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duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

660 followers 290 following 4.5K posts

(nsfw, minors go away 🔞)

duck, 25, they/them works. I like sad soft boys and writing comments that are far too long

profile picture by rysiutokwiat!

https://archiveofourown.org/users/adhduck

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duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

for #TakeTwoTuesday, i'm thinking about my queerplatonic fic again. if you like talking it through as a crew, aroace feels, and seeing the entire heart and soul of an author haphazardly stuffed into a google doc, i think you'll enjoy it 🧡🤍💙

archiveofourown.org/works/65870545

[Background is a gradient of the aroace flag colors]

Soulmates Aren't Just Lovers, You Know by adhduck

Summary:

“Did you mean it?” he blurts out.

Stede looks up from the shirt he’s mending, must see something in Ed’s face because he sets it immediately aside. “Mean what?”

For a moment, Ed just blinks at him, not quite sure what he meant either; then, in the same way as that night with the moonlight and the silk, it all finally clicks into place. “That this can be—whatever we want it to be.”

--

Or: it's QPR ed and stede because no one can stop me

Rating: Teen
No archive warnings apply
M/M
Our Flag Means Death (TV)
Relationship: Ed/Stede
Characters: Ed, Stede
Additional tags: Post-canon, inkeepers era, established relationship, relationship negotiation, queerplatonic relationship, nonmonogamous relationship, queerplatonic ed/stede, (it's not a canon tag but by god i'm manifesting), Asexual Ed, specifically aroace-spec, probably semi stede too tbh, internalized acephobia, emotional hurt/comfort, talking it through as a crew, seriously i cannot express how much this is just Talking, author is aroace, author is polyamorous, author is once again copy and pasting their real life onto their blorbos, podfic welcome

November 11, 2025 at 7:06 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

(gotchuuuu) "an erotic film based on the bible" was not something i expected to read at 9am but here we are

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._Chan...

P. Chandrakumar is an Indian film director, cinematographer, and film distributor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He is known for introducing the Malayalam cinema with soft porn culture from late 80's. His film Adipapam (1988) is considered the first successful Malayalam film with softcore nudity.

CareerAt the age of 14, he began his film career as an assistant director in P. Bhaskaran-directed Ummachu (1971). It was on the sets of Ummachu he met Madhu, who would later produce six films and act in 47 films directed by Chandrakumar. After Ummachu, he worked under 13 directors. He debuted as a director at the age of 19 with the 1977 black and white film Manassoru Mayil which was a moderate box office success. His second film Jala Tharangam (1978) starring Madhu also performed moderately. His third film was the first production of Madhu's Uma Studio Anubhoothikalude Nimisham, which was also a major commercial success.P Chandrakumar directed around 100 malayalam films. His malayalam film Uyararum Njaan Nadaake was a career break in actor Mohanlal's cinema career. P Chandrakumar presented many actors and film directors to Malayalam fil industry. Sathyan Anthikkad, Kamal etc. are among them. In 1980s, he founded a company for distributing English films. In 1988, he directed Adipapam, an erotic film based on the bible, which became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. It is regarded as the first superhit softporn film in Malayalam cinema. The success of the film kick started a trend of softporn films in Malayalam cinema for a while.

November 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

got distracted by food but YES LIGHTS ARE ON. anyway language is cool

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_s...

The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)[6] was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcontinent, which was a period of material prosperity and great religious and scientific developments. The Gupta script was descended from Brāhmī and gave rise to the Śāradā and Siddhaṃ scripts. These scripts in turn gave rise to many of the most important Indic scripts, including Devanāgarī (the most common script used for writing Sanskrit since the 19th century), the Gurmukhī script for Punjabi, the Odia script, the Bengali-Assamese script and the Tibetan script.

Origins and classificationThe Gupta script was descended from the Ashokan Brāhmī script, and is a crucial link between Brahmi and most other Brahmic scripts, a family of alphasyllabaries or abugidas. This means that while only consonantal phonemes have distinct symbols, vowels are marked by diacritics, with /a/ being the implied pronunciation when the diacritic is not present. In fact, the Gupta script works in exactly the same manner as its predecessor and successors, and only the shapes and forms of the graphemes and diacritics are different.

AlphabetThe Gupta alphabet is composed of 37 letters: 32 consonants with the inherent ending "a" and 5 independent vowels. In addition diacritics are attached to the consonants in order to change the sound of the final vowel (from the inherent "a" to other sounds such as i, u, e, o, au ...). Consonants can also be combined into compounds, also called conjunct consonants (for example sa+ya are combined vertically to give "sya").

A table showing how different symbols for things like k-, gh-, and ch- evolved from Brahmi to Gupta to Devanagari

November 1, 2025 at 2:20 AM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

something so chilling about "they probably died while working bc no one mentioned them again" tbh

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_of...

Mark of Kalt (Hungarian: Kálti Márk, Latin: Marci de Kalt; fl. 1336–1368) was the canon of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chronicler of King Louis I of Hungary, known for his work Chronicon Pictum, written in 1358 in Latin, with the last of the illuminations being finished between 1370 and 1373. He likely died while working, because contemporary sources stopped mentioning him.

While writing the Chronicon Pictum, Mark either retired or died suddenly. The last illuminations were finished between 1370 and 1373.[3][4] The 147 pictures of the chronicle are an inexhaustible source of information on medieval Hungarian cultural history, costume and court life, they also represent the most important records extent of Hungarian painting in the 14th century. The artistic value of the miniatures is quite high, and the characters are drawn with detail and with a knowledge of anatomy.[5]

16th-century Renaissance writer János Baranyai Decsi was the first scholar who considered a chronicler Mark as the author of the Illuminated Chronicle in his work Syntagma issued in 1593. Historian Emil Jakubovich identified this person with Mark of Kalt and outlined his biography in his 1924 study, which was widely accepted by the Hungarian historiography.

Medieval-esque drawing of Mark of Kalt sitting at a desk writing

A page of the Chronicon Pictum, or Illuminated Chronicle, which has both words and medieval-esque drawings and embellishments

November 1, 2025 at 1:16 AM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

got some comics hot and fresh for ya!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Retr...

DC Retroactive is a line of one-shot comic book issues published by DC Comics. It revisited periods (grouped by decades) of the company's main characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Justice League, and the Flash. These comics were published with cover dates of September and October 2011. The DC Retroactive comic books followed the Flashpoint event and were launched just before The New 52 line wherein DC titles were relaunched starting from #1.

Publication history

The one-shots featured different characters with a nostalgic version of their most representative decades. DC brought back some of the most relevant creative teams in the history of its main characters. Dennis O'Neil wrote Batman during the 1970s, as well as working with artist Mike Grell[1] on the mid-1970s version of Green Lantern.

The Retroactive line also brought back writers and artists had not worked for DC for many years; some of whom had retired from comics, such as Rich Buckler, who drew one Wonder Woman story. Mike W. Barr, Cary Bates, Norm Breyfogle, Gerry Conway, Tom Mandrake, and Len Wein worked on the characters which they were associated with in the past.[2]

Each comic book was published in a 46-page format, split between 26 pages of new content, plus 20 pages of reprinted tales.

Cover for DC Retroactive – Batman: 1970s (Sept. 2011), art by Tom Mandrake

November 1, 2025 at 1:12 AM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

happy halloween mars!!!!!!!!! have a french video game!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_an...

Iris and the Giant is a role-playing strategy video game developed by French[1] designer Louis Rigaud and published by Goblinz Studio, Plug In Digital, Maple Whispering Limited and Mugen Creations. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux on 27 February 2020.[2] The game blends RPG and Roguelike, but is mainly a collectible card game.[3] A port for Nintendo Switch was released on 5 November 2020.[4][5]
Development
The game was inspired by the developer Louis Rigaud's experiences with creating "interactive papercraft books" for kids. According to the developer, post-launch updates will add new features after the release of the game. These include gamepad support and UI improvements based on feedback from the players.

PlotIris and the Giant starts off with the main character getting dropped off at a swimming lesson. She finds herself struggling to jump into the pool and kids are laughing at her from below. This scene can be seen as a metaphor that describes the general plot-line of the game, a plot-line that explores the main character's struggles with depression and anxiety. Iris (the name of the main character) later finds herself on the river Styx, but the story does not follow the one explained in Greek mythology, that will say, that the river Styx is the connection between the living on earth and the underworld. Instead, Styx is shown as the land that distinguishes "the real from the imaginary". It's on this land that Iris fights her way to the top of the structure and every floor represents her inner demons.

Cover art for Iris and the Giant by Louis Rigaud. It features the main character in a digital, very shape-y art style with a looming angry red figure in a corner

November 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

this is today's second european village/small area with a sad past! there are a lot of those in history i must assume

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlake,_...

Tlake (pronounced [ˈtlaːkɛ]) is a settlement in the Municipality of Grosuplje in central Slovenia. It lies west of Šmarje–Sap on the road to Škofljica. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region.[2] The settlement consists of two parts: Spodnje Tlake and Zgornje Tlake (literally, 'lower Tlake' and 'upper Tlake').

Name

Tlake was attested in written sources in 1436 as Tlakach. The name Tlake is derived from the Slovene common noun tlaka, originally referring to voluntary collective labor, and later to corvée under feudalism. It refers to a place where collective labor was performed. Because places with this name generally do not lie near old Roman roads, the suggestion that the name is derived from tlak 'pavement' is unlikely.[4] Zgornje Tlake was formerly known as Sveti Križ (literally, 'Holy Cross') after the local church, now located in Šmarje–Sap.[3]

HistoryTlake was burned by Italian forces on 26 October 1941 in retaliation for a Partisan attack on a bunker next to the railroad tunnel.

Photo of a few homes and a small road in Tlake

November 1, 2025 at 12:45 AM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

ayyy my birth state! gotta love some natural history and herpetology

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...

Charles Mitchill Bogert (June 4, 1908 – April 10, 1992) was an American herpetologist, and curator of herpetology and researcher for the American Museum of Natural History.

Early life and education

Born in Mesa, Colorado, Bogert was a technician at the Division of Nature Study for the Los Angeles City Schools in California, a guide at Rocky Mountain National Park, and a forest ranger for the US National Park Service at the Grand Canyon National Park before attaining his bachelor and master of arts degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Assistant curator

From 1936 to 1940, Bogert was the assistant curator of herpetology for the American Museum of Natural History. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, he participated in several surveys of various states in Mexico, including one with Karl Patterson Schmidt for the Field Museum of Natural History. In 1941, he was elected vice president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

Research work

In 1944 Bogert undertook a study on the body temperature of lizards and alligators in Florida, and became chairman and curator for the department of herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History. In 1946 he was appointed the first president of the Herpetologists' League, which publishes the scientific journal Herpetologica, by the league's founder Chapman Grant. From 1948 until 1950 he travelled to Central America to conduct research in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Bimini Island off the Bahamas.

In 1949, he published Thermoregulation in Reptiles, a Factor in Evolution in Evolution. In 1950, he became an instructor at the University of Virginia, and undertook numerous trips to the southwestern United States to do research. In 1952, he was elected president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, which he served as until 1954. In 1953, he undertook an extensive study of frog vocalizations in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona, and released a series of records entitled Sounds of the American Southwest and Sounds of North American Frogs, as well as a recording of Mexican folk music.

Photo of Charles Mitchill Bogert, a white middle-aged man in a suit

October 31, 2025 at 10:56 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

JUMPSCARE, it's a liberal arts college!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendon...

Glendon College is a public liberal arts college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formerly the federated bilingual campus of York University, it is one of the school's nine colleges and 11 faculties with 100 full-time faculty members and a student population of about 2,100. Founded as the first permanent establishment of York University, the school began academic operation under the mentorship of the University of Toronto in September 1960.[4] Under the York University Act 1959 legislation, York was once an affiliated institution of the University of Toronto, where the first cohort of faculty and students originally utilized the Falconer Hall building[5] (now part of the Faculty of Law)[6] as a temporary home before relocating north of the St. George campus to Glendon Hall — an estate that was willed by Edward Rogers Wood for post-secondary purposes.[7]

In 1962, a landlot grant was offered by the Province of Ontario to build a new university, which eventually ceased the bilateral partnership between the two schools. York University became an independent institution;[8] however, Glendon refused to transfer to the main Keele Campus, as the University of Toronto had no interest in reacquiring or maintaining the donated Wood property.[9] Murray G. Ross and diplomat Escott Reid, who mutually proposed a novel plan for the college to educate students for fields in civil service, governance and academia, were appointed president and principal in 1959 and 1965, respectively.[10] In 1966, Glendon was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson with the objective of "helping its students develop an informed and active interest in public affairs; by encouraging them to become committed to improving the community in which they live; the country of which they are citizens; and the world which they occupy."

BilingualismGlendon College's undergraduate curriculum emphasizes languages, communication, international affairs, and public policy. Due to this, the Government of Ontario declared Glendon the country's first "Centre of Excellence for French language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education," in collaboration with Collège Boréal.[13][14] Because of Glendon's bilingual nature, the campus received partial designation as an institution offering French services under the province's French Language Services Act.

street view of glendon hall, one of the buildings on glendon college's campus. it's a two-story old-style house

October 31, 2025 at 10:52 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

mrow to you too 😌 have some 90s hiphop!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nex...

The Next Step is the debut studio album by People Under the Stairs, released on March 24, 1998. The duo was responsible for nearly every aspect of the album's production and initial release. Quick sales of the album and its sole single, "The Next Step II", also helped to get the group noticed by the label Om Records, with whom the group produced four other albums and found greater success.

Background

After spending several months recording material and performing their first few shows in 1998, Thes One and Double K used Thes One's student loan funds to independently press and release their first 12-inch single, "The Next Step II". Just weeks after the single was released, the shopkeeper of the now-defunct Mr. Bongo record shop purchased a large number of copies of it for his shop. When he played it on an ordinary day in the store, customers rushed the counter and it sold out within minutes.

Impressed by the quick sale, Mr. Bongo's shopkeeper called Chris Smith, owner of Om Records in San Francisco, and urged him to get in contact with People Under The Stairs. Initially, Smith contacted the group regarding a one-song deal for Om's compilation albums Deep Concentration and Mushroom Jazz, but upon hearing more material, Smith offered the group a full contract.

The album was self-recorded at Thes One's home on 2228 Cambridge Street in Los Angeles, California. Thes One and Double K used their personal recording equipment, including an E-mu SP-1200, an Akai MPC3000, and an 8-track ADAT digital tape recorder.

In 1996, when many of the songs were taking shape, Thes One and Double K were not actually planning on making a full-length hip hop album. They had just decided to make music for their own benefit. Eventually, as the amount of material they were creating grew (and at the urging of their friends), they changed their minds, had the album mastered, created their own artwork and self-released the album in the summer of 1998.[2]

After being signed with Om, the label re-released The Next Step as the first album of a four-record deal. The self-released version of the CD came with a beedi in the spine, but this was omitted from the Om release.

Some of the outtakes from The Next Step were later released on the group's first compilation album, American Men Vol. 1.

After the release of the album in 1998, People Under The Stairs had a difficult time getting their record released, and many local DJs refused to play the album on their radio stations or during club events. One producer, DJ Vadim, even wrote a letter to Om Records to tell them they had made a mistake signing the band.[5]

New York-based distribution company Phat Beats also refused to endorse the album because it did not sound "New York" enough.[6] Despite initial difficulties, the group found friends in DJ Rob One and DJ Dusk, who helped them gain exposure in the Los Angeles area and planted the seeds of future success.

October 31, 2025 at 10:46 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

technically you should've gotten "Common integrals in quantum field theory" but the idea of doing all the alt text for those math symbols made me queasy, so instead: a filmmaker, landowner, and...explosives maker?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...

Thomas S. Hermansen (1867 – 1930) was an early filmmaker and film company founder from Denmark.[1] He also developed processes for the making of explosives.[2] He was one of the largest landowners in Aarhus, Denmark and also spent time in the U.S.[2] He was also a photographer.[3]

He came from Låsby, Denmark and was the son of Boelsmand Søren Peder Hermansen and Bodil Marie Thomasen.[2] After a trip to America he returned to Denmark in 1895 and worked as a photographer in Aarhus.[2]

In 1902 returned to America and travelled to California where he met his wife Marie and worked in photography before becoming involved with early Holywood filmmaking.[2] After a brief period as a partially successful gold digger, he turned to enlarging and selling photographs making a good living.[2] In 1904 he started making live pictures, and in 1906 obtained his own cinema.[2][4] He liked to experiment with the new medium of film trying new ideas such as when in 1904 he mounted a camera on the front of a tram in Aarhus and created a film driving through the city.

He found it more profitable to show films than make them, so in 1910 he formed a film company called Fotorama that showed his own films as well as films rented from abroad.[5][2] In 1910 he produced The White Slave Trade. Most of his work was as a cinematographer.[4][5]

In 1915 during World War I he sailed to America and declared that "Germany cannot win, and we pity her..." and stated that Denmark was supplying Germany with all the food they could import.[7]

Aarhus offers smartphone tours of the city including information on Hermansen and his film factory.

Black and white photo of Thomas S. Hermansen, and old balding man with a mustache and glasses. He's looking with furrowed brows at the camera

October 31, 2025 at 10:42 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

some dense Chinese military history for you! (the last one is a jump to the end of his life)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ti...

Zhao Tingyin (趙廷隱) (883[-January 949), formally Prince Zhongwu of Song (宋忠武王), was a major general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Later Shu.

Background
Zhao Tingyin was born in 883, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. He was from Kaifeng. His early military career was in the Later Liang army, and he became an officer under the prominent general Wang Yanzhang.

During Later Tang

In 923, Li Cunxu, the emperor of Later Liang's archrival to the north, Later Tang, decided to launch a surprise attack on Later Liang's capital Daliang (i.e., Kaifeng), through Yun Prefecture (鄆州, in modern Tai'an, Shandong). Wang Yanzhang's army, poorly-manned, was the only Later Liang army standing between him and Daliang, and he attacked, defeated, and captured Wang. Zhao Tingyin was also captured at that time, along with other officers Zhang Hanjie (張漢傑), Li Zhijie (李知節), and Liu Sibin (劉嗣彬). Shortly after, with Li Cunxu's army approaching Daliang, Later Liang's last emperor Zhu Zhen committed suicide, ending Later Liang. Its territory came under Later Tang's control.[6]

Zhao's career apparently continued in the Later Tang army, although his activities the next few years were not recorded in historical records. It is known that he was an officer in Later Tang's army that conquered Former Shu in 925. When, in 926, after the conquest, the Later Tang commander of that invasion army, Li Jiji the Prince of Wei (the son of Li Cunxu) was prepared to depart Chengdu (the capital of the destroyed Former Shu state) and return to Later Tang's capital Luoyang, he left a detachment, commanded by several officers — Zhao, Li Renhan, Pan Rensi (潘仁嗣), Zhang Ye (Li Renhan's nephew), Wu Zhang (武璋), and Li Tinghou (李廷厚) — at Chengdu, to await the arrival of the new Later Tang-commissioned military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Chengdu), Meng Zhixiang, to arrive. Apparently, then, when Meng subsequently arrived to take office, Zhao and those other officers came under his command. Even after Meng's arrival, however, there was much banditry throughout the former Former Shu territory. Meng sent Zhao and Zhang to quell the banditry, and they killed the bandits and calmed the land.

By 930, the relationships that Meng Zhixiang and Dong Zhang the military governor of neighboring Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) with the imperial government, with Li Cunxu's adoptive brother Li Siyuan as emperor (Li Cunxu's having been killed in a mutiny at Luoyang in 926), had become very strained, and it appeared that war between the imperial government and these two circuits would erupt at any time. In fall 930, Meng and Dong formally rose against the imperial government. Meng sent Li Renhan to command the army against the imperially-held Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), with Zhao, who then carried the title of prefect of Han Prefecture (漢州, in modern Deyang, Sichuan), serving as his deputy and Zhang serving as his forward commander. Li Renhan shortly after put Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture (遂州) under siege. During the siege, however, news came that the main imperial army against the two circuits, commanded by Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang, had captured the key entry into the two circuits, Jianmen Pass. Meng thus diverted Zhao from Li Renhan's army, giving him 10,000 men to reinforce Dong's defenses at Jian Prefecture (劍州, in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan, near Jianmen Pass). At that time, it was deep in the winter, and Zhao's fearful soldiers initially did not want to advance to Jian. Zhao wept in front of them and stated: "Now the Northern Army [(i.e., the imperial army)] is strong. If you all do not fight hard to stop them, even your wives and children will be owned by others." The soldiers were aroused by his speech, and advanced to Jian.

In 948, Zhang Ye, who was then serving as chancellor, was accused by Meng's close associates Sun Hanshao (孫漢韶), Li Hao, and An Siqian (安思謙). Zhang was put to death. An, wanting to also get rid of Zhao, also accused him of treason, and had soldiers surround his mansion. However, Li Tinggui (李廷珪) the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered at Xingyuan) happened to be Chengdu at that time, and defended Zhao before Meng, so Zhao was spared. However, because of this incident, Zhao claimed to be ill and asked to be relieved of his military command. Meng agreed and allowed him to retire. Meng gave him the honorary titles Taifu (太傅) and Zhongshu Ling and created him the Prince of Song, and continued to consult him on important matters of state.[13] He died in 949.[2] His son Zhao Chongtao (趙崇韜) would be an important general later in Meng's reign.

October 31, 2025 at 10:11 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

i skipped two articles that were literally like 30 words long and then i shit you not i got a musical theater actor. how did this happen

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas...

Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor and singer.[1]

He made his professional stage acting debut with principal roles in the national tours of Into the Woods and The Secret Garden. He is most well-known for his leading roles in the Broadway production and national tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, and the national tour of The Addams Family.

During the 1990s, Sills built a reputation as a stage character actor, especially in the professional theaters of southern California. He also performed in several national tours, including Into the Woods and The Secret Garden, which would also feature future Broadway stars as James Stacy Barbour and Audra McDonald. His first Broadway role, however, came when composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Nan Knighton approached him in hopes of finding a male lead for their new musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Before this audition, Sills told his agent not to send him to any more auditions because he planned to attend law school. With a score in the 99th percentile on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Sills hoped to attend Stanford Law School. However, being a fan of the movie as a child, Sills decided to give acting one more chance and was offered the lead as Sir Percy Blakeney.[6]

Douglas Sills opened in his first Broadway show on November 9, 1997. Continuing the role in three other versions of the show, Sills received a Tony Award nomination. He portrayed the foppish hero in SP 1.0 (The Original Broadway Production, starring Terrence Mann, Christine Andreas and Gilles Chiason), SP 2.0 (the revised Broadway production, starring Rachel York and Rex Smith), and for several months in the national tour.[7][8] Although rumored as playing the title role in Wildhorn's Dracula, the Musical, Sills opted out (despite doing a recording demo), and Tom Hewitt portrayed the gothic character at the premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2001.[citation needed] He played Orin Scrivello and several other roles in the 2003 Broadway revival cast of Little Shop of Horrors.

Personal lifeSills is gay. He said in 2015, "I’ve been out since the beginning of my career—I was never in."[21] Sills met then-partner Todd Murray in 1994 while touring with The Secret Garden,[22][23] and the relationship ended in 2013.

Awards and nominations

1998
Nominated - Tony Award, best performance by a leading actor in a musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel
Nominated - Drama desk award, outstanding actor in a musical, the scarlet pimpernel
Won - theatre world award, the scarlet pimpernel
Nominated - outer critics circle award, outstanding actor in a musical, the scarlet pimpernel

2015
Nominated - drama league awards, distinguished performance award, living on love

2023
Nominated - screen actors guild awards, outstanding ensemble in a drama series, the gilded age

October 31, 2025 at 9:56 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

i decided not to give you the [checks notes] five long paragraphs saying where the highway goes, but have a photo of it!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississ...

Mississippi Highway 1 (MS 1) is a state highway in Mississippi that runs south from U.S. Highway 49 near Lula to U.S. Highway 61 south of Cary, roughly paralleling the Mississippi River. It travels approximately 148 miles (238 km), serving Sharkey, Issaquena, Washington, Bolivar, and Coahoma Counties. The entire route is part of the Great River Road and lies entirely within the Mississippi Delta region.

A photo of Mississippi Highway 1 where it departs US 49

Zoomed in map to show where Mississippi Highway 1 runs in the state, mostly going north to south

October 31, 2025 at 9:44 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

i didn't grab past the introduction bc the article was very clearly written with an "I love her" bias and I don't have the energy to fact check that vibe lmao, but hey, we love labor rights!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_An...

Mary Anderson (August 27, 1872 – 1964) was a Swedish-born American labor activist and an advocate for women in the workplace. A feminist, she rallied support to ratify many new laws to support women and equal rights. Throughout her lifetime, Anderson held a large range of roles, rising from a factory worker to the Director of the Women's Bureau in the United States Department of Labor. Anderson's work to protect the rights of women in the workplace made no small impact on the lives of working women across the country.

Mary Anderson

[Black and white photo of Mary Anderson as an old woman at a desk with a framed painting of working women behind her]

Director of the United States Women's Bureau
In office
1920–1944
President Woodrow Wilson
Warren Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by Position created
Succeeded by Frieda S. Miller
Personal details
Born August 27, 1872
Lidköping, Sweden
Died 1964
Nationality American

October 31, 2025 at 9:41 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

a short article in terms of words, but could provide many rabbit holes (go scotland go)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...

This is a timeline of events in the history of Scottish nationalism.

843
King Kenneth I of the Scots becomes king of the Picts, uniting the two as the Kingdom of Alba.

24 March 1603
James VI of Scotland accedes to the English throne as James I in the Union of the Crowns.

1 May 1707
Act of Union is enacted, unifying Scotland with England.

1–8 April 1820
The Scottish Insurrection takes place, with the aim of installing a provisional government in Scotland.

1 March 1979
A referendum finds a majority in favour of a Scottish parliament, though this is not acted upon by the British Government.

11 September 1997
A second referendum on a Scottish parliament passes.

12 May 1999
The Scottish Parliament is reconvened.

18 September 2014
A referendum on whether or not Scotland should become independent is held, with the anti independence campaign ultimately winning with 55% of the vote.

October 31, 2025 at 9:31 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

this was honestly fascinating! i wanna look up more about him, sad time to not speak french

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9...

Gérard Vergniaud Étienne (28 May 1936 – 14 December 2008) was a linguist, journalist and writer of poems, novels and essays.

Biography

Born: Gérard Vergniaud Étienne; Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
Died: December 14, 2008 (aged 72); Montreal, Quebec
Language: French
Years active: 1960-2008

Haiti
Gérard Étienne wrote his first poems when only 13 and performed them on radio, but he left his paternal home at 15. Declaring that his father had been violent towards his mother because she did not share his Vodun religion, Étienne said that he had been terribly affected by his childhood.

In Port-au-Prince he took part in an uprising against the despotic regime of the U.S.-backed Paul Magloire. Arrested with Luc B. Innocent[1] and Windsor Kléber Laferrière, he was imprisoned and tortured. Prison and torture had marked him deeply, but after Magloire was deposed in 1956, Étienne found the strength to pursue classical studies. As he was later to comment in an interview with Ghila Sroka, "The more we deny the people the right to exist, the more they express their disappointment in the arts, literature, music."

In 1958 he began a career as a journalist, teacher and writer. A follower of Haitian Marxist novelist and physician Jacques Stephen Alexis (himself murdered by the Tonton Macoute in 1961), he took part in a 1959 plot against the army-supported regime of François ("Papa Doc") Duvalier, for which he was arrested and tortured a second time.

Upon his release, Étienne published in rapid succession four books of poetry and two literary essays. He founded the "Samba" cultural group (later to become Haïti-littéraire). While teaching at colleges and a high school, he was simultaneously literary critic and reporter with the daily Le Nouvelliste (1961-1962) and Panorama (1962-1964). Étienne has followed parallel military and artistic trajectories, especially at Syto Cavé's Société des Messagers de l'art (1963) and the Haitian Air Corps, where as an air cadet he was assigned to the meteorology department (1955–1957).

With the publication of his first book of poetry Au milieu des larmes ("Amidst the tears") in 1960, he found himself a cultural and literary leader within his country. Following a long detention in Duvalier's prisons, he fled to Quebec as a refugee in August 1964.

Confrontation

Despite having suffered two comas and having undergone brain surgery, he continued to write to the weekly Le Voilier (1987–1989). In 1993, just before he was to appear for a Radio-Canada interview on Denise Bombardier's Raison Passion television show, Gérard Étienne was the victim of a bloody gang assault,[2] a politically motivated attack that increased his determination to resist what he characterized as Haitian feudalism. He later wrote of the event in his 1998 book L'Injustice, la désinformation, le mépris de la loi ("Injustice, misinformation, disregard of the law"). Subsequently, to that assault, Étienne, through his columns in the Haïti-Observateur newspaper, continued his struggle for sustainable democratic change in his Haitian homeland. In this capacity, he published in 2008, through Éditions du Marais, an uncompromising play, Monsieur Le Président. The Racine actors group staged five performances of the play at the Théâtre Stanislas d'Outremont in April 2008.

Aside from his poetry and journalism, Étienne has also followed an academic career in the field of linguistics. He founded a new discipline in the humanities known as anthroposemiotics. His two essays on this subject, La Question raciale et raciste dans le roman québécois (1995) and La Femme noire dans le discours littéraire haïtien (1998), received critical acclaim in both Quebec and the broader francophone world.

Awards and honours

Gérard Étienne in 1991 received the Medal of the Guadeloupe writers union, Association des écrivains de la Guadeloupe. In 1996, the International Council for Francophone Studies (Conseil international d'études francophones) conferred upon him the prestigious Maurice-Cagnon Certificate of Honour, for his exceptional contribution to world French-language studies.[6] In 1997 he received the Gold Medal of the La Renaissance Française organization. He was also awarded the Cator trophy for his lifetime of work. As a member of the Quebec writers union, Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ), he notably worked during 2005–2006 on their language and sovereignty committee.
Death

As reported by Bryan Miles in Le Devoir, Natania, the writer's widow, said: "He died in my arms" at their home in Côte Saint-Luc, "asking me to help him get dressed for writing." She added that he died "standing up totally straight, really."[7]

October 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

gotta love a river (found the photo on the website for the golden isles which is a collection of barrier islands and brunswick georgia)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackay_...

The Mackay River is a 13.4-mile-long (21.6 km)[1] tidal river in Glynn County, Georgia. It flows between Saint Simons Island to the east and the mainland, including the city of Brunswick, to the west, and connects to Buttermilk Sound at its north end and St. Simons Sound and the Brunswick River at its south end. It runs parallel to and west of the Frederica River. The Mackay River is crossed by the F.J. Torras Causeway traveling between Brunswick and Saint Simons. It is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.

The river most likely was named after Captain James Mackay, a pioneer citizen.

Photo of a fishing pier on the Mackay River at sunset

October 31, 2025 at 8:32 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

this was the discography page so i also stole from the band's normal wiki page for context

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wed...

he Wedding Present's discography consists of 54 singles, 17 extended plays, 9 studio albums, 24 live albums and 21 compilation albums. The band were formed in 1985 in Leeds, England by David Gedge, Peter Solowka and Keith Gregory. At the height of their popularity the band had a run of twelve top-30 singles in twelve months, equalling a record set by Elvis Presley.

The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of the Lost Pandas.[1] The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.[2]

Closely linked to the C86 scene, the band has charted a total of eighteen singles in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, including a historic run of twelve singles – one for each month – in 1992, which tied Elvis Presley's record for most top 40 hits in a single year.

Photo of The Wedding Present performing on a stage with colorful lights

October 31, 2025 at 8:27 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

i got a page linking me to two MORE pages about skinks (bc they're called the same thing), so skinks you shall have. praying this inaturalist photo i found is in fact correct lmao

There are two species of skink named Cameron Highlands forest skink, both endemic to Malaysia:

Sphenomorphus cameronicus
Tytthoscincus jaripendek

Sphenomorphus cameronicus

Status: endangered

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Sphenomorphus
Species: S. cameronicus

Binomial name: Sphenomorphus cameronicus
(Smith, 1924)

Tytthoscincus jaripendek

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Tytthoscincus
Species: T. jaripendek

Binomial name: Tytthoscincus jaripendek
(Grismer, Wood, Quah, Anuar, Ngadi, Mohd-Izam, & Ahmad, 2017)

Photo of a cameron highlands forest skink, taken by inaturalist user chairilaiman in 2020. The skink is black on its back half, bronze on the face, and red on the sides from the front legs to the face, with a black stripe running down its body

October 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

one thing i'm learning about wikipedia is it has a Lot of articles about sports stuff

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Fr...

Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Mary Pierce in the final, 6–1, 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2005 French Open. It was her second French Open title and fourth major title overall. Henin was the second woman in the Open Era to win the title after saving a match point, doing so in the fourth round against Svetlana Kuznetsova (the first to do so being Anastasia Myskina the previous year, against the same opponent in the same round).

Myskina was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to María Sánchez Lorenzo. Myskina became the first French Open champion to lose in the first round of her title defense.

This was the first French Open in which future champion Ana Ivanovic competed in the main draw. In just her second major main draw appearance, she reached the quarterfinals, losing to Nadia Petrova.

October 31, 2025 at 8:10 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

for a second i was like "wow wiki works fast it's a Planned power station?" and then i realized it also says "construction began: 2019 expected" whoops (i then looked it up and looks like yeah it got approved in 2018 and then nothing ever happened after)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopere_...

Kopere Solar Power Station, is a planned 50 megawatts (67,000 hp) solar power plant in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community.[1]
Location
The power station would be located in the neighborhood known as Kopere, in Nandi County, close to the border with Kisumu County, approximately 310 kilometres (193 mi),[1][2] by road, north-west of Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city. The solar farm would sit on approximately 250 acres (101 ha) of land.

Kenya has ambitions to electrify 100 percent of the country's population, up from 70 percent in 2017. This development and the 55 megawatts Garissa Solar Power Station, owned by Kenya Rural Electrification Authority, are aimed to diversify Kenya electricity sources, given the unpredictability of hydro-power in this East African country. The project was initiated by Portuguese energy firm Martifer Solar and was later acquired by the French firm in 2016.[1][4]

This power station is expected to supply at least 600,000 on-grid customers. In addition to the power station, the developers will construct a 33/132kV sub-station and a 1.8 kilometres (1 mi), transmission line to integrate the estimated 106GWh generated annually into the national grid.

October 31, 2025 at 8:08 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

oooooh old family drama love it

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_o...

Anguillara were a baronial family of Latium, especially powerful in Rome and in the current province of Viterbo during the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance.

The Anguillara were of Norman descent.[1] They most likely took, or gave, their name from the city of Anguillara Sabazia, on the Lake Bracciano. The name itself could refer to the Italian word anguilla (eel), or, as claimed by some, to a Roman villa (villa angularia) on a corner (Latin: angulum) of the Lake.

A first Count Ramone Anguillara is recorded as a probably legendary enemy of the Popes. In 1090 is known a Gherardo, lord of Anguillara, who was allied with the Prefetti di Vico against the commune of Rome. His successors were John, who took Santa Severa, and Niccolò, who conquered Tolfa in 1146. In 1186 Pandolfo I started a long struggle with the Vicos for the control of northern Latium and met the Henry VI at Orvieto, also hosting him in 1191.[2]

Pandolfo II sided with Henry's son, Frederick II, during the siege of Viterbo (1243), but was captured by the Papal troops and imprisoned at Ronciglione. The Anguillara fief was thus seized by Pietro di Vico, who reigned there until Pandolfo's return in 1246.

The chaotic situation caused by the move of the Papal seat to Avignon led the family to move their headquarters in Rome and Capranica, where Orso dell'Anguillara, Senator of Rome, hosted the poet Petrarch in 1336. Orso's mother was a member of the powerful Orsini, and married a member of the Colonna family, thus establishing the Anguillara as one of the most important Roman families.

Coat of arms for the House of Anguillara, which has two crossed eels and a pattern of red and white triangles around the edges

October 31, 2025 at 8:04 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

apparently its opening the theme is the james bond theme, probably hence the 007 in the title lmao

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabeku...

Promotional photo for Shabekuri 007 with seven Japanese men in suits on a stage

The show features 7 comedians from 3 comedy units of Neptune, Cream Stew and Tutorial, usually hosted and MC'd by Shinya Ueda of Cream Stew. The show features guests every week as the main topic and focus, the guests are mainly celebrities that are currently in topic or are promoting entertainment they are featured in such as an upcoming movie.

The main difference between Shabekuri 007 as a talk show and other talk shows in Japan is that the program uses no scripts for free talk. The conversation is carried by the comedians and the guests through improvisation. Although the main topics and segments of the show is often structured, due to the nature of having no scripts, the conversation would often go off topic.

Shabekuri 007 is one of the most popular programs airing in Japan, with viewership ratings hovering around 10% in the Kanto region.

October 31, 2025 at 8:01 PM

duck 🦆🌸🇵🇸

@duckistic.bsky.social

(beautiful costume 10/10)

I tried to skip an extremely short article about a village in Poland so wiki immediately said "okay, what about a slightly article about a village in Poland" and I can't argue with that

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamasze

Jamasze [jaˈmaʂɛ] is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Krynki, within Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus.

The village was established more than 500 years ago. According to the 1921 Polish census, 34 people lived in the village. Twenty men and fourteen women. During World War II, the village witnessed atrocities committed by the Germans, who severely beat one inhabitant and set dogs on him for fishing. When the Soviet entered the area, they took all relatively young men with them. The last inhabitant left in 1979. When he returned, it turned out that everything had already been stolen. Today in the village's location there is a cross and a plaque commemorating the existence of the village.

A map of Poland with a pin for Jamasze in northeastern Poland

October 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM

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