#brass herons

[31jindo]

Disco Turkeys or more commonly known as Peacocks. The bigger ones with all the spirals take FOREVER and a day to make. The decoy ducks and pocket peacocks are much easier to produce.

This is a Green Heron. Just in case it wasn't obvious, green herons are not actually green. Instead they are the Go Go Gadget of wild birds. Want a short fluffy birb with gentle blues and purple hues? You got it. Need to stretch those birb legs and pretend to be an ostrich? Built in. Want to have an extendo-neck and punk rocker mohawk? This bird has them all. Unfortunately I couldn't choose one and this bird just doesn't look the way it should.

Sometimes just regular copper wire doesn't give pizzazz that a piece deserves. Hence the Blue and Red penguins.

[oceanusborealis]

Awards – The Musical Scores of 2023 That Wowed Us

One factor that I will always look out for in a film is the musical score. I can get caught in the world of music as it sits in my head in the days, weeks, months, and even the years that come. There is immense artistry in weaving emotions from music, having us slip into the world that is created, fear the oncoming dread even if we do not know why, or rejoice in the triumph of that final…

[spencerscookies]

Bathroom Chicago Transitional wainscoting powder room photo

[thecupidwitch]

Elements And Their Correspondences

Earth

Direction: North

Time: Midnight

Season: Winter

Color: Green, brown

Zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Ruling planets: Venus and Saturn

Tarot Cards: Pentacles, Coins

Tools: Pentacle, salt, stones, dirt, crystals, wood, flowers

Cystals: Emerald, Jet, tourmaline, quartz, onyx, azurite, amethyst, jasper, peridot, granite.

Animals: gopher, bear, wolf, ant, horse, stag, deer, dog, cow, bull, bison, snake, worms, moles, voles, grubs

Herbs: Oak, cedar, cypress, honeysuckle, ivy, primrose, sage, grains, patchouli, nuts, magnolia, comfrey, vetivert, moss, lilac, lichen, roots, barley, alfalfa, corn, rice.

Rules: Grounding, strength, healing, success, stability, sturdiness, steadfastness, foundations, empathy, fertility, death, rebirth, wisdom, nature, animals, plants, money, prosperity.

Water

Direction: West

Time: Dusk

Season: Fall

Color: Blue, Indigo, Sliver

Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Ruling planets: Moon, Neptune, Pluto

Tarot Cards: Cups

Tools: Ocean, sea glass, cup, bowl, seaweed, hag stones, cauldron

Cystals: Moonstone, pearl, silver, aquamarine, amethyst, blue tourmaline, lapis lazuli, fluorite, coral, blue topaz, beryl, opal, coral

Animals: fish, snake, frog, crab, lobster, eel, shark, dragonfly, seahorse, dolphin, sea otter, seal, whale, alligator, crocodile, beaver, octopus, penguin, salamander, turtle, starfish, koi, coral, barnacle, manta ray, manatee, jellyfish, nautilus, heron, duck, geese, crane, swan, water birds, ammonite, dragons, serpents

Herbs: seaweed, aloe, fern, water lily, lotus, moss, willow, gardenia, apple, catnip, chamomile, cattail, lettuce, kelp, birch, cabbage, coconut, cucumber, comfrey, eucalyptus, gourd, geranium, grape, licorice, lilac, pear, strawberry, tomato

Rules: emotion, intuition, psychic abilities, love, unconscious mind, fertility, self-healing, reflection, lunar energy, deep feelings, curses, death

Fire

Direction: South

Time: Noon

Season: Summer

Color: Red, Orange

Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Ruling planets: Sun, Mars

Tarot Cards: Wands or Swords (depends on belief system)

Tools: Athame, candles, swords, wands, dagger, lamp, flame

Cystals: Carnelian, red jasper, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, agate, rhodochrosite, gold, pyrite, brass, fire opal, lavastone, tiger's eye

Animals: Lion, snake, coyote, fox, ladybug, bee, shark, scorpion, horse, mantis, tiger

Herbs: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, basil, cacti, marigold, chilis, garlic, mustard, nettle, onion, heliotrope, hibiscus, juniper, lime, orange, red pepper, poppies, thistle, coffee, jalapenos, lemon, cumin, saffron, coriander

Rules: Energy, will, destruction, strength, courage, power, passion, lust, sexuality, anger, war, new beginnings, protection, loyalty, transformation, action, movement, achievement, creativity, desire, willpower

Air

Direction: East

Time: Down

Season: Spring

Color: Yellow, gold, white, light blue, pastels

Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Ruling planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus

Tarot Cards: Wands

Tools: Feather, wand, staff, incense, broom, bell, sword, pen

Cystals: Amber, topaz, citrine, jasper, agate, pumice, alexandrite, amethyst, fluorite, mica, clear quartz

Animals: Birds, flying insects, spiders, bats

Herbs: Bergamot, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, sage, dandelion, bluebell, clover, frankincense, primrose, lemongrass, pine, aspen, yarrow, violets, vervain, myrrh, dill, anise, aspen

Rules: Intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, logic, thought, communication, truth, inspiration, intuition, memory, creativity

Tip jar

[greenwitchcrafts]

October 2023 witch guide

Full moon: October 28th

New moon: October 14th

Sabbats: Samhain

October Hunter's Moon

Known as: Blood moon, drying rice moon, falling leaf moon, freezing moon, migrating moon, moon of the changing seasons, shedding moon, ten colds moon, winterfelleth & windermanoth

Element: Air

Zodiac: Libra & Scorpio

Nature spirits: Frost faeries & Plant faeries

Deities: Apollo, Astarte, Belili, Cernunnos, Demeter, Hathor, Herne, Horned God, Ishtar, Kore, Lakshmi & Mercury

Animals: Elephant, jackal, ram, scorpion & stag

Birds: Crow, heron & robin

Trees: Acacia, apple, cypress & yew

Herbs/Plants: Angelica, apple blossom, burdock, catnip, pennyroyal, sweet Annie, thyme & Uva ursi

Flowers: Calendula, cosmos & marigold

Scents: Apple blossom, cherry & strawberry

Stones: Amethyst, beryl, obsidian, opal, tourmaline & turquoise

Colors: Black, dark blue, Dark greens & purples

Energy: Artistic works, balance, creativity, harmony, inner cleansing, justice, karma, legal matters, mental stimulation, partnerships, reincarnation & uncovering mysteries or secrets

It is believed that this name originates from the fact that it was a signal for hunters to prepare for the upcoming cold winter by going hunting. This is because animals were beginning to fatten up in preparation for the winter season. Moreover, since fields had recently been cleared out under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily spot deer and other animals that had come out to search for remaining scraps. Additionally, foxes and wolves would also come out to prey on these animals.

The earliest use of the term “Hunter’s Moon,” cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, is from 1710. Some sources suggest that other names for the Hunter’s Moon are the Sanguine or Blood Moon, either associated with the blood from hunting or the color of the changing autumn leaves. 

Samhain

Also known as: All Hallow's Eve,  Ancestor Night, Feast of Apples, Feast of Sam-fuim, Feast of Souls, Feast of the Dead, Geimhreadh, Hallowmass, Martinmass, Old Hallowmas, Pagan New Year, Samana, Samhuinn, Samonios, Shadowfest & Third Harvest

Season: Fall

Symbols: Apples, bats, besom(brooms), black cats, cauldrons, ghosts, gourds, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, scarecrows & witches

Colors: Black, gold, orange, silver & white

Oils/incense: Basil, cloves, copal, frankincense, gum mastic, heather, heliotrope, mint, myrrh & nutmeg

Animals: Bat, boar, cat cattle & dogs

Stones: Amber, anatase, black calcite, black obsidian, black tourmaline, brass, carnelian, clear quartz diamond, garnet, gold, granite, hematite, iron, jet, marble, pearl, pyrite, ruby, sandstone, sardonyx, smokey quartz, steel & tektite

Foods: Apples, ale, beef, cider, corm, fruits, garlic, gourds, grains, hazelnuts, herbal teas, mushroom, nettle, nuts, pears, pomegranates, pork, poultry, pumpkin pie, sunflower seeds, thistle, turnips & wine (mulled)

Herbs/plants: Acorn, Allspice, catnip, corn, dittany of Crete, hazel, mandrake, mugwort, mullien, oak leaves, pine, rosemary, sage, straw, tarragon, thistle, wormwood & yellow cedar

Flowers: Calendula, chrysanthemum, deadly nightshade, rue & fumitory

Goddesses: Al-lat, Baba Yaga, Badb, Banba, Bast, Bebhionn, Bronach, Brunhilde, Cailleach, Carlin, Cassandra, Cerridwen, Copper Woman, Crobh Dearg, Devanyani, Dolya, Edda, Elli, Eris, Erishkigal, Fortuna, Frau Holde, Hecate, Hel, Ishtar, Kali, Macha Mania, Morrigan, Nemesis, Nephthys, Nicneven & Rhiannon

Gods: Arawan, Baron Samede, Belenus, Coyote, Cronus, Dagda, Dis, Hades, Loki, Nefertum, Odin, Osiris, Pluto, Woden & Xocatl

Issues Intentions & Powers: Crossroads, darkness, death, divination, honoring ancestors, introspection, the otherworld/underworld, release, visions & wisdom (of the crone)

Spellwork: Divination, fire magick, night magick, shape-shifting, spirit calling & water magick

Related festivals:

• Day of the Dead- (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed & is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. Although related to the simultaneous Christian remembrances for Hallowtide, it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

• All Saints Day- is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honor of all the saints & martyrs of the Church, whether they are known or unknown

Activities:

• Dedicate an altar to loved ones who have passed

• Boil a simmer pot to cleanse your space

• Have a silent dinner

• Light a candle for your loved ones & yourself

• Decorate your house and/or altar

• Release negative energy & cleanse your with a ritual bath

• Pull tarot cards to see what may be in store for you ahead

• Cleanse, clean & de-clutter your space

• Leave offerings to the Fae

• Journal & reflect on your accomplishments, challenges & everything you did this year

•Go on a nature walk

• Learn a new form of divination

• Have a bonfire with your friends and/or family

• Carve pumpkins

• Express yourself creatively through art, music, ect

• Visit a cemetery & help clean off areas that need it or to visit a family member/ ancestor & leave an offering

• Hold a seance

• Bake spooky treats & bread as offerings

• Refresh your protection magicks, sigils & rituals

Samhain is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker half" of the year. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset.

This fire festival is celebrated on October 31st & is considered the Pagan New Year. It is the first Sabbat on the Wheel of the Year, a cross-quarter festival & the third (final) harvest festival of the mundane year. This is the time when the veil between the worlds of the living & those who have passed is the thinnest, which allows greater communication between the two

Some believe this is the time of the Goddess's mourning of the death of the God until his rebirth at Yule. The Goddess's sadness can be seen in the shortening, darkening days & the arrival of cold weather

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's 2023 magical almanac: practical magic for everyday living

Wikipedia

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

dinos are so weird that penguins didn't even make the top ten

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌙 Ramadan Mubarak - Books ft. Muslims

🦇 Good morning, my beautiful bookish bats. To celebrate this Islamic holy month, here are a FEW books featuring Muslim characters. I hope you consider adding a few to your TBR.

❓What was the last book you read that taught you something new OR what's at the top of your TBR?

🌙 A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum 🌙 Amal Unbound - Aisha Saeed 🌙 Love From A to Z - S.K. Ali 🌙 Hana Khan Carries On - Uzma Jalaluddin 🌙 Yes No Maybe So - Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed 🌙 Evil Eye - Etaf Rum 🌙 I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai 🌙 Exit West - Mohsin Hamid 🌙 Written in the Stars - Aisha Saeed 🌙 The Night Diary - Veera Hiranandani 🌙 Much Ado About Nada - Uzma Jalaluddin 🌙 The Eid Gift - S.K. Ali 🌙 More Than Just a Pretty Face - Syed M. Masood 🌙 Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero - Saadia Faruqi 🌙 If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan 🌙 Snow - Orhan Pamuk 🌙 Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged - Ayisha Malik 🌙 The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad 🌙 And I Darken - Kiersten White 🌙 The Last White Man - Mohsin Hamid

🌙 Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H 🌙 The Bad Muslim Discount - Syed M. Masood 🌙 Ms. Marvel - G. Willow Wilson 🌙 Love from Mecca to Medina - S.K. Ali 🌙 The City of Brass - S.A. Chakraborty 🌙 The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim 🌙 A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar 🌙 A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi 🌙 An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi 🌙 The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan 🌙 The Moor’s Account - Laila Lalami 🌙 Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian 🌙 Salt Houses by Hala Alyan 🌙 When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Quershi 🌙 Jasmine Falling by Shereen Malherbe 🌙 Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad 🌙 Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini 🌙 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 🌙 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 🌙 Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

🌙 Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie 🌙 All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir 🌙 The Bohemians by Jasmin Darznik 🌙 Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin 🌙 A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif 🌙 Chronicle of a Last Summer by Yasmine El Rashidi 🌙 A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena 🌙 Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga 🌙 The Mismatch by Sara Jafari 🌙 Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah 🌙 You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen 🌙 Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali 🌙 Once Upon an Eid - S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed 🌙 Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan 🌙 Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson 🌙 The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar 🌙 A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan 🌙 Nayra and the Djinn by Michael Berry 🌙 All-American Muslim Girl by Lucinda Dyer 🌙 It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi

🌙 The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim 🌙 Salaam, with Love by Sara Sharaf Beg 🌙 Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf 🌙 How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi 🌙 Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan 🌙 Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam 🌙 She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert 🌙 Hollow Fires by Lucinda Dyer 🌙 Internment by Samira Ahmed 🌙 Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa 🌙 Love in a Headscarf - Shelina Zahra Janmohamed 🌙 Courting Samira by Amal Awad 🌙 The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik 🌙 Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy 🌙 Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed 🌙 Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Samira Ahmed 🌙 Muslim Girls Rise - Saira Mir and Aaliya Jaleel 🌙 Amira & Hamza - Samira Ahmed 🌙 The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf 🌙 Nura and the Immortal Palace by M.T. Khan

🌙 As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh 🌙 Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan 🌙 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao 🌙 The Yard - Aliyyah Eniath 🌙 When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar 🌙 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty 🌙 Maya's Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja 🌙 The Chai Factor by Farah Heron 🌙 The Beauty of Your Face - Sahar Mustafah 🌙 Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

[labselkie]

Day 12 | Magic

this was going to be closer to the prompt but i got sidetracked. again. there’s not even any magic here dude it’s just marie confessing

The witch’s basement as dark as usual, an odd state of permanent dusk still hanging over the stone room. Agatha had a strange morning, one she’d refused to explain. So, she called Annamarie down to take it out on her.

She paced in a circle beneath the vaulted ceiling, aimlessly fidgeting with a golden pendant in her hands. Agatha was saving her most extravagant dress for her grand finale, but she still enjoyed experimenting with the layers, as the outfit’s deep violet shawl swished with each step.

“Agatha?” A familiar voice chirps from just out of sight. The tone is steeped in emotion, and it’s one Agatha knows all too well. Marie rushes down in a flurry of feathers, stopping between the first two columns.

“Took you long enough,” Agatha rolls her eyes, trying to disguise her voice in a cloak of hatred. “The Hex is changing, Anna, and you can’t be sitting around just waiting for Wanda to find us.”

Marie stops in her tracks, tilting her head like any curious bird. This was unlike Agatha, she’d only come off as cold if she was faced with something she disliked, but before Marie could ponder any longer she’s ushered over by a sharp wave.

“What happened? Did you see something? Was it the kids?”

“No and no.” The witch holds out her closed hand to Marie, looking to the side as she does so. “It’s just that.. The Hex knows you’re with me.”

She opens her hand, and in her palm is a pendant. It’s a shiny little thing, a small heron with its wings outstretched in a crescent. A hole is punched into the brass tail to connect a small violet gem on a thin chain link.

Marie takes a hesitant step forward, and she takes a moment to inspect the necklace. Agatha looks back, her brows furrowing when she shakes her hand a bit. Marie gets the message and quickly plucks it up.

“Where’d you find this?” She asked, golden eyes fixated on the carved bird cradled in her hand.

“Bedside table, it was next to my amulet.” Agatha almost sounded offended that something associated with Marie would materialize near her. “Witches, we- Many of them gift their familiar a sort of pendant.. Anything worn near the head or heart works.”

Marie glances up, her hand closes around the pendant and she holds it closer.

“Are they usually enchanted?”

Agatha scowls, “Maybe half the time. I can assure you it won’t choke you, I didn’t have the time to curse it.”

The mutant swallows hard, she’s nervous. Would bring a familiar be detrimental? Let alone being Agatha’s familiar. So, she stalls, “You really trust me with whatever familiars do?”

“Not really,” She scoffs, “But you’ve been helping already, and Scratchy doesn’t count.”

Marie brings the necklace to her collar, letting the cool pendant rest on her skin as she clips it on in the back. A perfect fit, lying just above the dip of her dress. With her hands still behind her head, she keeps her eyes down, “Then does this mean you care about me..?”

Agatha grows tense, sharp blue eyes scrutinize Marie’s every movement, and she crosses her arms. “Of course not- Witches lose their familiars all the time! You’re being bound to suffer as I do- It’s- It’s just easier to have an extra soul to sell!”

The witch practically floundered to find her words, she was still upset that something as unpredictable as Wanda’s spell would stick her together with someone as fundamentally different than her as Marie.

But still, Marie smiles; it’s a slightly worried gesture, but a smile nonetheless. “But we’re bound, that’s why you’re so upset.”

“Oh, shove it..”

“The spell! That is why! It sees us, it’s basing itself on your thoughts!” Even through her racing heart, she’s excited, it’s not every day that you get to see into Agatha’s mind. Her right hand flies up to hold onto the necklace, the material warming up some. Agatha was bristling at this point, but not exactly with rage. Rather, embarrassment flooded her heart. Agatha Harkness shouldn’t feel of let anyone get close. And no one should get close to her.

Agatha recoils when Marie steps forward. “You care!” The mutant exclaims, her wings puffing up with a few excited flaps.

“I can’t, I-“ Agatha stutters, her expression wracked with grief. She pushes past Marie, storming away, “I don’t care, it’s like caring for another animal! It’s just a chore!”

Marie whirls around, her wings causing dust below her to swirl. Her hand lowers from the necklace and joins the other in fidgeting with one of her dress’s ruffles. Her brows knit together with her focus before she blurts out: “That’s what caring for you is like too!”

Agatha pauses at the bottom of the stairs, her hand lingering over the railing.

“You make it impossible, I know why you do, but it doesn’t work on everyone. Agatha Harkness of Salem, I like you- I care for you, I love you. It isn’t a chore to me, it’s what I want to do.”

[wawamouse]

Oz Rewatch 3: S6E03: Sonata da Oz

Plotlines

Eugene Dobbins guesting

Keller and Beecher are saying goodbye; Keller attacks Lopresti; Schillinger goes to visit Loewen, who berates him; Yood tells Beecher that Winthrop killed his father; Loewen threatens Devlin; Beecher is released from Oz; Loewen is killed in the hospital

Stella reaches out to Pablo Rosa; Norma visits Rebadow to ask him to talk to Busmalis

Cutler fights Pancamo for Robson; Glynn gives Pancamo back the kitchens on the condition he leaves the Aryans alone

Martinez continues to be ill and harassed by Brass; Chico visits Martinez to shank him but ultimately chooses not to, angering Morales; Martinez dies in the night under Nurse Grace’s care; Gloria fires heron the spot and informs Glynn she’ll be publicizing the autopsy results; Glynn decides to hold a press conference about the toxins in Solitary;

Brass tells Murphy that Martinez confessed that Morales ordered him; Morales is placed in Solitary where Brass cuts his achilles tendons

Hoyt has a mental breakdown on Death Row; Mukada asks Sister Pete to examine Hoyt; Mukada releases Kirk’s possession to his mother

Sister Pete tries to take Jericho from Cyril, who resists and is upset; Cyril is set to be executed; he is put through electro shock to deal with his emerging mental illness and return to a mental space fit for execution

Redding tells the Homeboys they will be working in the telemarketing office

Said is visited by the publishers who tell him the legal battles involved; Said decides to publish Augustus’s boo himself and pay the employees minimum wage; Idzik, posing as a reporter, kills Said

I accidentally started episode 4 instead and had to DIVE for the play controls before McManus announced Said’s death to Emerald City 😅 So she already heard the part that was like "Yesterday, a man came to Oz pretending to be a journalist" and was suspicious when Said went to meet with a supposed reporter at the end of the episode. Whoopsss

Me: What does Yood get from egging this on? Sister: He gets to keep his companion.

Sister: He’s got that prison-itis where he just starts telling everyone his plans. He’s going to die in this episode.

Sister: No time for hugs! Leave, leave, leave! Get out first and then come back and hug him in the visiting room! Quick! Before the door closes!

Sister: Your boy is moving up in the world. Rebelling��� Now that he made up with Miguel, it's time for a new leader…

Sister: Uhh, are they banging? Miss ma’am? What are your fingers doing?

Sister: I don’t get it, either… (proceeds to muse for several minutes)

Sister: Wait, wait, wait. They publicly revealed that Solitary is full of poison and they’re still just putting people in there?

Sister: His ideas are getting too big… Something's going to happen. Said: Mentions he's meeting a reporter Sister: NOOOOO... he's going to DIE.....

Stray Thoughts

Sister was impatient to see Beecher leave

Sister thinks Eleanor is Secretly Evil

Final Thoughts Sister: I was wondering why there wasn’t really a Said storyline this season, and it was because now he’s gone forever… I wonder if the writers got lazy and just killed him so they wouldn’t have to figure out what to do about all the legal battles. Damn, and now we won’t get to see Beecher come visit him and hug him in the visiting room… And who will be leader now? Arif? I guess so, but he seems to have control problems. They’re not going to bring a new guy in just to be the leader, because this is season 6. Everything’s falling apart… What are we going to do? What’s the point? Said’s dead…

Sister: The Irish guy (Murphy) got stupider. Me: Ryan? Sister: No, the other one. The guy who just went along with things. Me: Oh, Murphy. Sister: Yeah, maybe. Also, if I worked there and they said that part of my workplace was contaminated, I would not be stepping foot in there. Not only did they know that area was making people sick, but they put people back there and continued to voluntarily step into the space. I’d be pissed. I’d be calling OSHA. Me: Did they mention that they are already fixed the situation and we just forgot? Sister: I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure he just said to keep it hush hush and then stuck them back in Solitary… Sister: Also, if they’re cutting him up in Solitary, how are they supposed to make up an excuse? Don’t they have to take him to the hospital? And they’re cutting his heels, so that’s like a slow torture and they’re all exposed to the contaminants. Like, shouldn’t that one lady be sick, too? The one who keeps going to all of the prisoner’s cells? And she works there? Ooh, is that what the plot is going to be? Retribution at last? Is the lady going to die? Hm… I guess it depends on how the show wants me to feel about them… 20 years later…

Me: Any predictions for the rest of the season? Sister: The lady may or may not die… Mm, I was going to say maybe the prison will close, but they didn’t even close it when it got blown up. They just moved everyone to a different part, so I guess not. Umm… McManus will leave, depending on what happens. The Poet guy may try to take control from Redding, and the telemarketing office is going to do credit card scams…. Miguel? I don’t know… He didn’t really have a storyline this episode, either. Other than being horny. Also, the priest is having some demon plot line… You know, kind of rude of Mr. Reverend to disappear and instead of hanging around on Mr. Priest’s shoulder, he lets the devil ride there instead. He should be coming over like “shoo, shoo, this is my guy”. Like, if you’re supernatural, and the devil is supernatural, then you’re on the same playing field. You could tell him to fuck off, that’s your shoulder. Or, you could send prophetic dreams to him and be like “there is no devil on your shoulder” like the biker dude said. That way Mr Priest isn’t all paranoid, looking at his shoulder and thinking he’s haunted.

Sister: I think Cyril will die. Me: Which episode, do you think? Sister: Episode 5…

[hanzajesthanza]

the mishmash of clothing that geralt’s company wear during their journey is delightfully piecemeal. it’s like half-brokilonian, half-stolen from banditry, half-clothes which actually belong to them. ik i made this post as a joke but i actually really love the outfits of the company

geralt and dandelion are dressed in hooden grey elven mantels. later in chapter 4, they’ve exchanged them for homespun cloaks stolen from the guards, which they used to escape the camp. from though he still has his recognizable headband and medallion, geralt is seemingly almost incognito as he wears a leafy-patterned elven jerkin from the dryads. (and for even more brokilon influence, before zoltan gives him the dwarven sihill, he has a sword from col serrai).

speaking of dwarven fashions, dandelion receives a quilted jacket and a ‘swashbuckling’ marten-fur kalpak from zoltan and his company. he replaced his plum hat with the heron’s feather with this marten kalpak, so he as well is almost incognito. as far as accessories go, he has a brass-studded belt and the cruel-looking knife from the dwarves, too; although he immediately lost the knife. after the events of chapter 4 and in the middle of 5, his head is wounded and bandaged.

zoltan tells milva that she “looks too much like a squirrel” to approach humans alone — which is probably a result of her dress and her bow, of course. asides from her mahogany bow with whalebone risers, measuring 5 foot with a 24 inch draw length, shooting grey-fletched arrows… and one silver arrow… she’s likely dressed in some brokilonian or elven garb, owing to her work as an agent for brokilon. but she also wears “human” clothing, a blouse and woolen leggings. her belt is described, with a pouch and a hunting knife with a bone handle hanging off of it (and in the next book, she gives this knife to angoulême as a gift). perhaps most curiously, milva’s not mentioned to be wearing her iconic braid or plait during this book, rather her long hair is described as falling into geralt’s face when she leans over him in tense conversation in chapter 1, tossing her hair with a sudden movement when offended in chapter 5…

cahir is almost unrecognizable as nothing he wears betrays him as nilfgaardian, instead he’s dressed in a hauberk, leather tunic and cloak from the men who were transporting him. but this hauberk becomes ever-so iconic in its own right as it plays such a role in the fish soup… as a strainer.

regis, of course, dresses modestly and is perhaps the only one of the company dressed in his own clothes not signalling affiliation to a larger faction or taken from some roving banditry. black robes, something like an apron tied around the waist. when they meet him, he has a linen bag, but when they leave, he’s exchanged it for a leather one. and also, a walking stick, which is never mentioned again by the writing... he also has his nigh-iconic black, woolen cloak-cape, which he wraps himself up in…

and the horses! do not forget the horses. geralt’s elven roach, a bay mare who rides as if bitted by horseflies. the lazy and docile bay gelding pegasus, of course, remains dandelion’s steed. cahir rides on a chestnut colt, which he loses but later recovers. milva’s black horse, which she tells geralt not to touch in chapter 1, which also becomes the subject of debate in chapter 4. regis rides on a nilfgaardian bay near the end of the novel, by which point they’ve also obtained a riderless grey horse which carries their modest belongings.

these small little details are all just described so wonderfully across the course of the book, the picture is painted for you eventually, over time, your attention is rewarded with an intricate picture at the end…

[jeannereames]

Master of Battles...teasers

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word!

From @nemainofthewater The word for the next round is FEAST.

So, I’m going to have a little fun and share with you some excerpts from my current series, Master of Battles. Even better, as the word has five letters, I’ll choose one excerpt from EACH of the 5 completed novels in the series. (Book 6 is still in process.)

Two caveats: as the series is not sold yet, much less in the editing process, what you see here might differ from any final version (up to and including book titles).

Second, perhaps obviously, all of these are copyrighted material. Consider them teasers.

Love any feedback in comments.

From Master of Battles, Book 1, The Oriole

(I’m cheating just a tad here, as the second line of the novel starts with an /f/, so I’m bracketing the first line but including it….)

[Heart hammering, Otteutákhwa ran for his life.]

Five of the city guard scrambled after, stud-soled sandals aclatter on cobblestone, a bright-brass drumming that called “capture.” If they caught up, they’d drag him back to jail, which would, eventually, return him to Shishiíkwia.

He’d rather die.

From Master of Battles, Book 2, Green-mantle Bird Clan

Equal parts honored and terrified, Suwatha stood on the most hallowed place in all of Four Rivers.

The Sacred Isle.

Clouds fashioned a rolling haze, diffusing sunlight, so the elaborately carved arboreal buildings of the Holy City appeared then vanished in mist as Suwatha and her twin Skanyo were led along hanging wooden bridges. Phosphorescent vines braided handrails and slid beneath floor planks, making yellow-green and red trails through the cloud forest. Water rushed down cliff faces to which plants clung: fluffy ferns, delicate purple orchids, and huge white spider flowers with long cerise stamens like curling tongues. Birds piped clear and high over a constant purr of insects, and the air was heavy with moisture, more mist than sprinkle. Pathway lamps wreathed in fog stretched into the distance, a fuzzy yellow line rising as clouds filled the valley bowl, brushed on top by the sun’s pink and gold. She spotted a few hummingbirds, beryl and carnelian, amethyst and lapis zipping past almost too fast to see. Gnarled trees grew in thick clumps anywhere a plateau or ledge could be found. Now and then, branches would thin enough for Suwatha to see the parrot-blue sea far below.

She’d grown up in Yú-nawa Tewáleyu—Hundred Falls—the largest Longhouse city, arguably the largest in all of Four Rivers. She was used to impressive buildings, grandeur in scenery, and a bustle of people at all tree levels. Yet the Holy City invoked pure awe: ethereal, ancient, and serene.

From Master of Battles, Book 3, Great Blue Heron

As they entered the harbor under a halo of pale mist, no major engagement greeted them. Ision’s infantry occupied the dock, forming a long line of locked shields, eight-men deep. No one seemed to be down. It looked like parade formation.

Had Shishiίkwia permitted them to gain a beachhead unopposed?

Unbelievable.

What did the witch want so badly that he’d risk his entire army to get it?

From Master of Battles, Book 4, The Piasa

“Shhh,” he said. “Shhh.” It was the voice from [Suwatha’s] childhood when she’d been scared in the night, the big brother come to comfort her and Skanyo. She ceased fighting.

Cautious, those who’d dropped to knees got up. The half-finished sacrifice lay forgotten on the altar, everyone’s attention riveted by Ision-as-Piasa arrowing towards a scoop in the eastern slope: no doubt the flat area where Nowoko and Kuluana had made their wheel. A haze seemed to bloom around it despite the brightness of late morning. Roaring in defiance, Piasa pierced right through, rolling the mist to either side. Immediately, it flowed back together to flood after him. Suwatha clutched a hand at her throat, tail curling and uncurling. Nagwē kept a hold of her, as if afraid she might try to bolt again, but common sense had returned. How could she possibly help in a supernatural battle?

And, One Foretold or not, how could he fight cannibal spirits?

For surely that was what swarmed around him, materializing more fully as a gray cloud. His wings beat the air, driving himself up, up. At this distance, he was little more than a red-gold speck against sun glare, the cannibal spirits occluding his form like an oncoming eclipse.

Abruptly, the fog exploded outward and away from him, leaving him free, wings spread against the yellow sun behind, head lifted and mane streaming.

The fog seemed somehow diminished. Not gone but diminished. Diving, he chased after.

And it fled.

From Master of Battles, Book 5, The Peacock Throne

Teo felt cold seep into his bones. “Will they kill him? When they find out the truth?”

“That won’t be the problem. But he’ll have to negotiate.”

“I had a vision in the park. At the old plane tree.”

“The Mother Gaia Tree?”

So, Ensāni understood Mother Trees.

“What did you see?” Aratos asked.

“The city founding, I think. A red-haired man constructed an altar under the tree and said he’d build a city to last a thousand years. The altar isn’t there anymore though.”

“It is—holding up one of the branches. That must have been the first Perdikkas. He and his brothers were fleeing pursuit and crossed the Bodená, then scaled the cliff to find that tree. He thought it a good omen. I think he just liked the waterfalls and knew a defensible site when he saw it.”

That sounded like Aratos. Always rational.

“What else did you see?” His tone was expectant, as if he knew something. Was he the Spirits’ answer to Teo’s request for more?

“I saw two futures, but don’t know if they’re just different times in one future, or two possibilities. In the first, my people live peaceably among yours. But I also saw a future where the city falls, only a few survivors hiding in the tree’s hollows.”

The ghost of Aratos bent forward on the throne. “You must make the first Perdikkas’s prophecy come true, Teo. A thousand years. You must bring about the first future.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Negotiate.” The ghost faded until the throne was empty.

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for December 29, 2014 #71.

Power Of Zeus “Sorceror Of Isis”

Cybotron “Aries Boogie”

Atomic Crocus, The “Ombilic Effect”

Rimshots, The “Neighbor! Get Your Own”

Jimmy “Bo” Horne “Dance Across The Floor”

Donald Austin “Crazy Legs”

Little Sonny “Eli’s Pork Chop”

Albert King “Cold Feet”

Richard Groove Holmes “You’ve Got It Bad”

Don Powell “Troubled Mind” (ver. A)

Second Direction “Praeludium”

Linda Tillery “Freedom Time”

Baron Von Ohlen Quartet, The “Runaway Heart”

Pete Kelly “Beachcomber”

Veit Marvos & Hid Red Point Orchestra “The Way You Look At Me”

Bobbi Humphrey “Chicago, Damn”

Roy Budd “Diamonds”

Hubert Laws “Undecided”

Frank Strazerri “Cloudburst”

Gil-Scott Heron “Home Is Where The Hatred Is”

Siegfried Shwab “Feel It”

People’s Choice, The “Soft And Tender”

Larry Willis “Journey’s End”

Mighty Joe Young “As The Years Go Passing By”

Banks & Hampton “Passion And Promises”

Samuel Jonathan Johnson “My Music”

Billy Preston “I Wonder”

Weldon Irvine “Morning Sunrise”

J.O.B. Orchestra “Govinda”

Tony Ansell “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise”

Jay Beliner “I Just Want To Be There”

Les Baxter “Black Mass”

Francois Betti “Brass Blues”

Marc Moulin “Tohu Bohu I”

Riff Raff “Original Man”

Pierre Bachalet & Mathias Camison “O’ Et L’Amour A Trois”

Pekka Pohjola “Sekoilu Seestyy (Madness Subsides)”

Bonus broadcast; jazz, soul, fusion, funk, vinyl treasures, crate-digging, and sampling.

[emmerrr]

9 books for 2025

i was tagged by @sulkybbarnes thanks lovely! i've done these in years past and haven't done so well, so fingers crossed for this year. i gave myself rules -- don't include books i've included before and still not read, don't include continuations of series (first book is ok). anyway here goes:

Orcs by Stan Nicholls - my brother lent?? gave?? this to me several years ago and it's been languishing on my shelf ever since. i wanna read it just so that i can give it back to him and get it out of my house. i have no idea if it's supposed to be good.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - i read City of Brass by this author a couple years ago and loved it and i need to finish the series but can't mention those because of my self-imposed Rules. this one looks like it'll be super fun though.

Hild by Nicola Griffith - i did actually start this toward the tail-end of 2024 but i had to put it on hold because i had too much other stuff going on by that point and i realised i'd need my Big Brain to get through it. i was enjoying it, though!

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson - i got this for christmas 2024 and i reeeeeally wanna get to it soon!

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams - i have heard nothing but good things about this series.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak - this one was a christmas present to myself, i just think it sounds right up my alley.

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino - studio ghibli's the boy and the heron is based on this and i really wanna watch it but i wanna read the book first so hopefully i'll get to it soon.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - i meant to read this last year but time got away from me so it's high on my list!

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley - i always start the new year in a real sci-fi mood and i also love natasha pulley's writing so this one was a no-brainer.

i don't know who's been tagged, but if you haven't and you wanna play along then please tag me, i'm literally always looking for book recs!

[gravehags]

look at the necklace i snagged tonight on sale for being discontinued she’s a little gold plated brass wine amphora! :) the maker is heron and lamb and they make beautiful ancient-inspired pieces, i highly recommend their work!

[heronyearwood]

for: @bookedrevenge where: some hold house inland when: daytime

While Port Leiry's riverfront is pleasant; the ambience is clean and tidy, clearly well tended, its the quiter end of it that she favors from this old house they've commandeered. The balcony from which she catches a breath of frush, iron-free air is well situated to give Heron a nice vista downriver, towards the upbuilt parts of town and the sea beyond it. She appreciates its order and organization, and while the city sports it on the surface, she knows that under that veneer lurks tangled webs all dripping with filth that she cannot wait to burn away. She takes a spoon of fruit and cream and indulges in a sensible lunch as she takes in the view, but then she decides to check the time, and realizes that she has lingered entirely too long. She takes her bowl and moves back inside, first to the kitchen, where she puts the half-finished parfait into a refrigerator and, stepping around the counter, removes a set of pliers from where she left them, and then moves across the parquet and towards a heavy oak door before stopping to replace a messy apron, idly tying it around her waist. She hears the click of old brass and looks to the door as it opens, her compatriot appearing from within the next room. "Did it say anything yet?" She asks, musically, as she pulls gloves on, the snap of them a clap in the otherwise quiet room. "Or do we need to move on to more convincing methods of conversation?"

She winces, the protest from her dead Brotherhood mark endlessly reminding her of its presence. "Damn old thing," hisses heron under her breath.

[wot-tidbits]

Heron Mark Sword from The Wheel of Time book series by seattlezack

"The blade is high carbon tool steel from an old file. The hilt is brass, walnut, and a couple of pieces of walrus ivory. "