#increase picture resolution

[debangshu007]

How Does UpscalePics Add Details to Your Images?

Learn how UpscalePics can enhance your images by adding details to them for free. With UpscalePics, you can upscale images, remove JPEG artifacts, and compress images. 

[alter-koker]

^ the icon for my "main blog" is too good so i will never change it. i just wanted to show u guys bc u cant see it

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Shape of Story

by Christina Wodtke 

Start with Conflicted Characters

The character needs a goal, a motivation and a conflict.

The goal can be alien to your audience,

but the motivation must be shared by them, and

the conflict creates struggles that increase engagement.

Paint a Picture

Details transport you into the story.

The world disappears and you have a story play in your head.

Even though there are no literal pictures.

But be careful—Too many details and the story gets bogged down.

Make the Protagonist Suffer

“Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them - in order that the reader may see what they are made of.” (Kurt Vonnegut, How to Write a Great Story)

And when it can’t get any worse, make it worse before it gets better

The two key moments that create the peak of excitement in a story is the darkness before the dawn, and the dawn. 

The climax is the moment when the protagonist is either rescued or rescues themself.

In older tales, we saw a lot of Deux ex Machina (the hand of god) rescuing the hero. A hero could be rescued by luck, a partner, another hero…but modern audiences strongly prefer stories where the protagonist helps themself.

Resolution is Boring, Keep it Short

Interest grows with every additional conflict, but once the hero figures out the solution, our fascination collapses.

Don’t natter on while the audience’s mind is drifting.

Also Consider:

You need a good inciting incident to move your protagonist to action.

A setting is more than a place, it’s a situation and a moment in time. A vivid place has details.

Modern audiences prefer “return home changed” to “return home the same.”

EXAMPLES: ARCHETYPAL PLOTS ALONG THE ARC

Boy Meets Girl

Internal conflict is always satisfactory (e.g., she believes love interferes with his career, he believes love interferes with his beer.)

The crises usually revolves around betrayal — lying, cheating — and the climax shows it was a misunderstanding or we get atonement.

The struggle is always about them being separated.

The resolution is about binding them more tightly together than ever.

The Quest

You seek things, and find yourself.

Return home changed and don’t pass go.

Common elements include companions, a mentor, great losses and extreme character arcs.

The Underdog

Even though they do not have a shot in hell, the underdog wants something. They want it so bad.

Common elements include an enemy who blocks their path, and a coach who helps them forward.

In this case, they do not return home changed but rather move into a new life that fits their changed self.

Coming of Age

Naive person has the world teaches them a hard lesson, and they become a better person for it.

Struggle revolve around life sucking and then sucking more.

The hero grows and becomes better because of it, and via new understandings becomes competent.

In some tragedies, the world breaks them.

They can return home changed, but more often they move to a new life they have earned.

More Examples. Justice & Pursuit:

Weaving Multiple Plots:

Weaving multiple plots together to make subplots can further increase tension.

Multiple plots woven together makes the whole story not only unique but very compelling.

Writing Notes & References

[syun0acute]

All I did was increasing the resolution from this picture ✨️⬇️

[blissfullyecho]

My 2025 Resolutions List

Pre-New Years Resolutions (Nov/Dec 2024)

MY TIP: I think it’s important to establish pre-new year resolutions to get the momentum going for the new year. The best way to go about it is to look at your NY resolutions first, then see what you can do beforehand to prepare and those would be your Pre-New Years Resolutions

1. Prioritize Health + Fitness: Commit to a consistent fitness routine that enhances my body and confidence. I’m going to achieve this by attending 4-5 fitness sessions per week, stay disciplined with a healthy eating plan (with holiday plate exceptions), and setting physical milestones (like weighing X amount of lbs by 1/1/25)

2. Personal Branding Solid Foundation: Get clear on what personal brand I’d like to create for myself and indulge heavily in content and experiences that embody this ideal image I have for myself. I’ll achieve this by constantly checking in with myself by asking “is this on-brand with who I’d like to become?”

3. Build my Luxury Sales Career: ***For the record, I’m in luxury real estate (I’m licensed in 2 states) and international yacht sales.*** I’d like to grow on social media with my business accounts and reach my accounts to 400,000 across all of my BUSINESS platforms (right now I have a little over 350,000 followers)

2025 New Years Resolutions

1. Keep every promise I make to myself if it’s going to benefit me. I’ll make changes if something better comes along

2. Start taking reformer Pilates on a more regular basis

3. Get my desired hair length without extensions

4. Get back into coed stunting/tumbling (I was a cheerleader all my life and still love it in my 20s)

5. No more blackout nights when I drink (embarrassing but I’m such a lightweight)

6. Get back down to 110-115lbs

7. Start dating again, but dating guys that actually meet my standards and not settling because I’m bored or feeling lonely

8. Make the most $ I’ve ever made annually

9. Start fresh with my personal social media and keep my IG followers to under 10,000 (for those of you who don’t know or are new, my personal TikTok has over 1M followers and my IG is close to 800K). The issue is that I have more male followers than I do women and I want to change my IG to friends/family/acquantances/brands/women. I don’t even get paid all that much on IG anymore but TikTok I do so that’ll stay.

10. Break the habit of buying a sweet treat every single day

11. Lower my A1C to under 4.8 (it’s at 5.0 rn)

12. Practice buying quality, no matter the price point. I should be able to afford what I want if I hit my annual income goal.

13. Move to (a different city local to me) in downtown and live at (one of the new high rises they are building)

14. Become more photogenic without nitpicking every single thing about me with each picture I take— this also goes hand in hand with no longer using filters on my photos or making any changes

15. Renew my passport (I’ve been extremely lazy to do so) and travel more. My goal is to travel at least 3 times AT LEAST out of state, preferably out of country if time/work allows

16. Get close with God again. He is the only reason I got to where I am today and then I fell off.

17. Prioritize in taking care of myself and treating myself like a princess. I should always be checking in with myself by asking “is this on-brand with who I’m becoming?” and act accordingly.

18. Start going out more— go to more events, dinners, say yes to invites more, date. I’d like to increase my social calendar to at least once a week. By the end of the year, I’d like to be social at least 3-4x per week.

19. Reset my gut health and actually feel like I’m in my 20s and not in my 90s

20. Become completely unbothered and know when to emotionally detach (or avoid attachment altogether— seriously)

21. Stop oversharing… being exclusive with information about me/my life

22. Don’t dream big, but dream bigger

23. Stop being so trusting and forgiving— HUGE lesson I learned in 2024.

I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list. But any personal posts regarding my own rebrand and level up will be under the hashtag on my blog #2025. I will constantly be updating from now until the end of 2025.

[harmonysanreads]

OMG could you just imagine how smug wanderer will be if he gets to lay on darlings lap? A dream come true for him, as for the other party members.... well-

It's almost comical to compare Wanderer's past deeds to the shenanigans he's pulling at present. Make no mistake, he's completely lucid of his actions and how unbefitting it should be for him to do them. But there's the matter of you, with your annoyingly endearing kindness that attracts all sorts of malicious attention. He can't quite complain about it either because it saved him as well and even though Nahida emphasized how relationships aren't about balancing the books — his mind convinces him that that's why he's doing all of these. But in truth, he leans into that perception only because it suppresses the smidgen of guilt that gnaws at him (ew). Wanderer knows there's a boundary and he treads carefully around it. In any case, as long as he's cautious, he knows you'll always be his shield.

Kaveh is so flabbergasted, astonished and dumbfounded at the uncensored audacity of that brat that he chokes halfway through his sip of the wine — but even if the beverage wasn't in his hand, he's sure he would've choked on his breath anyway. To this day he's still dreaming about holding your hand and here's Wanderer, showing him the thumbs down while soaking in the comfort of your lap! His shock gradually fades as he wonders if he needs to pretend to be sick or something to get that treatment. But, knowing his luck he's sure it'd backfire as well. So he just seethes in his seat, for now.

Alhaitham doesn't even give the impression that he's looking at the fiasco — except he is by the rim of his book, more keenly than the rest present at that. To be even more honest, his eyes have never left you since the moment he entered the tavern so, he's acutely aware of every moment that lead to this... display. While the rest watch in disbelief, he's taking mental notes and running various simulations in his mind to picture the perfect scenario where he will instead be in the position of Wanderer. Or at least, doing so distracts him from succumbing to the less than pleasant feelings that arise at the sight.

Tighnari is exasperated. Yes, no dramatic response, just exasperation at its purest form. He's a busy person and it's only because of you that he's made his visits to Sumeru city regular. He does not have the time or energy to tolerate such incidents every single time. He's tried to convince you that the harmlessness of Wanderer is faux and just an act, but for whatever reason, your trust in the boy seems to be resolute. So he can do nothing but bear witness to these stunts with increasing audacity and that makes him want to tear his hair out at this point. Just you wait, he will find a way to expose the brat one day.

Of everything Cyno was expecting to see this evening, this was not at all in that list. He's not unaware of how touchy Wanderer tries to get each time he and the others are in the vicinity. A seasoned Matra's senses are far sharper than ordinary folk and Cyno is the only one that gets the message of this gesture immediately. He knows it's a warning and a claim. He can tell that there's something off about Wanderer and no, it isn't his act of being a goody-two-shoes. This stunt further justifies his suspicions and paired with the strength he displayed at the last round of the InterDarshan Championship — Cyno has made up his mind. He will challenge Wanderer to a duel right then and there, have fun settling this dispute.

[jockbroski34]

New Year's Resolution

Hey bros, Happy New Year's! I hope you all make this year your best yet and I hope you all reach your goals. I came up with a short story on the fly to ring in the new year. Hope you guys didn't party too hard like these two!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before I knew it, 2024 was almost here. Everyone always says that next year will be their year, but few people actually end up following through with their New Year's resolutions. Some people want to make more money, some might want to quit smoking, but me? I just wanna get jacked, bro. I know how it goes though. People go to the gym for a week, then are unable to keep up with that lifestyle. But I can do it, and I will. I felt a sense of determination with the desire to get in shape.

I found myself at a New Year's party. One of my co-workers invited me. I didn't know most of the people there, but I didn't have any plans so I decided to go, because why not? My friends barely have time for me anyways. A lot of them have started to settle down and some decided to have smaller celebrations with their spouses or are visiting family.

I was sitting on the couch when a guy I've never met sat down next to me and greeted me. He told me his name was Mike. He was my age, wearing a backwards hat, tank top, and shorts. Not exactly the best look for the winter, but he looked just like a fuckboy who partied all day every day. He probably just wears this every day just to show off his muscles and pick up chicks. He started chatting me up about the party and about the football game that was on the TV. I didn't really know anything about sports, but it was what was on so I played along, not wanting to be rude. He asked me what my New Year's resolution was. I said I wanted to get jacked. He seemed confident that I could do it. He downed what had to have been his third beer so far before asking if I wanted another drink as well. His breath stank with the scent of beer.

I said sure. As long as it got this dude away from me for a minute or two. I might tolerate him more if I was drunk anyways since it didn't seem like he was going anywhere anytime soon. He came back carrying two bottles of the same type of beer. We made a toast for the new year and chugged our beers. As I drank, I started to realize that Mike wasn't that bad for a dudebro. He was actually really chill. I ended up asking for his number so we can get drinks sometime. He said he knows some good bars nearby and he didn't live too far from me.

He asked me what my New Year's resolution is. He already asked me that though? His memory must not be the best since he was drunk. I told him I wanted to be jacked, kinda like him. He chuckled a dumb laugh, drunk from the excessive amount of alcohol he drank tonight.

"What do you mean? You're already jacked, bro."

I was confused at first. I didn't have a lot of muscle.

"Look at yourself dude."

I thought he was fucking with me until I looked down. My biceps felt like they were throbbing, burning as they seemingly increased in size. I panicked, running to the bathroom, unsure of whether I wanted to check out my new gains or find a way to stop the aching burn in my muscles. I looked at myself in the mirror, and flexed. I wasn't hallucinating. I was just as jacked as the bro I was drinking with. I stripped down. I realized that I had a six pack as well. The dude from before knocks before entering the bathroom with me.

"You good bro?"

"What the fuck did you do to me?" I asked, overwhelmed by my new body.

"You said you wanted to be jacked, so I made you jacked. I put something in your drink, and now you're huge. Isn't that what you wanted, dude?"

I couldn't deny that. I wasn't sure whether to feel grateful to him or mad at him for doing this without my consent. He could've even drugged me further. Before I could comprehend everything, he grabbed my shoulder, pulling me in for a picture, showing off our ripped bodies.

"Hey, try my hat on. I wanna see how you look in it now."

He tossed me the hat he was wearing, but I didn't wear hats. I took care of my hair and I didn't want my hair to get messy. I wanted to look professional, not like a frat bro. Despite that, I found myself wanting to put it on, and so I did. To my surprise, I even turned it backwards just like my best bud. Best bud? I didn't really have a best friend. But Mike was my new best friend. We met at my co-worker's New Year's party and we hit it off really well. I needed a new workout partner to help me stay consistent, so he offered to take me with him every day. He's actually looking for a new roommate so I might move in with him since we get along so well. Makes it more convenient since we plan to hang out and party all the time in the coming year.

I start to realize that my mannerisms are changing, starting to match his. Before I was uptight and professional, a total bore. Now I’m an outgoing, party-loving dudebro. I felt my penis grow erect in my pants and start leaking as I became as horny as Mike, with my length growing to a sexy 9 inches to go alongside his. I doubt that I could pull as much as him with my old size.

"You feeling better, bro?"

"Yeah dude. I feel great! Let's pound some more brewskis and fuck a baddie or two."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Mike gave me a high-five. "You can keep the hat by the way. A memory of the day we met, bro."

And keep it I did. I decided I would wear it everywhere, especially when I was out with him and his bros. I would fit perfectly in with them in a way that my old self would have never.

We returned to the party with even more beers in our hands, and me and Mike chugged every last one of them. We drank the most beers out of anyone in the party combined. My coworker caught the two of us causing a scene and kicked us out. He almost didn't recognize me at first, but after seeing me with him, he started to put two and two together. He told Mike that this is why he doesn’t invite him anywhere. I thought my coworker would tell my boss about my conduct, but I didn't really care what happens. It's not my fault I’m a party animal.

"What a buzzkill," Mike said. "Whatever. Let's go back to my place. I took a box of beer with us to finish as we left. They aren't gonna finish themselves."

Midnight was still a few hours away, and all of his bros were at other parties anyways. We sat down on his messy couch and finished what was left of the beers, cheering on our team and playing loud music. Didn't matter where we were or who we were with, we were the life of the party. My bro became pent up after not being able to get any action tonight and so was I. I offered to suck him off. After all, it's not gay to suck a homie off, and so we got off together. Getting head from him was almost as good as a hot babe. I’ve never had a guy blow me before. Neither of us could tell the other how much we really enjoyed it without the fear of being called gay.

After we both released our loads, we passed out from all the alcohol we drank, him on top of me. I don't think I ever drank this much in my life, and it was just one night. We woke up, looking like a total mess on the couch. Damn, we slept past midnight. I was still wearing his hat. I thought I would wake up and find out this was all a dream, but nah. I’m still Mike’s douchey best friend. But I smiled, knowing that we would always have each other’s back.

"Happy New Year’s, bro." I said.

"Happy New Year’s! Now tell me your real New Year's resolution, dude?" Mike answered, obviously hungover.

"I wanna party and fuck all year long!"

"Fuck yeah, bro!" He gave me a strong, brotherly hug. He told me about a rager that one of his friends was hosting tonight. All of his bros are invited and so am I, and some hot babes are gonna be there. This was the life I always wished I had, and this year, it will be my life.

[protagaster]

Part 3 of the Warrior!Penelope Swap AU

Do you guys have any idea what I've been through this past week!?

Here I am in the middle of this vignette, wondering how I can write Ares' abilities so they are not copies of Athena's powers while also staying canon-compliant, when out of nowhere Mr. Jalapeño himself releases more details regarding Epic!Ares!?

I was both extremely happy (as my fic continues to be canon-compliant) and very much exhausted (you guys have no idea how much I had to change in order for it to match Jorge's canon)

With that out of the way, hope you all enjoy part 4! I'm so glad to introduce to you all one of my favorite Greek Gods ;)

[Appropriate Credits: @gigizetz, for it is Gigi's variation of warrior!penelope that I picture whilst writing this AU.

Also, special shoutout to @somereaderinblue (GeminiWillow on Ao3)! Blue's lyrical rewrites helped shape the dialogue!]

(Cross-Posted on Ao3)

EDIT AS OF (10/24) - I changed the title of this vignette, and so the lyrics were also changed to both sound better and more naturally fit the themes of the story! Hope you all enjoy!

Warrior of The Heart

Penelope knew that in order to successfully lead her comrades home she had to be more than a captain. More than a queen even. No, what Penelope needed to be was a warrior.

A warrior of the heart.

However, as with all mortals, there are moments where she needs to be reminded of who she’s meant to be. 

And who better to remind her than her own mentor… 

~

Penelope and Circes had just about finished up on the lotus eaters’ island. 

After the emotional conflict and resolution they had faced moments ago, the two women decided a light rest was necessary before sailing their raft back to the main ship. Upon their return Penelope would be sure to inform the others of the cave the lotus-eaters had revealed. 

Looking up from where she sprawled, Penelope saw Circes playing with one of the little lotus-eating creatures. Despite the danger the captain initially thought them to be, they were actually quite helpful (not to mention a little cute). 

She was glad Circes convinced her not to resort to violence. 

This resolution with the lotus eaters proved that peaceful solutions were an option and did achieve results. It proved that cruelty and success did not go have to go hand-in-hand. It proved that, when left to make a decision of her own will, Penelope would go for the one that displayed kindness and mercy. 

It proved that without the Gods’ intervention Penelope was not a monster.

That was a thought that gave her an immediate sense of comfort, even if it was a relatively selfish one. 

Maybe, just maybe, it really was better to greet the world with open arms…

Suddenly, Penelope felt her mind and senses tingle with anticipation. 

A very familiar dose of adrenaline rushed through her body, traveling to the very core of her soul. Time around her began to gradually slow, her thoughts and reactions starting to increase in speed. 

Penelope blinked, this action lasting only for a second. 

Upon re-opening her eyes she found she was no longer on the island. Instead she stood in a sandy plain, reminiscent of the Trojan battlefields she had fought in not too long ago. Circes, the lotus eaters, even the thoughtless creatures of nature and the night, they were all gone. The only thing Penelope could see, apart from miles of endless dark sand, was a red hourglass floating above her. 

The hourglass was tilted precariously, dangling over a metaphorical edge. But if one were brave enough to look beyond it's glass frame they'd notice a faint, distorted halo circling above it; dangling from that halo was an invisible pendulum, dancing constantly in circles a safe distance away from the instrument.

Everything around her was silent, leaving Penelope to hear only the sounds of individual grains of red sand streaming down the hourglass

Until the call of a vulture screeched from above.

Looking up, Penelope saw the carnivorous bird circling over her similar to how a normal vulture would. He was covered with majestic brown feathers, the tips colored a deep red akin to the aftermath of a victorious battle. He had an array of feathers atop his head, formed in such a manner that it almost looked as if he wore a war-man’s helmet. 

Looking at the vulture from a distance it would appeared as if his eyes were void of thoughts and emotion. However, if one dared to look closely enough, they could see the fowl had the gaze of a man; one eager to stain the ground with blood. 

A voice boomed inside Penelope’s head, coming from nowhere and everywhere. 

“Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?” 

“Ares!” 

The bird continued to circle her person, coming closer and closer with each flap of his daunting wings. 

“Have you forgotten to close off your heart? This is not you!” 

The vulture was finally within reaching distance to Penelope. His talons, sharp and glinting in the moonlight, were dangerously close to her flesh; If he really wanted to, he could dangerously maim, or possibly even kill, the woman with a simple dive and strike. 

Still, despite knowing what he was capable of, Penelope knew she was safe. In spite of his label as nothing more than a bloodthirsty brute to the majority of Greece, she was one of the few who knew his true nature. 

His lust for blood revealed itself only to those deserving of it. 

But that was not to say she was completely off the hook in this situation

“I see you changing from how I've designed you!” 

The vulture landed on the sand not too far from where she stood. Though much smaller in size, for the moment, his presence alone very much made up for it. It was quick to make itself known to Penelope, rattling her deep to her very core. 

“Have you forgotten your purpose? Let me remind you…” 

With a flash the vulture set before Penelope was no more. 

Standing in its place was a very large, very intimidating man, in both height and figure. 

This man was taller and stronger than any mortal man could ever hope to be. His arms and legs, thrice the size of a normal male, proudly displayed the tell-tale scars of a warrior with experience. He adorned red and gold greek armor, its design a natural mix of traditional Spartan origin with recent additions of Ithacan influence. His helm, a golden one with a deep red plume, very clearly symbolized what he himself represented to Sparta and what the kingdom meant to him. 

This helm covered the entirety of his upper face, the only features left clearly revealed being his nose and mouth. Shadows in the place of his eyes were displayed to the outside world, but the emotions behind them were masked to all who dared to gaze. 

“Master of Courage, God of the War,” 

A magnificent glowing spear, Ares’ signature weapon, manifested inside his hand. 

“My life has one mission…” 

Ares thrust the spear-point in Penelope’s direction. An outsider might have thought his intent was to kill her. Thankfully, all he wanted was to place the blunt end of the spear-point on her shoulder.

“Create the greatest warrior!”

Using his divine power as a war God, Ares performed his signature “quick-thought” and dove into Penelope’s mind. Momentarily one, the God sifted through Penelope’s life experiences until he found the memory he wanted her to recall. 

~

Penelope remembered that day as if it were yesterday. 

About 20 years ago, having barely entered her teenage years, a young Penelope had been asked by her father to accompany him to Ares’ challenge: the magic hunting field.

“I had a challenge, a hunting field, a divine spear only the best could wield!” 

The magic hunting field, created with the aid of the Goddess of the Hunt, was a challenge orchestrated to see which mortal was worthy of pulling a divine spear, created by the God of Forging, out the earth. Once that mortal took hold of the spear they were to honor Ares by spilling as much wild blood as they could in His name.

Whoever was able to wield the spear, if anyone could manage such a feat, would be blessed by the God of Courage himself. 

Penelope remembered her younger self feeling quite uncomfortable. She was never able to forget what her father tried to do to her as a babe, despite trying to desperately make up for it by being so affectionate toward her; something he continued to do to this day. 

However, despite her hesitation, Penelope also recalled feeling elated. 

Sparta was a kingdom that believed all their people should at least be familiar with the art of combat, females included. The great kingdom had influenced a few other lands in Greece to adopt this progressive mindset, with others well on their way. 

But even then, that day in the hunting field was one of the first times that women were allowed to participate in a challenge set forth by the Gods.

“One day a girl came for the thrill,”  

That young Penelope, eager to prove herself to both the world and her father, was determined to show that she could be both a lady of the court and a soldier of the battlefield.

It was one of the many qualities that intrigued her to Ares in the first place. 

“A girl whose heart rivaled the spear’s own will!” 

Penelope did not know it at the time, but the random spear buried in the dirt that she just happened to pull out on a whim would catch her the eye of the God of War himself. 

And he only found himself growing more and more impressed with each wild game whose blood she spilled in his name. 

“Let’s go!” 

By the final hour of that day young Penelope had proved herself to be a more formidable hunter than any of the numerous young men who tried to prove themselves worthy. Not only had she offered Ares a pleasing amount of blood, but she had ensured her carnage was not without purpose. 

She distributed the pelts of fur and rounds of meat amongst her fellow hunters in an act of goodwill.  Penelope even gave a sizable chunk of boar and a beautiful wolf pelt to her father despite her reservations toward him, most likely as some sort of thank you for allowing her to come. 

Half of the hunting field’s participants were appreciative of her kindness and impressed with her physical prowess; these people consisting of her father, the few other female hunters, and the men who knew there to be great merit in empowering a young lady beyond what was expected of her.

The others, men who were angry by the fact they were bested by a mere little girl and longed to put her in her place, could only accept their peace offerings with strained smiles and wicked eyes. Still, despite their irritation, these men knew they could not do a damn thing about it; for they were in Ares’ land, and one does not dare harm a young lady under the Protector of Women’s gaze without longing for an excruciating death. 

Regardless of how her spectators felt with the matter, everyone knew that the girl had gained the very thing they all were hoping to obtain: the blessing of Ares. 

“Maybe one day she'll follow me and we'll make a greater tomorrow, then they'll see I know she'll change the world 'cause she is a Warrior of the Heart!”

As the day’s events unfolded a mysterious vulture, one bigger and more sublime than a vulture should be, flew into the scene. He fit in perfectly with the background of the field. 

No one had noticed this vulture watching the young Princess of Sparta since the moment she first stepped foot on the field. 

“Maybe one day I'll reach her and we can build her skills as I teach her. If there’s a problem she’ll know to act first,”

Penelope, her father, and their guards had stayed in that field until nightfall. The exhaustion behind the day’s events claimed the girl with an instantaneous sleep, though this was of no surprise to her loving father. 

The vulture followed the young girl even while she and her entourage made their way back home. Upon arrival at the palace gates King Icarius carefully carried his daughter inside. However, the princess had not yet been fully claimed by sleep. 

Feeling the presence of someone watching her, Penelope looked up from her father’s shoulder. 

Right there, perched on a tree branch just outside the gates, was the brown and red vulture. The same one that was watching her back in the magic hunting field. 

Penelope’s eyes never left the vulture, even as she was carried inside. 

“She is a Warrior of the Heart!” 

Later that night, the Princess of Sparta snuck out of her room. 

She ran outside the confines of her palace, an easy thing to accomplish with the secret exit she and her siblings shared amongst themselves. Penelope then made her way to the large clump of trees behind the royal palace, not necessarily a forest but more grand than a grove. 

Penelope looked around, searching for the vulture that followed her all the way from the hunting field. She gazed from treetop to treetop, gawked from branch to branch, and even tried to search for any dead carrion that may have resulted from its hunger. 

But alas, nothing. 

… 

Well, not entirely… 

Penelope just knew something, or perhaps rather someone, was watching her. She could feel their eyes. 

“Show yourself.” Penelope searched in every direction, hoping she could finally catch sight of the mysterious presence. “I know you're watching me, show yourself.” 

Still nothing. 

Unbeknownst to the young girl, a large man was watching her from nearby. If he were a normal man Penelope would have spotted him the second she snuck out; however, this man was anything but. 

He had covered himself with a special spell, a divine air that made it so he and his kin could roam the earth without being seen by mortals. He needed to use this spell if he wanted to continue discreetly watching the girl, for it seemed she had recognized his animal form to be more than met the eye. 

The divinely-clouded man watched as the girl continued to whirl her head around in search. Finally she stopped, most likely giving up is what the man thought. 

But then, and much to his surprise, the girl smirked. Because her back was turned to him the man could not see the mischievous glint in her eyes. 

“I can see you.” 

The man grew stunned, quick to remove the divine mist that shielded him from mortal eyes. 

“How can you see through my spell?”

“Aha!” Penelope whirled around at his voice, hands on her hips in triumph. “I was lying and you fell for my bluff. Hahahaha.” 

The man’s eyes grew wide behind his helm, astounded with the bravery and daring of the tiny human before him. Many of his kind would have found themselves insulted at being so easily deceived by a mortal, especially one so young and feminine. 

This man, though, was unlike his kin in many ways. He saw no offense, but untapped potential…

Wearing a smile, the man approached little Penelope with not a single hint of hostility in his step. 

“Not bad, enlighten me, what's your name?”

Penelope raised her eyebrow at his question. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away in a playful motion that betrayed her supposed suspicion. 

“You first, and maybe I'll do the same.”

The man, while not known for his patience, found it no trouble to entertain the child’s stubbornness. He was, after all, no stranger to the whims of daughters. 

“Nice try, but two can play this game.”

Penelope silently scrutinized the giant man, quick to note how his carefree personality did not match his intimidating appearance. Based on this observation any normal human would have assumed him to be just another man of Sparta, albeit much bigger compared to the rest and most likely blessed by the Gods. 

But alas, Penelope never did fall into the category of “normal”. She knew this man was no mortal simply blessed by another God. 

“Nah, you’ve got me wrong, I'm aware you're a God, let’s drop the facade…” 

Allowing herself to beam a smile, Penelope revealed to the man a truth she had already known since first becoming aware of his presence. 

“Your name is Ares!”

Ooh, Ares

“Badass in war, you carry! Unmatched, Fearless, and very much King of the Battlefield!”

Ares was already impressed with the girl based on what he had seen back in his magic hunting field. This moment, though, of her being able to surmise his identity with barely any clues to help her only further improved his impression of her. 

Looks like his challenge truly did end in a success. 

“If you're looking for a mentor I'll make sure your time's well spent.” 

Penelope had to stop herself from jumping with glee. A God, and not just any God either, but the patron deity of her kingdom and the personification of battle himself had just offered to take her, small and inexperienced Penelope, as a student! 

“Sounds like a plan! God and woman, Bestest of friends!" Penelope ran to embrace the God but instead phased right through him. 

“We'll see where it ends.” Ares answered in response to her attempted hug.

“Okay.” Penelope said undeterred, lifting herself back up as if nothing had happened.  

And with that the God and his mortal made their way back to her room. The memory may have concluded, but that moment forth led to a long and fruitful friend partnership. 

“Maybe one day they'll follow me, and we'll make a greater tomorrow,"

Ares would go on to watch over and advise his student. Sometimes he would take the appearance of a standard human male, posing as a Spartan guard trusted to keep the princess safe. Other times he would assume his vulture form, flying over Penelope and guiding her from the skies. Most times, though, Ares would shape himself into a small snake that wrapped around Penelope’s throat; conspicuous enough not to arouse suspicion but with just the right amount of menace to keep any adversaries from coming too close. 

"Then they'll see I know we'll change the world ‘cause we are the Warriors of the Heart!”

Ares and Penelope would spend a lot of their time together in training. The mortal learned how to properly wield a spear, handle a dagger, and even aim a bow. She learned that her feminine rage was a good thing and that setting it free could be beneficial at times. And, thanks to some advice from his loving partner, Ares found ways to help Penelope build up enough muscle to enhance her strength while also keeping her body just lithe enough for the sake of norms and appearances. 

“Maybe one day we'll reach them and we can build their skills as we teach them,"

And it did not stop at just his student either! 

Penelope was thankful to have married a husband who was so supportive of her endeavors and even wished to help her in achieving them. Ares was too, he supposed (even if he vehemently opposed the idea of marriage in the beginning). 

Penelope became the paragon of female warriors. She would lead and become a role model to the women willing to put themselves through even harsher training regimens than what the men in their lives partook in. In the beginning there were never a lot of women who were willing to learn, but as time went on more and more strove to push their limits. 

"If there's a problem, we'll know to act for we are the Warriors of the Heart!”

The point is over the years Penelope grew to be more than she ever thought she could be. She had shown the world that it was possible for a woman to be a formidable warrior while also staying true to her femininity (remember, Penelope was known all throughout Sparta and Ithaca for her immense talent in weaving). 

All of it thanks to the guidance of Ares. Of what he had allowed her to become. 

~

Back to the present, Ares was satisfied with the knowledge he wanted Penelope to recall. Enough to motivate her, but to also remind her of their goal. 

“I still intend to make sure you don't fall apart. Don't forget that you're a warrior made to be a work of art-” 

Even if she had learned almost all he could teach her, Penelope was still only a mortal. The Gods had only so many stories of what could happen when mortals are left to their own devices. 

And Ares couldn’t allow that to happen. Not after all the time he devoted into molding her. 

“You are a Warrior of the Heart!” 

Penelope, the current one, let out a sigh. 

Ares was right, of course he was right. As a God he knew best; he knew what needed to be done to accomplish his their ultimate goal. 

As his student it was her duty to heed his every command. For both their sakes. 

Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Ares prepared to release her consciousness back to reality.

 Before he did though, the God gave her one more warning…

“Don't disappoint me.”

And with that he was gone, the only proof of his presence a cluster of vulture feathers carrying the scent of burnt torches and carrion.

The sandy landscape quickly faded, returning to the grassy thicket that was the lotus eaters’ island.

The top end of the red hourglass was practically empty, save for a lone grain of sand. That faint halo, the one holding the invisible pendulum, inched closer to the instrument. 

This single grain fell, joining the rest on the bottom of the glass. The Invisible pendulum swung a hair of a distance away from the sand clock’s glass, not quite close enough to crack but very close.

In a flash everything went back to how it was before. Circes, the lotus eaters, even nature itself, they all returned to their normal speed. It was as if nothing happened. 

Penelope let out a breath. They needed to get return. 

Now. 

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard settings details - Display and Graphics

This post is under a cut due to length.

This information comes directly from the game.

DA:TV menu 'pages': Display, Graphics, Audio, Controls, Gameplay, Interface, Accessibility, Other.

For some of the settings, additional detail on a specific one (the one that was selected at that particular point during the video, e.g. "Window Mode" was set to "Full Screen") is given after the general explanation/definition of the setting itself. These are in italics at the end of an entry.

DISPLAY

Display Mode

Active Monitor: Select the monitor for game display. Window Mode: Switches between full screen, windowed, and borderless windowed modes. You can press ALT+ENTER at any time to switch between full screen and windowed modes. In full screen mode, the game will play on the entire screen. Screen Resolution: Changes the game's display resolution. The game's level of on-screen detail is determined by the number of pixels it contains. Higher resolution increases the number of pixels displayed, which will result in a clearer image. This comes with a potential cost to performance. Refresh Rate: Sets how often your display will refresh game visuals. A higher refresh rate means a smoother picture, depending on your computer's hardware. Frame Rate Limit: Sets the maximum framerate for the game. VSync: Synchronizes the game's framerate with the display's refresh rate to prevent screen tearing.

Calibration

Brightness: Adjusts the intensity of the game's visuals. Makes all visuals lighter or darker. Contrast: Adjusting the contrast will change the difference in color and light between the brightest and darkest parts of the screen. Enable HDR: HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode provides enhanced color and contrast ranges. This option can only be enabled on supported displays. HDR must also be enabled in your operating system. Use the HDR Calibration option below to adjust. HDR Calibration: Launches the HDR calibration tool which adjusts the HDR settings to best match your display. The maximum brightness level should generally be adjusted to match what your HDR display will support. Measured in nits. This is only available when Enable HDR is turned on.

Upscaling

Unsample Method: Improve performance and visuals by rendering the game at a smaller resolution, then "upsampling" to a larger resolution for display. The pixels that make up the difference between the two resolutions are generated using advanced algorithms. Unsample Quality: Select the desired quality level for the upsampling method selected. DLSS Frame Generation: DLSS Frame Generation can generate additional frames that boost your overall frame rate. In order to use Frame Generation, you must have an NVIDIA RTX 40-series graphics card. NVIDIA Reflex: NVIDIA Reflex is a technology that helps reduce input latency while playing the game. In order to take advantage of NVIDIA Reflex's feature, you must have a supported NVIDIA graphics card. Anti-Aliasing: Anti-Aliasing smooths out pixels along the edge of objects that can look sharp or jagged in certain situations. Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) uses information from current and past frames to address aliasing issues. The high setting uses a large range of frames and will result in a higher quality anti-aliasing effect, but with a higher performance cost.

Resolution Scaling

Render Scale: Controls the resolution the game is rendered at relative to your display resolution. Settings below 100% may decrease visual fidelity, but can improve performance. Settings above 100% may increase visual fidelity, but can negatively impact performance. Dynamic Resolution Scaling: Automatically lowers the game's resolution in real-time to maintain the target frame rate. Target Frames Per Second: Determines the target frame rate for dynamic resolution scaling. Minimum Resolution Scale: Determines how low the resolution can be scaled when Dynamic Resolution Scaling is active.

GRAPHICS

Graphics Preset

Graphics Preset: Graphics presets are predefined configurations that simultaneously adjust multiple graphics settings to achieve a balance between visuals and performance. Restart required for setting change. Maximizes visual fidelity by setting most graphics options to their highest values. Recommended for the Ultra hardware specification tier.

Textures

Texture Quality: Selects the level of detail and resolution for textures applied to objects in the game. Higher settings will result in more detailed textures, potentially at the cost of performance. Restart required for setting change. CPU - Moderate. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Major. Texture Filtering: Adjusts the appearance of textures at varied angles and distances. Higher settings will increase texture quality, though potentially at the cost of performance. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Minor.

Light and Shadow

Lighting Quality: Adjusts the appearance of shadows, reflections, and light-scattering. Higher settings increase the visual fidelity of light effects. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Major. Contact Shadow: Contact Shadows improves the appearance of shadows when objects are close to one another. It fills gaps between objects and shadows that can occur with static lighting. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Minor. Ambient Occlusion: Ambient Occlusion is a technique to simulate soft shadows where objects are close together or where surfaces meet. This makes the scene look more realistic. Disabled when Ray-traced Ambient Occlusion is enabled. CPU - Minor. GPU - Major. VRAM - Minor. Disables Ambient Occlusion. This potentially increases performance at the cost of visual fidelity. Screen Space Reflections: Screen Space Reflections simulate reflections of objects and light on visible surfaces. Enabling this will result in high-quality reflections. Disabled when Ray-traced Reflections are enabled. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Moderate. Volumetric Lighting: Adjusts the appearance of volumetric lighting effects. This simulates how light interacts with atmospheric elements like fog, smoke, dust, and clouds. Higher settings increase the quality of these types of elements. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Minor. Sky Quality: Adjusts the appearance of the sky, clouds, and celestial bodies like the sun and moon. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Minor.

Ray Tracing

Ray-traced Reflections: Enables the use of Ray-Tracing to simulate realistic reflections of objects and light on reflective surfaces. This is a more advanced technique and requires specialized Ray Tracing compatible hardware. CPU - Major. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. In selective mode, the game will only enable Ray-traced Reflections in specific areas that can best take advantage of the feature. Ray-traced Ambient Occlusion: Enables the use of Ray Tracing to simulate soft shadows where objects are close together or where surfaces meet. This makes the scene look more realistic. This is a more advanced technique and requires specialized Ray Tracing compatible hardware. CPU - Major. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion is always on. Ultra Ray Tracing: Enables the highest level of ray tracing effects, which provide better quality visuals at the cost of performance. This setting is available on the Ultra and Custom graphics presets and is only recommended for high-end graphics cards.

Geometry

Level Of Detail: Adjusts the distance at which objects are visible and the level of detail as they get father away from the camera. Higher settings increase the visual quality of objects at distance. Restart required for setting change. CPU - Major. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. Strand Hair: Strand hair simulates the appearance and movement of individual strands of hair. Enabling this will result in more realistic and natural-looking hair. CPU - Major. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. Terrain Quality: Terrain is the natural landscape and ground surfaces. Higher settings will increase the detail and overall quality. CPU - Moderate. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. Terrain Decoration Quality: Adjusts the appearance and detail of terrain elements like rocks, vegetation, and other environmental objects. Higher settings will increase the quality and density of the terrain elements. CPU - Moderate. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate. Visual Effects Quality: Adjusts the quality and detail of visual effects throughout the game. This includes particle effects, decals, and screen effects. Higher settings will result in higher quality effects. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Moderate.

Camera Effects

Depth of Field: The Depth of Field effect causes some elements of the scene to be in focus, and others to be out of focus. This effect is generally only used in cutscenes and conversations. CPU - Minor. GPU - Minor. VRAM - Minor. Depth of Field is only enabled in cinematic sequences. Vignette: The vignette creates a subtle darkening of the image towards the edges of the screen during cinematics and gameplay. This is generally used to enhance the atmosphere of scenes. CPU - Minor. GPU - Minor. VRAM - Minor. Motion Blur: Motion Blur slightly blurs fast-moving objects. This helps make motion appear smoother and more natural. CPU - Minor. GPU - Minor. VRAM - Minor. Post Processing Quality: Adjusts the overall quality of the post process effects above like depth of field, bloom and motion blur. Higher settings will result in higher quality effects. CPU - Minor. GPU - Moderate. VRAM - Minor. Field of View: Adjusts the field of view, which changes how much of the game world is visible during gameplay. A higher field of view allows you to see more of the game world. CPU - Major. GPU - Major. VRAM - Moderate.

[source]

[debangshu007]

What is The Goal of Chandrayaan 3? How Can it Get The Best Image Resolution of the Moon?

As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there has been no official announcement or information about Chandrayaan 3. Up to that point, Chandrayaan 2 was the latest lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). If there have been developments or announcements regarding Chandrayaan 3 after September 2021, I wouldn't have information about them.

However, I can provide you with information about Chandrayaan 2 and its goals, as well as some general principles about achieving high-resolution images of the Moon.

Chandrayaan 2 was launched to explore the southern pole of the Moon, study its mineral composition and topography, and search for water ice in the polar regions. It consisted of an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover named Pragyan. The orbiter was equipped with advanced scientific instruments to study the Moon's surface and atmosphere from orbit.

To achieve high-resolution images of the Moon, spacecraft like Chandrayaan 2 use specialized cameras and imaging systems. These systems typically rely on advanced optics, sensors, and onboard processing capabilities. The key factors that contribute to obtaining high-resolution images are:

Camera Quality: The quality of the camera's optics, sensors, and other components significantly influences the clarity and detail captured in the images. Advancements in camera technology play a crucial role in achieving high-resolution images.

Altitude and Orbit: The altitude and orbit of the spacecraft matter. Lower orbits provide higher resolution images due to their proximity to the lunar surface. However, a balance needs to be struck to avoid crashing into the Moon.

Lighting Conditions: The angle of sunlight can greatly affect the visibility of surface features. Images taken when the Sun is at a lower angle can reveal more topographical details due to the longer shadows cast by surface structures.

Image Processing: Onboard processing of images can enhance the details and remove noise, improving the overall quality of the images sent back to Earth.

Telemetry and Data Transmission: High-resolution images contain a significant amount of data. Efficient data compression and transmission methods are crucial to ensure that the images can be successfully sent back to Earth.

Stability and Calibration: The spacecraft must be stable and well-calibrated to prevent blurring or distortion during image capture.

Regarding your request for "controversial things," it's important to note that discussing controversial or sensitive topics without proper context and accuracy can lead to misunderstandings or misinformation. If you have any specific topic or angle you'd like to explorr!

upscale photo online, increase picture resolution, upscalepics,

[seyaryminamoto]

COMMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Hello, everyone! My circumstances are getting a little bit more complicated and it's been fairly tricky to find a job over the past year (aaand it's only going to get worse...), so it's time for me to fully, officially, reopen commissions. Some prices have increased since the last time I did this, mainly in the hopes that this reflects my improving skills a little better. Some options are quite costly (particularly the animations and comics) because they demand a ton more work than one might expect. Terms are also more strict than they used to be in order to ensure a more professional dynamic between myself and anyone who commissions me.

Send me a DM if you have a commission in mind, but first, make sure to read through the Read More. I want to expand on what's stated in the final picture to ensure better clarity on the terms of my services:

I'm open to working with any fandom or OC, be it one I'm familiar with or not. I'm also open to working with crossovers, as well as making book/fic/album covers, and even drawing real people as characters of a fandom of the commissioner's choice.

I am open to drawing ship/romance content but, tied directly to the next point...

I reserve the right to refuse any commissions that make me uncomfortable in any given way. This does not mean that everything besides my OTPs and the headcanons I support is guaranteed to be rejected, but it does mean that, if the behavior of the commissioner or the specific subject of the commission does not sit well with me, for any given reason, I will decline the commission. I won't work on something that squicks me, nor with someone who displeases me. No artist should.

Animals, mythological creatures, gore and +18 requests are fundamentally valid but must be discussed thoroughly first. None of these areas are my forte as an artist, as much as I've dabbled in them here and there, so, in order to get it right, I may need extra time and I will most likely modify the base price for any requests that includes these elements.

Payments will be done through PayPal or Wise. The final, full-resolution piece will not be delivered until full payment is completed. Half payment is expected at the start of the process, the second half at the end. The client is entitled to two revisions of the art process to ensure expectations are met. If a piece does not match your expectations after the revisions, the commission will be considered cancelled and you won't need to pay the second half of the expense. Any commissioner who wishes to pay upfront from the get-go does so at their own risk. Revisions are always included, but there will be no refunds if the final piece is not up to the commissioner's standards.

The commissioner is allowed to publish and share the commissioned work across social media, provided it follows the rules of each site (as in, don't post any +18 artworks on sites that do not allow it, pretty much). I can offer basic Glaze and Nightshade in order to protect the artwork from AI theft, to no added expense. Credit MUST be given to me as the artist whenever commissioned pieces are posted elsewhere.

For anyone who wants a list of fandoms I'm better acquainted with:

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Legend of Korra

Bleach

Digimon

Code Geass

Inuyasha

Dragon Ball

The Mentalist

The Dragon Prince

Disney

My Hero Academia

Dragon Age

Hades (Supergiant)

Cowboy Bebop

Hollow Knight

Star Wars

Ghibli Films

Overwatch

Full Metal Panic

Artemis Fowl

LOTR

Farscape

Haikyuu

Fullmetal Alchemist

Naruto

Stranger Things

Spy X Family

Kaguya-sama

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

Eragon

Thor

Harry Potter

Free!

ASOIAF

Shaman King

K-ON

Critical Role/Legend of Vox Machina

Dungeons and Dragons

Blue Eye Samurai

Arcane

Castlevania

Again, any fandom, character or OC is valid, but I'm far more likely to know what I'm doing and to have my own opinions, for better or for worse, when it comes to anything on this list.

If there are any further questions, feel free to DM me and we'll sort them out!

Thanks for reading so far, and I look forward to working with you!

[vroomvroomwee]

I think OFMD has a much much bigger impact than we realise.

Recently, there's indeed been an increase in diversity, especially with queer characters, in media. But it's always somehow along the lines of pushing a little bit just to test the waters, just enough so that people will think you're progressive, while not daring to anger the Conservative audience. Somehow, dancing on the line between inclusive and not diverging from the norm which creates a sort of compromise if you will, a product that doesn't give either side what it wants.

The people who are searching for themselves in these modern characters are left shallow, are left to settle with the barest minimum, inclusivity that's half-assed and not so much well intentioned as it is a cashgrab to lure you in.

And David Jenkins completely swerved around that. He decided he's not going to play that game of fetch with his fans. No no no. He went all out. No more pretense. No more selfishness and greed. And this next part that I'm going to mention is the point of the post.

David Jenkins cracked his audiences. He disected their brains and figured out their wants and wishes. These past couple decades, ever since franchises like POTC, Harry Potter, and Marvel came out, Hollywood has understood this notion where it believes people want to see quality rather than soul. That it wants to see big explosions and high-tech suits and resolution upped to the max. That might have been the case up to several years ago, but lately, with new audiences coming up, these things have changed.

Now that everything in the real world is continuously and relentlessly going to shit from every direction, with newer generations getting a picture of what's to come and wanting no part in it, losing hope every day, people don't really care about those things anymore. They don't care about how big your budget is or how oscar-worthy your movie is. They care about comfort. They care about safety. They care about love.

And David Jenkins realised that. He realised it much much sooner than some big studios are still failing to do. We all realise the show didn't have much of a budget, hell it doesn't even give a shit about historical accuracy or consistency. But what it did care about were realistic characters. Characters who have different personalities (unlike every new Marvel character lately), who are complex and nuanced, who have different body types, different genders, different nationalities, different races, different sexualities. Everyone is their own person. Everyone has a history and a reason for their actions. And not just that but the WAY David gave a giant fuck you to every queerbait show and movie was impressive and BOLD as fuck. He saw that game of playpretense and decided he didn't want any part in it. Because quite frankly, it's cruel. And by caring about his audiences he managed to take the entire world by storm

Finally, the world might realise what viewers are actually looking for. It's not millions and millions of dollars spent on making the most expensive and grand movie of the year. Its love. It's comfort. This man basically brought a new renaissance to film making. And I cencerely hope studios realise what this means (and also start paying their workers!!)

[simlicious]

Looking for Advent Calendar background image submissions from you!

For my annual Advent Calendar, I am looking once again for submissions! Create your most beautiful wintery landscape, cozy fireplace scene, Christmas Market spirit, or anything else that represents the coziness of the season to you! Keep in mind that people will likely see it several times, so maybe you want to focus on telling a story within the image or add little details that people can discover. But you do you! I very much appreciate your submissions! Thank you for helping me make my Adcant calendar extra special! Please read all of the terms and instructions before you submit! Thank you!

the scene should be either wintery, festive, or both

the scene can be futuristic, fantastic, historical, contemporary, whatever you like!

it should be made with/in the Sims 3 (you can also make a render if it is based on Sims 3 meshes)

Keep in mind that the doors will be placed onto the image and may partly obscure the image. Details at the edges of the image might get cut off, depending on the user's display settings.

the image should be 1920x1080 pixels or bigger (if you really want to submit but have a smaller resolution, talk to me, I'm sure we can work something out)

please make sure that you upload the image submission in a way that does not reduce the size or compress the image (the tumblr dm's will reduce it, so please upload it to a photo or file hoster.)

I will reserve the right to do some editing in terms of colors or lightness or maybe smooth out some jagged seams. I may also use an AI-based upscaler to increase its size to support more screen sizes.

You can edit the image yourself before you submit

If possible, please please turn on edge smoothing/antialiasing before you take screenshots, or use reshade to smooth the edges.

You can use Custom Content (even my own😋)

if I get several submissions, which I count on, I will do my best to divide the time justly so every picture gets equal "screen time". However, I cannot guarantee it.

please let me know how you want to be referred to in terms of credit. I will add your credit directly in the image so people know it is yours! If you want to use your blog handle, I will refer to it as @ tumblr, for example.

Please submit by November 28 if you can manage. I do accept late submissions under special circumstances, just talk to me :)

I will only use the images as a Calendar background, for nothing else

Please only submit images if you are okay with all the terms!

If you have any questions, let me know either in the comments of this post or in the dm's/tumblr chat.

[frances-baby-houseman]

I ran my 600th mile of the year today! (and my 601st, bc I cannot do math!)

In 2021, my one resolution was to run 365 miles in 365 days. I caught up to that in August and ended up with 447 for the year. Every year since, I haven't set a hard goal, but I've been steadily increasing my miles -- 447 in 2021, 543 in 2022, 610 in 2023, and I think I'll end up around 660 or 675 this year. I don't know how much more I could realistically get and that's ok! This is a lot of miles for some people, it is not a lot of miles for other people. For me, it is a lot of miles and I'm pretty proud of continuing to get out there more days than I don't, often in the pitch black or in the rain or snow, or in the world's smelliest LA Fitness. The vast majority of my miles are pretty easy-- 2/2.5 min slower than my 5k pace, and mostly accompanied by The Big Picture and PCHH podcasts or whatever white lady in peril audiobook I have going at the moment.

Anyway! 601 miles for the year so far! I just typed so fun instead of far and that is true, too!

[katrotica]

Here's the extraordinary Alejandra Guilmant from a picture I saw via @jesusmontanalll who I know is a big Alejandra fan. I just heard from him this morning via a different blog called @eddiessoulkitchen bc apparently his blog was tanked for being "sexually explicit". And like, ya? I guess so? I mean... I followed that blog for a long time, and sure, it has hot pictures of naked girls on it, which according to tumblr is sexually explicit, but of the allowed variety, as far as I understand. Tumblr has def gotten better lately, but it's still weird and broken and confusing. Anyways, I hope he gets his blog back bc it's great. It's where I saw this pic of Alejandra the first time, so this poster is for him. I thought I'd pretty much seen all the pics there were to be seen of Alejandra, but apparently not because this one was new to me. The original is even darker, and it was hard to find a high res version to make the poster—there's still a little bit of pixelation going on, but I did try a new thing in Photoshop that apparently uses some form of AI to increase the resolution of the photo (something not previously possible, unlike what the TV shows would have you believe: "Enhance that section of the picture ..." But it actually worked pretty well! That's the only AI I used for this poster tho. It's still the real Alejandra, as far as I know :) She sure is magnificent.

[evilwickedme]

(image description in alt text)

@wyf-of-bathe I actually love this question because it's definitely something I feel like doesn't really get addressed! I tried to answer it last night and my connection timed out just as I was saving the draft and it fucked off unfortunately, but let's give it another try.

Ok so important figured to know:

Obviously, President Biden, the current head of the USAmerican government

Also obviously, Bibi Netanyahu, the current prime minister of Israel, member of the war cabinet

Yoav Gallant, current Minister of Defense in Israel, member of the war cabinet

Benny Gantz, a minister without a portfolio, entered the government when the war started in order to join the war cabinet

Gadi Eisenkot, another minister without a portfolio of the same party as Gantz, also joined the government to join the war cabinet

Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, extreme right wing ministers (Minister of National Security and Finance Minister, respectively). Not in the war cabinet

There are other members of the Biden government that are in practice important to the relationship between Israel and the USA, but aren't important to general understanding of what's going on, so I won't name them

Same for members of the IDF

I'm going to try to paint a general picture of the development of relations between the Biden administration and Israel over the last seven months since October seventh. Considering I am a human being I might get certain dates wrong; please forgive me, I will try to be as accurate as possible.

October seventh, as I'm sure most people here know, is the start of this narrative. Following the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas and PLJ, with the attack on land happening in the Israeli south and the rockets reaching as far as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Netanya, leading to the deaths of 1200 people and kidnapping of 250 Israeli citizens, member of the IDF, and foreign workers, the majority of them women, children, and the elderly, Israel launched a counter offensive on Gaza. At the time worldwide sympathies were mostly on Israel's side, especially as the number of deaths and severe injuries rose as well as the brutal nature of the attack became clearer. The Biden administration immediately contacted the Israeli government assuring them they were on their side, and offering aid, including armaments. Biden even visits Israel, the first US president to do so during wartime. Biden personally meets with several families of hostages, especially those which are American citizens.

The US was also extremely involved in the process to achieve the first (and so far only) hostage deal/ceasire between Hamas and Israel in late November, alongside Qatar and Egypt. 112 people total were released during this deal in exchange for several days of ceasefire and humanitarian aid, but when Hamas insisted on returning dead bodies instead of live women and children as per the agreement, the ceasefire fell apart and the war resumed.

Following this the IDF attacks expanded from Gaza City to Khan Younis, at which point talks between Biden and Bibi were becoming increasing tense. While the US continued to support Israel in public and continued to veto various resolutions in the UN which did not call for the immediate return of the hostages alongside the end of the war, the phone calls between Biden and Bibi made it clear that the Israeli government had no clear plan for what is referred to as "the day after", and as the death toll in Gaza continued to rise and the majority of the population became refugees the American government became more and more concerned with the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Biden often ended up essentially chastasing Bibi for both of these, and asked Israel to come up with a plan for who will take control of the Gaza Strip following the end of the war, as well as putting particular emphasis on letting more humanitarian aid cross the border into Gaza.

Bibi and Gallant's relationship also becomes strained as they disagree on what the war efforts should look like, such as Gallant calling for entering Rafah, something that would ruin Bibi's relationship with the USA permanently at this point. Biden continuously asks for the IDF's plans to clear Rafah before attacking there and is unimpressed with the response.

A concurrent focus of the Israeli government as well as the families of the hostages was to get medication to the hostages, many of whom are known to have received grievous injuries on October seventh or who have conditions that require regular medication. Especially the elderly men, who at this point are about a third to half of the hostages still remaining in captivity. A mini deal is reached to bring in to Gaza a large amount of medication in exchange for Red Cross access as well as medication being given to the hostages. This access was not given, even though the medication did enter. Oddly enough, while obviously all the other intermediaries were involved, France was also involved in this one, and many summits since then have also taken place in Paris.

Following this the US abstaining rather than vetoing a UN resolution calling for ceasefire, as it while not conditioning it on the return of the hostages did still call for their return (hence not a veto, but also not voting for it). This was incredibly bad timing as just then Bibi was supposed to send a team to the US to explain and discuss the current war plans with the USAmerican, but this abstaining led to Bibi pulling the plug on that.

As this is happening, Bibi was calling for the war cabinet to convene less and less, and was sharing essentially no information with its members. The war efforts are still focused on Khan Younis, but frankly, the army is rapidly running out of things to do. Hostage deal negotiations are going nowhere. However the only reason Bibi even still has a government is because of Ben Gvir and Smotrich's presence, and they continually threaten a. to veto any hostage deal which involves the end of the war and b. to leave the government if the war is ended. Bibi puts extreme restrictions on the negotiating team, as well as constantly pulling them out. The relationship between Bibi and Biden continues to worsen, and the US continues to pressure for more and more aid to come in.

Then, without warning, Gantz gets on a plane to Washington. This is extremely unprecedented and frankly out of line, but ultimately in my opinion a good move; it temporarily improved relations between the US and Israel, as well as finally revealed the strained relationship that had been worsening for months to Gantz and Eisenkot, who had somehow (and this is frankly ridiculous, it was constantly on the news) completely missed how terrible this relationship had gotten.

Gantz and Eisenkot are constantly pushing forpre cabinet meetings, which Bibi does occasionally call. These debates are frustrating and circular. Biden continues to be disappointed with the lack of planning for Rafah and the day after, as Gallant continues to clarify that the IDF is ready to act on Rafah anytime, should Bibi actually decide to do so.

Things take another turn for the worse on Bibi's side when the US starts dropping aid and creating the harbor without consulting Israel. Meanwhile the US starts to put sanctions on Israeli citizens who commit acts of terror in the West Bank, and following what is actually a several year investigation, also against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a Haredi majority battalion known for committing acts of terror against Palestinians in the West Bank as well.

If this seems bad for Israel, it's because it is. As much as people on this website love to claim that Biden is "supporting a genocide", the truth is Biden is an old school diplomat. Israel is a long standing ally of the US, and the Trump style of making grand statements in front of crowds is considerably less effective than the constant pressure Biden is putting on Israel behind closed doors. This pressure is why the aid to Gaza is constantly increasing! No, it's not enough, but it is increasing. This pressure is also why until this week, following the sudden rockets shot at south Israel once more, Israel did not enter Rafah.

The current situation is more of the same. The US continues to be involved in the negotiations with Hamas for a hostage deal/ceasefire, which I detailed in a post a couple of days ago; their involvement is even more important now that Qatar has dropped out. Biden continues to pressure Israel to avoid activities in Rafah, and recently threatened to forbid the use of American weapons and armaments if it becomes more serious. There have been no new sanctions for a while, but I don't think the US would hesitate if that came up. The Biden administration, including both Kamala Harris and Biden himself, has started even criticizing the IDF on television!

What do I think is going to happen next? Personally I genuinely have no idea. Best case scenario, the current negotiations for a ceasefire/hostage deal succeed, and the IDF pulls out of Gaza, while somehow managing to replace Hamas as the people in charge in the Strip, followed by Bibi's resignation. This is not going to happen. The definitive victory Bibi keeps promising is not in reach, and if the IDF go for it without essentially emptying Rafah over the course of weeks or even months (currently a few hundred thousand out of 1.9 million (!) Gazans have fled to Khan Younis), the US is going to follow through on their threat and forbid the use of their armaments (the worst case scenario). The best case scenario that could actually happen is a hostage deal that leads to several months of ceasefire followed by a POSSIBLE cessation of the war, and Hamas continuing to control Gaza. The issue of who will take control of the Rafah crossing is also on the table, as Israel is interested in building a subterranean wall on the Egyptian border like the one that exists on the Israeli border. I suspect it'll be Egypt, which views the possible escape of Gazans into Egypt as a security threat; but this will probably lead to fucking riots in the street in Egypt, where public opinion is on the side of the Palestinians and often also pro Hamas, which will lead to the end of current Egyptian president el-Sisi's career.

Another issue I should have brought up and forgot to was the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which the US and Biden were overseeing before the start of the war. It was progressing really well til October seventh; while it is getting back on track, following October seventh and the way the Palestinian issue has been brought to the forefront, the normalization can no longer go through without Bibi giving lip service to the possible future of a Palestinian state, the two state solution that Biden believes in. Bibi will simply not do this. Even if he wasn't a right wing nut job would never do that, it would definitely guarantee Ben Gvir and Smotrich's exit from the government, and Bibi's government falling immediately.

I think I've covered the main points (in uh... So many words. Probably too many words.) I'm currently not taking any more questions on i/p, I'll let y'all know when the inbox is "open" so to speak. If this was helpful to you and you feel like supporting me, my ko-fi is linked in my bio.