#Same location approximately same time period

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

Today I came up with the most brilliant solution to the ending of Phantom of fhe Opera which is that instead of marrying Erik or Raoul Christine focuses on her career and then marries Christian from Moulin Rouge after he’s had a few years to heal from losing Satine

[chiefdirector]

Earthquake | Tim Bradford | The Rookie

Earthquakes were nothing unfamiliar to the residents of Los Angeles, so much so that if there was a period of time without a quake, it would be seen as some form of miracle or divine intervention. After having many quakes and natural disasters, you adjust. Tim never had to adjust to the infamous LA earthquakes, he was born and raised here. Something like a quake was just another Tuesday to him.

Before he would have scoffed seeing his colleagues so disturbed by the idea of a quake, but now he felt sick to his stomach. He could feel the nausea rise up his throat as he called out over the radio again, hoping that his fears would be satiated.

“Control, this is 7-Adam-100. Status report in Detective (L/N).” He said, trying not to let his voice shake as the ground did moments ago. “Control-“

He was cut off by the gruff reply of some poor control officer who would no doubt feel the wrath of Sargent Bradford. “No reply. Detective (Y/N) is currently unreachable.”

Quickly, he raised the radio back up, this time practically barking his question out. “When was the last time you had contact?”

Tim held his breath as the radio remained silent for a moment. He did not believe in anything supernatural but by god did it feel like time stopped.

“Over an hour ago; at 15:42.”

“Goddammit,” he snapped, almost throwing his radio across the briefing room.

Seeing his rage, Chen sidestepped away from his current line of trajectory, quite liking her head without a radio sized dent in it.

The first quake had hit at approximately 15:47. Tim knew what (Y/N)’s silence implied. He tried not to think of the worst case scenario, but he couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t used to nice things, he wasn’t used to being happy and now that he had finally found joy and happiness, it was only natural that the universe would take it away again.

“Tim,” Chen said timidly. If Tim did not know any better, he could have mistaken her for a child in the way she was slightly cowered away from her. “I had control send her last location to our box, we can go now. I’m sure Grey won’t mind.”

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, channelling almost all of his energy into the task ahead of him. The small fraction of energy he left aside was to stop him from assuming the worst; thinking of all the horrific outcomes would do him no good.

—-

Tim was never one to spend time with his feelings, if anything he repressed them. When he was a kid, his father used to tell him that emotions were weak, and that ‘real men don’t feel.’ He had taken that mindset into the military, and into the LAPD. It was only when (Y/N) had started to break down his walls did he let himself feel emotions properly for the first time in years. It was like seeing colour for the first time. However, despite all the good it did him, he couldn’t help regretting it slightly as he sat in the passenger seat of the shop, watching Chen drive closer to when (Y/N) was last seen.

“Can’t you drive quicker, Chen,” He snapped, flickering his eyes from her to the road and back to the patrol officer once again.

“Not without breaking fifty traffic laws,” She rebutted. Now that he wasn’t her training officer any more, she would have given him a bit more attitude but now isn't the right time for that, even she could recognise that. “We’re nearly there, the GPS said that her shop was last seen…”

Chen’s words trailed off as the two officers watched as a car wrapped around a tree came into view. The front was completely smashed, with glass and shrapnel landing almost everywhere. There was a small trail of smoke coming from the engine. The car was easily recognisable as one of the LAPD patrol vehicles, the exact same type that Detective (L/N) had left the station in that morning.

Without thinking, Tim sprinted out of the vehicle whilst it was still moving. Without waiting for Chen to stop, he moved with near inhuman speed towards the wreckage. Trying to see if there was any sign of life from within.

“(Y/N)” he called, looking in through the shattered window. Blood was spread across the steering wheel and the driver's seat, glass haphazardly brushed aside from the spot. Tim recognised her handbag tucked in the passenger footwell. IT was the only sign that she had been in the car at all. “Please, baby, say you're here.”

“Any luck?” Chen said, jogging over to his side. Tim needn’t respond though, the tragic look on his face said enough. “Oh god, she isn’t… is she?”

Bradford just shook his head “There’s nobody here. Completely empty. Call it in.”

Lucy nodded, taking a step away to report what had been found. Tim just sat leaned against the car. Briefly he shut his eyes, trying to ground himself back to reality. A part of him wanted to pinch himself to wake up from this nightmare, but another part of him knew that it wasn’t a dream at all.

Slowly, he began to move himself upwards when he heard a rustling in the shrubbery. On instinct, he raised his weapon, calling out for the intruder to raise their hands. He got no such reply except another round of rustling, except it didn’t sound like it was caused by the wind, it sounded too human-like to be anything natural.

Keeping his paces light, he followed the sound as made his way into the shrubbery. He made it only around twenty feet before he saw the cause of the rustling. (Y/N) lay leaned up against a tree, dried blood sat on her forehead and down her left cheek. The rest of her face seemed like it had already started to swell and bruise from the impact. The most jarring thing was not the injuries or the dirt decorating her body, but it was the light-hearted gratin she wore.

“Hey Timmy,” she said, voice light and airy, as if he had woken up early on a sunday morning and not that she had almost died.

“(Y/N),” he practically cried rushing to her side. He gently cradled her face, trying to get a better look at the gash on her forehead from where she had slammed into the steering wheel. “What happened? Are you okay?”

She flashed him another grin as she raised her hand to rest on top of his. “I’m fine, mildly concussed maybe, but I’ll live. And the car crashed, I was knocked off the road when the quake hit. There was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“Why didn't you call for help, do you know how worried I was?”

“My radio is in the car, which was on fire by the way.” She said, almost too lightheartedly for the situation, before her tone turned sombre, “I’m sorry I worried you.”

He kissed her forehead. “Just don’t do it again, I don’t think my heart could take it.”

Ignoring her protests that she could walk by herself, he moved to pick her up bridal style and carry her back to his shop, where Chen was waiting for him. Sure, he was prepared for an earthquake, but Tim wasn't prepared to lose (Y/N), not now, not ever.

Masterlist

@rookietrek @kmc1989 @augustvandyne

[felinefractious]

I tried to adopt a cat from a rescue, I really did. I filled out and submitted applications to 5 different rescues because the local SPCAs didn't have cats that fit my needs (social with cats and dogs, approximately 1 year old, high energy, and preferably long or medium haired).

I explained in detail the care I give my current cupcake. She's spayed, gets routine vet care, is up to date on shots. She has her own room (my room) which is set up with shelves, trees, 2 litter boxes. She gets supervised free roam of the house (not 24/7 because of lifestyle reasons). I use puzzle feeders for her meals- high end brands like The Honest Kitchen, Open Farm, Stella and Chewy (I like to mix it up to keep it interesting). I play with her at least twice a day, or whenever she asks. Indoors only. She has a water fountain. We're working on harness training. I made it clear I had a second room set up similarly and ready to go, and carefully researched introductions. Dogs are cat social and kenneled unless supervised. I don't know, I feel like my cat lives a good life. She's happy, fit, and I adore her.

Couple of weeks past and I received 5 rejection emails with reasons such: I maintain a very small flock of exhibition poultry, that I do breed and sell the chicks of seasonally, which is...immoral to them, I guess; my brother who does live in the same household has intact show and working dogs; the dogs are kenneled (what??); I don't work full-time; one even said it was because I feed my current cat dry food instead of wet food. My cat straight up won't eat wet food! She hates it! I replied and said I would offer wet food if the new cat wanted it, and they never responded.

It all just seemed like weird reasons to me. Maybe not, I don't know if that's just how rescues are. I ended up with my cat through the pregnant cat distribution system (my mom owns her mom) so I didn't have to deal with takes on cat care I didn't get.

Dejected, I started looking on Craigslist and saw a cat that perfectly fit my needs- a sphynx outcross project that tested positive for mild HCM (asymptomatic for now) so the breeder who purchased him immediately neutered him. So I asked about him, located a cardiologist and scheduled an appointment with my vet ahead of time to get a referral to the cardiologist. Did lots of reading on HCM. Met with them and they were lovely. Got all his paperwork with his health testing and his whole history and genetics. I fell in love with him immediately. Everything they said about him has been true: he's confident, well-mannered, has the exact same play style as my kitty. There was not a single point during the 4 hour drive home that he showed signs of stress, he took treats and just lounged. When I set him in his room, he waltzed right out of his carrier with his chest puffed out, head held high, and rubbed all over me, purring and bumping his head into me. There hasn't been an adjustment period, he just came out and was like, "sweet, new digs! now, pet me!" Settled into a routine so fast. Has been perfect for his nails and bathing him. We're already making tremendous progress with recall.

This cat is so fucking well socialized. And his structure? Fucking gorgeous. Exactly as sphynx are described, with a deep chest, solid belly, longer hind legs than front, long creepy fingers which he uses to grip me instead of his claws and it feels like a human infant gripping me (deeply unsettling).

It's been such a good experience, and the rescues were so weird, I honestly don't know if I can ever get a cat that wasn't selectively bred again. He's not even pure bred! His dad is 100% sphynx but his mom is a dominant blue eye project from approved sphynx outcrosses.

Don't get me wrong, I love my first bastard kitty, she's the best cat there is. But now I have two perfect cats! I didn't realize that was possible...all my friends' cats, they're often much more nervous and shy. I was prepared for my second kitty to just never live up to my first.

Here he is, my weird coated mostly sphynx:

Bonus DNA results

I wonder what that person bit is about.

Unfortunately your story is not unique.

These excessive and unrealistic standards are part of what I mean when I discuss barriers to adoption as being one of the actual issues contributing to overpopulation of homeless pets.

I’ve seen people discuss being rejected due to their age despite being staffed in the veterinary field, the person was in their early 20’s.

I’ve seen people discuss being rejected due to having intact animals in the household despite them being species that aren’t traditionally altered, like reptiles.

A rescue I knew would avoid adopting out to people who indicated they would feed a brand of food the rescue considered to be lower quality, such as Friskies canned.

I’ve spoken to rescues for a veterinary reference who were disappointed the prospective adopters most recent cat wasn’t current on their vaccinations despite being an 18+ hospice case.

I could go on and on and on.

I’m glad you were finally able to find a cat to give a good forever home to, it’s clear that you’re passionate about your animals and knowledgeable about their care.

I would put too much stock in the 12% Persian, you can’t test for breeds in cats the same way as you can in dogs. Wisdom Panel is great for health and trait testing but nonsense for breeds.

You can really see the Devon in his face in the picture you used for the test, though!

[what-eats-owls]

I’m trying to explain the world of Little Thieves to my friend, and I realized I don’t really know the time period. Because the Blessed Era doesn’t really translate to our Common Era/Before Christ thing, I was wondering what period in time Little Thieves is closest to.

This is a really fun question to answer, because the answer is "approximately yes."

One of my favorite things about fairy tale collections is that the time period is all over the place. You'll see illustrations with outfits that doesn't belong in the same century, and other mismatches in names, technology, locations, etc. and it's really a lovely reflection of how these stories have traveled through time and space to reach us, and picked up souvenirs along the way. Fairy tales don't take place in the now; we hold a separate world of Once Upon A Time for them, which is full of potential in its timelessness.

When I set out to write Little Thieves, I wanted one thing to come across above all, and that was the sense of what I lovingly call "fairytale bullshit." Of course there's a talking horse, why not. Of course there's power in rhymes and herbs and the right metal at the right time. And grounding it in any one time period would have clashed with the sense of timelessness. I also feel strongly that any magic system is going to have a tangible impact on the technical progression of a society, and of course, the Blessed Empire has a fairly robust international trade economy to bring in influences from beyond its borders.

So there's an approximate period of 1400-1699 AD that I mostly try to stick to, but I'll cheerfully own to pulling from the 1200s, and I think a few things from the 1700s/1800s? (And one notable transgression from the Suez Canal in 2021. Time is a construct anyway! Might as well have fun with it.)

[yujo-nishimura]

Impel Down Chaos - Head Canon

Okay, I did it. And I am sooooo enjoying writing this - a deeply in love Y/n and a very clueless Captain Buggy - I want to write this head canon as funny and as chaotic as it can get.

Warning: Buggy x fem reader, SFW for now and a lot of goof, English is not my native language

You had always considered yourself an incredibly fortunate girl, but today marked a great departure from that belief. Seated on a chilly stone bench, dressed in your new black and white striped outfit, your wrists bound tightly by handcuffs behind unyielding iron bars, you found yourself confined within Impel Down—the world's most renowned and impregnable prison. Maybe you were actually lucky to finally see this infamous building from the inside - but it would have been a more pleasant experience if you had been a mere visitor and not a criminal. 

Earlier, you had been leisurely strolling through town, intending to gather supplies for the ship. You were not aware that fate led you down a path that crossed with the only street where numerous Navy officials had assembled. They were busy examining updated wanted posters, one of them including to be yours with a very new, very beautiful picture of yourself. Lost in a daydream about your flashy captain, you accidently walked straight into their midst, surprising both them and yourself. In that moment, you never suspected the dangerous trap into which your steps had unwittingly led you.

The sheer number of fifteen Navy officials proved overwhelming, leaving you helpless and unable to defend yourself. Before you could even entertain second thoughts about venturing alone from the safety of your ship, you found your hands restrained by handcuffs, a gag stifling your voice, and were forcefully carried aboard the Navy vessel.

You let out a heavy sigh as you gazed down at the shackles that bound your wrists now. The mere act of being brought into this prison had already instilled in you a profound fear, heightened further by the piercing screams of tortured prisoners that vibrated through the air. 

Seated within the confines of a cramped cell on Level 1, you found yourself surrounded by fellow male inmates, their eyes gleaming with an unsettling desire. Upon your arrival, the navy officials had instructed you to wait until they could locate a female guard to escort you to the women's prison. However, what seemed like a mere half-hour had stretched into an eternity, leaving you still perched upon the cold bench. You could feel the weight of the gazes from approximately ten men fixated upon you, their eyes undressing you in an unholy manner, while whispering to each other about your arrival.

You did not know how long these pirates had been imprisoned for, but it was evident that they had not known the comforts of a bath or the company of a woman for an extended period of time. 

You thought of your crew and your captain - would they know about what had happened to you? Would they come and rescue you? You thought of Cabaji and Mohji, being all eager and motivated to sail to your rescue. However, you couldn't help but acknowledge their inherent cowardice, knowing that once they discovered the location of your captivity, their bravery might just disappear and they would dig you a grave with some withering flowers on a random island. But your Captain, would he come to rescue you? There was no other person on the Grand Line you admired more than Buggy the Clown, but you were not sure if he felt the same for you. You had done everything to get his attention until he finally agreed on letting you join his crew. Since that day you felt you were the happiest girl on the whole wide ocean, having already found your personal One Piece in form of a goofy, selfish and always angry clown. 

Yet, deep down, a nagging doubt crept into your thoughts. You couldn't shake the feeling that the Buggy Pirates would not come to your aid. Their ship lacked the capability to navigate the treacherous calm belt, and their crew, while being motivated and loyal, wasn't known for their exceptional strength. Breaking into the formidable fortress of a prison seemed far beyond their capabilities.

You let out another sigh, accidentally drawing the attention of the men surrounding you once again. One of them, with teeth nearly as dark as obsidian, attempted a smile as he addressed you. "You seem down, Missy. How about we liven things up a bit, eh?" His words were promptly echoed by another man, sporting an overgrown blonde mohawk. He exuded an air of danger, matched only by the apparent lack of intelligence on his face. "Yeah, why not have some fun together before you have to bid us farewell?"

You gulped, fear pressing on your lungs and your heart, rendering you unable to speak. The two guys now walked slowly towards you, laughing in anticipation, knowing you had no chance against them without a weapon and without backup. 

Just as one of the men stood before you, his hand reaching out to touch your arm, a scream of terror escaped your lips. In a twist of fate, the cell door swung open in the same moment, and another prisoner was forcefully thrown inside, drawing the attention away from you, if only for a brief moment.

“You damn bastards, that is not how you treat a renowned pirate captain!”, a familiar voice echoed through the cell, making you immediately getting up from your seat. Dressed in the same prisoner's clothes as you, his long blue hair pulled back in a ponytail, the familiar red nose shining in the darkness of the cell, sitting on his bum was your captain - Buggy the clown!

"Captain!" you exclaimed, leaping towards him in sheer delight, only to restrain yourself at the last moment, suppressing the overwhelming urge to envelop him in a tight passionate hug.

"Y/n!" he responded, clearly taken aback by your presence. Rising to his feet, it dawned on him that he still had at least one loyal crew member left to give orders to. "You've come to rescue me, right?" you pleaded, clasping your hands together, tears welling up in your eyes as you regarded your clown captain as if he were the second coming of Jesus on an Easter holiday. For a brief moment, he appeared dumbfounded, but then he burst into laughter. "Yes, my dear Y/n! It was all part of my grand plan to willingly get captured, brought here, and locked up, all in order to uncover a means of escape for the both of us. I never, ever just got caught by the marines and tossed in here because I happened to take a wrong turn in town. That would never happen to the great Buggy the Clown!"

"I knew it!" you exclaimed, unable to contain your joy, as you almost broke into a spontaneous dance around Buggy. However, the gravity of your current situation quickly brought you back to reality, and you leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, "They're planning to transfer me out of here soon, on account of being a woman, and these guys around us have already started making unwanted advances..."

Buggy stared back at you, his face etched with a perplexed expression, seemingly unable to grasp the severity of the situation and what you meant. 

"Don't worry, Y/n," he reassured you, a hint of cluelessness in his voice. "In prison, we're all treated equally... equally poorly, that is! The Navy's idea of justice seems to involve tormenting everyone indiscriminately."

"But Buggy...!" you exclaimed, desperately gesturing towards your chest and hips, hoping to draw his attention to your unmistakable feminine features. "I can't be treated the same as these... men!"

Buggy glanced at your attire, seemingly misinterpreting your concerns. "Ah, your clothes! Fear not, we shall retrieve them! Just like they've taken mine and my precious hat, robbing me of everything important to me. But don't you worry, Y/n, that doesn't change the fact that I am still your captain!"

"Are you two finished with your chit-chat?" interjected the persistent man from earlier, intruding once more and extending his arm, evidently trying to resume his unwelcome advances.

"We are most certainly not finished!" your captain interjected, swiftly coming to your rescue by forcefully pulling you away from the persistent individual, yet again misreading the situation. 

"How dare you attempt to take away my one and only loyal crew member! Y/n will come up with a brilliant plan to free us from this wretched place!" Buggy declared with unwavering confidence. 

"Me?" you exclaimed, caught off guard by his declaration, yet simultaneously feeling a delightful warmth spread through you from Buggy's firm touch. 

The situation was undeniably bleak, yet in the midst of it all, you couldn't help but be captivated by the sheer handsomeness of your captain. As fate would have it, this forced enclosure within the confines of the prison presented an opportunity for you to finally confess your feelings to him. You were never alone on board the ship. Now it was just him, you and some stinky fellow prisoners. This was finally your chance. Your day had come. Now you only needed to convince him of your loyalty, beauty and charm. Maybe after all you were still the lucky girl that you used to be. 

“My plan…!”, you started to say, without even knowing what your plan was. As he nodded in understanding, his magnificent blue locks fell over his strong, broad shoulders. It was a sight you had never seen before, and you silently expressed gratitude to the damn guards of Impel Down for confiscating his hat and bandana, allowing you to witness this mesmerizing sight.

"I'm all ears, Y/n. By the way, did those guards harm you when they dragged you in here? Your nose is bleeding...!" Buggy exclaimed, concern etched across his face.

[mysticstronomy]

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST THING WE CAN SEE IN SPACE??

Blog#348

Saturday, November 11th, 2023

Welcome back,

Current observations suggest that the Universe is about 13.7 billion years old. We know that light takes time to travel, so that if we observe an object that is 13 billion light years away, then that light has been traveling towards us for 13 billion years. Essentially, we are seeing that object as it appeared 13 billion years ago.

With every year that passes, our newest technology enables us to see further and further back.

The image used for this stop on our journey is the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF). The UDF is one of the deepest views of the visible universe to date; certainly it was the deepest when it was originally created in in 2003-2004. There are approximately 10,000 galaxies in this view, which is a sort of "core sample" of a very narrow patch of sky near the constellation Fornax. The smallest, reddest galaxies in the image, of which there are about 100, are among the most distant known objects!

The UDF looks back approximately 13 billion years (approximately between 400 and 800 million years after the Big Bang). Galaxies that existed in that time period would be very young and very different in structure and appearance than the grand spirals we see nearby today.

In December of 2012, astronomers announced a Hubble Space Telescope discovery of seven primitive galaxies located over 13 billion light years away from us.

The results are from survey of the same patch of sky known as the Ultra Deep Field (UDF). This survey, called UDF12, used Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 to peer deeper into space in near-infrared light than any previous Hubble observation.

Why infrared? Because the Universe is expanding; therefore the farther back we look, the faster objects are moving away from us, which shifts their light towards the red. Redshift means that light that is emitted as ultraviolet or visible light is shifted more and more to redder wavelengths.

The extreme distance of these newly discovered galaxies means their light has been traveling to us for more than 13 billion years, from a time when the Universe was less than 4% of its current age.

Their discovery, which you can read more about in the NASA feature is exciting because it might give us an idea of how abundant galaxies were close to the era when astronomers think galaxies first started forming. (Phil Plait has a good column about this discovery too.)

As of this writing it seems that one of the galaxies in this recent Hubble discovery may be a distance record breaker - it was observed 380 million years after the Big Bang, with a redshift of 11.9. This means the light from this galaxy (pictured below) left 13.3+ billion light years ago.

Just under a month ago, the current candidate was this object: a young galaxy called MACS0647-JD. It's only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way - and was observed at 420 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was 3 percent of its present age of 13.7 billion years. To spot this galaxy, astronomers used the powerful gravity from the massive galaxy cluster MACS J0647+7015 to magnify the light from the distant galaxy; this effect is called gravitational lensing

Originally published on imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, November 15th, 2023)

"WHERE DID WATER COME FROM ON EARTH??"

[the-empress-7]

For more than 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most valuable of all jewels.

Colombia, located in northern South America, is the country that mines and produces the most emeralds for the global market, as well as the most desirable.

It is estimated that Colombia accounts for 70–90% of the world's emerald market. While commercial grade emeralds are quite plentiful, fine and extra fine quality emeralds are extremely rare. Colombian emeralds over 50 carat can cost much more than diamonds of the same size.

The Colombian departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca, both in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, are the locations where most of the emerald mining takes place.

Although the Colombian emerald trade has a rich history that dates as far back as the pre-Columbian era, the increase in worldwide demand for the industry of the gemstones in the early 20th century has led prices for emeralds to nearly double on the global market.

Until 2016, the Colombian emerald trade was at the center of Colombia's civil conflict, which has plagued the country since the 1950s.

For thousands of years, emeralds have been mined and considered one of the world's most valuable jewels.

The first ever recorded emeralds date back to ancient Egypt, where they were particularly admired by Queen Cleopatra.

In addition to their aesthetic value, emeralds were highly valued in ancient times because they were believed to increase intelligence, protect marriages, ease childbirth, and thought to enable its possessor the power of predicting future events.

An ancient Colombian legend exists of two immortal human beings, a man and a woman—named Fura and Tena—created by the Muisca god Are in order to populate the earth.

The only stipulation by Are was that these two human beings had to remain faithful to each other in order to retain their eternal youth. Fura, the woman, however, did not remain faithful.

As a consequence, their immortality was taken away from them. Both soon aged rapidly, and they eventually died. Are later took pity on the unfortunate beings and turned them into two crags protected from storms and serpents and in whose depths Fura's tears became emeralds.

Today, the Fura and Tena peaks, rising approximately 840 and 500 meters, respectively, above the valley of the Minero River, are the official guardians of Colombia's emerald zone. They are located roughly 30 km north of the mines of Muzo, the location of the largest emerald mines in Colombia.

Historians believe the indigenous people of Colombia mastered the art of mining as early as 500 AD. But Spanish Conquistadors are the ones who are credited with discovering and marketing globally what we now call Colombian emeralds.

Colombia, during pre-colonial times, was occupied by Muzo indigenous people, who were overpowered by Spain in the mid-1500s. It took Spain five decades to overpower the tribal Muzo people who occupied this entire mining area.

Once in control, the Spanish forced this native, indigenous population to work the mining fields that it previously held for many centuries.

Monarchs and the gem-loving royalty in India, Turkey, and Persia eventually sought the New World treasures once the gems arrived in Europe.

These new emerald owners expanded their private collections with spectacular artifacts bedazzled with emeralds between 1600 and 1820, the time frame of Spain's control over the Colombian mines.

After Colombia's independence from Spain in 1819, the new government and other private mining companies assumed mining operations. Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, these mines were periodically shut down numerous times because of political situations within the country.

Colombian emeralds are much sought after, and not just because of their superb quality and color. A gem's value depends upon its size, purity, color and brilliance. Even when they are mined in the same area, each individual emerald has its own unique look that sets it apart from the rest.

Dark green is considered to be the most beautiful, scarce, and valuable color for emeralds. An emerald of this color is considered rare and is only found in the deepest mines of Colombia.

The eastern portion of the Andes, between the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments, is where most Colombian emeralds are mined.

The three major mines in Colombia are Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor. Muzo and Coscuez are on long-term leases from the government to two Colombian companies, while Chivor is a privately owned mine. Muzo remains the most important emerald mine in the world to this date.

The terms Muzo and Chivor do not always refer to the particular mines that carry the same name. Instead, the two terms, originating from the local indigenous language, often describe the quality and color of emeralds. Muzo refers to a warm, grassy-green emerald, with hints of yellow. Chivor, on the other hand, describes a deeper green color.

Thank you for this great reference material! Colombian emeralds are absolutely world renowned. But, when it comes to wearing the fuck out of emeralds no one can out do the Ambanis. This necklace alone is rumored to be worth $60 million USD 😮‍💨

[noticiasarquelogicasjaponesas]

Sean bienvenidos japoniatasarqueológicos a una nueva entrega, en esta ocasión os traigo otra noticia de arqueología de Japón la cual nos trasladaremos al periodo kofun o protohistórico (250 /592d.c) dicho esto Comencemos. - El túmulo funerario se encuentra rodeado de una doble fila de piedras, dicho túmulo se llama Koyasu y se localiza en Nakagawara Isenara, data de hace 1300 a 1400 años y pertenece al kofun tardío o protohistórico. Dicho conjunto arqueológico dispone de unos, 3600 kilómetros cuadrados aproximadamente, en la parte excavada dispone de 12 m y 14,8 de anchura se ha localizado debido a la construcción de la autopista Shin Tomei, que se localiza al margen derecho de Suzukawa al pie de la montaña Oyama se han encontrado tres dientes humanos. - Las piedras de dicho túmulo tienen distinta cantidad y tamaño, probablemente el túmulo central pertenecería a un jefe de un clan tribal y algún y el otro túmulo de menor tamaño pertenecería, pues, a alguien de la misma clase social, es decir que tuviera casi el mismo nivel social o un poco inferior al de la persona principal. - ¿De qué personaje histórico se trata? En próximas publicaciones hablaremos de este tema y aclararemos dudas sobre ellos dicho esto espero que les haya gustado y nos vamos en próximas publicaciones historia, arqueología de Japón hasta la próxima. - Welcome from Japan to a new installment, this time I bring you another archeology news from Japan which we will move to the kofun or protohistoric period (250 / 592 AD) with that said Let's start. - The burial mound is surrounded by a double row of stones, said mound is called Koyasu and is located in Nakagawara Isenara, dates from 1300 to 1400 years ago and belongs to the late or protohistoric kofun. This archaeological complex has approximately 3,600 square kilometers, in the excavated part it has 12 m and 14.8 in width, it has been located due to the construction of the Shin Tomei highway, which is located on the right bank of Suzukawa at the foot of the Oyama Mountain, three human teeth have been found. - the stones of said tumulus have different quantity and size, probably the central tumulus would belong to a chief of a tribal clan and some and the other smaller tumulus would belong, well, to someone of the same social class, that is to say, who had almost the same social level or a little lower than the main person. - What historical character is it? In future publications we will talk about this topic and clarify doubts about them, having said that, I hope you liked it and we will go in future publications history, archeology of Japan until next time.

[lonestarflight]

Apollo Application Program: BALLOS

Concept art of BALLOS (BALlistic LOgistic Spacecraft), an Apollo-derived logistics spacecraft. It was studied by NASA, Lockheed and McDonnell-Douglas for the transportation of Astronauts to and from the Large Orbiting Research Laboratory (LORL) space station for the Apollo Application Program.

It came in three variants, a 6 astronaut version (2 crew, 4 passengers), 9 astronaut version (2 crew, 7 passengers) and a 2 astronaut version (2 crew, 10 passengers).

It would potentially be launched onboard either the Saturn IB or Titan III-C (in hammerhead configuration). The Saturn IB was preferred. Despite being bigger than the base line Apollo CSM, it would weigh roughly the same.

The 12 astronaut version has the following description:

"It is conical in shape with a spherical segment base. The base diameter of the spacecraft is 190 inches. The cargo-maneuver module is conical in shape and located immediately aft of the crew module. The conical shape adapts the 190-in. diameter crew module to the 260-inches diameter of the launch vehicle. This module is capable of carrying 13,455 lb of packaged cargo and 3,755 lb of maneuver propellant. This propellant is sufficient to meet the maneuvering impulsive velocity requirements of 1,050 fps which is provided by a modified LEM descent engine located in the module. Three solid-propellant retrorockets are located at the fore end of this module also.

This vehicle fulfills the mission requirements of delivering 12 men and 13, 455 lb of packaged cargo to a space station orbiting at an altitude of 260 nmi and an inclination of 29.5°. The launch vehicle puts the spacecraft in a 105 nmi parking orbit from which a Hohmann transfer is used to reach the rendezvous altitude of 260 nmi. Impulse for the Hohmann transfer and injection into final orbit is provided for in the 1,050 fps of impulsive velocity capability of the maneuver propulsion system. The maximum dynamic pressure of 525 psf is reached approximately 85 sec after launch. The maximum longitudinal acceleration during launch is approximately 4 g's."

At the end of the mission, the capsule would return to Earth for recovery, refurbishment and reuse. The propulsion module would be allowed to burn up.

"On an operational basis, prelaunch preparation time for a new [Ballos] spacecraft is 40 days. This time period includes receiving and shop processing prior to mating to the erected launch vehicle.

The projected 1968 to 1970 time period estimate for on-pad preparation time for the Saturn IB launch vehicle is 48 days. Of this, 23 days are allowed for payload mating and integrated vehicle checkout. The total prelaunch processing time required for the [BALLOS] vehicle, therefore, would be 63 days."

BALLOS never progressed past the study phase, like many proposals of the Apollo Application Program.

Date: Study 1964

source, source

NASA ID: S64-3663, S63-4634, S64-1800

[labellefleur-sauvage]

Tempests and Urges

Slowly, Lucien turned his head and his gaze found hers. Everything quieted. The house’s inhabitants were gathered around Lucien, talking about what he could expect, but Elain focused only on the male in front of her. She tried to convey her apology and sorrow and want with her eyes, frozen with indecision and unable to say what she wanted.

Lucien stared back at her, and while she could so clearly see his own sadness and longing reflected in his brilliant russet eye, he gave her a small, slow bow and turned away. Elain’s stomach dropped. He was going to leave her, and Elain would be stuck in this house like a neglected piece of furniture, without the one being who had a hope of truly understanding and listening to her. She took a half step down the stairs at the same time Lucien turned to Rhys and nodded his head…

“Wait!”

...

"Take me with you."

Chapter II of my gift for @stickyelectrons for the @acotargiftexchange! Thank you for your patience (the holidays were busy!) but I'm excited to share this next chapter with you! Wishing everyone a happy new year!

Read on AO3

XXX

II.

When Lucien rose that morning, never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined how the day would turn out: interrupted by Elain Archeron when he was seconds away from being sent to the Continent, and the same woman insisting on joining him on his quest to find the lost mortal queen. Secretly, when Elain announced her intentions and Nesta questioned if she had been placed under a spell, Lucien had the same thought as the eldest Archeron. But as Elain made her case to her sisters, her eyes had filled with the eerily familiar fight and stubbornness he’d seen countless times in Feyre’s eyes. Perhaps that was just an Archeron trait, he thought. 

Another apparent Archeron trait: sheer willpower. Lucien thought that this particular characteristic may have skipped over Elain, but as they came to at the base of a tremendous mountain range and Rhys vanished with a nod and a wisp of smoke, Elain simply took a look around at their surroundings then looked to Lucien with a determined look on her face. “So, which way?”

Lucien took out his map and showed Elain their approximate location. Montesere occupied the northwestern corner of the Continent, bordered by the sea on its northern and western shores, with rolling hills that grew to rocky mountains along its eastern edges. In an ideal world, they would be able to walk in a southeasterly direction to Koschei’s lake from their current location, without worrying about the Continent’s marauding thieves and criminals. In an ideal world, they wouldn’t be making this journey at all, Lucien thought, so any wishes for an easier route seemed a bit pointless. 

“How far are we from the western ports?” Elain asked, studying the map dotted with notes and diagrams. 

“About three days. There are some forests we can camp in each night.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

That was two days ago, and the pair hadn’t exchanged more than a few words since. Not that Lucien hadn’t tried to make conversation. He asked Elain about her hobbies–”What else do you enjoy growing in your garden?” or “Do you enjoy dancing?” even “Any other interests?”—and all he received were one word answers or an unimpressed ‘hmph’ that even Lucien, master flirt and wordsmith that he was, didn’t know how to expand upon to further their conversations. Elain never asked him anything other than confirmation that they were on track to the port, so Lucien took the hint. 

Lucien thought he and Elain would finally discuss what tied them together. Clearly, Elain insisted on joining him for reasons other than being alone with him for an extended period of time, working together towards a common cause and getting to know each other.

Mates. Cauldron, even months after the bond snapped into place, Lucien was still winded by the knowledge that he had a mate. No, that perhaps didn’t surprise him; who his mate was, and wasn’t, was what he still couldn’t wrap his head around. 

He had thought it before and he thought it now: Jesminda was the exact opposite of Elain. Jesminda, full of life and laughter, fearless, confident and secure in herself and what she stood for. She always had a smile for Lucien, and matched his fire with her own unique warmth. 

Elain held no warmth or happiness for Lucien. Not that she needed any, he thought. She owed him nothing, even as his inner beast wanted to grab her shoulders, make her look at him, make her listen to him as he begged and pleaded his case for why he was a worthy male for her. 

Guilt over Jesminda and his newfound happiness at discovering his mate still warred within him. Much of Lucien’s time and thoughts since discovering the mating bond had been devoted to reconciling his feelings towards the female he had once loved so fiercely. 

He had moved on from Jesminda, or, as moved on as one could be after watching the female he thought was his mate murdered before his own eyes. He hadn’t been…unhappy, for some time, per se, but had been merely existing for the past several hundred years. Some decades were better than others, but Lucien had long ago lost the wonder and excitement that rising each day once brought him. Lucien had accepted Jesminda’s death and the inevitability that he would never know such love and happiness again.

But then Hybern happened. The Cauldron happened.

And now here, right in front of him, was the most breathtaking female he had ever seen. His heart called out to hers, even as his head cautioned him to slow down, to stop these dangerous and near traitorous thoughts. A small part of him still loved Jesminda, and most likely always would; was it wrong of him to one day move on, to want to feel the love and desire that he’d once had, but with someone else?

Did he even deserve this love? He had done so much wrong in his life, and for the Mother to still bless him with the most beautiful female he’d ever seen… 

“Will you stop sighing back there? Whatever it is you’re thinking about, you’re being more dramatic than Nesta when Feyre wouldn’t give her money for a new pair of shoes.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. They had formed an unspoken walking pattern: one ten feet in front of the other, never talking except for directions, and always looking ahead. At first it bothered him, but as Lucien began walking behind Elain, getting a generous view of her bottom and legs in the tight Illyrian leathers everyone in the Night Court insisted on wearing, he decided to keep his mouth shut. 

Not now, though. “I’m being dramatic? You’re the one who started a public family fight after you had barely spoken anything for weeks because you wanted to accompany me in finding this mortal queen. I’d love to know why exactly you’re here, by the way, because it clearly wasn’t to get to know me.” Lucien paused. “Why did Nesta need money from Feyre?”

Elain turned to face him, a pretty pink blush staining her cheeks. “It’s really none of your business–”

“It seems you’ve forgotten I already know quite a bit about your family business, thanks to you.”

“But before, when we were humans, Feyre, er, hunted and supplied our family with most of our money,” Elain rushed out, looking back ahead. Lucien could have sworn she started walking faster as well. 

“Feyre said you all wouldn’t last a month after she came to the Spring Court, but I didn’t think she was being serious.” Lucien stuffed his hands in his pockets as best he could with his heavy pack on his back and raised a condescending eyebrow, despite the fact that Elain wasn’t looking at him. “So you willingly let Feyre hunt and starve herself to provide everything for your family?” 

Elain stopped and turned to face him, her face red, legs wide and clenched fists by her side. The stance of someone getting ready for a fight. “Right, because as the son of a High Lord, you know everything about doing any sort of hard work to survive?”

Lucien sneered. If Elain knew what being the son of Beron Vanserra truly entailed, she’d wipe that leer off her pink lips. Lucien could tell her of the times he’d been struck or hit for any perceived slight towards his father, or the time he’d been plied with liquor until he passed out and his father’s cronies winnowed his unconscious body to a desolate forest on the other side of Autumn Court with nothing on him except his clothes and a note, telling him to find his way back to the Forest House in time for dinner, all because Lucien had made a few too many jokes with a visiting nobleman. 

Lucien could easily have told Elain all this and more, and how each and every instance of cruelty and malice prepared Lucien for a hard life of doing anything to survive. But she wouldn’t be able to comprehend or truly understand what he’d gone through, how truly monstrous the fae were. Or perhaps worse, those big brown eyes of hers would fill with pity. 

He’d received enough pitying looks to last him a lifetime. Instead, Lucien took a step towards her. “I at least know how to fish, so I guess you could say I do. More than you, at least.”

“Wonderful,” Elain spat. “If anything should happen to us, we can call upon your supposedly superb ability to catch a fish to save us.”

“You forget I’m also a skilled warrior.” Another step closer to his mate. “In fact, I’m very comfortable with all manner of swords in different lengths,” he purred, raising a single eyebrow suggestively and smirking. 

Most females needed very little convincing to lay down and raise their skirts whenever Lucien used that tone of voice and moved his lips like that. The female in front of him, however, wasn’t like that, Lucien realized a second later.

Elain laughed mockingly. “Well, Feyre gave me a knife the size of my pinky–I’m assuming that’s the length you’re the most familiar with?”

Lucien frowned. “I know Feyre has an attitude, but I incorrectly assumed you were better than your younger sister in that regard.”

“I do not have an attitude!”

“Feyre also single-handedly saved all of Prythian while she was Under the Mountain, and is working tirelessly to save us all again, so I suppose the attitude is warranted,” Lucien said loudly, ignoring Elain.

“And you almost destroyed all of Prythian, and my life, when you allied with Hybern and turned me into…this, so I think my attitude is justified as well!” 

Lucien bit his tongue. He’d apologized for that, and deeply regretted not being more assertive with Tamlin when things with Hybern progressed, even when Lucien’s conscious screamed at him day after day that what they were doing was wrong, that nothing, not even Feyre, was worth betraying everyone and sullying themselves by allying with Hybern. The guaranteed abuse from Tamlin would have been preferable to what transpired. 

“As I said, Lady, I apologize,” Lucien gritted. “It was never my intention to cause you or anyone harm.”

Elain scoffed. “Is that the best apology you can make? I thought there would be more groveling from the male who took everything from me.”

“Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?”

This time it was Elain who took a step towards him. She planted her hands on her hips. “Would you even know what to do if you went on your knees before me?”

Cauldron help him. Maybe the Mother knew exactly what she was doing when she decided the two of them should be mates. The fire dancing in her eyes called out to his own warmth, and the blood pulsing through his body called out to her. He wondered if Elain could hear how fast his heart was beating at that moment, in sheer excitement and want. 

It had been some time since he’d wanted anyone this desperately.

Lucien took the final step towards Elain. He glanced down at her flushed face, his gaze lingering on her lips when her tongue peeked out to wet them. She was breathing fast, and her eyes looked slightly glazed. “I will gladly get on my knees–”

Elain gasped and her body went stiff. “The crow will strike with bloody wings,” she mumbled, staring at something over his shoulder. “Its children will turn the sky black as night.”

“Oh hell,” Lucien muttered as Elain swayed on the spot. He eyed her nervously as her hazy eyes continued staring off into the distance. This was obviously a vision, and like her previous ones, frustratingly vague and cryptic. “Elain?” he called softly after a few moments. 

Nothing. It was like she had fallen asleep standing up. Lucien snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Elain?” Still no response. He gave her a few more moments and looked around. There was nothing of interest behind him that she could be staring at. He sighed, unsure what to do. Would she simply…come to, on her own? Did she need to be forcefully brought back to the present?

Clearly, standing stock still in the middle of nowhere wasn’t conducive to breaking her out of her trance, so more immediate action needed to be taken. Tentatively, Lucien reached out and wrapped his hands gently around her upper arms and gave her just the smallest shake. “Elain?”

Cauldron, what was going on inside her mind that couldn’t be broken? “I hope you remember more about your vision than I do, because I wasn’t paying attention to the first part,” he grumbled. 

Enough of this–they had to keep moving, and if he had to be the one to move both of them, so be it. Lucien bent down below Elain to wrap his hands around her knees right as she gasped.

“What are you doing down there?! I wasn’t serious about you getting on your knees! Get away!”

“Ah, stop it!” Lucien threw up his arms to protect his face from Elain’s swinging hands. “You had a vision and were just standing there like a statue, I was going to carry you so we could keep moving! Stop trying to hit me!”

“I lose myself for a few seconds and you try to make a move on me! I thought you’d be more of a gentleman!” Elain stepped away from Lucien and smoothed her hands over her unruly hair and clothes, shooting him a suspicious glare. 

“Who told you I was a gentleman?”

Elain blushed, and Lucien decided he very much enjoyed how the color elevated her pretty face. “I just assumed, being the son of a High Lord, that you would have manners and courtesy becoming of your station.”

Lucien barked a laugh. “Fae nobility doesn’t operate under the same ideals of goodness as humans, Elain. Me being the son of a High Lord means nothing to me, and I am by no means a gentleman, as you will soon come to find out,” he promised, grinning at her with all his teeth exposed.

Elain inhaled sharply. “And I think,” Lucien continued, stepping back into her personal space, “that you don’t really want a gentleman, do you?”

From this close up, Lucien could smell her sweet honey and jasmine scent, along with an altogether new and entirely different scent. Faint, so faint, but the burgeoning scent of her excitement danced across his tongue. He nearly groaned. 

Lucien knew just enough about Elain’s former betrothed to get the measure of him: the son of a general from a safe, respectable, predictable family that probably considered organizing their vast weapons collection as the highlight of their year. Looking at Elain now, her breath quick and scent excited, Lucien knew she’d be permanently bored and miserable should she have married that mortal. No, Elain perhaps didn’t have the same fire as her sisters, but she was intense in her own ways and needed someone to challenge her all the same. She needed excitement. She needed an adventure.

It could certainly just be the mating bond riding them, making them feel this way, but he didn’t think it was just that. This close to her, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of anticipation and surprise in the way her eyes searched his face. Trust me, Lucien pleaded with his eyes. He reached out to their bond, the string connecting them, and slowly moved along it. Give me a chance…

She turned her nose up at him. “You’re wrong–I would very much appreciate a gentleman, someone kind and who doesn’t make untoward advances on me, specially right now.” Without another word, Elain turned around and began marching away, her boots stomping so hard into the ground small puffs of dirt arose with each step. 

He counted to ten in his head, feeling cold and frustrated in the aftermath of her rebuttal. “You’re going the wrong way!” Lucien called after her retreating form. 

Elain turned back and gave Lucien a glare filled with so much heat it could melt the icicles off the palace in the Winter Court. She stuck her middle finger up at him as she passed.

Another Archeron family trait. Lucien couldn’t help but chuckle. 

As much as he would like to follow Elain from a distance–annoyance did wonderful things to her bottom–they needed to discuss what just happened. Lucien jogged to catch up to Elain and matched her pace. “So, what was your vision about?”

Elain gave him a look from the corner of her eyes but relented with a frustrated sigh. “It was…blurry, even by what I normally experience,” she admitted. “Normally, I have an idea of what the vision is about–I’ve seen Vassa transform into a bird more times than I can count by now, and saw Hybern’s ravens in the Library. But this time, it was like trying to watch a play through a thick fog.”

“Why was this vision different?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice with thick with frustration. “It also may explain why I was unresponsive for several minutes. I tried to…follow the vision, get closer to what was happening in the hopes that I could see it better.”

Lucien paused. “That seems dangerous. I know very little about Seers, but I know the mind can be a very dangerous place to be stuck whenever powerful magic is around, even for the most proficient of fae.”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I? The only real skill I bring to this small operation are my visions, and that’s only if they’re actually useful to us,” she muttered irritably. 

Lucien didn’t agree–their earlier witty argument was already the highlight of his month, and they’d only been together for two days. He changed tactics. “Perhaps this vision is going to happen so far in the future that its details aren’t set in stone yet. Maybe it can still change, depending on what happens in the present, and that’s why you couldn’t see anything clearly.”

Elain sighed. “Perhaps. But why show it to me now, for me to worry over?”

“Then don’t worry about it.”

“I just can’t not worry about it now,” Elain scoffed. 

“Then worry about it with me. I’m not here to fight with you, Elain,” Lucien said gently. “Regardless of how you feel about us, we need to work together, at least until we find Vassa. Can you do that?”

She bit her lip. “Of course, you’re right. We’re a team–” Lucien couldn’t help his smile, his heart soaring– “just until we find Vassa,” Elain ended. 

“Right,” Lucien muttered, his heart sinking back into the pit of his stomach. “Just until we find Vassa.”

But Lucien knew, as they continued walking in silence the rest of the day, that he wanted to try to be more with Elain than just temporary teammates. He’d experienced her wit and fire first hand, knew she was flawed like him and on some level desired him, and suspected, under her biting remarks, that she was kind and generous and good. The fact that she was utterly beautiful didn’t even factor in to his initial reasons of why he wanted to spend more time by her side.

Lucien now had two very pressing missions: find the last mortal queen who had been transformed into a firebird, and learn all he could about Elain Archeron.

“Did you care for any birds growing up?” Lucien asked conversationally later, after they had found a small copse of trees to shelter under during the night. Dinner had yielded an awkward conversation about the weather, along with their dried meats, bread and fruit. They were each laying on their respective bedrolls, staring at the night sky through the branches of the trees. 

Elain furrowed her brows and frowned. “What?”

“Well, this is the third time you’ve had a vision concerning birds; an odd coincidence, I wasn’t sure if you kept any birds as pets in your youth.”

“None at all.”

“Ah.” Lucien lightly drummed his fingers on the ground beneath him. “Do you like birds?”

“I’ve never thought about birds in any capacity until very recently,” Elain said blankly.

“Something we have in common. I, too, don’t care for birds, and after tonight, I never want to think about the flying pests ever again.”

To his delight, Elain gave a short laugh. “Finally, one thing we can agree on. Good night, Lucien.”

Lucien had charmed plenty of females before to know that getting them to laugh was one of the hardest obstacles to overcome in wooing. The fact that they had gone from arguing, to a tentative trust, to laughing, all in the space of one day was a very good sign, Lucien thought with a grin.

One step down, he thought happily as he drifted off to sleep, and only a million more to go.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Vorombe vs Protodontopteryx

Factfiles:

Vorombe titan

Artwork by @otussketching, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Titan of the Big Birds 

Time: 10,000 years ago to sometime in the past 2000 years (Holocene epoch of the Quaternary period) 

Location: Southern Madagascar 

Vorombe is a newly erected genus of Elephant Bird, the largest that we know of! Whereas all species of Elephant Bird used to be put in the same genus, distinct differences among the types of Elephant Bird that we know of indicate they deserve their own genus names - and here we are! Vorombe was significantly larger than the other species of Elephant Bird, and probably was about 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) tall when standing. It was also ridiculously heavy, weighing around 650 kilograms. As such, Vorombe is currently the largest known bird ever recorded. It lived in the arid and succulent woodlands as well as the grassland mosaics, the weirdly unique habitats that charactierize Madagascar, and was a major feature in the functioning of those ecosystem - helping to spread plant seeds and maintain habitats as they lived within them. Vorombe and other Elephant Birds lived alongside a lot of weird animals during the Quaternary of Madadgascar, including dwarf hippos, giant tortoises, and giant lemurs. 

Note: A paper came out literally on the last day of February this year indicating Vorombe may not be its own genus. More work is needed to determine if this bird is distinct from Aepyornis. 

Protodontopteryx ruthae

Artwork by @otussketching, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Ruth Love’s First Pseudotoothed Bird

Time: 62 million years ago (Danian stage of the Paleocene epoch, Paleogene period)

Location: Mt. Ellen Member, Waipara greensand, Aotearoa 

Pseudotoothed birds, the strange fever dream of the Cenozoic, are something of a mystery. They don’t have a clear set of transitional fossils from ancestor to first members. It is uncertain what sorts of modern birds they’re most closely related to. But, luckily, Protodontoperyx helps to put some of the pieces together. The earliest known member of the group - and the smallest - Protodontoperyx seems to have had a wingspan of approximately 1 meter long, much smaller than other Pseudotoothed Birds. It does have the psuedoteeth that characterize the group, indicating they evolved rapidly after the end-Cretaceous extinction. It had much bigger nostrils than later pseudotoothed birds, interestingly enough, indicating it wasn’t quite as adapted to marine life as its later relatives and as such, Protodontoperyx does showcase some interesting transitional anatomy for this group. While later taxa were long-term soaring birds, Protodontopteryx probably lived most similarly to an albatross, selecting targeted prey such as fish and not engaging in long term flights. In its early coastal environment, Protodontopteryx wasn’t alone, but surrounded by other early radiating animals following the extinction - a huge diversity of sharks, but also early penguins and relatives of Mesozoic Neornithine birds that survived into the Cenozoic. As such, Protodontopteryx lived in a weirdly transitional ecosystem, showcasing the rise of Cenozoic Birds as the impact winter began to dissipate at last. 

DMM Round One Masterpost

[dxmurei]

Thozsa

Overview

Name: Thozs’ahltsya (thoz-AAHL-tss-yuh)

Nickname: Thozsa

Pronouns: He/Him

Race: Yuan-Ti Pureblood

Age: approximately 26 years

Height: 5 ft 10 in

Class: Blood Domain Cleric

[Due to my own fellow party members being able to read this, I will have to limit the information I’m sharing here] Thozsa was born into and grew up in the Cult of the Blood Fang. The cult is made up entirely of Yuan-Ti and is located on an island off the coast of Faetopia. For a century the Blood Fang operated completely unknown to the inhabitants of Faetopia- until now. (thanks Thozsa) For reasons unknown to Faetopia, the Cult of the Blood Fang works to dismantle and overtake the kingdom. They hold a special hatred for the Faetopian Dragonborns particularly.

Features

Thozsa’s features are most related to the Blue Komodo Island Viper.

His skin is a vibrant teal color that lightens in tone on his chest, stomach, palms, inner thighs, neck, and under-eyes

Similarly colored scales cover most his body. The scales are thin and sparse near his joints, but large and plated on his shoulders, chest, upper-back and abdomen.

His eyes are an amber/yellow color.

Under his eyes are lines of pit organs. These pits detect thermal radiation. They are not too useful to him as a Pureblood, as he has better eyesight than other types of Yuan-Ti.

The roof of his mouth hosts an organ called the Jacobson’s Organ. Using his forked tongue, he can collect particles/chemicals from the air and then press them into said organ. This gives him a much higher sense of smell than if he were to just use his nose.

His teeth are a mix of human-like teeth and something more carnivorous. His incisors and molars are typical of human anatomy, but his bicuspids are much sharper than that of humans. In addition, his canines (cuspids) are large and long- snake fangs. He has a gland in his mouth that can supply these fangs with painful venom if he so chooses.

His jaw can unhinge and open much wider than other humanoids, so much so that even with his mouth closed, an indented line runs across his skin from the corners of his lips to the top of his ears (basically the seam of his jaw is slightly visible)

His ears are slightly pointed.

His nails are tougher than human nails and naturally grow at a pointed shape.

Temperature Guide

As a Yuan-Ti Pureblood, he is not as cold blooded as more snake-like Yuan-Tis, but that does not exclude him from the dangers of cold weather.

temperature guide for purebloods

100+ degrees is dangerous. If Purebloods cannot find shade quickly, their bodies will begin to shut down after a few hours. Their bodies react akin to getting a high fever

90 to 100 degrees can be uncomfortable for long periods of times without shade. Purebloods may become fatigued after several hours

75 to 90 degrees is ideal. Purebloods function the best at this temp range

60 to 75 degrees is uncomfortable for purebloods, but not dangerous. Their bodies might become a little sluggish, depending on how long they spend in this temp

at 60 degrees, purebloods will look for a tight and safe place to brumate. This place may accommodate many purebloods at the same time, or just one. During beumation, a pureblood’s bodily functions will slow drastically to save energy. Most won’t eat for up to a week. They will only leave their place to get water every few days. From an outside perspective, brumation seems a lot like hibernation.

50 to 60 degrees is ideal for brumation

anything below 50 is deadly after a certain amount of time. Their bodies will shut down.

Thozsa’s Past

Childhood

Thozsa was born on the Blood Fang’s island, and as a pureblood, this meant he was practically cattle for the first few years of his life. He spent the first two or three years of his life with other same-aged purebloods being looked after by higher Yuan-Tis. And by looked after, I mean being given the bare amount of food, water and other necessities. For the first years of his life, he was simply kept alive.

Near age four he was upgraded from just being kept alive to being kept alive and taught basic necessities. Necessities like the Yuan-Ti language, the Blood Fang’s functions, the greatness of their deity Sseth, and discipline.

At age six, he began his physical training, working on establishing stuff as little as needed motor skills all the way up to endurance training.

At age eight, he was introduced to Sseth’s magic for the first time. Many other purebloods from his group died at this age- their bodies not surviving the magic.

At age ten, he made it through The Selection- a process in which purebloods who show promising skills are selected for continued training. The rest are used for labor and or sacrifice.

He spent the next ten years of his life training to become a weapon, a tool for the Blood Fang to use as they please. More specifically: a spy. Purebloods who made it through their childhood were sent to the mainland to infiltrate the kingdom and gain valuable intelligence on the inner-workings of the Faetopian government.

Adulthood

At age 20, Thozsa was put through the Trials. The Trials were what decided if of-age Purebloods were ready to infiltrate. There were only two endings to the Trial: death or victory. Thozsa entered the Trials with eight other Purebloods and was the only one to make it out alive.

Nearing age 21, he was sent to the mainland of Faetopia.

For four years he traveled on the down-low from town to town, gathering information in the subtle way of simply observing. However, the longer he worked, the more familiar he became with Faetopia, and the more aggressive he became with his tactics. He soon became semi-known by some people as a bounty hunter. As he gathered information for the Blood Fang, he would earn coin by killing for others, something he was very good at.

At age 25 his name as a bounty hunter had reached the capital. Thankfully, his illegal bounties had stayed underground, but his bounty work for various organizations/guard posts/towns has caught the attention of the Faetopian Royals. He was skilled and they needed someone who’s loyalty could be bought with coin, seeing as no one else could possibly offer more coin than them. And so Thozsa was hired along with a handful of others to be present at the Queen’s baby shower (it was a very big and important event trust me) and keep an eye on the guests. And most importantly, capture/kill anyone who poses a threat. Thozsa takes the job both for the coin and for the sudden inside look he’d get of the capital. The job went successfully. Someone made an attempt on the Queen’s life and Thozsa killed them. Unfortunately though, he’d met the Prince of Faetopia (Aster) at the event, and even more unfortunately, was hired the next day to be the prince’s personal guard. Aster was annoying as fuck. (If the position wasn’t going to give him much needed inside information for the cult, he would have declined it immediately)

Present

Here is where I can give even less detail for fear my fellow party members read this. But the basics I can give are:

Aster drags Thozsa around Faetopia as he does his Princely (and not so Princely) duties.

Aster annoys the shit out of Thozsa, and if it weren’t for his circumstances, he probably would have killed the man already.

What’s weird is that Aster seems to care for Thozsa’s wellbeing even though he’s the guard, not the other way around.

Aster is also very touchy and hugs Thozsa and tries to hold his hand and gets pouty when Thozsa pulls his hand away weird huh

(everyone can guess from my art that these two do in fact grow closer over time, enemies to enemy-lovers to who the fuck knows type beat maybe, but I literally cannot explain any of it without spoilers for my party damn)

Other Info

Incase I didn’t make it clear enough above, Yuan-Ti Purebloods are the lowest of the low in the Blood Fang.

They exhibit the most human traits out of all the Yuan-Ti.

The more snake-like the Yuan-Ti, the higher up they are in authority.

The basis is, their deity, Sseth, is very snake-like. So the more snake-like you are, the closer to Sseth you are.

Some of Thozsa’s likes:

Heat/Warmth (obviously)

Humidity

Rabbit meat

The smell of frankincense

Soft textures

Some of Thozsa’s dislikes:

Cold (obviously)

Crowds

Not having control

Small talk

Cinnamon

Very open areas

By using his Jacobson’s Organ, he can quite literally smell certain emotions off people.

Some emotions present the emission of certain chemicals that he can detect with the organ.

Though this only works in very close proximity

He has gold caps over his fangs

Being a Pureblood, he cherishes the more snake-like parts of his body.

The gold on his fangs is a way of exemplifying one of his more snake-like aspects.

He cannot see yellow properly.

Something many Purebloods experience is the lack of certain eye cones responsible for detecting yellow (i know this isnt how it works irl leave me alone this is fantasy).

To him, yellow appears dull and near brown.

A yellow daisy is the same color as sand to him.

The thermal pits under his eyes can be overloaded with sensory

By pressing something warm directly onto the pits, thermal energy is being directly input.

It creates a similar effect to shining a flashlight directly into your eyes, except this isn’t painful.

It’s a sensory overload in the sense of all his brain can think is ‘warm, warm, warm, warm’.

In most situations, this is extremely unwanted and disliked, however, if he was ever in an environment he felt completely safe and relaxed in, this sensation would be rather nice.

He never knew his parents.

There is no sense of family in the Blood Fang. Especially for Purebloods

Once a Pureblood is born, they are taken and put with the rest. The parent(s) do not get to watch their child grow up, and it is very likely the child will never know who their parent(s) were in the first place.

Thozsa’s parents have lore in this world and I love them dearly. Their story is heartbreaking.

He sheds his skin

Purebloods shed once around every three years or so.

It’s a bit different to how snakes shed, it’s not a full cohesive full-body at one time thing

The parts of the body that have the most scale coverage shed pretty nicely, the parts that don’t have a lot of scale coverage shed messily.

Leading up the shed, their eyes gain a new layer and fluid becomes trapped between the old layer and the new growing one to protect it as it grows. This leads to Purebloods being almost completely blind for a day or two until the new layer is done growing and the old layer can be shed.

[darkwingphoenix]

Cyangeline Escape Destination

@loominggaia, I request help getting this to your blog.

Y'see, I have two major locales I wanna send Cyangeline and Skylie to. They can all go together or separate to differing locations.

One is Drifter's Hollow, a pretty important location for LG's major crew the Freelance Good Guys.

The other is Uekoro, where their Aunt Azura is the Queen.

On the one hand, Azura could seriously help them using mercenaries or whatever, but on the other, Drifter's Hollow. The Uekoro route will likely be a bit more smooth but may have some shenanigans related to the Aquarian Alliance, Yerim-Mor, and the Kaconeans. Drifter's Hollow will have slightly more angst, be a more desperate fleeing attempt as they will have to evade the law and be in the wild, but have interactions with Folkvar, Kelvingyard, and ogrish tribes in Evangeline. Also my divine OC Saraia.

So, poll below, vote when you can! I also put in arc names for each route the plot could go once it gets to that point.

Also, the motives for Cyangeline and Skylie depend on where they go. If to Uekoro, it's a mostly well prepped journey on their own terms. Going to Drifter's Hollow will be a far more spontaneous thing, with Cyangeline having been caught/being too heavily suspected by Teal/Cyana's parents or Skylie's stories being burned and she runs away totally upset and unwilling to stay anymore.

Again, this will determine the future of my fic, readable right here! This won't be immediate, we have maybe 6-8 chapters before the results of this poll are relevant.

Edit: I will likely also post alternate versions that all split off after a specific chapter I'll use as the major canon split for each of these.

For example, if Cyan Uekoro and Drifting Skies (Cyangeline to Uekoro and Skylie to Drifter's Hollow) wins, that'll be the canon arc, but I'll also write the others as non-canonical alternate paths.

And both Cyan Uekoro/Uekoran Skies will be split POV between Cyana and Skylie, each chapter starting with what Cyana's up to before shifting to Skylie. These will pretty much be the same rough time periods for each chapter, so, for example if Cyan Uekoro wins, two chapters might encompass two weeks of travel for Cyana and two weeks of evading the law for Skylie. They may not be truly equal (Maybe Cyana's part is about 2 hours and Skylie's part is over a 3 days' time), but they'll ultimately be over the same approximate amount of time.

[gremnaghi]

i want that ramble about your spec bio creatures so bad theyre such neat lil dudes

OH DUDE, TYSM!!

i have some quick facts about all 3 so far! i'll post that novel below ^^

...

a few notes -

I am TOTALLY up for criticism on this project. It's my first serious spec bio thingy and I am still very green to the subject lol

The planet they inhabit is called Ieyora (eye-yore-uh) IV. It's the fourth planet from the sun in its solar system, and the flora is autumn-coloured all year around, which is why the animals have yellow, orange, and red camouflage.

Ieyora IV has quite a bit of volcanic activity. Animals living in arctic environments sometimes use heat vents formed in mountain ranges to keep their eggs warm during nesting seasons.

I call the extra limbs palps, like on a spider. Some are fully functional like on the Soffbeast, and some are mostly vestigial or nearly undetectable like on the Ieyotitan and Ieyorapteryx. No Ieyoran animal has more than 6 limbs.

All three species I've worked the most on are all related by a common ancestor, they're like cousins.

The planet doesn't have a resident dominant species, such as humans on Earth.

Species Quick Facts

Ieyorapteryx

- Semi aquatic (akin to an otter)

- Especially strong lower body

- Peculiar beak-like mouth (similar to a pufferfish)

- Palps no longer visible

- Strong climbers

- Forelimbs similar to those of a raccoon or rodent

- Webbed toes, except for "thumb"

- Reproductive and maturation system similar to that of a frog, needs water in order to lay eggs and has a fully aquatic first few weeks of life

- Adults as large as a whitetail deer

- Patterning appears to vary due to location of the ecosystem they inhabit (camouflage)

- Found in sparsely forested temperate/cold regions

- Highly social, docile creatures

- Waterproof feathers, similar method to that of a duck

- Nostrils and ears close comparably to a seal when diving or staying underwater for long periods of time

- Can spend approximately 2 hours submerged

- Feathers thicker on upper body and back than lower body

- Rears up on back legs when sprinting

- Feathers on the back of its head act similarly to a cockatiel

- Produces a wide range of clicking noises with its beak and tongue, sometimes also screeching, among many other sounds

Ieyotitan

- Fully terrestrial

- Males have a toucan-like pattern on their snout

- Found in mountain ranges and arctic regions

- Builds nests out of its own fur and plant matter, using sticky saliva to ensure structural integrity

- Lives in same sex pairs, only mixing if closely related or during mating season

- Short yet thick feathering

- Beak similar to Ieyorapteryx

- Technically omnivorous in their youth, sometimes digging for roots

- Fairly territorial

- Bonded pairs show high amounts of physical affection for one another, grooming and playful behaviour is often observed

- Males show perceived homosexual behaviour to ensure loyalty to each other and often act as wingmen

- Pursuit predators

- Females tend to be more aggressive

- Produces squeaking, mewing, and a low rumbling sound in their throat, referred to as "trilling", sometimes strong enough to shake the ground

- Observed quietly purring to themselves

- Makes an ear-shattering hissing/shrieking noise when threatened

- Scrapes the ground with scent glands on their palps to mark their territory

- Also have scent glands under their chin

- Extremely hygienic animals

- Split tongue to aid in tracking

- Small ridge on back for temperature regulation

- Padded back feet

Soffbeast (Sophbeast)

"Soffbeast" is an affectionate name for these creatures, being a play on softbeast. The "t" is dropped because their fur is so soft, the letter makes too harsh of a sound to describe it. The first part of their original common name, Sophbeast, was the surname of the scientist who first studied them.

- Second largest Ieyoran carnivore

- Lives in arctic and tundra regions

- Produces low throat vibration noises and growls

- Horrifyingly loud shriek

- Notable sexual dimorphism

- Tunnels underground to make a safe den for their offspring

- Scent glands under chin and on palps

- Mate for life

- Very, very quick on their feet

- Seasonal migration

- Often completely silent

- Padded feet

- Dozens of specialized teeth within their beaks for tearing flesh and grinding bones

- Completely terrestrial

- Known to stash food in their dens

- Territory can overlap with Ieyotitans, causing some tension

- Crazy strong jaws

- Tail is used for self defense and most likely temperature regulation

- Uncommonly observed in the wild, though assumed to be of low concern

- Sometimes utilizes heat vents for a warm spot to nap or build a den near

i have a bit more, tryna spread out the info dumps though lol

looking to post more art soon >:D

[tracybirds]

hey um. what's geostationary orbit and why is it impossible for TAG's TB5 to achieve?

Hello!! I'm assuming you're coming in from the stack of memes I made lol so welcome welcome, this is my well-known pet peeve and I will happily explain because it involves my favourite subject - physics!

"Impossible to achieve" isn't quite accurate - my argument is formed purely on the observational evidence of where it is, such that when the show makes references to TB5 being in geostationary orbit it doesn't make sense because it's simply.... not.

So strap in, I'll go through this as clearly as I can but feel free to ask follow up questions :D Or just generally hang out lol TAG is a fun time despite the handwave-y physics ahaha :D

1. What is geostationary orbit?

Geostationary orbit is the specific orbit where a satellite/space station/whatever moves with the exact same period as the Earth's rotation i.e. 24 hours AND is placed so that the object is directly over the equator, it will move in that orbit at the same rate as the location it is over, so that it will always be over that position at all times. This gives it the name "geostationary", implying that the Earth doesn't move relative to the orbiting object, or if you look down you'll always see the same place.

Both conditions must be met for geostationary orbit to occur; an orbit with a greater or lower period will fall out of step with the Earth fairly quickly, and if not on the equator, you'll get a related type of orbit known as a geosynchronous orbit which will move up and down relative to the equator rather than staying put.

Furthermore, I won't take you through the calculation (1 | 2 | 3), but using Kepler's Third Law which is sufficiently accurate for this scenario, this orbit must always be ~36,000 km above the Earth, or the quoted 22,500 miles in the show. That is the main evidence in the show that implies that the writers intended for TB5 to be in geostationary orbit, like TOS was written to be.

However....

2. Why can't TB5 be in geostationary orbit?

It's not that it can't, it's that it isn't! There's two main reasons for this that I return to when grumbling about this to my friends (they are long-suffering on this point lol thank goodness they're reasonably good-humoured about it...)

Reason 1: The size of the Earth from TB5

This is the most damning evidence. Let's make some visual comparisons.

This is what the Earth looks like from the International Space Station which maintains an orbit about 400 km above the surface of the Earth (in a region known as Low Earth Orbit).

It's a little more complicated to show what Earth looks like from geostationary orbit as many satellites in this region are communication relays or broadcasting satellites (very appropriate for TB5 it must be said!!) But that being said, this is a full disk image of Earth from Japan's Himawari 5, a weather satellite in geostationary orbit.

Now take a look at the animation in TAG and decide for yourself what was being used as inspiration!

But I'm a physics nerd, so I won't take blind faith in some pictures! No, no - if there's a specific height that an orbit must maintain in order to remain in this orbit and the size of the Earth doesn't change, then it should follow that the Earth must be some kind of stable "apparent" size that we can figure out. Think about a freestanding house from 40 m away. It doesn't matter in which direction the 40m is, the house takes up the same space in our vision. The same follows here.

Once again, I'll gloss over the calculations ( 1 | 2 | 3) and simply state that from geostationary orbit, the Earth should take up no more than about 20° of our field of vision. In comparison the visual angle of the Moon is about 0.5° so it's still going to look really big!! But not as big as you'd see from the ISS :P If you make both hands into fists, place them next to each other and hold them at arms length from your body, that would be the approximately the width of the Earth from geostationary orbit.

So TB5?

....might be a wee bit closer than that 😂

Reason 2: The locations on Earth

This one's a little looser, but it illustrates my second point - in order to be geostationary, TB5 needs to..... stay over one location? Like okay sure it has rockets and engines so that it's able to move around, we've seen them plenty of times. But that doesn't change that fact that even when these are not in use, TB5 is never in one place.

Here's some examples…

The Strait of Gibraltar (Spain and Morocco) | 1x07 (Runaway)

Looks like Japan in the background to me | 1x07 (Runaway)

Ireland and Great Britain | 1x08: EOS

Cheating a tad, but he's only just launched so it's reasonable to assume that here TB5 is over SE Asia | 2x02 (Ghost Ship)

None of these are examples where John's manoeuvred TB5 into position like he does in Skyhook (1x11) and Impact (2x09) so it's reasonable to assume that TB5 is following its assigned orbit... and its not geostationary!

Moral of the story: TB5 could be in geostationary orbit, there's nothing stopping it! But uh... it's not. Thanks for listening ;D

All images stolen either from the thunderbirds wiki, or I've attached a click through link to their origin :)

[noticiasarquelogicasjaponesas]

Sean bienvenidos japonistasarqueológicos, ha una noticia arqueológica nipona en esta ocasión nos trasladamos a la protohistoria nipona y para ser más precisos al periodo Kofun(こふんじだい) 250 al 592 d.c finales de siglo VI para ser más exactos, dicho esto pónganse cómodos que empezamos. - Se ha descubierto un grupo de tumbas con túneles subterráneos que datan de la primera mitad del Medio Kofun Miyakonojo Aihara, localizados en la ciudad de Miyakonojo, prefectura de Miyazaki. Muchos de ellos tienen las cámaras funerarias en donde se consagran los cadáveres, pero uno de los 22 que se encontraron tenía una forma inusual, ya que una piedra bloqueaba el medio del hoyo horizontal. - Las paredes están pintadas con tinte rojo y otra con dos fosas que conducían a la misma cámara funeraria. Las tumbas subterráneas de entrada horizontal, que se descubrieron en la ciudad de Ebino alrededor del siglo IV ya que era lo que se creía anteriormente, pero ahora es posible que muchas de ellas las estuvieran construyendo al mismo tiempo. - El segundo sondeo que se realizó en mayo del año pasado 2022, se habían excavado aproximadamente unos 4.200 metros cuadrados. También se encontraron unos artículos funerarios como: espadas de hierro y puntas de flecha en la cámara funeraria y en las fosas. El suelo se rellenará a partir de enero del próximo año y se completará un informe a finales del año fiscal 2023. - 日本の考古学者の皆さん、今回は日本の原始時代、正確には6世紀末の古墳時代（西暦250年〜592年）に話を移します。 - 宮崎県都城市にある古墳時代中期前半の地下トンネルを持つ古墳群「都城相原」が発見された。その多くは死体を安置する埋葬室を備えているが、発見された22基のうち1基は、横穴の真ん中を石が塞いでいるという珍しい形をしていた。 - 壁には赤い染料が塗られ、もうひとつには同じ埋葬室につながる2つの穴がある。えびの市で発見された横穴式地下古墳は、従来考えられていたように4世紀頃に発見されたが、現在では多くの古墳が同時期に造られていた可能性がある。 - 昨年5月に行われた第2回目の調査では、約4,200平方メートルを発掘していました。また、鉄剣や矢じりなどの墓誌類も埋葬室や穴から発見された。来年1月から土壌の埋め戻しを行い、2023年度中に報告書を完成させる予定です。 - Welcome Japanese archaeologists, this time we move to the Japanese protohistory and to be more precise to the Kofun period(こふんじだい) 250 to 592 AD at the end of the 6th century to be more exact, that said make yourselves comfortable and let's start. - A group of tombs with underground tunnels dating back to the first half of the Middle Kofun Miyakonojo Aihara, located in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, have been discovered. Many of them have the burial chambers where corpses are enshrined, but one of the 22 that were found had an unusual shape, with a stone blocking the middle of the horizontal hole. - The walls are painted with red dye and another with two pits leading to the same burial chamber. Underground tombs with a horizontal entrance, which were discovered in the city of Ebino around the 4th century as it was previously believed, but it is now possible that many of them were being built at the same time. - The second survey, which was carried out in May last year 2022, had excavated approximately 4,200 square metres. Some grave goods such as iron swords and arrowheads were also found in the burial chamber and in the pits. The soil will be backfilled from January next year and a report will be completed by the end of fiscal year 2023.