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darkforestfae-tea · 3 months ago

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Earth's enchantment: The Earth Elemental

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

This post has parts! -Earth, The Foundation of life -Earth Correspondences -Connecting with the Earth Spirit

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

Earth: The Foundation of Life

Earth, often referred to as the root and the belly of the world, provides the nurturing energy and stability essential for sustaining life. Our existence is intertwined with the earth; it supports the growth of our food and serves as the final resting place for our departed. Humans owe their ability to cultivate, construct, and explore to the earth's generosity. The earth's crust harbors valuable metal ores that are vital in the production of machinery, tools, structures, and weaponry. Beneath the soil, plants communicate through their roots, sharing essential nutrients. For most creatures on this planet, earth symbolizes home, offering a supportive and grounding energy to all living beings.

Stability, grounding, and abundance are symbolized by Earth. Engage with this element through activities such as spending time in nature, gardening, or using crystals and gemstones. Incorporate grounding practices like walking barefoot or meditating on the earth to harmonize your energy with the nurturing essence of the Earth element.

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

In earth spirituality, some common correspondences are as follows:

Orientation:

North

Qualities:

Stability, Nurturing, Growth

Magical Tools:

Pentacle, Crystals

Ritual Focus:

Prosperity, Fertility, Abundance, Stability, Money, Grounding

Preferred Places:

Mountains, Woods, Forests, Caves, Mines, Canyons, Valleys, Fields

Natural Elements:

Rocks, Crystals, Stones, Soil, Sand, Dogs, Worms, Ants, Horses, Cows, Trees, Plants, Seeds, Dirt, Flowers, Leaves, Mushrooms, Moss, Wildlife, Fruits, Vegetables, Roots, Bears, Wolves, Hares, Gemstones, Minerals, Metals, Stags, Boars, Wolverines, Goats, Ungulate Animals

Tarot Suit:

Pentacles

Runes:

Jera, Ur, Othala

Zodiac Signs:

Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Nature Spirits:

Goblins, Trolls, Gnomes, Giants, Brownies, Dryads, Elves, Fairies, Pixies

Deities:

Geb, Gea, Gaia, Demeter, Ceres, Cupra, Cybele, Artemis, Diana, Dionysus, Bacchus, Liber, Libera, Osiris, Cernunnos, Pan, Ariadne, Kore, Persephone, Rhea, Rhiannon, Adonis, Tammuz

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

Connecting with the Earth Spirit

Practice patience: Take life one step at a time and acknowledge that there's no need to rush.

Connect with nature: Spend time outdoors, bask in the sun, walk barefoot on soil and grass, embrace trees, gaze at the clouds, interact with animals, and appreciate Earth's bountiful resources.

Connect with yourself: Foster a positive relationship with your self-image, encompassing your body, mind, and emotions.

Indulge in sensory pleasures: Engage your senses, appreciate your beauty, use affirming language, embrace sexual freedom, light incense and candles, savor fresh fruits and vegetables, and enjoy warm tea.

Practice mindfulness: Instead of impulsively reacting, remain composed, think before speaking or acting, and plan ahead.

Embrace discipline: Set achievable goals and persist in pursuing them, adapting or reevaluating as necessary but never giving up.

Be organized and responsible: Establish routines or create to-do lists to stay organized in various aspects like skincare, exercise, schoolwork, and chores.

Manage your time effectively: Learn about time management to prevent feeling overwhelmed and ensure successful goal achievement by understanding your limits.

Maintain firm boundaries: Stand your ground, assert yourself, and confront challenges without allowing others to undermine you.

Spend time with loved ones: Surround yourself with those who truly comprehend you, with whom you feel relaxed and authentic, enabling you to be yourself without reservation.

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

The Earth Element is symbolized by the varied topographical features found worldwide, such as forests, fields, caves, rocks, valleys, and gardens. It is linked with abundance, prosperity, and resilience. Earth not only supports plant and animal life but has also provided the clay and minerals for crafting tools, as well as the trees and stones used in constructing our dwellings and other edifices. However, Earth's energy also has a destructive aspect, manifesting in earthquakes, avalanches, and mudslides. It can interact with the Water element by either absorbing it or being shaped by it, depending on their proportions, similar to its relationship with Fire and Air. Overall, Earth is the most stabilizing element, offering a sense of calm and grounding amidst life's unpredictable events.

Common lessons often involve grounding and understanding your position within various aspects like your social circles, life, or the ecosystem. Individuals also discover how to find beauty even in challenging times, along with the magic of home, generational connections, and harnessing personal strength. It's crucial to acknowledge the Earth's generosity, as it provides without expecting anything in return. Remember to reciprocate this kindness by giving back to the Earth in your practices, as it's unfair to take without returning the favor. Ultimately, the Earth reclaims all things from the living, reminding us of her immense power and kindness.

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

Ways to embrace and discover these lessons:

Spending time in nature

Tending to plants

Engaging in herbal practices

Participating in community projects

Embarking on explorations

Practicing grounding and meditation in outdoor settings

Establishing a connection with the earth

Reflecting on the essence of humanity

Common forms of Earth Divination

Bone Throwing (Osteomancy)

Dirt Divination (Abacomancy)

Tree Whispering (Dendromancy)

Reading Tea Leaves or Fallen Petals

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚

Thank you for Reading! I absolutely love sharing my knowledge & learnings with others. I try to make posts a few times a week! & they are all organized on my profile.

Until we cross paths once more! Best wishes to all you wonderful witches! Warm regards, Tea.

For more blogs, please find me on the following! Tumblr: @darkforestfae-tea Facebook: @theblackdahliaemporium

For my shop, please visit: shopblackdahlia on Etsy! Facebook: @theblackdahliaemporium

#pagan #paganism #witchcraft #folk witchcraft #pagan witch #witch #elemental witch #green witch #hearth witch #witch community #elemental magick #earth magick #magick #witchblr #wicca #grimoire

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yacinthemorning · 10 months ago

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Tailored to Your Liking

Chapter 5

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Summary: Tumble Town attracts all sorts of misfits looking for a fresh start on the frontier, but everyone still needs clothes. Be it extra limbs or high temperatures, Jimmy caters to every hybrid's needs.

Ships: Jimmy/Tango (slow burn romantic), Grian/Mumbo/Scar (romantic), Joel/Lizzie (romantic)

Warnings: Implied traumatic events, awkward flirting

Typically, Jimmy had learned over the past years, carrots could be harvested a few weeks before the sweet potatoes. This year, however, would not give him a break. Late planting, no sun, and then too much sun, gophers, and finally just plain bad luck with growth. He glared down at the pathetic yellow vegetable, hardly two inches in length compared to its towering leaves.

It would be his luck, after he’d bragged about his carrot cake to his house guest, for this to happen. Of course, he could always buy carrots from Martyn, but that wasn’t the point. Jimmy sighed, rolling back onto his behind to stare up at the sky. Did he leave them be and hope they grew a bit more into a usable size? Harvest them anyways? They couldn’t all be so small. There was no harm in leaving roots in the ground, though, if not for the gophers.

The back door swung open, letting out a puff of smoke. Said puff of smoke coughed and shook, until a face blinked out at Jimmy. “Oh, there you are!” Tango chirped.

“What did you do? I hope you didn’t get any of that in my workshop.” Jimmy clambered back up onto his feet, picking up the watering can on his way. Tango shook most of his soot off like a dog before Jimmy was able to slap the dipped kerchief onto his cheek. The blazeborn yelped, hair flickering from the shock and turning the liquid into steam. Jimmy didn’t stop until at least his face was cleared. “Look at you, it’s like you never left the mines.” He huffed.

“A minor incident may have occurred while doing some repairs.” His muffled voice explained while he tried to bat Jimmy away. “But it’s fine, I swear!” He managed to wrestle the cloth away to finish his own cleaning.

Jimmy laughed, “If you plan on working with heavy machinery you should go to a forge.”

“I wasn’t! I was just trying to reshape a part in something hot. See, Scott at the parlour gave me this ice-cream maker that wouldn’t crank, and while I was repairing it I noticed this one piece-”

“Where on earth- Tango did you use my stove for your metal work?”

Tango hunched over with a guilty grin. Jimmy groaned, rushing inside to make sure there was no major damage. His stove was open, a pair of iron tongs left half inside, with a rapidly cooling hunk of metal sitting on a brick on his stovetop. Most of the soot seemed to have wound up on Tango, both to Jimmy’s relief and annoyance. He spun around, hands on hips, and glared. “Are you daft?”

“Look, see, it’s not that bad-”

“You could have burnt the house down!”

“I took the necessary precautions! I just needed to reshape a small piece.”

“Then why didn’t you simply- you know?” He flicked his wrist and Tango’s sparking hair.

Tango’s face twisted, grabbing the hem of his shirt and fanning it. “Because the whole- you know?”

It was certainly rude, but Jimmy supposed the man knew more about his own flames than an avian. With a conceding wave, Jimmy groaned and began walking towards the cleaning closet. “See here, just…” He grumbled to himself as he tried to pull the mop out, only to find it caught on something out of sight. Just his luck. “If you’re going to be doing metalwork and the like then at least build a shed or something for it in the yard.” What all did such a task need? He didn’t know and he didn’t especially care at the moment. Maybe when he calmed down he’d happily listen to an explanation, but right now he was trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest.

So busy attempting to untangle the mop, Jimmy failed to notice the silence behind him. Not until he’d turned to his companion in search of absent assistance and was instead met with wide, red eyes. Something like wonder swam in them, along with far too many other emotions that made Jimmy tense up in his confusion. “You would let me build that?”

An ‘ of course? ’ nearly fell from his lips without thought, before he absorbed Tango’s words. Before it occurred to him the implications of his own.

Many things in Jimmy’s home had changed in the past two months. A sewing machine and new lights were gifts. Redstone tools and work boots filled spaces that had been empty before and could be emptied at any point. The extra seating in his shop and the new bed in a guest room which was formerly storage were accommodations for a second presence, but they were without character.

But a work shed…

Feathers raised on end. He turned away, focusing back on the mop, though he suddenly felt the energy to clean abandon him. “Or at least go to Impulse’s if you intend to blow up an oven.” He said instead of any of the thoughts darting around his mind. He was not his brother, he was most certainly not his brother. “I’d rather keep my house.”

Tango gaped like a fish, ready to say something, but ultimately snapped shut. He walked up, giving a small nod for Jimmy to step out of the way, and bent down into the closet. Within a few seconds the mop was in his hands and the door was closed. “I’ll clean up.”

Jimmy took a deep breath. “Okay.” A tightness encased his chest. There wasn’t time to think about it. He needed to finish gardening, then he needed to put the last touches on Lizzie’s dress before she picked it up tomorrow. Then-

“Hey, Jim?” Tango called just as the avian reached the back door. “I need to go pick some redstone up from Joe for a job.” His tail twitched, “Do you need anything?”

“Just… Pick up my order from him. And ask him when the next train shipment will be in.” Jimmy said, nearly too quiet, pulling his wings in close to his back. “It should have your nether fabrics.”

Woven straw thudded hard against the wood bar counter from the weight of the raw redstone and metal plates within. Tango’s forehead followed, groan escaping as he wrapped his arm around his face. Cold seeped into his skin from the wood for a brief moment before his own high body temperature heated it faster than it could cool him.

Heavy steps approached, and a glass was placed down next to his elbow. “Rough day already? It’s only noon.”

Tango lifted his head just enough to pout at Impulse, who smiled back. He grabbed the glass given, to discover it was only seltzer. Of course his friend would be responsible when he least wanted it. His face twisted. “I think I upset Jimmy.”

“Oh no, what did you do to the poor fellow this time?” There was more amusement than anything in his voice.

“I might have used his oven as an impromptu forge.”

“Tango!”

“It wasn’t that bad!” He knew he couldn’t defend his poor choices. “I just wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible.”

Impulse’s expression softened before he turned back to cleaning a plate, tail sweeping up in sympathy. The saloon was practically empty at this hour, all the miners back to work and most everyone else busy for another few hours. Skizz was off collecting from the brewery and Zed had run off after some bird he’d seen, leaving the two men alone. Thank the heavens, because Tango wasn’t sure he could deal with their energy at the moment. Once Impulse set the plate aside, he asked, “How much do you have saved up now?”

“Not enough.” Was the only real answer. “Less than I made at the mine in a month, and it’s not exactly reliable. I need to find a real job.”

Impulse hummed, glancing down at his bar. “You know if I could only afford it, I’d hire you.”

“I know you would, buddy.” He sighed, leaning back. “And no one wants another redstoner with Mumbo in town, not when they barely need one. The options out here are somehow both limitless and incredibly limited.”

“You could become a rancher.”

“And compete with Beef?” Tango threw his hand in the air, raised his eyebrow. “The man feeds this and every town within several days travel twice over. Best I could do is beg him to be one of his cowboys, and that ain’t exactly better than the mines pay-wise.”

“Then what about a bandit?” Impulse joked.

“Right, yeah. Because I’d be great with a gun, and I don’t personally know bounty hunters who could hog tie me before I ever sniffed a single copper.”

The two men had a good chuckle simply imagining it before the bar fell silent again. Tango fiddled with the seltzer, taking a small sip now again, mulling over his situation in his head over and over. “Maybe I should just go and beg Fwhip for my job back.”

The last clean plate was placed away, and Impulse turned his full attention onto his friend. “Even if he agreed, then you’d just be back in their barracks, wouldn’t you?” He tilted his head with a knowing smile. “You might as well move back east and get yourself an engineering job at a factory.”

Tango turned away, hiding his warming face behind his palm. “Shut it. It’s not like I can live with Jimmy forever, anyways.”

“You might, if you stopped fooling around and properly courted the fellow.”

“But that’s part of the problem!” He hissed, pushing out of the chair to throw his hands out further. “I can’t just court someone I’m leeching from. Jimmy’s real kind, but he ain’t stupid enough to accept a beggar relying on his money and home, who almost blew up his kitchen. Even a blind man can see how bad that looks.”

Impulse shook his head and dipped into a cupboard. “Well, it’s better than being a gambler or an alcoholic.”

“Setting the bar real high for me, there.” Tango slumped against the bar, glaring at his friend’s back. “One step above rock bottom. Real catch I am.”

“Downright irresistible.” A small bag was placed on the counter in front of the blazeborn. Though full, it gave way easily, and Tango suspected he knew its contents before Impulse explained. “Before you go, would you mind asking Jimmy to alter these before the dinner party? Skizz and I ordered them by catalogue but there wasn’t an option for tail or wing accommodations.”

A common story, Tango had come to learn. Catalogues often had several options for measurements and colours, but couldn’t be bothered to offer even the slightest alterations to the actual patterns. Not when they were paying some poor homebody copper on the diamond to make several a day. Normally most folks would do such small alterations themselves on work clothes. Impulse was never one too good with a needle and thread, however, and for such nice clothing it was best to leave it to Jimmy. Tango collected both the bag and grocery basket, downed the last of his seltzer, and dropped a copper before heading out. “I’ll see what he can do.”

“Don’t worry so much about Jimmy.” Said Impulse as he left. “You know he doesn’t see it that way. Take his advice and focus on getting things together. I’m sure there’s a place for you in town, whatever you want to do.”

If only life were that kind.

Jimmy had made an irreparable mess of everything.

That was the conclusion he’d come to after all these hours alone. He’d made a fool of himself making a fool of Tango and chased him off for good. Shown his true colours. Chosen his house over his housemate. All but told him to pack his bags and get out over nothing, he’d be surprised if he bothered to return. Which, in all fairness, it seemed he wouldn’t be, given how long it’d been since he left. It didn’t take three hours to shop, did it?

Well, perhaps on occasion it did, but it wasn’t as though Tango had a long list when he left. A list that, at Jimmy’s request, included the task of checking to see how much longer Tango would be in his hair. No, he had certainly made an utter mess of it all.

It was evening when Tango returned, around when Jimmy was thinking of closing up and returning to his living room to wallow in his idiocy. “I’m back.” Tango declared, distracted with balancing his acquisitions. Jimmy placed down the pattern he was cutting to rush over and help just in time before a case perched precariously fell to its doom. A true heroic moment, given the amazingly tiny gears it was filled with, spotted when they had everything placed down on the table and Tango checked it hadn’t broken open.

Jimmy didn’t bother peeking at the rest, collecting the few vegetables bought and bringing them to his cleaned kitchen. By the time he returned Tango was already sorting his redstone into the small workspace Jimmy had afforded him. His face had screwed up in concentration. A tension hung in the air for too long, Jimmy’s feathers raised on end as he waited for Tango’s usual chatter. It didn’t appear it would come. “You’re a bit later than I expected, honestly.” Stuttered Jimmy.

Tango wiped his redstone-stained hands on his pants. “I ran into Cleo on my way home. There was something jammed in her printing press. Turned out to be a frog she accidentally gazed at.” There was no need for proof, but Tango produced the small stone frog with a grin. It was, admittedly, very cute. Jimmy let his shoulders ease some, which Tango took unfortunate notice of. “What? Did… Did I miss supper?”

“No! No, I haven’t even started yet, honestly.” Jimmy assured, reminded once again of his carrot-predicament. “It, um, we’ll actually not be having cake today either. An issue came up with… ingredients.”

He got an odd look, but eventually Tango shrugged it off. “So, what’s wrong, then?” Tension now built in the blazeborn as well, his tail jerking in agitation.

Well, there was nothing else he could do now. Jimmy had been building up the nerves ever since he checked the kitchen and found it spotless. More honestly, it had been mulling in the back of his mind since he last saw Tango. Thoughts that had distracted him while doing careful work and forced him on his feet to pace out the stress. Grian always said he had a habit of shoving his foot in his mouth, but Jimmy never felt so painfully aware of it until now.

“Jimmy?”

He took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize for shouting at you this morning. I was just… No, I shouldn’t have. There’s no excuse for you to be treated that way.”

Tango’s eyes widened in shock. “Wh- No! What are you talking about, I completely deserved it?”

But Jimmy shook his head, wringing his hands nervously. Oh, he couldn’t keep still. “You absolutely did not. I panicked and didn’t listen to you. I…” He swallowed. I don’t want you to leave. How could he say that? Or any of the other thoughts that had built themselves into mountains in his mind through the day, only to crumble into nonsense now that Tango was here in front of him again? He closed his mouth before he could humiliate himself.

“I’m the one who should apologize.” Tango said weakly. He put down the frog and approached. “You’ve done so much for me, and all I’ve done is dick around, distract you, and make a mess of your house.”

“I like your mess.” The words tumbled out of Jimmy’s mouth before he could stop them. Every pin feather on his head raised, the skin under turning bright red. The universe truly despised him today.

Tango seemed unsure how to react, a nervous laugh replacing whatever he intended to say. He took his time pulling himself back together, a period in which Jimmy only marginally managed to recover himself, and walked back to the table. “I, um, got your order. And Impulse asked me to bring these suits for you to modify before the party.” He rambled, messing with the edge of the cloth.

Jimmy could work with that. He took a deep breath and let his mind shift back into work mode. “Let me see.” The clothes were laid out, both looking over what needed to be done. “Well, alterations for tails is the most common I’ve had to do, after wings.” He mused aloud, tugging at the fabric. “But if it’s for formal-wear we should make it as presentable as possible.”

Tango’s tail curled around himself, bending awkwardly to try looking at his own work pants. “You just leave a gap in the top of the seam, don’t you?”

“For your tail, perhaps.” Jimmy reached out and tugged between two fingers at the tufted end when it waved past. An affronted squeak escaped the blazeborn, his tail yanking itself away from the light grip. “It’s so thin, you don’t have to worry about your undergarments sticking out, or an embarrassment while removing them. You could have a tail sleeve if you wanted to be especially unfashionable.” He chuckled at the mental image. “Impulse’s tail is considerably thicker and less flexible, however. And those scales of his love to catch on delicate fabrics like this. It’d be best to give him a button clasp.”

“Having to make such completely different adjustments even for the exact same limb…” Tango groaned. “You’re a saint.”

“It seems like much more work when you’re unfamiliar with it.” He waved him off, reaching for the needle he’d had Mumbo modify for undoing stitches. It was so far and above using a random needle or razor. Invaluable in this day and age of mail order and mass production, but Mumbo had insisted it was a silly little gift and turned his attention to his more ridiculous inventions, in Jimmy’s humble opinion. Perhaps some other folks could stand to be a bit more reverent about Jimmy’s work like Tango, actually, or at least offer some respect. “Much of tailoring is the same task in different shapes and combinations.”

Impulse had always had similar issues with clothing as Tango- that is, the acidity in the oils from his scales loved to eat through most fibres, so his selection was limited. Wool was the best common option, of which the jacket was at least made of. Better than attempting to find Void-sourced leathers. Trousers, and the base of the tail especially, were vulnerable to deterioration and staining due to direct contact without the protection of undergarments. Jimmy contemplated if he should line it, or if it would ruin the quality. He was no high-end suit maker who confidently placed his stitching on display to the world, and he likely lacked matching material. At least he was not tasked with making hats for the drake.

He moved on to Skizz’s suit. It would be much easier despite requiring entirely new openings. Though he was not an avian, his flightless wings were feathered like theirs, only requiring minor adjustments to accommodate their motions. There was little he could do to get around the awkward way they would distort the outfit’s silhouette when in motion, the current popular fashions were not made with winged folk in mind.

“It seems crazy, with how many there are.” Tango mused, and only then did Jimmy realize he’d been narrating his thoughts while he worked. A habit he’d grown over the last several weeks.

“Yes, well, numbers aren’t especially meaningful when it comes to setting trends. It’s not the common man on the plates they display in advertisements and magazines. It’s required to look presentable, even if their form cannot fit.”

Tango’s tail twitched, his head tilting to the side. “You know, sometimes you talk like you aren’t much of a fan of your work.”

“I love my work.” Jimmy quickly defended, placing the suit back down. “It’s simply frustrating attempting to modify clothes like this to accommodate everyone it was not made for, rather than creating clothes made for them. Most people aren’t brave enough to wear something that might stand out, and I can’t blame them. You would think living all the way out here might help with that, but ‘polite society’ finds its way everywhere it seems.”

Truthfully, he had only occasionally had such thoughts until recently. Most often while working on preparing the patterns for when Tango’s fabrics got in, which had leaked into his time working on Lizzie’s gown, then retroactively in quiet moments when contemplating the work he’d done for Bigb and Ren. Tango had said so himself, Nether clothing had been draped. Why didn’t he make something similar?

Perhaps he’d taken it a bit to heart recently.

Which reminded him…

“You collected my order from Joe?” He asked. Tango perked up and ran over to the cabinet. He brought over a set of vibrant wool fabrics, placing them down spread out across the desk. Jimmy’s wings fluttered behind him.

A rich violet was lifted up by Tango. “I’m surprised you could afford these. I thought this type of thing was expensive?”

“Normally, yes.” Jimmy admitted, sorting through the shades. “These are new, though, made with a special dye. They call this one mauveine.”

Surprisingly, Tango’s eyes shone with recognition and excitement. “Oh, that was in the newspapers and magazines a few years ago. They created it accidentally from aniline. The first of its kind, they’ve started trying to make all sorts of dyes synthetically from aniline now.”

“Yes.” Jimmy replied, a bit dumbfounded. “Well, it’s becoming quite popular, and more than a few people in town are fond of these bright colours. I bought a few I could find to try.”

“They’re the way of the future.”

“That’s what Mumbo says.” He rubbed his thumb into the fabric, eyeing it with suspicion. “I’m not so sure, though. I’ve heard they fade quickly, and how safe could it be? One made recently left burns.”

The blazeborn only shrugged. “I mean, if they’re selling them even all the way out here, these ones have to be safe.”

“Or it’s the only place left where they can scam customers out of their money, like Scar.” Jimmy snorted. “You would be surprised at some of the ridiculous things I’ve seen people purchase simply because it had a lovely advert in the paper, or heard about from their second cousin in the city who insisted it was the big new thing.”

“What can I say, aren’t new inventions exciting? The mistakes are the fun part, anyways.” Came the response, followed by a cackle when Jimmy’s face twisted. “These seem to be fine, though. Your hands are as pretty as ever.”

“I change my mind. Why are you still in my house.”

Tango’s laughter only roared louder until Jimmy could no longer keep the smile off his lips and joined him. When the pair calmed down once more he pushed the mauve fabric to the side. “This isn’t quite the shade I want, though. I’ll save it for Lizzie.”

“This one’s nice.” Tango picked up another, redder shade. Next to him it certainly was, matching the fiery golds of his hair and red eyes. That was all Jimmy needed to make up his mind.

“It is.” He said, taking it from his companion. “I think I’ll use it.”

“For what?”

“Secret.”

Tango made a whine, but Jimmy held strong, only putting his finger to his lips before walking the fabrics back to the cabinet.

“How about we go make supper? Since my oven is now usable again.”

Hands flung into the air with a groan. “You mess up one time! I swear!”

“Yes, yes.” He cooed, shooing Tango off to the kitchen. “Let’s go, my little genius, you can use your blacksmithing skills on the potatoes.”

#jimmy solidarity #tangotek #solidaritek #team rancher #rancher duo #trafficshipping #mcyt #traffic series #hermitpires #alternate universe #western fantasy #fluff #hurt/comfort #slice of life #fanfiction #sharing a slice of cake

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reasonsforhope · 2 years ago

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"How much safer has construction really gotten? Let’s take a look.

Construction used to be incredibly dangerous

By the end of the 19th century, what’s sometimes called the second industrial revolution had made US industry incredibly productive. But it had also made working conditions more dangerous...

One source estimates 25,000 total US workplace fatalities in 1908 (Aldrich 1997). Another 1913 estimate gave 23,000 deaths against 38 million workers. Per capita, this is about 61 deaths per 100,000 workers, roughly 17 times the rate of workplace fatalities we have today...

In a world of dangerous work, construction was one of the most dangerous industries of all. By the 1930s and early 1940s the occupational death rate for all US workers had fallen to around 36-37 per 100,000 workers. At the same time [in the 1930s and early 1940s], the death rate in construction was around 150-200 deaths per 100,000 workers, roughly five times as high... By comparison, the death rate of US troops in Afghanistan in 2010 was about 500 per 100,000 troops. By the mid-20th century, the only industry sector more dangerous than construction was mining, which had a death rate roughly 50% higher than construction.

We see something similar if we look at injuries. In 1958 the rate of disabling injuries in construction was 3 times as high as the manufacturing rate, and almost 5 times as high as the overall worker rate.

Increasing safety

Over the course of the 20th century, construction steadily got safer.

Between 1940 and 2023, the occupational death rate in construction declined from 150-200 per 100,000 workers to 13-15 per 100,000 workers, or more than 90%. Source: US Statistical Abstract, FRED

For ironworkers, the death rate went from around 250-300 per 100,000 workers in the late 1940s to 27 per 100,000 today.

Tracking trends in construction injuries is harder, due to data consistency issues. A death is a death, but what sort of injury counts as “severe,” or “disabling,” or is even worth reporting is likely to change over time. [3] But we seem to see a similar trend there. Looking at BLS Occupational Injuries and Illnesses data, between the 1970s and 2020s the injury rate per 100 workers declined from 15 to 2.5.

Source of safety improvements

Improvements in US construction safety were due to a multitude of factors, and part of a much broader trend of improving workplace safety that took place over the 20th century.

The most significant early step was the passage of workers compensation laws, which compensated workers in the event of an injury, increasing the costs to employers if workers were injured (Aldrich 1997). Prior to workers comp laws, a worker or his family would have to sue his employer for damages and prove negligence in the event of an injury or death. Wisconsin passed the first state workers comp law in 1911, and by 1921 most states had workers compensation programs.

The subsequent rising costs of worker injuries and deaths caused employers to focus more on workplace safety. According to Mark Aldrich, historian and former OSHA economist, “Companies began to guard machines and power sources while machinery makers developed safer designs. Managers began to look for hidden dangers at work, and to require that workers wear hard hats and safety glasses.” Associations and trade journals for safety engineering, such as the American Society of Safety Professionals, began to appear...

In 1934, the Department of Labor established a Division of Labor Standards, which would later become the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to “promote worker safety and health.” The 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which legalized collective bargaining, allowed trade unions to advocate for worker safety.

Following WWII, the scale of government intervention in addressing social problems, including worker safety, dramatically increased.

In addition to OSHA and environmental protection laws, this era also saw the creation of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

OSHA in particular dramatically changed the landscape of workplace safety, and is sometimes viewed as “the culmination of 60 or more years of effort towards a safe and hazard-free workplace.”"

-via Construction Physics (Substack newsletter by Brian Potter), 3/9/23

#construction #osha #workplace #workplace safety #workers rights #labor rights #occupational health #nlra #collective bargaining #united states #us history #labor unions #industrial revolution #this is why unions and regulations are so fucking important by the way #if you have not studied late 1800s and early 1900s labor history in the US #you really can't grasp how incredibly dangerous things used to be #and how much proof we have that corporations suck #government regulations

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fictionadventurer · 1 year ago

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Hey, so it turns out that not only did James and Lucretia Garfield finally fall in love with each other after years of marriage, but we have proof of it in one of the sweetest love letters I've ever read.

Willard's, Nov 24, 1867

My Precious Darling,

It is nearly ten o'clock Sunday night, and I will not lie down to sleep till I have told you again that I love you. Surely, "love is the fulfilling of the law," and the law of our love is liberty. We no longer love because we ought to, but because we do--the Tyranny of our love is sweet. We waited long for his coming, but he has come to stay. I hope wish, my dear love, that God would let us die together when we die, that neither of us might be left in the empty world for a single hour. It would be unkind of me, to tell you, if I could, how lonely and lost I am without you. Part of the machinery of my life seems to be gone, and I wander around unconsciously as if in search of it, that I may set nature at work again.

Your precious words of the 21st came to me this morning--and fell down into my heart like benedictions. Did you know how unutterably sweet it is to be praised by you? The words you wrote have lifted me and made me proud and happy all day. How sweet the privilege I have had, this summer! The alchemist sought to transmute other substances into gold--I have done far better. I have been able to transmute gold into esthetic joys, intellectual growth, heart life--and better than all--have been permitted to see it transformed into sweet and beautiful decorations of the noblest and truest woman I ever saw--and she as glad to be mine as I to be hers. This surpasses alchemy. It is divine. It is a new proof of the truth that "God is love."

Well Darling, I have done nothing of worth except to hunt houses and read. I am satisfied that the price of the house I wrote you of is too great and we ought not to pay it. I hope I can do better. I am thinking of buying a house on time and hope to sell it again when we are done with it. If we had done so, four years ago, we should have owned it now. I am anxious to receive your answer to my letter of Thursday--It may help me to a decision.

[political paragraph cut for irrelevance]

Dear Love, do write me very often. Kiss the sweet [???] and tell them Papa loves them all.

Ever Your ownest own James

#history is awesome #presidential talk #hey question: how come guys don't write like this anymore?#men gotta up their game to keep up with the love letters of the nineteenth century #there are a few words here that might be wrong because his handwriting's not great #gotta say jimbo your handwriting was much better in your youth #like i much appreciate the personal development keep it up #but your writing was a lot nicer looking when you were a young buck trying to impress a girl with your mad penmanship skills #if you were wondering the political paragraph is about him potentially being head of the house ways and means committee #and they're coming up on johnson's impeachment proceedings #i could have and probably should have cut the paragraph about house hunting #but i was so amused by the turn from flowery love letter to #'well darling i have done nothing of worth except to hunt houses and read'#i feel like it grounds the declaration of love in the mundane moments of everyday life and makes it seem more real

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sjsmith56 · 8 months ago

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The Fae Elements, Part 2 - The Others

Summary: After a tough day in court Sage is attacked on her way to her car. She is rescued by several fae and wakes up in their stronghold. Buck tells her more about the fae world.

Length: 5.6 K

Characters: Sage, Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, Buck, Maria.

Warnings: Sam and Steve say too much, violence causing injury, talk of attitudes towards women including some condescension.

Author notes: AI images created by the author using Microsoft Copilot in Designer mode.

<<Part 1

⭐️ 🌕 ☀️

It had been a week since I last saw James Barnes. There had been no further contact with him, but I had noticed at several of my appearances in court, two other men in attendance. Both of them were distinct in appearance, strong featured, and like Barnes, with scents that identified them as being fae. One of them, a tall blond with broad shoulders, took notes as I asked questions of the CEO of that logging company that had actually ventured over a national park boundary during a clear cut, cutting down an old growth stand, as well as damaging the habitat.

In my request for an injunction, I wanted all logging in that area to cease immediately. Justin Hammer, the CEO, claimed it was a GPS error that sent them over the boundary and would not be repeated. I found it difficult to believe that a billion-dollar company, working in such a sensitive area, couldn’t afford better equipment. When he said it was the best, I asked him for the brand and model. With a wave of his hand, Hammer smirked, as if dismissing my question as unimportant.

“I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand how GPS works,” he replied. “It’s very complicated to a lay person.”

“Someone like me?” I repeated. “I’m an experienced camper and hiker who regularly goes into the mountains using GPS. I’ve never become lost and have always been able to find my way in and out. Is it because I’m a lawyer, or perhaps because I’m a woman, that you think it’s too complicated? Which is it, Mr. Hammer?”

He looked nervously at the judge. “Well, you don’t look like someone who would go camping. You’re in heels and wearing a business suit.”

“You’re also in a business suit and your shoes look a lot more expensive than mine,” I commented. “Does that make you more of an expert? Which GPS units do your crews use?”

“I would have to look that up,” he finally admitted.

“Would you like the court to recess so you can get that information?” I glared at him.

“Yeah, that would be good,” he said, as his lawyer began shaking his head. “Could we recess?”

The judge was not amused and frowned at him as he spoke to the man.

“Mr. Hammer, you were aware that you would be questioned extensively on how your logging machinery ended up a mile inside the national park boundary, caught in the act of felling a stand of trees that were several hundred years old. I would have thought a man in your position would have brought that information with him, especially if you’re going with GPS error as your excuse.”

“Well, I wasn’t … that is to say, I was led to believe that we would get a slap on the wrist,” he replied, while his lawyer looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. “It was an honest mistake.”

I brought out a stack of photos, offering them to the judge.

“Your honour, I would like to submit a series of photographs, showing the positioning of signs along the boundary of the park in question. They are placed every half mile, indicating that it is the boundary and if anyone crosses into the park, they are subject to the laws protecting the resources in those parks. Hunting, logging, and mining are expressly forbidden. We have photographs showing several of these signs knocked over and left in the clear-cut areas. It appears Mr. Hammers’ crews didn’t even bother to remove the evidence that they knocked the signs over as they continued their operations into the park. I move for an immediate injunction against any further logging in the area by Mr. Hammer’s company, and that a fine be levied for the destruction of the trees and the habitat they stood on.”

I passed the photographs to the judge as the other lawyer had already received them during discovery. I was really pissed off at this Hammer guy, as I knew that they had adequate GPS equipment, that would show them exactly where they were. The signs were also very visible and should have been obeyed without question. Instead, they ran roughshod over the sensitive natural areas. The park’s naturalists were still cataloguing the damage to the habitat, but it was extensive.

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Ms. Hawthorne,” said the judge. “I hereby grant the injunction. The fine to be levied will be determined after the extent of the damage has been catalogued. Mr. Hammer, if you want to be taken seriously in this court, I suggest you and your legal representative come prepared with more than assumptions. Court is now recessed to allow the next case to prepare their presentations.”

We all rose as the judge vacated the bench and retired to his office. As I gathered my files, placing them into my briefcase, I became aware of a presence behind me, as another scent reached my nostrils. The scent was pleasant, reminding me of warm breezes, as odd as that sounds.

“Ms. Hawthorne,” said a voice and I turned around to see the second man, a handsome man with an engaging smile. He offered me his hand to shake. “Sam Wilson.”

“You’re with Gaia Life, aren’t you?” I asked, as I had recalled seeing the name after I did some more research on them.

“I am,” he confirmed. “My colleague and I were sitting in on your case today. We were both impressed.”

The blond man was still making notes but looked up and smiled at me. His scent was subtle but reminded me of the ocean. Finishing his last sentence, he closed his notebook and stood up, approaching me.

“Steve Rogers,” he said, as he shook my hand. “You were impressive.”

“I was doing my job,” I said. “May I ask why you’re here?”

They looked at each other, and I got the distinct sense that they could speak without using their voices.

“Our CEO recommended we observe you in action,” said Rogers. “I believe you had dinner with Mr. Barnes last week.”

“I did, but haven’t heard anything from him since,” I replied. “I was under the impression our business together was finished.”

“About that,” said Wilson. “Mr. Barnes was called away to an emerging situation in another location which is why he hasn’t contacted you. We were tasked with reporting back to him on the status of this case and another one you will be continuing this afternoon.”

“Yes, HYDRA Mining,” I stated. “The pollution they’re getting away with is criminal.”

“What do you know of them?” Rogers looked steadily at me. “Mr. Barnes has concerns.”

“About my approach or the strength of the case?”

“For your safety,” said Wilson. “Sorry to be so blunt, but we’re kind of here to make sure you’re not in any danger.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. HYDRA did have some deep political connections but the runoff from tailing ponds in their mine just outside a national park had made its way into some sensitive fish spawning habitats, causing a significant drop in the viability of that fish population. Not only that, but the tributary they had polluted fed into a larger river system which was a major water source for several populated areas. People could become ill and perhaps die from the effects of that runoff.

“Why would Mr. Barnes think I’m in danger?” I looked at the pair, who again seemed to have a moment of nonverbal communication between them, almost debating what they could tell me. “I know what Mr. Barnes is. He was quite open with me during our meal together. Do you have a similar background?”

They looked at each other again, obviously surprised by my admission.

“We’re princes in his council,” said Rogers. “My responsibility is for the waterways while Sam deals with air quality.”

“Elements,” I said, impulsively. “You’re not just fae, you represent the classical elements. Mr. Barnes is forest, which is the earth, you’re water and Mr. Wilson is air. Who is fire?” I said it rather facetiously.

“Fire is an unencumbered element,” said Rogers, being quite serious. “She is not part of the fae council, as she is both dark and light, capable of causing destruction but also acting as a catalyst for life under certain circumstances. Fire provides light, warmth, and comfort but also death if it is not respected. If you wish to meet her, we can arrange it. She would be a formidable ally for us if HYDRA chose to act against you. She has her own issues with them.”

I wasn’t expecting to receive such an answer to my comment that I considered more of a joke, but apparently things in the fae world were taken much more seriously. I looked at my watch, having two hours until I had to return to the courtroom for the HYDRA hearing.

“We have time to go to my office and talk,” I said. “I’m not sure why Mr. Barnes thinks I need your protection, but I’ll let you make your case.”

They gazed at each other again, and frankly, it was already bothering me, then Wilson must have realized it was because he nodded his head.

“I apologize,” he said. “We’re so used to working closely together that we often dispense with audible conversation. It wasn’t our intention to ignore you. Let’s just say that you are an intangible element, like love, one whose essence can be overlooked as unimportant. But you are important, not just to Mr. Barnes, but to many more, both fae and human.” I must have looked confused. “You are truth, Ms. Hawthorne. It shines out of you like a beacon. To the fae like us, you are as important as any element, known or unknown. To those who worship the darkness, you shine a light on their evil that reveals them to the world. They curse you when you shine brightest, then wait for your gaze to look elsewhere, using the darkness to perform foul deeds.”

“You’re for real,” I said, sighing. “You believe this completely.”

“You’re a descendant of Lilith,” replied Rogers. “Your element is the moon. The ancient mortal men who wrote about you claimed you were the evil one who worked in the darkness but the fae knew otherwise. You spoke truth and shone a light upon the darkness, just like the moon. It is why you must be mated to the earth, to Buck �� James Barnes.”

“Out,” I said, pointing to the door of the courtroom. “I’m not doing this. I’m not a beacon of truth. I’m an environmental lawyer who is passionate about my job. Tell Mr. Barnes that I don’t need his protection as no one in their right mind would believe all of this mystical mumbo jumbo that you just spouted. Coming from him, it sounded so poetic and romantic, but you guys are taking it a little too far. Leave me alone.” They spoke silently to each other again, with a worried look on their faces. “I mean it … don’t come back here. I don’t want to see either of you here again.”

Reluctantly, they left, and I sat down on the chair at the desk. I really should have been more sceptical of James Barnes. It was obvious to me now that he was the leader of some new age cult, using Gaia Life as their front. After turning him down, he sent those two acolytes to keep an eye on me, obviously hoping that somehow, they could convince me of my divinity, or whatever it was they wanted me to think. I had worked too hard to get to where I was. Being associated with a cult of any kind, even one with an environmental interest, would remove all validity to my position. It would make me a laughingstock and I would never be able to appear in a courtroom again.

After about twenty minutes I stepped outside the courtroom and didn’t see my two admirers, so I headed to the café in the building, needing to grab something to eat as the afternoon session was going to take all of my concentration.

Four hours later, I sat at the same desk in the courtroom, frustrated beyond belief at what had transpired in the HYDRA Mining hearing. All of my evidence had been presented, then the lawyer for HYDRA, Alexander Pierce, had poked holes in every piece of information, reducing my argument to pieces. Somehow, he had raised enough doubt that the mine was the source of the pollution, claiming that the toxins were naturally present in the watershed, a product of millions of years of weathering and land upheavals that had exposed underground deposits laced with multiple sources of the toxins. They had found the same toxins further upriver than where their mine was, claiming they were actually helping the environment by encasing them in state-of-the-art tailings ponds. He was very convincing, and I was given another month to come up with new evidence or face having the injunction dismissed.

It was disappointing and I decided to go home. It was late, I was tired, my feet and back hurt, and I just wanted to eat something, then lie in a hot bath for an hour, with soft music playing, before trying to sleep away my frustration. Outside in the dark it was threatening to rain, and I hoped it held off long enough for me to get to my car. A few rumbles of thunder in the distance promised a thunderstorm later, which I preferred to watch from my windows. Just before I reached my car a man walking towards me drew my attention. He was dressed in dark clothing, wearing a hoodie that covered his face. Just the way he walked made me uneasy, as his stride was aggressive. Trying not to stare, I kept my stance strong and focused on my car which was visible. As he passed me, I heard him turn then he grabbed me from behind and placed something cold and metallic into the side of my neck.

“I don’t carry cash,” I said automatically. “If you want my car, you can take it.”

His raspy voice grated against my ear, releasing a sulphurous smell that almost made me gag. “My master wants to talk to you, Ms. Hawthorne. We’re going to take a ride.”

For good measure he pressed the item further into my neck. I nodded and heard a vehicle approach from behind us, the sound of a sliding door reaching my ears. The next thing I knew I was on my backside and two winged men were fighting two men in black, presumably one of them was the one who pressed a gun into my neck, a gun that now laid on the sidewalk. The intensity of the fighting could be felt with each blow exchanged between the combatants, even though their hits were made so fast that I could barely see them. Scrambling to pick up the gun, I pointed it at one of the men in dark clothes who had momentarily stunned one of the winged men, who I recognized as Sam Wilson.

“I know how to use this,” I said loudly. “Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up!”

He smirked at me, twisting his face in a way that was almost cliché but was definitely frightening as his red eyes flared as he focused on the gun. Advancing towards me I shot him above the knee, making him scream in fury, but it didn’t stop him as he ignored the blood coming out. He struck me across the cheek then grasped the gun with one hand and my throat with the other, lifting me up so that my feet left the ground, and I started to choke. I could also smell something burning but didn’t know what. Just as I was about to pass out, I saw a red light from the sky descend on all of us and I was dropped, as he was dragged away from me like a rag doll. A flash of light was followed by the sound of thunder reverberating everywhere. Still stunned I watched as the two winged men, several other men and a woman fought the two red-eyed men who somehow seemed to have become many more. Then I felt strong arms pick me up and I was flown into the sky. Looking down at the scene was surreal, as the fight looked like something out of a superhero movie then I forced myself to look at the person who had picked me up.

“You’re alright,” said Buck, as he held me in his arms, while giant wings flapped from his shoulders. “I’ve got you. Close your eyes and I’ll take you to a safe place.” I tried to speak but he smiled. “Sleep.”

Whether it was a hypnotic command, or I was weary enough to pass out didn’t matter as I closed my eyes and descended into a dreamless sleep. How long I was out was unknown as when I woke up it was almost completely dark, except where the room was illuminated by the full moon that shone through the window. I was still in my clothes, although my shoes were off. When I sat up, I hurt everywhere, especially in my neck and I gingerly felt where the man had squeezed my neck tight enough to raise me above the ground. It was tender, as was my cheek, and no doubt there would be bruises.

There was a knock on the door to the room then it opened, and a woman came in, her face not visible in the shadows closest to the door. When she stepped into the moonlight, I recognized Maria, the woman who served the meal I had with Buck at the restaurant. She smiled at me.

“You’re awake,” she stated. “Mr. Barnes said you may have acquired injuries in the attack on you. If you come with me, I can show you to a pool that will rejuvenate and heal you.”

“Where am I?”

“A safe place,” she answered. “It is a stronghold and a spiritual place for all light fae. It is unseen by the outside world. Although we live and mingle with the mortal world we return here when our spirits need the solitude. You are a welcome guest, Ms. Hawthorne. Please, come with me.”

I stepped off the bed and picked up my shoes, prepared to put them on but she showed me her own bare feet, so I dropped them, feeling the soft carpeting under my feet as she led me to another door. It opened to a large tunnel carved in rock, lit up softly with a light source that seemed to glow in the walls.

“It is a phosphorescent light,” she explained, anticipating my question. “It lights without heat but draws energy through the rock to do it.”

After a short walk through the tunnel, we came to an underground cave pool, dimly lit by soft glowing walls, that gave it a definite muted atmosphere. Its blue green waters were warm, as a mist wafted over top its surface. The warmth from the waters was evident on my face, bringing out a sheen to my skin. She gestured to a bench where some clothing was laid out, then at a shower beside it.

“It’s a mineral pool with healing qualities,” she explained. “It’s perfectly safe but works best if you enter it unclothed. Shower first, and cleanse off any dirt from your skin. You may sit in the waters as long as you wish. No one will enter here without your permission. When you are finished, please dress in the clothing provided and you may exit through the blue door. Your clothes will be repaired while you are our guest. I will be waiting for you.”

She left through the blue door, and I stood there, reluctant at first to take off my clothes. I kneeled down, wincing at the pain in my knees, realizing they were skinned. Brushing my fingers through the water in the pool I was amazed at how warm and soft it felt. Struggling to get back up I went over to the bench and took my clothes off, then stepped under the shower head, looking for a control. It started automatically; a soft warm stream that felt amazing. Maria said I should cleanse myself and I looked for a product, finding only a sponge that I began rubbing against my skin. A natural foam came out of it that gently cleaned my skin, without irritating the scrapes and bruises I had. After I rinsed off, I walked to a spot where steps into the pool were laid and glided down into the warm waters, groaning loudly as I immersed myself in it. It was nirvana, as I felt the warmth in my bones. There was a ledge to sit on, that allowed me to be covered up to my neck and I sat there with my eyes closed for what seemed like an eternity. Bringing one of my knees up to examine it I was surprised to see the skin was no longer broken. In fact, it looked like new skin had already begun to grow. The bruises on my arms were gone and when I touched my neck there was no tenderness at all. Whatever minerals were in this pool were a miracle, although a part of my brain insisted there was likely some magic involved as well. Deciding it was time for me to leave this healing pool I made my way back to the steps, then showered to rinse off. A large fluffy towel dried me off and I put the clothing on; a camisole top, soft panties, leggings and a tunic, all in a soft brown colour that seemed to be iridescent, as I caught glimpses of gold in the folds. There were still no shoes, so I walked barefoot to the blue door, took one last look at this little haven then went through the exit. Maria was exactly where she said she would be, and she smiled at my appearance.

“You look much better. Please follow me.”

“Are you fae?” I asked.

“Part fae,” she answered. “My father is fae while my mother was mortal. She wasn’t a descendent of Lilith, but she became part of the fae world after my father intervened on her behalf and fell in love with her. They were together for over 80 years until her time came.”

“How old are you?” I immediately regretted asking that as it was really none of my business. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“I am 86,” she answered, seeming not to be offended by my question. “My lifespan is unknown as the mortal part of me has the longevity gene. I could live longer than the normal mortal / fae beings, or I could be hit by a truck when I cross the street and leave this realm forever. I have already seen much, and I am prepared either way.” Her young-looking face was serene. “My mother had no regrets falling in love with an eternally youthful and beautiful fae. My own mate is fae and he is devoted to me, as I am to him. Our child will be free to marry who he chooses, fae or mortal. We share this world together.”

She stopped in front of a large wooden door, that was covered in a carving like something out of the Lord of the Rings. All around it the rock glowed and the light from the room behind the door glowed. Maria took my hand in hers.

“I know you have doubts,” she said. “He is still saddened by the death of his wife Daere. She was his life but after her sister was declared a witch and sentenced to death during the troubles, she wasted away in despair. He tried to save her sister but was too late and has felt unworthy of love ever since. That is why he could not offer it to you, not because you’re not worthy for you are.”

She knocked three times, then opened the door and gestured to me to enter. It was a library, with shelves of stone and wood carved into the space that seemed part of a mountain, except for a panoramic window that looked out over a vast valley. The room was lit by a fire that burned but had no logs, seeming to come out of nowhere. Buck had been sitting on a sofa and stood up at my arrival. Wearing blue jeans, a blue T-shirt and a brown leather jacket, with his hair loose around his shoulders he looked like a rock musician or an artist. He hadn’t shaved for several days, as evidenced by the short beard that graced his face and chin.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, standing up and checking my neck carefully from where he stood. “Your cheek is still bruised.” Placing his hand on my cheek I felt a warmth flow from his hand into my skin. After just a few seconds he withdrew his hand. “Better?”

“Better,” I replied. “That pool is amazing. You have healing abilities?”

He smiled, the skin at the corner of his blue eyes crinkling. “The pool is a marvel. The right combination of warmth, minerals and a touch of healing magic to fix almost anything.” He looked at his hand. “I gave you a few moments of my life force to remove the bruise. I can heal some things that way, but we use the pool for everything else.”

Everything except a broken heart … and my father.

We both started to speak at the same time, and he stopped, gesturing for me to speak first.

"Could you have saved my father with that pool?"

He didn’t answer for a long moment. "It was an option that would have helped, but was refused. I respected your parent's decision."

I wasn't surprised but I wish I had known as perhaps I could have convinced them.

“Thank you for having your two emissaries there,” I said. “I wasn’t very nice to them just a few hours before they showed up to rescue me.”

“They are still young and sometimes overeager to share their knowledge. The attack on you inspired another to become involved. She was angered at how they hurt you and made her decision quickly to intervene on your behalf. Steve and Sam spoke of the fire element to you, did they not? Her name is Wanda, and she is very powerful.”

“I didn’t believe them.” I frowned, feeling like I had misjudged them all. “I thought … I thought by the way they spoke of you and me, that they were part of some weird environmental cult …. I’m sorry. It was a lot to take in.”

“And now?” There was a hopeful quality to his voice.

“Why did they attack me?”

“First, because they know I was trying to court you to be my queen,” said Buck. “Secondly, because Sage, you are powerful, more than you know. I must be truthful and admit that I need your power to spread the light into the darkness of ignorance and misinformation that is being spread by those who wish harm upon our world. It is a darkness, one that would hold the population in a vice of misery. Those who are like the owners of HYDRA see people only for the labour that benefits their pockets. If they die from hunger, or pollution, or disease, they will turn to another part of the planet and exploit them instead. Many of them who take advantage are mortal, but there are also fae involved, those who have turned to the darkness instead of the light. They see themselves as masters of everything, not only on the ground but below and above it as well.”

It was a lot to take in. Just over a month ago I was mourning my father at his funeral and now I was in some sort of mystical retreat after being attacked by … something not of my world.

“Those men … their eyes were different.”

He nodded. “They are dark fae, more like demons really. Their master controls them. We have an idea of who that is, but he is well hidden from our abilities.”

Something must have shown on my face because he approached me cautiously.

“You are safe here,” he said with conviction. “No one can enter without being noticed. I will defend you with my life, as will the council and all the fae and part-fae who are present here.”

“I believe you,” I replied, then sat on an armchair. “Why am I so powerful and why now? I haven’t seen you in a week. Did you know this when you let me leave the restaurant?”

His face became serious. “The emergence of your power will take some time to explain. I did wonder about it but wished to learn more before I shared it with you. This may seem like I’m going on a tangent but what do you know of the connection between the moon, the equinoxes and solstices?”

I shrugged. “Is there one?”

“Yes, every time a full moon happens on either an equinox or a solstice, it is a time of great significance,” he said. “This year, 2024, there is a full moon on the summer solstice, June 21. The sun will be at its highest on this longest day, and the moon will be at its lowest on this shortest night. It is a time of new beginnings, a spiritual transformation.”

“In what way?”

He sat on the chair next to me, leaning forward, as if trying to determine how to tell me.

“A mortal descendant of Lilith, who mates with the fae king, can be transformed into a full fae herself,” he said finally. “Her transformation rejuvenates the fae, and more. Women carry the ability of childbirth, and the fertility of a full fae queen extends to the environment.”

“So, my value is in my fertility?”

His explanation wasn’t winning me over, especially since I got the feeling, he wasn’t telling me everything.

“It’s part of it, yes.” He seemed a little exasperated. “You are more than your womb, Sage. Much more. Perhaps at the beginning of thought and reason in ancient peoples, your fertility was the most important, as it was tied to the success of a community … to their crops, to their survival as people were born, lived, and died. In these modern times, your knowledge, and fearlessness in fighting against powerful forces is just as important. You may make arguments in a courtroom, but that is your battlefield, and you are its warrior.” I tilted my head, accepting his observation. He smiled, pleased that I had. “There are spiritual places around the world, that are sacred to the fae. They harness the energy of the elements.”

“Like Stonehenge?” I interrupted.

He smiled again. “Stonehenge is specifically sacred to the Druids and the Wiccans, built to celebrate important moments in the year, like the equinoxes and solstices. They are not fae although they share some of our beliefs. Our sacred places are more natural, and less known, as they are hidden from the mortal world. If you were to agree to become my mate we would consummate our marriage after the main ceremony, in two additional rituals, both of them in a sacred place. The first ritual would be at the moment the sun is at its highest on the summer solstice in a place open to the sky. The second ritual would be when the full moon is at its lowest on the solstice, in a place on the water.”

“You mean consummate in the sense of having sex?”

Buck gazed directly into my eyes; his blue eyes were almost hypnotic in their intensity. “That is part of the ritual, but it is also part of a pledge of devotion to each other and a promise to the fae kingdom to protect the natural world against threats. The result of the two ceremonies would be the transfer of some of my life force as well as the natural energy of the earth, sky, and water into you. Since my element is the earth and yours is the moon, it is symbolic of the relationship between the two, joined together in a cosmic dance that has lasted for an eternity, figuratively speaking. It is a formidable partnership that wields great healing power for the natural world.”

It was all so mystical, even for me, someone who grew up hearing and reading the stories of all sorts of mythological beings. My feelings must have been evident on my face because he stood up and gestured to me.

“I can see you must be at the limit of your patience. You are likely tired from your day. The effect of the healing waters is reinforced by a good sleep so I will walk you to your room.”

“I have hearings tomorrow,” I protested. “I’m expected there.”

“Of course,” he replied. “We will get you to your apartment in the morning with enough time to get ready for court. You have my word. For tonight, I believe you will be safer here.”

What choice did I have? I had no idea just where I was. I followed him out of that beautiful library, and we walked down the hallway carved out of those glowing walls. Soon, we arrived at my room, and he stood there as if he wanted to say more. Instead, he leaned over and kissed me gently on the cheek.

“Goodnight Sage,” he said softly. “I will see you in the morning.”

I opened the door and watched him walk away, his tall frame seeming to dominate the hallway as he retreated from my sight. Inside the room, there were sleeping garments on the bed. A bathroom was attached to the room and had cleansers and lotions that smelled wonderful. After washing my face and brushing my teeth I put the night clothes on then slipped under the sheets. The lights turned off almost immediately, likely through magic. For once, I had no problem falling asleep and had a good rest.

Part 3>>

Series Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging. Comments are appreciated.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #buckybarnes original female character #bucky barnes au #james buchanan barnes au #fae #fae Bucky #fae king #steve rogers #sam wilson

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cdindustries · 11 days ago

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Forging Company in Faridabad, Forging Manufacturer in Faridabad – CD Industries – Forging Companies in India, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Gujarat, Forging Manufacturers

Forging Company in Faridabad are traditionally considered as the backbone of the manufacturing industry. It is a major input to the sectors which support economic growth of the nation, such as, Automobile, Industrial Machinery, Power, Construction & Mining Equipment, Railways and General...

#cd industries #cdind #Forging Company in Gujarat #Forging Company in Noida #Forging Manufacturers #forgingcompany #forgingcompanyingurgaon #Gujarat #Careers #Forging Companies in India #Ghaziabad #Manufacturing Capabilities #mumbai

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industrynewsupdates · 17 days ago

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Future of Power Transformer Market: Innovations and Developments

The global power transformer market was valued at USD 22.83 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1% from 2023 to 2030. This growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand for electricity in both emerging and developed countries, coupled with significant investments in infrastructure. As urbanization and industrialization continue to accelerate, the need for reliable and efficient power distribution systems is expected to fuel market growth. Additionally, the rising focus on modernizing the existing energy grid systems and improving energy efficiency will be key factors driving the demand for power transformers over the forecast period.

A major contributing factor to the market's expansion is the growing adoption of smart grid technology. The development of smart grids, which incorporate advanced technologies like smart meters and automated control systems, is creating a significant demand for more sophisticated power transformers. Smart meters, in particular, are integral to the efficient functioning of smart grids as they enable real-time monitoring and management of energy consumption. The widespread push for smart grid development, along with government initiatives to modernize power infrastructure, is expected to have a positive impact on the power transformer market over the next several years.

In addition to smart grids, the power transformer market will be further supported by the rising focus on renewable energy sources and the increasing need to develop transmission networks for remote and off-grid locations. The integration of non-traditional energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower, into the power grid requires efficient power transformers that can manage variable power outputs and ensure reliable electricity distribution.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the Power Transformer Market

Phase Insights

The power transformer market can be segmented based on phase type into two categories: single-phase and three-phase transformers. As of 2022, the three-phase transformer segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with a dominant market share of 62.2%. This segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a projected CAGR of 7.2% by 2030.

Three-phase transformers are widely used in various industrial applications due to their high efficiency and ability to handle large power loads. They are commonly used in industries such as manufacturing, mining, petrochemicals, automation, and telecommunications, among others, for both power generation and distribution. These transformers are especially suited for industrial settings because they are more affordable, compact, and lightweight compared to other transformer types, especially when dealing with high power ratings.

In addition to being cost-effective, three-phase transformers offer several operational advantages. They are ideal for low-voltage distribution systems that experience high fluctuations in voltage. Their design allows for superior isolation, common-mode interference suppression, and they can be customized to meet specific end-user requirements. Furthermore, they are particularly effective in environments that require a stable and continuous power supply, making them indispensable for a wide range of applications, including precision machinery and automated systems.

Given their many advantages and the growing number of industries relying on them, three-phase transformers are expected to continue dominating the market and experience robust growth during the forecast period. Their versatile applications and increased adoption across multiple industrial sectors further underline their critical role in the development of power distribution systems worldwide.

Order a free sample PDF of the Power Transformer Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

#Power Transformer Market #Power Transformer Market Analysis #Power Transformer Market Report #Power Transformer Industry

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gasdetectormy · 2 months ago

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Ensuring Safety: The Importance of Gas Detectors in Malaysia's Industrial Sector

As Malaysia continues its rapid industrialization, workplace safety has become an increasingly important priority for industries and regulatory authorities alike. Among the most critical tools in ensuring workplace safety are gas detectors—devices that monitor and alert workers to the presence of hazardous gases. These detectors are indispensable in industries where toxic or flammable gases are produced or used, including oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, mining, and construction.

Malaysia's industrial sector has witnessed significant growth, making it crucial to address occupational safety issues more robustly. Gas detectors can save lives, protect infrastructure, and prevent environmental damage. This article explores the importance of gas detectors in Malaysia's industrial sector, emphasizing their role in enhancing safety, complying with regulations, and protecting workers.

Understanding the Risks in Malaysia's Industrial Sector

Industries across Malaysia operate in environments where hazardous gases are common. Whether it's the risk of explosions in refineries or toxic gas leaks in manufacturing plants, these gases pose serious risks to workers, machinery, and the surrounding environment. In many cases, hazardous gases like carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are colourless, odourless, and difficult to detect without the aid of specialized equipment.

For example, hydrogen sulphide, commonly found in the oil and gas industry, can be lethal in small concentrations. Prolonged exposure to low levels can cause eye irritation, headaches, and respiratory issues, while high-level exposure can result in unconsciousness or even death. Similarly, methane, often encountered in mining and waste management, is highly flammable and can cause catastrophic explosions if not detected in time.

In response to these dangers, gas detectors are essential for early warning systems in industries where gas leaks or accumulation pose a threat. Through authorities like the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Malaysia's regulations mandate the use of gas detection systems in certain industries, underscoring their importance in workplace safety.

The Role of Gas Detectors in Ensuring Workplace Safety

Gas detectors play a crucial role in safeguarding industrial operations. Their primary function is to detect the presence of dangerous gases in the air and alert workers before the gas reaches a hazardous concentration. These devices are designed to ensure that workplaces remain safe environments, with early detection often meaning the difference between a manageable situation and a disaster.

There are various gas detectors, each tailored to specific industrial needs. Some of the most common types include:

Portable Gas Detectors: Portable gas detectors are handheld devices that workers carry on-site, especially in confined spaces or areas where gas leaks are suspected. They provide real-time monitoring and immediate alarms, allowing workers to evacuate or take appropriate action when dangerous gas levels are detected. In industries such as oil and gas, portable detectors are crucial for ensuring the safety of workers conducting routine maintenance or inspections.

Fixed Gas Detection Systems are installed in high-risk areas and continuously monitor the air for hazardous gases. They are often placed in refineries, manufacturing plants, or chemical storage facilities, where they offer continuous protection. If dangerous gas levels are detected, these systems can trigger alarms, shut down equipment, or activate ventilation systems to prevent accidents.

Multi-Gas Detectors: These devices can detect multiple gases simultaneously, making them ideal for industrial environments where several gases may be present. They provide comprehensive coverage, reducing the need for multiple devices and increasing efficiency in gas monitoring.

Hydrogen (H2) Selective Gas Detectors: These specialized detectors are important for industries dealing with hydrogen or other flammable gases. Hydrogen is commonly used in Malaysia's chemical and refining industries, and its detection is critical due to its highly flammable nature. Hydrogen-specific detectors help reduce false alarms caused by other gases, ensuring accurate detection and preventing unnecessary disruptions.

Regulatory Compliance and Gas Detection in Malaysia

In Malaysia, workplace safety is governed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994, which emphasizes employers' responsibility to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of workers. The act mandates that employers provide safe working environments, implement safety measures, and use appropriate safety equipment, including gas detectors, to protect employees from hazardous conditions.

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) further enforces these regulations by setting standards for gas detection systems, particularly in industries with high risks of gas leaks or exposure to toxic substances. These regulations ensure that industries comply with safety requirements and mitigate risks associated with hazardous gases.

Gas detectors help companies adhere to these regulations by providing continuous monitoring and immediate alerts, allowing industries to take corrective actions before accidents occur. Failure to comply with OSHA and DOSH regulations can lead to significant fines, legal penalties, and even the shutdown of operations. Moreover, companies that fail to protect their employees from gas hazards may face reputational damage, making compliance with safety regulations critical for business success.

The Financial Benefits of Gas Detectors

While gas detectors are primarily installed to protect workers and prevent accidents, they also offer substantial financial benefits. These devices help avoid costly damage to equipment, facilities, and products by preventing gas leaks and explosions. In high-stakes industries such as oil and gas, a single undetected gas leak can lead to millions of dollars in losses due to equipment damage, production delays, and fines.

Furthermore, gas detectors contribute to reducing insurance costs. Insurance companies recognize the importance of workplace safety measures, and companies that implement effective gas detection systems often qualify for lower premiums. This reduction in insurance costs can offset the initial investment in gas detection technology, making it a cost-effective solution in the long term.

Beyond insurance savings, gas detectors also minimize the financial impact of downtime. When hazardous gases are detected early, industries can take swift action to mitigate the issue, preventing long-term shutdowns. In industries like petrochemicals or mining, where production is continuous and downtime is expensive, the ability to detect gas leaks early can prevent costly interruptions.

Preventing Environmental Damage

In addition to safeguarding human lives and assets, gas detectors play a significant role in preventing environmental damage. Gas leaks, if undetected, can have severe consequences for the surrounding environment. For example, methane leaks contribute to global warming due to methane's high potency as a greenhouse gas. Leaks of toxic gases can contaminate water sources and harm local ecosystems, leading to long-term environmental degradation.

By installing gas detectors, companies can monitor and mitigate gas leaks before they cause irreversible environmental harm. In Malaysia, where environmental regulations are becoming stricter, adopting advanced gas detection technology aligns with national goals for sustainable development. Companies that invest in gas detectors comply with regulations and demonstrate corporate responsibility in protecting the environment.

Enhancing Worker Confidence and Morale

When workers feel safe, they are more productive and engaged. Gas detectors provide physical safety and foster a culture of safety within an organization. Knowing that the company has invested in high-quality gas detection equipment reassures workers that their well-being is a top priority. This confidence in workplace safety leads to higher job satisfaction and employee morale.

Moreover, proper training on using gas detectors and responding to alarms enhances workers' sense of control over their safety. Employees well-versed in safety protocols are better equipped to handle emergencies calmly and effectively. This combination of technology and training creates a safer, more efficient working environment.

The Future of Gas Detection in Malaysia

The evolution of gas detection technology continues to play a pivotal role in improving industrial safety. With advancements in sensor technology, gas detectors are becoming more accurate, reliable, and easier to use. In Malaysia, industries are increasingly adopting wireless gas detectors, which allow real-time data transmission to control rooms, enabling remote monitoring of gas levels.

Integrating gas detectors with Internet of Things (IoT) platforms is also gaining traction. IoT-enabled gas detectors can provide predictive maintenance insights, alerting companies when sensors need calibration or replacement. This proactive approach reduces downtime and ensures that gas detectors function optimally.

As Malaysia's industrial sector grows, the demand for cutting-edge gas detection solutions will continue to rise. Companies that embrace these technological advancements will comply with safety regulations and stay ahead regarding operational efficiency and worker protection.

Conclusion

In Malaysia's industrial sector, the importance of gas detectors cannot be overstated. Gas detectors are a critical component of modern industrial safety protocols, from protecting workers and preventing accidents to ensuring regulatory compliance and minimizing environmental impact. As technology evolves, gas detectors will become even more effective and essential in safeguarding Malaysia's industrial future. By investing in gas detection systems, companies demonstrate their commitment to safety, sustainability, and success.

#gas detector

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theradicalscrivener · 2 months ago

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I was thinking about the DC fics about dick shrinking. And then I went to look if someone had asked you about if you thought about writing another chapter about Superman getting his cock shrunk.

As I was looking, I had the idea. Maybe Superman, by winning a fight, humiliates Lex Luthor once more... Or one time too many. So, Lex decides to go for a revenge that would ensure Superman would be not only embarrassed (by shrinking the super cock), but also going from the divine figure he seems to be to a needy bottom who only cares about being filled.

Yet, I would not stop there. Since Superman technically did nothing wrong... And to give some twist to the previous chapters were Dick and Bruce had their cocks shrunk... Maybe Lex fucks it up. Not in a way that stops Superman losing his manhood size, but in way Lex clearly didn't intend that affects him instead of Superman (which may be kinky, or may be wholesome, it could be anything).

Although that's just an idea of mine. I mostly share to see if you find it interesting. I know you are already busy with multiple wips, and probably want to move from cock shrinking to some other kinks for a while (which is understandable). Also, I'm not paying you (I'm even too broke to support you on patreon 😭), so I do not have the right to ask you to write anything.

After all, this is more of a prompt. So feel free to ignore if you'd like.

Also, have a nice day!

Honestly, I feel like Superman/Clark is such a generally nice guy, that he wouldn't turn into a subby cock slave. More like, he'd be just a genuinely attentive partner and find ways to make his small size work.

I'd imagine that if Lex pulls it off, he'd probably try to parade the baby dicked kryptonian around, but that would quickly turn public opinion against him. I mean, Lex is a super villain but he's also a CEO/politician. He needs public support in order to thrive, and in trying to stick it to supes, he thoroughly burns the last bit of public goodwill he had left.

Forced out of office and out of his leadership position in Lex Corp. his true "villain arc" would begin. Agitated and shut off from his support network, he retreats into his own personal lab to work on the next phase of his master plan.

Seeing Supes so small and pathetic compared to his own cock flipped a dark switch in his mind. He wants to prove that he's not just better but bigger than all his haters, but shrinking the whole world would be both time consuing and lack the personal touch he craves. He needs to make himself bigger!

Months go by and as he pumps himself full of new and exciting experimental concoctions his sanity and his body warps. His body grew bigger, broader, burlier... but the increased mass of his now hulking body pale in comparison to the rapid growth in his cock and balls.

An enormous appendage surfaces from off the shore of Metropolis. Now more cock than man, the huge, thick, veiny rod the size of an island nation looms over the horizon. The massive veins pulsate with glowing lights from the mixture of magic, medicine, and machinery that transformed him so. Somewhere, nestled between the massive mountains of his swollen testes, sits a barely humanoid shape crying out for lesser men to worship him... and whether it be through sheer force of will or some more nefarious force, many make the pilgrimage to do so.

#ask ziel

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beardedmrbean · 1 year ago

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ESSEN, Germany (AP) — For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports.

Jobs were plentiful, the government's financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany.

No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe.

The sudden underperformance by Europe's largest economy has set off a wave of criticism, handwringing and debate about the way forward.

Germany risks “deindustrialization” as high energy costs and government inaction on other chronic problems threaten to send new factories and high-paying jobs elsewhere, said Christian Kullmann, CEO of major German chemical company Evonik Industries AG.

From his 21st-floor office in the west German town of Essen, Kullmann points out the symbols of earlier success across the historic Ruhr Valley industrial region: smokestacks from metal plants, giant heaps of waste from now-shuttered coal mines, a massive BP oil refinery and Evonik's sprawling chemical production facility.

These days, the former mining region, where coal dust once blackened hanging laundry, is a symbol of the energy transition, dotted with wind turbines and green space.

The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. “We’re in a situation where we’re being strongly affected — damaged — by external factors.”

After Russia cut off most of its gas to the European Union, spurring an energy crisis in the 27-nation bloc that had sourced 40% of the fuel from Moscow, the German government asked Evonik to keep its 1960s coal-fired power plant running a few months longer.

The company is shifting away from the plant — whose 40-story smokestack fuels production of plastics and other goods — to two gas-fired generators that can later run on hydrogen amid plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition.

The proposal from Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens Party has faced resistance from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, and pro-business coalition partner the Free Democrats. Environmentalists say it would only prolong reliance on fossil fuels.

Kullmann is for it: “It was mistaken political decisions that primarily developed and influenced these high energy costs. And it can’t now be that German industry, German workers should be stuck with the bill.”

The price of gas is roughly double what it was in 2021, hurting companies that need it to keep glass or metal red-hot and molten 24 hours a day to make glass, paper and metal coatings used in buildings and cars.

A second blow came as key trade partner China experiences a slowdown after several decades of strong economic growth.

These outside shocks have exposed cracks in Germany's foundation that were ignored during years of success, including lagging use of digital technology in government and business and a lengthy process to get badly needed renewable energy projects approved.

Other dawning realizations: The money that the government readily had on hand came in part because of delays in investing in roads, the rail network and high-speed internet in rural areas. A 2011 decision to shut down Germany's remaining nuclear power plants has been questioned amid worries about electricity prices and shortages. Companies face a severe shortage of skilled labor, with job openings hitting a record of just under 2 million.

And relying on Russia to reliably supply gas through the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea — built under former Chancellor Angela Merkel and since shut off and damaged amid the war — was belatedly conceded by the government to have been a mistake.

Now, clean energy projects are slowed by extensive bureaucracy and not-in-my-backyard resistance. Spacing limits from homes keep annual construction of wind turbines in single digits in the southern Bavarian region.

A 10 billion-euro ($10.68 billion) electrical line bringing wind power from the breezier north to industry in the south has faced costly delays from political resistance to unsightly above-ground towers. Burying the line means completion in 2028 instead of 2022.

Massive clean energy subsidies that the Biden administration is offering to companies investing in the U.S. have evoked envy and alarm that Germany is being left behind.

“We’re seeing a worldwide competition by national governments for the most attractive future technologies — attractive meaning the most profitable, the ones that strengthen growth,” Kullmann said.

He cited Evonik’s decision to build a $220 million production facility for lipids — key ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines — in Lafayette, Indiana. Rapid approvals and up to $150 million in U.S. subsidies made a difference after German officials evinced little interest, he said.

“I'd like to see a little more of that pragmatism ... in Brussels and Berlin,” Kullmann said.

In the meantime, energy-intensive companies are looking to cope with the price shock.

Drewsen Spezialpapiere, which makes passport and stamp paper as well as paper straws that don't de-fizz soft drinks, bought three wind turbines near its mill in northern Germany to cover about a quarter of its external electricity demand as it moves away from natural gas.

Specialty glass company Schott AG, which makes products ranging from stovetops to vaccine bottles to the 39-meter (128-foot) mirror for the Extremely Large Telescope astronomical observatory in Chile, has experimented with substituting emissions-free hydrogen for gas at the plant where it produces glass in tanks as hot as 1,700 degrees Celsius.

It worked — but only on a small scale, with hydrogen supplied by truck. Mass quantities of hydrogen produced with renewable electricity and delivered by pipeline would be needed and don't exist yet.

Scholz has called for the energy transition to take on the “Germany tempo,” the same urgency used to set up four floating natural gas terminals in months to replace lost Russian gas. The liquefied natural gas that comes to the terminals by ship from the U.S., Qatar and elsewhere is much more expensive than Russian pipeline supplies, but the effort showed what Germany can do when it has to.

However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders.

Evonik's Kullmann dismissed a recent package of government proposals, including tax breaks for investment and a law aimed at reducing bureaucracy, as “a Band-Aid.”

Germany grew complacent during a “golden decade” of economic growth in 2010-2020 based on reforms under Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in 2003-2005 that lowered labor costs and increased competitiveness, says Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank.

“The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said. “Germany is paying the price for its energy policies.”

Schmieding, who once dubbed Germany “the sick man of Europe” in an influential 1998 analysis, thinks that label would be overdone today, considering its low unemployment and strong government finances. That gives Germany room to act — but also lowers the pressure to make changes.

The most important immediate step, Schmieding said, would be to end uncertainty over energy prices, through a price cap to help not just large companies, but smaller ones as well.

Whatever policies are chosen, “it would already be a great help if the government could agree on them fast so that companies know what they are up to and can plan accordingly instead of delaying investment decisions," he said.

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gloopytits-chaosmod · 2 years ago

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This is going to divide the community. Some of us recognise bioreproduction as the honeypot of the capitalist machine, the contribution towards the infinite growth of biology that's mirrored in the infinite growth of the market, towards uncertain ends, no matter the suffering of those who are brought into a now-dying world.

Allow me to justify myself.

I pride infertility and lives built not on fulfilling duties assigned by a broken system but lives of self-fulfilment in spite of it.

"Is raising kids not a valid method of self-fulfilment, elfpee?" Of course it can be, but there's valid ethical critiques to be made of continuing the cycle uncritically instead of adopting, unrelated to any ecofascist argument using the overpopulation myth and whatnot. It's just a question of whether new life, especially in the era of unprecedented signs of collapse, can be justified. Raising kids as an abstract thing to do is (theoretically) value neutral.

Some people desire family. I encourage adopting as orphans have been put into this world already and have already been fucked over by an unjust system. Surely, it's kinder to take care of those who already have a life they need to live out instead of choosing to neglect them in favour of producing suffering souls that share your DNA sequence? I'm naturally suspicious of parents as mine shouldn't have been, and I'm a broken person (in the eyes of the system, I don't *feel* broken more so as I accept my own mortality as something for me to decide) as a result of their poor craftsmanship.

Any way you put it, when we work from an ethical framework of trying to discern right from wrong given our current situation *as a species*, reproduction is an incredibly *petty* move. Parents have children for *petty* reasons, if you know you know. If you don't, good for you, a society of losers and winners still has winners, but your experience is not universal.

Those who don't internalise this viewpoint will likely be reconditioned into cisocietal notions of the family that starts with the woman as a machine-for-birth under the husbands ownership and recreate the relations of world we've been fighting for the last 200-2000 years of struggle against cisociety/Abrahamic religions and their bitter hatred for free individuals.

The peace this can bring some women is, of course, invaluable. You do what you have to do. If that thing is birth, more power to you. I wish it wasn't because of my own ethical framework, but this is not an attack on your decisions or feelings. At the end of the day nothing I say or do can stop you from doing what makes you happy so if you read this and get very offended by my notions please keep that in mind instead of yelling nasty words at me. We have enough of that already. Birth has become a very controversial subject, you might notice patterns as to where who believes in what stands on it.

What I find worrying, in terms of ideology, is how in my experience there are primarily two types of people who seem to obsess over womb transplants: pro-growth technofetishistic neoliberals (timid LaRouchers imo) who can't identify adopted children as their own and therefore need wombs to create "worthy" children, and the more (honest) explicit far right fascists who straight up struggle with affirming womanhood (in themselves or others) unless said womanhood can fulfil the role of becoming a nurturer to born life who, again, do not see adoption as an equal option.

These specific notions of reproduction are built on an uncritical interaction with the machinery, and of placing infertiles as inferior to fertiles, wishing to emulate in both views patriacapitalist relations and recreate the cishet family structure that was made up in the 1900s to better manage the populace under biopower.

As transfem bodies become equally exchangeable with cisfem bodies in terms of the Great Species-Machine, the transfem identity will lose all negation it once held. All which remains is to convince the transfem community (already so susceptible to empty flattery RE: openly transfem soldiers in the genocidal Israeli military) that their womanhood can not be reaffirmed unless they willingly subject themselves to the duty of growth, the duty of the species, the biological origin of the patriacapitalist machine.

This would be a disaster. Our solidarity is already a weak one as the transfem identity is absorbed into the girlboss spectre, to turn the obsessives and the rich into a class of lgbtq individuals superior to the infertiles in the eyes of the machine is to finalise the division. Especially as said individuals, informed by what made them obsessive about their need to reproduce in the first place, raise kids to conform to the standards of the society now praising them for being "the right kind of female".

Of course I am biased against birth, I don't really wish I was born at all. At the end of the day nobody has anything they ought to have said about how other people define their bodies or their womanhood. I am not interested in gatekeeping. I just want people to not have kids that have to grow up in the coming decades, by asking themselves honest questions about what exactly we're trying to accomplish, the consequences of technology that empowers relations we are trying to abolish and, if I'd be so lucky, present an alternative view to an issue that is dominated by a black and white debate of "normal people whom breed vs HORRIBLE DISGUSTING ECOFASCISTS WHO WANT YOU TO DIE NOW". Which is how most natalist debates are framed when antinatalists aren't properly represented, or worse, presented only by the worst takes as to make the very idea of breaking the cycle appear abhorrent. That's propaganda.

#Should probably stop calling it antinatalism #Thanks to loyal cooperation between leftists and fascists they've agreed to give that word to the fascists #So I'll just call it End of The Cycle Theory #Anti-progenism #Whatever #Womb transplants

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priya-joshi · 1 year ago

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Becoming a Full Stack Developer: My Roadmap to Mastery

Embarking on my journey to become a full stack developer has been nothing short of a thrilling adventure. It's been filled with moments of incredible learning, personal growth, and a profound passion for creating digital solutions that truly make a difference. From the fascinating world of front-end design to the intricate workings of back-end development, let me take you through my personal roadmap to mastering the art of full stack development.

Defining Full Stack Development

At its core, I see a full stack developer as a tech-savvy magician who possesses the unique ability to bring both the user-facing magic of the front end and the powerful machinery of the backend to life. It's not merely about coding; it's about the art of crafting seamless user experiences while skillfully managing the complex infrastructure that makes it all possible.

Self-Assessment

Like any journey, mine began with self-awareness. I took a close look at my existing skills and knowledge. I uncovered my strengths to build upon and identified the areas where I needed improvement. This self-assessment became the bedrock upon which I constructed my roadmap, allowing me to set clear, focused goals for my full stack development journey.

Front-End Development Skills

Mastering front-end technologies proved to be a thrilling challenge. Moving from the foundational HTML and CSS, which provide structure and style to web pages, to delving into the captivating realm of JavaScript with its dynamic interactions, each step forward brought its own set of revelations and challenges. My journey was marked by moments of both frustration and triumph as I evolved from crafting basic layouts to creating intricate user interfaces that sprung to life at the simple click of a button.

Back-End Development Skills

Transitioning to the backend was like stepping into a whole new world of data management, server intricacies, and complex logic. Learning languages like Python, diving deep into databases like MySQL, and exploring frameworks such as Flask and Django became the building blocks of my backend journey. The sheer satisfaction of watching my code efficiently manage data and orchestrate complex operations fueled my determination to keep pushing forward.

Bridging the Gap

The leap from front-end to back-end wasn't a smooth one. Bridging this gap required not only the acquisition of new technical skills but also a shift in mindset. The challenges were numerous – learning to handle data securely, optimizing performance, and orchestrating intricate processes. I adopted various strategies to make this transition seamless, eventually allowing me to unite my front-end and back-end skills into a unified full stack approach.

Full Stack Development Frameworks

The full stack development world introduced me to a plethora of frameworks designed to streamline the entire process. Frameworks like MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js) and MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) became my trusted companions. They not only accelerated development but also offered valuable insights into the best practices of full stack architecture.

Building Projects

Knowledge truly gains momentum when it's put into practice. Building projects became an essential part of my journey. These projects provided the practical experience necessary to solidify my skills. Whether it was crafting dynamic e-commerce platforms or developing interactive web applications, each project served as a canvas for innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

Continuous Learning

Full stack development is an ongoing journey without a defined finish line. The ever-evolving landscape continually demands learning and adaptation. To stay updated with emerging trends and technologies, I relied on online platforms, coding communities, and valuable resources like full stack developer course and blogs provided by ACTE.

Challenges and Rewards

This journey had its fair share of difficulties, of course. Debugging cryptic errors, optimizing code for performance, and keeping pace with rapid technological advancements were just a few of the hurdles I encountered. However, the rewards far surpassed the struggles. The ability to transform ideas into functional applications, the satisfaction of solving intricate puzzles, and the sheer joy of witnessing my work in action were the driving forces that kept me moving forward.

Networking and Community

In today's digitally connected world, networking is an invaluable asset. Engaging with developer communities and attending meetups opened doors to fresh perspectives, exciting collaborations, and invaluable insights. The support and camaraderie of fellow developers served as a constant reminder that I wasn't alone on this journey.

Becoming a full stack developer is about more than just acquiring technical skills; it's a transformative journey of self-discovery, overcoming challenges, and embracing growth. To all those aspiring full stack developers out there, my advice is to wholeheartedly embrace each challenge as a learning opportunity. Your roadmap may take unexpected turns, but with dedication, resilience, and a deep passion for innovation, you too can navigate the path to mastery. The world of full stack development awaits – so go forth and code boldly!

#full stack web development #front end development #backend #frameworks #angular #nodejs

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iloveminecraftandvideogames · 1 year ago

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DEFORESTATION IMPACTS

Globally, 13 hectares of forest are cut down every 30 seconds. That’s about 32 football fields. Deforestation is the process of cutting down more trees than are being replanted. Those forests are cut down mainly for shelter and fuel. In the past, most people would only be able to cut down one or maybe two big trees on a good day. However, modern-day machinery allows clear-cutting, which is essentially the removal of most or all trees in an area, in a much shorter time. Forests are a renewable resource if they are left alone to regrow after they are cut down. New trees can be planted and harvested in 20-50 years. However, not all forests are renewable. For example, old-growth forests take 100s of years to grow. This does not stop people from harvesting these trees. Some reasons forests are cut down are to clear land, farming, mining, create roads, and building human settlements. This destroys habitats, exposes soil to erosion, and natural waterways are also destroyed or permanently altered. Deforestation has impacts on both our environment and daily lives, which is dangerous for the future of humanity. In other words, humanity is sailing too close to the wind.

If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear? It’s a commonly used idiom, but it’s time to take it literally. Many trees are “falling” in the forest due to deforestation. It affects soil health, which affects our food health, leading to malnutrition and food poisoning. It also affected places of historical significance, including some ancient settlements in Sweden. While trees were being cut down in Sweden, some historic sites were uncovered. Deforestation also has caused the Penan people of Sarawak, Malaysia many problems. For example, they depend on it for food, shelter and medicine. However, this is quickly changing because deforestation is ruining the ecosystem. Also, the sago palm, which is a traditional food source for the Penan, is now endangered due to deforestation. In other words, many problems have arisen because of deforestation.

Deforestation also has many environmental impacts, which are mostly negative. To list a few, it causes soil erosion, flooding, and contributes to climate change, and results in the loss of habitats and plants. To go into further detail, it causes the degradation of soil, which then leads to flooding and other impacts. Tree roots anchor the soil to the ground. Without trees to hold the soil in place, it is more likely to be eroded by wind and water. This removes the topsoil, making the land infertile. Trees also naturally absorb water and release it slowly back into natural waterways. Without trees, all the water goes directly into waterways. Heavy rains can cause flooding because rivers would fill up far too quickly. This would then also wash away more soil. In extreme cases, landslides can also occur, which would cause more damage to the environment.

Another impact of deforestation is the increased speed of global warming and climate change. This is because when there is no fertile soil, there are no plants, and we are already cutting down the trees. This essentially means there is less or no more forest. Forests are natural absorbers of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When forests absorb carbon dioxide, they also reduce the speed, and impact of global warming. For example, a tree in the temperate regions can absorb up to 13 kg of carbon dioxide from the air, while trees in the tropical region can absorb up to 40 kg of carbon dioxide per year. It is estimated that forests absorb up to 40% of the carbon dioxide released by human activity. However, when trees are cut down, they release the carbon dioxide that is currently in them, meaning that there is more carbon in the air.

In addition, deforestation also upsets the balance of plants and animals, similar to how removing sharks from seas upsets the balance of life in the oceans. Tropical forests are home to millions of species living in a balanced ecosystem. This means that when trees are removed, habitats are lost. This also means that animals die, and others attempt to move to different habitats and occasionally enter human settlements. This results in conflicts between humans and animals, and why bears are snooping around your backyard. Many plants and animals have become endangered because of deforestation. Some have even become extinct, like the Tasmanian tiger. One example of an endangered species is the Sumatran tiger in Indonesia, it is the last species of tiger in the area with less than 400 left in the wild.

Deforestation doesn’t only affect the environment, it also affects us homo sapiens (humans). Some stakeholders are people who live around forest areas and depend on them for forest resources, and indigenous people, like the Penan people of Malaysia. It also affects historical sites, like those in Sweden. Even though deforestation generates billions of dollars and provides jobs for many people in rural communities, it also has negative impacts. For example, many people lose access to forest resources such as fuel and food. It also speeds up global warming, which causes many problems to human society, and poses an imminent threat to the future of humanity.

Moreover, deforestation also leads to land degradation, as the tree roots are no longer holding the soil together, allowing erosion to occur. Due to climate change, farmers are already forced to use soil that is not as fertile and rich in nutrients as it once was. Farmers also overuse the soil, which also causes soil degradation. This means that the soil becomes less productive, and can’t produce as much food, which also results in poorer food quality. In extreme cases, the land may no longer be able to produce enough, which forces farmers to relocate. In other words, land degradation causes food production to be reduced and water sources to dry up, which in turn forces populations to move to more farmable or livable conditions. Land degradation has accelerated in the 20th and 21st centuries for many reasons, including the increase in deforestation. As there is less food, and food of poorer quality, threats of malnutrition from reduced water and food supplies, more water and food-borne diseases due to a lack of hygiene and a lack of clean water, and respiratory diseases caused by dust from wind erosion and other air pollutants is higher than ever. The spread of diseases is also sped up when populations migrate due to land degradation.

There are many actions we can take to slow the process of deforestation. Many local, national, and international organizations are working to protect forests around the world. Many individuals are also working to protect forests near them. For example, the Forest Stewardship Council (F.S.C.) is working to protect forests around the world. It is very similar to the Marine Stewardship Council, but for forests rather than the oceans. To support the F.S.C.’s movement, you should try to only buy F.S.C.-certified products. The F.S.C. certify the wood and paper that match its standards. They also ensure that trees are properly harvested and replanted, and also ask that the forestry processes respect the rights of the indigenous people. Therefore, buying F.S.C.-certified products encourages forestry companies to manage forests sustainably.

On top of that, the Global Forest Watch also aims to protect forests for future generations. The Global Forest Watch uses satellite imaging and other technologies to monitor the world’s forests. This information is compiled into a geographic information system (G.I.S.). The data from the G.I.S. is used to help governments manage forests sustainably. This allows governments to detect illegal and harmful activities quickly. One example of individual/community action was when people saw that the trees were being cut down while negotiations were being made, all the women from a village hugged trees so that the logging companies could not cut down trees. This created the Chipko (chip-co) movement. It demonstrated the importance of forests in some lives.

There are also many individual actions that you can take, such as planting trees and following “the three Rs”, which are reduce, reuse, and recycle. We can also look for labels that show they contain recycled content, go paperless, refuse delivery of flyers and catalogues, read newspapers online, and use reusable gift bags instead of paper gift wrapping. In conclusion, deforestation is having a variety of drastic effects, both on our environment and our daily lives. Therefore, we need to take action to protect our future and to stop deforestation.

#deforestation #science

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