#Lego was also less expensive back then

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

I also finished Dreamzzz season 2 yesterday, and I can't believe we actually had kissing Legos.

THEY KISSED AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN THE EPISODE.

IN A LEGO SHOW.

Good for them though. Beau and Hannah are a power couple, even if Beau became the night hunter and ended fighting (and hunting) his own daughter and her friends around in the dreamworld. At least he admitted to being a deadbeat father himself 👌. I do wonder why he became evil... ish. If it was just the use of the sword, or some additional factors. Though I think it's implied that he wanted to do the right thing, but used the wrong methods and eventually ended up on the wrong side.

[enjoythesilentworld]

Simon's Month - (Beyblade) Towel

day 5! @youngroyals-events

Oh, the places you’ll go. (Or, memories of Simon’s life as seen by his Beyblade towel)

read below or on ao3 (G, 900) (light angst warning)

Most of the memories are warm and sweet. Those are the ones to remember, to reminisce on. 

The very first one is of a store. A standard store that sells birthday cards and laundry detergent, Lego sets and hardback books. A standard store that also rotates its goods based on time of year and has just moved in a new line of kids swimsuits and towels as the end of spring melts into summer. 

A small child, curly haired and sunny eyed, comes careening around the corner of the aisle, skidding to a stop in front of the array of beach towels. He jumps up and down in his spot, turned back towards where he came from and waiting impatiently to be followed, hopefully by a guardian of some sort.

Sure enough, a few seconds later a nice-looking lady with similar curls and a warm smile appears. 

“Simon, please don’t run off like that,” she says and pets the boy’s hair. Her voice doesn’t sound scolding, though. It’s the voice of a mother who knows her child will listen to her but is maybe a little bit too excitable at times. 

“Sorry, Mamá,” he apologizes sheepishly, toeing his shoe into the ground. Then, he perks up and points with a small hand. “Can I get this one, please? Please, please, please! It’s from that show, the one that Ayub showed me!” 

Simon continues to bounce around, rambling and laying out a pretty well-crafted argument for a six-year-old. The pretty lady smiles fondly down at him, pretending to consider, before giving him a small nod. He yelps excitedly and pulls the towel off the shelf, depositing it carefully in the cart.

There’s a plethora of memories from that same summer. They blur together, the visions of lake days and orange slices, tiny sandwiches and big smiles.  

Simon, the young boy, radiates happiness the whole time, save for one time he falls and scrapes his knee. Even then, he smiles up at his mother through the tears and says, “I’m okay, Mamá. It’s just a scratch.” 

Sara, his sister, has her own towel. It’s covered in horses and sometimes they argue about whose is better, until Linda steps in and distracts them with treats. 

There’s a man, too, Simon’s pappa. He has a deep laugh and makes Simon giggle uncontrollably when he tosses the young boy into the water or pretends to be a sea monster, chasing after his two small children. 

Micke starts appearing less and less as the boy gets older. Soon, rather than seeing him wrap Simon with his towel as he climbs out of the pool after swimming lessons, it’s only his voice that is heard. Shouts muffled through a shut bedroom door, a still young boy hiding under his towel, hands pressed to ears, trying to block out the noise. 

Then, the man is gone altogether, and the boy grows a little older, and his smile returns, if a little dampened. 

He and his sister add their towels to a blanket fort in the living room. Though Simon’s towel has remained the same, Sara’s has lost its flair. It’s a simple purple one, now, with no pictures or sparkles or childhood memories. She says none of the other kids at school have kid towels anymore, so they shouldn’t either. Simon likes his towel, though, and he doesn’t so much care what the other kids at school think. 

The boy grows older still, and rings in another birthday at the pool with friends, towel wrapped around his shoulders, blowing out candles that read ‘16’. 

There are fewer happy water days after that. Now, the memories all come from one small, slightly stinky room. There are dozens of other towels around, but they are all pristine and new and made from expensive cotton. None of them have faded colors or small rips, but none of them have any good memories, either. The locker room is boring and has no great scenery, but there is one other boy who keeps staring at Simon with sad brown eyes. 

The boy, Wille, holds Simon’s hand and they tangle up together on the bench, whispering promises that cannot be kept. 

Then, they stop talking to each other, only furtive glances across the humid room. That, the silence, is worse than the fights, because then at least they’re talking. 

After that, the memories of the locker room and the prince stop, too. The towel ends up stuffed into a cabinet and maybe that is the end of it, maybe there are too many holes and too many bad memories outweighing the good and the young boy has grown up too much to cling to memorabilia of childhood TV shows. 

But, then, a crack of light and a laugh. 

“We’re going on a trip, Mamá!” Simon shouts across the small house, between giggles and gentle hushes. The prince is back, though looking much less princely than usual, and he’s wrapped around Simon with a big, relieved grin, pressing small kisses against his bare neck. 

This summer rivals that first happy summer from a decade previous. More lake days and orange slices, but also stolen kisses under the towel and a million whispered I love you’s. Wille wraps Simon up in the towel and carries him up the dock, ignoring Simon’s complaints because they come between wild bouts of laughter. They stand pressed up against a tree and grin at each other unbelieving that this is real. 

There are a million more memories like that from the summer, of tackling each other into the water, of shared sodas and water-logged sandwiches, and of lying side by side on the shore, staring into each other's eyes and making promises for the future. These promises, now, can be kept. 

[furtiveseal]

Gunpla was totally a perfect storm for me. Picture this. It's late last year. I have been spending most of my hobby money buying MtG booster packs (I know, bad idea, not my point). WotC gets into the whole OGL debacle and I decide I don't want to give them money anymore. This also incidentally frees up some time in the evening for me, and I'm mostly spending it on YouTube. Not great.

Now one piece of advice I'd seen a lot was that you should get a hobby where you make physical stuff, and I wanted to try that. Here's the thing though: I have dyspraxia, which means I have very bad fine motor skills, making many manual hobbies frustrating. I have an unfortunate Warhammer pile of shame that I may or may not get to because while I love the idea of having models, building them has been very frustrating: plastic glue melts them so every time I mess up it makes them look worse, and I didn't even have a hobby knife for a long time, so my models look bad. And that's not even mentioning painting. It takes me three hours to paint a single Space Marine intercessor, badly. I can't seem to thin my paints correctly no matter how I do it, and so I'm never satisfied with how my models look in the end.

Enter Gunpla. A friend introduces me to Gundam Witch, I get obsessed, and look into Gunpla. It's basically big Lego sets of giant robots. They snap together, no glue required. They're already in the right colors, no need to paint anything if you don't want to. The kits are WAY less expensive than Warhammer, at least for the entry ones.

I'm lucky, because my local game store happens to have a random 30 Minute Missions kit lying around. I get a set of three hobby knives for 3€, and I start building as soon as I get home. I have a bit of trouble here and there, I have to hurt my hands pushing some of the pieces to fit, but I end up building the whole thing in a few days and it looks... Good!

And I understand why people say to get a hobby which lets you create physical stuff. I love getting home every day and seeing the kits I built on my shelves. Figurines are cool, but it just hits different when you're the one who built them. I have a little family of 7 mechs now! And unlike figurines, I'm not afraid of handling them. Even if an arm falls off, I know I can just put it back.

Best part is, it's making me more confident about tackling my Warhammer pile of shame too. Maybe I'll even manage to paint tiny toy soldiers I'm actually happy with!

[reversemoon255]

LEGO Transformers Bumblebee

I built the LEGO Optimus Prime back in October '22, so when they announced they were doing a Bumblebee as well, I was pretty excited. I knew it was gonna be smaller, but that also means less expensive, which is a plus. My mom is also a big fan of the VW Beetle, so this might be the set I get her for Christmas. (It's become normal for us to exchange Lego sets.)

As for it as a set, let me take you back to Oppy's build for a second: The Optimus Prime build was you building a robot that can turn into a truck, and it feels like it. Optimus really prioritized the robot mode, and is quite a bit more posable than Bumblebee because of it.

Bumblebee's is building a car that turns into a robot, which is inherently more interesting from a construction perspective. It also allows each set to be its own experience, which is good when you're most likely expected to build both.

Overall, as I did say I was planning on getting this one for my mom, I can also say I recommend it. While Optimus has a better robot mode, the overall construction and transformation for Bumblebee I find more interesting. It's also cheaper. I don't really expect them to do a Megatron or anything, but if they did I'd most likely grab one. I've had a fun time with the two they've done, and would be interested to see how a third iteration would work.

[morroodle]

Legoland day 1!

It was supposed to rain today but it was fine in the morning, a lil misty but nothing too bad. Started pouting after lunch though and we ended up leaving early but it was still decently fun. The theme park was smaller than I expected but that's ok, less strain on my legs (fuck you chronic pain). Theres a special ninjago weekend event going on so theres more ninjago than normal and at each activity you get a sticker and once you get 5 you get a prize but I am determined to get them all

Here's what we did:

Went on the lego factory ride. It was alright but I lost my water bottle and we had to stop and turn off halfway through cause of some baby so that probably made things worse (dw I got my water bottle back at the end of the day)

Went on the ninjago rides which were kinda underwhelming but still fun

My family abandoned me in the ninjago gift shop but it was like candyland in there

Got THOROUGHLY distracted by the ninjago playground thing they had. It was like 2 cubes at an angle and the inside was a maze also at the same 45° angle and it was a ton of fun I will be going back in there tomorrow

Split up from my sister and dad cause the show going on outside the ninjago ride was too loud for her (kinda too loud for me too but I needed the sticker)

Helped build a giant serpentine so I could get a sticker

There were these lil scavenger hunt type things, one about which weapon each ninja uses and one about a secret phrase ninja must live by (never put off until tomorrow...) but I already knew the answers so they just gave me the sticker

Took a picture with Lloyd! There was like no line and he was so goofy looking and I high fived him

(Exiting the ninjago area) went on my first real roller coaster (don't make fun of me I know I'm a pussy) and had a ton of fun. It wasn't too intense and it was pretty short but it was a blast and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow

Met back up with the rest of my family for lunch. I had the saddest school-quality sliders and stole some of my mom's actually good french fries. Sister got a MEAT STICK (giant turkey leg) which appearantly had a sauce that was made with coca cola

Went into lego city where my sister played one of their Carnival games and got a lil axolotl plushie as a prize then made me carry it because I'm the only one who thought to bring a decent sized bag

Went to go see the 4d ninjago show but they had absolutely no information about what time it was at so we ended up seeing lego mythica instead which I did not care for

Went to the pirate area and looked around but it was raining heavily so we couldn't really do mucu

Went back to the theater and ACTUALLY saw the 4d ninjago thing. It had similar energy to the wu's teas clips, especially the ones where they drink the teas they shouldnt. The main gimmick of the 4d thing was spraying water in my face which got old really fast

Headed back to the ninjago area to see a show that was canceled due to the rain and learned that another show and the dance party were also canceled. Did still get the stickers for the other 2 though :D

I wanted to play the ninjago carnival games cause there was a prize I really wanted (NINJA ORB) only to discover that it was not what I thought it was. I thought it was a giant fluffy plush sphere with a lil ninja face on it but turns out it was actually a rubber ball with a fluffy skin. I was heartbroken. Tried to win it anyways but it's harder than it looks. I might get it tomorrow then take it home, pop the ball, skin it and stuff it to be what I wanted but idk.

Got a super cool sexy limited edition collectors item ninjago legoland ny cup for way too much money

Headed back to the entrance to meet up with the other part of my family in The Big Store and then proceeded to loose them in The Big Store. My dad and sister both got giant really expensive lego sets and my mom got the lego Orchid set. I got a croissant.

Overall the day was ok but could have gone much better. I'm glad I'm headed back tomorrow cause there's alot of stuff I couldn't do due to the rain and also I still need to buy stuff. There's a few thing that really stood out to me but I'm not sure exactly what I'm gonna get. My dad really wanted the giant lego flowers they have around the park but alas they do not sell them. Now we're just chilling in the hotel room letting our clothes dry until dinner. I'll let yall know how tomorrow goes. Gonna put all the pictures from both days in a different post because this one is plenty big enough already.

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

I like intrinsically want all the new Sonic lego sets, right. But fuckin. Money is a thing. And physical space is a thing since my room’s quite small and has a lot of stuff in it. So I very much need to dial back and get something specific if I want anything at all. Which then raises the hell that I don’t actually like most of the sets all that much? The fact that they’re all mostly just disconnected chunks of stuff isn’t really my style, and then like 3 of them are designed for that speed sphere thing I have a negative amount of interest in. Like really any singular set here isn’t really that appealing, especially for the price points.

But then if I am gonna try narrow it down anyway, because I still fundamentally like the idea of Sonic Lego sets, what set am I going for?

Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge is off the table - it’s the most expensive and the only things I’d really care for from it are the Eggman mech plus his and Amy’s minifigures. Those minifigures are available in other sets anyway, and everything aside from that is either sorta cool but not £100 cool, or just not something I really care about.

Speed Sphere Challenge exists in this weird zone of seeming appealing for being by far the cheapest, but then the DJ kit and Chaos Soda fridge are like the only parts I think are actually quite cool. The rest is fairly eh.

Death Egg Robot seems okay? I like the actual Death Egg Robot itself which looks like the main part of the build, plus it’s the other avenue for an Eggman minifigure and even comes with a tiny Cubot which is cool, but again there’s so much disparate junk and the speed sphere thing and it’s still one of the more expensive sets so like, idk man.

Tails’ Workshop is I think one of the more appealing ones to me, because it’s on the cheaper side, I get a Tails minifigure, and by far the coolest part to me is getting the Tornado. I actually like, want the Tornado standalone more than any other thing in any of these waves. The Tornado is sick. I can’t actually stress enough how much I love the Tornado and how cool the Lego Tornado looks. But then, ah, I just don’t really care about the rest of the set, yet it’s so much of the price? The Buzz Bomber looks rough and then Tails’ actual workshop is so small and separate from everything that it’d just feel like a paperweight. I’d still maybe consider this one because of the Tornado but like, argh, you know?

I think Animal Rescue Island is definitely the most appealing set overall to me. Compared to the other ones being a bunch of scattered pieces that feel very eh over all, this is actually just a whole complete island thing. And a fairly neat looking one at that! It also gets me a Tails and Amy minifigure and considering I already have a Sonic minifigure from the initial Green Hill Ideas set, I’d feel yk pretty good about the minifigures I’d have, although not having an Eggman minifigure is depressing but that’s like money still, you know how it is. This set’s also still in a relatively comfortable price range. Doesn’t really have any drawbacks and it’s a pretty cool set, I think it’s just that it’s not literally the most appealing possible set they could’ve come up with.

So I mean yeah idk I’ll. Probably buy Animal Rescue Island if any and see if I can’t work some other magic to get a standalone Eggman minifigure and even aim for getting the Tornado alone without Tails’ workshop. Or I’ll splurge and buy Animal Rescue Island and the Workshop? Maybe I’ll also pussy out and buy Speed Sphere challenge since it’s the cheap one. Idk. I shouldn’t be that surprised that these new sets are more kids and play focused than the Green Hill Ideas set - so compared to like nice displays there’s a lot more “you make your own fun” type things. Not gonna criticise that whatsoever, like duh obviously do that - but at the same time it does make it less appealing to me specifically and that’s why I will pass up on like most of these sets. I mean I don’t know how well I communicated this but I definitely feel like at least getting a minifig of every character is important to me. With Sonic I like the characters more than the locations and specific pieces of iconography so, minifigs are good for that. But then I still want cool iconography and junk so that’s the appeal of the Tornado. Perhaps if these sets do well we’d get more waves as it were, and suddenly I can just buy Lego Sonic sets that feel the most cool to me instead of worrying about whether or not I want to collect everything. Idk. We’ll see. If I do end up buying one of them I’ll post about it anyway soooooooo

[animationstoriestochill]

Princess Iron Fan (1941)

The first asian animated movie

So here's a funny story of mine: during the pandemic two of my friends became obsessed over the show "Lego Monkie Kid" and because it became a hyper fixation to them they, naturally, got me into the show as well and god was I hooked as well and became a fixation for me too.

It's a gorgeous show, one that I heavily recommend but this story is not about that show because while I did know the entire show was based on the book "Journey to the West" I didn't know until looking at a list of released films during the 40's, is that a certain character of the show had not only an animated film but even held the crown for being one of the most important animated films in history.

This is the story of the animated movie of Princess Iron Fan

A dream among the war

In 1937 China was in complete caos. The Japanese started to conquer parts of China in an attempt to get more territory, this lead to the Shanghai War (August 13, 1937 to November 26, 1937). This war lead to many casualties, from civilians to buildings, people were quickly displaced in order to evade the war. Four of these people were the Wan Brothers: Guchan, Laiming, Chaochen and Dihuan.

Now the brothers were interested in animation and were mainly inspired by American cartoons and have even made some animated shorts like "Uproar in the Studio" (1924) and "The Camel's Dance (1935) which was the first animation with sound in China. So they had more than enough skills to create a full length film and when "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" came out in 1937 they were determined to create if it wasn't for the fact that, well, China was in war. When the war broke out 3 of the brothers left Shanghai and fled to Wuhan while the youngest of the four, Dihuan, stayed in Shanghai to help family. During their time in Wuhan, the three brothers started working for the China Motion Pictures Studio to make anti Japanese propaganda but when things became less stable in Wuhan and some film company were back in business the brothers decided to return so they could finally make a film. And then Chaochen decided to stay in Wuhan.... So now the two brothers, Guchan and Laiming returned to Shanghai to make their film and oh wait they are still in war. Originally the brothers wanted to make a fully colored animated film of "Uproar in Heaven" but the price for film became incredibly expensive so that idea was scrapped and that resulted in:

Princess Iron Fan's production

With over 300 workers on the film and a total of 20,000 drawings in the end you would think that production went smooth sailing right?

Okey so there were a lot of problems the brothers faced

Problem number 1: The crew

Here's the thing about being the first in something, it means no one else knows how to do that thing. While the people working in the studio knew something about art non of them knew how to animate, so while the brothers were doing stunning shots for the movie, the trainees fell short this lead to two things

Guchan had to supervise the animators and even provide training so that the production could reach Disney standard

They had to make models so that animators could use as reference by placing the figures inside a replica of the set which means buying more things = using more money

Problem number 2: War

Yeah it's pretty obvious that the war was the mayor roadblock of the brother's career. War made not only film expensive but the materials to make it expensive, this crucial because in order to complete the movie they needed two things: A rotoscope, which allowed animators to trace the movements of prerecorded live action film to make the movement in humans look more natural and smooth. And a Multiplane camera, so that they could move not only the background accordingly to the story but also create more dynamic scenes with the background like being able to zoom in or out on the environment.

Problem number 3: Who is even going to watch it?

Shanghai was deserted compared to how it usually was (for obvious reasons) leading to the fear that the film was going to fail to the point that even their investor, Zhang Shangen, wanted to leave the project completely.

And yet against all odds on November 19th, 1942 the movie was premiere in the Metropol and Astor Theatre cinemas in Shanghai. And it became a success.

The story is very simple compared to the beast that is the novel of Journey to the West. Basically the monkey king, Sun WuKong, and some villagers went to Princess Iron Fan asking to borrow her fan to put out a fire that was spreading. Iron Fan refuses leading to WuKong fighting her and making things even more complicated when the Bull King, Iron Fan's husband, get involved. In the end WuKong gets the fan and saves the village.

Not all stories have a happy ending....

Unfortunately though, the brothers would never be able to make another breakthrough in the animated industry again. While they did make eventually "Uproar in Heaven" in the 1960's and Disney offering them an invite to his studio. The majority of the films the brothers wanted to produce and even started were either destroyed by the war or did not have the budget for it. They also refused Disney's invitation to join him in the USA leading to now the brothers being not very known by people in the West. While I truly don't doubt that they are probably very well known in China, it's honestly a shame that they didn't get the recognition they deserved considering everything they went through to make it but well that's just how the story of the first asian animated movie "Princess Iron Fan" ends. Until next time (watch lego monkey kid btw)

References

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1014051 https://www.jiemian.com/article/656867.html https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/1/18/the-world-of-movies-princess-iron-fan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wan_Laiming#Achievements

[uncommon-etc]

I know right! What depresses me most is that so many of these posts come from people in their late teens and early 20s (why so cynical already young un's?) who aren't even old enough to remember what life was like before the tories.

I'll be the first to say that I've liked, and trusted, nearly every Labour leader since 1935 except Blair. I'd trust that man as far as I could throw him, and I'll never forgive him for throwing away the goodwill of a significant portion of the electorate on a stupid war in the middle east which destabilised a whole region. The PFI stuff wasn't so great either, but...

I had just started school when Blair won the landslide in '97, and from then until I left school the year the tory-libdem coalition arrived to stamp on all my dreams of an affordable university education, things actually did get better.

We went from being taught in prefab huts where the roof leaked and there was no heating in the winter, to shiny new school extensions with double-glazing and textbooks that weren't 20 years out of date. Because teachers could afford new books, we could read texts by contemporary authors, including those under-represented on the current curriculum, instead of just reading Of Mice and Men for two years like schools do today.

Though the rightwing press did everything they could to demonise benefits claimants, the process was still relatively humane. You could speak to an actual human on the phone at your local jobcentre, and they would show you a list of local vacancies, instead of telling you to go away and sign up for Universal Credit online and come back in five weeks when you were destitute. If someone needed to claim JSA or ESA, they weren't penalised for doing so, and a couple claiming either could get about £800 a month, and housing benefit to cover their rent.

My hometown had five libraries, many public attractions like museums, art galleries, and botanical gardens were completely free, because they were heavily subsidised. Three of those libraries have closed now and the others have had to start charging for DVD rentals, meaning expensive foreign films that those on low incomes could never afford in HMV are still out of reach.

And, being Scottish, I got to watch as we got our own parliament for the first time, an actual seat of power that wasn't 500 miles away from the lives and experiences of everyone I knew. I actually attended a debate there in 2009 about whether devolution had been a success. This was because under the last labour government, state schools had debate teams, and swimming pools, and trips to places other than the local rubbish dump or abbatoir. There was no assumption that just because your parents weren't paying for your education that you deserved less than the children of the rich.

I know that everyone who had a half-decent childhood can have their judgement clouded by nostalgia, but it isn't just white malteasers and belville lego that I miss about the 00s, it's having a government that actually fixed things for the people who paid their salaries.

(Also if you were born between 2002 and 2011, the government literally set up a trust fund for you and put a grand into it, if you didn't know this, go and check right now, it was one of the first things the tories scrapped when they got into power, but you can still claim yours even if your parents never paid anything extra into it.)

Buzzing for a general election. Not so buzzing that every social media timeline is going to be filled with middle-class white girly pops saying 'Labour are no better' whilst the over 4 million children living in poverty in the UK right now might like the option of finding out xoxo

[shivamthakrejr]

Almost 40% of domestic tasks could be done by robots ‘within decade’

A revolution in artificial intelligence could slash the amount of time people spend on household chores and caring, with robots able to perform about 39% of domestic tasks within a decade, according to experts.

Tasks such as shopping for groceries were likely to have the most automation, while caring for the young or old was the least likely to be affected by AI, according to a large survey of 65 artificial intelligence (AI) experts in the UK and Japan, who were asked to predict the impact of robots on household chores.

But greater automation could result in a “wholesale onslaught on privacy”, warned one of the report’s authors.

Ekaterina Hertog, associate professor in AI and society at Oxford University, called for a public debate about privacy in an era of smart technology, “where an equivalent of Alexa is able to listen in and sort of record what we’re doing and report back”.

Society needed to be alive to the issues raised by homes full of smart automation, she said, adding: “I don’t think that we as a society are prepared to manage that wholesale onslaught on privacy.”

She argued that, if realised, more automated help could help improve gender equality, because women still bear the burden of the majority of unpaid work. In the UK, women do more than twice as much unpaid work as men, while in Japan men do less than a fifth of the unpaid work done by women.

But she told the BBC that the expense of technology meant the use of household robots could also lead to “a rise of inequality in free time” - with only richer households able to afford the technology.

The experts involved in the research, published in the journal Plos One, estimated that only 28% of care work, such as teaching or accompanying a child, or caring for an older relative, would be automated. But they predicted that 60% of the time spent on shopping for groceries would be cut.

However, predictions about robots taking over domestic work “in the next 10 years” have been made for several decades, but the reality of a robot able to put out the bins and pick lego up from the floor has remained elusive.

Hertog compared the optimism about domestic robots to that surrounding self-driving cars. “The promise of self-driving cars, being on the streets, replacing taxis, has been there, I think, for decades now – and yet, we haven’t been able quite to make robots function well, or these self-driving cars navigate the unpredictable environment of our streets. Homes are similar in that sense,” she said.

Read Here : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/23/almost-40-of-domestic-tasks-could-be-done-by-robots-within-decade

[techy-guy]

Almost 40% of domestic tasks could be done by robots ‘within decade’

A revolution in artificial intelligence could slash the amount of time people spend on household chores and caring, with robots able to perform about 39% of domestic tasks within a decade, according to experts.

Tasks such as shopping for groceries were likely to have the most automation, while caring for the young or old was the least likely to be affected by AI, according to a large survey of 65 artificial intelligence (AI) experts in the UK and Japan, who were asked to predict the impact of robots on household chores.

But greater automation could result in a “wholesale onslaught on privacy”, warned one of the report’s authors.

Ekaterina Hertog, associate professor in AI and society at Oxford University, called for a public debate about privacy in an era of smart technology, “where an equivalent of Alexa is able to listen in and sort of record what we’re doing and report back”.

Society needed to be alive to the issues raised by homes full of smart automation, she said, adding: “I don’t think that we as a society are prepared to manage that wholesale onslaught on privacy.”

She argued that, if realised, more automated help could help improve gender equality, because women still bear the burden of the majority of unpaid work. In the UK, women do more than twice as much unpaid work as men, while in Japan men do less than a fifth of the unpaid work done by women.

But she told the BBC that the expense of technology meant the use of household robots could also lead to “a rise of inequality in free time” - with only richer households able to afford the technology.

The experts involved in the research, published in the journal Plos One, estimated that only 28% of care work, such as teaching or accompanying a child, or caring for an older relative, would be automated. But they predicted that 60% of the time spent on shopping for groceries would be cut.

However, predictions about robots taking over domestic work “in the next 10 years” have been made for several decades, but the reality of a robot able to put out the bins and pick lego up from the floor has remained elusive.

Hertog compared the optimism about domestic robots to that surrounding self-driving cars. “The promise of self-driving cars, being on the streets, replacing taxis, has been there, I think, for decades now – and yet, we haven’t been able quite to make robots function well, or these self-driving cars navigate the unpredictable environment of our streets. Homes are similar in that sense,” she said.

Read Here : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/23/almost-40-of-domestic-tasks-could-be-done-by-robots-within-decade

[leam1983]

On Sessler

I don't get the guy.

So G4's rebirth failed spectacularly, as you all know. It wasn't needed, it worked off of an outdated format and I, a lifelong Progressive, will freely admit that they pulled the most basic-ass, predictable cards in the deck. Frosk's rant wasn't wrong in its context, but it felt like the last twenty years' worth of discourse hadn't happened and Olivia Munn was still clutching a mic in front of a camera.

Welp, Sess went on another Twitter meltdown and more or less expectorated on what he feels is an audience that's betrayed him. He wants to come across as the martyrized high-brow analyst of the art form that's beset with thuggish rubes from the trenches of the Doritos-and-Mountain-Dew Corps, but it just doesn't click.

Seeing him screech online, I was reminded of all the frustrated wannabe Postgrad alumni I've worked with whose features constricted at the slightest provocation, and who'd then find supposedly advanced, but actually entirely sophomoric ways of landing put-downs. You know the type: they take Dark Academia far too seriously, wonder why they're the only ones with expensive Moleskine notebooks and attend Pop Culture Studies lectures at the Postgrad level because they're a requirement of the Master's Degree program. They really rather we went anal over the latest hot-button counter-cultural theorist when the name of the class more or less translates as "Get out your Potter books and your Weyland-Yutani-issued pulse rifles, 'cause shit's gonna get nerdy."

Picture one of these guys going from disinterest to blatant disgust over a little over six weeks, because some girl who's still stuck on Anamanaguchi decided to use The Walking Dead as a vector for her long years of literary observation. Picture them having the nerve to stand up and start a diatribe in the middle of the one class on campus where the closest other guy to the type of student they are's actually overdosed on Alighieri because he played the EA-published video game on PS3.

That's basically Adam Sessler, as of recently. Frothing at the mouth, jabbering away at all the CoD-bros he's never hung out with, likely reliving the halcyon days of his likening BioShock Infinite to Samuel Beckett's output.

I don't get that.

Yes, there's cultureless hacks in the medium. Yes, some people look like their K/D ratio eventually came to become the one dominant facet of their personality. Yes, there's former potentates of twitch reflexes and vaunted quickscoping heroes who haven't caught on to the fact that aging slows you down. The sick shots you landed in your teens get insanely hard to put out in your twenties, unless you relentlessly train for it. Yes, these people tend to mask a sense of inadequacy with toxicity.

The thing is, they don't matter. I game in Single Player, or on closed servers my friends and I administrate. We catastrophically fail and simultaneously laugh it up, then pick ourselves back up and go back to fragging. Whenever shooters get involved, pot usually enters the picture. Try quickscoping when half of your brain is busy coming up with a constant parade of brain farts.

I also don't let my past define my hobbies. I don't need to analyze everything I like. Not everything needs to have narrative value. There's days where all I fucking want is to skip the tutorial and campaign cinematics and build the worst Goldfinger lair ever in Evil Genius 2. There's days where all I want is One Finger Death Punch on Survival mode.

There's days where all I want is Mortal Kombat. As in, the shitty one on SNES. I am under no obligation to be high-brow.

It would help if some journalists remembered that.

Oh - and yes. I do still call myself a gamer. The label fits, as I don't simply pick up a controller when I'm at someone-or-other's house. That's it. It's the same reason why someone who's serious about Lego builds could consider themselves a model maker, or why the term maker came to define anyone who has a valid excuse to go for Prusa's top-shelf extruder, if not two or three more 3D printers.

[mocsmarket]

★ Komatsu D155S Crawler Loader B-Model for the LEGO CAT D11 42131 Let me introduce you to the biggest Crawler Loader ever built! ➠ Built only from parts of LEGO CAT D11! ➠ no additional parts needed! ➠ Full RC ➠ uses C+ Hub and PU Motors ➠ All functions work directly and simultaneous! ➠ no waiting for the transmission to shift! ★ Instructions 483 Steps on 296 Pages Easy to follow and clear  Still challenging on some points to make the build as fun as possible modular building / building in submodels Includes color coded wiring for the motors Includes how to set up "Controlz" app to operate the machine Of course it also can be operated with Brickcontroller 2 App (Lego Control+ app does not work. It can be driven and you can raise/lower the bucket with CAT D11 interface on C+ app, but not tilt the bucket, as one Motor is used for transmission on the CAT D11) ★ Features / Size Powerful driving / steering Raising and Lowering the Bucket Tilting the Bucket Openable doors Running V10-Engine Easy access to change batteries Length:     46cm Width:       24cm Hight:        25cm / 40cm when bucket raised Scale:       1:17 (fits all big scale trucks like Arocs 42143) It can load the Volvo Dump Truck with ease A little History of the Komatsu D155S: Komatsu realized in the 1970s that it needed larger bucket volumes for loading. The CAT 983 had since it's market appearance in 1969 a more than 4.0 m³ bucket (which is way larger than today's 973 D has). With an operating weight of 32 tons, the CAT 983 is already a big hunk. Komatsu took things up a notch with the release of the D155S-1 in 1977. To improve productivity on job sites, it was important to reduce the number of loads on large dump trucks. Many sites had switched to dump trucks of up to 32 tons, and the development of large loaders had fallen behind.  At over 42 tons and a 5.0 m³ bucket, it was then and still is to this day, the largest loader crawler ever built in the world! On top of that, the 350 horsepower was necessary to make it comfortable in its terrain. It was also thirsty. However, it was soon realized that the colossus was a real chain eater. More than 40 years ago, such monsters were in use in Tyrol during the construction of a large dam. Witnesses at the time reported that the undercarriage and running gear had to be replaced every year. It did not manage more than 2,000 operating hours. From the 42 tons downright ground, especially the guide wheels in front, there is the main load. Because when the bucket was so really full, she became very top-heavy. Hence the additional weight at the rear- as seen in many pictures. With such loads, the last order was to drive back and forth and let the trucks maneuver. The work on the dam was enormous, during construction the largest sieve house in Europe was operated there and delivered an hourly output of over 1,200 tons! There were no improvements made over the years on the D155S. Production finally ceased in 1989, and to date 234 machines have been produced and sold worldwide, 32 of them to Europe.  Since the 90s, wheel loaders came more and more to the fore. Faster, more efficient and less expensive. The theme around large crawler loaders was over... But they still are one of the coolest machines out there and still in use in some places. #legocustominstructions #legoinstructions #lego #legomoc #legomocs #moc #iinstructions #custom #legocustom #mocs #mocsmarket

[melanielocke]

Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 25

AO3

Taglist: @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised@alastair-appreciation-month

Previous Chapter: Chapter 24

Next Chapter: Chapter 26

Uncle Jem had brought several of the Carstairs family’s old notebooks, and the past week they’d spend studying them to see if there was anything interesting. They’d rescued Grace, but no one had been able to find Tatiana since, nor did they know what they were up against exactly and if they could defeat it. Cordelia believed cortana could kill it, but walking in with no plan would just get them all killed.

Thomas felt like they were running out of time. He hadn’t told anyone yet, but he felt tired lately, much more than usual. For Alastair that was normal, he guessed, Alastair was always tired and therefore Thomas had no reason to complain. Still, it was odd and sudden. Then he’d gotten a bit of a headache, and right now he struggled to finish his lunch, which was already much smaller than what he usually ate. He’d eaten much less than he usually did the past days, truth to be told. He just didn’t have the same appetite. He was feeling a little chilly too, but guessed he should just put on a cardigan.

‘Are you alright, Tommy?’ his mother asked. ‘You’ve been eating so little lately.’

‘Just nervous, that’s all,’ Thomas said.

The thing was, Thomas didn’t usually eat less when he was nervous. If anything he ate more, he’d always been a stress eater. Instead he figured he was coming down with something. Someone else might just have said, ‘I think I’m getting sick, I’m going to rest a bit’, but after a childhood of frequent illness and worrying parents Thomas couldn’t get the words over his lips. He’d make sure to rest a bit more, he told himself. But he didn’t want to worry anymore, and he especially didn’t want his parents to start taking care of him like they used to when he was young.

Instead, he returned his attention to Alastair, who had long finished eating and gone outside to read. A ray of sunlight fell on his cheek, illuminating his warm golden brown skin. His eyes were fixated in a journal so old it looked like it might fall apart any moment. Not in Alastair’s careful hands though. He was holding the journal with meticulous care, so no damage would come to it. With his free hand, he pushed a lock of hair behind his ear, but it was not yet long enough to stay there so it fell back in front of his face. Back in school, Alastair would slick his hair back with hair gel, always perfectly in order, not a hair out of place. Thomas, who usually took a comb through his hair and left it at that, had wondered where he found the time. Now it was falling in soft wavy locks over his face. At school Thomas would never have guessed Alastair’s hair was wavy, but it was loose now and Thomas had grown to love gently running his fingers through it. He’d always loved Alastair’s dark hair, he thought. Alastair had shown him a picture from when he’d dyed it blonde, and although that looked alright, Thomas thought his dark hair was much more beautiful.

‘Anything interesting?’ Thomas asked, sitting down on the bench next to Alastair.

A gnome came up to his feet. Thomas and his mother had been feeding them to gain their trust, and not long since the gnomes had learnt that Thomas meant a chance for food. He guessed there were still plenty of cookies he didn’t feel like eating at the moment anyway, but he also wasn’t motivated to go into the kitchen and get anything. Thomas guessed resisting that adorable smile was good practice for when he got pets.

‘Nothing yet,’ Alastair said. ‘But I think I’m getting to the part that described that witch. It might give us some clues about what else Lucie can do.’

‘Have you discussed with Cordelia where you’ll live after the summer?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair had confided in him that even if his mother managed to get back the house and could go and live there, he was considering moving in with uncle Jem for the time being. His father’s house held too many bad memories, and Thomas could understand it would not be good for his recovery to live there again. Alastair had not yet made a decision, but Thomas thought it might be good for him.

‘She has not yet decided what she’ll do,’ Alastair said. ‘She is a bit young to live without her mother after all. Besides, with our mother pregnant it would be better to have someone with her. If she doesn’t get the house back, I presume she would stay with Risa and with me gone there might be enough space for Cordelia as well. But I’m almost nineteen, I figured it might be time to move out. Even if I’m moving in with another relative instead of getting my own place.’

‘That’s just practical, living on your own would be expensive. Besides, Jem won’t be another parent, will he? So you’ll still get to practice your adulting skills in a relatively safe environment. Does Jem live far away from your mother?’

‘Completely different part of London, but still in the city,’ Alastair said. ‘Easy to travel to university from there. It’s a big house, so I’ll really have my own space and get to take care of myself, with Jem still there in case I can’t. I’ve lived there until I was about six. When I was still happy, there are no bad memories tied up to that place. I thought maybe I could be happy again there.’

‘Where does Jem live exactly?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair gently put the notebook away, closing it carefully and putting it down in his lap. He took his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, showing him a screen of google maps with a marker where Jem lived.

‘Oh, that’s not far from where my parents live,’ Thomas said. ‘Only a few stops with the metro. We live close to the station.’

‘I didn’t realize. Well, that’s convenient. Makes it easy to have sleep overs or go out together if we don’t live too far away.’

‘Precisely,’ Thomas said. ‘Would you like to go for a walk when you’re finished here? A short one, I am a little tired. But I’d like some fresh air.’

Alastair carefully bound up his notebook and put it on the table inside with the others, before coming with him.

‘It’s safer to bring Lucie,’ Alastair said. ‘In case we get trapped in between again.’

Alastair had a point, although Thomas would like some time alone with him. He was so busy at work all the time, ever since Jem had arrived he was preoccupied with the journals. Thomas missed their walks.

‘Alright, we’ll walk to uncle Will and aunt Tessa and ask her and Cordelia to come. I’m curious if uncle Gabriel and aunt Cecily are coming this way too. Jem said they were struggling to find a babysitter.’

‘Right, for little Alexander,’ Alastair said.

‘And Christopher,’ Thomas added. ‘My other cousin. He’s almost seven now.’

‘What’s he like?’ Alastair asked.

‘Different from Alexander, that’s for sure,’ Thomas said. ‘Alexander is a menace. Sweet, but fierce and hyperactive and if you don’t watch him for two seconds he’s swinging from the curtains somewhere. Christopher… he’s not as wild. He’s curious and is obsessed with science. He likes to do simple experiments, and we sometimes have to keep him from setting things on fire. I’m not sure he realizes “Don’t try this at home” applies to him as well. Fortunately, putting on a science show on tv usually keeps him from blowing anything up. Usually, my sisters and I babysit them when necessary, but he also adores uncle Henry, who is an inventor.’

It occurred to Thomas that Henry was Charles’ father. Sometimes children did not resemble their parents, he guessed. It had been a bit of a shock for everyone to learn that Charles had been Alastair’s former lover. Even if not everyone knew how awful he’d been to Alastair, they all had pieced together how much older Charles was. His father most of all had been horrified, since he’d known Charles since he was a baby. Thomas suspected he’d go confront Charles himself if Alastair hadn’t asked him not to. He knew Alastair was still ashamed of his past relationship and was still trying to make sense of it all. Thomas was glad he’d found trust in him and his parents, even if Thomas suspected Alastair still kept the worst of it to himself. Who could blame him? He wasn’t sure if Alastair finally believed his parents cared about him now, but at least he seemed to trust them which was a big step for Alastair. His mother had told him about her past and how she’d gotten her scar in an attempt to let him know he could talk about it and she understood.

‘As a child I had a phase where I liked science too,’ Alastair said. ‘I think I often had phases like that with different interests. When Cordelia and I were very young, we both loved architecture and played with all sorts of building toys and legos together. I also really liked math for a while. Then the animals from the forests in Devon. I lived there for a while in a small village. I think that’s when I grew a bit obsessed with hedgehogs.’

‘Christopher has been obsessed with science for some time now,’ Thomas said. ‘But we’ll see how it goes and what he’ll like in the future. He’s being assessed for autism and ADHD. He’s a sweet kid, but he struggles socially. Not a lot of friends unfortunately. I honestly think he prefers my company over his peers.’

‘I know what that’s like,’ Alastair said. ‘To be the child with the weird interests and never fit in with other children.’

‘You lived in Devon for a while. What was it like there?’

‘The scenery was amazing. The forests there are beautiful. The people… not so much, I prefer London.’

‘I lived in the countryside for a couple of years too when I was little, for my health. I think where I lived the people were nicer, more involved than in the city.’

Alastair made a face. ‘Not when you’re foreign and your mother wears a roosari. The people in Devon are mostly white. I don’t think Father really considered that when he moved us there, it was mostly about him. They might be kind if you’re part of their group, but they’re hostile to outsiders. Fortunately, we moved back after a couple of years.’

‘Ah, of course,’ Thomas said. ‘I’m sorry.’ He felt stupid for not considering that earlier.

‘Well, people are racist everywhere. But at least in London there are more people of color and people are at least used to the idea that not everyone’s white.’ My mother still gets dirty stares and comments for her roosari, but she’s not the only one who covers her hair. So while in Devon, I much preferred to spend my time in the woods looking for hedgehogs than with other people. I guess I still do.’

Thomas felt a bit numb in his head, shivering even if it wasn’t cold at all. Perhaps going for a walk wasn’t the best idea, but he wanted to spend some time outside just the same. He should have brought something warm to wear, was all. He wasn’t really sick, it was just not as warm as he’d expected. But Alastair wasn’t shivering at all, he seemed to enjoy the sun on his skin. Thomas did too but it didn’t bring him any warmth.

‘You need to go back for a cardigan?’ Alastair asked. ‘There are goosebumps all over your arms.’

‘Oh. No, I’ll be fine.’

Thomas felt faint in the head and by the time they made it to the Herondale’s house, his vision became a little blurry and he collapsed against the door. He was awfully nauseous yet didn’t feel like he was going to throw up. Alastair noticed his sudden movement and his reflexes were quick. He tried to catch him.

‘Why are you so goddamn heavy, Tom,’ he groaned, trying and failing to stop both of them from crashing into the door.

Leaning against Alastair and the door, Thomas pushed himself upright again, blinking a couple of times until he felt he could stand on his own feet again. Alastair’s soft fingers went from his cheek to his forehead, and Thomas immediately recognized what he was doing. It was the same thing his parents and sisters had done his entire childhood. If they didn’t have a thermometer at hand, they’d feel his forehead, his neck, and determine if he was allowed to go anywhere. Alastair was going to determine he was sick and then all that was left was for everyone to tuck him into bed and start taking care of him. Thomas had hoped to avoid that.

‘You’re burning up,’ Alastair said. ‘You should not be going outside, much less for a walk. Come, we’re here anyway, I’m sure you could use the couch.’

Alastair led him inside, one arm around his waist and the other in his hand, and packed him in blankets on the couch, fetching a thermometer and some paracetamol.

‘Alastair,’ Thomas said, trying to piece together words through the headache and light headedness.

‘Just let me get this,’ Alastair said, pushing the thermometer into Thomas’ ear.

‘Alastair,’ Thomas repeated.

’38,6,’ Alastair said. ‘Tom, you have a serious fever. Why didn’t you say anything? I’ll make you some tea, just relax.’

‘Alastair!’ Thomas yelled, startling the boy.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Please don’t. I can make my own tea, I can take my own temperature,’ Thomas said, trying to calm his breath. ‘I hate it when people take care of me. I told you about my sickness as a child. I don’t want things to be like that again, I don’t want to be taken care of. So please, don’t. Just let me do it.’

Alastair sat down next to him. ‘You were about to walk into the woods with a fever. I’ve seen how stubborn you are.’

‘Yes. I am stubborn. I didn’t realize it would be so bad. But please, let me make these mistakes by myself. I don’t want to be treated like a sick child again.’ Thomas paused, blinking away the tears in his eyes. He didn’t realize this would make him so emotional. ‘I always loved that about you, how you believed I could take anything. How you didn’t treat me as if I was fragile because I was small and used to get sick.’

Alastair sighed. ‘I was an ass to you, Tom. It had nothing to do with respect, or thinking you’re strong.’

‘I know, and it did hurt sometimes. But I loved that you believed I could take it. I knew you didn’t mean any of the things you said, and with me, it was always a bit more light hearted, teasing perhaps.

But you never forced me to go to bed and rest when I did not want it. Matthew grew up around me being sick all the time, and I think he learnt from a young age that I was fragile and to be taken care of. James too. But I never wanted that. I’ll rest, I promise. But I’ll make my own tea, alright?’

‘I’m sorry, Tom. You can make your own tea. Make some for me as well?’

Alastair settled onto the couch while Thomas went into the kitchen to put on the kettle, still wrapped in a blanket. He was too cold to go without it. While waiting for the kettle to boil, Thomas realized Alastair did have a point, he could barely stand upright. Still, he was determined to at least do this. If he wanted anything later, he could always ask Alastair. He picked out a selection of tea bags for Alastair and put in a herbal teabag for his own. Thomas didn’t believe herbal tea cured sickness, but it was worth a shot.

He settled back on the couch, wrapped the blankets back around himself and took two paracetamol, hoping that would at least lower the fever.

‘I really can’t believe you think of my being rude to you as something positive,’ Alastair said. ‘I made fun of your height all the time.’

Thomas shrugged from underneath the blanket. ‘I never minded when you called me pipsqueak or wee little Thomas, or, I don’t know, you had plenty to say.’

Alastair raised an eyebrow. ‘You certainly took your revenge.’

Thomas tried to find a comfortable position on the couch, blankets around him. Alastair did have a point with the paracetamol, and Thomas took two. Hopefully they’d lower his fever.

‘Perhaps I’ll start calling you pipsqueak,’ Thomas said. ‘The name suits you much better now.’

Alastair made an undignified sound. ‘I’m not that short.’

‘You’re plenty shorter than me,’ Thomas said. ‘I always kind of liked it, pipsqueak. It sounded sweet even if you meant it to be hurtful. Sometimes I feel like you never really did a good job at being mean anyway.’

‘I never wanted to hurt anyone,’ Alastair said, ‘and I did have a bit of a weak spot for you then. I can be even worse than what you’ve seen, but I save that for bigots.’

Thomas put his hand on Alastair’s cheek. ‘I always thought you were holding back on being mean, even if you could still be quite vicious. But pipsqueak is mine now.’

Alastair looked mortified. ‘I guess I can’t stop you, can I?’

Thomas lay down on the couch, head on a pillow. Why were all these blankets so small? His feet were still cold and he’d have to find a solution for that. Really, blankets should be made for tall people. Nobody short would complain about having a bit of leftover blanket.

‘It’s concerning, that you’re getting sick after all these years,’ Alastair said softly.

‘It’s nothing,’ Thomas said. ‘Everyone gets a fever every once in a while.’

‘I haven’t had a fever in years. Colds, at times, but rarely a fever,’ Alastair said.

‘You don’t get the flu?’ Thomas asked.

‘Not that I remember,’ Alastair said. ‘But I figured that’s just the age, as a child I would get the occasional fever like all children do, and I imagine I’ll get them again when I’m older.’

Thomas had gotten the flu a couple of time over the past years. Never anything serious or with abnormal frequency, but it had sent the entire family into a panic whenever it happened.

‘Please don’t tell my parents,’ Thomas said. ‘That I’m sick, I mean.’

‘How did you plan to keep it from them?’ Alastair asked.

‘Well, I was hoping I’d be better by the next morning,’ Thomas said. ‘I could sleep over here and then when I’m better pretend nothing happened.’

Alastair was skeptical. ‘I really don’t think you’ll feel better that soon, even if it is a normal flu.’

Lucie and Cordelia entered the room through the garden door, Cordelia turning her sword back into the familiar necklace. ‘Those are a lot of blankets,’ Lucie pointed out. She was right, and Thomas moved them around a bit so at least the biggest blanket would cover his feet, reaching up to his waist.

‘We wanted to revisit the ruins,’ Cordelia said. ‘See if there’s anything else that can give us information on Tatiana or the thief of souls. I was wondering if you would be coming.’

‘Thomas is sick,’ Alastair said.

‘Don’t stay behind on my behalf,’ Thomas said.

Alastair frowned. ‘You sure? I would gladly stay here with you.’

‘I think I’m going to get some sleep anyway,’ Thomas said. ‘Please don’t trouble yourself on my behalf. Go, I’ll still be here when you get back.’

‘Get well soon,’ Lucie said, putting her arms around him briefly. ‘You know how the tv works in case you want to watch a movie.’

‘I’ll be alright, Lu. Good luck with your mission.’

Thomas wanted to believe he had just caught the flu. Bad luck, nothing more. But perhaps that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he wouldn’t get better. Perhaps this meant they were running out of time.

[bog-mummies]

tysm for tagging me and giving me an excuse to talk about my boy <3

What is your Inquisitor's name?

Elihal Lefitte

Type of build/combat style?

Rogue (ranged) + templar

Is your Inquisitor close with his/her family?

Nope! He was given to the chantry when he was really young, so he barely remembers them.

Closest friend in the Inquisition?

Cullen. They're like brothers with how long they've known eachother.

Love interest?

Solas overall (though it doesn't become "official" til trespasser). Has a fling with Dorian for a while, as well as pre-justice Anders while he was in the circle.

Your three favorite traits your Inquisitor possesses?

1 - He's a liar, and I love it. He'll just say shit and people believe him. He uses this power for good. Mostly.

2 - This is blatant projection but my boy loves some good civil infrastructure. A good aqueduct is enough to give him (and me) an erection.

3 - He's pretty cosmopolitan, for a templar. He's familiar with cultures and languages in Nevarra, Orlais, Ferelden, The Free Marches, and he's somewhat familiar with qunari customs+language as well. He gets around.

Does he/she like to read?

Yes! I think he particularly likes mysteries, dusty philosophy books (more projection), and beginners guides for incredibly niche topics which he knows nothing about. And history books, to a somewhat lesser extent.

Can he/she cook?

He's an extremely mediocre cook.

Favorite season (spring, summer, fall, winter)?

I think he's an autumn girly. He would love the vibes. I think he would enjoy spending time in the forest just brooding about death or decay or some other moody shit.

What would your Inquisitor consider the perfect day?

wake up, bathe/groom self for three hours minimum (in another life he was a skincare girly), read a book while eating a fun little charcuterie board (plus fancy coffee), brood, argue with Solas, go to bed and sleep for 16 hours minimum.

Does he/she like the Game (and is your Inquisitor good at playing it)?

He enjoys the game and he's very good at it. Political bullshit is his whole thing.

Is your character good at Wicked Grace?

Yes, but he doesn't gamble often. I think he'd prefer to watch.

What will be his/her favorite memory from the Inquisition?

The wicked grace game with Varric and co. Or maybe all those times he argued with Solas.

What's one regret your character has?

Allowing Meredith's abuses to go on for too long while resisting too little. Also Anders. Just everything about Anders.

If an actor or actress were to play the role of your Inquisitor, who would you pick?

Freddy Carter, but maybe if I could make him look less... cunty. Hal's got more of a wet cat vibe.

What would your Inquisitor's childhood dream have been?

Growing up to be a holy prophet, righting wrong wherever he went, beloved by all (or at least most - after all, every hero needs adversaries to defeat). Funny how that worked out.

Is his/her life anywhere close to that dream?

Take a wild guess.

What's the hardest part about being Inquisitor for your character?

The way that people treat him like a symbol, not a person. It feels like he can't really have opinions, he can't care about people, he can't believe in anything, because people will make whatever assumptions about him they want, regardless of if they're true. He's used to being careful about the things he says, but not having the things he says be outright ignored or blatantly misinterpreted. It's infuriating.

Does your Inquisitor have any skills or talents others wouldn't expect?

He's an amateur sculptor+whittler and a more-than-amateur tinker. He also dabbles in architectural design. They don't exist in Thedas, but in another life he collected model trains and expensive lego sets.

What would be your character's ideal happy ending/HEA?

Solas chills the fuck out without doing weird shit to the veil and they both go back to Kirkwall (it doesn't even have to be Kirkwall. He'd thrive in any major city). Hal appoints someone else to rule while he gets a position as some sort of chief architect/civil designer with a nigh-unlimited budget. Solas does whatever he wants that doesn't involve destroying the world. They both live happily ever after and adopt a cat.

picture of the boy below:

something i've changed since this was drawn is that he has a cleft lip now! i think it's cute

credit to vahingoniloinenlapsi for drawing this for me <3 you're the only person, myself included, to have been able to draw his hair and it actually look good

thanks again for tagging me! if you'd like to answer the questionnaire yourself, i'd love to hear about your inquisitor!

Let's Get to Know Each Other's Inquisitors! 20 Questions

I don't know about you all, but I love getting to know other people's characters and seeing all the love they put into them.

Tag some friends and have them answer!

What is your Inquisitor's name?

Type of build/combat style?

Is your Inquisitor close with his/her family?

Closest friend in the Inquisition?

Love interest?

Your three favorite traits your Inquisitor possesses?

Does he/she like to read?

Can he/she cook?

Favorite season (spring, summer, fall, winter)?

What would your Inquisitor consider the perfect day?

Does he/she like the Game (and is your Inquisitor good at playing it)?

Is your character good at Wicked Grace?

What will be his/her favorite memory from the Inquisition?

What's one regret your character has?

If an actor or actress were to play the role of your Inquisitor, who would you pick?

What would your Inquisitor's childhood dream have been?

Is his/her life anywhere close to that dream?

What's the hardest part about being Inquisitor for your character?

Does your Inquisitor have any skills or talents others wouldn't expect?

What would be your character's ideal happy ending/HEA?

[beyscape]

Secrets

Ransom Drysdale x Reader

Summary: “Ransom Drysdale is the father of a child but he doesn’t know it” requested by @evansrogersmarvelcomic​

Word Count: 2010

Warnings: a swear word or two

A/N: No spoilers from the movie! The daughter’s name is Mary, just a lil’ reference to Gifted :’) Also, this has been one of my favourite prompts for a veeery long time, so thanks a lot for the request!

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3

  Ransom Drysdale was a selfish asshole. Everyone who had spent as little as five minutes around him could easily see this. His history with women, the way he felt a trail made of broken hearts and tears wherever he passed through and how he only cared about his own interests were all facts well known to you. Yet still, he wasn’t all bad, you had told your friends when they tried to stop you from a mistake. A mistake, they had called it, going out with Ransom never ended well. You assured them you would be fine, just having some fun with a hot, charismatic guy.

  It was strange, how the conversation with your friends when you told them you were dating Ransom kept playing in your head as you sat on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. The handle of the cabinet dug into your back uncomfortably, but you barely noticed the pain.

Deep down, you had always known that it wouldn’t last. So, the year and a half you spent with Ransom was a surprise to you, as well as those around you. It was an endless repeat of a cycle, dating Ransom. It would start exhilarating, from the breathtaking dates and the way he made you feel, like the only woman on earth. Next phase would be you inevitably being mad him, the fights were passionate and tiring. He was unable to admit that he was wrong, that he was being a complete jerk and paired with your stubborn nature it would take days to end the screaming match. Then would come the angry make up sex, whatever you were fighting about melting away. This cycle repeated for a little less than a year and a half, until you couldn’t take it anymore and broke things up for good.

 That was a month ago.

 Even though it was your decision to end things and knew that it was the best thing to do for the long run, you couldn’t help but feel a little heartbroken over the whole thing. Yes, you had known who Ransom was, but that didn’t change the fact that you still secretly hoped things would work out. That he would change. Just as a month passed and you started to feel better, to see clearly why you had to make that decision, it all came crashing down.

  Positive.

  You stared at the small stick between your shaking, cold hands. It was only supposed to soothe your worries as there was no way you were pregnant, just being paranoid, you had comforted yourself at the pharmacy. You were, however, very wrong, you realized with a startling halt as you turned over the three other sticks. All showed the result you dreaded.

  Positive.

  You dropped the stick next to the other ones on the floor, pulling your knees up to rest your head on them. You weren’t ready for this, a child was a huge responsibility, and the father wasn’t even in the picture- you cursed. Not only were you pregnant, you were pregnant with the baby of the one person who was absolutely not supposed to be more than some causal fun. After some hours of sitting in the same position, thinking through every possible outcome, you rose on your feet with determination.

  Many seasons passed since then, and in a blur you were the proud mother of a baby girl who now sat in front of you, playing with blocks of Lego. You watched as the five-year-old grabbed piece after piece to build a rocket, her mop of blonde hair too familiar. One last cruel joke from the man you tried so hard to forget, his daughter looked like a carbon copy of his, so you had to see the little face every day that reminded you of him. Never allowing you to completely forget the time you had spent together all those years ago now.

 You had moved out of the small apartment to a slightly bigger one, needing more space for all the things a baby brings into one’s life. You were still in the same area though, and a part of you was surprised at how well you kept your little secret. Some of your friends expressed their worries about your location, but after some thought you decided it would be too expensive to move over states. And after all, best hiding spots were always in plain sight anyways.

Those close to you knew who your daughter’s father was, but all of them made sure to never utter a word about it. Ransom Drysdale wasn’t really cut out for being a dad, it was just a simple fact. You knew too, and that was exactly why you had decided to keep him in the dark. Nonetheless, there was a part of you who wished one day, long into the future, he would get to meet his daughter.

You didn’t know how soon your wish would come true.

 It was a warm Sunday morning when you noticed you were out of milk and a trip to the grocery store was much needed. Your daughter, Mary, was thrilled at the idea and spent extra time making sure her dress had just the right amount of sparkles on it.

Maybe you had gotten too comfortable over the years, but you no longer felt the fear of running into Ransom every single time you left your house. But, you didn’t exactly hang out in the same circles even before you started dating him and become a mom. And there was also the fact that he most likely would be too busy to visit your local grocery store, instead he would be sleeping in after a night of drinking and maybe even bringing someone back to the whatever hotel he favoured at the moment. You pressed your lips together at that last thought. You had heard of him dating casually, seen pictures of him with different girls at different clubs, it was hard not to hear of Ransom Drysdale even when you did your best to avoid him. You shushed the part of you that was bothered with how fast he had gotten over you.

 “Don’t wander off.” You warned your excited daughter as you rolled the cart around. She gave you a smile, not straying from your side, watching you make progress with the list in your hands. As expected from a five-year-old though, she soon got bored.

 “Mommy,” Mary whined, tugging your hand, “Can I go and get cookies?” you noted the empty isle and the general quietness of the store before giving her a nod. You watched for another second as your daughter moved to the aisle across from you, skipping with the thought of cookies. You returned back to the long list.

–

  Ransom Drysdale took off his sunglasses as he entered the small store, wanting to grab something to snack on before he continued the drive for his grandfather’s house. He grimaced, not looking forward to seeing his family of hot messes, the hangover headache he was nursing not helping the matter at all. He sighed softly, making his way to find some cookies or something, to give him the energy he would need very much so in the coming hours.

  There he noticed a small blonde girl, trying to climb on the lower shelves with one hand reaching up, her tongue was out as she concentrated on her prize. Ransom snorted slightly before grabbing two packages of the chocolate chip cookies the small girl was so focused on getting. She looked up at him, Ransom stopped for a second as two very familiar eyes stared at him. He shook his head, many people had blue eyes.

“You’re gonna fall if you climb shelves.” He stretched out one of the packages. The girl just looked up at him, clearly hesitant. “Take it.” Ransom nodded.

“My mommy says not to talk to strangers, or get candy from them.” She retorted, still eyeing the cookies.

 “Your mommy sounds smart. So, should I put these back, or?” His lips curled a little at the corners as the girl grabbed them out of his hand. She muttered a thank you before running off. Ransom watched as she ran to the woman at the end of the other aisle, he had just turned around to leave when his head snapped back in recognition.

You were just about to cross of the last item when Mary came running with her favourite cookies clutched safely in her arms.

 “Mommy, I couldn’t reach so the nice man helped me.” She said, pointing before placing her precious cookies carefully in the cart. You raised your stare from your daughter’s figure to the man to thank him, and your eyes met with the one person you had been avoiding for the last six years. The can you were just about to place in the cart fell out of your hand, rolling away, sending Mary to catch it.

“What are you doing here?” you blurted out, your heart thumping in your chest loudly. Your eyes drifted to Mary who was so unaware of her mother’s panic, and then back to Ransom, standing only a few feet away. He eyed Mary too, the initial surprise in his eyes leaving its place for a stormy look.

 “So how old is she?” He asked, finally looking at you with squinted eyes as he put two and two together.

 “Ransom.” You breathed out and took a step towards him.

 “Answer me, Y/N.”

 “She’ll be six in a couple of months.” You gripped the metal cart, steadying yourself as you didn’t trust your feet.

  “Why the-” he exhaled sharply, his eyes drifting between you and Mary who know looked at him with big eyes that were too damn familiar, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Mommy?” Mary turned to you; her little face twisted with confusion.

“Ransom, please, not now. I,” you sighed, knowing there was no getting out of this one, “I promise I’ll tell you everything. But not now. Give me your phone, I’ll text you.” You babbled, words slipping out of your mouth as your hands shook ever so slightly, you held one out towards him.

“I have your number, if you didn’t change it.” He mumbled, crouching, his eyes never left Mary. You stared at him for a second, dumbfounded, you would think a man like Ransom would delete your number the second you slammed the door as you left, never to return again.

“What’s your name?” Mary’s eyes turned to you, searching your face. Upon seeing your small nod, she took a step towards the man.

“Mary.”

 “Nice to meet you, Mary.”

 You watched the whole thing unfold in front of you, your mouth slightly open. You had imagined this moment for so many times, over and over, yet the gentle expression on Ransom’s face was so… Foreign. Unexpected.

 “Come on, honey.” You scooped Mary up in your arms, unable to watch any more. Your gaze turned to Ransom. “I’ll text you.” You turned, feeling all sorts of emotions dance in your chest as you pushed the cart away with Mary, who turned her head back to where the man was still standing.

 Ransom stood there, watching the woman he had once loved, walk away with his daughter. His daughter. Family dinner would have to wait, as Ransom found it hard to walk away. He was still standing there, watching you place Mary into her car seat, when he felt something new in his heart. He gulped.

 Ransom Drysdale was a selfish asshole, but in that moment, he knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his daughter.

--------------------------

My GOD I suck at titles. Might write a part 2 if anyone’s interested! Also, my inbox is open for requests!

[missdawnandherdusk]

Pureblood!Slytherin x Draco Dating Headcanons:

Requested by the lovely @ghostlytoadalmondhairdo! Here you go, sweetie!!

As a pureblood, you grew up with Draco (Parties, gatherings, dreadful “playdates”). Everyone expected you to grow up and fall in love and you didn’t like Draco like that he was your best friend

And Merlin you two are dorky looking kids

You two start Hogwarts and you’re both in Slytherin and beaming because you’re with someone you know

okay but can you imagine going to Diagon Alley for the first time and getting wands together and books and everything else and just geeking out while you parents roll their eyes and sigh deeply

Draco has Crabbe and Goyle, and you have Pansy and Daphne and good lord you guys are terrifying to everyone else

You and your posse are a force to be reckoned with just like Draco and his posse but you’re not too keen on being ruthless (cue mean girls, you are the Regina George of Hogwarts)

Instead, you really give in to the tradition of being a proper lady you can hear your grandmother’s words in your head all the time. “Don’t slouch, stand up straight, elbows off the table, shoulders back head up, don’t be so loud, don’t walk so loudly, cross your ankles when you sit, punctuality is everything, that skirt is too short...” 

Which leads to a lot of people calling you princess as a taunt because you’re just so posh

And Merlin everyone at this school except for your fellow Slytherins is an imbecile with no class 

Even Draco who slips into foolish taunts and you just scoff and roll your eyes, not impressed. His smile falls because he misses you. You guys were once best friends and now it seems you’ve parted ways. So he tries to be a better person keyword: tries he loses all composure around Potter

Now he’s defensive. “I can outspell you any day, princess” He snaps. “Bring it, pretty boy” You draw your wand and he stops because he remembers the day you got the wand and how your eyes were shining and now he really misses you

And you miss him too. A lot. Pansy is constantly complaining that you need to go and talk to him but you were never good with words and you didn’t know if Draco wanted to talk to you.

All of your friends are screaming internally because you two just need to talk to each other is locking them in a closet together an option???

But instead, you taunt him, and he snarks back and now it's a competition and the whole school is frustrated and slightly scared because you and Draco are both very powerful and very mad at each other all the time and you do not want to get caught in the crossfire

“You can cast a Patronus?” “What like it’s hard?” Hello Elle Woods

Suddenly you’re not twelve anymore and neither is he and he looks a lot less dorky now... and have his eyes always been that blue? Have your lips always been the perfect shade of pink?

One day you’re snapping at Draco and it starts to turn into a Duel and everyone is just watching in shock and awe at you two going at each other

Somehow you end up inches away from in, nearly growling at another, and you see a glimpse of the little kid you used to know in his eyes 

and then you’re kissing him

a cheer goes up and Pansy yells “F*cking finally!” not that you care, you’re very distracted at the moment

Can you say couple goals? Also like can you imagine the sheer DBE between the three couples of you and Dray, Pansy and Daph, Theo and Blaise?

“Girls” night (that include you, Daph, and Blaise) with records and makeovers and “Blaise it’s not fair how do you get your eyeliner so perfect?” and talking trash about your significant others and telling embarrassing stories

“Guys” night (with Pans, Dray, and Theo) that are full of midnight Quidditch matches/flying and goofing off shenanigans and “Pans you have to tell me where you get your cologne”

Shopping trips together probably in Paris that are always over expensive and full of fashion advice from anyone and everyone. “No, Blaise you cannot wear navy and black, you’ll look like a bruise” “Draco put down the shiny cape” “Daph, we have to wear skirts, not ballgowns,” “Merlin Theo, those shoes with that shirt?” “Pansy you are not shaving your head stop thinking about it,” 

Going for dinner at fancy restaurants and having proper tea parties that end up with you all mocking your parents and its hysterical

Fifth-year comes and you can finally drop the uniform though you have to remind Daph that she can’t wear ballgowns everywhere but you’re allowed to wear dresses now hello fifties aesthetic and you and Draco look like you walked out of a catalog for Vouge

Can you imagine the Yule Ball? The utter prestige that your group radiates. You all know how to dance and you and Draco waltz across the floor that has girls jealous and guys wishing they could

But whenever you look at Draco you still see that dorky kid who knocked out his loose tooth with a handheld ornate mirror

The softer moments between the two of you where there aren’t expectations or tradition and you talk under the stars about dreams and wishes

He calls you princess now unironically. He’s still your pretty boy.

Behind every great man is no one. A great man knows a great woman stands next to him and is probably rolling her eyes at him 

You and Draco breaking harmless rules that still give you a thrill of rebellion: eating dessert before dinner, breaking curfew, walking barefoot outside, not ironing and folding your socks, not making your beds every morning, buying black nail polish, ruffling his coiffed hair at the end of the day and you see the same shining eyes as the boy you grew up with and stars do you love him

But you’re still posh together: horseback riding, playing the piano together, walking along the Manor grounds on Sunday strolls, hosting dinner parties, going to galas and balls, shmoozing just about everyone in the ministry, taking the dark mark together and having to go through that entire ordeal and realizing that maybe tradition on some things is wrong

Which causes a huge fight between you and Draco because you can’t get behind the Dark Lord anymore and he’s just so scared of anyone getting hurt because he doesn’t want to lose you. But in the end, he’s there with the right choice

The lot of you holding your heads high as you walk the halls of Hogwarts during and after the battle fighting for your true home and where your real family is

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