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calliemity · 8 months ago

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Little Shop of Horrors Pokémon Teams

Hi! I haven't mentioned it much on here, but I'm a massive Pokémon fan! And as I've been replaying Alpha Sapphire recently, I've been wanting to try and make some Pokémon teams for some LSoH characters. So that's what I'm doing now! (I might expand this into an entire Pokémon AU, who knows! Depends on if I have time.)

I've picked Seymour, Audrey, and Orin for this character exercise. While I probably could include other members of the cast, for the sake of my time, I'm limiting myself to 3 characters. And besides, the other popular characters aren't nearly as fleshed out in ways that I can use for Pokémon team-building.

For all three characters, I'll be giving them a full team of six Pokémon. While it'd be more realistic to give them less Pokémon, a full team lets me be more creative. Let me have this one thing!

For the actual team-building, I'm choosing their Pokémon mostly based on what relevance they would have to the person practically. Symbolism will be considered and incorporated, but it's second to practicality. Additionally, each character gets their own theme motifs, which helps me pick which Pokémon are the most relevant to them. I'm also going to describe what kind of Trainer they would be and how they would use and interact with their Pokémon!

And finally, while I will be describing relevant details about each Pokémon, this will probably be the most enjoyable for those familiar with Pokémon in some way. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Seymour

Main Types: Grass, Ghost

Motifs: Plants, vampiric dynamics, meekness, subversion, tragedy

I believe that Seymour would approach Pokémon like a researcher, not unlike a Pokémon professor. He'd take a specific interest in Grass types, so he'd catch and raise a variety of Grass types in order to research them. I think this interest would coexist with his interest in botany, so maybe he'd specifically research the connection between Grass types and actual plants? I don't think he'd be that passionate about battling, but he would battle Grass types against each other for research purposes and would therefore be pretty decent at it. I also think that he has other Pokémon in the PC, so the Pokémon I'm assigning him would be the ones he has around more often, or the ones he has on hand during the main plot.

Vileplume: Vileplume resemble a corpse flower, which is already perfect imagery for Seymour. Additionally, it is constantly emitting toxic pollen from its petals, which would negativity affect Seymour's health the more time he spent with it. I think he would have a Vileplume in order to study it, and he would have mixed feelings toward it. Perhaps he raised it from an Oddish into a Vileplume, so he feels that inherent bond, but he can feel the negative effect it's having on him in real time.

Gourgeist: Despite its cuteness, Gourgeist is an eerie and dangerous Pokémon. It's known to guide the living into the afterlife, therefore killing them. It's also known to grab potential prey with its hair-like appendages and sing while they struggle. Seymour would probably have a few Gourgeist (and a few Pumpaboos) of various sizes in order to study their differences. Maybe during the main plot, he can swap them out from smallest to biggest?

Lileep: After somehow getting his hands on a Root Fossil, Seymour would get the fossil revived by a scientist. Lileep, the Pokémon born from this, is an ancient creature that's been extinct for millions of years. When it was alive, it would latch itself to the seafloor and sway like seaweed, luring in potential prey. When it got a chance, it would lunge and swallow its prey whole. Seymour would be ecstatic to have the chance to study this ancient Grass type, but he'd be a little worried about the possible consequences of reviving something that hasn't been on Earth in a millenia...

Applin: A small, meek little Pokémon that hides in an apple for its entire life. The apple provides it food and protection from predators. Seymour would probably have one to research what kind of apples they prefer to reside in and the relationship between the Applin and its apple. He would have the means to evolve it, but he secretly dreams of presenting it to Audrey as a declaration of love, a tradition from the Galar region that he read about.

Tangrowth: Made entirely out of fast-growing vines, Tangrowth immediately grows back any lost limbs. Seymour would find its regenerative abilities fascinating and would test it out in multiple ways. He gives the vine cuttings to Audrey, who uses them to create faux-shrubs by discreetly tying them together. I would imagine his dynamic with this Tangrowth would be strained, since the majority of their interactions involve Seymour chopping or burning its arms off.

Litwick: While its Fire typing would contrast with his interest in plants and Grass types, I could definitely see Seymour having one in order to deliberately test Grass types against a type they're weak against. I also think he could have one as a companion, maybe to help provide light in his room? However, its entire gimmick is that it slowly drains the lifeforce of other living beings around it, all to keep its flame burning. Seymour would be unknowingly draining his lifespan when he spends time with it, not unlike how Audrey II drains his lifeforce in order to grow.

Audrey

Main Types: Normal, Fairy, Grass, Psychic

Motifs: Domestic, fashionable, dreams, passion, green

Audrey would almost exclusively have Pokémon as companions and to help her with her everyday tasks. She would always try to put aside time in the day to care for each one! I think she would become a skilled Pokémon groomer because of this, a skill she could maybe use later for extra income? She would know how to battle but wouldn't enjoy it and would probably avoid it at all costs. I feel strongly that seeing Pokémon fighting and getting injured would upset her, but she would try not to make her aversion obvious. She forms deep bonds with her Pokémon, learning their individual personalities and their preferences, and would help them as much as they help her. I can also imagine her giving each one their own heartfelt nickname!

Indeedee (Female): They feed off of positive energy, so they take care of and do chores for their Trainers in order to cultivate joy for them. Audrey's Indeedee would affectionately dote on her and help her with chores, both in her home and in the shop, and it would try to keep her happy in any way it can. I think they'll also mirror each other in the fulfillment they find in domestic activities.

Furfrou: Furfrou, aside from being fashionable Pokémon, are also a wonderful choice for protection. Furfrou were originally designated as the guardians of the king of Kalos. Audrey's Fufrou would be her loyal guard dog, protecting her from harm. I think she'd also enjoy getting it trimmed and styled in connection to her interest in fashion! I also believe she'd learn how to trim and style it herself, possibly inventing brand new Audrey-exclusive Furfrou trims.

Floette: This Pokémon is dedicated to growing and taking care of flowers. It uses its powers to help them prosper and thrive, so a Floette would be helpful for any florist. Audrey's Floette would help her in her florist job, keeping the flowers healthy and looking fresh, and maybe even aiding her in making arrangements. (I believe if she does escape Skid Row and moves to her dream home, like she does in the theatrical ending, she'll purchase a Shiny Stone to evolve it into a Florges. Florges dedicate their lives to protecting and nurturing gardens, so it'll help her with her actual garden and symbolically protect her home and her peace.)

Munna (Shiny): Munna feed off of people's dreams, so it would definitely stay with her thanks to her dreams and ambitions of somewhere that's green. They also eat nightmares, which would be very helpful if she has any trauma-related nightmares (which I'm very confident she does.) I chose a Shiny one for the aesthetic, it becomes decorated with green flowers notably. She'd be aware that her Munna is special, and perhaps out of fear, she would only reveal it to people she trusts entirely.

Bellossom: Like Audrey, this Pokémon thrives in sunlight. During long periods of cloudy weather, it does a dance ritual to try and summon the sun. I think this would mirror Audrey wonderfully, as she too blooms into herself when placed in a better, healthier environment. Practically, I think her Bellossom would aid her in her florist job, similar to her Floette. (There's also a parallel to Seymour's Vileplume, as both Pokémon evolve from the Pokémon Gloom. Bellossom evolves via a Sun Stone and Vileplume from a Leaf Stone.)

Alcremie (Vanilla Cream, Clover Sweet): This Pokémon is popular with pastry chefs because it can produce a very delicious whipped cream. It becomes sweeter and richer depending on how happy it is. Audrey would help her Milcery evolve into the Alcremie form that it wants, selecting both the flavor and the decoration for itself. Her Alcremie would happily help her when she's cooking or baking, and she'd always include at least a little bit of its whipped cream in her pastries. It would become her not-so-secret ingredient, elevating the taste of her sweets.

Orin

Main Types: Dark, Steel, Psychic

Motifs: Power, manipulation, tools, violence, teeth

Orin, like all good Pokémon villains, sees Pokémon as tools. He would pick his team based on strength and aesthetics, preferring Pokémon that match his sense of style and his values. He'd be very passionate about battling, too! His strength in battles would always be limited since he would never put any effort into actually building a bond with his Pokémon, but he makes up for it with calculated strategies. Thanks to his high income, he can also afford to professionally train his Pokémon and give them supplements to help boost their stats (aka their EVs.) His battle style is very, very tricky; he definitely fights dirty, making use of status moves, items, and unexpected abilities to always have the upper hand on an opponent. I don't think he'd be above cheating as well. Battling would definitely be his second passion, his first always being his career.

Krookodile: A widely feared Pokémon, Krookodile is both incredibly violent and physically strong. It has a bite strength that's strong enough to crush a car, and it's able to clearly see even the smallest prey from up to 30 miles away. It's also frighteningly patient, able to hide motionless while waiting for prey for days. Orin would utilize its Moxie ability, which raises its attack each time it defeats a Pokémon. Once Krookodile gets on a roll, Orin would gleefully watch the violence that follows.

Mawile: This Pokémon lures prey into a false sense of security, before turning around and biting down with its large second mouth, which is full of razor-sharp teeth. It's a conniving and vicious Pokémon. Orin would use his Mawile as his token Mega Evolution, despite the fact that he would deliberately avoid forming a bond with it. Because of this, each time he'd mega evolve Mawile, it would suffer through intense agony and lose control of its body, going berserk. Orin would use this as a part of his strategy, but more importantly, he would enjoy the suffering he puts it through.

Malamar: A sinister Pokémon with frighteningly strong hypnotic powers. The lights that flash on its torso put its victim completely under its control. Malamar would be the Pokémon that Orin actually "bonds" with the most, since getting on its bad side is not advised. They do share some common interests, so it works out. He would take full advantage of its Contray ability, turning stat-lowering effects into stat-boosts to ravage the opposing Pokémon with its move Superpower.

Metagross: This four-legged Pokémon also has four brains, making it smarter than a supercomputer. While its superior intelligence can be used for good, that's not always the case. It's not uncommon for a Metagross to strategize some of the most creatively cruel methods of defeating an opponent, becoming intentionally sadistic. Orin's Metagross would be an example. While Orin would prefer to have Metagross as his Mega Evolution Pokémon, Metagrossite is practically impossible to find since it's so sought after! Regardless, he'd take advantage of its Clear Body ability (its stats can't be lowered by an opponent) and its incredible physical attack, and he would let it have its way in battles.

Bisharp: A naturally dominanting and merciless Pokémon. In the wild, it commands a group of Pawniard to do its bidding. It only moves to defeat prey after its minions have weakened it into immobility, cruelly delivering the final blow. It always keeps its blades as sharp and clean as it can. Orin's Bisharp would have the rare ability Pressure, which scares opposing Pokémon into not being able to use moves as much as it usually can. He'd use this to stall an opponent into near helplessness before kicking them while they're down.

Indeedee (Male): His only Pokémon that would be used regularly outside of battles. Orin's Indeedee would essentially be his dental assistant, probably to avoid having someone on a payroll. Besides, having a Pokémon with psychic powers who loves busywork is more convenient. It would still feed on Orin's positive emotions, and it would actually thrive considering how much Orin enjoys his job, but the context of those joyful feelings would warp its temperament. It would seem to learn to enjoy human pain and suffering as much as its Trainer, and unlike other Indeedee it would not be conflict-averse. Orin would only use his Indeedee during double battles, using its Psychic Surge ability and other supportive moves to aid either Metagross or Malamar.

And as a fun little bonus...

Audrey II, But It's a Pokémon!

Rather than substituting an existing Pokémon in the role of Audrey II, I'd like to make the man-eating plant a brand-new Pokémon!

If I was writing a Pokémon version of LSoH, I'd have Seymour accidentally discover a new legendary Pokémon from space. He names it "Autreeteu," a barely concealed reference to Audrey. It attracts a lot of attention since it's a brand new Pokémon that no one's ever seen, but Seymour soon discovers the cost of keeping it happy and healthy.

Autreeteu

Type: Grass/Dark

Species: Consuming Pokémon

Ability: Insatiable (Restores 20% less HP from consuming any food or drink items, such as Berries, Soda Pop, and Leftovers)

Pokédex Entry: Hypothesized to have come from the cosmos, Autreeteu has an unquenching hunger. After it's chosen by a Trainer, it begins to use a variety of manipulation tactics in order to make its Trainer feed it. It is almost impossible to ignore or shake off its demands, no matter how extreme.

Autreeteu doesn't evolve. However, as it feeds (or within hypothetical gameplay, every 20 levels), it undergoes a permanent Forme change. It just gets physically bigger with some small detail changes, nothing else stat-wise about it changes. The Forme change is irreversible and can not be prevented, aside from keeping it at a static level forever. You might hear it calling out to you from your party, though...

Thank you for reading all of this! I definitely got way too into this entire thing, but it was a ton of fun, and I hope people appreciate the thought I put into everything. I tried to be creative and not go for the easy or stereotypical options (no Victreebel or Carnivine for Seymour, no Sharpedo for Orin, etc.) I definitely have a ton of ideas for a Pokémon AU/rewrite, so let me know if there's any interest in that!

#lsoh #little shop of horrors #seymour lsoh #seymour krelborn #audrey lsoh #audrey fulquard #orin lsoh #orin scrivello #audrey ii #audrey two #pokemon

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saltminerising · 11 months ago

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Actually, y'know what? I have a good idea for wehn/if FR comes to an end, let's start retiring dragons breeds, BOOM EXTINCTION EVENT BBY, first take away the eggs, bogs perish first being the flightless idiots they are, then slowly take away the breed changes, from lowest to highest rarity, bye starter breeds see you in hell pcs and spirals and whatnot hope you hit yourself in the ass on your way out SDs! Then go for the gem MP, take the coatl and WC scroll to the back to end their misery and finally, make all remaining imp scrolls defunct! Never got a chance to find the perfect g1 to use it? Well too bad now they aRE GONE

In the beginning everything seems fun 'oh bog eggs are gone guys, and everything else will follow btw", staff just leaves some cryptic announcement that day, ppl start exalting for the joy of it, with lots of spite exalting unsurprisingly, people making exalting challenges to rid of color/genes/breeds in particular then....

Weeks pass and as breed scrolls start to go out you watch as the breeding scene crumbles as now no one can breed change their dragons to whatever as each breed becomes rarer and rarer as time goes, see the userbase collapse as everyone tries to buy whatever color combos and breeds to keep the breeding part of the game active and more lineage projects pop up and now lore pretty much becomes the selling points for each and every succeeding atrocious color combinations that had never graced the site until that moment, one of a kind combos on common breeds become rulers for the brief second before the realization that this is really the end for everyone settles in. You reminisce of one day you found some fodder bog that you planned to exalt only to see it become so coveted that you ended up selling only to find it exalted not a month later

On the other side, you have fellas who just went out musicians of the titanic style, mourning the loss but satisfied with what they had and cherishing it as others see the chance to finally become FR rich selling their own fodder but eventually seeing as it's pointless they metaphorically jump ship and nuke everything down

Tis all taking around a couple or so years before everyone is either gone and abandoned their accounts or just keep doing daylies to see this thru the very end with no goal in mind, no more G1s, sparse breeding, barely any trade

After all is said and done, one day staff would just pop up and say "now here's a new modern :)"

❄️

#long post

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kinopioa · 1 year ago

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It gets me how Adventure took 3Ks concepts mentioned in the Japanese manual (and US/EU PC port) and expanded them

First, the origin of Angel Island

Consider in Adventure

-Pachamac's tribe took over others with vicious strength

-His attempts of getting the Master Emerald led to most of his tribe getting wiped out

The main diff in Adventure was that it was Chaos that wiped them out, and the land mass wasn't raised by some God. It was straggling survivors

And yes, there were *some* survivors, as noted in the Japanese Softbank Guide (in game context who do you think made the warning murals?)

Warning, Machine Translated:

End of Echidna Arrogance

Pachamac's tribe was devastated by Chaos' attack, and their power weakened significantly. The surviving stragglers use the power of the Master Emerald to levitate the landmass around the Emerald Altar, live there, and take on the role of monitoring and protecting the sealed Master Emerald to ensure that something like this never happens again. They also left inscriptions and murals in the temple behind to convey this incident to future generations. Some Chao are also in danger of extinction due to the loss of the Chaos Emeralds, with only a small number managing to reach land with a suitable environment, and barely survive...

Incidentally this means Knuckles has no reason to keep Angel Island afloat; Chaos has been pacified after Adventure

Second, the environment on Angel Island

In Mushroom Hill we actually see this in effect. Eggman's Machine wilts the environment as you progress through the stage

What most don't realize, this affected the entire island!

Ice Cap and areas near Lava Reef in particular look different in Adventure due to this, being less extreme. Note: Lava Reef cools down in after Sonic's boss in 3K!

Side Note: Mushroom Hill was planned to be in Adventure!

Finally, this note from Knuckles in 3's Japan manual. Translation by Windii

Knux mistakes the Death Egg for a literal egg. He implies some draconic legend...

Hmm...

Do note it's been 3000 years since Chaos raged at the tribe. The legend likely got dilluted/misinterpreted over the generations, especially with dwindling numbers

@aquillis-main @greenyvertekins

#sonic the hedgehog #lore

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satoshi-mochida · 1 year ago

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Radiant Silvergun coming to PC on August 18

Gematsu Source

Publisher and developer Live Wire, and developer Treasure will release shoot ’em up Radiant Silvergun for PC via Steam on August 18, the companies announced.

Radiant Silvergun first launched for arcade on May 28, 1998 in Japan, followed by Saturn on July 23, 1998. It was released in the west for the first time for Xbox 360 on September 14, 2011. A Switch version launched on September 13, 2022.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Set on the earth and in space on July 14, 2520 A.D., the film explores the mystery of mankind’s extinction. Various terrains become battlefields. Enemies attack from all directions. There are 23 bosses in total. Aim for a high score by making full use of score bonuses and level-up weapons!

Story

July 14, 2520 AD.

The light emitted by a “stone-like object” excavated from the strata of B.C. enveloped the earth, destroying the human race. Only the four crew members of the space cruiser TETRA and one robonoid barely escaped into satellite orbit…

One year later. The TETRA is forced to re-enter the atmosphere because the ship’s supplies have finally been depleted. The battle for the survival of the TETRA begins.

A Highly Strategic Shooting Game

The battlefield is a stage with various terrains, including intricate crevices and moving containers, where enemies attack from all directions, up, down, left, and right. Twenty-three bosses await in six highly strategic stages.

There are also secret bonuses that occur when enemies are defeated in a specific order, as well as hidden score items. The key to obtaining a score is to cover all of these items, build your own original attack pattern, and accurately destroy the targeted enemies.

Use weapons that level up in accordance with your score to update your high score!

Key Features

Score system specialized for the origin of shooting games.

Weapons that level up as you defeat enemies.

Five difficulty levels for beginners to enjoy.

Story mode with a strong message.

Beautiful 3D graphics.

Sound that colors the game world by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who is highly acclaimed both in Japan and overseas.

Game mode with the rules of Ikaruga, the second installment of Project RS.

Online ranking to compete with rivals from around the world.

Watch a new trailer below.

Steam Trailer

youtube

#Radiant Silvergun #Treasure #Live Wire #Shmup #Steam #Gematsu

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gertlushgaming · 1 year ago

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Gothic Classic Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

For this Gothic Classic Review, we return to Myrtana as the Nameless Hero in Gothic Classic, the award-winning RPG that shaped and inspired countless roleplaying games. Experience it now for the first time on Nintendo Switch. War has been waged across the kingdom of Myrtana. Orcish hordes invaded human territory and the king of the land needed a lot of ore to forge enough weapons, should his army stand against this threat. Whoever breaks the law in these darkest of times is sentenced to serve in the giant penal colony of Khorinis, mining the much-needed ore.

Gothic Classic Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 3.6GB download size. - 20 save slots. - Game settings - subtitles, animated windows, gore and how much, text language, and voice language. - Motion control support is complete with an animated tutorial. - Controller settings - Invert axis and sensitivity sliders. - Cutscenes are a mix of FMV and in-game. - Powerful and impactful voice work. - Action RPG gameplay. - A full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. - Multiple choice encounters. - You can fast-forward text conversations to speed them up. - Full player stats screen showing all your stats like strength, dexterity, skills, exp level, etc. - Proper old-school adventuring gameplay. - Can save and load when you want. - Handy loot all button. - Full inventory management system. - The jumping animation is hilarious to watch. - Interaction points highlight.#Its a game that strangely keeps dragging you back in. - Text pops up over items etc. - The equipment lets you have two weapons equipped at once with a quick trigger press to swap them. - Loadout consists of two rings, armor, an amulet, and your two weapons. - Handy quick select items set to the d-pad. - Does have a quick save and load using a button combination. - Hack and slash combat. - EXP earned pops up as you earn it. - Play how you want. - Despite a few hiccups, the controls are good considering the original game was mouse and keyboard. - Main quest line along with many side optional quests. - Your playthrough feels unique because you have so many options and opportunities to take a variety of paths. - 3rd person view. - Has a fantastic atmosphere with things like getting told off for trespassing, and guards getting arsey because you have a weapon out. - At times you can get to watch the world live out. - A great trip down memory lane. - The world is a thing to behold for it has beauty and drudge all mixed in.

Gothic Classic Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - Remember that games this old didn't get tutorials. - Clunky controls that take some getting used to like you have to put your weapon away in order to pick up items and loot. - Over-the-top fall damage. - You need to be in an exact precise part in order to interact or pick up items. - Dying doesn't trigger a menu to start again instead, you go into the menus and find the new/load game option. - The game is not smooth in performance terms, when loading in assets etc. the game will either stutter or full-on lock up for a few seconds. - Actions like opening chests or climbing ladders require you to hold down the action game and there is no way to change that. - Glitches through walls a few times and the game struggles with you jumping into assets like fences. - The camera goes a bit weird in places usually when in close quarters. - Looking at the sun or having a fair bit of it on the screen will blow the color out. - Aside from the occasional bit of magical world-living moments, enemies will just stand there waiting for you to hit the trigger so they move towards you. - It is very slow-paced. - Item management is a chore and not as slick as it needs to be. Related Post: Endling Extinction is Forever Review (PC/Utomik)

Gothic Classic: Official website. Developer: THQ Nordic Publisher: THQ Nordic Store Links - Nintendo Read the full article

#NintendoSwitch #RetroGaming

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delcat177 · 2 years ago

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You know, this pic has been around a long time for the ephemeral nature of the internet. I remember saving this when I was still manually, physically saving photos to my PC, and that's been...well, a hot second.

And that's cause it's an *incredible* photo.

Nature photgraphy, especially macro nature photography, is a field that I can call, with experience...chaotic? Chaotic is a good word. You can't direct nature, the best you can do is learn to predict it, seek out these organic moments like a bird diving

or a fox leaping

Or a lizard lizarding

You wait for it to happen, and wait for it, and wait for it, and BAM, it happens and you spray'n'pray as many shots as possible, *praying* you get THE shot, the one that just...*does* something, *has* something. THE shot.

And this photo is absolutely THE shot.

*Look* at it. Two snails, two tiny tiny snails, so small they each ride atop the stem of a single cherry. The surface tension hugging their fruit-rafts, the blurred unimportance of the background as for this frozen moment, just this moment before they drift the fraction of a fraction of a frame away and make The Shot impossible, they reach out for each other, each shining, golden, pond-sweet snail, with every bit of themselves--

--they reach out for each other, and they touch.

That's what it's all about.

And it is necessarily extincted literal instants later, the same as the gull will never dive at quite that velocity, and the fox will never leap at quite that angle again.

But they touch. For just that moment, they touch.

*And someone got that on camera.*

And...

I have no idea who that person is.

...

I hope you're having a nice day, Patron Saint of Snailboats, wherever you are 🍒🐌💖

#Photography #Nature photgraphy #Snails kissing cherries #Put a pin in that one #i'd buy that for a dollar

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madaminamorganheadsforthearctic · 4 months ago

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Tromsø and Tromsø

I think I have pretty well done Tromsø!

It started off with finding the Hurtigruten office to get a better fix on loading my car. I found that they had however, conveniently recently closed their office in Tromso. Tourist info at the passenger loading part of the port was helpful and broadly confirmed the instructions. So that seemed ok. Rain was light so I bought a bus pass (!) and the ‘classic’ entrance pass to a clutch of things to see. Polaria first, but I was beaten to it by a coach load of aging American tourists with a guide. Oh dear! It’s what puts me off cruises. The staff see what’s going to happen and wave me in through the exit. It did not live up to its billing though; a 9 min film on the northern lights; a walk round the glass underwater part of the aquarium to see the dolphins; a talk about the impact of global warming in Svalbard; and some high price souvenirs.

I leave the Americans too it and catch a bus to the closed to traffic Tromso bridge which pedestrians can walk across - and then had a sit down in the Arctic Cathedral.

From there it was 20 mins uphill to the cable car and another splendid view of Tromso. There were a clutch of Scots (some of the barmy army celebrating their victory?) messing around entertainingly on the viewing platform.

Back at the bottom the rain has started big time and I catch the bus back to Tromso and get off at the Polar Museum. This was splendidly non pc/non woke. On entry you were given a well thumbed and obviously hand typed guide in your own language and asked to return it at the end. The museum was set out as a series of rooms, on a sort of north-norway-through-the-ages basis. So it started with a full sized arctic hut with full sized models of people, dogs barking and the wind howling. Next room was full of stuffed seals and life sized figures with knives in the seals. And so it went on…! One room was about the people who had tried to get to the North Pole in various ways. Drifting there (this is the Fram again and that failed but they were still cheered as heros) a clutch others with names all ending in ……ssun and who hadn’t made it; and then three who had tried to fly planes to the North Pole, claimed they had done it but none had; and then amazingly some mad guy had tried to get to there by hot air balloon. The last room was all about walrus hunting as the script told me that this activity had been very remunerative, until the Norwegians had nearly hunted them to extinction. Again pretty graphic and illustrated by a walrus skeleton. It was about 7ft long at least and I had not realised they were so big.

Thee corridor to the exit was lined with a while range of stuff from extracts of explorers log books, to maps, compasses and all sorts of skins and furs, mostly hanging on life sized models again, all of whom were male, all heavily bearded and looking exactly like the Hollywood version of an arctic explorer. It might not have been intended as good fun, but it was.

It is still pouring with rain and so bus back to the hotel for some swotting. The PRA (that’s the Prudential Regulatory Authority) has decided that it wants to interview me on liquidity issues for one of the firms where I am a NED. No unusual except for the fact that to suit their timetables it is a)in August and b) exactly 90 minutes after my Tromso to Bergen ship is due to dock in Bergen! As I am very iffy about cruises - although Tromso to Bergen is only 3 days - I will do more on that ship.

Saturday dawns and it’s is fine. I had signed up to go and swim in the Arctic Ocean in an arctic suit, but the text on my phone says it’s cancelled due to lack of interest. I email my second choice which was the RIB going out to look for whales or some such. No good as it’s full. So I decide I have had enough of museums, rescue the Morgan from ‘tunnel parking’ and via King Hakken III staring moodily out to sea,

…..I head out for the pretty islands of Kvaloya and Sommarøy and do the Times paper review - as one does.

On the way back, I come across the Tirpitz monument and which is as close as possible to where it was sunk.

The Tirpitz like the Scharnhorst are the names of German navel ships of which we have all heard. The Tirpitz started off in Trondheim as part of the attempt to prevent the British conveys shipping supplies found the north of Norway to Murmansk; then it was moved to the Alta Fjord (not far from here by water but a lengthy journey by road) and then moved to Tromso and to the part of the fjord close to Hakoya, where it was sunk by British Lancaster bombers in in November 1944.

I well appreciate that I have spent some time in these blogs on WW2, but my reason/excuse is that the war in this part of Europe was of considerable significance but much less well known than the conflict in France, Italy and North Africa.

Back to Tromso and three changes. The first is that the place is awash with dogs. It’s their annual dog show week end and there are dogs everywhere - and particularly in covered dog prams. Why do dogs need prams? The second change is that the dock and the quay are now all barriered off as a construction site. I trot rapidly to the tourist information office to find out what I should do now, to find that it is closed until 10am Monday morning. With wine at £10 a glass and no doubt more on the cruise liner I walk on to Vinmonopoli and find that it closed at lunch time and reopens - you have guessed it- Monday morning. So as I can’t do anything about anything, I go to a bistro I had seen and have reindeer with spinach, onions and walnuts. Not bad at all. At 11pm I will strap my cases on the car and go and see what to do.

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raisedbyelectronics · 8 months ago

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And so the IBM-compatible PC, after taking the world by storm, is in its twilight hour.

It once was California's second gold rush, kick-started by both lawful and criminal reverse-engineering, culminating in a massive industry where most of the non-compatibles were simply forced out of the market since no one wanted to write code for them professionally – they became the pet projects of hobbyists, gamers, and tracker musicians – and even the one big non-compatible holdout (Apple) in the early 2000s gave in and proudly advertised literal X86 PCs that you could even install Windows on as a second boot – the only PCs at Best Buy that made you install Windows yourself, though many people use theirs every day without realizing that they were bona fide IBM-compatible PC users. (Ironically, Macs before that used IBM PowerPC chips which weren't IBM-compatible... so confusing).

But Apple slowly ditched the glorified PC platform for the tricked-out iPhone platform of the "Apple Silicon" ARM chips.

Ever notice that you'll almost never find any SCSI-compatible or similar ports on the back of any computer you would find? Or a floppy drive, or any kind of optical media drive (even on gaming rigs)? Or a specific MIDI port? Or IDE slots on the motherboard? Or a microphone port? Or a dedicated sound card? Or a VGA port? Or PS2, ATAPI, or anything like that? Or a dial-up modem, or even a LAN jack? Or even a standard form of removable RAM on laptops?

You know who the first to forego these features on their machines was?

APPLE!

X86 is next on the chopping board.

And as soon as the Snapdragon contract is extinct, X86's days are numbered!

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teacup-captor · 2 years ago

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Yet again I'm just answering because I just. Want to answer things lolol

📷 What's set as your phone's lockscreen?

My dog, with a couple things I like that my moirail edited on (thank youuu <<>>=

🍫 Cheese or chocolate?

Chocolate. But cheese is epic

✨ Do you have any nicknames?

C, bc I requested it, but I don't get called it often

🎵 Last song you listened to?

Rapture rising by JT machinima

✏️ Have you ever written fanfiction?

Yes, several, I prefur keeping it to myself tho just bc they're mostly reader insert x character and the reader insert is just. Straight-up me

😏 Are you on discord?

Yes, discord reveal at 3247923875984596487 likes /j (if you want it just ask in DMs or asks)

💛 Do you have any piercings?

Yea I have my earlobes pierced, I want a septum though grr

🐰 What do you think says the most about a person?

It's just, their general vibe idk, I tend to pick up on a lot of little things in the big picture within just 10 minutes of a conversation with someone and it gives a pretty clear indication. However if they start speaking negatively about any valid group of people that shows pretty quickly that they're not the kind of person you wish to associate with. Also if they cannot accept a no for a simple thing (like one time a dude got super angry at me bc I would flop the ears on my floppy ear pikachu hat) that's a huge red flag.

🍪 If you were a cookie, what kind would you be?

Red velvet with white chocolate chip

🐶 Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

Cat person! But I have a dog lol

🎧 Headphones or earbuds?

Depends on the use! Headphones are better for overstimulation as they block out more sound for me, but for phone I tend to prefer earbuds (lest I have my bluetooth headphones and I'm going outside), especially bc I'll put on earbuds AND a headset to hear both youtube on my pc and whatever on my phone

🌼 What's the last thing you said out loud?

..I don't remember, is it normal to remember that stuff? now it's "fuck" btw

🙃 What's a weird fact that you know?

Hitler had only 3 of his own teeth left when he died.

🦉 Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Night owl

🧸 Favorite place to nap?

I don't really nap but my fave place to sleep is my bed, but the floor is a VERY close second

🏳️‍🌈 Are you a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?

No I'm actually homopobic /j

🦋 Describe yourself in three words.

TRAUMATIZED TRAUMATIZED HOMO

👖 Jeans or sweatpants?

Jeans, when people say to wear comfortable clothes/clothes I can move in I have to remind myself that everyone else thinks jeans are awful or something

🥤 What's your go-to Starbucks order?

I haven't gone to starbucks in a really long time, but a strawberry or vanilla frappucino, hot chocolate and in USA the pumpkin spice frappe

🧡 A color you can't stand?

Yellow. I hate yellow, it's been my least favorite color always

💎 What's your most prized possession?

I. Have no idea. But if I get a dinosaur plushie in the near future it'll be that. I mean we have 2 already but those are Kyle's so.

☕ Coffee or tea?

Tea, I hate coffee

🦖 Favorite extinct animal?

MEGALODON. I DON'T CARE IF IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY EXIST IT'S MEGALODON.

🌙 How long have you been on tumblr?

Jesus uh, since like autumn 2021 because I was sort of obsessing over it near the start of my 2nd year in high school so

🌴 Desert island item?

Well entertainment-wise I can think something up, my mental health is shit already but I know how to cope, my biggest trouble would be surviving, like getting food and shit. If it's a small one like in the cartoons, tiny grass patch, one palm with two coconuts y'know, I think a fishnet (I'd eat the fish raw because there's not enough material for me to make a campfire anyway), but if it's a larger one like in lord of the flies, I think a survival knife like the one Catniss has in hunger games would be useful, with one knife end and one saw end, however if I had to pick between the two I'd pick the fishing net. If I'm on a big island, I have more of a chance to find shelter and other supplies, but on a small island? No way.

🐸 Describe your aesthetic.

Very silly but also mentally ill with many colors and aspiring to get more. Button-downs or hoodies with fun t-shirts

🔮 What's your dream job?

Part-time video game developer, full-time YouTuber/streamer and occasionally maybe doing art commissions

💙 Relationship status?

Single and not interested /lh (bunch of friends though :D)

🌿 Describe your favorite outfit.

My red and black flannel shirt with the FNaF t-shirt I got from my moirail, any jeans, no socks, or my rainbow stripes sweater under my "hell was full so I came back" t-shirt, any jeans, no socks

🎤 Is there a song you know all the lyrics to?

A whole bunch but my fave example is "you signed a contract" by fandroid (specifically the Caleb Hyles cover, but they have the same lyrics soooo)

🤎 What color is your hair?

Right now dyed black, my natural color is an extremely dark brown

💌 Do you talk to yourself?

Almost constantly, no joke

💄 Do you wear makeup?

Very very rarely

🌸 Best compliment you ever received?

No really good ones come to mind but the most memorable was when I complained about being short and this guy said "Well, weeds grow faster than flowers"

💞 @ your favorite blog.

I don't feel comfortable tagging them right now but a close one is @ja-gal-corn (I'll remove this if you want btw)

~ 💖 ASK GAME 💖 ~

📷 What’s set as your phone’s lockscreen?

🍫 Cheese or chocolate?

✨ Do you have any nicknames?

🎵 Last song you listened to?

✏️ Have you ever written fanfiction?

😏 Are you on discord?

💛 Do you have any piercings?

🐰 What do you think says the most about a person?

🍪 If you were a cookie, what kind would you be?