#because they only need a few encounters to form a strong connection

[abirddogmoment]

Do you know how specific scent training is? Like if you train a dog to find mallards they can find other ducks, but they're not going to indicate at sparrows for instance. So how specific is it?

Hi! So short answer - depends on the dog and how well they contextualize.

If you have a dog predisposed to finding birds, they're probably going to find all birds and then generally learn which ones you (the human) care about. So say for example your dog shows you a crow, a sparrow, a mallard, a teal, and a finch. You reward the mallard and the teal, and you ignore the others. Eventually your dog will release that you only care about some birds and their indication on crows and sparrows amd finches will fade.

If, on the other hand, you have to teach a dog to indicate birds from scratch, you might have to contextualize more. So you'd teach your dog that you reward when they look at ducks in a pond, and then they'd seek out ducks in a pond (hopefully). Then you'd have to teach that you reward when they find ducks in a field. Then ducks on a path in the woods. Then you might have to teach them that you don't care about herons in the pond. And so on and on, depending how quickly they understand what you're rewarding.

It really depends on what connection your dog makes in their puppy brain, and there isn't a good way to control that. But it's a fun thing to try anyway, especially if it's something you and your dog find enriching!

[cosmicpuzzle]

4th Lord in Houses

1st House

You enjoyed nurturing in youth and consequently you are close to your mother. Being in good touch with your emotional mind you are true to your feelings and values. With this disposition in life you will gain happiness, particularly in the form of comfort, property and wealth.

2nd House

Having a secure family life and financial status gives you more comfort than many others. Therefore, for the purpose of comfort and security, you will tend to accumulate considerable wealth. Your mind is cunning and practical. Your mother will have good financial opportunities in life.

3rd House

You will only acquire comfort and security through your own courage and assertion. The need you have for stability and comfort is the motivation for the initiative necessary for accomplishment. Although you may have lacked comforts from your mother, you will acquire security with you own skills and abilities.

4th House

You are comfortable and content and well aware of your emotional needs. There is a strong need of emotional intimacy and close friendships. You tend to be very personal and loyal to your friends. Property of land or real estate will come easily to you, and you will enjoy comforts all your life.

5th House

You seek fulfillment and comfort in a lively interaction with knowledge. Moral values and spiritual principles, which you may have gotten from your mother, play an important part of your life. You are happy and likable and financial resources will always be available to you.

6th House

You may find it problematic to settle into a comforting and secure lifestyle. In your efforts to do so you may encounter all kinds of obstacles and irritants, which are only resolved over a lapse of time. Due to this, however, you may develop your own independent problem-solving style of fulfilling your comforting needs. There is a possibility that your mother will suffer from a medical or mental complaint.

7th House

Your basic needs for nurturing and comforts are only fulfilled by close partnerships or marriage. Therefore, you will seek out a spouse who is strong and protective and can connect to you on an intimate emotional level. You will get a good education, although you may not get to display your knowledge.

8th House

You are likely to harbor a deep interest in occult or mysterious fields of knowledge. In a sense you may seek comfort by exploring and unveiling hidden mysteries. You may, however, find it hard to fulfill your basic needs for emotional comfort and security because of constant challenges and transformations in that arena. Your mother may have suffered in her life or the relationship between you was inadequate.

9th House

You may get fulfillment for your tender need for comfort by seeking out and assimilating knowledge, philosophical or religious, that expanded your horizon, and makes you feel at home where the knowledge was. Your mother was probably a spiritual person which gave you good moral values and a healthy outlook in life. Higher education is a very appropriate direction for you and your life will be characterized by fortune and happiness.

10th House

You may feel most at home in your work, which is very likely to be very successful and give you great social prestige and reputation. Political influence or governmental favors are few of the tools you utilize to step up to fame and power.

11th House

You seek your comforts in optimism and openness for new endeavors. Meeting and doing business with others will bring you contentment, and it's quite possible that you can open avenues of resources for yourself by supplying security and contentment to others, for example in the form of real estate. There is possibility that you harbor a fear, a secret ailment or disease.

12th House

Your best way of attaining happiness and inner contentment may be through selfless service to those who are in need. This is how you may find that making others happy gives you comfort and contentment. It might be difficult, however, for you to gain any substantial and lasting material comforts in life, but your afterlife might look better than others.

For Readings DM

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Compelling Characters

Characters & Goals

“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” –Kurt Vonnegut

Characters should almost always have clear goals, even if these goals are not immediately made obvious to the reader.

Without goals, characters lack motivation—that is, they have little reason to do anything interesting.

For this reason, many writers connect the main character's goals to the main conflict in the story. This generally means that the main obstacle to those goals plays a key role in the plot as well (for instance, in the form of a villain).

Often, the main character is most interesting and when confronting his own shortcomings in pursuit of his goals.

There are a few ways to construct this character-plot connection:

CHARACTER-FIRST APPROACH

Constructs a story’s plot for a character that already exists.

It asks a writer to build a character that they find interesting and then assemble the plot around them.

Example: A character who is struggling to overcome a phobia might, as a plot element, come into contact with the thing she fears. Success in this instance would mean that she doesn’t let the fear overcome her.

PLOT-FIRST APPROACH

Starts by defining the major conflicts the writer wants to include in a piece of fiction and then builds a character who will be motivated by those conflicts.

Example: A writer could decide to explore the effect of a catastrophic storm on a city before writing a main character. A character that would feel motivated by this conflict would be one with a connection to the city or to someone living in the city. Therefore, the son of someone who went missing in the storm would likely be a good focal character for this story.

Small Goals & Big Goals

Though it’s important for characters to have at least one big goal, it can be boring for the reader if a character is totally preoccupied with a single motivation.

Strong characters generally have two or more goals of varying sizes that they might confront separately or at the same time.

The reader excitedly anticipates your character's success or failure in achieving their goals.

Believability

Another factor that can contribute to a successful character is an element called “verisimilitude,” also called “believability.”

When writers talk about believability, they talk about whether the constituent parts of a character make sense and feel cohesive.

Example: We might expect a character who gets paid minimum wage to struggle to pay her bills, so if we see her driving an expensive car or spending several hundred dollars on a meal at a fancy restaurant, we would question these details.

There are, of course, stories in which these situations could exist, but the reader would need to know what allowed them to happen (inheritance from a late relative, perhaps, or an irresponsible approach to personal debt).

Suspension of Disbelief

Stories that take place outside of a realistic modern setting will generally require some extra work on the part of the writer to make them believable.

This is because of an idea called “suspension of disbelief.”

This refers to the tendency of readers to challenge details of a story that seem out-of-place, but not to question those details if they are presented with enough contextual justification.

Example: A story contains people who can fly with human-size wings. The reader would need to learn early on that this is a normal event that occurs in the story world. A reader who unexpectedly encounters flying humans three-fourths of the way into a short story could easily be baffled by this development, and might also consider it a cheap cop-out if it's used to resolve a plot conflict.

Adding Physical Detail

In addition to planning your characters thoughtfully, you must also sketch them coherently on the page.

Careful selection of physical and environmental details will make some of your character’s traits visible to your reader without you having to tell them outright what you mean. Examples:

A character who is disorganized might have wrinkled clothing or might consistently arrive late to appointments.

An introverted character might bring a book or notebook everywhere they go and might also stay out of crowded spaces (or feel uncomfortable in those spaces).

Symbolic Meanings

Be aware of the other meanings that a detail can bring into a piece.

A physical detail, especially one that appears multiple times within a work, might also develop symbolic meanings in addition to its literal meaning.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, and using only physical details (e.g., characters' clothing, appearance, or body language), make it clear to a reader that a character is experiencing one of the following conditions: worry, hunger, grief, joy, confusion, lack of sleep, anxiety, homesickness.

The word you chose should not appear in your vignette, nor should any synonyms.

Adding Personality

Broadly, “personality” refers to the collection of beliefs, thought patterns, and other mental qualities that dictate a character’s actions.

A personality trait could be the character’s bubbly disposition, their self-deprecating humor, or the fact that they’re always nervous.

When constructing a character, it’s important to think about how she would react in a number of situations.

Here are some questions to help you discover your character’s personality traits:

Is he fond of attention, or does he avoid it?

Is she curious to learn more about a topic/location/person, or does she keep to herself?

How big of a role does fear play in his day-to-day activities?

How does this character react if things don’t go the way she wants them to?

Does he think that he’s more intelligent/less intelligent than others around him?

Does she think she’s average? How would she define “average?”

How does he feel about making decisions?

Does she make decisions quickly or slowly?

Does he tend to regret decisions they’ve made?

It’s helpful to connect these traits to elements from the character’s life or past.

Example: A character who grew up with a controlling parent might have difficulty making decisions once they start living on their own.

Personality traits might also overlap with physical traits.

Example: Talking too loudly or too softly or interrupting others.

It’s also important to make sure that your characters aren’t good at everything they come across.

Doing so will reduce your story’s believability because—let’s face it—no one is good at everything.

To this end, you should allow your characters to fail at something, whether that something is huge or inconsequential.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, deliver some news to your character.

The news can be good or bad.

It can affect just the character, or the entire world population, or any number of people in between.

How does this character react?

Who do they tell, if anyone?

How do they interact with the space they’re in (e.g. punch a wall, hug a stranger)?

Try this exercise several times with the same character but different contexts (e.g., the character receiving the news alone versus receiving it in a public place) to see how they react under different circumstances.

CAUTION: Using Fictionalized Versions of Real People

It’s common for writers to borrow details from real life—the shape of a stranger’s chin, a classmate’s clicking of their pen during a quiet exam, or the restaurant server’s shrill laugh, to give just a few examples—but a writer should be wary of recreating an entire person on the page.

There are legal reasons not to do this, of course, but there is also the danger that a story filled with too many real-life people and events will be flat and boring.

Fiction should generally be a healthy mix of the ordinary and extraordinary.

If the mix is skewed too far in one direction, the reader can find the piece too unbelievable or too boring.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Worksheet: Conflict Lists: 170 Character Quirks ⚜ +600 Personality Traits ⚜ 100 Sensory Words

[emotreech]

tell me the mizzen thoughts i beg

YES HI I LOVE TALKING ABT HIM

okay so to preface mizzen is my fave character in the series if i am thinking abt the hunger games im probably thinking about mizzen and / or district 4 ( d4 tributes get behind me )

anyways recently ive been mostly thinking abt his family dynamic and how it intertwines with his relationships in the book. i feel like he lives in a pretty matriarchal household , purely self - indulgent but his mom is a single mother in my eyes. i also think he has an older sister whom he really looks up to / tries to emulate , leading to his close relationship with coral and pippa , two strong women who entered his life when he was incredibly vulnerable and needed support. also just him in d4 in general. who were his friends?? did he have to work?? we know he's good w a net and has basic trident skills so maybe he had to do stuff w that. did he do well in school?? what was his dynamic w his siblings?? what was his favourite subject??

wait i just realised i turned him into prim whoops 😭 coral and mizzen as katniss and prim parallels or smt even tho they are barely similar

( editing to say: i personally headcanon mags to be mizzen's older sister for no reason other than sad bcus there is NO canon evidence to support that )

for a tribute so young he lasted an incredibly long time in both the book and the movie , surviving a couple pretty close encounters ( moreso in the book but in the movie too , ) only being stopped by extraneous factors ( teslee's drones and gaul's snakes. ) id love to see how far he'd last were it to have been " fair " ( though i argue that technically teslee didn't do anything to crazy all she did was manipulate the capitol's faulty tech which , though im sure the capitol didn't like it , is really their fault that it was able to be manipulated so easily. ) im also interested in how she managed to do that but that's another topic.

i don't usually think abt the mentors a ton ( besides festus and the usual sejanus and coriolanus ) but ive been thinking abt pippa a lot recently. idk just their relationship in general , ik it's not that realistic to think they formed a pseudo - sibling bond in the time they spent together but let me dream 😭 she obviously cared about him more than coriolanus' unreliable pov would let us see cus he was too busy claiming lucy gray and being mad at sejanus for existing. you're the pippa expert im sure you have better thoughts on their relationship ( which i NEED to know btw i love reading your writing. )

unrelated but his actor was perfect he looked so little ( obviously because he was young filming it ) it made me even sadder having to put a face to the character

okay final one i think but i canNOT stop thinking abt coral and mizzen. did they know each other before the games?? were they just super close immediately because they were thrown in the situation together?? are they family friends?? they obviously had this incredibly close connection that honestly i don't think we saw between any other two tributes in these games. they seemed to be able to speak to each other without words and she trusted him with things im sure she wouldn't trust tanner or treech with ( taking her trident to find lucy gray for example. ) ugh she just protected him and was softer with him and he was rlly one of a few people to see past her angry protective exterior i wish we could've seen them outside of this because i love them sm.

no i don't like mizzen wdym 🤧

delilah be normal challenge ( impossible )

[chosaraki]

Unlikely Encounter.

—————————————————————————

Gitae kim x R.femele.

—————————————————————————

Y/N inspired by Sanemi Shinazugawa.

—————————————————————————

Night fell on Seoul, the streets still swarming with the distant noise of engines, hurried steps and muffled conversations. Gitae Kim walked with her usual posture: head held high, broad shoulders, cold look, radiating authority without saying a single word. He didn't like noise, but that night there was something different in the air.

As he passed through a narrow alley, a distinct sound broke the constant rhythm of his walk - the dry sound of a fight, fast and agile blows. Curious, he looked into the shadow of the side street.

There, illuminated only by the flickering light of a pole, a woman fought against two men. She had short and disheveled hair, practically a rebellious pixie cut, sharp and penetrating eyes, almost challenging. Her face carried scars - marks of previous battles - but she was a strong, almost fierce beauty. His body, agile and firm, danced between the attacks with a fierce and deadly grace.

Gitae stood still, watching.

"She's too strong for two idiots like that," he murmured to himself, admiration starting to infiltrate that usually closed countenance.

The woman, Y/n, wore a black leather jacket, simple but resistant, and worn boots. There was a dangerous aura in her, of someone who has already faced the worst of life and still stood up.

After knocking down the aggressors with a final arm movement that looked like an invisible blade cutting the air, she faced Gitae directly - her gaze piercing the darkness, revealing a mixture of challenge and curiosity.

- Why are you looking at me? - he provoked, with a firm and hoarse voice, but without fear.

Gitae took a step forward, her shadows swallowing part of the pole light.

- Because you're not afraid - he replied, in a serious tone, with a small pinch of respect, something rare coming from him.

Y/n arched an eyebrow, her lips curving in a crooked smile.

- Fear is something for those who don't know how to fight. And you, who are you? - he asked, crossing his arms.

- Gitae. And you? - he replied, keeping his gaze fixed on her.

- Y/n - she said, firmly. - And I don't need anyone protecting me. I've already passed the phase of needing it.

A tense silence formed between the two. There was a connection there, something that not even the coldest of warriors could deny.

⸻

-The Next Few Days

Fate threw them together several times. Gitae began to be surprised by how often she thought of her - her strength, her indomitable way, the way she didn't bow to anything. Unlike any other woman he had ever met.

She, in turn, refused to let Gitae intimidate her, and this intrigued him even more. With her, there was no power game. There was respect - and, little by little, admiration.

One night, in a hidden bar, Gitae decided to open up a little.

- Why do you fight alone? - she asked, staring at her half-full glass.

Y/n sighed, a glint of sadness in her eyes that she tried to hide.

- Because I learned early that trusting people is a dangerous bet. And because I don't let anyone get close enough to hurt. - he replied, without looking away.

Gitae raised the glass, in a silent toast.

- I understand. I don't trust easily either. - he said.

⸻

The Proximity that Breaks Barriers

Over time, Gitae began to show her more human side - small gestures that he had never had the courage to reveal before: a protective touch on her arm, a worried look when Y/n risked too much. Y/n realized that, behind that ice armor, there was someone who wanted to be understood and loved.

On a rainy day, while they were walking side by side under an umbrella that barely covered the two, Y/n turned to Gitae and said:

- You don't have to be the king of the beating all the time. It can be just you with me.

Gitae smiled, a rare, true smile.

- Maybe I'm tired of just being that. - he confessed.

And there, under the rain that washed the dirty streets of Seoul, something new was born. A love forged not in sweetness, but in the strength and silent understanding of two hearts that have learned to fight and survive alone - until they meet.

———

An abandoned terrace in the center of Seoul, a wide view of the city and the silent chaos it keeps. Gitae had called Y/n until then to "talk" - a term that sounded strange coming from him.

Y/n leaned against the concrete parapet, his arms crossed, his short hair swinging with the cutting wind of the night. His gaze, as always, was sharp - as if he could pierce someone's soul without saying a word.

Gitae was in front of him, standing, his fists clenched as he always did when he didn't know how to deal with what he felt.

- Are you going to tell me why you called me here or are you going to keep quiet until the sun rises? - she provoked, with that mixture of sarcasm and hardness that only she knew how to use without driving away the wrong people.

He raised his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath.

- Because I'm starting to lose control. And not with a fight.

Y/n frowned.

- Are you talking about me?

- I'm talking about what you're doing to me. - he answered without hesitation. - I don't lose concentration. I don't care. I don't leave anyone close... but you - he took a step forward - makes me want to lower my guard. And that annoys me.

She laughed lightly, but her eyes showed something deeper.

- You're not mad at me, Gitae. You're scared.

He widened his eyes slightly, surprised. No one ever dared to talk to him like that. But she... she was different.

- Fear of what? - he replied, more as a defense than real doubt.

- Fear that I'll see who you really are. And not only the king of the beating, the son of Gapryong Kim, the guy that no one dares to face. You're afraid that I'll see the man behind this... and that he's not enough for me.

Silence.

The wind hit hard. Gitae's eyes faltered for a second. Enough to show what he never let escape: vulnerability.

He approached until the bodies almost touched, his eyes burning in hers. The voice came out low, almost like a scratched whisper:

- What if I said I'm willing to try... to be this man?

Y/n was quiet for a moment. Her gaze softened - not of weakness, but of recognition. She didn't need flowers. She didn't need promises. But that... that act of lowering your guard... was the most powerful thing Gitae had ever done.

- So stop talking and show me. - she replied.

He pulled her by the waist firmly, without hesitation, but with respect. The lips met like two thunders colliding - it wasn't sweet, it was intense. A kiss from someone who learned to love with clenched fists and heart at war.

Y/n leaned her forehead against his.

- This won't be easy. I'm not the type to let yourself be protected.

- And I'm not the type who gives up. - Gitae said, without letting go of her waist.

They knew they were doomed to hurt themselves, but they also knew that if they had survived everything alone until then... together, they could be even more dangerous.

And maybe, for the first time, happy.

—————————————————————————

Gitae Kim meets Y/n, a strong, healed and fearless woman, with a look and personality similar to Sanemi. Initially intrigued by his strength and independence, he approaches little by little, fighting against his own feelings. In an emotional confrontation on a terrace, Gitae admits that he is falling in love - something that scares him. Y/n, firm as always, challenges you to prove it with actions. They kiss intensely, sealing the beginning of an explosive, dangerous and real love.

—————————————————————————

[roseandxanderfics]

“The First Encounter” - AesSedai!reader x Warder!OC

Summary: A powerful yet shy Aes Sedai who struggles to speak finally finds a Warder in Kaelen, a man who sees her strength beyond her silence. Over time, they form a bond that transcends words, built on patience, trust, and unspoken understanding.

———————

You had always been different. Most Aes Sedai could use their voices to command, to speak the words that bent the world to their will. You, however, could not. The words in your mind were powerful, capable of reshaping reality with a simple thought—but they would never leave your lips. You had tried once or twice, only to have your voice shake, crack, or fail entirely. So you kept silent. You wove your weaves in solitude, practiced your skills away from prying eyes. You became known in the Tower for your unmatched power but also for your inability to connect with others. The other Aes Sedai kept their distance, too unsure how to interact with someone who would not speak.

Your loneliness was something you had come to accept. You didn’t mind it, not really. The silence was your comfort. But there were times when you longed for the connection you saw between others—Warders and Aes Sedai who shared something deeper than their duties, a bond built on trust, respect, and love. You couldn’t help but envy it from afar.

The first time Kaelen approached you, you were sitting in the training grounds, the sunlight filtering through the windows, casting long shadows across the stone floor. Your hands moved in fluid, graceful motions as you wove a delicate web of Fire and Air, testing your limits, shaping the weaves with precision. You were so lost in your work that you didn’t notice him until he was standing just a few paces away, observing you.

Kaelen was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair that fell messily over his forehead. His expression was calm but intense, his green eyes sharp as they watched you. He didn’t speak, and for a moment, you wondered if he was simply another passerby, curious about your unusual display of power.

But when you finished the weave, he stepped forward, his movements careful but deliberate. The sound of his boots on the stone floor made you flinch slightly, and you immediately averted your gaze, the flush creeping up your neck at the realization that someone was paying attention to you.

“You are one of the most powerful Aes Sedai I have ever seen,” Kaelen finally said, his voice soft but strong, with an air of quiet respect. “I’ve watched you for some time.”

You stiffened, uncertain of what he meant by that. You didn’t speak, not even to acknowledge the compliment, but your mind raced. Why was he here? What did he want from you? Warders rarely sought you out. Most knew your reputation for being a recluse, for your silence.

He must have sensed your hesitation because he gave a small, reassuring smile. “I’m not here to make you uncomfortable. But I know what you need. I can protect you. If you’ll let me.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but you didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know how to respond to him. You had never been good at this—at talking to people, at letting them in. But Kaelen didn’t seem to need words from you. His presence was gentle, not demanding. His silence was the same as yours—comfortable, not forcing you into conversation.

He knelt in front of you, looking directly into your eyes. “You don’t have to speak. I know what it means to be silent. And I know what it’s like to be strong but feel as if no one sees you for that strength. But I see you. I want to be your Warder, if you’ll allow me.”

Your throat tightened. The words were so simple, so direct, but the weight of them made your chest ache. For the first time in a long while, someone saw you—not your silence, but your power. Not your inability to speak, but your strength.

Kaelen’s eyes softened as he waited, patiently, giving you the time you needed. You could feel his sincerity—there was no rush, no pressure. His presence was a steady pulse of warmth, one that surrounded you without demanding anything in return.

You nodded slowly, an almost imperceptible movement. Kaelen didn’t smile widely or cheer. Instead, he simply lowered his head in acknowledgment, his respect for you evident in the quiet acceptance. He would be your Warder, not because of pity or duty, but because he truly believed in you.

⸻

The days after Kaelen became your Warder were quiet, but they were also filled with a strange comfort you hadn’t expected. You had always been alone, used to the stillness of your own company, but Kaelen’s presence wasn’t intrusive. He was a shadow, always at your side, watching, waiting, ready to act if needed. He trained you in ways that were different from the other Warders—you could feel that his approach was more sensitive to your needs, more understanding of your silence.

You trained in the mornings and sparred in the afternoons. In your shared silence, your connection began to deepen. Kaelen was there, always attentive, always watching. His movements were swift, precise, his presence unwavering. But it wasn’t just his skill that made you feel safe—it was his patience. He never pushed you to speak, never forced you into a conversation you weren’t ready for. He understood, in a way no one else had before, that your power was just as much a part of you as your silence.

On the rare occasions that your training became difficult, that the weight of your own self-doubt and anxiety began to surface, Kaelen would simply be there, a steady presence in the background, offering you the strength to push through.

You couldn’t bring yourself to speak, but in those moments, Kaelen didn’t need words to understand. He saw the struggles in your eyes, the way your breath hitched when you faltered. And he would reach out, not in a way that overwhelmed you, but in a way that calmed you—his hand on your shoulder, a reassuring touch that said more than words ever could.

⸻

As the months passed, you began to realize something you hadn’t expected: the bond between you and Kaelen wasn’t just one of protection. It was something more. There was a quiet trust between you that didn’t need to be voiced. When your training reached its most intense, and you stood at the edge of exhaustion, it was Kaelen’s presence that pulled you through. You had learned to read him, just as he had learned to read you. The subtle shifts in his posture, the slight tension in his muscles, all spoke volumes to you. You didn’t need to hear him speak to understand his thoughts; you could feel them in the air between you.

One night, as you sat by the fire in the training grounds, Kaelen finally spoke again, his voice quieter than usual. “I will always be here. No words needed.”

You met his gaze, and for the first time, you felt a flicker of something more. Something that was not just silence, but an understanding so deep that no words could ever capture it.

You smiled softly, the first time you had ever done so in his presence. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Kaelen had become your protector, your Warder, and, perhaps, your closest ally—without a single word being spoken

[bangobeep]

A Love Letter to Jazzpunk, by Ed

It's crazy how fast time can go by when you're enjoying yourself. It's been about three years since I first encountered this game, and I could not be happier with where it's brought me. I've learned so much and met so many wonderful people through it.

For a game that can be played in 2 hours and a half, it sure is complex; so full of jokes and content that can take literal hours to be taken apart. It's brought me closer to an appreciation of things like abstract art, the cyberpunk genre, analog tech, vintage clothing, suits, among a few others.

I remember my first interaction with the game. Funnily enough, it was not through Ranboo like what I usually tell. Back in the day, 2021, I was a mere high school student who, to cope with the horrors of the pandemic, used to be into the DSMP. Woo. Yeah. No shame in admittance. Well, only a little bit.

There was this one cosplayer I used to follow on TikTok (if I recall correctly, their name is Fern [they/them]); mainly because of their c!Foolish cosplay. I was drawn to them and their energy and the way they portrayed characters! So, naturally, I followed them and interacted with their videos every now and then.

On the 23rd of June of 2021, I found myself doom-scrolling on the app (as one does), and I came across one of their videos, though this one was not from any media I knew or was used to watching from them.

The song spy? by WHOKILLEDXIX started playing, and there he was. Glasses and (makeshift) orange tie. Business card. Coat. A little unhinged, yet classy. The Editor.

I feel as if I was so drawn to him because of what I wanted to do after high school. I wanted to study literature in college to become an editor myself! I wanted to correct people's texts, be annoying about it and get paid for it! And would you look at that, the name of the guy is quite literally The Editor. LOL.

As the days went by, I found myself going back to the video, waiting for them to upload more, to feed into my curiosity. I loved the video I saw so much I saved it to my gallery the exact same day I saw it.

Then came the second one, with actual footage from the game. "Quick, look behind you." The Director says, and the camera cuts to the ground, and Fern's shoes. I heard their voices for the first time. "Improvise, I know you'll do well by me." He says again, and I grow ever so drawn to it. Five videos are more than enough. And while I don't look it up just yet, it's in my head.

Until the 25th of July 2021! Like I said, I used to be into the DSMP, though by then, the fixation was fading, and I found myself in that limbo where nothing quite caught my attention. On that day, Ranboo tweeted something about a Jazzpunk stream, and it instantly caught my attention. I was quick to put down anything I was doing to find out what it really was.

And though I was not particularly interested in them, or their streams anymore, I was hooked! I was not the kind to stay for an entire stream, yet there I was. Two hours and thirty something minutes of being beamed in the brain with pure madness.

And then it was over. And I found myself gripping every single piece of fanart I could find with my bare hands, screaming because there had got to be more, right? There had to be more.

And there was! That's when Tumblr became my main form of internet presence. First was Instagram, then came Twitter, and well, would you look at that, I made it here.

I started drawing. I must admit, my first few drawings were atrocious, but looking back on them now, I feel proud. People say that when you fixate on something, your art develops as you go, and they're right!

A year and a half are all my prior account lasted. By the same name. I made a stupid joke to my boyfriend, sending one (1) spam message in their ask box and it was gone! And so, bangobeep 2.0 came to fruition. But that's not the point.

Back when I first got into the game, the need for connection was strong. I found myself craving the partnership; the long, late-night talks about little details of the game, the roleplaying, the scenario thinking, and so the Jazzpunk server came to life on the 13th of August 2021. Named Jazzpunk Moment. I sent a DM to the people I saw most often in the tag back then: Pangolin-404 and Vendotlover, both of which I admired very much!

I remember looking at their art and reading their fanfics and thinking to myself: 'Wow, what I'd give to be able to talk to the cool kids!' And well, I did! I talked to both, and they both agreed to give me their discord, after which they (and a few others with time) joined the server.

Some time after that, I befriended them personally through our mutual love for the game and similar interests, as well as through general chitter chatter about me being hyperactive when on caffeine, 404/Caligula telling me about Sammy Lawrence from Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Ven telling me of xeir OC whose name came from Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss. I’m happy to say nowadays I still talk to both Caligula and Ven very often. In fact! I consider Cali one of my best friends, and I am kinda gay dating Ven. So, you know. Fun things bring fun people together. :)

Then came around people like Jazz Jazzanon, Zippy Zippycup, Jazzhands, Noah, Wither, and a couple others that, while I won’t mention, made this experience something wonderful for me.

I can’t quite find the words to express this something so dear to me. Jazzpunk, as short as it is, changed my life in ways I could’ve never imagined. I’ve started researching things I thought I’d never be into, started books I loved, got into music I had never listened to before, and it all helped build me as a person these three years. It’s brought me unimaginable amounts of comfort and joy, and I don’t think I’ll ever find something else that will make me feel this whole.

I could go on and on about how I have projected so many little aspects of my life onto my interpretation of it. About how the way I interpret Polyblank is highly influenced by those I love. About how the paintings in The Editor’s house fit him and his personality, but those are topics for another day.

The world out there is wacky and crazy, and Jazzpunk does a great job at feeding into the fact it can be strange, it can be difficult, and it can be fun.

So, to 10 years of community, 10 years of happiness, 10 years of a game that will stay with me forever, and many more to come!

Thank you, Jazzpunk.

[emperorbubblegum]

This is gonna be another long-ish spoiler post for F/SR, so don't click if you haven't learned Rider's True Name yet

Also slight spoilers for Fate/Extra CCC Foxtail and maybe Shimousa but those are old enough that I doubt people care

I really need to hear the opinion of someone who doesn't know much about Fate play Samurai Remnant. I feel like most of us where able to guess a lot of the new Servants based off connections they had to pre-established ones. Rider's probably one of two exceptions because her reveal is supposed to be this huge "what the fuck" moment - and it is, but I feel like that mostly hinges on the player knowing Fate's version of Minomoto-no-Raikou.

Ushi Gozen has been teased for years. Raikou's always been one of the many Servants that mentions how her Berserker Saint Graph isn't the only one we might aee of her (edit 1: I didn't play FGO when it first released so I didn't know this, but apparently Ushi actually shows up in the same event Raikou's introduced in). In Foxtail, we see her used as a prarallel to Suzuka, since both have connections to Oni. The most prominent tease is in Shimousa, where we actually see Ushi Gozen appear, but with the same design as Raikou for budget reasons I guess (edit 2: No we don't, that's just Raikou, but she has the Rider class so I misremembered her there as Ushi Gozen). And now she's actually here! She gets her own game! And she looks...

Girl what the fuck happened to you

I really like both of her designs to be honest. She's one of the few Servants to be wearing actual samurai armor, and she's the first to wear the helmet too I'm pretty sure. Then after Saber kicks the shit out of her, the armor falls apart and we see that she's in a much worse state than any of us expected. Her hair's cut short, her eyes are dead with noticeable bags, her skin's paler than it was before, and she barely looks like she's eaten anything. Those last two could also be said about Raikou (Raita for the love of god learn to draw human women properly) but on Rider they're noticeably worse. Also she seems crazier than her Berserker form, albeit a different kind of crazy.

When we fight her the second time in Chapter 5, she shows up with these awesome robot-like spider legs reminiscent of what Ushi-oni are usually described with. She doesn't look human because her humanity was seemingly beaten out of her. Raikou tends to suffer from what I like to call "the Altera Problem", where if used right she can be a really genuine and badass character, but 90% of the time she's used for jokes and to get people's dicks hard. However in things like Foxtail, or Shimousa (which is even more apparent in the manga), or Heian-Kyo we get to see her for how she really is, which is A) terrifying and B) a hero worthy of going down as one of humanity's best. Rider is only that first one. No jokes, no big tits, just pure unadulturated "you're gonna die" energy.

Rider's the first Servant we ever see in Samurai Remnant. She's the first one Iori encounters, leveling his house in the prologue and acting as the tutorial boss to show the player "hey you can't fucking take these guys on", and in the teaser trailer (which shows that scene) she's one of three Servants who are actually shown to us - the other two being SR's Saber and everyone's favorite bisexual dimension hopper, Musashi. I could write a whole other post about Shousetsu and Iori (maybe I will who knows) but Rider follows their dynamic. She's a strong parallel to Saber. Fuck she basically is Saber if they didn't have people like Ototachibana-Hime and Iori to keep them grounded.

All of the new Servants are super cool (with the exception of Caster that bitch ass nerd), but I think Rider's possibly the coolest. I mean, I've been wanting Samson since I got into Fate and you haven't seen me make any real posts about him because Minamoto-no-Raikou, one of my least favorite Servants, has got me in a vicegrip. I don't know if she's my favorite, but I'll definitely be saving for if she ever comes into FGO

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Black hole destroys star, goes after another

A massive black hole has torn apart one star and is now using that stellar wreckage to pummel another star or smaller black hole that used to be in the clear.

This discovery, made with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer), Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and other telescopes, helps astronomers link two mysteries where there had previously only been hints of a connection. The study is published in the journal Nature.

In 2019, astronomers witnessed the signal of a star that got too close to a black hole and was destroyed by the black hole's gravitational forces. Once shredded, the star's remains form a disk that circles around the black hole, like a type of stellar graveyard.

Over a few years, however, this disk has expanded outward and is now directly in the path of another star, or possibly a stellar-mass black hole, orbiting the massive black hole at a previously safe distance. This orbiting star is now repeatedly crashing through the debris disk, about once every 48 hours, as it circles. When it does, the collision causes bursts of X-rays that astronomers captured with Chandra.

"Imagine a diver repeatedly going into a pool and creating a splash every time she enters the water," said Matt Nicholl of Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom, the lead author of the study. "The star in this comparison is like the diver and the disk is the pool, and each time the star strikes the surface it creates a huge 'splash' of gas and X-rays. As the star orbits around the black hole, it does this over and over again."

Scientists have documented many cases where an object gets too close to a black hole and gets torn apart in a single burst of light. Astronomers call these "tidal disruption events."

In recent years, astronomers have also discovered a new class of bright flashes from the centers of galaxies, which are detected only in X-rays and repeat many times. These events are also connected to supermassive black holes, but astronomers could not explain what caused the semi-regular bursts of X-rays. They dubbed these "quasi-periodic eruptions."

"There had been feverish speculation that these phenomena were connected, and now we've discovered the proof that they are," said co-author Dheeraj Pasham of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It's like getting a cosmic two-for-one in terms of solving mysteries."

This tidal disruption event now known as AT2019qiz was first discovered by a wide-field optical telescope at the Palomar Observatory, called the Zwicky Transient Facility, in 2019. In 2023, astronomers used both Chandra and Hubble to study the debris left behind after the tidal disruption had ended.

The Chandra data was obtained during three different observations, each separated by about 4 to 5 hours. The total exposure of about 14 hours of Chandra time revealed only a weak signal in the first and last chunk, but a very strong signal in the middle observation.

From there, Nicholl and his colleagues used NICER to look frequently at AT2019qiz for repeated X-ray bursts. The NICER data showed that AT2019qiz erupts roughly every 48 hours. Observations from Swift and India's AstroSat telescope cemented the finding.

The ultraviolet data from Hubble, obtained at the same time as the Chandra observations, allowed the scientists to determine the size of the disk around the supermassive black hole. They found that the disk had become large enough that if any object was orbiting the black hole with a period of about a week or less, it would collide with the disk and cause eruptions.

"This is a big breakthrough in our understanding of the origin of these regular eruptions," said Andrew Mummery of Oxford University. "We now realize we need to wait a few years for the eruptions to 'turn on' after a star has been torn apart because it takes some time for the disk to spread out far enough to encounter another star."

This result has implications for searching for more quasi-periodic eruptions associated with tidal disruptions. Finding more of these would allow astronomers to measure the prevalence and distances of objects in close orbits around supermassive black holes. Some of these may be excellent targets for the planned future gravitational wave observatories.

NASA's missions are part of a growing, worldwide network of missions with different but complementary capabilities, watching for changes like these to solve mysteries of how the universe works.

IMAGE: Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Queen's Univ. Belfast/M. Nicholl et al.; Optical/IR: PanSTARRS, NSF/Legacy Survey/SDSS; Illustration: Soheb Mandhai / The Astro Phoenix; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N

[sirspazingtonthefourth]

Skylight: Chapter 1

2.4k words. Hawks and an OC (Not Romantic!)Fluff with some angst, Found family sort of. Content Warnings: Cursing, isolation, mentions of abuse, blood-letting, let me know if I missed any

Summary: Hawks tries to meet with the owner of a house he damaged, only to find someone trapped in the attic.

A/N: I am nothing if not a sucker for mistreated people finding that there are good people in the world. I've also been on the Hawks brainrot for a hot minute and finally managed to write this out. I don't know how many chapters it's going to be, but that's purely because I haven't split it up into chapters yet. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

It had been days since the giant villain attacked Fukuoka. Hawks had managed to get all the paperwork done, arranging to stop by the house to collect the remainder of his feathers and speak to the homeowner about their roof. He had the forms they would need to sign to allow him to hire construction and technically “alter” their home, as well as an extra pen in case they wanted an autograph. He’d gone without one exactly once, and it was the one time the person he needed to talk to had been a massive, raging fan that also didn’t own a single pen in their house.

He tried to remember where the villain was, how far he’d been flung. It gave him the neighborhood to look in, at least, and he took off for patrol about twenty minutes early just to be sure he could get the insurance taken care of. The flight there was peaceful, quiet. He waved to the few people who looked up and spotted him, texted a few fellow heroes, and enjoyed the feeling of late autumn wind in his feathers. He was already close enough that he could start pulling them to him.

Four or five shot through the sky towards him, and he homed in on the area they’d come from. One was missing though, encountering resistance as it tried to return to him. He tried a little harder, and the resistance only grew. He focused on the feather, feeling through it. He didn’t get much. Something warm and skin-like, and what sounded like breathing. Probably some critter in the attic that liked the color.

He landed in front of the door, double checked his paperwork and pen, and knocked on the door.

No answer.

He waited a minute more and knocked again. Again, there was no response. He tried the doorbell, and the breathing he felt through his feather stopped. Whatever was pinning the feather became damp, and it felt like the delicate thing was being squeezed. It was too strong a grip to be a small pest like a squirrel. Something felt wrong about the whole situation, and he took off again, landing on the roof and glancing into the hole he’d accidentally made days prior.

The shadows were too dark to see into, and the hero carefully slipped through the hole, avoiding the rafters that he was astonished he’d missed when he got thrown. He touched down, boards creaking under his feet. Whatever had his feather squeezed tighter still, and he could start to feel a racing heartbeat. This thing, whatever it was, could see him.

He pulled a small flashlight from one of his jacket pockets, thankful he’d been about to go on patrol. The small circle of blueish light contrasted sharply, almost unnaturally, with the warm light of the sun streaming from the roof. His footsteps thumped quietly against the wood boards as he swept the light around the attic. There were a few boxes stacked around, covered in uneven layers of dust, but they were mostly pushed to the walls. Most of the attic was open to wander. He stepped out of the circle of light, sweeping his flashlight around as it glinted off something and passed over boxes.

He slowly brought the light back until it caused the same thing to glint again. Two somethings, actually. Low to the ground and connected to some darker shape in the shadows. The shape was at once too big and too small, a gangly outline that lent the thing the air of a starving predator. It was crouched awkwardly, as if covering something, and it had begun growling at him. It was a quiet thing, one that he felt through his feather too.

He brought the light to shine directly on the creature, hoping to startle it back enough for him to let him retreat out of the attic. He had no idea if this thing had been here when he’d first fallen, why it was in an attic of all places, but he wanted nothing to do with whatever this thing turned out to be.

But it wasn’t a thing that his flashlight found. It was a person. Worse, it was a child. Thin and pale as if they had never seen the sun, crouched on all fours like a wild animal. They were quick to squint their eyes, refusing to close them entirely. Their teeth were bared, but dull and human as they were they wouldn’t likely be able to do too much damage.

The kid did rear back, letting Hawks get a good look at the tattered clothes they were dressed in and the dust built up on their skin. He saw the dirty bandages wrapped up and down the kid’s arms, beginning to fray and tatter but still somehow tied. He could see his feather, clutched tight in their left hand and fluttering to get back to him. And he could see a small sparrow underneath their chest.

He pulled the light away, both so he wouldn’t blind the kid and so he didn’t have to look at the mutilated bird anymore. Its wings had been snapped the wrong way at the joints, its beak had been broken, and it had been nailed to the floor with three nails. One through each wing, and one through the chest. Had the kid done that? He didn’t doubt it with how they were glaring at him now, murder in their eyes as they bared their teeth.

“Sorry about that,” he said, as calmly as he could. He didn’t want this kid to get aggressive with him, he needed them to be calm so he could escape and get the proper authorities. He tried to step backwards, only for the kid to snarl and swipe at him. Their nails were surprisingly long and sharp, and his foot landed further back than he intended at first. The kid withdrew, crouching over their mutilated sparrow.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll stay still.” He brought his other foot back, only for it to crunch on glass. He peered closer at his feet, seeing wires and glass. It looked, at first glance, like the smashed remains of a camera. But the only reason to have a camera in a closed attic that no one lived in was to keep an eye on something.

Or someone.

The kid was still glaring at him, though they had stopped baring their teeth. He gestured at the feather gripped in their hand.

“I need that back, alright? I can get you out of here, but I need my feather. Can I have it?” He held out his hand for the feather, gently pulling to him again. The kid crouched lower to the dead bird, hissing at him and splaying sparrow wings that he hadn’t seen earlier.

“I’m not trying to take your… your friend. I just need my feather back. See?” A few feathers drifted from his wings and hovered around his hands, dancing in the shadows. The kid froze, watching the display. Their eyes widened, tracking one feather, then the next, as their grip slowly loosened on the stolen feather. He started to slip it from their hand, only for them to snatch it back with a distressed, almost feline chirp, and pull it back close to the bird. They almost tucked it under the body, staring at him in fear and not a little anger.

The kid curled around over top of the bird and feather, as if keeping them safe from him. But the kid didn’t have a good grip, and he was able to slip the feather away from them. He felt bad, they looked ready to cry. But they didn’t make another sound, just stared after the feather as it and the rest attached themselves to Hawks’ wings.

He could hear the front door opening, and he watched as the kid went from tearful to terrified, freezing, staring at nothing. But as the door closed they bared their teeth again and snarled at him, advancing as he stood to retreat. The snarls were much louder than earlier, loud enough to be heard at least a floor down.

“Oi, brat! What’s with the fuckin’ noise?” a man’s voice shouted from the ground floor. He was stomping up the stairs ever closer, each step causing the kid to flinch as they backed Hawks towards the light. He stepped on a creaky floorboard, and heard the kid stifle a whimper as the man below him cursed. He took off through the hole in the roof, leaving a feather or two behind while he crouched on a nearby roof.

“What’s with the damn ruckus?” His feathers picked up on the man’s footsteps and the low crooning from the kid. He felt the man pick one up, hands softer than the kids had felt. Then he chuckled.

“Scaring off more birds, eh? Hm. Good brat. Catching that last one was damn annoying. Good to see you learned your lesson about keeping pets. Now stay. I’m sleeping here tonight, and I don’t want you to ruin my night by making a damn peep.”

The man’s footsteps retreated, down a set of stairs Hawks hadn’t seen, and closed a door behind him. He pulled his feathers from the attic, seething as he stared over the roofs in the neighborhood. He hadn’t tracked down who owned the house, but he would make a point to now.

He remembered the kid clinging to his feather and sent one of his secondaries back to them. He felt them snatch it from the air and gently place it on something soft. The sparrow, he thought. He said something about pets, that has to be why they were so protective of it. They’re trying to make a grave as best they can.

He pulled out his phone as he took off for patrol. He had to get an investigation going into whoever that man was, whoever the kid in the attic was. And he had to make a stop before he came back tonight.

It took him a while in the craft shop, partially because one of the late-night staff was a fan and partly because he needed to be certain he had the right materials. The moon was dull, its light filtered through clouds and only just providing enough light to see. He was thankful for the feather he’d left, leading him to the hole in the roof that he dropped through. Even with the clouds, there was still a halo of light where he stood compared to the rest of the attic.

The growling started up immediately this time, and he shone his flashlight near where he heard it. The kid was still crouched over the bird, his feather carefully laid across the small body.

“Hey, it’s just me.” It didn’t seem to reassure the kid, and he tried to take a slow step forward. The kid swiped at him again, but not close enough to actually strike him. A calculated feint. His foot landed on the floorboard, and the creak it let out seemed to hit the kid like a blow. They let out a quiet yelp and shrunk back from him, turning their head away for half a second, before snapping it back and quietly snarling at him.

“Sorry. I’ll try to keep it down,” he muttered, slowly kneeling down an inch from where his foot had been. They kept growling at him until he’d been sitting still for three minutes. They kept glaring at him as he slowly reached for the bag he’d brought with him, cursing that he hadn’t just carried his supplies in his pockets.

The rustle of the plastic bag startled them, but he was able to slowly withdraw the wooden box and the glue he’d bought. It was a simple, plain wooden box with a flip lock, the kind people would buy to let their kids paint, but it was big enough to fit the sparrow’s body in, he hoped.

“It’s for your friend,” he explained, but the kid just kept glaring at him and the box. “I know you can’t properly bury them, but they can at least have a coffin, right?” They didn’t move. “I’m gonna put them in here, okay? I promise I’ll be gentle.” He reached towards the kid and their bird only to be met with more quiet growling.

“I’m just trying to help. Please don’t-” the kid lunged for his hand, placing their hand wide. It put them slightly off balance, which was the only thing that let him pull his hand away from their snapping teeth. Human they may be, but he’d still rather not find out what kind of damage their teeth could do.

He sighed, letting some feathers fall from his wings to dance around them again. It had worked before, maybe it would work again.

The kid watched them dance, eyes going wide again as they followed the twirling red feathers. He carefully sent a few down feathers towards the nails in the bird when the kid raised a hand to softly swipe at the feathers dancing above their head. Just one hand, but it was enough to slip them through.

The nails were carefully laid on the ground to avoid making noise, and the bird was in his hand before the kid noticed. They curled in on themself, whining as they watched him handling the dead bird. It jostled some, and they looked like they wanted to lunge at him, but some invisible force held them back. Fear did that to people; he’d seen it before.

He carefully placed the bird into the box and closed it. He flipped the flimsy, ill-fitting latch, and pulled one of his feathers from his wing and used the glue to stick it to the box. His work done, he carefully slid the box across the floor. The gentle scraping seemed to grate on the kid’s ears, and they snatched the box from him and scuttled further into the darkness. He waited for them to return, but they didn’t come back.

He stood slowly, testing each footstep as he walked the few feet to the light. The last thing he wanted was to scare the poor kid worse or wake the man sleeping here. He flew up and out of the hole before poking his head back down.

“Night, kid. I’ll see you soon.”

Masterlist

[arcthebreeder]

Log_55.TXT

04/15/2024, 20:57 (GMT-5)

Well... It was more than just a few hours!

You see, we were wandering around in the Digital World, him with his Dukemon and me with Canoweissmon and Siriusmon. "D" has been talking about how new Digimon were discovered a few months ago, some of those Digimon are rumored to come from Witchelny, another Digital World that hasn't been explored that much yet, some Digimon like Wizarmon and Witchmon are confirmed to come from there, this Digital World also houses a pretty rare Dukemon variant "D" had his eyes on, Medieval Dukemon.

Medieval Dukemon has been known as "The Vortex Warrior" since its discovery in 2010, thus mocking the fact that whoever discovered him, wrote that he was part of a group called The Vortex Warriors, however, for almost 14 years, no one had discovered a digimon from this group aside Medieval Dukemon, theorizing that the guy who discovered it was either lying or misunderstanding what the first Medieval Dukemon specimen ever seen was saying, everyone labeled him as either stupid or "delulu".

Well, it appears that some of the Digimon that were discovered recently, specifically Grand Galemon and Zephagamon, are members of the Vortex Warriors, taking orders from Medieval Dukemon, also called "The Whirlwind General". Anyways, we were walking through a forest that is supposedly connected with Witchelny, this because of the amount of magic-related digimon that wander the zone and, as it seems, an also recently discovered Digimon called Chaperomon, who bares data from multiple fairy tales, (mainly Little Red Hood) within her, inhabitants that zone, in search for Fangmon, who has data from the Big Bad Wolf from the old fairy tales. She at first glance attacked us with a Molotov cocktail based attack called "Apple For You" that was easily reflected by "D's" Dukemon, after clearing the misunderstanding, we talked about how we wanted to talk with the Vortex Warriors, she apparently knew one of the Digimon partaken in that group personally, so she lead us to them.

After arriving at a hidden grotto, we were warmly welcomed by a Galemon's Hurricane Slasher, a large, sharp blade of wind that was almost instantly cut in a half with Siriusmon's Sylvia, after this little encounter, Medieval Dukemon himself came to welcome us, and excuse his pupil, asking us why we were here, "D", who was the must interested about him, got into a deep talk with Medieval Dukemon about who knows what. Since my friend was clearly doing his own business, I decided to wander around with Canoweissmon and Siriusmon. Most of the digimon inside the grotto were digimon in armor who I cannot assure belonged to the Vortex Warriors, like Kotemon, and some Koemon playing around (surely Kuzuhamon would've loved to see that) Canoweissmon pointed out the obvios, that we weren't really doing anything specific, and we ended up walking out of the group, we even left Siriusmon behind since he wanted to talk with a Zephagamon who called his attention, after some time, Canoweissmon began talking about the frustrations he had about how he wasn't able to evolve into Ultimate, we thought we were alone but, without us noticing, a huge Grand Galemon flew down upon us, Grand Galemon asked what was wrong, and talked with Canoweissmon.

He left everything out with him, how his brother got to evolve into Ultimate and managed to control the wicked data that once affected his personality, how even Rasenmon surpassed him after beating her own negative emotions that took the form of Rasenmon Rage Mode, and, that even if he looked up to Siriusmon, he was jealous of him, because of his self confidence and impressive power.

Grand Galemon sat down and listened to everything Canoweissmon had to say, and afterwards told him the following.

「I understand where your frustrations are coming from, but you don't need to be as strong as the rest to be their equal, your contributions to your companions aren't only based on how strong you are, but how much you care about them, and how you make them know that, taking care of them, and fighting along side them, plus, you don't need to be an Ultimate to be strong, look at me! I've been Medieval Dukemon's right hand since forever, and I'm "only a Perfect" everyone gets their chance to evolve and be stronger, but you can't over hype that moment and that form because if you do, you'll never be ok with that form, and never get to appreciate it」

It's a... Pretty good speech, not only applicable to digimon but also to us humans, but... I'm getting out of hand.

During all this time we spent with Grand Galemon, Siriusmon and Dukemon got to practice and spar with Medieval Dukemon and Zephagamon, so after some time, we got out.

I don't know what "D" wanted with Medieval Dukemon exactly, but I'm pretty sure he got it, since he was pretty happy when we finally came back.

After that, I tried to convince "D" to analyze the DigiTama I got from the police, he accepted to have it laying around for a bit, but I'll have to pick it up as soon as I can, since, in his own words "his PC is NOT a kindergarten"

And... Yeah, that's fair.

Oh! Talking about Bits, my friend I talked about in another entry managed to hatch her DigiTama, and her V-mon, Sophie, has finally reached Child stage, she's going to a little town soon so I'll have to see how that could affect Sophie's growing, and of course, I'll keep you updated.

ATT: ARC

[flowerxguts]

@ashthedrawer here’s a little bit of background on Damien and his family relations!

———————＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚……………˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊———————

Early life:

Damien was born into a lower-middle class family with a presumed, but unconfirmed, history of mental illness. For unknown reasons his father (possibly Eliza’s too, possibly not) left when he was barely two years old. This left Damien in soul care of his mother, Lydia, and his older sister, Elizabeth (Eliza).

The family lived in a decently sized home in the outskirts of the small, Northern town, Edenburrow, of the now-radioactive seventy-first sector.

Damien doesn’t recall much from this period in his life, only a few details, such as not being allowed outside much, especially around other kids due to his very conservative, overprotective mother. He reminisces on his once-close relationship to his sister, as she was his only constant companion close in age.

Though his memories are vague and few, Damien still feels a strong connection to his late mother, persistent about how loving and caring she was towards him.

When Damien was nine he walked in on his sister murdering their mother with a kitchen knife. He knew they would fight occasionally, hearing yelling late at night, but knew better than to speak up, and often attempted successfully to drown the noise out. Eliza was not gentle, but it was impossible to believe their usual disagreements would become violent to such a degree.

The neighbors alerted to cops via radio before he ever walked in. Damien admits he did not run, shock freezing any of his survival skills, as he watched his mothers last breaths. Eliza took notice to him quickly, almost immediately crouching to his height to comfort him. She attempted to snap him out of his daze, convincing him to get some things packed, that they were leaving. She resorted to begging soon after, swearing things to him like “I had to do it”, “we weren’t safe with her”, “I was protecting you. This was for you.”

Damien was taken into state custody after his sister was incarcerated, as he had no other family. He testified against Elizabeth at the trial, despite the fact it wrong. He never looked his sister in the eyes after the event, knowing he would feel sympathetic and hatred all at once. Damien was moved around a few foster homes before beginning to be exclusively placed in groups homes as he neared his teenage years.

His mother:

In Damien’s eyes, his mother was someone who loved both him and Eliza unconditionally. She was a saint in her own right who did nothing but love. He adored her to no end and could never understand why his sister did it. He swears he’d never seen his mother wrong her in anyway, recalling his few childhood memories quite fondly. His mother and Eliza would fight occasionally at night, yes, but most arguments would be started by Eliza, who has always exhibited a more hostile nature.

Elizabeth did prove mentally unstable in court, earning her an insanity plea that saved her from a life in prison, but caused her to be locked in a psychiatric ward for all of her formative years. It is unknown whether she gained her damaged psyche through years of her mothers abuse or if she had been born unstable.

Eliza claims on her encounters with Damien that their mother was a manically depressed, devoted catholic with no control over her emotions. She was abusive to both of them in a way that endangered their lives. Elizabeth claims that numerous encounters between her and her mother occurred in which she would comment on how she never wanted them, only keeping them alive because of Gods word. Elizabeth states she feared for her and Damien’s lives some nights due to their mothers sporadic outbursts of physicality. She justifies her actions via promising Damien they were not safe in that house and needed to escape.

She begs Damien to realize that he altered his memories of their childhood due to the trauma. Eliza believes wholeheartedly that the memories Damien created are nothing more than fantasies to soothe himself because he’s unable to face the truth.

Damien swears in Gods name that he is telling the truth about his mother, that she was kind and good, but deep down he truly doesn’t know if he’s right. He tries to believe that Eliza’s damaged mental state is the reason she tells him these things, that she’s only trying to manipulate him further. But in reality, her explanation pieces together why his few childhood memories are so vague.

It’s permanently unknown whether or not Eliza was twisting the story to justify her actions or if it is true that Damien had unknowingly altered his memories due to how traumatized he was.

[wx-ray]

The Artifact

“I am an artificer, first class, twenty second generation I think I know what I'm doing.” Zane snapped, a cyan glow envelopes his face from the object he turns back to. A large bronze egg shaped device with glowing symbols embedded in it cradled within four bronze pylons also inscribed with symbols. The orb twirling slowly, bobbing, floating in place. “This takes a keen eye.” he says, as he takes a silver rod from his belt “A steady hand.” As he pulls it to length like a telescopic pointer and stabs it into a nearby boulder the size of a beach ball. A blue sparkling mist flows from the rod in ribbons tying themselves around the rock, “And a strong spirit!” As he effortlessly swings the boulder into the bronze altar. They connect with a crunchy gong and flying blue sparks, ending with the boulder fractured within the ribbons crumbling to rubble. “I knew it, a trap spell. With a flick of his wrist he tosses the rubble aside and approaches the unfazed orb. A forcefield maybe? A ward he'd never encountered before? Zane took a moment to analyze the area a little closer, no sigils or warding symbols, hmm… odd. He takes a golden framed monocle from his pocket and puts it on. There it was, the answer was right in his face the whole time. The instructions were magically hidden, written along the edge of the surface of the pedestal under the orb push to deactivate. Zane looks up at the the ceiling “Why didn't you say anything?” A feminine voice in a childish mocking tone heavy with a Boston accent answered him. “Because I'm a first class blah blah yada yada yada, you knew what you were doing so I let you.” the voice giggles, “Thanks for that Calypso, can l go now?” Stuffing the orb in his pack. “Sure!” The voice beams, “Take a deep breath!”

#

The bubble pops a few feet in the air Releasing Zane, he lands on his back with a wet plop. After a coughing fit he looks up at Calypso and says “There's gotta be a better way to teleport than almost drowning!”

Her beaming smile shortened to one of concern “Sorry, its the only way I can move you around without killing you.”

“Fair enough.” he chokes out, wobbling to his feet. “I do like living.” as other students listen to the squelch of his wet clothes and plap of his footsteps though the college halls. “I can't believe I let you talk me into that! I must have been out of my mind.”

“It worked didn't it? On top of that it was just where I told you it was, so two outta three ain't bad. Here.” Handing him a small wooden rod the size of a lighter. “Hold it above your head and wave it around in a circle.”

Zane examined the object given to him, it looked like just a piece of rubbish, something someone would use to prop open a window or stop a door. But he did as he was told and raised the rod above his head, as he completed the first circle Zane could feel the air getting warmer around him. A second rotation, the moisture seemed to lift from his clothes following the path of the rod. Zane got an Idea, he began to twirl faster the air around him got even warmer, more moisture in the form of a fog like mist left his body and encircled him. “Careful.” Calypso warned, You could dehydrate yourself to death.”

“I could what?!” the shock causing him to lose his concentration and the control over the mist cloud it immediately condenses into a rain cloud inside the building, releasing a torrent of water for a second then evaporating. Zane hands her the rod back dripping wet “Thanks but I think I'll dry off the old fashioned way.”

#

“So tell me what we have here Mr Porter” The dean inquired “And why do we need such a strong ward?”

“Well to be frank sir…” Zane started,

“HE DOESN'T KNOW!!” Calypso bellows, “We went all the way there and he didn't even know how to turn the shield off!”

The dean stops her, “Calypso, that's enough.” Then returns his attention to Zane. He feels those familiar butterflies again. “Is this true Mr Porter?”

Zane lowering his face meekly replies “Yes sir.” The dean leans back in his chair placing his hands in a triangle position. Then giving a warm smile he says “I think you did well enough. You did recover the artifact after all, that was the objective. Where is the… what is it exactly?”

“Well, we think it's some kind of power source. Sir.”

“A power source huh…? Right, well, we'll lock it away in the lab vault for now and send for some experts in the morning, good work team.” “Thank you sir!” They say in tandem and scurry out of the office, beaming with pride and excitement.

The dean calls his assistant into his office, “No more meetings today and take a message for my calls, I don't want to be disturbed for the rest of the day.”

“Yes Mr. Cifer”

“Please, call me Lu. Oh could you close the door behind you?” As he leans back in his chair with his hands in a triangle.

Laughing.

[ilearnedthistodaysblog]

#1183 What is a mycorrhizal network?

What is a mycorrhizal network? A mycorrhizal network is a web of fungal organisms that spread underground and connect trees together. When we think about fungus, mushrooms and toadstools spring to mind, but these are only the fruit of the fungus and are produced so that the fungus can spread its spores. The main part of the fungus is made up of long thin strands called hyphae. They grow throughout the soil in search of nutrients. As they grow and feed, they change the pH of the soil, making it easier for them to grow and more difficult for other organisms to grow. They try to eliminate the competition. Fungi are living organisms but they are different to plants because they don’t have any chlorophyll, which means they can’t make their own energy from sunlight. They are heterotrophs, just like us, and they have to get their energy by eating other organisms. They are also different to plants because they have cell walls that are made of chitin. Chitin is a strong material that is also found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. The hyphae that make up the fungus are very thin. Each one is only a few cells thick and covered in a very strong cell wall. The hyphae twist together and form mycelium. It depends on the type of fungus, but there can be millions or billions of hyphae in a mycelium.   The mycelium of fungi keep growing outward so long as there are nutrients and things to eat. They are not really limited in the way that the height of a tree is. The largest ever fungi found covered 6.5 square kilometers, which is simply enormous. Because they can grow so big, fungi often come into contact with other fungi. When this occurs, two things can happen. The first thing is that they can try to kill each other. Fungi are very competitive and they can actually produce anti-fungal chemicals, which can kill the other fungi. However, this doesn’t always happen. Sometimes the two fungi will find that they are beneficial to each other and they will merge to make an even bigger fungus. And this is the basis for a mycorrhizal network. The mycelium spread out in what is called a mycelial network. They often encounter other fungi, but they also encounter plants and trees. When this happens, the mycelium actually grow into the roots of the tree and the tree becomes connected to the mycelial network. The interesting thing is that this doesn’t harm the trees or the fungi. They both gain from it. It is generally a mutual relationship. There are several types of relationships between organisms. You can have mutualistic, where both parties benefit. You can have commensal relationships where one party gains and the other doesn’t gain or lose. And you can have parasitic, where one party gains something to the detriment and harm of the other party. With fungi and trees, it is a mutualistic relationship because by forming a network, they both get something out of it. What do the fungi get from the relationship? The fungi are looking for a source of carbon. They need carbon to be able to take in nutrients and to grow their hyphae. Being attached to a tree gives them a ready source of carbon. What do the trees get from the relationship? The trees get a communication and transport network. Trees can use the network to transport water, sugar, and nutrients from one tree to another. If some trees are in the shade and cannot photosynthesize as much as others, the plants that can photosynthesize can transport extra water and nutrients to help the plants in the shade grow. Quite often the trees that send the water, sugar, and nutrients are older, well established trees, sometimes called “mother trees”. The fungi keep about 30% of the sugar that is transmitted along the network, which is another benefit they get. The trees can also use the network to communicate with each other. I don’t mean communicate in the way that we do, but they can send chemical signals to each other along the network. These messages can be things like a tree is sick or is not getting enough nutrients, and the other trees respond to that signal. The trees also get access to some nutrients that the fungi are much better at taking out of the soil than they are, such as phosphorous. These networks crisscross the whole forest and are a vital part of the ecosystem. And this is what I learned today. Try these: - #694 Are symbiotic relationships always beneficial to both parties? - #543 What is lichen? - #1117 Why are many mushrooms dangerous? - #208 How do cows produce milk? - #1069 How long can a cable car be? Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/whats-a-fungi https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/underground-mycorrhizal-network https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Introductory_Biology_(CK-12)/08_Protists_and_Fungi/8.09_Fungi_Structure Image By PerytonMango - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128698638 Read the full article

[jonathankatwhatever]

It’s 29 Dec 2024. Watched the deer resting on the lawn in the moments before dawn. I often feel like I’m hearing music in another room, and sometimes I can listen closer, and that act of focus involves me until the music is all around me, then I hear a part and play it, then I try to remember the other thread when that part is over. I remember all the years spent thinking about how I think, working through categories, because that turns out to be category theory, I believe: literally categorizing categories, which are categories because they describe the methods and repeated objects which each type of thinker uses and thus encounters. They are encountered because that which you construct has Boundary, which explains why sometimes things are easy and sometimes they are difficult. I mean that to some degree what you experience in your actual life is your doing and some is the doing of life around you. Life around you is partly others, but how others treat others is not optimal, and can’t be, mathematically speaking, because how you treat others depends on the contexts in which you exist. You can’t be optimal because circumstances will change, and that change can only be partly anticipated.

A purpose. If only we had a purpose. Because when we have a purpose, we respond to that purpose, and that process generates solutions.

That was a part and now that it has played I see how I rode it forward until that forward edge ran into the question: who says those solutions are any good? It’s easy to generate bad solutions, with the Final Solution being the absolute worst. What an astounding failure of human imagination. They sincerely believed, completely convinced themselves, that the cruelest forms of torture and murder were good, and that being indescribably horrible was a purifying act, while the same people would have been disgusted by the Aztecs. How do you not see that? Chaotic awareness needs better organization before it wipes itself out. Look at the logic: being indescribable to another is a purifying act, meaning it restricts violence, your own violence, to this person or these people, and you do that to express the violence in you, so the Final Solution was the mass infliction of indescribable horror on others to do away with the impulse to violence in Germans by eliminating the victim. The real pain inflicted by the Jews on the Germans was that their existence stirred a desire to express inherent German violence, meaning the Jews reflected on Germans the sins of the Germans.

Why that violence? It’s like in a gang: you set a standard that others can’t match, some rules that keep others out, some rules that keep you in. I’m thinking about playing across the vacant lot across the street, and the kids with whom we had a somewhat awkward relationship with from the far side, in part because they had a dugout with rules. Their side was away from the street and backed into yards, while we had to cross the street, which thus felt like going up to someone’s house, which meant we assumed mentally that side was their side.

That memory connects to memories of how gang associations work. A related Thing. That treated Germany as a gang on a large scale, which fits.

Okay, back to the opening idea, picking up a few of the incomplete Attachments. I categorized thinking in the terms I see it: zK was linear and sK was associative. I determined that zK tended to be male and sK tended to be female, and determined that I had strong male characteristics in the way I’d take mental leaps and strong female characteristics in the way I’d look at what was required to build competence, to connect here to there, what I’d need to learn and thus what would distract me from this Work, which would enhance this Work. This meant a lot of dipping toes and timidity because I feared being captured by some part which enthralled me so I lost the main thread of my existence as a Thing. This was true in many ways.

I’m seeing a lot of arguments made which confuse correlation with causation. I think that’s an interesting issue because you’d think people would be aware of it, but then I remember that I watch TV news and listen to the radio and they present much of it each day as though they’re doing this in a near vacuum, one which exists only to mention the prior weather and for as long as a story is interesting.

I’m going over scenarios. Did I really gender that much then? I think so. You got deep into it. Super deep into it.

Something is missing in my head. Oh, it’s that I needed to go over what I left out as I was racing along the Extent. Right, lots of algorithms about how an Extent can be encoded. Act of focus is SBE3+1, meaning scaling, and that fits to the logarithm, as the count of 1+1. So any SBE3+1 flickers with the log to a fit, and that identifies to an MB because the fit is, by the nature of the process reverberating, into a depth, into an End from which it reverberates. That connects to I&E, which notates the relationship between Ends as Things not only receiving and giving but doing that within themselves, in relation to others in various other pairings, in relation to those Ends in a litany of ways.

The attraction of the tightrope walker. Explains a lot of social fixations, and the allure of the self-destructive.

I try to remember the other thread when the part is over. It’s a little death. And with that a disorientation. And thus training. And the culture in which that occurs.

[blogchaindeveloper]

Career Paths for Blockchain Professionals

People with knowledge of blockchain technology are in high demand. Industries are looking for personnel with the skills to traverse this cutting-edge field because of its wide range of applications. This essay will examine the growing need for people with knowledge of blockchain technology. We'll also investigate how online courses leading to a blockchain certification might be crucial in getting ready for a job in this field. Like any great professional opportunity, these positions are only suitable for some. You need the skills that set you apart from the competition and entice businesses to invest in your abilities if you want to succeed in this field.

Who Is Employing?

Let's start by examining the companies that are currently hiring blockchain experts. In the crypto employment market, there are four major players:

Industries: To remain competitive, big businesses in the banking, accounting, oil and gas, insurance, retail, and legal sectors use blockchain technology.

Startups: Since the advent of blockchain technology, various independent firms and products have formed, generating many job prospects.

IT Companies: Well-established IT companies need the knowledge to handle this revolutionary change as they adjust to the blockchain era.

Governments: As more governments realize the benefits of blockchain technology, they employ cryptocurrency specialists to provide them with advice. Blockchain experts are, therefore, highly sought after in the public sector.

Blockchain Career Opportunities

You may be curious about the particular jobs available in the blockchain sector and their qualifications. Let's investigate a few of these roles:

1. Blockchain Developer: These experts are in great demand due to their proficiency in developing apps for blockchain systems. As this position requires close attention to detail, blockchain developers frequently possess prior programming experience in languages like Python, C++, and JavaScript.

2. Blockchain Solution Architect: Working with a group of professionals that include developers, network administrators, UX designers, and IT operations specialists, solution architects create, assign, and connect different blockchain solution components.

3. Blockchain Project Manager: Blockchain project managers supervise blockchain projects and organize the efforts of developers and other specialists. They require a combination of technical and conventional project management abilities, and communication skills are essential in this position.

4. Blockchain UX Designer: Creating user-friendly interfaces is crucial as blockchain technology becomes more integrated into different businesses. UX designers must be creative and detail-oriented to create interfaces engender trust and appeal to everyday people.

5. Blockchain Quality Engineer: Using testing and automation, blockchain quality engineers guarantee excellence in blockchain development, much like quality assurance engineers do in conventional development settings. Strong communication abilities and attention to detail are essential in this position.

6. Blockchain Legal Consultant: When companies use blockchain, they encounter legal problems and need help navigating this unfamiliar territory. Legal consultants address investment issues, financial ramifications, and identity management. Communication skills and knowledge of international law are prerequisites for this position.

7. Everybody in the Company: These specialized roles are not the only ones that count. Every employee in a company needs to be aware of the fundamentals of blockchain, including its advantages, applications, and success criteria. To fully utilize blockchain developers, enterprises must be mindful of these things.

8. Other Related Jobs: Besides the main blockchain jobs, the cryptocurrency industry also employs people in accounting, public relations, marketing, journalism, management, brokerage, analysis, and ICO advisory roles. These experts are essential to the blockchain ecosystem.

Essentials for Achievement

The following advice can help you succeed in a career in crypto:

Become Certified: Obtaining pertinent certificates might help you become more reputable in the blockchain industry.

Remain Up to Date: To stay competitive, stay informed about developments and trends in the market.

Flexibility: Since blockchain jobs come in various shapes and sizes, be open to exploring different career paths.

Passion for Blockchain and Crypto: A sincere fascination with this technology has the potential to propel your career.

Boosting Blockchain Careers with Certification

It is impossible to overestimate the significance of a blockchain certification course in the rapidly changing field of blockchain technology. Training programs for blockchain certification provide entry to many employment options in this exciting industry. Aspiring individuals must begin their studies with a blockchain education as the need for qualified workers grows. These courses help you stand out from the competition by giving you the formal validation of your expertise and the practical skills you need to navigate the blockchain industry. Enrolling in a blockchain certification course is the best approach to preparing for the blockchain business's fascinating employment opportunities.

Therefore, to improve your chances and start an exciting path in blockchain technology, consider enrolling in a blockchain certification course, regardless of your career goals—developer, solution architect, project manager, or something else.

In conclusion, career prospects in blockchain technology are expected to grow with the technology's ongoing development. Since blockchain technology is here to stay, there will be a continued need for blockchain specialists for many years to come. An intriguing and potential job in blockchain is worth investigating whether or not you are a tech enthusiast.

The Blockchain Council is an essential resource for blockchain technology training for anybody interested in a career in the field and acquiring the requisite knowledge. The Blockchain Council is a reputable consortium of subject matter experts and enthusiasts dedicated to promoting blockchain technology, applications, and research for a better society. 

Blockchain technology is quickly gaining traction and has enormous promise in the future. It is more than just a technology. Due to its many advantages, businesses are switching from conventional centralized systems to this cutting-edge, futuristic technology. The Blockchain Council offers insightful courses on blockchain development to enable anyone to join this revolutionary adventure in the blockchain space.