#Perilous Journey

[georgeanntremblyblog]

[clarrisageorgia]

More Than £300million To Be Spent On New Detention Centres For 1,000 Channel Migrant

The contracts, valued at £306 million, will run for up to six years, official documents show. They say that extra space is required due to the large number of migrants making the perilous journey from France in small boats.

[freefromfearforever]

Old Station Wagon...

The smell of fumes....the heat of the day beating down and heating the already hot as an easy bake oven interior...the pushing, poking, tormenting of three older brothers...the curling wood paneling inside and out...the love for my heroes, the brothers.

In my Childish mind they could do no wrong even when engaging in behaviour meant to elicit a frustrated response, which led to our Father handing out discipline. And still...I would sit, stand, walk, jump from roofs, barn hay lofts and just generally follow them wherever I could. I was, according to the brothers, a precocious pain in their collective asses.

While the memories are few before ten, certain flashes of memory are crystal clear.

My two oldest brothers squaring off outside the big glass window, ready and willingly agreeing on settling an ongoing issue with fists.

Sitting squished in the stiflingly hot, dusty back seat of the old Cortina with the brothers as we careened down old logging roads to the Okanagan Lake. The shock and joy of cold water on heated skin...

Running, jumping, climbing, walking through acres and acres of Orchards alone...

The 'hello hunny' from Mrs. Holitski next door standing at our fence...handing me the largest apple I had ever seen...the kindness on her face, the acceptance. The first sweet, crisp bite of that apple...juices running over my chin.

The gruff and grumpy face of Mister Holitski...he spoke little...red long johns no matter the heat, suspenders and old faded green pants. His big worn work hands folding carefully over mine on the broom handle, showing me how sweeping is properly done. The watchful infinitely wise eyes watching me work...perhaps wondering where my parents were and how he got stuck with a wild ginger 6 year old. We didn't say much at all in those long hot summer days...after a task he would bring me a dewy glass of sweet iced tea sweating in the heat of the day, I would sit on the concrete and he in his ancient creaking beach chair in comfortable silence.

Throughout the years I have been blessed with knowing a few men and women of such character...of such principle...of such strength and fortitude it molded and nudged me into growth, into a respect and admiration for my elders. I was blessed with examples of how to live according to your values, of how to accept those around me where they are...where they stand on their journey. Of how to stand alone...in my judgements, in my assessments, in my principles and values. It is a quiet place rooted deep within dear hearts...found once more, only with much inner reflection...with being hurtled to the ground, to the lowest point of your life path...drowning in the rolling waves beating down, crashing over me I headed under...deeper, and deeper still...and found life beneath the pounding surf.

Let the waves come...let them drive you to depths you've forgotten...to the beginning, to the core of who you are.

Let the tumultuous waters wash you clean....letting go of the confusion, the chaos, the condition of your soul...let the salty brine flow through and to the darkest parts of your mind...clearing the way for light, for life, for joy in the morning.

I do not know why the years of my young youth are swimming to the surface but I have learned that it is wisest to embrace...to let each memory play out as they quietly swim to the surface. As with more recent memories I sit with no judgement...as the negative thoughts seek to belittle, berate and boil over In shame and embarrassment I give them over to Love...I give them over to compassion, to understanding....I give them over to patience...I give them over to sorrow for ever believing in anything less about myself, for letting the poison take root and tear apart my spirit, my mind, my soul.

Dear lost and broken...dear survivors...dearest victims....you were never meant for evil...you were never meant for brokenness...

You are meant for greatness...meant for an incredible life full of joyously endless possibilities.

You will reap such kindness, such love and life as you've never known....you have given so diligently in the little things...things people discount too often.

A smile for the young face looking up at you...

The warmth of your hugs....the grace with which you smile through the sorrow hanging on your shoulders...everyday...even when you feel as though earths gravity has shifted its crushing weight directly on to your chest.

I've seen it on many a face these past months...the smile that doesn't quite make it to the eyes and yet reflects the kindness found there...despite....despite the world falling to pieces round about them.

Your faithfulness will be rewarded....do not give up on hope dear friends...

Your prayers have been heard...your sorrow, your heartache seen....life awaits you round that next corner, past all the pitfalls...the tribulations...it will fall away into the depths of the sea and as the sun rises and falls to rise again so shall you find joy in the morning and in the setting rays disappearing over the horizon....

A bounty's worth...a pirates hull full of treasures worth awaits each one of you.

Be steadfast my friends...hold the course, keep your eyes fixed on the stars that chart your path and see the storm recede into the background, see the gale force winds slip their moorings and fade into a warm breeze smelling of fresh life, of sweet success at battling your way through. Steady at the helm...steady...find that inner resolve that has been sitting in decay, waiting for the moment you set it free...waiting for the moment you give it voice...waiting for the time you breathe rejuvenescence over your soul....

I believe, therefore I am....

What did Descartes mean.... 'I think, therefore I am?' The only thing that remains true that there is a mind or consciousness doing the doubting and believing its perceptions, hence the famous formulation, 'I think therefore I am', or in Latin - 'Cogito ergo sum'.

I believe....I believe I can...I believe that I will....I believe.

I believe in you....and come with hands reaching out in acceptance, in love for where you are...yes, right there in the muddy pit...let me sit with you right where you are, for no matter where you are, you are loved, worthy....you will make it out, I promise you...Look, see there? A path up, a path out....lift your head weary ones...oh it is heavy I know, but trust and try...lift your head and see the path, your path...no one else's.

We stand with you...beside you...together. Together as you take that first step to a future free of fear and loathing. Together as you slog your way out of the depths of despair, as you drop the heavy weights from off your shoulders. The weight of words pressed upon you, breaking you down...let it fall to the ground to sink into the mire, into the muck where it belongs. God sees you dear one....I pray for your comfort, for your way free from your perilous journey...I pray for your safety, for your sanity amongst the most horrifying of lies meant to doubt the sanctity of your mind.

Go with God today and every day forward....may your feet find their way to happiness, to joy unceasing, to kindnesses unending.

"For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21).

Go in Grace....go in dignity....speak your truth, carry a big stick.

[murderbeast]

im a lil guy :3

[bucketsandraincoats]

sticky's not on any of the book spines :(

[mvshortcut]

Perilous Journey AU where Curtain does end up with the duskwort and successfully puts everyone to sleep except it fails because it simply makes Number Two take a twenty-minute nap and then she's up and chasing Curtain with a baseball bat

[naycelium]

Turns out, Lilac got a lil gift for Chamomile too! 🫏 🎁 🦘

[dragoncookies]

(spoilers)

can we just talk about how hardcore the second book is?

I mean, ALL the books are crazy, but it’s been four years since I last reread tmbs and I remember glazing over the second book, because usually in a series the second book is just like build up and filler for the third one (with the first book having all the magic a first book usually had)

but this series? I aged 58 years reading the second book, and I was disgustingly addicted to it the whole time I read it. I truly thought it was the end for our protagonists. Usually you can see how they might turn a bad situation around, but it just looked straight hopeless when everyone ran out to the beach in hopes that help had come and there was just nothing there. And then, when the Shortcut appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, I cried real tears of joy. I know it’s a kids series and sometimes kids series can be deep, but these kids have to be straight traumatized by their experience in that book. They were pushed to their absolute extremes physically, psychologically and emotionally. From being stuck on the ship in one small confined room while traveling across oceans to a place they had never been before, solving all the riddles, keeping watch during that dark night trying to stay awake with the fear of death and being captured hanging over them, being tied up in that giant room with the ten men ready to torture them, then being captured by Curtain and BEING tortured (shocked), then having to run and carry Mr. Benedict until their hands were bleeding and they were beyond their physical limits, and THEN after seeing their LAST CHANCE for making it off that hellish island not be there having their hopes let down….if I were them, I’d probably just go insane. Its shocking because the whole series is so breezy light, but the actual content, once you think about, isn’t so light at all.

Every character was developed so deliciously. Reynie went from being smart and good at riddles, to being a conniving plotter, who could be a supervillain in his own right. Kate almost bombed a ship full of her worst enemies (willingly), but then found some insane inner strength and decided NOT to. Sticky went through an ego-struggle arc and then, after being the group scaredy cat, suddenly became THE MAN in their darkest hour when they all had to carry that stretcher down the mountain and had nothing left to give (and it almost broke my heart when Reynie narrated it saying smt like “maybe we’re all gonna die but at least I get to witness Sticky in his prime 😌). And Constance? Well. She’s Constance, but her mind reading is sick, and I like the relationship dynamic that grew between her and Reynie in this book.

there was so much inner turmoil from Reynie, and the whole “there’s no good-hearted people in this world” belief he struggled with, resulting him question which Benedict twin he himself was more like, was just so scrumptious. He’s the perfect person to narrate the series, and that becomes clear during this book. Finger lickingly good stuff. And we can’t forget Sticky knocking Constance off the watch tower when a ten-man appeared from the darkness. That made me chortle. Or Kate regurgitating McCracken’s key so they could all escape. She’s just so different.

There are just so many good moments in that book. It’s really truly quite the adventure.

[sophieswundergarten]

Thinking about the silencing technology in TPJ, and how in that one scene Mr. Benedict screamed himself into a narcoleptic attack and no one could hear him

[sans-guy]

my dumbass really made up a man for the sole purpose of kissing him and then i went and made him emotionally distant and scared of closeness

[leodoriya]

the fact that i have spent three or four days i don’t know anymore doing nothing but binging what we do in the shadows is insane even to me because at this point im bored with the show but i have an extreme lust within me to consume fandom content but also if i get spoiled on anything i will cry so here goes to another day of binging this fucking show so i can read fanfiction and reblog fan art

[personinthepalace]

Milligan telling the kids not to follow him

anime Milligan would literally look like Twilight/Loid, and I love that idea so much

[xtruss]

The Last Flower At The Top of The World—and The Perilous Journey To Reach It

Scientists Journeyed to a Stretch of Gravel Off The Coast of Greenland—The Farthest North You Can Go and Still Walk on Land. These Photos Show What They Found There.

— By Sarah Gibbens | Photographs byJeff Kerby | May 08, 2024

An Arctic Poppy thrives on the Northern Coast of Greenland. Among the plant life in this region, these hardy Flowers are like Giants. Some, like this one, grow in clumps that protect themselves from harsh weather. Like a satellite dish, they will slowly turn to follow the sun. On an expedition to understand what lives at this latitude, an Arctic Poppy like this was found about 20 inches south of the World's Northernmost Plant.

At the top of the Earth, the northernmost stretch of land a person can stand on is Inuit Qeqertaat, also named Kaffeklubben Island by early 20th Century Danish Explorers. The region is a dark gray stretch of gravel on the northern coast of Greenland where land slowly gives way to frozen sea ice.

To find what lives amid these rocky soils, climate change researchers and National Geographic Explorers Brian Buma and Jeff Kerby and their team embarked on a journey to survey the region. There, they found a common species of moss (Tortula Mucronifolia), the world's northernmost plant, and a yellow and lime-green Arctic poppy (Papaver Radicatum), growing just a few inches south of the moss.

On the nearby mainland, Greenlandic archaeologist Aka Simonsen discovered a ring of roughly 700-Year-Old Inuit Stones, which may be the northernmost archaeological remains.

Growing in Extremes: The Northernmost Stretch of land in the World, Inuit Qeqertaat, sits off the coast of Johannes V. Jensen Land, a Peninsula in Far Northern Greenland. National Geographic Explorer Brian Buma traveled there to find the northernmost plant-a common moss—and the northernmost flower a few inches south-an Arctic poppy.

Rosemary Wardley, NGM Staff; Martin Gamache, National Geographic Society Sources: Jeff Kerby, Scott Polar Research Institute; Brian Buma, Environmental Defense Fund; SkySat imagery from July 13, 2023, Planet Labs PBC; ArcticDEM, Version 4.1

The research team left their own mark on the mainland coast, staking plots and recording the vegetation they contained to create a highly detailed digital map of the area they surveyed. Information collected from this trip will be the first data logs in what Buma and Kerby hope will be a long timeline of research in the far northern region.

Here, above the Arctic Circle, the planet is warming four times faster than anywhere else on Earth. Changes here will have ripple effects across the globe, which is why the team braved harsh conditions to find what lives on the edge.

The expedition team was led by climate scientist and National Geographic Explorer Brian Buma. The north coast of Greenland was used as a staging point while shuttling gear across sea ice to Inuit Qeqertaat (Kaffeklubben Island).

Brian Buma collected samples from different layers of this snow glacier to understand the unique properties of water in this rarely visited region. This part of the world is a polar desert, and precipitation is scant, so the samples in this glacier represent many years of snow.

From above, the northern coast of Inuit Qeqertaat—and thus the northernmost stretch of land on Earth—is visible. It was near this shoreline that the team found the edge of terrestrial life, including a common species of moss, officially the farthest north, and the northernmost flower on earth—found about 20 inches south of the moss. The small, gravelly island is about a mile north of mainland Greenland.

This is the northernmost flower on earth, a lone and somewhat ragged Arctic Poppy, sitting near the shoreline of Inuit Qeqertaat. Poppies dotted the northern edge, with a few purple mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) only slightly farther up the slope. In the background, Brian Buma surveys various contenders for northernmost plant before a final survey determines this flower to be the official runner-up. Seen just behind the flower, a tuft of ‘Mucronate screw moss’ (Tortula mucronifolia) claims that title.

Identifying mosses and other tiny Arctic flora requires a hand lens and careful attention to detail. Up close, Brian Buma examines their adaptations to cold weather, such as small hairs coating a plant's exterior.

Aka Simonsen, a Greenlandic archeologist, prepares to leave camp with Brian Buma, just as the weather begins to turn. After just a few hours the northernmost island, the team left, intending to return the next day. The window to return quickly closed after a few days when bad weather turned into a storm that brought strong winds and heavy precipitation. The July storm dumped nearly a foot of snow and drifts reached several feet. Harsh conditions trapped the team at their base camp for a week.

Aka Simonsen measures a ring of large stones that may have been used to anchor a tent. The stones are roughly 700 years old and likely left by the Thule people. These artifacts were found on the mainland, near the team's base camp and could be the northernmost documented archeological site on Earth.

When the plane returning to retrieve the team landed, it got stuck in snow, and a makeshift runway had to be constructed by scooping snow with snow shoes. Gravel was placed by hand so the plane's tires wouldn't slip on ice or stick in snow during takeoff. Scientists who return to this northernmost region will be able to use the team's detailed digital map to chart how the ecosystem is changing as the planet warms.

[disguised-poet118]

Just finished re-reading Magyk, these are my thoughts:

I love love love this novel and Angie Sage’s method of characterization which makes even the most despicable characters charming. And it’s definitely and intriguing introduction to the world she created for these characters. 10/10 recommend if you love fantasy and family feels.

Also it’s remarkable how much one can forgot about something, even if they treasure it immensely. So here’s a list of plot points forgotten by me

⬇️SPOILERS BELOW⬇️

Somehow forgot about Septimus’ unknown identity and the red herrings leading up to the reveal

I FORGOT ABOUT STANLEY

And the corresponding incredibly important world-building Angie Sage devoted to rat society

The villain’s name being DomDaniel of all names

The existence and eternal teenage (more like preteen) ball of angst that is “the apprentice”/fake-septimius/Merrin

How traumatized and scared Boy 412/Septimus is for the majority of the novel (he spends like half of it mute?!!?!!)

The existence of the Young Army and Chief Custodian

[silviakundera]

another Story of Kunning Palace MTL novel passage. Xie Wei POV on that fateful trip to the capital. That expression on his face as their fate ends in the 1st life... After reading this, it makes me want to cry forever.

//

Xie Wei thought of a long time ago when the little girl, who clearly hated him, shed tears all day long when she saw him so ill. Staying by his side out of fear that he will die next to her and she will live with a dead person; if you want to go out to collect medicine, you are afraid of mandrills in the wild and wolves that walk at night.

That day was heavy snow. It was getting colder in the deep mountains, and white snow was falling on the high places.

The little girl was tired from crying all night.

He woke up in a daze, but there was no one in the morning.

It wasn't until noon that he saw white shadows walking in from outside the cave. She was covered in cold air, her head and shoulders were covered with snow, her lips were bruised, she picked herbs from nowhere, and she struck flint with trembling hands. But the branches were all soaked this day, she couldn't light it, but she didn't cry, she just crushed the herbs bit by bit, and put them into the broken bowl she picked up from some grave.

His knife stuck in a crevice in the stone.

It took her a long time to pull it out, and scratched her wrist tremblingly, the bright red blood trickled out, meandering into the broken pottery bowl at the corner, mixed with the dark green medicinal herbs, and became a thick ink purple.

Then she brought the bowl to his lips.

The young girl's face was bloodless, and she coaxed him with a crying voice: "Zhuangzi came up with a very powerful doctor, and he used this prescription to save the dead. Just drink the medicine and it will be fine..."

How can the dead be saved?

Most of them are bluffing tricksters.

He still can't tell whether it is his dream or not.

Only the extremely astringent herbs mixed with the rust-like bitter taste of blood flowed out from the depths of memory from time to time.

Then he burned it, and it seemed to be fine.

The little girl became confused.

He went out to explore the way and find some food, but she always tugged at his sleeves. She was unconscious, but she still complained dreamily: "I knew it, you have to go by yourself when you're done..."

As a last resort, he softened his heart and walked behind her back with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

But she still felt that he was not a good person and would leave her behind.

He had no choice but to tear off a narrow strip of the already dirty robe, tie one end to her wrist and the other end to his own wrist, and then told her: "Now I am tied to you, and no one can go first." I am here.

Her sleep talking slowly stopped.

Xie Wei recalled that it was really the craziest and most stupid time in his more than twenty years.

There seems to be such a belief in the dark—

I believe that in such a desperate situation, there is still a glimmer of life to be found. There are no qin and books, no knives and swords, no heavenly religion, no imperial court, no life experience, and no revenge, only the mighty world, and two people who want to live.