard, too. For a moment at least. His expression soon turns stoic though he does utter a sigh of disappointment. “They told you?” he states rather than asks.

Theron takes a step back before turning around completely and walking deeper into his room. Alexis moves to follow him, his chest restricting painfully but he ignores it.

“You're asking me, no you’re telling me to sit out on this important battle!” Alexis raises his voice before he suddenly falls silent, the sting of tears in his eyes more painful than before. “Why?”

Theron stays silent as he looks at him with a painfully dismissive expression on his face. “I have my reasons,” he says simply.

Alexis feels his face crumbles as tears blur his vision. “Am I that useless to you? To the guild?”

“No! Gods, no,” Theron immediately says as he reaches out to grab Alexis’ by his arms and looks him straight into his eyes. “That’s not it at all.”

“Then what is it?” Alexis practically begs as he grasps the front of Theron’s vest. “Why were you trying to keep all of this from me?”

Theron falls silent and still as he simply gazes at him. His hands on Alexis’ arms tighten however, and he appears to be struggling to find the right words. Probably trying to find a way to tell him that he’s truly not needed for this battle. That he…really would be in the way.

But Theron would never say that directly to his face. No, he’s too nice for that…

“That battle is just too dangerous for you, ok?” Theron finally replies.

Alexis’ shoulders droop and he drops his chin to his chest. Too dangerous is just another way of saying he’s too weak, isn’t it? Is that truly it?

He keeps his head down as he removes his hands from Theron’s vest and attempts to pull himself from his grip. “I’m sorry for being too weak then…”

Theron utters a frustrated sigh and his hands unexpectedly tighten on Alexis’ arms. “That’s not it,” he says.

Alexis shakes his head and tries to take a step back. He doesn’t have the capacity to say anything in return at the moment. His chest is aching and his eyes burn with tears he still refuses to shed.

“Alexis, look at me.”

But Alexis just increases his struggles. “Just let go, Theron.”

He doesn’t want to deal with this any longer, ok? Just let him go. Just let him leave so he’ll never bother him again, ok?! Just-!

Theron’s grip on him tightens as he pulls him suddenly towards him. Alexis stumbles forward and lands against Theron’s chest. Before he can find his balance and push himself away from the other Earthlain, Theron’s strong arms wound themselves tightly around him, pinning his arms to his sides and crushing his body effortlessly against his.

“Theron!” Alexis yelps in surprise as he lifts his head to look at him.

However, Theron answers his surprise with an even more surprising action; he leans forward and kisses him forcibly on the lips.

Alexis’ eyes widen in complete surprise and he tenses in Theron’s arms. That tension soon drains away and he inexplicably falls limp against Theron’s strong body. His eyes remain open and unblinking, even as tears finally broke forward and roll down his cheeks. Theron’s mouth is firm and yet his lips are tender against his.

Theron is kissing him. Theron is actually kissing him!

Just as Alexis begins to wonder what he should do and whether he should do anything, Theron pulls back from him, breaking the kiss slowly.

“I love you more than anything in the world, okay?” Theron says as he unfurls an arm around him to tenderly wipe his cheeks of his tears. “And that’s why you have to stay here. I can’t lose you. Not even for a second. Not again.”

“Theron…”

He has waited for years to hear him say that. But even now it feels somehow unreal. But this is real, isn’t it? He…doesn’t know what to say.

“Do you have any idea how painful it is constantly watching as you get hurt?” Theron continues. “Watching as you throw yourself into danger? Watching as you constantly pretend you’re all right when you’re hurting?”

Oh…he had no idea.

“Theron, I…”

Theron silences him by pulling him in for another kiss, this one Alexis intends to fully participate in. He manages to slip his arms around Theron’s neck as Theron wraps one arm around his waist and the other across his upper back to hold him as close to him as possible.

His heart flutters in his chest as Theron’s mouth smothers his, his lips moving incessantly against his. The kiss is almost possessive, yet also barely restrained. Had Theron waited to do this, too?

It isn’t until Alexis feels the back of his legs hit the side of Theron’s bed did he realise that Theron’s been gently guiding him toward the bed throughout the kiss. Alexis’ gasp of surprise breaks the kiss between them and he falls back onto the bed. He murmurs another gasp a moment later when Theron leans over him, his hands pinning his wrists on either side of his head.

Theron’s blue eyes appear darker than they usually wore, and Alexis felt a shiver race through him. It isn’t a shiver of fear though. It’s something he hadn’t felt before but he’s sure it’s a shiver of excitement.

“You’re still not participating in this battle,” Theron tells him firmly.

Alexis swallows thickly. “But you are, aren’t you? How can you think I would just let you go into battle without me? How are you certain I’ll just wait here?”

Theron’s grin is positively wicked. “You won’t be able to fight if you can’t walk,” he says, almost playfully.

Alexis feels his heartrate jump substantially. “Wh-what does that mean?” he mutters weakly.

But he soon gets his answer when Theron kisses him again, deeper and more passionate. He presses his hard, heated body against his, and his hands, rough yet gentle, begin to tug at his clothes.

The last rational thought in Alexis’ head is whether or not the door to the room is locked.

After that is a blur of ecstasy and pleasure.

~*~*~*~

Alexis leans against the dining table pitifully. His lower back is aching and he can hardly feel his legs. Not to mention his neck and shoulders are itchy from the numerous bite marks and love bruises scattered across the skin. He’s not sure but there’s probably a couple of bite marks on his inner thighs too.

When Theron said that he’s going to make love to him until he can’t feel his legs, Alexis didn’t think he meant that literally!

Next to him, their guild’s botanist, Florent, pats him sympathetically on the back. “There there. The discomfort will pass. And don’t you worry about Theron and the others in that battle today. Theron certainly had a spring to his step so he’ll be back before you know it! After all, he has his new boyfriend waiting for him~”

Alexis drops his head into his arms in an attempt to hide his blush.

Being called Theron’s boyfriend had a nice ring to it though.

[missmusiclove]

“It was Halloween night, we were living in a semi-enlightened society, nobody would sassy-bark us, there was no reason not to get witchy.” ✨🌱✨🌱✨ I was incredibly excited to be given this ARC copy of Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, and I’m so pleased that I waited until now to read it, because it’s honestly such a perfect October read! It gave me all the possible witchy vibes, which is perfect for the spooky season. But that’s about all this book gave me. Hex was marketed as having The Secret History vibes and as a botanists guide to poisons. I’m not going to lie, I was way more interested in the plants and the toxicity project, rather than the people in this book, although there wasn’t nearly as much of either as what I found myself wanting there to be. The characters were very flat; I found Nell to be obsessive, Joan to be self-centred, Barry to be loathsome, and Tom to be boring. Carlo was very rarely mentioned or present, and when he was, he didn’t add much to the narrative. Mishti is really the only character that was of any life and substance. However, that being said, I did enjoy reading this book. I loved what botany and poison talk we did get, and I enjoyed watching Nell and Mishti’s friendship grow. I do think this is a great read for spooky month - you never really know what’s going to happen next. #bookstragram #books #booksofinstagram #booklover #bookphoto #reading #aussieswhoread #avidreader #booklover #aussiereader #bookdragon #reader #readersofig #booksofig #bookcommunity #bookish #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #booklife #bookaddict #girlswhoread #readinggoals2020 #auskiwibooksta #bookquote #hexbook #rebeccadinersteinknight #rebeccadinerstein #spookyvibes #gorgeouscover https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFQNDxgxuH/?igshid=juw5xwtnsa0n

[ironleaf-rp]

Syranelle Ironleaf Researcher, Scholar, and Botanist

An In-depth Questionnaire

(Questionnaire adapted from 20 Questions for Deep Character Generation)

Concept

What emotion best describes your character? Compassionate.  Syranelle, if nothing else, has a deep-seated empathy for most people, but particularly those on the fringe of society.  She is, after all, a duskwight so she knows a little something about being ostracized and maligned by society for no other reason than the length of one’s ears.

What emotion does your character evoke in others? Confusion.  Most of the time, Syranelle deals with people who aren’t used to kindness and compassion.  Sometimes that confusion leads to friendship; other times that confusion leads to hatred. It largely depends on the other person.

To her enemies, Syranelle is often a soft-hearted annoyance and someone who, quite possibly, is easily manipulated through her empathy.

What does your character need most?  Syranelle has a thirst for knowledge, particularly for Gelmorran history, relics, and ruins. On a number of occasions, she has risked life, limb, and friends in the pursuit of this knowledge. It ties largely into her goal in life. (See below)

What is your character’s goal in life?  To re-discover Gelmorra.  She wants nothing more in this life than to find a way back to the ancient, ancestral home of her people and to lead them back to a life of peace and prosperity; a place where they can live free of persecution and judgment.  

How does your character believe this goal can be accomplished? Through diligent research and exploration. Every time even the barest whisper of Gelmorra has crossed Syranelle’s ears, she has pursued that thread to its barest end.

Background

Where did your character come from?  Syranelle came from a deep-rooted survivalist colony of Duskwights encamped deep within the Black Shroud near Everschade. They were raised on stories of how they were descendants of Old Gelmorra; it gave them a sense of pride and belonging.  Hope that some day they might return to their ancestral homeland.

Her mother was a well-known weaver among their people; her father a trapper, tracker, and guide for those who might need to find their way through the forests. She was, however, wholly her father’s daughter -- following in his footsteps and learning his art from him.

It was from him that she learned to read, write, and such aspects of higher learning.  Where he learned it from, he never made mention of, only that it was important, even vital to making any sort of headway in the world.

When did you grow up? Around the age of twenty -- give or take a few years -- Syranelle’s parents both perished from a wasting sickness that gnawed away at their aether, none seemed able to save them. Syranelle stayed with them to their deaths, then saw them properly buried.  It then fell to her to take care of her younger sister, Arthuriel, doted on by their mother, the younger sibling knew nothing of hunting nor survival.

What values does your character hold? ♦ Life is sacred.  Syranelle does not kill without provocation or need. For her, violence is meant for survival and only as a last resort. ♦ Kindness is its own reward. Syranelle does the things she does for others because it is what she believes is right. She oft expects no reward nor even thanks for her services. ♦ Family is more than blood. Syranelle’s own family and her surviving colony are all dead, so she has fashioned a family for herself out of beloved close friends who mean as much to her as blood relatives, if not moreso in some cases.

How does your character dress? Comfortably, but modestly.  Having grown up in the wilds of the Black Shroud, she grew up learning the importance of stealth and survival. No jewelry to jingle and shine; no bright colors to draw the eye; no stiff leathers to creak and groan. She doesn’t wear expensive materials, knowing again how much wear and tear they might see in their lifetime. Soft wools or cottons, supple leather are the most common textile elements in her wardrobe. A few silks and satins exist, but are gifts from friends or her fiancee.

Her boots are often thigh-height varieties, for the sole purpose of keeping her knives secreted somewhere on them and, therefore, close-at-hand should they be needed. Often they are fashioned from soft leather and loose fitting, never skin-tight.

Her waist-length hair is usually left unbound, since she spends most of her time in libraries or indoors. In younger times, she either kept it cut short or kept it in a braid which she then wound around her head like a crown. Beyond that, she keeps herself well-groomed but without a profusion of cosmetics.

What are your character’s means?  Average.  Syranelle is a scholar and researcher for The Chroniclers ( @chroniclers-rp )   company, which comes with a reasonable stipend and occasional hazard pay.  She occasionally supplements this through her botany forays and her gardening, which she sells to alchemists within her social circle; though, most notably Zhan’a Rakhin ( @yokasaris ).

Details

What are your character’s personal tastes? Syranelle loves sweet things, be it fruit or dessert.  It was something she rarely experienced growing up, so now that she’s grown and on her own she enjoys it as often as she can.  She also enjoys a good tea, regardless of its sources.  Just be warned that she’ll sweeten it to an insane degree, most likely. And she loves her bed.  Yes, her bed.  Another luxury she didn’t have growing up, she revels in the fluffy comfort of a real bed all her own; shared only occasionally with the gaelicat -- and her fiancee.

She tends to dislike morbol, in general; the only exception being her fiancee’s pet morbol, The Captain. Having the sensitive hearing of all Duskwights, she also tends to dislike noise and crowds. She also doesn’t like enclosed spaces due to a past incident, i.e. claustrophobic.

What are your character’s opinions?  She tends not to recognize ‘status’ -- befriending people both high and low born with parity. While she believes readily in the Twelve, she finds herself at an impasse to choose just one to follow, as she has seen the presence of each deity in her life up to the present day. She has a deep-seated stigma, however, against cults and cultists, having had one bad experience too many with them to find them at all trustworthy.

What is your character’s comfort zone? A library.  Whether it’s her personal library or one of several public libraries in Eorzea ( @12oaks-library // @thegardenofwordsffxiv ) Syra takes great comfort in books, be it fictional or historical.  Especially if she can have books and a cup of tea.

Who has had the biggest impact on your character’s life? Without a doubt, her fiancee and mentor, Irridias Velnyx. Through his support and his guidance, she has grown leaps and bounds from the shy, elusive Duskwight that once lurked in the corner of taverns. Along with that, she has grown as an Arcanist and become a confident aetherical healer.

[topsolarpanels]

‘ Who knows what we’ll find next ?’ Journey to the heart of Mozambique’s hidden forest

Since it was identified on Google Earth in 2005, the forest of Mount Mabu has amazed scientists with its unique wildlife. Jeffrey Barbee joins explorer Professor Julian Bayliss on the first trip to its green heart

The soggy boots of the team slide backwards in the black mud as they struggle up towards the ridge line separating the forest edge from one of the last unexplored places on Earth.

The rain is an incessant barrage of watery bullets firing down through the tree canopy. Thunder crashes. Tangles of vines and spider webs make for a Hollywood movie scene of truly impenetrable jungle.

Near the front of the seven hikers is a Welshman carrying a billhook, a backpack almost the same size as him, and what appears to all intents and purposes to be a briefcase. The slope is so steep that the heavy briefcase clatters against the ground at every step, so he swings it in front of him clonk like a ship using an anchor to warp out of harbour against the green, vertical tide. He takes two steps up and swings the case up the hill again. Clonk.

On this wet March day in Mozambique, Professor Julian Bayliss, naturalist, explorer, fellow of the Royal Geographical and Royal Entomological societies, is heading deep into the green heart of the Mabu forest for the first time. The forest, also known as the Google forest after the way he discovered it using Google Earth in 2005, has more recently been called the butterfly forest, after the butterflies that congregate around the summit of Mount Mabu at certain times of year. Many of the species since identified here carry Baylisss name. These include Nadzikambia baylissi, the sleek little chameleon with the prehensile tail, and Cymothoe baylissi, the graceful forest gliding butterfly, both of which exist only here within the largest rainforest in southern Africa.

One other thing we have discovered on this trip, shouts Bayliss, with a huge grin over the sound of yet another downpour on another day on another seemingly unending hillside ascent, Mabu is not flat.

The scientific discovery of Mount Mabu was a huge breakthrough. Working with Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, the Mozambique governments institute for agricultural research (IIAM) and the Darwin Initiative, Bayliss was sitting at his laptop looking at Google Earth in 2005, when he wondered whether mountains in Mozambique might also harbour some of the species he was uncovering in nearby Malawi. So he and a Malawian botanist named Hassam Patel decided to take a look.

As reported by the Observer, over the years Bayliss and the Kew Gardens team have since identified three new species of snake, eight species of butterfly, a bat, a crab, two chameleons and many plants, as well as a trove of rare birds that are critically endangered.

However, no one has ever journeyed into the heart of the forest until now. Previous discoveries came from the forest base camp, the peak and a small satellite camp, all on the lower eastern edge. To explore Mabus secrets further, an expedition has been undertaken this month by the international scientific and environmental reporting initiative Alliance Earth.

The Alliance Earth teams objectives were to create a 3D map, uncover new species, check on the health of the forest, publish an ethno-botanical study, seek out potential non-timber forest products, produce a feature documentary and film a 360-degree virtual reality experience for museums and science centres around the world, so everyone can explore the mountains mysteries.

Alliance Earths 360-degree look at the Google forest. Copyright: Jeffrey Barbee/Alliance Earth

This is a new species of Dipsadoboa, Bayliss says, holding the poisonous tree snake with a twinge of obvious concern. As it writhes, he holds it farther away from his torso. This is currently undescribed, it doesnt have a name yet. Stretching out imploringly, the snake tries to reach the perceived safety of my video camera. To find an actual new species of snake is extremely exciting, and very rare. He has now found three new snakes in Mabus forest.

According to Bayliss, on this trip the team have identified at least one new butterfly species, and quite possibly more, once genetic testing confirms them. They have also found a Caecilian, one of the rarest animals on Earth, which is sort of a cross between a reptile and amphibian, and may be a new type of its kind.

But these precious finds arent the only new discoveries that have him excited. Under a huge tree he airs his wet boots, squeezing his socks dry before putting them on again. Yesterday was great. We discovered a new waterfall, which is fantastic. Weve never been here before, and because its the rainy season the water was just crashing through the rocks.

More discoveries have come daily, such as the valley of giants, an open canyon with a central raised ridge surrounded by the largest grouping of big trees yet found. Their vast trunks stretch upwards like a cathedral, blending into the green nave of leaves hundreds of metres above. These waterfalls, huge trees, deep canyons, and riverside camping spots are important geographical discoveries that Bayliss hopes will help bring tourists here.

At times the forest guides are clearly as perplexed about directions as the team, looping round in ever-widening circles in search of a way across the maze of folded valleys, often climbing up and down one punishing ridge after another in order to make headway.

Bayliss holds what is possibly yet another previously unidentified species of butterfly. Photograph: Jeffrey Barbee

Senior hunter turned guide Oflio Cavalio, 41, and his son Bartolomeo, 26, joined the expedition one morning before breakfast, hiking from their home many kilometres away. They heard through the grapevine that Bayliss had returned and so tracked him down. Cavalio and Bayliss have worked together on every visit he has made to Mabus forest. The local hunter and famous scientist have developed a friendship and deep respect for one another.

Once Cavalio arrived, the team started to push deeper into the most unexplored parts of the eastern forest, following the tops of the ridges and making better time.

Guides such as Cavalio have an intimate knowledge of the area, making the outside discovery of Mabu a purely scientific designation. According to him, the local people have benefited from the forest for generations. It even saved their lives during the back-to-back conflicts that started in 1964 with the war of independence against Portugal, before segueing into the civil war that finally ended in 1992.

His friend, 38-year-old guide Ernesto Andr, agrees. He grew up in the forest, sheltered from the ravages of war, with dozens of other people in small forest camps. Not far into the undergrowth, holes the size of unfilled graves are clearly man-made. Standing in one, Andr explains that these sheltered whole families and were the only way to hide the sounds of crying children from the Portuguese soldiers who tried to hunt them down.

On a remote ridge line with another potential new butterfly in his net, Bayliss talks about the future of the mountain. Every new discovery helps make the case for the mountain to be officially protected, he says.

But time is of the essence. The team finds the forest intact, yet still not officially protected. A recent report in the Guardian told how, despite a two-year ban on timber exports, corruption and organised crime are still stripping Mozambique of forests such as this. According to the independent Environmental Investigation Agency, as much as $130m worth of hardwoods are stolen from Mozambique annually. Much of it is sent to China.

Ecologically aware visitors could help build a tourism industry here that protects the forest and benefits the community in a sustainable way, while safeguarding the incredible biodiversity, according to Justia Ambiental, the Mozambican environmental justice group that has been working at Mabu since 2009 to create and implement an eco-tourism plan for the mountain.

Mount Mabu expedition 2017. Produced by Alliance Earth. Edited and written by Jeffrey Barbee. Camera Jeffrey Barbee and Julian Bayliss. Copyright: Jeffrey Barbee/Alliance Earth

The groups forestry specialist, Rene Machoco, explains that its vision is for Mabu to be legally designated as a community conservation area.

Andr says that before Justia Ambiental came, his community didnt think the forest was particularly valuable, but then it was explained and we knew the truth. The forest is life and the forest is wealth.

Tourism is only one way to help people like Ernesto benefit from their home. Expedition team member Ana Alecia Lyman is a non-timber forest products specialist based in Mozambique who runs Bio leos de Miombo. Non-timber forest products, such as honey or mushrooms, can be sustainably derived from the landscape to generate income in rural communities without jeopardising local biodiversity, she says.

After seeing the forest first-hand, she is enthusiastic and feels that the more people who are engaged in these sustainable value chains, the more local investment there can be in the health of the forest.

Under the tree canopy, Bayliss is hunting an elusive butterfly that finally flutters and rests on the leafy forest floor in a scattered beam of sunlight. Butterflies use solar energy to fly. Their wing veins are usually dark in order to channel energy from the sun to engage their muscles. This is why when they are seen slowly folding their wings while perched in the sunlight, they are getting ready to take to the air. But the shy brown butterfly with the spotted wing markings is no match for the speedy scientist from Wales. A deft swing loops the net shut, I think I got it!

This is probably a new species, he says, looking through the net and walking over to a sunny spot. Extracting it gently he examines the wing spots. This is probably the one we have been looking for. He looks closer. With a breathless voice he breaks with his usual understatement. This is very exciting this is the first time I have ever seen this butterfly.

What else awaits discovery in the remote forest of Mabus basin? Potential answers to that question sit snugly in Baylisss anchor-like briefcase: motion-sensitive video cameras, the first ever to be deployed at Mabu. Encased in steel boxes and strapped to trees, the four high-definition cameras will be left running at secret locations deep in the foliage for two years.

Having finished securing the last camera above a stream, Bayliss washes his hands in the clear water among the mossy rocks, looking satisfied. Every time we come to Mabu we discover something new. Who knows what we will find next?

The question hangs in the air as he turns around and starts back on the long hike to base camp with his butterfly net in hand, his briefcase empty, and his wet boots squishing merrily.

Alliance Earth paid for Jeffrey Barbees transport and accommodation.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

The post ‘ Who knows what we’ll find next ?’ Journey to the heart of Mozambique’s hidden forest appeared first on Top Rated Solar Panels.

from Top Rated Solar Panels http://ift.tt/2EU13KA via IFTTT

[whisperingspinesliterary]

Book Review: A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge

Greetings, adventurers, welcome back to the library!

I am so incredibly excited to be bringing you this review today! If you read my The Wild Things review, you would know I recently signed up for NetGalley. Where you can read ARCs of books and comics, and listen to audiobooks before release in exchange for reviews. Well last week, on a whim, I decided to look and see if NetGalley had A Botanist’s Guide to Rituals and Revenge available to read. To my utter excitement, they did!

I have never hit “request” so fast in my life.

I crossed my fingers and hoped that I got picked to review it. When I got the email I’d been approved, I flew to my NetGalley shelf and stuffed it right into my Kindle. If you read my 2024 Book Wrap Up post, then you might remember the A Botanist’s Guide series I talked about. If not, here’s a little run down —

Saffron Everleigh is a botanist living in 1920s London in a world scarred by the First World War. Women, at the time, aren’t taken seriously in colleges or in science. But that didn’t stop Saffron from perusing her late father’s footsteps to study botany and work at University College London.

Using her botany knowledge, Saffron solves mysteries of poisons, strange messages sent through bouquets, and uncovering an underground ring of criminals blackmailing scientists in exchange for government secrets. All with the help of her friends, Elizabeth Hale and Doctor Michael Lee, and the love interest of the series, Alexander Ashton, who has secrets of his own.

I was so excited for this fourth installment of the series. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait until its release in June to be able to read it!

In it we travel back to Saffron’s home in Bedford. Back to the house of her estranged grandparents, who would much rather her be a society woman than an educated one. I was chomping at the bit at the end of the last book when we learned that Ellington Manor was going to be where this one would be taking place.

When I tell you, I was not at all disappointed —

I noted in my other post, that Saffron’s personality gets a little lost in the second and especially third book. But in Rituals and Revenge, it feels like we’re back with Saffron from book one. There’s no angry outbursts, except where they’re deserved. She isn’t endlessly annoyed for no reason. She feels like the Saffron Everleigh we started the series with.

In Rituals and Revenge, there’s a little less active snooping going on. We still get to see her lock pick doors, follow mysterious figures, and make plans for fake displays of distress. We bounce back and forth between Ellington Manor and Elizabeth’s, Saffron’s best friend and flatmate, home with her estranged parents. Just because there isn’t as much snooping, doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of mysteries. This time, there’s two mysteries going on.

At Ellington, Saffron comes face to face with bad guys not yet conquered from the third book. We’re still faced with the question, Just what was Thomas Everleigh working on before he died? And why are there so many people out to get it?

At the Hale residence,Elizabeth, Alexander, and Saffron try and out a fake medium as she supposedly conjures the deceased soldiers they love.

It’s refreshing getting to see, rather than hear about, the Everleigh and Hale families. We get to see where the duo grew up. We learn about their memories in the manors and across the estates. We finally meet the terrifying Lady Eastings, Saffron’s grandmother, who seems to be eternally disapproving. Along with Saffron’s grieving mother, who hasn’t set foot outside of Ellington since her husband’s passing.

I’m a huge fan of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Phryne Fisher, and Poirot. The A Botanist’s Guide series scratches the same itch, taps into the same spirit. With fascinating mysteries and lovable characters. With a little botanical twist. I’m sure this is the making of a classic series. I know it’s one I’ll keep coming back to. Each book of the series just gets better.

A Botanist‘s Guide to Rituals and Revenge is my favorite so far. I rated it at 4 stars! Move aside Flowers and Fatality! This installment feels like it improved in so many ways. From the characters, to the plotting, to the writing itself. Kate Khavari feels like she’s coming into her own as an author. So long as there are Saffron Everleigh books written, I will be there to purchase them!

If you’re looking for a fun mystery series, I can’t recommend this series enough!

Check out the author's website HERE!

Thanks for reading, I hope you stop by the library again soon!

- Whisper

Let Me Know: Do you like detective novels? Have you read any of these books? If you have, which is your favorite?

[brajeshupadhyay]

As human rights crisis brews in Assam's tea plantations, businesses must step up to end cycle of deprivation

Each morning, millions of Indians start their day with a hot cup of chai. The custom of sipping on this sweet, milky beverage is one of the few practices that transcend class, linguistic, and religious boundaries in the country. Chai is such an integral part of the Indian cultural identity that mentioning its foreign origin almost feels blasphemous. But the truth is that before 1900, the only connection an Indian person could have had with tea was tending to British-owned plantations. Today, a majority of the tea powder used to prepare chai is sourced from Assam. However, there is little discussion around how the state became one of the biggest tea-growing regions of the world.

The first Anglo-Burmese war, which concluded in the late 1820s, resulted in the incorporation of the North-East Indian territory of Assam into the British Empire. In the 1830s, British explorers foraging this newly acquired land discovered tea forests growing in the plains of Assam. This discovery presented the British with an opportunity to break the Chinese monopoly on tea and cultivate it within the Empire. In 1848, industrial spy and botanist Robert Fortune was sent on a trip to the interiors of China to steal secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. In what could be called nothing short of industrial espionage, Fortune smuggled tea plants and seeds into India, to cross with the wild Assamese variety. Meanwhile, in England, resolutions were passed for a public company to be formed to scale up the Assamese tea enterprise. This company was to be called ‘The Assam Company’.

In the initial years, the company attempted to employ Assamese locals, but this did not work out well. Local labour was disinterested in plantation jobs and was hard to tie down. The quest for migrant labour began in the 1860s. During this period, the British were in the midst of recruiting a Coolie workforce — a system of indentured labour to replace the recently abolished practice of slavery. Tribal groups of Central and Eastern India were seen as fitting candidates and were deployed to colonial plantations all over the world, including Assam.

Official investigations carried out in the years 1863 and 1873 reveal that labourers in Assam were not paid the minimum wage, the recruitment process was abusive, and the poor living conditions and use of corporal punishment resulted in high mortality rates. In her paper about the recruitment of women for colonial Assam’s tea plantations, historian Dr Samita Sen describes the tea industry in India as “the most spectacularly successful colonial business enterprise”. “In the case of Assam," she continues, “built upon a highly exploitative and draconian labour regime."

Fast forward to present day, where the tea industry is India’s largest private sector employer, estimated to be employing around 3.5 million workers. Globally, India is the second largest producer of tea. While plantations have expanded to other parts of the country, Assam remains a key producer. Most workers employed in the state's plantations are descendants of the Coolie workforce created 150 years ago. One would imagine that the passage of time has seen them integrate into the Assamese society and enjoy protection of their human rights as promised by independent India’s Constitution. This is, however, far from the ground reality.

Low wages, a high rate of illiteracy, coupled with the lack of alternative employment opportunities have resulted in these workers falling into a vicious circle of poverty and deprivation, one generation after the other.

Civil society organisations working to improve the situation have reported hazardous working conditions, poor healthcare facilities, gender-based discrimination, and dilapidated housing facilities. The lack of a strong labour union also results in workers getting paid lower wages than the national average. Their identity as tribal migrants and non-native Assamese leaves these workers without much agency to negotiate their terms of employment. Although the Plantation Labour Act of 1951 seeks to ensure fair treatment and socio-economic security, workers continue to be exploited because implementation is not systematic.

While these issues deserve government scrutiny, businesses must also play their part if the situation is to improve. Tea produced in Assam has a global market and is purchased by some of the biggest beverage corporations around the world. For instance, UK-based giants such as Unilever and Tata Tetley are known to purchase tea from the state. In fact, it is an indispensable component in the standard English Breakfast tea blend. This means that all English breakfast teas sold around the world are likely to contain tea sourced from Assam.

A growing number of international law practitioners and scholars have been pushing for corporations to be held accountable for the way workers are treated along their supply chains. Traditionally, ensuring labour and human rights is seen as the responsibility of governments. However, it is known that several factors, such as the level of economic development, corruption, and legal infrastructure impact the extent to which governments are able to protect workers. Corporations often maintain the stance that when it comes to the rights of workers employed in developing countries, their sole duty is to abide by national laws, even if those laws do not to meet international (or their home countries’) human rights standards.

Although some tea companies do pay attention to Assam and have supported or devised specific programmes to address human rights-related problems in the region, issues are not tackled in a systematic manner. On the whole, the gap between the situation on the ground and what companies report on Assam is striking. To make a significant impact on the human rights of plantation workers, businesses need to move away from the window dressing approach of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that allows them to cherry-pick issues that they wish to address. They must instead move to a more robust approach — one that places the protection of human rights at its core. Such an approach would entail acknowledging and identifying human rights issues in the supply chain, reporting about them in a transparent manner, and implementing strategies to ensure that all workers are protected to a degree that is seen as at par with international standards.

This shift may happen soon, at least for European companies. Several European countries are currently working towards implementing a human rights due diligence legislation. This would mean that companies are required to not only report but also to act to prevent, mitigate and redress human rights violations throughout their supply chains. This novel approach, embedding the UN Guiding Principles into law, could be a game-changer for Assam workers.

Madhura Rao is a researcher with Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Her work focuses on the role of international and European law in food supply chains. She is the co-author of Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights in Assam Tea Plantations - A Business and Human Rights Approach.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2TUijt5