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nasa · 2 months

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What We Learned from Flying a Helicopter on Mars

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history – not only as the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on another world – but also for exceeding expectations, pushing the limits, and setting the stage for future NASA aerial exploration of other worlds.

Built as a technology demonstration designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity performed flight operations from the Martian surface for almost three years. The helicopter ended its mission on Jan. 25, 2024, after sustaining damage to its rotor blades during its 72nd flight.

So, what did we learn from this small but mighty helicopter?

We can fly rotorcraft in the thin atmosphere of other planets.

Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds when it took to the Martian skies for the first time on April 19, 2021.

Flying on planets like Mars is no easy feat: The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere, with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight.

Ingenuity performed several flights dedicated to understanding key aerodynamic effects and how they interact with the structure and control system of the helicopter, providing us with a treasure-trove of data on how aircraft fly in the Martian atmosphere.

Now, we can use this knowledge to directly improve performance and reduce risk on future planetary aerial vehicles.

Creative solutions and “ingenuity” kept the helicopter flying longer than expected.

Over an extended mission that lasted for almost 1,000 Martian days (more than 33 times longer than originally planned), Ingenuity was upgraded with the ability to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, dusted itself off after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter.

Fun fact: To keep costs low, the helicopter contained many off-the-shelf-commercial parts from the smartphone industry - parts that had never been tested in deep space. Those parts also surpassed expectations, proving durable throughout Ingenuity’s extended mission, and can inform future budget-conscious hardware solutions.

There is value in adding an aerial dimension to interplanetary surface missions.

Ingenuity traveled to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance rover, which served as the communications relay for Ingenuity and, therefore, was its constant companion. The helicopter also proved itself a helpful scout to the rover.

After its initial five flights in 2021, Ingenuity transitioned to an “operations demonstration,” serving as Perseverance’s eyes in the sky as it scouted science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features, while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps.

Airborne assets like Ingenuity unlock a new dimension of exploration on Mars that we did not yet have – providing more pixels per meter of resolution for imaging than an orbiter and exploring locations a rover cannot reach.

Tech demos can pay off big time.

Ingenuity was flown as a technology demonstration payload on the Mars 2020 mission, and was a high risk, high reward, low-cost endeavor that paid off big. The data collected by the helicopter will be analyzed for years to come and will benefit future Mars and other planetary missions.

Just as the Sojourner rover led to the MER-class (Spirit and Opportunity) rovers, and the MSL-class (Curiosity and Perseverance) rovers, the team believes Ingenuity’s success will lead to future fleets of aircraft at Mars.

In general, NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions test and advance new technologies, and then transition those capabilities to NASA missions, industry, and other government agencies. Chosen technologies are thoroughly ground- and flight-tested in relevant operating environments — reducing risks to future flight missions, gaining operational heritage and continuing NASA’s long history as a technological leader.

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You can fall in love with robots on another planet.

Following in the tracks of beloved Martian rovers, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter built up a worldwide fanbase. The Ingenuity team and public awaited every single flight with anticipation, awe, humor, and hope.

Check out #ThanksIngenuity on social media to see what’s been said about the helicopter’s accomplishments.

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Learn more about Ingenuity’s accomplishments here. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#tech #technology #futurism #space #robotics #inspiration #science #planets #NASA #aviation #Youtube

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sweet-as-an-angel · 1 year

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Just hear me out,

Wild west outlaw König.

That's all ,please and thank you❤️

P.s I love love love your work and you inspire me so much more than words can express,so thank you so much

Wild West Outlaw König Headcanons

Warnings: Outlaw König, König Kills People, Obsessive König, König (DEEP) in Love, Looting, Kidnapping, Implied Smut, Non-Explicit Descriptions of Smut, Dominant König, Submissive König, Mention of Ghost, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Petnames, No Pronouns used for Reader except ‘You.

A/N: Thank you so much for your kind words, my lovely ! Your kind words have touched my heart, and I hope your creative endeavours flourish <3

Man owns a pair of handcuffs and KNOWS how to use them.

Let’s work on the assumption that he kidnapped you.

Perhaps you were already partially romantically involved but your family would never let you marry someone like König, so he stages a robbery and takes you as part of the ransom.

One he has no intention of accepting any payment for because he’s never letting you go.

König’s monstrous proportions make it easy for him to physically overpower aggressors – other bandits, outlaws, authority figures.

However, he does pose something of a hazard to himself because there’s (much) more of him to hit.

Luckily, he’s straight out of a situation the minute it gets sticky – as if he just disappears into thin air.

Just one of the reasons why he’s called the Phantom Outlaw.

Not to be confused with Ghost, who is also an outlaw but never leaves a trace (or a witness), making his reputation far more ghoulish than König’s.

Though, König does excel in the fear factor, his sheer size and notoriety – his trenchcoat and mask the very visage of Death – forcing everyone who sees him to relinquish their goods in exchange for their lives.

Speaking of, König’s ability to swing thousands in cash makes for a happy home life, given how he spends much of his fortune on you.

Clothes, jewels, literature, instruments, automobiles: you name it, you’ve got at least a treasure trove of each.

Even if you try to resist these gifts, König refuses to let up.

“Can’t have my precious little Engel going without, can I ?”

So, in return, you typically handle all the chores, though König insists you don’t have to.

“It’s not like we can hire a maid to do it for us, can we ?” you tell him. “Especially not when there’s a handsome bounty on that even more handsome head of yours.”

Said bounty is what makes it difficult for the two of you to stay in one place for too long.

And whenever you move, you always try to make the house a safe space for König.

Blankets in his favourite chair, his favourite meal on the table for him whenever you know he’s going to have a rough day, a bit of fun before bed, etc.

You can tell whenever he feels really comfortable, because he takes up three quarters of the bed, just sprawled out like a rapidly growing infection.

And you always fit neatly against his side. Or on his chest.

König calls you his “Little bunny” (or “Bun-Bun”) because of how small you look when you’re nuzzled into his chest.

He never takes you, or anything you do, for granted.

You don’t know this (so keep this a secret between you and I) but König watches you when you sleep. More than you’d think.

Truth be told, the outlaw life terrifies him.

Sure, he has the swagger and the notoriety to make off with thousands in gold, jewels, and lavish material items, but, really, his greatest, most prized treasure is you.

There is only one of you. You cannot be bought, or replicated, or found in the wild like an ore of purest diamond.

Simply put, König’s success is entirely down to the fact that he can’t be caught lacking.

If he ever was to, he knows he’d lose you. Whether you’re taken by a stray bullet in a shoot-out or your town’s rangers come to tear you from his cold, lifeless grip, König takes every precaution to circumvent these tragedies by remaining the fastest hand in the west. And the most ruthless.

Even for an outlaw, his kill count is exceedingly high.

And it’s no coincidence that the numbers began to climb after he met you. Fell in love with you.

People who he’s seen giving you lecherous stares, or those he can sense have poor intentions, he’s taken them out the back and absolved the world of their presence.

And, at the end of every excursion, every execution, every haul, the weight of the world falls from König’s shoulders as he comes back to you.

He takes his mask down around you, hangs his hat upon the coat rack. You’re the only person who he shows his face to.

But, whenever you can tell a fragment of the day resides pinned in his mind, shrapnel of his self-inflicted lifestyle, you make sure to service him before bed.

How he likes to be serviced can change on a day-to-day basis. He’s not fussy.

The only thing that changes is whether he wants to be handled by you or if he wants to slam you into the pillows.

Possessive sex <333.

“Tell me you love me,” he rasps into your ear, pinning you to the mattress with his body, making escape an impossibility to you. “Tell me I’m the only one that will ever have you like this,”

As stated previously; he has a pair of handcuffs and knows how to use them.

Or, if they’re too far out of reach and he needs you bound now, he’ll use rope. Or even just his hands.

Eye contact. The whole time.

It’s as if a different person inhabits him when he gets like this; something dark and jagged, no mere demon, possesses his form. And, by extension, yours.

König’s not stopping until you’re full, he’s empty, and he’s confident you’re not leaving the house for the next few days.

But, when König is feeling fragile, he lets you take the lead.

Just lies back while you’re on top of him, calling him your “Good boy”, “my Prince”, “my protector,” – anything that reaffirms that he holds a great deal of importance in your life.

More often than not, he ends up with tears in his eyes.

Nobody has ever been so gentle and loving towards him as you have. And coupled with how you’re taking him slowly, taking the time to make sure you’re hitting all bases and he’s thoroughly loved, sends him over the edge.

Kiss his tears away and his soul leaves his body.

It’s times like these that, more than anything, König wants a simple life. A paroxysmal desire to lead an ordinary existence where the two of you can live together happily, without the threat of being chased out of town every few months.

And, maybe, one day, even have a family together.

Until then, König will continue to dream, to give you a lifestyle of sapphires and gold and every delicacy the human mind can conjure.

And whenever he looks at you before he leaves, he sees his good luck charm, the light at the end of his tunnel. And, most importantly, the embodiment of love itself.

Reblog for more content like this! It helps creators like myself tremendously and it is greatly appreciated :-)

Masterlist Masterlist [Continued] Masterpost Modern Warfare AI Masterlist

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spdrvyn · 2 months

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before i get to requests again, punk miguel has been on my mind! i'd like to think that he's in a band with some of the other senior spiders like jess, peter, and ben. hobie could be there too, because he's obviously also punk.

i'm also thinking about a reader who's an independent artist, they got big due to sheer creativity and social media. they're nearly the complete opposite of miguel's aesthetic. sweet, soft, and serene. he was naturally drawn to you the moment he walked by you backstage.

"hey, you." he'd caught you in the break room, the music festival that you two were invited to had allowed some downtime before the big act later at night. to which you diligently took the time to devour all of the free snacks that they left in the cupboards and mini fridge, so you were more than embarrassed that the leader of woven wishes caught you.

"i'm sorry, were these yours?" you muffled with a mouthful of cheese fries, slowly pushing them away from you. blasted, you were caught cheese-handed. but miguel simply chuckled loudly, before setting himself in front of you on the small round table.

"nah, they're peter's, but i'm sure he wouldn't mind." they were still somebody else's lunch, so you decidedly tucked the box away for now. hastily grabbing some tissues from the nearby dispenser to freshen up a little, god forbid anyone see how not soft you get when eating. "so, i heard you're fresh in the industry. is that right?"

he heard. he's heard about you. "oh, uh, yeah! i'm pretty new. the internet has been my stage for a while, so it's pretty surreal to feel the physical eyes on me now..."

"i get that, minus the internet bit, don't really use it, but hey. you've got a lot of good material, jess played me one of your songs." miguel shrugged, "keep it up, don't give any of this shit to the big corps, okay? trust me."

"i- i wasn't really planning on that, haha. don't worry," you felt awfully awkward. what could you say to someone with as much experience as miguel? you knew of his reputation despite not being in his genre, his presence was just that powerful. "you... like my songs?"

"of course, guess you could say that i'm bit of a, uh–" miguel cheekily swooped his hands through his ruffled hair, as he flashed a darling smile at you. "... romantic at heart."

immediately, you roared with laughter. miguel didn't think that he could achieve it, hearing how smooth your voice sounded through your recordings couldn't compare to how good you sounded when you laughed.

"ahh... i'll take it your word for it then. miguel, if i'm right? you're infamous."

"don't let that scare you, 'm perfectly harmless."

"i wasn't worried about that," you giggled lightly, still recovering from his joke. "trust me, i've heard nothing but good things about you. i've heard some of your band's songs from time to time and i can see you why you're so beloved in the community."

"really?"

"really."

miguel didn't know why he had such a hard time believing it, his music was critically acclaimed to be glorious, he built tough skin from the amount of bullshit he's faced in the industry. yet, hearing your opinion felt oddly refreshing. maybe there was a lot more to you than what he'd seen so far. a treasure trove of a person waiting to be discovered.

#spiderman: across the spiderverse #across the spiderverse #spiderverse #atsv #spiderman #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara #miguel o’hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x y/n #spiderman 2099 x reader #spiderman 2099 x you #spiderman 2099 x y/n

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mirai-e-jump · 5 months

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Duet January 2024 Issue ft. Ikeda Masashi Mini Interview (translation below)

Publication: December 7, 2023

Trust your intuition! Searching for fashionable Winter items -Let's go find your "Individuality"-

Ikeda: I want to go shopping for used clothes for the Winter!

"At the request of Ikeda Masashi-kun, we went to Shimokitazawa, where many secondhand clothing stores are located. He went looking for fashionable items that can be used this Winter."

Ikeda: Fall and Winter are especially enjoyable seasons because you can wear layers, allowing for all sorts of fashion variations. I like secondhand clothing and often go shopping for them, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to go, so I'm looking forward to today~

"He said, as he entered a secondhand clothing store with an excited look on his face."

Ikeda: Uwah~ It's a treasure trove!

"The first thing he picked up was a parka."

Ikeda: Today, I want a top and a hat. I like to combine various colors in my own style, so I have clothes in a variety of colors, from brights to monochrome. My favorite color is white, but for some reason, I tend to pick reds…maybe I actually like them (laughs).

"Ikeda-kun said. He also seems to wear flashy coordinated clothes."

Ikeda: My parents used to say to me, "What are you wearing?" (laughs). But, I believe in my own sense of style, and I'll wear things without being discouraged.

"He said, with a shy smile. One after another, he picked up clothes, including a leather jacket, a knit cardigan, and more."

Ikeda: I guess I'm not particular about the genre of fashion. Alternative fashion, casual styles, whatever, I like them. Color matching and the shape are very important though, and I'll buy pants in a variety of shapes, wide and thin, even if they're the same color. For tops, I often play with flashy patterns and colors, and choose simple ones for the pants.

"While picking things out, he said,"

Ikeda: This! It's interesting!

"He found a nylon track jacket in the shape of a vest."

Ikeda: When I buy something, I always trust my intuition to tell me "it's good," and I'm drawn to shapes that I've never seen before. However, it's difficult to match them, so I often end up content after wearing them a single time (laughs). Because of that, my room is full of clothes. While I trust my intuition, I also try to think about if I already have something similar.

"While keeping the track jacket, he heads towards the hat corner!"

Ikeda: I like caps because they have unique logos.

"He said, picking up some and trying them on. In the end, he got a simple black knit hat and a denim cap with a distinctive logo! After walking around the store a few times, he also got the vest track jacket mentioned earlier."

Ikeda: As I thought, this is still the cutest.

"And so, he decides to buy it."

Ikeda: I got some wonderful items~ This Winter, I'm going to use them to try out different coordinations!

"Ikeda-kun reported with a sparkling smile. It's been a long time since he went shopping, and he was very satisfied with the results!"

-Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger- Insider Info

Ikeda: Episode 38 was the episode where one of the Royal Sentai members, Rita Kaniska, became an idol, however, the other Royal Sentai members were mixed in with the audience at the front row of the stage (laughs). It was my first time waving and cheering with a penlight, and I had alot of fun~ We wear disguises including fluffy hairpieces and sunglasses, so please be sure to look out for that!

#I was not expecting such a fit #ohsama sentai kingohger #kingohger #super sentai #jeramie brasieri #ikeda masashi #masashi ikeda #toku cast #kingohger cast #tokusatsu #my scans #my translation #duet magazine #ohsama sentai king ohger #king ohger #interview #fashion

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hayatheauthor · 3 months

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Ten Websites Every Author Should Know In 2024

When I started this blog, one of the first posts I penned was "Websites Every Author Should Know in 2023." Now, as I return to breathe new life into this platform in 2024, it feels only fitting to offer an updated edition of that beloved post.

Whether you're struggling with brainstorming ideas, organizing your plot, finding publishing opportunities, or simply seeking some writing motivation, here are 10 websites that every author should know in 2024.

1. Artbreeder

If you're anything like me, you know the frustration of staring at a blank page, waiting for inspiration to strike. Well, say goodbye to writer's block because Artbreeder is here to rescue you from the depths of creative stagnation.

At its core, Artbreeder is a brainstorming tool that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to help you generate ideas and explore new avenues of creativity. Whether you're crafting characters, creating scene locations, or conceptualizing entire worlds, Artbreeder's AI can help you create any image.

But don't just take my word for it. Countless writers, from aspiring novices to seasoned pros, have sung the praises of Artbreeder for its role in fueling their creative fire.

2. OneStopForWriters

If you've ever found yourself drowning in a sea of character arcs, struggling to untangle a convoluted plot, or simply searching for that elusive spark of inspiration, then OneStopForWriters is here to be your guiding light.

At OneStopForWriters, you'll find a treasure trove of resources designed to empower writers at every stage of their journey. One of the standout features is its unparalleled collection of writing tools and resources. From character development worksheets and plot structure guides to brainstorming prompts and writing exercises, this platform offers a wealth of resources to help you hone your craft and overcome any writing challenge that comes your way.

3. Milanote

With Milanote, organizing your thoughts has never been easier. Whether you're plotting out your next novel, storyboarding a film, or brainstorming ideas for your next project, Milanote's intuitive interface and versatile features make it a breeze to bring your ideas to life.

But Milanote isn't just about organization – it's about inspiration, too. Dive into Milanote's vast collection of templates, images, and resources, curated to spark your creativity and fuel your passion for storytelling.

And let's not forget about collaboration. With Milanote, you can seamlessly collaborate with fellow writers, sharing ideas, giving feedback, and working together to bring your collective vision to life. Let me know if you'd like to collab!

4. Inkarnate

Whether you're a fantasy author crafting intricate realms, a sci-fi writer mapping out distant galaxies, or a historical fiction enthusiast recreating the past, Inkarnate is your ultimate tool for world-building.

With Inkarnate's powerful mapping tools and customizable features, creating stunning and detailed maps has never been easier. From sprawling continents to intricate cityscapes, Inkarnate allows you to bring every aspect of your world to life with breathtaking detail and precision.

But Inkarnate isn't just about maps – it's about storytelling. Dive into Inkarnate's vast library of assets, from characters and creatures to landmarks and landscapes, and use them to enrich your world and enhance your storytelling.

5. World Anvil

With World Anvil's array of interactive tools and features, you can meticulously craft every detail of your world, from its geography and history to its cultures and languages. Whether you're creating a sprawling fantasy realm, a dystopian future, or an alternate historical timeline, World Anvil provides the tools you need to breathe life into your creations.

But World Anvil is more than just a repository for world-building information. It's a platform for storytelling, collaboration, and engagement. Share your world with readers, invite them to explore its intricacies, and immerse them in the rich tapestry of your imagination

6. Scrivener

At its core, Scrivener is a comprehensive writing software designed to meet the unique needs of authors, screenwriters, academics, and more. With its flexible interface and robust features, Scrivener allows you to organize your thoughts, structure your writing, and bring your ideas to life with ease.

One of Scrivener's standout features is its ability to break down your writing into manageable chunks, or "scrivenings," making it easy to focus on individual scenes, chapters, or sections of your manuscript. With its intuitive corkboard and outlining tools, you can visualize your project's structure and rearrange it on the fly.

But Scrivener is more than just a writing tool – it's a creative hub where ideas flourish and projects take shape. With its built-in research capabilities, you can keep all your notes, references, and inspiration in one place, ensuring that nothing gets lost in the shuffle.

7. Dabble

One of Dabble's standout features is its seamless integration of plotting, outlining, and writing tools. Whether you're a die-hard plotter or a pantser at heart, Dabble has the flexibility to accommodate your preferred writing style, allowing you to create detailed outlines, jot down notes, and dive into writing whenever inspiration strikes.

But Dabble is more than just a writing tool – it's a community of writers united by their love of storytelling and their commitment to helping each other succeed. Here, you'll find support, encouragement, and invaluable feedback as you navigate the ups and downs of the writing process.

With Dabble's cloud-based platform, you can access your work from anywhere, on any device, ensuring that your novel is always at your fingertips, whether you're at home, at work, or on the go.

8. Literature Map

Literature Map is a visual mapping tool that helps you discover new authors and books based on your literary preferences. Whether you're a fan of classic literature, contemporary fiction, or niche genres, Literature Map provides personalized recommendations to help you expand your reading horizons.

Using Literature Map is as easy as typing in the name of an author you love. Instantly, a constellation of related authors appears, each connected by their thematic, stylistic, or genre similarities. From there, you can explore new authors, discover hidden gems, and embark on new reading adventures with confidence.

But Literature Map is more than just a recommendation engine – it's a gateway to a world of literary exploration and discovery. Here, you'll find a community of fellow book lovers, eager to share their favorite authors, discuss their latest reads, and connect with like-minded readers from around the globe.

That concludes our exploration of the 10 essential websites every author should know in 2024. May these tools and resources empower you on your writing journey, from the spark of inspiration to the final flourish of your manuscript. Happy writing, and may your creativity know no bounds!

I hope this blog on Ten Websites Every Author Should Know In 2024 will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and publishing tips for authors every Monday and Thursday! And don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey!

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hometoursandotherstuff · 1 year

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Unusual and beautiful barn redo in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire UK has exposed brick walls, rough-hewn reclaimed wood and some steel to become an industrial treasure trove.

Walk across the small footbridge to enter the upper level and the modern rustic kitchen. Isn’t this a cozy part of the barn?

Through combination window/skylights in the low roof, you can see the garden from the kitchen table.

I love how the blue floor makes it pop. Next to the old chimney you can see the stairs leading to the main floor.

Industrial salvage metal stairs come down a vintage brick wall to the main floor living room.

In the modern living room, an art piece fireplace takes center stage in front of a large paned window.

Beautiful beamed ceiling and brick wall in the main bd. Glass floor-to-ceiling windows and doors to the garden let in light and give the impression of being outdoors.

A big copper tub is at the foot of the bed and in front of the windows.

This room truly looks like an old barn, yet it’s so cozy and modern.

Down a hall lit by gorgeous copper industrial lamps, is a vintage water closet.

Smaller 2nd bd. has a brick feature wall and window that lets in lots of natural light.

3rd bedroom is just as lovely.

Then come 2 children’s bedrooms in brighter style, like this one with twin beds.

And, this very cool room with an aircraft theme.

A small outbuilding w/a sitting room gives access to the yard, as well as shelter from the elements.

Beautifully redone property.

https://www.desiretoinspire.net/2023/04/13/a-rustic-barn-in-oxfordshire/

#farmhouse redo #renovated farmohouse #stone farmhouse #houses #house tours #home tour #other stuff

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david-tennant-in-chairs · 7 months

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Staged really is a treasure trove of DT's furniture antics

Thank you @birdandcatlover!

I welcome any and all tags and submissions of David and his truly unique relationship with furniture

#submission #david tennant #david tennant in chairs #mortal chairs cannot contain him #legs for days #just like all the limbs #michael sheen #staged #i wanna take a bite out of those drumsticks

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retronator · 9 months

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I never played Karateka in the 80s, but as a big fan of Prince of Persia and Jordan Mechner's journals, I was stoked to hear that an interactive documentary about Jordan's prototypical cinematic platformer was in the works by Digital Eclipse.

Released this week, The Making of Karateka on the surface looks like any other game you buy through Steam ($20, Windows-only), GOG, or whichever favorite store or console you prefer (available also for Xbox, PS4/5, Switch). Once the thing loads though, you really get 3 things: a documentary, the original Karateka, and a new remaster.

The documentary part is an audio-visual slideshow retelling Jordan's development story starting with his teenage years pitching his earlier title Deathbounce to the publishing house Brøderbund. It's an interesting look into the iterative process, seen through correspondence letters, journal entries, and many playable builds at various stages of completion. After we reach the eventual rejection of that title, Jordan comes back with a prototype of a visual-narrative experience unseen on home computers. We get to follow Karateka's full life cycle from pre- to post-production, ending with the conception of its sequel (which eventually turned into Prince of Persia). It's a real treasure trove! Fellow pixel artists will appreciate the many graph-paper sketches and interactive overlays of final game sprites compared to rotoscoped outlines and filmed footage. There are also video segments, from a comprehensive breakdown of the music to interviews with other developers reflecting on the impact Jordan's games had on their careers. You'll even encounter a fan letter signed by the one and only "John Romero, Disciple of the Great Jordan and worshipper of the Magnificent Mechner!" (I kid you not, you can't make this stuff up).

Perhaps just as crucial for an interactive documentary like this, you can launch any of the floppy disks in the emulator, trying out various iterations and ports of Karateka.

The emulation is fantastic and lets you fiddle with display settings (monochrome or color display, scanlines, pixel perfect or zoomed) as well as enhance the frame rate. You can even rewind the many deaths you will face if you've never played the game before (like me). If you spend some more time obsessing over the weird artifacts of the Apple II hi-res graphics, you might even go down the rabbit hole of realizing that on the Apple II you didn't really paint colors as much as you used different monochrome dithering patterns that the graphics display would then turn into 4 different hues. A fascinating learning experience if you include some of your own research online!

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Add to this the Commodore 64 and the Atari 8-bit versions to compare how the graphics got adapted across the earlier ports and you have a nice way to relieve the mid-80s with a bit of help from modern emulation (I did beat the C64 version without rewinding though!). I'd love to see more art from the other remakes, especially the 16-bit Atari ST port, but I understand their decision to omit playable versions of those due to the lower quality on the gameplay side of the translations.

This brings us to the final part of the package, the modern remaster. Unlike the 2012 complete reimagining of the game (with 3D graphics and all), Digital Eclipse approached the remake as the ultimate port of the original to an imaginary system along the lines of a 90s VGA PC.

It's well done. Some of the fully-redrawn scenes are a bit overpainted for my taste (I'd prefer a pixel art rendition of the castle than a blurry photographic collage, although there were many games in the 90s that did take this approach), but the in-game graphics are really in style, including the smooth animations that are like one would imagine granted a beefier CPU. It's also a sort of director's cut with previously unseen scenes added, in particular, the battle with the leopard as a clever action-puzzle in the middle. The AI is unfortunately even less challenging than Jordan's implementation. As great as the 6-move fighting system could have been, you yet again resort to simply kicking away opponents as they tirelessly crawl into your range. There isn't even the nuance from the original where you were the one who had to approach some enemies with skilled timing. On the other hand, you now have optional goals and achievements that make the repetitive/easy combat work in your favor (stringing various combos, beating opponents or the level under a time limit …). As the Digital Eclipse president Mike Mika admits at the end of the welcome commentary mode, they didn't manage to achieve their perfect port, but they did come close.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed playing both the original as well as the remake and while the combat system lacks any sort of depth beneath its stunning animations, Karateka is instead a monumental experience for its presentation. Big characters with personality and realistic motion are displayed through cinematic camera cuts and story vignettes (3 years before Ron Gilbert came up with the word "cutscene"). There are details like animating the unfortunate falling off the cliff at the start of the game, or respectfully bowing to the first guard as they bow in return. Jordan's creative work is precious and worth the attention this release gifts it.

I highly recommend The Making of Karateka to all retro gamers and/or game developers for its immersive documentation which provides an experience that goes beyond the usual video documentaries. It's interactive—just like the subject it's talking about—something I want to see more in the future. And if the $20 by any chance seems high to you, consider that the original retailed at $35 (and that was in 1984 dollars).

youtube

#Feature #Gaming #Pixel Art #Digital Eclipse #Jordan Mechner #Platformer #Documentary #cover2 #title3

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ecargmura · 3 months

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Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 26 Review - The End Of The Second Stage

The second exam comes to a close in a rather crazy way. While Frieren and Fern are still duking it out with the replica Frieren, the other mages fight off the accumulating replicas of their fellow test-takers with some interesting match-ups and more join the fray.

It’s really interesting to see how intelligent Denken is as he strategized the whole match-up scenario as different mages pair up to defeat mages that aren’t themselves. Land, Ubel, Wirbel and his group eventually join the fight as they buy time for Frieren and Fern to finally defeat the replica and Spiegel. I do like how out of the mages present in the floor, the one they are most terrified of is the replica Sense. Detecting her mana is hard and when she does show up, she literally ambushed Lawine and Richter to the point that they had to retreat and fail the exam. I honestly wanted to see the fight between Methode and replica Fern because she’d be the third scariest replica excluding Frieren as she is already powerful in her current state—the holes on the walls after Methode defeated her replica showed how terrifying Fern can be.

Fortunately, the only one who isn’t terrified of the replica Sense is Ubel. Her specialty magic is cutting magic; it works in a way that if she imagines she’s able to cut something, it can be cut and her magic works. It stemmed from her childhood with her seamstress sister as she watched her cut fabric. I think this is how she works; she tries to copy people’s magic by observing them the same way she tries to observe what she can cut. This is how she was able to copy Sorganeil and make it her own; she observed Wirbel using the power, imagined that she can do it and that’s how it manifested in her arsenal as she understood what sort of person he is from the moment they clashed. Land is a bit of a harder person for her to crack, hence why she’s following him. Anyways, since Sense’s magic revolves around her hair, Ubel imagines being able to cut hair as it is something that is usually cut and always is, so that’s why she was able to defeat her. Ubel’s flashback of how she killed a proctor was shown too. The proctor had unbreakable cloth, but since Ubel is an expert with cloth, she is able to cut it, but she accidentally killed the proctor by mistake. Sense finds her terrifying because of this and also the reason why she got a light punishment. I can say that she’s rather interesting.

The fight between Frieren and Fern against the replica was still an animation treasure trove. The fact that Frieren shows off more advanced magic like making golems and other fancy magic was a real feast for the eyes. I did feel bad for Fern. She almost had the upper hand, but armless replica caught her off-guard and slammed her against the wall, causing her staff to break into smithereens. Yikes. Will she get a new staff after this or will it get repaired? Can it even get repaired?

Despite the action-heavy scenes, I did like some of the comedic moments like Scharf and Ehre having to be carried by Wirbel again, Frieren getting stuck inside another mimic—a gold one this time, and Edel boasting about the golem’s healing capabilities to Richter but he has no idea who she is. It’s a nice balance.

Now that the second part has been finished, what will happen next? Given that there are two more episodes and that the preview mentions a third part, I’m assuming the third part will be very short. Will Serie be involved in this one? What’s it going to be about? What are your thoughts on the episode?

#frieren beyond journey's end #sousou no frieren #frieren #fern #sense #ubel #land #denken #methode #lawine #richter #review #anime #anime review #ecargmura #arum journal

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princess-sof-time · 10 months

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may I request the hoshino family? (oshi no ko) aqua and ruby learning their father (and ai's husband) used to be in a band that's like the equivalent to tally hall (or at least had the same energy). And now as teens and the internet rediscovering the hidden gem that is reader's band and songs now getting popular.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

🄰🅀🅄🄰 🄷🄾🅂🄷🄸🄽🄾

• One evening, Aqua was lounging on his bed, his phone in hand as he idly scrolled through his social media feed. Amidst the usual stream of posts, a particular one caught his eye - it was from a distant relative, someone he hadn't seen in ages. The post seemed to be reminiscing about his father's past, back when he used to be a rockstar in a band, a fascinating piece of family history that had only been mentioned in passing during family gatherings.

• Intrigued, Aqua couldn't resist clicking the link attached to the post, leading him to a treasure trove of nostalgia - a collection of old songs performed by his father's band. As the first notes filled his ears, he was immediately transported back in time. The music had a distinctive charm, a blend of quirkiness and catchy melodies that made his heart dance with delight. The lyrics were filled with stories and emotions, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride swelling inside him as he recognized his father's voice harmonizing with the other talented band members.

• As he continued to listen, Aqua found himself diving deeper into the internet's newfound celebration of this hidden gem of a band. People were sharing their love for the music, praising the band's unique style and the impact they had made in their heyday. Aqua couldn't help but marvel at how these songs, once confined to a few dusty tapes and memories, were now reaching a new generation of listeners through the magic of the digital age.

• With excitement bubbling within him, Aqua decided to seize the perfect opportunity during dinner to surprise his father with his discovery. As they sat around the table, he casually brought up the topic of music and mentioned how he stumbled upon some old songs online, not giving away the surprise just yet.

• His father's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and he encouraged Aqua to share more about the songs he had found. As Aqua began to describe the music and how much he enjoyed it, he finally revealed the truth - that the band he had stumbled upon was none other than his father's band from yesteryears.

• The revelation took his father by surprise, and a mix of emotions played across his face - a blend of nostalgia, joy, and perhaps a hint of bashfulness at his teenage rockstar days being unearthed. He shared with Aqua the tales of late-night rehearsals, wild concerts, and the unbreakable bond he had formed with his bandmates, a camaraderie that had stood the test of time.

• From that day forward, Aqua and his dad found a new connection through music. Their evenings were filled with laughter, as his father recounted more stories from his band's adventures, sharing anecdotes of fans, road trips, and the euphoria of performing live on stage. Aqua couldn't help but marvel at how music had once been such a big part of his father's life, and he cherished this newfound understanding of his dad as not just a parent but as a passionate musician.

• The hidden gem of his father's band had now been rediscovered, not only for the Aqua but also by the wider world through the power of the internet. Together, they embraced this unexpected resurgence, with Aqua even finding himself secretly humming the familiar tunes throughout the day, feeling a sense of pride knowing that his father's musical legacy was touching hearts and inspiring a new generation.

🅁🅄🄱🅈 🄷🄾🅂🄷🄸🄽🄾

• One day, while Ruby was surfing the internet, she found an old photo in the family album. In the image, her father, younger and more relaxed, holding a guitar, with wild hair and full of energy. But what caught Ruby's attention the most were the other people around him, his friends from his old band.

• Curious, Ruby asked her mother, Ai, who was nearby, who were those people in the picture with her father. With a warm smile, Ai explained that they were her father's old bandmates, from when he was much younger and part of a band that had the same energy and magic as a beloved group called Tally Hall.

• Ruby listened carefully to the moving stories her mother told about the spirited performances, creative adventures and strong friendship that bound the band together as a musical family. Each story painted a vivid picture of a young man in love, putting all his heart and soul into music, and this made Ruby admire her father's hidden talent even more.

• Driven by a desire to find out more about her father's musical journey, Ruby decided to investigate further. With the help of the internet, she looked up information about his former band. And much to her delight, she found that the band's songs were gaining popularity again and gaining a new generation of fans across multiple online platforms.

• As Ruby got deeper into the music, she was enthralled by the catchy melodies full of personality, which conveyed the same vibrant energy as her father. Each song seemed to tell a unique story and brought out special emotions. It was as if Ruby had found a musical treasure, taking her back to a time she didn't live but that connected her in a special way.

• Filled with excitement, Ruby couldn't wait to share her discovery with her father. And finally, over a family dinner, she enthusiastically shared her findings. Everyone in the room was curious and excited as Ruby spoke passionately about the music, the band and how audiences were rediscovering this musical treasure.

• Looking into her father's eyes, Ruby saw a mixture of surprise, joy and a touch of nostalgia. He hadn't expected her to discover his musical background in such a special way. Long-cherished memories resurfaced, and he shared more heartwarming stories about the band's adventures and heartfelt bonds with fans.

• From that moment on, Ruby and her father found a new connection through their shared love of music. They spent more time together, telling stories and laughing, and even playing some of the band's old songs together. Their passion for music brought them even closer, and Ruby came to see her father not only as a father, but also as a talented musician full of life.

• The revival of her father's old band not only brought back musical memories from the past, but also inspired Ruby in a special way. Encouraged by her father's experiences and driven by her connection to this hidden musical treasure, she began to explore her own musical talents. The two embarked on a musical journey together, fueling each other's creativity and sharing a special passion for music.

• As time passed, the music of her father's band continued to gain popularity on the internet, and Ruby took immense pride knowing that her father's legacy was touching the hearts of a new generation. This was proof of the magical and timeless power of music, which surpasses barriers of time and space. Ruby was extremely grateful to be part of this musical rediscovery.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

#oshi no ko x reader #aqua hoshino x reader #ruby hoshino x reader #headcanons #anime x reader

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idlebeks · 5 months

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Masterlist of SVSSS Fic Recs

Updated Jan 2024. Mix of all ratings and themes. All Lou Binghe/Shen Yuan. This fandom truly is a treasure trove of great fic.

Lotus Seeds by Anonymous

Upon transmigrating into the body of a xianxia antagonist destined to die after being gruesomely tortured, Shen Yuan decides he won't give in to the demands of the System to meekly accept his fate. Instead, he runs away. (WIP)

High Mountain, How I Long by Minimalistless

Shen Qingqiu, after enduring his trial, is placed into Luo Binghe’s custody at Huan Hua Palace.

Tarnished Gold by Prim_the_Amazing

Becoming emperor of the cultivation world will start with a first step as small and basic as becoming Head Disciple of Huan Hua Palace. For that, he must steal the position away from the current Head Disciple. Luo Binghe will sabotage, upstage, and completely and utterly best him.

The road to destroying everything and everyone who has ever wronged him, to becoming the highest ruler so that no one will ever have the right to control him ever again - it will start as simply as ruining Gongyi Xiao’s life.

Compared to everything else he’s already done, this should be easy.

Luo Binghe brings all his skills of cunning and brutality to bear on Gongyi Xiao, Head Disciple of Huan Hua Palace Sect. It… doesn’t go too well for him.

prophets on hold by nex_et_nox

Luo Binghe led the charge in the trial against Shen Qingqiu in < Proud Immortal Demon Way >. By all rights, the concept of a trial shouldn’t even be a glimmer in anyone’s eye until Shen Qingqiu’s blackened lotus has crawled his way out of the hell Shen Qingqiu tossed him in.

So why is Shen Qingqiu wrapped in immortal binding cables and locked away in the Huan Hua Water Prison?!

[or: Luo Binghe is precisely one (1) year late getting out of the Abyss. This does not put a halt on anyone else's plans.]

Starstruck by Camorra

His phone buzzes again and Shen Yuan scoops it up irritably. It’s another message from DemonHeart.

DemonHeart: you seem to be a Luo Binghe fan

DemonHeart: we can get you access to him

Shen Yuan scowls.

PeerlessCucumber: do I look like I was born yesterday?

The response is instantaneous. A picture pops up on screen. Shen Yuan vaguely recognizes the woman that plays the drums, still in full stage makeup. Next to her, arm slung around her waist, is a face Shen Yuan would know anywhere. Luo Binghe, giving a wry smile to the camera.

DemonHeart: he’s a fan, you know

PeerlessCucumber: where exactly would we be meeting

Immortal Lamb Crusader Way by Mikkeneko

Shen Yuan finds himself transmigrated into the last video game he played before his death -- the dungeon-delving, cult-building anthro hit game of the year, Immortal Lamb Crusader Way. Much to his dismay he finds himself in the role of the BBEG, the God of Death, He Who Waits -- Shen Qingqiu! Is there any way he can guide the protagonist, Luo Binghe, to level-up and victory without falling victim himself to the Lamb Crusader's blade?

And why does he want to pet the Lamb's fleecy head so badly? He's not a furry, okay! He's not!

The Scum Villain's Second Save File by the-night-gods-moon (HelloMyNameIsAlias)

Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua's shroom scheme falls through in a big way, and Shen Yuan is forced to re-transmigrate into another world that revolves around half-demons and messy, convoluted romances. Good thing he's an expert!

anachronism of the moment by plutoisgay

daemon au that follows Shen Yuan through his transmigration and life in PIDW

Shen Yuan transmigrates to a world of demons, harem-politics, and the ineffable notion of being perceived. His daemon, at least, seems to share his concerns.

We Are Not Wise by Boomchick, Suzoomie

When Shen Qingqiu drew Shen Yuan’s soul sword, it felt like being burned from the inside out. The fire wasn’t cruel, but it was still fire—hot and destructive, searing the softest pieces of him.

When Binghe’s fingers touch the hilt, he is ready for pain.

Transmigrated into a version of Proud Immortal Demon Way where cultivators manifest their own souls into spiritual weapons, Shen Yuan finds himself sort of kind of…accidentally blackmailing Shen Qingqiu into taking him on as a disciple before Luo Binghe joins the sect.

That should give Shen Yuan plenty of opportunities to make sure nothing goes wrong for his favorite protagonist, right? RIGHT!?

A story of twists, turns, hope, despair, and soul swords. Written for the Bingqiu Reverse Minibang 2023, illustrated and conceptualized by the incredible Suzu!

Protagonist Rehabilitation Programme by cinnamonsnaps

(oh my god they were roommates)

"Thank you, valued user, for accepting the Protagonist Rehabilitation Programme. Your task: Ensure the protagonist's happiness."

Shen Yuan is convinced that his favouri... least favourite novel's main protagonist isn't really happy. He has babes, money and power, but does he have any friends?

Cue the system handily dropping Demon King Luo Binghe into his bedroom. Can Shen Yuan make him happy before the timer runs out?

(90% light-hearted comedy, 10% existential horror and fear because this is the OG PIDW Binghe we're talking about)

Can't we just skip to the end? by chaoticgoodlawyer

When it was all said and done, Shen Qingqiu comforted himself that the end of the plot meant that, surely, all major events were out of the way. They were firmly in HEA territory and he could relax a little. Right? Right.

A year and a half into his marriage to the protagonist, he cursed himself for a fool when he woke next to a Luo Binghe from ten years in the past.

Meanwhile, a recently transmigrated Shen Yuan struggled to retain what little face he had when confronted with an overgrown, disturbingly gorgeous demon lord claiming to be his husband. Which is impossible, because he’s straight, the most hetero heterosexual to exist. System? A little help here??

Series

Sit With Your Soul by Tossawary

The original Shen Qingqiu suffers a severe deviation that unsettles his daemon, transforming them into a childish and inconstant creature, too curious and without any memories of the life that has made him so bitter. His soul is now unrecognizable to him and everyone can see his humiliation.

Shen Yuan isn't exactly happy to have transmigrated into Proud Immortal Demon Way at all, much less as this doomed scum villain's daemon.

A His Dark Materials Fusion AU. Knowledge of HDM not required.

Series

Celestial Afterglow by elanor_pam

Shang Qinghua, also known as Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky, stared flatly at what had once been a field boasting near sect-level Feng Shui alignment, and the drowned, bloated remains of the Sun and Moon Dew Flower cuttings that had sprouted within it. Their plan was now quite literally a wash.

If only he could consult Cucumber Bro on how to save Cucumber Bro! But in the absence of Cucumber Bro, he could but rely on the one plot coupon the infamous Peerless Cucumber had ever applauded.

Tongfang by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Shen Yuan is reincarnated as a cannon fodder character and eventual murder victim in one of the whodunnit arcs in Proud Immortal Demon Way. Things escalate quickly.

Or: that one where young Luo Binghe’s career goal is ‘Bride’.

---

Shen Yuan shut his eyes as a young man waiting to die in a hospital and opened them again as a wrinkly infant covered in substances best left unimagined.

[Welcome to the System! The System is based on the concept ‘YOU CAN YOU UP. NO CAN NO BB.’ We hope to provide you with a rewarding experience. It is our sincere hope that during the course of your adventure, you can achieve your desire to transform a ‘Stupid Novel’ into a high-end and impressive classic. We pray for your happiness,] a mechanical and inflectionless voice announced over the general hubbub of the group of women handling him. Then it added, somewhat more worryingly, [Error.]

In Service by x_los

Emperor Luo Binghe goes looking for a Shen Yuan of his own. The one he finds has yet to fully ripen, but Luo Binghe is used to turning adversity into advantage.

Every Binghe/ge deserves a Happy Ending [buy one SY, get one free] by Shireyaki

You can have a Shen Yuan

YOU can have a Shen Yuan

WE ALL CAN HAVE A SHEN YUAN

Scum Villain AUs by Feynite

Various random alternate universe fics.

Includes:

Supervillain AU

Genderswap AU

Hades & Persephone AU

Dragon Monster AU

Mermay AU

Free Guy AU

& Many More!

Into the Abyss by esama

In which Shen Yuan pisses the System off and it sends him straight into the Endless Abyss.

Four years later, Shen Qingqiu does the same to Luo Binghe.

Fruiting Body by Calamity Butterfly (Calamity_Butterfly)

“A new body? What has my Shizun done?” Luo Binghe asks mildly.

“Oh, I died again, didn’t I? This time, I died saving you from a qi deviation brought on by that sword,” Shen Qingqiu answers, stroking the caps of the trembling mushrooms still pressed up against his sides. “I suspected I was going to die so I prepared a new body, just in case. But it’s taking a long time to remember myself, and I’m not sure I want to go back once I do.”

Shen Qingqiu awakens in the Sun and Moon Dew Flower body, more fungal than human, and networked into a vast, sentient mycelial network. His new body is more complicated than he anticipated. Luo Binghe finds him, and that is also more complicated than he anticipated.

The Many Trials and Tribulations of Ming Fan by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Ming Fan just wants to get through ONE supervised night hunt without this happening.

Or: the one where Shen Qingqiu continues to be attractive to people who aren’t Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge. It's a problem.

---

“Da-shixiong.” Ning-shimei’s groan was barely audible to anyone who didn’t have a cultivator’s enhanced senses. To him and the rest of their assembled siblings, though, it rang out like a bell. The only one who didn’t notice was Shizun. He was up ahead and deep in conversation with the Lord who’d summoned them to investigate a series of local disappearances.

“I saw,” Ming Fan sighed. “Eyes front. Everyone knows their roles.”

Frankly, he’d been braced for this moment since he’d asked around about the family hosting them for the duration of this investigation. He’d discovered that they had two marriage-aged daughters in the household, neither of whom were engaged.

Loaded God Complex, Cock It And Pull It by Camorra

There were three things of which Shen Yuan was absolutely certain.

The first, that Luo Binghe was an irredeemable jackass.

The second, there was a part of Luo Binghe, and Shen Yuan didn't know how large, that wanted Shen Yuan dead for trussing him like a pig and dumping him on his own front porch.

And the third, that Shen Yuan was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Luo Binghe.

P S Y C H !

omg they were roommates by smellslikecitrus

Shen Yuan was a normal chemistry major. What did he do to deserve getting booted into his least-favorite novel?!

Silver lining: Binghe makes really, really good food.

Plastromancy by x_los

"One night, Luo Binghe notices something odd about the way his blood is pooling on the floor of the woodshed."

A twelve year old Luo Binghe meets his Other Shizun.

AQ by x_los

Before he rose to captaincy, Shen Yuan attended a briefing given to all command level officers in Star Fleet that outlined the scope of the Q threat. According to Admiral Picard's report, the omnipotent Q are devious, amoral, unreliable, irresponsible and definitely not to be trusted.

Orphaned stowaway Luo Binghe doesn't even know he is one.

Living With a Tiger by x_los

Shen Yuan has been engaged to Emperor Luo Binghe from almost the hour of his birth. He grows up knowing his place in the world exactly; he is far less certain of his place in his betrothed's guarded affections.

Scum Villain's Accidental Romance System by BurnerAccount

Shen Qingqiu has accepted that yes, this is a novel. And yes, it is going to have stupid plot points that he can (probably) do nothing about. His inevitable, horrible fate is his most probable future - but hey, it's at least a ways off yet, right?

A Stallion novel has stupid tropes, but he's 100% - no, 1000% sure, that these aren't in the standard package.

Anyways, Stan Shen Qingqiu by x_los

Millennial vs Gen Z? Shen Qingqiu wishes.

A young transmigrator has a new idol; Shen Qingqiu is very tired

How To Stop Being Strung Along By A Guy & Get What You Deserve: 5 Steps to a Serious Relationship! by x_los

'Madam Meiyin said: “Milord’s fated lover pays very little attention to others. But the moment they come to care about someone, they will care with their entire heart and soul.”'

Shen Yuan transmigrates into Proud Immortal Demon Way with a firmly-tied red string of fate. It takes Luo Binghe roughly two hours to notice this.

The Favourite by x_los

Demonic Emperor Luo Binghe's reputation precedes him. It's just not very accurate.

I Wish You Were My Husband by Feynite

AU based on The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (familiarity with that story's not required).

Wherein Shen Yuan transmigrates into a harem intrigues romance novel (gay edition), Yue Qingyuan really fucks up, Liu Qingge is not suitable for his job, and no one even remotely sees Luo Binghe coming.

Always the Light Falls by Letters2Elvinscend

Growing up is hard. Living up to your mother's expectations is harder. Realizing your Shizun is actually kind of hot is damn near impossible.

System Temporarily Unavailable, Please Don't Abuse The Substitute! by Asymptotical

The System has to go bail another System's world out of a plot crisis.

It told them that its Host would notice, but did they listen? Of course not.

We Never Dreamed These Walls by straightforwardly

When Luo Binghe falls into the Endless Abyss, he accidentally pulls Shen Qingqiu down with him.

#svsss fic recs #bingqui fic recs #dont forget to feed the authors

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pleasanttaleswithkaityb · 4 months

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The Burb Household

Spring, Year 1

John donned his barista apron with the flair of a caped crusader off to fight the decaffeinated woes of Pleasantview. Meanwhile, with the punctuality of a seasoned commuter, Lucy made her daily beeline for the bus, her backpack a treasure trove of school-day essentials and secret snacks. The kitchen became the stage for a breakfast duet between Jennifer and Kody, a symphony of cereal crunches and babbling discourse on topics as vast as the ocean and as profound as the latest cartoon escapades. Their dialogue, a dance of maternal wisdom and toddler insights, was a harmonious balance to the morning rush. But as the phone rang with the jingle of professional duty, Jennifer's face became the canvas of a thousand expressions, each painting a story of late-night efforts now basking in the limelight of recognition.

Previous || Next

Check out the The Beginning of the Burb’s Spring! Learn more about the Burbs here!

#simblr #the sims 4 #sims 4 #ts4 #the sims 2 #ts4 to ts2 #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 screenies #sims 4 story telling #sims 4 stories #sims 4 screenshots #pleasantview #pleasantview legacy #the burb household #burb spring 1 #spring 1

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holdharmonysacred · 1 year

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So, you wanna prep for Lostbelt 6 by reading a bunch of fairy lore for background information. Luckily for you, I’m a turbo nerd when it comes to this particular brand of folklore. In this post I’ll be compiling links to assorted text and audio sources of information and entertainment related to all the real-world fairy lore that pops up throughout the chapter. I’m gonna try to avoid just wikipedia links as much as possible, so some of the text sources are gonna be a little dense, but that’s ye olde texts for you. This will be semi-ongoing as things pop up, so you can keep an eye out if you want!

Note: I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but there will be possible spoilers as to what’s in the chapter ahead, so watch out!

Without further ado, here’s the list under the cut:

HUGE MASSIVE CONTENT WARNING: Many of these texts are going to have adult themes and triggering content, particularly sexual assault, rape, and general non-consent in romantic or sexual relationships. I’m going to start including individual warnings for texts where I know it comes up, but even if I don’t note it, please proceed with caution and take care!

A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine Mary Briggs - Exactly what it sounds like on the tin. Here’s where you can read about all the different fairies and creatures that tend to be more in short folktales, from baobhan sith to barghests to Ainsel and beyond, all in alphabetical order. If you find a fairy name you want to look up, it’s probably going to be in here somewhere.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare - I mean c’mon man. C’mon. There could always be a first for someone though, so if you are that someone - this is the most famous work featuring Oberon the fairy king, and the big one that F/GO and basically all other post-Billy Shakes media works pulls from. If you’d rather watch a staging of the play instead of read a script, here are some performances by Rice University and the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, and if those two in particular aren’t your jam I guarantee you there’s going to be a staging somewhere you can watch. As a bonus, here’s an absolutely lovely musical arrangement of “Philomel, With Melody” (AKA the lullaby Titania’s fairy servants sing to her) by the band Caprice. It’s not the most relevant, I just want to share it because it’s nice. WARNING: The crux of the play revolves around a love potion plot, so there will be themes of manipulation, non-consent, and potential sexual assault played for laughs and romance. It’s arguably mild compared to some of the other texts on here, but I would still be careful!

Translations of Melusina (Melusine) stories by D. L. Ashliman - D. L. Ashliman’s got a massive online treasure trove of folktales and folktexts, it’s always a fun time to go on a rabbit hole through his(their?) site. If you want stuff specifically relevant to Melusine though, here’s the page for her.

Versions of the Tam Lin ballad compiled at Tam Lin Balladry - this one’s going to be relevant because of the extremely high likelihood that NA will follow the JP merch labels and localize the “Fairy Knight” title as Tam Lin. Because it’s a ballad, there’s plenty of audio versions put to song, the most textually accurate one I can currently find being by Bob Hay & The Jolly Beggars. Besides that however, there are also versions by Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Tricky Pixie, and my personal favorite, the one by Anaïs Mitchell of Hadestown fame and Jefferson Hamer. If you want a more standard audio adaptation, the Tales of Britain and Ireland podcast will have you covered. WARNING: The start of the ballad is explicitly about sexual assault, with Tam Lin having been a rapist prior to meeting Janet. Janet’s own encounter is usually portrayed as consensual, she’s apparently a weirdo who heard the warnings and went “So that means FREE SEX?”, but some later versions do change her encounter into rape as a bizarre way of censoring her having sex out of wedlock. In addition, the ballad deals with themes of abortion. Basically, if any of this stuff is a trigger for you, I would proceed with extreme caution if you choose to listen or read.

Habetrot and Scantlie Mab - an archived version of a fairy tale about Habetrot. For similar stories, search for stuff under the Aarne-Thompson-Uther index type 501, “The Three Spinning Old Women”.

Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth - Now this one may not seem immediately obvious in its relevance outside of “hey look, Arthuriana!”, but trust me, This Is A Surprise Tool That Will Help Us Later. The relevant parts are going to start at Book 6, with Vortigern’s shenanigans. There’s also a podcast audio adaptation by Myths & Legends, split into part A, part B, and part C, if you would prefer that.

Official website for Knocknarea, or Cnoc na Riabh - Knocknarea is a big ol’ hill in Ireland with a bunch of Neolithic cairns on it, the most famous of which is claimed to be Queen Medb’s tomb. For anything else related to Medb, go read the Tain.

The Wikipedia page for Cernunnos - this is the point where I have to give up on not linking wikipedia, alas, as the sources here are little too tiny and scattered. Cernunnos is a Celtic god from Gaul, he’s got horns, we’ve got his name and some archaeological depictions of him, and that’s basically it, because unfortunately no stories about him survived. If I can find a better source about him to link, I’ll drop it here.

Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, Volume I and Volume II - Not including this initially was a huge oversight on my part, but this is pretty much The text for general Arthuriana and one of the really big ones that Fate takes influence from. You can read this for stuff about Morgause and Morgan, but it’s also just good to have on hand for anything with the Round Table in general.

I’ve also got a bunch of podcast episodes that don’t really fit in with any of the above that I’ll list here if anyone wants more dank audio content:

Robin Goodfellow: His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests by Tales of Britain and Ireland - Relevant if you want some alternative tales of Puck and Oberon. WARNING: The episode itself covers its warnings pretty good, but before you click - there’s a lot of adult content in this one, including the thumbnail image. Most of the stories adapted are going to get pretty bawdy even at best, and there’s one that explicitly involves an attempted rape that the titular character thwarts. Proceed with caution, and also maybe don’t listen in public.

Black Dogs and Englishmen: Black Shuck in English Folklore and The Barguest: Demon Dog, Silly Sprite or Spectral Hound?, both by Fabulous Folklore with Icy - Listen to these two if you want more info on barghests.

Scottish Halloween & Vampire Fairy Witches by Stories of Scotland - Listen to this if you want a retelling of a story involving the baobhan sith along with other Scottish traditions!

And that’s all I’ve got for right now! If I find any more relevant sources, or if someone directs me to said sources, I’ll be sure to add links to this post. Until then, happy reading and listening, and I hope everyone has fun with LB6!

#fate grand order #note: from what i've seen i'm like 90% sure katharine briggs is a perfectly respectable scholar of fairy lore #but if it turns out there's something wild i don't know then at the very least she's probably nasu's source #everything else is as legit as I can get right now #briggs is the most comprehensive of the bunch so if you only have time for one i'd recommend her book #but there's nothing wrong with dipping into a bunch of the others i've provided

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wwwwaaaaazzzzzaaaapppp · 4 months

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Hopefully making this post will help me find more people in my situation, so here’s my TV adventure of me being forced to watch shows only with actors that I am familiar with. This all started about 2 years ago when I started watching the Afterparty a hilarious mystery show that I will forever love, this show introduced me to the actor Ben Schwartz I loved his character he was funny he was very interesting as *SPOILER* the villain and I wanted to watch more stuff with this actor.

This was when TikTok introduced me to Rise of The TMNT. I remembered seeing a comic of the show when I was younger so I was already intrigued during this time my parents had also decided to start watching Our Flag Means Death as a family during dinner and I was super thrown off when I found out that the lead actor in OFMD Rhys Darby played one of the main villains in ROTTMNT and it was really cool and I found it intriguing.

Just to quickly say this might become a little out of order because my brain struggles with keeping 3 years perfectly accurate in my brain.

Later on after finishing both of these shows I then watched the I think sitcom (if that is the accurate way to describe it) Fresh Off The Boat with my mom because I kept seeing clips of it on TikTok and it looked really good and I was completely shocked when Rhys Darby randomly ended up playing a character in an episode in the show the main focus is a family moving to Florida and if you watch the show you will know that there is a son in this family named Emry. Keep him in mind for later in this story he becomes important.

After a while of watching random shows that are not important to this story like Owl House I came across another show on TikTok that looked good and had just come out on Netflix due to it being said to have a movie on the way weirdly enough just like ROTTMNT This show is called Community, I started watching it and I became obsessed I loved the characters I was constantly making references to it and accidentally got my family hooked too. I think in season 5 there was an episode where it was entirely GIJoe themed and there were fake commercial breaks where there would be kids playing with the toys from the show including one very familiar boy by the name of Forrest Wheeler aka EMRY FROM FRESH OFF THE BOAT. I know it doesn’t sound that interesting but it felt very weird at the time. Community also has a reoccurring joke which is a parody show in the universe called Inspector Spacetime poking fun at the show Doctor Who somehow this was my first time getting an idea of what Doctor Who is and I just kind of laughed it off. Considering community has 6 seasons it lasted me along enough time without having to look for another show to watch.

I think a very long time after I finished Community I started getting clips from a show that I recognized. Good Omens was finally getting a new season after 5 years. I wasn’t very interested because when the first season came out I was young, apparently stupid, and had a short attention span I was also discovering the idea of having a phone for the first time if that’s an excuse. But I was spoiled on the fact that there was going to be a kiss seen and I was very excited because I desperately wanted find a show with LGBTQ+ representation and I was actually interested in so I convinced my family to watch. And the season was great and after finishing it I was constantly looking at good omens stuff online. During this I was slowly becoming more interested in the happenings of the actor David Tennant so I ended up stumbling upon a treasure trove of new shows to watch and I started it with watching staged which I was having a fun time with until I felt like I had experienced whiplash and saw Ben (mister blue man) Schwartz goofing around on my screen and I had no idea what was happening but it was fun and everyone was funny and entertaining.

If only I had know what was in store for me coming in the form of aquatic birds.

FREAKING DUCKTALES

ALMOST ALL OF THE ACTORS THAT I LOVED WERE THERE. Dani Pudi aka Abed from community was playing Huey Duck, Ben Schwartz was was Dewey Duck , Bobby Moynihan who I knew from SNL but didn’t really care about at the time was playing Louie Duck, and the crown jewel, the focus of it all ✨David Tennant✨ was playing the adventuring Scrooge Mcduck. I was driven mad this was getting too much I can’t just watch a show immediately because of these actors. This was very much a kids cartoon I can’t humiliate myself like this…

So I watched it anyway

and

LOVED IT

I thought it was funny weirdly angsty at points and it was perfect and even better there were so many more people from Community in it. But it was always supposed to come to an end so I finished it and continued my hunt for content.

That was months ago but David Tennant’s acting still has a chokehold on me so I am now a self proclaimed Whovian and watched of anything David Tennant related that my parents will let me watch and my Mom is along for the ride.

I have also found a deep love of Newsies because I am now playing Albert in my school production just to put it out there for people to know how far my love of random stuff goes.

Thank you for reading.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #the owl house #troy and abed #good omens #crowley #good omens s2 #ducktales #the afterparty #rottmnt #ben schwartz #david tennant #fresh off the boat #staged #doctor who #tenth doctor #rhys darby #newsies #albert dasilva

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