#FACTOR AMBIENTAL

[anadelacalle]

LA FRAGILIDAD EQUÍVOCA.

El término fragilidad etimológicamente significa cualidad del que se puede quebrar, en consecuencia, una serie de apelativos como debilidad, delicadeza, endeblez, flojera, flojedad. Así, considerar a alguien frágil debe fundamentarse en una biografía en la que esta persona no ha sido capaz de afrontar adversidades, de más o menos calado, y se ha quebrado. Por el contrario, sería cuestionable que…

[toru-saynomoree]

what if tooru was transmasc

Transmasc toru and transfem diavolo .WHO SAID THAT ??

[rojosweet]

Porque nos limitamos o nos encasillamos en algo, nos aferramos a ponernos una venda en los ojos, renunciando a un sin fin de otras cosas, situaciones o eventos que podrían ser mejor, en muchos aspectos, crecimiento y desarrollo personal, familiar o tener una salud mental que es lo que realmente importa ya que si nos encontramos bien de manera interna por ende los aspectos y factores externos estarán bien

[dimalink]

Mystical 1 music

Mystical 1, my music album. Which I was written about a half year. I, all the time, go back to another track. So, it happens, like I can find time for a new track, between other deals to do. And I create new tracks. And all of these I was doing from time to time. About time it was a little more than a half a year.

I also create a decoration at my website. With player to listen. And different text. And even front covers I have made as a pictures and other sides.

Album was made. As album with music for decorate something. It is only a music with synthesizers with effects. Without words. Atmosphere music tracks. Like rhymes, sounds.

All of these was inspired by intro to the X Files. It is a popular in 90s tv series. About mystic events and aliens. All in one. So, I have also a different theme. And industrial theme, and mystical theme. And more different themes.

Also, there is a theme about a small creature. It is flying through a big swamp. There is a theme about medieval castle. There is a space theme. It is my authors vision of tracks. Of course, they can be about something else. As it can be told, listener can have his own vision.

Tracks are made with CC0 license. It is  CC BY-NC-ND. This means, that for non commercial usage you can use it in your projects. With giving authors and website with release a credits. And for commercial usage you need to contact author.

It is very important. Because of, I plan this album as album. It is about tracks with themes, for interest, atmosphere. For usage in some projects. I give myself a try to remember some movies, when I was making tracks.  Deal is that in some movies, there are some authors music. Of course, in videogames. And in different projects, with very big range. In PowerPoint presentation, for example. Any place – main thing - it goes good with content.

It is as album as a music that can be used for some projects. It is part of the idea. Another part of idea – they are standalone music tracks. Without words. So at this point I remember Klause Shulze. I call him as Shuls, for me it is more comfortable. So, he has interesting music. I, of course, has a music a very different way to go. So, I am far away from Shulze. I need to say it, to make it clear.  

Saying about result, how does it sound? Very different. Different tracks have a different sound. More musical, less musical. First of all, they are atmosphere tracks. For projects. Or like standalone tracks. So, I am not a musician. And I am a music fan.  And that’s why you don’t need to expect beautiful melodies or good synth moments. But, maybe, something cool you can find.

Sounds it different. It is connected all together with – mystical theme. Mystic – as science fiction character, or horror theme. Or industrial theme. In some place it is more musical, in some – less. So, it is about rhythms and effects. It is made for atmosphere. There are tracks like Doom, heavy metal. But few – for this style of tracks. And more for synth and effects. I don’t push it into heavy metal. And made it different. More as experiment. So, synth is a main theme.

Yes, electro guitar – it is also a synthesizer. So, it is 100 precents synthesized music and special effects, making a leadership over heavy metal and rock. But few tracks are rock. With straight rock without any special things for make it more interesting.

There are minimal tracks. For horrors. Like a fog. So carefully move into the fog, like this. There are faster tracks with strange pack of sounds. Somewhere, it is mainly rhythms with effects over. So, as a base it is goes ambient atmosphere sound, next speed – slow or middle tempo in track and synthesizer rhythm. With effects goes over. So, this is base idea for making these tracks. Somewhere similar. Somewhere there are more sounds.

Current release. It is experiment. And attempt of a music fan. In making atmosphere tracks. It is inspired by X Files, tv series. As I see it. So, there are different episodes. I can take another movies. Actions, shooters, mystical movies, horrors of different directions. So, it was a start for this release.

Mystical 1 is here: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/music/mystical/1/index_eng.html

[beastwars-transformers]

Not that ambient is entirely devoid of structure or “beats.” Two of my favorites have more semblance of music than ambient really allows

First one uses traditional instruments, and the second one is like a muted techno beat. Third is just a normal ass song imo

And one of my favorite artists, Zaké, utilizes obvious repeating chords for a lot of his music, which gives the feeling of repetition, being trapped and stuck, an inescapable dream, blah blah blah

The main point of ambient is not just being slow and quiet and boring, but also emphasizing the “texture” of the music and placing atmosphere and emotion over traditional musical structure. And sometimes it feels less like ambient and more like a muted song, but its goal lies more with ambient.

[jcmarchi]

The Importance of Background Music and the Benefits it Offers  - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-importance-of-background-music-and-the-benefits-it-offers-technology-org/

The Importance of Background Music and the Benefits it Offers  - Technology Org

There’s no denying the importance of music in the life of the general person. It has the ability to change mood, affect mental state and provide energy. It can be a way to make you more motivated, to soothe your worries, and help you get through difficult times in your life. Music can create beautiful memories and serve as a means of self-expression. With so many advantages to listening to music, there seems to be no reason why you shouldn’t have background music on basically all the time. Let’s delve a little deeper into what makes music such a force for good on a day-to-day basis.

A turntable – illustrative photo. Image credit: Travis Yewell via Unsplash, free license

Podcasts 

Having a podcast allows you to develop your own voice, start conversations, and address topics that are important to you. Listeners can’t see your face, so your format should be engaging enough so that the audience remains engaged even in the absence of a visual medium. Go to MelodyLoops to discover the best royalty-free music that can help you send your message across more effectively and drive up the engagement of your listeners.

The music will also dictate the atmosphere of your podcast, depending on the themes you’ll discuss. Are you looking for something relaxed and jazzy, or would you prefer something that sounds darker and more mysterious? You must also think about what your designated audience is more likely to respond to, depending on demographics.

When picked correctly, the music will also add to the entertainment factor and might even promote brand recognition. The people who listen to your podcasts could start associating certain sounds or melodies with you, providing you with increased visibility.

Videos 

You have the visual medium to rely on with videos, but that doesn’t make it sound any less critical. In fact, choosing the right tunes can legitimately make or break your video, and it should be employed to enhance the general message of your video. Now, the best type of song is one that is in tune with the message you’re showing, as having the two clashes will impact the general atmosphere. Informative videos go well with soft, ambient music. It should remain in the background and never cover the voiceover.

However, if you’re talking about something fun based on entertainment, you should go for something more upbeat, such as funk or groovy vibes. Topics such as fashion or lifestyle go well with pop, indie rock or rap, depending on the topics you cover. To find the best tunes, you just have to think of the message you’re trying to convey. Of course, if the video deals with several different topics and atmospheres, you’ll probably need many other songs as well. From confidence to hope to sadness, happiness, victory and excitement, there’s a song out there for any mood.

Films 

Films are well-known for their use of music, and many soundtracks have become famous. Many music lovers actually enjoy listening to original scores as their own separate genre since the music is often incredibly evocative and beautifully arranged. Music sets the tone of movies and provides viewers with a subconscious effect. It offers additional input apart from the visuals and dialogue, allowing audiences to interpret scenes differently.

Music helps deliver those scenes that viewers love so much, such as plot twists, epic battles, anticipation and suspense, much more effectively, and adds weight to every scene. Thematic development is also easy to achieve since many tunes can be built on themes. For instance, a character can have a particular theme, and then, as they evolve throughout the story, the music evolves as well to become more somber or lighter.

The pacing and dynamics, showcasing a different time period, location or culture, as well as making the scenes stick together and creating a more cohesive motion picture, are all possible and more believable thanks to music. In the case of cartoons, Mickey Mousing is one of the most well-known techniques. The technique, that has been used for several decades, refers to matching music with the movements on the screen.

Studying 

Can music actually help you study and learn more efficiently? Some would say yes, while others claim that they can only truly focus when they work in complete silence. Studies show that music can indeed help you become more productive by improving your mood and helping you relax. Banishing these negative emotions naturally gives you more energy and mental fortitude to focus on the tasks you need to accomplish.

Since studying can be pretty stressful, managing and even controlling that panic can make the learning outcomes more successful. Many people find that they end up having trouble focusing, especially if they have to study intensively and for long periods of time. Music can also help in that regard by allowing the brain to absorb the information more efficiently and consolidate it. It can also improve your attention span and reasoning skills so you can come up with answers based on the information available to you.

However, you must be careful that the music you use doesn’t end up doing more harm than good. For instance, it could distract you and cause you to procrastinate. Generally, very fast or loud music can make it more challenging to concentrate, but some people find that mellow lofi or classical is not engaging enough, and their mind drifts away to fill in the blanks. For some, listening to music they’ve never heard before can be helpful because their well-known favorites cause them to be more likely to want to sing and dance. Others notice that new, previously unheard songs cause them to pay more attention to the music rather than their tasks.

In conclusion, music is crucial for life, and people use it daily for their work, either during production or to manufacture the finished result. If you discover that music helps you as well and allows you to become more productive, optimistic, and to be able to overcome the hurdles of daily life more efficiently, it would be a pity not to use it. From filling the silence in podcasts to helping you ace your exams and creating pacing in movies, there’s nothing music cannot do.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Stages of Decomposition

The decomposition process occurs in several stages following death:

Pallor mortis

Algor mortis

Rigor mortis

Cadaveric spasm

Lividity

Putrefaction

Decomposition

Skeletonization

PALLOR MORTIS

The first stage of death.

Occurs once blood stops circulating in the body.

The cessation of an oxygenated blood flow to the capillaries beneath the skin causes the deceased to pale in appearance.

In non-Caucasians, the pallor may appear to develop an unusual hue; the skin will lose any natural lustre and appears more waxen.

Occurs quite quickly, within about 10 minutes after death.

ALGOR MORTIS

The cooling of the body after death.

The cooling process will be influenced by many factors, including the deceased’s clothing, or whether they are covered with bed linen such as blankets or duvets.

The body will typically cool to the ambient room temperature, but this alters if there is heating in the room or if there is a constant draught cooling the body.

RIGOR MORTIS

Can occur between 2 and 6 hours after death.

Factors including temperature can greatly affect this.

Caused by the muscles partially contracting, and the lack of aerobic respiration means that the muscles cannot relax from the contraction, leaving them tense, subsequently resulting in the stiffening we associate with rigor mortis.

This stage typically begins in the head, starting with the eyes, mouth, jaw and neck, and progresses right through the body.

The process is concluded approximately 12 hours after death (although, again, certain variables may occur) and lasts between 24 and 72 hours depending on circumstances.

Contrary to popular belief, rigor mortis is not a permanent state and is in fact reversed, with the muscles relaxing in the same order in which they initially stiffened.

The reversing process also takes approximately 12 hours, when the body returns to its un-contracted state.

It is possible to ‘break’ rigor mortis by manipulating and flexing the limbs. This is usually done by undertakers, pathologists or crime scene investigators who are attempting to examine or move a body – or by a murderer trying to hide their victim in the closet or the boot of a car.

CADAVERIC SPASM

A phenomenon that can be misinterpreted as rigor mortis.

The instantaneous stiffening of the body (most commonly the hands) following a traumatic death.

Unlike rigor mortis, the stiffening of the affected limb is permanent and is not reversed, causing the deceased to maintain the rigidity until such time as putrefaction causes breakdown of the particular muscle group.

Examples:

The deceased following an air crash were later discovered still clutching their seatbelts or arm rests in a final, desperate act of survival.

In a drowning case, the victim was discovered with grass from the riverbank still grasped in their hand.

Perhaps the most famous case of cadaveric spasm involves the rock band Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Cobain reportedly committed suicide in April 1994. His body was discovered a few days after his death with a shotgun wound to the head, and tests revealed he had large traces of heroin in his system. He was reportedly discovered still clutching the gun in his left hand, due to cadaveric spasm. However, a great deal of controversy surrounds the veracity of this latter assumption, and indeed the cause of his death, with many people insisting and attempting to prove that he died as the result of foul play rather than suicide.

LIVIDITY

Also known as livor mortis, hypostasis, or suggillation.

Once blood can no longer circulate, it will gravitate towards the lowest point of the body.

Example: A supine body will display pinkish/purple patches of discoloration where the blood has settled in the back and along the thighs.

Occurs about 30 minutes after death, but will not necessarily be noticeable until at least 2 hours afterwards as the pooling process intensifies and becomes visible, finally peaking up to between 8 and 12 hours later.

Once it is complete, the lividity process cannot be reversed.

Therefore a body discovered lying on its side, but with staining evident in the back and shoulders, must have been moved at some point from what would have been a supine position at the time of death.

It is worth noting that if the body has had contact with the floor, a wall or other solid surface, lividity would not occur at the points of contact as the pressure would not allow the blood to seep through the capillaries and pool. The specific area of pressure will be the same colour as the rest of the body and a pattern of contact may well be evident.

PUTREFACTION

Derives from the Latin putrefacere, meaning ‘to make rotten’.

The body becomes rotten through the process known as autolysis, which is the liquefaction of bodily tissue and organs and the breakdown of proteins within the body due to the increased presence of bacteria.

The first visible sign is the discoloration of the skin in the area of the abdomen.

Bacteria released from the intestine cause the body to become bloated with a mixture of gases; over time these will leak out, and the smell will intensify to unbearable proportions.

Typically, this will attract flies that will lay eggs, which develop into maggots.

Bloating is most evident in the stomach area, genitals and face, which can become unrecognizable as the tongue and eyes are forced to protrude due to the pressure of the build-up of gases in the body.

At this stage, the body will also begin to lose hair.

The organs typically decompose in a particular order: starting with the stomach, followed by the intestines, heart, liver, brain, lungs, kidney, bladder and uterus/prostate.

Once all the gases have escaped the skin begins to turn black: this stage is called ‘black putrefaction’.

As with all the other stages of death so far, the rate of putrefaction depends on temperature and location. A body exposed to the air above ground will decompose more quickly than a body left in water or buried below ground.

During putrefaction, blistering of the skin and fermentation can also occur:

Fermentation - a type of mould that will grow on the surface of the body. This mould appears white, and is slimy or furry in texture. It also releases a very strong, unpleasant, cheesy smell.

As the putrefaction process comes to an end, fly and maggot activity will become less, which leads to the next stage.

DECOMPOSITION

The body is an organic substance comprising organisms that can be broken down by chemical decomposition.

If the body is outside, any remains that have not been scavenged or consumed by maggots will liquefy and seep into the surrounding soil.

Thus when the body decomposes it is effectively recycled and returned to nature.

SKELETONIZATION

The final stage of death is known as ‘dry decay’, when the cadaver has all but dried out: the soft tissue has all gone and only the skeleton remains.

If the cadaver is outside, not only is it exposed to the elements but it also becomes food for scavengers such as rats, crows or foxes.

As the remains are scavenged, the body parts become dispersed so it is not unusual to find skeletal remains some distance from where the body lay at the point of death.

The way in which skeletal remains are scattered in such cases is of interest to archaeologists, and is referred to as taphonomy.

Where a body has lain undiscovered at home for a period of time it has also been known for family pets, typically dogs, to feed on the body. The natural instinct of a pet is to attempt to arouse the deceased by licking them, but once it gets hungry, its survival instinct will take over and it will consider the body as little more than carrion: it will act with the same natural instinct as a scavenger in the wild, which will feed on any corpse, be it animal or human, if it is starving.

Obviously the number of pets, the body mass of the deceased and the time lapse before the body is discovered will influence to what extent it has been devoured.

For further research on the stages of decomposition and the factors that affect it, look up body farms. These are medical facilities where bodies are donated for research purposes so scientists can specifically observe the decomposition process. However, be aware that some of the images are quite graphic.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Autopsy ⚜ Pain & Violence ⚜ Injuries Bereavement ⚜ Death & Sacrifice ⚜ Cheating Death ⚜ Death Conceptions

[lalocamposhernandez]

Un resumen en base a los temas de Ecología de la DGB de México. - Factores ambientales. - Factores bióticos y abióticos. - Interacciones ecológicas. - Competencia y población. - Invasiones y Diversidad. - Sucesión ecológica. Archivos sonoros de youtube: -Increible, el Ave lira es capaz de imitar todos los sonidos del universo. (Cantos del Paraíso) - Insólito escándalo en un zoológico de México. (Noticias Telemundo). - México tiene unanueva especie de flor descubierta en Oaxaca. (Azteca Noticias).

[thebibliosphere]

Joy I have to ask - what temperature do you think it is inside Wayne Manor?

Is it essentially outside temperature except where the fireplaces are? Does Alfred have a one man war against climate change? Is that why Bruce spends so much time in the basement?

Depending on which timeline you follow, Wayne Manor was built in the late 1800s. Having worked in giant historical homes, I'm telling you now it's a fucking pain in the ass to update the heating systems in those buildings. I know we've got comic book logic to contend with, and they've got massive generators in the basement to keep the cave running (sometimes it's turbines powered by the water flowing through the caves), but I also think it's plausible that to avoid damaging the historical facade of the building, you might walk around the house and see box fans shoved into the window frames during the summer because fuuuuck trying to install modern AC through 18th-century brickwork.

As for heat, well, for a frame of reference, the James J Hill house up here in MN—built roughly around the same time during the Gilded Age when the Waynes were pioneering industry in Gotham—was forced to rely on a boiler roughly the size of a steam engine to heat the house and used 250 tons of coal each year to keep it warm. That boiler provided hot water and ambient heat through steam radiators, but they also still had fireplaces in almost every room to try and compensate for the winter. The house was updated for modern heating and air conditioning within the last 40 years, but with a house that size and ceilings so tall, it's not particularly efficient. They still rely on box fans and space heaters to keep the space habitable during summer and winter.

New Jersey is not as far north as Minnesota, but the temperatures can still drop comparably low, especially when you factor in the seafront Gotham is on. So, while I do think they likely upgraded the heating systems at some point (they can't keep guzzling through coal like that), I also can't help but feel it's got to be cold as hell in that house unless they're being meticulous about lighting fires and airing every room out to prevent damp.

Because that's another thing. If you're not keeping your stone house warm, you risk damp and water damage, and I feel like Alfred would rather gnaw off his own arm than let Wayne Manor crumble to dust with black mold festering in the original French plaster.

So he's not so much fighting a one-man war against climate change as he's fighting a one-man war to keep the house dry. He's walking through rooms no one even uses, making sure the steam radiators are working and opening the windows a crack to let the condensation out.

Is he also turning off all the light switches as he goes? Yes. Is he always yelling, "Why is every screen in this house turned on if no one is using them?" also, yes.

Is Bruce also down in the cave huddled under an extra cape, overclocking the batcomputer to stay warm? Also a distinct possibility.

[calicoheartz]

“Baby I” - Paige Bueckers♡

summary : jealous Paige Bueckers x reader !

wc ; 897

synopsis : inspired by the song “baby i” by Ariana Grande :) Paige’s jealousy often gets in the way of your relationship, so what happens when you interact with a particularly attractive stranger?

warning : angst , suggestive content , jealousy / possessiveness

my master list ㇀♡

a/n : look at me having a posting streak !! decided to try something new today, so I hope yall enjoy ◡̈

You and Paige had been dating for not too long, but your relationship had certainly developed into one where strong feelings and emotions played a huge factor in your everyday lives.

It was no secret to you that Paige was jealous, envious even; it caused you a fair share of problems throughout your relationship. Whether it was through jealous ridden comments, or snarky remarks, it was slowly starting to take a toll on you.

You and Paige were invited to go bar hopping with the team, as a celebration of the victorious win for Uconn. The free spirited and ambient environment encouraged you to let loose, encouraging you to not only grab a drink from the bar, but to strike up a couple of conversations with individuals around you.

It’s not that Paige didn’t want you to talk to other people, it’s just that when it comes to you; she’s very, how do I word this.. Overbearing? Whether it was constantly having her hands glued to your waist, peppering your face with kisses, or shooting bitter looks and whoever even dares to be just a little too friendly.

On this particular night, a very attractive character to say the least, approached you; beginning to start a simple conversation. Asking things like your name, complimenting your outfit, and overall trying to learn more about you

From across the room, you can see the blonde staring intensely at you, giving you a disapproving look; signaling you to end the conversation. You furrowed your brows and gave her a confused look back, not understanding how the conversation was moving south in any way.

You quickly turned back around, further continuing your conversation with the stranger, when all of a sudden you feel a harsh tug on your wrist. “It was nice meeting you, but we have to go.” And just like that, there you were, being dragged out of the bar by your girlfriend. Who seemed incredibly pissed.

The drive back home was unbearable, no words were exchanged between you two. The blonde never acknowledging you on your journey back home, knuckles white due to her intense grip on the steering wheel. You couldn’t tell if she was upset, disappointed, horny, or a mix of all 3.

As soon as you reached your apartment, your nerves were eating you alive. You had no idea what was waiting for you once you reached your apartment door.

You quickly hurried inside, and situated yourself on your shared couch. Waiting for her to say something. You felt your heart pounding, unable to even form coherent words. When you realized the endless silence, you simply muttered out a “I’m..sorry?.” Paige rolled her eyes at you, scoffing in the process. “YOU’RE sorry? They were practically throwing themselves at you and all you did was stand there and let them.” You were shocked, you knew Paige could take things the wrong way, but you never imagined her of all people would think you would be the type to do that.

“Paige…” you started. “You know I love you more than anything, but you know words can’t even touch what’s in my heart,” you continued. Your eyes now spilling out tears you tried your hardest to keep in.

“Then why don’t you ever tell me?”... “I feel like I’m constantly competing with others for your attention” This statement startled you, as you knew Paige was well aware of your difficulty to express yourself, let alone reassure others. Fuck. Oh how badly you wished the floor underneath you would simply collapse, giving you any sort of escape from the high tensioned conversation.

You felt as if you were to speak, your throat would simply close up. You managed to croak out.. “It’s just when I try to explain it, I be sounding insane. Sometimes it feels like the words don’t ever come out right.” She looks at you, her gaze softening a bit; as a reaction to your sudden vulnerability.

“It’s just I don’t know…the words just never come out right when it comes to you. You make me get all tongue tied and twisted, and I literally cannot explain what I’m feeling.” “Baby-” “No.” - you cut her off. Quickly feeling a rush of adrenaline run through you. “Yes, I should’ve been more clear and work on my communication, but you need to realize that not everyone is trying to sabotage our relationship. It’s exhausting. I can’t keep isolating myself due to your jealous fits of rage.”

Paige looks at you, tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill out if she even mumbles out a word. She muttered a quiet “im sorry…”, her voice cracking at the last word, her eyes glued to the floor as she anticipated your response.

As if she were a magnet, you run towards her and wrap your arms around her tall frame, gently rubbing circles into your back as sobs slowly escape her lips. This entire thing had been a complete misunderstanding, and her jealousy blinded her judgment. Through her weeps you were able to make out “i love you. All i was trying to say is that youre my everything and-”

She wasnt even able to finish her sentence as she felt your warm lips on hers, entangling her in a deep and loving kiss. “If that doesnt show you that i love you, i dont know what will”

not sure how to feel about this tbh, originally i was gonna give this a sad ending but since the song is a love song, it didn’t feel fitting. Lmk ur thoughts !! Thanks for reading ◡̈

[jajatoc]

News I've gathered from the Pathologic 3 section of the Safe & Sound event today!

We had our first glimpse of the Capital ever! Along with a year- 1924, a date which could be arbitrary (since it's a hundred years ago exactly and was part of a bit on time travel) but it's still something to consider!

Quoting Vasily Kashnikov: "The Bachelor communicates with those in power so the soundtrack contains a fair share of minimalist so called "furniture music" that could sound in the salons of the beginning of the last century, piano etudes and references of that time, Satie, Debussy etcetera."

Quoting Natalya Radylina: "The music changes depending on the state of the Bachelor himself, who can fall into Apathy or Psychosis. [...] If the Psychosis level goes to the maximum it starts to damage Bachelor's health." THEY ARE PUTTING HIM IN THE TORTURE LABYRINTH and combat seems to NOT be gone and actually be a greatly determining factor of the Bachelor's sanity!

New shots of the Town Hall's exterior (Inside they showed the strange brass clock we saw in the preview pictures) and of the Town on Gorkhon itself:

Still quoting Natalya Radylina: "In the Cathedral there is a system of levers (?) that control the direction and speed of time."

Shots of infected districts!

(Also the game has a global wetness parameter now that determines the amount of rainfall and modulates the ambient sounds accordingly..)

Overall it seems like this new soundtrack is going to be incredibly versatile and character driven, and I'm really excited to see how it's going to work in-game!

I've taken a few more screenshots which I'm leaving on a reblog soon if anyone's interested!

[mufos-photo-album]

(Transcript at bottom of post.)

Dark plants are a relatively new addition to the Kingdom of Sky, appearing some decades after the disaster at Eden. Like other plants, dark plants need light to grow. However, their leaves are too dark and thick to perform photosynthesis, and too much light delivered directly can cause the plants to burn and shrivel. Instead, dark plants absorb the light captured by dark water — water which has been contaminated by dark sediment, the byproduct of darkstone production.

[ID: A diagram showing the flow of light from creature to dark plant. When creatures of light come into contact with dark sediment, the sediment drains their light. The sediment, now charged with light, is dispersed through the water and soil, which is then absorbed by dark plants.]

In most cases, dark plants pose no direct harm to beings of light. In areas like the Hidden Forest, where dark rain commonly pours, dark plants take on indirect predatory behaviors. Especially in wet environments, dark plants will produce a sticky dew from their leaves that tends to attract butterflies. This dew contains trace amount of dark sediment which dulls one's senses when consumed. This leads to butterflies resting in the rain for longer than they usually would, leading to death in some cases. Dark plants have also been seen ensnaring mantas. This happens when mantas, exhausted by the dark rain or other factors, fly into the brambles of a dark plant, holding them in place as the dark rain saps their light.

[ID: A drawing of a manta caught in the brambles of a dark plant. It is raining.]

Fully getting rid of a dark plant can be difficult. They can be burned down using fire or a candle spell, but even if all the stems and leaves are burned, the plant will begin to regrow some time later. To truly destroy a dark plant, it needs to be uprooted, and the roots burned with the rest of the plant. Dark plants can also spread fairly easily, as they can reproduce asexually.

[ID: A diagram showing the 3 ways dark plants can spread -- via their roots, via cuttings, and via seed nodules. Mufotsuki is standing in front of the diagram, holding a seed nodule. She states: "The seeds are the easiest part of a dark plant to break off. Never leave them unattended for too long! Sometimes I collect them for my sister. She does experiments on them."]

Despite their mutual association with darkness, not many, if any, dark plants grow in Eden itself. Although Eden is abundant in dark sediment, the weather conditions are too violent and destoys most varieties before they can properly root.

Speaking of dark plant varieties...

Tree: Common variety which tends to grow tall and wide. Known for trapping mantas.

Bush: Another common variety of dark plant which tends to grow wide, but not very tall.

Moss: Uncommon variety which sprawls over flat surfaces. Difficult to truly get rid of since moss can grow into hard-to-reach places. Can cause man-made mechanisms to seize up.

Urchin: Uncommon variety that tends to show up in saltwater environments. They have many spines tipped with dark sediment to absorb ambient light in the water, but also to absorb the light produced by other plants.

Lilypad: Uncommon to rare variety that tends to show up in polluted freshwater environments. Problematic for other plants since they can blot out sunlight.

Floater: Rare variety of plant that comes from Eden. They take advantage of the terrible weather to spread their seeds across the realm, but mature specimens are rarely found in Eden.

[ID: Various drawings depicting each of the dark plant varieties, one for each.]

[felassan]

Dragon Age™: The Veilguard - Accessibility Resources - (Accessibility Portal information)

"In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players are encouraged to be who they want to be and play how they want to play. This manifests in all sorts of ways, from our character classes to the dialogue choices. But delivering on this promise requires more than providing a variety of gameplay options; it also requires us to break down any barriers our players may be experiencing. For that reason, we incorporated accessibility considerations into our design documentation from very early in the game’s development, making the thoughtful and deliberate implementation of accessibility a foundational component of The Veilguard’s design. On first launch, players are provided a curated list of settings for UI text size options, subtitle options, controller options, and various display options. Upon starting a new game, players can use our Customizable Difficulty system to choose the level of challenge they want to experience. By selecting from a list of modular combat presets, they’ll be able to individually adjust a number of granular factors, including enemy aggression, enemy resistances, and combat timing. Similarly, our exploration presets allow players to modify on-screen guidance, such as markings that assist with way-finding and the distance at which interactable objects become highlighted.  While we’re particularly proud of and excited about Customizable Difficulty, we encourage players to browse through all the settings and review the accessible design considerations outlined in this guide. And as always, accessibility is a continuous journey and we are actively listening to feedback from the community. Thank you."

"Noteworthy Features - Visual - Audio - Controls - Gameplay"

(The rest of this post is under a cut due to length.)

"VISUAL Subtitles - Subtitles can be set to Never, Conversations Only (excludes ambient NPC dialogue), or Always (all audible dialogue). By design, captions are embedded into subtitles to convey non-verbal sounds that progress the story or add additional context to some story beats and spoken words. - Advanced Subtitles Options are available, where size can be adjusted between three options, speaker names can be turned On/Off, background opacity can be scaled from 0% to 100%, and name colors can be adjusted for Rook and NPCs."

"User Interface - UI Text has two size options and uses a simple font. - Full-screen Colorblind filters are available for Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia. - Persistent Dot is available to display a small dot at the center of the screen. - Hiding HUD Elements is available for the Objective Tracker, Mini Map, Combat Text, Advanced Combat Text, Player Health, and Abilities."

"Visual Design & Assists - Melee Threat Indicator provides a halo around the player character’s head to warn of incoming melee attacks. - Ranged Threat Indicator provides a visual line to show the direction of incoming ranged attacks. - Visual cues are present during combat and exploration, where no game-critical information needed to progress is conveyed through sound alone. See Customizable Exploration Presets for more."

"Visual Effects - Motion Blur can be turned On/Off. - Camera Shake can be set between 0 (Off) and 100 (Max). Does not extend to cinematics. - Depth of Field can be set to On for cinematics only, On for gameplay only, On for both, or Off. Being On causes some elements of the scene to be in focus, and others to be out of focus. - Vignette can be turned On/Off. Being On creates a subtle darkening of the image towards the edge of the screen during cinematic and gameplay to enhance the atmosphere of scenes.  - Low Health Screen Effect can be turned On/Off. Being On creates a blurry, desaturated effect across the screen during gameplay to emphasize low health."

"AUDIO Audio Settings - Volume sliders for Global, Music, Speech, Sound Effects, Ambient, and Menu. - Speaker type for Wide Dynamic, Narrow Dynamic, Night Mode, and Headphones. - 3D Audio is available. Requires compatible hardware. - Mono Audio is available alongside a mono audio planning option between left and right outputs."

"Sound Design & Assists - Accessibility SFX is available and has a volume slider. Audio cues provide additional feedback for some visual mechanics. Includes an incoming attack indicator, target lock-on, and conversation wheels.  - Glint Ping SFX is available where spatialized SFX will play at object locations when UP on the d-pad is pressed. Note: Depending on the Exploration Preset selected, players may need to adjust the Object Glint Visibility, and Object Marker Visibility settings to Pulse (Short), for this functionality to work."

"CONTROLS Input Settings - Input Remapping for basic gameplay controls. Movement actions can only be remapped between analog sticks. - Invert Axis of X and Y can be individually adjusted for both controller and mouse. - Vertical and Horizontal Sensitivity sliders for both Cameras and Aiming. - Swap between Left and Right Sticks for Movement (left) and Look (right). - Stick Deadzones sliders for the Look and Movement sticks. - Trigger Deadzone slider for triggers on controllers.  - Vibration Intensity slider for Global, Gameplay, Environment, and Cinematic."

"Button Holds - Disable UI Hold Inputs can be set to Hold or Tap. When Tap is selected, various UI interactions that require an input be held for a set period of time can be activated with a single tap instead. Does not apply to gameplay actions.  - Ability Wheel Controller Activation Type can be set to Hold or Tap. When set to Tap, the ability wheel will remain on screen without requiring any persistent input. - Blocking and Aiming require sustained holds. Aiming without holds is possible if the persistent dot is enabled, which can be used as an alternative to the aim-down-sights reticle."

"Combat & Gameplay Controls - No QTES (quick time events) are present by design. - Rapid input sequences are present for certain attack combos during melee combat, if used. - Simultaneous inputs are present for ultimate ability, or if using the ability shortcut menu.  - Quick and precise timing is not required for progression. Finisher moves, which are optional and hasten the end of combat, may require faster reactions.  - Combat Assists are available in the Combat Presets to further simplify inputs during combat. Includes Aim Assist, Aim Snap, Combat Timing, and more."

"GAMEPLAY Combat Customization Choose between presets of Storyteller, Keeper, Adventure, Underdog, Nightmare, or Custom: - Aim Assist can be set to Off, Low, Medium, and High.  - Aim Snap can be turned On/Off to snap to targets.  - Prevent Death can be turned On/Off. Available only in the Storyteller preset.  - Enemy Damage has five options to adjust the strength of incoming attacks. - Enemy Health has five options to adjust the amount for enemy health. - Enemy Aggression has five options to adjust how aggressive enemies are during combat by changing how often they attack and how difficult they are to stagger.  - Enemy Resistances has three options to adjust how much enemies can resist incoming damage. This will not affect the natural resistances some enemies have based on their faction though.  - Enemy Vulnerability has three options to adjust how weak enemies are to incoming damage. This will not affect the natural weaknesses some enemies have based on their faction though.  - Combat Timing has three options to adjust the timing windows for executing Dodge, Parry, and Perfect Defend actions."

"Exploration Customization Choose between presets of No Assists, Pulse Only, Standard, Directed, or Custom: - Object Glint Visibility can be set to Off, Pulse (Short), Pulse (Long), Always to change the visibility of the glint highlight on interactable objects.  - Object Glint Distance can be set to Close, Standard, and Far to change the distance of where glint highlights on interactive objects will appear.  - Objective Marker Visibility can be set to Off, Pulse (Short), Pulse (Long), and Always to change the visibility of objective markers.  - Waypoint Visibility can be turned On/Off to toggle the visibility of navigation waypoints leading to your quest objective."

"Guidance & Progression - A Library is available for players to access at any point to help recall information. Here, players can browse the Codex to review stories and information discovered during progression, re-read letters from companions and others within the Missives, and reference the Glossary for explanations of terminology specific to Dragon Age Lore.  - Tutorials teach gameplay mechanics as new inputs, skills, or actions surface. - World and Local Maps are available for wayfinding and can be referenced at any point. - Waypoint Visibility can be turned On/Off to help with progression. - Objective Marker Visibility can be adjusted between Off, Pulse (Short), Pulse (Long), and Always. - Pausable gameplay is available by design. - Saving is robust, where auto–save is frequent and players can manually save any time outside of combat, cinematics, and dialogue cutscenes."

"Additional Information For more information about the game, patch notes, and news, visit the official website. Please note that this information is based on the US, English version for PC and consoles."

[source]

[but-a-humble-goon]

I don't think it's commented on enough how good RWBY is at writing men which I suppose it comes with being a female-centric show with a cast that consists of 90% women. Think about how Qrow Branwen is basically the single coolest guy alive and he raises the ambient cool level of every room by a factor of ten just by walking in but he's also allowed to be just a deeply, deeply hurt man dragging around unimaginable self loathing. There's this philosophy to a lot of male-oriented media I hate where a man's pain is what makes him cool. It's not there to be examined or addressed or to get us to sympathize with him it's there just to be endured because scowling and being miserable all the time is what deeply insecure people think is badass. There's a meaningful difference with how Qrow is written. His pain is not character building, it drives him to bad places and makes him vulnerable and the other characters see that vulnerability and are there to support him when he needs it. Despite what Qrow himself might think, he isn't diminished by this in any sense. It's treated in the show as the most normal thing in the world and I think in a media landscape that was better about men and vulnerability it probably should be. If anything Qrow's reluctance to accept emotional support for fear of being a burden is the thing he's criticized for. Just another very cool thing about a show I love.

[burirammin]

Watched sepang 2011 moto2 fp1 followed by qualification and now I am absolutely devastated. screaming crying throwing up etc. etc. (the following write-up aka. me ever so slightly losing my mind over how Marc Marquez's 2011 season ends)

That weekend was so cursed it's unbelievable. Not even two minutes into the fp1 session the camera cut to the turn 10 gravel trap and then there was two riders occupying the place. The first one was Jules Cluzel, who was thankfully already up and was not hurt. Marc was the second one and oh boy, was he NOT fine. He laid there on his back for what felt like minutes, camera focusing on him almost THE WHOLE TIME. I. am. sick. to my stomach!!!

Not a moment later another bike (or two actually, but one of them was off camera) came crashing in, Marc was still on the ground, just out of the hit range. It was Yonny Hernandez (who looks to be fine. he raced the next day but was black-flagged) and Bradley Smith, who ended up with a broken collarbone + bruised ribs and was forced to be out of the race altogether. His injuries were caused by him getting thrown directly into Marc's bike. How unlucky was that??? The cause of all these crashes? A WET. FUCKING. PATCH. I reeallly meant it when I say that weekend was fucking cursed (and on sunday. we all know what happened on sunday...)

I was already regretting my choice to watch it at this point but just like watching a trainwreck, I couldn't stop.

And then I saw the team's reaction (full on regret. hits like a brick)

The icing on the cake? the whole session did not have any commentary. Just pure ambient noises, bike engines, staff radios, people rushing around the track. The whole scene was so eerie, I could not imagine watching this live.

The way they were running out from the pit, almost entirely abandoning it to (presumably) check on Marc at the medical center? gut punched.

The famous shot of Marc after medical check-up. Already a pro at slutty suffering at the tender age of eighteen. (I was about to throw up, so thank you I guess? how he was just out there, looking beautiful in this state was beyond my comprehension)

Marc missed all the sessions following fp1 (3 in total) but he did joined in for qualification session the next day. There was commentating for this and they mentioned that he was still a little dizzy this morning, his neck and left shoulder was not doing great either. Of course Marc being Marc he still wants to at least try to qualify and maybe, race. For context, he was just 3 points off the lead and not participating in this race means he will lose the championship, which in the end, he did.

It didn't last long. Marc was back in the box after just one qualifying lap.

Back in the box, Santi and Emilio was immediately all over him. The commentators DID pick up that there was something seriously wrong as normally only Santi (crew chief) would be present to talk about technical stuff that needs to be done and such, and not Emilio (manager). They discussed, things did not look good. With the gift of hindsight we can see that Marc was clearly informing them about his eye problem (which we know was diplopia later on) not to mention his other injuries to neck and left shoulder that was probably bothering him.

He has to leave the box shortly after. The commentators said they were hoping that he will be feeling better in the morning of race day, and also that Marc losing the championship was “inconceivable” before the fp1 crash*. There’s no such luck, unfortunately.

*mind you, he already have another big (very reckless and very much his own fault) crash from prior week with Ratthapark Wilairot in phillip island resulting in his blackeye but that was not enough to hindered his performance.

Marc watching the sunday race from the sidelines, no longer able to participate in this and following race.

And just to add even more (like anyone needed it, jesus christ) to the cursed factor of this weekend, Axel Pons suffered a massive crash during the race, resulting in a red flag. He also, was not fit for the next race.

God. That's it. That's the end of his 2011 season. From a crash that was in no way, shape or form, his fault. The circuit was later fined for not displaying yellow flag to warn riders of a wet patch on the track.

He could've won. HE COULD HAVE WON. HE COULD HAVE BEEN A MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPION IN HIS ROOKIE YEAR!!!!! I must repeat that at the time he was 3 POINTS AWAY FROM THE LEAD and has more or less been DOMINATING the whole season. He was on the podium for every races that he has finished and was on a streak. I am convinced he could have easily done it if not for the unfortunate accident.

But all he got out of it was second place in the championship (which we all know he won't accept in his mind. at least back then) and a diplopia problem that would still haunts him more than ten years later...

[cipheramnesia]

The "movie about a movie that kills you" is a surprisingly robust genre of horror. There's a wide range of approaches, but one key factor is the question of how good the deadly film in a film is, on its own. Some approaches are keeping the faux film entirely unseen, use brief clips, or make it real short.

Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made goes in for a high risk approach and delivers a complete finished film, ostensibly made in the 70s and never released, framed by brief opening and closing info bites to set the stage of it.

Somehow this thing was completely off my radar, which means I was taken fully off guard as an ominous warning about the content in white text on black appeared on screen, giving a thirty second count down to leave if I wanted.

Wonderful showmanship and canny filmmaking that got me right in the mood to enjoy what followed. While I wouldn't call it a scary movie, I found it almost delightful in the atmospheric dread and devotion to its aesthetic of low budget 70s films. Nothing in it feels like a curse on its own, but it does feel like the sort of movie that could easily prompt psychological distress for anyone under psychotropic influences, pre-existing emotional vulnerability, or prone to delusional states. Not through anything supernatural, more because it works hard to keep the viewer in constant doubt over what is and is not real for the characters in the film. Combined with the framing device of it being a movie somehow able to influence the real world of the viewer, and the use of fractionally visible flashes of occult symbols on the screen, it generates an intense feeling of unreality which for me was an almost drug-like high and an immersive pleasure.

The premise of Antrum is simply a brother and sister decide to dig a hole to hell, and the movie plays out around this event by surrounding it with disturbing sounds and imagery, as well as real world dangers that weave the protagonists between the supernatural and mundane while keeping them in a state of terror and madness that grows until it becomes unrelenting.

In a certain sense it also feels cursed, like the kind of film where there are elements that feel very transgressive - in particular the opening scene which to my mind evoked Un Chien Andalou - not the infamous eyeball slicing scene, but the use of rotting animals. The few and very basic visual effects remind me as well of the early Survival Research Laboratory devices engineered by Mark Pauline.

However, the core question for me is also always what is the movie about besides the plot. If I had to identify some rough themes, I would say it's trying to explore the idea of understanding death and violence through the eyes of children who do not yet have the psychological tools for processing such matters, but who have been left on their own to do so regardless.

Many of the unusual elements in the movie can relate to death rituals poorly understood, starting from the very premise of digging a hole into the earth. And the same act is surrounded by strange rituals unclear in their origin, ideas which might be logical drawn from watching words recited over a grave without having a connection of purpose. Their encounters with other people are fully without possibility of communication as none of them speak the same language, and these mundane threats feel at times akin to a satanic Alice in Wonderland, rituals and violence whose meaning cannot be understood by the protagonists.

Likewise the supernatural is full of unprocessed images of death. Demons with black skin who look like mummified corpses. River crossings and empty chains dragging through leaves. It's as if death itself has manifested through the ambient world, surrounding the two children and refusing to let them leave its circle.

In combination with the intriguing use of sigils inscribed throughout, it creates a movie that is for me a joy to watch. An absolutely perfect Halloween spook for next year, but your mileage may vary between finding it full of pretentious nonsense or maybe the scariest film you'll ever watch. It can really come off either way, and I'm honestly not quite sure why my reaction was actual joy in the watching. Not to undercut the severity of the subject matter, but I just can't stop thinking about how happy I was to watch the movie at work mechanically, to enjoy the well oiled pieces fitting together, and then all topped off with the delicious extra treat of the framing device. Surely worth 90 minutes of your life.