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Previous

Codex

This story is mainly being published on RoyalRoad.

It's also hundreds of thousands of words and entire arcs ahead on there.

Also, artwork of Zelsys and Zefaris

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Zelsys hadn’t even meant most of what she said when she first began, having allowed a continuous stream of consciousness to lead her down this path. Even though she had spoken from a place of wrath and spite, saying all these things lit a flame in her chest that wouldn’t be extinguished. Indeed… If the Locust Nobles chose to keep going after her, and chose to keep threatening the lives of innocent people, she would willingly be the very thing they accused her of.

“You are just… The fantasies of an arrogant madman brought to life,” the traitor gurgled. “Wal-walghking propaganda.”

“Fantasy, eh?” chuckled the beast-slayer.

“Does this feel like fantasy?!” she growled, digging her fingers under the bright-red plate over the bug’s left breast. A sharp yank sent it clattering across the ground, percussion to the sweet music of the Sister’s screaming. She stepped back, already anticipating the Sister’s furious sweeping strike as she got up, using the time to work the bolt and load a new slug shell. Ka-klack. Ka-klack.

Spreading out her arms, Zelsys continued taunting the previously well-composed swordswoman, “You want me to be your perfect antagonist?! Here I am! Come at me you zipperhead-loving bug whore!”

One moment, she was taunting a downed foe. The next, she was forced into an elaborate dance of dodging by an unfettered onslaught so savage that it seemed like losing an arm only made the Sister stronger.

In the absence of said limb the Locust Noble began to rely much more heavily on her footwork, striking out with lightning-fast kicks and knees that even Zelsys wasn’t willing to go up against - not for fear of being overpowered in sheer kicking power, but because the Sister still had the

The Conservative Party set the ambitious goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the whole of agriculture in England and Wales by 2040. This is our contribution to the UK’s ambition of net zero by 2050.

Agriculture is uniquely placed to be part of the solution, as both an emissions source and a sink. Farmers have a special responsibility to protect carbon reserves already in our soils and vegetation. But we must and we can do more. We know emissions from UK farms presently amount to 45.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent a year – about onetenth of UK GHG emissions. But in stark contrast to the rest of the economy only 10 per cent of this is CO2. Around 40% is nitrous dioxide (N2O) and 50% is methane (CH4).

My assessment is that we can only deliver net zero if we act across a range of internationally recognised inventories. Based upon the latest scientific evidence, our approach has been discussed with the Committee on Climate Change, so we believe our aim is challenging, but attainable, given the right incentives.

There is no single answer to this problem. To achieve our aim we will need a range of measures that fall under three broad headings:

• Improving farming’s productive efficiency; • I mproving land management and changing land use to capture more carbon; • Boosting renewable energy and the wider bioeconomy.

At the same time as reducing our impact on the climate, we should not reduce our capacity to feed UK consumers with high quality, affordable British food. The UK must not achieve its climate change ambitions by exporting UK production, or our greenhouse gas emissions, to other countries.

Our ambition for a net zero contribution to climate change across the whole of agricultural production by 2040 is a national aspiration, not an expectation that every farm can reach net zero. Every farm will start the journey to net zero from a different place and will need a unique action plan.

It is important to start that journey by assessing the likely emissions sources on farm. I know the future on my farm has to be about holistic farm management - not organic versus conventional, but sustainable farming practice that focuses on building soil health. Our mixed rotation is focused on continually striving to improve grazing pasture, introduce more clover and herbal leys which help to fix nitrogen so we use less fertiliser, and GPS technology is supporting our ability to precision farm. I’m conf

“There you are,” Zamira hissed.

Meyneth settled into her chair, beckoned Zamira inside her house, and waited as the Swordmaster stomped towards her. Granted, Zamira was more so stepping with slightly greater force than usual, but by her standards it was tantamount to a boar charging at full speed. It was mildly fascinating, the way her face struggled to retain its usual calm stoicism. Meyneth knew that she shouldn’t have found the sight as amusing as she did, and it took some effort to suppress the chuckle rising to the top of her throat. Zamira’s countenance was such a departure from her usual bearing that it bordered on absurdity.

Then Zamira’s eyes flashed with outrage, and Meyneth remembered that those slow to anger often exploded like a stack of Firebombs when finally pushed to their limit. She considered fleeing, but she’d delayed this meeting long enough already, and Zamira was faster regardless. Consigning herself to a potential demise, Meyneth placed her hands in her lap and kept a neutral expression as Zamira stopped mere inches in front of her, somehow managing to look down on Meyneth despite their height difference.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” Zamira asked, in a pointed tone. “It has been days since...since you...”

Red crept into her cheeks. “What in the name of all that is good and gracious were you thinking?!”

“That you are frustrated in more ways than one,” Meyneth replied, serene as the night sky. As long as she kept to the script, she might just make it through this conversation with her head still attached to her shoulders. “Furthermore, you were stagnating. A push was needed.”

“There’s an order to these things!” Zamira took a deep breath to calm herself. It didn’t seem to help very much. “As inexperienced as I am in the ways of romance, even I am aware that first impressions are paramount. You must put your best foot forward, endear yourself to them, gradually reveal your inner self, and express genuine intent when the time is right.”

Or lay everything bare and get on with it, Meyneth thought. That’s what worked for her. Granted, neither she nor any of her partners had expressed the slightest intention in forming emotional bonds with each other, but it wouldn’t have changed her approach regardless. Although she was forced to admit that the nature of her entanglements was due in large part to her conversational deficiencies, as well as the naked truth that no one in Dragonkin territory would have accepted real romantic o

I don't want to step on anybody's toes here, but the amount of non-dad jokes here in this subreddit really annoys me. First of all, dad jokes CAN be NSFW, it clearly says so in the sub rules. Secondly, it doesn't automatically make it a dad joke if it's from a conversation between you and your child. Most importantly, the jokes that your CHILDREN tell YOU are not dad jokes. The point of a dad joke is that it's so cheesy only a dad who's trying to be funny would make such a joke. That's it. They are stupid plays on words, lame puns and so on. There has to be a clever pun or wordplay for it to be considered a dad joke.

Again, to all the fellow dads, I apologise if I'm sounding too harsh. But I just needed to get it off my chest.

The cracked screen fizzles in the darkness.

It’s the only thing still working in my immediate vicinity. It’s littered with dead pixels, and a faded magenta bar strikes down a segment of the screen’s left half, but the visuals and the sound are still quite clear.

“Welcome to Mr Sunny’s FUN-HOUSE RETREAT!” warbles a cartoonish voice, and a soundbite of cheering children rumbles out from the speakers along after it.

Sparks burst from a distended cable to my left. It hangs from the ceiling, with exposed and dangerous wires.

The screen shows me the POV of a camera, one held at the height of a child. The viewer is taken on a compressed, fade-cut tour of the Fun House Retreat.

It’s an amusement park. The sun is shining and all around are smiling children and happy families, eating ice-cream and running from ride to ride. Colorful arches stand tall overhead, and friendly faces sell popcorn and stuffed animals from path-side carts and stands. A rollercoaster whooshes by overhead to the sound of thrilled screams and cheers, and the camera pans across the food gallery: inviting-looking restaurants and milkshake bars.

Mr Sunny himself appears on-screen. It glitches for a moment as he does so.

Mr Sunny is a costumed character. He has an orange, humanoid body and a large, soft yellow head. It looks like a grinning sun.

The expression is fixed, of course. His mouth does not move as he speaks.

The grin is stretched just a little too wide.

The eyes are staring, and dead.

It is impossible to tell who is wearing the costume. There is no exposed skin.

The voice is masculine.

“Where the sun ALWAYS shines!” he boasts, putting one hand on his hip and throwing the other out in a comical wave, high-fiving a young boy who scampers past him.

“Collect an autograph from ME for a FREE Mr Sunny stuffed buddy! Have ya seen me yet today? Be sure to keep an eye out and come say HI if you do!”

He chuckles.

The camera spins round in a circle, showcasing the best that the park has to offer as another rollercoaster flies round in a spiral in the near-distance.

The camera completes its spin and Mr Sunny is closer.

“Unless of course I SEE YOU FIRST!”

He laughs.

The screen glitches again. It shows us more of the park. More well-tendered trees and clean pavements. Posters adorned with grinning characters and immersive, interactive games and stands.

The camera shows us the Retreat’s water-park. Large sprinklers send out blasts of raining water, and children s

Do your worst!

I'm surprised it hasn't decade.

For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.

I said "hey look, an escaPEA"

No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!

Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies 😂

It really does, I swear!

Most of the attention in the crypto space is focussed on NFTs as art.However, a few amount of people actually know that NFTs are much more than a proof ownership of a gif or picture. In the near future NFTs are going to solve problems in industries, which consumers face regularly.

Below are my top 3 favourite use cases for NFTs.

What is your favourtie use case of NFTs beyond Art

1. Event Ticketing

Using unique, unforgeable NFTs to represent tickets for specific sports and entertainment events helps to prevent scalping and scamming. Smart contracts can be used to make tickets non-transferable to prevent scalpers from purchasing sought-after tickets in bulk and then reselling them at inflated prices and prevent scammers from trying to sell counterfeit tickets.

On a podcast in March, Mark Cuban, billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, expressed a great deal of interest in NFT technology. “We’re trying to find a good option for turning our tickets into NFTs. We want to be able to find ways so that not only can our consumers, our fans, buy tickets and resell them, but we continue to make a royalty on them.

2. The Music and Video Industry

In much the same way NFTs have helped artists discover new ways to create their works and reach new markets, the tokens are also transforming how musicians create and share their music and videos.

The properties of NFTs—uniqueness, verifiability, transferability—offer musicians greater independence from labels and other gatekeepers of their industry, better enabling them to self-distribute their work and cultivate direct relationships with fans. Musicians can sell tracks as NFTs on marketplaces such as OpenSea, auction previously unpublished material as limited-release NFTs, and even sell rights to their works.

These tokens can generate fast and significant interest from fans. Alternative musician Grimes sold digital art and videos as NFTs for almost $6 million on Nifty Gateway in 20 minutes earlier this year.

2. Rock band Kings of Leon recently generated $2 million in NFT sales of their new album in just one week.

NFTs have the potential to replace conventional subscription models for “super-fans.” For example, they can be programmed so that the subscribers holding them can access premium music and video content or even highly exclusive benefits, such as lifetime front-row seats to concerts.3 Those same NFTs can also be programmed to collect royalties for musicians eve

They’re on standbi

Hello! I notice this sub has a strong focus on applying for STEM-related majors, so I want to give a little love to the Fine Arts people lurking around here. I’m going to direct this specifically towards my fellow music majors, my beloved future colleagues. But some of the info is probably relevant to other Fine Arts majors like theater, dance, and visual arts.

If you’re reading this and you’re not a music or fine arts major, know that you probably underestimate the difficulty and stress of applying to music schools . Don’t get me wrong- every major is hard in it’s own way and I’m not at all saying music is harder than any other major. I have the highest respect for STEM and Humanities majors and all the struggles y’all go through. But look, applying to be a music major is NOT EASY AT ALL. It’s almost January , and the hell that is audition season is in full swing. Getting accepted into your dream school isn’t enough- you also have to get accepted into the music program. That means going for a trial lesson, establishing a rapport with your potential prof, preparing rep for a solid year, and then actually playing the audition (one of the most nerve-wracking things in existence). You have to wait an extra couple of months after you get your school acceptance letter to find out the results of your audition. It’s just- a lot.

So yeah. Hopefully in this post I’ll be able to help someone with a few pieces of advice.

A little bit about me first. I’m currently a Sophomore Violin Performance major in a mid-sized conservatory-equivalent university program. (I don’t want to share what school I go to in this post because I’m trying to keep personal info off my Reddit account but I’d be happy to pm it to anyone who wants to know. Just ask.). I’m going to add a History major soon so I’ll be double majoring. I’m planning to go on to grad school for music, and from there hopefully to a career in professional orchestra.I’ve played violin basically all my life. I started at age 4 and played in ensembles throughout middle and high school, but I only really found my deep passion for music in my Sophomore year of HS. I started practicing a lot more and decided that I wanted to major in music. Somehow, I still don’t know how, I passed all but 1 of my auditions, and got into my dream school on scholarships. Feb 1, 2020 was the day I played that fateful audition at my current school. Just a month before Covid shut everything down in my state. I graduated and accepted the

Pilot on me!!

https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404707551047713312

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views or positions of RT.

The lack of convincing explanations for the "disappearance" of a tennis player highlights China's strains in the field of communication. This explains why the West has been able to constantly undermine Beijing's public opinion.

The tennis star's disappearance from the public eye after accusing a government official of sexually assaulting her has raised the eyebrows of many in the industry, including former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.

In China, it's not uncommon for celebrities to "disappear" when they cause a political storm - a recent case in point is businessman Jack Ma. At this point, it seems unlikely that the tennis player will be arrested or completely disappear from the public eye. But there's no denying that China's response to this matter has been far from satisfactory.

On Wednesday night, China Global Television Network (CGTN) posted on its Western social media accounts an email purporting to have been sent by the player to the Women's Tennis Association, saying she was fine and just "resting.

The problem is that the email is not at all convincing, it looks more like a screenshot of a document with a hovering cursor. As you can imagine, the Western media will lash out at this poor PR treatment and use it to deepen their unjustified narrative about China. Notably: even China's supporters on these social media platforms have refused to even defend the email.

But this blunder is not an isolated case, and it exposes a broader and more obvious fact: China has done a poor, if not abysmal, job of public relations and opinion dissemination - or as some critics have phrased it: China is almost exclusively a "political advocate.

During the period when the U.S. was actively waging a war of public opinion against China, the U.S. was objectively a huge success, while China was a total failure in the battle for hearts and minds. Not only has China failed to build a counter narrative, but it is struggling to highlight its basic talking points.

China is clearly more capable than many Western countries in many areas, including forming a state administration, running an efficient economic system, conducting trade, and epidemic control. But clearly, the area of public opinion is not one

Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi. Trans. Taigen Dan Leighton.

The Ancient Ferryboat in Bright Moonlight

>A patch-robed monk's authentic task is to practice the essence, in each minute event carefully discerning the shining source, radiant without discrimination, one color unstained. You must keep turning inwards, then [the source] is apprehended. This is called being able to continue the family business. Do not wear the changing fashions, transcend the duality of light and shadow. Accordingly the ancestors' single trail is marvelously enacted. The residual debris of the world departs, its influence ended. This worldly knowledge does not compare to returning to the primary and obtaining confirmation. Observing beyond your skull, the core finally can be fulfilled and you can emerge from the transitory. The reeds blossom under the bright moon; the ancient ferryboat begins its passage; the jade thread fits into the golden needle. Then the opportunity arises to turn around, enter the world, and respond to conditions. All the dusts are entirely yours; all the dharmas are not someone else's. Follow the current and paddle along, naturally unobstructed!

Yuanwu said:

>Baizhang extended his hands, wanting to let people know.

>If you can become round and complete as a ripe grain of rice, this is the transmission of the mind-seal. If you still long for a peaceful existence, this will make you experience the first noble truth that suffering exists. But how will you say something about coming out of the weeds?

>"A boatload of bright moonlight carries it back."

Hongzhi's speech is not so different. Echoes of Buddha's raft, the ancient platform. A lot of the precursor to this has been discussed over the previous ten posts, with review, so we will charge forward with new instructions. I expect Zen students will have read up until now. Just open up u/WurdoftheEarth and look for the posts entitled "Hongzhi".

"Do not wear the changing fashions, transcend the duality of light and shadow. Accordingly the ancestors' single trail is marvelously enacted."

Awhile back I quoted Danxia, who said those who can not discern black and white embarass themselves and the Zen Masters. Many came to say there is no black and white. Yes. This was an interesting comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/rkwj5c/rzen_vs_zen_enlightenment/hpd6ypp?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3

I believe this to be a cas

Nothing, he was gladiator.

Capitolul 5

O rază de lumină

Anul 1964. Ceaușescu era deja “bine văzut” de clica partidului, acel nucleu dur care lucra in spatele oricărei structuri. Activiști vechi, secretari, oameni cu relații in partid. Se părea ca succesiunea era asigurata. Mai ales ca viziunea lui Ceaușescu era pe placul multor anti sovietici. Era momentul sa se definească un comunism național.

Ceaușescu a avut o copilărie grea. Provenea dintr-o familie de țărani săraci, cu un tata bețiv și abuziv. Probabil ca asta l-a determinat sa părăsească școala după numai patru ani și sa fuga la București unde se angajează ajutor de cizmar. Se născuse după primului război mondial iar in 1933, la numai 15 ani, era deja un activist comunist. Și este prima dată arestat. Câțiva ani mai târziu ajunge la Doftana, unde ii cunoaște pe Moghioros, Apostol, Dej ... Intra deja in “lumea bună” a comuniștilor.

Urmează o întreaga suita de arestări și eliberări. Ajunge chiar și la Jilava. Intra în structuri de conducere a partidului in anii războiului iar după 1945 ajunge in aparatul central de conducere pentru ca in 1948 sa fie numit secretar de stat in Ministerul Agriculturii. In 1950 devine general. Un cizmar care nu a făcut nici macar o zi de armată.

Era perioada cooperativizării. Iar Ceaușescu voia sa se afirme. Atunci a început să își încarce conștiința cu viețile și destinele distruse ale țăranilor. Dacă ar fi avut conștiință. Emite ordine directe de reprimare și executare a țăranilor. Este descris ca fiind “conștiincios și pătruns de idealurile comuniste”. Asta avea sa însemne crimă, tortură, persecuții. Acum era rândul lui sa-i trimită pe alții la închisoare. Și nu are nici o ezitare sa o facă.

În Comitetul Central se “eliberease” un loc prin lichidarea deviaționiștilor. Ana Pauker este mușcată de gura pe care a hrănit-o cu venin și laturi staliniste. Iar in locul ei se ridica noua speranță a comuniștilor : Ceaușescu. Care era foarte ocupat cu consolidarea noii sale poziții. Reprimă mișcarea de simpatie fața de revoluția maghiara și apoi Răscoala țăranilor de la Vadu Roșca. În numai trei ani, sub conducerea lui Ceaușescu, sunt arestați 80.000 de țărani. 30.000 dintre ei aveau sa ajungă la Gherla și Aiud. Acum închisorile erau, in sfârșit, pline. Comuniștii dormeau mai liniștiti.

Ajunge secretar general, apoi președinte al Comitetului Central care coordona implicit Consiliului de Ministri. Adică guvernul. Numai ca noțiunea de “guvernare” era cam burgheză. Consiliul de Miniștri suna mai b

Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.

This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.

If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.

Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.

Event chosen for header image purposes: Lights on the Farm at Heritage Farmstead Museum (and it still didn't go as planned. Better luck next time.)

Feel free to add events I may have missed in the comments. It’s also awesome to hear from folks who have attended these events and how they were.

Scroll to the bottom for links to other Things to Do lists and a tip jar.

Have a great week, y’all!

Weekend & Multi-day Events

Dec 1-3 | Have Yourself A Broadway Little Christmas| Mainstage Irving

Dec 2-4 | Sights and Sounds of the Season (High school choirs and other groups) | NorthPark

Dec 2-5 | Shuler King | Improv Addison

Dec 2-5 | The Vocal Majority Christmas on the High Seas | Eisemann Center, Richardson

Dec 3-4 | Ben Gleib at Hyena’s Dallas

Dec 3-4 | Wassail Weekend | Main Street/Downtown Square, Denton

Dec 3-5 and 9-12 | Dallas Symphony Christmas Pops | Meyerson Symphony Center

Dec 3-5 | AKS Bead & Jewelry Show | Grapevine Convention Center

Dec 3-5 | Texas Ballet Theatre “The Nutcracker” | Winspear Opera House

Holiday Things to Do

Holiday at the Arboretum through Dec 31 at Dallas Arboretum

The Trains at Northpark through Jan 2 at NorthPark Center

Santaland (thru Dec 24) and SnowDay Dallas through Jan 17 at Dallas Galleria

Enchant Christmas through Jan 2 at Fair Park

Zoo Lights through Jan 2 at Dallas Zoo

Peppermint Park/North Pole, Texas weekends through Dec 24 at Hilton Anatole

[Vitruvian Lights](https://www.udr.com/vitruvia

When I got home, they were still there.

What did 0 say to 8 ?

" Nice Belt "

So What did 3 say to 8 ?

" Hey, you two stop making out "

Post to think out loud about this book, which is about earning one's self-trust, self-respect, learning to love oneself, come home to oneself, undo self-dehumanization.

“To come home to yourself, to earn your own trust and respect, you have to unseat the authoritarian-tyrant from the throne of your consciousness. You cannot do this by force; that repeats the cycle. Instead you must cultivate a concerted counter-insurgency of love and courage.”

there are 5 acts to this book

1. call to adventure
2. sword and thread
3. labyrinth
4. minotaur
5. elixir

preorder at gum.co/introspect

I won't be doing that today!

[Removed]

This morning, my 4 year old daughter.

Daughter: I'm hungry

Me: nerves building, smile widening

Me: Hi hungry, I'm dad.

She had no idea what was going on but I finally did it.

Thank you all for listening.

You take away their little brooms

Why

It’s pronounced “Noel.”

Introduction

Hello! This is the final chapter in a six part series that will detail the western half of a broader, Grand Unified Theory of the Dawn. I believe it convincingly explains the legends surrounding the Dawn Age, the Age of Heroes, and the Long Night in Westeros. We will be touching on Garth, the Grey King, the Fisher Queens, the Drowned God, the Night’s King, the First King, Durran Godsgrief, and many others.

In the last chapter, we talked about the Azor Ahai monomyth, and why I believe the Night’s King falls within it. This time I’ll be talking about the Last Hero, the Battle for the Dawn, and the forging of the world that we know today.

Once again, I have to highly recommend reading through at least the last three chapters of my eastern series, as I will frequently be referencing the ideas I laid out there. This is even more necessary than in last chapter.

Credit to David Lightbringer (formerly Lucifer Means Lightbringer) for some of the stuff I’ll be discussing in this chapter; I’ll be borrowing from some of his theories about the original Kingsguard and Night’s Watch, as well as the Prince who was Promised.

White Swords and Black Brothers

Last time we talked about the parallel symbolism between the Others and the Weirwood trees, the Moon, Night’s Queen, and the Children of the Forest. We’re going to be picking right up where we left off, in that regard, because there’s yet more symbolism to untangle. Let’s start by going a little more in-depth into their “white shadow” moniker.

>Will saw movement from the corner of his eye. Pale shapes gliding through the wood. He turned his head, glimpsed a white shadow in the darkness. - A Game of Thrones - Prologue

>"We have white shadows in the woods and unquiet dead stalking our halls, and a boy sits the Iron Throne," he said in

It was about a weak back.

After all his first name is No-vac

There hasn't been a post all year!