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Nov. 18th, 2013 02:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* "Ancient bone flutes said evidence of music pre-dating writing:" http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2013/11/04/Ancient-bone-flutes-suggest-9000-year-old-music-tradition-in-China/UPI-93711383597810/
* "French Archaeologists Discover Beautifully Preserved Deformed Skull:" http://io9.com/french-archaeologists-discover-beautifully-preserved-de-1458835300
* "13 Ancient Villages Discovered in Wyoming Mountains May Redraw Map of Tribal Migrations:" http://westerndigs.org/thirteen-prehistoric-villages-discovered-in-wyoming-mountains-may-redraw-map-of-tribal-migrations/
* "Real meaning of English poem's first line discovered:" http://phys.org/news/2013-11-real-english-poem-line.html
* "Vikings slaves beheaded and buried by masters:" http://www.thelocal.no/20131105/vikings-slaves-beheaded-and-buried-by-masters
* "Norwegian Vikings purchased silk from Persia:" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101091735.htm
* "Where Do 'Hoodlums' Come From? San Francisco:" http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/11/06/243262138/where-do-hoodlums-come-from-san-francisco
* I have always found the Autism Speaks messaging and their framing unnerving, and have deliberately avoided their fundraising as a result. It turns out my wariness is justified. "A Reporter's Guide to the Autism Speaks Debacle:" http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-alive/201311/reporters-guide-the-autism-speaks-debacle
* That was a startle. I had the glass part of the patio door open as it was too warm in the livingroom with all the gamers in there. About an hour after the last guest left a horrendous cat fight erupted over there. Turned out Queen Mache spotted a neighbor cat ON HER PATIO! I haven’t seen her this angry about anything in years. The ruckus was mighty, but the screen kept them separated, so I observed. The interesting thing, was LM slunk over and stood behind Mache, supporting her against the massive Himalayan, until it left. It came back a few times and Mache scared it off. Eventually, Mache wandered off, having shown her dominance to her satisfaction, but LM perched on the sofa keeping watch. The Himmie came back, and LM went to yell at it. Mache padded up behind her and glared over her shoulder at the stranger until it left again. They were cooperating! Up to now, the best I’ve seen them do is ignore each other from close up. They know who’s in the clowder and who isn’t, though, and they stood together against the big neighbor beast. They are now taking turns on watch, one keeping an eye out while the other does cat things elsewhere. I’m so proud of those girls. (Hector sucks at social dominance stuff and sensibly stayed on the pettin throne, alarmed, until it was over when he went back to sleep).
* RP: Investigation in Cordoba (As we were sans Tiger, they opted to investigate Blake's prophetic vision about the Bathhouse instead. Also, Sheard's been phased out). A lot of this was straight rp, and I may have some things out of order.
Fumiko the Fox has been following the party, sneaky like. Skull Gazer went with Blake and Gwallog to the bath house disguised as their slave boy to guard their clothes as they bathed. Fumiko hid on the roof and watched through the light wells. Having Sense Wyrm and Scent of the True Form, she knew some of the attendants were something more than human and that the snack bar was wormy. The group went into a place where the Fox couldn't see, so she followed them into the Umbra as they poked around, then saw two of them jump into some toilets. (These are Roman Toilets, so basically a long bench with holes over a sewer). Blake forgot he had wings and jumped right into the "Dark Water." Skull remembered her wings and thought this was hilarious. This lead Fumiko to ask Gwallog WTF and some conversation followed, during which they agreed to carry the Fox into the sewer with them. They found the Umbral version of the great chamber of eggs in Blake's dream. It was wormy, full of broken shells, and warded, but the wards were currently inactive. It is at this point it is revealed that Blake is a little wyrmy. Skull does a cleasing on the room and Blake. The Snake inside him tried to chew its way out, but he managed to vomit it instead. (Remember that egg he ate during initiation? Yeah). Skull was furious he hadn't told them he was wyrmy, but he honestly didn't know. There was also a hieroglyphic bed time story about two brothers and a war on the walls.
Blake decided they needed to call Mother, so they picked a convenient rooftop to call her. They fed the Mother of Snakes their Blood and Gnosis and gave her a rabbit for a snack later. As they are her only worshipers, she was very helpful. They learned that she hates the Usurper Snake and his servants, and that they are disgusting Stasis things. She is Wyld like they are. Things are born and they die. They are reborn; they die. This is the right thing. Stasis is Unnatural. *Shudder* She hates the servants of the Usurper: their blood does not make the seeds grow. Her Wyld snake spirits are fighting the snakes of the usurpers. She agreed to give Blake Snake Spirits for knives if they agreed to say a prayer she taught them and sacrifice a goat in the old way and plant grain and use it to feed people all in her name. They liked this idea, being pagans and Skull being fond of Death Goddesses, and they bought some fancy knives and went into the wilds to rest up and make the fetishes for Blake. (The Mother of Snakes is a Goddess of Death and Rebirth, so within Skull's range of interests.) Gwallog caught a terrified water faery and freed her. As part of a gift exchange, they got a little sigil and string of words that would make friend with a hearth fae once in a large city in Iberia, which they hope to use for the Palace break in. Blake now has a silvered blade and an anti-fae blade, both of which do ag+venom and warn of stasis creatures.
They went back to Cordoba and summoned cockroaches. The roaches agreed to scare off the people eating the wyrmy food at the snack bar in exchange for an alley feast. They ordered food and waited for chaos. After the other patrons fled they questioned the Wyrmy Stasis more than humans running the Wyrmy eatery. They were understandably wary, but took a message for their boss. Meanwhile Fumiko Fox snuck around behind them, ready for violence. The three in human guys left to rent the rooms they were claiming to stay in and feed the roaches. Fumiko found a hidden trap door and regular dor and stole a dish of Wyrmy spices they were using to taint food. She changed into her human guise and met up with the party, turning over the dish and reporting the doors as well as her sense that the Wyrm taint was likely emanating both from the sewer and the Snack bar, spreading progressively outward into the city. They made plans to dispose of the spices when we broke for the night.
* "French Archaeologists Discover Beautifully Preserved Deformed Skull:" http://io9.com/french-archaeologists-discover-beautifully-preserved-de-1458835300
* "13 Ancient Villages Discovered in Wyoming Mountains May Redraw Map of Tribal Migrations:" http://westerndigs.org/thirteen-prehistoric-villages-discovered-in-wyoming-mountains-may-redraw-map-of-tribal-migrations/
* "Real meaning of English poem's first line discovered:" http://phys.org/news/2013-11-real-english-poem-line.html
* "Vikings slaves beheaded and buried by masters:" http://www.thelocal.no/20131105/vikings-slaves-beheaded-and-buried-by-masters
* "Norwegian Vikings purchased silk from Persia:" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101091735.htm
* "Where Do 'Hoodlums' Come From? San Francisco:" http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/11/06/243262138/where-do-hoodlums-come-from-san-francisco
* I have always found the Autism Speaks messaging and their framing unnerving, and have deliberately avoided their fundraising as a result. It turns out my wariness is justified. "A Reporter's Guide to the Autism Speaks Debacle:" http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-alive/201311/reporters-guide-the-autism-speaks-debacle
* That was a startle. I had the glass part of the patio door open as it was too warm in the livingroom with all the gamers in there. About an hour after the last guest left a horrendous cat fight erupted over there. Turned out Queen Mache spotted a neighbor cat ON HER PATIO! I haven’t seen her this angry about anything in years. The ruckus was mighty, but the screen kept them separated, so I observed. The interesting thing, was LM slunk over and stood behind Mache, supporting her against the massive Himalayan, until it left. It came back a few times and Mache scared it off. Eventually, Mache wandered off, having shown her dominance to her satisfaction, but LM perched on the sofa keeping watch. The Himmie came back, and LM went to yell at it. Mache padded up behind her and glared over her shoulder at the stranger until it left again. They were cooperating! Up to now, the best I’ve seen them do is ignore each other from close up. They know who’s in the clowder and who isn’t, though, and they stood together against the big neighbor beast. They are now taking turns on watch, one keeping an eye out while the other does cat things elsewhere. I’m so proud of those girls. (Hector sucks at social dominance stuff and sensibly stayed on the pettin throne, alarmed, until it was over when he went back to sleep).
* RP: Investigation in Cordoba (As we were sans Tiger, they opted to investigate Blake's prophetic vision about the Bathhouse instead. Also, Sheard's been phased out). A lot of this was straight rp, and I may have some things out of order.
Fumiko the Fox has been following the party, sneaky like. Skull Gazer went with Blake and Gwallog to the bath house disguised as their slave boy to guard their clothes as they bathed. Fumiko hid on the roof and watched through the light wells. Having Sense Wyrm and Scent of the True Form, she knew some of the attendants were something more than human and that the snack bar was wormy. The group went into a place where the Fox couldn't see, so she followed them into the Umbra as they poked around, then saw two of them jump into some toilets. (These are Roman Toilets, so basically a long bench with holes over a sewer). Blake forgot he had wings and jumped right into the "Dark Water." Skull remembered her wings and thought this was hilarious. This lead Fumiko to ask Gwallog WTF and some conversation followed, during which they agreed to carry the Fox into the sewer with them. They found the Umbral version of the great chamber of eggs in Blake's dream. It was wormy, full of broken shells, and warded, but the wards were currently inactive. It is at this point it is revealed that Blake is a little wyrmy. Skull does a cleasing on the room and Blake. The Snake inside him tried to chew its way out, but he managed to vomit it instead. (Remember that egg he ate during initiation? Yeah). Skull was furious he hadn't told them he was wyrmy, but he honestly didn't know. There was also a hieroglyphic bed time story about two brothers and a war on the walls.
Blake decided they needed to call Mother, so they picked a convenient rooftop to call her. They fed the Mother of Snakes their Blood and Gnosis and gave her a rabbit for a snack later. As they are her only worshipers, she was very helpful. They learned that she hates the Usurper Snake and his servants, and that they are disgusting Stasis things. She is Wyld like they are. Things are born and they die. They are reborn; they die. This is the right thing. Stasis is Unnatural. *Shudder* She hates the servants of the Usurper: their blood does not make the seeds grow. Her Wyld snake spirits are fighting the snakes of the usurpers. She agreed to give Blake Snake Spirits for knives if they agreed to say a prayer she taught them and sacrifice a goat in the old way and plant grain and use it to feed people all in her name. They liked this idea, being pagans and Skull being fond of Death Goddesses, and they bought some fancy knives and went into the wilds to rest up and make the fetishes for Blake. (The Mother of Snakes is a Goddess of Death and Rebirth, so within Skull's range of interests.) Gwallog caught a terrified water faery and freed her. As part of a gift exchange, they got a little sigil and string of words that would make friend with a hearth fae once in a large city in Iberia, which they hope to use for the Palace break in. Blake now has a silvered blade and an anti-fae blade, both of which do ag+venom and warn of stasis creatures.
They went back to Cordoba and summoned cockroaches. The roaches agreed to scare off the people eating the wyrmy food at the snack bar in exchange for an alley feast. They ordered food and waited for chaos. After the other patrons fled they questioned the Wyrmy Stasis more than humans running the Wyrmy eatery. They were understandably wary, but took a message for their boss. Meanwhile Fumiko Fox snuck around behind them, ready for violence. The three in human guys left to rent the rooms they were claiming to stay in and feed the roaches. Fumiko found a hidden trap door and regular dor and stole a dish of Wyrmy spices they were using to taint food. She changed into her human guise and met up with the party, turning over the dish and reporting the doors as well as her sense that the Wyrm taint was likely emanating both from the sewer and the Snack bar, spreading progressively outward into the city. They made plans to dispose of the spices when we broke for the night.