#revolutionary war mansion

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

Story of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum

I love history and learning the story behind the story! Thanks to friend and tractor collector Buddy Woodson for the invite to the Spring-Crank Up 2024, antique tractor show. During our visit to the show, and Tennessee Agricultural Museum, Buddy gave me a tour of the grounds of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Since then, I have been diving deep, and learning about the history of this…

[audrey-carr1]

The Heiress and the Lady of the House (part 1)

Author's note: Due to a lack of Hetty x reader fics I decided to fix that. This will more than likely be a series! For future writings, I will take requests as well! Please don't be too upset with how i write because I'm still learning how to write for Hetty. We all know she's a simple yet complex lady. We learn as we go. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

warnings: fem!reader, hettyxreader

It was an accident when I stumbled upon the "Woodstone B&B "hiring ad". As a child visiting my grandmother, I remember riding my bike past the mansion. My grandmother used to take me trick or treating there, and the older woman who lived at the manor always gave the children king-sized candy bars.

After a near-death experience as a teen, I've been able to see ghosts. It began to happen on occasion before it became an everyday thing. I would pretend it wasn’t real and ignore every ghost I encountered. Unless they looked sorely out of place, I couldn't really tell if they weren't living anyway. Ignoring all of them had worked...at least up until I walked into the Woodstone B&B.

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

“So is there a history convention in town or something?” I ask Sam teaches me the basics of the B&B website.

“Um no, why do you ask?” Sam questions nervously

“Because of the people in costume? Do you not see the Viking and Revolutionary officer in front of us?”

Sam gasps, “ Oh my gosh You can see them!?”

“She can see us?!” The two men ask.

“Am I not supposed to?” I asks

Sam quickly takes my hand and leads me into the living room. She has me sit and takes a seat in the spot next to me.

“What I’m about to say is going to seem absolutely insane,”

“Okay?” I say unsure of where Sam is taking this.

“This place is haunted, and everyone you see besides me and Jay are dead,” Sam explains

I didn’t mean to burst into laughter, but I did. How could something so absurd be true?

“My word what is all of this laughter about? Can you plebians be joyous outside of my napping hours,” a voice says

I turn to see a red-headed Victorian woman descend the main staircase. We both lock eyes and I feel as if time has stood still. My heart starts to beat a little faster and are my palms sweating? I could be mistaken but is that blush on the other woman's cheeks? "Can ghosts blush?" I ask myself

The redhead quirks and eyebrow before breaking the silence, “You can see me?”

Suddenly unable to speak I nod still looking into blue eyes.

“Hetty, this is (y/n). She is our new employee,”

“And she can see us? She’s not dead? How can you see us?”

Finally finding my words I reply, “I can see you, I’m not dead, and I’m not sure as to why I can see you but I can,”

“Did young girl fall and hit head like Sam?” The Viking asks

“I don’t remember falling recently,” I reply

“Have you always been able to see ghosts,” Sam turns and asks me.

“It’s a long complicated story, I’d rather not get into,” I say.

The redhead purses her lips not enthused by my answer. Soon I hear whispering of what I assume are the other ghosts.

“It’s okay guys, you can come out,” I say not sure of what could happen next.

Entering the room is a flapper, the Viking, the war officer, a hippie, an oversized Boy Scout, and a man without pants. My mind is filled with questions, but mainly I'm wondering why that man doesn’t have on pants. Before I can question his attire, Sam begins introducing everyone.

“There is one more of the main 8, his name is Sassapis, but we call him Sass. He’s out on a walk with Crash, our occasional headless ghost.”

“I see, well it’s nice to meet you all,” I say to them.

“Well go on tell us about your little cute self,” Alberta says “We want to know everything,”

“Well okay I’ve graduated college with a (insert major) degree, and my grandmother recently passed and left me with more money than I know what to do with. Which means I'm technically a heiress. I’m not sure I want to go into my field of work yet, that probably has something to do with my imposter syndrome. I’m an only child, my parents passed away when I was 19. Oh, I love jazz! I actually play piano and know almost all of the Jazz standards, my favorite pizza is pepperoni, and after reading a dystopian novel series I got into archery but that didn’t last long. Let’s see what else,” As I try to recall information I notice the redhead Victorian woman, Hetty looking at you. I begin to blush as I start my next sentence, “I was crowned queen at my senior prom, I love playing vintage Super Mario Brothers in my spare time, My favorite fish to cook is cod, I have a stuffed teddy bear named Daisy, and my favorite musical of all time is Hamilton,”

Isaac, the revolutionary war officer, scoffs and throws his hands up in exasperation while Hetty pats his shoulder while holding back a smirk.

“What about the juicy stuff, like do you have a significant other and have you ever killed someone?” Alberta asks.

“Oh well," I say a little overwhelmed, "I do not have a significant other, I haven’t even had my first kiss yet. To answer your other question, I have not participated in a murder at least not to my knowledge,”

“Sam you have to keep her! She’s perfect for the job,” Flower says

“Except for the Hamilton thing,” Isaac says off the side.

“Plus she’s incredibly hot,” Trevor says. “Not like Tara Reid hot but she’s almost at your level Sam,”

Everyone rolls their eyes at his comment, “I find it best if you ignore his comments. He’s harmless ” The victorian woman who's the name I've learned is, Hetty, whispers in my ear and I try to ignore the sudden butterflies in my stomach. I don’t need to add attracted to a ghost to my resume.

“Well it seems like everyone is on board with you being here even though you were already hired. Why don’t we go back and get some training done,” Sam says heading back to the front desk.

I go to follow her, but I trip over my untied shoelace. Before I can hit the floor, I find myself caught by a pair of soft hands.

Everyone gasps, and I can tell it wasn’t from the fall.

“Did Hetty just catch a living?”

-end-

A/N: Oh I hope y'all don't hate it! This is the first fanfic I've written in about 11 years, so I'm a little rusty. As I said before this is the first part of this many-part series. I may even add this to AO3. Tell me what you think! Until later!

[bestanimatedmovie]

Tumblr's favorite animated movie, Round 1!

Classification round | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4

Round 1:

Results overview

A Monster in Paris vs Sailor Moon R: The Movie

A Silent Voice vs Shaun the Sheep Movie

A Troll in Central Park vs Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods vs Lu Over the Wall

Astro Boy vs Ferdinand

Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest vs Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion

Barbie & the Diamond Castle vs The Great Mouse Detective

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus vs My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper vs Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena

Barbie Princess Charm School vs Turning Red

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero vs Robots

Batman Ninja vs Barbie Fairy Secret

Belle vs 101 Dalmatians

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children vs The Princess and the Goblin

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie vs All Dogs go to Heaven

Chicken Run vs Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time vs Green Snake

Despicable me vs Wreck-it-Ralph

Fantastic Mr Fox vs Wendell & Wild

Fantastic Planet vs Anomalisa

Gnomeo & Juliet vs Ernest & Celestine

Home on the Range vs A Goofy Movie

Hoodwinked! vs Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro

Ice Age vs WALL-E

In This Corner of the World vs We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem vs The Tale of John and Marie

Isle of Dogs vs Weathering with You

James and the Giant Peach vs Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Klaus vs Summer Wars

Kubo and the Two Strings vs Bambi

Liz and the Blue Bird vs Tekkonkinkreet

Madagascar vs Encanto 

Mary and Max vs The Sea Beast

Monsters vs Aliens vs Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks vs Night Is Short, Walk on Girl

Night on the Galactic Railroad vs Metropolis

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island vs Star☆Twinkle Precure the Movie: Wish Upon a Song of Stars

Paprika vs The Secret of Kells

ParaNorman vs Suzume

Penguins of Madagascar vs The Sword in the Stone

Persepolis vs The Garden of Words

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension vs Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus

Planet Hulk vs Zombillenium

Pocahontas vs The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Pokémon Heroes vs Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

Porco Rosso vs Meet the Robinsons

Quest for Camelot vs Digimon Adventure: Our War Game

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas vs The Nightmare Before Christmas

Spookley the Square Pumpkin vs Kirikou and the Sorceress

Tales of the Night vs Stormy Night

Tehran Taboo vs Emesis Blue

The Adventures of Tintin vs Bee Movie

The Book of Life vs The Aristocats

The Boy and the Beast vs Waltz with Bashir

The Brave Little Toaster vs Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

The Breadwinner vs Millennium Actress

The Congress vs The Legend of Hei

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen vs Ringing Bell

The Jungle Book vs Wolf Children

The LEGO Batman Movie vs Kung Fu Panda 2

The Lego Ninjago Movie vs Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride vs Watership Down

The Little Prince vs Loving Vincent

The Pagemaster vs Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

The Phantom Tollbooth vs The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The Secret World of Arrietty vs 9

The Thief and the Cobbler vs Felidae

The Wind Rises vs Brother Bear

Tokyo Godfathers vs 5 Centimeters per Second

Trolls World Tour vs Promare

Unicorn Wars vs Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Whisper of the Heart vs Batman: Under the Red Hood

[roughentumble]

ok, logan joins the brotherhood AU. xmen2000 happens very similar, but logan and rogue are on magneto's side, and logan knows a lot more about his past without actually remembering any of it. the timeline is stretched out instead of condensed into a few days, because it gives everyone more time to bond and more time for Things to Happen. we're putting deadpool in there in his slightly more morally loose much more merc-y self as hired muscle, because i like him. charles invades logan's mind during a conflict to try and pursuade him to the "good side" as xavier sees it, uncovers old memories that logan had heard about but not remembered firsthand, he decides he hates that shit and never wants someone in his head again so magneto agrees to surgically implant the same metal/circuitry that's in his helmet directly on logan's skull. no psychic is ever gettin in fort knox again, logan's brain is his own. through their newfound bond, logan starts deradicalizing magneto against specifically human hatred-- not the need to fight back against injustice or the genuine war against mutants that's on the way, but the idea of mutants being evolutionarily superior. he's actually making headway, good for him. the plan to have rogue sacrifice herself is instead a plan for her to absorb magneto's AND WOLVERINE'S powers+lifeforce, so she will survive. the x-men still stop their plan, but not before half the summit gets mutated, because wade is there to fight them off. the majority of the brotherhood gets away, but magneto is arrested, and they dont know where he's held. during all these events, the brotherhood including marie, logan, and wade have become like a little polycule/family, so this is a massive hit to morale, but mystique still decides to work things from the inside disgused as a now-reformed mutant hating senator.

X2 happens. logan's been trying to keep the brotherhood together with erik gone and mystique busy playing someone else, but it's a pretty small group. instead of logan left at the manor, colossus is given the honor, and he gets as many kids out as he can when the mansion is invaded, while bobby and pyro escape by hotwiring a car and calling the x-men to let them know what's going on. obviously the magneto escape plan goes off as does in canon, with logan's feathers ruffled that he couldnt be a part of it on account of metal skeleton. in the scene where the two disparate groups meet, it's the x-men(ororo, jean, nightcrawler, bobby, pyro) meeting the fully reformed brotherhood(magneto, mystique, wolverine, rogue, deadpool). bit of sparks between jean and logan, but jean Fully does not like or trust the brotherhood and logan literally doesnt even know she's married so the "women marry good guys" "i could be a good guy" scene plays out much harsher, but also he's not cut /quite/ as deep because he doesnt know this woman. it just reaffirms to him his commitment to the brotherhood and their ideals and their family, because he doesnt feel rejected there, and his ideals arent under attack. he was always gonna feel that way tho so its not revolutionary. logan still splits off from the group when he sees stryker, because even though he thought he closed that chapter of his life he still does have questions about his past and he feels compelled. this means he's not around to talk magneto out of his plan to target humans instead of mutants, which is a major schism in the brotherhood when he finds out about it later. they do pass each other in the hall, though, as magneto and mystique make their way towards the helicopter and logan makes his way back inside. magneto says theyre leaving, and logan says he has to go back. "i'll leave with rogue and deadpool in the jet, you two get out of here." he says. magneto asks if he's sure, and logan says "most of the mutants in here are kids. i cant just leave them." and magneto watches him carefully for a moment, then claps him on the shoulder. tells him good luck, my friend. they nod. magneto and mystique leave in the jet, while logan rushes inside. the end plays out pretty similar, with logan not as devestated because he didn't have that relationship with jean, but it's still rough to see such blatant self-sacrifice from someone he did ostensibly respect despite being on different sides.

obviously when the x-men appear as a group to the president, logan and marie aren't there, but that active role in trying to influence politics for the better ends up being the unknowing laying of foundations for the eventual merging of the brotherhood and xavier's institute, its the first stone layed that the other side needed to see

[workersolidarity]

Watch "Kissinger at 100: New War Crimes Revealed in Secret Cambodia Bombing That Set Stage for Forever Wars" on YouTube

Democracy Now! on Henry Kissinger's war crimes in Cambodia. Not that one good piece on an easy target like Kissinger makes up for years of unquestioning loyalty to the Democrats' Russiagate narratives, but it's a good piece nonetheless.

Kissinger's war crimes and non-stop attacks on Cambodian civilians helped the rise Pol Pot who used the attacks against civilians to elevate his rise to power under the guise of Marxism Leninism. Though in reality, little that Pol Pot advocated for had any resemblance to Socialism or Marxism Leninism.

Pol Pot would enjoy secret assistance from the US and China, each for their own reasons but largely to hobble growing Vietnamese independence, going on to slaughter some 2 million of his own Cambodian citizens, ruling instead like a Fascist dictator rather than a Revolutionary Working Class figure.

But what galvanized Pol Pot's support, what ultimately saw millions of Cambodians join his quest for power, was the very real, non-stop intentional slaughter of civilians on the border with Vietnam by the United States. The slaughter of Cambodians living in small rural villages who often didn't even have a basic frame of reference for what was happening to them. The barely understood aircraft and here these US military aircraft would fly into their villages and decimate them, killing most villagers and destroying all the buildings and infrastructure they could lay waste to.

This slaughter was a direct result of Henry Kissinger and Nixon's policy to destroy "anything that flies, anything that moves". In other words, a civilian genocide, no different than those ordered by Hitler.

The orders were clear: the US Military divisions in the area adjacent to the Cambodian border were given carte blanche to freely cross into Cambodian territory and bomb out of existence any human activity within measurable range. The complete and wonton slaughter of civilians was approved by Nixon and directed by Kissinger. There is no other word for this but genocide.

Of those who lived through this senseless destruction, they have vivid memory of the sound of US choppers before they'd enter their rural villages and lay waste to anything that moved. The trauma of those days etched into their very souls as they witnessed the deaths of so many of their friends, neighbors and families. They are still haunted to this day by those events that Kissinger so callously approved.

Yet here we are, decades have gone by and Kissinger is fat, happy and healthy in his mansion on his 100th birthday. Never even an ICC investigation launched let alone war crimes prosecuted.

Yet the ICC has the audacity to issue a warrant for the active head of state of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin for imaginary crime of "kidnapping" Ukrainian children to somehow propagandize them against their own people before sending them back to sow the seeds of Ukraine's destruction? Muahahahaha!

An elaborate scheme that would take years at best and affect a small portion of the Eastern Ukrainian population which already consider themselves to be ethnic Russians, and many do in fact want to be a part of the Russian Federation. So yeah, the whole ridiculous thing is just absurd, and really makes just no sense.

The reality is far more mundane and uninteresting, though it's far more positive for the children involved than it is a sinister propaganda effort. Remember, these same people who always claim the Russians are supposedly performing these elaborate propaganda schemes designed to trap unsuspecting wayward westerners and turn them against their government, they're also waging an information war and having far more success in that effort than anything the Russians are doing. Huge majorities of Westerners still support Ukraine, believe this entire episode has been uninstigated, no Nazis in Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin somehow controls the internet.

Instead, as it turns out, these centers for children who live on or near the frontlines of the SMO zone are designed to help these children temporarily escape the ravages of war and spend time with other children their own age doing activities that children enjoy like music, the arts, and survivalist classes. Not only is this completely mundane and uninteresting, it's really actually a pretty positive program. I don't know about you, but getting these children as far away from the frontlines as possible, even if only temporarily, can only be a good thing for these students who are often displaced, have lost family members, a home, or an apartment. Sometimes they don't have a home to go back to, and anything seems better than shelters and refugee camps, especially if they get to enjoy activities, learn new skills, do some schooling, or learn and develop their skills with a musical instrument.

Most of these camps run anywhere from a few days to a few weeks and the children are promptly returned to their parents who've all given their permissions for their children to go, hoping to keep them safe and happy during these hard times.

Even if these children were receiving some kind of Russian propaganda at some point during these trips, and there's absolutely zero evidence for that, how would that negate the positivity of getting them away from the frontlines and keeping them safe and happy?

And how exactly do you justify this ICC Warrant when Kissinger is celebrating his 100th birthday free, happy, healthy, and rich beyond most workers' imaginations? When will Kissinger be indicted by the ICC?

Of course the answer is obvious: it will NEVER happen because the ICC is NOT an international body of Justice, it is in fact no more than a tool of Western Imperialism and operates as such.

It isn't designed to safeguard any kind of Principles of Justice or anything like that, it only exists to pursue the enemies of Western Imperialism and leave its victims incapable of operating outside their home countries or face prosecutions and incarceration. Effectively making it impossible for the victim to organize internationally. So if you have a charismatic Leftist leader in your country, and he crosses the US or one of the European powers, say by Nationalizing the oil & gas industry; if they choose to use the ICC against you, you no longer have the freedom to conduct your country's business in the international arena, handicapping your diplomacy, trade negotiations and banking system interactions, since you're also likely being sanctioned at that point.

And so the ICC is simply another tool of Western Imperialism. Kissinger will never face consequences for his war crimes but his victims will remember their lost loved ones for the rest of their lives and they will pass along those memories to their grandchildren.

[imaginationiswildsometimes]

Why Isaac? Just WHY?!

(Y’all may hate me after this so please be warned)

Our favorite revolutionary couple has American Captain Isaac Higgintoot and British Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Chessum. In a shocking turn of events, we learned that while Isaac was admiring Nigel through his new invention, the “Eyesaac”, he did one of his iconic sneezes and shot Nigel making him the first British ghosts on the Woodstone Mansion property.

While this was heartbreaking (sometimes funny) for most fans, there were things I noticed that I can’t help but question.

If Isaac wasn’t planning on killing Nigel, why the fuck was the rifle loaded?!

I mean, really? Isaac could at least check to see if the rifle was loaded, so in case he accidentally pulled the trigger (like he did here) Nigel wouldn’t be in danger of getting a bullet in him and ended up dying.

Speaking of the trigger, why was Isaac’s goddamn finger was even on it in the first place?! Listen I know during that time Isaac and Nigel was in war and stuff, but still. If Isaac’s intentions wasn’t killing him (like what he stated during the episode after the reveal), why was the finger on the trigger?!

Clearly Isaac didn’t think things through and that caused for another person to become a ghost of Woodstone Mansion for eternity.

[shadowspellchecker]

<p>11. 10. The obligatory Ghosts AU.</p>

<p>Twins Luke and Leia inherit a mansion in Massassi, New York, and, along with Leia's boyfriend Han and his old squadmate Chewie, embark on the unique adventure of opening a B&B. But they have company! Joining them are Victorian era Chinese immigrants Chirrut and Baze (<u>1850s</u>), lost Spaniard Kay—something, Native American scout currently going by Cass, and bootlegger (or Buffalo Bill expy performer, for Saw Gerrera's Wild West show) Jyn Erso. Bodhi Rook, the unlucky first-gen immigrant <u>satellite TV installer</u> and aspiring pilot who died while installing a satellite dish on the roof in the 1980s, is the 'baby' of the bunch. Oh, and also Mon Mothma (wife of the man who built the house) or Shmi (who would be a bondservant from Ireland, second wife of the first white farmer on the land). In the Basement we meet the Company, headed by Cody– wwi soldiers who survived Jim Crow and the trenches of France only to die of the Spanish Flu. They find the underground comforting. (Fucking bombers! Ruined the sky for us!) In the next house over, owned by organic weed grower Maz Kanata, you have WWII corporal Draven. In the house on the other side there is fur trader/ revolutionary war spymaster Lucian (I burned my life to build a nation I knew I'd never live to see), who K and Cass used to spend a lot of time with before the stream and property lines shifted. He was completely wrong about Benedict Arnold. Mon Mothma's daughter is Mon's unfinished business, and so she gets to ascend at the end of the third season. In the condemned summer kitchen you have Rex, Gregor and Wolffe, who survived the flu and took employment in the town. At the time the heiress of the mansion was Miss Tano, who went missing during the Cold War. They assume that she had gone on one last mission and never came back. (Fact: she's stuck in an underground bunker on the estate. Alternatively she did go out on that mission, and will be summoned back during a Halloween episode.) These guys died in the incident that left the summer kitchen condemned, and are forever trying to work out what they did wrong with that new water heater. Their unfinished business is reconciling with the basement ghosts (there is some sort of bad blood, partial survivors guilt) and for Rex finding Ahsoka. </p>

<p>Kay, of course, died in the lightning strike and can affect electronics. Cassian was shot walking on the lake one winter while looking for his missing sister, and froze to death. Think the <u>death of Otzi the iceman</u>. His unfinished business will be finding her bones. His ghost power is cold spots. Jyn was part of an Indian act in <u>Esau Gerrera's Circus of Curiosities</u>. (Saw himself presented himself as an exotic Arabian prince or something. So people wouldn't think 'escaped slave' when he smuggled people to Canada. (Jyn wasn't exactly around for that part.) Yeah, Cass is pissed. She was left behind and went looking for some gold her father allegedly had stowed nearby. That, incidentally, is her unfinished business. Her ghost power is making people feel like they were punched. Leaves no marks, can't affect objects. People just think someone lightly punched them.</p>

<p>You know, it might be worth taking a look at it… </p>

<p>No, no Luke. It'll be like that gerbil. You see it, you get attached. It's old, it's historic, it's huge. What would we do with it? When would we have time? I say we sell it. Split the profits fifty fifty, you can get that old plane you've been saving for and I can pay off the rest of my schooling. </p>

<p>I thought you'd had that ironed out.</p>

<p>Not the point, Mr GI Bill…. Shit, sorry. I didn't mean it like that… it's covered, but it…</p>

<p>Gets to you. I'm sorry, I…</p>

<p>Sigh. No, i shouldnt havr snapped… </p>

<p>Han?</p>

<p>Yessss….</p>

<p>He won't find you upstate. </p>

<p>Nice try… but youre right. Let's take a look at the place. See what we're dealing with. But don't get attached, I'm selling my half. </p>

<p>We'll see.</p>

<p>Alright, so it's the summer of 93, and we'd just conquered the Demon's Pass. </p>

<p>Really? Another of your collective daydreams?</p>

<p>You could step up and talk for a change. </p>

<p>So. The invasion.  Chirrut and bodhi are optimistic, Kay and Baze dread the change, Jyn is pessimistic, Cassian is past caring tbh, mon tries to rally morale. </p>

<p>So there is an </p>

<p>Indian (Cass)</p>

<p>Arrow Guy (Cass)</p>

<p>Temporally unusual European (Kay)</p>

<p>Relatively modern dude </p>

<p>Repressed Victorian (Mon)</p>

<p>Officer (Luthen, Draven)</p>

<p>Kick-ass performer lady (Jyn)</p>

<p>Token repressed guys (Baze and Chirrut)</p>

<p>Troop leader (Bodhi)</p>

<p>Spiritualist practitioner (Chirrut)</p>

<p>Food smell aficionado (Sass→ Cass)</p>

<p>Superchill individual (Flower →Chirrut )</p>

<p>Dubiously ethical group member (Alberta, Flower → Jyn)</p>

<p>Alternative setups include Jyn as the new newcomer, and Cass as the misplaced Spaniard (1500, see <u>Lavrador</u> (1498), <u>Cabot</u> (1497), <u>Leon</u> (1513), <u>de Soto</u> (1540), etc.) while Kay is a downright ancient ghost whose isolation has caused him to lose most of his connection to humanity and a severe case of the personality flattening we notice when ghosts aren't in contact with the living doing living stuff. Cass "saves" him by pulling him out of that state. In that scenario, Maarva and Clem might have been around at the time. Alternatively, they could have come later as an immigrant and an escaped slave and have given the duo lessons in English. Either way, they're long since sacked off. </p>

<p>Deaths:</p>

Shot by arrow

Struck by lightning

Murdered

Illness

Drugs and heart attack

Violent accidental death

Unknown but didn't leave marks

Unknown but didn't leave marks and was probably the drug of choice for that time period

<p>Circumstances </p>

Volunteering

Lost in a foreign land

After a performance in the house

In a normal consequence of living in one's time period

While partying too hard/ carelessness

While on drugs

While depressed

Multiple choice

<p>After</p>

A fight with a loved one

Being abandoned by comrades

Being unknowingly betrayed

Accidentally killing someone you liked

Doing a good deed

Betraying your allies

Being rejected

Finally tasting freedom

<p>And before</p>

Being mourned by your family

Still being alone… despite that a family member was looking for you.

Your murderer gets away with the crime

Being mourned by your secret keeper but otherwise forgotten about

Your associates hide your body and never tell your family where it is

Your accomplice turns the reason for your betrayal into something decent

Being celebrated by your brand new lonely haunting partner

Your children continue to disappoint you

<p>Marks of ghostly stuff</p>

You still have the arrow that killed you stuck in your body

You lost your hat. This matters.

You are stuck in costume

You are forever stuck in full uniform

You are lacking a vital article of clothing

You have the damage that killed you on your body

Multiple choice

Multiple choice

<p>But hey! Guess what? You… </p>

Have a positive and upbeat personality

can make electronics short out

Can create auditory stimuli

You can make people feel a specific adverse sensation related to your death by walking through them

You can touch physical objects with your finger!

Can make people feel a specific adverse sensation related to your condition at the time of death by walking through them. But you experience it too! All the time.

Are the lady of the house too

Are an amazing liar.

<p>Baze. Something to do with opium, guilt. </p>

<p>Chirrut. Knew Baze in life. Scholar visiting Yale. Blinded by a fever and walked in the wrong direction at the wrong time. Was in a fight with Baze and stormed off. Drowned. </p>

[useless-catalanfacts]

Lo dimoni (“The Devil”), painted in 1898 by Claudio Hoyos (Habana, Cuba, 1875 — Barcelona, Catalonia, 1905).

This painting has a deeper propagandistic meaning than what it might look at first sight. This green devil is resting over the landscape of Barcelona (the mountains behind are Collserola, the mountains in front are Montjuïc, the city is between them and the Mediterranean sea is on the right).

This devil that "threatens" the city represents Anarchism, the anti-capitalist and anti-state ideology that was very widespread among the Catalan working class between the mid-19th century up until 1939. This artist's effort to paint this ideology in the worst light possible -literally as the devil- answers to its growing popularity at the moment and the threat it represented for the ruling class.

In the year 1919, the CNT (the main anarchist union) had 427,000 affiliates in Catalonia alone. At the time, Catalonia had less than 2,000,000 inhabitants total, so over one fifth of the country was affiliated to the CNT! And many of those who weren't, in the countryside, were members of sympathizers of similar ideologies but in organizations more focused on farmers, such as Unió de Rabassaires.

Most of the CNT’s affiliates lived in industrialized cities, such as Barcelona (Catalonia’s capital city). In fact, after the 1919 Tragic Week, Barcelona was nicknamed rosa de foc (“rose of fire”) because of the constant protests and barricades that took place in it.

After many successful actions like the Canadenca strike of 1919 that forced the government to limit daily work hours to 8 and raise the salaries, their most successful moment was the period known as “Revolutionary Catalonia”, during the first years of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). All around Catalonia, industries and fields were collectivized by the workers’ unions, and even mansions, palaces, and luxury hotels were given a use for the general good, as the bourgeoisie fled the country to conservative parts of Spain.

This came to an end when the Spanish army led by Franco won the Spanish Civil War and occupied Catalonia. Tens of thousands of these anarchists, as well as communists, people who defended the Catalan language and Catalonia’s sovereignty, and other antifascists had to go on exile, crossing the Pyrenee mountains by foot and being locked in refugee concentration camps by France. The ones who stayed home had to go into hiding and were persecuted, tortured and killed for their ideology by the fascist dictatorship.

[historydepicted]

New paintings! These depict fighters from the early years of the American Revolutionary War (loyalists on the left, patriots on the right). They were commissioned by Monmouth Timeline Inc., and will be on display at the Burrowes Mansion Museum in Matawan New Jersey, part of the Matawan Historical Society, in celebration of its 300th anniversary. I’ll share photos of them on site when I have them!

[popculturegenealogy]

The specter of the genealogist stereotype

In 1982, Peter Andrews wrote in American Heritage that the "stereotype of the genealogist" has been familiar in popular culture, usually a "specific type, easily recognizable and faintly ridiculous," whether an elderly lady examining musty records or a "retired clergyman supplementing his pension." He adds that this meant that genealogy, itself, "carried an air of quackery about it." However, he says this is no longer the case. This is evident in some series I have written about on this blog before, like Amphibia, Infinity Train, Steven Universe, and throughout the recent reboot of Carmen Sandiego, to name a few posts, apart from last week's post reviewing genealogy in the Outlander series. This is not unique to those series, however. After all, as a podcast, BlackGenProLive, “genealogy and history are en vogue in popular culture, largely due to the number of television programs that are themed around the topics,” and noted in FamilyTree, with The Guardian even saying the current family history boom is due to the internet and TV. [1] Genealogy and family history is widespread in popular culture, with some authors, like Juliette Eames, creating customized children's family history books for people! As Thomas Jay Kemp put it in 2013, "you can find references to genealogy everywhere in America these days."

Reprinted from my Genealogy in Popular Culture WordPress blog. Originally published on April 12, 2021.

John D. Beatty of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center wrote in 2018 that genealogists before the 1970s especially only played "incidental roles in eccentric, snobby, or dysfunctional veins." He called the famous satirical painting by Grant Wood, Daughters of Revolution, criticizing the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), one of the first "artistic depictions of genealogists," and noted a few other examples prior to the 1970s:

In the 1942 film Castle in the Desert, Professor Gleason, a genealogist with a "moustache and walking stick," arrives at a a mansion of another affuelent man, and he is introduced as a genealogist who will “tell us about the monkeys in our family trees.” He later inquires about a notorious family and the wife of the affulent man gives him a warning, and he died after drinking a cocktail. The message of this film for such a superficial portrayal of a genealogist, is that genealogy is "something that only interested the upper classes and involved the lineages of famous families."

In a 1961 episode of the The Andy Griffith Show, “A Plaque for Mayberry," a town mayor summons a sheriff and his deputy, where they meet two elegantly dressed ladies of a Women’s Historical Society, declaring that they are "attempting to trace the descendant of a Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Tibbs, who had played a pivotal role at the Incident of Mayberry Bridge," which supposedly turned the tide of the war, wanting access to town records. Ultimately, while the genealoists serve only as incidental characters, the view of genealogical research as "a blue-blooded occupation and those who pursue it do so only to find links to prominent forebears" is communicated once more.

In a 1969 film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond goes undercover as a genealogist in order to "investigate Blofeld’s claims of nobility," and it again promotes a view of "genealogists as effete elitists, a campy profession that attracted only eccentrics."

In a 1969 comedy-drama, The Sterile Cuckoo, Pookie Adams is not a genealogist, but loves cemeteries, taking her boyfriend to a graveyard, extoling the "ability to find stories of the departed by reading their epitaphs." Beatty suggests that this shows that "cemeteries were not places that psychologically-healthy people ever visited."

After 1970, Beatty specifically holds up Roots as shattering the "notion that genealogy was only for the blue-blooded," and says that Alex Haley "embodied a sense of normalcy that had eluded earlier caricatures of genealogists." This is much better than the "magical quality" displayed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by transphobic J.K. Rowling, with genealogy not explored at length in the film, none of the characters as genealogists, and the family genealogy is only a minor plot device. Contrast this with the controversial film, The Da Vinci Code, in 2006, where genealogical research plays a key role in the film itself,and various popular television shows [2] where ordinary ancestors are discussed. Even though research is often minimized, Beatty argues that these shows "provide some insight into research methodology." He concludes his article by saying that new portrayals reflect a change in genealogy over time, including further professionalization and democratization which makes it more available to the masses, even while he acknowledges no one should expect genealogists to become "commonplace on the silver screen" even if they show up more in television. He then hopes for complex and diverse genealogical characters in the future which are devoid of stereotypes and are problem-solvers.

Not accounting for documentaries with family history themes, like Children of the Inquisition, Birthplace, and August: Osage County as pointed out by Esther of MyHeritage, Helen, in an undated post on her genealogy blog, gives a few examples of genetic genealogy in popular culture:

The TV series Shameless. In a 2011 episode, "Nana Gallagher Had an Affair," an estranged mother tried to get custody of her son, but finds out that her ex-husband, Frank, is the biological father. In a 2016 episode "Own Your Shit," a brother takes another ancestry DNA test, showing that Carl is "part Native American, specifically Apache, securing him a reserved place." Then there's the 2017 episode "Got Bless Her Rotting Soul," where a family friend takes a DNA screening test, finding a "rare chromosomal pattern" which belongs to a fictional, and isolated, community in rural Kentucky.

In a 2018 episodes of the series, A Discovery of Witches, there is a study of genetics of various species, like demons, witches, and vampires, including an explanation of mitochondrial DNA

In a 2018 episode of the series, Bull, "The Missing Piece," a team assists a man after police identify him as a suspect using "investigative genetic genealogy via a match in a for-profit genetic genealogy company's customer database," and he finds out that he was adopted and had an identical twin brother, with the revelation of a twin brother resulting "in all charges against him being dropped."

In a 2018 episode of Blue Bloods, "Thicker Than Water," two detectives investigate an attempted murder after a daughter discovers, using a consumer DNA test that "the doctor is her biological father." Oh no, what a shock! In a later episode of Blue Bloods, "Family Secrets," in 2020, one character is puzzled by an "unknown first cousin match on his paternal side when he does a consumer DNA test for a school assignment."

In the series Grey's Anatomy, there is an episode in 2019, "Blood and Water," where a doctor orders a DNA test to "overcome her fears about her unknown genetic heritage when feeling pressured to have children." In another 2019 episode, "And Dream of Sheep," a co-worker is able to identify the birth mother of his friend using a "first cousin DNA match."

In a 2019 episode of The Good Fight, "The One where a Nazi Gets Punched," a law firm represents plaintiffs in a lawsuit against a "direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing company."

In a 2019 episode of Nancy Drew, "The Hidden Staircase," a co-worker whips out a DNA test from her lock, asking her long-lost cousin for "some of his saliva for a DNA comparison to help her uncover her mother's mysterious past."

In a 2020 episode of Stumptown, "The Past and the Furious," a former marine and current PI, is hired to track down the birth parents of an adoptee.

In a 2020 episode of Vera, "Parent Not Expected," a DCI investigates the death of a young man who had recently found, through a DNA test, that "the man who raised him was not his biological father," with the admin of an online genealogy forum helping people identify their biological fathers.

"The laws governing inheritance are quite unknown; no one can say why the same peculiarity in different individuals of the same species, and in individuals of different species, is sometimes inherited and sometimes not so; why the child often reverts in certain characters to its grandfather or grandmother or other much more remote ancestor; why a peculiarity is often transmitted from one sex to both sexes, or to one sex alone, more commonly but not exclusively to the like sex"- Chapter 1 of The Origin of the Species

On a related note, in 2013, Daisy Hildyard in The Guardian listed ten literary works about ancestors, specifically pointing to Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth, "This Be the Verse" by Philip Larkin, The Rainbow by DH Lawrence, Bleak House by Charles Dickens, On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, "The Eternity of Nature" by John Clare, Brief Lives by John Aubrey, Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare, Chronicles by Holinshed, and The Bible. Family history themes are even more widespread than this, however. Noel Murray, in 2015, talked about nine films focusing on family secrets, specifically Little White Lie, Secrets & Lies, A Family Thing, Lone Star, Siskel & Ebert, Capturing the Friedmans, The Celebration, Ida, Daughter from Danang, My Architect, and Stories We Tell. Others have written about genealogy in the realm of theater, of which were are various examples, [3] or noted some of the "most insane families in anime." On the latter, in a post for the Anime News Network, Gia Manry mentioned:

Arcana Famiglia (La storia della Arcana Famiglia), a mafia-style family

The Rozen Maidens (Rozen Maiden), sister dolls

The Ushiromiya Family (Umineko no Naku Koro ni), a huge clan

The Matou Family (Fate/stay night), creators of a system that serves as a central conflict throughout the franchise as a whole

Eastern Europe (Hetalia), composed of personified nations

Britannian Royal Family (Code Geass), has a family history "chock-full of colorful characters, political intrigue, and outrageous deaths"

The Hair Siblings (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo), siblings fighting over their inheritance to the Hair Kingdom and are totally bonkers

The Ikari Family (Neon Genesis Evangelion), a clan which has a lot of internal family problems

Some others, like BYU Family History, lists family history themes in the White supremacist Back to the Future, and other films, like Lion King, Holes, Star Wars, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Hitch, and Mulan. As one genealogist put it, "genealogy has changed; but yet it has not," with genealogists continuing to seek out "records hidden in courthouse attics and basements."

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] There may be some reviews of popular culture in Christine Scodari’s book Alternate Roots: Ethnicity, Race, and Identity in Genealogy Media, although I’m not sure. But I'll try to get the book and let you know what I think, writing about it on here.

[2] Like Who Do You Think You Are, Genealogy Roadshow, and Finding Your Roots. Some scholars have criticized what they call "selective rememberance" on these TV shows.

[3] In one post, Sydney Orton,talks about family history themes in Ragtime, Bandstand, The Pirate Queen, Miss Saigon, Finding Neverland, Evita, Bonnie & Clyde, Fiddler on the Roof, and Big River. In another post, she focuses on similar themes in Come From Away, 1776, Allegiance, Anastasia, 9 to 5, Les Miserables, Newsies, A Tale of Two Cities, Bright Star, Memphis, West Side Story, Titanic: The Musical, The Sound of Music, and The Civil War.

[archaeval]

ooc. someone remind me to write up my dc verse proper this week so i can have my shapeshifting spibrarian cause problems in metrocity. blurb below :0

the basic rundown is about 250 years ago she came to america when the sprawling city was all cobblestone and carriages, pre-revolutionary war. Her library seemed to spring up unusually fast, when in reality she commissioned an empty facade of a mansion to be built and she, having always been a genus loci of sorts connected to the sprawling basements and corridors of her library, settled in. (Like a hermit crab lol)

since then, she's done the bare minimum to hold up the facade that the library has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. The city grew and spread until the land was no longer surrounded by countryside but by urban life, and the lark private library is a staple of the community. Though it will never fully adapt to the times -- computers don't work well in there, and she still isn't sure what to do about their sorry excuse for wifi -- ruby makes sure that she's got up to date nonfiction and research material, and gladly accepts requests and donations for modern fiction and literature.

Ruby has done everything she can to keep her true identity a secret. at night, she transforms from someone who looks 95% human, into her spider form, and of course there are urban legends galore about people getting lost and eaten in her basement corridors. They don't know how true it is. But, in her defense, she's got the stairwell door locked and clearly marked employees only, so it's not like anyone can wind up there by accident.

[vanquishedvaliant]

I posted 38,304 times in 2022

313 posts created (1%)

37,991 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@gae-bolg-alternative-dot-exe

@arachnofiend

@everybodylovestitties

@shuttershocky

@onefatweeb

I tagged 5,827 of my posts in 2022

#qvvevve - 951 posts

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Longest Tag: 134 characters

#stealing tagsso true as an ex minor i can confirm that becoming an adult against my will is weirdwe need to study these people’s minds

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

For people with actual culture and the ability to actual appreciate art and read critically, Vampire in the Garden is a beautiful, heart-felt take on classic star-crossed lovers via the medium of music in a painterly, evocative setting of the decaying culture of Russia’s slide from tsarist decadence into militant communist utilitarianism.

Where Humans have retreated behind tall concrete walls and use industrial technology, military might, and hard labour to survive the onslaught of blood-thirsty vampires and the cold of winter, the vampires live amidst decaying palaces and mansions awash in the lingering remnants of art, music, and history as their lower classes lose their minds to their hunger and their base instincts, starving for blood. Among them, our protagonists are both outcasts; a human girl disillusioned with the bleak and joyless life of the stronghold desperate for meaning, and the Queen of vampires, equally disheartened by the meaningless brutality and decline of her people and burdened by the tragedy of her lost love, who meet in the dark of night, both of their yearnings for more connected by the simple act of mournful song as they travel together to search for a paradise where they can live together, human and vampire and appreciate music and love in peace. Frankly; this movie is beautiful. The aesthetic of post-revolutionary industrial Russia feels under-utilized in similar media, and the depiction of the snowy reaches and dilapidated mansions as both harsh and deadly but also beautiful and serene comes across clearly between the more gritty struggles of human and vampire existence. Music and visuals are both pristine and evocative, and there’s plenty of vivid imagery reflecting the narrative.

The explicit and central homosexuality of the protagonists as both women-loving-women is integral to the story and serves to enhance the Shakespearean tale of love, war, and tragedy as their struggles to express themselves clash in parallel with the rigid expectations of their societies; a queen expected to marry and breed to continue her imperial bloodline, and a girl expected to surrender personal desires to the uncaring military machine.

No slouches either; the antagonists and deuteragonists of the film are no less ripe for dissection; men and women so wholly committed to the ideology of their regime that reconsideration is impossible; who have given their lives and their love to the cause and would sooner die than be broken by the weight of their sacrifices bearing down on them even as the lies unravel and reality confronts them head on.

I’d absolutely recommend Vampire in the Garden to anyone looking for anime with more artistic integrity and cinematic grandeur than mainstream fare, but it’s absolutely essential that it’s watched as one piece! Despite Netflix’s format and advertising, this is not a television series with 5 episodes! This is a feature-length movie cut into 5 parts! Please watch them all together!

1,075 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

#4

See the full post

1,344 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

#3

On the topic of Gundam Gays it’s extremely funny how quickly this incredibly well established franchise shot right into its lesbian engagement and then immediately shot down the first blush deniability for it I’m the kind of yuri bait enthusiast who is quite content to simmer in the Unspoken Text and veiled longings and plausible deniability and am wary to overly criticize it when it’s not overstaying its welcome

But to have Gundam of all things hit you in literally episode 1 with “It’s 2022 in Space and you’re still homophobic? That’s cringe.” is incredible.

1,750 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#2

We actually literally just witnessed a trans girl win the grand finals of EVO 2022 Guilty Gear simultaneous with them announcing that Bridget is coming back to the game and is now She/Her

We actually live in this world for real

1,766 notes - Posted August 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

If the gayness can be denied it can just as easily be called queerbaiting. Text (and subtext) is less impactful and meaningful than action, even in the right direction. I think if gay people say it's not good enough isn't that an indication that it isn't good enough or enough for them to feel represented?

No.

There’s been a concept in social media activism that the primary perceived value of queer content in media is how loudly it demonstrates inclusion of a particular identity, and a lot of popular media gets judged solely on this aspect, like it’s checking off a tickbox for binary approval. 

A kiss has been chosen by many of these circles to be the most concrete binary proof you can have for a character’s queer sexuality, but putting aside the fact that many identities don’t benefit from that at all; (theoretically a bi person would have to kiss 2 different genders to ‘prove’ themselves this way, why would a trans person kissing anyone prove anything, asexual or aromantic obviously inapplicable, etc) w 

It’s simply incorrect that text is less impactful than “action”, given that media is Text. The Text is what comprises its “action” and what it’s statement of intent is. A kiss is not action, a kiss is Text. A gay character that does kiss or meets whatever satisfaction the audience deems for “representation” is still a creation of Text as much as a gay character that never kisses anyone. There’s no separation there. This wholesale disregard of theme and meaning of text and subtext in fiction and instead only approving media-friendly headline screenshots is one of the greatest tragedies of modern popular culture.

Treating the ‘undeniable’ existence of a queer character as “action” and “representation’ and not examining the actual context of their inclusion and what the story says about their identity, their lives, and their experiences is how you get Disney’s First Gay Character popping up in the news twice a year- it’s become more important for the headlines to State that you have one than for them to actually be important or meaningfully written, or for the story to have anything to say about the character or their lives. At this point of popular social media understanding, Queerbaiting simply does not mean what people have begun to use it to describe. Queerbaiting was intended to refers to deliberate marketing attempts to accrue viewership by over-promising the presence or importance of queer content to Bait in queer viewers hoping to be included. The key part of Queerbaiting is the intentional misdirection here, and because of that there is a very important distinction between queer subtext that is created to build intentional undertones and that which is included specifically to tease and entice viewers with the promise of more.

Many anime shows that people accuse of queerbaiting are doing exactly the opposite; in the case of Flip Flappers the overwhelming Text of the story is largely and centrally focused on the burgeoning sexuality of a young girl as she grows up and realizes that what her heart desires may conflict with expectations set by herself, her family, and society at large. That remains true through to the end of the story where she makes a breakthrough in her understanding of herself and her place in life and her sexuality is a major part of that.

A kiss is not at all required for this, but because there isn’t one people somehow become convinced that the story is “baiting” them desptie the actual meat of the story itself being fundamentally about being queer. Now, there’s definitely room for subjective differences in appreciation here, especially taking more Yuri works as a whole (particular Slice of Life), in which many of them do place their queer undertones as a less central tenet that aren’t deeply explored. I’m not saying that you as an individual can’t feel that you’re not satisfied without a more substantial story; but it doesn’t mean these stories have Failed in their role of Representation; they still have value and purpose whether they meet that shallow criteria or not. And it doesn’t mean that they aren’t Real and these characters aren’t quite obviously gay to anyone paying even the slightest attention.

What I’m actually hearing most of the time is that people consider the capital r Representation buzzword to tick off a box of “HAS LESBIAN” to be more important to them than actually reading a Story about gay people that has something meaningful to say; Add further to this deeper disqualifying factors restricting death, tragedy, “unhealthy” relationships, etc. And you quickly begin to cut down the number of stories you accept to only those which portray a superficial, consumer-friendly veneer of queerness.

This is in itself a sanitization of Queer identity that doesn’t celebrate or represent anyone; it’s selling an idea of Queerness that is clean, palatable, easily accessed.

That’s simply not enough to satisfy me, and it shouldn’t be for you either. 

1,896 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

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[haitherelonelynerds]

The Battery and White Point Garden: A Guide to Charleston’s Historic Waterfront

History of The Battery and White Point Garden

The Battery and White Point Garden are two of Charleston, South Carolina’s most iconic and picturesque landmarks, steeped in history and offering stunning views of the harbor. Together, they form a beautiful public park that serves as both a historical site and a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. https://medium.com/@epoxypalmetto/charleston-waterfront-park-a-serene-oasis-by-the-harbor-bc02297bcfd0

The Battery is a defensive seawall and promenade that stretches along the southern tip of the Charleston Peninsula. The name "Battery" originates from the coastal defense artillery battery that was once stationed there. The construction of the Battery began in the early 19th century, initially as a means of protecting the city from potential naval attacks. Over time, it evolved into a popular promenade, lined with grand antebellum homes that reflect Charleston's architectural heritage.

White Point Garden is a public park located at the southeastern tip of The Battery, where the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet. The park's name comes from the piles of bleached oyster shells that once covered the point, giving it a distinctive white appearance. Established in 1837, White Point Garden has been a focal point of Charleston's public life for nearly two centuries. It has served various purposes over the years, including as a public garden, a military parade ground, and a site for numerous monuments and memorials.

During the Civil War, The Battery and White Point Garden played crucial roles in Charleston's defense. Confederate troops stationed artillery here to guard against Union naval forces. Today, the park and promenade stand as reminders of Charleston's rich history, offering visitors a serene environment to enjoy the beauty of the Lowcountry.

Visiting The Battery and White Point Garden

Exploring The Battery and White Point Garden is a must-do for anyone visiting Charleston. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make the most of your visit:

1. Getting There

Location: The Battery and White Point Garden are located at the southern tip of the Charleston Peninsula, easily accessible by foot, car, or bike from downtown Charleston.

Parking: There is limited street parking available around The Battery, so arriving early is recommended. Alternatively, there are several parking garages and lots in the downtown area, within walking distance.

2. What to See

Historic Mansions: The Battery is lined with some of Charleston’s most impressive and historic homes, many of which date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable mansions include the Edmonston-Alston House, the Palmer Home, and the historic Nathaniel Russell House, all of which offer tours that provide a glimpse into the life of Charleston’s elite during the antebellum period.

Cannons and Monuments: White Point Garden is home to a collection of Civil War-era cannons and military monuments. As you stroll through the park, you’ll find artillery pieces that once defended the city, as well as several monuments commemorating various aspects of Charleston’s military history, including the Confederate Defenders of Charleston monument and the USS Hobson Memorial.

Statues and Memorials: In addition to military artifacts, White Point Garden features statues and memorials that honor notable figures and events from Charleston’s past. The statue of General William Moultrie, a Revolutionary War hero, and the “Pirates’ Monument,” which commemorates the hanging of pirates in the early 1700s, are just a couple of the noteworthy installations.

3. Activities and Attractions

Walking Tours: One of the best ways to experience The Battery and White Point Garden is by taking a walking tour. Guided tours are available, offering historical insights and stories that bring the area’s past to life. For those who prefer to explore independently, self-guided tours are also popular, allowing visitors to take in the sights at their own pace.

Photography: The Battery and White Point Garden are incredibly photogenic, with the grand mansions, live oaks draped in Spanish moss, and views of the harbor providing countless opportunities for beautiful photos. The morning and late afternoon light are especially favorable for capturing the area’s charm.

Picnicking: White Point Garden is an ideal spot for a leisurely picnic. With its shaded benches and open green spaces, it’s a perfect place to relax, enjoy a meal, and take in the views. Be sure to bring a blanket and some local Charleston treats to complete the experience.

Bird Watching: The area is also a haven for bird watchers, with numerous species frequenting the garden and waterfront. Keep an eye out for pelicans, egrets, and other coastal birds as you explore.

4. What to Bring

Comfortable Shoes: The Battery and White Point Garden are best explored on foot, so comfortable walking shoes are a must. The terrain is mostly flat, making it an easy stroll, but you’ll want footwear that can handle a few hours of walking.

Weather-Appropriate Clothing: Charleston’s weather can vary, so check the forecast before you visit. In summer, lightweight, breathable clothing, a hat, and sunscreen are essential, while in winter, a light jacket might be necessary.

Camera or Smartphone: The picturesque scenery is worth capturing, so don’t forget your camera or smartphone. The Battery’s historic homes and the harbor views are particularly photogenic.

5. Nearby Attractions

Charleston Waterfront Park: Just a short walk from The Battery, this park offers more beautiful views of the harbor and features the famous Pineapple Fountain. It’s a great spot to relax and enjoy the waterfront.

Rainbow Row: Another iconic Charleston landmark, Rainbow Row is a series of pastel-colored historic homes located a short distance from The Battery. It’s one of the most photographed areas in the city and well worth a visit.

Charleston Harbor: Consider taking a harbor tour to see The Battery and White Point Garden from the water. These tours often include views of other historic sites, such as Fort Sumter, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, and the USS Yorktown.

6. Accessibility

Physical Accessibility: The Battery promenade and White Point Garden are accessible to visitors with disabilities. Paved paths and wide walkways make it easy for wheelchairs and strollers to navigate. However, some areas around the historic homes may have uneven surfaces.

Restrooms and Facilities: Public restrooms are available nearby at the Charleston Waterfront Park, and there are benches throughout White Point Garden for resting.

7. Special Events and Programs

Seasonal Events: Throughout the year, The Battery and White Point Garden host a variety of events, including seasonal festivals, historical reenactments, and outdoor concerts. Check local listings for events that may coincide with your visit.

Educational Programs: Local organizations and historical societies often offer educational programs and lectures in the area, providing deeper insights into Charleston’s history and the significance of The Battery and White Point Garden.

Conclusion

The Battery and White Point Garden offer a unique blend of natural beauty and historical significance, making them essential stops on any visit to Charleston, SC. Whether you’re interested in history, architecture, or simply enjoying a peaceful stroll along the waterfront, these sites provide a perfect setting for a memorable experience. Take your time to explore the grand mansions, reflect on the historical monuments, and soak in the views of Charleston Harbor. This guide will help ensure that your visit to The Battery and White Point Garden is both enjoyable and enriching.

[insearchofthesuns]

On the Peoples of The Evernight

A myriad people dwell in the remnant of the world-that-was. Some are survivors of what was, brilliant souls made dull by the lack of the bright stars. Others crawled from the Deep to mingle with the world when The Down became The Up. Some have only ever known darkness, so youthful are their kind.

What is clear however, is that all the peoples of The Evernight must rely on their fellows for survival. Outright war is rare now, no one people can rely on their strength alone, and war is costly, a waste of supplies and bodies that cannot be easily replaced in this Age of Ink. This has led to a breakdown in many of the traditional barriers that once kept the peoples of the world apart. Humanity may still find suspicious the methods of Demonkind, but gone is the time when The Church would have dispatched exorcists to drive the Demons away. The Viridian may once have been the undisputed domain of Piscine Horrors, but even Horrors need to eat, and not everything can be taken.

Scarcity and common goals have created strange bedfellows of ancient enemies. Friction remains, conflict brews, many cultures and societies still hold firm to ancient grudges and even more ancient superstitions, but no culture is a monolith, and none can afford to shun with totality an outstretched hand (or claw, or fin, or tendril.) Tonight it’s not uncommon to see Demons strolling through the halls of the University, to witness the jelly-faced Alchemists imbibing alongside a Deepling baron in a back alley honey den, or to surveil a revolutionary meeting of downtrodden Glintlings led by a classically handsome Imperial Human firebrand.

Soon, the Codex will reveal a small collection of the faces and the names that comprise the most dominant cultures within The Evernight. From proud and numerous Humankind to secretive and suspicious Glintlings; From mighty Demons in their polished mansions to the reeking slum-warrens of The Nightwarped; From the cartel-cabals of Flayed princes to the lightless embassies of benthic Forktongues… all secrets will be revealed.

When the pages next turn…

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.24 (before 1930)

367 – Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father. 394 – The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is written. 410 – The Visigoths under King Alaric I begin to pillage Rome. 1185 – Sack of Thessalonica by the Normans. 1200 – King John of England, signer of the first Magna Carta, marries Isabella of Angoulême in Angoulême Cathedral. 1215 – Pope Innocent III issues a bull declaring Magna Carta invalid. 1349 – Six thousand Jews are killed in Mainz after being blamed for the bubonic plague. 1482 – The town and castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured from Scotland by an English army. 1516 – The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Syria at the Battle of Marj Dabiq. 1561 – Willem of Orange marries duchess Anna of Saxony. 1608 – The first official English representative to India lands in Surat. 1643 – A Dutch fleet establishes a new colony in the ruins of Valdivia in southern Chile. 1662 – The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is legally enforced as the liturgy of the Church of England, precipitating the Great Ejection of Dissenter ministers from their benefices. 1682 – William Penn receives the area that is now the state of Delaware, and adds it to his colony of Pennsylvania. 1690 – Job Charnock of the East India Company establishes a factory in Calcutta, an event formerly considered the founding of the city (in 2003 the Calcutta High Court ruled that the city's foundation date is unknown). 1743 – The War of the Hats: The Swedish army surrenders to the Russians in Helsinki, ending the war and starting Lesser Wrath. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: A small force of Pennsylvania militia is ambushed and overwhelmed by an American Indian group, which forces George Rogers Clark to abandon his attempt to attack Detroit. 1789 – The first naval battle of the Svensksund began in the Gulf of Finland.[10] 1812 – Peninsular War: A coalition of Spanish, British, and Portuguese forces succeed in lifting the two-and-a-half-year-long Siege of Cádiz. 1814 – British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set the Presidential Mansion, Capitol, Navy Yard and many other public buildings ablaze. 1815 – The modern Constitution of the Netherlands is signed. 1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis is signed in St. Louis, Missouri. 1820 – Constitutionalist insurrection at Oporto, Portugal. 1821 – The Treaty of Córdoba is signed in Córdoba, now in Veracruz, Mexico, concluding the Mexican War of Independence from Spain. 1857 – The Panic of 1857 begins, setting off one of the most severe economic crises in United States history. 1870 – The Wolseley expedition reaches Manitoba to end the Red River Rebellion. 1898 – Count Muravyov, Foreign Minister of Russia presents a rescript that convoked the First Hague Peace Conference. 1909 – Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal. 1911 – Manuel de Arriaga is elected and sworn in as the first President of Portugal. 1914 – World War I: German troops capture Namur. 1914 – World War I: The Battle of Cer ends as the first Allied victory in the war. 1929 – Second day of two-day Hebron massacre during the 1929 Palestine riots: Arab attacks on the Jewish community in Hebron in the British Mandate of Palestine, result in the death of 65–68 Jews; the remaining Jews are forced to flee the city.

[uncleweed]

ARUNDHATI ROY

When I was growing up in Kerala, to nourish the English part of my brain—there was a Malayalam part, too—there was a lot of Shakespeare and a lot of Kipling, a combination of the most beautiful, lyrical language and some very unlyrical politics, although I didn’t see it that way then . . . I was definitely influenced by them, as I have been later by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, John Berger, Joyce, Nabokov. What an impossible task it is to list the writers one loves and admires. I’m grateful for the lessons one learns from great writers, but also from imperialists, sexists, friends, lovers, oppressors, revolutionaries—everybody. Everybody has something to teach a writer. My reading can switch rather oddly from Mrs. Dalloway to a report about the National Register of Citizens and the two million people in Assam who have been struck off it and have suddenly ceased to be Indian citizens. Ceased to have any rights whatsoever.

A novel that overwhelmed me recently is Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. Just incredible—the audacity, the range of characters and situations. It begins with a surreal description of the Volga burning—the gasoline floating on the surface of the water catching fire, giving the illusion of a burning river—as the battle for Stalingrad rages. The manuscript was arrested by the Soviet authorities, as though it were a person. Another recent read was The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, by Giorgio Bassani. It’s about the time just before World War II, when many Jews in Italy were members of the Fascist Party. The Finzi-Continis are an elite Jewish family who live in a mansion with huge grounds and tennis courts. The book is centered around a love affair between the daughter of the Finzi-Continis and a person who is an outsider to that world as the Holocaust closes in. There is something about the unchanging stillness of that compound, the refusal to acknowledge what is happening, even while the darkness deepens around it. It is chilling and so eerily contemporary. All of the entitled Finzi-Continis end up dead. Considering what happened in Stalinist Russia, what happened in Europe during World War II—one is reading, searching for ways to understand the present. What fascinates me is how some of the people who were shot by Stalin’s firing squads died shouting “Long live Stalin!” People who labored in the gulag camps wept when he died. Ordinary Germans never rose up against Hitler, even as he persisted with a war that turned their cities into rubble. I look for clues to human psychology in Ian Kershaw’s biography of Hitler, in the memoirs of Nadezhda Mandelstam, wife of the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam, whom Stalin basically killed, in the poems of Anna Akhmatova and Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov.