#its name is KOLA

[polterquest]

oc art yaay yay. they are in a band together

#my art #ocs #in order its kola raz and seto.. theres also angel in the band i just need to draw him more #yokai*MIX #<- band name :J #first two were designed by cookibites and scourge10 respectively also

[zepskies]

As You Wish

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: When Dean agreed to watch your favorite movie with you, you didn’t think it’d come with live subtitles.

AN: Here’s a little something in honor of Dean’s birthday! If you haven’t seen The Princess Bride, do yourself a favor. 🥰

Word Count: 600

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, and nothing but the fluff. (Established relationship.)

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” Dean says, right in time with the iconic swashbuckler on the screen, complete with his best approximation at a Spanish accent.

You giggle against his side, hard enough to rock both of you on the bed. When he agreed to watch your favorite movie with you, you didn’t think it’d come with live subtitles.

“Are you gonna quote the whole damn movie?” you ask.

Dean brandishes an imaginary sword with his fist held out.

“HELLO! My name is—”

Biting your lip, you cut him off short by playing dirty. You wrap your arm around his middle and dance your fingers across his ribs. He’d never admit it, but he’s got sensitive sides.

He flinches and laughs on reflex. “Hey, hey! That’s a foul move!”

His arm tightens around your waist while his other hand closes around your wrist. You try to grapple with him, your bare legs tangling with his pajama-clad ones, but you both know it’s a losing battle.

Dean gathers you tighter against his chest and traps your wandering hand.

Huffing another laugh, you relax again. His heart clips at a faster pace under your ear. Your hand smooths up his chest and finds its way up the back of his neck.

Dean can't help it. He lets out a contented hum when your nails give his scalp a little scratch.

For a moment, his attention drifts away from the movie and down to you. He spies the soft edge of your smile, feels your hair starting to itch against his arm, your soft curves under his hand, pressing against him.

You two don’t get these quiet days often, but he wants to make sure you get some rest. You, Sam, and Dean spent about three straight weeks in a row with back-to-back hunts, and the last one had really taken it out of you. So now, Dean’s satisfied to see you so relaxed. Happy, even.

Yeah. You really do seem to be as happy as he (secretly) feels.

Sometimes, he finds that part hard to believe. If you could want this with someone like him, then maybe…maybe he doesn’t screw up all the time.

Dean tunes back into the movie just in time for Buttercup to jump out of the window in her pretty white dress. She and Westley join Fezzik and Inigo on white horses, and the couple shares the kiss that left all the others behind.

Dean glances down at your face. He’s amused by the way you’re eating up all this sappy rom-com crap. Your eyes are shining with unshed tears. He ducks down to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“You just spring a leak over anything, don’t you?” he teases. You shove at his chest with a halfhearted hand.

“Only over the good stuff,” you retort.

He accepts that with a chuckle. When the credits start to roll down the screen, he reaches for the remote and searches for the episode you guys left off in Game of Thrones. You tap his chest.

“Hey, wanna go out to dinner tonight?” you ask. A warm smile plays on your lips. “Just you and me?”

Dean blinks. He doesn’t remember the last time you two went on an honest-to-God date. No time, no privacy, always something evil on your asses…

A decision made in his mind, Dean gives you a smile back. He brushes his thumb across your cheek.

“As you wish,” he says.

AN: 😘 Hope you liked this one!

Dean Winchester One-Shots

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Dean W. Tag List:

@hobby27 @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @this-is-me19 @emily-winchester @spnexploration @deans-spinster-witch @deans-baby-momma @iprobablyshipit91

@melancholictearz @nic-kolas @sanscas @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @thewritersaddictions @just-levyy @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @antisocialcorrupt @lacilou @adoringanakin @theonlymaninthesky @teehxk @midnightmadwoman @brianochka @branj19

@agalliasi @venicesem @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @deansbbyx @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @deanfreakingwinchester @chernayawidow @beskarfilms @mimaria420 @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like

#As You Wish #Happy Birthday Dean Winchester! #dean winchester #the princess bride #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester x female reader #supernatural #spn #dean x reader #dean x you #dean winchester fanfiction #jensen ackles #jensen ackles characters #zepskies writes

[kemetic-dreams]

The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Lagos States, as well as parts of Kogi state and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, commonly known as Yorubaland (Yoruba: Ilẹ̀ Káàárọ̀-Oòjíire).

It shares some parallels with the Vodun practiced by the neighboring Fon and Ewe peoples to the west and with the religion of the Edo people to the east. Yoruba religion is the basis for a number of religions in the New World, notably Santería, Umbanda, Trinidad Orisha, and Candomblé.[1] Yoruba religious beliefs are part of Itàn (history), the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the Yoruba society.

The Yoruba name for the Yoruba indigenous religion is Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ, which also refers to the traditions and rituals that encompass Yorùbá culture. The term comes from a contraction of the words: Ìṣẹ̀, meaning "source/root origin" and ìṣe, meaning "practice/tradition" coming together to mean "The original tradition"/"The tradition of antiquity" as many of the practices, beliefs, traditions, and observances of the Yoruba originate from the religious worship of Olodumare and the veneration of the Orisa.

According to Kola Abimbola, the Yorubas have evolved a robust cosmology. Nigerian Professor for Traditional African religions, Jacob K. Olupona, summarizes that central for the Yoruba religion, and which all beings possess, is known as "Ase", which is "the empowered word that must come to pass," the "life force" and "energy" that regulates all movement and activity in the universe".Every thought and action of each person or being in Aiyé (the physical realm) interact with the Supreme force, all other living things, including the Earth itself, as well as with Orun (the otherworld), in which gods, spirits and ancestors exist. The Yoruba religion can be described as a complex form of polytheism, with a Supreme but distant creator force, encompassing the whole universe.

The anthropologist Robert Voeks described Yoruba religion as being animistic, noting that it was "firmly attached to place".

Each person living on earth attempts to achieve perfection and find their destiny in Orun-Rere (the spiritual realm of those who do good and beneficial things).

One's ori-inu (spiritual consciousness in the physical realm) must grow in order to consummate union with one's "Iponri" (Ori Orun, spiritual self).

Iwapẹlẹ (or well-balanced) meditative recitation and sincere veneration is sufficient to strengthen the ori-inu of most people. Well-balanced people, it is believed, are able to make positive use of the simplest form of connection between their Ori and the omnipotent Olu-Orun: an Àwúre (petition or prayer) for divine support.

In the Yoruba belief system, Olodumare has ase over all that is. Hence, it is considered supreme.

#african #afrakan #kemetic dreams #africans #brownskin #afrakans #brown skin #african culture #afrakan spirituality #orisa #Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ #Ori Orun #Ori #oyo #ogun #lagos #nigeria #nigerian #nigerians #vodun #yoruba religion #shango #oludamare #Olodumare #Candomblé #Trinidad Orisha #Yorubaland #Ilẹ̀ Káàárọ̀-Oòjíire #santería #umbanda

[dailyhistoryposts]

On This Day In History

May 8th, 1886: Pharmacist John Pemberton sells the first bottle of Coca-Cola, for five cents a glass as a cure for (among other things), morphine addiction, indigestion, nerve disorders, headaches, and impotence. It was a nonalcoholic version of his previous drink, Pemberton's French Wine Coca.

The original Coca-Cola recipe did involve cocaine from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts, these two ingredients being the source of its name. Neither is present in the current recipe.

#history #world history #coca cola #cocaine #medicine #alcohol #19th century

[woltourney]

ROUND 2 / SIDE A / POLL 4

Vishnya Vanil Kola (@voidgearrr) v. Surdal Demilish (@apessimisticjackass)

Vishnya Vanil Kola:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? Vishnya Vanil Kola (he/him) (Legally it’s Vishnya Ymir but he will say its VVK)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Viera

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Paladin (Additional note from submitter: Gunbreaker)

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Europe-Alpha

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Vishnya is just a funny guy tbh. He left home to go do whatever he wanted, and is incredibly touch starved due to not getting much affection as a child. Vish accidentally got tangled up in being a hero and whatnot, but he’s handling it pretty well! Also got hit in the eye by magic and is blind in it (the purple one!!) Big found family advocate, and calls all his Miqo’te friends (and also Thancred) “mi gatito” (he’s sposed to be russian+icelandic but shhh). He enjoys literally any and all affection, and will fold like a wet noodle. He enjoys being a hero because he’s able to cheer on other adventurers, and the adrenaline rush is fun overall. Also gives superb hugs (muscle + slight squishiness combo), & is a short king himbo that’s got a lot of self confidence <3

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. Uhm…I think everyone should win, BUT I should win because I’m awesome and strong and really really good at making friends!

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. Vishnya Vanil Kola literally translates to Cherry Vanilla Cola, his hair reminds me of it :) ALSO my design of Vishnya is much more bunny that canon Viera but i dont have a decent fullbody kdkfkfns

Surdal Demilish:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Surdal Demilish, He/Him

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Lalafell

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Sage/Samurai

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Gilgamesh as the Home Server, but frequents Behemoth

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Surdal Demilish is a 32 Year Old Lalafell- They usually lack tact, don't sugar coat most things, and hate it when he perceives people as being 'patronizing' to him. He likes to dress 'mature' because he utterly loathes when people mistake him for a child due to his stature and general look. He was roped into this 'Warrior of Light' business because apparently, he's the only one who does anything around Eorzea. Outside of his heroic adventures, he usually likes to play with his Gaelikitten or any other cat themed minion he may have, as well as fashion.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "I have done SO much goddamn petty work for Eorzea. I have done more work than I think even paid city officials. If I do not win, I will go back to not doing your people's menial chores and watch as society promptly falls apart." ~ Surdal Demilish

#💎 shout #💎 round two

[winged-bat]

my dickkory thought cuz they make me unwell

- Kory’s the one winning the stuffed animals in the relationship (its forever cemented in my mind that dick sucks at them, it could be the most easy picking and he’d still not get it) and she wins those ginormous one that are like person sized so for the rest of the date Dick is just not visible with the giant stuffy hugged to his chest

- Dick writes Kory love letters (he just goes on rants about how much he loves her)

- Kory always smells like strawberries so for their 1 yr anniversary Dick made her a crochet plush strawberry (it took him like 3 months and his fingers hurt all the time but it was worth it to see her smile ♡)

- They paint each others nails (Korys are a soft blue & Dicks are a orangey pink) and do matching face masks (the animal sheet ones)

- Dick loves having his hair played with and Kory loves playing with his hair

- They have matching necklaces (the charm is a little star the same shade of blue as in nightwings costume)

- They go stargazing once and Dick showed Kory all the constellations

- They do that thing were you name a star and they named theirs starson or nightstar (both of them are cute and a mixture of their names)

- Kola hugs im not gunna elaborate on this actually

- Kory gives forehead kisses and Dick gives tipytoe nose kisses

#dickkory #dick x kory #dick grayson #richard grayson #kory anders #koryand'r #nightwing #starfire #dc #dickkory hcs #dc hcs

[nikkeisimmer]

Sunset Valley - End of Days

Chapter One - "Laissez-Faire" (Part IV)

River’s Journal - June 25 -July 1st, 1989

How much longer did we have? The news that we were subjected to every day was not promising. Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov was ordering troops into the Kola Peninsula in an effort to intimidate the Finns into capitulating their territory. It wasn’t working and the Finns were getting ready for war bringing their military to high alert. Finland and Sweden were not NATO countries, so they weren’t about to have unnecessary aggression on their part but NATO was concerned as the potential for armed conflict would rise enough for NATO to jump in if those territories were overrun by Soviet troops. Frankly, it was out of self-interest. An attack on one of the neutrally aligned countries would end up involving territory expansion and thus leave NATO open to losing its potential buffer against a Soviet division buttressing right up against the border of a NATO country. UN Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar expressed concern when Gorbachev was under pressure from Kremlin hardliners that military action must be taken in order to prevent NATO from deploying MX short-range nuclear tipped missiles in Europe. He was indicating that NATO perhaps may have to intervene in strengthening UN affirmed peace-keeping missions along the border with Soviet aligned nations and territories. And it wasn’t unheard of, of the possibility that Yazov might in fact, start a full-scale invasion of Germany through Poland and East Germany leveraging the holding of Warsaw Pact nations into a spear aimed right at the center of NATO defences that were assembled in West Germany.

Haruo was insistent that we had enough food to be able to save our family members. Evidently Mom had married Cycl0n3 Sw0rd and well, they had a little one named Greg. We also saved Morgana and Molly and her two daughters, Sandi and Deidre. The jury’s still out about Thornton since he seems to be very interested in Jamie Jolina. If he has cuckolded Morgana then tough beans, he fries. And since we needed people to man the registers, the family members brought in would man those and allow us to keep commerce running while we were trying to work our way out of the quagmire that we would end up in if these politicians couldn’t come to an agreement and everything went to hell in a hand-basket.

With the children, since the parents were tasked with manning the tills, we got the joyful chore of raising these little urchins. It’s nice to know that the man that I love, cares about my family as well. Unfortunately his family isn’t the type of family that cares much about anything other than their own well-being, that probably comes from his mother being a narcissist and his father being an enabler. I still wonder how my boyfriend turned out the way he did with those kind of parents – that after being ignored and essentially unwanted, that he would still carry some sort of empathy towards others. When Molly turned up only she, Sandi and Deidre showed up. What happened was that Leighton was actually seeing Monika Morris on the side. And as it turned out Leighton had been cuckqueening Molly. It also turned out that Deidre wasn’t even his child. It had turned out that Xander Clavell was the father. He had impregnated her before he dumped her. As it was that didn’t go over too well with Molly and she had dumped him. Of course, Molly had also been cuckolding Leighton with Xander Clavell so it really was retribution after the fact and both had cheated on each other. Molly really didn’t have much of a motherly instinct so the kids were pawned off on us. The only child that got mothered by his biological mother was my step-brother and we managed to save the husband too. Cycl0n3 was quite pleased to have been spared the horror that was about to be unleashed. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that, despite the May-September marriage which might have raised some eyebrows if we really cared about that, the reason why he was being saved was the fact that he was good and faithful to my mother and took care of Greg. And hey, it provided us with practice child-minding since Haruo and I planned to have a few of our own though sometimes I wondered about the sanity of bringing up children in what potentially could happen.

Evidently, according to Bebe Hart, her mother, Dorie, after her divorce from Gus Hart, turned into the crazy cat lady of Sunset Valley. She was now living in the house known as Mosquito Cove along with five cats. I’m sure she’s probably going to get more. At least that’s what Bebe suspects since she says her mother wasn’t always quite there. According to my boyfriend, rather unkindly, she had always been a few sticks short of a bundle. And you know how kids talk when they were going to school; kids had no discretion. As Mark Twain once said, “Children and fools always speak the truth”.

As usual, the dirty-laundry aired out and well, Thornton was busy with Jamie Jolina, then with the town bike, Pauline Wan (because she was ridden so often). It appeared that our Heavenly Watcher got busy and granted some divine retribution. Because yet another news headline appeared that the town magnate had gotten electrically shocked with a freak lightning blast. Back at our bunker, things were proceeding as normal as we could with listening to the broadcasts about worsening world events in Europe and the Middle East was turning into a bonfire since the Israelis and the Lebanese were locked in pitched battle over the Gaza which had heated up since the Israeli-Arab war of the 1970s. Evidently, if they weren’t fighting they weren’t happy. And of course, Egypt buying arms from the Soviet Union kept pouring coals on the fire to stir the antagonism into a raging flame of hatred.

My boyfriend and I tried to get as much sleep as we could because if thing went to hell in a hand-basket over Europe and the Middle East, then we all wouldn’t get much sleep either unless we wanted to be immolated in the middle of our dreams. Mom may not have been too happy with the fact that Haruo and I were intimately sleeping together, but well...it was pretty much all weird times so none of it truly mattered in the big scheme of things. If things went the way that my boyfriend was figuring they would, none of our book of dated morals would matter a hill of baked beans. We’d be too busy trying to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction to worry about that kind of thing.

Meanwhile, F3L-1X (Felix) and F4R-M3R (Farmer), yes, Phil created a second plumbot to exclusively take care of the farm upstairs. Felix did go and milk the cows and collect eggs from the chickens. After Felix did the milking the cows thing, he came downstairs and started cutting gemstones, which we would send up to my mom at the consignment register to sell off. Haruo had definitely figured out a way of making sure that my mom, her husband and my step-brother were safe. And I was grateful to him for that. However I felt sorrow that he was prepared to lose his own parents no matter how abusive his mother was. He was prepared to sacrifice his own father since his father had turned on him and was enabling his mother’s behavior towards him. And that, to him was unforgivable.

The nice thing about the RBG Gemstone cutter was that it didn’t make the horrendous noise that the Gem-U-Cut did. Heavens be to the Watcher, that Gem-U-Cut made enough noise to wake up the dead. The last time that Felix used it to cut Tiberium, Bebe and Masaharu were incensed because they got woken up out of a sound sleep. I’m surprised Phil, Clarissa, my boyfriend and I were able to sleep through the whole thing. But they were in the gem-cutting room ranting at Felix for doing this at 3AM in the morning. Oh well.

The weather had turned in the last few days and we were getting a good soaking of rain. While the rest of the town was going through the motions, we were busy in the bunker trying to get everything ready to go into lockdown since the news that we heard on the radio and on the TV was getting worse. Peace talks with regards to arms reduction had stale-mated and the Soviets had walked away from the table, leaving poor Mikhail Gorbachev at the table with no-one to bolster his position. The hardliners who were at the table were making their point that Gorbachev had no power whatsoever and that their edicts were the ones that would sway control over the Politburo and their leaving the table while the General-Secretary was left with egg on his face punctuated the loss of control over his own cabinet.

(to be continued)

#sims 3 #ts3 #river mcirish #sims 3 gameplay #sims 3 storytelling #river and haruo #haruo chikamori #Sunset Valley - End of Days #sims 3 stories #sims 3 apocalypse #sims 3 family #sims 3 pictures #the sims 3 #ts3 simblr #sims 3 apocalypse

[bobwess]

TIL that the Coca-cola was thusly named because the soda primarily contained cocaine and a KOLA NUT for flavor. (Neither of which are used in the recipe today.) Cola is named cola because its flavoring is kola nuts.

#did everyone else know this? #I knew about the cocaine #kola is a nut??

[theuncannytruthteller]

AMINA SUKHERA

The great African woman called Amina Sukhera was a Princess of Zazzau (now Zaria), in North West Nigeria. The Great African woman called Amina Sukhera was a princess of Zazzau (now Zaria), in what is now northern Nigeria. She was born near the year 1533 and died about the year 1610. The Arabic name Amina means truthful, trustworthy and honest. Amina Sukhera was a fierce warrior. According to tradition, as a child, Amina’s grandmother once caught her holding a dagger. As an adult, Amina refused to marry, and helped Zazzau (Zaria) become a focal point for trade and commercial activity. She also expanded its territory. The introduction of kola nuts into cultivation in the area is attributed to Amina. A statue at Amina at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria, honors her, and numerous educational institutions bear her name. Her military achievements brought her great wealth and power. She is credited as the architect of the earthen walls around the city of Zaria, for which the province is named. In her thirty-four year reign, she expanded the domain of Zazzau to its largest size.

[everthewip]

Prompt: 1. "It's not too late, let's go."

Fanfiction 

Fandom: Shadows of Doubt (video game)

Rating: T

Warnings: Mentions of death and murder

Notes: You don't need to have played or know anything about this game for this to (hopefully) be understandable. Also no, this is not edited or beta read.

Banner by @fictober-event

Wednesday, Jan. 4th 6:20AM

I wake to the apartment building shaking again. Entire damn city feels like it's going to collapse into the toxic water any day now. Don't really have time to care about that, though.

Breakfast is leftover lo mein and a can of Kola. I sip the bubbly drink, ignore the way its sugary sweetness irritates my teeth, and study the case board on my kitchen wall.

Omarr Jack. Slashed to death in a bloody mess two days ago. Different colored strings and pins link his picture to photographs of the crime scene, some to sticky notes with vague details. Black string leads to the time of death, between 9:00 and 10:00am. Yellow links to his workplace address, a scrap of paper with his hours written down, a list of colleagues to question later. Green is more personal, linking to a note about his girlfriend not being home during time of murder. Red focuses on the crime scene, a picture of the body, the bloodied carpet, the business card left behind with no traceable fingerprints and only a cryptic message: Didn't have what it takes.

There isn't much else to go on; the murderer covered their tracks too well.

One more sip of the Kola and I grimace, already feeling like my teeth are going to rot out any second. Wonder how much it'd cost to buy my own fresh water dispenser and keep it filled. Only ever seen them in the office buildings around here. Probably costs a fuckload of Crows and Social Credit to keep those full.

I set the can aside and reach up, fingers poised on the pin keeping poor Mr. Jack stabbed to the board. His expression is solemn, professional some might say. He stares out with a gaze as dead as he is now.

“Sorry buddy,” I mutter. “Don't think I can handle your case.”

But something keeps me from pulling the pin and clearing the board. Maybe it's the folders sitting in my filing cabinet, the ones that whisper in the night and keep me awake, the cases still unsolved. Maybe it's a bitterness at Starch, our megacorp president that replaced me and the rest of City 46's police force with their incompetent Enforcers. Maybe it's the notice taped to my fridge, reminding me that rent is well overdue and repossession is imminent.

I leave the picture pinned, the center of a chaotic web that may never get unwound.

7:04AM

“More coffee, detective?”

Blake stands with one hand on her hip, the other holding an old coffee pot full of fresh, steaming brew. The scent is mesmerizing, almost overshadowing the greasy aromas ever-present in the Phat Model Diner. Shitty name for a shitty place with shitty food. Only good thing about this shithole is Blake.

“Hope you're ready to take credit if my heart explodes.”

I push my empty mug closer to her, smiling a little as she chuckles and fills it about three-fourths full; just enough to still add creamer, exactly how I like it.

“Maybe I should stop servin' you, then.” She places a few extra sugar packets on the table, gives me a wink, and then steps away to offer coffee to the few other diners. There aren't many this morning, but even if this place was packed, Blake would still serve me first. Never asked her to, but she always does.

I lift my coffee, take the first blissful sip, and watch her drift along the row of booths. She's a big woman, Blake is. Broad and muscular from years working as a security guard for a gambling den in her old city. She can hardly move through the diner without bumping into tables, but when you're that imposing, who the fuck is gonna call you out on it? I'd watched her toss a man out the door with one arm once. She'd just started to wear glasses and the idiot thought, “Hey, Four Eyes” was a smart way to call her over to his table.

She's finished her rounds now and I'm quick to look down before she sees me staring.

There's a newspaper someone left on the table, so I scan over the front page.

Omarr Jack's face almost makes me choke on my coffee.

“Heard it was brutal.”

Blake's returned, squeezing herself between the booth and table across from me. I almost don't register what she's said, I'm too busy noticing her arms as she crosses them, rests them on the table.

“Yeah, it was.”

“You saw it then?” She leans forward, voice lowered. The table wobbles a bit, but she doesn't notice.

“Yep, investigated what I could.” I lift my drink to take another sip and shrug. “Think this is another case for the cold filing cabinet, though.”

Blake's frown deepens as she studies me, and I have to look away so I don't blush like an idiot. If anything, maybe she'd think the coffee is what warms my cheeks. This isn't even the time to be crushing over the hot butch waitress, not when a dead man's murder stares up at me from the damned paper.

“It's not too late, Rory,” Blake says, her voice softer than the steam rising from my coffee mug. I look up, lips parted, and try to find the right words to say.

But then my old police scanner is going off in my bag.

There's been another murder.

Before I realize it, I'm already getting my shit together to leave. Blake's eyes are on me and when I look up she's got this half-grin on her face that makes the breath catch in my throat.

“Let's go, detective,” she says. “Solve the case.”

She winks again.

I can only nod.

And then I'm through the diner door and out into the rainy morning of City 46.

#writeblr #fanfiction #shadows of doubt #fictober23 #1

[triviareads]

On Culture, Diaspora, and Kantara

I watched Kantara (2022) over Thanksgiving after hearing about it for weeks from my family and friends, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It's a film that is particularly meaningful to me because my mother's side of the family hails from the region it was set in, Namely, Dakshina Kannada or the old South Canara in the state of Karnataka, India. This is where where bhoota kola is still practiced to this day.

The truth was, despite this movie being set in the land of my ancestors, I could relate very little on a physical level: These were rural villagers with minimal education living in a system of near-feudalism. I am.. not. Even the language was unfamiliar. My Kannada vocabulary can get me by when it comes to day-to-day activities, and it is insufficient if I want to consume Kannada media. In addition, because the dialect (or the accent) was true to the region, it made it more difficult for me to comprehend it. Neither my mother nor grandmother speak with the accent characteristic to the area (although they can if they want to communicate with locals), and even my father, who is not from the area but still from Karnataka, had to rely on subtitles.

There was also a matter of the culture itself. The thing about the aspects of the Dakshina Kannada culture shown in this film (kambala, boota kola) is that you'd only really be exposed to it if you lived in the area, or someone took the effort to purposefully educate you. That is because it is more of a folk culture. While I can say I am familiar with another local folk art, yakshagana (a form of dance-drama), that is because I grew up with stories of my great-grandfather, a noted yakshagana artist who brought his troop to the United States to tour. In addition, the practice of bhoota kola is not quite a part of the Hindu tradition I was raised in, specifically the Kannada Madhwa Brahmin tradition. I've read that bhoota kola and the notion of daivas is likely is a tradition practiced in the region long before Hinduism arrived.

To hear my mother matter-of-factly say that kambala (Buffalo races) and cock fights and bhoota kola occurred in her coastal village was startling. I suppose the reason she never mention it before was because she never actively went to kambalas (women from "good" families didn't go to events where there were drunk men; so she only saw the processions and parades before the actual event). As for the actual practice of bhoota kola, my grandmother admitted that when she was in around sixth grade, she snuck out of her house in the night to watch the bhoota kola. The old ancestral home in Bramhavara where she grew up was large enough for no one to notice the comings and goings of one girl. At a friend's house, she witnessed the ritual dance, and at some point, an offering of a live rooster was made to the daiva. The rooster's head was promptly snapped off its body. Eventually, my grandmother grew scared, and ran back home.

Regardless of how much I related to the villagers themselves, by the end of the film, I felt like I had a deeper understanding of my own cultural roots not only because of the film itself, but because of the greater context my family members were able to provide. But I also felt a certain amount of sadness. The thing is, I don't live where these rituals are practiced. In my lifetime, I have seen the Bramhavara house demolished, and relatives move away from their ancestral villages. My own parents moved across continents. I don't have the connection to the land that I imagine my ancestors did. At best, I feel fondness and an attachment to where I grew up, but there is no holiness in that, and a part of me wonders if I am missing out on something. I know migration is a natural part of human history, and perhaps this is the truth for any member of any diaspora, but still... I can't help but wonder.

When I finished watching Kantara, I came away entertained, thoughtful, and moved in equal measure. I felt a renewal of faith in a time I sorely needed it, not only in the classical sense, but all those holy protectors tied to the land.

#Kantara #rishabh shetty #kannada film #desiblr #desi tumblr #indian diaspora #kannada #karnataka #dakshina kannada #south canara

[waltzshouldbewriting]

Prompt 2 Izzy

Tagging: @ratracechronicler , @maple-writes , @pen-of-roses , @drabbleitout @clocksandchaos @concealeddarkness13 , and @forthesanityofsome

The stage for the reaping was just outside Victor’s Village.

Behind Victor’s Village, District 5’s biggest dam loomed. It was a threat - break the dam and wipe out everything underneath it.

The air was fresher in this part of the district, far from the coal power plants in the east. The people who lived in this part were cleaner, too. Izzy’s family had been trying to move here for years.

Kola stayed next to Izzy as they moved towards the stage. He barely came up to Izzy’s shoulder, and he was thin, like their father, so Izzy was always protective of him in big crowds, as if Kola could get swallowed up by the mass.

Izzy himself was easy to find, as tall and sturdy as he was, and it wasn’t long before Noran appeared at his side.

Noran had cleaned up nice. He had short brown hair that always looked well combed, and now it was paired with a well-kept blue button-up shirt and black slacks. Unfortunately, he had also shaved.

Kola smirked. “Dressing up nice for someone, Nor?”

Noran nodded. “Gotta make my ma happy, you know?”

“Oh, is that the only person here worth dressing up for,” Izzy asked.

“You don’t look like you dressed up for anyone,” Noran accused.

“I would’ve if I could have,” Izzy complained. “That growth spurt ruined my closet.”

They had reached the edge of the audience, where peacekeepers were directing everyone to their place. Alej was already with the rest of their edge group, and she stood on her toes to wave at Izzy and Noran.

Izzy gestured for Noran to go on ahead before turning to Kola.

“You doing alright?”

Kola nodded, but his voice wavered as he spoke. “My name’s only in there once. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s right,” Izzy agreed. “And you know what? If you get called, I’ll volunteer.”

Where did that come from?

They hadn’t planned on saying that. But Izzy realized it was the truth. He had spent the last few years watching Kola suffer from something out of his control, but this - this was something he could promise.

Kola’s eyes widened. “You will?”

“I will,” Izzy replied.

Kola rammed his body into Izzy’s, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in tight. Had Kola had any arm strength, it might have hurt.

Izzy returned the hug for a moment, before pulling away. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. I’ll see you after.”

Kola nodded.

They separated, Kola heading to the twelve-year-old section and Izzy towards Alej and Noran.

Noran grabbed his hand instantly with a death gripped. Alej reached for their other hand.

“I took out so much tesserae,” she whispered, “I think I might throw up.”

Alej was also small, and Izzy loved her like a sister, but if Alej was called Izzy knew he wasn’t brave enough to volunteer for her.

“My parents said that if either of you two get reaped, they’ll take care of your family,” Noran said. “And we can raise money, to sponsor you.”

Noran’s parents adored Kola. If something happened to Izzy, Kola would be fine.

Izzy squeezed Noran’s hand in thanks.

“I would say the same to you, but-“ Alej said. Alej’s family was big, and poor. Helping others was not an option for them.

“And I would volunteer to do your work at the restaurant,” Izzy added, “but I’m still not convinced you do any work.”

The reaping started, and neither Alej nor Noran let go of Izzy’s hands.

The sun was bright that day, and everyone on stage seemed in a hurry to escape its glare. It wasn’t long before the escort reached for the first name.

Izzy mentally prepared themself. If Kola’s name was called, he would volunteer.

The escort stood in front of the mic and read the small slip of paper.

“Isaac Glass.”

Izzy had always been easy to find in a crowd. Every eye was on him now, waiting for his next move. Cameras swerved towards him.

Move.

Izzy took a step forward and felt something tug his hand. Noran was refusing to let go.

They turned to find him wide-eyes and pale.

“Don’t.”

Izzy yanked his hand away. “I have to.”

Noran shook his head but didn’t argue.

Izzy sighed and turned back to the stage.

#whg #whg 19 #character: shandiin

[kemetic-dreams]

Onicha Ado N’idu; Naming rites and traditions of the Igbo of Nigeria

What is in our names? The Igbo are one of the three major tribes of Nigeria and comprise the largest group of people living in southern region of the country.Igbo culture is a magical amalgamation of steadfast customs, ancient practices, Nka (artistry), religious beliefs, birth, marriage and death rituals, language, music and dance forms, as well attire and cuisine. The culture of the Igbo modifies our thoughts, speech, actions and artefacts to the extent that we are easily distinguished from other ethnic groups.

In Igbo traditional society, a naming ceremony, Igu Afa, occurs on the 8th day after a child’s birth. Paternal grandparents officiate the ceremony and it begins with ancestral recognition and divination, followed by the name giving. Wine libations are then poured in deference to our ancestors and also to notify them of the child’s name. This is followed by the breaking of kola nuts and prayers and the ceremony, which traditionally lasts an entire day, ends with a family procession.

In Igbo land, there is great significance in a name – a name is more than just an appellation or a stamp of identity. Our names bear a message, a meaning, a story, an observation, a history, a life experience or a prayer. They embody a collective of my people’s rich heritage and provide a window into our value systems and life philosophies. We believe that God, man and destiny are intertwined. Chi is our personal God who resides within the individual and presides over our destiny, Eke is the principle of creation and destiny apportionment and Uwa is the world as we know it. This sacred trinity is woven into our names and moulds us into who we are.

Onicha Ado N’idu offers a viewing facet into our culture, our naming rites and how these appellations shape who we are. How a culture survives depends on its people’s capacity to learn and transmit it to succeeding generations. Through Nka, I hope to provide viewers with an understanding of who we are as a people and seek to learn more about my tribe and my country as a whole

What is in their names? 1. NWABUNDO | MY CHILD IS MY SHELTER AND PROTECTION She is a sanctuary and gives eternal strength to those that she holds dear. 2. OKEDINACHI | DESTINY LIES WITH THE ALMIGHTY She is ordained with the gift of eloquence and is destined to achieve great things in life. 3. SOMADINA | I AM NOT ALONE IN THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLD She is iconic and her strength is derived from the people that surround her. 4. EZIAMAKA | THE GOOD PATH IN LIFE (THE PLACE YOU WENT TO WAS GOOD) She embodies peace, good health and wealth. 5. OLUCHI. GOD’S HANDWORK She sees the beauty in the world around her; creation of man can never equal that of God. 6. SOMTOCHUKWU | JOIN ME IN PRAISING GOD She celebrates in life, always, because although there may be misfortunes along the way, the sun always rises in the morning. 7. UGONMA | BEAUTIFUL EAGLE The eagle is the royal bird of the Igbo people and rules the sky. In the same fashion, Ugonma has fearless dominion over her life and seeks not to dwell but rather, she strives to overcome. 8. APUN’AWU | DON’T GO OUT IN THE SUN A delicate being, to remain unspoiled by the sun so as not to lose her beauty. Apun’Awu’s story is one of preservation of all things that we hold dear. 9. NKIRUKA | THE FUTURE IS GREATER THAN THE PAST What lays ahead of you is far greater than what is behind. She looks ahead for greater things to come. 10. NONYELUM | STAY WITH ME We yearn for companionship when faced with grief or death. The fragility of the human mind in such a state is comforted through the bonds of a companion.

#african names #nonyelum #nkiruka #apun awu #african #igbo #igbo names #african name ceremony #afrakan #kemetic dreams #afrakans #africans #brown skin #african culture #afrakan spirituality #chi #ibgos

[foodreceipe]

The Cure for “Thinking Too Much”!

Posted on May 28, 2014  by  Pamela Starr Dewey

It was well-known in Victorian times that thinking too much was a health hazard for women. What a relief, then, that John Pemberton came to the rescue of the Weaker Sex with his new Miracle Brew that did indeed “Relieve the Fatigue that comes…from Over-thinking” as promised in the advertisement below.

During the late to mid-19th century, medicines promising to cure multiple ailments from “foul breath,” “irregularities incidental to women” and everything in between proliferated. Many times these bogus medicines were mixed with ice-cold carbonated water and served as cheaper and more refreshing alternatives.

In the spring of 1886, John Stith Pemberton, a Confederate army veteran, had created one of the most elusive and important recipes of all time. This Georgian native mixed sugar, water, kola nut extracts, coca leaf extract, and other secret ingredients into a syrupy concoction that would become the base of the world’s most prolific soft drink the world has ever known. Mixed with soda water, the drink was extremely powerful with cocaine from the coca extract and four times the amount of caffeine of the modern syrup mix. The original recipe of 1886 has since been lost in time. Pemberton’s business partner and Union army veteran, Frank Robinson decided to name the new beverage Coca-Cola. The name derived from its initial selling point: “containing the properties of the wonderful Coca Plant and the famous Cola nuts.” At the time of the drink’s inception, cocaine was a commonly used substance, but was later near-completely eliminated in 1903. [Source]

In the 1880s and 90s, the company utilized lithographs of the young, beautiful, and wealthy. Giving the impression that anyone who was willing to spend a measly five cents could live like the rich for the time it took to enjoy a glass of Coca-Cola. [ibid]

Yes, even if you couldn’t afford the type of shopping trips of the beautiful and wealthy young ladies shown above, you could window-shop-‘til-you-dropped, and then stop by the soda fountain to be “revived and sustained”–and imagine yourself chatting over your glass of Coca Cola with the Rockefellers and Carnegies…before going home to your tenement!

At first the models for the Coke ads were anonymous beautiful and wealthy young ladies. But it didn’t take long for the Coca-Cola company to realize the value of celebrity endorsements.

Singer Hilda Clark became the first celebrity model for The Coca-Cola Company. Also known as the First Coca-Cola Girl, Hilda’s image was used on cardboard signs, tin trays, trade cards, bookmarks, drink tickets, and calendars from 1899 to 1903. [Source]

The many moods of Hilda Clark, from prim and proper to a tad sultry graced Coke ads for several years.

Coke calendars became wildly popular around the turn of the century, and Hilda loaned her pretty face and poofy hair to those too.

I don’t know what happened to Hilda, but by 1904 she was replaced by a more regal celebrity.

From 1904 to 1905, Lillian Nordica became the new face of Coca-Cola. Born Lillian Norton in 1857 in Farmington, Maine, Madame Nordica was also a singer who had performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as in many major musical venues in Western Europe and Russia. Early calendars and other promotional items featuring the divas of the time not only launched the popular Coca-Cola Girls advertising platform but Clark and Nordica items had also become some of the greatest hits with vintage Coca-Cola collectors over the years. [ibid]

It would be almost 30 years later before Coke introduced the ultimate celebrity endorser, shown here in 1932 in his very first appearance in a Coke ad.

https://ameripics.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/the-cure-for-thinking-too-much/

#Coca-Cola

[woltourney]

ROUND 1 / SIDE A / POLL 7

Sage Marigold (@imyour-marigold) v. Vishnya Vanil Kola (@voidgearrr)

Sage Marigold:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Sage Marigold (She/Her)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Highlander

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Warrior

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Primal/Exodus

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Sage spent her young life growing up on the docks of Limsa Lominsa and worked at the shipyard when she was old enough. Eventually deciding she needed more excitement she began looking for hunts and that’s how she starts her story as a WOL. She very much enjoys being a hero, protecting the people she loves is all she cares for. In her free time she either spends time with her found family and friends or she sets off for a ‘Mini adventure’, meaning she went for groceries and got lost on the way and has now been roped into a 14 step quest.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. Winning would be great but, at the end of this I’ll have met a lot of new people and made a lot of new friends so I’ll be happy either way. With that kind of mindset it’s hard to lose, isn’t it?

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. This character is near and dear to my soul, I love her story and am actively fleshing it out/writing it in little novel bits thanks to some amazing friends I have made.

Vishnya Vanil Kola:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? Vishnya Vanil Kola (he/him) (Legally it’s Vishnya Ymir but he will say its VVK)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Viera

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Paladin

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Europe-Alpha

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Vishnya is just a funny guy tbh. He left home to go do whatever he wanted, and is incredibly touch starved due to not getting much affection as a child. Vish accidentally got tangled up in being a hero and whatnot, but he’s handling it pretty well! Also got hit in the eye by magic and is blind in it (the purple one!!) Big found family advocate, and calls all his Miqo’te friends (and also Thancred) “mi gatito” (he’s sposed to be russian+icelandic but shhh). He enjoys literally any and all affection, and will fold like a wet noodle. He enjoys being a hero because he’s able to cheer on other adventurers, and the adrenaline rush is fun overall. Also gives superb hugs (muscle + slight squishiness combo), & is a short king himbo that’s got a lot of self confidence <3

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. Uhm…I think everyone should win, BUT I should win because I’m awesome and strong and really really good at making friends!

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. Vishnya Vanil Kola literally translates to Cherry Vanilla Cola, his hair reminds me of it :) ALSO my design of Vishnya is much more bunny that canon Viera but i dont have a decent fullbody kdkfkfns

#💎 round one #💎 shout

[kingdrawcse]

Chemistry in Coca-Cola

Coca-cola, our favorite soft drink, was invented by John Smith Pemberton in 1886. There were two main ingredients, cocaine, and caffeine. The drink's name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts (a source of caffeine).

In 1906, Coca-Cola removed the addictive cocaine from its formula. Coca-Cola stopped using Kola nuts in 1955 because of their high levels of nitroso compounds, which can cause cancer, replacing them with artificial flavors and caffeine extracts.

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#chemistrymolecule #chemistry class #organic chemistry #cocacola #science #kingdraw #software #friday