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wingsoffireaus · 5 years

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Bright Futures: Nightwing Royal Family

Name: Darkstalker

Character Summary: In this AU Darkstalker did not grow up with an abusive father and is much more well rounded and to put it bluntly sane individual. He did not seek out power until the day his queen ordered for his dragonets deaths after hearing a prophecy from Allknowing claiming one of his eldest would ascend the throne. Not willing to allow any harm to happen to his dragonets he challenged Vigilance for the throne and won. He is actually a well loved ruler by many of the common folk although many nobles would like to see him dethroned and have a proper Queen in place again.

Name: Clearsight

Character Summary: Married to Darkstalker. she was reluctant in his plan to overthrow Vigilance but allowed it when she realized it was one of the few futures where their dragonets had a chance at living in peace. She loves all of them dearly but sadly her relationship with her eldest daughter, Shadowhunter, is strained after she had seen a possible future where she turns evil and plunged the continent into chaos. Despite this she serves the kingdom dutifully as Queen and head seer as well as training potential seers in proper prophetic techniques.

Name: Arctic

Character Summary: A runaway Icewing prince. In this AU he never killed those guards in his escape from the Ice Kingdom and remains sane and fully committed to Foeslayer and his children. He is close to all of his grandchildren although he shares a special bond with his eldest granddaughter Shadowhunter who was never afraid to approach him growing up despite his imposing air around him. He does worry for her future however is Clearsight’s vision is anything to go by.

Name: Foeslayer

Character Summary: Foeslayer in this AU is very similar to her canonical version however she is much happier and content in her life. She loves her grandchildren and has very little interest in possible futures where they turn evil. Instead she chooses to support them in their lives and loves them for who they are currently.

Name: Shadowhunter

Character Summary: The eldest daughter of Darkstalker and Clearsight. She is an animus and a very powerful seer however she has very little interest in visions and refuses to bow to the whims of possible futures that haven’t happened yet. Often she is seen as next in line for the throne although she disagrees with that plan wholeheartedly and always points to her hatchmate Feirceclaws as the best option for the throne. Her temper runs hot which is ironic since she was the only one to inherit more Icewing from her grandfather than any of her siblings, including the signature ice breath.

Her future is more shaky than any of her siblings and has a higher chance of turning evil. That along with her refusal to heed her parents warnings of her powers or her mother visions cause great concern with her family. She often points out that perhaps it is their lack of faith in her that will cause her to snap one day.

Name: Fierceclaws

Character Summary: The eldest son of Darkstalker and Clearsight. He is an animus and a mindreader. His future was never as set in stone as some of their other dragonets. Primarily due to ‘disagreements’ on his name. Darkstalker had been dead set on Fierceclaws while Clearsight wanted to name him something relating to his thoughtful nature. But Darkstalker won this argument after the defeat of Vigilance and their second born dragonet was named Fierceclaws. Much to the poor princes embarrassment since he is not exactly what one could call fierce. A running gag between him and Shadowhunter is that they should have swapped names as she is clearly the fiercer of the two. Fierceclaws is definitely the more scholarly of the two and while at times their conflicting personalities clash the two are very close with one another.

Fierceclaws has only ever used his animus powers once, the day where their father tested them. He immediately feared his power and refused to ever use them again while Shadowhunter never bought into the soul corruption theory and uses her powers whenever she can get away with it. He worries about his sister and is particularly worried about her relationship with their mother which is strained to say the least. Most days he worries about the future of their family and tribe.

Name: Lostmind (Thank you @alanahtheragon)

Character Summary: The third dragonet of Clearsight and Darkstalker. Insight hatched with the ability to read minds. She is much quieter than all of her siblings and shy to the point where she begged to be homeschooled. She often wishes she had never been hatched with mindreading as it only increases her anxieties. She spends most of her time in her room with her scrolls. She loves her siblings but can only handle them in minor doses and oftentimes can’t handle the teasing that comes with them. She worries constantly about the dark futures her mother has seen for Shadowhunter and worries that they will end with all of them being slaughtered like the seawing royal family. Despite this she still loves her sister but chooses to interact with her as little as possible.

Name: Starchaser (Thank you @fireflythenightlight)

Character Summary: The fourth dragonet of Clearsight and Darkstalker. Starchaser is a little more on the ditzy side. Preferring to worry about jewelry and the latest fashions rather than cryptic prophecies that don’t really concern her. She and Shadowhunter clash the most but they do love one another. Often times Shadowhunter being the one who comforts her after another one of her many, many, crushes reject her or break her heart as well as offering to turn them into frogs or something. Luckily so far Starchaser has turned her down but loves that her big sister cares enough to offer.

Name: Eclipse and Cosmos (Thank you @fireflythenightlight)

Character Summary: The fifth and sixth dragonets of Clearsight and Darkstalker who have not hatched yet. Although the whole family is very aware of their existence and is excited to meet them one day.

Name: Whiteout

Character Summary: The sister to King Darkstalker. Whiteout is different to say the least. She did not hatch under the three moons. This doesn’t bother her at all and she is perfectly happy the way she is. She is married to Thoughtful and they have one dragonet together by the name of Lostmind. She shows very little concern about the possible distant futures concerning her nieces and nephews and instead shows unbiased love towards all of them. Often times acting as though she was their mother as well.

Name: Thoughtful

Character Summary:Husband to Whiteout and a very talented and famous glass blower. He also walks to the beat of his own drum and adores his family. Which includes his royal nieces and nephews. He is very humble and quiet with a kindness and softness to him that is so often scoffed at in dragon culture. Fierceclaws actually looks up to him very highly and often wishes society as a whole reflected his behavior.

Name: Insight

Character Summary: The daughter of Whiteout and Thoughtful. She is quiet and unobtrusive and often prefers solitude over socializing. She gets along wonderfully with her cousins who treat her more like another sister than anything else. She does not have any powers but often times she sees things that even the most talented mindreaders can’t. She likes to incorporate her observations in her sculptures and has already won several awards for her pieces. Her only worry for the distant future is whether or not her entire family will survive through it intact.

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Okay a couple of things that I wanted to expand a little

Shadowhunters looks more like an Icewing than she does a Nightwing. However she is pitch black. Including her horns and spikes. There are few other things but they're Minor details. And yes she does have icebreath instead of fire breath. I love the idea of her having a hot head when in actuality her temperature runs below freezing. Often times she jokes that she and her dad must have swapped genetics since the only sign of his mixed lineage is his row of ice scales and Animus powers.

Clearsight is not a terrible mother. I want to make that clear. However she is not the best mother to Shadowhunter because she worries so much about her possible dark futures. Think back on how Clearsight would treat Darkstalker at times even though he really hadn't done any bad yet. She is not a perfect character and that's what's sooo good about her. But unfortunately it has ruined her relationship with her eldest daughter.

Shadowhunter inherited her parents incredibly strong future vision. When she was younger she enjoyed using it but after noticing how her mother focused more on the future versions of her than the current one she went cold turkey and avoids it as much as possible. There has been occasions where she's thought about removing the ability completely but she doesn't think she should ever have to hide or change what she is. This is why she uses her animus magic pretty freely. And even though she uses the soul reader as proof that her soul is fairly intact nobody believes that that will last for long.

Yes. I read the wiki. Apparently Fierceclaws was supposed to be female but I had already created him as male and I am not changing it.

Starchaser is a brat but she does love her family. Honestly her and Shadowhunters relationship has become one of my favorite things in this AU. And did you notice she is one of the few who doesn't doubt her sisters future?

Yes. Whiteout was not hatched on the brightest night. I love her character as it is in the book series where she says things that hint she does still have some prophetic power.

Also yeah I'm not writing anything for Eclipse yet. Eventually she will show up but not yet.

And finally, this is obviously not the complete cast. We still have Fathoms family and their roles as well as other more minor characters.

Have any questions about the AU? Feel free to hit me up! I'm always down to talk about my AUs!

#wings of fire #bright futures #bright future au #Darkstalker #Clearsight #Shadowhunter #prince arctic #foeslayer #Fierceclaws #lostmind #starchaser #eclipse #cosmos #whiteout #thoughtful #insight #wings of fire whiteout #wings of fire thoughtful #wings of fire au

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usviraltrends-blog · 6 years

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New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/did-ancient-mesopotamians-get-high-near-eastern-rituals-may-have-included-opium-cannabis-science-4/

Did ancient Mesopotamians get high? Near Eastern rituals may have included opium, cannabis | Science

Poppies, shown here with seed pods, have been used to produce opium in the Near East for some 5000 years.

ISTOCK.COM/OZTURK

By Andrew LawlerApr. 19, 2018 , 2:00 PM

MUNICH, GERMANY—For as long as there has been civilization, there have been mind-altering drugs. Alcohol was distilled at least 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, about the same time that agriculture took hold there. Elsewhere, for example in Mesoamerica, other psychoactive drugs were an important part of culture. But the ancient Near East had seemed curiously drug-free—until recently.

Now, new techniques for analyzing residues in excavated jars and identifying tiny amounts of plant material suggest that ancient Near Easterners indulged in a range of psychoactive substances. Recent advances in identifying traces of organic fats, waxes, and resins invisible to the eye have allowed scientists to pinpoint the presence of various substances with a degree of accuracy unthinkable a decade or two ago.

For example, “hard scientific evidence” shows that ancient people extracted opium from poppies, says David Collard, senior archaeologist at Jacobs, an engineering firm in Melbourne, Australia, who found signs of ritual opium use on Cyprus dating back more than 3000 years. By then, drugs like cannabis had arrived in Mesopotamia, while people from Turkey to Egypt experimented with local substances such as blue water lily.

Some senior researchers are still dubious, pointing out that ancient texts are mostly silent on such substances. Others consider the topic “unworthy of scholarly attention,” Collard says. “The archaeology of the ancient Near East is traditionally conservative.”

But the work is prompting fresh thinking on the relationship between substances and societies. At the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East here last week, for example, one scholar even reinterpreted well-studied ancient images as representing drug-taking rituals and drug-induced distortions.

Drug use almost certainly began in prehistory and spread with migrations. For example, the Yamnaya people, who swept out of Central Asia about 5000 years ago and left their genes in most living Europeans and South Asians, appear to have carried cannabis to Europe and the Middle East. In 2016, a team from the German Archaeological Institute and the Free University, both in Berlin, found residues and botanical remains of the plant, which originates in East and Central Asia, at Yamnaya sites across Eurasia. It’s difficult to know whether the Yamnaya used cannabis simply to make hemp for rope or also smoked or ingested it. But some ancient people did inhale: Digs in the Caucasus have uncovered braziers containing seeds and charred remains of cannabis dating to about 3000 B.C.E.

Cypriot jugs were crafted in the shape of the poppy seed pod 3000 years ago.

ROBERT S. MERRILLEES

Once people organized into city states, they may also have started large-scale production of pharmaceuticals, says archaeologist Luca Peyronel of the International University of Languages and Media in Milan, Italy. A decade ago, before the onset of Syria’s brutal civil war, he was part of a team that gathered samples from an unusual kitchen in a palace in the northwestern Syrian city of Ebla, which flourished 4 millennia ago on the outskirts of the Sumerian and Akkadian empires.

The room lacked the plant and animal remains typically associated with food preparation. But residue analyses on pots found there may explain the mystery, as Peyronel and his colleagues described in a paper last year: The researchers found traces of wild plants often used for medicine, such as poppy for opium to dull pain, heliotrope to fight viral infections, and chamomile to reduce inflammation. Given that the space contained eight hearths and pots that could hold 40 to 70 liters, the drugs could have been made in large quantities, Peyronel says.

Some of these extracts, such as opium, can induce hallucinations, although it’s unclear whether the potions were used in ritual or medicine. The kitchen’s location near the heart of the palace suggests its products were used for ceremonial occasions, and cuneiform tablets from the building mention special priests associated with ritual beverages, Peyronel says. The distinction between medicine and mind-altering drug may have been lost on ancient peoples. “The two hypotheses are not necessarily at odds,” he adds.

Three hundred kilometers due west and several centuries later, the ancient people of Cyprus used opium in religious ceremonies, Collard says. Residue analyses show that between 1600 and 1000 B.C.E., people poured opium alkaloids into pots crafted in the shape of the seed capsule of the opium poppy, in what Collard calls “prehistoric commodity branding.” All the jugs were found in temples and tombs, suggesting a role in ritual. Opium jugs made on Cyprus have been found in Egypt and the Levant—the first clear example of the international drug trade.

Other substances less well known today may have played a role in healing or ecstatic rituals in the ancient Near East. When King Tutankhamun’s tomb, dating to the 14th century B.C.E., was opened in 1922, archaeologists found the boy-king’s body covered with the flowers of blue water lily, a common motif in many Egyptian tomb paintings. Steeped in wine for several weeks, the plant yields a sedative that produces a calm euphoria.

Diana Stein, an archaeologist at Birkbeck University of London, claims archaeologists have long studied scenes of rituals involving drugs and their effects without realizing it. She argues that the banquet scenes that often adorn small seals found Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iran actually show people imbibing psychoactive potions. Another common motif, interpreted as a scene of contest, may instead represent the internal conflict that results when the imbiber faces an alternative reality, Stein proposes. In these images, “everything is distorted and pulsing—but they certainly knew how to carve things realistically when they wanted to,” she said at the meeting here.

“I find Diana’s arguments convincing and even energizing, as they open up a new avenue for research,” says Megan Cifarelli, an art historian at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.

But others are more cautious. “Scholars have tended to shy away from the possibility that the ancient Near Easterners partook of ‘recreational’ drugs, apart from alcohol, so it’s good that someone is brave enough to look into it,” says archaeologist Glenn Schwartz at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. But he says Stein’s suggestions “seem to go too far on too little evidence,” a view echoed by many at the meeting.

Collard, however, is confident that additional residue and botanical analyses, along with study of iconography and texts, will gradually persuade skeptics. Cifarelli notes that the ancients likely used drugs not just to heal, but to forge sets of beliefs, and contact a spiritual realm where healing and religion were entwined. “Most of us,” she says, “are so far removed from that kind of transformative magic.”

#Science

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