#river phoenix activism

[riverphoenixislove]

🌲🌱 Earth Day 2024 • 22/04 • 🌱🌲

“We need an extreme movement because what is happening to animals is so extreme. Some misinformed people claim that animal rights activists are terrorists, but these people are simply ignorant of who the real terrorists are - the companies and industries that torture literally billions of animals each year.”

— River Phoenix (The Animals Voice Magazine - 1989)

[xensilverquill]

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent. Individuals stake claims to stretches of river banks and local watering holes and become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season. Its double set of fleshy whiskers are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure and are thus thought to enable it to predict the weather. Individuals are often observed running in the wake of thunderstorms. Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season before dispersing once again.

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(Extended species description under readmore.)

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent

A double set of flexible fleshy whiskers grow from the kirin's snout and lower jaw. These neuron-dense appendages are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure. It is theorized that these whiskers enable kirin to predict incoming weather up to one hundred miles away, and it has been observed to run in the wake of thunderstorms.

Like other kirin species, its head and nose horns are characterized by a two-part structure. Bony cone-shaped protrusions grow from its skull and are covered in a keratinous sheath. The outer layer is typically shed shortly after the beginning of the rainy season and regrown by the peak of the dry season. The size of each of its horns as well as the number of tines in the head horns increase with an individual's age.

This species is characterized by its lion-like mane and tail as well as the feathering on its legs. This thick fur starts as a dark gray on foals and lightens with age. Kirin have been observed to puff up their mane and tail in both territorial and mating displays.

Adult stormchaser kirin are solitary for much of the year. Individuals stake claims to grazing territory along stretches of river banks and local watering holes. They become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season and will actively drive away any animal they perceive as a competitor (or a danger to their foals in the case of brooding individuals).

Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals (also known as tempests) to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season. A grown female (also known as a rin) will gather and defend a harem of two to eight males (also known as a ki). While this species does not exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism, stormchaser rins are slightly larger on average than kis.

Rins lay soft, leathery-shelled eggs in small clutches in the dry season. Nests are typically made in dense, thorny thickets. Superfecundation is common in kirin, and each kirin foal may have a different sire. Foals mature quickly and either wander away or are driven out by their mother by the following dry season. Adolescent foals from the same clutch have been observed to briefly travel together in a group known as a scud.

Mortality rate is high amongst young stormchaser kirin, with only an estimated one in four surviving to adulthood. Sand sharks and phoenixes are common predators, and older kirin will often kill younger individuals in territorial skirmishes.

--

A friend of mine gave me some beautiful cloud-patterned yarn for a holiday/b-day present, and I’m so excited to finally use it! I had a lot of fun figuring out leg/body proportions on this guy. He’s going to be the centerpiece for an event I’m going to in a few weeks and I’m so stoked with how he turned out!

[diana-thyme]

Greek Gods 101: Styx

Styx is a Goddess of the River Styx and hatred. Excluding the universal offerings, some common offerings include:

Water

Symbols of Death (Skulls, Gravestones, Vultures, Etc.)

Symbols of Change and Metamorphosis (Butterflies, Phoenix, Etc.)

Coins

Underwater Gemstones (Any Gemstone Found Underwater)

Planting Flowers or Plants on by Riverbanks (Be Careful! Invasive Species Could Ruin an Ecosystem)

Depictions of Wars (Swords, Shields, Armor, Etc.)

For devotional acts, some activities that can be done for her include:

Doing Things You Hate or Don’t Like

Writing (Private) Hate Letters

Keeping Promises

Bathing

Visiting Rivers or Other Bodies of Water

Making Oaths (and Keeping Them!)

Practicing Anger Management

She is not celebrated in any Athenian holidays.

[apoptoses]

Have you ever been reading Devil’s Minion and thinking to yourself, “damn, I just can’t nail down a face for Daniel”? Have you watched Interview with the Vampire and felt like neither Christian Slater nor River Phoenix hit the mark for you?

Allow me to introduce you to James fucking Spader.

Look at him! Is that not the face of Daniel, completely fed up with Armand feeding his cigarettes down the garbage disposal?

He’s got the naive and beautiful face but ALSO the defiant yet beseeching thing down! Also he was like 22 here, which is right around the age Daniel met Armand so he’s at peak Healthy, Pretty Molloy here. No wonder Louis decided to take him home!!

“Do you know what a zip code is, or a tax bracket? I’m the one who buys all the goddamned airline tickets. Millions. How are we going to get millions! Steal another Maserati and be done with it, for God’s sakes!”

Spader is the original 80′s pretty boy you’d assume starred as the leading man in some schmoopy romances or schlocky teen dramas and he did that for a minute. Like check him out in Pretty in Pink-

 Is this not peak Night Island Daniel, in his Miami Vice looking bespoke suit ready to head out with Armand for the night?

Look at him snuggled into his blanket in Tuff Turf, like Daniel hungover and forcibly woken up to honky tonk piano tunes!

But the deliciousness doesn’t end at his looks. Because in true Molloy fashion that man said ‘you know what? I wanna make movies for freaks and weirdos only’

In Sex, Lies and Videotape he plays the sweetest pervert who loves interviewing women about their sex lives, video taping it, and then watching them back naked but not actually getting off! He’s impotent, he’s a gentle and lovely weirdo, there’s vampire!Daniel fodder for days in this one.

Crash is a horny flick that defies all explanation and really you need to go in blind if you’re gonna watch this one, but let me just say this: If Spader and his Wife in this film aren’t the most Daniel and Armand coded couple in cinema history I will eat my shoes. Also there’s tons of beautiful footage of him driving around at night with his blond hair ruffling in the breeze.

Your prefer your Daniel with glasses? Oh, perfect, because in Bad Influence he plays a sweet guy who gets into a fucked up situation with a toxic friend and a sex tape!

In Storyville he lets himself be thrown on the floor and lays there submissively before getting involved in yet another sex tape scandal!

Don’t even get me started on Dream Lover, another smut filled romp (with some filthy deleted scenes if you google the uncut version) which has the most Devil’s Minion promo photos of all time-

Like! Get the fuck out!

I could just go all day about his body of work but some of it you’ve just gotta see for yourself. In pretty much every film you’re guaranteed smut with him being deliciously submissive, extremely gentle with his hands, and down for all kinds of kink. And in most of his movies he gets bloody at least once, like-

this is a shitty picture i took of my laptop but look at the blood at the corner of his mouth! Vampire activities!

In summary, let me hit you with a photo dump:

Daniel laying in a cheap motel room during the chase years!

Daniel with delightful 70s hair!

More glasses!Daniel!

Daniel with a half-buttoned 80′s shirt looking so beautiful it’s no wonder Armand couldn’t NOT turn him!

It’s dark, he’s wet, he looks exhausted!

He’s the ideal beautiful Molloy Weirdo and I will not be accepting any other arguments, goodbye!!

[canyourfavesurvivecastledracula]

Yknow what, I gotta ask: Phoenix Wright and/or Miles Edgeworth. They're not THAT kind of lawyer, but hey, maybe Drac wants to have someone on deck to either prove he's innocent of all his heinous activities OR to put the blame on someone else.

What Phoenix has going for him: Powers of putting together mysteries on very little information on a tight timetable, magatama that detects lies (and by extension willing to accept the supernatural), and pretty indestructible like, physically (has canonically fallen from a 40' bridge into a river, ate glass, got hit by a car, bodyslams doors down on more than one occasion, and has walked away pretty much fine).

I have less thoughts on Miles bc I haven't played his games and thus haven't seen his whole repertoire of skills. He's very smart, but stubborn, and proper, and much more unlikely to be supernaturally genre savvy. The jabot is a potential barrier against bites, but also would make it easier to hide that he's being fed on.

Phoenix has been addressed here, but seems to be being hotly debated it the notes.

@vickyvicarious do you have any thoughts on Edgeworth?

[kiri-cuts]

Wooing a dreamboat's grave in "Lisa Frankenstein"

Warning! Spoilers! If you’re my type of person, then you likely relate to a scene in ‘Lisa Frankenstein” where Lisa (Kathryn Newton) steps awkwardly into a party and immediately recoils in disinterest at its prospects: Normies, popular people, jocks, bad jokes and even worse conversation. Awash in a sea of coddled conformity and vanilla personalities, Lisa wants to disappear. And she does – via a drink spiked with PCP and its vile consequences. 

The scene is in stark contrast to an earlier one, which establishes Lisa as a romantic goth whose happy place is to sit beneath the handsome bust of an expired hottie’s grave and read poetry to it. Dead or not, Lisa is in deep with the dead. Her comfort zone isn’t with people. Hell, it’s not even amongst the living. All she needs is the fantasy of a cute guy – pulse be damned. For many teen girls, dead celebrities make for the perfect untainted crush: Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy, Tupac, River Phoenix, Elliott Smith Aaliyah, James Dean, Jeff Buckley, Anton Yelchin. For decades (hell, probably centuries), teen girls have been able to project their fantasies onto the pin-ups of the formerly living – the more tragic, the better. Dead celebrities can’t age, make gross missteps, or date someone you hate. As a result, they can never disappoint you or let you down. They simply remain beautiful and idealised – a butterfly pinned within a frame. “Lisa Frankenstein” takes this fantasy to the ideal next level. Lisa’s wooing of a corpse and her unbridled passion for him is so gigantic it’s almost a cosmic event. Sure, it’s the lightning bolt of a storm that wakes The Creature (Cole Sprouse). But to anybody who’s ever swooned so hard that their heart has felt big enough to swallow the whole universe, there’s an obvious truth: Lisa’s love was so electric that it woke the dead. 

Stories rarely allow women to not only fantasise in this way but to take the opportunity to make their fantasy flesh. There are countless stories about lonely, misunderstood, and horny men who see their most potent sexual and romantic dream babes conjured into a living, breathing fuck machine: “Weird Science”, “Ex Machina”... “Splice” (though, good grief, how I wish that last one didn’t go there). While other movies like “Poor Things” and “Frankenhooker” approach this tale from a perspective that pokes holes in such tropes and empowers the object of affection, such a story nonetheless persists. Outside of an episode of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” where Sabrina uses a dubious ‘Man Dough’ recipe from her chronically single aunts to create a date for the dance, I’m stumped as to recall any others. (Since I know you’re intrigued, Sabrina adds too much enthusiasm into the mix, and a supremely cute but overly perky Brian Austin Green pops out of the oven like a young Nick Cage on “Wogan”. He’s no Harvey Kinkle, that’s for sure). In “Lisa Frankenstein”, our titular heroine very actively indulges her romantic and sexual feelings toward The Creature. Tongueless and speechless throughout the film, Sprouse’s character exists solely for Lisa’s gratification. As she helps rebuild and restore him to the living, she also restores herself. Previously, Lisa, too, had developed reactive mutism following the murder of her mother. But with The Creature, she confidently begins to get her voice back – even if she does use it to enthusiastically encourage the occasional cold-blooded murder (hey, nobody’s perfect). 

By the end, it’s just like my boy Nietsche says: She who fucks a monster might take care lest she become a monster. Except Lisa’s pretty okay with having the abyss gaze back into her. That abyss is her happy place, and that monster is her boo. This is the place where poetry becomes born into flesh and blood, creating the cutest boy she could have ever hoped to have sewn a severed penis onto. A place where love – even the mere fantasy of it – is all a person needs to sustain them. Pulse be damned.

[alto-tenure]

To the Breaking Point: Suicide in Ace Attorney

A while ago I wrote a short version, and then a slightly longer version of this very post, after a discussion I had on Discord about the ending of Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright and generally the handling of suicide in the Layton games as a whole. And while I do generally tend to compare Espella's suicide attempt to a certain Professor Layton character, that game came out after the crossover, and the influences on it weren't the same. Takumi had a heavy hand in the crossover, and I want to talk about today another major example of suicide in Ace Attorney, which I'm sure every AA fan is already aware of: Farewell, My Turnabout.

I've already spoiled Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, but additional spoilers for both AA2 and the crossover apply. Plus, content warning for in-depth discussions of suicidal thoughts & suicide attempts.

You might be asking at this point: River, what's the first part of that title about?

And the answer is simple: Edgeworth is to Adrian in Farewell as Layton is to Espella in the final chapter(s).

Espella, throughout Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, is experiencing a downward mental health spiral. She is first introduced to us as someone who is fleeing from great peril, and then when we lose her, she's reintroduced with some form of hypnosis. While hypnotized, she tells Phoenix and Maya that she isn't a witch -- her paranoia has managed to break through. Labyrinthia's state and philosophy is deeply ingrained in her, even in this induced mindset. She associates the court with the witch trials, and therefore with the prospect of death.

And then we get to meet the real Espella again, and defend her. At the end of the trial, it's revealed that she was framed by Kira, who believed she was the Great Witch, the ultimate enemy of Labyrinthia. This is important, because this is the source of Espella's guilt, and the true beginning of her spiral. She confesses to being the Great Witch in front of the court to free Kira. This initial action is a sacrifice rather than a suicide attempt. The set-up here, however, is Espella's belief that her life is worth less than Kira's. Less than any other life, as Espella's lack of self-worth continues into the next trial and throughout the game. She later attempts to trade her own life for the life of Jean in the ending of Golden Court, where Maya attempts to dissuade her. And finally...we have the last Witch Trial, where Espella finally faces the allegations that she is the Great Witch.

This is where Espella is pushed to her breaking point. The trial opens with her confession -- this is debunked by Phoenix saying that Darklaw forced her into saying the words, but Espella still holds a genuine belief that she was responsible for the Legendary Fire, even if she is not responsible for her father's "death", and the Legendary Fire is ultimately the event that the trial rests on. This is the root of Espella's guilt: the belief that she was responsible for the deaths of everyone back then.

Remember: Espella has very little self-esteem at this point, and it has been actively torn apart by the events of the game. She believes that dying will cause everyone to be at peace. This is not an easily shaken belief, and it is likely that Espella has held these thoughts only for the trials she witnessed to exacerbate her low self-esteem and enable her suicidal thoughts.

We'll be coming back to this shortly.

Now for Adrian. Adrian lost her mentor to suicide, someone she considered an anchor in this world. She pinned all her hopes onto Celeste, and attempted suicide after Celeste's own death. Even though she makes no attempts again afterwards, she's still very deeply mentally troubled, falling back on anger and clinging to life for revenge. But her history of mental health struggles is still something she feels sensitive about, and given the right push...she could easily fall off that edge into despair again.

The final case of any given Ace Attorney game tends to feature a substitution in the prosecution. Miles Edgeworth takes back the bench with his "Great Revival" in Farewell, and the position of Inquisitor for the final trial is turned over not once but twice, with Hershel Layton ultimately taking the spot.

Both of these characters have struggled in the past mentally. Edgeworth is coming back off of having left a note that is purposefully vague to read as a suicide note, saying that he "chooses death" after the events of the first Ace Attorney game. While he ultimately doesn't die, one possible interpretation is that he initially planned on going through with his note, but ultimately chose not to. This interpretation is supported by Edgeworth's shaky state throughout Rise from the Ashes -- we can see how he's fallen apart in the wake of Manfred von Karma's conviction for Gregory Edgeworth's murder, and the situation with Lana Skye and Damon Gant only served as another punch to his already shaky state.

Hershel Layton is someone who has faced a lot of losses in his personal life. These losses have pushed him into a depressive state (he was shown sleeping in his office with his hat still on in the chronologically first game), which has only started to heal since he met Luke. He has been shown to be prone to taking damage for others, self-sacrifical tendencies, and potentially some suicidal recklessness, though that last one is again up to interpretation.

Note how both of these prosecutors reflect the people that they're pushing. Edgeworth's prosecuting career only existed because of Manfred von Karma. Losing him pushed Edgeworth to a point where he felt the need to uproot his entire life. Layton's personal life has been riddled with loss, pushing him into thinking that he is the one at fault for all of it.

Both cases have a similar theme surrounding the ethics of the truth. Is it correct to lie to people? Is the truth ever worse than a lie? And Ace Attorney is a series that advocates for the truth above all else, so the conclusion drawn here is that the truth is the correct response here, and the ethical complications can be resolved in other ways. Edgeworth and Layton both go to great lengths to convince everyone that the truth should be exposed regardless of the cause, and end up coming across as a bit (or a lot, in Edgeworth's case) callous. Edgeworth does care about Maya, and he doesn't want Adrian to kill herself, but he still values the truth, and places more importance in that value. While he is willing to stall for Phoenix in order to gain time, he's not so willing to stall as to give up on his own case. Meanwhile, Layton clearly cares about Espella's health, and has spent much of the game dedicated to keeping her out of the flames, but ultimately, they end up at similar points.

Edgeworth pushes Adrian into admitting to her own suicide attempt. Layton pushes Espella into attempting suicide. We know that both of these characters have preexisting mental health issues. Espella may have ended up attempting suicide no matter what. However, it cannot be doubted that Espella and Adrian are reacting to the actions of Layton and Edgeworth.

In Farewell, My Turnabout, we see Edgeworth's actions as going too far. He pushed Adrian to her ultimate breaking point in an attempt to get the outcome he wanted most, and this is framed as a negative thing, despite the fact that Matt Engarde is extremely suspicious (though he has not officially confessed to us at this point). We even see Edgeworth's callousness in reference to his own struggles and how they parallel Adrian's when he says to her directly that if she chose death again he wouldn't mind. He is being cruel, and that is a purposeful decision to make him so after his come back.

However, even though Layton can be seen as a bit careless, he's framed as much more heroic than Edgeworth. He's come back, he's finally here, and he's going to help us find the truth. He even becomes the player character at a certain point, where when we present evidence it's him saying "Have a look!" instead of Phoenix's "Take that!" Espella's suicide attempt, then, is not treated with the gravity of "a girl who attempted to kill herself", but as a moment of redemption for Eve, who is ultimately the one responsible for the Legendary Fire -- as is revealed right before Espella jumps.

In both cases, the prosecutor has pushed the person on the stand in a way that shows very little regard for the health of said person in the end. If Eve hadn't been there, Espella would have killed herself. She would have died, and while Layton certainly didn't force her to jump and in fact would not advocate for her death as a solution to any of this, he would be responsible for pushing her to that breaking point that lead to her jumping. She already saw death as the only way out, and Layton's pressing on the events is what led to her deciding to be proactive. And...as we've already seen, Edgeworth cares less about Adrian than he does about the truth. In both of these cases, these are character flaws, but only in one case is this flaw actually faced by the narrative.

In both cases, and in Ace Attorney as a whole, the truth is treated as the ultimate goal. But while Farewell, My Turnabout takes a more nuanced approach to talking about the truth and its exposure, Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright never questions whether the truth should be exposed. To Labyrinthia, there is never a question. The answer to "is an easy lie or a hard truth better" is a hard truth, as far as Ace Attorney's ethics go, but it is nonetheless a moral worth testing.

[nazmazh]

Okay, so hear me out, here.

Ideas for the new/relocated Utah hockey team that was the Coyotes:

They're reborn from the ashes of a failed/dead, franchise? What else is famously reborn from its own ashes?

Hence: the Utah Phoenixes

Eh? Eh?

Okay, fine, that probably won't do.

*****

Okay, so how about looking to the state reptile for inspiration? The noble Gila Monster.

Probably shorten to just the Utah Monsters for better cadence

[This joke being that one of the Coyote's former arenas was "Gila River" arena. That one was probably a little less obvious than "Phoenixes"]

*****

Okay, so, I see the problem is that we keep stumbling into invoking the specters of the past [Specters/Spirits/Phantoms - Not the worst ideas I've heard, btw].

Let's maybe focus on the iconic desert landscapes, invoking the common heritage there.

The Utah Buttes / Utah Beauts

Look, I know that I'm doing a lot of joking around here, but I'm honestly legitimately proud of that play on words.

And "Beaut!"/"Beauty!" feels like such a classic hockey term, y'know?

Sadly, probably would be too much hesitation for big, manly NHLers to be officially a "Beaut".

That being said, if a professional Womens'-League team ever expands to SLC - There you go, that's a solid name for your team right there.

I kind of like the cadence of it all, still - How about Utah Brutes? Does that feel more workable?

How about Utah Beasts - Especially if ever partnered with aforementioned "Beauts" female team - ("Beauts" and "Beasts", eh? Eh?!)

*****

Okay, last one that actually just came to me in the shower, and I'm actually a little bit more serious about this:

Looking for iconic, usually animals, of the region the team is in, that aren't already taken by other team names.

"Home on the Range" could help here: Pronghorns/Antelopes are an iconic species of the prairies/desert - Lethbridge's university teams use that name, though. But that's less an obstacle to say Buffalo/Bison (which do have a presence there) - Because the Sabres use them in their iconography.

"Deer" might be a bit too generic [not to mention the Bucks have that brand, basically] - Elk is the State mammal, but Edmonton's CFL team already has that claim.

So… other iconic desert animals, not already used in team names/logos?

How about hares/jackrabbits?

Probably not the type of animal iconography you wish to necessarily evoke, though.

Positives include speed, supposed cleverness. "Madness" might be a thing to jokingly play up?

But they fundamentally are still a relatively small prey animal.

But (And I swear, I am going somewhere with this),

With the Seattle Kraken, we've leaned into cryptids being a valid name [ETA: . Heck one of the potential names the ownership group seems to be actively considering is "Yeti".

So, what if we combined the pronghorn and hare ideas, yeah?

But (And I swear, I am going somewhere with this),

With the Seattle Kraken, we've leaned into cryptids being a valid name. [See Also: The Jersey Devil - Which is what New Jersey's name is inspired by. Not, y'know, the ruler of hell, despite their branding all leaning into the "cartoon red devil"-style.]

Heck one of the potential names the ownership group seems to be actively considering is "Yeti".

So, what if we combined the pronghorn and hare ideas, yeah?

You see where I'm going with this, right?

The Utah Jackalopes

Or possibly Utah Jacks for better cadence and all their branding is jackalope-related.

I'm actually not-entirely joking on this one. I think you could actually lean into something really fun with this one.

[engage-voices-of-activism]

Reclaiming Roots: Mimi's Fight for Palestinian Identity and Justice

During Land Day on March 30, 2024, standing on the back of a truck, a microphone in her hand, a Palestinian keffiyeh covering her hair, Mimi chanted for the freedom and ceasefire of Palestine: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free".

Mimi is a Palestinian activist living in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area. She was at the march in remembrance of the Palestinian Land that commemorated the event of March 30, 1976. Mimi said: "Land Day is a day that commemorates Palestinian resistance to the Zionist occupation of our land. An announcement came that the Zionist regime was going to steal thousands of dunams of land from the territories of Palestine. And so Palestinians struck and organized and protested against this decision and on this day, six Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured."

Land Day also coincides with the Great March of Return that begins on March 30, 2018. This date marks a series of protests and demonstrations held in the Gaza Strip to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their ancestral homes and lands in what is now Israel. For months, Palestinians have gathered at the fence that separates them from Israel. Mimi said: "Two hundred and thirty Palestinians were killed, tens of thousands were injured. And yet this day is about resistance. It's about commemorating those who came before us and those who will come after us as well, and paved the path for us to be able to resist in all forms against our oppressors, against the occupation, for the right of return of all Palestinian refugees in the diaspora, no matter where they are in the world."

She links the commemoration and resilience to the situation of Gaza today: "We're also here today to demand an immediate and permanent cease-fire, for the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners, to lift the brutal siege on Gaza, to end all U.S. aid to the Zionist state and to end the year-long occupation of Palestine."

Mimi connects her activism with her family's heritage: " My ancestors fought for their land and they paved this path for me. Being in the diaspora, being somebody whose grandfather was uprooted from his land, who was displaced, who has not seen his homeland since the 1960s.. "

She roots her activism as part of her identity: "It's important for me to reclaim that part of him (her grand-father) and part of myself and part of my heritage and my identity to fight for my people in Palestine, to fight against the oppressive systems … It's my responsibility, not just as a Palestinian, not just as an Arab, not just as a Muslim, but just as a human being who believes that liberation for Palestine means liberation for us all.

Moreover, as a phoenix that's reborn from its ashes, Mimi, even after being separated from her ancestor's land and her community and culture does not give up and it strengths her, even more, to fight: "I feel this push to organize more and this pressure to bring in all of the Palestinian diasporas that are in the West that have been disconnected from their culture and bring them into politics, educate them about our heritage, about our identity, about our revolutionaries, our thinkers, our academics."

Mimi finds her force to organize and advocate thanks to her roots: "It's that connection to the land that keeps me going. It's the connection to our olive trees, our citrus trees. It's the connection to, just how holy our land actually is. Connection to the sea. And just again, the connection to everything that my grandfather was uprooted from."

Emotionally, she narrates her travel to her native land that happened last year, " It was my first time back home and it was the most beautiful experience of my life. It's something that I'll never forget, to see where I came from, to see where my ancestors walked, to see Yaffa (يَافَا), which is now colonized, to just walk the same path that my ancestors did."

This travel made her activism and conviction stronger and pushed her to organize more in the U.S.: "It was a very beautiful moment, but it also exposed me to the on-ground harsh reality of the Zionist occupation and pushed me to do more when I came back here."

By Rachelle Papillon

Photo by Rachelle Papillon ( It's NOT copyright-free pictures)

Link 'It’s Bisan From Gaza, I’m Still Alive After Six Months Of Bombing' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK7oytWs7vQ

[authorkrysejay]

Phoenix Awakening Worldbuilding pt4

Phoenix Awakening is a romantic fantasy novel releasing February 2nd 2024 and the first book of the Hiraeth Song series.

The world is separated into five kingdoms and two territories separated by walls and the Alcross Ocean. Magic is represented through gifts and centered around elements.

The people of Diablus (Die-abb-less) are gifted in weaponry, combat and strategy.. A military focused kingdom, structure and discipline is everything. Training begins at a young age. Hand to hand combat and fighting with wooden weapons begins around the time toddlers began to walk. A vigorous and strict schedule (including but not limited to obstacle courses, archery, and battlefield strategies) follows throughout adolescence until a gift is awakened, in which case specialized training follows. 

The Onyx Dragon hanging on their banners is more than a creature of myth. The capital, Zephyr (Zef-fear), is said to be built on the back of an ancient sleeping one. The city is separated into three tiers, making it nearly impregnable with Ox Point as its only entry point. The Ironkeep Fortress sits at the very top tier. 

Wyverns and other winged scaled creatures can sometimes be seen far off on the mountain tops of the Wyvern Mountain Range that makes up most of the eastern border. Iron and other cherished ores, crystals and minerals are mined at the base of them. All of it is essential for weapon production. Blacksmithing is considered an honoured craft. 

Valron is the second largest city in Diablus, located just off of the Wyvern Mountain border where all mined goods are collected and a majority of those gifted in smiting are located. 

The higher elevation of the kingdom results in colder temperatures. Harsh cold winds cut through the warmer months. Winter brings with it mounds of ice and snow, stretching nearly six months of the entire year. Thick furred cattle as well as imported goods are essential in keeping the kingdom fed when the land freezes. 

Ice skating on the Endless River and other creeks and ravines, snow fights, building snowmen and snow forts are all activities enjoyed by the people of Diablus. 

Rankings in society are achieved by hard work, experience and training. Gladiator style fights as well as other competitions are an exception. The Rise is one such tournament, occurring every two years. Novice squadrons tour Diablus’s countryside while more experienced ones are placed to watch the border wall battlements. The Warlord is the highest possible ranking. It is only available after the previous Warlord dies or if they abdicate the position. The Trials of Succession commences shortly after. Anyone may participate to showcase their honorary leadership values. A successor is chosen either by the previous Warlord or a council of elders. The Shadowfall Arena is Zephyr’s coliseum.

Diablus offers protection for all Five Kingdoms. Its people protect their borders and waters against attacks made from Outlanders. After death, the deceased is decorated in any honors awarded during their service. After a few sunsets and night breaks its way across the horizon, the physical form of the dead dissolve away into shadow to join again with the Unending Void. 

Citizens of Diablus have the palest completions of all Five Kingdoms. Dark brown and black hair is most common as well as hazel and brown eyes. Silver hair and pale pastel colored eyes are seen in some family lines. 

Main exports are precious metals, crystals, gems, weaponry and armor. 

[riverphoenixislove]

“A vegan in the day of McDonalds, a pacifist in the era of nuclear weapons.” — Teen Beat [1988]

[etherealhighpriestess]

Pick a Pile: Message from Isis

Pay what you can readings - For you who want a personalized reading focused on your energy.

Take a deep breath and choose one of the options below according to your intuition 🧡✨🧡✨🧡

Pile 1 - High Priestess

Hello pile 1, you are guided to trust in the reveal, whether it seems preposterously magnificent and you have no idea how it could possibly all happen, or whether it seems not nearly grand enough as yet. In time, with your patience and willingness to trust in the unfoldment of your life, you will realize the inherent beauty, perfection and sublime loveliness of your life unfolding and that your purpose and destiny are truly exquisite. You will feel even more joy and peace and trust within you, growing into the serenity of the High Priestess who accepts all with a wisdom born of great insight and understanding. Rather than being passive, She is actively surrendered in absolute trust in higher wisdom. The high Priestess Lady Isis and your own Divine Soul are calling you to trust in the unfoldment of a mystery into revelation right now. Pay attention to sacred signs, dreams and intuitions right now as they are accurate and more prophetic than usual.

Pile 2 - Divine Sun Child

Hi pile 2, the blessings of the Sun Falcon, the Divine Sun Child, Horus, Son of Isis and Osiris, flow to you now. It is time to allow your life to flourish, without limits, to let your light burn bright and without veil, just like the mid-summer Sun burning without contest in the Egyptian desert. Blessings of the Sun Falcon herald the time when your Divine Legacy is being born. It is your time to burn bright. Horus, the Divine Sun Child of Isis and Osiris, was born out of impossible circumstances, through the great devotion of his mother, Isis, and Her loving determination to heal Her husband and bring him back to life, to eventually become King of Egypt, defeating dark forces that would seek to destroy him and all that he loved, with great triumph. It is a story of the Divine Hero of Egypt.

It is also a metaphor for our inner world. Our Divine Feminine must stay true to Her values of love, healing and the triumph of creativity over destruction born of fear and hate. She must never give up Her belief in Her ideals.

Pile 3 - Life Restored

Hey pile 3, spiritual resurrection is gifted to you now. Whatever part of you or your life you thought to be dead is being revived and will flourish back into life. Just as the Phoenix rises from the fire, transitioning from death into life, so too will you rise again, healed and renewed.

Life Restored brings messages that a trauma, ending, struggle or apparent defeat is not the end of the story for you now.

What may appear to be an ending can sometimes simply be the forces of Ancient Feminine Power flowing into new pathways, pulling energy away from old forms so that they can transition into new forms. This can take short or long periods of time. It could be over days or years, weeks, months, decades. It doesn't matter how long something appears to have been decaying, it will spring back into life at the right time. Just as the River Nile subtly adjusts its course over time, so too will the River of Light that flows through you, filling you with life force and Divine Energy, move with innate wisdom.

- Ethereal High Priestess

[beardedmrbean]

For years, a Saudi Arabia-owned farm based in the U.S. has been using water for free in the drought-stricken state of Arizona.

The water has been used to grow alfalfa for livestock in the Gulf kingdom.

Arizona has decided to not renew the company’s leases following an investigation that found Fondomonte Arizona in violation of some of its lease terms.

Arizona governor Katie Hobbs said this week her administration is terminating state land leases that for years have given a Saudi-owned farm nearly unfettered access to pump groundwater in the dry southwestern state.

On Monday, Hobbs, a Democrat, said the state had canceled Fondomonte Arizona's lease in western Arizona's Butler Valley and would not renew three other leases up for renewal there next year.

An investigation by the governor's office found that the foreign-owned farm had violated some of its lease terms. Hobbs called it unacceptable that the farm "continued to pump unchecked amounts of groundwater out of our state while in clear default on their lease."

IN ARIZONA, FRESH SCRUTINY OF SAUDI-OWNED FARM'S WATER USE

Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almarai Co., grows alfalfa in Arizona that feeds livestock in the water-stressed Gulf kingdom.

Through a spokesperson, Fondomonte said it would appeal the governor's decision to terminate its 640-acre lease in Butler Valley. Altogether, Fondomonte farmed about 3,500 acres in the rugged desert area west of Phoenix.

Fondomonte raised eyebrows when in 2014 it purchased nearly 10,000 acres of land for $47.5 million about 20 miles away from Butler Valley in Vicksburg, Arizona. Since then, worsening drought in Arizona has brought renewed attention to the company's water use and the broader issues of foreign-owned farms and groundwater pumping.

The violations the governor's office detailed relate to the company's storage of hazardous materials, among other issues. On Monday, Hobbs' office said that Fondomonte was notified of the violations in 2016, but an investigation in August found the company had not fixed the problem seven years later. That gave Arizona's State Land Department grounds to terminate the lease.

The Arizona governor's office said the State Land Department decided not to renew three other leases the company had in Butler Valley due to the "excessive amounts of water being pumped from the land — free of charge."

The department manages land owned by Arizona, which in Fondomonte's case, had been leased to the company. Butler Valley's groundwater is especially important because of state law that in theory allows for it to be pumped elsewhere. That makes its water of interest to cities like Phoenix, also dealing with water supply-related stress and a fast-growing population.

FRESH SCRUTINY ARISES AS ARIZONA ALLOWS SAUDI-OWNED FARM TO USE FREE WATER FOR FOREIGN PURPOSES

In Arizona, cities such as Phoenix and Tucson have restrictions on how much groundwater they can pump under a 1980 state law aimed at protecting the state’s aquifers. But in rural areas, little is required of water users to pump from underground aquifers besides registering wells with the state and using the water for activities, including farming, that are deemed a "beneficial use."

Fondomonte also farms in Southern California’s Palo Verde Valley, an area that gets its water from the shrinking Colorado River. Those operations have attracted less scrutiny. Not all of Fondomonte's farms in Arizona are affected by the governor's decision. And it’s not the only foreign company farming in the Southwest. The United Arab Emirates-owned Al Dahra ACX Global Inc. grows forage crops in Arizona and California, and is a major North American exporter of hay.

Almarai’s holdings in the Southwest are just one example of the farmland the company and its subsidiaries operate outside Saudi Arabia. It farms tens of thousands of acres in Argentina, which has also faced severe drought conditions in recent years.

Foreign entities and individuals control roughly 3% of U.S. farmland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Canada is the largest holder — mainly of forestland.

Kris Mayes, Arizona’s Democratic attorney general, praised the governor for cracking down on the foreign-owned farm.

In April, Mayes announced that the state had rescinded permits that would've allowed Fondomonte to drill new water wells after inconsistencies were found in its applications. On Monday, Mayes called the governor's actions a "step in the right direction," adding that the state should have acted sooner.

"The decision by the prior administration to allow foreign corporations to stick straws in the ground and pump unlimited amounts of groundwater to export alfalfa is scandalous," Mayes said.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Random Thought

I could not take any of the Wright Anything Agency in a fight.

Phoenix? Sure, he'd probably go down like a bitch, but you won't leave any long-term effect on him - he's walked off being gut-punched, tazed, whipped, falling off a bridge into a river, coffee, eating a glass necklace and getting hit by a car. He'll just dust himself off and sue your ass for assault & battery. And win.

Apollo? He is the only one who actively chose violence with malicious intent (uppercutting Phoenix in AJ/AA4). Not to mention he has angry short-lad vibes about him. Taking him on would probably be like starting a fight with a small dog - win or lose, you will leave with less fingers than you entered with.

Trucy? Actually a child. You'd be a monster for trying.

Athena? Well...

You tell me how you'd fair against that. The good news is that she probably wouldn't want to hurt you at all. The bad news is she'd make you feel real bad for trying in the first place. Psychological damage hurts more than it gets credit for.

[mightyflamethrower]

Bill Maher Brutally Eviscerates Palestinian Grievances in Less Than 10 Minutes

I’m waiting for Bill Maher to roll out an inaccurate commentary that rips conservatives, but he hasn’t done that lately. The liberal HBO host has been chiefly directing his firepower toward those on his side of the aisle for their historically illiterate and illiberal tendencies. The HBO host has been riding an asphalt roller over the far left for their pro-Hamas advocacy that’s now infested the highest echelons of American academia. He rightfully torched the college presidents who couldn’t condemn or say that chants for Jewish genocide constitute harassment. The comedian also noted that these institutions are factories for breeding a “bunch of f**king idiots,” along with brainwashing its student bodies into thinking that antisemitism is a requirement for leftist activism.

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Maybe we should have seen this coming from the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where, yes, the Democratic delegates booed God, but also the resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The warning signs were there, but Hamas’ October 7 attacks and Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip to eliminate the terror group have ignited a wave of antisemitism not seen since the National Socialist German Workers’ Party rose to power. Maher has had enough of these people who chant “from the river to the sea” and used simple history lessons to shut down this narrative, along with this message to the pro-terrorist TikTok crowd: grow up. 

Maher noted that after World War II, Germans in Poland, Russia, and Czechoslovakia were purged and driven back to Germany proper for reasons that don’t need mentioning. In North America, Mexico lost most of the Southwestern United States, including California, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. And Jews across the Arab world have been ethnically cleansed. The HBO host's point was that the Palestinians aren’t unique. They’re not the only people who’ve been displaced, and they should quit their whining and grow up. 

Israel has nuclear weapons, the largest tech sector besides Silicon Valley, and a thriving economy. They’re not going anywhere, so get over it. And this isn’t about land either. The Palestinians had a chance for a homeland in 1947, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2000, and 2008. They turned down all the offers because the Palestinian Authority and Hamas agreed on one action item: destroying Israel. There can be no peace or negotiations when one side views killing everyone sitting at the opposite end of the table as their central bargaining position.

Later, in his New Rules commentary, Maher said that Arabs tried to destroy Israel in 1947, 1967, and 1973—they all lost. While Palestinians whine, they could take lessons from those who’ve been displaced. Mexico doesn’t chant from the Rio Grande to Portland, Oregon. They “got real” and built the 14th largest economy because they knew the United States wouldn’t return Phoenix. As for the colonizer argument, well, read about the first Muslim empire that exploded out of Saudi Arabia following the death of the Prophet Mohammed. As Maher noted, there’s a reason why a sword is on their national flag. 

In less than ten minutes, Maher expertly dissects almost every central talking point peddled by Palestinian activists and their bountiful allies on America’s college campuses. It doesn’t take a seasoned academic to do this—just read any history book. And that’s the funny part. Maher isn’t a historian by trade. He’s a stand-up comic and was able to torch the most common pro-Hamas nonsense we’ve seen splashed on the front pages of newspapers. 

And when you do read about the history of any civilization at any period, you’ll know that it’s riddled with pervasive brutality and filled with misdeeds and past injustices. Get over it. History is violent, with numerous accounts of what we would now call ethnic cleansing. The irony is the pro-Palestinian crowd is too stupid to know that’s what they’re promoting with their rallies against Israel: a complete genocide.

[captainschaos]

So... the water. Jimmy meant to say something before it went wrong, he really did, but... guess the canary was too slow this time, huh.

The day began, and he thought they would be pretty happy, honestly. It had decidedly started off pretty well, with the superb work of changing the R above Scott's pitiful excuse of a ranch to the L it deserved. He had smiled as he ran from the scene with Tango, giggling and whooping in the silly fun of it. It was a bit childish, maybe, if he was honest, but he didn't care. He just was happy to see Tango so happy.

And then they came to the water, and his feathers began to tingle. His stomach seemed to come up into his throat to replace his voice box at the feeling, sickened and strained if he tried to sing his canary's song. Maybe that's why he didn't say anything. Or maybe he simply didn't want to. The phoenix had begun to teach him to be more than their tool, and so maybe as Jimmy looked at the others hanging off the side of the cliff face above the river, he wanted one of them to go crashing below in his silence. But it wasn't them. When Jimmy saw the expression on Tango's face as he was handed the last remnant of Rancher's Revenge, the child he had spent the whole last episode bringing forth from the earth, Jimmy had never felt so sorry to have held his tongue. Tango swore it wasn't his fault, that it would have happened anyway, but still.

He couldn't help but feel he'd failed in some way.

And now they're at the top of a tower. So close to the sky Jimmy loves so much, but he feels that same racing chill of danger along his spine. The tips of his feathers seem to bristle as he looks over the edge and sees nearly the entire server swarming them. The canary's song pushes at his tongue from the bottom of his throat, but all he has to do is meet Tango's eyes to see he, in his own phoenix's way, already knows.

But he sings anyway.

"Tango, I think we came up here at the wrong time."

So... the fire. Tango meant to say something before it went wrong, he really did, but... guess the phoenix was too slow this time, huh.

The day had been looking up since Rancher's Revenge's death, honestly. He'd been having fun, with the little goings-ons at the ranch, and even the activities Scott had cooked up at his excuse of a ranch. He had smiled as he went through them with Jimmy, giggling as he watched Jimmy squirm in the cold and whooping they both stepped back out into the warmth his flames craved, triumphant. It was a bit childish, maybe, if he was honest, but he didn't care. He just was happy to see Jimmy so happy.

And then they were above the fire, and his feathers began to tingle. His hands seemed to be in a warm breeze, a dancing, pulsing sort of touch fluttering across his palms and talons. Maybe that's why he didn't do more. Or maybe he simply didn't want to. The canary had begun to teach him to be more than their laughing stock, and so maybe as Tango looked at the others hanging over the side of the tower's rails above the masses, he wanted one of them to go crashing below in his stillness. But it wasn't them. When Tango saw the expression on Jimmy's face as his wing was pierced and he began to teeter, his soulmate, his very life, Tango had never felt so sorry to have stayed his hand. Jimmy swore after it wasn't his fault, that it would have happened anyway, but still.

He couldn't help but feel he'd failed in some way.

And now they're at the bottom of the tower. So close to the earth Tango loves so much, but he feels that same racing chill of danger along his spine. The tips of his feathers bristle as he looks over the horizon and sees everyone on the server who did this to them. The phoenix's fire pushes at the backs of his eyes, his temples, the base of his fiery wings, but all he has to do is meet Jimmy's eyes to see he, in his own canary's way, already knows what fuels Tango's flames.

His hands will bring more fire.

[I have one of these for each week! This is 4/5]

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