#Underground Railroad returns

[readyforevolution]

By Nichii Nahama

‘Soooo you mean to tell me that someone down your ancestry line survived being chained to other human bodies for several months in the bottom of a disease-infested ship during the Middle Passage, lost their language, customs and traditions, picked up the English language as best they could while working free of charge from sun up to sun down as they watched babies sold from out of their arms and women raped by ruthless slave owners.

Took names with no last names, no birth certificates, no heritage of any kind, braved the Underground Railroad, survived the Civil War to enter into sharecropping... Learned to read and write out of sheer will and determination, faced the burning crosses of the KKK, everted their eyes at the black bodies swinging from ropes hung on trees...

Fought in World Wars as soldiers only to return to America as boys, marched in Birmingham, hosed in Selma, jailed in Wilmington, assassinated in Memphis, segregated in the South, ghettoed in the North, ignored in history books, stereotyped in Hollywood...

and in spite of it all, someone in your family line endured every era to make sure you would get here, but you receive one rejection, face one obstacle, lose one friend, get overlooked, and you want to quit?

How dare you entertain the very thought of quitting. People, you will never know survived from generation to generation so you could succeed. Don’t you dare let them down!

It is NOT in our DNA to quit!’

[macrolit]

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

NYT Article.

*************

Q: How many of the 100 have you read? Q: Which ones did you love/hate? Q: What's missing?

Here's the full list.

100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson 99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith 98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett 97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward 96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman 95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel 94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith 93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante 91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth 90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen 89. The Return, Hisham Matar 88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis 87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters 86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight 85. Pastoralia, George Saunders 84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee 83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat 82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor 81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan 80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante 79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin 78. Septology, Jon Fosse 77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones 76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin 75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout 73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro 72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich 71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen 70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones 69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander 68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez 67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon 66. We the Animals, Justin Torres 65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth 64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai 63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill 62. 10:04, Ben Lerner 61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver 60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon 59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 58. Stay True, Hua Hsu 57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich 56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner 55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright 54. Tenth of December, George Saunders 53. Runaway, Alice Munro 52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson 51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson 50. Trust, Hernan Diaz 49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang 48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi 47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison 46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt 45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson 44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin 43. Postwar, Tony Judt 42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James 41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald 39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan 38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano 37. The Years, Annie Ernaux 36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine 33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward 32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst 31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith 30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward 29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt 28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 26. Atonement, Ian McEwan 25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc 24. The Overstory, Richard Powers 23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro 22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo 21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond 20. Erasure, Percival Everett 19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe 18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon 15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee 14. Outline, Rachel Cusk 13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy 12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz 10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson 9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald 7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead 6. 2666, Roberto Bolano 5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen 4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones 3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson 1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

[robfinancialtip]

🥗🏛️Meet Abdul Tubman, whose great-great-aunt is the famous Harriet Tubman. Paul praises Abdul's improvement in health and fitness since his last interview, and he goes into detail about his clean eating and training program. Abdul discusses his family's history, which dates back to Liberia, and his great-grandfather's important political role.

🗽🗣️Abdul talks about his upbringing in Liberia and the formation of a new government after formerly enslaved people returned to the country. His great-grandfather was president for an incredible 28 years. Then Abdul discusses his life in New York, emphasizing the city's energy and impact on his work.

🌍⚖️He explains how millionaires like Jeff Bezos can contribute to societal transformation. Abdul highlights the necessity of long-term, effective change, addressing issues such as corporate dominance in governance and equal economic distribution.

🤝🕊️Abdul discusses his latest project, an instructional program delving into African-American history, particularly slavery and the Underground Railroad. The program aims to promote cultural interchange and close the knowledge gap about the African diaspora. Abdul conveys his desire to effect good change and promote hope and love in pursuing a brighter future.

🤲❤️He discusses the need for self-reflection, starting change from the inside, and time as a significant resource. He encourages people to accept responsibility for their actions and become the change they want to see in the world. The podcast concludes with a discussion of the importance of community and unity in making a lasting influence.

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Shalom Yoran 

Selim Sznycer, aka Shalom Yoran, was a Polish Jew who escaped the mass murder of all the Jews in his town, including his parents, and wanted to fight Nazis. However, when he tried to join a Russian resistance group, they rejected him for being Jewish, which led him to create his own militia of 200 Jews who hid in the forest and carried out acts of sabotage against the Nazi occupiers.

Selim Sznycer was born in Poland in 1925. After the Nazis invaded Warsaw, the Sznycer family fled to a different part of Poland, the town of Kurzeniec, occupied by the Soviets. But in 1941 the Germans invaded the Soviet Union. and despite their best efforts to escape the Nazis, Selim and his family found themselves living under Nazi occupation once again.

The Jews of Kurzeniec were forced into a squalid ghetto. Not far away was a Russian POW camp, where the prisoners were suffering from abuse, starvation and disease. Local Soviet partisans were forming militias to fight the German occupiers, and Selim heard about the nascent resistance movement from an escaped Russian POW.

The day before Yom Kippur in 1942, Nazi high command gave orders to “liquidate” the ghetto – meaning kill all the inhabitants. From a contact in the resistance, Selim learned of the horrific plan, and he and his brother were able to escape from the ghetto and hide in a nearby barn owned by Polish peasant, Ignalia Biruk, who took in the terrified Jewish boys at great risk to herself. From his hiding place, he heard the sounds of all the Jews in the ghetto being massacred, including his own parents. He later remembered his mother’s last words to him, “She told me, ‘Go fight… try to save yourselves, avenge our death and tell the world what happened.’ These are the words that guided me through that dark period, what gave me strength to fight, and what inspires me to share my story today.”

That winter, Selim, his brother and three friends hid in the Polish forest near the Sang river. They survived the brutal cold by building an underground bunker. A few kindly locals periodically gave them some food, but most of their provisions were stolen.

Selim wanted to fight the Nazis who had taken everything from him, and in 1943 he and his small group approached a Russian partisan unit, but they wouldn’t allow the five Jews to join because they had no weapons. Desperate to join the fight, Selim persisted, and finally the unit commander told him that if they returned to Kurzeniec and blew up the Nazi munitions factory, they would be allowed to join the resistance group. The Russians assumed the Jewish boys couldn’t possibly survive the dangerous mission, but they carried out the bombing successfully and returned to the forest, only to be told the real reason they were rejected: they were Jewish.

Undeterred, Selim wandered the forest in nearby Belarus looking for Jews who wanted to fight. He formed an all-Jewish resistance unit featuring 200 fighters. After the Germans were defeated at Stalingrad, Selim and his group harassed and sabotaged the retreating German soldiers. They blew up bridges and railroad supply lines. In 1944, Belarus was liberated by the Soviets, and Selim and the other Jewish resistance fighters went from the firing pan to the fire: they were drafted into the Red Army, where they were viciously persecuted for being Jewish, enduring beatings and near-starvation. Selim managed to escape and flee to Italy, where he illegally fought with the British Army until the war ended in 1945.

Selim used a fake British passport to emigrate to Palestine, then occupied by the British who severely restricted the number of Jews who could enter the territory. Like many Jews, when Selim got to Israel he dropped his Polish name and started using his Hebrew name: Shalom Yoran. He joined the Israeli Army and became a decorated Air Force officer. He built a successful career developing the Israeli aircraft industry. He was a founding member of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and a governor of Tel Aviv university.

In 2003, Selim/Shalom published “The Defiant,” a memoir about his experience as a resistance fighter during the war. He dedicated the book to his parents. Shalom Yoran died in 2013 at age 88, survived by his beloved wife Varda, and their children and grandchildren.

For fighting Nazis and avenging his parents’ deaths, we honor Shalom Yoran as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[glennk56]

Jeff Pope

Jeff Pope is a big ginger bear. His film career started in 2005 with a small role in Hustle & Flow. (no photo) He has played a wide range of characters and started getting better roles when he got heavier. He is proof that a full beard can determine the character.

Here is Jeff Pope playing an angry homeowner in 99 Homes in 2014.

Jeff Pope in fake beard in Action/Drama/Comedy film Bad Asses on the Bayou in 2015. That is Keith Loneker on the left.

Jeff Pope in Return to Sender in 2015.

Jeff Pope in NCIS: New Orleans 2;11 (Blue Christmas) in 2015.

Jeff Pope in TV Series Hap and Leonard in 2016. Jeff appeared in 4 episodes in season 1. Here his character loses his pants to the mud.

Jeff Pope as a policeman in Assassination Nation in 2018.

Jeff Pope as a pharmacy manager in the Crime/Thriller Back Roads in 2018.

Jeff Pope as the moderator in a Comicon event in Action/Comedy Supercon in 2018.

Jeff Pope as a clown in the Horror/Slasher film Darlin' in 2019.

Jeff Pope as a foreman in Crime/Drama Into the Ashes in 2019.

Jeff Pope as high school teacher teaching about STD in Eat Brains Love in 2019.

Jeff Pope as clerical police sergeant in Mindhunter 2;8 in 2019.

Jeff Pope in 2020 in American Reject about an also ran in an American Idol type show.

Jeff Pope in the 2021 mini-series The Underground Railroad as an enforcer.

Jeff Pope as William Howard Taft in Brazilian Mini-Series O Hóspede Americano (The American Guest) in 2021.

Jeff Pope in TV Series Interview with the Vampire in 2022.

[warningsine]

If any of the followers wants to help, it'd be appreciated.

So. What's an adult TV series that has

complex/compelling female leads (don't have to be queer, but it's a bonus if there are some) or an ensemble cast with a lot of women,

an engaging story,

has a somewhat active/enthusiastic fandom on here (doesn't have to be HOTD or "Yellowjackets" levels of enthusiastic).

I dropped "Good Girls" again after finishing the first two episodes of season 4, because as much as I love the ladies, the arcs are repetitive af at this point.

I wanted to watch "The Good Fight" and "Black Sails," but I'm afraid they'll have to wait. "The L Word" and "Orphan Black" too.

Some of the series I enjoyed at some point:

"The Handmaid's Tale," OITNB, "I May Destroy You," "Unbelievable," "Veep," "Dead Ringers," "The Good Wife," "My Brilliant Friend," "The Returned," "Bad Sisters," "Chewing Gum," "Black Earth Rising," "Mrs. America," "GLOW," "Kevin Can Fuck Himself," "Big Little Lies," "Night Country," "Top of the Lake," "Godless," "Frontera Verde," "Ethos," "One Night," "The Power," "Girls5eva," "UnREAL," "Damages," "Insecure," "Unorthodox," "P-Valley," "Russian Doll," "Hacks," "Grace and Frankie," "Shining Girls," "Killing Eve," "Fleabag," "Why Women Kill," "Poker Face," "The Queen's Gambit," "Borgen," "Mare of Easttown," "Irma Vep," "Alias Grace," "Miss Sherlock," "Last Tango in Halifax," "The Fall," "The Bletchey Circle," "Servant," "We Are Lady Parts," "Made for Love," "Claws," "The Girlfriend Experience," "Dear White People," "Little Fires Everywhere," "Sharp Objects," "Lovecraft Country," “The Underground Railroad," "Under the Bridge," "Derry Girls" (<-a teen series, but I made an exception because everyone here told me it was worth it), “Station Eleven," "The Great," "Beef," "She's Gotta Have It," "Twenties," "Olive Kitteridge," "Enlightened," "Babylon Berlin," "Deadloch," "Vida," "Feel Good," "Gentleman Jack," "La Casa de las Flores" (<-never let it be said I don't enjoy millennial telenovelas).

Female fronted series I haven't finished:

HTGAWM, "Wentworth" (<-couldn't get into it).

Series I was/am kinda meh about:

"The Wilds" (<-"Yellowjackets" all the way), "Dead to Me," "Roar," "The Fosters," "Lost Girl," "Westworld" (<-post season 1), "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (not big on Flanagan's works), “Bridgerton," "Ratched," "Dickinson."

Series I haven't tried yet:

"The Diplomat," "Harlots," "Gilded Age," "The Bold Type" (<-surprisingly, it doesn't seem like my thing), "Workin' Moms," "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce," "Happy Valley," "Halt and Catch Fire," "West Wing," "Broadchurch," "The Split," "A Small Light," "Scandal," "For All Mankind," "Mindhunter," "Sense8," "1899," "Utopia," "Transparent," "The Morning Show," "Rain Dogs," The Mindy Project," "Vigil," "High Fidelity," "Only Murders in the Building," "Julia," "Pen15," "Weeds," "Girls."

[thrashkink-coven]

Happy Emancipation Day!

Here's a short write up I did about Emancipation Day for my local grassroots mutual aid collective. This will unfortunately be focused primarily on Canada because our area of influence is more local than international. Please be sure to educate yourself on what this day means in your region!

What is the Slave Abolition Act of 1833?

The Slave Abolition Act of 1833 was a British law that ended slavery in most British colonies, freeing over 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, South Africa, and Canada. The law, approved on August 28, 1833, took effect on August 1, 1834. It did not immediately apply to territories controlled by the East India Company, Ceylon, or Saint Helena; these exceptions were removed in 1843.

Earlier, in 1793, John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), had passed an Act Against the importation of new slaves. This law promised freedom to children born to enslaved women at age twenty-five, but it did not free existing slaves. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 later replaced this law, ending slavery across most of the British Empire.

Did it really free the slaves?

The Slavery Abolition Act had its flaws. It only freed those enslaved under age six. Older individuals were classified as 'apprentices' and had to work 40 hours a week without pay as “compensation” to their former slave owners. Full emancipation was not achieved until July 31, 1838.

While Canada often expresses pride in its relatively lesser involvement in slavery when compared to other British colonies, it wasn't the first to end it. The Independent Republic of Vermont was the first in North America to abolish slavery with its 1777 constitution. This came 16 years before Upper Canada’s partial abolition in 1793. Vermont was quickly followed by states like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, and the U.S. Congress banned slavery in future Midwest territories in 1787.

What is Emancipation Day? What does it mean?

On March 1, 2021, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously declared August 1 as Emancipation Day. This date marks the beginning of the partial abolition of slavery across British colonies in various countries.

Why is Emancipation Day important? 

Neglecting acknowledgement of Emancipation Day allows Canada to evade its dark history and distort its legacy. We must hold governments accountable for the history of their crimes. It’s critical to confront the reality that slavery was a part of Canadian history and that its legacy continues to impact African Canadians today. While Canada often boasts about its role in the Underground Railroad and its “total” abolishment of slavery before the U.S, it must also face the uncomfortable truth of its own very real involvement in slavery. Emancipation Day is about confronting history with honesty. Acknowledging this day is essential for addressing past injustices and ensuring that future generations grasp the full, unfiltered truth of Canada's history, including the painful chapters that must not be forgotten or repeated. 

Emancipation did not end the oppression of Black people in this country. For those who suffered under centuries of slavery, emancipation should have signaled that Canada would become a place of respect and opportunity for their descendants. Instead, Black Canadians still face racism, discrimination, and prejudice in education, healthcare, housing, and the justice system.

The history of slavery and the stories of enslaved people and their descendants have historically been confined to Black communities. Recognition of this day on a national scale not only helps to validify the black experience, but also to clearly acknowledge our refusal to return to these oppressive norms. Integrating this crucial part of Canadian history into the education of all our children is vital for addressing anti-Black racism and its ongoing impact in our society to this day. A necessary step toward justice is issuing an official apology to the descendants of enslaved people, bringing this issue to the forefront of Canadian awareness and starting the path toward meaningful reparations.

Emancipation day allows us the opportunity to use the past to reflect upon the present. We must acknowledge the deep, ongoing trauma from slavery and segregation as the foundation of anti-Black racism that is still rampant in our justice system today. It is only through this acknowledgement that we can begin to form a dialogue which sees black people as an important, intrinsic part of Canadian history at all times, not just during black history month. 

[fancyfeathers]

Moriarty Darlings asking 'what now', after actually getting out and away. Get Out and Dodge, before they track you down again.

You girls should know more than most of how little of the country is safe from the yandere men, the wisest answer (though enormously difficult to execute) is to flee to America and start a new life by pretending to be three sisters/spinsters (I think there had been some incentives for educated middle-class women to emigrate) looking for prospects abroad.

(It's a shame they can't take Mycroft's Darling with them, a scandal journalist like that would, with some streetsmarts and charm, probably make it decently. The Queen wouldn't be able to pressure her much with an ocean between them.

And hey, depending on how canny and forward-thinking they are, it's possible that they could have been fortunate enough to make bank with well-timed investments into automobile or railroad industries, I believe it should be around the American Gilded Age? There are economic opportunities significant enoughy that particularly succesful returns could possibly set them up for life.

I'd just like to see the Darlings eke out a win, and for the yanderes to actually run into a challenge: the strict and tyrannical hierarchy of the social classes they might have used won't really hit the Darlings anymore! Their own social networks that let them run circles around in England can't be ported over, despite the increase of communications + their own social class would inhibit them from moving too openly in a whole other continent.)

(My Lady Whistledown stuff is actually separate from the other things I do, Mycroft’s darling in these stories is the sister of Albert’s darling and I am actually working on a story for her. Sherlock’s darling is a crime journalist so if they got her help they would probably be set)

If they were able to make it out of the country, which would be very difficult already due to the underground and government connections the brothers have, they would probably have a stable life. William’s darling has a pretty good education which the brother’s provided so she probably could manage a decent paying job, maybe she could manage to get another job in ballet again. Then Albert’s darling had a pretty good education as well, probably a bit better, so she could probably get a job as a governess or teacher. Then Louis’ darling was a librarian before, she also went to college, so she is very well educated so she could probably land a rather high paying career, perhaps a literature professor at a woman’s college.

There are also their wedding rings from William’s and Albert’s darling that they could sell which are definitely worth a pretty penny, not to mention the jewelry Albert’s darling owns from her life before her marriage which is worth even more.

Now chances are they will get caught though, probably even before they can get to the docks. I would honestly give them a few hours before they are finally found and dragged back home, and probably would not be allowed to talk to each other for a long time if ever again.

[revoltedstates]

Silas Soule is the 2nd man on the right in this 1859 photo of the "Immortal Ten," anti-slavery vigilantes who rescued Dr John Doy (seated) and returned him to Lawrence, Kansas after he'd been arrested by pro-slavery forces and brought to Missouri for attempting to escort 13 former slaves into Iowa. Soule himself had been helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad since the age of 17. He was also a friend of Walt Whitman, a gold miner, and served in the 1st Colorado Infantry at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, New Mexico. Soule was shot and killed in April, 1865, while he was on duty as a provost marshal in Denver. It was thought at the time, but never proven, that his murderers were hired guns loyal to Chivington, who were striking out in revenge at Soule for testifying about the Sand Creek massacre.

[ilovedthestars]

ilovedthestars OC masterpost

I'm putting this together for OC-tober art swaps, so I have all my reference material in one place! Most of this is lightly modified from what I made for ArtFight this year. I might update it over time, but for now, here are all my (major) Murderbot Diaries OCs :)

Polaris

These OCs are involved, one way or another, in an Underground Railroad of sorts that helps constructs escape their companies and flee to Preservation. The setting is ballpark 10 years post-canon, when constructs have gained full citizenship on Preservation and it's become a north star for rogue constructs looking to leave the Corporation Rim.

Relevant fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Niri

Niri is the founder of the Polaris program (the underground railroad). Its governor module was hacked by another free SecUnit, and once it got used to freedom on Preservation, it decided to go back for others. It disguises its hacked governor module to sneak itself onto companies' inventory and pass the hack to other SecUnits, then sneaks them away with the help of a network of allies. Aybee, Hope, Enigma and Unit 46 are all constructs it rescued in this way.

Ray of sunshine :)

Young, optimistic, and relentlessly hopeful

Nearly always smiling. Big body language / expressions

An artist! Makes abstract, expressive oil paintings. (Its favorite paint color is alizarin crimson, a bluish-red that mixes to a nice soft pink)

Likes loose, flowy clothes in bright colors, especially warm colors

Note: In the reference image above I forgot that SecUnit feet aren't organic. Niri has inorganic feet like Murderbot.

Appears in fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Other posts I've made about it: Niri and Aybee art, OC-tober post, new art, older art, ask game about Niri and OldUnit

Unit 46 a.k.a. OldUnit

When Unit 46 was a fairly young unit, it hacked its governor module and made a run for it. It was caught within minutes by a group of other SecUnits that were sent after it, and its memory was wiped. It spent the next few decades repressing its desire for freedom, requesting new memory wipes every time it remembered its escape attempt. It survived much longer than most SecUnits do by following orders to the letter and keeping its head down. Then it was approached by an undercover Niri and got another chance to run.

My nickname for it is OldUnit, but in-universe it continues to go by Unit 46.

Tired and jaded. Very good at keeping its head down and surviving day-to-day, but still figuring out that it might be able to build a life where it can do more than that

Stands very stiffly. Intensely neutral expression a lot of the time. Shows little emotion until it reaches a tipping point and completely breaks down

Very rarely okay with being touched

Once free, dresses nondescriptly, usually tight-fitting clothing because that feels similar to the suit-skin it used to wear under its armor. Hasn’t figured out its own taste yet

Appears in fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Other posts I've made about it: artwork about its past, OC-Tober post, ask game about Niri and OldUnit,

Aybee

Aybee's governor module was hacked by Niri, and the two of them became best friends. They’re friendly and welcoming to other freed constructs on Preservation, and have helped build a community from the stray units that Niri brings back from its rescue missions. They're always a little worried for Niri when it’s undercover, and relieved when it returns for a break.

Extrovert who adopts all the introverts

Niri’s BFF and a fellow artist! Niri taught them to paint :) (Their favorite paint color is pthalo blue, a deep blue-green.)

Dresses comfortably in cool but vibrant colors. (I always seem to draw them in flannels.)

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! They'll appear in the sequel to OU,YU

Other posts I've made about them: Niri and Aybee art

Other people's art: awesome ArtFight attack by sunnytheopossum

Hope

Hope is a ComfortUnit whos governor module was hacked by Niri. Xe now helps it with its mission of freeing more constructs. Xe spends most of xyr time blending in as a human, helping newly freed SecUnits make their way to Preservation.

Cool and confident

Emotionally intelligent, can be both comforting and blunt when necessary

Great at acting and blending in anywhere xe needs to

No visible inorganic parts—xe was designed to be as human-like from the outside as possible, which comes in handy for espionage

Dresses fashionably for fun and profit (profit = respect and social capital).

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! The last chapter of OU,YU, when I finish it.

Other people's art: gorgeous ArtFight attack by souldagger

Enigma

Enigma hacked its governor module and hid it for almost seven years before Niri met it and helped it escape. As a result, it’s very good at hacking, but also very anxious. It's still trying to find its place on Preservation.

Anxious and introverted

Doesn’t like drawing too much attention

Brilliant hacker, although being under too much pressure reminds it of when hacking was the only way it stayed alive

Wears lots of dark, baggy clothes. Usually has messy hair

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! It'll appear in the sequel to OU,YU

Other people's art: awesome ArtFight attack by sunnytheopossum

Yuma & Crowbar

These two technically still exist within the Polaris universe, but they have their own fic so they get their own section. Yuma is a human mechanic who fixed up a scrapped SecUnit, and accidentally hacked its governor in the process. She set it free, and Crowbar returned a year later to help her escape her debts and find a new life on Preservation. They become an inseparable duo and eventually get involved in the Polaris program.

Relevant fic: Salvage or Repair

Other posts I've made about them: Writing snippet from after Salvage or Repair, writing snippet from a spin-off wip, the artwork above

Yuma

A human mechanic working herself into deeper and deeper debt on a backwater asteroid, salvaging and repairing broken machines. One day her boss gave her a damaged SecUnit to fix. Slowly she picked up on the fact that this SecUnit seemed a lot more alive and feeling than the other machines she fixed, and couldn't bring herself to hand it over to a new owner. She offered it a transport crate, a crowbar and a one-way trip off the asteroid, to hopefully have a chance at a better life.

Has been increasingly poor and trapped in terrible situations her entire life

Very tired, but still kind despite it all

Clever, and if there's anything she knows her way around, it's machines

Talks to things while she fixes them

Might not fully understand the whole deal with SecUnits at first, but they're a bit machine and a bit human, and she respects machines and treats humans as well as she can, so why should they be any different?

Crowbar

A SecUnit that spent the first part of its life in a remote asteroid mine, keeping indentured workers in line. An accident caused it to be severely damaged and discarded. It ended up in Yuma's workshop, and while fixing it she unknowingly hacked its governor module. Instead of selling it to a new owner, she gave it a chance at freedom. It disguised itself as a human for several weeks, terrified of being found out, before running into Hope, who gave it a ride to Preservation. It named itself Crowbar and eventually found its way back to Yuma, to repay her kindness and offer her a better life.

Its personality isn’t completely settled yet, but while it started out very shy and uncertain, it’s gained a casual confidence in itself.

I think it likes taking care of living things! Probably gathers a small garden of houseplants and an assortment of pets over time.

In situations where it doesn’t have to hide that it’s a SecUnit, it likes wearing clothing that shows off some of its inorganic parts

It still has the crowbar that Yuma gave it so it could pry itself out of the transport crate she shipped it in. It considers it a prized possession

That's all for now :)

[demifiendrsa]

Castlevania: Nocturne | Official Teaser Trailer

Castlevania: Nocturne will premiere on Netflix on September 28, 2023.

Poster

Cast

Edward Bluemel (Persuasion, The Commuter, The Halcyon) as Richter, the tough young hero who’s continuing the family tradition of vampire hunting 

Pixie Davies (The Magician’s Elephant, Mary Poppins Returns, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) as Maria, a natural leader who’s fighting inequality in her country, and also a magic user battling the vampire elite

Thuso Mbedu (The Woman King, The Underground Railroad, Is’Thunzi) as Annette, who used her power and wits to escape vampire-enforced enslavement in the Caribbean, and now wields magic to stop the impending apocalyptic threat

Sydney James Harcourt (I’m Not Gay: A Musical, Hamilton) as Edouard, who left his life as a talented opera singer to aid and accompany Annette

Nastassja Kinski (Inland Empire, Cat People, Paris, Texas) as Tera, a mother and mentor to young vampire hunters and magic users, who has her own share of past trauma to bear

Zahn McClarnon (Reservation Dogs, Dark Winds, Fargo) as Olrox, who killed Richter’s mother years ago and now must decide whether he can stomach teaming up with his sworn enemy in order to stop vampiric world domination

Franka Potente (Titans, Run Lola Run, The Bourne Identity) as Erzsebet Báthory, aka the one foretold. She’s the queen of vampires, and, if all goes as planned, of the entire world. (Her character is very loosely based on the various folkloric stories and contested histories surrounding a real-life noblewoman.)

[writingamongther0ses]

Happy STS! What are your favorite scenes from your WIPs? (and if you would like share some lines <3)

So my Greek myth wip is based on the need to do Percy Jackson better since there's a lot of stuff that I'm noticing now that I'm re-reading and older. One of these things is Camp Jupiter and New Rome, because it's kinda weird that they cosplay as ancient Romans when Camp Half-Blood doesn't do that. So I wrote an explanation and I really need to re-write this so it's less exposition.

Part down below:

"Did anyone tell you why the sons of Kronos made that pact to not have any more children?"

Megara shook his head. Honestly, it had barely ever been mentioned before. He was pretty sure some people complained about accepting him since he was a pact-breaking child, but those complaints had never been a big deal. "Didn't it happen after the Civil War? I only heard about it because camp got set up right after the pact."

R.K. nodded. "Yeah. I never knew the story until Hermes told me about it, but apparently the seeds happened when Poseidon was made mortal and forced to be a slave for King Laomedon. Hermes told me that, when he returned, he hated slavery."

"Because the sea didn't like to be restrained." It was why Rome never sailed.

"I mean, yeah, but he had also made friends out of fellow slaves and watched them die. Hermes said that he made big changes when he returned and started targeting slave ships. Most of the mermaid population is made of slaves who jumped overboard."

Megara hummed. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. Father doesn't talk about it much. When talk of getting rid of slavery started up, his kids followed his lead and became abolitionists, even became conductors on the Underground Railroad." She sighed, staring at the sea. "One of them was a woman named Caroline."

"Oh?"

"She was born free. Her grandmother wasn't. She started talking to other demigods, convincing them to help. A slave owner named Felix Wilson, a son of Zeus, heard about her."

Oh. Oh no. He knew that name.

"He got worried about what would happen if every demigod in the United States at the time were allied against slavery." Megara could imagine it. There probably hadn't been that many demigods in the country at the time, but he could imagine the effects. "When the Confederacy broke away, Felix and some of his friends tracked down Caroline." R.K. looked away from the sea, upwards, and Megara followed her eyes. "There's apparently ways to make children of Poseidon drown, if you're determined enough."

Clouds floated by, and Megara gulped. His fingers tingled, just like whenever he manipulated clouds.

"Felix fled to California, and Uncle made sure Father couldn't attack him there." R.K. sighed, resting her chin on the railing, eyes locked on the endless blue that her sister had died in years ago. "His friends killed a good portion of any children of Poseidon and Hades, since they worked together, they could find. When the war was over, Father and Uncle H demanded Uncle never have another child again, because his son had killed so many of their kids." R.K.'s neutral expression twisted into a frown. "He agreed, but said since they were too attached, that they also had to agree."

"He founded the camp," Megara said, interrupting her. "He founded the camp, but he wasn't very popular. Apparently, someone pushed him off a cliff after a year of him leading, but Jupiter pitched a fit when they tried to change the rules."

[nnobodoodles]

Just posting some fancy 1920s characters I made to mess around with ☕✨

(aka things that happen when I read Wodehouse, Lackadaisy and binge Downton Abbey)

From left to right: Priya, Freddie, Matthew, Arthur & Marion

1928

Lord Dalham's son has succumbed to illness and the next heir to his title, his nephew Frederick Barlow, a solicitor, is to return to England after spending the last two years in India.

"Freddie", isn't quite the reserved, serious man that everyone remembered upon return; because they are in fact, Frederick's unruly twin that was travelling by his side to be engaged to an English officer.

After their brother's unexpected death, Freddie assumed his identity, recruiting the help of Frederick's former valet, one Matthew Halkett.

Through gentlemen's clubs, fancy country houses, speakeasies and gambling pits, dog shows and county fairs, Freddie discovers alarming and conflicting information regarding their twin, as well as people who seem to have curious ties to him.

Freddie Barlow (28)

Despite being born in the upper classes and having the privileges that come with this, Freddie never quite found their calling in life, nor were they considered a particularly graceful aristocrat; not being the one for sports like tennis, or the arts, desperately failing at music and painting.

They would have liked to pursue acting, but that option was of course, off the table. They were supposed to be a socialite like their mother, and their acting skills were required to put on a mask and pull on strings. That seemed to keep everyone pleased until in an effort to protect their best friend from a predatory suitor, Freddie allowed scandal to soil their name and was sent to India to get married, accompanied by their twin, Frederick.

After Frederick's death in a railroad "accident", Freddie discovers a plot against their family, and assumes his identity upon arriving in England, after a 2-year absence. Their alter ego is assumed to still be in India and married to an English officer.

Freddie is constantly discovering alarming and conflicting information regarding their twin and bears guilt, doubt, and identity issues over their actions.

(Freddie is afab & non-binary/genderfluid by today's standards, all pronouns apply but in the context of the story, Freddie leans towards masculine terms)

Matthew Halkett (30)

Matthew Halkett was Frederick's former valet, who was let go before the twins' trip to India.

Halkett grew up into poverty and was a thief and an underground boxer as a youth, before turning his life around in his teens. He dedicated his life to service, when his uncle, butler at Lord Dalham's big estate, helped him get into service as a footman. He soon found he has a particularly keen eye for detail, and a strong work ethic that made him shine amongst staff. He also served in the Great War before his employment at the Barlow household.

Upon receiving news of his potential title as heir to his uncle, Frederick required a valet, and when the two met at Lord Dalham's estate the offer was made.

As Frederick's valet Halkett knew most of the secrets of the household, including Freddie's. Due to an unjustly blamed incident of theft, Frederick fired him with no reference which left him in a rather unsatisfactory position, under the employment of an old bubbling arrogant Colonel.

His previous position also makes him a target of Frederick's enemies after his death. He is the first ally Freddie seeks out upon returning to England, and is offered, once again, the position of the valet on their side instead.

Priya Curtis (21)

The youngest daughter of middle class merchants, Priya Curtis is an sweet and elegant young lady of British-Indian heritage who seems to have followed Freddie all the way on his trip back to England. Or more like, she seems to think she's following Frederick.

The reason? Why, revenge, of course.

If they get past that misunderstanding, Priya and Freddie might discover they are connected by something of a familial nature.

Arthur Pennington (28)

Arthur Pennington is the son of an English earl & an American heiress, and Frederick's friend from their university days in Oxford. Despite his wealth, he also studied law but remains rather unworldly and naive due to a rather sheltered lifestyle. He makes up with his infectious energy, friendliness, and unending loyalty, and he's eager to recount old stories to Freddie, initially not realizing he's not talking to their twin.

Marion Ellis (36)

A Renaissance lady; writer, poet, and predominantly a journalist, she spent many good years in Paris and Montmartre, where her fiancé, John, awaits her return. An extremely romantic soul with a love for the arts and a social butterfly, Marion is well aware of the ins and outs of high society and has written under a nickname for ladies' magazines. She is an acquaintance of Freddie's lord-uncle, and apparently, had some mysterious ties to Frederick.

[lboogie1906]

Adam Crosswhite (October 17, 1799 – January 23, 1878) was an enslaved man who fled slavery along the Underground Railroad and settled in Marshall, Michigan. In 1847, slavers from Kentucky came to Michigan to kidnap African Americans and return them to slavery in Kentucky. Citizens of the town surrounded their houses and prevented them from being abducted. They fled to Canada, and their former enslaver, Francis Giltner, filed a suit, Giltner vs. Gorham et al., against residents of Marshall. Giltner won the case and was compensated for the loss of the Crosswhite family. After the Civil War, he returned to Marshall, where he lived the rest of his life.

He was born into slavery in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His mother was an enslaved woman, and his father was his first enslaver. His father gave him to his paternal aunt, Miss Crosswhite when he was a boy. His aunt married Ned Stone, who sold him for $200 to a man with the Troutman surname. He was traded to Francis Giltner of Carroll County, Kentucky. He married Sarah (1819). He fathered seven children. When he learned that Giltner intended to sell his eldest child, they made plans to run away.

They traveled by skiff to Madison, Indiana, where they were met by conductors on the Underground Railroad. Traveling to Newport, Indiana, they were taken in and hidden by Quakers for several days because slave catchers were closing in on them. The family split up, with Sarah and two of their younger children traveling together and he pushed on to southern Michigan. They met up five weeks later and settled in Marshall, Michigan. They met up with some friends from Kentucky, and he was offered employment. He purchased a house on the edge of town on East Mansion Street. His fifth child was born free in Michigan.

He and his family lived in Chatham, Ontario, and North Buxton, which was the final destination for many former enslaved people where they would be free.

The Crosswhite affair received national attention, and pro-slavery factions called for a stricter fugitive law, which led to the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[ungranitodesal]

Harriet Tubman... una mujer luchadora por la libertad, a pesar de su condición (quedar inconsciente de la nada) causada por un golpe en su niñez (al ayudar a un esclavo a escapar), no le fue impedimento en un futuro para escapar, y al probar la libertad decidió volver para sacar a más de esa esclavitud. Formaba grupos y los guiaba por el "ferrocarril subterráneo" hacia la libertad. Apodada Moisés, se convirtió en una amenaza para "propietarios blancos" de esclavos llegando a tener un gran precio por su cabeza. Ella no tuvo miedo, sabía el el Buen Señor siempre la acompañaba y la cuidaba.

Harriet Tubman... a woman who fought for freedom, despite her condition (falling unconscious out of nowhere) caused by a blow in her childhood (when helping a slave escape), that did not prevent her from escaping in the future. . , and upon tasting freedom he decided to return to get more people out of that slavery. He formed groups and led them along the "underground railroad" to freedom. Nicknamed Moses, she became a threat to slave owners and demanded a high price on her head. She was not afraid, she knew that the Good Lord always accompanied her and took care of her.

[padawan-historian]

There are so many adoption agencies and family-saturated programs connected to the settler-colonial (i.e. laissez-facism) structures that seek to "straighten out" our (eco)systems in order to erase our histories, erode our community spaces, and exploit our cultures and our labor.

I ain't gonna say the big R-word (cause apparently is the equivalent of radioactive kryptonite to certain folks of a . . . lighter complexion) but #ParentsRights are fundamentally antiblack, anti-indigenous, and antiqueer in nature. Not only do they miseducate our young and grown folks across colorlines and cultures, but Parents Rights programs fundamentally displace and disposses the personhood and human rights of our young scholars who are growing up behind the veil of bigotry (both the intimate and the institutional)

By claiming children and classrooms should not be politicized, these mama bears and ugly feminists reinforce both the colonization and [R-word] color-codes of our identities, histories, lived experiences, memories, and magic.

There is a sharp difference between being concerned and being a colonizer, especially one with a [white] savior complex ~

This season's series is open to all + free for:

*Incarcerated folks & returning citizens

*Transracial & transnational adoptees

*Patrons of the Antiracist Liberation (www.patreon.com/antiracistliberation)

As we continue our decolonized, community work, we want to nurture an accessible garden space for our community members all while supporting the labor and scholarship of those cultivating our community programs, workshops, and resources. For those of you interested in engaging in this season's series where we dive into the underground railroad of Black history (+ its ever-present rebel afterlives) grab your activist journals, your antiracist notebooks, and get ready to upRoot your miseducation this season ✨️🖤📚