#since ls contributed to this one

[broncoburro]

I'm curious about the nobility in Vestur! What-all are the different kinds of noble titles? Since the Gift is hereditary, how are illegitimate children treated? Since relics get passed down, do nobles in the same line usually conduct the same kinds of meur?

What-all are the different kinds of noble titles?

A midland illustration from the 1500s, meant to demonstrate for children that nobility is in service of the commoner. It depicts a fantastical act in which the lord conducts blue meur to forms a river, signifying ownership over the land. The viscount then nourishes the earth with green meur, so the commoner may grow food for all.

While Vestur is ahead of much the world in the realms of standard of living and technology, the social order is antiquated compared to other contemporary nations. Vestur still functions on something of a feudal system. There are only three ranks in the noble hierarchy, with little socialmobility except through marriage.

The Tri-Kingdom is an alliance of three sovereign kingdoms, each of which are headed by a Monarch: an Archduke/Archduchess, or High King/Queen if occupying the High Throne. Vestur’s Monarchs are absolute rulers, with ultimate executive, judicial, and legislative power. Of course, in the modern day such authority is wielded with a cautious hand, and a monarch will often defer to the expertise of various councils rather than rule by his own intuition alone. The High King may override the word of an archduke or archduchess in especially perilous situations, or regarding matters of the meur economy, but they are (theoretically...) considered equal on all other matters and in full control of their respective kingdoms. The son or daughter of a Monarch are referred to as Duke/Duchess, or Prince/Princess.

A Lord or Lady of the Land holds authority over a specific territory, or lordship. Lords oversee the appointment of viscounts within their province, collect taxes, and whatever other administrative tasks their land might need. They are ultimately beholden to their kingdom's Monarch, but are given the freedom to define local laws and run their own courts (so long as the offense doesn't involve another lordship or kingdom). The son or daughter of a lord/lady are referred to as Master or Mistress.

Both monarchs and lords pass their title by blood, following primogeniture-esque laws of succession. Eldest son is the preferred heir, of course, but in absence of any suitable men, a seat of power will turn to the brothers of the current monarch/lord. Technically, a daughter can claim right to succession if her family has no sons, though this is a politically risky move and she may face consequence for it should she "steal" power from a more popular relative in doing so.

The final noble title is the only one not to follow this system of succession:

Viscounts/Viscountesses are an appointed title, and culturally thought to be one you “earn.” In reality, if your mother or father holds a viscount title, it's extremely likely you will be granted one as well. Appointments are given based on a meur-related service the viscount can provide to his/her lordship. One viscount may provide green meur based soil enrichment to a specific town. Another may own the local quern, powered by a blue meur water wheel. viscountry is largely seen as the reward for fulfilling your pledge. To compare with the real world, if taking your pledge is like receiving your university degree, viscountry means you’ve established a career with that degree.

There are untitled nobles as well, but that’s... an embarrassing role to occupy socially, and one assumed to be caused by being too lazy or inept to be appointed a viscount title. In reality, there are many reasons someone might be untitled: They might not own gloves - the visual mark of nobility, and without which performing meur in public is illegal (and a grievous, heretical insult to The Architect, according to men of faith). They might be from a fallen family and unable to afford a relic. And some may, for personal reasons, choose not to use their gift at all.

Since the Gift is hereditary, how are illegitimate children treated?

Prince Lucas chose specifically to read law under and clerk for Mr. Beiric, who challenged the Crown on the eligibility of bastards to VRMA. Beiric was born to a common mother, but sired by a noble father. Though too old to attend VRMA after his landmark win, he received an honorary conductor’s pendant. (Black, signifying he is not allowed to conduct at all.)

“Half-common bastards” (as the lovely people of Vestur call them) are considered nobility, but this is a twenty year old development. The scientific “realization” that The Gift doesn’t get diluted or lessened by having only one noble parent is less than a century old. It took the courts some time to catch up.

But... the outlook of a bastard attending the Vestur Royal Military Academy isn’t great. While the school has loaner gloves, unless the noble parent or some benevolent benefactor is willing to give a pair of priceless unicorn hide gloves to the illegitimate child, they could never be able to conduct meur legally post-graduation. Most noble families guard their gloves jealously, and few would deign to waste them on a “mistake.”

Do nobles in the same line usually conduct the same kinds of meur?

It depends on the family whether or not they tend towards one kind of conduction. Some have a generational reputation to uphold, or possess a famed historic relic.

Among old white conductor families, the pressure is immense. White meur is famously the hardest pledge to take, requiring an aptitude exam and an extra two years of education after graduation from VRMA. Those who fail the aptitude exam must shamefully pick a second option. (Drawn by @lsdoiphin!)

Tradition aside, relics are expensive, even for nobility; some families conduct one color for financial reasons rather than upholding a legacy. If dad’s old hand-me-down blue relic is all you can ever hope to afford... you're going to take a blue pledge and become a blue conductor.

But no one is forced to take a specific pledge, legally speaking. Everyone is free to choose their own pledge/conduction specialty at the end of their education... so long as they can live with the consequence.

[messymindofmine]

(Very Late) Tag Game Tuesday: 911 Lone Star Edition

Ok so technically I was tagged by the wonderful @lemonlyman-dotcom last Tuesday but unfortunately real life got away from me and I have only just got the chance to respond! So without further ado, here is my contribution to this delightful tag game.

When did you first start watching Lone Star? Who or what introduced you to the show?

So I actually started watching the show back when it first aired. I had watched some of OG 911 and while I didn't dislike it, it just never really caught my attention. So when I found out there was a spinoff with Rob Lowe (who I was first introduced to through The Outsiders movie) I was intrigued. So I watched the pilot when it first aired and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. For me, it was the relationship between TK and Owen that really got my attention but I was also very interested in the potential between the firefighter's son and the hot cop who asked him to dance. I didn't really start being active in the fandom though until after s3 because I was already involved in another fandom at the time and I've always preferred to limit myself to 1-2 fandoms max.

Which season is your favorite?

It's a tough choice so I'm going to cheat and say s3 and s4 both are currently my favorites. I just love how much insight we get on all the characters in those seasons and the way the stories are fleshed out in a way that the first two seasons weren't able to do.

Who is your favorite character? (Bonus: If you answered TK or Carlos, who is your favorite besides them?)

Since it is impossible for me to choose between TK and Carlos, I will say Marjan. As a Muslim woman, I love getting to see a Muslim woman who is badass, smart yet also flawed and vulnerable on screen.

Top five episodes. Go!

This is very, very hard but if I had to pick off the top of my head:

1x03

2x08

3x08

4x16

If you could pick any character to be given a "begins" episode, who would it be and what would that episode look like?

I'm not sure I want a "begins" type episode actually. One thing I really like about LS is that instead of giving us one episode that just gives us a character's entire backstory, we learn about them slowly. We have learned about all the characters over the course of 4 seasons but there is still a lot about them we don't know and I would rather continue to learn slowly. Instead, I'll say I would like an outsider pov style episode where the 126 + Carlos keep running into this one person on scenes (kind of like that man with anger issues in 3x16) and we get to see the group dynamics through that person's eyes. What do they think when they see one of the paramedics perfom firefighter tasks? Or when they recognize Firefox? Or when they hear the firefighter captain make a comment about how bad something is for their skin/hair? What do they make of the cop and the paramedic making eyes at each other constantly?

What is a scenario or storyline that you would like to see in season 5?

I'd like to see some non-serious moments for Tarlos. I get that there needs to be drama and I love the drama but let the drama be an external one. And I just want some light-hearted scenes where they're bickering over feeding Lou 2 and Carlos doesn't want to touch the crickets while TK feels bad about using the crickets as food. Or their plumbing breaks down and Carlos refuses to hire a plumber because he is A Man and can fix it himself but he has never actually fixed a sink before and can't understand the instructions while TK is fondly exasperated by his stubborn husband and also very turned on from watching Carlos in a tanktop all sweaty with tools in his hands.

What do you think is going on in this still?

Either Carlos has gotten new information about his dad's killer or it has something to do with TK learning about what happened with his uncle Robert.

We all know about the elusive 5x05 spicy scene that has been teased, so what is your prediction for how it could possibly top 1x02?

Now I personally found the 2x12 scene spicier because of the intimacy but I guess 1x02 was spicier in the sense that there was a lot more of the sexual stuff. So to top it, I'd like to see Carlos pick TK up (bridal style or over his shoulder, I'm not picky!), throw him onto the bed, TK instinctively putting his hands up and Carlos grabs them and they devour each others mouths.

Where was the Tarlos honeymoon in your mind?

It looks like they are someplace tropical so I imagine them in one of the Florida Keys. Maybe Key West which is a tropical place but it also has a town which I think both TK and Carlos would like. They can lie by the pool during the day and explore the town during the evenings before heading back to their resort for the night.

Shoutout one of your favorite fan creations.

I am in awe of how talented this fandom is in so many different ways and it is so difficult for me to pick just one. I will say that this piece of artwork by @whatsintheboxmh which is for this lovely fic by @nancys-braids is one that I enjoy just looking at because the peace and calm that it evokes. I so want to see this in the show.

Since I am so late to the party, I'm not sure who has already done this and who hasn't so I will leave this an open tag and invite anyone who would like to participate to join in!

[alans-snz]

Okay so I'm pretty new to Tumblr and have only been on the sf forum previously (yeah, I know, I'm slow like that). I've noticed that all Ge/nshin names are written with a "/" sign in-between the letters. Again, I'm new here, so bear with me. Why do we do this? Is it to avoid the wrath of Tumblr or Hoyo? Or to avoid vanilla people finding out? Like, I'm so confused... Also, how do you search for specific characters on Tumblr if their names are spelled with a "/"?

Hey there!! No worries, this is a really good question!! It's the latter: to avoid vanilla people who are going through tags from finding our kink-related content. That's why we also use the term "snz" and a lot of our blogs are private to only Tumblr users too. We want to keep our content to the snzblr community to avoid any possible harrassment from outsiders (cause a lot of people on the internet are cruel to things they find "weird").

Regarding searching, it's definitely a lot more difficult since a lot of us mark the slashes down differently. There's even variety in how many slashes are used per name and/or just in general. Sometimes people use double slashes while others use single slashes like I do. And we tend to break apart the names differently too. I tend to break them apart as much as I can and try to avoid small words when I break them apart for extra good measure to avoid vanillas finding my content, but that's just how I do it. Some people break them up less and/or in different places.

However, I would say the best way to search is to look through your favorite snzblr pages with a character or characters you like on them. Most pages have their tags consistent so if they have and/or share multiple pieces of content for a character, you can click the tags on their pages to go to their other posts with them.

For example, you can do that with Kae/ya, Di/luc, Al/hai/th/am, Ka/veh, Tar/tag/li/a, and more here!! The best way to narrow stuff down would be looking at other specific tags first like my gen/shin or gen/shin im/pact tags and then you can go searching for character-specific tags there. Most other pages will have this as well to make it easier for people to find content of their favorite characters. They will also often have fandom tags in a pinned post for even easier searching. In my case, I have my gen/shin tag in my pinned post, but not c/el/ls a/t w/or/k since it's a newer contribution to my page, and so far, I have only covered one character there when it comes to snz. To anyone interested, I do plan to do some sort of content on Kil/l/er T from the original and maybe even some R/ed Bl/o/od C/el/l A/A2/15/3 from Co/de Bl/a/ck at some point, so stay tuned!

Hope this helps, welcome to snzblr, and thanks for the ask!!! 💕

[carlos-tk]

hello d! nice ask week question for you - as a new member of the fandom, how did you come across 911ls? also, what inspired you to start writing fic? what's your favourite thing about writing fic and the thing you find most challenging? 💜

Hi Lola! Thank you for the question 💗 Sorry for answering this so late!

How did you come across 911 LS: Answered here 😀

What inspired you to start writing fic: Well first off the last time I had written fanfic was when I was like 15 writing about (redacted) 🤫 It was only a couple fics and definitely nothing good 😂 thankfully I had the sense to delete them from existence all those years ago 😅 I’ve written other things since then but not fanfic. Hence why I was so nervous to share my first bits of Tarlos writing. Now as for starting to write Tarlos: My inspiration was just the show and TK and Carlos themselves. Their story is just so beautiful, and I really connected with aspects of each of their characters. And then just reading fic again in general is inspiring me. So many talented people crafting their own stories and it just makes me eager to join the fun and contribute. I have a need to put them in even more situations 😂 I’ve been finding inspiration pretty easily at the moment. The way my brain works, I hear a lyric or see a random picture, anything as simple as that and I’m brimming with ideas. My number one thing I found inspiration in is literally just words. I’ll be reading a fic and someone uses the word ‘savour’ or ‘speechless’ and bam I’m thinking and I have to exit the fic tab and go start writing before I lose my idea. A few WIPs started from something as random as that. As an example the colleagues AU I’m working on all started from twos things: Someone [that may or may not be you and Rae] using the word ‘professional’ in their fic, which of course made me think of TK saying the words ‘what we did this morning was very unprofessional’ in that 2x04 scene. I went hmm professional? = work = colleagues = hookup in the office and so forth 😂 I now have 2 separate office based WIPs in the works because some of the scenes I’m writing aren’t working with the current plot so they’ve been shifted into a new doc haha. But I’m serious. Other writers are the reason I’m even attempting fic again no rules in breakable heaven by @strandnreyes and un(professional) services by yourself and @rmd-writes got my brain ticking and really gave me a kick up the butt to actually try write anything even half as good as those💗💗💗

What’s your favourite thing about writing fic: The strories you get to explore. Getting to have fun with the characters we know and love. Being able to expand on scenes and missing moments in canon, and weave my own intricate story whilst still making it feel faithful to them. Thinking up an AU and put them in whatever environment I feel like, I am really loving it atm. When I actually have the time to write anyway, because I certainly have not this week 😅

What you find the most challenging about writing fic: Sort of mentioned above because it’s a favourite and also challenging. But when crafting my own story, specifically an AU, trying to make them feel authentic to the characters we see on the show. Whilst also being fully fleshed characters in their own right in the little universe I’ve created. It’s got me like ‘would he say that? would he think that? would he do that?’ even in this made up scenario. And if there’s one thing I’m gonna do, it’s overthink 😂

[lsclinic]

The Benefits of Ultherapy Skin Tightening for Younger, Firmer Skin in Singapore

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What is Ultherapy?

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What are the Benefits of Ultherapy?

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In Singapore’s fast-paced lifestyle, many individuals prefer aesthetic treatments that do not require downtime. Ultherapy is an excellent choice because patients can resume their normal routines immediately, making it ideal for busy professionals and those with active lifestyles.

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Why Do You Need Ultherapy in Singapore?

In Singapore, where humid weather and sun exposure can contribute to premature skin aging, non-invasive skin tightening treatments like Ultherapy have gained popularity. Many people seek natural-looking anti-aging solutions that fit seamlessly into their busy schedules. At LS Aesthetics Clinic we are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and skilled practitioners, ensuring that patients receive high-quality care.

[pineconnie]

I told you Martyn was so eye!!! He’s the guy who contributes the most to the lore discussions so he caters to it the most. You should watch his third life and his limited life if you haven’t already!! Also if you want to understand the lore you gotta watch evosmp or read about it (Grian’s pov of it)

Also I’m so obsessed with this stupid bird 😭😭 have you seen his Lifesteal stuff? More specifically… the wormhole vid? Because I’ve been listening to I know the end by phoebe Bridgers and it’s all I can think about 😭😭. Havocduo has been consuming my brain since Spoke tweeted a “coming soon” on a qrt of him and parrot in the npp

Me when all my favs are eye coded losers 😭 like Grian, Parrot, Martyn, Ash, fuck even spoke!! get me out of this place!!!! -🦜👁️

I WILLLL im not home for the next 2 days so i have to wait till NEXT YEAR to watch more sigh …. 😞 i can’t wait tho it seems super cool !!!! i love eye stuff sm

YESSSYESYES parrots like the only who one ive watched all their ls stuff for atm .. havoc duo …. ☹️ i needddd spokes tweet to mean uu havoc duo im sorry they’re so insane like. they’ve interacted once in person on that server and they avoid each other like the plague im ousgsjhdhs

the eye follows me everywhere i go istg tma is just an Eye trap WERE ALL STUCK FOREVER

[macolegacy]

sry to bring this back but i cannot stop thinking about it. you opened a can of worms in my head.

short version:

imperial agent x smuggler (SIS)

bounty hunter x imperial agent,

bounty hunter x sith (any),

bounty hunter x jedi (any),

sith inquisitor x jedi consular,

honorable mentions:

sith inquisitor x jedi knight

imperial agent x sith (any),

bounty hunter x smuggler

jedi knight x jedi consular

same class ships are also a big favorite, in particular imperial agents <3.

long version (explanations) below

imperial agent x smuggler (SIS)

my absolute favorite. this is honestly less about the smuggler and more about the SIS. cross faction. both agents. what if they fell for each other undercover and they both know it's going to be their doom. can i make it any more obvious. my crack cocaine. the romeo and juliet of it all. i can never get enough of this

bounty hunter x imperial agent

this is a very playful dynamic to me. accidentally going afterthe same targets (for different reasons), bickering on who gets to kill it (or deliver it live) , its fun its lighthearted. perhaps even start a whole rivalry. the theme of family and belonging could very well be used here and make this super bittersweet. i just enjoy it lots <3 bonus points if the agent has a bounty on their head too lol

bounty hunter x sith (any)

to me it makes little difference whether its a warrior or an inquisitor (at large, there are fine nuances to this) but i enjoy two cultures clashing but also complimenting each other at times. the BH humbling the snobby sith down a peg, but also the sith showing (more or less successfully) they can have fun too! to me, the topic of loyalty and battle couples is chefskiss. the BH can be a knight sworn to their sith liege imho. <3 but it very much is an equal pairing. no power imbalance

bounty hunter x jedi (any)

EQUALLY juicy, if not moreso due to the history between the two factions if the BH is a mandalorian. bonus points if the jedi was a bounty target at first, and it turned into a goose chase, turning into "well this is too fun to stop now, i actually enjoy your company". this is highly dependent on the personalities at play here imho, it has to be a fun/unconventional jedi perhaps to truly make this fun, but that's just me. themes of secrecy and cross faction is always juicy and definitely can contribute greatly here

sith inquisitor x jedi consular

oh the mind games with this one. they absolutely are narrative foils to each other, and the 4d chess at play goes CRAZYYYY. the dynamic also WILDLY changes depending whether both are LS, DS or mixed. they could fix each other or they could make each other so much fucking worse. incredibly sexy. fun fact a ship like this is one of the reasons my blog exists today <3 (vrupet & akeda)

sith inquisitor x jedi knight

similar to above, but there is a difference between consular and knight. i can't quite describe it, it's like warrior/consular. something about the melee x caster is always so very appealing. especially when both are LS or DS. DS knight x DS inquisitor is soooo "I can make them worse". the mutual manipulation goes crazy. i love it. i need to explore it way more. both being LS just makes it very tragic and bittersweet to me. got a ship like that. it drives me incredibly crazy

imperial agent x sith (any)

this excels when the sith sees the agent as an equal imho. the power imbalance will always be present but yeah, if this is gonna be somewhat healthy mutual respect is key. but the toxic dynamic of this is also incredibly sexy (f.e. darth zhorrid x agent ahem ahem). not even the sith having the upper hand necessarily but definitely the agent. keeping each other on their toes

bounty hunter x smuggler

can be super fun. also a goose chase gone "wrong" if the smuggler is the hunter's target, but since both are "neutral" and not necessarily tied to the factions by default, it leaves a lot of freedom for exploration in the dynamic.

jedi knight x jedi consular

similar to inquisitor and knight tbh. highly depends on whether both are LS, DS or mixed. can be incredibly healthy and healing by being each others lifeline, or both going down an unconventional dark path (or convincing the other one to go that path, in case it's mixed). it definitely adds a certain flavor that they're different classes, it has a different feel to JK x JK or JC x JC. can't put my finger on it, being melee x caster adds to it but it's not the entire reason for it.

inspired by the poll about theron shan's romantic chemistry with each of the origin classes, i wanna pose a somewhat similar question because i love thinking about it. it's a big thing in the swtor fandom that people tend to write relationships between their mains of each of the origin stories, and certain trends/combinations tend to be common - namely, sith warrior & jedi knight, jedi knight & jedi consular, sith warrior & sith inquisitor, etc.

so an open question i'm putting forward for anyone to reply to is what are your favorite pairings of classes - platonically, romantically, secret third thing, antagonistically, etc. you don't have to name an "underrated" one, but my question is based more on the chemistry between the classes, like, in general as opposed to specific iterations of that class. i.e., by all means use your OCs as an example of why you like that pairing, but like. i am talking more broadly about archetypes than specific characters. does this make sense. anyway, some of mine:

sith warrior & jedi knight

you knew this one was coming. i think the SW and JK are positioned pretty well to act as foils to one another, and there's something very interesting about how the transitions between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of each campaign mirror each other, with the finales of their respective campaigns leaving them on opposite sides of a current or future antagonist - with the SW ending up on that same side as the JK by ziost. i've interpreted this as a shared sense of personal responsibility - through their actions, one way or another, they make the most sense for being the emperor's number one enemy, which may lead to a sort of alliance between the two characters, depending how you spin it. or, hey, maybe your sith warrior is actually loyal to the emperor even still, at least until they are ultimately betrayed by valkorion. in which case, lifelong, bitter enemies. where maybe they should've had a common cause, maybe the pieces should've been there all along for them to fight together, but against all sanity and reason, the SW chooses again and again to stand by vitiate/valkorion.

sith warrior & imperial agent

next to SW&JK, this is the dynamic i keep coming back to over and over again - there's a reason why taizi's met most of @tiredassmage's agents. it's also the one i have the hardest time explaining why i like so much. there's the appeal of like ... hypercompetent pairing with vastly different skills but very good at those skills. it's kind of like a variation on what scratches my brain about SW & quinn in that there's a lot of toying around you can do with sith/imperial power dynamics - made even more interesting depending on the type of agent you're playing, and regardless an agent who has had their literal brain fucked with by the dark council, i.e. the castellan restraints.

sith warrior & jedi consular

listen. have i actually gotten to use this one much in the "playing blorbo barbies with my friends" sphere? not exactly. it's a very new one that i'm still rotating, and i don't know how to explain what it is i like about it but i really, really want to see more of it. i think it could be delicious, brent. please let your warriors and your consulars talk to each other more. one thing i will put forward is i think SW & JC scratches a similar itch to SW & JK to me, but in, like, a slightly different font? i dunno, man. i just wanna see it more.

honorable mentions:

jedi consular OR jedi knight & trooper: it's like jedi / clone trooper but without the ethical issues and cognitive dissonance! /lh

sith inquisitor & jedi consular: could be taken so many different ways, i just don't think enough about SI to do much with it

imperial agent & jedi knight: only really seen a few iterations - two of them being my own - but like. something in here's really fucking good.

[the-empress-7]

I’m a school teacher here in England. Nowhere in the national curriculum is there anything about teaching Diana to primary school children, especially children just starting.

What is usually taught, and is very light and doesn’t go into much detail.

Pupils should be taught about:

changes within living memory – where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life, events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]

the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods [for example, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry, Rosa Parks and Emily Davison, Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell]

significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain, Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots, the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor, a local history study, a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066, the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer, The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China, Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world, a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300, ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901, challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day, womens suffrage, the First World War, Second World War, history of NHS, social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society, Britain’s place in the world since 1945.

This year there are special history lessons on Queen Elizabeth II for the Platinum Jubilee. My class are in the younger end of the schooling age, and we are doing a royal dress up day, bringing in something from the previous jubilee years (one of my students is bringing in her grandma’s handbag from the 1950s) and we are having grandparents come in to talk about growing up too, and having a royal afternoon tea.

Hello! It is wonderful to hear from a school teacher in England. Thank you for such a detailed and informed response. Also may I also add that you have the most wonderful activities planned for Platinum Jubilee year for your classroom. This is for you as a thank you 🍎

[unicorn360draws]

ANNNNNNNNDDDDDDD I'm back for another installment of my 17 year old sister being and a@@hole. For context my sister is the youngest of five and my parents are too tired to parent her. Strang thing is, I'm only a year older.

This week, me and my sister were left alone in the house while my parents went a trip with my brother for a very important event. They gave us chores to do and asked me to keep some money in case of emergencies. I haven't used a dime and all of us were in a greenest to not tell my sister because she'd use it for whatever she wanted. In fact, she is so dam spoiled that she was annoyed they "didn't leave money". Our fridge was stocked and I took the opportunity to learn a few recipes as I'm not a very well rounded adult yet.

The chores we were given were simple. Help pack some things since we're moving pretty soon, mow the lawn since we put in new grass and it needs it, and vacuum the floor or water the plants. Simple things. Wanna guess how many my sister did? NONE!!!

Nothing! She "cleaned her room" and that was it. She has a dog (technically two but she ignores her older one) but she doesn't know how to feed him correctly and acts as if it's the hardest thing to do. If it didn't hurt the dog, who I love with all my heart and couldn't bear to see hurt, I wouldn't feed him. Everything HAS to be her way.

We have two vans and my mom hates her driving the new one, so when the old one runs out of gas, what did she do without permission? Used the new one. She hasn't packed squat and she didn't contribute to daily meals either. When she is home, she's taking up the TV until I complain about the show and ask to watch something different, then she just leaves me alone in the house ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

I am a human being! I may be introverted but that does NOT mean I shouldn't be given the bare minimum of pleasant conversation. I asked to go to the mall yesterday and when we went to Barnes and Noble, my favorite shop, she would NOT stop complaining, instead of just going to her shop. She yanked me around by my purse and forced me around until we went to Claire's where she took her dam time, finding earrings and necklaces and CRAP!!! But somehow she couldn't afford gas?

When I reminded her of our parent's rules about things like the jewelry she was buying, she called me a n@zi. A GOSH DARN N@ZI? REALLY? I just reminded you of the rules that were set since you were TINY!!! She even called my mother a n@zi just because she wouldn't let her wear her tops a certain way. But today really takes the cake.

I woke up fine. Got to babysit my nieces for my older sister because heavens forbid my little sister has to do it (My older sister doesn't even bother asking LS anymore). Halfway through I get a text that she's leaving and one of the dogs didn't eat. BECAUSE SHE COULDNT FOLLOW THE DAM INSTUCTIONS THAT MOM AND I MADE ON THE FOOD BOX!!! It's a simple thing but no. She goes on a date at 6pm and leaves me alone again. I make dinner around 9:30pm because I was in a slump. When she comes home, she brings 3 others at 11:30pm. I tell them there's food and no one eats it. Fine.

She is looking for a movie to watch and chooses IT...Which is Rated R and NOT FOR HER AGE OR ALLOWED IN OUR HOUSE! I remind her of this and she shrugs before putting it on. It was 1:30 am when they ended, then she comes into my room and demands to know why I'M being so rude...I'm just done. I don't think I'll be giving her a response from now on.

I only ever get hurt when it comes to her and I never want to hear the pitchy voice call me an idiot or a n@zi or ANY OTHER INSULT EVER AGAIN! I'm just done.

[pissditching]

☝️yes i can. essay under the cut

first of all, no member of dunes is going to read this but on the off chance your name is anthony green, tucker rule, frank iero, time payne, and/or travis steever: you wouldn't be here if you weren't looking for answers. i hope you find them.

ls dunes is (and i'm almost 99% sure they've described themselves as this) a frankenband, a band made up of the members of other bands that have been very successful over the years. thursday, coheed and cambria, circa survive, my chemical romance, it's an impressive lineup full of undeniably talented musicians considered scene veterans who's names invoke a kind of instant respect on the basis of them being one of the best and one of the first. they famously refuse to call themselves what they are: a supergroup. this on its own is not an issue. there's no morality to it, it's a completely neutral decision and i think they should get to call their band whatever they want. however i think the outright rejection of the supergroup label does three things. 1. it deludes a group of people who have been some level of famous since they were at the very oldest 24 into believing that they're still hardcore. 2. it deludes an audience made up primarily of 14-25 year olds who have never been to a punk show in somebody's basement that this is hardcore. 3. it provides a lot of context and hindsight for the issues to come.

past lives is a good album. not good as in just ok, good as in it does some really interesting things musically and there are parts of it that i genuinely love (permanent rebellion remains my favorite song from them, i don't care if it was their first release they chose a banger to showcase themselves). i wouldn't go as far as the band and call it post hardcore, but it sounds like it was made by people who know how to make post hardcore (which it was!). what i'm trying to say is that there's nothing wrong with dunes musically, and i think that contributes to more problems than solves them. as an album, past lives sounds masterfully produced and written by people who know music, who know the kind of music they love, and have been creating music they love since before most of their fans were born. this from a self admitted supergroup would be above and beyond what is expected of them. however from a supergroup that's trying to posit themselves as a grassroots hardcore band, it comes off as ever so slightly disingenuous and corny. their music feels like it was ai generated (don't worry, we're gonna get to that) to be liked by circa, coheed, thursday, and my chem fans and people are starting to resent them for it. i've seen some people say it comes off as them wearing a punk costume from spirit halloween. i'm not quite of that intense of an opinion, but i see why someone would be.

this next issue bridges into the one above it, you'll see. the crowds at dunes shows were the first thing to make me say "this good thing isn't going to last" way back when they had only played a few small shows sans their debut at riot fest. ls dunes crowds are small on purpose, besides festivals the venues they play are small and local and utterly unequipped to handle the volume and type of person who wants to go to a dunes show. for example, my best friend ethan and i decided we wanted to see dunes the day of the show on a whim. i had heard dunes crowds could get weird, but they were coming to a venue that hosts acts like slaughter beach dog, jeff rosenstock, alex g, musicians of that size and crowds of that intensity. nothing could have honestly prepared me for driving up to the venue to buy tickets and seeing people camped outside hoping to get barricade (which. why does dunes have barricades? at local shows???) for ls dunes. the same small local venue where we hopped in line 10 minutes before doors for other bands and got like second row. we both decided this was a bad omen and left. the next day the person we saw at the front of the line had a call out post about them and their friends for camping at every mcr/dunes show to get frank side barricade to the point of shitting in diapers and inventing an arbitrary numbering system to make sure them and their friends were always first and spending an exorbitant amount of money in the process. i've heard of people getting their dick sucked in the pit, pissing, leaving heaps of trash inside and outside with their campsites, crowd crushing on Specifically frank's side of the stage, shouting at the band between songs, etc. this, all of this, could be solved if ls dunes admitted that the venues they're choosing can't handle the band. they need to admit to themselves that they're five people from four of the biggest bands in their scene with three separate dedicated fanbases and one fanbase that would steamroll a city to be 10 feet away from frank iero. tldr; ls dunes crowds are notoriously awful and in order to cull that awfulness, they need to stop pretending to be a small hardcore band and play bigger venues, for their safety and the safety of the crowd.

the documentary. first of all, very #punk of ls dunes to partner with amazon prime to release this documentary but that's not even what i'm talking about here. what part are we on? 4? 5? i haven't watched since part one. how many ten minute clips of a documentary that could have been just one normal length documentary (that probably would have been looked back on fondly if they hadn't released it like this) are they going to release. did i mention said documentary is about going to a small studio in the desert for a week or two to produce TWO songs? dunes has a habit of really milking it when it comes to the stuff they produce. past lives, the docuseries, the recently released demos of their first album, it's too much for a band that hasn't even had their second album (or birthday). i think of it like a meal where the appetizers won't stop coming. the onslaught and repetition of appetizers is starting to wear on people who have been waiting for dinner for hours and i'm worried that by the time they drop the main course, people are going to be so tired and full of them that they're not even going to touch it.

oh baby here we go. the ai debacle that turned into an antisemitism debacle that turned into an ethics question. let me just say this right now, people would not be as mad as they are about the ai thing if they remembered these people are in their 40s and more mad about the antisemitism but going about it in a different way if they listened to jewish people. to sum up the ai thing because quite honestly i view the other part of this as a far more pressing issue, anthony green off a sleepy time cbd gummy saw a video by an ai video generator (not calling these people artists because they are not) with ~trippy visuals~, consulted the band, and decided to pay the guy probably thousands to type some words in a box to make a video for them. given the theft inherent to ai art, this is a move that should be criticized (before the infamous doubling down, anthony admitted to someone in the comment section of the teaser they posted that he should have looked more into the ethics of ai before commissioning the video, which tells me the band at large knows this). soon, the comments of the teaser for the old wounds music video were filled with two kinds of people: people who had been dunes fans before this and knew ai was bad news, and right wing tech bros spurring them on, congratulating them for owning their "lib" fanbase, and harassing the former group of people with transphobia, homophobia, and racism. despite the immediate wave of criticism for this, the band decided to double down and stick with the ai video. do i think ls dunes is contributing to the death of art by commissioning an ai video generator for a music? well, yes and no. no because i think these are admittedly uninformed 40+ year old men who were looking for trippy visuals, found them, and didn't think about what it means to give money to the ai industry. i think they still value human art deeply and i don't see any of them dipping their toes into the world of ai again. yes because i think giving any money to the ai generators, no matter how uninformed the purchase was, is still a blow to human artists. i'm going to paragraph break here to avoid a impenetrable wall of text, but we're still talking about the same thing.

and then came the comment section on the double-down. and then long time friend of frank iero and musician derek zanetti made a dumbass comment that read "i heard frank iero is a lizard person". and then frank iero responded "unfortunately not the kind in charge of the new world order but i can save you 15% or more on car insurance". and just like that, frank iero's honorary njb card was torn asunder. suddenly, he couldn't 🤷🏻‍♀️ ktf 🖤🙏 out of this one. frank iero had just said something antisemitic, and twitter was waiting outside to jump him for it. quite honestly, he deserved to have his ass handed to him over this, but the way swaths of non-jewish people went about handing him said ass i fear did more harm than good.

antisemitism is one of the oldest bigotries on the planet. it's ingrained into everything, especially conspiracy theories. the conspiracy being referenced here is that jewish people are all secretly lizard people that control everything via "the new world order". this conspiracy is regularly repackaged to leave out the part explicitly calling the lizard people jews, turning it into a dogwhistle and a covert way to spread antisemitism via naïve messengers. enter frank iero, someone i genuinely believe to be one of these naïve messengers. i don't think frank iero hates jews. you don't have to hate jews to say or do something antisemitic, the same way you don't have to hate a member of a certain race to say something racist, lthe same way you don't have to hate gay people to say something homophobic. and when twitter piled onto this person and called him antisemitic without explaining why, he reacted the way any middle aged white man would and made an ass of himself. the initial "get out of here with that shit" response followed by the second response of "i love jewish people and lizards and i don't understand why you guys are being so mean to me 🖤🖤🖤" (paraphrased, obviously) put him on my shitlist. big time. let's talk about reverse radicalization.

reverse radicalization happens when a person is yelled at for something instead of being told what they did wrong and why it's wrong. when we get yelled at, we look, consciously or subconsciously, for anyone telling us we did nothing wrong. for example, if you say something antisemitic and everyone is yelling at you and you don't really get why? like you looked it up and oh that conspiracy exists but how does that pertain to what you said? and the only people not yelling at you and saying you're right are your newly acquired right wing fans, it creates an environment where a person who's not radical can become radicalized very fast. i don't know if this happened to frank iero or not, but the lack of any follow up response/formal aknowledgement makes me feel uneasy. i wouldn't feel so uneasy if non jewish fans had listened to jewish fans who told people that calling him a nazi wasn't a good idea and was going to have the opposite of the intended effect.

to sum everything up, ls dunes is on its death bed. this band was made in a lab over the pandemic to make appealing music, get mildly annoying, and then self implode. we are currently in the late mildly annoying early self imploding phase. they are a fascinating case study of what happens when you appeal to a certain audience so hard they cannibalize you like a praying mantis eats her mate. i think they are also a snapshot into the future of the bands that litter tiktok with videos like "if you like the front bottoms and car seat headrest, listen to our new album!" who are themselves doomed to self implode. i wish all of them the best, but i suggest they jump ship before it sinks.



the phenomenon of ls dunes should be studied and i mean this

[critical-thinking-is-mandatory]

I've always wondered how like Marinette says in Season 1 that she idolizes Gabriel Agreste for his fashion work but then this is never brought up. Like even knowing he's a shitty dad she never like mentions if it changes her view on things. She just makes the bowler hat which is brought back in Season 2 and then we never hear of it again. It's almost like if it's not about Adrien, Marinette's personal life doesn't matter.

The fact we literally peaked in S1 with the small examples of characteristics and skills even in some of the more minor characters, is so sad and pathetic.

Like since season 1, do we ever see Marinette design something? There's the Kitty Section costumes but that's like? 1 incident in 3 seasons??? In S1 Marinette made Jagged Stone's glasses, the derby hat, that sneaky trap box thing for her diary, played video games with Adrien, and like??? Did stuff.

She DESIGNED things she MADE things she won her classmates over as class representative with negotiations. She was a character that did things and had interests and had skills that contributed to her being special.

Nowadays it's like, Ladybug is the only thing that makes Marinette unique or interesting or special. Every other facet of her life must cater to Adrien.

It's so like. Lazy. It's lazy writing.

I don't think Marinette admiring Gabriel's work is ever brought up again except in that one episode. Like it's just such a waste. That derby hat competition could have easily led to Marinette becoming a junior intern, getting closer with Adrien and her idol Gabriel, this sets up the LS...stuff and also gives Marinette like, a relationship to the villain. He was her mentor, her idol, but he was Hawkmoth the whole time too. But that opportunity is just, ignored.

Idk, idk what the crew were thinking, or even if they were thinking at all.

[themrswallace]

Support-a-hoe: Squishmallow sales & Wishlists!

You can tell my balls are big right now and no doubt tomorrow it'll be anons a-go-go cussing me out for daring to make this but similar to previous posts, this is a reminder there are STILL Squishmallows for sale despite shipping off a good few via the birthday weekend (A huge thank you to those who bought the imported Squishs and just purchased from us overall) and after some safety checks, I've learned you can link amazon wishlists without fear of people turning up at your window demanding blood for those stickers they bought you--- SO! I'm doing a perma post thing for anyone who needs directions to our ebay shop AND my amazon wishlist in case you wanna donate directly instead of buying a lil soft toy and dealing with Ebay taking a percentage. Am I famous enough to even think about trying this? No. Will I ever be? NO. Am I here trying anyways? YES! But, overall people like my work sometimes and for those who wanna support me, heres how, it doesn't even have to be me, you can grab the girls something nice like more food for their stockpile since pugs with medical needs...yeah, you can imagine the stress of finding anywhere that stocks food safe for one prone to bladder stones. Or some toys since Lil goes through hers like nobodies business (Especally the soft squeakies which she loves to rip the hearts out of...defo my pug, ain't she), outfits, etc. --- And before anyone comes by with that "WHY GET DOGS IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD FOOD AND SHIT FOR THEM 'Grumble grumble' " That ain't the case, at all, its simply a fact that I have friends and followers who like my work and at times, wanna support me for my contributions (Small as they may be) and so I'm being productive as a pug parent, if someone's cool to grab a few cans for Lil or Chubster May, why say no so people online don't call you entitled and grabby? Yay autism for removing that filter lol. --- So yeah, you don't HAVE to support me, but you CAN if you WANT to, even if its more sending the girls something and you hate my ass but love theirs, I don't care, long as they're looked after, fuck me. (But if anyone wants to, I've got the neon pink ps5 controller on my list and Beck keeps telling me I don't need 3 despite constantly rotating each so it evens the battery use. So if you wanna remove her ability to moan at me << Wink Wonk >> ) eBay, as usual, is: rebeccahn879 And Amazon Wishlist is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2AZKEOGJMVKDY?ref_=wl_share Still got a good amount of Squishes left and if you see anything you like from my personal collection via my Insta, just DM me with an offer and we can talk about it. Okay byeeeeeeeeee

[sketchfanda]

for anyone who has known me here on deviantart especially since back in those pre eclipse glory days,or on tumblr especially back before the nsfw ban or on twitter will know I’m a something of a long time pro wrestling fan. When I say wrestling of course I’m not talking about wwe,aka the “leading global force in sports entertainment” who have of course continually insulted the intelligence of fans and gone out their way these last 2 decades with their attempts to monopolise the scene. I’m talking the wider world of Independent wrestling,the alternative of all elite wrestling,the collective variety of compamies like Impact,ring of honor and pwg,game changer,the fighting spirit of new Japan,and case in point here,a little canadian based promotion called interspecies wrestling. Operating since 2005,they had been gaining some traction with some stateside shows, especially their contribution to game changer wrestling’s collective during the wrestlemania weekend in 2019 where two of their signature gimmick matches were in full force. The food fight snd the fans bring the legoes deathmatch. Well,technically they can’t legally call it legoes they have to call it the toy blocks match or something or other,but I digress. Now like many wrestling companies among other places,the global bastard that still won’t stop trying to fuck us over,fuck you with your delta an lambda and every other fucking variant you viral prick!! Pretty much out a kibosh on ISW’s personal plans for shows,including a special anniversary show. especially with borders and international travel complications but now they’ve begun making big plans.

lastwordonsports.com

Death by Lego: ISW's Michael Woods Talks Conception of Professional Wrestling's Most Colorful and Unique Match - Last Word on Pro Wrestling

Inter Species Wrestling's Balls Out features the return of one of the more innovative wrestling matches, the Lego Death Match.

as the website link up above will inform you as I am now,Inter-species wrestling is planning to hold their first show since the pandemic,with their signature gimmick match set to mak a record,One Million blocks! slamtasia 7:the big dumb block party happens October 29th,in New Jersey and even if you can’t get a ticket,you can help out and contribute to this show by going to their Amazon wishlist and sending some blocks their way. The closer they get to that magic number,come between now and October,barring the bitch thst is Covid screwing us all, you can see to it no inch of that ring is left uncovered in a horrible rain row of little interconnecting toy bricks and blocks

So If you've got any blocks taking up space in your garage or attic, and you'd like to send them their way - please do. Contact them by email to set that up. If you've got a few extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket, and you'd like to purchase blocks to send their way - they graciously accept those as well

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QW7PR1J9D9HI?ref_=wl_share

Other ways to support :

​Watch their content on IWTV.live - they directly benefit from your views, and any money made will go towards the goal. Use promo code ISDUB for a free trial.Purchase t-shirts or hoodies off of their shop at ShopIWTV

Again any funds made will go towards the goal of 1,000,000 blocks.and if you want an idea of what kind of big dumb insane fun to look forward to,here is some examples.

the food fight invitational,featuring one Sean handlerson,where crumbs and mayhem will go flying and will feature a foodfight championship for the winner

a highlight video of last block deathmatches

their biggest wildest fans bring the toy that shall not be named match,from their 2019 wrestler mania collective weekend show featuring veteran of this match and isw regular addy starr and Indy death match regulars,Jeff cannonball,nick effin gage who recently made an appearance onvice’s dark side of the ring and AEW,and retired grappler and promoter Matt Tremont,whose promotion hardcore hustle organisation will be hosting slamtasia at the hardcore hustle organisation’s training school and arena warehouse.

if that’s enough to whet the appetite,as said before help out by donating some blocks, or sending them what’s in their Amazon wishlist,the more blocks the better and quicker they get to that magic number of One Million,be part of the dumbest,funbest,craziest match in history of wrestling. @theemptycoliseum @opinionatedwrestlingfan @prfctcellrulz @joearlikelikeswrestling @closetofanxiety @vashito @roninkairi @wftc141

[aventurasdeunatortuga]

Laredo Part 2 Week 3

First two photos show the underwear donations I was able to bring in thanks to your help. Second pic shows me driving to every Domino’s Pizza in town to pick up a total of 40 pizzas for Holding for dinner last week. Last picture is from an art store I went to yesterday called Milagros which was really wonderful.

It feels like I’ve been here for months, not just 3 weeks. But here we are.

I only have 4 days left, I go back home on Saturday.

Last week I was super overwhelmed and frustrated by everything. The shelters were getting absolutely slammed by a perfect storm of limited volunteers/donation/funding and lack of organization combined with a huge amount of folks in desperate need coming in every day.

The day after my last post I was so completely overwhelmed I couldn’t get out of bed until 4pm. But then I got up and went to Walmart and spent $550 of the donation money folks had been sending me on underwear. I have no idea how many packs of underwear I bought, but it was close to 400 something pairs. I went to go drop them off at the shelter and one of my old friends, Blanca, was there. She had been volunteering the last time I was here back in 2019. She is so sweet and since she is working full time she works in the evenings at the shelter, sometimes until 2:30 in the morning. It was really great to see her.

Also on a different day I got to see another old friend, Aycha, who was working at La Frontera back in 2019. She also has another full time job but spends her evenings and weekends volunteering at La Frontera. It was nice to see some familiar faces.

Also a group of folks from St. Louis came down this week and are working with their church back home to raise money and donations and have committed to sending down a rotating crew of full time volunteers every week for the next month from their congregation. It was so great to have some folks who were enthusiastic and excited and ready and eager to help. It has made such a huge difference.

In the past week we’ve been able to get the entire shelter organized, from top to bottom every single room and cabinet that had been haphazardly thrown together since the border suddenly reopened back in April, we were able to organize every inch of the place and fully stock everything.

I hope it lasts for at least a few weeks.

The other thing that’s been going on is that the number of folks coming through has dramatically slowed. Whereas last week we were getting 200-300 folks a day, we are now getting a max of 30 folks per day. And at Holding Community Center we have gotten no new people, we only have the 40 something folks who are quarantining from COVID for 10 days before they are able to travel. Today for the first time since I’ve been here we mainly got folks from Haiti and Brazil, which hasn’t been the case before, when we were mainly getting folks from Central America.

From what I can tell, there was an individual who made an inaccurate report to a local news station stating that the shelters in town were contributing to an increase of COVID cases and that the shelters were irresponsibly allowing folks who had COVID to wander around town and putting them on flights and in public spaces in town. Which is completely false. But the local news reported on it and the city placed Holding on a sort of lockdown, which means that all the doors and windows are blocked / blacked out and no one besides the guests, staff, and volunteers can enter; which was already the case to begin with but now people are mainly just afraid to volunteer or drop off donations. Somehow also all of this and the news of the amount of people the shelters were supporting got to a Texas state senator, not sure who, and she had ICE stop releasing folks from detention for the weekend in order to give the shelters a chance to catch up? But it is already Tuesday and still folks are being released in very small groups so I don’t really have any idea what is going on.

I don’t think the answer to all of this is to stop folks from seeking asylum or to keep folks in detention; it needs to be increased funding, staff, and resources to these shelters or some sort of state level emergency aid provided for these folks.

Despite the reduction in the chaos and disorganization and the reduced numbers; I am still completely exhausted and am not able to withstand more than 3-4 hours at a time at the shelter before needing to go back to the house and rest for a while and then go back. I don’t know if it’s cumulative exhaustion or if my stamina for being out and about is just lower after being quarantined the last year and a half, or what. But here we are.

I hope to try and post at least once or twice before I leave here; to provide some more background info on the situation down here and to give one last update before I leave.

In the meantime, please keep donations coming in. Both shelters badly need consistent donations and support for the folks coming through here. Everyone I’ve spoken to to whom we’ve given a pair of shoes or clean underwear or a hot meal has been so completely grateful and uplifted. It makes a world of difference.

If you follow me on instagram, @meganxfitz all the info for donating is there in my highlights. You can also order items and have them delivered to

La Frontera Shelter

1616 Callaghan St. 
Laredo, TX 78040

To donate to Holding Community Center, you can follow either of these links

http://www.holding-institute.org/

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2F1GOXCMTTRCZ?ref_=wl_share

[gwlemonyshenanigans]

Spotlight Friday

I am proud to spotlight another two talented contributors to the Lemony Shenanigans event!

Thank you to everyone who has signed up for Lemony Shenanigans, we have so many wonderful writers and artists signed up already! (lookout next week for another LS Spotlight!) 

If you want to join the fun by contributing to the event and haven’t done so yet please fill out the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfV4TkhncPJy_V6Xqj-g4d9Qs-4lmqBqKhgN-7WUPdWbf92Sg/viewform?usp=pp_url

AluraEmbrey

Where can we find you?

Ao3, Tumblr & LJ

How long have you been in the fandom?

22 years. When did I get this old? 

Who is your favorite character?

Currently Heero, but it has changed over the years!

Favorite Gundam?

Epyon!!

Which character do you relate to the most and why?

Probably Duo. I also hide my emotions behind humor and sarcasm. 

What is your favorite scene (or quote) in Gundam Wing?

The 1xR Libra scene. It's got so much tension and emotion. Closely followed by the attack on St. Gabriel. Heero's confusion when he saves Relena is priceless.

What fanwork, that you've created, are you most proud of and why?

My 2011 CoL entry, "Pleasant Surprise." Cockpit sex folks.

What would you tell your younger self about Gundam Wing and why?

Your excitement and enthusiasm is nothing to be ashamed of. Even in your thirties, you'll still be just as excited whenever you hear the theme.

Pokemonsonicgirl123

Where can we find you?

ArchiveOfOurOwn, FanFiction.Net, and DeviantART

How long have you been in the fandom?

Since the summer of 2018, which would make it roughly three years. I got into Wing because I've watched G Gundam, Gundam X, Char's Counterattack, and 08th MS Team in the past, so I figured I would go and watch it online. And I was not disappointed. I even have the entire soundtrack of Wing and Endless Waltz downloaded from YouTube and another site to my computer before YouTube deleted the channel that had some complete Gundam soundtracks. I even use some of them for my fanfictions and/or other people's fanfictions.

Who is your favorite character?

Pretty hard to choose, as much as I would like to say that there are a couple of characters there that are nothing but complete douchenozzles (*coughwufeianddorothycough*). Still, though, if I would have to choose one of them, it would be Heero Yuy.

Favorite Gundam?

Wing Gundam Zero, Gundam Deathscythe Hell, and Wing Gundam Seraphim (yes, it's real, it's on the Gundam Wiki if you search it.)

Which character do you relate to the most and why?

Heero, again; both of us strive for efficiency in whatever we do.

What is your favorite scene (or quote) in Gundam Wing?

Um... I know it's a pretty popular choice, but Wing Gundam Zero in Endless Waltz emerging from its feathery cocoon-thing and when it spreads its angel wings, white feathers flutter out of it. It was amazing.

What fanwork, that you've created, are you most proud of and why?

Oh my God, there's like, so many! Um, there's a Pokemon/Gundam Wing crossover story that I've written named Black Rainbow and its sequel that I've written, Glass Neuroses. I've also made some fanart of Duo Maxwell with my Pokemon Trainer OC Remilia and her Butterfree Nori in the style of NekoPara, plus I've made some fanart of Tiel Noembreux with Wing Gundam Seraphim and Tiel again with Heero Yuy. I've also made a cover for Black Rainbow featuring Heero in a black void in his cockpit and usual outfit glowing and sparking a golden yellow with draconic rainbow eyes. Why these traits? Well, I'm not telling, you'll just have to read Black Rainbow to find out. ;)

What would you tell your younger self about Gundam Wing and why?

I would tell my thirteen-year-old self (I was four years old when Wing first aired on Toonami, so there was no way I would be able to watch it, much less remember it) to watch Gundam Wing. It's a lot more serious than G but it's so goddamn good.

[ianspirations]

Querida Amazonia - A Summary

Pope Francis summarizes the discussions of the synod into 4 dreams which I think are a brilliant way of portraying the situation as well as the vision for the Amazonian region in particular and for the world in general. He says clearly that he has wilfully refrained from quoting the final document of the Synod because he desires that “everyone read it in full” (QA 3).

“The Amazon region” in the words of the Pope, “is a multinational and interconnected whole, a great biome shared by nine countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela and the territory of French Guiana” (QA 5). Although this is a directed exhortation, the Pope chooses to open it up for the whole world since “the Church’s concern for the problems of this area obliges us to discuss, however briefly, a number of other important issues that can assist other areas of our world in confronting their own challenges” (QA 5).

Here I wish to quote the first part of paragraph 6 because it is so powerful in its message, rich in meaning and clear in its instruction. The Pope writes, “Everything that the Church has to offer must become incarnate in a distinctive way in each part of the world, so that the Bride of Christ can take on a variety of faces that better manifest the inexhaustible riches of God’s grace. Preaching must become incarnate, spirituality must become incarnate, ecclesial structures must become incarnate” (QA 6)

The Four Dreams

I.                    A Social Dream: I dream of an Amazon region that fights for the rights of the poor, the original peoples and the least of our brothers and sisters, where their voices can be heard and their dignity advanced. (QA 7)

The aim of this dream is to bring about a situation wherein every person can enjoy ‘good living.’ This consists in making arduous efforts on behalf of the poor. The Amazon is facing an ‘ecological disaster’ but it is not enough to tackle the ecological issue leaving aside the extremely versatile social situation. The Pope quoting Laudato Si (LS) #49 says, “a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

The Amazonian region holds massive interest for colonizers; these are not seeking to conquer the place as the colonizers of old but desire to control the land in a new way chiefly through timber and mining industries. This wanton greed has expelled and marginalized the indigenous peoples, the river people and those of African descent who inhabited these parts. What resulted from this fiasco was enslavement, subjection, poverty, xenophobia, sexual exploitation and human trafficking (QA 10).

All those national and international business that have contributed to turning the Amazon into a living hell for the people are guilty of “injustice and crime” (QA 14). The Pope humbly exhorts, “we cannot allow globalization to become ‘a new version of colonialism’” (QA 14).

“We need to feel outrage, as Moses did (cf. Ex 11:8), as Jesus did (cf. Mk 3:5), as God does in the face of injustice (cf. Am 2:4-8; 5:7-12; Ps 106:40)” (QA 15). Colonialism has not ended; it has merely been changed, disguised and concealed (QA 16). In order to combat this grave evil we have to “overcome the colonizing mentalities and build networks of solidarity and development” (QA 17). The Pope suggests that alternatives be sought for sustainable herding and agriculture, discovering sources of energy that don’t pollute and adopting “dignified means of employment that do not entail the destruction of the natural environment and of cultures” (QA 17).

The Church has and continues to play a vital role in defending the rights of the indigenous peoples (QA 18-19). However, the members of the Church like many others, sadly “have been a part of networks of corruption, at times to the point of agreeing to keep silent in exchange for economic assistance for ecclesial works” (QA 25).

The Pope dreams that “the Amazon region…be a place of social dialogue, especially between the various original peoples, for the sake of developing forms of fellowship and joint struggle” (QA 26). “Dialogue must not only favour the preferential option on behalf of the poor, the marginalized and the excluded, but also respect them as having a leading role to play” (QA 27). The Pope insists that all ‘others,’ that is, those without a direct interest in the issue, ought to be treated as ‘others’ and the opinions and ideas also treated as such so as to avoid the possibility of any concrete decision or plan being ‘a plan drawn up by the few for the few.’

II.                  A Cultural Dream: I dream of an Amazon region that can preserve its distinctive cultural riches, where the beauty of our humanity shines forth in so many varied ways. (QA 7)

The fundamental way in which the Amazon can maintain and enhance its rich cultural heritage is through education. The very purpose of education is “to cultivate without uprooting, to foster growth without weakening identity, to be supportive without being invasive” (QA 28). Since the Amazon region is host to many peoples and nationalities, besides over 110 different kinds of indigenous peoples, the treasure trove that is their culture is at a serious risk. First and foremost, they face the threat of ‘postmodern colonization’ and secondly, the classification as ‘uncivilized savages’ who ought to be ‘civilized’ by means of Western education (QA 29).

In the pre-colonial period, the majority of people lived on the shores of the rivers and lakes. Colonizers claimed these prime lands and drove the indigenous peoples inwards to the forests. Today, the desertification of inlands has forced many people to the ‘outskirts and sidewalks of the cities.’ “There they usually lack the points of reference and the cultural roots that provided them with an identity and a sense of dignity, and they swell the ranks of the outcast. This disrupts the cultural transmission of a wisdom that had been passed down for centuries from generation to generation” (QA 30).

Every human group has its distinctive lifestyle and worldview. “Fishers are not the same as hunters, and the gatherers of the interior are not the same as those who cultivate the flood lands… In each land and its features, God manifests himself and reflects something of his inexhaustible beauty. Each distinct group, then, in a vital synthesis with its surroundings, develops its own form of wisdom.” (QA 32). The ‘consumerist vision of human beings’ steamrolls over all cultural distinctions and unique characteristics thereby blurring out and “diminishing the immense variety which is the heritage of all humanity” (QA 33 quoting Laudato Si 144). This has a particularly devastating effect on young people because it causes them to lose touch with their cultural heritage and roots. In order to prevent this problem, the Pope points out the “need to care lovingly for our roots, since they are ‘a fixed point from which we can grow and meet new challenges’” (QA 33). For all Christians, in addition to their cultural roots, there is a need to additionally take charge of one’s faith roots which includes “the history of the people of Israel and the Church up to our own day. Knowledge of them can bring joy and, above all, a hope capable of inspiring noble and courageous actions” (QA 33).

The Pope appreciates all those who have stemmed the threat of losing out on cultural heritage by “writing down their stories and describing the meaning of their customs. In this way, they themselves can explicity acknowledge that they possess something more than an ethnic identity and that they are bearers of precious personal, family and collective memories” (QA 35).

Every culture has its own set of drawbacks. Western cultures dark side of consumerism, individualism, discrimination, inequality and many others are easily noticed by all. Similarly, Amazonian cultures also have their dark side. The Pope suggests that all of us bring our cultures to “the common table, a place of conversation and of shared hopes. In this way our differences, which could seem like a banner or a wall, can become a bridge. Identity and dialogue are not enemies. Our own cultural identity is strengthened and enriched as a result of dialogue with those unlike ourselves” (QA 37). If a culture closes up on itself it becomes “inward-looking and tries to perpetuate obsolete ways of living by rejecting any exchange or debate with regard to the truth about man” (QA 37). The responsibility of protecting, encouraging and nurturing cultures like with each of us. If we are not open to the idea of diverse cultures, how do we expect the people of the interiors to be?

The Pope points out how the globalized economy surreptitiously destroys our human, social and cultural riches. The invasive nature of mass communication drastically reduces the scope for cultural expression and alienates people from their native cultural contexts by introducing them into a digital culture that cares little for authentic cultural expression. For this reason it is absolute vital that cultures and their people be respected, and that they find a definition of ‘good life’ for themselves within the ‘world of symbols and customs’ proper to them rather than following an external definition with accompanying regulations for implantation and ideas for enhancement (QA 40).

III.                Ecological Dream: I dream of an Amazon region that can jealously preserve its overwhelming natural beauty and the superabundant life teeming in its rivers and forests. (QA 7)

The Amazonian culture is so closely and intimately connected with nature that “daily existence is always cosmic” (QA 41). While liberating people from various forms of bondage that entrap them is a way of caring for the environment and defending it, what is of greater importance is “helping the human heart to be open with trust to the God who not only has created all that exists, but has also given us himself in Jesus Christ. The Lord, who is the first to care for us, teaches us to care for our brothers and sisters and the environment which he daily gives us. This is the first ecology that we need” (QA 41). An ecology of nature has to coexist with a human and/or social ecology. The two are interdependent on nearly every level. This belief stems from the conviction that ‘everything is connected.’ (QA 41)

Care for people and care for the ecosystem cannot be separated. An abuse of nature amounts to an ‘abuse of our ancestors, of our brothers and sisters, of the creation and the Creator.’ The harm we do is not limited to the here and now but puts the future in serious jeopardy. Quoting from the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod, “the land has blood, and it is bleeding; the multinationals have cut the veins of our mother Earth” (QA 42).

The Amazon is a land of water. “The rivers and streams are like veins and water determines every form of life” (QA 43). Water does not divide people by giving them liquid boundaries but rather unites them (QA 45).

The equilibrium of the planet depends in a big way on the health of the Amazon. A huge number of living beings and various climatic elements rely on the Amazon for their existence. The Amazon is a natural filter of Carbon Dioxide, it’s rich forest cover is not only home to numerous species but also contains “resources that could prove essential for curing diseases” (QA 48); the various products like fish and fruits enable humanity to sustain themselves.

When one considers environmental damage or destruction one usually evaluates it in terms of visible extinction but this is not the  correct way of doing this. “The good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms” (LS 34). Unfortunately, their impact as well as the damage they incur in the name of ‘development’ is often and sadly, overlooked.

The Pope appreciates the commitment of international agencies and local bureaucracies who “draw public attention to these issues and offer critical cooperation, employing legitimate means of pressure, to ensure that eac government carries out its proper and inalienable responsibility to preserve its country’s environment and natural resources, without capitulating to spurious local and international interests” (LS 38).

The economically invested parties are never satisfied with the profits they make and are constantly on the search for new and innovative means to increase their balances. The Pope suggests that the whole world come together and ensure that there are some sort of clear boundaries that are put in place to protect ecosystems and that do not allow the wanton destruction of our common home in the name of development or profit. (QA 52) Thousands of species have already had the existence cut short due to a variety of reasons but mostly due to human interference. The Pope says it beautifully, “Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right” (QA 54) The Pope concludes that the Amazon region is a “theological locus, a space where God himself reveals himself and summons his sons and daughters” (QA 57).

In order to improve the situation and prevent further destruction, education has a massive role. “A sound and sustainable ecology, one capable of bringing about change, will not develop unless people are changed, unless they are encouraged to opt for another style of life, one less greedy and more serene, more respectful and less anxious, more fraternal” (QA 58).

IV.                An Ecclesial Dream: I dream of Christian communities capable of generous commitment, incarnate in the Amazon region, and giving the Church new faces with Amazonian features. (QA 7)

The Pope is very clear in his stating that all Christian interventions ought to be focused and centred on Christ. All that we do must in some way or another be an opportunity to incarnate the Gospel (QA 64-65). He is very strong in emphasizing that even our work of social upliftment and liberation ought to involve inviting the poor and abandoned to a friendship with the Lord (QA 63).

In order to preach the Gospel effectively, the Church must take on the identity and reality of the people to whom she desires to reach out. The Church brings to the dialogue of inculturation her own rich heritage of Christian wisdom and experience that has been handed down through the centuries (QA 66). Pope Saint John Paul II put it very beautifully when he addressed the Indigenous peoples of the American Continent (12 October 1992), “a faith that does not become culture is a faith not fully accepted, not fully reflected upon, not fully lived” (as quoted in QA 67). Thus the Church must undertake the double action of giving the Gospel and incarnating it in the culture while at the same time receiving from that culture ‘new aspects of revelation’ (QA 68).

For the Church to achieve a better inculturation in the Amazon, she must “listen to its ancestral wisdom, listen once more to the voice of its elders, recognize the values present in the way of life of the original communities, and recover the rich stories of its peoples” (QA 70). For the indigenous people the ‘good life’ is expressed in “personal, familial, communal and cosmic harmony…in a communitarian approach to existence, the ability to find joy and fulfilment in an austere and simple life, and a responsible care of nature that preserves resources for future generations” (QA 71). The Pope wants the Church assist the people in the process of ‘cultural retrieval,’ educate them, especially the urban population, against the dangers of consumerism and isolation and help urban communities to be missionary not only to those among them but to all the poor, marginalized and migrants (QA 72). For the Pope, these are all forms of inculturation and they elevate and fulfil ((QA 72-73).

Indigenous mysticism stresses “the interconnection and interdependence of the whole of creation;” it is a “mysticism of gratuitousness that loves life as a gift;” it is ultimately a “mysticism of a sacred wonder before nature and all its forms of life” (QA 73). For us Christians, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who connects all things and is present in and through them (QA 74).

Poverty is one of the defining features of the Amazon region. The Gospel shows a clear connection between evangelization and human advancement. Hence, all Christian communities ought to work for the justice of God’s kingdom that can be achieved through work for the advancement of those who are on the peripheries. The Church’s pastors have to be trained in this regard (QA 75). “In this way, we will reveal the true beauty of the Gospel, which fully humanizes, integrally dignifies persons and peoples, and brings fulfilment to every heart and the whole of life” (QA 76).

When this occurs we can look forward to “witnesses of holiness with an Amazonian face, not imitations of models imported from other places” (QA 77). The holiness of the Amazon will be “born of encounter and engagement, contemplation and service, receptive solitude and life in community, cheerful sobriety and the struggle for justice” (QA 77). This process has been initiated many years ago and the people can be considered to be ‘initially evangelized’ (QA 78).

The Pope opines that there is a possibility of adopting an indigenous symbol without it being considered idolatry. Local myths need not be discarded but possess the ability of appealing to people’s minds and becoming carriers of Christian truth. “A missionary of souls will try to discover the legitimate needs and concerns that seek an outlet in at times imperfect, partial or mistaken religious expressions, and will attempt to respond to them with an inculturated spirituality” (QA 79).

The process of inculturation can be initiated in a very powerful way through the sacraments, “since they unite the divine and the cosmic, grace and creation” (QA 81). The sacraments are unique in as much as they take up creation to God in the same instance as they bring out the Divine manifested in creation. The Sacraments communicate the mercy and healing of God and consequently ought never to be held from anyone who desires to receive them (QA 84). The Church needs to find ways and means of making the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist frequent and easily accessible even in the remotest and most isolated communities (QA 86). The role and concept of the priest requires to be revised in keeping with the situation of the place. The Pope defines a priest not as one who possesses power either of the material or spiritual kind but as one who is tasked with incarnating Christ in and through the celebration of the Eucharist and absolving people of their sins (QA 87-88).

The Pope envisions that Christian communities be full of life. This fullness of life can come about only if the community is first united. The Eucharist is a sacrament that “signifies and realizes the Church’s unity” (QA 91). Priests must foster communion in their Churches and not simply aim at achieving unity. Communion can be achieved when the diversity and variety of gifts and charisms that the Spirit pours out on the faithful is properly channelized and expressed. Priests alone, though they have a vital role, are not the only ones responsible and capable of this enormous task; permanent deacons, religious women and lay persons have their unique contributions to make. The Church has to develop an “ecclesial culture that is distinctly lay” (QA 94).

The Pope concludes this dream by mentioning the unforgettable and irreplaceable contribution made by women in the Amazon region. For decades the faith has been kept alive even without a priest thanks to women who “undoubtedly called and prompted by the Holy Spirit, baptized, catechized, prayed and acted as missionaries” (QA 99). The Pope warns the faithful against a reductionist mentality which believes that women can truly be granted a greater status and participation in the Church only if they are ordained priests. He warns that such thinking will serve no other purpose except to “clericalize women, diminish the great value of what they have already accomplished, and subtly make their indispensable contribution less effective” (QA 100). God in His infinite wisdom sought to reveal His power and love through two human faces: “the face of his divine Son made man and the face of a creature, a woman, Mary. Women make their contribution to the Church in a way that is properly theirs, by making present the tender strength of Mary, the Mother” (QA 101). Leaving aside the functional aspect of both genders, the Pope stresses the indispensability of women by stating that without them and their contribution “the Church breaks down” (QA 101). The history of many Amazonian communities is testament to this fact.