#source: major payne

[teenwolfpackincorrectcaptions]

Rafe : Boy, I am two seconds from being on you like white on rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm. I'm gonna put my foot so far up your ass, the water on my knee will quench your thirst. Stiles : Try it.

[grifonecoronato]

Mae-ho Aniseya: Film Noir Protagonist

(Spoilers for The Acolyte)

As I've said in another post, Mae and Osha are binary opposites in their personalities and motivations.

Mae has a kind of "first child syndrome": a desire to exhibit perfection in the eyes of her mothers, so that they can shower her with praise. She loves being in her community of witches, learning and using the Thread, and indulging in the daily activities of life on Brendok.

She thrives when she is surrounded by her people, but Osha doesn't want the same things, which is something that confuses Mae deeply.

In this scene from Episode 3: Destiny, the two sisters as children talk about what they want:

MAE: "It isn't fair. I share everything with you, and you hide things from me or run off alone." OSHA: "I want to have my own things." MAE: "Why?" OSHA: "Because I don't want to do everything together all the time." MAE: "But why?" OSHA: "Because we're not the same." [...] OSHA: "Don't you wonder what else could be out there? Besides Brendok?" MAE: "No. Everything I need is here."

For Osha, her arc in The Acolyte has all the trappings of a dark romance. But from Mae's perspective, she's the heroine of her own Film Noir.

Film Noir Themes in The Acolyte

Beyond its aesthetics, Film Noir has three (3) major thematic characteristics with regard to its protagonists:

Its protagonist has an idyllic past where they were happy and life was good;

Their idyllic past is ripped away from them, often violently, in a single moment that they relive again and again in the present;

The inciting incident is an opportunity to reclaim their idyllic past, or if that's impossible, to get justice for what was lost... because to do nothing is to be haunted by it forever.

For example, we can look at the seasonal arc of Veronica Mars (2004): she's a happy high schooler and best friends with Lily Kane, then Lily is murdered and Veronica is ostracised from her former friends, and now she is seeking opportunities to solve her friend's murder, while being haunted by the memories of her.

Or consider the video game Max Payne (1998): he's a cop with a happy wife and daughter, then his wife and daughter are murdered by drug addicts high on Compound V, now he joins the DEA in an effort to find and destroy the source of Compound V, and finally stop feeling haunted by the memories of his family.

Mae's story is very similar: she was a happy kid living with a family and community that gave her everything she wanted, then the Jedi came and massacred everyone she loved, and now she's joined up with a powerful ally who will teach her to get bloody justice.

Mae's Fatal Flaw

Mae's biggest problem is that she's impulsive and frequently enters situations without a clear plan. However, this bullheadedness shows that she trusts herself to get out of any situation she finds herself in.

(Qimir once said to Osha "you should learn to trust yourself", but I doubt this is a lesson he had to teach Mae.)

Detractors often say that Mae's motivations don't make sense, or that she's "flip flopping" all the time. But this criticism -- like most criticisms from the fandom menace -- is unfair. Mae's motivations are very clear, and her shifting tactics are done as a response to new information that comes her way.

In Episodes 1 and 2, her goal is two-fold:

Hunt down the four guilty Jedi

Keep The Stranger satisfied in her progress as his apprentice

But in Episode 4 and 5, after she learns that her sister lives, her goal changes to "reunite with Osha." But when Osha refuses to listen to her, Mae's slightly modifies her goal, to "find a way to de-program Osha from her Jedi brainwashing, by exposing Sol."

Viewers that understand what drives Mae see that not flaky; she's adaptive.

The Fatal Lesson of Film Noir

The thing about Film Noir protagonists is that most of the time (not always, but most of the time), their quest for reclaiming their idyllic past is a fool's errand: they either sacrifice a big part of themselves in the attempt, or they learn to heal form the past, let go, and move on.

Mae opts for the former. When she finally succeeds in revealing that Sol has been lying for sixteen years, Osha murders him. Afterward, Osha bargains for Mae's life, which the Stranger accepts but only if he be permitted to erase her memories.

So Mae recaptures her idyllic past by being able to reconnect with her sister... only to lose her sense of self in the process. The quest consumed her.

But was it worth it?

[usafphantom2]

Deputy Secretary of Defense, Cyrus Vance tersely directed Strategic Air Command headquarters that the training phase of the SR 71 wing was over.

He directed the “senior crown” to cover Vietnam and to establish a location Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa.

By the time the 9th SRW was ready for Operational Deployment early in March 1968

Five SR 71s had crashed and were destroyed and tragically one test force RSO Jim Zwayer had perished over New Mexico.

The CIA’s A-12 at that same time in 1968 had three crewmembers dead and another five planes lost.

The aircraft that were selected to go operational were 978, 976, and 974. The deployment was scheduled for March 8, 10th and 12th. Three refueling operations were rescheduled for that six-hour and 18-minute flight plan.

Since they would travel faster than the earth rotates around its axis, they would essentially arrive two hours before their start!

However, in this case, they crossed the international dateline so these three SR 71s arrived one day later but two hours earlier on the clock. Wow!

On Monday, March 18, 0L-8 was ordered to fly its first operational mission.

It was an honor to be selected for the first mission it was pre-planned that Major Buddy Brown and Captain Dave Jensen have the honor. They were prepared to fly the first sortie with Lt Colonel Jerry O’Malley and Major Ed Payne as the backup crew.

Shortly after the airplane took off, there was confusion over what President Lynden Johnson said in his speech about the Vietnam War, and this first flight was changed immediately to a training flight, not an operational flight.

A few days later the order came to fly over enemy territory again. Buddy Brown and Dave Jensen were in the SR 71 ready to fly again when there was a technical problem. The mechanics worked on it and we were just about finished repairing the problem when Colonel Minter the operational officer put up a sign and showed it to O’Malley and said “You go”. Put up another sign for Brown and said “You stay”. As fate would have it. O’Malley and Payne also flew the second operational mission.

Buddy Brown was not upset about losing his chance to be first.

Perhaps he remembered the time when he was flying the U2 during the Cuba missile crisis in 1962. He was selected to fly a mission looking for Cuban nuclear missiles and could not due to weather so it was Rudy Anderson who took off from another area on the island of Cuba as backup.

It was Rudy Anderson, who was shot down and killed by the Cubans. My source is Velocity, speed with Direction, the professional career of General Jerome O’Malley written by Al Casey and Patrick Casey

Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

[youmakemestrong]

Now that it's been two weeks, I think enough time has passed for me to say what's been on my mind about the whole situation.

Zayn Malik has absolutely no right to act like he's "devastated" or "heartbroken" over the loss of Liam Payne. They were not good friends, and it was mostly because of Zayn's behaviour.

He has no right to act like he lost a brother when for years they hardly spoke. Now he feels sorry? I don't buy it, sounds like he's just saying that to look better in the media. He doesn't actually care.

Same way he didn't care when Liam was alive and the same way he doesn't care about the remaining 3 that are still alive.

I roll my eyes whenever that post comes back on my timeline of a source close to him saying "they aren't leaving him alone at this time." "He's in bits over this loss"

I can't imagine Zayn doing things for media clout ever anon what are you talking about.

You and I clearly didn't read the same tribute to Liam because I read a post full of raw emotion and regret to the one person from 1d that was still publicly rooting for him every step of the way. Liam was so proud of Zayn for going on his first tour. You think Zayn didn't see that?

You need a little more nuance here. You think he doesn't care about them because of what? What we publicly see? You think years of being overworked and taken advantage of when they were just children left any of them in healthy relationships with each other?

People are complicated. Liam, Zayn, Louis, Harry, and Niall are complicated. Just because they weren't on the best terms doesn't mean they didn't care for each other, and that doesn't mean that Zayn didn't hope one day he would get to reconnect with Liam. I think it's palpable in his post that that is exactly what he wanted, and he thought there would be more time.

Major deaths like this have a way of mending hurt. You say he doesn't care for the remaining 3, but I would not be surprised if we hear that they have spoken to each other in some way after all of this. Zayn did not get tacked on to that official One Direction account post lightly.

He is allowed to be devastated even more than we are, because he knew him. He knew him personally. If we're feeling such extreme grief as just fans, we have no tangible way of knowing how Zayn feels.

Go listen to Good Years and maybe you'll calm down and realize this is not black and white.

[misscrawfords]

I'm reading Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne, a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I'm struggling.

I actually find what Payne has done with the characters and setting really interesting and there are some touches I really like, especially turning Mary into Maurice - an "activist" who changes his activism regularly and lectures others on what they should be doing. (Any interpretation of Mary that isn't "misunderstood, shy, nerd girl who isn't-like-other-girls and is actually just like me, a misunderstood, shy, over-looked nerd girl" gets a positive vote from me.)

However, I really very much dislike her interpretation of Darcy (Dorsey) and Elizabeth (Liza)'s relationship and that is... kinda crucial!

It's waaaaaay over sexualised. Like, I get this is a romance book, but, like, I'm reading along enjoying the story and plot and then suddenly Dorsey is thinking about burying himself in Liza's breasts and I'm like "wooaah!" It's like it's impossible for the author to show them having feelings for each other without it being explicit and I find that out of place both with the source material and with the rest of the narrative.

Secondly, it is sexual... immediately. It commits the cardinal sin of saying "Darcy and Lizzy were hot for each other from the start and all the tension is ~ s e x u a l tension". The 2005 abomination does this too with the near kiss in the rain. And pretty much every single P&P inspired enemies-to-lovers narrative out there does it too. The problem is... this is a really, really inaccurate interpretation of the original book. Darcy is, admittedly, attracted to Elizabeth very quickly. Something that he manages to show not at all to anybody. Only Caroline Bingley, who is intensely interested in Darcy's romantic feelings, spots it. Later on, arch observer Charlotte and good friend Col Fitz also suspect something but by this point in Rosings Darcy has given into his feelings and is trying, albeit terribly, to court Elizabeth. Not that she notices. Darcy is completely able to conceal his sexual attraction to Elizabeth from everyone who isn't thinking about Darcy sexually. He is not quite so able to conceal his romantic interest later on. But crucially, at no point does Elizabeth notice a thing. She has LITERALLY NO IDEA. This is because Elizabeth has no concept of Darcy as a romantic prospect for her at all. She laughs at thinking what a good match he'd be for Anne de Bourgh, a probably sexless in appearance invalid. She doesn't hate him in a ~sexy~ way, she just really does not like him and does not consider him as a romantic option.

If Elizabeth is aware that Darcy has the hots for her, this changes the dynamic completely. If she is actually attracted to him in the first part of the story, that changes the dynamic completely. And both of these changes alter and potentially cheapen Elizabeth's character. If she is aware on some level that Darcy likes her and is interested in her, then she ends up looking like an idiot when the first proposal comes around. Or she ends up looking coy and like she is actually flirting with him. Yes, there is banter but Elizabeth is not consciously flirting or trying to attract him! Elizabeth spends the whole first part of the novel with a crush on Wickham. Austen is perfectly capable to showing to the audience without needing modern explicit language that a character has the hots for another character. Elizabeth fancies Wickham, not Darcy! As the meme goes, Darcy and Elizabeth are experiencing two very different kinds of tension! That's part of the comedy. And if Elizabeth is aware that she is attracted to Darcy, it just becomes a different story, and a less interesting one. Elizabeth becomes yet another romance novel heroine who likes the "bad boy" and tries to persuade herself not to, until the tension is sooooo strong and she ~snaps.

But one of the major points is that Elizabeth doesn't like bad boys! She falls for (well, crushes on) Wickham because she thinks he's good. She dislikes Darcy because she thinks he's bad. She only starts to consider Darcy positively when she understands and sees for herself the truth of his character. That is what she finds attractive, not him being a buttoned up jerk! "One has all the goodness, the other all the appearance of it." That is central to P&P's story and its message.

Unfortunately, in the aims of writing a "romance" novel, Pride and Protest gives us heaving busoms and erections and almost-kisses and therefore completely destroys my interest in Dorsey and Liza's relationship at the same time as well as finding it just a bit tasteless because it feels like there are two stories going on: an interesting exploration of how the context and characters of P&P would work in a highly politised and racially diverse modern USA - and a very generic romance novel story which doesn't do either Darcy and Elizabeth justice. A shame.

It does make me wonder about how to update Austen's novels in terms of sex. Because obviously one of the major changes between the 1810s and now is that having extra-marital sex is totally normal and people date and break up without social repercussions. So unless you are setting the update in a community where that is not the case, you've got to deal with sex being freely on offer. I guess there are different ways around it but I think if how you deal with sex means that the fundamental beats of the narrative and character development are changed, then something's gone wrong somehow. And I feel that Elizabeth's total obliviousness to Darcy having any positive feelings towards her at all until the moment he proposes to her is a crucial part of the plot and a source of unending humour.

[ask-gabriel-knightstemplar]

where/when were you born?

"Well, that's actually a very good question... You see... I actually do not know my exact birthday. There are many options but since the only document about the founding of my order was from 1129 where I got my official règlements at the council of Troyes. But back then I already existed about roughly 10 years as a personification. "

"Some people say I was born on Christmas day* 1119 but others claim it could be somewhere between 11-13th January 1120 or 1121. It's hard to know what is true since I've never celebrated my birthday anyways despite being part of a more elite part of our (Medieval) society where I could've known my day of birth if someone wrote it down somewhere.**"

"However, I can say where I was born! I was brought into this world in the, then existing, kingdom of Jerusalem which was an outremer (crusader state). More exactly in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount since the Al-Aqsa mosque became my first headquarters! However, since my founder Hugues de Payns was French and so were the rest of his first Templar knights, I could be considered French by blood..."

"However, we moved to Acre after a while and, as I said before, my birthday is a weird issue in my history, so it's not too surprising that I've never celebrat-"

"Uhh, isn't a surprise birthday party supposed to be a surprise?"

//*Christmas day:

I only found it in one source and that's the German Wikipedia page of Hugues de Payns, so take that with a grain of salt. However the citation to the book they claim where they have the info from seems legit since I've seen the same book in other people's thesis' of the Templars. It's just that the books I borrowed for my uni thesis only talked about the January stuff so idk if the Christmas day thing is outdated.

**Medieval people would usually celebrate the day of their name sake/patron saint since the majority of people didn't know their exact birthday unless they were part of societal elite, I suppose. Also the issue of finding out Gabriel's birthday is also due to the fact that documents had different ways to date. They could've been written in the style of the "Annunciation of Mary" for example, which makes e.g. March the "first month".

[mytimetravelcollector]

the biggest missed opportunity in film history is not getting the original game actors back to do the live action movie.

R.I.P. James McCaffrey

BTW that max payne (2008) movie is cash grab!

it didn't respect the audience, it didn't respect the source material and it didn't respect the fanbase.

it did what majority of live action video game movies do whenever a game reach a mainstream it takes advantage of the IP.

[zot3-flopped]

https://www.tumblr.com/zot3-flopped/733997796274978816/httpswwwaolcomnewsliam-payne-girlfriend-says?source=share

I find it interesting that Liam was into older women and women his age before, and then seemed to move on to younger fangirls instead. Although I will say that compared to party girl Kate, at least Maya seemed more mature and actually has a job.

Liam got scared off older women by his experience with Cheryl. He didn't have a clue how to handle being a new dad at 24 and started doing loads of unnecessary international promo to get away from the situation.

After that he began dating Maya when she was only 18 and then Kate, who's seven years younger than him. He knows that the majority of women under 25 aren't thinking about having kids, unless their surname is Tomlinson.

Just call him Liam di Caprio.

[thegreatzombieartisan]

A Brief Swim Into Adaptations, Fan Fiction, & the Tolkien Fandom

To cut to the chase: adaptations are separate entities from a book. Different mediums demand adjustments to storytelling. If an adaptation is technically well-executed, then I theorize that viewer approval largely hinges on how much they expect the adaptation to match their reader experience.

Personally, I don't want to sit through 12 hours of predictable film nor 5 seasons of TV. And other Tolkien fans demand it. To each their own.

It's a common saying that adaptation is fan fiction. It can have large overlaps for sure. To me, it boils down to intent. Adaptation seeks a faithful translation of source material. Fan fiction creates a story from source material with discretion to faithfulness. Adaptation = Galadriel as a warrior. Fan fiction = Galadriel as a Nazgul (I’d watch it).

Adaptation decision-making is a combo of creative vision, practical production needs and politics. Many fans don't consider this when faced with changes. Example: in the PJ's LotR, Glorfindel got axed. Arwen rescued Frodo instead. A decision related to time, importance, and politics. Plus, in 2001, a major film without female roles would be accused of sexism and limit audience appeal. Both would've impacted box office numbers & award nomination. With Glorfindel axed, Aragorn’s backstory changes and so does his character arc somewhat. So on and so forth. None of these changes stemmed from PJ's own preferences.

The Tolkien fandom is notorious for a strain of pedantic and vocal desire for purity. I could go much deeper into Tolkien fanboys. But for now, I’ll focus on one big component: Tolkien left readers with the literary version of the Winchester Mystery House. Per his prerogative, massive (un/intentional) blank space open for interpretation. Particularly in deep lore, which isn’t novelistic, but rather, synopses. People fill in blank spaces differently. Also, what other fandom requires readers to study the author for interpretation of said blank spaces?

Another factor is a fan’s goal for consuming the adaptation. Is it for entertainment or communion? All in all, the Tolkien fandom is a tough crowd to please.

Studio-produced adaptation relies on fandom money and/or time. People deserve to get what they “paid” for based on communicated expectations. If film producers/show runners claim it’s Tolkien then the work would, at minimum, reflect aligned themes, motifs, and symbolism in storylines, dialogue, and visuals. Moreover, devout Catholicism aligned. I do think RoP does a good faith attempt with Tolkien’s own intentionalist views through Galadriel. Otherwise, call it Tolkienesque.

However, while compelling, the show’s “touching the darkness” theme reflects show runner JD Payne’s Mormon’s beliefs more than Tolkien. So if Galadriel doesn’t eventually feel pity for the orcs she expressed genocidal rage toward in the next 4 seasons, it’s arrogant fan fiction. I sat through 8 hours of time and I get to call it out. Beyond that, creativity in blank spaces is fair. Case in point, Disa singing.

Technical execution is a separate area. Even fan fiction demands narrative logic and flow is valid. If nothing else, make it make sense within the context given.

More another time.

Thank you for reading! Your likes and reblogs are appreciated. Got feedback?

What did you like? Got theories or insights to share?

Disagree? I love good faith debate and sparring!

Need clarity around points? Got feedback on readability?

Spot an inaccuracy? Hey, Tolkien's work is complex. Drop it in comments or DM.

[ao3feed-johnnylawrence]

Ambitio Mortis (Cobra Kai x SCREAM)

https://ift.tt/U2x80qQ by PerfectHarbinger In the wake of the 51st All-Valley Karate Tournament, the karate war of the San Fernando Valley falls to a standstill. The teens attempt to move on from the aftermath of the All-Valley and enjoy their summer vacation, Terry Silver sets his sights on expanding Cobra Kai across the Valley and beyond. Daniel LaRusso, meanwhile, resolves to stop him by any means necessary. But when one of Cobra Kai’s own is viciously attacked by a masked intruder, the shadow of tragedy casts doubt and suspicion on all. As the body count quickly climbs and fear quickly takes hold across the city, what starts as an isolated tragedy quickly becomes a pervasive nightmare as teen and adult alike are faced with a horrifying truth: The Ghostface Killer has come to the Valley. Words: 4268, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Cobra Kai (TV), Karate Kid (Movies), Scream (Movies), Scream (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/F, F/M Characters: Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, Miguel Diaz (Cobra Kai), Samantha LaRusso, Robby Keene, Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Demetri Alexopoulos, Amanda LaRusso, Carmen Diaz (Cobra Kai), Terry Silver, Kyler Park, Piper Elswith, Kenny Payne, Yasmine (Cobra Kai), Moon (Cobra Kai), Ghostface (Scream), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s) Relationships: Miguel Diaz/Samantha LaRusso, Robby Keene/Tory Nichols, Moon/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso, Carmen Diaz/Johnny Lawrence, Piper Elswith/Moon, Miguel Diaz & Samantha LaRusso, Robby Keene & Tory Nichols, Daniel LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence, Miguel Diaz & Johnny Lawrence, Samantha LaRusso & Tory Nichols Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Murder Mystery, Horror, Slasher, Character Death, Blood and Injury, Cell Phones, Death Threats, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Teen Romance, Teen Angst, Eventual Smut, Sexual Content, House Party, Partying, Underage Drinking, Conspiracy, Suspicions, Cobra Kai Season 5, Cobra Kai Season 5 Spoilers, Blood and Violence, Threats of Violence, Knifeplay, Sadism, Insanity, Basically A Whole Lot Of Bad Times source https://archiveofourown.org/works/50800807 October 13, 2023 at 07:37AM

[bravetemptation]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2022

It’s December 31st, and here we are. What a YEAR. Let’s take a look:

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 7

2. Word Count posted for the year: 247,189 words (holy shit 😅)

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction

4. Pairings: Harry/Louis; Liam Payne/Oli Wright; Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson

5. Story with the most:

6. Kudos: 491 - From This Moment On

7. Bookmarks: 149 - From This Moment On

8. Comments: 58 - From This Moment On

9. Work I’m most proud of and why: A Little Twist of Fate - this fic is so long, probably one of the longest I’ve ever written, and it’s fantasy, which is my favorite genre. Even though it has the least interaction, I don’t think I wrote a better one than that this year.

10. Work I’m least proud of and why: I don’t really have one - I think everything I wrote this year was pretty good 😂

11. Share or describe a favorite review you received: every comment I get is a blessing - I don’t usually get a lot of them, so when someone takes the time out to even say three words about how the fic impacted them, I feel very pleased.

12. A time when writing was really really hard: I would have to say in June and July, when I had four WIPs going at the same time, which my beta will tell you I NEVER DO. I’m a one fic at a time type of person. I couldn’t figure out which one to write or where to take any of them. Thankfully they all got done and published 😂 that and right after my first Harry residency show when I got Covid and it knocked me out for two weeks 😂

13. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: All of the Zouis content I did in A Little Twist of Fate, because it came off so realistic that @daggerandrose thought it sounded like a zouis fic and I was completely unaware that I could even write any pairing other than Larry.

14. A favorite excerpt of your writing: The first time Harry and Louis touch properly in Your Gift Is Wasted On Me:

“Come on, come on,” he heard Harry mutter, and he completely agreed. But finally, they were doing it.

“And the winner …”

Louis held his breath.

“Of this season of the Great British Bake Off is …”

Louis grabbed Harry’s hand, squeezing it tightly as he waited the agonizing three seconds.

“Marge!”

“Fucking yes!” Louis yelled, jumping off the sofa and dancing around. Niall was on his feet too, but as Louis turned to Harry, he found him sitting there, his mouth open slightly, staring at the screen as though he wasn’t even seeing it.

“Harry, what …”

“You held my hand.”

15. How did you grow as a writer this year? I allowed myself to just write. In years past, I kind of did maybe two stories a year just because I wanted them to be different, I wanted the perfect prompt, or I was just lazy as hell. But this year I was pushing out fics every few months and it felt GREAT.

16. How do you hope to grow next year? I hope to possibly enter a fest or two so that I can get a little more traffic on my fics (as well as querying in real life for my finished book and finish writing the new one I’m working on - that’s going to be super exciting)

17. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer? (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc) Every person who helped me work through plot holes and major mistakes and read my work before it was even out - especially @sunflowersometimes @daggerandrose @chloehl10 . They’re my main source of motivation ❤️

18. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? Not specifically, though I like to think I put a piece of myself into every fic and every character, and if you know me really well, you’ll be able to catch it. But I wrote a fantasy fic which is literally what I want my real life to be so I THINK I’ll go with that 😂

19. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers? Write. Write every day, even if it’s only three pages or three sentences or three words. Write from your heart. Don’t let the interaction - or lack thereof - of others dictate how you feel about your work. Ask other writers to beta for you - it’s more fun when you work with someone else.

20. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? I have several projects in the works: The Dear Devoted Delicate Series (one mini fic for every year they’ve been together); If There’s No You (an amnesia fic); If We Can’t Stop The Bleeding (a vampire fic); and Place In Me (a 1D reunion fic). I’m sure there will be more but that’s all I really have planned at the moment. Hopefully you’ll get to see them ALL 😘

21. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read. Anyone who wants to do this can - I’m sure most of you have already been tagged 💞

[teenwolfpackincorrectcaptions]

Peter: Maybe I like you. Stiles: Just like? Peter: Maybe I like you a lot. Stiles: That's it? Peter: Don't push the "maybes", baby.

[autolenaphilia]

My adventures in Linux gaming.

I switched OS from Windows 10 to Linux Mint a few days ago. And it's gone great so far. Mint is a very beginner and user-friendly distribution, and I eased into it pretty much immediately. My main problem was the shitty BIOS firmware on this computer, and that's not Linux's fault. (I had to tinker with the settings, changing the boot order, to allow the computer to boot Linux from a USB stick I had put it on.)

For most things I use a computer for, writing, surfing the internet, watching movies, linux is at least equal to Windows, if not better. You are free of the tracking and bloatware and other Microsoft fuckery. Most programs I use daily like Libreoffice, Mozilla Firefox, and VLC media player all have Linux versions equal to the Windows versions.

The thing is, I play video games on this computer. It's a weak laptop, so I mostly play older games and some indies. So I've play a lot of old point-and-click adventures (plus some modern less-demanding games in that genre), and if I play action games, they're usually from the 90s or early 00s.

I'm also a big opponent of DRM and very pro-games preservation. It's because of my opposition to things like DRM and proprietary software that I switched to an open source OS like Linux from WIndows.

And with my tastes in games and those opinions, it's no surprise I'm into GOG, a digital sales platform focused on old games and in which all the games are without drm. GOG and Itch.io are the two game storefronts which allow you to actually own the games you paid money for. There are some drm-free games on Steam, but the majority are locked-down with drm in various ways (pcgamingwiki claims "979 out of 40,764 games in total" games on steam are drm-free). And you never get drm-free installers like GOG or Itch provides.

I own almost 600 games on GOG, most of them cheap and old games I grabbed on sale. And I do recommend buying games there, overall. Great selection of older classic titles, and you actually get to own copies of the games you buy. You can easily download and back the installers up on an external hard drive. I'm pro-piracy in general, but buying a game on gog is actually an honest transaction, you pay money and you get a copy of the product you get to keep, increasingly a rarity in today's games and media market.

So, GOG is great at making me pay money for media. There is one problem though, they are not great at Linux compatibility. The problem with gaming on Linux is that most games are developed only for Windows. You need something like the compatibility layer Wine to play most games on a linux computer.

And GOG provide Linux versions of games, including installers, if the developer has made one, but they do almost nothing themselves. GOG does have a launcher, GOG galaxy, and there is only a windows version.

Valve and Steam however, is good at supporting Linux. Steam's launcher does have a Linux version, and not only that, it has the tool Proton built in to make windows games compatible with Linux. Proton relies on existing software like Wine, but is a very convenient way to use those tools. The goal is "make playing Windows games on Linux as simple as hitting the Play button within Steam." It's not quite there yet for every game, you still have to do some tinkering with many of them, but it works reasonably well.

So Valve and Steam has been good for playing games on Linux. Proton is very convenient, and that's a word that is rarer than it should be in the context of gaming on linux. And I can't argue with that. I do have a few Steam games (mostly games that are not available on GOG that I really wanted to play), and one of them, Max Payne, works better with Proton on Linux than it did on Windows 10.

Still, Valve's support for Linux is not out of some highminded support for free software. If it were, they wouldn't sell games with drm, or have their own drm with their launcher. The reason Valve has put so much money and effort into supporting Linux gaming is because they have their own distro, SteamOS, which they use to run their own hardware. They first tried it with the unsuccesful Steam machine and more success recently with the Steam Deck. Valve's support for Linux games compatibility is entirely adjunct on their desire to make money selling their own hardware. It's like all corporate decisions entirely mercenary and profit-orientated in character. They support Linux, but undermine with drm the very values Linux rest upon.

And I can't be too harsh on GOG not supporting LInux more than they do. CD Project is not a good company (the reports of crunch during the development of Cyberpunk 2077 prove that), but GOG is as honest a business you get in the gaming industry. And it's not a very profitable business, and they are not looking to break into hardware using Linux, so it's understandable you don't see a lot of investment by GOG into a small market like linux.

And they are things outside of Proton you can use for gaming on Linux. There is Lutris, which functions similarly to Proton, it's a way of making using tools like Wine more convenient, and can function as a game launcher, but it is not limited to Steam. And for the old point-and-click adventures, there is still Scummvm (my beloved), which has a linux version. My gog catalogue remains easily playable, even without windows.

I have caused myself some trouble on the gaming front to break free of Microsoft, but not as much trouble as I feared. And I don't have to rely on Steam's drmed Linux support either.

[labelleperfumery]

Liam Payne's Completed TV Show in Limbo, Producers Uncertain of Release

Liam Payne had a major TV project in the works before his sudden death last week … and now the series’ fate is unclear, TMZ has learned. Sources tell TMZ … producers for “Building the Band” — a singing competition series set to debut on… from TMZ.com https://www.tmz.com/2024/10/25/liam-payne-tv-show-building-the-band-future-uncertain-producers/

[science-criticaltheory]

Using MODIS data to visualize the presence or absence of snow on a global scale - Audrey Payne

The NASA Terra satellite, equipped with a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, launched in December 1999. — Credit: NASA

Each day, the NASA Terra satellite, which launched in December 1999, orbits the Earth, passing north to south across Earth's equator in the morning. The Aqua satellite, which launched in May 2002, also circles the planet simultaneously, crossing the equator from south to north in the afternoon. The orbits of these satellites are sun-synchronous, meaning they pass over the same spot of the Earth at about the same local time each day. Each satellite is equipped with a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a remote sensing instrument designed to collect atmospheric, land, and ocean imaging in a single device. The instruments image the same area of Earth three hours apart, and in combination, they view the entire Earth’s surface every one to two days. While the satellites were initially intended to last six years, they are still in orbit and collecting data to this day.

Because these satellites have polar orbits, the information they gather helps to track changes occurring to the cryosphere, or the frozen parts of the planet, and they provide a continuous global record since the Aqua satellite launched. This includes collecting information about snow. 

The NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) manages a range of MODIS data, making a suite of snow cover and sea ice data products freely accessible to the public. These data can be used to investigate how snow and ice cover have changed over time, to study Earth’s energy balance, and to feed global and polar climate models. Recently, the NSIDC DAAC published a new MODIS data set, MODIS/Terra Global Annual 0.01Deg CMG Snow Cover Climatology, Version 1. 

This data set focuses on global snow cover climatology from 2001 to 2023 using data from the Terra satellite and presents information using global maps. Parameters include:

Snow cover duration

Snow cover duration climatology

Core snow season length

Core snow season length climatology

Full snow season length

Snow persistence

Snow persistence climatology

Snow season persistence

Snow season persistence climatology

MODIS snow cover seasonality classification

Snow seasonality class climatology. 

One parameter that users may find particularly interesting is snow class climatology, which shows how much snow different areas of Earth have during the snow year. The snow year spans from October through the following September. The map, which comes with a default color scheme that can be changed to reflect individual needs like emphasizing specific data points or trends, increasing accessibility, and making visualizations more user-friendly, classifies areas as having: 

(0) No Snow

(1) Ephemeral Snow

(2) Transitional Snow

(3) Seasonal Snow

(4) Perennial Snow. 

It can be used to find out where snow is sometimes, always, or never. It can also be used to view the changes in snow over time. This information is valuable for water managers, policymakers, and scientists for a myriad of reasons. For example, because snow is white in color, it is highly reflective. The majority of the sun’s energy that hits snow is reflected back into space, helping to keep the planet cool. In addition, snow is a major water source for communities around the world. As the snowpack changes because of global warming, water managers need to be aware and ready with mitigation strategies.

This plot shows global snow class climatology, with no snow in red, ephemeral snow in orange, transitional snow in yellow, seasonal snow in green, and perennial snow in blue. — Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center

These data can be downloaded from the NSIDC DAAC and explored using various analysis or visualization tools such as Panoply or QGIS. With these two applications, users can zoom in or out, changing their focus from regional to global, alter the color schemes of the maps, and change the time period covered. They can also be used to compare each snow year from 2001 to 2023 to the average. Several tools can be used (e.g., software programs such as Python or R) to explore and analyze these data. 

Access data through the NSIDC DAAC

Users looking to work with NSIDC data are invited to explore our help articles, data tools, documentation, training, and on-demand support. 

Johnston, J.M., J.M. Jacobs, and E. Cho. 2024. MODIS/Terra Global Annual 0.01Deg CMG Snow Cover Climatology, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/9R1AM6NNZLTV. 

[turnsbouts]

NO ITS OK I LOVE HEARING UR THOUGHTS!! They are very similar to my own!!

I had considered Apollo and Athena being sun/moon breathing duo because of their names/themes… but getting more creative with it is always a plus. I do love the idea of Metis being the moon breather. I had absolutely planned Athena’s attacks to be heavily emotion based too… psycho-breathing? bahaha. Or maybe we can call the moon breathing offshoot “lunar breathing”. related to the moon, and usually used to refer to lunar phases… many phases aka emotions

Apollo could have Sunflower Breathing, to have both the fire and the plant theme. Offshoot of the original flower breathing of course, as is Flytrap Breathing. Apollo’s perception can act like a type of “Total Concentration”, really. Apollo probably could learn multiple breathing styles LMAO

I imagined Blackquill as a demon slayer with Hawk Breathing… him turning into a demon to protect Athena is VERY good… that, OR he was accused of Metis’ death, as there was no sign of a demon attack (Phantom is trickyyy), and lost his position as a slayer as the Corps couldn’t figure out how to get around that. He admitted guilt etc, the story plays out similarly. He’s let back into the Corps later on in the equivalent of the DD timeline so he can help Athena.

Yes!!! MVK was a Hashira-turned-demon like Kristoph, and amidst his corruption, turned Edgeworth as well. Not sure yet when Gregory dies in this timeline… maybe MVK and Gregory (both hashira or similarly highly ranked) had a duel, MVK was going to be punished for killing Gregory, and then encountered and was offered to be turned into a demon. Edgeworth would get turned later on after being offered (so it was ‘consensual’), while Franziska remains a human.

I don’t think MVK is going to be Muzan, maybe just an Upper Moon… but to be fair, I haven’t decided on who exactly Muzan would be replaced with yet. Phantom was another concept, but i’m not sure about that.

The Judge is the Master equivalent though, as leader of the Demon Slayers. heh

Ohohoho Apollo and Thena as a sun/moon matched set yessss

I LOVE both lunar and sunflower, especially how sunflower can work both as flower/fire and flower/sun.....

Ahhhh I love Blackquill both as a slayer and as a demon!! Hawk breathing would be so cool!!

I think Phantom could work as a demon without any major changes lol. His thing would be less physically impossible as a demon than as a human. But he could have some fun illusion magic to make it look like Athena killed Metis and force Blackquill to take the blame

Also I've been thinking if anyone would fit as a demon eater... my top picks would be Phoenix (already eats weird shit. like glass), Blackquill (for the ostricization themes), Athena (same reason but only Blackquill knows about it), Nahyuta (I just think it could fit the themes) but idkkkkk

Ohhh the DRAMA of Edgeworth being a demon and Franziska being a human and MVK in all of this!! Was Franziska a human training under a demon and waiting to be turned?? Or did she know MVK only as a human?? Does Franziska become a slayer???

Mmmm I don't thing AA has a Muzan equivalent of a Big Bad Source of Evil, unless you're willing to substitute Muzan with like. The entire penal system of Japan/Japanifornia.

I've been thinking what the Feys should be... maybe they can still be mediums, but I'm wondering about a more explicit support role, like the swordsmiths or ubuyashiki clan (minus the authority part)... or would the detectives work better as the swordsmiths??

Also the Paynes being a family of really weak demons <3 And Larry being a civilian with a rare blood considering how much he attracts trouble