#masquerade affair collection

[thekimdelacreme]

Finger Paints “Masked Beauty” - a champagne gold with warm gold and copper flakey shimmer.  This is 2 coats.  From the Fall 2014 Masquerade Affair collection.

[paragonrobits]

concept to directly address the idea among some people who came to Hunteer the Parented and World of Darkness overall directly from If The Emperor Had A Text to Speech Device with the assumption ntthe whole thing is a delusional fantasy or dying wish of the Emperor, or that its somehow the distant backstory of TTS and Big D will become the Emperor (which usually fails to explain things like vampires and werewolves, the spirit world/Umbra being the almost polar opposite of the Warp, the nature of reality as a consensus-based paradigm dictated by the collective assumptions of people overall and other stuff)

so you have Big D going through some kind of an event and he sees EVERYTHING

he sees past the Lie, past the various magical occlusions disguising the secret affairs of the world, how Time is itself only an idea measured in experiences

he sees the inevitable. The Apocalypse is coming. Whether it is Caine arising to slay his wretched kin as God Himself arrives to judge the world (and oh yeah, Abrahamic God canonically exists in at least Masquerade, try fitting that into 40k canon!), as forces of decay arise to cheer as all life comes screaming down, as terrifying forces of death arise to shatter the world itself

(that will, if they win, send the universe into the maw of absolute Oblivion, and kill everything, everywhere, forever.

He does not know why, but his brain think 'NEVERBORN' and his thoughts come screaming back out, weeping and black and bloody, at the thought of those things that should not be. His brain sings, "the Great Maker coughs his last, and the Engine of Extinction powers on" and he doesn't know what it means)

he sees the past. He sees all of human endeavor, and how it is ultimately, at least to his eyes, the result of manipulations by vampires and other creatures pulling the strings; the only truly exceptional aspects of humanity are on the one hand, the awakening of true wonder when humanity sent men to the moon and brought them back. And on the other hand, the evil and wretched, hopeless evil of humanity in its atrocities.

Everything else is manipulation.

He sees the Impergium; werewolves and other creatures killing humans before history began, cruelly and fiercely, and in time relenting, and going to war with each other whether or not to keep up the killing, but the world wonders: did their culling keep humanity in check?

Would the apocalypse still happen, if not for humanity itself?

He has no answers.

And now, he sees the whole. He sees the truth.

His gaze turns wider, wider... beyond anything any human could see, the beginning and end. He sees not gods, but three entities, bigger than universes.

tthey're still not gods. They are bigger than that; they are force and doom and birth and definition all at once, the primordial sea of powers which wrought all that could be, into Being

he beholds them. His mind all but breaks.

a vast sea of chaotic impossibility; shifting, swirling, of all things that could be. It is the closest thing to genuine, true Good in this universe. It is also insane, and mindless, a pure chaotic storm given shape. The rats who walk as men serve it, and in his heart he knows the rat-men hate humanity for all they have done, and he knows, they deserve it

(his mind cries out. 'WYLD')

A... spider, perhaps. Or a machine? Some vast calcified personification of order? It is a thing of purpose and definition. It is the origin of purpose and order. For all things to be, they must be defined, and this is the entity, vast beyond measure, that gives them shape. It takes the the chaos and constrains it, making stable form.

(His mind whispers,, 'WEAVER')

And between them is destruction. It was a serpent, or perhaps a dragon. Maybe once it had been good in its way, or at least necessary. But the webs of the definer have chained it, and now it bleeds black, its whole body torn inside out in its desperate struggles to escape. Once, it was a destroyer; burning away the old to make room for the new. Now, he sees the hate festering from it, echoed and magnified in humanity; all over the world, corporations in thrall to it serve their petty lusts and atrocities, feeding what had once been destruction and was now corruption incarnate; a defiler, a horrific and bleak tragedy ruined by its own desperation to be free.

(His mind sobs, 'WYRM')

They do not look at him, and he understands. It is not that they ignore him, as he would an ant. They would not see him as an ant, if they are even capable of comprehending his presence.

They would regard him as, if he could see one, he would regard an individual atom. Not beneath presence, but so irrelevant and tiny that it would be uttterly beneath them.

There is, he knows, a cosmic balance and conflict. But it is not between gods, at least not in the sense others might suspect.

Highest of all is the Triat, the trio of creation, definition and destruction. Destruction was chained, and become corruption, and in its thrashing, drove the definer mad with the need to control all things.

It's not evil. Not even what the destroyer has become. There is no perverse pleasure, or brutal satisfaction, or even innocent joy in it. There is no moral dimension in these entities, if they can even think at all; perhaps they are too big, too cosmic for a thought.

The Wyrm does not destroy the world, encourage men to batter their wives and murder their children. Its presence makes those things worse, and the things born of it corrupt and hatch schemes to further such horrors, to cut down forests and create ecological disaster for its own sake. But the destroyer makes no choices. This is just what it IS. It can make no more choice than gravity can choose to stop pulling things.

A scarlet empress and an ebon dragon watch. They seem resigned. Big D cannot place them, and he wonders if they are remnants of some other era, some other time that can no longer be. If they are from another world, it is a world that has moved on.

But he is no god-emperor, holding the line against extinction or dooming humanity through his hubris and belief in supremacy. The end is not something that can be fought; hordes of ravenous predators from beyond the stars would be preferable to this... indifference.

But then again, this is a whole different sort of game from the world where you might have a God-Emperor of any sort. This is not a world of endless warfare, tactical considerations, eternal stalemate, and conflict.

This is a place of gothic horror.

This is a world of darkness.

[jamespotterthefirst]

Wonderstruck (1/3)

Book: Open Heart (AU)

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey and MC (Lilac Allende)

Word Count: 1.7K

Rating/Warning: T/ Some Language

Summary: As a hopeful med student, she sneaks into a masquerade-themed gala hoping to meet one of the greatest minds of her time, Dr. Naveen Banerji. However, fate has different plans.

Note: Inspired by Enchanted (Taylor's Version) 💜

“Act normal… Don't make eye contact… Pretend like you belong…”

Lilac whispered the words in a rhythm meant to ease her accelerated pulse. She was certain the words were above a whisper but the echo of conversation and the music echoing through the massive hall drowned them out. Still, she shuffled on her feet, sweaty palms running down the front of her gown. 

“Dr. Anker?” 

Lilac didn’t react for a long beat, forgetting that was supposed to be her tonight. 

“Dr. Anker? Are you—” 

“Yes,” Lilac returned, her voice sounding almost like a squeak. She paused to collect herself. “Yes. That's me. Do you need to see my invitation?” 

The invitation weighed like a stone in her clutch. It was written in golden script and addressed to the distinguished Dr. Maria Anker. Lilac was neither distinguished nor Maria Anker. She was not even a doctor yet and wouldn't be for another three years— given that she didn’t burn out before then. 

The real Dr. Anker had shown no interest in attending the event when she received the invitation, even scoffing when her sharp blue eyes landed on the theme that year: masquerade. After sharply critiquing the frivolity of the affair, Dr. Anker pushed the elegant envelope to her research assistant. She eagerly accepted it, having every intention of attending the event… only to discover it was on the same night as the house party she had been looking forward to all semester. 

So the research assistant passed the invite off to her roommate, Lilac. 

“No way! With my luck, I'll get caught,” Lilac had said resolutely. 

“You won't! And even if they do bust you, what are they going to do? Crashing a party isn’t illegal last time I checked.” Her roommate and friend Anna was not one to be dissuaded easily. 

“They could expel me.”

“Then don't get caught.”

“Easy for you to say. You'll be partying it up with Aaron.”

“We'll be doing more than that if things go my way,” her roommate returned with a wink. “I can't force you but my vote is that you should go. One of the greatest medical minds will be there. You practically worship Dr. Banerji.”

This gave Lilac pause.

“Come on, Lil! Doctor Naveen Banerji is coming to UCLA! How often does that happen? He's no Dr. Ramsey, but it'd still be amazing to meet him, don't you think?” 

Back in the present, the attendant shook his head. “That won't be necessary, doctor. Follow me.”

They entered the gilded ballroom, its opulence hitting Lilac with so much force that she couldn't help but feel awestruck. Everywhere she looked, her sight caught on something that sparkled: gowns made of the finest fabrics, jewelry encrusted masks, perfect smiles. Lilac was thankful for the ridiculous theme and the mask covering her own face as a result. She was convinced that without it, her expression would have been a dead giveaway. 

“Your seat, Doctor,” the attendant said, pulling out a chair at a magnificently ornate table. 

Lilac halted, blinking stupidly at the chair. For some reason, she thought she'd be led into the multitude of respected guests, free to get lost in their midst. Assigned seating at a table full of Dr. Anker's colleagues— colleagues who would definitely know she was not Maria Anker— was the last thing from her mind when she concocted her stupid plan. 

“Dr. Anker?” the attendant prompted, growing more concerned by the second. 

“I…” 

Lilac swayed on her heeled feet, eyes fixated on the cushioned chair as though it were an animal ready to attack her. A few guests already sat at the table… including a pair of doctors chatting and laughing quietly. One of them playfully swatted the other’s arm. 

“You are terrible, Naveen,” she admonished, though her laugh ruined the effect. 

“You know I always was one for hospital gossip, Linda.”

Naveen.

That had to be the world famous Dr. Naveen Banerji. Now that Lilac took a closer look, she could see the resemblance to the numerous pictures she’d seen in her textbooks. Though tonight he wore a silver mask for the occasion, a kind gaze still glittered from its depths. Lilac was downright staring, but luckily for her, the famous physician paid her no attention. 

“Are you alright, Doctor?” the poor attendant tried again. 

This time, Lilac's response died at her throat. 

Someone else at that table watched her intently, gaze sinking into her with slight interest and something else... Mortified as she was, rendered imobile like a deer in headlights, Lilac was unable to tell what that something else was. A white mask covered most of his face but his eyes still pierced her like steel. 

“I need the—,” she began, neck hot, but her plea for the bathroom was cut short as a clatter of plates crashed against the floor. 

Several things happened all at once like an explosion. More plates crashed against the marble tiles, followed by something heavier. Guests gasped and cried out in surprise. Someone pushed past Lilac to get a closer look. And someone else shouted—

“Give her space!”

Instinct kicked in and before Lilac knew it, she was on her knees beside a woman not much older than she was. The jewel encrusted mask the woman wore clattered to the floor, clashing against the shards or broken ceramic and remnants of lobster. In her desperate struggle to breathe, she clutched Lilac's skirt. 

“It's okay,” Lilac reassured her as pandemonium broke out around them. The woman clasped Lilac's hand tightly. “I'm here to help you.”

Another figure knelt beside them—stronger, wider, and much more imposing. Large hands moved with an authority that almost made Lilac shrivel into herself. Nevertheless, she remained still, clasping the gasping woman's hand. 

“... Accelerated heartbeat, difficulty breathing… ” he was saying. It was the same white-masked man who was studying her only seconds before. His voice was a low baritone, like the rattle of thunder. Piercing blue eyes—bluer than any Lilac had seen before— assessed the woman in precious nanoseconds. Abruptly, he turned over his shoulder to bark at the onlookers. “Goddammit! A room full of doctors and no one thinks to call 911? You—” he pointed at a stunned man nearby. “Do it. Now!” 

The man scrambled to obey, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket. 

“And you—” he said, turning his attention forward. With a stab of pure shock, Lilac realized he was talking to her. “Either help or move out of the way.” 

“I am helping,” she returned angrily, surprising even herself. 

The man's eyes moved down to where Lilac still held the patient's hand steadily. Her eyes followed his, feeling a wave of shame settle at the pit of her stomach. This domineering and steely man didn't need to say anything for Lilac to read his disapproval and disdain. 

Whoever this asshole was, he thought Lilac was ridiculous for holding a suffering woman's hand. That much was clear in that sharp gaze glinting from behind the mask. It made her blood sizzle with anger. Before she could give him  a piece of her mind, however, Lilac noticed the angry, red splotches spreading over the woman's arms. 

“Hives,” she whispered. 

Then her eyes fell on the ruins of the dinner plates. Lobster—or a form of shellfish— littered the floor. The woman had to have been allergic. 

“Anaphylactic shock,” Lilac said at the same time as the asshole in the white mask. 

The woman's breaths became shorter. 

Someone handed White Mask a purse. Without a moment to waste, he dumped its contents on the floor. 

“Dammit! It's not here. Where is her—”

At the same time, Lilac reached into her own purse. Anna's bee allergy and Lilac's paranoid and over-preparedness had prompted her to always carry an—

“Epipen! I have one!” Lilac shouted, already removing the cap. “Hold still, miss—” 

Before she could say another word or make another movement, White-Masked Asshole snatched the epipen from her hands and swiftly injected it. There was no more opportunity to see what happened next or to unleash her indignation at the man because someone moved Lilac out of the way. 

It was an EMT, working diligently to reach the patient. The white-masked man spoke to the paramedic as they loaded the woman onto a gurney. As Lilac's heartbeat clamored against her ribcage, she backed away, the severity of the situation settling in. 

Her plan had been to sneak into a luxurious party full of the greatest medical minds and… Do what, exactly? Fangirl over Naveen Banerji from afar like a creep? And now, things had taken a sharp turn into fucked up. 

The best course of action was to abort the mission altogether.

It was just her luck that she bumped into someone as she tried to inconspicuously back away. 

“Oh! Sorry, it was my—” 

“It's quite alright,” a kind voice responded. “You'll have to forgive me. I get clumsier with age.”

Shocked, Lilac realized it was Dr. Banerji. His brown eyes glittered with recognition, too. 

“You did well, Doctor,” he said in a kind voice. 

Lilac did not reply, stunned into silence. 

Dr. Banerji nodded toward the woman the paramedics now wheeled away. “Your bedside manner tells me your patients are lucky to have you.”

And with that, he continued on to join the white-masked man. 

Lilac blinked out of her daze, more determined than ever to get the hell out of there. At least now, she could die happy because one of the greatest doctors in the world complimented her. Granted, he erroneously believed she was a doctor… But she'd still count this as a victory. 

Feet protesting in her heels, she hurried through a pair of French doors… 

Only to find herself on a balcony overlooking the gardens. Beautiful as the view was, it was decidedly not an exit. 

“Mierda,” she cursed. “¿Por qué? ¿Por qué todo me pasa a mi?” 

She'd have to rush back inside and make a beeline for any other door—

Except when she whirled around, a tall, broad-shouldered figure blocked her path. 

“Who are you?”

It was the white-masked man, standing at the threshold with his arms crossed. Though he was shrouded in shadows, she could feel the weight of his scrutinizing gaze on her. He waited quiten impatiently for her to reply. 

“I—” 

He shook his head. 

“And you can stop pretending to be Dr. Maria Anker. I know her personally and you are not her. So tell me—”

He moved a step closer. 

“Who the hell are you?”

Note: That's your future wife!

Hope you enjoyed this! Part 2 will be up soon, I hope!

Thank you so much for reading!

[the-broken-truth]

Atreus: A chest! *Tries to break it using his hand but fails lol* AHH!

Revna, trying to hold herself from laughing: Not easy, yeah?

Atreus: Shush! *Breaks the chest with his bow*

I think that in one moment Odin send Atreus and Revna in a mission together (of course with Atreus completely oblivious that Revna is actually Björn all along) and Revna does not waste chance to be mean to Atreus lol, she simply likes to be mean to him xD

Broken (Looks up from her scroll and reads the ask before chuckling): Oh, this is gonna be fun. Very well, let the words weave together!

Revna chuckled as Atreus pulled his hand back while shaking it in pain before flexing his fingers to make sure none of his fingers were broken or fragmented before grasping his wrist with his other hand and rotating it before looking at the chest before him, without a single dent on its lid; the fact that he attempted to open a chest as the Ghost of Sparta does when he clearly lacks the muscles to do so made the Great Bear masquerading as a Raven laugh.

"Not as easy as you assumed it would be, is it, Jötnar?" Revna asked from a distance as she folded her arms over her chest with a smirk on her face and a perfect eyebrow raised while Atreus took the bow from hanging around his shoulders while pouting at her; he knew she hated him but he could never understand why considering that they had never met before, or he couldn't remember meeting someone like her.

"Oh, shush; it's just that Father made it look so easy." Atreus said before he used his bow to break the chest open, then reached in to collect its riches.

"Considering that your father is the Infamous Ghost of Sparta, who slaughtered the entire Greek Patheon and he is literally far stronger than you in regards to muscle mass; you really thought that you would break a chest lid with ease as he does? You are truly as foolish as you look, Loki." Revna said as she started walking down the path with her hands behind her back, she looked around for the temple they were instructed to find by the All-Father, Odin.

Revna took a deep breath as she reflected on the events that had led to this moment. Earlier that day, she had been assisting her mother Sif, who was the Goddess of Grain & Fertility. While Sif was trying to figure out how to undo the curse that the Wild Witch had placed on her son, Thor and Thrud were busy with their training. Suddenly, Heimdall appeared before them and summoned Revna to appear before the All-Father, Odin.

Revna quickly excused herself from her mother and Heimdall and made her way to Odin. When she arrived, she was shocked to find that Odin was in conversation with one of her greatest enemies, Loki/Atreus. Despite her hatred for him, Odin explained that Loki needed her help with something, and since Thor and Thrud were occupied, he wanted Revna to assist him.

Although she was reluctant, Revna had no choice but to agree, and she allowed the blackbirds to teleport them both to their destination.

"You know... You never really told me how you ended up on Asgard; you don't look like you're an Aesir like the others." Atreus said as he jogged to follow Revna, who continued looking ahead with a scowl on her face and her hands behind her back.

"It is no business of yours, Jötnar, stop your constant pestering in my affairs and let us focus on the mission at hand so I may return to aiding Lady Sif with her work." Revna said with disinterest in her voice.

"Sif? Do you mean Thor's Wife? You know her?" Atreus asked.

"If it shall shut you up, yes. I am currently staying with Lord Thor's Family and I keep myself busy with aiding the Aesir until I find what I am looking for." Revna said.

"If you're staying with Thor's Family, then would you happen to know about someone named Björn?" Atreus asked.

"Lord Björn - Lord Thor's Son? Yes, I have interacted with him on a few occasions but he is usually rather busy and is currently away from Asgard on some kind of business for the All-Father. Why do you ask?" Revna inquired with a raised eyebrow; she was going to have some fun with Loki for a while, seeing him angered just by calling her male counterpart 'Thor's Son' brought a small smile to her face.

"Listen, Revna, you might not know this but Björn is not Thor's Son; he's my younger brother. You see, he got into an argument with our father and ran away from home during a blizzard; we could find him in time before Thor arrived and took him away to Asgard. I've been trying to find him while working with Odin but I haven't seen him ever since I got here." Atreus said with disappointment in his voice but Revna shook her head with a scoff.

"That's not what Lord Björn told me. He told me that you and the Ghost of Sparta killed his elder Brothers: Magni, Modi, and Baldur; the ones he bound himself to by means of an Ancient Blood Contract. As for what happened in the Blizzard, the Ghost attempted to sever the bond he made with his elder brothers and Lord Björn fled into the snow after blasting that despicable man with the very magic inherited from his brothers. Quite fitting, if I do say so myself; tell me, Loki, does the ghost bear the scar Lord Björn burned into his flesh?" Revna asked with a smirk, causing Atreus to glare at her.

"You don't know what happened! You weren't there! Father just wanted to protect Björn and purify him; I know the Sons of Thor forced him into the blood contract and Father knew it too, he was just trying to..." Atreus tried but Revna's roar cut him short.

"You are the ignorant one, Loki! If you had actually listened to Lord Björn, you would know just how much his brothers meant to him! They were the only ones who treated him as a person while you and your Father treated him as if he was crafted from the most fragile of glass! He desired to be a warrior but you smothered him with your unnecessary coddling and refused to listen to his requests and desires; you wanted to turn him into another version of his mother, while she was more of a warrior than either you or your father could have ever been. After all, she was able to stand toe-to-toe with Lord Thor himself." Revna looked ahead and kept walking but she continued, driving the last needle into Atreus' heart.

[Quick Note: The most fragile glass is Annealed Glass, also known as 'Float Glass'.]

"Regardless of the bloodline he was born into, The Thorsdottir Bloodline is the one he chose because it was the one who accepted him just the way he was. Magni, Modi, and Baldur were the brothers he chose and loved; it doesn't matter the two of you shared a womb. Lord Thor is the father he desired; regardless of his link to the ghost. Lord Björn is now an Aesir and he shall never return to the sheltered life he lived; once a cub, now a bear. Bears are not afraid to bear their fangs to those who threaten what belongs to them - stay away from him or his teeth shall be in your neck, Loki." Revna finished as she started ascending the stairs to reach the temple, leaving a heartbroken Atreus standing at the bottom while trying to fight back the creeping tears.

[End]

[kyoranrilynth]

Collection of Twitter: TavQotD

Does your Tav have any talents that aren't exactly useful to the adventure itself?

Kyoran can sing and dance. Neither of those skills are particularly useful. And a couple other of her "useless to the adventure talents" include being good at body percussion and a being able to execute a few basic card tricks. 🃏

~🎭~🎭~🎭~

What would your tav/durge wear if they had to attend a masquerade ball / gala for a quest?

Kyoran is fairly low-key, but always knows how to look classically elegant in occasions such as these

~🎭~🎭~🎭~

If you had to pick a song to sum up your tav/durge's relationship with their romanced partner(s), what would it be?

~🎭~🎭~🎭~

What's one thing you absolutely love about your Tav? (Can be appearance, personality, history).

There are many things I love about Kyoran but I think my favorite is that she had a fairly "normal" life prior to the events of Baldur's Gate. She still had her own troubles but nothing of note. So, her tenacity to return to normal really shined. She's no Hero, just a Musician💙

~🎭~🎭~🎭~

What would your tav's act 3 objective(s) be if they had a quest of their own?

- Meet up with The Troupe™ - Investigate the Theatre - Discover the Players' vs Company affliction - Who's pulling the strings? - Confront the Producer/Pageant Master - Unveil/Out the Corrupt's Affairs - Give the theatre over to the hands of the Troupes/Guilds

~🎭~🎭~🎭~

[loiladadiani]

Gatchina Palace

The House Where Nicholas II Grew Up.

Gatchina Palace, located about twenty-five miles from Saint Petersburg, was built by Catherine the Great for her favorite, Count Grigory Orlov. When Orlov died, Catherine bought the estate from his heirs and gave it to her son Paul. Gatchina would go on to become Paul's favorite residence. He arranged everything to his taste.

When Paul died, the Romanovs continued to use Gatchina. Nicholas I and his consort loved to hunt and relax at Gatchina. Alexander II liked to conduct state affairs while hunting at Gatchina. After the assassination of his father, his advisors told Alexander III that he would be safer at Gatchina than at the Winter Palace. Alexander III spent most of his life at Gatchina Palace. He signed decrees and held diplomatic receptions, theatrical performances, masquerades, costumed balls, and other events and entertainment. Alexander III introduced technological modernizations new to Russia at the Gatchina Palace, such as indoor heaters, electric lights, a telephone network, non-freezing water pipes, and a modern sewage system. His children, including the future Tsar Nicholas II, spent their youth at Gatchina Palace.

Alexander III and his family stayed in the Arsenal Wing; they did not inhabit the luxurious spaces used for official business; the rooms they used for daily life had low ceilings and were small. In December 1844, after the Court had spent two long autumn months in the Gatchina Palace, the Emperor signed a decree ordering to rebuild the Kitchen Wing. Reconstruction of the Arsenal Wing began in 1846.

Gatchina became famous for its paintings, sculptures, furniture, and fine china collection. Gatchina lost a large part of its treasure during the revolution and another part when the palace was looted and badly damaged by the Nazis during WWII. Restoration work on the palace's interiors continues to this day.

[kneedeepincynade]

The truth is more stubborn than Washington lies, and reality can not be distorted forever

The post is machine translated

Translation is at the bottom

The collective is on telegram

🇺🇸 Gli USA e i loro lacchè, tra cui l'Italia, hanno sempre promosso - negli anni - la disgustosa idea «Musulmano = terrorista», ma - per lo Xinjiang, si sono riscoperti "alfieri" dei diritti dei Musulmani, in funzione anti-Cinese 🤡

🇨🇳 Col desiderio di interferire negli affari interni e di voler balcanizzare la Cina, gli USA hanno artificialmente costruito il "Caso dello Xinjiang" - articoli con notizie non dimostrate, notizie scorrette o addirittura inventate di sana pianta, spacciandole per verità 🤮

🌸 Il Collettivo Shaoshan ha trattato questo argomento nel dettaglio, smentendo ogni menzogna anti-Cinese:

🌺 Master-Post sullo Xinjiang 🇨🇳

🤔 Cosa intende l'Occidente quando parla di "disgregazione" della Russia e di Separatismo anti-Cinese mascherato da Democrazia? 🇺🇸

😱 Queste notizie, inoltre, vengono «lanciate» agli utenti Occidentali da persone che non conosco niente della Cina, si spacciano per "esperti di Cina" ma non conoscono neanche una parola di Cinese, sono Asset dell'Impero USA. E le persone, in Occidente, dovrebbero fidarsi di loro? È ridicolo! 😡

⭐️ Il Compagno Liu scrive:

💬 «Chi inquadra la Cina dovrebbe almeno imparare un po' di Cinese, non solo affidarsi all'immaginazione. [...] Il canadese nel video si chiama Lyman Stone, ricercatore presso l'AEI e l'Institute for Family Studies, ed Ex-Economista presso il Dipartimento dell'Agricoltura degli USA, ed è abbastanza sicuro di poter cercare e acquistare su Taobao degli "schiavi uiguri"» 🤦‍♀️

🤔 Fermiamoci un attimo: ma come si fa a dire che si può comprare uno "schiavo uiguro" su un e-commerce?! Qui siamo al livello ridicolo della propaganda sulla DPRK, chi ci crede è un 没有救赎可能的白痴! 😂

💬 Tuttavia, «quando Carl Zha gli ha immediatamente chiesto di cercare e acquistare su Taobao uno schiavo uiguro, ha rifiutato (❗️), dicendo che non sapeva il Cinese e non poteva usare quindi la tastiera Cinese», per poi dire che forse non era Taobao, ma su «altri siti», in pratica è stato smascherato 🤡

🌸 Iscriviti 👉 @collettivoshaoshan

🇺🇸 The USA and their lackeys, including Italy, have always promoted - over the years - the disgusting idea «Muslim = terrorist», but - for Xinjiang, they have rediscovered the "standard bearers" of Muslim rights, in an anti - Chinese 🤡

🇨🇳 With the desire to interfere in internal affairs and want to balkanize China, the US has artificially constructed the "Xinjiang Case" - articles with unproven news, incorrect news or even fabricated news, passing it off as the truth 🤮

🌸 The Shaoshan Collective covered this topic in detail, denying any anti-Chinese lie:

🌺 Xinjiang Master-Post 🇨🇳

🤔 What does the West mean when it talks about the "breakup" of Russia and anti-Chinese separatism masquerading as Democracy? 🇺🇸

😱 These news are also ′′ launched ′′ to Western users by people who don't know anything about China, posing as ′′ China experts ′′ but don't know a single word of Chinese, they are Assets of the US Empire. And should people in the West trust them? It's ridiculous! 😡

⭐️ Comrade Liu writes:

💬 «Those who frame China should at least learn a little Chinese, not just rely on the imagination. [...] The Canadian in the video is called Lyman Stone, a researcher at the AEI and the Institute for Family Studies, and Ex-Economist at the US Department of Agriculture, and he's pretty sure he can search and buy at Taobao of "Uyghur slaves"» 🤦‍♀️

🤔 Let's stop for a moment: how can you say that you can buy an "Uyghur slave" on an e-commerce?! Here we are at the ridiculous level of DPRK propaganda, whoever believes it is a 没有救赎可能的白痴! 😂

💬 However, "when Carl Zha immediately asked him to search for and buy a Uyghur slave on Taobao, he refused (❗️), saying he didn't know Chinese and therefore couldn't use the Chinese keyboard", to then say that maybe it wasn't Taobao, but on «other sites», it was basically exposed 🤡

🌸 Subscribe 👉 @collettivoshaoshan

[hornyforpoetry]

Little hedonistic things to enjoy (Dark Academia edition):

• making lists of Gothic cathedrals that you will visit in one day

• looking for books of rare poems in old bookstores

• organizing the books in the library according to the period and country of the authors (19th century russian literature; The Lost Generation; Ghe Decadents etc.)

• transcribing favorite quotes from books you have just read on paper

• looking for black coats, elegant jackets and leather gloves in second-hands and thrift shops

• making a collection of leather diaries, notebooks and expensive fountain pens

• sitting in intimate cafes and look out the window at people, contemplating human existence

• walking and taking pictures at the empty corners of the buildings, at the empty galleries, at the empty streets

• exploring the most obscure Greek myths and looking for love affairs and ancient secret lovers

• listening to vinyl records and waltzing by yourself, imagining dancing with Byron or Oscar Wilde at a masquerade ball

[world-cinema-research]

"Free thinkers at seventeen!"

Dead Poets Society - Grant Montoya

Security and conformity, or insecurity and the chance to prove all you're worth?

Within many, there lies an urgency; gnawing desperation to do something great before we can't anymore. If one never comes to this realization, then it'll be years more of tearing across the dotted line.

In the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, we get to see what happens when an unorthodox English teacher Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) helps a class of young students lift the veil off of this very subject, and we the audience must decide: Was this for the better, or for the worse?

I was able to find what hit me the hardest in this movie after my long-awaited rewatch. It was a scene where one of the more reserved students, Todd Anderson, was called up to do an impromptu poetry exercise with Mr. Keating after informing him that he didn't do his poetry homework assignment:

I thought this was a brilliant display of the director's use of "show don't tell," as such Todd's poetic rambling is raw and believable. Afterward, I felt sympathy with the character because I too feel as though my voice, literally and figuratively, is weaker than my peers. Dead Poets Society boasts a number of these scenes, and this if nothing else is worthy of applause.

It's interesting to see the rating this film received from renowned film critic Roger Ebert, who has a website where he along with many co-writers reviews various movies. Although he found this movie special enough to review himself, the 2/4 score he gave it doesn't give it much merit.

"The society was founded by Keating when he was an undergraduate, but in its reincarnate form it never generates any sense of mystery, rebellion or daring. The society's meetings have been badly written and are dramatically shapeless, featuring a dance line to Lindsay's "The Congo" and various attempts to impress girls with random lines of poetry." - Roger Ebert

I would argue that the tone of Elbert's assessment is more on the level of a snob's wishlist of things or ideas that could have been. Nonetheless, I guess that a more sophisticated person might find the movie to be lacking compared to other works with similar themes.

Beyond the reviews of the critics which are mostly mixed, there lays an abundance of high audience ratings. A user by the name of 'peterwixongb' of IMDb said the following with a 10/10 score:

"Dead Poets Society has got to be one of the best-written films I have ever seen. The way the writers are able to control your emotion is insane."

The themes and underlying message of the movie are pretty clear and universal; something to the tune of "seize the day and live on your own terms." But the unconventional aspects are apparent in how the movie shows this idea. This is most noticeable (spoiler ahead) at the most emotional moments i.e. when Neil commits suicide, Keating's unhappy ending, etc.

Nonetheless, Dead Poets Society did phenomenally well at the box office for a 1/1 lesser-known adaptation, and it also stars the beloved actor/comedian Robin Williams, so we're definitely looking at a mainstream movie.

I feel that the producers of the film did try and appeal to the masses by implementing all of the things that people like to see in cinema. There were bouts of comedy, a love affair, dramatic music, and relaxed cinematography. The story was linear, and despite a few instances of symbolism, there weren't many loose ends or odd artistic choices.

Honestly, as much as I like this movie, I think that there is a lot that could have been left out. Half of the character interactions felt dry of anything progressing the story, and there may have been too many ideas without enough divulgence. Mr. Keating's character was outspoken but at the same time, it would have been nice to see what he truly thought of the rest of the character's actions, especially towards the end.

More than anything, I would love to see how this teacher would respond to a class that has no initial interest in any of his antics or preachings. Maybe this has been done before.

This movie came from a book as previously mentioned, and as such, I doubt that the release date of the movie was planned in alignment with a certain social agenda or contemporary event at the time. There is nothing of which I've found that even slightly contributes to the premise of the movie.

Anyone who is still looking for their identity in a world that demands conformity would highly benefit from watching this.

[girl4music]

That’s it. Belief is always the key. It’s what either makes or dismantles a paradigm of consciousness.

It’s like with the flat earth or time-space in science.

There are still people to this day that believe the Earth is flat despite overwhelming scientific evidence that it is not. There are still people that believe time is a real, externally existing thing rather than a mental concept.

There are still people that operate under false beliefs.

The only way to change a collective mindset is to abolish ideologies that of which work against change.

Christianity is a religion. And it’s not a bad religion.

It’s not a bad anything. But people that aren’t actually religious and especially are not christian tend to use it to spread their own hateful rhetoric based on their false beliefs or outdated understandings of “God”.

I believe in God. But I don’t believe the Christian way. I more so believe in God in the Spinoza/Einstein way because it lines up with what the science shows us.

Fascist people masquerading as “Christian” use the notion of God like a weapon to keep actual religious followers under their control and so they can maintain their regime of power. It’s all a folly on the unaware. They don’t want to separate Christian teachings from the State of Governmental affairs because they don’t know how to control the masses without religion.

Now I’m just some white 30-something year old female from Britain but I’ve been watching this political warfare play out for a while now and America are falling right into the trap Germany did in WW2.

And if people don’t start paying attention it’ll happen again. It may not happen in American first. But it will happen and it will affect the entire western world.

Before the abolition of slavery in the United States, the majority of American Christians believed God condoned slavery. That didn't change until after the abolition of slavery. Abolitionist Christians existed, and there were denominational splits over the issue, but the abolition of slavery wasn't made possible through those abolitionist Christians persuading their fellow Christians to change their minds. Their fellow Christians were only able to gain space to change their minds once slavery was abolished. Before it was abolished, many Christians didn't have the ability to imagine God beyond a God that ordained the status quo. The same lack of imagination exists today. This is how most beliefs function. We rationalize and internalize the reality that has been institutionalized in our everyday lives. We naturally want to assume that there must be a good reason that things are the way they are, and that people much smarter than us must have set things up this way. Obviously, individuals can change their minds on their own, but the only way to change minds on a mass scale is to transform the institutions in our everyday lives to give people a new reality to rationalize and internalize. This is how minds change en masse, for better or for worse. Before a massive transformation, people fight and cling to their old conceptions of God, claiming that those who are trying to transform things are working against God, who carefully set things up the way they are. Then, after the transformation takes place, people praise God for leading the way for this necessary historic change. . . . Abolishing the institutions that maintain our inequalities is the only way to open up space for Christian teachings that preach equality to become the norm. Christian history is filled with those who understood this and were empowered by their faith to resist the institutions that used Christianity to oppress them. Those who choose to continue this important work today are joining a long line of Christians who helped shape the path toward our collective liberation.

Damon Garcia, The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus

[qnewsau]

Geelong Pride Film Festival hits screens next month

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/geelong-pride-film-festival-hits-screens-next-month/

Geelong Pride Film Festival hits screens next month

Tickets are now on sale for Geelong Pride Film Festival 2024.

Back for its seventh year, the festival will be held from April 18- 28, 2024 at the Pivotonian Cinema, Village Cinemas Geelong and Platform Arts. 

Geelong Pride Film Festival 2024 Program 

Thu 18 Apr Village Cinemas Geelong

Opening Night – 7PM

Join in the fun of Opening Night of the 2024 Geelong Pride Film Festival at the welcome reception followed by a collection of short films from across the LGBTIQ+ Rainbow spectrum.

Friday April 19 Village Cinemas Geelong

Polarized – 6PM

Lisa, an aspiring songwriter, whose farming family has suffered foreclosure is forced to work at a new, ‘urban farm’ where she meets Dalia. The passionate affair between the two women is not straightforward in a regional community where race, religion, and sexuality present challenges for each of them in different ways.

Housekeeping for Beginners – 8.30PM

Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters: tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. From acclaimed filmmaker Goran Stolevski (Of An Age, You Won’t Be Alone) comes a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves.

Saturday April 20

Platform Arts (Courthouse)

Masquerades of Research – 2PM

Two short films by Irish artist and filmmaker Padraig Robinson explore the impact of the controversial research of pre-queer sociologist Laud Humphreys.

Part I begins in St. Louis in 1967 to give poetic insight into how the civil and social rights movement created the backdrop for his still controversial PhD, Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places.

Part II begins tensely in Los Angeles in 1975, where Humphreys is on the cusp of republishing Tearoom Trade in the radically different post-Stonewall and post-Watergate USA.

After the films Padraig Robinson will join us for a Q&A to discuss the relevance one of sociology’s most radical studies and how it relates to contemporary discussions of intimacy, social presentation, surveillance and data control.

Equal the Contest  – 5.15PM

When a non-binary filmmaker joins a new local women’s footy club in Regional Victoria a simple desire to play becomes a complex journey of inclusion and belonging. An unexpected turn means the team has to fight to play. Their campaign challenges age old sporting traditions and joins the wider movement for gender equity.

Isla’s Way – 7.45PM

Isla Roberts is an 87-year-old carriage driving legend. She defies labels and in particular refuses the label Lesbian.

“I’m not a Lesbian, I’m Isla Roberts…But she is!” Isla says of Susan her lesbian partner of 40 years.

Isla and Susan live together in the Adelaide Hills with two ponies and a dog. Over the course of one year, Isla returns to her remote rural home of her younger years, attends her grandson’s farm wedding, welcomes the arrival of new great-grandchildren and fights to keep carriage driving. Isla’s Way is the story of an extraordinary woman who has lived an inspiring life.

Sunday April 21

The Pivotonian Cinema

Fireworks – 4PM

In the early 80s, two teenagers, Gianni and Nino, collide on their respective mopeds along a country back road.

The collision leads to a deep friendship, and something else too, something that is disapproved of by the families and the village boys. Brave and hungry for life, Gianni and Nino do not care about prejudices and rumors and live freely. A freedom that others do not understand. Based on an incident that kick-started the 1980s gay rights movement in Italy. The story explores first love and the tenderness and courage between those daring to love openly in a time of widespread intolerance.

The Queen of My Dreams – 7.30PM

Azra, a lesbian Pakistani woman living in Toronto, is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming of age.

Wednesday April 24

The Pivotonian Cinema

Strange Way of Life + Gay Shorts – 7.30PM

Pedro Almodóvar’s western drama stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two gunslingers who reunite after a 25-year absence.

Strange Way of Life is presented alongside a collection of gay shorts from around the world.

Friday April 26

The Pivotonian Cinema

Lesbian Shorts 2024 – 6PM

A newly curated collection of Lesbian short films from Australia and around the world.

Hilma – 8.30PM

Hilma reveals the life of a woman who posthumously revolutionised the art world as one of the first abstract artists. In the early 20th century, Hilma af Klint, under the patronage of her artist girlfriend and circle of female friends would develop a style that would become a movement all of its own.

Saturday April 27

The Pivotonian Cinema

Days of Happiness (Les Jours heureux) – 3.00PM

Emma, a talented up-and-coming conductor on the Montreal classical scene, is navigating her toxic relationship with her father and agent Patrick as a great new career opportunity with a prestigious orchestra hangs in the balance. Cellist and single mother Naïlle enters Emma’s life; their budding new romantic relationship offers Emma a new family dynamic. Caught between her career, family, and love, Emma must finally choose if she will live on her terms.

Mutt – 5.45PM

A frenetic day in the life of the Feña, a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City. Over 24 hours, his Chilean father, his straight ex-boyfriend, and his 13-year old half-sister are thrust back into his life.  Feña must navigate the new dynamics of these relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges such as navigating transportation woes and money problems when a pay check bearing a dead name is rendered uncashable. An openhearted film, Mutt explores with rawness and authenticity the complexity of relationships and identities.

Norwegian Dream – 8.15PM

A Polish man Robert, working at a salmon factory in Norway, is attracted to his colleague Ivar. The relationship is tested by a factory worker’s strike, the young men grapple with issues of cultural displacement, economic inequity, and sexual identity. Robert who left Poland after experiencing a homophobic attack must choose between love and his newly found comfort with his sexuality or his family’s financial security.

Sunday April 28

The Pivotonian Cinema

Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes – 2.15PM

George Platt Lynes is best remembered for his portraits of celebrities, but his heart, passion, and most extraordinary talent lay elsewhere—in his work with the male nude. This work, sensual and radically explicit for its time, has only recently begun being fully discovered and appreciated.

Hidden Master uncovers the life of Lynes less known: his gifted eye for the male form, revealing a stunning collection of photography from the 1930s-50s, his longterm friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists.

Gender Frontiers Short Films 2024 – 4.30PM

Gender Frontiers Short films is a collection of films that explore the experiences of transgender, gender diverse and nonbinary people. This will be a special event featuring the locally made documentary short film Out In The World.

Happy Endings Short Films – 7.30PM

A collection of 9 short films from around the world that have positive, uplifting or humorous outcomes for LGBTIQ+ people.

More Pride Events:

Mardi Gras is coming to Wagga Wagga

Victoria’s Pride: Regional Pride events across Victoria

Rainbow Beaches BBQ Lunch brings queer joy to Ulverstone

Bendigo Queer Film Festival celebrates twenty years

For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[thekimdelacreme]

Finger Paints “Queen for a Night” - a deep sapphire blue with gold, green, and purple flakey shimmer. This is 2 coats. From the Fall 2014 Masquerade Affair collection.

[sucaliaric]

14 Jun - Pander's Posse - Oral History by Doc

 Once in the hotel, Pete starts to speak with the bartender when the ghoul-child makes a run for it.  Dante gives chase, and we find out that the child has gone into an elevator in the back that goes to the top floor - where the Ventrue calls home.  I go to the self-playing piano - there is a ghost actually doing the playing there.  I question the ghost, obtaining information about a church outside of town that appears to contain a cult.  This sounds like something linked to Dio Giovanni - I come closer to my prey.  I get little information of more value from the ghost, and go to tell Pete and Lady Victoria that I believe that I know where Dio Giovanni and Pete's sister are.  Pete becomes insistent for more information, before going to question the ghost.  It is not long before the ghost rises through the ceiling - the creature must be working for the Ventrue upstairs!

 I walk to the elevator, with Pete and Lady Victoria following me.  Once it opens, I enter and direct the porters to take us upstairs.  They seem hesitant at first, but quickly see the wisdom of following my directions - though they insist I remove the rounds from my weapon.  It has no impact on my abilities to fight, so I comply to avoid any further delay, and we take the elevator up.  The Ventrue provides limited information, but seems to point to a mystical church outside of town.  He is very interested in us leaving town before we cause him any problems - especially as he realizes the source of the fire that already caused so much destruction came from my actions.  The ghost plays on a nearby harp, and I make my displeasure with his actions clear as well before we move to deal with the church.  Once at the Church, Pete quickly realizes that this cult occupying the church is actually the Silver Cross Cult of Werewolf Hunters.  He enters first to have a discussion with the cult, with me entering with him and Lady Victoria keeping watch outside.  Inside, we ask to speak with the leader and Pete introduces himself.  We ask about where Dio Giovanni is, but the leader is not courteous at all.  He advises that he has a deal with Dio Giovanni to provide an artifact from Galveston to Dio in exchange for a relic that Dio will provide to add to the cult's collection.  He also has a prisoner - the newspaper writer - that he can provide to us in exchange for the artifact from Galveston.  It is very clear on sight that the writer is in bad shape, and even more clear that we will not work with these creatures.  They place themselves on our level with arrogance and expect us to run errands for them - we have no more use for them, and may as well remove the middle man.  Lady Victoria takes the writer out of the church while I collapse the building, allowing my aura of decay to engulf all within.  Pete brings the cult leader and we leave the church; I walk around it to ensure that the entire cult is deceased.  These mortals will not interfere with kindred affairs again.  We take the mortals back to the ranch.  Pete remains with the writer to question him and aid him, while I interview the cult leader and Lady Victoria prepares to run interference should Pete get curious.  The cult leader is at first unwilling to speak, but quickly understands the consequences of intractability... he readily answers my questions provide detail of the cult, the abduction of the writer, and the details of the artifact.  Pete comes in, and looks like he may interfere but I am finished so I leave Pete and Lady Victoria with the cult leader, while I head to the writer.  On entry, it is clear that Pander has no interest in speaking with the writer - Pander has killed him, with no concern and no remorse.  All that violate the masquerade must die.  Pete is surprised, but I simply acknowledge Pander and wait for him to leave.  Once Pander has left, I take my opportunity - I use my vitae to embrace a new kindred in this writer and ask the questions I need answers to.  The answers he provides are limited - he was going to be embraced by the Nosferatu, though details on the nature of the story were very limited.  It seems that he may have had his memory tampered with by the Ventrue... once we have the information we can use, I provide final death and move on.

[anon-argentine]

Don’t judge me, this is my first OC for Vampire: the Masquerade and I made her with limited lore knowledge

Maria “Mariska” was one of the unlucky girls from the Minor Nobility sent to study court etiquette under Erzsebet Bathory in 1609. She was 16 years old and a talented textile artist. Bathory, impressed by her skills, embraced her in hopes of having a personal seamstress for all eternity. For a while, Mariska enjoyed the life of luxury and brutality in the Castle - but it all came to an end when the investigations into the deaths of her fellow ladies ended with the trial of Bathory and her main accomplices.

Mariska managed to escape the country, where she used her skills to endear herself to different nobles and monarchies, seducing servants and lords alike to feed off. She maintained minimal contact with other vampires, even those of her clan.

She grew bored of Europe somewhere around the turn of the 20th century, so she boarded a ship to Buenos Aires and established her lair in a fancy palace.

There, Mariska employed the services of Hungarian immigrant Ana Szabó as her lady’s maid. Mariska grew attached to Ana, even allowing her to stay employed when she became pregnant from an affair with an aristocrat. However, shortly after birth of Ana’s child, the man decided to tie up loose ends before his marriage to another prominent family and killed Ana.

Enraged, Mariska killed the man and decided that she would punish those who preyed on the weak and discarded them when they were no longer of use. For Ana and for herself - because that’s exactly what Bathory did to her too, only she never got the opportunity to discard her.

Nowadays, she splits her time between curating her historical fashion collection (and sometimes lending it to museums), killing men who abuse their power and using their bones and skin to make clothing, and taking care of Ana’s descendants (who live close by and thrive under the patronage of their mysterious ‘Aunt Mari’)

Show me your Tzimisce ocs please

[thesecrettimes]

India to Introduce Measures Around Crypto This Year, Says Government Official

The Indian government is planning to introduce “measures around crypto” this year, according to the country’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth. India’s finance minister says cryptocurrency regulation will be discussed in her upcoming G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors.

India Could Introduce Crypto Measures This Year

India’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth reportedly said Saturday at a post-budget press conference in Mumbai that India will introduce “measures around crypto” this year. “The technology of crypto assets like blockchain and others can be used but its use in the financial sector can have several risks,” he was quoted by local media as saying. The official elaborated: In the course of this year, measures around crypto would be brought out. The Economic Affairs secretary added: “In India, nobody is talking about using crypto as a currency. The risks are with using it as a token.” The Indian government has been working on crypto legislation for several years. A draft crypto bill was unveiled in 2019 but it was never taken up in parliament.

India to Discuss Crypto Legislation With G20 Countries

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reportedly stated Friday in a post-budget interview with Network18 Group that she will be looking at developing a global standard operating procedure (SOP) for regulating crypto assets in her upcoming G20 meeting. Under India’s presidency, the first meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors is scheduled to be held on Feb. 24-25 in Bengaluru. Sitharaman said: We will be looking at global SOP to be available and agreed upon for regulating crypto assets while recognizing the central bank as the authority for issuing cryptocurrencies. “The rest of the assets created outside that are using very useful financial technologies. Even those have to be discussed because regulations cannot be done by one country singularly, it has to be a collective action because technology doesn’t brook any borders,” the finance minister noted. During her Budget speech last week, Sitharaman did not mention crypto assets. However, this year’s Finance Bill included several new tax penalties relating to crypto tax deducted at source (TDS). This year’s Economic Survey 2023 also highlighted the need for “a common approach to regulating the crypto ecosystem.” India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has repeatedly recommended banning cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether. Noting that crypto could undermine the authority of the central bank, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das recently said: If crypto is allowed in India, RBI will lose control over monitoring transactions. Crypto, masquerading as a financial asset, is a completely misplaced argument. The Indian central bank governor has also warned that crypto could lead to the next financial crisis if it is not banned. Meanwhile, the RBI is currently piloting its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital rupee. Do you think India will introduce measures around crypto this year? Let us know in the comments section below. Read the full article

[encirclet]

addressed   to          :         elwen  snow   /   @valarmrghulis​​

location          :          the  masquerade  ball  .  

“  elwen  —  ”  the  princess  begins  ,  linking  her  fingers  around  elwen’s  arm  gingerly  .  maery  redirects  them  to  a  less  crowded  area  of  the  festivities  ,  hoping  for  a  moment  to  collect  her  thoughts  ,  her  brain  swimming  in  a  shallow  pool  of  ale  .  in  the  year  that  elwen  had  been  on  pyke  ,  they  had  become  a  sort  of  security  blanket  for  maery  .  she  found  his  presence  reassuring  ,  grounding  in  a  way  that  maery  did  not  often  experience  .  she  was  so  often  running  on  all  cylinders  ,  brain  moving  a  mile  a  minute  .  “  are  you  enjoying  yourself  at  this  skull  -  numbingly  boring  northern  affair  ?  ”  she  pauses  ,  “  —  no  offence  intended  ,  of  course  .  ”