#or more importantly where the convocation is

[akirakirxaa]

Persephone's not sure what's going on but she and Pommy are going to figure it out.

#ffxiv #azem #oc: persephone 'azem' #unsundered azem au #idk if I'll actually write it all out but I wanted to see what it was like to play the game from this perspective #I might make a more lengthy post introducing it but the gist is last Persephone knew was before the sundering #now it's after the sundering but she doesn't know about it #she has no idea what happened or why nothing looks familiar and the weird customs in these cities she's found #or more importantly where the convocation is #to stay under the radar to be safe she's going by her real name instead of Azem #you'll notice she also trimmed her hair a little bit #that's mostly because her usual hair clips like mad during gameplay lol #she's an 'arcanist' because creation magics #she saw the arcanists with their carbuncles and made Pomegranate #the other arcanists just figure she's a savant

[theretirementstory]

Bonjour tout le monde it’s 5c at the moment brrr! Hopefully it will warm up by this afternoon.

Do you ever get to Sunday and wonder where the week has gone and more importantly what you have done with the week? This is one of the reasons why I do this blog, it’s because I often think I have done nothing but when I look back I realise that you may have done a great deal.

I was happy to receive my “convocation” for my appointment with the oncologist, it is for Friday 23rd. Although I am pleased to have the appointment it coincides with my knitting group which is a little sad. I have my taxi booked and fingers crossed I am not there for hours and hours.

Yet another little “hitch” with regard to water and this time it wasn’t just hot water it was a lack of any water! Anyway I asked the plumber to call and it was found that the tap was full of limescale. We got it all sorted, a new tap and waste for the bathroom and I am a happy bunny again.

It’s coming around to the renewal of my house insurance, which is currently held with a company in Poitou-Charentes. I have been very happy with the insurer I chose in town for my other policies so I have asked them to give me a quote. It was promptly done and so I should soon be insured in a “one stop shop” in town.

My American friend rang me from the states, where she is currently having treatment. She asked if I could go to her home and photograph her garden. Imagine my surprise when there were two men at her home (one a workman) they said come in and look at the rear garden too. Then the workman took me round the ground floor asking me to take photos of the work he is doing in the kitchen. What a pleasant surprise that was not only for me but also for my friend.

Yesterday, a friend in the UK messaged to tell me that her grandson had put in an appearance early that morning. He was not full term, actually only 26 weeks, so here is hoping that his mum and him get through these days and weeks. Quite a surprise and a worry I would imagine too.

Let’s have a look at my choice of songs for this week. They go quite a way back, the first song taken from an album which my sister had long before we even had our first Dansette record player. It’s music I remember hearing, even though my age hadn’t attained double figures, I still love the tracks today as much as at that time. So taken from the album “Aftermath” by the Rolling Stones released in 1966 is the track “Under My Thumb”.

The second song is from 1971, the first single for this band. The band featured the super talented Roy Wood, along with Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan who had been part of the group “The Move”. The song was so totally different to anything else at that time it was “10538 Overture”. Both groups have had some amazing songs and it can be hard to choose a favourite but these songs have always had a place in my heart.

I sometimes feel I am a little boring about my garden, ok so it’s not everyone’s idea of a beautiful place but believe me I do the best I can do to have some colour out there. Two years ago I planted up a planter and I loved that so much. I decided to change the compost, remove any dead plants and replant any others. I had bought a pack which turned out to be 10 primulas not 8 as I first thought. They had been in the supermarket too long, were dry as a bone and a lot of them looked dead! However, looks can be deceptive and a quick “snip” to remove brown and broken leaves found that they were pot bound and in need of a very big drink. I rejuvenated the planter and put the remaining primulas into the “potager” hoping to help them improve. I want to lay cardboard in the rear garden and “re-home” the primulas and the violas that self seeded last year. This morning I was so upset as I saw that “something”, possibly a cat, had dug up three of the primulas in order to use the potager as a toilet. It has also been using the high planter as a toilet, last year I grew beetroot, lettuce, radish and spring onions in that planter. It’s very disappointing and I even felt “what is the point” in growing stuff if some animal is going to keep messing in the earth. However, it does give me a lot of pleasure seeing my plants growing so should I fight back?

I really must send another email to my friends in Bristol. I haven’t heard from them since the beginning of the year and it’s not like them to be in touch.

Monique is still not well and will be seeing the oncologist on Monday 26th. It’s a couple of weeks since I have seen Anie too, time flies!

“The Photographer” had a weeks holiday from work last week as it was his daughters “half term” from school. On Monday he took his two children (aged 5.5 and 2.5 years) on the train to London. He stayed with his Aunt and Uncle and had planned visits with the children to the zoo and the Natural History Museum. The children had a wonderful time, so did “The Photographer” but he was exhausted by the time he got home on Thursday. The children returned to their Mum on Friday and we excited about going, obviously they had a lot to tell her. Yesterday, he was at Scarborough AFC taking photos of their game.

“The Trainee Solicitor” and “Ex-Graduate” have finished work now for a well earned week of rest and relaxation. They are heading to the Yorkshire Dales for some good country air, a little walking and perhaps a lot of reading!

Sorry just had a little break, it was time for tea and cornflakes 😉.

Yes the cat has been back and turned the earth in the potager, so I have put more pepper down, plus today, I will put stakes into the earth and let’s see it try to “squat” there!

I tell myself every morning that I will have a walk and do I? Not everyday and actually the days I do go out for that walk are getting fewer and fewer. I had a good walk one day and was spurred on for more of the same but after a shorter walk the following day it has tailed off again! I really must “programme” myself to a walk.

So now I am going to send a message or two to friends, read my book for a short time. Do the normal household jobs, bed making, washing up etc. Start the “walking programme” and generally find something to tell you about next week 😂.

Bon dimanche!

#barsuraube #nature #trees #photography #60’s music #70’s music #mygarden #family #friends #holidays

[gardens-light]

Friends With Benefits

Trying to balance museum employee by day, vigilante by night, and squeezing in a social life in between hasn't been easy for Steven. Love life? That's pretty non-existent for the poor guy. Dates seem to go well, (when he hasn't forgotten, or got dates wrong) but once things gets steamy... Not so much...

Being a little hung up of being ghosted by his recent date. Steven decides to catch up with his long term friend. To see where he's going wrong and perhaps could help. Well... he got more than he bargained for...

Content- Just some cutesy fluff.

"Tell me everything!"

You placed your drink down upon the surface of the small cafe table. The loud grinding of the coffee beans, gave Steven the few moments hesitation before he spoke.

"Well... me and Amy met up for our third date, last week on Wednesday. We went to the Italian place that you suggested. The convocation was going great, there was a connection between us-"

"Was there a connection? Or was she being polite, while you bore the shit out of her with your rambles?"

"Hey!-"

"Dude! You thought that... um, what's her name?... Chrissy! Chrissy from three months ago. You thought you two had a 'connection.'"

Steven frowned, feeling offended. "Me and Amy did have a connection! We had similar interests and talked passionately about them."

You nodded in approval and gestured for him to continue, as you took a sip from your drink.

"She loved the flowers. I treated her to ice-cream. A-And..."

You were on the edge of your seat. Gazing at him with deeply invested gaze. "And!"

"And she suggested of watching a movie back at my place. So... during the short walk to mine, her hand kinda... didn't stop rubbing my ass-"

"Details man! Give me details! Did she squeeze you? Was it a playful spank?- Most importantly, did you want it?"

You couldn't help but smile, as Steven's face turned red as a beetroot.

"U-Um... yes! I liked her squeezing my ass. It was... firm but not a hard squeeze. When we got to the door to the lobby of my building... sh-she kissed me-which felt so good! But..."

"But what?"

"I panicked when she touched my crotch. So I gave her a quick peck... and said 'goodnight' closing the door behind me." Steven placed his face into his hands.

While you sat back in your chair, feeling defeated and disappointed for his date. "What? Steven!-"

"I-I know! I was such a fool! But she was so beautiful! And smart! And fun! I-I just... couldn't help but freeze and panic."

More like you wouldn't let me help. Marc hissed in Steven's head.

Steven frowned and muttered to himself, "what 'help' could you provide?"

Idiot! I was married! What did you think we did during that whole time? Play Monopoly?...

You took another sip from your drink, before placing it back on the table. "Oh gees man. No wonder why she ghosted you. Wait! Is that the recurring problem during your dates?."

Steven's silence and awkward smile explained everything. You leaned over the table, trying to get a little closer to him. Speaking loud enough just for both of you to hear. "Can you... y'know?"

Steven's cheeks turned even more red, "what? O-Of course I can!"

"Then what's the problem?"

A heavy sigh left him, as he leaned back in his chair. No longer smiling awkwardly, just playing with his fingers. "I... get nervous..."

More like you won't let me take over!.

"I feel like that if... I do have intimacy with someone..."

They'll enjoy it?

"That I could be too rough. And hurt them."

A sweet smile spread across your lips. "Aww, Steven. You're a complete softy. You couldn't hurt anyone, even if you wanted to."

Steven's worried gaze looked up at you. If only you knew otherwise... his sad thought wondered.

Seeing him stare off into space a little. You cleared your throat, snapping Steven back into focus, before he could get lost in his own thoughts.

"How about I help you out?"

Steven pulled a puzzled expression. "H-Help?... How?"

"Simple. We go on a pretend date and you fuck me." You boldly spoke.

His jaw met the floor. Blinking in multiple times in confusion. He even shook his head a little, to make sure he didn't daydreamed. "Wh-What? But you're my friend!"

You simply shrugged your shoulders, "yes and?..." A little sigh left you. "Steven... I can see you get a little more and more insecure, every time a chick ghosts you. You're a sweet guy, and my best friend. I don't want to keep seeing you getting hurt."

"Y/N! Really! W-We don't have to!-"

"Steven. Seriously, I don't mind it. I'm simply just being a good friend and helping you solve your problem. Unless... you don't want too."

He could feel his cheeks feel a little warm. "Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I-It's just... you're my best friend, Y/N. What if it gets a little weird between us afterwards?... or... we ugh... become no longer friends?..."

A soft chuckle left your throat, as a sweet smile spread across your lips. "There's nothing to worry about. Your performance in bed can't be that bad. How about we meet up back here tonight?"

"T-Tonight?"

"Yeah. Y'know the pretend date, I just mentioned? We'll act like we've never met- kinda like we met on Tinder or something. Does six o'clock sound good for you?"

"Y-Yes! I'll be my normal self. Normal 'date Steven'. Not the 'best-friend-I've-almost-known-my-whole-life' Steven..."

Six O'clock. Jamie's Italian.

"Act like we never met. Act like we never met." Steven repeated constantly as he rocked on his heels. Holding a bouquet of your favourite flowers, while fumbling with his tie in another.

You gotta let me out tonight.

Steven turned to his right, facing his reflection in the window. Marc stood with his arms crossed in the glass.

"No. This isn't a normal date-"

Aren't you supposed to pretend it is? Besides what's the worst that could happen?-

"That I could lose my best friend forever because of your screw up. Like you've screwed up everything else in my life.-"

Or we could have such a great time. That the soulmate we've been looking for, as been in front of us the whole time.

"That would never happen- oh sweet Jesus."

The sight of you came into his view. Steven's jaw hung open a little as he gazed at your appearance in awe. A cute red cocktail dress, outlined every curve of your silhouette. The sweetheart neckline showed off your cleavage nicely. You felt Steven's eyes wonder up and down your frame, as you sweetly smiled.

"Steven, right? Thanks for waiting. Sorry I'm late." You spoke in a warm tone.

It took him a good solid minute to find his voice again, and hand you the bouquet. "Th-These are for you!" was all that could stumble out of his mouth.

"Thank you. You remembered." You tried to hide your smile behind the bouquet, as you personally found Steven's awkwardness amusing.

He continued to rock on his heels. Only stopping and becoming as stiff as a board, when you reached out for his hand and held it in a gentle hold.

"What's wrong? A little shy?-"

"You're so fucking hot."

A confused expression wiped away your teasing smile, taken completely by surprise of Steven's sudden boldness. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling embarrassed and ashamed by Marc's sudden outburst of words.

Don't screw this up! I beg of you! Steven pleaded Marc. As he adjusted his tie and cleared his throat.

"Oh dear! Oh my! I-I don't know what came over me. I completely apologize! I-I mean... you look so beautiful..."

"Thank you?..."

It took you a moment to shake off the awkward and sudden complement from Steven. Before you allowed him to lead you into the restaurant. The waiter lead you to the table, the waiter pulled out your chair before the thought hit Steven. Tucking yourself in and with Steven following, the pair at you gazed over the menu in silence. Only talking when announcing your order and giving each other small smiles.

More moments of small talk and brief awkwardness passed, before things got better and an actual convocation was flowing between the pair of you. Topics varying from interests, work and career goals. To personal and lifestyle goals.

"I honestly didn't think I would find myself at the gift shop at a museum." Steven admitted. "I've always wanted to be a tour guide. Or work on the artifacts and display them."

"Really? I thought you just took the position cause you wanted a job." You spoke in interest. "I honestly thought your interest in Egyptian history was more of a hobby."

"Well... who else learns to read hieroglyphics?"

You raised an eyebrow, "you can read hieroglyphics?"

"Ye-Yes, is that-"

"Fascinating? Yes! I never knew that! Why didn't you ever tell me about this hidden talent?"

Steven felt himself a blush a little, "I-I thought it would bore you. Cause y'know... you sometimes say 'not to mention nerdy stuff.'"

"Yea. 'Nerdy stuff' like rambling on about forgotten Gods and how the mummies were made. But being able to read hieroglyphics? That's awesome! You, sir! Are way to qualified to work at that gift shop."

A sweet smile came to his face, "r-really? I've tried to tell that to my boss Sarah. But she keeps dismissing me. My application aren't even taken seriously whenever a new position comes up. And it frustrates me, when they hire someone new, who clearly Googled stuff on their phone before the interview.-"

"And bullshit on their resume? Babe, I've got someone exactly like that at my job. So I can completely understand where you're coming from."

Babe?... S-She called me 'babe.'

Your meals shortly arrived at your table. But you kept asking about other interests or hobbies that Steven may had, that you didn't know about.

Steven felt good- great in fact. The way everything flowed so effortlessly between the pair of you. Similar interests and goals surfacing through convocation, that you both honestly didn't know about one another. His warm and geeky smile fluttered your heart, every time you looked at him.

This... is actually more fun than I admit. An honest thought swam through your head. Maybe... we should do this again sometime...

After finishing your meal, and splitting the bill. You and Steven left the restaurant, sharing moments of laughter as you sub-constantly begun to walk back to his place. It wasn't unusual for you guys to head back to his place after meeting up, but reality dawned on Steven as he approached the lobby door.

"We're...here. At my place..."

You hugged him from behind. "Yeah. Guess we got carried away talking. Let's go inside, maybe you could warm me up."

You felt his body stiffen, as Steven's mind lingered on your last three words. Placing a hand upon his cheek you made him face you. "Steven... we don't have you to, if you don't want to."

"Trust me Y/N. I-I want to... Tonight has been so great. And I've been nothing but comfortable with you this whole time. It's just... I'm worried that I might ruin things."

You gazed into his puppy-dog eyes, "how could you ruin things?."

"I-I don't know... Just... worried. That's all..."

Pulling him closer to you. Steven held his breath as he felt your breasts push up against his chest, your free hand playing with his tie as you leaned in close. His lips quivered as both of your eyes closed, and fell into a sweet, soft kiss. You could feel his nerves through his body language. Each kiss returned was paused by a slight hesitation. His hands fixed on your hips, afraid to move anywhere else. While you played with his curly locks and tie.

As you pulled away, your hands sliding down his torso and gently holding onto his belt. A sweet smile upon your lips, as Steven smiled sheepishly while blushing.

"W-Would you like to come inside?" He nervously asked.

You answered with a simple nod. Following Steven into the lobby and walking towards the lift. As you stepped inside and he pressed the button for his floor. Steven went all stiff again, as he felt you hug his arm, your breasts gently nudging his forearm with gentle bounces, as the lift jolted from floor to floor.

"Y-You have to meet my fish, Gus" his nervous tone blurted.

The awkwardness made you laugh under your breath, "really?"

"Yeah. He's a Goldish, but has one fin. I know 'Nemo' might of been better, but he's not a Clownfish. Gotta name pets appropriately."

Again you simply nodded, and continued to smile sweetly.

By the time you both reached his flat, Steven was nothing but a bundle of nerves. His eyes wandered all over your perfectly framed form, as you walked around in your little red cocktail dress. His heartbeat drumming in his rib cage, every time you bent over his desk to get a closer look at something. His cheeks redden every time you caught him staring, but flashed him a teasing smile. As you hiked up your dress a little more, or pulling the bodice down to expose more cleavage.

For the love of Ra, she's fucking gorgeous!

Steven looked at Marc in the nearby reflection of the kettle. Y/N is right there! Flirting and being playful. And what are you doing? Standing in the middle of the kitchen like a fucking idoit!.

"She's always been gorgeous. Her lovely personality, and how she laughs. All I need is her smile to make my day-"

Then what's holding you back?

"Th-There's so much emotion and thoughts going around in my head. I-I honestly don't know what to do."

You slowly turned your attention onto Steven, as he didn't realize he spoke out loud.

Listen. We have always loved and cared about her. You were too nervous to say or do anything still now. If Y/N wasn't comfortable with this idea, she wouldn't of offered. Plus she's flirting and being teasing- literally!.

"B-But how is sex supposed to improve or change things?"

"Steven?... Are you alright?"

You're overthinking! That's it! I'm taking control!

"What? No! No, you're not!"

You pulled a puzzled expression. "Steven. It's alright. Nothing will happen unless you want it to."

"Everything will be ruined-"

Shut the fuck up! You look completely ridiculous! Let me out!

A small gasp left your mouth as Steven collapsed onto his knees, his head slightly tilted back as eyes rolled into the back of his head. You quickly approached his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Steven! Steven, are you alright?"

His body posture straightened as he knelt against the hard wooden floor. His eyes fluttered open and slightly shaking his head. His gaze met your worried expression.

"I'm sorry" Marc spoke, trying his best to mimic Steven's voice. "I guess the alcohol went straight to my head.-"

"We don't have to do anything. I'll go home, there's nothing wrong in that-"

"Trust me. Letting you leave would be a deep regret. You're so lovely and ravishing right now, I honestly can't control myself. A... part of me, is so concerned that everything between us would be ruined. That it... 'overrides' the part of me that wants to just simply fuck you and make you mine. And I don't just mean tonight."

Again the sudden boldness' caught you off guard. You gazed at Marc, blinking in multiple times in confusion. He swivelled around on his knees to face you, making it easier for him to cup your face.

"May I kiss you?" Marc asked.

This time it was your turn to blush a little. As you nuzzled against his nose a little. "You said you wanted to make me yours right?" your sweet voice teased.

Marc gently pulled you a little closer. "If we start... I might not be able to control myself."

You sweetly bit his lower lip, "are you going to make me yours, or not Steven?"...

#moonknight x reader #steven grant x reader #fanfic #x fem reader #x reader #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #gardens light #moon knight #steven grant #moonknight

[jasleh]

FFxivWrite2022 Prompt 13: Confluence

Confluence - A flowing together of two or more streams of time

character: Rrahna time period: post-6.2 (mid-Pandaemonium) (idk about anyone else but I need part 3 right now immediately)

...

What resentments Rrahna had about having to deal with a new dire threat (and one that her past self could arguably have handled) had long faded by her second trip to Pandaemonium. For one, familiars - no matter how unusual - just didn't face the sorts of expectations that the Warrior of Light did, which was really rather refreshing. More importantly, however, she had quite quickly come to value the time spent with Erichthonios. She liked the determined young man. Quite a lot, in fact. When he had stormed off shortly after his father's appearance (His... second appearance. Rrahna had been all too willing to believe the first one to be the real thing, as he was more like the Lahabrea she knew than the one who had shown up after. All too willing to believe the worst of him as well, between her own experiences and what she had heard of Erich's.) Rrahna was happy to follow after and lend a sympathetic ear. She could not blame him for his desire to know Hephaistos's plan, or for his grief over his mother's death. Indeed, she understood him far better than anyone else here ever could, although she could not say so. Familiars didn't have parents. That was hard to remember around Erich though... he had never treated her like a familiar. Once his agitation changed down to calm determination, she stepped close to him smiling. She raised her hand and rested it lightly against the front of his shoulder, so that her thumb could brush the skin of his chest where the collar of his robe exposed it. "I admire yer determination," she said, then suddenly remembered her role in this time and place and stepped back, embarrassed. "Ah, but that be no sort of behavior for a familiar, do it." Erichthonios too looked rather flustered. "I ah... it's... surprisingly easy to forget you're a familiar, despite your odd appearance and thin aether." "Hmm." Rrahna cocked her head at him with a considering look. "Then mayhaps... I can get away with just a bit more. I do no expect I'll get another chance." So saying, she stepped forwards again and quickly brushed her lips gently against his. She had not expected him to kiss her back... but he did. When they split apart some moments later, Rrahna looked down and cleared her throat. Unable to meet his eyes, she fussed with his robe as if the collar needed straightening. She hoped she wasn't blushing, but there was nothing she could do about the way her ears twitched. "Well... we'd best be gettin' back. Important things to be doin' and all." "Yes. They're... they're waiting for us." His voice also sounded a touch strained. ... So many things happened after that one private moment - so many horrible truths that came out. Rrahna grudgingly had to admit that, while he would never be winning any Father of the Year awards, Lahabrea was not as bad as she'd been willing to believe. She even began to regret that his final end had been so undignified. Athena, on the other hand, had been far worse than she ever could have imagined. She doubted, however, that Lahabrea would destroy the crystal as he promised. No, from what she had heard and seen of Athena's research, she strongly suspected that the forbidden knowledge in that crystal had something to do with how he, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch had escaped the Sundering. It had certainly shaped how they had lived their lives after that. No, that knowledge had been reclaimed, and shared with the rest of the sundered Convocation. She said nothing about it, however. The Lahabrea she could have confronted about such a thing had died some time ago. As she had suspected, she never got another chance to speak with Erichthonios alone... but that was probably for the best. After so many horrible things had been kept from him 'for his own good', how could she hide one more? And yet what cruelty to tell him. No, far better for him to use his remaining time trying to connect with his father. And with things all tied up here, she did not expect she would return again, except perhaps to show the strange crystal to Lahabrea as Erich had suggested. How odd to think that she would someday go to Lahabrea of all people for answers. But it was a good suggestion. Her own curiosity demanded it, and the scholars who had found the crystal would want answers as well. But when she returned to the Sundered present, the crystal was gone along with the head researcher. The news gave her a chill, and suddenly many of the off-hand things his assistants had said of him started to take on a much more sinister light, if only in her own mind, because it all sounded... very familiar. Be he a shard of Athena? A baseless theory perhaps, there was no guarantee a shared soul meant a similar person, or so many people had told her. Amon even seemed proof of that, to a degree. Still, with her experiences on the First and in Elpis, Rrahna suspected that even after rebirth, people's lives tended to rhyme. A soul personality, as G'raha had put it once. Take her and Ardbert, for instance - different people, but very similar deep down, and both much in accordance with their Unsundered progenitor by all accounts. She didn't have long to ruminate on such thoughts, however, as the two research assistants brought her down to the Aitiascope to investigate a surge of aether detected in the aetherial sea. The moment the elevator door opened, Rrahna pushed past the scholars, an impossible sight meeting her eyes. Pandaemonium. As she stared up at the unmistakable dark spires, she could think of only one thing - was Erich in there? Had he somehow escaped the Final Days and the Sundering both? If Pandaemonium had been cast into the Rift somehow... time did not move in the Rift.

#FFxiv #FFxivWrite2022 #miqo'te #Rrahna #presenting my less embarrassing Rrahna ship

[lailoken]

‘Concerning the Holy Altar’

“Wayfarer, be True in thy Devotion! For such is the Holy Passion of Art, and an active, rather than a passive purity. All sorcerous power arises by compact of spirit-intercession, and this covenant is bound by love and devotion. This is the Great Congressus, or Convocation of the Powers and Orders of the Spirit World, which has been called 'The Sabbath' by the Wise of Art. And yet, in preparation for this Feast of Souls, one must also be wholly devoted unto the Grove of its transpiration, and unto the ever wending Path which leads to its Heart Direct. Here then, is the place of Arrival, where the Holy Deeds of Magic are exacted, and the Spirits come forth and speak from the Temple of Wood. The Shrine of Working is the living repository of the Wayfarer's Art, the concealed shrine of the place of working, and the sanctum of the Holy Relics. As the Table of Midnight's Feast, the Altar is the place of devotion and petition, but more importantly of communion with the spirits. Thus let the Working Table be set resplendent in sumptuous preparation for the attending host, or yet barren, in respectful accordance with the spare doctrines of the Hermit.

When calling forth the spirits beneath the open sky, let the Laws of the Land determine the form of the Holy Altar. The Wayfarer proceeding unto the temple of the Wild need worship, pray and make offerings only at such good places as Nature provides: a flat-topped boulder, a smooth expanse of ground amidst the hedgerow; a moss-covered log; a hillock in a ring of trees; the varied niches and hollows appearing in a cliff face. Such places are revealed by the Spirits of Place in accord with their favour: these are the Holy Altars of the Greenwood, the grottoes of the nymphs, and the shrines of local genii. Elsewise, when devotions are made within the habitations of man, let the domiciliary Table of Working be wrought of the wood of thy Patron Tree, sacrificed according to good principle, and fashioned accordance with necessity, ingenium, and the guidance of the spirits.

When working upon the wooden table of the private shrine, let a precious anointing oil be first applied in Benediction, made from the blessed unguents of Four Holy Trees, and each time thereafter in devotional compact. The first tree is Almond, Hearth of the Powers of Aaron, the oil of which shall form the base of the unguent in eight parts. To this is added Oil of Cedar of Lebanon, in six parts; Oil of Olibanum in two parts; and Oil of Myrtle in one part.”

—

Viridarium Umbris:

The Pleasure Garden of Shadow

6: ‘The Book of Going Forth Into the Field of Cain’

by Daniel A. Schulke

#viridarium umbris #daniel a. schulke #traditional withcraft #witchcraft #grimoire #sabbatic witchcraft #sabbatic tradition #cultus sabbati #sabbatic craft #altar

[robynmarkius]

Language Differences

So I have a bit of a long ramble, which involves Spoilers for the end of 5.3; obviously. Some of it’s already out there as I replied on mobile while half asleep, but it led to talking to the lovely @shiro-from-cafeberry​ about the German text. (Once again, thank you so much! I enjoy talking to you! :D <3 I have discovered I have even more questions for you to help with. lol) I then bothered my friend and co-writer @xehniscreations​ about French and she said it’d be a good practice to shake off the rust. (She ended up translating the whole ending scene for practice! <33 lol )

This all started because I am married to a man who has a degree in Linguistics and a simple questioning of one line/part led to hours of jokes and discussions. Which then turned into me putting my game client into two languages that I don’t speak a word of just to see what a character said... XD And! And! Learning a few other things along the way. I’ve been having so much fun with this and I hope you all can too. Plopping a cut here so as not to completely destroy anyone still trying to avoid Spoilers... or those who want to prepare some tissues. lol

I have cried a lot in the process of this entire Translation, and keep crying. lol As long as this post/translator ramble got, I made sure to post the ‘screenshot comic’, “Remnant” [as its own post] for the sake of focus. That was the scene that started this trip down the rabbit hole, after all. xD

After three days of editing this post, I decided to split it, so that this was just the ending scene. There’s flashbacks I also covered, but this was getting extremely long and I realize that I had not asked Shiro about the first flashback at all! So I still have things to finish and more to talk about before I have more.

For now, though, let’s talk!

Part One: Elidibus’ Explanation

The lines in question came from when Elidibus picked up the crystals, then told us he heard the voices of despair/cries and lamentations of his friends. After which there’s a slightly awkward explanation about how there were lots of opinions and thoughts about the world/star, which led to Elidibus pulling himself free of Zodiark in order to help his friends. It bothered Hubs because it felt kinda “clunky”; he explained:

“I think it’s because of a general norm of Japanese society we hear so much about. That it’s important to have a consensus and not to stir up trouble or stick out too much; which is how that part kind of reads. Your direct Translation is fine. I just feel like the localization team just kinda gave up when they wrote the English version. They could have give a little more context on it when they wrote it. Instead, what happens is, it feels out of place and awkward where it is. It also doesn’t give the context of when Elidibus freed himself from Zodiark. Is there any context that says that wasn’t when Hydaelyn shattered the star into the reflections or Shards?”

Putting aside his question about when Elidibus actually separated from Zodiark for now; as that’s a whole ‘nother discussion that’s rather interesting; I finally understood what he meant by my Translation felt clunky. It was accurate to a “direct translation” versus a “localization”. I re-translated the whole part just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, and made sure that the final lines I wrote in English still made sense. lol

First, I wanted to note the differences in terms; in case I slip when putting this together. ^^; The literal translation of 「十四人委員会」 would be "Fourteen-person Committee"; but in the context of FF14, (at least in English,) we call it the "Convocation of Fourteen", so I try to stick with that for final translations. What makes anything with the Ancients more difficult, is that they're not speaking a language that we can immediately understand, but rather making sounds that our Echo/超える力/l'Écho/Kraft des Transzendierens interprets into words we/the WoL/WoD can understand. The downside is lack of clarification for actual translation if you don't fluently read or speak another language. lol

For example, when Elidibus speaks, we hear the words spoken, so if there's a kanji that's said more than one way, I can hear which definition is correct by listening to the sentence. But the Ancients' "woop woop wop wah wahp woo" is harder to interpret... but, at least it's the same in every language, right? XD For German, they have “The Convent”, and French has “The Council of Fourteen”.

Second, in English, we called him “The Emissary”, which is another term for “Mediator; Arbitrator; Go-Between” which is the definition of the term 調停者 [shouteisha] , his Japanese title. When translating from German, Shiro used the term “The Advocate”. His French title is “le Médiateur” His role seems to be the same, at least, he settled disputes, found the facts, kept things in check, and generally maintained balance. That was the seat of Elidibus; which is necessary to understand why he said what he said about being needed. (Those titles come from the first flashback as well as the second one; which I’ll get to in the next post. <3 )

The English lines that started this conversation are: “Divided -- over the fate of the star. A rare occurrence, always fleeting. But not this time. Not this time... Reconciliation. Elidibus. I was needed. I withdrew myself from Zodiark. For them...”

Japanese: 世界の行く末について、たくさんの意見が出た…… そんなことは珍しいから、委員会のみんなが悩んでいた。

だったら、エリディブスが手助けしに行かないと…… そう思って、ゾディアークから零れ落ちたんだ。

Final Translation: (after edits and all this discussion) "A great many opinions were expressed regarding the fate of the world, Everyone in the Convocation was troubled, since such a thing was unusual.

That being the case, I could not go help them in my role as Emissary. I believed that they needed Elidibus, so I pulled myself from Zodiark.”

In French, from Xehnis: "Le Concile avait perdu sa cohésion...Face à l’anéantissement, les avis divergeaient sur la marche à suivre pour sauver notre planéte…

Ça ne leur ressemblait pas...Plus que jamais, ils avaient besoin d’Elidibus...Ils avaient besoin de moi...Alors, je me suis détaché de Zordiarche pour voler à leur secours…”

Her final translation: “The Council had lost its cohesion...In the face of annihilation, opinions differed on the way to save our planet…

It does not resemble them...more than ever, they needed Elidibus...they needed me....so, I detached from Zordiark to fly to their aid…”

The German lines, from Cafe Berry’s Shiro, along with the explanations: "Die Zukunft der Welt hing in der Schwebe und Chaos machte sich breit. Die Ascians waren zutiefst gespalten. Der Konvent uneins..."

Here, they are talking about how the Ascians, and most importantly, the convent is divided. How the future of the world was not clear and with that chaos spread.

"Elidibus, der Fürsprecher, musste etwas tun. Ich musste etwas tun. Und so spaltete ich mich wieder von Zodiark ab ..."

Here, Elidibus says that Elidibus, as the Emissary, had to do something. HE had to do something. So he split off from Zodiark.

Their translation they gave me then, was: "The future of the world hung in the balance and chaos spread. The Ascians were deeply divided. The convent divided ...

Elidibus, the advocate, had to do something. I had to do something. And so I split off from Zodiark again ... "

This was the part that my husband had called into question; with my original translation to:

"Many opinions and thoughts came forth, regarding the fate of our world.... The Convocation was worried, as such a thing was unusual."

世界の行く末について、たくさんの意見が出た…… そんなことは珍しいから、委員会のみんなが悩んでいた。

The literal translation of it all, would be: "The world's future/fate concerning/regarding, a great many/a lot (of) comments were brought up/expressed......

such thing(s) are/is curious/rare/unusual because/since, committee of everyone("Everyone on the Committee") (was/were actively being) troubled/worried.”

There was also the lines that followed, which were also rough to word in English, so the whole section had felt awkward.

だったら、エリディブスが手助けしに行かないと…… そう思って、ゾディアークから零れ落ちたんだ。

“if that's the case, Elidibus (from) assistance (as/in the role of) to go/to do (could not),

so/appearing that/seeming that considered/believed/reckoned/judged/decided/desired, Zodiark (from) spilled over/scattered from (n'da - 'no desu' / 'no da' used to add emphasis)"

I had tried: "I decided that they needed Elidibus, but as I was I couldn't help them, so I pulled myself away from Zodiark.

Which was another way to put the idea of: "That being the case, Elidibus could not go rescue/help, I believed, then spilled and fell over/scattered from Zodiark."

It ended up: "A great many thoughts and opinions were expressed regarding the fate of the world, Everyone on the Committee was troubled, since such a thing was unusual.If that was the case, I could not give them assistance in the role of Arbitrator. I believed that they needed Elidibus, so I fell/scattered from Zodiark."

In the end, for this part, it really helped to learn what was said in French and German, because it helped solidify more what was trying to be said, and that there probably is at least a little societal influence in the Japanese text. If it hadn’t been for Xehnis and Shiro’s assistance, I probably wouldn’t have landed on something that felt comfortable enough in English. <3

They all feel different, but have the same general idea: that even after Zodiark was summoned; and Elidibus became his Heart; things hadn’t been fixed. Things continued to grow worse, and they began to fight, and have conflict. As Arbitrator/Emissary/Advocate/Mediator, Elidibus’ job was to maintain balance, and settle disputes, but he could no longer do the job of his seat as the Heart of Zodiark, and it seemed to be destroying the Convocation; making things worse; so he yanked himself out of a Primal to go tell everyone to SIMMER DOWN, NOW.

Sidenote/Side Question here... I wonder what happened with Venat and Hydaelyn...? Perhaps we’ll get clarification in the future, as the only person who’s become/been anything like Elidibus has been Minfilia as the ‘Words of the Mother’, then sent off as an “Emissary” of sorts to the First. lol

This all led to wondering about the last line; as it was clearly different in the Japanese Audio than the English Text. I do want to state that I think what they did in English worked just as well for the emotional gut punch intended from Elidibus’ last words; but it’s very different. It did lead to looking at the flashback in Anemnesis Anyder where we heard the line about the rain, which will be in the next post.

English: “The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day. But you are not here to see it.”

Japanese: 私が最後に残ったって……仕方ないじゃないか……。 Translation: “There’s nothing for it then, is there? I’m the last one left...”

French: Je devais partir en dernier... Comment aurais-je pu abandonner mes amis, esseulés en ce bas monde? Translation: “I had to leave last...how could I abandon (forsake) my friends, lonely in this lowly world?”

German: Es ist vorbei ... Alles verloren ... Ich bin der Letzte ... Translation: "It is over. Everything lost... I am the last..."

Japanese can also be read as “I’m the last one left... I guess it can’t be helped, huh?” but even in context, it didn’t flow quite as well as I’d like.. but that doesn’t take away from the crying, does it... ; A; I got the term “Remnant” from Japanese, where “watashi ga saigo ni nokotta tte” would literally translate to “I’m the final remnant”/”I’m the last leftover”, which I did word as “I’m the last one remaining/left.” (It is also 'Sumo term, cried by the referee to indicate that a rikishi is still in the ring’, but that didn’t quite feel right here, however, you can take the sumo joke if you’d like. <3)

I’m going to repeat that I think referring back to the line he was told back when he’d gotten the title of Elidibus wasn’t bad, and it did still work very well to convey that lost, lonely, longing he was left with as a remnant; what little was left of him, lamented the loss of his beloved people; people that he’d just wanted to save. This is evidenced in French and German; where he states that he’s all that’s left, everything is lost, it is over... that he had to go last, so he wouldn’t abandon his friends.

I appreciate that we gave Elidibus all the constellation stones, which, in a way, let him finally be with all of his friends once more. All the stones, except for ours; we kept that, because Hades made it for us. He made it for us to remember, so that the story of the Ancients wouldn’t be forgotten; the ‘truth’ he made sure he told us when we asked about the past.

At least, that’s what I choose to believe for now.

[Next Post >>]

#ffxiv #language #comparison #differences #translation #translator ramble #more like discussion #discussion #thanks #english #japanese #french #german #deutsche #français #日本語 #shiro-from-cafeberry #xehniscreations #robynmarkius #large images #image heavy #spoilers #obviously #5.3 spoilers #ffxiv 5.3 spoilers #patch 5.3 spoilers #angel lockhart #azem #elidibus

[enter-fandom]

The Long Road (part 3)

Fandom: The Hobbit Pairing: Thorin x Reader Rating: General Warnings: General, Canon Compliant Violence Theme: N/A Request: N/A Words: 999 Status: Part 3 (read part 2 HERE)

Notes: And this will take us to the end of the first movie. To the Carrock. A little shorter than previous parts, but hopefully holds up. Also, I hated Thorin losing his shield in the movies, so I fixed that YAY!

The goblins were even worse in person. You’d debated avoiding the cave, but you were tired, the ring was important, and most importantly, you hated heights. Being off the narrow pass, even for only a moment’s reprieve seemed like a blessing, despite what you knew would follow. Nothing could have prepared you for the reality, however. Not only were the creatures ugly, they stank. The stench was nea-rly too much, and you longed briefly for a good old t-shirt to cover your nose and mouth to at the very least filter some of it from the air. You barely managed not to gag, as you were shuffled along to reach their King.

If he could even be called that. He was nothing compared to the majesty of Thorin. Your fingers dug into Kili’s back where he stood before you, searching for your balance and something to focus on that wasn’t the long drop that awaited you. Your stomach lurched, and you knew you must be pale, but you kept your gaze straight ahead over Kili’s shoulder to Thorin’s back, letting their strength in your sight and touch ground you.

At least goblins were poor fighters. You found yourself caught in the battle,  your sword cut through their flesh, tasting blood for the first time, and you ran, following the Company as they moved along the walkways, looking for escape. Thank the Valar for Gandalf. You were no longer able to touch anyone, but adrenaline kept you moving, kept you focused. It didn’t allow for distractions as the others moved around you, hacking and slashing until you heard Thorin call, “Cut the ropes!” Dread clutched you even as the current threat fell away and you moved to the next, a constant flurry of motion. A goblin blade made contact with the leather at your side and you cursed, shoving them away and removing the head before continuing down and deep. The lower you went, the safer you felt, until you were trapped once more. The Goblin King taunted, and Gandalf took him down, the portion of bridge you were on collapsing, taking you with it, only slowed by surrounding obstacles. You moved along them carefully as you fell, making your way from the rubble with Gandalf before the body of the king fell upon the rest of the Company. You caught your breath, moving quickly toward the exit, breathing deep as you stumbled into daylight and trees. Your heart sank as you remembered what came next, glancing around as the Dwarves and Gandalf followed you.

The wizard counted you off, frowning when he noticed they were one short,  and you glanced back the way you came,  barely catching the sight of dirt and grass moving beneath invisible feet.  Good. He'd done it.  Your gaze moved to Thorin as the he accused Bilbo of deserting, mentally counting down until the Hobbit appeared,  knowing where to watch to see the ring drop into his pocket.   He countered Thorin's words, though his eyes darted to you as well, including you in the displaced, and you gave him a small smile, sheathing your sword for a moment and waiting for the tell-tale sound of wargs in the distance. More climbing, more heights. You stayed as low as safety would allow, gripping tight as the trees began to fall, crashing into one another and leaving you all stranded on just the one. “Don’t be a hero, Thorin,” you muttered, as he moved to do just that, his actions urging both you and Bilbo to follow, along with what members of the Company could manage.

You just needed to delay.  That was all,  delay.  You couldn't contain your cry as Thorin fell,  struggling with your own enemy as you tried to get closer, pride swelling as Bilbo knocked the orc away, glancing to the sky,  “The Eagles!” Your eyes moved to Thorin again,  and you rushed toward him,  shoving your way to grab his shield and sword, driven by a memory that felt almost hazy. “You'll need these,” you murmured to his still form, before stealing your courage and running off the cliffs edge.  

The wind left your lungs as your frame collided with the Eagle's back, and your eyes closed,  arms wrapping securely as the convocation flew away, toward the Carrock. Your lips moved,  murmuring songs to keep calm,  glad when the motions stopped and you were able to remove yourself from the creature,  giving a low bow, “My thanks to you and Gwaihir.” The Eagle gave a bow of his own before taking to the air,  leaving you to join the circle of the company,  looking on at their fallen King.

“Come on,  Thorin.”

When he spoke finally, you smiled,  allowing his kinsmen to help him stand, his attention fully on Bilbo for the moment. “You. What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed.  Did I not say that you would be a burden - that you would not survive in the wild?” As Thorin advanced, and Bilbo looked justifiably scared,  you bit back a relieved chuckle, earning a couple glances from those nearest you.

“I have never been so wrong in all my life,” you whispered the words as Thorin spoke them to Bilbo, the Dwarf wrapping the Hobbit in a tight hold, lingering before turning back to the company, eyes finding yours, “And you.”

Your head tilted and you stepped forward, offering him his sword and shield,  “Yes, my King?”

“You fought…” his words filtered off as he took stock of your injuries, a frown creasing his features. “You fought well.” He took his arms belongings, putting them away with a sigh. Turning back to Bilbo,  he added,  “I'm sorry for underestimating you.”

You covered your mouth, and moved gently past them, mouthing along to the exchange as you gazed out at the mountain in the distance, the view much like the picture on your phone. Erebor. There was still danger along the way, but you would face it at their side.

#the hobbit #reader insert #multiple parts #part 3 #female reader #eventually thorinxreader #thorin #Thorin Oakenshield #thorin and company

[bongaboi]

Appalachian State: 2021 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

Ken Davis sat in his living room on Monday, watching Appalachian State on its way to a title.

The men’s basketball team clinched its first Sun Belt Conference championship, and more importantly, the first NCAA Tournament berth for the program in 21 years and only the third in the school’s history.

His phone started to buzz with 15 minutes remaining in the game, and he looked down to find himself in a group text. The starter of the chat? Bobby Cremins, the former Mountaineers head coach under whom Davis served as a student manager.

“You talk about memories flooding,” Davis, 64, said.

That was the case for many Mountaineers fans, from the moment App State beat Georgia State, 80-73, to cap a stretch of four wins in four days that included two overtime victories. The championship came after a regular season in which App State lost six of its last seven games.

Naturally, some fans harkened back to the school’s previous NCAA trips.

Cremins led App State to its first, a Southern Conference championship year during the 1978-79 season. Davis, who graduated from App State in 1980 and earned his master’s the following year, ultimately followed Cremins to Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant.

Davis said he looks at the game with a coach’s eye. And he said on that front, there’s no way the Mountaineers should be here. But he saw a team that played harder than their opponents, a trait that can carry a team at the right time. He drew similarities between Cremins’ team and this one. For starters, a short bench that leaned heavily on a few – for example, four players played 34 minutes or more in the Sun Belt title game – but it was also the way the team just wore down Georgia State.

““I relate what Coach (Dustin) Kerns is doing to what Coach Cremins did back in the ‘70s,” Davis said. “They have bought into his system. And when players buy into a system, and they believe in that coach and that system, they’re going to perform.

“So I would say, yeah, I’m surprised, but I’m not surprised because of how they reacted and adjusted to his system.”

Trevor Owens hopped into the App State fan base at the right time. A student from 1997 to 2003, he saw three 20-win seasons. He saw the program move from Varsity Gym, in the center of campus, to its current home at Holmes Convocation Center in 2000. That stretch hooked him.

“I just remember trying to keep my balance at Varsity Gym because those bleachers were rocking because they were so excited about their basketball team back in the day,” Owens, 41, said.

The App State program saw other bright spots, but for the better part of the 2010s, it remained stuck. The Mountaineers had one winning season during that stretch, a 16-15 season in 2010-11. Owens called the results and sparse crowds disappointing, especially with the intense passion he saw during his time at the university.

That changed with Kerns, hired in April 2019. He authored a winning season, 18-15, last year before this season’s 17-11 campaign. Two years of progress have helped a program overcome nearly a decade of struggles. And the season included struggles, too: a COVID-19 pause stopped the Mountaineers during conference play for two-plus weeks.

The team traveled back to Boone on Tuesday, welcomed back into by a socially distanced gathered. That followed a night on which fans took to King Street and celebrated. David Jackson said he could hear fireworks in his neighborhood the moment the game ended, lasting for roughly 20 minutes.

Jackson’s perspective on this moment is unique. The play-by-play voice of the Mountaineers from 2000 to 2016, he’s now the president/CEO of the Boone Chamber of Commerce.

This is going to bring national exposure to App State and Boone. And any positive attention, he said, is wonderful during a time where a pandemic is still ongoing.

But it’s also the next installment of special memories for a fan base. Students, those who celebrated in the streets last night and the fans that have populated home games, have a new high point. One that, like the other two berths in the Big Dance, will resonate.

“I remember everything — I’m serious,” Jackson said. “I remember everything because that’s what these moments do.

“They make you soak it all in and pay attention to little details because of the magnitude of it all.”

#2021 #college basketball #appalachian state #march madness #sun belt conference

[y0ngxiang]

A thought on 2020.

It started with us knowing about the corona virus. After which, I went on my first ever trip on cruise. It was a spectacular eye opening experience. I never liked cruise until I went for one. It really changed my perspective on it. During the cruise, I even brought my computer to work on my assignments. However, I didn’t manage to complete any work as there were so many events in the cruise lined up for us and I couldn’t focus on my assignments too.

Then the lockdown came for Singapore. Businesses had to adhere to the strict regulations. My dad’s business got affected by the lockdown. So we have to apply with the government in order to operate our business. We were given twice per week to do our deliveries. Luckily this was just for 3 months, our business was slightly affected. Sales went down but eventually we manage to climb back up again. It showed me that survival is more important than scaling in this unprecedented times.

During this lockdown, I went back to play RuneScape with my friend together. It was fun trying to level our character and complete the quest. Soon, I was captivated by the gameplay and carried on for 6 months until I was bored again. I haven’t felt so satisfied achieving the tiny milestones in the game before. It showed me that small achievements can satisfy a hungry heart.

Lockdown was fun for me, we get to have pizza, and takeout food. Most importantly, I completed my final year project with a bunch of good team mates who covered each and everyone’s back.

Lockdown was also the time where I sort of “graduate” from university as the convocation is 2021. From then, I decided to work for my dad and help him with his business.

With so many things to be happy about, there were also a few things that didn’t go as plan. One night as I was helping my friend with her work, I received a bad news that my cousin passed away. That hit me real hard and I questioned myself on the purpose to live.

I also saw the members of my CG one by one distancing away from Church. It was really devastating and sometimes I have questions about why they left. There must be a reason why people carried out a certain decision in life. I sought help but I came to my conclusion is that they have their own choice and I can’t control and have a say in their decision.

Also, my anxiety came back to haunt me. With so much stress and pressure around me, I couldn’t take it. Sometimes my chest hurts to the point that I thought I could have passed on any moment. These were the times I prayed so hard to God and asked Him to show me a way. He spoke into my heart by the sermons or through the sharing of my friends.

Lastly, I ended the year well with helping my friend spark of a venture and the beginning of my mini business selling chocolates. Even though it’s tough, I still want to give my best in whatever I do. That’s all for a yearly report. Thanks for reading.

[fairfieldthinkspace]

Meet Fairfield University’s School of Engineering Dean Andres Leonardo Carrano, PhD

Photo: Andres L. Carrano, PhD.

A few weeks into his new role as dean of the School of Engineering, Andres L. Carrano, PhD introduced himself to the Fairfield University community in an interview with Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87 of the Marketing & Communications Department. Their conversation covered everything from the new dean’s first impressions of Stag country to how he spends his time when he’s not working in a lab, classroom, or office.

You took on your new role as dean of Fairfield’s School of Engineering in the midst of a pandemic and the same week that Tropical Storm Isaias roared into town – quite a welcome! What was that like?

Indeed, it has been a very interesting experience to say the least – almost surreal in a way. With the ongoing pandemic, the safety our students, faculty, and staff has been my main concern since day one. But having just relocated from Savannah, Georgia, (and having previously lived in Auburn, Alabama) where hurricanes and tornadoes make regular appearances, I found it ironic that one of each kind welcomed me in my first week here at Fairfield. Despite my unusual start, and perhaps because of it, I have received tremendous support and understanding from all units and people across campus and that has made my onboarding that much easier!

Given the current coronavirus-related restrictions on campus, how have you been able to meet and connect with engineering students since the semester began? How are they doing?

This pandemic hit us at a time when videoconferencing technologies are mature enough that we can enjoy some degree of freedom in how we design our interactions. For example, we conducted our first-year convocation and open houses mainly via Zoom. As the Dean’s Office works from several locations in order to reduce staff density, we communicate via Teams and other tools. Within the circumstances, generally speaking, the students are appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to be on campus and have some in-person classes.  

What excites you the most about becoming dean of Fairfield’s School of Engineering at this time? What do you most look forward to in your first year?

I was very attracted to the immense potential of this School, the superb location in the Northeast Corridor, the beautiful campus and facilities, as well as the Jesuit pedagogical approach and values, all of which makes us a very unique program in the country. During the first year, I look forward to spreading the word and increasing awareness so that Fairfield Engineering becomes well-known outside the Northeast. I am also very excited about the launches of our newest master’s programs in cybersecurity, data science, and entrepreneurship & technology (coming soon), as well as our renewed focus on biomedical engineering.

What are the biggest challenges facing the School of Engineering?

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge right now is to conduct our instruction and research activities in a safe manner. Some of the day-to-day activities we always took for granted are our biggest challenges – for example, conducting socially distanced manufacturing lab sessions where instructor proximity is needed for safety reasons.

You received your BS in industrial engineering from Universidad Católica Andres Bello, the oldest, largest Jesuit university in Venezuela. How has your undergraduate Jesuit education prepared you for your current position at Fairfield?

My undergraduate Jesuit education has prepared me not just for my current position but for life. I often mentioned that it took me more than 25 years to connect the dots and realize the profound impact that my Jesuit formation has had on me. Also, a little-known fact is that I am part of a multi-generational, Jesuit-educated family: my father and all my siblings attended and graduated from Jesuit institutions. Now my daughter is also attending one.

With regard to my preparation, I think engineering programs at Jesuit institutions are very special programs. I say this because, in my opinion, the principles of discernment, social justice, and others take a special meaning in our profession. They are also more challenging to incorporate into a very packed, accreditation-constrained, technical curriculum.

Having said that, engineering has had one of the most significant roles in the advancement of human living standards throughout the course of history. From the technologies behind the procurement of clean water from far distances, the power systems that move everything, the electrification of cities, all the way to the ice cube in your drink — that you sip while you open an app on your phone to place a purchase. I firmly believe that graduating engineers with a deep sense and awareness of social and humanitarian issues is paramount to remediating some of them. I have a tremendous amount of faith in these younger generations of engineers who, if equipped with the right tools and armed with the right motivations, will accomplish things we could not even dream of.      

What do you see as the biggest advantages to studying engineering at a university with a liberal humanistic approach to education?

I believe that a solid liberal arts foundation is fundamental for engineers, as it is for most other disciplines. In fact, it pains me to see the trend in some other engineering programs around the country to remove liberal arts content and become much more specialized in a technical discipline. While this may maximize short term proficiency, technologies become obsolete within months (if not sooner) and we cannot anticipate the technical preparation that someone might need to tackle problems 10 or 20 years from now. Rather, we can focus on forming the best professional engineers, who in addition to a solid technical education, possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, are able to solve problems in teams of people from a variety of backgrounds, and have a profound situational awareness and emotional intelligence. Perhaps more importantly, our engineers will be mindful of the larger issues, including social justice, environmental problems, etc. Because of this, our engineers are always poised to become effective leaders everywhere they go. We cannot achieve this unless we have a more holistic approach in the engineering curriculum and that involves a comprehensive liberal arts foundation.

As an industrial/mechanical engineer in an increasingly virtual software-controlled world, how important is hands-on, experiential learning across engineering disciplines?

Experiential learning is crucial in engineering as it has been demonstrated countless times that the longest knowledge retention occurs when performing the activity or, in other words, learning by doing. Furthermore, engineering is based on problem solving and design skills and both are best understood through tactile (in the broadest sense) experiences. At Fairfield Engineering, we pride ourselves on incorporating experiential learning throughout the curriculum through ample laboratory opportunities, hands-on class projects, internship with local industry and other. We also have extracurricular opportunities in which hands-on learning occurs, such as the many clubs (including the Baja racing team, Engineers Without Borders, Biomedical Engineering Society, etc.) international service trips, and our professional development/leadership series. Finally, and because you mentioned computers and software, there are wonderful opportunities to provide experiential learning through these – including digital simulations among others.

Your bio includes an impressive range of engineering scholarship. Can you tell us a bit about any research or other projects you have recently finished or are currently working on?

With my former research group (the 3D Printed Biosurfaces Lab), we just published the results of a study that showed how a very cool 3D-printed complex sphere (that we modeled mathematically to optimize the surface area) could be used as biofilter media to clean wastewater much more efficiently than commercial products. Well, technically speaking, by cleaning wastewater, I mean converting ammonia nitrogen and producing nitrates. It combines many of the basic sciences (biology, chemistry, math) to engineer a better water-processing system – the kind of stuff NASA and the likes might be interested in!      

Beyond professional accomplishments, what does Andres Carrano like to do when not on campus?

On a daily basis, I am pretty much a homebody who likes to spend time with my family. I also have two large dogs who take a good chunk of my time. On the hobby side of things, I like to watch European soccer, eat out at the many wonderful ethnic hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the Bridgeport/Fairfield/New Haven area, and love international travel that takes me off the beaten path.  

#Andres Leonardo Carrano PhD #Fairfield University School of Engineering #3D Printed Biosurfaces Lab #Jesuit Educated #Universidad Católica #Engineers Without Borders

[restless-in-paris]

Getting back to Paris: A how-to guide for Indian interns becoming Salariés

Hello dear readers!

It’s been more than a year since I last wrote on this blog. But finally, one of my most long-awaited dreams has come true. I HAVE FINALLY MOVED TO PARIS. This time, for an indefinite period. My friends and family know how eagerly, desperately and patiently (sometimes, not so patiently) I have waited for this. So here’s to another chapter of blogging, and a new chapter, heck, a new VOLUME of my life. But before we get into it, I’d like to take advantage of this blog post to briefly explain all the work that went into making this happen. I will try to keep this post detailed yet succinct (and hopefully avoid emotional outbursts on the way).

The objective of this post is to make life easier, for all the folks who might find themselves in a similar situation as me. The situation being - you are a student, just about to graduate, and you’ve been offered a job in France - so do you think you can be a salarié? If you’re in a similar situation, this is what it took to work it out.

Remember, this process is NOT for those who have done a masters in France - there are different steps that need to be followed for that, often shorter and slightly easier.

At the beginning of every step, I am also mentioning the month to give you an idea of how long every milestone in this process roughly takes. Also keep in mind, that all of this is from the perspective of the employee-to-be.  There might be steps that I might have not known about simply because it was my employer who took care of it. Having declared this disclaimer, here goes nothing.

Step 0: The proposal - July, 2018

So the first thing you need to have to move to France as a full time worker is, duh, a job offer. A lot of people get their jobs after completing their masters in France, and there are already a lot of resources explaining how that works, so I wouldn’t be getting into that. In my case, I was an Indian student, who was at the end of his Bachelors Program at NID, India and finishing up his graduation project internship at a French design studio. At the end of this internship, after a couple of conversations and discussions, I was offered a full-time job at the studio. I got an official mail from my boss, explaining the details of the offer. And boy, oh boy, was I excited. But hold on, this isn’t even the beginning.

Step 1: Hello Pôle emploi - September 2018

After I confirmed my acceptance of the offer to my studio, the first thing we had to do was - wait for it - put up the job offer on Pôle Emploi. This is the national governmental organisation that helps people find jobs in France. We learned that an internship (stagiaire) visa (the one that I was on during my internship) CAN NOT be directly converted into a SALARIÉ visa (the one you need to legally work in France). And thus began the process of getting a Salarié visa. The first step in this - to be done by the employer - is to put up an ad on pôle emploi with the exact same offer that has been proposed to the foreign employee. In my case, my employer prepared and put up this ad in September, 2018. This mandatory administrative step is to ensure that French employers give top priority to French nationals when looking to hire. Which makes sense, any country in the world would want that. Anyhoo. So, your employer has to prepare an ad for Pole Emploi and post it on their site. They might receive applications in response to this ad which they should be able to turn down - if they REALLY REALLY want you. This ad needs to be up on the Pole Emploi website for a certain period - 2-3 months as far as I remember.

Once the ad period is over, and your employer has not received or accepted any responses to the ad, you can move on to the next step.

Step 2: DIRECCTE, mon amour - December 2018/January 2019

Towards December, it was time to take the ad off the Pôle Emploi website and start preparing the application to the DIRECCTE - the French Labour authority. Using the Pole Emploi ad reference as proof, that they couldn’t find a suitable candidate in France, your employer now needs to prepare an application by including the following documents:

1. Pole Emploi Ad reference

2. The proposed work contract using this form - also available through the service-public.fr website : https://www.service-public.fr/professionnels-entreprises/vosdroits/F22782

https://www.formulaires.modernisation.gouv.fr/gf/cerfa_15187.do

3. Your CV

4. Proof of your educational qualifications - since I had not yet had my convocation ceremony, I did not have my actual, final degree. So we had to make do with a provisional certificate from my college instead - stating that I had completed all the requirements for my graduation and that I would be graduating in January 2019. As it turns out, this provisional certificate was enough proof.

5. Scanned copy of your Passport

6. Scanned copy of any previous French visas you may have had

With the above documents, your employer needs to prepare a dossier that is to be submitted to the concerned local department of DIRECCTE. In my case, this was DIRECCTE Île-de-France. The dossier was submitted to them on 15th January, 2019.

Step 3: Wait - January-May 2019

Once the dossier has been submitted to the DIRECCTE you need to wait. And just wait some more. The official minimum waiting period to receive a response from the DIRECCTE on your dossier is 2 months. But, life never plays out according to plan. During this waiting period, once the two months have passed and in case the DIRECCTE has not replied, it is HIGHLY recommended that the HR person in your company keeps checking up on the DIRECCTE via email, telephone, arranging an in-person rendez-vous, whatever means possible. French administration is notoriously slow and unresponsive and you/your employer need to be actively engaged and push them if you want to make this happen. In my case, the first time we heard back from the DIRECCTE after the submission of the dossier, and after several phone calls and email to the DIRECCTE, was in May, 2019.

The response we got was that, the application has been denied in its current state - because the candidate is overqualified for the remuneration being offered to him. Basically, this was DIRECCTE’s way of saying that, if you want this application to be accepted, you need to increase the salary you’re offering. I had a back-and-forth with my boss regarding this, and, thank the lord and bless my boss’s angelic soul, he was ready to rewrite the contract and increase the salary offered. And also, importantly, this delay in the process meant that we also had to shift the tentative starting date of the job. What was earlier scheduled to be in May, was now shifted to September. (BTW, if you’re very anxious and at the same point in the process, and want to find out the salary amount that finally got the application through, send me a DM, I’d be happy to help with that info)

Now that the contract was edited with the changed salary and starting date, it was time to submit it back to the DIRECCTE.

Step 4: Wait some more - May-June 2019

Now that the ball was back in the DIRECCTE’s court, it was time to wait again. And just in case you’re wondering, during this wait period, I had taken up a job at another company in India - because, well - you need money to live. You can’t just wait like a princess in a castle and do nothing until prince charming arrives. You gotta get up on the terrace of the castle and start a damn terrace garden to feed yourself honey.

Anyhoo, getting back to the process, the rewritten contract was submitted again to the DIRECCTE. We waited for 2 more months. My incredibly patient and highly dedicated studio manager kept sending mails and phone calls and even visiting DIRECCTE in person to make sure the dossier gets reviewed on time. And then finally, oh blessed be that day, my employer received a mail containing the cerfa_15187 form that was submitted earlier, STAMPED and SIGNED by the DIRECCTE official, declaring that the employer had obtained a permit to hire a non-european foreign employee for the period declared in the proposed work contract. Phew...

Step 5: Get your documents together - June-July 2019

Now that the DIRECCTE has granted the work permit to your employer, you can heave a huge sigh of relief. And once you’re done heaving, pull up your organisational socks cause now the administrative ball is in your (employee’s) court, baby :p

Following the reception of the granted work contract, my employer sent me a scanned copy of the same. At this point, the third french governmental organisation involved in this employment immigration juggernaut comes into play - the OFII. After the DIRECCTE acccepts the application and grants the employer a work permit, it forwards the dossier to the local OFII. The local OFII office verifies the dossier and once it is done, they forward it to the nearest French embassy/consulate in the country where the candidate resides. It takes about two-three weeks, between the reception of the work permit by the DIRECCTE to receiving another letter from the OFII stating that the dossier has been forwarded to the embassy/consulate. In my case, my employer got the DIRECCTE letter on 12th June, and the OFII letter on 11th July.

Oh, and of course, it goes without saying - your employer needs to keep politely bugging OFII and DIRECCTE via email - to make sure that the process keeps moving. A week after the reception of the DIRECCTE letter, my HR manager sent a mail to the OFII asking them about the status of the dossier and whether it had been forwarded to the Mumbai consulate or not. The next day she got a mail confirming that it had been forwarded to the Mumbai Consulate. Once your employer has received the OFII confirmation letter, ask them to send you a scanned copy of the following: 1) Autorisation de travail stamped by the DIRECCTE 2) Letter from the OFII confirming the forwarding of the autorisation de travail to the consulate in India 3) A promesse d’embauche including all the necessary details such as type of contract, your name, DOB, nationality, number of hours, remuneration proposed etc.

Step 6: VFS application - August 2019

Still with me? great. Now this is the final lap of the marathon, where you need to collect all the documents from your employer’s side, create some from your own, and submit everything in a neatly packaged application to the French consulate in your city in India via the VFS. These are the things you need to get in place to submit your Salarié visa application to the consulate in India: 1. Flight tickets to France 2. Accommodation Proof - a rental lease, attestation de logement at a student residence, etc. (for first 3 months at least) 3. Travel Health Insurance 4. Promesse d’embauche (from the employer) 5. Scanned copy of the DIRECCTE approved Autorisation de Travail (Cerfa 15187*02) 6. Scanned copy of the OFII letter received by your employer 7. Any last visas you have received for France 8. Your CV, copies of qualification proofs (Degrees, Diplomas etc.) 9. A covering letter explaining your reason, motif for the VISA application. 10. An active passport (duh), valid for the next year. 11. A printout of your visa application generated from France Visas portal 12. Two passport size photos as per EU visa photo requirements

Arranging all of this could take up to a couple of months, so submit your resignation papers to the company you’re currently working at (if that is the case) accordingly. And also take this into consideration while fixing your appointment on the VFS portal. Also, since you’ll be fililng out your visa application on the France Visas website portal, you’ll be needing some of the info from the documents mentioned above, such as the accommodation address details etc. So ideally, the best thing to do is:

1. Figure out accommodation as soon as your employer has received the autorisation du travail from the DIRECCTE 2. Ask your employer to send you scanned copies of the autorisation du travail, a promesse d’embauche (ask them to make one if they haven’t yet) 3. Start and submit your application on the France Visas portal once your accommodation is finalised, you can use details from this and your promesse d’embauche to fill out details regarding your address and means of sustenance in France. 4. Figure out all the other documents mentioned in the list above. 5. Once you have all the docs in place, you can take an appointment with the VFS to submit your application accordingly.

Step 7: Submit, wait, pray, get ready and pack your bags.

With all the documents mentioned above neatly arranged in a folder, turn up well in advance for your appointment at the VFS. Submit your documents, pay your application fee and make sure to take a receipt of the payment from them and keep it carefully. Also make sure you give them an active email address/phone number so that you can keep track of your application status. From the day of your application submission to the reception of your passport, it should take between 1-2 weeks. I submitted my application at the VFS Mumbai on 29th July and was granted the Visa on 5th August. _____________________________________________________________ In conclusion, these were all the steps and formalities I completed and the process I followed, to lead up to a successful visa application that was granted in the end. Granted it’s kind of an ambiguous process and there are so many factors to consider, and thus I cannot guarantee if the exact same process/documentation would apply in every case, but if your case is similar to mine, this is what it took. Although it was an enormous amount of admin effort, both on my company’s and my side, it was SOOOOOO worth it. Hopefully this is one of those rare boring, admin related blog posts I have to write, and I look forward to sharing some blissful, learning-filled and joyful moments from my new life here, in my soul city. À bientôt. :)

[phynxrizng]

EVERYDAY SACRED LIVING WITH KIMBERLY F. MOORE

June New Moon in Cancer Divination – Finding Your Flow

JUNE 22, 2017

Source, By KIMBERLY MOORE

The moon is NEW at 10:21pm on Friday, June 23, 2017. The Super Moon is home in watery Cancer, expressing at once the feminine wisdom of the Great Goddess and our own emotions with the moon, the Mother, the watery womb of our birth. This moon and lunation is a time to feel the feels and dive deep into the depths of our emotional experiences.

What nourishes you? Where are you supported? How is your heart? And, perhaps most importantly, where are you not nourished and supported?

Cancer represents the oceans that humanity began in and the waters of the wombs that brought us here. Cancer knows that water holds memory. Cancer knows that each tear shed can be a release of the past. Cancer knows the importance of understanding our genesis in order to consciously and compassionately create our present. ~ Chani Nicholas

We may find in this lunation that we are drawn more to family, calming activities and practices, with a craving for comforts of the heart. And couch time with ice cream. This is not the BOOM of the last Full Moon (also a Super Moon), but a sweeter and gentler cycle which is good, because I still have an existential Full Moon hangover.

Our beloved trickster, Mercury, is only a few degrees from the New Moon and generously (and positively) influencing our communications and collaborations. Remain open to receiving messages from within and without in the next few weeks. All the cosmic convocations right now bring a fertile time for psychic and inner journey work.

The lunar is combining with the solar with celebration of Midsummer, the Summer Solstice. New beginnings, opportunities to reset and branch into new directions are palpable right now, especially influenced with a close New Moon. The seeds and intentions that are your focal point this week will have far-reaching effects throughout the rest of the year! Choose wisely and be very clear. Emotions can affect the clarity of our intentions. Take a deep breath and roll with our two very potent Mama Goddesses!

“A Woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.” ~Maya Angelou

Ways to sync to this New Moon:

Spend time dipping into the waters of Mnemosyne Goddess Remembrance) – share family stories, gather pictures from the past, and light a candle to your Ancestors Take a dip – a relaxing bath, swims in a pool, or head to the ocean, river, lake, pond. Connect with the Goddesses of Sacred Waters.

Use divination to inspire journaling or vision board activities for personal intention setting Give and receive oracle and tarot readings with your friends Guided meditations to Goddess, Guardians, and Allies – gather your Spirit Guides for a wisdom download Gentle yoga sequences that stretch and heal Clean your sacred space and create an Altar of Intention for the second half of the year Random acts of kindness and compassion, to your Self and others

Record your dreams for symbols and messages I can safely say that our key word for the New Moon and the next few weeks is floooooooooooooow. Lakshmi and Kuan Yin, paired with the Fountain card, immerse us in sacred waters which cleanse AND renew.

Take the time to float, dream, and connect in the waters of Goddess; you are safe.

Lakshmi throws the spell of the intoxicating sweetness of the divine; to be close to her is a profound happiness and to feel her within the heart is to make existence a rapture and a marvel; grace and charm and tenderness flow out from her like light from the sun and wherever she fixes her wonderful gaze or lets fall the loveliness of her smile, the soul is seized and made captive and plunged into the depths of an unfathomable bliss.  Shri Aurobindo – The Mother

Embodied within the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi is everything that makes life sweet and wonderful.  She is success, prosperity, beauty, fertility, the luster of life that invigorates us and propels us forward in joy and happiness.  Shri Lakshmi is every form and expression of goodness in the Universe and if she were to turn her gorgeous face from us, the world would die.

The place of Lakshmi’s essence, where she and Vishnu retreat, is to the Ocean of Milk. It is also the source of Amrita, the nectar of immortal life. Lakshmi as Sri is auspiciousness. In Lakshmi, we see the Shakti that embodies the vitality of life and the ability to preserve, sustain it (making note here that Vishnu, her consort, is also called the Sustainer, the Preserver through her Shakti powers).

She is the water of life ~ the nectar of the heart. In the material world, she is beauty and light, flowing waters, and blooming flowers. One of her many names is Kamala – lotus – which represents the female yoni and spiritual transformation. She is almost always depicted seated on a lotus or holding lotuses.

During this New Moon, meditate on your flow. How do you define prosperity? Can you see the obstacles to achieving prosperity as you define it? Gratitude is vital to working harmoniously with Lakshmi. She will not remain where there is pride, arrogance, greed or harshness. Unlike Durga, she will not ride into battle; she will simply withdraw and take her blessings with her.

As you ponder flowwwwww in your life, also consider collaborations and partnerships that may be of benefit. This Cancer Moon with Mercury’s influence could be auspicious for uniting forces!

This Cancer New Moon invites us to seek refuge in the healing of the Great Mother, to float supported on the waves of her love. Is there a safer refuge than in the heart of Kuan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World?

Kwan Yin is the calm in the storm, a beacon to the needy, the Mother who bends gracefully and willingly to respond to the fears of her children. She also can embody fierce compassion as she wields the sword to cut through delusion and expose the truth. She is sometimes depicted calmly riding a dragon through a raging sea. Sailors have reported seeing her in this form during storms when they thought they were sure to perish. Kwan Yin calmed the waves and saved them.

For this lunation, I invite you to calm your own personal storms through the grace of Kuan Yin. To seek refuge and sanctuary with this Bodhisattva who embodies kindness, compassion, and peace. Her Chinese Mantra, NAMO GUAN-SHIH-YIN PUSA, lends itself to petitioning that refuge …

NAMO   (I call upon or take refuge in)

GUAN-SHIH-YIN   (Kwan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World)

PUSA  (bodhisattva)

As you sink into Kuan Yin, allow release to happen. Let it Go as the card advises. She cleanses us, purifies us, and then refills us with unconditional love of the highest vibration. What needs to be released? How may you surrender to the healing power of Goddess and the influence of this Moon? There is no need to suffer, to wrap yourself in pain, when the promise of Kuan Yin as Bodhisattva can ease you and carry you for a bit. Open your heart to be renewed.

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” ~ Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

The Fountain Card from the Moon Oracle brings us back to our lunar themes … flow. sacred waters. womb wisdom. nourishment. sustenance. renewal. emotional experience.

Water is our origin, our physical and spiritual essence. The tides of our feminine selves renews and restores all in time with the Moon, in time with the tides across the whole of Gaia. We are literally pulled by the Moon into glorious, magickal sync.

Can you feel the fountain welling up inside of you? The messages of origin written in the waves of your soul? The renewal of your wisdom wellspring sourced to Goddess and your woman magick? And do you re-member that all of this is available to you in each moment, each breath, all just for you? Be the vessel of primordial sacred wisdom and pour forth as a fountain!

Wishing you the blessings of flow and the Goddesses of Sacred Waters!

xo Kimberly

New Moon Ideas and Resources:

Craft your own New Moon Ceremony using this ritual.

Join with friends and Sister Tribe to divine and support each other in journey work!

Crystals to sync with the element of Water: amber, ammonite, angelite, aquamarine, aragonite, bloodstone, blue calcite, blue chalcedony, calcite, celestite, charoite, chrysoprase, dolemite, elestial quartz, emerald, fluorite, green aventurine, green calcite, howlite,labradorite, larimar, leopardskin jasper, lepidolite, mookaite jasper, moonstone, muscovite, opal, orange calcite, pink calcite, pink tourmaline, record-keeper quartz, rhodocrosite, rose quartz, selenite rose, selenite, shell fossil, snowflake obsidian, stilbite (Contact me for a custom crystal pack)

Check out all of the new goodies at Red Wholistic – Sprays and crystals!

Lakshmi and Quan Yin are both from Archangel Oracle by Doreen Virtue

The Fountain – The Moon Oracle by Caroline Smith

Cosmic resources:

Astrology Update from Mary on MotherHouse of the Goddess

Audrey Alison (who uses Tarot and Astrology).

Chani Nicholas Horoscopes

 Please Share: Tweet   More Filed Under: Astrology, Cosmic and Lunar, Divine Feminine, Goddess, Goddess Card Readings, Myth & Magick, New Moon Reader Interactions Leave a Reply  Primary Sidebar  Shakti is my source, my creative font, wellspring of renewal, and my jam. She gives me 16 extra arms to juggle my multi-passionate ventures and infuses my heart with fierce devotion. The question "what do you do" has always given me pause, so this site is the answer of all my iterations, … read more about About Kimberly F. Moore  POPULAR

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[pressed-words]

Ive made a huge mistake

I believe doing dugs was the best and worst thing to do to myself. I ruined my body, my mental health my relationships my education my past.. I maybe ruined my perception of reality and how to function with society but I also think my perception is where its meant to be, but thats my perception.. Even tho it makes day to day observations and awareness of reality very difficult for myself. I sit here now writing this and feel filled with too much regret about how I got to this moment, and anger about feeling regret as well. Its a very confusing and conflicting box to be in.

I know how pointless it is to wonder, and how too late it is to even imagine how things would have been if id never taken the path i had.. It’s natural to not want to accept things could (definetly) have been better, I also believe with that I as a human being couldn’t have been worse if i hadn’t chosen this path.

Sure I have no friends and all of my relationships with people has destructed into ashes and my health could certainly be better… hah.. But just looking back to high school or when i was 18 I had no clue how to be a person or how to behave and know what is and is not ok to allow yourself to go threw in an all life aspect. I was a creature trapped in someones hands. It literally shocks me looking back to who I was, and who I found now. I let myself get into so many bullshit situations just existing and copping so much crap for no reason, none. Just because I didnt know I could speak out or leave or protect myself at all let alone with any confidence by my side.. So In a huge way drugs helped me find my way out threw the cracks so I could see things for what they really are and see that i’ve got wings of my own.

Yeah the wind still dragged me with its flow but i became aware if what i was doing and what comes with it, most importantly i was self aware that i can look after myself in bad situations..

I often wonder if id be somewhere other then here with out drugs but i know that if i was id not be conscious so i wouldnt be truly happy, more like ignorance is bliss kind of happy.. I might even still be self harming or starving myself on purpose in some ridicules cycle that drugs helped me escape. Not going to tell myself that drugs and where i am sitting and what i am feeling this second has made doing drugs so worth it, and im the happiest mentally but i know in my gut that im in a better place then i would be if i were sober for those 7 years. I always believe my gut. Its kept me safe for this long.

Ive started my O.P equivalent at uni to advance myself, I’m choosing to be sober for as long as i possibly can. Accepting that little lapses are expected and i can enjoy it as long as i get back on my path straight after and not to chase. (Ive only lapsed for 2 days on 2cb, k & shrooms in 3 ½ months) Im lonely as fuck but choosing to be to avoid distractions from uni and self growth. Tho a balance would be nice and some stimulating convocation but choosers cant be beggars.

My prime focus is to graduate and grow my hair. Also join yoga. But stay sober.

#drugs #personal #long reads #long hair #recovery #addiction #self love #awareness #growth

[tiredassmage]

Would your character play the role of villain if it meant doing the right thing? & What is your muse’s opinion about the Elementals and the Greenwrath?

Shay has spent a lot of time casting himself in a villainous enough light that this question would feel more like an old friend coming for a visit. He absolutely would, without hesitation, and has few qualms over to what lengths he might have to reach, how much blood he might need to get on his hands in the process.

This dates as far back as Amaurot for him, when he was known as Ares. And, for context, a little bit on him and Iris - who, in Shay’s life, is, of course, Airi (belonging once again to my lovely friend @eden-azalea). Iris had an incredible aptitude for magic and was, in a lot of ways, someone you’d describe as the embodiment of sunshine - warm, kind, brilliant, but not very strong, physically. In contrast, Ares was dramatic, prideful, calculating, and, occasionally, rather brooding, and often, rather blunt. While not wholly magically uninclined himself, his might was far more physical, so the Convocation appointed him as her guard to help her fulfill her duties. They clashed a lot at first, being what some would call rather polar opposites, but, as one might also say... opposites did end up attracting. And Ares developed and fierce and rather singular loyalty to her - damn the world and damn the Convocation, if he must, and it was all the stronger as the Final Days loomed before them.

So, he promised her: no matter how far, no matter how split, no matter how many lives they would live and shed - he would not forsake her.

Unless it kept her alive. Helped her fulfill her destiny, her duty.

Shay began recalling fragmented memories and feelings of that time and those lives long, long ago as far back as their clashes against Igeyorhm and Lahabrea, and, by the time they entered the First, was fully aware of his own identity and capabilities as Ares - all but an Ascian in all but name and, most importantly, loyalty. Knowing full-well what such a revelation might mean for her and the Scions, and valuing Airi being able to recognize Iris herself, he concealed this knowledge all the way up until their final confrontation with Hades, where he finally simply couldn’t resist Hades’s own invitation to cast aside false pretenses and masks - and he felt fulling embracing Ares in the confrontation would yield their strongest chance at victory. Thus could he no longer hide the rather obvious mask and transformations, and he didn’t try to.

Airi held a blade to his throat and demanded Shay’s freedom, and he said there was no freedom taken - this was who he, they were. Ares. Shay. And they would follow her until their final breath. That was their cause. His.

But he left the choice up to her. Asked her to do what she felt was right. She could take his life, she could ask him to leave, or he could stay. It would have hurt to leave her, would have hurt to make her believe he betrayed her, but he did not hesitate then, and he would not hesitate now, or in some theoretical future scenario. They’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she lives and she can carry out her duties, her hope. She was, after all, always the better idealist of the two of them.

As for the elementals and the Greenwrath, Shay has... something of a distaste for the whole idea - mostly on the grounds that he’s got plenty enough judging him already without some fanciful tales about sins and wraths of the forest. Considering he spent several years based in Gridania given its close proximity to Coerthas, however, I’m sure it’s something he rather begrudgingly accepted into his life, if only so everyone would stop harassing him about it. He would have somewhat despised being basically coerced into rituals and dances and would be more likely to stubbornly insist he can handle himself against a few vengeful beasts, but he also has plenty of experience with people set so deeply and wholly into tradition that they’d rather sink on that very boat than catch a well-meaning rescuing ferry coming out of the likes of Ishgard. There’s still probably a part of him that thinks it’s still all rather blown out of proportion, though it doesn’t mean he has no respect for the natural balance of things... even if that’s what it may translate to for someone that was forest-born.

As for Astor, I think, ultimately, he would play the role if he genuinely thought it was the best course - the way for the best outcome, but he’d be far more hesitant about it than someone like Shay. And he’d struggle far more with its implications. Astor’s an incredibly bleeding heart that has a far harder time closing himself off and, ultimately, he really is driven by his heart. The agony of betraying friends, allies, companions even in a ~false way or for the greater good would likely eat away at him, and he’d have far more reservations about what all such a role might entail. Astor’s already pretty conscious that he’s only called a hero because he’s on the “winning” side - because that’s what everyone chooses to believe about him. Everyone regales in the story of fighting off the XIVth Legion’s invasion of Eorzea or purging the Garleans out of Ala Mhigo and Doma, but the stories don’t talk about how many lives that took from the other side - many of them likely conscripts from other lands invaded and taken. Being the Warrior of Light has put enough blood on his hands as it is, no matter how the minstrels and accolades may dress it up.

But as difficult as it may be to live with, it’d be perhaps just as difficult to endure if he didn’t try whatever path it may take to secure that better tomorrow. It’s what everyone expects him to do, after all, right..?

And, in a sense, the question of the elementals and the Greenwrath may play something of a scenario related to the first question - just perhaps on a smaller scale than Astor has grown used to seeing things after... y’know, the fate of the world has been on his shoulders for so long...

I like to personally believe Astor is strong enough in white magic to have capabilities on level with the Hearers, and, in quieter times, the whispers of the wood were comforting to him in that sort of way that’s difficult to describe to someone else. The whisper of wind through the leaves, the subtle song of a river over rock - the hum of life that permeates every ilm of the forest felt like home. It was another layer to the boughs of the Black Shroud reminding him of growing up beneath the shade of the Chocobo Forest outside of Tailfeather.

But it is something he has tried to consciously distance himself from over the years, and not just because he made a return to wielding astrology as his preferred magical class. It’s because he knows how delicate the barrier between intention and communication can be when dealing with beings so sensitive as the elementals. Astor’s been through a lot as the Warrior of Light, and it’s understandably left him more jaded; there’s times when he’s felt deep anger and despair, and that too easily may be misread and miscommunicated in such channels. I think there’s times where he misses it - the way it used to comfort him, and the way he remembers it as being before... everything that’s happened, that’s entirely and irreversibly changed his life and who he is.

Astor believes strongly in that natural balance, both in physical nature and in magic, in aether. It’s why the plight of Ardbert and his companions left such a profound impact on him even back in Heavensward. It made him think long and hard on the implications of their actions. If they continued to strive for this good, this Light... then what was stopping them from hurtling towards a future like that which they described? Was it truly for the best they strived for this peace..? Or did the world need some of this conflict they were fighting against? Was at least a touch of chaos just... the natural state..?

Questions he still has rattling around his head to this day. Hydaelyn, he’d really like some answers. Please.

Answered from the MSQ-related asks

#ffxiv ocs #answered #dot talk #ch: shay delacroix #ch: ares #ch: astor caulfield

[jadeisgazingtbyss]

Nature 426, 389 (27 November 2003); doi:10.1038/426389a

Scientist: Four golden lessons

STEVEN WEINBERG

Steven Weinberg is in the Department of Physics, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas 78712, USA. This essay is based on a commencement talk given by the author at the Science Convocation at McGill University in June 2003.

When I received my undergraduate degree - about a hundred years ago - the physics literature seemed to me a vast, unexplored ocean, every part of which I had to chart before beginning any research of my own. How could I do anything without knowing everything that had already been done? Fortunately, in my first year of graduate school, I had the good luck to fall into the hands of senior physicists who insisted, over my anxious objections, that I must start doing research, and pick up what I needed to know as I went along. It was sink or swim. To my surprise, I found that this works. I managed to get a quick PhD - though when I got it I knew almost nothing about physics. But I did learn one big thing: that no one knows everything, and you don’t have to.

Another lesson to be learned, to continue using my oceanographic metaphor, is that while you are swimming and not sinking you should aim for rough water. When I was teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1960s, a student told me that he wanted to go into general relativity rather than the area I was working on, elementary particle physics, because the principles of the former were well known, while the latter seemed like a mess to him. It struck me that he had just given a perfectly good reason for doing the opposite. Particle physics was an area where creative work could still be done. It really was a mess in the 1960s, but since that time the work of many theoretical and experimental physicists has been able to sort it out, and put everything (well, almost everything) together in a beautiful theory known as the standard model. My advice is to go for the messes - that’s where the action is.

My third piece of advice is probably the hardest to take. It is to forgive yourself for wasting time. Students are only asked to solve problems that their professors (unless unusually cruel) know to be solvable. In addition, it doesn’t matter if the problems are scientifically important - they have to be solved to pass the course. But in the real world, it’s very hard to know which problems are important, and you never know whether at a given moment in history a problem is solvable. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several leading physicists, including Lorentz and Abraham, were trying to work out a theory of the electron. This was partly in order to understand why all attempts to detect effects of Earth’s motion through the ether had failed. We now know that they were working on the wrong problem. At that time, no one could have developed a successful theory of the electron, because quantum mechanics had not yet been discovered. It took the genius of Albert Einstein in 1905 to realize that the right problem on which to work was the effect of motion on measurements of space and time. This led him to the special theory of relativity. As you will never be sure which are the right problems to work on, most of the time that you spend in the laboratory or at your desk will be wasted. If you want to be creative, then you will have to get used to spending most of your time not being creative, to being becalmed on the ocean of scientific knowledge.

Finally, learn something about the history of science, or at a minimum the history of your own branch of science. The least important reason for this is that the history may actually be of some use to you in your own scientific work. For instance, now and then scientists are hampered by believing one of the over-simplified models of science that have been proposed by philosophers from Francis

Bacon to Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper. The best antidote to the philosophy of science is a knowledge of the history of science.

More importantly, the history of science can make your work seem more worthwhile to you. As a scientist, you’re probably not going to get rich. Your friends and relatives probably won’t understand what you’re doing. And if you work in a field like elementary particle physics, you won’t even have the satisfaction of doing something that is immediately useful. But you can get great satisfaction by recognizing that your work in science is a part of history.

Look back 100 years, to 1903. How important is it now who was Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1903, or President of the United States? What stands out as really important is that at McGill University, Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy were working out the nature of radioactivity. This work (of course!) had practical applications, but much more important were its cultural implications. The understanding of radioactivity allowed physicists to explain how the Sun and Earth’s cores could still be hot after millions of years. In this way, it removed the last scientific objection to what many geologists and paleontologists thought was the great age of the Earth and the Sun. After this, Christians and Jews either had to give up belief in the literal truth of the Bible or resign themselves to intellectual irrelevance. This was just one step in a sequence of steps from Galileo through Newton and Darwin to the present that, time after time, has weakened the hold of religious dogmatism. Reading any newspaper nowadays is enough to show you that this work is not yet complete. But it is civilizing work, of which scientists are able to feel proud.

© 2003 Nature Publishing Group Privacy Policy

[ecotone99]

[FN] Howl in the Night - A SpellForce Short Story

For a more visually pleasing version, you can read the story on DeviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/wormic/art/Howl-in-the-Night-A-SpellForce-Short-Story-793074138

The cold wind was blowing against the tall stone towers. A wolf's howling could be heard on the outskirts of the fields surrounding the city. Faint, but still strong enough to fill the hearts of local farmers with fear. It wasn't a common occurrence, but the occasional slaughter instrumented by the surrounding packs was enough to make sure no one dared to leave the safety of their homes at night – at least not unarmed.

The dim moonlight lit the white mountain stone as the urban lights began to fade out. Another day in Greyfell was slowly nearing its end.

Although still called the human capital of Nortander by some, the city was nothing more than a pale shadow of its former self. Like the rest of Eo, Greyfell couldn't escape the horrors and destruction that the Convocation had caused. Seven years ago, on that dreaded day, the call of the thirteen awoke the elements, and for a few hours, for the first time in 500 years, the city was completely silent. Once the dust had settled down, the survivors were left with a dreadful image of the once divine looking municipality. The crown at its peak, the Greykeep, had been completely eradicated, swallowed by the primal Elements and devoured by the colossal waves slamming against the island's cliffs and shores. The only parts that managed to escape total annihilation were the city’s lower district and its farmland – Greyfell, once the pride of the North, had been reduced to rubble.

Seven years have passed since then, and new life began to prosper. The people rebuilt, the trade continued, and the man solely responsible for its fruition stood atop its walls, alone and in deep thought. The silver-layered moonlight shining though his grey hair as he observed the distance with a melancholic gaze on his face. Rohen let out a deep sigh filled with a sense of accomplishment, but also regret. After the Convocation had ended, and the drums of war had gone silent, he embarked on journey, a quest seeking redemption. The once powerful mage took it upon himself to rebuild what had been broken – what he had broken.

More than five hundred years ago, on the initiative of the former queen of Nortander Ayelith, descendant of the ancient Hybernian Empire, a group of Eo’s thirteen most powerful mages joined forces to form a group destined to stop evil and injustice, and to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity – The Circle.

The Circle initially upheld their vows and Eo entered a golden age where all the races lived together in harmony. However, after mastering the power of the Allfire, the members of the Circle became greedy. Having discovered a hidden scroll detailing how to obtain god-like power, the Circle turned on their own brethren. For decades, they worked havoc upon Eo. Armies of man, beast, demon and undead ravaged the land, killing thousands upon thousands of innocents – the Circle cared not, for they were blinded by their greed, poised to be the one to make this world their dominion.

He was one of them. Rohen was there from the beginning all the way until the bitter end.

When the day on which the prophecy was to be fulfilled had come, they called upon the Elements which had been banished away ages ago by Aonir, the Allfather – none of them were able to force them to submit.

The Elements were free once again. They devastated Eo, rendering the once great continents to islands, and turning its once blue seas into plains of death. For one day and one night this continued. The sky became black with ash and fire rained from the clouds. The ground spat out living fire and showed the world the meaning of fear. Once the shadow had passed, the Elements were banished once more and forced back into the depths of Eo from which they had come forth.

Only few managed to take shelter by the Godstones. Protected by Aonir’s power, they repelled the Elements and prevented complete annihilation.

The Circle had been deceived, lured into a long-forgotten trap set by the Fial Darg. Their lust for power blinded them, and ultimately, became their downfall.

“I knew I would find you here once you returned from your journey.” – Sartarius said in a deep calm voice that echoed behind him.

Rohen was too immersed in his thought to react straight away.

Having noticed his absence, Sartarius followed up. – “Are you still thinking about it?”

He continued walking up the pathway leading onto the city walls, stopping as soon as he reached him. Sartarius placed a hand on Rohen’s shoulder and continued: “It has been six years already. You will have to let it go at some point. The people have forgiven you for what had happened.”

Rohen closed his eyes and finally broke his silence: “People forgive, but they do not forget – I know that better than most.”

Satarius lifted his hand from his shoulder and Rohen continued: “How dumb we’ve been. The most powerful on Eo tricked by a piece of writing. What I would give to undo it all…” “You are putting all of this burden on your shoulders. It wasn’t your fault alone, and you have done more than enough to make up for it since then.”

After the Elements had destroyed Eo, Rohen took it upon himself to rebuild it. He embarked on a six-year long quest to make the word whole again, traveling from land to land, island to island and connecting them again by building portals. He didn’t differentiate between the races of light and darkness, between races and creatures. And he accomplished his goal. Rohen may have taken part in Eo’s destruction but was now hailed as its sole rebuilder. However, not everyone was able to so readily forget his past.

“Dark clouds are rising on the horizon, my old friend. I’m beginning to get worried.” – Rohen turned around and exclaimed.

“Worried? You, a Circle Mage?” – Sartarius glanced at him confusingly – “Why even? The years after the wars have been calm. Bandits give us trouble occasionally, but better than anyone could have hoped for.”

“That is what’s worrying me, my friend. Erecting the portals has drained me of a lot of my power, and loot after the war is plentiful. Don’t you think it is unusual that no one is trying to benefit from this?”

“Aye, a bit unusual indeed.” Sartarius said and promptly followed with “But that is why you created our Order.” The Order Sartarius spoke of was the Order of Dawn - Rohen’s first creation after the wars. A neutral fraternity raised on the ashes of Greykeep with its sole purpose being to help Eo rebuild.

“I must be overthinking it, you are right.” Rohen said a bit reluctantly, but eventually agreed. “Ha-ha” Sartarius laughed “You might be ten times as old as me my friend, but the years of war and intrigues have surely taken their toll on you. On all of us, in fact.”

“I am the architect of my own destruction, Sartarius. I have neither wars nor intrigues to blame for it.” – He quickly followed it up – “But enough about my past. Tell me about the Order’s endeavors.”

Rohen smiled with a friendly look in his eyes as he spoke. The Order was his finest creation and he took great pride in its work. It was hard to dispute its influence in the new world, and at its head sat Sartarius, appointed the Order’s master by Rohen himself. A fitting role for an old captain of the Wolf’s guard.

Before the Convocation had happened, Rohen and Sartarius met in the busy halls of Greykeep, discussing plans and regularly being heard arguing. And although their views often collided on multiple fronts, the two quickly took a liking to each other. Perhaps because Sartarius’ calm and reasonable nature contrasted Rohen’s greed which he had developed after the Allfire started coursing through his veins. What ever it may have been, Rohen hadn’t wasted any time thinking about who to bestow the crucial role upon. And thus far, Sartarius has proven to be more than capable of bearing the title of the Order’s headmaster.

“It has been quiet in the halls of the Order.” – was Sartarius’ answer. “We are gaining members by the hour. Frankly, I am amazed by the will the people here have left in them after all that had happened.” “The people of Nortander always had this quality about them.” – Rohen quickly interrupted but signalled that he may continue by giving him a small nod with his head.

“Aye.” – Sartarius agreed – “That being said, we still have a lot of work to do. How are the other nations managing for the time being? The Highmark, and the races on Urgath and Xu?”

“They are faring well, still adjusting to this new way of life.” – Rohen said with a hint of pride in his voice. They both paused for a moment, then Sartarius added. “I have been thinking about gradually expanding the Order. We cannot hope to achieve what we’ve set out to do if we confine ourselves to just Nortander- and even so, our reach barely goes beyond the Wildland. While you were gone, I’ve given myself the liberty to establish further outposts, most notable in Greydusk Vale – we’ve gotten some… unsettling reports regarding the Darklands…” Rohen agreed. From the very start, it had been his wish for the Order to expand, but the lack of resources, and more importantly, the lack of time proved to be a hindrance.

Sartarius continued his voice: “We’ve made further plans to establish a branch of the Order in Sevenkeeps and one in Empyria. Should the circumstances remain as they are, we were hoping to progress within the next couple of moons.”

“Bold choice, but I am uncertain on how king Ulf would react to such a proposal. Ever since I’ve known him, he has been a patriot, one that is very reluctant to accept help to boot.”

“I cannot hurt to try.” Rohen got interrupted by Sartarius. “What about emperor Magnus Arias? Do you think our plans would be more fruitful in Empyria?”

“Perhaps. Empyria could always use additional support. Although the stubbornness of the people of Xu is not to be taken lightly. But do not let that stop you. I gave you command over the Order because you earned my trust, and rightfully so. You are able to make your own decisions.” He paused for a moment – “I left my days of issuing orders behind me…”

Both suddenly stopped conversing and turned their gaze towards the sky.

The full moon was steadily nearing its high point. Dead silence filled the air, not even the wolves cared to show their presence – either that or they were hoping to catch unsuspecting prey. The torches lighting up Greyfell’s streets were nigh extinguished, gleaming ever so slightly - enough to emit faint warmth in the cold night. There was nothing left to be discussed between the two friends. Rohen lowered his head and opened a big book, adorned with worn-out brown leather and multiples Runes, none of which could be read by Sartarius, or any modern scholar.

Sartarius decided to bring the conversation to a close.

“What are you going to do next?” He asked Rohen.

Rohen closed the book; “I am going to call on Darius, there are things we must discuss.”

Darius’ home had always been a frequent stop during Rohen’s travels. A mysterious old scholar and cartographer living in Liannon, he was rumoured to posses knowledge far grater than one would attribute to him. Sartarius tried to avoid asking, but curiosity prevailed; “You seem to visit him quite often.” He turned his eye to the book Rohen was holding “There’s something you aren’t sharing with me, aye?”

“Nothing worth discussing at present.” A rare, faint smirk appeared on Rohens face.

Sartarius would have preferred being told, but he knew Rohen and was all-too familiar with his mysteries. Not wanting to dwell on the question any longer, he followed it up with another; “What are you going to do afterwards?” This time hoping for a clearer answer.

“After I’ve spoken to Darius?” Rohen looked once again into the far distance crossing the elemental sea.

“After that, I am going to pay a visit to an old friend.”

THE END

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