#exploring the world of english

[illustratus]

Isolation: The Mayflower becalmed on a moonlit night by Montague Dawson

[maihonhassan]

I really felt it when Rumi wrote:

"Come on sweetheart let’s adore one another before there is no more of you and me."

“Rumi, Fountain of Fire” Burning Gate Press, 1994.

[15-lizards]

I know you’re mostly vibing with Dune right now, and I’m here for that, BUT I’ve been really into traditional Circassian fashion lately, and it made me think of you because I instantly wanted to know where you would place it in ASOIAF. I was thinking it should be nearer to Dorne than the North and nearer to Essos than the West because of the cultural ties to the Turkish style of Northern Donishfolx and the Mongolian horse lords of the Dothraki but I’m not sure where that really belongs then. I love the women’s dresses and the sort of militarized style, it’s very unlike GoT show-style but feels very in keeping with the idea that these tiny houses make war on each other like a spring activity rather than the way we think of total war in the modern era and fashion has slid in to be like “okay but let’s make it pretty”. Does any of that track at all?

Eurasian/west Asian fashion is criminally underutilized in fantasy settings but ☝️I have always been a firm believer in it

I’ve always seen it as belong in the north of Dorne. Where it’s not as hot as the southern reaches, so heavier fabrics and more layers are commonly seen, but still hotter than the stormlands and the reach, meaning that clothing is looser and offers more freedom of movement and airflow. Headwraps and veils being more frequently used for sun/wind protection than just fashion or modesty. Also finely wrought and intricate golden jewelry I tend to associate with Dorne. The style itself also feels like a organic blend of the traditional clothing of both Western European and the Near East, which contributes to my headcanon of this type of fashion being common on the border and in the marches. So in short this is what I think the Daynes wear 🔮💫

[vingilotes]

Remember this post? Yea, so... I actually did not play a lot in that save cause I was way to busy with work and all (still kinda am but lol who cares).

But!!!!!! In the last few weeks I got the URGE to play some stardew, so I started my save again.

And because I really hate myself, I just went and did the seasonal portraits for Ophelia. lol

I also fixed the color scheme of the OG portrait to fit in better with Nyapu's palette lol

I even did a flower dance portrait too! (Inspired by Hamlet's Ophelia)

A bit more about Ophelia and the process of drawing under the cut.

Since they are quite small (64p), I did this all surprisingly fast. I am thankful for it because I am way too impatient and lazy. I have a sketch for the marriage portrait but when the time comes I'll finish it.

About Ophelia, welll... she is a kind girl who always wanted to be a musical theatre actress, she managed to get into an acting school but did not have luck with her career. She also had a toxic relationship that made her stop chasing her dreams. Because she needed a job, she went to work for joja but soon got tired of it. The farm is an opportunity for her to take control of her life and find new dreams!

She likes reading, singing and drinking a bit of wine in calm nights. She is quite energetic and can be really forgetful sometimes.

[noirshitsuji]

every once in a while I will see this take in the bb fandom that like 'nothing has felt like Black Butler since X arc' (usually Noah's Arc Circus) which I find. very interesting. I think the implication is usually that nothing has felt as like serious or gritty or psychological thriller-y or devastating, or that somehow the vibe has gone weird. and like, this is not to diss anyone's interpretation. but also.

this is a story where one moment the main boy character is wearing a dress and being accosted by a pedophile nobleman and the next he's nearly been human trafficked. and then it turns out his aunt is jack the ripper and she dies at the hand of her grim reaper ally who decides to turn on her for being unable to kill her nephew. cue flashback to the extremely tragic life she's had and the complicated feelings she has about said nephew as a result, although ultimately her love for her sister, that she seems in him, means that she cannot slaughter him as she has so many others.

and then next arc, the culmination of an indian prince's coming of age where he's processing his loneliness and neglected upbringing comes during a contest where people are trying to obtain the royal warrant for curry. and the main character wins it by inventing the curry bun, a japanese dish, in Victorian England, after the elderly queen rides in on a horse wearing sunglasses and declares him a winner.

like. idk what to tell you, like yes the Circus Arc was very dark and all but are we really going to pretend that the boy band thing during the blue cult arc was out of left field??? for the person that did pride and prejudice and zombies on the titanic?? like this has always been the type of story this is wdym-

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

2 things ive learnt learning french:

i know a LOT of english words

i use a lot of them wrong

[quenthel]

ok to be fair... i love wrathfinder like 90% bc i played it together w my friends on discord... experienced the whole game w them and we explored it etc... nobody played this game also back then it felt like and the wikis were empty so it was just us gathering knowledge it felt like... incredibly special space in my heart for that game for that experience

[ren-or-rin]

tumblr is the act of spitting pseudo-profound words on a page that invoke both nihilism and optimism without any right to assert such things.

and i fucking love it. because one day, someone's gonna see a line in your borderline shitpost and it's going to be the most impactful thing that they've ever read and shape how they see the world just a little.

[throesti]

Earth C AU where they didn’t actually win at the end and the whole post-game environment is manifested subconsciously by Jake's Hope powers wandavision style (that's why Jane's dad didn't die even though he's a Guardian technically and in-game they're prone to dying)

[nezumasa]

This is how it feels to explain anything

[9yardsmedia]

In this heartwarming episode of No 309, we dive deep into the emotional journey of love, commitment, and the unbreakable bond of family. This story captures the essence of a young man who, despite life's challenges, finds himself deeply in love and immensely grateful for the continuous support he receives from those closest to him. His partner stands by his side with unwavering dedication, and his family’s love provides him with the strength he needs to pursue happiness and face life’s ups and downs. 👉 Subscribe to my channel to stay tuned:     As we unravel his story, we witness the true meaning of unconditional love, where trust and loyalty transcend any hardship. Through beautiful, heartfelt moments and touching dialogues, this episode highlights the importance of having a support system that lifts you up, keeps you grounded, and empowers you to become the best version of yourself. The themes of this episode resonate with viewers who understand the profound impact that love and family support can have on a person’s life. It’s a reminder that no matter where life takes us, the presence of loved ones makes every challenge manageable and every success more meaningful. Join us on No 309 as we explore these universal themes of love, trust, and the powerful influence of family. Whether you’re a fan of romantic dramas or simply in need of a heartwarming story, this episode promises to leave you feeling uplifted and inspired by the beauty of true connection. 🍁𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗙𝗹𝗶𝘅 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹🍁 Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Turkish entertainment with TurkFlix Official, your one-stop destination for enthralling Turkish series and movies! We bring the magic of Turkish storytelling to your screen, all meticulously presented with English subtitles for your viewing pleasure. Dive into heart-wrenching dramas, laugh-out-loud comedies, and pulse-pounding thrillers, all boasting rich cultural experiences and unforgettable characters. Subscribe to TurkFlix Official and unlock a treasure trove of Turkish entertainment, waiting to be discovered!

[illustratus]

Mayflower II on her sailing trials in the waters off Brixham, South Devon, April 1957 by Montague Dawson

[muses-of-the-memory]

Happy 29th Anniversary Pocahontas

As it is the 29th Anniversary of Pocahontas, one of my favorite Disney films, I took it upon myself to roleplay as the titular character, and I may roleplay as John Smith as well.

[catboybrain]

i dunno if its just me being so weird and in love with mathematics or it's the fact i worked on ai stuff before the ai boom or just that i'm jaded, but any sort of generative ai based off a prompt is just boring to me. i don't think it's ethically bad all the time but, like, it's subpar, why would i ever settle for that.

i can draw anyway and i know people who draw as well (or paint, or model etc.) and i learned all this shit myself so idk why i'd want to hand off a good concept to something that's not as good as i am at it?

[thankskenpenders]

The mystery of that random magenta-haired Sonic woman: solved?

For almost three years now, there's been a little mystery in the Sonic franchise: who the hell is this lady?

Well, it seems like fans have collectively pieced together the answer. And it's more interesting than I expected.

For those who don't keep up with Sonic lore minutia like I do, this is a screenshot from the very first episode of TailsTube, released on YouTube back in March 2022. When Sonic and Tails were explaining the basics of their Earth and the fact that humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist, Tails showed a slide of some human NPCs from Sonic Unleashed. But the slide also included this never-before-seen character design, drawn in a conspicuously different, more anime-influenced art style from the Pixar-esque Unleashed characters. So... where's she from?

At the time, it was assumed that she was probably from an upcoming project. She looks like she could be an explorer of some sort, so maybe she's just an NPC from Frontiers, I thought. And then she wasn't in Frontiers. Sonic Prime, maybe? Nope, no humans in Prime. Okay, well maybe the IDW comics are going to start incorporating humans, now that the "two worlds" thing has been undone and humans once again canonically exist on the same planet as Sonic and friends. Well, if she's gonna show up in the comics, it's been almost three years and we still haven't seen her. That'd be a hell of a lead time for comics, where production cycles are typically a matter of months, not years. Time continued to pass, and we still hadn't seen her. We just had Ian Flynn teasing us with a #KnowingSmile, assuring us that she existed for some reason, just one that he couldn't talk about yet.

Fast forward to late 2024, and she suddenly makes an appearance in the last place anyone would have expected: the third live action movie, via an electronic billboard in Shibuya.

At this point it almost felt like the lore team was trolling us. Is this just a scrapped character design that's become fodder for inside joke cameos or something? Surely all of this teasing couldn't have been for a throwaway character design on a billboard in the background of a movie.

But actually, this billboard gives us an important piece of information: her name! She's labeled here as "Professor Tori." This is important because it connects her to a previous release. In Shadow Generations, Gerald's journal is prefaced with a note from the person who recovered it, addressed to the GUN Commander. In the English version, it's simply signed "T," but in the Japanese version... it's signed "Tori"!

This gives us some actual info about Professor Tori. For one, she seems to work for GUN in their Archival and Requisitions Department. She's apparently also interested in learning about Gerald and Maria's lives, like their old friend Abe is.

Jump forward again to the New Year's episode of TailsTube, and this appears in the background.

Her full name is officially given as Professor Victoria, and she's a historian. So, that seems to confirm everything we've pieced together so far.

As far as things we can reasonably assume to be correct go, this is everything we know for certain about Victoria. She's a historian working for GUN. Cool! But that's not what really fascinates me about her. For that, we have to do a little more speculation based on conjecture.

See, Shadow Generations also establishes information about the Robotnik family tree. Gerald had two sons. One of them took after Gerald's love of technology and became an expert in the field of robotics, and would go on to be Eggman's father. The other son took after Gerald's love of archaeology. This man would go on to be Maria's father. But, as Maria mentions in Shadow Generations... she also happens to have a little sister we've never met before.

So now, the question is: is this Maria's sister, Victoria Robotnik?!

We can't be 100% certain right now, but honestly, until proven otherwise I'm assuming that Victoria is Maria's little sister, now all grown up and working for GUN. It all lines up too neatly. The conspicuous reveal that Maria has an unseen and unnamed little sister, in the same game that establishes her dad was a history guy and also that there's this new historian working for GUN who just so happens to be really interested in her life. And also their names both end in "-ria." Come on!! Putting her in the Robotnik family would also explain all these cryptic clues about her identity. If she was just some random GUN agent, why be so coy and make fans piece it together?

I guess the most odd part here would be, y'know, Victoria working for the organization that killed her sister and grandpa. But Sega's been pushing the idea that GUN is trying to do better for 20 years now, ever since they established that the GUN Commander was Maria's childhood friend on the ARK and had him make amends with Shadow. Hearing that Maria's sister had joined GUN to try and gain access to information about her family history and undo the elaborate coverup of the previous administration would make sense to me, personally. And lest we forget, this would also make Victoria Eggman's cousin, giving him a family member in GUN. And that's a pretty cool storytelling tool to have on hand!

So, that's where we're at now. We have no idea where Victoria will pop up next, whether it's a game or a comic or another TailsTube episode or something else entirely. But it seems like she's fairly important, even if this speculation about her being a Robotnik somehow ends up being wrong. (But I'm pretty damn sold on this theory, personally.) Either way, it's exciting to see the human cast get fleshed out in fun ways again. If we're gonna have humans in Sonic stories, I'd rather they have anime-style designs and interesting connections to the narrative, rather than just being generic humans for the sake of having humans. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever the lore team's been cooking up here.

[nasa]

One Giant Leap for Mankind

Millions of people around the globe will come together for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games later this month to witness a grand event—the culmination of years of training and preparation.

Fifty-five years ago this July, the world was watching as a different history-changing event was unfolding: the Apollo 11 mission was landing humans on the surface of another world for the first time. An estimated 650 million people watched on TV as Neil Armstrong reached the bottom of the ladder of the lunar module on July 20, 1969, and spoke the words, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

While the quest to land astronauts on the Moon was born from the space race with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, this moment was an achievement for the whole of humanity. To mark the world-embracing nature of the Moon landing, several tokens of world peace were left on the Moon during the astronauts’ moonwalk.

“We came in peace for all mankind”

These words, as well as drawings of Earth’s western and eastern hemispheres, are etched on a metal plaque affixed to a leg of the Apollo 11 lunar lander. Because the base of the lander remained on the Moon after the astronauts returned, it is still there today as a permanent memorial of the historic landing.

Microscopic messages from kings, queens, and presidents

Another artifact left on the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts is a small silicon disc etched with goodwill messages from leaders of 74 countries around the world. Each message was reduced to be smaller than the head of a pin and micro-etched on a disc roughly 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter. Thailand’s message, translated into English, reads: "The Thai people rejoice in and support this historic achievement of Earth men, as a step towards Universal peace."

Curious to read what else was inscribed on the disk? Read the messages.

An ancient symbol

The olive branch, a symbol of peace and conciliation in ancient Greek mythology, also found its way to the Moon in July 1969. This small olive branch made of gold was left on the lunar surface during Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s 2.5-hour moonwalk. The olive branch also featured on the Apollo 11 mission patches sewed on the crew’s spacesuits. Designed in part by command module pilot Michael Collins, the insignia shows a bald eagle landing on the Moon holding an olive branch in its talons.

We go together

As NASA’s Artemis program prepares to again land astronauts on the Moon, including the first woman and the first person of color, this time we’re collaborating with commercial and international partners. Together we will make new scientific discoveries, establish the first long-term presence on the Moon, and inspire a new generation of explorers.

Is aerospace history your cup of tea? Be sure to check out more from NASA’s past at www.nasa.gov/history.

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