#The Attacks Of 26/11 image gallery

[thecreaturecodex]

Lucien, the Mithril Prince

“White One” © ArtStation user “mucuzi”, accessed at their gallery here

[I had initially hoped that this wave of big bad blocks would have more demigods. But demigods take a long time, and I’m very tired. So I’m going to showcase a few unique NPCs, similar to Kojark or Warduke.This is a character I’ve never used, but have had rattling around in my head for a while. The genesis was “Mithril Prince would be a good title for an eldritch knight”, but I decided to make the actual stat block a magus, because magus is a cool class I haven’t used much.]

Lucien, the Mithril Prince CR 15 CE Monstrous Humanoid This handsome human man has red hair and pale skin. He wears a white tunic and red cloak over his gleaming silvery armor.

A doppelganger named Chut had a propensity for violence, so joined up with an army to indulge it. His ruthlessness got him promoted to the rank of sergeant, but his callous disregard for life got his squad overwhelmed and nearly wiped out. One of the few survivors on the battlefield, he had a vision of a beautiful winged woman with empty, bleeding eyes, exulting over the slaughter. And so Chut saw Szuriel, the Horseman of War, for the first time. And fell in love.

Chut has devoted the rest of his life to waging war. His current alter ego in that capacity is Lucien, the Mithril Prince. The Mithril Prince is the leader of a mercenary army, willing to fight for any country, cause or creed for very reasonable prices. The highest ranking members of his army are just as depraved as he is, but many of the rank and file do not know that their general’s ultimate goal is to kill for the sake of killing. Lucien is skilled in finding and exacerbating tensions between rival powers. If he cannot do so subtly, he does so through false flag operations, committing assassinations and atrocities in one country while disguised as a member of the other’s forces.

Although Lucien is a commander of battalions, he does not hesitate to get his own hands and blade dirty. Continuing the doppelganger tradition of flexibility in tactics, he has trained as a magus, blending sword and spell with deadly efficacy. He usually prefers to open combat with an area of effect spell, like cloudkill, cone of cold or fireball, both as a show of force and to exult in any collateral damage. When fighting as Lucien, he keeps his mithril armor gleaming and pristine, but he can change its appearance and design at will, the better for posing as a terrorist.

Lucien, the Mithril Prince             CR 15 XP 38,400 Doppelganger magus 14 CE Medium monstrous humanoid (shapechanger) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +15 Defense AC 25, touch 11, flat-footed 24 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, +10 armor) hp 156 (18d8+72) Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +18 Immune charm, sleep Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee +1 bastard sword +23/+18/+13 (1d10+9/17-20) or 2 claws +22 (1d8+8) Ranged longbow +15/+10/+5 (1d8/x3) Special Attacks greater spell combat, magus arcana (13 points, accurate strike, arcane edge, devoted blade, pool strike +5d6, spell shield), spellstrike Spell-like Abilities CL 18th, concentration +20 (+24 casting defensively) At will—detect thoughts (DC 14) Spells CL 14th, concentration +18 (+22 casting defensively) 5th—acidic spray (DC 19), cloudkill (DC 19), cone of cold (DC 19) 4th—dimension door, fire shield, greater invisibility, illusion of treachery (DC 18), wall of fire 3rd—displacement, fireball (x2, DC 17), fly, vampiric touch 2nd—bear’s endurance, cat’s grace, frigid touch (x2), mirror image, scorching ray 1st—expeditious retreat, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (DC 15, x2), shocking grasp (x2) 0th—dancing lights, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 14), ray of frost, read magic Statistics Str 26, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 19, Wis 12, Cha 14 Base Atk +14; CMB +22; CMD 32 Feats Combat Casting, Deceitful, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Extra Arcana, Extra Arcane Pool, Improved Critical (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persuasive, Power Attack, Toughness Skills Bluff +24, Diplomacy +20, Disguise +24 (+44 using change shape), Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (religion) +22, Linguistics +11, Perception +15, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +14; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Disguise Languages Abyssal, Common, Daemonic, Elven, Orc, 7 others SQ change shape (humanoid, alter self), fighter training, improved spell recall, knowledge pool, mimicry, perfect copy Gear belt of giant strength +2, headband of intellect +2 (Knowledge [religion]), ring of mind shielding, +1 glamered mithril full plate, +1 bastard sword, cloak of resistance +2, pearl of power (1st level), wand of cure light wounds (50 charges), potion of lesser restoration (x2), longbow with 40 arrows, 438 gp Special Abilities Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice. Perfect Copy (Su) When a doppelganger uses change shape, it can assume the appearance of specific individuals.

[starbornvalkyrie]

acotar one sentence summary

T-minus four months until the A Court of Silver Flame release! In preparation for this long-awaited book, I will be posting one-sentence-per-chapter summaries of ACOTAR, ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS on the 16th of each month.

Also, if you haven’t seen SJM’s sneak peek, you can find it on insta or on this meme by @illyrianwitchling. it’s a mood. and i am deceased.

**Spoiler Warning** This is NOT a blurb or a review. I literally summarized each chapter in one sentence. Yes, they are some of the longest run-on sentences I have ever written and would definitely be flagged by every English teacher ever. And yes, I definitely over-used the semicolon, conjunctions, lists, and pretty much most syntax in the English language. But no, I did not care if the sentences were better split into two or more. It was more fun this way, and easier to keep track of.

Absolutely everything about this belongs to the queen, Sarah J. Maas.

Without further ado, if you lack the time to read everything again, have no fear! Just keep reading below the cut, and enjoy! [The numbers at the beginning of the paragraphs indicate the chapter numbers if you want to skip to certain parts!]

Final Word Count: 2863

[ 1 ] It’s winter and snowing; Feyre is hunting for food when a wolf--that may or may not be a faerie--kills a deer, but she kills the wolf with an ash arrow, skins it, and takes the pelt and the deer home. When Feyre gets home, her father and older sisters--Nesta and Elain--eat the deer, then Feyre and Nesta argue over pretty much everything, especially Nesta’s imminent engagement to Tomas Mandray. The next day, Feyre sold the wolf pelt and deer hide to a mercenary who warned her about faeries crossing the wall while Nesta and Elain were harassed by the Children of the Blessed--people who worship faeries like gods; their dinner that night was interrupted by a roar.

[ 4 ] A faerie in beast-form demands retribution for his wolf friend who was murdered--a life for a life--so Feyre opts to go with the faerie to live out the rest of her days in Prythian, the faerie realm. Feyre and the beast-faerie travel north on horseback, but Feyre doesn’t remember most of it because the male used magic to render her unconscious until they reached Prythian.

[ 6 ] When they reach the beast’s estate, he shifts back into his Fae form, Feyre meets Lucien--an emissary--and she notices that everyone is wearing a mask; Alis--a servant--takes Feyre to a lavish room where she bathed, groomed, clothed, and warned her to talk less, smile more, and listen. She finally dines with Lucien and the beast-fae--whose name is Tamlin--and decides both of them are assholes; the next day she wanders the estate and admires beautiful paintings until Tamlin finds her and tells are about the blight that has plagued Prythian, which also explains why everyone is stuck in a mask. When Feyre was wandering through the gardens, she heard giggling and felt someone watching her but only noticed a silver shimmer; at dinner it seemed like Lucien and Tamlin were trying to get to know her better, and she told them her mother died of Typhus when she was eight.

[ 9 ] In an attempt to get Lucien to talk to Tamlin about freeing her, Feyre went with him on his patrol of the border, but her attempts were futile, and, instead, he let slip that there was a her related to the magic that forced them to keep their masks on; they kept up their banter until Lucien warned her to do nothing but look straight ahead when Feyre felt it. A cold presence overtook them as the Bogge appeared, and after it left, Lucien explained that once one acknowledges the Bogge, it can kill you; Lucien told Tamlin about it when they got back which urged Tamlin went to go hunt for it, and when Feyre was looking out the window waiting for him to return, she saw her father in the garden.

[ 11 ] Before she could get far, Tamlin finds her and makes her realize that it wasn’t her father, but a puca, and warned her that the wards between territories have weakened and everything has changed; Tamlin hunts the Bogge day and night without help after he tells Feyre that her family is fed and comfortable, while Feyre has nightmares about killing Andras. 

[ 12 ] Though she is illiterate, Feyre walked the halls of the estate trying to make a map until Tamlin returned, injured, from killing the Bogge, so she went to the infirmary to help his wound; Feyre overheard a conversation about Tamlin “running out of time” and Lucien forced Tamlin to spend time with Feyre, leading Feyre to admit she does not like hunting, so Tamlin brought her to the study. 

[ 13 ] In the study, Feyre tried to teach herself to read so that she may send a letter to her family, but on a break, she discovered a mural depicting the story of Prythian--along with the seven courts; after fighting with Tamlin about denying his help in writing the letter, Feyre went to Lucien to ask how to catch a Suriel. In her success with trapping the Suriel, Feyre discovers that Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court, learns about the King of Hybern, is warned to Stay with the High Lord, and is about to learn about one of a disobedient commander from Hybern called The Deceiver, when four naga--terrifying faeries made of shadow and rot--found them in the clearing. Feyre freed the Suriel, killed one naga, ran away, killed a second naga with her knife when it grabbed her, was saved by Tamlin who killed the last two, and was healed by him as well--they shared a moment. 

[ 16 ] After Feyre cleaned up from the attack, she met Lucien and Tamlin for dinner where they told her that faeries can indeed lie and are unharmed by iron and that Feyre’s family know she’s okay and know to run at the first sign of something amiss due to a threat in Prythian; Feyre is so grateful, she opens up to Tamlin a little more and asks for paint which he responds to by offering to show her the gallery--sparks are beginning to fly.

[ 17 ] Feyre woke from a nightmare only to hear shouting from Tamlin as he carried a faerie with his wings cut off, and when Tamlin realized there was no way to save him, Feyre held the faerie’s hand until he died and a little while after that; when Tamlin walked Feyre back upstairs, she expressed her regret and sorrow for killing his friend.

[ 18 ] The next day, Tamlin and Lucien took Feyre to a beautiful landscape where Tamlin showed Feyre a pool of starlight and revealed a bit of Lucien’s background--he is the youngest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court--and as the swam in starlight, Feyre told Tamlin about her father’s demise and her years in the woods; on the ride back to the manor, Lucien told Feyre he was sorry that he hesitated when he heard her scream from the naga attack and gifted her his jeweled hunting knife.

[ 19 ] When Feyre’s painting supplies arrived, Tamlin showed her the gallery, and she began to paint and paint for weeks and weeks until one day, they shared a moment in the gardens; Tamlin told Feyre about his parents, how he became High Lord when his entire family was killed, and was in the middle of explaining Calanmai--Fire Night--when the Attor, invisible to Feyre, came to confront Tamlin about how much time he has left and to not break his terms with her.

[ 20 ] The day of Calanmai arrived, and Tamlin ordered Feyre to lock herself in her room until morning, so she did--until she didn’t; Feyre followed the drums to find some sort of firelit party filled with High Fae, and when three of them tried to lure her away, the “most beautiful man she’d ever seen” saved her from them. Feyre thanked the stranger then walked away and found Lucien who angrily brought her back to the manor as he explained that magic is going to take over Tamlin and force him to mate with a random female for the good of the land; when the Great Rite is over, Tamlin finds Feyre and expresses how badly he wanted it to be her instead--shows it by biting her neck.

[ 21 ] Feyre and Tamlin tease each other about the night before and apologize for their behaviors at lunch the next day, and for dinner, Feyre asks Alis to dress her up in a gown rather than the tunic she usually wears; Feyre brought Tamlin to the room she’s been painting in, showing him a painting she did of the pool of starlight, as well as various images of her life in the mortal lands, and Tamlin chooses to keep the painting of the woods she used to hunt in. The next day, Feyre and Tamlin were in the enchanted forest where he granted her fae senses that allow her to truly experience Prythian--they have another moment.

[ 23 ] When Feyre wakes up, she finds Alis in her natural form and is able to see all of the fae who were hidden from her initially; she went to go paint in the garden but is startled by a head spiked to the top of the fountain, and Tamlin and Lucien claimed it was the High Lord of the Night Court’s idea of a cruel joke.

[ 24 ] The Summer Solstice came, and although the blight seems to be getting more intense, the denizens of the Spring Court partied; they danced, drank wine, Tamlin played the fiddle, then he took her to a meadow and kissed her and watched the sunrise. Despite the great night they had, Lucien informed them the next day that the blight took out two dozen Winter Court younglings, then a silence came over them, and Tamlin ordered Lucien to glamour Feyre to hide her from the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand; Feyre listened as he taunted Tamlin and Lucien, learning about a woman named Amarantha until Rhysand discovers she’s there and seizes control of her mind until she told him her name is Clare Beddor.

[ 26 ] The encounter with Rhysand scared Tamlin so badly, he told Feyre that he was sending her back to the mortal realm; as a send-off, they made love until the morning, and before she drifted to sleep, Tamlin expressed that he loved her, thorns and all. Alis dressed Feyre in wealthy human clothing, Lucien pleaded with Tamlin to let her stay, but Tamlin sent her off with an “I love you” and a promise that he will see her again; when she arrives at her family’s new estate, Elain tells her how they got their fortune back excitedly, while Nesta was a more wary of her return.

[ 28 ] Elain shows Feyre her garden, prattling on about the social season and how Nesta tried to visit Feyre only to have her carriage break down and have to return; Feyre’s father finished counting the gold and jewels that Tamlin sent with Feyre, so she went to the cottage her family used to live in and found the path she took into the forest, longing for Tamlin to call her back to Prythian. Feyre handed out gold and silver coins to villagers, sneered at Tomas Mandray who was talking about a house that burned down with the whole family in it, and wished the best to Isaac and his new wife; back at the estate, Nesta told Feyre that Tamlin’s glamour didn’t work on her and how she tried to cross the wall but couldn’t find a way through, so Feyre told her the story of her time in Prythian, then Nesta asked her to teach her how to paint.

[ 30 ] After the ball Feyre’s father threw in her honor, she finds out that Clare Beddor’s family’s home was burned down and no one survived, so she tells Nesta and Elain to prepare for anything amiss coming from Prythian--she had to go back; it took her days, but Feyre finally found her way through the wall and to the Spring Court, only to find the manor wrecked, Tamlin nowhere to be found. Feyre finds Alis packing to flee the Spring Court, and she tells her the story of Amarantha, Jurian, and Clythia, and about the curse she put on Tamlin and his court for forty-nine years; Feyre finds out all she needed to do was tell Tamlin that she loves him, but it’s too late for that, so she asks Alis how to get Under the Mountain.

[ 32 ] Alis took Feyre all the way to a cave entrance that will take her Under the Mountain, and as Feyre snuck through the cave and tried to figure out where to go, the Attor found her. The Attor took Feyre to Amarantha’s throne room where she saw Tamlin seated next to her and found out they tortured Clare Beddor until she died; Amarantha made a deal with Feyre where she is to complete three trials on the full moon or solve a riddle to break Tamlin’s curse--or die--and then the Attor beat her. 

[ 34 ] Feyre woke in a dungeon with a broken nose and various injuries and waited until Lucien came and healed her a bit while also confirming that Amarantha keeps a hold of Jurian’s’ eye and finger bone; at some point, she is brought before Amarantha again, and the High Queen used Rhysand to trap Lucien’s mind until Feyre gave up her name, then Amarantha gave her the riddle that would free everyone immediately if she answers correctly.

[ 35 ] The first full moon and Feyre’s first trial came: she had to hunt the Middengard Wyrm in a labyrinth of mud, so Feyre set a trap made of bones in its lair and covered herself with the mud to make herself invisible to the blind worm; her plan worked, though she impaled her arm on bone, and when she was faced with Amarantha, she threw a bone in her direction before Amarantha told her only one person bet she would win--it was Rhysand.

[ 36 ] Feyre waited in pain for days until her fever spiked and Rhysand came to her cell to heal her, but at a cost; in return for healing her, Feyre is to spend one week a month in the Night Court with Rhysand after they were freed from Under the Mountain, and since it is apparently custom in his court for bargains to be permanently marked upon flesh, Feyre received a tattoo of dark blue designs on her left hand to her elbow.

[ 37 ] Between trials, the guards instructed Feyre to clean the floor of the hallway or else they will turn her over a fire, but they gave her dirty water that only made the floor dirtier, so she was about to give up when Lucien’s mother came and made the water clean in exchange for Feyre saving Lucien’s life; their next chore was to dig lentils from the ashes in Rhysand’s room, but he used magic again to help her, then used his powers to convince the guards to keep their hands off her and to stop giving her household chores.

[ 38 ] Every night until her next task, Feyre was bathed, painted, and dressed to become Rhysand’s plaything for evening festivities, but he always forced her to drink the wine so that she would not remember--though the paint on her body revealed that Rhysand never touched her anywhere but modest places; Amarantha caught a summer lordling trying to escape, so she used Rhysand to discover why, and, for whatever reason, he lied and said he was alone and gave the faerie a swift death, rather than shattering his mind like Amarantha asked.

[ 39 ] Feyre’s second task came: she had to solve a riddle to pull a lever or else she and Lucien would be crushed by a heated platform of spikes--but Feyre can’t read, so when she went for the wrong lever, pain from Rhysand flared in her hand until she hovered over the correct one; Rhysand--in her mind--instructed her back to her cell with dignity, where she wept until he came to visit her and licked her tears away--effectively keeping her from shattering completely.

[ 40 ] Again, Feyre spent every night after that as Rhysand’s plaything, until there was one night that they overheard the Attor and some other creature talking about the King of Hybern’s disappointment in Amarantha; Feyre almost broke after that until beautiful music entered her cell and took her away, if even for a moment.

[ 41 ] During the last party before her final trial, Feyre and Tamlin finally got a moment to sneak off together, but Rhysand found them and kissed Feyre until Amarantha saw to disguise the paint Tamlin ruined; later, Rhys went to Feyre’s cell and confided in her how unhappy and tired of Amarantha’s games he is, and she finds out he is targeted because it was Rhysand’s father who killed Tamlin’s family.

[ 42 ] Feyre’s final task is to stab three innocent faeries in the heart with an ash dagger, and though the first two kills were easy, something broke inside of her, and then shattered when she beheld Tamlin as the third faerie; Alis had told Feyre to listen, and from that, Feyre remembered that Tamlin’s heart is made of stone, therefore she could not kill him, so she said “I love you” and then stabbed him.

[ 43 ] Amarantha did not free everyone right away, but began to beat Feyre--and also Rhysand when he made moves to help her--trying to force her to say she doesn’t really love Tamlin, but Feyre figured out the answer to her riddle--love--and then Amarantha snapped her neck. Feyre watched from Rhysand’s mind as Lucien and the Spring Court removed their masks before Tamlin’s beast killed Amarantha; each of the Seven High Lords of Prythian came forward to sprinkle a kernel of their powers onto Feyre’s body in exchange for what she did for them--for freeing them.

[ 45 ] The High Lords made Feyre into a High Fae to bring her back to life, and then held meetings to discuss how to move on; before they left, Feyre was pulled to Rhysand so that he could say good-bye, but something startled him into leaving abruptly, so Feyre went back to Tamlin, and Amarantha’s Court was destroyed.

They went home.

To the Spring Court.

---

I wasn’t sure if I should add my tag list to this... but i did anyways. let me know if you don’t want to be tagged in these summaries lol. or send me an ask if you do lol

@maddymelv || @lucy617 || @tillyrubes10 || @faerie-queen-fireheart || @tottenhamboys20 || @the-third-me || @superspiritfestival || @rolltide7 || @courtofjurdan || @sleeping-and-books || @aelinchocolatelover || @julemmaes || @sorrehnotsorryy || @courtofjurdan || @acourtofaelinbryceandfeyre || @darlinminds || @lucieisabooknerd || @queen-of-glass || @jlinez || @abookishfreak || @stardelia || @ladywitchling || @rockgirl321 || @sjmships || @thewayshedreamed || @mamakramer || @meowsekai || @illyrianwitchling || @sanakapoor || @ireallyshouldsleeprn

[paperanddice]

Image Description: A muscular humanoid figure with thick black-green skin. It’s face resembles a humanoid skull with the skin drawn tightly across the bone. Its fingers transition into large, wickedly sharp claws. 

Image by Wayne Reynolds, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Monster Manual III Art Gallery here

Astral Stalker Medium monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 19 (natural armor) Hit Points 153 (18d8 + 72) Speed 50 ft., climb 30 ft. Str 20 Dex 26 Con 19 Int 8 Wis 15 Cha 10 Saving Throws Dex +12, Con +8, Wis +6 Skills Perception +6, Stealth +12, Survival +10 Senses blindsight 50 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal Challenge 11 (7200 XP) Magic Weapons. The astral stalker’s weapon attacks are magical. Stalker's Quarry. The astral stalker can designate a creature it hits with a melee attack as its quarry. The astral stalker knows the distance to and direction of that creature, even if the creature and the stalker are on different planes of existence.In addition, the astral stalker's weapon attacks deal an additional 14 (4d6) damage when it hits its quarry. The astral stalker can have only one quarry at a time. If it designates a new creature as its quarry, the effect on the previous target ends. Actions Multiattack. The astral stalker makes two melee attacks. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6+8) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) slashing damage if the target is the astral stalker's quarry. If the target is a creature, the astral stalker can choose to designate the target as its quarry. Throat Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, range 25/50 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (1d10+8) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) piercing damage if the target is the astral stalker's quarry. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, the target's speed is halved and it takes 16 (3d10) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The poisoned target must repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, falling prone and becoming paralyzed for as long as it is poisoned on a failure or ending the effect on itself on a success. Invisibility. The astral stalker turns invisible until it makes an attack or loses concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the astral stalker wears or carries becomes invisible with it.

Astral stalkers were a living weapon created by a god of assassination during the early existence of the multiverse, while the gods battled among themselves and other primordial entities for control. Designed as agents of the deity to hunt and slay key foes, their minds were carefully shaped to ensure they would be driven to fulfill that role without complaint. A great many of these stalkers were created, thousands of them dispersing through the planes, ready to strike at key moments and eliminate certain targets so their master’s goals could be achieved with ease. Many were destroyed during that time, and whether their creator was actually successful in using them is unknown now, but many of these astral stalkers still exist today. They seem to act independently now, forming into their own small hunting parties led by whichever member has the most impressive trophies, and many also act as mercenaries or bounty hunters for powerful entities. Whether or not it is possible for them to produce offspring is unknown outside their own, isolated groups, but if not then their numbers are obviously limited, and it is only a matter of time until they all die out.

When hunting, astral stalkers make use of their invisibility to close in on the chosen target and will attempt to surprise the prey with a throat dart. Disorienting and incapacitating enemies with the poison in the darts, astral stalkers rarely approach until several foes have been immobilized, whereupon they close in quickly and use their claws to shred their designated prey. Against stronger targets they will make heavy use of hit and run tactics, weakening the foes overtime with repeated doses of poison and tracking their quarry with ease across any distance until they find an opportunity to finish the job. It is possible to out maneuver or trick the astral stalker however, as their carefully shaped mental pathways limit their creative thinking outside of a straightforward hunt, and clever use of spells or equipment can foil the stalker’s practiced routines.

Originally from the 4th Edition Monster Manual. If you like this post, consider following my Patreon to get access to content like this a week ahead of everybody else, plus updates on other projects I’m working on!

[sunkencharlestonpost]

July 24 - Daily News Update

We may not have made it through the first round of the Overbraket, however, thanks to Richardson Games and his steel chair, we won a lot of hearts! Our Dickson defended the opposing team, the Seattle Garages, from consumer attacks by hitting the sharks with his Charitable Steel Chair of Intelligence! Truly a sight to see that brought a tear to many an eye.

Reminder: the Semi-Centennial Showdown will begin immediately following the Postseason. Fifty innings of ballgame to enjoy! The Rising Stars features many of our favorites, chief among them our recently delaced Gunther O'Brian.

Rogues Gallery Rundown

Happenings today:

RIV Gunther. Please use the Jamboard in the pins to create a collection of Gunther art and memories, as well as lore on Gunther's memorial!

Suggestion Box for Orion Ultrabass: Submit them here in Discord. Tag your suggestion with _lorejam_sugg_Orion. Search the tag to view suggestions! React to suggestions that you like! Discuss it as you like! However, nothing will be decided at this point. Please keep your mind open to new ideas!

Jam to update Snyder's wiki page. This is not a live jam, so drop in any time! Be sure to tag it _lorejam_update_Snyder!

Upcoming:

Jam for Negative Alternates of Velasquez Alstott, Jordan Hildebert, and Tad Seeth: Non-live jam (open house style)! Drop in any time between July 26, 2021, 12:00pm ET and July 28, 2021, 11:00am ET to participate!

Live jam sessions for Orion Ultrabass! Preliminary Sessions (no final decisions): Wednessday, July 28. AM Session 10 AM ET; PM Session 6:30 ET. Polishing Session: Saturday, July 31, Noon ET

See more: Calendar

Heist Planning Hoopla

We have a plan! Shoe Thief Election Targets (as written by Needle):

Party Favor: We would like the Team Containment Crate. I would advice placing at least 30% of your votes into this Party Favor.

Heist Targets: Booster Pack, Divisional Walk in the Park, Precognition, Underhanded, Enhance

Secondary Objectives: Hitting Flotation Bubble, The Iffey Jr., Set the Table

Do Not Vote For These They Are Bad (Or Do Literally Nothing): Literal Arm Cannon, Exploratory Surgeries, Credit to the Team, XIII, Heavy-Handed

This Week More Than Most I Would Highly Advice Waiting Until The Postseason & Exhibition Match Are Over Before Spending Any Votes.

You can always vote with your heart 👟 and sole 👟 but I would kindly ask that if you don't want the Party Favor we decided on please consider not voting for Party Favors this election.

See pin in Heist Planning for more information!

THIEVES HOME!

Today's image is a friendly graphic of the voting plan, created by our talented Accomplice, Kess!

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 188

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 39 - “Terror! Despariah Appears!” Date watched: 17 May 2020 Original air date: 11 November 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/5RTfmuM Transformation Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/6k6SzS0 Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Shall we dance?

I’m not going to beat around the bush, the title and thumbnail tell the whole story. Despariah fights the Precures in this episode for the first time. It’s intense and really shows how strong both sides are.

The Plot

It’s a quiet day at Natts House. The store is closed, and therefore the girls aren’t helping at the shop, and there’s also no school. Milk comments that it’s on quiet days like this that major events happen, but Coco dismisses her as being too paranoid. Just then, Nozomi bursts into the shop, exclaiming that she found a Pinky, and wants Coco and Nuts to come with her to catch it, so they join her. However, the Pinky is nowhere to be found now. Since it’s a nice pre-winter day, Coco suggests they enjoy being outside and go wander around town. Nuts tries to leave them alone to make it a proper date but Coco is afraid of getting too close to Nozomi, so he drags Nuts along.

Over in Nightmare HQ, Bunbee is crunching some numbers on his own in the otherwise empty boardroom, as it is apparently Nightmare’s day off as well. Suddenly a very frazzled Kawarino appears and asks Bunbee if he’s seen Despariah, which he denies. Kawarino frets since Despariah almost never leaves her office. Meanwhile, on a street, a mysterious hooded figure is seen...

you do not get a prize for figuring out their identity

Karen, apparently having nothing better to do, decides to pop into Natts House to pay a visit. She’s surprised when everyone is gone except for Milk, who complains that she’s lonely, so Karen decides to stay and keep her friend company. Similarly, Urara pays a visit to Fleuriste Natsuki where she admits to RIn that she’s bored and goads her into suggesting they also drop by Natts House.

While all this is happening, Coco, Nozomi, and Nuts are palling around town, with Coco at one point defending Nozomi against a nosy photographer. They find a large tree and decide to climb it, while from far away the hooded figure sees the tree and decides to approach it as well. The view from the tree causes Coco and Nuts to reminisce about life in the Palmier Kingdom, when they got up to some mischief and landed in trouble. Coco thinks it was fun, while Nuts recalls it less fondly. The hooded figure approaches the tree, but at this point they’ve already left, and Nuts once again tries to leave the party against Coco’s protests. Coco admits his fear to Nuts: if he gets close to Nozomi, then both of them will hurt more once they have restored the Palmier Kingdom and have to return home. However, Nuts points out that Coco has always been the type to live by his own rules, and takes his leave. Nuts runs into Komachi on a park bench, working on her novel, and decides to leave her to her devices, but she’s happier being with him and decides to accompany him back to Natts House.

Nozomi and Coco’s not-a-date continues through the park where they admire the fall colors, but Coco still feels guilty about deepening their relationship and proposes they head back to Natts House. On the street, the hooded figure finally catches up with them and reveals herself to be.... Despariah! (nobody could have seen that coming.) Nuts picks up on her presence and dispatches all the other girls.

Nozomi transforms to fight Despariah, but rather than fight directly, Despariah summons an army of shadow figures while she targets Coco. She reads his mind and infers that he has conflicting desires to revive his kingdom and stay with Nozomi, and she tells him neither of these will happen as she tries to whittle away his hope and drive him to despair. However, Dream flies in between Coco and Despariah, beaming at her friend before turning her gaze on the enemy with eyes that have not lost hope.

now kiss

Nozomi’s friends show up and transform into Precure as well. Nuts is surprised to see Despariah in the flesh, and Milk is not happy that her premonition came so true. Rouge, Lemonade, and Mint battle the shadows but they just recover from any damage. Aqua realizes that separating them from the ground destroys them and shouts this advice to her teammates. They tackle the shadows while Dream faces Despariah, who is intent on bringing her to despair. Dream attacks with Crystal Shoot, but Despariah just absorbs it and continues trying to talk her opponent into depression. It’s futile, though, as Coco encourages Nozomi to keep pressing on because the good times they’ve had will stay in her heart forever, and she says that she’ll never regret her memories with him. Essentially they are each other’s hope. Despariah questions the point of fighting for the dream of another, and the other cures chime in that helping other people builds understanding and powerful bonds. The surge of encouragement causes Dream’s Pinky Catch to glow bright with the light of hope, and it badly burns Despariah. She tries again to beat them down with threats of the world ending and their dreams being crushed, but they won’t be deterred, saying that fighting their hardest is the best thing they can do, and with Milk’s help they perform Five Explosion against Despariah. However, she summons a huge shadow to take the attack, and she awes at the power of hope before disappearing back to Nightmare. As she sits in her office, she looks at her shriveled hand and realizes she can’t match their power of hope until she obtains the Dream Collet and becomes immortal, so she orders Kawarino to redouble his efforts.

Nozomi, Rin, Urara, Komachi, Karen, Coco, Nuts, and Milk all take a moment to reflect on what just happened, but the girls have a surprisingly positive outlook. They managed to hurt Despariah and drive her away, after all, she’s not so tough. As they head back to Natts House, Coco tells Nuts that he’s decided to live in the moment and treasure his time with Nozomi, rather than worrying about what may happen in the future, and the episode closes on a filtered still image of them all walking down the road.

The Analysis

I’m glad they’re exploring Coco’s hesitancy to bond with Nozomi, because it seemed like they weren’t giving it its due earlier in the show. They touched on it in the movie, and here it is again, Coco is afraid to take the next steps in their relationship because he knows that soon, he’ll have to go back to the Pamier Kingdom and never see her again. It’s a good dilemma, do you invest in a relationship and enjoy the time you have, or do you keep your distance and reduce the heartbreak once you have to leave? There’s no right answer..... but it is kind of undercut by the insinuation that Coco has never had a problem sneaking out before. I wish they had explored this idea sooner in the series, maybe around episode 26 when they were on the island would have been a good time to first bring this up, and then they could have explored it a little further in subsequent episodes, with each new pinky they catch making him worry about the reality that he’ll have to part from her. From Nozomi’s point of view, she just seems to enjoy the company and doesn’t really seem to realize yet that making his dream come true will mean saying goodbye, at least not until the Christmas episode. I wish I could say this disconnect creates an interesting dynamic between the two of them, but Nozomi doesn’t notice that he’s troubled, so there’s no conflict. On the other hand, Nozomi’s unambiguous support for Coco in contrast to his internal conflict of interests is what keeps him from giving into Despariah’s scheme, and that cannot be understated.

I love that Nozomi and Coco’s strong feelings of trust, confidence, and support for each other forms a bond of hope that Despariah can’t break. Nozomi is the Pretty Cure of hope after all, she’s the one who’s able to find room for positivity in any situation, a reason to stay motivated, and this is going to become more important as we approach the finale. Her confidence is boundless but she does need Coco’s support, which was well-demonstrated in episode 24. Nozomi can push forward because she wants to make Coco’s dream come true, and Coco keeps going because she’s the one who saved him when he was at his lowest point, and she continues to fight for his sake. No matter what Despariah says, Nozomi doesn’t despair because Coco is her light at the end of the tunnel, and she’ll also protect him from the same fate. It’s so good.

Despariah is wonderful as a villain. First of all, she’s physically imposing, towering over a normal person, and she has an unconventional body shape. She has exaggerated hourglass curves and extremely broad shoulders with long arms. Rather than looking sexy, she appears intimidating, and her expressionless mask and giant hair spikes make her more scary. Sure, it’s not the first time we’ve seen her, but it’s the first time that the Precures have seen her aside from a monitor when they were in Nightmare HQ. Seeing her in the flesh, squaring off against the heroines, it puts her in a new light. She is stronger than her subordinates, as one would expect, and true to her name, she is very good at getting into your head and causing you to despair. Every word out of her mouth is meant to crush your dreams and sap your hope away, and she’s also able to summon an army of resilient shadow monsters that will keep regenerating until separated from the ground, which is cool. She was able to block and absorb Cure Dream’s attacks, which is a feat none of the other villains have accomplished. Given that her attack strategy was to let her shadows do the grunt work while she tried to talk Dream and Coco into despair, there’s not a good metric of how physically strong she is, but clearly she can hold her own better than most of her subordinates. I thought it was clever how she was able to conjure a giant shadow monster to tank the Dream Attack for her, making her the first villain to survive the team finisher. Clearly though, she knows her limits, and it’s obvious that their power of hope is only going to grow, which is why she feels the need to obtain the Dream Collet and drag them into despair so they no longer bother her. All in all I’m just jazzed about a villain that relies on emotional manipulation rather than brute force or even tricks to achieve their goals.

I think the setup for the episode is pretty good. It’s the closest Nozomi and Coco ever get to a proper date, and there’s a couple really sweet moments during the day where you get to see small, simple gestures of affection. My favorite is when Nozomi, Coco, and Nuts are sitting at a cafe, and a magazine photographer asks to take a picture of the two hot men, but tells Nozomi to step aside for a moment. Coco gets indignant and walks away with Nozomi, upset that the woman said she was ��in the way,” which is rude to Nozomi, and of course she’s super important to him. Nozomi wasn’t particularly bothered by it, but she smiles to herself when he explains how he was defending her.

Nuts gets a similar moment like this, as all the women in the park ogle him until he walks over to Komachi and they disperse. Beyond that, I appreciate his scene with Komachi, because it shows his soft side and gives her a tender moment of her own. When she explains she’s working on her novel, he says he’ll leave her alone, and she acts a little upset at him leaving so suddenly, before hastily covering her mouth out of embarrassment about her little outburst. I make it sound mean but it’s cute.

The way the four girls wind up together is a tad contrived but I only found it annoying because no sooner have they all congregated at Natts House before they have to run out and fight Despariah. Just one more shot of them all hanging out together in between Komachi’s arrival and Nuts detecting Despariah’s presence would have helped the episode. Aside from that, I appreciate that everyone’s idea of a good time is just hanging out at Natts House even on their day off.

The last thing I want to focus on is the art in this episode. There’s a lot of still frames with a soft focus filter over them.

Their main purpose is to conserve the animation budget for the fight with Despariah, but they are aesthetically nice on their own as well. They enhance the carefree mood and imply the passage of time, and for Nozomi and Coco’s closeups they give us a moment to pause and see how happy they are in each other’s company that wouldn’t hit the same if these shots had to be continuously animated, however limited. It’s a nice artistic touch.

There is a lot of middling to poor quality art in this episode, though. That’s not unusual, it’s late in the series and they’re saving their remaining budget for the finale run, so quality control isn’t the top priority. That doesn’t change the fact that there’s a lot of vacant faces and slightly off-model characters scattered throughout the episode. There’s very little shading on people’s faces and expressivism is limited to close-ups. I wish this episode, as a big episode, could have had a bit more care put into it. I would gladly sacrifice episodes 40 and 42 to this end, but it is what it is. Despite some dodgy art it’s a solid episode about hope and hard decisions.

Next time on Precure Daily: the girls finally get to the bottom of the principal’s true identity. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 kettei!

[marylandparanormal]

Ghost Expedition Jefferson County, Shepherdstown WV: Entler Hotel/Historic Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown is considered the "oldest city in West Virginia" with a history predating the French-Indian War.  

The town was chartered in 1762 by the royal Virginia governor as Mecklenberg, named for Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, wife of King George III. The name of Charlottesville had already been granted to another town in the colony. Thomas Shepherd was named the trustee of the town of 222 acres which had been granted to him in 1734.  Eventually the town would be named for him in 1798

Shepherdstown is also known by the nickname of "The Old Unterrified" due to its contributions to the nation's wars. Shepherdstown was said to have provided more soldiers in the American Revolutionary War than any other town of its size in Virginia. In response to General George Washington's call for volunteers in 1775, the Mecklenberg company of 97 men commanded by Capt Hugh Stephenson made the famous "Beeline March" from Morgan Spring to Cambridge Massachusetts, ranging 600 miles in 24 days

According to the Shepherdstown's Register in 1850, the town "sent nearly three complete companies to the field" in the War of 1812 and contributed to ranks of several other companies.  Troops from Shepherdstown, led by Lieutenant Bennett Riley, repulsed the British attack at the Battle of Plattsburgh.  During the capture of Fort George, a Shepherdstown resident, Michael Durnhoeffer, leapt upon the wall of the fort amidst a barrage of artillery fire, and yelled out, “HURRAH FOR OLD SHEPHERDSTOWN”

During the Mexican War, Colonel John Francis Hamtramck led the 1st Virginia Volunteer Regiment.  He was mayor of Shepherdstown from 1850 to 1854, and from 1853 to 1858 served on the Jefferson County Court. He died at his home in Shepherdstown in 1858.  The Hamtramck Guard (The Shepherdstown Light Infantry) was sent to Harpers Ferry to quell John Brown's raid on the federal armory in 1859.  In the Civil War, this group became Company B, 2nd Virginia Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia

Battles took place all around Shepherdstown throughout the Civil War due to its proximity to Pack Horse Ford, a crossing of the Potomac River.  After the Battle of Antietam in 1862, Shepherdstown became a giant makeshift hospital for thousands of confederate wounded  

A Confederate rear guard, led by General William Pendleton, repulsed Union attacks on forces withdrawing from Sharpsburg in the Battle of Shepherdstown.  The 118th Pennsylvania, known as the Philadelphia Corn Exchange Regiment, suffered heavy losses against battle-hardened confederates, amounting to 269 casualties from 737 men

The properties making up the Entler Hotel were built in 1786 by Philip Adam Entler Jr and expanded in 1790 by Daniel Bedinger. The hotel returned to Entler family ownership in 1824 and was managed for many years by Daniel Entler and his wife Margaret, and later by their oldest son son Jacob.  

The Entler Hotel was a societal hub for Shepherdstown. However, the hotel suffered losses from caring for confederate wounded in the Civil War. After a devastating fire in 1912 which destroyed much of downtown German street, Entler family heirs sold the property, which after renovations opened as the Rumsey Hotel

In 1921, the property was acquired by Shepherd University and renamed Rumsey Hall where it served as a student dormitory, faculty housing and later as storage.  In 1973 the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1978, the city acquired the building and renovations were begun by Historic Shepherdstown in 1979.  The property reopened as Historic Shepherdstown and Museum in 1983

The Entler Hotel is thought to be haunted by the ghost of Peyton Bull Smith.  He was killed in a duel by his business partner Joseph Holmes on Tuesday, Nov 3, 1809 at daybreak. Smith was carried to the hotel where he died.  Noises, moans, and footsteps haunt the hotel.  Other folklore legends include a gambler shot himself after losing cattle money and the daughter of the hotel manager died in the 1910 fire within the hotel

Though less widely known, haunted activity in the form of imitative noises is also said to occur in the vicinity of the Schomaker & Co piano on the first floor.  The piano was originally owned by John Henry Schau and his wife Elizabeth Catherine Cookus-Schau (she was also called "Aunt Betsy"). The couple resided on German Street in Shepherdstown.

The paranormal television show Ghosts of Shepherdstown featured a series of haunted locations that were loosely clustered around the Town Run, a tributary of the Potomac river that runs through the center of the town

The ghost expedition sought "drop-in" communications in connection with the history and legacies of the Shepherdstown

REFERENCES:

Civil War Trust. An Interview with Nicholas Redding. American Battlefield Trust

Dandridge, D. (1910).  Historic Shepherdstown. The Michie Company Printers, Charlottesville, Virginia

Digital Exhibit: Schomacker & Co. Piano. (2016). Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

John Francis Hamtramck. (2018). Digital Exhibit. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Langmyer, M. (2016). The Entler Hotel - Restoration. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Langmyer, M. (2016).  Shepherdstown and the American Civil War.  Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Langmyer, M. (2016). The Battle of Shepherdstown.  Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Lehman, M.C. (2016). The Entler Hotel - History. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

McGee, T. (1972, Oct 6). National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Rumsey Hall (Entler Hotel). National Park Service

McGee, T. (1973, Apr 2). National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Shepherdstown Historic District. National Park Service

Norris, D.A. (2018). Battle of Shepherdstown. American Battlefield Trust

Our Own Ghost of Shepherdstown. (2016). Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Price, J.C. and Woods, D.C (2016). The Entler Hotel - A Chronology. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Rogers, J.E. (2013, Jan 13). Daniel Entler (b 1785 - d1866) and Family. Memorial ID 103540248. Find A Grave

Rumsey Hall (Shepherdstown, West Virginia). (2018, Apr 27). Wikipedia

Shepherdstown: Battle of Boteler's Ford. (2018). American Battlefield Trust

Shepherdstown Gets Over Fire. (1912, Nov 16). The Daily News, Frederick, MD. Newspapers.com

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV "SEMI-QUINCENTENNIAL" 250TH ANNIVERSARY AND CELEBRATION. (2012). Corporation of Shepherdstown WV

Shepherdstown, West Virginia. (2018). Wikipedia

Stoner-Reed, P. (1987, Sep 26), National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Shepherdstown Historic District (Boundary Increase). National Park Service

Thomas, J.B. (2018). War of 1812. Digital Exhibit. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

IMAGES:

Acroterian. (2008, Nov 29). Entler Hotel (Rumsey Hall), Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Wikipedia

Highsmith, C. M., photographer. (2015). The historic Entler Hotel, now the city visitors' center, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Shepherdstown United States West Virginia, 2015. -04-29.  Library of Congress

Rumsey Hall, looking north or front view. (c 1925). Rumsey Hall Gallery. Shepherd University

Rumsey Hall as the Entler Hotel, looking northwest up German Street. (c 1880). Rumsey Hall Gallery. Shepherd University

Shepherdstown during the Civil War.  Historic Shepherdstown archives. Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Waud, A.R. (1862, Oct 11). Sketch of the Philadephia Corn Exchange Regiment Fording the Potomac Near Shepherdstown. Harper’s Weekly. p. 652.  Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

Boteler's Ford, Potomac River near Shepherdstown. Point at which Confederate Army crossed after battle of Antietam.  (c 1861-1865).   Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Ruins of bridge, across Potomac River at Shepherdstown.  (c 1861-1865).   Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Rumsey Hall as the Entler Hotel after the fire, looking west up German Street. (1912, Nov). Rumsey Hall Gallery. Shepherd University

The Entler Hotel when the Town bought in 1979. (1979). Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

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Government accused of standing by while lifeboat volunteers face abuse for saving refugees

Government accused of standing by while lifeboat volunteers face abuse for saving refugees

The foreign secretary has been accused of a “disingenuous and grossly inadequate” response to the abuse of lifeboat volunteers while the government works to push asylum seekers back to France.

Charities poured scorn on a claim by foreign secretary Dominic Raab that a government’s crackdown to make it harder for people to flee across the channel was “not inconsistent” with the RNLI’s lifesaving work.

Amnesty International told The Independent the government was more interested in making the UK’s asylum system “even more oppressive and unwelcoming” than defending the RNLI.

And leading migration charity the JCWI (Joint Committee for the Welfare of Immigrants) blasted the foreign secretary’s response as “disingenuous and grossly inadequate considering the level of vitriol from the far-right”.

It comes as the RNLI recorded record daily donations, up 2000 per cent, after volunteers revealed abuse from anti-immigrant mobs and activists.

Mr Raab said on Thursday that the government’s “robust approach” to small boats trying to reach the UK was not at odds with the “heart and soul” of the RNLI.

“The RNLI do an incredible job, they have got this great heart and soul to them and they do an amazing job,” he told LBC radio.

“I think they operate within the legal rules and that is part of this country. We are a big-hearted country. At the same time, if we are talking about the wider small boats issue, that is something where, absolutely at the same time, we need to come down as hard as is humanly possible, working with our French partners.”

Mr Raab said the government wanted to “have the strongest criminal action including prosecution sentences against those criminal elements that feed like parasites off the human misery of those people making that journey”, adding: “I don’t think that is inconsistent, that robust approach.”

His comments came after RNLI crews spoke out about the abuse they received from anti-immigration activists for bringing people ashore. The government has been accused of siding with xenophobia by bringing forward a bill to treat people crossing the Channel in small boats more harshly and even put them in prison.

“It’s a sorry state of affairs that in 2021, one of the UK’s oldest and most beloved charities – the RNLI – must defend its life-saving work from Government hostility and far-right attacks on its volunteers,” Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action told The Independent.

“Priti Patel’s bill would criminalise people at risk of drowning in the Channel as well as those that help them and she instead pursues aggressive push backs against desperate refugees.

The Government’s word and deed contradicts everything that the RNLI, a proud humanitarian institution, stands for.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrant rights director at Amnesty International UK, said: “Government rhetoric and policy are plainly inconsistent with the wonderful work of the RNLI in saving lives at sea.

“No doubt that is why some senior members of Government have been so slow to simply back the RNLI against threats and abuse for its life-saving work. The shameful truth is that the latest immigration legislation proposes to make a crime of basic humanity if that assists people fleeing war and persecution to reach safety on UK shores.

“And while ministers set about making the UK’s asylum system even more oppressive and unwelcoming, they are both enabling the people smugglers they claim to abhor while encouraging the hateful response that the RNLI has received.”

Clare Moseley, founder of charity Care4Calais, said government proposals targeted “innocent people who have done nothing more wrong than be born in a war zone” and would not trouble people smugglers.

She added: “Making it illegal to cross the Channel in a small boat will only put innocent refugees in our prison system at great public cost; it is well known that smugglers themselves are never in these boats.

“If the government wants to stop people smugglers it would create a way for people to legally claim asylum without having to risk their lives. That would put people smugglers out of business once and for all.”

And Minnie Rahman, campaigns director at the JCWI told The Independent: “Dominic Raab’s comments are disingenuous and grossly inadequate considering the level of vitriol from the far-right.

“The Government’s approach is absolutely incompatible with saving lives at sea, as it will make journeys across the channel more dangerous and put more lives at risk.

“The measures in the Borders Bill could also see humanitarian organisations criminalised for supporting people who cross channel.

“If the Government wanted to be consistent in its approach, they would scrap the Borders Bill and instead ensure there are safe ways for asylum seekers to enter the UK, and welcome them into our communities once they are here.”

Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the RNLI provided “an inspirational service”, adding that it was “shameful that people have sought to criticise them for the incredible, brave work they do saving lives at sea”.

The Home Secretary’s new borders bill would allow use of “reasonable force” by border officials to get the small boats to turn round and leave UK waters. It would also see migrants crossing the sea without permission sent to prison for up to four years, broadening the definition of an older offence. Those found guilty of helping or “smuggling” people across the Channel could also face life in prison.

RNLI crews have in recent days spoken out about how refugees rescued from the sea are sometimes met by an “angry mob” who shout “go back to France”. Others have spoken out about how a “drunken yob” threw a beer can at a group of women and children who had been rescued. The latest barrage of abuse against the RNLI came after the Daily Mail newspaper published an article claiming “migration madness” and Brexiteer Nigel Farage accused the charity of running a “taxi service” for migrants.

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29 July 2021

Great Britain’s Mallory Franklin celebrates on the podium after she won silver in the women’s C1 Canoe Slalom at Tokyo Olympics

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28 July 2021

Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status

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27 July 2021

A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants.

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26 July 2021

A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel

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25 July 2021

Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London

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24 July 2021

Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main

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23 July 2021

Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery’s new free programme of art-inspired activities for families

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22 July 2021

Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk

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21 July 2021

A man walks past an artwork by Will Blood on the end of a property in Bedminster, Bristol, as the 75 murals project reaches the halfway point and various graffiti pieces are sprayed onto walls and buildings across the city over the Summer

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20 July 2021

People during morning prayer during Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, in Southall Park, Uxbridge, London

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19 July 2021

Commuters, some not wearing facemasks, at Westminster Underground station, at 08:38 in London after the final legal Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England

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18 July 2021

A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent

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17 July 2021

Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave

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16 July 2021

The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool

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15 July 2021

Sir Nicholas Serota watches a short film about sea monsters as he opens a £7.6 million, 360 immersive dome at Devonport’s Market Hall in Plymouth, which is the first of its type to be built in Europe

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14 July 2021

Heidi Street, playing a gothic character, looks at a brain suspended in glass at the world’s first attraction dedicated to the author of Frankenstein inside the ‘Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein’ experience, located in a Georgian terraced house in Bath, as it prepares to open to the public on 19 July

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13 July 2021

Rehearsals are held in a car park in Glasgow for a parade scene ahead of filming for what is thought to be the new Indiana Jones 5 movie starring Harrison Ford

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12 July 2021

A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of a cafe on Copson Street, Withington in Manchester

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11 July 2021

England’s Bukayo Saka with manager Gareth Southgate after the match

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10 July 2021

Australia’s Ashleigh Barty holds the trophy after winning her final Wimbledon match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova

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9 July 2021

England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst stands on top of a pod on the lastminute.com London Eye wearing a replica 1966 World Cup final kit and looking out towards Wembley Stadium in the north of the capital, where the England football team will play Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday

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8 July 2021

Karolina Pliskova celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka during the women’s singles semifinals match on day ten of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London

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7 July 2021

The residents of Towfield Court in Feltham have transformed their estate with England flags for the Euro 2020 tournament

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6 July 2021

A couple are hit by a wave as they walk along the promenade in Dover, Kent, during strong winds

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5 July 2021

Alexander Zverev playing against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round of the Gentlemen’s Singles on Court 1 on day seven of Wimbledon at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

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4 July 2021

Aaron Carty and the Beyoncé Experience perform on stage during UK Black Pride at The Roundhouse in London

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3 July 2021

England’s Jordan Henderson celebrates after scoring his first international goal, his side’s fourth against Ukraine during the Euro 2020 quarter final match at the Olympic stadium in Rome

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2 July 2021

Dan Evans serves against Sebastian Korda during their men’s singles third round match at Wimbledon

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1 July 2021

Prince William, left and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London

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30 June 2021

Dancers from the Billingham Festival and Balbir Singh Dance Company, during a preview for the The Two Fridas, UK Summer tour, presented by Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance in collaboration with Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by the life and times of female artists Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil , which opens on July 10 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens in Durham

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29 June 2021

A boy kicks a soccer ball in front of the balconies and landings adorned with predominantly England flags at the Kirby housing estate in London

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28 June 2021

Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London

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27 June 2021

People walk along Regent Street in central London during a #FreedomToDance march organised by Save Our Scene, in protest against the government’s perceived disregard for the live music industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic

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26 June 2021

A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho

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25 June 2021

Tim Duckworth during the Long Jump in the decathlon during day one of the Muller British Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena

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24 June 2021

A member of staff poses with the work ‘The Death of Cash’ by XCopy at the ‘CryptOGs: The Pioneers of NFT Art’ auction at Bonhams auction house in London

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23 June 2021

Bank of England Chief Cashier Sarah John displays the new 50-pound banknote at Daunt Books in London

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22 June 2021

Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne’s “Iron Throne” statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO’s release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022

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21 June 2021

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

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20 June 2021

Joyce Paton, from Peterhead, on one of the remaining snow patches on Meall a’Bhuiridh in Glencoe during the Midsummer Ski. The event, organised by the Glencoe Mountain Resort, is held every year on the weekend closest to the Summer Solstice

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19 June 2021

England appeal LBW during day four of their Women’s International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground

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18 June 2021

Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland’s Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw

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17 June 2021

Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet

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16 June 2021

A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London

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15 June 2021

Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home’s in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre

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14 June 2021

Scotland’s David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park

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13 June 2021

Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring England’s first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley

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12 June 2021

Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall

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11 June 2021

Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool

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10 June 2021

A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall

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The charity said on Thursday a “small number” of people had cancelled direct debits but that it had more significantly received over £200,000 in donations in a single day after the criticism, a 2,000 per cent increase.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister would say the RNLI do vital work to protect people’s lives at sea. We are working to tackle this issue. We recently announced the extended deal with the French to increase patrols and stop more boats from making what is an incredibly perilous journey.”

Asked whether Boris Johnson would agree with Mr Raab’s comments on the Border Force doing work consistent with the RNLI’s activities, the spokesperson said: “The RNLI are tasked with saving lives at sea and that’s what they do. I can only point you back to what the home secretary and prime minister have said about tackling this issue and fixing the immigration system.”

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[thecreaturecodex]

Alicorno

“Oricuerno Patterns” © deviantArt user Cyclone62, accessed at her gallery here

[The alicorno or oricuerno is a Cantabrian variant of the unicorn, as reported in the book Bestiario del Norte by Pablo Gallo. That book contains the tidbit that an alicorno can turn a woman into a man, but only on St. John’s Day. I assume this bit of folklore was originally intended in a misogynistic context (the same way that virginal woman saints would be blessed by making them ugly or giving them facial hair), but I choose to interpret it as the alicorno being a trans ally. I used that as the launching point for my flavor text and the bestow self-image ability.]

Alicorno CR 6 CG Magical Beast This majestic equine creature has a single tricolor horn on its head and small wings on each of its hooves. It is white with purple highlights, especially around the head.

An alicorno is a greater form of unicorn, blessed by the gods of goodness and freedom. This blessing is shown in their wings, which grow on their hooves and make them even swifter than usual unicorns, and in their increased magical powers. Alicornos devote their lives to defending the less fortunate, and fight against slavery and oppression of all types, from the tyranny of a king to minor acts of bigotry. Alicornos are more interventionist than ordinary unicorns. As such, they are also rarer, as they are more likely to run afoul of the forces of evil.

An alicorno has a powerful, magical gore attack, and its hooves can crush bone. Still, they prefer to serve as support in combat rather than fight on the front lines. They use their maneuverability to dart in and out of a combat zone; they deliver touch spells to heal their allies and dispel enemy effects. They will often use shield other to absorb damage from a fragile ally, and protect other healers such as clerics and paladins.

The rarest, and perhaps most prized, ability of an alicorno is its ability to permanently alter willing creatures physically. They are sought out by trans people, those that have been scarred beyond ordinary treatment, or others whose self image does not match the way they present to the world. Alicornos are skilled judges of character, and turn away those driven by vanity and provide counseling to those with unhealthy body images. Some cruel nobles may attempt to coerce or trick an alicorno into granting them the ultimate in cosmetic surgery, and use goodly adventurers as bargaining chips or hostages in these schemes.

An alicorno’s horn is even more potent a magical item as that of an ordinary unicorn, and is just as evil to obtain. An alicorno’s horn can substitute for 5,000 gp worth of components for the creation of healing items.

Alicorno               CR 6 XP 2,400 CG Large magical beast Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision, Perception +14 Aura magic circle vs. evil (10 ft., Will DC 20) Defense AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural); +2 deflection vs. evil creatures hp 66 (7d10+28) Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +7; +2 resistance vs. evil DR 5/evil; Immune charms, compulsion, disease, poison; SR 17 Offense Speed 60 ft., fly 90 ft. (good) Melee gore +10 (1d8+6), 2 hooves +8 (1d4+2) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks powerful blows (horn), powerful charge (gore, 2d8+12) Spell-like Abilities CL 10th, concentration +17 (+21 casting defensively) Constant—detect evil At will—cure light wounds (DC 18), daylight, sanctuary (DC 18) 3/day—cure serious wounds (DC 20), dispel magic, freedom of movement, knock, neutralize poison (DC 21), remove curse, remove disease, searing light 1/day—break enchantment, cure critical wounds (DC 21), restoration, shield other Statistics Str 18, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 21, Cha 24 Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD +26 (+30 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Flyby Attack, Multiattack Skills Acrobatics +11 (+23 when jumping), Fly +13, Heal +12, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +11, Survival +9 (+12 in forests); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth, +3 Survival in forests Languages Celestial, Common, Sylvan SQ bestow self-image, insightful, magical strike, wild empathy +20 Ecology Environment temperate forests Organization solitary or blessing (1 plus 1-6 unicorns) Treasure none Special Abilities Bestow Self-Image (Su) By concentrating for 1 minute, an alicorno can transform a willing humanoid or native outsider into the form it most desires, as long as that form is that of another humanoid or native outsider. This functions as a polymorph any object effect with a duration of instantaneous. This cannot change a creature’s ability scores. An alicorno can perform this action once per month. Insightful (Ex) An alicorno is trained in Heal and Sense Motive checks. Magic Circle against Evil (Su) This ability continually duplicates the effect of the spell. The alicorno cannot suppress this ability. Magical Strike (Ex) An alicorno's gore attack is treated as a magic good weapon for the purposes of damage reduction. Wild Empathy (Su) This works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except the alicorno has a +6 racial bonus on the check. Alicornos with druid levels add this racial modifier to their wild empathy checks.

[cyberkevvideo]

Throne of Night Theory Builds Part 28: Denizens of the Sub

Best laid plans and all that. Here we are again, and it’s because of new information that I found. This means that my original plan to release the Book 6 additional encounters will have to wait for a bit longer. Although, that said, this could be part of Book 6. I honestly couldn’t say.

Never would have guessed, but today is going to be another rare treat of THREE builds at once. I haven’t done that yet. This will definitely be the biggest one to date. Before it was person and bodyguards, or person and animal companion. Now, it’s basically all of the above. What a treat.

No new art with this one, just information that I discovered while looking for new art. I’m still hopeful that I’ll find more. No luck though, and that’s okay.

As always, for space reasons, I’ll be cropping the encounter build.

All images shared here were done by the forever fantastic and amazingly talented Michael D. Clarke, aka SpiralMagus

I do not have a Patreon or a Kickstarter, but I do have a Ko-Fi page (linked) for those who are looking to support me monetarily. There is no pressure or obligation to do so.

Finally, before I get to it, I hope everyone’s staying safe right now.

EDIT: The stats and build looks prettier now.

Last week, for fun, I did a speculation build for what I would do if I’d been given the submarine map and told to go nuts with it, with no prior knowledge given. I’m not always great on it, but I have taken maps of locations before and just filled it in. It’s something you kind of learned to do when it was your turn to do your own version of the Temple of Elemental Evil dungeon and fill in all of the empty locations. Regardless, I took the concept of Lovecraftian creatures had to exist here to be a proper gateway to alleviate any whiplash when Book 6 introduced pretty much the rest of the “rogue’s gallery”, so to speak.

At the time, I just did my own thing. And I did put in there that it was quite possible that I was barking up the wrong tree. It’s why I didn’t do full and complete builds. Well, now it’s time for the real deal. While I don’t know about what else is in there, I do know now, that these stat blocks I’m releasing today (they’re still my theory build, so don’t take it as gospel, but the monsters are definitely there), as well as the brain collector I did stats for previously.

Let’s get to it. Note that I’m still unsure as to the when that these encounters occur, but it would either be near the end of Book 5, or within the first few pages of Book 6. It’s becoming more obvious that this sub is what the PCs use to infiltrate the submerged aboleth city. Either way, I made sure the CR for them were enough to be challenging, but not impossible for the likely party level. My assumption is level 17-18, and neither will be an Easy encounter.

Both set of builds will have creatures that have the Technologist feat. Considering how advanced this submarine is, and how alien everyone is supposed to be, it’d made sense that something from the Technology Guide would be present. If you want to go even further with the future tech, give the thanadeamons and neolithid key cards, and put lock coders at each of the doors. Maybe even a few cameras at various places so that the neolithid can keep an eye on them. Possibly swap out the bracers of armor on the neolithid for a forcefield.

First off, the guards of the capture sub. Regarding tactics, while I gave them a magic item to ignore difficult terrain, it should be noted that they have constant air walk. This means that, given the ceiling and width of the of the hallway, they can stand above one another, or just stand above the water without it interfering with their movement. This is especially frightening because it means they’ll always have a +1 circumstance bonus to attacks for being above their opponents. Definitely something to remember and exploit whenever possible.

THANADAEMON GUARD    (CR 16; 76,800 XP) Fighter advanced thanadaemon rogue (scavenger) 2 NE Medium outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar) Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +29 DEFENSE AC 36, touch 15, flat-footed 32 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +15 natural) hp 237 (19 HD; 17d10+2d8+135) Fort +14, Ref +20, Will +19 Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 10/good; Immune acid, death effects, disease, poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 27 OFFENSE Speed 30 ft. Melee +2 trident +33/+28/+23/+18 (1d8+18/19–20 plus energy drain) or      2 claws +26 (1d4+8 plus energy drain) Special Attacks draining weapon, energy drain (1 level, DC 24), fear gaze, sneak attack +1d6, soul crush, weapon training (spears +4) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 17th; concentration +23)   Constant—air walk, true seeing   At will—greater teleport (self plus skiff and passengers only), plane shift (self plus skiff and passengers only, Astral, Ethereal, and evil-aligned planes only)   3/day—animate dead, desecrate, enervation   1/day—summon (level 4, 1d4 hydrodaemons 80% or 1 thanadaemon 35%) TACTICS Before Combat The thanadaemon guard attempts to summon hydrodaemons to help weaken opponents before getting involved. During Combat The thanadaemon guard uses its air walk to its advantage whenever possible, granting it a +1 circumstance bonus to attack for attacking an opponent from above. Morale A thanadaemon doesn’t fear dying while it’s on the Material Plane, and fights to the death. STATISTICS Str 27, Dex 16, Con 25, Int 16, Wis 21, Cha 22 Base Atk +18; CMB +26; CMD 41 Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Dodge, Improved Critical (trident)B, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Mobility, Power Attack, Step UpB, Stunning AssaultB, Swap Places, TechnologistB, Vital StrikeB, Weapon Focus (trident)B Skills Acrobatics +23, Bluff +24, Diplomacy +24, Intimidate +24, Linguistics +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +18, Knowledge (local) +11, Knowledge (planes) +22, Knowledge (religion) +21, Perception +29, Sense Motive +27, Stealth +15, Survival +12, Swim +16, Use Magic Device +20 Languages Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Aquatic, Draconic, Infernal, Terran, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft. SQ armor training 4, rogue talent (guileful polyglot), technic training +1 Gear masterwork breastplate, +2 trident, belt of tumbling, cloak of resistance +2, feather step slippers, vambraces of defense SPECIAL ABILITIES Draining Weapon (Su) A thanadaemon’s energy drain attack functions through any melee weapon it wields. Fear Gaze (Su) Cower in fear for 1d6 rounds, 30 feet, Will DC 24 negates. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Soul Crush (Su) A thanadaemon can crush a soul gem (see cacodaemon) as a standard action to gain fast healing 15 for 15 rounds. This action condemns the crushed soul to Abaddon—resurrecting this victim requires a DC 30 caster level check. Technic Training (Ex) A scavenger adds 1/2 their rogue level to Perception skill checks to locate mechanical or high-tech traps and to Disable Device skill checks against these traps (minimum +1). They cannot use Disable Device to disarm magical traps. This ability replaces trapfinding.

----------------------------- Next up is the neothelid in the sub control room. Not exactly sure where this creature is on the map, other than “top floor”.

For this one, it made sense that an alien life form would be curious about mortals from the Material Plane, and might continually run experiments to learn more about them, see what made them tick, and how easily they could break physically, emotionally, or mentally. All in the name of science. The neothelid has no emotional investment in this sort of thing, after all.

As such, being so fascinated, I went with a design that had the creature build a representation of what it thought life was, based on previous encounters with drow prisoners, with a homonculus of its own design. Through various trials and experiments, the doll would either be placed in a cell right before new prisoners were brought in, acting as one who had been there for an unknown length of time, or the doll was put in afterwards as the new prisoner. The neothelid then sits back and watch events unfold through the eyes of its creation, taking notes of what did and didn’t work, and what discoveries were made.

The homonculus looks very similar to a drow, with a few features that might make it seem similar to someone from Taaryssia. It even possesses a name similar to that of a drow’s. It’s programmed to help its master’s with various experiements, whatever that might entail. It is a competent spy that’s designed to ally with new comers, gain their trust, aid them however they need, and gather intelligence for its master. Because it is an emotionless construct, anyone trying to make a Sense Motive check to discovery falsehoods take a –8 penalty. The homonculus doesn’t take a penalty as its master helps guides the conversation, making it less likely that suspicion be raised.

Because of the number of previous drow having been captured before, the homonculus has a decent amount of knowledge regarding Taaryssia. Enough that no one should suspect or believe the homonculus drow to not be a citizen.

COMMANDER QHAGENTHOSSUN    (CR 20; 307,200 XP) Unique young advanced neothelid alchemist (promethean alchemist) 12 CE Huge aberration Init +6; Senses blindsight 100 ft., trace teleport 60 ft.; Perception +37 DEFENSE AC 37, touch 10, flat-footed 35 (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +25 natural, –2 size) hp 358 (33 HD; 21d8+12d8+210) Fort +23, Ref +17, Will +21 Defensive Abilities preserved organs (50%); DR 10/cold iron; Immune cold, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep; SR 31 OFFENSE Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee 4 tongues +32 (2d6+10/19–20 plus grab) or     tentacle +32 (1d8+10 plus grab) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (50-ft. cone, 14d10 acid, Reflex DC 28 half, once every 1d4 rounds), mind thrust, psychic crush, swallow whole (1d6+10 plus 1d6 acid, AC 22, hp 35) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th, concentration +29)   Constant—fly   At will—detect thoughts (W-DC 21), charm monster (W-DC 23), clairvoyance/clairaudience, suggestion (W-DC 22), telekinesis (W-DC 24), teleport, poison (F-DC 23)   3/day—quickened suggestion (W-DC 22) Alchemist Extracts Prepared (CL 12th)   4th—arcane eye, bottled ooze (gray ooze), death ward, echolocation, fire shield, spell immunity   3rd—cure serious wounds, communal resist energy, displacement, haste, thorn body, tongues   2nd—aid, bear’s endurance, blistering invective (R-DC 20), cure moderate wounds, false life, invisibility, see invisibility,   1st—adhesive spittle (R-DC 19), anticipate peril, body capacitance, cure light wounds, expeditious retreat, heightened awareness, shield TACTICS Before Combat If Quilzaer, is present, the neothelid casts communal resist energy to protect them from its acid breath weapon. STATISTICS Str 30, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 26, Wis 16, Cha 28 Base Atk +24; CMB +38 (+42 grapple); CMD 50 (can’t be tripped) Feats Ability Focus (breath weapon), Cleave, Craft ConstructB, Endurance, Extra Discovery, Diehard, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (tongue), Improved Initiative, Improved Overrun, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (suggestion), Technologist Skills Acrobatics +26, Appraise +22, Bluff +25, Climb +33, Craft (alchemy) +21, Diplomacy +31, Disable Device +16, Fly +20, Heal +22, Intimidate +34, Knowledge (arcana) +32, Knowledge (engineering, planes) +42, Knowledge (nature) +27, Perception +37, Spellcraft +31, Stealth +10, Survival +16, Swim +18, Use Magic Device +27 Languages Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Infernal, Terran, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft. SQ alchemy (alchemy crafting +12, identify potions), discoveries (bottled ooze, lingering spirit, mummification, preserve organs [2], spontaneous healing [30 hp/day], tentacle), homunculus companion, poison use, swift alchemy, swift poisoning Gear bands of armor +2 (count as a bracers of armor), belt of physical might +2 (Str, Dex), hand of the mage (drow hand),  headband of mental prowess +4 (Knowledge [engineering, planes]) (Int, Cha), ioun stone (clear spindle, incandescent blue sphere), formulae book (contains all prepared extracts plus 1st—comprehend languages, identify; 2nd—blur, cat’s grace; 3rd—nondetection; 4th—cure critical wounds, freedom of movement), spell component pouch SPECIAL ABILITIES Mind Thrust (Su) As a standard action up to three times a day, a neothelid can deliver a massive blast of mental energy at any one target within 60 feet, inflicting 15d10 points of damage. A successful DC 29 Will save negates the effect. This effect can only harm creatures with Intelligence scores. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Psychic Crush (Su) As a standard action up to three times a day, a neothelid can attempt to crush the mind of a single creature within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 29 Will save or collapse, becoming unconscious and dying at –1 hit points. If the target succeeds on the save, it takes 6d6 points of damage and is sickened for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Trace Teleport (Ex) A neothelid telepathically and reflexively learns the mental coordinates of the destination, of all creatures that teleport within 60 feet of it, gaining an awareness of the location equivalent to “seen casually.” This knowledge fades and is lost after 1 minute. This power does not grant any environmental information about the conditions of the destination.

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QUILZAER, THE SECRET DOLL        (CR —; — XP) Homunculus “drow” 9 N Medium construct Init +4; Senses darkvision, low-light vision; Perception +10 DEFENSE AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 natural armor) hp 78 (9d10+29) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4 Defensive Abilities evasion; SR 23 OFFENSE Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average) Melee bite +14 (1d6+4 plus poison), 2 claws +13 (1d6+4) Special Attacks poison STATISTICS Str 18, Dex 18, Con —, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8 BAB +9; CMB +13; CMD 27 Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Skill Focus (Bluff), Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +14, Perception +10, Sense Motive +9, Use Magic Device +3 Languages Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Infernal, Terran, Undercommon SQ sympathetic alchemy, telepathic link, weapon and armor proficiency SPECIAL ABILITIES Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fortitude DC 16; frequency 1/minute for 60 minutes; effect sleep for 1 minute; cure 1 save. The DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. Sympathetic Alchemy (Su) The bond between a promethean alchemist and his homunculus is so close that the alchemist’s extracts function for the homunculus as if it were the alchemist, allowing the homunculus companion to benefit from extracts without the alchemist needing the infusion discovery. The homunculus is treated as a humanoid or a construct-whichever is more beneficial-for the purposes of what extracts can affect it. Additionally, the homunculus can prepare its master’s extracts from his formula book for him each day, as long as it’s within the range of its telepathic link. Telepathic Link (Su) A homunculus can’t initially speak, but shares a telepathic link with its creator. It knows what its master knows and can convey to him everything it sees and hears, out to a range of 1,500 feet. Weapon and Armor Proficiency (Ex) A homunculus is proficient with simple weapons, but not armor or shields.

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I won’t put a “done” stamp on things, but that should be the last of the theory builds, with regards to encounters. If not, then I’ll continue these as they’re needed.

Now we should be good to continue with the “additional encounters” for Book 6, like I did for Books 3-5.

[mk1comics]

New to Mk1 List for this Thursday's New Comic Shipment

Comics

2099 ALPHA #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190821

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE #5 (OF 5) AC https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190790

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 AC https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190802

AERO #5 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190925

AMAZING MARY JANE #2 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190859

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #34 2099 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190818

ANNIHILATION SCOURGE ALPHA #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190786

AQUAMAN #54 YOTV ACETATE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190595

AVENGERS #26 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190897

BATMAN #83 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190473

BATMAN GIANT #2 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190447

BATMAN SUPERMAN #4 YOTV ACETATE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190603

BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT PRESENTS VON FREEZE #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190437

BLOODSHOT (2019) #3 CVR A SHALVEY https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192068

CANTO #6 (OF 6) CVR A ZUCKER https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190650

CAPTAIN AMERICA #16 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190918

CAPTAIN MARVEL #12 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190911

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #11 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190946

DEADPOOL #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190835

DIAL H FOR HERO #9 (OF 12) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190528

DOCTOR WHO 13TH HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1 CVR B PHOTO https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192004

DOLLAR COMICS LUTHOR #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190535

EXCALIBUR #2 DX https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190781

FANTASTIC FOUR 2099 #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190831

FARMHAND #11 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190187

FIREFLY #11 CVR A MAIN GARBETT https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191278

FLASH FORWARD #3 (OF 6) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190490

GREEN LANTERN #85 FACSIMILE EDITION https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190446

GWENPOOL STRIKES BACK #4 (OF 5) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190941

HAZEL & CHA CHA SAVE CHRISTMAS TALES UMBRELLA ACADEMY CVR A https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190239

HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE MULTIVERSE #1 (OF 6) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190454

HEART ATTACK #1 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190037

IMAGE FIRSTS RAT QUEENS #1 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/FEB148385

IMMORTAL HULK #27 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190895

INFECTED SCARAB #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190460

INFINITY 8 #16 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191869

JUSTICE LEAGUE #36 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190502

KING THOR #3 (OF 4) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190905

LOKI #5 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190903

LUCIFER #14 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190525

MARAUDERS #2 DX https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190784

MARKED #2 CVR A HABERLIN & VAN DYKE (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190201

METAL MEN #2 (OF 12) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190510

MONEY SHOT #2 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192101

MY LITTLE PONY FEATS OF FRIENDSHIP #3 CVR A FLEECS (C: 1-0-0 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190735

NIGHTWING #66 YOTV ACETATE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190623

OLYMPIA #1 (OF 5) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190047

ONCE & FUTURE #4 (OF 6) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191281

PUNISHER KILL KREW #5 (OF 5) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190902

QUESTION THE DEATHS OF VIC SAGE #1 (OF 4) (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190466

RAI (2019) #1 CVR A RYP https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192063

SFSX SAFE SEX #3 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190213

SOMETHING IS KILLING CHILDREN #3 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191292

SPIDER-MAN VELOCITY #4 (OF 5) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190861

SPIDER-VERSE #2 (OF 6) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190863

STAR WARS #75 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190953

STRAYED #4 (OF 5) CVR A DOE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190285

STRIKEFORCE #3 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190928

SUPERGIRL #36 YOTV ACETATE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190627

SUPERMANS PAL JIMMY OLSEN #5 (OF 12) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190515

TANK GIRL #8 CVR A PARSON https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG192243

TEEN TITANS #36 YOTV ACETATE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190631

TITANS BURNING RAGE #4 (OF 7) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190538

TONY STARK IRON MAN #18 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190908

VAMPIRELLA #5 CVR A DODSON https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191137

WEATHERMAN VOL 2 #5 CVR A FOX (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190225

WONDER WOMAN COME BACK TO ME #5 (OF 6) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190539

 Volumes/Graphic Novels/Books/Manga      

BLADE RUNNER 2019 TP VOL 01 WELCOME TO LOS ANGELES (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192009 

ADVENTURES OF THE SUPER SONS TP VOL 02 LITTLE MONSTERS https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190643

AVENGERS ENDGAME ART OF MOVIE HC SLIPCASE https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL191090

BATMAN THE 1989 MOVIE ADAPTATION HC DLX ED https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190647

BIG COUNTRY SC GN (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191838

BOOKS OF MAGIC NEW EDITION TP https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190648

DCEASED HC https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190650

DEATH OF SUPERMAN THE WAKE TP https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190658

EXCELLENCE TP VOL 01 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190057

GOON BUNCH OF OLD CRAP TP VOL 02 AN OMNIBUS https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG191515

IMMORTAL HULK TP VOL 05 BREAKER OF WORLDS https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG191149

JOURNEY STAR WARS RISE SKYWALKER ALLEGIANCE TP VOL 01 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190991

JUSTICE LEAGUE ODYSSEY TP VOL 02 DEATH OF THE DARK https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190667

LITTLE BIRD FIGHT FOR ELDERS HOPE HC (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190079

LUMBERJANES ORIGINAL GN VOL 02 SHAPE FRIENDSHIP (C: 0-1-2) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL191324

MIDDLEWEST TP BOOK 02 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190108

MIDWINTER WITCH GN VOL 03 (C: 0-1-0) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191824

NO GUNS LIFE GN VOL 02 (C: 1-1-2) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP192248

PUNISHER TP VOL 03 STREET BY STREET BLOCK BY BLOCK https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG191153

SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH TP VOL 01 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191506

STAR WARS AGE OF RESISTANCE TP VILLAINS https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG191160

STAR WARS TP VOL 12 REBELS AND ROGUES https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG191158

SUPERMAN HC VOL 02 THE UNITY SAGA THE HOUSE OF EL https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG190683

Full Cover Gallery can be found here https://blog.mk1.co.nz/COVERGALLERY  - Look for more  new printings, reorders and surprise Variant covers to be unveiled on New Comic Day (Thursday) at this link http://www.mk1.co.nz/collections/latest-comics    - and a new Free Comic selection too!    

Next week's Shipment due 28th November 2019 

JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER #1 (MR) https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190456

CONAN 2099 #1  https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190825

PUNISHER 2099 #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190828

SCREAM CURSE OF CARNAGE #1 https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP190805

Lots more - check out the full schedule here https://www.previewsworld.com/Article/237053-PREVIEWSworlds-New-Releases-For-11272019

[bluemagic-girl]

Trump rips into actress Debra Messing after the ‘Will & Grace’ star praised signs trashing the president

President Trump took a swipe at Hollywood actress Debra Messing after the “Will & Grace” star praised an Alabama church sign that read “A black vote for Trump is mental illness.”

“I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice, and when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me ‘Sir,’” Trump tweeted Sunday.

“How times have changed!” he added.

His comments came in response to Messing, an outspoken Trump critic, who had posted to Twitter a published story about a Baptist church that put up a sign that read “A black vote for Trump is mental illness.”

“A white vote for Trump is pure racism,” the sign also read.

“THANK YOU #Alabama,” Messing wrote along with the article published by The Hill.

Messing responded to Trump’s attacks by shifting attention to gun violence and Hurricane Dorian, which the Alabama National Guard expects to reach the state’s southern region early next week.

72 PHOTOS

Debra Messing out and about

See Gallery

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN — Pictured: Debra Messing — (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

TODAY — Pictured: Debra Messing and Eric McCormack on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 — (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 01: Debra Messing during Debra Messing & Eric McCormack in conversation with Ali Wentworth at 92nd Street Y on October 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: Actress Debra Messing arrives at 2018 Television Advocacy Awards Benefiting The Creative Coalition at the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on September 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 13: Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Sean Hayes attend the ceremony honoring Eric McCormack with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame held on September 13, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 20: Actress Debra Messing arrives at a screening of Stage 6 Films’ ‘Searching’ at ArcLight Hollywood on August 20, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 18: Debra Messing receives the Angel Award at Project Angel Food’s 2018 Angel Awards on August 18, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Project Angel Food)

LOS ANGELES – JULY 27: The Late Late Show with James Corden airing Thursday, July 26, 2018, with guests Debra Messing and Nick Offerman. (Photo by Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 19: Actor Debra Messing teamed up with T.J.Maxx to launch The Maxx You Project, creating a community that encourages women to embrace their individuality together, at Milk Studios on June 19, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for T.J.Maxx )

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 09: Actresses Megan Mullally (L) and Debra Messing arrive at NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ FYC Event at the Harmony Gold Theatre on June 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 29: Debra Messing attends the screening of ‘Hotel Artemis’ at Quad Cinema on May 29, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 14: Debra Messing of Will & Grace attends Entertainment Weekly & PEOPLE New York Upfronts celebration at The Bowery Hotel on May 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly & People)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 17: Debra Messing attends PaleyFest Los Angeles 2018 – ‘Will & Grace’ at Dolby Theatre on March 17, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Debra Messing poses at the ‘Angels In America’ on Broadway’s National Theatre American Associates Celebratory Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on March 11, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 08: Debra Messing from Will & Grace during a BAFTA screening plus Q&A at BAFTA on February 8, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

PARK CITY, UT – JANUARY 21: Actress Debra Messing from ‘Search’ attends The Hollywood Reporter 2018 Sundance Studio At Sky Strada, Park City during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for for The Hollywood Reporter)

WILL & GRACE — ‘Debra Messing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame’ — Pictured: Debra Messing at the honoring of Debra Messing with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Friday, October 6, 2017 — (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Actors Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally attend Debra Messing being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 6, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

MEGYN KELLY TODAY — Pictured: The cast of Will & Grace: Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing talk with Megyn Kelly on Monday, September 25, 2017 — (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 25: Actors Megan Mullally, Erik McCormack, Debra Messing and Sean Hayes take part in SiriusXM� �own Hall�with the cast of �ill & Grace�hosted by Andy Cohen on September 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

WILL & GRACE — NBC Vanity Fair Party at Mr. Purple NYC — Pictured: (l-r) Diane Sawyer, Debra Messing, Nancy Jarecki, Mariska Hargitay — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: Debra Messing attends the ‘Will & Grace’ celebration during Tribeca TV Festival at Cinepolis Chelsea on September 23, 2017 in New York City (Photo by Chance Yeh/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 22: Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally and Debra Messing of The Cast Of ‘Will & Grace’ Visits ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ at Rockefeller Center on September 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Debra Messing attends HBO’s Post Emmy Awards Reception at The Plaza at the Pacific Design Center on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.(Photo by JB Lacroix/ WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: Debra Messing attends the 2017 Gersh Emmy Party presented by Tequila Don Julio 1942 on September 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Gersh)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 10: Mariska Hargitay and Debra Messing attend the 2017 US Open Tennis Championships at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 10, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jackson Lee/WireImage)

WILL & GRACE — ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ Episode 102 — Pictured: (l-r) Megan Mullally as Karen Walker, Debra Messing as Grace Adler — (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC/NBU Photo Bank)

WILL & GRACE — ’11 Years Later’ Episode 101 — Pictured: (l-r) Eric McCormack as Will Truman, Debra Messing as Grace Adler — (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS — NBCUniversal Portrait Studio, August 2017 — Pictured: Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, ‘Will & Grace’ — (Photo by Maarten de Boer/NBC via Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 03: Debra Messing attends the 2017 Summer TCA Tour ‘NBCUniversal Press Tour’ on August 03, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/ WireImage)

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – AUGUST 02: (L-R) Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Eric McCormack attend the ‘Will & Grace’ start of production kick off event and ribbon cutting ceremony at Universal City Plaza on August 2, 2017 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 22: Debra Messing attends Logo’s 2017 Trailblazer Honors at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on June 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Krista Kennell/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 06: Debra Messing (R) and son Roman Walker Zelman attend ‘Nightcap’ Season 2 New York Premiere Party at Crosby Street Hotel on June 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 23: Debra Messing attends Haute Living celebration of Debra Messing with Bertaud Belieu Rose at MAMO on May 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Haute Living)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 23: Debra Messing visits at SiriusXM Studios on May 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 22: Debra Messing attends the Joyful Revolution Gala hosted by Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation at Spring Studios on May 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS — Episode 531 — Pictured: Actress Debra Messing arrives on May 18, 2017 — (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 06: Honoree Debra Messing on stage during the 28th Annual GLAAD Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on May 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 06: Honoree Debra Messing attends the 28th Annual GLAAD Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on May 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 24: Actress/Film Producer Mariska Hargitay (L) and actress Debra Messing attend the HBO Documentary screening of ‘I Am Evidence’ at SVA Theatre on April 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 21: Debra Messing attends Build Series Presents at Build Studio on April 21, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 04: Emmy Award-winning actress and women’s advocate, Debra Messing, joins ZELTIQ� Aesthetics, Inc. as the new Global Brand Ambassador for the CoolSculpting� brand, the world�s #1 non-invasive fat reduction treatment, at Hotel Eventi in New York City on April 4, 2017. As the face of the ‘Cool Moments’ marketing campaign, Messing will appear in the brand�s public relations, digital and social media campaigns, as well as physicians’ office materials. For more information about the partnership and treatment, visit www.coolsculpting.com. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for CoolSculpting)

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Debra Messing (R) and Roman Messing attend the 32nd Annual WP Theater’s Women of Achievement Awards Gala at The Edison Ballroom on March 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Pont/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Debra Messing and Dayle Haddon attend The United Nations Women for Peace Association’s Annual Awards Luncheon on March 10, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 28: Debra Messing and Roman Walker Zelman are seen at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by TM/NHL/Getty Images)

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Actor Debra Messing attends The 2017 MAKERS Conference Day 2 at Terranea Resort on February 7, 2017 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for AOL)

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – FEBRUARY 06: (L-R) Actor Zosia Mamet, journalist Gloria Steinem, actors Kathy Najimy, Octavia Spencer, Debra Messing and Rosie Perez attend the 2017 MAKERS Conference Day 1 at Terranea Resort on February 6, 2017 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for AOL)

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Actors Zosia Mamet, Debra Messing and Kathy Najimy attend the 2017 MAKERS Conference Day 1 at Terranea Resort on February 6, 2017 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for AOL)

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 02: Actors Debra Messing and Billy Eichner are seen on set in Midtown on December 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 05: Debra Messing speaks during a Hillary Clinton campaign rally at Mann Center For Performing Arts on November 5, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 13: Debra Messing and Roman Walker attends New York Islanders Vs. New York Islanders game at Madison Square Garden on October 13, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by GED/NHL/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 20: Tituss Burgess and Debra Messing attend the 28th Annual New York LGBT Film Festival – Newfest Voice & Visibility Award at SVA Theater on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Debra Messing and her son Roman Zelman attend the men’s final between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at Arthur Ashe Stadium on day 14 of the 2016 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2016 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 29: Debra Messing poses at The Opening Night of ‘Cirque du Soleil: Kurios – Cabinet Of Curiosities’ at Randall’s Island Park on September 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 10: Debra Messing and Mariska Hargitay attend the women’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on day 13 of the 2016 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2016 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 10: Debra Messing arrives for the women’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on day 13 of the 2016 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2016 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 02: Actress Debra Messing attends the 2016 Accessories Council ACE Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on August 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 27: Debra Messing waves to attendees while on stage prior to the start of the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Actress Debra Messing speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 13: Actress Debra Messing attends the New York premiere of ‘Cafe Society’ hosted by Amazon & Lionsgate with The Cinema Society at Paris Theatre on July 13, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 13: Actress Debra Messing (L) poses for a ‘selfie’ with guests at The United State of Women Reception hosted by Civic Nation at Hay-Adams Hotel on June 13, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

MATCH GAME – Airdate: June 26, 2016 – The iconic panel game show MATCH GAME, hosted by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin, returns to primetime airing on SUNDAYS beginning June 26th (10-11pm, ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images) DEBRA MESSING

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 06: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Sean Hayes and Debra Messing (costars on the TV Show ‘Will and Grace’) pose at The Opening Night After Party for ‘An Act of God’ on Broadway at Dos Caminos Times Square on June 6, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)

CULVER CITY, CA – JUNE 03: Actresses Debra Messing (L) and Mary Steenburgen (R) laugh during a Women for Hillary Organizing event at West Los Angeles College on June 3, 2016 in Culver City, California. With less than one week to go before the California presidential primary, Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Southern California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE — Pictured: Debra Messing — (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 23: Debra Messing leaves the ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ at Ed Sullivan Theater on February 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 23: Debra Messing attends AOL Build Speaker Series – Debra Messing, ‘The Mysteries Of Laura’ at AOL Studios In New York on February 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 23: Debra Messing attends AOL Build Speaker Series – Debra Messing, ‘The Mysteries Of Laura’ at AOL Studios In New York on February 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic)

THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA — ‘The Mystery of the End of Watch’ Episode 216 — Pictured: Debra Messing as Laura Diamond — (Photo by: Paul Sarkis/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 14: Debra Messing attends Ted Gibson’s 50th Birthday Party on November 14, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Ted Gibson)

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 26: Actress Debra Messing attends Bridging The Gap and Other Short Plays by Wesley Taylor benefit reading at New World Stages on October 26, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 09: Josh Lucas and Debra Messing on the set of ‘Mysteries of Laura’ on November 9, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/GC Images)

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

“Now that I know I have your attention @realDonaldTrump, please read this thread — a PARTIAL list of souls lost to preventable, devastating gun violence,” Messing responded Sunday, referring to a list of past mass shootings. “America wants universal background checks. The majority of Americans want assault weapons ban.”

“Take Action and I’ll call you Sir,” she added.

After a mass shooting left at least eight people dead, including the gunman, and dozens injured in Odessa, Texas, Saturday, Trump said the attack “really hasn’t changed anything” regarding background-check legislation, which has been a contentious topic among Democrats and Republicans since two mass shootings that occurred back-to-back last month.

“We are in the process of dealing with Democrats and Republicans, and there’s a big package of things that’s going to be put before them by a lot of different people I’ve been speaking to, a lot of senators, a lot of House members, Republicans, Democrats — this really hasn’t changed anything; we’re doing a package and we’ll see how it comes about,” Trump said near Marine One. “That’s irrespective of what happened yesterday in Texas.”

“Over the last five, six or seven years, no matter how strong you need the background checks, it wouldn’t have stopped any of it,” the president added.

Messing, in an indirect swipe back at Trump, retweeted a message from former Wisconsin congressional candidate David Yankovich, who wrote: “While Debra went from actress to activist, Trump went from The Apprentice to White Nationalist. The times have changed.”

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New Post has been published on https://travelonlinetips.com/simon-calder-at-25-the-ultimate-travel-timeline-from-1994-2019/

Simon Calder at 25: The ultimate travel timeline, from 1994-2019

Over the last 25 years at The Independent, it’s been my privilege to cover some of the most pivotal events, break the biggest new stories and interview the most inspirational people in travel.

Here are the moments that best define my last quarter of a century as a travel journalist. 

1990s

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1994 (August): “Only tourism can save Cuba,” Fidel Castro declares, as the Cuban economy implodes following the removal of financial support by Moscow.

1994 (28 September): The Estonia ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm sinks during a storm in the Baltic; 852 passengers and crew die in Europe’s worst peacetime maritime disaster since the Titanic in 1912.

1994 (14 November): The first scheduled Eurostar train departs from London Waterloo through the Channel Tunnel to Paris at 8.23am. The journey is scheduled to take around three hours, and the lowest return fare is £95. The tunnel cost £4.65bn to build, almost double the original estimate.

The Eurostar has come a long way since launching in 1994 (AFP/Getty)

1995 (10 November): The first easyJet flight takes off from Luton to Glasgow, priced £29.

1995 (14 December): The signing of the Dayton Agreement ends the Bosnian War in the former Yugoslavia. In 1990, Yugoslavia had been the UK’s second-most popular package-holiday destination after Spain. But the Foreign Office put Yugoslavia on the “no-go“ list in June 1991.

1996 (4 February): Britain’s first privatised train is the 5.10am from Twickenham to London Waterloo.

1996 (22 October): Microsoft launches an internet travel operation selling plane tickets and hotel rooms, with the brand-name Expedia. 

1996 (23 November): An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi is hijacked by three men who demand it flies to Australia. The aircraft runs out of fuel just short of the Comoros Islands, and 125 people die in the crash-landing.

1997: Three guidebooks to Antarctica are published, plus one each to Mars and the Moon.

1997 (18 October): The Guggenheim Bilbao opens, and puts the industrial Spanish Basque city on the tourism map. 

1997 (14 November): Terrorists attack tourists and guides at an archaeological site on the east bank of the Nile at Luxor. Sixty-two people die in the massacre. 

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1998 (January): Competition between ferry firms across the Channel becomes so intense that, in a newspaper promotion, Hoverspeed starts paying drivers £1 to take a day trip from Dover to Calais – hoping to make money back on the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco.

1998 (15 February): The Angel of the North, a giant winged structure south of Newcastle, becomes a landmark for travellers on the East Coast main line and A1 road.

1998 (3 September): All 229 passengers and crew aboard Swissair flight 111 from New York to Geneva perish when the plane crashes at Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. The cause is believed to be a fire in the MD11’s cockpit caused by faulty wiring.

Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel opened 20 years ago (Getty/iStock)

1999 (1 July): Duty-free benefits are abolished for journeys within the European Union. Predictions by the trade that 140,000 jobs would be lost later proved unfounded. 

1999 (5 October): A high-speed train collides with a commuter service at Ladbroke Grove, just outside Paddington station in London, killing 31 people.

1999 (December): The Burj Al Arab hotel opens on an artificial island in Dubai. 

2000s

2000 (3 January): KLM turns its British subsidiary, KLM UK (formerly Air UK), into a no-frills airline called Buzz. During its brief 39-month existence, the carrier loses £20 for every passenger flown.

2000 (9 March): The British Airways London Eye, more commonly known as the Millennium Wheel, opens to the public 10 weeks later than planned.

2000 (25 July): An Air France Concorde from Paris to New York crashes shortly after take-off from Charles de Gaulle airport, killing all 109 people onboard and four more on the ground.

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2000 (1 October): The last cross-Channel hovercraft flies between Dover and Calais.

2001 (11 September): Hijackers belonging to al-Qaeda take over four domestic flights in the US and crash them in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, with the loss of almost 3,000 lives.

2002 (1 January): Euro coins and notes enter circulation in 12 EU countries.

The London Eye opened in March 2000 (AP)

2002 (12 October): Suicide bombers kill 202 people, mainly foreign tourists, in the resort of Kuta on the island of Bali. A further 20 people died in a subsequent attack on the Indonesia island in 2005.

2003 (12 February): The first Jet2 flight takes off from Leeds Bradford, destination Amsterdam. The airline’s tour operation has since grown to become Britain’s second-largest holiday company after Tui, displacing Thomas Cook.

2003 (1 May): In the European Union’s biggest-ever enlargement, 10 new nations join. They include the three Baltic republics – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – that were formerly part of the USSR.

2003 (4 August): Megabus is launched between London and Oxford. Initial services use London double-decker buses.

Concorde gave up the ghost in October 2003 (AFP/Getty)

2003 (24 October): The last flight of Concorde, from New York JFK to Heathrow, ending a project that cost taxpayers billions and mainly benefited the super-rich.

2003 (December): The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam closes for a refurbishment planned to last three years. It reopens 10 years later.

2004 (26 December): The “Boxing Day tsunami”, whose epicentre was off the coast of Sumatra, kills an estimated 228,000 people. The victims include up to 9,000 tourists, mainly in Sri Lanka and Thailand.

2005 (9 October): Smoking is completely outlawed on UK trains when London-to-Scotland sleeper services ban the habit.

The Rijksmuseum reopened in April 2013 after a decade of closure (Getty)

2005 (18 October): Eos, a business-class only transatlantic airline, starts flying between New York and Stansted. It is soon competing to New York against MAXjet from Stansted and Silverjet from Luton. MAXjet is first to go bust, on Christmas Eve 2007; all three had closed down by May 2008.

2005 (November): Flybe announces plans to become the first airline to start charging for checked baggage. The initial charge is £2. Fares are reduced, says the airline, by £1.

2006 (July): The city of Bath’s Millennium Project, Thermae Bath Spa, opens five years late and three times over budget. 

2006 (10 August): The “liquid bomb plot” is uncovered. Terrorists planned to smuggle explosive substances on board transatlantic planes in soft-drink cans. An immediate ban on any liquids sees even ballpoint pens confiscated from passengers. The strict new rules brought Heathrow and other airports almost to a standstill, with British Airways alone cancelling over 1,500 flights. The rules on “liquids, aerosols and gels” were eased three months later.

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2007 (February): Thomas Cook and MyTravel (formerly Airtours) announce they are to merge. One month later, Britain’s other two big tour operators – Thomson and First Choice – follow suit. The latter company is now known as Tui, with First Choice as its all-inclusive brand.

2007 (19 March): The final edition of the Holiday programme is broadcast on BBC1. It had launched on 2 January 1969 as “A series of programmes to help you choose your next holiday”, with the focus on low-price packages to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The last report is a river trip down the Mekong in Laos.

2007 (25 October): The Airbus A380 ”SuperJumbo” enters service between Singapore and Sydney. The aircraft used for the historic first flight is currently being dismantled for parts in southwest France.

2008 (11 August): An accommodation website called Airbedandbreakfast.com is founded in San Francisco. Nine months later, the site is relaunched as Airbnb. 

2008 (12 September): XL Airways closes, blaming the economic downturn and volatile fuel prices. Around 80,000 passengers are stranded out of position.

Uber started life in the Noughties (iStock)

2008 (11 November): The QE2 begins her final voyage from Southampton to Dubai, where she was due to become a floating hotel. The conversion took a decade.

2008 (21 November): Oasis of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship in history, is launched. The Royal Caribbean vessel can carry more than 6,000 passengers. 

2009 (March): A company called UberCab is founded in San Francisco. In June 2009, the Uber app is launched. 

2009 (12 December): The Orient Express train, which by this time is running only between Strasbourg and Budapest, is abolished. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a luxury train, continues.

2009 (14 December): British Airways cabin crew call a 12-day strike over Christmas and New Year, after a 9-1 vote in favour of industrial action in a dispute over proposed changes to working conditions. But the High Court orders the Unite union to cancel the strike because of voting irregularities.

2009 (18 December): During extreme wintry weather, five Eurostar trains break down in the Channel Tunnel with more than 2,000 people onboard.

2010s

2010 (15 April): The skies of northern Europe are closed because of an erupting Icelandic volcano. A ban on flying over Britain lasts for nearly a week.

2011 (May): The BA cabin-crew dispute ends with an agreement for the creation of a new “mixed fleet” of cabin crew. 

2012 (31 March): Titanic Belfast opens, interpreting the social history of Northern Ireland around the narrative of the doomed ocean liner. It has exceeded all forecasts for visitor numbers.

The Titanic Belfast Museum (Rex)

2012 (August): During the London Olympics, 18 per cent of hotel rooms in the capital are empty – twice the usual vacancies in August. 

2013 (16 January): All 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft are grounded following a series of fires involving lithium-ion batteries. The ban is lifted after three months.

2014 (8 March): A Malaysian Airline Boeing 777 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappears with 239 passengers and crew on board. Flight MH370 is believed to be in the Indian Ocean west of Australia, but the cause of its loss is unknown. Four months later, another Malaysian 777, flight MH17, is shot down over eastern Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives.

2015 (24 March): Andreas Lubitz, co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, kills himself and the other 149 people onboard by crashing his plane into the French Alps.

The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (Reuters)

2015 (25 April): A massive earthquake kills 8,000 people in Nepal, and devastates much of the tourist industry.

2015 (1 May): Eurostar launches direct trains from London to Marseille, connecting the Thames with the Mediterranean in six hours.

2015 (26 June): At the Tunisian resort of Sousse, a gunman kills 38 victims, including 30 British tourists.

2015 (31 October): a Metrojet Airbus A321 crashes shortly after take-off from Sharm el Sheikh, destination St Petersburg, killing all 224 passengers and crew. The cause is suspected to be a bomb placed onboard at the airport. The UK ban on British airlines from flying to the Egyptian resort is still in place.

A guide to the Qantas Perth flight – the longest nonstop scheduled passenger flight ever from a UK airport

2016 (January): Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease linked to birth defects in babies, spreads quickly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2017 (2 October): Monarch Airlines collapses, owing creditors half a billion pounds. The Civil Aviation Authority organises an airlift for 85,000 people, at an eventual cost to the taxpayer of £40.5m.

2018 (25 March): Qantas flight 10 operates the first nonstop passenger flight from the UK to Australia, linking Heathrow with Perth in 17 hours.

2018 (19 December): Gatwick airport’s runway closes after a drone is spotted. The closure lasts for 33 hours, cancelling the pre-Christmas flights of 150,000 passengers.

Virgin Galactic is set to take flight (AFP/Getty )

2019 (10 March): Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashes soon after take-off, killing all 157 onboard. It is the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 737 Max in five months. Three days later, the US Federal Aviation Administration becomes the last safety authority to ground the plane.

2019 (21 April): On Easter Sunday, terrorists kill more than 250 people in Sri Lanka. The suicide bombers target churches and luxury hotels. Shortly afterwards, the Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to the island.

2019 (10 May): Sir Richard Branson announced that Virgin Galactic is moving in to Spaceport America – the world’s first, purpose-built commercial spaceport, signalling “the final countdown to a regular commercial spaceflight service for paying passengers”.

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[fifiweihao-blog]

Ten Foot Flowers (1967) – Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987)

Centro Cultural de Belem, Berardo Collection, Belem, Lisbon, Portugal

Material: Silk-screen ink on synthetic polymer on canvas Collection: Berardo

BIOGRAPHY

Born Andrew Warhola; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American artist, director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as POP ART.

His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture.

Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), the experimental film Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67).

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator. After exhibiting his work in several galleries in the late 1950s, he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist.

His New York studio, THE FACTORY, became a well-known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. He promoted a collection of personalities known as Warhol superstars, and is credited with inspiring the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame".

In the late 1960s, he managed and produced the experimental rock band THE VELVET UNDERGROUND and founded Interview magazine. He authored numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He lived openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement. After gallbladder surgery, Warhol died of cardiac arrhythmia in February 1987 at the age of 58.

Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city of Pittsburgh, which holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives, is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist. Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is US$105 million for a 1963 canvas titled Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster); his works include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold.[5] A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the "bellwether of the art market".[6]

EARLY LIFE AND BEGINNINGS (1928–49)

Warhol’s childhood home. 3252 Dawson Street, South Oakland neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Warhol was born on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[7] He was the fourth child of Ondrej Warhola (Americanized as Andrew Warhola, Sr., 1889–1942)[8][9] and Julia (née Zavacká, 1892–1972),[10] whose first child was born in their homeland and died before their move to the U.S.

His parents were working-class Lemko[11][12] emigrants from Mikó, Austria-Hungary (now called Miková, located in today’s northeastern Slovakia). Warhol’s father emigrated to the United States in 1914, and his mother joined him in 1921, after the death of Warhol’s grandparents. Warhol’s father worked in a coal mine. The family lived at 55 Beelen Street and later at 3252 Dawson Street in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.[13] The family was Ruthenian Catholic and attended St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church. Andy Warhol had two older brothers—Pavol (Paul), the oldest, was born before the family emigrated; Ján was born in Pittsburgh. Pavol’s son, James Warhola, became a successful children’s book illustrator.

In third grade, Warhol had Sydenham’s chorea (also known as St. Vitus’ Dance), the nervous system disease that causes involuntary movements of the extremities, which is believed to be a complication of scarlet fever which causes skin pigmentation blotchiness.[14] At times when he was confined to bed, he drew, listened to the radio and collected pictures of movie stars around his bed. Warhol later described this period as very important in the development of his personality, skill-set and preferences. When Warhol was 13, his father died in an accident.[15]

As a teenager, Warhol graduated from Schenley High School in 1945. Also as a teen, Warhol won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award.[16] After graduating from high school, his intentions were to study art education at the University of Pittsburgh in the hope of becoming an art teacher, but his plans changed and he enrolled in the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he studied commercial art. During his time there, Warhol joined the campus Modern Dance Club and Beaux Arts Society.[17] He also served as art director of the student art magazine, Cano, illustrating a cover in 1948[18] and a full-page interior illustration in 1949.[19] These are believed to be his first two published artworks.[19] Warhol earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in pictorial design in 1949.[20] Later that year, he moved to New York City and began a career in magazine illustration and advertising.

The 1950s

Warhol’s early career was dedicated to commercial and advertising art, where his first commission had been to draw shoes for Glamour magazine in the late 1940s.[21] In the 1950s, Warhol worked as a designer for shoe manufacturer Israel Miller.[21][22] American photographer John Coplans recalled that

nobody drew shoes the way Andy did. He somehow gave each shoe a temperament of its own, a sort of sly, Toulouse-Lautrec kind of sophistication, but the shape and the style came through accurately and the buckle was always in the right place. The kids in the apartment [which Andy shared in New York – note by Coplans] noticed that the vamps on Andy’s shoe drawings kept getting longer and longer but [Israel] Miller didn’t mind. Miller loved them.

Warhol’s "whimsical" ink drawings of shoe advertisements figured in some of his earliest showings at the Bodley Gallery in New York.

Warhol was an early adopter of the silkscreen printmaking process as a technique for making paintings. A young Warhol was taught silk screen printmaking techniques by Max Arthur Cohn at his graphic arts business in Manhattan.[23] While working in the shoe industry, Warhol developed his "blotted line" technique, applying ink to paper and then blotting the ink while still wet, which was akin to a printmaking process on the most rudimentary scale. His use of tracing paper and ink allowed him to repeat the basic image and also to create endless variations on the theme, a method that prefigures his 1960s silk-screen canvas. In his book Popism: The Warhol Sixties, Warhol writes: "When you do something exactly wrong, you always turn up something."

Warhol habitually used the expedient of tracing photographs projected with an epidiascope.[25] Using prints by Edward Wallowitch, his ‘first boyfriend'[26] the photographs would undergo a subtle transformation during Warhol’s often cursory tracing of contours and hatching of shadows. Warhol used Wallowitch’s photograph Young Man Smoking a Cigarette (c.1956),[27] for a 1958 design for a book cover he submitted to Simon and Schuster for the Walter Ross pulp novel The Immortal, and later used others for his dollar bill series,[28][29] and for Big Campbell’s Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable), of 1962 which initiated Warhol’s most sustained motif, the soup can.

With the rapid expansion of the record industry, RCA Records hired Warhol, along with another freelance artist, Sid Maurer, to design album covers and promotional materials.[30]

The 1960s

Warhol (left) and Tennessee Williams (right) talking on the SS France, 1967. He began exhibiting his work during the 1950s. He held exhibitions at the Hugo Gallery[31] and the Bodley Gallery[32] in New York City; in California, his first West Coast gallery exhibition[33][34] was on July 9, 1962, in the Ferus Gallery of Los Angeles with Campbell’s Soup Cans. The exhibition marked his West Coast debut of pop art.[35] Andy Warhol’s first New York solo pop art exhibition was hosted at Eleanor Ward’s Stable Gallery November 6–24, 1962. The exhibit included the works Marilyn Diptych, 100 Soup Cans, 100 Coke Bottles, and 100 Dollar Bills. At the Stable Gallery exhibit, the artist met for the first time poet John Giorno who would star in Warhol’s first film, Sleep, in 1963.[36]

It was during the 1960s that Warhol began to make paintings of iconic American objects such as dollar bills, mushroom clouds, electric chairs, Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles, celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Troy Donahue, Muhammad Ali, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as newspaper headlines or photographs of police dogs attacking African-American protesters during the Birmingham campaign in the civil rights movement. During these years, he founded his studio, "The Factory" and gathered about him a wide range of artists, writers, musicians, and underground celebrities. His work became popular and controversial. Warhol had this to say about Coca-Cola:

What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coca-Cola, Liz Taylor drinks Coca-Cola, and just think, you can drink Coca-Cola, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.

New York City’s Museum of Modern Art hosted a Symposium on pop art in December 1962 during which artists such as Warhol were attacked for "capitulating" to consumerism. Critics were scandalized by Warhol’s open embrace of market culture. This symposium set the tone for Warhol’s reception.

A pivotal event was the 1964 exhibit The American Supermarket, a show held in Paul Bianchini’s Upper East Side gallery. The show was presented as a typical U.S. small supermarket environment, except that everything in it—from the produce, canned goods, meat, posters on the wall, etc.—was created by six prominent pop artists of the time, among them the controversial (and like-minded) Billy Apple, Mary Inman, and Robert Watts. Warhol’s painting of a can of Campbell’s soup cost $1,500 while each autographed can be sold for $6. The exhibit was one of the first mass events that directly confronted the general public with both pop art and the perennial question of what art is.[citation needed]

Andy Warhol, between 1966 and 1977 As an advertisement illustrator in the 1950s, Warhol used assistants to increase his productivity. Collaboration would remain a defining (and controversial) aspect of his working methods throughout his career; this was particularly true in the 1960s. One of the most important collaborators during this period was Gerard Malanga. Malanga assisted the artist with the production of silkscreens, films, sculpture, and other works at "The Factory", Warhol’s aluminium foil-and-silver-paint-lined studio on 47th Street (later moved to Broadway). Other members of Warhol’s Factory crowd included Freddie Herko, Ondine, Ronald Tavel, Mary Woronov, Billy Name, and Brigid Berlin (from whom he apparently got the idea to tape-record his phone conversations).

During the 1960s, Warhol also groomed a retinue of bohemian and counterculture eccentrics upon whom he bestowed the designation "Superstars", including Nico, Joe Dallesandro, Edie Sedgwick, Viva, Ultra Violet, Holly Woodlawn, Jackie Curtis, and Candy Darling. These people all participated in the Factory films, and some—like Berlin—remained friends with Warhol until his death. Important figures in the New York underground art/cinema world, such as writer John Giorno and film-maker Jack Smith, also appear in Warhol films (many premiering at the New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre and 55th Street Playhouse) of the 1960s, revealing Warhol’s connections to a diverse range of artistic scenes during this time. Less well known was his support and collaboration with several teenagers during this era, who would achieve prominence later in life including writer David Dalton,[39] photographer Stephen Shore[40] and artist Bibbe Hansen (mother of pop musician Beck).[41]

Attempted murder (1968) On June 3, 1968, radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot Warhol and Mario Amaya, art critic and curator, at Warhol’s studio.[42] Before the shooting, Solanas had been a marginal figure in the Factory scene. She authored in 1967 the S.C.U.M. Manifesto,[43] a separatist feminist tract that advocated the elimination of men; and appeared in the 1968 Warhol film I, a Man. Earlier on the day of the attack, Solanas had been turned away from the Factory after asking for the return of a script she had given to Warhol. The script had apparently been misplaced.[44]

Amaya received only minor injuries and was released from the hospital later the same day. Warhol was seriously wounded by the attack and barely survived: surgeons opened his chest and massaged his heart to help stimulate its movement again. He suffered physical effects for the rest of his life, including being required to wear a surgical corset.[14] The shooting had a profound effect on Warhol’s life and art.[45][46]

Solanas was arrested the day after the assault, after turning herself into police. By way of explanation, she said that Warhol "had too much control over my life." She was subsequently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and eventually sentenced to three years under the control of the Department of Corrections. After the shooting, the Factory scene heavily increased security, and for many, the "Factory 60s" ended.[46]

Warhol had this to say about the attack: "Before I was shot, I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there—I always suspected that I was watching TV instead of living life. People sometimes say that the way things happen in movies is unreal, but actually it’s the way things happen in life that’s unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things really do happen to you, it’s like watching television—you don’t feel anything. Right when I was being shot and ever since, I knew that I was watching television. The channels switch, but it’s all television."[47]

The 1970s

President Jimmy Carter and Warhol in 1977 Compared to the success and scandal of Warhol’s work in the 1960s, the 1970s were a much quieter decade, as he became more entrepreneurial. According to Bob Colacello, Warhol devoted much of his time to rounding up new, rich patrons for portrait commissions—including Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his wife Empress Farah Pahlavi, his sister Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, Mick Jagger, Liza Minnelli, John Lennon, Diana Ross, and Brigitte Bardot.[48][49] Warhol’s famous portrait of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong was created in 1973. He also founded, with Gerard Malanga, Interview magazine, and published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975). An idea expressed in the book: "Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art."

Warhol socialized at various nightspots in New York City, including Max’s Kansas City; and, later in the 1970s, Studio 54.[51] He was generally regarded as quiet, shy, and a meticulous observer. Art critic Robert Hughes called him "the white mole of Union Square."

In 1979, along with his longtime friend Stuart Pivar, Warhol founded the New York Academy of Art.

The 1980s

Warhol had a re-emergence of critical and financial success in the 1980s, partially due to his affiliation and friendships with a number of prolific younger artists, who were dominating the "bull market" of 1980s New York art: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, David Salle and other so-called Neo-Expressionists, as well as members of the Transavantgarde movement in Europe, including Francesco Clemente and Enzo Cucchi. Before the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, he teamed with 15 other artists, including David Hockney and Cy Twombly, and contributed a Speed Skater print to the Art and Sport collection. The Speed Skater was used for the official Sarajevo Winter Olympics poster.[55]

By this time, graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy paid homage to Warhol when he painted an entire train with Campbell soup cans. This was instrumental in Freddy becoming involved in the underground NYC art scene and becoming an affiliate of Basquiat.[56]

By this period, Warhol was being criticized for becoming merely a "business artist".[57] In 1979, reviewers disliked his exhibits of portraits of 1970s personalities and celebrities, calling them superficial, facile and commercial, with no depth or indication of the significance of the subjects. They also criticized his 1980 exhibit of 10 portraits at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan, entitled Jewish Geniuses, which Warhol—who was uninterested in Judaism and Jews—had described in his diary as "They’re going to sell."[57] In hindsight, however, some critics have come to view Warhol’s superficiality and commerciality as "the most brilliant mirror of our times," contending that "Warhol had captured something irresistible about the zeitgeist of American culture in the 1970s."[57]

Warhol also had an appreciation for intense Hollywood glamour. He once said: "I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They’re so beautiful. Everything’s plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."[58]

In 1984 Vanity Fair commissioned Warhol to produce a portrait of Prince, in order to accompany an article that celebrated the success of Purple Rain and its accompanying movie. Referencing the many celebrity portraits produced by Warhol across his career, Orange Prince (1984) was created using a similar composition to the Marilyn "Flavors" series from 1962, among some of Warhol’s very first celebrity portraits. Prince is depicted in a pop colour palette commonly used by Warhol, in bright orange with highlights of bright green and blue. The facial features and hair are screen-printed in black over the orange background.

In the Andy Warhol Diaries, Warhol recorded how excited he was to see Prince and Billy Idol together at a party in the mid-1980s, and he compared them to the Hollywood movie stars of the 1950s and 1960s who also inspired his portraits: "… seeing these two glamour boys, its like boys are the new Hollywood glamour girls, like Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe".

WORKS

PAINTINGS

By the beginning of the 1960s, pop art was an experimental form that several artists were independently adopting; some of these pioneers, such as Roy Lichtenstein, would later become synonymous with the movement. Warhol, who would become famous as the "Pope of Pop", turned to this new style, where popular subjects could be part of the artist’s palette. His early paintings show images taken from cartoons and advertisements, hand-painted with paint drips. Marilyn Monroe was a pop art painting that Warhol had done and it was very popular. Those drips emulated the style of successful abstract expressionists (such as Willem de Kooning). Warhol’s first pop art paintings were displayed in April 1961, serving as the backdrop for New York Department Store Bonwit Teller’s window display. This was the same stage his Pop Art contemporaries, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and Robert Rauschenberg had also once graced.[65]

It was the gallerist Muriel Latow who came up with the ideas for both the soup cans and Warhol’s dollar paintings. On November 23, 1961, Warhol wrote Latow a check for $50 which, according to the 2009 Warhol biography, Pop, The Genius of Warhol, was payment for coming up with the idea of the soup cans as subject matter.[66] For his first major exhibition, Warhol painted his famous cans of Campbell’s soup, which he claimed to have had for lunch for most of his life. A 1964 Large Campbell’s Soup Can be sold in a 2007 Sotheby’s auction to a South American collector for £5.1 million ($7.4 million).

He loved celebrities, so he painted them as well. From these beginnings, he developed his later style and subjects. Instead of working on a signature subject matter, as he started out to do, he worked more and more on a signature style, slowly eliminating the handmade from the artistic process. Warhol frequently used silk-screening; his later drawings were traced from slide projections. At the height of his fame as a painter, Warhol had several assistants who produced his silk-screen multiples, following his directions to make different versions and variations.[68]

In 1979, Warhol was commissioned by BMW to paint a Group-4 race version of the then "elite supercar" BMW M1 for the fourth instalment in the BMW Art Car Project. It was reported at the time that, unlike the three artists before him, Warhol opted to paint directly onto the automobile himself instead of letting technicians transfer his scale-model design to the car.[69] It was indicated that Warhol spent only a total of 23 minutes to paint the entire car.[70]

Warhol produced both comic and serious works; his subject could be a soup can or an electric chair. Warhol used the same techniques—silkscreens, reproduced serially, and often painted with bright colours—whether he painted celebrities, everyday objects, or images of suicide, car crashes, and disasters, as in the 1962–63 Death and Disaster series. The Death and Disaster paintings included Red Car Crash, Purple Jumping Man, and Orange Disaster. One of these paintings, the diptych Silver Car Crash, became the highest-priced work of his when it sold at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, for $105.4 million.

Some of Warhol’s work, as well as his own personality, has been described as being Keatonesque. Warhol has been described as playing dumb to the media. He sometimes refused to explain his work. He has suggested that all one needs to know about his work is "already there ‘on the surface’."

His Rorschach inkblots are intended as pop comments on art and what art could be. His cow wallpaper (literally, wallpaper with a cow motif) and his oxidation paintings (canvases prepared with copper paint that was then oxidized with urine) are also noteworthy in this context. Equally noteworthy is the way these works—and their means of production—mirrored the atmosphere at Andy’s New York "Factory". Biographer Bob Colacello provides some details on Andy’s "piss paintings":

Victor … was Andy’s ghost pisser on the Oxidations. He would come to the Factory to urinate on canvases that had already been primed with copper-based paint by Andy or Ronnie Cutrone, a second ghost pisser much appreciated by Andy, who said that the vitamin B that Ronnie took made a prettier colour when the acid in the urine turned the copper green. Did Andy ever use his own urine? My diary shows that when he first began the series, in December 1977, he did, and there were many others: boys who’d come to lunch and drink too much wine, and find it funny or even flattering to be asked to help Andy ‘paint’. Andy always had a little extra bounce in his walk as he led them to his studio.

After many years of silkscreen, oxidation, photography, etc., Warhol returned to painting with a brush in hand in a series of more than 50 large collaborative works done with Jean-Michel Basquiat between 1984 and 1986. Despite negative criticism when these were first shown, Warhol called some of them "masterpieces," and they were influential for his later work.

Andy Warhol was commissioned in 1984 by collector and gallerist Alexander Iolas to produce work based on Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper for an exhibition at the old refectory of the Palazzo Delle Stelline in Milan, opposite from the Santa Maria Delle Grazie where Leonardo da Vinci’s mural can be seen.[77] Warhol exceeded the demands of the commission and produced nearly 100 variations on the theme, mostly silkscreens and paintings, and among them a collaborative sculpture with Basquiat, the Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper).[78] The Milan exhibition that opened in January 1987 with a set of 22 silk-screens, was the last exhibition for both the artist and the gallerist.[79] The series of The Last Supper was seen by some as "arguably his greatest,"[80] but by others as "wishy-washy, religiose" and "spiritless."[81] It is the largest series of religious-themed works by any U.S. artist.[80]

Artist Maurizio Cattelan describes that it is difficult to separate daily encounters from the art of Andy Warhol: "That’s probably the greatest thing about Warhol: the way he penetrated and summarized our world, to the point that distinguishing between him and our everyday life is basically impossible, and in any case useless." Warhol was an inspiration towards Cattelan’s magazine and photography compilations, such as Permanent Food, Charley, and Toilet Paper.[82]

In the period just before his death, Warhol was working on Cars, a series of paintings for Mercedes-Benz.[83]

A self-portrait by Andy Warhol (1963–64), which sold in New York at the May Post-War and Contemporary evening sale in Christie’s, fetched $38.4 million.

On May 9, 2012, his classic painting Double Elvis (Ferus Type) sold at auction at Sotheby’s in New York for US$33 million. With commission, the sale price totalled US$37,042,500, short of the $50 million that Sotheby’s had predicted the painting might bring. The piece (silkscreen ink and spray paint on canvas) shows Elvis Presley in a gunslinger pose. It was first exhibited in 1963 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. Warhol made 22 versions of the Double Elvis, nine of which are held in museums.

In November 2013, his Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) diptych sold at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction for $105.4 million, a new record for the pop artist (pre-auction estimates were at $80 million).[71] Created in 1963, this work had rarely been seen in public in the previous years.[87] In November 2014, Triple Elvis sold for $81.9m (£51.9m) at an auction in New York.[88]

SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol

Posted by pedrosimoes7 on 2019-11-05 21:22:41

Tagged: , Andy Warhol , Flowers , Azul , BLUE , Bleu , Centro Cultural de Belem , Berardo Collection , Belem , Lisbon , Portugal , Pop Art , The Factory , 15 minutes of fame , THE VELVET UNDERGROUND , ✩ Ecole des Beaux Arts✩ , **Contemporary Art Society**

The post Ten Foot Flowers (1967) – Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) appeared first on Good Info.

[terabitweb]

Original Post from Security Affairs Author: Pierluigi Paganini

Expert Marco Ramilli and his team analyzed the sample that infected systems at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, it is a targeted attack.

During the past few days a cyber attack hit Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant: the largest nuclear power plant located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The news was announced on Monday, October 28 by the Indian strategic infrastructure. In a press release on arstechnica, NPCIL Associate Director A. K. Nema stated, “Identification of malware in NPCIL system is correct. The matter was conveyed by CERT-In [India’s national computer emergency response team] when it was noticed by them on September 4, 2019.”

NPCIL Press Release

On October 28 at 2.37PM twitter user @a_tweeter_user posted a Virus Total link claiming it was the Malware employee during the KKNPP (Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant) cyber attack. When I saw that link, I ‘ve been so fascinated about that cyber attack, that I decided to take a closer look to such a Malware in order to better understand what it is and who could be behind such a dangerous cyber attack !

Technical Analysis

Hash bfb39f486372a509f307cde3361795a2f9f759cbeb4cac07562dcbaebc070364 Threat KKNPP Targeted Attack Brief Description According to @a_tweeter_user that sample was used to target KKNPP the biggest Nuclear Plant in India Ssdeep 24576:4AzX0QVt4LjwctL0fn7J7eKj6a5VCxoq:bRccw47J7Fj99q

The analyzed file is a Windows PE seen in Virust Total on 2019-10-27 at 00:57:32. It looks like been compiled on 2019-07-29 13:36:26 for a 32 bit machine. Analyzing the sample behavior it looks like harvesting specific information on the target machine and it definitely is comparable to a well defined targeted attack. Indeed the attacker knew the victim’s environment a priori. Many specific actions-and-modules have been found but we might sum up the observed behavior in a few simple and consecutive actions. Once the sample is run it performs 3 main actions: (i) Importing all the required functions and prepare all the needed modules before implementing the real attack (for example logger, temporary files and static functions) (ii) find local information and (iii) copy information to a central node. The following image shows the three main functions inside the WinMain.

Main Functions

One of the most interesting function is the sub_DE33BO where the sample starts to collect information regarding: (i) local IP Addresses, (ii) Task listing, (iii) information on routing and interfaces. Everything is logged into a temporary file located in %APPDATA%/Temp/temp/.

Network Information Harvesting

Network information is not the only thing the sample is looking for. Indeed it looks for many software assuming they are located into different system volumes such as for example: e:htmlPowerShellCorpusGithub. The following image shows some of the collected files assumed to be in different volumes (C and E).

The Sample looks for software in specific system paths

It is definitely interesting to see that the attacker assumes the existence of a C and E drives. It looks like the attacker already knew what to search on the victim machine. In addition to such information the sample looks for moz_places file and by loading a SQLite driver it begins a querying routine to get urls and rootpage. The Malware has modification modules which could be used to modifies entry points into moz_places but I did not see any running usage on it. Then every collected information is saved into a folder tree that looks like the following one

The sample saves information on a hidden folder tree

192.168.56.2 folder holds the found information regarding harvested software on the victim machine having as IP address the one used as folder name. Everything is well organized and the output of each file is human readable and well curated as well. It looks like the sample could be weaponized with more modules holding different behaviors. Once the harvesting process ends its life-cycle, the analyzed sample compresses the entire folder, places it on PPDATA%/Temp/~77FDD3EAMT.tmp and sends it to 10.38.1.35 known as controller5kk. Then it copies that file from the C: drive on the target machine to a more hidden directory such as: WindowsTempMpLogs, by assuming that directory is defined on the target machine. Finally it deletes the just moved file (~77FDD3EAMT.tmp) from the shared folder C: (where it was placed before being copied). At that stage it looks like the attacker owns the destination machine (10.38.1.35) since acting as a central collector for every infected machine. The following image shows the code section including customized functions, address and credentials of the power implant.

Lateral Movement Crafted into Windows PE

I believe it is interesting for every analyst to read IP addresses and user credentials directly hard-coded into the sample, since if those information are correct (as you might assume once you read the press release note) It is not hard to believe that we are analyzing a sample belonging to a targeted attack, crafted for harvesting information and eventually to control victim machines. The analyzed sample is quite modular and it can be weaponized with many capabilities for example: external communication over TLS, Command and Control and RAT, but on my runs the sample never showed such additional behaviors.

Attribution

Attribution is always a very hard and challenging section in Malware Analyses. The analyzed sample is very close to what Kaspersky defined as DTrack in HERE. Two main strong similarities to DTrack took me to believe we are facing an initial information gathering stage powered by a customized DTrack Malware. Two of the main similarities are the following ones:

Initial Sample in-Memory Manipulation stage between OE (Original Entry Point) and WinMain function.

String Manipulation function looking for “CCS_”.

The following image shows the strong similarities between the string preparation function available on address 0x8BB041. On the left side the analyzed sample while on the right side a screen coming from Kaspersky analysis ( published on securelist)

Similarities with DTrack

Both samples look for “CCS_” string and manipulate it in the same way. However DTrack is historically related to Lazarus / APT38 group, a threat organization also known as Hidden Cobra and attributed (by FireEye) to North-Corea state which actually is used to target -at least in the past months- financial institutions. The group has been active since at least 2009 and was reportedly responsible for the November 2014 destructive wiper attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment as part of a campaign named Operation Blockbuster by Novetta (from MITRE). APT38 is not well-known for attacking critical infrastructures, moreover DTrack is a well-known Malware distributed over ATM, in order to attack financial institutions all over the world. However the attack phase is actually aligned with Lazarus modus-operandi as reported in the FireEye document (HERE) Figure 5 page 16.

As a matter of fact, Lazarus is used to initiate a separate phase of Information Gathering before the real attack takes place. If you focus on target, it’s known that Lazarous attacks financial institution but they performed destruction attacks in the past years (such as wiping Sony Entertainment) as well as gov-based attacks (such as the Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego, or KNF attack). At that point every reader would ask: “Is it APT38 moving their targets to critical infrastructure or are we experiencing a well crafted false flag ? ” Hard to answer with scientific precision, in my personal opinion it’s going to be an open question for at least few time, but if I had to bet on, I would probably bet on Lazarus that they are adding to their attack plan more strategic targets like Nuclear Plants.

The original analysis, including Indicators of Compromise, is available on Marco Ramilli’s blog:

https://marcoramilli.com/2019/11/04/is-lazarus-apt38-targeting-critical-infrastructures/

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, malware)

The post Exclusive – Analysis of the sample that hit the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant appeared first on Security Affairs.

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Go to Source Author: Pierluigi Paganini Exclusive – Analysis of the sample that hit the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Original Post from Security Affairs Author: Pierluigi Paganini Expert Marco Ramilli and his team analyzed the sample that infected systems at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, it is a targeted attack.

[thecreaturecodex]

Zilla

Image © deviantArt user “dopepope”, accessed at their gallery here

[World Tour includes world movies. It’s my theme, I get to make the rules. Unlike a lot of kaiju fans, I don’t hate the monster design from Godzilla (1998). It’s one of the least objectionable things about that movie. Doing this popped into my head one night when I couldn’t sleep, and so I had to exorcise it with a stat block. These statistics are built around the chassis of Pathfinder’s giganotosaurus. My aim was to place this in a similar power level as the Ultraman monsters I’ve been doing, and at the lower level of that spectrum.]

Zilla CR 16 N Magical Beast This creature resembles an oversized dinosaur, bipedal but with long flexible forelimbs. Spines grow along its back, the largest over its shoulders. Its head is massive and blocky with a large lower jaw and prominent chin.

Zillas are oversized mutant reptiles, possessing of a destructive fecundity. Although they closely resemble dinosaurs, they are actually giant lizards, having assumed a dinosaur like form following exposure to mutagenic energies. A zilla is an amphibious carnivore that hunts fish and whales while at sea, and various megafauna when on land. Despite their immense size, they are surprisingly stealthy, able to control their footfalls, body temperature and other physiological markers to render them harder to detect. Of course, a hundred and fifty foot reptile attracts attention, so they tend to hunt in dense forests, canyons, cities, or other terrains that afford them some cover.

Although a single zilla is a destructive menace, they rarely stay single for long. Zillas are parthenogenetic, and when amply fed can lay more than a hundred eggs at a time. They provision these with food and watch over their young for the first several months of their lives. These young are ravenous, and often resort to cannibalism if they cannot get ample food from other sources. A baby zilla balloons to full size in a matter of three to five years. Treat a baby zilla as a deinonychus with the magical beast type, the amphibious and subtle presence special qualities and a swim speed equal to its land speed. A baby zilla is a CR 4 creature.

Variant Zillas Because of their origins in mutation, many zillas have slightly different abilities. For example, a zilla might lose its roar and swallow whole special attacks in favor of a breath weapon (1d4 rounds, 16d8 fire, 140 foot line, Ref DC 27), or have smaller claws (dealing 1d6 base damage) and a tail slap as a secondary attack (dealing 2d8 base damage).

Zilla       CR 16 XP 76,800 N Colossal magical beast (aquatic) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +21, scent, tremorsense 60 ft., Defense AC 29, touch 4, flat-footed 27 (–8 size, +2 Dex, +25 natural) hp 262 (21d10+147) Fort +19, Ref +16, Will +11 DR 5/- Defensive Abilities evasive action, ferocity Offense Speed 50 ft., swim 50 ft., burrow 20 ft. Melee bite +29 (4d6+16/19–20 plus grab), 2 claws +29 (2d6+16) Space 30 ft., Reach 30 ft. Special Attacks roar, swallow whole (3d8+24 bludgeoning, AC 22, 26 hp), trample (3d8+24, DC 36) Statistics Str 42, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10 Base Atk +21; CMB +45 (+49 grapple); CMD 57 Feats Blind-fight, Cleave, Critical Focus, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Run, Staggering Critical Skills Acrobatics +21 (+29 when jumping), Climb +20, Perception +21, Stealth +11, Swim +28; Racial Modifiers +12 Acrobatics, +12 Perception, +12 Stealth SQ amphibious, subtle presence Ecology Environment any Organization solitary, pair or outbreak (3-6) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Evasive Action (Su) Once per round as an immediate action, a zilla can make an Acrobatics check and treat the result as its Armor Class against a single attack. It may use this against touch attacks as well. A zilla cannot use this ability while entangled or flat-footed. Roar (Ex) As a standard action once per minute, a zilla can roar so powerfully that all creatures in a 60 foot radius must succeed a DC 27 Fortitude save or be deafened for 1d4 minutes. The force of the roar acts as windstorm force winds, emitted in a 140 foot line from the zilla that last until the zilla’s next turn. Subtle Presence (Su) A zilla can make Stealth checks to hide from creatures with blindsight, blindsense and tremorsense. It cannot hide from supernatural senses, such as lifesense or thoughtsense.