#Centennial Celebration

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Vern's Hometown: Centennial Celebration

Book 5: Finale

Chapter 3: Sunset

Formal is irrelevant. The firelight gains prominence as daylight fades. More logs are added, allowing smoke to fill the air. The younger children slowly leave for their beds. Others stay, laughing with friends. Their joyful cacophony is almost drowned out by the rambunctious music.

Smoke and ash wisp into shadows. The kaleidoscope of prancing images twirl around them. An illusion of flowers dance underfoot. If any attempted to touch them, they would vanish.

Soot is kicked up with every step. Vern's stained skirts flare out on another spin. It's strange and comforting to have a partner. A familiar dance he can do in the deepest of sleeps now flutters anew with every beat. A few steps bring them back.

Sweat shimmers across their foreheads. The minutes and hours bleed together. One melody into another. An iridescent fish ballet weaves around the dancers. A bubbling laughter spills from Vern. Steel smiles, his own airy laugh joins in.

"What's... so funny?"

The sprite meets his gaze breathlessly, "I'm... really happy."

"Eh?"

Joined hands lift above to spin around. The area around them is barely a blurr. Focus returning to Steel, the sprite tries to calm himself. "I-is he still umm..."

"Yeah, on my six."

"... let's um... not think about him," Vern tries. His head feels light, a mild dizziness buzzes down from it.

".. okay."

He welcomes night's breath cooling his skin like autumn rain. Vern can tell when some musicians would take a break and join back in. A simple rotation, yet easy to get lost in. Forgetting the world is hard, yet indulging in a moment is effortless.

For this bubble in time, emotion vibrates the air. Colorful shapes morph to each beat. It has been too long since his muscles felt like a newborn foal finding it's footing. Who is keeping who from collapsing is unclear. The firm earth underfoot is the only certainty.

A gasp from the onlookers is nearly drowned by the rhythm. A string pulls at his mind. His eyes want to follow, yet a turn blocks his view. His brow creases as he attempts to see behind Steel. "Ver.."

Pink dusts the sprites cheeks. It's only one word, a fraction of his name. The syllables spoken softly warms him. Tearing his focus back to his friend, he tries to stay on his toes.

"Almost," Steel winks, "we have to finish this one."

"Y-yeah," Vern manages a dizzy nod. His amber eyes sting, but not from the smoke. A soothing wave rolls through his veins, easing his tension. He almost misses a familiar, icy crack.

Chapter 4: Dusk

A tight spin jostles his focus. Flashes of magic collide. The music falters as smoke billows through the remaining crowd. Vern squeezes his eyes shut against it. Tucking himself against Steel, he waits for the air to settle. He flinches, as a drop hits his cheek.

"Er.. sorry."

The sprite swears the liquid away. Checking his bandages, he finds an inky substance he's well acquainted with.

"It's alright, I um..." he pauses, ducking as Steel casts another counter spell, "don't mind."

Sparkling green mist flares from Vern's hands. Vines burst from the ground to restrain Victor. "Enough!"

Snowflakes drift around them. Citizens that stayed murmur in uneasy awe. The spring sprite trembles slightly, his muscles begging for rest. "Do you forfeit the challenge?"

There's a rumble underfoot. Stumbling, Vern's spell loosens as spikes of ice shoot out of the dirt. He's tackled. Air is knocked from his lungs despite the cushioned fall.

"You alright? Any injuries?"

Vern slowly blinks up at Steel, gasping while registering the questions. "U-umm... I'm fine... I think..."

"Why," Victor's voice rings out above the chaos, icicles forming in the air around him. "Why do you reject everything I do for you?!"

Ooc// Welcome to the final boss fight.

Tag List: @nrcbookclub @castaway-achlys @nightonthemountain

Songs for the dance:

There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes

A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

I Don't Wanna Wait by David Guetta & OneRepublic

Roundtable Rival by Lindsey Stirling

Élan by Nightwish

Songs for Everyone vs. Victor:

It Ends Tonight by All-American Rejects

Liar by Jelly Roll

Ready For This by All Good Things

Trophy Hunter by Within Temptation

[firechilde]

Centennial Sway

🖤💛🖤💛

[santaclaralocalnews]

On June 15, Kimberly Vernon, 27, of Santa Clara, was crowned Miss California 2024 at Miss California’s week-long Centennial Celebration held at the Visalia Convention Center. On Tuesday night, June 11, Vernon received awards in the categories for Health and Fitness and the Preliminary Evening Gown. Vernon won a total of $21,000 from the Miss California competition. This graduate of CSU Fullerton plans to use this scholarship money to further her higher education by setting professional goals for herself. Read complete news at svvoice.com.

[lt-cmdr-data-laforge]

Something that I think perfectly illustrates one of Discovery's problems is the fact that this season opens with the crew at a party celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Federation, and not a single character from the crew even remarks on the fact that they can remember the Federation when it hadn't even celebrated its first century yet

[3416]

could you link the mitch video you mentioned please? I always love watching rookie mitch content!

sure, it's this one!!

[travsd]

The Geraldine Page Centennial Celebration at Torn Page

Starting tooday (November 12, 2024), Torn Page is marking the upcoming centennial birthday of the late, great stage and screen actress Geraldine Page (1924-1987). They’ll be screening Page’s eight Oscar nominated films, with exciting guest speakers, and more. For more details, check out my complete article at Chelsea Community News. And stay tuned, I have two additional tributes to Geraldine Page…

[a2zsportsnews]

adidas Basketball Celebrates Hoosier Hysteria at Indiana University with the Unveiling of the Indiana University Centennial Colorway

(Bloomington, IN) – On Friday, October 18th, adidas Basketball kicked off the Indiana University 2024-25 college basketball season by joining Hoosier Hysteria at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The annual event, which marks the start of the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, saw the Three Stripes brand elevate the excitement for Hoosier fans with the unveiling of the Indiana University Centennial…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"RAZE HOVELS, BUILD PARKS PLEA OF LIEUT. GOV. BRUCE," Toronto Star. March 6, 1934. Page 1 & 2. --- "Areas of Misery and Degradation Exert an Unhappy Influence" ---- CREATE TOWN PLAN ---- His honor, the lieutenant-governor, Col. Herbert A. Bruce, in proposing the health of the city of Toronto at the luncheon given at the King Edward hotel on the occasion of the centennial celebrations to-day, said:

"History tells us that the first mayor of Toronto, Mr. William Lyon Mackenzie, did not enjoy such friendly relations with government house as have his successors. Sir John Colborne, then lieutenant- governor, once made rather elaborate preparations to receive him should he call at government house. He mounted artillery on the roof of government house and gunners with lighted matches stood by, ready to receive the future first mayor and his supporters. I have noted that, architecturally, the present government house is not suitable for such a kind of hospitality, and I assure you I shall not follow this precedent, at least during centennial year.

"Now I am to propose a toast toast to the health of Toronto. The health of Toronto must necessarily mean the health of its citizens. It must mean, too, the continued progress and development of Toronto along desirable lines. We have A great and beautiful city that has been blessed by honest and efficient government. It in city enviably situated, a city of fine residential areas, of beautiful buildings, of high standards of citizenship. That is how we see it, but I fear, in all candor one must confess, that this city, in common with every large city, has acquired the inevitable 'alum districts.

"These are of misery and degradation exert an unhappy environmental influence upon many of our citizens. You will probably say: "but Toronto has few such areas and they are not of great extent. I say, and I think you will agree with me, that Toronto wants none of them, and that Toronto wants the Toronto of the the future which we like to contemplate will have none of them.

Hunger for Recreation "It seems to me that the only availing remedy in Toronto is a planned decentralization which will take the outmoded factory away from our congested central areas and substitute for it in the outskirts a new modern building. That would permit workers to establish their to establish the homes es convenient to their work in surroundings where their children would learn by experience that grass is a green. living and loving carpet and that there are really and truly other and lovelier flowers than those on the lithographed calendar that hangs on the cracked, crumbling and wall of a murky room into of a murky room into sun's rays have never penetrated. It seems to me, also that as we evacuate those factories and hovels, we must raze them and bury the distressing memory of them in fine central parks and recreational centres. These parks and recreational centres would be devoted to the physical and mental improvement of our people they would be community centres for ennobling uses leisure, which to-day hangs heavy on the hands of thousands of our citizens both employed hand unemployed. have to look far for evidence of how normal men and of women hunger for recreational opportunities. Mrs. Bruce and I have been pleased to extend our patronage to the Central Ontario Región the Dominion Drama Festival, whose playoffs take place at Hart House in the near future. One of the competing plays and I asked that it should be performed on the night we will be present is being produced by a group o some forty unemployed who are known as the "Miracle Players." There are many other instances to illustrate how eagerly people welcome an opportunity to make constructive use of their leisure.

Town Plan for Health "Time restrains me from expounding my ideas in detail, and there is no need that I should do see here men who have be have been giving thought to these thin to these things and we have evidence from time to time that our municipal government has given much consideration to city planning. The planning I have in mind is similar to that to which the Prince of Wales has given leadership. In an address of January 27th last his Royal Highness said: 'We must not he content until we have we have good clubs and everywhere so equipped that those who need them can find opportunities for friendship, occupation, and recreation, where the day can he spent with advantage after working hours. Let self-help go hand in hand with mutual service. Let the state do its utmost by political and economic devices, but there is no remedy which will ever replace, or make obsolete, the way of fellowship."

"We are celebrating our city's centenary. Would it not be a splendid thing to commemorate this, our hundredth civic year, by the creation of a large and noble plan conceived in a spirit of fellowship? A plan that would recognize the inalienable right of every man and woman and child to decent and dignified and healthful environment.

"Gentlemen, I give you the health of the city of Toronto: Toronto today, of which of which we are proud: Toronto of to-morrow, of which our children may be prouder still; and Toronto of the centuries to come. whose citizens, I hope, will have in their hearts a feeling of gratitude because we planned nobly, wisely and unselfishly.

Problem of Financing "I have carefully noted the reference made to-day by his honor in connection with what he has termed by his statement, made with all candor, of the inevitable slum conditions of great cities," replied Mayor Stewart. "I hasten to assure all my listeners that Toronto is proud of the fact that she is known as a city of homes and churches. The elected body throughout the years have ever been mindful of the constructive influence of good environment. There have been several projects advanced to the elected body dealing with the housing situation, but I most respectfully submit that there are limits to the taxpayers ability to finance many worthy enterprises.

"While I with my colleagues, would like to see many unsightly premises torn down, it must also be born in mind the difficulties condemning proceeded," "the mayo proceeded. "What may appear unsightly cannot necessarily be condemned officially as insanitary. It is not as easy a procedure as some believe for civic authorities to condemn privately-owned properties.

"Some consideration might well be given when financial conditions permit to the wrecking of dilapidated properties to create areas to free our streets from congestion. It would indeed be an ideal condition if we had more community centres in the thickly populated areas. We must also remember it would also be an ideal condition if thousands of our citizens had more of this world's goods with which to pay their taxes. Toronto does not encourage nor approve of dilapidated homes being used as adjuncts to factories whereby the whole family are employed in competition with properly regulated and organized labor."

The mayor said if the lieutenant-governor will consent, he will present a motion to city council asking for the appointment of a committee to confer on the housing sing situation, to be headed by the lieutenant-governor.

Conditions Improving "We rejoice in the fact that evidence is daily increasing of improving conditions and we march confidently and hopefully onward to normal prosperity." continued the mayor. "Toronto, unlike places of olden days, has not and will not build walls of stone or selfish restriction about the city. Instead, Toronto has substantially with other municipalities, contributed to the building of avenues of communication and to the institutions for the protection s and betterment of mankind. Instead o of b of building building Toronto depends upon its foundations. Torontonians for a century have builded upon safe, sure and lasting foundations of belief and faith in Almighty God, and ever have and ever will remain loyal to his majesty the King'

[loscerritoscommunitynews]

Excelsior High School Will Hold Centennial Celebration

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Mail Type your email… Subscribe Sign up for local news and alerts; we will not sell your email, who does that? _____________ June 10, 2023 The Excelsior Alumni Association is holding a picnic celebration on the former Excelsior Union High School campus to mark 100 years since the laying of the cornerstone on the Administration Building on the Pioneer…

[dweemeister]

I don’t when I stopped posting soccer stuff on this blog with some regularity on weekends, but it must have been a long long time.

But I just needed to jot down somewhere that being an Arsenal and an LA Galaxy fan is made for an especially painful sporting weekend (actually all season for the Galaxy side, as I’ve been 100% behind the supporters’ boycott to the point where I’m not watching or listening to the game live at all).

Suzume was better than expected, though!

[aligustie]

Absolutely beautiful. It's perfect for her, and as you said has the centennial colors so it's even more perfect! I can easily see her becoming a much more responsible keeper of wishes, being honest about her limited ability to grant them and having a sense of compassion for all who give one, even it can't be granted.

I was inspired by @/jonuelsketch on Insta to give Asha my take (and my hope) on a potential finale transformation dress; ofc bestowed on her by Star!

I’m hoping she’ll become a better version of whatever Magnifico was up to.

And ofc the movie comes out in a little over a month but I’m ✨speculating✨

Anyway! Enjoy! Haven’t posted on here in a while!

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Vern's Hometown: Centennial Celebration

Book 5: Finale

Chapter 1: Sunrise

Sunlight warms the air. Younger children bustle out of the main house. Shirley and Folia happily greet them as they pass. The autumn sprite goes over to the porch to speak with Cliff for a few moments. Shirley joins everyone inside, dodging the occasional person in a rush. She's laughing as she finds everyone at the long table.

"Good morning!!!! Breakfast smells amazing! Did everyone get enough sleep?

Ooc// time to fill in Shirley and Folia... then it's off to showing up Victor! Right?

Song: Take It To The Limit by Eagles

Taglist: @nrcbookclub @castaway-achlys @nightonthemountain

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

au where vaggie has another little secret she didn't even know was a secret still (spoiler it's Mortality) (spoiler charlie Isn't Happy) and when she sits down with charlie for a hotel talk it goees like (TRAUMATIC EMOTIONAL SPEED RUN AAAAHAHAHA)

Vaggie: "Alright sweetie, the hotel's going good so far, one soul redeemed, minimal fire damage this week, so we should probably start planning for the next hundred years of operations."

Charlie: "YAY!!! Planning planning planning~ What's first on the list??"

Vaggie: "Start looking for a replacement manager."

Charlie: "You don't wanna keep being manager? OH- we can be CO-FOUNDERS together! WE COULD HAVE A PARTY FOR IT! And plan for the next one too- Charlie and Vaggie's centennial wow the hotel is still here celebration...!"

Vaggie: "That's sweet, but I'll be dead by then either way, so we still need to deal with the staffing shortage before then."

Charlie: "....dead... tired?"

Vaggie: "Dead as in dead. Doornail style."

Charlie: "What?"

Vaggie: "Expired. Shit, when did we last check the hotel fridge..."

Charlie: "Vaggie wait, I'm, I'm not hearing you right, what are you saying?"

Vaggie: "Heaven born don't live forever? Especially not down in hell, turns out."

Charlie: "I don't understand."

Vaggie: (chuckles) "Sweetie, thanks for ignoring my eyebags and zombie groans while getting out of bed in the morning- but my wings are already GREY, for fuck's sake."

Charlie: "Yes they're, grey. Beautiful and- aren't they supposed to be-?"

Vaggie: "And I'm pretty sure it's not just from the stress of running a business for a few months. Being hotel manager isn't that hard."

Vaggie: "....Mostly. Compared to, some things...." (sigh)

Vaggie: "Think anyone would believe that if we put it in the want ad?"

Charlie: "But-"

Vaggie: "No buts. We really need to get a head start on this."

Charlie: "....but you're a winner."

Vaggie: (SNORTS) "In my dating life, yeah. Anyway-"

Charlie: "But none of the other exorcists' wings are grey! So, so THEY aren't aging- so YOU aren't aging!!"

Vaggie: "They've got halos to protect them from the whole physically getting old thing-"

Charlie: "Halos???"

Vaggie: "-so we- they- can keep fit and ready for fighting our- THEIR whole lives, but duh we don't live forever. Lute and Adam left me here to die, not chill for all eternity."

Charlie: "Wh.. but-"

Vaggie: "Can you imagine how much heaven would've freaked if one of their actually immortal souls had gotten killed down here in hell...? But it was just one of us Adam's girls, and it was up to him to deal with it. With more murder. Bastard."

Charlie: "...."

Vaggie: "Uh.... Charlie?"

Charlie: "....your mortal?"

Vaggie: "I'm, yeah.... wait, Charlie..."

Vaggie: "...people know that about exorcists, right? You didn't... think heaven would risk putting winners in their rank and file army and send them down to hell?"

Charlie: "I thought you were a sinner."

Vaggie: "Hostia- right. I keep forgetting, they don't get old do they?"

Charlie: "Sinners don't. They get killed but they don't just. Die."

Vaggie: "I'm sorry. I thought- I really should've told you-"

Charlie: "Angels aren't supposed to die either."

Vaggie: "We did a good job proving that wrong. Exhibit A, Adam's corpse."

Charlie: "He was KILLED- it's not the same!"

Vaggie: "And angels aren't the same either. There's a lot of different kinds in creation- most of us aren't in the higher orders, there's waaaay more exorcists than seraphim."

Charlie: "But heaven is still supposed to be HEAVEN! People don't DIE in heaven! That wouldn't be Heaven! How could- how could it ever be HAPPY up there if, if- if people still left!?"

Vaggie: "Oh, sweetie... the only people who've earned a heaven like that are the winners. The rest of us are just-"

Charlie: "Just what? JUST, WHAT???"

Vaggie: "We're there to make heaven a good place for them. Keep it running smooth and safe. Mostly it's the higher ups who deal with winners personally, the rest of us stay back and stick to our jobs, try to keep some distance so no one... gets too attached... shit that sounded a lot less fucked up before I said it out loud-"

Vaggie: "Look- it's like that with hellborn too isn't it? The imps and hellhounds and-"

Charlie: "NO! YES? But this is HELL! Of course it hurts and isn't fair! You're not FROM hell it's not supposed to BE like that for you!"

Vaggie: "Or for my girlfriend."

Charlie: "I'm not the one who's dying!"

Vaggie: "You're kinda freaking-"

Charlie: "IM NOT FREAKING OUT!!"

Vaggie: "Right. I meant, you should've had more warning. I'm sorry I didn't say... I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

Charlie: "WELL I WAS! And I'm not- we're not losing that."

Vaggie: "Charlie-"

Charlie: "We're getting you your halo back."

Vaggie: "Pretty sure it's already been recycled-"

Charlie: "THEN WE'RE FINDING ONE FROM ONE OF THE DEAD EXORCISTS and you are WEARING IT until we FIX THIS."

Vaggie: "Sweetie- heaven collected all the halos from our battle-"

Charlie: "They didn't pick up all the spears and stuff, maybe they also missed-"

Vaggie: "No they wouldn't have. Halos aren't, they're not like the weapons. Heaven doesn't care if sinners kill each other with some left behind divine steel, but a halo? They store and conduct heavenly power or whatever. No one's gonna leave one of them lying around."

Charlie: "Fine. FINE- let me think-"

Vaggie: "Can we think less and focus more on you not shaking like a damn leaf first? C'mon, sit down-"

Charlie: "-the angel Carmilla killed. We'll use that one."

Vaggie: "We could use a deep breath right now."

Charlie: "It's head was missing when heaven picked up the body."

Vaggie: "Yeah? An Overlord probably has it hanging on their wall, big whoop, Charlie please slow down-"

Charlie: "If it's head was left behind then maybe it's halo was too! If we find the Overlord-"

Vaggie: "No. No more deals with Overlords."

Charlie: "I'll make as many damn deals with them as I want!"

Vaggie: "But not for ME, alright! If it's about me then you don't get to sell your fucking soul! Or bind it or whatever! You can't make me be the reason for that!"

Charlie: "Vaggie- we NEED that halo."

Vaggie: "No we don't. I don't."

Charlie: "You're dying without it!"

Vaggie: "I KNOW I am. But that's just, life!"

Charlie: "LIFE? Dying so soon isn't-!"

Vaggie: "Charlie, you're half seraphim. You mom was the original demon, your view on life expectancies is kinda skewed."

Charlie: "You said the halos let you live longer!"

Vaggie: "I said they keep us young. It's not the same thing."

Charlie: "It's still SOMETHING!"

Vaggie: "We don't even know that would help at this point, I've been in hell for years-"

Charlie: "Oh so we shouldn't even try!? Just, sit back and go 'well we haven't don't anything to stop this but I guess it was just completely unavoidable'-"

Vaggie: "It probably WON'T help. No, listen- It worked up in heaven and for short runs down here- that doesn't mean it'd have any power to draw on in hell. It's probably just a fancy looking hoop down here."

Charlie: "Then we'll get you back to heaven until we can make it work."

Vaggie: "I'm not going back to fucking heaven!"

Charlie: "AND I'M NOT LETTING YOU STAY HERE AND DIE!"

Vaggie: "You can't kick me out- this is OUR hotel, not just yours."

Charlie: "YOU- you-"

Vaggie: "We need. To calm down."

Charlie: "CALM DOWN! Every second you spend down here your body is-"

Vaggie: "Not dying anytime soon, okay? I'm fine. This whole talk has gone way too far way, way to fast. That's my fault for not thinking about all this sooner, but. Just. Take a breath. Let's just take a breath, take a break, and come back to this when we're both had a moment."

Charlie: "....."

Charlie: "Did you plan all this."

Vaggie: "What?"

Charlie: "Owning the hotel together. Making sure you couldn't be forced out of hell."

Vaggie: "That's not why we started the hotel-"

Charlie: "No, that's not what I was thinking when we started it. But were you?"

Vaggie: "Charlie... you're connecting dots that aren't there..."

Charlie: "You're here. You're here and dying and don't want to leave."

Vaggie: "I'd be dying up in heaven too."

Charlie: "But your wings wouldn't already be GREY, would they?"

Vaggie: "They'd still be an exorcist's wings, if I'd never left-"

Charlie: "Well they're not anymore and going back wouldn't change that. All it would do is help you stay alive."

Vaggie: "I don't want that life."

Charlie: "It's that or die."

Vaggie: "You're being dramatic-"

Charlie: "You've always said you liked that about me. Was that a lie too?"

Vaggie: "No."

Charlie: "Do you want to die, Vaggie?"

Vaggie: "Of course I don't- I could've just let Lute-"

Charlie: "Die, not be killed. Does it make you feel better about all the people you've killed? You'll die and join them, sooner rather than later?"

Vaggie: "......."

Vaggie: "... I want. To spend my life. With you."

Charlie: "No you don't." (voice cracking) "You can't do that when you're dead."

Vaggie: "That's not my fault."

Charlie: "Your choice though, right?"

Vaggie: "It’s not same thing-"

Charlie: "Yes it is. You want to be one who leaves."

Vaggie: "....... wouldn't you?"

Charlie: "...."

Vaggie: "..."

Charlie: "I don't.... want it to b- be like this."

Vaggie: "I know."

Charlie: "I want US! Not like this."

Vaggie: "I know, sweetie, I know... I'm so sorry-"

Charlie: "Stop it." (muffled in vaggie's hair) "You don't want this either, stop apologizing for it!"

Vaggie: "... I shouldn't have let you think, it could be different."

Charlie: "...."

Charlie: "It will be."

Vaggie: "Okay. Denial, that's a, normal step in-"

Charlie: "No- It WILL BE. I- We going to- we'll MAKE it different."

Vaggie: "I don't think we can..."

Charlie: "We will."

Vaggie: "Charlie-"

Charlie: "Damnit just trust me! If we can save a sinner's soul, then we can f-fucking save you."

Vaggie: "....."

Charlie: "Please, Vaggie. Can we try?"

Vaggie: "...it'll be a waste of time."

Charlie: "No it won't."

Vaggie: "We're already not gonna have forever together, sweetie. Why not just. Enjoy what we do have?"

Charlie: "I will! We will."

Charlie: "But we're going to have longer than one century for it."

Vaggie: "Half that, maybe..."

Charlie: "That's not the sound of trying. Vaggie. Please."

Vaggie: "...well... if you're gonna look at me like that about it..."

Charlie: "Don't joke about this."

Vaggie: "I'm not." (smile) "I just know better than to doubt Charlie Morningstar when she gets an idea into her cute, stubborn head."

Charlie: "All my head needs right now is an answer. One word. Clear. Honest."

Vaggie: "... alright. Yes. We can try."

Charlie: "Thank you." (kiss) "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Vaggie: "But you have to promise me. No deals. No selling souls- not for my sake, not even a little bit. Got it?"

Charlie: "Why are you so strict about this-"

Vaggie: "Because it's your soul."

Charlie: "-people make deals all the time! YOU made one with-"

Vaggie: "And it creeped me out even though it wasn't with my soul. Do you promise?"

Charlie: "This is a heaven thing isn't it?"

Vaggie: "Do you promise."

Charlie: "...."

Charlie: "I won't make, deals with anyone in hell, to save you."

Vaggie: (breathes out) "Then... we'll start by talking to Carmilla tomorrow."

Charlie: "TOMORROW!? But that-"

Vaggie: "Will give us time to figure out what we actually wanna SAY to Carmilla. She's still an Overlord, Charlie. Any info we give her she'll want to sure to keep her family safe first."

Charlie: "I know the fucking feeling..."

Vaggie: "So we're slowing this down and doing things carefully, so we do them right. Right?"

Charlie: "Right." (grumbling) "Fools rush in- blah blah BLAH."

Vaggie: "That's my girl."

Vaggie: (hesitates) (tentative smooch)

Vaggie: "Feeling better?"

Charlie: "Fine. I wish you'd stop asking ME that."

Vaggie: "Just glad you're not shaking so much anymore. Kinda scared me for a second."

Charlie: "I'm fine." (sighs) (hugs vaggie) "I didn't mean..."

Vaggie: "I didn't mean to scare you, too."

Charlie: "It's fine. You'll be okay."

Vaggie: "Mm. Already am."

Charlie: "And we're NOT looking for a replacement hotel manager."

Vaggie: "We're gonna need-"

Charlie: "NO."

Vaggie: "-okay. We'll hold off on it. We've got time."

Charlie: (holds her closer) (glares at distant light of heaven)

[thisweekinfandomhistory]

The bees' knees! This week, for the ONE HUNDREDTH EPISODE, V and Emily take a trip back 100 years to look at four fandoms that ruled the year of 1924: George Gershwin's jazz, Harold Lloyd's romantic comedies, Little Orphan Annie's laughs, and Babe Ruth's colossal clout. From the amazing breadth of the Gershwin brothers' catalog to the hilarity of what passed for celebrity gossip in Photoplay, from the plight of a little Orphant to the Bambino's birthday party shenanigans, we're celebrating 100 years of fannish passion and what it really means to be a legend that never dies. 

Sources

Girl Shy Hot Water Helen Kane 1924 in Music Little Orphan Annie Hello, Harold! Photoplay, January - June 1924 Photoplay, July - December 1924 Babe Ruth Central

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory

You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory. 

If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via the Tumblr link above.

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[mysticstronomy]

WHAT IS AN ISLAND UNIVERSE??

Blog#422

Saturday, July 27th, 2024.

Welcome back,

No other science engages human curiosity like astronomy. From antiquity onward, attempts to comprehend the architecture of the cosmos have commanded a substantial fraction of humankind’s mental budget for intellectual endeavor. Only in the last century, though, have astronomers grasped the structure of the cosmos accurately. Just a hundred years ago, a great debate raged about the fuzzy patches on the nighttime sky known as “cloudy stars,” or nebulae.

Some astronomers believed that those cosmic fuzzballs resided within the Milky Way, the galaxy containing the sun and billions of other stars. In those days the Milky Way essentially comprised the known universe. But some experts suspected the nebulae to be very distant stellar systems much like the Milky Way itself — “island universes” populating the vastness of space. Skeptics argued otherwise, contending that the nebulae would be impossibly far away if they contained stars similar in brightness to the sun.

In October 1917, the prominent astronomer Harlow Shapley reported that the brightness of novae in various nebulae would place some of them millions of light-years away, in conflict with other measurements of rapid internal motion within the nebulae. (At such large distances, internal motion would not be perceptible.) “Measurable internal proper motions,” Shapley wrote, “can not well be harmonized with ‘island universes’ of whatever size, if they are composed of normal stars.”

The centennial of Shapley’s paper is not being widely celebrated, of course, because he was wrong — distant nebulae are, in fact, island universes (the measurements of internal motion supposedly ruling that out turned out to be bogus). But there is another anniversary worth celebrating this year — the dodransbicentennial (or dodrabicentennial) of the founding of the Cincinnati Astronomical Society in 1842. That event is noteworthy for its connection to one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries: who first coined the phrase “island universe.”

Often that honor is attributed to the philosopher Immanuel Kant. But Kant wrote in German, and he didn’t use any phrase that could be translated as “island universe.” He was among the first to figure out the nature of the Milky Way, though. From ancient times, skywatchers had wondered at the eerie dim glowing band of light visible across the nighttime sky (until modern light pollution drowned it out). Galileo’s telescope revealed within the milky glow a vast population of stars too distant and dim to discern with the naked eye.

More than a century afterward, in 1755, Kant reasoned that the Milky Way was actually a large lens-shaped disk, a system of stars (including the sun) analogous to the sun’s system of planets.In essence, the Milky Way was the universe, a grand collection of countless worlds — stars surrounded by planets, possibly inhabited. Kant further speculated that the Milky Way was not alone. Nebulae, it seemed to him, were too big to be merely dim fuzzy stars. He deduced them to be at a great distance (too far for their individual stars to be detectable), each of them another entire “universe” like the Milky Way.

But he didn’t call them islands. When he used the German word for island (Insel), he was referring to things like Jamaica, or an uninhabited planet. When Kant said “these elliptical figures are just universes,” the actual term he used in German was Weltordnungen, which is literally translated as “world orders” (or in some places Weltgebäuden or Weltsystemen, world systems).

Originally published on https://www.sciencenews.org

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, July 31st, 2024)

"DOES DARK ENERGY EXIST??"

[iamaverysadbanana]

So I just saw the Annie Award nominations...

Okay, so imagine you're some studio executive. You just acquired an animation studio through a merger, and they've got a movie in the works based on a comic created by a very popular queer artist. You then proceed to not only cancel the film, but shut down the studio making it. BUT then, the movie gets rescued by ANOTHER studio and ends up being a huge success. Meanwhile, you're busy making a movie to celebrate your own company's centennial, and all your micromanaging and overt attempts at brand integration only results in it's critical and financial failure. A few months later, the film you tried to kill gets nominated for nine awards at the Annies. Your anniversary project gets...nothing.

Zilch. Zero. Bupkis.

Hell, there's a pilot for a new web series that's available to watch online for free, and IT got a nomination. Is that even allowed!?

So as wild as 2023 was, at least you weren't the top brass at Disney watching Wish bomb. Congratulations to the Nimona staff, and a special shout out to Glitch Productions and Gooseworx for The Amazing Digital Circus!

P.S. Somebody please make a meme about the Annie nominations using the Mean Girls Glen Coco scene with Disney as Gretchen Wieners. I will love you forever if you do.