#board assembly solutions

[bsinterconn]

Navigating the Future of Electronics with Rigid-Flex and Taconic PCB Manufacturers

Today’s Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are much more flexible and advanced than the first rigid versions. Compact devices with great capabilities and multiple features have earned popularity in the electronics industry, leading to the rise of Rigid-Flex PCBs and Taconic PCBs. The use of these technologies enables unique designs, improves how long the device works, and maintains good electricity flow. Rigid-flex PCB Manufacturers can move and also keep their form, similar to how rigid boards function. They particularly shine in high-speed or RF and microwave applications. Dependable and effective products rely greatly on what electronics do.

Rigid-Flex PCBs: Hybrid Structure with High Functionality

Rigid-Flex PCBs take attributes from both stiff and flexible PCBs and merge them into one board. As a result, rigid and flexible boards no longer need connectors and cables, letting us make assemblies that are lighter and more space-saving. You can find these boards in smartphones, medical devices used on patients, military systems and aerospace devices. They are suited for use in places that require resistance to vibration and bending due to machines. In manufacturing, various layers are made and bonded together using very accurate methods. Therefore, it is only experienced manufacturing companies that can keep products of constant quality and performance.

Key Advantages of Rigid-Flex PCB Manufacturers

Important benefits of using well-known Rigid-flex PCB Manufacturers are their excellent design aid and advanced methodologies. They depend on laser direct imaging for precise work and optical inspection that finds problems in the early stage. Tests using temperature fluctuation and electrical overload guarantee that the product will function in any extreme condition. Manufacturers typically boost efficiency by assisting with design changes that lower the number of components and simplify assembly. In addition, they guarantee that flexible circuit boards meet all IPC standards for quality. Because they are involved in developing products and moving them into mass production, they help make the process more efficient.

Taconic PCBs: High-Frequency Performance Excellence

Taconic PCB Manufacturers are produced from proprietary PTFE-based laminates designed by Taconic with low dielectric loss and thermal stability. These boards are the preferred option for RF, microwave, and high-speed digital designs. They are most prevalent in satellite communications, radar systems, 5G base stations, and aerospace communication modules. Taconic laminates have low signal attenuation and superior dimensional stability. They exhibit moisture resistance as well as heat tolerance, which makes them dependable in extreme working environments. Production using these laminates demands proficiency in drilling, plating, and multilayer bonding because of their special properties.

What to Expect from a Taconic PCB Manufacturers

The best Taconic PCB Manufacturers must possess extensive experience in working with high-frequency laminate material. It involves strict impedance control, surface preparation, and low-loss transmission line engineering. Cleanroom facilities, specially designed PTFE-compatible equipment, and precise lamination procedures are necessary for high-quality output. The producers may perform RF testing and thermal profiling to ensure circuit integrity. They also guide customers on stack-up selection as well as PCB layout according to end-use frequency requirements. By maintaining compliance with IPC and MIL-spec specifications, these companies ensure the critical applications' performance and safety.

Comparing Rigid-Flex and Taconic PCBs

Although both are sophisticated PCBs, Rigid-Flex and Taconic PCBs are for different technical applications. Rigid-Flex is prized for mechanical flexibility, whereas Taconic leads for signal transmission at high speeds. Rigid-Flex boards simplify systems and minimize space utilization in cramped enclosures, while Taconic boards maintain signal purity in communication networks. The components and manufacturing methods are quite different, as are the final-use applications. The two are chosen based on physical space, frequency range, and exposure to the environment. Designers will often talk to both varieties of manufacturers to match their circuit requirements with the appropriate solution.

Conclusion

As innovation speeds up in electronics, the need for Rigid-flex PCB Manufacturers and Taconic PCBs keeps increasing. Such technologies facilitate the development of lighter, faster, and more efficient devices across industries. With increasingly sophisticated design challenges, collaborating with an experienced manufacturer is crucial. BS Interconn Hong Kong Co., LIMITED differentiates itself by providing quality-oriented, customer-centric PCB manufacturing services. Whether you're creating a next-generation medical wearable or a state-of-the-art RF device, selecting a reliable Rigid-Flex or Taconic PCB producer guarantees that your product will outperform and outlast the competition.

[mefrontechnologies]

https://www.bloglovin.com/@mefrontechnologies/turning-farming-into-smart-agriculture-through

Turning Farming into Smart Agriculture through PCB Assembly

The fusion of PCB assembly technology with agriculture is revolutionizing traditional farming methods, paving the way for smarter, more efficient, and sustainable practices.

[revelboo]

My Rodimus figure broke :( maybe something with Rodimus accidentally hurting himself doing something dumb and we comfort him?

Attractive Today Pt 3

MTMTE Rodimus x Reader

• Servos curling under into fists, he has to remind himself to keep smiling. Keep playing the clueless goof, because he can feel his spark crackling with his outlier ability and knows that if he lets that anger take over, he might not be able to stop. Might hurt someone. Again. Putting some space between himself and Brainstorm so he won’t be as tempted since the scientist isn’t all that concerned about the chaos he’s caused or the suffering. Some of the bots on board had never dealt with humans before Rung’s had blipped into existence on his desk amid the parts for the model so he was assembling. And it’s easy to not care, when it’s just a nameless little organic.

• Walking from one end of the desk you’re trapped on, you turn and make another circuit. Finally beginning to calm after Rodimus had explained that no, his kind, Cybertronians, don’t eat humans. He could have been lying, but he’d honestly looked so distraught about it that you believe him that the one eyed, robotic death chicken had lied to you. Your new roommate hasn’t had any explanation for how you’d gotten stuck on their ship, though. But he’d said he’d try to figure it out and despite yourself, you want to trust him. Lost in space and far from home, just gone without a trace. His quarters have a large window that you’re trying your hardest to not look at, because that vast emptiness just cracks your fear wide open. The night sky at home had never bothered you one bit, but knowing there’s nothing beyond the walls of the ship? It makes you want to scream.

• Returning to his quarters without any real solutions or answers, his servos flex. As much as he hated it, he’d sided with Magnus and Megs that they continue on rather than trying to backtrack and find the humans to return them home. He’s not sure how to tell the little human waiting in his quarters for him that you’re not going home. At least not for a long time. You’re still where he left you when he opens the door, little head turning his way. And that guilt and anger kindles about his spark, until he’s frozen in place. Because not now. Those expectant eyes are staring at him and he wonders how many of Brainstorm’s accidents hadn’t been so lucky. How many hadn’t survived.

• Big, red, and pointy isn’t moving, just standing there in the doorway before one of his hands reaches and his servos slam against the wall, head lowering. Moving closer, you watch him begin to shiver, servos flexing and almost clawing the wall. “Hey? You okay?” You call out, because if you didn’t know better, it looks like the big, alien robot is having some kind of nervous breakdown. Bright blue optics find you and there is something like panic on his too human face. You know that feeling, know what it’s like to drown in your own head as your breath catches.

• Don’t do it. Keep it together. It’s a losing battle as that anger churns and feeds the fear of what he’s capable of if he doesn’t get it together. Can feel his temperature starting to climb, feels his plating crackling with the threat of flames. Needs to go, find somewhere with no one around, no one to hurt. Then he realizes you’re talking to him. Telling him about your family and your dog, and it’s so random it snags at him. Gives him something to focus on, just the sound of your voice softly talking to him. Talking him through the danger you aren’t even aware you’re in. Leaning on the wall, he stares at you, meets your eyes. Wants to come closer and pick you up, because you’re saving him without even knowing it, but can’t move yet. Can’t risk it.

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[dessertgeek]

The Twitter Mari Lwyd sagas (2019)

So way back in 2019, @seananmcguire and @tkingfisher (and also later @kbspangler) got into a whole poetry/rap battle involving the poor Mari Lwyd (played by Seanan) just trying to get some cheese from Ursula's stores. This went on for a few years, and I can't find transcribed sources, only screenshots.

So, with X/Twitter being What It Is, I wanted a text source to exist. CW for food, alcohol, and all the caps, and full credit to the authors. If you want the original source it's here.

Seanan: WE'RE HERE TO SAY PLEASE WON'T YOU GIVE US SOME CHEESE SOME CHEESE AND SOME BRANDY OR PORT. THIS FESTIVE HORSE SKULL HAS BEEN SHOVED ON A POLE SO GRANT ME YOUR FINEST RETORT.

Ursula: BEGONE WITH YOUR POLE (YOU CAN LEAVE THE NEAT SKULL) DEMANDING MY FOOD IS EXTORTION FOR CHEESE IS QUITE DEAR AND WILL BE WORSE NEXT YEAR AND I CAN’T SPARE YOU EVEN A PORTION

Seanan: IF IT'S HEAD FOR A HEAD, I COULD TAKE YOURS INSTEAD, THAT SEEMS LIKE A TRADE THAT'S QUITE FAIR BUT DECAPITATION REQUIRES CONTEMPLATION, I'D RATHER THAT CHEESE OVER THERE.

Ursula: YOU COME ‘ROUND WITH THE BITS OF A HORSE THAT IS QUITS DEMANDING I GIVE YOU MY CHEDDAR BUT HEY, YOU HAVE SAID, AT LEAST IT’S NOT MY HEAD— I’M SUPPOSED TO THINK THIS IS BETTER!?

Seanan: I AM NOT A QUITTER, NO NEED TO BE BITTER, AND I'D TAKE YOUR GOUDA OR BRIE. YOU ASKED FOR MY HEAD, THINKING THAT SINCE I'M DEAD YOU COULD JUST KIDNAP PIECES OF ME. I HAVE INFINITE TIME AND THE PATIENCE TO RHYME AND I'LL STAND HERE LIMITLESSLY.

Ursula: AND WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT ON NOT-QUITE-LONGEST-NIGHT TO MAKE FREE WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S CHEESES? YOU THINK ‘COS YOU SHOW WITH A WEIRD SKULL IN TOW IT CAN ASK FOR WHATEVER IT PLEASES?

Seanan: THAT'S JUST WHAT I THINK, GIVE ME CHEESE, GIVE ME DRINK, AND I'LL NO MORE CAST DARK ON YOUR DOOR. I'M NO TINSEL OR TREE, I'M CELEBRATORY OF SURVIVAL ON HEATH AND IN MOOR.

Ursula: THERE’S NO HEATH AND NO MOOR BETWEEN HERE AND THE SHORE I COULD MAYBE GET YOU A BOG IN LIEU OF MY BRIE WHICH I’M HOARDING FOR ME WHAT IF—LOOK, SEANAN! A FROG!

Seanan: THAT WAS JUST DIRTY POOL, AND YOU KNOW THERE'S NO RULE THAT SAYS I CAN'T LEAVE AND COME BACK. NOW THERE'S MUD ON MY SHOES I WON'T LET YOU REFUSE THIS FESTIVE DIGESTIVE ATTACK.

Ursula: ALL’S FAIR, SO THEY SAY WHEN CHEESE IS IN PLAY ALTHOUGH I ADMIT TO DECEPTION WHILE YOU CHASED A FROG I SCARFED THAT CHEESE LOG AT PERSONAL COST TO DIGESTION

Seanan: THEN I'LL COME FOR YOUR BOOZE I'M NOT LONGING TO LOSE, AND THIS IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON. I'LL STAND HERE AND SING AS THE MORRIS BELLS RING AND YOUR GUTS CONTEMPLATE CHOOSING TREASON.

Ursula: I’VE NO BRANDY NOR GIN THE SCOTCH STORES ARE THIN BUT OF A SOLUTION I’M THINKIN’ THIS HOUSE’S LIBATION AGAVE’S CREATION WILL NEVERTHELESS GET YOU STINKIN’ IF IT’S BOOZE THAT YOU’RE FOR BONE HORSE FROM THE MOOR IT’S TEQUILA THAT WE WILL BE DRINKIN’

Seanan: WE'LL GET HAMMERED LIKE BOARDS WHEN THE LIQUOR GETS POURED, THEY'LL ASSEMBLE US LIKE WE'RE IKEA. THERE ARE WORSE THINGS TO DO THAN START DRINKING WITH YOU. I'M SO HAPPY THAT I CAME TO SEE YA.

Ursula: I LOVE EVERY ENTITY IN THIS BAR *falls down*

[zhalfirin-binds]

Square antiprism box

Part I

(many thanks @queercus-books for finding out what that shape is called XD)

Over a year ago I saw this particular kind of box on the bookbinders fair in Leiden (NL). After having been recently reminded of them, I decided to give it a go and try to reverse engineer them from the pictures I found here (check out her other boxes, they are gorgeous!).

After staring at the original boxes for a bit, it was obvious they were not covered on the inside after gathering them. The pattern was visible in one consecutive pattern. It told me that a) the board was laminate with the patterned paper while still flat and b) the box was made from one piece, not single pieces glued together. For that the corners and edges needed to be scratched, but not cut through.

What stumped me in the beginning was what angle to pick for the walls. Naturally the base of each triangle had to be as long as the sides of the squares it connected to, but a too pointy angle at the tip resulted in long boxes that looked rather twisted than having that bulbous look I was looking for.

The solution (after some more staring and a few more paper models) was 'right angles'! Any square piece of board can be made into this box by marking out the center square and have the walls point away in right angles.

Next I cut away the parts that won't be needed (to make sure I don't cut one of the side walls off, I crossed them out). The net of polyhedrons for this box could look different than this and still give me this shape, but with the way the paper pattern is was not visibly interrupted I'm confident this is the net the Dutch bookbinder has used. (It also wastes the least material)

Now it was scratching the other lines just enough so they would bend nicely, but not get too weak to hold the structure and test assemble. Shallow cuts and test bending every now and then helps to get there (also a metal ruler to keep carving the same line)

Cutting the board half way through ended me up with those gaps though. I''m not sure how much they would show if I dressed them just like that, but I decided to not take the risk and reinforced them with a white paper just in case.

The white paper is really just a white strip of paper long enough to go all around the box and a bit wider than one of the triangles is high so I could have an overlap and reinforcement to the bottom too. Part of why I did this was also to see if covering the body would work as I thought it would. With the angled planes the strip of paper bends up and and down, but in the end it's still one straight strip of paper.

I let it dry a bit before adding another layer, this time with the patterned paper and turn in's on top and bottom. In hindsight I could have cut the turn ins to the inside at an wider angle to avoid them reaching onto the better visible part, but then. this is the first time I made this box so I take that as a lesson learned.

Now all it needs is a base and a lid and I'm done.

[dr-futbol-blog]

No Man's Land, Pt. 12

The Daedalus had been fired at by the wraith and had been damaged to the extent that they had lost their life support, and were now drifting in the massive void between the two galaxies, the veritable no man's land where no one would be able to reach them in time. According to McKay they had approximately nine hours of air left for the entire crew, and it seems as though the entire ship had now gone into emergency mode, everyone scrambling to think of something that they might do that could make their dire situation better. We join McKay as he is doing a walk-and-talk with Zelenka about their options with the weapons' officer trailing them, probably awaiting orders or instructions from them given that McKay at least knows the ship well enough not to need an escort having worked there previously. For Zelenka, however, the ship is not as familiar given that the first time he had seen it was when they were beamed away from the Orion as it was being destroyed by the wraith.

Zelenka: As long as we don't have to worry about shields and weapons, we may be able to cannibalise parts from some of our other systems in order to create at the very least a CO2 filtration system. McKay: By the time we've got something like that up and running, the CO2 levels will overwhelm any makeshift scrubbers we'd be able to concoct. Zelenka: But it's worth a try.

We have seen that McKay and Zelenka work well together, albeit differently from how Sheppard and McKay work together. McKay has a degree in Mechanical Engineering so Zelenka probably has something that is different from this but complementary so that they at the very least speak the same language. We are never told what Zelenka's doctorate is in but Electrical Engineering is a good candidate. Regardless, he seems to be thinking about how they might be able to rig up a filtration system out of spare parts, and McKay makes it sound as though they might be able to do that but not in time, which is the same problem that McKay had been faced with during Inferno (S02E19). They needed more practical solutions, and as we have noted many times before, McKay is not an ideas person, he is much better at figuring out how to make something go, how to fix something. And as usual, he is able to tell immediately whether some solution is workable or not, and while he appreciates Zelenka trying to come up with ideas, they are not getting any closer to solving this currently.

McKay: Yes. Yeah, but regardless, we need more electricians and welders than are technically certified on this ship's roster. Anyone, and I mean anyone who took Shop needs to report to us. Kleinman: There are teams assembling on every deck. McKay: Good. Good. Ah, now we're talking. How many more of these do we have? Kleinman: Twenty in total. McKay: How many people on board? Kleinman: In and around the two hundred mark. McKay: Oh, so I guess buddy-breathing our way through this one's out of the question. Kleinman: I'm afraid so, sir, yes.

McKay does not shoot Zelenka's idea down but thinks that they need a contingency plan regardless. McKay is clearly taking charge of the operation but we may note that he says "report to us" here, trusting Zelenka as his second in command to know what he is doing. While McKay does not use "us" as often as Sheppard does in reference to the two of them in particular, we may note that he does want to keep Sheppard apprised of what they are doing and to keep him in the loop, so his "us" may well include Sheppard also.

They finally reach their destination, which seems to have been where some of the crew members were unloading oxygen masks, one of them a beautiful woman that McKay pays no attention to. Note that initially McKay rubs his hands together because he is pleased by this turn of events, with this tiny bit of good luck. However, the weapons' officer brings him back down to Earth by pointing out that there is a limited supply of them. Note that McKay's reference to buddy-breathing -- the idea to share the tanks between crew members -- hints at the fact that he is thinking about Sheppard here. He is concerned for himself and for everyone, yes, but he is especially concerned for Sheppard, as is demonstrated shortly. Also, McKay's line here seems to hint at the fact that Sheppard had never taken Shop and that McKay knows this about him. He has to think of another reason to get Sheppard to have more air.

McKay: OK, fine. They're reserved for people working on getting life support systems operational. We need those people as clear-headed as possible. Kleinman: And, by those people... McKay: Yes, I will be one of them. Zelenka: How many levels are inaccessible? Kleinman: Seven.

We may note that in spite of having poor self-esteem, when McKay is talking about science and fixing things he sounds self-assured and in control. It is easy to see how he had become the head of the science corps and the chief science officer of the expedition because he is displaying clear leadership qualities here, taking responsibility and distributing tasks, and we may recall that he had been musing about leadership back in Letters from Pegasus (S01E17), having put actual thought and effort into what kind of a leader he wanted to be.

McKay is called upon to make a tough decision here that may come at a price, may lead to loss of life further down the line, but because he is feeling responsible for all the lives onboard, he has to make it. This scene, McKay telling the captain that yes, he will be one of the people assigned an oxygen tank, is undoubtedly one of the scenes that make people view McKay as arrogant. The way that the weapons' officer says "And by those people [you mean you]...," it seems like he is very much one of the people who might think this about McKay. It is easy to interpret this as him feeling entitled to the tank over other people, like he thinks his own life is more important than the lives of other people, maybe even everyone else. It is easy to see McKay's assertive way of saying this as selfish, and it is also easy to think that he is being a yellow-belly scaredy-cat who makes sure that he gets to have one of the things that might help him survive this in front of the line because he is so afraid of dying, which is not even adjacent to why McKay lays claim to a tank immediately.

McKay mentions that the reason to distribute the tanks to the people doing the fixes -- the people who are working to save everyone else -- is that they need to stay clear-headed. McKay is not just the chief scientist, he is also very likely the most intelligent person on board and he knows that he is the one who is asked and has been tasked saving everyone else. Everyone is looking to him to save them, like they so often are. He needs to be able to think because the lives of everyone else on the ship are depending on him to come up with a solution. McKay making sure that one of the tanks goes to him is not a selfish act but a selfless one, he is thinking about everyone. Beating around the bush about it is not going to help their situation any, especially when they are under a severe time constraint.

Of course McKay could have created some elaborate theatre of how he would reluctantly accept one of the tanks for the greater good -- but that kind of false modesty would only have wasted time. McKay needs to have one of tanks, and he knows it. He knows that Zelenka needs to have one too. He also knows that he cannot come up with any reason or even an excuse for Sheppard to get one, and so he has to think of another way to get him some extra air. He would like to give Sheppard a tank but he knows that it is not justified and they are better spent on people who are trying to help all of them, and it is this that shows us how much McKay is thinking about everyone and not just himself.

Zelenka: OK, we need to find out if there's any pockets of breathable atmosphere in there. We may be able to squeeze another hour or so from the regions that have been sealed off. McKay: We can't exactly transfer the O2 where we need it. Zelenka: Yes, but we could be... McKay: ...be able to access key panels that have been closed off to us. Let's get Sheppard in a 302, he can eyeball it from the outside. I'll take this.

And so we are demonstrated that McKay's mind is not just working on saving everyone, his mind is feverishly working on how to take care of Sheppard. Earlier, when Sheppard had been sitting in the cockpit of the F-302 on the hull of the hive and he had been talking with Michael, he had told him that he had three hours of air left for himself after having spent what had likely been several hours already sitting there, waiting for the hive to emerge from hyperspace. Earlier in The Intruder (S02E02), McKay had asked Sheppard how much air the F-302s had and Sheppard had told him that they had "lots" of air. We know that McKay knows that F-302s have air in them and that he knows that they have lots of air in them.

And so, because McKay is unable to come up with any excuse for Sheppard to et to have one of the tanks he is doing the next best thing -- he is putting Sheppard inside one of the F-302s and because he is giving him a task to do, Sheppard won't even know to feel like he is taking up air that other people could be breathing, which is something that he probably would feel if he was just offered air that others did not get. We had seen how Sheppard snapped his mouth shut just as soon as McKay had told them that they were running out of air earlier, it is clear that he does not want to take up air that other people could be breathing. And it is not just because Sheppard is the love of his life that McKay needs him to keep breathing -- he also needs Sheppard to stay clear-headed because so many times before he has needed Sheppard to come up with ideas for him to implement. He needs Sheppard to work with him

Sheppard: These sections are completely open to space, Rodney. There aren't even pockets you could beam into. What about an EVA? McKay: The spacesuits were stored in those sections. Sheppard: Alright. I'm heading back. McKay: Copy that.

We then get a very important scene. McKay had told Captain Kleinman that he wanted Sheppard to look at possible pockets of atmosphere from the outside, from the cockpit of an F-302 that has lots of air in it, and we now find Sheppard floating outside the ship. He had looked well and truly freaked out the last time we had seen him when the reality of the situation had sunk in, the depleting air and the time running out clearly filling him with dread. But all of that dread seems to be gone now as he is in the cockpit of a fighter-interceptor. Even though he does not have good news to give McKay he looks almost happy here, he looks content and it is likely that this is caused by the feeling that he is able to do something to help McKay, he is able to pitch in somewhere, he is able to make a contribution. We have seen that Sheppard has a need to be included in McKay's work and it is obvious that McKay has noticed the same thing. What is more, it seems like Sheppard had not actually caught on to why McKay had wanted him outside in the cockpit of a vessel that has lots of air in it, and hence harbours no feelings of guilt about it.

But what is important to note here is the tone in which Sheppard is talking to McKay. This is a semi-private moment between them -- McKay is out in the open working where other people are coming and going behind him but Sheppard is out there alone, and where McKay can be overheard, the only one who can hear Sheppard currently is McKay. Sheppard, that is, is speaking to McKay as though it were just the two of them whereas McKay is responding to him as though they were not alone. And Sheppard's tone is soft. He is speaking in a soft and tender voice which we never hear him use with anyone else. Sheppard speaks like this only to McKay, and only when the two of them are alone. It is almost as though Sheppard is whole other person when the two of them are alone and not in danger of being overheard. Sheppard tells McKay that the sections he is looking at are completely open to space but it seems as though Sheppard himself is also being completely open -- to McKay. Sheppard looks almost childlike as he is talking to McKay, all of the sarcasm and jadedness he usually exhibits nowhere to be seen. It is important to get to see Sheppard like this. It is important that we get to see Sheppard the way McKay gets to see him.

Sheppard is trying to workshop the problem with McKay, and even though the idea he offers to McKay is one that he is able to tell would not work immediately, he is still coming up with ideas for McKay to consider. McKay removes his mask as he responds to Sheppard and it is obvious he is trying to conserve air by talking as little as possible -- which is also something that Sheppard had taught him back in The Intruder, even if at the time Sheppard's intention had merely been to annoy McKay enough to make him forget to be anxious, to get on his nerves enough to hold off a panic attack. He is not conserving air by not talking at all now, but he is saying as little as possible. But even so, it is important for them to get to have this moment together because when they had seen each other again, they had not been alone. What is more, we again joined them in medias res here, we catch up to the tail-end of their conversation but what ever had been said before this moment was known only to the two of them. We also do not know how long Sheppard had been out there, but we have every reason to suspect that McKay had wanted to stretch it out, possibly even requesting Sheppard to perform some tasks while he was outside so that he might stay out there in the cockpit for a while longer, breathing his lungs full of air. McKay was taking care of Sheppard but Sheppard was also taking care of McKay, the two of them caring for the other.

McKay is welding while he is speaking with Sheppard, and we have noted before how McKay needs to focus on doing something, needs to focus on the work to keep from falling to pieces. He is holding himself together by keeping busy, keeping himself occupied. While Sheppard sounds soft and tender, McKay's voice breaks slightly as he mentions that the space suits had been lost in the explosion because he is keenly aware of the time running out, and while he may not be the only person who truly comprehends how screwed they are, he is the one who understands it the best. But unlike he had back in 38 Minutes (S01E05), McKay is not reacting to "certain doom in a certain way" here but he is instead doing what Sheppard had told him to do then, which was to keep on trying to fix the problem. But it is likely that Sheppard can still hear it in his voice, and so he decides to head back inside because if these are going to be their final moments together, he wants to spend them by actually being with McKay. And McKay likely feels the same way, not trying to come up with reasons for Sheppard to stay out there. It is possible that later on, he would have come up with another excuse to send him back out, to make sure he kept on breathing.

Zelenka: Have you tried routing the power through the inertial... McKay: Yes. Yes. Yes. We have tried everything. Zelenka: Subspace communications? McKay: We are floating between two galaxies, Radek. Atlantis has no ship to send. Even if we were somehow able to repair the array and get a message back to Earth...

Zelenka walks in to resume some work on the crystals just as McKay and Sheppard are finishing up with their call -- and it is even possible that he had found something for himself to do back when the two of them had started their conversation just to give them some privacy, given how we had seen in the previous episode in Zelenka's conversation with Sheppard that he is well-aware of the two of them being in a relationship with each other. However, there was only so long that he could stall because the work he was doing really did need doing.

We may note that McKay's tone is completely different with Zelenka. If he was trying to keep the desperation from his tone when he was talking to Sheppard -- even if Sheppard might have been able to detect it there anyway -- with Zelenka, he is not bothering to hide that he is looking at the end of the rope. When Sheppard had made a suggestion, he had told him why they could not do it. When Zelenka makes a suggestion, McKay snaps in frustration. With Sheppard, McKay is grateful that he comes up with ideas but with Zelenka in this moment, he feels like he is just wasting his time coming up with things that are not going to work. What is more, McKay is not bothering to sugarcoat their situation to Zelenka. With Sheppard, McKay would like to spare him the anxiety. He does not like to see Sheppard afraid and hopeless, and so while he is not keeping the truth from Sheppard, it is clear that he is trying to be delicate about it, is trying to keep his spirits up. There is clear and obvious pain in McKay's voice as he speaks to Zelenka but nonetheless he keeps on working, he keeps on trying to think of something that might get them out of this.

McKay: ...it would still take them weeks to get a rescue here. Zelenka: I wasn't thinking of rescue. I was thinking simply of telling them that we've stopped the wraith, and perhaps letting someone know the sacrifice that we've done. McKay: Well, a noble sentiment, but I would prefer to dedicate my last breath of air to getting more air. Wait a second.

Zelenka seems to have given up and has started thinking not of ways to rescue them but of making sure that their sacrifice was not for nothing. McKay, however, very much does not want to die. He tells Zelenka that he would rather fight until the last moment to keep all of them alive and in this he is echoing what Michael had told Sheppard earlier: "I doubt I'll be allowed to live much longer, and yet I very much want to continue living." McKay has a reason to live, which has not always been the case for him, and now that he has found his reason for living he does not want to give it up.

What McKay says here "I would prefer to dedicate my last breath of air to getting more air" is again easy to read as him being selfish -- as McKay thinking about his own survival. But he is not actually saying that he would like to use his last breath of air getting more air to himself. McKay is intending to use his last breath of air getting more air to everyone -- but especially Sheppard. He had put Sheppard into the cockpit to breathe, and while he had taken the oxygen tank for himself, the first thing he had thought about had been buddy-breathing with someone. McKay was using up the air currently trying to figure out a way to get more air, and every choice that he has made here tells us that it was Sheppard he was thinking about most of all.

McKay cares about other people and we have seen him willing to sacrifice his life for others many, many times because he does not seem to truly comprehend the value of his own life. But he very much wants to continue living like Michael now that he has found love, has found a home in someone, has someone worth fighting to live for. McKay does not want to dedicate his last breath of air to getting more air for himself, he fully intends for his last breath of air to be spent on saving Sheppard. And just as soon as he formulates the problem in this framework rather than thinking about fixing their life support system, he has a Eureka! moment. The ship that he had sent Sheppard out in is not the only ship around them that has air in it.

Continued in Pt. 13

[late-to-the-party-81]

The Look - Chapter One

AN: Welcome all to my first entry for Hot Bucky Summer. I’m picking up where I left of last year, with a return to Bucky and Joaquín from You bring me closer to God @kingofsorrow20 jumped at the chance to beta this, so gets all my thanks.

Buckyquín sluts - Assemble!

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Join my tag list here

Master list | HBS Master list

Summary: Now that Bucky and Joaquín are proper boyfriends and not secret FWB, they don’t have to sneak around and have sex in out of the way, but semi-public spaces. However, when Joaquín voices that he misses that aspect and comes up with a solution, Bucky finds that he can’t keep his hands off his baby, just thinking about it.

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Joaquín Torres

Word Count: 2k

CW: Mean Dom Bucky Barnes, Sweet Sub Joaquín Torres, Domesticity, Developing relationship, Discussions of exhibitionism, exploring fantasies, Bucky’s dirty talk, Joaquín’s oral fixation, hand job, cum eating, cum as lube, spit as lube, masturbation, facials, dacryphilia, Bucky obsessed with how pretty Joaquín is, dirty pictures, aftercare

Bingos and Challenges: HBS - Week 1 - “Louder, let everyone hear you”/ Screaming or Noisy sex/ Gangbang/ Exhibitionism.

Every so often it really hit Bucky about how much things had changed since he and Joaquín had actually started communicating. Take the present situation, for instance. They were in his Brooklyn apartment, having gotten home from a mission just as the rest of the world was starting its day. After the debrief at the compound, they could have gone to their shared quarters onsite to recover, but together had decided it was worth staying awake a little longer to have the relative privacy later. Admittedly, Quín had dozed - complete with drool - while Bucky had driven, but once they’d gotten to his apartment they’d collapsed into bed and slept for seven hours. They both woke up mid afternoon and, still feeling exhausted, settled down with takeout on the sofa, while RuPaul’s Drag Race played in the background. The show in question was Quín’s guilty pleasure and Bucky found it cute whenever his boyfriend started shouting at the TV. Three months ago, such a scenario wouldn’t have even been on Bucky’s radar as something he might want, but now he’d realised all of the ‘boyfriend stuff’ he’d been missing out on, he couldn’t wait to catch up with it. 

Speaking of cute, despite the fact that Quín had moved in a stash of his belongings, - the look on his face when Bucky had cleared a drawer for him was priceless - he was still cosied up in a pair of Bucky’s sweatpants and one of his large hoodies. And although Quín wasn’t skinny - far from it - when the young army lieutenant put on his clothes it high-lighted just how much broader - thicker - Bucky was. Looking at him, Bucky couldn’t help but lick his lips.

The thing that had really surprised him though, was how much better the sex had gotten. Before ‘the talk’ they’d only ever fucked like animals - rough and dirty - and while they did still do that - boy, did they do that - they now also made love. There was something about teasing Joaquín softly - slowly -, until he cried those pretty tears, that turned Bucky even more feral. And Quín, the beautiful boy he was, would cry out about how much he loved Bucky, never once getting frustrated that Bucky hadn’t yet said it back.

On that note, Bucky knew that he cared deeply for Quín - had done for a while, even before he could admit it to himself - but those three words? He wanted to say them, he really did, but he also wanted to be sure he actually meant them and it wasn’t just lip service. There were days however, when Sam would catch him watching his boyfriend and roll his eyes and tell him to stop making goo-goo eyes at his protege in public. Moments like that made Bucky smile, and he was smiling a lot more these days. 

“Bucky?” Quín’s soft voice, complete with a note of worry? - concern? - embarrassment? - pulled him from his reverie. 

Bucky shuffled across the sofa and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, drawing him close with a kiss to the top of his head. “What is it, baby? Got something on your mind?”

Quín squirmed a little and picked at some fluff stuck to his thigh. Bucky waited, giving him the time and space to voice whatever it was that seemed to have him a little twisted up. “You know how before,” he eventually started, “we were always… you know…”

”Fucking?” Bucky supplied, with an arched brow and a quirk to his lips.

”Yeah,” Joaquín confirmed, with his own small smile. “How we were always fucking in not so private spaces?”

The memories of trysts in store cupboards and dark corners of the quinjet jumped to the forefront of Bucky’s mind and made his dick twitch in his pants.

”Well, I was thinking that that wasn’t necessarily something we had to stop, just because we aren’t having to keep it secret any more.” Quín looked at Bucky with a sideways glance, obviously trying to check his reaction.

”You wanna go back to sucking my dick in janitors closets?” Bucky tried desperately to bury his amusement - this was obviously something that Quín wanted to discuss, and he owed it to him to take it seriously.

”No, not that,” came the tentative reply. “I was kinda thinking about… in front of other people. In a place where that sort of thing is acceptable. Like a kink club.”

”Oh,”said Bucky, glitching slightly as he tried to process his boyfriend’s request. “You want to be put on display in front of other people and let them see you?”

Quín bit down on his lower lip, stifling a moan, and a grin broke out across Bucky’s face. “Oh, sweetheart, my little exhibitionist slut, you want it so bad don’t you?” He dropped his head and nosed along Quín’s throat, feeling the fluttering of his heartbeat. In an instant, he turned his lover and pressed him back onto the sofa, looming over him. A pathetic, needy whimper left Quín’s lips.

”Would you want them to see how sweetly submissive you are? Let them see how you’ll do anything I tell you? Imagine me making you kneel, and spanking that perfect peach of an ass until it was throbbing in time with your cock? You’d have to count for me, and be loud. I’d want everyone to hear you, so they’d know exactly who was in charge of you. I wonder what else I could do to you?”

“Anything,” Joaquín whispered breathily as he rolled his hips under Bucky’s larger frame, getting lost in the fantasy. “I’d let you do anything.”

Bucky slid his right hand down between them, cupping the bulge in Quín’s - his - sweatpants and his slutty baby gasped at the harsher than necessary pressure. “You’re being very needy, sweetheart. What if I left you like this, all wanting, until I got round to arranging it? It could be next week - it could be a month.” Quín’s eyes fluttered closed and his hips rolled again, likely unconsciously this time. “You’d do it though, if I told you to, wouldn’t you?” Bucky continued. “You’d hate it, not coming, not having my touch, but you’d do it all the same. To be a good boy.”

“Yesss.”

Bucky let go of Quín’s crotch and trailed his hand up his boyfriend’s toned body, sliding it under the hoodie and tee shirt underneath, to tweak at his left nipple. With a gasp, Quín’s eyes shot open again, his body acting as though it had been shocked with electricity. Bucky pinched him again. Harder. Crueller. He could see Joaquín’s eyes start to water, but he didn’t safeword. His baby loved this type of treatment. With the thumb of his left hand, Bucky swiped at an errant tear that had broken free and started to trail down quín’s cheek.

“You gonna cry those pretty tears for me? Pretty tears on a pretty boy?”

The question was entirely rhetorical. Bucky didn’t even give Quín the chance to respond as his left hand then slid further down his sub’s face, and Quín’s lips immediately parted to accept two of Bucky’s fingers into his mouth. His boy immediately began to suck on the metallic digits and Bucky returned his right hand to Quín’s crotch, this time moving it under the sweats and underpants to circle his stiff cock. Joaquín let out a garbled moan and his hips thrust upwards.

“Greedy baby,” Bucky cooed, voice full of condescension. “Fucking my hand and sucking my fingers. How naughty. If you’re like this with just me touching you, imagine if I let other people play with you. How many do you think you could manage? How many loads of cum? Splattering these pretty lips, all over your tits.” He smirked as Quín whined at his words “I don’t think I’d let them have your ass though,” he mused. “That’s all mine.” Quín nodded in agreement around the fingers in his mouth.

Bucky continued his onslaught, his right hand jerking Quín’s cock methodically with a little twist to his wrist that he knew made the younger man see fireworks, and his left hand sawing between Quín’s dusky, puffy lips, pressing down on his tongue and testing his almost non-existent gag reflex. He felt pride well inside him at just how good his boy was being - taking everything he dished out. However, he was also only human, and Bucky knew all his lover’s buttons and how to push them. It wasn’t long before his body started to twitch, pleasure obviously threatening to overwhelm him.

“Open your eyes”, Bucky commanded and the sight of Joaquín’s dark lashes, clumped together with tears, along with the unfocused nature of his gaze almost undid him. “You wanna come, sweetheart?”

Quín let out a loud whine, which Bucky took as a yes. “Such a good boy, waiting for permission. And if I said no, could you hold off?” He knew he was being cruel as his hand continued to move, because he was making Quín wait, just not obviously. Another garbled whine and an accompanying nod, let Bucky know he had his boyfriend just where he wanted him.

“Such a good boy,” he purred. “You can come then. Show me how pretty you are.” He pulled his fingers from Quín’s mouth just so those wonderful noises wouldn’t be muffled. He hadn’t lied before - he loved it when Quín was loud in his pleasure, and he didn’t disappoint. As he came he shouted and garbled in both Spanish and English, his abs tensing and cock spurting out thick white ropes over the sweatpants that Bucky had only pulled down enough to give him access, as well as Bucky’s fingers.

Bucky looked down at his boyfriend - cheeks flushed, brow sweaty, looking totally fucked out - and he sucked his fingers, enjoying the salty, musky taste. His own cock twitched in his pants, refusing to be ignored any longer. He changed his position from kneeling between Quín’s legs to straddling his waist, and pulled his dick from his own sweats. “Just lay there for me, baby,” he commanded and Quín smiled lazily back at him.” Bucky began to strip his cock, his hand flying up and down its length, eased by the mess of saliva and cum still covering his fingers.

“God! Such a beautiful, submissive slut, and you’re all mine, aren’t you? Can’t wait to show you off. Let everyone else see what they’re missing out on.” He could feel his orgasm building in his gut, his balls twitching and drawing closer to his body. “Open your mouth for me, sweetheart. Stick that tongue all the way out.” Once again, Quín obeyed him, and with a loud groan, Bucky let his orgasm flow through him and he pumped his cum into Quín’s waiting mouth and over his lips. “Hold it, baby. Don’t swallow yet.” He dug into his pocket with his left hand, clumsily opening the camera and aiming it to take in Quín’s completely fucked out state with his eyes closed in a state of bliss and face painted with Bucky’s spend. With the moment immortalised, he let Quín know he could swallow it all down, and felt another jolt of lust when his boyfriend's tongue came back out to reach the cum that had missed his mouth. He couldn’t help but swipe at the remaining globs with his thumb and press it between Quín’s lips, making sure he got all of it

“How are you so perfect?” Bucky questioned, voice full of wonder, as he clambered off the sofa and scooped Joaquín up in his arms. “Now, let’s go have a bath and get you cleaned up, and then in a bit we can talk properly about this club idea of yours.”

Chapter 2

Tag list: @christywrites, @doasyoudesireandlive, @endlesstwanted

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hey! Do you know of any adventures / adventure paths that features and supports non-violent scenes as the majority of the play content?

I've seen games that have so many rules/moves/etc for non violent resolution, but the actual supporting material (like, rooms/locations/characters/their routines/cool information) is very light, so the players have to generate pretty much all of the content themselves.

Theme: Non-Violent Adventures

Hello friend! I’m going to put a disclaimer here and say that I think that it would technically be possible to introduce violence into pretty much everything that I’m suggesting today - if the players really want it. What I’m presenting today are adventures that have the option to be non-violent, and it’s important for the table to be on board if they want to keep it that way. I’d recommend setting up a Session 0 with your group to make sure that everyone is able to talk about what they’re excited about, and what they’d rather avoid.

Second Sight Homicide, by Hendrik ten Napel.

They didn't see this coming… Twin clairvoyants put it to the audience: who is the real medium? When only one sister survives the show, this night out turns into a different mystery all-together.

The Sibyl Sisters have a long-running rivalry. Each claims the other sister is a charlatan and not a medium at all. To settle the score, Saige, the youngest, has challenged her sister Prudence to tour the United States with her. Every evening, both will try and contact the spirits of the dead. It's up to the audience to decide which sister is really making contact with the other side.

When the show reaches Brindlewood Bay, the Murder Mavens can't resist. Whether you believe in the afterlife or not, it's bound to get interesting. One of the Mavens even gets invited to the stage, together with a couple of other seemingly random theatergoers. While Prudence is busy summing the spirit of the Maven's deceased loved one, disaster strikes. A brief blackout. A murdered mystic.

Each story arc of Brindlewood Bay presents the characters with a mystery, and a series of clues for them to uncover. Together, the characters will assemble a theory, and then roll to determine whether or not it is correct! This means that planning for the GM is much easier, although the nature of the game does require a good bit of flexibility and improv.

While Brindlewood Bay deals with violent content (murders), the characters themselves, as elderly ladies, are not really expected to get into a fight. This is also a game with a lot of really good support, with adventures like this one made by third parties (like my Copper Shores supplement), but also officially-created supplements like Nephews in Peril, which comes with multiple mysteries, as well as a few new rules for folks who want to shake things up.

The Spring and Sprocket Express, by TTRPGkids.

An all-age focused steampunk themed premade tabletop RPG setting that can be used with any system that you want!  It takes place on a magical train made of a wild variety of train cars that defy time and space!  Make your way from one car to the next to save the train from bots, Dr. Wyverstone, and more!

This is a system-agnostic adventure that puts your characters on a steampunk train and pits them against the (villainous?) Dr.Wyverstone. Because this adventure is aimed towards kids, I would expect there to be plenty of opportunities for characters to find non-violent solutions to the problems presented to them. This game comes with a deck of cards that detail challenges, characters, locations and puzzles, such as tiny robots that steal bits of metal, or a large lever in the middle of the room, with no indication of what exactly it does.

This creator has plenty of train-themed adventures, such as The Midsummer Mischief Express or the Fall Fright Express, but they also have a game called Glyfi Scouts, a game about inter-dimensional scouts, earning patches and learning magical abilites. They’ve also written adventures for this game!

To Rob Death’s Dominion, by Xavid.

It is said that in a golden age long ago we of the world were not yet beset by uncertainty and doubt. The exalted beings who lived in those days knew their own worth, saw their own meaning. For held in the center of the world was the cintamani, a brilliant jewel of red and black and orange. It was the answer to all the sorrows of the world, the key that allowed desire free of suffering. It is the very jewel that proved that existence was worthwhile; in its light was illuminated a virtue and purpose within us each. It was made available to all, there in its temple in its shining city, and the miracle of that age was that none in the world sought to claim it for their own.

To Rob Death's Dominion is an introductory one-shot (one to four sessions in practice) mortal Adventure Fantasy campaign for the Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG by Jenna Moran. Play one of seven variously-queer international criminals from Earth's notorious Breaker One-Nine gang who've come to steal the cintamani, the answer to all the sorrows of the world, from the Headmaster of the Bleak Academy. Or play their dogged recurring antagonist, Inspector Bao! Or play Leonardo de Montreal, the Heartless Researcher, or Jasper Irinka, Death's Daughter, who seem to have gotten swept up in the shenanigans.

Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine is a diceless ttrpg that focuses on slice-of-life stories. The base game comes with guides to playing very different kinds of genres, from Gothic, to Epic Fantasy, to Pastoral. To Rob Death’s Dominion contains quests and prompts that fit in many of these genres, but provide extra support for Adventure Fantasy in particular.

For Pastoral gaming, you might want to check out Fortitude: by the Docks of Big Lake, while Fortitude: the Legendary 139 is more suited for Immersive or Gothic play.

Gothic Society: Monastery, by Martian Machinery.

The sound of thunder echoes outside the walls of Verges Abbey. You raise your head, the sanctity of matins shattered by the voice of the heavens. You attempt to disregard the unease that echoes in your mind, stilling your thoughts with the recitation of familiar mantras. All is quiet.

The sunrise brings news of the death of the abbot. The refectory is rife with worried looks, and innumerous whispers follow the prior's announcement of the performance of last rites that will be held later in the day. Apparently, he died of unnatural causes. 

Gothic Society: Monastery is a setting expansion for Good Society and Gothic Society. Games played in this setting take place entirely in a monastery in the Middle Ages, with the players playing members of a monastic order - monks or nuns.

Good Society is a game all about romance, scandal, and maintaining the proper reputation in polite society, and the supplements created for it, such as Gothic Society, place a lot of similar restrictions but change the setting in some way. This supplement places your characters into a middle-ages type of monastery, and while it’s meant to be horrific, much of the prompts ask you what your characters do after violence has already occurred.

If you want something a bit more goofy, you can also check out Bird Society, which turns all of your Good Society characters into birds, or Drama Society, which is all about the actors and artists in a movie or stage production.

Sister Escape, by KTPie.

In this Blades in the Dark score, a rich noble hires your crew to break out the love of his life out of a convent of the Church of Ecstasy. However the high bounty for what he explains as a "simple breakout" seems to be too good to be true.

In this convent of the Church of Ecstasy you will find hollow servants and sisters alike roaming around the courtyard and participating in both public and private rituals. Should you enter its library of hollowing you might find the convent's Head Mother, Mother Erma, doing her own research on Cleansing rituals.

Blades in the Dark doesn’t necessarily need pre-written scores, but they can certainly be helpful in providing you with a pre-set list of NPCs, obstacles, and set description. This is one such example.

Because this is set in a grim, Victorian-era, ghost-ridden steampunk city, I can’t guarantee that these will be non-violent, because the methods involved are up to your table more than anything else. If your players want to focus on infiltration and deception, then they’ll likely choose methods that are more focused on stealth and subterfuge. If you as the game runner want to keep the game non-violent, then you’ll also want to make sure you’re introducing threats that can be dealt with in non-violent ways. If you feel like this is the setting for you, then I’d also recommend checking out the Hour of Chains collection of unofficial scores by A Couple of Drakes: you’ll get a lot of really interesting, diverse scores to play with for any motley crew of criminals.

Some Rec Posts You Might Find Interesting

Magic School Mysteries

Tavern Games

Studio Ghibli Games

Drama Drama Drama

Woodland Community

Non-Gritty Low Fantasy

[sillysybilsden]

PART II

Click here to check out Part I.

Now that we know what a Lararium is, it is time to start making your own. Let us see how to go about doing that, shall we?

1. Find inspiration

The Internet will be your best friend. In order to find inspiration, I would personally recommend searching for Lararia from Pompeii or Herculaneum (due to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, these archaeological sites show perfect examples of Ancient Roman shrines, untouched by time).

You may want to select the Lararia that draw your attention the most and put them all either in a moodboard or in a Pinterest board. You will look at these pictures frequently, so keeping them all in one place might come in handy.

2. Draw your project

Start your project by drawing the Lararium you would like to make. It will take quite some creativity from you, so take your time with it and keep brainstorming until you are satisfied with your sketch. This is mine:

3. Start planning

Now is the time to figure out the measurements of your project and, after that, collect the supplies you will need. Me, I had to gather some wood, glue, acrylics, paper, a ruler and a pencil. As for the measurements...

4. Cutting process

Shoutout to my grandfather who helped me with this process.

Take your time to cut all of the pieces of your project and sand them down, if needed. Be particularly mindful when working with wood.

5. Assemble your shrine

Glue all the pieces together. You can use hot glue, vinyl glue or similar solutions depending on your preference.

6. Take care of the details

Time to colour your Lararium! After all, Romans did love colourful things (just look at any house in Pompeii). The palette is really up to you and your preference. Me, I will go for earthy tones.

Also, remember to print a picture of the domestic gods so that you can glue it on your shrine! In alternative, you can also attempt to painting it yourself.

And voilà! There you have your personal Lararium!

I hope that you liked this "DIY" and that you found this post informative! If searching for further readings, check out the "IV. Resources" section.

- Silly Sybil

🌿 Posted in honour of my twin Lares. 🌿

➳ vRoma /Lararium

➳ Nova Roma /Lararium

➳ Nova Roma /Making a Lararium

➳ Ad Maiora Vertite /Suppellettili Sacre

➳ Ritus Romanus: Make an offering to your Gods (pdf)

➳ Saturnia Tellus /Il mistero dei larari d'argento naufragati a Comacchio: sono doni di Augusto?

➳ Viotti E., "La via romana agli dèi"

➳ Orr D. G., "Domestic Roman Religion"

➳ Flower H. I., "The Dancing Lares & the Serpent in the Garden"

[rocktechsbc]

A Practical Guide to Customizing TFT LCD Displays for Embedded Projects

When designing an embedded system, picking the right display module is more than a technical choice — it directly shapes how users interact with your product.

From medical devices and HMIs to industrial controllers and smart panels, standard TFT LCD modules may not always be enough. That’s where custom displays come in — offering flexibility in electrical interface, mechanical layout, and visual performance.

This guide covers the five key areas you should consider when customizing a TFT LCD for your embedded project.

1. FPC Layout and Pin Mapping

The Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) connects your LCD module to the mainboard, and in custom designs, this interface is often the first thing to change.

Ask yourself:

Do you need a uniquely shaped or angled FPC to fit inside your housing?

Are there ICs, resistors, or other components on the backlight or CTP that require mechanical clearance?

Is your SBC’s connector pinout compatible with the LCD’s FPC layout?

A mismatch here can lead to signal errors, mechanical stress, or even damage to components.

2. Backlight Brightness and Color Temperature

Not all embedded devices live under the same lighting.

If your product is used outdoors or in industrial lighting, consider high-brightness backlights (≥800 nits). For environments where aesthetics and color warmth matter (like smart mirrors or indoor kiosks), choose the right LED color temperature:

3000K (Warm White): Soft, suitable for medical or ambient lighting

5000K (Neutral White): Balanced tone, accurate colors

6500K+ (Cool White): Sharper, more industrial feel

A poorly lit display can make a great device feel underwhelming.

3. Touch Panel Shape and Bonding Options

If your display includes a touch interface, customizing the Capacitive Touch Panel (CTP) is critical.

Typical customizations include:

Round corners, logo cutouts, button holes

Bonding methods:

Optical bonding: Improves visibility, reduces reflections, stronger seal

Air bonding: More affordable and easier to assemble

The bonding method directly impacts touch accuracy, display clarity, and long-term reliability.

4. Surface Treatments: AG, AR, and AF

For devices exposed to bright light or frequent finger contact, display surface treatments make a noticeable difference.

AG (Anti-Glare): Scatters reflected light, improving readability

AR (Anti-Reflection): Enhances contrast in sunlight or strong lighting

AF (Anti-Fingerprint): Reduces smudges, improves touch feel

Combining AG+AF is a common choice for public-facing touchscreen displays.

5. Want to Learn More?

If you’re building with platforms like RK3566, PX30, or Allwinner boards and need a reliable display solution — including driver compatibility and electrical tuning — check out our full technical article:

👉 Read the Full Custom TFT LCD Guide

You can also browse driver/device tree examples on GitHub:

📂 rocktech-tft-display-configs

[altaqwaelectric]

Protecting Your Electrical Systems: A Look into Al Taqwa’s Complete Range

In today’s fast-paced world, electrical systems power everything from homes and offices to factories and infrastructure. With increasing energy demands and the growing importance of uninterrupted power supply, having the right switchgear and protection systems is more important than ever. That’s where Al Taqwa United Enterprises LLC, one of Oman’s leading electrical suppliers, plays a crucial role.

In this blog, we’ll explore how Al Taqwa offers a complete range of electrical switchgear products that protect and power systems across the country — safely and efficiently.

Why Electrical Protection Is Critical

An electrical system without proper protection is like a car without brakes. From power surges to short circuits, the risks of equipment damage, data loss, and fire hazards are significant. High-quality electrical protection devices ensure:

· Safe power distribution

· Equipment longevity

· Compliance with safety standards

· Reduced downtime in case of faults

Al Taqwa addresses all of these needs with a comprehensive and reliable product portfolio.

Al Taqwa: A Trusted Name in Electrical Switchgear in Oman

Established in 20011, Al Taqwa United Enterprises LLC has grown into a respected electrical trading and switchgear assembly company in Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and India. Their focus on quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction makes them a preferred partner for engineers, contractors, and facility managers across sectors.

Complete Electrical Switchgear Range from Al Taqwa

Al Taqwa’s product line is designed to meet the needs of low-voltage electrical systems in residential, commercial, and industrial environments.

1. Electrical Panels and Distribution Boards

These serve as the central hub for electrical power distribution. Al Taqwa supplies and assembles:

· Main Distribution Boards (MDBs)

· Sub Main Distribution Boards (SMDBs)

· Final Distribution Boards (FDBs)

· Control Panels and Feeder Pillars

All panels are tailored to meet Omani electrical standards and international safety norms.

2. Circuit Protection Devices

The key to preventing electrical fires and damage is reliable overcurrent and earth fault protection. Al Taqwa offers:

· Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs)

· Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs)

· Residual Current Devices (RCDs)

· Earth Leakage Relays

These components ensure quick fault detection and automatic power cut-off during hazards.

3. Metering and Monitoring Devices

To optimize energy use and improve system performance, monitoring is essential. Al Taqwa provides:

· Analog and Digital Panel Meters

· Current Transformers (CTs)

· Voltage and Frequency Meters

· Energy Monitoring Units

These products give real-time data for smarter electrical management.

4. Electrical Accessories and Control Components

To support the full installation lifecycle, Al Taqwa stocks:

· Terminal blocks

· Cable ties and lugs

· Contactors and timers

· Rotary switches and power supplies

These ensure smooth installation, operation, and maintenance of electrical systems.

Top Electrical Brands Represented by Al Taqwa

Al Taqwa partners with internationally recognized electrical brands, including:

· Enza Electric — Quality switchgear products known across Europe and the Middle East

· Civaux Electric — Comprehensive panel systems and circuit protection components

· Stefan Electric — Trusted for metering solutions and industrial electrical accessories

· Salzer Electric — Renowned for rotary switches and control products

These collaborations ensure Al Taqwa can offer reliable, durable, and cost-effective solutions to its clients.

Beyond Products: Al Taqwa’s Expert Services

Al Taqwa goes beyond just supplying electrical components. Their team of experts offers:

Custom switchgear assembly tailored to project requirements

Site inspections and installation support

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[ranseur]

would love to hear your thoughts on Stargate Atlantis! i actually thought that the show did a good job of having the main characters not always do the Good/Right thing (although it admittedly almost always is the Cool thing) and generally be kind of selfish and complicated

Hiya anon thanks for asking! Sorry if you've been waiting or thought I was ignoring you- I let this message sit in my inbox for a couple days because i needed time to assemble some thoughts and notes i had about the show. But I’m not sure how to keep it brief- I worry that whether I’m too vague or too specific, I’ll be airing my personal griefs over a show that's quite well liked and popular. But I hope that I’m being fair in what I’m saying. So- with the firm disclaimer that I don't expect everyone to agree with me- maybe I can start with vague complaints and then break down a specific episode. Also I want to make clear- I usually get nitpicky when I want to enjoy a show but feel like it doesn't quite win me over. So my griefs are coming from a place of feeling... like I can't let out a sneeze, idk, like I’m disappointed that I’m disappointed. Lastly: the last episode I watched was S02E05, which is still pretty early. It is totally fair if I’m speaking too soon. So I’m mostly going to speak on my thoughts on Season 1. Ahh before you hit 'read more' this got long. Sorry in advance.

My general feelings about the show- I don't really /love/ any of the characters. Compared to SG1, Sheppard's main team doesn't feel as much like single entity of well-oiled parts that synergize with their unique strengths and expertise. For comparison's sake I'll describe what I love about SG1's Jack, Samantha, Daniel, and Teal'C (and Jonas). They all bring their own expertise to the table- they each have skills the other members of the team lacks, and their personalities complement and fill in for each other. Jack is the leader who assesses risk and keeps the team safe and focused, and it's frequently pointed out that he is not book-smart, but he has keen situational awareness on missions. Sam is the science brains, quick as a whip, and can do all the tech-related tasks they need. Daniel is the civilian linguistics and history buff, the team relies on him to interpret ancient text and draw connections between separate threads to complete a picture. Teal'C is an incredible fighter, and has invaluable knowledge of the Jaffa and Goa'uld- their politics, their culture, their language, the Jaffa rebellion. (Jonas was such a good lad. Smart, eager, capable- pretty well rounded across the board. Very 'polite-cat.jpg', I love him.) If someone on the team is gun-forward, another pushes a peaceful solution. If one person is spurred by emotions, another stands back to think things through. But they always feel like they push each other for the best outcome, and they trust each other even as they disagree or bicker. As the series goes, you get a sense that they've become friends who have come to care about each other outside of their work. In SGA, Sheppard usually comes across as the most correct, the most capable, and doesn't feel like he really needs his team unless they're scientists- but even then he can do some science things competently enough for solo missions, like on the Season 1 finale. He is the leader, the pilot, the soldier, the speaker, the chosen one with special genes. He’s often taking the spotlight and doing all the cool stuff that I think that writers could spread out to other members on his team more. I mean, what does Ford do that Sheppard can't do better? And I would love for Weir to take a seat at the table for diplomacy more often- sometimes Sheppard acts without her input at all, knowing she can't do anything about it when he’s off-world.

Teyla's contribution is... sticks. I’m so sorry but what does she DO- i want her to do something important so badly. (I vaguely remember she throws a spear at an alien ship in the season 1 finale, like, come on. writers. please.) I wish she could guide the team more with her knowledge of the galaxy/wraiths, if they could have had her stick-kata fighting skills really come in clutch against the invisible wraith. Maybe show us how her disciplined and honed warrior's mind is more adept at resisting psychic wraith influence. All this to say- fighting the wraiths and besting them physically and mentally should be so meaningful and personal to her. Maybe I just forgot but I don't think I saw that character beat take the spotlight- they skip over it- my girl often feels like an afterthought. And in addition to her training Sheppard at stick fighting, I want to see how seriously she takes training with guns and explosives, so there's an equivalent exchange of skills and respect between these two fighters from different galaxies.

Rodney McKay is unfortunately the character I like the most, and that's not to say exactly that I really like him, because every now and again he will be a real creep to women. But I do find him the most interesting just because he is written to do more. He definitely has skills Sheppard relies on him for, and he's the only (or one of the few characters) defined by his flaws. And those flaws, in turn, means he relies on others in some way to compensate for his shortcomings. He’s arrogant, he's abrasive, he's not always brave/calm, but despite those things- Sheppard’s (and others) belief and trust in him, as well as his own determination to have the last word and not die being proved wrong about something, drags him forwards to success. And we do see that he can be willing to sacrifice himself for others. I think that's all great- there's layers going on with him. But some of the comedy punchlines that are at his expense kind of feel like, he's set up to be unlikable for perceived emasculating characteristics. Especially when the joke is often 'Sheppard is the manlier one', it just comes across as a certain attitude the writers have about masculinity. Like 'McKay is definitely smarter than Sheppard in certain respects, but don't worry he's a sweaty loser nerd and worse than Sheppard at everything important- like being tough'. If I'm making sense. Another general complaint, so many conversations in this show feel unnecessarily combative. There’s often some kind of one-up-man-ship going on, and someone is trying to mic-drop the other person. McKay is just an abrasive guy who insults everyone around him- so this is normal for him- but really so many other characters are so combative for no reason. When they’re brainstorming a solution during a crisis, or trying to come to an agreement, the writers don’t really write dialogue where members have a supportive team dynamic like, ‘Yes! And…’ or ‘We are in this together! You do what you do best and I will have your back.’ Instead a lot of it is, ‘You’re so stupid for suggesting THAT idea. Didn’t you consider THIS THING?’ or ‘I am very correct and I will disregard your reasonable suggestion because you are holding me back from doing what I want.’ Like the tone and the vibe of this dialogue writing style is, I assume, to stir tension and drama. But it does not do much to convince me that these characters even like each other, or have a reason to rely on one other.

(aside: I will add that SG1's most insufferable comp-het-romance-of-the-week tropes are NOT present in SGA, so big thumbs up to SGA for that. As far as i remember, if there is a romance of the week in SGA, it's well paced and sweet and believable. And iirc they don't go for the romance route every time, which is so refreshing) ~~

For Weir's role in this show, I think a lot of my griefs with her character writing culminated in the episode 'Before I Sleep'. We first meet her character in SG1, so I kinda got attached to her and how she acted in those episodes. In SGA she sort of feels like she’s just there to agree with Sheppard or lose every argument against Sheppard (meanwhile I WANT them to be super-loyal-devoted-bros). And I felt that her impact in her own character-centric episode was non-existent by the time the full story was told. I started this episode with high hopes and I felt let down by the end. In this episode, S01E15 Before I Sleep, we learn that the SGA team's arrival at Atlantis was originally a complete disaster. Several beloved characters of the SGA team try and fail keep the power on or find any solution to save the city. iirc, every attempt ends in brutal failures back to back- our friends die valiantly but nothing they did meaningfully affected the outcome of the shuttle escaping. Instead, I really wish they each had some impact. If the brilliant handpicked specialists of this expedition team were able to eke out just a little bit extra power, just a little bit of extra time, just a little bit of hope- so that this catastrophe could be like a relay race, where everyone contributes a part into getting the few people, with the best chance to see their mission through, out in a shuttle. If I rework the episode: >McKay could be the main guy responsible for staying in the command room- learning the systems quickly enough to reroute extra power and succeeds in procuring the extra seconds they need to enter the shuttle, and maybe escape the city

>Sheppard is the best pilot they have. he's got the skills to maneuver around obstacles and danger and the Lantean genes to operate ancients tech

>Zelenka gets into the guts of their escape shuttle to find out if the ship has features that would be useful in their escape or rescuing others. he discovers the ship has tech he's never seen before- he begins to try to get it up in working order same as in the original episode, they activate the thing- because even if they don't know what it does- what could it hurt to try it. the machine zaps them back in time. they were underwater, and now they inexplicably find themselves floating in space looking at strange alien ships which begin to attack them >but with Sheppard's dogfighting experience and airmanship, he recovers quickly from the shock and disorientation of the situation, and reacts quickly to return fire and execute evasive maneuvers >Zelenka hurries to try to reroute power from other ship functions to bolster their shields >in doing so, Zelenka discovers the cloaking mechanism, which Sheppard activates, unfortunately not before the shields are drained and their shuttle is struck >a crash is imminent, but Sheppard makes a heroic effort to pilot the cloaked shuttle down to Atlantis, fighting until the bitter end to stabilize the shuttle to make their landing is as safe/smooth as he can. (maybe there's just enough fuel/power to activate the reverse thrust at the right moment) >Zelenka is elbow deep in the wire panels trying to get shields up- even if they only have shields for a second, it might reduce the force of their impact >Sheppard yells to brace, activate reverse thrust+shields, they crash and we cut to black. we see Sheppard and Zelenka are at the front half of the shuttle- while Weir is strapped in the back

>Weir survives the impact thanks to Sheppard and Zelenka's joint efforts, and her position at the rear of the shuttle >Weir wakes up in Atlantis, she learns she has gone 10,000 years in the past In the original episode, I think Rodney fiddles on an ipad thing desperately before the room floods and he simply dies without succeeding. Zelenka in the shuttle says 'this shuttle is different' and turns on the machine. They go back in time, get zapped, and I think we just cut to black- Sheppard is piloting the shuttle but we only hear afterwards that he died off screen. A very anticlimactic way for an action-hero guy like him to go out IMHO. Dude would never settle for anything less than a glorious death (to keep Weir safe). And even if I acquiesce that we don't have the screen time or budget for the 'epic fight and escape and dying in a blaze of glory' death I want for Sheppard and Zelenka, I still think that it wouldn't have been hard to make some little changes even only to spoken dialogue, so the dying SGA team's efforts contributed to pushing Weir over the finish line. So it matters more that by providence the rest would be up to her, the SGA specialist in diplomacy and political negotiations, to convince the war-weary, resigned Ancients of Atlantis to help her prevent the disaster she just lived through. If I continue to rework the episode: >I think Weir should've been able to use her words to convince the Ancients to help her, instead of stonewall her

>with her knowledge of what had gone wrong in the future, Weir should have majorly contributed to providing ideas on what they would need

>Weir should say herself that they ran out of power and needed more. that their way through the Stargate was a one way trip- they don’t have ZPMs. then the city flooded and killed everyone when the barriers failed- could the city not implode and turn into a death trap please?

>Weir and Janus work as a team to bring those ideas to life. with this information he can provide the extra power, list ZPM locations, and come up with the idea for the failsafe to have the city resurface instead of flood when the barrier is gone.

>and then I would have wanted Weir, who said in her plea with the Lantean Council that she is an explorer, to actually spend time exploring and learning more about Atlantis during her 10,000 years stay. It’s what she came all this way for >lots of power and advanced tech in the city is dedicated to keep her alive and healthy, maybe prolonging her natural life beyond normal human life. so she can do the necessary maintenance to keep the city running and go on exploratory trips

>she can explore for her own curiosity, but also to find information to give her team the best shot they can have for the next time they try >she has a lifetime to think about why the Lanteans failed and how they could avoid the same mistakes they made >she ought to have documented the ZPM locations, notes about interesting rooms and features in the city, interesting gate locations in the galaxy, pour over Lantean libraries to learn their language and learn about the Wraiths, etc.

>I wonder if it would be neat to have her put her findings in writing, which she would’ve kept physically in some journals/diaries or on the Atlantis server/machines, if she can do that (i forget if she has the ability to use them). Maybe these journals/diaries can act as a guide for the team in future episodes. From it, they cross reference her findings with their own, follow new leads, etc.

>they can't initially read all of her diaries because; perhaps over the centuries Weir developed her own shorthand or cipher to keep her knowledge safe from anyone who isn’t the next Weir. possibly she did not record everything in English, as she speaks multiple languages and could have learned more Ancient during this time >maybe the Next Weir holds the key to unlocking the cipher, because the key is something personal to her, and she (and a team) have to spend time translating this big document?

>maybe another reason they can’t access the all the diaries is that certain volumes of the set are physically scattered throughout the city and need to be found. Or, if the diaries were written on the machines, the main compiled diary file was corrupted during the power surges. Different segments of the diary file are backed up locally in distant areas of the city, but SGA has to send teams to physically go find them and upload them back into the server cloud (I confess I just want them to have an excuse to explore the city more just in general ahhh)

 (>in the season finale Seige they find out about a Satellite out in space that comes in handy for the Wraith invasion- i forget how they learn about it in the show- but this could be a good example of helpful information from Old Weir’s Diary that the new team utilizes. if the writers say that a character randomly finds it while they muck around in the database anyway. why not learn about it from the Weir Diary, Di-weir-y.)

>this is getting so self-indulgent but I also would have found it neat if Weir was more conscious of the long length of time, and we see some angst about the burden of being immortal and alone in Atlantis >when the 10,000 years is past, Weir has accepted her time is over and that she's done the best that she can. even though her life is prolonged and her body kept free of disease or illness, she is So Tired

>she hung on to sanity for as long as she did in order to see everyone safe again. she insists on seeing them all- and grieves that she cannot meet the ones who have already died in this timeline. Old Weir asks to hear about how they died. New Weir of course knows their names and deaths by heart, and tells her. >Old Weir dies in peace, knowing her efforts in preparing Atlantis for their arrival was successful, and she leaves behind a gift, a well of information to help them in the future >she has finally repaid the debt she owes her long dead friends from her own timeline, for their sacrifices in getting her this far. now with her duty as a leader fulfilled and the Diary passed onto her Other Self, Old Weir whispers, at long last she can join her team in the truest, longest sleep

Jumping back to summarize the events of the actual episode, the ancient council flat out refuse to help Weir. Janus tells her that the proof that his time machine worked is awesome so he wants to help her, and HE is the one who does all the idea generating and HE puts in all the work to make sure Atlantis is safe. Weir is instructed to do some maintenance stuff every few centuries, so she just wakes up, does the thing, goes back to sleep. She's got a note in her hand with cryptic Stargate locations I think? And the end of the episode reveals that they are ZPM locations. Like, she just took naps with a note in her hand? That's all? This could have been an email, or a better email with more details. They could at least write down 'List of Known ZPM Locations' on the paper so it’s not just, in hindsight, a cheaply manufactured mystery that the writers contrived for suspense. What if she didn't live to see everyone, and could not tell them in person what the note is for? She very nearly died before they found her because McKay unknowingly routed power away from her stasis pod. Also, in my re-imagined version, I do envision Weir having her lifespan extended and being conscious of the experience of being stretched thinly over the millennia. But going by the original episode set-up, I think it could have been neat if we had a story beat, about Weir's POV when she goes to sleep and wakes up from the chamber thing, instantly decades older. Maybe we can draw a parallel to the way Wraiths consume their victims, how they age quickly as their life is drained. The city of Atlantis is sustaining Weir, but her life is being exchanged to keep it alive in turn.

Or, cutting out my admittedly self-indulgent suggestions with the Weir Diaries and Immortality Angst, my main complaint is that we can easily remove Weir from this episode for all that she actually did. The way the writers did it, I think any random person from SGA could have taken the time machine back, fail to convince the Ancients to help them, follow Janus' instructions, hold a piece of paper in their hand, and we would have gotten the same results. I wish that it mattered more it was Weir specifically, that she was the best person who could have gone back, that she stepped up as a leader, and fully lived up to that responsibility. But ... it just felt like the writers made every effort to not allow her to be crucial to the story. She failed her persuasion check, and all the credit to prepare Atlantis was given to Janus. Like why did the writers focus on Weir specifically just to rob her of her moment. So like, thus far, at least where I am in the show, Sheppard feels like he’s the only main character who is allowed to be both super awesome AND heroic when he gets the chance. Say if HE survived the crash and stuck around for 10 000 years, I really don't think the writers would have had him input zero ideas, sleep in a pod, and not be more pro-active. He definitely feels like the writers’ favourite child in that sense. And I wish other characters got that same enthusiasm from the writers to be uplifted and celebrated for their successes, instead of failing as much as they do or having their accomplishment be downplayed by others, compared to Sheppard. Or if he can also share equally in the times he fails and has to rely on his team. ANYWAY. If anyone has read this far- thank you so much for your patience and willingness to hear my thoughts. It is completely fair if there are many points you disagree with me on, so double thank you for reading this far in spite of those disagreements. I would love to hear back about any corrections or misunderstandings I have. (And of course I'd love to hear if anyone thinks I’ve made fair points...?) I hope it came across clearly that I love certain things about this show and it's due to my love of those things that I struggle sometimes when they come together in ways that I don't love. Which again, is just my personal taste- I do acknowledge I got pretty self-indulgent reworking the episode. (Which maybe I'm allowed to do, I wrote those notes as an exercise for myself without the intention to actually share them.) So far be it from me to say that my alternative suggestions are objectively 'better', more like, my intention was to provide examples on what I would have personally enjoyed instead. (P.S. This is probably a minor thing but it lowkey bugs me that the Wraiths look like Dark Elves but act like Orcs. They're always going (snarl) and (hiss) and (grrr) while looking FLY af. Like, writers, you're really telling me there are Wraith tailors that live in cobwebby caves that go (arrr) and (hhhss) while they sew fancy outfits for their boys? Like the villain concept doesn't feel coherent and I can't shake it.)

[mefrontechnologies]

How to Test Solder Joints After PCB Assembly

Testing solder joints after PCB assembly is a critical step in the manufacturing process. Employing a combination of inspection methods at various stages helps in early detection of defects, ensuring the production of reliable and high-quality electronic assemblies.

[david-bearman]

clumsily-made gingerbread houses and carcar? :3c

pls! their christmases together would be wild. I didn't want to subject Oscar to a Sainz' family Christmas so this instead hahahah

---

It was their first Christmas together as a couple. Last year they had both gone back to their respective families and longingly checked in with each other every few hours. Oscar had never thought of himself as someone clingy, someone who could not go without getting a 'good morning' text from his partner, but Carlos brought out the weirdest sides him.

That all to say they had stayed in Monaco together this year, and specifically in Carlos' apartment. They had had many arguments about it, but Carlos loved to cook, and Oscar loved to be fed by Carlos, so the only solution was to be in the apartment that had the biggest spice cabinet. And that clearly, hadn't been Oscar's apartment.

Oscar lazed on the couch as Carlos sat against his chest compiling their grocery list.

"Cariño? What do you think?"

Oscar snapped out of his day dream as he played with Carlos' hair, "What d' y' say?"

"Would you be up for making a gingerbread house? It's a family tradition of us."

"I'd love to," Oscar readily agreed, sensing the small edge of homesickness.

Just because they both had happily agreed to stay together for Christmas this year, didn't mean they missed their respective families and its traditions.

Oscar half heartedly protested when he was dragged outside to go grocery shopping. He'd much rather stay inside playing video games, but was contend with pushing the shopping cart as Carlos worked down his list of items. There was just something about the way he took so much care that warmed Oscar from the inside out.

Early on in their relationship they had realized that Oscar was a terrible intuitive cook, or baker, and so therefor he was given the task of measuring out all the ingredients and mixing them. While Carlos, took the task of rolling out the dough and cutting extremely seriously.

Carlos hadn't cut his hair in a few weeks and it flopped softly in front of his eyes as he frowned in concentration. Oscar couldn't contain himself as he pressed a small kiss to his temple, making Carlos grumble, "Do not distract me, Princesa."

Oscar smiled as he continued mixing, happy to do whatever Carlos asked of him.

By the time they were lounging on the couch again, waiting for the last round of gingerbread to bake, Oscar was filled with adoration. In his family they never really had such traditions like they clearly had in the Sainz' family. Possibly because he was away at boarding school or maybe just because his family didn't really care that much. This however he could very much get used to, the smell of spices filing the house as Carlos read a book and Oscar half-heartedly played some video games. Mostly concerned with how close he could curl up to his partner.

He was kind of disappointed when Carlos said the gingerbread had to cool down first before they could start assembling. Noticing his disappointment Carlos told him he could get all of the decorations ready in the mean time.

Oscar made his way through their shopping bags and Carlos' cupboards, gathering anything that would even remotely work as decorations.

Carlos made a massive piping bag with icing and they got to work. Oscar steadily holding whatever part needed to be assembled next, as Carlos piped. His hands were covered in sugar by the time they were done.

"How do you want to decorate it?" Carlos asked.

"I think these would work well."

Oscar held up an array of gummy candies that were Carlos' favorite he brought back from Spain any time he went. He could see that Carlos wanted to say something, probably along the lines of it not being traditional. But Oscar's enthusiasm clearly counted for something as he sighed and agreed.

Carlos trusted him with the piping bag, which was clearly a mistake as he squeezed too hard and covered the entirety of the roof in icing. Oscar smiled sheepishly as he laid the bag down and picked up candy after candy and covered the roof in gummy eggs.

"Cabrón," Carlos sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but Oscar could clearly see he was trying to contain his smile.

"What? They're your favorite," Oscar deadpanned.

Carlos pressed a kiss to his mouth, leaving Oscar startled as he couldn't steady himself with his sticky hands. The kiss left him breathless as Carlos pulled away.

"She's not winning the beauty contest, but I love it," Carlos admitted.

That was all that was needed to make Oscar beam, feeling immensely proud of their weird, but fitting gingerbread house. Carlos added some decorative patterns, which only added to the weird aesthetic instead of taking away from it.

When they send a picture to Carlos' family group chat they got absolutely roasted, but it was fine. It was something Oscar had gotten used to by now, it was the Sainz' love language.

send me a number and a ship and ill write a little something for you!!

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

'Sloshing' from celestial collisions solves mystery of how galactic clusters stay hot

The XRISM collaboration has discovered flows of hot gas in the core of the Centaurus Cluster. By comparing state-of-the-art X-ray measurements from the XRISM satellite with numerical simulations, they showed this is evidence for collisions between galaxy clusters, causing gas inside to "slosh." This solves the longstanding mystery of how cluster cores stay hot, and sheds light on how our universe continues to evolve.

Astronomers have long envisioned how vast gravitational forces between galaxies and galactic clusters, colossal cosmic assemblies bound by dark matter, drive their growth through mergers and collisions. However, direct evidence for this has been lacking.

The international XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) collaboration has observed the Centaurus galaxy cluster with the XRISM satellite, launched in 2023 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); the on-board spectrometer, called Resolve, features groundbreaking precision spectroscopy, allowing accurate identification of gas velocities.

Looking at the core of the Centaurus Cluster, including the central galaxy NGC 4696, they discovered for the first time a bulk flow of hot gas traveling about 130 to 310 kilometers per second in the line-of-sight from Earth. They were also able to create a map of how the velocity varies at locations away from the center.

Making comparisons with simulations, a task team led by Professor Yutaka Fujita from Tokyo Metropolitan University and Associate Professor Kosuke Sato from the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization found that this is consistent with the "sloshing" of the hot gas, also known as the intracluster medium (ICM), caused by collisions with other galactic clusters. This is the first direct evidence for this kind of sloshing, validating a long-hypothesized picture of the evolution of the universe.

It also solves a long-standing mystery for astronomers about how such bright X-ray-emitting gas stays hot. Theoretically, such intense radiation should entail a loss of energy, leading to cooling of the gas; this is known as radiative cooling. The time scale over which this cooling should occur is shorter than the age of the cluster, but observations so far suggest that, somehow, the gas manages to stay hot.

These new findings present an elegant solution to this problem. If the gas in the cluster core can slosh, involving vast bulk flows of gas to-and-fro around the center, energy can be transported to the core through a mixing process, keeping the gas hot and the emissions bright. The team's results have now been published in the journal Nature.

These unprecedentedly precise measurements are a significant leap forward in our understanding of the formation and evolution of galactic clusters. With years still left in the XRISM mission, the world of astrophysics eagerly awaits more insights into the changing nature of the universe.

TOP IMAGE:Artist's impression of the center of the Centaurus Cluster. Blue shows a vast flow of hot gas, white shows galaxies, and reddish brown shows cool gas. Credit: JAXA

CENTRE IMAGE:X-ray spectrum of the Centaurus Galaxy Cluster measured with the XRISM Resolve spectrometer. The spectrometer on the XRISM satellite can tell peaks apart with unparalleled resolution. Credit: JAXA

LOWER IMAGE:Schematic of measurement by XRISM. Galaxy NGC 4696 at the center of the cluster is surrounded by different gas flows on either side with respect to our line of sight. Credit: JAXA

BOTTOM IMAGE:Intergalactic "sloshing" of hot gas. Collisions between clusters generate a "sloshing" effect for the intracluster medium, causing vast flows of gas that cause the content of the clusters to oscillate. Credit: JAXA