#and also installing of a new component

[iwonderwh0]

It's just

The maintenance of an android, the idea of it is ahhhHHH

Have you seen/done some hardware maintenance/cleaning/fixing of something within your computer, even just replacing some parts like RAM or SDD? Some compressed air to clean the dust?

Androids requiring something similar is too beautiful of a concept

I'm not normal about it

[bullet-prooflove]

Everything: Andrew 'Pope' Cody x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @fadeinsol @akotafi @yousigned-upforthis @cowardlycandy

Companion piece to:

The Professional - Pope meets the love of his life when Smurf hires her to crack a safe.

Ethical Thieving - You introduce Pope to a new skill set.

Crazy (NSFW) - Pope's always been crazy but now he's also a man in love.

Tomorrow - Pope's family always fuck up the good in his life.

Do Over Day (NSFW) - Pope tries to make up for the day before.

Pope wakes up to the scent of freshly ground coffee, to light kisses brushing over each and every single one of the freckles on his face. The edges of his mouth tip up into a smile, his hand threading through your hair, his lips capturing yours.

You taste like dark chocolate and vanilla, components from the mocha you must have just sipped in the kitchen.

“I want to wake up like this every morning.” He whispers as your fingertips chase an unruly curl away from his features.

The light in your eyes dims just a little and he knows it’s because that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The two of you are still saving to get the hell out of Oceanside, away from his family, away his mother. That woman would rather you dead than with her eldest son. You place a kiss on his forehead before drawing away, placing his phone in his hand.

“Smurf’s been calling.” You tell him.

His hand scrubs over his features as he studies the screen, his heart sinking. He’d promised he’d spend the day with you but now he’s got three missed calls, which is the equivalent of Smurf sending up the bat signal.

Shit, he thinks studying the time of the last one. She’s probably already started tracking him. He flicks to the Find My Friend App, he has installed on his phone and sees Baz is already en-route.

“I gotta go.” He says tearing back the sheets.

You drift out of the room as he starts pulling on his clothes, tugging on his shirt, scooping up his boots. You live close enough to the beach that he can say he paddling in the water, that he left his phone on the sand because he was trying to clear his head. His always parks his car half a mile away in the lot used for public access anyway, just in case of shit like this.

You already have a bamboo mug of coffee waiting for him when he steps out into the kitchen. He shakes his head, tucking his socks into his boot as he stands barefoot on the tiles.

“I can’t.” He tells you, gesturing towards the recyclable cup in your hands. “If I take that, he’ll ask where it comes from, whose making me coffee at buttfuck o’clock in the morning.”

“Yea, sorry. I didn’t think.” You say tiredly, setting it back down. He can sense the hurt in you, he understands how it must feel. Him turning up late at night to fuck you, leaving first thing in the morning. The worst part is he knows what it’s like to not be a priority, to feel like you’re giving a lot more than you’re getting back.

“Dylan.” He whispers, cradling your face between his hands. “This won’t be forever, we just need a little more cash and then we can go…”

“I know.” You say softly. “I’m just impatient.”

“I am too.” He says, his forehead coming to rest upon yours. “All I want is for the two of us to go away, somewhere where we can be safe, where we can be happy.”

He wants that more than anything, a life with you, a family with you.

“You are everything to me.” He tells you, his thumb chasing over the blush of your cheek. “You are my heart, my soul, my reason for being. Never doubt that ok? Never doubt the depth of my feelings for you. You were the only thing that kept me alive in Folsom, the thought of this life we’re building together got me through the worst of it and I will never give up on that dream. I won’t let anyone take that away from us.”

Your mouth ghosts over his, a tender kiss that he feels in the very depths of his soul. He wants to thread his hands through your hair, take you back to bed but Baz is five minutes away and he needs to get moving.

“Go.” You tell him, placing your palm on his chest and pushing him towards the back door that leads down to the beach. “But come back later alright? We really gotta talk.”

“I will.” He promises you with one foot over the threshold. “I’ll be here.”

“Good.” You say, thinking of the pregnancy test you took this morning when he was asleep, the one that came back positive. “Because I really need you to be here tonight.”

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[blueiscoool]

A 2,000-Year-Old Pompeii Garden Springs Back to Life

The Pompeii Archaeological Park has recreated an ancient perfume garden—right down to its antique roses.

A garden once flourished in Pompeii. There, alongside a typical row house, olive trees, roses, and vines blossomed, nourished by hand-carved irrigation channels. The entrance to the site bore the Latin inscription “Cras Credo,” translated to “Credit will be offered tomorrow,” a touch of Pompeiian humor. The Vesuvius eruption in 79 C.E. wiped out the grounds—but preserved hints of its purpose.

Now, a new garden is taking root the same spot. The Pompeii Archaeological Park has just unveiled the restored Garden of Hercules (so named for a statue of the mythical hero uncovered at the site), freshly planted with 1,200 violets, 1,000 ruscus plants, and 800 antique roses, as well as vines and cherry and cotton apple trees. The botanical display is intended to mirror how the garden appeared 2,000 years ago, based on the findings of botanist Wilhelmina Jashemski, who identified pollen, spores, and plant fossils in the area in the 1950s.

“In Pompeii, the natural and archaeological landscape are one,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the park’s director, said in a statement. “The green of Pompeii, which was once perceived as a management and maintenance problem, an element almost separate from archaeological structures, is now recognized as an essential component of archaeological areas, as well as of the largest agricultural project of the Park.”

Located on Regio VIII, Insula 2 of the archaeological park, the house joining the garden was uncovered in 1953 before the rest of its grounds was excavated in 1971–72, with further studies carried out in the ’80s. Researchers found that the house was rebuilt following a 62 C.E. earthquake, with its owner buying surrounding land to plant the garden.

In the garden, archaeologists discovered holes in the earth that once held the roots of olive trees, impressions left in the soil by vine trellises, and biological traces of roses. Numerous perfume bottles found on the site indicate the garden was once involved in the commercial production of perfume. Flowers would be pressed with olive oil or grape juice, researchers found, before the concoction was bottled and sold.

Also significant was the discovery of an ancient irrigation system, which allowed gardeners to water the plants through a hole in the wall, without having to enter the site. The water would then flow through channels that wound their way around flower beds, or pool in reservoirs created by earthenware pots, or dolia, situated around the grounds.

“If a gardener needed to give extra water to a plant, they could take it from a dolia,” historian Maurizio Bartolini told the London Times.

Bartolini, who worked on the replanted garden, believes that the garden’s owner might have been experimenting with scents at the site, as opposed to running a full-scale operation. The garden, he noted, measures a mere 98 by 98 feet, while creating 5cc of perfume takes some 2,000 roses.

The irrigation system has been recreated for the Garden of Hercules, its troughs meandering across the new beds. A terracotta statue of the Greek legend has also been reproduced, installed in a small nook next to an outdoor dining space.

“This was a productive place,” Zuchtriegel told the Times of the space, “but also really beautiful.”

The recreated garden is part of Pompeii Archaeological Park’s efforts to shed light on daily life in the ancient Roman city before its destruction. Also currently on view at the site is “Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii,” an exhibition that delves into the lives, roles, and activities of Pompeiian women.

By Min Chen.

[fernwehreader]

The Narrative Framing of the Ribbon in ACOSF

Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the intentionality of SJM introducing the mating ceremony ribbon in the same book we first meet Gwyn, who introduces the Valkyrie ribbon.  Because, to me, the decision seems wholly purposeful rather than coincidental.  The presentation of these two details in the same text would be significant enough on its own--but it goes beyond that.  I think it’s mostly about the narrative framing taking place within the context of the ribbon, which sets the scene for Azriel and Gwyn.  There is a “story within a story” being introduced, even if it is limited by the points-of-view we’re given access to in ACOSF.

To start, I find it incredible that we were given 3.5 texts set in the ACOTAR world which included detailed information about mating bonds, but our first mention of the mating ceremony ribbon is not until ACOSF when we are told that, for Nesta: 

. . . all that mattered, she realized, was the male who would be standing with her, first as they swore their vows, then as they offered each other food, and then as their friends and family bound their hands together with a length of black ribbon to remain until the mating was consummated.

Prior to ACOSF, we were already aware of the vows and the offering of food as necessary components of a formal mating bond acceptance.  But the information about the binding of hands with a ribbon is new.  And not only does it take four books to let the reader know this new information, but it's introduced in the same text in which Gwyn establishes the Valkyrie ribbon:

“Done,” Gwyn declared, the white ribbon fluttering in the wind where it hung from the beam.  Behind them, a few of the priestesses working with Azriel had turned to see what the ribbon business was about.  The shadowsinger crossed his arms, angling his head, but remained in his half of the ring.

I love this moment because we not only get this great visual of the ribbon in the wind, but we also get these extra details about Azriel amid Gwyn’s successful installation of her ribbon.  Why do we need to know all of this about Azriel?  What does it matter how he responds?

This intertwining of Azriel and Gwyn within the introduction of the Valkyrie ribbon continues, however, when Cassian asks Gwyn and Emerie to show him what they learned with blades while he and Nesta were away on their hike.  Cassian says:

“Az told me you also started preliminary work with the steel blades while we were gone.”  He nodded to Gwyn and Emerie, the former glancing toward Azriel, who watched in silence.  “So show me what you learned.  Cut the ribbon in two.” “We slice the ribbon in two,” Emerie asked Gwyn warily, “and our training is complete?” Gwyn again glanced to Azriel, who drifted closer.  She said, “I’m not entirely sure.”

Once again, narrative framing is happening here--something separate from the main narrative between Nesta and Cassian.  Why does the reader need to know that Gwyn is glancing at Azriel repeatedly?  Why does Azriel drift closer the second time?  

We must keep in mind that this scene is in Nesta’s point-of-view, and she and Cassian have just returned after being away from the House of Wind for a week.  It’s clear that the reader is missing some context which happened off the page.  I think this is even more obvious a little earlier in the chapter, before Gwyn finishes hanging the ribbon:

Gwyn snickered, her attention fixed on tying a length of white silk ribbon to a wood beam jutting from the side of the pit.  Neither the ribbon nor the beam had been there a week ago, and Nesta had no idea how they’d even anchored the wood into the stone, but there it was.

This paragraph has always stood out to me (I actually made a pencil notation next to it during my first reading of ACOSF in 2021).  I have a lot of questions here.  

I do believe Nesta’s narration is in part meant to clue the reader in to the fact that the wood beam and ribbon are new additions to training for everyone, not just for her and Cassian since they missed the prior week.  We have no idea what has taken place during Valkyrie training in their absence--so the confirmation that all of this is new is important.  But, I do think the specificity of what Nesta is focused on during this observation is notable.  She wonders “how they’d even anchored the wood into the stone.”  

I’d argue this is Nesta trying to nudge the reader to wonder about this, as well (perhaps also in the same way she is nudging the reader in HOFAS that, yes, we should be curious about Azriel after Bryce’s questioning about his romantic life, lol).  

But, Nesta does bring up an interesting point here.  In fact, I’d also like to know how the wood beam was anchored into the stone.  This seems to be Gwyn’s project given the fact she answers all questions about it.  So, did Gwyn do this all by herself?  Is Gwyn skilled with masonry tools to make this happen?   

While the answers to those questions aren’t known, what is perfectly clear is that there is some important information that the reader is missing in Chapter 51 of ACOSF.  But, we can only make inferences at this point--we have to evaluate the evidence given to us in this chapter to figure out what pieces we are missing from the puzzle.  Even though conclusions aren’t explicitly stated in the text, I do think there are enough literary clues to point us in a likely direction.  And, I think this is most easily accomplished through the process of elimination.   

Gwyn clearly is the project leader when it comes to this entire business with the ribbon.  As noted in the excerpts above, she is the one who hangs the ribbon, who explains it all to Cassian when he asks for clarification, and who answers Emerie’s question about it.

But, who else knows what is going on in these moments based on the evidence we are given?

Cassian and Nesta have no idea what’s going on: through their POVs, we know they have been away from training and the House of Wind for the past week, and Cassian tells Gwyn to “explain” when he sees the ribbon.  

Emerie has no idea what’s going on: we know this for sure when Gwyn answers Cassian’s request to explain:

Gwyn squared her shoulders.  “This is the Valkyrie test for whether your training is    complete and you’re ready for battle: cut the ribbon in half.” Emerie snorted.  “What?”

But, Emerie’s lack of awareness of what Gwyn is doing is also emphasized in the earlier excerpt where she asks Gwyn warily if their training is complete once they slice the ribbon in two.  Emerie clearly has no idea what Gwyn has been up to or the purpose of the ribbon.  

The other priestesses have no idea what is going on:  this is shown when Gwyn finishes hanging the ribbon and “a few of the priestesses working with Azriel had turned to see what the ribbon business was about.”  It’s obvious that these priestesses are as clueless as Nesta, Cassian, and Emerie in this moment.

So the last question remains: Does Azriel know what’s going on?

This is where we have to make some inferences based on our context clues and literary evidence from this chapter.  I would argue that, yes, Azriel has some understanding of what is happening regarding Gwyn and the ribbon.  He doesn’t seem particularly confused or curious when he “crossed his arms” and “remained on his half of the ring” when Gwyn finished hanging the ribbon.  We see elsewhere in ACOSF (and in his bonus chapter) that Azriel’s eyes narrow when his shadows whisper to him or when he’s trying to understand a situation.  However, his body language in this moment after the ribbon is hung does not indicate to me that he’s caught off guard in any way.  

At the very least, he is aware of what Gwyn was planning to have ready for training this day.  After all, he is the spymaster.  But at most, he was actively involved in helping Gwyn with these preparations.

Am I willing to make the claim that Azriel anchored the wood beam to the stone (or at least helped) because Gwyn asked him–or because he mentioned it to her in the first place?  Well . . . kind of?  It’s an inference based on the evidence the text has given us.  Somebody had to set up the wood beam.  It’s possible Gwyn did it alone--but anchoring a wooden beam into stone is likely a two-person job.

So, based on that, I argue that Gwyn did have help.  If Nesta, Emerie, Cassian, and the other priestesses have no idea what is going on with the ribbon, we are left with very few options for who Gwyn would feel comfortable asking for help.  So, who may have helped her with this? I think we all know who.

I believe we also have another context clue to help answer this question.  When Cassian asks Gwyn and Emerie to cut the ribbon, the narration tells us that Gwyn glances at Azriel two different times.  The second instance seems quite notable after Emerie ask if their training will be finished if they cut the ribbon.

Gwyn again glanced to Azriel, who drifted closer.  She said, “I’m not entirely sure.”  

I cannot fathom why Gwyn is continuing to glance at Azriel here for any other reason than affirmation--or, perhaps wanting backup.  She seems unsure in this moment.  Cassian notes that Azriel informed him that Gwyn and Emerie also started training with blades while he was away.  That doesn’t sound like it was part of the training plan.  So why the change?  

Gwyn glances to Azriel when Cassian says this about the steel training, so it leads me to wonder whose idea it was to hang the ribbon in the first place.  How does Gwyn find out about the Valkyrie ribbon cutting?  I could be mistaken, but I don’t recall her discussing that information during any conversations with Nesta.  Does she discover it off page and bring it to Azriel’s attention?  Does Azriel tell her about this Valkyrie training method?  Essentially, there are valid questions.

We are left with some answers, however, because Gwyn is admittedly unsure of how to answer Emerie’s question above--and Azriel “drifted closer” to Gwyn after Emerie asks it.  We can’t be entirely certain what has happened off page in Nessian’s absence, but if we look closely at what Nesta’s POV is giving us in this chapter, I think we can make two, strong inferences:

Something happened off page related to initiating the Valkyrie ribbon cutting method

 It’s intentional and meant to provide specific context around Azriel and Gwyn

Which brings us back to the narrative framing conversation from earlier.  Although a traditional frame narrative is set up to be a true “story within a story” like what we see in Wuthering Heights or The Princess Bride, I argue that this narrative is establishing a frame around Azriel and Gwyn through the ribbon symbolism in ACOSF.  Their “story within a story” can’t quite fully happen here given the narrative constraints of ACOSF--but it is being set up and framed in the background despite these constraints.  I feel like I keep coming back to this in all of my posts, but it’s just one more reason why I think ACOTAR5 is Azriel’s novel.  The narrative threads in ACOSF, setting up the continuity for the next novel, are too great to ignore in my opinion.

And while Chapter 51 is a fascinating study on the development of this narrative framing, it doesn’t just end here.  The Valkyries continue working towards the goal of slicing the ribbon, but we are given key information about Gwyn as things progress:

“You and that ribbon,” Nesta muttered, shutting the tome.  Of all of them, Gwyn had become the most relentless about succeeding. 

This is interesting because, yes, it is showing us how competitive Gwyn is--but SJM is making sure we understand that Gwyn is persistent about this and wants to be the first one to accomplish it.  It’s reiterated further in Azriel’s bonus chapter when Azriel stumbles upon Gwyn late at night, alone at the training pit.

“I was trying to cut the ribbon.”  She pointed with her sword at the white ribbon, which seemed to glow silver.

Of all the things for Gwyn to be doing when Azriel comes upon her on Solstice, he finds her practicing her ribbon cutting technique.  Once again, their “story within a story” is being picked up within the narrative framing of the ribbon.  Gwyn is at the training pit because of the ribbon.   So, then, it is a deliberate choice--SJM could have had Gwyn performing any other training task, or Azriel could have found her reading within the House proper.  Instead, their entire interaction is based around the ribbon.  

Then, because of this impromptu ribbon training session, Azriel gives Gwyn the corrections needed to successfully cut the ribbon.  Again, Gwyn is determined and likely would have cut the ribbon on her own at some point.  But that’s not what happens.  She completes the task only a few days after her Solstice encounter with Azriel, where his corrections are directly tied to her success which follows soon after.  There is a narrative thread connecting Gwyn to Azriel during this momentous accomplishment.

But, of course, SJM doesn’t just leave it alone there.  The narrative framing around Gwyn and Azriel continues in very intentional ways in this scene.  Before Gwyn cuts the ribbon:

Cassian glanced over at Az, but his attention was fixed on the young priestess, admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face. . . .  Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift.  As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved.  

While Nesta and Emerie have interactions with Gwyn in this scene, and Cassian notes his own emotions at watching Gwyn, the descriptions we get of Azriel within Cassian’s POV might as well have flashing neon signs around them.  As everyone watches Gwyn and waits for her to move, no other character gets this type of attention.  SJM wants us to be aware of this “story within the story.”  She wants us to know what Azriel is doing in this moment--and what he is doing goes beyond an interested observation.  Specific language is being used to show the reader that Azriel is focused on Gwyn, invested in her success, and easily affected by the enormity of the moment . . . which is, again, entirely centered around the ribbon.

Finally, even one of Azriel and Gwyn’s last scenes together in ACOSF plays by the rules of their narrative framing--it provides context to their story setup by invoking the ribbon once again.  When the Blood Rite qualifier is arranged and the Valkyries fail their first attempt, we get a twist on how the ribbon is used . . . perhaps intentionally to further establish the narrative continuity for their upcoming novel, since this is one of the last moments we get between the two characters.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him.  “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement.  When he turned back, Nesta grinned.  “You have no idea what you just started, she said.  Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway. “Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?”  Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder.  “You’re the new ribbon, Az.”

So, while the narrative framing around Gwyn and Azriel remains intact and ready to serve as a bridge to ACOTAR5, we have a shift in how the ribbon is being used--it is now a symbol to indicate what Gwyn is now focused on.  And, I’ll take it a step further to suggest it is a clue for readers to know what to expect as the “story within a story” becomes the primary story being told.  It’s providing a prologue, and setting expectations, for what can be anticipated as the couple’s narrative framing begins to take a different shape.  

Ultimately, the ribbon’s recurrence throughout ACOSF works as a subtle but deliberate narrative device.  In a book where Nesta and Cassian’s bond takes center stage, SJM still takes the time to weave in the image of a ribbon being tied, sliced, and shared between Gwyn and Azriel.  Their encounters with it are quiet, yet loaded with so much narrative weight.  And these moments carve out that “story within a story” . . . one that is not quite in bloom but in which the seeds have been planted.  The framing is unmistakable: Gwyn and Azriel are characters on the threshold of a story that will belong only to them.    

Finally, that this symbolism shares space with the notion of a mating ceremony ribbon is no coincidence.  The mating bond ribbon is framed as a sacred act of a union–intimate and final.  Gwyn’s ribbon, by contrast, is one of defiance and shared effort . . . a nod to perhaps how one ribbon might one day become something more.

[jjeremysstash]

Fixing Windows 11 - A Masterpost

Windows 11 is absolute crap for a good bunch of stuff so yeah, have a masterpost with most of the things I've found around to fix it haha (they're not all here because I did stuff around and I don't remember what)

YES, I KNOW at this point Linux would be a better alternative, however some here can't use Linux due to some proprietary programs that are not on Linux. This Masterpost is for the people in the same situation as I, aka those who have to have Windows or they can't do their job.

I am currently unemployed and haven't worked enough for the government to help me. I have a ko-fi if ever you want to help.

Stopping W11 from making you create an account/setting up your computer without internet (with a way to create gpedit.msc if your version doesn't have it)

Fixing the Taskbar (in case you also don't like the grouped Battery/internet/sound or the way the windows look)(there's more to it, check the settings)

There is the chance that Windows can't update because of this, you just have to uninstall it and reinstall it afterwards. They also completely nuked the Windows 10 look in the 24H2 update, so use the "Windows 10 (Explorer Patcher)" option instead of the plain "Windows 10".

Removing the rounded windows (since ExplorerPatcher doesn't do it anymore on 24H2)

https://github.com/valinet/Win11DisableRoundedCorners

How to move the volume and luminosity pop ups (so you can finally see those sweet sweet subtitles)

In case ModernFlyouts doesn't automatically start up, possible solution

Fixing the Start Menu (ExplorerPatcher can do that too, btw)

How to show all options right away

A way to bring back the Calendar

https://github.com/matej137/OutlookRemover

MICROSOFT FULLY NUKED THE CALENDAR!!! Possible fix is to downgrade the app (which is fine if you don't use the Mail), but do use the OutlookRemover to stop the automatic installation of the new version.

https://github.com/matej137/OutlookRemover/issues/15

Your Bluetooth suddenly doesn't work???

It happens sometimes for no clear reasons so here are a few things you can do:

Check if the icon is in the Taskbar. If not, verify if it is available in the pop up menu (the one from the gear icon)

If it's not here, check your parameter to see if you have the option to turn it on.

If it's still not here, reboot your PC.

If it's STILL not working, update your Bluetooth driver. You can do so by looking for "driver" in the menu and opening the Device Manager, then right click on the right Bluetooth component and update its driver.

If Windows says that the driver is up to date, try checking out this helper: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-bluetooth-problems-in-windows-723e092f-03fa-858b-5c80-131ec3fba75c

If really nothing help, download and install a recent Bluetooth Driver. Be careful of what you download and from where.

Someone who stumbled on this post fixed it by downloading the Bluetooth Driver 5.0.1.1500 from Softonic (https://www.softonic.nl/download/bluetooth-driver/windows).

How to remove Copilot if you have it (I don't, but it might be because I'm in Europe??)

Archive

Apparently Copilot is being forced on people so hummm

Other stuff not specifically related to the shit W11 did

Changing the size of the scroll bars

How to fully remove Cortana

Website with tools to fix W10 and W11

[mage-ical-character-person]

Let’s talk about this. Because there is so much.

“A problem has been detected and Mr Puzzles has been shut down to prevent damage to himself PUZZLEVISION.EXE Check to make sure any new show or movie is properly installed. If this is a new installation :It’s not: ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any updates you might need :I don’t need any: If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable MiPU (as in Mister PUzzles? could also say NPU) memory options such as Unused ???? (would make sense to say shows but the first letter looks more like a D. Dreams, maybe?) or Movies. If you need to use safe mode :I don’t: to remove or disable components, restart yourself, press :nuhuh: to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode. :NO: TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The last line is just gibberish to me but it might mean something to someone.

But this man. This stubborn TV man. Is backtalking his own “Fatal Error” screen. No self preservation. It says you need to stop to prevent damage to yourself, Puzzles!

But also. I have Questions.

Who wrote this? Who are the software and hardware manufacturers in question? I always sort of assumed Puzzles cobbled his TV man body together himself. But it wouldn’t make sense for an error screen to say he needs to contact the manufacturer if HE is the manufacturer. Also Puzzlevision systems are getting updates that Puzzles is actively refusing. Claiming “I don’t need any”. Who’s making these updates to Mr Puzzles that he doesn’t want?

What is Safe Mode? Why is Puzzles so incredibly opposed to it? Insisting he doesn’t need it and replacing a word in the error message with nuh uh and then the capslock “NO”

He’s so?? I am wondering. To what degree is Puzzles in control? Like yeah, he resists doing any of the things the error message wants him to do, but someone is trying to make him do those things using the systems of his own body. So…

I mean, especially considering. Um… The Puppet Imagery. That just came out of nowhere.

Are the manufacturers of his body the ones that manufactured the demon keyboard as well? Did he fall for the same adware? MORE PARALLELS TO SMG4??? Is this some kind of eldritch Multi-Level Marketing? Someone recruited Puzzles and then Puzzles tried to recruit SMG4 but couldn’t (yet? Might still be trying to do that) and instead recruited Wren and Marty who tried to recruit Meggy and Mario?

Also, I mean, after the fatal error is when we get

So.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger - a plot device in which a component of a story ends unresolved, usually in a suspenseful or shocking way, in order to compel audiences to turn the page or return to the story in the next installment. A cliffhanger can end a chapter of a novel, a television episode, a scene in a film, or a serialized story (book or movie).

Cliffhanger endings usually fall into two categories:

The main character comes face-to-face with a dangerous or possibly life-threatening situation.

A shocking revelation comes to light, threatening to alter the course of the narrative.

Tips for Writing Cliffhangers from Dan Brown

“Cliffhangers pose big questions at the end of a chapter or section,” Brown says.

“Typically, a cliffhanger stops during a climactic event midway through the action instead of at its natural conclusion. Is your hero about to push the villain off of a racing yacht? Stop where the hero has the villain in his grip. Leave the reader thinking, ‘All right, I’ll read just one more page....’”

Brown suggests these strategies for creating cliffhangers:

Move the last few paragraphs of a scene to the next chapter.

Create a section break between your work.

Introduce a new surprise that the audience will not expect.

Use pulses, or short sentences or phrases to remind the reader of lurking danger.

Tips for Writing Cliffhangers from R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine advises writers to develop the very end of the novel first and creating at least 5 potential cliffhangers for each chapter ending.

To successfully build up to a cliffhanger, Stine suggests using descriptive elements to remind readers of potential danger.

He also advises using these structural elements to frame a cliffhanger for maximum impact:

Start chapters with a sense of urgency.

Keep passages concise and cut out superfluous descriptions.

Blend descriptive passages into action scenes.

Stay grounded in a protagonist’s sensory experience.

Find plausible ways to withhold key information from a reader (i.e. narrate from the point of view of a character who can’t get/doesn’t know the information).

Open a chapter in the middle of a scene.

Open a chapter or section with a question, an interesting fact, or a change of pace.

Use a “pulse” to remind the reader of lurking danger.

Use flashbacks to open new sources of suspense.

Finish a chapter with a cliffhanger ending.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[boaillustration]

The Artisul team was kind enough to send me their Artisul D16 display tablet to review! Timelapse and review can be found under the read more.

I have been using the same model of display tablet for over 10 years now (a Wacom Cintiq 22HD) and feel like I might be set in my ways, so getting the chance to try a different brand of display tablet was also a new experience for me!

The Unboxing 

The tablet arrived in high-quality packaging with enough protection that none of the components get scratched or banged up in the shipping process. I was pleasantly surprised that additionally to the tablet, pen, stand, cables and nibs it also included a smudge guard glove and a pen case. 

The stand is very light-weight and I was at first worried that it would not be able to hold up the tablet safely, but it held up really well. I appreciated that it offered steeper levels of inclination for the tablet, since I have seen plenty other display tablets who don’t offer that level of ergonomics for artists. My only gripe is that you can’t anchor the tablet to the stand. It will rest on the stand and can be easily taken on or off, but that also means that you can bump into it and dislodge it from the stand if you aren’t careful. It would require significant force, but as a cat owner, I know that a scenario like that is more likely than I’d like.

Another thing I noticed is how light the tablet is in comparison to my Cintiq. Granted, my Cintiq is larger (22 inches vs the 15.8 inches of the Artisul D16), but the Artisul D16 comes in at about 1.5kg of weight. While I don’t consider display tablets that require a PC and an outlet to work really portable, it would be a lot easier to move with the Artisul D16 from one space to another. In comparison, my Cintiq weighs in at a proud 8.5kg, making it a chore to move around. I have it hooked up to a monitor stand to be able to move it more easily across my desk.

The Setup

The setup of the tablet was quick as well, with only minor hiccups. The drivers installed quickly and basic setup was done in a matter of minutes. That doesn’t mean it came without issues: the cursor vanished as soon as I hovered over the driver window, making it a guessing game where I would be clicking and the pen calibration refused to work on the tablet screen and instead always defaulted to my regular screen. I ended up using the out of the box pen calibration for my test drawing which worked well enough.

The tablet comes with customizable hot-keys that you can reassign in the driver software. I did not end up using the hot-keys, since I use a Razer Tartarus for all my shortcuts, but I did play around with them to get a feel for them. The zoom wheel had a very satisfying haptic feel to it which I really enjoyed, and as far as I could tell, you can map a lot of shortcuts to the buttons, including with modifier keys like ctrl, shift, alt and the win key. I noticed that there was no option to map numpad keys to these buttons, but I was informed by my stream viewers that very few people have a full size keyboard with a numpad anymore. 

The pen comes with two buttons as well. Unlike the hot-keys on the side of the tablet, these are barely customizable. I was only able to assign mouse clicks to them (right, left, scroll wheel click, etc) and no other hotkeys. I have the alt key mapped to my pen button on my Cintiq, enabling me to color pick with a single click of the pen. The other button is mapped to the tablet menu for easy display switches. Not having this level of customization was a bit of a bummer, but I just ended up mapping the alt key to a new button on my Razer Tartarus and moved on.

The pen had a very similar size to my Wacom pen, but was significantly lighter. It also rattled slightly when shook, but after inspection this was just the buttons clicking against the outer case and no internal issues. The pen is made from one material, a smooth plastic finish. I would have liked for there to be a rubber-like material at the grip like on the Wacom pen for better handling, but it still worked fine without it.

Despite not being able to calibrate the pen for the display tablet, the cursor offset was minimal. It took me a while at the beginning to get used to the slight difference to my current tablet, but it was easy to get used to it and I was able to smoothly ink and color with the tablet. The screen surface was very smooth, reminding me more of an iPad surface. The included smudge guard glove helped mitigate any slipping or sliding this might have caused, enabling me to draw smoothly. Like with the cursor offset, it took me a while to get used to the different pressure sensitivity of the tablet, but I adapted quickly.

So what do I think of it?

Overall, drawing felt different on this tablet, but I can easily see myself getting used to the quirks of the tablet with time. Most of the issues I had were QoL things I am used to from my existing tablet. 

But I think that’s where the most important argument for the tablet comes in: the price.

I love my Cintiq. I can do professional grade work on it and I rebought the same model after my old one got screen issues, I liked it that much. But it also costs more than a 1000 € still, even after being on the market for over 10 years (I bought it for about 1.500 € refurbished in 2014, for reference). The Artisul D16 on the other hand runs you a bit more than 200€. That is a significant price difference! I often get asked by aspiring artists what tools I use and while I am always honest with them, I also preface it by saying that they should not invest in a Cintiq if they are just starting out. They are high quality professional tools and have a price point that reflects that. You do not need these expensive tools to create art. You can get great results on a lot cheaper alternatives! I do this for a living so I can justify paying extra for the QoL upgrades the Cintiq offers me, but I have no illusion that they are an accessible tool for most people. 

I can recommend the Artisul D16 as a beginner screen tablet for people who are just getting into art or want to try a display tablet for once. I wouldn’t give up my Cintiq for it, but I can appreciate the value it offers for the competitive price point. If you want to get an Artisul D16 for yourself, you can click this link to check out their shop!

AMAZON.US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TQLGC81

AMAZON.JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07T6ZT84V

AMAZON.MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07T6ZT84V

Once again thank you to the Artisul team for giving me the opportunity to review their display tablet!

[tanadrin]

A highly abbreviated history of ancient Israel and Judah as I understand it

Before 1500 BC, a Canaanite culture develops in situ, the result of thousands of years of overlapping waves of migration. The region is inhabited by a mix of highland pastoralists, lowland farmers, and city-dwellers. In the latter part of this period, urbanization intensifies and Canaan becomes more integrated into surrounding regions, especially Mesopotamia and Egypt. The region is fractured, though sometimes tribes and cities join together in confederacies for mutual defense. Egypt and Assyria both occupy Canaan or part of Canaan at different times.

The confederacy known as "Israel" emerges in the northern part of the hilly region west of the Jordan River. Its name references the Northwest Semitic high deity, El, but relatively early the deity Yahweh is introduced into the confederacy, probably by a group from the south who come to occupy a preeminent role in administering the Yahwistic cult. Yahweh is initially cast as a son of El. The Northwestern Semitic peoples often assigned patron deities to nations, and Yahweh is the patron of Israel, as Chemosh is to Moab. Yahweh has a storm-deity profile akin to Baal, elements of which will be retained when Yahweh is conflated with El.

As part of this merger, Yahweh will also acquire the role of consort of Asherah, who in Ugarit was paired with El.

The early Israelites combine heterogenous tribal traditions into a common historical and religious framework. Integral parts of these traditions include the covenant with Yahweh and an obligation to follow his commands, and a history of Yahweh freeing some or all of the ancestors of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, guiding them through the wilderness, and leading them to their homeland in Canaan.

These traditions congeal during the pre-monarchic tribal period, from ca. 1200-1000 BCE. They do not include monotheism, the worship of Yahweh at a single temple, or the exclusive worship of Yahweh. In this period, the common bonds of religion and culture suffice to create a single Israelite identity; the component members of the Israelite confederation retain considerably autonomy, though they may act in concert with their fellows, particularly in times of invasion.

At some point around or after the 10th century BCE, separate monarchies emerge centered in various locations in the north (and eventually settling on the city of Samaria) and in Jerusalem in the south. Direct evidence for Saul, David, and Solomon is very weak, and the idea of a period of united monarchy covering Israel and Judah together is contentious. It seems highly likely that the story of the Davidic line is a Judean tradition retrojected onto an idealized period of political unity. Nonetheless, even the Bible has the United Monarchy ending by the late 10th century BCE.

In 720 BCE, the northern kingdom of Israel is destroyed by the Assyrians. About a fifth of its population is deported; a large part flees south to Judah, causing rapid expansion of Jerusalem. The refugee population includes northern Levites and landowners, who are influential in bringing northern religious traditions wiht them, and become part of Jerusalem's administrative elite.

In 640 BCE, King Amon is murdered as part of a coup attempt, suppressed with the aid of these northern notables; Amon's young son Josiah is installed as king. At this time, Judah is vassal to Assyria, but Assyria enters a period of sharp decline, which leads to resurgent nationalism in Judah. This inspires a new rescension of Israelite history and law led by the Deuteronomists (but rooted firmly in the canonical history of Moses), who foreground the exclusive worship of Yahweh, and produce a comprehensive history of Israel since Joshua.

In 622 BCE, Josiah launches a reform program that enforces the henotheistic or monolatrist worship of Yahweh, centralizes all cultic activity in the Jerusalem temple, and enshrines an early form of the Deuteronomistic law as the covenant between Judah and Yahweh, in which Yahweh symbolically replaces the Assyrian king. Asherah-worship is among the casualties of this new religious regime.

In 586 BCE, Judah is conquered by Babylon, and the temple is destroyed. Much of its elite population deported. This upheaval sparks a major period of cultural and religious transformation, especially among the deportees in Babylon, who struggle to understand theologically how they can worship the patron-sovereign god Yahweh from a foreign land. Among other theological developments, this leads to the invention of true monotheism: not only is Yahweh our only god, he is the only god, the god of all the world and not just Israel. The Deuteronomistic texts are revised again as a part of this process.

In 539 BCE, after a half-century of exile, Babylon is defeated by the rising Achaemenid empire, and a small portion of the Babylonian Jewish exiles return to Judah. There, they embark on a project to rebuild the temple, and reform the religion according to new theological understanding. Judah is now "Yehud Medinata," a province of the Persian empire; it flourishes for two centuries until the Greek conquest in 333 BCE.

The post-exilic period is hugely influential on the Jewish scriptures; rescensions in this period incorporate Babylonian influence (especially in the primeval histories), the ancient canonical histories (the patriarchal narratives and Exodus), the post-canonical histories as revised by the Deuteronomists, and many other sources.

After 333 BCE, Judah (Judea) is a frontier region between the Seleucids and Ptolemies; the country is ruled by a hereditary high priest, who is a vassal of Hellenistic rulers. Greek culture and philosophy is influential on the development of Second Temple Jewish thought and traditions. This phenomenon is known as "Hellenistic Judaism," and sprang up first in Alexandria and Antioch, before spreading to Judea. Major achievements of Hellenistic Judaism include the Septuagint, probably a result of there being large Jewish communities in cities like Alexandria that no longer spoke Hebrew or Aramaic.

In 167 BCE, sparked by the religious meddling of Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Judea rises up in the Maccabean Revolt. A new kingdom is established under the Hasmonean dynasty, after decades of fighting.

Around 110 BCE, John Hyrcanus, high priest and ruler of Judea, invades the transjordan region and Samaria, destroying Shechem and the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. He also invades Idumea, and forces the Idumeans to convert to Judaism under threat of destruction. His son assumes the title of "king" for the first time, combining it with the office of high priest. Under the son, Aristobulus, Galilee is conquered and annexed, and there is an influx of Jewish settlement in the region.

At its peak, the Hasmonean kingdom is almost as large as the semi-mythical United Monarchy; but in 67 BCE, weakened by a civil war, it is conquered by the Romans. The Holy of Holies in the temple is desecrated, and the ruler, Hyrcanus II, is reduced to the status of "ethnarch," a vassal of the Roman Republic.

Some regions conquered by the Hasmoneans are gradually removed from their rule by the Romans; Roman civil wars and struggles with the Parthians often spill over into this client sate; ultimately, when a Parthian-backed pretender is expelled in 37 BCE, Marc Antony and Augustus appoint Herod the Great as king of Judea. The Herodian kingdom expands further north, and northeast over the Jordan. After Herod the Great's death, the country is divided into four parts; Judea proper, Idumea, and Samaria go to Herod Archelaus, who is deposed in 6 BCE; his territory becomes a Roman province.

About this time, Jesus, the son of Joseph, is born in Nazareth, along with his siblings, including James, in the Galilee region ruled by Herod Antipas.

Around 30 CE, Jesus gathers a small band of followers around him; he visits the mystic John the Baptist, and receives baptism from him; he preaches a radical doctrine that includes the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God, and claims a mantle of divine authority in a way highly legible to (and highly controversial within) post-Hellenistic Jewish philosophy, though he does not claim to be God. Eventually he travels to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, where in a notable incident he attacks merchants and moneylenders in the Jewish temple. For various reasons, probably having to due with his radical philosophy and his disturbance of the public peace, he is executed on the orders of the Roman prefect of Judea. A small community of his followers remain, especially in Jerusalem, where they are led by his brother James, and some continue to seek converts to his cause.

In 66 CE, the First Roman-Jewish War occurs. A revolt breaks out, sparked by nationalism, bad governance, and religious tensions. Jerusalem is besieged, and in 70 CE the Temple is destroyed and the city is razed. The last holdouts commit mass suicide at Masada in 73 CE.

Resentment against Roman rule is only intensified; in 129 CE, Hadrian establishes the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem, inciting further Jewish anger. In 132, Simon bar Kokhba leads another rebellion, taking the title Prince of Judea and establishing his own government. Some of his contemporaries think he might be the long-awaited Messiah, but despite initial successes, the rebellion fails. Bar Kokhba is killed in 135, in the last holdout at Betar. The rebels who remain are killed or enslaved; severe Roman repression results in widespread slaughter and enslavement, and the razing of hundreds of towns and villages. According to Cassius Dio, "nearly the whole of Judea" is laid waste. The Jewish presence in Judea is reduced significantly, and the center of gravity for Jewish culture in the southwestern Levant shifts north, to Galilee. Small Jewish communities persist on the edges of Judea and on the coastal plain, suffering religious persecution under Hadrian (and just about every ruler to come thereafter). Even the name "Judea" is abolished, with the area now called "Syria Palaestina."

As under the Babylonian exile, in the post-Second Temple period the Jewish religion undergoes another period of transformation, struggling to deal with its new circumstances. The traditions of the Second Temple period, as practiced by the Pharisees, are written down in the Mishnah to preserve them; they are first redacted by Judah ha-Nasi, probably in Beit Shearim or Sepphoris, some time between 100 and 200 CE. Rabbis (village judges) study the work produced by Judah ha-Nasi extensively. Their discussions are documented in a series of books that come to be known as the Gemara. Scholars in Tiberias and Caesarea (in Galilee and on the Mediterranean coast respectively) compile one form of the Gemara ca. 400 CE, while scholars of the Jewish community in southern Mesopotamia (then still known as Babylonia) compile another, ca. 500 CE. These compilations of Mishnah and Gemara are known as the "Talmud," of which the Babylonian Talmud proves the more influential.

[monsterqueers]

So ive been using linux for a good while now, and its now officially my daily driver. Windows is now permabenched in a removed hhd in a drawer unless something awful happens. (Good riddance, havent truly enjoyed windows since xp)

And from this I think that people urging others to move to linux are not doing so in the correct way.

Instead of trying to push a friendly distro and insisting it will work for everything and everyone, instead check if the hardware they are using specifically is good for linux and if so what families.

One computer will be a breeze with any distro, another could have a few quirks but be basically fine, however another of the same year and manufacturer could be an uphill battle thats straight up unusable even for someone who knows how to do the kernel edit workarounds for all but specific distros, if that.

My desktop took linux mint like a dream, 100% painless with no fucking about to make it work and even no need for an ethernet cable to get things started. My dinosaur laptop (may it rest in peace after other components died) had a few issues but also worked very well with little effort with mint. My current junk laptop is an uphill battle that will require arch AND edits to the kernel paremeters to work without being filled with screen flashing and full system freezes at random and im still gearing up the gumption to give it another few attempts to actually pull it off.

Each of these computers is a VERY different experience, and if your prospective switcher is using a computer that doesnt play well, its NOT going to work, they will get frustrated, and they will give up. They have to work with what they have.

Instead of going right to telling them to switch and that anything is good, Encourage people to search up their pc+linux compatibility if they are looking to switch to determine if its viable for a newbie who doesnt want to struggle, then offer a distro that has a live usb/dvd version if possible for them to test without install, and a big enough userbase that troubleshooting is as painless as possible.

If its a laptop, archwiki has lists of those by maker (linked in the page given) with notes on what has been tested in that family of linux.

This, I think, above all, is the most important thing when trying to get people to switch:

MAKE SURE THEIR HARDWARE IS GOOD FOR IT

Not just the pc, but the peripherals too; their mouse, their mic, their webcam, their keyboard- these things are not always supported well.

Linux can be fast, easy, and really comfortable and painless with little to no troubleshooting or tedious workarounds to get your stuff to work; but you have to be using the right hardware.

Yes, make sure you have alternative programs lined up that are actually good (stop reccing gimp when krita is a way better P$ alternative for people trying to draw digitally), and maybe consider talking about how to run wine in a newbie friendly way for things they might need for work reasons that dont work on linux normally(and accept that it might not work even with wine), but above all, make sure that its not just being phrased as 'a you problem' when it might be their system that is the issue there.

For prospective switchers that tried but gave up because of glitches or freezes or things otherwise not working: It wasnt you being bad at computers. Sometimes it just doesnt work with that hardware well and there is nothing you can do. People dont warn you about this, but its a very real issue.

If you still want to try linux, when you eventually get a new computer in the future, look for one that seems to be supported by linux well- some pcs even come with linux preinstalled for you even (dell does this with ubuntu and ubuntu has skins that looks windows esque). Asking specifically for linux compatible or linux preinstalled computers signals to developers to make more computers that work with linux, and makes it easier to get linux friendly stuff.

If not, there are windows 11 neutering tools out there in the wild that are very useful and are a plenty fine alternative to switching. You should only switch if you want to switch.

[dunmeshichilchuck]

For That One Guy On Tumblr

Chilchuck x !fem ! halffoot Reader

So this starts off during the sauna episode. I'm changing it a bit to where that floor has been that cold since the dungeon was created. There will probably be more installments but right now it's just setting things up. Anyway, enjoy.

The last thing you remembered was cold, leeching into your bones. Cold, and the certainty that this would be the last thing you'd ever feel. Your party had left you to die rather than try to heal your wounds, and this floor was too deep for someone else to come along and take pity on you before your body rotted. You were going to become a ghost, haunting this dungeon without ever being able to leave. 

And then you opened your eyes again, and you were all too warm. 

You took a few shuddering breaths, coughing and gasping. Your lungs burned like they were on fire and your whole body ached. You curled up into yourself, shivering. And then you became aware of what was going on around you. And also that for some reason everyone was wrapped in towels instead of normal clothing.

"YOU MEAN YOU HAD NORMAL RESURRECTION MAGIC THAT COULD DO SHIT LIKE THIS THIS WHOLE TIME???!!! ARE YOU STUPID? WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS WHOLE THING!" 

Another....halffoot? Shouted. 

"I already EXPLAINED why I couldn't have used normal magic!!" A blond elf woman shouted back in an exasperated high pitched squeal. "It wouldn't have worked! The thread between body and soul was too tenuous! And we'd never have been able to get enough regular meat down there! Anyway I don't understand why you're so against it, I didn't see you arguing against it at the time!" 

A blond tall man, blindfolded? For some reason? Interjected. "Marcille is right! Even though the body was in a not so great condition the ice kept it from rotting so all the component parts were still there! We just got lucky that we were able to gather them all together! Once the body thawed resurrecting it was a simple matter! There was no need for special magic like with Falin." 

They continued to argue violently while your recently unfrozen brain attempted to make sense of the situation. 

Had the half foot somehow had enough pull in the party he'd been able to convince them that they should revive you? You weren't much use on this floor and presumably deeper ones where small traps gave way to larger monsters, so you couldn't work out any reason they had for reviving you. You looked around the small, actually extremely hot room you were in. It was...a sauna? Was it really a sauna? What the fuck? 

You smelled something delicious and you looked around to see a dwarf with long black hair and a massive bushy black beard peacefully tending to meat cooking over what looked very much like a wok. What the fuck? They were a high enough level party to have fresh meat down here? That would explain why they'd been able to spare the revival for you. 

There was also what looked like a beast girl crouched next to him, watching the squabbling party members with a bored expression on her face. Well. That was just another one of the things to file away and deal with later. 

Almost instinctively you staggered to your feet and crouched down by the dwarf to watch him cook. Your stomach grumbled insistently. Even in normal circumstances getting revived made you ravenous. Now you felt dizzy with hunger. 

"Ah, hello there!" The dwarf looked up at you and beamed. "Always nice to have new folk eat with us! You must be hungry after getting revived, food should be ready in just a few minutes."

He continued cooking, humming softly to himself. 

"Would you...like some help?" You managed to rasp out. Throat hoarse with disuse. 

At this point it seemed like the other people there remembered your existence. 

"Ah! So sorry, you're awake!" The elf said. "You were out for a long time, I didn't know if the magic would fully take with how long you'd been in the ice."

"How...how long?" You said, almost dreading the answer. 

"At least a couple of years, based on the state of your organs and bones" the blindfolded tall man said enthusiastically. "You were lucky! The extreme cold preserved you extremely well and there aren't any monsters down here that would go to the trouble of digging you out of the ice." 

You blinked at him. 

"How did you get all the way down here?" The elf asked. "Was your party wiped out? We looked but we couldn't find anyone else."

"I'll bet they left her behind." The halffoot interjected dourly. "She probably got injured and they didn't want to waste time resurrecting her or bringing her along." 

"what!" The elf gasped. "that's terrible, no one would do that! Why would you even think of that Chilchuck??" 

"Like I keep telling you guys, halffoots are treated as expendable! It'd be totally within the realm of possibility! Especially since she didn't sign on with the union or we woulda recorded when her party came back without her or she just never came back at all!" He frowned. "That's why I started the damn thing in the first place but if not everyone uses it it's not fucking good to anyone."

he (chilchuck?) turned abruptly to you. "Anyway, why didn't you use the union? We would have been able to look out for you so this didn't happen."

You stared at him in utter confusion. "....union?" 

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - December 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles for 50% off this month!

1. These high-tech windows fight climate change – and will save you money

“[“Vacuum-insulated glass”] insulates five times better than double-paned glass. The Enthermal product line holds energy about as well as fiberglass wall insulation[…. T]he energy bill savings offset the upfront cost of the upgrade in two to seven years, depending on the building[….]”

2. Doulas test ways to curb Memphis’ Black maternal, infant deaths

“Research shows they are key to better health outcomes. […] Free of charge, [parents enrolled in this pilot program], in addition to being paired with a doula, get access to free yoga classes, diapers, breastfeeding starter kits, nutritious food and other tangible help that can measurably boost well-being.”

3. Scientists find feeding grazing cattle seaweed cuts methane emissions by almost 40%

“This is the first study to test seaweed on grazing beef cattle in the world. […] Most research to reduce methane emissions using feed additives has taken place in controlled environments with daily supplements. But Kebreab noted in the study that fewer than half of those methods are effective for grazing cattle.”

4. Success for local residents as Florida council toppled over sewage plant plan

“A citizens’ revolt in a small Florida city ousted an entire slate of councilors who were pushing for a new sewage plant to be built close to one of the state’s most pristine and treasured rivers.”

5. Beaver survey aims to show the urban benefits of Chicago's 'ecosystem engineers'

“Urban Rivers is installing [“artificial floating gardens”] along the river to restore native wetland habitats, which provide food and shelter for wildlife, as well as natural spaces for humans.”

6. The future of plastic: Biodegradable, durable, and even edible

“[… T]he composite plastic proved not only sturdy but also more malleable than its core component, hydroxyethyl cellulose. Additionally, since both cellulose and tyrosine are edible, the biodegradable composite plastic can technically be consumed.”

7. Limestone quarries could be vital for wild bee conservation

“Quarries provide valuable habitats for wild bees and other animals and plants that occur on the now rare calcareous grasslands," explains lead author Dr. Felix Kirsch[….]”

8. New England wedding vendors offer help to same-sex couples before Trump inauguration

“Marriage equality isn’t immediately at risk. Trump has said he considers it settled law, but of course it’s hard to take him at his word […] so vendors in the region are offering free or discounted services to queer couples and noncitizens in a rush to marry.”

9. The indigenous women saving India's endangered giant yams

“Since their formation in 2022, the 10 members of the Noorang group have planted and brought back to the community 180 varieties of wild tubers[….] The project is part of [… a] farming initiative to eradicate poverty, provide agricultural training and empower women in vulnerable tribal communities.”

10. The US is making and deploying more solar panels than ever before

“[… D]omestic solar module manufacturing capacity has nearly quintupled since 2022[….] Solar is the cheapest source of new power generation by far, and it’s an increasingly large employer in the U.S., particularly in Republican-led states.”

November 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[fallout-lou-begas]

Not sure if you’ve been asked this before, but what are your favorite/essential mods for new vegas? I’ve only ever played it unmodded so I’m curious

Good question! I definitely have answered this before, but that was so many years ago. It's only now that I've taken the opportunity to overhaul and modernize my own mod set-up that I've been figuring out the answer to this question myself. But I can definitely talk you through the most important parts of my new load order.

First, however, every single person modding this game in this day and age absolutely needs to start with the Viva New Vegas modding guide, and follow every step to the letter. The recommendations are air-tight and the instructions are written and presented as if you, the reader, have never even seen so much as a computer before. It's amazing. The "Base" of VNV contains nothing but bugfixes, lightweight unofficial patches, performance optimizations, and other under-the-hood stuff designed to remedy FNV's infamous stability issues while maintaining a completely "vanilla" feel. This makes it absolutely necessary, in my opinion, even for people who don't actually want to play with any (other) mods. Especially crucial to this guide is its mandate to use Mod Organizer 2; if you're using Nexus Mod Manager, Vortex, or Fallout Mod Manager any time since Biden got elected, you are shooting yourself in the foot plain and simple. The best endorsement that I can give of Mod Organizer 2 is that it mods you game completely virtually, meaning that if you fuck your mods up beyond repair, you can just go to your actual FNV launcher in your root folder and boot up the vanilla game like nothing ever happened.

And the "Extended" section of Viva New Vegas consists of more modding tools, quality of life tweaks, content restorations, and a curated list of strongly recommended gameplay modifications that nevertheless all come down to your personal preference (though deviating from their provided list may make you use your brain a little bit when choosing the right compatibility patches, and so on).

This isn't going to cover every single thing that I play with, but here's everything that I would think to suggest to anybody who asked. With that said, here's Fallout "Lou" Begas's Mod Recommendations, 2024 Edition:

Viva New Vegas Extended: Lou's Preferences

VNV Extended recommends several gameplay modifications that come down to personal preference. I installed just about all of them, with a few exceptions (I don't care at all for B42 Optics, for example). Here's some specific details:

Just Assorted Mods has a hell of a lot of features but I actually enable are breath-holding, the vanilla sprint, and the loot menu (though I flip-flop often on using JAM's Bullet Time in place of V.A.T.S.). If you install VNV and boot up the game and wonder "what is all this fucking shit on my HUD," it's probably some of Just Assorted Mods's components. Just disable the ones you don't want in the in-game Mod Configuration Menu, which you will also have available if you followed the instructions for VNV Base.

Vigor is a modernized fork of JSawyer, the mod that was originally created by FNV's own director after the game's release that tweaked a lot of under-the-hood game settings and statistical balance to his personal preferences. JSawyer Ultimate Edition a more faithful modernization of the original JSawyer whereas Vigor is "a more lightweight alternative" that dials back some of the more drastic features of JSUE. Your choice of these, or none of them, is purely personal preference, and my preference is for Vigor. Any form of JSawyer is strongly recommended if you play in Hardcore Mode.

Simple Vigor Config is used in conjuncton with Vigor and is an intuitive and easy way to overwrite Vigor's gamesetting changes with your own preference. I use the config to adjust carry weight to a much more punishing (25 + 5*STR) formula that incentivizes the use of backpacks, mindful inventory management, and companion inventory space; and to increase the starvation, thirst, and sleep Hardcore Mode rates to 10, 5, and 14 respectively.

Desert Natural Weathers is the weather mod to end all weather mods, in my view, and it includes configuration for customizing the darkness and visibility of nighttime. This effectively obsoletes former dinosaurs like Darker Nights Ultimate Edition. Refer to the post that I made on DNUE's Nexus page here for a copy of my settings to darken those dang nights with DNW.

In AIStewie's Tweaks's nvse_stewie_tweaks.ini file, I set bCustomSpecialPoints = 1 and iNumPointsToAllocate = 35. This slightly reduced starting stat spread forces you to make tradeoffs in your character creation, because it starts with a perfect middle 5 in every stat. Every addition above average will require a subtraction below average. The "Essentials" INI included with VNV Base is all that most players will ever need, so this is my one specific personal tweak that'll keep you from scrolling through every single option in the whole damn thing (though I also recommend enabling the tweaks that hide all of your skill check tags in dialogue for more immersive and less gamified roleplaying in conversation: set bNoSkillTags, bRemoveFailedSuccessText, bRemoveRedOutline, and iRemoveTags to all = 1. )

Lou's Personally Valuable or Sentimental Tweaks and Fixes

Better Pause Menu Screen (Simple Blur). I play with an ultrawide resolution and the vanilla pause menu filter doesn't actually extend past 1920x1080. So this is really vital, lol.

Vanilla Animations Weapon Scale Fix. This mod will fix a common issue with custom weapons and animation mods where your weapon will become invisible because its scale has gotten stuck at 0.

Companion Carry Weight Fix. All companions in the game have an invisible attribute called "companion suite" that, among other things, halves their carrying capacity based on their actual stats. If you play with a super low carry weight formula like I do, you can see how this is a problem. Here's the solution.

Miscellaneous Tweaks Collection includes a few files that I get great use out of: No DLC Recipes Early (great unless you integrate DLC crafting ingredients into your base game somehow) and Vendors Have Throwables (why the fuck are throwing weapons so hard to find in vanilla!). There are others that I use as well but I recommend these two the most generally.

Lucky 38 Suite Upgrade Terminal Tweak is a very cute little mod that removes the ugly wall-mounted terminal and makes you purchase your suite upgrades from the actual computer on the desk in the master bedroom instead.

I Fought the Law - Simple NCR Start finally gives you a good reason to check out NCRCF if you're not siding with the Powder Gangers.

Hire Cass Early was my "dream mod" for the longest time, and thanks to some help, it's finally a reality. Simply pick up the letter that this mod adds to the Mojave Express office in Primm and you can recruit Cass right away (through the usual persuasive requirements) without ever stepping off the road from Goodsprings to the Mojave Outpost. Part of my ongoing "make @ikroah real" project.

Harder Strip Access. Getting into Vegas to finally confront Benny should feel like a tremendous accomplishment. This mod makes it so. Better pony up the caps or call in one hell of a favor, kid! With any kind of tougher economy mods, especially, this mod makes it wonderfully Herculean to just buy your way onto the Strip.

Balance Tweaks

Pseudo-Realistic Carry Weight - No Weightless Item Overhaul and Realistic Bottle Cap Weight. The former is actually an optional file; the main file just implements the the carry weight formula that I was coincidentally already using. The latter just forces you to think strategically about how much money you're walking around with. Can you tell that I love inventory management? Note that if you give bottlecaps weight, you should definitely let yourself drop them when necessary by editing Stewie's Tweaks (bShowCurrencyInContainers = 1).

Carry Weight Affects Speed, Med-Tek Trauma Kit (Lou's Version), and More Conditions to Fast Travel. The first appearance of my own mods on this list! These three mods in conjunction tie your encumbrance and your overall health to your mobility far more strictly. I love the balancing act of packing enough supplies for an excursion while leaving enough room for loot that I can still fast travel with, and the choice to get greedy with more loot than I can comfortably carry and just hope to not run into danger on my slow walk back toward a merchant. My tweaks to the classic Med-Tek Trauma Kit mod apply this level of emergent gameplay and resource management to your limb health, though it makes the game much more difficult unless your character specializes in Medicine. I haven't tried it myself, but Simple Healing System is fully configurable, modern mod that I've had my eyes on and that might be better for most general playstyles, and it might even be compatible in conjunction with my Med-Tek mod for extra intensity!

Better Charisma (Charisma Affects Dialogue Skill Checks) and/or Charisma Affects Reputation. I've always been very frustrated with how much of a meaningless dump stat Charisma is, and the phenomenon of the 1 CHA 100 Speech player character in general. These two mods, which you can use just one of or both together, give Charisma much more meaningful and palpable functionality.

Terrifying Presence (Lou's Version), speaking of Charisma, changes the requirement for this perk from Level 6 and 70 Speech to Level 2 and 6 CHA, making it much more accessible to more types of intimidating characters. This same mod includes alternate options to take it as a trait instead, with the drawback(s) of either tanking your Speech and Barter and/or increasing your addiction chance. See also: Less Snarky Terrifying Presence.

New Vegas Karma Rebalance is a great under-the-hood mod that makes FNV's nearly vestigial karma system less nonsensical without removing it or its effects on the player entirely. Thanks to this and Mass Ownership Tweaks, which is already included in VNV Extended's recommendation of Essential Vanilla Enhancements Merged, Cass won't hate your guts just for stealing a few things from Caesar's Legion at Cottonwood Cove, especially not after you've already killed them all.

Damage Multiplier solves the sluggish damage sponge problem that plagues Bethesda engine combat by simply multiplying all damage dealt globally, both by and to the player, by a factor of your choosing. I use 2.5x, which is usually enough to kill any level-appropriate human being with a single shot to the head. 2x should be the minimum. Combine with Combat Enhancer NVSE and NPCs Use Ammo for overall faster but much more ferocious and intense combat engagements.

Visuals and Animations

Third Person Camera Overhaul. Though I'm still getting used to its extremely specific configuration settings, this is vital for a third-person enjoyer like myself. It obsoletes any and all "dynamic camera" or "shoulder swap" mods of the past. Once you figure out how it works and what you like, you're set for life.

Realistic Movement and Dramatic Inertia. Although a little goofy, it has never felt better for me to physically move around in the game than it has before. I like the weight and get-up-and-go that this mod has for me as a player, but it's especially significant in firefights and other combat situations where, now, your targets can't dodge bullets by shifting direction instantly or stopping and turning on perfect dimes. For a single, less heavyweight alternative, try 360 Movement and Diagonal Movement together instead. Each pair of these mods is incompatible with the other pair, however.

B42 Loot, B42 Interact, and B42 Inject. I recommend a lot of the B42 family of animation overhauls in general (except B42 Optics, lol) because I just love seeing my character actually do the things they're doing. For B42 Loot, I use the included config file to disable the "force pull" effect, and for B42 Interact, there exists compatibility patches between it and its more third-person oriented counterpart Animated Ingestibles, but I'd only look into that if you know what you're doing (though, I do).

Character Kit Remake is a mod that I was turned onto recently. For a long time I have scoffed at character appearance overhauls out of nostalgia for those classic gamebryo engine potato-faces and what I thought was, to be blunt, the tasteless ineptitude of the actual overhauling. But I do really like this one, even if the showcase of screenshots do a really bad job of selling it. It looks a lot better in motion and in game, I promise. i think that these people are just not good digital photographers.

Height Randomizer. It's funny how much you can get attached to a minor character when they are, for whatever reason, especially tall or short. This lightweight mod just adds some height variance to all NPCs in the game that don't already have a non-normal 1.00 height setting in vanilla.

The Strip Groove. Dance on command. Endorsed.

Items, Economy, Crafting, Survival, Repair, Etc.

Gloves Galore (Lou's Version), Power Armor Gloves, Combat Armor Gloves, and White Glove Society Wear Gloves. Anyone who has followed me long enough on here should know that I have strong, totally normal feelings about gloves.

Armed to the Teeth Redux and literally any backpack mod. I've used this duffel bag forever, for example. I love these ones because I personally love when you can physically, literally see the things that a character is supposed to be carrying.

Flashlight NVSE. Another piece of Agnes Sands's arsenal, this is the one "old" mod that I can't quit. Even if it is a little janky, I've yet to find a better directional flashlight mod. Only install this is you think you can handle wrestling with it a little, and make sure your "Exterior" flashlight settings are all on the lowest quality regardless of computer specs (or else it causes flickering). It's a must-have for darker nights, too.

Famine is the last "loot scarcity" mod you'll ever need. Combine it with Harder, Barter, Faster, Stronger from the VNV Extended recommendations list for a really tough time affording even basic necessities without tailoring your build for mercantile success... which is just how I like it.

Cheaper Repair Costs. The vanilla formula for determining the cost of weapon and armor repairs at merchants is, in a word, fucked, where it literally costs twice the weapon's base value to repair it from broken. This mod lets you adjust that proportion so that you won't be better off literally selling and buying another gun in every single case. I play with a rate of 67% (which means that paying a merchant to repair a completely broken weapon from 0% health to 100% health will cost 67% of the weapon's base value).

Alternative Repairing does too much cool, practical shit to the base repairing system to even get into here. To keep it short, it intuitively incentivizes actually scrounging for all kinds of formerly useless junk that you can now scrap for spare parts. Check it out.

Water Overhaul. Ever play with a Universal Water Bottling mod and find things suddenly far too easy? Water Overhaul combines all the convenience and sense-making of bottling water anywhere with the much-needed tradeoff of truly purified water being much rarer. All that convenient H2O is now just radioactive enough to keep Goodsprings Source from singlehandedly breaking the survival economy of the game (not to mention the literal economy).

Cowboy Coffee and Coffee Grounds, my own mod that adds brewable coffee to the wasteland. While mostly just created because it's cute, it's really nice to have a reliable and palpable source of sleep deprivation relief when playing in Hardcore Mode.

Gun Oil From Animal Fat, another mod of mine that provides a cheaper, craftable, and less demanding but less effective repair option to complement Weapon Repair Kits. I patched this one recently to fix some old issues, and it's great for incentivizing emergent gameplay (since you need to hunt for meat, and cook the meat for fat, and combine the fat with loot to make the gun oil).

Sound

Less Constant Music and Passive Combat Music Tweaked do exactly what they say on the tin and are perfect for people who like to get immersed in the natural sound of their environment, especially if you're a chronically stealthy player like me and you've trained yourself to constantly listen for enemy footsteps. I do recommend keeping Less Constant Music disabled when you first start a game, though, because until I can figure out how to add an exception to it myself, it will remove the background music from character creation at Doc Mitchell's house more often than not, and I really like that music.

SPEAKING of Doc Mitchell's music, Try Not To Get Killed Anymore is one of the first mods I ever made and it has never left my load order. It simply replaces the musical sting that plays when you die with an emphatic, tolling bell and the refrain from Doc Mitchell's theme, plus an optional version that includes his ghostly voice telling you to try not to get killed anymore. Two of my other personal sound replacers are the Mysterious Stranger Level-up Theme, Simple Snap Sound Effects for Quest Updates, and Mechanical Camera VATS.

[mariacallous]

Employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were informed on Thursday morning that new rules forbid them from accessing “general news” websites, including those that have been at the forefront of the reporting on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort.

In an email reviewed by WIRED and addressed to “all SSA employees” from a mailing list called “internal communications,” the agency informed employees that it was “implementing additional restrictions to the categories of websites prohibited from government-furnished equipment. Effective today, March 6, 2025, the categories include: Online shopping; General News; and Sports.” The headline read “Internet Browsing from Government Equipment.”

The email did not specify which websites in particular were to be blocked. However, WIRED has confirmed with two sources inside the SSA that Wired.com is no longer accessible today, though it was accessible previously.

The sources also confirmed that the websites of The Washington Post, The New York Times, and MSNBC were inaccessible. However, the sources were able to access other news websites including Politico and Axios.

“Local news blocked,” says one source at SSA, who was granted anonymity over fears of retribution. “So if there was a local shooting or something, I wouldn’t be able to see.”

It’s unclear who has implemented the block list or what criteria were used to populate it, but it appears not to be based on ideological grounds, as Fox News and Breitbart are also blocked.

On Friday, weeks after DOGE engineers were installed at SSA, the agency announced plans to cut 7,000 employees. Many of the agency’s most senior staff have resigned. This includes former SSA commissioner Michelle King, who has decades of experience within the agency. She was replaced by acting commissioner Leland Dudek, a mid-level staffer who claimed in a LinkedIn post, reviewed by WIRED, that he had been punished by King for helping DOGE engineers when they first arrived. Musk and Donald Trump have also continued to push the conspiracy theory that millions of dead people are continuing to collect social security benefits, despite the fact those claims have been debunked.

In the hours after the initial email was sent about blocking news sites, some employees received another email from their managers providing instructions on how to disable news showing up on the Edge landing page. This was not a requirement but a recommendation to help employees resist the temptation to click on news links, a source who had received the email told WIRED.

Those trying to visit Wired.com were greeted with a page replicating much of what was in the initial email. It also listed a “URL Reputiation” score, though it was unclear where that score was being sourced from, or if it has a bearing on site access. Different blocked news websites were given different scores, according to screenshots viewed by WIRED.

SSA employees typically use computers with Microsoft’s Edge installed as the internet browser. The default landing page on that browser is set to show news headlines, according to several sources at SSA.

“Employees with a legitimate business [sic] should submit an exception SAM request for their supervisor's review,” the email continued. “These additional restrictions will help reduce risk and better protect the sensitive information entrusted to us in our many systems.”

On Reddit, multiple members of the FedNews subreddit who said they worked at the SSA claimed that accessing news in a timely manner was an essential part of their job. Others pointed out that being able to make purchases online was a core component of their work.

After this article was published, an SSA spokesperson told WIRED that it implemented the restrictions because “employees should be focused on mission-critical work and serving the American people.”

It did not respond to requests for comment on why some news websites were blocked and others were not.

Employees at several other US government agencies contacted by WIRED said similar blocks on news pages had not been implemented on their networks.

[harrisonarchive]

Photo by Arnold Newman.

“[W]e built a little studio at home to save the drive up and down the M4. And the studio is really very nice — little plug for Eddie Veale of Audiotech because he did a fantastic job and it sounds really nice. You know, because most home studios have a lot of trouble, you know. And it’s not really practical in some cases for people to have a home studio.” - George Harrison, Capital Radio, 1974 “Of all the former ‘Fabs,’ to use his customary term, George Harrison has remained the greatest creative homebody. […] George has rolled out of bed and returned again and again to Friar Park Studios, Henley-on-Thames (or F.P.S.H.O.T., for short) to tinker, compose and do his formal recording. […] Besides 'Cloud Nine,’ George recorded the 'Dark Horse,’ '33 1/3’ and 'George Harrison’ albums in his F.P.S.H.O.T. atelier, located in what was formerly a ballroom of the house. 'The studio was installed round 1971 and there’s been a few updates, cause when I originally put the studio in it was a 16-track. In terms of the monitoring system, after all those years in the Abbey Road EMI Studios, I put in Altec speakers. My experience in Abbey Road was that whenever the Beatles worked there and we thought we had a great sound, we’d play it back on the Altecs and it sounded terrible — ordinary. So they’re very boring in a way — and this must sound strange — but they’re also accurate! See, the Altecs don’t flatter the sound; it’s not easy to get good bass and drum sounds with them. But when I built my studio I didn’t want hype. I wanted what I’m hearing to be what it is. That way, when you play it back anyplace else it sounds fantastic! […] I’ve since made F.P.S.H.O.T. into a 24-track board. […] I’m going to get a few different choice modules made soon, but I don’t really want to go for a brand new SSL board and all that. Automation is nice in some respects, but I got my first skills at Abbey Road, so I prefer the old components, and spending a friendly weekend getting the manual mix you want. Just as I much prefer my ancient Fender Strat.’” - Musician, November 1987 (x)

[quaintbuilds]

The Mountain Province 1 - Intro [New Project]

Introducing... my new project. It doesn't have a name yet...

This project will be a whole new world, built block by block, in a fantasy Japanese style. The current plan is to have the project separated by provinces which will be geographically distinct and feature different industries and styles, but all these provinces will be part of a collective Kingdom? Empire? Confederation? IDK yet. The world will have a roughly late medieval technology level but will include Minecraft's more magical components like enchanting, alchemy, and monsters. There will also be hot air balloons/air ships and a focus on wind and water powered technology. Think Grand Cathay from Warhammer, but not Grimdark.

Each province is governed by a local Lord? Daimyo? Governor? Time will tell, I'm a working man, I can't spend all my time planning out a fictional world, there are arts and crafts to do too. But I do know that each Province has a town hall/government building, which is shown in this post on a commanding spot between two big waterfalls. It does not really have an interior, not many of the buildings ever will, but I plan to have the town halls be my bases to keep track of each regions lore (not pictured is the sign room where all this nerd stuff is documented).

Starting with a breakdown of the Mountain Province. This region is mountainous and covered with dense forests of towering spruce trees that are broken up by deep lakes, rivers, and ponds. The main industries are mining and lumber, and the population relies on fishing, foraging, and small farming communities for it's food. While not a densely populated region, the mountains are home to hardy folk who provide the necessary raw materials for other regions to fuel their industries.

This world is being built entirely by me. That means all the terrain. Every tree, every bush, every river is being done with world edit, commands, and right clicks. My plan is to do small segments at a time. This post is built around the lake and waterfalls. The next one will probably be expanding the river that flows into the lake and the mountains and valleys around it. I want the world to feel real and make sense, because I am a mega nerd who needs something to do in my free time, so stay tuned, and hopefully my soul sucking job will not cause a premature end to this project.

---Technical Information---

This project is being built in a modded version of Minecraft 1.21.1.

I am using Sodium/Fabric/Iris for optimization and graphical boosts. Mods installed (so far) are world edit and Farmers Delight, both were sourced from CurseForge.

Texture pack is just vanilla Minecraft because Mizuno's is not being updated :( and I almost got a virus trying to find something else.

Shader pack is Complementary Reimagined.