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fatehbaz · 3 years ago

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Ever since 310 BC, when Greek philosopher Theophrastus, Aristotle’s successor in the Peripatetic School, set sealed bottles afloat to prove his theory that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean flowed into the Mediterranean Sea, drift bottles have been used to chart ocean currents. As conveyors of messages to strangers on faraway coasts, they have long been part of the allure of the sea, whose currents -- predictably for the likes of Theophrastus and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, yet unfathomably for so many -- were central to the exchange of peoples, goods, and biota that so deeply marked the history of the Caribbean archipelago. The currents swirling around the Caribbean region “in Van Gogh-esque grandeur” [...] give the archipelago a distinct current-driven identity, proposing archipelagic connections through winds and water flows that uniquely embrace the islands, “framing” them as a group. These stunningly beautiful Van Gogh-esque swirls -- visual renditions of a painterly sea -- now sadly bear swarms of unwanted (and most decidedly nonalluring) drift bottles in the form of floating plastic debris that reaches the coasts of the Caribbean islands from far-flung places in the world, offering a plastic “frame” that once again embraces the islands as an archipelagic unit.

The very currents that led Columbus and his vessels to the Caribbean Basin, making it the cradle of pan-American colonialism and planting the seeds for the significant environmental revolution that followed in their wake, now bring to the Caribbean shores a plethora of pollutants, from solid waste (mostly plastic waste) to sewage, hydrocarbons, and agricultural runoff.

These pollutants, as Alice Te Punga Somerville has argued about the Great Pacific Patch, embody, as waste, a complex set of natural and cultural processes bound with colonialism and empire: “proximity, movement, disposability, invisibility, history, excess, destruction, reconfiguration, giant multimodal currents, and their life-changing effects on marine as well as human life” [...]. The result is that, according to the 2004 GIWA Regional Assessment of the Caribbean Islands, “pollution of aquatic ecosystems [...] is the most severe and recurrent transboundary environmental concern in the region” [...]. Ramon E. Soto-Crespo, writing about Jean Rhys and the Sargasso Sea -- the portion of the North Atlantic region where ocean currents form a gyre that now contains a high concentration of nonbiodegradable plastic waste -- describes it as “a living archipelago of unanchored trash forms” [...]. Rhys herself, writing about waste in Good Morning, Midnight (1939) -- before developments in chemical technology allowed for mass production of plastic in the 1940s and 1950s -- proposed a “grotesque bilge theory of subjectivity” rooted in a preplastics understanding of the inevitability of ocean pollution [...].

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Among the most eloquent voices inviting action against the seemingly insurmountable problem of accumulating plastic debris in the Caribbean have been those of regional and international artists whose waste-focused projects have brought attention to plastic accumulation [...]. Through waste-based installations and waterscapes -- which represent the antithesis of what Krista Thompson has called “the Caribbean picturesque” [...] -- these projects intervene in the reimagining of “landscape” as it has been understood in the European/colonial/tourism imaginary [...]. Elizabeth DeLoughrey has argued that “islands and their inhabitants are paradoxically positioned as ‘contained’ and ‘isolated’ yet this belies the consistent visitation by colonials, shipwreck, antrh0pology, and tourism” [...] -- and, we must add now, plastic debris. [...]

[These art] projects [...] address plastic debris not as an isolated “tropical island” concern but as evidence of the archipelago’s engagement in networks of global distribution and consumption that bring the “unnatural” to archetypal tropical landscapes.

In an installation deeply engaged with the suppressed history of slavery in Martinique, like Jean-Francois Bocle’s Tout doit disparaitre/Everything Must Go (2014), the use of cobalt plastic shopping bags as artistic material links environmental pollution to the pernicious and lasting impact of the institution of slavery [...] and colonial history of racism, thus inserting human exploitation into the critical dis/course on imperial debris.

Another group of artists working with plastic debris, like Cuba’s Tomas Sanchez, is particularly concerned with bringing attention to the visual and ecological pollution stemming from the failure to adequately dispose of solid waste in small island nations [...]. Sanchez, known primarily for the idealized forest landscapes through which he captures [...] the tropical sublime, has also produced hyperrealistic paintings of seascapes marred with accumulations of domestic garbage mixed with plastic flotsam. These photorealistic waterscapes juxtapose “pure” Edenic landscapes with [...] the debris of consumerist accumulation [...].

Mexico’s Alejandro Duran has focused instead on plastic debris as an international problem whose solution requires deep systemic changes in how we approach our understanding of the earth as a shared ecology. [...] His Washed Up series consists of photographs of ephemeral installations constructed from plastic trash collected by the artist from the shores of what should be an archetypal tropical Edenic landscape, the UNESCO World Heritage site at Sian Ka’an in Yucatan, Mexico. [...]

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For Capellan, the proliferation of plastic debris on the beaches of Santo Domingo speaks as eloquently [...] about environmental pollution [...] as about the environmental vulnerability of a population that has been doubly displaced; he described the flip-flops that make up Mar Caribe as encompassing the stories of those who used to wear them -- “farmers without land who migrated to the city where everything has been taken from them and sealed off by barbed wire” and who live now at the mercy of a river and a sea [...]. As Elizabeth DeLoughrey has written about Capellan’s Mar invadido, “Turning to Caribbean allegories of waste, we can interpret Capellan’s installations in terms of creating not a colonial archive but, rather, a site of witnessing, rendering the ‘secret’ of wasted lives visible to the more privileged classes who benefit from the labor and the sacrifices made by the undifferentiated poor” (2019, 121). Capellan, like Sanchez in his rising sea in Espejismo, addressed the growing impacts of climate change in the Caribbean region in his awareness of the tidal nature of the increasing vulnerability of the Dominican poor and its connections to rising sea levels. [...]

Duran’s work -- with its focus on plastic bottles blown to the Caribbean from far-flung geographies by wind and sea currents [...] -- has brought us quite far from Theophrastus’s original drift bottles. [...] For Duran, as for the other artists [...], the Caribbean archipelago is defined through the currents of wind and ocean that flow through it, currents that brought us [...] European conquerors and the horrors of the Middle Passage and now countless pieces of plastic debris that remind us of our connection to a global capitalism that began with the global enterprise that was our discovery by Spanish sailors. In the scourge of plastic -- as tide-wrack on our beaches, pollution in our ecosystems, and a threat to our marine fauna -- we have a daily reminder that our archipelago and its history have been bound by ocean currents, framed by the swirling [...] flows [...].

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Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert. “The Debris of Caribbean History: Literature, Art, and Archipelagic Plastic.” A chapter in Archipelagic Thinking: Towards New Comparative Methodologies and Disciplinary Formations. Edited by Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel and Michelle Stephens. 2020.

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lemurious · 3 years ago

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Hunger

For @amethysttribble, in response to the wonderful, dark prompt:

The Elves absolutely ate orcs for food during the leaner years, especially the city-less Feanorions post Sirion, and by extension so did Elrond and Elros, and this is cannibalism! No one after the First Age wants to talk about it!

Do note CWs. Read below the cut and here on AO3.

Hungry. How quaint; as if he were an Elfling crying for a glass of hot milk before bed. As if he were still in those first days, back when they had contemplated eating horses, who, after all, had little grass to feed themselves. If you looked at it that way, it was merely a compassionate act.

They returned for the bones and the hide, which had remained unspoiled in the freeze, and thanked the Valar with more fervor than the most devout of their leaders had ever uttered back over the Sea.

They returned for the grass. It gave them all stomach cramps, but it could be boiled, and it could be eaten.

This is the interesting part of being immortal, he mused, back when he still had strength for thoughts beyond food and revenge.

It makes you very, very hard to kill.

Somehow, Eru had neglected to explain to his precious Firstborn what it would mean in terms of suffering.

Their leader was in shackles on the wall, and they were still trying to find their way to him in the frozen wasteland.

A pathetic rescue party that would have gone back for reinforcements, if not for the earthquake that had set off the avalanches and buried all the passes they had found so far.

They could eat snow when they were thirsty, and their bodies refused the sweet forgetfulness of freezing, unless they were to fall into a crevasse.

He did not know how long his mind had been wandering when he heard a call to arms. He gathered his last strength to rush into a skirmish with a vague sense of relief.

His companions, bedraggled and starved, must have thought the same, for they descended upon the band of Orcs with gleeful abandon that had little to do with the original plans for vengeance.

They fought with blades, with fists, with teeth, and impossibly, they won.

Six Orcs lay dead on the ground.

The little food their enemies had carried had been devoured almost before the corpses hit the ice. And they were so hungry.

Later, much later, they would have been punished, except that by then their lord had returned to hear the grim account of the only one from their band who had not been able to sleep without nightmares. He only shrugged. He had seen worse on the wall, and known hunger the like of which they could not even imagine.

After all, they were not going to waste their time building graves for Orcs.

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It became an unspoken reality, especially when the peasants failed to bring in their portion of the harvests, too concerned about their own children going without. Just something that happened on the long campaigns around the frozen Gap.

After a while, it even turned into an initiation, of sorts. The first Orc killed by a young recruit. The taste of victory, they said, and pushed them ahead.

So that everyone would be complicit. So that everyone would have a taste, which sometimes back in the barracks would turn to bile. But it was war, they reassured themselves, and choices are hard in the war.

And victory makes heroes of us all and banishes the gnawing of guilt and shame to the small hours in the night.

After the great wave rose, there was little to eat in the meager settlements on the shore, but no shortage of enemy soldiers to fight with.

Some of the Elves, who had been there in the North, following their lord who now turned renegade, forced themselves to remember.

They told their little Elven charges to eat their fill and not to ask any questions.

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There was no meat in the feasts of Rivendell, nor on the tables of the first King of Numenor. Not ever. The smell of sizzling fat was sufficient to send lord Elrond into rage. But the larders were always full, and the guests were always welcome at the table. For nobody would ever go hungry on their watch.

#cw starvation #cw cannibalism #elves #orcs #elves eating orcs #mentioned maedhros #mentioned elrond #lemur writes #my fic

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kalyan-gullapalli · 4 years ago

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Post # 148

Qissa-e-Sanjan : The tale of Sanjan

Historians say that the below event didnot happen exactly like this. But it has become a part of the lore. And like journalists say, why let facts interfere with a good story?!

In 698 CE, a band of foreigners, from West Asia, arrived in Diu, on the West coast of India, and sought asylum from the Hindu king of the land - Jadi Rana, citing religious prosecution in their homeland.

The Hindu king was known to be wise and fair. But he was reluctant. He gave the foreigners a vessel full of milk, indicating that his kingdom was already full of people.

The leader of the band took some sugar, mixed it in the milk and replied to the king that they would mix with the society like sugar in milk and sweeten the society. Jadi Rana was impressed with the wisdom of their reply and granted them asylum.

Historians point out that the milk-and-sugar incident probably did not happen.

But these people did come from far-off lands, did seek asylum, were granted asylum, with some conditions that they complied with, integrated into the land and its customs, bend their heads, worked hard, never complained, practiced their faith, gave back to the land that gave them refuge in multi-fold, and today, are regarded as one of the most respected minorities in the country.

These people who landed on the shores of India 1300 years ago were the Parsis. Therein lies an amazing tale.

To understand why the Parsis came to India, it will do us some good to understand what West Asia looked like in the early to mid 7th century.

What are today Iran and Iraq were called Persia and were a part of the Sasanian Empire. The official religion of people in this region was Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest contiguous religions of the world, believed to have been founded in the second millennium BCE. Its spiritual founder was Zarathushtra and he extolled Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord), as its supreme being.

What are today modern Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Egypt were a part of the Byzantine Empire. The official religion of this land was Christianity. We all know about it, or at least, we think we do.

What are Saudi Arabia and the Emirates today were the Rashidun Caliphate. In 610 CE, Prophet Muhammad went to a cave in the hills near Mecca, God spoke to him, he became a messenger, and a new religion, Islam, was born, which spread like wild fire and created the Rashidun Caliphate.

The Rashidun Caliphate, the first Caliphate of Islam, emboldened by its success in uniting the Arabian peninsula under one Caliphate, one ruler and one God, expanded outwards and conquered the giants of the old world - the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire, also called the Sassanid Empire. Mass scale religious persecution for conversion to Islam followed.

The Zoroastrians of Persia first fled to Khorasan (Northern Iran), where they regrouped to take back Persia from the Arabs, and when that effort failed and future prospects seemed futile, they fled to the island of Hormuz and from there to India. Thats how they landed on the shores of the wise king, Jadi Rana. And since they had come from Persia, they were called Parsis.

Jadi Rana granted them permission to stay, subject to a few conditions:

1) Parsis were to adopt the local language.

2) Parsis women were to wear the attire of local women - Saris.

3) Parsis were prohibited from wearing armor or carrying weapons.

4) Parsis were to conduct their marriages in the night like their Hindu neighbours.

The Parsis readily accepted these conditions and to further allay the Hindus, they prepared 'The 16 Shlocks' (Shlokas) to explain how their religion had parallels with the locals'.

1) We are worshippers of Ahura Mazda (Supreme Being) and the sun and five elements - sun, moon, earth, water and fire.

2) We observe silence while bathing, praying, making offerings to fire and eating.

3) We use incense, perfumes, and flowers in our religious ceremonies.

4) We are worshippers of the cow.

5) We wear the sacred garment - the sudra or shirt, the kusti for the loins, and the cap of two folds.

6) We rejoice in songs and instruments of music on the occasion of marriages.

7) We ornament and perfume our wives.

8) We are liberal in our charities, especially in excavating tanks and wells.

9) We extend our sympathies towards males and females.

10) We practice ablutions with gaumutra, one of the products of the cow.

11) We wear the sacred girdle when praying and eating.

12) We feed the sacred flame with incense.

13) We practice devotion five times a day.

14) We are careful observers of conjugal fidelity and purity.

15) We perform annual religious ceremonies on behalf of our ancestors.

16) We place great restrictions on women during and after their confinements.

They converted the waste lands of a nearby place called Sanjan to a 'Garden of Heaven' and by 721 CE, about a couple of decades after they landed, they build their first Fire Temple in Sanjan and and offered prayers to their Lord, as free people, in a free land, hopeful of the future.

A pillar exists in the town of Sanjan today, known as the Sanjan Stambh, which reminds the Parsis of their story and their ties to the land.

Over the years, Parsis migrated to Khambay, Ankleswar, Variav, Vankaner, Surat, Thana and Chaul in the West and to Rohilkhand, Malwa and Tughlakpur in the North. Peace and prosperity reigned, till Islamic conquerors came to India too. Sanjan was destroyed and they had to move base to Navsari, a few kilometers away. Parsis would finally settle down at Navsari and the town would become the cultural and religious center for Parsis.

This story of Sanjan was passed on by oral tradition until it was written by Bahman Kaikobad, a Parsi priest of Navsari in 1600. It was called Qissa-e-Sanjan, or the Legend of Sanjan.

The Qissa-e-Sanjan is not only the story of the Parsis in India, it is the story told by Parsis themselves. This is how they see themselves. It is a part of their identity. Every Parsi is told this story when they are children, and they know this story better than they know their scriptures.

Over generations, Parsis have lived their lives according to the promise they made to the Hindu King at Sanjan, like sugar in milk, sweetening the society, through personal accomplishments and through philanthropy.

Here is a list of just a few notable Parsis who made a difference to India.

#qissa-e-sanjan #parsi #diu #jadi rana #persia #Sasanian Empire #Byzantine Empire #ahura Mazda #zoroastrianism #Zarathushtra #prophet muhammad #mecca #medina #Sanjan #sanjan stambh #navsari #humata hukta huvarshta

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wtf-triassic · 5 years ago

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Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus

By Scott Reid

Etymology: Sickle Reptile

First Described By: Pinna 1979

Classification: Biota, Archaea, Proteoarchaeota, Asgardarchaeota, Eukaryota, Neokaryota, Scotokaryota, Opimoda, Podiata, Amorphea, Obazoa, Opisthokonta, Holozoa, Filozoa, Choanozoa, Animalia, Eumetazoa, Parahoxozoa, Bilateria, Nephrozoa, Deuterostomia, Chordata, Olfactores, Vertebrata, Craniata, Gnathostomata, Eugnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Rhipidistia, Tetrapodomorpha, Eotetrapodiformes, Elpistostegalia, Stegocephalia, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Romeriida, Diapsida, Neodiapsida, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Protorosauria?, Drepanosauromorpha, Elyurosauria, Drepanosauridae, Megalancosaurinae

Time and Place: 212 to 205 million years ago, from the Norian to the Rhaetian ages of the Late Triassic

Drepanosaurus is known from the Zorzino Limestone and Dolomia di Forni Formations of Italy, and the Siltstone and Petrified Forest Members of the Chinle Formation in New Mexico

Physical Description: Drepanosaurus is the Titular Member of the Drepanosaurs, aka the “Monkey Reptiles”! These weirdos got their name for a reason - they were extremely well adapted for climbing trees, to the point of having prehensile tails like many monkeys. Drepanosaurus had a long, slender body, with a very long and thick tail for grabbing onto branches and moving around the forest. It had a long, thin neck and a small skull on the end of it, which was superficially similar to the skull of a bird - it was round on the back end, with huge eyes and a small pointed snout. Still, that head looked more like the head of a chick any number of nonavian dinosaurs, rather than like birds. It had long, robust limbs, with claws on the digits. Most notably, one front claw on each Drepanosaurus hand was huge, used for aiding in gripping branches more easily. It had an arched shoulder region, and in general very high spines on its vertebrae. This made it look quite odd indeed - a lumpy, lengthy reptile that sort of looks like what would happen if you tried to combine a woodpecker, a monitor lizard, a monkey, and a bison into one small reptilian creature that lived in the trees of the Triassic. It was weird, okay. It was just weird. The tail may have even ended in a claw - that’s right, a claw - to help it grab onto branches better. And all of this weirdness was packed into a body only about 45 to 50 centimeters long - a truly specialized representative of Triassic Oddities.

Diet: Drepanosaurus was most likely an insectivore, using the claws to help get out various insects from tree bark.

Behavior: Drepanosaurus was a weirdo, but a weirdo with a purpose. All of these weird traits came together in one wild animal to aid it in climbing among trees, gathering food, and moving nimbly in the forest. The small, pointed mouth aided in digging out food from crevices and burrows, which it could open up bigger using the large claws. Its long and skinny neck also helped it to reach spots where insects were hiding, rather than wasting energy to move its entire body to where food was on the tree. The large, splayed out feet and strong claws were able to wrap around tree trunks, gripping the wood tightly and helping Drepanosaurus stay stabilized. The prehensile tail helped Drepanosaurus go from branch to branch and move among the tree canopy, and the claw would help to keep the tail in place during particularly slippery or dangerous swings.

Ecosystem: Drepanosaurus lived in a variety of environments, most importantly the Triassic shores of Northern Italy, around tidal basins and seasonal lagoons. In the Zorzino beach formation, it shared its home with its close cousins, Megalancosaurus and Vallesaurus; as well as the early Pterosaurs Bergamodactylus, Peteinosaurus, and Eudimorphodon; the very long-snouted Phytosaur Mystriosuchus; the marine reptile Endennasaurus; the Placodont Psephoderma; the Aetosaur Aetosaurus; the Tuatara Diphydontosaurus; the Tanystropheid Langobardisaurus; and plenty of fish such as Legnonotus, Gibbodon, Sargodon, Pholidorhynchodon, Parapholidophorus, Pholidoctenus, Dapedium, Dandya, and the shark Pseudodalatias. This was a very active and diverse fauna, placing Drepanosaurus in one of the truly uniquely Triassic locations of the end of the Period.

Dolomia di Forni was no sneeze either, a Tidal Basin surrounded by coniferous trees. Here we have some preservation of things that Drepanosaurus was likely to eat, such as the spider Friularachne. There were also plenty of crustaceans, including decapods and crab like things that would have been crawling all over the tidal pools. Fish were very common too, such as the Coelacanth Holophagus, the sharp fish man Saurichthys, other Ray-Finned fish such as Eopholidophorus and Sargodon, the shark Pseudoalatias, and the Conodont Epigondolella. There was also the Tanystropheid Langobardisaurus again, as well as the other Drepanosaur Megalancosaurus. However, the true heroes of the environment were the early pterosaurs - the whole gang was there, including Preondactylus, Eudimorphodon, Austriadactylus, and Seazzadactylus. It was just a huge chaos of flying reptiles, which Drepanosaurus would have had a tough time avoiding!

Drepanosaurus has also been found in the Siltstone and Petrified Forest environments of the Chinle Formation in North America. Now, even in the context of Pangea this was a long distance away, but it’s possible they migrated there during the end of the Triassic period. These were thick coniferous forest environments with a severely dry and severely wet season, indicating that Drepanosaurus really adapted to a new cliimate, and quickly. Here there were famous animals such as the dinosaurs Coelophysis, Daemonosaurus, Chindesaurus, Tawa, the Silesaurid Eucoelophysis, the Lagerpetid Dromomeron, Pseudosuchians like Hesperosuchus, Effigia, Vivaron, and the Aetosaur Typothorax; the swimming Archosauromorph Vancleavea, Tuataras like Whitakersaurus, Phytosaurs like Redondasaurus and Rioarribasuchus, and even other Drepanosaurs like Avicranium (which might actually be what all the specimens of Drepanosaurus in the Chinle are, so take this with a grain of salt). This is a very diverse ecosystem that has been touched on elsewhere on WTF Triassic, so I will leave it at that!

Other: Oh ye Drepanosaurs. With heads so birdlike and bodies so weird. Much like other triassic weirdos, BANDits (“scientists” who insist, though literally all evidence points to the contrary, that birds could not have evolved from dinosaurs), you have been fodder for speculation for ages. However, you have almost nothing in common with birds - even the skull is only similar on the outside, and lacks many of the features seen in bird skulls (that are, however, found in dinosaur skulls). In fact, many of these creatures were grouped together in a group called Avicephala, which was eventually abandoned as it was found that most of them were not closely related. That said, it was then found that Drepanosaurs were Archosauromorphs, showing that weird arboreal lifestyles were a trend in the Ruling Reptile group, rather than a unique feature of the birds. Though, it is possible that Drepanosaurs are actually very early Diapsids (reptiles proper), and thus may have evolved as early as the Permian - and somehow survived into the Triassic. More fossils are needed, but for now, they remain a fascinating and unique Triassic group, highlighting the weirdness of this timeperiod in a way few other animals can.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut

Carroll, R. L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution 1-698.

Colbert, E. H. 1947. The little dinosaurs of Ghost Ranch. Natural History 59(9):392-399-427-428.

Dalla Vecchia, F. M. 1991. Notes on the stratigraphy, sedimentology and paleontology of the Dolomia di Forni (Upper Triassic) of the Rio Seazza Valley (Preone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia)]. Gortania - Proceedings of the Friulian Museum of Natural History 12 (90) : 7-30.

Irmis, R. B., S. J. Nesbitt, K. Padian, N. D. Smith, A. H. Turner, D. T. Woody, and A. Downs. 2007. A Late Triassic dinosauromorph assemblage from New Mexico and the rise of dinosaurs. Science 317:358-361.

Harris, J. D., A. Downs. 2002. A drepanosaurid pectoral girdle from the Ghost Ranch (Whitaker) Coelophysis Quarry (Chinle Group, Rock Point Formation, Rhaetian), New Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 111: 247 - 264.

Pinna, G. 1979. Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus, nuovo genere e nuova specie di Lepidosauro del trias alpino. Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano 121: 181 - 192.

Pinna, G. 1986. On Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus, an Upper Triassic lepidosaurian from the Italian Alps. Journal of Paleontology 60 (5): 1127 - 1132.

Pinna, G. 1988. Un nuovo esemplare giovanile di Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus del Norico di Val Preone (Udine) [A new juvenile specimen of Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus from the Norian of the Preone Valley, Udine]. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali - Museo civico di Storia Naturale di Milano 128:80-84.

Pinna, G., and S. Nosotti. 1989. Anatomia, morfologia funzionale e paleoecologia del rettile placodonte Psephoderma alpiunum Meyer, 1858. Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Milano 25(2):1-50.

Pritchard, A. C., S. J. Nesbitt. 2017. A bird-like skull in a Triassic diapsid reptile increases heterogeneity of the morphological and phylogenetic radiation of Diapsida. Open Science 4 (10): 170499.

Renesto, S. 1994. The shoulder girdle and anterior limb of Drepanosaurus unguicaudatus (Reptilia, Neodiapsida) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of Northern Italy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 111 (3): 247 - 264.

Renesto, S., J. A. Spielmann, S. G. Lucas, G. T. Spagnoli. 2010. The Taxonomy and paleobiology of the Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian: Adamnian-Apachean) drepanosaurs (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha: Drepanosauromorpha). New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 46: 1 - 81.

Senter, P. 2004. Phylogeny of Drepanosauridae (Reptilia: Diapsida). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 2(3):257-268.

Stefani, M., P. Arduini, A. Garassino, G. Pinna, G. Teruzzi, G. L. Trombetta. 1991. Palaeoenvironment of extraordinary fossil biotas from the Upper Triassic of Italy. Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano 132 (24): 309 - 335.

#drepanosaurus #drepanosaur #diapsid #triassic #triassic madness #triassic march madness #prehistoric life #paleontology

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wewererogue · 4 years ago

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Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: Review by Justin Alexander

[by Justin Alexander / The Alexandrian, March 21st, 2006]

I’ve been on a pulp fantasy kick for the past month or so: I started with Robert E. Howard, having finally secured (by way of the Science Fiction Book Club) a hardcover copy of what promises to be the first true edition of his Conan stories to be issued in the States. From that familiar territory I spun off for a quick foray through Henry Kuttner’s imaginative Prince Raynor stories before returning to Howard for the outstanding – if unfortunately few – Cormac Mac Art stories. I then took a voyage of peril and pleasure across Clark Ashton Smith’s forgotten continent of Zothique before turning my attention to Fritz Leiber’s legendary duo: Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

From there I had intended to set sail for the lands of either Moorcock’s Elric or Wagner’s Kane, but – in truth – I find myself so disheartened that I am instead turning my attention to wholly different pastures for awhile.

But I fear that I set my premise before my scene. Let me back up for a moment.

For those who don’t know, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are famed heroes of the sword and sorcery genre. First unleashed in the pages of the pulps, their literary career spanned almost five decades, coming to an end only with Leiber’s death in the early ‘90s. Their tales are most commonly available in seven authoritative collections: Swords and Deviltry, Swords Against Death, Swords in the Mist, Swords Against Wizardry, Swords of Lankhmar, Swords and Ice Magic, and The Knight and Knave of Swords.

I first read their adventures in junior high, savoring the two omnibuses which collected the first six of these volumes: The Three Swords and Swords’ Masters. Coming back to them now, nearly fifteen years later, I had only dim and disjointed memories of the two dashing swashbucklers, their gritty city of Lankhmar, and the mystic-laden land of Nehwon.

On this return trip, I found myself harboring a great deal of uneven disappointment. In short, I found that the stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser could be roughly divided into two camps – the outstanding and the painfully mediocre – with the latter far outnumbering the former.

Nor can one simply say, as one can in so many cases, that the earlier tales are superior to the hack work of the later. “Ill Met in Lankhmar”, The Swords of Lankhmar, and even the somewhat mixed “Rime Isle”, although among the later works, would make the list of those stories I would recommend. Although, that being said, I think it is clear that, as the series continued, a certain dreary repetition and self-conscious cleverness began to consistently diminish the stories.

Perhaps the best way to approach this inconsistent and self-crippling series is through a volume-by-volume summary of impressions.

SWORDS AND DEVILTRY: Fortunately, the most consistent volume in the series is also the first, although it contains only three tales. “The Snow Women” and “The Unholy Grail” each tell a tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser before their fateful and legendary meeting in Lankhmar. The former is a top-notch tale of youth and magic in the frozen north, keenly demonstrating the fantastic and unique vision which Leiber is capable of delivering. The latter, although strongly crafted, is a somewhat weaker tale – its plot more commonplace in its conception. The volume is rounded out by “Ill Met in Lankhmar”, which is the tale of the first true meeting of our destined heroes. It is also a powerfully tragic story, and its strength is best described by the fact that it represented my strongest memory of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser before returning to the series.

SWORDS AGAINST DEATH: The second volume in the series begins to show the inconsistency I’m talking about, particularly in the short bridging stories which I believe Leiber wrote specifically for these collections. “The Jewels in the Forest ” and “Thieves’ House”, two of the oldest stories, are the highlights here, and come highly recommended. Running close behind are “The Howling Tower” and “Claws of the Night” – the former being slight, but imaginative; while the latter comes as close to being a prototypical tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser as you are likely to find (mixing thievery, gods, and sly humor across the backdrop of Lankhmar).

Much of this volume, however, is thoroughly pedestrian. To this category belong “The Bleak Shore”, “The Sunken Land”, “The Seven Black Priests”, and “Bazaar of the Bizarre”. (Although, in their favor, I will note that these all have their moments of fantastic vision. The last, however, is a very thin pastiche.) Finally, it would be charitable to describe the last two tales offered here – “The Circle Curse” and “The Price of Pain-Ease” – as thoroughly mediocre. It would be more accurate to simply describe them as bad.

SWORDS IN THE MIST: The third volume is even more uneven than the second. On the one hand, it arguably contains the two best stories in the series: The first of these, “Lean Times in Lankhmar”, is a masterfully crafted tale. Its characters keep you enthralled while its fanciful premise is cleverly worked into an utterly hilarious conclusion. It reminds me strongly of Terry Pratchett at his finest. (Pratchett’s Small Gods, in particular, owes an obvious debt to this story.) The second gem to be found here is “Adept’s Gambit”, which is also the first tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser written by Leiber. Set in a mythically tinged epoch of ancient history, the tale is faintly resonant with the finest creations of Lovecraft, Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith, but possesses a flair and unique sense of character which makes it all Leiber’s own.

Unfortunately the rest of this volume can’t compare with these two classics: “The Cloud of Hate” and “When the Sea-King’s Away” are forgettable clichés, while “Their Mistress, the Sea” and “The Wrong Branch” are ham-fisted, half-baked afterthoughts attempting to create an unnecessary bridge between one tale and the next.

SWORDS AGAINST WIZARDRY: The bulk of this volume is taken up by two lengthy tales, “Stardock” and “The Lords of Quarmall”. Both stories play out across a fantastic and vividly imagined landscape populated with strange cultures and larger-than-life characters. These two tales give Swords Against Wizardry perhaps the strongest base of any volume in the series. Unfortunately, the collection is also padded out with a couple of bridging stories – “The Witch’s Tent” and “The Two Best Thieves of Lankhmar” – which have a bit more substance to them than the other bridging stories, but are still mediocre offerings at best.

THE SWORDS OF LANKHMAR: This is, in fact, the only stand-alone novel in the series. It tells the sprawling saga of an attempted invasion (of a most unusual size and character) aimed against the great city of Lankhmar . Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, of course, almost single-handedly turn back this invasion – although the path they take is anything but simple or straight-forward.

The Swords of Lankhmar is not the best story told of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, but it is perhaps the greatest. The expanded format allows Leiber a chance to stretch his muscles, and he accepts the challenge admirably by weaving a tapestry not only expansive in its imaginings but detailed in its fancies.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing to me about this novel is the clear inheritance its narrative receives from fairy tales. Whereas most writers of sword-and-sorcery trace their antecedents back to classical myth and legend, Leiber’s heroes clearly inhabit a world inspired as much as by Hans Christian Anderson as it is by Beowulf. And it is perhaps this, more than anything else, which gives these stories a unique distinction in the field.

SWORDS AND ICE MAGIC: Unfortunately, after The Swords of Lankhmar the series appears to have spent its creativity. Swords and Ice Magic, the sixth volume, is largely an unimaginative regurgitation of the themes, plots, and characters found earlier in the series. The first five stories in this collection (“The Bait”, “Beauty and the Beasts”, “Trapped in Shadowland”, “The Bait”, and “Under the Thumbs of the Gods”) are simply dreadful wastes of time. In fact, they are all essentially the same story: Distant powers or gods attempt to kill Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, who – for their part – accept the improbable with stoic complacency while thoroughly and effortlessly thwarting the attempts each time. Unfortunately, this is also a story which was told twice before in these collections.

Fortunately, things then take a slight turn for the better. The sixth story, “Trapped in the Sea of Stars ”, is badly contrived and nearly plotless, but makes up for it through the vivid description of its sense-of-wonder sea voyage. There is, in fact, no particular story here at all – but the visions conjured forth by Leiber’s prose are worth the price of admission.

The last two stories in the collection – “The Frost Monstreme” and “Rime Isle” – are, in fact, two halves of a single story. Although still flawed by an increasingly rambling style, self-conscious commentary, and regurgitation of plot and imagery, this story still has a lot to offer: Clever interactions of character, epic sensibility, charming wit, and wondrous feats are offered up with a melancholic flair.

THE KNIGHT AND KNAVE OF SWORDS: Sadly, however, that is the end of it. This last collection of stories offers nothing but an imagination apparently spent. “Sea Magic”, “The Mer She”, and “The Curse of the Smalls and the Stars” each offer us regurgitated plots while doing nothing more than shuffling around the characters and magic items presented in “Rime Isle” to little sense of purpose or accomplishment.

Finally, in “The Mouser Goes Below”, Leiber pulls the same trick: Shuffling around characters and devices already well-worn beyond any effective use. The only difference to be found is that Leiber pulls his reused material from a larger portion of the series, rather than a single story.

I also found another trend in this last volume particularly disconcerting: A pointless coarseness which was previously absent from the series. I’m not sure what Leiber was attempting to accomplish by suddenly inundating the narrative with “long poniards” piercing “cunts and arse holes”, but the effect was merely distasteful.

In the end, I think this was a series which long-outlived its creator’s interest. Or, at the very least, his ability. The later offerings become increasingly repetitive and unimaginative, as if Leiber had simply run out of new ideas to share. Unfortunately, in collected form, these lackluster efforts seem to out-mass and actively detract from those stories which legitimately earn Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser a place of high honor in the pantheon of fantasy heroes.

Indeed, I found myself unable to finish the series. Swords and Ice Magic had seriously fatigued my interest, and I pushed on with The Knight and Knave of Swords only because (a) I had never read that final volume and (b) I wanted to finish what I had started.

But, in the end, I could manage no further than the mid-point of “The Mouser Goes Below”. Leiber pinioned the Mouser – immobile, invisible, and speechless – in order to have him bear witness to a gratuitously graphic description of one of his former loves having her maid stripped bare, fondled in the cunt and arse hole, and then given instruction on “naked serving”. After several pages of this pointlessly turgid prose I finally gave up and closed the book.

If I ever return to the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, it shall be a markedly proscribed path I take through their tales. Such a journey would look something like this:

“The Snow Woman”

“The Unholy Grail”

“Ill Met in Lankhmar”

“The Jewels in the Forest”

“Thieves’ House”

“The Bleak Shore”

“The Howling Tower”

“The Sunken Land”

“The Seven Black Priests”

“Claws of the Night”

“Lean Times in Lankhmar”

“When the Sea-King’s Away”

Adept’s Gambit

“Stardock”

“The Lords of Quarmall”

The Swords of Lankhmar

“The Frost Monstreme”

“Rime Isle”

I suspect this is less than half of the words written by Leiber of the two greatest swordsmen to ever live in this or any other universe, but it is decidedly the better half. And it, unlike the balance of the series, comes with my highest recommendation.

GRADES:

SWORDS AND DEVILTRY: A-

SWORDS AGAINST DEATH: B+

SWORDS IN THE MIST: A-

SWORDS AGAINST WIZARDRY: A-

SWORDS IN LANKHMAR: A-

SWORDS AND ICE MAGIC: B

KNIGHT AND KNAVE OF SWORDS: D

[source]

#long post #Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser #Fritz Leiber #analysis #rogues in fiction #Justin Alexander

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earthstory · 5 years ago

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Antarctica – Biological, Geopolitical, Spiritual

If any place on this precious planet earth belongs to everyone and to no one, it is Antarctica, the white continent. We invert the world to examine it and become inverted ourselves. We converge upon it with every line of longitude, encircling it with our high latitudes, test it with our science, and find—in turn—that it tests us. It tests not just our science but also our conscience, our poetry, our art, our ignorance and our assumptions. It contrasts our finest technologies against a single epiphany, a simple adaptation: a seal in the sea or a mother penguin and chick on the ice who call amid a cacophony of 10,000 other penguins, their voices all the same to us, and yet find each other.

The coldest, windiest, driest, and highest of seven continents is at once fertile and sterile, wet and dry, inviting and inhospitable. It waits at the bottom of the world, locked in cold storage; demanding new sensibilities if we are to understand it, appreciate it, protect it. It is not empty. Rather, it is full of those things we tend to think of as emptiness: a featureless fetch of ice, a wind-tossed sea, a “peopleless” coast, a nameless shore. Wilderness is not a political designation here; it’s an essential truth.

Antarctica is biological and is defined by the Antarctic Convergence, “…perhaps the longest and most important biological barrier on Earth, as formidable as any mountain range or desert, “ writes biologist David G. Campbell in 'The Crystal Desert'. The convergence encircles the continent and delineates a sudden and significant sea temperature gradient that arrests the dispersion of birds, fish, squid, krill, and—the most important - algae. In warmer waters north of the convergence, the sea rich with single-celled algae called coccolithophrorids; south of the convergence, diatoms. As the relative abundance of these algae species shifts, so does the population of every animal up the food chain that directly and indirectly depends upon them for food, from the thumb-sized krill to the largest animals on earth, blue whales.

Antarctic is geopolitical. As addressed in a document called Antarctica Treaty, it contains all lands and seas below 60°S latitude — roughly 10% of the earth’s surface. First signed by 12 nations in December 1959, the treaty places all territorial claims in abeyance and specifies that the continent “shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.” It prohibits the deployment and detonation of nuclear devices and the disposal of nuclear waste, making it the world’s first nuclear-free zone and in May 1994 the International Whaling Commission designated all marine waters below 40°S latitude as an 11-million-square-mile whale sanctuary. Despite this, there is now research stations that now punctuate this once pristine world that fly their flags on a continent untouched by man 100 or so years ago. Although some stations were built at the cost of evicting local residents —penguins and seals—research has brought discoveries as significant as the ozone hole, underscoring the truth that humans (along with natural variations) have created serious problems for Antarctica and must now mitigate, if not eliminate them.

Antarctica is spiritual. When asked why he returned there again and again to bitter cold and uncertain survival, Frank Wild, who was second-in-command of Ernest Shackleton’s famed Endurance expedition of 1914-17, said he couldn’t escape the “little voice.” Like light passing through a prism, a person who goes to Antarctica is changed. “A man doesn’t begin to attain wisdom until he recognizes that he is no longer indispensable,” wrote Richard Byrd, while camped alone in the Antarctic. So as we move forward, humbled but yet powerful, we move forward with the fate of penguins and the earth in our hands.

~ JM

Photo Credit: http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2010/05/antarctica-at-risk-from-flood-of-people

More Information:

Antarctic Convergence: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/geography/antarctic-convergence The Crystal Desert: http://www.amazon.com/The-Crystal-Desert-Summers-Antarctica/dp/0618219218 Coccolithophrorids: http://home.physics.wisc.edu/gilbert/coccolithophorid.htm Antarctic Treaty: http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm The Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-1917:http://www.south-pole.com/p0000098.htm Ozone Watch: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/

#antarctica #science #geology #history #spiritual #desert #glacier #ice #byrd #the earth story #block #oz

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mari-the-hedgiewolf · 6 years ago

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Through Blood and Scales (Tyene Sand X Reader)

This was a request one shot from @purplewings12 . Sorry if this wasn't what you were expecting, but I tried my best. (h/c) is for hair color, (e/c) is for eyes color and (Y/n) is your first name in this case. Also, keep in mind, it's been a long time since I've watched GoT so characters may be OOC, the scenario different from the show and so on. Still, I hope you enjoy!~

Third Person's POV:

As the cold winds of the North travelled across the Narrow Sea towards the shores of Dragonstone, two sisters rested near the cliff Daenerys usually stayed to think to herself, her younger sibling's head laying down her lap as she passed her fingers through your locks tenderly, having the first peaceful time in awhile ever since Cersey took over the Iron Throne.

Despite having the blood of a Targaryen, you were an abnormality in the eyes of many. Neither traits from your parents were inherited, instead, having (short/long) (h/c) locks and (e/c) eyes made you different from anyone in Westeros. Yet, the Gods seemed to bless you with an ability no one else had. The power to transform into a dragon, unlike any other, standing taller than Drogon, possessing scales similar to a rough amethyst's color and breathing scorching, destructive flames which could be mistaken as Wildfire for the fools who dared stand in Daenerys's harm's way.

You didn't always stay in your powerful form though. The more time you stayed, the more tired you became, as the transformation required great amounts of stamina to be maintained. Hence why you're resting in your older sister's lap. You didn't get the optimal amount of sleep you were supposed to, and Daenerys, having a soft spot for you, decided to stay with you for the morning. After all, you were the only family she had left after Viserys' death. She always worried about your well being since you were quick, maybe even too quick, to use yourself as a guardian and shield for her. She appreciated, yes, but she wished you wouldn't do that so often.

Hearing a soft yawn, she looked down, smiling as she saw you turn your head, shifting your position so you could look at her with sleepy, squinted eyes. "Good morning Dany . . ." you said, using your nickname for her when you two were alone, stretching your back a bit, allowing some of your bones to give a satisfying pop as the pressure on them was slightly relieved with the action. "Good morning (Y/n). Did you have a good rest? The sun is almost high in the sky." She replied, making the younger Targaryen jolt upwards, finally sitting in front of her older sister, eyes wide with surprise and shock.

"Wha- already?! Why did you let me sleep in Dany?!" you exclaimed, your voice quieting down as you looked at the swaying grass, avoiding her gaze as guilt settled in. "I didn't want to take much of your time . . ." you complemented, only looking up as she put her hand on your own, sending you a reassuring smile. "Being with you is never a waste of time. I'm glad we could stay like this like we used to when we were little." Daenerys replied, making you relieved.

However, the peace was interrupted when you both saw ships approaching the shore. More specifically, Yara Greyjoy's ship, the Black Wind, along with the rest of the Iron Fleet and their Dornish allies. The political matter they were about to experience could turn the tides in their favor, as well as allow the youngest Targaryen a new interesting acquaintance.

Your POV: (With a little time skip to their arrival)

I decided to stay in my dragon form. After all, I don't know these people and what are their motives, even if we're supposed allies. My sister's safety is my priority, and it is far too important for me that I was there to support her.

As Yara, Theon, and their allies left the ships, I flew around them in a circle up in the sky with Daenerys on my back, landing gracefully in front of them, the sand sinking under my massive weight, as I allowed myself to lower my body enough so Daenerys could get down. She took a good long at them, especially the Dornish women before turning to Yara. "It seems you were successful. Did you encounter any problems during your trip?" she asked, keeping in mind to remain polite, but with a powerful stance.

"Yes, one problem, actually. That bastard of an uncle tried to ambush us before we could get here. Bet he didn't expect us to be prepared for it. They won't try that stunt again." Yara said with a proud air around her, showing she was satisfied for being able to kill Euron during the battle with Theon and that she had faith on her mess of a crew and their allies to pull through. The Iron Fleet were Ironborn after all. If they were easily defeated by an ambush, that would be a stab on their pride. Nonetheless, Daenerys was pleased with the response as we looked towards our new allies.

Ellaria Sand, along with three Sand Snakes: Obara, Nymeria and Tyene. Four powerful women who took over Dorne after Oberyn's brother, Doran Martell, refused to go to war with the Lannisters. That's how far I knew about them. They were a mystery to me, but it seems Daenerys knew who they were thanks to Tyrion. Missandei, who arrived a little later than us, began to speak.

"You're in the presence of Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons." she finished, having to take a few breaths in between to speak the full title of her friend. If I wasn't serious, I would admit that even I find her full title too long sometimes.

"It is a honor for us to be in your presence after the interrupted and dangerous sail we had. My name is Ellaria Sand, and these are my three daughters, who are considered the most fierce Sand Snakes out of all of them: Obara, Nymeria and Tyene. I wish our alliance to be a strong and unbroken one until that lion is ripped from the comfort of the Iron Throne." She replied, almost hissing at the last part, showing her strong distaste and hate for Cersey Lannister. She's a strong woman as well, but I can sense her being blinded by her thirst for revenge.

I took a good look at her daughters, feeling them tense under my gaze. As long as I'm in this form, I have nothing to fear. Only a fool would dare try to hurt a dragon. The first one was Obara. All I could think of was how serious she was. It was unsettling, but I guess being serious has its perks in battle. The second one was Nymeria. Not too serious, not too carefree. Supposedly the balanced one between the three, but she seems dull and uninteresting. And finally, Tyene.

She was definitely the most carefree out of the three, I could tell that much, seeing her almost relaxed posture, even when I'm close. There was something about her I couldn't explain. Perhaps curiosity, perhaps interest, but I wouldn't mind finding out more about her.

Once they finished talking about their plans for the future, they were escorted to their bedrooms, allowing them to rest from the long day they had. When the coast was clear, I landed on my secret spot behind the castle, transforming back before making my way to Dany's room. Out of costume, I knocked on the door to see if she was inside. However, it seems today she was elsewhere. 'That's a shame.' I thought, sighing to myself. I wanted to talk to her about the Sand Snakes. Looks like I have to wait.

"Are you lost?~" I heard a feminine voice say playfully, making me gasp softly in surprise, turning to see who was the owner of the voice. Oh dear Gods, it was the youngest Sand Snake, Tyene. She was leaning against the wall in a rather seductive position, smiling at me like nothing was wrong. My cheeks were tinted pink, as I gulped a bit before responding. "O-Oh no, I just wanted to talk to Daenerys, that's all." I replied, cursing myself mentally for stuttering, but I couldn't help it. She was so close and slowly advancing further, our bodies almost touching each other. I was completely flustered red.

She smiled, finally stepping away a bit to give me some personal space to breathe. "Haven't seen you around here." she commented, not knowing about my secret. "I was taking care of some duties for Daenerys." I managed to breathe out, relaxing slightly. "Oh? What kind of duties?" she asked, adjusting her posture to stand upright. "J-Just normal duties . . ." I replied. "I-I'm sorry, I need to go." I finished, not giving her time to ask more questions before leaving quickly, my heart feeling like it was about to explode.

I didn't know why her small, seemingly inoffensive actions for a Dornish woman made me feel this way. However, I knew I was too tired to think about it for the rest of this day, so I let it pass for now, as I made my way into my room, changing my attires before laying down, taken away to the land of dreams.

(Time skip)

It's only been a few days since the arrival of our new allies, and Dragonstone was definitely livelier. I guess it's the Dornish charm, along with the sisters's interactions that gave that impression. Yet, for me, it was also the encounters I had with Tyene in the halls. No matter what route I take, she always seems to find me. I wouldn't be able to avoid her, so I simply started talking about simple topics, like how your day was, to the weather and so on. They were simple actions, but the value they carried was huge.

Today, however, they wanted to see the powerful beasts known as dragons up close. As always, Viserion and Rhaegal flew around the cliff, but never quite landed, leaving only you and Drogon on the ground. None of you really let them get too close to you, Drogon even more since he was considered the leader out of the three brothers. Yet, when it came Tyene's turn to look at us, I unconsciously leaned closer, relaxing my stance slightly. Daenerys raised a brow at my behavior, but let the scene play out.

"Would you like to ride her? She seems to like you enough to let you close." Daenerys asked, complementing her words, as Tyene seemed surprised with the offer, but accepted it. I lowered my body on the ground, letting her climb at the base of my neck. I made sure to spread my wings well once I stood up, raising them before taking flight. I could feel Tyene tighten her grip on my scales so she wouldn't fall off, amazed at the feeling of the wind on her face and the view from up in the sky. I couldn't help but smile.

We flew around Dragonstone and its shores for a bit before I landed, having no doubt that Tyene was exhilarated by the experience. Taking someone else other than Dany was quite exciting as well for me. But I growled at her sisters since they started to make unnecessary comments. They got the message immediately. I may not have seen it, but Ellaria was happy to see Tyene happy. Once the sunset was gone, I was able to return to the castle.

"So you're the amethyst dragon." I heard Tyene say while standing in front of me, smiling brightly at her discovery, making me freeze and stay in place. "I-I-" I tried to form words, but they wouldn't come out, no matter how hard I stuttered. I was scared- no, terrified. What is she going to do now? She gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She said, making me sigh in relief, putting a hand on my chest. Thank the Gods.

"Thank you . . ." I started. "Not many people know about this ability of mine. We kept it a secret so it wouldn't put Daenerys and I in danger." I finished, looking at her. "I understand." Tyene replied "That doesn't mean I'm not curious about it~" she teased, making me laugh softly. I could tell it would be a long night, but it would be worth it.

(Time skip)

After countless failed attempts to weaken Cersis's forces, Daenerys had enough of Tyrion's plans, forging a plan of her own, which led them to the Battle of the Goldroad. At first, the Dothraki army didn't seem to have any significant advances on the battlefield. However, with Daenerys riding Drogon on the lead, along with Rhaegal, Viserion and I, we burned an opening on the shield wall the Lannister Army formed, causing the formation to fall apart, allowing the Dothraki army to sweep through their forces. The battle was turning in our favor, but I noticed Dany performing risky attacks near the ground.

I furled my wings, tucked my arms and stretched my legs to speed my descent from the skies, breathing fire down another formation on the Lannister Army. However, there's a huge crossbow to my right, and it was aiming . . . towards Daenerys!!

As fast as I could, I beat my wings, just barely managing to tackle Drogon out of the way before I felt an excruciating pain on my shoulder, making me scream as I barreled towards the ground, only able to weaken the impact with my arms and legs. The arrow is lodged in my shoulder, I can't use my wing unless it's removed. I glared at the man aiming the scorpion back at me before I scorched the weapon, smashing it into pieces just to be safe.

Thankfully, we were able to win the battle, but I didn't dare return back to my human form. Not now. Once we were near the Narrow Sea, I approached my sister, who eyed the arrow worriedly. "(Y/n), this is going to hurt." She whispered softly before holding the arrow, asking if she could remove it. With a nod, she ripped the arrow from my shoulder, making me growl, almost roar in pain. "It's okay, the arrow is gone . . ." She comforted me while I turned back to my human form.

The wound was more evident on my skin than with my scales. Through teared flesh and blood, we could almost see my bone, making me shiver slightly. No matter how much time it would take to recover, it was definitely going to scar. I can only hope that I'll be able to move my arm properly when it heals. After the wound was cleaned and bandaged, Daenerys told me to lay down for the rest of the trip. With a yawn, I laid down on the bed, but I couldn't sleep without feeling a jolt of pain every time I moved.

I heard someone knock on the door. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's Tyene. May I come in?" I heard her softly through the door. With a small smile and a short 'Yes', she walked in, sitting by my side. "They really messed you up, didn't they?" she asked, a strange softness in her voice. I looked at her, seeing her slightly worried expression, as if she was trying to hide how much this event affected her. "Yes . . ." I responded, chuckling quietly to myself. "But I'm alright. It could've been worse-" my words were cut when I felt warmth spread across my body. She was hugging me tightly, being careful not to touch my wrapped up wound.

"You could've died . . . what were you thinking? . . ." she whispered, making my heart clench. I slowly wrapped my arms around her frame, hugging her back the best I could. "I'm sorry . . . I'll be more careful . . ." I finished, looking into her eyes. "You better . . ." She started, falling silent . . . before she closed the gap between us, touching our lips into a tender kiss. My eyes widen, this feeling unknown to me, but it felt nice . . . I closed my eyes, relaxing into it, letting her take the lead. It lasted until we had to regain our breaths, looking at each other. "Our else I won't be able to do this more . . ."

I smiled, pecking her on the lips quickly. "I'll hold onto that promise." I said, before I yawned. I felt her guide my head to her lap, her fingers slowly caressing my locks, as I felt myself falling asleep, knowing this friendship would blossom into something beautiful.

#game of thrones #tyene sand #got #x reader #tyene sand x reader #reader insert #mari-the-hedgiewolf

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guapo-t-w · 5 years ago

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Local Tidewater VA Beer Festivals

UPCOMING BEER FESTS AND FESTIVAL FORECAST: Fri-Sun, Jun 28-30 - 2019 Bayou Boogaloo Music & Cajun Food Festival, Town Point Park, Downtown Norfolk Waterfront. The Bayou Boogaloo Music & Cajun Food Festival is Norfolk’s annual love-fest with New Orleans’ vibrant spirit and captures the melting pot of Bayou culture. From New Orleans to the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront, two stages featuring national recording artists providing diverse cultural musical entertainment. The Arts Market of New Orleans returns and brings with it talent, unique artistry and the culture of Louisiana! The Arts Council of New Orleans and Norfolk Festevents hand-pick the most unique and one-of-a-kind artists from Louisiana to share their stories, culture and craft. This year, numerous artists in various mediums including art, jewelry and sculpture will be on site displaying their works. No Bayou celebration would be complete without the mouthwatering Cajun delicacies prepared by authentic Louisiana inspired chefs. Festival guests are in for a real treat as they feast on fresh crawfish straight from Louisiana, jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, alligator, muffuletta, andouille, and beignets. Guests will also find festival favorites like sno balls (discovered in New Orleans, by the way!), root beer floats, smoothies, Italian water ice, glazed nuts, kettle korn and funnel cake. Wash it all down with a variety of cold beverages including a fine selection of beers straight from New Orleans' own Abita Brewing Company as well as New Orleans Jack Daniel's Hurricanes. https://festevents.org/events/2019-season-events/bayouboogaloo/ Sat, Jun 29 - Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance Local Brew Fest, 2 – 7:00 pm, Hermitage Museum and Gardens, 7637 North Shore Road, Norfolk. The Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance (CVBA) presents -1st annual Local Brew Fest. The CVBA is a group of 29 local Hampton Roads Breweries. Come on out to the Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance (CVBA) 1st annual Local Brew Fest to try some amazing local Craft Brews! Food Trucks and live music will be on site. Event is rain or shine. The CVBA is a non-profit organization of 29 local breweries committed to promoting and support craft beer in the Coastal Virginia/Hampton Roads area. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coastal-virginia-brewery-alliance-local-brew-fest-tickets Sun, Jul 7 - Barks & Brews 2019, 12 – 6:00 pm, sponsored by O’Connor’s Brewery, Norfolk Botanical Garden, 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk. Bring your dog to the Garden and have a beer for a fun day with live music! Guests are welcome to explore the Garden with their furry canine companion. Explore 175 spectacular acres with your dog and enjoy a cold beer with food and music. Regular garden admission applies. Not-Yet-Members: Dogs: $5 (human admission applies) – become a member today and save! Your dog must remain on a leash at all times. Stop by our Visitor Center for extra doggie waste bags. Other Barks & Brew dates: Sundays – Aug 4, Sep 8, Oct 13. https://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/events/barks-and-brews-2019-1/ Sat, Jul 13 - Red, White and Brew Lagerfest, 4 - 8:00 pm, Hosted by Back Bay Brewing, 614 Norfolk Ave, Virginia Beach. Your favorite Virginia Beach beer festival is back! Get ready for our 4th annual Red, White and Brew Lagerfest. This year we will be offering early bird ticket pricing from now until June 13th (details below) so be sure to get your tickets before prices increases! DETAILS: Over 15 brewery participants, Live music, Food trucks, Specialty Back Bay Brewing merchandise for sale, Best lager will be voted on by YOU, and Back Bay Brewing will donate $500 to the winning brewery's pre-selected charity of choice! TICKET INCLUDES: Entry into the event, Special Lagerfest tasting/sampling glass, Unlimited tastings of all craft lagers, 1 full size beer ticket (good for a full size beer from our back bay beer truck!). TICKETS: $20 - Early Bird Special (now until June 13th); $30 - General Admission (June 14th until July 12th); $40 - Door Ticket (day of purchase). VISIT HERE FOR TICKETS: backbaybrewingco.com/lagerfest Fri, Jul 19 - Taste of VA on the Bay, 6 - 9:30 pm, Ocean View Beach Park, 100 W. Ocean View Ave., Norfolk. Taste of VA on the Bay will be taking the place of previous year's Brews on the Bay Beer Festival. Live music by Jesse Chong.There will be craft beers, wine, spirits with plenty of food vendors. Craft Beer sampling tickets: Sampling Package - $15 for wristband, 4 oz sampling cup and 5 tickets redeemable for samples; 16 oz Pint - $8 for wristband and 4 tickets redeemable for a pint cup; Additional tickets - $2 (must have a cup and wristband to sample); Tickets will be sold until 9:15 pm, Sampling tickets can be redeemed until 9:30 pm; No refunds.You must be at least 21 years old to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. Breweries have the right to limit samples. Breweries will appear only until supplies last. www.oceanviewbeachpark.org Sat, Aug 3 - Whistle Belly 2019: A Virginia Beer & More Festival, 7 - 11:00 pm, Merchants Square, 401 W Duke of Gloucester St., Williamsburg. Whistle Belly is back and bigger, bolder and better than ever! Mark your calendars for Saturday August 3rd for the ultimate beer party on Duke of Gloucester Street. Crafted by the DoG Street Pub & presented by the Junior Woman's Club of Williamsburg. Over 40 breweries, and more than 70 beers and delicious eats! Live Music to be Announced! Drinks & all you can eat for only $55! Save up to $10 by purchasing in advance. General Admission Tickets get access to the festival from 7 to 11 pm. Get Early Access tickets to enjoy exclusive beers. With an Early Access ticket your festival begins at 6pm with access to food & beer including 10 beers only available to Early Access guests! http://www.whistlebelly.com/ Sat, Aug 10 - Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival, 2 - 6:00 pm, Hunt Club Farm, 2388 London Bridge Road, Virginia Beach. Hampton Road’s Favorite Smoked Meat Onslaught is back – with TEETH! Come and see what over 225,000 people nationwide have enjoyed! This is our 4th Annual PORK-OUT in Virginia Beach. COME AND JOIN US! For a down-home, Southern-fried, good time... to support your inner Redneck! Get ready to enjoy all those pleasures that true Southerners live by - Beer, Bourbon, Barbeque, Boots, Bacon, Biscuits, Bluegrass and Smoked Beasts! It's two great days of beer sippin', bourbon tastin', music listenin', cigar smokin', and barbeque eatin'. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE –TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon. http://www.beerandbourbon.com/virginia-beach-va/show Sat, Aug 17 - Tap! Tap! Beer Festival 2019, 5 - 9:00 pm, Greenbrier Farms, 225 Sign Pine Rd., Chesapeake. Chesapeake Virginia’s First Beer Festival, Now 5 Years Old! Unlimited samples of beers and food from your popular regional food trucks. More details to come! Brought to you by Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Virginia and Kwasans Foundation. Sat, Aug 24 - 5th Annual Neptune's Coastal Craft Beer Festival, 1 - 6:00 pm, Hosted by the Neptune Festival, Neptune's Park, 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Neptune’s Park will be transformed into a craft beer lover’s haven on Saturday, August 24th, featuring local Virginia beers and cask ales, as well national and regional craft beers. Enjoy over 65 beers from 30 breweries, live music, food trucks, and more! Tickets will go on sale May 1, 2019. Each ticket includes a commemorative beer-tasting glass and tastings throughout the day. Early Bird Tickets: $30 Until July 1 or until allotment has been reached; Advance Tickets: $35 Through August 18; Week of Event Tickets: $40. https://www.neptunefestival.com/events/neptunes-coastal-craft-beer-festival Sat, Sep 7 - 4th Annual VA Cork & Craft Festival, 12 - 5:00 pm, Chincoteague Island KOA, 6742 Maddox Blvd., Chincoteague Island. Join us and the Special Olympics of Virginia for the 4th Annual Cork & Craft beer and wine festival. Sip on a variety of beer & wine while listening to the Island Boy Band and enjoying the breathtaking views of Chincoteague Bay and the lighthouse on Assateague Island. Shop for local artisan wares & crafts and indulge in great food provided by local food trucks. Buy your tickets online now for $30 (includes unlimited tastings and a commemorative tasting glass). Price goes up to $40 at the gate the day of the event. Designated Driver option available beginning January 2019 for $10, which includes soda/water. Children 15 years old or younger enter free. Need a place to stay? Check out our recommended accommodations and special packages available at Chincoteague Island KOA and Fairfield Inn & Suites. For all the details, visit www.VACorkCraft.com Fri, Sep 13 - Barrels, Brew & BBQ, 6 - 10:00 pm, Hunt Club Farm, 2388 London Bridge Rd., Virginia Beach. Come out on September 13th and help support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk! All you can eat BBQ, drink Craft Beer, Wine and Champagne. Silent Auction, Raffles, Games, Music and much more! https://barrelsbrewbbqfest18.thundertix.com/ Sat, Sep 21 - Virginia Beach Oktoberfest 2019, 12 - 6:00 pm, Hunt Club Farm, Virginia Beach. Wasserhund Brewery and the Nobleman are presenting the Annual Oktoberfest Event for all of Coastal Virginia and beyond on September 21st from noon till 6 pm at Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach. This event will serve as the quintessential Oktoberfest for our area featuring over 30 breweries, traditional German food and fair, festival atmosphere, and so much more: The opportunity to enjoy multiple styles of beers including, of course, a wide variety of German beers; live music; petting zoo and bounce houses for family friendly kid fun. Portion of proceeds will be donated to The Noblemen to support local charities. Sat, Sep 28 - Craft Beer Festival, 12 - 5:00 pm, Hosted by Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA, 32246 Lankford Highway, Cape Charles. Calling all Craft Beer Lovers! We have more than 30 brews just waiting for you to sample. Once you've quenched your thirst check out the live entertainment or do some shopping with the vendors onsite. *This is a ticketed event https://koa.com/campgrounds/chesapeake-bay/ Sat, Oct 12 - 7th Annual 757 Battle of the Beers 2019, Hosted by Beach Ambassadors, 1 = 6:30 pm, Camp Pendleton, Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach. This is the only festival in Hampton Roads that exclusively features local 757 Craft Breweries as they battle it out to win in different beer categories – with 100% of the proceeds go to local Hampton Roads charities including St. Mary's Home and Hope House Foundation! This award-winning and unique event pits Hampton Roads-based breweries against each other to determine who has the best beer in Hampton Roads. Each year, local breweries put their best brews on tap and are rated by an official brewer tasting panel and by attendees of the event to see which beer is the best in the 7-5-7. Drink Happy - Be Safe Follow the blogs at: www.brew-n-rock-tidewater.blogspot.com or www.guapo-t-w.tumblr.com and follow the latest listings of local brew events on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/hamptonroadsbeerforum/

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poker-face-william · 6 years ago

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Kay was only six year old when his brother was brought to him. The young boy had recently begun his training in combat, and was in the courtyard with Master Owen. He was pouting, having lost yet another duel to the old master at arms when the front gate swung open. The old man looked up from the red haired boy, taken off guard by the lack of ceremony with which the Stranger entered. The man that walked in was tall by most standards, standing over six feet on his own, his hat bringing him closer to seven feet. He looked ancient, and even the young Kay knew that he was powerful, his solid green eyes made sure of that. As he walked his, long white beard and hair flowed backwards, along with his green robes, despite the lack of any wind in the courtyard. “I’ve come to speak with Lord Ector!” The man announced, looking around at the guards, all of whom had drawn their swords. “And whoe, may I ask, comes to call?” Master Owen replied, stepping in front of Kay, barely shielding the boy from sight. The Stranger looked down at the master at arms, slowly walking towards him, looking him up and down, and taking particular note of the wooden sword he was using to threaten him with. “I believe you master would know me best by the name Myrrdin.” Master Owen glared up at the man, and gripped the wooden sword tighter in his hand. “And why’re ye callin upon m’lord, master Myrrdin?” He finally asked, giving the larger man a mocking bow. “That knowledge should remain between me and The Lord of Queis, Master at arms,” The Stranger snapped, putting particular emphasis on Owen’s title. Kay stepped forward at this, glaring up at the Stranger as well now, and pointed his wooden sword at him. “If ye want to speak to m’lord father, you’d best speak more politely to his men!” The Stranger turned his attention away from Master Owen, looking at the boy before him. As if struck by a spell, the anger, and seriousness melted from his sunburnt face, and a deep, hearty laugh escaped his mouth. “I mean it ye bri…” Kay began, but Master Owen pullen him back behind him before he could say anymore. “No, let the boy speak, I’ve quite missed the stubbornness of the Queis!” The Stranger chuckled, wiping a tear from his face. “And I so needed a laugh like that. Being too serious, even in times like these, is bad for one’s health.” The Stranger’s smile slowly faded again however, before looking back to Master Owen. “But now is the time for business, not revelries, Master Owen.” Master Owen looked around the courtyard, his eyes flicking quickly from one guard to another, before focusing back on the Stranger in front of him. “Why don’t ye go fetch yer father Kay?” The way that he said it made it clear to Kay that it was not a request. Kay glared up at the Stranger, but decided that Master Owen had the right of it. He put his wooden sword into his left hand, and slowly backed out of the large courtyard. Once he was out of sight of the Stranger, he turned on his heel, bursting into a sprint. The young boy made it quickly through the keep, his long legs carrying him up the many wooden stairs, and down the narrowing and widening stone corridors. It wasn’t long before he reached the top of the northern Key, the tower where his lord father placed his study. When Kay reached for the door handle, one of the guard placed his hand on the young boy’s chest, pushing him back from the entrance. “Where de ye think yer goin’ lad?” the man asked, smirking down at Kay. “Master Owen told me te fetch m’ father,” Kay said, reaching for the door handle again, the guard pushing him back once more. “Yer fatha’s talkin’ to one o’ them britains lad, ‘e don’t want te be bothered.” “I’m quite certain that the Lord of Queis will be more than happy to meet with me,” the deep, raspy voice of the Stranger responded from behind Kay. The young Lordling stiffened, his mind beginning to race as he thought of the men he’d left in the courtyard, and what must have happened to them when the Stranger placed his bony wrinkled hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry lad, your men are unharmed.” As he spoke, the door of the the study swung open, pushing the two guards stationed there onto the ground. Inside the visiting lord stood, knocking his chair over and drawing a sword from his scabbard. The Stranger simply raised his hand, and the lord yelped, throwing his sword to the ground. “There will be no need for such violence my lord,” the Stranger began, waving his hand and bringing the chair back up, knocking the blonde haired lord back into it. “I am here to fulfill the last wishes of the late King Uther Pendragon.” That was the last thing that Kay heard before the doors slammed shut with another wave of the Strangers hand. For several hours the guards tried to force the doors open, but to no avail. Once Master Owen arrived, he ordered that a battering be fetched to break the doors down, but all that accomplished was shattering the wood of the battering ram, and cracking the metal braces. Eventually, they gave up hope of being able to enter, and simply prepared themselves for the Strangers re-entry into the hall. Owen had posted men lining the wider section of hallways the entire length of the Northern Key. When the doors finally opened, it was not the Stranger that exited, but lord Ector Queis, carrying a small bundle of red fabric, a golden dragon emblazoned upon it. Ector was a massive man, with thick muscular arms covered in bright red hair that he made no attempt to clothe. He wore a sleeveless blue tunic, and lambskin trousers, a large belt holding his naked Falchion. “Put down those blasted weapons!” Ector bellowed, the men all quickly placing the butts of their spears to the ground and standing to attention. Ector looked about his men who were all sweating by this point before continuing. “Off with you now! Don’t you have a wall to defend?!” “Aye Lord!” The guards bellowed, banging their spears on their shields once before marching out of the halls, returning to their posts, or the barracks as some of them had been woken from their sleep. Once the guards had left, all that remained in the hall was Lord Ector, Master Owen, the Britanian Lord Forlæ, and young Kay. The Lord placed his hand on Lord Ectors shoulder, saying something quietly to the taller man before leaving the North Key as well, leaving only the three of them. Lord Ector ran his free hand through his beard, looking down at the red bundle in his arms, his brow furrowing. If Kay did not know any better, he’d have said that his father looked almost sad, but the Lords of the Key’s did not have the privilege of sadness. “Kay,” Ector finally spoke, looking to his son, kneeling down so that he’d be close to eye level. “Come meet yer new brother.” Kay was fourteen when he first called Arthur his brother. Though they had spent the first six years of Arthur’s life together, studying together, and training together. Arthur had called Kay brother many times, and as far as he knew, that was fact. That he had straight golden hair didn’t make the boy question for a moment who his family was, even when it was obvious to everyone else. The boys were by the stream one hot afternoon, cooling off after a long day of training. Kay had found a particularly deep part of the stream, and had submerged himself under the water. He had been under for several minutes when he burst out, Arthur clapping in celebration from a more shallow part of the stream. Arthur was fit for his age, but was nowhere near as tall or muscular as Kay had been even at six. “That’s amazing Kay!” Arthur called out as Kay waded pack to the shore where they had left their tunics. “I bet you could stay under like that for nine whole days if you wanted!” “And why would I want te do that?” Kay chuckled, tossing the younger boy his tunic. “Myrrdin says that generals use boats to get behind their enemies,” Arthur said, pulling his shirt over his head as he came ashore. “But boats are easy to see unless it’s night time, and then it’s hard to sail them. You could just swim up behind them though!” Kay smirked at Arthur as he plopped down on the shore, pulling on his boots. “I guess all that time ye spend readin’ aint wasted after all.” “Myrrdin says that reading is never a waste of time,” Arthur said proudly, looking up as he laced his boots. “‘Tis if yer on the battlefield,” Kay retorted, standing back up, smirking triumphantly down at the younger boy. Arthur scrunched his golden eyes for a moment, looking back at the stream momentarily. “Yeah…” he finally said, almost solemnly. Kay had to resist the urge to break out laughing at Arthur’s sudden seriousness, holding his hand over his mouth momentarily. “Dun’t think about it te much,” He said, ruffling the younger boys hair. “We should get back to the castle, Father’s gunna start worryin’ soon.” The two boys walked their way through the forest, Arthur going on and on about some story that the Stranger had told him about how humans had the skill to use the gifts of all the animals of the forests. Kay couldn’t tell you what the younger boy was trying to get across, he was too busy watching their surroundings. As they got closer to the Keys, they entered a small village that encircled the keep. As they walked down the main road, Kay noticed a group of three young boys whispering to each other. One of the boys turned to look at Kay, another seeming to try and pull him back, but he was too late. “Looks like de Ogre’s out walkin’ ‘eir pet bastard!” the boy called out, his friend pulling at his shirt. “I’m sorry m’lord, ‘e don’t know wot ‘e’s sayin’,” the wiser of the boys said, prostrating himself. “Nah, I know exactly wot I’m sayin’!” The boy said, walking towards the two Lordlings. “Hey, Kay, let’s keep walking,” Arthur said, pulling on Kay’s sleeve. Kay clenched his jaw, turning his head up to the boy, and began walking again. “That’s right!” The boy shouted back. “Go home to daddy Britanian!” It took less than a second for Kay to get back to the boy, his fist having a quick and hard meeting with the boy’s face. The smaller boy reeled back, barely keeping his footing before Kay grabbed his shoulders, bringing his knee to his chest. As the boy collapsed to the ground, Kay felt the metal head of a shovel slap against his back. He staggered forward, but wasn't stunned for long. He reeled around on his heels, grabbing the shovel so that the boy couldn’t swing it at him again. The boy that Kay had knocked down took this opportunity to kick out Kay’s legs, knocking him onto the cobblestone street, pulling the boy with the shovel down with him. The brash lad was the first back on his feet, beginning to kick at Kay when in a flash he was knocked down again. Arthur had leaped into the frey, quite literally, tackling the older boy to the ground. Arthur began punching wildly, his pupils dilated to slits in rage. The boy who had the shovel was the second to rise, running over to help his friend by trying to pull Arthur off of him. Kay was having none of it however. He forced himself off the ground, and grabbed the boy by the back of the neck, lifting him off the ground. Kay quickly brought his fist to the boy’s stomach before dropping him to the ground, where he promptly vomited. It was then that the guards arrived. Two of Kay’s father’s men had been summoned, the wisest of the boys from early standing meekly behind them. One of the guards shouted for Arthur to stop, and as if a spell was being broken, Arthur snapped back to reality. He got off the older boy whose face was bruised and bleeding, Arthur’sown knuckles looking worse for wear. The guards looked at each other, clearly trying to figure out what to do, when one of them looked back at the boy that had fetched them. “Go fetch two litres boy!” he said, returning his attention to the Lordlings. “Yer fathers gunna hear about this.” Once the boy returned with two simple litres, the five boys were all lead back to the keep by the two guards, Arthur and Kay having to help carry the injured boys as they went. Once they arrived at the keep, one of the guards split off, taking the boy who fetched them towards the northern Key, saying that he was to speak with the lord. The injured Lordlings and the two other boys were all taken to the Physician’s study, where the Stranger was waiting for them. He gestured for them to place to two litres on a large stone table that occupied the center of the room that was normally full of clutter, but looked as if it had recently been cleared. “Thank you for bringing them to me so quickly,” the Stranger said, looking over the two boys carefully. The boy who had hit Kay with the shovel was small and mousey, with long dirty brown hair, and a small button like nose. The Stranger lifted the boys head, and gave him something to drink from a small vile, before laying his head down on a pillow he placed on the hard stone table as the boy drifted off to sleep. The other boy was taller, more wiry, his hair had seemed brown to Kay earlier, but it was hard to tell with the mixture of blood and mud that was currently soaking it. The Stranger wet a rag, and began cleaning up the boy’s face, who winced as the rag was dabbed on his sore skin. “What on earth were you thinking?” The Stranger finally said, not looking away from his work. “I expected this kind of behavior from Kay, but you know better Arthur!” “It was all my fault, don’t be mad at Arty,” Kay said, glaring up at the back of the old man’s head. “It wasn’t just his fault!” Arthur complained, grabbing Kay’s sleeve. “It was two against one, so I joined to make it fair!” “And do you think it was fair for two peasant boys to be fighting with the sons of a lord?” The Stranger asked, walking over to his shelves to grab some kind of paste that he began rubbing into some of the boys wounds, eliciting a high pitched groan from the lad. “No, no it’s not,” Arthur said, looking down at his boots, shifting his weight between his feet awkwardly. “But, maybe... maybe we could make it up to them?” “And what, praytell, do you propose could make up for such a throttling?” The Stranger asked, placing what looked like wool on the boy’s more serious wounds, as he wrapped his face in bandages. Arthur looked up at Kay, with those big golden eyes of his. Kay had never been able to say no when the younger boy looked at him like that, so Kay thought of what his father might do. “We could ask father te give them werk in the keep,” Kay finally suggested, proud of the solution he had arrived at. The Stranger finally turned to look at the two Lordlings, a sly smile on his face. Since taking up the position of Physician of the Keys, the Stranger had somehow managed to turn his glowing green eyes into regular ones, but he still had a strong aura of power. The Stranger opened his mouth to speak, but as he did, the door to his chambers burst open. Lord Ector ducked under the door way, looking around the room until he spotted Kay and Arthur standing in the corner. “What in the god’s names were ye doin’ beatin’ some street urchins?!” He bellowed. “These are our people lads, ye can’t just get in a fight with them ‘cause they said some unkind words.” He continued, lowering his voice, as he knelt to be eye level with the two Lordlings. “My Lord, if I may?” The Stranger said, not giving the boys a chance to respond. “Your sons have come up with a fine way of making up for this transgression.” Ector glanced up at the Stranger, and then back to his boys. “And what is this solution ye came up with?” he asked, placing his large, muscular hands on their shoulders. The boys explained their idea, offering suggestions of what specific jobs the boys might be good at, the still conscious boy Saxton offering advice. Apparently the smaller boy, Jarry, was from a family of farriers, and would be good as either a stable hand, or a blacksmith’s apprentice. Saxton claims that he didn’t have any particular talent, but he was strong. Lord Ector decided that Jarry would work in the stables if his family approved, and on weekends would be allowed to help the forge master, who would decide his future career in the castle. As for Saxton, he was to be trained as a guard. “Anyone who can take a Queis in a fight, is best kept close. Don’t need that kind of strength rallying against us.” As for the two Lordlings, they were tasked with cleaning all the weapons and armor of the Key’s guards for the next month. It was during one such late night that Arthur finally asked Kay a question that had been weighing on his mind. “Why’d you take the blame for the fight?” Arthur asked, not looking up from the helm that he was polishing. “What de ya mean?” Kay replied, glancing down at the younger boy. “It was my fault, you only joined in to protect me.” “But, you didn’t make me…” At this point, Arthur looked up from his work, stopping what he was doing. “I fought because I chose to.” Kay stopped his work for a moment looking up at the wall. “I guess, I dunno. I guess I was just trying to protect you. I know how much you hate when Myrrdin is angry with you.” Arthur was once again looking up at Kay with those big golden eyes, his cat like pupils large and round in the dim light. “Thank you.” “What’re brothers for?” Kay was twenty three when he first bowed to his brother. He had grown to over seven feet in height, his orange hair had grown down to his shoulders, and his beard had grown in thick and full. They’re father had past away several weeks ago, and one of the matters that Kay became responsible for was looking over the treaties and oaths that his father had made. He was surprised for about an hour when he learned of the promise that he’d made to the Stranger when Arthur became his ward, and that it also contained Lord Forlæ’s signature. He summoned the Stranger to his father’s, well, now his study. Upon the Stranger entering he told his guards to leave, and placed the piece of parchment on the desk that divided the two men. “I see you’ve finally made it to the important treaties my Lord,” The Stranger said, bowing down deeply. “How did ye get mi father to agree to this?” Kay asked, the venom barely hidden in his voice. “Do you disagree with the treaty my Lord?” The Stranger said, standing up, a knowing smile dancing across his lips. “Surely your father’s death defending against those warlords makes it clear that a clear king is needed.” “Don’t, use my father’s death as leverage druid.” Kay said, clenching his jaw as he glared up at the still standing man. “Take a seat. I may not like how ye do things, but ye’re right, the lands do need a king. Albion is at war with itself, and it threatens to spill over into Britania, even as the Britanians debate, and discuss bloodlines to decide the next King.” “And so you will win Arthur a crown?” The Stranger asked, taking his seat across from Kay. “I will honor my father’s word, yes,” Kay said, looking down at the document before him. “I’m just worried about Arty, he’s barely a man.” “He has been raised since birth to be a king,” the Stranger said, his voice suddenly solemn. “And you have been raised to serve him.” “I guess it’s time to do what I was born for,” Kay said, smiling broadly, the prospect of what was happening finally truly dawning on him. “Saxton, come in please!” The door to Kay’s study opened, and the young man that had recently been named Master at Arms entered. “How can I be of service m’lord?” He asked, bowing slightly. “Please fetch my brother fer me, I have somethin’ te tell ‘em,” the Master at arms nodded, leaving, and closing the doors behind him. It was not long before Saxton returned, Arthur at his side. Arthur had grown much in the past few years, he’d allowed his blonde hair to grow out much like his brothers, the hair growing from the top of his head had grown lighter over the years, resembling a vibrant gold more than the dark blonde of the lower portion, and a bright yellow stubble had begun to grow from his chin. He was wearing simple chainmail under his blue tunic emblazoned with the twin silver Keys of the house of Queis. He had a long sword hanging from his belt, and a buckler strapped to his left arm. Apparently the young lord had been standing the wall, heavy bags clear under his eyes. “You requested my presence brother?” Arthur asked glumly, barely seeing his brother. “Oh, I’m sorry, I did not see you there Myrrdin, good evening.” “Oh it’s quite fine my boy, I was just going,” the Stranger said, standing up and beginning to leave the study, placing his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Take a seat Arthur, you look half dead.” Arthur reluctantly sat down, absently looking around the room, before looking up at his brother. The excitement had faded from Kay’s face as he watched his brother struggle to stay awake. Kay closed his eyes, steeling himself for the task ahead. “Arthur, do you know how I first met you?” Kay asked, trying his best to sound cheerful. Arthur looked at him a moment, confused at first, and then questioning. “I assume when I was born,” Arthur said, furrowing his brow, seeming more awake than he was previously. “You definitely seemed close to newborn,” Kay said, quieting his voice slightly. “Myrrdin had brought you to us, to raise you, under the orders of the late King Uther. Apparently he named you his heir.” It took a few moments for the information to fully sink in, as Arthur stared up at his brother. He blinked after a few seconds, his eyes widening as he gripped the carved wood of his chair. “I’m sorry, I must have heard you wrong,” Arthur said, his voice unsteady as he stood up and leaned over the desk. “It sounds like you’re saying I’m not a Queis!” “I’m not saying that at all,” Kay said, standing so that he was once again taller than his brother. “You may not have the giant’s blood in your veins, but you are without a doubt my brother! And you will be my King as well.” “I don’t want to be king, I want to be a knight! I want to be a knight of the Keys, to defend the border between the realms!” Arthur complained, walking over to a portrait of the now late Lord Ector and his wife, both having the red hair of an Albian. “I wanted to be your knight.” Those last words were spoken almost at a whisper. “You’re meant for better than serving a lord like me Arthur,” Kay said, placing his hand on his shoulder. “It would be my honor, to serve, as your night.” Arthur turned around as his brother knelt before him, unsheathing the Falchion that he inherited from his father and presenting it to his younger brother. “I pledge my sword, and my lands to you, King Arthur, the Future King.” Arthur closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as he looked down at his brother. Arthur took the Falchion in his hand, gently touching it to his brother’s shoulders as he spoke. “Rise, Ser Kay, first of my knights.” Kay was fifty- six when he said his last words to his baby brother. War had come to Camelot once again, but this time from within. Lancelot’s transgressions forcing Arthur’s hand to, though Gawain took no small part in encouraging Arthur, to make siege to his greatest Knight’s keep. It was in the siege camp that Kay received the falcon that told him of yet another betrayal back in Camelot. Kay wasted no time in finding his brother, who was in the process of putting on his glistening white armor. Arthur’s hair had only grown longer with age, the bright blond resembling the frill of a dragon, his beard thick and pointed, and his moustache curled. “Brother, I have news from home,” Kay said as he ducked under the tent flap. “At last, I’ve begun to worry that something had gone wrong.” Arthur said, as a squire fastened his greatsword ExCalibur to his back. “No one’s attempted an invasion, have they?” “No my King,” Kay said, struggling to meet his brother’s eyes. “Not exactly.” “What’s gone wrong Kay?” Arthur said, strapping his dagger to his belt. “Mordred has taken the crown, my King,” Kay said, looking down, sadly. “He’s mustering the remaining forces at Camelot to march on our flank. I was only notified thanks to a very brave cook.” “Well the cook will be rewarded greatly upon my return,” Arthur said, walking past his brother and through the tent flaps, Kay following close behind. “What do ye plan te do my King?” Kay asked as Arthur called for his white stallion. “I’m riding home, I want you to send whatever forces you can spare to catch up to me within the hour.” Arthur ordered, mounting his horse. “I’ll see you upon my return.” “Yes my King, may you have a quick victory,” Kay said, bowing to his younger brother. “Relax for once Kay, I might be dead when I return,” Arthur said, looking out towards the way he was about to ride, taking his spear from his squire. “I don’t need my Seneschal right now.” “Don’t die on me Arty.”

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newstfionline · 6 years ago

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The Nuclear Power Plant of the Future May Be Floating Near Russia

By Andrew E. Kramer, NY Times, Aug. 26, 2018

MURMANSK, Russia--Along the shore of Kola Bay in the far northwest of Russia lie bases for the country’s nuclear submarines and icebreakers. Low, rocky hills descend to an industrial waterfront of docks, cranes and railway tracks. Out on the bay, submarines have for decades stalked the azure waters, traveling between their port and the ocean depths.

Here, Russia is conducting an experiment with nuclear power, one that backers say is a leading-edge feat of engineering but that critics call reckless.

The country is unveiling a floating nuclear power plant.

Tied to a wharf in the city of Murmansk, the Akademik Lomonosov rocks gently in the waves. The buoyant facility, made of two miniature reactors of a type used previously on submarines, is for now the only one of its kind.

Moscow, while leading the trend, is far from alone in seeing potential in floating nuclear plants. Two state-backed companies in China are building such facilities, and American scientists have drawn up plans of their own. Proponents say they are cheaper, greener and, perhaps counterintuitively, safer. They envision a future when nuclear power stations bob off the coasts of major cities around the world.

“They are light-years ahead of us,” Jacopo Buongiorno, a professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the Russian floating power program.

Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear company, has exported nuclear technology for years, selling plants in China, India and a host of developing nations. But smaller reactors effectively placed on floats can be assembled more quickly, be put in a wider range of locations and respond more nimbly to fluctuating supply on power grids that increasingly rely on wind and solar.

The Russian design involves using submarine-style reactors loaded onto vessels, with a hatch near the bow to plug them into local electrical grids. The reactors will generate a combined 70 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 70,000 typical American homes. Rosatom plans to serially produce such floating nuclear plants, and is exploring various business plans, including retaining ownership of the reactors while selling the electricity they generate.

The bulky, rectangular structure resembles a big-box store, only with a nuclear emblem of an atom emblazoned on its side. Inside, the floating reactor is a warren of tight corridors, steep staircases, pipes, wires and warning signs in Cyrillic letters.

Officials plan to tow the vessel to coastal cities in need of power, either for short-term boosts or longer-term additions to electricity supply. It can carry sufficient enriched uranium to power the two reactors for 12 years, before having to be towed, with its spent fuel, back to Russia, where the radioactive waste will be processed.

A rotating crew of about 300 Russians, including private security guards, will operate the plant. Rosatom is considering a work schedule where they will remain on board for four months at a time before taking a four-month break. The Akademik Lomonosov will start out serving Pevek, a remote port in Siberia about 500 miles from Alaska, next year.

While on the vessel, the civilian crew will have access to a host of amenities, making the structure a sort of cross between the set for “The Hunt for Red October” and a cruise ship. Those aboard can swim in a pool decorated with pictures of a tropical beach, play squash or strangely, given the seeming importance of sobriety on such a vessel, have a drink at a bar.

Using nuclear reactors for marine propulsion, or on floating power plants, is not new. The United States used a barge-based reactor to generate electricity for the Panama Canal Zone from 1968 until 1976, and Westinghouse, the American reactor builder, planned--but never built--two floating plants off the New Jersey coast at around that time.

The idea of floating nuclear power won unexpected support after the 2011 Japanese tsunami. That disaster wreaked havoc on the Fukushima coastal power plant by flooding backup diesel generators intended to cool the plant in an emergency shutdown.

A floating reactor, supporters say, would survive tsunami waves at sea. And if an emergency shutdown were needed, it would retain access to cooling, something that is easier to do if it is already in the water, rather than relying on pumps. Rosatom, in a statement, insisted its plant was “invulnerable to tsunamis.”

Placing nuclear reactors on vessels could also help reduce the costs of construction. Cost overruns, as well as political opposition, have all but halted nuclear plant construction in the United States. Assembly-line efficiencies at shipyards would help reduce costs.

And then there is the potential climate change benefit. Nuclear power stations generate electricity free of planet-warming greenhouse gases and, unlike other clean sources of energy like wind turbines and solar farms, run around the clock.

Rosatom has so far not disclosed the cost of building the barge, or which countries are interested in buying electricity. The company estimates each floating plant will take four years to build, compared with a decade or so for many nuclear plants. The Sudan Tribune has cited that country’s minister of water resources and electricity as saying the government in Khartoum has a deal to become the first foreign customer. A Sudanese government spokesman, Mujahid Mohammed Satti, declined to comment on the report.

Others are also exploring the technology. China wants to build 20 floating nuclear plants, the first of which will start within two years. A French company has designed a reactor called Flexblue that would not float but rather be submerged on the ocean floor.

But some environmental groups--even those open to a role for nuclear power as a substitute for traditional power plants--are skeptical.

For one, they are not persuaded by Rosatom’s assurances of safety. Critics worry that during a tsunami, the 21,000-ton steel structure might not ride out the wave. In a worst-case scenario, they say, it would instead be torn from its moorings and sent barreling inland, plowing through buildings until it landed, steaming and dented and with two active reactors on board, well away from its source of coolant.

In such a case, Rosatom says, a backup power source and coolant on board would prevent the reactors from melting down, at least for the first 24 hours. “During this time we would consider what to do,” said Dmitri Alekseyenko, the deputy director for Rosatom’s floating reactor program. Regulators in the United States, however, require on-land reactors to operate for 72 hours in an emergency shutdown without external water supplies.

And the fact that the technology is well tested in Russian ships gives critics little solace, given a long history of spills and accidents involving nuclear-powered submarines and icebreakers operated by the Soviet and Russian navies.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union dumped reactors in the Kara Sea, in the Arctic Ocean north of Kola Bay. Russian nuclear submarines sank in 1989 and 2000, while one Russian nuclear icebreaker caught fire in 2011 and the reactor on another leaked radiation that year, according to Bellona, a Norwegian environmental group.

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loadminnesota148 · 3 years ago

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Will Archeage Be For Mac

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ArcheAge is an epic fantasy MMORPG free of predefined paths and progression. You’re free to choose your own path and play your way from the starting continents of Haranya and Nuia to the lost shores of Auroria, the birthplace of magic.

You can wield incredible powers drawn from 165 unique Class combinations, master over 20 crafting skills, build houses and manors in the open world, farm, trade, forge alliances, and lay waste to all who stand in your way. Or you can turn your back on it all and live as a pirate, ransacking traders and pillaging the high seas for plunder and gold.

ArcheAge 2 will also take place in the same world as the orignial ArcheAge franchise, though in a different time and dimension. While the details are scant now, Song mentions that we should know. Try ArcheAge: Unchained Free for a Month! October 16, 2020 Beginning the 16th of October at 10 AM UTC until the 16th of November at 2 PM UTC, discover your legendary self with the first-ever one-month ArcheAge: Unchained free trial. ArcheAge is an MMORPG in from Korean company XLGames and published in the NA and EU by Trion Worlds. Players enter a fantasy world and start play on one of two continents: Nuia (Elves),. A mac, let alone a macbook, probably won't be able to perform very well with gaming. ArcheAge is a medieval fantasy massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Korean studio, XL Games. It is available for North American, European, Australian, Russian, and Korean players.

Shape the World

Gatherers, crafters, and traders are the engine that drives ArcheAge, and its economy is yours to control. Master diverse skills to craft trade goods, houses, ships and castles. Transport and trade materials across the realm, braving danger and piracy to support your allies in wars that will change the fate of the world. Join a zone’s community and work together to unlock special regional bonuses or form a family with your closest friends.

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Assemble allies and build an empire to span continents. Sabotage your enemies’ trade and lay waste to their armies in the field. Rally your forces and craft massive siege engines to storm the heart of rival castles and claim them as your own, or test your skill against hundreds of other players in open world battlegrounds.

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I know how overwhelming it can be to pick up a new MMO after playing another one for years. In this guide I'll cover all the in-game basics. Everything from character creation to User-Interface. Hopefully after reading this, you'll be able to play ArcheAge with ease.

Currently ArcheAge is in Alpha. If you weren't lucky enough to get invited to Alpha, you can still buy your way in with Founder's Packs. The Archeum pack gets you into Alpha for $150. You can also get the Gold or Silver pack for Beta access. Once ArcheAge enters launch the game will be free-to-play.

Character Creation:

There are four races and two factions in ArcheAge. The Nuian and Elves make up one faction, while the Firran and Harani make up the other. Each race has its own story and racial traits.

Nuian:

What is anaconda. Called the Conquerors of the Continent, Nuians possess a deeply spiritual culture that revolves around Nui, the Goddess of the Hereafter. They revere the beauty and harmony of their fallen kingdom and fight fearlessly to maintain the traditions that brought them to power.

Nui's Blessing: Favored by the Goddess of the Hearafter, Nuians receive extra benefits from visiting her realm, doubling the time their stats areincreased after being resurrected.

Warrior Architects: Frequent rebellions and civil wars have led the Nuians to become quick builders, reducing construction time for houses and castles by 30%.

Elves:

Elves seclude themselves deep in the forest, avoiding other races as much as possible. Though envied for their beauty, their behavior is considered incomprehensible: hoping for an honorable death, they seek out danger no matter the odds.

Endurance Training: Trained for combat from the day they can walk, Elves posses increased physical ability. This stamina allows them to hold their breath underwater for an extra 20 seconds.

Lithe Flow: The decades spent around Gweonid Lake make most elves talented swimmers, increasing their swim speed by 5%.

Firran:

The restless, nomadic Firran roam the wilds, fueled by dreams of reclaiming their former glory. They believe every life – no matter how small – is not only valuable, but plays a critical role in the natural world. All Firran strive to find their purpose and play their part.

Catlike Reflexes: the Firran's quick reflexes allow them to twist their bodies as they fall and land more nimbly, decreasing fall damage by 20%.

Strong Claws: The Firran's long, non-retractable claws allow them to climb trees and ladders 30% faster.

Harani:

Harani are survivors in the truest sense, capable of extreme and heroic acts serving the interests (and preservation) of their people. Practical, cunning, and family-minded, it is no surprise the strength of their new kingdom rivals the strength of the kingdom they lost.

Portal Mastery: The far-flung Harani empire has forced its people to master the use of portals for quick travel, reducing the cast time and cooldown of their Recall ability by 30%.

Jungle Tamers: Settling the jungles of Mahadevi taught the Harani to be efficient in their labor, reducing the time required for logging trees and gathering herbs by 10%.

Appearance:

The appearance section has a ridiculous amount of options. The only thing that is really worthy of a mention at the moment is the hair color bug. If you try to change hair colors you need to swap hair styles and then swap back to the style you want. Otherwise the color change doesn't register. You'll have to do this each time you select a new color until the bug is fixed, so decide on a color before you decide on a hair style.

Skills:

There are six basic skill options. You can read more specific details on these in my skill set guides.

User Interface and Controls:

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In the image above I've labeled all of the important sections of the in-game user interface. I'll cover basic controls with E.

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Character Status - A:

This area shows your character's current condition. Character health, mana, status effects, and summoned pet are all located in this section.

Target Status - B:

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This area shows the status of your target, whether it's friend or foe. It works like the Character status section, but instead of showing pet information to the right, it shows target of my target data.

Chat Window - C:

This is your chat window, all in-game communication will be here. You can customize your chat window to filter out certain chat channels if you so choose. How you utilize your chat is totally up to you.

Labor and Experience Meters - D:

Your Labor meter controls your ability to gather, mine, craft, and build. For every 100 Labor you spend your max Labor increases by 10. Labor restores over time, recovering 5 Labor every 5 minutes regardless of whether or not you're logged in. I'll cover more about the Labor system in upcoming guides. https://loadminnesota148.tumblr.com/post/657172244410351616/programming-text-editor-for-mac. Your experience meter stretches across your entire screen, and tracks your progress in your current level.

Skill Bars - E:

With the default set-up you have 2 skill bars, the button inputs are 1-9, 0 -, =, and the same 12 buttons with Shift. You can have up-to 4 skill bars for your character, however more slots aren't necessary until later. Your movement controls are; W forward, S backward, Q move left, E move right, A turn left, D turn right. You can also use your mouse to control camera and turning.

Map and Time of Day Meter - F:

The map has three size options controlled by the little button that has an M on it in the above picture. This button will show S, M, or L depending on the current size of the map. the cog-wheel beside that button turns the mini-map on and off as well as mini-map icons. The meter to the right indicates the time of day within the game.

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Quest Tracker - G:

This tracks the status of your active quests. to open the full log just click one of the active quests. You can close the quest tracker by clicking the button in the upper right corner of the tracker. To open it back up click the button again.

Additional Menus - H:

I'll list them in the order they appear from left to right.

Character (C): Displays character details and equipment.

Bag (I): Opens inventory.

Quest Log (L): Another way to open the Quest Log.

Skill Window (K): Displays your Skill menu.

Map (M): Displays the map.

Vocation: Displays Vocation menu.

Community: Opens social menus.

Webmail Inbox (Shift B): Opens Mailbox.

Home: Opens Home menu.

Help: Opens Help menu.

Menu (Escape): Opens options menu, and logout options.

Movies download for free and watch offline. For more guides be sure to check out my ArcheAge Download acrobat for free mac os. guide directory.

Check out our sister site Guild Launch to find an ArcheAge Guild or create a free ArcheAge guild site.

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cooldavidkentposts · 3 years ago

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Building a circular economy for plastic

Imagine buying a drink from a shop, putting the empty bottle into your recycling bin, and the next time you buy a drink, the bottle you purchase is manufactured with plastic recycled from the first.

It is possible in a circular economy, where waste is minimised and resources are re-used and recycled.

Closing the waste ‘loop’ for plastic starts with building the four pillars of a circular economy by:

reducing contamination in recycling bins and increasing recoveries during waste collections;

improving sorting technology at material recovery facilities (MRFs);

increasing domestic markets for recovered plastic; and

stimulating local demand for recycled products.

This process needs commitment and action from industry, governments and consumers to turn it into a reality.

Reducing contamination and improving recoveries

Contamination is a major issue for recycling as it reduces the commodity value of material, raises health, safety and operational issues at processing facilities, and creates additional costs which affects customers, operators and ratepayers.

In Australia, consumer plastic is collected from household kerbside recycling bins, commercial customers and container deposit schemes, where plastic is ‘source separated’ from other materials, which improves the quality of the material for recycling.

Kerbside recycling bins can have high levels of contamination, sometimes as much as 20% of the total, as households mix textiles, e-waste, batteries, soft plastic, pots and pans, and organic material with plastic and other recyclable materials.

To improve the quality of recyclables at the point of disposal, rules and bin lid colours need to be standardised to assist with education across different jurisdictions, said Cleanaway Head of Corporate Affairs, Mark Biddulph.

The Australian Government has responded, announcing in March it would work with state and territory governments to harmonise kerbside recycling.

Launching the first National Plastics Plan, Environmental Minister Sussan Ley said the Government would end the inconsistencies, including the colour of bin lids and what is accepted for recycling.

Biddulph said recycling behaviour could be improved through education with research showing Australians want a more sustainable future, but they are confused about fundamental recycling practices.

Cleanaway’s Recycling Behaviours Report released in April found only 25% of Australians are separating waste correctly and up to 35% of recyclable materials are needlessly going to landfill due to simple sorting errors.

The report was released to launch Cleanaway’s new online education resource, Greenius, which makes recycling simpler for residents, councils, schools and businesses.

It is estimated that more than 50% of all recycling contamination would be resolved if everybody removed soft plastic, food, liquid and textiles from their yellow bins.

“It’s the small behavioural changes that will make all the difference,” Biddulph said.

To view a larger image, click here.

Improving technology at MRFs

The sorting capability of MRFs varies around the country, depending on when the facility was built and local requirements. To capitalise on the clean plastic recycling becoming available through container deposit schemes, and improved kerbside returns, technology to separate plastic into individual polymers will be critical.

HDPE, PP, PET and LDPE are the four main polymers, representing 54% of Australian plastic consumption. Plastic sorting technology is different from standard MRF technology in how it recognises individual polymers and separates items that contain non-plastic material or other contaminants.

Cleanaway’s Plastic Recovery Facility in Laverton, Melbourne, is one example of where plastic is already being sorted into individual polymers for onshore recycling and export.

Increasing domestic markets for recovered plastic

The gradual introduction of export bans for plastic through the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 is heightening the importance of finding markets for recovered plastic in Australia.

From 1 July 2021, only plastic that has been sorted into single resin or polymer types or processed into engineered fuel, can be exported.

From 1 July 2022, the ban will be extended so that only plastic that has been reprocessed for further use, such as flakes or pellets, can be exported for recycling offshore.

“Our essential waste and resource recovery sector has long supported the waste export bans and the industry has and continues to work closely with the federal government to ensure a smooth transition that will meet our environmental and economic objectives,” Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia CEO Gayle Sloan said.

One way to build domestic markets for recovered plastic is to invest in pelletising technology which creates the feedstock for manufacturing products from recycled products, like plastic drink bottles.

The $45 million facility being built in Albury by Circular Plastics Australia (CPA), a joint venture of Cleanaway, Pact Group and Asahi Beverages, will transform about one billion PET bottles each year into pellets.

When it opens later in 2021, this plant will make 30,000 new bottles for Asahi’s bottle manufacturing plant in Albury and Pact’s packaging plants in Sydney and Melbourne.

A plastic pelletising facility is also planned by Cleanaway and Pact Group at Laverton North, where up to 20,000 tonnes per annum of HDPE, PP and LDPE from kerbside collections and the Victorian CDS will be processed into food and non-food-grade recycled resins for plastic re-processing.

The Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments have also announced a grant for a new plastic recycling plant planned by Cleanaway and Pact Group in Western Australia to process locally collected HDPE, PET, LDPE and PP into resin and polymer flake for use in packaging.

Stimulating local demand for recycled products

Knowing that consumers will make sustainable purchasing choices will encourage more investment in sorting and processing technology.

A high percentage of respondents to the Recycling Behaviours Report were actively making sustainable choices as consumers and 41% sought out these products most or every time.

“We’re seeing strong investment from both the waste management sector and fast moving consumer goods and packaging sector to increase recycled content on-shore but, without strong consumer demand, it will be hard to justify more ambitious projects,” Biddulph said.

“If we all play our part, we will have a real chance of building a sustainable circular economy for plastic onshore here in Australia.”

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/article/building-a-circular-economy-for-plastic-1290268155

from WordPress https://davidkent.home.blog/2021/07/30/building-a-circular-economy-for-plastic/

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aurorawebsites151 · 3 years ago

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By Hannah Frishberg and Ruth Weissmann. March 17, pm Updated March 17, pm. I am very well stocked up on food and beverages. In addition to the Craigslist responses, she also got some responses on Instagram.

In the category Personals New Jersey you can find more than personals ads, e.g.: long term relationships or casual encounters. Browse ads now!

Editor’s note: The Record and NorthJersey. The stories they told us range from the romantic to the rueful, from the sappy to the sinister. Because of the nature of the topic, in some cases anonymity has been granted to those who spoke with us. Here are their stories:. Sharon’s grey eyes roamed across half a dozen checkout lanes, lingering just long enough to meet the brown eyes of a man dressed all in black.

It lasted just a moment that April afternoon and then it was over. But Sharon couldn’t shake the feeling. So instead of letting it go, she went for a long shot — an against-all-odds long shot. We made eye contact as we were both in the checkout line You’re probably taken, married or something, but if you aren’t, please reply. The place where she went was Missed Connections, a free Internet page where the wishful and the hopeful post free ads trying to contact people whose paths they’ve randomly crossed.

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As more and more people turn to more digital sites to meet a partner — or set up a fling — the possibilities for success multiply, but so do the possibilities for peril. From assault to scams, online daters must navigate a challenging landscape. But for many, the risks are worth the rewards.

Missed Connections Section of Craigslist Offers a Long Shot at Love Online

McShane was arrested the night of the robberies when detectives saw a man fitting the robber’s description in a local bar. They called the phone number in the Craigslist ad and took him into custody when he answered the phone, according to officials. The victims believed they were going to look at a Honda Civic. He later attacked a cop while trying to escape from custody, authorities said.

McShane, an admitted drug addict, said he used heroin, Xanax and alcohol before committing the robberies. He has previous convictions for drugs, weapons and assaults dating to , the district attorney said.

up with girls or guys in New Jersey and maybe you want to find true love for serious relationships, then forget about Backpage or Craigslist or even Doublelist.

Miller It was cold and dark and Rob Pasterchick was getting desperate. The late-November chill had seeped into the Privateer Drive home he shared with roomates Jean Curtin and her son John. The electricity had been shut off in September. There was no heat and no lights in the modest ranch home in the Ocean Acres section of the township. So Rob, 42, decided to place an ad on craigslist, hoping that someone with a good heart and a kerosene heater to spare would respond.

Displaced Sandy victims still suffering. Elderly lady and her son as well as me. With a reprise from the cold I am taking advantage of asking some good soul to donate a kerosene heater so we can stay warm. I have used up everything I have to help them. I, myself am a Sandy victim and have received no help. I am just asking if there is someone out there that doesn’t need theirs if we can have it. The lady is Jean, I am Rob. We can use food also.

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– Tony of Roebling, NJ, taking no responsibility for holding stolen Flush, unnecessary, “Avoiding a Common Roommate Scam on craigslist” charity scams, collection agency scams, dating and relationship.

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