#where it was the middle of august and the power was out for like 8 or so hours in 80 degree heat

[timedyne]

THE POWER JUST WENT OUT FOR A SECOND. HELLO,

[lambentplume]

Maui Fires & How to Support Relief Efforts

(Posted on 8/10/23) Hi, I'm Jae and my family is from Lāhainā. I watched my hometown burn down this week. The fires caused immeasurable loss in my community so I'd like to spread awareness of the situation as well as provide links to support local organizations directly assisting survivors. I'm pretty sure most of my following is Not local so I'm writing with intent to inform people outside the situation, but if you're reading this and happen to have family in the affected area that isn't accounted for, message me and I can send you the links to the missing persons tracking docs + more localized info!! If you'd like to skip down to how to help and follow community organizations, scroll to the bottom of the post after the image.

Earlier this week, Hurricane Dora passed south of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong wind gusts that caused property damage across the islands. On Tuesday August 8, high winds caused sparks to fly in the middle of Lāhainā town, knocking out power lines and immediately igniting drought-ridden grasses. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the entire center of town, the harbor, and multiple neighborhoods including Hawaiian Homes (housing specifically for Native Hawaiians), parts of Lahainaluna, basically all of Front Street, and low-income housing units. There is only one public road in and out of town, and after a very hectic evacuation period that road has been mostly closed off except to emergency responders, thus it is extremely difficult for anyone to leave town to get help. The nearest hospital is 20 miles away in Wailuku, and most grocery stores in town have burnt down.

As of Thursday, August 10, over 1,000 acres have been burned and 271 structures (including homes, schools, and other community gathering places) have been destroyed. Cell service is still extremely spotty, many of the surrounding neighborhoods deemed safe for evacuees are still without utilities. There are currently confirmed 53 deaths but that number is expected to increase as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Countless families have been displaced and many have lost the homes they lived in for generations. Places of deep historical significance have been reduced to ash, including the gravesites of Hawaiian royalty, the old Lāhainā courthouse where items of cultural significance were stored, and Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural Center. To add further context: Lāhainā has a population of about 13,000 residents. EVERYONE I know has been impacted in some way--at best forced to evacuate, at worst their house was burnt to the foundation, they cannot find a loved one, etc. I'm still trying to track down family members and it's been over two days. My neighbors down the street had homes last week and now many don't have ANYTHING. The hotels are taking in residents (tourists are also being STRONGLY urged to leave so that locals can recover). Without open access to the rest of the island, Lāhainā residents are now dependent on whatever people had in their homes already as well as disaster relief efforts coming in, but it's been difficult to organize and mobilize due to the location + conditions. People who have made it out are in shelters where no blankets or medicine were provided. Friends and acquaintances from neighbor islands are preparing aid to send over. Community response has been incredible, but the toll on the town has been immeasurable. My parents were desperately walking through town yesterday, my mom sounded absolutely hollow talking about it on the phone with me. It's horrifying. Below is a satellite map with data from the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System showing the impacted areas from the past week; all of the red blotches were on fire at some point in the last three days.

Here are ways you can help:

If you have the means to donate:

Here are three donation sites verified by Maui Rapid Response, which also lists FAQs for people who are wondering about next steps.

Hawaiʻi Community Foundation - Maui Strong Fund accepts international credit cards. Maui United Way

Maui Mutual Aid Non-monetary ways to support:

If you know anyone who is planning to travel to ANY Hawaiian island, not just Maui, tell them to cancel their trip. Resources are extremely limited as is. Advocate for climate change mitigation efforts locally, wherever that is for you. The fire was exacerbated by drought conditions that have worsened due to climate change.

Lastly, remember that these are people's HOMES that burned, and Native Hawaiian cultural artifacts that have been lost. Stop thinking of Hawaiʻi (or any "tourist destination" location, really) as an "escape" or a "paradise." If that's the only way you recognized my home... I'm glad I got your attention somehow, but I would ask that you challenge that perspective and prioritize local and native voices. For transparency, I don't currently live in Lāhainā, I've been following efforts from Honolulu. My parents and brother have been updating me and I've been following friends and family who are doing immediate response work. I'm doing my best to find reliable and current sources, but if I need to update something, please let me know. If you're going to try to convince me that tourism is necessary for our recovery, news flash ***IT'S NOT***!

Thanks for reading.

[steamberrystudio]

31/12/2023 Devlog

Hey everyone! Time for the bi-weekly tumblr update for Steamberry stuff! Except I skipped one because I can't remember why.

I half-wrote it but I think I just wasn't feeling up to finishing and posting.

I haven't been doing extremely well health-wise lately but still powering through.

Summary

Finished writing Chapter 5.5 (the new chapter in WSC)

Finished editing Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Asher's path

Finished all the profiles for the GS lore book

Have started wrapping up the "side stories" and additional content for the GS lore book

Ramble

Okay so in my last update I was in the middle of editing chapter 5 and was nearly to the start of chapter six in editing Asher's route. I finished up chapter 5...

At that point when I was looking ahead, I started feeling like I wanted to add in a transition scene to move between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.

As I started plotting out this scene, one of my ideas took on a life of its own and I realised that it might be better to interject a new, fleshed out story incident that would allow me to slow the pacing as well as flesh out the setting and universe a little more. This incident would also let me tie into some earlier events and connect them to something that occurs in chapter 6, also foreshadowing the chapter 6 incident.

Ultimately, this became too much to call a "scene" and I decided to branch it off into a supplementary chapter (IE a chapter a bit shorter than the others and meant to be released along with another chapter.)

Then that chapter ended up being 30,000 words.

So that happened.

After finishing that I went on to finish editing chapters 6, 7, and 8. I am currently on chapter 9. I only have a few more chapters before I'm finished editing Asher's path. As always, during my edits, one of the main things I do is flesh things out.

So obviously the word count has grown from that (and, you know, the 30k extra chapter I invented).

Currently the word count is 468,000 words.

Other Stuff:

I have received several new BGs and a new BG sketch. BGs are continuing to come in at a fairly steady pace.

I now have all the BGs for The Ophelia and the artists are working on other locations finally. OwO

I've also been, here and there, doing small tweaks to the sprites, small additions and fixes.

Gilded Shadows:

As I mentioned, I finally got through all the character profiles. There are so many more characters than I remembered in this game.

Then I got halfway through and realised that I forgot five. And had to insert them, which...meant rearranging pages, which is a pain in the butt. However, that is now complete.

What I'm working on now is finishing up some of the short stories and drabbles I have planned or partially written out and getting them into the lore book. 

As well as gathering any other content. The lore book is currently about 350 pages. And I am really hoping to wrap it up soon.

Upcoming Weeks:

Next couple of weeks I will be trying to wrap up the lore book and wrap up editing Asher's Path.

When I finish editing Asher's path I'll be moving on to finish drafting the end sequences for the four remaining characters. I'm starting to have an idea of where the word count is going to end up but will have a better idea for sure when Asher's edit is complete.

I have written over 100,000 words since mid-August, just plugging away and trying to hit at least 1000 words a day.

I hit my year end word count goal of 466,000 words for When Stars Collide but unfortunately did not finish the draft because the draft has grown in size.

But I am really hoping to finish it early next year so we can fully move into phase 2 of When Stars Collide.

I am also hoping to get the final KS stuff resolved for Gilded Shadows early next year as well (the lore book, art book, and some residual art and stuff).

For now, I shall just keep plucking away at it until it's all done.

And that is all for now. I will see you all next year.

[elminx]

Elminx's Gratitude Ritual for the Aquarius Full Moon, August 1, 2023

This is a simple ritual designed to magnify the things that you are already grateful for in your life and send them out into the universe so that they can be multiplied and returned to you. It does not need any fancy supplies though it can be augmented for further power by any number of objects. Here we are using some basic astrology and numerology to further enhance the already strong energy of the super moon in Aquarius.

The Astrology

Tomorrow's full moon falls at 09° Aquarius, making no significant aspects (other than the assumed Sun-Moon opposition) to other planetary bodies. Additionally, Mercury in Virgo will be opposed to retrograde Saturn in Pisces, adding oomph and a bit of weight to the day, and Mars in Virgo will be trine to Jupiter in Taurus.

We are using the energy of Mars and Jupiter's trine in Earth signs to amplify the energy of our abundance. Both Taurus and Virgo are lush signs that like to enjoy life - Virgo season is harvest season, what are you harvesting this year?

It is worth noting that many Wiccans celebrate 8/1 as Lamas, the first harvest in the Wheel of the Year. If that's a part of your practice, you can bring that energy to this ritual as well.

The Numerology

8/1 carries the energy of the Number 8 which represents the circle of life and having to ride its ups and downs and the Number 1 which is the number of beginnings. What you do on the first sets the tone for the month ahead - we are going to set a tone of gratitude.

I am using the symbol of the ouroboros or infinity sign which is the number 8 laid on its side to symbolize sending out energy that cycles through life and returns to us.

The Breathwork

I am going to add a bit of breathwork to this ritual which will aid in the visualization of the ouroboros - if this is uncomfortable for you, you can absolutely skip it.

The Ritual

You will Need 1 piece of paper A Writing Utensil

Find yourself a quiet space where you will not be deserved. This can be at an altar or other sacred space, but I suggest doing here whatever is most likely to encourage you toward a state of gratitude. You could go out into the forest or find a quiet space by a tree in the park. Maybe this is sitting in the middle of your garden or with headphones on a busy subway. I really encourage you to follow your intuition with this.

On the paper list eight things you are grateful for in your life right now. They don't have to be grand adventures - sometimes the thing that I am the most grateful for is the way that my cat chirped at me in the morning. As you do this, focus your energy on the center of your chest. This is where gratitude lives - gratitude creates a warm fuzzy buzz in that area of the body. We are looking to make that energy grow.

There are a lot of ways to do this, but here I want to focus on breathwork. With your mind's eye, see a ball of glowing light in the center of your chest. Sometimes this light is perceived as being green or pink, but if you see a different color that is okay too. You might not see color at all, you may just begin to feel the energy pulsating from that area of your body. If you don't see or feel anything, that's okay - you can continue this exercise with the assumption that it is working or try something else.

If you can perceive this energy ball in the center of your chest, begin to notice the way that it grows as you take a breath in and contract as you breathe out. Take any number of breaths until you start to feel like you understand this motion. Then, on your next breath out, focus on sending that ball of light - and the gratitude attached to it - out of your body as if you are giving it to the room that you are in. Then, as you breathe in, breathe in new gratitude that is coming from the room that you are in. You can try to visualize this as an ouroboros shape with your breathing in being the high point in the figure eight (faced towards you) and your breathing out being the low point.

Ideally, we would like to repeat this breath eight times: breathing in gratitude from the world and breathing out gratitude as a gift to the world. If you can, breathe from your heart; if you don't understand what that means, that is okay, too. If this is a new technique to you, it may take some time to get it right - focus on learning it more than the number of times you breathe.

You can hold the paper in your hands while you breathe or tuck it into your shirt so that it sits against your heart.

When this feels complete to you, come back to your piece of paper. Draw a large ouroboros symbol across your writing and fold the paper up. You should keep it throughout the month of August - you could tuck it into a notebook, put it on an altar, or sleep with it under your pillow. If you need a reminder of good things, you can come back to the paper and read it and perform the ritual again. Or, better yet, if you find new things to be grateful for, you could add them to the list as the month goes on.

On September 1st, you can perform this ritual again to reinvigorate your gratitude or dispose of the paper in any way that feels right to you.

Extras

There are a lot of ways to add some oomph this spell.

The most obvious one is candle magic. You could choose a single candle to burn while performing this ritual or charge a candle during this ritual that you burn afterward (like - for the next eight days!). You could charge your paper with eight tealight candles around it - this one is a great alternative to the breath method if you weren't comfortable with that. You could burn a birthday candle in the shape of the number 8.

If you're a crafty witch, you could build yourself a gratitude box either by making one yourself or decorating something pre-made with things that you are grateful for. Keep it close and keep adding things that represent what you are grateful for to your box.

Furthering the energy of the number 8, you could perform this ritual every day for 8 days starting on 8/1 and ending on 8/8 which has doubled 8 energy attached to it.

You could boost the energy of the spell by casting it at the peak of the full moon - check your local ephemeris to find out when that would be for your time zone. Or, you could boost it by casting during the Hour of Jupiter. (if you do the latter, I would suggest giving an offering to Jupiter for empowering your work)

To combat some of the poor energy of the Venus retrograde, you could charge a rose quartz necklace with your breath of gratitude and wear it throughout the month ahead. This will work as a reminder to come back to your heart and to the practice of being present for the good things in your life.

I have kept this ritual super simple so that you can add any touches that are personal to you and your practice.

Do you like my work? You can support me by tipping me here or on Kofi, or by purchasing an astrology report.

[marianneshepherd]

The Starlight Chronicles

In August 2023, I read every book (and the in-between episode books) of The Starlight Chronicles by C.S. Johnson.

I have made it my mission to read as many Christian fiction books as I can while writing my own book. This series was my first taste of the genre.

Specifically, this series is Christian fantasy with supernatural elements in a modern setting. There was so much to read, but I could not put these books down. If you like Angels and Demons and lots of action (superheoroes?) and a little bit of romance, this is for you!

Brace yourself for this long list ahead. These are the books in the series:

#1 Slumbering

#1.5 Awakening: A Christmas Episode

#2 Calling

#2.5 Falling: A Starry Knight Episode

#3 Submerging

#3.5 Seeing: A Wedding Episode

#4 Remembering

#4.5 Belonging: Date Night Episode

#5 Continuing

#5.5 Reflecting: A Dream Episode

#6 Outpouring

#6.5 Reawakening: A Rebirth Episode

#7 Everlasting

#8 Searching (the Prequel that's meant to be read last)

I loved this series and have found it difficult to find books that can follow this series and still keep my attention.

Without spoilers, the book found me laughing uncontrollably, sobbing until my eyes burned, and had me on the edge of my couch to the point where my family had to make sure I was okay on a dozen occasions.

The pros, I didn't see any noticeable plot holes and there were plenty of moments I didn't see coming. The characters were well written, and the setting was vivid enough for even me to see (I struggle with visuals.) The characters had so many redeeming qualities, which is a must-have for a book of this nature. On another note, her books are very affordable and available in paperback, hardback, box sets and digital copies. I did a combo of paperback and digital (because I was too impatient to wait for shipping at the time) and it worked out wonderfully.

The cons of the series, many reviewers said they gave up in the middle of the first book (don't do this.) The said the main character was too narcissistic and rotten, but I promise you it's worth getting through the first book to read all the rest of them. Lastly, the editor did a terrible job (I know it's not the best news.) But, I was able to work around it, just like I work around autocorrect. This was not the author's fault, so I can't fault her for it. Unfortunately for the author, her work was muddied by the editing mistakes made and if I could change anything about the series that would be the only change.

Biblical tie-ins: I saw the transformative power of God throughout this book. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with gratitude and love for my Savior. I've had time to soak in silence after finishing the series, and it drew me into a closer relationship with Jesus.

Verses that go with this series include:

"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

"We also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope." Romans 5:3-4

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18

"So then, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good." 1 Peter 5:9

Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a finished Christian-based urban fantasy series about love, faith and giving evil an epic butt-kicking then pick up these books and binge until you cry snot-faced tears all over your dog. You won't regret a single moment of it.

-Marianne Shepherd

[alyjojo]

Past Life 🗿 Karmic Spread August 2023 - Virgo

Gender I’m Picking Up On (in the past life): Male in past life, Trans female in this one

Who You Were: The Hierophant, The Magician rev & 6 Cups

What You Did: 5 Wands & 8 Swords

How It Ended: Justice

What Karma Was Brought With You: King of Pentacles & 7 Pentacles

Who You Brought With You: 8 Cups & 2 Cups

Additional energy: 4 Swords

Past Life Oracle: Spirituality & Religion, Food & Hunger, Finances

Dreaming Way: Book & Mask

Charm:

Rose 🌹 on The Hierophant (overall energy)

White Heart 🤍 on The High Priestess

Turtle 🐢 on 4 Swords

Comb 👱🏽‍♀️on The Empress

Whew. This one is gonna be controversial to the religious and trans communities alike…hot damn. Pissing everyone off in one day, that’s cool 🤦‍♀️

Disclaimer: In this reading, it appears that being a trans woman is karmic “punishment” for being a dick to lesbians via religion and very conservative, burning in hellfire type of beliefs in the past. I do NOT choose the messages, nor do I personally see the trans experience as a punishment whatsoever…though it may feel that way to them at times & I can understand that. All of that just needs to be said. I’ve seen several cases already where this is *not* everyone’s story regarding a trans experience, and I don’t mean to offend anyone. With that being said…

In the past, you were an extremely religious…well, sham. You were a sham, the villain of this batch of past lives. For impressions, I got the holy man in Robin Hood…like you’re stealing money and “taxes” right along with the Sheriff or whoever, with no real care or consideration of the people looking to you for prayer and guidance, many of which were poor and needed your help. Your beliefs were genuine, but your actions were not, and I’m not sure how you justified yourself to yourself, but you did. Rather large ego here, feeling powerful and righteous.

Whatever kind of holy man you were, you were a married one. But that marriage too, was a sham. You and your person played the role of divine counterparts, and they are a soulmate, just a different kind. I’m getting you knew them from a very young age, there could have been some level of an arranged or manipulated marriage with this as well. Your parents were friends or something, there could’ve been a literal contract or payment. I get a Middle Eastern region from this story, but none of the larger countries I know of, it feels very small, but strictly controlled.

Your wife was gay, and had a partner they loved very deeply, romantically, sensually, this was their actual person. I get it was played off as more of a best friend, or a helper?, they were inseparable, you thought nothing of it. With White Heart on The High Priestess, I get their love being pure, genuine, and their lies were not intend to hurt anyone but to protect each other. They really loved each other. When you found out, I get it was a dramatic scene, you were FURIOUS. I don’t get that you ever told anyone, or tried to divorce, though it may have been allowed in your case, but it was your reputation you were considering. Both with the people around (beneath) you, and…Allah. Which was more hated, sin that was technically not yours, divorce, or silence thereby being an accomplice to this sin? You were heavily conflicted, this played on your mind in a loop, constant worry & fear, for the rest of your life. Death was a sweet release, you felt like you were leaving “The Devil” behind and could finally be free. You felt deeply victimized by this situation, even though you were victimizing others on a daily basis with no regard.

In this life, you are not cruel 🙏 Though it may be perceived that way by one particular romantic relationship. I get you being a grown man, late 30’s-40’s, who has recently discovered or experimented with your more feminine nature…that’s probably always existed on some level. I don’t get a shocking discovery for you, but absolutely one for someone who knows you and has committed to you as the King of Pentacles. This person has come with you from the past life, clarification shows they’re someone who worked with you, on some level they were in on this mistreatment of people as well. You could be deciding to leave them, but more likely they’re deciding to leave you because this revelation has pulled the rug out from under them…they don’t really know you, and can’t wrap their head around this in the way that you would need them to in order accept you. A very painful experience. It’s for the best & you seem to understand that. Or will. I get once you transition, this former life is dead to you.

The problem is the transition, you want to go with the full surgery, but can’t afford it, there is much time passing, and saving up involved. Your whole life is just feeling comfortable in your own skin, with the added difficulty of losing a lot of people you were once close to. Friends too. They think you’re being foolish or going through a phase, many of them probably have very different beliefs than you, and healing from things they may have said or done in response to who you really are, will take a long time to heal. Some of them you may have expected more from. There is also a period of a lot of alone time, Hermit, maybe too much. You don’t seek people out, because of those that have already put you down, but there are people like you all over the world and you only need to join the right groups and go to the right places in order to find them. Tumblr is a good one 💯 But it’s not the only one.

I do see you finding someone else, a person you can deeply commit to, and the love being unconditional between you. Weirdly enough, they could work in a spiritual profession, or you meet them in a spiritual sort of way, a Pagan fair comes to mind, tarot readers, or even an online community like “Trans Christians” or something. You know it exists, everything exists. You are still traditional but in a non traditional way, and the way you love, how you believe you should treat people, what you want from others - all of this is morally & ethically sound. You’re a good person this time, after you’ve had this very difficult experience, with a lot of endings and healing, I get a major soul awakening and a feeling of “leveling up” once you accept yourself for who you are. Being kind to you & loving you is the karma.

[tiefliing]

I posted 6,985 times in 2022

24 posts created (0%)

6,961 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@blueberryrock

@fashionstatement-deathwish

@haleths

I tagged 27 of my posts in 2022

#lotr - 9 posts

#tolkien - 8 posts

#lord of the rings - 6 posts

#elves - 5 posts

#rings of power - 5 posts

#thranduil - 3 posts

#silmarillion - 2 posts

#tiefliing - 2 posts

#fuck bezos - 1 post

#fuck amazon - 1 post

Longest Tag: 60 characters

#yes i am ashamed but it felt like thee tumblr aesthetic (tm)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

psa: stop infantilizing men, especially trans men, and people with mental illness, period. even if they're bottoming. even if they have anxiety. even if whatever you're thinking rn. (unless that's how that individual person wishes to express themself, in which case good for them) but infantilizing men and people with mental illness especially in smut is so creepy and alienates a lot of readers.

x male reader stories are already hard enough to find, but when people infantilize men as a whole and go out of their way to fetishize trans men in particular, it becomes a disgusting mess. yes, some men present differently. yes, people with mental illness can present differently. that doesn't mean that entire group should be treated as babies and that doesn't mean you should write all your dialogue like a stereotypical shounen anime and/or overuse stuttering so much that it makes me embarassed to read it. some people have stutters and those stutters present differently too but it gets ridiculous when almost every fic says 'S-S-S-Senpai' EVERY SINGLE LINE instead of using actual descriptors and it makes me feel like nobody thinks of me as anything more than a child.

if that's how you men/people with mental illness roll, go for it! create! have fun! but the mass view of guys as chronically anxious little kids needs to go

9 notes - Posted March 17, 2022

#4

Unfriendly reminder: put your long fics under a read more ESPECIALLY if they're smut. I'm minding my own goddamn business and don't wanna have to scroll through 3 miles of porn

9 notes - Posted August 19, 2022

#3

that's it i'm going to mordor, who's in?

i don't know where the ring is or if i should carry it but if by my life or death i can defeat this evil you bet your ass i'm carrying a sword

in case i do start a fellowship i'm tagging some of my homies in case we wanna have an epic road trip

@middleearthsweetheart @gossip-guy-of-middle-earth

@erosofthepen

@onlystarshere

12 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

#2

being part of the group of thranduil simps on here is like being in a group of drug dealers- official content has run dry so one person finds something and posts it and then the rest of us pass it around like a bag of crack where we just snort it and give it to the next person until we're all just high on being horny for a 6000+ y/o elf king

51 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i don't give a fuck that i reblogged that post five times- it needed to be said and i stand by that shit to my grave. thranduil is an underappreciated badass so fuck you

51 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[xtruss]

Houthi Success Swatting Reaper Drones Like Flies Exposes Chinks in US Military's High-Tech Armor

— Sputnik International | Saturday September 14, 2024

Yemen’s Houthi militia has now downed over a quarter billion dollars’ worth of General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers. Sputnik asked a leading regional affairs observer what will happen if the humbling trend continues.

The latest Reaper shootdown took place last Saturday while the drone was carrying out intelligence-gathering activities over Marib province in central Yemen, according to the Houthis. The US military initially refused to confirm the loss, holding out until Friday, when an anonymous DoD official told US state media that an Air Force MQ-9 had been “struck but then landed safely and was recovered by US partner forces on September 9” somewhere in the Middle East.

The Pentagon did not elaborate on where exactly the drone touched down, who recovered it or what shape it was in.

The damaged Reaper is at least the eighth $32 million-apiece US reconnaissance and strike UAV downed by the Houthis since last November.

On August 4, the Houthis blew a Reaper out of the sky over Saada, northwestern Yemen. An informed source told Sputnik the militia used a modernized Soviet 2K12 Kub air defense system to do. The Houthis are known to have adopted the Kub to fire Yemeni-made Fater-1 interceptor missiles.

On May 29, the Houthis destroyed an unmarked Reaper, possibly belonging to the CIA, over Marib, releasing footage of warriors wearing sandals standing on top of the downed drone.

On May 24, the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 over Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

On May 17, another Reaper was destroyed over Marib.

On April 27, the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 in Sadaa province in northwestern Yemen.

On February 19, a Reaper was destroyed over al-Hudaydah city in western Yemen.

On November 8, 2023, a US Air Force Reaper was downed over the Red Sea somewhere off the Yemeni coast.

The Houthis shot down three additional Reapers between 2017 and 2019, along with an array of other pricey NATO-made weaponry during the US’s attempts to help a Gulf coalition oust the militia from power.

Dangerous Precedent For US MIC

“The downing of yet another drone could negatively impact the reputation of the US military-industrial complex on the international stage. Confidence in the effectiveness of US defense technologies and military power could be undermined. This may lead to potential clients in US military and technology exports becoming concerned about the failures of American products in the field,” political scientist and international affairs observer Dr. Mehmet Rakipoglu told Sputnik, commenting on Washington's Houthi headache.

Politically and strategically, the success of the Houthi anti-drone campaign may undermine the justifications for continued US operations and presence in the region, and even “raise questions about the effectiveness of US power projection policies…potentially threatening Washington’s regional and global strategic interests in the long term,” Rakipoglu, an assistant professor at Turkiye's Mardin Artuklu University, explained.

The US is between a rock and a hard place battling the Houthis, unwilling to become further entangled in a large-scale confrontation for fear of sparking a regional war with their Iranian Axis of Resistance allies, but unable to extract themselves without losing face.

The Houthis have shown that they “have the capacity to counter one of the most advanced technologies” in the US’s arsenal, and can outcompete the Pentagon on costs too, Rakipoglu says.

“The relative cheapness and local production-based equipment used by the Houthis can lead to more losses for the US, [whose] military expenditures run into billions of dollars. This emerges as not only a financial issue but also a strategic one,” according to the academic, raising “questions about the effectiveness of American military spending,” and calling “into question how sustainable it is to rely solely on technological superiority.”

The Houthis' success against the US-led armada assembled against them has proven highly embarrassing for Washington and its allies. On Friday, former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe, admitted the failure of efforts by the West to bring the Yemeni militia to heel.

"They're achieving their ends, all of them, and we're achieving none of ours. We're spending millions and millions of dollars on not winning. It's a real problem," Sharpe said, referencing the Houthi promise to continue their Red Sea blockade until peace is achieved in Gaza.

[letterstomyfuturedaughterr]

8/14/24 Summertime Sadness

Hey Kiddo,

I'm back after a long and fun summer of living it up. Italian dinner parties, showering Tia Escely and her little one on the way, TAYLOR SWIFT IN GERMANY, camping in Denmark with Omi, going to the ocean despite the cold water temps, surprising Aunt Rachel for her engagement party, weddings, weekly homegrown tomatoes, slowing down, friends. It's been a packed summer. I went into it with the mindset of saying no to very little, being spontaneous, living my best DINK life hot girl brat summer (these are cool things we used to say in Summer 2024, and by 'we' I mean the youths).

It's mid August now. The pace of life is slowing down, weather is getting warmer and drier as we prepare for San Diego summer part 2 and chillier weather teases the rest of the country. Yes, I am already thinking about pumpkins and decorating for my favorite transition season. These weeks where we're no longer in the fixed summer nor the mutable fall have always been the hardest for me. There's so much to look forward to in these -ber months, and at the same time we're saying goodbye to strong sun and pool days and tourist season. I'm ready and I'm not.

This looming motherhood feels similar. I'm ready and I'm not.

It's such a truly bizarre thing to intentionally choose parenthood. Especially when your life is really great, you're super happy and finally have a handle on life. I can see why young people adopt the fuck-around-and-find-out-method. It's so wildly different to do it now, older, and by choice. It's also so strange to hold space for the women in my life who have these same thoughts and have decided not to fuck with those beautiful things. I get it. It seems weird to want to do it. But I do genuinely want to.

I can say 'I want to have a baby' or 'I want to raise a little human with Michael'. It's been harder to see, or even say, 'I want to be a mom'. I'm scared to say that out loud, it feels too powerful of a statement. There's so few examples of motherhood the way I want to do it, and lots of examples of how I don't want to do it. It's felt hard to trust that I can be that example, I can lead that. But I've never done it before how can I??

So here we are, in this weird in between in between. It's like 7th grade, the middle of middle. Firmly decided on yes, starting to try, definitely okay if it takes a little bit of time, terrified it could be a one and done situation. Ready. Not ready at all. I wonder if that's parenthood period.

Writing to you helps. I've been writing these posts for almost a year. I started in October 2023, and I've fallen short of my goal of once a week. That said, I'm really feeling drawn back. I always feel like I have so much to say but so little to write. I need to work on seeing myself in this format. I'm going to try to be more consistent.

I've been reading the book Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day by Kaitlin B. Curtice and she writes "When I dream and imagine the world to come, I do it because I believe that those who came before brought me to this moment and those who come after me will take us beyond it". I feel this deeply in my bones, the hope for a better world that will come with you. The big moments are where I feel ready. It's the in bewtween that feel more scary. But that is where life lies, in the grey. The in between. The post summer not quite yet fall. The end of August.

Love always,

[laresearchette]

Friday, August 11, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: THE COMMUNION GIRL (Shudder) BIG SKY RIVER: THE BRIDAL PATH (W Network) 9:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE WNBA: CONNECTICUT SUN AT PHOENIX MERCURY

CBC GEM PAUL SIMON ON Q WITH TOM POWER YOU & ME

CRAVE TV ALICE, DARLING BILLIONS (Season 7, Episode 1) THE BOY WHO SMELLS LIKE FISH FARMING FOR LOVE (Season 1) SHE SAID SUMMERING

DISNEY + STAR BARNYARD OLYMPICS DONALD’S COUSIN GUS DONALD’S NEPHEWS FLYING JALOPY GOOFY AND WILBUR JAGGED MIND MICKEY’S STEAM-ROLLER

NETFLIX CANADA DOWN FOR LOVE HEART OF STONE

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SOCCER (TSN/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) 3:15am: Quarterfinal - Japan vs. Sweden

NATIONAL BANK OPEN (SN) 12:30pm: Quarterfinals - Men's Day Session (SN1) 12:30pm: Quarterfinals - Women's Day Session (SN) 7:00pm: Quarterfinals - Men's Evening Session (SN1) 7:00pm: Quarterfinals - Women's Evening Session

MLB BASEBALL (SN Now) 6:30pm: Yankees vs. Marlins

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3) 7:30pm: Roughriders vs. Alouettes

SUMMERING (Crave) 7:30pm: Four best friends on the brink of starting middle school realize their lives are about to change forever. On the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it.

CEBL BASKETBALL (TSN4) 8:00pm: Eastern Conference Final - Scarborough Shooting Stars vs. Niagara River Lions (TSN4) 10:30pm: Western Conference Final - Calgary Surge vs. Vancouver Bandits

LEGENDS VS. MODERN ICONS (Cottage Life) 8:00pm: Examining the impressive features of two state-of-the-art airplanes and if the luxurious 1930s Boeing 314 Clipper has what it takes to keep up with today's innovative, ultra-comfortable, and eco-friendly Airbus A350.

JUST FOR LAUGHS: MARC MARON PERMANENT RESIDENT (CBC) 9:00pm: Marc Maron hosts a night of comedy.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (Teletoon) 9:00pm: Supergirl must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle as it searches for a powerful weapon held in the Legion Academy.

ALICE, DARLING (Crave) 9:00pm: Pushed to the breaking point, a woman enjoys some much-needed time away from her psychologically abusive boyfriend. However, when his vengeance is unleashed, it tests her strength, her courage, and the bonds of deep-rooted friendships.

GIANT POP-UP CONSTRUCTIONS (Cottage Life) 10:00pm: A squadron of craftspeople install a state-of-the-art indoor swimming arena in a luxury Las Vegas hotel.

[tanetlee]

Jack’s Journey

On the mounds, the whole world seeme[s] to have dissolved in this early morning hour into a pool of thought, a deep basin of reality [1]. Dimension q, Mound Krakusa, the mound of time and Mound Wandy, the mound of space. An epic theatre [2], the luxury villas [3] opened on the beautiful garden, where the fetes [are] held [4], just like the old times.[He] explored the garden and discovered a little temple built on a mound [5]. The sun was setting just above Mount Wandy on this day, the 10th of August. Who would be able to step into the temple of these divinities without saying to himself: 'these masterpieces' [6]? Their imposed coexistence invokes childish dreams and the desire to play. [7] It is unclear whether this scene is a memory or fantasy [8] for the residing gods on each mound are certainly not in the best of terms. But even the greatest beauty gets stained. A quarel came to be. A quarrel which was presented to Jack Ma as soon as he arrived in the city of Kraków. The citizens of Kraków held differing opinions on the matter, and Jack's vote became crucial, for his vote was decisive. Democracy was important here, so he was granted the final say. In the middle, a pretty avenue leads up to the hill. [9] Atop Mound Krakusa, Jack was greeted by none other than the powerful figures of Mr. World, Apollo, and the stunning Kali. To impress him, they had organized a lavish celebration, but hardstyle techno was not to Jack’s taste. Yet, it was the acoustics that enraptured him; it was the echo that reverberated throughout the space. Kali explained that time is born with the echo, the echo is from birth to make time begin. [10] It was the first time that Jack heard time. Time passes and doesn’t pass. [11] What is time anyways? Apollo, the god of music and prophecy, began to strum on his lyre while reciting his argument. He spoke of [...] a time so ancient that we have forgotten it, a time so impossible that we can neither think nor speak it.[12] A time that predates even the earliest memories of humanity. For Kali, time, which always sleeps, is awakened by creation. [13] why does [hearing] time make the city better? Mr. World joined in the debate. Buildings, playgrounds, classrooms, lecture halls, campuses, libraries, laboratories, even forms of knowledge—these frameworks, I am saying, date from a time and were adapted to an era when both the world and humans were something they are no longer. [14] Jack began to see the city in a new light, as a dynamic and ever-evolving entity that time and creation shape. The frameworks of the city, from the buildings and infrastructure to the forms of knowledge, were adapted to a time and an era that are no longer relevant. One city demands another city, one history requires another; we don’t really know how time flows. [15]

So as to see the other side of the argument, amidst the age-old debate of space versus time, Jack found himself at the foot of Mount Wandy, where Aphrodite, Argus and Shiva awaited him with a sumptuous feast. All drink wine from golden cups above a semi-transparent [16] golden floor [16] of jewels or sapphire paving through which they [16] watch the dramas of man on Earth [16]. Time was ticking normally again and the echo faded away. But in this place, the perception of space was different, as if Jack’s vision was an X-ray of sorts, perceiving a hidden matrix of lines and geometries behind multifarious appearances. [17]  The insightful Shiva spoke of a space without any measurable distance. [18] Aphrotide's opinion was that one dimension always dominates [19]. Starting from [...]here the city spreads out. [20] The atmosphere was heated, and the gods had full conviction that their Mound of Space was superior to the Mound of Time. They contended that the city should be defined through space, not time. Argus, with his hundred eyes, watched them all closely, occasionally closing a few eyes as if in deep contemplation. For him, abstract space is at once fragmented and homogeneous; capitalism compartmentalizes and routinizes all activity, yet relentlessly saturates any remaining voids with its wavelike flows. [21]  If space is that which prevents everything from being in the same place, this abrupt confinement brings everything—absolutely everything—back to that place which has no place. [21] Space is fundamental in any form of communal life; space is fundamental in any exercise of power. [21] It all adds up to a disparate vision of the city.[22] The city started to make sense. Or at least, some things did. It was as if the city had transformed into a virtual image, a space of imagination. [23] 

Jack was in a tricky position. How should he choose which mound was better, which mound makes the city better. The city needs space and time. Jack was reminded of the universal principle of duality.  There is never yin without yang, never yang without yin, just as there is not [space] without [time] nor [time] without [space]. [24] Even Human speech vibrates in space and throughout time. [25] Each citizen would thus inhabit the entire city in time and space. [26] Like a piece of architecture, the city is a construction in space, but one of vast scale, a thing perceived only in the course of long spans of time. [27] And just like that, he swore to never choose.

[1]        Woolf, To The Lighthouse

[2]        Macarthur, The Picturesque

[3]        Marzano, The Roman Villa in the Mediterranean Basin

[4]        Gothein, A History of Garden Art

[5]        Deleuze, Masochism Coldness and Cruelty Venus in Furs

[6]        Wood Gaiger, Art in Theory 1648 1815

[7]        Greenhalgh, Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky

[8]        Koolhaas, SMLXL

[9]        Gothein, A History of Garden Art

[10]     Serres, Genesis

[11]     Serres, Branches

[12]     Serres, The Five Senses

[13]     Serres, Troubadour of Knowledge

[14]     Serres, Rome

[15]     Serres, Thumbelina

[16]     Koolhaas, Elements of Architecture

[17]      Blackwell, Nineteenth Century Architecture

[18]      Serres, Hominescence

[19]      Giedion, Space Time and Architecture

[20]      Serres, Statues

[21]       Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[22]      Rybczynski, City Life

[23]      Ockmann, Architecture Culture 1943 1968

[24]      Jullien, the Book of Beginnings

[25]       Serres, Thumbelina

[26]       Ockmann, Architecture Culture 1943 1968

[27]       Hovestadt Buehlmann, Quantum City

[dev0nhunt]

Reflecting on Harry's Residency Show and a Life Update

And yes, I know I haven’t been active for eight months.

First and foremost I want to explain why I haven’t published a single blog post in over eight months. I wish I had a really badass explanation like I was in a coma because I saved a bus full of school children from starving zoo animals but the explanation is much more boring and lame than that. 

I got busy and forgot about this site. 

In my defense though, I graduated university in December and right after graduation I went on vacation to England for almost a month and since I’ve gotten back I’ve been applying to jobs like crazy. I haven’t been lucky to get an interview yet but that’s a large reason why I started to write on this site again. Even though this isn’t paying me I look at it as a type of job. An outlet of sorts. So let’s talk about a couple things I’ve done since last August: 

I saw Harry Styles thrice within one week! 

The first show that I saw was on January 27th which was originally scheduled to be on November 6th but was postponed because of illness. This show is extremely special to me because it included numerous firsts. One of them being it was my first time not only driving down to Los Angeles by myself (I’ve been numerous times with family) but also my first time attending a show at the Kia Forum. Since I do live smack dab in the middle of California I tend to drive up to Northern California for concerts because it’s much closer and an easier drive. The day of the show everything seemed to go perfectly. I got into LA around 3pm and waited in my hotel until an hour before the show was due to start at 8. Walking up to the legendary and historic Kia Forum was in one way romantic but also made me feel apprehensive and anxious. I do believe there’s always a lot of anxiety in seeing your favorite artists in concert. There’s the idea of whether your fave is going up to live up to expectations but I think it’s much deeper than that. For example, for a lot of people including myself it feels like our favorite artist knows more things about you than any other person in your life. And yes I know I speak at length about the dangers of parasocial relationships with celebrities but it’s in a lot ways inescapable especially in the age of social media. We turn to our favorite artist in our darkest days and our brightest. We turn to them when we’re driving in our cars and when we’re walking our dogs. So because of all of this it makes seeing these figures in concert a spiritual experience. 

At that point I hadn’t been to any of his residency shows in LA so I really didn’t know what to expect. After buying some merch and taking it back to my car I walked through security and up to the Forum employee so she could scan my ticket on my phone. But the worst thing that could happen happened.  I clicked on my phone to open Ticketmaster and my phone was completely frozen. Frozen on a wallpaper of Harry Styles lifting his arm up and looking out in the distance. It was as if Harry himself was looking at the crowd of people walking into the venue telling me “You could be them too if only your phone was working.” I stood at the edge of the walkway holding down the power button and volume button trying to restart my phone to no avail. At this point the show was going to start in half an hour and I was stuck outside the arena. Fans walked past me wondering why there was someone sweating profusely while white knuckling his cell phone and cursing underneath his breath. I explained my predicament to a Forum employee on the verge of tears who told me that someone at the box office could help me with what was going on. I walked back past security and over to the box office where a group of a dozen or so girls waited to see if the box office was going to release any more tickets for that night's show. After explaining what was going to the box office employee I hand over my cell phone to him and after doing a hard reset of my phone (something I wasn’t familiar with at that point) my phone goes black for a couple seconds and my Harry Styles wallpaper once again lights up the screen. Harry once again is looking out at the distance this time telling me "Get your ass inside the venue the show's about to start." I finally take a deep breath for the first time in ten minutes. I'm relieved. After going through security for a second time and finally being able to scan my ticket, I walked around the outside of the Forum snapping pictures and admiring other people’s outfits. When I finally walked inside the Kia Forum my first thought was “Wow, it’s smaller and more intimate than I thought.” Wet Leg, a band that I was a fan of and extremely excited to see open for Harry did exceptionally well. Their entire set was killer and the band was able to connect with the audience in a way that many openers fail to do so. After Wet Leg performed there occurred the moment in time in-between the opener and the main act where the entire audience is on the edge of their seats (literally and figuratively). An edging of sorts that finally gets released when the performer gets on stage and the first note of their opening song plays. 

Harry hidden in a box gets wheeled underneath the stage,

Closerr

The arena goes dark and the video montage plays, 

Closerrrrr

Harry rises from the middle of the stage and the first note of "Daydreaming" plays, 

Release 

The show to no one’s surprise was amazing. Hearing songs like “Daylight” and “Satellite” live for the first time was magical. It was also seeing him again at a smaller venue than the last time that I saw him that made me appreciate the intimacy of his shows in the States. Where he’s performed stadiums around the world with quadruple the capacity of the Kia Forum it’s made me admire Harry's versatility as a performer so much more. I imagine there are performers that go off and start to perform at stadiums and forget how to capture the attention of a smaller audience. But Harry isn’t one of those performers. And I truly believe that shows just how amazingly talented of a performer he is.  

After the show, I walked back to my car to wait an hour stuck in the parking lot. As I waited in my car and put on a podcast as background noise I grew excited because I was about to see Harry again in four days in Palm Springs. It was time to get ready for his birthday show…

[wkil-109-fmx-radio]

[Zone Info]

Events:

Helium I - Fought between 1993 and 1998 when tensions between governments around the world finally turned to war. Nuclear warfare wiped out Northern-Middle Eurasia, most of South America, South-Eastern North America, and Southern Africa. The war ended when what was left of Europe and Asia surrendered.

The Rise of Better Living Industries - BL/ind started as a weapons manufacturing/power company that rose into a major monopoly and self-governing body that overthrew the US toward the end of the first Helium War. It immediately began an effort to bring “peace” to the nation by ridding the country of all individualism and “radical” beliefs, believing that different ideas would turn into conflict. This quickly turned into ridding the country of creativity and self-expression to make a perfect, crime-free society.

Helium II - Fought between 2006 and 2011 when Better Living Industries had taken control of what was left of North and South America and began attacking the rest of the world, trying to rid the planet of ideas that didn’t match theirs. The East Coast started rebelling against the West Coast, where BL/ind had established their capital in what was once Los Angeles but had been renamed Battery City. A wall of nuclear bombs was dropped around the Rocky Mountains and thanks to the radiation around the globe affecting the radio waves, no one knows for sure whether there is anyone else living on the planet outside of Battery City and its surrounding Zones.

The Rise of the Rebels - Since the very beginning of Better Living Industries’ reign, rebels had appeared. When Battery City was established as BL/ind’s capital city, settlements started popping up in the desert outside of the city. On the East Coast of North America, a massive rebellion effort was led against BL/ind during the second Helium War. As the years passed, more rebels started appearing in Battery City and moving to the desert, eventually renamed The Zones, especially after BL/ind seemed to have destroyed the East Coast rebels. Rebels in the Zones became known as Killjoys and rebels in the city became known as Juvie Halls. Rebels began attacking Better Living Industries factories and facilities, hoping to weaken the company but only resulting in angering BL/ind.

The Fires of 2012 - From April till August of 2012, Better Living Industries began lighting fires across the Zones in an attempt to destroy the Killjoys, as they had grown out of BL/ind’s control. The Fires got out of control and ended up spreading to some Better Living Industries camps and buildings that were still stationed in the Zones. As a result, BL/ind blamed the rebels for the Fires and denied any claims of the truth. The blame being placed on the rebels sparked the start of the Analog Wars.

The Analog Wars - Fought between 2012 and 2017 or, to some, from 2012 to the present. The Analog War wasn’t your usual war; it was mostly small battles in the Zones or sabotage of BL/ind or rebel facilities. Better Living Industries describes it as “an effort to suppress the rebels and their radical and dangerous ideals.” During the war, BL/ind established the Draculoid and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units.

The Pig Bombs of 2017 - On July 4, 2017, Better Living Industries dropped a series of bombs in Zone 8 to destroy the Killjoy farming communities that were settled there. BL/ind had previously withheld using nuclear weapons in the Zones because they didn’t want the radiation destroying Battery City so they settled for dropping them in Zone 8, although they ended up also destroying several important Better Living Industries facilities in the process. The bombs wiped Zones 7, 8, and 9 off the map, left some places in Zone 6 uninhabitable, and created a wall of radiation around the Zones and Battery City, trapping them and isolating them from the rest of the world. This marked the end of the Analog Wars, although some believe that since there was no official surrender or treaty, the war is still going on.

Places:

Battery City - The capital of whatever is left of the US that Better Living Industries can control. In Battery City, the citizens are required to take “Happy Pills.” In the city, BL/ind controls the weather, the way people dress, where kids go to school, and where adults work. Every citizen has a set routine, sent to them in the morning along with their medication. In the center of Battery City is the Better Living Industries headquarters which is the tallest building and largest complex in the city and home to the Director, the head of BL/ind.

The Underground - The subway systems under Battery City where many juvie halls live and plot against Better Living Industries. “The Underground” doesn’t always literally mean the subway systems and can be used as a relative term for anywhere juvie halls may live.

The Outskirts - The edge of Battery City, bordering Zone 1. This is where lower-class citizens live, along with some juvie halls, as this is the least regulated part of the city.

The Zones - The desert surrounding Battery City, where the Killjoys live. As the number of the Zone gets higher, so does the population, as the Killjoys like to be as far away from Battery City and BL/ind headquarters as possible.

Route Guano - The most used interstate in the Zones, running from south-eastern Battery City all the way out past Zone 6.

The Getaway Mile - The interstate south of Route Guano, which is shorter and goes more south but is often used for quick escapes from Battery City.

Death Valley - The area outside of Zone 6 that is dangerous and completely uninhabitable due to the extreme radiation.

Lighthouses - Well-known places across the Zones that provide sanctuary for Killjoys on the run

Train Station Avenue - A popular lighthouse along Route Guano in Zone 5 that is notorious for fights, food, and hitchhikers

The Nest - The largest lighthouse in the Zones, located next to DESTROYA in Zone 4

DESTROYA Site - The home of DESTROYA, a massive droid built by Better Living Industries to destroy the Killjoys during the Analog Wars but ended up malfunctioning and turning against them. The droid was shot down and has remained there ever since.

The Bunker - An underground bunker turned nightclub in Zone 6, popular for raves and huge amounts of attendees

Witch’s Hut - A small hut in Zone 6 where a supposed prophet of the Phoenix Witch lives

The Tracks - A race track in Zone 5 used for competitive drag races where parties are held and bets are placed for your favorite racers

Vocabulary:

Angel Cake - Killjoys who travel across the Zones selling food for cheaper prices

Audition - Initiation rituals that gangs in or outside of Battery City may have for you to be able to join. What you have to do varies from gang to gang

Babysitter - a term used to poke fun at a gang leader but also used as a genuine term for gang leaders who may be visibly older than the rest of the gang

Bacon - dead or dying Dracs and Crows

Batt out of hell - a term for new Killjoys but not used in a derogatory way

Batt Rat - a derogatory term used by Sand Pups to describe new Killjoys who just escaped the city and don’t know the Zone ways

Black Smith - someone who’s good at repairing or modifying technology or cars

Bifrost - places in the Zones that were so greatly affected by bombs, that the sand turned to glass

Blanket drive - driving at night with the headlights off, the windows down, and the music turned up loud

Carbons - The currency used in Battery City and the Zones. One carbon equals four dollars

Chilly - something or someone that’s suspicious

Clap - a physical fight

Cloud - A large group of Draculoids and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W traveling through the Zones

Compass Rose - a Killjoy who knows the desert like the back of their hand

Costa Rica - things that went crazy or got out of control

Crash Queen - a daredevil or thrill seeker who is known for doing things that could easily get them killed and doesn’t care

Deadfaced - taking Battery Acid

Dead Pegasus - a fuel company in the Zones

Debut album - someone’s first love

Digital - An important moment shared amongst two or more rebels that they know they will never forget

Draculoid - droids and brainwashed Killjoys designed to kill rebels. Also called "bats" or "Dracs"

Drifter - someone who lives a nomadic lifestyle and strays from commitment in relationships

Drifting - A relationship that isn’t strictly anything but simply some sort of attraction between two individuals. A sort of go-with-the-flow, whatever happens, happens kind of relationship

Drive sidestreet - another way to tell someone to piss off. Also could use “get off the highway”

Dust Trail - an urban legend or a term used by non-religious Killjoys to describe religious Killjoys’ beliefs

ElectroKat - the most popular battery brand in Battery City and the Zones

Exterminators - High ranking Better Living Industries officials placed in charge of S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units

Fact News - The one news program in Battery City, notorious for spreading lies to the citizens

Favorite Record - someone’s significant other

Firefight - a fight using ray guns

Fly half-mast - that state after having recently lost someone close to you

Gearhead - someone who’s obsessed with all things mechanical

Gemini - someone suspected of being a spy for Better Living Industries

Ghost Chase - Searching the Zones for someone who is possibly, or most likely, dead

Ghosted - killed. Also can use "dusted"

Graffiti Bible - A collection of religious writings across the Zones, mostly talking about how DESTROYA will come back to life and destroy Battery City and the Phoenix Witch

Gravehead - crazy Killjoys who have lost everyone and everything and throw themselves into dangerous situations

Gravity - anything that brings you down

Groupie - someone who travels with different gangs and trades favors for food, water, and protection

Halo Head - religious Killjoys who believe their beliefs put them above everyone else, especially non-religious Killjoys

Happy Pills - Pills issued by Better Living Industries that they say will lift your spirits and protect you from the radiation but make you more submissive and easier for BL to control. The rebels call them "Battery Acid"

Hit the red line - run away, usually from a bad/dangerous situation

Icy - when someone dies or goes missing in a suspicious way

Juvie Hall - rebels who haven’t left the city, usually because they can’t or because they’re working with the Killjoys to smuggle supplies out to the Zones and/or give them information from the city

Killjoy - rebels who live in the Zones

Lawyer - someone who ruins all the fun

Mailbox - small landmarks in the Zones where an old mailbox is painted and decorated and filled with letters, mostly to people that other Killjoys have lost. The more religious Killjoys believe the Phoenix Witch delivers the letters put in the mailboxes to the dead

Maple Plaza - Places in Zone 6 where radiation is still very thick and dangerous

Mega - interchangeable with "wicked"

Motorbabies - people who live and breathe all things car-related

Mousekat - a cartoon character from Battery City

Murder - a magazine in the Zones with Zone news

Pangea - A friendly gathering of two or more gangs

Paperboy - someone who travels across the Zones collecting news, gossip, and reporting deaths, usually for Dr. D or Murder magazine

Phoenix Witch - a supposed deity of the Zones, looking out for the rebels and carrying the souls of the dead into the afterlife

Pigs - another term for Dracs and Crows

Plus - A battery replenisher used by droids that are known for being highly addictive

Power Pup - a pre-moistened dog kibble brand that is often the only source of food in the Zones

Ray Gun - guns that shoot high-powered lasers instead of bullets. Rebels often customize them

Rebel - anyone who actively works against Better Living Industries

Ritalin Rat - drug addicts, usually used for those addicted to Happy Pills but can be used for Zoneweed addicts as well

Robin Hood Honey - party going Killjoys that look beautiful but don’t act like it

Rongee Kay - Killjoys who wander from party to party

Royal - something fancy or high end

Runners - juvie halls who smuggle supplies into the Zones

Sand Pup - someone born in the Zones or someone who has lived there most of their life

Sand Worm - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W - BL loyalists specially trained to destroy anything they deem worthy of destroying. Also called "Crows"

Screwhead - someone who parties too much and thinks too little

Shiny Magazine - a magazine for mature readers in the Zones

Shiny - interchangeable with "awesome" or "cool"

Shower Curtain - A rare day when the sun is behind the clouds and the heat isn’t so unbearable

Smiley - someone acting suspiciously

Sour - something off

Squeaky - not having committed a crime against Better Living Industries but still wanting to rebel against them. Also used when someone seems to avoid fights or dangerous situations even though they’ve never done that before

Static - another word for sand or remote areas of the Zones

Trojan Horse - a painfully obvious lie

Tumbleweed - someone who wanders the Zones, living a nomadic lifestyle, having no home or gang

Vend-a-Hack - A device used by Killjoys to hack into Better Living Industries vending machines to steal various supplies

Vending Machine - Dispense a variety of items, including ray guns, batteries, ammo, stickers, stress toys, Plus, Power Pup, and water

WKIL 109 FMX - Doctor D’s pirate radio station that plays news and music

Zone Rat - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries and some Battery City citizens

Zoneweed - a popular drug grown and passed around in the Zones

[friendofhayley]

Monthly shout-out to every fanfic creator for all fandoms! Thank you for posting your talent for free and making our fandoms a more creative place. <3 This fic rec includes 12 fics from One Direction, Harry Potter, and Teen Wolf fandoms.

Larry (One Direction)

1. Praise the Mutilated World by @eeveelou, @creamcoffeelou | dystopian AU - A/B/O - on par with Hunger Games for dystopian world/plot - maybe its the feminism but I saw some parallels between governing of vagina-welders and omegas - 106k

It was August when everything changed.

By October, the leaves changed, and so did Louis’ heart.

2. i'll be someone who won't be forgotten by @socialiststyles | oof oof oof this hit close to home (for Sagittariuses) - love confessions - friends to strangers to lovers - angst with a happy ending - 27k

"I’m just—" (Harry hiccups) "there’s a lot here."

And – yeah. There are oceans between them and mountain ranges surrounding them and Louis can feel tectonic plates shifting beneath his unsteady feet, pulling them further and further apart by the heartbeat. There are countries of distance, but there are pages and maps and textbooks of shared histories, moments documented and carefully filed away and Louis can’t remember thinking complete thoughts before he thought of Harry.

3. Send Me Your Pillow (The One That You Dream On) by @lesbianiconharrystyles | this was so soft and lovely - gAyBO - omega/omega - fluff and anxiety - 1k

Harry is embarrassed to realize he's nesting but can't stop stealing Louis' things for his nest.

4. falling, catching by tsuneni | light academia - first time - strangers to lovers - creatives in love - 23k

Harry’s jotting down some more notes when he feels a thud on his right shoulder. He doesn’t flinch, thank God, because when he turns his head to the right his suspicions are confirmed. The boy has fallen asleep on Harry’s shoulder.

When Harry lets out the breath he had been holding, the sleeping boy pushes his nose further into the burgundy fabric of Harry’s sweater, and wraps his arm around Harry’s waist.

This boy is going to be the death of him.

Wolfstar (Harry Potter)

5. I Tried Writing Your Name In The Rain, But It Never Came, So I Used The Sun Instead by @lenscribbles | I loved that Remus was a POC and his Syrian mother is amazing - friends to lovers - mutual pining - and nothing bad happens to them ever in the future :) - 12k

Don’t get Remus wrong. He loves his friends, he does! Loves them to the moon and back in fact. They’re his people, his favorite part of everyday, his found family. He’d do anything for them. But the thing is that doesn’t take away from the very simple fact that his friends are fucking ridiculous. Remus knows this, has known it for five years now. But it doesn’t stop him from startling awake on the morning of his sixteenth birthday surprised by the sound of fireworks exploding in their dormitory and a raucous chorus of “Happy birthday Moony!” being shouted into his ear with jaunty gusto.

“You are wicked, wicked wizards,” Remus moans from where he refuses to get up on his bed, covering his face with his hands, a good call on his end considering that the very next moment he feels a cascade of confetti pouring all over him. “The worst of the worst! You deserve to rot in Azkaban!”

“Oh how you flatter us Moonykins,” Sirius croons, pulling him up while James and Peter begin a frankly awful rendition of For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow.

6. Our Destiny in the Stars by orphan_account | non-magical AU - body insecurity issues - trans Sirius - amputee Remus - 11k

Having no luck in the dating field, and insecure about his body, Remus checks out a dating website which offers the users the opportunity to get to know a person before seeing what they look like. It's during this time he meets Sirius, an enthusiastic teacher--and they immediately click. When they agree to meet, Remus sees a photo of Sirius and immediately panics. He's too good looking to ever be interested in someone like Remus. What the tawny-haired man doesn't know, is Sirius has already checked him out online and has fallen head over heels for the adorable editor.

Drarry (Harry Potter)

7. Old Magic (series) by @mystickitten42 | Drarry runs away together pree-HBP - very realistic getting-together - Narcissa is the GOAT - poor Sirius stuck in the middle - 2+ parts

Harry is undeniably numb. Still reeling from the sudden death of his godfather, he’s back at the Dursleys and everything seems hopeless. One day bleeds into the next. But, as they say, nature abhors a vacuum…

Draco is unimpressed. The Dark Lord and his infernal giant snake have taken over Malfoy Manor and he’s confined to his rooms. He feels like a prisoner and it’s just not right. He’s a Malfoy. Itching for confrontation he decides to go visit Harry Potter.

Things don’t go according to plan.

8. The Importance of Being Draco Malfoy (series) by @upon-poppyhills | this is just great, I love that without memories Draco is without prejudice - Harry goes from suspicious to denial to crushing - brief but wonderful Draco/Justin Finch-Fletchley - I can't wait for everyone to find out about Draco's head - 3+ parts

The answer to the age-old question, "What if instead of a scratch on the arm, Buckbeak had stomped on Draco's head instead and caused tragic memory loss?"

It was a truth universally acknowledged that the path to reforming a Slytherin prince never did run smooth.

9. Dear Cousin, Love Regulus by @xx-thedarklord-xx, @llap115 | I confused this with another fic so I never read it until now and it's THE BEST - Drarry talk like dark academia boys sometimes - I'm so glad Draco had Regulus T.T - when he meets the Regulus portrait!! *screams* - 86k

As the sole Malfoy heir, Draco understood that his path was set long before his birth; who to be, how to act and what his choices should be. What he had not counted on was the power of outside influences. Letters from his deceased cousin caused him to realize that he did have choices, starting with the choice to be someone else, to be who he wanted to be. The road to self-discovery was difficult and navigating that path in the shadow of Harry Potter was its own challenge but maybe, just maybe, his friends would help him along the way. And he would owe it all to Regulus Black.

10. bury the dead where they're found by @rocketdocket | THIS FIC is the ultimate found family fic - sometimes people prefer the closet and that's awesome! - PTSD and suicidal thoughts - queer people are just better than the straights, sorry not sorry - 52k

The war is over. Or at least, that's how it feels for everyone else. But not for Harry. He can't escape the memories and the nightmares of the war, or his guilt about those who died for him. While all he wants is to be alone, finding a family in the most unlikely of places may be just what he needs.

Sterek (Teen Wolf)

11. A Californian Werewolf in New York by @dancinbutterfly, knight_changes | I love that Oz from Buffy is just there - friends to lovers - bottom Derek - misunderstandings - 16k

When Derek finally realizes that there's nothing left for him in Beacon Hills, he goes back to New York, gets a life, falls in love and finds his home.

12. (they say) this should feel something like fire by dallisons | mental and physical trauma - Boyd & Stiles friendship - dream!Erica - rebuilding - 11k

"Turn it off." The pack looked up, stunned into silence by the first words they'd heard from him in weeks.

Stiles stood, trembling - his knees weak. He tried to run and collapsed, his bad leg failing him once again. Derek caught him. "Turn it off," he said, his voice unmistakably a growl.

The water continued leaking from the loose faucet, and all Stiles heard was Erica's blood against the concrete. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip.

[cutesilyo]

Notes and References for i know your eyes in the morning sun

Hi! These are notes and references for my IndoPhil fic i know your eyes in the morning sun, so please check it out before reading this!

Title: i know your eyes in the morning sun Summary: When a homesick Indonesia is unexpectedly taken out of his meeting for a day trip in Rome with Philippines, he isn't expecting much more than exhaustion ahead of him. Instead, what happens is a whirlwind of food, fun, and a surprising amount of reflection on their histories and differences as nations. And as he looks deeper and deeper in the other nation's bright eyes, he learns to come to terms with the feelings he's been ignoring for far, far too long. Alternatively: a nation who's too attached to the past goes on a date with a nation whose entire philosophy is built on trying to live in the moment. Yes, there is kissing involved. Read on: AO3 | FF.net

Scene 1: Pizza al taglio

As coincidence would have it, the G20 2021 Summit actually will be held in Rome, Italy. However, it’ll be on the end of October rather than the end of September like how its depicted in the fic. I’m also very much ignoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Pretend it never happened.

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, found in the island of Java, Indonesia. It was built way back in the 7th Century and it's probably Indonesia's top most visited site.

Terang bulan is basically like a really large, fluffy, folded pancake. It also has a variety of different names and is also eaten in Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore.

If you could have a convenience store dedicated solely to pizza, that's what pizza al taglio establishments are like. Its literal translation is pizza by the cut, and since it's a lot more common to find in Rome than in other places in Italy, it's also called Roman-style pizza. The layout for the al taglio shop that Indonesia and Philippines go to is inspired from the shop that me and my family went to: a small family establishment just a short walk away from the Vatican.

You can actually find a recipe for Indonesia’s arugula and mozzarella pizza here: https://shared.publicmediaconnect.org/docs/atk/Pizza_Taglio_Cooks_Illustrated.pdf

Scene 2: Souvenir store + Bus stop

Indonesian rupiahs are notoriously hyperinflated, so the 15 euros that Philippines uses to buy the keychains convert to 250k+ rupiahs. That's around 50k short for actually being able to buy a local economy flight on Lion Air. For comparison, the same amount of euros convert to approximately 900 Philippine pesos. It’s also a few hundred pesos short of buying a local economy flight on Cebu Pacific.

There actually was a point when a G20 meeting was held in the Coliseum. It was the G20 culture ministers meeting just a few months ago, in July 2021.

Yes, on top of the thousands of festivals we already have, Filipinos also celebrate Oktoberfest! It's more of an excuse for local beer companies to shamelessly promote their product and encourage drinking fests on a massive scale, but a more legitimate Oktoberfest celebration is organized by the German Club in Manila. Lucky Philippines gets to celebrate it authentically in Munich with the German brothers, who historically aimed to conquer the Philippines before America managed to stake his claim. So if you sense that Germany is being oddly shy towards Philippines here, that's just Germany being embarrassed because of their history.

Italy's major international airport in Rome is Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma–Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci", so you generally just call it Fiumicino for short. A possible travel route for flying from the Philippines to Italy is Clark-Dubai-Rome, and another is Manila-Hong Kong-Rome.

Scene 3: Gianicolo

Bali, Boracay, and El Nido are beaches that serve as major tourist destinations.

Vietnam has already been mentioned to be a menace when she's drunk in her most recent character introduction. Laos is at the top of ASEAN when it comes to alcohol consumption, with the average Laotian drinking seven liters of pure alcohol every year.

Indonesia is sometimes known as the Invisible Nation. What this means to say is that there have not been many things that Indonesia has done that made massive waves on the global scale. From what I’ve read, this seems to have been an especially popular sentiment among Western analysts during the Cold War.

Australia's awkward attempt at an apology is a reference to when the Australian government had allegedly monitored and spied on the phone calls of several Indonesian officials. Indonesia and Australia have a history that goes far deeper than that though.

Monas is a common abbreviation for Indonesia's Monumen Nasional, proudly standing tall in the middle of Merdeka Square as a commemoration of the fight for Indonesian independence. Taman Surapati is a large, chill public park; it also has a monument dedicated to commemorating ASEAN there. Both are located in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Meanwhile, Philippines' mention of Luneta refers to Luneta Park. It's also known as Rizal Park, as it's the place where the national hero Jose Rizal was executed for the influence he had in encouraging the fight for Philippine independence.

In Rome, there are seven major hills: they formed the geographical heart of Ancient Rome, with Palatino and Campidoglio as the most significant given how connected they were to Rome's founding and Rome's religion. Gianicolo is outside the boundaries of Ancient Rome, and as such, it isn't counted among the seven hills. It is dedicated to the Roman god Janus and was a place for the augurs to divine the will of the gods — kind of like a prophecy, if a prophecy could be divined from bird entrails. Now it's a great spot for a scenic view of modern Rome which features, among other things, a large statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Garibaldi was a major figure in the Italian Reunification.

Nusantara means many different things, but in the era of the Majapahit empire, it referred to the vassal kingdoms in what is now modern-day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor Leste, and the southern parts of modern-day Thailand and Philippines. Modern usage of the word in Indonesia generally refers to the Indonesian archipelago, but it can also be used to refer to the entirety of maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and historically, Southeast Asia is divided into the mainland region (the countries connected to the Asian continent: Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) and maritime (the countries that are islands and archipelagos: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines).

Italy, together with the United Kingdom, is the largest European migration destination for Filipinos. The largest migration destination for Filipinos in general is America.

Shout-out to Ro-na for this wonderful headcanon of Philippines being sickly in his early days as a Spanish colony! The galleon ships used to facilitate trade between the Philippines and Mexico (perhaps the Philippines' most major contribution to the Spanish crown) would often be attacked by pirates or destroyed in typhoons, especially in the first few decades.

Majapahit and Srivijaya are only two of pre-colonial Indonesia's many powerful empires. A lot of the pre-colonial stuff has been simplified for brevity's sake, but a brief summary of it all basically goes like this: pre-colonial Indonesia was involved with everyone in maritime SEA, where everyone traded with each other; and mainland SEA was non-stop fighting where the major powers were the empires that would later become Vietnam and the Khmer empire that would influence everyone else in mainland SEA. You can find a more detailed look into mainland SEA history by Gemu in her posts here, who is my main influence for everything mainland SEA-related.

A young Brunei picking flowers for a young Philippines is a reference to all the marriages that had occurred between their nobility during the pre-colonial era.

Scene 4: Apartment

The turtle fountain in Rome is a real thing: Fontana delle Tartarughe was originally designed with dolphins in mind, but the dolphins were removed and replaced by turtles. In fandom, you usually see Philippines calling Indonesia kuya, which is Tagalog for older brother. In at least one Indonesian language (I can't remember which one at the moment, sorry!), kuya means turtle.

Tondo, Seludong, Butuan, Sulu, Sugbu, and Panay are all polities in pre-colonial Philippines, two for each of the main island groups in the country: Luzon in the north, Mindanao in the south, and Visayas in the middle. Unlike pre-colonial Indonesia, the societies in the Philippines were never united by a single kingdom or empire; the Philippine islands were only united through the efforts of Spanish and American colonization.

Filipinos tend to sing a lot. Many of us are really good at it. Karaoke is really popular here.

Philippines' PIN code of 8862 is a reference to when ASEAN was founded: August 8, 1962. The founding members were Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

This might be as good of a time as ever for me to mention that I am depicting Philippines and Indonesia as Catholic and Muslim respectively. Filipinos are predominantly Catholic and the Philippines is the largest Catholic country in Asia, while Indonesia has a number of official religions and is the largest Muslim nation in the world.

Special thanks to Desa for helping me with Indonesia's prayer times! Normally, Muslims pray five times a day, but when travelling Muslims are allowed to pray only three times. This is called Qasr salah, or Qasr sholat in Indonesia. What is usually Fajr (called Subuh in Indonesia), Zuhr, Asr, Magrib, and Isha becomes only Fajr, Zuhr-Asr, and Mahgrib-Isha; essentially, without getting into the specifics of time, a prayer for sunrise, afternoon, and night. The mosques will remind everyone when it's prayer time with adhan (called adzan in Indonesia), but in non-Muslim countries abroad, many Muslims have to use websites and apps to keep track. Something I didn't mention in the fic is that Rome actually has the largest mosque in the Western world, Moschea di Roma, so Indonesia could have potentially prayed there. 

Scene 5: Apartment dinner table

Sholat wouldn’t take Indonesia more than a few minutes, so imagine that he did something else while waiting for Philippines to finish cooking.

Baked fish with sliced lemons is a meal that got served to me a lot in Italy. Chop suey is Chinese, but China has had a significant cultural influence for most of Southeast Asia throughout history; the Indonesian version is known as kap cay. Indomie Mi Goreng is a particularly tasty and famous kind of instant noodles from Indonesia. It's very popular in many Asian countries. Indonesia doesn’t drink, but Philippines is drinking white wine because that’s what you’re supposed to do when eating fish. Red wine goes with meat.

Admittedly, this is my own personal headcanon, but I like to think of Philippines living in Spain with the other Spanish colonies while everyone else in maritime SEA were left behind to live in their own countries. It's my own neat Hetalia universe explanation for how much Spanish influence there is in Filipino culture, and how isolated Filipinos can sometimes feel among their neighbors.

I do think that Philippines would have a Hispanic-sounding human name, but I've never really settled on what name actually would be: in fandom, Felipe, Lorenzo, and Jaime get thrown around a lot. In contrast, it seems like most people have settled on Dirga (short for Dirgantara) for Indonesia.

Philippines is sometimes called as la colonia abandonada in Spanish sources: the abandoned colony. Because the Philippines was so far away, Spain couldn't manage the colony directly and had to rely on Mexico/Nueva España to do the dirty work until Mexico became independent. This led to a more relaxed manner in how the country was managed for most of its Spanish colonial life; some scholars even go as far as saying that Spain's treatment of the Philippines was kinder than Spain's treatment of Latin America. I don't really agree — it was different, sure, but it wasn't kind in the least.

Contrast that with Indonesia as the largest and most important colony of the Dutch empire. Aside from all the money and economic prosperity that Indonesia gave to the empire, you'll also find many Dutch songs and hymns that are all praises to Indonesia. Much of the research in Indonesian history, ethnography, and archeology was made possible because of Dutch interest and support; until now, the Netherlands remains to be Europe's leader when it comes to Indonesian studies. This isn't to say that Netherlands treated Indonesia well, however.

After the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in WW2, Netherlands fought to keep power over the archipelago. Needless to say, the Netherlands failed. Indonesia was recognized as an independent country soon after.

Indië is the Dutch colonial name for Indonesia.

APEC is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, of which Philippines and Indonesia (and Thailand!) are members.

Scene 6 + 7: Apartment bedroom

What was Philippines doing in the 1920s, you ask? Being an American colony and trying to lobby for laws that would hasten his independence. Indonesia was in the middle of what’s called the Indonesian National Awakening; all the different peoples under Indonesia were beginning to come together and unite to fight for a single independent nation.

As a tarsier, Pien is actually supposed to be nocturnal; he shouldn't be sleeping at night at all. Maybe he just got jet lagged? Who knows.

BL stands for the boy's love genre of TV series. For years, Thailand had been the lead when it came to BL production with shows like TharnType and SOTUS. Recently, the Philippines has also been developing BL series — Gameboys specifically had achieved worldwide acclaim and is distributed globally through Netflix.

Filipino languages tend to have more complex verb conjugation and sentence structure compared to Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia. The linguistic explanation for this is that most of the Filipino languages are based on the older Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language while Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia are based on the newer, more simplified descendants of Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer was an Indonesian author that focused a lot of his work on nationalistic sentiments. He has a quote on bravery that I really like: Dalam hidup kita, cuma satu yang kita punya, yaitu keberanian. Kalau tidak punya itu, lantas apa harga hidup kita ini? Loosely translated, this reads as: In our life, we only have one thing, which is bravery. If it’s not, what is the value of our life?

Indonesia, as a large archipelago in the Pacific Ring of Fire, has a lot of active volcanoes. In contrast, the Philippines is regularly hit by tens of typhoons annually.

There are an estimated 12 million Filipinos overseas, and this number consistently rises through the years. It's one of the largest diaspora populations: name a country, you'll probably find a Filipino working there somewhere. OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) account for 10% of the country's population and the remittances they send back to their families account for 10% of the country's GDP. Indonesia has a similar phenomenon with TKIs (Tenaga Kerja Indonesia), of which there are 4.5 million worldwide.

Post-independence, Indonesia was very paranoid over Western influence in Southeast Asia. In that same time period, Philippine delegates to international conferences would always speak of democracy and the looming threat of Communism; even though most of the Asian delegates would prefer to move past Western problems and disputes to focus on a united Asia.

Telenovelas are soap operas produced in Latin America. They became popular in Southeast Asia as they were distributed and remade here. The Indonesian equivalent is the sinetron, and the Filipino equivalent is the teleserye.

Additionally, I cannot stress enough how much this fic is built on the foundations laid by others. I’ve already mentioned how much I took inspiration from Gemu’s depiction of mainland SEA, but I also credit Indonesia’s thing for temples to Desa; the passive-aggressive energy between Thailand and Philippines to Hali; amnesiac Piri to Koko, Kopi, and Sopas (among the many). There are a dozen other things I can attribute to a huge assortment of writers and artists: that Singapore has trouble remembering his pre-colonial roots as well, that Piri might have had a good relationship with Romano, Piri’s general flirty and flighty attitude, Indonesia’s awkwardness and big brother aura, etcetera, etcetera. If you’re someone that has been contributing to the SEA fandom these past few months, thank you. Thank you so much. 

[10yrsyart]

Signs of Jesus return

i felt lead recently to compile some of the signs and current events pointing to Jesus’ soon return. i don’t know who this is meant for, but i know it’s for someone. so i hope that whoever reads this finds it helpful and informative 💙 (this is not complete either, as there are too many to list)

The Fig Tree Generation:

Jesus often used a fig tree to describe the country of Israel in His prophecies. “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know His return is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:32-34)

In Psalm 90, Moses describes a generation being “70-80 years,' and Isaiah 66:7-8 says, “Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment?” This did happen. In 1948, Israel became a nation in a day, after almost 2000 years. Israel needed to be a nation to fulfill its part in the Tribulation, so the countdown couldn't start without them. The imagery of birth pains is used in the Bible to describe the troubles that the world will go through before the Day of the Lord, meaning Israel must become a nation before the Lord's return.

1948+80 year generation= 2028. But since Jesus said “everything” (Rapture and Tribulation) would happen before the fig tree generation passed away (turns 81), we have to take away 7 years from the 2028 final count. That leads us to 2021-May 2022 approximately (right before they turn 74).

The Jewish Temple:

The book of Daniel speaks of the time during the 7 year Tribulation, when the Antichrist will come and take over Israel. “The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the (daily) sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.” (Daniel 9:27) “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about- the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Matthew 24:15)

The second Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., and hasn't been rebuilt since. The Holy Place is a specific spot inside the Temple, and the daily sacrifices and offerings that go along with the Jewish Law are only performed with the Temple in use.

As of 2021, the preparations for the Third Temple are nearly complete. The plans are laid out, the priests have been trained in the rules and rituals, the materials are all gathered. One source even says that theoretically the Temple could be built in a matter of 3-6 months. All they are waiting for is the go ahead. Those of the Jewish faith don't believe that Jesus is their Messiah, and many expect that the building of Third Temple will coincide with their own messiah making his appearance.. It's noteworthy that they're so close to building it after all this time.

The Abraham Accords:

In September 2020 the Abraham Accords were officially signed, setting up a peace deal with multiple Middle Eastern countries, including the United States. Since then other countries have added themselves to the peace treaty. There hasn't been a deal like this in the Middle East in a long time, much less centered around Israel. When the Antichrist comes to power, he strengthens a treaty or proposal of peace that already exists, and so the Abraham Accords have come at a significant time.

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom (ethnicity) against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.” (Luke 10-11)

Wars:

So many of the great wars in history have been within the last hundred years. War is not an uncommon thing for humanity, but the impact is much greater now, as is the frequency of wars on the horizon. Currently, many of the World Powers are already declaring war and/or making preparations. China threatening war against Taiwan and it's allies, Iran desiring to destroy the US and wipe Israel out as a nation, and many more threatened. It's not a question of if but of when.

Earthquakes:

The frequency of earthquakes has drastically gone up over the last couple years, not only in numbers but also in magnitude power. As I'm writing this (8/22/2021), we've had over twelve 7.0+ earthquakes in the last two weeks. That's not a normal level, not even taking into account all the earthquakes of lower magnitudes. Volcanic activity is rising as well. Many volcanoes that were previously thought to be dormant are awakening, some even erupting. Iceland's volcano Fagradalsfjall was thought to be dormant for 6000 years, until it erupted last March. (“Dutchsinse” on Youtube is a good source for seismic activity.)

Famines:

Because of the change in weather patterns, with flooding and wildfires and droughts, many of the worlds “bread baskets” (where a large portion of their food is grown) are not producing enough food. A shortage is already coming on America, not to mention all the other nations that are in the midst of one. Greece, Turkey, Australia, Italy, California and Oregon (US) are all burning at record rates. And mass  flooding is impacting just as much area, like Indonesia, China, New York (US), Haiti, Germany, and more.

Plagues/ Diseases:

Everyone is aware of the effect of the C Virus on the world, and now a new variant is appearing. Diseases like Ebola and the Bubonic Plague are re-emerging. Animals are experiencing these effects as well. Massive animal die offs are happening all over the world, from mysterious diseases and unknown causes. Various plagues have swarmed countries, for instance the mass attacks of locusts that have eaten through parts of Africa, and the infestation of billions of mice in Australia.

Signs in the Heavens:

“And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth- blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.” (Joel 2:30-31)  

As I mentioned earlier, volcanoes all over the world are waking up and erupting at an alarming rate. The super volcano centered in Yellowstone Wyoming (US) has been showing worrying signs of stirring as well.

In 2014, two Blood Moons landed on two of God's Feasts, which carry significance. Then in 2015 there was a Solar Eclipse, followed by another two Blood Moons that landed on the same Feasts as the previous year. In 2017, the Great American Solar Eclipse drew a line across the US. In 2020, the “Bethlehem Star” made an appearance as Jupiter and Saturn almost merged in the sky. Though it's not the same cosmic event as the true “Star” that heralded Christ's birth, its rarity and symbolism is important. This August 2021 we just had a rare Blue Moon.

The Revelation 12 Sign:

“Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.” (Revelation 12:1-2)

In September 2017, this sign appeared in the sky for the first time ever. The constellation Virgo represents the woman, and the nine stars of Leo plus 3 wandering stars lined up as her crown. The moon was near her feet in the constellation and the sun was at her shoulder shining on her “clothes.” Then Jupiter entered the middle of the constellation (her stomach) and stayed there for nine months and left. Jupiter is generally considered to represent a ruler, and the child in Revelation is believed to represent the Church (Jesus' Body). The rest of Revelation 12: 3-5 speaks of the child being snatched away from the Dragon (the devil), which represents the Rapture of the Church before the Tribulation. So it's incredibly significant that the first part of this prophecy was fulfilled in the stars. (There's also a type of 4 year grace period before judgment in scripture (Luke 13:6-9), so 2017+ 4 years warning = 2021).

The Vaxx System:

“He required everyone- small and great, rich and poor, free and slave- to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing the name.” (Revelation 13:16-17)

This is not about whether or not to take the vaxx, it's about the mentality around it. The animosity in the world media keeps growing towards those who don't wish to take it. The results don't add up to how single minded they are becoming, and it's easily paving the way for regulations to be carried out by brute force. There are stricter and stricter limitations to those who don't feel safe taking it, like being unable to shop at a grocery story or go to work... In the future, the world won't blink twice about a universal Mark of much greater magnitude and greater consequences. The consequences of refusing won't just mean an inability to buy or sell, but death.  

Alien Disclosure:

As of 2021, the US government has released the information they have on Unidentified Flying Objects, confirming the possibility of aliens. The first main stream event involving the alien conspiracy was the Roswell Incident of 1947, about a year before Israel became a nation. The reason why this is so significant is because 1) the Fig Tree prophecy was about to start when Israel revived, beginning the End Times countdown and 2) 2 Thessalonians 2:11 says the people left after the Rapture will believe a “Great Delusion.” Even a couple years ago, the thought of aliens coming down and taking people away would have been laughed at, but not now. Satan is the Prince of the Air; he uses his demons and spirits to appear as other things, so as to lead people away from the Truth of God. He knew when Israel became a nation the clock was ticking for the need of a believable lie. Now people could easily believe that all the Christians that disappeared were “beamed up” by aliens. (We don't know specifically what the Delusion will be yet, but this is certainly a possibility.)

Dreams and Visions:

“ 'In the Last Days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on my servants- men and women alike- and they will prophecy.' “ (Acts 2:17-18)

Around the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, End Times dreams skyrocketed. The sheer amount that can be found on Youtube is astounding and it continues to grow. Dreams about the Rapture, dreams from Jesus, dreams about disasters that are coming; people from all over the world are sounding the alarm. And these aren't internet celebrities or self proclaimed prophets; these are every day normal people, some of which weren't even Christian to begin with. The amount of non-Believers that have had Jesus appear to them to save them continues to grow as well.

I personally felt an awakening through the Holy Spirit sometime around early 2020, that Jesus was returning soon. And the more I've studied Bible prophecies and current events I know that it's fast approaching. Although it's important to test the spirits of dreams to see if it's really from God or not, the message of the majority is clear. Time is short.

(This was just a small selection of the MANY signs that God continues to send as warnings. The frequency and intensity is rising like it never has before. A more in depth list can be found, along with Bible references and news sources, at https://www.ithasbeenwritten.com/ )

To You:

For those of you who are un-Believers, I am not writing this to be a fear monger. When evidence and reports come in that there's a bomb in a building, the people inside need to know about it. Even if it ends up being fake, the risk isn't worth it. This isn't just one fanatic Christian with a dream trying to convince everyone the end is near, this is the whole world. No matter what you believe about Bible prophecies, these current events are real things that are happening, and show no signs of slowing down. The good news is that Jesus died to save you from all this. He died to clear our sin debt and give us the hope of Heaven, a place we could never get to on our own. And His signs are saying He's coming soon to rescue everyone who accepted His sacrifice and entered His family.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

For those Believers that don't think Jesus is returning soon, please pray about it and study His word. He was angry at the Pharisees of the generation of His first coming, because He said, “You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don't know the how to interpret the signs of the times!” (Matthew 16:3).

Matthew 24's “no one knows the day/hour” is not saying that we won't know the season in which He will return. If it were, He wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of giving so many signs of the closeness of the event. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42) “But you aren't in the dark about these things (signs), dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the Day of the Lord comes like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4) Are you watching? Let's do our best to be a light as much as possible before it's too late.

“So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation draws near!” (Luke 21:28)