#new mexico mystery stone

[isekai-crow]

Sky Fish

So. Haven't posted in a while. But I have knowledge I NEED to share with the world. I can't think of a funny way to portray it so... -serves it up on a platter-

The Sky Fish familiar that Marcille makes in episode 22 / chapter 48.

This is "real".

This is the cryptid or UMA (read: yu-ma or Unidentified Mysterial Animals) known in Japan as the Sky Fish, and in English as a flying rod or rod.

So like, this is actually a thing. Japanese TV loves UFOs and Cryptids (or maybe I'm biased because my Beetle is the one who's obsessed but.) the timing for This Specfic Cryptid's popularity and when Ryoko Kui was writing/starting out with this story, are around the same time. This specific UMA had such an impact on me when i first saw it in TV 10ish years ago, that I was so excited about its appearance, and then confused and amused in equal measure when my Capybara had no idea what I was talking about.

AND THE TV SHOW I WATCHED! the original episode clip is still on youtube, although lacking English subtitles (although you can translate the auto generated subtitles to English if you want to try).

Basically, Jose Escamilla of Roswell, New Mexico (and several other sources around middle and South America) caught this UMA/Cryptid on video in 90s? But the story and other people catching them on video and in pictures still pop up, but with improved phone cameras, the proof that it's likely just bugs flying at just the right frame rate to make a long cat style image is more prevalent lol.

But this was/is a super popular UMA in Japan. Like, there are gacha minis, and figures, cryptid books, and other anime featuring these lil guys.

JoJo's bizarre adventures Stone Ocean's Sky High stand, Skytails from Zelda, and a Kemono Friend are some examples.

I want a lil sky fish figurine now...

But yea...

WOO SKY FISH CRYPTIDS FTW

[duhragonball]

Phantom Blood Liveblog JJBA ch.18-22

Awwwwwwwwww yeaaaaaahhhh!

So after the mansion burned down, Dio was buried under the rubble, but he survived, and so did the Stone Mask. Wang Chung, the Chinese poison-dealer came back to the mansion to try to find the mask, but he wound up releasing Dio in the process.

Dio's still alive, but he sustained heavy damage from the fire, so he needs servants to do his bidding while he recuperates. His first henchman is Wang Chung, since he's literally right there. The second is Jack the Ripper, whom Dio discovers in the middle of a killing spree on the streets of London. He praises the guy's devotion to pure evil, then offers him incredible power in exchange for his service.

I'm not sure if Jack is just really intrigued by what Dio is saying, or if Dio is using some kind of vampiric influence over him. This scene is kind of similar to the way Dio would pacify Kakyoin, Polnareff, and (almost) Avdol in Stardust Crusaders, so maybe he's using similar mojo here.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Joestar has nearly recovered from his own injuries, and he's looking to move on with his life. There's no sign of Dio or the Mask, so he assumes they were both destroyed in the fire, but then he and Erina are confronted by a mysterious man in a top hat, who informs him that Dio lives, and he has the Stone Mask as well. But this guy's a drama queen, so instead of just telling Jonathan, he vaults over him a few times while eating his sandwich. Then he knocks the wind out of him with a single blow, and this somehow heals Jonathan's arm.

The man's name is Will A. Zeppeli, and he's still not finished demonstrating his powers. He stands in a pond and causes ripples to appear around him in the water. Then he punches a frog on a rock, and the frog is unharmed, even as the rock is destroyed.

How can Zeppeli do this? With the power of Hamon, aka "The Ripple", aka "Sendo". I'm gonna stick to "Hamon", although from what I understand, all three terms are just the same word in different languages.

Zeppeli learned this power during his quest to destroy the Stone Mask. He traced it to the Joestar estate, learned of the fire, and found out about Wang Chung, so I guess he put the rest together for himself. Zeppeli believes Dio will menace the whole world with the power he got from the Stone Mask, but his first move will be to destroy Jonathan Joestar, which is why Zeppeli has approached him.

But Erina doesn't know anything about all this, and Jonathan would prefer to keep it that way. As he contemplates this new development, he puts his hand on a tree branch, and the wilted flowers on the branch suddenly bloom again. Zeppeli is amazed by his natural talent, and suspects that this was what helped him survive the fight with Dio.

I'm not sure if it means anything, but this moment kind of reminds me of Holly Kujo's Stand from Part 3, as well as the effects of Gold Experience in Part 5. Indeed, we briefly see Dio with a second Stand in Part 3, which is said to be "Jonathan Joestar's Stand," so maybe this is the early signs of that.

So why is Zeppeli hunting the Stone Mask in the first place? Well he tells Jonathan his origin story, which involves him serving with an archaeological expedition led by his father. One of their trips took them to the Aztec ruins in Mexico, and three guesses what they found...

That's right, they discovered the Stone Mask, and during the return trip, someone on board put it on and got turned into a vampire. Everyone on board was slaughtered, and Zeppeli dove into the ocean in a desperate attempt to escape, but the vampire followed him, and just when it seemed he was doomed, the dawn came and the vampire was destroyed. But in that moment, Zeppeli recognized the vampire as the leader of the expedition, his own father!

Zeppeli was eventually rescued, but the ship was never found, so he feared the Stone Mask might eventually fall into the wrong hands someday, and he's been searching for it ever since.

Jonathan sees in Zeppeli a kindred spirit, and asks him to train him in the Hamon arts. Zeppeli agrees, though he would have forced Jonathan even if he didn't want to do it, because there's no time to waste, and far too much at stake.

One of the tricks Zeppeli teachs Jonathan is a way to extend your reach by dislocating your elbow as you punch. The Hamon power keeps you from feeling the pain of this manuever.

During Jonathan's training, Wang Chung tries to attack them, but Jonathan defeats him with ease.

Aw man, this title image looks so bad ass. I think the general consensus is that Araki's artwork has steadily improved over the decades, but damn, he was cooking even in the 80's. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, since Part 2 is my favorite.

Oh, and Dio's set up shop in some spooky hideout in a small town called Windknights' Lot. He's been drinking the blood of young maidens and he's ready to show off his Revenge Body for Hot Vampire Summer.

Actually, this shot here might be the first indication that Dio uses his mouth to drink blood. Most of the time, vampires in this series always poke a victim with their hands, but here we clearly see blood on the corner of his mouth, and he's kind of licking it off. I do recall a vampire in Part 2 who tried to bite Santana during Stroheim's experiments, so it's not like we never see vampires use their fangs, but it's kind of a rarity.

Anyway, he gives Jack the Ripper his leftovers, and Dio waxes poetic about evil and how he wants to take over the world and such. It's pretty standard villain stuff, but I guess it was worth going over to establish that he's advanced beyond murder-for-inheritance schemes. Then Wang Chung returns and tells Dio of his defeat.

Now you might be wondering how Wang Chung could have possibly escaped from Jonathan and Zeppeli, but the answer is that they let him go, in order to track down Dio's hideout. This is a calculated risk, since it means letting Dio find out that they're hunting him, and that they have the power to defeat him. But Speedwagon's contacts in the underworld confirm that Wang Chung has been hanging out in Windknights' Lot, so that's where they go.

In a tunnel, the carriage stops, and Speedwagon tries to ask the driver what's wrong, only to discover that the horses have all been decapitated, and one of the horses' heads is on the driver. They're under attack, and the enemy must be pretty quick to pull this off inside this tunnel.

Oh, also the enemy hid inside one of the horses, though I'm not sure what for. It's Jack the Ripper, so maybe this was one of those "far greater pleasures" that Dio promised him during his recruitment speech. "Hey, listen, cutting up women is great and all, but have you ever wanted to cut open a horse and hide inside it?"

At first, Jonathan wonders if this guy has also worn the Stone Mask, but Zeppeli explains that he's merely a zombie, a corpse reanimated by Dio after he drained his blood. It's safe to say Wang Chung is the same thing, and if Dio has any interest in using the Stone Mask on anyone else, we never see it happen.

Zeppeli tells the others to stand back while he fights Jack the Ripper, but Jack seems pretty dangerous. He throws the entire stagecoach at the other end of the tunnel to cut off any possible escape. Then he flexes his muscles to reveal a bunch of knives hidden inside his flesh. Another flex shoots them out in all directions.

But Zeppeli spits some Hamon-charged wine at the knives to deflect them, and he's not even slightly worried about this dude.

Even while he fights, Zeppeli casually holds a wine glass and lectures Jonathan on the proper mindset for battle. He speaks of mastering fear as a way to control one's breathing for better use of Hamon. Courage is a human quality, while undead creatures like Jack are little more than fleas, incapable of bravery for they attack and feed on brute instinct more than anything else.

He deals a big blow to Jack's face, but orders Jonathan to finish him off, then casually sips his wine. Will A. Zeppeli fucking rules. I don't know how else to tell you this. I liked this guy in the anime, but he looks even more awesome in the manga.

[doomedandstoned]

Albuquerque’s BLUE HERON Reveals Gnarly New Music Video “Dinosaur”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Get ready for gritty heavy rock from Albuquerque with a new album from BLUE HERON. Raspy, terrifying roars meet brooding, turbulent low end. "Dinosaur," the band's latest music video, comes midway through the new 9-tracker, 'Everything Fades' (2024), their second full-length, which is just about as down to earth as you could ask for.

"Dinosaur" begins ominously with a dank, questioning riff that leads into a mysterious cool-of-the-morning desert-stoner metal groove, with bittersweet bluesy touches throughout the song. Jadd Shickler's vocals are reminiscent of those epic early High on Fire tracks, somewhat cleaner than Matt Pike's singing approach but no less gravelly and fearsome. Meanwhile Mike Chavez on guitar and Steve Schmidlapp on bass rustle up a storm of gut splitting heft, driven by a fierce and determined rhythm from drummer Ricardo Sanchez.

Towards the 4 minute mark things get slow and doomy like the steady advance of pregnant rain clouds draping across the sky, perhaps an omen of whatever great and mysterious calamity befell the alpha predator's of planet earth's past (and a warning that we too may go the way of the dinosaurs).

Blue Heron's Everything Fades is rooted in the mood and verve of the High Desert. The band's sound on this record has a tangible feeling of mass, weight, and depth. It comes out on September 27th on Blues Funeral Recordings and can be pre-ordered on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats right here. Stick it on a playlist with High on Fire, Egypt, Lamassu, Forming The Void, and Red Messa.

Give ear...

SOME BUZZ

Blue Heron expand on their unyielding desert sound with a new slab of propulsive, sun-scorched riff-heaviness. 'Everything Fades' (2024) finds the band reveling in low-tuned roil and amplifier hum, churning out swerving grooves as if the primordial spirit of the desert itself compels them.

Balanced between laid-back, meditative atmospherics and heavier, more aggressive lunges, Blue Heron’s cruising jams and gritty stoner romps call to mind echoes of Kyuss, Clutch and Monster Magnet, as well as modern contemporaries Valley of the Sun and Greenleaf.

Full of rhythmic intensity, sledgehammer riffing and vocals ranging from clean and moody to howling and raw, 'Everything Fades' covers a wide expanse of musical ground that shows how familiar influences can always be molded into inventive, exciting new forms.

Surrounded by endless horizons, Blue Heron formed in 2018 out of a compulsion to fill the vastness with massive volume, saturating their piece of desert with rolling, thunderous riffs, drums that pummel and swing, deep, thrumming tones and vocals that rip and roar.

Everything Fades by Blue Heron

Blue Heron’s guitarist and singer were founding members of Spiritu, possibly Albuquerque, New Mexico's first desert rock band, whose brief burn in the early aughts included a Jack Endino-produced LP, a European tour with Clutch, Spiritual Beggars and Dozer, and a compilation appearance alongside Entombed and Mastodon.

Their debut LP "Ephemeral" arrived in May of 2022 via Kozmik Artifactz in Europe and Seeing Red Records in the USA. Substantial appreciation in the underground led to performances at Ripplefest Texas and Monolith on the Mesa and opening slots for The Well, Elder, Black Mountain, Ruby the Hatchet, Howling Giant, Heavy Temple and The Obsessed, along with a swath of positive reviews throughout the heavy media.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[rockislandadultreads]

In Memoriam: Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

All the Pretty Horses tells of young John Grady Cole, the last of a long line of Texas ranchers. Across the border Mexico beckons—beautiful and desolate, rugged and cruelly civilized. With two companions, he sets off on an idyllic, sometimes comic adventure, to a place where dreams are paid for in blood.

This is the first volume in “The Border” trilogy. 

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

1980, Pass Christian, Mississippi: It is three in the morning when Bobby Western zips the jacket of his wetsuit and plunges from the boat deck into darkness. His divelight illuminates the sunken jet, nine bodies still buckled in their seats, hair floating, eyes devoid of speculation. Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flightbag, the plane’s black box, and the tenth passenger. But how? A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed in body and spirit – by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul.

Traversing the American South, from the garrulous bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.

This is the first volume in “The Passenger” series. 

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy 

One day, Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

As Moss tries to evade his pursuers–in particular a mysterious mastermind who flips coins for human lives–McCarthy simultaneously strips down the American crime novel and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily contemporary as this morning’s headlines.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood

Synopsis

It's 2020, and the most ambitious drilling project in history has reached deeper beneath the Earth's crust than man has ever gone before — but now the ground itself is fighting back. The Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in a tiny mining village, and find themselves plunged into a battle against a deadly danger from a bygone age.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Night Terrors

Synopsis

The Eleventh Doctor receives a distress call, bringing him, Amy Pond and Rory Williams to Earth. George is a young boy terrorised by the monsters in his cupboard. Are they imaginary, or are they real?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe

Synopsis

Christmas Eve, 1938. Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel, the Eleventh Doctor, who promises to repay her kindness – all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. Crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the English Channel, she wishes to give her children the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are greeted by the Doctor, who acts as their madcap caretaker. However, a mysterious Christmas gift from him leads them into a wintry, magical world. Madge must learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible... and that wishes can come true.

Propaganda

its trash, but its my trash. for the longest time series 7 was the only one I had on dvd, and we were on holiday one year so I couldn’t watch it on iplayer like I usually would. I was 10, I was deep in the trenches at that age, Doctor Who was literally the only thing I ever watched, I watched that DVD multiple times, and this was the first episode on it, it’s almost as much a part of me as series 1 at this point because I have such strong memories and nostalgia for watching it. I mean, and this is no word of a lie, I haven’t pronounced majority correctly in my head for about 10 years (and think god it hasn’t affected my actual speech), no, madge arwell has imprinted herself on my internal vocabulary, I think madge-arwellity. (anonymous)

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Synopsis

In 2367, the Indian Space Agency is on high alert as an unidentified spaceship hurtles towards the Earth. The Eleventh Doctor assembles a team to investigate, including the legendary Queen Nefertiti, a big game hunter named Riddell, Amy, Rory... and Rory's father, Brian. Materialising aboard the mystery ship, they're surprised to find it populated by dinosaurs. With time running out before the ship is blasted out of the sky, the Doctor must confront a vicious criminal named Solomon, as the lives of his companions and the dinosaurs hang in the balance...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

A Town Called Mercy

Synopsis

Missing Mexico by 200 miles, the Eleventh Doctor ends up in Mercy, Nevada, where something's not quite right... The locals are hostile to strangers, and a border of stone and wood surrounds the town. As the Doctor soon finds out, a gunslinger is behind this, and not just an ordinary one.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Hide

Synopsis

Clara and the Eleventh Doctor arrive at the haunted Caliburn House, set alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost-hunting professor and a gifted empathic psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Synopsis

The Doctor's TARDIS is captured by brothers running a salvage company in space. In the process, Clara gets lost inside the time machine. To save her, the Eleventh Doctor promises the brothers they can have the TARDIS if they'll help search for his missing companion. They agree, only to find that what lies at the centre of the TARDIS can kill them all.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Crimson Horror

Synopsis

In 1893, the Eleventh Doctor's old friends, Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax find an optogram of the Doctor on a victim of the mysterious "crimson horror". They head for Yorkshire, where Jenny infiltrates Mrs Winifred Gillyflower's community of Sweetville to find what has happened to him.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[haggishlyhagging]

Australia, Venezuela, the ancient Middle East . . . the distribution of the Goddess and her Serpent is global; on South Pacific islands with no snakes, the eel is mythologized. Ancient Celtic and Teutonic goddesses were wrapped with snakes. The Chinese celebrated the dragon power, and the Aztecs and Mayas of Mexico and Central America imaged the feathered serpent, or flying snake, a form of dragon. Both the monumental Karnak of Egypt and the mysterious standing-stone alignment called Carnac in Brittany are magic snake alignments; both names mean "serpent's mount."

When we see this worldwide occurrence of the Goddess and her Serpent, and then recall the ancient African Black Goddess, the Black Witch, imaged with the snake in her belly—we can see the profound power as well as universality of this cosmological symbol, its range of endurance in the human mind. And we begin to see why the upstart patriarchal religions based themselves on the utter destruction of the goddess/serpent, pictured by the Babylonians as "primeval chaos"—an image picked up later by the Hebrews and used in the biblical Genesis, where Eve linked with her serpent become the symbols of ontological evil. Among patriarchal Hebrews, the serpent was portrayed as Samael, the brother of the "evil" first woman, Lilith. When Old Testament reformers like Hezekiah went around destroying "brazen serpents"—cult images made of brass—as "pagan abominations," what they were really doing was attacking the primordial Goddess religion followed by all their neighbors. The Hebrew patriarchs tried to destroy the world's original, most widespread, and enduring religion by branding it as "evil," and by portraying the Mother Goddess and her magic snake-lover as the source, not of all life, but of "all wickedness"—hated and condemned by their new tribal god Yahweh. To the degree that they were historically successful in this attempt, Western biblicized peoples have lost their original concept, and memory, of what the Goddess and her Serpent really meant—to all people, and all time.

-Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor. The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering The Religion of the Earth.

[mmoxie]

druid FLUID druid FLUID

What a perfect follow-up to the previous ask!

Druid Fluid is directly related to our pals in The SLAPP, who I did not elaborate on very much.

You see, "druid fluid" is a recipe that changes all the time- but fundamentally, it tends to involve psilocybin. The idea is that generation after generation, human beings in search of a shared spiritual experience will concoct a way to approach that experience uniformly. After all, if you have two druids eating two different mushrooms, each mushroom might contain a different experience.

So, you look at places like Stonehenge, like the Georgia Guidestones, the Carnac Stones, the Nazca Lines, Gobekli Tepe, and you check the soil. Depending on how long the location was last occupied, you may have to dig deep, into regolith and subsoil- but at these locations, you tend to find "leftovers"- that is to say, evidence of a psychoactive slurry that was not used, and dumped out.

In 1959, two brothers- Harlan and Dennis Peakes of Happy Valley, New Mexico- created the first formula for druid fluid that would guide the eventual journeys of The SLAPP- which stands for "Super-Luminal Action from Place to Place."

Their initial recipe called for local peyote, along with a melange of spices for flavor and a muscle relaxer to keep them from- to quote Dennis Peakes himself- "falling out of our lawn chairs."

The first recorded SLAPP journey was performed by the Peakes brothers that very same year. Attempting a double-blind study in the same fashion as remote viewing tests at the time, both would complete their trip, write down their experience, put it into an envelope and hand it to the other brother. They would then declare what they saw, one at a time, and open the envelope for confirmation.

In the '60s, the Peakes brothers made friends on the campus of New Mexico Highlands University. These friends- a mixture of mycologists, astronomers, and spiritualists- expanded on the Peakes recipe for druid fluid, adding psilocybin for the first time. Following a shared experience in which they all encountered the same mysterious signpost in what appeared to be distant space, they agreed upon the significance of what they witnessed and formed the club that would eventually be The SLAPP itself.

Between the '60s and '70s, the recipe changed a few times, mostly for recreational reasons. Variants called "Moon Beer" and "Bespoke-A-Cola" cropped up as a carbonated, less spiritual and more recreational take on the fluid.

The current recipe for SLAPP-grade druid fluid is in the possession of an elderly woman in the Seattle area who, citing safety reasons, refuses to share.

[queerauntie]

February Reads

Trixie Belden: The Gatehouse Mystery by Julie Campbell

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Solito by Javier Zamora

Trixie Belden: The Mysterious Visitor by Julie Campbell

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

Wow Wow WOW what a month of reading! It's been a crazy month, too! My new job is so delightful I could cry (and have lowkey) tears of joy! The reads have been phenomenal companions on my drives and while out of town helping a friend recover from surgery! So let's get into it:

What can I say about the Trixie Belden books I haven't already? They're so quaint and enjoyable. I continuously compare them to chewing gum, they are stimulating without being exhausting and they have a fun flavor every time! Unfortunately, I ran out of audiobooks this month, the library only carried the 1st four in the series so I have not decided yet how I want to proceed. Get more invested with like 3 more ebooks and then go cold turkey, or just cut my losses now... We'll have to see.

Stone Butch Blues was really impactful and a story I will not quickly forget. It took me almost 2 months to read this one, all of January and a decent chunk of February. Each chapter is a whole story beginning to end that you need to grieve and sit with, it was not a story to be binged, it demanded your time and respect. And that I gave it. This was also the first book I "annotated" (I took notes in my journal bc I was reading the digital edition) which I am so glad I did. Now, the experience will be forever embedded in my journal for future versions of myself to remember!

This next book was what I read on the way to visit my friends. It's about a 4-hour drive one way so I love queuing up a good book (at 2x the speed I can get through some big bois on a round trip) and this was a hauntingly good choice. In Solito, Javier Zamora remembers his terrifying and deadly journey to America to join his parents. At 9 years old this child travels from El Salvador to Mexico and Zamora's ability to recapture what it was like... I know we as readers must only be experiencing a fraction of the stress and fear that so many go through just for a chance at safety, at freedom. This book should be required reading and I recommend it to all of you!

Finally, I have gotten a taste of Akwaeke Emezi! I've heard about their work for a long time now, and my favorite source of book inspo (teacher twitter) has long been raving about their collections. I am thrilled PET was my first novel because it was phenomenal. Emezi has the power that few people have which is to discuss violence with kindness and empathy. It brought me joy to know this book is taught by teachers equipping their students with crucial knowledge. It's going into my required reading for my commune in our intro to restorative justice because WHEW it made me realize just how much more unlearning growing I had to do myself!

This next book was selected for my book club! I joined a book club in January in hopes of having some more intentional reading sessions. Audiobooks are my fave but I still dissociate sometimes and notice I sometimes miss out on themes when I'm not looking for them. So with book club books I am reading physical copies to force myself to slow down and journaling between sessions to reflect back on when the whole thing is read! Reading This Is How You Lose the Time War was a book I am SO GLAD I read in this way! The tension building was so effective this way and the yearning, the yearning oooh I was living for these characters! What a legendary novel! The authors did a phenomenal job putting you into these characters' heads and creating a story that wasn't overwhelming and difficult to understand, but surreal and vast. You knew of the world, but because of who the characters are, you aren't entirely in it. The creativity of this book feels like reading a world where metaphors become literal. It's magical and heartbreaking. It's an instant classic. And you already know it, a must-read!

Damn February was BUSY!! (Okay fair a couple were started in January, but STILL!) We are almost at the end of the month (damn the shortest month to how did I DO this!?) and being the neuro spicy dork that I am, the close to the end of an imaginary deadline means crunch time! That brings us to are you listening? by Tillie Walden. When visiting bestie, they let me borrow a whole bunch of books (I'm counting 9 including this one) and so now I have a lovely intimidating stack on top of my bookshelf I want to slowly widdle down, and this is what we started with! I was definitely not prepared for the undertones of this book, emotionally I was on edge the whole time but very uncertain why. The colors in this story do a magnificent job of making you spend time in the shadows, looking at the edges and focusing on small details. By the end, I was in tears and felt the whiplash of a short but powerful journey. Bestie's given me a bunch more of Walden's works too so you'll be seeing more of those too, I'm sure they'll be just as devastatingly beautiful!

What I need is for the emerging book genre, New Age, to become more prominent and specified because some of these books are there, they're THERE, but a lot of them still get pushed into the YA pg-13 section which is so limiting! I think The Kindred by Alechia Dow is a great example of this where it could've given me more but it was appealing to a younger audience so we had to keep it innocent, which is sweet, but these are two characters I know would be doing it down and dirty if they were just aged up ever so slightly! It's a good story, a fun way to talk about the issues that our country struggles with. It's definitely because of the way the author approaches these human rights topics that definitely feels rooted in YA so maybe it was always meant to be there! The young YA yearning is cute too, it's just not seamy in the way that adult romance is, and maybe I want a little bit of both! Sue me!

Admittedly, I do not learn my lesson from The Kindred and continue reading YA romances! I don't know how it happened, I think I just put a bunch of books on hold, and wham!, here we are a mini sprint of sci-fi romance! And after reading So This is Ever After I was not complaining!! These boys are SO cute! I loved how the story started, seemingly picking up where the gang left off- post-slaying the big evil monster and fulfilling their prophecy. It really gagged me and made me feel like I was reading a sequel, but of course, that is the intention, as we are now in the "ever after". Our protagonist and hero, now King, must do his best to fulfill his new role, which of course comes with its own plot twist problems to solve! The writing in this was really sweet and entertaining. I loved the scenarios the characters are put in, I will always be a slut for an ensemble cast, so this was a really enjoyable read! Unlike The Kindred though, I thought this book was perfectly aged as their shenanigans could only have been concocted by immature insecure, and communication-skills-lacking teens! It was a good time!

I did it! That's February everyone, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings if you read through it all, I always have fun writing these and if nothing maybe you'll see a book you want to read from my tags and it'll be the push you need to go for it!

Yearly Book Count: 16/?? Yearly Reading Goal: 50 Books

[shubhamblogs-blog]

7 Wonders of the World

History & Society

In 2000, a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to determine the New Seven Wonders of the World. Given that the authentic Seven Wonders list was compiled in the second century BCE and that only one entrant is still standing (the Pyramids of Giza), it seemed time for a replacement. And humans around the sector reputedly agreed, as more than a hundred million votes have been cast on the Internet or by using textual content messaging. The final outcomes, which were introduced in 2007, have been met with cheers as well as a few jeers—some of the outstanding contenders, including Athens’s Acropolis, failed to make the cut. Do you consider the brand new listing?

Great Wall of China

Great is probably an understatement. One of the world’s largest building production projects, the Great Wall of China, is broadly thought to be approximately 5,500 miles (8,850 km) long; a disputed Chinese study claims the period is thirteen hundred and seventy miles (21,200 km). Work started in the 7th century BCE and persevered for two millennia. Although called a “wall,” the structure absolutely features parallel partitions for prolonged stretches. In addition, watchtowers and barracks dot the bulwark. One not-so-super aspect of the wall, however, turned into its effectiveness. Although it was built to prevent invasions and raids, the wall, in large part, failed to offer actual safety. Instead, students have stated that it served more as “political propaganda.

Great Wall Of China

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico that flourished within the ninth and 10th centuries CE. Under the Mayan tribe Itza—who were strongly encouraged by the Toltecs—some essential monuments and temples have been built. Among the most extraordinary is the stepped pyramid El Castillo (“The Castle”), which rises 79 feet (24 meters) above the Main Plaza. A testament to the Mayans’ astronomical abilities, the structure functions as a complete 365-step system for the wide variety of days within the sun year. During the spring and autumnal equinoxes, the putting sun casts shadows on the pyramid that give the appearance of a serpent slithering down the north stairway; at the base is a stone snake head. Life there has been now, not all paintings and technological know-how, but. Chichen Itza is home to the largest tlachtli (a type of wearing discipline) within the Americas. In that area, the citizens played a ritual ball sport famous throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

Chichen Itza

Petra

The historical metropolis of Petra, Jordan, is located in a far-flung valley, nestled amongst sandstone mountains and cliffs. It was alleged to be one of the places in which Moses struck a rock and water gushed forth. Later, the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe, made it their capital, and all through this time, it flourished, becoming an important alternate middle, especially for spices. Noted carvers, the Nabataeans chiseled dwellings, temples, and tombs into the sandstone, which changed color with the moving sun. In addition, they constructed a water machine that allowed for lush gardens and farming. At its peak, Petra reportedly had a population of 30,000. The city began to decline, but as exchange routes shifted, An important earthquake in 363 CE brought on greater difficulty, and after another tremor hit in 551, Petra was step by step deserted. Although rediscovered in 1912, it became largely overlooked with the aid of archaeologists until the overdue twentieth century, and many questions remain about the metropolis.

Petra

Machu Picchu

This Incan web page close to Cuzco, Peru, was “observed” in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, who believed it was Vilcabamba, a mystery Incan stronghold used throughout the 16th-century rebellion in opposition to Spanish rule. Although that declaration was later disproved, the purpose of Machu Picchu has confounded students. Bingham believed it was domestic to the “Virgins of the Sun,” girls who lived in convents under a vow of chastity. Others suppose that it changed into, in all likelihood, a pilgrimage website online, even though a few consider it a royal retreat. One aspect it apparently should not be is the website of a lager commercial. In 2000, a crane getting used for such an advertisement fell and cracked a monument. What is understood is that Machu Picchu is one of the few essential pre-Columbian ruins determined to be nearly intact. Despite its relative isolation high in the Andes Mountains, it has agricultural terraces, plazas, residential areas, and temples.

Machu Picchu

Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer, a huge statue of Jesus, stands on Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. It began right after World War I, when some Brazilians feared a “wave of atheism." A statue was proposed, which was eventually designed by Heitor da Silva Costa, Carlos Oswald, and Paul Landowsky. Construction began in 1926 and was completed five years later. The resulting monument stands 98 feet (30 meters) tall—not including the base, which is about 26 feet (8 meters) high—and its outstretched arms are 92 feet (28 meters) wide. It is an Art Deco sculpture that is the largest in the world. Christ the Redeemer is made of reinforced concrete and is covered with about six million tiles. Somewhat worryingly, the statue is frequently struck by lightning, and in 2014, the tip of Jesus’ right finger was damaged during a storm.

Christ the Redeemer

Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome was built in the first century by order of Emperor Vespasian. An engineering feat, the theater measures 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 meters) and features an impressive vault system. It was able to accommodate 50,000 spectators, and they watched events. Perhaps most notable were skirmishes, although fighting men and animals were also common. In addition, the Colosseum was once used for mock naval meetings. But the belief that Christians were killed there—that is, thrown to lions—is questioned. According to one estimate, some 500,000 people died in the Colosseum. In addition, so many animals have been captured and then killed there that some species are reportedly extinct

Colosseum

Taj Mahal

 Located in Agra, India, this mausoleum is considered one of the most famous monuments in the world and is perhaps the finest example of Mughal architecture. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58) in honor of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (the “Elect Palace”), who died after giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. It took about 22 years and 20,000 workers, and the great building was built, including a large garden with a reflecting pool. The mausoleum is made of white stone with geometric beads of semi-precious stones. Its impressive central dome is flanked by four small domes. According to some reports, Shah Jahan wanted his mausoleum to be made of black marble. But before any work could begin, one of his sons deposed him.

Taj Mahal

 In conclusion, the Seven Wonders of the World represent a unique collection of architectural works that transcend time, geography, and culture. Each with its own unique history and significance, these symbols are enduring symbols of human creativity, ingenuity, and aspiration. From the towering pyramids of Giza to the majestic Taj Mahal, these wonders have captivated people for centuries, inspiring awe, admiration, and reverence. The only surviving marvel of antiquity, the Great Pyramid of Giza, stands as a testament to the advanced technology of the ancient Egyptians. Built over 4,500 years ago, this mysterious wonder, in perfect harmony with its impressive buildings and massive limestone stones, leaves historians and archaeologists in awe.

[whatsonmedia]

7 Top Art Exhibitions to Catch This Week!

Immerse yourself in a world of diverse artistic expressions with these must-see exhibitions happening around the globe in February Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind Feb 15 - Sep 1 Tate Modern, London, UK Dive into the mind of a legend. Witness iconic performance pieces like "Cut Piece" and explore seven decades of groundbreaking art spanning conceptual work, film, music, and activism. Over 200 artworks, including installations, photographs, and her powerful peace and environmental campaigns, trace the evolution of this innovative artist. For more visit> tate.org.uk Potluck Feb 10 - Mar 2 Hashimoto Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA Get a taste of playful creativity at this group exhibition where artists serve up their unique "dishes" in diverse mediums. From geometric light meditations by Adrian Kay Wong to Emily Au's realistic porcelain bacon vessel and Nicholas Bono Kennedy's chaotic prepping station painting, prepare to be surprised, amused, and maybe even a little hungry. Don't miss Sara Suppan's "Dusty" for a relatable reminder of snack-stained fingers! For more visit> hashimotocontemporary.com/ Danh Vo: Take Ninagawa Feb 17 - Apr 27 Take Ninagawa, Tokyo, Japan Join Danh Vo on a journey through the complex flow of materials and their political narratives. Witness brand new works combining lithographs with his father's calligraphy, inspired by the unsettling film "The Exorcist." Explore installations delving into the history of wood and plants, where sustainable forestry practices and ancient German-Vietnamese family heirlooms intertwine. For more visit> https://www.takeninagawa.com/ Claudia Andujar: The End of the World Feb 9 - Aug 11 Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany Experience the power of photography for social change through Claudia Andujar's impactful exhibition. See decades of her work documenting the lives, struggles, and fight for survival of the Yanomami people facing threats from mining and exploitation in the Amazon rainforest. Raise your voice for social justice inspired by Andujar's powerful call to action. For more visit> deichtorhallen.de Desert X AlUla 2024: In the Presence of Absence Feb 9 - Mar 23 AlUla, Saudi Arabia Embrace the mystery of the unseen in this unique open-air exhibition. International artists create site-specific works that blend seamlessly with the vast desert landscape. Be captivated by pieces that challenge your perception of time, wind, light, and history, inviting you on a silent dialogue with nature and the power of artistic expression. For more visit>desertx.org Gabriel Orozco: Circular Identity Feb 10 - Mar 23 Kurimanzutto, Mexico City, Mexico Find beauty in the everyday with Gabriel Orozco's meditative exploration of nature and the cycle of life. Immerse yourself in his intimate "Diario de Plantas" drawings alongside sculptures carved from local stones. Witness his artistic dialogue between da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" and the Aztec goddess Coatlicue, exploring the universal themes of humanity and nature across cultures and time. For more visit>kurimanzutto.com Leo Robinson: DREAM-BRIDGE-OMNIGLYPH Feb 1 - Jun 29 London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, London, UK Uncover a hidden world of symbols and rituals within the historic Mithraeum transformed by Leo Robinson's captivating exhibition. Explore intricate assemblages, vibrant watercolors, and handwritten instructions that invite personal reflection and artistic exploration. Connect with the unseen and discover your own inner sanctuary amidst ancient ruins. For more visit> https://www.londonmithraeum.com/ Let your passion for art guide you on an unforgettable journey with these diverse exhibitions happening around the world! Read the full article

[xtruss]

The small mask, made of jade mosaic with spondylus shell for the eyes and teeth, represents a manifestation of the Storm God. It was laid on the chest of a king buried at Chochkitam, circa A.D. 350.

Stunning Jade Mask Found Inside The Tomb of a Mysterious Maya king

National Geographic Explorer Francisco Estrada-Belli’s Discovery in Chochkitam, Guatemala, Sheds New Light on an Ancient Society.

— January 26, 2024 | By Erin Blakmore | Photographs By Rubén Salgado Escudero

Choked by rainforest and crowded with fallen leaves, palms, and chunks of stone, the little-known site of Chochkitam, Guatemala, seems an unlikely place for a breathtaking archaeological find—much less one that reveals new information about a still murky time period that’s long baffled researchers.

But that’s exactly what researchers recently discovered at the site, in the form of a mysterious, interlocking jade mask believed to have belonged to a previously unknown Maya king.

The find tells a fascinating story of religious devotion and royal succession during the early Classic period of the Maya nearly 1,700 years ago. But it also gives credence to a growing theory that Maya royals of the era may have been in the thrall of even more powerful Mesoamerican dynasties.

“It’s a very controversial subject,” says archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Francisco Estrada-Belli. “The mask is one more nail in the coffin” of old interpretations of Maya history, he says.

Top: Lead archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli begins a primary investigation of the newly discovered burial at the Chochkitam site near Petén, Guatemala. The burial was discovered with the help of LIDAR mapping technology and is believed to be that of the city's king.

Bottom: Viviana López Gutiérrez pieces together the jade mosaic mask in the Holmul Archaeological Project Laboratory in Antigua, Guatemala 🇬🇹.

Top: Along with his bones were other royal attributes, including a stingray spine (denoting he was male), a jade mosaic mask with two jade plaques, 13 spondylus shells, three ceramic vessels, and three human bones carved with figures and hieroglyphs, probably trophies from war.

Bottom: If the dating is correct, the bones could be the individual on the monolith "Stela: Muwan Bahlam," which was found on the front of the structure in 2021. LIDAR led the team to both—and Estrada-Belli considers it one of the greatest finds of his decades long career.

Discovery of a Royal Pyramid—and Coffin

The Chochkitam site and its history have long been obscured by the ravages of time and the density of the rainforests of Petén, the northeastern lowlands region of Guatemala that’s bounded by Mexico and Belize. Though the archaeological site has been known since the early 20th century, its connection to the Maya civilization has eluded modern scholars.

Part of the reason is the time period in which it arose. The Maya Classic period, spanning from about A.D. 250 to 900, represents the civilization’s peak. But little text remains from the period, and much of its glory was decimated by looting in archaeological sites.

Top: Jade mosaic pieces are laid out after being finely cleaned by archaeologists. Bottom: This mask, which was placed on the waist area, identifies the occupant of the tomb as an early Chochkitam ruler.

In fact, grave robbers beat Estrada-Belli and his team to Chochkitam. In 2021, using lidar technology, Estrada-Belli found evidence that looters had tunneled inside a seemingly royal pyramid within the city’s monumental core. But he and a colleague, Bhanny Giron, noticed a spot the looters had seemingly missed—and decided to dig.

“It wasn’t that easy,” says Estrada-Belli, a professor at Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute and an expert in the Preclassic and Classic Maya periods.

As the men dug more than seven meters into the pyramid, their excavation began to feel more like digging a well. But then, Giron found a skull, some teeth, and a coffin-shaped stone box. Though the box’s top had collapsed, Estrada-Belli spotted the offerings that had accompanied the burial: a pot, an assemblage of huge oyster shells, several pieces of bone, and a grouping of carefully arranged pieces of shiny jade.

A Jade Mask Fit For a King

Back in the lab, in late June 2022, Estrada-Belli homed in on the chunks of jade, known to archaeologists as tesserae. In other Maya sites, such blocks had been used to form mosaic masks for royal burials—often arranged to represent deities or ancestors and commonly associated with the wealth and power of the people with whom they were interred.

Left: In other Maya sites, jade had been used to form mosaic masks that represented deities or ancestors, showing off the wealth and power of the interred.

Right: The mask pointed to archaeologists to clues of the interred's status. They were able to date the burial to A.D. 350 using carbon dating from bone fragments and copal incense resin.

With a few movements of the tiles, Estrada-Belli quickly assembled the jade into a face complete with spiral eyes and sharp teeth.

A sharp-eyed colleague noted that some of the bones the archaeologists had thought belonged to the crypt’s inhabitant were actually covered in fine carvings, likely made using volcanic obsidian glass. As it turned out, two of the bones weren’t those of the buried king at all—but their carvings revealed the identity of the royal ruler. Extraordinarily, one of the carvings depicted a ruler holding up the head of a Maya deity—the exact god represented in the mask Estrada-Belli had pieced together.

But who were they? University of Alabama archaeologist Alexandre Tokovinine, who specializes in Maya epigraphy, helped Estrada-Belli decode the glyphs, unlocking the secrets of the identities of both the ruler—Itzam Kokaj Bahlam (“sun god/bird/jaguar”)—and the god. Known to archaeologists as Yax Wayaab Chahk G1, the swirling deity represents a manifestation of the Maya storm god directly translated as “first sorcerer rain god.”

The find is “very, very unusual,” says Estrada-Belli—and has proven extraordinarily informative about a time and place that remain stubbornly obscure.

An ornately carved human femur bone was also found as part of the funerary offerings. The bone was not the king's, however, but ​its carvings did tell his story.

The incisions on the bone highlighted by red pigment depict the ruler in profile holding in his right hand a jade mask depicting a deity. The name is spelled by hieroglyphs as Yax Wayaab Chahk G1, or "first sorcerer Rain Deity G1." This is likely the same mask found in the tomb.

Hieroglyphs in the ruler's head spell his name Itzam Kokaj Bahlam, offering a final clue about the interred. Two other masks attached to his belt represent deified ancestors.

A new glimpse of an ancient society

As revealed by the radiocarbon dating of incense and the bones found in the crypt, Itzam Kokaj Bahlam likely reigned over the city in about A.D. 350.

Though his burial site clearly shows a Maya ruler with elite status and royal power, references in the artwork and buildings discovered at the site give credence to a growing theory that many local leaders of the time were subordinates or even puppets of other, more powerful, kings. Some of the items found there echo those found in other powerful Mesoamerican cities, including a depiction of Itzam Kokaj Bahlam in a full-frontal position.

“Everything suggests to me that this was a Maya king who was part of a network of Maya royalty in the sphere of influence of Tikal and Teotihuacán,” says Estrada-Belli. The ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán, located in modern-day Mexico, and the Maya city of Tikal, also located in Petén, were both larger and more influential than the relative backwater of Chochkitam.

“There’s no statement of vassalage at the site,” says Estrada-Belli. “But if you read between the lines, that’s what it means—these were vassals, probably of Tikal directly and Teotihuacán indirectly.”

The shiny chunks of jade, known as tesserae to archaeologists, encircle pieces of shell from the Pacific Ocean, creating a regal mask.

There’s more to learn about the kings of Chochkitam and their connections to other powerful rulers in the still-murky early Classic period of the Maya. Estrada-Belli and his colleagues intend to pursue everything from ancient DNA studies of the bones found at the site to the possibility of finding more treasures buried within these abandoned pyramids.

But in the meantime, we can still marvel at the magnificence of the lost Maya king’s jade mask. Taken together, the archaeologist says, the mask and the carved bones that accompany it carry the kind of thrill that’s rare in the laborious, painstaking world of archaeological research.

Scholars Piece Together the Jade Mosaic Mask. Rubén Salgado

“You can look at the bones of this individual,” says Estrada-Belli. “But you can also see him dressed in his regalia”—and in full possession of his royal power. “It’s a tremendous thrill and a privilege,” the National Geographic Explorer adds. “Sometimes we do get lucky.”

[doomedandstoned]

São Paulo’s WEEDEVIL Reveal ‘Profane Smoke Ritual’

~Doomed and Stoned Debuts~

By Matheus Jacques

Evoked from the smoke like a truly hypnotic and intoxicating ritual. Engaging, powerful and dense. The new album by Brazilian stoner/doom band WEEDEVIL, with official release scheduled for June 6th and digital distribution orchestrated by the brazilian label Abraxas Records conjures these and other adjectives.

The album 'Profane Smoke Ritual' (2024) explores deep themes inspired by figures such as Aleister Crowley, as well as the duality and liberation of Lilith and Baphomet, addressing spirituality, transcendence and mystery. The lyrics written by drummer Flavio Cavichiolli invite listeners to delve into their own reflections on existence and the meaning of life, seeking to inspire deeper and more introspective thoughts. “I especially highlight the song ‘Profane Smoke Ritual’, which portrays a journey of spiritual liberation through rituals and experiences with cannabis smoke. This song reflects my own personal exploration of the connection between mind, body and spirit”, says Flávio.

The album 'Profane Smoke Ritual' is a deep journey through the mysteries of spirituality and liberation, inspired by figures like Crowley, Lilith, and Baphomet. Our lyrics invite listeners to dive into reflections on existence and the meaning of life. With a unique fusion of styles and an intuitive approach to composition, each track of this album seeks to provoke a significant impact, encouraging profound thoughts and a deeper connection with our spiritual journey.

The new material presents the band's new lineup which now features (in addition to Flávio) the musicians Carol Poison (vocals), Jimmy Olden (guitar), Henrique Bittencourt (guitar) and Cláudio HC Funari (bass). Even under the guise of a new beginning with the new lineup, the group continues to maintain its essence, now led by the powerful voice of Poison (who carries Heavy Metal influences in her inspirations) and with an always efficient instrumental section composed of proficient musicians. "Profane Smoke Ritual" maintains existing positive points and adds new nuances.

Following, Flávio talks a little more about the band's musicians and news: "Jimmy's participation on guitar was fundamental in this album. We established a very quick creative connection, which contributed significantly to the sound and musical direction of the project. Each member of the band brought their own unique contribution, with Henrique bringing the heavy riffs, Cláudio incorporating the depth of the bass and Poison's vocals adding a special touch, inspired by bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Candlemass.”

Profane Smoke Ritual releases Thursday, June 6th (get it here). In addition to digital distribution by Abraxas Records, the album already has physical versions confirmed (with dates to be defined) with the usual partners: CD by Smolder Brain Records (Mexico) and Vinyl by DHU Records (Netherlands).

Track By Track: A Listener's Guide

1. "The Serpent's Gaze" - A mystical serpent dance transcending time, where Lilith whispers ancestral secrets and hearts trance under the dark twilight.

2. "Chronic Abyss of Bane" - A journey through the abysses of being, where shadows multiply, and rituals invoke ancient regents, paying homage to the primordial forces shaping the universe.

3. "Profane Smoke Ritual" - A profane ritual wrapped in sacred smoke, evoking spiritual liberation and transcendence through unique sensory experiences.

4. "Veil of Enchanted Shadows" - Under a veil of enchanted shadows, the soul ventures into a realm of magic and mystery, where the demon's gaze remains hidden.

5. "Necrotic Elegy" - A necrotic elegy echoing occult laments, exploring the mysteries of death and the soul's descent toward the unknown.

6. "Serenade of Baphomet" - A serenade in honor of Baphomet, symbolizing the duality of emotions and the cosmic dance between light and shadow, revealing hidden wisdom.

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[percontaion-points]

VOEN chapter 21

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Click here for the rest of the series!

Chapter 21

“You had a chance to clean up,” he said, gesturing at her plaits, which were still damp enough to leave dark shadows on her shirt. 

Shadows?! SHADOWS?!

DID LITERALLY NOT ONE SINGLE GODDAMNED PERSON BOTHER TO ACTUALLY PROOFREAD THIS?!

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!

THEY’RE FUCKING WET MARKS. HER HAIR IS FUCKING WET. 

“This,” he said, balling the shirt in one hand, “will never be rid of blood unless I wash it soon. Then we’ll pack up and ride just before twilight.”

So their entire plan is to hang around the area until it’s almost nightfall, and then be out on the open road in the dark? 

WHEN THEY KNOW THAT THERE ARE VAMPIRES ROAMING AROUND?!

Are they fucking suicidal or some shit?!

 Papá loved [the family ranch] Los Ojuelos more than he loved anything, more than her or Javiera or Félix, more than even Mamá.

Damn son, get some fucking priorities. 

“My apologies,” she said, tasting acid seep into her voice. “I misunderstood. I didn’t realize you broke trade regulations and sacrificed principles on behalf of someone you were sleeping with. That casts your decisions in a far more forgiving light.”

[...]

“Not all of us were born with land and money,” he continued. “Some of us need to sacrifice our principles in order to eat. Some of us,” he added, with a measure of his own acid, “need to actually work.” 

For the record, I’m still not rooting for this relationship. And this is seriously another nail in the proverbial coffin for me. 

“Haven’t you ever thought about that? Why my uncle works until he breaks but lives in a jacal instead of being able to build his own house of stone? I guess you would never have to. Not when the patrón goes on and on about the nobility of life on Los Ojuelos.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “How we should be grateful for him.”

I simply think that it’s interesting that all of these reviews are commenting about how the white man from USA is coming to take land from Mexico…

Yet there’s this class warfare going on right here. 

This is the real story. Not the vague war that both of our main characters LITERALLY RAN AWAY FROM. 

“Life on Los Ojuelos is good,” Nena shot back. “Only an arrogant man would turn up his nose at it.”

No, life on the ranch is good for the rancher’s spoiled daughters, who have never known hardships in their lives. 

Life is decent enough for the hired hands who live 100% at the mercy of the ranch owner and his whims. Never knowing if next season, they’ll be let go or not. 

She had not been thinking when she kissed him. She rode impulse like a half-broken horse until it threw her to the dirt. Now she lay there, curled into a ball, the flood of competing emotions washing over her honing into a single current, a single note. A single truth: It was not supposed to end like this.

Chapter 21 summary: Nena sleeps some, but it’s fraught with nightmares. When dawn starts to break, she looks out and sees that the body of the vampire she’d beheaded last night is mysteriously gone, and she freaks out more than a little.

The next afternoon, she takes a bath to wash the rest of the blood from the battle off from herself. Nestor goes to do the same when she gets back, and then asks that she hold the mirror so that he can shave. As he’s doing that, she regards herself from the other side of the reflective tin, and thinks about how her mama is so concerned with Nena’s physical appearance. She tells Nestor that she’s probably gotten darker, and Nestor teases her that he sees three new freckles. 

Nestor cuts himself shaving, and curses in English. When asked why/how he knows the language, he says that Beto taught him so that they could help a ranch trade with the yankees. This pisses Nena off, since there’s some sort of rule that’s like “Hey, you don’t trade with the white man!” The book doesn’t make it sound like a law, more like something that you really rather shouldn’t do. Nena gets pissed off when she finds out who Nestor was working for, and accuses him of having slept with that young, hot, rich widow. And then even more angry when he doesn’t deny it.

Nestor says that it’s not like she’s ever once known a day of struggle once in her life, what with being the daughter of a wealthy ranch owner. She seems to think that the servant and the wealthy landowner are in the same boat, but again, Nestor calls her out on her shit before storming off.

Nena follows after him and kisses him. They make out for a bit before he stops her and tells her that he doesn’t want a relationship with her if her sole purpose is to get back at her over-controlling papa. Nena falls to the ground in tears as she thinks about all of the good times that the two of them had when they were children. 

[dragonstepp]

Sometimes you can't

win for losing. My apartment complex (assisted housing) recently dropped its lease with Spectrum to get some other internet, but I chose to keep Spectrum since I like the organization, and my internet and Wifi and landline phone are all connected to it. But when I got my first bill, it was $184.00, which I can hardly afford on my social security, so I called and dropped the entertainment package. It brought my bill down to $115.00, but then I discovered that cut out my TCM (I love the old movies). So I signed up for it again, and that is when I learned that I had basically put me into another entertainment package. Since I like ESPN, I need to keep it. That makes my present costs $157.00.

So today I decided on Spectrum free movies to watch Dark Winds. When I clicked on it, I found out I have to pay for each individual episode. I have not looked to see how much that was going to cost me. I cannot pay for it yet until I get another socsec payment on the 3rd. Oh no!!!!

Anyway, I have to find out how much it will cost me. That is because in reading a write-up about it that it was based on the John Hillerman books, mysteries about the Navajo (Dineh, the Navajo word for The People, and which is how they identify with. I have always adored the Navajo (Dineh), and had the privilege of meeting a few when I was living in Vegas. I have also read almost all of the Hillerman books. I was able to watch a documentary about the series.

The actors who play most of the Navajo police force have facial hair. The Dineh do not have facial hair. So they have had to shave their faces to play Jim Leaphorn, Chee,Dand several other characters. But otherwise, they are true to the characters. Since I have not had a chance to watch any of the 14 episodes (2 seasons so far), I do not yet know how well they follow the books. But they are shooting the series in Navajo Nation, including a lot of shots of Shiprock (Tse bida'ki = The Winged Rock). Their legend has it that the Dineh lived on a lower level of Earth, and were in wars with other Native American tribes, so they climbed up a plants, got up on Tse bida'ki, and flew to New Mexico). It is a sacred monument in Monument. Valley (the part in New Mexico). It represents a big bird, its sacred colours are red, black, white, and yellow, it's rocks are jet, turquoise, and a couple of other stones related to the red, white and yellow - look it up on Google - just type in Shiprock.. Fascinating information.

The actors spoke about having to learn the Navajo language, and they used a lot of the Dineh folks as extras, who speak the language. I once had a dictionary of the Navajo language, but returned it to the organization who have offices on Navajo Nation. It was a rather rare book.

So I will be getting the series Dark Wind as soon as I can afford to pay for it. And have to wonder if I am going to be bringing back the high costs of watching it. I guess I am going to have to stop ordering a lot of stuff from Amazon, although with my scooter having limited places to carry stuff, I buy a lot of my foods from Amazon, which means I get it delivered instead of having to carry it hope from the grocery store.

As I said, you sometimes cannot win for losing.

Carol

[everydayoriginal]

Welcome home by Dianita

On top of the highest volcano in Mexico lives a mysterious character. The figure of a lady is often seen coming down of the top, traveling to different parts of the land. It is said that she’s searching for dragon eggs.

When she finds them, she brings them back to the volcano. Up on the top, only the lucky ones are able to see a huge altar if that’s how we can call it. A coiled feathered snake made out of stone sits on top of a very hot arrange of rocks. The woman carefully places the new eggs and it’s there to welcome every baby dragon that comes out. She extends her hand with love, whispering “welcome home” to each and every one.

But where did this dragons eggs come from? Well, Mexico is a place of magic. It’s said that once, when dragons roamed the Earth they visited each piece of land in the planet. When ages changed, and dragons disappeared, the intense warmth of the creatures was gone. The eggs lay dormant now, waiting for that heat source to wake and develop. From that same magic this woman appeared and looks for them in another dimension we might never see. The baby dragons are not alone anymore, no matter their breed. They found a new home, a place between ages of Earth where magic thrives.

Details:

I started this painting during a SmArt School class with Donato Giancola. It was my first try at finishing something I’ve never done before. I finished it months later, but I’ve only exhibited it once in ArmadilloCon in 2022. It is the first time I offer it to a wider audience.

I got my inspiration from Mexico and its diversity. If you look at the history of my country, you can see an incredible number of descendants of many many nationalities.

The magic resides in the hearts and actions of the people who look out for the travelers who are passing by. They care and nurture them as much as their possibilities allow. Until the travelers continue their journey in search of the dream of a better place.

I thought of Mexico and the kind people who live there. The kind people doing all what they can for others. They’re the nest, the warm embrace and the hand extended with love.

Other information:

This painting measures 11in x14in. I created it with oils on illustration paper. It is framed.

International friends: If you’re interested in purchasing this piece, please remember that you might need to pay extra fees in your country  in order to receive your package. This is the customer’s responsibility. Thank you!

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What's the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas?

A nomadic group in Mongolia moves camp with their camels and other animals. At least 16,000 years ago during the last ice age, nomadic humans traveled across the Bering Land Bridge from Asia to North America. (Image credit: Tuul & Bruno Morandi via Getty Images) The arrival and establishment of humans in the Americas was a key step in humanity's trek across the planet, but exactly when this milestone was achieved remains hotly contested. According to the evidence we have now, when did the first humans arrive in North America? Based on stone artifacts dating to about 13,000 years ago, archaeologists for most of the 20th century suggested that the prehistoric Clovis culture was the first to migrate to the Americas. However, the site of Monte Verde in southern Chile, first discovered in 1975, was found to be about 14,200 years old. If people made it that far down in South America by that point — either after their ancestors crossed over the Bering Land Bridge that once connected Asia and North America, or traveling in watercraft along Pacific coasts  — then earlier sites must exist in North America, Michael Waters, a geoarchaeologist at Texas A&M University, told Live Science. Starting in 2009, archaeologists began excavating deposits at the Cooper's Ferry site in Idaho. Radiocarbon dating of human projectile points in these deposits revealed that people found their way inland into North America by about 16,000 years ago, Waters noted. Cooper's Ferry may be the oldest strong evidence of human settlement of the continent yet, and unpublished research from 2023 describes slightly older evidence; stone tools next to animal teeth dated to 18,000 years ago in Oregon. However, scientists recently found controversial signs of even older sites in North America. In 2020, archaeologists digging in Chiquihuite Cave in the Astillero Mountains of central Mexico unearthed about 1,900 stone artifacts. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of the objects suggested that humans might have occupied the area 31,000 to 33,000 years ago. Later, in 2021, scientists tested 60 human footprints embedded in an ancient lake bed in what is now White Sands National Park in south central New Mexico. By using carbon-dating methods on seeds found in sediments within the prints, they suggested that people occupied the New World between about 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. However, there are problems with the claims made at both the Chiquihuite and White Sands sites, Matthew Des Lauriers, an archaeologist at California State University, San Bernardino, told Live Science. When it comes to Chiquihuite, even the scientists who excavated the site noted that others might argue that the oldest stone objects discovered there are not of human origin but are merely "geofacts," or normal rocks that look artificial. A 2021 study from an independent group indeed made that argument. As for White Sands, the footprints are clearly human, Waters noted. But he noted that ancient plant samples used to date the footprints may seem older than their true age. "The footprints have real problems with the dating," Des Lauriers said. Waters estimated the prints may actually be only about 15,000 years old. A number of claims based on stone artifacts discovered in Brazil suggested that humans may have reached sites there, such as Pedra Furada, about 35,000 years ago, Waters noted. However, a 2022 study revealed that these artifacts may actually have been created by capuchin monkeys as they used rocks to break open nuts, he added. RELATED MYSTERIES —What is the oldest-known archaeological site in the world? —What was the longest-lasting civilization? —How did ancient people store food before refrigeration? But other evidence is emerging of early human occupation in South America. A 2023 study found 27,000-year-old sloth bones crafted by humans into pendants from Brazil. New ideas often come and go about the people of the Americas. For instance, "a few years back, it was suggested that people came from western Europe to the Americas, the 'Solutrean hypothesis,'" Waters said. However, "recent genetic work on Solutrean human remains shows that they are not at all related in any way to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Thus, this hypothesis can be discarded." All in all, "the public needs to know that archaeology is a process," Waters said. "Science follows a course — publication of new data, vetting of that data, more testing, and acceptance or rejection of ideas. This is a slow and careful process." Read the full article