#Great Barrier Ree

[lionheartlr]

Explore Australia: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Australia, the land down under, is a unique blend of stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and vibrant cities. This travel guide provides an in-depth look into what makes Australia a must-visit destination, covering its history, culture, top attractions, practical travel information, and more. A Brief History of Australia Indigenous Heritage Australia’s history dates back over 65,000 years…

[stra-tek]

Facts about Captain Robau

This was a long-running thread on TrekBBS in 2008-2009, a riff on the "Facts about Chuck Norris" meme. And it had some gems (thanks to all TrekBBS members who participated):

The Kelvin's shields aren't for keeping weapons out... they're for keeping Robau in.

There are only two things that can cut diamonds: other diamonds, and Captain Robau.

Spock is constantly shouting in "The Cage" because he can't hear his own voice over the sound of how awesome Captain Robau is.

Sisko and Picard are arent really bald. They just want to be like Captain Robau

The Kelvin doesn't need two warp nacelles to create a symmetrical warp field. Captain Robau simply wills it to happen.

That God head thing in Star Trek V wasn't exiled to the center of the galaxy he went to hide from Captain Robau

That Borg didn't open a gateway to fluidic space to assimilate species 8472 they did to get away from Captain Robau

Captain Robau doesn't sleep. He waits.

Captain Robau doesn't use the transporter. He just leaps down to the surface.

The new Enterprise is being built on the ground because Captain Robau plans to lift it into orbit

Captain Robau can kill two stones with one bird.

When Capt. Robau was born, the only one in the room crying was the Doctor. Never slap Capt. Robau.

Captain Robau does simply walk into Mordor.

Captain Robau doesn't do pushups. He pushed the planet down and then pulls it back up.

In space, Captain Robau can hear you scream.

Captain Robau is hung like a Horsehead Nebula.

Captain Robau once used a crowbar to destroy Ceti Alpha VI. That crowbar later found its way to Black Mesa.

Captain Robau is immune to entropy.

When Captain Robau makes love, he causes a quantum singularity.

Captain Robau's bald scalp is considered an aphrodisiac in...oh, what's that place called? OH. Right.

The universe.

Zod kneels before Robau.

Captain Robau got drunk one night and relieved himself out in the desert. The spot in the desert is now known as the Grand Canyon.

Captain Robau CAN beam through raised shields.

A supernova didn't destroy Romulus, Robau did!

Robau doesn't wear sun screen. The Sun wears Robau screen.

The Great Bird of the Galaxy is the name given to Captain Robau's cock.

Captain Robau was deeply surprised that in VOY: “Threshold” everyone who went at warp 10 didn’t evolve into him. Then he realised, even at their most evolved potential, the Voyager crew are no match for Captain Robau.

Captain Robau never went to Starfleet Academy. He just showed up one day and flew the Kelvin out of spacedock. No one had the balls to question him.

Captain Robau decided to take up pottery one day. He named the result The Guardian of Forever.

Captain Robau told Pluto to fuck off and stop being a planet. It did.

Q used to have a proper name but Captain Robau slapped him so hard he forgot it.

The great barrier exists to protect the other galaxies from Captain Robau.

Stardate 0000.1 was the moment Captain Robau was born.

Sha Ka Ree is Vulcan for Captain Robau.

What does Captain Robau use for a condom?

SPACEDOCK.

[sshbpodcast]

With great power comes great Star Trek omnipotent entities

By Ames

Excuse me? I’d just like to ask a question. What does Star Trek need with so many gods? Like, so many gods. You can barely swing a dead Caitian without hitting at least three omnipotent entities anywhere you go in any quadrant. You find them at the edge of the galaxy, at the center of the galaxy, in the vacuum of space, on planets, inside wormholes, and everywhere in between. What is it about all-powerful beings that we need to see so very often?

A Star to Steer Her By is here to reveal these beings for what they really are. I mean, other than literary devices. Whether they’re the real deal or not (especially when they’re not), they’re here to pose an unbeatable threat to our captains and their crews, pushing everyone to the brink or making them think outside the box. They’re what this show really runs on. Check them all out below and listen to our chatter on this week’s podcast (discussion starts at 54:46), and remember to hug your omnipotent entity today.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Maybe they’re born with it, maybe they’ve transcended

Our first batch of omnipotent entities are just normal joes that happened to transcend to the next level of being for various reasons. We’ve got Arretans like Sargon in “Return to Tomorrow” and Talosians in “The Cage” who’ve evolved naturally to be brainboxes, as well as the Providers from “The Gamesters of Triskelion” who’ve evolved to be literal brains in boxes! Kes gets a nice arc in Voyager in which her character unlocks her full potential and it happens to get out of control until her character topples from its own greatness. 

Characters like Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner unleash their inner ESP when they go past the galactic barrier in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” as was parodied in Lower Decks when some random accident does something similar to Jack Ransom in “Strange Energies.” And of course the Platonians from “Plato’s Stepchildren” have gained some special powers by eating the tasty tasty food of their planet.

The best example of a character who’s transcended definitely comes in the form of John Doe in “Transfigurations,” as we get to watch him literally evolve into a yellow jumpsuit throughout the course of the show, as we pointed out in our transformations blogpost a while back.

—

When someone asks you if you’re a god…

Next up, prepare to donate away all your earthly possessions and pledge your soul to some powerful organisms that get worshiped as literal gods. Some of these beings are just plain charlatans who use their magic and tricks to take advantage of gullible souls, like Ardra does in “Devil’s Due” or like the God of Sha Ka Ree in The Final Frontier. We also see some powerful beings who guard planets of developing civilizations when we meet the Edo God in “Justice” and the Delta Theta II God in “Bem,” which I’d prefer not to have to think about again.

We also meet some of our actual figures from religious mythology in Trek, for reasons! Who ever knew that Apollo and the other Greek gods were real things, as we learned in “Who Mourns for Adonais”? They just happened to be aliens! And the literal devil just happens to be Lucien, an alien from Megas-Tu who teaches magic to the Enterprise crew in “The Magicks of Megas-Tu.” Now what does that mean to say about organized religion?

Finally, I wanted to make sure to broach the touchy subject of the Prophets and Pah-wraiths as portrayed throughout Deep Space Nine. Just not with the Bajorans, who will take all this personally. These wormhole weirdos are just a bunch of aliens who seem to just experience time differently than us. Which is no big deal really except that sometimes they go around banging Joe Sisko or making whole fleets of Dominion ships freakin’ disappear. I’ve said it before: seal that wormhole UP!

—

Unproven powers, infinite potential

Let’s turn our sights to a handful of beings who we can only assume are incredibly powerful, though we can’t really put our finger on why. Did we actually see some of these people do anything truly impressive or are we just jumping to conclusions? At the same time, I don’t want to speak ill of any of them because any of them could still kick my ass. Like Jack the Ripper from “Wolf in the Fold” who could feed off my fear or Armus from “Skin of Evil” who is literally an embodiment of evil.

We know the Cytherians from “The Nth Degree” and the Paxans from “Clues” (who seem to come up all the time in this blog) can both mess with our minds, but they’re so mysterious that we can only surmise what the ceiling of their powers is. Flint from “Requiem for Methuselah” is essentially immortal and has accomplished pretty much everything in Earth history, but what else can he actually do? And in episodes like “The City on the Edge of Forever” and “Yesteryear,” the Guardian of Forever has a harness on time itself! That’s incredibly powerful at first blush, but what does it even mean? And why does a person embody it in Discovery?

I’ve seen a bunch of other “most powerful beings in Trek (ranked!)” lists that include Guinan, which perplexes me. Like Flint, we know she’s long lived. And she’s got the whole listening thing she does so well. And you start thinking she’s just a normal alien until she pulls some mental hijinks in “Yesterday’s Enterprise” when she knows something’s wrong with the timeline. We are so teased by what her powers are, but we’ll never truly know. No wonder even Q is intimidated by her.

—

One really good trick, doctors hate them

We’re ratcheting up the abilities in this next group. All these entities have a really super power or two (or a ton), but I wouldn’t call these folks all powerful. They just have a couple really good powers that can ruin someone’s day. Let’s start off with the incredibly powerful beings who just want to put humans through incredibly deadly tests to see what they’re all about, like the Meklotians in “Spectre of the Gun” or Excalbians like Yarnek in “The Savage Curtain” or that little bastard Nagilum in “The Savage Curtain.” Seriously, guys. You could’ve just asked.

There are also beings who seem to be able to use things like mind control and matter fabrication to gain control over the crew members for, um, not really any good reason except maybe fun? Of course I’m talking about General Trelane in “The Squire of Gothos” and Sylvia and Korob in “Catspaw.” Dang, there are a lot of these hyperpowered people in The Original Series, so let’s spread things out a little with Onaya from DS9’s “The Muse,” who could activate the creative mind of her victim… while effectively sucking the life from them.

We can thank the selfish actions of the Nacene like the titular Caretaker and like Suspiria in “Cold Fire” for bringing about all of Voyager in the first place! Their powers are strong enough to drag whole ships all the way to the Delta Quadrant. Now that’s some powerful lasting effects!

—

The biggest kids on the galactic block

Finally, we’ve made it to the main event. All the beings who are so powerful as to be truly omnipotent, with such abilities that force the actions of whole episodes, story arcs, societies, and even series. Most of these are in no particular order, so let’s laud the absolutely bonkers  powers of the Thasians in “Charlie X,” the Metron in Arena, and the Organians in “Errand of Mercy” in one fell swoop. These are beings that can dangle the relations between whole species in the palms of their hands. 

There’s something mind boggling about just what beings like the Megans in “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” and the Traveler in “Where No One Has Gone Before,” “Remember Me,” and “Journey’s End” can do. They basically prove that magic is real because there’s no difference between reality and imagination, and that’s a scary scary thing. Is it scarier than the Douwd like Kevin Uxbridge in “The Survivors” who can wipe out entire species with a thought? I’ll let you decide that.

And of course it’s as easy as a snap to pick the absolute most powerful omnipotent beings in all of Star Trek. Every single other site agrees on this fact, and who would we be to say otherwise? It is obviously Q, and thank the continuum for him! Not only is his sweet style something we adore, but his episodes across all series provided our captains with unique challenges and put us humans in our place on a much lower rung than we think we belong on.

—

Well that has put things in perspective and we can all go back to being the puny little beings we always are, until we transcend, that is. Someone’s got to undo the damage the Caretaker did, so we hope you’re following along with our watch through of Voyager on SoundCloud or wherever you use mind powers to listen to podcasts. Beckon us to your planet on Facebook and Twitter, and use your powers for good, and only a little bit of evil!

[pluralzalpha]

Galactic Gazetteer: Sha Ka Ree

AKA: Eden Vorta Vor, Qu'iTu

Class: unknown

Quadrant: Beta

Location: Galactic Core region, within the Great Barrier

First visited by: Kirk, Spock, Symbol & McCoy, USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A c.2287

Appearance: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Fun fact: inhabited by an malevolent false God

Another fun fact: named for the Vulcan mythical holy realm, but actually named for Sean Connery who they wanted to play Sybok.

Fun fact 3: was originally going to have rock monsters

[olivia-ben]

White Chicken Enchiladas

The whole family will love these.

By Ree DrummondUpdated: August 16, 2024

enchiladas.

What's the best cheese for enchiladas?

Any sort of good melting cheese works great. I especially love monterey jack cheese because it's mild in flavor and melts beautifully. Pepper jack works great too, or you can use a mix of the two.

How do you keep the tortillas from getting mushy?

The key here is to fry the tortillas in oil for just a few seconds before you fill them. You don't want them to get the least bit crispy, this just makes the tortillas soft and pliable and helps create a barrier so the tortillas don't soak up too much sauce and become soggy and mushy. It also adds flavor to the tortillas! You can just nuke 'em in the microwave for a few seconds, but I like frying them best.

What do you eat with white chicken enchiladas?

Yields: 6 serving(s)

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. canola oil, divided

12 whole corn tortillas

1 large onion, diced

1 whole jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

2 1/2 c. cooked, shredded chicken

3 (4-oz.) cans whole green chiles, diced and divided

1 tsp. paprika, divided

2 c. reserved broth from chicken, divided

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 c. sour cream

2 1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese, divided, plus more to top

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, chopped

Picante sauce (optional)

Directions

1. In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp). Place the tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño, and sauté for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add the chicken, half of the green chiles, and 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and stir. Add the heavy cream and stir, allowing the mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. In a separate large skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Whisk together and cook until it begins to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the remaining half of the chiles. Reduce the heat, then stir in the sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese and stir to melt. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Check the seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To assemble, spoon the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish.

5. Pour the cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you'd like, then bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

6.Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Continue reading......

[einereiseblog]

Ein Flug zum Great Barrier Reef ab Cairns ist bei weitem eine der besten Möglichkeiten, die Schönheit des größten Korallenriffsystems der Welt zu erleben. Lesen Sie über meine Erfahrungen, während ich Ihnen einige nützliche Tipps gebe, wie Sie das Beste aus dieser einmaligen Erfahrung machen können! Cairns ist wirklich Australiens Tor zum Great Barrier Reef. Nachdem ich so viel Zeit damit verbracht habe, Cairns und Tropical Far North Queensland zu erkunden, werde ich oft gefragt, wie man das Riff am besten sehen kann. Eine einfache Antwort ist, dass man seine Größe und Schönheit am besten aus der Luft erleben kann – bei einem Rundflug über das Great Barrier Reef! Egal, ob Sie ein Australier sind, der in seinem eigenen Hinterhof reist, oder Sie zum ersten Mal aus Übersee kommen, Sie werden dieses Erlebnis in Cairns auf jeden Fall buchen wollen! In diesem Leitfaden gebe ich Ihnen alle Informationen, die Sie benötigen, um einen unglaublichen Flug über das Great Barrier Reef von Cairns aus zu buchen und zu genießen. Direkt zum Deal: Ich habe meinen Great Barrier Reef-Flug ab Cairns bei GSL Aviation über Get Your Guide gebucht. So buchen Sie einen Rundflug über das Great Barrier Reef ab Cairns In Cairns gibt es einige Luftfahrtunternehmen, die Rundflüge zum Riff anbieten. Für mich war die Entscheidung für GSL Aviation superleicht, da sie mit Abstand die besten Bewertungen in Cairns haben. Sie operieren auch von den Whitsundays aus und haben auch dort unten einen großartigen Ruf. Im Folgenden sind einige Gründe aufgeführt, warum ich diesen Flug anderen vorziehen würde: Jeder Sitzplatz ist ein FensterplatzSie haben drei kleinere Flugzeuge, was bedeutet, dass sie nie überfüllt sind40-Minuten-Flug statt 30-Minuten-FlugEiner der günstigsten, auch ohne Pandemie-RabattSie versenden detaillierte Wegbeschreibungen und bieten sogar einen Shuttleservice von Cairns anSie fliegen nicht, wenn das Wetter schlecht ist oder Sie das Riff nicht gut sehen können. Sie werden Sie kostenlos umbuchen. Ich stelle normalerweise fest, dass eine Google-Suche hauptsächlich „gesponserte“ Anzeigen zurückgibt, die Ihnen nicht immer Ergebnisse mit den besten Bewertungen oder Angeboten liefern. Stattdessen entscheide ich mich dafür, Bewertungen auf Buchungsseiten wie Get Your Guide zu überprüfen. Wenn Sie solche Websites noch nie zuvor verwendet haben, schalten sie im Grunde nur den Mittelsmann des „Reisebüros“ aus und ermöglichen unabhängigen Reisenden, Buchungen für Erlebnisse und Aktivitäten wie diesen Cairns-Riffflug einfach vorzunehmen und zu verwalten. Das Beste daran ist, dass Sie immer die besten Preise erhalten, die oft sogar günstiger sind, als direkt zum Lieferanten zu gehen, da alles über ihre Plattform läuft. Klicken Sie hier, um den gleichen Great Barrier Reef-Flug von Cairns zu buchen, den ich genommen habe. Tipps für die Planung eines Rundflugs über das Great Barrier Reef Hier sind einige schnelle Tipps für diejenigen, die den malerischen Riffflug von Cairns aus planen. Denken Sie daran, dass es sich um Gruppenbuchungen handelt, es werden also auch andere Personen im Flugzeug sein. Wenn Sie die gleiche Reise wie ich gebucht haben, spielt es keine Rolle, da Sie trotzdem einen Fensterplatz bekommen. Hervorgehoben in: Die 10 besten Touren und Erlebnisse in Cairns Erwarten Sie ein kleines Flugzeug! Das kleine sechssitzige Flugzeug, das wir nahmen, war mit Abstand das kleinste Flugzeug, in dem ich je geflogen bin. Zum Glück bekam ich den Platz in der ersten Reihe neben dem Piloten. Es war wirklich ein episches Erlebnis, in einem kleinen Propellerflugzeug 500 Fuß über dem Great Barrier Reef zu fliegen. Wenn Sie jedoch planen, einen Riffflug mit einer Gruppe zu buchen, denken Sie daran, dass die Plätze aufgrund der geringen Größe nach Gewicht zugewiesen werden. Es ist ziemlich klar, dass dies das Flugzeug ausbalancieren soll, aber es bedeutet im Grunde, dass Sie die Sitze nicht nach Belieben tauschen können. Andererseits, wenn Sie wie ich den Sechssitzer bekommen, ist sowieso jeder in Reichweite!

Nachmittagsausflüge sind großartig Es stehen einige Zeitfenster zur Verfügung, aber ich würde dringend empfehlen, einen Nachmittagsausflug zu buchen. Unser Flug verließ Cairns um 14:00 Uhr, was hervorragende Bedingungen für einen Flug zum Great Barrier Reef bot. Da der Höhepunkt der Reise das Riff ist, möchten Sie etwas Sonne, um die Farben hervorzuheben. Zu viel grelles Licht erzeugt jedoch zu viel Blendung. Deshalb würde ich einen Nachmittagsflug empfehlen, bei dem die Sonne nicht direkt über dem Riff steht. Unser Pilot war sehr erfahren und stellte sicher, dass er um das Riff und die Inseln herumflog, sodass beide Seiten des Flugzeugs mit der Sonne im Rücken einige epische Fotomotive hatten. Das Wetter kann sich ändern Das sind die Tropen! Denken Sie daran, dass das Wetter in Cairns anders sein kann als auf dem Riff. Tatsächlich ist es normalerweise so. Die hohen Regenwaldgipfel hinter Cairns saugen Wolken auf, was bedeutet, dass es in der Stadt zwar wolkig aussehen mag, am Riff jedoch möglicherweise keine Wolke in Sicht ist! Natürlich können sich auch auf See tropische Stürme zusammenbrauen. Das Gute daran ist, dass Great Barrier Reef-Flüge von Cairns nicht durchgeführt werden, wenn die Bedingungen keinen sicheren Flug zulassen oder wenn die Bedingungen nicht gut sind, um das Riff zu sehen. Die Jungs von GSL sagten mir, dass sie meine Reise kostenlos verschieben würden, wenn es zu regnerisch oder windig wäre. Tipp: Ich empfehle, WillyWeather herunterzuladen, um genaue Wetterberichte zu erhalten. VERWANDTER POST: Cairns im Heißluftballon – Alles, was Sie wissen müssen Wichtige Dinge, die Sie zu einem Rundflug über Cairns mitnehmen sollten Wenn Sie es gewohnt sind, riesiges Handgepäck auf Jetlinern mitzunehmen, sollten Sie wissen, dass diese malerischen Riffflüge nur sehr begrenzt Platz bieten. Das bedeutet, dass Sie keine Tasche mit vielen Sachen mitbringen können. Einige wichtige Dinge sind jedoch sehr zu empfehlen: Kamera – einfach das Wichtigste, wenn Sie ein paar epische Bilder vom Great Barrier Reef machen wollen Polarisationsfilter für Ihre Kamera (mehr dazu weiter unten)Sonnenbrille Telefon (für Fotos und Ihr digitales Buchungsticket, wenn Sie bei Get Your Guide gebucht haben) Was Sie bei einem Flug zum Great Barrier Reef ab Cairns erwartet Bei meinem letzten Besuch in Cairns im Dezember bin ich über das Great Barrier Reef geflogen. Obwohl es unbestreitbar heiß war, kratzte es definitiv an dem tropischen Jucken, das ich vermisst hatte, als ich ein paar Monate im Süden verbracht hatte. Das erste Highlight des GBR-Rundfluges war vom Start weg Green Island. Dies ist eine der idyllischsten Inseln von Cairns und eine, die ich auf meinen Segeltörns einige Male erkunden durfte. Dieses Juwel einer Insel von oben zu sehen, war jedoch eine ganz neue Erfahrung. Green Island ist von Korallenriffen umgeben und die einzige Great Barrier Reef-Insel mit einem eigenen Regenwald-Ökosystem. Es stimmt, dass das Riff umso ursprünglicher ist, je weiter man sich von der Küste entfernt. Wenn Sie noch nie zuvor am Riff waren, ist diese Wahrheit genauso offensichtlich, wenn Sie sie vom Himmel aus beobachten. Nachdem wir Green Island umrundet hatten, um beiden Seiten des Flugzeugs eine klare Sicht zu ermöglichen, machten wir uns auf den Weg zum äußeren Riff. Zum Glück war während unseres Fluges Flut. Dies bedeutete, dass der größte Teil des Riffs unter Wasser lag und ein lebendiges, türkisfarbenes Leuchten zeigte. Obwohl ich das Riff schon oft von meiner Drohne aus gesehen habe, kann man es wirklich nicht mit einer realen Weltansicht vergleichen. Auf unserem Flugplan für diesen Tag standen einige epische GBR Sandcay-Ikonen, darunter Michaelmas Cay, Vlasoff Cay und Upolo Cay. Diese kleinen Sandbänke, umgeben von kristallklarem, leuchtendem Korallenriff, gehören wohl zu den schönsten Flecken am Great Barrier Reef. Das Vorbeifliegen in niedriger Höhe erwies sich auch als eines der besten Fotomotive des Fluges.

Weitere Highlights waren Hastings Reef, einer der besten Tauchplätze im GBR, sowie einige andere wunderschöne Bommie-Flecken, die mir den Atem raubten. Hervorgehoben in: Cairns Reiseroute – Wie man 5 Tage in FNQ verbringt Tipps für bessere Fotos von der GBR Während Telefone in der Lage sind, einige ziemlich anständige Schnappschüsse aufzunehmen, sollten Sie sie mitbringen, wenn Sie eine größere DSLR- oder spiegellose Kamera haben. Über das Great Barrier Reef zu fliegen ist eine der besten Fotogelegenheiten, die ich bisher hatte, und ich hatte eine tolle Zeit, als ich versuchte, ein paar Tierpfleger zu erwischen. Empfohlene Objektive und Brennweiten Um die Größe des Riffs einzufangen, empfehle ich, ein Weitwinkelobjektiv auf einen Rundflug über das Great Barrier Reef mitzunehmen. Ich fotografiere mit einer Canon 5D Mark IV, also habe ich mich entschieden, mein 17-40 mm mitzubringen, was mir Platz gibt, um einige engere Winkel sowie einige große, offene Aufnahmen zu machen. Während ein näherer Bereich wie ein 24-70-mm-Walk-Around-Objektiv ebenfalls großartig wäre, würde ich nicht empfehlen, ein Teleobjektiv mitzunehmen. Die Flugzeuge fliegen in einer Höhe von 500 Fuß, was die niedrigste Höhe ist, die sie in Australien fliegen dürfen. Sie brauchen nur kein Tele. Sie sollten auch eine kurze Verschlusszeit beibehalten, was schwieriger ist, je mehr Sie zoomen. Versuchen Sie es mit einem Polarisationsfilter Dafür wurden Polarisatoren gebaut. Da wir auf Wasser fotografieren, sorgt die Begrenzung von Blendung und Reflexionen für einige schön saubere Aufnahmen. Es ermöglicht Ihnen auch, mehr vom Riff einzufangen, da der Polarisator die Reflexionen auf der Wasseroberfläche durchschneidet. Ich fand jedoch, dass es schwieriger war, die Reflexionen vom Flugzeugfenster mit eingeschaltetem Polarisator zu reduzieren. Daher habe ich es die ganze Zeit nicht benutzt. 40 Minuten mögen lang erscheinen, aber es geht schnell! Probieren Sie es unbedingt mit und ohne Filter aus. Versuchen Sie, Ihren Winkel durch das Fenster zu finden Dieser letzte Tipp ist wohl einer der nützlichsten. Sie werden es vielleicht nicht bemerken, wenn Sie sich hoch über dem Riff befinden, aber das Fotografieren durch das Glasfenster hinterlässt manchmal einige Reflexionen, abhängig vom Winkel (siehe die obere rechte Ecke auf dem Bild oben). Versuchen Sie, Ihre Winkel früh zu erarbeiten, sogar bevor Sie abreisen, wenn Sie können. Es mag verwirrend erscheinen, aber Sie werden schnell erkennen, wo die unschönen Reflexionen am stärksten sind. Ich schlage vor, ein Ersatz-T-Shirt oder ein kleines Handtuch mitzubringen, um es um die Vorderseite Ihres Objektivs zu wickeln. Wenn Sie dann Ihr Objektiv mit dem umwickelten Lappen gegen das Glas drücken, begrenzen Sie Licht oder Reflexionen aus dem Inneren des Flugzeugs, die in Ihren Aufnahmen erscheinen. Ein Freund hat mir diesen Tipp verraten und es schien super zu funktionieren! Weitere epische Aktivitäten in Cairns Far North Queensland ist eines der wildesten Abenteuerziele Australiens. Wenn Ihnen dieser Leitfaden und die Mini-Rezension des Great Barrier Reef-Fluges von Cairns gefallen haben, schauen Sie sich unbedingt einige meiner anderen Reiseführer an. Ich habe ausführlich über all die erstaunlichen Aktivitäten in Cairns geschrieben, von den besten Wanderungen und Wasserfällen bis hin zu Reiseführern, welche Inseln des Great Barrier Reef Sie nicht verpassen sollten. Wenn Sie Fragen zur Buchung eines malerischen Riffflugs von Cairns haben oder Ihre Erfahrungen teilen möchten, hinterlassen Sie unten einen Kommentar! Genießen! .

[msclaritea]

Boris Johnson's government doesn't represent "modern Great Britain," as Johnson has claimed, but an archaic system that teaches those who belong to it that they are destined for the kind of greatness that others cannot reach.

It is a system that teaches the preservation & exercise of power, but it also one in which the shrewd & cunning, but not necessarily the best, rise to the top.

In its eagerness to produce a ruling elite, the system has also done lasting damage to the psyches of many of the children who have passed through it. And many view the boys' school of Eton College as perhaps the most representative example of this system.

Fear & humiliation were important elements of the Eton system.

At the end of each school year, everyone can see who was best in class & who was worst. The school is home to "horrible bullying".

21st century Britain has seen the perpetuation of a system that has almost nothing to do with educational equity & equal opportunity. The hollow mantra of 'social mobility' disguises the fact that boundaries between the very top & the very bottom are increasingly impermeable.

"A child today has less chance of breaking through the class and career barrier than their grandparents born in the 1950s. The subtle networks of the privately schooled help to create a system of self-perpetuating advantage & social immobility."

Inevitably, anger against "the elite" has intensified, contributing to the result of the Brexit referendum - a decision that caught David Cameron, the political classes, British business leaders, much of the media and even Brexit frontman Boris Johnson unprepared.

We need to understand the *real* Boris Johnson. He's not the bumbling clown act we're presented with, which has been cultivated to hide his grotesque incompetence, sociopathic lying, fragile ego & bullying arrogance.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-s-biographer-i-know-too-well-the-fire-and-fury-lurking-behind-that-smile-03gqmxt5v

Sonia Purnell: the truth about Boris.

"Elite boarding schools consistently turn out people who appear much more competent than they actually are".

The system produces "a recognizable product, which is very poor at emotions and has a built-in sense of entitlement."

Products of the system tend to be self-confident, eloquent & charismatic, but often lack the ability to deal with their own feelings & those of others.

British boarding school students have to leave their homes & families prematurely to struggle for survival in an environment of competition & harassment.

Often, their inner child is locked away & they quickly become "pseudo adults." That is why many of them seem so "boyish."

Essentially, Britain is being run by children in adult bodies for whom politics is little more than a fascinating game.

There is a certain predilection for #infantilism: Boris Johnson & his messy hair; Jacob Rees-Mogg, fond of taking pictures with his nanny;

David Cameron, who turned tail & disappeared after his brutal Brexit defeat in 2016; & Nigel Farage, another elite school product, who seems like a Simpsons character come-to-life.

We might call it "boarding school syndrome."

The British boarding school system does not provide its charges with a realistic image of the conditions in which the vast majority of the population live. The years in educational luxury are instead much more likely to further deepen the chasm between the elite & the rest.

Occasionally, there are counterexamples, such as Clement Atlee, but generally pupils leave school with inflated egos, unshakeable faith in their own abilities & a craving for success. But this system for the self-selection of our leaders is profoundly damaging for Britain.

Even some @Conservatives can see it clearly: Nadine Dorries described Cameron & Osborne as "two posh, arrogant boys... who don't know the price of milk... who show no remorse, no contrition & no passion to want to understand the lives of others - & that is their real crime."

Boris Johnson even presented a plan to lower taxes on the richest 10%. Even the center-right magazine the Economist wrote that "Britain is governed by a self-involved clique that rewards group membership above competition & self-confidence above expertise."

It was this wealthy & extremely well-networked clique that brought will Brexit to fruition. Because of the advantages they enjoy, they didn't fear a no-deal, & they know they won't have to pay the price for it - they know they will get away scot-free.

They always have.

• • •

[ezra-iolite]

More Lore on the Savannah/Joka Ardhi (Pirateformers AU)

So I've got some more lore I really wanna share for the Pirateformers AU!! Mainly about the Savannah and the culture surrounding the dragons' legacy! So here, I'll be discussing the culture, language, hierarchy and main locations of Asya's homeland, Joka Ardhi. Enjoy!!

Jokani and the Common Tongue of Primus

When in the desert kingdom of the far south, the people refer to their homeland as "Joka Ardhi" (pronounced with a soft j, like the French "je" in je m'apelle), which quite literally means "Dragonlands", so when they are welcoming you to the kingdom, they will say "Karibu kwenye Joka ya Ardhi!", which translates to "Welcome to the Land of Dragons!".

The kingdom became known, or rather anglicized, as the Savannah roughly three hundred years ago, when Dragon Lord Alhaadi, father of Jhamal and grandfather of Asya, reestablished a treaty for trade with the kingdom of Primus, a treaty that had been forgotten since the Night of Crowning Fire three thousand years ago, along with it the regal duties of the kingdom and its connection to its neighbors, at least until the fabled Burning Prince Alunnui of the early Dragonkin species took the throne, establishing a foothold as a powerful kingdom equal to Primus, and thus began Asya's royal lineage and future mantle. Through this recreated treaty, the past king of Primus (the former prince of Primus Rodimus's great grandfather) and Dragon Lord Alhaadi built the foundations of trade between their kingdoms. However, due to a language barrier caused by the Dragon Lord not being given a proper translator fluent in both Common and Jokani, the ignorant Primus nobles in charge of the treaty papers simply named the kingdom of Joka Ardhi based on the appearance of the Jokai nobles before them... The name translated into Common became the Savannah Kingdom, a name that remains to this day.

As a result of this public mockery and general ignorance (i.e; a certain type of supremacy), Lord Alhaadi returned home to Joka Ardhi and immediately set up a law that forbade all Primus natives other than merchants from entering the land of the Jokai. Even then, the merchants sent from Primus on the orders of the Primus-Jokai Trade Treaty were never allowed to enter the kingdom beyond the port cities. Because of the highly valued magically grown crystals and the power the Jokai Moran held (the royal guards and common warriors alike), the old Primus king created myths and gossip about the "crimson desert of the eternal sun and its country of savages" to ensure none would invade the southern kingdom, less they face the wrath of the Dragon Lord.

When the natives of Joka Ardhi refer to their own language of Jokani, they will refer to one of three dialects... ~ Ufukweni Jokani (Oo-Foo-Kwren-Ee, Juh-Kan-Ee) or Coastal Jokani is Asya's first spoken language and is mainly used by fishermen, the common city folk, as well as the Dragon Lord and all *chieftains alike. (See next section "Nobility" for the lore on the Jokani hierarchy) ~ Msafiri (Mm-Sah-Fear-Ree) Jokani, known as either Traveler or, more commonly, Dunefarer Jokani, this dialect is spoken mainly by merchants and nomads within the long stretch of desert between the cities and pockets of civilization known as the Tasa'nchi (Tah-Sah-Hn-Chee) or the Wasteland. This dialect is rarely heard within the cities, towns and safe-havens between the vast stretches of the Tasa'nchi as it's considered the "rural or traveler's slang" of the common Jokani tongue. ~ Ulimi wa Joka la Kale (Oo-Lee-Me, Wah, Juh-Okah, Lah, Ka-Lay), which translates to Old Dragon Tongue, is used only for Draconic spells and when using crystals, which mainly consists of growls and deep rumbling words that only a Dragonkin or one capable of speaking without a forked tongue can do. (And before you ask, yes... A noble blooded "Jokai" or native of Joka Ardhi such as Dragon Lord Jhamal or his daughter Asya are taught to speak all three dialects from a very early age. For the rest of the kingdom, they mainly speak one dialect, other than the language of their magic, which is taught only to mages capable of handling the language and use of magic)

Nobility

The hierarchy of nobility within Joka Ardhi has only three tiers above the common folk. The highest is the ruling royalty, the second is the heir to that royal mantle, and the third is the managerial nobility that obey the royalty above them. The titles are as such, in the order of highest to lowest rank....

~ Dragon Lord or Dragon Queen and the Consorts ~

While the ancestral title is that of a Lord, a Dragon Lord is in fact a king or queen, one who has final say in all laws being passed, a judge of the justice system, and is the supreme power that governs the entire kingdom of Joka Ardhi. Those who marry the heir of this mantle will gain the title of King or Queen Consort, and either the eldest or the willing heir of the Dragon Lord/Queen will then become the Prince/Princess Heir Apparent, the next in line to the throne by right of blood.

In Common tongue, you first address a Dragon Lord/Queen upon meeting them as "Your Highness" and their Consort as "Your Grace" before bowing at the waist with your head and gaze down and your dominant arm crossed over your chest, and only after being told to look up may you then refer to the Dragon Lord/Queen as "my Lord/my Queen" before kissing their hand in greeting. For a Consort, after you first address them, you will then refer to them as "Sir/my Lady" before giving them a simple head bow with a hand over your heart in greeting. *Under no circumstances may the consorts be referred to as Lord or Queen, for there can only be one Lord and Queen by right of Alunnui's law.*

By ancient law, you must always address the Dragon Lord/Queen first before you speak to the consorts, but to ignore a consort entirely is punishable by death. All consorts are equal to their Dragon Lord husband or Dragon Queen wife in power.

The Dragon Lord has always been and always will be a Dragonkin, a fact made permanent since the Burning Prince made it law to the royal bloodline itself, to ensure the prophecy remains true to this very day, with the birth of Asya being a result of this very law, even at the cost of her mother's freedom. As such, evolution over the years since Alunnui's time has led to his kindred species that dwell within Joka Ardhi being split in two... The Fire Ruby royal species and the common Desert Opal species of Dragonkin. - The Fire Ruby royal line has always consisted of red, yellow or orange scaled Dragonkin who are born only as heirs to the Ruby Throne, and mainly bear the ability to control and breathe coloured and emotion-fueled fire. - Meanwhile, the common Desert Opal breed of Jokani Dragonkin are of every other colour of the rainbow and can bear an element other than fire within them, such as water, ice, lightning, acid, anything that can be formed as a breath.

To avoid accidental incest and to ensure a constant flow of healthy heirs within the royal family, Dragon Lords will often have human or other species of mortal blood for a spouse, but it is an unspoken rule that a Fire Ruby and an Opal Dragonkin are never meant to breed, simply due to the fact that the two species are more like first-cousins than separate species entirely. And as such, the two species view each other as family and nothing more, with some Opals even serving as Seers and practitioners of magical needs, (such as healers, astrologists or weather mages) within the royal court, due to the abundant draconic magic flowing within them.

The making of laws and the organization of rites and ceremonies is done through the Evenstar Council, consisting of the Dragon Lord, their most trusted advisor or spouse, at least one Mage or Seer present, and the Chieftains of the kingdom. While this council IS named after the kingdom's main religious church, they actually have no connection or influence over one another beyond the need to work on celebrated traditions and lunar festivals together. The council was named after the first star that appears in the sky every dawn and dusk, the god and symbolic vassal to the entire Nyotaism/Star Church faith, the Evenstar.

Once a month for one full week, the chieftains will come from across the country to the Dragon Lord's palace in the coastal city of Oasis, where they will all arrive by the evening of the new moon. There, they will all drink, feast, and rest from travel to celebrate the lunar phase allowing the stars to be at their strongest and the gathering of old friends. This feast is also a time to introduce the heirs that have come of age as the next in line to a chieftain or Dragon Lord's mantle, to allow the heirs to gather, learn and become friends for the future that awaits them. And for that week until the dawn of the eighth day, they will talk, plan, organize and set into motion all that must be done to ensure the upkeep of their kingdom.

~ Prince/Princess ~

As the future heir to the Ruby Throne and all the power that comes with the mantle of being the next Dragon Monarch, the child of a Dragon Lord/Queen bears the weight of an entire country upon their shoulders from a very early age. However, through patient lessons, council meetings to learn the ways of their regal parents, and by ensuring a friendly and stable relationship with the public to truly understand their needs, an heir apparent can easily become a suitable king or queen of Joka Ardhi and be ready for the throne by the time their parent passes on.

In terms of power, a prince or princess has dominion over the people in the same way their Dragon Lord parent does, but even they must obey the word of their parent and king/queen. As such... you address a Jokani prince/princess in the same manner as their regal parent, as "Your Royal Highness", and then afterwards as "Master/Madam/Sovereign".

While under normal circumstances, the firstborn Dragonkin child of a Dragon Lord/Queen will automatically become the heir apparent. However, the decision to rule is entirely up to the child, especially if they have siblings. As long as the heir apparent is of Dragonkin blood, then any one of the Lord/Queen's children can step up to take the mantle of the throne when it is their time.

~ Seers and Draconic Magic Users ~

Magic is a plentiful resource within Joka Ardhi. From the crystals found under the sand and within the caves that once housed the dragons, to the flora and the very sun itself that covers the entire kingdom's surface, all of it contains magic that can be tapped into and used freely. As a result of this plentiful resource being here since the beginning of time, the dragons were the ones who made the most use of it in the creation of their spells, crystal grids and tomes, some of which remain to this day but especially within the protective walls of the Oasis palace, under the watchful care and duty of every Dragon Lord/Queen and the Mages that call the palace their home. Very few are allowed within the palace library other than the staff who are chosen by the Dragon Lord/Queen personally, and even fewer who are not Dragonkin or magically inclined with the gift of knowing how to speak the Old Dragon Tongue dialect may even dare to see the ancient tomes of the dragons.

Because of this duty bound secrecy to the tomes and artifacts of Draconic magic, it is seen as justly reasonable to rely solely on fellow Dragonkin for the use and protection of their ancestor's work. This cultural belief has led to the norm surrounding the populace of magic users within Joka Ardhi consisting almost entirely of Opal Dragonkin, with the majority of Jokani born humans who are magically inclined leaning towards other schools of magic instead, such as witchcraft, crystal magic, minor forms of elemental control, etc.

The more well known roles of the Opal Dragonkin often fall under two major jobs, both of which aid the kingdom and the Dragon Lord/Queen and thus occur within the royal court, therefore make those who perform these roles akin to royalty. The roles are the Seers and the Draconic Mages.

The Seers originally consisted of four elderly female Opal Dragonkin that formed a small council known as the Elder Seers, or the Mwonaji (Muan-Ah-Jee) for short when said in the native tongue. A Seer's role within the court was the job of a soothsayer, to foretell the future and relay to the royal family of any dangers both within and beyond the kingdom, as well as the occasional guidance whenever a member of royalty and nobility needed a helping hand. Because of this, the Seers were also the most trusted advisors to the Dragon Lord/Queen and thus were often the leaders of the palace staff and the second in command of the entire city of Oasis. If the royal family weren't making orders to organize something, it was always the Seers duty to organize events and the daily life around the palace.

Today.... Only one Seer is left from the original council, after Dragon Lord Jhamal's fury ripped through the entire palace the day he banished his only heir. Elder Seer Kamaria... The very same Seer who foretold the prophecy that begun the Night of Crowning Fire, served Alunnui's first heir to the throne after the Burning Prince's passing, and has served every Dragon Lord since thanks to her draconic blood and magic aging her more slowly... making her one of the last living Dragonkin that isn't more human-like in appearance due to evolution and mingling with mortal humans over the thousands of years (with Asya having only dragon fangs, pointed ears, slit eyes and fire in her heart, when using her illusionary disguise crystal hidden in her headscarf)..... Kamaria is what the Dragonkin originally looked like as the actual hybrid children of dragons and humans... Scaly digitigrade legs, a long tail, medium length horns that could be hidden under a headscarf or a veil in Karmaria's case, scaly clawed hands, scales all long her arms and some on her cheeks, more carnivorous style teeth, and of course the slit eyes. (And should Asya reveal her true self in due time, she will look the same as a member of the Fire Ruby Dragonkin species, only with horns and a tail that will grow longer than their current stubby and stunted growth forms when she returns home to Joka Ardhi....)

The Draconic Mages are the more secretive Opal Dragonkin workers within the palace, and are rarely seen outside the library deep underground, beneath the palace. Every day, no matter who the Dragon Lord was at the time, the Mages would always be scurrying about, studying the tomes of their forefathers and honing their magic through them. The only non-mages that were ever allowed within the library are the Dragon Lord/Queen, their heirs and consort spouses, the Seers, and mages in training.

With such precious secrets to hide for the safety of the kingdom, it's only natural to think that they would need the best forms of security both magic and mortal hand can offer. So, they have three... ~ The entrance to the underground tunnels is a simple wooden door, just like any other within the palace halls. Undistinguishable and unmarked, only those who know the way can find it. But upon reaching said door, they must pass the Mages' first test... A password spoken in the Old Dragon Tongue upon the right rune hidden within the knots and curves of the wood that shapes the door. With the right password that is changed bi-weekly and never shared outside the library, only the Seers can know what this password is by foretelling it to their Dragon Lord/Queen and to those with written permission from them may ask the Seer for the password. ~ Once the doors are opened, it's now onto the second test... the maze. To reach the heart of the tunnels, one must always be accompanied by a certified Mage who has been trained for years prior to know the way, for not even a naïve novice Mage in training will know the way without guidance or a map, for should they travel alone without the safety and determination in already knowing where to go, the runes within the tunnel walls will create new passageways and blockages to keep the poor soul lost within the tunnels forever, or until a fellow Mage can find them. ~ Finally, the last door that stands between you and the library bears one final test.... Two small stone dragons guard this magically shielded door, their mouths open and red eyes glowing with magic infused crystals that can read the soul-deep intent of those who approach them. Hunger for power and selfish gain is an aura these dragon guardians can see and taste. By placing your hand within their mouth, they will see if you are worthy of learning what is beyond the door and the shield that covers it entirely... If you pass this test, their eyes will turn white and the magic shield will lift, allowing you passage at long last. If you fail, however... the dragons will both take your hands, eyes and tongue to prevent you from stealing, seeing and speaking ever again, and leave you to face your fate within the tunnels as you walk blindly and aimlessly through them forevermore.

~ Chieftains ~

In every village, town or city, there is a chieftain who rules it and manages the needs of its people, in the same way a mayor would. When spoken to by a commoner, they are addressed as "Mkuu", which means Chief in Jokani, followed by their name. When spoken to by a royal, however, they are referred to only by name.

If a chieftain without any family dies, then a new one is elected by public vote before the Evenstar Council reviews the skills of this potential new chieftain, checking their background and personality to ensure they are not corrupt and greedy, before they decide by vote if this new face should be a chieftain and a member of their council. Otherwise, the mantle of chiefhood will always go to the eldest child after they turn twenty-five, only after they show promise of being capable of handling the skills needed to be the voice and guide to their people. They too will be presented to the Evenstar Council and to their ruler, the Dragon Lord/Queen, to be assessed on whether they truly are a worthy candidate of replacing their parent once they retire or pass on. If not, then another will be elected and the child of the Chieftain will live on and viewed as incapable of handling the mantle.

In terms of wealth, a chieftain and their family is always given a personal treasury by the Dragon Lord's secretary only after being reviewed by the Dragon Lord/Queen themselves to ensure tabs are kept on the outcome of the royal treasury. This single payment that will then be replenished by the taxes from Chieftain's homestead is to be shared with the rest of the village, town or city, to ensure its upkeep and the cycle of equal payment to all workers, be they construction, herbalists, doctors, teachers, stay-at-home parents, or struggling single parents not yet able to work or find a guardian for their children, all are under the chieftain's financial care.

Of course, there is plenty of money left over to allow the chieftain and their family to live comfortably, albeit more luxuriously than the common folk due to a majority of chieftains inheriting the bigger, wealthier and more spacious homes from their predecessor, be it family or the last to be voted into power. This is where the Council ensures that every chieftain they review is one that bears good intentions, even while knowing of the wealth that awaits them, should they be given the vote.

Beyond their wealth, they are seen as equal rank to the common folk, for they are the voice of their people, and only through their chieftain can every Jokani voice be heard, or face public scrutiny and imprisonment for the chieftain's crime of sloth and greed towards the lack of care for their people. After all, the Dragon Lord has eyes and ears throughout the dunes.

Main Locations (so far)

The Capital: Oasis (Alunn'nchi)

Named by the human settlers who first built this cherished riverside city, the golden sandstone walls of each building are the only remnants of what old Joka Ardhi used to be like before the Founder's War stained the dunes red by the spilled blood of the dragons, hence why Joka Ardhi is also known in Common tongue as the Kingdom of the Crimson Sands.

However, to the locals who have continued telling the fireside tale of the night when the city fell and was claimed by the monarchy who rule it today, this city goes by another name only ever said in their tongue...

Alunn'nchi... Alunnui's Land.

The city can be found after following the river on a three day journey north from the port city of Wajiri, the only place the merchants of Primus and many others can dock a large ship, such as the Immortal Sun.

The Royal Palace

Within the heart of the city, you can find the palace standing out like a beacon amongst the sand coloured buildings, towering over them and yet somehow blending in with them... A trick of the eye to keep away invaders.

While it may appear small and bland, its true beauty lies within. Due to the desert heat and needing to create high walls to protect all those within, a majority of the castle dwells underground, mainly the staff areas, treasury, half of all the hundreds of bedrooms, and everything but the entrance hall, entertainment rooms, throne room, kitchen and other bedrooms.

The palace also has its own well kept garden and a gravesite for every Dragon Lord/Queen that ruled the kingdom and their spouses, to keep it away from the public.

(More to come at a later date...)

[jurysbane]

Interest has been shown. I shall begin

They are called the Ceyrians (say-ree-ans) or Ceyric (say-rick) and let me just say. I love them.

They are immortal beings—and have been around for thousands, maybe millions of years. They are humanoid (looks similar to humans) but have some extra appendages (??)

For starters, pointy ears- like elves. They’re really REALLY tall, and some have horns.

The way someone can tell how old a Ceyrian may be is that for the first while of their life they age with their ears. The pointier and longer ones ears are—the older they are. And once your ears can no longer get pointier and longer, markings begin to appear. First as small crescent-like shapes near the eyes, and then progresses into a pattern of intricate design as one gets older.

Once the marking process is done it gets more difficult to determine age, but at that age they stop counting.

Heights range from 6’0 to 12’0. Most are in the 6’5-9’0 range.

Music is very important in their culture, they pride themselves on it.

They are very peaceful people, unless provoked. If you provoke them you better pray they have mercy.

They do not have great history with humans.

Here’s why;

Humans have encountered Ceyrians many times, although the Ceyrians try to hide themselves as humans or just hide their civilization from the humans. For a long time they successfully stayed out of the knowledge of humans, but someone slipped up and humans saw. Humans then discovered they had wonderful abilities with elements. So humans began to hunt for them, they began capturing and enslaving the Ceyrians to do their work for them. Although they are much more powerful than the humans, many could not escape, humans found ways to turn them in if they suspected they were plotting an escape.

This mainly happened in and near O’Khasis, the government of O’Khasis was very strict on if a Ceyrian was found outside of their civilization— they could be captured and enslaved. This escalated, eventually the slaves found ways to get back to their homes, and humans began to search for their hidden civilization. Humans have not successfully found it, though there have been cases where travelers needed a place to rest and the Ceyrians gave them that. But the travelers memories of that were erased shortly after they left.

So they have some beef with humans. They get along very well with elves though.

Elves and Ceyrians are very similar, they’re immortal, have pointy ears, and people generally don’t believe they coexist with humans.

There is a sense of literal homesickness with Ceyric people. It’s a phenomenon which occurs when a Ceyrian has been away from their home land for too long, pretty self explanatory. They get sick and if they do not return it becomes fatal, many have died as a result of this—at the fault of humans not allowing them to go back to their land.

They live in a forest, it acts as a barrier of many illnesses and other ailments. The forest keeps them in good health. The homesickness does not occur immediately, but occurs after about two decades. It can be longer if the Ceyrian was younger and had not yet been so accustomed to living in the health providing forest.

They are very accepting people and welcome almost everyone friendly.

They have their own language + alphabet, and it is nothing close to any human languages. So communication can be difficult.

They’ve got magic. Because i can.

Here’s a few characters who are (in my rewrite canon) a Ceyrian;

Ivy

Katelyn + family

Probably like one more but it’s escaping my mind right now.

They have very different auras than humans, so someone trained in areas of magic can usually sense if a Ceyrian is disguised as a human.

They can also disguise as other things, but humans are just a case of removing things rather than removing and adding other things.

They have a pretty advanced technological society compared to humans in my rewrite. They’ve got clean running water, like no poverty or crap like that.

Also really fucking educated.

They do have flaws, though

Most of them struggle with all sorts of sensory issues, especially when they get out of their home land.

Some are telepathic and empathic— so they do not do well outside of the forest where human thoughts and emotions can be heard at full blast.

Most of them have multicolored eyes. Sometimes someone will have more than four colours in one eye. Pretty cool, but also creepy in some ways.

They glow in the dark.

[theofficersacademy]

                                        TEAM QUIET WOOD

                                          Lachesis   Celica   Micaiah                                              ��                                  Leif   Lucius   Kiragi   Morgan (M)                                                                                    Arvis   Ophelia   Askr

ACT I [August 4th - August 10th]

Tag: #UnscriptedQuietWood2022

Summary:

Dawn breaks slowly over the village, haloing the mountains in a ring of burnt umber. Between the night’s orchestra of crickets and daybreak’s birdsong, a rare silence has come to settle over the forest and a dense fog has rolled in from the river. Apparitions and ghostly fox fire dance between the trees.

Ji wakes Kiragi first. They had made a promise, after all. They gather their bags, stuffed full with food and supplies “borrowed” from Kin’s general store, retrieve their weapons, and sneak quietly to the village gates. Celica, Askr, Micaiah, and Lachesis surprise them there.

Out in the forest, Ophelia and Lucius have managed to get some sleep between the endless bickering from Daimon and Khalkós. It’s daybreak by the time they set out. Khalkós insists that there is something strange going on in the forest, though she won’t say much within Ophelia and Daimon’s earshot. Daimon claims to merely be tagging along for the ride.

By afternoon, Leif, Morgan, Arvis, and Dhanvi have established a camp deeper in the woods in pursuit of the herbs Arvis has hired Dhanvi to find; however, Dhanvi seems to have a goal of her own as well. They’re well-stocked and can afford to spend some time resting before moving on. Leif wanders out from camp to stretch, but discovers that the path they had taken to get here... isn’t there anymore.

What you know:

Quiet Wood is highly superstitious and avoids angering the spirits of the forest at all costs. A protective barrier has been erected around the village, maintained by rites and prayers, but the priest seems to have been rather shaken up that one of their own would have been stolen away despite it.

Although the villagers were deadset on stopping Ji from leaving the village to find his sister, he still managed to slip out before they noticed.

The local god enshrined in Quiet Wood is named the Shield of the Divine Guardian of the Great Tree.

Humans can use magic by forging a pact with a spirit, but a spirit must first be tamed before it will agree to a pact.

Micaiah has learned a purifying rite from Soh, the priest.

The doll in Ophelia’s shack is Daimon’s “disguise” to avoid being questioned by less open-minded humans. Despite being a spirit of the wood, he refuses to make a pact with Ophelia. Nevertheless, he does protect them.

Dhanvi is respected well enough in Quiet Wood, but several of the villagers do think she’s rather eccentric. One can tell by the way she talks and interacts with others that she’s a highly accomplished merchant, however.

What to do (suggestions):

Follow the Quiet Wood sideblog and check out the cast page. NPCs can be interacted with through this blog or with Tupper in your Discord team channel.

Acquire your team maps and instructions for this segment of the event. They will be posted and pinned in the Quiet Wood channel.

Interact with your teammates in paralogues.

You may wrap up threads from the Prologue segment.

Talk to Mod Ree for additional information.

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

At the Door: Book Recs for Portal Fantasies

I’ve enjoyed a lot of portal fantasies over the years, and today I thought I would recommend a few that I particularly enjoyed. Some of these are more traditional portal fantasies with an actual door or portal, and some of them take the boundary a little more loosely than that, but they all feature characters crossing from a more familiar world to a world we don’t recognize.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway is the first novella in the ongoing Wayward Children series. The series follows various people who’ve traveled through a doorway to a different world and are attempting to figure out how to live in our world again. I really appreciate the way the series format allows McGuire to approach the relationship between the portal world and traveler from many different perspectives - some of the characters desperately want to go back through their doors, some of them have chosen to leave, and others are no longer welcome.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

I read this one really recently, and I quite enjoyed it! The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a traditional portal fantasy in some senses, like the fact that the boundaries between our world and the others are actual doors, but it’s much more about the titular January’s coming of age than it is about the journey through the portals. In fact, the portal worlds are mostly described in in-world stories rather than in the narration. However, I found January’s journey to be very compelling, and I loved the side characters.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

This is a fairly standard portal fantasy set-up: Elliott crosses a literal wall to get to a fantasy world with elves and mermaids and unicorns and all sorts of other magical creatures, where he ends up joining a peacekeeping group and learning about friendship, diplomacy, and love. So I absolutely love this book. It’s funny, it’s smart, and it has a genre-savvy protagonist so it can really pay attention to the tropes of portal fantasies and play with them! It was a delight to read, and definitely a surprise, and I ended up laughing out loud and reading parts of it to whoever was sitting nearby. One of my favorites.

Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Dark Lord of Derkholm, unlike the rest of these, is about the inhabitants of the portal world, rather than the travelers. Derk just wanted to be left in peace to make fantastical creatures, but when he gets roped in to playing the Dark Lord for this year’s Tour, he decides enough is enough, and sets about trying to stop the Tours and get these interlopers to leave them all alone. This is very similar to In Other Lands as far as its dialogue with existing fantasy tropes - Diana Wynne Jones is well-versed in fantasy tropes, and she plays with them to hilarious effect. But the novel isn’t just hilarity - the characters are all well-developed, the plot has a great ride, and by the end you’re so invested in what’s going on that you forget you first picked it up as a satire.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel and its sequels are some of my favorite books of all time - the magic in them is the perfect blend of understandable and alien, plus the necromancy portion is unique and super interesting. I’ve based one costume and one D&D character on them for a reason! The portal portion of Sabriel comes in the distinction between Ancelstierre, the real world stand-in, and the Old Kingdom - there’s just a border, with an actual border crossing, in between them, made physical by The Wall. The Wall actually does something though - magic doesn’t work in Ancelstierre, machines and anything made by them fall apart in the Old Kingdom, and the seasons and even the weather is different on different sides of the Wall. It’s a cool way to do a portal fantasy, where the “portal” isn’t just for one person, but is marked out and used by lots of different people.

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass is the first of a trilogy (which I haven’t finished yet) about Nahri, who starts the book living in Cairo, where she is approached by a djinn and then spirited away to Daevabad, where she learns that her heritage is much more complicated than she expected. In this book, the “portal” isn’t a physical place, but rather a magical barrier sort of thing, that the djinn Dara takes her across. The other thing that makes this not a very typical portal fantasy (and arguably not a portal fantasy at all) is that while Nahri does cross into a separate world, there’s really very little discussion of her existence in the human world, and she doesn’t really cross back and forth. However you end up falling on its portal fantasy status though, I think it’s an excellent book, and I’m really looking forward to finishing the trilogy!

[dicebox]

The Challenge of Fears - Alisaie

At some point in the darkness, from one second to the next, the texture of the ground beneath Alisaie’s feet changed. While tracking wasn’t in her primary skill set the way it was Ava’s, five years in the frozen wastes of Eun-Bac had taught Alisaie to pay attention to what her support surface was doing. The stone upon which she stood was smoother, and there was a general sense of a reduction in unimpeded space around her, as if she were suddenly walled in. Not just physically, either: between heartbeats, that sense of magic inside her - both the internal rhythm she drew upon for bardic things and the celestial hum that bore her wings and all other abilities great and small that came with her species - clenched at the heart of her, beating against ephemeral walls like a bird in a bottle.

That was her first clue that this was bigger bullshit than ‘someone turned out the lights so hard not even someone with darkvision could see in it’. She hated it immediately. She opened her mouth to start swearing ... and stopped as she realised that nothing was coming out but air.

No voice, no wings, no magic, no light, no freedom ... no friends.

No Remi.

Lacking verbal ability, she immediately went to her fallback, learned with painstaking care in the culture she’d called her own for a few years. When the lights came back up, she was mid-invective, using Eun-Bac specific idioms that somehow managed to wed grace and obscenity. Upon seeing the night-cloaked archfey looking at her from about three feet away, she directed the rest of the profanity (the People’s short-hand for ‘pus from the cock of a pox-infected dire moose so stupid it chafed its own penis mounting an iceberg it took for a female in estrus’) at him before raising her hands and slamming both palms into the almost invisible barrier she’d already felt was there. Her glare was pure challenge; she didn’t need her words or her hands to tell him to come and have a go if he thought he was hard enough.

“We’ll cut straight to the chase,” the archfey told her, meeting Alisaie’s hate-filled look with one of tolerant amusement, a blade master watching a five-year-old with a wooden sword issuing formal challenge. “You’ll be under an illusion in a moment, and then you’ll be fighting a certain paladin of your acquaintance. The terms are to the death.”

Alisaie’s response to that was no less eloquent for its silence. Her hands flew in the worst invective she could come up with.

“Of course, she’ll need a moment to see you. Proof of life and all that,” the archfey went on with a smirk. “So she’ll be permitted a brief look. But I warn you - either before or during the combat, if you intimate to her in any way that you are other than a shambling horror needing to be culled ... I will end her. And I will ensure it’s painful. That would be on your head. So choose your course of action wisely.”

Alisaie stopped signing, hands clenching into fists. While as passionate as any barbarian or bard had ever been, one of her key elements of value to the group she’d fallen into was her common sense. She employed it grudgingly, every conclusion a dagger in a heart already lacerated with what had been taken away.

The archfey - Eryn’s “Lord of Chaos and Misrule”, probably; there was a note to his taunts that indicated the contempt bred by familiarity - wanted them to suffer. For Alisaie - the pain of either having to knowingly kill her girlfriend, or letting said girlfriend kill her, all unknowning ... until the end, at least. For Remi, the flip side of that coin; either finding out that she’d killed her girlfriend at the last possible second ... or being shown with her last breath that her girlfriend had knowingly cut her down.

Ignorance could be forgiven. Deliberate murder could not - at least without mind control being involved in some way, and fuck her life that this was the sort of shit she now had to think about. Plus, Remi had the means of restoring life, if caught quickly enough, while Alisaie couldn’t guarantee getting Remi’s body back to Hazel. She didn’t even know where Hazel was. If their flaily-cute cleric was in the same kind of mess, she might not be in any shape to resurrect Remi in time, higher-powered resurrection spell with its highly expensive diamond or not. Even then, resurrection spells weren’t guaranteed to work.

...Which meant Remi’s might not work either. Still, Alisaie would bet on her Ree, and on Ziriel. What’s more, she could not knowingly attack Remi with intent to kill. It was literally impossible for her. She was a Protector. Sometimes that meant more than just killing those who would do harm. Sometimes it meant taking the blows so someone else didn’t have to.

The archfey was gone by the time she’d worked that one out; Alisaie cut her pondering short as the barrier in front of her shimmered, clearly about to be a two-way illusion. Which meant that Alisaie had a part to play, and she’d better play it lest His Majesty of Misrule take it as an attempted warning. She knew it was pointless to punch the barrier in front of her; she knew how this had to end. Still, it was as good a way as any to vent frustration and misery. At least she had that outlet. Remi, as Alisaie saw when her small, sturdy, adorkable girlfriend’s expression went from exasperated sarcasm to frustrated rage as she saw Alisaie banging on invisible magical walls, did not. All Remi would be given as a vent to her anger was ... someone she’d regret hitting, later.

Alisaie couldn’t give a warning, a clue, anything. Even if the archfey wouldn’t understand it, neither would Remi. Determined to teach Remi more of the language of the People than endearments if and when they got out of this alive, Alisaie signed the first bit of her chosen culture’s language she’d ever taught to Remi: cupped hand to the heart, nail of the middle finger being the only part to actually make contact, before held out in a gesture of offering. My heart is yours, it said ... but it said more, in posture and nuance and all the other little things the People used instead of inflection and stressed words. It said I will never hold this against you. It said This changes nothing of how I feel for you.

It said: Whatever happens, I will live on, and if your heart is the only place where I still live, it is still the best home I can ask for.

As her perspective changed again and her illusion-draped form appeared in front of Remi, she took a moment to hope that she’d be able to explain the full meaning of that last gesture before, reluctantly playing the part of the shambling horror, she aimed her first strike at Remi’s shield.

[travel2walk]

trip video: New Zealand - Rees-Dart Track, January 2020

trip video: New Zealand - Rees-Dart Track, January 2020. Taking @orloffma to Isengard via the scenic route. #travel #tramping #backpacking #isengard #newzealand

This is the video companions of our five day and four night hut to hut backpacking trip report. You can find our full trip report and the other entries of our Australia and New Zealand trip series in the index below as they are posted. index click to expand 1 planning & research 2 trip report: getting in to Cairns, Australia 3 trip report: diving the Great Barrier Reef 4 trip report: Sydney…

[dearevanhansenofficial]

“You Will Be Found” College Essay Writing Challenge | DEAR EVAN HANSEN

DEAR EVAN HANSEN “You Will Be Found” College Essay Writing Challenge 

On Sunday, May 19, the winner of the inaugural “You Will Be Found” College Essay Writing Challenge was announced at the 2019 Roger Rees Awards. The award recognizes excellence in storytelling and includes a $1,500 college scholarship prize.  

Winner: Katherine Hui of Great Neck South High School

Katherine Hui meets the cast of DEAR EVAN HANSEN in the Blue Room (June 2, 2019).

Finalists: Ashley Chen, Brooklyn, New York Artea Brahaj, Whitestone, New York Joy DelGiorno, Bellmore, New York Payel Islam, Bronx, New York Kendi King, Brooklyn, NY Natalie Marin, Staten Island, NY Tiffany Matela, Flushing, New York Shari Nudelman, Valley Stream, NY Cassandra Reyes, Ellenville, NY Akza Sam, Yonkers, New York Joseph Scinto, Rye Brook, New York

Judges: Damian Bazadona – Founder & President, Situation Interactive Chad Beguelin – Tony-Nominated Book Writer Sir Colin Callender – Producer, Playground Entertainment Colleen Jennings-Roggensack – Executive Director, ASU Gammage Peter Marks – Theater Critic, The Washington Post 

DEAR EVAN HANSEN invited 11th-grade and 12th-grade students in New York City to write a college-application style essay that describes how “You Will Be Found” resonates with and inspires them. Did it prompt them to challenge their thinking or actions in some way? Was it a catalyst for personal growth? Explain the song’s significance, and its impact on their life. Below is the winning essay by Katherine Hui.

--

“What language do you speak?”

“Chinese– Cantonese, actually,” I automatically replied, picking up my chopsticks, unaware of the band of girls surrounding me in the cafeteria of my new school. I instinctively made the mistake of giving them the answer they wanted to hear: not that my native language was English, but that I spoke Chinese. It didn’t matter what dialect I spoke, or how well I spoke, but it was the fact that I had the misfortune of being Chinese which allowed them to prey on my foreignness.

“Cantonese? C-CANTONESE?” The ringleader sneered, launching spit all over my lunch, followed by a dry “Sorry, that was an accident.”

I vividly recall the crinkles around her cruel eyes, blue as ice, and the sharp laughter that echoes in my head like a soundtrack to this day. It was an act of hostility, a signal for her pack to follow her lead.

“C-C-Cantonese!”

“Ching chong!”

Sucking in my breath, I shut my eyes tightly as if it would stop the chaos from escalating, but there was the sickening feeling of their saliva sticking to my hot, fleshy cheeks. Lacking nutrients, my body refused to make a physical response. I was in an agonizing whirlpool trying to battle the vacuum in my stomach, my insides churning what little was in my stomach. Even larger was the hunger to escape from my humiliation and my skin. I ached to run out of the cafeteria, to disappear, to scream at the world for placing me in the yellow skin that I was in. I ached to yell at my parents for teaching me Cantonese. I ached to be white. But I sat frozen, tightly gripping onto the chopsticks and my identity.

Unamused by my reaction, the ringleader decides to target her next prey and pounce with the rest of her followers. I put on my headphones, turned off the world and turned to a new soundtrack. “You Will Be Found” was first on my playlist. I took a moment to purge my sinful thoughts as I listened to the heart-sinking chords of the opening; its rhythm pulsed as my heart pounded. As if Evan Hansen is right beside me asking me if I ever felt like I could disappear, all my trust was placed in the lyrics transporting me safely to a new realization. If this vessel sank, my identity would go with it. The song’s lyrics became a barrier to my embarrassment, the crescendo in the final chorus became a beacon of hope uplifting this vessel. There is a new rhythm in my head, but it is quiet. In fact, no-one hears it; it makes no noise because my thoughts are here in this song.

Though the girls had committed an awful wrong, a greater wrong I had committed. My apathy toward my own ethnicity reflected something far more disturbing than wanting to undo something beyond my control, more despicable than losing my ethnic pride: I was at war with myself, feeling like I was alone in the battle.

My Chinese eyes released Chinese tears down Chinese cheeks onto the contaminated takeout box, which was ruined by the painful bullets of white power. The ruined lunch, in a roundabout way, represented the malicious fragments of my identity lost: my ignorance, my shame, my hunger. Forming in me was a new consciousness that a Chinese girl should not have to be afraid of being Chinese because a white girl did not have to be afraid of being white. It was through letting go of those fragments of my identity that, for the first time, I accepted I did not have to be afraid of feeling lost because that was how Evan Hansen found me.

[stephanocardona]

Sixbar Wrasse by jamatophoto