#model!dan (sort of)

[dan-whoell]

If the apology vid IS making reference to the watcher apology then that makes me slightly more confident that whatever they're doing isn't going to be putting their content behind a paywall like what happened with them lol

tbh i cant imagine them ever putting ALL of their content behind a paywall, one off things like the WAD watch party or recordings of both stage shows (i think?? idk i havent actually seen them bc of the aforementioned paywalls) like that i understand. but all of it? i dont see it happening. i also dont think they make enough content to warrant a streaming service or something, which was one of the big criticisms of watcher. they also know their audience, so they know it just wouldn't go over well.

so yeah i really wouldn't worry too much about a paywall, it seems extremely unlikely to me

[novelmonger]

I wasn't expecting it to take this long, but after a million distractions, I'm back to going through the LotR audio commentaries and taking note of any interesting tidbits I haven't heard before.

Please enjoy my notes on the RotK design team commentary with Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, Grant Major, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, and Chris Hennah:

They had to make Deagol's ears out of waterproof gelatin rather than latex because he was going to fall in the water, and the normal latex ears would have come off. I guess they must have done the same any other time a Hobbit got submerged, but they didn't say that.

The fish that Gollum eats at the beginning is made from some kind of edible gelatin so he could actually bite into it. They also had another prop fish that wasn't edible that they gave Andy Serkis to keep at the end XD

The little stone hollow thing where Frodo and Sam are sleeping for their first scene in the movie was a set they built with a removable back wall so they could get a camera in to shoot it from the back as well as the front. Why did I never think of that before?

There were a couple of extra shots they needed of Orthanc in the background to finish up the movie, but they hadn't managed to get the footage from the miniatures (and I guess the miniatures were gone by that point? idk). So they took one of the model collectibles Weta had made and took some photos of it out in the parking lot XD

Whoooooaaaa! Okay, so Alan Lee talks about how, in legends, they say that you have to kill a wizard three times for him to stay dead. And Saruman dies "three times" - first he's stabbed, then he's impaled, then he's drowned. So Saruman is dead dead. Dare I say it? This is...I think this is a better death than the one in the book ._.

They even put carvings on the crossbeams underneath the seats of the chairs in Edoras! You are never ever going to see them, but that was their dedication to making everything feel authentic. That's what sets this apart from so many fantasy movies and shows made these days.

Red in the costumes is meant to suggest royalty. That's why Aragorn, Boromir, Theoden, and Theodred all have red in their costumes - as well as Bilbo and Frodo! You're meant to look at someone wearing red and unconsciously think, "there's something regal about them."

John Howe points out that you probably wouldn't ever reforge a sword like they do with Narsil, at least not in the sense of putting the pieces back together, because it wouldn't be as strong as it was originally. (You could melt it down and start over again, of course.) But, he reminds us, these are the Elves, and it's more of a symbolic thing anyway.

The great hall in Minas Tirith was inspired by Charlemagne's chapel (and Byzantine architecture was one of the main influences on the design of Gondor in general).

The statue of the king in Ithilien was made out of polystyrene, which you would think would be pretty light, but it was so huge it was actually very heavy. They had to transport it to the location in three pieces: the base, the body, and the head. And to lift one on top of each other, they had to rig a sort of pulley system over the limb of a tree, using a four-wheel drive truck to pull it. But they discovered that the first truck wasn't getting enough traction, so they hooked a second truck up to it, and ended up pulling the first truck up into the air along with the statue!

They created fourteen new weapons just to put in the background of the armory in the scene where the Witch-King is getting ready for battle @_@

John Howe said that his inspiration for Minas Morgul was...getting his wisdom teeth pulled??? He describes a metal clamp digging into the perfectly healthy enamel of his tooth to pull it out, and draws a parallel to the metal pieces the orcs fitted to the top of the pristine white parapets, staining and violating them. Um...thanks, I could've done without that visual, John.

I can't believe I never thought about this before, but there's a little wooden roof over the pile of wood for the beacon that Pippin lights. The reasoning behind that is you need some kind of cover to keep the wood more or less dry for when it needs to be lit in an emergency. The beacon will burn away the wooden roof, but it can be replaced easily enough, and it's worth it to be able to quickly light the beacon.

A lot of the saddles they used were ordered from the Indian military, because they had a good, old-fashioned sort of look to them. Then they would add onto the saddles with things that would make them look distinctly Rohirric, rather than Indian.

Alan Lee's daughter worked on some of the figures in the doors of Minas Tirith!

John Howe goes off on this whole tangent about how there's no religion or religious structures in Middle-Earth, and why that might be, but the whole time I was just sitting there going, "...have you never read The Silmarillion????"

Because they had to make over a hundred suits of Gondorian armor, other than the hero suits, they couldn't make each one exactly the right size for the man who would wear it, so the casting department had to only get actors within a certain range of size. They also built the suits of armor with sliding pieces, so they could be somewhat fitted to different sizes.

The horses started out as being part of the art department's responsibility, but as time went on, there were just so many horses they had to keep track of (and the various liveries they would have to be fitted out with) that they had to make a separate horse department to oversee it all.

Because so much of the movie was filmed on-location, in some very remote locations, they had to make a sort of caravan of mobile repair stations that they could take with them. They had all the tools and crew necessary on hand wherever they went so they could repair broken props or ripped costumes, reapply makeup for gore and injuries, take nicks out of the edge of weapons.... It was really like moving an army around!

For the dream where the Evenstar breaks, they made a version of it that was five times bigger than normal, out of a very brittle resin. Then they made an oversized section of the floor and dropped it from a great height so it would completely shatter in a dramatic way like that.

Anduril was John Howe's design. He based it on a sword belonging to a friend of his in Germany, which to him is the ideal sword, the most beautiful sword. He also talked a bit about how Men were taller and bigger in the First and Second Ages, so their swords would have been longer.

John Howe: "Why do people criticize Tolkien for not developing his characters sufficiently? I cannot fathom that kind of criticism. I think it's done by people who don't read between the lines."

Richard Taylor said they had a lot of fun gathering up all the skulls after each take in the Paths of the Dead to put back up at the top so they could be poured down again. Apparently Viggo liked to gather them up and try to throw them at the crew members! "Many hours of skullduggery was to be had," as Richard put it XD

Apparently, they'd made dozens of really finely detailed silicone heads to be lobbed over the wall of Minas Tirith, but then all but one of them were stolen! So they had to quickly put together some crude latex ones to use in the shoot instead (one of which the mayor of Wellington threw). They didn't talk about this, but I'm assuming the one good head that was left is the one that gets a close-up. You have to wonder who out there was sitting around with a bunch of highly realistic latex severed heads in his basement or something....

While most of the siege towers are miniatures or CG, they built the top third of one and put it on tracks so they could move it up against the wall. They built the set with breakable ramparts for when the little drawbridge thing crashes down.

They had the same trouble in Minas Tirith that they did in Helm's Deep, with the battering ram being too heavy for the stunties to lift. But they never actually explained how they got around that problem, if it was the same solution or not :/ All they said was that they had replaceable panels in the doors, in case they were damaged by the battering ram.

In order to make Shelob's webs, they had to heat up two polymers and mix them together to make the stringy, sticky material. In order to mix them, they had to be heated up to 220 degrees C, but if they got up to 228 degrees, they would burst into flame @_@ After they were heated and mixed, they would dribble the mixture on top of a vat of water, where it would cool in spiderweb-like shapes. Then they would lift it out on a frame, and they could carefully place it on the set. One time, the polymers did burst into flame, and they were running out of fire extinguishers to put it out! O.O Eventually, they did call the fire department, who said they'd done everything the fire department would have done. They got the fire put out, but it was a nerve-wracking moment, because the room where they were making the webs was connected to the studio, so it could have been disastrous D:

Bernard Shaw apparently got the idea to do that whole bit where he knocks his sword against the row of spears when he saw the collection of spears all lined up in a row in the art department.

The "oil" that Denethor pours over himself and Faramir is a mixture of glycerin and water. (I always wonder about these things, so I'm really glad they mentioned it.)

When they were filming the pyre scene, they had a silicone dummy for Faramir on the burning pyre. Apparently somebody on the crew brought "David Wenham" a cup of coffee over because they thought he'd fallen asleep on the side of the set, only to discover that it was a dummy! XD

The horse rig they made for close-up work of people on horseback got affectionately nicknamed "the Phony Pony." The first day they brought it on set, Peter Jackson got up on it and "rode" the horse, making the whole crew laugh XD

One of the ideas that Peter Jackson came up with for the mumakil in a brainstorming session (which Richard Taylor says he's still not sure if PJ was serious about or not) was that they could suck up several riders in its trunk and then fire them out like bullets. I'm...really glad they didn't go with that, whether PJ was serious or not <_<

Alan Lee says that the first time he saw the dead mumakil that Weta made for the set, the body was hollow, and some of the crew had set up a TV inside it and were watching a rugby game XD

The last miniature they built for LotR was the Minas Tirith docks where the Corsair ships come in. It kept getting put off until almost the end of the shoot, so they only had five days to put it together! @_@

All of the dead horses are fake, of course, so Weta had to make them all. They were made of lightweight material, so each day you'd see the set dressers just kind of casually carrying in a whole dead horse and then picking one up from the battlefield afterwards like it's no big deal. They had to do a lot of repairs to the dead horses, because the legs and ears kept falling off or getting bent the wrong way XD

The stone Watchers in Cirith Ungol have Maori influence in their design. I wish they'd talked about that in more detail, but it was just mentioned in passing.

They were concerned about the various copies of the One Ring being stolen, so they kept it in a lunchbox that was labeled "Screws."

The scene where Frodo and Sam join the orc convoy was filmed on location up on a mountain, so they had to deal with a whole bunch of extras in extensive prosthetics and armor, which would make them sweat while they were moving around, but then when the camera wasn't rolling, it would be a challenge to keep them warm. The way they did most of the orcs was that they wore a rubber mask and then a helmet, and they would need to take them off at regular intervals so the actors could get some air. So in between takes, after the director called, "Cut!" there would also be a cry of, "Heads off!" That meant the dressers would have to rush into the crowd and quickly take off the extras' helmets and masks XD

Because the crew was committed to not damaging any of the flora and fauna in the places where they were filming, even in the location that became the plains of Mordor that Frodo and Sam struggle across, there were little flowers and moss that they wanted to protect (and it was a national park). So they would lay down carpets on the ground for people to walk on, so they wouldn't damage the plant life. I'm sure that made for a strange sight, Frodo and Sam struggling in tattered clothing over rocks and boulders, surrounded by perfectly ordinary rugs XD

To do the decapitation of the Mouth of Sauron, they had a headless dummy sitting there, and Viggo would swipe his sword where the head should be. Then Weta Digital put in the head afterwards.

The lava in Mount Doom was mostly a miniature (except for the set where Sean and Elijah did their part), made from methyl cellulose and other things to make it look like lava. They set it up on a table that they would tilt so it would flow down around the model boulders made from urethane.

Richard Taylor said that, at that time, no one had really done a very good CG bird, so he was especially pleased at how the eagles turned out.

There were about 400 people working in the art department total, and most of them had never worked in the film industry before! @_@

Ngila Dickson's philosophy for the Elves was that none of their "crowns" or headpieces would go upwards, but would fit close around their heads and then go down. That's one of those things I've subconsciously noticed all these years, but never really thought about before.

Apparently, a little bit of the graphite used on Aragorn's armor in the coronation scene kind of puffed out when he and Arwen go in for their kiss, and got on Arwen's dress D: And some well-meaning person tried to rub it off, but only succeeded in spreading it around further, thus ruining the dress. And most of the female characters only had one copy of each costume, because all except for Eowyn don't see battle and thus don't need different versions with varying amounts of wear and tear. They're just made to wear in one or two scenes of them looking pretty and walking through a room. But alas, that lovely green dress was ruined.

They didn't have much time with Sir Ian Holm, so they only had a week to get a mold of his face and make the old-age prosthetics for the Grey Havens. But then word came down that he didn't want to have prosthetics, so they were to just make him look old with makeup. They were really disappointed, but then on the day, Ian Holm saw the prosthetics sitting off in the corner and asked what it was. When they explained, he said it wasn't true, and insisted on them putting the prosthetics on instead.

One thing that was really impressed upon me during this whole commentary (over all three movies) was just how much love and joy all of the crew had for the project. Sometimes you watch a movie or read a book that really means a lot to you, that's changed your life, and you wonder if the people who made it fully grasp what a beautiful thing they've created. These people know. They were fully aware, from start to finish, that they were making something truly great and worthy of praise. And I think that's beautiful.

[scuderiahalf]

Smth smth abt teen dad Daniel Ricciardo like Gilmore Girls teen parent, had you when he was way too young. Loves you unconditionally, would do literally anything for you but is probably less mature than you to be completely honest

There are definitely areas in which he’s lacking but at the end of the day, you love your dad just as much as he loves you. Sure, your nonna and grandpa Joe were/are a huge part of your life and support system but it was always you and dad against the world

He’d go away for work and races but he would always come back to you as soon as he could. You are always his number one. Nothing and nobody will ever outrank you on his priority list

With you in his life, he never really dated. Being who he is, there were rumors every so often of him being involved with whatever model of the week that he happened to stand too close to at whatever event (and maybe he did have a bit of fun behind the scenes but nothing serious. No one that he would ever bring home to you)

Side note: Scotty James is your godfather so Chloe Stroll is sort of your step-godmother n they both adore you, jokingly call you their "trial child" before they had thier first. (Your "approval" of Chloe was actually really important for Scotty because in any important way, you're family. He helped raise you, you're basically his kid too tho Dan will fight him if he says that out loud)

He was very middle ground on you getting into karting. He didn’t force you, he also didn’t forbid you. He’d told himself that if you asked him to do karting, he’d support you but he’d never make you do it

Anyway you’re a national champion at like 13 then a couple years later you're "like world champ or wtv it’s no biggie," or so your father /sarc told the first interviewer to ask him abt it after a video of him freaking tf out like running in circles and jumping up n down at the world championship when you won was circulating social medias

You get into F1 after he left and despite the shit show that was his departure from the sport, he would show up for you all the time at races, wearing whatever team's merch you were signed to. "Ricciardos (plural) in the paddock" became a thing when you were racing in F3 in the 2024 season and it makes the fans melt bc it's just so cute

I'm just imagining him pretending to be your bodyguard all dumb and goofy-like keeping other drivers and your staff back like "please step back ma'am don't crowd the talent" lmao him pushing your teammate back and them playing along "y/n! y/n, I'm your biggest fan! please!" That's a viral TikTok right there lol your social media team would capital L Love your dad

He is 100% you're biggest fan. No one's doing it like him when it comes to supporting you. There are compilations of him talking about you whenever the opportunity presents itself and he gets ribbed abt it all the time but it does nothing to dull his overflowing adoration for his kid

[happy74827]

The Way You Kiss Me

[Travis "Trapper" Beasley x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: He’s called “Trapper” for a reason.

WC: 1443

Category: Fluff, Lime/Spice

I would say this is a fan service… but, truthfully, I couldn’t help myself. This is a service to myself LMFAO (enjoy the gif of Dan in The Guest since GxK is still fresh in theaters. I cannot wait for this movie to come out in hd quality 🤭)

『••✎••』

Trapper was a bit of a wildcard, in your opinion. You'd known him since your teenage years and had been the one to give him his name. He'd always been a bit of a recluse, even back then. The man was more comfortable around animals than he was with people. The compassion he had for the four-legged beasts was something you had always admired. It was his love of nature and the wild that had drawn you in; you'd never been able to pinpoint why.

That had been over ten years ago, but it felt like no time had passed. You had gone to school, became what you always dreamed of, and moved back to your hometown.

And, of course, it was only inevitable that Trapper would have trapped you.

It hadn't happened right away.

No, it had started slow, like a creeping fog. You didn't even notice it until you found yourself missing the smell of his cologne and his walkman that he still carried around everywhere.

“Yeah, luv, not everywhere's got Wi-Fi, you know?” He would always say, and the thick Australian accent would make your heart flutter.

He was kind, gentle, and a bit goofy. He could sing like a dream (not really, he was quite awful) and was the best vet in the whole world, or at least in your mind. He was utterly perfect on the inside.

And the outside? Well, a pure accident had gotten you two together.

You'd gone into his office, just like every other time, to borrow another of his rare records. Usually, he was there to let you in, but when he wasn't, you were thankful he kept a spare key under the mat.

The office had been quiet, and as you walked through the small space, you frowned, knowing that he never missed a day, even when he was sick.

Turns out your suspicion was right.

His water got cut off, so he swung by the office to shower, and well, you'd gotten to him before he'd managed to change. So, there you were, in your scrubs and lab coat, walking in on him fresh from a shower, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

It had been an awkward encounter, to say the least.

Trapper was not a big guy. Sure, he had broad shoulders and was decently strong, but his height was on the shorter side, and his muscles were more toned than they were bulky. He was handsome in his own way, and that was one thing you'd always liked. He didn't look like a bodybuilder or some sort of model. He looked like a normal man.

But the moment you saw him standing there, dripping wet and looking a bit shocked, it was like a switch flipped. Your knees felt weak, and the butterflies that had made their homes in your stomach started flapping their wings, making you feel all flustered and a bit embarrassed.

It made it worse when you realized he had his Walkman hanging around his neck. Dude couldn’t even make it a day without his favorite tunes.

And the fact that you had his favorite record clutched in your arms wasn’t helping.

You were the first to speak.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in like this; I was just-."

He cut you off.

"Ah, yeah, forgot to call, didn't I? Water got shut off this morning, thought I'd shower here." He looked around. "Sorry 'bout the mess. Didn't know you were coming by today."

The towel was slipping. You could see his hip bones. You tried to look away, but you couldn't help it. He had such a nice body, and you'd never even noticed it until then.

You shook your head.

"It's fine. I, um, was just looking for one of your records; I didn't mean to."

He raised his hands.

“Settle down, sweetheart, don't get yourself worked up. No harm done."

It was only then that he seemed to realize what was happening. His eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. Sorry, I can just..."

"No, no, it's fine. Go ahead."

It was then that he noticed the album you had clutched to your chest. A smile spread across his face, and he gave you a knowing look.

"Fleetwood Mac… again? How many times is this now? Four?"

You flushed.

"I told you, they're my favorite."

He smiled and shook his head.

"You're lucky I don’t mind sharing. Come on, let's see which one it is."

As he took the album from you, his hand brushed yours, and you couldn't help the jolt that went up your arm.

He didn't seem to notice, thankfully, and instead flipped open the case.

"Ah, Rumours. My personal favorite."

Your heart was racing. You could hear your blood in your ears, and all you could think about was how good he looked in a towel.

He looked up and met your gaze. His lips twitched upwards.

"Welp,” He closed the case and handed it back to you. “Go ahead. It's all yours."

He stepped past you and walked to his office, leaving a trail of water behind him. You stood there, unable to move, just staring after him, the record still held tight to your chest.

"Hey, Traps?" You called.

He appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"What’re you listening to?"

He grinned and held up his Walkman.

“Toto. I was feeling a bit… nostalgic."

You couldn't help the laugh that came from your lips.

"Of course you are."

His grin was contagious, and he disappeared back into his office, leaving you standing there, feeling like a teenage girl with her first crush. Except the crush didn’t stay a crush for long.

You forget what happened initially, but one minute, you were holding the record out in the hallway; the next minute, you were on the couch in his office, the record discarded on the floor, and his lips were on yours.

You weren’t really sure who had kissed who first, but you had been surprised at his actions, and he had pulled away quickly.

The break was short-lived, and the next thing you knew, you were both making out, his freshly picked out plaid pullover discarded somewhere, and your hands buried in his hair, tugging at the ashy blonde locks as he peppered kisses all along your neck.

His skin was soft, and you could tell he put lotion on. His hair smelled like the shampoo he used, and his breath smelled like coffee and mint.

He had a bit of scruff on his cheeks, and you could feel the hairs brush against your skin. Ticklish, but in a good way.

He had strong hands, and they were running along your sides, pulling your hips against his, and the pressure was enough to make you moan into his mouth.

Nothing further had happened that day. It was his workplace, after all. It's one of the things he actually took seriously. But that didn’t stop you two from doing things in his office on the weekends.

Like now, for instance.

He had you pressed up against the door, his mouth working along your jaw and down your neck, his hands running over your back.

Your head was swimming. You couldn’t think straight. The only thing you could process was him: his touch, his smell, his voice.

You felt him push a leg between yours, and you ground yourself against him.

The groan that rumbled in his chest had you shivering, and you reached for him, fingers grabbing for purchase on his shirt.

He was a sight to behold. Hair mussed from your fingers, lips red and swollen, eyes darkened by lust.

His Walkman was never too far, and as his lips moved back up to meet yours, his hands were fiddling with the buttons. Honestly, it was a miracle he could still find the music while being preoccupied.

The sounds of the first few notes of the song had you smiling.

He pulled away and grinned, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"A fan of this one?"

You didn't answer.

Instead, you took his hand and twirled him, pulling him against you, chests pressed together.

His laughter rang in your ears, and the next thing you knew, you were swaying back and forth, cheek resting against his chest, his chin resting atop your head.

For a little while, you forgot about everything: no work, no big apes or lizards, no giant monsters or crazy scientists.

There was no need for them. Not now.

You were trapped in his arms, and you had no plans of breaking free.

[itsbenedict]

Did anyone else play Cluefinders as a kid? They were these edutainment point-and-click adventures, sort of... Indiana Jones by way of Scooby-Doo? These were my jam back in the day, and I went back to them to see how they held up.

And the answer is... uh, there's a surprising range of quality!

Basic Cluefinders knowledge:

The Cluefinders are a group of mystery-solving teens, who, uh. It's not entirely clear how they find clients, but they're apparently world-renowned for it.

Joni, the redhead with the glasses, is the leader. She is spunky and belligerent and likes to punch problems until they're not problems.

Owen, the green shirt kid, is Shaggy. He talks in surfer dude slang and likes to eat. He's just Shaggy.

Leslie is Velma. Just Velma. That's kind of it. She uses big words and knows about science and things.

Santiago is also there. He has a phone? I think his trait is that he has a phone.

Laptrap is the mascot character and the game's menu. He is a hovering robot turtle thingy. His job is to be scared of things and complain about them. Both entirely reasonable reactions to the things that are happening! He is nonetheless treated as an embarrassing wet blanket and deserves better.

3rd Grade is weirdly the best one, I think? And the first one they made, indicating that the budget dried up at some point. It's this kind of mystery about an evil dragon that's been terrorizing a magic jungle full of living plants and talking monkeys and stuff, and it's got like 20 different educational minigames that teach and test various skills. The writing is like, very stupid and for-kids, but not offensively so. It all comes together with a twist villain that they foreshadow pretty well over the course of the game.

And there's musical numbers!

Fun stuff! I was kind of surprised by how well it held up. The others... did not, as much.

The fourth grade one is... bad. It has this structure where there's just four minigames, and you have to do them over and over and over and over again to get enough "Cairoglyphs" to proceed. Proceed how? An old man decrypts them and tells you clues. What clues? Don't even worry about it. Once you get enough of those, we switch to a second phase of the game that's also doing four minigames over and over and over again, this time to get gems to get past way too many doors in an ancient temple. It drags things out so much.

And the rest of it is... truly bizarre. Everyone's drawn totally off-model. It's narrated by a talking dog with a Brooklyn accent who's treated like a core member of the group despite never showing up again, and concerns... uh, a plot by an evil egyptologist to resurrect Set and take over the world? Maybe? It's very weird and loosely-sketched. Like... nothing connects.

The badguy is a comically extreme Dan Backslide ne'er-do-well, and he's the only part of the game that's any fun. I love him. He does not have a motive. He does not have a reason to kidnap "the professor" who the player's stated goal is to save. The professor appears to only exist for this guy to gloat to about how evil he is to. He dies almost immediately upon realizing his ultimate ambition when the evil god he resurrects predictably fails to recognize the authority of his summoner. Could not be more stereotypical, but the voice actor is clearly having the time of his life and the energy is infectious.

The rest, though... The Cluefinders' connection to this kidnapped professor is something it has no interest in describing, apparently banking on the audience's willingness to accept that they must just be walking in on an episode of a show whose background was established earlier (it wasn't).

It's hard to even describe how silly the climax of this one is. You... collect gemstones from talking mice on behalf of a sinister cat, who lets you into a temple where various ancient Egyptian gods congratulate you on being so smart and give you entirely useless superpowers.

Joni gets "bravery" (a costume change, she was already brave), Leslie gets "intelligence" (a costume change, she was already the Smart One), Owen gets flight (a costume change, useful precisely Never for any of the puzzles that involve finding a way to cross over a pit), and Santiago gets "strength" (a costume change, useful precisely never for any of the puzzles that involve finding a way past a heavy stone door). Then, in short order, you arrive at the villain's lair somehow, too late to stop his evil plan! But then, you do anyway! By, uh...

...you, um... it all happens in a cutscene, and I couldn't follow the mechanics of it at all, but there was some kind of mechanism in the temple? And they had Santiago lift up some pillars? And this somehow resulted in Set falling into a bottomless pit and that's the end?

I... I dunno, man. I dunno what happened here.

The 5th Grade one is pretty wild. There's like, a floating island that eats people? It collects castaways from across various time periods, somehow, and shlorps them down into some bottomless pits that appear out of nowhere, and you gotta figure out what's up.

The writing is like... weirdly... I wouldn't call it good, but the writers put their actual-writer hats on for it. There's one minigame that's like a reading comprehension thing, where there's all these lore journal entries from various survivors ruminating on their situation (and they're broken up into paragraphs and scrambled so you have to put them in the right order for the entry to make sense), and you get this kind of background on the culture clash of castaways from different time periods banding together to avoid being eaten by the island (and ultimately failing).

Gameplay's pretty bad, though. 3rd Grade had 20 different minigames, 4th Grade generously had 13, and this one's got eight. In terms of reusing content by making you do the same thing over and over to bypass arbitrary obstacles, it's one of the worst offenders.

There is this guy, though:

There's a minigame where... god, it's such an off-the-wall justification for the minigame, but- it's a geography minigame about reading maps and stuff. There'll be various cities or states or countries on a map, and you start at one and need to reach another target one, and you have a bunch of rules written down like "don't pass through Illinois" or "you must cross the Mississippi river twice", and then use a limited number of options to chart a path from point A to point B that satisfies all the conditions. Kind of fun, honestly.

But this guy- the fluff for it is that he's the notorious Cryptile Thief. He stole everyone's cryptiles, and to keep them safe, he threw them into, uh...

...this small grove of piranha plants. He knows how to get them back, because he knows some safe paths through the evil flytrap cluster, somehow. But he wrote down his paths in code, basically, in the form of those constrained maps. No explanation is given for how he mapped real-world geography problems to flytrap-safe loot routes, but supposedly it Just Works. Problem is, he got locked up by the villagers for stealing everyone's cryptiles, and can't get out.

(No, it is not explained why in the world the villagers had a bunch of cryptiles and why they valued them or what he was trying to accomplish by stealing them.)

But then while he was in the stocks the ground opened up and slowly devoured all the other villagers one by one, including the ones with the fucking key, so unless someone goes and saves them, he'll be stuck here forever. It's kind of grim! It's unclear how the time-warping aspect works, and how long this guy's actually been here. Is he immortal and he's been here for three hundred years, or did all this happen yesterday? He acts like it was yesterday, but there's also a crazy old man castaway who acts like it's been decades at least.

Anyway, 6th Grade was, if I recall correctly, about an underground army of sentient mutant plants plotting an invasion of the surface world, but this was apparently when they discovered 3D graphics and did a lot of experimental bullshit under the hood that no longer works on modern computers. It kept crashing on room transitions when it was trying to do fancy 3D effects. Womp womp.

The only other one of these I played (besides some sort of... weird day planner software that wasn't really a game) was Math Adventures, which I remember being my favorite as a kid but I couldn't tell you why. It was based around this logic cube thing, where- after completing minigames for villagers- you'd get clues that would let you eliminate possible culprits, until you got down to one and could corner them.

Culprits of what? There's this remote Himalayan village where the village's treasures have all been mysteriously stolen. Somehow the Cluefinders get wind of this and go to solve it, and then... you play eight minigames over and over again.

Structurally, it's very weird. You corner the culprit, and invariably it's one of the minigame host NPCs who just says "okay, yes, I took this thing and hid it here, but it's because I was being threatened by the yeti! So we're cool, right?" and then the village chief goes yeah, "we're cool, we're not going to have you face any consequences for this." (If they went to jail, how could you play their minigame fifteen more times?) Repeat, yes, fifteen times, until you've recovered all eight treasures. Yes. There's duplicates of these priceless unique treasures, for no apparent reason. I think they designed it around eight and then decided to double it to pad it out???

Some of the minigames are cool and challenging, like the one where ice blocks fall from a conveyor belt and you have to form them into valid math equations. Others are...

...a really shoddily-implemented breakout clone where you have to catch numbers to solve equations, but the game can only handle three numbers onscreen at once so actually being good at breakout is actively disadvantageous because breaking too many blocks at once just makes it harder to hit blocks later. Or... uh... the second one there, where, um... these blobs of purple goo with numbers on them come down a track, and you need to shoot them at these shelves to splat the right numbers into place based on the graph to the left. It gets insanely hard later in the game, because there'll be three rows of shelves and three graphs and the graphs will stop conveniently locking to the marked numbers so you have to try and eyeball whether that line on the line graph which bends between 20 and 30 is doing so at 26 or 27. If you ever get one wrong you instafail and have to reset. Ugh.

(Why is this happening in a library? What are we accomplishing? How does any of it help this woman remember a clue to the mystery? Not one second of thought is spared for these questions.)

Anyway the ultimate culprit was the only NPC who doesn't have a minigame and only shows up in the opening cutscene to loudly blame the stolen treasures on the yeti and insist that everyone give up on finding them. This was not even surprising to me when I was eleven years old. Very lame.

I never had any of the rest of them! I'm kinda curious to play them and see what I was missing, even though I kind of don't expect any of them to have been good.

Anyone else remember these things? Or know what was going on with the one with the scary clown rollercoaster or the evil toy store?

[bakurapika]

I feel kind of silly for having only just realized that a big part of why Dipper is so excited to be around Ford 24/7 is that Dipper's main character flaw (as explored in episodes, not like my opinion of him) involves struggling with masculinity. Like, wanting to be taken seriously by Stan and in general (because he's seen by himself and others as a weakling - see the fight with Robbie, the pancake test), wanting to be treated like an adult (his insecurity about his voice, his kitten sneezes, any time he tries to talk about the mysteries of GF, the Pioneer Day adventure connecting conspiracies = Serious and not silly), wanting to get with Wendy (helpfully explained in-text as explicitly about his age, which Dipper internalizes - see that bit with the flowers in Mabeland), him wanting to be technically-a-teen (Summerween, but also referenced at their birthday party) and I'm sure I'm missing more.

All of these issues are things that Dipper identifies as connected to his manhood or lack thereof. Maturity, masculinity, becoming a teenager, getting respect, are all sort of equivalent for him.

Stan has been a (questionably lol) positive male role model for him throughout the summer, but also defines manliness in terms of conflict. Dipper's learned from this (left hook, Stan saying he was manly by standing up to the manotaurs) but has more often been isolated by it (often references Stan and Mabel both making fun of him for nerdy shit).

So Ford suddenly being there - he's not just The Fixation Point of Dipper's special interest, but is easily the manliest dude on the show (other than Manly Dan). Deep voice, commanding presence, always seems to know what's going on, goes adventuring on the daily. But he's also, in personality and in his interests, so much like Dipper.

So I think I need to start interpreting Dipper's relationship with Ford at least partially in the context of "this is the first time I have seen my traits reflected so positively in a male role model," where Ford isn't masculine in spite of his nerd shit but because of it.

[antimatterz]

how to get a boyfriend 101

dan heng x gn!reader

summary: your crush on dan heng is getting out of hand. to take matters into your own hands, you order your own copy of the popular book how to get a boyfriend 101. that should just do the trick, right?

cw: humor, fluff, friends to lovers, modern au

content under the cut | masterlist

"are you sure this is going to work?" march asked hesitantly, looking slightly worried as you held your new book as if it was the holy bible itself.

you nodded vigorously. this was it, your solace to all your problems. the much-praised book how to get a boyfriend 101. it was immensely popular for a reason, right? it was bound to let you succeed.

okay, you weren't all that convinced, but you would continue this act until you came to believe yourself as much as you pretended to do. and hey, right now your massive crush on your classmate was just existing. you weren't doing anything about it, which had to change. it wouldn't hurt to use the help of a book, would it? you couldn't figure it out on your own and you weren't sure if march's advice really suited you – you lacked the courage to be direct.

"this book is going to be my savior," you proclaimed. "watch me, dan heng will be head over heels for me soon."

"if you say so," your best friend mumbled, obviously doubtful of the entire ordeal. "i don't get why you don't just tell him. he's been our friend for ages."

"i'm not brave enough to do that," you shook your head. "i'm doing it more discreetly, following the advices in this book."

march gave in with a sigh. it was pretty clear she wouldn't be able to change your mind. you were dead set on following the path brought to you by the book, and there was only one way to find out how this would end. you flipped it open, skipping the introduction pages and going straight towards the tips. the minutes following were filled with ohs and ahs as you let your eyes wander over the pages, diligently taking in all the information.

"this is gonna be easy," you concluded. "it's as clear as night and day. all i have to do is follow these simple steps and... and... you get the gist."

today was sunday, and tomorrow would not only be the start of a new week of school, but it would also be the beginning of your big project. you were brimming with confidence and excitement, and more than ready to make dan heng fall for you.

but it wasn't all that easy.

the next day, you found yourself hiding behind the door of your locker with the book in your hands. you were doing some sort of final revision, all while playing countless scenarios in your head. most of them went well, but the ones that went utterly wrong made you incredibly nervous.

"it's not too late to back out," march remarked casually.

but you shook your head. you weren't going to back out. if any, you were going for it. your silly crush on dan heng had lasted long enough, it was time to do something about it.

"dan heng incoming at two o'clock," march whispered, before she patted your shoulder and mingled with the crowd in the hallways. it was clear that she had no desire to witness what was about to happen.

you felt a rush of panic as you looked up, only to find dan heng approaching his locker – that was conveniently next to yours. he was effortlessly handsome in his school uniform, wearing it like a model on the runway. his raven hair was slightly messy and his grey eyes serious as he was nearing you. quickly, you hid the book in your locker and slammed the door shut.

"h-hi, dan heng," you greeted him. you smiled awkwardly, making it painfully obvious that you were likely up to something.

"y/n," he greeted you back, expression stoic.

mentally you were swooning, but you scolded yourself and tried to remember any of the tips you revised not even a minute ago. uhm, what was it again? your mind had turned into jelly the moment you saw dan heng, and you forgot all the things the book had tried to teach you.

the male was rummaging through his locker, and it wouldn't be long until he had gathered his books and would leave his locker. you had to act now.

1. show interest in his life.

it shot through your mind right on time, as dan heng was about to leave. you grabbed the sleeve of his uniform blazer in a rush, and he gave you a confused look. suddenly you realized what you were doing, and quickly let go. a mad blush crept up your cheeks, and you apologized profusely.

"i'm sorry," you piped. "i just wanted to ask how your weekend has been?"

dan heng straightened his sleeve, looking a little lost after your completely random question. but then he flicked your forehead softly, shaking his head.

"we literally hung out this saturday," he replied.

"i know, i know," you quickly said. "i'm talking about the rest of your weekend. you know, the part where we didn't see each other."

"you know, homework and stuff," he shrugged. "class starts in five minutes, so i have to go. you should hurry, too."

with those words he walked off, leaving you standing there. your mind ran over the past minute, and you wondered, did that count as a success or as a failure? you had no idea, but dan heng was right. you had to hurry if you wanted to make it in time.

2. be around him

"what if he thinks you're stalking him?" march asked skeptically. she handed you the book and folded her arms. "this doesn't sound like a great idea."

you hesitated. what if your best friend was right? you didn't want to creep him out or make him uncomfortable, nor did you want to scare him off and chase him away. what if he would think of you as a total weirdo? this step was a little unclear and risky, you realized.

"i'll just be subtle about it," you promised, even though it was directed more to yourself than to march.

and so you did – or tried, at least.

you sat a little closer to him during your lunch break, barely noticable but enough to have your heart working double hours. you made sure to say hi to him every time you ran into him in the hallways between classes, and whenever the two of you shared a class you secured the seat next to him. it was not good for your poor heart, but it had to be done. you even accompanied him on his way home, even though you lived in the opposite direction – which earned you a confused look from the male, but alas.

3. dress to impress

well, that one stressed you out quite a bit. on school days there wasn't much you could do, since it was very limited what you could do when it was required to wear uniforms. but now the weekend rolled around again, and you forced your best friend to come over to help you pick out clothes for a so-called study date in the library with the one and only dan heng. you did that quite often, but today was different, you knew it.

"what about this?" march suggested, taking your favorite shirt from your closet. she tossed it over to you, and you held it up in front of you. no, that was not it. dan heng had seen you wearing it so often already, how was it supposed to impress him?

"i want to try something new," you stated, diving into a section of your wardrobe that held a wide array of untouched clothes. there was a reason you didn't wear them, as you realized when you took them out of the closet.

but desperate times called for desperate measurements. you just had to suck it up and wear them. hesitantly, you combined a few items that looked decent together and tried them on. oh, you felt weird in what you were wearing, but still showed it to your best friend.

much to your surprise, march showed a hint of enthusiasm for the first time since you started your project. she gave you a thumbs-up.

"that looks awesome, y/n!" she chimed.

her excitement brought you a little confidence, and thus you went out wearing your new outfit. when you met with dan heng outside of the library, his eyes widened slightly as his gaze landed on you. he took in your appearance, as if he had to do a double-take. was that a good sign? you had no idea.

for what remained of your study date, his eyes were on you more often than on his textbook. you felt awfully self-aware because of that, and you too couldn't focus on your work. it was a very unproductive afternoon, but at least you grabbed his attention, right?

later that day, when you called march to update her on how it went, she wasn't too sure what it meant, either. both of you agreed that it wasn't like dan heng to stare so obviously, but whether it was a good or bad sigh? neither of you knew.

4. show your sexy side.

"i have an amazing idea," you exclaimed, fanning your cheeks as embarrassment flared them.

"oh god, what is it," march asked, nervous to hear what you had in mind regarding this particular step.

"let's skip this one," you firmly said, and your best friend exhaled in relief.

5. hold eye contact for a few seconds longer

"can we skip this one too?" you pleaded, but march resolutely shook her head.

"this one actually sounds like it makes sense," she reasoned. "hold his gaze, magically convey your feelings, stare into his beautiful, dreamy orbs."

you pretended to gag as she spoke those last words, but didn't go against it. just, how were you going to survive that without combusting on the spot? you weren't sure if you could handle this particular step. heck, you already went up in flames when dan heng shot you a simple look. there was no way you could successfully do this.

yet, you tried.

you sat opposite of him during lunch break, and you felt the weight of the book in your bag. it was taunting you, and you gave in.

dan heng mentioned something about your english homework, and you just so happened to catch his gaze.

hold it, hold it, you told yourself. your silently looked into his grey irises, and it wasn't the first time you realized how beautiful his eyes were. quiet, solemn, full of mystery. you found yourself getting lost in them, but dan heng didn't look away, either. only when you were a minute into it, you shot awake, realizing you were overdoing it. a few seconds longer, the book told you. heck, you basically engaged in a staring competition with him.

heat rose to your cheeks and you quickly averted your gaze. from the corner of your eyes you found dan heng looking at you weirdly, and march pinched the bridge of her nose.

you should've skipped this step.

6. remember what he shares.

"so this basically means i have to remember what he talks about, right?" you mused, closing the book. easy peasy, you already did. your brain had a special slot for things dan heng told you.

that day you caught him in the hallway as he made his way to your usual lunch break spot. you greeted him with a smile, and he acknowledged your presence with a curt nodm

you racked your brain, trying to think of anything dan heng mentioned in the past few weeks. thing is, he doesn't share a lot, so the memories were sparce. a weird silence hung between the two of you, filled with only the chatters of the students around you. but then you remembered something, and you lit up.

"how did your family dog's surgery go?" you asked.

dan heng shot you a look of surprise.

"you remembered?" he reacted, taken-aback. then his expression lightened. "it went well, he's all better now. it was a minor surgery, but i was quite nervous regardless."

"of course i remembered," you chimed. "i'm glad to hear that, give him some belly rubs from me when you get home, okay?"

the beginning of a smile formed on his lips, as he gave you a nod.

"will do."

you smiled back, though it held a different reason. that actually went well! wait, this was the first step you didn't mess up, wasn't it? you knew this book would come in handy!

7. touch him.

"uhm, what?" you questioned with a frown.

"not like that, silly," march laughed. "just, touch his shoulder, place a hand on his arm when you laugh at his jokes. stuff like that."

"dan heng doesn't make jokes," you reminded your best friend.

"you get what i mean, though," the girl said. "it means that you have to show very small, almost invisible signs of affection to let him know you're interested in him."

"but i don't want him to know!" you countered.

"then what's the whole point of this?" march asked, giving you a dumbfounded look. "isn't the idea that he catches onto your feelings and makes a move?"

"i mean, yes, but–" you began.

"don't chicken out, y/n," your best friend encourages you. "you've spent money on this book and you already came this far."

"you're right," you sighed.

and thus, you followed this step, too.

you started off hesitantly, fingertips grazing the air without any conviction of actually touching him. but that wouldn't make the cut, you knew that very well. so you stepped up your game. you placed a hand on his shoulder as you tried to catch up with him in the hallways, you occasionally touched his arm to draw his eyes towards you in a conversation, you sometimes let your hands touch accidentally in the most cunning ways. the longer it went on, the better you became. you were actually kind of proud of yourself. and the best part? dan heng never moved away from your touch!

8. be yourself.

that was probably the most complicated one so far. sure, it sounded easy enough, but what exactly did you have to do? yes, be yourself, but what was that?

you stared at the text on the page, but it didn't really clear up the issue. frankly, you had no idea what to do when the book told you to be yourself. what exactly was being yourself? you were seriously puzzled.

"hi y/n, what are you reading?" a voice called out to you from behind. much to your horror, it was a voice that was all too familiar, and never before did you shut a book so rapidly.

sadly, closing the book revealed the front of the cover, which had the book's title on full display. you realized your mistake too late, and by the time you noticed, dan heng had already read the words.

"how to get a boyfriend one-o-one?" he said aloud, raising a brow. he gazed at you intently, as if he tried to figure out what was going on inside your mind. "can i see?"

you were obviously panic-stricken, that much wasn't hard to see. and dan heng, on his turn, was obviously suspicious of your behavior and the book you were reading.

it was pointless to hide the book behind your back and pretend nothing was there. so you gave in, handing the book to the male while you tried not to perish on the spot. you quickly averted your gaze, staring somewhere far away from the situation while you scolded yourself for reading this stupid book at school. why did you do that?!

you heard the sound of pages rustling, and you wanted nothing but to evaporate and disappear. you weren't ready for this. he would be so weirded out, he would judge you so hard. oh, you royally screwed up, and you weren't sure if this could be fixed.

"so this is why you've been acting so strange lately," the male remarked. "you were following instructions from a book that would get you a boyfriend. on me."

"i-i can explain," you stuttered. man, you felt embarrassed to the core. now you had to confess your feelings in the worst way possible. while you had tried to be subtle, you blew your own cover.

"you don't need to explain anything," dan heng shook his head as he took a seat next to you. "look, y/n, you don't need the help of a book to get my attention. you were doing perfectly fine on your own."

you were wallowing in self-pity and barely comprehended the words he spoke. by the time the meaning dawned upon you, a good minute had passed. you gazed up, finally mustering the courage to look at him directly. did that mean...?

as if he could read your mind, dan heng nodded.

"i've started liking you way before you started using tips from that book," he confessed, a smile appearing on his lips. "though, i must say it was very entertaining to see you act like that."

this wasn't how you expected things to go, but god, you weren't complaining. your heart was soaring in your chest upon his words. well, the book kind of still worked, right? because dan heng saw what you were scheming, he chose to confess his feelings to you.

your crush confessed his feelings to you!

"couldn't you have told me before i started acting like a fool?" you laughed sheepishly, even though you had no regrets. after all, it had been sort of fun in a way. it surely came with a lot of humor, and apparently, dan heng had found it entertaining just as much.

minutes ago, you had failed to understand what exactly the book meant by being yourself, but now you realized you had been doing exactly that all along before you started following the book. dan heng liked you for you, and wasn't that the greatest thing ever?

[sdfgderp]

a/n: i personally believe dan heng is capable of not shutting up if he's talking about a special interest, like planes or stoichiometry or fuck even differential calculus, but i'm too dumb to write that basic calculus is already too much </3 i feel like he's the type to lecture his s/o or a friend about physics all of a sudden ANYWAY here's my take on that!!! i find these kind of dudes cute tbh

dan heng x gn! reader as always xoxo

cw: infodumping, sort of smart reader, reader is smitten, dan heng notices none of this, pining

—

"...so, this one goes here and you distribute this one, resulting in a balanced equation."

dan heng scribbles away in a sheet of paper, spinning the pencil he was holding. "but personally, i think this other way to balance this equation is better when you consider the materials available. this other one..."

dan heng's finger travels across the page, pointing at an equation written with a pencil. his words wrap around your head. he does make sense. yes he did, his explanation was something you knew about. in fact, you wrote the equation he was glazing over. you didn't have the heart to point that out, he was happily explaining his amazement.

"...imagine this equation considered in making this chemical. not only would it lessen the need for heat, we could use this substance as a catalyst instead."

"mhm."

dan heng pauses to look at you before going on into another ramble.

"speaking of which, earth aircrafts such as the..."

now you've lost him. this was a topic beyond you. did that stop you from listening? no. his voice kept you. you nodded every time he stopped, trying your best to comprehend what he rambled on about. dan heng wasn’t entirely boring, in fact, the topics he talks about are very interesting. usually, if welt had some stuff to do, he turned to you to ask for your opinions on a topic he’s interested in. aeons, a planet’s machinery, the calendar of a civilization on a planet near its star, anything he could tell welt fell on you.

“…see here. the plane’s front is similar to a creature in that planet known for its speed, which is similar to this train they have on this planet…”

in and out his words ran through your head. some words flew in, some facts flew right out as they entered. if it weren’t for how cute he looked despite his normally deadpan face, you wouldn’t have been distracted. if not for his face softening from his usual stare, the plane models he spewed out could’ve stuck to your head. curious, you wonder what he puts on his lips to be that smooth…

…

why are you distracted?

“hm? is there something on my mouth?”

you snap out of it and see dan heng’s eyes looking into yours. he looks… very different— his eyes look different. the usual bored teal eyes held enthusiasm, telling you how much he likes talking about whatever he’s talking about. nothing’s changed about his face, but whatever expression he showed with his eyes, it changed it tremendously. so much, your nails dug marks into your palm, containing the cuteness aggression you held for him at the moment. at this point, you wanted to tackle him down and bite his cheek.

“no, just curious,” you answer. “do you drink a lot of water?” now why did you just say that, you completely snitched on yourself you were looking at his lips…

“no, just the normal amount.” dan heng tilts his head a little, wondering why you asked that. he seemed to have caught on to your hint, although not in the way you wanted thought it to be. “i put on a thin layer of lip balm on my lips at night though, especially when we go to colder planets. why, do you want to have one? we could have bought more at penacony.”

“oh, no need, i have my own,” you assure him. dan heng stares at you, suspicious, before letting the topic go and going off with his explanation.

“…okay. so, as i was saying earlier, the design makes it easier to cut through wind resistance…”

you give yourself a pat on the back for dissolving the issue. you did like dan heng, yes. you liked dan heng that way too, yes. maybe it was cowardice, maybe it was the thought of making it awkward, you never showed it outright. hopefully it seems that way for him too. your affection lies hidden so he’d be able to grace paragraphs of his opinions on you whenever he felt like it. though you wish that someday, he’ll catch on to why you always hear him out. not because you’re curious (well you are curious on what he’ll say, he’s quite knowledgeable), but because seeing him look happy talking about a topic he likes stirs your heart. that because dan heng stirs your heart.

dan heng keeps talking about planes… i should give him the magazine i have from earth someday, you thought, your head already skipping months ahead while dan heng continues to talk your ear off.

“…which explains this physics formula…”

[scifigeneration]

Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would power them isn’t easy

by Dan Kotlyar, Associate Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology

NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade – but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip.

This relatively long transit time is a result of the use of traditional chemical rocket fuel. An alternative technology to the chemically propelled rockets the agency develops now is called nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses nuclear fission and could one day power a rocket that makes the trip in just half the time.

Nuclear fission involves harvesting the incredible amount of energy released when an atom is split by a neutron. This reaction is known as a fission reaction. Fission technology is well established in power generation and nuclear-powered submarines, and its application to drive or power a rocket could one day give NASA a faster, more powerful alternative to chemically driven rockets.

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are jointly developing NTP technology. They plan to deploy and demonstrate the capabilities of a prototype system in space in 2027 – potentially making it one of the first of its kind to be built and operated by the U.S.

Nuclear thermal propulsion could also one day power maneuverable space platforms that would protect American satellites in and beyond Earth’s orbit. But the technology is still in development.

I am an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology whose research group builds models and simulations to improve and optimize designs for nuclear thermal propulsion systems. My hope and passion is to assist in designing the nuclear thermal propulsion engine that will take a crewed mission to Mars.

Nuclear versus chemical propulsion

Conventional chemical propulsion systems use a chemical reaction involving a light propellant, such as hydrogen, and an oxidizer. When mixed together, these two ignite, which results in propellant exiting the nozzle very quickly to propel the rocket.

These systems do not require any sort of ignition system, so they’re reliable. But these rockets must carry oxygen with them into space, which can weigh them down. Unlike chemical propulsion systems, nuclear thermal propulsion systems rely on nuclear fission reactions to heat the propellant that is then expelled from the nozzle to create the driving force or thrust.

In many fission reactions, researchers send a neutron toward a lighter isotope of uranium, uranium-235. The uranium absorbs the neutron, creating uranium-236. The uranium-236 then splits into two fragments – the fission products – and the reaction emits some assorted particles.

More than 400 nuclear power reactors in operation around the world currently use nuclear fission technology. The majority of these nuclear power reactors in operation are light water reactors. These fission reactors use water to slow down the neutrons and to absorb and transfer heat. The water can create steam directly in the core or in a steam generator, which drives a turbine to produce electricity.

Nuclear thermal propulsion systems operate in a similar way, but they use a different nuclear fuel that has more uranium-235. They also operate at a much higher temperature, which makes them extremely powerful and compact. Nuclear thermal propulsion systems have about 10 times more power density than a traditional light water reactor.

Nuclear propulsion could have a leg up on chemical propulsion for a few reasons.

Nuclear propulsion would expel propellant from the engine’s nozzle very quickly, generating high thrust. This high thrust allows the rocket to accelerate faster.

These systems also have a high specific impulse. Specific impulse measures how efficiently the propellant is used to generate thrust. Nuclear thermal propulsion systems have roughly twice the specific impulse of chemical rockets, which means they could cut the travel time by a factor of 2.

Nuclear thermal propulsion history

For decades, the U.S. government has funded the development of nuclear thermal propulsion technology. Between 1955 and 1973, programs at NASA, General Electric and Argonne National Laboratories produced and ground-tested 20 nuclear thermal propulsion engines.

But these pre-1973 designs relied on highly enriched uranium fuel. This fuel is no longer used because of its proliferation dangers, or dangers that have to do with the spread of nuclear material and technology.

The Global Threat Reduction Initiative, launched by the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration, aims to convert many of the research reactors employing highly enriched uranium fuel to high-assay, low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel.

High-assay, low- enriched uranium fuel has less material capable of undergoing a fission reaction, compared with highly enriched uranium fuel. So, the rockets needs to have more HALEU fuel loaded on, which makes the engine heavier. To solve this issue, researchers are looking into special materials that would use fuel more efficiently in these reactors.

NASA and the DARPA’s Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO, program intends to use this high-assay, low-enriched uranium fuel in its nuclear thermal propulsion engine. The program plans to launch its rocket in 2027.

As part of the DRACO program, the aerospace company Lockheed Martin has partnered with BWX Technologies to develop the reactor and fuel designs.

The nuclear thermal propulsion engines in development by these groups will need to comply with specific performance and safety standards. They’ll need to have a core that can operate for the duration of the mission and perform the necessary maneuvers for a fast trip to Mars.

Ideally, the engine should be able to produce high specific impulse, while also satisfying the high thrust and low engine mass requirements.

Ongoing research

Before engineers can design an engine that satisfies all these standards, they need to start with models and simulations. These models help researchers, such as those in my group, understand how the engine would handle starting up and shutting down. These are operations that require quick, massive temperature and pressure changes.

The nuclear thermal propulsion engine will differ from all existing fission power systems, so engineers will need to build software tools that work with this new engine.

My group designs and analyzes nuclear thermal propulsion reactors using models. We model these complex reactor systems to see how things such as temperature changes may affect the reactor and the rocket’s safety. But simulating these effects can take a lot of expensive computing power.

We’ve been working to develop new computational tools that model how these reactors act while they’re starting up and operated without using as much computing power.

My colleagues and I hope this research can one day help develop models that could autonomously control the rocket.

[blossoms-phan]

hi! :P here’s some dnp related questions

what’s a niche/less popular comfort video for you?

favourite outfits or pieces of clothing for both of them?

if you got to style them for a day what would you choose for them to wear?

what’s your favourite piece of merch EVER!!!

what game do you want them to play in 2025?

did you have any tit predictions and were they right?

<3

what a wonderful array of questions!! ty yaz :3

oh gosh okay i have SO many comfort videos but my go to answer is jurassic putt golf with friends, always. ik gwf is a popular series but SPECIFICALLY this one i claim it the banter in it is art. to me

a surprise to no one, i love the cherry blossoms merch SO much and would do literally anything to be able to find/own it today. it was so cute!! the pastel colours!!

i also LOVED these hoodies!! once again i am a pink girlie and would love to have that one so much

ik you asked for "piece" of merch but i am unable to pick one thing ever so honourable mentions to: the ii marble hexagon shirt, dan eclipse shirt, and phil "the future is bright" blanket

ooh okay idk much about what is ever cool and happening in the gaming world anymore the board/card games on the channel this year have been so fun and i hope we get more of those but i also LOVE watching them play like. actual games so much lmao ik they keep sweaty logging-hundreds of hours games to play in their own time but tbh my favourite series to watch from other youtubers back in the day were always for until dawn and outlast and like i don't see it happening but at the same time i would LOVE an entire series for either of them (and there’s actually a new outlast game)

nothing crazy tbh but i did find an old ask where i said something about audience participation that changes from show to show which did end up being true! (role model and confessions) and also i quote "i hope their stage outfits are cunty as hell or that there's some sort of costume change" BOOM SHAKA LAKAAAAA i actually do not remember saying that but i have never been wrong in my life they ARE cunty and there IS a fun costume change,,, wöw

you will notice i have not answered the fashion questions and THERE IS A REASON i love both those questions so much i love yapping about them and fashion and this will get way too long if i do it here so im gonna make a special separate post for them!! but ty so much for taking the time to submit these :3 <3333

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Pre-Relationship Masterlist

a new blue (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: the build up to when dan meets phil, and dan is questioning his sexuality

Am i in your will yet? (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: The events immediately before and after the gym fiasco as told by Dan Howell.

as if the earth's reserved for you and i (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil visit the Sky Bar in Manchester during their first in-person meeting, where they further realize the depth of their feelings and make the most of their time together.

crush (ao3) - lesthowells

Summary: The silence drifts on and only now does it spike a rush of unbearable awkwardness. Dan wants to disconnect the call, make himself disappear, run out of the house, out of his own body.

Dan’s inconveniences will always lead to warm hugs (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan gets his period, and Phil attempts to help him with a little hug :)

Don't you feel it? (ao3) - chilirocket

Summary: Dan was invited to a get together only knowing the hostess, his friend Louise. He was nervous and felt awkward amongst the older guests. But who would’ve thought that all it took to break the ice were bikes and some loud reggaeton?

Keep Me Warm (ao3) - BlueJellyTots

Summary: Dan and Phil share a hotel room.

Lavender Tree (ao3) - js71

Summary: Different first meeting, post-society's collapse, but hopeful and sweet, with a little bit of angst.

let the walls break down (ao3) - manchestereye (orphan_account)

Summary: uni fucks dan over and he doesn't know what to do. fortunately, phil is there to help.

like you see through me (ao3) - phanetixs

Summary: “Yeah,” Phil says, lovesick. He can’t contain it sometimes, the way his love for Dan fills him up and spills out in a puddle around his limbs. There isn’t enough space in his body to feel this much - Phil isn’t prepared.

Or, a conversation ten years ago.

Out of My League (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan thinks Phil is out of his league.

Sleepwalking (ao3) - GabbyGums

Summary: Dan and Phil are both prone to sleepwalking, and that means some things just happen during the night.

so damn pretty (ao3) - silentdescant

Summary: They’ve got a sort of partnership.

It mostly consists of Dan looking beautiful and Phil snapping photos while trying to keep his drool inside his mouth and therefore unnoticeable.

The Devil Wears...Pastels? (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan's model cancels last minute.

Luckily the cute security guard is there to step in...

The Idea of Us (ao3) - churchboy

Summary: OR.. "The five times Phil shut down the idea of a relationship and the one time he didn't."

the undisclosed desires in your heart (ao3) - shutuprat (flannelking)

Summary: He is almost entirely sure that he is falling head over heels in love with Phil. And that is scary.

up and up (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: it's early 2009. phil lester is a 22 year old who is single and has casual sex with one of friends. then one day a boy named dan comes along and things begin to change.

You're All my Reasons (ao3) - QueenKatelynTheAristocrat

Summary: "Phil wished he could think of the right thing to say. It would be nice if at times like this his English Language degree knowledge would kick in and provide him with the words to make Dan understand that he could tell Phil anything, that there was nothing he could say that would scare Phil away, but alas."

In which Dan's depression doesn't allow him to leave his room for two days, and Phil struggles to find the words, but what comes to realize is that maybe words aren't always necessary.

[pinesfamilyguidetotheweird]

A Corduroy Tragedy

So...I was reading a tumblr post focused on Wendy (and the Wendip ship, which...I still don't care for, honestly. I mostly read it for the Wendy lore) and I came across something interesting.

And its from the Lost Legends comic. Like Journal 3, it too has hidden messages and I wanted to get mine so I can verify what was said in the post.

I don't have it immediately available at the moment (I left it in my mom's room and she's asleep, so I don't want to disturb her), but according to the post, the message had something to do with Wendy's mother.

And it's that she isn't die at some point, like many of us probably assumed (under the assumption that not everyone is privy to this).

The message hinted that she's trapped in another dimension. Sort of like Ford, but not really. Like, I don't think she's dimension hopping. She's trapped in one place. Perhaps this could give the idea that there are random portals/rifts than can appear and disappear.

And Wendy's mother accidentally encountered one and vanished without a trace. As for when...hard to say. Obviously, it was some time after the birth of Wendy's youngest brother, Gus.

We also don't know the ages of the Corduroy bros (except for being less than 15, since Wendy's the oldest child) and Marcus having facial hair surprisingly wouldn't help in this case because it could be a Corduroy thing, sort like how Wendy's height is a Corduroy trait.

Still, I'll take the facial hair for consideration just to make things easy. Of course, facial hair starts appearing during puberty, usually at the age of 13~16 (though some sources say 11~15 for facial hair growing at the corners).

So, I'd make the guessimate that Marcus (the oldest brother) is probably either 14 or 13 years old. The middle brother, Kevin, I'd say could be 3 years younger (11 or 10), and the youngest brother, Gus, is maybe 8.

I personally headcanon that Wendy lost her mother at around the same age as Dipper and Mabel. That headcanon remains true even with this new knowledge. Maybe Mrs. Corduroy went looking for something or went for a walk in the woods and fell through a random rift.

She gets reported missing and despite an extensive search, she was never found. It made no sense to the locals. Mrs. Corduroy knew the woods like the back of her hand, she couldn't've gotten lost. I can kinda see this as a reference to 411 cases.

And, perhaps, an incredible role model to Wendy.

Because...with a family like the Corduroys, I highly doubt that Mama Corduroy was a pansy. No, she was a down-to-earth and strong-willed woman with a sharp wit. She was an inspiration.

And now, she is gone. Vanished without a trace. It left the family devastated and Wendy in a bad headspace. There is a scene with Manly Dan's vehicle where there is a yellow ribbon sticker attached to the back...yeah.

To this day, Wendy still holds out hope that her mom will come back. And when she does, ask why. Even so, she knows that she's gonna have to move on.

This is...somehow more tragic than just having Mrs. Corduroy die in an accident. Because, at least with that, there is confirmation. There is a body. There isn't uncertainty. But, the idea that Mrs. Corduroy just...vanished?

It has a special type of hold...one that will linger for a long time.

Whelp, more angst fodder! Have at it!

...It's 11 pm and I should be asleep, but instead, I wrote this!

Yaaaay...

I am suffering a bit and I am taking y'all down with me.

[meraki-yao]

I dont remember who said this before but theres this interview where the lead actor said something like sometimes when acting you cant help but to develop feelings towards your co stars during filming period as in the crush is always there but the question is to act on it or not after filming ended. I have few pairs in my mind who *probably* developed feelings and not act on it. And TN *cough* are in that list too like the chemistry is a bit too real

... okay, here's my honest thought on this. Because truthfully, I think about this from time to time.

Again, deals with real-person shipping, if you disagree with it or are uncomfortable with the subject, please leave and don't read under the cut. If you read it and come yelling at me, I'll just delete it. I mean I warned you.

I've heard about that, and as someone who really enjoys learning about acting both in practice and theory, I think it's ... sort of inevitable at times. You're playing someone else, you're living another life, sometimes lines get blurred. It depends on the actors and their method, but yeah. I completely understand the idea or tendency to actually develop feelings.

And with Taylor and Nick's sheer amount of amazing chemistry on and off screen, not gonna lie, it's fairly reasonable to suspect and they belong in that case as well.

But on my part, there's this one thing that makes me confused and nervous about this:

Taylor and Nick's dynamic and trajectory are jarringly similar to one of my other ships and one of the only two rps ships that I genuinely believed in (the other one was Dan and Phil). I won't name them because there's... a lot of complicated shit happening in that fandom, but I'll simplify the name to JZ. (it's Chinese btw, and it's two men)

And the thing is, JZ were also co-stars playing a couple on-screen and had great chemistry both on and off-screen, so people were finding "candies" of them left right and centre.

BUT THEN, on the very last day of the promo period of their show, during an accidental live stream, THEY WERE CAUGHT WEARING MATCHING WEDDING RINGS. I DON'T THINK THERE'S A PLATONIC EXPLANATION FOR THAT. (this and this, it's a very distinct shape, we call it the hex nut)

And the sad thing is because they're in China, if they were truly together, they can't come out without completely ruining their careers. And then more drama happened that I don't want to get into because it's too big of a topic and someone on here definitely summarized the issue better, but either way, due to circumstances, they literally cannot be seen together. It's not a matter of choosing not to be seen; due to the aforementioned drama, they don't have a choice at all.

But EVEN THEN, and it's been 2.5 years since the drama, THEY'RE STILL DROPPING CANDY. AND SEEMINGLY DELIBERATELY, AND THAT'S AS GOOD AS COMING OUT IN THE SOCIETY THEY'RE IN.

When I say there are similarities and parallels between TN and JZ, I mean it, holy shit.

I could make a whole list on it, but I'm not entirely comfortable with posting that at the moment, so I'll just name a few:

Nick and Z both started their acting careers in musicals

Taylor and J are distinctly puppy-coded

Taylor and J didn't take the acting school route: they studied something else in school and started modelling before acting

Both sets get very hyped when with each other

The wedding band thing is sort of in the same category of candy as the Cartier watch I mentioned before (oh and btw a follow-up on the Cartier watch candy will be in my next TN candies post)

Both sets were accused of having no chemistry upon casting and during shooting, but as soon as the project aired and people actually watched their performance, everyone acknowledged that their chemistry was exceptional

Taylor is... protective? caring? adoring? the Chinese word is 寵 toward Nick (see the GQ quiz and Taylor giddily giving Nick hints) J is the same way towards Z (I might remember this wrong, it's been two years, but I think in a game show J also gave Z hints or sort of let him win or something)

Taylor turning toward Nick with his arm slung over the back of Nick's chair during the GQ editorial after Nick talked about his broken ankle vs J paying extra attention and making sure that Z never puts extra weight on his knee that he unfortunately permanently damaged

... yeah I'll leave it at that for now.

Can you see how this is driving me insane? Like, what the fuck? I've seen this pattern once before!

Like if it weren't for this, before I saw the parallels, I really kind of thought they were really good friends. And I still stand by that.

But then this comes up?????

Ultimately I truly do mean what I said before: I only care that the boys have a good relationship, what's the nature of that relationship, none of my business, I don't really mind. That's theirs to define and disclose if they want to.

But upon seeing the parallel, in my head, the scale went from to leaning towards the platonic side to the middle of the spectrum.

That being said, I need to reiterate this: ultimately this is all speculation done in good fun. I will never harass the boys or treat anything about their personal life as fact unless it comes from them. Their personal lives are ultimately their own, no one else is in a position to dig into it.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

ok prepare for v sleepy tit thoughts lol (contains spoilers lol)

Ok so right off the bat the venue was utter shite... plymouth pavilions need to sort out their shit tbh i already mentioned how the line was INSANELY large & took probs like 35 mins to get thru which is ridiculous like not all the seats were even filled and yet they seemed so overwhelmed by the amount of people !? Like brother in my brother of sister daniel you fucking sold those tickets !?!?

2nd frustrating venue thing was they didn't allow u to bring water in & like yeh i should have checked before hand but like they wouldn't even let me bring in my empty bottle (thankfully loads of other people left theirs outside so I just put mine there) & there wasn't even like any obvious place to get a glass of water from (the whole venue was a fucking maze it was v confusing)

& cos of those 2 things I went into the show with a generally shitty mood (not helped by me being tired cos I did a lot of travelling & general stressing today)

Amd all of that to say that I'm ready to think that a lot of my immediate takeaway from the show was influenced (ha!) by this cos... guys I was sorta kinda disappointed? OK not rly disappointed that's too strong a term, but just like...idk... I can't think of any other term pfft

Like dont get me wrong it was super fun! I loved a lot of the segments (boxing one was brilliant lol, I wish the confessions one had gone on for longer just so we had more of the MAJESTY of sister Daniel (legit had a kinda holy experience seeing her irl ngl), role model/alternative versions of dnp was a rly fun bit too, loved the ending song ofc, Phil! Just phil being phil! Like words can't describe how legit amazing (ha!) That man is fr (Dan is great too of COURSE and his energy was SO good!), also in general the look of it was rly great! In general honestly I had a blast! So many funny moments (ohh special mention to the whole CUM CUM CUM thing I legit cried w/ laughter lol)

But I think some of my criticism are ... it didn't feel as coherent as a show as we're all doomed (which I saw live) or tatinof (which I have only seen in that vid where they reacted to it lol) (I'm less familiar w/ interactive introverts so maybe tit is more like that idk?) Like narrative wise it was all over the place lol? The initial doll segment was fun until it dragged a bit (felt kinda like the good place time knife meme like yehyeh the 2nd London apartment that was actually 2 we all know about that), some of the audience shouting out segments also felt a bit a bit repetitive (also as someone not in the bottom part of the theatre it wasn't as if they'd hear any of us so it felt redundant to try shouting... also also I don't like shouting lol)

I also think the emotional through line wasn't as strong as wad.. like I did love phil's lil solo part (tho the light was shining directly in my eyes so I could actually see him saying it pfft) & in general ofc loved thr message of community & how as much as I think for a lot of us dnp helped us through a lot of shit, we've helped them through a lot of shit (& sometimes caused the shit lol) like that is lovely & beautiful ofc

But idk... I think maybe the problem was I went expecting a lot more emotional stuff or maybe just like more of a narrative but like idrk if the whole terrible influence thing played that big a role in the general show... so it was mostly just fun & silly which is fine in itself but maybe I just set my expectations to the wrong setting lol???

Idk... I also yhink that maybe im just a different type of phan than a lot of the other people at the show and maybe not the specific phan it was catered for... I've never rly necessarily found that I connected specifically to the phandom community... like idk maybe I've always just kinda been on the edge of it ? Like I didn't even used to blog about them that much until the last few yrs ? Idk these are just rambling incoherent thoughts that make no sense honestly I just wish I'd gone with my sister... I think going to shows alone is fine but also it's always better to share it w/ someone... anyway im going w/ her to see lana in the summer so that should make up for this god this post is a mESS lol I hope no one is reading it

Oh and final nitpick: the pre show music wasn't as good as wad lol... like granted i mightve missed some stuff but there was a lot of rly weird music that I'd never heard before that all sounded rly new and tiktoky and like don't get me wrong I am a HUGE pop fan (obv lol i lovr kpop after all) but idk it didn't feel super dnp to me...like where was the muse? Did they play muse and I missed it? I did like that they played toxic tho lol classic)

I do also wanna apologise to the girl sitting next to me she probs thought I was an utter grouch lol it wasnt u it was me I'm just awkward and tired and pissed off and my data wasn't loading tumblr so I couldn't even distract myself lol..

(There was a Straight Boyfriend on my other side who spent a lot of the show with his arms crossed lol... he did laugh occasionally tho pfft)

But yeh all in all..... I hada good time! It was definitely worth seeing, they're both so good at performing and riffing with the audience & just funny and beautiful ofc like it was a total PLEASURe (phleasure) to see them in their element but I think my own expectations and shitty mood got in the way of me truly vibing with it as much as I had hoped...

[toa-archive]

Oozing a bit from a weather induced headaches so apologises for any typos/general janky wording.

This week's storyboards are from the Wizards episode Killahead and are by Dan Stone! Tumblr is still point blank refusing to link properly so below is a screenshot preview and the link to the gif. Enjoy an untextured stick if you were struggling a bit on the shape of the thing

Link here. In addition there is this related tweet:

Overnight he announced he's moving from boarding to writing so these were backed up along with his other non-youtube/vimeo sequences juuust to be safe. The folder these are in are affectionately dubbed "Making the stick."

Now rather interestingly this is not the only place the machine shows up! On Alison Donato's website it's there too for an effects breakdown in it's untextured glory.

EFX breakdown and look ideas for this sequence; the 3d model was provided to me from the cg team.

Source

Unsure who that rough board belonged to though without a doubt the other three are Daniel Stone's aka these give or take:

Not unheard of for boards to be shown on another artist's work, just very unusual!

What is also very unusual is we actually have the model artist for the machine as well which will be posted on twitter on Monday. His name is Anthony Syracuse and he his two demo reels have all sorts of tidbits you never normally get to see.

Not the best pause in the world but you get the idea. The reel this one is in can be found here.

Enjoy this production rarity of the stars aligning and enjoy for your reference needs!

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

Recently I heard a One Tree Hill podcast host say that Nathan and Haley are the young version of Coach Whitey and Camila and hearing that perspective practically changed my life. I can't remember what podcast it was cause i've been and starting and stalling on a lot of podcasts recently so it's all kind of a blur.

But that is so true. Nathan and Haley are the young version of Whitey and Camila. This undying love and dedication that they both had. After I heard that it reminded me of the Drama Queens episode that James Lafferty was on recently. They asked if he could play any character aside from Nathan who would it be? And he said Coach Whitey which was perfect in and of itself and now it's even better.

You know I always thought how amazing it was that Nathan was able to have such a healthy relationship when he grew up with such a disfunctional marriage between his mom and dad being modeled. But it's dawned on me now how Coach Whitey, as the sort of surrogate father he was to Nathan, probably modeled his marriage with Camila and showed Nathan what a healthy marriage looks like.

Coach Whitey really was like a father to Nathan. Lucas had Uncle Keith and Nathan had Coach Whitey. Fuck Dan Scott!!! He was no father but Whitey supported and cared for Nathan throughout the years!

My heart had grown 10 sizes since thinking of all of this! 💗💗💗