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queering-ecology · 2 months

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Chapter 3--Penguin Family Values: the nature of planetary environmental reproductive justice by Noel Sturgeon

Sturgeon’s article opens in a discussion of the award-winning nature documentary The March of the Penguins and how the animal was simultaneously adopted by “right-wing fundamentalist Christians in the United States as an inspiring example of monogamy, traditional Christian family values, and intelligent design” & was becoming “a symbol of the naturalness of gay marriage” to others(102)—Tango Makes Three (a children’s book based on ‘gay’ penguins at the Central Park Zoo who raised an egg—naturalness and success of gay marriage for raising children). “Queer families turn out to be just the same as straight families. […] they’re determined by nature” 117

Another example of penguins and reproduction in media—Happy Feet—singing/dancing and themes of normalcy. Homosociality and references of homosexuality but “always flavored with the kind of liberal tolerance covering over ultimate rejection that is thin veneer for heterosexist anxiety”. And ultimately, the main character’s differences are settled when he ends up ‘happily ever after’ in a heterosexual and successfully reproductive nuclear family.

“Penguins (along with polar bears) became popular symbols of what we would lose to global warming. Relatively invisible in the public cultural arena in contrast, were the growing and unequal effects of the pollution of our atmosphere on marginalized human beings such as indigenous peoples in the Arctic regions, who are struggling to preserve their cultures and societies in the face of rapid climate change” (102).

The author uses the term “Environmental Reproductive Justice” as a way of connecting environmental issues with social justice issues. This builds off insights by feminists of color and Global South feminists who tend to argue for the term ‘reproductive justice’ over ‘reproductive rights’—not just the ability to control pregnancy but also the need for childcare, health care, prenatal care, freedom from coerced sterilization, healthy environments, clean air, food and water, adequate housing, etc (103)

Living environmentalism-reproduction as necessarily about the intertwined reproduction of the environment, communities, and individuals (Giovanna Di Chiro, 2008)

How we reproduce—whether we are reproducing people, families, cultures, societies, and/or the planet—is politicized in several layered and contradictory ways (103). Gender and sexuality are often ignored as part of explanations when examining contemporary political and economic systems. I.e. when exploring the contradictions inherent in the right-wing—“far right conservatives have been able to mobilize low-income people on their side even though the political and economic policies working-class people are asked to support are contrary to their own class interests” (frank 2004)—gender roles and reproductive labor are not oft explored as ways they've been able to inspire feelings of fear, anger, oppression=abortion, ‘vulgarity’ in popular culture, homosexuality (I would also add transsexuality/transgenderism now), family values…all centered around gender expectations, driven by changes in economic practices in a globalizing economy (104)

“The politics of gender are often both the politics of reproductions and the politics of production—the intertwined ways that people produce more people, manage bringing up children, figure out how to do the work at home at the same time as the work that brings in a paycheck, decide how and where to buy food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, take care of elders, and create and maintain all of the social institutions that surround this work. And all of this is central to whether or not our ways of living cause environmental degradation.” (104)

“Heterosexual culture achieves much of its metacultural intelligibility through the ideologies and institutions of intimacy…First, its conventional spaces presuppose a structural differentiation of ‘personal life’ from work, politics, and the public sphere. Second, the normativity of heterosexual culture links intimacy only to the institutions of personal life, making them the privileged institutions of social reproduction, the accumulation and transfer of capital, and self-development…intimate life is the endlessly cited elsewhere of political public discourse, a promised haven that distracts citizens from the unequal conditions of their political and economic lives, consoles them for the damaged humanity of mass society, and shames them for any divergence between their lives and the imitate sphere that is alleged to be simple personhood” (Berlant and Warner, 1998 553) (105)

Heterosexist arguments are binary (homosexuality vs heterosexuality, ‘opposites attract’, ‘men are from Mars, women are from Venus’) and normative (heterosexuality is better, more natural, more moral, more normal, more wholesome, better for parenting). So social institutions are structured in a way that privileges heterosexual sexual practices and solidifies what a family should look like; who does the domestic work; how women/men should act, look, behave; how life should be maintained (producing heterosexuality) (105) These heterosexist arguments are usually about preserving and reproducing particular forms of family, social power, and economic practice.

Pro-life/pro-family—not just about preventing abortions, but about the reproduction of a certain historically and culturally specific idealized family form; father is authority; mother is helpmate and childcare provider; several children living in a framework of Christian, religious, patriarchal, heterosexual, nationalistic, U.S. and nuclear—right-wing. “The family acts as a miniature welfare state, modulating consumption, curbing excess desires, improvising child care and providing social security—[…]it is the dreamworld conveyed in the…’serious’ media…where the conservative variant of the neoliberal utopia is attributed to the biologically fixed ‘nature’ of desire (Lancaster 2003, 336) (106)

Fear of allowing women (especially young women, especially women of color, especially poor women—ESPECIALLY young, poor, women of color) have access to choices and support for their own reproductive decisions and thus forming families that do not adhere to the right-wing model…..divinely created=natural, normal so all else is unnatural and opposite of divine

This particular family model especially when located in a suburban, consumer economy dependent on extremes of global inequality, might be an important origin of our present environmental problems. (107)

Nuclear family model relies on women’s unpaid domestic labor (childcare, eldercare), using nonrenewable fuel-intensive transportation such as cars and long-distance shipping of consumer products, women as shoppers/consumers—these stores are part of globalized production and distribution chains dependent on exploitation of the labor of the poor (global south and often women) (107)

Environmental health is centrally important to reproduction as well as production (107) Reproduction is a materialist and a planetary issue—all reproduction comes with consequences for the global environment, economies and social practices.

Planetary reproduction and environmental reproductive justice

Deconstructing Polar Opposites: Endangered Peoples, Endangered Cultures, Endangered Natures

Missing from the conversation is the immediate threat to numerous groups of people especially vulnerable to climate change by reason of geography, poverty, or political discrimination (documentaries that use images of penguins and polar bears to dramatize the consequences of melting polar ice fail to mention the impact on Arctic Indigenous peoples…)

Indigenous people are not penguins, endangered tribal cultures are not endangered species—racist and the parallel trope of the ‘disappearing Indian’ discounts and obscures the struggle of real indigenous peoples to exist and successfully transform their cultures strategically for survival. Arctic indigenous tribes may be threatened by climate change but they are resilient and experienced in resisting threats to their people… (119)

“We’ve adapted in the past, which is why we are still here” (Chickaloon Grand Chief Gary Harrison, 2005)

Arctic Indigenous peoples have been addressing the problem and suggesting solutions for many years because they knew the threats they faced were early warnings for the people around the world.

“All of this will have a profound impact on the viability of indigenous cultures throughout the North and further afield. Everything is connected in nature; what happens in Alaska will affect all other places of the world as a cascading effect, as scientists call it, will occur” (Cochran 2007) (120)

The possibility of losing indigenous knowledge along with the animals and ice….Subsistence living is part of cultural survival and an important method for keeping the world in balance (Harry Bower Jr. 121) The environment is part of a larger universe with moral and cultural aspects that are maintained by the practices of indigenous peoples who have lived on the land for thousands of years (121)

The expansive knowledge [indigenous people have] about sustainable practices, whether it was supported by scientific expertise or traditional experience, was knowledge that arose from a particular way of life, one that needed to be respected and maintained. It was not knowledge gained from the mystical identity of being Ecological Indians, but was rather sophisticated information needed now by all those, Indigenous or not, trying to understand and address climate change (121)

The reproduction of industrialized economic systems, particularly by the United States and other Western countries, has consequences for planetary ecological workings on a global scale as well as on the scale of communities, families, and species, determining the ability of animals, families and cultures to reproduce in healthy and sustainable ways (122)

Too Many People, Too Few Penguins

The concept of over-reproduction and over population are inherently problematic. Human reproduction (especially that of the poor, immigrants, and people in the Global South), is depicted as a major environmental problem…some environmentalists argue against having children at all.

The “Other” population is portrayed as the central problem environmentally and socially whereas “Our” society (developed industrialized societies) are made invisible.

We encourage ‘other’ societies to engage in family planning, education for women, birth control access among other things while ignoring how the US often prioritizes abstinence only programs rather than birth control for their own population, among failing to provide support for women when they do become pregnant (this article was written prior to roe v wade being overturned. But I bet that would be in this article now…)

“When environmentalists sound warnings about overpopulation, they are usually expressing fears over the reproduction of (poor) nonwhite people, not of white people, whose populations in all Western countries are in decline (but whose consumption habits generally are not). Calls for educational fixes to inform ‘populations’ about why they should want to bear fewer children advance an imperialist cultural agenda that demands that nonwhite people adopt the cultural, social, and economic practices and systems of organization dominant in Western countries (e.g. the prototypical nuclear family), while blaming the ‘foolishness’ of Third World men and women (since the solution is Western education) for environmental degradation. (Gosine 2005, 80-81) (126)

Environmental Justice Family Values

“We are not outside the earth looking down upon it. Instead, we are inside specific biosystems and complex relationships with other biological entities; we impact and are impacted by the interrelationships of those entities. Responsibility to these ecological niches, networks and dynamics can be brought into view only if we understand ourselves as animals among other animals, with varied sexualities, complicated family relationships, complex political systems, and multiple desires. Perhaps we are peculiar animals with astounding abilities, but we are still part of an interconnected world and thus answerable to it” (129)

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katforll313 · 6 months

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Christmas Ornament Catalog

I had a friend over for Thanksgiving and we put up the tree on Black Friday. As we were decorating they kept having to ask us where each ornament went and interpret our frequently contradictory instructions, and my sister said "Ko I thought we had set rules but you've made me realize it is a weirdly specific case-by-case system." It made me think of all of the family stories and tradition and life that goes into the tree.

The Glass Hummingbird

Top of the tree

A gift from Grandmama Denise from the Greenbriar in West Virginia

Glittery Katie Ornament

Mid to low, side or front of the tree

Homemade by Katie in 2004

This is my favorite picture of me as a baby- my eyes look like blueberry colored pits in my head it’s terrifying.

Small White Owl

High on the tree

A gift from Grandma Harriet to Dad

Porcelain Cherub with Gold Accents, one of five

Mid to high on the tree, far from each other

A gift from Grandma Denise to Mom

For a few years there my grandmother would buy these inexpensive angel ornaments and give them to my mother and her sister every single Christmas. Mom sounded fondly annoyed when explaining this.

Glitter Spider Tree Ornament

Mid back of the tree

A gift from Dad to Abbi

It’s because she had a pet fishing spider named Daisy at the time. This is only the second most terrifying pet Abbi ever had placed in her room by my father. The first were the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which were an actual horror story to have in the home.

Orange Peel Angels, one of a matching set

Mid on the tree, far from each other

Bought by Mom from Ten Thousand Villages, made by artisans in Colombia

These make everything in the box they get stored with smell like oranges to this day.

Wizard of Oz Rainbow Ornament, part of a set of two

Mid of front of the tree

Bought by Mom for Abbi

Nightmare Before Christmas Mayor

Mid to high on the back of the tree

A gift from Mom to Dad

Nightmare before Christmas is my Dad’s favorite Christmas and Halloween movie. One year we were at the Petco and he found chew-toys, like the ones for dogs, that had all of Boogie’s Boys’ faces and one of the Mayor’s and bought them as decor to go up on the mantle.

Silver Wizard

Low front of the tree

Bought by Mom for Abbi and Katie from Pier 1

Wooly Sheep

Bottom side of the tree

Bought by Mom for Abbi and Katie

By far the softest ornament we have. Mom bought it specifically to have ornaments that the cats couldn’t break that she could hang low on the tree.

Acorn, one of a set of five

Anywhere, spread out from one another

A gift from Abbi to Mom from an antique shop in 2021

Abbi's clay angel

Back middle of the tree

Handmade by Aunt Barbara

Purple Spirals

Cover, in any tall empty spots

Bought by Mom from the Cheshire Cat antique store

We went on a shopping trip with her around 2014 after she bought a purple tree skirt and wanted more ornaments to match it.

Dirty Sock Snowman

Bottom back of tree

Handmade by Grandma Harriet

“Mom, I know you did not just hang that dirty sock lookin’ snowman at the very front of tree like that’s where he belongs.”

“Don't say that about him Grandma Harriet made him for us!”

“Yeah out of the dirty sock off of her own foot!”

Dude-man's sand dollar, one of a set of two

Front low on the tree

A custom made gift from Ms. Laura to Mom from a Crabtree Valley Mall kiosk in 1989.

We have another that looks like my Dad’s old cat Simon that my Mom bought for him a different year.

The Apples

Cover, in any empty colorless or empty spaces

Antiques from Grandma Denise to Mom when she first moved out

The black airplane

Top of the front of the tree

A gift from Grandma Harriet to Dad

Aunt Sharon’s ugly-ass pink bear egg

Mid to bottom back of the tree

Handmade by Aunt Sharon in 1998

This is by far the most hideous ornament we own, undeniably one of the most memorable.

Gold-tipped lute-playing angel

Front, mid on tree

A gift from Grandma Denise (also during her angel kick)

Star square Abbi

Eye-level on the tree

A gift from Aunt Lisa to Mom, photo taken in a shoot from the daycare

Star Plush Santa

Bottom of the tree

A gift from Aunt Kimmy to Mom for Abbi's first Christmas

Bonus:

The Christmas Slug

❗NOT❗ allowed on the tree!

The Best Gift

Under the tree. Always. She’s difficult to reach. Bear please come out we have to put the lights on.

#mine #written #photography #cats #christmas

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brookston · 11 months

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Holidays 7.9

Holidays

Arbor Day (Cambodia)

ASB Community Action Day

Call of the Horizon Day

Chicken Days begin (Nebraska)

Constitution Day (Australia, Palau)

Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Utah)

Donkey Kong Day

Family Day (Ukraine)

Fashion Day

Festival of Grand Unified Theories

Flag Day (Chile)

Goat Mother’s Day

Intern Appreciation Day

International Small Arms Destruction Day

Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival begins (Turkey)

Mars

Mint Day (French Republic)

Muffler Appreciation Day

National Camel Toad Hunting Day (Secular Church of the SubGenius)

National Culture Day (Kiribati)

National Dimples Day

National Lavender Day

National No Bra Day

National Student’s Day (India)

Nunavut Day (Canada)

Paper Napkin Day

Rock Around the Clock Day

Shiman Rokusen-nichi (Day of 46,000; Tokyo, Japan)

Special Recreation Day

State Rebellion Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day (Ohio)

White Ensign Anniversary Day (UK)

Wimbledon Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelette Day

National Chicken Day

National Sugar Cookie Day

World Pakora Day

2nd Sunday in July

Barn Day [2nd Sunday]

Disability Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Sunday]

Father’s Day (Uruguay) [2nd Sunday]

Festival of the Giants begins (Fête des Géants; France) [Sunday after 7.5]

Lá Cuimhneacháin Náisiúnta (National Day of Commemoration; Ireland) [Sunday closet to 7.11]

Independence Days

Argentina (from Spain, 1816)

Kebec (f.k.a. Alaurentia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Luxe (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

South Sudan (from Sudan, 2011)

Feast Days

Agilulfus of Cologne (Christian; Saint)

Amandina of Schakkebroek (Christian; A Martyr of Southern Hunan)

Caprotinia (Old Roman Female Slave Festival)

Charlotte the Penguin (Muppetism)

St. Clotilde (Positivist; Saint)

Cyril and Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

David Hockney (Artology)

Day of Unn the Wise Person (a.k.a. Day of Remembrance for Ann the Deep Minded; Pagan)

Dharma Day (Buddhist) [Full Moon, 8th Lunar Month]

Ekādaśī Tithi (Self-Purification Festival; Hindism, Vaishnavism) [11th Lunar Day]

Ephrem of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Everilda (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Chinese Martyrs (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of the Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Christian)

Feast of Translation of Nicolas (Christian; Confessor)

Gregorio Grassi (Christian; A Martyr of Shanxi)

Invent a Word Day (Pastafarian)

Marija Petković (Christian; Blessed)

Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í)

Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mary Hermina Grivot (Christian; Saint)

Mojo Nixon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Our Lady of Itatí (Christian)

Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation (Christian)

Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (Christian; Saint)

Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Rusty (Muppetism)

Sabinus (Christian; Martyr)

Solstitium VI (Pagan)

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)

Veronica Giuliani (Christian; Saint)

Zeno (Christian; Martyr)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [26 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

American Pie (Film; 1999)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Film; 2004)

The Bears and Bees (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Black Widow (Film: 2021)

Blowin’ in the Wind, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Blue, by LeAnn Rimes (Album; 1996)

Despicable Me (Animated Film; 2010)

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Film; 2010)

The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights), by Philip Pullman (Nove; 1995) [His Dark Materials #1]

Love and Curses (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Loving You (Elvis Presley Film; 1957)

The Office (UK TV Series; 2001)

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (Film; 1975)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Film; 2003)

Pluto’s Purchase (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Predators (Film; 2010)

The Queen Was in the Parlor (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

Riding Giants (Documentary Film; 2004)

Rookie of the Year (Film; 1993)

Tall Timber (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

This Is a Life? (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Tron (Film; 1982)

Winnebago Man (Documentary Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Augustin, Gottfried, Veronika (Austria)

Leticija, Marija, Veronika (Croatia)

Drahoslava (Czech Republic)

Sostrata (Denmark)

Aive, Aivi (Estonia)

Ilta, Jade, Jasmiina, Jasmin, Nanna (Finland)

Amandine, Hermine, Iphigénie, Marianne (France)

Hannes, Hermine, Veronika (Germany)

Pagratios (Greece)

Lukrécia (Hungary)

Letizia (Italy)

Asne, Tusnelda, Zaiga (Latvia)

Algirdas, Algirdė, Leonardas, Veronika (Lithuania)

Gøran, Jøran, Ørjan (Norway)

Anatolia, Heloiza, Hieronim, Lucja, Łucja, Ludwika, Lukrecja, Mikołaj, Patrycjusz, Weronika, Wszebąd, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Lujza (Slovakia)

Verónica (Spain)

Götilda , Jörgen, Örjan (Sweden)

Averil, Avery, Junior, Misty (USA)

Amandine (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 190 of 2024; 175 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 27 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 22 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 10 Lux; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 26 June 2023

Moon: 55%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Clotilde]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 19 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 19 of 31)

#calendar #Holidays

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brookstonalmanac · 11 months

Text

Holidays 7.9

Holidays

Arbor Day (Cambodia)

ASB Community Action Day

Call of the Horizon Day

Chicken Days begin (Nebraska)

Constitution Day (Australia, Palau)

Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Utah)

Donkey Kong Day

Family Day (Ukraine)

Fashion Day

Festival of Grand Unified Theories

Flag Day (Chile)

Goat Mother’s Day

Intern Appreciation Day

International Small Arms Destruction Day

Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival begins (Turkey)

Mars

Mint Day (French Republic)

Muffler Appreciation Day

National Camel Toad Hunting Day (Secular Church of the SubGenius)

National Culture Day (Kiribati)

National Dimples Day

National Lavender Day

National No Bra Day

National Student’s Day (India)

Nunavut Day (Canada)

Paper Napkin Day

Rock Around the Clock Day

Shiman Rokusen-nichi (Day of 46,000; Tokyo, Japan)

Special Recreation Day

State Rebellion Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day (Ohio)

White Ensign Anniversary Day (UK)

Wimbledon Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelette Day

National Chicken Day

National Sugar Cookie Day

World Pakora Day

2nd Sunday in July

Barn Day [2nd Sunday]

Disability Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Sunday]

Father’s Day (Uruguay) [2nd Sunday]

Festival of the Giants begins (Fête des Géants; France) [Sunday after 7.5]

Lá Cuimhneacháin Náisiúnta (National Day of Commemoration; Ireland) [Sunday closet to 7.11]

Independence Days

Argentina (from Spain, 1816)

Kebec (f.k.a. Alaurentia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Luxe (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

South Sudan (from Sudan, 2011)

Feast Days

Agilulfus of Cologne (Christian; Saint)

Amandina of Schakkebroek (Christian; A Martyr of Southern Hunan)

Caprotinia (Old Roman Female Slave Festival)

Charlotte the Penguin (Muppetism)

St. Clotilde (Positivist; Saint)

Cyril and Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

David Hockney (Artology)

Day of Unn the Wise Person (a.k.a. Day of Remembrance for Ann the Deep Minded; Pagan)

Dharma Day (Buddhist) [Full Moon, 8th Lunar Month]

Ekādaśī Tithi (Self-Purification Festival; Hindism, Vaishnavism) [11th Lunar Day]

Ephrem of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Everilda (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Chinese Martyrs (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of the Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Christian)

Feast of Translation of Nicolas (Christian; Confessor)

Gregorio Grassi (Christian; A Martyr of Shanxi)

Invent a Word Day (Pastafarian)

Marija Petković (Christian; Blessed)

Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í)

Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mary Hermina Grivot (Christian; Saint)

Mojo Nixon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Our Lady of Itatí (Christian)

Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation (Christian)

Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (Christian; Saint)

Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Rusty (Muppetism)

Sabinus (Christian; Martyr)

Solstitium VI (Pagan)

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)

Veronica Giuliani (Christian; Saint)

Zeno (Christian; Martyr)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [26 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

American Pie (Film; 1999)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Film; 2004)

The Bears and Bees (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Black Widow (Film: 2021)

Blowin’ in the Wind, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Blue, by LeAnn Rimes (Album; 1996)

Despicable Me (Animated Film; 2010)

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Film; 2010)

The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights), by Philip Pullman (Nove; 1995) [His Dark Materials #1]

Love and Curses (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Loving You (Elvis Presley Film; 1957)

The Office (UK TV Series; 2001)

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (Film; 1975)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Film; 2003)

Pluto’s Purchase (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Predators (Film; 2010)

The Queen Was in the Parlor (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

Riding Giants (Documentary Film; 2004)

Rookie of the Year (Film; 1993)

Tall Timber (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

This Is a Life? (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Tron (Film; 1982)

Winnebago Man (Documentary Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Augustin, Gottfried, Veronika (Austria)

Leticija, Marija, Veronika (Croatia)

Drahoslava (Czech Republic)

Sostrata (Denmark)

Aive, Aivi (Estonia)

Ilta, Jade, Jasmiina, Jasmin, Nanna (Finland)

Amandine, Hermine, Iphigénie, Marianne (France)

Hannes, Hermine, Veronika (Germany)

Pagratios (Greece)

Lukrécia (Hungary)

Letizia (Italy)

Asne, Tusnelda, Zaiga (Latvia)

Algirdas, Algirdė, Leonardas, Veronika (Lithuania)

Gøran, Jøran, Ørjan (Norway)

Anatolia, Heloiza, Hieronim, Lucja, Łucja, Ludwika, Lukrecja, Mikołaj, Patrycjusz, Weronika, Wszebąd, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Lujza (Slovakia)

Verónica (Spain)

Götilda , Jörgen, Örjan (Sweden)

Averil, Avery, Junior, Misty (USA)

Amandine (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 190 of 2024; 175 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 27 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 22 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 10 Lux; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 26 June 2023

Moon: 55%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Clotilde]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 19 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 19 of 31)

#Holidays

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biglisbonnews · 1 year

Photo

Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery in Nanyuki, Kenya The Rhino Cemetery of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya, might be one of the loveliest and saddest places on Earth. Sixteen gravestones in two neat rows lay beneath a solitary acacia tree on the windswept savannah of the Ol Pejeta wildlife sanctuary. Each grave represents a rhinoceros killed by poachers on Conservancy property since its founding in 2004. The grave markers are stone cairns, and the front of each cairn holds a bronze plaque that bears the Rhino's name, gender and species, dates, and the circumstances of their death. The Rhino Cemetery was established in 2014 and fittingly opened on September 22: World Rhino Day. The illegal trafficking of rhinoceros horn, incorrectly believed to have value as a medicine and aphrodisiac, threatens the animals' survival worldwide. The grave markers illustrate the horrors of poaching. For example, a 20-year-old female black rhino, Ishirini, was found on February 22, 2016, bleeding and writhing in pain from being shot with poisoned arrows. Both her horns had been cut off her still living body. She was 12 months pregnant at the time of her death. Max, a six-year-old male black rhino, was killed despite being dehorned as protection from poaching. The poachers removed his small, regrowing horn nubs. There are similar stories for each of the murdered rhinos. Additionally, the Cemetery contains the graves of four rhinoceros whose lives and histories were significant to Ol Pejeta and who became ambassadors for their species. Especially poignant is the grave of Sudan, the last known male Northern white rhinoceros. In December 2009, Sudan was moved from the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy for a "Last Chance to Survive" breeding program. Accompanying him were Suni, another male, as well as Sudan's daughter, Najin, and his granddaughter, Fatu. The four rhinos were the last known members of their subspecies which had been decimated by poaching, habitat loss, and civil war. Unfortunately, attempts to breed the rhinos in Kenya were unsuccessful. Preceded in death by Suni, Sudan succumbed to the infirmities of old age on March 19, 2018, and his death made worldwide headlines. He was 45. At the time of Sudan's death, the Northern white rhino subspecies became functionally extinct. Mother and daughter, Najin and Fatu, are the last known surviving Northern white rhinos, and can no longer bear offspring. However, some hope for their subspecies remains. Using IVF procedures, scientists successfully created embryos from fresh eggs collected from Najin and Fatu and frozen sperm from deceased males. They hope to successfully implant the embryos in Southern white rhinos who will carry them as surrogate mothers. The last remaining Northern white rhinos can be visited in their compound at Ol Pejeta, where their keepers and armed guards protect them day and night. Ol Pejeta Conservancy was founded in 2004 as a not-for-profit wildlife sanctuary. The property is situated on the Equator in central Kenya and encompasses 140 square miles. Originally established as a sanctuary for the endangered Black Rhino, the Conservancy is home to Africa's "Big Five," as well as dozens of common and endangered animal and bird species. In 2014, Ol Pejeta was designated a "Key 1" sanctuary for black rhinos upon the birth of its 100th calf. The Conservancy is also home to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, founded in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute and established as a lifetime refuge for orphaned and abused chimpanzees. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ol-pejeta-rhino-cemetery

#animals #endangered animals #cemeteries #wildlife #conservation #Atlas Obscura

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onlinein · 2 years

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Omega ruby gym leaders

Things change in battle, though, as characters take on more realistic proportions alongside the full-sized Pokémon models.Īs such, the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes look to be quite faithful to the originals, albeit with a high-definition 3D overhaul to the graphics while throwing in some fairly impressive lighting effects. The game’s aesthetic in the overworld very much mimics that of the original Nintendo DS release, with deformed “chibi” style characters navigating basic 3D environments. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were first shown off during the February 2021 Pokémon Presents showcase, announced alongside a trailer demonstrating the game’s art style and gameplay primarily. Here, it looks a lot like the curry cooking minigame from Pokémon Sword and Shield, and cooking with your Pokémon can apparently result in the creation of high-level Poffins. These cute snacks could be made and used to enhance your Pokémon’s stats. It’s even got a step counter like Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver’s physical Pokéwalker. This trailer showcases some new features for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, including the brand new Pokétch, an in-game digital watch that looks to be a one-stop access point for all the most useful shortcuts, including using HM moves and checking on your party. These have to be redeemed by February 21. The trailer also confirms bonuses for players who pick up the game early: a “Platinum Style Outfit” and an egg for the Pokémon Manaphy. In a trailer released in October 2021, we get a better look at the villains of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Team Galactic, as well as the Gym Leaders Candice and Volkner. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remake trailers Pre-orders for the console are currently available in the UK where it’s priced at £199.99 for the console on its own while a package that includes either Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl is priced at £249.99. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on Novemfor Nintendo Switch.īefore that, on November 5, 2021, Pokémon fans will be able to purchase a special edition Nintendo Switch Lite that bears the designs of Dialga and Palkia, which are Diamond and Pearl’s flagship legendary Pokémon. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remake release date

What is it? Remakes of Nintendo DS titles Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes: cut to the chase

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were first announced during the February 2021 Pokémon Presents showcase video, part of the wider Pokémon 25th anniversary celebrations, alongside Pokémon Legends Arceus, a prequel set in the Hisui (which will eventually become Sinnoh) region that will release worldwide on January 28, 2022.Įxcited about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and want to know more? Read on to find out everything we know about the upcoming Pokémon remakes. The usual format of catching and training Pokémon to work your way through the region’s gyms applies as it always has up to that point and beyond. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be recreations of the original fourth generation releases, Diamond and Pearl, taking players back to a revamped Sinnoh region. The upcoming games are the fourth set in Pokémon’s long-running remake line, following Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (2004), Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (2010) and, most recently, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014). The Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes are due to release in November 2021 under the new titles of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl.

#Omega ruby gym leaders

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night-unfurls-its-splendour · 2 years

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Death On The Nile 2022 (Live Reaction and Review)

Spoiler Alert, I guess, if you're into that kind of thing

Jeez here we go. Hercule Poirot is very pointedly NOT a soldier. He's a policeman ffs.

Oh hE gOt tHe MuStAcHe FrOm mOn CaPiTan Hyuck hyuck hyuck

CATAHRINE!

THE FUCK?? THE FUCK. "Simple, grow a mustache to hide the hideous scar where a whole CHUNK OF YOUR FACE GOT BLOWN OFF.

Cut to Poirot with NO SCAR WHERE HIS FACE SUPPOSEDLY GOT BLOWN OFF.

Ummm... I don't think that's what jazz dancing looked like. If you wanted to do that you just went to the back alley and fucked.

The fuck is with these dresses? That mylar baloon is not a 30's cut.

DOTN 04: he's big and boyish and deliciously uncomplicated!"

DOTN 22: HE SQUARE.

Poirot would never eat jaffa cakes. What a suggestion

This is either really cringe cgi, or really cringe color saturation

POIROT? HIDING FROM A CASE? POIROT, WHOSE LITTLE GREY CELLS WILL STARVE AND DIE WITHOUT PROBLEMS TO SOLVE?

Product placement. As if Tiffany & Co. Having commercials on hulu wasn't tragic enough.

French and Saunders are here!

NOW THAT RED DRESS? THAT'S MORE LIKE IT.

Jackie looks like she's about to jump Simon's bones right there.

Terrible cgi snake. Poirot playing Arstan Whitebeard.

"Jackie just didn't exist for me anymore". What an asshole

10/10 on the boat

Catahrrinnnn, mon amooooore *gags and coughs*

I miss bitter Rosalie

I miss Col. Race too.

Weird sex stuff on the side of Abu Simbel. Gross.

The fuck kinda physics was that.

Cannibal Hammer is so perfect for this role.

"Did you know the wives of dead Pharoahs were locked in with them?" They were?

Jeez Simon could you be hammer?

Russell Brand is crushing this look.

Rose Leslie is a great actress but I swear she lifted that line delivery of "enter or leave my cabin" from the 2004 version.

Can we start appreciating Russell Brand as a serious actor?

I can't take Poirot with a turned down collar seriously.

Are they dizzy yet?

What is this camera angle?

I love the irony of a "communist" hiring a private nurse

Aha! LESBIANS!

I do love Sophie Okonedo. Better thespian than Branagh ever was.

What is with this white female boat staff doing all the heavy lifting?

GUH-RUESOME!

That was a risky shot

Ah the return of action Poirot

Calling Kenneth Branagh's Poirot a pure cold detective. Risible.

Did they fridge bouc? They fridged him!

Was Simon walking unassisted with a shattered knee-cap? Please.

Don't think a shot from a .22 would go through both of their chests.

Love how the bodies are mummy wrapped.

This characterization of Salome Otterbourne and the talents of Sophie Okonedo were criminally under-used.

The fuck was that ending?

~~~~

Okay, so overall I have to say this was not half as frustrating as Orient Express. It changed some things, but there wasn't really much in this story to betray, so it bears the changes in a much less distracting way.

To start off on a positive note: this cast is so, so well chosen. Armie Hammibal was an excellent choice for Simon Doyle because being gross and pathetic comes so naturally to him. If I had to pinpoint a flaw I would say that his grossness is undercut by being just a scooch too obvious. Like idk for certain, but if I didn't know the outcome already I probably would have pegged him for a bad egg as soon as I saw that mustache. He's just such an obvious asshole.

Emma Mackey really knocked this out of the park, what an excellent Jackie. So unhinged and obsessive.

Sophie Okonedo, Russell Brand such magnetic presences (I hardly recognized brand), French and Saunders delightful as always. And Letitia Wright--what can I say, we love to see her.

Overall this is just such a better cast than Orient Express. Not to lay any disrespect on the Likes of Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Lucy Boynton or Olivia Coleman. But then you have choices that just sort of take you out of it like Penelope Cruz and Josh Gad. Daisy Ridley while not explicitly out of place is also a... let's be kind and say an actress of limited scope and while her performance was good, it wasn't outstanding or memorable.

Nile has a pretty even cast all around and unlike Orient Express with its Josh Gads and Daisy Ridleys no one feels like they were cast simply because that's who was in everything at the time.

With one exception.

I'm not gonna say that Gal Gadot was a pure Hollywood attention grab. To be honest I thought she gave the character of Linnet Doyle a lot of life. My big problem though is that Linnet Doyle is a young heiress (in the book she's American although I don't think that's ever explicitly stated in this movie so they probably wrote it out because she's very obviously not American here). Gal Gadot was 33 here. And I might not have as much of a problem with that if we weren't expected as an audience to believe that she went to school with Emma Mackey who is a full ten years younger than her. Letitia Wright as Rosalie sort of splits the difference, but is easier to buy as being In her early 20's than her early 30's.

I could go on a protracted rant about this BS backstory of Poirot fighting in WWI and getting his face blown off and that's why he has the bigass mustache, but I think my derision in the above reactions covers that pretty soundly. So let me suffice to say this:

Can we stop trying to force romance into Poirot? Please?

The

Katahrin

bullshit was bad enough in Orient Express and it's even dumber here and what's EVEN DUMBER THAN THAT is this whole palaver of whatever they were trying to sell us with Poirot x Salome Otterbourne. Please no thank you. First of all, it feels like such an afterthought. If you were gonna try and sell this you needed to spend a LOT more time on it. You needed to give Salome a lot more backstory and build up a lot more chemistry. Even then I would still hate it on principle, but I might have at least enjoyed it from a performance perspective.

Also I feel deeply robbed that I didn't get to hear Sophie Okonedo say the line "why is everyone so afraid of sex?"

I do have to say though there was a lot less of the ridiculous action Poirot (tm) routine with this and that can only be a good thing.

Overall I just think that this treatment, in the acting, the writing and the direction, fails to actually give Poirot any depth. At all. It's so torn between making him a comical fun character and a closed off cold detective who needs to learn to love again or whatever that it's all just sort of window dressing. There's no there there, just a lot of Branagh.

#death on the nile 2022 #kenneth branagh #hercule poirot #agatha christie

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beanies-babies · 2 years

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do you have a favorite kind of beanie babies? like (halloweenies, basket beanies, beanie buddies, etc)

oooo thats a really good question. beanie babies, beanie 2.0's, teeny beanies, and baby tys are easily the top few :D halloweenies and jingle beanies are cute too, i just dont have a preference for the gimmick/holidays. im a fan of classic ty looks!

also:

i dont post enough baby tys. this is Frogbaby, Bearbaby, Dogbaby, and Twinkles!

as far as things like basket beanies go, i actually own a lot of them! i have hippity, grace, ewey, and eggbert from the original 2002 release! i also do have quite a few other basket beanies, such as grace's bear counterpart and eggs 2004

fun fact! ty has released basket beanies every year since 2002, *except* 2017 (they came back in 2018 though)

One more thing! thank you to this ask for actually finally showing me what category the larger beanies were under! I actually had no idea they were called Beanie Buddies!! :D I've had beanie buddy mystic as the blog icon this entire time and just thought it was a normal "larger release" rather than its own series of beanies!! :DD

LARGE BATTYS

LARGE BONGO

ANON IM GOING MAD WITH POWER

also worth noting is that Beanie Buddies are made with a softer plush fabric <3 if you like beanie textures, beanie buddies are SO soft. they were initially made to curb how expensive the beanie collectors market had gotten to still allow people to, yknow, own the funny bean toys without paying 300x the price! :D

#i think ill actually release my beanie doc soon #i have 200+ beanies #and that way you guys can see them all :D and see as it updates!#basket beanies are cute they just arent necessarily faves #beanie baby #compilation #ask #anon

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ashy-asht0n · 3 years

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SOME SHOWS FOR YOUR AGE REGRESSION!

⭐️- NETFLIX

🌈 - HULU

⭐️ POKÉMON (1997)

⭐️THOMAS & FRiENDS (1984)

⭐️THE SUPER MARiO BROS. SUPER SHOW! (1989)

🌈 TiNY TOON ADVENTURES (1990)

🌈RUGRATS (1991)

🌈 MADAGASCAR A LiTTLE WiLD (2020)

⭐️ THE MAGiC SCHOOL BUS (1994)

⭐️ OGGY & THE COCKROACHES (1998)

⭐️WHATS NEW SCOOBY-DOO? (2002)

🌈PiNKY & THE BRAiN (1995)

🌈HEY! ARNOLD (1996)

🌈POWERPUFF GiRLS (1998)

⭐️SONiC X (2003)

⭐️ WiNX CLUB (2004)

⭐️ JHONNY TEST (2005)

🌈 FOSTERS HOME (2014)

🌈 BEN 10 (2005)

🌈 CURiOUS GEORGE (2006)

⭐️ AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER (2005)

⭐️ SHAUN THE SHEEP (2007)

⭐️ TOTAL DRAMA iSLAND (2007)

🌈CHOWDER (2007)

🌈CHUGGiNGTON (2008)

🌈FLAPJACK (2008)

⭐️ GARFiELD (2009)

⭐️ THE OCTONAUTS (2010)

⭐️ SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY iNC. (2010)

🌈REGULAR SHOW (2009)

🌈 ADVENTURE TiME (2010)

🌈 MY LiTTLE PONY (2010)

⭐️ NiNJAGO (2011)

⭐️ MiA & ME (2011)

⭐️ JUSTiN TiME (2011)

🌈THE AMAZiNG WORLD OF GUMBALL(2011)

🌈 BEN 10 OMNiVERSE (2012)

🌈TMNT (2012)

⭐️SOFiA THE FiRST (2012)

⭐️ DREAMWORKS DRAGONS (2012)

⭐️SAM & CAT (2013)

🌈 DOC MC.STUFFiNS (2012)

🌈GRAViTY FALLS (2012)

🌈 STEVEN UNiVERSE (2013)

⭐️ TURBO FAST (2013)

⭐️ RABBiDS iNVASiON (2013)

⭐️ VEGGiETALES iN THE HOUSE (2014)

🌈UNCLE GRANDPA (2013)

🌈O.K K.O (2013)

🌈 TEEN TiTANS GO! (2013)

⭐️ HENRY DANGER (2014)

⭐️ MOLANG (2014)

⭐️ CLARENCE (2019)

🌈WANDER OVER YONDER (2013)

🌈 SONiC BOOM (2014)

🌈MiGHTY MAGiSWORDS (2015)

⭐️ DiNOTRUX (2015)

⭐️ TRUE & THE RAiNBOW KiNGDOM (2015)

⭐️CARE BEARS & COUSiNS (2015)

🌈 PiCKLE & PEANUT (2015)

🌈 K.C UNDERCOVER (2015)

🌈STAR VS. THE FORCES OF EViL (2015)

⭐️ MiRACULOUS LADYBUG (2015)

⭐️PJ MASKS (2015)

⭐️ BUNK’D (2015)

⭐️ WE BARE BEARS (2015)

🌈DOT. (2016)

🌈POWERPUFF GiRLS REBOOT (2016)

🌈UNiKiTTY (2017)

⭐️ iNSPECTOR GADGET (2015)

⭐️ WORLD OF WiNX (2016)

⭐️ WE’RE LALALOOPSY (2016)

⭐️ RAiNBOW RUBY (2016)

⭐️VOLTRON (2016)

⭐️ ASK THE STORYBOTS (2016)

⭐️ LUNA PETUNIA (2016)

⭐️ HOTEL TRANSYLVANiA, THE SERiES (2017)

⭐️ POWER RANGERS NiNJA STEEL (2017)

⭐️ SUPER MONSTERS (2017)

⭐️ SHE-RA (2018)

⭐️ HiLDA (2018)

⭐️ POLLY POCKET (2018)

⭐️CAPTAiN UNDERPANTS (2018)

⭐️ TROLLS THE BEAT GOES ON (2018)

⭐️ LiTTLEST PET SHOP (2018)

⭐️ LLAMA LLAMA (2018)

⭐️ GREEN EGGS & HAM (2019)

🌈THE BRAVEST KNiGHT (2019)

⭐️ DC SUPERHERO GiRLS (2019)

⭐️ DiNO GiRL GAUKO (2019)

⭐️ PiNKY MALiNKY (2019)

⭐️ ARCHiBALDS NEXT BIG THiNG (2019)

⭐️ ABBY HATCHER (2019)

⭐️ CARMEN SANDiEGO (2019)

⭐️ WHERES WALDO? (2019)

🌈 ANiMANiACS (2020)

⭐️ STARBEAM (2020)

🌈TROLLS TROLLTOPiA (2020)

⭐️ GLiTCH TECHS (2020)

🌈 MLP : PONY LiFE (2020)

⭐️ GO!GO! CORY CARSON (2020)

#agere boy #age regressor #sfw agere #agere community #age regression #agere blog #pet regressor #pet regression #petre blog #sfw petre

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jaspers47 · 2 years

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I Watched 160 Movies in 2021

Five Stars

The Atomic Cafe (1982) Ball of Fire (1941) Belfast (2021) Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) Capricorn One (1978) The Celluloid Closet (1995) David Byrne’s American Utopia (2020) Footlight Parade (1933) Fourteen Hours (1951) Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) The Green Knight (2021) Hamilton (2020) Licorice Pizza (2021) Manhunter (1986) Metropolitan (1990) The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) Monterey Pop (1968) Nomadland (2020) Pig (2021) Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) Shiva Baby (2021) The Sugarland Express (1974) Titane (2021) West Side Story (2021) Woodstock (1970)

Four Stars

The Amityville Horror (1979) Another Round (2020) Arachnophobia (1990) The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) Bad Education (2019) Barbarella (1968) Bone Tomahawk (2015) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Color Adjustment (1992) Don’t Look Back (1967) Emma (2020) Flight of the Navigator (1986) The Fog (1980) The French Dispatch (2021) The Freshman (1925) From Russia with Love (1963) Get Shorty (1995) Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) Hail Satan? (2019) Hard Eight (1996) Howard (2018) In the Heights (2021) Lady Snowblood (1973) Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) Last Night in Soho (2021) Love and a .45 (1994) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) Marwencol (2010) Mother (2009) My Little Chickadee (1940) The Naughty Nineties (1945) Nightmare Alley (1947) The Raven (1935) Rocky II (1979) Seven Chances (1925) The Silent Partner (1978) Sound of Metal (2019) The Sparks Brothers (2021) Stoker (2013) Strait-Jacket (1964) Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021) Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) The Sweatbox (2002) Tampopo (1985) To Die For (1995) The Towering Inferno (1974) Waking Ned Devine (1998)

Three and a Half Stars

The Black Cat (1934) Carmine Street Guitars (2019) The In-Laws (1979) Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) Kid 90 (2021) Nightmare Alley (2021) A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) No Time to Die (2021) Save Yourselves! (2020) Sign o’ the Times (1987) Soul (2020) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Summer of ‘42 (1971) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Three Stars

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) The African Queen (1951) Annette (2021) Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) The Black Cauldron (1985) Black Widow (2021) Camelot (1967) Class Action Park (2020) Cluny Brown (1946) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) Dick Johnson is Dead (2020) The Egg and I (1947) Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) Female Trouble (1974) The Gilded Lily (1935) L'avventura (1960) The Last Blockbuster (2020) Layer Cake (2004) The Living Desert (1953) Luca (2021) Mank (2020) The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story (2020) Original Cast Album: Company (1970) The Plague Dogs (1982) The Power of the Dog (2021) Promising Young Woman (2020) Shirley (2020) Shoot the Piano Player (1960) Showbiz Kids (2020) Star 80 (1983) The Suicide Squad (2021) Theodora Goes Wild (1936) Three on a Match (1932) Val (2021)

Two and a Half Stars

The Donut King (2020) Frank and Ollie (1995) Game of Death (1978) The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss (2020) When a Stranger Calls (1979)

Two Stars

All of Me (1984) Blood and Black Lace (1964) Brother Bear (2003) Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) The Fox and the Hound (1981) Free Guy (2021) I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) Plan B (2021) The Ramen Girl (2008) The Rescuers (1977) The Strongest Man in the World (1975) Super Troopers (2001) Time After Time (1979) The Visitors (1993)

One Star

Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966) Cars (2006) Catalina Caper (1967) Chicken Little (2005) Count Dracula’s Great Love (1972) Dinosaur (2000) The Dead Talk Back (1957) Home on the Range (2004) Escape 2000 (1983) The Lion King 1½ (2004) Malignant (2021) (look, I didn’t like it, okay?) The New Mutants (2020) Rollergator (1996) Treasure Planet (2002) The Undead (1957)

#movies #lists

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itsuki-minamy · 3 years

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PROFILE: YATOGAMI KUROH

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Real name: Yatogami Kuroh

Terms of address: Kuro, Black Dog

[PROFILE]

Birthday: January 5, Capricorn

Blood type: A

Age: 19 (At the beginning of the second season)

[APPEARANCE]

Physique: 1.78 cm in height. Trained and slim body. His back is stretched out.

Face, hair: A face with solid lines. He has long black hair tied behind his head.

Attire: Long hem, padded black collar coat.

Personal effects: A famous "Kotowari" sword. A voice recorder with Miwa's words. A trunk full of kitchen utensils so he can always cook.

[HABITS, SKILLS]

· Superhuman body surgery. Wushu type movement. Power to manipulate space.

· Good at housework.

· What it means is based on Miwa's word that is played back by a voice recorder and listened to.

[IMPRESSION, OTHER NOTES]

· The image color is "black".

· The image of the "Chungyu dog".

[POSITION, OBJECTIVES]

After serving as a servant to the former "Colorless King" Miwa, he became a servant to Isana Yashiro, who was the "Silver King".

In the past, he was blindly respecting Miwa, and after his death he thought that his mission was only to fulfill his life, but through his encounter with Shiro, his spiritual trust in him made him want to help Shiro of his own free will.

Admitting Shiro, he decides that his sword must be wielded for Shiro's sake.

Known to other clans by the name of "black dog", he is famous for being a faithful servant with strong fighting skills. Currently, he is considered to be Shiro's heart along with Neko.

[PERSONALITY, CONDUCT]

Stupid samurai guy. He is just and cannot bear injustice. He is inflexible and easy to fool.

Meeting Shiro may give him a bit more personality, but he is still serious, capable, and uncompromising. The emotional expression is clumsy, but if you look closely, it is easy to understand.

He is sincere and direct, he does not like conflicts, but he does not hesitate in the fight. Basically he acts on the basis of worldly morals, but when belief trumps him, like when it comes to killing Shiro, he easily deviates from common sense.

A guy who takes good care of food and people. He has no choice but to take care of Neko's bad behavior and Shiro's poor nutrition distribution. Mom attributes.

Nature that he is not aware of nature itself. However, it does not mean that there is no public knowledge, socializing with others is done normally, and the elderly and children often like it.

It is not that the air is unreadable, but it is not that it does not understand the subtleties of a person's emotions, and that it does not limit his actions by the complexion and attitude of others.

There is no compromise with respect to the ideal, and he strives rigorously there. However, he is kind to others. Evil has no mercy and he is kind to the weak.

He has a great ability to get work done quickly and to do housework. He has an awkward nature, but has excellent setup and paperwork.

Basically his personality is moderate, but when he talks about Miwa, he gets too hot and shows a side that is said to be tough.

[FATE, ENDING]

Like a member of the Silver Clan, like Shiro's sword, he fights while overcoming his weak points.

[ABILITIES, TACTICS]

A space operation ability that distorts space with the right palm. Martial arts and transfer techniques that combine it. When he doesn't get out of the way, he holds his sword at his waist with his left hand and fights with his right hand.

Throw and support things. The image of a transparent outstretched arm in anime. He can take out a sign or pull Yata, which should be quite strong, within reach of him.

He gains power by gaining the power of the Silver Clan, and gains more power by breaking hesitation in battle against his teaching brother, Mishakuji Yukari.

From the movie version on, he will overwhelm "reason" of his own free will. He decides that the sword should not be used for himself but for Shiro, and will hone his sword arm through the confrontation with Mishakuji Yukari.

[POWER]

B + (Higher rank of the clan's executive class.)

[LIKES]

His favorite food is fried eggs. There is no like or dislike for food in general, and the act of eating is very important. He also likes to do it. It is important to eat. Eat fish very carefully. No rice or grains left. There is a fragrance word, but the character from the beginning is great too.

[DISLIKE]

Be bent. Something in the middle.

[HOBBIES]

Kitchen. General housework. Self-discipline like swords. However, in the end, both cooking and housework achieve self-discipline. He is constantly updating books and studying efficient housework and delicious dishes in books and online. He is delighted to make efforts to reach higher places.

He does not have the hobbies of collecting something or playing sports. It is only related to self-improvement.

[FASHION]

He was wearing a black coat with a padded collar. He is not very interested in fashion itself. There's no resistance unless it's clean, light, and fluffy, but he basically chooses plain clothes over flashy clothes. He also likes Japanese clothes. At Ichigen's residence, there were plenty of work clothes for everyday use.

[BODY]

He looks slim but has a well-trained body and is very healthy. He has excellent athletic ability.

[INTELLIGENCE]

Although he is a high school graduate, he has been taught various things by being a good and elite college student, and since he read Miwa's extensive book collection, he is not lacking in knowledge. The logical thinking is quite excellent. However, he is not a smart guy because his thoughts tend to be rigid and lacking in flexibility.

Also, experience-based things such as cooking, chores, cars, helicopters, and unique machines are missing. Most of them were learned from Miwa, short-term learning with someone, or learned by himself. Carpentry and civil engineering jobs are also skillfully done.

If taught, he can do most things. If he feels like it, he can become a craftsman.

[BELIEFS]

In any case, it is a maintenance system. He treats God and Buddha with a pious attitude, but does not believe in it positively. Miwa's teaching is higher than that.

[RELATIONSHIPS]

[EARLY YEARS]

The family dies in an accident. In addition, the family members who took charge also died in a fire. After that, he was taken over by a distant man and abused, but he was picked up by Miwa when he left his house. He had a place to live in the village and he grew up there.

[TIMELINE]

· 1994, Kuro Yatogami is born.

· 2000, Kuro loses his family.

· 2002, Kuro met Miwa Ichigen and was picked up.

· 2004, his apprentice brother Yukari abandons Miwa.

· 2005, Kuro flourishes with Miwa as a member of the clan.

· 2012, September, Former "Colorless King", Miwa died.

· 2012, December, he Meets Isana Yashiro.

[ATTITUDE AND THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS]

[TERMS OF THE ADDRESS FOR HIMSELF]

The first person is "Ore".

The second person is "Kisama" for people and enemies he doesn't trust, "Omae" for a small flank, and "Anata" for people he respects and common third parties.

[TOWARDS ISANA YASHIRO]

He calls him "Shiro" or "Omae".

He became a subject in a term, but his attitude towards him is completely different. Almost equal. Rather, he can be scolded or angry, so Kuro may be in a higher position. However, in the heart of him, he has firmly found Shiro's respectable point, and stands here on the point.

He has a lot of affection for loved ones, and he can put it in various ways, but he also believes that Shiro is both his "King" and his companion. There is a growing awareness that he is a member of his clan, including Neko, and that he is like family.

[TOWARDS NEKO]

He calls her "Neko" or "Omae".

She is like an expensive sister, a trusted companion, and a fighting friend. Both eyes look at Shiro. If she has a purpose to move, even if they argue with each other, they quickly fight together. Also, since there are many scenes where they acted alone after losing Shiro and until he returned, the level of closeness between the two of them has increased.

[TOWARDS MIWA ICHIGEN]

He calls him "Ichigen-sama".

He still has deep respect and adoration. He still listens to the tape recorder full of words on a regular basis, but it's because he's homesick, rather than because he's asking him to guide. It's less frequent than used to be, but it doesn't mean that Miwa is a thing of the past; An image that is properly stored in an important place in the heart of him. Miwa's existence and way of thinking is a guide on a key point, but it is imprinted on Kuro's mind without relying on the tape recorder any more.

[TOWARDS MISHAKUJI YUKARI]

He calls him "Mishakuji Yukari". (He used to call him "big brother" (Aniue) when Mishakuji was with Miwa.)

He used to respect him as a brother and even admire him. However, he is angry that he raised his sword against Miwa and abandoned him, and he continues to have uncomfortable feelings. He is also angry that Yukari joined the Green Clan, a clan that confuses the world, but he is aware of his weakness and irreverence in mixing Yukari as an enemy. Yukari's idea was beyond Kuro's comprehension, but it still seems like he got his way.

#k #k project #k fan clan #yatogami kuroh #profile yatogami kuroh

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jurassicsunsets · 4 years

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Pachycephalosaur domes: Distribution and conclusion

Welcome back to this pachycephalosaur dome series! The last two times we talked about the anatomy and function of pachycephalosaur domes. This’ll be the last post of this series for the time being, and will be focusing on who had the dome!

If we’re trying to form an idea of what pachycephalosaurs were doing with these big domes, we might be able to start by figuring out what’s going on with the specimens that don’t have domes. Because not all pachycephalosaur fossils have domes! Here’s one that doesn’t:

(Image: The skull and neck of Dracorex hogwartsia, a flat-headed pachycephalosaur with spikes all over its head. [Source])

The first author to discuss this issue was Gilmore (1924) who, working with six skull domes, noted that the smallest among them were significantly flatter and less domed, as well as have clearly visible suture lines between the frontal and parietal bones that make them up. As small size and decreased skeletal fusion are often considered hallmarks of immaturity, Gilmore considered these specimens to have been juveniles. If true, this would mean that the dome was only grown late in ontogeny, a possible hallmark of sexual contests or social dominance.

This is supported by Goodwin and Horner’s (2004) work indicating rapid growth of the dome. Further work by these authors has examined the flat-headed form known as Dracorex hogwartsia and the moderately-domed, large-spiked Stygimoloch spinifer. These two forms coexisted in time and space with the much larger, large-domed form Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis. By examination of bone texture, bone fusion, spikes, and size, these authors argued convincingly that “Dracorex” and “Stygimoloch” represent increasingly mature growth stages of the adult Pachycephalosaurus. This hypothesis requires for the large backwards-facing horns present in the “Stygimoloch” morph to be partly absorbed and restructured — and amazingly, evidence for this process was found when horns were sliced open for examination (Horner and Goodwin, 2009).

(Image: 4 pachycephalosaur skulls in top and side view, with different spikes coloured to show the same spike throughout growth. Proposed growth sequence is youngest on bottom to oldest on top. Image from Horner and Goodwin (2009).)

However, age is not the only explanation tha's been proposed to explain differences in pachycephalosaur dome shape. It’s been widely suggested that the dome of pachycephalosaurs was sexually selected for. If this is the case, it’s quite possible that they’d be sexual dimorphic, and maybe large-domed specimens are males and small-domed are females (though as we’ve seen, sexual selection does not necessarily require sexual dimorphism).

Research into sexual dimorphism requires for there to be enough fossils known to really record average anatomy of both males and females. Unfortunately, pachycephalosaurs are almost all known from really bad remains, with typically only the dome surviving to be fossilised. Because of this, almost all research into sexual dimorphism in pachycephalosaurs has focused on Stegoceras, the pachycephalosaur for which most specimens are known.

The first workers to propose sexual dimorphism in pachycephalosaurs were Brown and Schlaikjer (1943), who identified two morphs of Stegoceras (then called Troodon) based on presence or absence of a rear “shelf” to the frontoparietal. Working off of the assumption that males would be more ornamented (though this need not be the case), they proposed that individuals bearing a “shelf” were males. Both shelved and unshelved morphs were found in Stegoceras fossils that were assumed to be juveniles, subadults, and adults.

(Image: Two domes of the pachycephalosaur Stegoceras, in both top and side views. The left dome represents an “unshelved” morph, as it lacks a “shelf” of bone sticking out to the rear, while the right dome represents a “shelved” morph as it possesses this “shelf”. The nose of the animal would be towards the right. Image from Brown and Schlaikjer (1943). )

These claims remained untested until Chapman et al. (1981). performed a principle component analysis upon 29 skulls of Stegoceras and its close relatives. Their analyses recovered two morphs of Stegoceras which differed in the relative size of the dome and braincase; they assumed the larger-domed specimens (interestingly, the “unshelved” and presumed female skulls of Brown and Schlaikjer) represented the males.

However, unbeknownst to Chapman et al., the specimens that they utilised were not all from the same time, but actually came from times spanning over five million years! The realisation that other species are present in the samples used by Chapman et al., as well as systematic issues with their placement of points, complicated the interpretation of these results, and Schott et al. (2011) found no evidence of sexual dimorphism with the correction of these errors.

(Image: A drawing of two subadult Pachycephalosaurus engaging in side-butting behaviour. Modified from Carpenter (1997).)

Putting all of these things together, we can construct a speculative but informed picture of likely pachycephalosaur ecology and dome usage. We can imagine pachycephalosaurs living in small groups in inland environments, feeding on plants that they sliced with their cheek-teeth before swallowing them and allowing their large guts to ferment them. Perhaps they occasionally snapped up a lizard or scavenged from a carcass to supplement their diet.

Regardless, they almost certainly hatched from eggs with a flat head. Nothing is known about their reproductive habits, but despite suggestions by some workers (see Maryańska & Osmólska, 1974) it is likely that they laid eggs, as it has been suggested that developmental constraints prevent archosaurs from evolving live birth (Lee and Shine, 1998; though see Liu et al., 2017).

Parental care is a bit more speculative; it has been inferred to have been present in the closely-related ornithopods, so it may be a reasonable guess that some parental care may have been present also in pachycephalosaurs. However, parental care in ceratopsians — the closest relatives of pachycephalosaurs — is less supported, though evidence of it has been claimed. There are definitely multiple cases of juvenile ceratopsians found preserved together, which might instead support young animals living together as a group, presumably to join adult groups as they matured, so it might be likely that pachycephalosaurs would do the same.

As the young grew, they likely maintained flat heads, a signal of their low place in the pachy-pecking order. When attaining about half of their full size - at about 3-4 years of age - a shift occurred, and their frontoparietals began to fuse and thicken to form a narrow dome. At this point, perhaps, they began participating in social contests with similarly-aged peers, shoving each other in the side. These play-fights may have been accompanied by posturing, an act where individuals show off their dome and advertise their prowess. Perhaps domes or cranial spikes were brightly coloured to accentuate their appearance or to look more threatening.

(Image: A painting of two individuals of Stegoceras, with speculative sexual dimorphism in colouration of the dome. [Source])

As the animal grew, the dome likely increased in thickness and roundness, while the spikes associated with adolescence were widened and resorbed into wide nubbins of bone. Fighting behaviour would likely continue to adulthood, but as such behaviours can be dangerous and energetically costly, fights can often be avoided by postural displays. Pachycephalosaurs may thus have displayed their dome as an indication of their social standing and fighting ability. Often in modern animals one competitor will see its better and retreat, but the occasional fighting bout may break out. In pachycephalosaurs this likely manifested in to form of two individuals butting each other in the torso with their cranial domes; perhaps this would be supplemented by one or both animals leaning up on their reinforced tails to appear taller or to kick out with its legs. No apparent sexual dimorphism is present in domes, though we cannot rule out the possibility of dimorphism in colouration. This suggests that when fights did break out, they did not necessarily occur between two adult males over mating rights, but may have occured between age groups and sexes to establish social dominance as in modern mountain goats.

After a life of eating, mating, and competing for dominance, pachycephalosaurs reach the end of their life; possibly owing to their apparent scarcity in high-deposition environments, few bodies remain intact to be buried and preserved in the rock record to be discovered and puzzled over by palaeontologists.

Thanks for sticking with me through this three-part series! Next Sunday we’ll begin a new series — but I’ll leave the topic a mystery until then!

#palaeoblr #pachycephalosaur #dinosaurs #paleontology #palaeontology #sunday long posts

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mkgtravel · 3 years

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Interesting National Symbols From Around the World

National symbols play an important role in a country’s global identity. Not only do they represent the ideals, tastes, or history of a nation, but they also create a sense of community for the population. Around the world, different emblems like animals, foods, drinks, dances, flowers, and trees are chosen as national symbols in an attempt to define the country as a whole.

Sometimes these symbols are decided upon by the sovereign state as a way to create a cultural sense of unity. Other times, a country’s symbol is chosen by default, and while it may not bear official status, it represents the nation nonetheless. Either way, the result is a wide variety of national emblems that range from surprising to mystical.

Unicorn (Scotland)

Visit Scotland and it’s likely you’ll notice an abundance of unicorns displayed throughout the country. This is because the mythical creature is Scotland's national animal. You can find unicorns depicted on castles, fountains, cathedrals, coins, and even tombs. According to Scottish legend, the unicorn is both pure and powerful, and almost impossible to tame. King William I chose the unicorn for the royal coat of arms in the 12th century, as did King James VI of Scotland in 1603, and it has been a national symbol ever since.

Tikka Masala (England)

A plate of fish and chips likely comes to mind when you think of traditional English fare, but the country’s favorite dish has roots on another continent. Tikka masala, a flavorful curry that most often features chicken, is equally beloved across the country. Purported to be “a true British national dish,” tikka masala was introduced to the nation by British citizens of Indian descent. The dish is a popular take-out item and considered to be the ultimate British comfort food.

Gumboot (South Africa)

All you need to perform South Africa’s gumboot dance is a sense of rhythm and a pair of Wellington boots. The national dance began as a form of communication between Black miners during apartheid — all of whom wore tall rubber boots in flooded working conditions. Verbal communication between workers was restricted, which prompted the miners to “speak” to each other by slapping and stomping their boots. These movements eventually transformed into the gumboot dance, which now serves as a visual representation of the nation’s oppressive history as well as its work towards reconciliation.

Oak Tree (United States)

The majestic bald eagle is widely known as a symbol of the U.S., but there is another national emblem that is just as stately — the oak tree. The mighty oak was voted the national tree of the U.S. by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2004. Selected over 21 other North American species such as maple, redwood, and pine, the oak was chosen because of the strength it represents, as well as its ability to grow from a tiny acorn into a powerful tree.

Kumis (Mongolia)

Kumis, the national drink of Mongolia, is a fermented beverage enjoyed by many throughout the nation. Although the drink is traditionally brewed with the milk of a mare, kumis can also be made from cow’s milk. Known for its slightly acidic flavor, the dairy beverage becomes carbonated during the fermentation process. It also has a relatively low alcohol content, which can range from one to three percent, and is most often served chilled.

Quadrille (Jamaica)

Originally a formal dance performed in court, the quadrille was first brought to Jamaica by Europeans. Over time, enslaved people adopted the quadrille for themselves, morphing the traditional dance into three new varieties: the contra, the ballroom, and the camp style. Of all three, the camp style is the most lively interpretation. This Afro-Jamaican version of the formal quadrille still employs partner dancing, but requires more rhythmic hip swings and footwork.

Dodo Bird (Mauritius)

The dodo bird has been extinct for centuries, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be celebrated. Native to the island nation of Mauritius, this large bird vanished from Earth in the 17th century. Since it couldn’t fly and had little fear of humans, the pigeon-like creature was easily caught by Dutch sailors for dinner — a repeated event that eventually led to its demise. As the national symbol of Mauritius, the dodo bird is still celebrated in spirit, and its image is found in shops throughout the country.

Palm Wine (Malaysia)

Palm wine, also called toddy, has long been a traditional drink of Malaysia, with roots dating back to 1886. Named for the tree from which it is procured, palm wine is extracted from the unopened flower of a budding palm fruit. After it’s tapped, the liquid sits for 48 hours so that it naturally ferments and becomes alcoholic. It can be consumed chilled or at room temperature and is often mixed with stout beer, fresh chilies, or onions.

Guinea Pig (Peru)

Although the cute, furry creature is beloved as a pet elsewhere around the world, the guinea pig is actually considered to be a delicacy in Peru called cuy — and is most often found on a dinner plate. Served since Incan times, roasted guinea pig is a popular dish enjoyed throughout this South American country.

Caesar Cocktail (Canada)

You won’t find a Bloody Mary on a menu in Canada. Instead, you’ll find a very similar substitute — the Caesar. Similar to a Bloody Mary, a Caesar cocktail contains vodka, tomato juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. However, the addition of clamato juice, which is made from clams, is the secret ingredient that transforms it into the national drink of Canada. The drink is beloved by many and said to be a hangover cure. Canada even celebrates National Caesar Day annually in May.

Century Egg (China)

Although the process doesn’t take 100 years as the name implies, making century eggs is certainly time consuming. This Chinese egg dish has been around for centuries, ever since a farmer found a naturally preserved duck egg in the mud and decided to try it as a snack. Today, century eggs are soaked in a solution of clay, salt, and ash for weeks. The result is the national dish, a blackened egg with a jelly yolk that is eaten by itself or with the addition of pickled ginger.

Palo de Mayo (Nicaragua)

Palo de Mayo is a vibrant, colorful tribute to the African goddess of fertility. The Afro-Caribbean dance is most often performed at the Palo de Mayo Festival, a four-week event that takes place in Bluefields, Nicaragua, throughout May. The high-tempo dance is often performed in brightly colored costumes to celebrate the vibrancy of the Caribbean culture, while also welcoming spring and the possibility of new life

Spiral Aloe (Lesotho)

A tiny country located within the borders of South Africa, Lesotho is home to the Maluti Mountains, the only place in the world where spiral aloe grows. This rare plant thrives in thin, rocky soil and blooms pink and red flowers during spring and summer. Named for its mesmerizing spiral shape, this variety of aloe is endangered and therefore illegal to harvest, but beautiful to behold.

Gallic Rooster (France)

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zebraslovescupcakestoo · 3 years

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Blush Blush Wish List: New Boy edition.

If you read my wish lists from my previous posts, I did my first as random and a second one about clothing, which one of the clothing wish is coming true slowly, I decided to make a THIRD wish list, based on the Boy/Man bundle. We knew that there will be a new guy coming, plausibly the phone fling winner Poe, so here’s some dream ideas of mine that inspired me.

I will mark a disclaimer right here and now so please read it:

Any thing I write here is MY opinion, MY fantasy and JUST A THEORY. They are NON-canon, not project proof and they’re just fan fic/pic related to Blush Blush.

If you don’t like them or disagree, that’s OK! we can talk about it in the comments or ask box like big girls.

Without further ado, here are my Manimal ideas:

1. Racoon Thief!

I’m staring off with what I already mention on my first and my personal favorite.

I used to read one of the first few books of Arsene Lupin by Maurice Leblanc a few years back and I also watched the old French TV series from the 70′s. I also used to own a film based of him from 2004? and I love it. There is also a 90′s animated series from YTV called Night Hood.

I also noticed that there was a PS2 game with a couple of sequels and a PSVita remake with all the games in one. If you ever played Sly Cooper, this would be a very nice compliment to a legendary Gentlemen Burglar.

I imagine about how the player was on a detective mission, like Cole’s, and he/she stumbles a burglary scene from a bakery store. Player noticed some crumbs leading to an alley and soon find a well dressed racoon... Speaking some French accent, the Gentlemen racoon would explained that since he’s somehow got in a situation that prevents him to go to his ‘job’ he had no choice but to ‘borrow’ until he’s back to normal. With past experiences, you’d tell him that you can help him revert back if he’d promised to pay all of the goodies he has taken from.

I can imagine a Persona 5 references or Lupin the 3rd Easter egg dialogs.

2. Beauty Guru BF!

BEFORE anyone has to say about Jeffree, I’m gonna say HERE that I’ll understand if you don’t like or support him, this is just a reference and ideas.

Now, my second idea for a next Manimal, it would be a beauty guru BF.

Now I would go for someone between Jeffree Star and Kimora Blac. Someone’s that’s very influential, a bit controversial but not that serious and very honest.

So imagine a scenario when the player decided to take a break from streaming and just surfing on Youtube when they came across a makeup review tutorial with a face of an animal. Any animal. Player then clicked it and the animal said:

“Hello everybody and welcome back to my channel! Today, I woke up, got to a mirror... beyoch... The Panda Team, is crazy!!!”

Somehow the player texted on the comments and then sends some pictures that proves you can help him, so he flew from his private jet to meet you!

If this gets canon, let the team know about Jeffree Star and try not to copy him too much like they did with Markiplier.

3. Fashionista Drag Queen BF!

Following from the previous, another LGBT representative would be the man with good fashion taste, RuPaul!

I thought about how the Player would one day be shopping for new clothes and then notice an animal giving out fashion advices. He does admit he’s sadden cause of his physical state, he can’t dress up whatever he’d normally wear.

He’d also would reference from high brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Guicci, random Italian brands, ect...

Imagine on his semi or full human form, he’d be wearing RuPaul inspired tuxedos or a dress option DLC.

4. Royalty Prince charming!

I know that on Phone Fling, we have the self proclaimed Arabian Prince Sascha, but think about an EUROPEAN prince!

Imagine Player was doing gardening and then all of a sudden they heard someone complaining.

“Why are they treating me like I am some pet?! I am a PRINCE!”

You notice the ‘Manimal’ and told them your ‘specialty’ after introducing. “So you’d help your prince from this curse? Should we do true love’s first kiss? Fairly well, but you must prove it!”

This could inspire Disney prince references. ;) You take your pick!

5. Native American Boy.

Before I explain, I just want to say that I respect the Natives and they’re are one of the nicest people, I’m just saying as a character perspective.

If you remembered on my first wish list, I asked for more diversities so here’s one of them!

Player was walking in the nature park and decided to take a rest on a table park when they noticed some thrash that some human dumpster fire was too lazy to put it in the thrash so you did. All of a sudden you head someone said thank you. You turned to see the Manimal in question. “It is so nice of you to think conscious about our home environment when you knew you weren’t the one who done it. May the Great Spirits looks on you.”

I kinda lean towards the Eagle or a Bear cause the Wolf is already taken.

I think it would be a nice reminder for a dialog to us about the environment once in a while and also Disney’s Brother Bear.

6. Frank Sinatra the 2nd! Old school but cool!

THIS is probably one of an interesting idea about an ‘old’ soul. It’s kinda like Myx but classier. Swag are for boys, Class are for men.

Remember the Old Looney Tune cartoons? Remember that character Tweety Bird? Yeah, I go with a canary or maybe a yellow-crested cockatoo with this number.

Imagine Player decided to play a mainstream music from their room, when after about a minute in, you hear someone screaming from next door.

“WILL YOU TURN THAT OFF-TUNE BLIP BLOP?! I’M TRYING TO REGAIN MY SINGING SWING!”

At first you thought it was probably you neighbor, but come to find out, it was a talking bird in a cage. You asked him and he answered. “I just moved in from my relatives and now I’m stuck with feathers instead of a classic bow tie. You said you had experience with this?”

This Manimal would be one of those nerds with bowties and sweaters on shoulder prep boy. He’s more like Frank Sinatra (Pic 1 and 2 with Elvis), Dean Martin or Sammy David Jr. A bit more old fashioned but about the same age as college kids.

Imagine the dialogs would be more like Tweety birds whenever Cole is change in between and had comedy accidents like the cartoons to prevent being his next un-cook chicken nugget!

7. Ancient temple guardian!

If anyone had played Crush Crush, you know about the Suzu bundle in the shop. She’s a white fox spirt that the player had accidentally broke the statue.

Now imagine the same thing, but this time you notice that one of these statues are not the same cause they don’t breathe.

8. Marine surfer/oceanic enthusiast!

Remember when I said there’s no Marine Animals (Yet?) If they do, I hope to see a hot guy who was turned into one while I was just looking at the waves.

Imagine Little Mermaid in a gender swap perspective. He wants to learn about the ocean like Jacque Cousteau and sometimes collects sea shells or old object from the 18th centuries that was from sunken ships.

9. German Soccer coach!

Remember when the German won the soccer tournament from Brazil by 7-1 a few years ago? Now imagine someone from that country that’s the new soccer/football coach for your team.

Player wanted to try a new sport so they go for it, but noticed the coach is a big German Shepperd. He’s Strict, Disciplined and very Passionate.

We need a good doggo for 2021!

10. Eastern Master Chef

I think I saved a nice one for last, but my random card tells me that we need a chef in that game. CC have Bonnibel, we have a Michelin star chef!

I thought about an old school 90′s Iron Chef stars like Chef Hiroyuki Sakai and Chen Kenichi. But this one is from China, where they eat anything with four legs except tables and anything that flies except planes.

Honorary mentions of Gordon Ramsey in the dialogs but he’s too nice and... I want to see someone else besides him.

AND THAT IS IT!!

That’s all I have for Manimal ideas for now. Do you like any of them? Do you have any other ideas? Please tell me of what you think!

#blush blush #manimal #OC #ideas #non canon

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habibialkaysani · 3 years

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The Old Guard (Laurel/Nyssa; M) - part i

Ships: Laurel/Nyssa

Summary: Laurel Lance and Nyssa Raatko are happily married - and have been for centuries. Along with Helena Bertinelli, this immortal army follows their equally immortal leader, Dina Drake, in the fights that they think are right.

But after one of their comrades makes a fatal lapse in judgement, Laurel and Nyssa find themselves trapped in their very worst nightmare - captured, as nothing more than lab rats. Luckily, the team has also just found its newest member, Sarah Diggle, so maybe all isn't lost.

A/N: Okay! So this one is something I've been working on a while. It was only meant to be 5k, but is now on 11k and still not done. So I will probably post in two or three parts.

You don't need to have watched The Old Guard for this to make sense - it follows the movie in terms of plot, but I'm hoping at least that the characters are still recognisable from Arrow.

Read at AO3

Laurel heard the knock on the door first, jumping to her feet. She had been curled around Nyssa on the couch, who was immersed in a novel she’d bought at the airport, but Nyssa quickly followed Laurel’s suit, putting the book down on the coffee table.

When Laurel opened the door, her face immediately split into a smile at the sight of Dina. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey yourself,” Dina replied, going in for a hug, and then laughing as Laurel lifted her off her feet. Helena came in after Dina, closing the door behind them both.

“You look great, boss,” Laurel told her. “Love the hair.”

“Thanks! You, on the other hand, look okay,” Dina said with a grin.

“Gee, I love you too.”

Dina moved to Nyssa, who was waiting patiently for her hug, which was returned with gusto. Laurel smiled as Dina patted Nyssa’s cheek in greeting.

“You want some tea?”

“Make it Irish and I’m in,” Dina said, and Laurel shook her head fondly as Helena reached into her purse for her flask.

“On it.”

“While you both ruin your livers,” Laurel said, going to the mini-fridge, “I have something for you, boss.” She unearthed a small container from beside the fridge.

“Oh yeah? Please tell me it’s halwa.”

“Five hundred, Helena,” Laurel said, and Helena grinned.

“All in, I see.”

"Excellent," said Dina. "I'm starving."

“No, come on -” Nyssa said but it was half-hearted and she couldn’t suppress her smile even if she wanted to.

“Let’s settle this,” Laurel said firmly, handing Dina the container. Dina shook her head fondly as she sprawled on the armchair and uncovered a large square of Dina’s favourite sweet.

“All right.” Dina took a bite. “Mmmm. So good. Okay. Sesame seeds and tahini. Walnuts, not pistachios...” Helena let out a low whistle. Laurel refused to look defeated yet, though, and continued to pace. “Honey... okay, my guess? That Turkish place we went to in Rabat in - when was it? 2004?”

“Holy Mary, mother of God,” Laurel muttered under her breath, as Helena grabbed the money in front of her and waved them around Laurel’s face with glee.

“On the money, every time,” Helena said, and Laurel was still smiling, somehow, as she glanced at Nyssa, who hastily tried to cover her laugh with a cough.

“Next time, habibti,” Nyssa said, as Dina shook her head with faint exasperation.

“You say that every time,” Laurel complained.

Dina nudged Laurel playfully. “Don’t be such a baby, Laurel.”

“Admit it, boss,” Nyssa said, “you missed us.”

Dina didn’t hesitate. “I did.”

Silence fell as their fun and games came to an end, and as if to punctuate the point, Helena dropped a file on the coffee table. “It’s a job.”

“We don’t do repeats, Helena -”

“But we could do some good, Dina,” Nyssa interrupted, rather uncharacteristically. “Lord knows the world needs saving.”

“Why by us, though? Why should we feel like we owe this shithole of a planet anything?”

“Maybe,” Laurel said gently, “maybe we at least owe it to ourselves to hear Waller out.”

“Amanda Waller?” Dina asked, sitting up a little straighter, and Laurel was encouraged by that.

“Yeah. She’s ex-ARGUS now. Works freelance.”

“I don’t know,” Dina insisted. “I just - have a bad feeling about this. About what this could do to us.”

“I get that,” Laurel said, ever the conciliatory voice, “and that’s why Nyssa and I will have eyes and ears on you when you and Helena meet with her.”

It was clear from Dina’s sigh that she was relenting. “Fine.” Nyssa caught Laurel’s eye and they smiled, though stopping short of punching the air with victory - they weren’t quite there yet. “But only to hear her out. If anything goes sideways -”

“We’ll be there to back you up,” Laurel promised. “We got you, boss.”

“Always,” Nyssa added.

They set up the sniper rifle in the hotel room, Laurel watching from afar as Dina and Helena scoped out the market surrounding the cafe they would be meeting Waller at.

Behind her was Nyssa, listening carefully to the chatter of the market below.

"You have to admit," Nyssa said through the comms, "it's good to get back into the game."

"Not so fast, Nyssa," came Dina's voice, and Laurel adjusted her scope to better catch Dina's face. "We're hearing her out. That's what was agreed. Don't count your eggs and all that."

Helena laughed. "Chickens, boss. It's chickens."

"Chickens? I take it that means you would like to order the chicken shawarma?" Amanda Waller came into view, and it was strange for Laurel to see her in anything other than a sharp suit - Waller was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, rendering her virtually unrecognisable.

"Just a coffee is fine, thanks," Dina said, extending her hand to Waller for a shake. "Dina."

"Amanda," Waller replied.

"I almost didn't recognise you there without your power suit, Amanda," Helena said, shaking her hand too and then taking her seat at the table.

"Got to blend in, I suppose," Waller said, speaking in a British accent.

"I thought you had to be American to join ARGUS," Dina said, and Waller laughed.

"Indeed. I was born in Star City. Then I went to live with my mother in Cornwall. Went back to Star City many years later and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Why'd you leave ARGUS?"

Wallet grimaced. "I needed some time off after my husband died."

Dina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Waller said with a perfunctory nod, Laurel could see, but also with the air of not wanting to talk about it. Laurel didn't blame her.

"So how can we help you?"

Waller spoke at length about the mission she wished to send the immortals on - a school being held hostage in Azerbaijan, in dire need of rescue. Laurel watched Dina's expression and knew from her face that they would take the job. Once actual people were involved, especially kids, it was hard for their leader to turn it down.

"Given the… delicate political situation in Azerbaijan at present, our priority is getting the students out alive," Waller continued. "Money is no issue - Miss Bertinelli and I briefly discussed your going rates -"

Dina got up, rather abruptly. "We'll invoice you when it's done," she said.

"Good," said Waller, also getting to her feet when Helena followed suit. "Thank you for doing business with me."

Nodding briefly, Dina downed her cup of coffee in one, then gestured for Helena to follow her. Laurel watched through her scope, focusing again on Waller, who unexpectedly raised her hand to wave and smile, as if looking directly at Laurel.

Laurel huffed a laugh, shaking her head, then nudged Nyssa beside her to take a look. They shared a smile of mild exasperation but the warm kind.

"What do you think, habibti?" Laurel asked softly.

"I think we would be blaspheming if we did not use the blessing God gave us to do as much good as possible," Nyssa replied after a moment. Laurel felt the familiar tug of love in her heart at the woman at her side, so much so that she couldn't help but kiss her.

"Your heart," Laurel murmured, placing her palm against her wife's chest, "is so full of kindness. Overflowing, in fact. This world is unworthy of it."

"Get a room, you two," Dina said over the comms, at the same time as Helena saying, "You two make me want to vomit", and Nyssa and Laurel dissolved into laughter.

It was terrifying when everything went wrong.

To be surrounded by soldiers armed to the teeth, who not only shot them repeatedly but used the four immortal women before them as target practice - it was fitting, in a way, for Laurel to be on the ground, dead, when shit indeed went sideways.

They'd practiced this. They had had centuries to perfect playing dead, using the deadliest weapon of all in their immortality - pinpointing the precise moment their enemies’ grip on their weapons were relaxed.

Of course, there was no way to practise being reborn, no textbook that could predict the brutality of this death or the next, and so something always threw Laurel, no matter how ready she was for those bullets - especially when it came to Nyssa. As Laurel's eyes opened, the bullet lodged in her forehead being ejected from her skin as it knitted up, Laurel immediately sought out her wife, careful to suppress her sigh of relief when she saw Nyssa's eyes open too.

Slowly, the four of them took the time to get their bearings and get back on their feet, and the soldiers had no warning when swords and arrows were unleashed on them mercilessly. Dina unearthed her axe for good measure, grunting as she finished off the last of them. They all panted, Laurel with her sword still aloft, Nyssa's bow tensed, Helena's arm quivering as she pointed her crossbow at the feebly stirring soldier at her feet.

"Everyone still with me?" Dina said, looking around. Helena made a noise of assent.

"Na'am," Nyssa said after a moment.

"Laurel?"

"Yeah," Laurel said, dislodging a bullet from her jaw with her tongue. "Pissed as hell."

"I don't understand," Nyssa said. "Where are the students?"

"We've been set up, Nyssa," Dina said grimly. “There are no students.”

"Jesus," Laurel muttered under her breath. "You were right, boss."

They got a freighter train towards Armenia - there was a safe house they had there, though Dina wondered aloud if they were perhaps chasing their tails. She told her team to get some sleep, and Laurel, grateful they'd all been able to change their clothes but still unable to shake the stench of blood in her nostrils, fell into a fitful, troubled slumber as she wound her arm around her wife's waist.

She saw it in flashes - the girl, in army fatigues, the military weapon, and then the dagger, appearing from nowhere, slicing the girl's throat… her hands going up to try and stem the blood -

"Ya allah," Nyssa breathed, jolted awake at the same time as Laurel - and when Laurel looked around she found Dina and Helena in similar states of shock.

"Another one?" Laurel said.

"It can't be, not that quickly," Dina said, but Nyssa was already reaching for her notebook, sketching rapidly.

"She was a black woman," Helena said. "Military…"

"The dagger was definitely Pashtun and there was a woman near her in a chador," Nyssa added, continuing to sketch.

"Gotta be Afghanistan, right?" Laurel said. "And the dog tags - Dig? Digger? Or something?"

"Could you make out the company?"

"Echo 2-1," Dina said in a hollow voice. "Gods. Why is there another one? Why now?"

"I don't know, boss," Laurel said. "What do you think?"

"I think we should find Waller," Helena said. "We're wide out in the open here. One problem at a time."

Nyssa shook her head. "No," she said, "we need to find this girl. Whoever she is - if she's like us… she needs us." Nyssa appealed to Laurel, gazing at her. "You remember what it was like at the beginning, hayati. How scared we both were. Imagine what she's going through."

Helena shook her head. "We can't split our focus -"

"We don't have to," Dina said, appearing to make up her mind and getting to her feet. "I'll go and retrieve her. You all get to Armenia. Go to the Charlie safe house there. Work on tracking Waller."

"Are you sure, boss?" Helena asked.

"If we're dreaming of her, she's dreaming of us. And once they figure out what she is, she'll lead them to us, so that doesn't leave us a lot of time."

Dina held her hand out to Nyssa, and after adding the finishing touches, Nyssa tore out the page with the sketch and handed it to Dina.

"Christ, look at her. She's just a baby." Dina looked up at Helena. "Find Waller and keep on her ass, okay? I'll be in touch."

With that she stepped out of the train, landed only somewhat unceremoniously and then began to walk away.

Hours later, Laurel woke from another bout of fitful sleep, having been unable to get any rest on the train, to the smell of Nyssa’s cooking.

Sleepily, Laurel got to her feet, rubbing her eyes. Their safe house in Armenia was small, indescript, with just enough space for three single beds squeezed into the bedroom, and a couch and dining table in the living room, which doubled as a kitchen.

Helena was at work on her laptop, typing away furiously. Nyssa was rummaging in the bag of groceries Laurel had bought earlier, finding a jar of sauce to add to the pasta. She tried a couple times to open it, but some things were beyond her, and Laurel knew that as she smiled.

"You need me to open that for you, habibti?" Laurel asked quietly.

"You have impeccable timing, my love," Nyssa replied, holding out the jar for her, and she couldn't hold back her amusement when Laurel opened it within two seconds.

"It's all in the wrist," Laurel said.

"So you say." Nyssa turned back to the pan on the stove, pouring in the sauce. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just hope Dina finds this new one already. I hate the nightmares."

Nyssa started to stir, slowly, and Laurel could tell she was contemplating something.

"I know you feel these things more than any of us."

"I wish I knew why," Laurel said with a sigh. "But she's scared, Nyssa. And I feel it too." After a moment Laurel leaned forward, putting her arms around Nyssa's waist. She felt safer there, in the warm presence of her wife.

"It will be okay, Laurel," Nyssa said, leaning her forehead against Laurel's. "We will find the girl. And we will walk out of this shitstorm together like always."

"Thank you," Laurel whispered, dropping a kiss on Nyssa's cheek. "Do you need me to help with anything?"

"You could start on the washing up, if that's all right."

Laurel was already rolling up her sleeves, while Helena's phone began to ring. "Hello?" said Helena. She met Laurel's eyes and gave her a thumbs up. "Boss, I'm gonna put you on speaker, okay?"

"Hey, I got the new one," Dina said.

"What's she like?" Nyssa asked as she stirred.

There was a pause as if Dina was stifling a laugh. "Well, she stabbed me, so I say she has potential."

Helena chuckled. "Atta girl. I like her already."

"We're about to get on the plane. Should be with you in a few hours. Helena, any progress tracking down Waller?"

"No, sorry, boss. She's good. She has to be, as a security expert - knows how to cover her tracks."

"Everyone's got a weakness, Helena. I need you to find hers."

"Copy that."

"I'll see you all soon."

Sarah Diggle, as it happened, proved likable from the jump. She and Dina had arrived looking a little worse for wear, as if they'd had a tussle or two on the plane, and Laurel could tell from how jumpy she herself had been the past couple hours that she was feeling Sarah's adrenaline.

(She was so glad the whole empathy thing at least ended upon meeting.)

"Why are you all in my dreams?" Sarah asked once they sat down at the dinner table. Laurel was on her feet, heaping pasta onto plates and handing them out, starting with Sarah. "Thanks."

"We dream of each other - our deaths, the first ones, and what happens after - until we meet," Nyssa explained. "Then the dreams stop."

"Why?"

Nyssa smiled. "The why, Miss Diggle, is a question that will never be satisfactorily answered. It is one I ask most days - why us? Why immortality? Why did we dream of each other? Why are the rules the way they are?"

Sarah simply looked more perplexed by Nyssa’s words. "I think the best way to look at it," Laurel said as she handed a plate to Dina and then sat down, "is that it’s like - destiny."

"Some people are meant to find each other," Nyssa said, and Laurel smiled when she caught Nyssa's eye.

"So let me get this straight -"

The dinner table erupted with laughter and Sarah Diggle looked even more confused than she already was. "Kid," Dina said, taking a sip of her wine, "let me stop you right there. There's nothing straight going on here with any of us."

Laurel murmured in assent and then couldn't help but wink at Nyssa.

"Ameen to that," Nyssa agreed.

"Yeah, you'll just get a lot of nervous gay laughter if you ask any of us for a straight answer," Helena said.

Laurel watched as Nyssa turned to Sarah. "What she said. But our collective queerness aside, Ms Diggle, please do say what was on your mind."

Sarah smiled - it was tentative, accompanied with the nervous brushing away of her braids from her face, but it was there, Laurel could see that much. Their newest addition had had a frown creasing on her forehead the moment she had arrived, even in her young age, but with the laughter around her, some of that tension was relieved.

"Do we really never die?"

The smiles on the team's faces faded a bit.

"Nothing lives forever," Laurel said. "Even if it feels like we've been alive for eternity.”

Nyssa gestured at herself and then Laurel. “Laurel and I met in 1020."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "So you're saying you're both -"

Laurel grinned. "- over a thousand years old? Yes, but don't tell anyone."

"What about you?" Sarah asked Helena.

"Youngest recruit, from 1912."

"We call her the baby because she's only a century old," Nyssa said affectionately.

"You're the oldest," Sarah said, looking at Dina.

Dina grimaced. "Yep."

"How old are you?"

"Old," Dina replied.

" How old?"

"Too old," Laurel said, intervening after catching Dina's eye. "Let's just say there's a reason Dina's in charge around here."

Sarah nodded, seeming to accept this as an answer.

"So how do you know we do die?"

"Because one of us did," Dina said heavily. "His name was Thomas. I found him first. And one day we were in battle, fighting. And he got injured. Never got up. We don't know how or why, just that one day we stop healing and it's the end of the line. Our time to go."

There was silence for a moment. "It's a lot to take in," Nyssa said eventually.

"And I did tell you that you wouldn't like all the answers you got, kid," Dina said.

"You said we're immortal." The words came out of Sarah's mouth sounding almost accusatory. "You told me that. Just after shooting me in the head -"

"Sorry about that," Dina said, but the tension in the air was palpable. "But I knew I wouldn't hurt you. In the long run I mean."

"How? You just said that we all have an expiry date -"

"You're too new," Helena interrupted.

"Listen, Sarah," Laurel said. "Just because we're immortal doesn't mean we're invincible, or unstoppable. We're definitely not completely unkillable. Tommy is proof of that. And that's why -" Laurel paused for a moment, then reached out for Nyssa's hand to squeeze. "- that's why none of us take our lives for granted. Eventually our time will come, and that's an inevitability every human has to wrestle with."

"We just have to wait for longer is all," Nyssa added.

"So you are the good guys." At Laurel's raised eyebrows, Sarah explained, "I wasn't sure when I met Dina. If I was on the right side of things."

"I did shoot you, so I can't say I blame you there," Dina conceded.

"Goodness is subjective," Laurel said slowly. "It depends, I suppose, on the century, but - we fight for what we think is right."

"Even when the righteous battles land us in deep shit," Dina muttered, swigging from the bottle of wine now. Her words were quiet, but there was no doubting that everyone heard.

Nyssa got to her feet. "Sarah, you must be tired. Want me to show you where we all sleep?"

Sarah nodded, getting up and following Nyssa to the sleeping quarters.

"Listen, boss, I know you're pissed -" Laurel started to say, but Dina waved her away.

"I said what I had to say on this, Laurel. But the person I'm blaming is Waller, and whoever the fuck she's working with who set us up." Dina looked up, met Laurel's eyes. "I can't really blame Nyssa for having more of a heart than me."

Laurel smiled. "Like I said. Overflowing with kindness."

"Laurel, I love you, but enough with the sappy shit, please."

Still grinning, though, Laurel then glanced at Helena, who had been nursing the same drink for half an hour. "You okay, Helena?"

Helena nodded absently and picked at her food again with her fork, before she gave up trying to eat anymore and pushed her plate towards Laurel.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, not hungry. Eat it so Nyssa doesn't take it personally."

Laurel laughed a little more easily at that, digging in and finishing what was on the plate in front of her in a matter of seconds - after all, she loved her wife's cooking.

Later, Laurel was curling up around Nyssa, her arm wrapping around her wife's middle on the bed they shared. Laurel had her nose buried in the small of Nyssa's back, breathing in the familiar sweet smell of her beloved, listening to the sounds of her breathing which slowly lulled Laurel to sleep.

She wasn't sure how long that lasted, though, when the sound of a loud gasp woke Laurel up with a start.

"What is it?" Nyssa asked, the knife under her pillow already in her hand.

"You okay, kid?" Helena said sleepily, and from over Nyssa's shoulder Laurel could just make out Dina's silhouette in the doorway.

Sarah, who was now sitting bolt upright in her bed, clutched the comforter around her and seemed even smaller than before. "It's nothing. I'm sorry, guys. It was just a bad dream."

Nyssa put her knife down under her pillow, then propped herself up on her elbow. "It's okay. You can tell us."

At first Sarah was hesitant. "I dreamed of a woman in a coffin," she said slowly, and there was no mistaking Laurel and Dina's simultaneous sharp intakes of breath at her words. "She was screaming, trapped in this coffin underwater… and she would keep screaming until her lungs bled, pounding against the coffin until her knuckles wore away. And she would drown and then come back. Go through that whole thing over and over again… I saw flashes of it before I got here, but this was the clearest I've seen it so far." Sarah turned to Laurel. "She looked like you, a bit. But with shorter hair."

"Her name was Serena," Laurel said quietly. "She was my twin. And one of us."

"Your twin ?"

"We never knew each other as kids. Before me and Nyssa found each other, it was Dina and Serena. Dina had been lost after Tommy died. She'd given up hope until she met Serena."

"They fought thousands of battles alongside each other," Nyssa continued. "Fighting the good fight all over the world."

There was an audible sniff, and Laurel looked up to see Dina had gone to stand in front of the window near their beds, her head in her hands.

"What happened?" Sarah asked Dina.

"They were captured," Nyssa answered, when Dina didn't. "Captured freeing the so-called heretics being accused of witchcraft. They were hanged over and over for their crimes, but -"

"They kept coming back to life," Sarah guessed. Nyssa nodded. "Probably just proved their case that they were witches."

"That's exactly what happened," Laurel said. "And then… to separate them - they locked Serena in a coffin. The Iron Maiden. And they threw her into the ocean."

Sarah looked across the room at Dina. "Shit."

"We spent decades looking for her," Dina said at last. "Never found her."

"I feel her pain," Sarah told her. "Her rage. She feels insane."

"She's been trapped in a box for five hundred years," Helena said unexpectedly. "Just living for that long would drive you mad. Let alone dying over and over like that at the bottom of the ocean."

"That's why we work so hard to evade capture," Laurel explained. "A fate like my sister's… in many ways, it’s worse than death. I would not wish it on my worst and most bitter enemy. Nor would I wish the guilt that I feel to this day over what happened - because I should have been there to rescue her. And I wasn't."

"It's not your fault, Laurel," Dina said softly. "It's mine. You weren't there. I was."

"You blame yourself?" Sarah asked. "Why?"

"It would be bad enough if I just lost a soldier," Dina said quietly. "But she was my - my… partner, in every way imaginable. And I couldn't save her. I failed the love of my life and I think about that all the time. That is a nightmare I have to live through every day of my long life, and there is… nothing I can do to change that. Or end it."

Dina's eyes filled with tears, and the choking sound coming from the bed next to Laurel told her Sarah was crying too.

"So that's it? We're doomed to an eternity of this?"

"Sarah -" Laurel said, but Sarah was already getting to her feet.

"I need some air," she said shakily, grabbing her jacket.

"I'll talk to her," Laurel muttered immediately, but Dina held out her hand.

"No, it's okay, I will. You guys get some rest."

Before Laurel could object, Dina followed Sarah out the front door without another word.

"She'll come round," Nyssa said after a moment.

"Will she?" Helena said doubtfully. "I mean. She's not wrong. Being doomed to an eternity of life and death -"

"Who says you're doomed?" Laurel interrupted.

"If you're alone," Helena said quietly, "you're fucked. You'll outlive anyone you love and then who've you got?"

"You've got us, of course," Nyssa said without skipping a beat, and once again Laurel felt a surge of love for her. "You're never going to be alone if you have your family around you."

Helena looked suitably chastened. "Yeah, I know I do. But the kid is grieving her old life right now. You've both had a millennium to adjust - she's barely had five minutes."

Laurel opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but then at that moment a can fell into the open window of their bedroom. There was a hissing sound, as gas clouded the air and filled their lungs, and then all at once everything went black.

#laurel x nyssa #lauryssa #laurel lance #nyssa al ghul #femslashrevolution #lgbtsource #the old guard au #arrow #otp: in every universe #mine #my fic

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