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ascalonianlightbringer · 1 year

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Last time in the core GW2 story/headcanon liveblog, Tybalt and Gwen decided to try a dungeon pitch in and help Rytlock contain the ghostly upheaval caused by Eir's venture into the Ascalonian catacombs. Tybalt advised Gwen that Rytlock would remember she's Logan's friend, and find it suspicious if she was her usual pleasant self, so Gwen should be a bit prickly.

Gwen embraced the role of Prickly Ascalonian with enthusiasm as they ventured through the catacombs with two more Charr and a grumpy Asura from the Priory. After skirting various dangers, the group had just found Eir.

At this point, Eir bursts out, "Rytlock, what are you doing here?"

Rytlock, reasonably enough, snaps back, "I came to stop you from inciting a full-scale ghost rampage. What are you doing here?"

Eir explains that she's looking for Magdaer, the magic sword of King Adelbern. Rytlock says he destroyed it to create the Foefire. Eir thinks it survived and can be found.

Rytlock shifts his weight. Now even more clearly on edge, he says, "You are following a foolish human legend."

Gwen doesn't know this one, but she lifts her chin defiantly anyway. The walls feel a bit like they might crumble down on them all at any moment, and she keeps an eye out for any stray ghosts—her tormented people, she remembers. Adelbern had been driven mad by the brutality and atrocities of the Charr invasion, but he'd still unilaterally decided the fate of all his people without consulting them in any way. She's not exactly on his side, either.

Royals, she thinks, but here, it's an echo of her usual disdain.

Eir glances between Rytlock and Gwen, and says, "You of all people should know the power of legends. You bear Magdaer's twin, Sohothin. It was Rurik's sword."

To Gwen, Rytlock seems plainly defensive. "What if I do? Adelbern's sword is no more, just like his nation."

"Oh, have you managed to take Ebonhawke yet?" Gwen says sweetly. "I hadn't heard."

Both Eir and Rytlock look at her with some impatience. Eir seems a little amused; Rytlock points Sohothin right at her. Gwen looks back, unimpressed; she doesn't think he'd be stupid enough to kill an Ascalonian hero of Kryta in the catacombs, without any cause but words.

"Maybe I should gut you instead of Logan," he growls.

Gwen just looks at him, her head tilted a little. Tybalt coughs.

"I, uh, don't think that'd be a good idea, tribune. She's an advocate of the crown of Kryta, so it'd be bad for the peace talks and all, and I'd lose my deals with the fruit sellers in Queensdale—"

Rytlock scoffs, but when Eir clears her throat, he lowers Sohothin and turns back to her.

"Then let us go to the top of the stairs and see for ourselves," she says calmly.

Or at least, it seems calmly. Eir has a quiet charisma and assurance that Gwen likes. But after they fight off a bunch of ghosts, Eir moves forward to lead with Gwen and looks down at her.

"You're Logan's friend, aren't you?"

Gwen sighs. "Yes." After a moment, she adds, "He hasn't said anything against you."

Eir lowers her voice. "Perhaps I was unwise to come here."

Gwen is essentially thinking "no shit" but she gives the canon response, "Only time well tell."

Sure enough, at the top of the stairs, they find the broken remains of a sword, complete with ghostly trails. It doesn't look completely irreparable, at least if it were an ordinary sword; Gwen has a good eye for that kind of weaponry (i.e. she took weaponsmithing). Before they can go far, though, a ghostly lieutenant appears to defend Adelbern and the sword.

Gwen nearly takes a step back as the lieutenant orders them to leave and stop disturbing Adelbern. He follows it up with "You leave me no choice. Attack! Protect the king!"

This is a harder fight than most, but Eir's help makes it easier, and the Priory Asura is able to heal himself from a nasty-looking injury.

"Better get that looked at when we're done," says Gwen.

Eir is focused on the sword, and turns excitedly to Rytlock. "The broken sword! It's the twin to your own!"

Rytlock points at a tall ghost coalescing across the chamber. "Worry more about the sword's master. Look there!"

"I sense Sohothin's presence," the new ghost says, solidifying into the figure of an older man—already old, presumably, when he died. His crown proclaims his identity. "Rurik, my son! You've returned!"

Rytlock steps forwards. "Your son is dead," he says flatly. "So is your kingdom. Leave us!"

The Asura pipes up, "There is some debate about the continuity of—"

Even Gwen, who is annoyed that the Charr conveniently overlook Ebonhawke in their pretenses to total victory after spending over 200 years trying to destroy it, is like ... shhh.

The joy in the ghost's face vanishes, and his features twist in rage.

"Foul creature! Your entire race will pay! Even now, my champions prepare to invade the surface. You will fall before the might of Master Ranger Nente, deadly Kasha Blackblood, and the lovers, Ralena and Vassar. We'll destroy you as you destroyed us!"

"We're not destroyed," Gwen says quietly, but Adelbern is too focused on Rytlock to listen, if he's even capable of it.

"You frighten no one with your meaningless threats," Rytlock growls to the king. "We've killed you before; we'll do it again!"

Gwen, despite having no love for kings, glowers at him. Adelbern just bursts into a mad cackle before disappearing.

"Now you've angered them," Eir says.

"They were already angry," says Rytlock, with a brief glance at Gwen. "Now we must find his champions and silence them."

He does explain (for a Rytlock value of "explain") that killing "the Sorcerer King's" champions will bring Adelbern out into the open for good.

"Who was Kasha Blackblood?" asks one of the stranger Charr. "Sounds creepy."

"This whole place is creepy," says the Asura.

Even Gwen can't disagree there.

"Necromancy is disgusting. Kasha Blackblood was one of Adelbern's grotesque practitioners of the art," announces Rytlock.

Gwen rolls her eyes. To her surprise, though, it's Tybalt who breaks in this time.

"Can't say I know much about Kasha," he says, undoubtedly lying, "but that's a bit—um—well, I've got a friend who dabbles in necromancy, more than dabbles, really. A good friend, actually, a sylvari—"

"Sylvari are different," says the other unknown Charr.

Gwen is just wondering if Tybalt's "friend" is another Order member, and is surprised he'd mention them, if so. But he's engaging enough to have friends outside it as well, she supposes.

"You have to stay focused on her, not her minions," Rytlock carries on, "or she'll siphon your life away."

Gwen would be all for it if it didn't mean her life. And Tybalt's. Maybe the Asura's.

He goes on to explain that "the lovers" are Vassar and Ralena Stormbringer, a mesmer and an elementalist who were strong together, and thus should be divided for victory. Gwen actually has heard some stories of them, mostly because she was always interested in tales of great mesmers of the past, but she hasn't heard much. Rytlock concludes with a dismissive description of Master Ranger Nente.

"Nente was a ranger, a specialist in cowardice. He hid behind his pets and slaughtered my ancestors with arrows."

"It's so hard when people defend themselves from your massacres," says Gwen.

"Gwen," mutters Tybalt. She's not sure if he means to pull back or if it's just for show.

Rytlock also explains a little about Magdaer and how it was forged in Orr and Adelbern broke it to create the Foefire. One of the Charr asks what that has to do with the sword Rytlock carries.

"Sohothin is twin to Adelbern's sword," says Rytlock. "His son Rurik wielded it once. It's mine now."

"How did you end up with Sohothin?" asks the Asura.

"That's none of your concern," Rytlock says shortly.

They all examine the remnants of Magdaer before deciding to take the westwards route. They have to fight numerous ghosts on the way there, then arrive to find Master Range Nente on a pillar in a good-sized room. He immediately addresses Rytlock.

"Your desire to destroy still unsatisfied, beast?" he shouts. "Burning Ascalon not enough for you?"

Rytlock doesn't really give an answer to that, but says, "As long as you stalk us, we'll fight you tooth and claw."

You're the ones who've stalked us, thinks Gwen.

"By Melandru's will, I will rend you from this world, Charr!" says Nente.

If only.

But Gwen glances at Tybalt to make sure he's well placed. He is, and though the battle is much harder than any previous ones, they're able to defeat Nente.

"With valor, we have won the day!" cries Eir.

"Not yet," Rytlock tells her. "We need to find the other champions."

Without waiting for Gwen to take the lead again, he heads back to the central chamber, which has passages north and east as well. Gwen follows, with a backwards glance at the ghostly remains of Nente.

Under her breath, she mouths, Go in peace.

They end up taking the east route out of the central chamber, then heading north into what looks like a cathedral. The atmosphere, as usual, is eerie, with candles flickering and green light encasing the upper level of the chamber.

A ghostly woman materializes, as expected.

"Why are you here?" she asks, sounding considerably more sane than the other ghosts. "This is the land of ghosts."

"Stand down, specter. We seek only to protect the living," replies Eir, civilly enough.

Rytlock turns on Eir. "Don't chat with her, Eir! Dispatch her!"

Kasha immediately attacks, calling on ghosts to defend her, casting wells, and summoning minions that regularly throw people back. At one point, Gwen is launched forcefully by one she's fighting with her swords, all the way back into a glowing green circle so cold that she nearly drops her main sword. She has to scramble up and launch herself away.

Once Kasha is defeated, she snarls, "I curse you to the Mists!" as she vanishes.

Even Rytlock seems thoughtful as he looks at the spot where she had been.

"She fought well," he says at last. "Her trials over this world are over."

Gwen looks at him in very genuine surprise. She says nothing, but mentally files away the remark for consideration.

They briefly confer about strategy for taking down two champions at once, since Ralena and Vassar are the last, and Rytlock says they're more powerful together. Gwen, to his surprise, volunteers to distract Vassar; she's the most suited to countering another mesmer. Tybalt immediately says he'll help her, joined by the Priory Asura. The others will keep Ralena as far from Vassar as possible and take her out.

It goes basically according to plan, though even with Gwen's magic pouring through her swords and pushing him back, Vassar is a challenge, using her own tricks against her and some she doesn't even know. But between Tybalt, the Asura, her own power, and perhaps the blessing of Lyssa on her, Gwen manages to keep herself standing and Vassar at bay while Rytlock and the other Charr fight off Ralena.

They're still fighting her when Vassar goes down. Gwen, the only melee fighter of her group, spares a moment to make sure they've got the situation under her control, then gives a slight bow to what remains of Vassar. As she does, a slight glitter catches her eye—a pair of rings, by their size, clearly meant for human hands. She's still got enough of bandit Gwen in her to use clones to conceal her hand scooping the rings up and slipping them into her pocket. They're hot to the touch, but she doesn't care; she's seen the Charr systematically destroying Ascalonian artifacts on the way through, and they're not going to get everything.

She murmurs a benediction for Vassar's spirit, then joins the last of the fight against Ralena, who quickly falls to all of them.

With a trace of smugness, Rytlock says, "With all this death, Adelbern's blood must be boiling by now. Perfect chance to deal with him."

"Does he have blood?" says the Asura.

They brace themselves as they return to the core chamber, where Magdaer is still sparking. Adelbern is there, madder than ever.

"What have you done?" he howls.

"Your champions are gone, ghost!" snaps Rytlock. "Just like your son and your kingdom!"

Lyssa's tears, thinks Gwen. She supposes that's what she gets for thinking slightly better of him for a moment; she hadn't really expected him to taunt a ghost his people had driven to madness about the death of his son. Least of all when he'd looted that son's sword.

"We still hold Ebonhawke," she says stubbornly. King or no king, he deserves to know that.

Adelbern, again, seems not even to hear or notice her.

"I will have my vengeance!" he screams. "Join me in death!"

They don't, of course, though he is the most difficult opponent of them all. After he vanishes, the catacombs fall completely silent, and for a moment, they just look at each other. It's hard to feel jubilant—maybe even for Rytlock.

Eir gestures at the broken sword.

"Magdaer is shattered," she says, "but I know a blacksmith who can mend these pieces."

Rytlock whirls around to face her, and now he seems more angered than he'd ever been by Gwen.

"Did you really think that if you got me a sword you'd earn forgiveness?" he demands.

Forgiveness? Gwen thinks. For what?

"For you?" says Eir, sounding puzzled. "The sword would be for Logan."

Gwen starts.

"What?" says Rytlock. "Why would you risk our lives, my life, for that coward?"

"He isn't a coward!" says Gwen hotly.

"I thought it would heal old wounds," says Eir, though her resigned tone makes it clear that she's realized the truth. "It would remind you—"

Even Gwen is a bit puzzled by this line of thinking. She could see the idea of the sword winning Logan over, though Gwen doubts even so fine a gift would succeed, but as for Rytlock—

"Remind me of what, betrayal?" he snarls. "Pah! You've become a sentimental old woman. We're finished here!"

With that, he stalks away, a little belatedly followed by everyone but Gwen and Tybalt.

"I understand why Logan would hate Rytlock," Gwen says at last. "But why does Rytlock hate Logan?"

Eir turns to look down at her, and sighs.

"Mistakes from a lifetime ago, best forgotten. Rytlock's right. I've gotten too sentimental. Too weak."

Gwen's eyes widen.

"A long time ago, I led us into a disaster," Eir goes on. "He blames me. They all do. The thing is, they might be right."

"I'm sure you did what you thought was right," says Tybalt.

Eir just shakes her head. "Come, we should leave. Ultimately, this mission was a failure."

"It's not a failure," says Gwen, with a glance over at where Adelbern had materialized. "We gave these people some peace and made Ashford safer."

Tybalt gives a decided nod. "She's right."

"Yes, but I was stupid to think a sword could slice through the wall between Logan and Rytlock," says Eir.

After a pause, Gwen says, "Should we follow Rytlock and see where he's going?"

"No," says Eir. "He still hates Logan—and now he hates me. I should have left well enough alone."

------

And that's the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon headcanon! Quite a bit of it comes from the canon dialogue etc, of course, but I wanted to go over it for story purposes anyway.

#t: greetings friend #h: everyone has a secret #f: lightbringers of the order of whispers #s: fight what cannot be fought #c: gwen velazquez #c: tybalt leftpaw #c: rytlock brimstone #c: eir stegalkin #c: adelbern #c: kasha blackblood #c: vassar #c: ralena stormbringer #c: nente #long post #r: for ascalon!

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averycanadianfilm · 10 months

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There is no affirmative action theme in 'A Very Canadian Film', because these issues in Canada, though similar, are significantly different. That said, however, if you want to discuss the American affirmative action debate with me you at least have to know as much about it as my friend Luke C. Harris! :-)

#Luke C. Harris #Vassar College #Eyes on the Prize #Princeton University #Yale University #Columbia University #New York

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hikari-to-kage · 1 year

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Vassar college girls practicing Greek dances, c.1923.

#girls #dance #1920s

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mybeingthere · 6 months

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Corydon Cowansage

b 1985 Philadelphia, USA

Lives and works in New York

Corydon Cowansage (b. 1985, Philadelphia) received an MFA in painting from RISD and a BA in art from Vassar College. She has participated in residencies at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Yale Norfolk School of Art.

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rosewaterandivy · 5 months

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cf & dd timeline

This will not reflect every single aspect of the gilded age (1870s to 1890s) but it will include various points of historical and technological interest in addition to Nell and Steve’s personal histories. As such, spoilers will be included and updated with each chapter; so if you’d rather not deal with that, please avoid this!

Note: Italics denote events of the plot, & updates will occur after chapters are published. This is work in progress so more dates and details will be added as I think of them. Historical dates and information was provided by the National Humanities Center and my own research.

1858 - June: Samuel and Ameila Harrington welcome the birth of their son and heir, Steven.

November: Arthur and Delphine Fairchild welcome the birth of their daughter, Eleanor. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

1865 - Lincoln Inauguration, Civil War Ends, Lincoln Assassination, Ratification of the 13th Amendment

1866 - the National Labor Union was founded on August 20, First successful transatlantic cable is completed (England to the United States).

1868 - June 25: Congress enacts an 8-hour workday for workers employed by the government, July: Ratification of the 14th Amendment.

1869 - January: Grant Inauguration, Commanche Chief Toch-a-way informs Gen. Philip H. Sheridan that he is a "good Indian," Sheridan reportedly replied: "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."

May: First Transcontinental Railroad completed when Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines met in Utah solidified by a golden railroad spike to link the railroads.

September 24: First “Black Friday” stock market panic due to financier’s attempt to corner the market on gold.

1870 - February: Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi becomes the first African American to serve in the US Senate. Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first Black Representative, J.D. Rockefeller establishes Standard Oil of Ohio.

March: 15th Amendment is Ratified

1871 - P.T. Barnum opens his three-ring circus, hailing it as the "Greatest Show on Earth,"

March: Indian Appropriations Act - Congress declares that Indian tribes will no longer be treated as independent nations with whom the government must conduct negotiations; Native Americans legally become wards of the nation.

October 8: The Great Chicago Fire claims 250 lives and destroys 17,500 buildings.

1872 - Montgomery Ward & Co., the first mail-order business, opens in Chicago.

Nov. 5: Susan B. Anthony and other women's suffrage advocates are arrested for attempting to vote in Rochester, N.Y.

1873 - Grant’s second inauguration, The first electric streetcar begins operation in New York City; Free mail delivery begins in all cities above 20,000 population; Mark Twain and C. D. Warner publish the novel The Gilded Age.

Mar. 3: The Comstock Act prohibits the mailing of obscene literature.

Sept. 18: The Financial Panic of 1873 begins. 5,183 business fail; Congress makes gold the national standard and eliminates all silver currency.

Period of recurring epidemics beginning in 1865 comes to an end. From Boston to New Orleans, epidemics of smallpox, cholera, typhus, typhoid, scarlet fever, and yellow fever had killed thousands.

1875 - Steven begins his studies at Harvard; Nell begins hers at Vassar; Christopher, her older brother begins his final year at Harvard. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

1876 - Centennial Exposition opens in Philadelphia, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Feb. 14: 29-year-old Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.

May: The nation celebrates its centennial by opening an International Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Christopher graduates from Harvard and goes on his Grand Tour. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

June 25: Battle of the Little Big Horn - George A. Custer and 265 officers and enlisted men are killed by Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Little Horn River in Montana.

1877 - Hayes Inauguration, Reconstruction ends with the withdrawal of federal troops in the south, Great Railroad Strike: After West Virginia railroad workers strike to protest wage reductions, sympathy strikes and violence spread across the Midwest. Federal troops break the strikes.

June to Oct.: Nez Percé Indians, led by Chief Joseph, surrender after a 1600-mile trek retreating from U.S. troops through the U.S. northwest. They are sent to a reservation in Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.

Christopher Fairchild weds Marian Hudson. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

1878 - German engineer Karl Benz produces the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine; Thomas Edison patents the photograph.

Jan. 10: The Senate defeats a woman's suffrage amendment 34-16.

Steve graduates from Harvard University. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

1879 - The Carlisle School (Pa.) is opened “Americanize” Indian children.

Feb. 15: Congress grants woman attorneys the right to argue cases before the Supreme Court.

Oct. 21: Edison invents the first practical light bulb.

Steve travels Europe on his Grand Tour; Nell returns to France upon news of her parent’s ill health. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

1881 - Helen Hunt Jackson's Century of Dishonor recounts the government's unjust treatment of Native Americans.

January: Christopher and Marian Fairchild welcome the birth of their son and heir, August.

May: Steven returns to New York from the Continent; begins working with his father at their various real estate holdings. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted.)

July 2: President James Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled office-seeker. He died on Sept. 19.

July 4: Booker T. Washington opens Tuskegee Institute.

July 19: Sitting Bull and other Sioux Indians return to the United States from Canada.

September: Arthur and Delphine Fairchild pass away after battling tuberculosis; Christopher takes over the family holdings and arranges for his sister to travel back to New York from France; Marian begins paying calls to the Four Hundred and laying the groundwork for Eleanor’s societal debut. (Occurs before the story starts, not depicted but mentioned.)

1882 - Attorney Samuel Dodd devises the trust, under which stockholders turn over control of previously independent companies to a board of trustees; Standard Oil Trust, the first trust, is formed by John D. Rockefeller.

May 6: Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Chinese Chinese immigration for ten years.

December: Eleanor arrives in New York from France entering her half-mourning period and Steven has one-sided meet cute; news the arrival spreads quickly; her debutante ball to be held at the Fairchild manse on 5th Avenue is the talk of the town. (Chapter I. Coup de foudre - story begins here.)

1883 -

January: Mrs. Astor’s annual ball, the most anticipated event of the season, is held; Nell and Steve both receive invitations.

March 26: Mrs. Vanderbilt, feeling snubbed by The Four Hundred, throws her famous masquerade ball, commemorating the completion of her new Fifth Avenue mansion, Petit Château; Nell and Steve are once again invited to the masquerade, but Nell is warned by Marian to keep her distance from Mr. Harrington; each invite has instructions to dress as their assigned characters. (Chapter II. Traîner quelqu'un dans la boue)

#cf & dd timeline

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nellie-elizabeth · 2 years

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The Legend of Vox Machina: The Echo Tree (2x08)

Ahhhh Percy and Vex my babiesssss.

Cons:

I've been thinking about the "Lady Vex'ahlia" moment and why I'm not 100% happy with this adaptation. I'm pretty happy, but there was something holding me back from loving it unconditionally. First of all, they changed the kicker line to: "Despite your relationship, do watch your manners towards a noble." Instead of just ending on "do watch your manners" which is stronger and cleaner. I think the point would have gotten across without adding the extra words. But more important than that, I think the atmosphere of how that happened on the stream was just so... intense, and memorable, because it was in front of a live audience, there were screams and applause, and you saw Laura's overwhelmed reaction. And Syldor was legitimately put off-balance by it. It was a blow that landed.

Here, I didn't need it to be a big huge mic-drop moment, I'm fine with it happening in only private company the way it would have from the stream version too. But I don't like the change that Syldor doesn't even hesitate before scoffing at it and saying it's just a stupid ploy. I wish he had been a little unsettled. I wish we'd seen him offended or confused or just... at all affected by the whole thing? He brushes off Percy's big grand gesture, and he brushes off Vex snapping at him, as if it doesn't matter at all. I get that there needs to be some build to something bigger, but I feel like it made the moment less fun because of it.

Also, this is fine for me as someone who's watched the stream, but the fact that Syldor lives in Syngorn, and there's also a character name Saundor all in the same episode... too many similar sounding S-names. That must have been annoying.

I had a question just logistically speaking... where exactly is Wilhand Trickfoot supposed to live? Because at the end, they're talking about how they have to go to Westruun. So he's not in Westruun? Even though the Grog backstory from the next episode seems to imply that his whole redemptive moment with Wilhand was happening where his herd had taken over? That just confused me a bit.

Pros:

To start off, I love the twin vibes on "we seek an audience with Ambassador Vassar" from Vex, and then "Ugh... we're his children" from Vax. So good. This episode appropriately shined more of a spotlight on Vex, but you still saw the solidarity between the two of them. Each has their own shit going on at the moment, but the strained awkward family vibes were exquisite. We see how Vax is willing to throw down with his dad from the jump, but Vex is still holding back yelling at him until the moment when she snaps at her dad for insulting Percy.

And yeah, while I wish there had been something to punch up the big "Lady Vex'ahlia" moment just a smidge more, I was otherwise totally 100% satisfied with the way the Percy/Vex stuff played out here. We got another one of the best shippy lines from the show, where Percy tells Vex he's known a lot of people with titles and money, "and none of them are worth you". My heart!!! And speaking of hearts, we have Vex opening up to Percy about how difficult things were for her and Vax growing up, and Percy says that she has a pure heart, that it's wonderful, and nobody can take that away. Percy, my baby! He's being so sincere and kind and gentle, and it's killing me! He also made her a cool new arrowhead, which was 100% the Percy method of flirting from the stream, so I'm glad we got a nod to it here.

A detail I have to point out because a part of me will always be Perc'ildan trash, is that Percy started defending both of the twins from their dad right from the jump, saying "your son and daughter are leading the fight." Hell yeah, Percy.

We got to meet Velora, and she was as adorable and perfect as I ever could have imagined! Vex giving her the blue feather is just the sweetest. This is a moment that really complicates and enhances the twins' drama with their shitty father. They have a cordial relationship with their step-mother, and they adore their little sister so much. It's not some one-note thing where they resent the family Syldor has built without them. There are layers here, and they (rightfully) do not blame a child for the sins of her father.

The whole Saundor encounter was amazing, everything I could have wished for and more! Saundor looks SO COOL. He's sexy and creepy and I love that he says all these awful things to Vex in this really seductive, simmering voice, but then the second she rejects him he says "you bitch!" and just starts snarling at her like any creepy incel bitter loser would. It's such a good turn, and it makes the point eloquently without spelling it out for you. Everything about the corrupted forest, the tree, the bow, the effect on Vex when her eyes go all dark and she nearly succumbs... it was so tense!

Meanwhile we get Vax, Percy, and Keyleth teaming up to defeat a couple of walking tree creatures that are trying to keep them away from helping Vex. I loved the teamwork, of Keyleth getting Vax's knife off him and Vax cutting Percy free once he was free himself. Then you've got Keyleth going into her Fire Elemental form again, and walking through the trees using her magic to defeat them. Not only was that an adaptation of one of Marisha's most brilliant Keyleth moments in the whole game, it was also a reminder/reaffirmation of this cool new ability she has to turn into a giant fire being, so we can be reminded that she has that card up her sleeve for more fights down the road.

And now, after Vex declares that her "heart is someone else's," and stabs Saundor with the arrowhead Percy gave her, she is officially in possession of Fenthras, her very own Vestige!

I heard people complaining that they've stripped away some of Vex's complexity, making her nothing more than a girl with daddy issues and an angsty anime love interest and I... I mean, okay, if Vex is your favorite character you're going to notice the shortcuts they've taken with her character for the sake of the shortened format. Same as if you love Keyleth most, or whoever else. But I personally think the final scene, where she declares that she's not going back to Syngorn because she's not ready, proves that there's so much more depth to her character than just a few cliché traits. Because you'd expect one of two things, here, right? You'd expect her to either go back and throw her victory in her father's face, or you'd expect her to declare that she's enlightened now and no longer needs his approval... but it's neither of those things. She still needs to face him, but despite the fact that she won Fenthras from Saundor and confronted the insecurities within her, she's not ready yet. It's a journey that will take longer than a single incident, much like Keyleth's self-confidence is much better now than it used to be, but she still has her moments of doubt.

I know I keep saying it over and over again, but I'm so impressed with how thoughtful they've been to every character getting their due on this show. There are seven main characters and a ton of important side characters and in a D&D campaign there are no protagonists. It's a hard sell to adapt, and I think people go too hard on it if their favorite moment didn't hit the way they wanted it to, or if a character they're less interested in got a big important moment when they felt their fave should have gotten it instead.

And so Garmelie helps our heroes out of the Fey Realm, and then transforms into a tall, imposing figure with a different voice, and universes in his eyes... I'm so excited to see where this all goes.

One thing that was so great about this episode was the parallel between meeting Syldor and meeting Wilhand. Even as Vex and Vax's father puts them down and accuses them of just coming to him because of his status, we see Wilhand emerge from his front door, give Pike a big hug and admire her cool new armor, and immediately set to work helping Grog out without really asking many questions. Casting Henry Winkler in this role was inspired, I was instantly charmed by him.

There wasn't a ton of motion here for Grog, just a pill that he had to take with some... ahem... assistance from Scanlan, and no improvement on the weak, noodle-y muscles front. The gnomes are ready to head off after the vestige they know is in Westruun, but Grog has some news for them. That Vestige is in the hands of his uncle, and he killed Grog with them. Dun dun dun....

I loved Travis's line read on: "Hi, Pop Pop. I fucked up." I also love how Grog gets the comic relief treatment but there's still a real gravity and grief to him over this situation. It's no small thing, to lose your strength when it's such a big part of how you identify yourself. I know what this is all building to, and I'm going to scream so loud when Grog tells us where his strength comes from in next week's batch of episodes...

So yeah! Say goodbye to the Fey Realm for now, and we're off to Westruun to meet some of Grog's family in the final installment of this week's drop. Man, they go by so fast, I wish the seasons were twice as long!

8/10

#review #tlovm #tlovm review #the legend of vox machina #critical role

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booksbydlwhite · 6 months

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Bookcast Episode 82: Barreling toward an HEA

In episode 82 of The Bookcast by DL White, I'm excited to share the latest updates on my writing journey and I offering some fantastic book and podcast recommendations. I'm determined to meet my writing deadline, but upcoming work travels might throw a wrench into my writing schedule. I also shared my recent guest spot on the Book Buzz show.

Listen to the episode here (Grab a transcript here)

BOOK REPORT

I have read 52 books of my challenge to read 150 books this year. I am a whopping 13 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge and I don’t see slowing down in my future. The books be BOOKING!

READ

One Steamy Night (The Westmoreland Legacy #6) by Brenda Jackson

Hostile Takeover (Blackwood Billions, #1) by Christina C. Jones

American Daughters by Piper Huguley

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

One Night of Fun: A Forbidden Office Romance by Renee Lux

Taking Chances (McAllister Friends #2) by Té Russ

Unfinished Business (Strictly Professional #2) by Christina C. Jones

Working with Her Crush: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Dynasties: Willowvale Book 1) by Reese Ryan

March Madness by Nicole Falls

Jackrabbit Skin by Ivy Pochoda

The Other Side of the Road by Andrea Bartz

Watch Where They Hide by Tamron Hall

READING

Out of Office by AH Cunningham

Office Crush (formerly Invasion of Privacy) by Imani Jay

Take It (On the Clock #1) by Shae Sanders

PUT DOWN

0!!!

Recs, Raves, Appearances!

The Wordmakers podcast Making Words, hosted by one of my FAVES, the writing ass writer that is Tasha L. Harrison, who is also the ringleader of the Wordmakers gang. Sub to this podcast at Wordmakers . org/ podcast.

The BOOK BUZZ Show, is a video interview show hosted by Cheryl Brooks and others in the book industry. It was a great conversation about HEY LOVER, a book I don’t get to talk about much. We also talked about my writing journey and reading habits, the ULTIMATE romance for me, the challenges of being a self published author and how I engage in self-care while I’m writing. It’s a pretty new show and very well run. I took the opportunity to watch past interviews with some of my fave writers like Sharon C Cooper, Joan Vassar, and Reese Ryan. Search for THE BOOK BUZZ SHOW on YouTube or Facebook. I’ll add a link to my appearance on my website at booksbydlwhite.com/praise.

Thanks for your support!

Thank you so much for joining me for today's chat. Don’t forget to share the podcast if you enjoyed this episode and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, give a girl a rating! I’d really appreciate it. Do not forget that you can support this podcast with your book purchases, by spreading the good word, or by throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast.buzzsprout.com. Every little bit helps.

#bookcast #podcast #making the words #book buzz show

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jcmarchi · 8 months

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3 Questions: What can graduate students expect from MIT’s newest grad housing option?

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/3-questions-what-can-graduate-students-expect-from-mits-newest-grad-housing-option/

3 Questions: What can graduate students expect from MIT’s newest grad housing option?

In October 2017, MIT made a commitment to add 950 on-campus beds for graduate students as part of the Volpe zoning agreement with the City of Cambridge that allows the Institute to develop a 10-acre parcel in Kendall Square. Since then, MIT opened the Graduate Tower at Site 4 residential community in Kendall Square with about 250 net-new beds for graduate students and families, and reallocated the 135 beds in 70 Amherst Street to graduate students.

In December 2020, MIT entered into a partnership with American Campus Communities (ACC) to build and operate a graduate housing complex on Vassar Street, adjacent to Simmons Hall. Owned by MIT but operated by American Campus Communities, this MIT-affiliated community fulfills the Volpe commitment and introduces a new residential option for graduate students and families. Named “Graduate Junction,” the residence is split between two buildings framing a gateway to Fort Washington Park and the Cambridgeport neighborhood. Flanking a central plaza and green space, the buildings will rise in five- and six-story sections and then progress to a 10-story segment as it extends beyond the park. Housing options will include efficiencies and one-, two-, and four-bedroom units that will be licensed by ACC to individuals, couples, and families.

With the addition of 676 beds at the new Graduate Junction and the beds gained by the reconfiguration of rooms in other buildings, the Institute has now exceeded the original commitment with a total of 1,076 new graduate beds. With Graduate Junction due to open this August, David Friedrich, senior associate dean for housing and residential services, shared some important project updates and perspectives on what potential residents can expect from the newest graduate residence on MIT’s campus.

Q: How is the Graduate Junction project going, and when will it open?

A: You can already see the buildings taking shape on Vassar Street and the construction timeline puts us on target for an August 2024 opening. This is a product of years of collaborative work with students and campus stakeholders, who teamed up to design an option to fill gaps in the student housing market. It is thrilling to see it near completion.

The project is also going well thanks to our productive relationship with ACC. ACC is an experienced student housing company and has built or managed more than 100,000 beds on more than 90 campuses across the U.S., including graduate residences at peer institutions. As we add this new MIT-affiliated housing option to our portfolio of residences, we’re actively working with the leadership of ACC to onboard the team that will manage the property. Kendra Lowery, the general manager of Graduate Junction, is a dynamic and thoughtful partner with a breadth of experience managing student housing. She will be an excellent resource for Graduate Junction residents.

We are pleased to meet the recommendations of the 2018 Graduate Housing Working Group to add beds while providing students with additional cost-effective options for their residential experience. The Working Group — composed of students, staff, and faculty — was instrumental in shaping the project and provided substantive data to inform an optimal combination of unit types and amenities desirable to graduate students. In the coming weeks, we will highlight Graduate Junction alongside the Institute’s existing eight graduate residences to help students select the housing option that best suits their needs.

Q: How will living in Graduate Junction differ from living in MIT-operated residences?

A: Graduate Junction offers a new approach that combines apartment-style living with proximity to main campus — an off-campus experience with an on-campus location. Our partner ACC will be responsible for the housing license process, maintenance, building access, and IT infrastructure. While student residents will have access to MIT’s student support resources and can participate in on-campus social events, there will not be a faculty head of house or resident governance structure. Instead, ACC will directly work with Graduate Junction residents to address needs and answer questions.

Residents of Graduate Junction will enjoy the same flexibility and pricing of an on-campus housing license and will not need to pay first and last months’ rent, security deposit, or a broker fee — all upfront costs typical of off-campus properties. Instead, Graduate Junction will have a utility-inclusive rental rate for furnished apartments set by MIT. Since this partnership with ACC provides a different model for managing on-campus residences at the Institute, this approach is also a pilot to test if partners like ACC can help the Institute manage the demand for graduate housing.

Q: What would you say to incoming graduate students considering Graduate Junction or other on-campus residences?

A: The MIT housing system is designed to offer students choices so they can determine their own residential experience. We want to make living on campus the first and best option and do so by careful analysis that prices our units at below market rates. Combined with the Institute’s support for students and families through the Office of Graduate Education, the on-campus experience is tailored to fit graduate student needs.

Graduate Junction responds to what students say is most important — location, unit configuration, all-inclusive payments, and flexibility in securing or leaving their housing arrangements. Bordering Cambridgeport, Graduate Junction is proximate to Cambridge public schools, local grocery stores, and neighborhood parks and playgrounds.

It joins a range of housing options available to students, and there are residences to fit a diverse array of budgets. With the added benefit of close proximity to labs and classes, student support, campus services, and other amenities, on-campus residences remain a great value. We invite graduate students to review the new rate sheet for 2024-25 and consider living on campus.

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thebrownees · 8 months

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The Group (1966) A Lost Opportunity C-

Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Mary McCarthy about the lives of a group of eight Female graduates from Vassar from 1933 to 1940, director Sidney Lumet’s movie is like a microcosm of his career – biting off more than he can chew. The film meanders incessantly, with only Joan Hackett’s Dottie (at the beginning) and Shirley Knight’s Polly (at the end) getting any respect. The other six…

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copblaster · 10 months

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LAPD Officer John C. Vassar https://copblaster.com/blast/58551/lapd-officer-john-c-vassar?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

#Police #City #LosAngeles

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llctheregistry · 11 months

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2021 Jayco Eagle 357MDOK Looking for a spacious and comfortable mobile home? Check out this amazing 42ft. Fifth Wheel that can sleep up to 10 people! With 4 slide-outs, 2 A/C units, and a trailer hitch, this mobile home is perfect for long-distance...

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ieisia · 2 years

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Maria Mitchell

*Herminia Borchard Dassel

Maria Mitchell (/məˈraɪə/; August 1, 1818 – June 28, 1889) was an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI (modern designation C/1847 T1) that was later known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" in her honor. She won a gold medal prize for her discovery, which was presented to her by King Christian VIII of Denmark in 1848. Mitchell was the first internationally known woman to work as both a professional astronomer and a professor of astronomy after accepting a position at Vassar College in 1865. She was also the first woman elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

At 10:50 pm on the night of October 1, 1847, Mitchell discovered Comet 1847 VI (modern designation C/1847 T1) using a Dollond refracting telescope with three inches of aperture and forty-six inch focal length. She had noticed the unknown object flying through the sky in an area where she previously had not noticed any other activity and believed it to be a comet. The comet later became known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet". She published a notice of her discovery in Silliman's Journal in January 1848 under her father's name. The following month, she submitted her calculation of the comet's orbit, ensuring her claim as the original discoverer. Mitchell was celebrated at the Seneca Falls Convention for the discovery and calculation later that year.

On October 6, 1848, Mitchell was awarded a gold medal prize for her discovery by King Christian VIII of Denmark. This award had been previously established by King Frederick VI of Denmark to honor the "first discoverer" of each new telescopic comet, a comet too faint to be seen with the naked eye. A question of credit temporarily arose because Francesco de Vico had independently discovered the same comet two days after Mitchell but reported it to European authorities first. The question was resolved in Mitchell's favor and she was awarded the prize. Her medal was inscribed with line 257 of Book I of Virgil's Georgics: "Non Frustra Signorum Obitus Speculamur et Ortus" (English: Not in vain do we watch the setting and the rising [of the stars]). The only previous women to discover a comet were the astronomers Caroline Herschel and Maria Margarethe Kirch. Though the award was sent via letter in 1848, Mitchell did not physically receive the award in Nantucket until March 1849. She became the first American to receive this medal and the first woman to receive an award in astronomy.

Though Mitchell herself did not have a college education, she was appointed professor of astronomy at Vassar College by its founder, Matthew Vassar, in 1865 and became the first female professor of astronomy. Mitchell was the first person appointed to the faculty and was also named director of the Vassar College Observatory, a position she held for more than two decades. Mitchell also edited the astronomical column of Scientific American during her professorship. Thanks in part to Mitchell's guidance, Vassar College enrolled more students in mathematics and astronomy than Harvard University from 1865 to 1888. In 1869, Mitchell joined Mary Somerville and Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz in becoming some of the first women elected to the American Philosophical Society. Hanover College, Columbia University, and Rutgers Female College granted Mitchell honorary degrees.

Mitchell maintained many of her unconventional teaching methods in her classes: she reported neither grades nor absences; she advocated for small classes and individualized attention; and she incorporated technology and mathematics in her lessons. Though her students' career options were limited, she never doubted the importance of their study of astronomy. "I cannot expect to make astronomers," she said to her students, "but I do expect that you will invigorate your minds by the effort at healthy modes of thinking. When we are chafed and fretted by small cares, a look at the stars will show us the littleness of our own interests".

Mitchell's own research interests were quite varied. She took pictures of planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, as well as their moons, and she studied nebulae, double stars, and solar eclipses. Mitchell then developed theories around her observations, such as the revolution of one star around another in double star formations and the influence of distance and chemical composition in star color variation. Mitchell often involved her students with her astronomical observations in both the field and the Vassar College Observatory. Though she began recording sunspots by eye in 1868, she and her students began photographing them daily in 1873. These were the first regular photographs of the sun, and they allowed her to explore the hypothesis that sunspots were cavities rather than clouds on the surface of the sun. For the total solar eclipse of July 29, 1878Mitchell and five assistants traveled with a 4-inch telescope to Denver for observations. Her efforts contributed to the success of Vassar's science and astronomy graduates, as twenty-five of her students would go on to be featured in Who's Who in America.

In 1841, she attended the anti-slavery convention in Nantucket where Frederick Douglass made his first speech, and she also became involved in the anti-slavery movement by refusing to wear clothes made of Southern cotton. She later became involved in a number of social issues as a professor, particularly those pertaining to women's suffrage and education. She befriended various suffragists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton. After returning from a trip to Europe in 1873, Mitchell joined the national women's movement and helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women (AAW), a group dedicated to educational reform and the promotion of women in higher education. Mitchell addressed the Association's First Women's Congress in a speech titled The Higher Education of Women in which she described the work of English women working for access to higher education at Girton College, Cambridge. Mitchell advocated for women working part-time while acquiring their education to not only ease the wages off of men paying for their education, but also to empower more women to be in the workforce. She also called attention to the place for women in science and mathematics and encouraged others to support women's colleges and women's campaigns to serve on local school boards. Mitchell served as the second president of the AAW in 1875 and 1876 before stepping down to form and head a special Committee on Science to analyze and promote women's progress in the field.

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