#Telescopic Extension

[equalonline]

How A Ladder Can Make Your Work Easier

A ladder is a set of rungs or steps. There are two variants of the ladder: rigid ladders which are self-supporting and that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and aluminum which may be hung from the top. Rigid ladders are generally moveable, but some types are permanently fixed to a building. They are usually made up of metal, wood, and fiberglass, but they have been known to be made of tough plastic.

Ladders are the most wanted love of every housewife. Either it is to clean spider houses or to make your child like a monkey. Every housewife loves it. And for men, it plays the role of lifesaver to climb it and find their long-lost files. The ladder plays a very crucial role in every house. Not just only in the houses but also in shops too. Ladders have all the capacity to make you go from zero to hero.

Aluminum Ladders

Aluminum is the most well-liked choice for ladders used in households because the leading features of aluminium ladders are that they have a high strength-to-weight ratio which makes an aluminum model easy to transport and store as well as less expensive to produce than ladders which made from other materials. Aluminum products, such as ladders, may weigh up as much as 50% less.

Folding Ladders

A folding ladder is a ladder that is in the form of the step ladder style with one or more but generally not more than three that’s one-way hinges. For this ladder, Storage is not a problem as it is packed together once folded and be able to be easily stowed away. You can use this on rough surfaces such as a flight of stairs. As this type of ladder is lightweight, this is extremely moveable and suitable to use.

Telescopic Ladder

Telescoping ladders are a more versatile, moveable, and convenient form of the traditional ladder. As opposed to a typical adjustable ladder and extension ladder, this ladder used patented technology to extend and lock by the foot to a user's desired height, making them enormously versatile. This is convenient to store which is due to their compact nature. This is less vulnerable to the elements which are partially due to storage, and partially due to their makeup. This is lightweight because of that it is easily carried and transported. This is highly versatile which is appropriate for several jobs. This has high safety standards which are due to the sturdy build.

Multipurpose ladder

Multipurpose ladders are versatile and can be used for any purpose. It can be changeable and adjustable into a variety of positions according to how users want to use it. Users can use them as a step ladder, low platform, workbench, and an extension ladder with standoff (L-shaped bend), and that’s all in one single ladder which is an easily stored package. We can use it as the single solution for all our ladder requirements as it is very easily adjustable to any type of ladder. It is cost-effective as it eliminates the need to buy a variety of ladders for different purposes. It reduces space requirements for storage as you can buy only a single ladder and as well as you can fold multi-purpose ladders, make them compact and convenient to move at the same time.

The most common household ladders that are used for home purposes are step-ladders in which aluminum ladders are very strong and that’s why the most preferred choice for home purposes. Ladders made up of aluminum are lightweight and non-corrosive

Different kinds of industrial ladders are used for various applications. Most industrial ladders are made up of metal because they are required to be durable. Aluminum ladders become very popular because they are lighter in weight as compared to steel ladders and that is also not affected by corrosion. Some of the commonly used industrial ladders are step ladders, extension ladders, folding ladders, and platform ladders.

In my opinion, ladders are the most useful, sensible, and most importantly motivational things a person could ask for. It gives you a light, a light of path for your journey.

Quality that we all desire and it can become from those who are experienced in their work. So here for you EQUAL in which the name itself expresses the right one. EQUAL is a solution provider based in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is one of the leading manufacturers in India. With Experience of 20+ years, EQUAL provides high-quality Ladders all over India at the best price. It designs ladders that are made from stainless steel and aluminum. Its ladders are durable and cost effective and they meet all the safety regulations.

[corvidsindia]

Explore Corvids Selection of High-Quality Telescopic Ladder Now

Experience Corvids Telescopic Ladder, a game-changer for those who seek simplicity and efficiency in their projects. It extends effortlessly to the height you need, eliminating the hassles of traditional ladders. This ladder is designed to be lightweight and easy to transport, making it a practical choice for both indoor and outdoor tasks. Safety is paramount, with anti-slip rungs providing a secure footing, and the locking system ensuring stability. Its modern, minimalistic design complements any workspace, and the ergonomic grip guarantees user comfort. Whether you're painting, cleaning, or conducting repairs, the Telescopic Ladder is your trusted ally in making your daily tasks more accessible and stress-free.

[apod]

2025 April 24

NGC 6164: A Dragon's Egg Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern

Explanation: Beautiful emission nebula NGC 6164 was created by a rare, hot, luminous O-type star, some 40 times as massive as the Sun. Seen at the center of the cosmic cloud, the star is a mere 3 to 4 million years old. In another three to four million years the massive star will end its life in a supernova explosion. Spanning around 4 light-years, the nebula itself has a bipolar symmetry. That makes it similar in appearance to more common and familiar planetary nebulae - the gaseous shrouds surrounding dying sun-like stars. Also like many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164 has been found to have an extensive, faint halo, revealed in this deep image of the region. Expanding into the surrounding interstellar medium, the material in the halo is likely from an earlier active phase of the O star. This gorgeous telescopic view is a composite of extensive narrow-band image data, highlighting glowing atomic hydrogen gas in red and oxygen in greenish hues, with broad-band data for the surrounding starfield. Also known as the Dragon's Egg nebula, NGC 6164 is 4,200 light-years away in the right-angled southern constellation of Norma.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250424.html

[leafyeyes417]

Tbh I’m not the biggest fan of de aged characters unless it’s done well but this popped in my head and I’m sure someone will take it and run with it.

Danny is de-aged somehow, is found by the batfam and adopted. Chose how. The important part is that when he was de-aged he became completely human/living again with his memories only going up till the chosen age. When he reaches the age he died the first time he relives his death, regains his full memory, and causes a lot of damage in the process. However, in my mind the reliving his death part comes out of nowhere, as in there was nothing to cause him to even be injured, let alone the whole debacle.

Mini scene: The family is scattered over the manor, Danny is outside setting up his telescope for a night of stargazing while still daylight, when out of nowhere all he feels is agony. All anyone can hear is his screams and by the time they get to him he is in a crater with extensive damage around him. He is extremely dazed and unresponsive (due to the influx of memories). When taken to the medical wing they are shocked at what they find etc.

[livingforstars]

Saturn with Moons Tethys and Dione - May 31st, 1997.

"Saturn and two of its larger moons - Tethys and Dione - were photographed by the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which flew by the planet in November of 1980. This picture gives an indication of Saturn's extensive ring system, which can be seen casting a shadow on the planet, as does Tethys. Saturn's rings are composed of many chunks of ice, ranging in size from a pebble to a car. The rings have several large gaps, the largest of which is clearly visible in the picture and is named the Cassini Division, after its discoverer. Saturn appears brighter than most stars in the sky, and its rings can be discerned with a small telescope."

[mindblowingscience]

The LSST will revolutionize astronomy with one of its primary aims being the investigation of dark energy, the mysterious force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe, and dark matter, the strange substance that accounts for 85% of the "stuff" in the cosmos but remains effectively invisible. From its perch atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, a mountain that rises around 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) above sea level, Rubin scans the entire night sky over the Southern Hemisphere once every three nights. This endeavor will be the most extensive continuous mapping of the southern sky ever attempted, and will be conducted by Rubin using the 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope and the LSST camera (LSSTCam), the largest digital camera ever constructed at around the size of a small car.

Continue Reading.

[1reooolll]

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🌬️ “In the House on the Hill Where Time Forgot” — A Sunday x Reader Fluff AU

Setting: A gentle AU where Sunday is no longer involved in interstellar politics. Instead, he’s a quiet antique bookshop owner in a quaint, sleepy town where the world moves slower, and time seems to bend around the warmth of shared tea and half-whispered affections.

You arrived in town on a Wednesday.

It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t sunny either—one of those in-between days where the sky is a pale blue-grey and the air is filled with the scent of stories waiting to be told. You came on the morning train with nothing but your suitcase and the address scribbled on a slip of parchment paper: “Sunday’s Attic — Bookshop & Curios.”

You were meant to be there temporarily. Just a season, just a sabbatical, just enough time to escape the noise and find yourself again.

You hadn’t expected him.

The shop was nestled at the end of a cobblestone lane, half-sunken in ivy, with hand-painted window signs and a bell that chimed like a cathedral when you pushed the door open. The scent hit you immediately—old paper, polished wood, a hint of bergamot, and something soft like lavender. It smelled like memory.

And behind the counter, Sunday.

He didn’t look up at first. Long, delicate fingers trailed across the spine of a cloth-bound book, his lips moving silently—reading, reciting, remembering. You noticed the silver cuff at his ear first, then the sweep of his lavender-pink hair, and finally, the eyes—warm and endless, like someone who had seen too much and still chose kindness anyway.

“Welcome,” he said, without needing to look. “You’re right on time.”

You started working at the shop the next day.

It was a quiet rhythm. Sunday never asked questions he already knew the answers to, and he seemed to already know everything about you—your favorite tea (white rose), the way you alphabetized books (first by author, then by title), the way you paused at the foot of the spiral staircase that led to the attic above.

“Most people don’t notice it,” he said one morning, as you stared again at the oddly glimmering banister. “The staircase. Only those who are meant to.”

Meant to what? You didn’t ask. He always gave you the space to discover things on your own.

The attic, when you finally braved it, wasn’t dusty at all. It was filled with warm afternoon light, cozy quilts, constellations hand-drawn on the ceiling in silver paint, and a telescope that hummed gently when you touched it.

That was where you learned Sunday didn’t sleep much. Or perhaps he didn’t need to.

You’d find him there some nights, wrapped in his robe with a teacup balanced on one knee, scribbling poetry into an old journal, humming lullabies in languages long forgotten. He always looked up when you came in. And he always saved you the sun-warmed chair beside him.

You fell in love slowly, like the way ink bleeds into paper.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t loud. It was in the way he remembered your favorite bookmark, always placing it between the pages of a new arrival before you even asked.

It was in the way he touched your shoulder lightly whenever you passed behind him, grounding you, as if to say: I know you’re here.

It was in the way he called you by name like it was something rare, something fragile he was honored to hold.

“Time works differently here,” he said one night, when you were curled beside him on the attic floor, stargazing in silence. “We’re outside of the usual flow. This town, this house—us—we’re caught in a soft pocket. A lull. A breath.”

You nodded, not needing to understand the magic of it. Just needing him.

“Do you want to stay?” he asked, voice so soft it almost didn’t reach you.

You looked at him—really looked. At the delicate rings on his fingers, the way he held the porcelain teacup like it was an extension of himself, the way his lashes kissed his cheek when he blinked.

You didn’t answer in words.

You just took his hand.

And that was the first night he let you braid his hair.

Spring came like a slow symphony.

The town thawed. Flowers bloomed. And Sunday began teaching you things he’d never shown anyone else—how to recognize books that hummed with forgotten spells, how to read the stories hidden in teacup stains, how to trace the shape of someone’s soul by the way they dog-eared their pages.

He read you poetry. Not in grand recitations, but quietly, almost absentmindedly, while you shelved books together or made soup in the backroom kitchen.

And on your hundredth day, he kissed you.

It was after a thunderstorm, the two of you standing in the greenhouse behind the shop, barefoot, surrounded by blooming lavender and wet stone.

“I don’t know what I was before you,” he said, touching your cheek with a reverence usually reserved for sacred things. “But I know I’m something more now.”

You never left.

Not really. Time passed, but it passed gently. You grew older, but so did Sunday—gracefully, beautifully, like a willow tree beside an eternal stream.

The shop thrived. The staircase still only appeared to those who needed it. And on quiet mornings, you and Sunday still sat in the attic, drinking rose tea and writing in your matching journals, fingers brushing sometimes, eyes meeting always.

Because Sunday, in the end, wasn’t just a day of the week.

He was the lull between storms.

The stillness between heartbeats.

The warmth of memory made flesh.

And you were the one who stayed.

[nerdypixel]

Items mentioned

Prefacing this with the caviat that I will write some associations in brackets behind the items, as I just can't unsee it.

large false plant in a somewhat disconcerting ceramic pot modelled on a shouting human face (reminds me of the Spiral)

a large Bearskin rug with really sharp teeth (the Hunt maybe?)

a large chandelier of dark glass (the Dark?)

an oversized gramophone with a collection of records of what I believe to be religious plainsong (reminds me of Father Burroughs)

A crudely-carved rocking horse

a grandfather clock that leaked some sort of dark oil

A heavily vandalized set of the Encyclopedia Britannica

an extensive collection of abstract canvas artworks (Daria? Ink5oul or the Spiral)

two large, soiled Crinoline dresses (this could be the Stranger)

a Chaise Longue with cushions filled with some sort of coarse sand

a taxidermied vulture (we have seen taxidermi before)

a rusty antique printing press

a collection of old medical equipment that had seemingly been recently used (the Slaughter?)

some sort of leather kite

an oddly curved brass telescope

a wheelbarrow full of shifting fossils

an armload of swords (Slaughter?)

lengths of rope

A tin bathtub filled with moldy food (the Corruption)

a stack of old dental retainers

a brace of half-butchered pheasants (Flesh like)

jars of what appeared to be pickled hands (Flesh like)

This all feels like a mix between so many different things. We have a list for orientation now.

[yama-uba]

Guys, it can't be that I'm the only one who thought about what analogues of the camping van the Snipers of the other teams have.

If you haven't thought about it, then I present to your attention a small piece of my headcanon:

As we all know, our druid-assassin (who is not a crazy shooter who has pissed all over New Mexico) is a nomad in his 1960s Land Rover Series II "Defender". It fits in well with the "down-to-earth" style of the Redmonds corporation, but at the same time retains part of the "romantic roads" vibe from motoboho in the form of ethnicity, massive choppers and a dusty hot road, going somewhere beyond the horizon.

If you are interested or need it for a fanfic, then this is a Pickup truck, produced in the period 1958 - 1971 J-class with all-wheel drive, a four-speed manual transmission, a gasoline engine with a capacity of 52 horsepower. It is noteworthy that the car is left-hand drive.

In that small tent-extension in the back of this model, many ficwriters manage to fit: a full-fledged kitchen (with a refrigerator, an cabinet, and a gas stove), a "guest" and sometimes even a full-fledged bathroom (with a separate sink and a stationary shower), sometimes a TV, a full-fledged dining table with two sofas (sometimes it can be transformed into an additional "guest" sexodrome), two people are able to move around this space, and sometimes Mick or his guest literally "walk back and forth" thinking about something in this camper. To top it all off, there is a bed on the second tier, capable of accommodating two (sometimes more than two) adult men. I will tell you that this is not an error in the perception of space, no, my dears, it's just that the fancanon implies that the Australians are at such a level of technological development that they are beginning the gradual introduction of multidimensional systems for storing and compressing baryonic matter in everyday items of mass consumption.

Well, this Kemp, loaded with "knives", rifles, telescopic sights and lead of various calibers, knew more love than the average hippiemobile.

Blue Sniper - of course it's water. I used to think of a houseboat that could be loaded onto a trailer behind an Engineer's pickup truck or something. But then I thought that would be too restrictive for a nomadic, free-spirited person. But a hovercraft is a new level of freedom both on land and on water. And to me it's very Australian

The AP1-88 is a multi-purpose hovercraft, produced around the early 1960s in Britain, the size of a full-size bus (30 meters long and 12 wide from the tips of the "skirt"), 2 diesel engines for lifting and 2 for driving, each with over 900 horsepower, up to 23 tons for loading and a displacement of over 60 tons. Welcome to the "Glamping" level.

Well, it's quite a "floating apartment", if not a full-fledged micro-house with 1.5 bathrooms, two bedrooms, a kitchen-living room and a pantry. However, this "crocodile" still prefers to store his "sink" in the garage and live on the base during working hours. However, even on vacation, he can often be found "meditating" on the float of his fishing rod somewhere on the local reservoir not far from civilization, as opposed to Mundy. "Sniper #2" of these deadly lands keeps close to his "pack" of poms, as if guarding them, but he keeps his distance from strangers.

Yellow Sniper is definitely the opposite of Mick Mundy in his non-serious attitude to work (he is quite happy with the title of the first from the end shooter in all of New Mexico, since he views work simply as a source of money, and he works in the style of "Italian strike"), and he is also an ossified extrovert (in fact, he began his journey from his native continent precisely because he likes to get to know and communicate with alien "poms civilizations"). Therefore, his elements are the sky and water, away from asphalt and dust. The water plane also fits perfectly into the industrial port theme of the Yellow Team.

DHC-2 "Beaver" is a single-engine light aircraft with short takeoff and landing, designed for wilderness areas, circa 1960s, Canadian production. Length is about 10 meters, wingspan is 15 meters, takeoff weight is 2.5 tons, holds 6 passengers and almost a ton of cargo. Modification: on an amphibious float chassis.

In my opinion, an excellent option for replacing a canvas tent, especially at sunset somewhere in the middle of Lake Chad, or at dawn in the heart of the Everglades or somewhere on a noisy night at the port fish market in Singapore. This is a different, but equally exciting romance of a wild endless journey.

It seems we forgot someone. Green Sniper, in principle, like his entire team, are quite mysterious and not so much because their team is based in the thicket of a forest that is unexpected for New Mexico and that their de facto leader is their Spy. The fact is that none of the mercenaries from other teams have seen his camp, and maybe not even his own team too. However, everyone is sure that this is all somehow connected with the spot of dry gravel that always remains near the sawmill after the rain. And the fact that this spot has a fanciful silhouette like the shadow of some unknown animal or alien ship… which is always under an active invisibility field of enormous size…

Well, what are your versions of this?

[zespaceblog]

JWST's View of the Galactic Core

The James Webb Telescope's NIRCam captured a stunning image of the Milky Way's center, revealing 500,000 stars and previously unseen features within a 50 light-year wide region. This detailed view shows ionized hydrogen surrounding dark clouds, forming stars, and other complex structures, prompting extensive study of the unprecedented data

[equalonline]

Equal 18 FT. Aluminium Folding Telescopic Ladder for Home & Outdoor

Introducing the Equal 18 FT. Aluminium Folding Telescopic Ladder, is the perfect tool for any home or outdoor project. With its heavy-duty 6063 T5-Grade aluminum construction and stable square rungs, this ladder is built to last. The sleek silver color adds a touch of sophistication to any workspace. Its impressive open size of 18 feet(48L x 9W x 594H Cm) and folding size of 3.7 Feet(48L x 9W x 113H Cm) make it easy to store and transport, while the 150-weight capacity ensures safety and stability. Plus, the ladder features a self-locking mechanism that keeps your fingers safe and speeds up retraction time. Get yours today and make any project a breeze!

Product details

Material & Color: Heavy-Duty 6063 T5-Grade Aluminum Construction; Square Rungs For Supporting, Make This Folding Ladder Stable And Durable with Sliver Color.

Size & Capacity: Open-Size: 18 Feet(48L x 9W x 594H Cm), Folding-Size: 3.7 Feet(48L x 9W x 113H Cm), Item-Weight: 15Kg., Capacity: 150Kg.

Self-Locking Feature: While Guaranteeing Quality, Our Telescoping Aluminum Ladder Also Has a One-Button Retraction Function. Simply Press The Thumb Buttons, and This Ladder Will Descending Smoothly From Its Unfolded Condition To Compact Size, So Convenient.

EN131 Safety Standard: Meets `EN131` Safety Standard Certificate with Satisfaction Guaranteed with Non-Slip Square Rungs And Supporting Tubes, Contact Professional Customer Service Before And After Purchase If You Have Any Issues Or Concerns. Customer Friendly 1-Year Warranty Against Manufacturing Defects.

Assembly Instruction: No Assembly Required.  Which Can Be Opened And Locked For Changing The Height Of Ladder Easily While Guaranteeing Security.

[corvidsindia]

Finger Protector Telescopic Ladder

[apod]

2025 January 23

NGC 7814: Little Sombrero Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby

Explanation: Point your telescope toward the high flying constellation Pegasus and you can find this cosmic expanse of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies. NGC 7814 is centered in the sharp field of view that would almost be covered by a full moon. NGC 7814 is sometimes called the Little Sombrero for its resemblance to the brighter more famous M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Both Sombrero and Little Sombrero are spiral galaxies seen edge-on, and both have extensive halos and central bulges cut by a thin disk with thinner dust lanes in silhouette. In fact, NGC 7814 is some 40 million light-years away and an estimated 60,000 light-years across. That actually makes the Little Sombrero about the same physical size as its better known namesake, appearing smaller and fainter only because it is farther away.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250123.html

[blueiscoool]

17th-Century Pirate 'Corsair' Shipwreck Discovered off Morocco

Wreck-hunters have discovered the remains of a small 17th-century pirate ship, known as a Barbary corsair, in deep water between Spain and Morocco.

The wreck is "the first Algiers corsair found in the Barbary heartland," maritime archaeologist Sean Kingsley, the editor-in-chief of Wreckwatch magazine and a researcher on the find, told Live Science.

The vessel was heavily armed and may have been heading to the Spanish coast to capture and enslave people when it sank, its discoverers said.

But it was carrying a cargo of pots and pans made in the North African city of Algiers, probably so that it could masquerade as a trading vessel.

Florida-based company Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) located the shipwreck in 2005 during a search for the remains of the 80-gun English warship HMS Sussex, which was lost in the area in 1694.

"As so often happens in searching for a specific shipwreck we found a lot of sites never seen before," Greg Stemm, the founder of OME and the expedition leader, saide in an email.

The 2005 expedition also found the wrecks of ancient Roman and Phoenician ships in the area, Stemm said.

News of the corsair wreck is only being released now, in a new article by Stemm in Wreckwatch, after extensive historical research.

Dread pirates

The Barbary corsair pirates were predominantly Muslims who began operating in the 15th century out of Algiers, which was then part of the Ottoman empire.

Much of the western coastline of North Africa, from modern-day Morocco to Libya, was known as the "Barbary Coast" at the time — a name derived from the Berber people who lived there; and its pirates were a major threat for more than 200 years, preying on ships and conducting slave raids along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe.

The people captured in the slave raids were held for ransom or sold into the North African slave trade that operated in some Muslim countries until the early 20th century.

But the piratical activities of the Barbary corsairs came to an end in the early 19th century, when the pirates were defeated in the Barbary Wars by the United States, Sweden and the Norman Kingdom of Sicily in southern Italy.

Sunken ship

The corsair wreck lies on the seafloor in the Strait of Gibraltar, at a depth of about 2,700 feet (830 meters).

The ship was about 45 feet (14 m) long, and research indicates it was a tartane — a small ship with triangular lateen sails on two masts that could also be propelled by oars.

Tartanes were used by Barbary pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, in part because they were often mistaken for fishing vessels, meaning other ships wouldn't suspect pirates were onboard, Kingsley said.

"I've seen tartanes described as 'low-level pirate ships,' which I like,” Kingsley said.

The wreck hunters explored the sunken corsair using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which revealed the vessel was armed with four large cannons, 10 swivel guns and many muskets for its crew of about 20 pirates.

"The wreck neatly fits the profile of a Barbary corsair in location and character," Kingsley said. "The seas around the Straits of Gibraltar were the pirates' favorite hunting grounds, where a third of all corsair prizes were taken."

Stemm added that the wrecked ship was also equipped with a very rare "spyglass" — an early type of telescope that was revolutionary at the time and had probably been captured from a European ship.

Other artifacts of the wreck support the notion this was a pirate ship laden with stolen goods.

"Throw into the sunken mix a collection of glass liquor bottles made in Belgium or Germany, and tea bowls made in Ottoman Turkey, and the wreck looks highly suspicious," he said. "This was no normal North African coastal trader."

By Tom Metcalfe.

[starlightseraph]

in honour of the 80th anniversary of victory against the nazis,

weakest soviets in ww2 (aka actual superhumans):

^ alexey maresyev, 1916-2001. between august 1941 and march 1942, he shot down four german planes. on 5 april, 1942, his plane was shot down near staraya russa, where he was nearly captured. the crash resulted in extensive injuries, completely shattering both of his lower legs and causing extreme lacerations. he crawled for 18 days through a blizzard on his shattered legs and with gangrene and sepsis, sneaking past several german patrol units on the way. when he reached soviet troops, he was put on a stretcher and covered with a sheet, as it seemed certain that he would die. but a doctor operated on him and amputated both of his legs above the knee without permission. he worked furiously on rehabilitation and learned to control his prosthetics, and he returned to combat as a pilot in june of 1943. after returning, he shot down 3 german planes in a single battle. he later earned a phd in history and became a member of the supreme soviet.

^ mariya shcherbachenko, 1922-2016. she hid during the german occupation of her village, and then constructed defensive structures on the donets river. she was trained as a medic and was sent to combat in ukraine. she was one of the first 13 soviet soldiers to reach the dnieper river in september of 1943, and beginning on on 4 october, she personally carried 112 wounded soldiers from the battlefield and back across the river, providing first aid until they reached a medical station. she continued to serve on the frontlines until 1944, when she began attending medical school. however, she dropped out and completed a law degree instead, later working as a lawyer in kyiv.

^ lyudmila pavlichenko, 1916-1974. she was engaged to a fellow sniper who was fatally wounded; she had to carry his body off the battlefield. her longest sniper battle lasted over 24 hours, against a german sniper who had already killed several of her comrades. they spent an entire day silently hunting each other, until she finally shot him. by the time she was wounded and taken out of active duty in 1942, she had killed 309 nazis. on a visit to the united states to meet president roosevelt, she said “i’m only 25, gentlemen, and i’ve already killed 309 fascist oppressors. don’t you think, gentlemen, that you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?” after the war, she completed her education in history, which had been put on hold by the war, and she worked as a historian and research assistant at soviet navy headquarters.

^ valentina grizodubova, 1909-1993. she commanded an aviation unit that carried out thousands of sorties to provide essential supplies to partisans and to evacuate the injured. her unit delivered thousands of tonnes of ammunition to resistance fighters. under her orders, a new airstrip was built near the dnieper river to facilitate safer conditions for officers along the ukrainian front. she was the only woman out of 10 members to serve on the “extraordinary state commission for ascertaining and investigating crimes perpetrated by the german-fascist invaders and their accomplices” (ChGK), which testified at nuremberg. later, she trained test pilot svetlana savitskaya (1948-), who became a cosmonaut and the first woman to complete a spacewalk.

^ semyon nomokonov, 1900-1973. he was evenk, and nicknamed the “taiga shaman” by the nazis. he was a lifelong hunter who began his military service as a medic. while carrying a wounded soldier from the field, he shot a distant german sniper dead without aiming, after which he officially became a sniper himself. he was known for his incredible eyesight and innovative tactics, using mirrors and sticks to distract the enemy soldiers. he killed 368 nazis, including a major general, and was wounded 8 times. he mostly used a simple rifle without a telescopic sight, and yet he had remarkable accuracy even at long distances and with very little time to aim. after the war, he returned to his village on a horse and became a carpenter.

^ yevdokiya bershanskaya, 1913-1982. she commanded the all-female 588th night bomber regiment, later the 46th guards night bomber aviation regiment. her pilots were extremely fierce and accurate. they had a habit of idling their engines and dropping to glide directly above their targets before releasing their bombs and turning their engines back to full power. this technique inspired their nazi-given nickname of “night witches”. they flew over 23,000 sorties and dropped over 3,000 tonnes of bombs. under bershanskaya’s command, 23 members of the regiment were awarded hero of the soviet union, with bershanskaya being awarded order of the red banner twice and becoming the only woman to ever receive the order of suvorov. after the war, she married a fellow bomber and had three daughters.

^ ivan sereda, 1919-1950. he graduated from culinary school shortly before the war began and he soon became a cook for troops on the latvian front. when german tanks appeared behind their lines while he was alone, he hid in the forest. when the nazis stopped to raid his field kitchen for supplies, he attacked them with the only weapon he had, an axe. the tanks began to fire at him with machine guns, but he jumped on top of them and bent the barrels with his axe. he then began to yell commands to his fellow soldiers, who weren’t there at the time (although the germans didn’t know that). he ordered the imaginary soldiers to fire at the tanks and he used his axe to simulate gunfire. when the germans tried to escape their tanks, he held them at gunpoint with an old and dysfunctional rifle until his comrades actually arrived and subdued them. after a serious injury, he was demobilised and served as the head of a village council.

^ zoya kosmodemyanskaya, 1923-1941. although still a high school student living in moscow, she volunteered as a partisan in 1941. on 27 november, she received an assignment with two other partisans to burn a village occupied by a german cavalry regiment. one of the partisans did not wait for the others and left their designated meeting spot early. the second was captured. when kosmodemyanskaya found herself alone, she returned to the village to continue the arson campaign. she was captured, stripped, lashed over 200 times, burned repeatedly, and tortured and interrogated in several other ways, but she refused to give the germans any information about partisan activities. the next morning she was marched to the centre of the village with a sign around her neck reading “houseburner”. she was hanged, and her body was left hanging for several weeks. her breasts were cut off by germans and her body was desecrated by collaborators. she became famous after an elderly peasant who witnessed her execution told the story to a reporter visiting the village once the nazis had left. the witness said “they were hanging her and she was giving a speech. they were hanging her and she was threatening them.” when stalin heard about her, he said “here is the people’s heroine” and he ordered soviets not to take germans from the regiment that executed her as prisoners, but to kill them. soviet sources say that her last words were “hey, comrades! why are you looking so sad? be brave, fight, beat the nazis, burn, wipe them out! i'm not afraid to die, comrades. it is happiness to die for one's people!” or “farewell, comrades! fight, do not be afraid! stalin is with us! stalin will come!” she told the germans “you hang me now, but i'm not alone. there are 200,000,000 of us. you can't hang us all. they will avenge me.”

^ yekaterina budanova, 1916-1943. she was one of only two female flying aces in the world, along with fellow soviet lydia litvyak (1921-1943). with litvyak and other famous fighter pilots like maria kuznetsova (1919-1990) and raisa belyaeva (1912-1943), she flew in a regiment founded by marina raskova (1912-1943), who gained stalin’s personal approval to form 3 all-female aviation regiments. budanova is credited with 5+ aerial victories, and was known for her agile and aggressive piloting. although initially skeptical of her skill, her male comrades quickly came to respect her as a formidable fighter, and they trusted her enough to grant her special combat privileges. during her last flight, she engaged in combat with a german fighter plane. her plane caught on fire, forcing her to crash in no-man’s land. farmers pulled her from the aircraft, but she was already dead.

^ roza shanina, 1924-1945. after her brother was killed, she asked to serve but was denied. even when women between 16 and 45 became eligible for the draft, she was not initially called, because the local commissariat wanted to spare her; she was only a teenager and three of her siblings had been killed. after several applications, she was finally admitted to the central women’s sniper training school, where she graduated with honours. she was asked to stay as an instructor, but refused in favour of active duty. after her first kill, she collapsed and entered a state of shock, until her comrades assured her that the nazi she had killed did not deserve to be spared. she later wrote that if she could do it again, she would, gladly. she was widely praised as extremely brave but also caring and kind. the soviets had a policy of sparing snipers, but shanina entered the front lines without permission, and she did not face court martial. she wrote to stalin to ask to be officially sent to the front lines. she performed numerous difficult feats in combat, with at least 59 confirmed kills and several captured, despite being shot in action. she was particularly known for her ability to shoot successful doublets. her diary entries spoke of her hopes to raise children orphaned by the war. one entry read “the essence of my happiness is fighting for the happiness of others. it's strange, why is it that in grammar, the word "happiness" can only be singular? that is counter to its meaning, after all... if it turns necessary to die for the common happiness, then i’m braced to.” in january 1945, her battalion was reduced to 6 people, and she was discovered disembowled, with her chest and abdomen torn open. she was taken to a medical facility and died the following day. a nurse later recalled that during a fleeting moment of consciousness, shanina had said that she regretted doing so little.

—

i’m breaking from my fandom niche to give a little history lesson. i first began studying the history of the soviet union because of my interest in ethnomusicology, but it’s now become an obsession of mine in its own right.

about 27 million soviets were killed in the second world war, by far the highest number of any nation involved. despite initially poor organisation and preparation, the red army became the dominant force of the allies in europe. motivated by historical and ideological factors, soviets were known to be extremely dedicated to fighting the axis. the soviet partisan movement in axis-occupied areas was especially fierce. the greatest fatalities were in the russian sfsr, the ukrainian ssr, and the byelorussian ssr, with russia having the highest raw number and belarus and ukraine having the highest percentages of population killed. these are only a few people out of an entire nation, and one nation out of a worldwide effort to stop the nazis. may everyone who aided the cause be eternally remembered.

[tobiasdrake]

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy 112 - Babysitting

Day 46 of 100. With the huge fucking infodump out of the way, we're back to Free Time. And I was going to do... stuff... Yeah.

I believe the plan was training in the new VR level that includes B-Team. Since I leveled up Gym and now have extra skills to unlock.

They're learning. There's a lot of 10 HP and 6 HP guys on the field right now. Also a bunch of these 2 HP dumpies but they're in the back and on the other side of the field from Tsubasa.

I'm actually going to have to work for this one, but it's worth it for the 3,000 BP.

As for the afternoon... let's do some Gifting. I haven't gifted anything to Shouma yet. What do you get for the boy who thinks he's garbage?

It's perfect.

I knew you'd appreciate it. Now use it responsibly!

...he's definitely going to Solid Snake around the school wearing it.

That does it for day 46. Now, for day 47, I will--

--go fuck myself, I guess. It's time for a Karua flashback.

Fucking roasted.

We're at level 2 in Math right now, though, so I think Karua would be proud of us. It turned out that studying was pointless; It was actually hanging out with Hiruko and Eito that let us absorb mathematical comprehension through osmosis.

Which really just means that Takumi is a social learner. He best acquires knowledge by sitting with someone and going through the motions with them guiding him. Something that crowded school systems often aren't equipped to properly give him.

...though he also doesn't pay attention when people talk and misses important details that have to be re-explained to him later. He only really retains the knowledge when it's relevant to a task he's trying to complete.

It's what makes the preparation section of the Persuasion minigame funny. Takumi isn't able to charismatically talk a person into accepting his ideas by retaining knowledge of them and working it to his advantage; He just spends a day cramming for the test by asking everyone else what they know about the person.

Persuasion minigame has some "glancing at the notes I wrote on my arm while going 'Uh-huh, Uh-huh" energy.

Oh my god, Karua is babysitting. That's humiliating. And appropriate.

Okay, I no longer think these memories are being fed to us. Only that they're narratively plot-convenient.

This one was definitely triggered by the discussion of World Death this morning and the true state of the earth.

That seems likely, yeah. The people running the TRC must know about World Death. It's likely top-secret ultra-confidential information.

Yeah, that makes sense. God, can you imagine living in a box and not even knowing that the moon existed? How do you even explain the moon to someone for the first time?

See, that is exactly why it would be difficult to explain the moon to someone for the first time. Thank you for your demonstration, Takumi.

Do your equations, Takumi.

There's always a takeaway from these flashbacks. Last time, it was that Karua and by extension probably Nozomi wants to look up at the sky with an astronomical telescope. It seems probable that we're going to do that with her at some point. In fact, there's an astronomical telescope as an option in the Gift-o-Matic.

This flashback, I find concerning because the only thing I can latch onto that might be relevant to our circumstances... is the possibility of the moon falling on us.

...

That can't be it. I have confirmed with my own eyes that the moon is still up there in the night sky, so nothing to do with a moon crash can be related to our predicament right now.

Maybe this one legitimately meant nothing, and is just a reflection of our mind rotating the truth of the world outside?