#sparrow defenders unite

[kaseyskat]

also okay considering sparrow literally told scary that he lets lark handle all of the violence. i really do think sparrow's biggest crime in hero's upbringing is that he was complacent and didn't stop it until she wanted to stop, but that lark was the one actually in charge of training her, ie the one making her kill deer with her bare hands and shit. still shitty! but it feels so right to me that this was a team effort, especially since lark's the one actively obsessed with killing the doodler! but when hero wanted to stop, sparrow's the one who made that happen and has since been supporting her living her own life, and that's why he fights so hard to keep normal out of it, the last thing he wants is to accidentally put his other child through the same mistakes. i think the way he treats normal and scary both this episode proves that it was something he learned from and tbh yall have forgiven other dads for worse! sparrow's a caretaker at heart and he's been that way ever since henry instilled it in him that love is the greatest strength and he might not be a good parent but he's definitely not the worst parent on this podcast the way yall really want him to be LMAO

[d1nosaurpower]

I will start thread about coolest Ukrainian women for international women day.

First, we will start with classics

Queen Olha was a brilliant strategist and diplomat. She was also ruthless in revenge.

One day, tribe of drevlyany killed her husband, and sent a two delegations to attempt to marry the queen. Why two? First one was buried alive by Olha, and second one was locked out in sauna and burned.

Finally, she asked each household from city that killed her husband to give her three pigeons and two sparrows. Upon achieving birds, Olha tied burning twings to their feet and let them out. Birds returned home and set the houses they were nesting on on fire.

Olha was one of the first people to pick up christianity (for diplomatic purposes). According to legend, she tricked emperor Konstantyn to baptize her in order to avoid marrying him and preserving good relation with Byzantium.

Olha’s politics included regulation of taxation, construction of first stone buildings in all Kyiv Rus, and introduced first administrative units.

In addition to this, she successfully defended Kyiv in siege of 968 protecting it from Pechenegs.

She proceeded to advise her son once he became the king himself, and after passing Olha was canonized as a saint.

Absolute badass. Absolute girlboss.

[jozor-johai]

Reread the AGOT Prologue last night, and I was so caught up this time in how the dynamics of that chapter are a microcosm of the class dynamics in Westeros.

Not such a long post, but putting it after the cut for ease.

Waymar Royce, of course, stands in for the Lords, with his wealth and name and undeserved authority, while one-named Gared and Will are the smallfolk.

In this chapter, with a speaking cast of 3, there's already this question of where does power lie? In this scene, the smallfolk outnumber the lords 2-to-1, and neither believe in Waymar, but ultimately each of them defers to the lord's authority (the ratio is much more extreme in Westeros at large, but this works for a 3-person dynamic). Will and Gared also trust each other, and trust each other's expertise, more than either of them think Waymar should be trusted in any capacity—he's not leader by merit (he has much less experience than either of them), he's not leader by popular appeal (they laugh at him in their cups), and he's not leader by age (younger than the both).

And we see already in this small moment the ways in which authority attempts to deal with usurpation—which we will see played out over and over again throughout the entirety of ASOIAF.

Gared challenges Waymar's authority on the basis of experience, which is a justified complaint. Faced with an inarguable position, Waymar responds with unnecessary cruelty: "you ought to dress more warmly, Gared." This is one way for the upper class to keep the smallfolk in line—to flaunt their wealth and advantage, and to push back visciously against challenges. This is the Tywin technique, one which we see done consistently throughout the series.

The significance of this being a mental confrontation cannot be overstated: when confronted with Varys' riddle, Tyrion later observes that the rule "All depends on the man with the sword." Here, Gared is the man with the sword—he's a man-at-arms, and the better swordsman. While "Will doubted it[Royce's sword] had ever been swung in anger," "Will would not have given an iron bob for the lordling's life if Gared pulled it[his own sword] from its scabbard." Gared could fully kill Royce here, if he dared. And so the challenge, for Waymar, is to make sure Gared never dares. Power lies where men believe it lies, so Waymar's job as authority figure is to demoralize Gared, so he does not outright challenge Waymar's authority. (This is the role of public humiliation—another 'Tywin tactic,' but which is also used broadly).

Perhaps Gared would dare to challenge Waymar's authority if he were not alone. When Varys follows Tyrion's thinking that the man holding the sword might have some real power, he questions: why do the men with swords obey kings at all, then? Tyrion posits: "Because these child kings and drunken oafs can call other strong men, with other swords." So perhaps the issue is unity, a majority feeling—one man cannot rebel, lest his own class turn against him, but perhaps many can. We see this as the series goes on in instances like with the Sparrows, who amass enough numbers that they can imprison the queen, or with the sellswords in Meereen, who might turn the tide of battle if they switch sides (to the side that they believe might win).

To gain this advantage, Gared and Will would have to be a united front. In the beginning of this chapter, Will was a neutral figure, he's not willing to actually challenge that authority, he didn't want to be involved in the confrontation, but knew "he known "they would drag him into the quarrel sooner or later." Later, though, after witnessing Gared's demoralization, Will nearly steps in himself—in defense of Gared, out of respect for Gared's experience, and in a moment of class solidarity, Will speaks up to defend Gared, and is cut off:

"If Gared said it was the cold …" Will began.

"Have you drawn any watches this past week, Will?"

Here, Waymar's goal, as ruling class of this interaction, is to prevent class solidarity within the smallfolk. If Waymar responded too rudely, or with too much aggression, this might bind Gared and Will together for certain, and Waymar might be usurped (this is the result of the repeated aggressions of Aerys II, resulting in his death, or the repeated aggressions of Tywin which spawned the aforementioned Sparrows).

So Waymar has to employ a different strategy: (still a bit snidely) Waymar plays the role of 'encouraging mentor,' invoking this idea that he deserves to rule by the merit of being inherently 'wiser' or a keeper of 'knowledge'. He suggests that Will figure out for himself, under Waymar's guidance, that the cold could not possibly have killed the wildlings. Led more gently by Waymar, Will seems to decide for himself that Waymar is correct. In short, Waymar is able to reposition Will to be on his side, not Gared's, by leveraging his initial assumed authority and the existing attitude of elite education, even as that makes Will go against his own first-hand experience.

This is another tactic that we see repeatedly used throughout ASOIAF (and the world)—the ruling class acting as though they are simply elevating the ("innocently wrong") subjugated class to a more aware and knowledgeable position. If we believe the Maester conspiracy, they are the most obvious example of this, but the fact that it is only the lords who have access to Maesters means this is implicitly true without even needing a conspiracy—the ruling class is already gatekeeping knowledge and education from the subjugated class. (As an aside: the Maester conspiracy, ironically, is only concerned with the possibility of an even higher authority secretly gatekeeping knowledge from the nobility—in other words, the fear that the Maesters are treating the Lords the way that the Lords treat the smallfolk).

So let's return to Varys' final proposed answers to his own riddle: "Some say knowledge is power. Some tell us that all power comes from the gods. Others say it derives from law." Waymar has employed the knowledge-as-power against Will, and we're also constantly up against the backdrop of law-as-power: The Night's Watch.

Waymar references "Mormont," someone who Waymar does not want to disappoint, and they all consider the agreed-upon terms of the Night's Watch. Even in this microcosmic scenario, they are part of a system, one where this authority figure is, seemingly, held to his own authority figure, and one where the "rules" of the interaction have been determined long before now. In the end, once Waymar decides, "the order had been given, and honor bound them to obey." They have all agreed to a set of laws, already, which keep them bound to Waymar's authority.

So, ultimately, it is in this moment that despite Gared and Will being fully correct in their fears, despite being more experienced, wiser, older, and in all ways better rangers than Waymar, authority itself held true, and Waymar marched them all on towards his own death.

[watchingyoufromthestars]

Having so many thoughts about the new episode, take my kiddads chess analogy:

Terry is Queen, Lark is King, Grant is Knight, Sparrow is Bishop, Nicky is Rook

(spoilers for ep45 in Terry’s section)

Terry: Queen

Sure, the King is the leader, but the Queen is the one with the most power on the board.

Especially given the Betrayal memory from Terry in ep45, he was clearly the Idea Guy as he once said he’d be back when all the kiddads were getting driving lessons.

Honestly I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots sooner on Terry being the one to shoot Nicky’s arm off. “What do you do when your arm itches: you cut it off” was a line from HIM.

The Queen is the only piece that can jump over obstacles and capture the Rook.

With Nicky as our Rook, Terry shot past the obstacle of Nicky and blew his arm off.

When you lose your queen, you lose the power of your fight. You can still win, but losing the Queen takes the sting out of your punch.

Things started to go way more downhill for the kiddads when Granted sniped him. Just insert all the kiddad scenes from ep37/38 here and how the teens reacted to Terry’s death in regards to Grant, Lark, and Sparrow.

Lark: King

The King is the Will of the board. If you lose your Will to accomplish what the board represents, it’s game over. The board only exists because the King does.

Lark is the Beginning of it all. Sure, the Lord of Chaos is a duo unit, but Lark wielded the knife that unlocked the horrors he continues to fight against 25 years later. The Doodler was released because Lark followed through on the prophecy.

It made sense to think Lark was fully in charge and leading the fight, but I’m now seeing him as a figurehead rather than high power. He doesn’t have the patience or calm emotions enough to be the head of operations.

Grant: Knight

Fun Fact! This piece is called a “Queen Killer”.

I won’t lie, that’s the main and only reason I assigned him Knight lol

Sparrow: Bishop

The Bishop represents the church the royal courts revered and the religion they upheld.

Out of any of them, Sparrow is definitely the most spiritual, which is what the Bishop represents.

The Bishop stands close to the King and Queen. The church representative acted as advisory to the King in all political activities.

Ignoring the Queen, Sparrow is for better or worse attached to Lark at the hip, and Lark to him.

Nicky: Rook

The Rook is the castle. The walls. The protector of the city. Castles are used to defend the country and royals from invaders and revolts.

Nicky is the Prince of Hell. He’s also fiercely devoted to his people, the last line of defense against the other kiddads from destroying Hell with another swap.

The Rook is brute force.

Anthony: So in terms of things that Nicky can do that are nonviolent, he can't.

Freddie: He’s built to kill!

This was started from making a chess analogy between Terry and Lark but I figured I should assign the other three some pieces as well and Nicky’s worked so well?? Anyways this episode did something to me. What that was I don’t know but I’ve felt so many emotions about literally every character.

[fatehbaz]

Slavery in Australia. Queensland attempted to “build a second Louisiana” based on explicit racial castes and the wealth of sugar plantations. Islanders from the South Pacific were kidnapped and forced to work on plantations. Between 1863 and 1904, there were at least 62,000 Islanders brought to Australia, and they composed 85% of sugar field workforce. The prominent Queensland planter Louis Hope bought his sugar plants from a slaver, and also hired field supervisors who had been slave overseers in Jamaica. The city of Townsville (Queensland) is named for Robert Towns, who had chartered ships loaded with Islanders brought to work on his property. The town of Tascott (New South Wales) is named for Australia’s celebrated sugar industry pioneer, who had initially made his wealth buying, selling, and managing African slaves at his family’s plantation in the Caribbean. Even so-called “liberal” or “reformist” politicians at the time proposed, as an alternative to Queensland’s “death squad” mounted police killings of Indigenous people, that Aboriginal people simply be captured and forced to work like the Islanders. In 1884, an Australian vessel opened fire and killed at least 38 Islanders resisting kidnapping/recruitment. Prime Minister Barton and Attorney General Alfred Deakin boasted that Australia’s constitution was superior to the United States’s because the Australian document gave explicit permission for racial discrimination and non-white immigration restriction. Then, frightened that Islanders and Aboriginal laborers might gain too much social presence, the government tried deporting all of the Islanders, beginning in 1904.

Text below is an excerpt from an overview of Queensland’s “sugar slavery,” an article from 2022 by scholar Jeff Sparrow.

---

[T]he practice – sometimes known as “sugar slavery” [...] was not a minor or incidental phenomenon. In fact, it was so important to plantation owners that, to defend it, they briefly contemplated separation from the rest of the colony, with Townsville mooted as the capital of what many observers dubbed a “slave state”. This “scheme for the extension and perpetuation of the slavery system” showed, one journalist claimed at the time, that Queensland had become “what the United States were before the Wars of the Secession”. [...]

Australia’s first prime minister, Edmund Barton, explained, quite accurately, that the “limited slavery” of the cane fields had agitated “the whole of Australia” and so was “a question which belongs to the Federation we have succeeded in establishing”. He also outlined the shocking philosophy upon which he considered Australia based:

I do not think either that the doctrine of the equality of man was really ever intended to include racial equality. There is no racial equality. There is basic inequality. These races are, in comparison with white races – I think no one wants convincing of this fact – unequal and inferior. The doctrine of the equality of man was never intended to apply to the equality of the Englishman and the Chinaman. There is deep-set difference, and we see no prospect and no promise of its ever being effaced. Nothing in this world can put these two races upon an equality. Nothing we can do by cultivation, by refinement, or by anything else will make some races equal to others. [...]

In the Australian context, a strange contradiction contributes to the ongoing amnesia about slavery and its consequences. From the very beginning, enslavement shaped white settlement in Australia [...].

---

From the very start, the Australian sugar industry demonstrated how formal and real freedoms might collide.

In Tascott, New South Wales, you can still find a plaque celebrating the man who gave the town its name: a certain Thomas Scott, who, we are told, “arrived in the colony in 1816 [and] pioneered the sugar industry in Australia”. The Tascott memorial neglects to mention Scott’s background in the slave trade. Yet that was how he developed his familiarity with sugar. As a young man, he assisted an uncle buying and selling Africans, before he began managing slave labour on his family’s plantation in Antigua. [...]

In the context of that widespread enthusiasm for the South (the welcome extended to the Confederate ship Shenandoah in Melbourne in 1865 led one of its officers to conclude “the heart of colonial Britain was in our cause”), Queenslanders dreamed of building a “second Louisiana”. They could, they thought, capitalise on the disruption of the international cotton and sugar trades [...].

---

So, in 1863, the shipping tycoon Robert Towns (the man who gave Townsville its name) tried another approach. Towns knew that, back in 1847, an entrepreneur called Benjamin Boyd – another man with a background in Caribbean slavery – had scandalised the colony by transporting men from the Pacific Islands of Tanna and Lifou to supply his cattle station with labour. [...]

In Boyd’s inauspicious venture, Towns glimpsed a solution, a means by which he might recreate Louisiana in Queensland. The insatiable demands of the textile industry meant, he thought, that cotton plantations would be far more profitable than Boyd’s cattle stations. Accordingly, Towns chartered a ship called the Don Juan and sailed it to the New Hebrides from where it returned crammed with Islanders destined for Towns’ huge property near the Logan River.

---

That was how it began.

Between 1863 and 1904, 62,000 South Sea Islanders were transported to Australia, landing in Brisbane, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Bowen, Townsville, Innisfail and Cairns. Most indentured labourers arrived from the New Hebrides, with a substantial proportion taken from the Solomons, as well as smaller islands. By the 1890s, Pacific Islanders constituted 85 per cent of the workforce for Australian sugar.

---

The men did not merely adopt a lifestyle associated with New World slavery. They also relied on its techniques and its personnel. [...]

Hope, for instance, acquired his sugar plants from the old slaver Thomas Scott. He hired supervisors from Jamaica and Barbados, looking for those with experience driving plantation slaves. To obtain the men for his fields, he turned – just as Boyd had before him – to a certain Captain Lewin, a notoriously shady character.

The Royal Navy’s Commander George Palmer described Lewin’s vessels as “fitted up precisely like an African slaver, minus the irons” and noted that, “I heard of him [Lewin] at every island I was at as a man stealer and kidnapper”. [...] Between 1863 and 1868, this was the man responsible for “recruiting” nearly half the Islanders who arrived in Australia. [...]

In 1884, at the height of that demand, a vessel called the Hopeful opened fire on Islanders who resisted being stolen, killing at least 38 people and possibly more. [...] By 1884, the annual mortality rate for Islanders in Queensland had climbed to 147 deaths per 1000 people. [...]

---

The Conservative Premier Sir Thomas McIlwraith, a man with personal interests in the sugar industry, expressed the perspective of the planters. He wanted, he said, a Queensland both successful and white. [...] Hence the necessity for a subservient caste of Islanders, who could ensure Queensland remained “a white man’s colony, influenced by white men and owned by white men”. His Liberal rival Samuel Griffith, on the other hand, argued that the importation of Islanders would foster the “degeneration which we have seen whenever the black and white races have endeavoured to mix”. [...]

---

Local parliamentarians pledged not to make the same mistake, congratulating themselves on the superiority of their constitution over the one ratified by the United States, on the basis that its Section 51 (the so-called “race powers”) allowed them, as Prime Minister Barton had explained, “to regulate the affairs of the people of coloured or inferior races who are in the Commonwealth”.

Attorney General Alfred Deakin went so far as to boast that “our Constitution marks a distinct advance upon and difference from that of the United States”. Its passages explicitly permitting racial discrimination enabled parliament to pass the Immigration Restriction Act (to keep non-whites out) and the Pacific Islands Labourers Act (to deport those Islanders already in Australia).

“The two things go hand in hand,” Deakin explained. Stopping the “lesser races” from arriving (with Islander recruitment ceasing in 1903) and expelling those who were currently resident: these were “the necessary complement of a single policy – the policy of securing a White Australia”.

The new nation thus signalled its birth by [...] ethnically cleansing its former slaves. The deportations began in 1904.

---

Text above by: Jeff Sparrow. “Friday essay: a slave state - how blackbirding in colonial Australia created a legacy of racism.” The Conversation. 4 August 2022. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Italicized first paragraph and heading in this post added by me.]

[bala5]

The mockingbird is most famous for the mimicry which gives this songbird its name. Mockingbirds are known to mimic the songs and calls of an array of other birds including bluebirds, sparrows, wrens, and jays. Some mockingbirds even “mock” the sounds of other animals like crickets or cats, and may even mock human-produced noises such as car alarms or squealing tires. Native only to North America, it is easy to see why the mockingbird has become such an important symbol within the United States. Found in a number of Native American myths and stories, mockingbirds have had a sizable impact on American literature, culture, and identity.

Mockingbirds chiefly symbolize imitation. This is because of their “mocking” habit. The Northern Mockingbird’s scientific name is “mimus polyglottis” which means “many-tongued mimic.” The mockingbird represents learning, memorization, plagiarism, and music.

Mockingbirds are socially monogamous and go out of their way to choose a partner who aggressively defends the nest and is an active and devoted parent. Thus, mockingbirds may represent communication, stability, defense, protection, parenthood, or commitment.

Mockingbirds are well known for singing long into the night. This is especially common when the moon is bright, but during the seasons when mockingbirds sing the most, late night songs are quite common. A mockingbird’s song may represent the tranquility or isolation that nightfall brings.

One of the most celebrated pieces in the entire canon of American literature is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This novel explores life in the South during the early twentieth century from the perspective of a young girl nicknamed Scout. Frequently read in public schools and cherished for its nuanced look at racial themes, To Kill a Mockingbird is so-named because mockingbirds play an important symbolic role within the book. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about childhood and a young child’s perspective on the injustices of the adult world. The mockingbird represents innocence.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

— To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Mockingbirds are fascinating animals and there is much much more that could be said about them. The song of a mockingbird reflects this bird’s beauty while also highlighting the wealth of sounds and songs that make up its environment. In its own way, each mockingbird’s song is like a love letter to the neighborhood where that individual bird was raised. For that reason alone, I think mockingbirds are something very special.

[spotsupstuff]

What is Sparrows daily routine?

i wanted to draw stuff for this but ough that's so much, so-

[a day is divided into 30 units of time (aka their "hours") instead of 24 like with us for the sake of a rounded number like that]

[05:40] - wake up through the mist of "ugh five more minutes", throw a middle finger to the alarm clock and start the process of becoming a conscious member of the society by running into the closet doors face first and dressing up, getting that "hair" contained...

[06:00] - make either breakfast or lunch. if breakfast is done, get some stretching exercises in before eating. if lunch is done, just get the exercises done. pack some cash, documents like an ID since ID drones aren't a thing yet, tools for today's planned workload, don't forget the annoying golden mask

[~06:45 - 07:00] - enter the restaurant/fast food place ya visit every day and get either breakfast or lunch for later, ignore the barista who somehow managed to develop a crush on ya, eat up if it's breakfast order, maybe take a walk around the town square

[08:00] - clock in for work at the Mechanic's main entrance into the Caper of Euros structure. make the way to the puppet chamber to check Euros' statistics, see if smth fucked up during the night that would need the help with getting fixed up and of course, tell him good morning. if he's on his puppet and scoops ya up, kiss him a good morning too

[08:15] - leave the chamber and the backpack with lunch behind (he'll look after it, probably strap it to the umbilical arm, maybe go through it - he's allowed to. one of these days she really needs to pack a little notebook, pencil and an eraser so he can have some fun with that) and start the shift. Mechanic's job mainly revolves around catching the mistakes that slipped by before an Iterator was turned on besides the maintance. so basically bringing them as close to perfection as possible. so she looks for lil fuck ups in the design + works on the ones already noted on the pearl she has from Euros' first Mechanic

[14:00 - 14:20] - lunch break!!! come back to the puppet chamber and sit with Euros while snacking. get to talk with him a little, catch up on what he's up to in his research and iterations, answer him in kind when he asks you about your day outside of him. "so how'd you sleep? any dreams? how was breakfast? is the barista still eyeing you? i still think you should go on a date with them and be absolutely obnoxiously out of character so they'd stop. oh! what about the town square? what did the kids play today?" "oh slow down, will you! i still have noodles left."

[14:20 - 20:45] - rest of the shift! the last hour or so is dedicated to mostly going around the sector she dedicated the day to and checking over her work and the Hivemind members. with the nature of her and Euros' relationship this often times results with the Inspectors yoinking her to play or cuddle with

[20:45 - 27:00] - free time! she Can be hailed by the Houses for updates on Euros' condition and to get her opinion on some changes they'd want to implement that would affect Euros during this time. she Hates these kind of meetings because she sucks at social interaction n everything, but if she has to defend her charge(/lover) against stupid ass ideas, she Will do her best. but generally this time is filled with hanging out with Euros properly as a friend or as a romantic partner, go out for beer or smth if she feels like it, calling her family to ask how they are doing once she gets home- ask if they need any money and such since the job pays INCREDIBLY well- strength and such exercises to keep in shape, read up on some additional info on Iterators that wasn't necessarily addressed back in school or some fictional stuff, play games (with Euros if he will be down or calls first), make dinner, watch a movie...

[~27:00 - 05:40] - sleeby time <3

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: Newly-Added Science & Nature eBooks

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada’s oil industry and America’s biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration—the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina—John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event, but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world.

Fire has been a partner in our evolution for hundreds of millennia, shaping culture, civilization, and, very likely, our brains. Fire has enabled us to cook our food, defend and heat our homes, and power the machines that drive our titanic economy. Yet this volatile energy source has always threatened to elude our control, and in our new age of intensifying climate change, we are seeing its destructive power unleashed in previously unimaginable ways.

With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillanttakes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America’s oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation wrought by modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. John Vaillant’s urgent work is a book for—and from—our new century of fire, which has only just begun.

Slow Birding by Joan E. Strassmann

Many birders travel far and wide to popular birding destinations to catch sight of rare or “exotic” birds. In Slow Birding, evolutionary biologist Joan E. Strassmann introduces readers to the joys of birding right where they are.

In this inspiring guide to the art of slow birding, Strassmann tells colorful stories of the most common birds to be found in the United States—birds we often see but might not have considered deeply before. For example, northern cardinals thrive in the city, where they are free from predators. White brows on a male white-throated sparrow indicate that he is likely to be a philanderer. This essential guide to the fascinating world of common, everyday birds features: detailed portraits of individual bird species and the scientists who have discovered and observed them; advice and guidance on what to look for when slow birding, so that you can uncover clues to the reasons behind specific bird behaviors; and bird-focused activities that will open your eyes more to the fascinating world of birds.

Slow Birding is the perfect guide for the birder looking to appreciate the beauty of the birds right in their own backyard, observing keenly how their behaviors change from day to day and season to season.

Universe: 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know by Joanne Baker

From dwarf planets to dark energy; and from the Big Bang to the death of stars, this book is the perfect introduction to the cutting-edge science that is shaping our understanding of our place in the Universe and that could lead to the next great discovery -- the detection of life beyond Earth.

The Devil's Element by Dan Egan

Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it's also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called "the oil of our time."

The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and "dead zones" in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Lionfish

The Obafi welcomed visitors. In fact, they always did so physically: each hull that came to rest against their sands was greeted with a fanfare played on tampu pipes, a procession fanned with algal fronds, a feast of roasted songcrab and anemone jam.

Amongst their own kind, they paid no particular heed to hospitality, but any guest beneath their trees was sheltered, clothed and fed for life. The Obafi existed in a grudging balance with each other - clans from different islands, former warrior tribes, united in a fragile sort of peace - but the arrival of outsiders saw them truly put their history aside.

The feast was the perfect metaphor for that. The clan from one island brought a rack of skewered sparrows; another served the roasted remains of what seemed like some sort of rodent, like the rats that plagued the visitors' ships. The hosts, the clan whose beach was now adorned with their sails, brought seared lionfish, and wore their striped spines as decoration.

They were a nation of hunters, they explained to their guests, but had to manage their skill in moderation: they used quotas, carefully weighted so that they didn't disrupt the balance of the shallows where they fished with wooden spears, needing a viable population of groupers and snappers to continue to thrive for years to come.

"Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a day," their guests summarised, after the lesson had been translated. "But teach him when not to fish, and he'll continue to eat for the rest of his life."

The only exception was the lionfish, which themselves disrupted the balance: they were an invasive species, and could therefore be slaughtered without limit, the spears doing less damage than their absence. As the newcomers had no other natural predators, and a voracious appetite of their own, the Obafi were obliged to defend the snappers and the groupers from this unfair competition, if they wanted their species to survive to feed their grandchildren.

The other clans offered similar stories: the sparrows had migrated and displaced the local birds, the rats had indeed arrived in another foreign hull. For such species, the usual hunting limits were disregarded. They were always fair game, always open season. For that reason, the hunters relished them the most. They were usually shackled, contained - but when a flock of sparrows passed overhead, they could release the predator inside.

When it came to the Obafi, there was often a lot to unleash. They were a proud nation of hunters, of warriors, and they showed glimpses of that might at the feast: not only the birds and beasts they offered for the pot, but their ceremonial dress, saved for these sort of occasions, featured a range of their traditional weaponry, from hatchets to shortbows to the sturdy spears with which they fished.

These islands had once been wracked by war, but in recent times the clans had merged to form one nation, united in a common cause. They'd had to hang up their weapons, sharpened though they'd been by years of use, and restrain their great capacity for violence, even having honed it all their lives. It had been a difficult adjustment, but they had to preserve the peace. They couldn't disrupt the balance.

Except, of course, for the likes of the lionfish - invasive species, who disrupted the balance in themselves, and could therefore be slaughtered without consequence. That would be a long-awaited taste of guilt-free violence, all in the name of peace. It would allow them to relish the thrill of the hunt, the bloodlust of combat, once again. To set loose the warrior inside.

The Obafi always welcomed visitors.

[usafphantom2]

Supply of AIM-120 missiles would greatly improve the capacity of the Iraqi F-16s

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 08/16/23 - 17:00 in Military, War Zones

Iraq's F-16C/D Block 52 Viper fighters have become indispensable for the ongoing air campaign in Baghdad against the remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS). They can become even more valuable to Iraq if the U.S. provides more advanced air-to-air missiles than they have so far shown to be willing.

“The F-16 remains Iraq's main combat aircraft to hit ISIS targets and defend Iraqi airspace,” according to the latest quarterly report by the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS.

However, the report also revealed that Iraq still depends entirely on the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the U.S.-led coalition “to locate, positively identify and laser target ISIS targets for the F-16s of the ISF (Iraq Security Forces).”

The F-16 used 500-pound GBU-12 and 2,000-pound GBU-10 laser-guided bombs for all attacks executed during that quarter. The F-16 remains the main attack platform of the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF), due to its ability to use various precision-guided munitions (PGMs). The only other aircraft that Iraq currently has with this capability are the bulky AC-208 Combat Caravans, which can fire AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground PGMs. Notably, the AC-208 carried out only a single attack in the last quarter.

In the last quarter of 2021, the AC-208 were the main attack platforms alongside the F-16. Iraq's L-159 Czech light combat aircraft are not equipped with laser designation pods and have launched only unguided general-purpose bombs, such as the Mark-82. Its Russian Su-25 Frogfoot attack planes are mainly used for training, as they can only carry unguided rockets and bombs, which are not reliable for this campaign. It seems that Iraq did not use either of these two aircraft in the last quarter.

Iraq has relied more on its F-16s since its Russian military equipment became less and less reliable. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it has had problems providing spare parts and technical support to customers such as Iraq due to Western sanctions and increased requirements for its own besieged armed forces. Consequently, Iraq can no longer depend on its Russian fleet of rotating wings, composed of Mi-28 Havoc and Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters and Mi-17 utilities.

In its report covering the first quarter of 2023, the OIG noted that Iraq did not use any of its Russian aircraft in anti-ISIS operations. In fact, it "continued to use only U.S.-supplied aircraft in its fleet for attacks".

Iraq plans to replace its Mi-17s, essential to support ground operations and carry out medical evacuations, with the new American Bell 412EPXs and Bell 412Ms. The latest OIG report noted that “substantial progress” was made in the delivery of additional Bell helicopters by the end of this year, adding that Russian aircraft from Iraq “remain in poor condition”.

The OIG estimates that Iraq's F-16 fleet continues with 66% mission capacity, the exact estimate used in the previous quarter. This is impressive when you consider the terrible 2020-2021 forecasts indicating that the Vipers of Iraq were falling into disuse, putting the very future of the fleet in serious questions. And although Iraq still relies heavily on American support and supplies to keep these fighters fully operational, its recent prominence in Iraq's anti-ISIS air campaign demonstrates its continued usefulness as an attack aircraft.

Now, if the United States went a step further and provided Iraq with weapons that could make its F-16s more effective for air defense, the value of these aircraft to Baghdad would increase even more.

And there are emerging signs that Washington can do just that.

The Iraqi Vipers only came equipped with medium-range semi-active AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles with radar steering, significantly limiting their usefulness for air defense. The OIG report notes that these missiles “remain a point of concern due to broken guidance devices that lack spare parts and suppliers capable of performing repairs”.

And although not all F-16s are affected, the report goes on to note that “as the devices break down on the remaining aircraft,” the IrAF's “air-to-air capacity” will decrease.

He then revealed that a course of action currently under consideration “is a request to replace IqAF's AIM-7 missiles with more capable AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles”.

The AIM-120 is an air-to-air missile beyond visual range that is far superior to the AIM-7. Arming the Iraqi F-16s with this missile would greatly increase the underutilized air defense capacity of these fighters and greatly improve Iraq's overall air defense.

USAF F-16 fighters armed with AIM-120 missiles.

Doing this can be beneficial for the United States. Iraq has shown a growing interest in improving its limited air defenses in recent years. He recently acquired a ground radar from France and is believed to be interested in buying at least 14 French Dassault Rafale fighters. As previously speculated here, Baghdad is probably looking for Rafale for its Meteor air-to-air missile, the French equivalent of the AIM-120.

A timely provision of the AIM-120 would further increase the increasing use of Iraq - and the appreciation of - its F-16s and potentially dissuade it from turning to France or elsewhere in search of substitutes.

Source: Forbes

Tags: AIM-120 AMRAAMMilitary AviationF-16 Fighting FalconIqAF - Iraqi Air Force / Iraqi Air ForceWar Zones - Iraq

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work around the world of aviation.

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[dwa340]

Self-Defense and US, UK's Strikes on Yemen's Houthis

Hey y'all!

As we have been talking about the right to self-defense in international law and the current conflict between Palestine and Israel, I thought discussion on the US and UK's airstrikes in Yemen would be pertinent. After months of Houthi strikes on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, which they claimed as actions supporting Palestinians against Israel, the US and the UK (with the support of 4 other states) struck 28 locations within Yemen, targeted at weapons repositories and launch sites.

At a Security Council meeting on January 12, many countries used international law to defend or attack these actions:

The UK defended these strikes as "limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence alongside the United States" with "particular care to minimize the risks to civilians." And contextualized this action with the number of strikes the Houthis have made, even after the Security Council demanded them to stop in resolution 2722 (2024).

The United States also referenced Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations as justification for their actions and resolution 2722 (2024), "which references the inherent right of Member States to defend their vessels."

The Russian Federation denounced the US and UK's actions, claiming that "the exercise of the right to self-defence does not apply to commercial shipping...noting that freedom of navigation is governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides for negotiation and arbitration in the event of violations."

There was also general discussion of the extent to which this retaliation was proportionate, as the region has suffered years of conflict and this action may only serve to aggravate tensions and spill over into neighboring regions, including Palestine and Israel.

Overall, this topic reflects the subjective nature of self-defense, the sometimes contradictory nature of international law, and international law's power to define, discuss, and control international conduct.

-- Molly Sparrow

[childofaura]

I am bored and overloaded on fodder from arena tickets and pity breaks, so any suggestions for other projects while I get grails for baby Azura?

<3

I'm probably gonna be super biased towards some units, just because they're my favorites, lol.

Big one I can think of is Python. If you have a spare Summer Elincia lying around, her bow works really well for Python, and since he's a cavalry bow, he has good reach. Mine has a bit of an outdated build, but I run him with Whitecap Bow, Swift Sparrow, Desperation (it has saved my ass and I can't wait for Desperation 4), and Threaten Def (which you can just substitute for some other C-skill). Plus Deadeye.

Luthier is a good green mage unit if you need someone with speed and attack power. Not a whole lot of 4 star green mages are super fast that I know of, but he's a good one. I've considered foddering Tailtiu's Teacake Tower on him, but we'll see if he gets a Refine soon. Holding off until then.

M!Morgan is a big one for me, I have him dual-function as an offensive and supportive unit with Inf. Null Follow 3 (so he can support his mom Robin and dad Priam in the Arena). His weapon with the refine is really good and it makes him a pretty hardcore demote Red Tome.

Benny's a fantastic Far Save unit for me, most people run him near save but that satisfactory Res stat makes him optimal for far save. Only thing is that I run him with Arcane Qiang which is hard to get, so go for it if you have one on hand, but hold off if not. Not a lot of lance weapons that help boost the Res stat. My Benny is run with Distant Stance, Mystic Boost 4, A/R far save, and Def/Res Ideal S seal. I'm considering nabbing an extra Armored Beacon fodder, but the Armored Beacon/Armored Floe fodder I have right now is being saved for if Miklan gets added to the game. So yeah, Benny's a sweetheart of a defender if you run a Far Save on him. I love Henriette but I've never pulled more than one copy of her, and Benny works best.

This one is weird, but Azama is also an interesting staff unit; he's not flawless, but I have him in Aether Raids and he tends to fuck up people who ignore him in favor of taking out other units first. Serpentine Staff deals less damage than Pain does (7 HP as opposed to Pain's 10), but it also has built in Deep Wounds. So I run him with Fort. Def/Res 3, Renewal 3 (which probably should be replaced with Poison Strike, or Poetic Justice if you need him to attack better), and two counts of Savage Blow 3. Problem is you gotta invest a LOT of Dragon Flowers into him. But to me, he's still worth the build. If you have a Holy Panic, slap that on him. His Attack stat is absolutely abysmal, but he's more of the "Death by a Thousand Papercuts" type of unit.

This one is only a suggestion if you have an Arcane Downfall, but Mustafa definitely is a solid axe unit. He virtually has Ganglot's kit (Distant Stance and Quick Riposte 4) plus Def/Res Menace and Fort. Def/Res 2 as an S seal. If you have good support units behind him, he's a monster. The unit showcase video I did of him has him taking down Ninja Camilla, though I'm like... 95% sure it was unmerged (or only had one or two merges), but STILL. He's an enemy phase slaughterhouse.

This one goes without saying, but one of my most utilized units is Silas. The only thing that sucks is the constant influx of sword units that are starting to outclass him (LOOKING AT YOU, B!SELIPH), but if you play to his weapon refine, he's incredibly reliable. Just needs a Far Save unit to cover him, lmao. I run him as an enemy phase unit: Sturdy Stance (prevents cooldown charge in most cases, very useful to prevent him from getting wiped out by a Special), Quick Riposte 4, Atk/Def Menace (which I may replace someday if we get a better Atk/Def C-skill), and Atk/Def Form 3. His refine weapon, Sworn lance, requires a support partner, but it prevents most units from making follow up attacks; which means sometimes he can tank hits from dragon units (but not all the time) because he prevents their follow up attack. So most of the time in combat, he's getting at least 20+ Atk and Def. And his support partner is OG Kinshi Hinoka (since I paired them in my Fates game), so with her Atk/Spd Oath 4, she can usually get around to where he is if she's close enough to him or another unit. He's not as destructive as Geralt or Petrine, but he's my buddy and that's all that counts.

Sorry for the long list, I started going down my barracks and realized I have a lot of units that I just have fun using, lmao. There's a couple I left out but I didn't wanna drag out the list.

[300iqprower]

Hypothetical Rank Ups No. 21-23: St. Georgios

ok fvck this site it deleted this when I was halfway through so I’m getting to the point with far less flowery an introduction: The reason why a servant considered very good tor Free to Play gets 3 rank ups? Georgios isnt actually that good compared to what people claim because he’s held together with tape and string in the form of one of the only Bond CE’s worth a single fuck, and an amazing first skill in form of an on demand 3 turn taunt. 2/3 of his kit is useless and his supposed intended niche of on demand dragon effectiveness is GARBAGE. What’s more his lack of any rankups despite being a launch day servant means an NP rank up is downright obligatory. As far as skills go one of his two skill rank ups will be a single effect while the other is simply making his initial niche actually usable rather than either of them buffing him to something new. NOW THEN:

Ascalon B -> Ascalon B+ Deal significant DEF-ignoring damage to a single enemy.^ Apply trait [Dragon] to a single enemy (3 turns). + Apply Skill Seal Immune to self (3 turns).  <Overcharge> Greatly increase your DEF (1 turn).^

In addition to the obligatory scaling increase his NP is piercing because he’s never the dps to begin with at the third lowest attack in the game so a pierce is downright necessary to make it any different from a pure support NP. It’s also literally stated in his Apocrypha materials Ascalon’s supposed to have it: “by reversing its protective power, it becomes a sword that pierces through any kind of armor.” The defense was originally boosted to three turns but I instead changed it to 1 turn with increased scaling to accommodate meta (20/25/30/35/40% -> 40/45/50/55/60%). Georgios already has a 3t defense boost in the form of his taunt and most defense support skills increase defense for 3 turns as well so this is high enough scaling and low enough damage from the NP itself to make it worth potentially saving as an emergency defense boost in the face of an incoming NP or something. I didn’t want it to be invincible either since not only does he have Guts for hard survival, but giving him Invincible would mandate making his defense boost 3 turns otherwise it’d be useless in 98% of all fights for self explanatory reasons, and that felt like too much and too many general defense buffs. Instead I went with an effect currently possessed only by Vergil Sparrow via her unique passive, Skill Seal Immune. This is also based on the Ascalon mats that state its “invincibility” has nothing to with its strength but instead refers to it always having the capacity to defend from harm. This translated to Georgios always having the ability to access his skills to defend himself or others if need be no matter what efforts are made to prevent that.

Martyr’s Soul B+ -> Diocletianic Martyr B++ Increase own Mental Debuff Resist (3 turns). Recovers own HP.^ + Decrease own Critical Star Gather Rate by 100% (3 turns).

Both gameplay and flavor wise this skill is the most straightforward, and represents Georgios’s imprisonment and enduring resistance from both torture and coercion under Emperor Diocletian, as well as that selflessness resulting in him famously giving away to the poor all the treasure he received from killing the dragon. Gameplay wise this is the simple effect I mentioned and a very self explanatory one as well: Star Gather Down. If you didn’t know about Star Gather before, you know about it after that Billy Rank Up, and so you can figure out why any rider being a pure support unit, especially one with no crit buffing and horrid attack, is an issue. So if actually-quite-decent-crit-damage 1 star offense support Bartholomew gets a gather down, let’s definitely give it to 2 star defensive support Georgios. And of course we should make the heal actually worth a damn, at minimum doubling the heal but preferably a max of 5000.

Battle Continuation A -> Passio Sancti Georgii Apply Guts to self (1 time, 5 turns). + Gain Class Affinity advantage against [Dragon] enemies (5 turns). Apply Delayed Buff: Apply Burn to all enemies (10 turns) when defeated (5 turns). [Reduce skill’s cooldown by 2]

The Latin name for the story of St. Georgios meaning “Passion of Saint George” which was adapted from Greek in the sixth century. Unlike that version he is executed by Emperor Dacian of the Persian Empire, and in response God answered his prayers in death by sending a whirlwind of flame that killed/carries off Dacian the moment Georgios is executed (Fun fact: this is in the Muslim retelling as well where Georgios is also believed a prophet). That’s the pure flavor DOT for ya, and why it activates on death not on Guts. The real change here (aside from the Guts HP being raised because like a lot of early forms of healing the HP recovery is pointlessly low) is Georgios being remotely worth his supposed Anti-Dragon support niche by granting him automatic class advantage against anything with the dragon trait. As stated before even with class advantage Georgios is never doing much damage but with his NP having the ability to turn enemies into dragons, he can on the fly have 3 turns of defense advantage against his foes and if they’re inherently dragons then he’ll have up to 5 out of every 6 turns being at advantage.  This also has a basis in flavor, as Georgios used his spear against the dragon only for it to immediately break against its scales, but when he refused to backdown and drew his sword, Ascalon was blessed by God for his courage and severed the dragon’s head with one swing (in some versions though, it was simply his own cunning as he waited for a chance to pierce the dragon’s heart through its soft underbelly). In turn the name of the skill now refers to both the start and end to the legend of Georgios with his blessing against dragons and fire upon death.

So as I said, this is 3 skills on what is still a usable unit, yes, but this will make Georgios properly fill his niche’s regardless of CE. The star gather down and general healing increases to something actually worth it will mean that he’s not just a 3 turn stall on legs, able to survive long periods without Eresh levels of defensive support (since they keep banning you from using the version of Mash worth a damn) and his gather down meaning it might actually be worth keeping him on the field rather than using him for just that first skill and Bond CE and intentionally getting rid of him after. Dragon wise he’ll now actually be worth fielding against them or even better able to turn things like Lancers, Extra Class servants (especially alter egos), and Berserkers into Dragons without worry of Class Advantage while making units like Sieg and Sigurd absolute boss killers regardless of THEIR class advantage as well. This is why even if it wasn't too OP to hand out, I wouldn’t be making his dragon advantage aoe support, as the dedicated dragonslayers have such high modifers it already overcomes the lack of damage from class advantage and their issue being moreso literally everything else. But that’s for another day. In the meantime, Georgios would go from the Free to Play/Budget tank staple he is to a unit defined by more than his CE selection.

This was originally way further back in the queue but White Day happened and it was fantastic.

[rabbitcruiser]

Churchill County, Nevada (No.1)

Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) is a small, slim species of American sparrow in the family Passerellidae. This bird was named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer.

Adults have grey-brown backs and speckled brown crowns, both with dark streaks, and a pale eye-ring. Their wings are brown with light wing bars and the underparts are pale grey. Their bill is pale with a dark tip and they have a long notched tail. They are similar in appearance to the clay-colored sparrow (S. pallida) but do not have a pale stripe on the crown or grey neck patch.

Measurements:

Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)

Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (11-14 g)

Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)

The male sings to defend a nesting territory. The song is a long varied mix of notes and trills. Males have two distinct types of songs – classified as short and long songs.

There are two distinct subspecies:

Brewer's sparrow proper, Spizella breweri breweri

Found in brushy areas, especially withsagebrush, in southern parts of western Canada and in the western United States.

Timberline sparrow, Spizella breweri taverneri

Found in thicketed areas around the tree line in the Rockies of British Columbia, Alberta, and northern Montana, the southern Yukon, and southeastern Alaska. These birds are somewhat darker and larger than the southern subspecies; some consider this to be a separate species.

Source: Wikipedia  

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Imagine if Gabe and Adrien never went to New York, for whatever reason. Then, in NY, marinette becomes ladybug to meet the american heroes for reasons, and gabe finds out she's in NY, and decides to try get the ring from CN while LBs not there to help. Anything could happen from there but I just thought itd be kinda funny for Marinette to come back, and paris is leveled from cataclysms/akuma

Well I dont think that would happen.

But this did give me an idea.

(What if Adrien did stay in Paris in the NY Special?)

(Spoilers below)

-Despite Marinette’s very convincing speech on Friendship. Gabriel decided it might not be smart to bring his son to the place he plans on causing mayhem in.

- So Adrien has no temptation to force him to leave Paris. Though he is kind of bummed about it, especially because Ladybug is leaving paris as well.

-Adrien decides maybe this is a good thing. This will help him move past his feelings for Ladybug. And while he has no plans on spending time with Lila. He does have Kagami in Paris to hang out with.

-Meanwhile, Marinette decides that maybe it was for the best that Adrien is in Paris while she is in the US. It will give her some space, and time to really help her move on. She will have fun with her friends and totally move on.

-Gabriel makes his move to America, and with some little tricks. Gabriel is able to leave without Adrien noticing a difference.

-Marinette however does find herself feeling down that Adrien couldnt come. But Tikki assures her that things will be fine.

-”Adrien’s in Paris. Chat noir is in Paris taking care of things. You dont need to worry.

-Cue Attack from Techno pirate. And the United heroes saving the day

-Marinette is totally impressed by the heroes and Tikki tells her that this will be a nice little getaway for her.

-Marinette arrives in NYC and Alya and the girls help her out by making sure she has fun. Aeon finds something interesting about her, but is unsure what. Jess doesnt care. She is bored.

-Marinette sneaking to the party bumps into Jess and Aeon. Aeon asks Marinette if something is bothering her. Aeon using her scanners and picking up that this girl is hiding a lot of stress.

-Marinette tries to dismiss it, but Jess now is curious and the two girls wear Marinette down. She confesses that she wanted her friend to come along but she failed to convince his father. Aeon and Jess immediately conclude the girl is into this ‘Friend’. Jess tells her that she should be clear with this friend about how she feels.

-But tells her that she should also enjoy her freedom, this is america afterall.

-So Marinette has fun with her two new friends. Nino and Alya end up with the flying Hotdog and Marinette plays wingwoman for them. Happy for her bff.

___________________________________________________________________

-Meanwhile, Adrien heard from Nino about their Epic save by the United Heroes. He is relieved they are safe, but wishes he could see them.

-His time at home had been standard stuff, His schedule was just as busy. Kagami and him did some fencing, Kagami kicked his butt.

-”I wish I could have gone with you guys, Marinette tried really hard to get me to go. She is such a good friend.”

-”Yep, a Real good friend.” Nino comments.

-”Youre also a good friend.” Adrien immediately tries to tell him.

-”Dude its chill. I think the friendship you and Mari have is different then ours.”

-”What does that mean?”

-”Dont think about it too much my dude”

-Adrien finds himself thinking about it a lot.

___________________________________________________________________

-Back in America, the class is at the museum and things are pretty casual. No romance Plot. But Alya did forget to get a picture of Lafayette’s saber and Alya asks Marinette to get it.

-Technolizer (or whatever the DOC off tech ripoff akuma name was attacks. And Marinette goes Ladybug to fight him. Sparrow and Uncanny Valley hear the action and rush to find THE Ladybug here in America. So the three of them end up fighting.

-Meanwhile, Adrien sees robustus attacking in Paris and transforms. He is confused since Markov is in the states with Max. But he has a city to protect. He will try to contain the damage and then call Ladybug when clean up is necessary.

-Ladybug tells Sparrow and Uncanny valley they may need some help. But Sparrow tells her that the three of them can handle it.

-When a beep on the kitty goes off. Its Chat noir.

-”I think we got a sentimonster in Paris.” Chat noir explains.

- Ladybug asks him to hold it off for a bit while she gets there.

-Ladybug informs them that she has to go back to Paris for a bit and she will be back to help deal with this. But that they really should call the other heroes for help.

-Ladybug gets the Horse miraculous, uses Unify and heads to Paris.

-Ladybug sees Chat noir keeping damage to a minimum. He is happy to see her.

-”Ive been able to slow him down, but there is no akumatized Item. I think we got a sentimonster.

-Ladybug calls Lucky charm to get ready to take Robustus down. But... he poofs.

-Ladybug sees the damage and while confused by everything, remembers she needs to hurry and get back to America.

-”Okay I need to hurry back! Chat noir, try to figure out what the deal with that attack was.”

-Chat noir asks if Ladybug is okay, and if she needs his help.

-”Im fine kitty, just stay vigilant here. Its nothing I cant handle. Im counting on you.”

-She casts miraculous cure and goes to quickly fuel up and head back to America.

-Sparrow and Uncanny valley didnt listen and ended up having more damage done to the museum and Technalizer escaped.

-Ladybug gets back to see the damage. She didnt call a lucky charm for this villain and the damage was already done.

-Majestia and Knightowl were very disappointed in their sidekicks. Ladybug tries to defend them but is told to stay out of it. Ladybug knows this isnt her city and complies sadly. Apologizing.

-Hawkmoth got the eagle miraculous and gives it Techalizer making him Miraculizer or whatever his dumb name was.

-Chat noir investigates but finds no reason behind the attack. He thinks that maybe this was some sort of decoy. Like with what happened with Loveater.

-A international news report catches Adrien/chat noir’s attention. Heroes going nuts. Adrien decides that Paris will be fine for a bit. Hawkmoth is in the US! And Ladybug needs his help!

-Meanwhile back in the states hero riot happens cause Hawkmoth. Ladybug realizes that this was a miraculous and this was Hawkmoth’s Plan!

-”It was a diversion!” Sparrow and Uncanny Valley have to fight along side Ladybug. And the three of them need a plan.

-Ladybug calls her lucky charm. It was the key chain.

-She had no idea how to use it, But with the help of the other two utilize doorman’s powers and manage to get into the Eiffel tower.

- The villain demands Ladybug and Chat noir give him the miraculous. And Ladybug, Uncanny Valley and Sparrow attack Miraculizer. But there is a problem. He is way too tough! They could use someone to help even the odds

-And flies in Astro cat with the snag of the miraculous!

-”Chat noir!” Ladybug was happy to see him.

-Cue a quick hug, and Chat noir telling her its his turn to return the favor. Plus he wanted to see america.

-They beat the akuma and the day is saved.

-Jess still got the eagle miraculous cause plot.

-Eagle becomes her own hero.

-Since There was no identity drama, and they never got insight into Ladybug and Chat noir’s dynamic. Aeon/Uncanny valley never assumed that their identities were a secret from each other. 

-Uncanny valley not effected by the identity hiding effect of the miraculous knows that Marinette and Ladybug are the same person  and Comments. “Is this the ‘Friend’ you were talking about Marinette?” Completely unaware that Adrien and Marinette did not know eachother’s identities.

-”Marinette?”

[janefaery]

INTRODUCING  A  DESCENDANTS  DASH  EVENT

—   08:   UNINVITED   GUESTS

The wedding between King Ben and Lady Mal is an event that’s stolen attention for months, rumors and speculation about the ceremony traveling through every kingdom on the trails of the invitations. Their wedding marks an unprecedented reunification of Auradon and the Isle - of Heroes and Villains, and is being lauded as the first chapter in a new story.

But not everyone is so happy. There are dissenters that will never fall silent, villains that won’t change their ways, and threats beyond the shores of Auradon more than willing to use the festivities as a cover for their own fiendish goals.

From attacking Jacqueline Sparrow’s ship out at sea to capturing one of the ships that reports to Elizabeth Swann on Shipwreck Isle, trouble’s been brewing out of sight of the excited party planners, the only signs of danger for them a lack of supplies arriving on time and strange objects floating ashore.

The wedding day arrives and all eyes are on the happy couple, wanting an excuse to celebrate and share in their happiness or ready to nitpick at any flaw, determined to use anything less than perfect as a source of mockery. In the history of the United Kingdoms of Auradon, there have been few moments of greater distraction.

Wedding bells chime and Fairy Godmother announces the king and his bride, the new Queen of Auradon. As they leave side by side from the place where Ben was first crowned King, the outside forces attack.

A fleet of ships led by the Tsaritsa takes advantage of the scarcely watched harbor and the spies that managed to sneak their way in on other ships with false identities turn on the people that dared think of them as new friends. These ships are powerful, with canons that don’t seem quite normal, and their fighters tear through anything in their path. Someone stole their flagship and insults like that aren’t taken lightly.

The invaders are strong, but they could grow stronger still. Fairy Godmother’s wand. Maleficent’s scepter. These are items that have been used before to cause trouble and they aren’t the only objects of power just wanting to be seized.

The wedding is over and now comes the reception, an event held at the end of a red carpet made of blood.

This event will start at the beginning of August, Friday the 13th, at midnight GMT. Your muses are not to know anything about the invasion or have any idea of what’s coming, but they could have noticed strange faces around or be confused about other warning signs. Their focus should be on the wedding until the start of the event, then they may choose their actions.

This is going to be a highly interactive event that will feature randomized outcomes if you choose to partake. You have the choice of having your muse interact in the fighting, be it on the side of Auradon or as part of a villain uprising taking advantage of the chaos. If you choose to have your muse fight, you can also select how badly they’re allowed to be injured on a scale of one to five*, with five being the worst. 

The invaders (or the villain forces) and the defenders of Auradon will clash at various locations around Auradon and the Isle of the Lost. A generator will determine how badly the location is damaged, what damage the participating muses incur, and which side wins. Muses can engage in repeat battles until they reach their maximum injury level and a new fight will be released daily. 

The event will run from August 13th-22nd and the outcome of this event will help shape future events. Please reblog this post to help spread awareness of the event and make sure to tag all related posts with #descuninvited. To enter your muse in the fight, submit an injury ranking, or suggest a location for a fight (such as a business your muse runs, etc), please message me either on tumblr or discord. 

*Only one muse per player will be allowed to reach  level 5. Level rankings are as follows: 1 – Minor. 2 – Moderate. 3 – Serious. 4 – Severe. 5 – Critical

[Special thanks to @auraskiing and @aurasqueen for letting us disrupt their wedding and to @spheirrow for the original inspiration]