#nexus Nikolas

[mr-laveau]

📏 Audio Announcement 🎒

Eyo NeXus listeners!

We have a new audio available to listen for my Audio RP series, NeXus! Things are finally coming together at A.M.P as today is for the volleyball team tryouts! Every A.M.P speaker is making a turn out and has something to say to our beloved hot Shot. What's gonna happen? Find out!

[elisacaleisa]

He is so real for that

[strayanberry]

Wanted to try something different, didn't like how I did eyelashes xP

[shipping-nexus]

Ship names to be found list:

This is a list of ships that either do not have a ship name, or have a ship name that is yet to be found by the mods. The purpose of this post is to encourage people to help with the nexus as well as encourage people to give ships with no ship names new names.

Nastya x The Aurora (The Mechanisms)

Nikola Orsinov x Jane Prentis (The Magnus archives

Agnes Montergue x Gertrude Robinson (The Magnus Archives)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: In this “glorious tapestry of magic and murderous gods” (Buzzfeed News) each heir walks a dangerous path, attempting to undo the damage the gods have wrought across the four realms, but they live on borrowed time—and not all of them will survive.

A cataclysmic battle to save the city of Nexus has left the four noble heirs scattered across the realms.

Taesia, the shadow-wielding rebel of House Lastrider, and Nikolas, the reluctant soldier of House Cyr, have been cast into Noctus, the realm of eternal night. But they are not alone. The dangerous and unpredictable god of light has traveled with them, and he will do anything in his power to destroy Noctus in his bid for cosmic control. 

Risha, the peacekeeping necromancer of House Vakara, must navigate her way through Mortri, the realm of death. But still she cannot help the wayward spirits, nor does she have any idea how to return home. All she knows is that no mortal can survive for long in Mortri. And the creatures that prowl the realm of death don't take kindly to the living.

Angelica, the stubborn elementalist of House Mardova, is on her own in Vitae, trying to keep Nexus from unraveling. But Angelica secretly suffers from an illness that her god left in her veins. And when she is sent on a delicate diplomatic mission, she knows that any weakness will have disastrous repercussions for her family, her kingdom, and her dreams of the throne.  All will encounter old friends and new enemies as they attempt to restore the balance of the universe. But the gods grow stronger. And their descendants will need more than their magic and their wits to survive the war that is coming... 

Review:

The sequel in The Dark Gods trilogy, picking up where the first book left off with the heirs of the kingdom fighting off against manipulative gods, each other, and trying to restore peace before the gods destroy everything and war breaks out. In a world where there are gods and their descendants hold powers, the gods wait in shadows manipulating and scheming against one another and their descendants must find a way to save each other from being possessed and to save their loved ones and the world from the impending war that the gods would bring about. Taesia is the shadow-wielding rebel of House Lastrider and Nikolas is the reluctant soldier of House Cyr, both of them have been cast into Noctus, the realm of eternal night and forced to battle off against the dangerous god of light who will do anything to have cosmic control. Thankfully there is Julian there with Taesia, the hunter who has a beast lurking beneath the surface. Risha is the peackeeping necromancer from House Vakara who has to navigate her way through the realm of death, Mortri. She finds herself traveling with the spirit of Jas, and has to find a way to survive the realm inhabited by dangerous spirits and she has no way of figuring out how to get out alive. Angelica is the elementalist of House Mardova and has to keep Nexus from unraveling while dealing with the fact that she is ill. All of these heirs will have to find a way to work together to stop the gods from starting a war and possessing them as well as saving each other. I really loved the first book but this one ran into the same problem as the first one for me, it felt really slow and dragged out, this was over 500 pages and honestly could have had 100 pages or more taken out. The entire book felt a bit lackluster in plot progress and really didn't feel like much was happening. The first one had better pacing and this one just didn't move as much. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the overall story and am looking forward to how the last book ends, I just felt that this one was a bit slower and lacked a bit of action. Overall it was a fine continuation of the first book but I am looking forward to how everything finally wraps up in the last book.

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books, Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[dreamweavermode]

Pre-Liminary Judgement and Request for Information: CryptBuilder MLM System

Once again thank you, dear tumblr readers and visitors. We are working hard to launch our project AND to work through your hints and whistleblower messages. It’s very obious to us, that there is a huge demand for information from (potential) crypto-MLM investors. And we are here to work for you!

One of our readers asked about a Crypto-MLM project called “CryptBuilder” (www.cryptbuilder.com). We did a quick research and double-checked the data with our database.

Our pre-liminary judgement: don’t investment!

CryptBuilder seems not to be a legitimate project. We have not found any of the team members on any social media channel, for example. Our lawyers have not been able to confirm the proper existence of the Montenegro-based company that allegedly operates CryptBuilder. We have not found any possibility to contact the company’s director NIKOLA SEKULOVIĆ. No Email address, phone number or social media contact is provided.

Moreover, we found that CryptBuilder is connected to 8Crypt, a Sofia-based crypto-payment company that is connected to Christian Michel SCHEIBENER and Nexus Global, a Crypto-MLM promoter and his latest project we catigorized as Crypto-MLM scam. 8Crypt is a company closely connected with the London-based VELTYCO, a company run and/or owned by Uwe LENHOFF and Ilan TZORYA.

We would like to learn more about the CryptBuilder project to make a final judgement on it. Hence, we would be more than happy to receive your feedback on it. Please use our Whistleblower system the get in touch with us.

[beckysbook5]

The Midnight Kingdom by Tara Sim - Book Review!

A cataclysmic battle to save the city of Nexus has left the four noble heirs scattered across the four realms. Taesia, the shadow-wielding rebel of House Lastrider, and Nikolas, the solider son of House Cyr, have been cast into Noctus, the realm of night. But they are not alone. The dangerous and unpredictable god of light has traveled with them, and he will do anything in his power to destroy…

[tonin-terets]

Nexus Studios - 'Silent Running' by Gorillaz, directed by Jamie Hewlett & Fx Goby from Nexus Studios on Vimeo.

Directors: Jamie Hewlett & Fx Goby Executive Producers: Jamie Hewlett & Damon Albarn Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn are managed by Eleven Management A Nexus Studios & Gorillaz Production

London Studio Executive Producers: Charlotte Bavasso & Chris O'Reilly, Mike Bell, Fx Goby CG Supervisor: Dave Hunt VFX Supervisor: Germán Díez Director of Photography: Ricky Patel Lead Compositor: Sacha Danjou Editor: Dave Slade Producer: Isobel Conroy, Jo Bierton Production Manager: Ruyi Meer Production Coordinator: Tyler Antin Head of Pipeline: Tom Melson Systems Engineer: Ryan Cawthorne Character Modeller: Andrew Hickinbottom Character Texture Artist: Florian Caspar Lead 3D Animator: William Lorton 3D Animators: Marylou Mao, Tom Lowe 3D Generalist: Josh Barlow, Matilde Vinther 2DFX Animator: Bethany Levy Compositors: Sander Saks, Gareth Tredrea Storyboard Artists: Emmanuelle Walker, Louis Kynd Lead Rigger: Niko Rossi Rigger: Nayla Nassar VFX Editors: Andrea Zantiras, Zaki Fulford Designer: Ieuan Lewis Creative & Talent Development: Delfina Maria Head of Production: Rachel Moss Head of Resourcing: Natalie Busuttil Studio Resourcing Coordinator: Meg Dupont Studio Systems Administrator: Rory Bedward IT Support: Vinicius Donadio PR & Marketing: Valentina Tarelli, Nancy Edmondson, Steph Anjo

Sydney Studio Executive Creative Producer: Darren Price Executive Producer: Tina Braham Producer: Diana Angelius Head of Studio: Ben Seager IT Manager: Jason Yee Head of 2D: Gary Fouchy Lead Compositor: Navid Bagherzadeh Compositor: Mat McCosker, Daniel Alvarez, Chris Charlton Digital Matte Painter: Jamie Phillips Junior Compositor: Wendy Lu Head of Lighting: Mike Lomas Lighting: Trent Rogan, Cosmo Park

3D Tracking: PEANUT Roto: Team VFX Artist

Sound FX Designer: JM Finch Additional Sound FX elements recorded at Brain Audio

Grade Company: Black Kite Studios Colourist: George K Colour Assist: Billy Dawson Colour Producer: Jade Denne

Live Action Service Production Company: Tuna Icon Executive Producer: Ivana Antic Line Producer: Diana Bojovic Production Manager: Janko Djoric Production Coordinators: Igor Milakov, Jovana Krnic PAs: Tara Koljkovic, Aleksandar Jelic 1st AD: Ivan Grbin 2nd AD: Boris Obrenov Production Designer: Goran Joksimovic PD Assistants: Nevena Mijuskovic, Izabela Radovanovic SFX Coordinator: Zamal M'Barek Costume Stylist: Ivana Ivic Stylist Assistants: Ivana Djuric, Sofija Jaksic Hair Stylist: Jelena Dujovic Makeup Artist: Irena Miletic Lead Prosthetic makeup artists: Katarina Bugarski Gajic, Nenad Gajic Prosthetics (workshop): Kosta Kolaric, Kristina Tekic, Milan Mihailovic 1st assistant prosthetic makeup artist: Olga Baturan 2nd assistant prosthetic makeup artist: Teodora Davidovic 3rd assistant prosthetic makeup artist: Nikola Rakovic Key Grip: Ivan Lekovic Gaffer: Igor Pavlovic Light Desk Operator: Nikola Uzelac Stunt Supervisor: Slavisa Ivanovic Rigging: Djole Alavanja Tras Coordinator: Pedja Mos Focus Puller: Milan Kostic 2nd AC: Nikola Cojcic Video Assistant: Zeljko Nikolic Q-take: Ivan Tanaskovic DIT: Jovan Nikolic Playback Operator: Aleksa Racic Unit Manager: Oliver Rnjak Transport Coordinator: Nikola Kopilanovic Stunts: Jelena Bakovic, Dejan Popadic

Cast: 2D, Noodle, Russel Hobbs, Murdoc Niccals

Supporting Cast: Milica Tepavac, Dejan Kolarov, Jelena Tjapkin, Budimir Stosic, Anisja Stojkovic, Ljubica Ikic, Dimitrij Ponkratenko

Eleven Management are: Niamh Byrne, Regine Moylett, Tanyel Vahdettin, Stars Redmond, Astrid Ferguson, Gaby Power, Ellie Nolan, Katherine Nash, Suzi Grossman, Selena Dion, Saskia Blow, Clare Moss, Hannah Norris

Official Biographers: Ed Caurana & Tom O’Malley

[scumpatrol]

[namesetc]

vampire related names that are gender neutral/masc

Hope these are alright ^^

---

Athan

Amdis

Alaric

Abel

Blade

Corbin

Carden/Cardin

Cain/Caine

Count

Cassius

Coffin

Casket

Draven

Dreven

Damon

Damien/Damian/Damion

Darien/Darrien/Darian/Darrian/Darion/Darrion

Daren/Darren/Darin/Darrin/Daron/Darron

D'Arcy

Darick/Darrick/Darek/Derek/Derrek/Dereck/Derick/Derrick

Drake

Draco

Drack/Drac

Dracul/Dracule

Dracula

Demitri/Dmitri/Dmitry/Dimitry

Daire

Edward

Eoin

Enoch/Enock

Fang

Frederik/Frederic/Frederick

Fredrick/Fredric/Fredrik

Gale/Gayle

Idris

Kieran

Mathias

Nexus

Nior

Nickolas/Nikolas/Nicolas/Nicholas

Parris/Perris

Raven

Reven

Raymon

Raymond

Sebastien/Sebastian

Stefan/Stephan

Silas

Tempest

Talon/Tallon

Thorn

Vesper(s)

Vlad

Vladimir

Vic

Victor/Viktor

Vector

Vamp

Zaros

[mobiues]

headcanon   :    more tva lore,   but this time what mobius does specifically.   and maybe a general timeline on whatever tf is happening with him up until the tv series.   you know the rules,  folks.   if canon says otherwise sometime in the future,  things will change.

warning:   and  PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG   as this is a private headcanon i have that applies specifically to my own portrayal and interpretation.  

division.    mobius describes his job scope as “pursuing dangerous variants” but make no mistake,  this man is a scholar.  he’s been described as an academic many times by show creators and mr h/iddleston himself,  and how i see this can be interpreted as,  is him working under a specific Behavioural Study of Dangerous Variants Division  —  the quickest way i can describe his job is likening it to the Behavioural Analysis Unit in FBI, aka it uses behavioural analysts to assist in criminal investigations.

role ( on-field ).    that being said,  while mobius is authorised and has gone out for field-duty many times,  the procedure to which one may operate while on-field falls under the head of the minutemen.  which,  in this case,  is hunter B-15,  whose team has been assigned under mobius.  mobius is not a hunter.  he does not have the on-field experience as a hunter,  but he’s crucial in terms of analysing the crime scene and is the head of many investigations even prior to sylvie’s case.

minutemen.   when mobius was transferred into the TVA,  he did not have his start as a minutemen.  this obviously contrasted ravonna’s story because we saw how she went from being a minuteman ( a hunter ) and climbed up ranks until she was a judge.  mobius has always been “recruited” as a scholar,  and while he’s excellent at it,  it does gives him the disadvantage of not being as combat-ready as most of his coworkers are.

behavioural study of dangerous variants division.   so mobius particularly studies variants that has a high nexus rate events.  these means “characters” that tend to stray from their set path more than others.   he’s studied thanos ( aka why there were many infinity stones lmao ),  shang qi’s mom, a few english poets,  known conquerers like mehmed II and known inventors,  nikola tesla etc.  

variants he’s studied  -  loki.   loki has always had a suspiciously high nexus rate events — but more than it was sinister ( although there were few cases wherein a loki was truly unhinged ),  loki’s nexus rate events had always happened simply because ( for the lack of better term ) loki does whatever the fuck he wants.  so this means,  alligator loki who ate the wrong neighbor’s cat.  or that one loki who decided to elope cause they fall for that one person they met by chance.  a loki who walked the wrong path that one time.  mobius has always been fascinated by this.  but it wasn’t until sylvie’s case was confirmed to be a direct cause from an L-variant that he finally sat down and studied loki completely.

variants he’s studied  -  others.   mobius finds stephen strange particularly hard to capture.  they’ve finally developed a protocol for him,  but even that took a while.  B-15 likes the challenge though.   the first variant mobius managed to convince ravonna to have around for a behavioural study when the variant wasn’t particularly dangerous or has a high nexus rate event is a variant of  tony stark.   he finds tony stark very charming,  if not a little bit arrogant ( that’s somehow attractive too ) ;  was almost convinced by tony for a one-night-stand.  capturing carol danvers left a lot of dents to the agency’s walls.  variants like nebula and rocket never quite could get pass the robot-detection gate.

other mindless facts.   

#  other than loki,  wade wilson  has a matching ( if not higher ) nexus events rate.   he’s always somewhat known about the TVA beforehand,  and mobius and wade is on first-name basis even though mobius is sure that each variants of wade has never met him before.  

#   other than 1130,  the variant that struck most and stayed with mobius is a variant of loki who’d only recently become a mother and was captured a few weeks after the birth.  mobius tried hard convincing ravonna that loki and the child should stay,  extending their lives,  by helping with his study.  ravonna refused ( for good reasons;  because that loki variant showed an extremely high capture rate,  which meant they’re very deadly and significantly dangerous ),  and for a long while,  mobius can’t open an L-variant file or look at it.

#   the capture of celestials and eternals are under a different division altogether.

#    sylvie’s variant number is L-0734. 

[mr-laveau]

Hello, hi, here are my bois, they're so handsome and I get autistic about their mythological inspirations and one of them will kill you and bury your body somewhere in the woods where no one will find it but they're all so lovely.

Oh also, I was not kidding about the autistic part. Here are their design notes!

For those who don't know them:

First one up is Asteroth Sinclair, he's a guarded demon who takes his education a little too seriously

Next is Carlisle Gale, a lightning elemental and cheerful captain of the swim team

Third this time is Nikolas Ortiz, a goofy lil guy, he's just a lil guy whom we love

Finally is Adonis La Croix, an Appalachian business man who just loves a good deal

That's all for now!

[creativitycache]

It still seems like the Eye is if not THE most powerful, then at least sharing that position with the Web in different manifestation of power. And Jon has been able to easily overpower the other Avatars and, except Daisy and Annabelle, they haven't been able to exert any power over him (i.e. Not-Sasha and Jude). Do you think that has more to do with the fact that Jon brought the Entities through rather than the Eye being top dog?

Buckle up, this is going to be a long one. TL;DR: I suspect that both Jon and Elias gained an upgrade from the effects of a Ritual, rather than being inherent to Eye Avatars.

Ritual effects we’ve seen:

1. Jonah: failed ritual for the Eye. Result: Power Boost for Jonah, death for everyone surrounding him, destruction of the Millbank Prison. No interference from outsiders.

2. Agnes: failed 2 part ritual for the Desolation. Part 1 Result: Power Boost for Agnes, death for her mother, destruction of the forest, cultists survive. Part 2 Result: inconclusive, as we don’t know what blocked her ascension for round 1, nor why she suddenly knew she had to kill herself years later. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

3. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Vast. Result: all hands lost to the depths. Interference from the Hunt.

4. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Slaughter. Result: all hands lost due to a missile, except non-slaughter aligned survivor. Interference unclear, but presumed Web.

5. Peter: failed ritual for the Lonely. Result: The ritual was abandoned before it even was truly launched. Peter seems to think this counts and that he’d have to try again decades later. No power transfer, no death. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

6. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Buried. Result: Death to all who attempted, and the surrounding innocent people. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

7. John: failed ritual for the Corruption. Result: Death to John via concrete- unknown fate of Adelard Dekker but presumed death. Death to the surrounding victims. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

8. Jane: failed ritual for the Corruption: Result: It is unclear if Jane’s attack on the Institute was part of her ritual. Certainly all the worms forming the living tunnel of writhing insects to usher in the Corruption into our world all died. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

9. Cult: failed ritual for the Corruption: Result: all those bound together were still alive when the police came, but were unable to absorb all the cult members.  No word on surviving cultists. It is unclear if this was a ritual attempt, but considering the religious themes surrounding it + their Herald, I’m counting it. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

10. Nikola: failed ritual for the Stranger: Result: death of all circus members. Death of all witnesses. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

11. The Mechanical Turk: failed ritual for the Stranger: Result: Unknown if the Slaughter Avatars killed all performers, witnesses survived. Interference from the Slaughter.

12. ExplorerDad: failed ritual for the Hunt. Result: continued unending life for all Avatars who join, but they will periodically turn on previous crewmates and view them as others. Man who pretended to be of the Hunt until he could get away survived. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

13. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Flesh. Result: death of all participants except unaffiliated statement-giver. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

14. Gabriel: failed ritual for the Spiral. Result: many servants of the Spiral dead, Gabriel presumed dead, the Distortion fused with Michael Shelly. Michael Distortion has no noticeable significant power boost different from the Distortion, but he was specifically chosen because of his unsuitability towards fusing with the Spiral. Helen calls Michael “rubbish” and seemed to level up/lose her humanity at a faster rate than Jon after being absorbed by the Distortion. It is unclear if this power acquisition has anything to do with the Distortion’s history of being the nexus of a failed ritual. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

15. Manuela & Haley: failed ritual for the Dark: Result: nictophobe sacrifices dead, the Beast dead, all other cult members died. Manuela survives with no noticeable powers aside from being able to behold the Dark Star. Haley survives with no mentioned power differences, and is later killed trying to transfer over to a new body. No interference from outsiders.

Phew, that’s all done off the top of my head so I may have missed something. That’s 12 out of 14 Entities, with the Web and the End both missing due to no noted ritual attempts. (See my earlier post for my theory that the Eyepocalypse was a Web ritual, which Anon is referencing).

But! Laying it all out like this proves my ultimate theory.

1. The Rituals most often result in death, and the most likely potential survivors are those who were unaffiliated.

2. Twice the Rituals have been noted to give power upgrades- the Eye and the Desolation. Potentially three times with the Spiral and Micheal, but that is subtextual and VERY tenuous. Agnes’s mother was the one who chose to be the nexus of the ritual and she burned. Agnes was the outcome of the ritual, and debatably the focal point.

3. The Spiral and the Dark both had no textually noted upgrades. The Dark had no human focal point. The Spiral had no human focal point until Michael was unwittingly merged.

4. The most likely sources that prevent a ritual are: the Web manipulating an Eye avatar (7), a presumed unaffiliated (3), collapsing naturally (2), the Slaughter (1), the Hunt (1). Gertrude and Jon definitely skewed the numbers heavily, but there’s evidence to suggest that the avatars are all easily manipulated into prevent the “other side from winning”.

5. When a Ritual is left on it’s own to collapse AND has a person as a focal point, that person gains a power upgrade. In ALL OTHER scenarios, there is no power exchange and death is the most likely result.

Therefore:

Jonah Magnus and Jon Sims are the only people left on Earth who have been successfully granted a power boost due to a ritual.

Jon was the nexus of the ONLY successful Ritual in history, but Jonah already had the boost from one Ritual and may have gained some power due to his hand in the second ritual. The two combined may put him on the same level as Jon, but Jon may be stronger.

Therefore:

It is ENTIRELY plausible that the reason Jon is so strong and that Jonah’s tower can exert its presence over all the other realms is because they were the nexuses of Rituals- NOT because the Eye won.

Therefore:

Jon’s power boost does not mean the Web did not win.

[spaceissobig]

Please, read this, it’s proof of the change that’s happening in the US.

This is a reprint, in its entirety, from an editorial posted originally on Friday, February 23rd, 2018 in the USA Today. It is an article everyone needs to see. I never thought I would see the day and I hope to see a lot more like it.

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

GOP congressman: I Appreciate Assault Weapons. I Support a Ban.

The most important and unregrettable time of my life was the 12 years I spent in the Army. I became a bomb technician because I wanted to save lives. I nearly gave my own life for that — I lost both my legs and a finger when a roadside bomb detonated beneath me — and have known more heroes than I can count who died defending others.

When I was with others on the battlefield and we saw a chance to save a life, we didn’t have a meeting about it; we acted immediately. I never worried about becoming a casualty myself.

Now, as a Republican congressman from Florida, I don’t fear becoming a political casualty, either. If we act now by changing laws surrounding firearms and mental illness, we too can save lives.

Most nights in Afghanistan, I wielded an M4 carbine and a .40-caliber pistol. The total barrel length of my M4 was approximately 14 inches with Trijicon ACOG sights, as well as an infrared laser. I usually carried 10 magazines stacked with 20 rounds of 5.56-millimeter ammunition each.

My rifle was very similar to the AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon used to kill students, teachers and a coach I knew at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where I once lived.

I  have fired tens of thousands of rounds through that rifle, many in combat. We used it because it was the most lethal — the best for killing our enemies. And I know that my community, our schools and public gathering places are not made safer by any person having access to the best killing tool the Army could put in my hands. I cannot support the primary weapon I used to defend our people being used to kill children I swore to defend.

The truth is, most gun owners are responsible sportsmen and collectors who enjoy shooting recreationally, like me, or want to protect their home in the way they see fit. I am a longtime member of the National Rifle Association. My grandfather bought me my first NRA membership when I was young, and I have the same pride he and many Americans feel at being responsible gun owners, becoming excellent marksmen and joining in the camaraderie of hunting.

We are Americans and we like to be the best; we should never lose this trait. The AR-15 is an excellent platform for recreational shooters to learn to be outstanding marksmen. Unfortunately, it is also an excellent platform for those who wish to kill the innocent.

I conceal and carry a 9-millimeter pistol most days because I know the threats, and I don’t want to die because I am unprepared to return fire.

I also know that I am made less safe by the threat of tactical rifles. I am confident I can eliminate an active shooter who is attacking with a pistol because the attacker would have to be close to me. But the defense my concealed 9-millimeter affords me is largely gone if the attacker is firing from beyond 40 yards, as he could easily do with the AR-15.

No firearm is evil. Guns are tools that fulfill the intent of their users, good or bad. But we’ve seen that the rifle of choice for many mass shooters is the AR-15.

The Second Amendment is unimpeachable. It guarantees the right of citizens to defend themselves. I accept, however, that it does not guarantee that every civilian can bear any and all arms.

For example, the purchase of fully automatic firearms is largely banned already, and I cannot purchase an AT-4 rocket, grenades, a Bradley fighting vehicle or an Abrams tank. I know that no single action can prevent a truly determined person from committing mass murder, and I am aware of other ways to commit mass murder, such as bombings and mass vehicular slaughter. Not being able to control everything, however, should not prevent us from doing something.

Therefore, I support the following:

Defining what constitutes an assault or tactical firearm and not allowing them for future purchase — just as we already prohibit the purchase of fully automatic firearms. The exact definition of assault weapon will need to be determined. But we should all be able to agree that the civilian version of the very deadly weapon that the Army issued to me should certainly qualify. I would not support any version of a ban that results in confiscating existing legally owned firearms.

Ensuring that every firearm purchaser has a background check. We also need to improve the background check system.

Banning the sale of accessories and add-ons that circumvent the ban on automatic firearms, and increasing the ages at which individuals can purchase various categories of firearms.

Ensuring that those who have been detained for mental illness, or have been ordered by courts to receive treatment for mental illness, cannot purchase firearms.

Ensuring that someone who is being looked at as a possible terrorist, through a system of due process, cannot purchase a firearm and that any person threatening to shoot or blow up a school, in word or on social media, is placed on an F.B.I. watch list for a long time.

Providing behavior detection training to anyone seeking a Federal Firearms License.

Making substantial resources available to schools, at their discretion, for security measures, including the opportunity to purchase enhanced security screening, install classroom panic buttons wired directly to law enforcement and hire additional school resource officers.

Holding the F.B.I. and state agencies accountable for their failures to identify a threat like Nikolas Cruz, as well as ensuring that schools enforce basic security protocols to prevent access by unauthorized personnel.

And finally, conducting further research into the nexus of gun violence, violence in mass media and mental illness.

The president, House of Representatives, Senate, every state legislature, sheriffs, police officers, school boards, students and parents must unite with one mission: that no one will ever be murdered in school again.

--------

Brian Mast, a Republican, is the representative for Florida’s 18th congressional district.

The 18th district covers all of St. Lucie County, Martin County, and the northeastern part of Palm Beach County. Good luck and Godspeed in the election Mr. Mast, and thank you for your support!

[ada-open-watchtower]

                              activism | education | workshop

                        Breza Camp / Crni Vrh, Divčibare, Serbia

                                         August 12 - 20  2016

                                       Mountain Music Festival  

                            ARCHITECTURE + ORNITHOLOGY   

                                                            IV

  ...That summer, the mountain interweaved under their skin and became their physical and metaphysical determinant. Its air entered their bloodstream, and its spirit encouraged thoughts and creative processes. Returning from Rtanj, on the way to Čačak, they stopped in Grza to rest and agreed to visit the top of Kablar in the coming days, as the influence of the Šiljak (The Peak) in them was still present...

  ...While they were moving among the mountain peaks, the news of their altruistic work under the Bridge of Youth was traveling among the cities. While Stefan, Luka, Ana and Vladica joined the conquered peaks on the topographical relief plate at the top of Kablar, hoping for a creative endeavor on the next mountain, the mountain came to them. The call from Valjevo followed, at the moment when Artan sent its signal through Ovčar-Kablar gorge to Crni Vrh, the peak of Maljen Mountain, as well as to Divčibare...

 ...Through good news from good people - common friends - Lazar Stanojčić and Marko Kovač, pleasantly surprised by the O:TVORENO IGRALIŠTE (O:PEN PLAYGROUND) action, the organizers of the first Mountain Music Fest (MMF), led by Andrija Marjanović, invite the AΔA group to participate in the program of the new emerging festival, while the spirit of the pyramid of Rtanj calls for intervention in the mountain...

   ...AΔA accepts the call and in the coming days Stefan and Luka, preparing for a meeting with the organizers from Valjevo, see a watchtower as an intuitive and logical response to the topic of the mountain workshop. On the way to Valjevo, the duo stops at Divčibare, in fact, comes to the former Breza Camp, the location of the upcoming venture...

   The abandoned space and devastated infrastructure of the once active auto camp Breza, with area of 1.6 ha and the capacity of 30 camping trailers, two bungalows, cafe-bar and football-basketball court, is located 15 minutes walk from the center of Divčibare.

The relationship between the ruined built environment and the pleasant mountain ambient, as well as the immediate proximity of the children's resort and hiking trails connecting it to this location, transform the identified problem into potential in the form of spatial-program intervention - places of gathering, rest and recreation.

The (re)use of the site and its content for the needs of the festival program is proving to be a good example of reactivation of abandoned space, and the intervention in it, in the form of creating a new place - the watchtower (observation post), represents the act of materializing this intention and prolonging the life of the camp itself.

[location 1]

         ...The meeting is being held at the Research Community "Vladimir Mandić - Manda" in Valjevo, where the concept of the project O:TVORENO OSMATRALIŠTE (O:PEN WATCHTOWER) is presented to the organizers of the festival who unanimously accepted the idea...

...Returning to Čačak, Luka and Stefan are starting work on the project and program of the workshop. A month before the beginning of the festival, a team from the MMF receives a specification of the required material and the first 3D visualization of the preliminary watchtower design...

     ...After the revision of the preliminary design and reduction of the material in the vertical garden segment (replacement of the wooden planking gardeners with a mountain rope as a support for the climbing plants), final constructive details are drawn in combination with cognitive-interactive maps / sheets and educational cards for the participants in the workshop and program is defined. Following the example of the Playground, whose design is intended for people, birds and plants, the Observation Post also shares the same character. As the previous workshop  is focused on the micro-urban approach in architectural design and the setting of the mobilier, this time the multinational Watchtower represents the backbone of architectural design, while the concept of additional educational content steps into the field of ornithology...

 Participants of the educational and practical workshop actively participate in creative work at a specific location in creating their own space of vacation, recreation and dwelling. Through the active action at the cognitive level, this method influences, develops and encourages the awareness of young people about the quality of their own work products and advocacy for the community in order to develop their own environment. The program consists of five parts:

1) Preparatory (constructive) - AΔA group and volunteers perform earthworks and foundation of the base strips and lay the wooden supporting structure of the watchtower with the assistance and help of professional carpenters.

2) Theoretical (constructive) - Participants are educated and familiarized with the way and process of watchtower construction, following the gradual steps on a cognitive - interactive map which shows the required sets of tools and the existing spatial and program elements related to the practical part.

3) Practical (constructive) - Participants take part in the finalization of the watchtower construction and the establishment of spatial and program elements, following instructions from cognitive-interactive maps, guided by the authors (coordinators) of the workshop.

4) Designer (drawing) - Participants explore the potential of a specific public space - an ambience through their own ideas and suggestions of intervention, using cognitive - interactive sheets.

5) Supplementary (ornithological) - An additional program, based on the scientific discipline which studies birds, aims to extend the way in which participants can think about design and architecture, thematically linking the design domain of a multi-purpose watchtower with a specific field of knowledge in biology as they learn about the species and characteristics of the birds that inhabit the spatial framework in which they are located, using educational maps.

    > Segments of cognitive-interactive map / sheet  which can be downloaded here <

    > Educative ornithology cards which can be downloaded here <

  ...The hot summer days and the freshness of the mountain air in mid-August are the perfect time to stay and work outdoors. The complexity and scope of the creative undertaking that the watchtower carries, requires at least a week of preparatory work, which includes digging the ground and casting the foundation strips in a terrain of unpredictable composition. Nine days before the start of the one-day festival, Stefan, Luka, Ana and Vladica pack the tools and equipment for camping and hit the Divčibare road...

       Day I   [Arrival]

 ...The four-member team arrives on the mountain on Friday afternoon and explores the openings among the conifers at Breza Camp, looking for a meaningful position for the O:TVORENO OSMATRALIŠTE (O:PEN WATCHTOWER). During a debate between two potential sites, Luka finds a third - an ideal position among the three remaining dried birch trees. The team agrees that this is the best possible place on the site for the watchtower construction, mentioning that O:TVORENO IGRALIŠTE (O:PEN PLAYGROUND) under the Bridge of Youth is located among the birch trees...

 ...As the archae-geometers of the ancient pyramids, AΔA sets the plan for the watchtower base. After measuring the terrain and setting the sticks and ropes for the positions of the foundation strips, the quartet members go to dinner after which they set the resting camp with a campfire...

   Day II   [Earthwork]

 ...The first morning on the mountain, the hosts of the festival meet the AΔA team with a group of domestic and foreign volunteers who are placed in a cottage next to the camp, whose daily tasks were clearing and arranging the site of the upcoming event. After breakfast, they all go together to Breza, each to their part of the job. By coming to the site, the four get the keys from the abandoned bungalow in which the tools and construction materials are located. Nikola aka Djidja, from a group of volunteers, joins the team...

                          ...On that day, while digging channels for the four base strips and breaking the rocky ground, the team manages to prepare the ground for tomorrow's concrete foundations cast...

       Day III   [Foundations]

  ..During the morning, the team places a broken stone drainage layer and reinforcement for the base strips. In the mean time, a truck from the Construction Company "Kej" arrives on the site, carrying the gravel and cement needed for the foundations...

             ...Late in the afternoon,  festival organization members join the works, with whose help the concrete is mixed and cast. By setting metal supporters for the wooden structure, the final procedure of that day is carried out. Satisfied with the base cast and excited because of tomorrow's  watchtower construction build-up, the enthusiastic group of AΔA goes to local cuisine dinner...

               O:TVORENO OSMATRALIŠTE (O:PEN WATCHTOWER / OBSERVATION POST) is conceived as a juxtaposition of two circular projections of two spatial elements: multifunctional watchtower and campfire. It is anticipated as a nexus of the place, ie, the axis of the gravitational field of the camp, which activates the abandoned space and offers content to the visitors. It is positioned in the middle of a spatial triangle formed by three dried birch (breza) trees, as the last three witnesses of the camp of the same name. By this act, at the symbolic and semantic level, the watchtower represents the reminiscence of this place, extending its spirit.

   The formal-functional concept of the watchtower is inspired by the surrounding conifers, as well as the geography and contents of the mountain and its potentials. The pyramidal form is intended to fit into the existing mountain context at the cognitive level, complementing the mountain itself as an intervention in / on it. In this way, the observation post becomes the organic completion of the mountain, or its artificial peak.

   The watchtower, as an object, consists of three vertically layered spatial-program levels, equally intended for plants, animals and humans:

Level 1 - on the ground floor, it is conceived as the ambience of a vertical garden (with integrated ladders leading to the second level), filled with forest and meadow climbing plants that make green membrane inside which the resting elements - logs and bench and playground element - swing*, as the light-motive of the O:TVORENO (O:PEN) concept, which direction is in the axis of the fire*, are placed. The flute detail inside the swing seat is set up as a personification of autochthonous music of mountain pastures, synthesizing swinging and playing activities.

Level 2 - free space intended for observation of the surrounding environment - mountain flora and fauna, night sky, as well as enjoyment in view from mountain heights.

Level 3 - the steep roof of the watchtower is the shelter and feeding place for the birds - the inhabitants of this ambient, also the additional thematic unit of the workshop.

  In the artistic - aesthetic view, the observation post is conceived as a combination of natural wood used in the construction of the watchtower (pillars, beams, struts, rafters, binders) and white elements that form, unify and accentuate the program 's components or contents of the place: the plateau on the ground floor and camp fireplace of white stone; metal ladders and vertical garden made of alpinistic ropes as a support for climbing plants, with integrated car tires as gardeners; observation space wooden railing; roof - bird house.

         Day IV   [Core Construction]

  ...The team measures and cuts timbering for pillars and beams, while waiting the Key carpenters to come. By the arrival of the workers, the construction of the central core of the supporting structure begins...

             ...After setting up the struts as a constructive support for ladders and vertical garden, the work is completed. The carpenters leave and the children of Divčibare, interested in the event in Breza, join the friends from Čačak. In a mutual conversation, the team notices that the kids are carrying "Politikin Zabavnik", so the end of a working day is celebrated with a mutual photo that will eventually be published in the journal of their childhood...

    Day V   [Roof Construction]

...The day before, by raising the construction for the levels I and II, a larger part of the work is completed, but the physically demanding rafters setting remains. While Vladica and Ana clear the terrain, removing humus and forming a circle under the observation post, Stefan and Luka introduce carpenters into all details and finesses of the constructive assembly, but also learn from them how this design is applied in practice...

                  ...Almost as in a surgical procedure, the team manages to fit the angles and assemble the rafters of slanted gable roof. Ending with level III, the constructive structure for O:TVORENO OSMATRALIŠTE (O:PEN WATCHTOWER) is set up and ready for a festival workshop. Satisfied with the effect, the team completes the preparatory part of the program, expecting the fine finishing and socializing with the participants...

    Day VI   [Intermezzo - village]

...By setting the basis for the upcoming part of the program, the group returns to Čačak to make a little three-days break and prepare the missing elements of the observation post. On the first day of the break, Stefan goes to his uncle Radoslav Stojić, previously in charge of welding of the Playground elements, with whose help he makes the metal ladders for the Watchtower...

  Day VII   [Intermezzo - flea market]

...On the second day of the break, Luka and Stefan spend for collecting tires for gardeners, going to the flea market and buying everything that is missing - screws and chain, paint and varnish, roof tin ridge and MDF for the frontal faces of bird houses. After the purchase, the afternoon ends with cutting and painting two isosceles triangles of roof gables...

   Day VIII   [Intermezzo - frontyard]

...The day before going back to the mountain, at the festival, Luka drives to Belgrade to pick other team members up, while Stefan and Ana spend in his frontyard, preparing the program elements of the watchtower mobilier: painting the tires for a vertical garden and creating an "native musical detail" of the swing...

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