#mount aspiring

[adventureswithteddy]

While extremely beautiful, some of the places that Teddy ventures can be quite dangerous. He wants to remind you to plan ahead and prepare. Know your limits and don’t be afraid to turn back.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Mount Aspiring, West Matukituki - Southern Alps, New Zealand

Photo credit: Yan Zhang, New South Wales

[oddzap]

Queenstown: The Hidden Utopia of Thrilling Adventures and Serene Beauty

The book “Lonely Planet” describes Queenstown like this: If one day Queenstown ceased to exist, someone would surely reinvent it. This sentence might be hard to understand literally, but when you visit Queenstown and stand by Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by its beauty, you may realize how vital such scenery is to the human soul. Queenstown The earliest settlers, upon seeing Queenstown’s landscape,…

[polwarth]

Fast and cold glacial rivers

[elishamanning]

(I'm so sorry to be that person, but can you please explain your Erik Durm post for the stupid people (me)?)

skdjaj of course!

so back when germany won the world cup in 2014, a 22-year-old erik durm became a fixture of self-insert “football images” where the reader, otherwise known as y/n (short for your name), had a romance (of a sort) with durm. his prominence in tumblr and wattpad-esque imagine stories surpassed his prominence on the pitch, and his relationship with “y/n” spanned many years on this website so it was a reference to that lol

[aspiring-awesomeness]

Grumpy lizard.

To close out the year RIGHT.

[thiswillnotdo]

2022_10_31

[woman-of-the-walls]

What in the actual fuck.

i think trans people need more fun stereotypes. so many groups get at least one that is like, offensive but also kinda baffling, like "gays walk fast" or "germans are obsessed with efficiency." all we get are like "evil sex predator" shit

[toastful]

Burn

By Greg Schmitty

Fire

Burning

I have become Vesuvius

My gut biome Pompeii

Churns and bubbles

Like magma

A small white pill

Falls like debris

It explodes

Lava

Up my esophagus

The pain

The heat

The burns

As I lay in bed

My room fills with smoke

I am choked out

The lava in my gut

Eats at its lining

Like lava eating the people of Pompeii

Fire

Destruction

Death

As a god of this land I am powerless to stop it

I sit still and watch

And feel

And burn along with them

(AN: I’ve recently got put on new medication and it’s giving me very bad heart burn!! I was laying in bed the other night purely suffering. Tums didn’t help. Not Pepto Bismol. Nothing. Burning pain the whole night. This horrible experience inspired me to write this. If anyone knows how to counteract medication induced heart burn, please let me know…. Please.)

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

List of Random Things For Your Dark Academia Settings | For Writers

The Library 📚

Towering mahogany bookshelves filled with ancient leather-bound tomes

Antique globes and faded maps mounted on the walls

Heavy velvet drapes blocking out the sunlight

Ornate brass reading lamps casting a warm glow

The musty smell of old books permeating the air

The Study 🪶

A large oak desk strewn with papers, quills, and ink bottles

Walls lined with pinned insect specimens and anatomical drawings

An antique typewriter, its keys clacking softly

Stacks of well-worn leather journals and notebooks

A cabinet of curiosities filled with skulls, fossils, and scientific oddities

The Classroom 🎓

Rows of old wooden desks, surfaces scratched with generations of graffiti

A blackboard covered in elaborate chalk diagrams and Latin phrases

Dusty shelves holding jars of formaldehyde-preserved specimens

Antique microscopes and brass telescopes waiting to be used

The tick-tock of a grandfather clock counting down the minutes

The Dormitory 🕯️

A four-poster bed heaped with tattered quilts and faded velvet pillows

Parquet wood floors layered with antique persian rugs

Flickering candles in tarnished silver holders casting dancing shadows

A steamer trunk overflowing with vintage tweeds and wool knits

Tea-stained pages of love letters and poetry scattered on the nightstand

The Secret Society Meeting Room 🗝️

An imposing stone fireplace with Latin phrases carved into the mantel

Worn leather armchairs circled around a low table set with tarnished silver

The air thick with pipe smoke and burning incense

Shelves lined with ancient masks, ceremonial daggers, and dusty alchemical tomes

Shadows dancing on the tapestry-covered walls in the candlelight

[adventureswithteddy]

Teddy peered across a massive meadow to mountains towering on the far side. He skirted the meadow on grassy sloping hills and watched ribbons of white appear seemingly from no where and plummet into the same below. There was so much to take in along the way, so Teddy was sure to take some breaks too, just to be sure he didn't miss a thing.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Mount Aspiring - New Zealand

Photographer: Yan Zhang

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Honda HP-X, 1984, by Pininfarina. The concept car that inspired the Honda NS-X has been restored 40 years on from its presentation at the Turin Motor Show. Honda will exhibit the rebuilt HP-X at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later in August. Though the concept was a static prototype Honda envisioned the concept with a mid-mounted naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre 24-valve V6 from Honda’s Formula 2 program 

[polwarth]

Glacial waterfalls

[dontforgetukraine]

Signs That You're Looking at Ukraine Through a Russian Prism

by Mariam Naiem

1. Perceiving Russian culture as apolitical Culture is political. Russia weaponizes its heritage, promoting a 'great Russia' myth to normalize the subjugation of other 'lesser' cultures. Literary classics become tools of cultural supremacy. 2. Perceiving this war as 'fraternal' Russian propaganda portrays Ukraine and Russia as inseparably linked peoples. This concept ignores Ukraine's aspirations for independence and self-determination and imposes the idea that, at the core, we are one and the same. 3. Pushing reconciliation with Russian opposition This narrative ignores the power imbalance. Any dialogue must be on Ukraine's terms, if and when Ukrainians choose. External pressure for reconciliation is unacceptable. Ukraine's agency is non-negotiable. 4. Explaining Ukraine to Ukrainians Explaining Putin's motives, Ukrainian history, Dostoevsky's relevance to Ukraine, and so on implies that you possess superior knowledge of the topic compared to Ukrainians, which is not true. Ukrainians have deep insights into Russia's actions based on historical experience and direct impact. Such explanations, even if well-intentioned, might come across as patronizing or dismissive of Ukrainian expertise. 5. Suggesting capitulation Urging Ukraine to yield? It won't end the war. Russia regroups, and casualties mount later. Ukraine's fight is for survival, severely limiting compromise options. Respect Ukrainians' difficult position and right to determine their future. 6. Whataboutism "Other conflicts exist" isn't a reason to help less – it's a call to help more. Each crisis deserves its own focus. Don't use comparisons to justify inaction on Ukraine. 7. Claiming Ukrainians don't deserve help Questioning a nation's worthiness of aid based on alleged issues can be seen as justifying inaction. It's more constructive to focus on the current situation and humanitarian needs. Consider the actions of the aggressor rather than criticizing those defending themselves. 8. Not my war A nuclear-armed autocracy attacking a democracy is everyone's problem. It's not about values – it's about time. This war isn't yours today, but ignore it, and it'll be at your doorstep tomorrow. Ukraine's front line is democracy's front line. P.S. Consider the Ukrainian perspective and try to imagine their experiences. It’s important to avoid assuming how one might act in their situation. What Ukrainians may need most is genuine understanding and support. The key is to listen and empathize.

[chocodile]

Worldbuilding time! Let's talk about vehicular travel in modern day Amaranthine, using the snowmobiles from this recent comic as a jumping off point.

"Prowler" - Ironfrost patrol snowmobile - (year of manufacture: 1912)

These half-track all terrain vehicles are used by Ironfrost soldiers to travel long distances over the tundra. Originally adapted from older, four-wheeled automobiles, the half-track Prowler design became increasingly standardized over the years as eternal winter continued to creep southward. They are capable of operating in a wide variety of terrain conditions and are fairly modular. Common mods include removable skis, hardtop and softtop roofs, gun mounts, and towing attachments.

Like all vehicles, Prowlers are steam-powered. The external combustion engine runs on kerosene. In snowy conditions, feedwater can be obtained automatically through a scraper port on the underside of the vehicle, though manual feeding is required in muddy or dry conditions.

Though not as fast, reliable, or efficient as trains, their agile nature have made them an essential part of life in the far north… and, increasingly, in the middle country as well. The Rising Dawn have stolen several Prowlers for their own usage.

"Aspire" - Classic automobile (year of manufacture: 1890)

Four-wheeled vehicles are an unusual sight in the modern day. Ironfrost-made cars were in vogue among the southern rim upper class for many years, but the worsening climate has made them more and more niche as road conditions outside of major cities deteriorate. The majority of higher horsepower automobiles were converted directly into half tracks, while older, lower-end vehicles were generally scrapped for parts.

The Aspire was the last four-wheeled vehicle widely available to the public. Advertised as a stylish, powerful, modern vehicle for the elite on the go, it boasted a sleek, classy aesthetic, a removable softtop roof, and a powerful steam engine with a large kerosene tank suitable for travel between cities. Preorders were advertised to southern rim wealthy in local papers. However, a series of unusually bad winters soon after its debut scared off buyers, shutting down production early and ultimately spelling doom for the entire four-wheeled automobile industry.

One of those Aspire preorders went to Baroness Jocosa North. Though she has since passed away, her son, Theopolis North, still maintains the now wildly impractical car in near mint condition. It is almost never seen outside of its garage.

"'Icebreaker' Class E 250" - Northern cross-country train (year of manufacture: 1903)

The majority of modern-day overland travel is accomplished via train. Massive long-distance rail lines, laid before the world became quite so cold, connect the remaining cities, allowing (relatively) safe travel and trade across vast expanses of tundra.

Southerly locomotives typically operate with only a basic wedge plow attachment. However, trains that run further north must be fitted with gigantic rotary snowplows. These complex machines require significant maintenance. Though they can and will chew up most things that get in the train's way, encounters with particularly large and bony beasts have been known to jam them.

Ironfrost's line terminates in a massive, sprawling rail yard where Icebreakers are fitted and maintained. Those who have visited it tell of a dark, dreary wasteland of twisted scrap metal and ice where coal dust and smoke have turned both the sky and ground black. All northern trains must pass through that place eventually.

"Chariot of the Dawn" - One-of-a-kind luxury automobile (year of manufacture: 1920)

The only place where four-wheeled automobiles still thrive is the City of the Sun. The eternal summers and paved roads are well-suited to cars and trolleys, though they are, of course, still something of a luxury good. Licenses for ownership and operation are ultimately controlled by the church, with His Radiance having the final say. (His most devout followers, of course, tend to get preferential treatment here.)

The City of the Sun manufactures its own vehicles, adapted from Ironfrost designs in a sort of divergent evolution. Freed from the road and weather concerns of the outside world, their automobiles favor sleek, swoopy body shapes, ornamental trim, low-slung bodies with limited ground clearance, and pastel paintjobs. Additionally, the engines are far less powerful and far more finicky, requiring regular maintenance.

His Radiance himself owns several custom automobiles, all of which are egregiously bedazzled to a degree that would look grotesque to anyone who wasn't used to it. Some are open-top, allowing his loyal followers an audience with his beautiful face and glittering halo, while others feature tinted windows. You know, in case he wants subtlety.