#Advanced Baseline Imager

[monkeyssalad-blog]

GOES-U Launches to Space by NASA on The Commons Via Flickr: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The GOES-U satellite is the final satellite in the GOES-R series, which serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. On board GOES-U is a suite of seven instruments for collecting advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, providing real-time mapping of lightning activity, and detecting approaching space weather hazards. Also onboard for the first time is the compact coronagraph that will observe the Sun’s outermost layer, called the corona, for large explosions of plasma that could produce geomagnetic solar storms. NASA Media Usage Guidelines Credit: NASA/SpaceX Image Number: KSC-20240625-PH-SPX01_0016 Date: June 25, 2024

[artbyblastweave]

As a person that knows a lot more about capeshit than me, what’s the meta-textual significance of the Superpowers in The Power Fantasy abstaining from establishing secret identities?

Principally it's to signal that the characters, while informed by the traditional superhero paradigm, exist largely outside of it.

Contemporary superhero fiction has a complicated relationship with the concept of The Secret Identity. When you come at the premise fresh without years of ossified genre convention, you get hit with the double whammy that a civilian identity is increasingly difficult to keep secret and that even if you buy into the idea of doing vigilante shit in secret to avoid going to jail, it's still going to take some extra work to get to the finish line of grown men calling themselves "Batman" or "Ant Man" and expecting to be taken seriously.

So, retellings will often go out of their way justify how these characters could develop these public identities semi-organically. "Superman" is usually not Clark Kent's idea in modern retellings- the media names him that, Lois names him that, and he runs with it. The Batman has the fantastic recurring gag that Bruce appears to actually self-identify as the comically overwrought "Vengeance," but the bat motif led to everyone just calling him Batman instead. The X-Men have advanced the idea, in a couple different forms, that "Mutant names" are a sub-cultural thing brushing up against a cult thing, a ceremonial way of setting yourself above and apart from baseline humanity. And you've got military callsigns, obviously. I think that's where "Ant-Man" and "Hawkeye" come from in the MCU.

In The Power Fantasy, none of the superpowers have a dual identity because they've all got extremely specific political (or artistic) projects that don't mesh well with that. To a degree I think this is playing in the same space as X-Men, where a lot of the cast have shifted over the years from being public ciphers to being public activists whose real names are on the news alongside their code names when they blow something up. But even if they don't have dual identities, the superpowers do have identities, personas, nicknames; there's a mix of deliberate image-building and outside-designation-by-society occurring. "Heavy" Harris is a thing an activist or cult leader who controls gravity could plausibly come to be called in the course of Moving and Shaking. Masumi is mentioned, in passing, to also go by the name of "Deconstructa," which reads like either a pretentious artist thing or a common-parlance nickname she picked up after the Kaiju thing. Eliza Hellbound is clearly not that woman's real name, but also, it is- and it's descriptive, and she's certainly powerful enough that that's what she gets to be called if she wants. "Jacky Magus" is really really really obviously not what's on that guys birth certificate, but it's also the only name he has that actually matters. Ettiene gets a whole monologue about the necessity of constructing himself as a figurehead that human governments can work with. He wears bright yellow, he gives interviews, and I will eat my hat if his actual last name is Lux. These people are similar to traditional superheroes in that they are constructing larger-than-life identities, they're playing a game, they're selling the world on specific narratives about themselves. But the truth that they're covering for is never that they've got some kind of secret civilian life waiting for them when they clock out. By choice or otherwise, all six of them are simply well past that.

[monosanimegenericzone]

Hunter x Hunter: Assorted Troupe Speculation pt 2

i have more (this was supposed to go out *checks watch* a month ago)

Table of Contents

how many principles of nen have they mastered/how proficient are they at using nen

singing voice

opinion on frogs

aura levels

knows what an optometrist is

favorite egg style

big ass post below. lots of yap. the spiders are VERY GORGEOUS TO MEEEEE.

NEN MASTERY [helper image from reddit for techniques i will reference]

Chrollo: Proficient in all, exceeds expectations with: Gyo, In, Ken and Ryu.

Nobunaga: Master in all. I fully believe this man is a nen war machine but unfortunately has limited options being an enhancer.

Feitan: Proficient in combat techniques. exceeds expectations with: Gyo, Ko, Shu and Ken. Developing En but not quite there.

Machi: Nearly a master in all except En.

Phinks: Proficient in most. Master in Ko, Ken and Ryu. Struggles with En, In and Shu.

Shalnark: Practiced in all. Doesn't really need to use In and would struggle to learn Ko, Ken and Ryu because they are outside of his nen class. Focused more on Hatsu

Franklin: Proficient in all. Struggles with En and Shu. and tangent but- imagine franklin using In to snipe someone. invisible bullets. hear me the fuck out.

Shizuku: Practiced in all. I choose to believe she's pretty new to Nen and she's worked on her hatsu more than advanced techniques. But, exceeds expectations in Shu, Gyo and Ko.

Pakunoda: Proficient in most. struggles with En and Ken

Bonolenov: Proficient in all. Well rounded but focused more on his Hatsu and his advanced techniques are present but not polished.

Uvogin: Proficient in most. Struggles with En and Shu.

Kortopi: Proficient in En, Ko, Gyo and Ken. Struggles with/never attempted In, Ren and Shu.

SINGING VOICE/RANGE (Using Choir terms [its been a while be gentle])

Chrollo: Alto/Tenor. Can consistently hit notes as long as they are in his range (has a very high range). Very silky voice but cannot do long runs

Nobunaga: Baritone. Very small range and has more of a traditional japanese style of switching notes (the long delay between note jumps and dramatized vibrato).

Feitan: no. even if he could his raspy ass voice would die after one song. that being said he can hum a mean cover. Somehow has perfect pitch

Machi: no. refuses to sing (shes a soprano with a lower range)

Phinks: Baritone. Will usually just scream. if he hits the notes with his chest it actually sounds sexy as hell

Shalnark: Soprano/Tenor. Extremely high range and proud of it.

Franklin: Baritone. He's got the low husky drawl and its so mmmmmmmmmmmm. he doesn't usually sing and when he does he doesn't use a lot of energy. if he can't hit a note he won't even try.

Shizuku: no. Soprano but has no idea what pitch is.

Pakunoda: Alto. Has a lovely singing voice, though usually sings with her head and never goes above a certain volume.

Bonolenov: Alto. Not a stereotypically good singer but can sing the songs of his heritage with amazing range and accuracy.

Uvogin: uh. Metal screaming or full chest singing. there is no in between. has a surprisingly big range just because someone (shalnark) made fun of him for not being able to hit high notes.

Kortopi: no. i honestly don't know what his range is bcs he's whispering or muttering all the time. SING. PLEASE. ANYTHING.

OPINION ON FROGS

Chrollo: neutral. they chill he's chill

Nobunaga: EW

Feitan: snack

Machi: neutral

Phinks: neutral

Shalnark: loves those freaky lil guys

Franklin: neutral

Shizuku: only likes the green and blue ones

Pakunoda: won't touch but will admire from afar

Bonolenov: loves

Uvo: neutral. likes the big ones

Kortopi: likes. will hold if he find

AURA LEVELS (based on Knuckle's units*)

*70,000 aura units appears to be the amount an advanced nen user will have. eg. Morel Mackernasey. this will be the baseline for "a lot"

Chrollo: Mid-level. He trades conditions for power so it's hard to say. and i vaguely remember somewhere it said that the abilities he borrow don't require his own aura but i don't know how true that is. personally i believe he's min/maxed the hell out of bandit's secret and his only limits are: the nen class the stolen ability belongs to and how long he can keep skill hunter active.

Nobunaga: unknown. he has enough to confidently run his mouth, but that could also be his confidence in his technique. who knows. show me your damn hatsu mister.

Feitan: High-Level. Listen. he summoned the sun. need i say more.

Machi: Mid-Level. I'd say she's on par with Hisoka who is going to probably be less than Morel. She also dips into two nen categories which greatly decreases efficiency but who knows. i could be wrong. she values strength over volume which aids to the point.

Hisoka (because i talked about him above): Mid-Level. he relies heavily on aura. his offense and defense rely on a constant maintenance of Ten, Gyo and Ken, on top of keeping track of Bungee Gum and using advanced techniques like In. But, he uses his hatsu sparingly and his fights are quick and dirty, never going over his limit.

Phinks: High-Level. also hard to judge because he ALSO relies on conditions for power. But i'd argue he's just as strong as feitan, if not stronger, in terms of base stats.

Shalnark: High-Level. he is very clear cut and easy to read so imma just say it. He's doing it. he's really doing it. having full autonomous control over the target, up to two, and having them forget are incredible feats that we have never seen in the series (except boki but he is a FRAUD). that + autopilot. i have an entire post on it go look it up

Franklin: Mid-Level. hard to tell. I can argue he's high level if we saw more feats. Mowing down 200 people is less impressive if you consider that he had piercing bullets and also 2 of them escaped.

Shizuku: Mid-Level. as said above I think she's newer to nen and has a long way to go. but as she is now, she's on par with the troupe so she's doing really well for what she has.

Pakunonda: Low-Level. Paku is clearer since we know what her restrictions are and she has two very powerful conditions: she must initiate touch and she can never fulfill her greatest desire. as for the bullets, those are easy conjuration and we know she doesn't use them a lot. therefore, she doesn't need a lot of aura to pull off what she does.

Bonolenov: High-Level. Jupiter. need i say more. ..... i don't but im gonna anyway. this man has THREE FUCKING HATSUS. he uses AT LEAST TWO- count 'em- T W O per fight. i need to stop myself before i explode

Uvo: High-Level. Probably the highest levels in the troupe and probably even exceeds Morel. He has one small condition on Big Bang Impact and it STILL did that much damage. On top of that, the capacity to take an anti tank weapon and DEADASS BE WILLING TO TAKE ANOTHER SHOT.

Kortopi: High-Level/Unknown. He might have conditions on Gallery Fake but we have been told nothing so the only fair thing to do is judge him with the idea that he is doing everything he's doing raw. From that perspective he probably outclasses Uvo by a long shot with aura levels close to a Chimera ant captain.

KNOWS WHAT AN OPTOMETRIST IS

Chrollo: yes

Nobunaga: yes

Feitan: no

Machi: no

Phinks: no

Shalnark: yes

Franklin: no

Shizuku: yes, duh

Pakunoda: yes

Bonolenov: no

Uvogin: no

Kortopi: yes

FAVORITE STYLE OF EGG (controversial)

Chrollo: Poached

Nobunaga: in soup or in chawamushi

Feitan: Only accepts it perfectly peeled, hard boiled

Machi: Tamagoyaki/scrambled

Phinks: Fried, over medium

Shalnark: Freeze Dried (as in out of a ramen packet)

Franklin: Soft Boiled

Shizuku: Tamagogohan or Fried over Rice.

Pakunoda: Omlete

Bono: Any. Not really picky

Uvo: Egg Fried Rice

Kortopi: Sunny Side Up

(did i have to look up different ways to prepare eggs? . . . . . . yes)

[kaibutsushidousha]

The Hundred Line music team interview from Famitsu issue 1895

What was Takada's first impression when hearing about this project?

Masafumi Takada: "C'mon, that's never going to happen." (laughs) Then my second impression, after Uchikoshi plastered the flowchart on the wall was "No way! They weren't joking?"

Kazutaka Kodaka: Uchikoshi's intention with putting the flowchart on the office wall was showing off how massive of an endeavor we had ahead of us. It was his way of demanding resolve from us (laughs).

Takada: In summary, I thought they were out of their minds and that no other company would attempt a project as ridiculous as this. Being able to see such a Herculean labor released and being part of it is something I'll remember later as one of best parts of my life.

Tell us the step-by-step of the song requesting process for The Hundred Line.

Kodaka: I requested a song and Takada composed it.

Takada: Same as it has been for the past 10+ years (laughs).

Kodaka: Ok, for a more concrete explanation, first Media Vision's sound director created a track list based on songs from previous games. We sent the list to Takada and told him they'll also need battle versions. Then the songs are sent to me for approval. Also, I've been doing the screen composition for my stories since Rain Code and I can feel that this made me better at requesting music. Whenever I felt I didn't have the right song for a scene I'd immediately get Takada to make it and put it in-game as soon as it's ready. Due to that, there weren't many songs requested at the start.

Takada: The baseline for the composition is the normal days theme, titled HUNDRED LINE. That one that plays on the website. We required a theme song that fit the game's general image and changed its tune over time, so it had to be on the longer side. Later I composed variations of that. As Kodaka just mentioned, I would get additional requests during screen composition. We had agreed on that in advance, but when it happened, it felt like I was getting new requests every day.

Kodaka: You just described the entire development cycle.

Takada: As the work was mostly remote, I wouldn't stop getting chat messages about all the random things they wanted.

Sounds tiresome.

Takada: Not for me, I like the way we work. I read the general plot summaries, naturally, but I really love slowly discovering the nitty-gritty of the narrative through the track requests.

Makes sense (laughs).

Takada: The ultimate consequence of that was a routine where I had to deliver the new tracks they asked for before the next morning. With the songs being arranged while Kodaka was inputting the scripts by his own hands, it was easier to visualize what was being wanted, and I could feel extra joy and excitement of delivering the track even faster than he hoped (laughs). Embarrassing as it is to admit, being a long time Kodaka fan makes me want to do better, just to please him.

Kodaka: Having a scene's whole presentation locked on faster helps a lot. I'm the kind of guy who likes having everything sorted out without leaving any parts for later, and one of the best things about my company is that I can work with people who match my speed. Things wouldn't go so well with a third-party creator.

Takada: One track can take a month to compose, at worst. Although occasionally, I can have the framework done in just a few hours.

Kodaka: For something basic, like a fluffy ambient track, there was even one time you composed on the spot and it was approved immediately.

Takada: Yeah, real-time composition.

Sounds like something that wouldn't be possible without the bonds matured by your long-term partnership.

Takada: Good point. That's an important factor.

Kodaka: Besides, we now work on the same company, unlike how it used to be with Danganronpa (laughs). You have to remember that making a whole new IP involves inevitably making a bunch of new songs no matter how hard you wish to keep the track list small.

Takada: I don't even have a solid notion of how many there are in the game. There's over 90 of them in the Gallery, but adding up the noise music made for specific cutscenes, I might have composed around 400. I feel like The Hundred Line is a game that would take a working adult about 5 years to play, but I believe just playing like normal is enough to fill up the Gallery.

Still, you wouldn't say the work here was tough?

Takada: I can imagine the topic of the other interviews was about the excess of work in The Hundred Line's production, but I don't feel like that at all when it comes to the game's music. If anything, the sound effects side was the bigger problem.

Kodaka: Rain Code had a ton of sound effects, too.

Takada: Yup. I'd personally guess the most undesirable position for this game would be Schedule Manager (laughs). That's accounting for the lack of a break between Rain Code and The Hundred Line.

Is it true that when the production period for two games overlap, it's easy to get the mixed?

Takada: If I get multiple lines of work at the same time and they're very different in tone, I use one to take a break when I find myself stuck on the other. Considering that, you could say I'm better at multitasking. And I'm also Too Kyo's treasurer, so I can safely say I won't be out of productive breaks.

Does the game have an original genre associated with it, like Danganronpa had with "Psychopop"? 

Takada: I vividly remember Kodaka's first answer when I asked what the music should be like.

Kodaka: I don't (laughs).

Takada: I was just finishing Rain Code's soundtrack, so he pointed and said "Like that" (laughs). Later there was an additional request to bring Rain Code's flavor closer to Danganronpa's old taste, and that's what got the ideas flowing.

Tell us your main focus in composing the tracks.

Takada: One thing I always have in mind is that I want my music to feel like one more character participating in the conversation. One day I was drinking with one of the performers working with me at the time for Danganronpa 1's soundtrack and he said "The music itself is one of the performers". This phrase has been living rent-free in my head ever since. That made me go for more intrusive songs during character conversations. And to throw in some hints of nostalgia.

Right, nostalgia. Getting the players to feel like they returned home.

Takada: One of those words you see around online all the time but never in real life (laughs). More specifically, a technique I used for multiple tracks in this game was to create modern remakes of the tunes I created in the past, and go over the request prompts trying to find a place where I could fit them. To do so, I pulled my 10+ year old synthesizer out of its dusty box. The problem is that my synthesizer is a Virus TI, a somewhat weird model that only lets me check out my past tunes by connecting it to an old Mac… That's how far I went to put the old tunes in new melodies, so I hope that's appreciated.

Is that how you composed HUNDRED LINE, the track you mentioned before?

Takada: Yes. Its tunes are entirely new, but I arranged them with the revived inspiration of past games, as it's best suited for scenes where we have the whole crew chatting.

Kodaka: HUNDRED LINE is everything I asked for. Danganronpa V3 still has my favorite normal days track, and this one is made to be something fans of that song would enjoy. A cool-leaning flavor of normal.

Takada: Well said. "Cool-leaning" is right.

Kodaka: War is a major theme in The Hundred Line, so the song needed to match the bloodiness of it. It really came out just as I imagined.

What was the rest of the composition process like?

Takada: I was just trying to fill up the request list (laughs) As I mentioned earlier, in this game, the schedule was our archnemesis… There's one time I said "Hey, I need to work on this song, can I take the persuasion sequence theme off of the to-do list?". Thinking back now, I can't believe I tried to cut a track as important as the freaking persuasion song (laughs).

Kodaka: If I recall right, that was the exploration theme vs. the persuasion theme. We wanted the exploration music to be different for each area, but on further thought, there was no reason for that. But we obviously can't go without music for the persuasion sequences, so it was decided he had to do that one.

It's not often you see Takada that desperate.

Takada: Yeah… True… Looking back, I had my back against the wall the whole time (laughs).

The battle themes feel completely different from the normal days parts. Can you tell us any production secrets about it?

Takada: When composing for The Hundred Line, I considered including a live orchestra, but I thought it wouldn't fit well for the normal days of Komatsuzaki's far-from-photorealistic characters. The tactical RPG battle scenes, on the other hand, could be perfectly (on a meta level) introduced in live orchestra style.

Kodaka: What I wanted for battles was 90s digital rock. BOOM BOOM SATELLITES is the specific band I had in mind. Rather than the refined rock of today, something more in between Electronic and Chemical Brothers. And the music he delivered was exactly what I wanted. He granted my wish for hype on the level of Danganronpa's Class Trial music.

Takada: The first battle theme I made was WAVE 1. It's got a lot of variants, but not many whole separate tracks for the same purpose, so I don't remember having too much difficulty.

Kodaka: My personal favorite is the boss theme. The final version is very different from what I initially asked for. We drastically changed directions along the way to make the bosses feel more grandiose, and I'm glad for that decision.

Takada: I will always include choirs, no matter how overused they may be. Also, the track accounts for the flow of gameplay, namely that there is dialogue and a boss alarm inserted between waves. Cutscenes may interrupt the music, but the key shift for when they do is carefully planned. There's a pause between the first song and the next, which I paid no mind to because I assumed it was a loading screen, but no, that was Media Vision leaving space for the last song to trail. I could go a lot harder with the tempo thanks to this nice gesture.

Kodaka: I love the way that sounds.

Takada: Just having one or two seconds to trail already makes a huge difference, so I'm glad I got to adjust the tracks accordingly. I was so glad that I got all that to work the way envisioned that I stopped everything to report the good news at the company chat (laughs).

Quality comes from the finer details like that.

Takada: I don't know if that's how everyone does it, but I like to make the final tweaks on my tracks after listening to them play out in-game. Even at the moment of this interview, there's a part I'm planning to change as soon as anyone has a good idea (laughs). That aside, the OST is pretty much finished.

Tell us what the hardest song to make.

Takada & Kodaka: SIREI's theme.

Kodaka: I wanted that one to be one of the first tracks delivered, but it took forever (laughs).

Takada: SIREI's is this game's Monokuma. But Monokuma's theme was lightning in a bottle to me. I couldn't see myself making a second song like that after that miracle. Under intense pressure, I initially composed a much more comedic tune.

Kodaka: SIREI only clicked with you when you heard Ootsuka's voice work, was it?

Takada: Oh yeah. That mattered a lot, now that you mention it. Ultimately, I went with playful singing voices in the unique fashion of a funny foreigner working as a semiregular on a talk show.

Kodaka: Did you get Jun Fukuda (Rain Code's Sound Director) to sing there?

Takada: No, I asked him to, but his version sounded too normal. It didn't bring out the nuance I just mentioned. I had to use edited sound bytes. But it does feel like a track that will be better appreciated by the Western fans. 

Kodaka: What really felt new to me was the emergency track for when the enemies invade. Nothing in the past games sounded like that. Also, I love the piano for the sad scenes, something that shows a lot first in Rain Code and now here, so this time there were multiple versions.

Takada: Pianos are generally hard to fake, so I compose their parts while playing on a real one. The problem is that every 2-3 days I forget how to play the piano, so if I'm asked to replay it later, I need to take the crash course again (laughs). And the game has many other tracks like this, that I compose once and can't ever perform later. That's how it goes for me, instead of having something pre-formed in my head, I just test instruments I can't play and see what I get.

Thanks to the power of your music, I never feel like skipping the scene where they're putting on their Class Armor.

Takada: Thank you. Being honest with you, at first I didn't understand why they were stabbing themselves and getting all bloody (laughs). At the time, I still had Shinigami's transformation sequence from Rain Code vivid in my head, so I was imagining going from something like that straight to battle. So I came up with a rising sequence from a choir in the transformation, to digital rock in WAVE 1, pure rock in WAVE 2, then bring the choir back for the climactic boss battle. That was the only idea I had in my mind before I started looking at the screens and feeling my way around the instruments.

Were you trying to make the scene feel more continuous through the tunes of the choir?

Takada: Yes. You can notice the choir in parallel with the tunes of the synthesizer.

I was also caught completely off guard by the gimmick arrangement for one specific day number…

Takada: That was Kodaka's idea (laughs).

Kodaka: I won't spoil what this is about, but it's far from an original joke. I just thought that at some point, the game would need the kind of whimsy that changes the whole feel of the world.

Later in the game, there's a scene where music is used offensively. That attack was really rich in genre variety.

Kodaka: Also my idea, and for this one, I provided Takada with a playlist of study material.

Takada: I always loved high-effort shitposting, so that was a fun time. By the way, the singing voice in the folk-styled song is Jun Fukuda.

Kodaka: Contrary to the previous mentions here, this folkish music was Takada's idea. I only asked him to make a song that would feel out of place without explaining how.

Takada: And while this isn't about music, the sound effects team focused their efforts mainly only on the alarm sirens and the morning bell. Fukuda adjusted the pitch over and over again until it didn't conflict with any of the music playing during their scenes. Try noticing that when you hear them.

With how much care goes into every detail of this game, music or otherwise, I don't think it will be long before people start asking for sequels. 

Kodaka: I'd be glad to hear that any other time, but at this moment, I think I'm just tired of this idea… (pained laughs).

Takada: No sequels in sight until you get over that (laughs).

Kodaka: Also, making another game this big doesn't sound financially possible.

Adult problems…

Takada: I know all about it since I'm partially in charge of finances. Kodaka handles the incoming assets and I handle the outgoing assets. Honestly, we had a few moments that damaged my stomach (laughs). Worrying about money affects your creativity, so it's recommendable to get that out of your head, but you can't afford to forget about it either.

Kodaka: In my previous works, all I had to do was suggest things nonstop, but now that I represent my own company, I need to gauge which ideas to push and which to stop. That's not easy to me. In hindsight, it's because I never had the experience of needing to hit the brake on an idea before.

Takada: Well said! (laughs)

Kodaka: It's like I had the will to hit the brakes, but without knowing where that was, I hit the clutch pedal and started doing weird things with the gears (laughs).

Takada: The woes of a president and a vice-president. The efforts of our own staff, Media Vision, and Aniplex are naturally tangible, which creates a pressure for us to recompense them properly… That also made it impossible to pull any punches with the music. My mind was set in its desire for every track to be appreciated.

Kodaka: Besides, our production style is indie all the way. Our budget comes from our own pockets, and whatever looks impossible is solved with brute force instead of money. If we knew in advance how much this game would cost, a sane person would have shrunk the project. A game this niche coming out this large is a rarity.

Takada: I hope we're headed toward a future where it's easier to pump money into niche art. So many ideas die before they start.

Kodaka: That said, considering this game grew over twice its initial budget, if a normal company had told me to cut corners or, worst-case scenario, cancel the project, all I could say is "You know what, fair".

I agree… Everything you say about this production sounds very last-resort-ish.

Takada: My word as treasurer is that this game couldn't even begin to exist without Aniplex's support.

Kodaka: Well, true. We tried doing it without Aniplex at first, so we know for a fact that we couldn't finish it with our own money. Their inclusion might have been the most morale-improving part of the production.

Takada: Definitely Kodaka's biggest accomplishment as a CEO! One day he came out of nowhere and said "I think Aniplex wants a contract with us". I already praised him about it when he directly asked for the praise, but I did it without knowing that we were signing with a company that would let us have full ownership over our IP. Or even that any big company was willing to do that. That was the moment where I started believing in this game.

Kodaka: Before Aniplex, there was hell. We were confident in the quality of our work, but we were always wrestling with that tense fear that the thing we were investing into would end unfinished. We were ready to relinquish the creative rights to the franchise if that's what it took to conclude this, hoping that someone would adopt us if we were lax enough with our contractual demands, but thankfully, Aniplex was unbelievably eager to work with us.

Takada: Oh yeah, those guys were ride-or-die from beginning to end (laughs).

Kodaka: I have to admit no sane person would start making a game before they have the funds for it. But waiting for the right time would delay this project 2 or 3 years, plus Aniplex wouldn't have wanted to stick with us if we hadn't made a decent amount of progress before the first handshake. In this sense, I think luck wouldn't have smiled on us if it weren't for this questionable decision. It's not a trick we can pull off intentionally if we ever needed to do it a second time, but I believe just getting this game out there will do something to increase the number of quirky niche titles in the Japanese gaming industry.

Your closing messages, please!

Takada: Just play the game and you'll understand. You probably won't be able to do it in a Japanese home, but I think playing it on extra loud speakers would make for an amazing experience. I'd say the TRPG parts are especially exciting in this department, so give it a try if you have the chance.

Kodaka: You already know Takada did an astounding job on the music but so did Jun Fukuda on the sound effects, making the TRPG section a blast to listen to. Do pay attention to the details.

By the way, do you plan on releasing the soundtrack?

Takada: Yes… … …do we?

Kodaka: Probably! After we're a little less on the red (laughs).

Takada: Until then, enjoy the selection of 10 tracks available on the mini-soundtrack that comes as a preorder bonus. It contains unique remixes of the OST pieces, and should help you immerse yourself into the world of The Hundred Line on those moments when playing isn't an option.

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Links:

Writing team interview

Design team interview

Special guests interview

[covid-safer-hotties]

Patients With Long-COVID Show Abnormal Lung Perfusion Despite Normal CT Scans - Published Sept 12, 2024

VIENNA — Some patients who had mild COVID-19 infection during the first wave of the pandemic and continued to experience postinfection symptoms for at least 12 months after infection present abnormal perfusion despite showing normal CT scans. Researchers at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2024 International Congress called for more research to be done in this space to understand the underlying mechanism of the abnormalities observed and to find possible treatment options for this cohort of patients.

Laura Price, MD, PhD, a consultant respiratory physician at Royal Brompton Hospital and an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College London, London, told Medscape Medical News that this cohort of patients shows symptoms that seem to correlate with a pulmonary microangiopathy phenotype.

"Our clinics in the UK and around the world are full of people with long-COVID, persisting breathlessness, and fatigue. But it has been hard for people to put the finger on why patients experience these symptoms still," Timothy Hinks, associate professor and Wellcome Trust Career Development fellow at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre senior research fellow, and honorary consultant at Oxford Special Airway Service at Oxford University Hospitals, England, who was not involved in the study, told Medscape Medical News.

The Study Researchers at Imperial College London recruited 41 patients who experienced persistent post-COVID-19 infection symptoms, such as breathlessness and fatigue, but normal CT scans after a mild COVID-19 infection that did not require hospitalization. Those with pulmonary emboli or interstitial lung disease were excluded. The cohort was predominantly female (87.8%) and nonsmokers (85%), with a mean age of 44.7 years. They were assessed over 1 year after the initial infection.

Exercise intolerance was the predominant symptom, affecting 95.1% of the group. A significant proportion (46.3%) presented with myopericarditis, while a smaller subset (n = 5) exhibited dysautonomia. Echocardiography did not reveal pulmonary hypertension. Laboratory findings showed elevated angiotensin-converting enzyme and antiphospholipid antibodies. "These patients are young, female, nonsmokers, and previously healthy. This is not what you would expect to see," Price said. Baseline pulmonary function tests showed preserved spirometry with forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity above 100% predicted. However, diffusion capacity was impaired, with a mean diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) of 74.7%. The carbon monoxide transfer coefficient (KCO) and alveolar volume were also mildly reduced. Oxygen saturation was within normal limits.

These abnormalities were through advanced imaging techniques like dual-energy CT scans and ventilation-perfusion scans. These tests revealed a non-segmental and "patchy" perfusion abnormality in the upper lungs, suggesting that the problem was vascular, Price explained.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing revealed further abnormalities in 41% of patients. Peak oxygen uptake was slightly reduced, and a significant proportion of patients showed elevated alveolar-arterial gradient and dead space ventilation during peak exercise, suggesting a ventilation-perfusion mismatch.

Over time, there was a statistically significant improvement in DLCO, from 70.4% to 74.4%, suggesting some degree of recovery in lung function. However, DLCO values did not return to normal. The KCO also improved from 71.9% to 74.4%, though this change did not reach statistical significance. Most patients (n = 26) were treated with apixaban, potentially contributing to the observed improvement in gas transfer parameters, Price said.

The researchers identified a distinct phenotype of patients with persistent post-COVID-19 infection symptoms characterized by abnormal lung perfusion and reduced gas diffusion capacity, even when CT scans appear normal. Price explains that this pulmonary microangiopathy may explain the persistent symptoms. However, questions remain about the underlying mechanisms, potential treatments, and long-term outcomes for this patient population.

Causes and Treatments Remain a Mystery Previous studies have suggested that COVID-19 causes endothelial dysfunction, which could affect the small blood vessels in the lungs. Other viral infections, such as HIV, have also been shown to cause endothelial dysfunction. However, researchers don't fully understand how this process plays out in patients with COVID-19.

"It is possible these patients have had inflammation insults that have damaged the pulmonary vascular endothelium, which predisposes them to either clotting at a microscopic level or ongoing inflammation," said Hinks.

Some patients (10 out of 41) in the cohort studied by the Imperial College London's researchers presented with Raynaud syndrome, which might suggest a physiological link, Hinks explains. "Raynaud's is a condition of vascular control or dysregulation, and potentially, there could be a common factor contributing to both breathlessness and Raynaud's."

He said there is an encouraging signal that these patients improve over time, but their recovery might be more complex and lengthy than for other patients. "This cohort will gradually get better. But it raises questions and gives a point that there is a true physiological deficit in some people with long-COVID."

Price encouraged physicians to look beyond conventional diagnostic tools when visiting a patient whose CT scan looks normal yet experiences fatigue and breathlessness. Not knowing what causes the abnormalities observed in this group of patients makes treatment extremely challenging. "We need more research to understand the treatment implications and long-term impact of these pulmonary vascular abnormalities in patients with long-COVID," Price concluded.

[usafphantom2]

U.S. F-16 Fighters Shot Down Drones with Laser-Guided Rockets in Combat

F-16 APKWS shoot drones

The U.S. Air Force has officially employed for the first time laser-guided 70mm rockets in the air-to-air role during operations in the Red Sea over the course of 2024. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) guided-rockets were deployed from F-16 Viper multirole fighter jets to engage hostile drones launched by the Houthis, the Iranian-backed Yemeni militia.

The U.S. Air Force confirmed that F-16 fightes used Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System 70mm guided rockets in the air-to-air role in combat to shoot down Houthi drones.The APKWS IIU.S. Operations in the Red Sea against the Houthis

The U.S. Air Force has first announced back in 2019 that the APKWS II, originally developed as a low-cost air-to-ground precision munition, had been tested successfully in the air-to-air role, but until now no operational use of the weapon in this role has been disclosed. The details of the combat debut of the APKWS II in this new role are still scarce, with no knowledge of how many guided rockets were employed, how many Houthi drones have been shot down with the weapon, and the exact timeline of the engagements.

A U.S. official told to The War Zone few days ago that the APWKS II air-to-air capability was first employed last year “as one of many options for countering the Houthi UAS threat.” The official added that “It is a lower-cost option compared to the AIM-9X. That lower cost is one of the benefits of using it.”

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon is refueled over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 17, 2024. [Author’s note: : the aircraft is armed with a 7-round rocket launcher.] (U.S. Air Force photo)

The APKWS II

The AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) is a conversion of the Hydra 70 unguided rockets which adds a laser guidance kit to the baseline weapon, turning it into a precision-guided munition (PGM). The Hydra 70 is itself derived from a previous weapon, the 2.75-inch (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR) of the late 1940s, a system widely employed in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

By adding a guidance section to a cheap rocket (inserted in the middle of the rocket, between the 10-pound high-explosive warhead at the front and the Mk66 Mod 4 rocket motor at the rear), the U.S. Air Force has therefore been able to obtain low-cost smart munitions that can be used in the air-to-ground role. These are particularly useful when the full warhead of larger bombs (like JDAM) and missiles (like the AGM-65 Maverick or AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles) is not needed to obtain the desired effects or not suitable due to the danger of collateral damages.

The guidance section of the APKWS includes four foldable wings with wing-mounted laser seeker collection optics with a wide field of view which enable to engage both moving and stationary targets. BAE Systems, which produces the weapon, says that “no modifications are required to the rocket, firing platform or fire control system,” with the only known modification being a longer variant of the LAU-131/A 7-round rocket launcher normally employed by the U.S. Air Force, called the LAU-131 A/A (the Navy uses the AGR-20 with the similar LAU-68 F/A).

Ukrainian airman loading an American-made Hydra 70 unguided rocket into a rocket pod of a Czech-delivered Mil Mi-24V helicopter. (Image credit: Screenshot from X video)

The APKWS is also being used in a novel surface-to-air mode as a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) to engage low-flying, slow and cheap drones. Specifically, the weapon has been included in the Electronic Advanced Ground Launcher System (EAGLS) employed by the U.S. military in the Middle East and the U.S.-supplied VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment) used by Ukraine to counter Russian drones.

The U.S. Navy also announced in late 2023 that it was about to deliver a new proximity-fused warhead for APKWS II rockets, optimized for use against drones, albeit developed ostensibly for the surface-to-air role. However, further developing an air-to-air capability out of these older rockets is another impressive feat for the U.S. Air Force, that has now the possibility to engage targets at a very small fraction of the cost of other existing missiles.

While a current beyond visual range radar-guided AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) is priced at more than $1 million each and an AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II has a price tag of around $420,000, the guidance section of an APKWS II only costs around $15,000, with the full APKWS II round only costing a few thousand dollars more (to include the warhead and the motor).

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies a routine presence patrol mission over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 25, 2025. [Author’s note: : the aircraft is armed with a 7-round rocket launcher.] (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jackson Manske)

The low cost of the APKWS II comes with some restrictions, as the weapon is shorter ranged than the current USAF missiles, and the warhead is also smaller. However, against slow and cheap targets like drones, the AGR-20 can provide the Air Force with a highly cost-effective weapon.

Moreover, the APKWS II can provide American jets with deeper magazines for air-to-air munitions, as they can be carried in a 7-shot rocket pod on a single hardpoint that could otherwise take only a single AIM-9X or AIM-120 missile. The F-16 is also able to carry two LAU-131/As with the standard 70 mm unguided rockets on each pylon by using a triple ejector rack, although it is unclear if this capability is also available for the LAU-131A/A with the AGR-20.

This feature could come in hand while facing swarm or saturation attacks from enemy drones, a tactic that has already been used by Russia in their aggression of Ukraine, by Iran in their attacks on Israel and sometimes on a smaller scale even by the Houthis. The high cost of the interceptors against these cheap targets and the magazine size of the launching platforms have been two of the main concerns highlighted by forces countering these attacks.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies a routine presence patrol mission over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 25, 2025. [Author’s note: : the aircraft is loaded with a mix of AIM-120C, AIM-9M and AIM-9X missiles and accompanies the fighter armed with the APKWS] (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jackson Manske)

U.S. Operations in the Red Sea against the Houthis

The U.S. military has been involved since late 2023 in operations with a multi-national coalition in the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Aden and in the area of the Bab el-Mandeb strait against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia operating out of Yemen. The Houthis started attacks on civilian shipping in the area after the terrorist attack of Hamas on Israel of Oct. 7, 2023.

To support Hamas, Houthis employed both aerial and naval drones, in addition to missile attacks, against shipping routes while also launching sporadic long-range drone and ballistic missile attacks on Israel. After the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722 in January 2024, condemning the Houthi attacks and reaffirming the freedom of navigation, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed at protecting civilian shipping and reducing the Houthi threat, with the first airstrike against Houthis dating back to Jan. 12, 2024.

Over the course of one year, the warships and aircraft involved in Operation Prosperity Guardian have engaged multiple times Houthi targets, including land strikes to remove military capabilities from the terrorist group, and engagements to shoot down drones and missiles launched from Yemen.

The Carrier Air Wing 3, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower (CVN-69), logged 14,000 sorties, 32,000 flight hours and 15,000 arrested landings during a lengthy deployment in the Red Sea, while its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers shot more than 60 air-to-air missiles. Operation Prosperity Guardian also included the first long-range operational use of B-2 stealth bombers against Yemen, with the stealth bombers flying all the way from their home base at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, and the combat debut of the F-35C carrier-based stealth fighter jets.

Interestingly, the U.S. Navy recently announced that an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, an upgraded variant of the original UH-60 Black Hawk developed for naval use, has been involved in the shoot-down of a Houthi drone, but it is unclear what weapon was involved and when this happened. Probable candidates for the achievement are however restricted to only a few weapon system, including the AGM-114 Hellfire missile, the very AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) also used by U.S. Air Force’s F-16s, or on-board machine guns.

MH-60R shoots down drone

An MH-60R Sea Hawk prepares to land on the flight deck aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Image credit: U.S. Navy Seaman Mark Pena)

@TheAviationist .com

[prof-dr-crane]

Clinical Observation: Trial One of Fear Toxin V-63

Objective:

The objective of this trial is to assess the efficacy of Fear Toxin V-63, a newly synthesized hallucinogenic compound designed to induce a sustained and malleable state of terror. The formula incorporates a refined alkaloid blend derived from Salvia divinorum, selected for its potent dissociative properties, alongside a neuroactive derivative of scopolamine to inhibit higher-order cognitive filtration. A volatile ketone compound facilitates rapid bloodstream absorption, while engineered quinazoline derivatives act on the amygdala’s β-adrenergic receptors to amplify fear recall and distort sensory input.

This iteration follows a series of failed batches, each promising in theory, yet disappointingly ineffective in practice. V-60 degraded too quickly in the bloodstream. V-61 caused neurological overstimulation, sending subjects into seizures before true terror could take hold. V-62 dulled perception rather than sharpening it, resulting in a lethargic, unresponsive state. Fear requires clarity, not sedation. V-63 is the first formula in some time that shows real potential.

Method:

A controlled administration of V-63 was conducted on a, somewhat, compliant subject. The compound, delivered via a calibrated aerosol, dispersed efficiently into the respiratory tract. Advanced biometric sensors and neural imaging were employed to monitor real-time physiological and neurological responses. Baseline metrics were recorded for heart rate, cortisol levels, and neural activity across regions implicated in fear response, notably the amygdala and insular cortex.

Observations:

- Onset of Reaction: Within 45 seconds post-administration, the subject displayed unmistakable signs of acute fear. A marked improvement from prior formulas, which often required a higher concentration or prolonged exposure.

- Physiological Response: A dramatic spike in heart rate was observed, accompanied by a surge in cortisol levels that exceeded previous baselines by approximately 17%. This is within the expected range for an authentic, unmitigated panic response.

- Neurological Activity: Imaging data revealed extensive activation in the amygdala and a pronounced response in the insular cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, suggesting a widespread engagement of both primary and secondary emotional processing circuits. Encouraging.

- Behavioral Indicators: Hypervigilance, disorientation, intermittent verbal disintegration—abrupt gasps, fragmented sentences. The subject attempted to ground themselves in reality, but sensory distortions made this impossible. Most notable was the attempt to speak to something unseen. An improvement.

Conclusion:

V-63 has induced an effect distinct from its predecessors. This iteration does not merely force the subject to see their fears, it strips away the boundaries between fear and reality entirely. The mind no longer relives trauma but instead accepts terror as an inescapable truth. The hallucinations did not manifest as specters of the past, but as fully integrated intrusions into the present, impossible to rationalize or dismiss. Unlike previous formulas, which triggered reactive fear, V-63 appears to create a state of forced adaptation: A cognitive shift where fear is no longer a response, but the new baseline of existence.

The subject ceased attempts to fight or flee within three minutes. Not due to resignation, nor to physical exhaustion, but to the overwhelming certainty that escape was never an option to begin with. A breakthrough.

There is still work to be done. The duration must be extended, the sensory warping refined. But after a series of disappointments, this trial has proven what I have always known: fear is not a reflex. It is not a simple equation of stimulus and response. It is an environment, and at last, I am beginning to perfect it.

- Dr. Jonathan Crane

[darkmaga-returns]

Social media users couldn’t get enough. Everywhere you looked there was another cartoon figure, animated in the style of Studio Ghibli, racing across social media. By midday, a memecoin called “Ghiblification” had ballooned to a value of greater than $20 million market cap. Before the sun set in America, even Musk himself had posted a Ghiblified image spoofing the Lion King that showed the Tesla titan as a monkey hoisting up the DOGE mascot from the meme-driven cryptocurrency Dogecoin. It was all very 2025.

It was the middle of the night in Japan when the first Ghibli memes went viral on 𝕏. I couldn’t help but think of Miyazaki. The creator of Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and a dozen other animated classics, Miyazaki was not only a deft storyteller, but a visionary who took great pride in the craftsmanship of the artisans he employed. The 84-year-old director left no doubt about his displeasure with artificial intelligence advancements when presented with a baseline model in 2017. 

“I strongly feel this is an insult to life itself,” Miyazaki told disheartened engineers who had just shown the aging filmmaker their latest mutant AI creations. “I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.” The youthful engineers were then asked to explain why they were working on such a project. “We would like to build a machine that can draw pictures like humans do.” Miyazaki’s eyes couldn’t hide his pain and disenchantment with the technological breakthroughs knocking at his front door. 

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Mongabay Environmental News:

A NASA study analyzed the future action of six climate variables in all the world’s regions — air temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, short- and long wave solar radiation and wind speed — if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, which could occur by 2040 if emissions keep rising at current rates.

The authors used advanced statistical techniques to downscale climate models at a resolution eight times greater than most previous models. This allows for identification of climate variations on a daily basis across the world, something essential since climate impacts unfold gradually, rather than as upheavals.

The study found that the Amazon will be the area with the greatest reduction in relative humidity. An analysis by the Brazilian space agency INPE showed that some parts of this rainforest biome have already reached maximum temperatures of more than 3°C (5.4°F) over 1960 levels.

Regardless of warnings from science and Indigenous peoples of the existential threat posed by climate change, the world’s largest fossil fuel producers, largely with government consent, plan to further expand fossil fuel exploration, says a U.N. report. That’s despite a COP28 climate summit deal “transitioning away from fossil fuels.”

In view of the current nonstop rise in greenhouse gas emissions responsible for intensifying climate change, NASA researchers this year posed two key questions: When will the planet’s temperature likely reach an annual average of 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels? And what will the global climate look like in great detail all over the world at that temperature?

Disturbingly, their findings indicate that a 2°C increase could be reached between 2041 and 2044 (under higher and lower emission scenarios, respectively) in comparison with the preindustrial period (1850-1900). The planet is currently at 1.15°C (2.07°F) above 19th century levels, with most of this warming occurring since 1975.

A rise above 2°C could put Earth on track for catastrophic climate change impacts, according to the 2023 report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

To investigate the potential multiple effects of a 2°C planet, scientists at the NASA Earth eXchange analyzed the projections of 35 of the world’s leading climate models with a very high resolution that gives results for areas of just 25 square kilometers (9.6 square miles). Many climate models currently use a far coarser resolution of 200 km2 (77 mi2). NEX fine-scaling allowed for estimated climate impact projections on both a local and regional scale, and even on a daily basis.

“If merged into a monthly average, a few days projected to be dangerously hot and humid could get lost in the numbers, concealing the risk for human lives,” explained study lead author Taejin Park, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center. “Finer-scale information can help identify variations in projected climate change that may be overlooked, so leading to significant impacts on planning and decision-making.”

In the 2040s, global mean near-surface air temperature over land is projected to increase 2.33-2.79°C (4.2-5°F), compared with the baseline period 1950–79. Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe and Asia are projected to reach above a 3°C (5.4°F) increase in annual temperature. Image courtesy of NASA/Taejin Park.

If NASA’s projections are correct, a precipitation increase will occur over much of the northern hemisphere, especially in southeastern Greenland, but also in western and eastern Africa and South Asia, among other places. The Amazon Basin, on the other hand, will see a major decrease in precipitation. Dry regions such as Southern Africa, the North American Southwest and the Mediterranean also could see a precipitation decline. Image courtesy of NASA/Taejin Park.

After 2040, most regions of the world are expected to have more days with extreme heat stress, with heat especially pronounced in the Amazon, Central and Eastern North America, the Mediterranean and Eastern and Northern Asia. Heat stress can be devastating to wildlife, plants and of course, people. Image courtesy of NASA/Taejin Park.

Under a moderate emission scenario, Western and Central North America, the Amazon, the Mediterranean and South Africa will be at higher risk of fires in the 2040s, compared with 1950-79. Image courtesy of NASA/Taejin Park.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Storm Brings a Potpourri of Hazards to the U.S.

A powerful mid-latitude cyclone delivered a potpourri of weather hazards as it worked its way across the United States in March 2025. Beginning on March 3, the low-pressure system fanned wildfires and blinding dust storms in the Southwest, spawned severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Southeast, fueled blizzards in the Great Plains and Midwest, and dropped heavy rain in the Northeast.

Thick plumes of dust streamed across West Texas in this image, captured on March 4, 2025, by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Clouds of dust appear to originate from arid landscapes in northern Mexico and West Texas, a region that spans the Chihuahuan Desert, cattle ranches and cotton farms, and gas and oil fields.

Exceptional drought has gripped West Texas for the past several months, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The lack of rain has parched vegetation and dried the land surface, making the region particularly susceptible to erosion and dust storms.

Fierce winds and thick plumes of blowing dust led to traffic accidents, flight disruptions, school closures, power outages, and red and orange skies throughout the state and region, according to news reports. One particularly severe dust storm on March 3 sharply reduced visibility and contributed to a 21-car accident near Roswell, New Mexico.

“This is a large event, but dust storms are typical in this region at this time of year,” said Santiago Gassó, a University of Maryland atmospheric scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing longer droughts in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, so we can expect more of this type of event.”

Tools powered by NASA data and satellites are available to meteorologists, scientists, and others tracking the storm. The Worldview browser hosts timely data and imagery from several satellites. A data viewer from NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) provides access to rainfall, lightning, air quality, and other data, and NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office has tools for real-time weather analysis and reanalysis.

One of the newer data products comes from an experimental aerosol detection algorithm that NOAA’s AerosolWatch team is developing. The algorithm makes it easier to distinguish between dust and smoke, both of which were present in the hazy plume over Texas on March 4, by merging data collected by the TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission with ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager) observations from the GOES-19 satellite.

“The combination of TEMPO with GOES is very promising,” Gassó said. “Both satellites make multiple observations each day, and given their combined observations at several spectral channels, we’re able to fully characterize smoke or dust in time, space, and concentration for the first time.”

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

[zkbigbang]

ZKBB 2024 Artist Guidelines

Art Requirements:

Art in any medium is welcome in the Big Bang.

Artists must create at least one completed (whatever that means for your specific medium) piece of art for each of their projects.

Artists should stay in communication with their team(s) and share their progress on their piece(s) with their teammates throughout the event.

Since all Big Bang fics will be posted anonymously for two weeks at the end of the event, please do not discuss details of your project(s) outside of the event server until your piece is posted, and do not discuss your writers’ identity outside the event server until the reveal date.

Use of any AI text or image generators is not welcome in the Big Bang.

Bidding:

After all of the writers’ summary forms have been submitted, the mod team will share a list of all the submitted projects (minus the writers’ names) with the artists and betas. A list of sample summaries (from current mods' past Big Bang projects) can be found here. Once that information is available, you’ll have a few days to read through the summaries and decide which projects you’d like to work on before bidding. On bidding day, the information that you’ll need to provide is:

The minimum and maximum number of projects you’re willing to take on: These numbers can be the same, but if you’re willing to take up to 4 projects (for example), the mods will use that information to determine whether each project can have multiple artists or not.

A list of the projects that you would like to work on: Even if you’re only willing to take one project, you’ll be asked to provide at least your top 3 choices. If you’re interested in taking more than one project, please have a list of your top 5-10 projects ready in advance (at least 2-3 more choices than the number of projects you want to take is a good baseline to plan for).

If some projects are left unfilled after the first round of bidding, or if some artists are left unassigned, then additional bidding rounds will be scheduled. In that case, the mods will share an updated project list (projects with no remaining spots for artists will be removed) and an assigned project count for each artist (just the number of projects each person is assigned to, not the specific projects they’re assigned to) before bidding opens again.

Artist Check-ins:

At each formal artists’ check-in, you’ll be asked to share your progess for each of your projects. Suggested milestones on artists’ checkins are:

Saturday, May 18: Concept due

Saturday, June 8: Sketch (or equivalent) due

Saturday, June 29: Lineart (or equivalent) due

Saturday, July 20: Color (or equivalent) due

Saturday, August 10: Background/Details (or equivalent due

Saturday, August 24: Finished piece due

Since we are accepting multiple types of art, and some types may be difficult or impossible to complete until later in the event, these check-in milestones are flexible. If you have any questions or concerns about how your medium will fit into the Big Bang, feel free to reach out to the mod team for help!

[silvermoon-soliloquy]

Please Don't Wake Up

(Part One)

Summary: You have a crush on your best friend and you're sleeping over when you get hard and can't sleep; you try to rub one out quietly and not wake him up, you'll be mortified if he notices, but then he starts to stir...

cw: nsfw, m!reader x m!bf, oral (m!rec), handjob, voyeurism, mlm, thigh fucking, small dom/big sub, pwr bottom/soft top

a/n: this is the product of 3 am horny fantasies, I apologize in advance; if you're looking for slow burn, I have other stories in my masterlist for you

[image is a couch from ikea, don't judge me]

---

The low hum of the TV mixed well with the softness of his breathing as the background music for yet another sleepless night. This was getting fucking ridiculous.

Ever since you were a highschooler, you’d get restless before bed, unable to sleep without a release, but it wasn’t always like this.

It wasn’t until you went to college that your best friend started popping up in your head every time you touched yourself, and even when you didn’t.

As soon as your head hit the pillow, you’d close your eyes, and bam, there he was. You couldn’t escape it in your dreams, either. Those were plagued with versions of him you’d never get to see, ones where he was all hands and all muscle and curves and…

“That’s enough of that,” you thought. You cursed yourself for thinking about him and dreaming about him, you felt like you were using him. You felt like you were going insane. The guilt made you sick, but looking down, the damage was already done. Now you really wouldn’t be able to go to sleep.

Certainly not without dreams of him and his eager hips and soft lips you just knew in your soul felt like velvet and tasted like ecstasy. A quick glance to your friend since middle school told you he appeared to be fast asleep.

You knew that breathing better than your own, you had committed it to memory, the baseline sound to the evening prayers you made to whatever would make him sleep through the sins you were about to commit.

He shouldn’t wake up for a while.

With one last guilty look over at him on the other part of the l-shaped couch, you slipped your shorts down your hips, just past where the cusp of your ass met the sheet laid out on the cushions, exposing yourself in the dimly lit living room of his single bedroom apartment.

As you slid your hand up and down your aching shaft, you thanked whatever your parents prayed to at night that he lived alone; he had since his girlfriend upped and left him years ago.

And just as it had every other night, his face entered your mind. Your twisted brain conjured up visions of him wearing nothing but your time-worn varsity jacket and a hungry smile as he swung his leg over your side and straddled you like a cowboy.

You may have been bigger than him, taller, better abs, but damn it if he didn’t make you weak. That boy could run you around all day and you’d do every damn thing that came rolling off his sharp tongue as long as he let you between his legs, or in that bossy mouth of his.

His thighs weren’t too bad, either, fuck, his thighs. You wouldn’t mind getting to fuck those thighs, those thick, juicy, supple thighs. You knew from experience how smooth his skin was, how soft and warm.

Your hips joined in with your hand as the scene in your head continued to play out, feeding off your dirty thoughts.

He was riding you there, like a good cowboy should, his hands, calloused from years of music lessons, splayed against your stomach like sprawling roots as he made those holy thighs jiggle in his unholy efforts.

You imagined his face, flushed and breathless, as he panted your name, like music to your touch-starved ears, and gazed down at you with seductive, pleading eyes.

Your knees always felt weak at his gaze, and when you thought about him looking at you like that, well, that just made the already burning heat inside you build and build and build.

Maybe you’d get back at him for the way he turned your limbs to jelly by making it so that he couldn’t walk; at least not for a little while, just long enough to hold him and make him yours. You wanted him all to yourself, damn it, why was that so hard? Was that so selfish of a thought?

You’d be reaching your limit soon, if you kept thinking like this. Your free hand came over your mouth to muffle the audible proof of your secret endeavors, but in the otherwise silent room, you heard another noise.

You shot your gaze over to where your best friend slept and realized when, instead, your eyes found his that you were no longer alone.

He was watching you.

---

Part Two

[freewxll]

If I ever see skrimps I’ll make sure he’s good..

I waited so long to maintain and reestablish a baseline..

No ulterior motive.

Work and difficult work are two different bags!!

Id rather get growth out of it if I “have”(which imo if relative to tax bracket more than moral obligation and social contract)

For all of us..

Than to advance myself or my brand..

Personally I think we have ALL been stung, hurt, or scared.. by the zeitgeist that’s been created by technology..

And this is a cultural pivot point that transcends any county.

Maybe even old history itself.

We are past the age of information.

Currently in the result of that.

The age of “metadata”

Some things can be “algorithmically” reversed

But also created.

I think that’s worth the cost..

However if the general populace doesn’t grace those for a second while we transverse this new tech and its social implications.. it’s gonna be a huge waste of time and money..

We are all still human regardless of we get implants

Personally I think human error keeps creativity spinning

And that requires a delicate balance of Freeform uncertainty and comfortably to feel vulnerable to create something novel..

90s babies are literally begging not for world dominance 😂

Fuck that too exhausting..

But a a token of trust and understanding when we talk our shit

We is tired we is smart we control memes since 9gag/funnyjunk

We would like to afford houses property and ownership..

And we can vhs just as much as streaming

Lastly there’s way more money in all of us not being dicks to one another

And spending r&d money on solutions to make life more sustainable for those at the lowest monetary scales..

That kinda tech hooks the rich up with practical “ your back hurts “ or “innovative art” which fulfills the emotional needs in life..

Which could help the back pain from stress 😂🫠

Plus.. you guys are gonna need to study actual survival foot chain, economic, or social construct regardless if you want to explore the moon or mars long term..

So stop trying to see what spins my top

It’s sad and I don’t like doing that as a checksum

The older I get the more emotionally devastated it results in..

That’s what makes it a dependable spin..

Justice knows nothing of that..

20 years into crawling! 🙌🏾🎉❤️‍🔥🤯🤷🏽‍♂️🪩

Imo we are letting kids born after 2000 learn the way we did

Takes time for most there’s still some I went to high school with that are “SMART!!” that still struggle..

Mainly because of how you contemplate implications of how “ interconnected “ we all truly are now a days..

We don’t demand direct compensation for our metadata being used to crate the algorithms you guys bank off of now but like can we get some positivity out of it..

Like actual guidance towards our goals of you guys are able to “typecast” us out.. or atleast like good.. dank memes.

TikTok kids have dances leave us our goofy images of serotonin and/or oxytocin

If the joke is inside enough it can get that deep because we are the fist generation where… and I shit you not..

We can spit GAME though memes and that shit POWERFUL..

Like the woman I have crush on is FINE..

But her meme game is sooooo strong

And she sprinkled in food reels because the real way is through the tummy..

She got me on multiple front yall..

I’ll continue to make stuff and you can throw the whole litter at me..

But imma wait and say nah!!

#nahmean

[astrxlfinale]

Reality loses it's fundamental laws within dreams. While it remains the baseline for that very creativity, through countless souls that found themselves infused with a sacred power does it take form.

In Caelus's mind these felt like important words. One of the errant, static whispers that sigh alongside the howls of a more desolate line of lives. Being thrust into the depths of these dreams were heightening levels of awareness that once only found him in sleep. Given that during a certain walk through the Reverie's halls, images (past or present?) or circumstances were seen with multiple people. In particular, the attention that caught his eyes was the genius hacker Silver Wolf conversing with what looked like a cyborg automaton.

It's through that state of realization did the voices pound more potently. Stellaron. Stellaron. In short? The Trailblazer was quickly finding himself being 'pissed off' as the best de-facto mode to take. A searing, sharp fang that doesn't let the lucid wonders overwhelm the heart. As through a certain part of this dreamscape, common logic gradually found itself being tossed out the window as a lot of the ghostly apparitions faded.

'...Wait. This shouldn't be right.'

How in the hell could it be if he's nowhere remotely close to the depths of Penacony? In fact, why would Penacony be the first idea about this bizarre realm that comes to mind? A certainty in his intuition declared it so broadly, so firm, that he'd genuinely have no reason to doubt. The voice was simply right.

How in the hell could he be right, right now?

!!

His attention is immediately swept up by the sight of an enigmatic blonde figure roaming these halls? A slow, methodical gait that either shows familiarity or an adventurer's level of calm. While the confusion hangs as a heavy cloud, he advances, a headstrong nature keeping that spirit steady as a good gesture of honesty found itself being his introduction.

"Hey! Illusion! How about you pause for a second so we can chat a bit?" Caelus brazenly calls, that silver brow of his knitted in a way that reflects a more volatile temperament.

"It ain't everyday I have the 'controller' when I'm snoozing. So how about a lil confirmation that you're not a nightmare waiting?"

@reginrokkr

[junebugwriter]

The Cult of Normalcy

I'm going to talk a bit about my research and something that's really been stuck in my brain, and one of the biggest issues I've found in my work in theology and how the church in the US operates.

In the book Vulnerable Communion by Thomas Reynolds, the author talks about something he calls "the cult of normalcy."

(Thomas Reynolds, "Vulnerable Communion," pg 62.)

I've highlighted the relevant bits, but in essence, the cult of normalcy is our veneration for a baseline standard "normal" body. Any deviation from this is pathologized as not only abnormal, but deficient, and in need of correction, aka punishment through stigma. Mass media and community standards enforce normativity and conformity to extreme degrees, an impossible standard that arguably nobody can actually either attain or maintain. In the long term, nobody stays "normal" all their lives. Bodies change as the world changes them. We age. We grow. We decay. Such is the natural way of human life, but we have as a society decided that such "natural" change is in fact undesirable, and deviation from the norm will be punished.

Churches, I have found, are most susceptible to this. Whereas we ought to embrace the diversity of our communities, the variation each person can embody and celebrate, the cult of normalcy instead polices us into conformity. I have in many ways seen this done through misapplication of scripture, too, specifically Paul's letter to the Romans. Perhaps you've heard these verses tossed out by pastors seeking to tell you exactly how you ought to live your life:

"We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified." --Romans 8: 29-30 (CEB)

Or most ironically, this one:

"Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature." --Romans 12:2 (CEB)

The first actively calls us to conformity, and pastors will often use this as a cudgel, completely ignoring the context of the passage. The second is the most ironic, because I've seen it paired with the message of "Don't succumb to THEIR peer pressure, succumb to OUR peer pressure, OUR definition of what being transformed looks/acts like! :) "

Christians love their conformity. They love their communities to look/exist a certain way, and when that preexisting image is countered by the real, lived experience of a community in real life, the reaction is most often to double down on rigid conformity.

I saw this a lot as I was going into ministry. I heard a lot of talk from the people in charge, excited to have such a RICHLY DIVERSE incoming class of pastors coming into ministry, and positively beaming with expectation for our ability to fill the pews with their most desired demographic: young white adults ages 18-35, ideally from middle to upper-class backgrounds! Of course, when that failed to happen, because that demographic is largely LEAVING churches, the punishment came. Out of all the people that remained in ministry in the church largely looked and lived like one specific kind of person, and wouldn't you know it, that person was a white young adult, usually male.

The cult of normalcy is insidious, and the church loves to adhere to it, especially when it doesn't know it is doing it. It makes us think "surely, this is what God wants" when that is not at all what God is doing. There is a serious disconnect between expectation and reality, and once we see that it is in place, we have to insist that no, there is no such thing as "normal."

Normal is a lie. Normal is a tidy little box that fits nothing, and God hates being in a box. We ought to resist normal with every fiber of our beings. Normalcy is a prison. Normalcy corrodes and sands down everything wild and wonderful about creation.

Reject normalcy. Embrace your weird self. It's what God made you to be. Anything less would be to deny the image of God within you.

[demonsteapot]

How do you do lighting in your art???

Yours always looks incredible, and it's an area I struggle with greatly. Any advice is appreaciated!

Okay. So.

The short answer is that I'm not actually that advanced or skilled with regards to lighting, and I hide it behind stylization. But I can explain some, like, entry level lighting information?

I put a cut because I wrote a bunch of stuff. Sorry if this is too basic, I don't know how much baseline stuff I should be going over ;-;

Also heads up I can't explain shit for fuck so it might be incomprehensible

This is not a shockingly interesting image in itself, but it illustrates some pretty key things I think?

First, and I guess most important, you need to know where your light is and what type of light it is. In this image, it's a directional light (the light rays are all more or less parallel), so the shadows will be very consistent. I can try to demonstrate other types (point lights, spot lights, area lights) at some point, but directional is more or less the simplest?

The second thing is establishing perspective, which I've illustrated with the four lines on the ground. I kinda hate doing perspective to be honest (and it shows in my work), but you want a good grasp on it to handle neat lighting. (I think I screwed it up here ;-; not so neat)

The third is the way I worked out the actual shadow, drawing lines from the light source (since it's directional, all of these lines are parallel) through features on Nova, and onto the ground (which is where the perspective comes in, or at least it would if I was using it right). If I'm uncertain how a feature maps onto its shadow, I draw another line, but I can extrapolate a lot of features just from knowing where the top of the shadow is cast. Here I drew additional lines through the bottom of her head and the edges (approximately) of her dress, and another one on the ground as a guideline. It's a bit messy but the idea is there I think?

Normally, I don't actually draw these lines, I just work them out in my head. (Which is why they're usually even more inaccurate.) Anyway, once you have some of those guidelines, you can work out the shape, and if you can't, draw more lines.

Okay that's all I really wanted to say; I have no idea if any of that is comprehensible or helpful lol

Also I just realized I forgot to draw the horns on the shadow. FUCK

I also made a thing about the way I shade some materials, if that's anything:

With regards to object shading, my artstyle doesn't use a lot of colours usually (typically it's two or three per material, except hair which is special), and I don't use gradients or soft brushes much (or, like, ever). Shadows on characters tend to be 'start with something vaguely accurate, then adjust until it looks nice.'

If you want me to tackle anything else, like colour or more specific lighting cases? Um. I don't know what I'm doing I'll get back to you eventually. Maybe.

Till then, I need to work on my freaking lighting skills! Toodles!