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blackhistorystoryteller · 9 months

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Black history is not slavery

Slavery is not the only history of black Black history goes deeper than slave trade

This is a message for my black brothers and sisters

Today I will be talking about the people of benin

The historical kingdom of Benin was established in the forested region of West Africa in the 1200s C.E. According to history, the Edo people of southern Nigeria founded Benin. They no longer wanted to be ruled by their kings, known as the ogisos. They asked a prince from Ife, an important West African kingdom, to take control. The first oba, or king, in Benin was Eweka. He was the son of the prince from Ife.The kingdom reached its greatest power and size under Oba Ewuare the Great. He expanded the kingdom and improved the capital, present-day Benin City; the city was defined by massive walls. The height of power for Benin’s monarchs began during this period. To honor the powerful obas, the people of Benin participated in many rituals that expressed their devotion and loyalty, including human sacrifices.Artists of the Benin Kingdom were well known for working in many materials, particularly brass, wood, and ivory. They were famous for their bas-relief sculptures, particularly plaques, and life-size head sculptures. The plaques typically portrayed historical events, and the heads were often naturalistic and life size. Artisans also carved many different ivory objects, including masks and, for their European trade partners, salt cellars.The success of Benin was fueled by its lively trade. Tradesmen and artisans from Benin developed relationships with the Portuguese, who sought after the kingdom’s artwork, gold, ivory, and pepper. In the early modern era, Benin was also heavily involved in the West African slave trade. They would capture men, women, and children from rival peoples and sell them into slavery to European and American buyers. This trade provided a significant source of wealth for the kingdom.Benin began to lose power during the 1800s, as royal family members fought for power and control of the throne. Civil wars broke out, dealing a significant blow to both Benin’s administration as well as its economy. In its weakened state, Benin struggled to resist foreign interference in its trading network, particularly by the British. A desire for control over West African trade and territory ultimately led to a British invasion of Benin in 1897. Benin City was burned by the British, who then made the kingdom part of British Nigeria (which became Nigeria after the country gained independence in 1960). After that time, the kingdom no longer played a governing role in West Africa. However, even today, the oba still serves in Benin City as a government advisor.

#life #culture #black history #history #blm blacklivesmatter #aesthetic #generations from exile tribe #genshin fanart #sculpture #nigeria #heritage #transgender #traditional media

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inkspecter · 1 year

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A Quick Guide to Clown Breeds

Today I'd like to discuss the amazing genetic diversity found in our delightful clowns. Most of my information comes from the fantastic @clownology4dummies blog and this article is a direct result of the mini-interview I had with them. There's quite a lot to take in so we'll break it down into a few sections. The goal is that you will be able to answer your own question as to which breed your little funny friend is!

What are the Different Clown Breeds?

There are actually quite a lot of clown breeds! The most common terms you'll find amongst the clown husbandry tag include Teacup, Jester, Circus, Rodeo, Party, Mime, Harlequin, Pierrot, Porcelain, Tramp, Tragic, Auguste, Whiteface, and Fool. A lot of these terms are subcategories of others, so let's take a look at the umbrella terms and their related variations.

Circus

Circus is likely the largest umbrella beyond even what I've denoted here. In most cases, every breed can qualify as a circus clown with only a few exceptions. Circus clowns are rowdy, energetic, and require significant stimulation making them a tough breed for average households and new keepers.

However their beauty rivals that of traditional clown performers making them sought after by collectors. Additionally, circus breeds also have three main variations with unique behaviors and appearances each.

Whiteface

Possibly the best known breed is the whiteface. Inspired by the leader of the troupe in the classic clown theater format, this breed is elegant and beautiful. Their skin tends to be chalk white all over and they beat delicate and intricate marking.

Auguste/contre-auguste

In traditional performances, the auguste is the absurd counterpart of the whiteface. Troupes may have more than one auguste whereas there is typically only one whiteface. The auguste often has a base skin tone that is highlighted with section of white. The white patches are usually outlined in a distinct color and the other marking they have are typically bold, bright, and exaggerated. They lack the subtle dignity of whitefaces and tend towards loud and boisterous appearances and behavior.

Tramp

Another popular circus variety is the tramp, also known as the hobo clown. In breeding circles it's typically referred to as the American Standard Coat. This breed is known for its long and luxurious coat. Besides this, they typically have markings somewhere between the tragic and the auguste, but with a more rugged flair.

Jester

The jester is easily one of the most sought after breeds of clowns. They hail from a very privileged lineage prized by royalty of old. As such they are known for their exquisite costumes of high quality materials and bold colors and patterns. Additionally, true purebred jesters have little to no facial markings.

Fool

The fool is the commoner variety of the jester breed and tends to have less exquisite breeding. They are typically mixed with any other variety of clown. Despite having slightly more drab costumes and coloring, they make up for this with big personalities and accessibility to the average collector.

Harlequin

The harlequin fits squarely between the fool and jester being both and neither at the same time. Primarily they are denoted as a jester with an emphasis on patterns. Harlequin make up for a lack of facial marking with an explosion of costume detail.

Pierrot

The pierrot is somewhere between the royal perfection of the jester and the raw elegance of the whiteface. These clowns tend to have delicate markings and minimalist costumes. Typically their coloration consist of almost exclusively white with small black or red elements. These clowns thrive on culture and have a major flair for dramatic theatrics.

Tragic

As a subcategory of Pierrot, the tragic clown unsurprisingly focuses on theater. However their interest is as one would expect, primarily about tragedies. They love all things sad, dramatic, and dreary. They can usually be spotted with recent tear stains. Don't be surprised if your clown spends a lot of time sighing or staring out the window. That's just how they are and they like it that way.

Porcelain

Since many breeds feature porcelain elements, this grouping could potentially be an umbrella term for most other categories. However for the sake of simplicity, this blog will use this term to refer to clowns with porcelain like details but who don't quite qualify as a whiteface on their own. They may be partially or entirely porcelain and as such should be treated with care and dignity so as to avou trips to the vet.

Teacup

The teacup clown is arguably the most popular among the clown husbandry tag. Due to their petite size and soft features, they are a great choice for the average size house dwelling keeper. Teacups typically range from three to five inches from toe to hat tip. They have soft sand filled bodies that are especially good at sitting and looking cute. Usually the face is porcelain.

Due to their popularity, teacups share a liniage with just about every other breed. It's not uncommon to find teacups with jester, whiteface, and even scareclown features.

Party

Another favorite among clown enthusiasts is the party breed. Much like real life clown performers, this breed is dynamic, friendly, and outgoing. The appearance of the breed is extremely varied and they can have features like just about any other breed. The only difference is that the party clown is always bright, colorful, and typically they have extraordinary patterns. Party clowns typically don't have anything subtle about them and their facial markings are between that of the August and the whiteface.

Rodeo

The rodeo is actually closely related to the American Standard Coat but it was bred for working purposes. Much like the real rodeo workers, this clown breed has a desire to work with livestock and has excellent herding instincts. As such they need a lot of space and significant exercise opportunities. They differ from tramps in that they rarely have coats; instead they features costumes akin to colorful exaggerations of cowboys.

Scare

The scare clown is my personal favorite breed and I'm very excited to have the chance to discuss them. This breed is determined more by diet and behavior than appearance. They live to thrill others and spend a lot of time lurking and waiting for the perfect jump scare opportunity. They are quite aggressive and most believe they are essentially completey wild and should not be interacted with like other domestic breeds.

In terms of appearance, scares can look like virtually any other clown; from elegant to eccentric. However, darker coloration and features that tend toward the uncanny are generally associated with scares. Additionally it's worth noting that some breeder intentionally breed clowns to look like horror movie clowns. While some argue this may not be the most sustainable or humane practice, lookalike scares still remain popular with many collectors (myself included!).

Mime

It's important to note that while mimes of the human cultural sense are a variety of clowns, they are different in the collector sense. While they share looks with whiteface and color palettes of Pierrot, it's not visible features that make them different. Mimes are by nature completey silent. They also confound themselves and others with magic tricks.

Interbreeding mimes with other clown varieties may result in extremely elegant offspring. However it's considered to be a highly immoral practice. Doing so causes a lot of stress to the parents and the offspring as mime mothers will consistently reject young the instant they make noise-- and most other breeds are very noisy from the get go. This means breeders must be able to care for extremely young and vulnerable clowns which is challenging to say the least.

Which Breed is My Clown?

For most of us, this is the most important question. However, it's actually a very difficult question to ask. Just talk to anyone that works at a local adoption center or take a look at your local strays. Clowns have been carelessly bred for decades by shady individuals. As such, few clowns you'll find today are definitely a purebred of any variety. Most display a chaotic mix of behavior and visual genetic variation.

As such it's not unfair to judge your teacup as also whiteface and jester. Or your jester as scare and tragic. Look closely at the details in your clowns makeup, costume, and behavior to make an educated guess. Ultimately only a genealogy test will give you definitive answers, but those can be pricey depending on your location. As such it's generally considered more worthwhile to puzzle the likely origins of clowns and simply enjoy them as the quirky mix breed they are.

Final Thoughts on Clown Breeds

In closing it's easy to see why new clown keeper's tend to become.confused as to which category their clowns fit into. I hope this guide has helped you clear up any confusion you have. Please feel free to comment below with any questions or to ask our friends at Clownology for even more expertise.

Additionally if you feel I've made any mistakes here, please don't hesitate to comment or reblog with corrections. As I primarily raise circus and scare clowns, I'm by no means an expert on every breed. I will be delighted to make adjustments so this blog can serve as a useful resource to newcomers and expert clown parents!

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you'll join me again soon for more clown news and articles. In the future I'll be discussing each breed in more detail as well as exploring specific pure bred lineages.

#clowncore #clown husbandry #clown #clowns #clown core #clownblr #clownery #clown collection #clown oc #clown doll

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copperbadge · 1 month

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Coming Soon!

All right, we're doing this! The day of the full solar eclipse, April 8th, I'll be putting the second omnibus volume of The Shivadh Romances up for sale.

Askazer-Shivadlakia is “the little country by the sea” — a coastal micronation perched between France and Italy, with Europe’s only Jewish royal family and a distinctly queer-friendly culture. The irreverent but earnest Shivadh people have recently elected a new king, and there are a lot of changes afoot for the country and its rulers. (Want to know more? There's a page here with plot summaries and sales links for the series.)

In the US, the ePub will be available for $3.99, the paperback will be $24.99, and the hardback will be $34.99. Internationally, there's some variance in price of course based on local currency, but the print cost and profit margin are about the same, so you're not paying much more or less, comparatively, than the American prices. The print versions can also serve as a paperweight, doorstop, or murder weapon, so it's really a deal if you think of it that way.

The paperback and hardback are only available through Lulu; the ePub should be available through Amazon as well, but I get a much bigger cut if you buy through Lulu, so that's where I'm linking.

The Twelve Points of Caleb Canto introduces Caleb, a young trans music teacher who accidentally enters Eurovision on behalf of The Ask, and his rival and new friend -- or maybe more -- Buck Haverd, the ambitious bad-boy competitor from the UK. Dinner At The Palace is the first collection of Shivadh short stories, spanning everything from Michaelis meeting his destiny in 1978 to Gregory and Eddie going cryptid-hunting in 2022. The Royals and the Ramblers tells the story of Gregory and Eddie's three weddings, and introduces Eddie's sister Monday, who is helping the kings have a royal heir and may or may not have a thing going on with Georgie, the palace head of security. And then there's Joan, the headstrong orphan who could use a couple of dads....

Read all three in a single volume, starting April 8th!

#shivadhverse #romance novels

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hlficlibrary · 3 months

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✤ Enemies to Lovers ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ Unbelievers by @isthatyoularry {E, 136k}

It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.

Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.

2️⃣ Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose by dolce_piccante / @haydolce {M, 112k}

American Uni AU. Harry Styles is a frat boy football star from the wealthy Styles Family athletic dynasty. A celebrity among football fans, he knows how to play, he knows how to party, and he knows how to fuck (all of which is well known among his legion of admirers).

Louis Tomlinson is a student and an athlete, but his similarities to Harry end there. Intelligent, focused, independent, and completely uninterested in Harry’s charms, Louis is an anomaly in a world ruled by football.

A bet about the pair, who might be more similar than they originally thought, brings them together. Shakespeare, ballet, Disney, football, library chats, running, accidental spooning, Daredevil and Domino’s Pizza all blend into one big friendship Frappucino, but who will win in the end?

3️⃣ Collision by itjustkindahappened / @tequiladimples {E, 226k}

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

4️⃣ Flightless Bird by audreyhheart {E, 97k}

AU where Louis Tomlinson is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. When his rival from ballet school, moody dance prodigy Harry Styles joins the company, old wounds are reopened and old passions reignited. During the company's production of Swan Lake the secret that doomed their love is finally revealed, but will it be too late?

5️⃣ don't make this easy (i want you to mean it) by wildestdreams / @thelavendrhaze {E, 24k}

“Harry’s a player. All he does is chat everyone up. And guys like him are just--so ugh. He’s got that arrogant, self-assured smirk plastered to his face all the time. Always smug and stupid, like he could get anyone he lays his eyes on. All he does is make me mad and laugh all the time like he knows something that I don’t. That is so annoying.”

“But that’s just Harry,” Niall shrugged at Louis. “He doesn’t even try to flirt or anything. He’s just naturally charming, but that doesn’t mean he’s a player nor that he’s trying to get into everyone's pants. He’s just friendly. And he likes you. He doesn’t usually fall for people, but he fell for you.”

“Oh, should I feel special then?” Louis asked, snorting and rolling his eyes.

or Harry’s a frat boy who is head over heels for Louis and Louis wants nothing to do with him.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 An Amazing Race Around the World (And to my Heart) by Thingssicant / @slowlyseducedbycurls {E, 89k}

“This year marks our thirtieth race around the world, thirty seasons of teams bound by friendship, family, and even some people who just band together for the chance at the prize. But this year, we want to remove that dynamic,” Phil said, rubbing his hands together gently.

The cameras were whirring around them, trying to get every shocked face and gasp from the teams. Louis could feel a ringing in his ears, a new nervousness he hadn’t felt during the entire journey to this competition.

He was sweating more now, more than he could blame on the California sun, as Phil started to read the names of the new teams, the members hugging their loved ones before joining a complete stranger in their new allotted spot.

Or an Amazing race Hate to Lovers au

💎 no heart for me like yours (no love for you like mine) by @phdmama {E, 46k}

When Harry Styles, wedding dress designer to the stars (sort of) and Louis Tomlinson, wedding planner and relationship expert (kind of) meet on the occasion of their sisters' engagement, sparks fly. But not the good kind. Louis thinks Harry is a dick and Harry thinks Louis is an asshole.

That doesn't last long.

The road to true love isn't always smooth or uncomplicated. Can two stubborn men find their way?

💎 an ocean in my veins (you'll be diving in) by me_her_themoon / @dreamersdivin-headfirst {E, 31k}

But, since Niall is so talkative to literally anyone with a working mouth, it means that when Louis Tomlinson started to take a shine to him, Harry started to hate him.

Because suddenly, it wasn’t just Harry and Niall, and whoever else wanted to join their antics. It was Harry and Niall and Louis.

Did Harry mention that Louis is a stupid fucking prick? He wants to make sure that’s clear.

[or, harry and louis hate each other and niall just wants everyone to get along]

💎 Spinning Out Waiting for You by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose {M, 18k}

Harry Styles is a year and a half away from graduating with a masters in potions and he has one huge milestone to reach in his academy career: the Matching Ceremony.

From Halloween night until graduation, matched witches and familiars will have to create a talisman to be a physical representation of their bond. One for the witch and one for the familiar. Most pairings last an entire lifetime.

If only it were that simple.

💎 Can't Buy My Love, Can Buy Me Dinner by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13 {G, 9k}

Is it ethical to accept a dinner date for the free food? And will you hate me when I go anyway?

Fact 1: Louis hates Harry Styles. Fact 2: Louis is temporarily living off toast and spaghetti hoops. Fact 3: ...Louis may be semi-accidentally dating his worst enemy.

#ficrec #enemiestolovers #hlcreators #hljournal #trackinghome #trackinghappily #1dficvillage #ladyaj13 #amomentoflove #phdmama #thingssicant #isthatyoularry #dolcepiccante #itjustkindahappened #audreyhheart #wildestdreams #meherthemoon

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cha-melodius · 6 months

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Five Ten Under 500

There have been a bunch of open tags on this one but @three-drink-amy tagged me directly so here goes. To start I have to say it's wild to me, as someone coming from small or quiet fandoms, and who joined the RWRB community well before the movie, that netting under 500 kudos is now considered a lower number in this fandom. A couple of years ago it meant a lot to me to hit 500 kudos for the first time on a fic. Anyway.

I've loved seeing everyone's lists (so many new fics added to my tbr!), but they've also reminded me that there is a definite recency bias, especially among fics that didn't already have a good number of kudos. So, all of my choices are fics that were released before the movie came out. Even with that, I couldn't stick with only five, so you get five more under the cut (and I still had to leave out a lot of fics I loved, including others from the same authors listed here).

Culper Ring, 1778–1783 by @historicallysam This is a series of 10 vignettes set during the American revolution and not one of these fics has over 100 kudos, which is a crime. So well-written and researched, and full of intrigue and feelings, I will always champion this series of fics.

Why Do We Even HAVE That Curse? by @cricketnationrise The Mummy AU. Who doesn't love The Mummy?? I might be biased because I betaed this one but if you love action and adventure and romance, you must read this!

The Way You Seemed by @orchidscript 1950s High School AU—think Grease but gayer. I think this might be one of the first Cora fics I read, and it bowled me over. The vibes, the romance, the historical accuracy, it's so so excellent.

Red, White, & Royal Ballet by @tintagel-or-cockleshells Ballet AU. Everything you want out of an enemies/rivals to lovers arc, and so much excellent ballet. Includes videos!

Love and Hate at the Farmers' Market by @myheartalivewrites Farmers market vendors AU. This is soooooo adorable and about to be very seasonable! Never get tired of Alex being mad about Henry's very existence.

El Chico Del Apartamento 512 by @14carrotghoul A cute little enemies-to-lovers neighbors AU and an absolute riot!

Soli by @cheesecurdsgravyandfries Orchestra AU! As an oboist, Henry as principle oboe owns my entire heart. This is so sweet and lovely!

make the yuletide gay by @dumbpeachjuice The concept behind this one is absolutely unhinged, but it's just as hilarious as you would expect from our dear peaches. Put it on your list for reading this holiday season!

a pillar i am, upright by inmoonlightigetseasick Surprise surprise, another historical AU. Medieval knight/prince, together at the front of war. Really wonderful development of their relationship and truly excellent vibes.

and if you'll forgive me the self-promotion...

The Spirit of Giving by yours truly Also for the holidays, a neighbors AU that leans heavily on the food as a metaphor for love trope.

#fic recs #rwrb fic recs #rwrb #red white and royal blue #firstprince #firstprince fic recs

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