#alvarroes mine

[studiolevez]

The Fight Against Open Cast Lithium Mining: A Call to Action . Mining companies have acquired huge swathes of Portugal's most scenic land in the beautiful Guarda countryside, home to the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Luckily the park is protected land but it's in danger of becoming an oasis in a desert landscape as its surrounding mountain scenery is being ravaged by bulldozers in the search for lithium.

In recent years, the demand for lithium has surged due to its crucial role in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, and renewable energy storage systems. While the benefits of lithium are undeniable, the environmental and social costs associated with open cast lithium mining cannot be overlooked.

Despite prosecutors currently investigating alleged corruption into lithium mining deals, the destruction of Portugal’s countryside continues. The latest proposal is to extend the Alvarrões mine near the village of Gonçalo from 6.5 hectares to 32 hectares. It will be an environmental disaster for the area. Trees will be razed to the ground, habitats for endangered species destroyed and water courses will be in danger of being polluted. The site is next to the Zezere river which supplies water to the half a million inhabitants of Lisbon.

The region has already seen enormous environmental damage with the destruction of over 27,000 hectares of forest in the 2022 wildfires. Lithium mining will further exacerbate this environmental damage.

The local residents have just 30 days to protest the expansion. A petition against the lithium mine expansion has been started at https://peticaopublica.com/pview.aspx?pi=Alvarroes#google_vignette

As global citizens, we must raise our voices against this destructive practice and advocate for more sustainable and ethical methods of lithium extraction. One of the most glaring issues with open cast lithium mining is the extensive environmental destruction it causes. Open cast, or open-pit, mining involves removing vast quantities of earth to access the lithium-rich ore beneath. This process results in significant deforestation, habitat loss, and soil erosion. Forests, which play a vital role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation, are being decimated to make way for lithium mines. The loss of these ecosystems not only contributes to climate change but also endangers countless species of flora and fauna. The economic benefits promised by mining companies rarely materialize for local communities. Instead, the profits are often funneled to multinational corporations and distant investors, leaving local populations to deal with the environmental fallout. The jobs created by the mining industry are typically low-paying and short-term, offering little in the way of long-term economic stability. Once the lithium reserves are depleted, mining companies often abandon the area, leaving behind a scarred landscape and a community in economic disarray. Health issues are another significant concern. The pollution generated by open cast mining can lead to respiratory problems, skin diseases, and other health issues for local residents. The dust and particulate matter released during the mining process can travel long distances, affecting not only those in the immediate vicinity of the mine but also communities further afield.

Links: Petition against the expansion of the Alvarrões mine https://peticaopublica.com/pview.aspx?pi=Alvarroes#google_vignette Facebook group - Living Forest Action https://www.facebook.com/florestavivaguarda Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ7fDM5Drx8

[agirlandherquill]

Ruin's Reprisal - WIP Intro

I was recently tagged by the lovely @mysticstarlightduck in a post of theirs and it inspired me so much I thought I'd put my own spin on it for my novel!

rules are simple, or to my mind, easily breakable (not that I will, because this rule is so broad and so fun) - pick a WIP and post something about it!

so without further ado, here's my WIP Intro!

Title - Ruin's Reprisal

Genre - Fantasy/High-Fantasy (if that's still a thing, sure hope so)

Tags - (ought to come up with some, shouldn't I? ah, well, I'll update this when I do!)

Synopsis - like me with my edits on the manuscript, it's a work in progress

Disgrace. Servant. Murderer.

Three people with nothing in common, except that they were wronged.

And now, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Which means taking the one thing that their society rests on; its sins, its saints, its deaths and broken dreams.

The unlikely band of criminals are going to steal the crown.

Everything depends on one heist. Take the crown. Free themselves.

Will any of them survive? Or will they fall to the country that took everything from them? 

Only time will tell.

And they’re running out of it.

Plot Features, Tropes, A Little Warning Of The Chaos You'll Find

Heist. One big, life-risking, soul-aching heist

I killed for you. Because of you.

Life-saving debt, and then some

Royalty, a Court, and gut-wrenching normality - add a hint of rebellion while you're at it

Gifts and Curses, what's the difference?

My heart is in your hands, literally.

Morally Grey Characters

Deniable Feelings

Lies, lies, lies

A Wedding and A Funeral

I'm going to die. I AM GOING TO DIE.

Ballroom dances. Need I say more?

We had a plan. We had many plans. What now?

You love me. You won't hurt me.

Sacrifice

You made me feel. I need you to stop. I need you to break me because I cannot do it myself.

The Crown was never yours, it's mine.

You were supposed to come to me, to be with me, and I'd have made it all stop.

Slow-burn - light that fire, watch it burn

Limping into battle - best idea I've ever had.

Revenge. Revenge. Revenge.

He broke you? I'll destroy him.

I have hated you since the day I met you, and it still isn't enough.

Heroes and Villains

Light and Dark

Framing for a crime

Who knew a letter could destroy everything?

Character Portraits

Edeva Vitaire - Once a woman with everything: title, gowns, respect, the lot, now she is nothing more than an Exilza, someone exiled to the Half-Lands for a crime she did not commit. Edeva has learned the hardest of ways how someone can lose everything, and she knows what to sacrifice for revenge - she wants her mother's killer more than she wants her innocence restored, and she has only learned to survive in the wilds this long because of it. Mild-mannered by birth, spine steeled by survival, Edeva will do whatever it takes to get answers, even if it means partnering with the last person in the world she would want to help her.

Lucien Vaisey - Trained from birth to serve and protect the Alvarros, Aliria's Royal Family, Lucien understands duty more than most, and what it costs. His sword is at the mercy of other's commands, except when it comes to protecting those he cares for, then, this soldier truly becomes something fearsome.

Fenley Evander - Outcast by nature, damned in soul, Fenley is one of the few with a stomach for violence, and the darkened desire to do something with it. He kills for coin, to maintain a balance in the world, but there is no balance in himself. Plagued by a power deemed unnatural, Fenley is forced to hide his true nature, until the time calls for it. A dangerous man as ever lived, Fenley does not mourn for where his afterlife lies, instead he devours the fear others bestow upon him. He feeds the emptiness inside, and still he continues to hunger for something far harsher than violence - revenge, and to obtain it, he will stoop to wretched depths - manipulation, murder, and even betrayal - no man, nor woman, on this earth can possibly get in his way.

Chapters!

Part One:

Hunt & Hunter

Monsters & Mavericks

Saviour & Solace

Ashes & Absolution

Murders & Markets

Blood & Bravery

Cabins & Crime

Invitations & Irritation

Farewell & Forever

Emancipation & Exile

Puppet & Puppeteer

Part Two (this is as far as I've got with edits and changing chapter names so far, I'll update when I get more done)

Dance of Dismay

Lament of Larkhill

Rumours of Rage

Night of Nothing

Aches of Affliction

Trials of Twilight

Climb of Contemplation

Death of Diplomacy

My Inspiration!

This section is simply me getting to ramble about the things that stoked the fires of my imagination - movies, books, shows - songs, all the works! (as and when i recall/think of more, i'll add them to the list)

The Cruel Prince - had to go far into the depths of my memory for this one, but it was this series that truly got me invested in the likes of Fae and that sort of fantasy, and I took a lot of inspo from that! (in the early days, the Haelish were Fae but I wanted to go outside of that character stereotype and create my own fantasy bloodline/species, for lack of a better word)

Throne of Glass - to this day i'm still in awe of the world, the plot, the characters, everything and though i've only read it once parts of it have stuck with me

Six of Crows - the heist aspect of my novel shockingly came about before i'd read this but it certainly helped that part of the plot along

Red Queen - the villain of my novel, not saying who because who enjoys massive spoilers? (spoiler alert - not me), was deeply, deeply inspired from this series - I'd wager it was the first fantasy novel I'd read that gave me an insight into a truly 'dark' character, and I loved that, and of course, I used it as inspiration and to this day I am still torn between preferring a villainous character to a hero - it's one of the tropes I really, really enjoy

Far From Home by Sam Tinnesz - this was one of the very first songs I'd found for my initial writing playlist, and it's been played many, many times since

Lovely by Fleurie and Tommee Profitt - this embodied the regality and the tension that takes place in so many parts of my story, it was impossible not to be inspired

To Be Alone by Hozier - my ears will never forgive me for this, but it's true of any Hozier song, but this is one of my favourites

Pirates of the Caribbean - grew up watching these repeatedly, needless to say some of the characters did give me inspiration

The Mummy - one of my absolute favourite movies of all time, Rick O'Connell's attitude was an important factor for me to take inspiration from, he's such an interesting character