#so every now and then one of the little fruit creature segments would be just that little bit too much for me to handle

[hand-face-chan]

Uhmm.... other

[dranna]

Blossoming Love through the Ages

2500BC - Prologue

AO3 / Commissions / Links / Chapter 1

Warnings: mentions of death

Summary: How does their friendship and eventually their feelings blossomed through the ages? I'm attempting to rethink the scenes we saw from the seasons, adding Crowle's thoughts and additional segments.

Line art by me:)

After I finished the first chapter, I realised I should've started with a prologue (and the "Before the Beginning", so I'll start that, after I've finished this era).

I'll also stop putting "Crowley’s POV" at the beginning of every chapter, because the entirety of the fic, will be from Crowley's point of view. ( I've tried placing the Land of Uz, somewhere around the Red Sea )

The Demon with the burning hair, 

Was sitting in a cool shelter, 

Watching people’s trading fair.

How crowded was the place, 

Full of life and merry ways.

The Land of Uz was quite a spot, 

To hold a scene for many different folk, 

Because the Red Sea was a few days away, 

Many mortals visited the region there.

He haven’t realised it yet, 

But he liked watching humans’ life, 

How they go by, 

And coming up with new ideas.

How could there be, so many of them already? 

It seems like it was yesterday, 

That all of them was wiped away,  

By the huge ass flooding of the sphere.

Wasn't there only eight of them on that boat,

That carried the animal pairs too onboard? 

Huh.., how weird humans are. 

It will be a real nuisance, 

When they’ll try to eliminate them.

Within the next 6000 years. 

– exhaled interestingly, 

While he was eyeing,

A wine merchant on the street.

Ha! What sprang the plan, 

To take that little fruit they call a grape,

And then juice the meat, 

Turning it into a drink at the end? 

– It was around the time, 

When Planet Earth started it’s wellbeing, 

To host an abode for the creatures of the Supreme Being. 

It’s been quite a while, 

Since They, Up and Down plan something in a style,

I wonder what their future projects are,

Tho I wouldn't mind a little off time,

Now everything seems slow and kind—

– One of the traders’ voice of great wine, 

Started to intertwine,

With a deep, deep cry,

That came from the terrors of the basement's call line.

“Best wine of this land!

Get it only for a– little playfulness, 

A great morning, isn't it Crowley?

I have big news for you!

I’m pretty sure,

You will let out proudly

How lucky are thee,

Because you just got the task,

To kill and consume all the things, 

That God’s pet, 

Job got!

“But the holy management–”

“Do not worry about punishment, 

You just got a free pass!”

And with that, 

A parchment that looked huge and old, 

Appeared in front of the serpent’s foot.

Just when he started to enjoy existence, 

He was sent to cause turbulence. 

None seemed to notice what happened, 

It was only Crowley, 

Who grew cold instead. 

Oh for Satan’s sake!

Couldn't they have sent someone else?

He looks like a good lad, 

Punish him only because of a bet?

– After that, 

You could see the yellow eyed man, 

Standing in the gloom,

Studying the papyrus, like he is searching for a tomb. 

 Everything is written perfectly clear here, 

Demolish all his belongings and children…

Not the children!

But… You and I can't kill kids, 

They’ve done absolutely nothing! 

Why do You beat them, 

For something they didn't act?

A few hours after the exchange of that, 

Crowley stopped reading the parchment of death,

Sorrow, what felt the ruby head,

However he would never admit to that,

He started drinking all the wine, 

The vendors had left behind. 

Isolated what he felt, 

As like being a wall, 

Between him and joy. 

I’m supposed to be overjoyed, 

That I got that job,

Every Demon would be glad, 

To do the deed I have,

So why can’t I?

During the hours, when the Sun was the tallest on the Blue,

A man could be seen walking friendless,

Towards the hills in loneliness.

There was a feeling in the air, 

That didn't promise anything well,

The heat was raging in fury,

While the man was climbing the mountains fully.

No bird song could be heard, 

The figure dressed in black sad no word,

He looked like one in headache, 

Contemplating heartbreak.

˜

Thank you for reading!

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Tags my beloveds: @giosnape

[gusu-emilu]

orange segments

Ship: Jiang Cheng / Qin Su (one-sided, sorry JC)

Summary: Jiang Cheng and Qin Su share a few moments (and an orange) with Jin Ling and each other.

Rated G, Fluff, brief mention of canon-typical violence

Read on AO3 or on Tumblr below

* * *

A-Ling passes the orange back and forth between his tiny hands, nearly dropping it once. His eyes shine bright with mirth at this simple game.

He's still so little. Jiang Cheng has seen plenty of children in Lotus Pier, yet he is always surprised by how small A-Ling is if he thinks about it too much. Both of his hands, still fiddling with the orange, could fit in Jiang Cheng’s. His nose is a little bump; his oversized ears stick out and somehow make him look even smaller.

Perhaps it is so difficult to process how little A-Ling is because it seems like every time Jiang Cheng visits Jinlintai, A-Ling is a bit bigger. Today he's two years old—and a half, as he’s been proclaiming.

With a sudden peal of laughter, A-Ling places the orange on the floor and rolls it to Qin Su, who is kneeling in front of him with Jiang Cheng. The round fruit gently thuds into her knee. “Shenshen!” A-Ling calls. “Make it for me?”

“Alright,” Qin Su says softly. She glances at Jiang Cheng with a smirk, then picks up the orange, cleans it, and begins peeling it. “How come you don’t make your jiujiu do any work?”

“He makes me do plenty,” Jiang Cheng counters before A-Ling can erupt into one of his new favorite remarks to offend him. It doesn’t make a difference.

“Jiujiu is too busy pouting!” A-Ling says through giggles, and Qin Su laughs with him. He undoubtedly learned this jab from her.

Qin Su has only been in Jinlintai for several months, her lavish wedding to Jin Guangyao still a fresh memory in the cultivation world, yet she has taken a liking to teasing Jiang Cheng quite rapidly. Somehow, they’d become friends over A-Ling after just a few times meeting each other. Qin Su, eager for a child of her own and perhaps even more eager to make pleasant acquaintances outside her maids—a difficult task in the snake pit of Jinlintai—latched onto him and A-Ling quickly. Although Jiang Cheng is not sure how he counts as a pleasant acquaintance.

As for how he ended up taking a liking to Qin Su…he supposes that anyone who treats A-Ling well will inevitably gain his favor. The fact that Qin Su is warm-hearted and sensible, intelligent and down-to-earth enough to see through the vacuous opulence of her new clan, and stubbornly cheeky enough to poke fun at Jiang Cheng of all people—and also that maybe Jiang Cheng is a bit lonely—that could have something to do with it, too. Potentially.

He might also have a miniscule crush on her.

But Qin Su is a married woman, expecting her own son in the coming months, and even if three quarters of the matchmakers have blacklisted Jiang Cheng like he’s some threat to womankind, he isn’t so much of a monster that he would dare disrespect Qin Su’s honor. A crush is not an idea he can entertain.

They're just friends who happen to look after the same little boy.

“If I did pout,” Jiang Cheng says, shooting a stern look at Qin Su, “which I don't, it wouldn’t incapacitate me so much that I can’t peel an orange.”

“Ah, this is good to know,” Qin Su says as she delicately removes another strip of orange peel, then holds the fruit out to Jiang Cheng. “Then I suppose your scowl right now will not hinder you from finishing my work for me.”

A-Ling cackles. Little brat. He probably doesn’t even know why he’s laughing.

The boy watches with twinkling eyes as Jiang Cheng sighs and takes the orange. The bittersweet fragrance of orange rind swirls around Jiang Cheng as he peels the fruit, while Qin Su starts playing a clapping game with A-Ling.

These moments in A-Ling’s room every few weeks hold Jiang Cheng over until the summers, when A-Ling lives in Lotus Pier. Although, now that Jiang Cheng gotten used to Qin Su's company, he’s beginning to wonder if he will miss her during the months he no longer needs to travel to visit A-Ling.

He’s formed comradery with his senior disciples during the war—the cultivators he’d trust with his life—in a way he’d never been able to while he was still the sect heir during times of peace. Watching your home be burned to the ground and fighting back-to-back soaked in blood and mourning the lost can build strong bonds with one's clansmen, if not happy ones.

But this is different.

This might be the closest glimpse of something like family that Jiang Cheng has had since…since two years ago.

Peace, for once.

Half an hour later, A-Ling falls asleep, and Qin Su tells Jiang Cheng about her hometown as they watch over him. Her voice is soft and quiet as she speaks about trips to the ocean and the time she and a friend found a giant sea creature’s fossils sticking out of a crumbled cliffside after an earthquake. Jiang Cheng tells her about the boat racing games he’d play on the lake and the time he got buried under lotus pads, although he doesn’t mention who accompanied him back then.

It’s nice, to share these lost memories, with a child’s cheerfulness between them to break what otherwise might be sorrowful. Qin Su has been separated from her hometown. Jiang Cheng lives in an empty hometown.

Sometimes, he wonders what his life might be like now if it had been he, not Jin Guangyao, who saved Qin Su during the Sunshot Campaign, and if she had pursued him instead. He had never truly wanted a wife (or he at least tries not to think about the one time he considered it), but if marriage could be like this…comfortable, like sitting beside a friend…

What is he doing thinking this way? Even if these wandering delusions weren't about a married woman, he has seen how marriages fail. With his days and his entire mind revolving around his sect when he isn't with A-Ling—or isn't wallowing in his own miseries or isn't lashing out in anger—he's just tired. Callous. He has so little care to offer that the matchmakers were probably right to blacklist him.

Qin Su slides an orange slice between her lips. “Jiang-zongzhu. May I ask—your birth name is Jiang Cheng?”

Surprised by the sudden question, Jiang Cheng just nods.

“Cheng as in chengzi (orange)?” She smiles wryly.

He crosses his arms. “No. Cheng as chengqing (clear). No parents would name a sect heir after a fruit.”

“I think it would have nice imagery. A river of oranges to go with the lotus lake.” She separates a piece of fruit and hands it to him. Although he glares at her, he takes the orange segment, careful not to brush her fingers. But just as he is about to eat it, she adds, “It could also be inspiration to give the Jiang Clan robes a makeover.”

His hand drops to his side, fist closing over the orange segment. “You don’t like our robes?” he asks with more distress in his voice than he intended.

She laughs, eyes bright. “I do. Don’t worry. Violet is a nice color.” She focuses her gaze back down on the orange half she holds in her hands, lips quirked. “You know that I was only pretending to insult you; do not insult me. Eat the piece I gave you.”

“Hmph.” Jiang Cheng pops the orange slice in his mouth and looks away.

“Thank you, Chengzi.”

“You—”

She shushes him. “If you start yelling, A-Ling will wake up.”

Across the room, A-Ling breathes deeply, eyes closed, one side of his faced smushed against his hand. The sight calms Jiang Cheng, although he is still offended.

“Have I ever yelled at you?” he asks.

“You haven't,” Qin Su says thoughtfully. “You can be a bit loud, though.”

Heat rises to his cheeks.

Qin Su doesn’t look over, but somehow she notices the faint blush, as if she has some magical sixth sense for detecting embarrassment. “I enjoy the color violet, I enjoy the company of people who are a bit loud.” She gestures toward A-Ling with the orange in her hand. “So does he, when he's not napping."

"Understood,” Jiang Cheng says, and nods. "A-Ling...A-Ling likes your company, too."

Qin Su smiles and hands over another orange segment. Holding back a smile of his own, Jiang Cheng eats it quietly.

The comfort of a friend, and a glimpse of something like family, is already satisfying enough.

* * *

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, you can be a supportive sibling like Jiang Yanli by visiting me on AO3! :D

江澄 - Jiāng Chéng - "river" and "clear, transparent" 江橙 - sounds exactly the same! - "river" and "orange" hence the "river of oranges" joke shoutout to @qi-ling for mentioning this a few days ago lol

I'm not sure if shenshen (father's younger brother's wife) is what Jin Ling would call Qin Su but I think it's right? Feel free to correct me.

[cross-poison]

CLARITAS. The Mandalorian/OC (PART 8)

WORDS: 3.4k || WARNINGS: spirituality/talk of (made up) religion

a/n: FINALLY finished this part. I hope the fact that it’s almost double my usual chapter length makes up for how overdue it is. 

As the Mandalorian stepped across the central aisle of the marketplace, he locked away in his mind the appearance of the nobleman Elliotte had pointed out to him. Lord Miryus. He’d not only been responsible for spraining Elliotte’s wrist, but also, apparently, a number of ongoing problems here on Listronus. Mando temporarily filed that information away for later, and he instead turned his attention to the fisherman behind the merchant’s stall as he approached.

The fisherman caught his eye and immediately poked at some of his fresh-caught fish, chattering excitedly about the quality and size of each one. 

Elliotte came to a halt beside the Mandalorian at the stall and occupied herself with admiring the variety of fish, giving him the amount of space and time he needed to lock in a trade with his merchant of choice. He held the spool of string in-hand, turning it over in his gloved palm. The merchant stole a look at it before shifting his gaze back up to the intimidating visor of the Mandalorian’s helmet. “A trade?” he said, “Are you looking for a trade?”

“Yes. We are,” Mando replied, turning his helmet in Elliotte’s direction. She simply offered him a reassuring smile. He could do this… it’s not like he’d never negotiated before. “This is… a very fine, sturdy material here. Perfect for stringing fishing poles.”

“Right. May I see it for myself?” asked the merchant, humming thoughtfully as Mando passed him the spool. He held it up, unrolling a little segment of it and pinching it between his fingers. “It is a bit stretchy---quite perfect, if you ask me. I wouldn’t mind making a trade for it. Has anything here caught your eye…? Or your lady’s?”

“She isn’t my--”

“How about five of these little zemmoks?” Elliotte chimed in, extending a finger to gesture to a long and thin fish, rather average in color, but distinguished by a needle-like protrusion from its lower jaw. 

The fisherman chuckled. “You drive a hard bargain, dear. Four and it’s a deal.”

“Alright then. Four.”

The merchant tucked the spool away into his pocket and turned to package up the small fish. He passed them across the row of fish to her and she tucked the wrap against her arm, thanked him, and nodded to Mando.

Once again, the two returned to the open marketplace. “Very well done! He didn’t doubt you’re a local for a second! I mean… perhaps other than appearance-wise. In that regard, you do sort of stand out,” Ell began, “I apologize for butting in there at the end… I just know we’ll need zemmoks for our next barter.”

“How many more of these are there?” Mando said, perhaps growing a bit agitated at the grueling process. As far as he could tell, they’d made no progress toward anything more valuable. A toxic fruit to beads, to a spool of string, to a handful of too-small fish… this hardly felt like a successful endeavor.

“This is the last one, I promise,” she assured, picking up on his annoyance, “I know these don’t look like much, but pitch them to the right merchant…” Ell shifted her gaze to a stall toward the front portion of the marketplace, and Mando followed her gaze. A plump and older merchant woman was receiving a handful of silver coins from a customer before passing him a basket of brightly-colored berries. That was their next target?

“That there is Misa. She’s an old friend of mine… has a real taste for zemmoks, you see. She has some old family recipe that requires a bunch of them, so she’ll snatch them up whenever anyone offers. In return, she offers useme nuts by the dozen… they’re these fist-sized nuts that grow in her personal orchard on the other side of town... crisp and incredibly tasty, especially when they’re salted the way Misa prepares them! Pretty great deal if you ask me,” Elliotte explained as she weaved through the crowd and in the direction of their target merchant.

Mando followed her, offering nothing but a grunt in response. He’d be rather happy to be finished in this marketplace. The heat of the day was unpleasant in the stuffy crowd, and although he was used to drawing curious gazes toward the sleek shine of his beskar, the continuous feeling of eyes watching his every move was beginning to grow taxing. 

“Misa!” Elliotte’s voice drew him once again from his thoughts as the two of them came to a halt in front of the merchant’s stall. Unlike most of the other vendors in the marketplace, it seemed Misa specialized in more than one thing---berries, nuts, fruits, and even a few various animal products from creatures he’d never even heard of. 

“Good afternoon, Elliotte!” said the friendly-looking merchant, “What can I interest you in today?”

“The usual,” Ell replied, passing over the wrap of fish she’d obtained from the previous merchant. 

“You know me so well. A dozen per zemmok---that’ll give you forty-eight. Agreeable?”

“Yes ma’am.” 

Misa grinned, turning away from her to set the fish down and began packing useme nuts away in a large basket. “So, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Mando managed to catch her eye for a moment before she offered a faint smile and turned her gaze back to the vendor. “This is Mando. I’m showing him around the market this morning… and the proper bargaining techniques.”

“That’s a handy skill to have,” Misa said, sitting back to blow a strand of hair out of her face. She reached over her table of goods in order to extend her hand, and Mando did the same, firmly shaking her hand. “Welcome to Listronus, Mando.”

“Thank you,” he answered.

“Well, here you are, Ms. Cantossan! Forty-eight useme nuts,” Misa added, lifting the basket off of the table and passing it to her. 

“Thanks again, Misa. See you later,” Elliotte said, looping her arm under the basket’s handle and carrying it off. Finally, they were able to leave the intense environment of the marketplace. As they drew further away from the noise, Mando was able to visibly relax, at least just a hair. “Okay, now I’m intrigued. What’s the purpose of so many of… those?”

“These are a great local food source here on Listronus. I figured you could take as many of these as you’d like back for you and your kid… and if it isn’t too much to ask, I’d like to ask if I could have the remaining ones instead of a monetary payment for this first day of guiding!”

“You can have them all,” answered Mando, tilting his helmet in her direction, “I have enough to get by on my ship. And the kid’s a carnivore anyway.”

Elliotte blinked, positively bewildered by such a thing. “We’re talking about the same kid, right? Th-the little green one? He’s a carnivore?”

There was a muffled almost-chuckle from beneath the helmet. “Yes. It took me by surprise too when I saw him eat a frog whole the night I found him.” There was a certain underlying fondness in his heavily-modulated voice that Elliotte didn’t miss whenever he spoke about the child. Spending so much time around politicians and noblemen, Ell was able to differentiate between fake smiles and genuine ones, and although the Mandalorian’s face could give her no true indication she could almost hear the smile through his voice. This child was important to him.

“I didn’t mean to assume. We can trade these useme nuts for some larger fish, if--”

“No, please… I can tell they have more value to you. I have enough food on my ship to get through several more weeks. Besides… I’d rather not go back into that marketplace again for a while.”

“Crowds aren’t your thing, huh?”

“Not really.”

Ell hummed thoughtfully, switching the basket of useme nuts to her other arm. “Well… I know a few places we can visit that are much less crowded. You up for a history lesson?”

“I don’t see why not?”

“It’s a good thing we bought these after all. We’re gonna need some for the trip.”

It turns out, “trip” was a bit of an overstatement. To the east of the city, the landscape gave way to hills and valleys. Most of the flat area had been developed into farmland while the hills were relatively untouched and wild. As Cietovus 8 climbed higher into the sky, the two cut through rows of knee-high crops, watching each step to make sure no plants were crushed in the process. Mando spent much of the walk admiring the change of scenery and enjoying the time away from the bustling city streets, but even he grew curious as to what exactly the destination was supposed to be. 

Ell, on the other hand, seemed to have the path memorized… which, he supposed, made sense in the grand scheme of things. She had lived here for all her life, after all. At first glance, the Mandalorian believed she was simply another haughty aristocrat. She certainly dressed like one and knew their mannerisms well, but upon getting to speak with her beyond more than a few passing words, he came to realize that she was kind, but without being naive and considerate without being a pushover. It was almost endearing in a way, the gentle balance she maintained. 

Mando must have been gradually slowing his pace, because once he’d finally drawn out of his thoughts, they were no longer walking side-by-side. Ell was a few steps ahead of him, still chattering on about the details and history of the landscape and pointing out specific structures in the nearby fields. By now, he’d come to realize that they were nearing the edge of the crop fields and approaching the base of a large hill. The incline was gradual, but scattered with trees and various rock formations that would make for some simple obstacles. Overall, it appeared to be a relatively easy climb.

“Where are we?”

“This is Listrona Hill. As the name implies, it has… incredible significance to the people of this planet. It’s also why the capital city is located so nearby,” Elliotte answered, already drawing closer to a narrow trail winding up the hillside, “But it’s not the hill itself that’s so important. It’s what’s at the top.”

Mando followed her, watching every step up the incline. “What is at the top?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Ell said, “Back in the early days of this planet, Listronians were known for their unique spirituality. We believed every creature and object had a spirit and essence that it offered to the universe in a way only it could. Our deity was Artres, goddess of flowers and abundance. According to ancient myths, this hillside was her home… to this day, we still hold many funerals and weddings at the peak, and many of the older generations still believe it honors Artres. I’m not very religious myself, but the sentiment is nice.”

Mando listened to her explanation quietly as they navigated the tricky hillside, and Elliotte continued to recite old myths and stories about the creation of the planet, the supposed death of the goddess, and her rebirth in the form of a meadow of flowers, but her organized storytelling quickly dropped off in favor of enthusiasm as they neared the peak. She increased her pace until she was jogging the final stretch and turned around to wave him on and beckon him to hurry up.

Eventually Mando was standing beside her at the summit of the hill, looking out over a vast meadow of flowers that varied in color from blues and purples to reds and yellows and whites. The thick trees didn’t seem to grow into the meadow; Instead, they outlined the hilltop from the edges. The only thing around to interrupt the expanse of flowers was a small lake filled with crystalline water so pure one could see to the very bottom. In front of the lake was what appeared to be a small shrine.

The shrine itself was made of old, deep brown wood that had obviously been replaced and refurbished multiple times over the years. Semi-fresh flowers, wilted beneath the heat of the sun, had been weaved into the lattice pattern. Perhaps the features that stood out most was the pair of large antlers against the back of the shrine and the two sets of silver claws that dangled from them. While the antlers looked natural, the “claws” were clearly manmade--composed of the same carved silver that wrapped Elliotte’s forearm. 

Ell seemed to pick up on his curiosity quickly. “The antlers are from the Warhara. They’re a large canid species native to Listronus. Their antlers are strong and sturdy, and are worn by our Kings so that they may embody the same traits.”

“And these?” Mando said, cupping his hand beneath the silver claws.

“These are similarly modeled after the Warhara. To represent the spirit of a warrior. Before modern times, they were worn by footsoldiers and guardsmen, but obviously this sort of weaponry is outdated. These days, they’re worn exclusively for ritual combat… Look.” Elliotte carefully took the silver pieces off of the antlers and turned them over so that her companion was able to see the thin loop made on the underside of each claw. She slid her fingers into each loop and flexed them to show off the new extension of her hand. “They’re pretty cool, right? Personally, I think we should bring them back as part of our everyday wardrobe,” she took the claws back off and draped them back over the Warhara’s antlers before turning to him. 

“Princes of Listronus can lawfully challenge the Kings for the throne, but the only weapons they are allowed are those. It’s a dangerous event. Those claws are excellent for speed, but they definitely don’t provide the same kind of protection as your um… ‘beskar’, it is called, right?” She asked, stepping away from the small shrine and crossing the meadow to the edge of the small lake. There, she knelt in the grass beside the basket of useme nuts and patted the space beside her to encourage him to join her. He did so, and not soon afterward, Elliotte reached up and began to pluck the day-old flower buds from her hair. She unraveled them one at a time and set them aside in a neat pile beside her as she stole a glance in the Mandalorian’s direction. 

“Anyway, I’ve chattered on about history lessons long enough. I’m curious to learn more about you, if you would be willing to share. You mentioned earlier that you were a bounty hunter at one point… surely you have some interesting stories to tell?”

“Plenty,” Mando responded, the chuckle that followed catching on the modulator of his helmet, “... I don’t suppose you’ve heard of a ‘Mudhorn’ before, have you?”

Ell hummed thoughtfully, then offered a small shrug. “I’ve read briefly about them in books and on datapads through the years, but they’ve never been something I’ve heavily studied… why?”

The Mandalorian leaned back in the grass, placing his hands behind him as his helmet tipped skyward. “It wasn’t too long ago, actually… I was on assignment when a group of Jawas in their sandcrawler stole all the valuable parts they could scavenge from my ship. In order to get them to agree to return the pieces, they had me bring an egg of a Mudhorn as a trade. These things are… huge and incredibly territorial, and it wasn’t too happy to see me near its egg. I was outmatched immediately; It nearly shredded my armor and my weapons couldn’t even touch it --- in all honesty, I really thought I was done for. But then the kid, he--” he reached out to mimic the gesture the child seemed to make with his hands, but hesitated before finishing his sentence. 

Perhaps it wasn’t wise to share this information publicly. But Elliotte was enthralled by the story, fingers paused over the stem of a flower in her curled strand of hair and eyes wide with wonder and fascination, and the Mandalorian couldn’t find it in him to withhold the rest of the story from her. “All of a sudden, it stopped. The Mudhorn, mid-charge. I thought I must have died, because I sure didn’t believe what I was seeing. The whole creature was just… floating in front of me in the air. When I looked over at the kid, he had his hand out like this--” he mimicked the motion, “Keeping it suspended. I’ve never seen anything like it. With him keeping it occupied, I was able to finish it off but if he hadn’t… there’s no doubt I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”

To his surprise, when he’d finished his retelling, Ell snickered softly and set the last flower aside. “That’s an interesting story, Mando.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Sure I do. The universe is so vast and unique, there’s no way we can possibly understand all of its inner workings. Just because something isn’t common doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” now that she’d finished removing the petals and buds from her hair, she turned away and began to pluck new ones from the colorful meadow nearby. “Priestesses in Listronian history have exhibited similar abilities. It was thought to be a given gift by Artres herself, you know. Not that I believe too heavily in old religion, but perhaps your child has just inherited something similar. It sounds quite extraordinary.”

The Mandalorian cast her a glance from the side of his visor. Not only had Elliotte responded unexpectedly well to such a story, but she believed it wholeheartedly. He was hesitant to call it naivety, as she really was knowledgeable about her planet and people, but trust was a difficult thing to come by in his line of work. “You’re unpredictably nonchalant about this.”

To that, Ell laughed softly. “In my experience, closed mindedness is dangerous. It lures one into a false sense of security, content in the idea they have all the answers, whereas open mindedness allows room to learn and grow… to fluctuate and move, like flowers in an afternoon breeze.”

This sentiment only served to further cast a ripple in the Mandalorian’s original judgement of Elliotte Cantossan. Despite himself being the one wrapped head to toe in protective metal, the one meant to be a mystery, he found himself more at a loss with her -- the harpist whose only armor was the band of silver on her forearm and the woman who willingly sought him for nothing but his company? 

She had trusted him enough to allow him into her house and enough to agree to visit his, and even enough to bring him to the holiest space on her homeworld… and yet, as he’d come to realize, he still knew hardly anything about her. She knew hardly anything about him. And yet he felt drawn to her -- comfortable around her -- as if parts of him could seep through the gaps in his armor without worry in her presence. 

By the way Ell’s smile brightened just a little when she saw the t-shape of his visor faced in her direction, he could almost believe she felt the same. As he watched her begin to tie fresh flowers into her hair, he could no longer keep himself from asking the question: “The flowers… they’re incorporated everywhere on this planet. What is the significance? Why do you put them into your hair like that?”

“Spiritually speaking, flowers are symbolic to Artres--”

“No, why do you do it?”

Ell seemed taken aback by his question, normally steady fingers faltering and causing the strand of hair to unwrap from the stem of a pink flower. She quietly cleared her throat and began the process again. “We call it artresmour. “Godlike love”. To put them on yourself is to express vitality and youth and self love -- to put it on anyone else is to express devotion and trust… it’s like saying… ‘you are important to me in a way words cannot describe.’ It’s not necessarily romantic; It’s romantic and platonic and familial. Some villages even use it as a greeting to strangers and newcomers. It unites us. Godlike love,” she paused briefly before continuing, “To me, it’s a way to deepen bonds; My best friend and I take turns every time we meet… it’s the way we acknowledge each other’s struggles and our fights to overcome them, and our way of assuring each other we aren’t going it alone.”

There was a brief pause between the two of them before the Mandalorian chose to break the silence. “How do you feel about… doing it blindfolded?”

TAGS: Message me/send me an ask to be added.

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23677540/chapters/60781519

[sicprowl]

Gleann na Dùin

Fairy AU - Dimileth

Co-written with @hiddenfangirling

Part 2

Now on AO3

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, King of Faerghus, and his ever loyal vassal, Dedue, rested a moment on their path. They had been on a tour of the border for some weeks, something he personally did every year. As they sat atop their horses to drink from canteens, the forest to one side caught Dimitri’s eye.

Gleann na Duin was known to be the home of fairies, the Sidhe, and so was usually avoided.

Dimitri, despite the respect he had for Fae lore, couldn’t help but think this forest would be a fine place to hunt.

He climbed off his horse, the beast nickering and shifting from hoof to hoof as he set an intent gaze just inside the tree border.

"Give me a moment, Dedue. I would like to go check something."

“As you wish, your Highness. “ Dedue gave a small bow from atop his own horse, and began to rummage in a saddlebag for fruit and cheese for when his master returned.

Dimitri stepped through the thicket of trees with little trouble, pretty pebbles and stones skittering about his steel boots while his hands worked to push aside branches.  He almost had to fight a twig to release strands of blond hair, gauntlet swatting impatiently at the offending appendage before he was free.

He released a short exhale.

Then immediately felt how different the atmosphere was.

Hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.  His skin shuddered in soft prickles and the king had a strange urge to sneeze.  But none of it compared to how fast his heart began to thumpthumpthump in his chest.

Dimitri swallowed, recalling stories of men who experienced the same sensations - to fall for the allure of the bizarre and unique, only to disappear without a trace.  Never to be seen from again.

Yet there was a game trail ahead.  Something that was more nature-made, more familiar, then a string of stories that were told to him as a child.  And so he curiously followed it, wondering what kind of animal had made it.

A breeze wafted past his ear, carrying the sound of lilting flutes.  He focused, eyes closed and hand gripping his lance as his ears strained for the pleasing melody.

Soft high notes...long, gentle, wistful.

Dimitri turned to what he thought was the east and notes that it’s the same direction as the game trail.  How convenient.

The warrior King crouched and studied the soil, observing a mixture of game; rabbits, maybe a boar, even deer.  He blinked and stood up, curious at what other varying creatures reside here and how many could fill the tables and stomachs of the people in his home.

He ventured further in, careful to stay on the trail while straining his ears for the soothing melody.

As he ducked under a fallen tree, the King spotted claw marks on another nearby, possibly a bear. He must definitely make plans with the others for a grand hunt here. Dimitri smiled at the thought of his friend Felix, excited for a hunt but pretending not to be.

A moment more and he stopped in his tracks. The forest was nearly silent, the flutes were no longer playing.  He spun back the way he came, and realized he had gone much further than intended. The tree line was no longer in view. Instead, bright blue eyes focus on the tall stones he had just passed through, and the mushrooms at his feet. He cursed, and pushed back down the path with a new sense of urgency.

Then everything grew quiet.

A kind of quiet that rang in one's ears after a powerful spell.  The kind that set your teeth on edge and made your mind ache for the simplest of sounds.

Dimitri couldn't help but feel unnerved.  The back of his neck felt like it was burning while every inch of his skin grew cold with foreboding.

He sneezed before cursing under his breath, feeling like the noise echo loud enough to fill the entire forest.

The King looked around, on edge when he saw nothing but underbrush, trees, and stillness.

"I should head back…”  He said, unsure why he was talking out loud.  “Dedue will grow worried."

But as he looked through the trees, Dimitri realized he didn't recognize the path he just walked. The colors were different, the smells too. There were plants here that he had never seen before, and he realized belatedly one had snaked around his ankle and was attempting to pull him down. He recoiled in surprise(and maybe a little in horror), tearing the vine from the ground in the process.

His eyes scrambled to find something, anything familiar. Finding nothing, the King decided to take a chance.

"Dedue! Dedue can you hear me!?”

He yelled in the direction he thought he came from. His words don't seem to travel as far as they should - simply eaten by the trees.

The silence fell thick again and Dimitri knew he had to move. He picked a direction and started to walk. More plants, this time with thorns, crossed his path and he cut them down with his lance. He thought he saw eyes staring at him from the foliage but he ignored them, trying to look intimidating (he'd been told he's very good at it).

Dimitri looked for any sort of landmark he thought he could use, wildly wishing he had not gone on this adventure in the first place. ��All of the trees felt like they were blending together, branches entwining and blocking anything resembling a path.  Bushes latched onto his armor and acted more like prickling thorns than normal leaves.  He found himself tripping over rocks, plowing through deep pools of mud, even push through what looked like a wall of vines.

“Blasted-!”

He stopped, suddenly feeling a gaze on him that made his entire body feel on edge.

The grip on his lance tightened as he spun around, arm raised at the ready only to face nothing but a wall of trees and brush that looked more overgrown than when he first walked through it.  Eyes narrowing, Dimitri slowly lowered his weapon despite how tense and on guard he felt.  He took no more than a few steps before he realized he could hear it again.

The flute.

Dimitri turned left the moment he felt the tune tickle his ear, making long strides and leaps as he chased after the ever-quickening melody - fighting off creeping vines and sticky thorns.

The music rose to a pitch, digging into his mind, and ringing in his ears as he shouldered past two trees that had fallen together. In his haste, he walked into something soft as it wrapped around his face. Spider webs clouded his vision and tickled his nose. Dimitri swiped at the threads in his eyes, and when they were clear he stopped dead in his tracks.

He couldn’t see it, but he sensed something large sneaking up from behind. He gripped Areadbhar tighter and rolled onto the balls of his feet, preparing for whatever may come. It happened quickly. A large, hairy, segmented leg punctured the ground in front of him and Dimitri dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the glistening fangs of a giant spider.  Its many eyes sparkled at the sight of its prey as it lunged again.

Dimitri had dealt with much worse than this, and the spider was too slow. He strafed again, underneath the giant foreleg, spinning his lance and removing the appendage before burying the blade deep into the creature's middle. It hissed in agony, venom spraying in all directions as the beast writhed, falling to the ground with a thunderous crash and curling in on itself before becoming still.

Adrenaline coursed through his blood like a burst of magic, making his skin tingle with energy and his breathing hard with exhaustion.  His grip on Areadbhar loosened as he closed his eyes and allowed the peace to wash over him.  But no peace came; not when worrying thoughts tainted his mind and making him wonder if he’d ever get out of this place.  It didn’t help that it was so quiet too - no singing birds or rustling of brush, just an eerie feeling and a gigantic, dead spider that left him reeling.

That was when Dimitri realized the music had stopped playing.

That is probably a bad sign,  the King thought while wiping his bloody blade on the grass.

Looking around, he spotted a dim light far in the distance as it filtered through the trees.  It seemed promising (and perhaps his only option) as he walked towards it, not noticing the corpse of the spider twist and twist until it bursts into a cloud of flowers and fairy dust.

Dimitri strained to listen for the flute, but found only silence that was both eerie and comforting on his trek - his escape - from this strange place.  Leaves rustled in the wind and he glanced up, watching them bristle against the sky while the tree branches stayed strong against the agitated gust. He noted he still couldn't hear any animals, a fact that kept him on guard in case there were more of those long legged beasts around.  

Scowling, he looked around again, finding he did not like this place one bit.  

With quickened steps, the King became more determined than ever to escape this maddening forest with it's insane, terrifying creatures.  Giant spiders.  Strange pathways and plants that try to trap and bind.  This place was certainly treacherous and bizarre - a death trap for all those foolish enough to venture in.  Foolish people like him.

Dimitri pushed through the tree line with angry, clumsy swipes of his lance; not allowing the branches and leaves to block his path to freedom and sanity.  Despite wishing he could direct his anger at himself for being stupid enough to be lured in, he couldn’t help but feel relieved when he stumbled into a small clearing.  

Though the surrounding forest signaled he had yet to reach freedom, he found the little area a welcoming sight from snagging brush and creeping trees.  Just the sight of what looked like a freshwater pond made him smile, but his eyes couldn’t help but flicker at the reflection that rippled across the surface.

His breath hitched and he looked up.

Dimitri thought visions like this only happened in fairy tales.

A girl, somewhere around his own age, sat next to a small pond surrounded by flowers and reeds. A ray of light shines through the treetops, perfectly haloing a head a fluffy light green hair that wrapped around a beautiful, placid face and shining green eyes.  They widened just slightly at his appearance, her body still as she sat at the edge of the pool with fingers dipped into the water and little fish nipping at the tips.  Dimitri's attention traveled down following a curvy torso covered in a simple dress to pale legs and bare feet.

He stood stunned, unable to tear his eyes away or keep himself from stammering like he had as a schoolboy. "A-Ah. Good -"

Dimitri was so mesmerized, he didn't notice the boar charging in behind him.

The girl covered her gasp with her hand as Dimitri is plowed into the pond; the grunting, grumbling, huffing pinkish-red boar stomping in place before she waddled off.  Just as she disappeared under the brush, the blonde stranger broke the surface, his arms flailing and head spinning around as he tries to find what had hit him.

The girl relaxed back on her knees and leaned close, face plain but eyes shining with slight concern. "Are you all right?"

Dimitri spun at the sound of her voice, mouth gaping and face lit with confusion, awe, and bewilderment.

"O-Oh, uh, yes!  Yes, I'm quite fine!"  

There didn’t seem to be a bottom to this pond. Luckily he knew how to swim since Sylvain had once pushed him into a lake years ago.   He reached for the edge and began to climb up out of the bank. The girl reached out and took his arm to help, and Dimitri thought he might fall back in from the shock he felt at her touch.

He clambered out, neck red with embarrassment as he tried to stand and look like the King he was, despite being a sopping wet mess. "Er...I'm sorry for..." His hand waved vaguely at the pond, and the forest beyond. "...this. F-for disturbing you." Her hand still hadn't left his arm and he imagined he can feel its heat through his gauntlet. "Ah. I think I am lost...I don't suppose...?" His eyes never left her face

The girl tilted her head at him curiously,  "You've must've walked a long way to end up here."

Dimitri couldn't help but rock on his feet at the sound of her voice, finding that it somehow made his heart tickle, but in a good way.

"Y-Yes, I must have."  He swallowed, mouth dry.  "You see, I was with my friend, Dedue.  We were out on patrol when I seem to have wandered off.  There was a trail and some music..."

Now he was just babbling like a fool while this pretty girl beautiful woman looked up at him with apt interest.

"-And then I found this clearing and you and...uh, well, you know the rest of course.".

Her eyes crinkled up at the side, and the corners of her mouth turn up just slightly. A tiny breath huffed out of her nose as she remembered the last few minutes. Such a small change and yet it was like the sun shining through the clouds.

"Ah. I- My name is Dimitri." He gave a small bow, tendrils of his damp hair sliding in front of his eyes. He was shocked when a small hand pushed them out of the way and the woman's face appeared in front of his own, much closer than before.

"Dimitri." He swore hers is the voice of an angel's. "My name is Byleth."

The King straightened up quickly, wondering if he would ever have a chance to get his feet back under him. "Byleth. I-It's nice to meet you. Do you...do you know the way out of this forest?”

Byleth frowned and placed her hand on her face in thought, "Not particularly."

Dimitri found he could not understand what she meant by that.  Did she live here?  If so, she should surely know the way out - or at the very least - around the area.

"I'm sorry, I don’t understand..."

But Byleth was looking away from him now, hand back on his arm, making him freeze as he zeroed in on it.  He couldn’t help but marvel at how small and fragile it looked against his rough, black armor.

He suddenly wondered how it compared to his actual arm and wanted to see.

"It's growing late," Byleth said softly.  "It would be unwise for you to wander around alone in the dark."

He looked up, trying to see through the tree tops. It had gotten darker and he hadn't noticed. But Dimitri knew he needed to get out sooner, rather than later, even if he could feel the temptation to stay tugging at him. He chuckled darkly.

"Despite the last few minutes, I can take care of myself. If you'll only point the way, I think I could be out before full dark."

He felt her hand twitch. Byleth shook her head slowly. "I don't think you will. My father's house is near. Come, get dry. You can try to leave in the morning."

Dimitri wanted to argue, but the truth was he was getting cold, and he had already had enough of this forest for one day. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted more time with this girl he had just met, as well. He nodded reluctantly, and let her start to drag him away.

"The morning, then."

[mwcowan]

Mark and Georgia’s Big Trip

Chapter Thirteen – Gimme Shelter

Just like all of you, we’re still “sheltering in place” here in the Philippines. The infection rate over here remains relatively low, although in the back of our minds is the probability that there’s not nearly as much testing going on over here as back in the states. On the hopeful side, our town, Nasugbu (population ~140,000), today has only 9 confirmed cases, so we hope that with this and our remote location we have sufficient “distancing”. We still have to go through checkpoints to get into town on our specified days, wear masks at all times in town, etc.. The grocery store has a waiting area set up, with chairs 6’ apart; just a few are let into the store at a time. None of this is a major hassle if that’s what it takes to stay safe.

We’ve been getting out of the house, and getting our exercise, by taking walks every morning around the community. One thing we noticed is that we were seeing a lot of litter around our roads, mainly plastic bags, drink bottles, cans, cigarette cartons, but also everything from shoes to tires to umbrellas. So, we made ourselves “janitor sticks” (a pole with a nail stuck in the end, to pick up trash) and we’ve been collecting for a week or so, targeting a new road every day. After something of a record morning (picture below) I wrote a nice but firm email to the management here. This morning we were pleased to have a crew from the development join us. We’ll have the community litter-free in no time, although the emphasis of my letter was that we need to cure the problem, not just pick it up. We’ll see how they respond to that.

Jungle Arts and Crafts

No word from Georgia about the coconuts, so it’s up to me again.

Our friend Parker sent me some excerpts from a book, showing how to make and tune “boo” drums from a length of bamboo. There were two types detailed; I decided to try the simpler one first – just a length with one open end, and a ‘tongue’ cut partway up the length. The hardest part was harvesting bamboo of sufficient size; I wanted to get a piece 4-6” in diameter. There’s a lot of that around here but the problem is that something this large is also 60-80’ tall! I finally found a piece just under 4” that was partially down, still partly green, that I was able to get to and saw off a section with about 6 segments.

I picked a segment from the most dry end, and cut my piece. It was about 13” long, with one end closed. The book said that for this size you should start with cuts about 1/3 of the way in from the open end, and then tune the drum. Tuning involves matching the resonance frequency of the bamboo body with that of the tongue. The tricky part is that as you make the tongue longer (by cutting further in), the tongue’s resonance goes down while the body’s resonance goes up. I found that they cross very quickly! At first my tongue was quite a bit higher in pitch than the body, so I cut just a little further. Closer but not there yet so I cut just a little more. Now the tongue suddenly had a lower pitch than the body! To cure this the book says to remove some material from the end of the tongue, so I sanded off two small pieces. Oops, back the other way! To fix this now you remove some material from the base of the tongue. I decided to drill small holes there… and the body cracked! Oh well, no more annoying resonances!

For try #2 I used a piece of the greener end of my bamboo, still about the same diameter and length. Cut the first, conservative length tongue. The tongue had a slightly high resonance, so I cut just a teeny skosh more.

This time I think I got it, pretty close at least! Tapping on the tongue gives a nice smooth tone, none of the harmonics that were present when I was all over the place on the first one. I imaging this one’s resonances will change as it dries, so I’ll let it do that for a week or so and then try to fine-tune it. I’ll keep you posted.

Capiz

Way back in week 7 I showed some antique Capiz windows that we’d purchased. Well I finally hung them on the wall, outside our master bedroom. They look pretty nice I think on that otherwise big, empty white wall.

I mounted them about 1” off the wall, which gave me room to install a string of miniature, battery-powered LED lights. We think they look pretty cool at night!

Things That Will Kill You, vol. 2

This week I revisit last week’s “Thing…”. After seeing last week’s blog my cousin Dave asked about the ants so I decided to do a little research. I found that they are Weaver Ants (good article on WikiPedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaver_ant).

These are quite fascinating little creatures, particularly in the way they build their nests. This takes some amazing teamwork between many, many ants, pulling together and even using ‘ant chains’ to span distances between leaves much longer than they are. When they manage to get leaves pulled together, they steal silk from their pupae to use as a glue. Here’s an old nest I found that I carefully cut open with scissors. Not very interesting inside (I suspect it would be quite interesting if the ants were still using it…) but you can see the white silk spanning between leaves (particularly bottom left).

It turns out that these ants are beneficial to us as well, and farmers with fruit orchards particularly like them as their menu is composed of other small insects. The minor damage they do to a tree is more than made up for by the harmful insects they consume. So, I’ll take these off my “10 deadliest” list (unless they build a nest at head height over my sidewalk again). This tree has some 10 nests, all at acceptable heights.

Sunset of the Week

As I mentioned last week, our sunsets have generally become “orange ball sinking into the ocean”. Always worth looking at, but not as spectacular as when we have just the right clouds. This week we did have one worth the SOTW title, with a higher-up cloud making an unusual sunset. This picture is about 15 minutes before the actual setting, with the sun behind the cloud and just about to peek below it. The sea is absolutely on fire; the sky below the cloud a vibrant orange.

After taking the picture above, I turned around and saw that the sunset had lit up the house with its orange glow. Who needs landscape lighting?

Have a good week everyone!

[abigailskoda]

Burma's Naga People And Kaing Bi

To a great extent obscure and for all intents and purposes isolated from the remainder of the world live in the north-west of Burma in a remote and for outsider as a rule out of reach some portion of the nation inborn individuals who were in the not very removed past referred to and dreaded as talented and excited head-trackers: The Naga.

Burma has a huge number of various indigenous ethnic gatherings however not every one of them are perceived by the Burmese government. Those perceived are gathered in eight principle gatherings of as they are authoritatively called 'Significant Ethnic Races'. These are subdivided into 135 distinctive ethnic gatherings (clans). The Naga individuals are one of them. They comprise of 14 Naga slope clans, for example, the Kanyaks, Angamis, Aos, Chang, Rengmas, and so forth.

The home of the Naga individuals is Nagaland. With 6.401 square miles/16.579 square kilometers the biggest piece of Nagaland is situated in the north-easternmost piece of India where the western Naga individuals have their own, discrete, self-administering state inside the Indian Union. The Naga have two agents in the Indian national parliament and the little city of Kohima is their capital. The Indian piece of Nagaland is in the west and north-west circumscribed by Assam State, in the north-east by Arunachal Pradesh State and in the south by Manipur State. In the east, it is circumscribed by Burma where the littler piece of Nagaland lies.

An enormous region of the Burmese piece of Nagaland is as blocked off as the Indian part. It is incredibly sloping, thickly lush and sprinkled with profound waterway valleys Jewellery Design Competition. It extends along the Burmese/Indian fringe in the upper Chindwin River locale into regions of the Kachin State toward the east and in the northernmost piece of Chin State. In like manner, most by far of Naga individuals are living in the Indian piece of Nagaland, which is more thickly populated than the Burmese piece of Nagaland. As for the all out size of the Burmese piece of Nagaland no data have been accessible to me.

The complete number of all Naga individuals (Nagaland India and Nagaland Burma together) isn't actually known. The absolute populace of Nagaland in India is known to be around 2 million (what number of them are ancestral individuals I can't state) however the quantity of Naga individuals making their home in Burma (the eastern Naga, 4 primary clans and 49 groups) isn't known. Figures somewhere in the range of 70.000 and 500.000 are available for use yet as indicated by my examination the quantity of Naga in Burma is most presumably somewhere close to 150.000 and 200.000.

The five greatest towns, towns or townships in Burma's Nagaland are Khamti, Lahe, Layshi (Lashee), Nanywun and Htamanthi. The primary spot to show up when coming to Nagaland is Khamti. From that point it is conceivable to proceed to different spots.

As for the early history of Nagaland and the starting point of the Naga very little is known. It isn't certain whether they have a typical or assorted ethnic foundation. Since the individuals of Asia, particularly of South-East Asia, are considerably more assorted than those of different mainlands it is hard to discover. Contingent upon the sources in Burma tapped one catches wind of Karen associations, Chin relations and additionally Tibeto-Burman (Mongolian line) birthplace. By and by, I favor the last mentioned.

Getting to and into the Burmese piece of Nagaland requires most importantly an appropriate authorization gave by the pertinent specialists, besides an accomplished nearby guide and thirdly to be very brave; it is harsh voyaging and nothing in the method for extraordinary solace is not out of the ordinary, also extravagance.

Albeit certain things of present day life, for example, plastic packs, plastic ransacks and strips, recorded music and in all honesty films and even karaoke have just discovered their way into certain spots of the not all that effectively available Nagaland the Naga individuals are surely one of this present earth's generally immaculate by-current life-individuals who despite everything stick immovably to their old conventions. Since they appear to be content with their lifestyle this is something worth being thankful for. Yet, as much as it is attractive that the old traditions and habits just as convictions are kept alive and rehearsed there are unquestionably cutoff points to what one considers commendable conservation. Thus it is consoling to realize that for example the custom of head-chasing - which as I am certain was the fundamental explanation behind the Naga's not being among the 'best ten' of those clans that numerous individuals were keen on drawing nearer familiar with - was deserted in the relatively recent past and is right now not rehearsed any longer.

Albeit banned under British standard during the 1890s, scouting was as yet rehearsed by the Nagas at any rate till well into the 1940s. Scouting was significant for the Nagas since they accepted that the ownership of an executed individual's (enemy's) head, which they thought is where the 'mio' (soul) is found would bring about the transference of the separate (unfortunate) individual's qualities and mental fortitude to the triumphant warrior what might expand riches and fruitfulness of the one having taken the head. Additionally, having taken heads did altogether raise the status of a warrior.

Coincidentally, the Naga clans assumed a job not to be disparaged in significance during WWII. All the more correctly stated with regards to the freedom of Burma from the Japanese military by the British with help of American and Chinese powers. As General (later Field-Marshal) William J. Thin in his book 'Transforming Defeat into Victory' watches: "... dynamic help of the nearby tribesmen. These were the brave Nagas whose dependability, even in the most discouraging occasions of the attack had never floundered. Regardless of beating, torment, execution and the copying of their towns, they would not help the Japanese in any capacity or to double-cross our soldiers. Their dynamic assistance to as was past worth or applause... They guided our segments, gathered data, trapped foe watches, conveyed our provisions, and acquired our injured under the heaviest fire - and afterward, being the men of honor they were, regularly denied all installment. Numerous a British and Indian officer owes his life to the stripped, head-chasing Naga, and no trooper of the Fourteenth Army who met them will ever consider them yet with reverence and friendship."

Be that as it may, the Naga individuals are not just knowledgeable in the craft of wilderness fighting. They are additionally notable for their ability in makes basically woodcarving, material and crate weaving and to some prominent degree metallurgy and metalwork. These expressions have created from getting things done due to legitimate need instead of the aim to deliver something excellent. Allow us to take, for example, the lovely covers and shawls the Naga's are weaving and wearing. They are a significant thing of dress particularly during freezing (however only occasionally freezing) winters in the mountain zones. Both, female and male the same utilize these covers as a body wrap or material. Be that as it may, the structures of male covers vary from those of female covers.

The structures additionally contrast from clan to clan and sub-clan to sub-clan as they demonstrate inborn alliance. The Naga esteem these body materials profoundly and they are passed down from age to age for which reason many of the gladly worn covers are valuable legacies. The material these covers are made of is fleece. The essential shading sets are for the most part red and dark, orange and dark, red and blue, red and green just as white, red and dark. The hues utilized are extremely splendid, striking and intense. The structure components are overwhelmingly geometric example, for example, crosses, squares and stripes. The covers do at times have a band portraying creatures (frequently painted) running from one side to the next through the sweeping's middle. Materials used to decorate the covers are little polished and splendidly hued cowrie shells orchestrated around and around as well as twofold circles, lines and stick figures and slyly sewed unto the covers.

The cowrie (cypraeidae) is a marine mollusc with a smooth, domed shell with a long, limited and toothed opening. The name is gotten from the Hindu name 'Kauri'. The cowrie mussel is normal to tropical waters and particularly the yellow-white shaded cowrie shell (cypraea moneta) of the purported 'cash cowrie' was once in the past among others in Asia widely utilized as money. Be that as it may, considerably higher prized than the cowrie shell is among the Naga the greater conch shell.

The conch (family strombidae) is a marine mollusc. The name is applied to numerous types of marine snails. The genuine conch has a hearty winding shell with covering whorls, which may bear long, hook like projections and a flared lip. Portions of the conch shell are utilized as studs (worn by ladies and men the same), jewelry fastens or are utilized to make a crown. Concerning woodcarving, the Naga individuals cut everything from bowls and funnels to plates, spoons, coffins, and so on and are popular for molding regarded individuals, for example, expired relatives and warriors. The statues are dressed in customary dresses and enhanced with Naga hats and splendidly shaded beaded accessories. Among authorities these wooden Naga figures are as of now high prized objects. The Naga apply their significant woodcarving aptitudes likewise with regards to the adornment of totems. Totems and chain of commands assume a significant job in the Naga culture similarly for what it's worth in the way of life of for example North American clans of red Indians. Naga individuals praise a great deal of celebrations yet 2 of the significant celebrations are the Hornbill Festival in the main seven day stretch of December and Kaing Bi the Naga Lunar New Year in January.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Houseki no Kuni 3 - 6 | Girls’ Last Tour 3 - 6 | Boueibu OVA | Netjuu no Susume 6 | Juuni Taisen 7 | Mahoutsukai no Yome 6

Apparently there’s a bonus if you watch until the end of the 5th ep of Netjuu no Susume…I’ve seen it, or else I wouldn’t be telling you it exists.

I’ve rolled out the simulcast commentary tags for the seasonal shows that don’t have tags yet (aside from Netjuu no Susume’s replacement when that time comes).

Plus, as you can see in the title…there’s the Boueibu OVA in this bundle of notes, for completion’s sake.

Houseki no Kuni 3

That snail sure is a lively thing.

Really? A poop joke? Well, that’s one way to rub Phos’s new state into Dia’s face.

…welp, not much to talk about this time, I guess.

Houseki no Kuni 4

What the heck? The snail has a type???

This OP is lovely. Its best aspect is the visuals, though. It sounds kind of plain compared to even Saturday Night Question (Netjuu no Susume).

That snail makes a nice wig for Master Kongo, doesn’t it?

I’m listening to this show for the first time, and Phos uses “boku”, interestingly enough.

The snail's urge to go back to its home in the sea reminds me that lots of Chinese people go back to their country for Chinese New Year. I wonder if the same sentiment is involved in both instances?

The ED is nice, but not as good as the OP.

Houseki no Kuni  5

Watermelon? I feel sorry for the gem which has that name.

Ahh! These jellyfish are cute (and practical)!

“No getting all weak-kneed now!” – Says Phos, who’s got legs potentially harder than their body.

Houseki no Kuni 6

Trust exercises. I did some with some members of my anime club once. (Haha.)

I noticed the spikes were blue, so they might be Sapphire. It’s kind of like Rabbit’s necromantistry (Juuni Taisen), but…in a slightly different form.

Girls’ Last Tour 3

Kanazawa???? *thinks about King’s Game, where the protag and the author share the surname Kanazawa*

There’s some extremely glaring CGI during this episode. For a moment, you can discern Chi’s made of CGI while in her Kettenkrad.

Please don’t ship the grown man with the loli.

That’s some grim humour they attempted with Kanazawa. Kinda like Zetsubou-sensei (Nozomu Itoshiki).

Boueibu OVA

I almost wasn’t going to cover this, because it’s an OVA, but hey, why not make an exception? This may be the last time we Boueibu fans can talk about this stuff again…(Plus I think I’ll have volume for the entire thing if I hurry.)

Haha, the volleyball scene. Notice En talks first.

Yumoto’s being basic as always. *sighs happily*

Trump, eh? The word for playing cards is trump, but…y’know?

(about “graduating in a storm of cherry blossoms” and En saying it sounds lonely) I was just about to say that, En. However, that may just be OVA feels speaking.

Itsumo Ichiban? Rememer that guy? Well, there’s Itsumo’s brother on Kin-chan’s list. You can tell because he’s literally Itsumo Nisan. Geddit?

(about Zundar’s meeting with Kin-chan) The manga! It was correct after all!

Yep, that’s exactly how it went 2 years ago. In fact, I think it might be recycled content…(?)

Wombat speaks very formally. I learnt about keigo in the past year so I only picked up on that this time around.

The word used by Aki is “sad” according to the subs, but hazukashii means “embarrassing”, which puts a new spin on it.

They’re literally just using montages of s1, which is why I want Pony Canyon to bundle the OVA with s2. It’s more money, but for the consumer, it’s more worth it. However…having Bi…Egoism in an anime segment at all is new.

Akoya must be popular in the fandom. Either that or the staff are acknowledging how unloved he is.

Yay! It’s Star the VEPPer!

It’s good that each of these side characters is getting their own montage. Plus we’re getting official translations of the character songs, which is the best thing you can get for free when character songs aren’t distributed normally in most cases.

4th wall breaking! I guess you never expected that, eh? (Actually, you probably did, considering it’s been a montage for almost everyone now.)

(I love En’s little snarks in the middle of the song.) The only one left after this is Atsushi, right? Update: Oops, forgot Kin-chan. Sorry Kin-chan.

I never really realised Atsushi’s song was so hard rock compared to En’s more pop-like one.

“But do I really have that fire inside of me?” – I think I heard the song go atsui which is a real funky (in a good way) pun on Atsushi’s name.

Aww, they missed out in such a good pun! Haru went haru and Aki went aki. The translator didn’t pick up on that though…aww.

Whoa! Yumoto got all scary! Botan Yuzuru though…gotta look into that later for magicalgirlsandcerulean.

This (Spanish?) guitar reminds me of this track from The Dog Island.

A-ha! This is what you get when you translate the Japanese in the ads too.I was quite right indeed, although it really is the dang 132nd graduation ceremond.

It’s literally a button monster. Don’t wanna mash his buttons! (I bet you’re all groaning from my jokes, ahaha…)

Dadacha’s voice sounds kinda ridiculous now because Yasumoto is clearly using the deeper voice he normally uses for Zundar.

Notice the monster’s face is made from the character 高 (the first character in the Japanese word for “high school”).

Salty Sol is still salty after all this time…sad life.

That train station is the same one from the beach episode!

I’ve seen enough spoilers so I know where this is going…I already identified in the spoiler chat what Wombat is going to catch as a reference to a Kenji Miyazawa work.

This train is somewhat obviously CGI…

Spinach curry? When’d Wombat eat that?

Ths slideshow appears to be all the clean art for everything they’ve ever produced in the Boueibu canon! Even events and collabs!

“So wipe away your tears.” – I’m not crying, you are…*tear leaks from corner of eye*

I don’t recognise two of those pictures…(EnAtsu beach pic and a yukata one with the Defence Club on the roof.)

Oh…my…it’s over? Well, frankly I was expecting the fandom’s end in 2015…so, here’s to the future. Farewell, and remember: love is forever! Separations are only a new beginning!

Netjuu no Susume 6

That was a really bad Glico man in the back (of Koiwai)…

I think something’s wrong with my eye. It just gave off a few tears…(kidding tone)

Whose car is this that Morimori-chan is sitting in??? Update: It’s a taxi. Whoops.

I think Morimori-chan used the word douryou (colleagues, coworkers) instead of employees. The word for employees would probably be very different.

Nikunokiya??? (thinks about Kinokuniya)

(Koiwai goes Ai no chikara ne…) Boueibu reference…kind of.

Notice Koiwai said he was low on health in the text but he said zombie in the Japanese. That’s where Fruits de Mer comes in for Morimori-chan.

“There’s no way I’d say something like that!”

I think the cup this ED is new. Plus the headphones.

Oh! I spotted Morimori-chan with the medium length hair in the background of Sakurai’s bit of the ED.

There are some blurry pictures of Koiwai in the ED and they’re so hilarious!!!

So the ED actually evolves along with the show. Interesting.

Juuni Taisen 7

Rabbit stores his blades in his tail. That’s weird, but funny.

Literally, the episode title is “Dragon Head, Snake Tail”.

Dragon and Snake really are like the Beppus! I keep thinking that. I want a crossover fic now…

Tatsu = dragon.

I only just realised but…a naga is a snake. Nagayuki is the younger bro, isn’t he? Dangit, Nisio Isin! You bested me again.

150 doesn’t have any significance in regards to the number 12 now does it?

It’s Rabbit! Who’s not wearing his trademark booty shorts or high heels! Rabbit in a waiter’s outfit is really something, though.

“Hot guy”? Not by most people’s standards Tora/Kanae, considering he’s currently missing his head.

It’s tiger versus…aww. It’s not tiger vs dragon…

How can Ushii still talk after being strangled by Snake’s arm???

Whoa! Incendiary components are cool in Bond movies, but fiery liquid? That’s a step up!

Mahoutsukai no Yome 6

Admit it. You saw it in the next ep preview (unless you skipped it or read the manga)…It’s TITania time!

“She touched me for the first time.” – Elias, what a dork you are…

The birbs around Chise are so fluffy and adorable! It’s cute.

Geez, it really is TITania…these fanservice wiggles are destroying my Mahoutsukai no Yome experience…

Seing the Faerie Queen facepalm…is something else. *sweatdrops*

In the same way I want a koala sheep from Avatar the Last Airbender, I want one of those sheep bug things.

“Every creature of the night, including she and you, are my adorable little children.” – No wonder you have such big hooters, TITania…

A wild SIMON appeared!…Thought we’d forgotten about him for the rest of the episode. He would’ve made a better brick joke if his return were prolonged, y’know.

Strange question, but do priests wear pants?

Girls’ Last Tour 4

I’m listening to Ugoku Ugoku for the first time and it’s…strangely catchy…

That thing with the face is really creepy…

That thing is a stone statue???

“What IS cheese?” – Considering sometimes cheese tastes pretty bad, I don’t blame you for not knowing what cheese is.

Couldn’t they check the camera for what Kanazawa was doing with it?

I just saw the number 3230 on the camera’s inside frame for taking pictures (whatever you call it). That might be the year this show is set…

Notice the word for temple that’s used is jiin, a Buddhist temple. A Shinto version of that might be jinja.

Kanazawa was voiced by Akira Ishida? The guy who did Kiku (SGRS)??? NOOOOOOO! I missed a prime opportunity! I’ll have to go back for it later.

The ED is even more catchy than the OP. Is that even possible???

The camera breaks in the ED…that’s so ominous…

That post-ED scene was cute. A little bit.

Girls’ Last Tour 5

The slightly-electronic-sounding OP doesn’t quite fit the show, does it?

The phrase used was definitely ie dake ni. I’m not quite sure what that means, but…okay. I’ll just believe the subs on that one.

I wonder if Sentai is planning to dub these…I can imagine this show being dubbed.They wouldn’t need to pay too many VAs for it, for one thing.

Akogare is the word for desire or longing. It would be no surprise f there was an akogaru or akogarareru made from it as well.

Notice it’s “Yay!”, but with the word for house (ie) emphasised.

What is this fish dream, a metaphor for lesbians…?

The soundtrack guys must’ve had lots of fun striking cans or whatever.

I think this ED is different to the one last ep…Its name appears to be Amadare no Uta and it’s sung by the main VAs.

I bet the soundtrack guys hit a bell or two there…

Girls’ Last Tour 6

Oh no! It’s an Anime Scientist! Last time we had one, it was Shinawa (Kado), and you know how badly that went…

Interesting that the word for “takeoff” is “separation [from the] ground” literally.

Okay! I’m caught up to the weekly episodes now!

[thewebforger]

Top Internet Marketing Strategies For Small Business For 2020

An Internet Marketing Strategies is a significant piece of the general showcasing procedure of a business. It is genuine whether an organization is working together on the web. It is likewise valid for a little, medium, or enormous size organization however particularly valid for a little organization. Independent venture promoting for a neighborhood organization can incorporate numerous disconnected local marketing techniques yet needs to incorporate a solid segment of Digital Marketing Strategies to be fruitful and amplify deals in the present economy. A private venture that is doing most or the entirety of its business online needs to grasp an advanced promoting procedure that enables online clients to see it.

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Search Engine Marketing For Small Business

Web search tool showcasing is the act of promoting a business utilizing paid notices that show up on web search tool results pages (or SERPs). Sponsors offer on watchwords that clients of administrations, for example, Google and Bing may enter when searching for specific items or administrations, which gives the promoter the open door for their advertisements to show up close by results for those pursuit questions.

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Read: Why You Should Use Digital Marketing For Small Business ?

Local Search Marketing For Small Business

Google, Bing, and the other web crawlers have changed how we realize, how we work together, how we shop and how we connect inside our neighborhood networks. Today, Google alone handles in excess of 100 billion pursuits for each month around the globe. Of those inquiries,

4 billion work area questions for every month in the United States alone have neighborhood purpose.

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Contingent on your plan of action, your advertising spending plan and your assets, neighborhood search might be the correct counterpart for your business—or, alternately, different types of promoting might be more brilliant for you. Visit and read each of the three of the articles in the "continue learning" area beneath to decide the most ideal showcasing channels for your extraordinary business.

Read: Bluehost.in(India) vs Bluehost.com(U.S) – Which One Is Still The Best?

Content Marketing For Small Business

Content promoting for independent companies is an absolute necessity.

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What is a Content Marketing Strategy and Why You Should Have One?

Content showcasing, as characterized by the Content Marketing Institute, "is the advertising and business process for making and disseminating pertinent and significant substance to pull in, get, and connect with an unmistakably characterized and comprehended objective group of spectators – with the target of driving beneficial client activity."

Content showcasing for private companies gets less precarious when you have a methodology that encapsulates your general vision. What's more, gives you the required clearness on the best way to execute your battle — directly from how you will approach making substance to distributing it to advancing it.

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Your substance advertising endeavors will give better outcomes on the off chance that you realize what sorts of substance to make and ensure it matches with the desires for your intended interest group. Having a firm substance procedure causes you do only that.

Since content showcasing requires a speculation of time as well as cash, you need to guarantee that you're doing it right. Your substance system gives you a chance to design your substance and make it stand apart from the challenge.

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As indicated by Hubspot, just 37% organizations guarantee to have a substance promoting methodology set up. Which implies, by making and executing a substance promoting methodology, you can conceivably increase an unequivocal edge over your opposition.

Read: 7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Ignore About Bluehost Hosting

Social Media Marketing For Small Business

Every small business needs clients. Without qualified clients, it would be hard for a business (huge or little) to make due over the long haul. What's the most ideal approach to gain clients? Web based life advertising for independent venture.

While there are numerous reasons with respect to why you should utilize Social Media Marketing for small company to upgrade and develop your organization, the most evident being, it will assist you with winning more clients. Also, help your organization acquire noticeable quality.

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As per an overview led by e Marketer, 88% of organizations utilize online life.

96% of the individuals who talk about your image online aren't tailing you via web-based networking media.

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Email Marketing For Small Business

If you're an entrepreneur — paying little respect to industry — email markeeting can assist you with encouraging better client connections assemble a more grounded brand to assist you with continuing developing.

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If you have a small business, you need to take the above five areas of digital marketing into consideration. Formulate a plan and combine it with your other marketing efforts. Some of these areas of marketing will be more important and effective, depending upon your business. All of them you can have professionals help you with or outsource if you don't have the manpower to handle it. ​

Online marketing strategies that are often outsourced include social media, search engine, and local search marketing, because unless you have time to dedicate it's difficult to stay on the multiple changes that transpire when it comes to strategy. With content and email marketing, you can do much of it yourself, but it never hurts to ask experts for strategy advice to help get you started. Take a minute to schedule a quick conversation with us to learn more about the marketing services we customize for small businesses like yours.

[junker-town]

How sports is Seven Worlds, One Planet: Episode 4?

Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl\ullstein bild via Getty Images

David Attenborough’s new show is epic ... and sports.

We continue our extremely important mission to conduct a scene-by-scene review of the BBC’s new nature documentary, Seven Worlds, One Planet, in order to see how sports it is. We determined that Episode 1, which focused on Antarctica, was reasonably sports. Asia was very sports, as was South America. Time for ...

Episode 4 Australia

Scene 1: Cassowary

Australia is indisputably the weirdest continent. Approximately 99 percent of the planet’s strangest creatures call it home, including SB Nation’s James Dator. Venomous spiders are eaten by venomous snakes are eaten by the world’s biggest crocodiles are surfed on by wombats are cheered on by (venomous) duck-billed platypuses, etc., etc. Given Australia’s bounty of weirdness, it’s only natural that we begin with what is probably the oddest bird of all.

Any bird with an “Attacks on Humans” subhead of its Wikipedia page is worth paying attention to, if only so you know to stay the hell away. Cassowaries don’t kill people that often, but when they do, they like kick us to death, using their wicked claws to tear through flesh, innards and bone. Think a very large kiwi with a bright head crest, a velociraptor’s talons and murderous intent. Then make it 50 times larger and 50 times as murderous. Now you have a cassowary.

Big bird booty coming through!#SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/8CvHmh0P7T

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Given that scene-setting, the BBC have opted to give us a segment about parenting. Cassowary fathers raise their chicks alone for nine months, and this one is leading his two chicks through the jungle to find fruit. The trio encounter a little stream, which they must cross in search of food. One chick jumps in ...

Well, this little guy gets a 10/10 for trying #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/UCDeoLHPPJ

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

... but the other does not, deciding to try to find its own way through the jungle. What finds him first? Snakes? Monitor lizards? Dad? Dad! DAD. The cassowary family is united once more.

This scene was surprisingly uplifting, mostly because I excepted the chicks to be devoured by crocodiles as soon as they got anywhere near water. This is northern Australia, after all, and I’m conditioned to expect crocodiles in every creek.

Aesthetics 5/10

Cassowaries are extremely unusual looking birds, but they’re not good looking birds.

Difficulty 4/10

Fording a stream less than a foot deep doesn’t seem very hard at all, although I’m going to give some bonus points for that stream being in an Australian jungle that would certainly kill me within two hours if I found myself lost there.

Competitiveness 0/10

There’s a lot of tension here but no true climax, and therefore no competition.

Overall 10/30

Last week we determined that misplacing your children isn’t sports, and it still isn’t.

Scene 2: Flying Foxes

Until today, I had never really considered how bats drink. But a large bat is extremely ungainly, and so finds it difficult to get off the ground, hence all the hanging upside down from trees and in caves and whatnot. Flying foxes — with a five-foot wingspan, they’re a very large kind of fruit bat — get all the food they need in the trees. Their water, though? That takes a special trick.

As it turns out, they drink by skimming the surface of a river for exactly long enough to soak the long fur on their chests, then return to their roosts to lap it up. It’s a skillful, impressive maneuver, and also — AHHHHH-

In this land of extremes, even a quick dip can mean death. #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/IHXUD9aCMU

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Some flying foxes are much luckier than others.#SevenWorldsOnePlanet #acloseshave pic.twitter.com/1FnvpaEOka

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Right. Here’s where all the crocodiles missing from the cassowary scene have ended up, a sort of drinks gauntlet for these poor fruit bats. “Every two metres of river, there is a crocodile,” says our friend Mr. Attenborough. Australia!

Aesthetics 8/10

There’s a beauty in contrasts. Take a bat, full of darting grace, have it skim across the water just so, skillful and serene and then BLAM! a crocodile. Ambush and speed and shock. It is an unpleasant mix for a flying fox, of course, but makes for a fun scene.

Difficulty 10/10

Collecting water on the wing, having to dip into the river just so without making what would be a fatal splash landing, is difficult enough. Now add crocodiles. Eesh.

Competitiveness 5/10

Catching a bat as it’s flying over you is quite hard, but it’s still not much of a fair fight, if you’re a crocodile.

Overall 23/30

I’m a professional journalist. Of course I think drinking is a sport.

Scene 3: The Kangaroo Hunt

In formation #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/uWkw5DyWZm

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Kangaroos have a top speed of something like 40 mph, which they can sustain for more than a mile. Catching one on open ground is more or less impossible, even for dingos. Although they’re fast in their own right, dingos can’t get close to kangaroos on the plains. So how do they hunt them at all?

The answer is that they turn the kangaroo’s great weapon — their hop — against them. Having failed to take them on level ground, these dingos learn their lesson. They find a new herd of kangaroos on uneven ground, and guide them up a hill, then chase them down it. While a kangaroo’s hopping motion gives it plenty of speed, it’s also less stable than the dingo’s running gait, and it’s especially hard to control going downhill:

You can guess what happens once they crash.

Aesthetics 8/10

Neither of these animals is particularly pretty, but they move beautifully, especially the kangaroos, whose long hops are wonderfully alien to most nature shows.

Difficulty 9/10

Hunting down one of the faster land animals in the world using only your legs? Don’t even try.

Competitiveness 9/10

A close match which required clever tactics for the dingos to earn a win.

Overall 26/30

Very sports.

Scene 4: Sexy Spiders

I suspect that even the most committed arachnophobe would have no problem with jumping spiders. They’re tiny, don’t sneak up on you, have relatively cute little faces and extremely cute little bounces. Unlike most spiders, jumping spiders are active hunters, which means they need acute vision and big eyes. (That might explain the cuteness.) Also they have some very amusing courtship routines.

Female jumping spiders frequently eat the male spiders if they’re unimpressed by their dance moves. They also frequently eat the male spiders even if they are impressed by their dance moves, but let them mate first. This was presumably evolved as a metaphor for capitalism.

Aesthetics 6/10

I like jumping spiders a lot. Unfortunately, these particular spiders are not among the most impressive specimens. Let’s survey some of their competitors:

Lee Hua Ming / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

A flathead jumper

Getty Images

I think this is a peacock spider but it’s only labelled ‘Portraits of Insects’ in Getty’s database so don’t take my word for it I’m not a spider expert. Also, spiders aren’t insects

Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

A regal jumping spider

Difficulty 7/10

Seducing a spider with your dance moves seems like quite the challenge. The only thing I have ever successfully achieved while dancing is concussing myself.

Competition 7/10

Think of all the generations of spiders who’ve had to out-dance each other to get here. Think of all the male spiders who are falling at life’s last hurdle. Nature, red in tooth and dance.

Overall 20/30

Sex is one of the original sports.

Scene 5: Thirst Lizards

Another ant bites the dust #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/xAoJjUENJ9

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Spiky and dry. The thorny devil is a pretty apt ambassador for the Australian Outback, one of the world’s more hostile deserts. Finding food is a problem for its inhabitants, but perhaps less of a problem than finding water. Perentie lizards, the continent’s largest monitor, slake their thirst by eating other lizards (to be honest, this is not my recommended course of action), so when the rains do come, it’s probably unwise for any other lizard to go head-down in a puddle. A thorny devil’s spikes might look impressive, but they’re no use against the 40-pound perentie.

What’s the solution? Sponge impersonation. When a thorny devil finds a puddle, it simply wades into it with its head up. The fine groves between its scales act as capillaries, funneling the water over its body and towards its mouth, and allowing the little lizard to remain vigilant for predators even while drinking.

Aesthetics 8/10

I’m not sure that spikes are really my thing, but even if a lizard isn’t quite in one’s preferred style, one has to appreciate a lizard done well. Even if you don’t like Gothic architecture, for instance, you’re going to be impressed by the Cologne Cathedral. Yes, I am calling the thorny devil the Cologne Cathedral of spikes.

Difficulty 9/10

I think the human equivalent of this would be, something like standing in your drink and trying to spoon it into your mouth somehow. This is biomechanically feasible, but I’m not going to attempt it.

Competition 6/10

Would be zero, sponges not being known competitors. But then there’s a perentie on the prowl, and that rather spices things up.

Overall 23/30

I’m a professional journalist. Of course I think drinking is a sport.

Scene 6: Budgies

Most of inner Australia is a desert, which is my way of saying that yes, this is another scene about drinking. It’s also a scene about budgerigars, which turn out to be expert desert-dwellers. Outside pet shops, their native habitat, budgies have adapted superbly well to the heart of Australia, where they gather in immense flocks and drift from billabong to billabong, where they can get a drink.

Nature is beautiful #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/VhLzNFNSuL

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

But this is Australia, where drinking is exceptionally dangerous. Whenever the flock stops, they’re hunted by birds of prey. The predators also need to drink, so the budgies can get a few sips in while they’re grounded, but there’s not enough time for all of them to quench their thirst.

In the air, budgies are difficult to catch. They fly in close enough formation that hawks have trouble singling them out as individuals, which they need to do if they’re going to grab one on the wing. But eventually the flock has to go back to the water to drink. They do so under the gaze of some very hungry eyes.

When the hawk moves to strike, the budgies take off as fast as they can. Too slow, and they’ll become ex-parakeets.

Aesthetics 9/10

I’m a sucker for bird flocks of basically any stripe. A murmuration of starlings? Yes, please. Canada geese flying in a V as they migrate? Fantastic. Budgies add that nice flash of yellowy-green too. Lovely stuff.

Difficulty 8/10

From the hawks’ perspective, quite difficult. From the budgies’, this amounts to ‘drink fast’, and I can do that.

Bonus points, however, for this bird deliberately making it harder from themself. He’d never leave a budgie behind.

No friend left behind! #SevenWorldsOnePlanet pic.twitter.com/IaRGpvaqqk

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

Competition 7/10

Overwhelming numbers are the only reason that hawk vs. budgerigar is a contest.

Overall 24/30

I’m a professional journalist. Of course I think drinking is a sport.

Scene 7: That is a LOT of Sharks

We can’t have an Australia episode without the Great Barrier Reef, damaged by anthropogenic climate change though it may be. But we’re not focusing on the corals or their inhabitants here. Instead, we’re treated to a shark hunt, and on a titanic scale.

When you think of a shark hunt, what comes to mind? For me, it’s something like a great white blowing right out of the water to end some unfortunate sea critter:

But shark attacks are not always so dramatic, or so individualistic. Sharks have spent hundreds of millions of years hunting whatever critters come their way, and they’ve evolved all sort of techniques to catch as many of them as possible. And along Australia’s north coast, they sometimes turn shepherd.

When conditions are right, once every decade or so, they do so in absurd numbers. Millions of fish are driven by hundreds of sharks right up against the coast, penned in while they wait to attack. So many fish are jammed into such a tight space that the overall effect is like an oil slick:

BBC Earth

Fish (centre) herded against the shore by sharks

Have I mentioned that there are a lot of sharks? There are a lot of sharks. The whole thing looks slightly unreal.

BBC Earth

The sharks wait until just the right moment, when they have as many fish as possible trapped, and then they feast. Yum yum.

Aesthetics 10/10

The sheer scale here is mind-blowing and the cinematography captures it perfectly. There are so many sharks involved that it’s hard to even process from the top-down view.

Difficulty 7/10

Herding fish takes patience and extreme coordination, and I have neither.

Competitiveness 2/10

This isn’t much of a contest once the sharks take the handbrake off.

Overall 19/30

Fishing is a sport, so this is probably a sport.

Scene 7: Those Poor Devils

Tasmanian devils have had a rough go of things. The entire devil population on the Australian mainland wiped out thousands of years ago, more or less coincidental with the introduction of the dingo from Asia. Their last stronghold is — or more accurately, was — Tasmania, Australia’s biggest island. There they are cut off from dingos by the Bass Strait.

Unfortunately, in the last 30 years a non-dingo population has arisen in the form of a transmissible cancer. Devil facial tumor disease can spread by biting, and since devils love to bite each other, it has spread like wildfire through almost the whole population. The tumors caused by DFTD eventually prevent devils from eating, starving them to death.

Given that it should come as no surprise that the Tasmanian devil is now endangered. This quiet scene shows one of the last wild devil families, isolated from DFTD by living on an islet off the Tasmanian coast. While their mother scavenges a wallaby corpse from a beach, the pups explore the area outside their den, doing the sorts of things all babies do: trying to eat rocks, annoying some ants, and dragging a stick into the house for absolutely no reason.

The great, all powerful, and terrifying….rock #SevenWorldsOnePlanet #thatdeesculatedquickly pic.twitter.com/cm8gFNI9cU

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 17, 2019

They’re very cute.

Aesthetics 7/10

Baby animals goofing around is high marks every time.

Difficulty 0/10

The mother’s meal is already dead and the pups’ idea of a good time is harassing a rock.

Competitiveness 0/10

Nothing happens.

Overall 7/30

Definitely not a sport.

[williamsjoan]

Gris Review — A Masterpiece of Outstanding Beauty That Captivates You and Doesn’t Let Go

There have been very few times throughout my gaming life that I really look forward to playing a game and that said game ends up living up to my expectations. Usually what happens is that it’s nothing that I thought it would be — the story isn’t very well done, or it’s just not very good from start to finish leaving me in a hopeless mess wondering “Why can’t I just find a really captivating and meaningful game?”

This was my fear when I asked to review Gris. On the box, it was everything I crave in a game with its deeper meaning, its approach to mental health issues, and its artful style, but I wasn’t hopeful that it would actually pan out. After all, trailers are made to show all the good parts, right? Well, this time at least I was so very wrong. None of the trailers did Gris any justice whatsoever and to say that Gris is a work of art, truly underplays the magnificence of this title.

Gris is a very troubled young woman who is in the depths of despair and sorrow. I found myself wondering what made this soul so unhappy — what was her story? I started to realize that how she got to this place really didn’t matter because it was more about the journey from here on out and what she needed to do to heal.

There are no spoken words in Gris, nor will you find yourself dying from a misplaced jump or enemy — what you will find is the beauty of a free-flowing artistic marvel. The visual aspects of the hand-painted watercolor and Indian ink by Conrad Roset combined with the alluring score by Marco Albano told the story much more than any scripted narrative ever could. You knew exactly what was happening or about to happen when the orchestral music started to become more intense or soften.

One example of this was when Gris was making her way through a vast, desolate desert. You could hear the wind rushing through the sand in this strange land, accompanied by the velvety caress of a violin, but then suddenly the music would change into a more violent and urgent symphony giving me the heads up that a strong, red wind was coming my way that would knock me to the ground, giving me a small break before starting up again. Thankfully, my dress was on my side and I learned that I could turn it into a heavy block that would anchor to the ground on command to withstand these gales, helping me to continue on my path until finally, it has eased and then vanished.

When I played this particular scene, I understood its meaning entirely. The strong, aggressive cyclone represented Gris’s sorrow, pain, and hopelessness that had always wanted to bring her to her knees given any opportunity it could get. But Gris eventually taught herself how to face it and grew that little bit stronger to eventually face it, making it lose its power over her.

“I was truly astounded at the level of detail that was put into Gris – it made me want to soak in every particle the artist drew, analyze it, and forever hold it in my mind.”

As Gris’s story started out, the landscape was black and white and extremely barren. This gave a really good indication of Gris’s emotions at this time and how her world was perceived. I spent a little while just running as there’s really no such thing as walking in this game – you either stand still or gallop. As Gris ran, her black dress would fan out behind her that was in stark contrast to her bright blue hair.

I finally came across a small orb and then another one further on that when touched, it would connect with Gris and follow her, becoming entwined with her dress. At this time I had no idea what this meant, but as I furthered on a little I came across some dots in the sky and when I stood near them, the orbs flew up from me and connected together to form a constellation bridge, allowing me to get to the next platform.

What I found most beautiful was the scattering of red rose-like flowers in this otherwise colorless void and when you ran through them, the petals would fall slowly to the ground making it drizzle red velvet drops. I think the developers added this to give the feeling that hope was on the horizon and just within reach if Gris could just find the strength to keep pushing forward. It really was a very meaningful touch that didn’t go unnoticed by me.

As I ventured forward, I came across four very large stone statues of women that were scattered in a tower. All of these women were cracked and broken in some form and they also were all in a frozen state of anguish. Again this is where the developers so cleverly manifested Gris’s grief into other forms of art throughout the gameplay. I was truly astounded at the level of detail that was put into Gris — it made me want to soak in every particle the artist drew, analyze it, and forever hold it in my mind.

After some time without much color, it was a feast for the eyes when Gris came across a vibrant, lush forest of greens and reds. Of course, the color change was an indication of the state of Gris’s mind — the more color meant the better she was slowly starting to become. This segment was brimming with life from small strange creatures scurrying along the thicket floor to the choir of birds tweeting in unison.

A curious little block critter eating falling apples started to follow Gris. At first, I thought this was added for the cuteness factor, but eventually, I realized that this creature was here to help me, but only if I helped it in return by knocking fruit from some nearby trees. It would then open places that weren’t accessible otherwise, allowing me to continue to my next destination.

“The puzzles in Gris could be a little challenging for me in parts, but this wasn’t the game’s fault whatsoever, it was completely my own.”

The puzzles in Gris could be a little challenging for me in parts, but this wasn’t the game’s fault whatsoever, it was completely my own. When I came across a puzzle that I had to figure out, I was eager to solve it as quickly as possible because I was excited to get to the next area in as little time as possible — this was a major faux pas on my behalf.

Gris purposefully taught me that to solve something, you needed to look at the bigger picture and to slow down because only rushing it made it harder, hence losing the whole meaning of the game. By allowing myself to become mindful, slowly work something out, and to completely absorb my environment, I could then solve it in a much quicker period. Lesson learned Nomada Studio.

There really wasn’t an area I looked upon in Gris that didn’t have some aspect of outstanding beauty in it, which is a true testament to Conrad Roset‘s pure natural creative skill. One of his visual wonders was a scene involving a huge angry blackbird that out of nowhere set upon me in a manic chase sequence, morphing into hundreds of tinier birds as it soared through the sky in pursuit of Gris and then morphing back again as it stands in front of her.

“There really wasn’t an area I looked upon in Gris that didn’t have some aspect of outstanding beauty in it, which is a true testament to Conrad Roset‘s pure natural creative skill.”

The fluid beauty of this moment will stay with me for a long time, not only because of its captivating flowing animation but the meaning of the blackbird. The bird symbolizes Gris’s pain — its irate squeal throws Gris to the ground, and as seen with the fierce wind, she battles against it, with her dress becoming her savior.

With each defeat comes more vibrant shades that immerse Gris’s world. From the underwater Alice in Wonderland-style world with its magical mushrooms, illuminant fireflies, luscious waterfalls, and deadly gigantic snapping eels to the peaceful and surreal environment of the upside down macrocosm that came alive with butterflies and flowers. Each world that I was lucky enough to experience gave me something to take away.

There is one moment towards the end of the game that brought a lump to my throat. It was a moment that brought a tear to my eye because I felt that I had gone through this long and traumatic journey with her to then see her find joy again. You will know it when you reach it, but it carries a similar weight to other memorable emotional moments in the history of the gaming medium.

Gris is a game you not only play with your mind but your heart and soul, too. Don’t be surprised if by the end it takes a little of you with it. From the very first opening moments until the closing seconds, Gris weaved a web of despair, pain, promise, and joy that I didn’t want to untangle from. When looking at other platformers like Celeste where you experience the emotional undercurrent of trauma and pain, I felt Gris gave a better pull into that world than Celeste could.

Not only because Gris’s pain was a visual one, where her sorrow and struggles manifested into “real” beautiful, yet haunting entities, but also because it made you feel Gris’s anguish without any narrative. All Gris had to rely on was music and art to do what other titles only wish they could with words, and in my opinion, that not only requires boundless talent but an in-depth knowledge on how the human psyche ticks.

“Gris will continue to be relevant for years to come due to its importance in society when talking about loss and mental anguish.”

Gris will continue to be relevant for years to come due to its importance in society when talking about loss and mental anguish. Art also should be an important aspect of gaming and I believe as we travel through the years, we will notice that incorporated more and more within the titles we play. Gris will be among the blueprint of standards that lined the way for that to happen even more so.

To call this a simple 2D platforming video game would be to discredit the meticulous work and passion the developers put into this title, not to mention the breathtaking craftsmanship and mental health story you travel on with Gris. The only thing left for me to do now is to play it over again and I can’t wait.

The post Gris Review — A Masterpiece of Outstanding Beauty That Captivates You and Doesn’t Let Go by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.

Gris Review — A Masterpiece of Outstanding Beauty That Captivates You and Doesn’t Let Go published first on https://timloewe.tumblr.com/

[corrinefrisina8-blog]

Crispy Peanut Butter Delicious chocolate Potato chip Cookies (Vegan & Wheat

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[look-whos-evil-now]

Dream 2/19/17 (part 2)

ROOM 1) This room was pretty big (like maybe a little smaller than mattress-showroom big) and was bright, sterile white with fluorescent lighting. It looked very lab-like almost. There were tables and chairs and furniture stacked around to make a simple labyrinth, with all of it like tilted at weird angles or almost suspended. it was honestly pretty cool. the goal of the room was to go through the labyrinth. But, it was super hard, because all the furniture was also bright white except for these black taped outlines, so it was hard to navigate without hitting things or getting lost in all the lines. And, in the center, far enough that I don’t think anyone could actually reach it through the maze, was like something on the floor that kinda might have been a pile of clothes or might have been a person. It was hard to tell through all the lines and white furniture. I remember cause I was looking at it, and z was behind me, and then I heard a noise and turned around, and he was gone, and there was this iron statue of a snake where he had been. (btw, there was noise in this room. It was like a pulsing noise, but high-pitched, it kinda reminded me of a heart monitor, and then there would sometimes be banging noises from different corners of the maze) And for whatever reason, that didn’t freak me out that much, so I just kept going. When I got to the end of the maze, there was a black picture frame I had to climb through, IDENTICAL to the one in the first room except it still had shards in it, but they were chrome-looking, not glass. I remember thinking there must be some connection between the two, but I couldn’t figure it out in the dream. It was the only thing in the room pure-black, not white with black outlines like everything else. Z exited at the same time I did, and explained that he saw a panel or something drop in between us and then spent the rest of the maze trying to find me. (I completely remember that the statue was 3-D, not a painting, but whatever, dream logic) ROOM 2) This one looked like a small police gun training room, but with only two booths. The guns were fake and wired up to the booth, but I remember thinking they looked real. This one people didn’t have to participate in, only if they wanted to, so some people were just walking, and some would take a turn in one of the booths. There was glass separating the booth from the “shooting” area, and the images behind it were mostly transparent, and I remember thinking that they were using Pepper’s ghost (old magician’s trick to produce “ghostly” images) because of it. So, anyways, we watched for a little, and mostly it seemed to go between either a) a normal shooting paper thing, kinda like in the art gallery at my school now but plainer, b) guys in suits walking around, or c) someone on the floor, crying and trying to crawl away. But sometimes, it would be something random, like a bowl of fruit or whatever, and we couldn’t figure out the pattern. The images would just like slide in and out, like on a slide projector, but sideways, swooping in. People would either shoot at them or not. So, I went to go try it, and as soon as I had the gun, it switched to one I hadn’t seen before, which was an image of the people in the booths. So, like, an image of me, basically. And i didn’t shoot, so I just stood there. I remember the other booth shot, and their reflection, like, shattered where they shot it, like a statue. I can’t remember if Z tried or not. I think we left shortly after. ROOM 3) Don’t really remember this one. I remember it was dimly lit. Grey tile. Water running down the walls, like a waterfall. I think people started getting phone calls (?). Their phones started lighting up. All i really remember is looking at the water  ROOM 4) This room was about as big as Z's office, and when we went in, it was pitch black. There was very clearly nothing in the room, cause us and a whole bunch of people shuffled in. So, when we went in, the show started, and it was like this cute cartoon character being projected all over the walls, and it was bouncing around while giving this monologue. The character was like this orange furry thing, kinda shaped like a Boobah, if you;ve ever seen those, but less segmented. And it had this old man face, but it’s voice was super loud and boisterous and cheery, like a danny-devito type voice but younger. Overall, though, it was really cute, just a little weird. So, the creature just starts doing this monologue, and it starts framing it as a “journey through history” and what it ended up being was this detailed decription of like, everything the US government has ever done wrong. War crimes, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, assassinations, MKULTRA, the NSA, stuff like that. And it was really about the graphic details of these things, the way it was describing these things was seriously disturbing. Like blood-and-guts, down to every single person details. And I remember getting scared that it was gonna show pictures, and as soon as I thought that, i noticed it was flashing little images for a split second in different corners of the room. Like, almost-subliminal-but-you-can -still catch-it flashes. So, this fun character is bouncing around, having a grand old time, and like it was just really fucked up. So I ended up staring at my feet, trying not to look at anything. And then the monologue ended with it saying “Let’s all praise America for ushering in the newest era of atrocities!” (verbatim), which was like, the creepiest part to me for some reason. And then the lights came on, and it revealed like, we were in a gas chamber the whole time. Stained tile, cement floor, drain in the middle, pipes with vents in them around the ceiling, the works. I remember being able to hear gas inside the pipes. So, like, the door opened when the lights came on, but all the other people were still milling around inside, like chatting about the symbolism or whatever. And then this really ominous chime started happening, and for whatever reason i thought it meant they were gonna start gassing, and I was like “Shit, Z, that’s not good, we have to go, we have to go NOW” but nobody was really paying attention except us. And he was also starting to freak out, but he was like “It’s fine, they aren’t gonna actually do anything, it’s just art”. I was still like “No, we need to go, we need to go RIGHT NOW,” and I ended up dragging him through the crowd. ROOM 5) This room looked basically like a middle-school computer lab, but with the normal orange walls of the hallway. We all had to sit down at our own computer, put on the big bulky headphones and play the game. It was this text game about a court case, and the player was the lawyer for the victim (it wasn’t called a plaintiff in the game, just the victim). It seemed like the game was randomly generated, and you never found out what they were a victim of. It was intentionally confusing, people would all switch names except the victim (though, sometimes, they would change names to the same name as the victim), so you couldn’t keep track of who was saying what or even who was who. I had like 3 characters named “P” in my game. And everytime the player got close to making a point, the witness or whoever would turn up dead and you’d have to start over with the evidence. It was intended to be unable to win, or even really end it, I think. There would sometimes randomly be illustrations to “help keep track,” but all the illustrations had these weird wax face things on and would switch faces, which made it even harder. i remember in mine, the judge and defendant kept switching and it was really confusing me. In the room, there were also a few people dressed as police officers walking around, monitoring everything. It was really creepy, I could feel them walking around behind me. I tried to grab Z's hand, but I was too scared to look away from the screen or say anything. So, after all this, we went in the last room. It was dark, and people were just supposed to walk through it. There was a shitty projector playing like, old cartoons and movies on the wall, but super distorted and fuzzy. And the volume was LOUD too. The only light on was the projector. and around the room, there were like, people facing the walls (Or i guess, mannequins, but it wasn’t possible to see their faces.) They were all lined up against the wall, or lying face down on the floor in rows, not moving. And I was scared, because, i remember being really convinced that these were REAL bodies. Z kept telling me not to look at the bodies or the projector and just to keep moving. It exited out into the hallway from before the very first room, the one with the title, but this time the title was gone and her name was gibberish. Like, impossible to read. and I was like “Z, do you remember what it said when we walked in?” And he was just like “Nope, I wasn’t looking.” and then when i asked him about the name, he was like “Abby, can’t you read that?” and i couldn’t. He refused to tell me what it said, but he said it was freaky and basically pulled me out. I remember I started asking about particular people too, and I asked if it was my mom’s name a lot. He just kept saying he wouldn’t tell me if it was. After that, I was crying pretty hard, so we ended up sitting on a bench outside. Z was holding me, and trying to calm me down. He was just kinda saying comforting things for a while, and then after a bit, he kept saying “do you remember anything else?” and i didn’t know what he meant. I kept asking if he meant about the exhibit or in general or if I was saying things in the moment and not remembering, but he wouldn’t respond, he’d just keep saying comforting things. Lots of “darling” and “cute little fox”. And, finally, he asked if i was hungry and i said yes so he said he would drive me to FAU (dream logic, we were still very much in Germany).