#North Bull Lighthouse

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Such a beautiful morning although you definitely needed to be well wrapped up. This photo was taken from Dublin Bay to the right of the Bull Wall at low tide and features the sunrise over North Bull Lighthouse.

📸 Photography by @AnnBruen

[luciferapollyon]

LMK AU's I intend to write at some point:

1. Bakery AU - More Slice-of-life than action/adventure. Follows Macaque after being resurrected by Lady Bone Demon and her General, The Mayor.

Synopsis: Instead of Macaque throwing the key away and going after Sun Wukong, he instead convinces LBD and her lackey to let him recuperate so he can create them both new bodies with shadow magic and effectively make them both Celestial Primates. He does this, but adds a caveat that he can't be harmed by what is basically his own magic. He then takes off to Europe with the two new adolescent Celestial monkeys in tow. After a few hundred years of odd jobs, Macaque meets a woman Lin Moniang (Mazu), who helps run a lighthouse and whose older brothers run a bakery. After falling in love with her, Macaque; LBD and The Mayor all assist with the bakery.

Character Names:

The Six Earred Macaque - Renamed Zao Yueliang. He's the "oldest" of the group of Celestial Primates, being physically around his 20's.

The Ancient Lady White Bone Demon - Renamed Qiao Guniang. She's the youngest now, being physically around 11, and she hates it. She would've killed Macaque after being released and placed into her new body, but both she and Wu Dan found out real quick that neither of them hold the Six Earred Macaque's leash.

The Mayor - Renamed Wu Dan. He's definitely in the middle though he and his Lady-turned-little-sister don't know why that is. At least not while they're on the run from Wukong. He's physically 15 years old and so annoyed with it. He tried to help his Lady kill Macaque, but their new bodies began to desolve back into the shadows.

Secondary Character Names:

Lin Mei (Beautiful Forest) - Macaque and Moniang's eldest. In canon, she would have been LBD's host.

Lei Sheng Paishou (Thunder Clap) - Known as Rumble in the playsets. The eldest of Macaque and Moniang's twins.

Shandian (Lightening Bolt) - Known as Savage in the playsets. The youngest of Macaque and Moniang's twins.

Characters Possibly Only Mentioned by Name:

Lin Moniang - A shamaness turned sea goddess, and protector of sailors. Her Red Light Lantern compliments Macaque's Shadow Lantern

Lin Tingjue - Moniang's "brother", a powerful demon who can hear for great distances. He likes baking savory pastries and breads.

Lin Yankan - Moniang's "brother", a powerful demon who can see for great distances. He likes baking sweet treats.

MK/Xiaotian - The Monkie Kid, Sun Wukong's successor.

Chef Zhu/Pigsy - Owner of Pigsy's Noodles, MK's boss, and reluctant (and somewhat incompetent father figure)

Tang Sanzang - A teacher of myths and legends at Megapolis University and a frequent "customer" at Pigsy's Noodles

Mei Long - MK's best friend and partner in crime

Sandy and Mo - Pigsy's old friend and his therapy cat

Sun Wukong - The Monkey King.

Guanyin - Goddess of Mercy

Erlang Shen - A General in Heaven's Army and the Jade Emporer's nephew

Nezha -

Demon Bull King - Otherwise known by his friends and enemies alike as DBK

Princess Iron Fan - Tieshan Gongzhu, or PIF. A Rakshasa warrior princess who lives in the Flaming Mountains to the north of Taklamakan Desert with her son and husband. She is the fifth daughter of deceased King Ravana of the island kingdom of Lanka and the Queen Mother of the West's niece.

Redson - DBK and PIF's heir and only child

Spider Queen - A female spider demon. She is the oldest of her sisters.

Changed Spider Queen's Retinue. All, but Syntax, are female now.

Wood Spider (taking the place of Huntsman) - A female spider demon, the second eldest and second in command. She helps SQ with her plans even when she thinks they're a bit too far-fetched.

Joro (taking the place of Strong Spider) - A female spider demon whose thinness belies her strength in combat against the Monkie Kids

Phantom Spider - A female spider demon with an attitude. She's SQ's chosen heir. She has a one-sided attraction to MK.

Syntax - The only male spider "demon". He used to be a human scientist that worked for SQ, but had the liquid mutagen he'd developed for SQ and his Spider-bots turned on him. He's smaller and weaker than any of the girls. Joro and Wood take great delight "teasing" about eating him.

How close to canon!LMK, on a scale of 1 to 10; with 1 being not very canon, is this? Depending on length: short one or two chapters, it's at best a 2. If I write it out all the way, it's an 8.5 with Spider Queen and DBK being the primary antagonists.

Is there shipping? Some background ships are IronBull; FreeNoodles; Joro/Syntax/Wood and maybe some variations on Chimera. The only ShadowPeach is Past!ShadowPeach.

[starseedfxofficial]

Master AUD/CAD with the Price Oscillator The Price Oscillator Secret to Mastering AUD/CAD Trades In the world of Forex trading, tools and indicators are like the spices in a gourmet recipe: the right ones can transform an ordinary meal into a masterpiece. One such underappreciated gem is the Price Oscillator, especially when applied to the Australian Dollar/Canadian Dollar (AUD/CAD) pair. Today, we’re diving into how this powerful tool can uncover hidden opportunities and give you a serious edge. Grab your charts, and let’s oscillate to greatness! What Is the Price Oscillator, Anyway? Imagine you’re on a rollercoaster, but instead of holding on for dear life, you’re identifying pivotal highs and lows. That’s essentially the Price Oscillator—a momentum-based indicator that measures the difference between two moving averages. Think of it as your Forex fortune teller, giving you early insights into trend reversals, overbought or oversold conditions, and entry points that’ll make you grin like a cat with cream. Key Features of the Price Oscillator: - Detect Trend Reversals: Spot shifts before they become obvious to the masses. - Identify Momentum: Determine the strength of price movements, helping you avoid fake-outs. - Filter Noise: Cut through the daily market chaos and focus on significant movements. And when it comes to trading AUD/CAD—a pair influenced by commodity prices, global demand, and market sentiment—the Price Oscillator shines like a lighthouse in a storm. Why AUD/CAD Deserves Your Attention Now, let’s talk AUD/CAD. This isn’t your average high-volatility pair like GBP/JPY; it’s more of a slow burn, influenced heavily by oil prices (thanks, Canada) and commodity exports (Australia, we see you). This makes it ideal for traders who like a mix of consistency and trend-driven opportunities. Underground Insights on AUD/CAD: - Commodity Correlation: AUD moves with gold, CAD dances with oil. Spot a divergence? That’s your cue to check the charts. - Economic Stability: Both economies are relatively stable, making this pair less susceptible to wild swings—perfect for the calculated trader. - Time Zones Matter: Liquidity spikes during the overlap of Asian and North American sessions. How to Use the Price Oscillator for AUD/CAD Like a Ninja Ready for the juicy stuff? Here’s how to apply the Price Oscillator to AUD/CAD for maximum profit potential. 1. Spot Divergences (The Hidden Treasure Map) A divergence occurs when price action and the oscillator move in opposite directions. It’s like your GPS shouting, “Turn here for profits!” Example: - Price forms a higher high, but the oscillator shows a lower high. Translation? The trend’s losing steam; a reversal might be brewing. Pro Tip: Use divergences during major economic events, such as Australian employment reports or Canadian oil inventory data, for precision timing. 2. Zero-Line Crossovers (Your Bull/Bear Radar) The zero line in the Price Oscillator is like a referee in a football match—it decides who’s winning. - Above Zero: Bullish momentum—think about buying. - Below Zero: Bearish momentum—consider selling. Combine this with support and resistance levels on AUD/CAD, and you’ve got a strategy sharper than a chef’s knife. 3. Overbought and Oversold Zones (Timing Is Everything) Just like how you regret that third slice of pizza, markets also have their limits. Use the Price Oscillator to identify overbought or oversold zones and prepare for corrections. Analogy Alert: Trading without this step is like playing darts in the dark—you might hit the target, but it’s mostly luck. Case Study: AUD/CAD Price Oscillator in Action Let’s break down a recent trade setup. Scenario: - AUD/CAD is trading near 0.9000 with the Price Oscillator hovering above zero but showing decreasing momentum. - A divergence appears: the price hits a new high, but the oscillator prints a lower high. Action Plan: - Enter a short trade at 0.8985, targeting 0.8900. - Set a stop-loss at 0.9020 to manage risk. - Result: The pair drops to 0.8895 within two days—a solid 90 pips in the bag. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them 1. Ignoring the Bigger Picture - Don’t let the oscillator fool you into thinking every signal is tradable. Check for fundamental drivers like interest rate decisions or oil price shocks. 2. Overloading on Indicators - Combining the Price Oscillator with 10 other tools is like adding every topping to your pizza—a messy and confusing outcome. 3. Poor Risk Management - Always, always, always use stop-losses. Remember, even the best strategy can’t save you from market surprises. Elite Tactics to Take It to the Next Level 1. Pair It with Fibonacci Retracements - Use the Price Oscillator to confirm entries at key Fibonacci levels for extra precision. 2. Monitor Economic Calendars Religiously - AUD and CAD are sensitive to global events. Keep an eye on economic releases and use the oscillator for confirmation. 3. Backtest Like a Pro - Test your oscillator strategy on historical AUD/CAD data. Platforms like MetaTrader 4 offer robust backtesting tools. Your New Secret Weapon The Price Oscillator isn’t just another indicator—it’s a game-changer for AUD/CAD trading when used strategically. By spotting divergences, leveraging zero-line crossovers, and timing overbought/oversold zones, you’re not just trading—you’re mastering the market. So, the next time someone asks how you consistently beat the Forex odds, just smile and say, “It’s all about oscillating in the right direction.” —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[mollydsails]

March 28 - Another day traveling north on the ICW in sections we have not traveled before. Our day started at Bull Creek, which is near Hilton Head. Rainy and dreary start to the day. We passed by the Hilton Head Light. This lighthouse was custom built for a marina/ resort on Hilton Head.

Hilton Head Lughthouse

Not too far from HH Lighthouse we came upon a sunken sailboat just off the channel. The boat must be a recent hazard to navigation, as the Coast Guard broadcasted a hazard to navigation security notification throughout the day.

How did this happen??

The Port Royal Sound crossing today (4 miles) was quite rolly. The seas were only 2’ or so but they were persistent and annoying.

Molly D was transiting northward at a fairly low tide. The lower water helped Molly D go under two bridges with less than ideal clearances at high tide.

The Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff was a nail biter. The tide was an hour before low when we transited the cut. The navigation charts showed many areas in red/orange/yellow. Those three colors are not boater friendly. The colors delineate areas of shallow water, where red has the shallowest depth. We had several areas of red depth. The lowest depth we saw was 7.6’.

Chart of the Ashepoo-Coosaw cut. The red triangles denote hazardous water depths.

Molly D also transited through another shallow water depth area. This particular area was at the end of the cutoff where it intersected with another sound. Fast current. The turn into the sound was a sharp left turn. At that turn the depth dropped to 8.6’. A few yards from that turn the water depth rose to 34’. Crazy!

Molly D is anchored for the night in a creek off the South Edisto River. Very calm. Very serene. Only one other boat anchored here. There is a natural wildlife park dock on the nearby island. Very picturesque. And what a clear view of the sunset!

Anchoring position on the South Edisto River

Park dock

Natural beauty at its finest!

Sunset!

Tomorrow is another travel day. Molly D will make her way into Charleston. She will stay in place for 3 nights. Yay!!!

[blogshreyash21]

@poolbeglighthouse

Poolbeg Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation at the mouth of the River Liffey, near Poolbeg in Dublin, Ireland. First established in 1767, it initially operated on candlepower but this was changed to oil in 1786. It was re-designed and re-built into its present form in 1820.

The Poolbeg Lighthouse is painted red. The green lighthouse on the opposite side of the channel is the North Bull lighthouse, a couple of metres off the end of the North Bull Wall, and another green lighthouse the North Bank Lighthouse is also located next to the shipping channel into Dublin.

I Edited this photo whith BNW effect to focus mostly on lighthouse and the color of it,it was so beautiful and had a lil bit of pink and red and purple in it. But in the the blue sea it looks sharp and bright.🟣🔴🛳️

The black dog was just walking with me cause dogs loves me no other reason😬🐶

[lemonstars8583]

The Timothy idea was based on how almost nobody checks the drawers after the Seek chase and I wonder if Timothy can spawn there and how it gets ignored constantly.

I really hope that you never encounter The Eyes-Screech combo, I had and it WAS TGE WORST I NEARLY DIED TO THIS BULL. Halt-Screech would be fun as a concept but I am also scared (shaking hands)

---

Seek and Rush, divorced over plates dgdhdhdhhffh. Seek immediately pulled out divorce papers the second Rush walked into the room because it knows Rush purposely put them up there for its inconvenience.

These two are extremely hilarious together. In the relationship, they are so stupid. Rush's brilliant (not) mega brain chucks out the dumbest idea and Seek is like, "hell yeah lets do it." This is how everyone learned Seek is fireproof after they fell into the fireplace. Constantly would set up pranks for the player by setting up traps for adding fake keys.

Now that they're divorced, they (Seek) is so fucking petty against each other. They're pretty civil but Rush can't help it but bother their ex-spouse and Seek would purposely trip Rush over even if the player gets to live.

Constant soap opera worthy fights over the dumbest things, played up for dramatics since Seek can't resist pulling out the acting and Rush eggs him on with more taunts.

It looks like they're fighting, they are fighting, but in the end it's just a fun show and there's no hard feelings after. Except the collateral damage of things when they were busy fistfighting each other.

--

The Glitch as a non-canon entity is cool as a character concept. As you said, the game broke so that part of the code manifest to get anyone out as it resolves the problem.

Canonizing it would be dope but it's meant to exist outside of the game.

---

Anyway I should talk about Figure and Halt because they look cool as hell. Their designs are amazing, the roblox models are great with the limitations of designs.

Halt's blue being the same as Light's making Light' advice hard to understand since players would think that it's Halt talking to them when it's Light trying to get their asses out. For a moment too long, I thought Halt was a big cat-ghost thing since I only saw their north star looking eyes an went "yep thats a cat."

And when i actually dodged Halt's teleportation and saw how they actually looks, its just a moving disco head.

The way the light moves is reminiscent of a big ol' lighthouse at night and with the human looking head, hmmm...

Im not doing figure this ask as I am brain empty.

-----

My my, Screech was so annoying that your brain automatically nerfed them and you proceed to bring them around like a wet kitten being carried by the neck lol

-door not-anon

YES YES first of all RIP IM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO ENCOUNTER THAT AHAHA but like yesss i see seek as like. fairly level-headed, professional, chill, UNTIL something GREATLY frustrates it and it just blows a fuse, hence the very loud banging after you complete the chases. it is MAD. rush is like. constantly energetic and usually positive but also has a hell of a temper so its like. they both understand each others situation and relate to one another but. when they get mad at each other? good lord. hide the furniture or its gonna go flying HAHA, there's no real hard feelings harbored afterward but they just both need to Get The Rage Out. sometimes it even devolves into them just having fun and throwing things. seek doesn't like to show that side of itself to many (Hide is also an exception because its very grumpy too so they have Sibling Grumpy Time™ but rush's dumbass energy is like a planet's freakin orbit it just sucks everyone in.

also YES figure and halt are so cool i love them.. i like to imagine figure and eyes are friends because. well. figure's the only one who really cant look at eyes so there's hardly any uncomfortable incidents.

ON THE TOPIC OF FRIEND GROUPS!!

hide, halt, and eyes have their own little antisocial friend group. halt doesn't like having to stare at the wall the entire time they meet up to not upset eyes but it understands. they all want people to stay away from them and not violate their boundaries, Hide not liking people in the wardrobes too long, Halt wanting privacy in its separate domain, and Eyes hating to be looked at. They all get along well.

Rush, Ambush, and Seek all make up the Chasers Club (despite the fact i headcanon rush isnt actually going after the players at all, it just wants to run but if they don't hide in time it's just like "welp if theyre in the way what am i gonna do about it" but shhh) where they all hang out and talk about successes and failures in chasing down players. They tried to invite Halt but it declined. which resulted in Rush breaking into its home and forcibly bringing it. which wasn't fun for anyone (though maybe a little funny)

uhhh random jack fact uhhh he likes to practice magic tricks but is bad at it

ummmmmm that's all i have to say i love this little headcanon exchange tho its so fun sorry for the late reply this time my brain deflated

[todisturbtheuniverse]

FIC: Set All Trappings Aside [7/9]

Rating: T Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition Pairing: f!Adaar/Josephine Montilyet Tags: Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Class Differences Word Count: 2200 (this chapter) Summary: After months of flirtation, a contract on Josephine’s life brings Adaar’s feelings for her closer to the surface than ever. It highlights, too, all of their differences, all of the reasons a relationship between them would not last. But Adaar is a hopeful woman at heart; if Josephine can set all trappings aside, then so can she. Also on AO3. Notes: While the context for this story is the Of Somewhat Fallen Fortune questline, some of the conversations within it didn’t quite fit for this Inquisitor. The resulting fic is a twist on the canon romance. This Adaar and Josephine have featured in other fics, so you may miss a little context if you haven’t read Promising or Truth-Telling, which both come before this one. Chapter-specific note:  I did not intend to leave this hanging for six months, but 2020 comes for us all, I suppose. I hope, if you're still reading, that you enjoy the conclusion. All of the remaining chapters (7-9) are up on AO3; they’ll be posted more slowly here on tumblr so as not to clog your dashboards.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

"See," Adaar said, pointing, "we’re nearly there."

She leaned a little to the left in her saddle, closer to Josephine, giving her a better trajectory to follow. Josephine's eyes narrowed, searching. At this distance, the landmark was still hard to make out if you didn’t know what you were looking for. 

"Strange," Josephine said. "That star appears to be moving."

"Dancing," Adaar corrected. "The old windmill is still lit. There must be someone left." At Josephine's perplexed look, she explained, "The windmill’s practically center of town. Someone got the idea way back when to keep a brazier lit at the top. Like a lighthouse, kind of. Instead of bringing ships in to port, it guided the farmers and herders into town at the end of the day. When you’re closer in, it’s a good way for the neighborhood watch to mark where they’re patrolling overnight, too. From far off, though, it just looks like a dancing star."

Josephine nodded. "Clever. And if it’s still lit…"

"I can’t see bandits bothering to tend it, can you?"

"That depends on the breed of bandit." Josephine’s mare whickered, and she patted its mane absently. "I think this tells us something about what might be happening in Duskfield. Either your old neighbors have already driven the bandits off, and things have returned to normal...or the bandits have taken up residence here, kept all the old habits in place, so that your farmers and shepherds might keep operating. If that’s the case, they’re after some kind of long-term stability and supply."

"And that could be good or bad," Adaar agreed. "Maybe they’re just folk driven to desperation by the current unpleasantness."

"Or maybe they are Red Templars, establishing new routes through the Free Marches while we have been busy elsewhere." Josephine glanced sidelong at Adaar. "Rest assured I do not plan to negotiate with them, should that be the case."

Adaar forced a thin laugh. "I expected as much." She looked ahead again, at the Dancing Star, trying to find something red in the flicker of its light. It was still too far to tell; it looked perfectly normal, just as she remembered it, yellowish in hue. 

And if she did see a bit of red? More easily attributed to her imagination, fear, and anxiety. At this distance, it could be nothing else.

"If it’s an entire band," Josephine said, her voice lowering, "will you be able to manage on your own?"

Adaar glanced behind her, at Cassandra and Bull and Dorian, all riding quiet and alert. "We’ve managed an awful lot," she said. "And we could still run into Leliana’s people. There's some road left to go. If we don’t find them, I’ll sneak ahead to see what we’re working with before we go charging in."

"Is that wise? If you’re caught—"

"Would you rather send one of them?" Adaar asked, jerking her thumb at the others.

"I heard that," Bull said.

Adaar ignored him. "Cassandra makes a noise of incredible menace with every step she takes. Bull's worse, like a small earthquake. And Dorian can’t keep his mouth shut if there’s an opening for a witty quip."

"She’s right," Dorian said easily. "Adaar is the sneakiest giant you’ll ever meet. And that rates somewhat above the rest of us."

Josephine didn't look convinced. Worse, she looked afraid. Adaar tipped her head, silently asking Josephine to follow her ahead, out of earshot. The others kept to their own pace, allowing the road to spread out between them.

"Not reassured?" Adaar asked.

"I don’t doubt your skills. I just…" Josephine's fingers tightened on the reins. "If you’re caught, what then?"

"We’ll figure out the exact timeframe when we get closer, but if I’m not back in, say, an hour, the others can ride to the rescue."

"Has that ever happened before?"

Adaar figured it was best to be honest, but casual. "Sure."

Josephine’s lips thinned; she didn’t reply. Someone else in Adaar’s boots might’ve seen this as a good opportunity for comeuppance. They’d taken care of Josephine’s assassins her way, and Adaar had lost a month’s worth of sleep in the process. Josephine would get a little taste of her own medicine.

But Adaar had never been accused of vengefulness. The idea of Josephine fretting down the road behind her only made her feel vaguely queasy and sad.

"Don’t get caught," Josephine said at last.

Adaar inclined her head. "I’ll do my level best."

"You have to remember that they chose Duskfield," Josephine went on. "Maybe it’s random, maybe they are just desperate people, but it seems an awful coincidence. If anyone bothered to learn enough about you, to try to lure you out, this is how they would do it."

"If it’s a trap, I have a light step. I won’t spring it."

Josephine gave a despairing laugh. "If there’s an opening for a witty quip, are you certain that you will be able to restrain yourself?"

"In all things that matter, I am the picture of restraint."

She'd meant to sound cheerful; instead, the words were a little sour, and she turned her face away before her expression could add to the unintended effect. She didn't want to give Josephine another opening to make her case, not yet. Despite her words, her restraint had been wearing very thin indeed since their conversation on the road to Val Royeaux. One good snip would destroy those last tenuous threads.

But Josephine did not sound disappointed or angry when she replied, simply, "I know."

For a moment, Adaar thought she would leave it at that. They rode in the quiet, to the soft sounds of horses, for plenty of hoofbeats.

Then Josephine asked, "I've been wondering, how long have you...cared...about me?"

Adaar didn't have to answer. The question was put forward tentatively, feeling for where the boundary line was. Josephine would have understood if Adaar reminded her of her promise, the promise of space to think.

But thinking, so far, had gotten her nowhere. She kept chasing it round and round in her head, ever since that night on the road to Val Royeaux. She slept with her head pillowed on the shawl Josephine had left with her, and breathed her scent, and could not stop wanting, no matter how much she wished to. Maybe a little talk wouldn't hurt.

"Too long," she said. "Embarrassingly long. Well before we left Haven."

She looked back to Josephine, who smiled and ducked her head, as if to hide it. "Me, too."

The words struck Adaar like a slap, rendering her speechless. She hunted for what to say, how to react, and came up with nothing more original than, "Really?"

"You sound surprised." There was a teasing note in Josephine's voice now.

"Well, you just didn't…" Adaar floundered. "I don't know. You didn't seem interested."

"Leliana has said that I was being dense," Josephine admitted, with as much dignity as could be mustered with such a sentence. "I only thought that...your attention was split so many ways. You had—have—a great deal to worry about. I didn't think there would be time. And if there was, I didn't see why you would choose to spend it with me."

Adaar shook her head, exasperated. "We’re a pair, aren’t we?"

"I certainly hope so," Josephine said archly, but her smile faded again as she looked ahead to the Dancing Star. "When this is over, can we revisit the issue of restraint?"

"Lady Montilyet," Adaar said, all feigned astonishment, "I had no idea your desires ran that way."

It had the intended effect. Josephine lost her worry again, face flushing, hand coming up to cover a surprised laugh. Adaar grinned, reveling in her small victory. It would help, for what was to come. It would carry her through to the other side.

"Don't worry," she added, squinting at the Dancing Star. "I have a plan."

  The good news: they weren't Red Templars.

Adaar had been gone from home so long that there were people in the village she didn't recognize or know, but she'd gotten good at distinguishing peasant from combatant; she observed carefully from her rooftop perch by The Wet Whistle's chimney stack, and she counted. It wasn't just about who wore armor, who carried weapons. It was body language, alertness. It was the berth that others gave them.

She'd arrived too late to count the bandits as they went into the tavern, but she counted them as they came out—and as a patrol cut through town and continued to the north. These ones carried obvious weapons, and they didn't sway when they walked. They were professional enough to keep their heads clear on duty.

Duskfield was a small village, and this company was enough to keep them cowed. She'd counted eight so far; she was sure there were more she was missing. She just wasn't sure what to do about them.

The bad news: she knew some of them.

Only three, that she'd spotted and recognized. Old neighbors, around her age: Vilya, the blacksmith's daughter; Cossus, her younger brother; Herbert, one of the farmer's sons. He'd been friends with the other two, she remembered.

The others were strangers to her, but they held themselves with more confidence than these three by far. Had they been recruited? What had convinced them to allow these mercenaries to occupy the town, to throw their lot in with them?

She didn't have time in the hour allocated to her to figure out why they were here. She only knew she didn't like the occasional raucous laughter spilling from the tavern below her, or the way the rest of her old neighbors flinched out of the way when one of the rogues stalked past. They were not starving and desperate. They were hungry, but they were waiting.

And there was no sign of Leliana's people. They were on their own.

It was time to return to her companions. She'd learned what she could, precious little though it was, and maybe they would have better ideas. Josephine had spun gold out of less before. Delicately, silently, she crept down the roof and lowered herself to the ground.

Her feet had barely touched down before the point of a sword pricked at her spine. "Not so fast, Inquisitor."

She considered her options. Two shapes in the shadows of the barrels ahead of her formed up and revealed themselves to be people. They, too, held swords, so that was three—at minimum. She'd won out over worse odds before.

But she'd missed these three watching her. What else had she missed? She didn't want to get chin-deep in a fight where she didn't know the stakes. Maybe they needed her alive, but maybe they were happy to dogpile and kill her.

She didn't know enough. Damn it.

"A welcoming party," she said. "Nice of you. I wasn't expecting such a fuss—"

The point of the sword jabbed harder. She sighed and stopped talking.

"I can't believe you actually showed," the voice behind her said. "When Moiraine pitched this idea to me, I almost punched her. 'Moiraine,' I said, 'she's Qunari, what does she care about a bunch of human cattle in some nowhere village?' But tales kept spreading about you—how you'd stick your neck out for any refugee needing a blanket, even if they'd spit on the ground as you walked past." He spit on her boot, for emphasis. Nice aim. "Started to see the potential. Still, though. Didn't expect you to be stupid enough to take the bait."

He lapsed into silence. Adaar waited a moment, then said, "Just let me know when you actually need my input. Hard to tell if there was a question in there. I'm kind of slow, as you've figured out."

"Watch her," the voice said, and yanked her hands around to bind them behind her back. She resisted the urge to fight, mind working frantically. Did she know a Moiraine-the-bandit? No, she was fairly sure she didn't. Did she know any Moiraine? She didn't think she'd ever heard the name before.

"Now," he said, yanking her daggers roughly from her back, "we're going to get comfortable and wait for your friends to come along. Then we'll have a nice little chat, and everyone can go home happy."

"My favorite part of the day," Adaar muttered.

Well, technically, at least, this was still part of the plan. Things had just accelerated somewhat. She was sure the others could work out the rest.

She'd been captured before, bound before. She stayed alert, but let her mind turn to more pleasant things. In similar situations, she'd thought of Josephine. She'd thought, Well, we didn't have much of a chance, anyway. She'd thought, Maybe, if we'd had more time…

This time, though, she thought of Josephine's stately walk, of the fire burning in her eyes, of her sharp and clever tongue. She thought of Josephine riding to her rescue, and she smiled.

[mellifera38]

Mel’s Big Fantasy Place-Name Reference

So I’ve been doing lots of D&D world-building lately and I’ve kind of been putting together lists of words to help inspire new fantasy place names. I figured I’d share. These are helpful for naming towns, regions, landforms, roads, shops, and they’re also probably useful for coming up with surnames. This is LONG. There’s plenty more under the cut including a huge list of “fantasy sounding” word-parts. Enjoy!

Towns & Kingdoms

town, borough, city, hamlet, parish, township, village, villa, domain

kingdom, empire, nation, country, county, city-state, state, province, dominion

Town Name End Words (English flavored)

-ton, -ston, -caster, -dale, -den, -field, -gate, -glen, -ham, -holm, -hurst, -bar, -boro, -by, -cross, -kirk, -meade, -moore, -ville, -wich, -bee, -burg, -cester, -don, -lea, -mer, -rose, -wall, -worth, -berg, -burgh, -chase, -ly, -lin, -mor, -mere, -pool. -port, -stead, -stow, -strath, -side, -way, -berry, -bury, -chester, -haven, -mar, -mont, -ton, -wick, -meet, -heim, -hold, -hall, -point

Buildings & Places

castle, fort, palace, fortress, garrison, lodge, estate, hold, stronghold, tower, watchtower, palace, spire, citadel, bastion, court, manor, house

altar, chapel, abbey, shrine, temple, monastery, cathedral, sanctum, crypt, catacomb, tomb

orchard, arbor, vineyard, farm, farmstead, shire, garden, ranch

plaza, district, quarter, market, courtyard, inn, stables, tavern, blacksmith, forge, mine, mill, quarry, gallows, apothecary, college, bakery, clothier, library, guild house, bath house, pleasure house, brothel, jail, prison, dungeon, cellar, basement, attic, sewer, cistern

lookout, post, tradepost, camp, outpost, hovel, hideaway, lair, nook, watch, roost, respite, retreat, hostel, holdout, redoubt, perch, refuge, haven, alcove, haunt, knell, enclave, station, caravan, exchange, conclave

port, bridge, ferry, harbor, landing, jetty, wharf, berth, footbridge, dam, beacon, lighthouse, marina, dockyard, shipyard

road, street, way, row, lane, trail, corner, crossing, gate, junction, waygate, end, wall, crossroads,  barrier, bulwark, blockade, pavilion, avenue, promenade, alley, fork, route

Time & Direction

North, South, East, West, up, down, side, rise, fall, over, under

Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, solstice, equanox, vernal, ever, never

dusk, dawn, dawnrise, morning, night, nightfall, evening, sundown, sunbreak, sunset

lunar, solar, sun, moon, star, eclipse

Geographical Terms

Cave, cavern, cenote, precipice, crevasse, crater, maar, chasm, ravine, trench, rift, pit

Cliff, bluff, crag, scarp, outcrop, stack, tor, falls, run, eyrie, aerie

Hill, mountain, volcano, knoll, hillock, downs, barrow, plateau, mesa, butte, pike, peak, mount, summit, horn, knob, pass, ridge, terrace, gap, point, rise, rim, range, view, vista, canyon, hogback, ledge, stair, descent

Valley, gulch, gully, vale, dale, dell, glen, hollow, grotto, gorge, bottoms, basin, knoll, combe

Meadow, grassland, field, pasture, steppe, veld, sward, lea, mead, fell, moor, moorland, heath, croft, paddock, boondock, prairie, acre, strath, heights, mount, belt

Woodlands, woods, forest, bush, bower, arbor, grove, weald, timberland, thicket, bosk, copse, coppice, underbrush, hinterland, park, jungle, rainforest, wilds, frontier, outskirts

Desert, dunes, playa, arroyo, chaparral, karst, salt flats, salt pan, oasis, spring, seep, tar pit, hot springs, fissure, steam vent, geyser, waste, wasteland, badland, brushland, dustbowl, scrubland

Ocean, sea, lake, pond, spring, tarn, mere, sluice, pool, coast, gulf, bay

Lagoon, cay, key, reef, atoll, shoal, tideland, tide flat, swale, cove, sandspit, strand, beach

Snowdrift, snowbank, permafrost, floe, hoar, rime, tundra, fjord, glacier, iceberg

River, stream, creek, brook, tributary, watersmeet, headwater, ford, levee, delta, estuary, firth, strait, narrows, channel, eddy, inlet, rapids, mouth, falls

Wetland, marsh, bog, fen, moor, bayou, glade, swamp, banks, span, wash, march, shallows, mire, morass, quag, quagmire, everglade, slough, lowland, sump, reach

Island, isle, peninsula, isthmus, bight, headland, promontory, cape, pointe, cape

More under the cut including: Color words, Animal/Monster related words, Rocks/Metals/Gems list, Foliage, People groups/types, Weather/Environment/ Elemental words, Man-made��Items, Body Parts, Mechanical sounding words, a huge list of both pleasant and unpleasant Atmospheric Descriptors, and a huge list of Fantasy Word-parts.

Color Descriptions

Warm: red, scarlet, crimson, rusty, cerise, carmine, cinnabar, orange, vermillion, ochre, peach, salmon, saffron, yellow, gold, lemon, amber, pink, magenta, maroon, brown, sepia, burgundy, beige, tan, fuchsia, taupe

Cool: green, beryl, jade, evergreen, chartreuse, olive, viridian, celadon, blue, azure, navy, cerulean, turquoise, teal, cyan, cobalt, periwinkle, beryl, purple, violet, indigo, mauve, plum

Neutral: gray, silver, ashy, charcoal, slate, white, pearly, alabaster, ivory, black, ebony, jet

dark, dusky, pale, bleached, blotchy, bold, dappled, lustrous, faded, drab, milky, mottled, opaque, pastel, stained, subtle, ruddy, waxen, tinted, tinged, painted

Animal / Monster-Related Words

Bear, eagle, wolf, serpent, hawk, horse, goat, sheep, bull, raven, crow, dog, stag, rat, boar, lion, hare, owl, crane, goose, swan, otter, frog, toad, moth, bee, wasp, beetle, spider, slug, snail, leech, dragonfly, fish, trout, salmon, bass, crab, shell, dolphin, whale, eel, cod, haddock

Dragon, goblin, giant, wyvern, ghast, siren, lich, hag, ogre, wyrm, kraken

Talon, scale, tusk, hoof, mane, horn, fur, feather, fang, wing, whisker, bristle, paw, tail, beak, claw, web, quill, paw, maw, pelt, haunch, gill, fin,

Hive, honey, nest, burrow, den, hole, wallow

Rocks / Metals / Minerals

Gold, silver, brass, bronze, copper, platinum, iron, steel, tin, mithril, electrum, adamantite, quicksilver, fool’s gold, titanium

Diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz, opal, pearl, jade, jasper, onyx, citrine, aquamarine, turquoise, lapiz lazuli, amethyst, quartz, crystal, amber, jewel

Granite, shale, marble, limestone, sandstone, slate, diorite, basalt, rhyolite, obsidian, glass

Earth, stone, clay, sand, silt, salt, mote, lode, vein, ore, ingot, coal, boulder, bedrock, crust, rubble, pebble, gravel, cobble, dust, clod, peat, muck mud, slip, loam, dirt, grit, scree, shard, flint, stalactite/mite

Trees / Plants / Flowers

Tree, ash, aspen, pine, birch, alder, willow, dogwood, oak, maple, walnut,  chestnut, cedar, mahogany, palm, beech, hickory, hemlock, cottonwood, hawthorn, sycamore, poplar, cypress, mangrove, elm, fir, spruce, yew

Branch, bough, bramble, gnarl, burr, tangle, thistle, briar, thorn, moss, bark, shrub, undergrowth, overgrowth, root, vine, bracken, reed, driftwood, coral, fern, berry, bamboo, nectar, petal, leaf, seed, clover, grass, grain, trunk, twig, canopy, cactus, weed, mushroom, fungus

Apple, olive, apricot, elderberry, coconut, sugar, rice, wheat, cotton, flax, barley, hops, onion, carrot, turnip, cabbage, squash, pumpkin, pepper

Flower, rose, lavender, lilac, jasmine, jonquil, marigold, carnelian, carnation, goldenrod, sage, wisteria, dahlia, nightshade, lily, daisy, daffodil, columbine, amaranth, crocus, buttercup, foxglove, iris, holly, hydrangea, orchid, snowdrop, hyacinth, tulip, yarrow, magnolia, honeysuckle, belladonna, lily pad, magnolia

People

Settler, Pilgrim, Pioneer, Merchant, Prospector, Maker, Surveyor, Mason, Overseer, Apprentice, Widow, Sailor, Miner, Blacksmith, Butcher, Baker, Brewer, Barkeep, Ferryman, Hangman, Gambler, Fisherman, Adventurer, Hero, Seeker, Hiker, Traveler, Crone

Mage, Magician, Summoner, Sorcerer, Wizard, Conjurer, Necromancer, 

King, Queen, Lord, Count, Baron, Guard, Soldier, Knight, Vindicator, Merchant, Crusader, Imperator, Syndicate, Vanguard, Champion, Warden, Victor, Legionnaire, Master, Archer, Footman, Gladiator, Barbarian, Captain, Commodore, 

Beggar, Hunter, Ranger, Deadman, Smuggler, Robber, Swindler, Rebel, Bootlegger, Outlaw, Pirate, Brigand, Ruffian, Highwayman, Cutpurse, Thief, Assassin

God, Goddess, Exarch, Angel, Devil, Demon, Cultist, Prophet, Hermit, Seer

council, clergy, guild, militia, choir 

Climate, Environment, & The Elements

Cold, cool, brisk, frosty, chilly, icy, freezing, frozen, frigid, glacial, bitter, biting, bleak, arctic, polar, boreal, wintry, snowy, snow, blizzarding, blizzard, sleeting, sleet, chill, frost, ice, icebound, ice cap, floe, snowblind, frostbite, coldsnap, avalanche, snowflake

Hot, sunny, humid, sweltering, steaming, boiling, sizzling, blistering, scalding, smoking, caldescent, dry, parched, arid, fallow, thirsty, melting, molten, fiery, blazing, burning, charring, glowing, searing, scorching, blasted, sun, fire, heat, flame, wildfire, bonfire, inferno, coal, ash, cinder, ember, flare, pyre, tinder, kindling, aflame, alight, ablaze, lava, magma, slag,

Wet, damp, dank, soggy, sodden, soaked, drenched, dripping, sopping, briny, murky, rain, storm, hail, drizzle, sprinkle, downpour, deluge, squall, water, cloud, fog, mist, dew, puddle, pool, current, whirlpool, deep, depths, tide, waves, whitewater, waterfall, tidal wave, flow, flood, leak, drain

Wind, breeze, gust, billow, gail, draft, waft, zephyr, still, airy, clear, smokey, tempest, tempestuous, windswept, aerial, lofty, torrid, turbulent, nebulous, tradewind, thunder, lightning, spark, cyclone, tornado, whirlwind, hurricane, typhoon

Man-made Item Words

Furnace, forge, anvil, vault, strap, strip, whetstone, brick, sword, blade, axe, dagger, shield, buckler, morningstar, bow, quiver, arrow, polearm, flail, staff, stave, sheath, hilt, hammer, knife, helm, mantle, banner, pauldron, chainmail, mace, dart, cutlass, canon, needle, cowl, belt,  buckle, bandana, goggles, hood, boot, heel, spindle, spool, thread, sweater, skirt, bonnet, apron, leather, hide, plate, tunic, vest, satin, silk, wool, velvet, lace, corset, stocking, binding

Plow, scythe, (wheel) barrow, saddle, harrow, brand, collar, whip, leash, lead, bridle, stirrup, wheel, straw, stall, barn, hay, bale, pitchfork, well, log, saw, lumber, sod, thatch, mortar, brick, cement, concrete, pitch, pillar, window, fountain, door, cage, spoke, pole, table, bench, plank, board

Candle, torch, cradle, broom, lamp, lantern, clock, bell, lock, hook, trunk, looking glass, spyglass, bottle, vase, locket, locker, key, handle, rope, knot, sack, pocket, pouch, manacle, chain, stake, coffin, fan. cauldron, kettle, pot, bowl, pestle, oven, ladle, spoon, font, wand, potion, elixir, draught, portal, book, tome, scroll, word, manuscript, letter, message, grimoire, map, ink, quill, pen, cards, dice

Coin, coronet, crown, circlet, scepter, treasure, riches, scales, pie, tart, loaf, biscuit, custard, caramel, pudding, porridge, stew, bread, tea, gravy, gristle, spice, lute, lyre, harp, drum, rouge, powder, perfume, brush

bilge, stern, pier, sail, anchor, mast, dock, deck, flag, ship, boat, canoe, barge, wagon, sled, carriage, buggy, cart

Wine, brandy, whiskey, ale, moonshine, gin, cider, rum, grog, beer, brew, goblet, flagon, flask, cask, tankard, stein, mug, barrel, stock, wort, malt

Body Parts

Head, throat, finger, foot, hand, neck, shoulder, rib, jaw, eye, lips, bosom

Skull, spine, bone, tooth, heart, blood, tears, gut, beard

Mechanical-Sounding Words

cog, fuse, sprocket, wrench, screw, nail, bolt, lever, pulley, spanner, gear, spring, shaft, switch, button, cast, pipe, plug, dial, meter, nozzle, cord, brake, gauge, coil, oil, signal, wire, fluke, staple, clamp, bolt, nut, bulb, patch, pump, cable, socket

torque, force, sonic, spark, fizzle, thermal, beam, laser, steam, buzz, mega, mecha, electro, telsa, power, flicker, charge, current, flow, tinker

Atmospheric Words

Unpleasant, Dangerous, Threatening

(nouns) death, fury, battle, scar, shadow, razor, nightmare, wrath, bone, splinter, peril, war, riptide, strife, reckoning, sorrow, terror, deadwood, nether, venom, grime, rage, void, conquest, pain, folly, revenge, horrid, mirk, shear, fathom, frenzy, corpselight/marshlight, reaper, gloom, doom, torment, torture, spite, grizzled, sludge, refuse, spore, carrion, fear, pyre, funeral, shade, beast, witch, grip, legion, downfall, ruin, plague, woe, bane, horde, acid, fell, grief, corpse, mildew, mold, miter, dirge

(adjectives) dead, jagged, decrepit, fallen, darkened, blackened, dire, grim, feral, wild, broken, desolate, mad, lost, under, stagnant, blistered, derelict, forlorn, unbound, sunken, fallow, shriveled, wayward, bleak, low, weathered, fungal, last, brittle, sleepy, -strewn, dusky, deserted, empty, barren, vacant, forsaken, bare, bereft, stranded, solitary, abandoned, discarded, forgotten, deep, abysmal, bottomless, buried, fathomless,unfathomable, diseased, plagued, virulent, noxious, venomous, toxic, fetid, revolting, putrid, rancid, foul, squalid, sullied, vile, blighted, vicious, ferocious, dangerous, savage, cavernous, vast, yawning, chasmal, echoing, dim, dingy, gloomy, inky, lurid, shaded, shadowy, somber, sunless, tenebrous, unlit, veiled, hellish, accursed, sulfurous, damned, infernal, condemned, doomed, wicked, sinister, dread, unending, spectral, ghostly, haunted, eldritch, unknown, weary, silent, hungry, cloven, acidic

(verb/adverbs): wither (withering / withered), skulk (skulking), whisper, skitter, chitter, sting, slither, writhe, gape, screech, scream, howl, lurk, roil, twist, shift, swarm, spawn, fester, bleed, howl, shudder, shrivel, devour, swirl, maul, trip, smother, weep, shatter, ruin, curse, ravage, hush, rot, drown, sunder, blister, warp, fracture, die, shroud, fall, surge, shiver, roar, thunder, smolder, break, silt, slide, lash, mourn, crush, wail, decay, crumble, erode, decline, reek, lament, taint, corrupt, defile, poison, infect, shun, sigh, sever, crawl, starve, grind, cut, wound, bruise, maim, stab, bludgeon, rust, mutilate, tremble, stumble, fumble, clank, clang

Pleasant, Safe, Neutral

(nouns) spirit, luck, soul, oracle, song, sky, smile, rune, obelisk, cloud, timber, valor, triumph, rest, dream, thrall, might, valiance, glory, mirror, life, hope, oath, serenity, sojourn, god, hearth, crown, throne, crest, guard, rise, ascent, circle, ring, twin, vigil, breath, new, whistle, grasp, snap, fringe, threshold, arch, cleft, bend, home, fruit, wilds, echo, moonlight, sunlight, starlight, splendor, vigilance, honor, memory, fortune, aurora, paradise, caress

(adjectives) gentle, pleasant, prosperous, peaceful, sweet, good, great, mild, grand, topic, lush, wild, abundant, verdant, sylvan, vital, florid, bosky, callow, verdurous, lucious, fertile, spellbound, captivating, mystical, hidden, arcane, clandestine, esoteric, covert, cryptic, runic, otherworldly, touched, still, fair, deep, quiet, bright, sheer, tranquil, ancient, light, far, -wrought, tidal, royal, shaded, swift, true, free, high, vibrant, pure, argent, hibernal, ascendant, halcyon, silken, bountiful, gilded, colossal, massive, stout, elder, -bourne, furrowed, happy, merry, -bound, loud, lit, silk, quiet, bright, luminous, shining, burnished, glossy, brilliant, lambent, lucent, lustrous, radiant, resplendent, vivid, vibrant, illuminated, silvery, limpid, sunlit, divine, sacred, holy, eternal, celestial, spiritual, almighty, anointed, consecrated, exalted, hallowed, sanctified, ambrosial, beatific, blissful, demure, naked, bare, ample, coy,  deific, godly, omnipotent, omnipresent, rapturous, sacramental, sacrosanct, blessed, majestic, iridescent, glowing, overgrown, dense, hard, timeless, sly, scatter, everlasting, full, half, first, last

(verb/adverbs) arch (arching / arched), wink (winking), sing, nestle, graze, stroll, roll, flourish, bloom, bud, burgeon, live, dawn, hide, dawn, run, pray, wake, laugh, wake, glimmer, glitter, drift, sleep, tumble, bind, arch, blush, grin, glister, beam, meander, wind, widen, charm, bewitch, enthrall, entrance, enchant, allure, beguile, glitter, shimmer, sparkle twinkle, crest, quiver, slumber, herald, shelter, leap, click, climb, scuttle, dig, barter, chant, hum, chime, kiss, flirt, tempt, tease, play, seduce

Generic “Fantasy-Sounding” Word Parts

A - D

aaz, ada, adaer, adal, adar, adbar, adir, ae, ael, aer, aern, aeron, aeryeon, agar, agis, aglar, agron, ahar, akan, akyl, al, alam, alan, alaor, ald, alea, ali, alir, allyn, alm, alon, alor, altar, altum, aluar, alys, amar, amaz, ame, ammen, amir, amol, amn, amus, anar, andor, ang, ankh, ar, ara, aram, arc, arg, arian, arkh, arla, arlith, arn, arond, arthus, arum, arvien, ary, asha, ashyr, ask, assur, aster, astra, ath, athor, athra, athryn, atol, au, auga, aum, auroch, aven, az, azar, baal, bae, bael, bak, bal, balor, ban, bar, bara, barr, batol, batar, basir, basha, batyr, bel, belph, belu, ben, beo, bere, berren, berun, besil, bezan, bhaer, bhal, blask, blis, blod, bor, boraz, bos, bran, brath, braun, breon, bri, bry, bul, bur, byl, caer, cal, calan, cara, cassa, cath, cela, cen, cenar, cerul, chalar, cham, chion, cimar, clo, coram, corel, corman, crim, crom, daar, dach, dae, dago, dagol, dahar, dala, dalar, dalin, dam, danas, daneth, dannar, dar, darian,  darath, darm, darma, darro, das, dasa, dasha, dath, del, delia, delimm, dellyn, delmar, delo, den, dess, dever, dhaer, dhas, dhaz, dhed, dhin, din, dine, diar, dien, div, djer, dlyn, dol, dolan, doon, dora, doril, doun, dral, dranor, drasil, dren, drian, drien, drin, drov, druar, drud, duald, duatha, duir, dul, dulth, dun, durth, dyra, dyver,

E - H

ea, eber, eden, edluk, egan, eiel, eilean, ejen, elath, eld, eldor, eldra, elith emar, ellesar, eltar, eltaran, elth, eltur, elyth, emen, empra, emril, emvor, ena, endra, enthor, erad, erai, ere, eriel, erith, erl, eron, erre, eryn, esk, esmel, espar, estria, eta, ethel, eval, ezro, ezan, ezune, ezil, fael, faelar, faern, falk, falak, farak, faril, farla, fel, fen, fenris, fer, fet, fin, finar, forel, folgun, ful, fulk, fur, fyra, fallon, gael, gach, gabir, gadath, gal, galar, gana, gar, garth, garon, garok, garne, gath, geir, gelden, geren,  geron, ghal, ghallar, ghast, ghel, ghom, ghon, gith, glae, glander, glar, glym, gol, goll, gollo, goloth, gorot, gost, goth, graeve, gran, grimm, grist, grom, grosh, grun, grym, gual, guil, guir, gulth, gulur, gur, gurnth, gwaer, haa, hael, haer, hadar, hadel, hakla, hala, hald, halana, halid, hallar, halon, halrua, halus, halvan, hamar, hanar, hanyl, haor, hara, haren, haresk, harmun, harrokh, harrow, haspur, haza, hazuth, heber,  hela, helve, hem, hen, herath, hesper, heth, hethar, hind, hisari, hjaa, hlath, hlond, hluth, hoarth, holtar, horo, hotun, hrag, hrakh, hroth, hull, hyak, hyrza

I - M

iibra, ilth, ilus, ilira, iman, imar, imas, imb, imir, immer, immil, imne, impil, ingdal, innar, ir, iriae, iril, irith, irk, irul, isha, istis, isil, itala, ith, ithal, itka, jada, jae, jaeda, jahaka, jala, jarra, jaro, jath, jenda, jhaamm, jhothm, jinn, jinth, jyn, kado, kah, kal, kalif, kam, kana, kara, karg, kars, karth, kasp, katla, kaul, kazar, kazr, kela, kelem, kerym, keth, keva, kez, kezan, khaer, khal, khama, khaz, khara, khed, khel, khol, khur, kil, kor, korvan, koll, kos, kir, kra, kul, kulda, kund, kyne, lae, laen, lag, lan, lann, lanar, lantar, lapal, lar, laran, lareth, lark, lath, lauth, lav, lavur, lazar, leih, leshyr, leth, lhaza, lhuven, liad, liam, liard, lim, lin, lirn, lisk, listra, lith, liya, llair, llor, lok, lolth, loran, lorkh, lorn, loth, lothen, luen, luir, luk, lund, lur, luth, lyndus, lyra, lyth, maal, madrasm maera, maer, maerim, maes, mag, magra, mahand, mal, malar, mald, maldo, mar, mara, mark, marl, maru, maruk, meir, melish, memnon, mer, metar, methi, mhil, mina, mir, miram, mirk, mista, mith, moander, mok, modir, modan, mon, monn, mor, more, morel, moril, morn, moro, morrow, morth, mort, morum, morven, muar, mul, mydra, myr, myra, myst

N - S

naar, nadyra, naedyr, naga, najar, nal, naal, nalir, nar, naruk, narbond, narlith, narzul, nasaq, nashkel, natar, nath, natha, neir, neth, nether, nhall, nikh, nil, nilith, noan, nolvurm nonthal, norda, noro, novul, nul, nur, nus, nyan, nyth, ober, odra, oghr, okoth, olleth, olodel, omgar, ondath, onthril, ordul, orish, oroch, orgra, orlim, ormath, ornar, orntath, oroch, orth, orva, oryn, orzo, ostel, ostor, ostrav, othea, ovar, ozod, ozul, palan, palad, pae, peldan, pern, perris, perim, pele, pen, phail, phanda, phara, phen, phendra, pila, pinn, pora, puril, pur, pyra, qadim, quar, quel, ques, quil, raah, rael, ran, ranna, rassil, rak, rald, rassa, reddan, reith, relur, ren, rendril, resil, reska, reth, reven, revar, rhy, rhynn, ria, rian, rin, ris, rissian, rona, roch, rorn, rora, rotha, rual, ruar, ruhal, ruil, ruk, runn, rusk, ryn, saa, saar, saal, sabal, samar, samrin, sankh, sar, sarg, sarguth, sarin, sarlan, sel, seld, sember, semkh, sen, sendrin, septa, senta, seros, shaar, shad, shadra, shae, shaen, shaera, shak, shalan, sham, shamath, shan, shana, sharan, shayl, shemar, shere, shor, shul, shyll, shyr, sidur, sil, silvan, sim, sintar, sirem, skar, skell, skur, skyr, sokol, solan, sola, somra, sor, ssin, stel, strill, suldan, sulk, sunda, sur, surkh, suth, syl, sylph, sylune, syndra, syth

T - Z

taak, taar, taer, tah, tak, tala, talag, talar, talas, talath, tammar, tanar, tanil, tar, tara, taran, tarl, tarn, tasha, tath, tavil, telar, teld, telf, telos, tempe, tethy, tezir, thaar, thaer, thal, thalag, thalas, thalan, thalar, thamor, thander, thangol, thar, thay, thazal, theer, theim, thelon, thera, thendi, theril, thiir, thil, thild, thimir, thommar, thon, thoon, thor, thran, thrann, threl, thril, thrul, thryn, thuk, thultan, thume, thun, thy, thyn, thyr, tir, tiras, tirum, tohre, tol, tolar, tolir,  tolzrin, tor, tormel, tormir, traal, triel, trith, tsath, tsur, tul, tur, turiver, turth, tymor, tyr, uder, udar, ugoth, uhr, ukh, ukir, uker, usten, ulgarth, ulgoth, ultir, ulur, umar, umath, umber, unara, undro, undu, untha, upir, ur, ursa, ursol, uron, uth, uthen, uz, van, vaar, vaelan, vaer, vaern, val valan, valash, vali, valt, vandan, vanede, vanrak, var, varyth, vassa, vastar, vaunt, vay, vel, velar, velen, velius, vell, velta, ven, veren, vern, vesper, vilar, vilhon, vintor, vir, vira, virdin, volo, volun, von, voon, vor, voro, vos, vosir, vosal, vund, war, wara, whel, wol, wynn, wyr, wyrm, xer, xul, xen, xian, yad, yag, yal, yar, yath, yeon, yhal, yir, yirar, yuir, yul, yur, zail, zala, zalhar, zan, zanda, zar, zalar, zarach, zaru, zash, zashu, zemur, zhent, zim, ziram, zindala, zindar, zoun, zul, zurr, zuth, zuu, zym

A lot of places are named after historical events, battles, and people, so keep that in mind. God/Goddess names tied to your world also work well. Places are also often named after things that the area is known for, like Georgia being known for its peaches.

My brain was fried by the end of this so feel free to add more!

I hope you find this reference helpful and good luck world-building!

-Mel

[dweemeister]

A list of all films featured in 2020′s 31 Days of Oscar

This is the exhaustive list of all 327 short- and feature-length films featured during this year’s 31 Days of Oscar marathon (down from 388 in 2019, up from 296 in 2018). Every single film that was featured since January 29 was nominated for an Academy Award or won an Honorary Oscar. We started the marathon a few days early this year because of the earlier-than-usual timing of this year’s ceremony (which placed it at Day 12 of this year’s marathon). Thank goodness we’ll go back to usual in 2021 and 2022, where the former’s ceremony will be placed on Day 28 if I, by tradition, start the marathon on February 1, 2021.

Best Picture winners and the one (and only) winner for Unique and Artistic Production are in bold - okay the latter was not featured for this year’s marathon (but perhaps next time!). Asterisked (*) films are films I haven’t seen in their entirety as of the publishing of this post.

7th Heaven (1927)*

The Circus (1928)

The Divine Lady (1929)*

Disraeli (1929)*

The Love Parade (1929)*

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Anna Christie (1930)*

The Divorcee (1930)*

The Green Goddess (1930)*

Raffles (1930)*

Five Star Final (1931)*

Little Caesar (1931)

The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Grand Hotel (1932)

One Hour with You (1932)*

Shanghai Express (1932)

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Little Women (1933)*

The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)*

The Gay Divorcee (1934)

It Happened One Night (1934)

The Thin Man (1934)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)*

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Naughty Marietta (1935)

Top Hat (1935)

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936)*

Fury (1936)*

The Garden of Allah (1936)

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Swing Time (1936)

Camille (1937)*

Grand Illusion (1937, France)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Three Smart Girls (1937)*

Wee Willie Winkie (1937)*

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Dark Victory (1939)

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Gunga Din (1939)

Ninotchka (1939)

Wuthering Heights (1939)*

All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Pinocchio (1940)

Rebecca (1940)

A Wild Hare (1940 short)

Blossoms in the Dust (1941)*

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)*

Hold Back the Dawn (1941)*

Lady Be Good (1941)*

Meet John Doe (1941)

Sergeant York (1941)

Casablanca (1942)

Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942 short)

In Which We Serve (1942)*

Now, Voyager (1942)

Road to Morocco (1942)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Cabin in the Sky (1943)

Destination Tokyo (1943)*

A Guy Named Joe (1943)*

This Land is Mine (1943)*

Marie Curie (1943)*

The North Star (1943)*

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943 short)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Gaslight (1944)

Going My Way (1944)

It Happened Tomorrow (1944)*

Laura (1944)

National Velvet (1944)

The Uninvited (1944)*

Brief Encounter (1945)

Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)*

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)*

Pride of the Marines (1945)*

The Southerner (1945)

They Were Expendable (1945)*

Vacation from Marriages (1945)*

Great Expectations (1946)*

The Green Years (1946)*

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)*

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)*

Black Narcissus (1947)

Crossfire (1947)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Green Dolphin Street (1947)*

T-Men (1947)*

The Red Shoes (1948)

Romance on the High Seas (1948)*

It’s a Great Feeling (1949)*

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)*

Little Women (1949)*

Mighty Joe Young (1949)*

Neptune’s Daughter (1949)*

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

The Third Man (1949)

All About Eve (1950)

La Ronde (1950, France)*

Ace in the Hole (1951)

An American in Paris (1951)

Quo Vadis (1951)

Royal Wedding (1951)

When Worlds Collide (1951)*

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Le Plaisir (1952, France)*

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The Band Wagon (1953)

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Lili (1953)

Mogambo (1953)*

The Story of Three Loves (1953)*

La Strada (1954, Italy)

On the Waterfront (1954)

Seven Samurai (1954, Japan)

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

No Hunting (1955 short)*

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

The Burmese Harp (1956, Japan)

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Giant (1956)

Lust for Life (1956)

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)*

Written on the Wind (1956)*

Funny Face (1957)

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)*

12 Angry Men (1957)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Gigi (1958)

Separate Tables (1958)*

Ben-Hur (1959)

North by Northwest (1959)

The Young Philadelphians (1959)*

The Alamo (1960)

The Entertainer (1960)*

Pepe (1960)*

Spartacus (1960)

Two Women (1960, Italy)*

Beep Prepared (1961 short)

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

How the West Was Won (1962)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

The Caretakers (1963)*

Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

That Man from Rio (1964, France)*

My Fair Lady (1964)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

The Shop on Main Street (1965, Czechoslovakia)*

The Sound of Music (1965)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

The Professionals (1966)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)*

The Graduate (1967)

The Jungle Book (1967)

The Producers (1967)

The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967, France)*

Funny Girl (1968)

Ice Station Zebra (1968)*

The Lion in Winter (1968)*

Planet of the Apes (1968)

True Grit (1969)

Z (1969, Algeria)

Dodes'ka-den (1970, Japan)

Woodstock (1970)

Carnal Knowledge (1971)*

The Emigrants (1971, Sweden)*

Cabaret (1972)

Cries and Whispers (1972, Sweden)

The Godfather (1972)

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)*

Travels with My Aunt (1972)*

Papillon (1973)

The Sting (1973)

The Four Musketeers (1974)*

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Dersu Uzala (1975, Soviet Union)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Shampoo (1975)*

The Sunshine Boys (1975)*

Network (1976)

Taxi Driver (1976)

A Special Day (1977, Italy)*

Star Wars (1977)

Autumn Sonata (1978, Sweden)

Superman (1978)

The Swarm (1978)*

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Kagemusha (1980, Japan)

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980, Soviet Union)*

An American Werewolf in London (1981)*

Mephisto (1981, Hungary)*

Annie (1982)

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)*

Victor/Victoria (1982)

Educating Rita (1983)*

Terms of Endearment (1983)

Dune (1984)*

A Passage to India (1984)*

Out of Africa (1985)

Ran (1985, Japan)

Witness (1985)*

Aliens (1986)

Luxo Jr. (1986 short)

Empire of the Sun (1987)

The Last Emperor (1987)

Bull Durham (1988)*

Mississippi Burning (1988)*

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Field of Dreams (1989)

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Ghost (1990)*

Boyz n the Hood (1991)*

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Aladdin (1992)

Unforgiven (1992)

The Firm (1993)*

The Wrong Trousers (1993 short)*

Forrest Gump (1994)

Il Postino (1994, Italy)

Little Women (1994)*

Casino (1995)*

Toy Story (1995)

Emma (1996)*

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Life Is Beautiful (1997, Italy)

The Old Lady and the Pigeons (1997 short, France)*

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The Insider (1999)

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan)

Gladiator (2000)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002, Mexico)*

Treasure Planet (2002)

The Fog of War (2003)*

The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France)*

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004, Japan)

Walk the Line (2005)*

Babel (2006)*

The Departed (2006)

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Atonement (2007)*

Ratatouille (2007)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Waltz with Bashir (2008, Israel)

Precious (2009)*

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Inception (2010)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

A Separation (2011, Iran)

Amour (2012, Austria)

War Witch (2012, Canada)*

Omar (2013, Palestine)*

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013, Japan)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Timbuktu (2014, Mauritania)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Hidden Figures (2016)

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Dear Basketball (2017 short)

Negative Space (2017 short)

The Shape of Water (2017)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Roma (2018, Mexico)

The nine nominees for Best Picture, including the winner, Parasite (2019, South Korea)

The fifteen nominees for the short film categories (2019)

Ad Astra (2019)

American Factory (2019)*

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

For Sama (2019)*

Honeyland (2019, North Macedonia)*

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

I Lost My Body (2019, France)

Judy (2019)

Klaus (2019)

Knives Out (2019)

The Lighthouse (2019)

Pain and Glory (2019, Spain)

Rocketman (2019)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Toy Story 4 (2019)

The Two Popes (2019)*

[roswellroamer]

Day 7. February 5, 2020. Owaka day rides. 245km.

Yeah, the sun has returned! In a similar fashion as to when you get sick, then when good health returns you seem to be much more grateful than before your illness... Today's sunshine was greeted with a warm smile of appreciation. The chickens (no rooster to wake you up early 👍) and the sheep kept right across from my apartment by the innkeeper looked especially bright and picturesque owing to the morning sunshine. We slated two nights in Owaka amidst the scenic south Otago and Southland coastline so that today we could explore every bay, cliff and waterfall along a 100km stretch and that's exactly what we did! We aimed for the well known Purakaunui Falls around 8AM. A ten minute walk took us through tropical looking forest with huge trees and ferns along the swollen stream bed. The massive bolus of rainfall had swelled these falls to probably 10 times their normal volume. Picture is below. 👇 We then had sights on a cafe in Papatowai but since nothing was open (before 10) we looped down to the beach and then aimed for the coast. We veered off the pavement as we wound down Tahakopa Beach road to find our first good look toward the Southern Ocean. Many don't count the waters north of 60°S as the Southern Ocean but we are at the limits of the Southern Pacific @ >46°S latitude and nothing between here and Antarctica. The South Island sports many rugged cliffs to the water with interesting rock formations trying to hold back the light blue waves. On our first foray to the south coast, we were met by a herd of cattle all looking curiously at us. Four of them abreast all with different coloring were an attention getter. A private resort and a farm fence forced a retreat before making it all the way to a bay or overlook but we had the rest of the day ahead of us. We then wound along gravel and dirt on Puaho road maybe 15kms back to the paved road. Next stop was the Florence Hill lookout. Here there was a Spouting Cave on an offshore island noted by a sign and visible as the waves crashed on one side and were channeled out a blow hole. There was also a mesmerizing view of the waves rolling in a long bay to meet a curved, pristine beach. Wow. It was breakfast time and rode to the Whistling Frog cafe/campground another 12 clicks down the windy road. More then one time it was said how beautiful the road/scenery was. Had a tasty hot chocolate garnished with a chocolate covered fish-shaped marshmallow cookie. 😋 Also enjoyed bacon and eggs on an English muffin and hash browns. Couldn't resist a raspberry white chocolate muffin also. Each item came garnished with a colorful, small edible flower for a fancy flair. We met up with our motel neighbors spending 7 weeks riding around NZ on their beautiful Aprilias. The woman has a fancy Tuono that made Ted a bit jealous (he has one). We also met a couple North Island riders on their way to Invercargill and the rally. We had met them briefly at Florence Hill and they shared some stories from their first Burt Monro visit, two years earlier.

The next stop on the South Coast was Curio Bay. Before we got there, we were abruptly stopped by a sizable herd of cows on the road. We didn't move forward and got some good pics as one of the nearby bulls eyed me warily as I eyed his horns... A car pulled up behind us and he said to go ahead. Since I am on a bike I invited him to lead the way. We followed as he slowly approached and they did yield but the road was narrow and the herd didn't have a lot of extra room. As we made it 3/4 of the way through we saw four dogs and a herder moving them up the road, eastward against our flow. Nobody was gored. I imagined that I might encounter sheep on the road but hadn't given much thought to cattle. A couple spots to date I had seen no fence for the sheep but all had steered clear of the road. Mostly all animals have been fenced in so far, however. I wish the Curio Bay pics did it justice. It is a campground and there are well manicured expanses of grass all the way up and along the top of the cliff/overlook. With waves and rock formations nearly 270° around you it is almost overwhelming.

Moving west, the next highlighted stop was Slope Point, the southernmost point in the South Island. A 20' walk through a breezy and grassy headland brings you to a lighthouse and a famous yellow marker sign. The end of our westward swing was the "town" of Fortrose. One cafe and it was packed. We settled in to two of the only empty seats. People were standing and talking and at least a dozen riders were there. After salmon and prawn salad was ordered we took in the atmosphere. Busy and fairly loud. Then, the noise reduced and we heard a woman's voice. She addressed the entire restaurant and wore a yellow vest and a walkie talkie. She was with the Dept. of Conservation and announced that we were being evacuated. She reported that roads both east and west of Fortrose were closed due to rising waters and that everyone was instructed to head to higher ground to the town hall of Tokanui. We tried to absorb this news. I imagined a cot at best, maybe a cushion if I was lucky to sleep on the floor of the town hall. We were told that civil defense was set up there with more information about the situation. In order to add gravitas to her proclamations, a helicopter then took off right next to the Fortrose Cafe. Turns out it was a news chopper looking to get footage of the disasters unfolding in Southland. I was not excited to spend the night. We talked and agreed to try to make our way back 90km to Owaka. She told us the road was closed eastward at Papatowai. Riding now with a purpose as it was 1:35 and the "wall of water" was expected by 4 we cruised with more silence than usual, wondering if the 60km ride east would just force a return to Tokanui or elsewhere. Each car stopped along the road at first seemed to be the police waiting to turn us away. As we approached Papatowai we rounded a curve and there they were. Sirens lit, parked obliquely and blocking our left lane completely. Ugh. We stopped and he started to walk over to us. Instead of telling us to turn around, he waved us through. Huge relief! We heard stories the rest of the day if people turned away at that same checkpoint and also at Balclutha. Having no idea why we were let through but grateful for our gamble paying off, we got gas and cruised into Owaka by our motel and took out our lunch and ate it outside the closed Lumber Jack cafe. A Dutch couple, a Swiss couple, and a group of four bikers all approached us to discuss the state of road closures and how/if travel west to Invercargill was possible. According to the news no travel to/from Invercargill is possible today. We must check out tomorrow AM and have an apartment rented in Invercargill the next three nights so fingers are crossed that the highest floodwaters have passed the Makarewa River there.

After lunch and a brief return to the motel, we headed east about 32km to Nugget Point lighthouse. Recent rains had caused a loss of roadway with some washout, some mudslides and some flooding but it was possible to make it to the parking area. We also passed a sea lion beached with a couple of intrusive cameras aimed at him as we passed by. A 900m walk hugged the sheer hillside where bushes and small trees sometimes grew completely over the trail in spots, like a vegetative cave. The white lighthouse structure appears after 10 minutes or so and it is connected by a narrow ridge line trail. Dropping off on both sides it is terribly dramatic to approach. The panorama at the lighthouse doesn't disappoint and this day was such a visual feast. A bit of a splurge on dinner. As all tables at the Lumber Jack were reserved, the proprietors accommodated us at the bar and the upscale fare was delicious. I got a cream of cauliflower soup followed by lamb lollipops and lamb shoulder with Israeli couscous, and some fruits and herbs I can't recall now but it was very good. Fingers crossed for tomorrow and as it is well after midnight I'm signing off.

[moana-matron-designs]

So, I’ve been a bit quiet lately, largely because I’ve been super busy with the shop but also because I got a last minute invite to Orca Watch 2019 that I couldn’t turn down!

I genuinely went up there with no expectation of seeing orca, it’s such a needle in a haystack situation up there, and John o’ Groats, Orkney, Shetland, they’re all separated by bodies of water that ferries only occasionally cross so even when we know they’re in the area, chances of getting to them are pretty low.

After my second full day watching, we’d headed back to the cabin for some food, warm baths etc. and a message came through on the WhatsApp group that the orca had been seen in Wick heading North.  My geography is rubbish at the best of times but up there, my lay of the land is basically zip so I turned to a cabin mate who was just about to tuck into some delicious pasta with her husband, and asked if Wick was offshore.

She said that it wasn’t, and that it was just South of us, her eyes genuinely widening as she began to wonder why I was asking lol.  So I read the full msg back “4 orca, 2 bulls, heading North from Wick” and that was it, the pasta was being shoveled into her mouth, she was shouting inaudibly to her husband and I was running towards the bathroom door to scream at the lady who was taking a bath haha.

10 minutes later we were all in cars, bath lady with a towel still wrapped around her head!  By the time we reached Duncansby Head we could see a steady procession of people walking over the hill towards the Stacks, and as we peaked over the top, could see a substantial crowd already waiting.

We joined them, and split our time between gazing at the horizon in the area of the Wick lighthouse, and watching the grey seals and minke whales below us under the cliffs.  The longer we waited, the darker it got (it was somewhere between 9 and 10pm at this point) and as we watched the lighthouse, it faded into a growing haar.

We were spurred on though by the shouts of a Frenchman with a very powerful scope, he COULD see them so they were there, and he confirmed they were heading right for us.  But as time and light slipped away it looked increasingly likely that they’d pass us by under cover of darkness.

Which made it all the more sweeter when the spotters starting reporting the location as lighter patches of water much closer to the cliffs, and eventually, against all odds, I saw a HUGE bull orca fin break the monotony of the darkening grey waves.  As my eyes adjusted to the closer location, I saw fins and faces breaking the surface in repeated quick succession.  2 large bulls, several females and even 2 calves.

I couldn’t believe what I was watching, I was squealing for joy and watching this 9 - 11 pod of orca pass us right by on the headland that I’d been stood on every day, and would stand on again every day ‘til I left.  Right there by the Stacks, surrounded by other nerdy ocean freaks, I had my first Scottish orca encounter.

And it was amazing.

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Lovely sunrise this morning behind a silhouette of North Bull Lighthouse in Dublin Bay. Taken from Bull Island at 8:45. 12/18/24

📸 by @Ann.Bruen

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

LA / MATERIAL GIRLS: Palms

PALMS presented by MATERIAL GIRLS March 16 - April 7, 2019 opening reception March 16, 7-10pm

MATERIAL GIRLS is pleased to present Palms, the collective’s first show in LA featuring small sculptures by 15 artists. It is an established social contract that one is permitted to “look but not touch” art objects. Palms invites visitors to temporarily transgress this boundary- allowing them to touch, hold, and move the objects within the context of the exhibition. The works rest on a large curvilinear plywood platform that re-directs the automatic choreography of art viewership. Instead of left to right, front to back, viewers will be encouraged to slowly wind through space. With this direct tactile understanding of the work, and a constantly changing “curation” depending on interaction, visitors are entrusted with an art viewing experience that is both fluid and communal.

Each artist was asked to present an object holding boundaries and touch in mind. These considerations emerge from the MATERIAL GIRLS’ broader interest in tactility and bodily awareness of space as a feminist undertaking. In preparation for this exhibition, the participating artists contributed writings and images to a zine, Fronds, that is available to read and purchase at the exhibition.

Palms features the work of:

Yesenia Bello Cameron Cameron Cara Chan Jisoo Chung Devra Freelander Hilliary Gabryel Julieta Gil Ling-lin Ku Claire Lachow Gracelee Lawrence Amelia Lockwood Ofelia Marquez Nina Sarnelle Rachael Starbuck Amia Yokoyama Rachel Youn

MATERIAL GIRLS is a feminist collective of sculptors and digital artists formed in 2016. Founded by Cameron Cameron, Devra Freelander, Hilliary Gabryel, Claire Lachow, Gracelee Lawrence and Rachael Starbuck, MATERIAL GIRLS organized to create a space for emerging, under-represented artists and thinkers in the patriarchal art world. They are committed to making and sharing work, fostering conversation, and supporting one another through their practice. While each member of MATERIAL GIRLS retains a vibrant and active independent studio practice, they come together to collaborate on site-specific installations and projects. MATERIAL GIRLS has co-authored immersive installations, organized exhibitions, and exhibited works at Random Access Gallery (Syracuse, NY); SPRING/BREAK Art Show (New York, NY); SVA Curatorial Practices (Brooklyn, NY); ALT ESC: No Vacancy 3 (Brooklyn, NY); Trestle Projects (Brooklyn, NY); the Church Troy (Troy, NY); the Museum of Human Achievement (Austin, TX); and Sadie Halie Projects (Minneapolis, MN.) materialgirls.work @material.grls

Biographies Yesenia Bello is an artist and arts administrator living in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016). Her practice stems from lived experiences as a first generation Mexican-American, retracing sensations that arise from slowly losing her native tongue. Her work has been presented locally at places like 6018 North, The Overlook Place, DfbrL8r Gallery, and Chicago Artists Coalition, where she participated in HATCH Projects (2016-2017). Between 2011-2016 she was co-organizer of Walla Fest, a volunteer run gathering around the Philadelphia area. yeseniabello.com @yeseniabello

Cameron Cameron lives in Los Angeles. She received her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, attended Virginia Commonwealth University Summer Studio Program in 2015 and received an MFA from UCLA in 2018. Cameron uses sculptural interventions to compensate for generic imagery, and questions how the mundane may represent the feeling of loss or longing around the disorder of the day-to-day. She has participated in Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Ox-Bow School of Art, Grin City Collective Residency, and the Art Students League of New York. cameron-cameron.com @winter_shorts

Cara Chan lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.  Chan creates large-scale architectural and body-based sculpture often involving gestural interaction and exchange. She received her BFA from New York University (2009) and her MFA from University of California, Los Angeles (2017), and has been an artist in residence at Banff Center for the Arts, ACRE Projects, Vermont Studio Center, Ox-bow School of Art, Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop, and Lighthouse. cara-chan.com  @caraachan

Jisoo Chung is an LA-based multi-disciplinary artist working primarily through video, photo, enactment, and installation. Chung’s work pays attention to the failures that we encounter in our daily lives such as failure of communication and translation, failure of exhibiting, and currently more focusing on the failure of daily-based technology. Exhibitions and screenings include Los Angeles; 1748 adams, Socal MFA juried exhibition, Pomona, Seoul; Screening Project: Dongshi Sangyoung, Museum CICA, Gallery Aloq Episode. Chung received a BFA from Seoul National University, and is currently an MFA candidate at UCLA. chungjisoo.com @jigu.nee

Devra Freelander is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Her work explores geology and climate change from a millenial and ecofeminist perspective. Freelander received her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and her BA from Oberlin College. She is a founding member of MATERIAL GIRLS, and has participated in the Women’s Studio Workshop Residency (2018),  Arctic Circle Residency (2017), Socrates Sculpture Park Emerging Artist Fellowship (2017), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace Residency (2016-2017), and the Virginia Commonwealth University Summer Studio Program (2013). She is represented by CIRCA Gallery. devrafreelander.com @devrafreelander

Hilliary Gabryel lives and works in Queens, NY. Her work is aspirational, echoing the immediacy of the consumerist market and commenting on luxury and feminine expectations. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a founding member of MATERIAL GIRLS and co-founder of the interdisciplinary Ridgewood, Queens project space ERA VI VII VI (2014-2016). Her work has been shown in New York, NY; Austin, TX; Minnesota, MN; Richmond, VA. Residencies & awards include the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship, the Wassaic Project, ASMBLY Session #1, and VCU Summer Studio Program. hkgabryel.com @hilliarygabryel

Julieta Gil lives and works between Los Angeles and Mexico City. She holds an MFA in Media Arts from UCLA. Her creative research incorporates installation, sculpture, 3D animation and print to explore topics of simulation, and the overlappings that occur between the virtual and physical. She was a grant recipient of Mexico’s National Fund for Culture and the Arts (2015–2016) and co-founder of FEMMEBIT, an experimental video festival held in Los Angeles. She has exhibited in spaces such as Laboratorio de Arte Alameda, Anchorage Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, National Museum of Art (Mexico City), Future Gallery, Human Resources and Zuecca Projects. julietagil.com @julietagilg

Ling-lin Ku is a Taiwan born, U.S. based artist currently living and working in Austin, Texas. Her sculpture and installation work explores language, everyday life, play and fetish through diverse materials and digital fabrication. Ku was selected to participate in the International Studio and Curatorial Program and Vermont Studio Center, and her work has been exhibited throughout the US. She is currently an MFA candidate in the University of Texas at Austin’s Sculpture and Extended Media program, and an art columnist for KUROSHIO FOCUS online media. linglinku.com @linglin_ku

Claire Lachow is an artist & writer whose work exists between physical and digital environments, fixating on the cultural and political predicaments of commodification, desire, language, and identity. She is the recipient of a 2019 Red Bull Arts Detroit residency & fellowship. Selected exhibitions include the Governors Island Art Fair, Super Dutchess, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Local Host Gallery, and Schema Projects. Lachow received a BA from Oberlin College and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. clairelachow.com @clayore

Gracelee Lawrence recently returned from Thailand where she was a visiting artist at Chiang Mai University. She received her MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media at the University of Texas at Austin in 2016 and her BA in Sculpture from Guilford College in 2011. She is a co-founder of Pig and Pony Gallery and a contributing writer for the International Sculpture Center Blog. She has shown work internationally and was a 2016–17 Luce Scholars Fellow, a recipient of the 2015 UMLAUF Prize, the 2013 Eyes Got It Prize, and the 2011-12 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist Grant. graceleelawrence.com @gleeleelawlee

Amelia Lockwood is a visual artist whose use of ceramic processes privileges trace, error, mutation and collapse. Lockwood received her BFA from Syracuse University (2012), completed post-bac studies at University of Colorado, Boulder (2016), and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles. @amiamia

Ofelia Marquez is a first generation Mexican- American artist based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in sculpture at UCLA and is currently an art restorer at Aleksei Tivetskys Art Restoration and Conservation studio. Ofelia Marquez has recently exhibited at: Human Resources, The Mistake Room, Anonymous Gallery, New Wight Gallery, the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art, Avenue 50, and REDCAT. ofeart.wixsite.com @ofemarquez

Nina Sarnelle is an artist and musician with a BA from Oberlin College and MFA from Carnegie Mellon University.  A founding member of the Institute for New Feeling and dadpranks, she’s recently shown work at Whitechapel Gallery, Hammer Museum, Getty Center, Ballroom Marfa, MoMA, Istanbul Modern, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, NADA Miami, MAAT (Lisbon), Fundacion PROA (Buenos Aires), Black Cube (Denver), Southern Exposure (San Francisco), Recess (NY), Akademie Schloss Solitude, UNSW Galleries (Sydney), Project 88 (Mumbai), Villa Croce Contemporary (Genova), CCA Santa Fe, MWoods (Beijing), and MoCA Cleveland. ninasarnelle.com @ninasarnelle

Rachael Starbuck is currently living and working in Austin, TX. She received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017 and her BFA in Sculpture + Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011. She is co-founder of curatorial collective Partial Shade. She has been a resident at ACRE Projects, The Contemporary Artists Center at Woodside, The Wassaic Project and The Vermont Studio Center and has shown work in Richmond, VA; Providence, RI; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; Houston, TX; New York, NY; and London, UK. rachaelstarbuck.com @starbuckra

Amia Yokoyama grew up in Illinois, in a bi-lingual, bi-cultural, bi-racial, bi-religious household. This experience of the world carries her. Amia is a multi-media artist who works with experimental animation, video, 2D mixed media, and installation. Amia dropped out of University of British Columbia for her B.Sci in Sustainable Development, and received a BA from New York University in 2010, and an MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts in 2017. She has received fellowships from Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Women in the Media, and United Plankton Charitable Trust. amiayokoyama.com @iamamia

Rachel Youn is an artist living and working in St. Louis, MO. They use sculpture and new media to poke fun at hierarchal narratives embedded in objects and lifestyles. Sourcing from home furnishing stores and oriental goods peddled on craigslist, their work collapses notions of authenticity and artifice through the lens of identity. They received their BFA from Washington University in St. Louis in 2017 and has exhibited at the Sheldon Art Galleries, Parapet Real Humans, the Millitzer Gallery, the Luminary and Flood Plain, the Bermuda Project, and Open House. They are a recipient of the Regional Arts Commission Artist Support Grant and the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship. rachelyoun.com @rachelyoun

[worldtouradvicetravel]

Alexandria Day Tour From Cairo

Alexandria Day Tour From Cairo

Learn more about the Alexandria Day Trip From Cairo, Book and explore Alexandria Port's landmarks, including Montazah Palace, Alexandria Liberary, Qaitbay Citadel, and more.

Alexandria Tours From Cairo,Visit the magnificent Kom El Shoqafa Catacombs with World Tour Advice; they contain a number of statues, artefacts, and tombs from various cultures, including Egyptian, Romanian, and Greek. Your final stop will be Al Montazah Palace, which Khedeve Helmy built during the first half of the 20th century because he loved Alexandria and wanted to host visitors from all over the world there.

Starting your day tour to Alexandria from Cairo in early morning, Relish your delicious breakfast, be ready to start a stunning day tour  to scout  Alexandria ( Al Iskandariyah in Arabic ),World Tour Advice Rep will pick up you from your hotel in Cairo, drive 3 hours in modern private A/C van to the north of Egypt to the Mediterranean sea, to start Alexandria sightseeing tour. Pay a visit to the famous Pompey's pillar which was constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian at the end of the fourth century, but with the time Alexandrian people called it Pompey pillar thinking that the head of Pompey stay on the top of the pillar. You will see many things around the column such as two sphinxes, They the only remaining items of a large great temple that was called the Serapuem and was founded in the 3rd century AD. The serapeum was built for the holy bull god Apis, and the best and biggest serapeum in all Egypt was found n Cairo in Saqqara area, Pompey;s pillar was Constructed out of red granite with the height of 27 meters and a remarkable stone capita, you visit remains of small old Alexandria library, temple of Apis,statues of Cleopatra, the last pharaohs who ruled Ancient Egypt. Proceed the tour to the Ancient cemetery of Alexandria, the catacomb, The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa is the largest and most curious historical burial site in Alexandria. Alexandria catacombs were found in 1900 and, it belongs to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The catacombs show the best case of the mixture and the blend between the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman kind of art and architecture. Then you will have your lunch in a local restaurant in Alexandria , then the Roman Theatre,  proceed tours to Islamic & recent sightseeing, tour to Qaitbye fortress,  Now it is time to see Alexandria mediterranean sea, and to relish a tour to Qaitbay Citadel ( Qalaa Qaitbay in Arabic ) ;The Qaitbay Fort is surely one of the landmarks and most famous historical sites in the all the Mediterranean cities. The Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay erected this marvelous military fortress in 1479. It was built in the same exact location of the ancient Pharos lighthouse and with the some of its stones as well. Pharos lighthouse was one of the ancient 7 wonders of world,mosque Abu El Abass, then free time for Alexandria library & for a walking trip in the beautiful gardens of Muntazah palace, lunch, free time shopping, back to Cairo, on the way or from Cairo Alexandria or when you go back you will stop to have a rest in the lion village which is a small zoo & coffee shop. end of our Alexandria tour from Cairo, back to Cairo, Overnight in your hotel in Cairo.

Note that We organize also 2 day tours to Alexandria from Cairo, 2 day tours Alexandria & El Alamein from Cairo, or Rosetta city & Alexandria tour in 2 days.

Alexandria Tour From Cairo Includes

What is included in our day Tour To Visit Alexandria Sightseeing, From Cairo : - All Pick up services from hotel in Cairo & return - All Transfers from Cairo to Alexandria & return by a modern private air- conditioned van - Entrance fees to all Alexandria sightseeings mentioned above - Private English Speaking Egyptology tour guide - Lunch during your tour - All the sightseeings taxes & service charge - Two mineral water bottles during your trip

Alexandria Tour From CairoExcludes

What is excluded in our day Tour To Visit Alexandria Sightseengs, From Cairo : - Any extras not mentioned in Alexandria sightseeings excursions itinerary - Tipping - Beverages not specified - Optional tours

Highlights of Alexandria Tour From Cairo

Alexandria Tour Highlights: - Alexandria library - Abu El Abbas mosque - Pompey pillar - The Roman Theatre - Qaitbye fortress - Muntazah palace

For more info

amanywaw@gmail.com

Website

Mobile and what’s App:

002 01090023837

[pharology101]

LOTD: Porpoise Point

(from: http://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/flk.htm)

Porpoise Point (Bull Point) (2)

1990 (station established 1932). Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 10 s. Approx. 5 m (17 ft) square post on a square stone base. A postage stamp image is available and Bing has a satellite view. Bull Point is a crooked peninsula at the southernmost tip of East Falkland, and Porpoise Point is the extreme southern tip of the peninsula. The light is located on a bluff about 800 m (1/2 mi) north of Porpoise Point. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FAL-003; Admiralty G1359; NGA 20361.

(sorry - no decent photo available)

[roachalk]

the dots are 131 pubs in ONE port town (not city) in the north of england, called Whitehaven, in Cumbria. population today is ~25,000. this map shows pubs that existed between 1846 to 1958. some of them are still open (or reincarnated) today! like no. 115 the Steampacket, which has moved to the next town Workington and is described as 'West Cumbria's foremost gay pub'

listed:

Ye Olde Inns of Whitehaven from 1846-1958

1. Grand Hotel; 2,Shipwrights Arms; 3, Queens Arms; 4, Crown and Anchor; 5, Blue Bell; 6, Turks Head; 7, Welsh Arms; 8, Brittania Vaults; 9, Old Crown Inn; 10, Coach and Horses; 11, Forresters Arms; 12, Hope and Anchor; 13, Royal Standard; 14, Ship Inn; 15, Steam Packet Inn; 16, Manx Smack; 17, Rose and Thistle; 18, Blacksmiths Arms; 19, Blue Anchor; 20, Lighthouse Inn; 21, Wellington Inn; 22, Whitehaven Pilot; 23, Man and Boat; 24, Manx Arms; 25, Braddylls Arms; 26, Nags Head; 27, Dusty Miller; 28, Fish Inn; 29, Lowther Arms; 30, Anchor Vaults; 31, Bird in Hand; 32, Queens Arms; 33, Sun; 34, Golden Lion; 35, Volunteer Arms; 36, Vine Inn; 37, Wheatsheaf; 38, Freemasons Arms; 39, Lion and Lamb; 40, Bucks Head; 41, Pineapple; 42, Queens Head; 43, Ship Inn; 44, Kings Arms; 45, Union Inn; 46, Brown Cow; 47, The Exchange; 48, Prince Albert; 49, Black Lion; 50, Canterbury Inn; 51, Albion Hotel; 52, Criterion; 53, Royal Mail; 54, Ship Inn; 55, Globe Hotel; 56, Ship Inn; 57, Wheatsheaf; 58, Central; 59, Crown and Anchor; 60, Ship Inn; 61, Sun Inn; 62, Robin Hood; 63, Cross Keys; 64, Grapes Inn; 65, Sailors Return; 66, Masonic Arms; 67, White Lion; 68, Waterloo; 69,70, Robin Hood; 71, Anchor; 72, Dog and Duck; 73, Miners Arms; 74, Beehive; 75, Royal Oak; 76, Grapes Hotel; 77, Commercial; 78, Jolly Sailor; 79, Fox and Grapes; 80, New Star Inn; 81, Royal Albert; 82, The Albert; 83, Three Tuns; 84, Lowther Castle; 85, Vine Inn; 86, Golden Ball; 87, Black Horse; 88, White Bull; 89, Whittington Cat; 90, Packhorse Inn; 91, New Crown; 92, Royal Hotel; 93, Indian King; 94, Shakespeare Hotel; 95, Victoria Vaults; 96, Hope and Anchor; 97, Bowling Green; 98, Royal Oak; 99, The Dog; 100, Foxhound; 101, Anchor Vaults; 102, Lowther Arms; 103, Punch Bowl; 104, The Canteen; 105 Punchbowl; 106, The Puncheon; 107, Rams Head; 108, Golden Fleece; 109 Rising Sun; 110, Riflemans Arms; 111, Castle View; 112, Ducal Crown; 113, Red Lion; 114, Lifeboat; 115, Steampacket; 116, Solway Vaults; 117, Red Flag; 118, Coopers Arms; 119, Brewers Arms; 120, Sunny Hill Hotel; 121, Ship; 122, Red Lion; 123, Waverly; 124, John Bull; 125, Sailors Tavern; 126, Hope Inn; 127, Scotch Arms; 128, Union Jack; 129, Ye Old CASTLE; 130 Artillerymens Arms; 131, Brow Top.

69 cities in the united kingdom and forty seven thousand pubs