If you live in Austin, Texas or it’s surrounding areas please do not open any packages that you are not expecting. Do not even touch them.
If you did not order anything and nobody else did. Or if the package seems to be odd. Call your local police department and report that there is a unidentified package at your home and ask for assistance with it.
There have been 3 package bombings in Austin so far. One on March 3rd and two of them today(3/12/18). There are 3 reported deaths and one injury. These bombs are detonated via movement and opening and were believed to be placed at night.
Due to the fact that all 3 houses that were targeted were people of color (first two victims were black and the third was latinx) it is possible that this could be the results of a hate crime, however the reasons and culprits have not yet been found.
The animal shelter that I volunteer at is shutting down effective immediately due to the owners being forced to retire abruptly. All the animals need forever homes ASAP.
This is a NO KILL SHELTER, but any animals without homes may have to be euthanized. There are NO puppies or kittens- these are all adult or senior animals, many of whom have been at the shelter for years simply because they are “too old” or people are not willing to put in the effort to ease them into new homes.
IF YOU LIVE IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND ARE LOOKING TO ADOPT A LOVING, LIFELONG COMPANION, PLEASE VISIT THE FACEBOOK RIGHT HERE FOR MORE INFO.
ALL dogs and cats are microchipped, fixed, and up-to-date on all medications and vaccinations.
I’m begging you all, these animals are the sweetest, most loving creatures on the planet. The shelter was their second chance, and it is disappearing. I can’t save their lives on my own. Please reblog and share this info so it can spread as far as possible. These beautiful dogs and cats have been given up on before by cruel and selfish people. They just need one chance.
Hey! I can list some curses for you, but if I tried listing all of ASOIAF’s colloquialisms (“mummer’s farce”, “summer child”, “nuncle”, “man grown”, “dark wings dark words”, “useless as nipples on a breastplate”), I’d be here forever. 😉 I’m sure you can find a bunch of lists in a google second, anyway.
So, curses and invectives, plus general religious exclamations:
“seven hells!” (where we would say “hell”/“heck”)
“seven bloody hells”
“what in the seven hells?” / “what in all the seven hells?”
“where in the seven hells [were you]?”
“who in seven hells [is that]?”
“how in seven hells”
“no way in seven hells”
“I hope to seven hells”
“hurts like seven hells”
“seven hells broke out”
“until all seven hells are frozen” / “the seven hells will freeze over before…”
“dark as the blackest pit in the seven hells”
“from the seventh hell” (not just “from hell”, but worse)
“damn you to seven hells”
“bugger you to seven hells”
“burn in seven hells”
interestingly, “go to hell” (singular) is the phrase
also singular: “bloody hell”
“the Others take you!”
variant: “the Others take [thing]”
“thrice-damned”
(actually an our-world phrase, but in ASOIAF anyway idky)
“Gods!”
“gods be damned”
(equivalent of “goddammit”)
“the gods alone know” / “gods know” (equivalent of “God knows”)
“gods have mercy”
“gods help me”
“gods save me”
“gods preserve us”
“gods be good”
“gods will it”
“gods be with you”
“gods forbid”
“gods curse him”
“by the gods”
“thank the gods”
“Seven save [me/us/them/you/person/thing]”
“Mother have mercy”
“drown me for a fool” (ironborn only)
the usual vulgarities and obscenities (“fuck”, “bugger”, “bloody”, “bleeding”, “shit”, “piss”, “bitch”, “whore”, “bastard”)
“whoresons”
“piss on that”
“bleed that”
“bugger me with a bloody spear”
I think that’s pretty much all of them, but if I missed anything, please let me know!
And my favorites? I think I love “Mother have mercy” best, but I must admit a certain fondness for “seven bloody buggering hells”. 🙂
This makes me curious. Do Old Gods followers or Drowned God followers say ‘hell’ instead of ‘hells’?
From a quick ‘asearchoficeandfire’ search, it appears Ironborn say ‘hell’. Northerners seem to go back and forth on ‘hell’ or ‘hells’ – which makes sense because I suppose phrases like that tend to spread. Even if the North is typically isolated from the rest, at least they aren’t as hostile to ‘greenlander’ culture as the Iron Islands.
The days where Native American tribes were forced to give up their land are far from over.
Here are four sacred Native American sites in danger of being destroyed in the name of corporate greed.
Badger-Two Medicine
The Blackfeet Tribe calls the land of Badger-Two Medicine “the Backbone of the World,” the place where the story of their people began. But now the mineral-rich land, located in modern day Michigan, is in danger of being drilled for oil.
Solenext, LCC, the last of the 47 leaseholders of the land, filed a lawsuit so that drilling could begin. Earl Old Person, a member of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council since 1954, is fighting to preserve what he calls “an altar to the Blackfeet Confederacy.” He wrote a letter to Obama urging the president to intervene.
The Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota peoples, who suffer from systemic poverty, turned down $1.5 billion offered to them for the Black Hills, land the Keystone XL Pipeline would intersect. That’s how much this land matters to them.
Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Cyril Scott has called the Keystone XL Pipeline “an act of war.”
The Osage Mounds
The Chahokian Mounds are the artifacts of an ancient, complex civilization. The modern Osage consider themselves to be descendants of these mound builders, the architects of the most important city to the Mississippians.
But the NFL’S St. Louis Rams are planning on paving over what’s left of it to build a new stadium. Indian Country Today Media Network reports that the project has a $1 billion price tag and that its construction is still in its early development.
A reminder that voting in Alaska is in April and that there is a transphobic bathroom bill on the ballot for Anchorage (the most populated city in Alaska, 300,000 people) specifically, that you can read about here.
I would greatly appreciate if you spread this post, even though it is most likely that you don’t live in Anchorage.
The main organization spreading information around the city and volunteering and doing the most to make sure the bill doesn’t pass is Fair Anchorage. You can donate to them here.
Please watch out for your fellow trans people or be an ally.
The Campaign Guide refers to Qarl as one of Asha’s ‘lieutenants’. So that’s what the Iron Islands is calling it these days.
Hi! 💕I’m guessing it would be really insulting, but I don’t think I have the historical background to talk about this topic in depth 😦 I’m sorry! Maybe @racefortheironthrone can help us? Anyone who knows about this kind of thing, please feel free to reblog and comment!
Thaaaaaaat would probably not end well, no. Family Y would feel incredibly insulted. It might not be AS insulting as it would be if it had been complete, but Family Y would likely not be making friends any time soon.
…And there may be mild violence. Not to the scale of the Laughing Storm’s rebellion, but skirmishing may happen.
Six words is still quite long for a motto. I thought none went over four. Which is the one word motto?
There’s a couple six word mottos. “Family is Hope – Protect it Always” “A Lannister Always Pays Their Debts” (albeit that one is unofficial), “Though All Men Do Despise Us”, etc.
The one word one is House Peckledon’s. It’s just “Unflinching”.
The average seems to be 3-4 words. Some houses are just chatty it seems.
Hi. I wanted to ask about these lines from the game of thrones wiki: “Most girls in noble families of the Seven Kingdoms are given an
education that primarily focuses on being groomed to be a wife and
mother to a major lord… Stannis, however, ordered Shireen’s instructors to focus on matters relating to good governance: geography, history, religion, and classical literature have been, and she is an avid reader. In many ways, Shireen is receiving a more
thorough education than Catelyn Tully or Cersei Lannister did.” It is in “In the Books” section of the wiki page for Shireen Baratheon. Where is this alluded to in the books, can you tell me? Thanks.
I’m not sure where that wiki got all those details, because those details are not anywhere the books that I know of, and it doesn’t cite sources. Frankly, it looks like fanfic to me, sorry to say. It’s also not true. Noble girls in Westeros are generally educated with the idea of becoming a wife and mother, learning courtesies and embroidery and music and such from their septas, but they learn much more than mathematics as general studies; girls learn geography, history, heraldry, poetry, literature, languages, and many other subjects from the maester, alongside their brothers. We can see this breadth of education with Sansa, with Arya, with Catelyn, and with Cersei, among others. And you can read some excellent posts on the subject here and here, and under the education tag at @asoiafuniversity.
After Cressen died, Pylos became the maester at Dragonstone, and took over Shireen’s education. She learned alongside her cousin Edric Storm (once he was brought to Dragonstone from Storm’s End) and Stannis’s squire Devan Seaworth. There’s a lovely scene in A Storm of Swords where Davos comes to the maester’s tower for his own lessons:
He found the maester seated at his long wooden table covered with books and scrolls, across from the three children. Princess Shireen sat between the two boys. Even now Davos could take great pleasure in the sight of his own blood keeping company with a princess and a king’s bastard. […] “I hope I have not disturbed your lesson.” “We had just finished, my lord,” Maester Pylos said. “We were reading about King Daeron the First.” Princess Shireen was a sad, sweet, gentle child, far from pretty. Stannis had given her his square jaw and Selyse her Florent ears, and the gods in their cruel wisdom had seen fit to compound her homeliness by afflicting her with greyscale in the cradle. The disease had left one cheek and half her neck grey and cracked and hard, though it had spared both her life and her sight. “He went to war and conquered Dorne. The Young Dragon, they called him.” “He worshiped false gods,” said Devan, “but he was a great king otherwise, and very brave in battle.” “He was,” agreed Edric Storm, “but my father was braver. The Young Dragon never won three battles in a day.” The princess looked at him wide-eyed. “Did Uncle Robert win three battles in a day?” The bastard nodded. “It was when he’d first come home to call his banners. Lords Grandison, Cafferen, and Fell planned to join their strength at Summerhall and march on Storm’s End, but he learned their plans from an informer and rode at once with all his knights and squires. As the plotters came up on Summerhall one by one, he defeated each of them in turn before they could join up with the others. He slew Lord Fell in single combat and captured his son Silveraxe.” Devan looked to Pylos. “Is that how it happened?” “I said so, didn’t I?” Edric Storm said before the maester could reply. “He smashed all three of them, and fought so bravely that Lord Grandison and Lord Cafferen became his men afterward, and Silveraxe too. No one ever beat my father.” “Edric, you ought not boast,” Maester Pylos said. “King Robert suffered defeats like any other man. Lord Tyrell bested him at Ashford, and he lost many a tourney tilt as well.” “He won more than he lost, though. And he killed Prince Rhaegar on the Trident.” “That he did,” the maester agreed. “But now I must give my attention to Lord Davos, who has waited so patiently. We will read more of King Daeron’s Conquest of Dorne on the morrow.”
–ASOS, Davos V
Here you can see Maester Pylos teaching Shireen history via one of the more famous books of Westeros literature. The Conquest of Dorne was slightly fictionalized by King Daeron I (and Stannis doesn’t care for it), but it’s still excellent for teaching children, especially boys who like the bloody battes related within. Edric (age 12) also tells Shireen a story from Robert’s Rebellion, with Pylos gently providing corrections. So, Shireen is learning history, geography (Dorne and the Reach), and classical literature (pretty much), albeit not exactly in a formal way for some of it. Still, one can assume Pylos is a good teacher (he’s very good with Davos), and educates his charges with all the standard lessons that nobleborn children generally receive from their maesters.
But after that scene… that’s literally it for any descriptions of Shireen’s education. (When Edric has a math lesson later, Shireen’s at the nightfire with her parents.) Maester Pylos was left behind on Dragonstone when Stannis’s army sailed for the Wall, and there’s no word that Shireen has any teacher while she’s in the North, not even a septa. (Well, I imagine septas wouldn’t like to hang around where they’re being told they worship “false gods”, but still.)
So, Shireen doesn’t have “instructors”, and there is absolutely no text saying that Stannis “sought to ensure that she be properly educated to rule in her own right someday”. Stannis does acknowledge Shireen as his heir, and has said that if he dies he wants his men to fight to put her on the throne, but there is no text whatsoever that says he’s having her educated in “good governance.” Also note that if Shireen is being taught anything about religion, that’s being provided by Melisandre and Selyse (who are informing her that the Faith and the Old Gods are all heresies and false gods), not by any other instructors. There is also no mention anywhere that Shireen is an “avid” reader, only that she reads “as natural as breathing” along with Edric, in comparison to the illiterate Davos and the not-as-well-educated Devan. She’s not the bookworm she was in the show, alas.
So I’m afraid I don’t know where the GOT wiki got that information, if it’s not in the books. (It’s not in the app nor in any GRRM interview that I’m aware of; if it’s in one of the RPG sourcebooks that I don’t have, please be aware that those are only semi-canon.)
But it looks like that info was added by the wiki’s mod The Dragon Demands, who’s on tumblr as @knightsinquisitor IIRC, so you could ask him, maybe? Hope that helps!
It’s likely a goof. The ‘in the books’ sections sometimes have opinions or mix ups or misconceptions in them. Not a big deal, but it can sometimes give the wrong impression.
Also, even if we accept the premise that ‘girls only learn to be wives and mothers’ they would still need those subjects because they’d be wives and mothers of NOBLES. Nobility needs that stuff!
Geography tells you where everything is – including your family, your allies, and your enemies.
History tells you the history of your family, your area, and who you should watch out for.
Heraldry tells you WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE every noble needs this point blank.
Poetry and literature are part of the arts and we know arts are considered good things for women to learn, and they can make cheerful conversations about them.
Languages mean you can talk to people – it’s the mark of a classy, educated lady (i.e. one that will stand out for sure on the marriage market in Westeros’ patriarchal minds).
So even if it was true that they were only learning things they needed to be wives and mothers and ladies, they’d still need these things.
You guys seemed to like my weddings primer, so here’s a new one! About house words!
1) House words are mostly used as a motto – a sort of philosophy that the members of the family learn. Other nobles sometimes know the others by their mottos too.
2) Most mottos use simple words. Even if the words themselves aren’t that long, they’re not complicated. Bear in mind, children have to learn these words too. If a toddler can’t understand the words, they’re likely too complicated.
3) They’re short. All the canonical words are between one and six words long.
4) House words are either a boast (about themselves or values) or a threat. The Stark words – Winter is Coming – is one of the few (if any) that is a warning. Not that the Starks aren’t capable of using them as a threat (”Tell Tywin Lannister that winter is coming for him.”) but still. House Sarwyck’s are a command (”Family is Hope, Protect it Always”).
5) There’s not actually many invocations of the Gods. A few use ‘faith’ but only one directly references a deity – House Graceford references the Mother, urging the family to ‘work her will’.
6) There aren’t many direct references to HOW exactly a house will kill you. Just that they will.
7) Some houses use their words to callback to how they formed. If nothing else, words might give you a good guess.
8) House words can be puns! House Karstark’s words, “The Sun of Winter” also calls back to their founder, Karl, a “Son” of House Stark, the Kings of Winter.
9) Not all house words are accurate. Many of these words are boasts about values, but people are people and not all people fit their family’s values. Irony is a good thing.
10) House words can be part of a reference. House Sarsfield’s words about ‘the mark’ tied in neatly with the Green Arrow reference.
11) Words can come from history or the family sigil.
12) House words should be neutral. They should be able to apply to a good person or a bad person. A lot of house words AIM for people to be good people but that doesn’t always pan out, even if the words still fit.
13) Houses can have unofficial mottos, like the infamous ‘A lannister always pays their debts’. Since these are unofficial, the normal words would be the ones written down, but an unofficial one with a lot of use might be spread around anyways.
14) They’re less well known than heraldry, but noble children should probably be being taught the Great Houses words and probably the words of their home region. Which probably isn’t too bad if you live in Dorne, the North, or the Iron Islands, but must be a pain in the NECK if you live in the Reach.
15) There are a few strong regional themes. Bear in mind, there will ALWAYS be exceptions to any general rule, but there are a few.
– Crownlands: The Crownlands (presumably including Dragonstone, but we only have one motto there) are basically all boast, no threat. The Targaryen’s “Fire and Blood” sticks out like a big, angry black and red thumb. More importantly, they tend to boast about PERSONAL QUALITIES. Being proud, wise, faithful, brave, true, etc. seem to be the things you boast about.
– Reach: The Reach is another one that brags a lot, but they seem to focus more on the things they DO or the things they HAVE. They’re like a little kid going ‘look at me, look at me, I have cool stuff! I’ve done cool stuff!” But they’re also very subtly threatening, in a ‘Oh, look how much stuff I do and how much I have….you wouldn’t want to be on my BAD side, would you?’ They’re not overt though, even the more threatening ones like “Beware Our Sting” or “Tread Lightly Here” are more about the SUGGESTION of violence they COULD do if you provoke them rather than actual violence. How very Tyrell.
– Riverlands: The Riverlands likes to brag too. They seem to be a relative mix between boasting about values, personal qualities, accomplishments like rising from small starts, etc. The only sort of threat I can see is basically saying ‘don’t touch me’ – which might be a callback to the Riverlands history of everyone fighting over them and tearing them apart. This house is not having it, and I would not be surprised if a lot of their threats can be like that.
– Vale: The Vale, unsurprisingly, is another region for bragging, but a high minded sort of bragging. That is, they brag about very high minded values like right beating might, high honour, hope, being super dependable, being as ‘strong as stone’ etc. Not surprising for a ceremonial, traditional seat of Andal chivalry. The only threat is more an ominous sort than a dangerous sort, a very ‘we know what you’re doing’ type thing. It seems like the two Andal centres (Vale and Reach) don’t like threatening people outright, but will do so more subtly. “We Remember” sounds like a Westerosi threat of “We know what you did last summer” type deal.
– Dorne: Dorne is very independent, culturally and historically, and a lot of their house words reflect that. Boasts about their independence are definitely a theme here, and the threats seem to be about protecting that independence. There’s also a boast about doing great deeds and I can see that being another powerful motivator for the Dornish, remembering great things they’d done.
– Iron Islands: We only have two sets of Ironborn house words, so finding patterns is tricky. The only thing that springs to mind right away is that both have to do with ironborn culture. The Greyjoys don’t sow because they reave and raid, and the Codds are so despised because they’re descended from thralls and salt wives. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of their house words talk about ironborn culture. The Iron Islands are very culturally distinct and seem to want independence the most, and their culture is very all-encompassing in their way of life – reaving, raiding, fighting, etc. It makes sense their words are influenced by it.
– North: The North is a rough place, and they’re a very martial sort. They have a LOT of threats here. Most of their boasts are about how tough, powerful, and independent they are, or how useful they’d be militarily. The essential theme here is that the Northerners are not to be messed with, and everyone else should be aware of that before they pick a fight.
– Stormlands: The Stormlands don’t waste much time with subtle threats. They will threaten you outright by talking about hanging you or saying you can choose between love and death. On that note, their words match their sigils a few times, which is interesting. The boasts are likewise very martial, referring to charges and conquering, but some seem to speak to excess. Nothing is as angry or as sweet as us, we do cool stuff you should write about, etc.
– Westerlands: Unsurprisingly, this is pure boast territory. Even their threats involve challenges and bragging about their prowess. They act like they’re great, strong, powerful, etc. Which many of them are, but still. They also often seem to have commands in their boasts.
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