#edit - THEIR NAME IS POSIE

[walks-the-ages]

Nanowrimo made a half-assed, desperate ""apology"" post

Full text, for when they inevitably try to edit it; as of right now it's August 6th, 2024, around 5:30pm est.

A Note to Our Community About our Comments on AI – September 2024 To the NaNoWriMo Community: In early August, debates about AI on our social media channels became vitriolic. It was clear that the intimidation and harassment we witnessed were causing harm within our community of writers. The FAQs we crafted last week were written to curtail those behaviors. We wanted to send a clear signal that NaNoWriMo spaces would not be used to bully or delegitimize other writers. This was consistent with our May 2024 statement, which named a lack of civility in NaNoWriMo spaces as a longstanding concern. Taking a position of neutrality was not an abandonment of writers’ legitimate concerns about AI. It was an acknowledgment that NaNoWriMo can’t maintain a civil, inclusive community if we allow selective intolerance. We absolutely believe that AI must be discussed and that its ethical use must be advocated-for. What we don’t believe is that NaNoWriMo belongs at the forefront of that conversation. That debate should continue to thrive within the greater writing community as technologies continue to evolve. We apologize that our original message was unclear and seemingly random. Our note on ableism and classism was rooted in the desire to point out that, for people in certain circumstances, some forms of AI can be life-changing. We certainly don’t believe those with concerns about AI to be classist or ableist. Not being more careful about our wording was a bad decision on our part. Our Mission is about providing encouragement to writers and cheering them on as they progress toward their goals. That remains our primary focus. In the future, we will be more transparent about the issues that we are trying to address with any messaging we provide. Finally, we recognize that some members of our community have other questions and concerns that go beyond general context for our comments. We don’t think we can address all of these in a single communication. Additional context here is that we are a very small team (including our Interim Executive Director, who is a volunteer). We want to take the time to read through your letters with the care, attention, and concern they deserve. Please expect more in the coming weeks.  In partnership, The NaNoWriMo Team

I sincerely hope their other sponsors bail ship and leave them to flounder at this point lmao. There is no going back from "if you criticize generative AI you're just ableist classist and racist".

They've also once again edited their "What Is Nanowrimo's Stance on AI?" post:

New text, in full; looks like it was updated sometime late yesterday or early today (August 6th 2024):

What is NaNoWriMo's position on Artificial Intelligence (AI)? 13 hours ago -Updated Not yet followed by anyone

NaNoWriMo neither explicitly supports nor condemns any approach to writing, including the use of tools that  leverage AI. We recognize that harm has been done to the writing and creative communities at the hands of bad actors in the generative AI space, and that the ethical questions and risks posed by some aspects of this technology are real. The fact that AI is a large, complex technology category (which encompasses both non-generative and generative AI, applied in a range of ways to a range of uses) contributes to our belief that AI is simply too big and too varied to categorically support or condemn. NaNoWriMo's mission is to "provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page." We fulfill our mission by supporting the humans doing the writing. Please see this related post that speaks to our overall position on nondiscrimination with respect to approaches to creativity, writer's resources, and personal choice.  We made mistakes in our initial expression of this position. We speak to those mistakes in this letter to our community, and we've simplified the language on this page to reflect our core position. 

If you're wondering why Nano's posting all these non-apologies, its because they started this debacle with seven huge sponsors.

Over the course of the last three days, they've gone down to four.

They have literally lost about half their sponsors because of their support of generative ai.

And, as you can see in the "apologies" above, they're still defending their AI stance, by now claiming that their stance is because they were defending poor, hapless AI users from a horde of harassment and bullying from all sides, and they're not a platform that condones bullying! totally! (sarcasm).

[materialki-ff]

regency names.

Die Grafik bezieht sich auf das Video von Ellie Dashwood. :) Für weitere Ressourcen für Regency Namen, habe ich auch den sehr interessanten und hilfreichen Post von yeoldenews.

Keine Sorge, ihr müsst nicht Namen aus dem Video oder der Liste verwenden, sie dienen allein zur Inspo und Hilfe. Edit: bitte seid auch nicht wie ich und zerbrecht euch den Kopf wegen Namen. :D Ich vertraue euch schon, dass hier keine MacKenzie Khrystin auf dem Ball tanzt lol.

Traditional Names.

Christian Names können aus der Bibel oder von Heiligen stammen oder auch Qualitäten sein, jedoch wurde letzteres eher seltener verwendet. Bsp: Mary, Lydia, Martha, Matthew, Lucy, Dominic

Historic Names Aufgrund der normanischen Eroberung Englands, waren französische Namen irgendwann auch recht en vogue.

Royal Names Hier wurden gerne die Namen der Mitglieder der Stuarts verwendet. Bsp: William, George, Charlotte, Margaret, Anne

Verwandtschaft Kinder wurden gerne auch mal nach anderen Verwandten, Mütter, Väter, Tanten etc. benannt. Also gab's gerne auch mal mehrere Janes oder Marys in einer Famile.

Romantic & Fashionable Names.

Literature Obviously stammt die Inspiration der Namen aus Büchern der damaligen Zeit. Some things never change, nicht wahr Khaleesi? Bsp: Belinda, Clarissa, Pamela

French and Italian Because it's more fashionable and poetic that way. Wer möchte bitte Olive heißen, wenn man auch Olivia heißen kann? Bsp: Amelia, Ophelia, Cordelia, Chloe, Alicia, Lucinda, Olivia

"Modern" Royals Aka the house of hanover. Die sind natürlich viel cooler als die ollen Stuarts. Bsp: Augustus, Ernest, Frederica, Sophia

Double Names Keine Ahnung warum, aber Leute gefil es Doppelnamen zu vergeben. Bsp: James Edward - das ist ein Name

Jane Austen Characters.

Elinor, Elizabeht, Emma, Marianne, Eliza, Margaret, Marianne, Martha, Caroline, Charlotte, Catherine, Georgiana, Anne, Lydia, Eleanor, Harriet, Isabella, Frederick, Charles, George, Henry, James, John

Bridgerton Names. Da habe ich nur einige der Hauptcharaktere aufgelistet.

Agatha, Violet, Anthony, Kate, Edwina, Benedict, Sophie, Araminta, Posy, Rosamund, Colin, Penelope, Phillipa, Prudence, Cressida, Daphne, Simon, Eloise, Phillip, Marina, Francesca, John, Michael, Michaela, Gregory, Hermione, Lucinda, Hyacinth, Gareth

[nsewell]

the unspoken dialogue of borrowed books

ava du mortain/female detective ; 3.1k words ; rated G (on ao3)

The Detective finds a crafty way to send a message and Ava lies rather expertly to herself about what it does to her. 

i had the absolute pleasure of writing for @dottiechan's detective persephone schulz as part of the @wayhavensecretsanta exchange! thank you so much for lending her to me ^^ i was super taken with your headcanon that posy pays attention to books that ava mentions so she can sneak them out of the library to read, and what that does to ava when she notices. where there are books involved, nate had to rear his head of course so i got to play with posy's romance option and bestie dynamics all in one. this was really such a joy to write, and i hope you enjoy reading it!!

--

The first time it happens, it’s the familiar, resonant scent that gives her away. Ava pauses a few steps into the inviting warmth of the Warehouse library with its crackling fire and array of antiques: polished rosewood and old ink and brocade rugs, and suspended above it all—a remnant of Persephone. Long brown hair and clear grey eyes; still Midwinter, imbued in the air after her leaving just like the mythos of her name. The smell of her blood is so pungent and enticing. Ava’s intention of asking Nate to cross reference a text on Gorgons by Agency request is lost to the furtive racing of her own pulse, the unneeded breath she expels from her lungs as it all washes over her; it’s entirely too human a reaction.

She folds her broad arms in front of her chest as though obscuring some unsavory part of herself from the light, and wets her lips, attempting to school her composure cool and impassive as she asks, though really more interrogates, “What did the Detective want? She was not on schedule to be here today.”  

She can hear Nate stooped somewhere behind the towering shelves, singing to himself in Farsi. He emerges at her question with a stack of worn leather tomes propped carefully on one arm, and a warm smile all too knowing for Ava’s liking. She feels slightly unmade under a benign scrutiny that’s known her every tell for hundreds of years, and privately laments, not for the first time, the doing away with armor a few centuries back - chiefly helmets with visors. Her complexion is too pale for this, every flush of color smeared across her cheeks like a rowan berry, blooming and ripened. It is testament to the accord of their longstanding friendship that it goes unremarked upon. Or maybe just a testament to Nate’s infinite resource of kindness. 

“She came to borrow a selection from the library,” he tells her, sounding very pleasant and good-natured as if to counter Ava’s stiff, broiling tension. Ever the contrast, ever the foil. “You’ve only just missed her, I’m afraid.” 

It is a strange thing to feel all at once so mournful and triumphant, and to keep either expression from crossing her features. 

“I’m surprised you let her walk out with it, unscathed. You can be rather territorial with your collection,” Ava says, and presses on glibly, before Nate can rise to the teasing glint in her eye, and not because of her urgent desire to know the purpose of Detective Schulz’s visit–-of course. She moves to take a faltering step forward. “Was it research related?”

“No, it was one of your books, actually. A, hm—curious choice really,” Nate says thoughtfully, teeth gliding over the bow of his full bottom lip. “That first edition of Dracula you picked up in Edinburgh years ago.” 

Ava absorbs this information in like a vapor, nostrils flaring, chest expanding, her own lips pursed into a thin line. She is no avid reader in the way Nate is, scouring shelves in pursuit of knowledge and fictitious escapism, but she will indulge every now and again with the great adventure tales throughout time; stories of heroes overcoming trials in the face of impossible odds. Swords and action and expedition and the like—for strategic purposes and not the fanciful cling to human interest that Nate ascribes to. Dracula had fallen outside of this boundary, and had only been purchased out of vigilance for a novel that had brought their kind under public scrutiny. If the humans were writing fabrications about them, even on a fictitious pretense, it paid to know what was being spread. It had been full of the expected drivel, Stoker polluting the minds of impressionable Victorian age readers, enough to make Ava pause and recite passages scornfully aloud to Nate, who had long finished it all in one sitting. She’d shelved the copy to be lost amidst his ever expanding collection. Over a century later, when it had come up in conversation with Persephone (a throw away line, really) she had never expected…never could have anticipated-– 

“Ava?” Concern twists a notch between Nate’s dark brows, and he shifts the slipping stack in his hands to sit upon his hip before closing the distance and wrapping a hand about her arm. “Forgive me, I really should have asked you first--only I didn’t think you would miss it. I’ve never known you to read a book more than once, and you’ve never looked on that one favorably. It does make sense, her interest, given what we are…” he trails off looking distracted, then clears his throat. “However embellished the telling. She did promise to take good care of it, and return it when she’s finished.”

“It’s alright,” Ava lies quickly before she comes across as too affected, squaring her shoulders and ordering her thoughts into strict line. “She is free to borrow whatever she likes. As a member of our team, this facility is for her use also.” 

Nate pierces her with one of his russet looks of open sincerity. “Home, Ava. This is our home now. And one I hope Posy feels comfortable sharing.” 

“You were always too prone to sentiment, my friend,” Ava chides, though it is said with an undercurrent of fondness and a returning smile. 

“I suppose that’s why the Agency paired us together. One of us has to be.” Nate’s soft, resonant chuckle fills the room, and despite the unease welling in her throat, Ava joins him, uncrossing her arms to aid in his failing feat of book juggling.

—-

And so Ava pretends she doesn’t know. She goes about her usual routine, scheduled down to the minute, and the genius of its design is that it gives her little chance to dwell on the connotations of the borrowed book too keenly. Of course, it could mean nothing. Or anything, or everything. It disturbs her, if she’s being entirely honest. 

When duty parses them together again, there isn’t more than the expected consequences of being in the same room, a rehearsed script by now–“Ava.” “Detective.”--followed by averted eyes and skittish movements and silent, glorious reveling when a touch is orchestrated between them just so. Persephone, collected and brazen as ever. Ava guarded, but sparing fleeting looks to the Detective’s bag like a wounded, arrow pierced hare, once, twice, more than a few times for a book shaped indentation or perhaps some vital organ carved from her belly because it feels like she’s taken a piece of her to study under a microscope. There is always the chastisement of herself afterwards for letting her eyes and hands and thoughts stray, this cycle as infinite as humanity’s death and rebirth. And that is all. 

The one true lapse in judgment she will admit to, in a clinical sort of way, like a disease of the blood—and even then only to the dark of her Spartan quarters—is when she makes the rounds on guard rotation one evening and lingers below Persephone’s window, wrapped up in her coat to watch the glow of lamp light snuff out after a long interim of waiting, and wonders with an unquenchable ache,��what words did your eyes linger upon and did they make you think of me. 

Other than that, it has little effect on her. Ava considers the whole endeavor a great success.  

Until Dracula manifests on the shelf again in a week’s time, without notice or fanfare, as though placed by some invisible spectral hand. She has not been looking for it, she tells herself, had made frequent returns to the library to maintain security--check locks, monitor layouts; as she keeps vigil over all the rooms in their residence. And then for another week after the book’s reappearance, Ava will avoid the room as though the entire wing had been roped off and placed under strict quarantine. She will glare down anyone who brings up the fallacy in this behavior (and has already pinned Farah with her most taciturn scowl over supper). 

Ultimately, she is weak; at her age-it is foolish. She is old, far too old for such nonsense and repeats that notion to herself like a mantra when, during the guise of night while the three other vampires sleep in a rare feat of synchronization, muscle memory takes her through the Warehouse like she’s headed for the gallows, and all too soon, the book is clutched beneath her white-knuckled fingers. The library feels suddenly occupied by old ghosts. The Grandfather clock Nate had acquired in Bavaria cuts the air with accusatory ticks as she smooths a hand over the leather. If it chimes, she’ll smash it, and supplicate herself before Nate later. 

The years have been kinder to the novel than she’d anticipated. The gold cover is faded, the binding tattered slightly with age, but the red embossed letters declare the title boldly. She is only checking for damages. Yes, it makes sense to assess the state of so old an object after someone else has had their hands on it. She splays the book open in her palm. The flyleaf still bears Ava’s initials in Nate’s neat, narrow scrawl. He had insisted on the distinction–no one would ever guess him so possessive of his belongings. Had Persephone noticed? Did she think it had been Ava’s hand that penned it? And why did it, unfathomably, matter to her at all? Her thumb skims the pages, biting down something coiling in her gut that feels like the mounting anticipation before blood's warm ichor coats her tongue, while a part of her also knows that she is fated for disappointment.

She considers abandoning this ridiculous inspection alltogether when her finger catches a crease in the corner of an off-white page, dog-eared, nearly imperceptible. Flipping it open, she finds only the expected script. But when she runs her finger over the paper, sensitive skin traces the raised line of graphite beneath a single line. 

I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.

Ava’s stomach drops out from under her, a rug pulled beneath her feet.

It is something that’s easily dismissable. A stray marking, an absent-minded pencil strike that can be explained away. Surely nothing deliberate, nothing meant to convey a message, and even if, she will not entertain such a game.

The book is shut and hastily reshelved.

She makes it as far as her hand gripping the doorknob before the antique clock pierces the masoleum-like silence with a tolling note. The sound cuts the rigid crest of Ava's shoulders and sends her reeling back to the shelf, and then hastening to her room with preternatural speed, where she leaves the offending page open on the bed and paces an indentation into her floorboards. In this brief, fleeting lapse of sanity, she allows excitement to tingle the sensitive nerve endings in her hands. I am longing to be with you. And then embarassment overcomes it when the golden threads of dawn encroach across the white duvet of her bed to shine light on this absurd, irrational thing that she's done.

She should set fire to it. She should put a stop to all of this. Instead, she spirits the book into her ancient lockbox and tucks the words away to nestle inside her ancient ribcage.   

She will not ask Persephone what she thought of Stoker’s unflattering characterization of their kind. She will not bring this up ever again, any utterance or acknowledgement can only mean total defeat. 

But Ava has always been a woman of stringent results. And so no one can hold it against her when she puts this dialogue of theirs to the test. It is merely a matter of deduction, she tells herself, curiosity at play, a possibility to eliminate and not to evoke any more ridiculous and certainly non-existent stirrings.

There is no easy way to broach the subject of books into a conversation without sounding obvious, or otherwise doing a crude impersonation of Nate, who recites literary quotes like a clergyman with scripture--she had debated roping him into this, but, true to form, had almost immediately decided against that display of weakness.

And so Ava doesn't speak of it. Instead, she texts--and it takes her a long period of concentrated effort bent over her phone to compose a vague enough message that satisfies her, and even longer still, to muster up the courage to press send. 

'Detective.The Epic of Gilgamesh has insights into Sumerian mythology that might useful in your research of the supernatural.'

She immediately, of course, panics. Felled is her valor, not by ogres or demons or any manner of formidable creature, but by the simple technology that humans have developed to forgo the awkwardness of face-to-face communication. Thankfully, this dread is quickly put to rest by Persephone's almost instant reply. 

'OK'

How anticlimatic.

And thus, the pattern repeats. After a day, the mentioned book undergoes a period of truancy from the library and Ava sets her jaw tight as the passing time peels her raw. In due course, it reappears and when there is the assurance of no one in site, she decends upon it hungrily, soft with age and stooping at the spine. In all honesty, she can recall little of the plot, had only remembered Nate gifting it to her one innumerable anniversary or birthday or celebration, and drawing similarities between herself and the titular warrior-king.

After a brief inspection, Ava finds the dog-earred page. A single line in the whole expanse of the epic poem is emphasized with the same faint pencil trace as before. 

Hold my hands in yours, and we will not fear what hands like ours can do.

Something strange, and frightening shifts deep within Ava. She slams the book closed and with it under her arm, retreats.

—

“There are less complicated ways of going about this, you know.” 

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Posy blowing steam off her frothing mug and Nate with his long fingers circled around a cup of tea as they indulge in their routine of early morning caffeine and commiseration at Haley’s. It’s all for her benefit, of course; this outpouring of longing and frustration with Ava at its contradictory core. Nate and his even-tempered assurances and three hundred year insight into the enigma of a vampire, interpreting her without insinuating, or otherwise offering a sympathetic ear to Posy's venting. He is a master of consolation, and always seems to know exactly what she needs to hear after an encounter with those shadowed green eyes hunting the set line of her collar or her spine or her neck. 

And he has been an accomplice, these past few weeks, to Posy’s great interpersonal experiment. 

She hadn’t entered into this with any more intention than what it’d originally began as—taking a cursory interest in a book that Ava had mentioned off-handedly. And while Wayhaven’s Public Library system was sure to carry the typical selection of classic literature, the thrumming of her heart in her ears had drawn Posy to the Warehouse and to the library carefully maintained by Nate, and to the shelf he’d more than amenably directed her to housing Ava’s century old copy of Dracula. To the pages touched by Ava's fingers and the binding that had spread upon Ava's lap and the same words that Ava's eyes had glazed over dispassionately, words that had resonated, words that Posy had singled out--perhaps a bit precociously--and maybe with an expectation that the thorough inspection Ava passes over everything that crosses in and out of her peripheral would be rewarded. 

“I don’t think this is fun for her, but rather mildly tortuous,” Nate sighs like the weight of his three hundred years is finally catching up to him. “I’m worried you’ll underline a sentence that makes her break something in there. Or throw the book all together and do it damage.” The mere thought of that appears to cause him genuine distress, wrought all over his normally tempered features. 

“I’m surprised you let me scribble in them at all,” Posy says, hiding the amused press of her lips behind the rim of her drink.

“Yes, well, annotating is an age-old literary practice. And I’ll always encourage reading. And affections of the heart. And–they’re not my books.” His mouth twitches, then curves, as though falling victim to his own train of persuasion. “Really, this is good for her.”

“I thought you said it was torture.” 

The vampire pauses to take an indulgent sip of his tea, eyes fluttering shut briefly. “Sometimes the two pair rather nicely. Like gouda cheese and a Pinot noir.” 

“Flavor analogies too? You’re in rare form today, Nate. So she has been finding them?”

“Oh, yes. The other day, I pretended not to notice her stakeout of the Mesopotamian section. Ava has many, many wonderful gifts, and subtlety is not one of them. That text she sent is evidence enough. Though I do worry you’re running out of usable material. Her tastes are…limited and narrowing.” From a leather messenger bag hanging on his seat-back, Nate procures a thick hardcover book and slides the text on castle rampart sieging across the table. “While I’m of the mind that all literature has merit, I doubt there’s any poetry in this one--I think she may be challenging you.” 

Posy takes the book under palm, casting a scrutinizing gaze over it. In place of the medieval architechture that the cover depicts, she can see only Ava's wry hint of a pursed mouth smile, the shallow press of a dimple not quite formed. Your move, Detective. “There she goes underestimating me again," Posy says with resolve. "You'd think she would’ve learned better by now.”

“There is a saying about old habits. And Ava’s are as ancient and as difficult to kill as she is.” 

“Yes. But my blood is very mysteriously and magically undoing, or haven’t you heard? Even on an ancient, unbreakable spell like Ava Du Mortain.”

Nate laughs richly like the brush of a low bell, and reaches across the table to offer her forearm an obliging pat, hands warmed from the Earl Grey. “Of that, there has never been any doubt. You truly are something special, Posy. To our little family, and that includes Ava. However long and…arduous that confession might come to be."

“Thank you, Nate," she responds with affectionate sincerity flitting about her throat, and then intontes, all business, "Now then. I have impenetrable fortresses to compare to Commanding Agents--which isn’t sounding all that difficult right about now.”  

With that, Posy opens the book and delicately, fondly, traces the crisp signature of Ava’s initials with the wayward pad of her finger.

Nate doesn't have the heart to break the illusion and tell her he'd been the one to put them there--and really, he decides, no one is hurt by this omission. 

[withclawandvine]

those olympic edits of athletes running to celebrate with their partners had me thinking about my gadge high school au again so here’s a drabble about that state qualifier that gale secured for his baseball team ok bye 

After a rocky start to the season, the Covington Jays had found their stride; going on a twenty-two game winning streak that put them back in play for the state championship for the first time in over a decade.

But only if they won this final regular-season game, and the Fort Treze Rebels were putting up a hell of a fight. Enough to drag the game into extra innings, going run for run. 

From where he stood at second base, Gale watched the raucous welcome for the runners he brought in turn into shouts of Send it, man! as Bristel jogged up to the plate. Behind him, a reinvigorated home crowd. And at its center, a cluster of tar-black hair and keen gray eyes. 

Noticing they had his attention, Posy jumped up, her gap-toothed grin brighter than the stadium lights as she waved at him enthusiastically with both hands.

No, not just waving — pointing. 

To a girl wearing a pretty white dress, emblazoned with a cobalt pin featuring her own last name in bold letters. While Gale blinked disbelievingly at her, she winked.

Up only one run, they couldn’t afford to give anything up — and that started with Gale. But despite that pressure, he stepped onto the mound with a clear head and something bright and buoyant in his chest.

The first strikeout was swift and decisive: three hard swings that hit nothing but air and shoulderblade. The second — drug out by two fouls and a rogue pitch so high Thom had to jump for it — wasn’t earned so easily. 

The first baseman stepped up to the plate. He was a heavy hitter, and Gale knew that if he got the right pitch, that ball was a goner. 

Gale was known to throw a lethal fastball, but the pitch that really got him attention from scouts was his change-up. It wasn’t something many of his peers had in their arsenals. Batters fell into it like a trap: thinking the ball was coming in hot, only for it to drop to a breezy 81, sailing right below the bat. 

The un-countered momentum of that final swing nearly brought the Rebel to his knees.

The umpire hadn’t even finished calling the strike before a tide of blue and white  swarmed him — rushing in from their positions, tripping over each other clearing the dugout.

Teammates clumsily worked their shoulders under Gale’s legs, lifting him up. And as they jostled him up and down, fellow classmates and family members ran onto the field to join the celebration.

A coach once said that you’d never be able to tell if we was winnin’ or losin’ by lookin’ at Hawthorne’s face. Up five runs or down, Gale remained unruffled and unreadable — getting emotional stimied his game, and letting his opponents see it bolstered theirs. But that was hardly the reason he tolerated hero treatment for only another minute before rolling, throwing his weight down so the team had no choice but to drop him.

And when his cleats hit the ground, and he took off, it wasn’t because he wanted to run away from his team, or their riotous joy. It was because he wasn’t feeling it himself. 

Gale was running for home plate. Or rather, the blonde girl in the white dress standing next to it, diamond dust already smudging her glossy heels. 

He swept her right off of them, wrapping her in a spinning embrace. 

Madge clung to him, her legs locked around his waist and her fingers interlaced behind his neck. She was saying something, but it was lost to the celebrations and the thunder of his own heart. 

As cliche as it seemed, Gale was on top of the damn world.

Trusting Madge had a strong enough hold on him, Gale let go of her waist to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. His lips met hers once, twice, before his smile was too big and toothy, and he had to settle for just staring at her in astonishment. 

His cheeks were starting to hurt. “What’re you doing here?” 

Madge leaned back as far as her grip on his neck would allow, getting a good look at him, that smile, before answering, “As if I’d miss this.” 

Gale was too caught up in it all — the thrill of victory, the reignited hope of getting another, the girl in his arms — to notice the reporter for the local paper until after the blinding flash of the camera.

[electric-hydrangea]

Arlecchino's Past & Her Being the Grim Reaper

Spoilers/leaks for 4.6 ahead

Made by Rosie Posie and Daniel :3

reposted from my twitter, leak-censored version on the genshin lore subreddit

The Fall of the Faded Castle

The Fall of the Faded Castle is where Arlecchino’s lore can be found. “The Mask of the Red Death” by Poe is the inspiration for this book. I’d recommend reading it, it’s very similar!

It’s referenced in Arlecchino’s kit (her infused normal attack), its name being “Mask of the Red Death”

The book has numerous references to the blood moon and debts owed, something also found in Arlecchino’s kit, as well as the use of the word “baleful”. 

In her Character Introduction, she hallucinates her past in a way very similar to TFotFC. The lines are meant to parallel each other; the scene being the same but the setting is now different.

The final paragraph of her Character Introduction references the ending of TFotFC, and the moonlight that flows into the hearth through the window symbolizes her past. 

TFotFC mentions the clock striking midnight and the castle master becoming panicked for the reaper that would come to collect his blood debt, and then Arlecchino’s introduction mentions her taking control over the room when the clock chimes. 

Remuria

To move onto Arlecchino’s connections with Remuria, it requires extra context about Remus, the leader of Remuria.

Remus had his own sin, different from Egeria, where he altered life by dissolving his people into Golems. He meant for them to live for eternity, but the souls instead shattered.

While Egeria was punished by Celestia, Remus was punished by Arlecchino. The Fall of The Fated Castle is about Arlecchino punishing Remus. She’s responsible for Remuria falling. I know there are some really passionate Remuria fans, I hope I am not massacring the story haha. I’m more into the Ordo #sandronenation

Edit: it’s been brought to my attention that the guy in the story probably isn’t Remus, and I’m also on board with that. The guy who the Grim Reaper is hunting isn’t entirely relevant, but I suggest instead: Boethius

Unsorted Chapter

She’s still dead though; she’s glitching. She’s otherworldly. TFotFC describes the Grim Reaper as having two cold eyes that can pierce your soul with a glance. It questions if they are a lord returning from an ancient world, or the nightmare itself. 

In the origins of her name, Arlecchino, in commedia del’arte, it’s said to trace back to Dante’s Inferno; a devil going by the name Alichino. Her character type is the “devil” stock character, but that character can also be molded into whatever, like being a lighthearted prankster.

She also has a scythe.. Grim Reaper much? She also marks enemies with her blood debt, something in her kit. The scythe effect that the polearm has is one that only Arlecchino can use. Her whole kit uses wording that can be attributed to TFotFC and the hearth. 

The boss Arlecchino can be found at a grave. The writing says “Crucabena”, who is also “Ceridwen”. Crucabena is the Gallic equivalent. Ceridwen is the Welsh goddess of rebirth, which is a part of Arlecchino’s whole thing. Her grave’s subtitle could be referencing how the hearth is of two worlds.

Arlecchino’s constellation “Ignis Purgatorius” is based off of the poem “Purgatorius Ignis” by Christopher Okemwa. I don’t really know what’s going on in this poem, but I’d be more than happy to hear what others think.

Perinheri

Her character introduction shows us that she is in control of the hearth (in the Orphanage), and Perinheri shows more of her themes in the hearth; this could symbolize her being reborn as Arlecchino from being the Grim Reaper.

In book “Perinheri”, Perinheri is locked in a hearth and has to crawl through it. Then, he is asked if he has seen “it” yet, and if he is dead. When he turned around, he saw the Crimson Moon and a titanic horrified eye. After Perinheri was released from the hearth, he was told that he traversed through the fire of two worlds within the hearth and he is now reborn.

The Crimson Moon is Arlecchino, and the eyeball Perinheri saw is on her head in her boss fight. 

TLDR

TLDR Arlecchino was the Grim Reaper and punished Remus for his crimes and then was reborn as Arlecchino but something is still wrong with her because she’s glitching. It could be because she’s caught between the two worlds within the hearth. 

We also don’t have voice lines, character stories, or artifact lore leaks though so a lot of information is probably missing.

There are more connections to be made with Arlecchino, Caterpillar, the grave, Perinheri, and the experiments done on Caterpillar, but I don’t think I have enough to try and cover that.

[cristalin-league-official]

Okay... account introductions.

Hello. This is the Cristalin League's official account. By technicality. Lizzy begged Rune to let us make this. He said "sure, whatever" and we ran with that. My name is Nat Callahan (they/them), Citrine City Gym Leader, Bug specialist, etc. There's three primary blogrunners, (though others may pop up from time to time): Me (picked the colours), Wyatt (chose the banner), and Lizzy (made the icon). I'll let the other two introduce themselves. -N

Hey there! The name's Wyatt! He/him pronouns, please! I'm Aventurine City's very own Gym Leader! I specialize in Electric-Types! You might've also seen me as lead guitar for Double Time! Hope to see y'all round! -W

HELLOOO~! My name's Lizzy, I'm the Peridot City Gym Leader, I have psychic powers, I dress in pink, and I'm a Dark specialist! I don't care how you feel about it! And if it hurts your feelings, my darling Houndoom will be glad to talk it out with you! (That's a lie! She will bite! SHE BITES.) -L

edit: hi. my name is posy. she/her. cristalin elite 4. ghost specialist. nice to meet you. lizzy gave me the password. -P

Edit 2: Um. Hi. My name's Zephyr, but everyone just calls me Zeph. I specialize in Flying. He/him. Elite 4. Lizzy also gave me the password. She likes doing that. -Z

//hello y'all i made another blog

//ooc is notated like this, with the two slashes in front

//characters are all adults but don't be weird.

//Pelipper/Musharna Mail/Malice is on, Pelipper Unmail is off, magic anons are a tentative yes with mun discretion. Interactions from anyone are welcome!

//These characters are from my fan region of Cristalin.

//The region is still unfinished so if I contradict myself assume I just changed the details and couldn’t be bothered to retcon the original

[gonorrhea-mama]

Rosie question: fun nickname edition

How many of these do you use?

Rosie Posie

Rose Rose

Rosie Rose

Rozzzzieeee

Do you use other names?

All the above and many more! And every variant of the name under the sun like rosa, rosemary, rosetta, rosalie, etc lol

And hundreds of nicknames that have nothing to do with her name

[charlicpace]

name inspo: unique but controversial edition ! i'm not saying i like these, i'm not saying i hate 'em, but these are all names that i've seen people have incredibly strong opinions on, and i feel like they're good shouts if you're looking for a character with a name that starts conversations. or arguments.

anise

avalon

azure

brinley

cairo

carlotta

cherry

citrus

clementine

clover

cosmo

coral

cyrus

danerys

dream

duke

dune

echo

effy

fallon

farrah

farrow

flora

halo

haven

hebe

hermione

january

juniper

jupiter

louella

lotus

lysander

magnolia

marigold

mariposa

milan

montana

nevaeh

nola

north

nova

ocean

paisley

peaches

pepper

posie

presley

rover

renesmee

river

rocky

sunday

strawberry

walker

[rottedbrainz]

Ok so originally I was just gonna do this with the four main fellas, but I found myself adding in more character dynamics so...forgive me?

Tibbs belongs to me. Caled, Terri, and Mick belong to @palettepainter. And Gabe belongs to @posies-and-bundles

Bonus characters under the cut!! :D

Some of the quotes were edited to fit the characters or dynamic. Sorry if some of them are out of character.

*Tibbs helping Mick out after they get injured, while the others are watching*

Gerald: How does Mick look?

Gabe: A little better than you, actually.

+

+

Gerald, watching the news: Someone tried to fight a squid at the aquarium today!

Mick: *walks in covered with ink* Well, maybe the squid was being a dick.

+

+

Tibbs: Whaddya call a fish with no eye?

Gabe, not looking up: Myxine Circifrons

Tibbs:

Tibbs: fsh

+

+

Gerald: Dammit, Tibbs!

Tibbs: What?! It wasn’t me!

Gerald: Sorry, force of habit. Dammit, Mick!

Mick: Not me either.

Gerald: Oh...Then who set the house on fire?

Gabe: *whistles*

+

+

Tibbs: There is no future. there is no past. do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.

Mick:

Gabe:

Gerald:

Everyone Else At Person A’s Surprise Birthday Party:

Mick: All I asked was if you wanted to cut your birthday cake first.

+

+

Gabe: Okay, help me please!

Gerald: Got two words for you.

Mick: I bet they won't be helpful.

Gerald: Your problem.

Mick: I was right

Gabe, talking to Zoot on the phone: Did you preheat the oven like I told you to?

Baby Zoot: You bet!

Gabe: At what temperature?

Baby Zoot: 535.

Gabe: That's the clock.

Baby Zoot:

Gabe:

Baby Zoot: 536.

+

+

Tibbs: You love me, right, Caleb?

Caleb: Normally, I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere and I don’t like it.

+

+

Terri: Name a more iconic duo than my crippling fear of abandonment and my anxiety. I'll wait.

Tibbs: You and me!!!

Terri, tearing up: Okay.

+

+

Janice: I've already sent good vibes your way… they’re coming. There’s nothing you can do to stop them.

Tibbs: This is the most threatening way I’ve ever been cheered up.

+

+

Caleb: *Walking in to a room* Sorry I’m late... I was... doing things.

*Sounds of running footsteps progressively getting louder*

Lips: *Out of breath* THEY PUSHED ME DOWN THE FUCKIN’ STAIRS.

+

+

Mick: How's the sexiest person here~?

Terri: I don't know, how are they~?

Mick, flustered: I-

Tibbs, from across the room: I'm doing great, thanks!

+

+

Terri: I was arrested for being too cool.

Tina: The charges were dropped due to a lack of supporting evidence.

+

+

Terri: What the fuck is wrong with you?!

Mick: Wow, you could start with a 'good morning'.

Terri: Good morning. What the fuck is wrong with you?!

+

+

Gerald: Tina, keep an eye on Floyd today. They're going to say something to the wrong person and get punched.

Tina: Sure, I’d love to see Floyd get punched.

Gerald: Try again.

Tina, sighing: I will stop Floyd from getting punched.

+

+

Mick: Come on, I wasn’t that drunk last night.

Gabe: You were flirting with Terri.

Mick: So what? She's my wife.

Gabe: You asked her if she was single.

Mick:

Gabe: And then you cried when she said she wasn't.

+

+

Janice: Dad, I'm sad.

Tibbs: *Holds out arms for a hug* It’s going to be okay.

Floyd: Pop, I'm sad.

Mick, nodding: mood.

+

+

Terri: We need more help. Maybe I should call my friends.

Mick: ... Your what?

Terri: My friends.

Gabe: Are they saying “friends”?

Tibbs: I think they're being sarcastic.

Tina: No, no, no, this is delirium, they've cracked from being awake all night. Hey, Terri! All of your friends are in this room.

Terri: I have other friends! You asked me to make new friends, I made new friends! It was a task. I complete tasks.

[the-clay-quarters]

Estival 2024: The Sixth Coil, blorbo edition

I keep thinking of so many ways my ocs are interacting with the event and details that are unique to them, so... Since I'm highly unlikely to actually write a fic or anything with this, tumblr post it is!

Currently* this is a lot of just stream of though writing so I'm not sure if it makes sense, I may end up fixing it up later but idk.Its probably going to be edited regularly and end up really long, this is your warning.

*currently currently, I am writing this past 2am and it probably makes even less sense. I forgot like all the npc names. it includes so many asides and a tangent wondering how silv would sit on the floor. I so tired man

Day 1, Thurs

Set up and intro to the event, arrival of the tiger group that I can never remember the name of

Silv is part of the group that's setting up the event and was hired in advance, so he new the speech was coming. Pem knew on account of Silv and also convinced him to actually come see it. Vin found out with everybody else, was at the uni at the time (when are they not) and turned up with a bunch of other students. Silv and Pem have both been to coil 4 (fuck the dilmun club dude I still need to do that for coil 5), Vin wasn't even aware there were tigers in the city.

Silv stayed back while Pem (Theo) went to the front. Vin broke off from the uni group when they saw Silv and stayed with him instead. Vin has no idea what's happening and is confused as fuck. Silv is apathetic, Pem is excited, Vin is cautious, as to be expected.

This is a complete tangent but I am so struggling to imagine Silv sitting on the floor. How do you sir on the floor with his insistence on posture and rigidity. He could sit on his legs n kinda kneel but that would look weird on him. Would he suit cross legged?? How else can you sit on the floor. Legs out? Can people do that without leaning back?? Uh. That's like it girl help. Vin sits leaning on him tho <3

At this point, Silv leaves to go work and will be mostly busy for the next few days, occasionally available if the other two come bother him. Now, Pem and Vin are left to go journalism work forrrrr name I forgot. Labyrinth first, Pem goes in to bother the tiger keeper and Southwark while Vin stays outside with their lack of entry rights. Vin talks to Silv and the other clay men around and gets the bit about the? dirt? being weird? Silv buddy since when can you talk to dirt.

After that, they go to the side streets but Vin suggests seeing Sherlock the detective. Pem has 0 faith in the man but sure whatever it's on the way. Anyway to the side streets, Vin feels really weird about being here bcus they are Not a PoSI yet but Pem is dragging them along so okay. She ends up talking to basically everyone before managing to get something useful from the law firm.

They weren't planning on seeing Mr Inch (I feel like he moves around enough that he's impossible to find unless you have a meeting) but they run into him while going past the docks on the way back tooooo is it veilgarden idk. Pem has a nice chat w Mr Inch while Vin is lost but also ":O zoologist!"

Anyway back to the reporter then they're fine for the day.

Sike, there's more tigers. Pem sees them in the street and watches the entourage(?) go by. Vin doesn't see it but hears about it after.

Current status: Silv is busy having a job, Pem is hyped and can't wait to participate, Vin is still kinda lost and mostly just worried

good night and good luck to tomorrow me on fixing this o7

[yourelessfast]

Sonic OC Showdown Q&A! Rocket the Lab Rat Edition!

I can finally sit down and actually do some of these! Yippee!!!

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?/🍀- What originally inspired the OC? Rocket and the rest of her friends are all very recent! I got the idea to make some 'knock-off' sonic cast members from the RTVS sonic sub marathon, which was only a couple weeks ago! Everything about Rocket and her friends are still very in development and subject to change, but everything as follows is as best I got so far!

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name? How do any of us do anything? I thought it sounded cool!

🌼- How old are they? (Or approximate age range) General young adult age range? Old enough to join the military, not old enough to rent a car. May change as I develop the world more, but I tend to prefer having adult characters when developing them.

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)? Rocket has a few crushes, mainly on Frost the Chinchilla, but nothing she's ever acted on anything. The real scoop is that her rivalry with Powder the Rabbit tends to be very flirtatious at Rocket without really being reciprocated. She gets really flustered about it and then fires her lasers haphazardly, which makes her easy to dodge to beat in a fight, which was always Powder's plan. Syrup the Fox, the only member of the team that is younger than Rocket, might also have a small crush on the rat and tries to get her attention from time to time.

🍕 - What is their favorite food? Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

💼- What do they do for a living? Professional sidekick. She makes anything Zip needs to save the world, and also whatever is fun to have around. She builds obstacle courses into Peacelily so he has something to speed-bust and bounce off of without damaging the environment.

🎹- Do they have any hobbies? She finds any excuse she can to get into her mk2 battle mech and stomp around a little bit. Zip busted up the first one when they first met, but the 2nd one is made for hero purposes instead of villainy, so it's totally fine to have death lasers and missiles and stuff built into this one haha.

🎯 -What do they do best? Most of the time she helps with adventures, she's flying around with her rocket jetpack. She can help Zip over large pits by carrying him across, or reach the cookies on the very top shelf.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do? She's way more in her element when helping Zip than when she, you know, crosses over with the main cast at all. Zip and Sonic are always butting heads over who's the fastest, Posie and Amy are gossiping, Boomer and Knuckles can go head to head in a yelling match, but as far as the parallels go, Zip and Tails are the most obviously different of the counterparts, and any time she needs to work together with him to solve some sort of problem (because they're both the smartest ones in any room), she always feels out of her element. He's a baby, why is he so smart? This is horseshit.

❤️- What is one of your OC’s best memories? After her very first fight with Zip, she really thought he'd have just finished her off and been off on his day, but he let her go and promised to be friends if she ever stopped being evil and junk. She really assumed she'd never amount to much more than a henchman, but Zip showed her she was capable of so much more than that.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories? Being a henchman. Feeling like a cog in the bio-machine that is the Deville empire. She's glad she got out of that.

🧊- Is their current design the first one? For now! Maybe she'll get fuzzier. Still working everything out with that!

🌂- What genre do they belong in? 3D Platformer with speedrunning and collectathon elements, with light forays into arena fighting games and analog horror. Don't ask about that last one, long story.

💚- What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality? For now, Rocket goes by She/Her and is a fem-leaning bisexual. It might change as she develops more! No idea if trans or cis, impossible to tell at this stage.

🙌- How many sibling does your OC have? Two! Rumble and Riot the Lab Rats, two more of Dr. Egg Head's experiments. Rumble fought Zip in Stage 2 and Riot fought Zip in Stage 3, both of them in special vehicles that did a poor job of stopping him in his tracks. The three of them also fused in Stage 5, Freaky Franken Labs, where Zip had to fight them as the Ratmalgam King. After Zip's first adventure, when Rocket became his sidekick, those two kind of faded into side character obscurity, but they were seen in the audience of the Grey Airzone stage of Zip the Fighters, cheering with a few Devil Eggs and Impiz.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like? Biological parents? No idea. Dr. Egg Head is kind of an adoptive mom, though, and Rocket hates her! They fight all the time and try to shoot each other with lasers.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC? She's very funny XD. Sometimes she acts as the straight man (ironic) to Zip's antics, but other times she can break down into a little neurotic mess over her own self image. I like imagining her in scenarios and seeing if she's the cool head who solves the problem or the only one in the room screaming her head off.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC? She started off as a one-off joke doodle and I have not shut up about her and her setting since. So.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC? No, this group of OCs is supposed to be fun and silly and I don't see any of them dying for real. Zap might die for one panel of a comic and then come back on the next page as a send-up of SA2 -> Sonic Heroes, but other than that no one dies.

💀- Does your OC have any phobias? Thunder.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival? Her enemy is Dr. Egg Head and her various goons and schemes. She's also sometimes enemies with characters like Zap and the Spooky Squad and the Retro Bandits, but her Rival is Miles Tails Prower. She is constantly compared to him, by both the framing device of the story and herself, and he's not even fully grown yet, so he could only ever get smarter from here. She is determined to outpace and overcome his influence, even if it involves some… underhanded methods.

I hope everyone enjoys her and her little funny guy routine! I also hope she makes some friends that are a little more normal than Zip and Boomer. Please. She needs them so badly. @sonic-oc-showdown

[no-one-picked-maris]

yesterday I saw a post that mentioned Felicity Merman (AG) probably has ADHD.

reading happy birthday, felicity (or the rest), she definitely reminds of me when I was that age.

(edit):

BUT HOLY FUCKIN SHIT I FORGOT THAT HER COLLECTION HAS A SET CALLED "PLANTATION PLAY". WHAT IN THE BLAKE LIVELY.

(edit ii):

and grandfather was so lovely to bring dinner

[insert posies photo here]

(edit thought):

the parallel between mother being deathly ill in felicity's surprise and and recovering vs grandfather not in changes for felicity...

(edit thoughts):

she left her grandmother's precious guitar in her bff's garden after 1) being distracted by flowers; 2) being distracted by the drums; and 3) realizing people are willing to die for independence.

she realizes she left her guitar in the garden after she mentions her grandfather while speaking with ben (free association or w/e).

(she ultimately never played the guitar with her grandfather.)

hbf, chapter 5: I'm wondering, do they write out Issac's character in the beforever version?

like, there are so many reasons they aren't going to re-release felicity's series in a meaningful way, I think.

she's always concerned about pleasing people - especially her grandfather and avoiding feeling shame! .

I honestly like the formality of address in the era...probably because it's a script that helps me mask my adhd. easier to remember last names/lack of instant communication meaning longer contact times between friends was expected! it's gross, but I would have a socially acceptable excuse not to be places that make me anxious (neurotypical working situations) because I'm "~~lady~~".

her series is also the most overtly white protestant in the series. tons of mentions of god...

ughhhh her father rides penny during the revolutionary war as a commissary agent (not even sure if that's a real thing).

oh ~

this is her apple butter dress:

which was sold as her work gown:

[caesarflickermans]

The Hunger Games characters have some unique names based on many cultures we've lived in today.

What's your favourite character names from THG world? What's their names meaning?

Bonus questions :

If you're a fanfic writer writing about characters who lives in Panem, what's their name gonna be?

If you're a reader, what's a name you read in a THG fanfic that stuck with you?

Thank you, @curiousnonny

I so thoroughly enjoy the effort that Collins has done which both writes those character names as something known and yet foreign. It's nothing she needed to do and yet she did.

A brief list of the names I like and as to why/their meaning--if I know the meaning tbh.

Hazelle and Posy Hawthorne. Hazelle derives from Hazel, that's about all I know from those names, but they both sound so home-y. Like, going back to the small rural town and knowing you are always welcome for a hot cup of tea at Hazelle's (and Posy's).

Maysilee Donner. The modern equivalent, Maisie, is such a great name. I really love it and have used it prior. IIRC, I even, unconscious of Maysilee, shortened the name of Caesar's mum that way. Both versions read and sound so pretty.

Rue. It's a beautiful name, simple as that. I only know it means street in French, but I doubt that matters lol.

Castor and Pollux. They are twin half-brothers, Pollux being the immortal one and Castor the mortal one. In the myth, they end up sharing their immortality by becoming stars, but it quite hits because in THG Pollux survives and Castor dies. Maybe it has always been inevitable.

Plutarch Heavensbee. We all know Plutarch as the historian of ancient times, but I also quite like his surname. It's such a comforting name, and the "bee" part in it just makes me think of a cute buzzing bumblebee. It's adorable (mandatory link to plvtarch's art).

Caesar Flickerman. Same as the above. We all know Julius Caesar, and tbh I always expected Brutus to murder Caesar in the THG series as well, but then that never happened. I really like his surname, because flicks being synonymous with movies (and especially with older movies).

As for my own creations, I will pick the one you all know best:

Virgilia Snow. In Shakespeare's play, Coriolanus' wife is called Virgilia (the play itself being based on Ancient Rome). With that name, there is an inevitability of her becoming his wife, that the story always had to play out that way and that nothing could have prevented this. Her maiden name, Pictor, is a reference to an Ancient Roman military person. I wanted her name to carry the meaning as to why her family had such a steady place in the Capitol's Elite: Military/Peacekeepers.

Bonus edition is that Minister Kupros in chapter 13 of the fanfiction is a reference to a similar word for Copper in Sumer (ancient language). I wanted to give an honourable shoutout to Cooper Hoffman in a very lowkey, around five corners, kind of way.

[mrscorpio]

[Electronica/Beats] MrScorpio's HOUSE FIRE Podcast #294 - 12 Year Anniversary Edition 03 Mar 2023 Mixcloud: http://bit.ly/Mixcloud294 D/L: http://bit.ly/DL-HF294 Shows: http://bit.ly/ScorpioPodcasts Feat: Name/Artist/Album Anais (Radio-Edit)/Carlo/Dewax Let's Make Music/Terrence Parker/Love Forever (Songs for My Beloved Sheryl) Old School (Original Mix)/ŠTRACE/Tech House Rumours, Vol. 29 Eclipse/Sabrina Bellaouel/Al Hadr Ultramagic/Abdul Raeva/Slumped, Vol. 1 Meet Chu In My Dreams/Katerina/Acid Sampler What If/Kerri Chandler/Lost & Found EP, Vol. 2 Regulate (Extended Mix)/Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Redlight/Regulate Heavy Water (D. Tiff's Floating To The Top Mix)/Anoesis/Heavy Water Dynamics (Original Mix)/Joe Scimò/Vaults 03 Lost in Nowhere (Original Mix)/MAAND/Melodies & Harmonies, Vol. 34 Swivel (From The Album Mirrorland)/Dreamville & J. Cole/Revenge Of The Dreamers III: Director's Cut I'm Done/Grieves & Mouse Powell/WHY NOT Suicide feat. Lukey Cage & Conway the Machine/Rome Streetz & Big Ghost Ltd/Wasn't Built in a Day Last Joint Of The Night/ChasBeats/Empty City Lights Check Point/Young Roddy/Days Ones Fairy Tales (Blend) feat. Rome Streetz & Daniel Son/Benny the Butcher & Apollo Brown/Plugs at the Apollo Acrid Futures/Son of Saturn/A Pocket Full Of Posies St. Jerome In His Study/Hell Razah and RoadsArt/Renaissance Art Heart Full Of Sorrow feat. Bloo Azul/UFO Fev & Spanish Ran/Painting Houses Queens Get $$$ feat. Meyhem Lauren/Flee Lord & Abat But Lbag/RammellFlee Old Man Strength ft DJ Robert Smith/Supastition/Every Last Word Notts Mindstate Feat. Jah Digga/ J Littles & Stan/SHORTEE BLITZ/Unafraid To Fall Let's Make a Deal feat. Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog/Tha God Fahim/Iron Bull Blue Elephants feat. Murs/Sunspot Jonz & A-Plus/Stoney Hawk 2 Die For You/The Weeknd/Die For You Energy/Sly5thAve & JSWISS/Somebody's Gotta Do It Send me your tracks at Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/mr_scorpio Check out all your tracks on my show THE HOUSE FIRE/ every other Friday @6-8 PM GMT on InvaderFM: http://invader.fm Stream the podcasts at my Mixcloud: bit.ly/MrScorpiosShows Friend me up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mrscorpio247 Look me up on Tumblr: http://mrscorpio.tumblr.com Shoot me your videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrScorpio Peace, Scorp

[capellilavita-blog]

FAIRVIEW EXCELS AT THE 2004 SA DAIRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

With Eleven SA Champions and Six Qualité Awards #NewsFlash

Fairview Cheese, one of the most recognisable dairy brands in South Africa and currently the largest producer of specialty cheeses in the country, proudly took the stage at the 2024 SA Dairy Championships to receive a total of 11 SA Champion titles for category winners and six prestigious Qualité Awards — the competition’s exclusive mark of excellence.

This year’s event marked the 191st edition of the SA Dairy Championships, the largest and oldest dairy competition in Africa, which celebrates the excellence, diversity and economic significance of South Africa's dairy sector. With over 1 000 dairy products from 78 producers, the event showcased the finest in dairy craftsmanship. Fairview took top honours with the highest number of Qualité Awards, the esteemed emblem of distinction.

These six Fairview cheeses will soon be proudly sporting the much-desired Qualité black and gold badge of honour:

• Woolworths Cambozola (A high fat semi-soft white mould cheese with blue veins adding a subtle pungent, classic flavour — made from Jersey cow milk)

• Woolworths Medium Fat Cream Cheese (A plain medium fat cream cheese — delicious as a spread or dip or use it for baking — made with Jersey cow milk)

• Woolworths Raspberry Roulade with Pink Peppercorns (A medium fat raspberry cream cheese roulade dusted with pink peppercorns — made with Jersey cow milk)

• Woolworths Cream Cheese Tomato & Herb (A medium fat tomato and herb cream cheese made from Jersey cow milk)

• Woolworths Brie de Roche (A creamy rustic flavoured Brie made with a blend of Jersey cow and goat’s milk — ripened for a minimum of five weeks)

• Woolworths Roydon (A creamy rustic flavoured Camembert made with a blend of Jersey cow and goat’s milk)

Charles Back, third-generation owner of Fairview, expressed his pride in the team’s accomplishment, “Congratulations for continuing to the do the Fairview name proud! While our journey began way back with my humble attempts to produce goat’s cheese, our commitment to quality and our unique philosophy have remained unwavering. We combine traditional European recipes with a distinct South African flair, using only the finest sustainably sourced ingredients. This meticulous approach ensures that our products consistently meet a very high standard. As evidence of this, we are proud to be the leading supplier of Woolworths's specialty cheeses, six of which clinched us top Qualité Award honours at the 2024 SA Dairy Championships.”  

@Posy Hazell @Fairview Wine & Cheese

[qnewsau]

2023: The Australian queer year in review

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/2023-the-australian-queer-year-in-revew/

2023: The Australian queer year in review

As the year comes to an end, we look back at some of the Australian LGBTQIA+ news, events and queer moments that made up 2023.

January

Midsumma: Melbourne held its annual multi-week Midsumma Festival where former premier Daniel Andrews marched with pride goers. 

Sam Stosur retires: Sam, who won the US Open singles titles plus seven Grand Slam doubles titles, retired at the Australian Open. Sam publicly came out later in her career in 2020. 

February

WorldPride: Sydney became the epicentre of the queer universe when hosting WorldPride. The two-week extravaganza featured an opening night concert, the traditional Mardi Gras parade, a Human Rights Conference, a Bondi Beach party, a pride march over the Bridge and a closing party. 

Big names like Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sugababes, Agnes, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Petras, Ava Max, Jessica Mauboy, Courtney Act and Casey Donovan featured throughout WorldPride. However, there was only one true icon of the event: Progress Shark. 

Queerstralia: ABC broadcasts the series Queerstralia. Hosted by Zoe Coombs Marr, it took a deep dive into the queer history of Australia. 

March

Australian Idol: Queer First Nations singer Royston Sagigi-Baira won Australian Idol. Royston is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from Mapoon in Far North Queensland. 

Posie Parker rejected: Anti-trans activist Posie Parker was drowned out by counter-protesters during her tour of Australia. During her visit to Brisbane, hundreds rallied against her hateful views. While in Melbourne she was joined by neo-Nazis which saw widespread condemnation. 

In Our Blood: The musical drama inspired by Australia’s radical response to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s was broadcast on ABC with many scenes shot at Brisbane’s Sportsman Hotel. 

The Wickham reopens: After many months closed for renovations, Brisbane’s iconic LGBTQIA+ venue The Wickham reopened. 

April 

Censorship rejected: The Australian Classification Board rejected a call to ban or restrict a gender and sexuality memoir after a conservative activist complained to Queensland Police.

May

Archibald Prize: Artist Julia Gutman wins the Archibald Prize with a portrait of queer performer Montaigne. While queer musician and artist Zaachariaha Fielding (from Electric Fields) won the Wynne Prize for best landscape. 

Kylie’s back: Long-time queer ally Kylie Minogue released Padam Padam. The song charted in the Top 10 in the UK and the Top 20 in Australia. The first time the singer had achieved this in more than a decade. 

June

Queens Ball: The 62nd edition of the Queens Ball in Brisbane was held at City Hall. More than a dozen Queensland queer community advocates, performers and organisations were honoured in a ceremony hosted by Paul Wheeler and Chocolate Boxx. 

Trans legal win: The Queensland government passed a new law allowing trans and gender-diverse people to change their gender on their birth certificates without having to undergo surgery.

July

Logies: Out actor Tim Draxl was nominated for the Silver Logie as most outstanding actor while RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under received two nominations for Best Entertainment Program and Best New Talent for Kween Kong. 

Patricia Karvelas: Proudly out presenter Patricia Karvelas was named as the new host of one of ABC’s flagship programs Q&A.

Gymnast: Out Australian gymnast Heath Thorpe was controversially not selected for the World Championships despite winning the Australian All-Around title. 

August

Women’s World Cup: Australia and New Zealand hosted the Women’s World Cup with a record 96 publicly out players competing. The Matildas, who had 10 out players including superstar Sam Kerr, reached the semi-finals after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win against France. The Matildas broke attendance and ratings records, becoming the most-watched event in Australia since Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics. 

Honour Awards: NSW’s largest annual LGBTIQA+ community awards were held and presented by ACON. 

September

Brisbane Pride: Brisbane hosted its annual pride event including fair day, rally and march, and other community events across the month. 

Drag Race: The third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under crowned the first-ever Australian winner. Isis Avis Loren from Melbourne took the crown with Ballarat’s Gabriella Labucci runner-up. The show was co-hosted by Rhys Nicholson and included queer Aussie guest judges Keiynan Lonsdale and Josh Cavallo. 

October

Big Gay Day: The Wickham held its annual Big Gay Day with Peter Andre and Rogue Traders headlining. 

Troye Sivan: The Australian queer artist released his album Something to Give Each Other featuring hit singles Rush, Got Me Started and One of Your Girls. It went straight to the top of the charts giving Troye his first Australian No.1 album.

Pride Adelaide: The annual event took place with a march and a celebration featuring artists Ricki-Lee, Crystal Waters, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Samantha Jade.

November 

Gay Games: The 11th edition of the event was co-hosted by Hong Kong and Guadalajara in Mexico. This was the first co-hosting of the games and the first time it took place in Asia. Australian LGBTQIA+ athletes competed in both cities. 

ARIAs: Troye Sivan and G Flip dominated the ARIA Music Awards with four and two award wins respectively. Troye took out Song of the Year for Rush. 

Natalie Bassingthwaighte: The Rogue Traders lead singer and actress known for her work on Neighbours revealed she was in a relationship with a woman.

PrideFest: Perth held its annual pride events with events across the month celebrating the city’s LGBTQIA+ community.

BayPride: Despite protests the inaugural pride event in Wynnum, Queensland took place with a large family-friendly march.

December

Hate Crime Inquiry: The long-awaited Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in NSW saw 19 recommendations made. Advocates welcomed the findings and called on the NSW Police Force to action the report’s recommendations.

JOY Media: The Melbourne-based LGBTQIA+ community radio station JOY 94.9 celebrated their 30th anniversary.

NT politics: The openly gay MP Chansey Paech made history as the first Aboriginal man to be appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the Northern Territory.

Olympics: Australian climber Campbell Harrison qualified for the Paris Olympics and shared a kiss with his boyfriend to celebrate.

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