#terra abides

[lightgaswaterelectricityrent]

Reporters tantalized their readers with stories about the “plutocratic Osage” and the “red millionaires,” with their brick-and-terra-cotta mansions and chandeliers, with their diamond rings and fur coats and chauffeured cars. One writer marveled at Osage girls who attended the best boarding schools and wore sumptuous French clothing, as if “une très jolie demoiselle of the Paris boulevards had inadvertently strayed into this little reservation town.”

Many of the Osage would rush to see a gusher when it erupted, scrambling for the best view, making sure not to cause a spark, their eyes following the oil as it shot fifty, sixty, sometimes a hundred feet in the air. With its great black wings of spray, arcing above the rigging, it rose before them like an angel of death. The spray coated the fields and the flowers and smeared the faces of the workers and the spectators. Still, people hugged and tossed their hats in celebration. Bigheart, who had died not long after the imposition of allotment, was hailed as the “Osage Moses.” And the dark, slimy, smelly mineral substance seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world.

A short, stout man, with a luxuriant mustache and a shock of red hair, Burns had once aspired to be an actor, and he cultivated a mystique, in part by writing pulp detective stories about his cases. In one such book, he declared, “My name is William J. Burns, and my address is New York, London, Paris, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and wherever else a law-abiding citizen may find need of men who know how to go quietly about throwing out of ambush a hidden assassin or drawing from cover criminals who prey upon those who walk straight.”

Meanwhile, Ernest’s aunt was muttering, loud enough for all to hear, about how mortified she was that her nephew had married a redskin. It was easy for Mollie to subtly strike back because one of the servants attending to the aunt was white—a blunt reminder of the town’s social order.

Hoover demanded that his staff wear dark suits and sober neckties and black shoes polished to a gloss. He wanted his agents to be a specific American type: Caucasian, lawyerly, professional. Every day, he seemed to issue a new directive—a new Thou Shall Not—and White put on his big cowboy hat with an air of defiance.

Blackie, evidently enjoying himself, looked squarely at Burkhart and said, “Ernest, I have told them everything.”

The judge advised the jury members that they must set aside sympathies or prejudices for either side. He warned, “There never has been a country on this earth that has fallen except when that point was reached…where the citizens would say, ‘We cannot get justice in our courts.’ ”

In 1932, the bureau began working with the radio program The Lucky Strike Hour to dramatize its cases. One of the first episodes was based on the murders of the Osage...The broadcasted radio program concluded, “So another story ends and the moral is identical with that set forth in all the others of this series….[The criminal] was no match for the Federal Agent of Washington in a battle of wits.”

The historian Burns once wrote, “To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been possible to salvage has been saved and is dearer to our hearts because it survived. What is gone is treasured because it was what we once were. We gather our past and present into the depths of our being and face tomorrow. We are still Osage. We live and we reach old age for our forefathers.”

Killers of the Flower Moon, dir. Martin Scorsese // Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (3/3)

[phoenixyfriend]

Hey who wants a Star Wars/Bridgerton crossover? Too bad, you're getting one because I finished S2 the other day and I'm having Thoughts about "Regency but actual historicity only matters when it gives us cause for drama" and, of course, Ahsoka Tano.

(You probably don't need to have watched Bridgerton to understand this.)

We take some post-war no-66 AU Disaster Trio+Padme-and-the-twins and have them do a 'diplomacy' visit to a rather old-fashioned planet that was hit by Separatists (mostly they set up a base in Antarctica, but a few ships did get shot down over populated areas so...) and the sapient population is mostly humans that have been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for so long that they didn't know other planets were even inhabited, let alone so widely.

Now that they know, they'd like to trade, etc. The safest way to do that, in order to do things like 'acquire spaceships and not be raided by space pirates' is to reach out to the recovering galactic republic.

For the purposes of plot, we'll say that Earth (Terra) does have some raw materials that are useful for whatever reason. IDK. Space needs all the coal they can get for raw carbon to make bacta or some similar nonsense.

Obviously, they need to be assessed to see if they can abide by Republic law in order to be viable to trade with and gain ship access etc. This is complicated by the fact that there is not a singular planetary government, but many, many, many fractured ones. Most of the bigger ones appear to have gotten that way through imperial conquest, which is... not great. The solution is to send some senators and Jedi to make overtures to multiple governments, convince them to hold some sort of global congress (proto-UN) in order to set up at least a representative body that the Galactic Republic can interact with, in order to do things like Make America (and many others) Stop Doing A Slavery.

Padme, bringing along her former-Jedi husband Anakin (and through him, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, who are there as The Jedi, since Anakin isn't officially a Jedi anymore, because he has a wife and children, and also some clones there as support, and a few handmaidens), is the Senator chosen to go to Regency England.

Who, since the king is... not well (he's old and has days where he thinks he's forty or thirty or twenty again, due to dementia or Alzheimer's or something), is ruled primarily by Bridgerton's interpretation of Queen Charlotte, who dresses a few decades out of style purely to be dramatic and extra af in 1800s court dress, and is also mixed race, which has led to Bridgerton-the-show's England being racially egalitarian, even though the classism is still a huge issue.

Anyway, this is Queen Charlotte:

The core of the awkward plot is that in order to get Queen Charlotte to work with them, they have to play by her rules and engage with London's court games, with all the ballroom dances and promenade, etc.

Since Ahsoka is Of A Marriagable Age, she has to attend things, and dance with people, and she can't just tell people that Jedi Don't Marry (and she's a Jedi again, she's finishing her padawanhood with Obi-Wan, the war is over and she's back and she is going to be a knight, dammit) because that would ruin Queen Charlotte's fun, so she has to play along for at least a few weeks.

There is a lot of Hot Gossip about how she's... well, she's not human, sure, but her brother seems to be wealthy, so maybe the dowry is good? And for anyone who wants to explore, marrying her would be a ticket off planet! Ahsoka at one point tells everyone that any man who wants to marry her needs to beat her at fencing, arm wrestling, or straight up brawling. Anakin and Obi-Wan and Padme all approve, and the Queen thinks it's hilarious so nobody can like... stop her.

Much drama is had about her wanting to just bring along one of the troopers as her socially-necessary escort to things, because those are men! Who could take advantage of a young lady like herself! Someone does try to get her alone for an entrapment plot but when people walk in on them as planned, she's got him in an armbar and refuses to explain why but. Whatever was happening, it wasn't that kind of inappropriate.

Eventually the Queen deliberately lets slip that actually, Jedi can't marry, and all of the money in Skywalker's hands is actually Amidala's (there might be some switcheroos going on where people don't realize that Padme's the senator instead of Anakin, because gender things in Regency England, and also she's definitely swapping out with the handmaidens to get servant secrets), and so if anyone wants a dowry, it'll have to be by getting her good favor, not just Skywalker and Kenobi's.

Something something "but you're a general, Kenobi, shouldn't you be a man of wealth and taste, like all of our great military leaders?" "...we're monks." (Various marriage-minded mamas try to get their daughters into his affections. They do not succeed. Anakin eventually drops a joke that if Obi-Wan was ever going to marry, it would have been to Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, who is definitely still alive here, and who has basically proposed to him twice, and the instances were twenty years apart, and since that hasn't happened, Obi-Wan definitely isn't marrying, ever.)

Someone asks Ahsoka whom she would marry if she did have to follow Regency England rules, where she's got to marry Up, and she lists off just. Boys that she's managed to save the lives of, since apparently she can only marry a boy with these rules.

1. Lux Bonteri (Anakin counters that she's too good for him)

2. The Prince of Mon Cala (shot down because togruta and Mon Calamari can't procreate, and an heir is necessary for Regency rules, which they are required to follow here)

3. Korkie Kryze (Anakin decides this is the least objectionable option)

Ahsoka finishes by saying that if she had to marry but didn't have to follow Regency Rules, she'd just marry, like, Rex or something. Rex gives her a fist bump for this declaration.

"Whaddaya say, Rexter, you wanna get hitched?" "Well, I don't have anything else on my schedule for tomorrow. Senator Amidala can probably officiate. Think I can get a lightsaber if I'm married to a Jedi?" "Worth a shot!"

(They don't actually get married but man do I love Rex and Ahsoka being Absolute Besties.)

There are also Bridgerton-character-specific plots in my head that probably don't make sense unless you've seen the show but I'll describe a few with hopefully enough detail to work for the people who are only here for Star Wars.

This is Colin Bridgerton. He is the third son of a Viscount (though his father died, so now the Viscount is his eldest brother), and his big thing was that he wanted to go traveling. He did a trip to Greece and greatly enjoyed it. His primary role in the show is as a potential love interest for two young women, Marina Thompson and Penelope Featherington. He would be interested in Ahsoka possibly due to the opportunity to See The Stars. He's a much more genial kind of guy than most of the men we see, though there's still some casual Rich Boy moments. He's generally polite, kind, and even funny.

This is Penelope Featherington. She is secretly the author "Lady Whistledown," who anonymously pens a gossip column that the ton reads religiously. She is young (mid teens, though the actress is mid-thirties) and clever, but she's a wallflower who currently has no marriage prospects. She'd be invested in the opportunity to enter a society where she can earn money etc. without it causing her to lose her status and possibly being able to do things like Inherit, which she can't in Regency England.

Eloise Bridgerton! Colin's younger sister (she's the fifth child of eight) and Penelope's best friend (until an incident late in the second season), a budding activist. She's very 'baby's first step into feminism,' and she gets into a decent amount of trouble in the second season by 'consorting with political radicals' who advocate for women's emancipation, etc. She'd be very interested in Padme and the handmaidens, and learning that Padme is the chosen representative (either directly elected, or picked by an elected queen) of an entire sector.

Benedict Bridgerton (second son) is an art student who is... you know what Gil's like in Paris (Girl Genius)? Like that, but for real. I don't think he has any interest in leaving the planet or marrying one of the SW cast, but he is probably pretty interested in scoring with a Nabooan handmaiden.

Genevieve, the modiste. She's a dressmaker by trade, pretending to be French because the ton is fickle and people won't buy if she admits she's English. I feel like she'd strike up a friendship with Padme's team on the basis of providing guidance on what the Rules Of Propriety are in this period to the wardrobe team.

The Prince (whose name I forget), a Prussian royal that is Queen Charlotte's nephew. She keeps trying to set him up with an English noblewoman so he spends more time in the country instead of going back to the continent. I don't think she'd try to set him up with a Star Wars person, but I do think it would be very funny if he falls for one of Padme's girl gang.

Portia Featherington, Penelope's mother. Her family's fallen on some hard times (her now-dead husband gambled away most of their money, including the dowries), and she's very conniving and scheming and all such things in order to get her family back to a good place. She's a bitch about it, but she's also usually right, and S2 ends on a note that has her putting her daughters before everything. I'm not sure what her exact plot would be here, but getting one of the girls married off to a Star Wars person probably features.

The Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton (the mother of the aforementioned Bridgertons) and THE BITCH HERSELF, Lady Danbury.

They like to matchmake (they've twice gotten one of Violet's kids married off to Lady Danbury's... charges? Her godson, and then a family she was 'sponsoring' due to a scandal from twenty years earlier).

Lady Danbury is also something of a friend? Ish? To the Queen, and one of the only people that gets to talk back and get away with it. She is magnificent.

Anyway, I think they'd be delighted with the idea of like. Joining forces with Padme and Anakin to matchmake local girls who want to Get Out Of Here with one of the clone troopers.

[croziers-compass]

Gender as Ship Ranks and Titles: A Drunken Ramble from Yours Truly.

Not particularly edited in any way and very Raw in its creation. So please forgive the hideous nature that this piece is written and articulated in.

Dead Dove. Do not Eat.

I have another weird influx of people resonating with the gender system of ship ranks and Naval History in several other groups and circles/communities I am in. And it's strangely wholesome right now because it has created an influx of individuals with varying degrees of understanding that specifically comes from Polar Exploration. This new influx is a bunch of Polar Explorers who have a particular niche interest in other Expeditions such as the Crozier-Ross Expedition, Terra Nova, the Ross Sea Party, Amundsen, Captain Scott, and Shackleton. So now, included in this, comes an influx from some people who attended Terror Camp and got to discuss some things with Francis Spufford who spoke about how strangely and very unexpectedly gendered it was on these Expeditions.

In my mind, despite the crews being all men, gender sort of melted away into ranks and how they provide for one another as individuals both through rank and their skills aboard the Expedition. He spoke a little about how the crews engaged with one another through almost "neo-gendered" roles that replaced conventional social structures and settings that you would normally have been seeing in the period appropriate binary that was so strictly enforced. From caregiving and support concepts as well as other nuanced aspects that were important for the crew and their social structures. This was because there was this immense amount of isolation and removal from conventional society and no other "binary" to compare themselves as individuals to. This removed gender altogether for the crews as they were so isolated and far from civilisation that such concerns, matters, and focuses were no longer an applicable structure. But still, yet, gender as a social structure plays a prominent role in understanding one another in a more social way and not a way to uphold "Gender Roles" or the "Gender Binary". It was not a necessity.

This was particularly true about the Shackleton Expedition and it seemed to impact a lot of others that have a sort of niche interest in the concept of gender associations that are expressed through varying "era's ship ranks". We observed this particularly with how some of the crew sought out very particular individuals and referred to them in almost an exclusive way where they connected the ship rank or the ship role to the crew member and began to exclude conventional pronouns in their journals. There was a fluidity to the way that they saw one another after being isolated for so long. The years spent away from the structures of conventional society meant that they needed to reinvent social society for themselves.

They could not afford to abide by the usual structures of society in the Polar Regions because it was not a safe way to survive.

The structures of Naval roles and Navy Ranks provided a good chain of command that could be relied upon as a narrative for who provides and does what for the expedition as well as the personality and entire energy of that individual.

Naturally, eventually, everything else fell away.

So there is this concept of conventional grasps of gender falling away entirely and no longer being useful to the societal structures that they once had. By extension, there is no need for the other concepts and structures that fit into the social binary. They don't exist. The Polar Regions are sterile. You are isolated. Without need of anything else but the chain of command to keep everything in a way that makes sense to the crew.

Final Disclaimer these are not sober ramblings.

[hisuianhellion]

🪐

Mass Effect - Death mention

It had been a few years since arriving here, ten in fact. No documentation. No familial or legal history to reference. A good few psych examinations to make sure she had even a shred of sanity in her skull when screaming about how aliens weren't supposed to be real, where the fuck was she, how the fuck did she even get here. All in front of a Lieutenant of a human space navy that somehow took sympathy on her.

She had told him rather plainly that she wasn't really the military type. But he didn't want her to just end up jobless and worthless on the Citadel. She'd either end up deported or shoved into one of the wards, landing a dead-end job within cultures she knew nothing about. But she seemed to have an aptitude for learning about other races more keenly than those who simply grew up with them, and that had Lieutenant Anderson's attention.

It wasn't forced, but she did still feel strong-armed into service. This or destitution. And it let her get plenty of training in, both on a physical side and a cultural side. Learning how Earth was in the late 22nd century. Learning about the myriad Council and Embassy races. And learning that the colonial mindset of human expansion and brute-forced progress hadn't faltered, but... hey. At least now they had competition in the Council races that held the galaxy in their political grip. What they said went, you just had to abide that.

Quietly sitting in her cabin, she found herself reminiscing. That first gunfight she had gotten herself into, clearing that Red Sand grift without a single casualty on her side. She ended up visiting the family of who died to make sure it wasn't missed. Not on her own side... but hey. Stupid kids making stupid decisions. And it taught her to make sure she talked before shooting, despite what training said.

A year later, a stint in a joint military exercise with the Systems Alliance and the local colonist militia on Elysium turned into what was thus known as the "Skyllian Blitz". It was the bloodiest battle she had ever seen at that point. She was just a Warrant Officer at the time, but Anderson had kept tabs on her. A couple of calls here, a recommendation for enrollment in the ICT program there, and she was an N4 by then. But that fight. That goddamn fight.

Commander, dead. Killed in the first barrage. Captain above him, currently not even there yet, but the SSV Agincourt was apparently en route. The ships above fell almost immediately after the Alliance Navy had appeared, yeah, but the ground troops found little rapport when the slavers and pirates opted to shift from collection to slaughter when they realized there wasn't going to be a way out that wasn't prison.

Anderson had chosen well those few years back, because without Rose stepping up immediately to make sure that the colonists had firearms, cover, and knew where to puncture the attacking Batarians and their hired goons? Well. Those Vorcha would've had a very easy time committing whatever atrocities they were ordered to deal.

Casualties were brought from hundreds, even thousands projected... to nineteen where she was. Nineteen dead, sixty injured but stable. Hundreds... down to just below twenty. And an entire invading army's ground invasion cleared out.

The very following week, she had been awarded the Star of Terra. A month later, she was fast-tracked through the ITC, graduating that in 2182 with the distinction of being a Commander with the N7 code. Six months later, she oversaw the Normandy's shakedown run with Captain Anderson himself, a man with so many medals he could melt them down into a life-sized statue of himself, so said Navigator Pressly. Anderson was her friend. Her confidant. The man who had made sure to put the training to the talent he saw.

And she had just replaced him. Backroom politics, stealing not just his old mission to make people see what Saren was truly like... but the very ship he was slated to command. She wasn't even a Captain at this point. She was the rank just below that, and yet... being a Spectre got her special privileges, it seemed.

She had recruited humans and aliens alike to help her track down a rogue Spectre, murderer of his own friend, slaughterer of so many on Eden Prime. Garrus, Tali, Ashley, Kaiden, Wrex... even Liara. The daughter of Saren's own second in command. Therum was a melting pot she barely got that woman out of alive, and Feros was a lesson in horror she was still reeling from. It was costing her sleep, even...

Now she was here. In the captain's cabin herself of the SSV Normandy. She stared at the Star of Terra, haphazardly tossed onto the desk beside the bed. She rubbed at her eyes gently, standing up and beginning to walk outwards. A wave to Kaiden, who had opted to pass some time during their stop at the Citadel docks by chatting with Doctor Chakwas. Good guy. Very down to earth fellow. She ended up stepping forward towards the stairwell that led to the bridge, but nearly ended up slamming her nose right into a set of armor.

Red. Bulky. Holding a scowl behind it as a hulk of a man stared down at her with reptilian eyes. She looked up for a moment with a faint "eh, sorry", and went to shift past the Krogan.

Wrex reached out, grabbing her arm. And she stopped, her eyes clouding gently before she flicked them in his direction wordlessly. "... Wrex."

"Waite." His grip held her for a moment before letting go. "Don't you humans need that thing called 'sleep'?"

"Hasn't been coming easy. And don't act like Krogans don't need it, either." She turned a bit more fully to look down at him, crossing her arms. "Or does a guy like you run purely off spite?"

The larger of the two actually gave a faint huff, something of a laugh. The last month had gotten him to loosen up, and considering the armor he had just gotten back after a good long while... well. He wasn't all smiles. But he trusted Rose. He knew Rose had not just skills, but a brain between her ears. "Piss and vinegar, I heard a human say back on Omega once. But that isn't your kind of fuel." Her own smirk, forming at his words, faded soon after, and she shook her head.

"... Nah. Been hard to find the time. We've gotta head to Noveria soon, it's the last loose end I can think of."

"And you can handle that when you actually rest. I'm not following a half dead human to an early grave, I'm following a Spectre that knows how to take care of herself." Rose's frown began to deepen for a few seconds, only for her to sigh through her nose. Fuck. Even the resident loner, barely capable of saying anything more than her last name unless she tugs it out of him, is laying into her?

"On one condition." Wrex crossed his arms as well in response, meeting her gaze at the same height despite being a few steps below her, and he knit his brow. "You come out there with me. We go to Zalera Ward. And you have a goddamn drink with me. Mm?"

The look on his face crossed from annoyance at being denied at first, straight to shock at the offer, then immediately confused amusement. And the only thing that changed on his face was the slits of his eyes widening and narrowing in turn with a crease of his jaws loosening slightly.

"I put a gun to your head, so you pull a knife to my gut, eh? Damn idiot." And for the first time, a smirk tugged at his lips, and with a hand on her chest, he shoved her a few steps upwards. "Fine. I still owe you for the armor. But you're paying."

"Cheapskate."

"Put up or shut up, Waite."

[csmeanerr]

didnt terras copied chams first?

yeppp terraliens were made because of a rejected cham design, then their faces were turned into visors and they even have a rule they barely abide by to have no curled tails so it doesn't look too similar

[ritadcsc]

Pai celestial, eu te louvo por teres colocado tudo em seu lugar perfeito. Debaixo do manto dos céus estrelados, atribuíste-nos nosso lugar. Oro pelo descanso e pela paz na tua presença. Peço que a tua glória continue a brilhar na minha vida para o meu bem supremo. Enquanto a Terra continua a girar em torno do seu eixo e a percorrer a sua órbita em torno do sol, oro para que a minha vida continue a fluir sob a poderosa direção da tua mão. Obrigado por estares atento a nós, por te preocupares conosco e por nos amares.

Abide Christian Meditation em 40 salmos para inspirar sua vida, p. 111

[rockheadcd]

arkn au steven is so funny to me because making him a sankta means he has to abide by the Law but at the same time this man works with rhine so like. he's dancing around breaking every geneva convention known to the entirely of terra every fifteen minutes in the pursuit of originium-based technology. catch him in the rhodes cafeteria with his pretty light halo and wings just Gentleman Laughing about the atrocity happening next door to his lab he remembered last week and roark is just 👁👁🔪 because he's very much aware columbia isn't above sending workers that won't last long in the mines over to rhine as Volunteers(tm). we love a walking oxymoron.

[flowersofstarlight]

Lilith, the Night Witch

Lilith is the last Aurorian who works for Lord Erebus and Ra Moon. She is a mix of Serenia and Lotus. Her father is a Lotus Aurorian, and her mother is a Serenia. She is the lieutenant and a member of the Phantom. Lilith is law-abiding and intelligent, but also cruel, manipulative and domineering, most obviously so with Sunstar and the Stardroids. She is cold-hearted, but not to Erebus, Ra Moon and Ra Thor.

Lilith is a very powerful sorcerer and a strong warrior of the Phantom, manifesting Auroria magic and half of the Dark Power. She is a scientist who uses her test subjects (Lost Aurorians, corrupted creatures, Sunstar and the Stardroids) to study for experiments with no regard for her victims, performing depraved experiments on her test subjects for the belief that they would become superior beings and robots, while subjecting them to physical and mental suffering with no remorse and seeing them as nothing more than lesser creatures or objects to experiment on.

She has shown her advanced intellect and created the Drones with the intention of finding a way to analyze anything. Especially to find Etherea Songs and learn the information about Earth, including the Robotic Doctors and the Blue Bomber.

Her greatest creation was “the Chemical Alteration,” using science instead of magic. Using her blood and parts of her Dark Power, Lilith made the Chemical Alteration that could enhance her subjects’ ability and power, even giving them the Dark Power permanently.

She constantly uses Chemical Alteration on her research subjects to test their survivability. She even injected the chemicals into Sunstar, Terra and their brothers. She was very heartless and cruel to them, but she was impressed to see how resilient they were. She also planned on injecting the Chemical Alteration into the Robot Masters to become the Black Army of the Phantom (but failed to do so in Chapter 13).

In her early life (when she was 8 years old), Lilith was a kindhearted and caring child, and had a happy life with her parents. But then the Voltaris attacked the Lotus Village, and both her parents were killed. Lilith was so scared and got angry when she killed three of the Voltaris until she got captured. Scourge, the leader of the Voltaris, saw the potential in her and took her in to hope that she’ll become a strong and powerful warrior to steal Etherea Songs. He used her, injured and trained her while she was still a child. He did nothing but traumatize her.

Lilith lost every emotion after the death of her parents and cruelty that Scourge and his people did to her and the orphans, except her depression, sadness and hate. Her parents used to be her starlights and support, but they were not there anymore. She’s all alone until she met Lord Erebus in the shadows at night.

Lilith wanted to take revenge on the Voltaris for everything they had done, so agreed to help Erebus to free him and join his side to succeed his goals. She didn’t care about the consequences anymore, nor was she concerned that everyone else would die. She’s no longer the same innocent and joyful girl she once was. She saw her Lord as a savior from the Voltaris, which is why she’s very loyal to Erebus. After Erebus trained her for 10 years, Lilith successfully slaughtered all the Voltaris and killed their leader.

She finally felt satisfied to get her revenge after Erebus gave her the Dark Power to be powerful enough to kill her enemies. With half of the Dark Power, she has the immortality to live eternity to assist Erebus and his master as she has shown her loyalty to them.

In chapter 7, she was somewhat nice to Kalinka and Nora. Not because they are the guests, but because they reminded her of herself when she was little. She thought about protecting the girls from cruelty, but after she told them about her plan, Kalinka and Nora begged her to stop and spare them. But Lilith just ignored their plead and ordered Sunstar and Terra to send them back to their cell.

She changed her mind and stopped caring about Kalinka and Nora. But deep down, somewhere in her cold heart, a part of her innocent and kind self is still there, even though Lilith refused to let it out and she doesn’t want to believe her childish wishes anymore. Not even her PTSD could stop her.

[ihaveonlymydreams]

12 Days of Classical Christmas

Day Two: In Terra Pax, by Gerald Finzi

A frosty Christmas eve

When the stars were shining

Fared I forth alone,

Where westward falls the hill.

And from many a village

In the water'd valley,

Distant music reached me

Peals of bells a'ringing.

The constellated sounds

Ran sprinkling on earth's floor

As the dark vault above

With stars was spangled o'er.

Then sped my thoughts to keep

That first Christmas of all

When the shepherds watching

By their folds ere the dawn

Heard music in the fields

And marveling could not tell

Whether it were angels

Or the bright stars singing.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them:

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."

But to me heard afar

It was starry music,

Angels' song, comforting,

As the comfort of Christ

When He spake tenderly

To His sorrowful flock.

The old words came to me,

By the riches of time

Mellow'd and transfigured,

As I stood on the hill

Heark'ning in the aspect

Of the eternal silence.

Text: Robert Bridges "Noël: Christmas Eve 1913," Luke 2:8-17 and the Book of Common Prayer (adaptation)

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Stone Order (Pathfinder 2nd Edition Druid Order)

 I’ve said this in the past, but while everyone remembers druids for their mastery of animals and plants, sometimes it’s easy to forget their connection to the four elements, the very basis upon which the natural world is built.

The order of the stone, naturally, reveres the element of earth, as it provides not only the ground beneath their feet, but also soil for plant life, as well as many wonders of geology and mineralogy. Many druidic sacred sites center around noteworthy geological formations, and those that do not often use stone to accent them, such as with standing stones placed long ago.

Which leads me to an interesting note about the edicts of the order. While they recognize the need to quarry and mine for precious or useful materials, they stand firmly against methods of extraction that leave the surrounding environment devastated, to say nothing of their views of polluting the soil.

A curiosity among druidic orders, their focus on minerals makes them somewhat aligned with the industrial side of civilization, but like all druids, they will not abide acts of despoiling.

 These druids tend to have a natural affinity for crafting, but this order grants them much more than a knack for tools. They also draw upon the power of the earth to make themselves steady and immovable, and can command the earth to open like a mouth to clamp down and immobilize foes.

Of course, that’s just the basic abilities. From there, they can use Sheltering Cave to create a temporary shelter within the earth; Advanced Elemental Spell grants them access to a mighty impaling stone projectile; and they can protect themselves with Harden Flesh.

Beyond the druid feats specifically tied to the order of stone, the following can prove quite useful to this order: Poison Resistance, Elemental Summons, Order Explorer, Order Magic, Elemental Shape, Primal Summons, Timeless Nature, Primal Aegis, and Leyline Conduit, though others may appeal to you.

By default, this order’s resistance to being moved, ability to inhibit foes with focus spells, and potential for damage resistance offer tools for being a tough and tanky druid that can control the movement of foes on the battlefield. If that appeals to you, this order might be a good pick to take at the beginning or early into your character’s adventure.

 Though they prioritize terra firma and the element of earth, these druids still dutifully care for all of nature, and when the time comes, they likely prove the most stalwart of its defenders, not just in terms of their magic, but also in terms of the sort of personality this order attracts, reflecting the earth and stone they honor.

  For a dream may changeling like Vikki Mossstrider, the mysteries of the great beyond hold no interest, even with her gnomish heritage. After all, such is the realm of her predatory, soul-stealing mother. Instead, she chose to focus entirely on the material world and all it’s wonders, particularly terra firma once she joined a druidic circle of the stone.

 When an automaton conclave gathers seeking to excavate the ruins of the civilization they once belonged to, the local order of the stone gather to discuss. Some view the soulbound constructs to be a violation of the natural order, while others merely worry that the digging will disrupt the ecology that has grown over the site.

 The local druid circle contacts the party to deal with a sensitive matter. You see, one of their rituals went awry, summoning a rogue earth elemental that escaped their bonds and most embarrassingly, incorporated one of the sacred menhirs of their standing stone circle into its body. The party’s task is to locate and defeat the elemental carefully, separating the stone from the beast so it can be returned to it’s rightful place.

[wesleybrasil]

Negra Rê: uma ativista que usa o rap como plataforma de ação

Moradora do Arará (Benfica) viajou o mundo e tem seu nome na história da cultura hiphop nacional

As primeiras batalhas de improviso na extinta sinuca da Lapa 173 despertaram o desejo pela área da educação. As rimas que Negra Rê trocava com seus amigos na Tradicional Batalha do Real eram o início de um discurso forte que acompanharia a história de Renata Almeida dali em diante: a presença feminina no rap, a luta pela educação e a ação efetiva a favor das comunidades cariocas.

Já no seu primeiro ano envolvida com a cultura hiphop (2003), Rê viu o início da sua carreira nos palcos e nas salas de aula com oficinas de reforço escolar através do rap. Passou por lugares como Rocha Miranda (Projeto UNIR - União para Integração e Realização), Vigário Geral (NAH - Núcleo Afro Hiphop), Rocinha (Projeto Pensando Junto, idealizado pelo Rapper Gabriel O Pensador) e Benfica, com Projeto Saciarará que foi criado pela própria Negra Rê e produziu 3 curtas, diversos eventos, shows e Batalha do Passinho. O Saciarará teve ainda o apoio da ong Abides, IPDH, e projeto Saci Tererê (Teresópolis).

Em Rocha Miranda, Negra Rê criou e atuou como educadora na alfabetização de adultos, jovens e crianças com Síndrome de Down.

Indo além da cultura urbana, Rê também atuou na doação de 1.000 mudas para reflorestar o Parque Nacional da Araucária (Mauá, Rio de Janeiro). Ainda no campo ambiental, produziu e atuou na divulgação e produção do projeto 'Papel Artesanal': uma série de exposições de quadros com papel botânico artesanal produzido em Mauá pelo artista plástico Maurício Rosa, idealizador da atividade.

No campo musical, onde é amplamente conhecida, contribuiu com uma série de iniciativas: foi vocalista da banda PARVATI (composta por cinco Mulheres Musicistas).

Foi contemplada com uma viagem para a Europa após participar de um processo seletivo dentre 5.000 inscritos. No Velho Mundo, participou de Workshops e diversos eventos. Também se apresentou em um dos teatros mais icônicos da Inglaterra, o Queen Elisabeth Hall, além de outros lugares na Inglaterra, França e Holanda. Gravou em Birmigham e na Radio Manchester FM - onde participou como convidada especial junto com o Músico Soweto Kinch e Apples and Snackes.

De volta ao Brasil, produziu seu primeiro álbum (o EP Nata da Selva) editado e produzido pelo Produtor Musical Ramiro Mart, com participações de Cone Crew Diretoria, Chimpo e Skeatlles, Green Team (Don Negrone, Mell, Sheep Rimador e Gordo). O álbum teve ainda apoio da Caverna do Dragão Records, Toma da Suíça, Aori Anaga, Guilda Beatmático e D'outro lado estúdio.

Ao lado do produtor musical Ikky Castilho, participou em 2012 na track '21 Comandando o Show'. Foi também atração Do Red Bull Music Academy no Rio Scenarium. Por falar em atração, foi a principal em diversas lonas culturais do Rio de Janeiro. Participou de campeonatos e batalhas do eixo Rio, São Paulo e Juiz de Fora: naturalmente sendo campeã em várias.

Sua relevância na cultura hiphop, especialmente entre as mulheres, foi alvo de um reconhecimento inédito: em 2017 o troféu da Batalha das Musas foi construído em sua homenagem pelas mãos da grafiteira Aila, entregue no Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), que é um dos principais aparelhos de cultura do país.

Até hoje é integrante do Grupo Musical MESA DE RIMA e é Mestre de Cerimônia da festa JAMBRA (Festa Jamaicana de Música Brasileira). Rê também é idealizadora e produtora do Baile da Rainha RJ e do Baile do João Black (ícone Black da comunidade do Arará).

Seu mais recente trabalho é o Clipe HERESIA, com o cantor, compositor e professor Kellvn.

Atualmente está produzindo o EP IDENTIDADE, onde conta sua história de vida. Nas letras, Rê encara de frente pautas que cruzam sua passagem pela Terra como o Racismo, Afrodecendência e a luta de mãe solo preta periférica pra sobreviver na Babilônia, falando de fé e amor ao próximo. Em breve em todas as plataformas.

Além do álbum, Rê continua seu trabalho como ativista: durante a pandemia do coronavirus criou o jantar Laroyê, que distribui quentinhas para moradores de rua da comunidade do Arará e entorno (Manguinhos e Jacaré). Atua também na doação de cestas básicas para 20 famílias de sua comunidade com ajuda de amigos e projetos parceiros, incentivando e convocando doadores.

Mantendo as origens dos tempos em que Renata se tornou Negra Rê, hoje é possível encontrá-la no palco e nos bastidores da Batalha do Real, onde tem feito direção de palco.

SERVIÇO Negra Rê YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG5gcE2mQewMaJM1XwtHX4A/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/negraremc/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/negrarerap

[abraao-vidal-galdino]

Sucedeu, depois destas coisas, que Deus provou a Abraão, dizendo-lhe: Abraão! E este respondeu: Eis-me aqui. Prosseguiu Deus: Toma agora teu filho; o teu único filho, Isaque, a quem amas; vai à terra de Moriá, e oferece-o ali em holocausto sobre um dos montes que te hei de mostrar. Levantou-se, pois, Abraão de manhã cedo, albardou o seu jumento, e tomou consigo dois de seus moços e Isaque, seu filho; e, tendo cortado lenha para o holocausto, partiu para ir ao lugar que Deus lhe dissera. Ao terceiro dia levantou Abraão os olhos, e viu o lugar de longe. E disse Abraão a seus moços: Ficai-vos aqui com o jumento, e eu e o mancebo iremos até lá; depois de adorarmos, voltaremos a vós.

Gênesis 22:1-5

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

Genesis 22:1-5

APP Bíblia Bilingue - Disponível na Google Play

[alienwolflady]

The Pinned Post!

Hello, all. You can call me Lex (he/him). I am well over 21. This is an indie sideblog for a werewolf muse with whom I have been tinkering. Hope you like her! Below you can find some guidelines and a bio! Oh, and this is a sideblog so I cannot follow back.

Other blogs: main. multifandom. moms.

Hi! You can call me Lex, if you like. I just like the name. Pleasure to meet you!! I hope you enjoy your time here.

Please be 21 or over to interact with me. No exceptions. I’m pretty chill with the block button, but a lie gets you an instant one. Tends toward the graphic. Appropriate topics will be tagged. Ageless blogs will also be blocked.

As I said, this is a SB. Follow-backs, likes, etc are coming from my personal. You’re obviously not required to follow it back but please don’t block it.

I love shipping. Louise is pansexual.

This blog is fandomless and can fit into any verse! Please don’t hesitate to throw anyone and anything at Louise. I am not mutuals only. I prefer to not write against animated FCs.

This blog is not chronologically-locked. I love jumping around in her timeline. Threads set in Louise’s past will be tagged “flashback time” while threads set in AUs are tagged similarly.

I’m very busy IRL with family life and job responsibilities until the summer, so please be patient with me. I extend the same courtesy to you.

We abide here by the Golden Rule. I expect the same courtesy in return. We’re all adults here; please be kind and respectful.

The best way to interact with me is memes or responding to opens. No matter how old. I really love writing.

Please keep in mind that Louise “passes” for human almost every day, with the notable exception of full moons. She is not the sort to simply tell people “hey, I’m from another planet”. Unless your muse is also an alien or supernatural creature, no one is going to know she’s anything other than human.

Have fun!

———

Louise Victoria Collins came screaming into the world on February 27th, 1981, in Saint Augustine, Florida. She was born at 4:14 in the morning and weighed a healthy 8 pounds 2 ounces. Her family moved to Seattle, Washington, before she turned two; here she attended school until graduating high school in May 1999. Louise dropped out of college after one semester; she joined the military instead, as part of the National Guard. During this time, she met a man and fell in love. Sadly, the relationship would not last; relocations put a strain on things.

On her 21st birthday, Louise became privy to a dark family secret: they were descendants of a powerful werewolf bloodline from another galaxy, having fled to Terra following a bloody and brutal uprising. She first transformed on the first full moon of her 22nd year. It was a harrowing evening for all involved. Over time, however, she learned to control the shifting. This species is called the Stelvæth, or Stels for short.

After seven years with the National Guard, Louise was ready to go back to school. A degree in cellular biology soon followed. She graduated with honors and moved back home to Seattle. By the time she turned 30, several things came into perspective for Louise: she wanted a comfortable life, with a family of her own one day. With parthenogenesis a possibility for her species, she gave birth to twins (a girl, Emma, and a boy, William) following a 56-week gestation period. They were born on March 1st, 2012, at 8:21 and 8:56 PM, respectively.

When the twins were four, Louise decided it was time to retire from the military. Her true passion, writing, had called to her for years but she could never find the time to really work on it. Nowadays, she has one novel published and is working on the manuscript for a second. Her current 9-5 is at a laboratory, using her degree.

[n-effervescent]

Introduction Part 2: The Elvens

Mighty as the Gods may be, they were no match for Mishkelle himself. So once the Gods were locked up in the Silver Capital, Mishkelle sent a newer kind of inhabitants for the Terranians. The Elvens.

They are agile, nimble and deceitful. However, they were tasked with one sole duty. To ensure the longevity of Terra. In order to do so, Mishkelle blessed the Elvens with immortality. The only thing that can only kill them is silver, which so happens to be the rarest element on the entire Terra, and which also happens to be the material that the Silver Capital is made out of.

There were rules that Terranians and Elvens alike must abide to. It was not to enter the Silver Capital or climb up to Riksh at all cost. Failure to do so would result in a karmic punishment.

Naturally, the Elvens submit to the rules. They are, after all, the extension of Mishkelle himself. Tasked with a noble duty, the Elvens are considered the superior race in Terra. They annointed into Lords and Ladies by the Holy Devotees, and they rule over certain areas in Terra.

Terranians does not object. The Elvens, though deceitful, are kind to them. They don’t ask for sacrifices and there were significantly less children born out of wedlock. Some Elvens married with a human, creating a what would be known as Faes — a half Elven half human offspring.

Although being deceitful takes a huge part in the Elven nature, it has never done significant damage to Terra. Elvens are ever abiding followers of Mishkelle and thus they abide to the karmic rule. Being tasked with the sole duty of protecting Terra and its inhabitants, the Elvens cannot meddle in deceits.

It was a prosperous and joyous ten millenia for Terra under the Elven rule. At the end of the Millenia, many of the first generation Elvens has crossed the border between life and death, and stayed at the Lake of Souls as their final resting place. What ruled at the end of the first generation era was a different kind of race.

The second generation Elvens are notably less devout than their predecessors. Even so, they fulfilled their duties still. Terra was peaceful for another 500 years.

Until one day, a rogue Elf named Daimsleir launched an attack to seven of the Elven Lords of the seven continents of Terra. It is still not known to this day how or when Daimsleir amassed his army. The attack that Daimsleir launched turned into a 100 year long war between the seven lords and Daimsleir. This battle would be known as the Elven Battle.

At the end of the war, both parties came to a truce. Both were spent and had to replenish their troops and supplies. War is costly, and thus both retreated for a time.

Now there was a rumour. It was told that during said time, both parties scrambled to find the help of the great magic wielders guild. The guild were located in a far off island called Tusgrat, and it was said that the leader of the guild was the most powerful magic wielder of all time. The seven Elven lords found this magic wielder and turned the tide of the battle and won the Elven Battle.

Whether this information was true or not, the Scholars of Bibliotheca could not confirm. Sources have went to a location which was described as Tusgrat and found nothing there. Furthermore, the lack of information and evidence regarding the guild was scarce. Limited to only folklore and milk maid’s stories, the Scholars of Bibliotheca has eventually ruled out the possibility of the guild’s existence.

After the war, Daimsleir retreated into an unknown location and was rumored to be amassing more troops and power to attack Terra once more. However, until this day, Terra has remained peaceful.

Immediately after the war was won, Lord Humbrall of Gabore was crowned as king of the seven continents. This decision was reached after a meeting between the seven lords were held. What went on in said meeting, no one knows. It has, however, brought Terra immense blessing.

King Humbrall repaired and rehabilitated Terra after the war. Focusing on building defensive architecture around the now united kingdom. Terra had never known an era of such peace and prosperity.

King Humbrall’s reign lasts still to this day, with the help of his son, General Rowan, and the aid of his wife Queen Alexandria.

Terra has opened itself to the rest of the Known Land by accepting war refugees and accepting trade routes proposed by other kingdoms.

As king, Humbrall established a law that states that all Elvens and Faes are not allowed to use their deceit and/or glamour to pursue their needs and/or wants. Failure to do so will grant a citizen a royal banishment to the Red Woods. The purpose of this very specific rule is to maximize equality in the kingdom.

Humans also thrived. They are given the same chance as Elvens and Faes. Some becoming lord in one of the continents, while most become merchants trading in local goods.

Thus were the era that we live in now. Long live the King, Long live the Queen, and may Mishkelle grants.

[ghostharvest]

Full name: Hartley Grainne Pizzelle

Age: 35

Birth date: February 16th

Sexual & romantic orientation: Pansexual & Panromantic

Civil status: Single

Occupation: Mentor for District 9

Year of victory: 88

Parents: Grist Pizzelle (father) Terra Pizzelle (mother)

Siblings: Graham Pizzelle (older brother), Demeter Pizzelle. (Younger sister)

Other family: deceased maternal and paternal grandparents, no aunts or uncles

If people would have to describe the Pizzelle family, they could say they are both lucky and unlucky at the same time. For every good thing that happened, an equally bad thing happened. When everyone thought that it would be impossible for Grist parents to have a child, he was born; when Grist got a job, his father lost his own; when he got a home, his parents lost it after they couldn't keep paying for it; and not long after Graham was born, Grist's parents died. So when Hartley was born for Grist and Terra Pizzelle, it meant that they were born to be the counterpart of Graham, who showed nothing but kindness.

That's why their family was so overbearing with them, that's why they had to abide to every rule they had, even if they found them boring. They did, for a while, until they found it too tiring and decided to just do their own thing, and they were rewarded with school.

School was boring, and they didn't have the ability to care about the things they had to learn, and they were far more interested in making catapults with their ruler and pencils, becoming an annoyance to both teachers and students alike, until one day they stopped going.

Hartley decided to stop going, unbeknownst to their parents, and decided that school wasn't worth it for the work they would end up doing, so they went on to try and find a job. Hartley found really quickly that no one wanted to hire a child with no skills, so she was left to herself in the streets. Until she met Mazie, a ten years old orphan who worked as a thief, which for a ten years old like Hartley sounded like an adventure.

Mazie taught her the ways, and Hartley in exchange became the perfect sidekick for the girl. Hartley would end up calling that work, as she was able to get money back home, and she did it without being caught thanks to being a rather small child.

It was on their time on the streets that helped Hartley to understand more of themselves, to the point where she came to terms with their gender at eight years old, thanks to the many people they met on that time.

It was at ten that she got to work and left her old life behind and fell into a strange calm and monotony that Hartley appreciated after long of not knowing when they were going to be caught. But that was only the calm before the storm, as three years later, they were reaped for the hunger games.

The game went by like a blur, and by the time they were out if it, alive, things were different. Hartley was different.

They then spent five years trying to find themselves, five years where she did many things, met many people, lost many more, yet nothing felt like them. It seemed like a part of themselves had died on the arena. It was then, and after hearing that a mentor would retire from the work, that they decided to try being a mentor, to help other tributes.

But time after time they failed, only a victor had risen from the district ever since they started, and their faith in themselves started fading, until they called that one victor a miracle. Even after years, Hartley never got closure, they only kept going with their PTSD letting it consume them, over and over again until there was nothing but ashes of the human who was carried away from her district.

[netmassimo]

Il romanzo "La terra sull'abisso" ("Earth Abides") di George R. Stewart è stato pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1949. Ha vinto l'International Fantasy Award. In Italia è stato pubblicato dall'Editrice Nord nel n. 108 di "Cosmo Oro" e da Mondadori nel n. 39 di "Urania Jumbo", sempre nella traduzione di Gianluigi Zuddas.

Isherwood "Ish" Williams sta lavorando alla sua tesi di laurea tra le montagne quando viene morso da un serpente a sonagli. Riesce a eliminare la maggior parte del veleno ma trascorre giorni in uno stato di malessere, anche per quella che sembra una malattia non connessa all'avvelenamento. Quando torna abbastanza in forze, si reca nella città più vicina e la trova deserta, solo la prima prova di una morte di massa causata da una malattia sconosciuta.

Ish cerca altri sopravvissuti, che sono pochi e non sempre amichevoli, a volte in uno stato mentale fortemente alterato. Dopo aver girato per gli USA ormai quasi del tutto spopolati, torna in California e decide di stabilirsi nell'area. Trova una donna, Emma, e i due decidono di vivere assieme. Nel corso del tempo trovano alcuni altri sopravvissuti con i quali formare una piccola comunità ma quale può essere il futuro dell'umanità?