#when they find the relevant document in the Library at the End

[the-alexel-lucas]

For part 3 of DAmN I plan on having a scholar who was cursed by an artifact into a cat but I can't decide if she should talk or not.

[gummilutt]

250 followers Custom Memory Bonanza

It's finally time! To thank all you lovely people for your support, I have been working hard to get this ready for upload and here we are. Today I am sharing my custom memory object, and my library of a whopping 201 custom memories. Based on the wonderful Tattered Diary by DiLight over on MTS, and the tutorial she shared of how to make your own custom memories.

I've always cared a lot about memories, to me they tell the story of the Sims life. Some of you from MTS may recall when I did the whole several year rebuild of my hood, replicating every last detail of the original. I'm memory crazy, okay? And when DiLight gave me the power to make my own, I may have gone a tad overboard. Or just the right amount, you get to decide :P DiLight taught me most of what I know about making custom memories, and the base BHAVs are from her, but as I've learned more I've added some bells and whistles that I hope you will enjoy. It's a new clone and separate GUID from the original tutorial object set up by DiLight, so if you have your own you can have mine too without issues :) Found in misc/misc, costs 1 simoleon.

Download on simfileshare

Features - Brand new form, created by me. Resized BV photo album with new mapping and new texture (seen above, in game pictures at the end of this post). I wanted something that was uniquely mine, and that you don't necessarily have to hide away in the attic or under the foundation. If you don't like it, you also have some additional model forms you can switch between through the pie menu. - Adaptable dynamic menu. Thanks to a really neat trick from @picknmixsims the menu reflects the memories you put in your downloads. If no file with the correct guid is found, the option for it won't show. Which means that although I am crazy enough to have 201, you can go ahead and only pick your favorite ones and the object will automatically detect and adapt the menu to that selection. - Memories all have a custom icon, that's made from game icons from TS2 or TS3. Some I am quite proud of, some are admittedly not great. Not everything is easy to convey through game icons, but I've tried my best, I hope the effort shows. 5 memories have icons that are not from the game, but I tried to match them to the aesthetic as best I could. - Memory subject menu shows only relevant age groups. For example, if the memory is about having a baby, only baby/toddler Sims will show as options. Goal being to keep menu as concise as possible. If you wish to assign memories retroactively, please see jonasn's excellent Memory Commander object, which has support to add my custom memories without age limitations. As well as a whole lot of other useful memory-related stuff. - Extensive documentation detailing everything you may need to know about the memories (text, icon, background, who can get it, who they can get it about, repeatability, where to find it on the object) to help you select the ones you want for your game, and familiarize yourself with them. - English and Swedish translations of memories, and object menu. If someone wants to add their language, that would be great but it's a lot of work so I don't expect it. You are welcome to share your translated versions directly if you wish, or you can send them to me for me to update files shared here :) If you want to learn how to translate the files directly, Episims has a great tutorial found here.

Examples of types of custom memories included - Extended family members memories (got cousin, got aunt/uncle, got sibling, got twin sibling, got great grandchild, got stepparent, got stepchild) - Birth related memories (pregnancy, becoming parent, late in life parent, had multiples birth, premature baby) - Marriage related memories (divorce, parental divorce, custody things, alimony) - Relationship related memories (fighting, breakups, additional love memories) - Woohoo related (memories for specific woohoo locations, repeatable generic woohoo/public woohoo) - University degree related (declared major memories, got a minor degree memories, got a major degree memories, for remembering having studied multiple things and being able to see what major your Sim chose without looking at their diploma) - Loan related, for remembering taking and paying off loans of different types - Moving memories (first apartment, child moves out, various memories for sims moving in with others) - Kids related (child's first day in school, got their own pet, nursery rhyme, giving up for adoption, living at orphanage)

Mods automating delivery of my CC memories (more to come) Learned nursery rhyme from - Found here, by me Wrote restaurant guide - Found here, part of jonasn "Novel Writing Improvements" mod

Credits: DiLight, @picknmixsims, @morepopcorn, @latmosims, @joplayingthesims, maxon, @keoni-chan. For detailed info on how they all impacted the creation of this, see readme :) Policy: Give credit to DiLight, beyond that, totally open. Enjoy!

[faeriekit]

TODAYBORDAY IS LABOR DAY

Brought to you by your local children's librarian! 😊

The library today is, obviously, closed. Thank goodness. However, we were open earlier this weekend, and I was grateful to have been given a chance to make a labor day display in the children's department!

And Y'ALL. Pickings were SLIM. Believe it or not, but society at large does NOT like teaching children about worker's rights, unionizing, and negotiations! 😭 Never fear, however, because I, under an extreme time crunch (3pm on a friday right before labor day) came up with a short list on kids' books that might help get thoughts flowing on what Labor Day means to us as a country. Good ol' 'Merica or whatever we're saying these days.

Behold: a kid's labor day reading list! ⬇

The candy conspiracy : a tale of sweet victory is classic "boss gets a dollar, I get a dime" story about the power of labor and bargaining. With candy! 🍫🍭🍬 Quick, sweet, and good enough to eat.

Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type is a great story about negotiating for better working conditions. That's right, the barnyard goes on strike for electric blankets and a diving board in the duck pond! A silly, quick read, told largely by the typewritten letters from the cows themselves. Click Clack, Moo!

Hey, remember when children used to have to work countless hours for pennies a day if that just to possibly die or be permanently disfigured on the job? The traveling camera : Lewis Hine and the fight to end child labor is the story of one man's quest to document child labor all across the country in hopes of finally ending it for good— through the work of the National Child Labor Committee. Remember to thank labor laws for the good they've done in your life!

Every student in the country ought to learn about exactly how many people died unnecessary deaths in the industries before workplace safety laws were implemented nationwide. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire : core events of an industrial disaster is a nonfiction title about the how and whys of this horrific event. The most famous of its kind, we should not forget the people lost due to casual workplace cruelty and the demands of overwork.

Teach children to respect blue collar and working class heroes in Real Superheroes: a celebration of essential workers! From the people who keep our towns and cities free of debris and contaminants to healthcare professionals to emergency services, every down and dirty job is held by someone who keeps our towns up and running. Thanks, everyone! (I also recommend Night Job for the same reasons; very sweet, very good at portraying what a school janitor does as their work.)

I was going to add a book on the Mine Wars in West Virginia, since one recently published for a younger age group, but it was more teen than kid friendly unfortunately so I ended up cutting it. I was able to find another book on a different circumstance, however:

The real history of the transcontinental railroad covers a bevvy of relevant topics from the displacement of Native people in the west, the exploitation of Chinese immigrants, worker's rights, and the lingering ghost of Manifest Destiny that haunts this country to this day. Not every kid is ready for intersectional thinking on racism, xenophobia, and colonization, but at the very least, kids are very good at recognizing when a situation is "fair" or "unfair". Let them chew on this for a little bit and see what conversations come out of it.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Be safe, be strong, and work in groups!

[twilightspinkyfinger]

Topics of Research (chain x reader)

This work is a part of my Hyrule Historian AU, for more information, check out my masterlist.

As a historian, you were well versed in what remained of Hyrule's history after the calamity scourged the land prior to your birth. You had studied almost every text and document you could get your hands on searching diligently for the answers to a question you never voiced aloud. You even asked the locals of different areas of Hyrule hoping on the off chance somehow someone somewhere still has some tribal knowledge left on the subject of your interest. However, no matter how hard you searched, you still had very little luck.

After the calamity, you scoured through the entirety of the library in Hyrule castle searching for something, anything that could lead you to even the faintest of clues regarding your search. But you found nothing, at least nothing you didn't already know. You pondered how something could manage to be completely wiped from history. It made you sad, you seemed like the only person in all of Hyrule who had even the faintest clue that this being even existed in the first place.

Wild had tried to help you, making sure you took breaks from the stacks of books covering your desk, he knew whatever you were looking for was important to you, even though he had no idea what that thing was. He tried asking you about it once, but you shrugged him off, claiming that he wouldn't understand even if you told him. You claimed that no one knew what you were looking for, but you remembered and that should have been enough right? But it wasn't your brain craved more.

Then you found yourself with the chain, ripped away from your research, but with a new opportunity in front of you. It was possible that you could find new information about your research topic in the past eras you were traveling through.

And you certainly did find new information almost right away. The markings on the Hero of Time were dangerously close to those you had sketched in your notebook a million times over. There was no denying it these were the same markings that not only haunted your research, but also your dreams.

You wanted to ask him about it but decided not to since he was a stranger and it would be extremely suspicious if you started to interrogate him. You hoped he would volunteer information regarding the markings and what they were connected to on his own volition. Time was not the open book you had hoped he would be, however, he did mention in passing that he had fought the moon, which you hypothesized was somehow related to your topic of research, but you had no proof.

Still, you searched through libraries when you had the luxury of staying in a town with one for more than a couple of hours. Jotting down any seemingly relevant information in your notebook. Despite all your hard work, there were still no hard leads in your investigation.

Eventually, the chain ended up in your and Wild's Hyrule plopped in the middle of Hateno beach. You decided to split the party so half of the group stayed with Wild in his house and the rest of the group would stay with you in your house at the base of the orchard under the Ancient Tech Lab.

Of course, before this could be accomplished, you needed to check in with Purah, who immediately scolded you and Wild for disappearing without a trace. She was extremely interested in the portals and asked you to gather any information you could about how they formed. You agreed and before you knew it you were travelling back down the hill towards Hateno.

It was decided that Time, Twilight, Warriors, and Wind would stay with you in your home. You led the boys through the entrance to your cottage apologizing for the accumulation of dust in your absence. The downstairs of your house was extremely simple, with a kitchen area, a couch with a sitting area centered around the fireplace, and a small storage area underneath the stairs.

You led the group up the stairs to your study/library area as well as your bedroom. It was decided that Twilight would share your bed with you, while the rest camped out on the floor of your study. You almost missed the way that Time's eyes glanced at the detailed drawings of a being long forgotten plastered on the wall. His eyes opened in surprise before he attempted to mask his shock and proceeded to yell at Wind for messing with your books.

In all honestly, you had forgotten how many of them there were, it made you feel a little insane and embarrassed at your obsession. But you couldn't help it, you needed to know more, you needed to know who and what this being was. You needed to know why it chose to save you.

The Yiga clan, fierce agents of chaos dedicated to the cause of Calamity Ganon. While in passing these individuals seemed more like fools than foes, they were definitely not to be taken lightly. They were foul condemnable bastards, who would stop at nothing to praise what they held dear, even if that meant the murder of an extremely small child.

Broken glass and blood littered the floor, and bodies of fallen footsoldiers lay at its feet. A double helix sword caked in the same red blood as the blademaster's chest it was just pulled from. Bright white eyes checked the area for any missing enemies before moving to pick up the crying child behind it. It shushed you murmuring words you would never forget, "It's okay little one, you are safe now, I'll protect you"

Footsteps could be heard outside, the rush of Sheikah soldiers too late to quell the scourge of the Yiga clan from the property. And just like that it was gone. The Sheikah soldiers entered the house taking in the sight of a baby not even the age of one alone on the table surrounded by tens of dead Yiga soldiers, the room reaking of death.

The captain, who had caught a glimpse of your savior through the window, searched the room diligently for missing the diety but came up empty-handed. This very same captain would take you under his very own roof and care for you as one of his own. He would even pass on his own drawings of the being he had seen through the window that day.

[sorry-moots]

Inversion of Genesis But I Changed It

so i started mha and subsequently was imbued with the urge to Create but i harnessed my inspiration and finished chapter 11 because i left you guys starving so i could be emo and get a job characters featured: yvette (oc), nilou, pierre (oc) cws: none wc: 1,449

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Chapter Eleven

Yvette found you at some point. Being employed by Lord Scaramouche, she was in the same boat as you– stranded in a foreign nation with a comatose employer and no friends or family.

Having her around made things easier. The night that your master slipped into his coma, you were effectively jobless and homeless. The next morning, you leased an apartment together.

About a month has passed since then. Bit by bit, you’ve been chipping away from the savings that you brought with you. You were already low on funds from the deposit and the down payment. Though you had split the cost, Yvette couldn’t afford to cover more than a fourth.

I need to get a job… Only, it’s not that simple. Everyone could tell you were a Fatuus. It’s obvious from the way you dress, the way you talk, the way your eyes scan the entire environment as you move through it.

No one trusts the Fatui and less than no one likes the Fatui. Finding someone willing to hire you would be almost impossible and even then you could be fired for the smallest of slights.

Still, it’s not fair to Yvette. As soon as you told her what had happened, she went out in search of a job. Now, she’s working as a maid for the mysterious lord of the Palace of Alcazarzaray.

You get to work writing your resume. “Assistant to the Sixth Fatui Harbinger” might not get you anywhere with most people, but there’s gotta be someone out there who doesn’t care. Right?

*****

Two months later, you finally strike out.

Since the Akasha was shut down, scholars from every Darshan are struggling with the return to traditional research. It’s been hard to get past the initial shock— they went from having all of Sumeru’s knowledge whispering in their ears to permanent radio silence. Everyone is desperate for any help they could get; the House of Daena librarians could only handle so many requests at a time.

Back in Snezhnaya, everything is filed analog-style. Chronologically ordered documents within filing cabinets of alphabetized folders, rolodexes with names and addresses for every Fatui contact of import, binders with detailed reports of missions and related expenses. Having the expertise of a professional secretary, you get a job working for some student researchers.

The pay isn’t glamorous in the least, but no one else would hire you. Not the stockbrokers, not the grocers, not even the owners of the Puspa Café or Lambad’s Tavern. No one with any customers to lose wanted a former Fatuus working for them, so this was your only option.

Your job is very straightforward: find and assess relevant subject matter. The actual execution isn’t quite as simple. The House of Daena is the largest library in Teyvat, boasting a collection of over three hundred million books, scriptures, and tomes. Combing through it all is a huge effort.

Once you find the suggested literature, you still have to make sure the contents are what is needed for the research study. Even just an inspectional reading— table of contents, indices, glossary, etc.— takes hours. The worst part is when the material proves to be useless in the context it’s needed in, making all your work in vain.

Nevertheless, poverty is a good motivator. Though your days at the library often stretch into the night, the hefty pouch of mora you claim at the end of each project brings you great relief.

*****

With your jobs, you and Yvette find it easiest to do your grocery shopping late in the evening. Once a week, the two of you leave work early, meet at the apartment, and leave with a couple baskets each to buy the most basic of essentials.

Your first stop is always, without fail, the tavern. While you usually take turns cooking, it’s become a weekly ritual to dine out and relax before shopping. More often than not, this entails visiting the fortune teller to pet her cats.

Most of your groceries come from Hamawi’s stall, but you like to check out the Grand Bazaar every so often for some less-than-essential goods. On this particular evening, the atmosphere feels different… electrifying almost.

As you take in your surroundings, you realize that the shoppers and stall owners are murmuring and gravitating toward the stage. Forgetting the weight of the baskets on your arms, you pull Yvette with you into the crowd.

You get some looks, presumably because of your uniform, but it’s worth it. When you make it to the front, you hear the strum of a sitar and your eyes land on a lone dancer.

She bears a striking resemblance to Yvette. Her skin is pale, her hair is bright red, and her eyes are like aquamarines. The longer you stare at her form as she dances, the easier it is to imagine her as your companion.

Finally, her performance ends and you’re released from your trance. The crowd begins to disperse and you turn to leave with Yvette.

“Wait! You, with the red hair!”

The two of you turn to see the dancer pushing through the crowd. Your eyes meet, confirming your suspicion that she was referring to Yvette– there weren’t many people in the room with red hair. 

“I totally get if you don’t want to, but hear me out!” She takes a deep breath before continuing. “You and I look almost exactly alike. If you danced with me, I could choreograph new shows where you pose as my doppelganger! It doesn’t matter if you don’t have experience either, I can teach you!”

As you stare blankly at one another, she blurts, “It pays really well, too!”

From the look in her eye, you can tell just what Yvette is thinking: she’s interested. “How much would she earn?”

“Oh, I earn about 800,000 mora for every show,” the dancer responded.

Without sparing your roommate another glance, you give your answer.

“She’ll do it.”

*****

A lot has changed in the few weeks since you met Nilou. With Yvette being a fast learner, the theater was able to include her in their most recent show as a backup dancer. Her paycheck was less than Nilou’s– 500,000 mora– but that was to be expected. It would be hard to shine as bright as the star of the Zubayr Theater.

Aside from your elevated financial status, your time in Sumeru had changed your appearance almost beyond recognition. The pallor from Snezhnaya’s inhospitable winters was chased out by Sumeru’s sunny weather. Your hair was no longer bound and trapped in unyielding updos.

Best of all was your updated wardrobe. One afternoon, as you were having lunch with Nilou and Yvette, you spotted a blue skirt with brightly colored fish. She noticed you staring at the garment and convinced the vendor to lower the price so you could buy it and a pretty white blouse to go with it.

The difference in treatment was instantaneous. Passersby no longer whispered when they walked past you, merchants called out to you to buy their goods, waiters smiled at you when you entered restaurants.

It would almost feel good if you could forget.

*****

Eight months after the incident, you wait at Bayda Harbor, watching the ships pass by. Normally, you would go through research material while waiting for something, but today is different.

Any one of the dozens of ships in the harbor could be host to your most loyal companion, Apollo.

Before leaving the city, you did your best to make some snacks for Apollo. They didn’t have the same varieties of carrot that were available in Snezhnaya so you improvised and dipped some hay and mint leaves in boiling sugar water. Crystallized, it made the perfect rock candy for horses.

I hope he likes them, you think to yourself as you check to make sure the treats haven’t melted in the heat.

As the sun nears its peak, you think you hear your name being called. You look around until you see not just a familiar snout, but a familiar face as well.

“Pierre!” you call out with a grin. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, someone had to bring your horse, miss,” he replied fondly, with a tip of his hat. “Besides… It’s about time I went on vacation.”

The two of you chat for a while as you feed Apollo the snacks, which were much to his liking– he even nibbled at the tin when you ran out.

Once the two of you part ways, him to the desert and you to the city, you squeeze Apollo tightly.

“I missed you, Apollo,” you whisper, sniffling. “It’s been so hard without you. Without you both.”

He says nothing. He is a horse.

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tags: @lacunaanonymoused, @dollpoetwriting, @constantlyoverthinking, @littlesliceofcheese, @yourfavoritefreakyhan, @magicalink , @swivi a/n: if you saw the version of this where i mourned the loss of a tag list member no you didn't

[nientedenada]

Why the Altmeri Commentary on Talos is Important to Lore Discussion (Even if It Isn't the Thalmor's End Goal) 

Originally posted on r/teslore three years ago. To be clear, important in this context means if you're trying to guess where TES might go in the future. And as the years go by, and we now have an almost complete turn-over of developers at Bethesda, it may be less relevant. Still, the new developers will have all these old ideas to rummage through.

This begins with a split among fans, though I don't think it has to be a nasty split. There is a very strong opinion in /r/teslore that Out-of-Game texts are valid if you want them to be, if you find them interesting enough for your Tamriel. And there's another very strong opinion that only official lore is really valid for theorizing. To be completely honest, we all probably dabble in one or the other at different times. Sometimes we are more creative and speculatory about Tamriel, other times we are arguing out the Lowest Common Denominator of agreed-upon lore. (It's never actually agreed upon, but that's part of the fun.)

But there's a third possibility: examining Out of Game texts for the perspective they can give us on In-game lore. A really good example of how this works would be the document: On the Nords' Totem Religion. It was a design document for Skyrim which was not incorporated into the game directly. However, the document gives a lot of insight into the little we do see in Skyrim of the ancient Nord religion. It is useful in interpreting the game itself.

It's also useful for going forward. When ESO returned to Skyrim this year, we could bet that the devs would be taking a closer look at the local religion, as they had in Elsweyr last year. And we could also guess that they might turn to that unofficial Skyrim design document which best explained the original ideas for the Nord religion. As of a few weeks ago, much of the Totem Religion document's lore has been added to the official lore as in-game books in ESO.

The totem religion document is as uncontroversial example of this process as you can find. Most everyone in lore circles has regarded it as a very useful document. You won't find that agreement about all OOG unofficial writings. But I'd like to make the argument for why the Altmeri Commentary on Talos is worth knowing and discussing even if you don't end up thinking it's true.

So, I'll begin with quoting the whole thing. It's pretty short.

What appears to be an Altmeri commentary on Talos To kill Man is to reach Heaven, from where we came before the Doom Drum's iniquity. When we accomplish this, we can escape the mockery and long shame of the Material Prison. To achieve this goal, we must: 1) Erase the Upstart Talos from the mythic. His presence fortifies the Wheel of the Convention, and binds our souls to this plane. 2) Remove Man not just from the world, but from the Pattern of Possibility, so that the very idea of them can be forgotten and thereby never again repeated. 3) With Talos and the Sons of Talos removed, the Dragon will become ours to unbind. The world of mortals will be over. The Dragon will uncoil his hold on the stagnancy of linear time and move as Free Serpent again, moving through the Aether without measure or burden, spilling time along the innumerable roads we once travelled. And with that we will regain the mantle of the imperishable spirit.

What it doesn't say: Nowhere does it say it's a Thalmor document. Nowhere does it mention the Towers. Those two points are pretty well-known in lore circles, but they come up enough to make it worthwhile to point out.

Second thing to notice: its date.

Submitted by Lady N on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 19:53 Obscure texts Author: Michael Kirkbride Librarian Comment: Many of these are in-character snippets taken from various forum posts.

It doesn't have an exact date; the old forums have been deleted. But we do see that it was re-posted on the Imperial Library on 09/19/2010, the year before Skyrim came out. This important detail is glossed over in a lot of the discussion of its relevance. It is not a document written after Skyrim trying to put a creative spin on some details in-game. It's a document published before Skyrim came out, and hence a window on the discussions that were going on in the development of Skyrim. We need to look at the stuff in Skyrim with the question: Does the Altmeri commentary shed any light on what's going on here?

Well, the fact that the Altmeri Commentary suggests that Talos needs to be erased from the mythic makes it very relevant. Maybe this is not the reason for the Thalmor's Talos ban in the game that eventually was released. But it's evidence that during the development of Skyrim, the reason was being kicked around by someone in discussions with the devs. It's that context that finally informs the two lines in-game that might refer back to the Commentary.

The first and most often quoted is Ancano's boast:

You think I can't destroy you? The power to unmake the world at my fingertips, and you think you can do anything about it?

It's pointed out that he can simply be boasting of his power there, without any reference to a supposed greater plan. And yes, that's true. But remember, we aren't interpreting that line in a vacuum. There was a development-related post that brought up a fanatical Altmer idea of unmaking the world before Skyrim, and it's just a coincidence that a fanatic Thalmor member boasts of having the power to do so in the game? These things have nothing to do with each other?

And then there is the other line from Esbern which I think is even more significant.

I don't suppose they want the world to end any more than we do. Or at least, they'd prefer it to end on their terms.

Esbern's statement does not confirm this is the Thalmor's plan. What it does is confirm that the idea this is the Thalmor's plan exists in-universe. And Esbern is not some random conspiracist; he's a lore-master. Dragons were his hobby but we also know from his dossier that the Thalmor consider him responsible for two of the most damaging operations on Dominion soil. He knows his stuff when it comes to the Thalmor. His opinion may be affected by paranoia, he may not even hold the opinion very strongly (suggested by how he corrects himself there), but he is not some random guy in the pub with a conspiracy theory about the Thalmor. If it's a conspiracy theory, it's an important one in-universe.

So, we have a timeline that suggests the Commentary is important, and two references in the game of Skyrim to the idea presented in the Commentary. The references are independent, coming from ideological enemies, Ancano and Esbern. I'd say that makes a very strong case for the Commentary's ideology existing within the universe.

If this concept exists within the universe, the Commentary is important even if it does not represent the Thalmor's ultimate goal accurately.

But where does one go with that? With Michael Kirkbride's historic and ongoing influence on the TES franchise, elements of the Commentary are quite likely to make it into future games. On the other hand, the Commentary may be a window on an idea in development that was tossed around and ultimately abandoned. Maybe it's not Thalmor belief, really. It could even be Blades propaganda. Maybe Ancano believes in it, but he's actually a fanatic who's out of step with the Thalmor in general. etc. etc. etc.

Acknowledging that an Out-of-Game source is relevant does not mean accepting it as the Truth Bound To Be Revealed by TES VI. TES fandom has had enough of that over-certainty already. I think we've all met someone who takes some random developer's post as The Gospel Truth that cannot be questioned. That's frustrating, for sure. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. It doesn't make sense to ignore it completely in discussions about the Thalmor's ultimate goal. There are enough sources to make it worth looking at, both inside and outside the universe.

This post was about the relevance of the Commentary, but if you're interested in how the Commentary's ideology could function within the Thalmor, I can never recommend enough this old /r/teslore post: Analyzing the Altmeri Commentary on Talos.

Additional reply in comments: I thought I'd hedged enough on my statement. I won't claim Esbern as an expert on the Thalmor's ontological goals, although he definitely is more knowledgable about the Thalmor than the random guy at the pub. I do think, however, that his statement confirms that some people within the universe think this is the Thalmor's end goal. I see his statement there as he's not certain himself of it.

In the comments of the original post, a user who has since deleted their account posted a very interesting timeline of the development under discussion. I also recommend this discussion with Misticsan about the post and whether fans give the Commentary undue importance in contrast to other sources on the Thalmor.

This was only the beginning of a very involved journey into the weird fandom status of the Altmeri Commentary and the Towers Theory. It's a lengthy saga, and I've put off formatting it for tumblr but I do mean to eventually copy all the teslore posts over here.

[writing-hurts]

HEAR ME OUT

Merlin season six where it’s modern day and merlin (bearded colin morgan) lives in London, and when arthur (still Bradley james) comes back to life they have to save the world and whatever BUT ALSO the knights haven’t come back to life but they’re like reincarnated into new people (varying genders/races/etc) who suddenly find themselves wrapped up in this medieval destiny

LIKE

(Gwaine) just moved to London and is floating around looking for a place to crash—boom. Runs into Merlin, touch of destiny and all that, Merlin lets them stay in his spare room (they don’t have a job so they “pay rent” by not complaining when arthur and merlin do it in the next room, also by doing the dishes).

(Leon) is just trying to get through a master’s program in medieval studies and classic literature—boom. Runs into Merlin at a library, both of them looking for the same ancient document for research and they get overly invested in whatever it is Merlin and Arthur are working on because goddamn these strange men know a lot about saxon-era britain and that’s the topic of my thesis.

(Lancelot) is climbing the corporate ladder in some random business just trying to make ends meet—boom. Stops Merlin and/or Arthur from walking onto the street as a car hurtles past and there’s a sort of “aha” moment Merlin and Arthur take them out for coffee talking a bit about a problem they’re having with their mission and (Lancelot) asks a really obvious question they hadn’t considered so they adopt them.

(Elyan) is friends with (Leon)’s roommate and practically lives with them and one day when they’re there and the roommate is gone—boom. Everyone’s over so (Leon) can fetch a relevant document they’re borrowing for their research and (Elyan) answers some obscure question the others didn’t know so they get absorbed into the group.

(Percival) lives outside the city working a low level job after their rugby career was a bust and—boom. The team needs some help and (Lancelot) “knows a guy” because the two worked together on a project during their undergrad and weirdly stayed in touch ((Lancelot) helped them get their current job) so when they need some extra muscle…

So we get arthur and merlin in love having to save the world while parenting a team of half-feral 20-somethings who supposedly carry the spirits of their long-dead friends

Does this make sense? Please add on more ideas

[exhibit-of-the-century]

Checklist For Writing Essay:

Masterlist

BUY ME A COFFEE

More of a person note for me, when polishing off an essay to double check the criteria.

Times New Roman

Size 12

10% of word count over if needed.

Italicize works of art.

“_” for chapters/books.

Name of Artwork, Artist name, Date, Size, Location

Try to find images of the work with people/in the gallery space.

Spell out any number below 100 (eg. Three dimensional)

Double Spaced

(Not cheating to share your work with someone on the course and discuss)

Must use Footnotes, MHRA refrencing style

Footnotes sometimes count in word count DOUBLE CHECK

Footnote numbers should always appear after the full stop at the end of the relevant sentence, even when they refer to a point made midsentence.

When writing visual analysis, consider closing your eyes as someone reads back what you’ve written about the artwork, and consider if you can clearly visualise in your mind from what you’ve written.

Paragraph organisation by: Intro/ paragraphs on separate ideas/ conclusion

Online walkthrough gallery. Make arguments/convince when writing, of what you see/ how you understand it.

Talk about materials used.

Space it inhabits and effect on observer.

Academic sources must be used.

Short comings in the essay/academic paper to be discussed and evaluated.

JSTOR

Website and access to academic papers usually needed to have uni library sign in. Some museums have sources too. Browse library or articles in library database.

Find interesting texts, then use and write about it. Footnotes included in work count.

Museum repository, Wikipedia to start.

WHAT IS MOST SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

London Metropolitan Archives picture library, aka 'Collage' - all things London

London Metropolitan Archives youtube channel

BFI Player film archive - shorts and features from the BFI, national and regional archives

BFI Player - Britain on Film, with searchable map

RibaPix - UK's largest architectural photo library

Pathe Newsreel - great way of quickly diving into historical news items, and fascinating for the visuals as well as the thorough textual transcripts

British Cartoon Archive - 200,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons covering 200 years

Black in the Day - A submission based archive documenting the lives of black people living in the UK

Wellcome Library - not all but many items are digitised

For those students with a particular interest in museums and museum studies, check out our very own Mapping Museums website:

https://museweb.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/home

Researching Online: A Guide

Below are worked examples of how to do an essay or research project using only online resources.

Don’t spend ages looking for one article or book unless it is really essential and even then, you may not be able to get it, but you will find something related.

Vary your search terms, e.g. for the examples below: early modern, renaissance, reformation, sixteenth century might all be relevant.

Follow links in articles and on collections – often, footnotes in journals online may be hyperlinked to the item (especially in more recent publications), you can see similar items, or who has cited that work. For primary sources/collections, catalogues may suggest similar items too.

There will be dead ends and frustrations but persevere – there is lots of material out there.

Save things using a citation programme like Zotero or Mendeley

If you find something interesting and potentially useful for another topic, bank it for later

Be creative and use sources you might not have thought about before, for example the sound archive in the British Library and think across period and geography.

Google Scholar and on JSTOR/other platforms, Project Muse which is another very good platform with loads of open access material.

USTC: the USTC is a database of early modern printed books across Europe

Interesting source:

[sugarpsalms]

58, 76 for the ask a fic writer meme 👀

(this is allmightskitten BTW tumblr won't let me use that account to send asks??)

58. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

As much as I love seeing the final piece come together, my absolute favorite part is the brainstorming! I love opening up a document and just dumping ideas/vibes/concepts/little snippets into it, as well as making playlists and mood boards and such. I think it's SOOO much fun. A lot of the times, when I'm stuck on something, I'll just go back to this stage to get my creative juices really flowing again. Something is just so whimsical about this particular stage.

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of ... ?

I think you forgot to pick a story, so I'll choose the first one that comes to mind from the series I know you're enjoying :) In Yours Most Dearly, [SENDER REDACTED], there was originally a segment of the report that had been made without Rosi's knowledge or consent. It wasn't anything overly crazy; a full report of all his library activity for a month or so had been subpoenaed, as this was after it was learned Doflamingo was recommending him reading material and Sengoku thought it relevant to follow up. I ended up cutting it because I thought it might be a little boring to have another list of things he'd checked out or requested. However, the actual point of it—which is that Rosi is being even more heavily monitored than he actually realizes—is still something I want to find a way to get across at some point. I have a newish idea along the same lines, but I'm not quite sure how I'll execute it. Like I have a vision, which might end up coming before The Devil Brought Tequila if I can get the dang thing to cooperate!

[girlactionfigure]

Seventy-six years ago, he disappeared.

Unable to find the truth regarding the disappearance of their son, his parents died by suicide, overdosing on pills two days apart in 1979.

To this day, his disappearance is still a mystery.

Raoul Wallenberg — whom the UN called “the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century” — risked his life to save the life of strangers he did not know, yet "he was not himself saved by so many who could have done so," according to Professor Irwin Cotler, the chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Wallenberg, called the Hero of the Holocaust, disappeared on January 17, 1945.

The Peace Page has written about Wallenberg before, how he is believed to have issued more than 10,000 protective passports and saved as many as 100,000 Jews, but like many individuals, he has many stories. The Peace Page will continue to update readers with new or additional information, when relevant, to continue to share awareness so their stories are not forgotten.

"Born a Swede, Raul Wallenberg is remembered as a (honorary) citizen of the world. He is an honorary American, honorary Canadian, and honorary Israeli. He was the first individual to ever receive honorary Australian citizenship," according to the Library of Congress.

He also received a U.S. education as an architect from the University of Michigan. He became an honorary citizen of the United States due to the efforts of House Representative Tom Lantos who was saved by Wallenberg in Hungary in 1944, according to the Library of Congress.

Today, January 17, 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said:

“Today, we honour Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat in Budapest in the 1940s who put himself in harm’s way to save tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from persecution and death during the Holocaust."

“Mr. Wallenberg was a true humanitarian and hero, who led an important rescue effort that saved more Jews from the horrors of the Nazi regime than any other individual, organization, or government," Trudeau said. "A man of incredible bravery and courage, he went to great lengths to provide special protective passports – Schutz-Passes – to thousands of Jews, saving them from deportation to concentration camps. Mr. Wallenberg also created a network of safe havens operating under the protection of the Swedish flag, offering refuge to Jews fleeing persecution."

"Wallenberg, a non-Jewish Swedish diplomat, was a beacon of light during the darkest days of the Holocaust, and his inspiration remains so today. Prior to his arrival in the Swedish legation in Budapest in mid-July 1944, some 440,000 Hungarian Jews had been deported to Auschwitz in 10 weeks — the fastest, cruelest and most efficient mass murder of the Holocaust. Yet Wallenberg rescued some 100,000 Jews in Hungary in the last six months of 1944, demonstrating that one person with the compassion to care, and the courage to act, can confront evil, prevail and transform history," according to Cotler.

"He recruited 350 volunteers, rented 32 safe houses covered by diplomatic immunity, organised vital supplies of food and clothing, and issued thousands of “letters of protection”, official-looking documents that had no legal authority but were widely accepted by Hungarian and German officials, often with the aid of a bribe," according to the Guardian.

Despite the threats on his life, Wallenberg continued to try to help as many people as he could.

He even received a veiled threat from Nazi Adolf Eichmann. According to PBS' American Experience:

"In December 1944, the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg attended a small dinner party in Budapest; also at the table was the Nazi Adolf Eichmann. The two men were in Hungary on opposing missions: Wallenberg was there to rescue Jews; Eichmann was there to kill them. Their conversation was barbed. The war was almost over, Wallenberg pointed out. Why didn't Eichmann give up his task? Eichmann replied that he would do his job until the very end so that when he walked to the gallows he would know he had successfully carried out his assignment. The Nazi added that Wallenberg wasn't immune from danger, even a neutral diplomat, he warned, could meet with an accident."

Wallenberg did not know then that it wasn't just the Nazis, who were threatened by him.

In 1945, he was invited to the Soviet military HQ.

"He was last seen leaving Budapest by car to meet Soviet military officials in Eastern Hungary," according to American Experience.

That was January 17, 1945.

"He disappeared into the Gulag, with the Soviets first claiming that he died of a heart attack in July 1947, and then subsequently changing their story to claim that he was murdered — also in July 1947," according to Cotler.

"His family have never received an official explanation for his detention, although suspicions he was also spying for the Americans, and his connections with some senior German politicians – he negotiated his humanitarian mission with, among others, Adolf Eichmann – have been suggested," according to the Guardian.

Last year, Marie von Dardel-Dupuy, the niece of Wallenberg, said, “I want specific answers to specific questions . . . He was a great man who wasn’t afraid to do the impossible. He deserves for us to know what happened to him. His story is unfinished – the mystery must be resolved. There are still so many closed doors, and we must have help in opening them.”

"What happened to Wallenberg is not clear, but a Swedish-Russian working group in 2000 concluded that Russia had not proved that Wallenberg died of a heart attack (or through execution) in the Lubyanka Prison in 1947 as had been suggested by Soviet officials during the 1950s," according to the Library of Congress.

Trudeau said, "Tragically, Mr. Wallenberg disappeared after he was arrested by Soviet forces near the end of the war. While his fate remains unknown, his legacy lives on. In honour of his heroic efforts, countless awards, monuments, institutions, and anti-racism campaigns now bear his name."

"We must always stand up to hatred and racism," Trudeau said. "With compassion and courage, we each have the power to make a difference in the lives of those around us.”

[Photo from the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights]

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page

[msbarrows]

How To Back Up Your Computer Using Robocopy

So there are other walkthroughs out there, but all of them that I've seen assume the user has at least a certain minimum basic knowledge, to wit, doing command line stuff. I've been on computers since before the days of DOS (I started out on early Commodores) and have done tech support a few times in there, so I know what's basic knowledge to me is not that to other people, and particularly younger people. I'm going to attempt to explain this as if I assume you know nothing about any of the relevant things beyond "how to open file explorer".

Now, the most easy and basic backup you can do is just copying your stuff to a second location, not on the same device. Which might look like having your phone or tablet automatically backup stuff to a cloud service, or you copying files between a drive in your computer and an external drive or USB device. You might use software to have it happen automatically, either at specified times or continually in the background. You could just drag and drop relevant subdirectories by hand.

I'm going to explain a really simple way to create batch files that back up specific files from specific locations to specific locations, which you can run whenever you want to backup. So this is a somewhat automated manual backup. And for it I'll be explaining some basics of using robocopy, a Windows command line utility available in all recent versions of Windows (if you're running on a really old version, you need to go look up xcopy, which is essentially the same thing wearing a different name). It can do a ton of different things, but for this I'm going with dead simple, ignore all the unnecessary options instructions.

First (and biggest) question and answer that I assume is not common knowledge any more: how do you make a batch file? What even is it? A batch file is just a plain, unformatted text document that is a list of commands for the computer to run. You can create it using notepad, and most word processing programs can write to TXT format. A text file renamed from TXT to BAT becomes a batch file, which your computer can run. When creating a new batch file I mostly go to the subdirectory where I store all my batches, right-click and New -> Text Document, and then name it, being sure to change the extension (I have extensions enabled in my file views, because I'm an old foggy who prefers to see them and thinks it's stupid to hide them):

You'll get a pop-up confirming that you want to change the extension:

Note that I give the batches nice descriptive names so I'm sure of what each one does. Some of them are copying from protected spaces on my drive, so I need to right-click -> Run as Administrator in order to give the batches permission to access and copy those files, and I always note that in the file name to remind myself.

You can then right-click on the file name and choose "Edit" to open it in notepad. It'll be blank to start:

Also, in order to find relevant paths for the protected spaces, I have told the file explorer to show me hidden stuff, which you can do by using the "Options" menu found at the right end of the View bar in the file browser window:

Note that I have the "Show" radio button selected, and a couple lines down from that have "Hide extensions" de-selected. Drive letters are also on, because we'll need them. I've also applied this setting to all folders.

So! We now can look around to find out what we want to backup, and have a currently empty text format BAT file to write the instructions we need in. Let's start with something easy - I bet most of you game, and probably a lot of those games are on a service like Steam or Origin, because these days there's not much choice about that. The first thing to do is find where your library of games is. In my case, I currently have Steam installed on D:, since that's my original SSD:

So what I want to do is go into that subdirectory, then right-click on the path in the navigation bar at the top and "Copy address as text":

Then switch to notepad, where we're going to build a command line in our batch file. We want to tell it to use the robocopy command to copy this subdirectory and everything contained inside it to a different (external) drive, which in this case is my F: drive (a Western Digital 5TB drive from their Passport line of external drives). So we use some typing and some pasting (ctrl-v) and some editing to get the following line in the batch file:

robocopy "D:\Steam" "F:\Steam" *.* /mir

The *.* tells it "every file" and the /mir tells it to mirror, which means to copy over the existing files and file structure, so that the copy exactly matches what's currently in the starting location. When we first run this batch, it'll look at the starter location, see nothing matching it in the target location, and copy every single thing over as a new file or folder - this will take a bit of time. If you run it again several days later, it'll be much faster, since it will compare the starter location to what is in the target location, and only copy over files that are new or have changed, and will delete from the target location any files and folders that no longer exist in the starter location.

Now, since I have most of my games in a second library on my E: drive (it's PCIe format and therefore faster), I'd also add a line to the batch for that location as well:

robocopy "E:\SteamLibrary" "F:\SteamLibrary" *.* /mir

But what about stuff like save games or screenshots for some of the games I'm most invested in? Some of them will be stored in one of those two locations... some will not be. This is where having access to hidden locations comes in useful, because some times that where they can be found.

As an example of game saves, Cyperbunk 2077 stores its save games in a location inside my user space, which I can find under C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077

So to backup those save files I would need to have a specific line for that in the batch:

robocopy "C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077" "F:\MYUSERNAME\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077" *.* /mir

Note that the target location path doesn't have to be an exact match for the starting location path - in this case, since I'll probably have multiple things inside my user space that I want to backup, I'll store those all in the same F:\MYUSERNAME subdirectory structure so I know where the heck to put them back if I need to restore. An example of this is that my local copy of my google drive files is also in the user directory, so to backup that I'd also have:

robocopy "C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\Google Drive" "F:\MYUSERNAME\Google Drive" *.* /mir

So by now our batch file will look something like this:

Further note - if you have tons of backup storage space, you can just backup your entire user space, though that'll likely include a lot of excess files you have no need for. This tutorial is mostly aiming for a more selective level of saving. Basically for anything you would miss if you lost it, figure out where on your drive(s) it is (which might be spread across multiple locations) and make sure those are all included in the batch.

As an example of protected locations, note how the directory of what's in my user space has the folder for AppData greyed out - this is to let me know that's normally a hidden folder and files, and I should be extremely cautious when interacting with whatever is stored there (copying is fine, overwriting only if I'm sure I know what I'm doing - such as copying a file back to a subdirectory of it to restore an accidentally deleted file - and unless you really really REALLY know what you're doing, never delete stuff from it)):

Some games (and other software) do stick their save files under there, so for example to create a batch to only backup my No Man's Sky saves I have to burrow down into the AppData/Roaming files:

robocopy "C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\HelloGames\NMS\st_76561197972583107" "F:\MYUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\HelloGames\NMS\st_76561197972583107" *.* /mir

For my main data backup batch I just threw up my hands and mirrored the entire AppData structure, because so many settings and configuration files and save files and dictionary files for word processing and so forth are all hidden away under AppData (because they are all application data of one kind or another after all). Easier to just throw them all on the external drive, so if my laptop dies and I'm reinstalling stuff, I don't have that "ohcrap" moment of realizing I never backed up, say, the dictionary file I have any words specific to Dragon Age saved in for when i was writing fanfic in that universe (did that once, back in the days of yore when I was still using OpenOffice - thankfully my old drive was only dying, not dead, so I was able to get onto it and grab a few more files off of it).

When you finally have everything set up to your liking, save the file, then either double-click it to run it, or right-click and "Run as administrator" if you're accessing anything in protected locations. You'll likely get a popup confirming that it's okay for the batch to run, and then it'll sit there chugging away copying everything from all the starter locations to all the target locations.

Then just run it every time you want to make a backup, which should be some version or combination of whenever you've done something that made a big change (downloaded that new stupidly huge patch or game or whatever) and/or at regular intervals (end of every day, once or twice a week, once or twice a month, whatever). These will run much faster since the batch will only be making changes to the existing backup file structure, rather than creating a new one from scratch.

If you want the best backups, always have multiple backups - the 3-2-1 rule is always good to follow. At least three different copies, on at least two different media (not just multiple copies on one drive), with at least one of them being stored offsite (cloud storage, in a bank box, at someone else's house, etc).

Enjoy!

[sweet-star-cookie]

OH YEAH SORRY I FORGOT TO MENTION IN MY LAST ASK:

who created the astral plane? i looked through your tumblr and found someone called 'asteria', so are solaris and lunaris co-creators or merely just caretakers of the astral plane?

Ahaaaa I wondered if/when you’d get to Asteria ;D Unfortunately this is where most of the biggest spoilers are, but I’ll do my best to give you info anyway! Even revealing her existence is technically a big spoiler already, but when you’re me and have had this story in development for a long time, you want to share the art as soon as it gets finished lol

While I do have a lot of this story's lore figured out by now, it's all still a WIP that's subject to change and will be presented differently in the comic than it is in these text-based asks anyway, so I'm not as bothered about most spoilers at this point. Even if I have to curate some posts or add spoiler warnings later on, it's unlikely that every reader of the comic or follower of my work in general will read these. That and I really really like talking about this story so I often can't help myself xD

Though Asteria's true purpose in the story is probably the biggest spoiler of them all, I can say that she is not the creator of the Astral Plane. No one entity is its creator either, but I can't really elaborate further than that. I will say, though, that the connection between the Astral Plane and Earth is very important here. Moreover, the Starglass being sent to Earth specifically is also not arbitrary.

I can at least give you what the constellations think they know about the creation of their world, as it is still relevant to the story and Cassie helps fill in some of the gaps while she’s out rescuing spirits. Not all of it is right, but not all of it is wrong either.

Libra especially is fixated on answering a lot of the grander questions about how their world works and documenting it in her library. Unfortunately, a lot of the information and remnants of the Astral Plane's history have been lost or destroyed in various ways, so Libra and the others are quite literally picking up the pieces.

She wonders if there are other incarnations of the constellations or if different versions of the Astral Plane exist parallel to their own. She knows that some spirits of people and animals can appear as constellations, but not enough appear on their Astral Plane to account for the billions of lives on Earth, so it can't be all of them.

[Side note: This question is not fully answered in the story in order to keep the already large scope of the worldbuilding contained for this particular narrative, but I also didn't want it to be at the expense of implying that this version of the Astral Plane (or an afterlife in general) is the ONLY one that exists on Earth canonically, as all of the stars in our solar system have various interpretations across different cultures and religions in real life.]

[Side note 2: While I initially only did this for the aforementioned taming of the scope, I do find it hilarious and awesome that you ended up doing specifically a crossover fic between our worlds, as that COULD theoretically happen within the canon of Starglass Zodiac itself already, if there was ever a way to jump between the star worlds. Gotta love coincidences like that!]

As for Asteria, very little is known about her, as none of the current incarnations of the constellations have ever seen or met her. The only remnants of her are through a few torn pages and a fractured statue, the latter of which the earth signs can't repair at that point in the story when it is discovered. They only know her name by finding and piecing together parts of the statue's base.

They also cannot verify if she is some kind of constellation or is otherwise made of Light magic like the rest of them, as none of the Star Fragments that have been recovered and restored into stained glass portraits end up depicting her. The singular intact image of Asteria that currently exists is in an engraving above the stage in Capricorn's theatre of all places, but it is only part of her. Also, notably, her eyes are depicted closed.

The symbol that would later be associated with the Starglass (and by extension, Cassie) still appears in every discovered remnant of Asteria, however, and the same is true for the Solunar Spirits. Images of the sun and moon in addition to stars leads many to believe that they are linked somehow, but it is not known how the Solunar Spirits came to be or why they are still around when Asteria isn't. Cassie does discover the answer to this, but not until the climax of the story.

[saxifactumterritum]

List of 10 places I get audiobooks

I have Audible, I don't have a subscription at the moment but I do now and then resubscribe, and I do buy audiobooks from them. It's the easiest and sometimes only way to get audiobooks. However! That said! (with some review/thoughts, I like the sound of my voice):

1. audibooks.co.uk - this is the best paid subscription one I've found, so far, in the UK. The website and app are a bit shitty, I think it is difficult to find where to subscribe or cancel, and I found it hard to find the help and contact page. But they have one of the biggest catalogues I've seen, I find about 80% of what I'm after, including a good amount specifically queer books I search for. It's also got a reward which is a free book out of a selection each month, sometimes they have great ones. 2. local library - if your library says you need proof of address or picture ID to get a card ask them if there are alternatives you can show, I spoke to my library about this (being trans and at the time when I got my card having no fixed address or ID), the man was helpful (I didn't say I was trans or had no home just I hadn't got the documents he wanted).

this is a list of where I, a queer person, get my books so that above is relevent. Getting a library card can be stressful.

My library is pretty okay, the audiobook catalogue is alright, they have two apps with different options. There are often waiting lists, sometimes months long (think 8 months, once it was 13 months. Sometimes it's mere weeks). The catalogue will depend on your library. If you're in London I think the boroughs have different catalogues and sometimes you can sign up to more than one library? though don't quote me, this is word of mouth. My library is a county one so just the one catalogue.

3. If you have a print disability there are two more options, first, Listening Books! (listening-books.org.uk). This is my absolute favourite. It's free if you haven't got enough money, streaming-only is something around £20-£25 per year (per year!), I pay £45 and can get CDs and streaming (different catalogues). They have loads of things, are super easy to sign up to, have a really lovely team who have always been happy to help. I love this service a lot.

4. Calibre (calibreaudio.org.uk). Like Listening Books, you have to have a print disability to sign up (it's about the licencing, both services make books available under a specific law). I like this one too, it's good two apps and good amount of books, and their catalogue is growing really fast at the moment. On one app they have a mix of professional and volunteer readers (some of the volunteers are really good) which means they have more stuff.

5. everyone knows librivox I think, I use it less since I stopped studying literature but yeah, tried and true, a real mix on quality but I've come across some real gems, and there's loads and loads there.

6. I recently added openlibrary.org to this list. You can borrow the digitized books and either read with TTS, or they have a real nifty built-in TTS reader that works great for me. TTS take a bit of getting used to, but you do get used to it and if you give it a chance, even more books! I read a bunch of Jeeves ones I've never read before on here. They have so much books! Different editions too, which is exciting. They have an app and the books play when my phone is locked. Joy!

I actually had this issues when I was studying, most of the time you get one audiobook, one edition, from a specific edition, and you don't often get academic editions of stuff like Shakespeare. That's true of digitized books too, especially ebooks (I'm using digitized to mean any book that's digitized, and ebook to mean one edited and 'published' in some form). I like comparing editions. Being able to see marks of the publishing and editing process is great.

7. YouTube has loads of pirated or volunteer-read books, some librivox ones end up on youtube and then you can listen at three times sped up rate, which is great if you need to read Paradise Lost in a great hurry for a seminar.

8. BBC Sounds app or website. If you don't mind abridgement. I can't find it anywhere, but a bunch of years ago I heard a radio adaptation of Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando', narrated by Emma Frankland, oh scratch that it is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002rxy. Awesome .

9. podcasts, any but I have an app called Podbean which has a bunch of old BBC radio programmes on, like Cabin Pressure. Has some classics on there read episodically, or there are a bunch with short stories, I rec Levar Burton Reads all the time has some great short stories and he's a good reader. Or there's a whole world of fiction podcasts, some are great some are find some are mildly diverting. Like books! I highly, highly recommend Hi Nay (Hi Nay Pod if you searching for it most places), I liked The Godshead Incidental a lot, Kelly Marie Tran was in a very good one called Passanger List. If you haven't embarked on fiction podcasts you could check out boombox-fuckboy.tumblr.com and podplane.tumblr.com, which do recs and lists and things.

10. gutenberg press of course, digitized books that are out of copywright. They have some librivox and audio ones too, or you can use a TTS or such.

(I live in the UK, a bunch of these are UK only. I think a lot of countries have options through libraries. Libraries also have CDs of audiobooks, I don't use these as there is a fee here and I haven't got a CD player and my laptop is dying).

[excellencetechnology01]

When crafting a blog post about Python courses, it's essential to ask questions that address various aspects of the course offerings, their quality, and their relevance. Here are some key questions to consider:

1. Course Content and Structure

- What topics are covered in the Python course? Are they suitable for beginners, intermediate, or advanced learners?

- How is the course content structured? Does it follow a logical progression?

- Are there any real-world projects or practical exercises included?

 2. Instructor Credentials

- Who are the instructors, and what are their qualifications and experience with Python?

- Do the instructors have experience teaching Python to diverse audiences?

3. Learning Outcomes

- What skills or knowledge can students expect to gain by the end of the course?

- Are there any certifications or qualifications provided upon completion?

 4. Course Format and Delivery

- Is the course offered online, in-person, or in a hybrid format?

- How is the course delivered (e.g., video lectures, live sessions, interactive coding exercises)?

- Are there any supplementary materials or resources provided (e.g., textbooks, access to forums)?

 Python is a highly versatile and popular programming language with a wide range of benefits that make it a top choice for many developers and organizations. Here are some of the key benefits of Python:

 1. Ease of Learning and Use

Simple Syntax: Python's syntax is clear and easy to understand, which makes it an excellent language for beginners. Its readability promotes good coding practices and helps developers write clean, maintainable code.

Readable Code: Python's emphasis on readability means that code is more intuitive and less prone to errors. This also makes it easier to collaborate with others on projects.

 2. Versatility and Flexibility

General-Purpose: Python is a general-purpose language, meaning it can be used for a wide variety of applications, from web development to data analysis to automation.

Integration: Python can easily integrate with other languages and technologies. For example, it can be used alongside C/C++ for performance-critical applications or JavaScript for web development.

3. Extensive Libraries and Frameworks

Rich Ecosystem: Python has a vast standard library and a rich ecosystem of third-party libraries and frameworks that can simplify and accelerate development. Popular libraries include NumPy for numerical computing, Pandas for data analysis, and Django for web development.

Third-Party Packages: The Python Package Index (PyPI) hosts thousands of third-party packages that can extend Python’s functionality, making it easier to find tools and resources for specific tasks.

4.Community and Support

Large Community: Python has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its growth and support. This means ample resources such as tutorials, documentation, forums, and community-driven support.

Open Source: Python is open-source, so it is free to use and distribute. The open-source nature also encourages collaboration and sharing among developers.

Python’s combination of ease of use, versatility, and a rich ecosystem makes it a powerful tool for developers across different fields and applications. Whether you're building web applications, analyzing data, or working on machine learning projects, Python offers a robust and supportive environment to get the job done.

Best Python Institute

Finding the best Python institute in Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) involves considering various factors such as the quality of education, course content, faculty, infrastructure, and student reviews. As of now, specific names of institutes in Hamirpur might not be widely known, but here’s how you can find a reputable Python training provider:

Local Institutes and Training Centers

1.

 Check Local Listings and Reviews

   Online Platforms.

   Social Media and Forums

2. Educational Institutions

   Colleges and Universities.

3. 

IT Training Centers

   Local IT Training Centers.

Best institute in Hamirpur ?

In Hamirpur, the best Python course often combines comprehensive instruction with practical applications. Look for programs offered by local educational institutions or training centers that provide hands-on experience and cover fundamental to advanced Python concepts. Courses that include real-world projects, interactive sessions, and personalized mentorship can offer significant value. Institutes with experienced instructors, industry-relevant curriculum, and flexible scheduling are ideal. Additionally, consider courses with positive reviews and success stories from previous students, which can indicate quality and effectiveness. Local tech hubs or online platforms offering remote participation could also be valuable options to explore.HAMIRPUR BRANCH

Excellence Technology

Excellence Technology in Hamirpur is a leading training center specializing in cutting-edge IT education. It offers a range of courses in programming languages like Python, web development, and data science. Known for its hands-on approach, Excellence Technology provides practical training through real-world projects, ensuring students gain valuable industry experience. 

Popular Training Institutes with Online Options

If local options are limited, consider national or online institutes that offer quality Python training and might provide virtual classes accessible from Hamirpur:1.

 NIIT

 Offers comprehensive Python courses that cover basics to advanced topics, and they often have centers or partnerships in various cities.

2. 

Simplilearn

Known for its online learning platform, Simplilearn offers Python courses that are highly rated and accessible from anywhere.

3. 

Coursera/Udemy/edX

Coursera: Partners with universities and institutions worldwide to offer Python courses.

Udemy: Provides a variety of Python courses from introductory to advanced levels, often at discounted prices.

edX: Offers Python courses from institutions like MIT and Harvard.

4.

 Aptech

 A global career education company with a range of IT training programs, including Python.

5. 

Coding Blocks

Provides online and sometimes offline courses with a focus on hands-on projects and real-world applications.

You can start by contacting local institutes, checking their websites, and speaking with representatives to get a sense of their offerings and fit for your needs. If local options are limited, exploring online courses might provide a more flexible and comprehensive learning experience.

[digipubu6]

11 Sept | What do Journalists do?

SAS - B1: Journalism

Now that we have covered the brief, let’s take an introductory look into the world of journalism… what is it? Who works in it?

View presentation here.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In 2′s or 3′s, select one member to create a PowerPoint online document.

Share access to this document by clicking on the Share button. Share with ALL group members so that each person can edit it.

Additionally, share access with your teacher: stephanie.sekula@ncclondon.ac.uk

* Please share the workload for this Powerpoint equally between the group. *

Slide 1:  On the first slide, write your full names and the title ‘What Do Journalists Do?’.

Slide 2: Write a 200+ word summary which explains clearly the kinds of work journalists do. 

Slide 3: What key skills can make a journalist successful? Write a list.

Slide 4: Explain: why do people become journalists? 200+ words.

Slide 5 onwards: Research 3 professional journalists (any type) about how and why they became journalists.  

To do this, try finding names of journalists then search to see if they have been interviewed about their careers or if they have a website. Interviews may be in the form of a written article or a video. When searching, try specific industries such as ‘sports journalist’ or ‘investigative journalist’. 

 For each of the 3 journalists, write a 400+ word summary: 

Who are they? 

What kind of journalism work do they do?

What did they study? 

Where did they first work? 

Who do they work for now? 

Have they covered any big stories in particular? 

Anything else you feel is relevant.

Include images where you can.

You will share your work at the end of the lesson. Please then copy and paste your group’s slides into your personal Journalism Supporting Document.

HOMEWORK: Please bring in a book / magazine / newspaper / printed article which contains an interview to our lesson tomorrow. You can try the library, or bring one from home.

[jurysoft-raas]

Top 5 Programming Languages to Consider When Hiring Developers

In the dynamic world of technology, selecting the appropriate programming language for your projects is pivotal. The success of your product hinges on this choice, whether you’re a burgeoning startup or a seasoned enterprise. This article explores the top five programming languages and frameworks currently in high demand across various industries. Additionally, discover how Jurysoft can connect you with elite developers skilled in these technologies to meet your needs.

1. React.js

Industry Relevance

React.js is a powerful JavaScript library used for building user interfaces, especially single-page applications. It’s widely adopted due to its efficiency and flexibility.

Why Hire React.js Developers?

Component-Based Architecture: React’s component-based structure allows for reusable code, expediting development.

Rich Ecosystem: An extensive ecosystem with libraries and tools like Redux for state management enhances development capabilities.

Performance: React’s virtual DOM ensures high performance and responsiveness in applications.

Hire React JS Developers

2. Node.js

Industry Relevance

Node.js enables server-side scripting using JavaScript, allowing for a unified language across front-end and back-end development. It is especially popular for real-time applications like chat apps and online gaming.

Why Hire Node.js Developers?

Unified Development: Using JavaScript for both client and server sides streamlines development and maintenance.

Scalability: Node.js excels in handling multiple simultaneous connections, ideal for scalable applications.

Community and Support: A large and active community provides a wealth of modules and libraries to extend functionality.

Hire Node JS Developers

3. Python

Industry Relevance

Python is a versatile language widely used in web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and scientific computing. Its simplicity and readability make it a top choice for both beginners and seasoned developers.

Why Hire Python Developers?

Versatility: Python’s extensive libraries and frameworks, such as Django and Flask for web development, and TensorFlow and PyTorch for AI, enable developers to create robust applications efficiently.

Community and Support: A vast community means plenty of resources, libraries, and frameworks to speed up development and problem-solving.

Ease of Learning: Python’s straightforward syntax reduces the learning curve, accelerating the development process.

Hire Python Developers

4. Flutter

Industry Relevance

Flutter, developed by Google, is an open-source UI software development kit used for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.

Why Hire Flutter Developers?

Cross-Platform Development: Write once, run anywhere. Flutter allows for the development of applications for multiple platforms with a single codebase.

Fast Development: Flutter’s hot-reload feature speeds up the development process by allowing real-time changes.

Customizable Widgets: A rich set of customizable widgets ensures a consistent look and feel across different platforms.

Hire Flutter Developers

5. Laravel

Industry Relevance

Laravel is a PHP framework designed for web application development. It simplifies tasks like routing, authentication, and caching, making it a popular choice for building robust and scalable web applications.

Why Hire Laravel Developers?

Elegant Syntax: Laravel’s syntax is clean and elegant, promoting best practices and efficient coding.

Rich Feature Set: Built-in features such as Eloquent ORM, Blade templating engine, and comprehensive security measures streamline development.

Community and Support: A large community and extensive documentation ensure that developers have access to plenty of resources and support.

Hire Laravel Developers

How Jurysoft Can Help

At Jurysoft, we understand the importance of finding the right talent to match your project needs. Our pool of developers is not only skilled in these top programming languages and frameworks but also has a track record of delivering high-quality solutions across various industries.

Why Choose Jurysoft?

Expertise: Our developers are vetted through rigorous testing to ensure they possess top-tier skills and industry knowledge.

Flexibility: Whether you need a developer for a short-term project or a long-term engagement, Jurysoft provides flexible hiring models to suit your requirements.

Customization: We match you with developers who fit the technical requirements and align with your company’s culture and project goals.

Partner with Jurysoft to hire world-class developers and ensure your projects are built using the most in-demand and relevant programming languages and frameworks. Let us help you transform your vision into reality with the right expertise.

Conclusion

Staying ahead in today’s competitive market requires leveraging the best programming languages and top talent. By focusing on React.js, Node.js, Python, Flutter, and Laravel, and partnering with a reliable provider like Jurysoft, you can ensure your development projects are capable hands. Reach out to us today and take the first step towards building cutting-edge solutions with the best developers in the industry.