#new sanctuary coalition

[noaasanctuaries]

BREAKING NEWS

NOAA considers sanctuary in waters around Pacific Remote Islands

Today, NOAA announced it is starting the process to potentially designate a new national marine sanctuary in the Pacific Remote Islands area under the Biden-Harris Administration. The proposed area in the central Pacific Ocean includes marine areas within the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, as well as currently unprotected submerged lands and waters, an area totaling about 770,000 square miles. 

A sanctuary designation would help conserve the atolls, shoals, seamounts, banks and reefs surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands. This area is home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine ecosystems on the planet, and provides a haven for a host of wildlife, including corals, sharks, fish, marine mammals, seabirds and invertebrates.

NOAA invites the public to comment on the proposed sanctuary designation through June 2, 2023.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada is expressing support for a proposed Inuit women’s shelter in Ottawa that is facing resistance from residents.

In a statement Wednesday, the national Inuit women’s organization said that “in response to recent reporting about the proposed women’s shelter in Ottawa’s south end,” it supports the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition’s efforts to build the facility.

Ottawa’s Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley held an information session for residents Tuesday over a proposed transfer of a vacant city-owned lot in the Hunt Club neighbourhood to the coalition.

The lot would then become the site of a new shelter dedicated for Inuit women and children fleeing violence.

“This sanctuary will provide Inuit women and their children with a safe, healthy, and culturally appropriate place to live and heal in a welcoming family-oriented neighbourhood with great access to schools, parks, and greenspace,” Bradley said in a news update posted to her website. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland, @vague-humanoid

[cdr2002]

Mirror Universe Concepts: Lower Decks main cast

Season 5 is here, might as well share this

Beckett Mariner

Daughter of Carol and Alonzo Freeman, Mariner was born in an Alliance slave camp on Earth. Though her parents did their best to try and keep her out of trouble, Mariner was rebellious by nature and often clashed with Alliance overseers, resulting in harsh punishments including solitary confinement and torture. Prone to using her voice as a weapon, Mariner would mock and belittle her oppressors throughout these punishments, only kept alive because the Klingon overseers found her spirit admirable and the Cardassians were amused by her wit. Mariner never succumbed to any attempt to break her, and even wore her scars proudly, much as her behavior deeply worried her mother and resulted in several arguments.

Eventually, Mariner started a small rebellion in the slave camp, intent on killing or incapacitating the overseers and escaping on a freighter owned by a Ferengi trader that Mariner had gotten into contact with made some deals with, typically using money pickpocketed from overseers or from privileged Alliance-collaborating Terrans. The slave riot that kicked off Mariner’s rebellion would also be its end. Many of her fellow slaves were less equipped for combat than her, and nearly all of them were killed by the overseers during the struggle. Though Mariner successfully killed dozens of her oppressors during the fight, the constant death of friends and even her own father around her finally broke her like no amount of torture ever could. In the end she was fighting just to fight, and would only be saved from death, a death she practically wanted by this point, by two things: the intervention of a Klingon warrior named K’orin, who found her cause and spirit honorable, and the timely arrival of Quimp, her Ferengi contact, aboard a cloaked ship. Contacting her over the communicator she had smuggled into the camp, Quimp urged Mariner that it was time to go, and her surviving allies: K’orin, her then-girlfriend Amina Ramsey, and her mother, saw his wisdom in the matter. Quimp successfully beamed Mariner and the other survivors aboard and then fled Alliance space as quickly as possible.

Though managing to escape, Mariner fell into depression. She grew to loathe the universe around her and rarely offered her trust to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. After years of being forced to hide from the Alliance’s attempts to find them and in particular prosecute K’orin for his betrayal, Mariner eventually set out into the universe as a free woman.

Through Quimp’s connections, she managed to acquire a ship: the SS Cerritos. The Cerritos was far from impressive; a run-down, patched together hulk made from dated technology salvaged after the fall of the Terran Empire. While the Alliance allowed the use of a few such ships as freighters, Terran-style configurations typically invited hostility. Exactly what Mariner wanted: a middle finger to their dominance over the Alpha Quadrant and a ship fast and sturdy enough to pull herself and her crew out of scraps, if necessary.

Her crew was small at first. Not able to handle any more violence or death and simply wanting to escape the Alliance, Carol elected to stay in a small Terran sanctuary city on Ferenginar, which the Alliance ignored due to their lucrative dealings with the Ferengi Coalition. K’orin, having sworn a blood oath to Mariner, readily joined her, as did Quimp, worried about his new friend and hoping they would find some business dealings along the way. Ramsey stayed on the Cerritos for a few months, but ultimately decided to leave once she heard word of a large-scale rebellion organizing against the Alliance.

With her ship, Mariner became an infamous troublemaker throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The mission of the Cerritos was simple: raise as much hell as they could get away with. Antagonizing Alliance patrols, robbing their installations blind, breaking open slave camps and transferring the slaves to safe worlds, simple acts of vandalism. Mariner was known as a pirate, a hero, a terrorist, and a maverick, respected by some and friend to few.

Over time, her crew grew in size, though not without earning her a death mark from the Orion Syndicate. Mariner reveled in her outlaw status, never staying in one place for long and gaining a reputation for fearless abandon. Per a vouching from Ramsey, and even her mother, who found it in herself to fight, the Terran Rebellion became interested in recruiting Mariner as they took to the task of establishing communication within their cells and growing into a larger organization. Afraid of the commitment and the responsibility for more than a small group, Mariner turned them several times and continued to go her own way.

However, the Rebellion has picked up steam recently, performing daring operations like the taking of Terok Nor, and even capturing Regent Worf. With only her own fears holding her back, Mariner could find a cause worth fighting for, an inspiration like that of Starfleet to her prime universe counterpart. But healing such wounds is far from easy.

Bradward Boimler

Born in Modesto California, Boimler’s family had been simple vineyard owners during the time of the Terran Empire. Little ones for violence, they had been supporters of Spock’s reforms and admired him in the waning days of the Empire. When Earth was conquered by the Alliance, the Klingons and Cardassians, fanciers of good drink themselves, contracted the owners of any vineyards who had survived the assault with with producing Kenar, Bloodwine, and any Terran beverages Alliance members had taken a liking to, in exchange for their lives.

Born into this environment, Boimler found the work painfully dull and longed for something more with his life. However, a universe in the fire grip of the Alliance granted him few options. Nonetheless, Boimler had a yearning to explore the galaxy and see what was out there. This desire became so strong that one night, Boimler stole a Cardassian shuttlecraft and set course for the next closest solar system. However, a failure to input the proper verification codes upon reaching orbit and the fear of death forced Boimler to immediately surrender. In the interrogation that followed, his obvious panic meant that there was little need to torture him and he was quickly assessed as a minimal threat. His captors made the decision to transfer Boimler to a labor facility on Vulcan.

The harsh environment ill-suited Boimler. He was easily frightened, not especially strong, and talkative. Exactly the kind of slave the overseers were liable to simply kill and be done with. What saved Boimler’s life was a transporter malfunction that occurred during one of his shifts, duplicating Boimler and creating his twin, William. The accident fascinated Boimler’s overseers, who believed that their transporters could be modified in order to create an infinite supply of slave labor for the Alliance, an accomplishment which would surely greatly advance their careers. More opportunistic and ambitious than his progenitor due to some small variation in their brain chemistry, William offered to assist the research in exchange for being granted the privileged life of an Alliance collaborator for being the cause of this discovery.

In order to prove his sincerity, William goads the overseers to go ahead and shoot Brad. Brad would only be narrowly saved by the intervention of a Vulcan named T’Lyn, a seeming fellow slave to Brad who was in fact an undercover operative for the resistance cell on Vulcan. She short-circuited the transporter remotely with a device she had implanted hours before, leaped into the room, and killed the slave overseers by vaporizing them with a phaser. She attempted to shoot William for being a collaborator, but he managed to grab a Disruptor and fire back, escaping the room. Intuiting that William had no real knowledge on how to recreate the transporter glitch, T’Lyn grabbed Brad and had him beamed to a secure location underground with her, where she explained herself and her mission. Though naturally taking some time to regain his bearings, Brad eventually accepted the situation, and asked to join the Rebellion.

Their higher calling of liberating Terrans, Vulcans, and other races enslaved by the Alliance gave Boimler the worthwhile pursuit he had been searching for all his life. Though the members of the rebel cell on Vulcan were skeptical at first, T’Lyn vouched for Boimler and he was accepted into their ranks, given the training he would need to carry out operations against the Alliance. Now skilled with a phaser, as well as various tactics of infiltration, Boimler became a freedom fighter in earnest, undermining the Alliance regime in conjunction with his allies and learning to overcome some of his own fears. Though Boimler never became one for hand-to-hand combat, he was still nonetheless an effective soldier, and T’Lyn taught him the Vulcan Nerve Pinch in order to make up for that shortcoming.

While fighting as a Rebel, Boimler became an avid follower of the exploits of Captain Beckett Mariner and the SS Cerritos, an outlaw famed for giving the Alliance a bloody nose on more than one occasion.

As the disparate rebel cells began to coalesce after Tuvok managed to get Miles O’Brien’s rebel cell on Terok Nor in contact with the rebels on Vulcan, Boimler personally volunteered for the mission to locate the Cerritos and extend an offer to Captain Mariner.

With T’Lyn offering to accompany him, the mission was approved and the two managed to get themselves onto the ship. Unfortunately, Mariner quickly began causing trouble in the system of their meeting right as they began attempting to make their proposal, forcing Boimler and T’Lyn to become members of her ship’s crew in order to assist in preserving the lives of everyone on board. Braving skirmishes with the Orion Syndicate, the Gorn, and Alliance warships far more powerful than the Cerritos, Boimler is still determined to convince Mariner to take part in the wider rebellion, regardless of the walls she puts up around herself. With time, he may succeed.

D’Vana Tendi

“Mistress of the Winter Constellations”, Tendi comes from a powerful family in the Orion Syndicate. She is the granddaughter of the previous holder of her title, Astrea Tendi, who famously stole an ancient artifact from Terran captain Christopher Pike in the 23rd century, among other accomplishments.

Growing up with immense pressure to fulfill her role as heir to family’s wealth an influence, Tendi chafed against these demands as well as the standards of Orion society as a whole, feeling that her people needlessly limited themselves by pouring their entire cultural resources into their vast criminal empire rather than allowing individuals to pursue other interests. Tendi herself developed a fascination with the sciences at a young age, and dreamt of a life of discovery, exploration, and adventure. These values closely matched that of the Federation Starfleet, but were seldom respected in the Orion Syndicate or elsewhere in the mirror universe. As she reluctantly carried out the family business alongside her sister D’Erika, Tendi would take exceptionally well to the training and various skills her family provided her.

She would also come to despise the Syndicate’s dealings with the Alliance. While the Orions were certainly exploiters, assassins, and thieves, careers Tendi had no taste for, they had long abandoned outright slavering, an act the Alliance almost seemed to specialize in. Though her family tried to explain to her that appeasing the Alliance was simply part of life due to their dominance over the Alpha Quadrant, this was the last straw and Tendi knew she had to leave this life behind.

She would find her escape in the form of outlaw captain Beckett Mariner, who docked her ship at a repair station owned by Tendi’s family after a battle with Alliance forces. Her scientific personal studies having led her to studying various technologies, including those of the fallen Terran Empire, Tendi took a personal interest in repairing the ship. Her skill at optimizing the outdated technology and even fusing it with some contemporary Orion equipment impressed Mariner, and she offered to find some way of repaying her personally. Tendi’s price was escape from the Orion Syndicate, who were already maneuvering to capture the Cerritos and its crew to collect a bounty from the Alliance. Using her inside knowledge to thwart the trap, Tendi quickly earned herself a spot as Second Officer of the Cerritos and the respect and trust of Mariner and the crew. Mariner reacted surprisingly positively to the death mark from the Syndicate, believing it advanced her reputation.

In gratitude for her invaluable contributions, Tendi was allowed the sway to suggest possible sites of scientific observation for the ship, pursuing her passion as much as she could without leaving the ship in one place for too long. This would remain more or less status quo until the arrival of resistance fighters T’Lyn and Boimler, who sought to recruit the Cerritos crew into the growing Rebellion. Tendi was sympathetic to them and was in favor of joining, but Mariner’s reluctance put that idea at the very least on pause. Nonetheless, Tendi has befriended the two Rebellion representatives and is hopeful that the races under Alliance rule can achieve the same freedom of choice she herself sought in breaking away from the Syndicate.

Samanthan Rutherford

Thrill-seeking, rambunctious, and only respectful of authority when it suited his own ends, Rutherford was practically born a rebel. Once he was old enough to be suitable for labor, he was stationed on an Alliance shipyard, where he immersed himself in the study of engines, general starship design, program design, and most especially, speed. Rutherford took in as much knowledge as he could, much impressing his overseers. He became one of the most productive slaves at the facility, refitting dozens of Alliance warships and making improvements to their overall performance. The overseers were so impressed with Rutherford that they failed to keep a close enough eye on him to realize two things: that every Alliance ship he worked on had been outfitted with a sabotage code designed to go off the moment said ship locked their weapons on any Terran life signs, and that Rutherford had been building his own personal ship using parts he gradually stole for himself while working the yard.

After seven months, the small ship was complete, and outfitted with one of the fastest and most compact warp drives in the Quadrant. One night, Rutherford took his ship, the Sampaguita, and made a rush for the Romulan Neutral Zone, which he knew the Alliance vessels wouldn’t pursue him into even if they caught up to him. Skillfully evading the Romulan detection grid, Rutherford took off for parts unknown and began his new life as a free man.

Engaging in illicit ship racing, gambling, and becoming a mercenary engineer, selling his skills at ship repair and enhancement to the highest bidder in the underworld of the Galaxy.

Eventually, another rogue would contact Rutherford: Captain Beckett Mariner, in need of his services to repair the SS Cerritos after another round of damages suffered antagonizing the Alliance. Rutherford would impress the crew, particularly Mariner’s technically skilled Second Officer D’Vana Tendi, with his repairs, optimizing the ship’s systems, further bringing them up to spec with modern technology despite the Cerritos’s century-old Terran frame, and enhancing the capabilities of its shield and warp drive.

Tendi suggested hiring Rutherford onto the crew due to his capabilities, but Mariner was reluctant to give herself the responsibility for another life, and respected Rutherford’s free-spirited nature too much to attempt to pin him down. Ultimately however, Rutherford would be forced to join the crew after Alliance agents caught up with him, seeking to interrogate Rutherford to determine the extent his sabotage work as a slave engineer had affected their fleet.

In the fight ensued, Rutherford docked the Sampaguita, damaged from battle, in the Cerritos’s shuttle bay, before the ship managed to take out two Alliance warships and escape into Ferengi space, where trade agreements forbid pursuit. From then on, Rutherford accepted the position of Chief Engineer aboard the Cerritos, and took part in much of the ship’s troublemaking misadventures from then on.

Due to their respective natures, Rutherford and Mariner would often butt heads and argue, forcing Tendi to be a peacemaker between them. Fortunately, their underlying respect for one another led them to always eventually see reason. Though he hated the Alliance, Rutherford was among the crewmembers skeptical of joining the Terran Rebellion. However upon suffering a nearly fatal injury and being given a cybernetic implant which saved him by Vulcan surgeons, Rutherford would find in his gratitude that he could do nothing less than give his commitment to the cause.

T’Lyn

Born into slavery on Qo’Nos, T’Lyn was the daughter of two house servants owned by a Klingon regent. Her parents raised her in the Vulcan way, as allowed by the Alliance because of the belief that Vulcan logic produced more disciplined servants. However, the strong emotions of the Klingons around her did leave an impression.

When T’Lyn was in her mid teens, her master took her and her family on a trip to Vulcan to meet with a Cardassian gul to whom he was a political ally.

The two were scheming the elimination of a rival and their plan involved the implementation of explosive devices inside the bodies of T’Lyn’s parents to hide their bombs in plain. T’Lyn was horrified and objected, but was knocked unconscious and unable to prevent the procedure. She was kept alive because her master needed a house servant, but he threatened to kill her if she spoke up again.

The two powerful men organized a meeting with their rival and offered him T’Lyn’s parents as a supposed sign of goodwill.

Before things could go further, the meeting was attacked by the Vulcan Resistance, who were seeking to take out high ranking Alliance officials while they were gathered in one place.

During the chaos, T’Lyn managed to grab a Disruptor from a dead Klingon guard and joined forces with the rebels in order to save her parents and achieve freedom. Unfortunately, the explosive devices embedded in them were activated, and T’Lyn was forced to watch her parents die.

After that, she made sure that every Alliance member at the meeting was killed with quick and savant-like marksmanship. She had learned a fair amount just from observation in all these years. Were she not Vulcan, the display might appear as rage. Once the battle was over, she was counseled by the leader of the rebel attack, Sokel. He suggested that it would be logical to channel her feelings towards the liberation of the oppressed throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

T’Lyn accepted and began training in various aspects of combat, infiltration, espionage, and assassination by the Vulcan underground. She would also be trained in various forms of Vulcan meditation to assist in coping with her trauma, though she remained with an underlying passion that fueled her as a fighter. She became an efficient and deadly fighter, but also a compassionate field medic and liberator, doing her best to free Alliance slaves and help their own recoveries as best she could.

Eventually however, T’Lyn would suffer another loss when Sokel was killed in a skirmish with Alliance forces, driving her into a depression for a number of weeks.

After finding it in herself to begin actively fighting again, T’Lyn succeeded in the liberation of Brad Boimler from an Alliance facility, preventing the Alliance from exploiting transporter duplicates as a source of labor. She assisted in his training and eventually accompanied him to the raider ship SS Cerritos in order to recruit Captain Mariner into the growing Rebellion. T’Lyn’s patience has proven to be her most valuable asset in this endeavor.

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Now that I have your attention:

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

According to a Fox News poll released Wednesday, Kamala Harris holds a 2-point lead over Donald Trump. However, the most intriguing takeaway isn't the topline result, but rather the details on a growing Republican line of attack in 2024: transgender issues. When asked who voters trust most to handle a variety of topics, Harris leads on most, such as abortion, health care, and election integrity. However, her lead is among the strongest on one particular issue: transgender rights.

When voters were asked whom they trust to handle transgender issues, Harris leads Trump by 16 points. This margin mirrors her lead on abortion and is just slightly behind her advantage on climate change, where she performs best. Harris’s lead on transgender issues suggests that highlighting this topic in the election may backfire for Trump, potentially weakening his chances the more Republicans push the issue to the forefront. The situation for Trump does not improve when examining the crosstabs. Harris holds a commanding lead over Trump on transgender issues across several demographic groups, including some that might come as a surprise. For example, she is ahead by 10 points among men. Her advantage widens further among likely voters, where she leads by 17 points. Among voters aged 65 and older, her lead extends to 21 points. Even among Independents and swing state voters, Harris is ahead by 19 points and 10 points, respectively.

This focus on swing state voters is particularly significant, given the heightened attention on transgender issues in this election cycle. On September 1st, the prominent conservative super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, launched the first wave of an $80 million ad buy targeting swing-state senators up for re-election in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A substantial portion of these ads center around anti-trans rhetoric, accusing Democratic Senate candidates of supporting policies that would “allow puberty blockers and sex change surgeries for minor children” and “permit transgender biological men to compete in women’s sports.” Trump himself has repeatedly featured anti-trans attacks against Harris during this election cycle. On multiple occasions, he has made the baseless claim that teachers are performing sex change surgeries on children, sending them home as “another gender.” He has also targeted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for policies that establish Minnesota as a sanctuary state for transgender individuals fleeing anti-trans legislation in other states. Trump has promised to enact sweeping anti-trans measures on day one if elected, including a total ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the establishment of national bathroom bans for trans students, and the elimination of federal funding for all transgender care. Such policies could have devastating consequences, particularly for transgender adults who rely on health insurance marketplace subsidies to afford their care.

The latest Fox News Poll, in conjunction with Democratic-affiliated Beacon Research and Republican-affiliated Shaw and Company Research conducted between September 13th and 16th, revealed that Kamala Harris (D) is leading 50%-48% over Donald Trump (R)

The real eye-popper is that Harris leads Trump by 16% [56% KH-40% DT] on the transgender issues question, despite Republican attempts to use trans issues as a wedge to cleave off small parts of the Democratic coalition based on flimsy “protect women’s rights”/”protect the children” arguments.

[wachinyeya]

https://ictnews.org/news/biden-designates-avi-kwa-ame-a-national-monument

Joe Biden designates Avi Kwa Ame a national monument

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument in Nevada, following up on a promise he made in late 2022.

Biden also declared a national monument in Texas and the creation of a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawai'i.

Biden spoke at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the Interior Department with Fort Mojave Indian Tribal Chairman Timothy Williams commending him during his introduction.

“Under his leadership we have a seat at the table and we are seeing an unprecedented era and opportunity for our tribal communities,” Williams said. “And we are all grateful to the president for taking historic action to combat the climate crisis and conserve and restore our nation’s land and waters.”

Williams was among the proponents to make Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirit Mountain, a national monument. It’s considered sacred to the Mojave people and for the nine other Yuman-speaking tribes along the Colorado River, as well as the Hopi and Chemehuevi Paiute tribes, Williams said.

The site in southern Nevada spans more than 500,000 acres near the Arizona and California state lines. It’s home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and a large concentration of Joshua trees, some of which are more than 900 years old. It’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It took more than three months for Biden to make the announcement.

“It’s a place of reverence, it’s a place of spirituality, it’s a place of healing and now it will be recognized for its significance it holds and be preserved forever,” Biden said. “I look forward to visiting it myself.”

He thanked Williams and the legislative leaders who advocated for Avi Kwa Ame including Nevada Rep. Dina Titus, Democrat, who sponsored a bill to protect the rugged region near the Mojave National Preserve from development, including solar farms and a proposed wind farm.

“To the native people who point to Avi Kwa Ame as their spiritual birthplace, and every Nevadan who knows the value of our cherished public lands: Today is for you,″ Titus tweeted.

The Honor Avi Kwa Ame coalition, which includes tribes, local residents, state lawmakers and conservation groups, said its members were "overjoyed" to learn the site will be a new national monument.

"Together, we will honor Avi Kwa Ame today — from its rich Indigenous history, to its vast and diverse plant and wildlife, to the outdoor recreation opportunities created for local cities and towns in southern Nevada by a new gorgeous monument right in their backyard," the group said.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland released a press release praising the announcement.

“I am grateful to President Biden for taking this important step in recognition of the decades of advocacy from tribes and the scientific community, who are eager to protect the objects within its boundaries,” Haaland stated.“Together with tribal leaders, outdoor enthusiasts, local elected officials, and other stakeholders, we will manage this new monument for the benefit of current and future generations.”

In Texas, Biden plans to create the Castner Range National Monument in El Paso. It’s the ancestral homeland of the Comanche and Apache people, and its cultural ecology is considered sacred to several Indigenous communities.

The designation will protect the cultural, scientific and historic objects found within the monument's boundaries, honor U.S. veterans, service members and tribal nations, and expand access to outdoor recreation on public lands, the White House said.

Located on Fort Bliss, Castner Range served as a training and testing site for the U.S. Army during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The Army ceased training at the site and closed Castner Range in 1966.

The Castner Range monument "will preserve fragile lands already surrounded on three sides by development,'' help ensure access to clean water and protect rare and endangered species, said Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat-Texas.

“The people of El Paso have fought to protect this for 50 years. Their work has finally paid off,” Biden said.

Biden designated his first national monument, in Colorado, last year. In 2021, he restored the boundaries for Bears Ears National Monument in Utah after they were significantly narrowed by President Donald Trump, a Republican.

In the Pacific, Biden will direct the Commerce Department to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation within 30 days to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. If completed, the 777,000 square miles, southwest of Hawaii, will help ensure the U.S. reaches Biden's goal to conserve at least 30 percent of ocean waters under U.S. jurisdiction by 2030, the White House said.

Among Hawaiian state leaders, Biden thanked Native Hawaiian leaders who “worked tirelessly to protect our oceans. I want to thank you. I genuinely mean it, it wouldn't have happened without you.”

Biden also announced a series of steps to conserve, restore and expand access to public lands and waters across the country, the White House said.

The proposals seek to modernize management of America's public lands, harness the power of the ocean to help fight climate change, and better conserve wildlife corridors. Biden also will announce new spending to improve access to outdoor recreation, promote tribal conservation and reduce wildfire risk.

Bidden added he’s committed to working with tribal leaders and legislative leaders on bringing “healthy and abundant” salmon run back to the Colorado River system.

“There’s nothing beyond our capacity if we work together,” Biden said.

[dzthenerd490]

File: Gantz

SCP#: AHY

Code Name: The Alien Game Show

Object Class: Neutralized/Masvae

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-AHY was destroyed and all SCP-AHY-Toy instances were taken by the Global Occult Coalition. As such no containment procedures will be made. 

Description: SCP-AHY was a strange spherical device that for whatever reason contained the still living body of an old man. His consciousness seemed to be used as a processor for the supercomputer within. SCP-AHY was located in Osaka, Japan and for some reason targets people who have died within a certain period of time, normally during its activation. Once this happens SCP-AHY destroys their body and remakes them now alive again but within a room where SCP-AHY is located. Why any of this is designed this way is unknown but what is known is the victims are now to be known as SCP-AHY-Contestants.

SCP-AHY-Contestants are people who have been resurrected to be assigned to missions given by SCP-AHY. SCP-AHY will be able to open up and give weapons to SCP-AHY-Contestants which are to be known as SCP-AHY-Toy instances. SCP-AHY-Toy instances are weapons and bio suits that mix earth technology and alien technology from various aliens that visit earth regularly. Who created these weapons and by extension SCP-AHY is unknown. After the contestants are armed, they are transported to a random part of Japan and given a mission to kill an alien. These aliens are either residents that have been approved for sanctuary on earth or are illegal earth residents that are already on the Global Occult Coalitions. 

Once the game starts neither the aliens or the SCP-AHY-Contestants will be detected by any living beings on earth. The contestants must kill the alien and earn points to win the game, otherwise the alien will kill them, often in a brutal way. The contestants must never stray too far from where they were teleported or else their brains will shut down. Only after the game is over will SCP-AHY bring the contestants back to the room and allow them to go free until the next game. If an SCP-AHY-Contestant is killed in the game, they will not be brought back after it is over. If they contestants fail to kill the alien within the time range given, they will be brought back to SCP-AHY consequence free. However once back SCP-AHY will anonymously provide information about the SCP-AHY-Contestants to the aliens. This allows them to hunt them down the contestants when they are no longer armed with SCP-AHY-Toy instances. 

It is possible for contestants to bring SCP-AHY-Toy’s with them when the game is over but if they use them too many times their brains will shut down as a penalty. No matter where they are, when a new game begins, they will be teleported back to SCP-AHY to start up a new game. The only way to leave SCP-AHY completely is to earn 100 points. Points are granted to every SCP-AHY-Contestant at the end of the game, the one who kills the targeted aliens is granted the most points. The SCP-AHY-Contestants are allowed to use Points to request more powerful and exclusive SCP-AHY-Toy instances but more often than not those who survive request to be released. Only those who find enjoyment and survive often request more advanced SCP-AHY-Toy instances. 

SCP-AHY was discovered in 2000 when a Global Occult Coalition agent was killed in Japan but got resurrected by SCP-AHY. After barely surviving a game, she reported the incident to the Japanese Division of the GOC. A report was made and passed to have SCP-AHY terminated immediately. Shockingly the old man within the sphere of SCP-AHY woke up upon the GOC entering the room and used the SCP-AHY-Toy instances to defend himself. He even killed the GOC agent and several other SCP-AHY-Contestants to get the GOC to stand down. They refused and killed him allowing them to finally dismantle SCP-AHY. The O5 Council like to use the incident as a reminder of how incompetent the Global Occult Coalition is but most Foundation staff agree they did the right thing. Still, it was the O5 Councils devision to have SCP-AHY given the rare dual object classification of Neutralized and Masvae

Though the GOC allowed the Foundation to view their research regarding SCP-AHY they kept complete custody of the technology within SCP-AHY as well as the SCP-AHY-Toy instances. Though to this day neither the Foundation or the GOC knows why SCP-AHY was created and by who. Though due to the massive death and destruction of both human and alien ally life it was agreed that if another SCP-AHY is to be created it must be destroyed immediately.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Every year, in the waters off the California coast, hundreds of tankers, car carriers and container vessels from dozens of shipping companies take part in an unusual race.

To win, ships have to go slow.

Awards are given to companies whose fleets voluntarily reduce speeds in marine areas where endangered whales migrate through and feed in. The prize, known as Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, comes with a sculptural whale-tail trophy and bragging rights.

“It’s good for the environment, and we make sure the public knows about it,” said Sean Hastings, a resource protection coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a founder of the award program, which was created by a coalition of national marine sanctuaries, air quality districts and other nonprofit groups. “That’s the motivation right there.”

The real winner may be ocean life.

Program administrators say that the 2023 season, had the most participants ever — 33 companies. Eighty one percent of the total distance their ships traveled through the reduction zones was at the recommended speed of 10 knots or less, and that reduced the risk of fatal ship strikes to whales during the year by 58 percent. Slower ships also generate less ocean noise and fewer greenhouse gases and other air pollution.

About 90 percent of all consumer goods are shipped by sea, and the volume of maritime cargo has exploded in recent years, causing vessels to increase in size and numbers. The resulting traffic, pollution and underwater din have proven disastrous for marine life. Along the West Coast, an estimated 80 endangered blue, fin and humpback whales are killed by ship strikes annually, as warming waters caused by climate change shift their food sources closer to shore, where they can collide with ships.

As part of an effort to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, there are speed limits along the East Coast, and in recent years NOAA has hit violators with stiff fines. But reducing ship speeds off the California coast remains voluntary, partly because its endangered whale populations number in the thousands, whereas researchers estimate that there are fewer than 360 North Atlantic right whales left.

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies started as a trial in 2014 to encourage shipping companies using the Santa Barbara Channel to slow down. Seven shipping companies signed on, slowing their vessels from between 14 knots and 18 knots to 12 knots, or roughly 14 miles an hour. The companies were offered $2,500 for each slowed trip.

[rivensdefenseattorney]

(WIP)

Zenith

Capital: Titania

Government of Zenith: Techno-Meritocratic

Demographics and Population

Population Size: Small

Population Distribution by Race:

Elves: (10-15%)

Dwarfs: (15-20%)

Fairies: (10-15%)

Beastkin: (20-25%)

Giants: (5-10%)

Humans: (25-30%)

History and Origins

Zenith emerged as a haven amidst turmoil, initially established as a refuge for war-torn populations seeking sanctuary from conflict across dimensional realms. Founded by a coalition of visionary leaders and influential figures, the realm began as a humble colony on a planet once deemed uninhabitable due to its harsh climate and conditions.

This haven swiftly evolved into a thriving society, nurturing a diverse populace of war refugees, each bringing their unique cultures, skills, and experiences. The early years were marked by resilience, unity, and a collective drive to build a harmonious society from the remnants of conflict.

Over time, the resilient inhabitants of Zenith utilized a blend of innovative technological advancements and the harmonious integration of magic to transform their realm. They harnessed the planet's abundant resources and diverse landscapes, cultivating a sustainable and advanced society.

Zenith's progress was not without challenges. Ideological differences among factions emerged, rooted in divergent approaches to innovation, tradition, and logic. These differing ideologies shaped political dynamics, occasionally causing friction but ultimately contributing to the realm's dynamic evolution.

Today, Zenith stands as a testament to resilience and progress, a technologically advanced and magically infused society that cherishes its diverse heritage while embracing the limitless possibilities of innovation. Guided by visionary leaders, the realm continues its journey toward a future where magic and technology converge harmoniously for the betterment of all inhabitants."

Geography and Landscapes

The landscape of Zenith stretches far and wide, draped in the serene yet unforgiving embrace of perpetual frost. Vast stretches of Arctic-like terrain dominate the planet, with glaciers, towering snow-capped peaks, and expansive icy plateaus shimmering under the pale light of distant stars.

Uninhabited for ages, Zenith retains a pristine, untouched quality in many regions. It's a land rich in energy, concealing valuable mineral deposits and pockets of magical reserves that dot the landscape. Their presence often indicated by luminous shimmering energies dancing across the horizon. These nodes and ley lines, left undisturbed for millennia, now serve as vital sources of power for the thriving civilization, providing energy for their techno-magic advancements

The inhabited regions are fortified and enchanted, shimmering with intricate protective barriers that shield against the harsh climate. Resilient domes and barriers weave a web of protection, creating habitable zones where life thrives amidst the biting cold.

Economy and Resources

Economy

Techno-Magic Industry: This sector involves the development, manufacturing, and maintenance of advanced technological devices powered by magic. It includes the production of golems, enchanted machinery, and intricate magical artifacts.

Resource Harvesting and Refinement: Despite the harsh climate, resource gathering is vital. Involves mining operations for rare magical ores, collecting enchanted crystals, and harnessing magical energies from the environment.

Trade and Commerce: Zenith actively engages in trade, exchanging their advanced techno-magic creations, enchanted resources, and unique magical artifacts with other realms in exchange for necessities not readily available in their environment, like food or specific raw materials.

Research and Innovation: A significant portion of the economy is dedicated to research and development. Scientists, engineers, and magical researchers continuously strive to push the boundaries of techno-magic, seeking new ways to improve life in their challenging environment.

Health and Medical Research Sector: With a significant population having originated as refugees, cybernetic enhancements have emerged as a necessity for rehabilitation and recovery. Over time, these enhancements might have evolved into sophisticated practices, offering not just remedial solutions but also voluntary augmentations for various purposes.

Resources

Magical Ores, Crystals, Metals, and Alloys: Used in the creation of advanced machinery and techno-magical artifacts. They are often mined from deep within the planet, harvested from specific magical deposits scattered across the landscape, and imported from various realms.

Advanced Machinery and Technology: Golems and Techno-Magical Vehicles and Infrastructure serve various functions within society, from labor to defense and infrastructure maintenance.

Magical Energy Sources: Harnessing magical energies from the environment powers much of Zenith's technology. This includes energy nodes and ley lines.

Culture and Society

At its core, Zenith celebrates the seamless integration of technology and magic, manifesting in every facet of life. Its society reveres education, fostering brilliance in techno-magical disciplines from a young age. Education serves as a beacon, nurturing inventive minds that push the boundaries of possibility.

Citizens often engage in a variety of activities that blend entertainment, innovation, and creativity:

Techno-Magic Exhibitions: Attendees immerse themselves in interactive exhibitions showcasing the latest technological and magical innovations. These events feature live demonstrations, interactive installations, and hands-on experiences.

Techno-Art Galleries: Art enthusiasts visit galleries showcasing technologically infused artworks or magical installations, where paintings come to life or sculptures interact with viewers.

Holo-Theater Performances: Theatrical performances, movies, and shows are presented in holographic formats, merging technology and magic to create breathtaking visual spectacles.

E-Sports Tournaments: Zenith hosts competitive e-sports tournaments where players compete in technologically advanced games, incorporating elements of magic, strategy, and high-tech gameplay.

Interactive Gaming Arenas: Cutting-edge gaming arenas equipped with holographic displays and sensory feedback technology provide an immersive experience for both players and spectators.

[survivorsfm]

good  day,  my  most  beloveds !   since  SURVIVORSFM  turned  three  months  since  its  opening  a  few  days  ago  ( on  the  15th,  actually) ,  i  thought  dropping  our  lore  further  info  was  the  right  way  to  celebrate !   so  here  it  is,  and  it  contains  information  both  about  the  virus  and  life  outside  the  sanctuary,  how things worked in the beginning, how they evolved, and where the world stands now, after more than a decade ( although not in chronological order ) ,   luckily  it’ll  clarify  a  few  things  for  you.   as  usual,  if  you  have  any  questions  or  anything  in  this  arises  other / different  doubts,  feel  free  to  drop  them  whether  through  ask / ims  or  discord  ( lore - ridge  or  questions  channels  would  work  perfectly ) .   hope  you  enjoy  it,  and  happy  three  months  of  survivors,  babes !

( ! )   the  following  information  contains  possibly  triggering  topics  such  as  common  pandemic  lore  ,  military  violence  ,  infection  ,  body  fluids  ,  vaccines  ,  loss  ,  riots  ,  death  ,  and  mentions  of  sexual  encounters  ,  blood  ,  and  wounds.   readers  discretion  is  highly  advised.

⸺    ABOUT  THE  VIRUS.

in  the  beginning,  the  virus  was  also  spread  by  particles  of  body  fluids  in  the  air  ( sneezes,  saliva,  and  so  on ) ,   therefore  the  amount  of  infected  increased  quickly  and  dangerously.   47%  of  the  population  was  dead  by  the  end  of  the  first  year,  and  21%  of  the  living  one  was  already  infected.

scientists  all  over  the  world  worked  relentlessly  looking  for  a  cure,  or  at  least  something  that  could  help  to  improve  things  in  any  way,  and  those  at  the  uc,  armed  with  everything  they  needed  due  to  the  stock  in  the  science  building,  after  months  of  research,  trials,  and  errors,  managed  to  develop  a  vaccine  that  prevented  transmission  via  regular  fluids  from  happening.   every  inhabitant  of  the  sanctuary   — except  those  who  volunteered  as  test  subjects —   got  a  mandatory  shot,  as  well  as  any  newcomer  must  get  one.

three  years  ago,  the  same  group  of  scientists  started  trying  for  a  gas  that  would,  hopefully,  force  the  infected  to  dispel.   to  clean  the  sanctuary’s  surroundings  was  the  main  goal  behind  this  trial.  

poorly  tested  before  the  infiltration  of  the  coalition,  they  discovered  the  gas  had  horrid  effects  on  humans  too,  and  despite  this  being  the  reason  the  antagonistic  group  couldn’t  do  any  more  damage  to  their  home,  the  experts  have  been  dealing  with  the  consequences  until  today.   read  more  about  it  here.

engineers  and  medical  teams  also  developed  a  device  to  identify  infected  using  saliva.   every  new  member  was  tested  at  the  gates  before  being  sent  to  the  quarantine  shack,  and  scavengers  and  scouts  get  tested  every  time  they’re  back  from  their  expeditions  too.

as  often  happens  with  common  rabies,  some  people  get  the  virus  but  don’t  develop  clinical  symptoms.   they  can  live  mostly  a  normal  life,  but  since  they’re  carriers  of  the  lyssa,  they  can  infect  others  via  unprotected  sexual  encounters,  blood,  and  direct  contact  between  open  wounds  and  soft  tissue.   if  you  want  your  muse  to  be  part  of  the  immune  carriers,  please  hit  us  up !

⸺    ABOUT  LIFE  OUTSIDE  THE  SANCTUARY.

as  soon  as  the  virus  struck  and  countries  realized  they  were  facing  a  pandemic,  governments  worldwide  gave  their  military  forces  leave  to  control  the  crisis  and  keep  order,  allowing  them  to  do  it  under  any  means  necessary.

specific,  thoughtfully  chosen  cities  ( those  not  too  big  to  be  hard  to  handle,  but  either  too  small  to  be  considered  towns )  in  every  country  turned  into  safe  zones,  areas  under  governmental  aid  that  stayed  safe  and  stocked  when  everything  around  them  fell  into  demise.   the  military  took  control  to  keep  order  and  safety  in  these  particular  locations.

this,  along  with  the  government  permissions,  later  became  a  problem,  since  the  inflexibility  of  the  forces  and  the  abuse  of  their  authority  caused  animosity  among  the  people.   deaths  of  innocents  excused  under  flimsy  justifications  unleashed  the  inhabitants'  wrath,  igniting  riots  that  eventually  led  to  the  downfall  of  several  safe  zones.   only  seven  remain  in  the  nation  today.

governments  in  most  countries  still  exist,  as  well  as  military  forces.   however,  in  the  states  and  other  big  countries  in  each  continent,  governments  have  added  high - ranked  soldiers  to  their  administration,  a  decision   — a  deal —   that  caused  the  numbers  in  the  military  ranks  to  diminish  rather  drastically  in  the  last  five  years.  only  the  most  brutal,  desensitized  of  them  remain,  which  makes  things  very  hard  for  the  safe  zones  still  standing.

numerous  sanctuaries  have  been  raised  not  only  in  the  states,  but  in  other  parts  of  the  world  too.  most  of  them  keep  communication  with  each  other,  but  the  uc  had  refused  to  engage   —   the  amount  of  kids  within  the  sanctuary  stands  as  the  main  reason  for  this  choice.

the  closest  sanctuary  from  the  uc  is  located  in  colorado  springs,  where  after  a  riot  against  the  military  and  several  losses,  the  safe  zone’s  remaining  group  of  survivors  secured  a  part  of  the  city  where  a  mall  was  placed  and  tried  to  prevail  there.   much  like  the  uc’s  people,  they  started  to  thrive  with  time  and  hard  work.  

after  the  infiltration,  the  uc  council  has  considered  the  idea  of  making  contact  with  them,  to  become  each  other’s  support  and  aid  system,  but  the  fear  of  being  intercepted  by  the  coalition  has  kept  them  away  from  it.

[theqhreator42]

Decline and fall of the Commonwealth Provisional Government, 2281

[tw: mass murder, Fallout 4]

The Commonwealth as we see it in 2287 is so chaotic and backward because it recently underwent a second apocalypse.

The Commonwealth Provisional Government emerged shortly after the bombs fell, as a decentralized confederation of rural villagers, and even began to industrialize before the NCR did — by 2161, with the help of the Institute, it had formed a thriving socialized economy that provided food, shelter, and electricity to its inhabitants, and reached a population of 100,000. The CPG’s crowning achievements were the erection of the Diamond City fortress, the integration of Vault 81, and the partial renovation of Vault 111.

However, as its economy began to stagnate in the 2260s, some of the CPG’s scientists defected to the Institute in search of superior pay and better job opportunities, while the Institute began to expand onto the surface in defiance of the CPG. The Institute’s rising demand for manual labor led them to enter the slave trade, initially buying slaves from local slavers, then forming links with territories as far as the Capital Wasteland and Caesar’s Legion, then cloning slaves into synths. This rapid degeneration in relations led the CPG to consider war against the Institute.

In 2281, the CPG passed a resolution launching an embargo against the Institute and severing all ties. In response, the Institute entered a secret alliance with three states bordering the CPG, New Haven, the Springfield Collective, and the White Mountain Khanate, to dissolve the CPG and partition its territories among them. On 28 June 2281, the coalition invaded the Commonwealth, and by 2 August they had destroyed the CPG’s Minutemen. The coalition then besieged the CPG’s capital at Quincy for six weeks. On 18 September, Quincy surrendered unconditionally; the coalition forces entered unopposed and murdered 95% of the city’s inhabitants (about 8000 people, nearly ten percent of the entire Commonwealth’s surviving population), handing over the last 300 survivors — all civilians, half of them children — to the Institute for experimentation. Only 150 people escaped the massacre, including a lieutenant named Preston Garvey, who led a small group of them into Sanctuary Hills.

During the siege, the inhabitants of Quincy had resorted to eating wild seafood from the polluted waters surrounding the city. As Quincy fell, some of the refugees brought a mysterious waterborne disease with them that wiped out all of the adjacent villages, leaving the landscape as devoid of human geography as though no one had settled it since the Great War.

Six years after the war, the coalition forces, now calling themselves “Gunners,” remain totally derelict in their stated goals as peacekeepers, and instead indulge in petty raiding and mass murder. The three states and the Institute use the Commonwealth as a source of agricultural taxes and slave raiding, although they have been reluctant to settle the country themselves; for the most part, the only foreigners are young men and women who come to the Commonwealth to raid, build up a store of personal wealth, and return home. Most local people now live by subsistence agriculture or prospecting, and the extreme tributes imposed by the Gunners and other raiders leave them constantly on the brink of famine.

[mariacallous]

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York’s Reform Central Synagogue also urged solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of protesters in Israel who have taken to the streets in opposition to their government’s judicial reform plans:

If you care about democratic rights — help preserve the only functional democracy in the Middle East. If you care about the vulnerable — safeguard the sole sanctuary for Jewish refugees in need. If you value Jewish Peoplehood, hear the cries of the other half of our Jewish family and remember: the destiny of Am Yisrael is bound, one to the other. 

This young, messy, miraculous Jewish state is the most important, sovereign democratic project of the Jewish people of the last 2000 years.

We cannot walk away. While the task can feel at times, overwhelming, exhausting, Pirke Avot teaches:Iit is not our duty to complete it, only not to abandon it. 

In his Rosh Hashanah morning sermon, Rabbi Joshua Davidson of New York’s Reform Congregation Emanu-El reported on his visit to Israel with a group of local rabbis and their conversation with politician Simcha Rothman:

When my turn came to speak, I asked him how he intended to protect the rights of those who don’t align with his politics, Israelis who are not haredi or from the Religious Zionist camp.  He responded dismissively: “If you Reformim want to secure your rights, more of you should move to Israel.” Stunningly unaware he was addressing a delegation of Conservative and Orthodox rabbis, too, this chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee made painfully clear that his view of law and justice was purely majoritarian. Minority rights be damned.

It was a shattering encounter. One that revealed this coalition cares nothing for me, my Judaism, or my Jewish community. Don’t they know my congregation’s tireless efforts to strengthen American Jewry’s commitment to Israel? Don’t they know we lovingly display Israel’s flag on our bimah? And here my colleagues and I had travelled across an ocean only to get stiff-armed! Oy. Even in Israel, shver tsu zayn a Yid, sometimes it’s hard to be a Jew!

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe of the Reform Temple Rodeph Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia, addressed congregants who may be reluctant to criticize Israel despite disagreeing with its government’s plans to weaken the power of the country’s judiciary. He took a lesson from the Book of Jonah, read on Yom Kippur:

God teaches us the most important lesson of the Book of Jonah: that criticism must be given as a blessing and not a curse. Especially when a harsh word of warning is needed to bring one back from the edge, it must be offered as a lifeline and not a threat. …. This text challenges us both to recognize when this is needed, and to remember that the commandment in Leviticus to rebuke your neighbor comes just one verse before, paired inextricably, with the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Criticism and disagreement must be conducted with love. By fostering and deepening our relationship with Israel, we take a place in the conversation that comes from caring. By acknowledging all sides and their humanity, we model the sensitivity that is needed to raise the level of the discussion. By being part of one of the countless efforts and organizations to help Palestinians, help Jews, build something, and be part of a positive vision, we earn the credibility to say our piece. 

[niuttuc]

Tell me more about your ocs dealing with the Phyrexia invasion!

Dancing-Hands was on Amonkhet with his partners' family during the invasion, and unfortunately his particular skills were pretty well countered by the Phyrexians' nature. His telekinesis for the most part couldn't touch them as they were alive, and even enchanted, his paper constructs had a hard time cutting metal. He made himself useful in different ways, using his origami to lure enemies or carry messages, but he mostly stayed hidden in the back protecting Epnu and Tasaba's children while they worked at sapping and attacking the enemy more directly.

Arega used the invasion to their own end, taking advantage of the turmoil and fights to pull off a dangerous stunt to extract both their original and default body from the Simic facility where they were alternatively "secured". Their current whereabouts and status is unknown, and it's another thing the Combine is worried about now. Since Arega's whole thing was a secret, they're trying to figure out what they can do to contain the issue without revealing them.

Madaya was in Strixhaven during the invasion, after Iren pointed her in that direction, and she mostly tried to keep herself and some students alive, though to do that she had to resort to using spells on top of her usual tricks. Though her being as crafty as she is was more useful against professors who were well-versed in whatever spells their students knew, at some point she had to combine them with magical illusions to improve their effects. She might well come out of this disaster with having partly changed her mind about spellcasting.

Odomi definitely got more stories to tell during this. He was flitting about in between many different places in the Wilds, from the Alernis' castle to Nyrhen's sanctuary and more, bringing the story along with him, or maybe being brought alongside it. He didn't appear to actually do much himself but appearances can be deceiving.

Vaalin was a key asset of some New Coalition operations by providing invaluable logistic support and intel, all the while pursuing a research theory he had on a hypothetical way to apply his magic to potentially cripple the invasion. Unfortunately, that research eventually proved the opposite of what he wanted. So goes science sometimes.

Anedia tried her best to get the latest information on the situation as it developed without getting her eyes gouged out.

[possibly-in-wonderland]

and now: various twd oc's ive created throughout the years (will add on as time goes by)

raised by stray dogs, adopted by humans (loved i love lucy), volunteered at animal shelter. apocalypse started, released the shelter animals, started a new pack, reverted to her old ways but this time with human aspects. her pack contains dogs and random children she has found. is introduced just before the war with the saviors after getting caught in a bear trap (carl aids her, she gives him something to "summon" her should he need help, this object is passed on to Judith). she gets close to Lydia and even takes up for her multiple times. very philosophical. (my personal favorite, will talk more about her)

(au where someone gets sucked into twd universe but as a cat, unable to talk). lorenzo "enzo" (actually started writing this fanfic, never finished it). very protective, sticks close to the kids. tactical cat. maine coon. no one seems to notice that he hasn't really aged since being introduced in the second episode despite the many many years passing. almost gets eaten (both by walkers and humans).

9-year-old raised on a healthy dose of tank girl, swears enough to make a sailor blush, has kicked negan in the balls a couple of times. has a yellow-naped parrot she found screaming "DON'T FUCKING SHOOT!" in someones house. idolizes princess. very much dresses like tank girl, even attempts to cut/shave her head like her. introduced in second episode, capable with weapons of mass destruction (or less)

CRM-Made robot that i cant remember the name of because i never wrote it down. they no longer work for the CRM, and they hide what they really are by using heavy clothing. (might change them up)

Human pretending to be a robot (lol)

speaking of tank girl, what if the rippers were in twd (lmao, i joke...maybe)

WTS-Patient #9 (an ozzy osbourne reference right there) aka Mister Badger. kinda dead, kind of alive. was a test subject for a wildfire virus cure, his DNA was one of a few that was unique. something happened, his fellow ts (test subjects) went into hiding before dispersing. He looks like a walker, but is very much capable of cognitive thought. trans (ftm), was able to get both top and bottom surgery. his real name is Bernard. spy for the coalition to get info on the whisperers, got caught up in the hoard and only made it back after beta was killed. mysteriously disappeared after the commonwealth caught everyone. wore/wears a badger mask to hide his decaying facial features. all things said, his blood could not be used as a cure.

What happens if gen z was part of twd and vine/TikTok happened earlier in time? You get Z, a chaotic gen z who roller skates around sanctuary and sings easy street while doing a handstand. Could also recite the llama llama duck song or Wendy's cussing song if asked. Her "boyfriend" is a walker she dresses up and keeps on a chain (kinky lol)

[utterrandomnesswithlulu]

Midnight Binge: The Nevers (Mid-Season Final)

Beautifully crafted, witty, magical, and filled with secrets, The Nevers, an HBO show created by Joss Whedon (who stepped down as director/executive producer in November 2020), is an epic tale that follows a growing group of Victorian women and minorities (as well as those living on the fringes of London society) who find themselves in the possession of special powers. On today’s midnight binge, we’re taking a look at the world, people, politics, and the production of The Nevers.

Obviously, spoilers!

THE TOUCHED

After an unprecedented event in London gives women and minorities remarkable abilities, the Touched, as they are called, or at other times, the afflicted. They resort to living at an orphanage because of their turns (or powers) called St. Romaulda’s Orphanage, which becomes a home and sanctuary for the Touched. This sanctuary is sponsored by Lavinia Bidlow, the wealthy benefactor who has ulterior motives behind keeping a close eye on the touched. The sanctuary is run by Amalia True, who not only can see the future but tries to keep her charges safe while harboring her own secrets that she keeps very tight to her chest.

The Touched are typically women, or individuals, who live on the fringes of society. Their turns differ from one person to another. There is healing, premonition, molecular alterations and manipulation, and the ability to see and manipulate electricity. There is uncertainty surrounding how a turn is chosen for a person, i.e. why does one person see electricity over causing something to explode? Is it similar to the way Inhumans from the Marvel Universe (shows like S.H.E.I.L.D and Inhumans), in which the power is created because the world needs it, as in fixing a lack of balance? Or is it genetics or even personality-based? Or somehow wholly random? Because we sort of know-how, the turns were giving out and even a bit of why.

The manifestation of the Touched flips the hierarchy or more specifically the patriarchy, on its head, and unfortunately because of the kinds of people that ended up getting turns, women, immigrants, and other types of people who live at the fringes of society basically those who are seen as less than or inconsequential in society. This splits people into factions and even radicals, including Lavinia, and the ins and outs of London politics, which is being spearheaded by an ex-military and high government official, Lord Gilbert Massen.

THE GALANTHI

The Galanthi are an alien race who flew over London causing the Touched. Their mission was to give humans the means to save a ravaged Earth. Like how London is split into fractions, so were the military organizations that were against or for the Galanthi doing what they were doing, the Planetary Defense Coalition (PDC) who were for, and FreeLife Army who were against. The FreeLife Army attacked the Galanthi and killed 19 after bombing their project stations. The last station was run by a woman named Zephyr who committed suicide which allowed her soul to be placed on the last ship. Amalia, then Mary, was Touched just as she committed suicide which allowed Zephyr to enter her body and they changed their name to Amalia True.

PRODUCTION

HBO’s The Nevers was announced for a series in July 2018. Whedon became the creator, director, executive producer, and showrunner of the series. A bidding war started between a number of stations, including Netflix, before being picked up by HBO. Executive producers and writers included Bernie Caulfield, Jane Espenson, and Doug Petrie and later Laurie Penny, Melissa Iqbal, Madhuri Shekar, Kevin Lau, Daniel S. Kaminsky, and Hennah Sekandary. In November, Whedon stepped down as showrunner, director, and executive director, stating “unprecedented challenges” and exhaustion as his reason for stepping back. However, he was “deeply proud of the work” on The Nevers. Whedon was replaced by Philippa Goslett as the new series showrunner. Gemma Jackson would serve as a production designer and Christine Blundell as a make-up designer.

CAST

Laura Donnelly (Claudia Black), Ann Skelly, Olivia Williams, James Norton, Tom Riley, Pip Torrens, Denis O’Hare, Amy Manson, Rochelle Neil, Zackary Momoh, Eleanor Tomlinson, Nick Frost, Elizabeth Berrington, Viola Prettejohn, Anna Devlin, Kiran Sonia Sawar, Ben Chaplin, Ella Smith, and Vinnie Heaven were billed as the main cast as The Nevers.

FILMING

Filming, production, and principal photography started in 2019. Locations varied in London, such as Trinity Church Square, Southwark Borough, New Wimbledon Theatre, Charterhouse Square, The Mall, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Historic Dockyard Chatham, and more. In January 2020, filming took place at the Joyce Grove country house estate; January also saw production and filming temporarily cease because of COVID-19. Scenes had to be reworked to accommodate new rules and regulations because of COVID restrictions, such as the Maladies execution scene, which utilized CGI effects and green screen methods to make it seem like more people within the given space. It also saw the set be rebuilt entirely on a soundstage because they couldn’t film on location. Production and filming were picked up again around September and wrapped up for its mid-season final.

Originally, season one was meant to have ten episodes. However, that was scarped for a two-part season, allowing for a mid-season final at episode six. As of June 11, 2021, The Nevers has not been picked up for a second season, nor has it been canceled.

CONCLUSIONS

I’ve enjoyed The Nevers so far and it was just getting good with its mid-season final. However, the first few episodes were a bit bumpy, and the foundation is built, but it’s taking some time to stitch everything together cohesively. I have hopes for the later episodes and do wish for a second season. I rate the show thus far a 3.9/5, I always give a bit of leniency when it comes to the first season of any show because nothing is really fleshed out. There are very few first seasons of the series I thoroughly enjoyed with little complaint, but I have high ambitions for this show and desire to see it do better.

What are your thoughts on The Nevers? Do you like it, or do you have some issues with the show?

UPDATE

As of December 16th, 2022, The Nevers has been canceled and subsequently pulled from its streaming platform (HBO Max).

[2baddiesfanfics]

A World Without Fear

Pairing: Kafka x Himeko

Tags: Alternate Universe, Vampires, Vampire Bites, Vampire Sex, Werewolves, Werewolf Sex, Breeding, Kafka Has a Penis (Honkai: Star Rail)

Summary:

As a half-vampire and werewolf mixed couple, Himeko and Kafka have been on the run from the IPC (Inhuman Paranormal Containment) group for a long time. When they hear the government group's reign of terror has been brought to an end, they dare to dream of a future with a family. 

Read on Ao3

The crimson-haired woman was sitting on the couch perusing her book when a loud noise ripped her attention from the tale. 

“We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you breaking news. We’ve just received word that the IPC has been dismantled and its members will face severe punishment for their crimes.”

Himeko couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Kafka! Come quick!”

“What could possibly be so urgent that you’ve got to shout like that?” Her wife inquired from the adjoining room.

“Shh! This is important! Hurry!”

Her partner rolled her eyes but came to sit next to her. As soon as she saw the words flashing onscreen, she immediately shut her mouth.

“The government group Inhuman Paranormal Containment, more commonly known as the IPC, has officially been disbanded. Many members have been found guilty of mistreating non-human citizens in their care. Originally formed as a coalition to rehabilitate entities that had turned feral after being reintroduced to society, they’ve been exposed in having committed such atrocities as separating families, torture, illegal experimentation, enslavement, and forced military service. Under antiquated intergalactic law, those of mixed race, as well as those involved in interspecies relationships, faced harsh discrimination unchecked – but no longer. Today marks the dawn of a new era for all, regardless of race or origin.”

The anchor continued, but all the couple could hear was a dull hum. Himeko slid her hand on top of Kafka’s, speaking in total disbelief.

“They finally stopped them,” she whispered, biting her quivering lip with protruding fangs.

“It’s been so long…and we’ve been through so much. Are we sure this isn’t an elaborate scheme to get us to come out of hiding?” Kafka questioned.

Himeko blinked back long-held tears of relief. “It has to be true. This channel is broadcast to the furthest reaches of the universe. I can’t believe it. We’re finally safe here…anywhere.”

Kafka turned to face her. “It feels like we’ve been running for eons. When I first fell for you, I knew we’d have to leave our home planet…I just never thought we’d have a chance like this in our lifetime. We’re…finally free.”

A soft chuckle from Himeko diffused the tension in the room. “Hah…who would have thought a half-vampire marrying a werewolf would cause so much hatred. Do you regret it?”

“Do I regret it? What, us? Absolutely not. I would do it a thousand times over if it meant I got to spend eternity with you, my little bat,” she said as she squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Why? Do you?”

Himeko’s gaze softened. “Never. The endless fleeing and sleepless nights not knowing if we would make it to this sanctuary made it quite an interesting honeymoon. Good thing I had my big, bad, protective wolf by my side. I never had anything to worry about in the first place,” she joked.

“We do make quite the odd couple, don’t we? I suppose all that matters now is not only are we safe, but all present and future non-humans are as well. It gives me hope for the next generation…well, now that there might actually be a next generation,” Kafka thought out loud.

Releasing her hand, Himeko reached for her wife’s ears and stroked them tenderly snapping her out of her trance.

“Mmmm, careful, love. It’s that time of my cycle and once I start, I won’t be able to stop,” Kafka growled in warning. 

“Is that so?” Himeko whispered seductively. “Well…you know how we’ve always wanted to start a family?” Kafka’s ears perked up at the mention of her heart’s desire, her tail wagging in anticipation.

“…go on.”

“Since we’re finally safe…why don’t you hurry up and put some pups in me?” Himeko kissed Kafka’s cheek and moved close to murmur in her ear. “That is…if you still want to.”

A rumbling started in the werewolf’s chest. “Like you’d even have to ask. When were you thinking of trying?”

“Oh, I don’t know…how about now?” Himeko teased as she slid her hand into her wife’s pants. Kafka’s member immediately snapped to full attention and she had to stop herself from howling. The other woman pumped her hand up and down her shaft. Kafka moaned in response as she found Himeko’s lips and snarled into them. Her tongue slid between her wife’s fangs, mimicking the rhythm she’d started below.

Withdrawing her hand Himeko swiftly divested herself of her clothing. As Kafka began to do the same, her wife stopped her.

“No…let me.” The werewolf wasn’t about to argue. Unzipping the other woman’s black pants, Himeko pulled off her underwear and Kafka’s cock sprang free. Her tongue laved the underside of her length, from the top of her balls to her tip already dripping with precum. Sealing her lips around it, she heard Kafka inhale sharply.

“Fuck…Himeko…keep doing that shit and I’m not gonna last long enough to feel you from the inside…”

Ignoring her wife’s protest, she bobbed her head back and forth as she slid her hand between her own thighs and played with her clit. 

Kafka roared when the vampire gently grazed the sides of the shaft with her fangs as she deep-throated her, her own pleasure building as her moans vibrated against her lover. 

“Aeons…baby…” Kafka panted as she the other woman’s wild crimson hair around her fist in an attempt to gain some control of her pacing. Her groans echoed through the small safe haven and her breathing came in erratic pants. Feeling the tell-tale signs her wife was getting close, she stopped.

Before the werewolf could protest, Himeko brought her mouth to hers, tasting herself on her lips.

“I don’t want to waste a drop,” she mumbled against her before moving to straddle her wife. They both moaned loudly at the feeling of her guiding her lover’s cock into her wet folds. Unaware of her own strength, the vampire ripped her wife’s shirt open and buttons went flying. Pulling her in close for a deep kiss, she ground her hips back and forth as she kissed down her neck, stopping to sink her fangs into the already heavily scarred area. Blood trickled from the spot, which she promptly licked clean.

“F-fucking…love you…” Kafka barked with pride – she wore her wife’s bite marks as a badge of honor.

Placing her hands on the werewolf’s shoulders, Himeko began to bounce up and down on her member.

“Ohhhhh, Kafka…you feel…so good…”

“Love…can’t hold…back…” Her wife grunted in response.

“Don’t wait…fill me up…put your pups inside me!” the vampire begged. 

Placing her hands on either side of Himeko’s hips, she slammed into her. 

“Fuck yes, like that!”

With a few more firm strokes, the two came, Kafka’s seed dripping out of her lover.

“I’m not…fucking done…with you yet, pet,” the werewolf snarled. Himeko was never more thankful she decided to marry a creature with unmatched stamina. Not having to wait for a second round made mating all the more thrilling. Grabbing her forcefully, she shoved her to her feet and bent her over the side of the couch. Her cock already rock-solid once more, she teased her entrance with just the tip.

“We’ll do this all fucking night if we have to. I’m going to fill you again and again and again until you’re so full of my cum that there’s no doubt you’ll be carrying my pups.”

Himeko’s eyes rolled back as she listened to the vulgar demands of her mate. She swayed her hips enticingly. “You better get to work then. Talk is cheap,” she taunted. The vampire knew her wife couldn’t resist a challenge. She wanted her fast and hard, and this was the surefire way to ensure she’d have something to prove.

Kafka’s hand came down on her ass forcefully, her elongated nails leaving a scratch on the tender skin there. “Don’t fucking toy with me, bloodsucker. Better brace yourself – this isn’t going to tickle.” In one steady stroke, she entered her again and Himeko arched her back.

“FUCK! Is that all you’ve got, doggy? Come on…do this right or don’t do it at all,” she tormented. Feeling her wife’s grip tighten against her hips, she cried out as Kafka slammed into her over and over, waves of pleasure clouding her ability to think.

“Oh yeah? Big talk for someone begging for me to breed her. When I think about you swollen with my pups it drives me fucking feral. Fucking say it. Say you want me to breed you, or I’ll pull out right fucking now,” she commanded.

“No! No…fuck! Breed me, Kafka! I want to carry your- ohhhhhhh, fuckkkk…” she whimpered as her knees nearly gave out from the power of her orgasm. The werewolf didn’t stop, pounding over and over until she spilled into her a final time.

The two barely made it back to sit on the couch before they collapsed into each other. Kafka stroked her wife’s hair lovingly in silent apology for her roughness. “All good? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Himeko giggled and kissed her chest. “Mmmm…I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow. But with that much effort, I’m sure we won’t be the only two here for very much longer.”

----------------------------------------

Five months later

Kafka yawned as she gently rubbed her wife’s growing belly. She felt the constant need to reassure herself this wasn’t just a beautiful dream. For once, reality was better than anything they could have hoped for.

“Not just one, but two?” she whispered in disbelief.

“That is what Natasha said, yes.”

“I mean, I’m not really that surprised. I always bring my A-game. It was only a matter of time before we heard some barking around here.”

“Dear, don’t be so smug. You do know they might not inherit all of your genes. Who knows? Maybe one will be thirstier for blood than milk,” she laughed.

The werewolf sighed with contentment. “They’ll be here before we know it. I’ve been thinking if they are both boys, we need to come up with something strong. What about Blade? Or Elio?”

“Not on your life. There is a possibility we’ll have one of each, you know. Besides for a boy, I was leaning toward Caelus.”

Kafka thought for a moment. “I suppose that’s strong enough. And for a girl,” she said before looking back up at the vampire, “I’ve always thought the name Stelle was beautiful.”