#you mean nech? :p

[neechees]

For the ask? God of War, natch

NATCH? PFFT

favorite male character: Kratos I am a Kratos apologist. Love that dude.

favorite female character: Faye & Freya mwah <3 I also find Athena & Gaia interesting as characters. Lysandra is always a badass too, of course

least favorite character: this is a hard one actually, but I think Modi tbh he's a fuckin creep. Also Hermes was fuckin annoying

prettiest character: she barely shows up, but Artemis. Gorgeous. Persephone is also up there

funniest character: in a way, Kratos avhftftg. "That is a question you should ask your wife" when Hephaestus asked him if Aphrodite "conquered another god of war" (him). Him saying Mimirs stories were boring except the one that started in a river of blood. Him laughing at Atreus's stupid wheel pun. "In the direction of deer". "I'm going to cut off your head now". This fuckin dude. Also, Mimir of course.

favorite season: favorite game in the series is probably gow4 of course but Ghost of Sparta holds a special place in my heart, & I love gow Ascension for fleshing more stuff out actually

favorite romantic ship: you know me, I'm a Fayetos girl. Also I love them. Freya and Sigrun is also interesting & we appreciate Kratos/AOS in this house

favorite family ship: I'm assuming this means familial relationship, in which case... Kratos & his kids, man. This dude loves his kids. Pandora is naturally included.

favorite friend ship: Faye's close friendship with the Dwarf brother is genuinely so sweet... they were right next to her for everything. also Kratos & Herakles, they're also half brothers but it was really nice to see that he had at least made a friend while on Olympus, & no doubt was able to relate to him.

worst ship: anything obviously gross like incest, yeesh.

[fatehbaz]

The Atakapa Ishak have lived for thousands of years in the lush green forests of southeast Texas where the Galveston Bay and the Big Thicket meet. Ishak means “people” in the Atakapa language and they built communities off the San Jacinto and Neches rivers. As colonizers entered the homelands of the Ishak, they moved into the deep swamps of east Texas and Louisiana where giant Cypress trees reigned over the muddy, marshy landscape.

The Atakapa are made up of different clans -- the Patiri, Akokisa, Bidai, Deadose, and Han. Before contact, the Atakapa grew crops and were skilled fishermen known for their dugout canoes made from a single tree trunk. They built giant mounds that served as places of worship and sites for their leadership to come together. The Atakapa also buried those who passed away in small mounds. Today, smaller, more rural coastal communities continue this traditional practice.

As part of the Texas Observer’s land acknowledgement process, we are collaborating with tribal representatives to map their homelands and significant places in Texas, on their own terms. Mary Leblanc is Akokisa and a retired tribal council member for the nation. Her grandparents were born and raised in the Big Thicket. In this interview, we explore her tribe’s history and ties to Texas. [...]

[Texas Observer:] How did the Atakapa Ishak people come to live in the land currently known as Texas and can you talk about the sites that are listed on the map?

[Leblanc:] We’ve been here several thousand years. [...] Evidence suggests there’s been continuous occupation. In Houston, Bear Creek mound was a very sacred and important place. It sat where Bear Creek park is today. Once there was a great mound there, which was important to this area. It was the seat of government as well as religion. Bear Creek mound stood at the headwaters of Buffalo Bayou, which runs through downtown Houston. There were several villages along Buffalo Bayou and then the mound at the headwaters. Back then Buffalo Bayou ran crystal clear. Today it’s cloudy with pollution and you don’t want to get that nasty water on you. But in my grandmother’s day it was crystal clear. [...] Today the fish are all gone. Bear Creek Mound was a big mound -- 600 feet long and 40 feet high. It served several purposes: It had a flat area on top that was big as a football field. This is where people came together for ceremony. It was the place where we stored our excess produce from our farms and hunting,  [for] use in time of need, if there was a crop failure or a drought. The top of that mound was the place of refuge to which people went in times of floods or hurricanes. [...] The big mound was bulldozed and was lost to us, but the site where it was remains very special.

[Texas Observer:] Can you talk more about the different clans that you mentioned on the map and the places they belong to? 

[Leblanc:] We have multiple clans in this area, starting over at the east by the Bidai. Bidai means brush and that area is really essentially a jungle. It’s the Big Thicket. The Brush People live in what used to be a jungle. The Deadoses live a little further inland from them. The Patiri, another clan, they live a little northwest of us. Akokisa, we live along the San Jacinto River. There’s another clan down the coast the Han and they are, generally, fishermen. There’s other clans in Louisiana but they’re Eastern Atakapa. They got a whole bunch of clans over there. [...]

[Texas Observer:] What are some other misconceptions that Texans have about Atakapa people? 

[Leblanc:] We’re still here, but rather quietly. We tend to keep a low profile. There’s a lot of Eastern Atakapa in Houston. They’ve moved over here for work. Houston has a sizable Native population, but no organization [...]. There’s a lot of Choctaw in this area and a lot of Cherokee. Like I said, most of the people are completely unaware that this area had any Natives or what the culture was. And [land developers] keep destroying our mounds and other sacred places. It’s like they’re wiping us out. I mean, our mounds are very sacred to us [...]. They talk to us about preservation, but they never do. There’s a whole long list of mounds that have been destroyed within my lifetime. It’s like they’re trying to wipe us off the map and forget we ever existed. There’s still a community here. We have a dance ground, which is what Gulf Coast people do. It’s like a community center. It’s where we gather for our ceremonies. Each clan has a clan house and we have ceremonies at specific times of the year. We’re still together and an active group of people. We do keep a low profile because there are people around here who will harass us and do damage. We used to have a dance ground that people knew about, but we had threats of people shooting it up. We moved the dance ground, and now just members of the tribe know where that’s at. We feel a lot safer. I mean, this is southeast Texas and we got a lot of Klan members and people like that. So, we do have to have security. [...] All of our tribal ceremonies are closed to outsiders because we’ve had some trouble. Some of our younger members have been known to go out and give speeches. There isn’t much out there right now. We need to really become a lot better known in the Houston area. Houston needs to know that it has a history going way back. And this is something to be proud of and to carry. 

-------

Headline, images, and all text published by: Pauly Denetclaw. “Mapping Indigenous Communities of Texas: Atakapa Ishak.” [An interview with Mary Leblanc.] Texas Observer. 3 September 2021.

[multindj]

Been a while away, but I'm up all night so I felt like writing & posting. Kill me now. / Žijem, pozdravujem. Hore celú noc tak sa mi chcelo písať. Kto vie čítať a nemá čo robiť nech číta. Nespavosť robí svoje, každopádne, peace! 🤙The 3 a.m. blues, body asleep but mind so awake. An endless flow of thoughts; a wild river rushing into an already overflowing lake. Waves of questions crashing my shores like the waves by the ocean... By the hundreds, by the thousands, despite the body laying still my mind's in constant motion... Eyes wide open, though all I see is the darkness of night - pitch black. Behind it though, so many visions of experiences from the past that I'd like back. Oh those childhood memories, so many mistakes made but so many lessons learned. Relationships and friendships spent, though some forever earned. What was it all for? Was it good for something or was it just a wasted youth? Did it have a higher meaning? What does the word meaning even mean to You? We're all so alike, yet so not. We live the same lives, but actually we do not. Crazy how that "works"... Although when one turns on the news, we can all see it does not. Despite being connected to all by virtual means, we seem to have lost the only connection that was truly real. Everyone now has thousands of friends, but none of them for real. How many of them truly know anything about You? And even if they do know a thing or two, is it even all true? So much senselessness and hate is out there. It somehow still sickens me even though I'm selfish, even when I really don't care. I was told to focus on what truly matters. So to focus on negativity? No, that I don't dare! And no, I didn't lose all hope, I know it's out there somewhere. I just hope all those that are lost will find it, we can start there......... ((aaand the rest i'll just keep to myself)) Enjoy Your weekend, that's if You made it this far and are even reading this. #daybyme #dnescestujem #slovakboy #slovakiaboy #czechboy #love #life #travel #travelersnotebook #mykonos #greece #summer (at Mykonos) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3y11_8BI_2/?igshid=hdn9sc509wlr

[radovanrybovic]

Bojujme s COVIDom pravidelnym pohybom. Spite. Jedzte. TVRDO TRENUJTE (nech uz to pre vas znamena cokolvek). Myslite pozitivne. Opakujte. 🏃🏼🌙✨Let's fight COVID with a regular movement. Sleep. Eat. TRAIN HARD (whatever it means for you). Think positive. Repeat. . . . #fightcovid19 #fightcovid #brezno #slovakia #run #running #nightrunning #nightrun #beh #nocnybeh #dnesbeham #nikerunningclub #nrc #fitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessfreak #fitnessfreaks #mesto #city #night #noc #sunset #zapadslnka #geocaching #geocache #geocacher https://www.instagram.com/p/CGojPdtnQtd/?igshid=dbow05h2x2ll

[mysurveys]

Random Qs

Survey #49 on the Countdown to 2018!

Here's another one from the 12th with two more to follow.

Do you like salted or sweetened popcorn, if any?

Sweetened popcorn is okay, but I prefer it salted and buttered.

What do you think about alternative medicines?

Some can be good and some aren't. It depends on the individual medicine.

Peaches or mangoes?

Neither.

What items do you buy most frequently at the shop?

Which shop? I go to several shops, you know.

Have you ever played beach volleyball?

I haven't.

How much money's in your purse, wallet or pocket right now?

I don't have any cash in my pockets and I don't know how much is in my wallet right now.

Sticky toffee pudding or ice cream sundaes?

The latter.

What do you normally eat at a barbecue?

Depends. Maybe dogs or ribs.

Does thunder and lightning frighten you?

No, I love both.

Do you prefer aquatic creatures or flying types?

I'm more interested in aquatic life.

What animals are only native to your continent or country?

The Luna moth is only found in North America just to name one.

If you add all the numbers of your zip-code, what’s the result and does the number have any significance to you?

The total is 29 and that doesn't have any direct significance to me.

Do you prefer spray-on or roll-on deodorant?

Doctors have recommended spray-on deodorants to me.

Have you ever played trivial pursuit and if so, what’s your favorite category?

I've never played it.

What's directly to the left of you right now?

A chair with a few of my magazines on it, the lamp I'm using and some curtains to the nearby window.

Is there anything purple in the room you’re in now?

I see a few purple items.

Have you ever watched a naughty film or show with someone besides a partner?

No.

Do you say "uh" a lot when you speak?

I don't stutter or litter my sentences with a lot of breaks unless I'm feeling pressured.

Did you have a habit of saying "like" after nearly every word?

Thankfully I've never done that.

Would you like to go swimming with dolphins?

Not so much.

"Oh god, no, dolphins seem like assholes." ← It really depends on the dolphins. Some really are asshats in the wild, but then there are others in captivity who aren't as bad.

Wild ones can be rife with STDs and they'll kill the babies of other species along with their own, plus other unmentionables. I wouldn't want to meet a wild one in the water!

What're five or more of the strangest names you’ve ever heard?

I'm mostly thinking of really different spellings of common names for this rather than anything uniquely strange…

Some alternative spellings of common names here in the USA are just too weird for me, but then I'm mixed on black names.

Some of them are too difficult for me to pronounce, but there are others I really like such as Antiqua which reminds me of the Backyardigans character.

Do you prefer writing on lined or plain paper?

It's easier on lined paper. That keeps the writing from being so uneven.

Did you ever do charcoal pictures in school?

I really don't remember.

What’s your favorite crayon in the crayon pack?

Meh, I'm not a huge fan of those. I've always preferred colored pencils.

Did you like those scented pens and if so, which ones, or were they overrated?

I thought such was pretty silly.

Can you convert simple measurements such as CM into MM or G into KG?

No, but I have dyscalculia which is basically the math version of dyslexia.

When it comes to participating, do you prefer running, swimming or gymnastics?

Swimming! As long as it's in a body of fresh water. I hate chlorine and salt water swimming.

What's the closest city to you called and what state or country is it in?

I think the closest is Port Neches, but I suck at the specifics of geography since I have DTD and memory problems.

What can you tell me about your state or country?

I live in Texas and our state flower is the bluebonnet, our state tree is the pecan, our state bird is the Northern mockingbird, and our state dog is the blue lacy. We need a state cat so I nominate the American short-hair.

Have you ever used a synthesizer on a computer music program?

Not on a computer program.

When was the last time you bought someone a gift?

Yesterday. It was another Christmas gift for Wyatt.

Is the room you’re in cold, hot or in the middle?

It's warm in here right now.

Do you take bubble baths and if so, what bubble bath do you put in?

I never take baths.

Do you like the name Crystabelle?

Not so much.

Do you prefer classical music or jazz?

Either out of the two.

Do you actually care on a personal level about Peter Andre and Katie Price?

"I’ve never heard those names before." ← Same.

What’s your birth month?

It's May.

Do you have an odd habit and if so, what is it?

I don't form honest habits as an HSP.

What to you is beautiful beyond all compare?

I'm pretty sure anything I could mention can be compared to other things.

Would you rather be mute or only have use of one leg?

I'd rather lose a leg, I guess.

Does your mother’s name begin with an L, S, R, T or M?

Her name is Jean since I'm not afraid to just say so.

Does your father’s name begin with C, A, P or R?

His name is Jerry.

Do you like Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Depends on the version really.

What part of your body has been injured the most?

I've never had major external injuries, but I'm short a uterus, cervix and tubes now.

Without mentioning the name, can you describe your favorite TV show?

It's about the city a young billionaire lives in before he becomes a superhero. Obvious much?

What TV channel do you watch most often?

I'm not sure, but I mainly watch toons and educational programming. There's always true crime, but I've been watching Investigation Discovery less these days. I've seen so many of the shows!

What're four things you like about yourself physically or otherwise?

I'm highly courageous, intelligent and creative. I’m also endlessly curious.

What do you expect from life?

I don't have a lot of expectations; I take things as they come so I'm grounded in the moment.

In five years time, what do you not want to be doing in your worst-case scenario?

Uh, going on a homicidal killing spree? I mean, my imagination is just fine.

Are you good at being diplomatic or having tact?

Not if you're just expecting me to feign niceties for social rewards or to avoid confrontations. I'm not going to disguise cowardice as those. I'm also more upfront and blunt, or I can be abrasive if I really don't like you.

Do you cut up pizza or eat it in your hands?

I just eat it tip-first by hand.

What food smell makes you feel physically sick?

The smells of garbage or human waste are obvious options.

What're five words that describe your bedroom?

Messy, large, white paneling, off-limits.

Would you feel worse losing weight, your phone or your purse?

I'd love to lose weight and I don't own a phone.

How do you behave when anxious or nervous?

That depends on what's causing me to feel that way, but I mostly respond as such due to Social Anxiety Disorder.

It varies based on the situation, though. SAD isn't nearly as prominent for me as it used to be several years ago.

Can you see cars go by from where you sit now?

I can only see our backyard and the one adjacent.

Do you hate slang or do you welcome it?

Depends on the slang.