#three-dimensional garden

[olenaart]

“Impasto Wildflower Symphony” https://www.artfinder.com/product/impasto-garden-symphony-c9865/ A Lively Meadow in Colorful Relief

Impasto Garden Symphony

Step into the vibrant and textured world of “Impasto Wildflower Symphony”, an enchanting artwork that celebrates the exuberance of a blooming meadow. This three-dimensional masterpiece bursts forth with expressive character, capturing the essence of nature’s joyous field.

Key Features:

Impasto Technique: The artist skillfully employs thick impasto strokes, breathing life into the vivid flowers. Each brushstroke adds dimension, making the scene dynamic and captivating.

Rich Palette: Reds, pinks, yellows, purples, and blues intermingle harmoniously, mirroring the riotous hues of a sun-kissed meadow.

Textured Delight: Dabs and splatters of paint create a tactile experience, inviting viewers to explore the wild growth of the landscape.

Three-Dimensional Wonder: The canvas comes alive, inviting you to immerse yourself in the blossoming beauty.

Don’t let this unique and captivating artwork slip away. Add “Impasto Wildflower Symphony” to your collection and revel in the expressive nature of a flourishing meadow. 🌸🎨🌿 #texture #colourful #acrylic #canvas #vibrant #relief #pallet knife #artwork #painting #wildflowers #meadow #impasto #colorful #vibrant #dynamic #expressive #nature #texture #blooming #richpalette #three-dimensional #joyousfield @Artfinder @ArtRepublic

[batslime]

my ma’s going to visit my grandma this weekend so I’m making gma some hummingbird suncatchers as a late bday/ mothers day gift (they’re her favorite birdie)

[mbari-blog]

Fingered goblet sponges support bustling communities of life.

Much like coral reefs in tropical waters or the old-growth forests on land, countless critters make their home in these spectacular sponge gardens.

The fingered goblet sponge (Heterochone calyx) is one of the largest sponges on the Pacific coast. Their funnel-shaped bodies can grow up to two meters (nearly seven feet) tall and fan out two meters (nearly seven feet) across.

Remarkably, the skeleton of this massive animal is made of microscopic slivers of silica glass called spicules. As the sponge grows, the glass spicules fuse together, creating rigid joints in between. This intricate three-dimensional structure remains intact long after the tissues die.

Decisions we make in our everyday lives can affect all animals, even in out-of-sight places like the deep sea. Increased demand for metallic minerals could lead to mining in pristine areas of the deep sea, harming animals like Heterochone. Share what you have learned about Heterochone and sponge gardens to help protect these unique habitats. Help us spread the word about safeguarding the ocean’s pristine wilderness. The future of our big blue backyard depends on us.

Learn more about this and other fascinating animals of the deep.

[ryanmarshallryan]

THE JUMANJI RING

VORETOBER SHORT VORE STORY DAY 24

“What are you working on?”

“Oh, it’s this special puzzle a wizard gave me. It’s supposed to do something magical when you complete it.”

“So far it looks kinda like a strange painting of a fat man in the jungle. Maybe it’s beefy Tarzan?”

“Not sure yet, I do like the circle shape of the puzzle, that’s pretty neat.”

“You said you got this from a wizard?”

“Yeah, seemed eager to get rid of it. Okay, one last piece!”

Once the last piece of the puzzle was complete, they watched the image come to life, the jungle flora seemed to be swaying in the wind, a scent reminiscent of a botanical garden swept through the room, and the fat man who had been frozen in a side body profile, turned his head to the viewers and began to grow larger in image. Suddenly, the fat man was so close he began shoving his way through the borders of the puzzle like a strange porthole, going from a two dimensional image to becoming a fully three dimensional being crawling his way out of the puzzle table, struggling to fit his gut through the circle shape.

Once the fat jungle man got his bearings, he looked between the two asking “Who has completed the puzzle of Jumanji?” After the first guy who had done the puzzle timidly raised his hand, the fat man smiled, picked him up off of the ground and shoved him head first down his gullet. The bystanding man watched as the fat man’s neck bulged out with the shape of his friend, and how the shape traveled down and disappeared in the burgeoning sphere of fat and digestive tissue.

The fat man belched and looked to the bystanding man, “All right, you know the drill? Find someone else to complete the Jumanji puzzle in seven days or you,” he pointed to the bystanding man, then into his mouth and traced his finger down his throat with a gulp, poking his stomach which replied with a gurgle.

The bystanding man shivered as he watched this, “What if I want to complete the puzzle?”

The fat man gave a mischievous smile, and his stomach gave an anticipatory gurgle.

Featuring @bigbullgut as the pred!

[whencyclopedia]

A Brief History of Egyptian Art

Art is an essential aspect of any civilization. Once the basic human needs have been taken care of such as food, shelter, some form of community law, and a religious belief, cultures begin producing artwork, and often all of these developments occur more or less simultaneously. This process began in the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 - c. 3150 BCE) through images of animals, human beings, and supernatural figures inscribed on rock walls. These early images were crude in comparison to later developments but still express an important value of Egyptian cultural consciousness: balance.

Egyptian society was based on the concept of harmony known as ma'at which had come into being at the dawn of creation and sustained the universe. All Egyptian art is based on perfect balance because it reflects the ideal world of the gods. The same way these gods provided all good gifts for humanity, so the artwork was imagined and created to provide a use. Egyptian art was always first and foremost functional. No matter how beautifully a statue may have been crafted, its purpose was to serve as a home for a spirit or a god. An amulet would have been designed to be attractive but aesthetic beauty was not the driving force in its creation, protection was. Tomb paintings, temple tableaus, home and palace gardens all were created so that their form suited an important function and, in many cases, this function was a reminder of the eternal nature of life and the value of personal and communal stability.

Early Dynastic Period Art

The value of balance, expressed as symmetry, infused Egyptian art from the earliest times. The rock art from the Predynastic Period establishes this value which is fully developed and realized in the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt (c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE). Art from this period reaches its height in the work known as The Narmer Palette (c. 3200-3000 BCE) which was created to celebrate the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer (c. 3150 BCE). Through a series of engravings on a siltstone slab, shaped as a chevron shield, the story is told of the great king's victory over his enemies and how the gods encouraged and approved his actions. Although some of the images of the palette are difficult to interpret, the story of unification and the celebration of the king is quite clear.

On the front, Narmer is associated with the divine strength of the bull (possibly the Apis Bull) and is seen wearing the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt in a triumphal procession. Below him, two men wrestle with entwined beasts which are often interpreted as representing Upper and Lower Egypt (though this view is contested and there seems no justification for it). The reverse side shows the king's victory over his enemies while the gods look on approvingly. All these scenes are carved in low-raised relief with incredible skill.

This technique would be used quite effectively toward the end of the Early Dynastic Period by the architect Imhotep (c. 2667-2600 BCE) in designing the pyramid complex of King Djoser (c. 2670 BCE). Images of lotus flowers, papyrus plants, and the djed symbol are intricately worked into the architecture of the buildings in both high and low relief. By this time the sculptors had also mastered the art of working in stone to created three-dimensional life-sized statues. The statue of Djoser is among the greatest works of art from this period.

Continue reading...

[mybeingthere]

Contemporary Swiss artists Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger hung flowers, seeds, and branches in a 17th-century church in Venice.

Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger design site-specific installations that envelop the viewer. Falling Garden is a world in which botanical curios are suspended from the ceiling of a 17th-century church in Venice. It's a botanic tableau in three dimensions, against a backdrop of richly decorated Italian marble. The piece immerses visitors in a magical reality of dreamy conceits—if a blossom had a mind, this is surely what it would look like. Falling Garden becomes the visitors' collective dream of botanical liturgies and ecclesiastic whimsy.

The artists installed "Falling Garden" inside San Staë church, on the Grand Canal, at the 50th Venice Biennial. According to the artists, the church was built as a mausoleum for a 17th-century doge (duke), who was entombed in the center, under an arrangement of skeletons and a grinning skull. To view the installation, visitors lie on the floor, or, as the artists suggest, on the gravestone's bed. It's the best seat in the house, a house of cascading flowers and cherub carvings. Having thus submitted, the visitor's thoughts are free to drift, as "the garden thinks for them."

To further extend the installation's dimensionality, consider the geographic distance it spans: Falling Garden is a collection of botanical tokens from many different places, including baobab seeds from Australia; beech, elder, and magnolia branches from Switzerland, silk buds from Sweden, celery roots from Canada, seaweed from South Korea, and plastic berries from India.

Photos by: Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger.

[starry-bi-sky]

i have... ✨Danyal Al Ghul Headcanons✨ but specifically for my yaelokre danyal oneshot

There's also the tumblr post here but I recommend the link in the title because its the ao3 version, and that one is edited and has some stuff in it that's not in the tumblr post, and will be the version I'm using.

So for summary: this Danyal is also from a Demon Siblings Au where Danny is five years older than Damian. However, things turned out a bit differently, and Danny and Damian had a fantastic relationship with one another. Danny loved music and regularly came up with songs to sing to Damian with. Specifically the folk band Yaelokre's EP "Hayfields" (seriously go fucking listen to it its sooo good. Harpy Hare is the second song but its my favorite. Special shoutout to @gascansposts for introducing the band to me)

He falls off a train when he's twelve and Damian is seven while the two of them and Talia are on mission. He ends up with magically induced amnesia and wakes up in Arkansas while the Fentons are on their yearly Divorce-iversary visit to Aunt Alica, and since he can only remember his name, he ends up being taken into their care.

---------------

Yaelokre Danny has the same facial scar as Things in Threes Danyal, since he was initially another version of him where things turned out better. I'm debating on whether or not I should take it away however, and give him a different scar (maybe from when he fell off the train?), just because the scar is a pretty key identifier for Ti3 Danyal.

-----------------

Danny frequently visits Aunt Alicia in Arkansas! Well, only after he gets settled in and stuff. He doesn't really like the city that much and prefers the countryside where Alicia lives. I know she lives in a cabin but I'm changing it to a farm, so she puts Danny to work and gets him to help her.

I don't want to confine his hobbies to only being star stuff, because people tend to have more than one hobby and I feel like it reduces him to one-dimensionality, so he likes to garden, and learns guitar. His room becomes filled with plants, and he turns their roof into a rooftop greenhouse right below to OPS Center.

He has a complex relationship with the weapons from his past, but he's not... like... appalled by it? When he finds his weapons in the Fenton attic all he thinks is that they're his weapons, and he starts carrying a knife on him afterwards. Essentially he becomes fascinated with weaponry because its one of the few physical ties he has to his past, and while he's not training like he is in the League, he allows his strong muscle memory to guide him through his katas.

Danny likes climbing things. This causes Problems For Everyone Else.

----------------

Danny was not the "kinder Al Ghul" in the League. His kindness extended to his brother and family, and that's it. To everyone else he had high expectations out of them, and the pride you'd expect from the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul and trained by its top members. While he wasn't like, unnecessarily cruel or anything, he wasn't merciful either.

This transfers post-train fall as him coming off as no-nonsense and unforgiving. He's not fond of the idea of giving people second chances, and is skeptical of the idea. He's disgusted by incompetency and views it as an unforgivable offense, especially if he thinks that the person should know better, although he's not sure why. Some egocentrism for the soul.

He doesn't like being touched by anyone who isn't family, and gets irritated when anyone grabs him or holds onto him for extended amounts of time. Dash has gotten hit so many times. With Jack Fenton's tendency for abrupt physical affection, it doesn't make it any better. I'd argue it'd make it worse because Danny doesn't want to be touched more often than not.

------------------

Danyal had a red scarf in the League that he wore on his last mission, it came off before he fell off and caught itself on the roof. Damian still has it and took it with him to Wayne Manor. He's got it locked in his room and takes it out when he's alone and missing Danny the most. One time he forgot to put it away before leaving his room, and Dick was visiting the manor for something and found it. Damian found him holding it and freaked out.

Dick could only say "I've never seen you wear this, Damian, this is really pretty--" before Damian shoved him to the floor and stole it out of his hands, before screaming at him; "Don't touch this! You don't ever touch this! This is mine! You hear me!?"

It caused such a commotion that the rest of the family present came to see what the fuss was about, and Damian kicked them all out of his room. Dick is the one brother Damian's the closest with, so the fact he reacted so strongly shocked them all.

This is likely what leads to the "Danyal" conversation.

[lactoseintolerentswag]

Rise Characterizations: The Foot Clan

Since I've posted on Cass, I figured it would be useful to post separately on the Foot Clan as a whole.

So the Foot Clan's obvious goal is the resurrect The Shredder.

They have paralleled origins to that of the Hamato Clan, the distinction of which caused by Karai splitting into her own clan.

One of the only mentioned laws of the Foot Clan is: you can only take control by succeeding where those have failed.

This leaves room to interpret that there could be a history of in-fighting or struggle for power within the Foot Clan.

Ranking:

To officially join the Foot Clan, a recruit must attempt an assigned solo mission, and return with success. The more missions a recruit/member go on, the more they are qualified to be raised to a higher ranking.

A foot marking on a face is implied to accompany a higher level of respect. Since Huginn and Muninn haven't raised their rank higher than the equivalent of a 2, we can assume that getting a foot print you must be a rank 3 or higher.

Members:

Foot Lt. offhandedly mentioned they get recruits online in "ninja chat rooms", so it seems they prioritize quantity over quality.

Then there are the origami warriors, who serve as canon fodder. We see the origami warriors as the earliest army of the Foot Clan, but this is ruined with the turtles' involvement. I wonder what determines the value between the origami warriors and the human members.

The Foot Clan is already kind of built on flimsy foundations. Foot Lt. and Foot Brute seem to be the only ones in the know of what's going on (being able to navigate through the Hidden City, use/locate mystic artifacts, and have some knowledge of the Hamato Clan), but even they don't really understand the Shredder's motivations. It makes me question how "human" or disconnected from their humanity they are, especially considering the flaming heads and purple skin.

There is some mentioned donors of the Foot Clan (such as Jocelyn's parents), but after the Shredder was detained in Seasons 2's opening, the members of the Foot Clan kind of jumped ship. This forced Cass to find purpose elsewhere, and Foot Lt. and Brute to retreat to the shadows. When the Shredder returns, it's just the three of them. This might have to do with where they recruit from.

In-fighting and changes between leadership through violence could also lead to muddled history and values. These people aren't bound together by one purpose, just broad destructive chaos.

Names and identities don't be appeared to be valued within the Foot Clan. For the majority of the show Cassandra is referred to as "Foot Recruit", and the only names we're offered with the two leaders are "Foot Lt. and "Foot Brute". This is could be read as a gag, but again Foot Clan history is completely open to interpretation.

Goals:

We've discussed their connection to Shredder's resurrection, but even beyond him what they're really aiming at it world domination and destruction. We see this reflected in Cass with her inherit fierceness, but also how she deals with the fallout of the Foot Clan by raising an army of brownie scouts to take over the world.

And then there's the inherit role of servitude that both Foot Lt. and Brute put themselves under. When Draxum dons the armor they "await" his orders (with the misunderstanding that the Shredder has risen), and when asked what they expect the Shredder to do they simply shrug and say "shred". They live to serve and destroy for a higher power beyond their understanding. A few lines that particularly stuck out to me in the movie was: "Tonight we liberate our masters from their dimensional prison. With this key we shall free them to lay waste to this world and enslave its people."

And finally I'd like to discuss their relationship with the Krang and the key.

Since the events of s2 the Foot Clan appears to have taken residence in an abandoned garden, whether it was the same in which the boys had broken into to smell the corpse flower remains unclear to My findings. Their numbers have grown again for an unknown reason, and they have been collecting parts of the dimensional gate and finally key.

I would also like to mention the inclusion of the boat and dock here. Especially since we were introduced to the Foot Clan through their paper thievery, and the boys had their first win against them on a similar boat that served as a paper hoard.

Moving back to the Krang, they have a similar fundamental misunderstanding of their place in relation to their masters, as they did with their master the shredder. It begs me to ask the question of when exactly and how did Lieutenant and Brute start giving attention to the Krang.

They were never mentioned before during the show, but in the movie Lieutenant does refer to them by name, "We shall follow the Krang as they lead the Foot Clan to glory!" So did this reach for a new master come from desperate research on the Shredder's origins, or was that the end goal when the Shredder was released? The oni that gave Shredder is shown to be a Krang before they were even confirmed, and the armor appears eerily similar to the armor that the three Krang don in the final sequence of the movie.

Then the source of empyrean (the source of mysticsm, yokai, mutants) is shown to come from a kraang corpse. There's so much of the Foot Clan tied to the Krang manipulating Oroku Saki, but a lot of their origins appear to be lost to history.

But again that leaves much to interpretation and wiggle room to poke at!!

[theflowerofhumanity]

Back to the Start

Even if he hadn’t made top marks in every class he’d taken since his first semester, Spock would have attracted a great deal of curious attention at Starfleet Academy. He was one of just three cadets from Vulcan and was, of course, the only one of those whose heritage was both Terran and Vulcan. He was also visually striking: tall, lanky, with something distinctly alien about his features. Though not a complete loner, Spock had few real friends despite being well into his third year. He didn’t socialize much outside of class since most of his “free” time devoted to studying or spent in various laboratories or flight simulators.

The unfortunate truth was that Spock, intellectually gifted as he was, had none of the social skills or emotional intelligence to thrive among his peers. He was even less capable of doing so here in San Francisco in his twenties than he had been as a young boy on Vulcan. He’d spurned the expectations of his father and his society to join Starfleet, and he had no time for regret (which was illogical, in any case), but sometimes even he felt lonely—just as he’d been too human for many people on his native planet, he was too Vulcan to fit in easily on Earth.

But he was neither a pariah nor inherently antisocial. Occasionally, he could be found in the corner of a student lounge, his long fingers caressing the strings of his Vulcan lyre or playing a game of three-dimensional chess with a fellow cadet while they debated some scientific theory. Off-campus, he frequented the botanical gardens and lonely beaches.

This term, Spock had added to his already-full course load by enrolling in a biology class on a whim. His scientific curiosity had always been boundless and insatiable. He hungered for knowledge and had resisted any attempts to narrow his focus from a very early age. The course was unlikely to be particularly challenging, but he was looking forward to the ways it would differ from the biology lessons he’d had on Vulcan. He was, frankly, eager for the change of pace.

@multirptrash

[broomsick]

One of the liberties I find most interesting within pagan practice is the ability to concentrate on different aspects of a deity depending on your current circumstances. This complements the fact that deities are three-dimensional— as I have mentioned in the past, I think it’s important for pagans who are exploring their spirituality to consider the numerous aspects of a deity, instead of boiling them down to a list of “areas of influence” ([insert deity] is the God of [insert concept]). Let me give an example of this: a devotee of Njörðr who is traveling at sea can call upon him for a safe trip, evidently. But they could also choose to ask for his help in matters of financial stability, as well as prosperity of a garden/crop, or success at work. These are all different aspects of one’s life that can be considered tied to Njörðr one way or another. Something that’s important to keep in mind, however, is the cultural & historical context of a deity. I think someone who’s interested in exploring the different aspects of a deity in that manner should look into questions like: why was this deity was tied to this or that aspect of life? How were they worshipped? How was their help, or presence supposed to manifest? I’m not saying to adopt these historical beliefs and practices, but rather to seek to understand them. This can help greatly with developing a complex perception of a deity, which would be on par with their actual complexity. Cultural context is invaluable when it comes to understanding a deity. 

[gretahayes]

more core four repair shop au thoughts;

the fixing shop gives very much cosy small candy shop vibes despite it being like...two stories tall and a mix of a woodworking station, a metalworking station, a forge, a car mechanic, a tech store, a tailor store, a toy store, a library (tim and bart like to read and go through reading material fast, so they figured they may as well), and a sort of bakery.

(it's only a bakery when kon keeps everyone else out of the kitchen (yes they have a kitchen, keep up) for long enough to bake successfully. if he succeeds, you get whatever new recipe he tried out that day, or the old reliables. the old reliables come out when he's having a busy or rough day and wants something low-effort and comforting.)

(also, he doesn't sell what he bakes. he gives them out. unless you've got three hours to argue over paying, you're getting it for free.)

it's got a big winding staircase leading up to the second storey and just like a hole. smackdab in the middle of the store, so they can lean over the railing and yell to each other

it's also much bigger on the inside than the outside. how? magic. (when the core four says this, locals laugh and take it as a joke. it is not a joke. they now owe zatanna a favor)

new branches are constantly being added, and new stuff. one day they picked up crocheting and suddenly there was crocheted stuff for sale. anita popped by and for a few days, second hand kid toys/clothes were offered.

it's not a cafe but they've got a good coffee machine, a lot of mugs, the Good Coffee™, and all know how to make good drinks. if you've got a few bucks to spare, it's heavenly.

tim fixes cameras sometimes :) he's had a lot of cameras through his lifetime and marvels at antiques, well-loved cameras, and newer models all the same.

cassie fixes weapons! cosplayers and people who just have weapons on hand come to the shop, drop it off, and a day/week later their weapon is fixed.

if you come when cissie's visiting, she'll help you with your bow.

traya visits with flowers and is a very chatty and helpful salesperson for the day until she's got to go back home. she also refuses to "sell" stuff without collecting any money.

bart knows how to do almost everything so he does a lot of the work, but it keeps him busy and there's a lot of different stuff to be fixed so he never gets bored.

when asked by the titans or the jla members they're related to/mentor them how it's going, they usually only tell the hero stuff, which is wild because Small Town Nonsense, so the justice league is like oh my God???? are you guys okay over there?? are you sure you don't need help??

they're like no we're living our peaceful cottagecore dream literally fuck off??

justice league: you got dismembered yesterday??

core four: the demon was just a scared kid, plus they gave us our limbs back, it's literally fine.

justice league: we don't think-

core four: we're about plant a garden. fuck off.

the titans at least visit Sometimes (dick, donna and wally obviously, but they won't object to a visit from kori or vic or gar) so they know the core four are happy and mostly vibing so they don't have many protests.

sometimes they've got baby heroes their shop, jai and irey poking around, damian petting their emotional support dog (her name is buddy. she is not a trained emotional support dog but she is very good at listening. she's part golden retriever and part princess of hell. don't ask.), assorted speedsters and arrowfam teens coming and going.

their town (and shop because they've got an alien, a speedster, and a demigod. it's a cauldron of magic) is sort of at the point where the dimensional barrier is sort of...thin? so sometimes they've got other versions of baby heroes in their shop, just chilling until they can get them back home.

on one notable occasion, they've had a teen mar'i, a toddler jackson hyde, a pre-teen cerdian and robbie, and a six-year-old chris kent all at the same time. that's the most like parents they've ever felt.

tim knew they'd all end up crashing in one bed so he just bought like...an alaskan king size bed in one room then regular beds in the others. he was not going to lie to himself.

[starman-john-tracy]

Garden Party Gale [RP]

@socialitesleuth:

Penelope had since risen from her armchair and repositioned herself by the window, as if her taking a proper look herself would change matters. Lips purse in consideration. Abandon plans...? But so much effort had already gone into the event. It seemed unfair to be beaten by a little rain, but Penelope knew when to listen. Especially when it was John, and especially when he sounded so concerned. She flicks a strand of blonde from her face, noting with her own eyes the car that has now arrived. "I suppose we could bring the party indoors, though I'm not sure how well Parker will take it. He's spent the last couple of days organising and setting it up. Still, it is better to be safe than sorry." After all, Creighton-Wards never quit, unless they absolutely had to, and this situation most definitely fell under the banner of what was an acceptable defeat. "Parker!" She calls out briefly over her shoulder, and as far away from the communicator to avoid possibly defeaning her friend, before replying directly to John again. "It was a good few years ago. I believe they signed us off as fine, but... Well, Parker has been expressing concern over the East Wing these last few months. He wanted to bring some surveyors in, but I'm afraid we haven't had the chance. Work has kept us rather... tied up, on occasion." As nice as it had been to visit Southern France last month, Penelope hadn't been appreciative of the criminal she and Parker had been tracking down. The lack of manners was astonishing, to say the least. Realising this probably wouldn't help John in feeling less worried, Penelope offers a quick, soft, reassuring smile in an attempt to lessen his concern. "We'll make sure we bunker down somewhere safe, John."

A strong gust of wind buffets the wall outside, rattling the window panes violently in their frames. It must be loud enough for John to hear over the comm because his eyes flick to the side, ginger brows furrowing. The sky outside the window is black with thick, heavy storm clouds. The darkness hangs threateningly over the manor - the air seems just about ready to burst.

"You’ll have to pass my apologies on to Parker.” John says, which is rather charming considering he has no control over the weather. “I'm not talking just a little British rain, Penelope. Upwards of sixty three miles per hour," John shakes his head, clearly trying to convey the severity of her situation, “we're looking at flying gazebos.” And the straight face the man keeps, saying things like that, is genuinely impressive. “Let him know to hurry. I’d hate for anyone to get caught out there… and speaking of, you better get your guests inside. How many people were on your invite list this time anyway?”

He thinks he could probably call anyone else in transit and warn them to return home or, if the rain and wind is about to get as bad as his meteorological predictions suggest, to take shelter. John turns to the side and swipes the weather map, with its rolling red of oncoming inclement weather, up to the top of his periphery and expands his palms to open a new window as another thought hits him.

“And keep away from that East Wing.” He’s pulled up a perhaps-not-entirely-legal three dimensional satellite map of her estate, and is busy examining the building.

“Eos, could you run a structural analysis on these segments of the manor for me?” He earmarks something Penny can't see with a few quick, short taps.

There’s a chirpy little FAB John, before the information begins to cascade into his hands. 

On the ground, the first few drops of rain fall, bursting against Penny's antique glass windows like tiny, wet grenades. It's going to be, what they call in England, a bloody great storm.

[talonabraxas]

“You attract and manifest whatever corresponds to your inner state.” - Eckhart Tolle Hyperspace – A Scientific Odyssey

A look at the higher dimensions Do higher dimensions exist? Are there unseen worlds just beyond our reach, beyond the normal laws of physics? Although higher dimensions have historically been the exclusive realm of charlatans, mystics, and science fiction writers, many serious theoretical physicists now believe that higher dimensions not only exist, but may also explain some of the deepest secrets of nature. Although we stress that there is at present no experimental evidence for higher dimensions, in principle they may solve the ultimate problem in physics: the final unification of all physical knowledge at the fundamental level.

My own fascination with higher dimensions began early in childhood. One of my happiest childhood memories was crouching next to the pond at the famed Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, mesmerized by the brilliantly colored carp swimming slowly beneath the water lilies. In these quiet moments, I would ask myself a silly question that a only child might ask: how would the carp in that pond view the world around them? Spending their entire lives at the bottom of the pond, the carp would believe that their “universe” consisted of the water and the lilies; they would only be dimly aware that an alien world could exist just above the surface. My world was beyond their comprehension. I was intrigued that I could sit only a few inches from the carp, yet we were separated by an immense chasm. I concluded that if there were any “scientists” among the carp, they would scoff at any fish who proposed that a parallel world could exist just above the lilies. An unseen world beyond the pond made no scientific sense. Once I imagined what would happen if I reached down and suddenly grabbed one of the carp “scientists” out of the pond. I wondered, how would this appear to the carp? The startled carp “scientist” would tell a truly amazing story, being somehow lifted out of the universe (the pond) and hurled into a mysterious nether world, another dimension with blinding lights and strange-shaped objects that no carp had ever seen before. The strangest of all was the massive creature responsible for this outrage, who did not resemble a fish in the slightest. Shockingly, it had no fins whatsoever, but nevertheless could move without them. Obviously, the familiar laws of physics no longer applied in this nether world!

Meeting a Higher Dimensional Being To understand some of the mind-bending features of higher dimensions, imagine a two-dimensional world, called Flat land (after Edwin A. Abbott’s celebrated novel) that resembles a world existing on a flat table-top. If one of the Flatlanders becomes lost, we can quickly scan all of Flatland, peering directly inside houses, buildings, and even concealed places. If one of the Flatlanders becomes sick, we can reach directly into their insides and per form surgery, without ever cutting their skin. If one of the Flatlanders is incarcerated in jail (which is a circle enclosing the Flatlander) we can simply peel the person off from Flatland into the third dimension and place the Flatlander back somewhere else. If we become more ambitious and stick our fingers and arms through Flatland, the Flatlanders would only see circles of flesh that hover around them, constantly changing shape and merging into other circles. And lastly, if we fling a Flatlander into our three dimensional world, the Flatlander can only see two dimensional cross sections of our world, i.e. a phantasmagoria of circles, squares, etc. which constantly change shape and merge (see fig. 1 and 2). Now imagine that we are “three dimensional Flatlanders” being visited by a higher dimensional being. If we became lost, a higher dimensional being could scan our entire universe all at once, peering directly into the most tightly sealed hiding places. If we became sick, a higher dimensional being could reach into our insides and perform surgery without ever cutting our skin. If we were in a maximum-security, escape-proof jail, a higher dimensional being could simply “yank” us into a higher dimension and redeposit us back somewhere else. If higher dimensional beings stick their “fingers” into our universe, they would appear to us to be blobs of flesh which float above us and constantly merge and split apart. And lastly, if we are flung into hyperspace, we would see a collection of spheres, blobs, and polyhedra which suddenly appear, constantly change shape and color, and then mysteriously disappear. Higher dimensional people, therefore, would have powers similar to a god: they could walk through walls, disappear and reappear at will, reach into the strongest steel vaults, and see through buildings. They would be omniscient and omnipotent. Not surprisingly, speculation about higher dimensions has sparked enormous literary and artistic interest over the last hundred years.

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Hello there, my URL compels me to ask you for all your thoughts on The Charioteer! Why did you like it, what do you think makes it special? Favourite bits? I would love to hear more.....

Omg absolutely!! I absolutely adore Renault's writing (have read the Alexander trilogy, TLOTW, and am in the middle of The King Must Die and Promise/Purposes of Love). The Charioteer left me feeling utterly unmoored and, after finishing, I instantly knew it was my all time favourite book. I probably knew it was going to be my favourite after chapter 2.

My favourite bits of the novel feel pretty basic, but: the wedding day and the wedding night had me grinning like a maniac while listening to the audiobook in public. Chapters 14-16 are tough to read, but elevate the book to a different level. Laurie's internal conflict is so complex and nuanced and real that I can hardly bear it. I also fully respect the isolated moments between Andrew and Laurie (how Renault could make me go from forgetting Andrew existed to making my heart physically hurt for him, I'm not sure).

And off the back of that: Renault plays with your allegiances so well, too. It'd have been so easy to make Andrew less likeable or make Laurie even slightly more accepting of intimacy with Ralph, but she didn't. Similarly, the way the book slowly reveals the dynamic between Ralph and Laurie is SO bold, I can't get enough of it and already wish I could read it for the first time again.

And Renault has such a way with writing three-dimensional characters and unique relationships that consume me. I have an intense desire to analyse every sentence of this book -- but it's like the Hydra. When you focus on one area, a new area pops up and you can't manage to cover all of them at once.

Without mentioning anything obvious, I also live where the story takes place (even have a bomb shelter in my back garden), which makes it feel extra special to me!

[mbari-blog]

Glorious gardens bloom deep below the ocean’s surface. ⁠

⁠These deep-sea sponge and coral communities create complex, three-dimensional structures that provide habitat for many other animals, such as crabs, sea stars, and many different fish species.⁠⁠But deep-sea corals—and the life that depends on them—face a fragile future. Changing ocean chemistry will make it more difficult for them to grow, and fishing gear can damage delicate corals. Marine protected areas can safeguard deep-sea corals and the animals that call these coral gardens home. Learn more about this fascinating deep-sea environment on our YouTube channel. 

[alexxiskei]

Dedicating this post to my first and only twst oc. I've never created fandom-related ocs before He's twisted from Diaval (Maleficent) and listen, I know that Crowley is probably twisted from Diaval too, but I don't care

Lower I'll put his story in English and Ukrainian translations in case someone wants to read

English version:

Diaval's story cannot exist apart from Maleficent's. Dariel's story cannot be told without Malleus.

When he was a child, Malleus had a stuffed raven he got either from his parents or his grandmother.

The young prince Draconia could not boast of a company of peers, so he looked for friends in the books and imagination. He talked to a small army of toys and sometimes repeated the shadow theater performances Lilia has showed.

Dariel was born on one of Malleus' birthdays. By human standards, he was five. In reality, he was about fifty years old. Plenty of time to gain experience and acquire company, but Malleus had neither.

He was used to being alone on his birthdays, but that day was the first time of celebrating even without Lilia's warm presence. 

On a cloudy winter night, the shadow of a toy raven opened its eyes, awakened by the young prince's desperate desire to escape loneliness and the impulses of wild magic he hasn't yet known how to control. 

From then on, he was never alone again. Or at least he hoped that it would be like that.

For the first time, Malleus had a companion. Not a mute cotton-filled toy or a cold porcelain doll, but a creature with a mind and a voice of its own. Together they spent time reading books in the library, between the trees in the garden, studying and learning, and even when Malleus went to bed, he was sure that in the darkness a pair of yellow lights would certainly be sparkling under his bed. Dariel could follow him wherever there was even a tiny patch of shadow on the floor or a wall. Usually he took his native form of a raven, but within his flat theater he could transform into anything, entertaining the prince with his own performances. 

Years passed until one day Dariel, trying to save a human child Lilia had picked up (one could say that protecting children was in his "blood"... if he had blood) from hostile fae, was almost dispelled.

And although Lilia had warned him how bad an idea it was, Malleus gave Dariel a material body to keep him alive. The thought of losing his constant companion, the only stability in his everyday life, was unbearable.

Lilia was right as always. After Dariel received his body, the germ of his own self began to stir. From now on, fae did not ignore him, hidden in the shadows, but glanced at him, sometimes even nodded their heads, he could open the necessary books himself, sleep, taste food, and run his fingers along the satin of the bedsheets, feeling their softness.

The world, which had previously been limited and flat, suddenly became three-dimensional, so interesting and beautiful that Dariel wanted to see it all at once. 

For a long time, he did not dare to tell Malleus about his desire. The impetus came from an incident in the garden when one of the local fae called him by the name. Him. Not Lord Draconia. That evening, he finally voiced his dream. And, as expected, was rejected. 

Malleus didn't want to let go of the only creature attached to him, and was afraid to feel the childish loneliness of his fifth birthday by human standards. 

Soon, Dariel left on his own. He ran away. Towards the unknown and big world, for almost twelve years, knowing what fate would befall him upon his return. But he did it nevertheless. Otherwise, he would have remained in the shadow of prince Draconia forever.

He returned when Malleus was in his first year of NRC. It turned out that Dariel could not exist physically or mentally without his creator and his magical support. 

Despite his anger, resentment, and the bitter taste of betrayal, Malleus left Dariel alive: he couldn’t force himself to destroy their bond. At least for the duration of the studies...

The following year, Dariel also entered NRC. Three years within its walls would be the last of his freedom. And, perhaps, his life.

Notes:

 - Only Malleus and Lilia know about his true identity. Rook and Leona seem to suspect something. And Crowley. Hmm:)

- After acquiring a material body, he lost the ability to dissolve into shadows on his own, and now only Malleus can change his shape.

- Among of all races in Twisted Wonderland, he is the closest to monsters. 

- When Malleus created his body, he was guided by the most familiar example: a fae body with a male anatomy. But Dariel doesn't care about his own gender (if I see an opportunity to make a character agender, I use it).

- It seems that Dariel is the only one in Diasomnia who knows how to look after children without endangering their lives and psyche. Because he is. Well. Literally a child's toy in the past. Silver can partially thank Dariel for keeping him alive during the first years of his life.

- The original toy depicted Diaval.

- Dariel always knows when Rook is watching him, but he doesn't mind, it's pretty flattering. No one has given him so much attention.

Ukrainian version:

Історія Діаваля не може існувати окремо від Малефісенти, так само історія Даріеля не може бути розказана без Маллеуса.

У дитинстві у Маллеуса був плюшевий ворон, залишений чи то від батьків, чи то від бабусі.

Багатолюдною компанією однолітків юний принц Драконія похвастатись не міг, тому шукав друзів у книжках та... уяві. Він говорив з маленькою армією іграшок та іноді повторював спектаклі театру тіней, які показував Лілія.

Даріель народився в один з днів народження Маллеуса. За людськими мірками йому виповнилося п'ять. Насправді ж — близько п’ятдесяти років. Вдосталь часу, аби набратись досвіду та обрости компанією, але Маллеусу бракувало другого навіть більше за перше. 

Він звик святкувати майже наодинці, але того разу вперше зустрів день народження навіть без теплої присутності Лілії. Зовсім сам.

У хмарну зимну ніч тінь іграшкового ворона на стіні розплющила очі, пробуджена відчайдушним бажанням юного принца позбутись самотності та поривами дикої магії, яку той ще не вмів контролювати. 

Відтоді він більше ніколи не був один. Чи, принаймні, сподівався, що так станеться.

У Маллеуса вперше з'явився компаньйон. Не німа набита ватою іграшка чи холодна фарфорова лялька, а істота з власними свідомістю та голосом. Разом вони проводили час за книжками у бібліотеці, між дерев у саду, за заняттями та навчанням, і навіть коли Маллеус лягав спати, він був певен, що у темряві під матрацом його ліжка неодмінно горітиме пара жовтих вогників. Даріель міг слідувати за ним всюди, де на підлозі чи стіні залишався хоча б крихітний клаптик тіні. Зазвичай він приймав рідну форму ворона, але у межах свого плоского театру міг перетворитись на будь-що, розважаючи принца власними виставами. 

Так минали роки, допоки одного разу Даріель, намагаючись врятувати підібране Лілією людське дитя (можна було б сказати, що захищати дітей у нього "в крові"... якби він мав кров) від вороже налаштованих фейрі, був майже розвіяний.

І хоча Лілія попереджав, наскільки це погана ідея, Маллеус подарував Даріелю матеріальне тіло, аби зберегти йому життя. Думка про втрату постійного компаньйона, єдину стабільність повсякдення, була нестерпною.

Лілія виявився як завжди правий. Після здобуття тіла у Даріеля почав ворушитись зародок власного "я". Відтепер фейрі не ігнорували його, захованого в тіні, а кидали на нього погляд, іноді навіть кивали головою, потрібні книжки він міг відкривати сам, і спати, і куштувати їжу на смак, і проводити пальцями вздовж атласу простирадла, відчуваючи його на дотик.

Світ, до цього обмежений і плаский, несподівано став тривимірним, таким цікавим і прекрасним, що Даріелю захотілось побачити одразу весь. 

Він довго не наважувався повідомити Маллеусу про своє бажання. Поштовхом став випадок у саду, коли одна з місцевих фейрі звернулась до нього на ім'я — до нього особисто, а не до лорда Драконії. Того вечора він нарешті озвучив свою мрію. І очікувано отримав відмову. 

Маллеус не хотів відпускати єдину прив'язану до себе істоту та боявся знову відчути дитячу самотність п'ятого за людськими мірками дня народження. 

Невдовзі Даріель пішов сам. Втік. Назустріч незвіданому та великому світу на дванадцять років, прекрасно усвідомлюючи, яка доля його спіткає після повернення. Інакше він вчинити не міг. Інакше б він навічно залишився у тіні принца Драконії.

Попри це він все ж повернувся, коли Маллеус вчився на першому курсі Коледжу. Виявилось, Даріель ні фізично, ні ментально не міг існувати без свого творця та його магічної підтримки. 

Попри злість, образу та гіркий посмак зради, Маллеус залишив Даріеля живим: рука не піднялась розвіяти його та розірвати натягнуті нитки їхнього зв'язку остаточно. Принаймні на час навчання...

Наступного року Даріель теж вступив до Коледжу. Три роки у його стінах стануть останніми роками його свободи. А, можливо, і життя.

Примітки:

- Про його справжню сутність знають лише Маллеус і Лілія. Здається, Рук і Леона щось підозрюють. А Кровлі. Хм:) 

- Після здобуття матеріального тіла він втратив здатність самостійно розчинятись у тінях, тепер лише Маллеус може міняти його форму.

- За природою з усіх рас світу твістеду він найближчий до монстрів.

- Маллеус, коли створював тіло, орієнтувався на найбільш знайомий приклад: тіло фейрі з чоловічою анатомією. Але на власний ґендер Даріелю все одно (бачу можливість зробити персонажа аґендером — використовую).

- Даріель єдиний з Діасомнії, хто знає, як треба доглядати за дітьми без загрози їхньому життю та психіці. Бо він. Ну. Буквально дитяча іграшка в минулому. За пережиті перші роки життя Сильвер може частково дякувати йому. 

- Оригінальна іграшка зображувала Діаваля.

- Даріель завжди знає, коли Рук за ним стежить, але він ніколи не проти, це навпаки лестить. Ніхто й ніколи не приділяв йому так багато уваги.