#home automation victoria

[robert7896]

Want to transform your Melbourne space with innovative technologies? A Control4 home automation system can elevate your whole lifestyle. Give us a call at +61 1300 887 396 or learn more here about our automated home services.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Hello! I have come asking for you to info-dump about the the modern human au. I full of brain rot of them (especially after the last thing you posted about them, damn) Maybe you can tell us a bit more Sally!!

lucky for you, i've been full of that good ol brainrot As Well! thoughts! feelings! ideas! i got em!

so since we're already on the subject of the Crash Arc, allow me to expand on it for a moment before i get to Sally Thinkings! if you've read the snippet, you may have noticed the extent of Wally's injuries was not listed yet. well! he got messed up with a capital F! since it's fiction and i'm god in this scenario, i'm veering slightly away from realistic damage, immediate & lasting. bc lets be real. if i stuck to "this is as realistic as i can make it", then Wally would be aaaaaabsolutely fucked. it was a bad crash in a very unsafe vehicle at high speeds. like - this is what happened. a drunk driver hit Home going 70 down the freeway. swerve, fishtail, tumble down a (small, shallow, really its more like a glorified ditch) ravine with trees and rocks and shit on it. absolute miracle that Wally didn't die in the crash, let alone during the solid half hour (slightly longer) he was trapped in Home before someone noticed the crash site and called emergency personnel. Wally "hanging up" on Barnaby was actually the impact jarring him so he slipped and hit the end call button. but yeah without going into technicalities and detail, Wally has some lasting damage in his dominant hand. It takes extensive physical therapy for him to be able to paint/draw again at the same level he had been at. the hematoma hadn't done a lot of brain damage that wouldn't resolve itself with time. in my mind, when Wally wakes up in the hospital, for a few days he's very confused and his memory is shot. he'll wake up, interact, then go to sleep, but when he wakes up again its like waking up for the first time again. he just can't retain memories for a bit. he's got some severe brain fog. his mood is also kinda fucked with - he's uncharacteristically irritable with low patience, etc. these are all things that clear up with time, but in my mind Wally has chronic migraines going forward. bad ones! and there are days where it's harder fr him to concentrate. and yk. a teeny bit of chronic pain where his shin bone was pinned back together and where his hand was essentially crushed. but other than that he's fine going forward! good days and bad days!

but enough about that! You Want To Hear About Sally!

i imagine that she becomes quite successful in the theater industry. i'm not too familiar with it myself, so i'm gonna be uh. Vague about it? but she starts her own theater troupe - it's a bit of a commute from home base to the town she works in, where the theater is located in, but she makes it work! of the group, she's probably away more than any of them. working on shows, traveling to work on other ones - i like to think she's been on Broadway! she probably has had opportunities to do tv/movie acting, but idk... i feel like Sally would be like "nah. live shows or nothing". maybe at some point she takes up voice acting gigs, as long as she can do them from home. she probably has her own little room-turned-VA-studio thing. idk how that works either! it seems right! but yes Howdy's store's automated messages and advertisements are in Sally's voice. she's probably picked up a temporarily modeling gig here and there.

so Sally is very very busy. Poppy is supportive. everyone is, and they all love to help out when they can - and reel Sally in when the "stardom" starts to get to her head. they do their best to acclimate to occasionally getting jumpscared by her voice in a grocery store or in. idk. fashion shoots. victoria's secret billboards. that last one was a joke! maybe. i think she would.

i also like to imagine Sally like... getting some sort of award and then spending a solid five minutes naming her friends, thanking them with specificity, and then plugging their own stuff. they probably have a rotation for who accompanies her as her plus one for events and parties she may or may not be invited to. she's not like... a Big celebrity but! she's Known and Liked! she has Connections! i like to imagine her and Wally looking dapper as fuck at a Venue...

so the friend group typically stays together, with Sally going off to do her Things the most. she makes sure to schedule time to be with her friends and girlfriend/wife/Poppy between work and gigs and etc. she somehow finds a balance with Ease. or apparent ease... someone get this girl a vacation...

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

I Got You. - OC Backstory

pairing: COD OC!Victoria "Whiskey" Callahan x MootOC!Rosie (platonic) words: 3.3k~ cw: canon-typical violence/talk, attempt at military accuracy, espionage, government conspiracies, paranoia, mental breakdown/issues, physical/health neglect, flashbacks.

August 6th, 2023. 2139 hours. Comrie, Scotland.

Whiskey's splayed out on the bed. She snaps a picture that catches only her tired eyes, knit eyebrows and poofy brown hair in the darkness of the room, before typing some random caption and shooting it off to Meabh.

It was typical for them to text through Snap. It was the only social app Whiskey kept after she left home 5 years ago. Her phone was void of other apps other than food delivery, youtube, her e-mail and Snapchat.

At the top of the screen, a pop-up appears, announcing the arrival of a new e-mail on her inbox. A Facebook one, from an account she long abandoned, along with her abandoning all other social medias. And yet, the name 'Holly Willi-' cut off by the character limit had her raising a brow.

Tapping at the notification, her e-mail client opened with an automated e-mail from Facebook alerting her that Holly Williams had sent her a direct message. Now that's new.

Holly Williams... That was one of dad's cousins. From Grandpa Willie's side of the family, if her memory served her. She remembers family dinners and barbecues spent together, her big Irish-American family getting together for the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

She hasn't seen her 'Aunt Holly' (even though the woman was really her first cousin once removed) since before she went to university nearly 13 years ago. What could the woman want now?

Clicking on the link, she's taken to the Facebook client page on her browser and after trying, failing, and reseting the password of her account, she clicks the DM tab and opens the message:

Hi Vicky dear, it's your auntie Holly. Hope you're doing well. I heard about your papa, my condolences. I hope it's not a bother but I reached out to your mama to talk to your daddy about some military things and she sent me your way because she said you're in the navy. I see you haven't uploaded anything in a few years so this might not even reach you but I could use your help very urgently and I'm frankly desperate. If you see this, is there anyway you could call me at this number? It's very important!!! Thanks. Aunt Holly x

Her brow scrunches. Since when does Aunt Holly need to talk about the military? Isn't she a professor? Whiskey clicks on her profile and checks her job listing. Right, she's a History professor in NYU. So what's this? Is this for some research study of hers?

But then again, she said it herself that she's desperate... And the tone of her message isn't the most uplifting one... She sounds like she's really in need of her help... And Whiskey has never been good at being heartless. Sighing and scratching her head, Whiskey sits up in bed.

She copies the number from the DM and calls it, hearing the repeated beeping of the call attempting to connect as Simon comes up the stairs and into the bedroom, sweatpants close to falling off his hip and wrapped in a warm sweater.

He raises a brow at her as she's holding the phone to her ear, signaling vaguely to indicate it's an important call, so he takes a spot beside her, with an arm around her waist.

"Holly Williams." The older woman greets on the other side, her voice professional, like she was waiting for a work call.

"Hey, Aunt Holly, it's Victoria." Whiskey murmurs, her southern accent suddenly triggering full-force, like it hasn't in over three years.

-

August 10th, 2023. 1321 hours. Yonkers, New York.

"When you get there, please, you need to understand, she's... she's not herself."

Victoria climbed out of the Uber and popped open the trunk, pulling out her black suitcase, and thanking the driver with a nod and a wave before he drove off.

Then, she stood in front of the brownstone townhouse, eyeing it up and down, with inquisitive eyes, before taking a deep breath and climbing the front steps to the stoop.

"She hasn't been the same, not after Alex passed away."

The doorbell rings inside the house for a few moments, before the door opens and a pale face regards her from the other side, strawberry blonde curls disheveled, eyes heavy with dark circles.

"Hey, Rosie..." Victoria greets gently. The woman knew she was coming, Aunt Holly having warned her. "It's me, Victoria... Vicky, remember?" She asks in a soft tone, hoping she's not too far gone yet.

"Vicky..." Rosie says softly as she regards the slightly shorter brunette with wild, crazied eyes but eventually nods and unlocks the door all the way, letting Victoria inside.

"When you see her, please... be kind to her. She's really struggling..."

Victoria remembers the last time she saw Rosemary. Victoria had to have been 16. Rosie had just graduated from college, and it was the summer. At the time, she always dressed in bright colors, a hippy style, with Birkenstocks galore... She was very put together, healthy, pretty. They weren't the closest cousins in the world, but they spent time together during the holidays; Rosie taught Vicky how to do her hair to keep her curls healthy; they spoke about boys...

Before coming here, Victoria had even checked her cousin's Facebook page, finding an old album of photos from family gatherings that included the two of them, when they were much, much younger (and happier). It had been so long since they last saw each other... She needed a refresher on her cousin's appearance...

But now, as she's getting let into the house, she realizes Rosemary looks like shit. Somehow, worse than Victoria had expected when her mother had reached out and told her all about the state she is in. Paranoid, manic, depressive and reclusive, Aunt Holly worrying her only daughter was schizophrenic. Her hair looks greasy and matted, and she seems like she's lived in the same outfit for multiple days, maybe weeks. The house reeks. She reeks.

"Nobody can get her out of the house... And she's not taking care of herself..."

The house is dirty and messy, take out containers and paper bags of food delivery strewn about, the trashbag in the kitchen overflowing, the laundry basket in the laundry room too. Every picture frame in the house has blue, yellow, or pink post-its over it, the mirrors as well. Victoria follows her cousin across the house, each step she takes crushing some trash, or nearly tripping over a clothes pile. She's dangerously close to becoming a hoarder, it looks like...

Victoria has to force herself to take a few deep breaths through her mouth and not her nose, so that she doesn't get sick. She knows it would not be helpful in her cousin's state.

Rosie's able to push some trash off the couch to make space for the two of them to sit, though she keeps a large gap between herself and Victoria, probably ashamed of her smell, or appearance, or doubting that she can trust her...

"Every time I try to talk to her... It's like I'm talking to a crazy person... She's my daughter, I love her, but she needs help..."

"Your mom told me some of what's been going on." Victoria begins as she sets her hands on her lap and looks at Rosie with her best attempt at showing empathy and kindness.

"What'd she tell you? That I'm going crazy? I'm not, you know?" Rosie says defensively. "She thinks I'm losing it, and that I need to be committed, but I don't." She assures the brunette.

"Well, no, that's not what she said." Victoria lied. Yes, it had been 100% what Aunt Holly had said when they met up the day before, after she picked Victoria up at the airport, having bawled her eyes out behind the wheel.

"Then what did she say?" Rosie asks directly, her brows knitting together in anxious worry, her hands already trembling on her lap.

"To be honest," Victoria continues, choosing her words carefully, "I didn't understand most of it... I think it'd be best if I heard it from you. Can you tell me what's been going on?" She asked in earnest.

And tell her, Rosie did.

For the next three hours, Victoria heard her ramble and ramble, more and more and more.

About Alex, about his missions, about how Rosie always worried he'd die in the field, how they pronounced him dead in 2019 but she never got to see a body, only his dogtags, and his grave is empty... Victoria thought that was pretty normal, average even... it was the normal treatment for soldiers who died in ways that made it so their body couldn't be recovered... Like during an explosion.

But then Rosie went on and on about how she feels like she's being watched, stalked, surveilled, how she gets stopped by cops too much, and keeps seeing the same faces around the places she usually goes to like Target or Walmart, how there's a van parked outside 24/7, how she's sure that there's cameras and microphones around the house... And it was all being too much.

"She thinks she's being stalked, watched by the govenment, and like they're out to get her."

"Rosie... why would the government be doing such a thing?" Victoria asked her in earnest once she paused in her rants.

"You're not LISTENING!" Rosie complained, her body already having started to shake in distress as she retold everything to her cousin.

"No, no, I am listening. I'm just trying to understand." Victoria replied in an attempt to soothe her and gently took her hands in hers, which caused Rosie to tear up.

"It's NOT the government, it's the CIA!" The blonde shrieked and sniffled, trembling beside Victoria. "Alex was an agent... he..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Nobody tells me anything, I tried calling, nobody tells me!"

Victoria sighed and carefully scooted closer, taking a breath and daring to wrap an arm around Rosemary's form, in the gentlest of ways. "That tends to happen a lot, you know? They... well... when a soldier dies a gruesome death. They close the cases and put high clearances in place so that it doesn't shock the family." The brunette said.

"She's in complete denial, Vicky. She's living in her paranoia and delusion..."

"No!" Rosemary argued. "He's not dead, Vicky, he's not! Whatever... Whatever happened, they're covering it all up! They- he's not dead! They didn't even tell me how he died! Not even if it was heroic or anything!" She wailed as a hiccuping sob rattled her and shook her form against Victoria's side.

Victoria sighed and looked around the room. She was not equipped to deal with this. She half wished that Simon was here. He had dealt with people in altered states of mind, his brother, especially...

"You need to help me, Vicky... You're my only hope! You have to find out what happened. You know people, right? My mom said your mom said you're in the Special Forces! You know things?!" Rosie whined in a pitiful tone, her big blue eyes glued to Victoria's, and making her own hazel ones soften.

"I'll try, Rosie... But even I don't have that high of clearance..." Victoria replied in a soothing tone. "But I promise I'll try."

Victoria meant it. Her cousin might be mental and delusional, but, at least, Victoria could poke around a little bit and see if she could at least find what happened to the body...

"Where did you say he was sent to?" The soldier asked with a cocked brow, her hand gently rubbing Rosie's arm and shoulder in her best attempt at being comforting.

"In the Middle East... Urzikstan, I think..." Rosemary replied and looked up at Victoria. "You're going to look into it, right?" She pleaded.

Victoria nodded. "Of course I will." She replied and smiled at her, trying not to let the feeling of instant dread that was growing in the back of her mind from showing on her face.

Urzikstan... Price and Kyle were just there last year... Working alongside the militia there.

"Now... how about I help you give this place a tidying up... and you go take a shower, and try to relax, hm?" She offered.

Rosie's face began to flush a bit, with the sudden reminder that she had been neglecting herself and probably smelled so bad... And here was Victoria hugging her. "I probably should..." She trailed off and began pulling away from the other woman.

The brunette let her go and nodded. "Call me up when you're done, I'll help do your hair, how's that?" She offered and smiled kindly at Rosie.

Rosemary gulped and nodded. "Yeah..." She got up, beginning to shuffle out of the living room. She stopped by the door and turned back to look at her cousin. "Thank you for this... for everything..." She said gratefully.

Victoria shook her head. "Don't thank me. That's what *family*'s for, right?" She asked, though the word family, one she hadn't used in a while, left a bitter taste in her mouth. Rosie nodded and then disappeared back upstairs.

Once Victoria heard the bathroom door upstairs shutting with a loud thud, she bounced up off the couch.

Whiskey mode activated and she began looking around the room, pulling out her cellphone and turning on the flashlight to shine it off any hidden nook and cranny, like behind the TV, and inside the A/C vents.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Five fucking cameras, just in the living room and entryway alone. She doesn't want to imagine how many more are hidden throughout the house.

It seems that Rosie isn't as delusional and crazy as Aunt Holly thought...

Approaching the window, Whiskey pulls the blinds aside and pears out through the gap, pushing her back against the wall, looking up and down the street. She notices the white van parked a couple hundred feet away, advertising a dry-cleaning service. She knows immediately that that's where they operate from.

She almost wants to go over, with her pistol in hand, and scare them off. But she knows better than to fuck with the Agency... And, even more so, when she's not here as Whiskey, but as Victoria. As a civilian, with no armor, just a red halter top and jeans and boots, coming to visit her cousin.

Huffing, she shakes her head and closes the blinds again. "God damn it..." She murmurs, already feeling her own paranoia rising and her hackles rising. She's going to need to pull some strings to find out what in the hell went so wrong in Urzikstan 4 years ago that now an innocent civilian is being surveilled.

With another sigh, Victoria turns and looks around the room, noticing all the trash and, with a deep breath, she sets down her belongings on the cleared couch and enters the kitchen to seek out a pair of gloves and a trash bag.

This is going to be a long fucking day.

-

August 11th, 2021.

0209 hours.

Victoria lies sprawled on the bed next to Rosie, the two girls staring at the ceiling.

It had been hours upon hours of tidying up and cleaning, but the house was finally clean, the trash taken out, and Rosemary much less disheveled.

They lay together, side by side, holding each other's hands, more for Rosie's comfort, which Victoria has acquiesced to. Victoria has a handle of bourbon in her hand which both her and Rosie occasionally take sips from.

"So you got married...?" Rosie murmurs and rolls her head toward Victoria. She's groggy, a mix of the alcohol, a full belly, a warm shower, a couple of melatonin gummies and the whiskey.

"Mhm." Victoria replies as she glances at Rosemary. "I didn't expect you to still be with dick boy." She quips.

The comment is funnier than Rosemary expected it to be, probably because of the state she's in, but she starts cackling aloud, snorting delightfully at it.

"Oh my God, I forgot he damn near showed his dick to grandma Patty while coming out of the pool." Rosie groans and shakes her head. "God, Alex was so embarrassed, he never wanted to go back!"

"That's what he was embarrassed of? Not that stupid fuckin' pube-looking mustache of his?" Victoria's comments, absolutely roasting the man, the alcohol having loosened her lips. "Did he still have that when he left for Urzikstan?"

Rosie once again has lost her mind belly laughing at the scathing comments her cousin made about Alex. Oh, how she needed the laughter.

"Noooo! It filled out. He had a nice thick mustache by then..." She replies and shakes her head, a soft smile on her lips.

"Well, at least there's that. I guess he outgrew his bad fashion choices." Victoria comments before she leans her head up to take another gulp of the bourbon on her bottle.

"Oh no he didn't!" Rosemary complains and suddenly seems to get a burst of energy, leaning forward to look at Victoria right in the eye. "He has the American flag tattooed on him!"

It's Victoria's turn to laugh, nearly choking on the drink, and causing the sweet, smooth alcohol to slide down her chin as she laughs. "Fuck off, no he doesn't?!"

"He DOES!" Rosemary insists. "And a bald eagle too!!!" She adds, which causes them both to laugh more, cackling at the ridiculousness. "I'm serious! Looked the eagle in the eyes once while he was balls deep in me.... You've ever tried getting a dick out of a dry pussy?"

This causes both girls to giggle again, nearly rolling around on the bed, tears forming in their eyes.

"God, and you married that man? He's been a fucking dork for decades now, Rosie!" Victoria complains.

"In my defense, we were drunk and in Vegas, okay?"

"YOU GOT MARRIED IN VEGAS?!"

"You know what?!" Rosie protests and points at Victoria. "We're talking too much about my marriage. What about you?" She asks in an accusatory tone.

Victoria rolls her eyes. "Don't change the subject just because you can't admit you have bad taste."

"Oh shut it!" Rosie nudges her. "You're avoiding the topic too!"

"Am not!" Victoria retorts. "I'm also married to a dork. But, unlike you, I have taste."

"How much of a dork are we talkin'?"

"Has a half-sleeve that's just straight up war motifs. Atom bombs, skulls, bullets..." She trails off. "And he wears a skull mask when he's out shooting terrorists."

"He WEARS what?"

Victoria shakes her head. "Don't make me say it again." She scrunches her nose, mock cringing.

"And you want to talk shit about me marrying Alex? You married, what, an emo?" Rosie quips as she tosses herself back on the bed, laughing again.

Victoria joins her, covering her eyes with her arm and giggling away, properly so, for the first time in three years. "God, we have bad taste, don't we?" She murmurs.

"You think it runs in the family?" Rosie asks with a playful tone and giggles again.

But this time, however, Victoria doesn't laugh. Instead, her eyes squint in suspicion and she suddenly sits up in bed, looking off into the distance.

How much of a coincidence would that be? Her husband, who is legally dead, who faked his own death and operates under an alias...

And her cousin's husband... who Lord knows what happened to him... But the CIA has their eyes on her, even though he's dead, so there's no reason to...

What if it really is a cover-up? What if he's only legally dead, just like Simon?

"What?" The blonde beside her asks in a gentle tone, eyebrows knit together. "Vicky, what's wrong?" She prompts, worried.

"...Nothing." Victoria replies as she lays down again after a long moment of silence. "Just realized I have to call Simon and ask him something..." She replies dismissively.

for @lyralein - told you she'd get more than that.

and also @crashtestbunny , @superhero-landing , and @loveandplanet bc you love Whiskey and Ghost

[bones-and-whatnot]

Monster Prom Fantasy AU

Based on the costumes from the auditorium. most of them are written so you could imagine them to be humans or to still be a fantasy society of monsters— whatever floats your boat, I go back and forth myself.

THE PALACE

The Princess Miranda: The youngest of the king’s daughters. Adored by everyone in the kingdom (whether they like it or not). She is rarely ever seen, but people are always talking about her— what she’s wearing, what her favorite things are, who she will marry, what would be the best way to kidnap and/or kill her…

Count de Lioncourt: Another noble, who has only taken up residence in the palace very recently. He is supposedly related to the royal family, but it’s unclear how. He doesn’t want to be king— any fool can be king— but he definitely wouldn’t mind having a comfortable position by a monarch’s ear, safely away from the public eye. And the poor sheltered princess could certainly use someone to help her make… well-informed decisions.

Ser (Dame?) Schmidt: First name Victoria. The newest recruit to the knights of the kingdom; she is very, very eager to work her way up through the ranks. Above all else, she is loyal to the princess.

THE FOREST

The Sting in Yellow: A mysterious, quiet swordsman who travels the wood. They strike fear into the hearts of all who see them… although no one is really sure what exactly they do.

Bruyn the Green: Long ago, a terrible dragon dwelt in the forest. Every year, in mid-April, it would approach the kingdom and ask tribute of the people in form of their crops and livestock. At last, the dragon was slain, but the whereabouts of its body are unknown and legend says it merely slumbers beneath the earth, and will one day rise from the dead.

In the heart of the forest, there sits an enormous tree. It has no name, but according to myth, it dates back to a time before we walked the earth. There once was a curious wolf, who lived in a pack with his brothers. One day, despite their warning, he strayed too far from the rest of the group and became lost in the woods. The wolf spent many nights trying to find his way back to his home, not eating or sleeping until he eventually expired of exhaustion. Roots and wood grew over him that night, and he became a beautiful tree, home to birds and squirrels and insects of all types. At night, the spirit of the wolf leaves the tree to continue his search, but must return before daylight. It is said that the whistling of the wind through the leaves is his mournful howl, crying out for a family long since dead.

THE LANDS BEYOND

Amira, Mistress of the Flames: An evil sorceress in eternal conflict with both the Demon King and His Highness King Vanderbilt. From her tower in the outlands, she controls an army of flaming skeleton warriors and screaming fire spirits. It is rumored that she can scry through any flame anywhere in the world. So the next time you think about lighting up your fireplace, ask yourself: are you really that chilly?

The Demon King: Son of criminals exiled from the kingdom, the man now known as the Demon King grew up in a harsh, inhospitable region of the outlands. By the time he was six, he had killed the leaders of the three bandit groups who controlled the area and formed his own army of scoundrels and brutes. Today, the lands beyond the kingdom are in a constant power struggle between the Demon King’s hordes and the legions belonging to the Mistress of Flames. The leaders of the two factions hate each other with burning passion, but they hate the King Vanderbilt even more.

The Automated Man of Culeicester: The Automated Man is all that remains of Culeicester, an ancient city of wondrous scientific marvels located in what is now the distant badlands of the continent. The Automated Man still remains in the city’s ruins after untold years, continuing to fulfill the purpose for which he was constructed: To tend to the mythically beautiful Gardens of Culeicester. Of course, the land is now so arid that only the hardiest plants requiring the least water remain, but still the Automated Man works, untiring, as the lone bearer of all Culeicester’s lost knowledge. If you can find him (and convince him to step away from his plants), he is a powerful asset.

THE ROGUES

Vera Oberlin: The greatest assassin you’ve never heard of. Those who are unfortunate enough to know of her existence say that she was raised in the mountains by panthers who taught her the savage ways of their claws and teeth. They say she has a city of gold underneath the city streets made from the riches of those she has killed. They say no one has ever seen her face and lived to tell the tale. Whether these things are true, no one can say for sure, but the mysterious Vera seems to be on a meteoric rise through the kingdom’s underworld. The suspicion of most in the know is that she has her eye on the crown.

Doctor Geist: You can call her Polly. A physician and mixer of medicines who recently arrived to the kingdom. Her past is unknown, as she gives a different answer every time. She is quite cheerful, and despite the nature of her profession (or perhaps because of it), has a very carefree attitude towards death, usually only reacting to harm coming to her patients with mild surprise or disappointment. She tends to be rather… experimental with her procedures and concoctions, and self-tests liberally. There are rumors of a connection to the criminal underworld.

Zed, Scribe of the Zoites: An energetic young woman, the church Zed was raised in encouraged her to go on a pilgrimage and learn the ways of the world after she became a bit overzealous in her duties of cataloging information on the group’s members. Because of her close connection to her god, she possesses second sight and can see the alternate paths people’s lives may take, which she dutifully and eagerly inscribes (along with most things she sees) on the scrolls she carries with her. Being a prophet isn’t all fun and games, though— Zed is often tormented by visions of awful futures or dreadful pasts where her god enacts terrible punishment on the world. She is motivated by desire for knowledge and for new experiences of any kind; she wants to learn about and chronicle as much as she can and isn’t about to let silly things like “morality” or “boundaries” keep her from that goal.

[collapsedsquid]

Tried a bit of Aurora 4x recently, enjoyed figuring out the obtuseness right until I was trying to develop more than 2 star systems at the same time and checked out. Could see some automation systems that while-difficult I was able to get working for a bit but there's the same problem I had with Dwarf Fortress where you have to dive deep into a set of menus to figure out what you want, then dive deep into an entirely different set of menus to actually do it. Someday I may try again until I reach actual combat but not for some time.

Was also playing DIstant Worlds 2 a bit less recently though and what Aurora nailed home for me is that for some reason the fact that everything is resource gathering but there is no industry is for some reason something that really rubs me the wrong way. Not everything needs a mini-Victoria subgame but man...

[razieltwelve]

Walking the Neighbourhood (Final Rose)

Fraise could run like the wind, but there was a certain pleasure in simply walking through the neighbourhood on an autumn afternoon with Satin, Professor Radical, Frank, and Rosemary. The footpath was lightly covered in leaves, the oranges, reds, yellows, and browns providing a stark and beautiful contrast to the grey skies overhead.

In the front yards of the houses they passed, there were plenty of people. Some were gardening. Some were playing. And others were simply watching the world go by. There was no shortage of pets around either. Indeed, animal ownership had always been quite common on Remnant. From the working animals still found along the frontier and in many homes to the pets kept mostly for their company, it was rare for humans and Faunus to be far from animals.

That was why Professor Radical spent these walks peeking out of a special pocket on her shirt. Diana and Victoria had both assured her that the neighbourhood raccoons, squirrels, and birds who were basically a gang unto themselves had standing orders to look out for him, but it was better safe than sorry. Her friend might be very clever, but he was also very small.

Of course, if there was trouble, Frank and Rosemary would undoubtedly help. The Mistral giant jungle rats were big, each weighing well over a 170 pounds. They were highly social creatures too, and they would ferociously defend anyone who was part of their group. Both of them got along very well with Professor Radical, and they were happy to take orders from him, seeing him as the third-in-command of the family after Fraise and Satin.

“It’s a nice afternoon,” Satin said. The rabbit Faunus waved as a gaggle of kids rode past on their bikes. Two of them were from the class she taught whilst the other three still attended the same school. Satin was popular with both her students and their parents, which Fraise didn’t find surprising although she was, admittedly, somewhat biased. After all, she loved Satin. “Do you think it’ll rain this week?”

“Most likely not,” Fraise replied. “Satellite and radar both indicate significant cloud cover over the next several days, but nothing heavy enough to bring rain.” Fraise paused. “Also, my ears usually itch before it rains.”

“Really?” Satin asked. “My grandmother used to say the same thing, but I never felt anything like that.”

“Perhaps it’s just confirmation bias or superstition, but there are many accounts of Faunus reporting unusual sensation prior to changes in weather.” Fraise shrugged. “My mom insisted that she could smell a storm long before it arrived.”

“Interesting.” 

Satin and Fraise paused as they met a newly married couple. The husband and wife had moved in a few doors down only a week ago, and the happened to own a pair of Mistral giant jungle rats as well. The rats were excellent pets: smart, easily trained, loyal, and wonderful with kids.

Although the neighbourhood was exceedingly safe due to containing multiple EX and SSS Tier hunters, not to mention all of the automated security Fraise’s family and Diana’s family had established, and the insanely well-equipped animal gang, Fraise would never blame anyone for wanting to secure the safety of their family.

Along the border, Mistral giant jungle rats could - and would - fight off Grimm, either by themselves or with the help of their human handlers. Any regular burglar or intruder would find themselves disabled or killed in short order if a pair of the rats chose to attack. Their ability to use Aura also meant that it would take multiple gunshots to put down a rat. In the case of Frank and Rosemary who Fraise had selected specifically for their intelligence, temperament, and strength, it was unlikely that anything short of military grade weaponry would drop them before they closed in on their foes.

After a brief conversation, and a quick meeting between the four rodents, Satin and Fraise continued on their way. Although the sky was overcast, the stout wind meant there were plenty of people flying kites at the park. In fact, the grey sky made it very easy to keep track of the colourful kites.

“You know,” Satin said quietly. “This is a really good neighbourhood to raise kids in.”

Fraise nodded. “My childhood here was excellent.” She paused. “And I think any children we had would also enjoy it here.”

Satin squeezed Fraise’s hand. “We’ve settled in here really nicely.” She took a deep breath. “I think it’s time we, you know, thought about children a bit more.”

Fraise stared and then smiled. “I would like that.”

In her pocket, Professor Radical offered his opinion.

Satin snickered. “We are not naming our first kid after you, not even as a middle name.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

For reference, an adult Mistral giant jungle rat is usually the same size or slightly bigger than Chomp. They’re enormous. Unlike domestic dogs, however, the rats  can gain access to quite a bit of Aura, enough for them to properly contest Grimm in battle.

To put this into perspective, Zahn would be wary of fighting a group of the rats, and he is large enough to body slam a car. The rats fight very, very well in groups, and are outstanding at absorbing damage, which allows their handlers to attack from a position of relative safety.

For people concerned about home safety, a pair of the rats are an excellent choice, provided you have a property that supports them. A large body of water is required, be it a pool or a pond, and enough space for them to set up a burrow. Along the frontier, they have become extremely popular, and are often spotted alongside chocobos.

Funnily enough, they are not common amongst the Yun and the Dia. They aren’t native there, and there was no reason to import them since the wolves of the Yun fill the same combat niche.

[activeelectricalsblog]

Illuminate Your Projects with Active Electrical Distributors: Your Trusted Partner for High-Quality Electrical Solutions

When it comes to ensuring the success of electrical projects, sourcing reliable, top-quality electrical supplies is a crucial step. Whether you're an electrical contractor, a project manager, or a business owner looking to upgrade your infrastructure, you need a trusted partner that understands the specific demands of your industry. That’s where Active Electrical Distributors comes in—offering decades of expertise, a vast range of electrical products, and unparalleled customer service.

Located in Moorabbin, Victoria, Active Electrical Distributors has become a go-to source for electrical solutions, providing everything from wiring and lighting systems to control equipment and industrial supplies. With a focus on delivering only the highest-quality products and services, Active Electrical Distributors has earned a reputation as a dependable partner for projects of all sizes.

A Legacy of Quality and Expertise

Founded with a vision to supply superior electrical products across various industries, Active Electrical Distributors Pty Ltd has spent years building relationships with customers and suppliers alike. The store has established itself as a leader in the electrical distribution field by maintaining a strong commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

With deep-rooted knowledge in the electrical supply chain and staying up-to-date with the latest trends, Active Electrical Distributors ensures that customers have access to the most advanced technologies and equipment. Whether you need standard items or specialized products, this electrical distributor provides tailored solutions to meet your specific requirements.

A Comprehensive Range of Electrical Supplies

At Active Electrical Distributors, you’ll find a vast selection of products suitable for commercial, industrial, and residential applications. Here’s a look at just a few key categories where they excel:

1. Wiring and Cable Solutions

Electrical wiring forms the backbone of any project, and having the right cable type and quality is essential for safety and performance. Active Electrical Distributors offers a wide variety of electrical cables, including control cables, data cables, power cables, and communication cables. These products are sourced from trusted manufacturers and meet all relevant industry standards, ensuring the longevity and reliability of your electrical systems.

2. Lighting Solutions

Lighting plays a pivotal role in both functionality and aesthetics. Active Electrical Distributors supplies high-quality indoor and outdoor lighting solutions, covering everything from commercial office spaces to industrial warehouses and residential homes. Their range includes energy-efficient LEDs, floodlights, task lighting, and emergency lighting systems. With an eye on sustainability, Active Electrical offers eco-friendly lighting that helps businesses reduce energy consumption without compromising on brightness or performance.

3. Switchgear and Control Systems

Control systems and switchgear are essential in managing and distributing electrical power safely across systems. Active Electrical Distributors stocks a comprehensive range of switchgear products, including circuit breakers, transformers, relays, contactors, and motor controls. These components help ensure the safety and efficiency of power distribution, safeguarding against overloads and short circuits.

4. Industrial and Automation Products

For businesses in industrial sectors, Active Electrical Distributors offers a full line of automation products designed to improve the efficiency and performance of production processes. From programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to sensors and drives, their products cater to a wide array of industrial automation applications. With cutting-edge technology, businesses can optimize their operations, reduce downtime, and achieve higher levels of productivity.

5. Renewable Energy Solutions

As the world moves toward cleaner energy sources, many businesses and homeowners are opting for renewable energy solutions like solar power. Active Electrical Distributors recognizes this shift and provides a range of renewable energy products, including solar panels, inverters, and energy storage systems. These products enable customers to harness clean energy, reduce their carbon footprint, and potentially lower energy costs over time.

Why Choose Active Electrical Distributors?

Selecting the right electrical supplier can have a lasting impact on the success of your projects. Here are several reasons why Active Electrical Distributors should be your top choice:

1. Top-Quality Products

Quality is a non-negotiable standard at Active Electrical Distributors. They only partner with reputable manufacturers, ensuring that every product meets stringent safety and performance benchmarks. This dedication to quality gives customers confidence in the longevity and reliability of the electrical supplies they purchase.

2. Unmatched Expertise

The team at Active Electrical Distributors brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the table. Whether you're a seasoned professional or tackling a DIY project, their experts are available to offer advice, recommendations, and solutions tailored to your unique needs. From product selection to technical support, they ensure that you’re fully equipped to execute your project with precision.

3. Fast and Reliable Service

Understanding the time-sensitive nature of electrical projects, Active Electrical Distributors places a high priority on fast order fulfillment and delivery. With efficient systems in place, they aim to reduce downtime and ensure that your project stays on track.

4. Customized Solutions

No two electrical projects are the same, and Active Electrical Distributors understands this. The company works closely with customers to understand their specific requirements and develop customized solutions. Whether it's sourcing unique products, offering design assistance, or providing bulk discounts, Active Electrical Distributors goes the extra mile to meet client expectations.

5. Competitive Pricing

Active Electrical Distributors combines high-quality products with competitive pricing. By leveraging long-standing relationships with manufacturers and suppliers, they pass on savings to their customers. Additionally, there are no hidden fees, ensuring transparency and value with every transaction.

6. Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainability is at the forefront of modern electrical solutions, and Active Electrical Distributors is no exception. From energy-efficient lighting to renewable energy products, they promote sustainability through the products they offer. By helping customers implement eco-friendly electrical solutions, Active Electrical Distributors contributes to the reduction of environmental impact.

Serving a Wide Range of Industries

Active Electrical Distributors caters to a diverse client base across many industries. Their products and services are suitable for use in:

Construction: Electrical supplies for building infrastructure and maintenance projects.

Manufacturing: Automation products that help streamline industrial processes.

Healthcare: Specialized lighting and control systems for hospitals and medical facilities.

Commercial: Electrical solutions for office buildings, retail spaces, and commercial complexes.

Renewable Energy: Solar products that support clean energy initiatives.

Your Partner for All Electrical Projects

Regardless of the size or complexity of your project, Active Electrical Distributors has the expertise, product range, and customer service to support your electrical needs. Their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction ensures that you're never left in the dark when it comes to reliable electrical solutions. So, whether you're looking to modernize your lighting systems, install advanced automation controls, or embrace renewable energy, Active Electrical Distributors is your trusted partner.

Contact Information

Ready to get started on your next project? Reach out to Active Electrical Distributors today!

Business Address: 102-108 Cochranes Road, Moorabbin, VIC 3189

Business Phone: (03) 9553 0882

Email ID: info@activeelectrical.com.au

Let Active Electrical Distributors illuminate your path to success with high-quality, dependable electrical solutions!

[classicsubliminalbo]

Fleur-de-lis 7: Reprogramming

Originally posted Dec 1, 2013 This series has been retconned

"Do you see the necklace, Adriana? I want you to follow this necklace. Watch as it swings back and forth... Don't struggle. Just watch. I know you're mad but fighting me won't do you any good. You're in my home, everyone here obeys me. You should obey me too. Just watch as the necklace floats back and forth. Back and forth. And as it floats across your eyes you'll start to feel everything slip away. And as you're slipping away you'll start to feel tired, and that's okay. It's normal to feel tired. It's normal to sleep, I want you to sleep, and I want you to listen to my voice. I want you to obey me, Adriana. No more fighting, Adriana. Just obey..."

Lindsay was greeted by Abigail as she emerged from the shower. Brainwashing people was such a pleasurable experience, she always needed to clean off afterward. The slave handed her a towel and as Lindsay dried off she asked, "How is she, Abigail?" "Still sleeping, Mistress." Abigail replied. "On the couch?" "No, we moved her to the bedroom." "That's a good girl," Lindsay patted Abigail on the cheek and her slave melted at the feeling of her Mistress' touch.

Adriana was at peace in Lindsay's bed. Lindsay settled in next to the older woman and smiled. "Wake up now," she said softly. Slowly, Adriana's eyes fluttered open. "Sit up," Adriana sat up in bed, the sheets falling down over her breasts. "So beautiful," Lindsay observed, sliding her hand across Adriana's bare chest. "You're one in a million, Adriana. It's not right to have some company controlling you. We don't need them. We don't even need Victoria's Secret." Adriana nodded, looking at Lindsay with her empty, glazed eyes. "Just us."

"Just... Us..." Adriana moaned.

"Your accent is so sexy, your body is so sexy... I've wanted you since the day you tried to brainwash me, Adriana. I've never felt anything like your tongue inside of me. I want to do that to you, I want to pleasure you too." Lindsay reached down below the sheets, teasing Adriana. "But before that, I need you to tell me everything you know about Fleur-de-lis."

"Yes," Adriana replied. "They've been trying to recruit models from Victoria's Secret for years, but none of us were willing to violate our contract and loyalty to Victoria's Secret. They captured me at my home and I was further brainwashed at the Fleur-de-lis offices in Los Angeles. My mission is to recruit and sign more models for Fleur-de-lis." "And they didn't want me?" "You were not a high priority." "Who were you supposed to recruit then?" "Doutzen Kroes, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss, Behati Prinsloo, and Candice Swanepoel," Adriana listed off her fellow models as if she were an automated recording listing options over a phone. "What were you going to do to me?" Lindsay frowned. "Whatever was necessary to silence you. Maxwell believes that you are out of control." Lindsay ran her hand through Adriana's hair and sighed. "Do you think I'm out of control?"

"I only think what you tell me to think, Mistress Lindsay." "Good girl," Lindsay placed a kiss on Adriana's lips.

"Fleur-de-lis expects me to call in." Adriana cautioned. "Mmm," Lindsay mumbled in thought. "You've been out for a couple of hours. They'll know something is up if you don't call in, won't they?" "I don't want to go back. I am happy here." "I know, darling," Lindsay smiled again, looking into those empty eyes. "You will call Fleur-de-lis and tell them everything is alright. You'll tell them that I was subdued and reconditioned, and now I'm no longer a threat to their plan. And then, together, we'll take down Victoria's Secret and Fleur-de-lis." "Yes, Mistress Lindsay." "It's not 'mistress,' Adriana. It's goddess." Lindsay giggled. "Yes, my goddess. I will obey."

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: The West Coast Trail

Day IV: The Tideshelf Tango

August 31

Walbran Creek to Cribs Creek

Blisters and Bliss calls walking along the shoreline a "Beach Boogie." I prefer the Tideshelf Tango. Sand is certainly nicer to walk than the inland forest trails— no mud, no roots, and straight wide bays means travelling at a multiple of the speed of the inland route. But sand shifts, while tidal flats— what a great way to walk up the coast!

Flat as a sidewalk, holding only sheets of water as shallow as bootsoles. Shale layers and barnacles keep the surface grippy when wet, and in the fissures of deeper tidewater, crabs skitter and minnows dart among anemone that range in size from dimes to dinner plates.

Leaving camp we had to wade Walbran Creek to reach our beach route. The sun was already shining hot on the open sand. Dressed down to shorts, water shoes, and a light collared sun shirt, there was a tropical, piratical feel to the creek crossing and subsequent tideshelf tango around tree-topped flowerpot headlands.

At Bonilla Point there’s a lovely campsite and waterfall pool where I stripped to shorts and took a cool shower in the falls.

Carmanah Point campground is pretty too. F—— and S——- stopped there as we pressed on. Carmanah Point Lighthouse watches over the wide arc of white sand here. Sun glittered off of perfectly curling waves.

The remains of Nytom are an interesting spot to stop for lunch. Peter Nytom (renamed Knighton at residential school) married Monique, a white Montrealer, in the late 80s, and the couple moved back to the traditional home of Peter's family in 1991. On maps the area beneath Carmanah Point along this beach is Ditidaht First Nation, but Peter asserted total independence when he and Monique built their little shack below the sweeping lighthouse beam. Peter called their land Quabadiwa. Hikers enjoying their hospitality called it Chez Monique. The shack grew into an unregulated restaurant, serving burgers to hungry trekkers. The establishment survived Monique's death but not Peter's. After his boat capsized on a supply run, Sandi Knighton maintained the restaurant part-time under the new name "Nytom"— increasingly part-time, with openings becoming rarer and rarer. There were signs of life when we stopped. The fence was aromatic fresh-cut cedar. Woodwork and beadmaking in process was visible on the burger stand counter. But we saw and heard not a peep of current human life.

Just past Nytom the trail climbs steeply and briefly up a tight notch into the clifftop Carmanah rainforest, home of famous skyscraper Sitka Spruce.

Carmanah is also a former Victoria-based folk-rock band (playing as Miina these days I think.)

Let's go walking through the forest / let's go waltzing with the trees

And that makes me think, what would bands named for other points along the trail sound like? Mostly they'd be pretty similar to Carmanah. Cullite, Walbran, Nitinaht, and so on. Bonilla sounds like bubblegum pop. Logan Creek and Owen Point sound like Nashville pop-country singers. Anything with too much of that west-coast ts root wouldn't play well in the States I think, so Tsusiat and Tsocowis may be out. Black River would be soulsy and Coal Creek would be gritty Appalachian bluegrass. Camper Bay might be right up by alley but I think may risk sounding too much like what people who don't like the Lumineers think the Lumineers sound like. If it was spelld as Camper Bae it'd be right out. Thrasher Cove, of course, would be pirate metal.

Emerging from the forest we visited the 1891 lighthouse grounds. Sadly this place is being automated by the Coast Guard overlords, so there will be no more fresh-baked cookies as we've heard mentioned. Pity, I think I could make a good lighthouse keeper. The Keeper we met seemed tired of having to deal with tourists, nut did set up a telescope for us to peer closer at the sea lion colony hauled out on an offshore rock. She also confirmed that the tides were okay for us to return to the beach down the steep stairs to the north. Beneath the lighthouse tower, a "Franknwhale" skeleton is made up of the washed-in bones of different species. A huge humpback (?) skull looks a bit funny on the disproportional orca body.

The pockmarked tideshelf north of Carmanah is a lunar landscape. It's not far from there to Cribs Creek and the camps. This may have been my favourite camp. It was still wonderfully warm, and we got set up with lots of daylight to spare. The Cribs themselves are a ridge of gently sloped rocks sheltering a wide pool of tidewater where seabirds congregate by the hundreds for a crabmeat feast. We would have our own feast at the Nitinaht Narrows Crabshack the next day.

My mood was much improved from the day before as I climbed onto the Cribs to watch the sun set at last totally uninhibited into the endless Pacific horizon. I waited for a green flash I never saw. I'll keep waiting.

[cloudplexos]

Unlock the Future of Data Protection with Cloud-Based Backup Services 🌐☁️

In the digital age, data is the lifeblood of any business. Whether you're a startup, a growing SME, or an established enterprise, protecting your data is paramount. Enter cloud-based backup services – the modern, reliable, and efficient solution for safeguarding your precious information. Here at CloudPlexo, we believe in harnessing the power of the cloud to ensure your data is always secure, accessible, and recoverable. Let's dive into the myriad benefits of cloud-based backup services and why they are a game-changer for your business.

Why Choose Cloud-Based Backup Services? 🚀

1. Unmatched Accessibility and Convenience 🌍

With cloud-based backup services, your data is accessible from anywhere in the world, at any time. Whether you're working from the office, on the go, or from the comfort of your home, you can easily retrieve your files and continue your work seamlessly.

2. Enhanced Security 🔒

Data security is a top priority for us. Cloud-based backup services employ advanced encryption technologies to protect your data both in transit and at rest. This ensures that your sensitive information remains confidential and secure from cyber threats.

3. Scalability to Fit Your Needs 📈

As your business grows, so does your data. Cloud-based backup services offer unparalleled scalability, allowing you to expand your storage capacity effortlessly. No more worrying about running out of space or the complexities of upgrading hardware.

4. Cost-Effective Solution 💰

Traditional backup methods often come with high upfront costs and ongoing maintenance expenses. Cloud-based solutions, on the other hand, operate on a pay-as-you-go model, enabling you to manage your budget more effectively and reduce unnecessary expenditures.

5. Automated Backups for Peace of Mind 🕒

Say goodbye to manual backups and the risk of human error. Cloud-based backup services automate the entire process, ensuring your data is regularly and reliably backed up without any intervention needed from your end.

The CloudPlexo Advantage 🌟

At CloudPlexo, we go beyond just offering cloud-based backup services. We provide a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to meet all your data management needs. Here’s what sets us apart:

Customized Solutions 🎯

We understand that every business is unique. Our team works closely with you to design backup solutions tailored to your specific requirements, ensuring maximum efficiency and protection.

24/7 Support 🛠️

Our dedicated support team is available around the clock to assist you with any issues or queries. We’re here to ensure that your data is always in safe hands.

Cutting-Edge Technology 🧠

We leverage the latest technologies and best practices in the industry to deliver top-notch backup services. Our solutions are built to withstand the test of time and adapt to the evolving digital landscape.

Real-World Impact 🌐

Businesses across various industries have experienced significant benefits from adopting cloud-based backup services. From improved data recovery times to enhanced compliance and data protection, the impact is tangible and far-reaching.

Ready to Transform Your Data Management? 🚀

Embrace the future of data protection with CloudPlexo’s cloud-based backup services. Visit our website today to learn more about how we can help you secure your data, streamline your operations, and drive your business forward. Don’t wait until it’s too late – protect your data with the power of the cloud! ☁️🔐

By integrating cloud-based backup services into your business strategy, you’re not just adopting a tool; you’re investing in peace of mind, security, and future growth. Trust CloudPlexo to be your partner in navigating the digital landscape with confidence and ease. 🌟

🌟 Welcome to CloudPlexo! 🌟

Business Name: CloudPlexo

Address: 15 Ihuntayi Road, Oniru Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos, 101001, Nigeria

Phone: 📞 (234) 07017540595

Website: 🔗 https://cloudplexo.com/

🌐 Our Services

Cloud Migration

Cloud Computing

Cloud Training

Cloud Security

Cloud Management

🚀 Featured Product

Wendu: Multi-cloud security and cost management solution

📞 Connect With Us

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloudplexoCMP/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cloudplexo

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp5zY8PNC0muQ_t78pRLjLQ

⏰ Operating Hours

Monday to Friday: 9 am - 5 pm

[zionexhibitionofficial]

Exploring the Future: Must-See Architecture Exhibitions of 2024

Architecture enthusiasts, rejoice! 2024 is shaping up to be a banner year for innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions around the globe. From deep dives into modernist icons to explorations of biophilic design and sustainable building practices, there's something for everyone interested in the future of our built environment.

Looking Back to Move Forward:

Several architecture exhibitions pay homage to the giants of the past, offering fresh perspectives on their enduring influence. "AALTO – Aino Alvar Elissa: The Human Dimension of Design" at Rome's MAXXI museum delves into the collaborative spirit of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino, highlighting their focus on user experience in design. Meanwhile, the Palm Springs Art Museum's "Albert Frey: Inventive Modernist" celebrates the visionary Californian architect behind iconic desert homes.

Nature Takes Center Stage:

Sustainability and the relationship between architecture and nature are key themes in several exhibitions. "Biophilia: Nature Reimagined" at the Denver Art Museum explores how design can incorporate natural elements to improve human well-being. Similarly, "Groundwork" at the Canadian Centre for Architecture examines the role of landscape architecture in shaping our urban spaces. These exhibitions will inspire architects and designers to create structures that are not only functional but also contribute to a healthier planet.

Global Focus:

Looking beyond the West, "Hidden Figures: Tropical Modernism" re-examines the often-overlooked mid-20th-century movement in Ghana and India. This exhibition promises to shed light on the unique approaches to modernist architecture developed in these regions. For a glimpse into the evolution of Brazilian design, head to Carpenters Workshop Gallery's "Moving Modernity: Turning Tides," which celebrates 75 years of innovation. These exhibitions showcase the diversity of architectural expression across the globe.

India's Architectural Showcase:

For those in India, the year offers exciting opportunities to experience cutting-edge architecture trade shows and exhibitions. The upcoming Architect & Interior Expo 2024 in Chennai promises to be a hub for professionals and design enthusiasts alike. Here, attendees can discover the latest technologies and trends in building and construction. Later in the year, keep an eye out for established events like D-arc BUILD Mumbai and IENX Expo in New Delhi, which showcase the best of Indian and international architecture.

The Rise of Technology:

Explore the latest advancements in architecture and design at upcoming exhibitions in 2024. Discover the cutting-edge innovations shaping the future of the building at events like "Future of Form: Building with Robots" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Witness firsthand how automation is revolutionizing construction processes through robotic fabrication. For a broader perspective on the digital age's impact on design, don't miss "Designing the Digital Age" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. These exhibitions offer insights into how technology, including robots and artificial intelligence, is transforming architecture. Stay updated on the best exhibitions in Delhi and trade shows worldwide to keep abreast of the latest trends in architecture and beyond.

Beyond the List:

This list merely scratches the surface of the incredible architectural exhibitions happening this year. Utilize resources like The Architect's Newspaper and Dezeen Events Guide to explore a comprehensive calendar of upcoming events. Many museums and galleries also host architecture-related exhibitions, so be sure to check their websites for hidden gems.

Whether you're an architect, designer, or simply someone who appreciates the built environment, there's an architecture exhibition waiting to inspire you in 2024. So, mark your calendars, grab your walking shoes, and get ready to explore the future of architecture!

Also, read:

Top Tech Trends at Indian Building Material Exhibitions

Originally published at: https://zionexhibition2022.blogspot.com/2024/04/exploring-future-must-see-architecture.html

[securitycamerasbrunswick]

Understanding the Importance of Hikvision Video Intercom Systems in Malvern

For homeowners in Malvern, Victoria, ensuring safety and security is of utmost significance due to the busy nature of the suburb. As technology advances, residents are opting for innovative solutions such as Hikvision video intercom Malvern systems to improve the security of their homes. These cutting-edge systems offer various features specifically designed to provide homeowners in Malvern with convenience and peace of mind. In this article, you will know why residents of Malvern must invest in a Hikvision video intercom system.

Enhanced Home Security:

One of the primary reasons to install a Hikvision video intercom system in your Malvern home is to enhance security. These systems enable you to see and communicate with visitors at your doorstep before granting them access to your property. With features such as high-definition video and two-way audio communication, you can determine the identity of visitors and deter potential intruders. By having a clear view of who is at your door, you can make informed decisions about allowing access, thereby increasing the security of your home and protecting your family and belongings.

Deterrence of Unauthorized Entry:

Hikvision video intercom systems are a powerful deterrent against unauthorized entry into your Malvern home. A visible intercom system at your doorstep signals to potential intruders that your property is equipped with advanced security measures. In many cases, the mere sight of a video intercom can dissuade would-be burglars from attempting to access your home. Investing in a Hikvision video intercom system can reduce the risk of break-ins and theft, providing you with greater peace of mind and security.

Convenient Visitor Management:

Another compelling reason to invest in a Hikvision video intercom system for your Malvern home is its convenience for visitor management. Whether expecting a package delivery, welcoming guests, or simply screening solicitors, a video intercom allows you to manage visitors efficiently and securely. With remote access capabilities, you can communicate with visitors from anywhere in your home or while you're away. This convenience ensures that you never miss essential deliveries or appointments and allows you to maintain control over who enters your property at all times.

Integration with Smart Home Systems:

Hikvision video intercom systems are designed to seamlessly integrate with other smart home devices, enhancing their functionality and versatility. You can make a comprehensive smart home security ecosystem in your Malvern residence by connecting your intercom system to smart locks, security cameras, and lighting controls. For example, you can remotely unlock the door for trusted visitors, monitor activity around your property with surveillance cameras, and even automate lighting to simulate occupancy when you're away. This integration enhances your home's overall security and convenience, making it a safer and more comfortable place to live.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, investing in a Hikvision video intercom system is essential for homeowners in Malvern who prioritize safety, security, and convenience. With features such as enhanced home security, deterring unauthorized entry, convenient visitor management, and integration with smart home systems, these advanced intercom systems offer invaluable benefits for residents. By installing a Hikvision video intercom system, homeowners in Malvern can enjoy greater peace of mind knowing that their property is protected and their loved ones are safe.

[jab471]

Rejoicing the Success Story: Making Six Figures in Five Months with learndailypaywithjared.com

Making a fresh fortune from the comfort of one's own home — this is the chance that learndailypaywithjared.com offers. I have spent over 15 months teaching everyday people a fail-safe scheme that delivers prompt daily payments to your doorstep. Today, we are introducing Victoria, a shining example of what I've been preaching about.

Victoria incorporated this process into her routine diligently and achieved an astounding six-figure income in a mere five months. As a stay-at-home mom, she managed to orchestrate her business endeavours around her kids, primarily during the time they were off to sleep. To say that her earnings took her by surprise would be an understatement. She was a mere 74 dollars shy of making a six-figure amount in five months, something which dawned upon her during a live video recording. And something even more wonderful happened. During the same live recording, she cracked the milestone by registering a sale and celebrated hitting $100,052 on the fly! Witnessing this unadulterated joy will show you the true potential of what is on offer here.

A quote from an exhilarating part of her live video showcases the raw joy of her achievement:

"So I am one away. I'm like, what's the math? Like $74 away from six figures, y'all. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you guys. Oh, my gosh, I'm shaking. Don't congratulate me yet. Don't congratulate me yet. We're not there."

The Transformation

Victoria's financial turnaround is nothing short of remarkable. From a modest $16,000 annual income from her boutique, she took a leap to six-figure earnings all while maintaining her work-from-home lifestyle.

Here, she opens up about her reservations as a skeptic:

"I didn't think it was real. I was the biggest skeptic. I did not expect this at all! But I've always had that go-getter mentality... Holy crap."

Envision the Future

Life could always use a bit more financial security. So ask yourself — what strides do you want to make in 2024? Could you see yourself in Victoria's virtual shoes, creating a robust income out of an automated, rejection-free online business? The kingdom of digital marketing could turn into your playground.

At learndailypaywithjared.com, we help promote four different digital products for the e-learning industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors with enormous monetization potential. Plus, you stand to make 100% profit from your endeavours.

The Mathematical Breakdown

To put it in simpler terms: if you could earn $600 every day in 2024 using my blueprint, that'd stand you in good stead with an annual income of $219,000! That's a life-changing figure for most of us.

Take the First Step

How does this work? Well, firstly, you'd need to buy into my step-by-step blueprint. It walks you through everything you need to know and equips you with the necessary skills to build a prosperous online business.

The second step? You'll get access to my mentorship. For 90 days, we will work together, learning, adapting, and ensuring that your business stands on firm ground. You'll have an impeccable idea of your daily tasks to ensure regular income. The two-hour workday concept means you'll get all your income earning activities completed within that timeframe.

I feel honoured to guide you through this process of potentially life-changing financial gains. To get started, visit learndailypaywithjared.com. I can't wait to welcome you onboard.

Just imagine, in the coming years, this could be your own success story we're showcasing. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And like Victoria, you might even surprise yourself on the way.

Achieve your dreams with the right guidance and tools at learndailypaywithjared.com. Let me show you how to reach the destination.

https://learndailypaywithjared.com

[inner--islands]

Interview with Soda Lite (June 2019)

1. What are some recent inspirations?

The ooloi of Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy, the music and technological wizardry of the Middle Ages, Debussy, ambient music worldwide, the Little Wattlebird & the Common Myna, agroecology, Liffey (my dog companion), clay, Çatalhöyük, kale, the soil biology in my backyard.

2. Your earliest release as Soda Lite was in 2015. When did you start recording music and how long have you been releasing it (under any moniker)?

I started recording music when I was a teenager in 2005. I used a headset mic, Windows Sound Recorder and Audacity. Music like Beaches and Canyons (Black Dice) inspired me to experiment, and I made all sorts of noisy, organic alien sounds under all kinds of names for years…

3. What were your initial aspirations when starting the Soda Lite project?

I realised my listening habits were changing, drifting into New Age realms and brighter, slower sounds. I wanted to reflect this in my own compositions. I was also becoming more and more entranced by plants, animals and my local environment, and thinking more about the role of music in shaping time and space. Since wild places are rare and distant for people living in cities, I wanted to create sounds that would allow them to experience (within the safety of their home or headphones) the slow, sweet temporal flux of that vibrant world beyond the cement highways, machinery, automation, cars and other alienating intensities of petro-capitalism.

4. There is a definite shift in mood and palette on your album In Eco from 2017 that has carried forward into your work over the last couple years. What is behind that artistic shift for you?

Any shift of mood or palette is mostly incidental, arising from shifts in my own life rhythms, in the places I’m visiting or living in, or what I’m listening to or thinking about. When I sit down to make music I don’t actively try to wander away from the work I have done previously. A timbre or a melody captures me, not the other way around. The conditions of light, of air temperature, of nearby plants, clouds of pollen and a thousand other micro-sensual elements all lead me to a sense of what gels within a song.

5. What are the factors you consider when choosing field recordings for one of your pieces?

Sometimes it’s about the mood evoked, and sometimes it’s about really wanting to respond to a place that I’ve bonded with. The field recording is almost always where I start. They was especially important for some of the pieces on ‘Reveries in terra lerpa,’ where I really wanted the instruments to sound as if they were woven into the acoustic ecology of the recorded environment. For Vale & Stone, the recordings act more like topsoil, a fertile ground from which to grow the different tones and harmonies which make up the album. These are some of the places you can hear on the new album: on ‘Nyth’ it’s Firth’s Campground in Lerderderg State Park (Victoria) On ‘Moonah,’ it’s the backyard in my new home on the first day we arrived. In ‘Lyra’s Horizon’ it’s a seagull colony on an abandoned human-built island called South Channel Fort, in Port Philip Bay (Naarm/Melbourne)

6. Do you feel like music is your main artistic medium?

Not anymore. It definitely used to be.

7. What do you investigate and express in other mediums that you feel like you can’t with music and vice versa?

Through my art practise, I’m able to engage more pragmatically with various social and ecological subjects. For example, looking at the shape of avian intelligence and individuality, or working directly with audiences to determine our shared environmental responsibilities. The music I make is more affective, more emotional. In both, I’m trying to give imaginative shape to new worlds of possibility and ways of life. They crossover a lot.

8. You moved to Lutruwita (Tasmania) recently. How has that shift been for you? It seems like it’s affording you more opportunities to work with the land.

It’s been amazing. Melbourne was a very big city and wracked with a hectic intensity which carried deep into peoples lives. The pace is much different here, and the natural world less ravaged. I was also doing full-time youth work in Melbourne and now I’m just part-time over here, which is much more sustainable. And yeah, I now have more physical and mental space to make experiments in food production, soil, animal care, etc. Food and energy sovereignty are extremely important to me, but it’s an immense project that will take decades to unravel. I’m pretty sure I will grow old and die here in lutruwita.

9. How do you use and engage with music in your daily life?

It’s woven into the fabric of everything I do. It’s rare that music isn’t playing in the background, or on my headphones. I’m listening to a lot of country music at the moment - from the Louvin Brothers to Loretta Lynn. Sounds of the Dawn is always a presence. 12th Isle mixes. Laraaji. Alice Coltrane. And a lot of medieval music…

10. Words of wisdom you like to recall in times of need?

‘Stay with the trouble’ – Donna Haraway 'Everything changes and nothing stands still’ - Heraclitus

Soda Lite has a new album, Vale & Stone, which is now available via Inner Islands on cassette and digital formats.

[stringeralong]

Netherlands Day 4 of 4

The Last Day of my trip. I hadn't planned too much because obviously I was worried about getting caught up in something and missing my 21.00 coach. I started the day by packing up my stuff and shoving my bag into the handy lockers at the hostel for a sweet sweet €2/£1.80. I had a quick coffee and snack at the Dunkin Doughnuts which was not worth photographing for €7.15/£6.42 then headed off to Amsterdam Centraal.

I caught the train to Leiden, then from there caught a bus towards the top secret location where my friend works as a redacted. There's a few parts I'm allowed to visit, as a regular non-security-checked dumbass, including the staff restaurant. It was nice to get a little tour of my friends work place and get an insight into what he's working on (though nothing that isn't public knowledge), and then have some lunch. Also, there was a cat...

Then, my friend had to go back to work and Mickey had to go back to snoozing so I headed back to the bus stop.

Clearly the universe thought I was homesick for the London Life, as this day the buses were on strike so I hung around for ages waiting before walking towards another stop about 20 mins away to try and catch a different bus back to Leiden station.

If you're interested, I know I certainly would be, here's a TikTok where I ranked the public transport systems.

In Leiden I wondered around a bit before stopping off a De Bruine Boon for a bowl of soup and a pint for €13.25/£11.90 then off to the station to go back to Amsterdam.

I returned to my hostel to grab my stuff, have a quick pint of Kilkenny Cream to kill some time before it was reasonable to head over to Amsterdam Sloterdijk to catch my coach home.

I got to Amsterdam Sloterdijk for around 19.30, leaving me with only 1hr30 mins to buy snacks and walk about 10 mins to the bus station. And at some point between 20.00 and 20.30 I was at the bus stop ready to go.

20.45 rolls around, the suggest boarding time on my ticket. Several coaches were around, however known were mine. A well timed BeReal shows how truly anxious I was getting…. Thank you social media for capturing the best moments of my life.

21.00 rolls around, the departure time on my ticket. No coach for me.

I was starting to think maybe I had missed it, and was panicking as I had work the next day, when a lovely Aussie couple starting chatting to me about it, as they were in the same boat. We scoured the website for any information that would help us figure out what was happening. We called the number, which took as to a very unhelpful automation. According to the website, if your coach is delayed someone is supposed to contact you and let you know. There was a 'live tracking' page which kept saying it was on time, but as it was approaching 22.00 and no coach it was reasonable to assume that wasn't accurate.

Just as I was starting to think I'd have to beg my friend to house me that night and pay a crazy amount for the Eurostar in the morning so I could get to work for 1400, the coach pulls up. 22.30. The driver is stressed, promises us that he told the company that he was delayed and that it is not his fault they didn't relay that to us. Fine. Whatever.

The Aussie couple, a solo guy, and myself pile on.

We hurtle to our first destination in Brussels. We stick around for the allocated time. The solo guy gets off for a quick smoke (this bit is important). No one gets on.

We head on towards the stop in France. That’s when the driver gets a phone call from the company saying he left people behind. Our solo guy is snoozing away, as the driver rushes over to him, wakes him up, and makes him tell the person on the phone that there was no one at the stop when they were there. A bit of a strange and jarring experience to watch, let alone experience.

It’s a bit of a drama, but we get on a ferry and eventually make it to England.

I was scheduled to reach London Victoria at 8.35 and we got there just before 10.30. Thankfully that was still enough time to head home and shower before heading to work!

[angryfaery]

Traveling to Hongkong from Taiwan with 10 person

Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or venturing into international escapades for the first time, this exhaustive compendium will meticulously guide you through the intricacies of traveling to Hong Kong from the resplendent realm of Taiwan.

Traveling to Hongkong from Taiwan with 10 person

Visa Requisites Before you commence the art of packing your belongings, it is imperative to assimilate the prerequisites regarding visas for your sojourn from Taiwan to Hong Kong. Fortunately, if you bear the mantle of a Taiwanese passport, you are bestowed with the privilege of unfettered entry into Hong Kong for an indulgent span of up to 90 days.

Selection of Air Conveyance 2.1 Nonstop Sojourns Taiwan is splendidly interconnected with the heart of Hong Kong through a multitude of carriers offering seamless nonstop flights. Be sure to explore the offerings of esteemed airlines such as Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, and Hong Kong Airlines for a journey steeped in convenience.

2.2 Indirect Expeditions For those with an appetite for broader flight choices or an inclination to explore other locales en route, the prospect of embarking on connecting flights through pivotal hubs like Taipei Taoyuan International Airport or Kaohsiung International Airport beckons.

Optimal Time for Exploration The meteorological tapestry of Hong Kong unfurls a wide spectrum of climates throughout the year. Ponder a visit during the vernal season, spanning from September to November, when the climatic conditions are temperate and the urban landscape is adorned with fewer sojourners. Endeavor to circumvent the sultry and humid summer months, should the opportunity arise.

Lodgings 4.1 Hostelries Hong Kong unfurls an expansive canvas of accommodations, catering to the pecuniary proclivities of all travelers. From opulent lodgings nestled within the heart of Central to snug lodges dotting the precincts of Tsim Sha Tsui, the spectrum is truly diverse.

4.2 Homely Abodes via Airbnb To imbibe a more indigenous perspective of the urban tapestry, it is prudent to contemplate securing an Airbnb residence in localities like Sheung Wan or Mong Kok.

Navigational Nuances 5.1 The Public Commute Hong Kong boasts an efficacious and expansive public transportation network. The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) serves as the lifeblood of the city's transport grid, thereby rendering exploration of every nook and cranny of Hong Kong a seamless endeavor.

5.2 The Octopus Card Facilitate your excursions by acquiring an Octopus Card, ensuring effortless access to buses, trams, and the MTR. Remarkably, this card also functions as a tender for sundry transactions at convenience marts and dining establishments.

The Lexicon While Cantonese holds sway as the official dialect, the lingua franca of English is profusely employed, particularly within the domains frequented by tourists. Assimilating a modicum of fundamental Cantonese expressions can certainly enrich your sojourn.

Fiscal Transactions Hong Kong presides over its distinct currency, the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are profusely dispersed for the dual purposes of currency conversion and cash withdrawal.

The Imperative Attractions 8.1 The Summit of Victoria Surrender to panoramic vistas of the urban skyline from the zenith of Victoria Peak. Be sure to orchestrate your visit during the crepuscular hours to partake in the scintillating spectacle of Hong Kong's luminous allure.

8.2 The Maritime Odyssey via the Star Ferry Embark on a nautical odyssey aboard the iconic Star Ferry, a picturesque manner of traversing Victoria Harbour.

8.3 Disneyland Hong Kong For those traversing with familial entourages, Disneyland Hong Kong promises an interlude laden with enchanting escapades.

Local Gastronomic Delights Partake in the culinary opulence of Hong Kong, savoring its renowned dim sum, street-side delectables, and bounties from the briny deep. Do not overlook the opportunity to sample indigenous delicacies such as custard tarts and pineapple-infused buns.

Safety and Well-being Hong Kong stands as an exemplar of security, fortified by superlative healthcare amenities. Nonetheless, a prudential measure would be to procure travel insurance to foster a sense of tranquility.

Retail Rhapsodies Hong Kong metamorphoses into a mecca for shopping aficionados. Traverse the bustling byways of street markets, peruse the pantheon of luxury emporiums, and delve into the cornucopia of electronics boutiques.

Etiquette in the Cultural Sphere Pay homage to the indigenous mores, exemplified by the practice of offering and receiving objects with both hands. Moreover, observe the decorum of not directing your feet towards individuals or sacred relics.

The World of Cyberspace and Communication Sustain your digital connectivity with the expedient and dependable internet services prevalent in Hong Kong. Your modus operandi may involve the acquisition of a local SIM card or capitalizing on the ubiquitous Wi-Fi accessible at myriad public locales.

The Temporal Reference Hong Kong adheres to the temporal paradigm of Hong Kong Time (HKT), which unfurls itself as a testament to the past, occupying a vantage point 8 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+8).

Denouement The journey from Taiwan to Hong Kong is an exhilarating odyssey waiting to unfurl its myriad tapestries of tradition and modernity. Hong Kong, with its unique confluence of these elements, proffers a trove of experiences, each tailor-made to beguile the discerning traveler.

Traveling to Hongkong from Taiwan with 10 person

#travelling #travelinghongkongtotaiwan #hongkongtotaiwan