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bixels · 6 months

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Portal 2 is still the perfect game to me. I hyperfixated on it like crazy in middle school. Would sing Want You Gone out loud cuz I had ADHD and no social awareness. Would make fan animations and pixel art. Would explain the ending spoilers and fan theories to anyone who'd listen. Would keep up with DeviantArt posts of the cores as humans. Would find and play community-made maps (Gelocity is insanely fun).

I still can't believe this game came out 12 years ago and it looks like THIS.

Like Mirror's Edge, the timeless art style and economic yet atmospheric lighting means this game will never age. The decision not to include any visible humans (ideas of Doug Rattmann showing up or a human co-op partner were cut) is doing so much legroom too. And the idea to use geometric tileset-like level designs is so smart! I sincerely believe that, by design, no game with a "realistic art style" has looked better than Portal 2.

Do you guys remember when Nvidia released Portal with RTX at it looked like dogshit? Just the most airbrushed crap I've ever seen; completely erased the cold, dry, clinical feel of Aperture.

So many breathtakingly pit-in-your-stomach moments I still think about too. And it's such a unique feeling; I'd describe at as... architectural existentialism? Experiencing the sublime under the shadow of manmade structures (Look up Giovanni Battista Piranesi's art if you're curious)? That scene where you're running from GLaDOS with Wheatley on a catwalk over a bottomless pit and––out of rage and desperation––GLaDOS silently begins tearing her facility apart and Wheatley cries 'She's bringing the whole place down!' and ENORMOUS apartment building-sized blocks begin groaning towards you on suspended rails and cement pillars crumble and sparks fly and the metal catwalk strains and bends and snaps under your feet. And when you finally make it to the safety of a work lift, you look back and watch the facility close its jaws behind you as it screams.

Or the horror of knowing you're already miles underground, and then Wheatley smashes you down an elevator shaft and you realize it goes deeper. That there's a hell under hell, and it's much, much older.

Or how about the moment when you finally claw your way out of Old Aperture, reaching the peak of this underground mountain, only to look up and discover an endless stone ceiling built above you. There's a service door connected to some stairs ahead, but surrounding you is this array of giant, building-sized springs that hold the entire facility up. They stretch on into the fog. You keep climbing.

I love that the facility itself is treated like an android zooid too, a colony of nano-machines and service cores and sentient panel arms and security cameras and more. And now, after thousands of years of neglect, the facility is festering with decomposition and microbes; deer, raccoons, birds. There are ghosts too. You're never alone, even when it's quiet. I wonder what you'd hear if you put your ear up against a test chamber's walls and listened. (I say that all contemplatively, but that's literally an easter egg in the game. You hear a voice.)

Also, a reminder that GLaDOS and Chell are not related and their relationship is meant to be psychosexual. There was a cut bit where GLaDOS would role-play as Chell's jealous housewife and accuse her of seeing other cores in between chambers. And their shared struggle for freedom and control? GLaDOS realizing, after remembering her past life, that she's become the abuser and deciding that she has the power to stop? That even if she can't be free, she can let Chell go because she hates her. And she loves her. Most people interpret GLaDOS "deleting Caroline in her brain" as an ominous sign, that she's forgetting her human roots and becoming "fully robot." But to me, it's a sign of hope for GLaDOS. She's relieving herself of the baggage that has defined her very existence, she's letting Caroline finally rest, and she's allowing herself to grow beyond what Cave and Aperture and the scientists defined her to be. The fact that GLaDOS still lets you go after deleting Caroline proves this. She doesn't double-back or change her mind like Wheatley did, she sticks to her word because she knows who she is. No one and nothing can influence her because she's in control. GLaDOS proves she's capable of empathy and mercy and change, human or not.

That's my retrospective, I love this game to bits. I wish I could experience it for the first time again.

#ramblings #long post #not art #personal #also i know “did glados actually delete caroline” is debated cuz the credits song disputes this #but i like to think she did #it's not sad. caroline died a long time ago #it's a goodbye

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samgirl98 · 11 months

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Wail of the Silent 2/?

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TW: this chapter mentions suicide and thoughts of self-harm. Proceed with caution. Do not read if this triggers you

Danny Fenton, aka Phantom, flew over the smog-ridden city. It was cloudy, the sky threatening to release rain. He couldn’t see the stars.

(Not that it was possible to see them in the crime-ridden city.)

He had finally reached Gotham City.

“Of all the places Spectra could’ve run off to, it just had to be Gotham.”

Of course, considering all the city's misery, it made sense that Penelope Spectra would find her way there.

“Now I have to dodge the stupid Bats while looking for her.”

Still, as much as he grumbled, he was responsible for protecting people from ghosts. Ever since he told his parents the truth two years ago, they more or less accepted him (even while they kicked him out of the house.), and he had had more time to capture ghosts.

They gave him gadgets and access to the portal (as long as they supervised.) and paid for his apartment while giving him some money. And, bonus, they no longer shot at him and didn’t want to dissect him.

(Did they love him, though? They had kicked him out of his only home when he was eighteen…)

Thankfully, Danny had been able to make his patented inventions that focused on protection from ghosts instead of offensive weapons, so he was getting some income from that. After all, the people of Amity Park would rather have something that protected them than fight ghosts.

He had been able to graduate high school, but he couldn’t go to college. Jazz was encouraging him to take some courses in community college. She argued that since his parents were helping with capturing ghosts (and releasing them instead of experimenting on them.), he should at least think about doing more than ghost hunting.

He couldn’t. Danny had a responsibility to Amity Park. Besides, he had powers; he couldn’t not use them to protect his town. It was his fault the ghosts were coming through in the first place.

If I hadn’t opened the portal…if I hadn’t been a stupid teenager…

The portal was mainly closed now, but natural portals spawned almost weekly in Amity Park, allowing any ghost to get through. This time, Spectra had come through again. She had caused havoc in Amity Park. Three had died, two by their own hands by the time he had figured out that Spectra had had a hand in it. When she figured out Danny was after her, Spectra fled Amity Park.

So, he followed her.

At the moment, he had left Amity Park in the hands of the Red Huntress and his little more capable parents. Spectra was not a ghost that should be allowed in the mortal plane. He’s seen what happens when she feeds on someone too long.

(He could still see the shadow of a hanging body…)

Danny made it invisibly to the top of the tallest building he could find. Wayne Tower was in the middle of an island Danny had found out was called Old Gotham. (Thank you, Google Maps.) He could see the city sprawl in front of him. Danny decided to remain invisible in case any Bats were around. He knew he wasn’t a meta (he was dead, it was a medical condition), but he was sure Batman wouldn’t see it that way.

Looking at the city before him, Danny had no idea where to start. There were so many angry shades and ghosts hanging around that he couldn’t pinpoint Spectra’s unique ectosignature with the Ecto-finder he had with him. And Danny’s ghost sense was useless as it kept going off every other street.

Danny sighed. He decided to go in a random direction when he heard it—no, he felt it.

A ghost was wailing in pain. It was broadcasting its agony and torment to every ghost, shade, and Danny. The wail turned into a roar before suddenly cutting off. The silence that followed left Danny feeling disoriented.

Danny went in the direction that the ghost had projected its pain. He had to help. No one should have to deal with that suffering alone. Besides, if he could feel it, Danny knew Spectra would pinpoint the misery still coating the air.

Danny flew into the night, determined to help.

____

Jason got up, knowing he couldn’t sleep any longer that night.

His shoulders curved inward from the heavy feeling he felt on his back.

(Spectra smiled as her shadowy hands held onto Jason’s shoulders.)

He started making a cup of tea when his feelings reached a crescendo. The cup Jason was holding on to hit the floor and broke. Jason stared at the shattered pieces and felt the sudden urge to use one to stop the crawling under his skin.

(Spectra amplified the need to hurt himself. She smiled as the boy’s emotions fed her powers.)

It was only Jason’s stubbornness that stopped him from doing it. He ignored the broken pieces of glass and sat on the couch. Silent tears left tracks on his cheeks. He wanted his dad, his family—anyone to stop what he was feeling.

He felt he was going insane!

(Spectra smiled and inwardly hoped the boy would last longer than her other victims. His misery made her youthful quicker than any other victim, and more powerful.)

Just as Jason felt his mind was going to break, the feelings went away suddenly, leaving Jason panting hard.

(Spectra felt when Phantom got close and left.)

Jason pulled his hair, wanting, needing the physical pain to ground him to the present.

What was happening to him?

(Spectra smiled as she stared at her reflection at a random window. Her skin was glowing, and her face was free of wrinkles. Spectra’s hair was shining and luxurious. Yes, she hoped the boy would last a while.

Her smile grew as the ghost boy flew overhead, completely missing her.)

____

Though the city of Gotham seemed like a cruel, cold mistress, she cared for her people in her way.

Every vile villain, hero, anti-hero, and citizen was welcomed into her dark and shadowy bosom. The shades and ghosts who had lived and died in her dark alleys and streets knew their mistress would take care of them.

So, when a new ghost showed up and started targeting one of her knights (not just any knight but the one who had been born in her old buildings, the one who had been raised and shaped in her streets. The one she could not save as he had died so far from her soil.), she felt a visceral anger deep in her being.

How dare this spirit come and target her favored knight? She would not let the ghost get away from it. Lady Gotham let her consciousness spread throughout the city, trying, needing to find a way to help…There! A young half-ghost, looking, searching, wanting to help.

She guided the young ghost to her knight—the one who had suffered at the hands of the Joker and his father. (Even now, she doesn’t protect Bruce Wayne as much as she used to, only if it was necessary. The shadows of the city no longer covered him as tightly as they used to.)

She would do whatever she could to help Jason Todd.

The last part was a surprise to me. I hadn't intended to make Gotham a sentient city, but she decided to come screaming out in full force. Yes, Lady Gotham is holding a grudge against Bruce for hurting Jason.

#wail of the silent #dc x dp #dp x dc #tw: mention of s #uicide #tw: mention of self-harm #tw: depression #tw: PTSD

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thothxv · 1 year

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myhouse.wad-adjacent facts and blatant shilling for the musicians who soundtracked it

As has been largely disseminated, new mappers making levels based on their own houses are a common trope in the doom community, and they are often referred to generically as "myhouse.wad". The earliest myhouse maps are actually some of the oldest Doom maps in existence, predating Doom 2 (also at least one Doom 2 map was based on Sandy Peterson's house...)

A lot of people are impressed with myhouse.wad's room over room. I'm more impressed that in the first house myhouse used a boom-style silent teleporter to implement room-over-room sloppily so that the illusion very easily breaks (just step back up the stairs while one of the basement doors is open: it will snap shut because you are being teleported back into the version of the house with an upstairs, and thus there can't be an open door there), just like an inexperienced mapper might in 1999, before using modern GZDoom portals to do it more convincingly in the second house.

There's been a lot of theorizing about myhouse's author, probably because veddge is a very very competent mapper and also because everyone who does know who the author is has stonewalled inquiries at the author's request, implying that the author has a meaningful identity in the Doom community. Or maybe they're just shy. However, DavidXNewton noted in his analysis series on myhouse that it does a lot of things in a ways that are unnecessary using modern UDMF and ZScript but would be familiar to someone coming from a less advanced mapping format like Boom or Old ZDoom. This is indicative of Veddge being more along the lines of what he says he is: either someone truly returning after a long absence, or at the very least someone who isn't terribly familiar with modern GZDoom mapping. Either that, or the entire map was mapped in character. I genuinely don't know which I'd find more impressive.

"doomcute" is a term used to refer to maps that recreate real-world items or environments in doom (usually because the immediate reaction from players is "oh that's adorable!"). Myhouse maps are invariably trying for doomcute, but another early doomcute map was Shamus Young's Doom City from 1995 (yes, Shamus Young of DM of the Rings fame. I discovered while researching that he actually died last year. Rest in peace). Doom City recreated a couple of real-world looking buildings, but the thing everyone seems to remember about Doom City is its recreation of... a gas station. Food for thought.

Hilariously, myhouse almost got lost in the shuffle on Doomworld, because most people weren't looking for a myhouse.wad to play. Several of Veddge's collaborators posted in the thread to keep this from happening.

I believe Veddge's confirmed collaborators on myhouse are Kevansevans, esselfortium, and Jimmy. I don't know much about Kevansevans, but I believe he helped with the scripting and some of his scripting work from other sources made it into the wad because he's officially credited (as is everyone whose work was used in the map: it's all inside the PK3). Essel and Jimmy are credited only in anagram form because they are responsible for the music, which is actually wholly original (also Jimmy gave no indication he was involved until it was revealed by players unscrambling the anagram, which was very very funny).

I'm actually going to talk about Essel and Jimmy in detail over the next few bullet points, because I feel like it. And they're both really neat.

Sarah "esselfortium" Mancuso is responsible for memory=entryrrrr/////, the piece the plays in the burned house and various other places throughout the wad. She's composed professionally for video games and has several albums, but in the Doom community she's probably best known for creating and managing the Back to Saturn X project, a trilogy of megawads (only two of which are presently released) being developed by a massive team of modders, with custom assets, a custom palette, a complete original OST, and some very impressive maps... all intended to be playable with a vanilla doom2.exe. Which is insane: Vanilla Doom is brutal to map for, on account of harsh limitations that it's hard to be confident your map or project falls within. Back to Saturn X was so ambitious that it found previously undiscovered ways that Doom can crash. Of course, in addition to running the project, Essel also mapped for it, made textures for it, and composed a significant portion of the soundtrack. And because that was not impressive enough apparently, Essel also (with some help from a few others) created Knee-Deep in Knee-Deep in ZDoom, a joke wad that takes the (in)famous Knee-Deep in ZDoom, a mapset designed to show off the features of ZDoom, and recreates as many of its tricks as it can entirely in vanilla. A feat I can only describe as black magic of the highest order. She also went out of her way to say Trans Rights during her bethesda interview, so that's cool too.

James "Jimmy" Paddock is responsible for the increasingly glitchy and messed-up version of D_RUNNIN that plays in the second house. Which figures, because Jimmy's music is everywhere. He takes commissions for music, he's contributed free music to the community, and his music is very very popular. Notable wads he's contributed tracks to include Plutonia 2, Speed of Doom, Reverie, Back to Saturn X Episodes 1 and 2, Eviternity, and Doom 2 In Spain Only, and the MIDI soundtrack to John Romero's SIGIL, which some consider to be even better than the Buckethead soundtrack. He also is the project lead and mind behind The Adventures of Square, a standalone, free game made in GZDoom, he's done texture work, he's made several award-winning doom mods (cacowards, that is), mapped for numerous other projects, and had just done a whole ton of stuff. The doom community gave him an award for lifetime achievement. Oh, and he did an alternative MIDI OST for Prodeus? Genuinely didn't know about that.

While researching this I learned that Jimmy is going to be evicted in a month, so now's a great time to check out his music online and see if you're into it. I'm not a super fan of his vocal delivery, but I really like some of his instrumentals and MP3 versions of his MIDIs.

#doom #myhouse #myhouse.wad #myhouse.pk3

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profounddestinyrebel · 11 months

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Pretty much my ideal dcxdp coexisting world

Danny had all his canon happen before Bruce and the JL started their vigilante careers

Before Bruce was born or Martha and Thomas even got married

Phantom Planet never happened and the world never realized that they were almost dead in the first place (I apologize for mentioning it)

Danny retires after blowing up the portal and designing a new system of gov for the Infinite Realms (why the hell is that a monarchy anyway? Fighting being a way of communicating AND the way of determining a ruler does not make sense so I'll choose the better one)

Danny still visits the Infinite Realms but mostly lives his life

He still has interesting things happen to him but more because he apparently has a curse placed on him than anything else 'may you live in interesting times'

Danny manipulates the curse by getting into situations on purpose and then resolving them without getting attention drawn to his civilian id and normal life

He keeps track of immortals and big names that deal with death magic so as to lower the chances of being summoned

The more powerful the Realm Being the more powerful the summoner has to be to summon them and with how powerful Danny is there aren't many he has to keep an eye on

Ra's has been losing Lazarus water at a steady rate for over a decade but only now has it become a noticeable loss. The day the that he notices is a Very Bad Day for the League of Assassins (the day Danny lets himself get caught satisfies his curse for 2 whole months)

Danny hasn't aged much at all since he left Amity at 17. He's still short but mimics the effects of age with stage makeup and other tools used by actors to look older they actually are. This is how he meets a certain Alfred P. who remains a good friend even though they never really meet in person.

His parents blow themselves up and wipe their house off the map when tinkering with a device designed to lure realm beings to them. Danny isn't really sorry they're gone. He finds out after leaving Amity that he wasn't really their kid and he wasn't even adopted. They made him in their lab while distracted from their obsession with ghosts then completely forgot they had done so when they refocused on ghosts. His growth chamber (terrible name) was coated in ecto which allowed the device to reactivate and allow Danny to finish incubating into a toddler then (suspicious) it mysteriously popped him out before his the fentons noticed the growth chambers success.

His parents never took any notes on the clone experiment out of the house due to it being a (perceived) failure. After going back to their ghost obsession they completely forgot about it so no one knows. Jazz only found after Danny told her and he only found out after growing older and continuing to look less and less like either of his parents.

Danny finds the notes and that's what inspires him to leave Amity, to start looking for his bio parent. The Fenton's had no clue that the clone they grew was Danny. They dismantled the growth chamber when Danny was four (actually two) and never realized that the toddler they adopted was the clone of wonder woman they made. They never said anything to anyone about Danny being adopted so Vlad has no idea that Danny isn't Maddie's child.

Vlad starts to age drastically after the portals are destroyed and Danny figures out that Vlad isn't a halfa after all. He's just a normal ghost who can prey on people like spectra but with an obsession directed at Maddie originally and then Danny. Afterwards Vlad gets shunted off into Walker's prison because of all the toxic and human crimes he's committed among them brainwashing, mind control and mind wiping various wealthy and not so wealthy individuals into giving Vlad their money and companies.

Ellie has to explore the Infinite Realms (literally Infinite though so she's not confined) only because she can't really produce her own ecto. She has to absorb it from her surroundings so she can wander safely all over the Infinite Realms (so long as she calls for help when she gets in over her head) but not the human realms unless she takes a buddy who can produce a steady stream of ecto for her.

Vlad makes Danny his heir so now he's rich enough to travel even after giving all the people Vlad stole from their money back. It turns out that Vlad was good with making more money once he had it.

just Danny being a crptoid for the entire magical community and them being unable to talk about it if they even know of him

while danny runs a NASA and space account where he talks about NASA's recent achievements, newly discovered stars, planets and new alien races that Earth has been in contact with

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aquadestinyswriting · 3 months

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Ayyyy, Aqua! :D Happy STS! So I'm making my way through Titan Modern AU, and . . . actually, take two questions on it. 8)

I have legitimately looked everywhere, and I am severely curious. :') Have you thought of a title for this one, or is its title literally just Titan Modern AU?

More importantly, tho, how much did you have to change to make the world of Fangthane's Folly fit the modern day? (And what did you end up keeping? I notice there's magic and dwarves, but how different are these bits compared to their DnD roots?)

Hope this ask finds you well! :D o/

Hi Jax, this is technically a day late, but not really because time zones are a thing :P. I am very well, thank you. I am enjoying the fact that the words seem to be flowing quite easily for the time being and taking advantage of that to write a lot for all my ongoing series and creating new ones. Thanks very much for the questions, I have a lot to talk about with this AU :D. Answers are under a cut because the second one is going to get quite long.

Question 1

I don't currently have an actual title for this one yet. I have a tendency to title WIPs towards the end of writing them and this one is no exception. I have some vague ideas, but I'm not too concerned about it just yet. Especially since there's a high possibility that this one is going to throw some major curveballs my way once I get into the thick of the plot that might well change the kind of title I want to give it.

Question 2

Ah, the dwarves are technically not a thing for this one. Everyone is more or less human, unless it's directly stated otherwise. The reason Fangthanian women can have beards at all is down to a slight genetic quirk which means they are pre-disposed to much higher testosterone levels than average. The Throffite community, in particular, is very insular and tend to inter-marry within themselves due to a history of discrimination against them.

As to how I changed the setting to fit with the modern aesthetic:

I've modelled Fangthane city a little bit after towns like Fort William, since the location of Fangthane in Allansia has a relatively similar geography to that of the Scottish Highlands. So Fangthane city is no longer built into the mountain, but is a city that was built very close to the mountain (which is now called Ben Oir). Extrapolating from there, and taking into account the maps that exist of Allansia, it was a a matter of figuring out how and why there would be outposts for the kingdom that are so far away from the capital. In that case, an old empire made a lot of sense, and taking into account the relative time period this AU is set in (roughly the 90s to early 2000s), it also made sense that said empire had been disbanded, but that communities deriving from it still exist (hence why Stonebridge and Firetop are still mainly natively Fangthanian). So, yeah, culturally speaking Fangthane is basically the UK transplanted into Allansia at this point.

I wanted some of the history of Toreguarde to remain intact because there are plot things related to that that will pop up later in the story. The city was almost destroyed, officially, by what is considered to have been a terrorist organisation that was working on behalf of another state and/or one of the ruling council of Toreguarde of the time who went just teeny bit mad with power (Greydown was an absolute ass in canon, and is in this AU too).

As the setting, rather purposefully, appears to be lacking in magic, no mentions are made of demons, portals or the breaking of reality, even by those who were present at the time. The remaining Heroes still exist, but I'm working out what their exact roles in all that were. Egrim is still a priest, so that's him covered. Alexis, upon talking to Dru about it, was probably a sniper that was a part of the military forces of Toreguarde at the time, while Selene was probably some sort of science-y nerd person brought in to help explain some of the weirder stuff that went on that was kind of acknowledged and then later given plausible and sensible scientific explanations. She just happened to be somewhat decent at this diplomacy lark when communication with the reinforcements from Fangthane started going south, hence her current role in the story. She probably worked quite closely with Ivan, who I have yet to figure out the details of, with regards to that. I also need to figure out what Fai did and what happened to him...

I am doing a lot of this worldbuilding and adjusting Fantasy canon on the fly, to be quite honest, so not a lot of it is set in stone just yet. However, I have given some thought to the Throffite community both in Fangthane and in Toreguarde and some of their history and culture, drawing a lot on what I established about Throffism in the fantasy canon and doing some major research into the irl history of such things to make sure that anything I write about it is handled as sensitively as possible. I have also written copious notes on the hows and whys of the fractious relationship between Fangthane and Toreguarde that would fit in with more modern (Western, as that is what I'm familiar with) political norms.

#writeblr asks #storyteller saturday #answered ask #aquadestinyswriting #titan fighting fantasy #titan fighting fantasy modern au

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silvrash-797 · 3 months

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@webhead3345 here's your Pre-LU ask!

Roll for stealth... (pt 1)

Day 17: hostage situation

Part 2 | Part 3

Read on ao3

“Link! Link, can you hear me?!” Riju's panicking voice crackled from Link's slate, and he glanced at his wolf companion before pulling it from his hip.

“Shhh, Riju, I can hear you. What’s the matter?”

“You must come to town, quickly! Buliara's been missing for days,” she sobbed, “I don’t know what to do!”

“It’s okay, Riju, take a deep breath,” Link soothed, and he heard a shuddering breath over their connection. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes, okay?”

“Yes, okay,” another breath, steadier this time, “Please hurry, Link.”

She severed the communication, and Link moved to his clothing inventory, changing into the vai set in a stream of blue light. He navigated to the slate’s map, then glanced down at his companion.

“Ready, Wolfie?” he asked. An affirming bark was all he needed. “Then let’s go.”

Link tapped the screen over the Daqo Chisay shrine, dissolving into a familiar stream of blue light.

Shortly after Link materialized, Wolfie emerged from his own black teleportation portal, shaking out his pelt as his paws settled on the warm sand. Link ran his hand through the thick ruff at his neck as they walked to the town's main entrance, grateful as always for Wolfie's companionship.

They made their way through town to the palace, noticing a subtle tension simmering throughout the population. The strings of tension all gathered at Riju, whom they could see pacing from across the palace.

In just a few great strides, Link placed himself in front of Riju, taking her by the shoulders and meeting her eye. “Rij, you’re scaring everyone. Breathe.”

“Link! You’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry.” She took several deep breaths, the tension slowly bleeding from her shoulders as she calmed down.

“Now,” Link said, pulling her down to sit near one of the decorative ponds, smiling as Wolfie laid his head in her lap, “tell me what happened.”

Riju took one last deep breath before holding out a shaking hand. In it was a scrap of distinctive red paper, and Link's stomach sank.

Taking it carefully, he read the words scrawled across its surface.

We have taken your beloved guard hostage. Return the Thunder Helm to our keeping and she may be returned to you.

“The guards found that pinned to the outer wall just before you arrived,” Riju explained.

“I don’t like that wording,” Link chewed on his lip beneath his veil. “Buliara may be returned if you surrender the Thunder Helm to the Yiga, but there’s no guarantee.”

“That’s what has me so scared,” Riju admitted. “We can’t leave her with them, but the Thunder Helm is our heirloom. At no guarantee…” She took a deep, shaky breath, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Link.”

Link crouched on the floor, drawing her eyes to his. “I freed Barta the first time. I got the Helm back, too,” he reassured, “Leave this to me. I’ll have Buliara back by this time tomorrow.”

Riju threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “Thank you, Link,” she whispered. “Please be careful.”

Link stood, nodding, then he and Wolfie made a beeline to the opposite side of town, where they rented one of Frelly's best-trained sand seals. It was still early evening when they left from the northwestern gate, beating an uneventful path towards Karusa Valley and the Yiga hideout.

They arrived at the base of the cliffs dominating the hideout as the moon was rising. Leaving the seal in the shadow of an overhang with some hydromelons, Link changed into his Sheikah stealth set, carefully and silently infiltrating the hideout, Wolfie padding at his side.

Link growled silently as he approached Barta's old cell, seeing it empty. The Yiga must be holding Buliara deeper in the base.

Understandable, but inconvenient.

Cautiously, Link and Wolfie made their way deeper and deeper, winding through corridors, hiding in alcoves, distracting with bananas as necessary until they came at last to a long hallway lined with barred cells. Water dripped somewhere nearby; the air smelled of mildew and rot.

Heart beating heavily in his chest, Link crept down the line of cells, seeing nothing inside until about halfway down – the giant Gerudo warrior was difficult to miss, crammed into a cell made for Hylians.

Link could tell Buliara had been hurt during her capture – large bruises and freshly scabbed over cuts could be seen all over her body, and the fading evidence of a black eye covered half her face. Despite all that, she was awake, glaring at him in distrust until he pulled his mask down, showing his face.

“Link,” she breathed, “why have you come?”

Link pulled the slate from his hip, using the magnesis rune to open the cell door as he responded. “Riju's been worried sick. She asked me to rescue you.” He finished fiddling with the rune and the door swung open on silent hinges. “Can you walk?”

Carefully, she unfolded herself from the cell, emerging into the corridor and stretching before she nodded. “Yes, Link, I can. Sarqso.”

“Don’t thank me just yet – we still have to get out of here…and you’re going to be rather difficult to hide.” He gave her a small, apologetic grin. “Sorry.”

“Do not apologize, little voe. I was not entirely conscious, but I do recall the difficulty I gave the Yiga scum when they imprisoned me. Do you have a plan?”

“Half of one, I think. All we really can do is try to sneak back the way we came. If they catch us, run like mad for the entrance – I left my sand seal at the base of the cliffs outside the hideout, so as long as we can get you out, you can take it back to Gerudo town.”

Buliara looked at him in concern, “And what about you, little voe?”

‘As long as I have my slate I can teleport to the shrine outside of town, I’ll be fine.”

Wolfie suddenly began to growl, staring further into the prison, and Link took that as their cue. “Time to go.”

He began to lead the way back out of the base, and with a lot of luck – and nearly all his bananas as distractions – they made it back to Barta's cell without incident.

“Last room,” he signed as they entered the narrow hallway. Buliara nodded.

FWEEEEEEET!

The piercing whistle stopped them in their tracks. Link's heart jumped into his throat at the deep chuckle of Yiga blademasters, watching as several imposing silhouettes appeared before them in puffs of red paper and smoke. The high cackle of Yiga footsoldiers sounded behind them and Link whirled around, trying to see how many Yiga they were surrounded by.

It was not an encouraging number.

He turned back to the blademasters when one of then spoke. “The Hero of Hyrule,” he sneered, “come to meddle once again.”

He drew his Windcleaver, pointing it at Link's neck. “It wasn’t enough that you murdered our leader? Now you must come and interfere with our prisoners.”

A few taps at his slate and Link was in his Hylian armor set, his own captured windcleaver in hand, held lightly at his side despite its weight. “Let us pass,” he demanded, with much more confidence than he truly felt, “I’ve bested your clan once before, and I will do it again.”

“Not a chance, Hero,” the blademaster hissed, closing ranks with his fellows. “We will eliminate the threat to our Lord Ganon, and be heralded as heroes in our own right!”

Link widened his stance, holding the windcleaver ready to charge, feeling his stamina slowly drain as he fed power to the blade. He consciously held Urbosa’s Fury back, not wanting Buliara or Wolfie to be injured in the close quarters. “You leave me no choice,” he whispered, then turned slightly to make eye contact with his companions. “Buliara, RUN!” he shouted, releasing the charge attack, sending out a massive wave of air that bowled over the blademasters in front of them.

She pushed past him, shouldering the stumbling guards out of the way. Link turned, catching a footsoldier's demon carver on his blade before it could slam into his side.

“Wolfie!” he called, releasing another charge attack to give himself some space, “Go with her! Make sure she gets back okay!”

His companion whined, teeth bared in defiance. A growl rumbled deep in the wolf's throat.

“GO!” Link shouted, switching his Windcleaver for the Master Sword and Hylian shield. “I’ll be fine!” He parried an attack from a vicious sickle, rushing in to press the advantage against the staggering soldier.

He heard Wolfie whine again, but then an affirming bark sounded along with receding pawsteps. Link let the focus of battle – block, thrust, dodge, parry, slash, flurry rush! – sweep over him, until an unseen sickle broke through his guard, carving a long gash across his right bicep.

Instantly, his focus was lost, and he gasped at the crippling numbness spreading across the limb. He tried to raise his shield to parry a demon carver but missed the timing, the weapon coming through and leaving a deep cut across his chest.

Breath coming high and fast, Link tried to keep up with the fight, but the tide had turned out of his favor. Before he knew it, the Master Sword had shattered in his hand, his shield was knocked from his grasp, the slate was torn from his hip, and his arms were pinned tight behind his back as a pair of footsoldiers forced him to his knees.

The sharp tip of a Windcleaver jabbed into the soft skin of his throat, forcing his head up to meet the emotionless glare of a blademaster's mask. “You’re ours now,” he chuckled darkly. “Good night, Hero.”

A sharp impact rang through his brain, and Link knew nothing more than pain.

#SilvrAsh writes #febuwhump #day 17 #pre-LU #botw link #botw riju #lu wolfie #tw hostage situation #will be continued tomorrow

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orbleglorb · 9 months

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🖊️ + Leylo!

!!!! the her!!!!

leylo is a 28-year-old librarian that lives in the fictional town of point savaford, colorado. it's on the border between colorado and wyoming. it's considered a big town for the area, but that's kinda because there's not much else there.

leylo comes from the oregon/washington border (the borders are important here, they act as transitional places, aka "liminal spaces" or just "liminals" that, if you get really lucky or unlucky, can lead you to a different dimension. all borders can act as these portals, but not all are as strong as others. rural places that ppl travel less are more likely to have a more strong "pull" to another dimension." she comes from the other dimension on the other side of that border (except it's a little hard to tell which dimension is which on the borders, because that's where they blend). she was raised in a cult commune (not getting into that because i think it'd be considered way too edgy/intense by my general tumblr audience). she has 7 siblings (it used to be 10). she is not close with any of them, although she regrets that a little bit in her later life.

she has DID, and has a handful of alters. the only one that really comes up in the story is Mike (i think that was his name? either that or Mack). Mike fronts after Leylo has a huge argument with her siblings, back when she was around 18 or 19, where a lot of stuff was brought up that shouldn't have been. He decides to pack up and run away right then (note: they all got out of the cult before this happened. there was, like, a huge event where the cult was forcefully disbanded, and then all of the kids were sent to inpatient care and then put in foster care. some were adopted immediately, some weren't. leylo and her brother zach were both taken in by the (adoptive*) father of the boy that essentially served as the whistleblower for what was going on in the commune. the father is Oscar, the kid is Marco. so actually she has 8 siblings (11 counting the ones no longer alive) and zach has 9 siblings (12 counting the ones no longer alive). man apparently i love weird complicated families. who could have seen this coming <- has a family structure that is abnormal and therefore hard to explain

ANYWAY. mike decided he was gonna hop on the next greyhound bus and leave. he expected leylo to front again soon and she would go back, but he wanted out. except. she didn't front again. for like 2 or 3 years. so he just traveled via greyhound buses and ended up in Arkansas. here's a visual of how far away that is:

ID: a map of the united states of america with a web of greyhound bus routes. washington and oregon in the northwest are both very far from arkansas, which is in the south, but closer to the middle of the USA than it is to the east coast. still, you have to pass through at least 7 states to get from the northwest to arkansas, if i traced the lines on the map right. /end ID

according to google maps, it's about a 2 day bus drive, presumably not counting if you miss a bus, do something besides ride the bus, etc. and mike was adventurous. he wanted to explore these places! so he did. he actually didn't really plan on stopping, but he liked arkansas enough when driving through it that he stopped in little rock and stayed. he moved out of little rock, and then out of central arkansas, then to the fictional town of Smallmouth, which rests along the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas. mike started a life there. he got a job at one of the many outdoorsy shops in the area, started dating a girl named jessica, and made some friends.

and then leylo fronted again and was like "what the fuck." she did NOT appreciate the arkansas heat. she did not understand why this woman was texting her on a phone she never bought and didn't even know the passcode to, or why she's being evicted from an apartment she's never been in, but she is! and she goes to her job after the manager calls her and asks why she hasn't come in yet, and apparently "i didn't know i had a job at a bait and tackle shop" wasn't a good excuse. everyone can tell that something is off, especially her coworker (and mike's friend), taylor. he presses her to say what's wrong, and she just says that she wants to go by leylo instead of mike and that she's getting evicted. doesn't mention the memory stuff. so he offers to let her move in with him, as he needs a roommate to afford the house anyway. leylo doesn't fully trust the guy, but mike did, and it's better than sleeping on the street, so she agrees & she moves in (and meets his young daughter, winter) all within, like, a week of randomly waking up in arkansas after 2 or 3 years have passed without you knowing.

taylor and leylo get along even better than taylor and mike did. taylor and leylo are, like, platonic soulmates. the term doesn't do their relationship justice, because i feel like "platonic soulmates" makes the relationship sound "lesser." truly, they are soulmates and best friends and lifetime partners, and also there is no romantic attraction between them. when the true crime community started being A Thing & ppl who were curious about the cult stuff trued to reach out to her, leylo changed her last name to match taylor's. his surname is wallace, and she changed her to gromit. hesitantly takes the role of winter's second parent, and begrudgingly takes the title of "mom," as it's easier than just explaining "i am close friends with her dad, we live together and will for the foreseeable future, there is no romance in this" to her teachers and stuff. all of the teachers are like "don't worry, we're very accepting here ^_^" and she's like "oh cool so you understand platonic lifetime partnerships" but no it just means they're not going to flip their shit that a white kid has a black stepmom. which isn't even what's happening but ok. she attends winter's kindergarten "graduation," then her elementary to middle school "graduation," then takes winter to her middle school open houses, parent-teacher conferences, etc., because taylor starts having a panic attack any time he goes near the middle and high schools (there's only 1 of each in this town).

i bet you might be wondering. "hey. what happened to jessica." so funny you should ask that! leylo did not speak to her. ever. she left her on read. didn't know how to begin to explain that fuckery. jessica lived a town over, so she just. never left town. avoided her at all costs. until one night, another one of leylo's alters fronted & got her in a bit of danger. leylo fronted again before anyone found out, but she called taylor, still freaking out, and they went to the hospital & she was diagnosed with DID. after she got home, she was like, "hey, i should explain to that chick what happened." so she leaves jessica like five paragraphs to wake up to in the morning. and so jessica was like. "well! okay! i spent a lot of time thinking about the different things that could have possibly caused mike to stop texting me, and this was not one of them!"

one day, taylor went missing, and leylo was left with winter. after that, winter came out as trans and changed his name to rowan, and they moved to colorado to be in a better environment for lgbtq ppl. she somehow finessed a job at a library and has a little romance thing happening with a guy who works at the flower shop across the street

*this distinction is important because i am considering making one of the villains, martín, marco's biological dad, and i don't want ppl to confuse martín and oscar. essentially, it started out as: martín and dolores had two kids, laura and marco. laura is about fifteen years older than marco. then it became martín and dolores had one kid, laura, who has one kid, marco. but i am leaning towards changing it back to the original family structure. the reason i had changed it in the first place was to make martín older in order to kinda filter out filler characters in the extended family (because the extended family is VERY important), but a) different ways i can do that and b) not rlly as big of an issue now

#asks 4 sasha #oc: leylo gromit

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thecustomcosplayed · 2 years

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When The Sun Sets

part 2! it’s here! whoo! Sausage tries to check out the Ancient City Gem was talking about. Notes: i was watching game theory while I wrote this, so.. yeah- anyways, another character appears this part :) well kinda linebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklin Sausage glanced up from the map Gem had given him, looking into the cave entrance. The adventurer had decided it was best to set towards the cave immediately after he left the Princess to sleep. Hopefully, he would find something leading to the reason Gem was acting so strange recently. Now, Sausage wasn’t one to be afraid of caves, not in the slightest. Sure, the mobs were always a problem, but he could take them out with a swipe or two from his sword more times than not. He thought every person needed a place to be free and safe, and while he did feel a little guilty from killing the mobs, he thought it as more freeing their souls than kill them. But no, it wasn’t the average mob that scared him. Heck, he could even handle the Deep Dark and the skulk blocks. What he was afraid of was the Warden. All of the books he had read about the Warden described it as dangerous, and practically impossible to kill, even by some of the most skilled warriors known to date. The psychical description described the Warden as a tall, looming shadow, shaped like a disfigured human, with horns coming from it’s head. It had no eyes, which was why it was always relying on the sensors, and it’s great hearing. Some people had said they could hear whispers whenever they were near the Warden, but that wasn’t too are, at least not in the Empires world. He knew there were several different things that whispered around you, and he could list a few. The soul sand and fire in the Nether, the Evermore’s fog, the End portal, things that like. But it still creeped him out. After all, why- no, how, could the Warden whisper? It was known for it’s ear-ringing shrieks, it’s sonic booms. He found it hard to believe that it was the Warden itself who whispered. Perhaps it was like the soul fire? But, he didn’t have time to question that right now. He had walked to where the Deep Dark started. Apparently, he still had a bit to go before he would in the actual City. The brunette stopped, kneeling and putting on the enchanted boots Gem gave him, putting his own diamond ones away for now, before he quietly snuck onto the squishy skulk material. Sausage was surprised at how well lit up the area was, with a wide area of torches and even some frog lights in the ceiling. It was well lit up enough so no mobs spawned, and he slowly slipped away his own unlit torch. He supposed it made sense that the area would be well lit, but he wasn’t expecting it to be. The adventurer quickly made his way to where the City was, keeping quiet as he stared at it for a few seconds. The Ancient Cities normally spawned rather big, but Gem had grown it out, making it downright huge. It could give fWhip’s Empire a run for his money with how big it was.

The ruins had been made a bit nicer, and easier to maneuver. But, there was still a double chest in front, with a sign labeled in Gem’s handwriting:

“Welcome to Dusk! Please, take a map so you don’t get lost, and some wool so it’s easier for you to move around!”

The brunette opened the chest, taking a map and two stacks of wool. He took this chance to check his inventory and who was on the server right now. His inventory didn’t have much in it, just the bare minimum.

As for who was online, other then himself and Gem (who’s user had some gray z’s beside it), only Shelby was on.

He paused, staring at the witch’s user. Maybe she would know what the wisps were? To be fair, it did sound like it was a magic thing.

You whispered to ShubbleYT: Hey, do you know what a wisp is? He typed on the communicator, glad it didn’t make any noise when he sent the ‘whispered’ message, as he waited for the blonde-banged girl to respond. ShubbleYT whispered to you: no? i mean it sounds familiar but not off the top of my head? ShubbleYT whispered to you: y? and why are we whispering? You whispered to ShubbleYT: In order to your questions, Gem is transforming an Ancient City under Dawn and said some wisps were protecting her, and I’m currently in said Ancient City.

ShubbleYT whispered to you: ohhh.. that’s not very good if i’m right abt what i think the wisps are. ShubbleYT whispered to you: get out of the city, i’ll meet you at dawn. You whispered to ShubbleYT: What? Why? ShubbleYT whispered to you: just trust me please. you plan on killing the warden, right? The adventurer shivered lightly at that. He hadn’t been planning to, not at all, no, he planned to run if he spawned it accidentally. He was just here to find whatever the wisps were and head out to check on Gem. You whispered to ShubbleYT: Not really, I just wanted to know what the wisps were. ShubbleYT whispered to you: well, i guess we’re both doing something we thought we’d never do. ShubbleYT whispered to you: just meet me up at dawn, i’ll be there with potions and bows. You whispered to ShubbleYT: Please don’t tell me you plan on trying to kill the Warden. ShubbleYT whispered to you: no better way to make sure gem’s safe, right? Sausage cursed under his breath, sending one more message with just a simple ‘Fine’ as his response. It had been totally unfair that Shelby had pulled that card, but whatever. He started his way to the surface, only glancing back at the City twice. End part 2. end notes: whoops. i acidentally posted it without finishing. oh well its fixed now :) but whooo you unlocked great witch to your team lol. I really wanted to add Shubble in, and what better way then making her help Sausage kill the Warden? also Shubble’s messaging is an accurate way i type usually but with a lot of typos, so, you know. also, for those ppl who noticed I described Shelby with blonde bangs instead of like blonde haired or brunette, my ver. season 2 Shubble has diff hair. she had dark brown pigtails, then just brown, and then blonde bangs so yeah :D

#When The Sun Sets #mythical sausage #geminitay #shubbleyt #shubble #shelby grace #gem #esmp #esmp2 #esmp season 2 #empires smp season 2 #empires season 2 #empires s2

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thezmfcgameroom · 1 year

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The Game Room: AD Quake

The Game Room: Boomer shooter prelude

Quake review part 2: A journey across Dimensions

No discussion of Quake--or any early Id FPS for that matter--is complete without discussion of the many mods made by the community. For Quake, one stands out in particular. This mod is known as Quake: Arcane Dimensions, or AD Quake for short. This mod is a truly massive overhaul of the game, changing how many weapons work, adding more weapons and mechanics, and reworking and adding many enemies. This mod is truly one of my favorites just due to the sheer quality and quantity of the content within. This mod is proof that you don’t need to sacrifice quality for quantity and vice versa. Without further ado, let's dig into Quake: Arcane Dimensions.

Teaching an old engine new mechanics

Arcane dimension Quake is a level collaboration between some of the best modders in the Quake community to form a level collection mod like no other. When you load up AD Quake you find yourself in a hub world with many gates and portals. Here you can choose your difficulty--Quake veterans will know where to look for the old nightmare to find the new 666 difficulty--as well as choose if you want to play the base game with AD mechanics, play the first batch of levels, or go to the second hub to be able to choose between even more levels. This hub also can serve to show some of the new mechanics in AD Quake, if you fire your shotgun you will quickly realize the hitscan shot have been replaced by projectile pellets, meaning hitting shots now takes more skill and precision. Wandering down to the ground floor you can find a healing pool and the Blood Axe. The healing pool will heal you for a set amount of time and the Blood Axe allows you to gib enemies upon landing the killing blow. These attributes make the Blood Axe a very desirable weapon in some levels and buffs the Axe from a last resort weapon to a decent form of defense against any undead who might stumble your way.

Reality hopping fun

Once you look around the hub for a bit it's time to hop into the action, levels in this mod can range from recreations of DOOM’s E1M1 to entire story driven maps that are visually stunning and a blast to play through. Each map is typically its own isolated story, allowing for full creative control, and many of the maps take full advantage of this. You can go from a run down castle in the middle of a swamp to a pristine floating fortress in the sky. Each map tells its own story and has its own gimmicks and monsters, and while I wont be doing a breakdown of all the new monsters and weapons as that would just take too long I will briefly touch on many of the new additions to the game that the mod brings.

From humble beginnings…

Arcane dimensions wasn’t always as big as it is now, it was actually very different when it was first released. AD quake was originally just a mod that aimed to replace all hit scan weapons with projectile weapons; however, over many years the community of quake modders kept adding onto the mod as they kept experimenting with new features, monsters, and map making techniques.

…To the skies above

While Arcane Dimensions hasn’t recently received updates, the last being in 2020, updates release every few years and the quake mapping discord can help you make levels if you are interested. The creator of AD Quake often participates in yearly mod jam events. If you play quake, and want to try mods out, I 100% recommend to start with this one.

#dont know why this took so long #its pretty bad lmao #Quake #AD quake

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ngeruma · 10 months

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"Furnace" | Perpetual Testing | Portal 2 Community Maps & Mods

By TRIPLIX

TRIPLIX’s entry to the 2022 Portal Mapping and Modding Community Anniversary Competition. This map placed 2nd in the Hammer/Authoring Tools category, And it’s clear why! I can only imagine it didn’t get 1st due to the inclusion of a certain blue git.

youtube

Full Video

More Test Chambers

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laylaglobalproject · 3 months

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Week 1 - Project Launch

Monday 25th February -

Today was the launch of the global project. We were given the new brief which was:

"This module focuses on real-world challenge-based learning, through a globally located live brief, set by an external client, user, community, audience or institution. Building on skills developed in the previous modules throughout Level 5, the scope is now bigger again, with a global perspective, and an emphasis on understanding different cultures, knowledge and working practices. You will collaboratively question and explore a live brief, while iteratively moving through the Thought, Materials and Digital Labs as needed as your project grows and develops. Throughout the module, you will regularly bring your work together to share, display, discuss, and critique.

The inclusion of a reflective essay asking you to discuss a position for yourself globally, in relation to your work and interests, will act as a transition into level 6, in preparation for your final year of self-directed study and the future direction you wish to take. "

Later in the presentation there was a more direct version of the brief which provided some more clarity as to what was actively being asked:

"The Brief - A Portal Between Two Universities

Communicating across the Continent

This collaborative creative project aims to create a body of work and a possible real time event. This project takes inspiration from PORTAL, by Benedict’s Gylys, which acts as a reminder that:

‘We are all inseparably connected’ "

I gathered, we were to create some form of 'portal' connecting us and the students in Kiev, while being conscious of the socio-geographical challenges and solutions, audience and community, and the environment. We were given the example 'PORTAL' which was a good example of the kind of outcome that we could produce. Anything that connects us to the students in Kiev. This example showed a physically built portal in the streets of Lithuania, and Poland and it shows a live view image of the street at the time, only the Lithuanian street is streamed on the Polish portal and vice versa.

We were then spoken through the learning objectives and how we will be assessed:

Learning Objective 1: 25% Individually assessed

research and development evidenced in a process log

relating to the needs of the client, audience, community and planet.

Learning Objective 2: 25% Individually assessed

research and development evidenced in a process log

regarding socio-geographical challenges/solutions for sustainable development.

Learning Objective 3: 25% Group assessed

Research and development and final output evidenced in process log

Learning Objective 4: Individually assessed

Individual 2000 word essay

develop a position for ourselves globally in relation to the inquiry

We went on to discuss the reading texts that we will venture into throughout the project. After this we were told that it was Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, that we were going to be collaborating with. We started to consider themes that we could focus on to later develop our projects. The ones that we were given were:

communication/language

population

weather

maps/geography

time zone

studios

creative work

food

These were just a few ideas that we were told about and discussed. We can work with different themes if we chose but these were a few that we ventured into early on to begin to spark our ideas. We looked into examples of each that had already been done. Like carrier pigeons as a form of communication and morse code as a language/communication example. My favourite example that we looked at, however, was the "Tomorrow is another day, weather experience" by Mathieu Lehanneur. It was an installation made for a Palliative care unit. It offered patients an opportunity to see tomorrow's sky as it streamed live weather updates for the next day and displayed them through this window like feature for the patients. I liked most the meaning behind this installation. I think it was especially heartwarming and I like the idea of designing with such a nice sentiment. I think that this project is a perfect example of where the audience, community and the socio-geographic issues/questions have been dealt with in such a professional and compassionate way. He claims to have used the weather as it is such a frequent conversation between people, and rather than steer away from the fact that the patients aren't in control or aware of their time, he gives them this awareness of the future. Patients in such an environment you wouldn't expect to have but he allows this conversation and this knowledge.

‘I also liked being a step ahead of death itself: perhaps I will not be there tomorrow, but I know what tomorrow will look like!‘

This sentiment resonated with me particularly as I think it was such a positive effect of the installation. He deals with the environment in such an admirable and positive way. It is this kind of designing that I think shows a higher level of professionalism. There is such an understanding and awareness of his audience, setting and community and it is evident in the outcome and the effect that it has.

We discussed the next steps for the project which were to join the Figma page. This is a communal workspace that we shared with the students in Kiev, so that we could all upload our work to a space that was accessible for all. It was a very very similar programme to Miro and so was easy to get the hand of and begin uploading to. After joining the Figma we began research for the rest of the morning until we had a teams call with students and tutors in Kiev. We were to select a theme and start researching and configuring research to influence and aid our design ideas. This was so that we could all come up with individual pitches for the following Monday morning. We were to pitch to the class our idea so that we could find similarities in ideas and then begin to split off into groups and develop these ideas further, alongside the students in Kyiv.

In the evening of the session we had our first Teams call with the Students in Kyiv. This call was mostly just an introductory meeting to each other and to see the other students. We spoke about the project and heard a little from a teacher in Kyiv who seemed very excited to begin the project. We informed them of our course and then individually the students from Kyiv introduced themselves which was really nice to hear. I was really impressed with their English and they even said it was a good opportunity for them to practice which was nice! After the introductions we spoke about the next steps of the project, which were of course to come up with individual pitches which will then navigate us into groups based on the similarities between the ideas. We mentioned that the communal Figma page will be used throughout the project so that we can all see each other's ideas and comment throughout the entire process.

We created spaces on the Figma to introduce us, with images of ourselves and a small bio to tell them a little about each of us. The Ukrainian students did the same and it was nice to see this social page form, for me it helped to realise that we were really in contact and collaborating with this students, despite them being in another country. It also helped as anything then posted by a student was labelled and we could physically see the person that was uploading the content.

Wednesday 28th February -

Today I felt was the time to really consider what I wanted to achieve via my 'portal'. I tried to break down various similarities and differences between the students in Kyiv and ourselves. The biggest ones I came up with ranged from,

similar educative backgrounds

different cultures

different architecture/environments

similar interests

universities/courses.

I began my research into Kyiv and its culture. I was considering the differences and the similarities between Kyiv and Birmingham as I thought this may be an easy was to compare the two and see any significant themes. One area I did begin to look into was the architecture. This was slightly difficult as I wanted to ensure the architecture I looked at in Kyiv had little to no soviet relations. It was imperative that even in my research I stayed sensitive of the current affairs. I discovered the 'monumental' statue, 'Mother Kyiv'. This statue was built to commemorate the victory of World War Two. Its vast scale was made to resemble a sense of power as it stands at a large 102 meters (including the podium on which it stands). The parliament of Ukraine began a decommunisation of Ukraine in April 2015 and ultimately outlawed Soviet and communist symbols, street names, and monuments. World War Two monuments were, however, protected from this law until February 2018 where the debate began to replace the Soviet State emblem on the statue with the Ukrainian Trident Coat of Arms. According to 'DIAM' on the 13th of July 2023 the work to remove the Soviet emblem began. I was particularly drawn to this monument not just because it is located in Kyiv but because of this history and what it now represents. It seems something that the people of Ukraine can be proud of as it has been, in a way, reclaimed.

Birmingham is also known for a lot of its architecture. From the traditional, listed buildings to the much more modern buildings like the library and the bullring. This was an interesting area as it allowed me to really consider the buildings that I am surrounded by and often overlook. Even to look at our building, first opened as an art school in September 1885. It is the oldest School of Art in the UK. This was an interesting comparison point and allowed for a lot of useful research. It is interesting to learn about the different features of each city and how they are influenced. From the reclaiming of once soviet statues to the gothic revival architecture of Birmingham, the cultural differences shine through.

After a fair amount of reading and research in the morning I tried to focus on possible physical outcomes. I considered different ways of interacting, and just made a note of anything that inspired me after hearing the brief. I created a mindmap of these ideas as it was a rough draft on possible ideas that I can later branch off of and develop.

These ideas consisted of:

handprints

drawing

creating a VR world

emojis

mirror images

interactive projections

lighting changes

These were all just very initial thoughts that I made a note of. My design process begins with rough ideas and then development to create more thought out and evolved ideas. This is what I spent the rest of the afternoon doing. I started to flesh out some of these thoughts. Some of the more developed ideas were:

A window between Kyiv and Birmingham - we can each design and project visuals through the window and stream them in each others studio, maybe uploading them through a shared website.

An interactive game between the two groups, potentially a murder mystery.

A live streamed chat via our own website.

Create a monument combining aspects of both Ukrainian and British culture, specific to Birmingham and Kyiv. We can then project it or use AR to display it in each other's studios.

A communal server of some sort that we can all access and enter together.

I began to create a mind-map of these ideas to visualise and see them alongside each other. This usually helps see any possible crossovers of ideas that could be combined into one or developed together. I also thought this may be a useful visual to display in my pitch presentation to see if there's anything that may inspire/coincide with others.

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imtechnource · 3 months

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Empowering Your Web Projects with Expert PHP and Laravel Development Services

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, having a robust and dynamic web presence is imperative for businesses to thrive. Whether you're a startup, a small business, or an enterprise-level organization, the efficiency and functionality of your web applications can significantly impact your success. This is where leveraging the expertise of a PHP development company can make all the difference.

Unlocking Potential with PHP Development Services

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) remains one of the most popular and widely-used server-side scripting languages for web development. Its versatility, scalability, and extensive community support make it an ideal choice for building dynamic websites and web applications. However, harnessing the full potential of PHP requires not only technical proficiency but also a deep understanding of best practices and emerging trends.

Harnessing the Power of Laravel Development

Within the realm of PHP development, Laravel stands out as a premier framework known for its elegant syntax, expressive codebase, and comprehensive set of tools and features. As a leading Laravel development company, we specialize in leveraging this powerful framework to deliver bespoke web solutions tailored to our clients' unique needs.

Why Choose Laravel?

Rapid Development: Laravel streamlines the development process with its built-in templates, libraries, and modular architecture, allowing us to deliver high-quality solutions in shorter timeframes.

Robust Security: With features like built-in protection against SQL injection, cross-site request forgery, and cross-site scripting, Laravel prioritizes the security of your web applications.

Scalability: Whether you're anticipating rapid growth or need to scale your existing application, Laravel's flexible architecture enables seamless scalability without compromising performance.

Eloquent ORM: Laravel's intuitive ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) simplifies database interactions, making it easier to manage relationships and perform common database operations.

Community Support: Being an open-source framework, Laravel benefits from a vibrant community of developers who contribute plugins, extensions, and resources, ensuring ongoing support and innovation.

Partnering with a Top Laravel Development Company

When it comes to realizing your vision for a dynamic and feature-rich web application, partnering with a trusted Laravel development company can be a game-changer. Here's how our team of seasoned developers can elevate your project:

1. Expertise and Experience

Our team comprises seasoned Laravel developers with extensive experience in building a diverse range of web applications across industries. Whether you need an e-commerce platform, a content management system, or a custom web portal, we have the expertise to bring your vision to life.

2. Custom Solutions, Tailored to Your Needs

We understand that every business is unique, with its own set of challenges and objectives. That's why we take a bespoke approach to development, working closely with you to understand your requirements and deliver tailor-made solutions that align with your goals.

3. Transparent Communication and Collaboration

Communication is key to any successful project, which is why we prioritize transparency and collaboration throughout the development process. From initial consultation to final delivery, we keep you informed and involved every step of the way, ensuring that your feedback is incorporated and your expectations are met.

Hiring Dedicated PHP Developers

In addition to our Laravel development services, we also offer the flexibility of hiring dedicated PHP developers to augment your existing team or spearhead your project from start to finish. Here's how hire dedicated PHP developers can benefit your business:

1. Cost-Effectiveness

Hiring dedicated PHP developers offers a cost-effective alternative to maintaining an in-house development team, allowing you to access top-tier talent without the overhead costs associated with recruitment, training, and infrastructure.

2. Flexibility and Scalability

Whether you need ongoing support for maintenance and updates or require additional resources to meet project deadlines, hiring dedicated PHP developers provides the flexibility and scalability to scale your team up or down as needed.

3. Focus on Core Competencies

By outsourcing your PHP development needs to a dedicated team of experts, you free up valuable time and resources to focus on your core business objectives, driving innovation and growth while leaving the technical heavy lifting to the professionals.

Conclusion

In today's digital age, the success of your web projects hinges on the expertise and proficiency of your development team. By partnering with a leading PHP development company and leveraging the power of frameworks like Laravel, you can unlock new possibilities and take your web applications to new heights of success. Whether you're looking to revamp an existing website, build a custom web application, or embark on a new digital venture, we're here to help you turn your vision into reality.

#laravel development company #php development services #laravel development services #php development

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 4 months

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Inferno Scars Valparaíso

What is thought to be Chile’s deadliest outbreak of wildland fire on record scorched portions of the cities of Viña del Mar and Quilpué in the country’s Valparaíso region in February 2024.

NASA satellites first observed fires in wilderness areas in hills to the south of the two cities on February 2, 2024. During the next two days, fires descended from the hills and tore through stream valleys that run through the cities, at times spreading into residential areas and consuming entire streets and neighborhoods.

The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9 captured this false-color image of the charred landscape (lower) after the fire on February 5, 2024 (top image). With this combination of shortwave infrared, near infrared, and visible observations (bands 6-5-3), lands with unburned forests, brushlands, or grasslands appear green. Developed areas appear pink or gray; developed areas that burned are darker than the unaffected parts of the cities. The image on the left, captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8, shows the same area before the fires happened.

“These catastrophic wildfires were the product of a perfect storm of conditions,” said Elizabeth Wiggins, a research scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center who works with NASA’s Earth Applied Sciences Disasters program area. “They occurred during a heatwave, drought, and high-wind event borne from a combination of El Niño and climate change.”

The fires came in the midst of an extreme drought that primed the region’s vegetation for burning. This was exacerbated by a dry heat wave that sent temperatures soaring in early February and a period of strong winds that pushed conditions to the breaking point.

“The extreme weather—especially the wind—appears to have led to rapid spread and transformed this from an ordinary fire into a firestorm with tragic consequences,” said atmospheric scientist René Garreaud of the University of Chile. A preliminary analysis conducted by Garreaud showed that average wind speeds reached 25 knots (46 kilometers/29 miles per hour) at Rodelillo Airfield on February 2.

The inferno charred at least 290 square kilometers (112 square miles) and damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 buildings, according to news reports. As of February 8, 2024, authorities had recorded 131 deaths, and hundreds of people were still missing. That made this the fifth deadliest fire globally since 1900, according to the International Disaster database EM-DAT.

“Fast-moving wildfires driven by extreme wind and drier fuels than usual are exceptionally dangerous and almost impossible to fight,” Wiggins said. “It is notable and alarming that we are seeing these types of fires occur more frequently across distinct ecosystems around the globe, from the boreal forest to the chaparral.” Similar wind-driven fires devastated parts of Colorado in 2021 and Maui in August 2023.

“Researchers in the fire science community are actively studying this new breed of fire and looking for ways to predict periods of rapid growth and intensification,” Wiggins added. “Learning how to mitigate these fires is going to require an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, with collaboration across agencies and borders.”

NASA’s Earth Applied Sciences Disasters program area has been activated to support partners responding to the event. As new information becomes available, the team will be posting maps and data products on its open-access mapping portal.

Among the data available are maps of fire perimeters from NASA’s Fire Event Data Suite, or FEDS, system. The system, developed as part of NASA’s Earth Information System, draws data from VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) satellite sensors to track how a fire changes over time and the total area it has burned.

“In a twelve-hour period between the afternoon of February 2 and early morning hours of February 3, FEDS revealed a nearly fivefold increase in the area affected by the largest fire in Valparaiso,” said Eli Orland, a research associate at Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “The affected area coincides with areas of variable and steep topography, which increases the likelihood of post-fire debris flows and flash flooding occurring, even during routine rainfall events.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

#science #space #nasa #news #earth observatory

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techdaily · 4 months

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Navigating News in the Digital Wave: How We Consume Information Today

In the blink of an eye, the way we get our news has transformed drastically.In the days before the internet, we got our news from the morning paper, but now days, it's only a click away. Let's unravel the evolution of news consumption, how it all began, and where we stand in this fast-paced digital wave.

The Traditional Ties: Print Newspapers and Broadcast TV

Once upon a time, people eagerly awaited the thud of the morning newspaper on their doorstep. We'd sip our coffee, unfold the paper, and dive into a world of headlines, features, and comics. It was a ritual, a tangible connection to the world's events.

Television joined the party, bringing the news straight into our living rooms. The evening news bulletin became a staple, with trustworthy anchors delivering updates on a set schedule.

The Internet Boom: Breaking News at Our Fingertips

Then came the internet, changing everything. The news was suddenly no longer confined to printed pages or fixed time slots. With the rise of online news portals, we could access information anytime, anywhere. The era of breaking news alerts and instant updates dawned.

Social Media: News in the Palm of Your Hand

Enter social media – the game-changer. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter made news a part of our social experience. Headlines, opinions, and eyewitness accounts flooded our feeds, turning everyone into a potential reporter.

Sharing became the norm. A story could go viral within minutes, and suddenly, we were not just consumers but contributors to the news cycle.

Podcasts and Beyond: News on the Go

Podcasts stepped onto the scene, offering news in audio format. Now, we could listen to the news while commuting, jogging, or doing the dishes. The flexibility of consuming news on the go became a reality.

The Rise of Aggregator Apps: Tailored News Feeds

Aggregator apps entered the picture, curating news based on our interests and preferences. Algorithms worked behind the scenes, presenting us with articles, videos, and updates tailored to what we liked, ensuring our newsfeed reflected our individual tastes.

Challenges of the Digital Era: Navigating Misinformation

Amidst this evolution, challenges emerged. The speed at which information spread led to a rise in misinformation. Fake news, misleading headlines, and sensationalism became hurdles in the quest for accurate information. Discerning the credible from the dubious became a skill we all had to develop.

Interactive News: Engaging Audiences in New Ways

As if that wasn't enough, interactive news formats took center stage. Infographics, interactive maps, and immersive storytelling became tools to engage audiences in unprecedented ways. News wasn't just something we read; it was an experience we could immerse ourselves in.

Future Horizons: Virtual Reality and Beyond

Peering into the future, virtual reality (VR) is knocking on the door. Imagine stepping into a news story, witnessing events firsthand. VR has the potential to redefine how we experience news, making it more immersive and personal.

Navigating the Sea of News Today

In this digital age, we find ourselves amidst a sea of information. Navigating this sea requires a blend of curiosity, critical thinking, and digital literacy.

Tips for Navigating the Digital Wave

1. Diversify Your Sources: Don't rely on a single news outlet. Explore various sources to get a well-rounded perspective on a story.

2. Fact-Check Before Sharing: Before hitting that share button, take a moment to fact-check. Misinformation spreads like wildfire, and a small pause can make a big difference.

3. Embrace Digital Literacy: Understand how digital platforms operate, how algorithms work, and be aware of potential biases. Digital literacy is your compass in the vast sea of information.

4. Engage Responsibly: Social media has made us all part of the news-sharing community. Engage responsibly, share thoughtfully, and contribute positively to the digital news landscape.

Conclusion: Navigating the Ever-Changing Tide

The evolution of news consumption is a journey that continues to unfold. From print to digital, from fixed schedules to instant updates, we've witnessed a transformation that has brought news closer to us than ever before.

As we ride this digital wave, let's embrace the opportunities it presents while being mindful of the challenges. With a discerning eye, an open mind, and a commitment to digital literacy, we can navigate this sea of information and stay informed in the ever-changing landscape of news consumption. The journey continues, and the story evolves with each click, share, and scroll.

#news #newspaper #digitalnews #marketing #dailynews #newsbuzz #digitalmarketing #enews

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saucebou · 6 months

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Finished my replays of Portal 1 and 2

Despite me already having them on pc I decided to get the Companion Cube collection on switch. Just to see what it would be like playing them on a different medium, and I will say that they are good ports of the game even if they are from the other console ports of the game. Even though some parts did get on my nerves with the controller movement being more rigid, the gyro aiming does make up for the lack of mouse aiming.

But now for my verdict on the games again, it has been like 2-3 years since my last replay and I wanna give another look at them. These aren't going to be in depth reviews, just little summaries of my time.

Portal 1:

I think its a nice short and sweet puzzle game, I think its a nice blend of horror atmosphere and comedy mixed in with some brain tickling puzzles. And the second half is still really cool if a bit brown and greenish.

For this replay I also decided to do the bonus levels and advanced chambers. The advanced levels were fairly good brain twisters (except for chamber 17 which felt really cheap with the solutions.) while the bonus levels just felt like baby's first portal 2 levels. It was cool to see mechanics that were added in portal 2 like spheres, laser walls and light bridges but they were so short and basic. As well as being really condensed, like oppressively condensed and claustrophobic. It made me appreciate the detailed chambers in the base game because of how open and ominous they felt.

But yeah, Portal 1 is still good. Solid 7.5/10

Portal 2:

I already knew it was gonna be short going into it but damn it was shorter than I anticipated. It felt like each chapter had like 2 or 3 more chambers to them that aren't there for some reason. Probably because i'm good at the game now and not using noclip on the maps I didn't understand like I did when I was like 9 or something and playing through the game the first time. But it's still a really good game. The mechanics are fun, the puzzles are good, and the writing is funny as hell. This time around I tried listening to all the dialogue and this game is still funny as hell, probably Valve's best writing imo.

Still a great 8.5-9/10

Well that was my short Portal series review. Really wish the switch version had the option to play the community made portal games like Portal Stories Mel or TAG. Like what they did with the Doom ports where you could download the two Final Doom games and a few other community made Doom wads like Sigil but whaddaya gonna do?

Well I'm going back to playing my other games, I'll take my lap to protect me. If you don't hear from me in a month... assume I'm continuing my 7th Omori playthrough.

Have a good day.

#portal #portal 1 #portal 2 #valve games #video games #switch games #video game review #game review

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