#stellar germany

[stellarfurniture]

Stellar Furniture is attuned to the demands of the German market, backed by partnerships with local agents and distributors. The strong trade relationship between Germany and China allows us to support furniture retailers, e-commerce owners, and importers seamlessly.

[lixbf]

being german and listening to anything german politicians have to say these days is so depressing

[victorinoxghoul]

it's them it's the whole dynamic

[timelessnewsnow]

Sabrina Carpenter, the rising pop sensation and Grammy-nominated artist, has been confirmed as the latest headliner for the British Summer Time (BST) Festival in Hyde Park, London, scheduled for Saturday, July 5, 2025. This marks a significant milestone in her career following a breakout year that included chart-topping success, Grammy nominations, and sold-out tours. The announcement of Carpenter as the headliner comes amidst buzz about her personal life, including reports of a split with Irish actor Barry Keoghan.

Read more 👆🏻

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?

Marilyn Monroe (How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot)— Ngl I thought you all were lying about sexual attraction until I saw Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Hedy Lamarr:

The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!

Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)

Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.

One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.

Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.

Marilyn Monroe:

She's amazing!!! A classic bombshell, as well as a strong women who overcame so many obstacles. She also advocated for others, like Ella Fitzgerald.

That fucking saxophone that cuts in whenever she appears on screen in Some Like it Hot

I mean, it's Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable. She's gorgeous. She funny. She's the total package

She's the original American sex symbol, an iconic beautiful woman with eyes you could get lost in, legs for days, gorgeous hair, and a cute tummy. Her voice! Just listen to her voice!!!!!

She is considered one of THE sex symbols of the 1960s and one of the greatest actresses of all time! She HAS to be on this list!

no vintage movie woman is more iconically hot

People are most familiar with pictures of her in the white dress or the Happy Birthday Mr President one, but imo she is at her most beautiful and looks most comfortable when she is photographed by women like Eve Arnold

It’s Marilyn Monroe. If Aphrodite was an actual person, she’d be Marilyn. Do I really need to say more?

What can I say that hasn't been said? Marilyn's legacy is so much bigger than she was in life. She's a defining symbol of 50s and 60s Hollywood sex and it's obvious why. She was absolutely stunning and the camera loved her.

[thedespicableblog]

Tee gee yaii yefff spin.. Der Weg einer Freiheit - Stellar.. Artist exclusive edition.. No bullshit just good black metal! Thanks EVIL GREED 🤘🔥☠️🇩🇪 #DerWegEinerFreiheit #Stellar #Germany #GermanBlackMetal #BlackMetal #SeasonOfMist #MetalUpYourAss #KeepMetalAlive #KeepItLoudAndHeavy #MetalForLife #MetalTillIDie #InMetalWeBlast #ExtremeMusicForExtremePeople #SpreadLoveThroughMusic (at House of Metal) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coe-gnZJs_z/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mapiforpresident]

Could you please do a Leah Williamson x Reader fic? Enemies to lovers. Reader captains Germany & as a striker often gets into exchanges with Leah during international games. The reader eventually transfers to Chelsea & now that they're in the same city a relationship starts to blossom.

New Beginning

Leah Williamson x reader

~~~

The streets of London buzzed with life as you navigated through the chaos. Your phone had decided to malfunction just when you needed it most, leaving you hopelessly lost in a city that felt foreign despite the countless times you had dreamed of playing here. With each turn you grew more and more confused and lost.

You had recently transferred to Chelsea after a stellar career with Wolfsburg, where you had captained the team to multiple titles. Leaving your old club had been bittersweet, the camaraderie and success you had shared with your teammates were hard to let go of. Yet the thrill of a new challenge in a city that loved football was exciting. You were excited for the big games at Stamford Bridge against big teams like Arsenal

Leah had always been a formidable presence on the pitch. As the captain of the Lionesses and a standout defender, she was known for her strategic mind and adorable frown. Your history with her was complex, marked by battles on the field where you often found yourselves in heated exchanges. As a striker, you had tangled with her more times than you could count. The tension between your national teams was intense especially after your loss to her in the Euros final, but there was also a mutual respect.

As you turned a corner, a familiar figure caught your eye, Leah was strolling casually down the street. You felt surprise mixed with apprehension, your rivalry had always felt more like a sports one than a personal one. But here she was, looking effortlessly put together, her hair slightly tousled in the cool breeze.

“Lost, are we?” Leah’s voice broke through the noise, a teasing smirk on her face.

You hesitated. “Yeah, my phone decided to give up on me,” you admitted, a hint of annoyance creeping into your voice.

“Need a hand?” she offered, the warmth in her tone surprising you.

“Uh, sure,” you replied, skeptical about if she was actual going to help you or lead you in the wrong direction. “I’m trying to find my way to Stamford Bridge for my tour. ”

“Not far from here, actually. Follow me,” Leah said, turning on her heel. You fell into step beside her, the initial tension still hanging in the air.

As you walked, the awkwardness began to dissipate. Leah was surprisingly engaging, telling you things about London and pointing out places she likes. You found yourself laughing with her, completely forgetting your previous apprehension. The cheeky smile that played on her lips lingered in your mind long after you parted ways.

You exchanged numbers, before she said goodbye outside of the stadium. But as the days turned into weeks, you encountered Leah more often than you anticipated—at a charity photoshoot, in a café after training, even at a local grocery store. Each time, the energy between you shifted slightly, subtle flirting and teasing becoming more frequent.

The real turning point came during a match between Chelsea and Arsenal at the Arsenal. The atmosphere was amazing, fans of both teams had sold out the stadium. But as the match unfolded and Arsenal won 3-2, you felt incredibly frustrated that you couldn't score a second goal.

Just as you turned to leave the pitch, you heard Leah call your name, her voice cutting through the noise of the stadium. You spun around, catching her gaze. “Hey! You played amazing out there,” she said, her expression softer than you had seen before.

“Yeah, you played well too,” you conceded, trying to keep your tone light, masking the disappointment of the loss.

“Want to grab a drink?” she suggested, her signature frown on her face even though her team just won an important game.

You raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me out?”

“Maybe” she replied, her frown turning into a slight smirk.

You hesitated for a heartbeat, your mind racing through all the possible implications. “Alright, I’m in,” you finally said, a rush of excitement coursing through you.

As you walked to a nearby bar, you shared stories and laughter, the conversation flowing easily as you discussed everything from football tactics to your favorite cities you have traveled to. There was a very calm and comfortable atmosphere between you, and you felt at ease.

You had an amazing night at the bar only having a drink each before switching to water, but still spending hours talking.

That night, as you parted ways, Leah leaned in, her breath warm against your ear. “We should do this again. This was even more fun than beating Chelsea?”

“Deal as long as you stop bringing up that we lost,” you replied, a smile creeping onto your face.

In the weeks that followed, you began to see Leah in a new light. You found yourself thinking about her more and more often, replaying moments from your night at the bar. Embarrassingly you also found yourself stalking her instagram and watching tiktok edits of her.

~~~

The streets of London were draped in a misty rain as you sat curled up on your couch, lost in a novel Lucy had recommended you. It had been a day off for you, having won a game the previous day against Roma. Suddenly, your phone buzzed, pulling you from your book.

It was a text from Leah: “Hey want to grab a drink? I could use the company.” You knew that she had just lost a game against Real Madrid at the Emirates, having gotten a notification that the score was 2-1.

A mix of excitement and nervousness fluttered in your stomach. You quickly typed back, “Of course. Where do you want to meet?”

Less than an hour later, you found yourself at a small, intimate bar in the heart of London. You remembered Leah saying this was the bar she came to Leah walked in, her shoulders slightly hunched against the rain, but she gave you a small, shy smile as her eyes met yours.

As she settled into the seat next to you, you quickly fell into easy conversation. Leah spoke candidly about the disappointment of Arsenal's recent loss in the Champions League, and her frustration with Jonas and their tactics not working. You listened wishing you could help her and make her feel better or take her mind off the loss.

After a drink and a water, you both decided to head out, the rain still misting in the wind. “Let me walk you home,” you offered, and Leah nodded appreciatively and secretly just wanting to spend as much time with you as possible.

“Thanks for walking with me,” Leah said, her voice quiet. Throughout the walk your hand kept accidentally brushing hers and you blushed as Leah didn't pull her hand away. As you approached the door of her flat, the mood shifted slightly, and Leah turned to you, her eyes searching yours. “Can I kiss you?” she asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you replied, heart racing.

She leaned in, and your lips met in a gentle kiss. The world around you faded—the rain, the city, everything but the two of you in that moment. When you pulled away, Leah’s cheeks were flushed, and a grin spread across her face. Just then the rain started to pour down soaking both of you as you shrieked and Leah let out a genuine laugh.

“Want to come inside?” she asked trying to quickly find her key and get out of the rain.

You stepped into her flat, the warmth enveloping you like a comforting hug. “It’s cozy in here,” you remarked as you kicked off your shoes.

“Let me get us some tea,” Leah said, moving toward the kitchen. You went to the bathroom to freshen up and came back and sat at her small dining table.

After a few minutes, she returned with two steaming mugs, and sat across from you. “You know, I really enjoy spending time with you,” Leah said, her gaze sincere.

“Same here. This has probably been my favorite night in London so far,” you replied.

As the rain continued to pour outside, Leah glanced nervously at the couch. “I can take the couch if you want to stay the night,” she offered hesitantly.

You shook your head, your heart racing at the thought of sharing a bed. “I don’t mind sharing with you, I promise not to bite.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, wanting to make sure you were completely comfortable.

“Definitely,” you affirmed, a grin spreading across your face.

In her bedroom, you changed into a pair of her pajamas—soft and cozy, and they smelled like Leah. As you climbed into bed, Leah nestled beside you, her body warm and inviting.

The silence that followed was comfortable yet you could feel the nervous energy radiating from her. You glanced over, noticing the way she bit her lip, and decided to break the silence. “I really like you, Leah. I’d love to go on more dates and see where this goes.”

Her eyes lit up, and she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I’d like that too,” she replied, her voice soft and genuine.

You leaned in, capturing her lips again in a tender kiss, but this time she deepened it loving the feeling of your lips on hers.. When you finally pulled away, a content smile spread across your face.

The rain continued to fall outside, the sound soothing as you cuddled together under the covers. As you drifted off to sleep, you felt an overwhelming sense of peace, knowing that this was just the beginning of something beautiful. You realized that you would love nothing more than to fall asleep next to Leah every night.

[literallymechanical]

Stellarators and Tokamaks, Part 0

Heyo now that I have a bit of breathing room I'm going to write up a series of posts on the history and physics of the two most prominent kinds of magnetic confinement fusion reactors: stellarators and tokamaks. Check my #fusion tag for more on fusion in general.

Anyway, today I'm going to show you a picture and explain where the names "stellarator" and "tokamak" come from. In Part 1, I'll start getting into some actual physics.

(source)

That's a tokamak on the left and a stellarator on the right. Specifically, the stellarator is Wendelstein 7-X at the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik in Germany.

The yellow is hydrogen plasma undergoing nuclear fusion (like stellar plasma in a star!), the blue are the magnets and coils, the black arrows (in the tokamak) and green stripe (in the stellarator) show the path of a magnetic field line within the device. I will explain why the field lines do that in Part 1.

So,

What's with those funny names?

The stellarator was invented at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1951 by Lyman Spitzer, who is also the namesake of the Spitzer Space Telescope. The name is a portmanteau – "stellar" as in "stellar" and "-ator" as in "-ator." As a result, I find it very hard to say "stellarator" without dropping into a 1950's radio announcer voice. As in,

"The boys at Princeton have whipped up a brand new atomic reactor! That's right, their "Stellar-Ator" has brought the power of the stars to the good ol' U S of A, right here in scenic Plainsboro, New Jersey!"

"Tokamak" is a portmanteau of "тороидальная камера с магнитными катушками." First built in 1958 at the Kurchatov Institute in the USSR from concepts proposed by Andrei Sakharov, the United States Atomic Energy Commission was never successful at getting American scientists to stop using the Russian word for the device.

So that's Part 0! Stay tuned for some actual science.

[reality-detective]

Q Phone or named Pi phone - Information and video demonstration

Say goodbye to all our 'spy phones'.

Then we can get rid of those ugly and dangerous cell towers everywhere.

The Q phone has been developed and manufactured in Germany and the UK with final software updates in the US.

This smartphone is three-dimensional and of the highest quality.

It will become one of the main credit tools and most urgent expenditures in daily life for retail consumption and domestic and international commercial business. and is a subserver to exploit and maintain the quantum system with Stellar + Starlink.

This is a $500 billion manufacturing operation in three countries. And some other countries like Japan..

They are built in various warehouses around the world. Q phones will be delivered free of charge to everyone in the world.

This Quantum Space Q Phone will be used for internet connectivity...texting and calling...banking...voting and more.

It has a 3D interactive holographic display. (watch video)

QFS will create a private Internet network running on triple code and perhaps an 8G network for SATCOM. 🤔

[louisupdates]

Lollapalooza’s ninth event in Germany took place last weekend with a bright and sunny two days at Olympiastadion Berlin. Huge crowds traveled from all over Europe and the world for this 2024’s massive lineup that included Burna Boy, Seventeen, Sam Smith, Louis Tomlinson and so much more.

Louis Tomlinson Mania at Golden Hour

Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated acts of day one was Louis Tomlinson. The former One Directioner has been making his way through the festival circuit this summer, adding Lollapalooza to the mix and delighting German fans who queued at the stage for hours to see him up close. Golden hour lent its soft light to the stadium as Tomlinson arrived, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers. The star lets his music do the talking, telling his story through “The Greatest”, and “We Made It”.

Fans were moved to tears as the performance progressed, the cameras highlighting the passion in the crowd and on the stage. Tomlinson even dusted off One Direction classics “Drag Me Down” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, eliciting impassioned singing from every corner of the venue. Those who had waited all day for this set danced with vigor to “Face the Music” and swayed tearfully to “Saturdays”- a song that Tomlinson finds difficult to perform without sentiment overwhelming him. His time onstage concluded with “Silver Tongues” as the community finally dispersed after a thoroughly fulfilling time spent with their favorite guy.

PHOTOS: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

[power-chords]

The question that finally began to coalesce in my mind, and which finally took on a coherent form like a star igniting at the center of a long-contracting stellar nebula, was this: Are Drinky Bird's oscillations regular enough to allow you to use them as the basis for a clock?

[...]

The basic mechanism was invented in Germany in the mid-18th century but its incarnation as we know it comes later and such a toy seems to have been first described by the Soviet physicist Yakov Perelman, in the 1930s, who was also the author of the optimistically entitled Physics Can Be Fun and Mathematics Can Be Fun. He called the toy the "insatiable birdie" (and if anyone can tell me in the comments what Russian phrase can plausibly be translated as "insatiable birdie" I will die a happy man, or at least, less unhappy). Perelman said of the Insatiable Birdie, in Physics For Entertainment, "There is a Chinese toy which is a perpetual source of astonishment and delight. This is the 'insatiable birdie.' Put before a drinking bowl, the 'birdie' will dip its beak in the water and having 'drunk its fill,' swing back into its initial upright position."

[...]

The basic problem is that the period of Drinky Bird's oscillations is extremely sensitive to external conditions – the study cites ambient temperature and humidity (which affect the rate at which the head cools) the amount of water on the head (ditto) mechanical friction and even the force with which the Bird hits the lip of the bowl or cup containing water. The period of oscillations in general seems to stabilize, everything else being equal, to around 30-40 seconds but unlike a balance spring or pendulum, Drinky Bird is not a harmonic oscillator. The qualification for a harmonic oscillator is that when it is displaced from its neutral point, it experiences a restoring force proportional to the displacing force (the spring tension in a balance spring; gravity in a pendulum). 

Drinky Bird is, like the Atmos clock, a heat engine but in the Atmos clock the expansion and contraction of the gas-filled chamber that powers the clock is used to wind a mainspring, which drives the horizontal, very slow-beating balance (technically a torsion pendulum). You can use temperature changes to drive a wristwatch as well. In 2002 an American watchmaker and AHCI member named Stephen Phillips introduced his EWS – Eternal Winding System – in which temperature fluctuations affected a bimetallic strip, causing it to flex and keep the mainspring wound. Unfortunately the system has, so far, not found its way into a working watch.

However, what Drinky Bird lacks in natural frequency, it gains back in apparent longevity. Drinky Bird will not bob forever but it could do so for an almost absurdly long time under the right conditions. I should note here that Drinky Bird is not a perpetual motion machine – such devices are forbidden by the Second Law Of Thermodynamics. The ability of DB to bob is dependent on a temperature difference between the upper and lower part of the internal tubing and as long as there is an external temperature gradient that allows evaporation, and a supply of water, it will bob happily along.

One must imagine Drinky Bird happy.

[mindblowingscience]

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has found water and organic carbon molecules near a massive, active young star that's situated in a faraway star-forming region of space, suggesting Earth-like exoplanets could form even in the harshest environments in our Milky Way Galaxy. Potentially, some of those exoplanets may even exhibit habitable conditions. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany, aimed the mighty James Webb Space Telescope at a star-birthing region known as NGC 6357. The crew's goal was to analyze the chemical environment surrounding the cluster's budding stars and see whether their orbits could possibly host life. Located some 5,500 light-years from Earth, NGC 6357 is one of the closest regions to us in which we see massive stars currently forming. As these energetic, young stars ignite amid thick clouds of dust, they begin to lash their surroundings with powerful stellar flares and intense ultraviolet radiation, creating unforgiving environments in their vicinity. But the new study found that a planet-forming disk surrounding one of the stars in this cluster contains molecules that are prerequisites for life as we know it, such as water and carbon dioxide. "This result is unexpected and exciting!" María C. Ramírez-Tannus, an astronomer at MPIA and lead author of the new study, said in a statement. "It shows that there are favorable conditions to form Earth-like planets and the ingredients for life even in the harshest environments in our galaxy."

Continue Reading.

[talbaquix]

A layman's guide to olympic fencing—

for writers, artists, olympic fans, or the otherwise curious.

disclaimer: i say layman for a reason! i'm not at all a professional, or even good, but i have been fencing (very) recreationally at an amateur level for ~7 years. also, my exposure to sabre is extremely limited, and i am speaking from an american POV, so please feel free to correct me on any points you see necessary. :)

long post incoming...

So, what is "Olympic fencing?"

First and foremost, it is a sport. Not a fight, not a duel—a sport. One of five that have been permanent fixtures since the very first modern Olympic games, actually—hence the name! While other similar sword-wielding activities (such as historical European martial arts (HEMA), kendo, or wushu for example) may occasionally be referred to as "fencing," most people (me included) define fencing as this specific sport, and use other classifiers to categorize the rest.

Originally, fencing began as a form of military training in Germany and Italy, before spreading recreationally across more areas in Europe. Currently, the fencing scene is almost uncontestedly dominated by Italy, France, and Hungary, though both China/HK and the US have had some pretty stellar wins more recently.

In addition, French has a pretty large influence on fencing terminology and language, at least in the West. Be prepared!

The Basics

Three Weapons

Fencing is divided into three disciplines, each with their own equipment, strategies, and ruleset. They are as follows:

Épée: The classic. The heaviest and most defensive of the three blades, épée's simple ruleset allows for more elaborate strategy and really lives up to fencing's moniker of "physical chess." In épée, the entirety of your opponents body (including face, toes, etc!) counts as valid target area and all hits must be scored with the tip of the blade. In case of a double-touch (relatively simultaneous hits from both opponents), both opponents score points.

Because there's no need for specific target areas, épéeists enjoy minimal equipment, forgoing lamés (electric jackets, pronounced luh-may) and mask cords in exchange for a larger bell guard to protect the hand (that big bit of metal at the end of the blade). Épéeists can use pistol grips for more point control (molded to fit a hand), or a french grip to get a little bit of extra distance (red stick grip).

Épée bouts are stereotypically known for being slow and boring, since the absence of right-of-way (explained later) allows more freedom in trying to sus out opponent reactions and strategize, and the whole-body target + double-touch system means there's more benefit to fencing slowly in comparison to sabre or foil. It's not uncommon for épée bouts to begin with both fencers being carded for passivity! There's a lot of bouncing back and forth in the middle.

Saber (Sabre): Fast, slashing, and aggressive. The fencing you see in movies? Sabre. It's the only cutting weapon, where the entire length of the blade is able to register contact with the opponent. In sabre, the target area is the upper half of the body (including the face, but excluding the hand) and their lamés reflect that. Sabre also employs what is known as right-of-way/priority/advantage (from here on abbreviated as RoW) which, in the case of a double-touch, essentially gives RoW—and therefore the point—to the "aggressing" fencer at the referee's discretion. RoW is pretty complicated, but is very influential in how both sabre and foil play out.

In their ready (en garde) position, sabreists also hold their blade vertically to protect the face (as opposed to foil and épée, where the blade is held horizontally to keep the point towards the opponent). Sabreists also need special masks to register hits, as well as a mask cord to connect it to the rest of the electric circuit. Sabre bell guards are kinda swoopy and extend downward (think pirates) and are always "french grips" (aka just a stick).

Sabreists are generally known for being (respectfully) batshit insane and dramatic as hell. Bouts are extremely fast (rarely more than a few seconds) and look simple, and rely much more on pure athleticism and fast reaction times than épée. Most bouts consist of the two fencers running towards each other, maybe a parry or two, then both fencers scoring hits with a fair bit of screaming and angrily pointing at the ref. Oh wait, did I say running? Sorry, I meant advancing, since sabre is also the only discipline where crossing-over with your legs got banned because people just started sprinting towards the middle instead of actually fencing. Love them for that.

Foil (Fleuret, rarely): Oh, foil. The artistic middleman. Originating as a practice weapon, foil tends to sit in the middle of épée's careful point-control and elaborate strategy and sabre's split-second reactions and fuck-it-we-ball energy. Yet somehow, it ends up being more nit-picky and complicated than both. It has the smallest target area of the three, only covering the torso, as well as the lightest blade. Touches are only registered from the tip.

RoW's influence is noticeably large, since, compared to sabre, the longer bout times actually allow for opportunity for RoW to be traded between you and your opponent. Foil can almost be thought of as turn-based combat. Fencer A initiates the attack first, now has RoW, lunges and misses, which gives RoW to Fencer B. Fencer B attacks, gets parried (back to Fencer A), A extends, B counterattacks, A gets the point.

Foil stereotypes aren't as strong as épée or sabre stereotypes, but foilists are generally known for either being super pedantic and arguing w/ the ref about RoW or whipping their blade around constantly & being flowery (hence, "fleuret"). Because of how bendy the foil is, foilists can also do cool stuff like flicks (snapping your wrist so that the blade bends around, oftentimes to hit your opponents back) and can also get into pretty funny in-fighting situations a bit more often than sabre/épée (since corps-a-corps contact isn't allowed in fencing, and stepping back means you lose RoW, there's a lot of awkward up-close poking).

Some Positions

En garde: the basic fencing position. In essence, a squat, with one foot facing forward and the other turned out, roughly one and a half foot-lengths apart. This is the basis from which all other movements—the lunge, the advance, the retreat—should be executed, and the position fencers return to once an action is completed.

Lunge: the quintessential fencing attack. From en garde, extend your dominant arm, kick out your front foot, land forward, and extend your back arm for balance. To recover, bend your back leg and return to en garde.

Parry: the most basic piece of defensive bladework that every fencer learns, with the "beat" serving as its offensive counterpart. Consists of hitting your opponents blade to prevent a touch. There are nine different parries in classical fencing, but the most common (in foil/épée) are the four and six, which defend the inside and outside lines respectively.

Ettiquette & Other Fun Facts

All fencers must salute their opponent, referee, and audience (if there is one) before and after the bout. Usually just consists of "nodding" at the salutee with your blade before the mask is donned. At the end of bouts, a handshake with your opponent using your non-dominant hand is also expected. Many people substitute/add on to the handshake by tapping blades instead.

Unlike in tennis, seeing a fencer hold up a one on their hand after a touch is an acknowledgement of the opponent's point, whereas a closed fist is a claim of theirs.

When fencing without a ref, many people will slap their thigh to indicate the start of a bout.

Fencers may not speak while the mask is on.

Fencing clubs are also sometimes called salles.

While electrical equipment can vary between disciplines, all fencers are required to wear knickers, a plastron (under-arm protector), a body cord, a jacket, a glove, and a mask. For women, a plastic chest protector is also required. In sabre and foil, fencers also wear a mask cord and lamé.

The first safety rule most fencers learn is to never raise your blade towards someone without a mask on, and it's taken pretty seriously. Because the back of a mask is exposed, its also a big big no-no to turn your back to your opponent during a bout or otherwise lower your head.

Common Terminology

En garde, prez, allez! - On guard, ready, fence! Used to signal the start of a bout.

Halt! - Said by referees to. halt the bout.

Strip/piste - The surface on which fencers fence. Usually around 2m wide and 14m long, the lines on the piste also dictate where fencers must move to to begin bouts, and where they're considered out-of-bounds. Sometimes, they're on raised platforms. Yes, people have fallen off, yes, it's extremely funny.

Feint - Probably what you think it is.

Disengage - Moving your blade in a little circle to avoid contact with what is usually an incoming parry/beat. On a very basic level, straight attacks beat disengages, disengages beat parries, and parries beat straight attacks.

Fleche - An explosive running attack. Due to not being able to cross-over, sabreists use "flunges" instead, a mix between a fleche and a lunge that essentially entails flinging yourself at your opponent in a flying lunge.

Balestra - hop :)

Riposte - An immediate attack done after a defender's parry. Usually heard as "parry-riposte."

Tempo - A kind of nebulous concept, but very similar to the musical definition of the word. The pace of a bout, sorta. Often used when someone is advised to break tempo or if one fencer is controlling the tempo of a bout.

FAQ

Why are the blades bendy? To keep us from dying, mainly. What, you want the metal pole people can throw at each other at the same speed as a bullet (literally) to be solid? Also, blades break a lot already, especially in the hands of the inexperienced—they'd snap a hell of a lot more if they weren't flexible. Ouch.

Does it hurt? About as much as getting poked really hard with a steel stick would. Leaves bruises often, but cuts very rarely. You get used to it. The real kicker is staying in en garde for that long. Trust me, your quads will be screaming.

Is it- No, it's not dangerous. If you follow the rules, fencing is actually extremely safe, especially compared to contact sports.

Does a red light mean no touch? No. One fencer is assigned a red light that lights up whenever a touch is made, and the other is given green. In sabre and foil, yellow (sometimes white) means whatever the fencer hit was off-target, and should not be counted as a point. Épée doesn't have an off-target light, since épéeists don't wear lamés.

How do the masks know when a point is scored? Often asked upon seeing the little lights on the side of masks light up upon touches. Unless you're "dry fencing" (no electricity), you're typically hooked up to a circuit. If you fence épée or foil, there's a little button on the end of your blade that registers when pressure is added onto it. When a hit is scored, the signal goes through the wire in your blade, up your body cord, and eventually to "the box" (and your mask if you're fancy), and the corresponding light is flashed.

Why hold your hand behind your back? Most people don't! Some beginners do it to prevent themselves from reflexively moving their non-gloved hand in front of them when being attacked (which is against the rules), but most fencers either keep their hand relaxed at their side, raised in a t-rex pose, or occasionally above the head.

Helmet? Mask.

Sword? If you want.

Touché? Often "touche," actually. No accent.

Paralympics? On (stationary) wheelchairs. Extremely cool, actually, and very hard. Check it out!

Expensive? To get all your own stuff? Yes. But most clubs will rent you equipment, or sometimes lend it for free! But yes, more expensive than, like, soccer. :(.

Is it fun? Absolutely. To quote some random internet user, "it's like chess, at 90 miles an hour, oh and there's swords!" I would 100% recommend it to everyone, especially if you're on the older side (fencing isn't super age-restricted at all—seeing a 12 y/o and a 70 y/o facing off on a club piste isn't uncommon!) It is exhausting, exhilarating, and super, super fun. Give it a shot!

.

Please feel free to send any and all questions, corrections, or musings my way. Thanks for reading—I hope this was interesting and/or useful!

[generational-atrophy]

Hi!!!!!!

Can I request the main 8 with a poet/writer s/o?

The main 8 find their s/o's poems or writing about them and it's like how much they love them !!!

(hopefully this makes sense :D have a nice day!

Also your writing super coolio )

hetalia allies + germany with a s/o who's a writer

1.6k words ~ gender neutral heacanons + mini scenarios

tw: swearing, thats it!

a/n: i believe this is after the cutoff so its only 6 characters sorry! also ty :)

America

Alfred may not seem like it, considering his less-than-stellar attention span, but he can be quite an avid reader if he wants to be.

In fact, when he was travelling the western frontier, he often wrote poems himself.

He loves your work, (he’s always the first one showing up on release day!) but he doesn’t love how much time it takes away from you.

Seeing you exhausted and frustrated after a long night, trash can filled with discarded drafts, just breaks his heart. He’ll make sure your office is always stacked with 

Alfred wasn’t usually so easily swayed by cheesy romances, despite his sweet soft for them. But now, reading your book, he couldn’t help flushing at every interaction his favourite couple had.

The one he was reading now, well, it just took the cake. Spending the day wandering East Potomac Park? It was something out of his dreams- just endlessly… familiar?

Wait, hadn’t he done that recently with you?

Oh.

He set the book aside, burying his face in his hands as he blushed wildly.

Guess the blue-eyed, blond love interest hero was a bit more than a stereotype after all.

England

Ah, a writer. Arthur has long admired the literary arts, having many a classic writer come from his home. Yes, he’d quite enjoy someone like that.

He loves reading your work, regardless of what it is, but he’d prefer you read it to him. Then he can get all of your silly little notes along with it. Just for him <3

Although he wouldn’t appreciate you spending all day working. He’s not needy usually, but by the time you two go to bed, he’s DESPERATE for your attention.

He tries not to disturb you, though.

From the moment he picked up your work, he could tell where your inspiration for the main love interest came from. Sandy-haired, green eyes, tall but not too tall, always how you had described him.

Of course, that made his reading even more of a joy.

The only thing that bothered him was how the protagonist described themself. Always dismissed, below-par, never worthy of his love. Now, that just wouldn’t stand.

So he began to write as well. In between the margins, on attached papers, on the sides, everywhere. Correcting every disparaging thought.

Then when he finished, he handed the book back to you, with a cheeky comment.

“It was absolutely wonderful, my love.”

Whether you ever saw the notes or not didn’t matter. He had made the book even more perfect, at least to himself.

France

As said before, Francis is a very artsy guy. Very artsy. Although he’s not always skilled at making art himself… so having another artist would help with that.

He’s absolutely the number one collector of your works. Every scrap, every trashed draft, every misprint, he’s keeping everything.

He’s also pretty ok with how much time it takes! It gives him time to relax, or maybe even join in working on creative projects.

Although he would insist on regular breaks. Fortunately, Francis is a hedonist at heart, so those breaks will always provide much inspiration.

True beauty is rare. Living for so long had proven that time and time again for Francis. It isn’t natural, it isn’t easy, and it never lasts. But…that doesn’t make the pursuit of it any more meaningless.

Even more rare than its existence, is the constant presence of it.

But when he read your poems, venerating and elucidating your own feelings, he felt as if he had found it. God, it was beautiful. Your words, unlike any other’s he had read in his many years, made him feel as if he was falling in love all over again.

Instantly, he was transported into your shoes, viewing himself in a light that had never been shone on him before.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself now. It felt wrong- wrong to not give absolute reverence to this piece of art.

If he had had access to the Louvre, he would’ve kept it there. But, well, his kitchen wall would have to do for now.

China

Finally, some good fucking talent. He's very excited about his S/O being an artist! He's not much of one himself these days, but it's good to see the youth catching up to the old masters.

As much as he loves you, he's very opinionated. Everything you write he either LOVES or HATES. Though he's always excited to show off his favourites of your works, he's very proud of you.

Though he absolutely is not stand by while you spend all day sitting around and writing. Get off the couch and come with him, you're never gonna write anything real good if you don't have any life experience!

Because of that, he's gonna be a little hesitant to cater to you while you're writing.

Your last work was good, to be sure, but nothing like this. Your newest release blew him off his feet with ease, captivating him with every turn of the page. One of his favourites, he thought to himself, that'll be one he'd have to return to.

The only problem was that it was almost over already. He wasn't that much of a fast reader, was he? Well, I guess it's easy to go quickly if you love it.

And love it he did, to the very last page. Wait, this is the last page, isn't it? Why are there three more?

He flipped through them, his eyes quickly widening as he read the last page.

A love letter? To... him?

“Is this in every edition?” He asked you shakily, looking to you for reassurance.

“Yeah?”

“That's...”  He brought a hand to his mouth, covering his blushing cheeks  trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes, “That's such a waste of paper...”

Russia

Frankly, Ivan doesn't care much what you do. The most exciting part of you being a writer to him is just that you'd need to spend plenty of time at home.

But he'd always read your work. (Especially rough drafts, he's really good at being blunt but not mean.) And as time goes on, he'll fall in love with your talent more and more. Despite his country's many famous writers, he thinks none of them stack up to you.

He wouldn't mind how much time you dedicate to your craft, but he'd make sure to take good care of you while you're writing. He's truly very worried about you withering away in that desk chair of yours...

“Oh, I absolutely loved the part where-“

Ivan had been ranting for hours, going over every single detail that had caught his eye. Every time he thought of something new, it would lead to another excited train of thought. But there was one thing they all had in common... he really loved one character.

”He's strong!“ He'd gush, ”He's kind, and loving, and I just want him to have a happy ending!“

You let him explain over and over again how much he looked up to this character, wanting to change to be more like him in every way.

But it wasn't until he calmed down a little bit that you felt it was time to reveal the truth.

”Yeah, you know... he's based on someone I know.“

”Really? Who? I must meet him!“ He clasps his hands together in excitement.

”You, you big dummy.“

He pauses for a moment, his smile fading. He looks upset for a moment, trying to figure out how.

”But... but I am none of those things.“

”You are to me. I mean, whenever I thought about you... I'd just write that character.“

He laughs awkwardly, “You are joking, right?”

“No, of course not. You're strong... and you're kind....” he shifts away from you, tears welling in his eyes, “You're loving... and... and I'll give you a happy ending, ok?”

Before you can react, he wraps his arms tightly around your waist, burying his face in your hair.

”Promise?“

”Promise.“

Germany

Ludwig would definitely love a S/O who writes. Mostly for one specific reason, though. Writers, well, they see the world in a different way. Whether that be in a more romantic, more objective, or more sympathetic way, he doesn't care. He wants to talk things through with someone like you.

He wouldn't be a total fanboy, but he'd still love your work.  Although, he might not show it the way you want... it's hard for him not to criticize. He wouldn't be too harsh though!

He wouldn't mind how much you get sucked into your writing either. He knows what it's like to be dedicated to your craft, and he won't bother you too much.

Ludwig had never been an emotional person. Never, not once, throughout his many years was he truly moved to tears by fiction. Art depicting real life? Of course, many times. But he simply never found fiction as compelling as reality.

That was, of course, until he read your own works. Now, going through what you had so effortlessly created, he couldn't help tearing up at nearly every turn of events.

The way you were about to put him into the character's shoes without him even realizing, forcing him along the same journey they had gone through. It was... stunning, to say the least.

But when one of the characters began to fall in love, it was like nothing he had experienced before. Not because of any significant jump in quality, but just because... you had written it.

For a moment he sat in silence, pondering the book when he realized.

Was this what it felt like for you to fall in love with him?

It sent a chill down his spine. No, he didn't feel any differently, not at all. But... he had assumed you couldn't possibly love him as much as he loved you. Except... now?

Well, if this was how you had felt. He couldn't possibly let you go anytime soon.

[hotvintagepoll]

FINAL POLL OF ROUND 1

Propaganda

Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?

Sonja Henie (Thin Ice, Happy Landing)—no idea if she counts, she's a famous skater more than anything else, but count her for the lols and i'll send you some thin mints

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Hedy Lamarr:

The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!

Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)

One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.

Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.

Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.

[shonen-brainrot]

Todoroki brothers' slut, daddy Kacchan's baby girl, Upper Moons' starlet ✨

✨ MASTERLIST ✨

Yo, Tumblr peeps! I'm mid-20s chick from Germany who's practically the captain of the Brainrot Express, and let me tell you, it's a one-way ticket to obsession town💥 You can call me Ru

You can find all my less-than-stellar writing attempts under the designated tag: ru writes 🍬

My infatuation? Well, it's an extensive list of men who've mastered the art of living rent-free in my head. Don't even try to keep up 😩 Nanami, Gojo, Sukuna, Shigaraki, Bakugo, Shinso, Kirishima, Dabi, Hawks, Shoto, Endeavour (yeah lol), Aizawa, Sanemi, Kyojuro, Akaza, Kokushibo, Itoshi (both), Miya (also both lol), Hinata, Sakura Haruka, Jin Marito, Matakara.... I'd rather not go through the trouble of counting any further 😩

Anime and manga? Yeah, they're my lifeblood

My dividers, pfp & banners were made by @doumadono