#( THE SUNBIRDS SIX )

[moineauz]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ( rockin'roll ! )

"and if you don't love me now, you won't ever love me again."

★ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 / the 70's rock band that took teyvat by storm

ISSUE 01. Everyone knows who The Sunbird's Six were. Their songs revited through the nations: tender and ethereal with each poignant verse. Yet, the group of six showed they could sing verses of ardour while thirsting with unrequited rage that tore souls apart in one sitting. Their debut and only album ‘Vermilion’ was hypnotic and utterly divine. It was a mosaic of winsome pieces that were put together to make one gut-wrenching album that you ultimately ugly cry to.

SO WHO WAS THE SUNBIRD'S SIX? Comprised of four founding members from Mondstadt, one from Snezhnaya, and the other from Fontaine, we get a cast of Teyvat's most talented musicians. Specifically, Diluc Ragnvindr as lead guitarist, songwriter and vocalist and ( Name ) St. Laurent as lead vocalist and songwriter. The duo bewitched the throng and perhaps themselves with both their flaming allure and vocals. Youth of the 70's wanted to become ( Name ) with all her charm and freedom while some fans died to get a strand of Diluc's hair alone. The other members include Jean Gunnhildr on keys, Rosaria on drums, Kaeya Alberich as bass guitarist, and 'Childe' as rhythm guitarist.

ISSUE 02. Yet, as The Sunbirds Six became a renowned household and rock name, their disbandment remains unknown- until now.

★ 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗

Kaeya Alberich ( bass guitarist ) : Ha! We were good... too good.

Rosaria ( drummer ) : Back then- things were simpler. You wanted to play? Grab an instrument and fucking play. That was our original motto... until things started getting messy. And by messy I mean Diluc and Childe. Maybe even ( Name ) too. *Sighs* Actually, all of us. But, you can't write an album like 'Vermilion' without going through all that shit.

Jean Gunnhildr ( pianist ) : When the four of us first came together, we were decent. We all loved playing- some more than others- but we were okay! *Smiles slightly* But, if you're going to go beyond the walls of the Ravginder basement- we needed more.

Childe ( rhythm guitarist ) : Do I sit here? *Laughs* Oh okay. When I was invited to join the band- I said, "Okay, my partner will join too." and of course, there was zero objection cause you don't find a musician like ( Name ) anywhere... a small part of me selfishly wishes that she [ ( Name ) ] said no when I asked. *Laughs* But who am I kidding? I'd go through all that again and again... even if it meant dealing with Diluc-

Diluc Ragnvindr ( lead guitarist ) We only needed another vocalist, a female one. So, we found one.

Kaeya : I was the one who told him we needed a female vocalist and I found her and Childe.

Rosaria : Rockin' roll is not serious till you really add whatever emotions ( Name ) had in the mix- and that's exactly what she did.

( Name ) St. Laurent : *Smiles sweetly* It was ugly, so ugly. However, bygones be bygones. It was only rockin' roll.

Diluc : It was not just rockin' roll.

★ ARTISTS AND OTHERS. Diluc Ragnvindr, 'Childe' or Ajax, Jean Gunnhildr, Rosaria, Kaeya Alberich, Zhongli, Lisa, Neuvillette, Albedo Kreideprinz, Xinyan, Pantalone, Rosalyne Lohefalter and more.

UPDATES AND POSTSCRIPT. Updates at least once a week (subjective to change). Female pronouns and vocal references.

SIDE COMMENTS. I love rock so let’s combine both. (If you genuinely understand the song reference in the beginning you are my friend now). Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch, the ambient sounds of the 90’s (Mazzy star and Mojave 3), Daisy Jones & the Six and of course the 70’s. Warnings will be in each chapter.

WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE? Here is a playlist of the previous artists and more to give you a feel!

★ 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 / the album , track 01

expect occasional changes to the track as the story develops

PREFACE — who are you? WILD CHILD — don't stop the music!

Vermilion

Stay Around (or not)

Reverie

Don’t Look Back Now

Runner Up

Tell Me You Love Her

Bright, Young, Woman

The Voices

White Lies

Visceral

Underneath My Skin

Valberry

Gone to Waste

Shoot Your Shot

From Afar

Dawn’s Shadow

In Leather and Faux Fur

Two for Two

My Monoceros Caeli

Deep Six

INWARDS NOT OUT — tell me, how have you been honey?

TAGLIST. @aphrodict @tragedy-of-commons @tipheeweefee @nyoomiin @https-mika @stvrdew @kascar-chronicle if you are interested in becoming part of the taglist, then drop by through an ask!

[moineauz]

i feel you, you're not alone

how do i format my posts. How

[sunbirdbooks]

Sunbird Books - A fundraising project

Hello everyone,

let me introduce our fundraising project, created with the purpose to raise funds for five displaced Palestinian families.

These campaigns are all verified, our team is directly in contact with them and share constant updates about their campaigns, needs and any other important update.

What do we do?

Our goal is to provide donations to these families but in a direct way, which means that we won't receive any of the money nor we touch them in any way. So, how do we do that? It's quite simple, you can reach out to us on our accounts (you can find us on X with the same username) choosing one of our e-books and we will assign you to one of the five families.

How do we work?

Once you reach out, telling us which e-book you want, you will be assigned to a family, you will make a 10$ donation to their gofundme, so the money will go directly to them.

We only require a screenshot as proof of donation and you can cover your name for privacy, then you can provide us an e-mail so we can send you the e-book or you can ask for the direct link to download it by yoursel, if you prefer not to share your e-mail.

You can request more than one e-book, but keep in mind that 10$= 1 e-book.

About our books

Now, let's talk about our books.

First of all, all of our e-books use public domain works and resources, so it's completely legal. We also have six books which were donated to us by an indie author.

All of our e-books are created by us, meaning that we make covers and we also make original books using selected works, such as poems from different countries and in different languages.

We also offer a selection of books for children, that can be printed so they can colour them (or you can convert the file so they can colour with any colouring app/paint on tablet/computer).

Our available books

Here's a list of our available books so far, our collection is constantly expanding to provide more genres.

Check out the covers and details on our X account

Books for children:

Dinosaurs Colouring Book

Unicorns Colouring Book

Fairytales Colouring Book

Animals Colouring Book

Princess Tales

Other Books

Sudoku & Puzzles

Poems From The World

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures - Vol.I

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures Vol. II

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures Vol. III

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Innermost by Jamila Mikhail

After Anderson by Jamila Mikhail

Don't Let Me Go by Jamila Mikhail

Through The Years by Jamila Mikhail

Soul Speaking by Jamila Mikhail

Ink On A Page by Jamila Mikhail

The Grimm Tales

The Phantom of The Opera (available in English, French and Spanish)

Mandala Colouring Book

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Lastly, here you can check our five adopted campaigns

[pseudonimh]

Hey, just a thought, but consider how cool it would be if as a way to try and win Phil's loyalty, the code gave him his "wings" back. Not a normal elytra or his usual crow wings, but a digital and number-filled set that had the off chance of teleporting him when flying. Maybe not only to buy a form of Phil's loyalty, but they find out about Phil's past as "The Angel of Death" and want to use that, so they offer the clipped wise crow a new set of wings so long as he helps when it's needed.

The codes already have a fascination and eye with Phil, that being the first few days it attacked him, impersonated his kids first, and even more recently with Codeflippa favoring Phil alongside the other code events that seem to single Phil out amongst the other islanders. Phil has openly shown and expressed how awful it is to not fly, how he has to wear a backpack as a counterweight, and even the looks at Jaiden's wings were just torture to him- so, what if the codes notice that? The codes are observant and they gave Charlie his kid back, they gave Etoiles a wicked sword and shield back after he lost, so why not wings to a very useful asset who's more dangerous in flight?

If Phil was offered the wings, would he take them? He's already seen the effects of negative code use with Charlie, but he's also seen the benefit of using code tools with Etoiles. I think, or at least would like to imagine, that Phil would take the wings in due time after everything he's been through, after what the Federation did to his wings, and the soft taunting of the lack of them (Birdhouse, Jaiden showing their wings off, the "ha ha ha" and bubbles blown in his face, etc.).

So just imagine the offer: A set of wings for Phil to fly again, to use those wings and don the name "The Angel of Death" in totality again, to use those wings to find his kids so long as he pays the price of helping the codes when they need it. Maybe up on a pedestal in the highest place around that has a high significance to Phil, near Uppies as if a more convincing place because of how great it'd be to have wings there. The thought of having his kids back because he could find them with his fixed wings, he could hold them with wing hugs like he never properly could before, and he could keep them safe. Flying over high areas once again would be a liberating feeling, helping his friends much quicker, achieving his supposed full strength again too is too much of an intoxicating proposal.

Phil takes the offer, especially at the chance of finding his kids, and the next thing he knows is that his back is heavier and there's a greenish glow to them as feathers are semi-replaced with zeros and ones. Sure he wasn't expecting them to be like this, but to see and sense a full set of wings rather it be clipped and mangled gives a wave of relief that hadn't been felt in six months. The first thing he does? Fly. That's all he does for who knows how long, flying as much as that damned sunbird he chased and not landing anytime soon.

The effects of having the wings might make him teleport here and there every so often, I mean, this is more than just a held weapon or semi-contact with a code, it's full-on limbs like Maximus' leg but with more serious implications (It's Phil's wings, c'mon you know how much they mean to him). I can practically hear Etoiles shouting "LETS GOOOOO, THE GOAT" at Phil about how cool his wings are and asking to spar; a whole new meaning to Codebreakers too. Would his voice glitch? Who's to say. But I find it poetic that Phil became the thing he fought so long ago, a semi-glitchy powerful being with wings and an air of death.

Bonus points that his chat, the crows, appear around Phil's home when he took the offer as if to contrast the hummingbirds and parrots that originally showed up. Maybe even in a literary sense, the crows have flecks of bright green on their wings to match Phil too. Even more bonus points are that Phil chooses an open area in the sky to make a new home, just because it's safer and he feels more comfortable, that and so he can fly more.

[budgie-city]

"Budgie City" — how is it organized and what is the story about?

Hello, I'm glad you decided to read my lore article about "Budgie City". The second article talks about where this world came from in general and how I came up with the idea. If you haven't read that article yet, you can check it out here. This article right here will tell you about the world itself and the society of the budgies, as well as describe the plot of the book in general terms. I remind you that the book is currently in the process of writing and will only be published when I have finished it completely.

Fundamentals of the "Budgie City" world

Yes, this is a story about talking animals, in particular, about birds! Set in a world much more wild than our own, filled with lush forests and untouched lands, you can meet the wild variety of birds (the story focuses on parrots though) you may know from all across the globe. From Australian (Cockatoos, Cockatiels, Grass parrots, etc.), African (Lovebirds, Ring-necked parakeets, Grey parrots), and South American parrots (Macaws, Amazons, Short-tailed parrots) to Weavers, Sunbirds, and occasionally even birds-of-paradise - you may find a broad spectrum of non-predatory birds residing right here.

But, of course, the bulk of the population of Budgie City, the main setting of the story, consists of colorful budgies. The city is essentially a large colony that has developed enough to turn into a complex system that depends not only on internal organization, but also on foreign trading. Trading between colonies in their world is based on barter, though inside cities there are local currencies — in most cases they are not metal coins, since metal is a rare and heavy material for birds, but they have their own kind of money equivalent.

The only species that has mastered metallurgy are African Grey parrots. Their colonies settle near volcanoes, and they are one of the only birds strong enough to handle such heavy materials. Therefore, metal is the main trading resource for them.

To show you what other species living in the city have to offer, I have this small excerpt from the first chapter that summarizes this quite concisely:

"Large parrots, due to their large carrying capacity, could easily transport quite bulky baskets with all kinds of food or raw materials, therefore, instead of independently transporting goods to other colonies, the budgies simply unloaded the goods large parrots brought, loaded them with their own and sent them back. Macaws most often brought figs and wild apples, cockatoos were famous for their special success in growing berries and gathering wild bee honey, grey parrots were the only birds in these forests who tamed metal... each species could provide something of its own to others, and as a result, all neighboring forests lived on trade links with each other. Budgies were skilled craftsmen in the manufacture of wooden utensils, and their chicks were believed to have the softest fluff among all parrots. So the fluff of the chicks that came down with molts was carefully collected, and other birds used it for the most delicate bedding in their own nests."

For such mentioned exchanges between the different birds, there is a trading base in the city — a group of large platforms on the trunk of the main baobab, where birds arriving with cargo are received, and cargo from the budgies is sent to other similar colonies.

The Budgie city stands "on seven baobabs" — an analogy to one well-known large city in our real world, which I came up with in 2014, and has since then remained more or less unchanged.

As can be understood from the scheme, the Seventh Baobab is considered the main one — it stands in the center and it is surrounded by the main structures that secure the functioning of the city. The remaining six baobabs are mostly residential. Instead of roads there are rope bridges connecting the structures to one another, which prove quite convenient in the case of carrying something around or to simply reduce the energy consumption that continuous flying demands. They start from the platforms on the baobabs, form multi-tiered intersections on the lower and branching trees standing between the baobabs, whereby, of course, this web converges on the seventh central one.

As for common areas, there are the market, the canteen, the baths (some are located on the Third baobab + the pool in the crown of the Seventh) and numerous interest clubs scattered throughout the city. For example, there are several board game clubs based in the crown of the Fifth Baobab, which the main characters tend to visit, especially Gesha and Gosha (since the two initially met at checkers).

Seventh Baobab concept art (artwork by me and @blackteaarts)

How did Budgie City come into being? Are there other cities in this universe?

Budgie City was founded by Phoenix. A bird whose species is unknown to anyone, so she is considered unique by the other residents. In addition to that no one knows her real age — she outlived those who helped her founding the city, outlived their children and their grandchildren, and so on. At this point no one is even trying to guess how old she is and where she came from. There were rumors about her, which had long become urban legends that every chick knows — they say she has magical abilities and can control fire. But there is no real evidence of this anywhere. In fact, no one living in the city has ever noticed anything supernatural about her — she is just a wise, kind bird with beautiful plumage, who treats every citizen like a mother treats her chick — with love and care.

Chroniclers often tell stories about how she herself was once raised among budgies and considers them part of her kind, and therefore decided to create a place where her sworn brethren can live in harmony and prosperity. Until then budgies had never lived in a colony this large before — usually they resided in rather small communities scattered many hundreds of square kilometers away from each other. Therefore Budgie City is the biggest known colony around. In number of citizens, it surpasses almost all others, which is why it is the center of attention of all the inhabitants of the surrounding forests.

Other parrots and some weavers live in a similar way. Small colonies have built their settlements right around the baobabs — in so-called suburbs, but similar formations exist in other places very far from the Budgie City as well.

What is the plot of the book?

I want to clarify that the book is currently in the process of writing in the form of a paper draft, and will be published only after the completion of the full work. Here I will give a brief description of the plot in general, without spoilers or delving into details, but so that you can have an idea of what this story is about.

In the peaceful and steady life of Budgie City — a life without any prerequisites ever before, there is a sudden turning point — Phoenix disappears. Moreover, she does not just go missing, but literally incinerates, leaving behind only one golden feather. In its entire history, the city had never had to change its mayor before, since Phoenix had ruled continuously since its foundation, so confusion and panic among the residents ensues. The so-called Royal Family, a circle of Phoenix's close advisers, who are direct descendants of the budgies who helped her founding this city, decide to hand over the reins to whom they deem the most responsible and emotionally resistant of them — Clementine and Jack.

But in a fit of desire to preserve their relationship with their son Fenya, who is slowly distancing from them, the couple, without putting it out as a question to the rest of the advisers first, use their new powers, and hand the reign to him. Subsequently, Fenya is now at the head of the city — an unstable, egocentric, arrogant yesterday-teenager. Having been partially raised by a zebra finch nanny, he sees more traits of finches in himself than those seen in other budgies. Therefore invites them to live in the city and he certainly does not go into details about why finches were never favored in the colonies of parakeets. Because there are good reasons for that... Finches are not just small and harmless birds, especially when there are a lot of them. And very soon the residents of the city will feel the effect of the appearances of the uncalled visitors…

In the midst of the ever growing chaos lives Gesha. A quiet florist who loves his routine filled with greenery and quiet pastime, who had always rested in a rather small circle of acquaintances, is forced to get out of his comfort zone and starts acting against the messy situation at hand. All because, it seems to him, that everyone around him prefers to believe and hope that everything will get fixed by itself, when this is clearly not the case. His friend Gosha is of the same opinion — although he often gets a bit carried away by his desire to administer justice (periodically turning into stupid brawls). He's just like that — against everything bad and for everything good, but tends to cross the line sometimes. Together they decide to create a secret society where they keep records of everything that upsets the citizens in this new reign, and try to find ways to solve these problems. While Gesha wants to deal with the situation through negotiations, Gosha, as usual, is more eager for a showdown.

Further down the line, Yasha appears — a native of a remote village who came from distant forests, where Budgie City is only considered a legend. He is a hopeless dreamer and a restless talker, but just as he is looking for a cozy home in this, for him, new and magnificent place, it is meanwhile literally bursting at the seams. Which soon forces Yasha to take off the metaphorical rose-colored glasses and, together with his new friends, face the harsh reality head-on.

Will the united citizens be able to solve the problem of the finch invasion and pacify the restless Fenya? Or maybe even bring Phoenix back? You will find it all out when the book is completed!

Huge thanks to @annchanorsomethin for helping with translation of this article!

[arthistoryanimalia]

British natural history illustrator Elizabeth Gould was born #OTD (18 July 1804 – 15 August 1841).

Life portrait of Elizabeth Gould with a raptor, possibly a Red-Footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), unknown artist, oil on canvas

Posthumous portrait of Elizabeth Gould with an Australian Cockatiel (Nymphicus Hollandicus), c.1841, unknown artist, oil on canvas

Elizabeth Gould collaborated with her husband, naturalist John Gould, illustrating his natural history texts until her premature death in 1841 at age 37 (from puerperal fever shortly after the birth of their eight child).

3. Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Tab. LX in A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (London, 1831), written by John Gould with illustrations & lithography by Elizabeth Gould.

Elizabeth Gould has two eponym birds, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae) & the Gouldian Finch (Chloebia gouldiae):

4. Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, illustration by Elizabeth Gould in John Gould’s A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1831). 5. & 6. Gouldian Finch (two color morphs), illustrations credited to John Gould & H.C. Richter in John Gould’s The Birds of Australia (1840-8).

Learn more about the life and art of this extraordinary woman:

#BookRecommendation: Birds of the World: The Art of Elizabeth Gould by Andrea Hart & Ann Datta (2023)

“Artist and illustrator Elizabeth Gould is finally given the recognition she deserves in this gorgeous volume that includes hundreds of her stunning and scientifically precise illustrations of birds from nearly every continent. For all of her short life, Elizabeth Gould’s artistic career was appreciated through the lens of her husband, ornithologist John Gould, with whom she embarked on a series of ambitious projects to document and illustrate the birds of the world. Elizabeth played a crucial role in her husband’s lavish publications, creating beautifully detailed and historically significant accurate illustrations of over six hundred birds -many of which were new to science. However, Elizabeth’s role was not always fully credited and, following her tragic death aged only thirty-seven, her efforts and talent were nearly forgotten. This marvelous volume offers a new and timely tribute to Elizabeth’s reputation and skill. It opens with an introduction to her life and achievements that reflects the latest scholarship. Following is a geographically organized collection of full-color plates depicting birds from nineteenth-century Europe, South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and Australia including previously unpublished original artworks. Filled with the highest quality reproductions, this volume allows readers to appreciate first-hand Gould’s talent for capturing the unique character of each species and the beauty of avian diversity. At the same time it offers a valuable reconsideration of a woman who left a lasting legacy as one of the greatest bird painters of all time.”

[melgbi]

Genshin Alhaitham/Kaveh Fics Rec

Part 2 of my Genshin Fic Rec, this time centred around Alhaitham/Kaveh–the ultimate “AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES” ship. As previously fics with a heart (❤) are my all time favs.

No trigger warnings for these fics, though I would still recommend reading the tags.

❤ first love, worst love | oneshot (1/1) | Rated Mature (AU - College, Enemies to Lovers)

Kaveh wakes up at six AM to see his one-night stand sitting cross-legged on the floor, neatly folding his shirt and placing it onto a small stack of his clothes. 

a modern love story.

truck, barter, and trade | Multi-Chapter (3/3) | Rated Teen (Idiots in Love, Found Family)

People keep coming up to Kaveh to congratulate him. Kaveh doesn’t really know why, and he’s a little too scared to ask at this point, so he heads back home, content if not a little bemused.

He is, unfortunately, reminded of it the very next day, when the door slams open and Al-Haitham stalks in. “Mind telling me why everyone was congratulating me today?” he demands. “About your pregnancy?"

Or: Al-Haitham is, without a doubt, the most annoying person Kaveh knows. Maybe the world’s second-most annoying person can help Kaveh figure him out.

(NOTE: Kaveh isn’t actually pregnant–this isn’t a spoiler, it’s mentioned twice in the tags)

❤ sunbird | Oneshot (1/1) | Rated Teen (Character Study)

This is how Kaveh grows up—well-loved and loving, with a pencil in his hand and starlight in his eyes. This is how he grows up, until his father leaves for the desert one day, and never comes back.

kaveh, through the years.

(NOTE: Same author as ‘first love, worst love’)

burn up, burn out | Multi-Chapter (4/4) | Rated Teen (Hurt/Comfort)

"So, what great building did our master architect work on this time?"

Nothing. Four days ago, Kaveh thought he would never work on anything again.

"Where were you when Sumeru needed you most?"

Dying.

(Or: the one where Kaveh was born with Eleazar)

[erodedauthenticity]

Over the mellow cry of a sunbird, a pharaoh navigates through his bustling subjects, hesitating at the sight of a skeletal tail trailing beyond the breadth of a long hallway. It swings left towards a similarly skittish gazelle, stirring a commotion among its kind.

"Rexy," Ahkmenrah's voice cuts swiftly, bemusedly following the eruption of sound with a furrowed brow. "I suggest you run with more caution." He plays shadow to its retreat, calling out after the reanimated beast. "You cannot act like you're the only one here!"

There's hardly a plan to go after it.

He instead readjusts his focus to the sheets in hand and a papery carton.

The route back to the Hall of Ancient Egypt seemed shorter: enough for Ahkmenrah to greet his reflection between canopic jars on display.

"Anubis?" his voice softens, and his reflection follows with glance to the side.

"Larry provided me with something."

Into his own chambers, the pharaoh beholds his guard with a wide smile. "We've been presented with unfinished works of art." Four sheets of recycled paper flutter in his descent. The box splits open with force. The wrong end. He shows him six colored markers and promptly turns his focus to his task.

"He suggested that we can occupy our night here instead of exploring the outside." He doesn't take the time to linger on thoughts as to why. "He said it's important." Grasping hold of the blue marker, he applies the capped marker onto the paper, and begins to scrape once overtop of an animated drawing attempting to retreat from.

"Stop that…" he utters to it. "Why isn't it working?"

[tieflingkisser]

‘This Genocide Is About Oil’ (29 Nov 2023)

Given the billions of barrels worth of oil in Palestine, some advocates believe that fossil fuels are influencing Israel’s attacks.

“This genocide is not about the claims of Israel protecting itself,” said Shereen Talaat, founder and director of MENAFem Movement for Economic, Development, and Ecological Justice, which approaches the climate crisis in the Middle East-North Africa region through a feminist lens. “This genocide is about oil.” Both off the coast and beneath the occupied lands of Palestine, over 3 billion barrels of oil are estimated to exist, according to a 2019 U.N. report. These numbers don’t even include the gas potential in Palestine. The Levant Basin, which sits in the Mediterranean, is estimated to have some 1.7 billion barrels of oil while over 1.5 billion barrels are estimated to lie beneath the occupied West Bank area that Handala calls home. Despite the billions of dollars these resources offer if extracted, Handala would prefer the oil and gas stay where they are—the world cannot afford more fossil fuel extraction.  “We want more clean energy,” he said. All of this, of course, is aspirational. Right now, it’s downright impossible. Though the U.S. is reportedly pushing Israel to allow Palestinians to profit and build an independent energy system from offshore gas post-war, under Israeli occupation, Palestinians cannot drill for oil and gas. Many communities are not allowed to build out solar energy, either. Israel, on the other hand, hasn’t wasted time in claiming these dirty resources for itself. On October 29, its government approved 12 licenses for six companies to look for more gas fields offshore. Since the launch of the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, Europe has been in need of an energy provider that can fill in the gaps. For years, Israel has been trying to build a pipeline to export gas to European nations. “In the Middle East, you can never talk about conflict without the corresponding associations of oil and gas,” said Atif Kubursi, a retired economics professor at McMaster University who authored that 2019 U.N. report. “This is particularly problematic now that Russia has cut its oil and gas to Europe, and everybody is looking for alternatives.” Many advocates feel that foreign interests in extracting these resources from Palestinian lands are contributing to the potential genocide Palestinians face, at least in part. Historically, foreign policy in the Middle East has often involved fossil fuels. Could it be different this time?

[....]

Local Palestinian environmental activists would prefer to leave fossil fuels alone: They don’t want their people’s hands sullied by contributing further to climate calamity. Handala wants to see the land heal, especially after all the destruction it’s faced. He says that before the Israeli occupation in 1948, Palestinians were creating green spaces and planting forests.  “[Palestine] was one of the only green areas in the Middle East,” he said.  He dreams of a future where biodiversity thrives again—where creatures like the black iridescent Palestine sunbird can fly free, where the olive trees can once again grow old. The burning of bombs and fossil fuels pushes these dreams farther and farther away. For Yasmeen El-Hasan, an advocacy officer with the Palestine-based Union of Agricultural Work Committees, there’s no way to untangle the global thirst for oil and gas from what’s happening to Palestine. None of this is a coincidence, she said. “It is quite apparent that the international complicity in the ongoing Israeli genocide of Gaza is intricately tied to the capitalist interests of global actors and corporations, where financial gain is prioritized over Palestinian lives (and preservation of our environment),” El-Hasan wrote via email.  She believes that this is “only one of the many reasons” why much of the international community is standing by Israel. “As the Indigenous people and stewards of the land, these actors view us as an obstacle to their profit,” El-Hasan said. 

[thecardboardbutterfly]

Hermitpires Warrior cats AU

Introduction #1 - Grian & Pearl

Heyo! My name's Calypso, and I'm here to offer you my part drawn, mostly written Warrior cats Hermitcraft and Empires AU. It's something I would like to post as a fully written story on AO3, but I already have way too much work on my hands on that side, so Tumblr is it! Plus, it allows me to do something of my silly doodles x)

Hope you'll enjoy!

---

Sunbird (Grian) and Moonflutter (Pearl) were born in Watcher clan, the most powerful of the four clans living in the forest. They are known as a very secretive clan, so no one really knows what's going on inside of it.

Like all the kittens in Watcher clan, they became apprentices around four moons old, but their mother, Skysight, refused to leave her kittens die for a clan that can't recognise their value and orchestrated their escape. At barely five moons old, Sunpaw, Moonpaw, and their brother Canarypaw ran away from Watcher clan, and stumbled into Pinetree's clan territory.

Sadly, they ran into a dog on the way there, and lost Canarypaw trying to escape it. Not only that, but Sunpaw fell from a small cliff, and would have died if it wasn't for Voidstar and his apprentice at the time, Ghostpaw.

Somehow, Sunpaw fully recovered from the fall. After that, Voidstar welcomed them in the clan, but despite the leader's approval, their origin is something a part of the cats have trouble accepting. On top of that, Voidstar decided he would put the two apprentices' training on hold until they reach six moons, to Sunpaw's biggest disappointment.

---

Sunbird is an orange, short tabby tom with whiter parts of fur and brown eyes. Mentored by Voidstar himself, he grew to be a calm, yet somewhat cold cat, known for his talents of fighter. However, he was never able to fully leave behind his past: too scared of having to go back to Watcher's clan, he won't allow himself to break a single rule of the Warrior code, no matter what he has to go through. He's also a fierce protector of kittens, often seen around the nursery, keeping an eye on the kits. But the beliefs he was born and spent his early moons in keep clawing to his head in the form of one unique cat. He doesn't understand how Scarheart, Pinetree clan's second medicine cat, a cat that would have been deemed as useless and weak in his birth clan, could have been kept around for so long...

Moonflutter is a short silver and gray tabby she-cat with white paws and blue eyes. Mentored by Thunderrush, she grew into a fierce fighter and talented hunter. Unlike her brother, she knows that as long as she doesn't become a liability, there's no reason for Voidstar to exile her, so she make advantage of that... Sometimes a little too much. Beside her deep bond with a feline of Sunset clan, she doesn't have a lot of friends in the clan itself. Not for her past as a Watcher clan's apprentice, even of it plays a role in it, but more for her character. Most of the days, she tend to be very pleasant to be around, a fun company and a cat who gives great advices. But on the other days... Best case, she becomes grumpy and lonesome, which is manageable. However, during the worst days, she's irritable and aggressive to anyone who is not Sunbird or Wolfkit. Combined with Watcher clan's reputation of being bloodthirsty cats, not all the cats are ready to put in the effort of learning to know her personally, repulsed by her instability.

Let see how it goes for them in the near future...

---

Did you guess which hermits are hidden between the other cats mentionned? Some of them are obvious, the others... A little less.

Scar is next!

See y'all soon, and have a great day!

[noloveforned]

no love for ned is on wlur tonight from 8pm until midnight and we're doing the old flippity flop so that last week's show airs first followed by the new show at 10pm- it's been a busy day for me but the show must go on!

no love for ned on wlur – february 24th, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label elvis costello // welcome to the working week // my aim is true // stiff lousy sue // ferma jean // artless artifacts // sweet time ervin berlin // junior's got brain damage // junior's got brain damage 7”// total punk abi ooze // problematic // julie's apartment (demos) cassette // (self-released) fluf // j'n it on the net // road rage // honest don's fuss // but it's a dry heat // we're not alone // phat 'n' phunky phonics body type // miss the world // expired candy // poison city cathedrale // silent castle // words/silence // howlin' banana spiral xp // the end // it's been a while ep // danger collective index for working musik // ambiguous fauna // dragging the needlework for the kids at uphole // tough love bingo trappers // solar holiday // roger // almost haloween time dwaal troupe // some blood for luna // lucky dog // ally superchunk // everything hurts // everything hurts 7” // merge ned's atomic dustbin // grey cell green // ned's acoustic dustbin // good deeds music jeffrey lewis // what i love most in england (is the food!) // when that really old cat dies // (self-released) jimmyjack toth // correspondence class // the caretaker (winter 2023 demos) // (self-released) willie nelson and kimmie rhodes // love me like a song // picture in a frame // sunbird angel olsen // something on your mind // angel olsen plays karen dalton split 7" // light in the attic resound // i will always love you // i will always love you digital single // spacebomb h.e.r. // the office // songs about the mysteries of housework and nature // persian cardinal patrick shiroishi and dylan fujioka // birth light // no-no 3 / のの 三 // (self-released) john dikeman, pat thomas, john edwards and steve noble // no comment // volume one // 577 albert ayler featuring mary parks // oh! love of life // revelations - the complete ortf 1970 fondation maeght recordings // elemental dizzy gillespie // closer // the real thing // perception phil ranelin and wendell harrison with adrian younge and ali shaheed muhammad // open eye // jazz is dead, volume sixteen // jazz is dead lmno, m.e.d. and declaime featuring fly anakin and j rocc // kool // flying high // bang ya head lizzo featuring sza // special (remix) // special (remix) digital single // atlantic little simz // you should call mum // drop six ep // age 101 laika // marimba song // silver apples of the moon // too pure la jvnta // ronda nocturna // sendas cambembas ep // grabaciones bonicas frankie valet // stop apologizing // cadillac frank cassette // (self-released) lovers without borders // she wants a baby (yeah, yeah) // she wants a baby 7" // (self-released) galore // ladders // blush cassette // paisley shirt wild carnation // acid rain and ‘the big one’ // tricycle // delmore

[moineauz]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 — 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄

Tell me, who are you? I thought I saw you there But I think it was my reflection instead

★ HEADLINE ( OF SERIES ). You and your partner Childe are invited to play in an upstarting band; renaming yourselves 'The Sunbirds Six'. However, heated sparks flicker alive amongst band members, specifically you and the lead vocalist: Diluc Ragnvindr. The band continues to rise in fame, yet, the nature of their ultimate disbandment remains unknown- until now.

★ SYNOPSIS. Set before the making of The Sunbirds Six, we get a view of what was before.

SIDE COMMENTS. I've finally posted... Thank you all for the support!! Hope the timeline will make sense eventually... haha. The reader has not made their appearance quite yet!

POSTSCRIPT. alcohol, violence, angst WORD COUNT. 790

𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐓, 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑."The last time the unknown band of four played was in their home nation of Mondstadt, however, the owner of the tavern at the time states that 'trouble' occurred backstage. The band of four did not play again."

WINE TRICKLES INTO KAEYA'S GLASS, VELVET AND SMOOTH while he shares a winsome smile and a curt nod to the bartender. His eyes trace over the rim of his glass while the acute clink of bottles rang and mellowed. Despite the swing notes of the piano dancing in the background and incessant chatter, all Kaeya could hear was his heartbeat. The same heart that supposedly kept him alive. That kept sure his eyes did not slumber so they could glimmer like gemstones for the world to see.

Here in the bar, no one knew him. And even if a stranger did recognize Kaeya's lush blue locks, they didn't utter a word.

"He nearly killed you."

"Hm."

Rosaria observed Kaeya as he lifted the wine glass to his lips, his eyes sparing no glance at her.

"You nearly died Kaeya."

Kaeya swishes the glass with a steady wrist roll, "You should have a glass yourself Rosaria, quite refreshing."

Rosaria sighed, seating herself at the table before whispering, "You should leave."

Kaeya’s lips rise into a tentative grin; shaking his head softly, “It will work.”

Rosaria scoffs before replying plainly, “Our band? We are not the next 'ARCHON' and I swear that Celestia is not going to grant us another stage, not after that mess."

"First, who said we were going to be the next 'ARCHON'?" Kaeya finally turns his head towards Rosaira, an amused smile tracing his supple lips, "Second, since when did you become so..." he pauses, "Devout?" he teases.

"I am neither devout nor skeptic. But, I do have a brain," Rosaria glances at Kaeya, her eyes sharp and indifferent, yet, under the worn flicker of overhead candles, there is a twinkle of tender affinity, "You're not the type of man who craves fame, so why Kaeya? Why stay?"

Kaeya abruptly slams the glass onto the smooth countertop, a chip of glass breaking off. "Because we're too good to waste away," he pauses before echoing nonchalantly, "Diluc can despise me all he wants, but I want this just as equally."

Silence fills the void space, yet, motion continues. Bartenders pace back and forth, music crescendos and falls, laughter erupts from the chest, and sweet ecstasy is gulped down ounce after ounce.

Kaeya gapes into his glass, a small pool of wine existing at the bottom, providing a reflection of himself.

"Diluc can have all of Mondstadt under his wing," Kaeya begins to no one. His voice is vague and slow, like fog draping over a city or a veil cast upon a painting, never to be remarked upon again. "But, just this once," muttered Kaeya, still peering into his own reflection, "I can be selfish."

Rosaria pauses for what seems to be another hour, allowing his words to ferment in the air or hang quietly yet defyingly, "How exactly will we, 'work'?" she questions dubiously.

Kaeya smiles before explaining factually, "We need a female vocalist, perhaps a rhythm guitarist as well."

Rosaria raises an eyebrow, her supple hands wrapping around her glass of wine as she follows up indifferently, "And how exactly are we going to have a female vocalist and rhythm guitarist?" she pauses, "If you're thinking of Barbara then I suggest you choose someone else."

Kaeya laughs, "Barbara? Oh no. I'll spare her the trouble.”

“Then how?”

Kaeya merely smirks before teasing, “Rest assured Rosaria— I’ll find someone.”

Rosaria sighs, taking the glass to her subtly tinted lips: the sensations of cool wine trickling down her throat. “Well, take all the time you need.”

“Oh? How so?”

Rosaria places the glass on the table, her gaze set forward, “Diluc announced a hiatus.”

“He did?” Kaeya muses, “But no disbandment?”

Rosaria pauses before nodding tentatively, her slender hands tapping on the wood.

Kaeya chuckles shortly, however, his eyes remain fixed on the pool of wine. He then questions Rosaria, a touch wistful, “Am I still in?”

“He never said anything otherwise.”

“Hm.”

Rosaria stops tapping her finger as she reaches in her pocket, placing mora on the table. “Go home Kaeya.” Rosaria then tucks the barstool in, fading into the bustling background of the cites bars- the night still young.

Kaeya remains seated at the table. Whilst his heart beats; pumping blood through his veins, steady and rhythmically like the anchored strum of his guitar. The music coursed through his hands, tangible and electric yet cool. Kaeya could bend it in his hands, twist it and mould it like a potter does in a fashion unachieved by many.

His elbows eased on the countertop, muscle after muscle. Kaeya's hands intertwined with themselves, crossing over as if in prayer and brought to his lips.

What happens when a heart ceases to beat?

"How could you, Kaeya?"

The music stops.

TAGLIST. @aphrodict @tragedy-of-commons @jemvia feel free to join the taglist through an ask!!

[expowolfeye-blog]

A Scary Statistic: Seventy-nine Thousand Wounded

The statistic, seventy-nine thousand wounded, always follows thirty-six thousand dead Palestinians in Gaza and fails to reveal the suffering, pain, and desperation a wounded Palestinian faces in a minuscule strip of land cordoned off by Israeli soldiers. Crushed bones and mangled limbs are frequent wounds.

Let us follow the bombing of a building where a hypothetical five-year-old whose parents named her Haifa, meaning slender, beautiful, and delicate. The forty-five-pound Palestinian beauty, an agglomerate of wounded children, whose raven-black hair glistens and whose dark eyes sparkle, sleeps in her bedroom, snuggled in her Mickey Mouse pajamas, a discarded nursery rhyme book, The Sunbird of Palestine’s Nest, askew on her chest; she dreams of the doll house promised for her sixth birthday but wakes up covered in her own blood under slabs of concrete; her older sister’s mangled body in death’s stranglehold, next to her; Haifa screams to her mother and father for help, but they are dead. Haifa’s parents suffered a direct rocket hit on their bedroom, leaving few identifiable body parts in the rubble. A day later, rescuers pull Haifa from under the chunks of concrete, near death from loss of blood.

Legs blown off, right arm blown off, left hand blown off, leaving Haifa with one handless arm. After being dug from the rubble, a donkey cart carries the five-year-old to a hospital functioning in chaos; bleeding victims cover hospital floors, begging for painkillers; there are no antiseptics, no painkillers, and few sanitized bandages due to Israeli blockades. Too few doctors exist in the hospital to tend to Haifa due to Israeli raids.

How does a little five-year-old survive without parents in a living Hell, without functioning orphanages, without shelter, without rehabilitation, without medicine, food, and water?

This innocent five-year-old girl will face life as a triple amputee with a handless arm offering no chance to be functional in a Gaza suffering total destruction, too devastated by mass bombing to notice her and an Israel too vengeful to help her.

You be the judge.

[volleytimes-com]

Suntory Sunbirds stun at the opener of FIVB Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship! Win also for Minas

🏆| Suntory Sunbirds stun at the opener of FIVB Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship! Win also for Minas. Today’s results: • Ahmedabad Defenders 🇮🇳 - Itambé Minas 🇧🇷 0-3 (22:25, 23:25, 19:25) • Halkbank Spor Kulübü 🇹🇷 - Suntory Sunbirds 🇯🇵 0-3 (23:25, 23:25, 16:25) Read more on #volleytimes_com 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

The FIVB Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship 2023 kicks off in Bengaluru, India, featuring teams from Brazil, Italy, Japan, Türkiye, and the host nation India, in an intense five-day competition. The six participating teams have been divided into two pools, and the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru hosted the opening matches, with each pool having one match on the first day. Türkiye’s…

[boricuacherry-blog]

Brittany disappeared around 1am after an argument with her mother, Ivy Henderson, in the Elkton home they shared, on July 2008. She was not reported missing until September 2008. Her remains were found two years later in 2011, only a six minute drive away from the house. Her cause of death was not disclosed, but has been classified as a homicide. Her bag and keys were found inside her 2003 Pontiac Sunbird.

Hunters in a wooded area right over the Cecil County line near Elkton found her remains. She lived on Manor Road in Elkton.

Brittany used to attend daycare class at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Elkton as a child and was a graduate of Bohemia Manor High School, where she was a member of the school band, Golden Eagle Chorus and the All County Chorus. She had attended Cecil College and had a love for singing.

During the early morning hours of July 25th, 2008, Brittany Peart was not in her best state-of-mind. The 21 year-old woman was in the midst of a disagreement with her mother that left her quite upset. By time it reached 1-o’clock in the morning, Brittany angrily decided to leave. She packed an overnight bag with a few belongings and drove away from her family’s Elkton, Maryland home. Brittany’s mother assumed that Brittany just needed time to cool off. However, Brittany never returned home.

A week later, Brittany’s car was found abandoned in the town of North East, Maryland. Both her keys and the bag she packed before leaving her house were found inside the car. Brittany had not been reported missing yet at this point, and it is unclear if her family members were notified about the discovery of her car. If they were, it appeared they were still leaning towards the idea that Brittany was just taking some time away and would eventually return on her own accord. When she had still not returned by September 2008, Brittany’s family members reported her missing.

In October 2009, Brittany’s family members hired a private investigator to help search for her. It is unknown how in-depth the investigation was, but the private investigator ended up telling her family that Brittany had likely started a new life in another city. The search for Brittany seemed to hit a lull after that.

Over two years later, on December 4th, 2011, human remains were found by hunters in a wooded area on the Maryland-Delaware state line. Days later, those remains were identified as that of Brittany Peart. After the identification, very few details about Brittany’s death were released. Details about her exact cause of death remain unclear to this day, but Brittany’s loved ones believe she was murdered. In fact, many of Brittany’s friends have posted on social media that they believe she was killed by a man she was dating at the time. This man has never been charged with anything related to Brittany’s death, and it is unclear if investigators believe Brittany was murdered.

The truth about what happened to Brittany Peart remains a mystery to this day. Delaware State Police have classified her death as a cold case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Delaware Cold Case detectives at (302) 741-2730. (x)

[dstrachan]

'VIEWS FROM THE EDGE' - w/c 12th December 2022

Objectz feat. Jesse Rae ‘Loch Lomond’

Hook ‘Breakout’

Yazoo ‘Only You’

Pete Seeger ‘Solidarity Forever’

Chasing ORA ‘Play The Game’

Electric Six ‘Gay Bar’

Taj Mahal ‘Leaving Trunk’

Healthy Junkies ‘Sex War’

The Kut ‘Fun When You’re Winning’ 

Little Scream ‘Speed Queen’

Brad Nack ‘Santa’s Got A Brand New Tattoo’

Wayne Jacobs ‘A Child Born For You & Me’

Sonia Dixon ‘Ring Out’

Rändi Fay ‘Winter Wind’

Guillem Mitchel ‘Jingle Bells Toyland Rag’

Tom Newman ‘Nothing Left But Christmas’

Edge Of Destiny ‘All I Want For Christmas’

Bette Midler ‘Cool Yule’

Sunbirds ‘Every Road’

Chicken Shack ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’

Joanne Shaw Taylor feat. Carmen Vandenberg ‘Figure It Out’

Joanne Shaw Taylor ‘Tried, Tested & True’

Jethro Tull ‘Locomotive Breath’

Petrol Girls ‘Baby, I Had An Abortion’

Svetlanas ‘Vodka’n’Roll’

Smoothiesforme (feat. Lewis Mokler)  ‘The Hands Of Change’

Brandon Flowers ‘I Can Change’

River City People ‘Carry The Blame’

Dream Wife ‘After The Rain’