#astronomical calculations

[alokkhandelwal]

Creating Harmonious Spaces with Astrological Influences

Your home is more than just a bodily area; it’s miles a mirrored image of your personality, emotions, and aspirations. It’s in which you are trying to find comfort, peace, and idea. Did you already know that astrology can play a sizable role in shaping the electricity of your living spaces? By harnessing the strength of planetary influences, you may create harmonious and balanced environments that resonate with your soul. In this blog, we can explore the captivating connection between astrology and domestic decor, unveiling the secrets to designing areas that align with your particular astrological make-up.

Learn more about Creating Harmonious Spaces. Get an online astrology consultation by the world-renowned astrologer Mr. Alok Khandelwal.

Understanding Planetary Influences

In astrology, every planet exerts its distinct strength, and understanding these impacts allows you to make intentional alternatives while adorning your property.

Let’s explore some of the important things about planets and their related features-

Sun: The Sun represents energy, leadership, and self-expression. When incorporating Sun- inspired elements, choose bright colourings, ambitious patterns, and declaration portions to infuse your space with self-assurance and heat.

Moon: The Moon symbolizes feelings, intuition, and nurturing. To create a comfortable and comforting environment, focus on smooth textures, pastel sun shades, and factors that evoke a sense of tranquility and emotional connection.

Mercury: Mercury governs conversation, intellect, and adaptableness. Embrace smart organizational solutions, include books and mastering materials, and use vibrant shades to stimulate intellectual agility.

Venus: Venus embodies love, beauty, and artistic sensibility. Infuse your area with artwork, stylish decor, and calming colourings to sell a feel of love, concord, and aesthetic appreciation.

Mars: Mars represents power, ardor, and motivation. Introduce colorful accents, ambitious shapes, and dynamic artwork to create an invigorating and active ecosystem.

Jupiter: Jupiter indicates expansion, abundance, and optimism. Incorporate spacious layouts, seating regions, and elements of journey and cultural range to rouse an experience of increase and positivity.

Saturn: Saturn symbolizes structure, discipline, and understanding. Embrace minimalism, clean lines, and earthy tones to create a grounded and organized surrounding.

Uranus: Uranus embodies innovation, speciality, and independence. Add unconventional decor elements, contain modern era, and test with sudden layout choices for an area that celebrates individuality.

Neptune: Neptune represents creativeness, spirituality, and dreaminess. Use ethereal colorations, flowing fabric, and soft lighting fixtures to create a dreamy and provoking atmosphere.

Pluto: Pluto symbolizes transformation, rebirth, and regeneration. Embrace elements of renewal, comprise sustainable materials, and include feng shui standards to create an area that encourages personal growth and transformation.

Read Also:- Cosmic Connection of Zodiac Signs and Vastu, that Align for Harmonious Living

Designing Your Astrologically Aligned Home:

Now that you have information on planetary effects, it’s time to use this information for your private home decor. Here are a few sensible guidelines for growing a harmonious and astrologically aligned dwelling space:

Birth Chart Analysis:

Consult your birth chart with an astrologer to discover your dominant planets and their respective energies. This will provide precious insights into the most impactful planets for your home decor.

Element Balancing:

Astrology finds every zodiac signal with one of the four elements: fireplace, earth, air, and water. Incorporate decor elements that balance these elements in your space to foster equilibrium and harmony.

Colors and Textures:

Choose colourings and textures that resonate with the features of your dominant planets. Integrate them into your partitions, fixtures, and decor add-ons.

Personal Altar:

Create a private altar or sacred area that displays your non-secular beliefs and honors the celestial energies that guide your life.

Crystals and Gemstones:

Use crystals and gemstones associated with your dominant planets to extend their energies and sell nicely.

Art and Symbolism:

Display artwork and logos that preserve personal importance and evoke the traits you wish to cultivate in your lifestyle.

Natural Elements:

Incorporate herbal factors like flowers, flora, and herbal substances to bring the grounding energies of nature into your space.

Read Also:- Astrological Remedies for Finding Inner Peace and Calm

[alokastrology1]

Creating Harmonious Spaces with Astrological Influences

Your home is more than just a bodily area; it’s miles a mirrored image of your personality, emotions, and aspirations. It’s in which you are trying to find comfort, peace, and idea. Did you already know that astrology can play a sizable role in shaping the electricity of your living spaces? By harnessing the strength of planetary influences, you may create harmonious and balanced environments that resonate with your soul. In this blog, we can explore the captivating connection between astrology and domestic decor, unveiling the secrets to designing areas that align with your particular astrological make-up.

Learn more about Creating Harmonious Spaces. Get an online astrology consultation by the world-renowned astrologer Mr. Alok Khandelwal.

Understanding Planetary Influences

In astrology, every planet exerts its distinct strength, and understanding these impacts allows you to make intentional alternatives while adorning your property.

Let’s explore some of the important things about planets and their related features-

Sun: The Sun represents energy, leadership, and self-expression. When incorporating Sun- inspired elements, choose bright colourings, ambitious patterns, and declaration portions to infuse your space with self-assurance and heat.

Moon: The Moon symbolizes feelings, intuition, and nurturing. To create a comfortable and comforting environment, focus on smooth textures, pastel sun shades, and factors that evoke a sense of tranquility and emotional connection.

Mercury: Mercury governs conversation, intellect, and adaptableness. Embrace smart organizational solutions, include books and mastering materials, and use vibrant shades to stimulate intellectual agility.

Venus: Venus embodies love, beauty, and artistic sensibility. Infuse your area with artwork, stylish decor, and calming colourings to sell a feel of love, concord, and aesthetic appreciation.

Mars: Mars represents power, ardor, and motivation. Introduce colorful accents, ambitious shapes, and dynamic artwork to create an invigorating and active ecosystem.

Jupiter: Jupiter indicates expansion, abundance, and optimism. Incorporate spacious layouts, seating regions, and elements of journey and cultural range to rouse an experience of increase and positivity.

Saturn: Saturn symbolizes structure, discipline, and understanding. Embrace minimalism, clean lines, and earthy tones to create a grounded and organized surrounding.

Uranus: Uranus embodies innovation, speciality, and independence. Add unconventional decor elements, contain modern era, and test with sudden layout choices for an area that celebrates individuality.

Neptune: Neptune represents creativeness, spirituality, and dreaminess. Use ethereal colorations, flowing fabric, and soft lighting fixtures to create a dreamy and provoking atmosphere.

Pluto: Pluto symbolizes transformation, rebirth, and regeneration. Embrace elements of renewal, comprise sustainable materials, and include feng shui standards to create an area that encourages personal growth and transformation.

Read Also:- Cosmic Connection of Zodiac Signs and Vastu, that Align for Harmonious Living

Designing Your Astrologically Aligned Home:

Now that you have information on planetary effects, it’s time to use this information for your private home decor. Here are a few sensible guidelines for growing a harmonious and astrologically aligned dwelling space:

Birth Chart Analysis:

Consult your birth chart with an astrologer to discover your dominant planets and their respective energies. This will provide precious insights into the most impactful planets for your home decor.

Element Balancing:

Astrology finds every zodiac signal with one of the four elements: fireplace, earth, air, and water. Incorporate decor elements that balance these elements in your space to foster equilibrium and harmony.

Colors and Textures:

Choose colourings and textures that resonate with the features of your dominant planets. Integrate them into your partitions, fixtures, and decor add-ons.

Personal Altar:

Create a private altar or sacred area that displays your non-secular beliefs and honors the celestial energies that guide your life.

Crystals and Gemstones:

Use crystals and gemstones associated with your dominant planets to extend their energies and sell nicely.

Art and Symbolism:

Display artwork and logos that preserve personal importance and evoke the traits you wish to cultivate in your lifestyle.

Natural Elements:

Incorporate herbal factors like flowers, flora, and herbal substances to bring the grounding energies of nature into your space.

Read Also:- Astrological Remedies for Finding Inner Peace and Calm

[nhaneh]

Anyway the thing about computers is that they're basically just maths all the way down.

Not just one kind of maths either mind you - there's the typical modular integer arithmetic and boolean algebra, but also decimals in both fixed point and floating point configurations and all manner of other tricks, as well as the ability to convert between different kinds of operations and representations pretty much on the fly.

A single byte can be both a number, a character, a memory address, and series of true/false statements, potentially all at the same time.

The whole reason they're called Computers was in reference to a specific occupation with the same name, where a Computer was a person who was basically hired to do mathematical calculations; an Electronic Computer was basically a machine that did the same thing.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Antikythera Mechanism

Researchers claim breakthrough in study of 2000 year-old Antikythera mechanism, an astronomical calculator found in sea.

From the moment it was discovered more than a century ago, scholars have puzzled over the Antikythera mechanism, a remarkable and baffling astronomical calculator that survives from the ancient world.

The hand-powered, 2000 year-old device displayed the motion of the universe, predicting the movement of the five known planets, the phases of the moon, and the solar and lunar eclipses.

But quite how it achieved such impressive feats has proved fiendishly hard to untangle.

Now researchers at UCL believe they have solved the mystery – at least in part – and have set about reconstructing the device, gearwheels and all, to test whether their proposal works.

If they can build a replica with modern machinery, they aim to do the same with techniques from antiquity.

“We believe that our reconstruction fits all the evidence that scientists have gleaned from the extant remains to date,” said Adam Wojcik, a materials scientist at UCL.

While other scholars have made reconstructions in the past, the fact that two-thirds of the mechanism are missing has made it hard to know for sure how it worked.

The mechanism, often described as the world’s first analogue computer, was found by sponge divers in 1901 amid a haul of treasures salvaged from a merchant ship that met with disaster off the Greek island of Antikythera.

The ship is believed to have foundered in a storm in 1st Century BC, as it passed between Crete and Peloponnese en route to Rome from Asia Minor.

The battered fragments of corroded brass were barely noticed at first, but decades of scholarly work have revealed the object to be a masterpiece of mechanical engineering.

Originally encased in a wooden box one foot tall, the mechanism was covered in inscriptions – a built-in user’s manual – and contained more than 30 bronze gearwheels connected to dials and pointers.

Turn the handle and the heavens, as known to the Greeks, swung into motion.

Michael Wright, a former curator of mechanical engineering at the Science Museum in London, pieced together much of how the mechanism operated and built a working replica, but researchers have never had a complete understanding of how the device functioned.

Their efforts have not been helped by the remnants surviving in 82 separate fragments, making the task of rebuilding it equivalent to solving a battered 3D puzzle that has most of its pieces missing.

Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, the UCL team describe how they drew on the work of Wright and others.

They used inscriptions on the mechanism and a mathematical method described by the ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides to work out new gear arrangements that would move the planets and other bodies in the correct way.

The solution allows nearly all of the mechanism’s gearwheels to fit within a space only 25mm deep.

According to the team, the mechanism may have displayed the movement of the sun, moon and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn on concentric rings.

Because the device assumed that the sun and planets revolved around Earth, their paths were far more difficult to reproduce with gearwheels than if the sun was placed at the centre.

Another change the scientists propose is a double-ended pointer they call a “Dragon Hand” that indicates when eclipses are due to happen.

The researchers believe the work brings them closer to a true understanding of how the Antikythera device displayed the heavens, but it is not clear whether the design is correct or could have been built with ancient manufacturing techniques.

The concentric rings that make up the display would need to rotate on a set of nested, hollow axles, but without a lathe to shape the metal, it is unclear how the ancient Greeks would have manufactured such components.

[dean-boese-universe]

On this episode, we discuss the Antikythera Mechanism, a device found in a Roman shipwreck off the Greek Island of Antijythera.  Retrieved with several other treasures, due to it's advanced state of petrification and other issues, it wasn't even looked at much after it was initially brought up.  But over time, people have discovered this uncanny device that simulates the movement of the heavens created in the time of Before Common Era using a differential gear which otherwise doesn't show up for another 1300 years.  We discuss the devices discovery and the theories about it in this man learning stuff is fun episode of the Family Plot Podcast!

[eccentric-objects]

can't believe I read a post saying "what if jupiter doesn't actually exist and telescopes just cause us to hallucinate it" with my own two eyes bc 1 jupiter can be seen with the naked eye. ppl have known about jupiter since before telescopes existed 2 if we could only see jupiter with telescopes then it would a mirage not a hallucination 3 if jupiter didn't exist then none of the inner planets would have formed the way they did and we have actual spacecraft on other planets

[neil-gaiman]

(first off: I'm not an astronomer, and I may be wildly off, but…) I had always assumed that "This too was incorrect. By almost a quarter of an hour", on the first page of Good Omens, was a throwaway joke. Today I realised it might actually be a reference; was it?

AIUI, Ussher said that although the creation occurred on the autumn equinox (22 September), he gave the date as 21 October to account for the drift caused by the Julian calendar, which was in use in Ireland at that time. I think he also said that it occurred at 9am Irish time, because that's noon in Jerusalem.

What just occurred to me is that Irish civil time is calculated from the Greenwich meridian. But Ussher lived in Armagh, 6.55° west of Greenwich. The solar time in Armagh at noon in Jerusalem is 9:19am and on 21 October is 9:11am. So 9am is off by almost a quarter of an hour.

Thanks for all the happy memories and the solidarity over the years.

I just want to show this to Terry Pratchett.

[breelandwalker]

2025 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here’s a handy list of the 2025 dates for the solstices, some commonly-referenced holidays, full and new moons, and special astronomical events. I’ve listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area.

On a related note, readers are encouraged to create their own seasonal calendars, holidays, and observances based on your local biome and personal preferences. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, Quarter Days, Some Common Dates

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas / High Winter

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day / Walpurgisnacht

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 13 - Wolf Moon ♋

February 12 - Snow Moon ♌

March 14 - Worm Moon ♍ (Lunar Eclipse)

April 12 - Pink Moon ♎

May 12 - Flower Moon ♏

June 11 - Strawberry Moon ♐

July 10 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 9 - Sturgeon Moon (aka Corn Moon) ♒

September 7 - Harvest Moon ♓ (Lunar Eclipse)

October 6 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈

November 5 - Frost Moon (aka Beaver Moon) ♉ (Supermoon)

December 4 - Cold Moon ♊ (Supermoon)

* The full moons in September and October are almost EXACTLY equidistant from the Autumn Equinox this year, so whether you'll have a Harvest Moon in September or October depends on where you live!

New Moons

January 29 ♒

February 27 ♓

March 29 ♈

April 27 ♉

May 26 ♊

June 25 ♋

July 24 ♌

August 23 ♍

September 21 ♍ (Seasonal black moon, second new moon in Virgo)

October 21 ♎

November 20 ♏

December 19 ♐

Special Celestial Events

March 14 - Worm Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

March 29 - Solar Eclipse

September 7 - Harvest Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

September 21 - Seasonal Black Moon / Solar Eclipse

November 5 - Frost Moon Supermoon

December 4 - Cold Moon Supermoon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

March 14 to April 6

July 17 to August 10

November 9 to November 29

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2025

Calendar-12 - 2025 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2025 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2025 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2025

Old Farmer’s Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2024-2025

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2025

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Patheos - 2025 Wheel of the Year Astrological Calendar

Image Source - How Stuff Works

=

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my podcast Hex Positive, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[raskies456]

op is Galileo

as a child being told "the moon controls the tides" with no additional explanation was like. oh okay. you want me to believe in magic? you're talking about magic right now? okay. fine

[ltwilliammowett]

Glossary of Nautical Terms - as used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

Aft: at or towards the stern or after part of a ship, the opposite of bow.

Aloft: overhead, or above.

Athwart: across.

Bank: a rising ground in the sea, differing from a shoal, because not rocky but composed of sand, mud or gravel.

Becalmed: to halt through lack of wind.

Bow: the foremost end or part of a ship, the opposite of stern.

Bowsprit: a large mast or piece of timber which stands out from the bow of a ship.

Burthen: the older term used to express a ship's tonnage or carrying capacity. It was based on the number of tuns of wine that a ship could carry in her holds, the total number giving her burthen.

Chase, to: to pursue a vessel in wartime with the aim of capturing, acquiring information from her, or destroying.

Colours: the name by which the national flag flown by a ship at sea is known, used to determine nationality.

Dead reckoning: a system of navigation where the position of a ship is calculated without the use of any astronomical observation whatever.

Fair wind: a wind favourable to the direction a ship is sailing.

Fathom: a measure of six feet, used to divide the lead (or sounding) lines in measuring the depth of water; and to calculate in the length of cables, rigging, etc.

Fore: the forward part.

Hail, to: to call to another ship.

Helm: the instrument by which the ship is steered, and includes both the wheel and the tiller, as one general term.

Jib: a triangular sail set by sailing ships on the boom which runs out from the bowsprit.

Jury-mast: a temporary makeshift mast erected to replace a mast that has been disabled or carried away.

Jury-rudder: a makeshift arrangement to give a ship the ability to to steer when she has lost her rudder.

Keel: the lowest and principal timber of a wooden ship - the single strongest member of the ship's frame.

Knot: the nautical measure of speed, one knot being a speed of one nautical mile (6,080 feet) per hour. As a measure of speed the term is always knots, and never knots an hour.

Landfall: the discovery of the land.

Land-locked: sheltered all round by the land, so that there is no view of the sea.

Lead: an instrument for discovering the depth of water, attached to a lead-line, which is marked at certain distances to measure the fathoms.

Lee: the side of a ship, promontory, or other object away from the wind; that side sheltered from the wind. It is the opposite side to windward.

Lee shore: a coastline on to which the wind blows directly - consequently it can be dangerous as the wind tends to force the sailing ship down on it.

Leeward: with the wind; towards the point to which the wind blows.

Letter of Marque: a commission issued in Britain by the Lord High Admiral or Commissioners of the Admiralty authorizing the commander of a privately owned ship to cruise in search of enemy merchant vessels. The letter of marque described the ship, her owners and officers, the amount of surety which had been deposited and stressed the necessity of having all prize vessels or goods seized condemned and valued at a Vice Admiralty Court for the payment of 'prize money'.

Lie-to: to prevent a vessel from making progress through the water - achieved by reducing sail in a gale. The objective is to keep the vessel in such a position, with the wind on the bow, as to ensure that heavy seas do not break aboard.

The Line (or 'Crossing the Line') Sailing across the Equator. Nautical tradition where seamen celebrate the crossing of the equator by dressing up and acting out a visit by King Neptune. Those who have not previously crossed the line are summoned to the court of Neptune for trial, followed by a ritual ducking (in a bathing tub of seawater) and sometimes lathered and roughly shaved.

Mainsail: the principal sail of a sailing vessel.

Mizzen (or mizen): the name for the third, aftermost, mast of a square-rigged sailing ship or of a three-masted schooner.

Muster: to assemble the crew of a ship on deck and call through the list of names to establish who is present and accounted for.

Muster-book: the book kept on board a vessel in which was entered the names of all men serving in the ship, with the dates of their entry and final discharge from the crew. It was the basis on which victuals were issued and payment made for services performed on board.

Pintle: a vertical metal pin attached to the leading edge of the rudder; it is fitted into the metal ring or 'gudgeon' bolted to the sternpost of a vessel. This provides the means for hinging the rudder on the sternpost and allows a rudder to be swung or turned as desired (by use of the tiller); where necessary (ie. when the rudder needs to be removed or repaired) the pintles can be unshipped quickly and the rudder detached.

Port: the left-hand side of a vessel as seen from the stern; also a harbour or haven.

Privateer: a privately owned vessel armed with guns which operated in time of war against the trading vessels of an enemy nation. Each privateer was given a a 'letter of marque' which was regarded as a commission to seize any enemy shipping as a 'prize'. The name 'privateer' has come to refer to both the ship and the men who sailed in her.

Prize: name used to describe an enemy vessel captured at sea by a ship of war or a privateer; also used to describe a contraband cargo taken from a merchant ship. A 'prize court' would then determine the validity of capture of ships and goods and authorize their disposal. 'Prize' in British naval history always acted as considerable incentive to recruitment with many men tempted to join the navy in anticipation of quick riches.

Prize Court: Captured ships were to be brought before prize courts where it was decided whether the vessel was legal prize; if so, the whole value was divided among the owners and the crew of the ship.

Prize Money: the net proceeds of the sale of enemy shipping and property captured at sea - these proceeds were distributed to the captors on a sliding scale from highest rank to lowest seaman.

Road or Roadstead: a stretch of sheltered water near land where ships may ride at anchor in all but very heavy weather; often rendered as 'roads', and does not refer to the streets of a particular port city but rather its anchorage, as in 'St Helens Roads', the designated anchorage for shipping located between St. Helens (Isle of Wight) and Portsmouth, or 'Funchal Roads' at the island of Madeira. (see Elizabeth Macquarie's 1809 Journal).

Quarter: (1)the direction from which the wind was blowing, particularly if it looked like remaining there for some time; (2)the two after parts of the ship - strictly speaking a ship's port or starbord quarter was a bearing 45° from the stern.

Ship: from the Old English scip, the generic name for sea-going vessels (as opposed to boats). Originally ships were personified as masculine but by the sixteenth century almost universally expressed as as feminine.

Shoal: a bank or reef, an area of shallow water dangerous to navigation. Sounding: the of operation of determioning the depth of the sea, and the quality of the ground, by means of a lead and line, sunk from the ship to the bottom, where some of the sediment or sand adheres to the tallow in the hollow base of the lead.

Sound: (1) to try the depth of the water; (2) a deep bay.

Sounding: ascertaining the depth of the sea by means of a lead and line, sunk from a ship to the bottom.

Soundings: those parts of the ocean not far from the shore where the depth is about 80 to 100 fathoms.

Spar: a general term for any wooden support used in the rigging of a ship - includes all masts, yards, booms, gaffs etc.

Squall: a sudden gust of wind of considerable strength.

Starboard: the right-hand side of a vessel as seen from the stern.

Stern: after-part of a ship or boat.

Tack: the nautical manouevre of bringing a sailing vessel on to another bearing by bringing the wind round the bow; during this manouevre the vessel is said to be 'coming about'.

Tide of Flood: the flow of the tidal stream as it rises from the ending of the period of slack water at low tide to the start of the period of slack water at high tide; its period is approximately six hours.

Trade Winds: steady regular winds that blow in a belt approximately 30 N. and 30 S of the equator. In the North Atlantic the trades blow consistently all year round, from the north-east; in the South Atlantic they blow from the south-east, converging just north of the equator. The meeting of the trade winds just north of the equator created the infamous 'doldrums', where sailing ships could be becalmed for days or weeks waiting for a wind to carry them back into the trades.They were known as trade winds because of their regularity, thereby assisting sailing vessels in reaching their markets to carry out trade.

Under way: the description of a ship as soon as she begins to move under canvas power after her anchor has been raised from the bottom; also written as 'under weigh.'

Voyage: a journey by sea. It usually includes the outward and homeward trips, which are called passages.

Watch: (1) one of the seven divisions of the nautical day; (2) one of two divisions of the seamen forming the ship's company.

Wear: the nautical manouevre of bringing a sailing vessel on to another tack by bringing the wind around the stern.

Weather: in a nautical sense (rather than a meteorological) this is the phrase used by seamen to describe anything that lies to windward. Consequently, a coastline that lies to windward of a ship is a weather shore; the side of a ship that faces the wind when it is under way is said to be the weather side a ship, etc.

Weigh: to haul up.

Weigh anchor: the raising of the anchor so that the ship is no longer secured to the sea or river bottom.

Windward: the weather side, or that direction from which the wind blows. It is the opposite side to leeward.

Yard: (1) a large wooden spar crossing the masts of a sailing ship horizontally or diagonally, from which a sail is set. (2) a shortened form of the word 'dockyard, in which vessels are built or repaired.

Sources: JEANS, Peter D. Ship to Shore: a dictionary of everyday words and phrases derived from the sea. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 1993.

The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea. (ed.) Peter Kemp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976.

[ef-1]

Torger Wolff starting off 2024 with the biggest fumble in the history of mankind, haven't had a fumble this size since an asteroid struck earth and fumbled the dinosaurs into extinction and plunged the entire planet into the ice age, this fumble is so astronomical it cannot be quantified, counted or calculated

[nasa]

Navigating Deep Space by Starlight

On August 6, 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell noticed a blip in her radio telescope data. And then another. Eventually, Bell Burnell figured out that these blips, or pulses, were not from people or machines.

The blips were constant. There was something in space that was pulsing in a regular pattern, and Bell Burnell figured out that it was a pulsar: a rapidly spinning neutron star emitting beams of light. Neutron stars are superdense objects created when a massive star dies. Not only are they dense, but neutron stars can also spin really fast! Every star we observe spins, and due to a property called angular momentum, as a collapsing star gets smaller and denser, it spins faster. It’s like how ice skaters spin faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies and make the space that they take up smaller.

The pulses of light coming from these whirling stars are like the beacons spinning at the tops of lighthouses that help sailors safely approach the shore. As the pulsar spins, beams of radio waves (and other types of light) are swept out into the universe with each turn. The light appears and disappears from our view each time the star rotates.

After decades of studying pulsars, astronomers wondered—could they serve as cosmic beacons to help future space explorers navigate the universe? To see if it could work, scientists needed to do some testing!

First, it was important to gather more data. NASA’s NICER, or Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, is a telescope that was installed aboard the International Space Station in 2017. Its goal is to find out things about neutron stars like their sizes and densities, using an array of 56 special X-ray concentrators and sensitive detectors to capture and measure pulsars’ light.

But how can we use these X-ray pulses as navigational tools? Enter SEXTANT, or Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology. If NICER was your phone, SEXTANT would be like an app on it.  

During the first few years of NICER’s observations, SEXTANT created an on-board navigation system using NICER’s pulsar data. It worked by measuring the consistent timing between each pulsar’s pulses to map a set of cosmic beacons.

When calculating position or location, extremely accurate timekeeping is essential. We usually rely on atomic clocks, which use the predictable fluctuations of atoms to tick away the seconds. These atomic clocks can be located on the ground or in space, like the ones on GPS satellites. However, our GPS system only works on or close to Earth, and onboard atomic clocks can be expensive and heavy. Using pulsar observations instead could give us free and reliable “clocks” for navigation. During its experiment, SEXTANT was able to successfully determine the space station’s orbital position!

We can calculate distances using the time taken for a signal to travel between two objects to determine a spacecraft’s approximate location relative to those objects. However, we would need to observe more pulsars to pinpoint a more exact location of a spacecraft. As SEXTANT gathered signals from multiple pulsars, it could more accurately derive its position in space.

So, imagine you are an astronaut on a lengthy journey to the outer solar system. You could use the technology developed by SEXTANT to help plot your course. Since pulsars are reliable and consistent in their spins, you wouldn’t need Wi-Fi or cell service to figure out where you were in relation to your destination. The pulsar-based navigation data could even help you figure out your ETA!

None of these missions or experiments would be possible without Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s keen eye for an odd spot in her radio data decades ago, which set the stage for the idea to use spinning neutron stars as a celestial GPS. Her contribution to the field of astrophysics laid the groundwork for research benefitting the people of the future, who yearn to sail amongst the stars.  

Keep up with the latest NICER news by following NASA Universe on X and Facebook and check out the mission’s website. For more on space navigation, follow @NASASCaN on X or visit NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation website.  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[todays-xkcd]

Their calculations show it will 'pass within the distance of the moon' but that it 'will not hit the moon, so what's the point?'

Asteroid News [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

[Close-up of Blondie as a newscaster speaking, alongside an image to the left of an asteroid passing by Earth. The path of the asteroid is shown as a dashed line near the top-left, with the Moon orbiting the Earth below it.] Blondie: Astronomers initially said there was a one-in-6,000 chance that the newly-discovered asteroid might "do something cool" in 2063, but further observations determined it will be "just a boring dot like all the others."

[hannieehaee]

18 + / mdi

content: idol!hoshi x idol!reader, fluff, pining, smut, afab reader, penetrative sex, oral (both f and m receiving), face riding, sub!hoshi etc.

wc: 3k

a/n: this is is a continuation to this!!

masterlist

you'd known hoshi ever since seventeen's debut. you'd been there. well, maybe not there but you had had the opportunity to mc along with some other idol friend of yours during one of seventeen's first comeback shows. you had only debuted a couple years back, making you their senior but also their equal, being the same age as some members of the group.

like with most other groups, you hadnt had much of an opportunity to speak to them, considering how fast paced these shows tended to be. but you remembered them well, sharing with your own members how talented you thought the rookies had been despite this being their very first year in the game. unfortunately, not much interaction between you happened for a while after that first encounter.

as the years passed, your own group grew. with the boom of kpop in the west you found yourselves at a global level, along with many of your fellow kpop groups. you still remembered the excitement you felt upon debuting, feeling like you were reliving the experience as you entered the hybe building for the first time.

like many groups after the year of 2020, your group's label had been acquired by hybe ent., arguably one of the biggest entertainment companies in korea at the moment. the concept of joining a new company with many of the idols you'd learned to call friends over the years elated you, enjoying the change of environment and the opportunity to meet other people who shared a career and a passion with you. this was also how you came to meet hoshi once more.

~

through the years, it wasnt hard for you to tell that the man well known as hoshi had a bit of a thing for you. not only was he not very discreet about it whenever you crossed paths, but he had also even mentioned you by name once at a variety show, listing you as his bias in your group and even as his celebrity crush. it seemed to be a slip of the tongue, but unfortunately for hoshi it had been caught on camera and eventually aired.

you should've known upon your first meeting, really. the boy had blushed profusely when you'd directed yourself at him, bowing politely. you had assumed he was just shy, but you'd come to learn that the boy was anything but timid.

for the next two years or so, you'd found yourself bumping into him frequently around the building. what you had first believed to be accidents proved to be calculated meetings orchestrated by the man. nothing would ever happen. he'd sheepishly interact with you, always making you coo at his uncharacteristically shy disposition towards you. you came to love bumping into the man, being fully aware of the effect you had on him. your group mates would giggle behind his back, calling him whipped. even his own group mates would give you intel on how astronomically down bad he was for you, begging you to put him out of his misery. so you did.

this had been one of your first times approaching him first. he'd usually hang around outside your practice room after hours in order to catch you and take the elevator with you on his way out. he'd never say much, but his giddiness would radiate out of him at your mere proximity. other instances would be when hoshi would approach you for group promotions, insisting you to let him teach you the choreo to his group's latest song for a quick tiktok challenge. at this point any public group interaction between your two groups was always you and hoshi, with the occasional inclusion of another member. hoshi also had the tendency to walk by your practice room at the usual time you took your breaks in order to say a quick hello to you. it was all very endearing, really. it didnt take too long for him to wear you down, his cuteness making your resolve break. so today you decided to seek him out for yourself.

you marched into his practice room in the middle of the day, walking straight towards him. he stopped his movements and stared at you blankly, almost as if in a trance. a few other members were there, but you didnt pay them much mind, having all your focus on hoshi. you came up with a quick excuse. some reason to get him alone after hours. you'd decided you wanted him. the thought of someone as handsome and nice as soonyoung having held a candle for you for so many years did things to you. embarrassing things. so you asked him for help. made up a story about how you wanted to do a dance cover of spider for your fans, thinking that it was such an intricate choreo that you could not do justice unless the original dancer gave you pointers. hoshi, in typical hoshi fashion, excitedly accepted without a second thought, agreeing immediately when you told him you'd let him ride home with you after work today in order to keep things under wraps.

the ride was mostly quiet, sans occasional comments thrown back and forth. hoshi would occasionally make a little comment about how happy he was you'd chosen spider, about how much he's always admired you as an idol. you were incredibly touched, knowing the boy to be among the most dedicated idols in the game. you paid your compliments back, rendering him a blushing mess. he was killing you. you felt kind of bad for wanting to jump him. but his crush had been making you crazy for weeks. you'd known he wanted you. any short time you'd spend together while he guided you through those short tiktok challenges you'd catch him looking at you in ways that made your body heat up. all those elevator rides in which he'd keep his eyes at bay if you had any bit of skin exposed. those times he'd been caught on camera at award shows, watching you on stage with a moony look in his eyes. he wanted you, you were sure. and you wanted him just as bad.

~

you hadnt really thought this through. you knew how to get him alone, but you had not planned much past that. in your head, you had wanted to jump him immediately upon arriving into your home. except he seemed so excited to share his passion with you, you could not stop him when he insisted you take him to the practice room located in your home. so now you were here. drenched in sweat and still going over the first verse of spider for the fourth time now. although you loved dancing, and you loved watching hoshi in his element, you needed some type of plan to get to him. you knew hoshi was beginning to feel affected by both the physical exertion and your out of breath state, but you knew he would never make the first move. he was too sweet and respectful, on top of the fact that only two of his braincells worked when he was around you.

"soonyoung ... can you help me with this? i cant get it right ..." okay maybe this was a cheap attempt, but it would at least get him in close proximity to you.

"uh, i .. yeah. let me see," good. he was now approaching you, standing behind you as you both faced the mirror, looking at you through the mirror in order to examine your posture.

"oh, yeah. your leg needs to be a little higher, and uh, your arms are positioned a bit wrong. can i ..?", he extended his hands out as if to help you, but retracted them a bit before asking for permission.

"yeah, soonie. go for it," you threw him a sweet smile through the mirror.

he gulped, but still placed his hands on your arms, attempting to lower them, except thats as far as he would go. you'd trapped him.

you quickly got a hold of his arms, lowering them a bit, bringing them down enough to hover closely over your frame.

"what .. what are you doing?", the boy gulped, although still leaving his body pliant to allow you to move his arms as you pleased.

you turned around while also keeping his arms at a close proximity, now facing him.

"soonie ... i think there's something else you could help me with .. yeah?", you used your best sultry voice, now walking yourself backwards to press your back against the mirrored wall, dragging him with you by the hand. the end result was soonyoung unknowingly hovering over you, arms leaning against the wall on both sides of your head.

"you ... what's happening?", he chuckled nervously, breath becoming heavier as he tried to ignore the eyes you were giving him.

"soonie, please ... you said you'd help me, didnt you? need your help so bad ... need you so bad," at this point you were being too obvious, maybe even a little mean. you had leaned up to whisper against his ear, loving the shudder he had given you in return.

"y-yes. ill help you, ill ... ill do anything. please ..."

"yeah?", you now whispered against his lips, nodding to yourself as if to confirm.

he nodded back, whispering a whiny 'yes' as your breaths began to meld together, mouths now one inch away from one another. soonyoung looked fucked out already, eyebrows furrowed and eyes lidded.

you finally closed the gap, making sure to moan against his lips in order to get a reaction out of him, which was almost instant. soonyoung immediately whined against your lips, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing you against him as close as humanly possible.

you kissed like this for a while, allowing the kiss to evolve into a mess of tongues and languid sounds filling up the room, spider still playing faintly on a loop in the background.

soonyoung finally pulled away, fully out of breath, "fuck. ive wanted you forever. liked you since i was a trainee, you have no idea ... jesus you're so pretty. what do you want? ill give you anything. ill take anything, just. please ..." he rambled as you moved to kiss and suck at his neck, moving up to lightly lick and nibble at his ear while you responded to him in a whisper.

"anything, soonie?"

"y-yes."

"fuck my mouth? hmm, soonie?"

he physically shuddered at this, eyes rolling back as if you already had him in your mouth, knees visibly buckling.

"please, yes yes. fuck."

you tortured him a bit more, licking and kissing at the most sensitive spots of his neck and ears while sneaking your hand into his sweats, caressing his dick at an agonizingly slow pace. you kept at it for a few minutes, feeding off of his whines and mewls of pleasure. you grew frustrated quickly, however, wanting nothing more than to feel the weight of his cock against your tongue. you got on your knees, quickly unfastening his sweats and working his cock out of his boxers. you began by kitten licking his tip, eventually moving onto licking at the protruding veins. soonyoung's breaths of pleasure were quickly breaking your resolve, making your desire to ruin the pretty boy take over you.

"b-baby ... please, fuck," he begged for you to finally envelop him in your mouth, throwing his head back against the mirror and fidgeting at the pleasure of your mere licking was giving him.

you finally took pity on him, beginning to bob your head as deep as you could, causing his whines to increase in volume.

"o-oh, fuck. your mouth ... shit, so pretty. thank you. thank you ... thought ab- ah! about this every night ..."

"yeah? tell me what you thought about, baby," you unglued your mouth from his length for a few seconds to catch your breath and to incite him, getting off at his want for you.

"y-you. everything about you. so fucking pretty ... the way you move, fuck. your body and- shit! you're so sweet ..."

"im sweet, soonie? yeah? want me to show you how sweet?", you mumbled against him, taking a quick break to lick and suck at his tip, making him lightheaded.

"i ... you, shit, baby. gonna cum. where? please ..."

"my mouth? wanna fill my mouth soonie? wanna taste how sweet you are.."

with that, he came with a shout, yelling out your name as he unknowingly pressed your head closer to his cervix, grinding slightly against your mouth as he rode his high.

you stood up before he could catch his breath, pulling his head towards yours and sticking your tongue in his mouth, making him moan at the mixture of your taste with that of his cum. his hands finally became a little braver, feeling you up as you devoured each other.

you pulled away first, speaking against his mouth once more, "let me take you to my room?", to which he responded with an overexcited nod, allowing you to drag him by the hand.

upon arriving to your room, you didnt last much on your feet, immediately jumping him and dragging him over to your bed, pushing him onto it as you straddled him.

"baby ... want you so fucking bad. can i have you?", you kept asking him questions, instigating him to tell you how badly be wanted you.

"yes! fuck. you can do whatever you want. ill give you anything you want, please. wanna feel you so bad ..."

his words were feeding your ego in ways nothing else ever had.

you got up for a second, creating distance between you to give him a little show as you undressed yourself.

"you're so beautiful, fuck. always thought about this. you're gorgeous. can i touch you? please?", the endless praise wouldnt stop leaving his lips, rendering you weaker the more he spoke.

you sat on him once more, guiding his arms to your tits, showing him how you wanted to be touched. he moaned immediately at the feeling of your breast against his palms, eyes hooded as he made eye contact with your breasts.

"wanna kiss them, soonie? kiss them for me, baby. please?"

he nodded excitedly at this, lowing his mouth and softly licking and pecking at your breasts. he soon grew overexcited and began to increase the intensity of his touches, his arms now squeezing at your hips and ass while he moaned wantonly against your breasts.

"sit on my face, baby. please. wanna taste you. bet it tastes so sweet," he begged against your tit.

it didnt take much convincing for you to wiggle your way to his mouth, pressing your pussy against his face as he moaned at the pressure.

he was animalistic with the way he ate you out, as if he'd waited for this moment his whole life he had. at some point you began to grind against his tongue desperately, him guiding your movements with his strong arms. his moans and groans were what led you to find your end, digging your fingers in his hair and screaming out his name as you arched your back.

you gave him no time to catch his breath or recover, as you repositioned yourself in order to, once again, make out with him. he moaned at the way you licked and sucked at his tongue, tasting your essence in his tongue.

"soonie, need you to fuck me. will you do that for me? been wanting you so bad."

"me? you wanted me? yes. i'll- yes. please."

he was the cutest thing, making you want to ruin him for anyone else. but that would come later. right now you needed to be impaled by his dick. the one which had already bruised the back of your throat. having felt the length of his cock drag up and down your throat had you salivating at how well he'd fill you up. lacking any more patience, you quickly reached for a condom from your bedside table and slipped it in before taking your rightful seat on his cock.

you both let out shuddered breaths at the pleasure, you moaning at how much he stretched you out, and he at how snuggly your pussy wrapped around him.

this was one of hoshi's dreams come true. he had waited to make a move one day, never knowing you'd finally look his way and quite literally jump him, but he wasnt complaining. knowing how bad he wanted you had worn you down over time, making you want the sweet and pretty boy just as bad.

you'd found him adorable before, but now you knew better. the way he bounced you up and down his cock, filling your neck and chest with love bites as he growled against you, muttering how 'fucking tight' you were, and how 'he'd never let go of this pussy now that he had it.' the stark contrast between a pussy drunk soonyoung and the one currently fucking you made you dizzy. you knew it wouldnt be long til your orgasm took over.

"need you to cum. please? need to feel this pussy tighten around me. can you cum, baby? for me?", he'd moaned against your mouth, having begun to lick at it once he was satisfied with all the love bites he'd left on your chest.

you didn't need much convincing. none at all for that matter, as you quickly felt your orgasm attack you from all angles. you pressed your face against his neck and cried out his name, scratching his back as you felt the most powerful orgasm of your life take over you.

hoshi followed soon after, moaning your name as he threw his head back at the pleasure, whispering a mantra of 'thank you thank you thank you thank you' at the unimaginable pleasure.

you two leaned limply against each other for a few seconds, too overexerted to even think. hoshi spoke up first.

"do you- do you still need help with the choreo?"

a/n: not proofread </3

[wonders-of-the-cosmos]

On the night 177 years ago on Sept. 23-24, 1846, astronomers discovered Neptune, the eighth planet orbiting our Sun. The discovery was made based on mathematical calculations of its predicted position due to observed perturbations in the orbit of the planet Uranus. The discovery was made using a telescope since Neptune is too faint to be visible to the naked eye, and astronomers soon discovered a moon orbiting the planet. More than a century later, a second moon was discovered orbiting the planet. Our knowledge of distant Neptune greatly increased from the scientific observations made during Voyager 2’s flyby in 1989, including the discovery of five additional moons and confirmation of dark rings orbiting the planet.

This image of Neptune was taken by Voyager 2 less than five days before the probe's closest approach of the planet on Aug. 25, 1989, and shows the "Great Dark Spot" — a storm in Neptune's atmosphere — and the bright, light-blue smudge of clouds that accompanies the storm.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[sweet-honey-fruit]

Wanted

Boothill x reader

Synopsis: Boothill has a wanted poster with your face on it

This is a snippet from what I was going to do. I might turn this into a series.

Warnings: boothill typical violence, cussing, boothill’s substitute cuss words, use of guns, mentions of splattered brains (but doesnt happen)

Masterlists: xxx

Out of bullets. Out of backup. Shit shit shit. You’re normally better than this. You are better than this. You wouldn’t have secured a job to personally work beside the Ten Stonehearts if you sucked at it. So why now? When it truly mattered, why start losing grip now?

The hallway on the space station was long and agonizing. It’s slim but somehow you still feel like prey in an open field. The grip you have on your gun is tight despite the blasphemous thing being out of ammo. How the metal is digging into the palm of your hand is the only thing keeping you grounded and focused. Focused on making it to the safe room. Focused on sending out that distress signal. Focused on the little hope you have left. Just focus.

The distant sound of gunshots urges you to run faster. Each round of shots fuels not only your need to escape but your overwhelming guilt as well. Normally you stay back and handle the threat. You stay back to help your agents and get them to safety. That's what you wanted to do. Yet the sight of seeing bodies upon bodies being thrown to the side by him, you started to, selfishly, second guess if you should.

What pushed you to get out was Jade's voice speaking through your earpiece. She specifically ordered you to run and to get to the safe room. She all but hinted that this was surely a fight you couldn’t win and you needed to get out now. She's normally calm and collected, tactical and calculating. Jade isn't one to order you to retreat for she has trust in your abilities. So when she told you to run, you ran like hell was after you.

For once, you prayed to the Amber Lord. Praying that your colleagues will make it out alive. Although, you doubted that.

The weight of your conscious is almost enough to weigh down your speed but once the familiar doors of the safe room enter your sight, all weight is washed away and it’s replaced with relief.

Finally, after minutes of running and dodging bullets, you’ve made it. You take deep breaths to calm your breathing as a shaky hand swipes your keycard over the mechanical padlock. With a loud beep that makes you internally cuss it out, you slip into the room. The moment the door shuts you collapse to your knees.

“Holy fuck.” You mumble, letting out a nervous laugh. Your gun clatters to the floor beside you as your hand loses the strength to continue the death grip. You run your hand over your uniform to try and soothe the ache that replaces the cold metal. What a shit show.

You have faced an astronomical amount of enemies throughout your line of work. Anywhere from the Anti-Matter Legion to Galaxy Rangers. All of them were a pain to deal with, sure, but this? This is something different. You have never seen someone so precise, so quick with a gun, and so cocky. Recalling everything just made your blood boil. It’s not even because he ambushed your crew. It was more of the fact that he was moonwalking while doing so. Honestly, who acts so casually in a fight?

Pass it off with humor all you want, but you know exactly why you’re left shaken. This was the work of one individual. The same individual that made eye contact with you in the lobby. His grin widened when you locked eyes, and his bullseye pupils seemed to have made you the target. It was chilling. The way your body tensed and the hairs on the back of your neck stood was foreign to you. You’re normally the hunter but in the moment you felt like prey. That feeling was followed up by Jade's command and it felt too much like an omen. Like all of this was for you. All of this was because of you.

You shake your head to get rid of those thoughts. No. There’s no reason why you should dwell on the situation. Only doing so will drag you down. With weakened legs you stand, stumbling over to the command terminal to send a distress signal out. You hesitate for a moment as you stare down at the screen. The blinking red of the button haunted your memory.

The bodies of your coworkers. The blood of the agents you were supposed to watch over on Jade's behalf. The screams of pain and terror as they tried to take down the threat that snuck onboard. No matter how hard you try, you can't push down that culpability. Your mind races at a million miles per hour, from one thought to the next, all about your irresponsibility. You tried to save who you could. You tried to take down the threat yourself. You shot so, so many bullets all for naught. Then he looked at you. Made a beeline for you. Was he here for you? Was this all your fault? Where did you go wrong? Why didn't you try harder to save the agents that were trusted to your care? Are you even worthy of saving?

Your breath hitches at the last question.

'Am I worth saving?'

Even so, that decision isn't up to you. It's up to the Ten Stonehearts. With reluctance, you press the button. There's a gentle ping that was supposed to reassure you that the distress signal was successfully sent. But all it did was make your gut twist with anguish. It shouldn't only be you in this room.

Your sorrowful eyes stare out the window with a glaze. In all of your times of need, it has always been the stars that brought you comfort. Always a shining, shimmering light in the dreadful place of your mind. For the first time since this morning, your mind goes quiet as you imagine yourself walking among the stars. You enjoy the tranquility of the safe room, taking the opportunity to worship the silence. No screaming, no commands, no gunshots.

Wait.

.

.

.

No gunshots.

Your moment of peace is ripped out of your hands and replaced with your heart dropping. Your breathing stops and slowly, ever so, you turn your head to look behind you.

Oh fuck.

There he is in all of his cowboy glory. The barrel of his gun is pointed right between your eyes and there isn’t a hint of hesitation on his face.

“Don’t tell me ya hidin’ from my welcome party.” His thick southern accent lays on thick at the realization of it all; you haven’t been fucked like this in a long time. Your gun is left on the floor. Even if it is out of ammo, you still could’ve potentially used it as an empty threat. You quite literally backed up against a wall. Alone. The only exit is being blocked by the blood-thirsty cyborg man in front of you. There’s no one left to provide backup.

That feeling creeps up your spine again as his eye pierces through you, just itching to pull the trigger on you.

"Is this what they consider southern hospitality?" You sarcastically ask, a glare settling into your eyes in hopes of masking that premonition deep within your bones.

There's a skip of a beat in your heart when there’s silence. A thick, heavy silence that only grows louder the longer you stare down the barrel of the pistol. It’s only broken by his boisterous laugh. A laugh that feels mocking. A laugh that makes you feel offended that you opened your mouth. You go from scared, to confused.

“Oh shucks! You got me gatherin’ tears in my eye! Holy fudgin shirt on a rag! It’s been a while since I had someone tell me a one-liner like that. You’re a hoot and a holler!”

He finds this humorous. He has a gun pointed between your eyes, eager to splatter your brains across the window behind you, and he finds this funny. You go from scared, to livid.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Ha! At least one of us can say it-“

“Are you fucking serious? You murdered my coworkers, you’re threatening me, and you’re laughing?”

“Don’t go actin’ all high and mighty now, you IPC scum.” His mood switch gave you whiplash. What was once a lighthearted tone was turned into a low growl. He took one step forward, then another, and another until his chest was pressed up against yours. His breath fans over your face. Your back presses up against the command terminal. The soft red blinking of the distress button reflects off the shiny metal of the gun as he presses it against your forehead. Even so, the indignation coursing through your body is enough to fuel a stellaron.

“You shouldn’t be acting all righteous either. Wanted criminals don’t deserve to act so pompous.” You snap back, huffing out a breath.

“So ya know who I am?”

“Unfortunately.”

Boothill might as well be a cursed name among the IPC. A name that brings both fear and a migraine. You never had the courtesy to meet him until now. His wanted poster has been sitting on your desk for a while along with his list of crimes. The stack was so big that his crimes were used as a paperweight for a while. While he was annoying, the Ten Stonehearts put you on missions that were ‘more important.’ His information served more as a warning rather than a task.

Now you regret not going after him when you got the chance.

“It appears my ruckus has paid off.” He whispers, lowering the gun. You had a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, that that was a sign he was leaving. That the distress signal wasn’t needed after all. He only allowed you enough relief to let out a shaky sigh.

The tip of the gun is pressed under your chin, tilting your head back to fully look up at his smug smirk.

“It’s a shame your wanted poster says wanted alive.”

Your eyes widen in his swift movements. With harsh movements, he slams the grip against your temple. There’s a burning, aching pain that spreads throughout your head and down the back of your neck. Your body falls to the floor with a harsh thud. You couldn’t help but think this is what you deserved for failing them all.

‘Am I worth saving?’ It appears the universe made that decision before your higher-ups.

Boothill kneels beside you, placing his gun back into his holster.

“Don’t ya worry. Ima take good care of ya.”