#star forts

[jurakan]

Fun Facts that could be mine, you say? I'm demanding a refund if it isn't as fun as the advertisement seemed to make it...

No pressure, huh?

Alright, then, go big or go home, I guess. Today You Learned about an architectural conspiracy theory.

Star forts!

Or bastion forts, as Wikipedia calls them.

So if you've looked at fortresses throughout history, you may notice that there came a point in which Europeans started building fortresses like this, instead of like standard castles with rectangular or circular walls. The change was the advent of gunpowder, or rather, the wide usage of gunpowder on the battlefield and in sieges. See, if you're defending a fort, and someone comes with cannons... well, they can blow the wall apart quite easily. You can also try planting explosives at the base of the walls.

Walls like this, which were thicker and lower, allowed you to have less of a target, a more difficult wall to blast through, and gave your defenders a chance to fire down at people who walked up to the wall in a way that you can't do if you don't have a good angle on them.

Or something. I don't know, I'm not a tactician. Anyway there a butt-ton of these around the world. They fell out of favor as gunpowder weapons evolved, so they became obsolete. That's not the wild part. The absolutely wild part is that there are people who have conspiracy theories about these things.

So as pointed out in this article, there's a website called starforts.org, which claims that these fortresses are not, as they appear to be, structures built for gunpowder warfare, but are actually the remains of a long-lost civilization that spanned the globe before recorded history.

I promise that I am not making this up.

The claims are things that are obviously nonsense--that these somehow harness electricity somehow to make them ancient power generators that we've somehow forgotten how to turn on, or that they're used to transport people around the globe. These whackjobs insist that Europeans didn't build these--they found them out there in the wild, or something, and built over them to disguise how old they really are. There's one assertion that they're actually grown like living organisms rather than built like... buildings.

[Ohmygoshweareadoomedspecies]

Obviously, no, this is bunk. No, it's more than bunk, it's remarkably stupid. We have records of these forts being built. You can look up why they were built the way they were! Heck, you can visit them and see their foundations and walls and see that they're clearly not organic, or ancient, or power generators, or whatever!

They look really cool, though.

[frasohei]

Bit of a rant here, but I didn’t spend two and a half years, and an undisclosed amount of money to get a Masters Degree to let this sort of shit slide.

“Star Forts” ARE NOT remnants of a pre-mudflood super civilization. We have documentation as to when, and by whom they were designed and built. Often we have the original blueprints, we have treatises written by the architects describing how they were designed and built. And, I must make this perfectly clear, we know why they were built. They are not magical space batteries, they are not celestial sign points aligned with the cosmos, they are not waypoints for spaceships. They are fortifications, designed for warfare, built AFTER the 1453 fall of Constantinople. They are built on geometric principles because geometry was a big thing in Early Modern Europe. Their remains are found all over the world because Europeans went all over the world, and they took their architecture with them. They are ruins because that’s what happens to buildings that are not maintained, and they were not maintained because military technology passed them by. The mental gymnastics required to come up with these theories necessitates a complete disregard for the past and the people who study it with even a basic level of competence.

Okay, I think I’m done. I’ve left several page length comments trying to debunk this sort of shit on YouTube, but FUCK I am still soooooo angry right now

[victusinveritas]

Want book recommendations? Podcasts? What's your preferred learning modality if you've got time?

This was one of my introductions to military history. I was 14 and haven't ever really looked back. Big fan of star forts and Vauban.

[amandamadeathing]

Do you ever have a stupid idea that you just have to get out?

[chiliger]

Oh my god, it’s Cody with a chair!

Woo! Fan comic of @frostbitebakery ‘s Zombi-Wan fanfic: “Who Ordered the Resurrection Special” 💫💫💫 It’s a fun read, highly recommend.

[nataliabdraws]

Sabine and her wolves 🐺

Check out my shop for prints and stickers!

[halfwayhearted]

heyyyy ! i was wondering if i could request hector fort x reader at a haunted house?

Ghost Highway — Héctor Fort.

Pairing: Héctor Fort x Fem!Reader

Summary: In which you’re scared, and he… well, he is too.

Word Count: 560+

Disclaimer/s — Fluff, and hello, HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

A/N: This was actually so 😭💞 to write, it’s quite short, Soz!

How Héctor managed to convince you? No clue.

Going to a ‘Spooky Halloween October Fest’ was something you had on your list of things to do for weeks, if not months. And what better opportunity to go with your boyfriend than now?

That was until he caught sight of the haunted house. You declined, one after the other, yet he was as determined as ever to get you to agree. With a little bribing of free food and sweet treats for a couple of months, you finally caved.

He held out his hand, and you grabbed two of his fingers, already bracing yourself for the jumpscares and unnecessarily scary sound effects. You hated being scared. Loathed it, even.

“I swear,” you murmur after one of the workers looks over at the two of you and nods, “I’m starting to think your bribe wasn’t worth this.”

All the Fort boy does is laugh, rolling his eyes.

Things were going fine—if it weren’t for the yells and screams from the people way ahead of you, warning you of what’s to come. But still, it was going fine… for the time being, you supposed.

That’s when you both turn a corner, and a woman in a witch costume jumps out, eyes wide with fake blood trailing down her jaw. You jump, letting out a yelp as you let go of your boyfriend and hurry past the scare actor, leaving him behind.

Catching up to you, he couldn’t help but let a big smile grace his lips. “You scare easily, huh?”

“I scare easily when it’s something unexpected.”

“You couldn’t see her hat peeking out?” He asks, gratefully lending you his arm when he sees you reaching out for it. “Because it was right there.”

Your brows instantly furrowed, “If I did notice her, would I have jumped and run away from you?”

“Point taken—” he’s cut off when a loud effect sounds, his body jolting slightly and instinctively pulling you toward him, making you giggle.

“I actually think that made me feel a lot better.”

How would that make you feel better? He had thought, looking down at you with narrowed eyes. “What? Me flinching? I wasn’t expecting it.”

“No, the fact that I got scared by an actual person and you were spooked by a literal loud audio.”

From your teasing alone, Héctor slid his arm out of your grip and quickened his pace, making you tense at the thought and feeling of being alone. It didn’t help that the background music turned from calm and eerie to loud and suspenseful.

“Héctor!” You whisper-shouted, watching how he disappeared into the next room. You winced. Was he seriously leaving you alone? “Héctor! Please.”

Cautiously entering the dark room, you instantly let out a scream when you heard the whisper of a faint ‘boo’ in your ear. Your eyes clamped shut, and you were about to bolt when familiar arms wrapped around your waist. “It’s just me. I—” he was unable to finish his sentence due to his loud laughter. You could’ve been annoyed. You really could’ve been. But you weren’t, not even a little bit. Instead you smiled and swatted at his arms.

“You’re insufferable!” You huffed. “Like, really?”

“Do you want to leave? We’re close to the end.”

Of course that’s what you wanted. “I think you’re an insufferable genius. Come on, come on!”

Likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated ^_^.

DT(s) — @planetpedri + @spidybaby ! ౨ৎ

[ooowyn]

hold me tighter

[dizzybizz]

,,,mochi

[dogearedfriends]

art for Bare Your Faces of the Veil by @flippyspoon as promised!! the scanning process stripped the blue of some of its vibrancy, so as a consolation price, here are some exploratory sketches of them just making out on the ground 🖖

[starset-sarsaparilla]

fun fact: when i first went to the fort to kill caesar i completely forgot about the bunker. it was a stressful return trip

[lemonerix]

@usukweek

Day 1: Roadtrips // Fantasy/Fairy tale AU

Alfred is singing along with his playlist throughout their trip. Arthur doesn't mind his shit singing voice bc the man is so in love he can't tell the difference between Frank Sinatra and Alfred's voice.

[thymelessink]

[aryamistwood]

the bisexual lighting hits different

I am having so much fun taking pictures with the aura lol

Also, Come On Home by Penny SLAPS!!

[jellyjynx]

Day 30+31- Final and Together

I really wanted this last one to look good

Redrew Mega Man's final smash :D

[skzsaxicolous]

normally, kids in dramas make me roll my eyes and I try to ignore them.

But this absolute joy of a person is the exception.

Nina's giving everything. she's a really good actress and I really enjoy her scenes. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to see her in other things soon!