#national book development board

[thatboypeeju]

I ATTENDED MY FIRST PHILIPPINE BOOK FESTIVAL! 📚✨

This is probably one of the happiest I've been as of recent. Buhay na buhay ang literaturang Pilipino sa PBF 2024. Kung mayaman lang ako pinakyaw ko na mga paninda nila. Grabe! Ang sarap sarap mabuhay sa panahon na may laya tayong magbasa, matuto, at ipagdiwang ang sining ng pagsusulat, pagguhit at paglikha. Sana mas marami pang kababayan natin ang maabot ng mga pistang tulad nito.

Today, not only did I get to go on a friendly date with a good college friend of mine, but I also got to buy books and artworks from local writers and artists, attend seminars, watch shows, see fellow book club members, eat good food, document life as it happens, and just have some downtime from work to really live life. I needed this, and I'm glad I attended. This is what life should be about.

Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng taong nagtulong-tulong sa pag-organisa ng PBF 2024 at sa lahat ng publishers, manunulat, mangguguhit, at mga maliliit na taong bumubuo nito. You are doing an important work. 🌻

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #11

I wasn’t able to make one of these last week because it was the start of a busy week for me and I just spent the whole of last day just trying to recuperate. But now I’m back although I am literally still feeling tired from my week. Continue reading Your Week in Books #11

[shainnehost]

The Philippine Book Festival is happening this 2023!

The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines! Happening on June 2-4, 2023 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and on August 18-20, 2023 in SMX Davao. See you there!

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[magussanctorium-if]

The Magus Sanctorium. Pentagiim's elite and esteemed school for mages across the continent. Hard to get into with an advanced curriculum and hands-on experience, many would kill to be accepted into the fray. But behind shiny spells and gilded bookcases belies a lit powder keg of pent up tensions and small slights that threaten the whole continent with all out war. A single slip up will light the fuse, so be careful. And don't forget your 7 page essay is due next week!

The Magus Sanctorium is a highly ambitious WIP and new interactive CYOA pair of games. The focus is heavily on romance, relationships, and fantasy adventure with high-replayability value. It is inspired by JRPGs, romance visual novels, any media with a magical boarding school, and Dungeons and Dragons, among others. It will lean more towards a story-based focus, but will have stat-based mechanics.

You play as a new transfer student, having transferred to The Magus Sanctorium after moving continents. Being homeschooled to suddenly thrust into an elite boarding school is a culture shock. As you go about going to classes and making friends, your schooling is abruptly upheaved as war breaks out across the continent. Which house you decided to join determines how the war will affect you and how you can help or hinder your former classmates or lovers.

Note: Because this is still a WIP, some names of characters or places may change during development.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #the magus sanctorium

Status: In Development (Outlining)

Demo || Character Introductions || House Introductions || FAQ || Ask Guidelines || Tag Navigation || World Lore || Current Anonymous Survey Form || Dev's Main Blog ||

Create and customize your character. Select their gender, pronouns, appearance, their proficiencies and deficits, and personality among others.

Choose between 5 different houses each with their own cast of characters. Each student is divided into houses by which nation they come from, not by arbitrary traits.

Decide how to build your stats by choosing which classes to attend and which skills to train in. Influence your house members to train or attend certain classes to boost group skills.

Romance any of the 15 romance options (5 male, 5 female, 5 nonbinary), or select any of the 10 poly routes instead. Choose for a softer romance by picking one of your house members or go for an angsty romance by romancing someone outside of your house.

Build your relationships with your classmates before you're turned against each other and get to know what makes them tick. It pays to have friends across house lines.

Explore and learn about a high fantasy world steeped in magic and years and years of conflict. Perhaps it takes an outsider's perspective to bring about peace...

Participate in a war and potentially reveal long kept secrets that could change the fate of Pentagiim.

Thalen Oakdane (they/them) - The proud and rigid Leader of the Fern Bears, the house from the Rasuaides Empire. They are strict with their rules.

Sumiel Tidewood (she/her) - The graceful and shy Leader of the Cobalt Snakes, the house from the Espersland Republic. She just wants the best for everyone.

Casithar Seedcloud (he/him) - The young but earnest Leader of the Maroon Rams, the house from the Iseadesh Alliance. He's trying his best.

Ariela Wyvernhair (she/her) - The prickly but well-meaning Leader of the Violet Foxes, the house from the Lupuv Caelait Territory. A rose wrapped in thorns.

Zanis Ironforce (he/him) - The charismatic and cunning Leader of the Sun Eagles, the house from the Quailax Kingdom. He is always 5 steps ahead.

Drelyth Hollymoon (she/her) - The vice-leader of the Fern Bears. She is kind and confident, always pushing herself to aim higher and higher.

Afthel Scalesun (they/them) - A member of the Cobalt Snakes. Quiet and introverted, they prefer the comfort of their books than that of their house members.

Anwyn Greenspear (he/him) - A member of the Maroon Rams. He is a known flirt and playboy, often earning him the ire of his house members.

Lamatri Glowillow (they/them) - The enigmatic and mysterious vice-leader of the Violet Foxes. You barely see them, but they seem to know everything about you.

Traki Goldreaver (they/them) - A member of the Sun Eagles. It's also their first year enrolling. Enthusiastic and energetic, but a work-in-progress.

Azaha Elmbasher (he/him) - A member of the Fern Bears. An idealistic and daydreamer artist who enjoys making life hard for his house leader.

Rumik Gullcaller (he/him) - A member of the Cobalt Snakes. Sumiel's childhood friend, he is protective and intimidating often scaring away most classmates.

Daeri Silkdream (she/her) - A member of the Maroon Rams. A bit ditzy and arrogant, her exaggerated personality belies her true strength.

Saevain Sageblossom (she/her) - A member of the Violet Foxes. Stuck-up and arrogant, she has a family legacy to fulfill as a Prime Magus. But is that what she wants?

Cyian Stonepelt (they/them) - The vice-leader of the Sun Eagles. Gloomy and apathetic, they'd much rather be doing anything else but this.

Poly Romance Options: Thalen & Azaha, Sumiel & Rumik, Casithar & Daeri, Ariela & Saevain, Zanis & Cyian, Drelyth & Saevain, Afthel & Traki, Daeri & Afthel, Ariela & Casithar, Traki & Drelyth

[luimnigh]

What is your Hogwarts house?

It is typical of the specific brand of British arrogance to assume that the entire nation of Ireland would be perfectly fine with sending all their children to a British boarding school.

Even before the stunning ignorant worldbuilding of there only being eleven schools to cover the entire planet introduced after the books had ended, it betrayed a very British lack of understanding of the world at large.

To put it simply, if I were living in the fantasy world of Queen TERF, and I mean the one with wizards and not the one she's developed to try and justify her bigotry, I would not have attended fuckin' Hogwarts.

[kurogane2512]

Hi, Hello, How are you, I hope you are doing great.

Can I request a oneshot for Lisa? Set during Dodoco's Bombtastic Adventure..

I wanted more interaction time with Lisa but.. you know hoyo.. So I've been wanting to ask this for quite some time..

It can be anything your wish fluff/smu

If it's f, u can add some interactions with klee..

But if it's s, it can just be y/n & Lisa.. uk

Anyways.. If you can't that's alright, I already enjoy your other works and I'm sure the other requests which you plan on doing will also be great.

Thank you :)

I relate so much anon, you already know how disappointed I feel almost every time with events regarding my faves cause they are almost never done justice. Lisa's Sumeru outfit event was also really lackluster and just felt like something they wanted to get out of the way, she has so much character potential but it feels they abandoned all initial plots established with her and just keep her for fanservice.

This Klee event was unexpected and I actually somehow had hopes that maybe this would be better but I thought too soon.... sigh, anyways I very much wanted to write this too and you know I love combining smut and fluff most so here it is~

18+ CONTENT

Game: Genshin Impact

Characters: Lisa x fem! reader (Traveler)

Type: Smut and Fluff (oral sex, slightly dom reader, Lisa on receiving end)

Weary from your travels, you decided to make a stop at Mondstadt and relax a little by meeting your old friends and spending time with them. Mondstadt always felt like home to you as it was the first nation you came to, and the people treated you like their own family that you could never forget them. You went to the KoF HQ and decided to spend some time in the library by reading a book and chatting with the librarian.

"Okay, I'll look for big sister Y/n now!" a familiar child's voice filled your ears as soon as you entered the library.

"Oh! Big sister Y/n!! You already came! Klee was just thinking about you!" Klee ran up to you and playfully hugged you, you smiled at her and patted her head then Lisa also came up to you and smiled.

"What happened? Do you need some help?" you asked both of them and Lisa simply chuckled before telling you about an ongoing problem with Mondstadt's Cider Lake due to which Klee had to be confined in the city for some time and Lisa was made to take care of her.

"So.... do you have something in mind, Lisa?"

"My, of course. I already prepared it as well. Come along~"

You and Klee followed Lisa outside the HQ and found yourself in front of a board game that Lisa had developed for Klee.

"Please enjoy yourselves! It's not every day that you get to play games with Klee, surrounded by the scent of flowers on the breeze, with delicious food delivered right to you~"

"You won't play, Lisa?"

"Hehe, won't it be a little unfair if the game's creator joined in? Besides, I still have my librarian duties to take care of~"

"I see.... I would have liked for you to join in." you looked down with a disappointed expression, a soft chuckle leaving Lisa's mouth at your reaction.

"You should have thought of that when we met in Sumeru, cutie~"

Your eyes widened in shock realizing her implication but Lisa didn't bother elaborating and bid farewell to you two. You weren't sure if she really meant what you were thinking. You spent a few hours playing with Klee then decided to check up on Lisa since Klee was well used to the game and could play by herself. You told her you'll be back soon then went to the library again, only to find Lisa wasn't at her table.

"I'm downstairs. If you require assistance then please wait a moment." Lisa's voice beamed from the ground floor and you quickly walked downstairs and found her in front of a shelf, arranging some books.

"Ah, how may I hel— Oh, it's you, cutie." Lisa turned around and was a little surprised to see you. She gave a small smile then picked up the other books and leisurely walked to another shelf to arrange it.

"How's it going with Klee? Did you face some issues with the game?"

"No, everything is fine. It's really fun to play, she's enjoying a lot."

"Aww, that's good to hear. It's thanks to Klee that we were able to detect the problem in Cider Lake so early, she deserves this reward~"

"Y-Yeah...." you trailed off and wondered what to speak, Lisa wasn't acting her usual self around you. By now, she would have already asked you about your wellbeing and stories from your journey but she was strangely avoiding you.

"Did you have something to discuss, cutie? I don't think it's a good idea to leave Klee all alone out there."

"I....I just wanted to talk with you, Lisa. How have you been?"

"My, I'm the same old me. Not much time has passed since we met in Sumeru, remember? Or perhaps you were too occupied back then to remember I was there, hehe~"

You were surprised once again but now your suspicions were confirmed. She was upset about how you didn't accompany her when she came to Sumeru for a vacation, despite inviting you so dearly.

"Lisa, I....I'm sorry about back then. I was just—"

"Too busy being the hero of another nation? I know, you don't have to worry about it, cutie. I'm happy to see you doing such marvelous deeds everywhere you go, you don't have time for a mere librarian like me~"

She wasn't looking at you at all as she spoke and continued arranging the books. Her tone was dull and not cheery like always. She was trying so hard to show she didn't care but you knew she was upset. You regretted not accepting her invitation so much, you desperately tried to make time but some work always came and you didn't realize when a week already passed and she was ready to leave.

You hated making Lisa upset, she was the one person you never wanted to do this to. You walked up to her and suddenly hugged her from behind, catching her by surprise as a book fell from her hand from the force of the hug. You buried your face in her shoulder and tightly wrapped your arms around her waist, she squinted her eyes and stayed still.

"....You are wrong, I don't think that way at all. I really tried to make time, I really wanted to be with you but it was so hard. I know you don't want to listen to any excuses but.... please know I wasn't ignoring you or finding you worthless. You mean a lot to me, Lisa- so much more than you can imagine. Please, don't hate me."

Lisa silently listened to you then let out a sigh and turned around to face you, gently cupping your face and gazing at you with a small smile.

"....I can never hate you, cutie. You are too precious for me to hate you for something like that. I was just.... slightly upset that we didn't get to spend time together despite being in the same place. I wasn't expecting to run into you at Sumeru, but I was so happy that I did that perhaps I got carried away with my expectations."

You smiled back then leaned in and snuggled into her neck to embrace her, she wrapped her arms around you and lovingly stroked your head.

"Oh, that reminds me. What did you come here for initially? I'm so sorry that I made you accompany Klee as soon as you came, cutie."

"Oh, it's okay. I only came to meet everyone, especially you. I'll be going to Fontaine next so I just wanted to make a stop back here first."

Lisa smiled and kissed your forehead, "Hehe, that means you'll be here for some days, right?~"

You nodded, "Yes. I hope to learn more from you, Lisa-sensei~"

You chuckled together before leaning back then grabbing her wrist, "Come play with us now, Lisa."

"I told you I have to—"

"Ugh, nothing will happen if you close the library for a day! Come now, I want to be with you!"

You practically dragged her out and Lisa only chuckled as she let herself be pulled by you. She locked the library and both of you went back to find Klee seated on the bench eating some snacks that had been delivered earlier, she beamed a smile looking at you two and jumped in excitement as you three played together. Some days later, one of the knights came to inform Lisa that the crisis at Cider Lake had been resolved and that Klee could resume her playtime there.

"Well, Klee can continue her little adventures. I hope you two enjoyed this little game~" Lisa informed you about the crisis being resolved and was happy to hear how much Klee enjoyed the game.

"Oh, and I have also bought some gifts for you cuties!~" Lisa exclaimed and Klee became excited then held your arm.

"Me too! Klee also has a gift for big sister! Can Klee go first please!!?"

Lisa nodded happily then Klee took out a Dodoco toy from her backpack and handed it to you. You hugged Klee and thanked her for the lovely gift then next was Lisa's turn and she took out a cutely illustrated storybook about 'Dodoco's Bomb-Tastic Adventures'.

"The little cutie returned to Mondstadt and joined Klee on an adventure with Dodoco! Together they defeated the bad Spikey Fish Warriors and then enjoyed an afternoon tea.... A most fitting way to end Dodoco's Bomb-Tastic Adventure. I left a space for illustrations but I thought of a better idea- how about taking a picture together?"

Lisa suggested and Klee was already jumping in excitement and you had no reason to deny either. She set up the Kamera while you and Klee took your positions then waited for the photo to click.

"Lisa, you also come. You are the creator of this game and story, it's incomplete without you." you pleaded to Lisa who was a little shocked at your request, she tried to deny saying she didn't do much and that you and Klee were more important but you weren't liking it.

"Yes, big sister Y/n is right! Big sister Lisa, you should come too!" Klee also joined in your request and Lisa finally gave in.

"Fine fine, let me take one photo of you two then I'll join for the next one~"

You posed with Klee as the photo clicked then Lisa quickly walked up and stood beside you, she wrapped her arms around your neck and held you close before sneakily kissing your cheek right at the moment the second photo clicked. Everything happened so quickly that you barely registered her action, she moved away before you could react and proceeded to wrap up the game but you didn't miss the little wink she gave you as she went....

Later at night, you came to the library to help Lisa pack up and escort her home. But truthfully, you were hoping for something else to happen. You found Lisa standing in front of a shelf in the faraway corner and silently tiptoed behind her then embraced her, catching her off guard but she was aware of your presence as soon as you had come in.

"Aww, can't stay away from me, cutie?~"

"Mmm, I missed you~"

You mumbled against her skin before planting a kiss on her shoulder, shivers running down her spine at your action.

"Hehe, wait a little more, cutie. I'm almost done with these~"

"Hmm... no, I want you now~"

You kissed behind her ear which made her arch into you with a soft moan, "Mhm, how needy. Where was this side of you in Sumeru, hm?~"

"You have no idea how much I wanted you back then as well, especially since you wore that outfit. You looked so beautiful...."

Lisa chuckled as you planted more kisses on her neck and shoulder before suddenly turning her around and pinning her on the shelf. She gasped as you held up her leg and pressed your body against her then dived in to kiss and suck on her neck. She moaned and wrapped her arms around you as she arched up, giving you more access to her neck for you to mark.

"Mhm, c-cutie.... Hnng~ You want to do it here?~"

"Anywhere, I don't care. I just want you, Lisa~"

Lisa chuckled and laced her fingers in your hair and guided you to kiss her neck more, she moved her dress down with her other hand and freed her breasts which you wasted no time to cup. Soft sighs left Lisa's mouth as you kneaded her breasts before moving down to suck her hard nipples, simultaneously pinching the other one. She held you close as you sucked like a baby then suddenly carried her over to a nearby table and laid her on it while kneeling in front of her.

"I want to make up for what happened in Sumeru. Will you let me, Lisa?"

Lisa chuckled, "You just want to make up for that, cutie?~"

"No.... I want to do this because I love you. I want to please you and make you happy."

Lisa's heart skipped a beat at your unexpected confession but she couldn't be happier. She pulled you up by your collar and connected your lips in a passionate kiss, her tongue hungrily dancing with your own. You then kneeled once again and slipped off her panties then rested her legs on your shoulders and dived in to ear her out. She leaned back on the table as her body arched, low moans and whines resounded in the library as your tongue swiped her folds and lips sucked on her clit.

"Mhm, cutie...Aaahn~ Y-Yes, right there.....oh, you are doing so good!~"

Her fingers gripped your hair messily and she grinded into your mouth, her hips rutting forward as you plunged your tongue inside her and scissored her walls. Angelic whimpers left her mouth, your thumb playing with her clit as you sucked on her hot and wet folds and she came with a loud breathy moan. You sucked every drop of her juices and cleaned her before you stood up to face her, her cum still coating your lips.

She smirked and wiped her cum off your lips then stepped down and pushed you across to another table, pinning you down this time. She gazed at you with a lustful glaze in her eyes, a pool of arousal already dripping down your thighs as you anticipated the events of the remaining night.

[sixth-light]

*slides you money* I heard you were three seconds from a treatise on David Lange and Mururoa and the Rainbow Warrior?

BY POPULAR DEMAND (ok you and like three other people asked)...

The core fact that you gotta know if you want to talk about New Zealand and nuclear weapons is that campaigning for nuclear disarmament and maintaining a legal nuclear-free zone in our territorial waters has been the core of our independent foreign policy as a country for nearly forty years, since the mid-1980s. This developed over the 60s and 70s from a popular groundswell of anti-nuclear sentiment focused around continued atmospheric nuclear testing in the Pacific by France as well as visits from nuclear-powered (and potentially nuclear-armed) American warships. It evolved into government action; left-wing governments took France to court to demand an end to testing and sent naval frigates to the nuclear test area to protest with Government ministers on board.

This was crystallised in 1985 when a photographer was killed in the state-sponsored terrorist bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship conducting protests at the French nuclear test site of Mururoa. The bombing was carried out by French spies who were decorated when they returned to France (after France promised they would be jailed) and led to a prolonged diplomatic rift between New Zealand and France. The subsequent passing of nuclear-free legislation in 1987, banning nuclear-powered or armed ships visiting our waters, led to New Zealand's suspension from the ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, and the United States) military alliance. David Lange, the Prime Minister at the time, opined famously that "The only thing worse than being incinerated by your enemies, is being incinerated by your friends." The ban still has such wide bipartisan support that it's simply not on the table now for even our right-wing parties; infamously, in the early 2000s one Leader of the Opposition told an American congressional delegation that the ban would be 'gone by lunchtime' if he became Prime Minister. This wasn't the DIRECT cause of his eventual toppling but it certainly didn't help. Nobody else has gone near it since.

I am, however, excrutiatingly aware that while our nuclear-free stance is viewed internally by New Zealanders as central to our national identity - there's a well-known song and it was even controversially used this year in a beer ad as a signifier of national pride - nobody else remembers. Particularly the Americans and the French. Seared into my brain is Scott Brown (yes that one) arriving here as the new US Ambassador in 2016 and going on the radio to talk earnestly about how Kiwis didn't realise that nuclear fallout wasn't restricted by national borders, c.f. North Korea, as if anti-nuclear campaigning wasn't...well...see all of the above. READ YOUR GODDAMN BRIEFING PACKETS ON THE PLANE, SCOTT, IT'S A FOURTEEN-HOUR FLIGHT.

So what does that mean for the Locked Tomb books?

As the linked article about the beer ad notes, anti-nuclear protesting has been a site not only of national identity formation but specifically Indigenous protest in the Pacific. It is Pasifika peoples who have borne the brunt of nuclear testing and much of the early anti-nuclear movement in Aotearoa was led by Māori and Pasifika, and closely tied to the anti-apartheid movement which focused on the removal or restriction of Māori and Pasifika rugby players on tours to apartheid South Africa.

In Nona the Ninth, it becomes clear that John (a Māori man) and G- (whose ethnicity is not specified but 'reads' as most likely Māori or Pasifika in context), as well as their friends, blackmailed the US government for a suitcase nuke and eventually used it to bomb Melbourne, with John then causing nuclear armageddon around the world. This is, uh, emphatically not the same thing as "Twitch streamers [John & co] nuking New Zealand", as chill as I generally am with the eliding of detail for joke posts. This is a Māori man from and in New Zealand nuking first Australia and then the rest of the world.

This is, obviously, if you're coming from the historical context, hugely transgressive in a way I can only describe as a...horror of agency? The horror of saying, what if we were willing to do the thing that we identify ourselves as a nation as being against under all circumstances? What if instead of standing nobly against nuclear weapons, for reasons of moral indefensibility, we were the ones to pull the trigger? What if our culture and our people survived the apocalypse because one of us started it, instead of us surviving by virtue of being so small, so on the edge of the world, so carelessly left off world maps?

And as to why it matters that it's Melbourne - New Zealand has a...complicated relationship with Australia that's hard to directly parallel to anywhere else (it's sort of like Canada and the US but also not like Canada and the US in any way that Canadians or Americans ever interpret that statement in my experience). In particular, there is huge anxiety in Australia about New Zealand as a source of non-white (and specifically Māori and Pasifika) emigration to Australia. Australian immigration policy, while technically retaining free movement between the two nations, has grown more and more restrictive over the last twenty years. Right now the central point of conflict is a policy of deporting mostly Māori and Pasifika New Zealand-born prisoners back to New Zealand on completion of their sentences, regardless of how old they were when they came to Australia, resulting in a large body of traumatised people with zero community ties being dumped back here and - no surprises! - frequently turning to crime. There's A Lot Going On There. Added to which the Christchurch mosque shooter deliberately travelled here from Australia to carry out his terrorism. And yet also, hundreds of thousands of us live there and many more have relatives and friends there.

And Melbourne? Melbourne is like....the cool Australian city, if you're a New Zealander. Sydney is too big (the same population as our whole country!) and too...everything, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are tropical and so kinda weird, Adelaide and Perth? we don't know them, but Melbourne is aspirational. Melbourne is the kind of city Wellington and Auckland would like to be when they grow up, maybe. They have laneways and culture and a working tram system. But it's also a very...white kind of cool. The kind enjoyed by rich Pākehā who can afford to go on weekend shopping holidays there.

So yeah. John and G- and the crew nuke Melbourne and it's a nexus of all these tensions old and new, of who we think we are as people and as a nation, of how we relate to Australia which is our friend and nearest neighbour and our rival and our scapegoat (because they're the really racist ones, aren't they? If we say that loud enough, does it drown out the sounds of our own sins?)

It's a fantasy of power and a horror of it at the same time. I hope someone right now is writing a monograph on this, there's so much to dig into. But it deserves to be framed as what it is, as a response from a Kiwi author to our own history and identity. It deserves to be understood in context.

[themakeupbrush]

Miss Universe Indonesia 2022 National Costume:  THE GLORY OF PHINISI “Jalesveva Jayamahe”

Being the first winner from Bali, I got so many suggestions to wear a Balinese inspired national costume. However, upon contemplating on my national costume I wanted it to represent our nation as a whole and moreover I wanted to feel like I had the strength, passion and courage of my people. I stumbled upon the motto from the ancient kingdom of Majapahit, ‘Jalesveva Jayamahe’ or ‘On the Waters, We are Victorious’, while reading the first English autobiography of President Joko Widodo at 30,000 feet in the air en route to Bali. The book talked about how at the time before Jokowi’s victory he was sitting on a Bugis sailing vessel, the Pinisi, as he promises to restore Indonesia as a strong maritime country. "Oceans, seas, straits, and bays are the future of our civilization. We have turned our backs on the sea, turned our backs on the ocean, and turned our backs on the straits and bays….As the captain trusted by the people, I invite all citizens of the nation to board the ship of the Republic of Indonesia and sail together towards a Greater Indonesia. We will develop strong sails, we will face all storms and ocean waves with our own strength. And I will stand under the will of the people and the constitution.” Not only that powerful message gave me so much pride and inspiration, it motivates me to respect and remember our ancestors - where we come from. I kept receiving omens of the Pinisi ship and I listened to the signs. From seeing previous Miss Universe Indonesia’s on board to seeing the ship in person. I truly feel like I have the blessings and approvals from the universe to wear set sail on the Brave Pinisi to New Orleans.

[songoftrillium]

I haven't said much about world building lately, but I've been pretty busy doing history development.

On Hidden Histories and the Pursuit of Questions

I've been world building for a while now, with my first experiments in expansive works starting on long-gone text-based boards, I find that with every world build (and particularly for Dead Mountain where I have to show my notes), I've had to develop new skills in order to do the subject-matter any justice.

I remember history being my least favorite topic in school, but it wouldn't be until much later in life I'd find my main problem is the education system far more than the history itself. By the time I started this project however, I developed a love of research somewhere along the way.

There is a saying that history is written by the victors, but I think that there are histories that exist in between those lines. Wars and conflicts never really end on a street level, and instead they melt from one season and event to the next. Approaching Dead Mountain would be the first time I've tried to learn about Native American history in a format that wasn't offered in a school text book, and I was struck by a number of things. Among which is an ultimate goal to learn what the different nations called and associated with different places.

There's a big push in this state to decolonize by letting go of the colonist names for places, and that doing so helps to shift the perspective of the reader's understanding of a location's grounding by inherently getting a sense of who named it, and why it has that name.

a big starting point for this game; renaming locations to ones that would most closely align with people that predate colonization by using the names given these places by the Nations that came beforehand. This is also unfortunately one of the hardest problems I've faced too.

[loola-a]

@fe-oc-week day 1 - introductions !

this is my best friend forever, florence von giselle !

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Birthday: 13th December

Fódlan birthday: 13th of the Ethereal Moon; Imperial Year 1161

Age: 18-19

Relatives: Mylan Von Giselle (Father)

Celeste Von Giselle (Mother)

Nationality: Adrestian Empire (Exiled)

Hometown: Dukedom of Giselle, which has since been merged with Hrym territory.

Residence: Garreg Mach Monastery

Factions: Ivory Swans

Occupations: Heir of House Giselle

Personal Ability: Ghostly Seance - Once per game + if unit is at max HP, able to revive any 1 fallen ally. [This only works if the revived unit fell during that specific battle, and the unit will also go back to being dead once the battle ends!]

Early Life:

Florence is the only child and heir to House Giselle. She’s childhood friends with Lindhardt, Bernadetta and Lysithea.

In 1167 during the Insurrection of the Seven, House Giselle along with House Hrym tried to secede from the Empire and join the Leicester Alliance. Working with the neighbouring House Ordelia, Hrym and Giselle raised an insurrection, but the Empire swiftly suppressed it. In retaliation for the uprising, Hrym’s main genetic line was eradicated. Four years later, House Giselle was found to have also colluded with Ordeila and Hyrm and were exiled from the Adrestrian Empire. Her family secretly relocated to Ordelia territory.

House Giselle is not noted as one of the seven involved in the Insurrection of the Seven as, after their exiling, all records of the House were destroyed.

Two years later, she developed an illness that took the life of her mother and left Florence bedridden for several years. While she eventually regained mobility, her legs remain very weak.

Personality:

Hating battles and loving peace and quiet, Florence does her best to avoid the harsh realities of the world, often idling about in escapist activities such as reading, composing or looking for ghosts. Her interest in seances and the occult stemming from the loss of her mother at a young age, and her desire to talk to her once more.

Despite being the heir to House Giselle, Florence has little love for her House, as it has lost all political and social standing due to their role in the Insurrection of the Seven. She often expresses guilt and remorse for her fathers actions, believing that the exiling of her House was the catalyst for all of her grievances in life. Due to her house being banished from the Empire and forced into hiding, not only was she separated from her home and her friends, but they were also unable to treat the sickness that took her mother’s life and left her bedridden for many years. In fact, in a majority of her endings, she abandons her claim to House Giselle altogether. Good for her!!

Lost Items:

A Planchette: A pointer made for a board used to contact ghosts. It probably belongs to someone who enjoys the occult.

Late Return Notice: A request letter from the library asking for a late book to be returned. It probably,y belongs to someone who frequents the library.

A Piece of Unfinished Music: An unfinished sheet of music. It probably belongs to someone who enjoys composing.

Quotes:

Choir Practice: “Hmm… I wonder if I could incorporate this melody into- Oh. My apologies, Professor.”

Cooking: “I’m quite useless at cooking, my mother always used to say I could burn an empty pan,”

Counsellor:

“Whenever I try to talk to someone about ghosts, they get scared and run away. I don’t mean to scare anyone, I just want to talk about my interests.”

“There’s a restricted section of the library that has all the interesting books locked away. How would I gain access to them without being expelled?”

“It’s my fathers fault that our House fell into ruin. I have no desire to inherit a House so wrought with disappointment and betrayal.” (war phase)

Dining Hall:

Favourite dish: “I haven’t eaten this since I was a child, how lovely.”

Neutral dish: “I usually just bring my food back to the library with me…”

Disliked dish: “I think I left something… somewhere. I should go.”

With Edelgard:

(Before C Support)

Edelgard: How are you liking your food, Florence?

Florence: It’s… fine. I’m sorry, I think I hear someone calling for me.

(After C Support)

Edelgard: Florence, I hear that you like to compose music! You must show me your work some time

Florence: I suppose I could…

With Jeritza:

Jeritza: …

Florence: …

Recruitment:

Requirements not met: “Sorry Professor, I have some books that I have to return to the library urgently. If I’m late again they might ban me.”

Requirements met: “Professor, I have a request…”

Accept: “Wonderful. I have heard your classroom is haunted. Is that true?”

Decline: “Oh. alright then…”

Gift:

Favourite: “For me? Are you sure?”

Neutral: “This is nice”

Disliked: “Oh… alright.”

Lost Item:

Not theirs: “That’s not mine. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep looking.”

Theirs: “Oh, you found it! I wondered where it had gotten to.”

Tea Party:

General: “Next time you should come to one of my seances. You can still bring the tea if you like.”

Favourite Tea: “Ah, this smell reminds me of being a child,”

Favourite Teas: Angelica Tea, Crescent-Moon Tea, Lavender Blend, Mint Leaves

Introducing own topic:

“I once spoke with a ghost who sounded a lot like you, Professor.”

“While I enjoy composing, I’m not a fan of singing or dancing myself. I’ll leave all that to the professionals.”

“You don’t get scared when I talk about ghosts, that’s what makes you different from the others around here.”

“Staying in the library past curfew wouldn’t get me in trouble, would it?”

“The things you might have heard about my House, I would prefer if you forgot all of it. People like to exaggerate…”

“Have you ever seen a ghost, Professor?”

Observe:

*humming* “Hm? Oh, it’s just… a song I’m working on.”

“Please don’t stare at me,”

End: “I had fun, thank you very much. I hope you invite me again soon.”

this ended up ridiculously long so if u made it this far tysm i love you

[ilaw-at-panitik]

The Finalists of the 41st National Book Awards

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) announce the finalists of the 41st National Book Awards, an annual prize honoring the most outstanding book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines.

For this cycle of the National Book Awards, a total of 235 titles were submitted across 34 categories consisting of 7 languages: Filipino, English, Bikol, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Tausug, and Waray. Following the awarding of winners during the 40th cycle in May 2023, the 41st iteration of the awards is slated to take place in February 2024.

See the full list here.

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #7

I know I’ve missed like four days of blogging this past week but I’m not getting paid to do this! I do make time for this because it’s easy and actually kinda relaxing catching up on book news! Continue reading Your Week in Books #7

[empirearchives]

Napoleon and Nicolas Appert: The invention of canned food

“Although he [Napoleon] continued so far as possible the Revolutionary practice of having armies live off the land, he also did his best to develop an efficient commissariat. A famous part of his supply system was canned food, particularly meat, for the army. Nicholas Appert had started the food-canning industry in 1804, building a factory that employed fifty people. His method prescribed putting the food in glass jars, which were next carefully stoppered, and then cooked in boiling water for lengths of time varying with the type of food. The navy first used the canned food, with great success even on extended cruises. In 1810 the Minister of the Interior awarded Appert 12,000 francs on condition he make his process public.”

— Robert B. Holtman, The Napoleonic Revolution

The inventor of canning, Appert, deposited samples of his invention to the imperial government in 1809, specifically to the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry [Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale].

He published his findings in 1810, titled: Le livre de tous les ménages ou l'art de conserver pendant plusieurs années toutes les substances animales et végétales [English tr: The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances For Several Years]. It was “a work published by the order of the French Minister of the Interior, on the report of the Board of Arts and Manufactures”.

For his discovery, the government paid him 12,000 francs and gave him free lodgings and a workshop in the Hospice des Quinze-Vingts. Every prefecture in the French Empire was supplied with a copy of his book, and the prefects were assigned the responsibility of disseminating the information widely. Two more editions were created under the empire, and another in 1831.

His factories were ransacked and destroyed during the invasions of France in 1814 and again in 1815. He was able to rebuild and won several gold medals from the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry and eventually became a member of the Society.

Appert is quoted as saying “I sacrificed everything for humanity, all my life”.

Additional Sources:

English translation of Appert’s 1810 publication

Nicolas Appert inventeur et humaniste, Jean-Paul Barbier, 1994 (Fondation Napoléon)

Collection A. Carême: Le conservateur 1842 (archive.org)

Defining Culinary Authority: The Transformation of Cooking in France, 1650-1830 by Jennifer J. Davis

[lboogie1906]

Léon Damas (March 28, 1912 - April 22, 1978) was a poet, editor, diplomat, and cultural theorist who was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. He was the youngest of five children born to parents Ernest and Marie Aline Damas.

He left French Guiana to attend the prestigious Lycée Victor-Schœlcher. He attended the University of Paris. His scholarship was for the study of law, he developed an interest in the humanities and social sciences. Influenced by Andre Breton’s anti-colonial pamphlet Légitime Défense, by his encounters with the work of Harlem Renaissance poets like Claude McKay and Langston Hughes, and by the growing community of US Black expatriate writers and artists, he began to assert his identity as a poète Nègre.

He and Aimé Césaire met Léopold Sédar Senghor. The three founded the journal L’Étudiant Noir, called Négritude.

He was the first Black writer to address the impact of colonization on the psyche of the colonized. He introduced this colonial and postcolonial condition more than 20 years before philosopher Frantz Fanon would label such traits “the colonized personality”.

He was the author of nine other volumes, including five additional books of poetry, three essay collections, and one book of short stories. In addition to a writing career that spanned 40 years, he held several prominent and influential positions in military, diplomatic, and government organizations. He served in the French army during WWII. He was elected to the Chambre des Députés of the French National Assembly. He became the overseas editor for Radio France, a contributing editor on the board of the journal Presence Africaine, and a representative of the African Society of Culture for the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

He traveled extensively in Africa, Latin America, the US, and the Caribbean. He settled in DC, where he accepted a visiting professorship at Georgetown University. He was offered a permanent position at Howard University, where he remained on the faculty until his death. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

#20yrsago HOWTO break Google Print DRM https://web.archive.org/web/20041011120549/http://vitanuova.loyalty.org/weblog/nb.cgi/view/vitanuova/2004/10/07/2

#15yrsago Japanese court overturns Winny ruling, says file-sharing software is legal even if used for infringement https://web.archive.org/web/20091009232138/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20091008p2a00m0na016000c.html

#15yrsago Robert E Howard collection, HEROES IN THE WIND: revisit your heroic past https://memex.craphound.com/2009/10/08/robert-e-howard-collection-heroes-in-the-wind-revisit-your-heroic-past/

#10yrsago Sore losers: How casinos went after two guys who found a video poker bug https://www.wired.com/2014/10/cheating-video-poker/

#10yrsago Fixing the unfixable USB bug https://www.wired.com/2014/10/unpatchable-usb-malware-now-patchsort/

#10yrsago 20 meaningful things you can do about climate change http://thischangeseverything.org/twenty-things-you-can-do-to-address-the-climate-crisis/

#10yrsago 10% of Americans have 10 or more alcoholic drinks every day https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/

#10yrsago $35 Firefox OS smartphone – back to the drawing board https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/testing-a-35-firefox-os-phone-how-bad-could-it-be/

#5yrsago For the first time ever, taxes on the 400 richest Americans were lower than taxes on everyone else https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/06/opinion/income-tax-rate-wealthy.html

#5yrsago Supreme Court greenlights lawsuit over Amazon’s wage-theft from warehouse workers https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-amazon-com/u-s-supreme-court-rejects-amazon-warehouse-worker-wage-appeal-idUSKBN1WM1FI/

#5yrsago Bernie Blindness: a subreddit for noting the way press narratives ignore or smear Bernie Sanders https://www.reddit.com/r/bernieblindness/top/

#5yrsago Checkm8: an “unstoppable” Iphone jailbreaking crack https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/developer-of-checkm8-explains-why-idevice-jailbreak-exploit-is-a-game-changer/

#5yrsago After an injunction against Pacifica radio, New York’s WBAI is back on the air https://twitter.com/2600/status/1181423565389942786

#5yrsago How the “Varsity Blues” admissions scam punished deserving, hard working kids so that mediocre kids of the super-rich could prosper https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/08/how-the-varsity-blues-admissions-scam-punished-deserving-hard-working-kids-so-that-mediocre-kids-of-the-super-rich-could-prosper/

#5yrsago Facebook’s 2016 election billboards: Buy all your elections with us! https://twitter.com/MarietjeSchaake/status/1180166896294887424

#5yrsago Podcast: Why do people believe the Earth is flat? https://ia601006.us.archive.org/35/items/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_311/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_311_-_Why_do_people_believe_the_Earth_is_flat.mp3

#5yrsago The cloud vs humanity: Adobe terminates every software license in Venezuela, keeps Venezuelans’ money https://helpx.adobe.com/la/x-productkb/policy-pricing/executive-order-venezuela.html

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.