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

[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

[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

[likealittleheartbeat]

One of my most reblogged posts says, “ ATLA asks whether you can actually be friends across these lines if society refuses to be equitable. Friendships and romance depend not on conflict to deepen them but an active peacefulness.” I think a lot of people relate to the post’s critique of the kyriarchy (all those damn interwoven -isms!) and the ways it limits the formation of relationships. It describes how violence shortens lifespans, squashes nuance, and forces people together into exploitative rather than mutual dynamics. It’s easy to read my post as condemning the possibility of real connection across lines of oppression. I think that’s what I believed when I wrote it even. I’ve always had a certain gifted grace when I reread my writing, however, to discover that I’ve left a window of opportunity open. In this case, the window is within a few words in those sentences: “ATLA asks whether you can,” and that word, “active.”

The show doesn’t merely ask, but it answers its questions with that concept of active peacefulness. Wtf does that mean, tho??? Our boi Aang is so notably avoidant as to be a stereotype of his culture within universe. If it were up to him alone at the start of the show, peace would be a completely passive state. But if that were the case, he’d still be in the big ol’ ice cube. It’s Katara and Sokka’s dynamic and conflicted communalism that frees the avatar unto the world again. Katara demonstrates how disagreement and rage need have nadda to do with assault or abandonment. They can be the features of closeness and trust within a healthy growing relationship, peaceful even as they exact major shifts in the world. Sokka’s misogyny isn’t anything to imitate, but its the first instance we see in the series of a relationship strong enough to accept critique, discourse, and change. Just in this first episode, Sokka illustrates receptivity, Katara models productive and honest emotion, and, soon enough, Aang is introduced to spur on the expansion of these healthy communal practices beyond imposed borders, with all of them learning and growing in relation to one another.

This has profound implications for what comes in the finale regarding Azula and Ozai. These two powerhouses depended on order to stabilize their relationships rather than the bitchy discursiveness that constitutes real friendships or the meaningful arguments and compromises that make for a healthy romance. Importantly, neither gets the comeuppance they’d prefer: domination. Instead, they’re forced into relational dynamics. Azula is frozen alongside Katara, while Ozai’s energy is melded with Aang’s. If they are bested, it’s not in the arena of power; it’s in mutuality. They’re forced to be closer to the people they’ve oppressed and abused, held together rather than apart, and they come out of that encounter cowed but uninjured, the way a friend’s censure pains a soul so much worse than an enemy’s assault that cripples or kills. And the show’s not idealistic about the consequences of these symbolic gestures. It imprisons the antagonists, who are still not friends or even allies--only horrific equals who have a long way to go before any kind of trust is possible.

One person knows that long road, though. Zuko. His relationship to the gaang, and most of all Aang, reveals best that friendships across the constructed lines of oppression are possible and, in fact, a model for the most transformative relational dynamics. I’ve gotta block quote Ramzi Fawaz’s shit on friendship in Queer Forms, cuz it’s game-changing in concepts of friendship, and subsequently, why we feel so delightfully charged by Zuko’s ‘redemption,’ as its been called. 

Friendships of the kind I am describing, then, ones that carry the spirit of inventiveness and experimentation described by [Audre] Lorde and [Michel] Foucault, are exceptionally capable of handling conflict, because a genuine equality between the parties (that is nothing like sameness but has to do with two people equally valuing one another) means that both are actively engaged in the construction of the bond. This is why friendship can never function as the application of a rule (you must care for me in this predetermined way as a condition of our speaking) but rather takes shape in the doing of it, as the mutual creation, and continual renegotiation, of shared criteria for dialogue (we will speak, again and again, in order to figure out what conditions best enable our mutual growth). This model of sociality leaves far less space for victims and perpetrators, accusers and accused, because of a sense of mutual involvement, a complicity of the best kind not unlike Lorde’s conception of ‘the erotic’ as a force that animates a shared creation or ‘invention’ of new social forms between two people. It is also a description of the kind of interaction that incites people to change, to relase destructive or oppressive logics like homophobia, sexism, transphobia, and racism, not under ideological duress, shame, or demand, but in the surprising encounter with others who shift the ground beneath one’s feet.

We can see these kind of steadfast and contentious dynamics with lots of pairings as they develop on the show : Toph and Katara, Suki and Sokka, Aang and Teo, Katara and Aang, Mai and Zuko. These relationships go beyond simple alliance. While the empire’s violence might force these people together or apart, its their own abilities to face their differences, stick it out, and build something mutually beneficial (rather than the easier option of antagonistic) that connotes these relationships, even as it forces them to vacate the ideologies they held at the beginning of each episode in order to create more expansive visions of understanding. Zuko’s arc, of course, is the clearest answer atla offers: he goes from a villanous relationship, to a stance of confusion, toward a final state of loyalty and dedicated friendship. 

Relationships are possible within the sphere of violence and across the hierarchical lines the violence has implemented and enforces. Those people in positions of power, upheld by the violence and neglect of others, are actually equals (in the existential sense) to the most marginalized individual, and are therefore capable of all those tenets of humanity--embarrassment, sensitivity, loneliness, evil, empathy, etc. It’s only that the domain of oppressive conflict makes the tensions, betrayals, and metamorphoses that are a necessary part of the best kinds of friendships terrifying because those experiences feel so similar to abuse. In abuse, though, only one person is forced to change. In a reciprocal relationship, everyone is surprised to find they’re not entirely offended that someone else finds them imperfect--and somehow that’s endearing and engenders changes that neither person necessarily even demands. This is active peace: joking, judging, hugging, arguing, confessing, bitching, breaking rules, trusting, dancing, loving within a deeply imperfect world with deeply imperfect people for whom you, nevertheless, still want the best and who seem to want the best for you (which is why you wanted the world to change for the better in the first place).

[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 crashes through a random roof during a fight with a villain, only to find that there's something in there that definitely shouldn't be.

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.”

[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

[tallyanimatez]

Favorite thing to do

domicile au

What is your most favorite thing to do when you don't have 7 powerful men trying to fight over you?

Hangout out with your friends who are the same age as you! ( You believe you're the same age as them )

You don't dwell on living a life full of luxury. In fact, you wish you could live a normal mundane life just like back then, when you had a family.

Even if it is just a replica of what you once had.

Even if they are not beside you any longer .

Even if this is just to fill your hollow chest.

It's better than nothing. You always tell yourself that.

Whenever you have some leisure time, your first destination is the Heartslabyul manor, you always come there to pick up Ace and Duece for a friendship picnic. After convincing Riddle to let the two "troublemakers" get a break ( by threatening Riddle you'll never bake a strawberry tart for him again ). You then proceed to drag Adeuce duo to the track training area, where you encounter Jack. You remember him coming here, especially early in the morning for a quick run, so you keep it in mind whenever you want to hangout with him or join him during his runs, plus you never see Leona whenever you go here so it's two birds with one stone. Waving at Jack to catch his attention, you speak loudly that you'll be having a picnic near the forest at ramshackle field and he's invited. Then you proceed to drag the Adeuce duo to find Epel. Should your memory server you right, Epel will be at Spell drive club for some training or he could be wandering in the city to avoid Vil. Choosing the former option ( you know very well Leona has a soft spot for you and he falters easily at your tears ), you make your way to the Spell drive club. You are lucked out to find the apple boy there, and Leona is not there too! You waved at Epel in hopes that it would catch his attention, it took you a few tries but nevertheless he was able to notice you. You tell Epel that you, Jack, Ace, Deuce are going for a picnic, but before that, you need to invite one last guest before starting. You decided to bring the four to the meadow you found a few days ago and set up everything first before going to Sebek ( convincing Sebek is the hardest thing to do without having your ear drums blown off. However... just mention that Malleus gave him permission then he will be silent and come with you ). The walk to the castle took a while, but you think it's worth it because Sebek seems like he's off duty post for now seeing that he's outside the castle. Surprisingly he was kind of silent for today, but it is not your business so you decided to drag Sebek to the meadow again, only for your ears to be blown off during the entire journey...

"C'monnn Sebek, it's been so long since we were able to spend time with each other without having the leaders fighting over meeeee. It's even more rare that Grim let me off the hook once so I can be free!"

"HOW DARE YOU HUMAN THINK I'LL PARTICIPATE IN SUCH USELESS ACTIVITY-"

"Sebek, I will tell Malleus that you refused my invitation which made me cry, you'll be shunned by your Waka-sama."

"..."

"Wowie, Sebek actually stayed quiet for once."

"With Yuu's given position, it would be dumb for the crocodile to not stay silent. "

"Yeah yeah bleeee"

"Even Leona would give in a bit to their antiques, that shows how scary Yuu is..."

"But you did work hard for the position and you didn't use it for bad reasons, so I respect the decision."

It's always you trying to silence Sebek for everyone's greater good, then following Epel's admiration to Ace's harsh criticism, next is Jack's admiration (?) to Deuce's respect. They aren't wrong that the world could be under your feet at any given time with the connections you have formed. Nobody is strong enough to over power any of the seven.

But it wasn't what you wanted in the end.

Your wish was to find your family and reunite with them again. Even though you don't know if they'll live that long...

You promised to cherish every moment to them, so it's the least you could make it up to them.

[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.

[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.

[wwnwinlv]

"Entrepreneurs solve societal problems"

This phrase is from my previous blog which has struck me the most; I’ve come to realize that the core in entrepreneurship is to find a problem and be the solution. These past few weeks, our team has been able to identify a problem, formulate solutions, introduce innovation, and create a business model canvas. In short, a lot has happened since I posted my last blog. So today, I will summarize my team’s journey on how we are developing our business idea!

There would be no business ideas if our society was free of problems, right? So we began by identifying our fellow students' problem. To identify the problem, we conducted a survey via google forms which showed that most students are commonly faced with financial problems, with some stating that they would reach a point wherein they borrow funds from their friends or are finding an immediate job to provide for themselves in times of such crisis. Based on this information, my team and I started brainstorming various solutions. Initially, we considered creating our own student loan service, but as we are still students ourselves and considering our available resources, we opted for another approach. Instead, we decided to develop an app or website that serves as a platform for students to find available local job opportunities.

Thus, "Jobby" was born.

Our business aims to assist students in securing funds for their academic pursuits, while also helping university faculty and staff by connecting them with student assistance when needed. This idea stood out the most to us because we can empathize with this type of problem because we, too, are students who know what it's like to have so many bills to pay in school that drain our finances.

Fortunately, our business idea passed the evaluation stage, with our instructor suggesting some changes in our business proposal such as focusing on developing a website rather than an application. With these suggestions in mind, we refined our business concept and are currently working on our business model canvas.

Getting to this point hasn't been easy; we encountered setbacks and initially questioned our idea. However, we, as a team, overcome such challenges. We integrated our diverse skills, knowledge, and experiences to generate not only innovative ideas but also solutions to our problems. This is what makes us a strong team; we are deeply committed to teamwork. We made it clear from the start that the success of our business idea is dependent on our ability to collaborate effectively and our passion to help our fellow students.

[eugeniogalindo]

Different Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Treatment

Roughly 240,000 American women and 2,100 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for American women and trails only skin cancer as the most common cancer for women in the United States.

On the global scale, there are more than 2 million new breast cancer diagnoses made each year and 685,000 fatalities. Individuals have several options when it comes to treating breast cancer, though several factors influence the optimal approach to treatment.

Different types of breast cancer are treated using other methods. The majority of breast cancer diagnoses involve carcinomas. Carcinomas in the breast are usually called adenocarcinomas, namely ductal and lobular carcinomas. A carcinoma is a tumor that forms in epithelial cells, which are found throughout the body’s tissues and organs. Depending on the size and location of the tumor, doctors may suggest surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and other options.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is far rarer by comparison, accounting for between 1 percent and 5 percent of all breast cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society. Medical professionals strongly recommend chemotherapy as a means of stunting the growth of aggressive IBC tumors. Because of the aggressive nature of the disease, IBC also requires surgery and several additional forms of treatment, including targeted drug therapy and more chemotherapy.

Other types of breast cancer include triple-negative breast cancer, Paget disease of the breast, and angiosarcoma. Phyllodes tumors contrast with carcinomas in that they are typically benign tumors, though they can form malignant tumors among the breast’s connective tissue.

Treatment options also depend on whether the cancer is localized or has spread. With this in mind, it is beneficial to identify breast cancer at the earliest stages. Women between the ages of 40 and 44 should receive annual breast screening or more frequent screening if they have a family history of breast cancer. By age 55, women should consider mammograms twice per year. Men typically do not require regular mammograms unless they live with a genetic mutation associated with male breast cancer. Moreover, there are many methods for performing self-examinations at home.

In addition to regular screening, individuals should be wary of common symptoms that may signal breast cancer. Any new lump or growth on or under the skin of the breast should prompt an immediate visit to the doctor’s office. Breast cancer can manifest as swelling or hardening in a specific area of the breast. Some individuals may also encounter red, dry skin, particularly around or on the nipples. While various conditions can lead to breast pain, if the discomfort persists for more than a few hours or days, seeking medical attention is crucial.

If breast cancer is diagnosed by medical professionals, there are various treatment options that can be explored. Surgery involves physically accessing and removing cancer from the body, while chemotherapy consists of the administration of a strong drug that shrinks and sometimes kills cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are offered in pill form and as intravenous medication.

Radiation therapy draws on the power of high-energy rays to target and kill cancer cells, ideally with as little damage to the surrounding tissues and organs as possible. These primary treatments are often combined and may be used in tandem with hormonal therapy, which denies cancer cells the hormones they need to grow, and biological therapy, which involves doctors activating the body's immune system to combat invasive cancer cells and facilitate the healing process from other cancer treatments.

[coralbouquettastemaker]

Why We Love cheap painkillers (And You Should, Too!)

Aspirin can be an OTC drug typically utilised together with other medications22 as it aids thin the blood23 Consequently preventing risky clots from forming24 . Aspirin presents reduction from slight pains25 but really should constantly be taken less than health care supervision26 because of its possible side effects27 which include things like nausea28 , vomiting29 abdominal discomfort30 diarrhea31 ulcers32 heartburn33 ringing in ears34 dizziness35 skin rash36 breathing problems37 amid others

Codeine is usually a kind of opioid medication prescribed when far more powerful sorts of analgesia are needed39; even so many countries have constraints on how codeine can be purchased40 due41 regulations42 limiting access43 only by prescriptions44 issued45 authorized46 health and fitness experts

Code

Side Effects of Painkillers

As well as the challenges pointed out over, some painkillers may produce other Unwanted effects That could be significantly less well-acknowledged. One example is, they can cause drowsiness or dizziness in many people, resulting in incidents and falls. Using opioid medications including codeine may lead to Bodily dependence and addiction in some instances

High doses of sure discomfort remedies—equally OTC and prescription—may improve somebody’s hazard for creating significant blood pressure49; This is often very true for people with current hypertension50 . Lastly, extended-time period use of specific drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen carries an elevated likelihood of resulting in liver damage51 .

It is important for individuals having any kind of analgesic medication to comprehend the prospective Unintended effects connected to its use52 . This contains remaining aware of any interactions between differing kinds of medications considering the fact that combining them may lead to major wellbeing complications53 . Also people really should notify their healthcare company whenever they encounter any adverse reactions although utilizing these medications54 ; this allows the health care provider to adjust remedy designs accordingly55 . By subsequent these rules consumers can ensure that their painkillers continue being Protected and powerful

Which is the Best Painkiller

The most beneficial painkiller for a particular ailment will count on the sort of ache, its severity and also other components which include clinical historical past. Generally speaking, around-the-counter options like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are often advised for insignificant aches and pains although prescription medications may be needed to take care of a lot more significant situations. Also, there are a few situations wherever specific varieties of painkillers might be desired due to their capacity to concentrate on specific signs. One example is, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) for instance aspirin or ibuprofen can assist decrease swelling linked to arthritis While opioid medications like codeine can provide aid from extreme acute ache.

In terms of the mostly utilised analgesics, OTC medication including ibuprofen or acetaminophen prime the list57 . These drugs are greatly accessible without a prescription and require only minimal monitoring by Health care companies producing them obtainable to quite a few sufferers in need58 ; This really is especially true compared to far more strong opioid drugs which come with larger risks59 . Also they offer quick-phrase reduction from milder forms of physical discomfort60 making them great when dealing with headaches61 , muscle strain62 , menstrual cramps63 or other prevalent ailments64 .

In addition to these two classes of medication there is also an rising class of medicines generally known as “mix” products that contain each an NSAID (for instance aspirin) and an opioid (like codeine). These combination therapies are actually shown to deliver superior amounts of aid than either drug alone65; nevertheless they ought to generally be taken underneath shut supervision considering that these products pose greater https://buypainkillermeds.com/buy-painkillers-in-victoria-online/ hazards for really serious adverse effects66 .

Summary

In summary, it can be crucial to keep in mind that painkillers are usually not the only real way to handle Actual physical irritation and there are alternate approaches readily available. In many instances, Life-style adjustments such as regular physical exercise, leisure procedures or yoga could be productive for both of those small-expression and extended-time period reduction from specific sorts of pain67 . Furthermore heat therapy68 , massage69 or more than-the-counter topical treatments70 could present supplemental benefits in some instances71 .

When choosing whether or not to have a painkiller, it’s essential to consider equally the severity of your respective signs or symptoms—along with their trigger—prior to commencing any new study course of treatment72 . For minor ailments73 such as headaches74 , muscle mass aches75 or menstrual cramps76 OTC analgesics like ibuprofen77 acetaminophen78 could be sufficient79 ; nevertheless a lot more severe types of pain80 could require stronger medications81 which ought to constantly be taken below healthcare supervision

By comprehension when and the way to use these prescription drugs responsibly83 persons can make certain they remain safe84 though getting ample aid

[infernalodie]

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐓. 𝟏

“ Fate in your hands, While you're waitin' for me”

Summary: You always wanted to do the greater good. Help the city that was far too gone to be saved. Bruce and Selina told you this would only put you in danger, and you didn’t listen. What are they suppose to do when Penguin captures you after you seized a large cargo of his drugs?

(Somewhat Spoilers for The Batman)

Warning 18+: Angts, violence, Penguin being a heartless a-hole, death, torture, pet names, mention of sex with both Bruce and Selina

Part Two

Words 2051

DNI IF YOU’RE A MINOR!!

Life as a detective was all that you had needed in your life. You were happy with the job, as well as tormented by it from Gotham that was a hell hole. A true and harsh reality that the city had been left behind a long time ago. Only very few people willing to take their time and pick up the pieces. And you were one of those people.

It had been your home since you were a child. Growing up in the slums of the city where one wrong turn could result to you getting killed. But you stayed on your toes and stayed alive. Going to school, minding your business and working towards the role that could change this city for the better.

So, years after getting the job, it only seemed like fate for you to encounter the Batman. The man who silenced a room with his mere presence. His silence having always put you on edge when you tried to do your job. Yelping on many occasions when he would be standing over you, looking at a piece of evidence you inspected.

“No wonder why people can’t help but feel on edge with you around,” You had told him. “Creeping on people doesn’t exactly give you the best image.”

And he could only stare at you. That hollow (from what you guessed) stare that pierced your eyes like a knife. Delving into your fears and able to pull them out with his gaze. “I hope I give you the best impression.”

That had been the first sentence he ever said to you. And it only seemed to unravel from there as he appeared by your side more often. Urging Gordon to bring you on the cases they worked together. Who was to deny the Batman?

You two worked together for months. Solving cases, capturing murderers, and criminal figures that tore Gotham apart on a daily basis. It was safe to say that a connection would inevitably form. A bond that would interweave with one another and creating a knot so strong, that you would uncover the truth of the Batman.

“I’m sorry Detective, but he’s-” Alfred tried to say, but you grabbed a paper from your pocket and held it up for him.

“Don’t need to worry.” He took the paper and looked it over with knitted brows. “I’m here to search. You can take it up with Gordon if there’s a problem, but I would like to talk to Bruce. If he isn’t here, I’ll search this whole damn tower if I have to find the truth.”

It had been your persistence that intrigued Alfred who could tell in your eyes you uncovered Bruce’s truth. And it hadn’t been his fault Bruce was found out, so he pointed you in the direction of the old subway system under the tower. The door at the far corner of the garage that led downwards.

That had been where you found Bruce and where he confessed his feelings.

“I care about you,” Bruce muttered. “I don’t care about what happens to me, but I can’t let you get hurt because of me.”

Okay, well, he didn’t exactly confess them, but you could understand him. Able to see that he wasn’t good with these types of things; talking about his feelings. You couldn’t blame him and made it very easy for him to understand by pushing him against a nearby table and kissing him.

It’d been a long night as he had you laying on the front of his Batmobile. Towering over you with his hips slamming into yours as you mewled and moaned. Nails digging into his scared flesh as you remained in cloud-nine. Feeling him inside you, reworking your body to his liking, fucking you ‘till you were a sweating and sensitive mess.

Things just seemed to fall into place from there. You two didn’t make it official, but you were committed to one another. It had been everything you wanted as it didn’t change much of either of your lives. Some night you would visit the Wayne Tower, work on paper work from Gordon and wait for Bruce to get back. When he did, you both slept for a few hours before having to depart for the rest of the day.

And it seemed like fate for you two to be together more when the Riddler started tearing apart the corporate ladder. And it seemed just as fateful for you two to run into Selina Kyle, also known as, Catwoman. A methodical and seductive burglar that shook yours and Bruce’s world the moment you met.

She was able to quickly piece together the relationship between you and Batman. But that didn’t stop her from moving in on you two. Working her way into your guys' relationship. And surprisingly, you had been the one to tell Bruce to include her. Who was Bruce to deny his favorite girl?

“Why didn’t you send little mouse with me?” Selina spat. “At least I would be enjoying this.”

You felt your cheeks heat at the burglar’s words. “Selina, we just need you to talk to the D.E.A. agents a little longer,” you told her. “Can you please do that, for me?”

Bruce glanced between the screen that displayed Selina and you, a smirk forming on his lips as Selina chuckled. “For you, baby?” She asked. “I would do anything.”

The three of you saved Gotham from Riddler’s scheme at the Arena and save countless lives. It had been the first time in a while when you felt like Gotham had a chance to breathe once more. Maybe not for long, but long enough that it gave you, Bruce, and Selina a chance to enjoy the silence of a little while longer.

“Look at me, little mouse,” Selina’s silk voice called. Lifting your head to find your girlfriend laid out on the bed in front of you, bare of her suit and watching you with a grin. Bruce was behind you, pounding into you mercilessly as if his life depended on it.

Selina leaned forward, dragging her index finger along the edge of your jaw. A grin on her lips as she watched your face contort in pleasure. “Go easy on her, Bats,” she teased. “You might fuck her dumb.”

You whined, leaning forward in an attempt to kiss her. But Bruce grabbed a hold of your shoulder, bring you back to him, while slamming himself into you. It was hard to tell if you screamed or if it was just your thoughts, but you felt your arms give out from under you. Hearing that soft laugh from Selina as she stroked your hair.

Her hand glided downwards until it found your sensitive nipples. Twisting and pulling gently, biting her bottom lip at the whines slipping out of you. “Don’t worry, baby,” she whispered. “The night’s young and I fully intend on using it to my full advantage.”

Life couldn’t be any better for you. You had two people that loved you profusely. Treated you like a million bucks and made you feel the same. They loved you and you loved them.

But your lives carried on as Gotham’s crime never stopped for anyone.

And that was how you came in on one of Penguin’s cargo. Able to seize it and get it all confiscated, marking it to be the biggest drug bust in history. Better than the one on Falcone and Gordon was there to promote you. Things were fantastic and you were proud of what you were able to do. But you should’ve listened to Bruce’s warnings, “They’re going to hit back if you do this.”

“Wake up, Detective.” You groaned, body lulled forward as a stream of blood leaked from between your lips.

You cried when a hand grabbed a handful of your hair, yanking your head up. Blinking tiredly, you saw Oswald stood in front of you with a bat in his hand. It’s metal structure bloody from the onslaught of beatings he’d performed on you.

The man tilted his head as you let out horsed breaths. Chest feeling like it had caved in from the amount of hits from the metal bat. You blinked heavily, smacking your lips as drool pooled from your lips.

“I gave you your chance to back off, Detective,” Oswald told you. “I even moved my shipping routes across the city to not bother you and the rest of the GCPD. But you still had to mess with my operation.”

“It’s not that I cared about your operation, Penguin,” you replied. A smile tugging at the corners of your lips as you laughed. “I just wanted to see your tiny legs stomp around in frustration, bitch.”

Another swing of the bat had you crying. Your shins were shattered and your hands were cut to pieces. Now, you were sure your ribcage was broken in 8 different spots. But you somehow stayed awake, not willing to give Oswald the satisfaction of watching you beg for mercy. No. That would be the last thing you ever gifted him.

The beatings carried on longer and longer you could handle. Leaving you a sobbing and trembling mess. You were broken down to a single atom and Oswald laughed at that fact. Continuing to destroy your very being up until the last moment of your consciousness.

Bruce on the other hand, had received your emergency signal. And now, he was racing through the streets of Gotham with Selina anxiously sitting in the passenger seat.

Bruce could only feel the uncontrollable fear that flowed through his body. Was she okay? Who captured her? He didn’t know any of the answers to the questions running through his head. Only knowing that he and Selina needed to save you.

You groaned, eyes barely able to open from the swelling. But you had managed to realize that Oswald was gone, along with his goons. Leaving you in a rusty metal chair that had restrained your arms behind your back and ankles to the legs of the chair.

With a focused effort, you rocked the chair side to side. Just enough to have you falling over to your side. Crying out in pain as you pulled your ankles back towards the bottom of the seat. Gritting your teeth until the tape snapped and freed you. From there, you pushed the chair away and shakily got your feet.

Each step was stuttered with a limp. You let out pants, pain prickly across your body like pins and needles stabbing into you. Once you reached the warehouse doors, you turned around and awkwardly tried to tug it open.

“No, no, no,” you muttered, finding the door to not budge. “Please, don’t do this.”

But your attention was drawn to a beeping. Your swollen eyes carried across the room, searching and searching until you saw the blinking red from a bomb. It slowly counted down from 5 seconds.

5

When they arrived at the junkyard, they found it to be silent. Nothing could be heard besides the rain pelt down on the pair. Feet splashing in the puddles slowly building each moment that passed.

4

They sprinted in the direction of the warehouse. “Baby!” Selina called out in a panic.

3

You slid down to the ground, head lulling back to rest against the door. Lips slightly curling into a smile.

2

Bruce was getting closer, he was so damn close. He would hold you in his arms, you would be fine. Everything would be fine.

1

You closed your eyes.

BOOM!

Both Bruce and Selina were sent flying back from the fiery blaze that erupted from the warehouse. The sheer force sent Bruce back, flying through the air and landing on the windshield of his car. Only able to watch as the scorched earth blossomed brighter and brighter.

“Baby...” Bruce turned his head to find Selina hastily getting to her feet. “Baby! Baby!”

She couldn’t get any closer as arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. Holding her close as his eyes focused on the flames. A rage, one that was unbridled, formed around Selina’s heart. It compelling itself to her bloodstream and mind as that is where they could take control.

I’ll kill him, little mouse. I’ll kill them all.

a/n: Alright, first time writing on here and I hope you all enjoyed.