#my j&h photo discoveries | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory · 3 years

Text

What does it mean to be for a Place?

The following is a summary of a recent publication in Pacific Conservation Biology by a group of David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellows: Stephanie Borrrelle, Jonathan Koch, Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, Kurt Ingeman, Bonnie McGill, Max Lambert, Anat Belasen, Joan Dudney, Charlotte Change, Amy Teffer, and Grace Wu. You can read the full article here.

When asked “Is protecting biological diversity and the ecosystems that support all life important to you?” most people would say “yes.” This is the work that conservation scientists like me and my friends do. We do things like figure out how to protect endangered bee species in Hawaiʻi (Koch), inform agencies how to manage the endangered whitebark pine in the Sierra Nevada (Dudney), and study how plants that grow on mountaintops in Maine are impacted by climate change (McDonough MacKenzie). However, many of us are not from the Places* we’re working to protect. In fact, many conservation scientists are descendants of colonizers and settlers (settler-colonizers) who removed, or benefited from the removal of Indigenous Peoples from these Places, which are their ancestral lands. Indigenous Peoples practicing diverse cultures lived for millennia in North America stewarding the land.

The Indigenous Peoples displaced by colonialism have distinct knowledges and cultural identities directly rooted in their lands. For example, Mauna Kea is more than a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi to the kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiians). The mountain is their biophysical and genealogical ancestor, a sacred site for cultural and spiritual activities. Another example is how Aboriginal Peoples in Australia practice cultural fire “for biodiversity, to protect the landscape, and for cultural reasons, all in one” (Steffensen 2019, p233).

Indigenous Peoples’ distinct genealogical and cultural relationship to the land and all the other beings they share the land with is far different than the relationship of settler colonizers to Place and nature. Industrial society is traditionally and intentionally very disconnected from nature, beginning with European states removing peasants from forests and the commodification of nature (Tsing 2005). For example, many of us don’t know where our food comes from; don’t have religious or cultural traditions connecting us to Place, the land, or nature; and don’t know the natural history of the creatures we encounter everyday.

So you can imagine it is more than awkward for settler-colonizer conservation scientists to be the only or dominant source of knowledge about how to conserve a colonized Place, yet for decades this has been a common occurrence. In some cases, conservationists have attempted to act as “white saviors” to local Peoples by centering the work around themselves and excluding local experts (see this piece about conservation in Africa by Mordecai Ogada). In other cases, settler-colonizer conservation has furthered the oppression of local Indigenous People by removing them from their homelands and calling them poachers when they hunt there (see this piece on US National Parks by Isaac Kantor). All with few long term conservation achievements to show for it—for evidence, look no further than the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Turns out, preserving biodiversity is hard, as is adapting to climate change. At the local level, both of these issues require some global settler-colonial science as well as intimate knowledge of and human interaction with individual Places. I wonder who has that? ...

Some settler-colonizer/non-Indigenous conservation scientists are now beginning to listen to Indigenous knowledge keepers, collaborate on research with Indigenous groups, and, in some cases, supporting and following the lead of Indigenous managers of their ancestral lands and waters. Conservation scientists are beginning to understand that the only way to long term conservation successes is to develop conservation strategies that also support the social and physical wellbeing and self-determination of the people who live there. But these settler-Indigenous partnerships are built on a troubled history of colonial violence and oppression. So, how do settler-colonizer conservationists proceed in a way that does not perpetuate harms to Indigenous Peoples? In other words, what does it mean to be for a Place when you’re not from that Place?

Several of my scientist friends and I wrestled with this issue after visiting kia’i (protectors) of Mauna Kea (Mauna a Wākea). It was October 2019 and we were hosted by Moana “Ulu” Ching and Noelani Puniwai, both of whom are kānaka maoli, conservation scientists, and friends with one of us (Koch).

Noelani Puniwai and Moana “Ulu” Ching (far left) met with our group of Smith Conservation Fellows at Pu’u Huluhulu near the base of Mauna Kea. We sat on black lava rock from an old lava flow. (Photo by Joan Dudney)

We met at the bottom of the access road to the summit of Mauna Kea. Here was a tent community of kiaʻi protesting the construction of a new telescope called the Thirty Meter Telescope on the summit of their ancestral Mauna Kea. They were occupying the entry road to prevent construction vehicles from accessing the summit; 33 kupuna (Elders, grandparents, ancestors) were arrested several months earlier marking the escalating tensions between the kiaʻi and the governmental and private institutions involved in developing the Thirty Meter Telescope. The telescope is the continuation of colonialism on Mauna Kea sponsored by 11 nations and universities against the wishes of and providing little economic benefit to kānaka maoli. Not only does construction of a 14th research structure threaten the fragile ecosystems and endangered species at the summit of Mauna Kea, construction also perpetuates a long history of colonization in Hawaiʻi that threatens the cultural, economic, and ecological well being of kānaka maoli.

One of the tents at the protest site. The upside down American and Hawaiian flags represent the kānaka maoli rejection of these colonial powers. The upside down Hawaiian flag can be seen on cars and buildings throughout Hawai’i. (Photo by Joan Dudney)

We listened as Ulu and Noelani described their experiences and perspectives on Mauna Kea and the telescope. Afterward they invited us to participate in midday protocol, and we were humbled by the experience. Protocol is a sacred community building activity that happens every day and consists of oli (chants), pule (prayer), and hula (dance). Non-kānaka maoli were allowed to observe the protocol and were invited to participate in a certain part. We showed our respect to Mauna Kea by standing in our bare feet on the road to her summit for the protocol. In one hula we were sending our energy and strength to Mauna Kea.

As conservation scientists we wanted to show our solidarity with the kiaʻi. We wanted to voice our objections to the Thirty Meter Telescope in terms of conserving the fragile summit ecosystem, and equally important, call for an end to continued colonialist practices in the name of settler-colonizer science. We channelled this energy into a policy statement opposing the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, which was later adopted by the Society for Conservation Biology. We further reflected on the experience and wondered what first-hand learning we could share with other conservation scientists embarking on anticolonial conservation work. We came up with a series of recommendations for scientists. You can read all of them here. Here are three major ones:

Recognize the ways conservation theory and practice perpetuate the myth that North America was “empty” and “new” upon European “discovery.” For example, the mistaken belief that US National Parks never had human inhabitants despite the fact that Indigenous People have been living in and managing the lands and waters of North America for millennia.

Build authentic relationships with the Indigenous Peoples whose lands we are working on. Realize that settler-colonizer science is not the “correct” or only way of knowing.

Educate ourselves by learning about the history of the Places where we work and live and the Indigenous people affected by colonization. Read books and articles written by Indigenous scholars. Teach ourselves. After you have done the work to learn about the history and people(s), then reach out to Indigenous scholars, land stewards and managers.

We believe that being “for a Place” when you’re not from a Place means respect for Indigenous knowledge, continuous reflection on the consequences of our actions, and a willingness to act with humility, embrace complexity, and maintain hope. We are excited to grow and learn and contribute to the transformation of conservation science into a more inclusive, equitable, and just discipline.

*I capitalized Place throughout to emphasize its importance, akin to a person’s name being capitalized.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is on Seneca land and waterways, the homeland of the people we call the Monongahela, and lands and rivers used by and culturally connected to the Lenape, Shawnee, Wyandot, and Osage. I honor these ancestors, am grateful for their stewardship of these lands and waters, and acknowledge and respect their descendants alive today.

Bonnie McGill is a science communication fellow in the Section of Anthropocene Studies. Museum staff, volunteers, and interns are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

Work cited

Steffensen, V. 2019. Putting the people back into the country. In: Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology. J. Archibald Q’um Q’um Xiiem, J. B. J. Lee-Morgan, and J. De Santolo, eds. Zed Books (London).

Tsing, A. L. 2005. Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton University Press (Princeton and Oxford).

#Carnegie Museum of Natural History #Place #Anthropocene #Science Writing #Scientific Research #Hawaii #Mauna Kea

17 notes · View notes

stxn-the-mxn · 5 years

Text

Alone Time || 2019!Bill Denbrough X Reader

IT CHAPTER 2 SPOILERS

! blood, death, mentions of rape !

He couldn’t believe he forgot about her. Of all the things about Derry, he forgot, why did it have to be her. He knew there was something holding him back from marrying Audra and later breaking up with her.

There was always something in the back of his head, yelling at him, telling him to hold back. And now he knew, it had been her the whole time. That voice in his head, his subconscious… they were all her.

When they passed by her at the Chinese restaurant, he paid her no mind, trying to get out of their as quick as possible, especially after Richie lost his shit at some poor child. He hadn’t even realised it had been her.

***

Back in 1990, she had been his everything. It was a while after Beverly had left, and he could feel his feelings for her dispersing quickly. In time, he would find every second of the day was taken up with thoughts of her.

He was disappointed in himself for never having noticed her before. She was in literally all of his classes. Every single one, and yet he never paid her any attention. He had mentally slapped himself after that discovery.

After that summer, Bill didn’t really hang out with the Losers Club as often. Every now and again he would talk to Stan, maybe Eddie or Richie. Ben and Mike were a different story. Bill never seemed to see them anymore.

So, he turned to her for a new best friend. At lunch, he joined her at the table she sat at by herself usually. She smiled at the boy, and Bill swore his heart skipped a couple of beats. After that day, they seemed to be spending days on end with each other.

Later that year, the school decided to put on a play. The most basic school play, Romeo & Juliet. The week before auditions, Bill had discovered Y/N’s love for Shakespeare. She had been talking about it non-stop since the announcement was made.

“Y-yknow, you s-s-should audition for J-Juliet.”

She had choked on her juice, staring at Bill, waiting for him to laugh it off. It had to have been a joke, after all.

“I’m s-s-serious, Y/N/N. You’re a g-great actress. Look, if y-y-you audition, I will t-too.”

Bill regretted that promise. He wasn’t ready to play Romeo and was most definitely not prepared to kiss you on stage in front of everyone. But he was ready to admit that he loved you, truly he did.

You had believed him. He said he loved you. He said that he wanted to be with you forever.

And then he left Derry.

***

How could he have forgotten his Juliet? He could feel the kisses on his lips again, her hands tangled in his hair. He could feel everything he felt for her, just like he did before he left Derry. Had Y/N left Derry?

He wasn’t sure, but he sure as hell wanted to know. He would search this damn town top to bottom if it meant finding you again. But first, he wanted to pass by somewhere that meant a shit ton to him.

He pedalled up to his old house, and he was surprised to see it hadn’t been changed one bit. It was the same colour, just freshly painted. He glanced up at the top window that used to be his bedroom and saw a woman in the window.

She seemed familiar, and the second they locked eyes, it didn’t feel awkward. It felt right. He watched as the woman ran downstairs. The door swung open, and the woman ran out to Bill.

“Bill, holy shit, it’s you! You’re right in front of me, breathing and everything oh my god.”

He knew it was her. He knew immediately. How could he not? All these years later, and she still had the same smile.

“Y-yeah, yeah it’s m-me. You h-h-haven’t changed. And you live in my old home?”

She chuckled, and it sounded like music to Bill. Her smile was the same, except the silver braces were gone. He examined her face. She had more noticeable freckles, her glasses gone, likely being replaced with contacts.

She was still the Y/N he was utterly in love with.

“What can I say? I missed you, this was the closest I could be to you.”

“Mom? Sewer guy?”

Both adults whipped around to meet the small kid with his skateboard. Bill’s jaw dropped, as he stared at the kid he had yelled at only an hour ago. It was just his luck, wasn’t it? He and Richie had both yelled at this poor kid, only to find out he belonged to the love of his life.

“You know Dean?”

Y/N questioned, pure confusion in her voice. How on earth did Bill know her own son? Bill didn’t answer, just staring between Dean and Y/N.

“Bill? Come in, we need to talk. Dean, don’t stay out too late, I need you back from the fair at least 10 pm.”

Dean skated off, staring at Bill weirdly as he passed him. Bill watched the kid go, his eyes darting between Y/N and skateboard kid.

“Fuck,” he thought “that probably means she’s married.”

Sensing that Bill was in a state of mild shock, Y/N sighed and dragged him inside. The floor plan was still the same as when he had lived there. Georgie’s old room now belonged to Dean. His old room was now occupied by Y/N and her husband.

They sat down on the bed, closer than Bill expected for a married woman.

“I’m not married.” Y/N seemed to read Bill’s mind. He glanced at her hands to find, to his joy, not a single gold band in sight.

“Well, where’d D-Dean come f-f-from then?” Bill had genuine curiosity in his voice, as he glanced at a photo of Y/N and Dean. he couldn’t help but smile at how happy they were. He had to ask about Dean’s father, but he didn’t want to come across as pushy or nosey. He failed that last part.

“He, uh, he never had a father. It’s always been just me and him.” She was holding back the truth. He needed to be nosey and pushy. He didn’t feel like he had any other choice.

“Y/N, even after 27 y-years, I k-know when you’re not t-t-telling me the truth. You d-do the thing with your h-h-hands.”

She looked down, seeing her right ring finger tapping her thigh. He really remembered everything after all those years.

“Dean… he wasn’t a child of consent. That’s all I want to say on the matter.” Y/N’s words were quick and sharp. Bill could tell she was touchy about the subject. Who wouldn’t be? Silence fell over the room.

Bill held her tightly, as her sobs broke the silence. It was painful, seeing the woman he loved break like this. She had always been the second strongest woman he knew, as no woman would ever be as strong as Beverly Marsh, and that was fact, not opinion.

“I remember when Dean first asked about his dad. I told him he was off in California, writing stories and making movies that he wasn’t allowed to read or see yet.” Y/N laughed softly as she saw Bill’s dumbstruck expression. He still seemed to be processing it all, but that didn’t stop her from continuing.

“He had smiled, yelling that his daddy was famous while jumping in circles. I never had the heart to tell him the truth. I still don’t think I could.”

“So, what y-you’re telling m-m-me… is that y-y-your son thinks I-I’m his dad?”

She had looked down awkwardly, mentally calling herself stupid for bringing that up. Bill probably thought she was insane at this point.

“Maybe… maybe he n-n-needs a dad. One who’s a-actually around.”

“W-what?”

Bill pressed his lips against hers, those 27 years of lost emotions rushing into this one kiss. It was messy, rushed, somewhat chaotic. It was everything the both of them had wanted. It was perfect and beautiful and everything in between.

***

Bill, Ben and Beverly surrounded Eddie as they stared at the hole in his cheek where Henry Bower’s switchblade had been. Everyone was in a panic, not knowing what to do when someone gets stabbed through the face.

While Bill was also worried for Eddie, his mind was elsewhere. Specifically, his mind was on her. The voices of Ben and Bev and Eddie’s painful moans dissolved as Bill saw a skateboard roll over to them. It looked identical to Dean’s.

Bev noticed it too. Blood trailed upwards. It was floating.

They flipped the board over, and Bill’s knees buckled.

Guess he couldn’t cut it either.

“I have to go.”

He ran, ignoring Silver and Bev’s calls for him to wait. He couldn’t let Dean get hurt. He couldn’t let Y/N get hurt. The fair was quite the distance from the Inn, but he ran the whole way. Dean wasn’t safe, no child was in this devil town.

The screams, happy screams, of kids and neon lights signalled his destination was extremely close. As he turned the corner, he immediately scanned the crowds for the mop of curly blonde hair.

Like a hitman finding his target, his eyes closed in on Dean L/N. He had made it time. Dean was there, breathing, all limbs attached. Bill continued sprinting. Dean was running with his friends towards the funhouse.

“Kid! Dean! Stop!” His pleas were useless as Dean ran through the spinning walkway. Bill stumbled across the walkway, feeling dizzy.

The next hallway was filled with swinging clowns. Dean must have already made it through. A clown slammed him into the wall, but he got back up and ran, only being hit by one more stuffed clown.

“Oh, you can not be serious?”

Bill faced the mirror maze, his head spinning. He didn’t stop to get his bearing though, sprinting through the maze, running into almost every mirror. He turned the corner successfully and saw the blonde boy up ahead.

“Kid!” He yelled, running at full speed, before cracking his head against another mirror.

“Kid?” He looked around, feeling his surroundings. It wasn’t possible. Not in some attraction designed for kids.

He was completely surrounded by those fucking mirrors. He continued to feel around, eventually finding an open passage. Bill stumbled through more hallways, this time avoiding running into anything.

Around another corner was Dean, walking idly. He ran towards the kid again but found himself stuck behind another barrier of mirrors. He shouldn’t have been shocked, running into mirrors in the mirror maze.

Spinning around, he saw him again. Dean was at the end of the hallway, staring through the mirrors. Bill ran, for the millionth time that day, calling out for Dean. and, for the millionth time that day, he found himself trapped behind a wall of glass.

Dean spun around at the thump on the glass. He stared at the man who seemed to be following him around this town and had been hugging his mom not that long ago. Bill clutched his face in pain, muttering “shit” not so quietly.

“K-kid! Hey, hey!” Bill smiled, and Dean backed away.

“What are you doing here?”

“H-h-hey, I-I’m here to help,” Bill said, and Dean scrunched up his face in annoyance.

“Stop following me!”

“I’m gonna, I’m g-gonna get you o-out of here.” Bill walked backwards, and as his eyes drifted down past Dean, he seemed to freeze.

Dean followed his gaze, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the creature staring them down.

Pennywise The Dancing Clown stared at the two of them, trailing his tongue up the glass. He had hunger in his eyes as he watched Dean’s every move.

“No.” Bill pleaded. Pennywise moved up the glass, his tongue still licking the glass. Dean didn’t move, frozen in place.

“P-please..” Bill felt helpless.

Pennywise stared at Dean, who was shaking. Bill realised he was shaking too, as strong as he always made himself seem. The fucking clown smiled creepily at Dean, the poor boy crying and trembling.

Neither Dean nor Bill could say anything, both standing in silence as Pennywise reared IT’s head, before hitting it on the glass.

IT laughed at their fearful silence, the only other sound being Dean’s wavering breaths. IT smashed its head on the glass, harder this time, and Bill responded by pounding on the glass. Dean backed away, straight into the glass Bill was on the other side of.

IT repeatedly smashed its head on the glass, not holding back. Bill did the same, only with his fists. Dean yelped in fear, each cry a spear through Bill’s heart. The clown was relentless, never holding back as its head came in contact with the glass.

Dean was crying, and Bill felt tears welling up too. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. But it was, and it was a real as the fear pounding through their bodies.

The glass was cracking, Dean was screaming, and Bill was trying, but to no avail. IT slammed its head faster, more aggressive. Dean turned to Bill who was punching the glass. He knew he couldn’t do anything, but he didn’t want to believe it.

Two pieces of glass separated Dean from either safety or… something else.

Bill moved to kick the glass, but it still remained intact. The other piece of glass did not. Dean’s screams echo through Bill’s mind, and they motivate him to try harder, to be stronger. He tries everything. Kicking, punching, pushing against it, all while looking into Dean’s fearful eyes. The same eyes he would have to look into after this. The same eyes that would fill with uncontrollable tears.

IT stops. But the glass is one tiny hit away from shattering. ITs face contorts, the horrifying smile it displays burning into Dean’s memories. Bill and Dean breathe heavily, and Pennywise can smell their fear.

IT rears its head back, before smashing it through the glass. Razor-sharp teeth slash out, latching onto Dean, who is still screaming.

A gruesome blood splatter signifies Bill’s failure.

***

The incident had happened two days ago. In those two days, Bill had never felt more enraged. That anger, however, had been one of the keys to defeating IT. But as the Losers left the sewers, hauling an injured but living Eddie with great difficulty, the anger wasted away, and the sadness took its place.

He didn’t know how to tell her. He now knew how his parents felt, the day they had to tell him of Georgie’s fate. He felt so utterly useless. He had walked to her house, not ever wanting to arrive.

On the slow travel to the house of death and despair, Bill had contemplated how he would tell her. Nothing seemed right. He knew he needed the other Losers by his side if he was ever going to make it through.

Once the six of them had made it to your doorstep and rung the doorbell, Bill had broken down. And that’s how Y/N found them all, huddled around a sobbing Bill. They had all immediately noticed the tears in her own eyes.

“B-Bill?”

She brought them all inside, making each one a cup of coffee or tea. They sat in silence, waiting for someone to say something. No one spoke, Bill and Y/N simply let out quiet sobs every now and again. An hour after, and a few coffee/tea refills later, Bill finally spoke up.

“Y-Y/N. Can we g-g-go upstairs?’

Bill held the woman close to him as they made their way upstairs. They both froze outside Dean’s old room, and Bill made the move to push her next door.

“What happened to Dean? Why did he never come home, Bill?”

Bill knew that deep down, she knew the answer to that. Not the specifics, of course. But he knew that Y/N could not have ignored the signs, like the missing posters that only seemed to be around when he was.

“Y/N, h-h-he’s gone.”

She couldn’t do this anymore. Bill held the sobbing woman, and he knew the other five Losers downstairs could hear everything. Her crying eventually brought the other five upstairs, one by one.

It reminded them of 1989 after they first defeated IT, when Bill had found Georgie’s yellow raincoat. Bill made the connection too, which hurt even more. They all found their tears dotting each other's clothes as they hugged the woman that they had not met until an hour ago.

“I… I think I need some time alone.” She mumbled, and the Losers left her room. Bill was about to leave when she pulled him into a kiss. It was like the one he shared with Beverly all those years ago; a farewell kiss.

***

It had been more of a farewell than Bill hoped. Not even two months after he left Derry for the second time did he receive the letter. It was addressed to him, from an address he didn’t know.

Opening the letter, he immediately recognized her handwriting. It hadn’t changed since high school. The note was short.

I’m sorry. I tried to be strong, I really did. I couldn’t do it without you and Dean. And I feel so selfish for doing this, and I don’t want you to be mad. It was best for everyone. I promise I’ll see you again, but as I said that horrible night, I need some time alone.

Yours forever, Y/N L/N

Dropping the envelope, another piece of paper came flying out. He didn’t want to, but he had to pick it up. Turning it over, he wanted to believe he was back in Derry, and this was just some cruel trick that clown was playing on him.

But it wasn’t. He wasn’t in Derry. If he was, maybe it would’ve changed things. It would’ve for sure stopped him from receiving the letter he currently held in his hand.

Celebrating a life well lived

Y/N M/N L/N

Loving mother, daughter and friend

1976-2016

***

@chipoisaloser

#bill denbrough #bill denbrough x reader #it #it x reader #it chpater 2 #it chapter 2 x reader #it 2019 #it 2019 x reader

300 notes · View notes

luckersnwalsh · 4 years

Text

✦ –– / J U L I E T T E | W A L S H . ˚ ⁎ * ·

✦ –– / f a c t s ;

name: juliette walsh age: thirty two gender: cis female pronouns: she/her sexuality: lesbian place of residence: brooklyn, nyc occupation: paralegal face: emmy rossum zodiac: capricorn ennegram: tba temperament: melancholic

tw; brief mention of drugs

✦ –– / h i s t o r y ;

i. born in cork, ireland. father never stuck around. already had a second family by the time jules was six, a third when jules was nineteen. not that she cared too greatly. dad was an absolute loser with several speeding convictions and anger management issues so no big loss. the financial loss was certainly felt, however. mum worked three jobs to keep food on the table. the two were inseparable and despite her mother’s misgivings, they still are to this day. maybe thats why jules takes ‘independent living’ a little too far nowadays.

ii. in primary school, jules was quickly labelled as a ‘problem child’. her mother thought she was doing what was best for jules by not pushing for a diagnosis in autism, let’s just say it kinda fucked jules up even more. with a high IQ and a low EQ, most people assumed jules had some sort of savant syndrome. top 3% in the country! aren’t you proud? i have no friends, though. oh you’re just mature for your age. focusing on better things! the pressure mounted, her relationships non-existent and jules found herself closed off from the world, nose forever stuck in a revision book.

iii. these problems follow her throughout her educational career. eventually she hit a burnout in her first year of sixth form college after trying to juggle too many subjects at once. that brainy maths whizz of a girl ended up going from an A+ to an E in less than a year. every subject failed in the most spectacular of manners. the gifted child suddenly wasn’t so gifted anymore, and it only fueled her resentment towards her teachers who pushed her to take on so much in the first place. there was, however, one shining light. law. the only subject she passed in her first year. the one subject she rebuilt her entire course to fit around when she applied to retake her college classes.

iv. jules was destined to get a degree. after all, her mother never managed to get one, so jules had to go to university. freshers was... an Event, to say the least. the discovery of alcohol, marijuana and roommates who she had to force herself to interact with certainly morphed jules into quite the temporary wild child. it didn’t last long though. jules learnt the hard way that it doesn’t matter how hard you change yourself for your ‘friends’, you’ll never be good enough for them. by the start of her second year, jules was living on her own in a crappy one bedroom apartment with two cats. needless to say, this suited her much better. (still lights up on occasion though, oops)

v. half way through university, offered a placement in a new york firm as part of an exchange program. change is difficult for jules, but her ambition overcame her nerves. she had no attachments keeping her locked in at home, and with her mothers (unquestioned) blessing, jules hopped on to a plane with two furry passengers in hand.

vi. it’s difficult to find a job in new york when you’re foreign, young, female and don’t have any connections. and then there’s the issue that jules never wanted to be an actual solicitor, after all. no no no, that would require public speaking, keeping emotions in check, not swearing at the prosecution. for the most part jules worked as an intern to a small public defender firm. ( and then i need to talk to oaklynn mun before i fill the rest of this bc we need to work out details of this firm she eventually joins )

✦ –– / e x t r a ;

juliette’s ideal is j u s t i c e. pretty obvious for the lawyer, but needs to be said. this ideal was present at a very young age, and coincided with her more... violent tendencies. juliette might be lawful, but she’s not exactly lawful good. for example, is there a kid who keeps pushing you off the slide so they can have multiple turns? don’t worry, jules will be waiting at the bottom to punch them the next time they come down. kid keeps hitting you during class? can’t hit you if jules bites off his arm. really, jules would’ve made a damn good vigilante, but sadly this isn’t that kind of story.

jules comes off as quite stoic, a little bit cold and cynical. in her worst moments, she’s aggressive and like i said, can be pretty violent. since academia has been hard drilled into her since she was a bubby, she can tend to come of patronising and a little holier-than-thou.

get on her good side though and you find someone extremely logical and focused, and the most reliable person you can meet. generous and giving, jules is the type willing to give up her left leg if it meant someone could walk again. manage to make her smile and you’ll probably fall in love. whilst she keeps them hidden, she has a variety of special interests (in fact, she’s actually quite the nerd). unlock them all and you get a prize! (its her heart, you are now her best friend)).

her cats are called jasper and fred. yes i will eventually provide photos as they are models off my cats.

eventually there will be a pinterest and playlist here

#✦ –– / intro ( W A L S H I E ). ˚ ⁎ * ·#lucky will be coming tomorrow bc it is Late

5 notes · View notes

funkymeihem-fiction · 5 years

Text

Strange Honey- Chapter 5

Danger.

All her instincts screamed of danger. Something new and terrible was standing in front of her, looming over her. Adrenaline coursed outward from its source, the glands behind her gut, which clenched tight and painful as her limbs began shaking, ready for the inevitable fight or flight that was sure to occur, with such a predatory force within killing distance. The animal part of her brain bid her to flee with all her might. It also bid her to evacuate her bladder and do whatever it might take to get away. Just get away from it.

But luckily, she was trained beyond such primal thoughts. Logic and manners bid her to stay her course, even in the face of the unknown. Even though she was trembling, which was quite beyond her control, she made herself stay still. It would do her no good to panic, especially after it had taken such coaxing to even get the entity to show itself. Although, what a form it had chosen…

And he certainly did not seem to be shy now. Jamie slunk low once more, circling and slinking around her, still chortling to himself with that dry, scraping, buzzing sound from earlier. The soft hush-hush-hush of crackling straw was faint with every one of his movements, moving around her like a hyena closing in on some unlucky wounded calf. The faint yellow glow of his eyes occasionally clicked or focused, and the open mouth of his mask remained wide open and grinning. Mei could not help but wonder what was inside of that gaping mouth, if it wanted to devour her.

She cleared her throat, and her voice was more quavering and shrill than she wished it was. “H-hello Jamie. I-it’s so n-nice to meet you in…in person.”

He laughed again, swerving back to stand in front of her and bend back down to her level, still seemingly gleeful at her visit. He leaned close, and the stench of moldered hay was almost overwhelming. “Hello, Mei. Mei. Out here again.”

“Y-yes. Ahem. Although I’m afraid I can’t stay very long. But I j-just wanted to speak, um, face to face?” Her eyes darted to his grinning mask. “So to speak.”

“Faces? Yes. Speak, out here with me. Nice sweet girl. Don’t worry.” He reached out as if he wished to touch her, but drew back at the last moment, spindly fingers curling inward.

His method of speech was strange and halting, seeming to blurt things out too suddenly, and his tone went up and down in strange places, becoming questions in the middle of sentences or dropping to a rattling or giggling growl at the end. It was impossible to tell much from his inflection. He had told her not to worry, but she could not gauge his sincerity at all. She couldn’t help but worry.

“You sent that bee to contact me, didn’t you? To introduce yourself?”

“To show you.”

“To show me the pictures in the attic? The ones Mr. Rutledge drew when he was a child? May I ask why?”

He swayed back and forth in front of her, and her eyes moved to and fro to watch him, like a snake being charmed as he thought about his answer. “Drawings. Little boy. He’s gone now, but I remember.”

Mei looked up at him with a startled blink, straightening her glasses. “You remember? You said that before. Is that what you meant when you said that you were remembering? Drawing with Mr. Rutledge as a boy?”

“Yes…NO. More. Before the boy.”

“You remember…” The talk of ‘remembering’ made her jolt a little, and she remembered something as well. Her equipment. She was here to record this Jamie, to secure her discovery with physical evidence. But she also didn’t want to scare him by moving to retrieve it so suddenly. So she held up both hands where he could see them, which caused him to tilt his head curiously as she went to undo the straps to her bag. “Listen, Jamie. I’m going to get something so I can record you, okay? Just going to get it out of my pack.”

“Reeee-cording?” Jamie echoed. “Recording?”

“It’ll play your words back to me. It’s like…I guess it’s a bit like putting a drawing on paper, but with sounds. Is that okay with you?”

He didn’t answer, just standing there as stiff as the scarecrow he was pretending to be. Mei’s eyes darted, but after a moment she carefully maneuvered the pack off her shoulders and onto the ground. Praying silently that nothing was broken, her groping hand found the shape of her phone and she drew it out… The screen was cracked on the lower left side and her heart dropped, but it lit up and responded to her touch, bathing her face in harsh blue light.

Jamie uttered a strange noise, between a hiss and a shriek, reeling back and taking a step back towards his field, and Mei nearly panicked.

“No! No no no, it’s okay. See? It’s just a phone. I guess you might not have seen one like this before? Mr. Rutledge certainly doesn’t use one. It’s just a phone, and it lights up.” She held it up again, the electric blue light almost drowning out the yellow that he emitted. But he took a hesitant step forward and relief almost flooded through her that she hadn’t scared him away. “It’s fine! I’m just going to use it to record you. Okay?”

“Phone drawings pictures…” His eyelights clicked as they focused on the glowing screen, and he muttered as if trying to recall a word. “…Photograph. Photo. So pretty.”

“Hm?” She turned the phone back around, and saw he must have meant the picture on her home screen, a photograph of her looking excitedly up a the camera while bottle-feeding a baby goat wearing a Christmas sweater. “Oh! Um. Thank you. It’s a silly picture, but it was sooo cute.”

“Sooo cute!” “So you know what photos are? Then…how about I take your picture?” she asked, perhaps a bit slyly. Perhaps he would agree to it all so long as he understood that it was non-threatening. “You just stand there, okay? And I’m going to take your picture and then I’ll show it to you.”

He didn’t answer, merely tilting his head again with a soft rustle. She guessed that was as good as any affirmation, and lifted the camera up. The lighting wasn’t the best, but now was no time to be picky and she didn’t want to scare him with the flash. She lifted her phone, waited for it to focus, and then clicked the button. It beeped and she eagerly looked down to see how this new evidence was turning out… only to find that it had not turned out at all. The picture she had taken was absolutely distorted, streaks of brown and two yellow lights that were smeared in all directions, as if he was moving rapidly in many different ways all at once.

But he hadn’t moved at all, standing placidly before her. She tried again. Click. More streaks and blurs, and what vaguely might have been his smiling mouth. It seemed that getting picture evidence was not going to be so easy after all. She turned it to video, and was greeted once more with nothing but a distorted warp field around his form…which dissipated when she aimed the camera away from him. But focusing on him was going to be impossible. This might be harder than she’d thought.

And Jamie seemed to be growing impatient while she stupidly fumbled with her phone. He rocked back and forth on his broken-parts peg leg and his bare foot, watching her. His glowing lenses clicked down occasionally, and she noticed he kept looking at the stained red part of her shirt. That was fine enough. Perhaps he was curious, or worried. What was not fine was when he started to reach out one filthy leather glove, stretching long fingers towards her wounded ribs.

“Red.”

That was a little too much, and Mei lowered her camera and shied away, taking a step back. “Oh! Y-yes, it’s red. I told you, I fell down and scratched myself pretty bad, I’ll have to clean it up when I get back.” She bit down a bit into her lower lip, curiosity lifting its head. He seemed so interested in its color. Maybe it was unusual to him? “Jamie, do you have any red? Are you like a human, where you can bleed? Red?”

He thought for a moment, lifting one gloved finger. Then pointed down to the ground, staring straight at her.

She looked to where he was pointing, but saw nothing. Just the dry grass. “Oh, is that…Sorry, are you trying to show me something?” She tried looking, adjusting her glasses and leaning closer, but still nothing. Grass and dirt. “I’m sorry, I don’t see anything.”

“Red.” He pointed down again.

The grass was definitely not red, and that prickling and unpleasant feeling was back. Something that told her that this topic was not something she wanted to pursue further. Not with…him. So she just nodded. “Okay. Maybe I can look another time! H-how about you tell me about yourself, Jamie? Maybe you can tell me what you are, first? Since you’re not a human, do you have a name?”

“Jamie.”

“Yes, but- I mean your other name, the name of what you are? Your species? Or, maybe you can tell me what you’re doing here? How long you’ve been here?”

“A…long time. Waiting.”

That got her attention. So he had a purpose- some sort of goal. “Oh? Can you tell me what you’re waiting for, Jamie?”

“To be over. No. Over?” Once again, the scarecrow seemed to be having a bit of trouble getting his thoughts in order, and the apparently challenge of verbalizing them. It jerked to one side, head rustling as it turned, looking up at the darkening sky as if searching for words that it could not find. “Over. Over. Under? No…!”

“That’s okay,” she said, trying to be soothing as she saw his frustrations grow. She definitely did not want him to become upset. “That’s okay, we can talk about that later, all right? It’s fine. Has it been a while since anyone has been out here to talk to you?”

He nodded, wrapping long, long arms around himself in what might have been a rather pathetic gesture if it had been on anyone else. Even then, despite his frightening countenance, she felt a tinge of pity. Even if he was unnerving, she could recognize loneliness when she saw it. Perhaps that was even an explanation as to his strange behavior and manner of speech. Maybe it had been so long that he’d forgotten how to talk to people.

“That’s a shame. Both you and Mr. Rutledge are out here so far away from everyone else, and you’re not talking to one another. Is it okay if I ask why?” She almost reached out to him, but thought better of it, clutching her phone instead. “When was the last time you spoke to him?”

Jamie thought things over once more, then leaned down with one arm, holding out one hand somewhere above his knee, wavering a little. “Little boy. Little fat boy.”

Instinctively, she narrowed her eyes at the insult, scolding before she could stop herself. “Jamie!”

He looked somewhat taken aback, the lights cutting off as he ‘blinked’ at her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…we shouldn’t say those sorts of things about someone. That’s rude.”

“That’s rude,” he echoed, clearly not understanding. “That’s rude!”

She shook her head, deciding to let it go. He was having trouble using his words enough, and now was no time to spring a lesson on manners on him. Again, she could not risk upsetting him. For her research, and for her own safety. He was just a little too interested in the concept of her blood for her to let her guard down. She still had no idea what she was dealing with, and unfortunately, he did not seem to be able to answer her yet.

‘Yet’. He was still talking to her, able to speak and form sentences and he understood humor- albeit a warped form of it that made her a little uncomfortable. Maybe he just needed to be socialized with more, and then she could get more out of him…maybe even find a way to record him somehow or get evidence of his existence out to the proper academic channels. And if this Jamie had been out here for almost half a century, alone, maybe the poor thing would appreciate having company again.

It would do neither him nor Mr. Rutledge any good if she suddenly had news vans and paranormal investigators sweeping across the farm like locusts, disturbing the way of things here. It had taken her so long just to coax him out of the flowers, and he seemed to… like her? In his own strange and maybe slightly disturbing way. It had been cute when she had known him as a bee, or a scribble on a paper, or a flower on a windowsill. But the gangly scarecrow, if that even was his real form or just another one of his affectations or guises, had to be approached carefully.

“So the last time you and he talked, he was a little boy? That must have been a long time ago. Has anyone else come to see you since then?” she asked, leaning back very slowly as he bent down to look at her again. She just needed to keep her cool. Nothing to be afraid of. He was a little spooky, but nothing to be afraid of. Yet.

“You’re here,” he pointed out, mask still smiling widely as ever. “Mei.”

“That’s true. Still, that’s an awfully long time to be alone. Are you okay out here, on your own?”

He looked at her more sharply, the glass lenses of his masks clicking. And for a moment he seemed…Well, she wasn’t entirely sure. He seemed affected by such a simple question, maybe even a little choked up. “Sweet sweet girl, Mei. No, not alone. Look. Look!”

His gangly form moved so quickly that she almost didn’t see it. There was a blur of dull color, almost like when she was trying to take his picture, and then he was suddenly behind her, and leaning down with his arms open. She froze up, body going stiff as a corpse, and her eyes widening behind her glasses. The stench of old straw was thick enough to choke her at such close range, and there was something else behind that…some other smell she couldn’t yet put her finger on. And she could not stop to wonder, as his arm looped around her almost as if to embrace her, but not touching.

A gloved hand rested in front of her face, spreading trembling digits. She did nothing, said nothing- fairly sure that even her heart had stopped beating. There was a faint buzzing sound in her ears, and she wondered if he was laughing at her again. But then the buzzing got closer, and it was accompanied by a yellow and black striped body that landed on his outstretched fingers. Then another, and another. For a moment, she thought them to be bees, but a quick glance proved otherwise.

They were too long, too shiny, and too dangerous looking. Wasps. Several of them, clinging to his glove. He was holding a hand full of wasps right in front of her face.

“See!” he gleefully whispered behind her.

Bravery in the face of the unknown was one thing. At least there, there was some uncertainty. But she knew what wasps were. She knew what wasps did, and this time she couldn’t stop herself. She screamed, jolting backward, felt her hurt back brush the front of his tattered overalls. So she jolted forward, almost into the wasps, and then finally managed to duck and stagger out from under his spindly arms, spinning in a stupid little circle as she fled to a safer few steps away.

Jamie just stared at her, and with his masked visage and lack of expressions, she had no idea if he was angry, or amused, or offended, or anything else. He slowly stretched back upright, still holding the wasps clinging to one hand, skittering over him with their skinny little legs moving their striped bodies all over. Fortunately, he did not offer them to her again, and seemed perhaps a little confused if anything.

“Mei?”

“Y-you scared me, is all. Those are wasps, and I don’t want to get stung.”

“No. No, they won’t. My friends. Your friends. Mine yours.”

“So you’re ‘friends’ with insects around here? The bees and wasps and flies and everything? M-may I ask how?” Her nerves were still shot from having a fistful of wasps almost pressed against her nose, heart still thudding. “And…you won’t let them sting me, right?”

“Sweet, nice, never! Tell them not to.”

“Well that’s…that’s good to know?” she answered nervously. Honeybees were one thing. Wild wasps were entirely another. “I guess I’ve never met anyone who can talk to insects, much less ask them to do things. I know you can speak to the bees. In fact, I bet there’s so much we can learn from you, Jamie. About the bees and everything else. I was learning all about the honey around here, too. If you asked Mr. Rutledge’s bees to pollinate these sunflowers, you m-”

“NO!”

Yellow blared bright in her vision, blinding her. He was suddenly in front of her again, and she nearly fell right back on her rump. But he lifted out of her face a moment later, limping a few steps away to face the field of sunflowers. The wasps crawled up and down the stitches on his arm.

“Those…are mine…” he said. And for once it was not a string of words trying to escape him as he got his thoughts in order, it was a full sentence with clear intent and meaning, downright threatening.

Mei dared not say anything for a long while, and her voice was a little watery when she spoke up again. “I…I’m sorry? I can give you back the flower you gave me? I didn’t mean to try taking one before, I didn’t know…”

“No. No, that one, for you.” He turned back upon her, seemingly cheerful again. Hobbling back over, he once more slouched down to her level, his masked visage grinning. As she watched, one of the wasps crawled into the stitched hole that was his mouth, and did not emerge. He took no notice, his echoing voice continuing. “Only for you. Not him.”

“Y-you mean Mr. Rutledge? I don’t understand, Jamie. Why is it you’re so angry at him? You said he was just a little boy when you met.”

“Not a little boy. Not anymore. Big. Dangerous.”

She frowned. “Well he is quite a bit larger than a lot of people. And he’s not what I would call friendly. But he’s been as kind as he can be to me, since I arrived. He’s a lonely man, but he’s certainly not dangerous.” She paused, biting into her lip. “Er…is he? Dangerous? Why would you say that?”

A shudder passed through his gangly body, and the insects clinging to him went buzzing off in all directions, one of the wasps circling around her head before it flew away. She winced and shut her eyes, though they sprang open again a moment later when there was a very brief pressure atop her head. The lightest touch of a filthy glove, pressing down and then lifting away. He had just patted her like a dog, seemingly trying to be comforting despite her feeling very much the opposite of comforted.

“Won’t let it happen to you. Mei. Keep you…safe.”

“Let what happen to me? Jamie, please, if I’m in danger, you have to try and tell me why.”

“Don’t believe them...”

“You mean Mr. Rutledge? Don’t believe him about what?” Frustration and alarm was starting to take over her nerves, only precariously held in check. “I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me. Please, can you try and elaborate? Does Mr. Rutledge want to hurt me? Should I leave?”

“No! No don’t leave!” He whirled around on her once more. “No! No, keep you safe. Don’t leave.”

Despite his frantic reassurances, a quick glance past him and up at the sky belied that she did actually have to leave. The sun was down and the night would soon truly be upon her. Already the last rays were starting to fade from orange to purple, and there was absolutely no way that she intended to stay out here after dark. No matter the scarecrow’s intentions, she couldn’t even fathom the thought. His glowing yellow eyes were already looking more and more eerie as the shadows grew darker around them.

Problem being, she was no long sure if she would be safe back at the house either. Jamie either wouldn’t or couldn’t tell her what the threat seemed to be, or why he was so at odds with Mr. Rutledge despite acknowledging that he had only known him as a young child. And even though he was not the most gentlemanly of people, she had a hard time imagining him as the sort that would lure young women to his farm and then feed them to his pigs….Right? Surely not…?

She took a deep breath, clasping both hands. “Jamie…If I go back to the house, will I be safe?”

“Yes. Yes, safe, don’t worry.”

“Okay. Then I’m going to head back, but-” she held up a hand when he started towards her, as if alarmed about the prospect of her leaving. “But! Just back to the house. I’m going to come back as soon as I can. Hopefully soon. I’ll come back. But for now I need to wash all this blood off m-”

“Red.”

“Yes, red. I need to wash off and clean up these scratches. And then I’m going to look into some things. And then maybe next time, you and I can have more time to talk and you can tell me more about you, and Mr. Rutledge, and your flowers, and everything else. Because I’m going to be safe, right? You’re sure?”

“Sweet, safe, Mei.”

“Okay. Okay.” She inhaled deeply, trying to soothe her frazzled nerves. “Then…Have a good night, Jamie. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Soon.” He said it firmly, both a demand and a promise., tilting his masked head one way and then the other.

She nodded one last time, then shouldered her bag and started off on a brisk pace back across the field and back to the footpath that would lead her back to the house. One last glance back towards the sunflowers saw that Jamie was already gone, though she couldn’t be sure where. Her head was buzzing with thoughts. She had come to get evidence and answers, and was leaving with uselessly smeared blurry pictures and more questions than ever.

Jamie hadn’t exactly been forthcoming, but she couldn’t blame him. He was not a person like her, seemed to have trouble getting himself in order, and had earnestly seemed to be trying to converse with her, as much as he could. But she still had no idea as to what he was, or what the interference was when she tried to get him on film.

Plus, there was now the concern that he seemed to think Mr. Rutledge was dangerous in some way. The odd entity seemed intent on keeping her ‘safe’, but she had no idea from what. And something about not believing them? Although he had said ‘them’, which was confusing in itself. What wasn’t she supposed to believe? And what exactly were Jamie’s methods for keeping her ‘safe’?

And she reached the outskirts of the farmhouse proper, there was another important question.

How was she supposed to get back up to her room?

Both doors opened to the main hallway, and she could see the blue glow of the TV playing through the window. The screen doors were not exactly quiet, and the wooden doors had squeaky hinges. He would definitely see her try to sneak in if she tried to use the stairwell. He didn’t lock the doors at night, so maybe it was better to just wait and try to sneak in after he had gone to bed? Although…that would be hours from now, and her ribs hurt and she felt awfully exposed out here, wrapping her arms around herself and looking about in a rather lost way. Even if the room wasn’t technically hers, it was a sort of safe haven for her, and she wished she was inside it. Maybe then she actually would feel ‘safe’.

She paced out in the backyard, trying to sort out the mess inside her head as the dark closed in around her. The nightly chorus began their song; crickets and frogs shrieking from the direction of the half-dried pond, and somewhere an owl was hooting. The fireflies were also out in force, their tiny yellow lights blinking all over, mimicking the little pinpricks of light where the dazzling stars were starting to appear one by one in the sky.

It would have been a lovely evening if she wasn’t stuck outside in it.

Something buzzed, and she waved a hand against any errant mosquito. But it wasn’t the keening whine of a bloodsucking pest, it was the buzz of a flying insect. A bee? The little insect flitted past her, then hovered in the air, and she frowned. It was not a bee, but a wasp. Likely sent after her by her watcher in the fields.

Casting a nervous glance at the window where the TV lights still flashed, she lowered her voice. “Jamie, it’s okay. I’m fine, see? I’m safe. I just…I guess I just need to wait until I can get back inside, since I broke the trellis to the window?”

The wasp buzzed closer to her, and she reeled back. Halting in the air, it spun in a circle, flew a distance off, then turned and waited on her. Sighing, she followed. It led her towards the back porch, to the back the house, and where one of the shrubs was still a little flattened on one side where she had landed on it. Oof. Hopefully Mr. Rutledge wouldn’t notice that?

The buzzing sounded again by the broken wires of the trellis, and then there was a different noise. A sort of rustling? It sounded like leaves in a breeze, but there was no breeze tonight. No relief from the stifling heat. And it was constant, almost like something was moving in the flowers? It was hard to tell in the dim light, but after a few moments of inspection, she realized that there was nothing moving in the flowers. It was the flowers themselves, moving.

Before her very eyes, the morning glory vines were shifting. Slowly, but surely, they were moving on their own. Slithering up as a living thing, their gnarled vine roots clutched at the broken wires where her foot had gone through, weaving themselves over each other. She watched, wide-eyed, as they spun themselves thicker, cheery little blue flowers dragged along for the ride. The metal wire of the trellis had been dragged back into place, reinforced with the vines, and now gave her a path back up to her window.

Well, that was…admittedly, a little wondrous to behold. It seemed that Jamie, whatever he was, had more tricks up his sleeves than just insects. Shaking away her awe, she looked for his latest messenger. It was only polite to thank him, after all.

“Jamie? Where are you? I mean, where’s your…You know. If you can hear me, thank you.”

There was a buzzing noise somewhere down by her feet. She almost jumped a little, but clicked on her phone. She was standing in the flattened area where she had fallen, and there was the wasp from before…standing with its head and antennae waving furiously, inspecting and circling around a collection of dark speckles on the dirt, right where she had landed. Blood. It had found where her blood had seeped into the ground.

Red.

She almost could hear him saying it, though she shook her head clear and stepped away quickly. Mounting the once-broken trellis, she began the laborious process of climbing. To her surprise, it was easier climbing up than climbing down, and the wires- now reinforced and knitted with morning glory- held fast. It was a bit of a squirm to get onto the roof proper, and it scraped her ribs and made them hurt, but with one last heave, she pulled herself up, carefully standing and throwing out both arms in a balancing act as she walked the slope back to her window.

Tossing her bag inside with a little thud, she hefted herself up and crawled through. It was just as she had left it, with her lamp glowing a warm welcome and the cold bowl of dinner noodles right where she had left it. With a relieved sigh, she took in a shuddering few breaths. Safe. Well, not entirely safe. The gifted sunflower was still bright and cheery as ever in its vase full of water, and she could swear that somehow its very presence meant he was still watching her.

A pang from her ribs reminded her of more important matters, and she headed for her bathroom, clicking on the pink-tinted antique light above. Rifling through her medicine cabinet, she came upon a collection of cotton balls, peroxide, and slightly out-of-date anti-infective creams. Hiking up her bloodstained shirt and bra, she examined herself in the mirror.

Owch. No wonder it had been aching all evening. The scratches were worse than she’d thought, and her entire side was smeared with crimson. Wetting the cotton and wiping it away, she saw the telltale magenta marks that were sure to deepen to blue and purple bruises as the blood settled beneath her skin. Nothing to be done for those. Instead she focused on the jagged cuts, hissing a breath as the foaming ichor cleaned over the open pink beneath.

Slapping on an entire collection of band-aid adhesives over the worst of them and splashing her sweaty face with water, she peeled off her ruined t-shirt and tossed it away, pulling on her fresh pajamas. Even that made her feel so much better, no matter how chaotic her thoughts. She returned to her bedroom, grabbing her cold bowl of noodles along the way, pulling out her notebook and her collection of drawings, and her cracked phone with the useless blurred photos. Snatching up a pencil, she began writing, going over their questions and conversations as best she could remember, while it was still fresh.

With her chopsticks in one hand and her pen in the other, she started recording the night’s happenings. And there had been quite a few. She had been left with more questions than answers, more confusion, and more danger than before. This farm was a veritable treasure trove of discoveries to be made, and she had barely scratched the surface. She just hoped that as she dug, she wouldn’t find murdered chickens or deadly buried secrets along the way.

He had promised to keep her safe, but from what? Could Mr. Rutledge be trusted? Then again, could Jamie? She knew so little about either of them. What else did Jamie know, and what was he ‘remembering’? What was Mr. Rutledge hiding from her? She would need to get information out of both of them. Carefully. She still had a lot to do.

Glancing up, she eyed the sunflower on her dresser, listening to the faint thrumming base of the television playing in the den below her, barely audible over the shrieking choir of the summer night.

Starting tomorrow, it was time to start digging.

#meihem #meirat #junkmei #mei #mei-ling zhou #beekeeper mei #Junkrat #jamison fawkes #scarecrow junkrat #overwatch #fantasy au #writing #fiction #alternate universe #strange honey

50 notes · View notes

a-y-t-g-blog · 5 years

Text

Blog Post 1B.

A Critical Analysis of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

This blog post will critically analyze the 1999 film Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical which was inspired by the Old Testament story of Jacob from the bible. Firstly, a synopsis will be provided on the hit film. Secondly, an analysis will occur on how this film resembles the theoretical approach of religion in pop culture. Finally, a critical analysis will articulate how reception theory is very personalized and varies based on the viewer. These aforementioned points argue the following thesis; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a film that is a religious form of popular culture. Despite its religious origin, through reception theory viewers can find a variety of value within this film due to its creative execution.

The story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the biblical story of Joseph, which can be found in the Book of Genesis in the bible. The film opens with a scene of dozens of children who are waiting for a presentation at school. Maria Friedman who is the narrator throughout the film introduces the students to Joseph and prepares them for a journey of self-discovery and never giving up on a dream. The story of Joseph is about the son who is the youngest of twelve brothers. Joseph was Jacob's favourite son, which resulted in deep envy and jealousy from his siblings. This jealousy caused Joseph to be sold into slavery and be sent to Egypt by his brothers.

Joseph was held as a slave for quite a long time but eventually escaped due to his special gift. Joseph was fortunate enough to have the gift of interpreting dreams. This gift eventually led him to predict the future for Egypt, saving the entire country of famine. The story ends with Joseph forgiving his brothers for their actions, reuniting with his father, and eventually becoming the most famous man in Egypt.

Way-way back many centuries ago, just kidding, in November 1999, the hit film, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (JATD), was released. Originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965, this musical has become one of the most frequently performed musicals in the world (Chandler, 65). With such outstanding feedback, the hit musical was adapted into a film which was directed by David Mallet. By 2004, the musical had been performed in more than fifteen-thousand schools alone (Chandler, 63). In the reading, Bible Lite for Schools: How Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Redefines Classical Old Testament theatre for young audiences, David Chandler argues that JATD is a unique musical as it combines a classic story with modern pop music (63). Songs include a variety of styles ranging from ballads, such as, Any Dream Will Do, to disco hit Go, Go Go Joseph and even rock and roll tune Song of the King (Seven Fat Cows). This variety of musical style caters to multiple people's interests, ensuring that anyone who watches the film will have a part to personally connect with.

The film, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat (JATD), is considered a media that is a religion in pop culture. This means that the religious story of Joseph has been transformed into a film, resulting in a religious story that is communicated through popular culture. Other examples similar to this is the story of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia or Superman who resembles Jesus from the bible (Forbes). What is interesting about JATD is that it is explicitly about a religious story. Based on examples used in class, we have witnessed many multivalent figures who resemble religious tropes within pop-culture (Forbes). This particular example of JATD is unique in some sorts, as it is explicitly based off a religious figure. This requires an intricate analysis to occur in order to understand the reason behind the production and the meaning of the movie.

In the reading, God on Stage? Religious Themes in Public Educational Theatre, Allen Reeves Ware and Perry L. Galanzer argue that religious productions are often criticized due to the message it sends to viewers (564). Ware and Galanzer argue that despite the fact plays such as JATD, and Jesus Christ Super Star showcase a positive message, their explicit connection to religious story can cause apprehension for those who view the production (564). With this sentiment, it raises the question of why religious productions are more scrutinized than non-religious productions. Musicals such as, Les Miserables, have religious tropes within their production, yet face no retribution. To understand this confusion, it is important to look at the reception theory. Reception theory refers to when meaning is negotiated between the creator of the story and the viewer (Tatum, 81). This means there is a conversation that allows for assimilation to the story but can also create oppression. Furthermore, reception is often personalized based on the receiver (Tatum, 81). In the reading, It Could Have Been So Much Better, Kathleen Gallagher argues that Melancholia is an important factor for reception theory. Gallagher argues that a persons lived experience, and personal interests affect whether or not someone poses an interest in an artistic vessel. This notion supports the ideology that reception is very personalized

Despite its explicit resemblance to the story of Joseph within the book of Genesis, the story of JATD has a deeper message for audience members. Audience members who are religious can witness a musical about the story of religious figure Joseph and alternatively, viewers can also simply enjoy the cinematic experience of a man named Joseph on his journey.

Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat is a film about the biblical character of Joseph and his journey through slavery and overcoming turmoil. It is a religion-based musical, that is unique in its execution as it combines modern pop-culture songs with engaging cinematography. Despite the heavy apprehension that occurred with it being a religious musical, it is evident that reception theory ensures that each individuals response to the production is personalized. These points support the sentiment that despite its religious origin, through reception theory viewers can find a variety of value within this film due to its creative execution.

Works Cited

Chandler, D. (2010) Bible Lite for Schools: How Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Redefines Classical Old Testament Theatre for Young Audiences. ATLA Religion Database. P.63-76.

Gallagher, K., Freeman, B. & Wessells, A. It Could Have Been So Much Better: The Aesthetic and Social Work of Theatre. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. P. 5-27.

Glanzer, P. L. & Ware, A.R. (2005). God on Stage? Religious Themes in Public Educational Theatre. Journal of Church and State. P. 563-581.

Tatum, J. (2014) A Real Short Introduction to Classical Reception Theory. A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. P. 75- 96.

Forbes, D., Mahan, J,H. (2017) Religion and Popular Culture in America, Third Edition. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Below are some photos of me (far left in both photos) in my highschool production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! (2015)

2 notes · View notes

collectorscorner · 4 years

Photo

CC Blogger - New Arrivals @ Collectors Corner : Wednesday 5/27/20

Collectors Corner Parkville - HQ : IN STORE SHOPPING Resumed on Friday May 22nd with Strong Safety Measures in Place (Hand Sanitizing Stations, Masks Required for All, Social Distancing Required, Limited Capacity 10 Persons Total, CURBSIDE Pick Up Optional) - According to Baltimore County Guidelines. 1-410-668-3353.

CC Parkville - NEW MAY 2020 STORE HOURS Sunday 12-6, Mon-Tues 12-7, Wed 9-8, Thurs 11-7, Friday & Saturday 11-8

Collectors Corner - Bel Air Outpost Location : IN STORE SHOPPING Resumed on Friday May 15th with Strong Safety Measures in Place (Hand Sanitizing Stations, Masks Required for All, Social Distancing Required, Limited Capacity, CURBSIDE Pick Up Optional) - According to Harford County Guidelines. 1-410-838-1777.

CC Bel Air -NEW MAY 2020 STORE HOURS Wednesday - Saturday 11am-7pm.

Complete list of items shipping to the stores, some items may be limited in availability. If you see anything you want to purchase on the list and are not a subscription member at Collectors Corner, just contact us and let us know if you want an item held at the stores. email - [email protected]

Subscription Membership & Free Membership Card : Collectors Corner's No Obligation (FREE) Membership Card or FREE (In Store) & ONLINE Subscription Membership saves you 10% Off ALL Bagged & Boarded Comic Book Back Issues, Board Games, Graphic Novels, Manga & Special Orders. Plus Never miss a comic again!

Computerized and organized + you can add and cancel titles on your subscription list from home on your own time, or in the store when you pick up your comics at :

Maryland's Coolest Stores! Since 2001.

2 Super Cool & Convenient Locations -

CC PARKVILLE - HEADQUARTERS

7911 Harford Rd

Parkville, MD 21234

CC BEL AIR - OUTPOST

17 N. Main St.

Bel Air, MD 21014

www.collectorscornermd.com

PUBLISHER/TITLE/PRICE

AFTERSHOCK COMICS

Dead Day #1 (Cover A Andy Clarke), $4.99

Dead Day #1 (Cover B Francesco Francavilla), AR

Disaster Inc. #1 (Cover A Andy Clarke), $4.99

Disaster Inc. #1 (Cover B Cully Hamner), AR

BOOM! STUDIOS

Alienated #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Chris Wildgoose), $3.99

Alienated #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Ramon K. Perez), AR

Firefly The Unification War Volume 3 HC, $19.99

King Of Nowhere #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Tyler Jenkins), $3.99

King Of Nowhere #2 (Of 5)(Cover B Martin Morazzo), $3.99

King Of Nowhere #2 (Of 5)(Cover C David Rubin), $3.99

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Volume 11 TP, $16.99

Saban's Go Go Power Rangers #31 (Cover A Eleonora Carlini Connecting Variant), $3.99

Saban's Go Go Power Rangers #31 (Cover B Miguel Mercado), $3.99

Saban's Go Go Power Rangers #31 (Cover C Amelia Vidal), AR

DARK HORSE COMICS

Blackwood The Mourning After #3 (Of 4)(Cover A Veronica Fish), $3.99

Blackwood The Mourning After #3 (Of 4)(Cover B Peach Momoko), $3.99

Butcher Of Paris #5 (Of 5), $3.99

Complete Art Of Guild Wars Arenanet 20th Anniversary Edition HC, $39.99

Disney Frozen Adventures Ice And Magic TP, $10.99

Disney Princess Follow Your Heart TP (not verified by Diamond), $10.99

Frankenstein Undone #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Ben Stenbeck), $3.99

Frankenstein Undone #2 (Of 5)(Cover B Simone D'Armini), $3.99

Luther Arkwright TP (not verified by Diamond), $39.99

Ruby Falls TP (not verified by Diamond), $19.99

Steam TP (not verified by Diamond), $14.99

Triage Volume 1 TP (not verified by Diamond), $19.99

DC COMICS

Aquaman #59 (Cover B Tyler Kirkham), AR

Basketful Of Heads #7 (Of 7)(Cover A Reiko Murakami), $3.99

Basketful Of Heads #7 (Of 7)(Cover B Gabriel Rodriguez), AR

Batman And The Outsiders #12 (Cover A Tyler Kirkham), $3.99

Batman And The Outsiders #12 (Cover B Michael Golden), AR

Batman Beyond #43 (Cover A Dustin Nguyen), $3.99

Batman Beyond #43 (Cover B Francis Manapul), AR

Batman The Caped Crusader Volume 4 TP (verified by DC but not Diamond), $34.99

Books Of Magic #19, $3.99

DC Super Stars #17 (Facsimile Edition), $4.99

Flash #753 (Cover A Howard Porter), $3.99

Flash #753 (Cover B Junggeun Yoon), AR

Flash #754 (Cover A Rafa Sandoval & Jordi Tarragona), $3.99

Flash By Mark Waid Volume 7 TP, $39.99

Flash Giant #4, $4.99

Green Lantern Season Two #3 (Cover A Liam Sharp), $3.99

Green Lantern Season Two #3 (Cover B Scott Williams), AR

Harley Quinn #72 (Cover A Guillem March)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Harley Quinn #72 (Cover B Frank Cho)(not verified by Diamond), AR

Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy HC, $24.99

Hawkman #23 (Cover A Mikel Janin), $3.99

Hawkman #23 (Cover B Gerardo Zaffino), AR

He-Man And The Masters Of The Multiverse #6 (Of 6), $3.99

House Of Whispers #20, $3.99

Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #4 (Of 9)(Cover A Francesco Mattina), $5.99

Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #4 (Of 9)(Cover B Mike Mayhew), AR

Justice League #45 (Cover A Francis Manapul), $3.99

Justice League #45 (Cover B Dan Mora), AR

Lois Lane #10 (Of 12)(Cover A Mike Perkins)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Lois Lane #10 (Of 12)(Cover B Tula Lotay)(not verified by Diamond), AR

Low Low Woods #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Sam Wolfe Connelly), $3.99

Low Low Woods #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Jenny Frison), AR

MAD Magazine #13 (verified by DC but not Diamond), $5.99

Metal Men #6 (Of 12)(Cover A Shane Davis & Michelle Delecki)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Metal Men #6 (Of 12)(Cover B George Perez)(not verified by Diamond), AR

My Video Game Ate My Homework TP, $9.99

New Teen Titans Volume 11 TP (verified by DC but not Diamond), $19.99

Nightwing Volume 1 The Gray Son Legacy TP, $19.99

Our Fighting Forces Giant #1, $4.99

Stargirl By Geoff Johns TP, $34.99

Suicide Squad #5 (Cover A Bruno Redondo), $3.99

Suicide Squad #5 (Cover B Jeremy Roberts), AR

Superman Action Comics Volume 2 Leviathan Rising TP, $17.99

Superman Batman Omnibus Volume 1 HC, $125.00

Superman Volume 3 The Truth Revealed HC, $24.99

Teen Titans #41 (Cover A Bernard Chang), $3.99

Teen Titans #41 (Cover B Khary Randolph), AR

Terrifics #27, $3.99

Wonder Woman #755 (Cover A Robson Rocha & Danny Miki), $3.99

Wonder Woman #755 (Cover B Ian MacDonald), AR

Wonder Woman Giant #4, $4.99

Year Of The Villain Hell Arisen #3 (Of 4)(Steve Epting 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99

DIAMOND PUBLICATIONS

Previews #380-381 (May June 2020), $3.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Vengeance Of Vampirella #7 (Cover A Lucio Parillo), $3.99

Vengeance Of Vampirella #7 (Cover B Ben Oliver), $3.99

Vengeance Of Vampirella #7 (Cover C Stephen Segovia), $3.99

Vengeance Of Vampirella #7 (Cover D Allyson Ochs Cosplay Variant), $3.99

Vengeance Of Vampirella #7 (Cover E Roberto Castro Bonus Variant), AR

HORRORHOUND

HorrorHound #82, $6.99

IDW PUBLISHING

Camp Spirit GN, $19.99

G.I. Joe #6 (Cover A Chris Evenhuis), $3.99

G.I. Joe #6 (Cover B Emma Vieceli), AR

Godzilla Complete Rulers Of Earth Volume 1 TP (New Edition), $29.99

Marvel Action Captain Marvel #5 (Cover A Sweeney Boo), $3.99

Marvel Action Captain Marvel #5 (Cover B Megan Levens), AR

Star Trek Discovery Aftermath TP, $15.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends #23 (Cover A Frank Fosco) , $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends #23 (Cover B Frank Fosco & Erik Larsen) , $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends #23 (Cover C Kevin Eastman), AR

IMAGE COMICS

20XX #4, $3.99

Black Science Premiere Volume 3 A Brief Moment Of Clarity HC, $49.99

Bog Bodies GN, $12.99

Exorsisters #6 (Cover A Gisele Lagace & Pete Pantazis), $3.99

Exorsisters #6 (Cover B Brenda Hickey), $3.99

Family Tree Volume 1 Sapling TP, $9.99

Farmhand #15, $3.99

Mirka Andolfo's Mercy #1 (Of 6)(Mirka Andolfo 2nd Printing Variant Cover)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Mirka Andolfo's Mercy #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Mirka Andolfo), $3.99

Mirka Andolfo's Mercy #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Laura Braga), $3.99

Mirka Andolfo's Mercy #2 (Of 6)(Cover C Tony Sandoval), $3.99

November Volume 2 HC, $16.99

Outer Darkness Chew #2 (Of 3)(Cover A Afu Chan), $3.99

Outer Darkness Chew #2 (Of 3)(Cover B Rob Guillory), $3.99

Postal The Complete Collection HC, $59.99

MARVEL COMICS

Amazing Spider-Man #43 (Cover A Ryan Ottley), $3.99

Amazing Spider-Man #43 (Cover B Dale Keown Marvel Zombies Variant), AR

Avengers #33 (Cover A Matteo Scalera), $3.99

Avengers #33 (Cover B Khoi Pham Spider-Woman Variant), AR

Avengers #33 (Cover C Ryan Benjamin Marvel Zombies Variant), AR

Black Widow #1 (Cover B Travis Charest)(not verified by Diamond), AR

Marauders #10, $3.99

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 (Cover A Valentina Remenar), $3.99

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 (Cover B Ashley Witter), AR

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 (Cover C Chris Sprouse), AR

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 (Cover D Valentina Remenar), AR

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 (Valentina Remenar Retailer Summit 2020 Variant Cover)(not verified by Diamond), AR

Venom #25 (Cover A Ryan Stegman), $5.99

Venom #25 (Cover B Gerardo Zaffino), AR

Venom #25 (Cover C Ron Lim), AR

Venom #25 (Cover D Mark Bagley), AR

Venom #25 (Cover E James Stokoe), AR

Venom #25 (Cover F Dave Rapoza), AR

Venom #25 (Cover G Marco Checchetto), AR

Venom #25 (Cover H Mark Bagley Hidden Gem Wraparound Variant), AR

Venom #25 (Cover I Black Blank Variant), AR

Venom #25 (Cover J Dave Rapoza Virgin Variant), AR

Venom #25 (Ryan Stegman Retailer Summit 2020 Variant Cover)(not verified by Diamond), AR

TITAN BOOKS

Complete Guide To Special Effects Makeup 3 SC, $24.95

Eden MMPB, $14.95

Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes The Venerable Tiger MMPB, $14.95

TITAN COMICS

Sherlock A Scandal In Belgravia #5 (Cover A Alice X. Zhang), $4.99

Sherlock A Scandal In Belgravia #5 (Cover B Photo), $4.99

Sherlock A Scandal In Belgravia #5 (Cover C Jay), $4.99

Star Trek Picard The Official Collector's Edition HC, $19.99

VAULT COMICS

Sera And The Royal Stars #7, $3.99

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT

Grimm Fairy Tales #37 (Cover A Igor Vitorino), $3.99

Grimm Fairy Tales #37 (Cover B Caanan White), $3.99

Grimm Fairy Tales #37 (Cover C Hedwin Zaldivar), $3.99

Grimm Fairy Tales #37 (Cover D Geebo Vigonte), $3.99

GAMES

NECA

Dungeons And Dragons Icons Of The Realm Eberron Rising From The Last War Booster Brick, AR

Dungeons And Dragons Icons Of The Realms Figurine Pack Avernus Dark Order, AR

TOYS - T-SHIRTS & COLLECTIBLES

POP Movies DC 10 Inch Joker Vinyl Figure, AR

POP Specialty Birds Of Prey Harley Quinn Vinyl Figure, AR

Star Wars The Mandalorian The Child Protect 20 Ounce Mug, AR

Star Wars The Mandalorian The Child Standing 20 Ounce Mug, AR

Wonder Woman #750 T-Shirt LG, AR

Wonder Woman #750 T-Shirt MED, AR

Wonder Woman #750 T-Shirt SM, AR

Wonder Woman #750 T-Shirt XL, AR

Wonder Woman #750 T-Shirt XXL, AR

0 notes

vsuvo768523 · 4 years

Text

Top 3 Reasons Every Small Business Needs A Virtual Assistant

Tell me if these things sound familiar. You need to work late nights or at the weekends. You get to stress over those day-to-day tasks that you dislike doing yourself. You are spending less time with your family and friends. Rings a bell? You might need a Virtual Assistant. Virtual Assistant (VA) can help you from general admin tasks to complex projects, almost everything you can think of that can be done remotely, VAs got it covered for you. Do you need someone to handle your email marketing campaigns? Perhaps curating content for your social media accounts? Or some help in managing your calendar? Just name it. With the rise in popularity of making money online and remote jobs in the global marketplace, you can easily find a VA that specializes in areas your business is shouting for help. Why hire a Virtual Assistant? You might be wondering about the benefits your company can get from hiring a VA. If you are running a small business, here are the top 3 reasons why you should consider a virtual assistant support. Save both time and money. Some business owners don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars to hire an additional team member. Hiring a VA reduces labor costs and shorten the recruitment process. If you are looking for a less hassle and cheap way of hiring an assistant then outsourcing tasks to a VA might be the best fit for you. It is also a cost-effective and practical way of hiring an additional worker that businesses are considering nowadays plus VAs can help you achieve work-life balance. why-hire-a-virtual-assistant Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash Increase in productivity. As the CEO of your own company, you have the responsibility for the overall success of your business. Losing your focus on your long list of to-dos means a decrease in your productivity that may lead to unattained business goals. Want to maximize your productivity? Get a VA. Virtual assistants can also help in growing your business. When you hire a VA you can focus on more important tasks like strategic planning and business development thus will improve sales and increase your company’s growth. Free up time. If you are the CEO of a company, chances are you’ve got too much on your plate already. Delegating some of your tasks to a VA leaves you stress-free. It can free up your time to spend with your family or friends. You don’t want to spend hours of your precious time answering emails or creating your social media posts, right? Hiring a VA for part-time or full-time projects is possible depending on your business needs. You can also customize the number of hours you are most likely to need an assistant. VAs can work around your schedule so you can hire them by the hour. Final Takeaway Haven’t hired a virtual assistant yet? You are missing the plenty of benefits that can take your small business to new heights and drive your company’s growth. If you’re feeling a need to hire a VA now, I would love to help you out. I welcome you to check out my premnium product's shop, where you will get all premium virtual products at the lowest rate. Visit: https://vsuvo.com/shop/ ------------------------- Go back to home page: https://vsuvo.com/ --------------------------- virtual assistant,virtual assistant jobs,virtual assistant services,become a virtual assistant,what is a virtual assistant,how to become a virtual assistant,best virtual assistant,virtual assistant jobs from home no experience,virtual assistant salary,hire a virtual assistant,upwork virtual assistant,virtual personal assistant,virtual assistant philippines,virtual assistant jobs from home,philippines virtual assistant,virtual dating assistant,virtual assistant training,hire virtual assistant,virtual assistant job description,virtual assistant companies,becoming a virtual assistant,virtual assistant jobs carmel,real estate virtual assistant,virtual assistant india,virtual assistant jobs for beginners,virtual assistant jobs online,google virtual assistant,find a virtual assistant,virtual assistant service,virtual administrative assistant,virtual assistant websites,remote virtual assistant,amazon virtual assistant,hp virtual assistant,virtual assistant denise,how to be a virtual assistant,virtual assistant ai,personal virtual assistant,cousins for life virtual assistant,virtual assistant best practices,oracle virtual assistant,outsourcing virtual assistant,virtual assistant position,hiring a virtual assistant,virtual assistant software,247 virtual assistant,virtual executive assistant,indian virtual assistant,virtual assistant app,virtual assistant salary,virtual assistant companies,irtual assistant websites,irtual assistant jobs part time,virtual assistant jobs near me,virtual assistant training,virtual assistant resume,virtual assistant positions,virtual assistant agency,virtual assistant ai,virtual assistant amazon,virtual assistant association,virtual assistant alexa,virtual assistant assistant,virtual assistant application,virtual assistant academy,virtual assistant austin,a virtual assistant jobs,a virtual assistant business,a virtual assistant google,a virtual assistant application letter,a virtual assistant hire,your virtual assistant,the virtual assistant uk,the virtual assistant savvy,the virtual assistant handbook,the virtual assistant australia,virtual assistant business plan,virtual assistant bookkeeping,virtual assistant blogs,virtual assistant business card,virtual assistant belay,virtual assistant benefits,virtual assistant bot,virtual assistant bio,virtual assistant b,virtual assistant b.v,virtual assistant contract,virtual assistant certification,virtual assistant cost,virtual assistant contract template,virtual assistant companies hiring,virtual assistant classes,virtual assistant careers,virtual assistant c,virtual assistant definition,virtual assistant duties,virtual assistant devices,virtual assistant data entry,virtual assistant discovery call,virtual assistant data entry jobs,virtual assistant dallas,virtual assistant degree,virtual assistant directory,virtual assistant do,offre d'emploi virtual assistant,virtual assistant email management,virtual assistant entry level,virtual assistant email management packages,virtual assistant examples,virtual assistant entry level jobs,virtual assistant email templates,virtual assistant email signature,virtual assistant ebay,virtual assistant education,virtual assistant experience,e commerce virtual assistant,w.a.d.e virtual assistant free download,w.a.d.e virtual assistant,w.a.d.e virtual assistant download,best ecommerce virtual assistant,e commerce university virtual assistant,e.v.a (extra virtual assistant),e.v.a (extra virtual assistant) telecharger,virtual assistant for real estate,virtual assistant for hire,virtual assistant for android,virtual assistant from home,virtual assistant freelance,virtual assistant for poshmark,virtual assistant fiverr,virtual assistant for therapists,virtual assistant for real estate investors,virtual assistant for social media,virtual assistant gigs,virtual assistant google,virtual assistant graphic design,virtual assistant guide,virtual assistant github,virtual assistant groups,virtual assistant goals,virtual assistant glassdoor,virtual assistant gift,virtual assistant girl friday,virtual assistant hourly rate,virtual assistant hiring,virtual assistant houston,virtual assistant handbook,virtual assistant hashtags,virtual assistant healthcare,virtual assistant help,virtual assistant hiring now,virtual assistant hours,h&r block virtual assistant,virtual assistant india,virtual assistant internship,virtual assistant indeed,virtual assistant interview questions,virtual assistant images,virtual assistant icon,virtual assistant in the philippines,virtual assistant instagram,virtual assistant insurance,virtual assistant industry,i need virtual assistant,i'm a virtual assistant,i phone virtual assistant,i want a virtual assistant,virtual assistant jobs from home,virtual assistant jobs mn,j munro virtual assistant,l&j virtual assistants,virtual assistant j,virtual assistant kansas city,virtual assistant keywords,virtual assistant key skills,virtual assistant logo,virtual assistant linkedin,virtual assistant like sir,virtual assistant list,virtual assistant lead generation,virtual assistant los angeles,virtual assistant las vegas,virtual assistant logo ideas,virtual assistant law firm,virtual assistant like alexa,virtual assistant meaning,virtual assistant market,virtual assistant microsoft,virtual assistant medical,virtual assistant memes,virtual assistant movie,virtual assistant mission statement,virtual assistant mexico,virtual assistant market share,virtual assistant mental health,facebook m virtual assistant,m&s virtual assistant,m*modal virtual assistant,virtual assistant names,virtual assistant needed,virtual assistant near me,virtual assistant name list,virtual assistant no experience,virtual assistant nyc,virtual assistant niches,virtual assistant name generator,virtual assistant nashville tn,virtual assistant network,virtual assistant n,virtual assistant online,virtual assistant online jobs,virtual assistant overseas,virtual assistant organizations,virtual assistant openings,virtual assistant online course,virtual assistant online classes,virtual assistant overview,virtual assistant objective,virtual assistant open source,do virtual assistants,virtual assistant philippines,virtual assistant pay,virtual assistant part time jobs,virtual assistant pricing,virtual assistant packages,virtual assistant pro,virtual assistant proposal,virtual assistant poshmark,virtual assistant part time,hp virtual assistant,hp virtual assistant chat,hp support virtual assistant,hp/go/virtual assistant,hp printer virtual assistant,hp tech support virtual assistant,hp customer service virtual assistant,hp printer support virtual assistant,hp support assistant virtual switch,hp support assistant virtual agent,virtual assistant quotes,virtual assistant qualifications,virtual assistant questionnaire,virtual assistant quickbooks,virtual assistant qualities,virtual assistant questions,virtual assistant quiz,virtual assistant questions to ask client,virtual assistant remote jobs,virtual assistant services list,virtual assistant freelancer Read the full article

0 notes

ebenvt · 4 years

Text

Introduction to Bacon & the Art of Living

The quest to understand how great bacon is made takes me around the world and through epic adventures. I tell the story by changing the setting from the 2000s to the late 1800s when much of the technology behind bacon curing was unraveled. I weave into the mix beautiful stories of Cape Town and use mostly my family as the other characters besides me and Oscar and Uncle Jeppe from Denmark, a good friend and someone to whom I owe much gratitude! A man who knows bacon! Most other characters have a real basis in history and I describe actual events and personal experiences set in a different historical context.

The cast I use to mould the story into is letters I wrote home during my travels.

Letters from New Zealand

The Calne experience came to an end, just as dramatically as it started. Upon our return from Dublin, Oscar was already waiting for us in Calne. We had an amazing time with John Harris, Mike Caswell, Anita Waite, and Susan Bodington. Minette and I decided to take Stu up on his invitation to visit New Zealand before we visit Dawie in America.

Lord Landsdown on Saltpeter (3)

One afternoon, Mr. Petty from Bowood called on us. Lord Landsdown returned the previous day and invited Minette, Oscar and I to dinner. It was a grand affair and reminded me of the send-off that we received from Jeppe when we left Denmark. It was an honour meeting Lord Landsdown. He struck me as a very intelligent man and a great sportsman! I could tell that his heart was in Canada! Of course, we discussed the saltpeter trade until deep in the night and as Viceroy of India, he knew quite a bit about the inner workings of the saltpeter trade.

I thought that where Denmark was my introduction to saltpeter and mild cured bacon, England was my schooling in salt, refrigeration, sugar, and mechanisation of every process on the bacon production floor. With our host that evening, the matter of saltpeter was back on the agenda!

Lord Landsdown informed us that “by far the largest natural known natural deposits of saltpeter to the Western world of the 1600s were found in India and the East Indian Companies of England and Holland plaid pivotal roles in facilitating its acquisition and transport. The massive nitrate fields of the Atacama desert and those of the Tarim Bason were still largely unknown. In 1300, 1400 and 1500 saltpeter had, however, become the interest of all governments in India and there was a huge development in local saltpeter production.”

“In Europe, references to natron emerged from the middle of the 1500s and were used by scholars who traveled to the East where they encountered both the substance and the terminology. Natron was originally the word which referred to saltpeter. Later, the word natron was changed and nitron was used.”

“At first, the saltpeter fields of Bihar were the focus of the Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) and the British East Indian Company (EIC). The VOC dominated the saltpeter trade at this point. In the 1750s, the English East Indian Company (EIC) was militarised. Events soon took place that allowed for the monopolization of the saltpeter trade. In 1757 the British took over Subah of Bengal; a VOC expeditionary force was defeated in 1759 at Bedara; and finally, the British defeated the Mughals at Buxar in 1764 which secured the EIC’s control over Bihar. The British seized Bengal and took possession of 70% of the world’s saltpeter production during the latter part of the 1700s. (Frey, J. W.; 2009: 508 – 509)”

Lord Landsdowne had an interest in bacon curing due to a business that he recently invested in. He told us with great authority that “the application of nitrate in meat curing in Europe rose as it became more generally available. Later, massive deposits of sodium nitrite were discovered in the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru and became known as Chilean Saltpeter. This was only a re-introduction of technology that existed since 2000 BCE and possibly much earlier.”

I was very excited about this statement. I recounted what I learned in Denmark. That “the pivotal area where saltpeter technology spread from across Asia, India and into Europe, is the Turpan-Hami Basin in the Taklimakan Desert in China. Here, nitrate deposits are so substantial, that an estimated 2.5 billion tons exist, comparable in scale to the Atacama Desert super-scale nitrate deposit in Chile. (Qin, Y., et al; 2012) (THE TARIM MUMMIES OF CHINA) Its strategic location on the silk road, the evidence of advanced medical uses of nitrates from very early on and the ethnic link with Europe of people who lived here, all support this hypothesis.”

The main course was served and Lord Landsdown continued. “Large saltpeter industries sprang to the South in India and to the South East in western China. In India, a large saltpeter industry developed in the north on the border with Nepal – in the state of Bihar, in particular, around the capital, Patna; in West Bengal and in Uttar Pradesh (Salkind, N. J. (edit), 2006: 519). Here, it was probably the monsoon rains which drench arid ground and as the soil dries during the dry season, capillary action pulls nitrate salts from deep underground to the surface where they are collected and refined. It is speculated that the source of the nitrates may be human and animal urine. Technology to refine saltpeter probably only arrived on Indian soil in the 1300s. Both the technology to process it and a robust trade in sal ammoniac in China, particularly in western China, predates the development of the Indian industry. It is therefore unlikely that India was the birthplace of curing. Saltpeter technology probably came from China, however, India, through the Dutch East Indian Company and later, the English East Indian Company became the major source of saltpeter in the west.”

“To the South East, in China, the largest production base of saltpeter was discovered dating back to a thousand years ago. Here, a network of caves was discovered (1) in the Laojun Mountains in Sichuan Province. Meat curing, interestingly enough, is also centered around the west and southern part of China. Probably a similar development to the Indian progression.”

“In China, in particular, a very strong tradition of meat curing developed after it was possibly first introduced to the Chinese well before 2000 BCE. Its use in meat curing only became popular in Europe gain between 1600 and 1750 and it became universally used in these regions towards the end of 1700. Its usage most certainly coincided with its availability and price.” Lord Landsdown told us that he has not compared price and availability in Europe with the findings on its use in meat curing which is based upon an examination of German and Austrian kook books by Lauder (2), but he is confident that when he gets to it one day, the facts will prove the same.

“The Dutch and English arrived in India after 1600 with the first shipment of saltpeter from this region to Europe in 1618. Availability in Europe was, generally speaking, restricted to governments who, in this time, increasingly used it in warfare. (Frey, J. W.; 2009) This correlates well with the proposed time when it became generally available to the European population as the 1700s from Lauder.” I again interjected that I believe that a strong case is emerging that the link between Western Europe and the desert regions of Western China was the place where nitrate curing developed into an art. The exact place, I believe, in Western China is the Tarim depression.

Lord Landsdown concluded that “dry curing of meat changed from salt only to a mixture of salt and saltpeter, liberally rubbed over the meat. As it migrates into the meat, water and blood are extracted and drained off. The meat is usually laid skin down and all exposed meat is plastered with a mixture of salt and saltpeter. Pork bellies would cure in approximately 14 days. (3) (Hui, Y. H., 2012: 540)

Farewell to England

With that, the evening was over. Oscar was thoroughly impressed with the work we have done. He had ample time to spend with the engineering manager of C & T Harris and took with him back to Cape Town a suitcase full of engineering drawings and factory plans. Whenever we had a spare moment, we would work on the plans for our own small factory in Cape Town and he made sure to discuss the layout and factory flow with the people who matter before he left.

He enjoyed Lord Landsdown and Bowood tremendously! Within a week we all set sail from England to Cape Town from where Minette and I would take another steamer to New Zealand. In Cape Town, we spend a week with the Tristan and Lauren and my parents. We managed another week with Minette’s parents and of course saw her twin sister, Luani, her husband Fanie, and Liam and Luan, their adorable kids almost every day. I spend an afternoon with Oscar and David de Villiers Graaff where we took him through our factory plans, careful not to reveal too much to him. On Wednesday evening, 31 May 1893 we celebrated at the newly constructed Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. The big novelty was that it was the first hotel in Cape Town with running hot water. (4)

Photo of Mt Nelson, curtesy of Didi Basson. c 1900

Our Passage to New Zealand

On 1 June 1893, Minette and I greeted our families and set sail for the shores of New Zealand. What insane adventures would await us there and what amazing lessons to learn about bacon. What Minette did not know was that it would become more an “art of living” trip!

What follows are our letters to the kids from New Zealand!