#added and removed some parts/instruments

[ahomeforwisters]

dark stars (falling) - rework [polaris ver.]

been going through and reworking some of my oldest pieces that i'm proud of, and this is one of them. thought i'd share it here :D

[gael-garcia]

PALESTINE FILM INDEX

Palestine Film Index is a growing list of films from and about Palestine and the Palestinian struggle for liberation, made by Palestinians and those in solidarity with them. The index starts with films from the revolutionary period (68 - 82) made by the militant filmmakers of the Palestine Film Unit and their allies, and extends through a multitude of voices to the present day. It is by no means a complete or exhaustive representation of the vast universe that is Palestinian cinema, but is only a small fragmentary list that we hope nontheless can be used as an instrument of study & solidarity. As tools of knowledge against zionist propaganda and towards Palestinian liberation.

The century long war against Palestinians by the zionist project is one waged not only militarily but also culturally. The act of filmmaking, preservation, and distribution becomes an act against this attempted cultural erasure of ethnic cleansing. The power inherent in this form as a weapon against the genocidal project of zionism is evidenced in the ways it has been historically & currently targeted by the occupation forces: from the looting & stealing of the Palestine Cinema Institute archives during the siege of Beirut in 1982, through the long history of targeted assassinations of Palestinian filmmakers, journalists, artists, & writers (from PFU founder Hani Jawharieh, to Ghassan Kanafani, Shireen Abu Akleh, Refaat Alareer, and the over 100 journalists killed in the currently ongoing war on Gaza).

It is in this spirit of the use of film and culture as a way of focusing & transmitting information & knowledge that we hope this list can be used as one in an assortment of educational tools against hasbara (a coordinated and intricate system of zionist propaganda, media manipulation, & social engineering, etc) and all forms of propaganda that is weaponized against the Palestinian people. Zionist media & its collaborators remain one of the most effective fronts of the war, used to manufacture consent through deeply ingrained psychological manipulation of the general public agency. Critical and autonomous thought must be used as a tool of dismantling these frameworks. In this realm, film can play a vital roll in your toolkit/arsenal. Film must be understood as one front of the greater resistance. We hope in some small way we can help to distribute these manifestations of Palestinian life and the struggle towards liberation.

This list began as small aggregation to share among friends and comrades in 2021 and has since expanded to the current and growing form (it is added to almost every day). We have links for through which each film can be viewed along with descriptions, details such as run time, year, language, etc. We also have a supplemental list of related materials (texts, audio, supplemental video) that is small but growing. We have added information on contacts for distributors and filmmakers of each film in order to help people or groups who are interested in using this list to organize public screenings of these films. The makers of this list do not control the rights to these films and we strongly urge those interested in screening the works to get in touch with the filmmaker or distributors before doing so. This list was made with best intentions in mind, and in most cases with permission of filmmaker or through a publically available link, but if any film has mistakenly been added without the permission of a filmmaker involved and you would like us to remove it, or conversely if you are a filmmaker not included who would like your film to be added, or for any other thoughts, suggestions, additions, subtractions, complaints or concerns, please contact us at palestinefilmindex@gmail.com. No one involved in this list is doing it as a part of any organization, foundation or non-profit and we are not being paid to do this, it is merely a labor of love and solidarity. From the river to the sea, Palestine

[kirlicues]

The Old Country Church | CC-Free Sims 2 Community Lot Download

The old, 1800's style country church has weathered the test of time and, despite it's age, is still is as solid as the messages that have been shared from the pulpit. It's built on a 5x5 community lot.

It's over-all simplicity stands in stark contrast to more ornate architecture, but it is this humble structure, reminiscent of a purer time of faith, that stands as a testament to scriptural truths.

Let's take a tour of the place!

Joy. Laughter. Tears. Weddings, funerals, picnics on the lawn, and baptisms in the lake--all the memories that have meant so much--have happened here in this peaceful country setting. It's a place for friends to gather, caring words to be spoken, and a base for larger community outreach.

This landmark is surrounded by trees, and old nature trails that meander through the woods. It's the perfect place to hear the birds sing, sit by the water reading the Good Book, and to remember where the true meaning of life comes from.

Right now the old church is dressed up for a wedding, but you can remove the arch and flower decorations for a more authentic feel.

This lot is CC-free which is why the podium is one of the career reward objects. You can find a buyable version without the cringy teleprompter screens in this set over on Mod the Sims because being a minster should never be about the money or charismatic personalities.

Congregational singing with instruments was just starting to become popular in the 1800's. Many old churches did not have a piano or organ, but I've added the piano and violin to this lot to give some more interest to the front platform.

The balcony is a lovely place to sit and listen to the beautiful acoustics, and appreciate the rustic beams that make up the upper part of the roof.

The bell tower is empty since there is not anything comparable in the game. You can find a very simple bell at the end of this thread on Mod the Sims if you'd like to put one in.

I built this lot based on historical pictures of churches from the 1800's. This version is a bit larger than most of that era. A lot of the churches at the time did not have anything more than a main sanctuary area, but I've included bathrooms for convenience's sake.

1st Floor: On this level there are bathrooms, and the main sanctuary.

2nd Floor: There's a balcony near the bottom of the image, the rest of the level is open to the sanctuary below.

The Old Country Church MF | SFS

This lot is CC-Free, but All EPs and SPs are required.

I’ve run this lot through the Lot Compressor so any random references to sims that aren’t there should be removed. I have also run it through the Lot Cleaner to remove any bits of buggy code. This lot comes with a shiny custom thumbnail so it has even more curb appeal in your Lots and Houses bin! 😄

Default Replacements Shown: Purple Lupin shrub from @peppermint-ginger If you don’t have these in your game your Lupin will be blue.

I ALWAYS recommend using the Sims 2 Pack Clean installer to install lot files.

[dragonsdelightstudio]

Shoe Stay Last the Broke Way

Or, you’re a cheap bitch like me and have only basic materials at your disposal.

Hello, beautiful people~

Let’s create a shoe stay together.

(I’ve been corrected in my terms, it’s a shoe last. My bad if I confused any of you!)

Most every crafter has - Glue, water, plastic wrap, paper bags (or whatever you may have on hand,) and hot glue; That’s it, that’s your list of supplies. Perhaps a sharp instrument to cut away the mold carefully.

If you are like me, my crew is chronically shoeless. Shoes are expensive! I consider myself a decent seamstress though, so why not try shoe making? When doing this it’s a good idea to have a shoe “last” or a basic mold to help shape the shoes. I’m not a huge fan of handling my dolls every time I try and make something to fit.

Enter shoe lasts stays, the broke way.

First you need a volunteer. I chose the boy who had the bigger feet to basically provide a mold to all my other boys of similar size. This is Harper. His body is an April Story Senior. He’s got his pantlegs rolled up and he’s ready to go.

Let’s get messy now and act like we are in kindergarten. You want to make sure your doll’s feet are wrapped securely in cling wrap, covering a little above the ankle. We are going to paper mache over his feet. There are many recipes online for a mixture, but I personally use a mix of wood and white PVA mixed with a bit of water.

I alternated thin Kraft paper and paper towel for a couple of layers. Make sure each one is thoroughly dry before applying the next. Try and fill out some of the area above the heel and the arch as we want to keep this basic shape but not totally form fitting.

All dry! Now you need to carefully cut off the paper Mache. This can be tricky. Much like the paper Mache dress form we want to avoid doing damage to the doll during removal. Go slow and separate as necessary. I cut down the back of the leg and heel and about halfway down the foot. I was able to wiggle the mold off at this point.

Yay! Now that it’s off, try and ease the split back into place. I use tape as a temporary closure until I can go back and cover it with a final layer of paper Cache. You don’t have to, but I just like the clean look.

This last part is totally optional but I like to fill the cavity with some sort of firm support just to ensure the longevity of the cast. My doll forms are stuffed firm with yarn scraps and dryer lint. These though, I wanted something more solid. I’m not familiar with expanding foam nor do I have any on hand but what I DO have is hot glue. In the past I’ve made hot glue gems for some kids out of molds, so I know what I’m working with.

I cut the molds to an even height and started filling from the toe up to the arch. I let it cool in that upright tiptoe position for a bit before placing it flat and adding my little handle and filling it up to the top. I tapped them on the desk a few times while doing this just to make sure the glue settled firmly. I added handles just because, but you don’t have to. I used a cheap dowel.

Depending on what kind of shoes you plan to make (either soft formed or modern shoes with a formed toe) you can build up the toe areas to give yourself that sleek shape that modern shoes have.

Credit to @dollsahoy for adding on the buildup tip!

There you have it. Let the glue harden and admire your work. If you are going to use these to shape damp leather, remember to seal them with a water resistant sealant!

I hope this provides inspiration to someone.

Cheers and happy crafting.

[shadesofmauve]

Alliance Normandy SR2 redesign: Deck 2

All of the decks are longer and skinnier than what we see in game. (This isn't a complaint; running through a long skinny map is tedious!). The command deck is a particular puzzle, because it doesn't need to be as long as it is, and we're supposed to believe it's much longer — extending all the way to the nose, which it can't do unless the deck curves down:

Aesthetically, I'd like the command deck to extend farther forward than I've drawn it. Practically, I can't think of a reason why it would.

CIC & cockpit

Spaceships fly by instrumentation; you can steer from anywhere, so there's no reason to hike an extra forty-four meters to the cockpit. There are also far more work stations shown in game than seem reasonable: 14 in the CIC and corridor to the cockpit. What are they all doing? When you take into account capable Virtual Intelligence systems (the Alliance didn't know about EDI, but would have designed for a VI) it's even sillier, so I drastically reduced the number of stations in the CIC, and removed them from the corridor entirely.

The corridor needs to stay to keep the feel of the space, so I used it for escape pod access. In the CIC itself, I kept the shape but oriented the workstations forward in case of inertial-buffer overloads*. There are two doors to the CIC, so the Officer of the Watch doesn't have a door directly at their back.

I also added a ready room, the office for the Officer of the Watch (accessible from the CIC), which also serves as a briefing room. In Sunset and Evening Star, this is where Shepard and First Office Nguyen have their morning meetings.

*Any system can overload. The trick with inertial overloads in fiction is convincing the reader that there's enough overload to feel without mashing everyone inside into paste, which is an astonishingly narrow window. It's an even narrower window if the human is sideways to the inertial force; we are very bad at surviving that.

The awkward middle

I stretched out the area forward of the elevator as much as I could. As well as the two new offices, there's a head for the CIC crew, another escape pod, and access to the secure areas aft. Moving that access here reduces traffic through the CIC.

(It's still a big waste of space).

Moving aft: from tactics to strategy

While the Captain commands the ship in the Combat Information Center, the Admiral leads the fleet from the War Room.

Turning starboard from the elevator, there's a security station (so Private Campbell can remain the most put-upon person in the Alliance Navy). Past that is the Admiral's office, which wasn't finished when the reapers attacked Earth.

The Alliance is actively trying to take a larger role in galactic affairs, so there are some concessions to other species. In addition to the conference room, there's a head with a stall big enough for a krogan, and a beverage station set up for both dextro and levo species. Please click to embiggen and admire my stupid little coffee mugs.

The war room is centered, in the most protected part of the ship. It keeps it's general layout, but with fewer stations (focused inward so staff can see the strat map holo display). Only one is usually manned. The Strategic Map is the grand-scale equivalent to the Tactical Modeler in the CIC. (The names are wishful thinking; in a real military both would be impenetrable acronyms).

The QEC is the same Mystery Communications Circle it is in the game, but only a quarter of the way around the War Room from the entry instead of on the opposite side.

Normandy SR2 redesign posts

Intro

Loft

Command

Crew

Engineering

Hangar

[dalekofchaos]

Context

Return of the Dwemer.

the Dwemer returning just as suddenly as they left. Maybe go to a city and find it overrun with Dwarves and you have to escape and get together a band of warriors from both sides of the civil war in order to save Skyrim from annihilation or join the Dwemer. As part of the dlc you would get the option of having up to four followers.

Another cool option for a small add-on would be a homebase for your followers like in fallout: New Vegas. A fort where you could send them and make it a thriving community of followers

Post-Civil War. We get to see what happens after you win the Civil War. How Skyrim thrives after Imperial or Stormcloak victory. You crush the last Imperial or Stormcloak hold outs and execute the remaining generals of the losing side. If you helped the Imperials win, you could stop a Thalmor plot attempting to put Elisif on the throne to be their puppet. You could have Elenwen removed from Skyrim and decide who ultimately becomes High King/Queen Of Skyrim. Ultimately it comes down to Balgruuf or Elisif. If you helped the Stormcloaks win. You help Ulfric eliminate all opposition to his ascension to High King and help the Stormcloaks kill the Thalmor Justiciars and eventually burn the Thalmor Embassy to the ground.

Thalmor invasion of Skyrim some time in the future. Set up for a massive battle. You go to help the Legion/Stormcloaks, you have to recruit the remaining enemy Legionnaires/Stormcloaks. Basically every follower you've had and given crazy good equipment to us there. The Blades are all there if you rebuilt them. For some plot reason you have Talos's actual personal amulet which reduces Shout cool down by 100%. You ride Odaahving over the Thalmor Flagship, followed by Duurnehviir. Storm Call. Become Ethereal and leap off your dragon, landing on the deck surrounded by the leaders of the Thalmor. Pull out Wuuthrad. Go to town.

End result is that the Thalmor invasion of Skyrim is utterly defeated and their ability to attack Cyrodiil is severely crippled.

giving the Bard's College a bigger, more fleshed-out quest and adding the ability to play instruments would be neat. You could play instruments, there could be skill books that level your bard skills or song books that would be like spelltomes where you learn new songs. For quests you could have to perform in front of various audiences.

The Forsworn. There are hints throughout the game that they are planning something big, letters found in several camps etc. But other than the forsworn conspiracy there’s not much there. A branching quest line that builds off of that quest, about retaking the Reach or fighting against the Forsworn would be cool. Could even maybe spill over into a hold of High Rock.

For the Forsworn, it depends on what you chose for the Forsworn conspiracy. If you killed Madanach(and everyone in the prison) then you hear reports of the Forsworn planning a massive attack on the Reach planning to avenge their king and retake the Reach. It's clear the Forsworn will not stop these constant attacks on the Reach, so you have to put them down.

If you sided with the Forsworn, you get to help the Forsworn retake the Reach. Displace the Nords, killing the Silverblood family and retake Markarth. Madanach replaces whomever the Jarl was but as king. The Imperials would work with the Forsworn ran Markarth, but The Stormcloaks would not, so better to only choose this path if the Imperials win the Civil War.

The Last of the Snow Elves: Lost tribe of Snow Elves seeks to rebuild their civilization. They seek out other healthy tribes, search for a solution to heal the afflicted Falmer, fight to reclaim their ancestral home, and they seek revenge on those factions still working to eradicate them. This could certainly be a fairly long and interesting DLC. We could get into political shit with the descendants of Nords who still hold a grudge, could get another Elder Scroll on the scene by finding out one of them has the ability to undo the tricks of the Dwemer, some weird time travel shit to find out more about that Elder Scroll, more about the motiviations of the Dwemer.

Post-Paarthurnax Dilemma. If you sided with Delphine, you will aid in re-establishing a new guild of warriors 'Dragonguard' by allocating resources and taking over forts across the province, and prepare an incursion into the heartlands against the false Empire and their Thalmor masters. If you sided with the Greybeards, you will start a new academy for teaching the voice, and train a league of dragon-riding warrior monks set out to extinguish the undead legions of a resurrected dragon priest - a master necromancer and the teacher of Vals Varen and Lu'ah Al-Skaven - who wants to use the buried and recently-dead of Skyrim to conquer the province for himself.

Akavari. An Akaviri expedition arrives on the shores of Eastmarch, having heard the cries of the return of the dragons. They've come searching for the Dragonborn and to join in the hunt for dragons. You venture across the province on dragon hunts with several key new characters, testing your mantle against new dangerous species of dragons in new and old re-vamped locations.

After several successful ventures and proving yourself to the Akaviri captains, they proclaim you as their new leader, and advise you to forge your own kingdom in Tamriel. If you sided with the Empire, you must now usurp their claim upon Skyrim and push the remanent of Tullius' legion out by force, for the Mede Dynasty refuses to acknowledge your new seat of power in Skyrim. If you sided with the Stormcloaks, you must usurp Ulfric's claim as high king before the moot, and convince each of the hold's Jarls, either through favour or battle, to submit to your righteous authority.

I feel like The Dragonborn becoming Emperor could be for Skyrim, what The Shivering Isles was for Oblivion. See this post on what a Dragonborn becoming Emperor could look like

The Psijic Order. Magic in skyrim doesn't really feel too fleshed out, There could be quests that give you entirely different spells instead of the usual 5 spells plus reskins. It could have you solve the mystery on why they never had much screentime.

And at the end, it could have you restoring winterhold

Dragonborn Conquest. Similar to my Dragonborn Emperor concept, but doing it for the good of the people of Skyrim.

The premise would be that the Dragonborn is sick to death of this wretched Civil War. One side is subservient to the true enemy and the other side is full of racists. The Imperials have literal criminals as Jarls(Maven and Siddgeir) Stormcloaks have paranoid lunatics and the corrupt as Jarls. Both sides have good arguments, but both cannot be allowed to control Skyrim. So the Dovahkiin decides it’s time for the people to open their eyes and take Skyrim back for the people. Nords, Imperials, Redguards, Elves, Argonians and the Khajit.

The Dragonborn’s promises

The Khajit caravans get to gain entry in the cities of Skyrim instead of being forced on the outskirts

Restoring Talos worship

Argonians gain entry into Windhelm instead of being forced on the docks

The Dunmer will receive better housing than the Grey Quarter

All citizens of Skyrim will be treated equally under the new High King

Proper Jarls to rule and govern their holds and to maintain stability, peace and justice to their people instead of ruling out of greed or power

An end to the Civil War by any means necessary

An end to corrupt families like the Black Briars and Silver-Bloods

Rebuilding Winterhold

Giving The Reach back to the Forsworn

The execution of Ulfric Stormcloak and expulsion of General Tullius and the Legion.

The final promise. An end to the Thalmor Justiciar witch hunts and kidnappings and the forced removal of the Thalmor from Skyrim

So yeah, The Dragonborn should’ve been able to become High King of Skyrim and rule for the good of the people of Skyrim. Be able to handpick the Jarls for the good of the land and been able to side against the Stormcloaks, Imperials and Thalmor.

The Dragonborn's death is inevitable, but the Daedra are scheming to keep the Dragonborn's soul after his death, while the Aedra want to reward the Dragonborn with Soverngarde.

Was inspired by this

[reasonsforhope]

"It may sound surprising, but when times are tough and there is no other food available, some soil bacteria can consume traces of hydrogen in the air as an energy source.

In fact, bacteria remove a staggering 70 million tonnes of hydrogen yearly from the atmosphere, a process that literally shapes the composition of the air we breathe.

We have isolated an enzyme that enables some bacteria to consume hydrogen and extract energy from it, and found it can produce an electric current directly when exposed to even minute amounts of hydrogen.

As we report in a new paper in Nature, the enzyme may have considerable potential to power small, sustainable air-powered devices in future.

Bacterial genes contain the secret for turning air into electricity

Prompted by this discovery, we analysed the genetic code of a soil bacterium called Mycobacterium smegmatis, which consumes hydrogen from air.

Written into these genes is the blueprint for producing the molecular machine responsible for consuming hydrogen and converting it into energy for the bacterium. This machine is an enzyme called a “hydrogenase”, and we named it Huc for short.

Hydrogen is the simplest molecule, made of two positively charged protons held together by a bond formed by two negatively charged electrons. Huc breaks this bond, the protons part ways, and the electrons are released...

The molecular blueprint for extracting hydrogen from air

With Huc isolated, we set about studying it in earnest, to discover what exactly the enzyme is capable of. How can it turn the hydrogen in the air into a sustainable source of electricity?

Remarkably, we found that even when isolated from the bacteria, Huc can consume hydrogen at concentrations far lower even than the tiny traces in the air. In fact, Huc still consumed whiffs of hydrogen too faint to be detected by our gas chromatograph, a highly sensitive instrument we use to measure gas concentrations...

Enzymes could use air to power the devices of tomorrow

It’s early days for this research, and several technical challenges need to be overcome to realise the potential of Huc.

For one thing, we will need to significantly increase the scale of Huc production. In the lab we produce Huc in milligram quantities, but we want to scale this up to grams and ultimately kilograms.

However, our work demonstrates that Huc functions like a “natural battery” producing a sustained electrical current from air or added hydrogen.

As a result, Huc has considerable potential in developing small, sustainable air-powered devices as an alternative to solar power.

The amount of energy provided by hydrogen in the air would be small, but likely sufficient to power a biometric monitor, clock, LED globe or simple computer. With more hydrogen, Huc produces more electricity and could potentially power larger devices.

Another application would be the development of Huc-based bioelectric sensors for detecting hydrogen, which could be incredibly sensitive. Huc could be invaluable for detecting leaks in the infrastructure of our burgeoning hydrogen economy or in a medical setting.

In short, this research shows how a fundamental discovery about how bacteria in soils feed themselves can lead to a reimagining of the chemistry of life. Ultimately it may also lead to the development of technologies for the future."

-via The Conversation, March 8, 2023. Article written by the authors of the study.

[gumballavocadoharry]

Yearly examination:

*Disclaimer- it's not smut or porn- but does have some exciting details of it!!*

Dr. Harry Styles smiled warmly as he entered the examination room. "Good morning, Yn. How are you today?" he asked kindly.

The young woman sat nervously on the edge of the exam table, her hands clasped in her lap. "Oh, just a bit anxious, I suppose. Annual check-up and all..." She returned his smile shyly.

Harry nodded with understanding. "I know it can be stressful. But we'll take this slow and easy, alright? You're in good hands with me." His green eyes sparkled reassuringly.

Yn felt herself relax slightly at the gentle doctor's soothing tone. "Thank you, Dr. Styles. I appreciate that."

"Of course. Now, let's get started shall we?" He held out a hand to assist her in lying back. "If you'll remove your bottoms and slide down to the end of the table..."

A blush crept into her cheeks as she complied, feeling exposed in just her thin cotton panties. Harry draped a sheet over her lower half discreetly. "Deep breaths now. I'm going to begin the breast exam."

His skilled fingers worked over the sensitive mounds, circling and squeezing. Yn squirmed as her nipples responded to his touch. "Mmm... getting a bit sensitive there..." Harry noted, flicking the stiff peaks teasingly. "Very healthy reaction."

Blushing harder, Yn bit her lip but nodded. Next Harry ran his hands down her taut belly, prodding the soft skin. He tapped her knees, checking reflexes. "And finally, I need to do a pelvic and rectal for a complete assessment."

"R-rectal exam?" Yn stammered. "Is that really necessary?"

"I'm afraid so. It's routine," Harry said apologetically. "But I'll be as quick and gentle as possible, I promise. Now, if you'll scoot down and put your feet in the stirrups..."

Face flaming, Yn shifted position, spreading her legs. Harry adjusted his stool between her thighs. "Breathe, Yn. You're doing wonderfully so far." His voice was a low murmur. Pop! Pop! He snapped on latex gloves.

Yn tensed as slick fingers glided over her vulva, parting her folds. "Just relax... let me in..." Harry coaxed. One long finger slid inside her clenching heat. "Good girl. Such a perfect little pussy." He pumped into her slowly, crooking to stroke her G-spot.

A whimper escaped Yn as sensation built. More lube was added, the fingers scissoring, stretching. Then a cold metal speculum pushed in beside them. "Steady..." Harry soothed. "I'm going to open you up, get a good look in there..."

The instrument spread her wide, opening her to his gaze. "Gorgeous..." he breathed, probing her glistening walls. "Healthy pink color. Very good."

Yn panted through her teeth, hips twitching with need. "That's enough of the vagina for now," Harry decreed. "Let's look at this tight bottom..."

He drizzled lube over her puckered hole. One slick finger, then a second breached her entrance. "That's it, open for me..." Yn whined as they sank deep, curling and thrusting, loosening her up. Then - "Oh no, not a - AAAH!!"

His entire fist plunged into her rear passage, forcibly relaxing the ring of muscle. Yn wailed as he pumped it in and out, stretching her past the point of pain. "Shh shh, such a good girl, taking it so well," Harry purred. "Gonna - nngh! - loosen this tight little rosebud..."

The intense sensation was too much. Yn climaxed with a strangled cry, convulsing around the fist crammed in her bottom. Her vision nearly whited out as she squirted jets of clear fluid onto the floor.

"There we go...all done," Harry crooned, withdrawing his drenched hand. He turned Yn over, gathering her into a tender embrace. "You were amazing, sweetie. I know that was intense. Just breathe..."

Yn wept into his chest, quivering with aftershocks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - AHH! - make a mess..."

"Shh, no apologizes. Perfectly natural response," he assured her. "You did beautifully. Now, let's get you cleaned up and on your way..."

[music4lifebycc]

From Improvisation to Arrangement: The Beginning of My First Piece, 12 May 2025

Today I’m starting the arrangement of my pieces, with piano as the main instrument—since that’s my area of focus. For the first piece, I’m creating a full piano arrangement. I’ll start by improvising around a chord progression or bass line that I choose, and then build the instrumentation for each section based on the themes that develop. I’m following a structure similar to pop music: intro, verse 1, pre-chorus, chorus, then a repeat of the verse and pre-chorus, another chorus, and finally the outro. While the overall form is pop-inspired, I’m incorporating classical techniques like repetition, pedal points, and imitation to give the piece more depth and character.

I started experimenting with my arrangement by improvising different sections first, picking out ideas that stood out to me. I used the Steinway Grand Piano MIDI as the base sound while playing on my 88-key Yamaha digital piano with fully weighted keys. This session lasted around 50 minutes and involved lots of trial and error—stopping, replaying, and revisiting ideas. I took breaks between recordings to listen back to each draft before deciding which parts were worth keeping or building on for the final arrangement.

I spent about 40 minutes recording the rough arrangements I’ve chosen for my first piece, assigning each part to a specific section of the structure. It’s still mostly improvised, but I have a clearer idea now of the thematic material I want to develop as the piece builds. To keep things organised, I used colour-coding to differentiate between the initial improvisation drafts and the versions I’ve selected for the actual arrangement. I’m planning to use the bottom row of colours in my final output when I start layering in other instruments, with the first colour representing the piano. The rough length of the piece is about 5 minutes. Now I’m moving on to editing and refining the arrangement to establish it as the foundation for my first instrumental piece. Before adding any layering or background sound effects, I’ll be adjusting the structure—removing or adding certain parts to help the transitions between sections feel smoother and more cohesive. After listening back multiple times, I noticed that the intro and verse felt too long, while the chorus—usually the most prominent section—was too short. So I’ll be making some adjustments to improve the flow of the arrangement and, ideally, bring the total duration to under 5 minutes. While tidying up and organising the selected drafts, I decided on a tempo of 65 BPM and a 2/4 time signature. With that in place, I recorded a full version of the piano arrangement at tempo to lock everything in more clearly.

Since the arrangement was still a bit messy, I went through and refined each section one by one. Time check: 9PM. I spent a total of 3 hours (from 5PM to 9PM, with a 1-hour break in between) working on cleaning up the structure and starting a smoother version of the arrangement. It now flows much better and is sitting at around 4 minutes and 39 seconds. I’ve marked the refined version in bright pink for clarity. I’m planning to record the full version in one take tomorrow.

This section with the added piano layer turned out to be one of my favourite parts of the arrangement. At first, I wasn’t sure where it would fit, but it ended up working really well in the most intense part of the piece—where the music flows continuously from the repeated verse into the pre-chorus and then into the chorus, without any breaks. I’ve named the region “favourite part” for now, and I’ll figure out exactly how to fit it in tomorrow. (See below.)

####### Side Note ####### Piano Arrangement Approach: I always begin my compositions by creating a full piano arrangement as the foundation. Some of my musician friends prefer to start with lyrics, but for me, it always begins with an original, recurring musical theme that I want to carry throughout the piece. I usually follow that by writing a repeating bass line with only minimal changes, which allows more space for the right hand to move freely. From there, I start improvising until something clicks—something I feel is strong enough to include in the final version.

Interestingly, one of my lecturers once mentioned in class that we should always build a foundational arrangement first before layering in MIDI or audio instruments. That advice really aligned with my process. Starting with a solid piano arrangement gives me a clear structure to build on and opens up more creative freedom to experiment with layering, textures, and background sounds. It also helps me stay connected to the musical ideas that come to me more intuitively or subconsciously. ####### End of Side Note #######

Today, I spent around 5 hours working on my piece from 3 PM to 9 PM, with a 1-hour break in between. While the work is still in progress, I’m feeling good about the direction it’s taking. I plan to upload the finished track in the coming days. I would appreciate it if you could share any feedback or thoughts on my methodology. I’m always looking for ways to improve and grow as a musician!

Thank you all~

[horny-p0et]

sfw dadbur blurb

so sorry this second part took forever 🦭 anon, hope it was worth the wait! this was also sort of weird to write since i don't ever want kids lol. made this sort of vague, any gender and ages from infant to child. enjoy some cute fluffy stuffs, got a lot of writing in my drafts that should be coming soon enough :) askbox open for requests and anything else you wanna send my way.

nsfw dadbur here

warnings: none, just fluff c:

wordcount: 493

dont like, dni. please just block me and move on.

────୨ৎ────

taking any excuse to bring up his kid, even for the most minor reason. someone's eating icecream? he's telling a story about how they made a mess of some vanilla last night. a cute plushie in a storefront? he's bragging about his kid's impressive collection and love for stuff toys.

sings lullabies to them every night, sometimes with a guitar but usually with the baby cradled to his chest as he sings 'la vie en rose' until they fall asleep.

once they're big enough he tries to get them into music, they've always loved listening to him play and slapping their tiny fingers against the strings. ends up buying them their own ukulele when they're 5, practicing with them during his free time.

starts taking them to rehearsals, making sure they're wearing big headphones to keep their ears safe. smiling when he sees you two on the other side of the recording glass, distracting him from the chords he's supposed to be playing.

takes a million photos and videos of ever milestone or tiny moment. doesn't post any of them, but shows all his friends and family, he's endlessly proud of his baby.

while he's away on tour it breaks him, knowing he's missing crucial bonding moments. you remind him its his job, and he can facetime you guys anytime he wants, even to just say hi. sings and plays soft acoustic songs in videos to play for the baby when they ask for daddy.

cuddles you with a possessive hand on your tummy, thumb rubbing circles on the flesh as he quietly asks if you want to make your family a little bigger. he's an only child, and he likes the idea of having a big, loving family.

when baby two comes along, the first is starting primary school and growing up fast. watches with a dumb smile on his face as the older one teaches the toddler to play piano, although its more mashing keys awkwardly. but they're both giggling and laughing, and its probably a better song that he's ever written.

gets more protective of you after the pregnancies, keeping his arm or hand on you at all times. hates how much of the burden of housework you have to take care of due to his busy schedule. goes out of his way to pick up the slack when he's home, even if its just a night catching up on laundry while you sleep on the couch with the kids nuzzled up under each arm.

writes soft, acoustic songs he knows his kids can play even with their growing skills. encouraging them every step of the way as they grow attached to certain instruments and genres.

doubted if he could be a good dad, wasn't really sure how to do it and there isn't a rule book. but any doubts he has melted away when he held his baby the first time. everything made sense, and everything would be okay.

────୨ৎ────

taglist: @lillyspeakz@multifandomhallucinations@xxvalentinezxx@charlidog@bellelikesmcyt@heartofwritiing @imahugenerdlol (reply or send an ask to be added/removed)

[ourloveforgear]

an overview of paul's guitars

before we look into pauls gear, i want to make sure we all are aware that im talking about the guitars he used WITH interpol. ill add some notes on his other instruments at the end of this post.

[paul with his and daniels guitars]

LES PAUL CUSTOM

"I've owned my Les Paul Custom since high school... its all I pretty much use today."

from what i can tell, paul has two les pauls, and he uses them interchangeably. first, though, id like to do a quick spec overview. his guitars have an ebony finish, and seeing as this guitar was most likely acquired in the 90s, gibson 490r and 498t pickups. in almost every picture i see of his les pauls, it seems he or a guitar tech have switched out the stock gold bridge with a black one. im not a gibson expert, so im not sure of the exact model, but it looks to be a tune-o-matic style bridge. he also has removed the covers on the pickups of his guitar. another quick note, in photos from around 2004 to 2005, there is a square shaped hole cut clean through his piece of velcro on his les paul. this was done to hold his ebow during take you on a cruise. thats all the specs/mods to show, ill put some pictures highlighting the points ive gone over.

[a close up of one of pauls les pauls, 2015. note the bridge, and absence of pickup covers]

[what i thought was a hole turned out to be a piece of velcro]

[hole has been blocked/filled! may 21, 2005]

[early picture of paul, with his pickup covers still on. very modest]

JAGUAR

"The Jaguar actually came about specifically within Interpol because I had written a part in which I wanted whammy, and I don't like Les Pauls with Bigsbys."

from what i can deduce, i think this guitar is a fender american vintage jaguar from 2005-06, in black. paul hasnt done too many mods to this instrument, though their are a few changes, most importantly, the pickup swap. he changed the stock jaguar pickups to seymour duncan hot rails sometime after recording our love to admire. while this definitely changed the sound a bit, this was after OLTA, so i wont bother finding dates, as the songs the jaguar was likely used on wouldve been the stock single coils. next up, the pickguard. the american vintage jags in black came with a tortoise shell pickguard, but pauls has a black one. what gives? well, seeing as carlos' jazz bass came with a white guard, but that was switched to black, its not outlandish to believe that this was done by paul or his tech, to give the jag a darker look. paul also put tape on the guitars lower horns control switches, most likely to stop his hand from accidently hitting the switches, and changing his sound mid song.

[paul with his jaguar, before he swapped the pickups.]

[another pic before the pickup swap. note the tape on the control panel.]

[a later pic, where we can see he added MORE tape to the guitar, and after he swapped the pickups to hot rails.}

INTERMISSION

if you ask me, pauls les paul custom and jaguar are the two guitars youd definitively need to get his sound, and also the two guitars HE uses to get his sound. but what other guitars has paul used with interpol? lets see.

LES PAUL DELUXE

used during the TOTBL era, this guitar is sort of a mystery. for one, he didnt seem to favor it for certain songs, using his les paul custom and deluxe interchangeably for many songs, even playing full shows with his deluxe. secondly, from what ive seen, this instrument was NOT used after the TOTBL era. its probable that this instrument was either used on a few songs from TOTBL, and brought along on tour as a backup that paul just happened to really like and play alot, or it was rented for shows over seas. either way, its an interesting case.

[the mysterious gold top deluxe. wonder what song hes playing here?]

FLYING V

paul has stated that he thinks the flying v is the coolest looking guitar out there. to each their own, i guess. that doesnt matter, what matters is that he played this instrument in the barricade music video. he used this guitar at the end of the OLTA era, during the self titled era, and has rarely been seen with it after that. most likely has the same pickups as his les paul custom, but dont quote me on that.

[as long as he likes it.]

CONCLUSION

there is one more guitar i didnt bring up, so ill do it here now, and its his dave murray strat. he hasnt used it live with interpol, though it is seen in behind the scenes footage of el pintor. anyways, leave a comment if youd like me to cook up a list of what guitars i think were used on each song! i hope you enjoyed reading this, next up i think ill go over his amps and other equipment. till next time.

[Paul Banks.]

[kylorengarbagedump]

Playing Soldier: Chapter 8

Read on AO3. Part 7 here. Part 9 here.

Summary: You were thoroughly unaware of William Tavington's affinity for nature.

Words: 5000

Warnings: Some blood

Characters: William Tavington x Reader

A/N: Cowritten with @bastillia <3

HELLOOOO, welcome back to chapter 8 - back in the vicinity of our wonderful bastard and enjoying alone time with him <3

If you've not seen the extended version of The Patriot, you may be unaware of a few cut scenes of Tavington that expand a bit on this portion of his character - allow me to enlighten YOU to my favorite (for multiple reasons) -

Heart of a Villain

Regardless, we are so so grateful to your thoughts, input, engagement as always. It means so much to hear people's thoughts and reactions to what we write! Genuinely what any fanfic author strives for. We love you! <3

“Be still.”

Over the past two weeks in the field, you’d become extensively familiar with Benedict Goddard’s tendency to sit for treatment like a wiry cat. Today—as he arrived to the medic tent with a contusion to his forehead—was no different.

“Oh, please, please be careful with him!” Lottie called from beyond the canvas. “He’s tender, you know, he got such a knock on the head, please make sure—”

“Lottie,” you replied. “He’s in good hands, all right?”

“That’s right,” Goddard added, eyeing you with caution despite his attempt at reassurance. “Don’t fuss, sister.”

Normally, Lottie would have preferred to treat her own brother. But the excess of blood that had spilled from his brow, paired with the general excess of men currently occupying your tent sporting bayonet wounds, had turned her too green to volunteer.

“Funny for you to tell her not to fuss when you insist on squirming,” you mumbled.

He huffed, easing away from you. “You’re being rough, that’s why I’m squirming.”

First, of course, he’d have to cooperate.

“I'm not rough.” You chased his forehead with a cloth, dabbing hard at the split above his brow. “You’re sensitive.”

“Ah! Is that what you say to every soldier?” He winced. “That hurts! I’m an officer, you can’t just—”

“And I’m a nurse.” You frowned. “And officer you may be, but you’re not the only man in this tent needing treatment.”

As if on cue, another soldier groaned out in pain behind you. You craned around to see that one had removed the lint packing from his gunshot wound, which now spurted a crimson river down his leg.

“I told you to keep pressure on that, Evans,” you snapped, pointing, “or are you keen to lose the damned leg?”

You turned back to Goddard, swooping back in on him with the cloth. He yelped.

“Next time,” you said, finally revealing a bit of the wound’s edge through the blood, “perhaps you’ll think twice before engaging in a jousting match with a tree.”

“It wasn't a tree. Ow! It was a rebel. Bastard dragged me off my horse.”

You snorted. “Perhaps practice better riding, then.”

“No wonder everyone says you're so mean,” he grumbled.

“Mean?” You gawked. “What do you mean, ‘mean’?”

“You're just—ah—well, you're not exactly gentle, are you?”

You rolled your eyes. “I don't hear any complaints about wounds healing poorly.”

Goddard simply grumbled something about plenty of other complaints, and conceded to your efforts to make him hold the cloth in place himself while you considered the table of instruments beside you. There was still plenty of lint for staunching the bleeding, but…

Frowning, you glimpsed the wound over his eye. It was already bleeding through the cloth. The chances of a blood malady were higher than you'd like—and should that occur, the potential for him to lose his eye would multiply like rodents in spring. If he were Grace and you were a stranger, you'd want the stranger to do anything they could to prevent that.

The bottle of whiskey sang to you from the edge of the table. You picked it up.

“What are you playing at?” Goddard whimpered, beginning to recoil again. “You can’t very well amputate my head, so I can’t see any reason—”

“Stop being so theatrical,” you said, tipping some whiskey onto a fresh linen. “I’d be finished already if you weren’t making such a fuss.” You turned back to him, soaked cloth poised, and motioned for him to remove the soiled one from his head.

He clutched it in place protectively. “You’re mad.”

“Trust me.”

“No!”

You scoffed, patience rubbing thinner than an old billet. Your voice rose. “Ensign Goddard, remove the cloth.”

He ducked as you reached to snatch it from his brow, leaning away from your advance. You pursued.

“I’ll not let you mangle me with your—your speculative medicines!” He planted a hand on your hip to keep you at arm’s length. Redirecting, you reached to cup his cheek and forced his face back around to yours.

“I’ll mangle you with something else lest you—“

The tent flap flew open, letting in a gust of summer air.

“What’s this racket?”

Goddard stiffened. “Colonel, sir.”

You stalled. Without releasing Goddard, you turned to see Colonel Tavington standing in the middle of the tent, hands at rest behind his back, eyes glittering with irritation. His focus snapped to Goddard’s hand on your waist, then to your own hand on his cheek, the curl of your fingers along his jaw. Then he found your gaze. Swallowing, you threw Goddard off and straightened.

“Colonel,” you began, “I’m simply following what I know to be the best procedure for this particular type—”

“No, sir, she’s not!” Goddard said. “What she’s doing is madness—”

“—of wound, I’m preventing a blood malady—”

“—and doesn’t follow any standard of care—”

“—so his target-sized forehead heals properly!”

“—so if you could please just bring in my sister!”

Tavington stood, now staring straight between the both of you, like the tent wall would explain why the two worst people he’d ever met were both shouting him down. A slow breath left him, and he looked to Goddard.

“You’re correct, Ensign,” he said. “What she’s doing is madness.”

Your jaw dropped. You were going to kill him.

Goddard moved to scramble away. “Thank you, s—!”

“However.” Tavington paused, waiting for Goddard to settle back to where he’d been. “You shall allow her to do it.”

Or, perhaps, you wouldn’t.

He balked. “Wh… Colonel, she’s attempting to put alcohol on my—!”

“I am aware.” He turned to exit the tent.

“With respect, sir, if you’re so keen on her methods, why don’t you allow her to treat your wound?” Goddard said. “I saw you become well-acquainted with a bayonet.”

Tavington paused. “It’s nothing,” he replied. “You have your orders, Ensign.” He met your eyes briefly, his jaw tight. Then he disappeared behind the flap.

Chin raised toward the sky, you turned to Goddard, smiling. “Your orders, Ensign.”

Goddard glared at you, releasing the cloth from his forehead. “Just. Finish up.”

“As you wish.” Feeling a bit merciless in your vindication, you slapped the whiskey-drenched rag to his wound.

He screamed.

The rest of the afternoon passed as a red blur, pierced with the silver flash of a suture needle. By the time evening bruised the sky, you’d managed to make neat work of each man’s wounds, and your pulse had migrated to the raw, aching pads of your fingertips.

It was remarkable, based on the carnage, that no man had been killed outright in the morning’s fray. Even more remarkable perhaps that none had bled out in your tent. Part of that could be attributed to your sheer determination to keep the casualty count at zero. If nothing else, simply to prove that you could.

All that was left now was to wait for your handiwork to pay off in perfect healing. You knew that it would. But that didn’t stop the claws of fatigue that raked you from scalp to toes as you sank down beside the cooking pot and glanced across at the group of women seated in a circle, their backs like a fortress wall to you.

The handful of wives that Tavington had permitted to follow camp were sitting down to supper, several of them patting and cooing at a very pale Lottie who stared into her bowl as if it were one hundred yards deep. To her credit, she had tried to help—while fighting through fainting spells to do so—but she’d tried.

You sighed, poured yourself a bowl of stew and, after ensuring the cooking pot was empty, commandeered it. You’d finish your meal later. Since you’d forced the last of your alder bark decoction down a soldier’s throat earlier in the day, you needed to start on another batch. First you needed to gather water and start a boil, so you hauled it down to the river.

The interaction you’d had with Tavington today had been the most meaningful you’d had since your decision to join his legion. In fact, you couldn’t think of a single word you’d exchanged with him after he’d left the hospital. It made his behavior today all the more strange. It was clear he trusted you—even valued your skill with his men—but all he seemed capable of doing to communicate that fact was to stare at you.

You waddled back to camp once your pot was full from the river, water sloshing over the lip. It was frustrating enough to meet Tavington’s eyes over and over again, a bid toward connection that he reflexively denied, but even more so to do it in a daily crowd of strangers. The longer it had gone on, the stronger the impulse became to know exactly what possessed his thoughts.

You hated that.

Sighing, you hung the pot over the fire, became its sentry as it waited to boil.

Is this all a man had to do in order to arouse your interest—your desire? Thrust his hard cock against your thigh and then refuse to willingly speak to you ever again?

If only the boys at church had known.

You sorted through your pockets. There were still a few ingredients you wanted to gather before the day was out, but it could wait.

Reluctantly, you admitted that your draw to him went beyond physical hunger. William Tavington was perhaps the only man who to you seemed unreadable; the only man to incite your curiosity. He was certainly the only man besides your father who had ever acknowledged your capabilities, and he’d only needed to meet you a single time. Since then, he’d never underestimated you again.

It infuriated you.

Tiny bubbles gathered in the belly of the pot.

It electrified you.

Grumbling to yourself, you measured out what you needed from your supplies. You supposed it wasn’t important what you thought of William Tavington, or what he thought of you. What simmered between you would never be given heat. You were on two opposing sides of a war, each with a life’s investment in the other’s annihilation. Even if he were a different man—the kind of man you could gift with your virginity and not feel traitorous—anything between you would wither and rot in the blood-soaked earth under your shared bed.

You hummed, tossing in handfuls of bark as the pot burbled to a boil.

“Brewing new concoctions already?” said one of the wives—the one named Alice, you realized—tossing a look over her shoulder. “Was yesterday’s batch not sufficient enough for you?”

“Decoctions,” you said, glancing up at her. “And no. I ran out today, in fact.” Had she not noticed the wounded men wobbling in en masse?

Alice frowned, scrunching her little golden locks into her bonnet. “How much of that stuff are you using on our soldiers?”

“I'm using whatever I feel sufficient or appropriate for the issue presented to me,” you replied.

“And where did you receive training on these methods?” Her voice seemed a little strained. “I don't remember seeing a physician ever use these… I don't know, soups?”

Lottie offered a weak grin, sitting forward. “Alice, she just treated your husband today, aren't you glad for that?”

“Perhaps! Perhaps not,” she said. “We don't know where she's getting these ingredients she uses—”

“Yes, you do,” you replied, an edge entering your tone. “You physically watch me gather them.”

“But they could still cause disease!” Alice sat up straighter, gesturing to the other wives. “You've treated half of our husbands today and with practices that doctors don't even use.”

An involuntary laugh escaped you, and you gave her a restrained smile. “And because of that, half of your husbands will keep both their feet out of an early grave.”

“Lottie, didn't she put whiskey on Benedict’s eye?” said Alice. “You're telling me you don't think that's dangerous?”

“No,” Lottie said, her face reddening instantly. “No, I trust her, she's very good—”

Alice scoffed, turning to her meal. “Then you're both mad!”

With a slow breath, you reined in your instinct to grab the pot from the fire and dump the water over Alice’s head. How would Grace handle this? You considered: The day had been long, the men returning injured had been stressful. It was far more likely that Alice’s love for her husband was inspiring her current outburst than any real animosity for you.

Perhaps she just needed reassurance.

“Alice, it's been a trying day, and I know you were frightened to see your husband wounded. I understand how you feel,” you said, though you couldn't begin to understand her hostility towards the person helping her stupid husband. “But please know that I wouldn't attempt anything on him that I wouldn't attempt on someone I loved—”

“But you don't love anyone!” Alice stood, her bowl clattering to the ground. “You don't understand how I feel! You're not married and never have been, and if you think I'm going to let my husband die from an illness brought on by witch remedies made by some… some spinster—”

You shot to your feet. “You know what—”

Lottie gasped. “Alice!”

“—next time, I'll do you a favor and let your husband’s foot rot like your fetid womb!”

Another gasp, this time from the other wives who otherwise sat in silence, their stares dancing between you and Alice. Lottie’s jaw had snapped shut, her face the color of a ripe apple. Alice glared at you, her eyes wet and furious, her mouth parted.

You exhaled, glancing at the ground. So much for emulating Grace. “I should go,” you said, backing away. “I must… um, I must… go.”

Turning on your heel, you escaped the group of women and rushed into the field beyond camp.

The sun was in its Midas hour, grass gilded and sky shimmering from its touch. Without the heat, the air had softened from wool to silk, and you relished it as you breathed. Every exhale released some frustration, albeit with the efficacy of a chisel to a boulder—a boulder that seemed ever-burgeoning since you’d met Tavington, a boulder that laughed at the Sisphyean efforts of your chisel.

You hiked your skirts to your ankles, taking long strides toward the valley where you knew you’d find wildflowers. There was the alder bark that needed gathering, of course, but you also wanted to dig into some dandelion.

Hopefully, by the time you returned this evening, Alice would be calmed. You knew you’d have to apologize, even if you weren’t really sorry. There was no reason to cause everyone to hate you.

You stepped down a length of stone, turning the corner of a hill into the valley, and stopped.

There, in your precious field of dandelions, stood William Tavington.

He’d discarded most of his regalia, his jacket hanging open as he surveyed the landscape. You swallowed, forcing your eyes to focus on the flowers instead of how the sun silhouetted him in aurelian splendor. Or, at least, you tried. And failed spectacularly.

For a moment you began to turn away, but your feet fastened roots into the ground. You weren’t going to let him drive you off—you needed those dandelions, and you certainly weren’t going back to camp. Holding your breath, you crept toward him, hoping you could grab what you needed without alerting him.

Tavington crouched, examining the patch of wild violet at his feet. A soft breath left him, his face so absent of malice that it appeared angelic. His thumb stroked the stem of one of the blossoms, following the fragile formation of the leaves until he reached the flower. Head tilting, he traced the outline of the petals with a tenderness that paralyzed you.

You couldn’t keep watching him. You shook off whatever demon had temporarily gripped you and reached for a batch of dandelion, grabbing it whole. Gaze trained on Tavington, you tested once, twice, and yanked the bunch free with a quiet crack.

His head snapped up. He twisted around.

You froze.

Tavington stood, glaring as if you’d caught him bathing. “Taken to stalking through the grass like a wild animal now, have you?”

You rose to your feet as well, back straight to match his. “Hardly.”

“Perhaps you can explain why you appear to be stalking through the grass like a wild animal, then,” he said, gesturing to the debris stuck to the hem of your skirt.

“I’m—” You shook your head, since your presence was far more explainable than his. “What are you even doing out here?”

“What do I appear to be doing?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, admiring the flowers?”

Tavington said nothing, his brows raising in response, as if this was a perfectly typical activity for him.

If it was, you hardly had enough insight on him to know. But the grass seeds stuck to the soles of his boots, the affection with which he’d regarded the violets—perhaps William Tavington still had the capacity to surprise you. Realizing you’d been staring, you held up the flowers in your hands.

“I… I came to gather dandelions.”

He stepped back, inviting you to scavenge the stretch of them at his feet. You waited, perhaps for him to yield more ground, or to leave. He did neither. Heat building in your cheeks, you knelt down, beginning to pull stalks from the ground, wiggling to see if any of the roots would pry free. You felt his eyes following your hands, studying the way they moved. More heat, this time down the back of your neck.

The roots were well-buried—you’d need to dig them free. Grunting, you stuffed your fingers into the dirt, flinging fistfuls into the air to reveal your quarry.

Tavington side-stepped one of the scatterings. “Is that necessary?”

“It is, actually,” you grumbled. Yet another criticism of your methods. “Different parts of the plant have different properties.” You cleared a net of roots from the ground, trying to ignore the pressure of his gaze as he watched you.

“How so?” he asked.

You paused, wondering if you’d heard him correctly. Tentatively, you glanced up and met with eyes the color of clear lakes, gleaming whiskey in the light. For a moment, you forgot to breathe.

You cleared your throat, breaking his gaze. “Well.” Nodding toward the leaves in your hand, you continued, “For example, the leaves work well for reducing inflammation. Far better than bloodletting, from my observations. And, ah, the roots can help sustain a balance of the humors.”

Looking back down to your hands, you resumed plucking and separating the plant by parts, a strange, almost self-conscious heat rising to meet the scalding beam of his attention.

“And the flowers?”

You stopped again, snapping back up to look at him before you could stop yourself. Distrust settled over you like a cobweb, spun in the wake of Alice’s venom and every other insult that you’d already had to deflect today. Was that all this was, too? Did he simply mean to try and humiliate you? To punish you for disrupting his solitude?

“Forgive me, Colonel,” you said, narrowing your eyes, “but as I find myself unable to discern the nature of your interest in a topic for which you have previously expressed such ardent disdain, I must inform you that I’ll not entertain further ridicule.”

“You are implementing these remedies on my men,” he said, his voice filling with an authority that made the hair on your nape stand straight. “To the effect of considerable skepticism among them. You will therefore answer any query of mine regarding these practices, and you will answer it fully and truthfully without insolence.”

Your teeth locked together. So his meditation in nature hadn’t quelled the more irascible parts of him that you’d come to know so well. In some absurd way, that comforted you. This version of William Tavington was far more familiar. Far more predictable.

Your chin jutted forward. His eyes flashed.

Yes, this was how things should be.

“The flowers,” he repeated. “Their properties. Tell me.”

A short exhale left your lips. “They make a lovely wine,” you said, exhaustion driving you to redirect your frustrations upon another firmly-rooted plant rather than engage him in battle. “The entire plant is edible. It can supplement our rations, medicinal properties aside.”

“Hm.”

He continued to observe as you worked more dandelions from the earth. He did not ridicule you. He did not needle you further for a fight. For a moment, you half expected that he might turn and walk away.

“Where did you learn this?” he asked, breaking a silence that had spanned several minutes.

You blinked, sitting back on your heels to regard him. Once again, the bile had retreated from his gaze, leaving only a whisper of curiosity across the otherwise placid plane of his brow.

As you observed him, something deep in your belly kindled slowly to life. Something that felt hot and terrifying and good, like the first time you’d discovered your own climax. It swelled, threatened to burst at the recognition of his interest. At the possibility of his sincere trust in your skill, of his presumable willingness to defend you in the face of his own men’s misgivings. Your heart throbbed in your throat and between your legs.

“My, uh, mother,” you said, popping more flower heads from their stems. “She taught me some of it. Before she died.” Brushing the roots clean, you stuffed them away. “The rest I’ve learned through testing my own hypotheses. Extending my knowledge through practice and evidence.”

“And your father?” he asked. “He encouraged this?”

“Very much so.” You scooted forward to start on a new patch of dandelions. Tavington slid his foot back, yielding you access. “Grace was often poorly as a child,” you continued, fingers piercing the earth. “Physicians weren’t exactly in abundance.”

A quiet, thoughtful noise left him. “So you came to spurn their practices.”

“Not at all.” You frowned, peering up at him.

A tiny flash of confusion marred his brow, clearing as fast as it had come. You wrestled against the inexplicable tug of a smile, turning back to your work to hide it and clearing your throat.

“Whenever my father would go to Charlotte,” you said, “he would bring back all sorts of books and pamphlets for me. Anything he could find on the topic of medicine. I employed the latest scholarship on suturing just today on your men, as it were.”

Tavington hummed. “And the latest scholarship on whiskey?” he said. “Do enlighten me.”

Though his tone bore no rancor, you struggled not to sag. Why was this everyone’s sticking point? As if some physicians didn’t use leeches, which was objectively more questionable. You sighed.

“The evidence for its efficacy is irrefutable, Colonel, you’ve seen it yourself.” You dug up a root with a bit more force than necessary. “The same cannot be said for some modern practices.”

Your skin felt like molten iron on your bones, too hot and too heavy. You wanted to peel it free and dunk yourself in a freezing river, rid yourself of this feeling that you’d exposed your innards to him. Whatever had bedeviled you to flay yourself in thin layers for his derision, you needed to find it and squash it to a paste beneath your shoe.

“Such as bloodletting,” he murmured.

Your hands stilled, the breath evaporating from your chest. For the second time, you questioned whether you’d misheard him. Whether it was your own mind’s fabrication that he had somehow actually listened to you, actually heeded your opinions at some point over the course of these past weeks.

You gazed up at him, and his attention moved from your hands to your face.

“Yes,” you replied. “Such as bloodletting.”

The warmth in your chest returned, like a fire granting respite from the bitter, lonely winter. It suffocated you—this man was no hearth. He was the winter, he was the icy, unforgiving cold. Finding belonging here was akin to finding belonging in the belly of a blizzard. The thought twisted your insides. Why was he offering you interest when he’d spent the past weeks staring from afar?

You sat up, abandoning the plant beneath your hands, and looked at him squarely.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you said, head tilting.

Tavington tensed, his focus darting between your hands and eyes again. “I hardly consider you important enough to avoid.”

Your eyes narrowed. “And yet it’s almost certainly what you’ve been doing since Charleston.”

He snorted. “Name it avoidance if you wish. Duplicitous agitators require surveillance,” he replied. “As of now, your motives remain unidentified after your unanticipated presence at the hospital.”

“Unanticipated?” You folded your arms over your chest. “Did you expect me to just sit in the Goddards’ home until you returned?”

“I expected you to escape at the first opportunity.”

You blinked. Then snorted. “And go where? Back to Catawba, so you could hunt me down, burn my house, and string my sister up in front of me in retribution?”

Tavington’s brows rose slightly. “Do you believe yourself deserving of such a punishment?”

You rolled your eyes. “Do you deny that such a punishment would have been visited upon me, should I deserve it or not?”

He shrugged, glancing at the dandelions still in your lap. “I do not.”

“Of course.” You almost wanted to laugh, if it weren’t so clear to you that both of you continued to fail at reading the other’s next move for reasons you still could not grasp. “Have I defied your expectations sufficiently enough while being here to have warranted my release?”

Tavington clucked his tongue. “If you’re asking whether I trust your commitment to the Crown, the answer is no.”

Sighing, you started to grab some of the fluffy dandelions around you. “I imagine there’s very little I could do to earn that anyway.”

“Not distracting my men would be a start.”

“Dis—” The wind rushed by you, exploding one of the dandelion clocks into your clothes and hair. You sputtered and wagged your head before beginning to pat yourself free of seeds. “Distracting your men?”

“Your relations,” he said, as if it were obvious. “With the ensign.”

You frowned, picking more of the seeds from your shoulders. “The…” Ensign. He couldn’t have been serious. “Goddard?” you balked. “He’s barely seventeen!”

Tavington examined his fingernails before gazing off into the horizon. “I make no assumptions about your predilections.” He returned his attention to you. “I simply observed that you and he were very close.”

“He was being very belligerent, that’s why.” You stood to brush the fluff from your skirt. “I’m not—I have no interest in the ensign.” With a huff, you tried to bat the remaining bits from around your face. “Not that it matters whom I have interest in. I’m my own woman and free to associate with whomever I choose.”

“Perhaps,” he replied, taking a step toward you. “But my concern stands.”

“I fail to see why such a thing should concern you at all.” You raised your chin.

“Because I require my men to be sound of mind and body,” he said. “And any sort of association with you would rend a man like Goddard into ribbons.”

“Ribbons?” A sharp, mocking laugh escaped you. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Pray, then advise me as to the sort of man suitable for me to associate with.”

“One experienced in taming vicious creatures.”

His focus was a blade, penetrating your chest. You went to speak, your mouth parted—but stalled. Your thighs pressed together. You stopped attempting to pull what you thought were the last flyers from your hair. Finally, you inhaled.

“I need to be tamed, do I?” you managed to say.

He took another step. “Moreso than any creature I've encountered.”

In the sun’s embrace, he was luminous, every hair on his cheek filtered through with flame. You could only watch as he reached toward your face, his hand floating toward your hair. Time slowed. The pad of his thumb, as gently as it had skimmed the violet petals, grazed the shell of your ear. You inhaled a shaky breath, your nipples tightened, and you suppressed the tremble that ricocheted through you.

Tavington plucked the two remaining seeds that had nestled into your hair and released them to the breeze. He paused, looking from his fingers to you, stepping back in disbelief as he seemed to come back into his body. Your eyes fluttered, drifted across his face, caught the rusted splotch at his clavicle. The wound Goddard had mentioned. It was obvious he hadn’t treated it at all.

“You…” You swallowed thickly. “You should really allow me—” You reached for his chest.

His gaze widened. He retreated another step, snatching your wrist mid-air before tossing it away like he’d grabbed a hot iron. His jaw stiffened, and he exhaled sharply.

“I said before that it’s nothing,” he growled. “And it is.”

He shouldered past you, stalked through the field to return to camp. You stood, baffled, eyes trailing him as he left. His fingers flicked in and out of a fist as he walked, like he wanted to cleanse himself of your touch.

The dandelions felt heavy in your pockets. Drawing your forearm across your brow, you realized you still needed to collect alder bark. And attend to what you’d left in the pot. You turned, heading toward the woods, the tip of your ear tingling until the sun finally set.

[luvtonique]

I wanted to show a little bit of my process for making music in a sort of "How it started vs how it's going" manner.

Top: This is just me coming up with the leitmotif for the song and singing it into a mic. Little tune popped into my head so I recorded it in Audacity, then I went and removed a few hiccups where my mic fucked up, and removed SOME of the background scratches. I also ran out of breath part way through and removed some dead air to keep the tempo.

Bottom: After converting my voice to instruments by jamming it through Suno a bunch of times, I downloaded that and changed the tempo in Audacity, I then put it into FruityLoops and added a little piano backing track, then saved that and jammed that back into Suno. I created multiple covers in multiple different musical genres until I had one that sounded good, then I spent the last 5 hours writing lyrics and trying to get a good flow to the song.

And that's more or less how I make my music. I'll make a full blown video guide for it eventually for anyone who wants to know how you can go from A to B here.

Here them lyrics is.

[randomsporefacts]

other sort of interesting cc demo locales

Categorynames.locale is rather scattered, but it has names for the editors and stages. curiously it calls them "phases". double line breaks removed for length

the same file in final only lists editor names, the stages (which ARE stages this time), and comments which confirm that this is actually used for the ingame spore guide!

the cc demo had a LOT more spore guide pages for whatever reason

-

CE.locale in the cc demo includes some unused stat string

which also is mentioned in the tooltips, also blanked out. what was this going to be? these descriptions are rather old too and are not present in the final CE.locale, which mostly just has page names

#Stat Bar Tooltips 0x00000011 Speed: Add feet with higher speed scores ~br~ or add more legs and feet to make your ~br~ creature move faster. You might need ~br~ to get away from nasty Predators! 0x00000012 Stealth: Add feet or detail parts with ~br~ stealth scores to enable your creature ~br~ to sneak past other species. 0x00000013 Health: Add parts with health scores ~br~ to increase the number of blows your ~br~ creature can absorb in battle. 0x00000014 Social: Add parts with social skills like ~br~ sing, pose, charm or dance to ~br~ befriend other creatures. Friends can ~br~ help you evolve by giving you parts ~br~ and other rewards. 0x00000015 DELETED 0x00000016 Attack: Add parts with attack skills ~br~ like bite, strike, charge or spit to ~br~ increase the damage you inflict in ~br~ battle.

-

the only difference in citymusic.locale is that it says "0x04d15452 Pick instrument for anthem" instead of "0x04d15452 Pick an instrument"

CreatureGame.locale mentions a nest pie menu! which is interesting, its not like final at all!

# nest pie menu 0xb32fc569 Heal at Nest 0x932fc57f Edit Creature 0xf32fc58e Upgrade Nest 0x04a44270 Claim Nest

also it has this which isnt in final either at all! which is various strings for socializing wih creatures that say what their reactions to your performance were. the final has the social text messages comment but nothing below it

# Social text messages # Messages when you win solo 0xb3e187b5 ~originalSpecies~ love to ~ability~ 0xb3e187b6 ~originalSpecies~ think ~ability~ is ok but yours is very impressive 0xb3e187b7 ~originalSpecies~ do not like ~ability~ but your ~ability~ is impressive 0xb3e187b8 ~originalSpecies~ don't even know how to ~ability~ but yours is impressive # Messages when you win with a pack 0x0530771d ~originalSpecies~ love to ~ability~ 0x0530771e ~originalSpecies~ think ~ability~ is ok but your pack's ~ability~ is impressive 0x0530771f ~originalSpecies~ do not like ~ability~ but your pack's ~ability~ is impressive 0x05307720 ~originalSpecies~ cannot ~ability~ but your pack's ~ability~ has impressed them #Messages when you lose 0x05307730 ~originalSpecies~ love to ~ability~ but your ~ability~ is too low level 0x05307731 ~originalSpecies~ are not that impressed by ~ability~ 0x05307732 ~originalSpecies~ do not like ~ability~. 0x05307733 ~originalSpecies~ don't know how to ~ability~ #Messages when you lose with a pack 0x05307740 ~originalSpecies~ love to ~ability~ but your ~ability~ was too low level 0x05307741 ~originalSpecies~ think ~ability~ is ok 0x05307742 ~originalSpecies~ do not like ~ability~ 0x05307743 ~originalSpecies~ don't know how to ~ability~

-

relationships.locale is rather different, with weird capitalization compared to final, and it reads kind of placeholdery. for example compare these civ lines

space and civ both have more strings added too, not tribe but those are unused anyways (though they did change the capitalization)

for the most part. final carries over some of the weird capitalization with "You agreed to help Us" in space and "You attacked Us" in tribe

-

timeline.locale literally only has this in the cc demo. final has this too (im not sure its even used??), but added a lot more things to it

like the stage names, strings for methods for obtaining more progress towards the next stage (or finishing the bar in space stage), tooltips for events in timelines, the years in the top right, AND the loading screen text wihch is also in timeline.locale for some reason (no reticulating spines in ccc demo…)

-

0xD1726890.locale is sort of interesting

in final this is literally the only string in it

#Used in verb icon rollover (as in "Bite - Level 2") 0x04ACE6B0 Level

[y2klostandfound]

Space Channel 5 Part 2 on Dorimaga Magazine (2002-02 Vol.2) (Video game magazine) (08/02/2002)

Translation in English:

(Page 80)

Dorimaga Special Report - DC PS2:

Video Game Consoles : Dreamcast / Playstation 2

Scheduled to be released: February 14th

Completely: 100%

Price:

Dreamcast: 5,800 Yen Dreamcast(Special Edition Pack): 9,000 Yen Playstation 2: 5,800 Yen

Genre - ETC (Musical Action Adventure) Manufacturer:Sega/United Game Artists Players: 1-2 Number of discs: 1 URL: http://www.u-ga.com/

Controllers/Memory Cards PS2: DualShock 2, trance vibrator compatible, memory card 161KB. DC: 5 blocks of memory used (VMU), Purupuru pack support

Online Shop:The DC version is exclusive to D-DIRECT.

The actors are ready!

New and rare characters will appear one after another!( planned)

It's finally here! Space Channel 5 Part 2 has been finally completed, and it is more powerful and more polished than its previous installment! Enjoy the spectacular space opera featuring Ulala, a reporter who can sing and dance, Pudding, Jaguar, and other new characters!

Ulala, her rivals, and the enemy characters are revealed one after another! The actors are finally coming together! Preparations are steadily underway for the Valentine's Day event on February 14 (Rumor has it that it has already been completed!?). Anyway, please look forward to the greatly enhanced "SC5"!

Dancing and showing off! - Dance battle

The rules are familiar, Using the enemy's dance as a model, let's make Ulala dance. This time, there is a person who has a deep interest in life....! ?

Shoot and shoot! - Shooting Battle

In the shooting battle, A ( X ) button shootin toward the number that comes up! When the assistant appears, use the B ( O ) button to withdraw him or her!

New! And now easier to play!

Charge Input

One of the new commands for dance removal is this charge input.You can press and hold the button for the length of the "chu~~" or "he~~~y". Be careful not to press it for too long! In addition to the buttons, you can also use the directional keys!

Chu~~ (Hold for Long)

Chu! (Hold on)

Musical Instrumental  Battle

It is a battle using musical instruments. In any scene, all input is OK if you press the arrow key ↓.Since you have to press up, down, left, and right to enter, you will need a more elegant input! But fun!

Direction key ↓ to Play!

Sing and Battle

This time, there is also a scene where a song is inserted in the interval before! In the song part, a karaoke-like character band appears. You don't have to enter the command, but you have to be careful with the timing. It is a scene that makes you feel the excitement of the musical!

Sing, dance and key in!

The system of imitating the enemy's dance is the same, but part of it has evolved!The B( X ) button peep for rescue is now "Hey! to make it easier to teach!

B Button Peep X Button Peep to "Hey!"

PINE

A Space Police Chief of the Eastern Galaxy District, who appear with a theme song composed by herself, She was born on June 5 and her blood type is A. How will she be punished for her sexy (language) personality, who wasn't seen in the previous work!?

(Page 81)

The number of modes has also increased, and the situation is UP!

In this "Part 2", not only the story mode, but also some fun modes have been added. Like the previous work, this work is designed so that you can play it as many times as you like, but you can also enjoy dance battles in a different form! Also, two players can now play together. The rules are simple, with each person in charge of the directional keys and buttons, but it is difficult unless the two of you are in sync with each other! And there are costumes that you can only get if you complete the game. So, let's start looking for a partner now!

1P GAME/2P GAME

This is the mode in which you play the story.  The game is now in full polygon, and the camera work and direction are even more elegant! I think you will be even more impressed than in the previous game, so please enjoy it! There is also a 2P mode with separate directional keys and buttons!

Ulala Dance

This is a new mode in which you answer 100 consecutive dance questions! You only get one chance, and you can't miss a series of tensions!If you answer correctly a specific number of times in a row, you will receive a Ulala costume!

Profiles

This is a mode where you can see the profiles of the characters that appeared and the characters that you rescued, which was also in the previous game.The goal is not only to complete the game, but also to win the game, which actually hides various secrets!

Dressing Room

In this mode, you can change Ulala's costume. Wear the costumes you can play each mode and set off on a revival! In addition to clothes, accessories such as microphones can also be changed!

February 14 Start on air!

REPORT 1 - Ulala Again! in Space Ship (Ulala Back in Action!)

Dancing troupe suddenly attacked!

The galactic universe, which has been at peace since the resolution of the previous incident, is now in the grip of evil once again! The spaceship Space Symphony has been taken over by the "Dancing Troupe (Rhythm Rouges)" that appeared out of nowhere! Space Channel 5 was the first to catch wind of this and sent Ulala to the scene to take on the Dance Troupe (Rhythm Rouges)!

Reported by Ulala in a new outfit! Nostalgic characters such as Space Japanese and Space Grandma also appear!

What is the purpose of the Dancing Troupe (Rhythm Rouges) that is taking away the dozen or so passengers one after another by making them dance!? And who is the person named Purge who explores it!?

SHADOW - Action expulsion that imprisons the attack of the Dancing Troupe (Rhythm Rouges). I've seen his deep voice and sharp dance somewhere! ?

Ulala-san! It's time to go!

REPORT 2 - Green Fear in Space Park (Nature's Revenge!)

Save the president!

President Peace, who was invited to a children's music festival at Space Park, was kidnapped by someone! Ulala heads for an emergency report in a field shaken by the outbreak of a major incident! She is confronted by the dancing troupe (Rhythm Rouges) again and Pudding from Channel 42 will challenge you to a guitar match with your pride as a space reporter!

It is a transformation in which children are caught in a plant that suddenly starts to move. Let's bring back everyone's smiles!

 Appearing in the floating garden (Fountain Square) is her eternal (?) rival, Pudding. Can she win her first guitar competition?

PUDDING

A familiar reporter (former idol) from Space Channel 42. She has a rivalry with Ulala again, and appears at various places with her bodyguards!

PEACE

He is a space president who can sing and dance, working day and night to bring happiness to the entire galaxy!

(Page 82)

Enchanted full polygon ♡

In the previous game, polygon characters were superimposed on the background of the movie, but this time the background is also full polygon! This makes the camera work and directing really fun. Also, the rescued people now have facial expressions, which adds to the enchantment of Ulala. In particular, the DC version has evolved so much that it's hard to believe it's the same hardware! Technological advances are truly amazing!

 Enjoy one parade after another! Play the game and experience the excitement!

Enchanted full polygon 1: The camera work is amazing!

The biggest change in full polygon is the camera work! In addition to moving, the dance battle between Ulala and the enemy, and the angle when the key characters appear, are very elaborate! Please take a look at the moving screen!

Enchanted full polygon 2: The production is also amazing!

Production other than camera work is also powered up! Various effects are now included depending on the play. For example, if the battle results are good, the rescuer will cheer up Ulala, and special camera work will be included. On the other hand, if your performance is low, you will get ......

The DC and PS2 versions are different!

There is almost no difference in content between the DC version and the PS2 version. However, if you are worried about having both hardware, Please look at this page for more information!

"Channel 5" is still DC (Dreamcast)! The DC version is exclusive to D-DIRECT, but a limited edition with headphones and a galaxy pouch will also be released! If you pre-order, you will also receive a galaxy (alarm) clock

Furthermore, only DC can be seen with beautiful graphics using VGA!

Trance vibrator compatible!

The PS2 version will bounce with a trance vibrator following "Rez"! You can also adjust the volume of BGM (Background Music) and SE (Sound Effect), which is not available in the DC version!

Vibrator support would be nice! You can also get the Galaxy (alarm)clock if you pre-order the PS2 version.

♪We are "The Dancing Troupe" ("We are known as the Rhythm Rogues")♪

The enemies that appear in place of the Moro aliens this time are the members of "The Dancing Troupe(Rhythm Rouges)". A mysterious dancing group led by a mysterious leader, Mr. Purge! A number of violent acts that make people dance with innocent people! As you progress through the story, you may find out what they are doing wrong! ?

ROBO (RHYTHM ROBOT)

A member of a Dancing Troupe (Rhythm Rouges). Accompanied by Shadow, it shoots at various places. it has the innocence to act without judging what has been harmed. it shoots dancing radio wave beams from its eyes.

PURGE

The leader of a Dancing Troupe(Rhythm Rouges) that dances in the shadows. He's always a silhouette when he appears, and no one knows who he really is. He seems to be plotting something by making the people of the world dance.

SHADOW

Action captain of the Dancing Troupe(Rhythm Rouges) . He takes care of the robots and takes the people who made them dance away on a transport boat. His trademark is a red muffler that stays on regardless of gravity.

[klimkovsky]

Open star cluster Messier 7, also known as the Ptolemy Cluster

Open star cluster Messier 7, is drawn by the Grok AI

Messier 7, also known as M7, the Ptolemy Cluster, or NGC 6475, is an open star cluster in the constellation Scorpius. Here's some key information about M7:

Basic Information:

Type: Open Star Cluster

Constellation: Scorpius

Catalog Numbers: Messier 7, NGC 6475

Right Ascension: 17h 53m 51.2s

Declination: -34° 47' 34"

Distance: Approximately 980 light-years from Earth

Physical Characteristics:

Age: Estimated to be about 200 million years old.

Number of Stars: Contains roughly 80 to 100 stars, with some estimates going up to several hundred.

Diameter: The cluster spans about 25 light-years across. Visually, it covers about 80 arcminutes, making it one of the larger and more prominent open clusters in the sky.

Visual Appearance:

Magnitude: M7 has an apparent magnitude of about 3.3, making it visible to the naked eye under good viewing conditions. It's one of the brighter objects in the Messier catalog.

Color: The stars in M7 vary in color, with many being blue and white, indicative of hotter, younger stars.

Historical Observations:

Discovery: M7 was one of the first objects known to ancient astronomers. It was cataloged by Ptolemy in his "Almagest" around 130 AD, thus sometimes called the Ptolemy Cluster.

Messier Catalog: Charles Messier added it to his catalog in 1764 as M7.

Observing M7:

Visibility: It's best observed in the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere or the late spring/early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when Scorpius is well placed in the evening sky.

Telescopic Observation: With binoculars or a small telescope, M7 resolves into a beautiful cluster of stars, with many individual stars visible even in modest instruments.

Scientific Significance:

Study of Star Formation: Open clusters like M7 are crucial for understanding stellar evolution since all stars within such a cluster formed at roughly the same time from the same molecular cloud.

Astrophysical Research: Measurements of the brightness and color of stars in M7 help in determining their ages, distances, and evolutionary paths.

Source: Grok AI

Addition to brief information from AI

In the middle northern latitudes, the Ptolemy cluster is not observable. There, it either does not rise or does not rise to a height sufficient for confident visibility. And only starting from the latitude of the subtropics can it be observed with light optics, and even further south - in the tropical zone of the northern hemisphere - with the naked eye.

Claudius Ptolemy conducted his observations from Egyptian Alexandria. And more northern astronomers of antiquity did not notice this cluster. Because its integral brightness - 3m - decreased significantly as it approached the horizon due to atmospheric absorption.

A small remark regarding the number of stars in this cluster

There are about a hundred identified participants. Why do astronomers talk about several hundred stars possibly included in the cluster?

Because for the stable existence of a cluster of 25 light years (moreover, the radius of gravitational dominance for this cluster is estimated at 40 light years), its mass must be at least 800 solar masses. On average, each visible star must have a mass of about 10 solar masses, and this is a fairly large mass - the mass of a supergiant star. But such are not observed in the cluster - there are mainly stars of medium masses and luminosities. Consequently, a significant part of the cluster is represented by dwarf stars, like the Sun or less massive.

By the way, if we place our Sun at a distance of 1000 light years (approximately this distance is removed from us by the Ptolemy cluster), then without taking into account the absorption of light by the interstellar medium, it would have only 13 stellar magnitude, and such stars - background and not only - in the visible limits of this cluster are a great number. But the amount of light absorption in the direction of the center of the Galaxy (and this is the direction we are looking when observing the Ptolemy cluster) is significant. And the main part of the stellar population of the cluster is most likely weaker than the 15th stellar magnitude. All objects of such brightness have not yet been studied by astronomers.

But astronomers have studied the distribution of stars by mass in open clusters, from which we can draw a simple conclusion: If we observe a certain number of bright and clearly visible stars in a particular open cluster, then most likely the total number of all stars in the cluster is at least 10 times greater.

New image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, shows the bright star cluster Messier 7, aka NGC 6475

Image source