#est dot text

[esther-jester]

i love heartstopper i wish healthy relationships were real

[rachalixie]

my love, mine all mine

a/n: happy valentine's my angel @astraystayyh and my star @forlix <333 (this is not my best work but be kind to me i wrote it in a rush because i wanted it to be READY FOR YOU TODAY)

hyunjin setting up the perfect valentine's day for you

warnings: fem!reader, 2.3k

genre: fluff, est. relationship

you wake up on valentine’s day the same as you do any other day - a little grumpy, a lot tired, and above all wanting to close your eyes for just a few more minutes. 

it takes you longer to admit to drag yourself into the shower and get dressed, but you give yourself credit for doing it before noon; you weren’t a morning person by nature. 

you didn’t feel any particular way about valentine’s day - you’ve never had a valentine, never been in a serious enough relationship to where you felt it needed to be celebrated. you had whispered this to hyunjin a few days ago, cuddled into his chest at night, but beyond that you hadn’t really thought about it much. 

it seems that hyunjin had, though, seeing as your living room floor was covered in red rose petals. a single, small. pink gift bag sat on the coffee table and you couldn’t help the jaw-aching smile that you were wearing. there was no sign that he was still there, his shoes were absent at the door and the absent-minded humming he habited wasn’t reaching your ears. he must have used the spare key to come in and set this up before work, and the idea of him coming over to do this and letting you sleep in on your day off was so sweet you thought you might get a toothache from it. 

you walk to the center of the room to open the gift, on your tiptoes to avoid stepping on the sweet smelling petals scattered on the carpet. your mouth drops into an O shape when a single piece of paper is revealed at the bottom of the bag. 

put these coordinates into your maps, it reads, and you frown in confusion. you do it, and an address pops up that you’ve never seen before. you assume he wants you to go there, but why? he was at work, wasn’t he?

your short walk there leads you to a coffee shop just a few blocks away from your apartment, a small family-owned one that you had been meaning to try for weeks. it’s cozy, with paper hearts and flowers decorating the place and chalkboard menus advertising sweet sounding valentine’s lattes. 

“this is for you,” the server at the counter tells you as you approach to order, holding out a paper cup and a neatly folded paper bag. you take the items from her, inspecting them carefully. the cup has earl gray tea latte scrawled onto its side, and the bag contains a mouth-watering pastry dotted with bits of almond and chocolate. what is this?

“how much do i owe…?” you look back up at the server as she turns to return to stocking the pastry case, and her ponytail swishes as she faces you. 

“it’s taken care of,” she winks at you, smiling. “someone really loves you, huh?”

“yeah,” your heart swells as you take a seat in the corner of the shop to enjoy your breakfast. “he does.”

you sip on your tea slowly, people watching as the thought of hyunjin rushing here after stopping at your place to give them your order warming you from the inside out. an elderly couple comes in next, hand in hand as they place an order. a young man stops by, holding a bouquet of flowers and blushing as he asks for two strawberry-chocolate mochas. 

several people later, you stand up to recycle the cup and empty paper bag, walking out the door as you take your phone out to send hyunjin an aggressive thank-you text.

“wait!” the server calls after you, and you stop in your steps as she jogs to catch up with you. “i forgot to give you this.”

she stretches her hand out towards you, a small gift bag identical to the one you’d found in your apartment dangling off of her fingers. 

“oh, thank you,” you say, blinking at the bag as she disappears almost as quickly as she came. 

get in the car, it reads. you glance up just as a sleek black sedan pulls up next to you, the tinted passenger side window rolling down to reveal seungmin. 

“what is this?” you pop your head into the window, sending a glare at him as if that would make him talk. if there is anyone who will keep a secret to the death, it’s kim seungmin. 

“the note says to get in the car,” he rolls his eyes, unlocking the door so you could slide in next to him. “we don’t want to be late.”

“late to what?” you ask, but he ignores you in favor of turning the music up. it’s playing a song from your favorite artist, one that you know seungmin doesn’t listen to. 

he rolls the car to a stop on a familiar street downtown and he finally smiles at you as he unlocks the doors again. 

“we’re here,” he says, then exits the car to hop around to your side to open the door for you. “enjoy the rest of your day, madam.”

“what a gentleman,” you tease him, taking his hand as he helps you out of the car. 

“for the woman of honor? it’s my pleasure,” before you could ask him what he meant by honor, he’s hopping back into his car and driving off. 

this is weird. right?

he had dropped you off right in front of your regular nail salon. as you’re waiting by the door, conflicted over whether you should go in or not, one of the technicians opens the door, waving at you to come in. 

“hi,” you greet her, “i was, well. driven here? but i don’t have an appointment.”

“of course you have an appointment,” she grins, white teeth flashing at you. “for right now. come right this way!”

she leads you to a chair, and your favorite tech exits out the staff room in the back and sits across the table from you. 

“hi beautiful,” she says, and the familiarity of her tampers down the overwhelming feeling that had been creeping up on you. “full set, right? what color?”

“oh, i wasn’t really prepared…” you think of your dwindling bank account and grimace. “maybe just polish? dark red, though.”

“oh don’t worry,” she winks at you before getting her materials set up at the station. “it’s been paid in advance.”

as she gets to work on your nails, you can’t help the all-consuming rush of affection that surges through you. when had hyunjin had time to plan all of this? 

you thank everyone profusely once she’s done, marveling at your new set of nails. you’re not as surprised this time when the girl who had waved you in earlier hands you a small, now familiar gift bag. 

the next stop leads you to a hair salon, one that you’ve never been to if only because it was so expensive. designer products lined the walls for purchase, plush leather seats were placed in front of lit up floor to ceiling mirrors - it was like a palace. 

you’re the only customer there, which surprised you. it was valentine’s day, didn’t others want to get their hair done too? 

you couldn’t complain though, especially when the hair stylist asks you what you wanted done and listened to you with rapt attention. the lack of anyone else there was a welcome surprise. 

the stylist washes your hair, the water she uses somehow the perfect temperature for you. her fingers move in expert motions, relaxing you and making you melt into the chair. 

she walks you over to her station and gets started on blow-drying your wet hair, and man approaches with a basket full of makeup. he wordlessly brushes it on, making gentle swiping motions across your eyelids and cheeks that almost feel like hyunjin’s eyelashes fluttering against your skin. 

they work in amazing synchronization, so in tune with one another that you’re a little overwhelmed by the time they finish. 

“you look divine,” the man compliments, high-fiving the hair stylist over your head. 

“like a princess,” the woman nods, turning you towards the mirror and - oh. you do look amazing, soft waves framing your face and neutral tones accenting your eyes. 

“thank you so much,” you gush, marveling at how the blush and highlight adorning your cheeks turn brighter when you smile. 

“it’s our pleasure,” the makeup artist replies, patting your shoulder. “you were wonderful to work on. come back anytime.”

“let me guess,” you can’t help the smile from leaving your face. “it’s taken care of?”

the man nods as the hair stylist hands you the gift bag you were already expecting. 

this time it tells you to cross the street, and a quick glance shows a small row of shops. there’s a tiny number scribbled on the corner of the slip of paper, and it matches up with the number on top of one of the shops. it was a small boutique, less flashy than any of the places you've been directed to all day. 

this stop is more of a quick affair, a young girl greeting you like she knew you and ushering you into a changing room where a shoe box is waiting on a stool and a garment bag hangs on a hook. you unzip it to reveal a beautiful red dress, flowy fabric falling like waterfalls off of the hanger. 

you put it on and it fits you like a well-worn ring, complimenting your figure like it was tailored specifically for you. the heels are a perfect fit too, and you almost feel like cinderella waiting to meet your prince. the girl is waiting outside when you step out, and you feel the urge to hide from her when she fixes you with a scrutinizing look.

“how do i look?” you ask her, and her face breaks out into a beam towards you. 

“you look phenomenal,” she gushes, twirling you around so she could see every angle. “he chose so well, the dress compliments you perfectly.”

“my clothes?” you turn back to get them, but she stops you with a hand on your elbow. 

“don’t worry about them, they’ll get back to you,” she walks you towards the door. “he’s right next door - don’t be late!”

you take a deep breath as you exit the shop, your fingers wringing together with unexpected nerves. why are you nervous? hyunjin had created the perfect day for you - finally seeing him would be the icing on the perfect cake. you push through the nerves as you push open the door, and you cant help but gasp in wonder when you take in the interior. 

it looks like an abandoned storefront, remodeled to make a whimsical scene. there’s strings of fairy lights lining the brick walls, creeping around green vines that make the space look like something out of a storybook. rose petals, the same ones from this morning, line a trail towards a small table in the center of the room. candles shone on top of it, two glasses of freshly poured wine glinting in the firelight, and next to the table is a man who’s been waiting eagerly. 

it’s hyunjin, standing tall with a deliciously fitted suit framing his body and a single rose held in his hand. you walk towards him, your heels clicking on the floor as you try not to trip in your rush to fall into his arms. 

“you did all this? the whole thing?” you ask, willing the tears to stay in your lids as to not mess up your freshly done makeup. out of all the things you’ve done today, getting to stand in the circle of his arms is by far the best part. 

“of course i did,” he rubs a hand up and down your spine, letting the tips of his fingers trace across the zipper there. “i wanted to make this day perfect.”

“i loved it,” you pull away to look him in the eyes. “i love you. i would have loved it if you showed in sweatpants up with takeout too.”

“i know,” he looks at you with an overwhelming amount of fondness brimming in his eyes. “but you’re special. i wanted to do something that showed you how special you are.”

“you’re a real life prince, did you know that?” you lay a light smack on his chest, so overfilled with happiness that you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

“well, if i’m a prince,” he leans in to press a kiss to your cheek, then to your forehead. “then you’re my princess.”

he pulls something out of his pocket and fastens it behind your neck, and you look down as a light weight settles between your collarbones. it’s a necklace, a dainty H hanging off of a chain, a single stone nestled in the middle of the pendant. 

“this is too much,” you pout, much too pleased to actually throw a fuss. you know he loves you, and you know how he loves.

“nothing is too much when it comes to you,” his voice is fragile and honest, and you can’t help but kiss him, giggling when you pull away and he chases after you.

he holds out the chair closest to you and pushes it in for you, dashing to the other side to sit down himself. he drops his hand to the table, upturned with his fingers splayed, and you take the message to intertwine your fingers with his as you take a sip of the sweetest wine that has ever touched your lips. 

he doesn’t let go of your hand for the entire night. 

[astrophileblogs07]

Astro Observations pt.21

Back with some very random Astro observations 😁

⚫ Saturn aspecting the 7th house actually can dislike 9 to 5 jobs or corporate office jobs. They are better with freelancing. Its coz they can't take orders. Sorry not sorry. 💀(Ig that's a Saturn 7H thing 😆)

⚫ An interesting thing I observed: Among two siblings, the elder one has Leo rising which means Scorpio 4H and the younger one has Scorpio moon. And their Mom is a Scorpio moon too. She's a nice lady though but is such a control freak. (I know I am one too, but like when I met her the second time that "controlling" vibe just hit me like a big yellow school bus 🚌😭😭). That was so funny lol😂. -All the more her birthdate is a single digit 1.(these people are the alpha type, always lead and never follow and hence are dominating, one to have the last say) which is cherry on top. -She is fiercely protective of her kids. Can't emphasize enough on "fierce" part. Very strict. Rules are to be followed very religiously. {She can't stand any one of them doing anything without her knowledge. She even monitors whom they interact with what they do on their mobiles etc.(from what I suspect)} (obv Scorpio moon mom traits) (sometimes Leo moon moms too){nothing unhealthy here, just Mom's way of showing they care 😂}

⚫Saturn and Workout: -Workout 🏋️‍♀️requires CONSISTENCY. Saturn LOVES consistency. -In fact the best remedy for Saturn is sweating. JUST SWEAT by hard work. No matter what it maybe: workout, walking, jobs, cardio, sports etc. 🤸‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏋️‍♀️

⚫ Whilst on the topic of Saturn, people who follow a time table for literally everything the planet doesn't harm them much during its Dasha (even if its your worst one). I mean obviously you played by the rules 🤷‍♀️

⚫ Magha is the only nakshatra for which you don't need in depth compatibility match. They get along with everyone.

⚫Scorpio Venuses/8H Venuses are paranoid. They notice and suspect everything (sometimes things which are not there/imaginary). (For eg, me, who thinks that someone is peeping thru my curtains even when nobody is there and all my curtains cover my windows properly. 🤣).

⚫Also as a basic Scorpio Venus behavior: while writing chats/texting, I always think- "what if someone else reads it?"..so I just don't give much details in texts. (Gosh, sometimes I think somethings wrong with me 😭😭)

⚫The proven way to hurt a Leo moon: compare them with any other person and tell them that the person is wayy better in a certain thing esp if it's a triat that the Leo is proud of. 🤣 (P.S don't do that, its mean and the Leo will hunt you, which you don't want 😀.)

⚫Why do Aries moon men have a bunch of good friends for life and Aries moon women struggle with having at least one good genuine female friend for life? (I'm jealous)

⚫ Maybe its becoz they get along more with guys than gals so the girls are jealous of them...so hence no good female friends. 😢🤡 Aries moons are the best-est people for friendships you'll ever get.

⚫ People born on a Saturday look melancholic.

⚫ You can NEVER mislead a Leo rising. They study litreally everything: what you say what you do, and why you do so. Similar to Scorpios

⚫If you see a person having graceful and "royal" way of walking or behaving, they're are sure shot to have a Magha Ascendant.

⚫Connecting the dots here: as I said in one of my previous posts that Maghas get framed even when they have done nothing, what I interpreted is that Maghas are actually the definition of royalty. They literally have that ✨grace✨, that kinda magnanimous personality and similar struggles to a monarch. Totally King/Queen typa energy here. So with that, the usual consequences in a Kingdom is conspiracy against the king, which the Maghas face. (Enough with Maghas ig, started observing them recently so..✌🏻💀)

That's it for today, until next time! (like,comment and reblog loveliesss❤❤😘)

[lesbianrobin]

oh, come when you're called

Chris wants his dad. He wants his bed. But he can't have those yet, and he and Dad never really text because if Dad’s not working they’re usually together or one of them is too busy to text, so texting Dad feels weird, but Buck… He can text Buck.

do you think it was a good thing for Pandora to keep hope in the box?

The little dots pop up immediately, which Chris wasn’t expecting.

I’m not sure. I do know that it technically wasn’t a box, it was a pithos, which is like a big jar they used for storage. Box is a mistranslation, but it became so widely used that we all just roll with it now.

It’s a very classic Buck response. The dots keep going.

On that note, “hope” isn’t an exact translation either. Another way that people translate it is “deceptive expectation.” Hope isn’t necessarily deceptive, and we tend to use it in a positive way, so it’s maybe not the BEST word to use, but I guess in English we don’t have a better one for “deceptive expectation” and “hope” sounds pithier.

Deceptive expectation. Huh.

prompt fill for @911actions !! wherein chris goes to el paso, realizes some things about his family, and maybe calls his dad gay.

911's gotcha for gaza ends very soon, june 17th at 12:59am EST! learn more about the fundraiser here. so far we've raised over $9000 and with your help, we can raise even more 🍉

[upennmanuscripts]

For this week's #CoffeeWithACodex (Thursday, April 4, 12pm Noon EST on Zoom), Curator Dot Porter will bring out five books that illustrate and describe that most conspicuous of celestial events, the eclipse. We'll look at texts in Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic, ranging from the 12th through the 16th century, and see the similarities and differences between them.

Update: Recording of this event is now on YouTube!

[sforspoot]

Awwww they’re trying to do that complete the heart photo trend!!

O h… Well then- looks like ingo did the heart wrong and popped his back-

(You’re gonna have to click on the photos most likely for a viewable quality!!!!!!!! Sorry : ( )

-1/6/2023

-Time spent, 17 hours…. (Please my hands hurt… I use my finger for all my art… Please, mercy please-)

Hello! Thanks for everything! Sorry for the later upload! Usually I upload on 7pm on the dot! B u t I (and my lovely friend @sophisticatedferret )was making this! Modern Au where Ingo got to go back home! But also Melli got dragged along-*Sigh* of course it was Melli… Arceus is a hardcore shipper probbably-

-High(land)est regards, Spootie boi!!!!

(More info, rambling and so on below the Read More!)

Back too the future wooooo! Being back in modern times, while bringing along a certain someone sure is fun- not when you pop your old man back of course-(They may no longer be in Hisui but Hisui is still haunting Ingo’s joints-) Emmet is the one that took Ingos photos, while Melli has a ring light phone stand. Being a influencer and all! (Honestly skunktank… If I had to watch Melli do a tiktok dance I’d make that expression too- that’s the face of a skunk that’s heard Say So by Doja cat… one too many times-)

Don’t worry Ingo is okay- Emmet made sure he was okay- and then started picking on him- and Melli through text for not even doing his heart right-

A bby… for you! Have a nice day/night!!!

[cjlinton]

Custom Notebook Commissions Open

One of my non-TTRPG selves is a bookbinder with Amethyst Alchemist, my partner's sustainable bookbinding and embroidery business, and we are currently open for commissions from now until December 3!

These are handmade, custom notebooks from recycled and new archival quality materials, and they make perfect holiday gifts.

The commission form is here.

Slots are limited to ensure pre-holiday delivery in the continental United States—all commissions will be shipped on or before December 18 to meet the USPS Priority Mail deadline.

Text version and more details below the cut:

Commission Options

Option 1: Mini Notebook

A plain mini notebook without art embedded in the cover starts at $40.

Option 2: Designed Notebook

A designed notebook with art in the cover starts at $125.

Art embeds include embroidery, cross stitch, and felt appliqué—we work with you on art style and fabric selection and provide a sketch of the art embed before starting work.

Both options include a choice of over 200 fabrics, white watercolor endpaper, and a binding thread of your choice.

Pricing Information

Beyond the base price, cost increases are based on:

Dot grid or lined pages instead of blank (+$5)

Cost of additional materials required (e.g. fabric purchase, waxing custom thread, custom endpapers, custom interior paper like watercolor or aged)

Time to make the art embed

Payment

Payment is made with a 50 percent deposit up front, 50 percent on completion. Do not until we've confirmed we can take your commission and we’ve discussed and agreed on pricing—we send invoices! Books are shipped upon receipt of second payment.

You can check out the Amethyst Alchemist Instagram for more examples. We're excited to work with you to design the exact book you (or a loved one) are looking for! Again, commissions close at 11:59pm EST on December 3rd and won’t reopen until 2024, so reach out now!

[duke-of-hellsite]

While I was absent from this precious website, I've been working on one lil thing, essentially a transcript of a small document from the court of Frederick II (December 1222) Long story short: I saw a photo of it on Wikimedia with no transcript of the Latin text (they sometimes include transcripts but not in this case), decided I was curious what's the doc about, and started working on the transcript I've finished the beta version of the transcript, but before I upload it to Wikimedia I wanted to ask y'all here to look it through. I don't know Latin (sad, I know), so there can be stupid mistakes with verbs' conjugations 'n' stuff like that. I would really appreciate any help here Guide: Round brackets (in bold) are for my comments and where commas could be placed. Square brackets are for dots in the original document (I have no idea what they mean: truncation, full stop, or smth else) and incomprehensible words (at least I didn't get 'em) By the way many thanks to Arizona Tea (kept my sanity) and @mformarsala (helped a lot). Love you both

(Source of the photo: Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

(Source of the transcript: Me, Myself, and I, id est duke-of-hellsite)

(if you need a text file vers of the transcript - dm me)

[aniron48]

Love Letters - Day 1

Happy February, friends. After the January I’ve had, I wanted to do something lighthearted and fun this month, and I happened to get polls this week, so I decided a 00Q “choose your own adventure” might fit the bill! This one will start tonight, and there will be a story update with a CYOA plot-determining poll every night around this time for a little over a week. If I time it right and you chaos muppets don’t take the plot in a completely wild direction, the last poll will be the night of 2/13 in my time zone (EST), and on 2/14 (I know I know Valentine’s Day yes) will be the epilogue/wrap up.

The CYOA poll will be open for 24 hours, starting now! I’ll make sure to link to the previous day’s post in each new post, so you can follow along. Have fun! I can’t wait to see what you do!

By the time the fifth text from Q arrived, Bond could see the writing on the wall well enough.

He’d purchased the dodgy in-flight wifi on the trip from Bogotá to London in no small part so he could receive Q’s updates from his biweekly wine-and-film nights with Moneypenny. In Bond’s experience, Q had a tendency to get increasingly tipsy as the night wore on, and in the three months they’d been dating, Bond had quickly learned that it brought him no end of amusement to save screenshots of the texts to tease Q about when the opportunity presented itself. He was particularly fond of the shade of pink, a shade not otherwise occurring in nature, that Q’s cheeks turned when Bond confronted him with a particularly lascivious text, like the one from the Roman Holiday film night a month ago that read simply, “Gregory Peck cld ride me like that Vespa.” Q had threatened to steal Bond’s phone and blow it up. Bond had threatened to have the text embroidered on a pillow.

But tonight, it appeared something had gone terribly wrong, because Q’s texts were becoming more, rather than less, clear as the night wore on, with increasingly pristine grammar and punctuation. 

“I don’t know what made the studio think they ought to do a remake of Persuasion when the BBC version from the 90s was perfect” was the first sign that the evening had gone downhill. By the time Bond got the text decrying the remake as an “offense against nature and Jane Austen,” it appeared some sympathy was in order.

“I’m appalled to hear it,” Bond typed. “What a shame.”

Three dots appeared, stopped, and reappeared as Q typed out a message.

“You’ve never seen the BBC version at all, have you???”

Bond rubbed absently at the scruff on his cheeks—he’d had no time to shave before catching his flight—and considered his response.

[feelkindadizzy]

ID: Several scans of paintings on orange paper. The paint used is pink, blue, yellow and red. The text is written with a red marker. 1. The cover, in which a yellow star piece falls from the night sky. The title on the bottom reads: "Petite étoile". 2. A two page image of a house border under a sky. Text reads: "Une fois la nuit à côté de ma maison". 3. A painting of the same star as the cover, falling in the grass. Text reads: "Il y a une étoile qu'elle est tombée dans le jardin là-bas derrière". 4. Hands holding the star. Text reads: "Dans nos mains". 5. Eyes crying. There is a star in each eye. Text reads: "Dans nos yeux". 6. A body and a head. There is a big star in the chest. Text reads: "Dans notre corps." 7. Circles painted in with dots of pink, blue and yellow paint. Text between the bubbles reads: "NOUS". END ID

eyestrain warning /

Original text: PETITE ÉTOILE Une fois la nuit à côté de ma maison Il y a une étoile qu'elle est tombée dans le jardin là-bas derrière Dans nos mains Dans nos yeux Dans notre corps NOUS

Text in english: LITTLE STAR One time at night next to my house There's a star that it fell in the garden over there behind In our hands In our eyes In our body US This was made by Ginny, Eugène, Effie, Silas and other people. They wanted to create something about coming to une bibelle, plurality, and community.

[3terna15unshin3]

Then Because She Goes

We’re supposed to leave by half-past eight

★ Chapter 7 of 15, 5190 words

★ Matty Healy x Original Female Character

★ warnings: !!! mature content, minors please do not interact !!!, smut, oral (fem receiving), protected sex, alcohol consumption

<< 6

9 February, 2019

“I’m leaving now, to help set up. And I’m going to bring all my stuff in a bag to get ready there but please keep your phone on you because I have a feeling I’ll forget something. So I may text you in a panic to bring, like, a hairpin with you when you come. Even though I have loads of hair pins so I wouldn’t be asking for that. Anyway, please be there by quarter-past at the latest. There may be some stuff we could use help with before everyone else shows. We’ve probably got it all under control but who knows. I’ll text you.” rambled Este as she prepared to leave the hotel.

Cate and Georgia lounged on one of the two queen beds in the room they’d booked for the three of them, and listened in amusement. Este was overcome with the pressure of wanting the event she and her family had been planning for months to go perfectly. The fear of something going wrong brought out a severely frazzled version of herself, forcing Cate and Georgia to deal with the frequent babbling.

“Yes, yes, yes. You’ll be okay, darling. Off you go.” Cate insisted, ushering her out of the door.

Lugging over her backpack full of things she may need for the night, with her dress in a garment bag, Este walked the short distance to Dartmouth House from their hotel. She weaved through the building to find the room hosting the party, and her parents—Percy and Alfonso—greeted her upon entering.

“Hi, love!” Percy exclaimed, giving her daughter a hug and taking the dress she’d been holding to help find a place to put it. Este fist-bumped her dad, him quickly being called over by Florencia to help move some chairs from one table to another. Even with over four hours before the party was set to begin, the energy in the room was already chaotic.

After the hall was finally up to their high standards, Este scurried away to the private bathroom a few doors down to get dressed. Her makeup was already done, with the top half of her layered hair slicked up and the bottom half blown out into soft curls. She slipped on her long black dress, and after struggling to clasp the small buckles on her heels, she returned to the party room.

Her tense muscles began to relax as 6:30 neared and guests started to arrive. What seemed scary ended up being fine, but a bit draining, seeing plenty of friends and family Este hadn’t seen in a while (and having to catch up with the few she’d rather not see).

At 6:30 on the dot, she caught Matty walking in. The same grey trench coat she first saw him in last year was draped over top of his all black outfit, while his eyes searched the room to find Este. She made her way over.

“Hey, you.” Este said, catching him before he realised she was there. His eyebrows raised in shock and relief, a grin taking over his face.

“I’m on time, right?” He pulled her into an embrace. In heels, she was almost his height.

“You are.” she agreed, backing away and looking Matty up and down. “And dressed for the occasion.”

“With your help, of course.” Putting his hands on his hips and doing a quick spin, he showed off what clothed him for the evening. Coming back around to face her, his eyes scanned downwards at the black dress gripping Este’s body. She radiated an effortless beauty and stood with poise. The hair that usually sat messily around her temples was sleek and neatly pulled away; allowing Matty to have a full view of her face.

“You look incredible.” He said, smiling at her fondly.

Shyness spread over Este’s body language and their eyes locked for a couple of seconds, in gratitude. “So do you.”

Matty was shocked to learn that he’d be seated right next to her. He assumed he might be plonked at a random table due to his late-notice attendance, while Este sat with her family; but sitting shoulder to shoulder with her was a much better alternative and pleasant surprise. He arrived at their table, sending a quick ‘Hello’ to an already seated Cate, and introducing himself to Georgia.

When hanging his coat on the back of his chair and sitting down, he noticed a woman walk by with a familiar, yet also unfamiliar face. Looking back at Este to take note of their similarities, he put the pieces together. “Was that your mum?” Matty asked. Este nodded. He glanced over to Percy again with a small smile. “Introduce me.”

It was said more as an instruction rather than a suggestion, so Este called her over. “Ma!”

Percy’s chin turned to them in attention and smiled as she hurried over. Out of respect, Matty stood up from his chair to greet her.

“This is my friend Matty,” started Este.

He stuck his hand out for her to shake it, but she turned it down and pulled him in for a hug instead. Matty chuckled and rubbed her back graciously, then pulled away. “Her date, actually, for the night.” he corrected. Este blushed. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” Percy said, grinning. She kept her hands on his upper arms even after their embrace. “I’ve heard a ton about you. And your busy schedule—so the fact that you’re here with Este is very sweet of you.”

“Oh, of course. When she told me that Florencia wanted to invite me I was just flattered to even be thought of. Couldn’t miss it,” responded Matty.

“She’ll be happy to see you, for sure.” Her gaze met his, before walking away to greet more guests. The smile on her face was just as bright as Este’s. That’s where she must get it from, thought Matty.

“Already kissing mum’s arse. Typical.” joked Georgia, the four of them laughing and continuing to tease him as the flow of events began.

The beginning of the night was rather simple. Este was forced to leave her seat often for her handful of party responsibilities; but once dinner was served, she was able to sit and spend time with her friends. Matty was disappointed to find out that the fancy venue catered the party, after looking forward to and expecting to be trying Filipino food.

Following dessert, Florencia and José cut the cake and had their first dance. As Este observed Matty, turned around in his chair to face the dance floor, she could tell how entranced he was by the way the elderly couple held each other. There was a tenderness to their movement; and though the whole room watched in awe, the slight smile on his face and his glossy eyes led Este to assume he was a hopeless romantic. She wasn’t far off.

Luckily, when Matty was introduced to Este’s father and granddad—what he was most nervous for—he was met by two of the coolest men ever. They both shook his hand firmly, happy to hear about his unconventional career and close friendship with Este, despite their initially stern faces that eventually softened. “Are you the photographer for the night?” asked Matty, pointing out the camera hanging around Alfonso’s neck, after a couple minutes of conversation.

“Oh, yes! We’re cheap, you know, so we had to keep it in the family.” Este’s dad joked, patting and squeezing Matty’s shoulder. “Here, stand up. Anak, come on. Picture!” He backed away from them, raising the camera up to his right eye and shutting the other.

Este rolled her eyes and didn’t budge. “Dad, please.”

“Humour your father, please Este.” pried Alfonso, gesturing ‘stand up’ with his hand repeatedly.

Matty began standing up, reaching to grab Este’s hands and force her up as well. “A photo won’t hurt, love.”

“Fine,” she muttered under her breath with a sheepish grin, shuffling closer to Matty and placing her hand on his near shoulder, her arm bent behind it. Feeling him reach around to rest his on her waist, Este sunk into his side as their bodies met in the middle, both of their heads tilting towards each others’ sweetly. They both smiled wide with their teeth. Click. Alfonso gave a thumbs up.

-

The party took off once the bar opened and the DJ began her set. Georgia awkwardly gripped four vodka cranberries, trying not to spill them as she walked back to their table, before they cheersed and gulped them down. It was the first of their many drinks of the night.

A sea of white-haired aunties filled the dance floor for now, one of which being Florencia, since it was a bit early and people were busy mingling. She was yet to spot Matty, him getting lost among the other 200 guests there to see and celebrate her and her husband’s milestone. But, as she and her friends danced in a line to Achy Breaky Heart, she caught sight of him. Hurrying over, without even saying hello, she came up behind and gripped his shoulders excitedly, encouraging him to stand.

Matty, confused, stretched his neck around to see who was touching him. Flattered to learn it was the woman of the hour, he followed Florencia’s lead as she dragged him out to the group of ladies and convinced him to join them in dancing. He embarrassingly tapped his toes—flustered and in compliance—trying to replicate the simple line-dance moves that everyone else seemed to know by heart. Florencia kept him glued to her side as she called out what step would come next, the two of them laughing together.

When the song ended, Este watched her nan throw her arms around Matty, the two of them hugging briefly and then trying to converse over the loud beginning of the next song. With his hand on his chest, he thanked her for thinking to invite him, while Florencia simultaneously thanked him for coming out to celebrate. Este giggled at how obnoxious her family was. She loved it.

Matty took his seat again, the three girls’ faces plastered with amusement from the sight of him dancing. “I need another drink.”

As an hour passed, messily stacked glasses scattered their table, all of them now slightly tipsy. It brought on a chattiness between them all, so the nonstop conversation allowed the girlfriends to get to know Matty better, and vice versa. In the middle of him telling a story about his first time in Texas, Cate and Georgia exchanged a secretive set of glances and whispers; followed by the redhead suddenly scurrying away to the DJ. Matty barely realised she left, blabbering on about a guy chasing him and the band out of his house with a gun, and by the time Cate returned to her seat, his curiosity disappeared.

So, a few minutes later, when Matty heard his own song booming through the speakers, he was utterly confused. Georgia, Este, and Cate all giggled along as they got up in unison and headed for the dance floor, him finally realising it was Cate who convinced the DJ to play TOOTIME.

“Come dance!” she yelled over the lyrics, offering her hand out to him.

Matty shook his head in embarrassment, but gave in and let his feet grace the stained wooden floor again. “You guys are the worst.”

The girls danced carelessly in a circle as most of the middle-aged party guests headed back to their seats from the unfamiliar song. Matty approached, grabbing Cate’s still outstretched hand and joining in. Her hand was lightly held in his when he noticed Este’s lips mouthing the words. Not that they were particularly complicated or hard to remember, but still. It was cute, thought Matty.

For the following couple of songs, the four of them stuck around, keeping the dance floor occupied. It filled up once the DJ started playing the classics that everyone could enjoy. Majority of what she was playing had been energetic and lively; but it suddenly went quiet, and the lyrics “I want a Sunday kind of love,” were heard belting through the air.

The opening line to the Etta James song encouraged more guests to drag their significant others to the centre of the hall and slow dance. Georgia jokingly got down on one knee, asking Cate if she would ‘have this dance’, to which she agreed—before quickly forcing her to stand up before anyone got the wrong impression.

Meanwhile, Este considered taking a seat back at their table, but first, she looked over to Matty to see he was already looking at her. He offered his hand, no words needed between the two of them, and so she accepted it with a smile. He pulled her close, her right hand grasped in his, with the other around Matty’s back as his went to her hip. The space between them closed—chests pressed against each others’ and legs tangled together—as they swayed back and forth to the beat.

Matty closed his eyes to the passionate music, listening to its strings swell over top of its understated drums, with his head next to hers. Este rested her chin on his shoulder when her ears perked; suddenly hearing his quiet voice sing along.

“I want a, a love that’s on the square,” escaped his lips and into her ear. It was barely a whisper, but his close proximity allowed Este to hear it clearly.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, like his, to revel in the sound of his voice. “Can't seem to find somebody, someone to care,” she continued for him.

A smile lit up his face. “And I'm on a lonely road that leads to nowhere.” he responded, the two of them going back for a few more lines.

When they settled into silence, Este let go of his hand to hold her own around his neck. She pulled her chin away from his shoulder, repositioning her head to come face to face with him. Matty opened his eyes after feeling her move. Their noses were a mere few inches away from each other’s.

Her fingertips found the curls sitting at the nape of his neck, combing through them gently. Matty’s hair had grown quite a bit into the new year, now parted down the centre and pooling behind his ears when it wasn’t dangling in his face. He leaned back into her touch, clearly enjoying the sensation.

“Hi.” said Matty shortly, smiling with his teeth. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hello.” Este rolled her eyes at his cliché attempt at a joke. “It’s weird being this close to your mug. I can see up your nose.”

“Please don’t. I’ve got no idea what’s up there.” He scrunched it up a couple of times to squeeze a giggle out of Este. “I don’t mind being this close to your face. You have a nice one.” She could see his eyes trailing at each of her features, studying her intently. Her heartbeat elevated as she felt him fidgeting with the seam running down the side of her dress, near her hip.

“Thanks. You’ve got a good face too.” responded Este, breaking her gaze with his face and glancing down to the gold chain that dangled over the ink on his chest. He knew what he was doing, keeping the first few buttons of his top undone, she thought.

They continued to softly speak over the music. “Are you enjoying your night?” Matty asked.

“Yeah,” she answered, “I was yanking my hair out with stress leading up to it, honestly. But it’s better now, especially since you’re here. Even though I’m shocked at the fact that you are.”

“Shocked? Is it not clear that I like spending time with you?”

“Well, not that it’s not clear, but you’re so busy and I feel bad—”

“Este.” He cut her off. “I’m here. I want to be here. It’s been great. I like you and your company. Now stop worrying.” Matty assured her, meeting her eyes with his. “I’m starting to think that maybe you don’t even like me,” he joked.

She smiled at his words, embarrassed. “No need to worry about that.” Este denied. “Thank you for being here. Seriously. Since I have no idea when you’ll ever have another moment of free time this year.”

Matty chuckled, removing a hand from her waist to swipe the hair that sat down next to her neck away and behind her shoulder. His touch was slow, gentle, and slightly nervous.

“I’ll make free time for you.”

“Good.”

They heard the final lines of the song, most couples dancing around them coming to a halt slowly. Este almost pulled away, but his arms prevented her from doing so. Instead, Matty brought her in closer, now stationary, and gave her a squeeze. Her chin found its way over his shoulder again to lean her head against his and squeeze back. She felt his lips briefly press against her temple, making her stomach do flips, before he let go and backed away. The shared smiles on their faces were delicate and light.

Este hooked a couple of her fingers loosely around a few of Matty’s, dragging him back to their table behind Cate and Georgia.

“What should I request next? Chocolate?”

-

The room filled with loud popping noises as Este took down the last balloon display. Matty used his hands to collect the small clumps of rubber that accumulated beneath them. With the big lights now on, strobes off, all of the guests had left. Despite Este’s many protests, he insisted on staying back to help clean up, as the Dartmouth House events manager was very adamant on the Manansalas only booking the room until 11:30pm. The clock’s hands pointed at 11:39; so it was go time.

Once everything looked the way they found it before setting up, the few people remaining finally started to see themselves out. Este and her group of three, now practically sober from the hours passing and the frantic cleaning, went around to bid their farewells to her parents and the celebrating couple.

“You never got back to me about needing a place to stay,”

Este slung the backpack she brought to the venue over her shoulder as they prepared to take off. “Oh, don’t worry. I got a hotel just down the road with Cate and Georgia.” she clarified.

Matty slipped his coat on, looking down at his feet and shrugging. “But hotels are boring.” he mumbled.

“If you’re trying to invite me back to your place you can just ask, Matty.” Laughing at his moody demeanour, she searched his face for a smile to break. As if on cue, one crept through, first revealing itself in the crinkles next to his eyes.

“Fine. Este Manansala, would you like to come back to my house for a drink?” he asked in a sarcastically annoyed tone.

She raised her eyebrows. “Wow, the last name pronunciation was spot on,” Este said, to stall from actually answering his question; suddenly quite intimidated and apprehensive to the idea of being in his house. But, she didn’t want to turn him down; or say goodbye. So, she agreed. “I would love to.”

-

It was about a 15 minute drive to Matty’s house. And, since he had taken his car to the party, it was also the first time Este saw him drive. After he parked and walked her to the front door to enter, she pointed it out.

“I don’t know why, but for some reason it was odd to see you drive, just now. Like, you kind of give me ‘I can’t drive’ energy,” she admitted with a laugh.

Matty turned the key in the lock and pushed on the handle. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!”

Este continued to insist that it wasn’t an insult but only dug herself deeper into the hole. He liked the high pitch her voice reached when defending herself and how she always laughed in the middle of her sentences instead of waiting until they were finished.

Grabbing her jacket and throwing it onto a chair in his lounge, Matty went to the kitchen to uncork a bottle of wine. Este traced his footsteps and followed him there, hers much slower than his as she took in the sight of his space. He wasn’t exaggerating when he’d mentioned that he was the opposite of a hoarder a few months back. Few decorations filled his minimally furnished space, complimenting its brutalist design and cold concrete base. Slivers of personality still shone through in the books piled on his coffee table and art hung on his walls.

Once she was done staring, he handed one glass of red to her and kept the other in his hand. They both took a sip, turning to lean their backs on the edge of his white counter, side by side.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s very Matty.”

“Thank you,” he chuckled, silently understanding exactly what she meant. “I like seeing you here.”

Este turned her head to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Dunno. I’m just always your guest, like at Greenhouse or your flat, or whatever. It feels good to welcome you into my space, you know? Let you in. Offer you a drink.” he tried to explain.

“You should have me over more often then, so we can stop cramming into me and Cate’s tiny flat or into the shop,” Este pointed out, swallowing some more wine.

Matty stepped forward to pace around the kitchen in front of Este, who now sat atop the chill white stone with dangling feet as they conversed.

“I mean I would, if you didn’t live a two and half hour train-ride away.” he argued. “But, to be fair, Manchester is cooler than London—so I’m not even bothered by going back up there.”

“London is way cooler than Manchester, dude. You guys have everything here,”

Matty came close and rested his free hand on the counter next to Este’s. “I guess. There’s something Manchester has that London doesn’t, though. And it’s pretty tough to beat.” he said, inching his fingers so close to hers that she could feel their warmth.

She quietly hoped he couldn’t see her cheeks burning. They were so hot that Este almost reached up to feel them, but remembering her hand was millimetres from Matty’s made her shut down the instinct and freeze in place. “And what’s that?” she asked.

The glasses of wine, now the least of their concern, were set down. With both hands now free, Matty planted one on the either side of Este, confining her between his rapidly beating chest and the flat surface she sat on. She spread her legs apart so he could stand between her thighs and watched as his eyes went back and forth between her eyes and her lips.

“You.”

Este didn’t leave much time to think before closing the space in front of her, pulling Matty in by the back of his neck and pressing their lips together. His hands grabbed her waist, squeezing needily. She pulled away before anything progressed, to mumble into his mouth, “At least London has me tonight.”

Dragging her in to continue, Matty’s hands wandered up and down her back as their lips moved in sync. It was gentle—but desperate—as what they had both been wanting finally unravelled before them. Este gripped the hair she’d previously toyed with on the dance floor, having gotten the impression that he liked it.

With a couple of tugs, as she let his tongue graze hers, she heard a low groan escape Matty’s throat. They were so close that she could almost feel its vibration against her. His hands migrated downwards, coming past her arse and teasing her upper thighs. Este’s skin tingled as his thumb caressed over it through her dress.

“I didn’t bring you here just to do this, by the way,” Matty clarified, exhaling and breaking contact to catch his breath. “It wasn’t some sick plan of mine to go to your nan’s party to be able to snog you in my kitchen afterwards.” He rested his forehead on hers in the meantime.

“I know.” Their laboured breathing filled the room. “Does that mean you want me to stop?”

“God, no.”

Este knew exactly what he wanted. With hands frantically running through his hair, she kissed him again—deeply—with an open and hungry mouth, eliciting a whine. Her touch lit his skin on fire, and it felt right to Matty. Like her lips were destined to be within his. He thought about the silliness of why they hadn’t been doing it all along.

“Why have we only come round to this now?” considered Este aloud, reading his mind and finding a break to speak as Matty trailed kisses down her jaw.

“No idea.” His lips focused on the skin right below her ear, as she moaned with shyness and his hot breath tickled her peach fuzz. “We’re a couple of pussies,”

She giggled and brought him back to eye-level. Matty’s hand now cupped her face, thumb rubbing back and forth on her cheek, moving their swollen mouths against one another again. The absence of his hands on her leg made Este eager for more of him.

“Can I unzip your dress?”

After she nodded enthusiastically, he did what she granted, yanking the gold hardware down to feel her smooth skin with his palms. In a similar fashion, Matty encouraged her to unbutton his shirt. What had been unhurried and delicate soon turned ravenous, Este and Matty's craving for each other becoming clear. They didn’t even bother bringing their clothes with them before she followed him up to his room, leaving the articles scattered on the kitchen floor.

When her back landed on his wrinkled sheets, he held himself above her and studied her with admiration. He playfully made fun of her choice of knickers, sporting a pair of red boy shorts covered in pink hearts, making Este cover her face in embarrassment. Removing them to reveal her blushing complexion, Matty met his lips with hers, both of them smiling into the kiss. His hand crept down near her hip, tracing a line over her skin to the spot where he then applied pressure to her clit through the red-patterned cloth.

“Matty, please,” Este moaned into his mouth and squirmed her hips upward for extra friction. He melted at the sound of his name escaping her lips, eventually making his way down between her legs.

He kept a hand pressing on the space right below her belly button as he pulled her underwear down her legs with the other. The pressure in her lower stomach was finally satisfied when Matty used his tongue on her wetness, focusing on the bundle of nerves that made her writhe in pleasure. As she tugged on his hair, he hummed into her, and Este whined in response.

Her chest heaved up and down, increasing in speed as Matty brought her closer and closer to the edge. He could tell Este would finish if he kept at it, so he pulled away, licking a stripe up her sternum to bring himself to be eye-to-eye with her again. She rolled her eyes at the smug look on his face before crashing her lips onto his. “I was close, you fucking prick.”

“I know.” he panted with a smile, before gasping at the feeling of Este gripping him over his boxers. “Fuck,” Matty moaned and collapsed beside her onto his back.

Pulling back his waistband, she rolled onto her side to reach in, wrapping her hand around him and pumping up and down. The drop of precum right at his tip swiped under Este’s thumb while Matty whimpered into her neck. She watched the muscles beneath the tattoo on his lower stomach convulse. Deciding he deserved a taste of his own medicine, she deprived him of contact once she saw his mouth drop open and eyes flutter shut in pleasure.

They opened violently as Matty was snapped out of the trance Este sank him into. He turned his head towards her, breathing heavily. “I see how it is.”

She tugged off her bra as he slipped protection on and climbed back between her legs, finally pushing into her—his hip bones flush against her body. Este latched at the curls on the back of his head, with his face buried into her neck, moaning in unison with the sounds of skin against skin. Matty wasn’t afraid to make noise, and that turned her on.

A light-headed feeling took over Este’s mind as the sensation of him inside of her overwhelmed her. It hadn’t been this good for her in a while. She clenched around him to draw a growl out of his lips and watched his face twist with indulgence as he returned to hovering above her.

Matty bit down on his bottom lip with his teeth, eyebrows furrowed, thrusts growing messy. The previous teasing, done by Este’s hand and Matty’s mouth, made their movements quick and left them already close to finishing. “Come on, Matty.” encouraged Este, wanting to push him to his climax.

Her almost pornographic tone of voice muttering his name made Matty drive into her with harder force for his last thrusts before one final push brought him there. He came and gasped—twitching within her—and dropped to his elbows, hiding his face in her hair. “Oh my god—fucking hell, Este.”

A couple seconds of open-mouth breathing passed before he pulled out and dove downwards to bring Este to her orgasm. Matty’s talented tongue lapped firmly as he held her buckling hips down to the mattress. He felt her hands lightly pushing on the back of his head, aching for as much pressure as possible. She moaned, crying out a ‘Don’t stop,’ when Matty moaned back. The vibration and feverish mouth against her cunt brought her over the edge, clenching the sheets in her fists and letting Matty’s name fall from her lips as she came.

After the come down of her climax, he laid his head on Este’s stomach. They panted, giddy and satisfied. She reached up and wiped a bead of sweat from above her eyebrow, before feeling Matty’s flushed face with the back of her hand.

“You’re burning hot.”

“Can you blame me, darling?”

8 >>

[esther-jester]

if i had a nickel for every time i got obsessed with a philosophical comedy show about/criticizing a morality-based afterlife with "good" in the title & an 'opposites attract' romance, i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

[whirligig-girl]

Photosphere and Chromosphere of the Sun, sketched while at the eyepiece of solar telescopes.

Disclaimer: This should only be attempted with a safe solar filter on the front of the telescope, or a safe hydrogen-alpha solar telescope. And only if you know what you are doing. Solar observing is the only potentially dangerous type of astronomy--magnified sunlight can permanently fry your eye if you do not know what you are doing.

I took my Coronado PST out today, Monday 2023-January-16 around noon EST, and I was so impressed with what I saw on the Sun that I had to go in and drag my 6" Dobsonian and 5" white light filter to see the Sun's photosphere at high power. And I was so impressed with that that I had to go and drag out my astronomy log and solar h-alpha log, and do some sketches.

Here are two sketches of the Sun, one of the photosphere at 109x with a Baader AstroSolar filter, and the other of the Chromosphere with a Coronado PST at 36x, both using an 11mm Explore Scientific 80 degree eyepiece. The sketches have been scaled to match eachother, since the actual sketches themselves were close to the same size on the page (the h-alpha drawing was a little smaller). The sketches have also been colorized to be more realistic and given a nice black border and eyepiece field circle. The poor transparency depicted is mostly for dramatic effect; the contrast was poor when I went out but got better while I was sketching.

In the Photosphere (the light-emitting "surface" of the Sun) we see white sunlight that has been darkened 10,000x. The sunspots are where magnetic fields are so strong that heat flow from inside the Sun is interrupted, so the surface is cooler and glows more dimly. The heat is redirected to make the outer region of the sunspot brighter, though it's an effect so subtle it usually must be seen through the limb darkening at the edge of the Sun. A subtle bright region, called a Facula, is visible on the leftmost limb.

With the red view we use a hydrogen alpha filter to block out the photosphere and see only light from the Sun's Chromosphere (the dimly glowing magenta-colored upper atmosphere of the Sun). We see sunspots here too, but also eruptions on the edge (prominences) & dark lines (filaments)--these are the same thing but from a different perspective--where magnetic fields channel hydrogen plasma into huge loops. The light spots, called Plages, are yet more regions of strong magnetic field activity.

Begin image ID

Image 1: There are two pencil sketches of the Sun that have been digitally edited to appear more realistic, on a black background. On the left is a white ball, labeled Photosphere of the Sun. It gets slightly dimmer towards the edge. Four main groups of sunspots are visible as black splotches surrounded by a thick gray border. The upper right sunspot is very large, with a few smaller gray dots surrounding it. The lower right group is a complex group of chains of sunspots. Two small chains of three spots, and one slightly larger chain of two, with smaller gray dots trailing farther right. The lower left group are another large sunspot made of three linear splotches arranged up and down, and a second smaller fainter group to its right. The upper left group are two small black dots with gray borders and a few small spots to the left. An extremely subtle splotchy brightening of the left edge of the ball is visible.

Text reads: Photosphere of the Sun, sketched as seen through the eyepiece. Apertura DT6 Telescope. Baader AstroSolar 120mm OD 5.0 Filter. Explore Scientific 80 degree 11mm Eyepiece. 5″ f/10, 109x magnification. 2023 January 16 12:00 PM EST. Moderate Transparency & seeing.

On the right is a dark red ball, with the same sunspots, except without their gray borders. The image has somewhat less detail in the sunspots, but many more features. Surrounding nearly every sunspot group are bright red splotches. There are also a few smaller bright splotches which don’t correspond to a sunspot group. There are also several dark scratches on the ball, some of them straight and some of them with curves. Mostly they hang around the sunspot groups but there is one very noticeable linear dark scratch in the top middle, between the top left and top right sunspot groups. Faint wispy eruptions can be seen on the edge of the Sun at the 2:30 position, 5:30 position, 8:00 position, 10:00 position, and 11:00 position.

Text reads: Chromosphere of the Sun, sketched and digitally colorized as seen looking through the eyepiece. Upscaled 3x to match photosphere image scale. Coronado PST H-alpha Solar Refractor. Explore Scientific 80 degree 11mm eyepiece. 40mm f/10, 36x magnification. 2023 January 16 12:40 PM EST. Poor transparency & moderate seeing. Sketches by Luna G. Brannon.

Second Image description:

Same as the last image, except the photosphere is larger and labelled 109x, and the chromosphere is 3 times smaller and labelled 36x.  Text reads: Difference in image scale between 5″ f/10 Dobsonian and 40mm f/10 Coronado PST w/ 11mm 80 degree eyepiece.

Third image description:

Sketch of the photosphere of the sun as previously described, but as a pencil drawing on white paper. The page has writing on it which reads MLK Day 2023 January 16 11:58 AM. Sun, DT6 w/ 5″ Baader Filter (so 5″ f/10). ES 11mm 80 degree eyepiece. Amazing sunspots in size, number & complexity. Around the edge of the sun some features are labelled. At 2:00: Enormous Sunspot. At 4:00: complex spot chain. At 7:00: Large Complex Spot. At 9:00: subtle faculae. At 10:00: an arrow pointing away from the Sun labelled W. A ball with stripes is drawn 1/10th the size of the Sun, and a smaller dot 1/2 that size, and an even smaller dot 1/100th the size of the Sun, is labelled Jupiter, Neptune, and Earth, very approx scale.

Fourth image description: Sketch of the chromosphere of the sun as previously described, but as a pencil drawing on gray paper. The sun is bordered by a black ring, with the eruptions drawn over it in white. Sunspots and filaments are drawn in black pencil and plages are drawn in white.

End image ID.

[upennmanuscripts]

For #CoffeeWithACodex this week (Thursday March 7 at 12pm Noon EST on Zoom) Curator Dot Porter will bring out LJS 490, a collection of astronomical and astrological texts, including numerous diagrams and tables. It was written in Germany around 1450.

Register here:

[apolocodes]

Hacer un skin solo con CSS parte 5

¿Ha llegado finalmente un nuevo tutorial?

Así es mis queridos olimpicos es momento de continuar haciendo un skin con solo CSS. ¿El tema de hoy? LAS CATEGORÍAS.

Retomando la línea de mis tutoriales anteriores hoy les traigo las categorías, a esta sección la dividiré en dos contenidos: 1. Cómo crear categorías y sus opciones. 2. Editar con css la zona.

¿Tienes ya tu café, té, chocolate o cerveza? Entonces empecemos.

#1 ¿Cómo crear categorías y qué opciones tiene?

• Panel de Administración - General - Categorías y foros

Aquí en el mismo renglón del título del foro encontrarán un + en verde. ¿Lo ven? Está medio escondido así que no se preocupen si no lo localizan a la primera. Una vez lo tengas podrás crear una categoría y señalar si quieres un foro.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre categoría y foro?

La categoría ordena y agrupa los foros. Es el enorme título que suelen llevar arriba. En cambio los foros son los sitios destinados a crear temas y los que permiten la interacción con el usuario.

Una vez has elegido entre foro y categoría crearemos una categoría con foro.

Tenemos las opciones de poner una imagen, una descripción o ambos. Nosotros haremos las tres cosas así pueden aprender.

• Foro con imagen: En este caso yo elegiré un tamaño de 465x120px peeeroo... pueden elegir lo que quieran, les recomiendo que no sea más ancha que el wrap ni demasiado larga porque podría ser demasiado pesado para el foro y además podría quedar muy mal si se sale, lo pueden poner en la descripción o en la dirección de la imagen en este caso lo pondré en la primera.

• Foro con texto: Les recomiendo poner en inicio uno largo para que no tengan imprevistos. En esta parte Sí les diría que añadan un simple html que quede así:

• Foro con texto e imagen: Podemos ponerlo todo en la descripción ó poner la imagen en Dirección de la imagen y en descripción añadir

Para la explicación con hover:

ó para la explicación sin hover

.Recomiendo la segunda opción si quieres que el texto quede fijo o la primera si deseas ponerle un hover.

#2 Editar todo con css

Con esta base comenzaremos a codear el css. 1) ul.topiclist.forums : Esta zona abarca la totalidad de los foros en esa categoría. Aquí definiré un color, un borde abajo que marque el final, un borde que redondee la parte de abajo y cuanto espacio (margen) habrá entre categorías:

ul.topiclist.forums{    background: var(--oscuro);    border-bottom: 2px solid var(--acento1);    margin-bottom: 10px;    border-radius: 0px 0px 12px 12px; }

2) li.row : Esto abarca cada una de los subforos individuales, en este caso le pondremos un fondo, un borde abajo, y un margen, pero pueden probar lo que gusten.

li.row { border-bottom: 3px dotted var(--acento2);    margin: 5px;    background: var(--fondo); }

3) dd.dterm : Honestamente muchas veces en los skins me he salteado adrede esta zona, en otros no, el código de esta parte aplica a la zona del título de la categoría, el icono del costado y la descripción del foro, en esta oportunidad para mostrarles le pondré algunas cosas como un ancho y un padding.

dd.dterm { padding: 5px;    width: 62%!important; }

4) a.forumtitle : Es la zona del título del foro ¡Es hermoso andarlo editando! Les diría que jueguen mucho y se diviertan haciéndolo con cualquier idea que se les ocurrá en este caso añadiré los siguientes atributos.

a.forumtitle {    display: block;    text-align: center;    background: linear-gradient(45deg,var(--acento1),var(--acento2));    font-family: April Fatface;    text-transform: uppercase;    color: white;    font-size: 18px;    text-shadow: 1px 1px black;    letter-spacing: 1px;    width: 101%; }

5. Nuestra imagen se encuentra en dd.dterm img aquí pondremos algunas cosas, en mi caso difiniré el tamaño de imagen para que todas sean iguales, también pueden jugar con los blend-mode o ponerle simplemente bordes.

dd.dterm img {    border: 5px solid var(--oscuro);    outline: 1px solid var(--acento1);    margin-top: -5px;    width: 465px; height: 120px; }

6. Nuestro texto bueno aquí usamos un poco de html por lo que nuestra clase sería:.nuestrotextocate ¿Qué le pondremos? El tamaño (width, height, padding), el tipo de fuente y su color (font-size, font-family, color), la forma (display, overflow), bordes y decorados (border, outline). Recuerden que las cosas que les dejo realizadas son simplemente de muestra.

.nuestrotextocate {    width: 455px;    text-align: justify;    color: #ccc;    font-size: 13px;    height: 120px;    display: block;    font-family: 'Montserrat', sans-serif;    overflow: auto;    border: 5px solid var(--oscuro);    outline: 1px solid var(--acento1);    padding: 5px; }

7. Cómo se habrán dado cuenta nosotros hicimos dos tipos de texto así que ahora usaremos el que está junto a una imagen... y aquí viene la hora de jugar mucho.

Les dejaré algunas opciones: → Hacer que el texto este sobre la imagen (cambia el color del background por transparent o uno con la opacidad bajada):

.nuestrotextocate2 {    background: #58c3664d;    height: 110px;    display: block;    position: absolute;    width: 455px;    margin-left: 5px;    padding: 5px;    text-align: justify;    font-size: 12px;    overflow: auto; }

→ Hacer que el texto este a un costado de la imagen (juega con el margen-left para ponerlo del lado que desees), recuerda que puedes ponerle el color de background que quieras:

.nuestrotextocate2 {    background: #58c3664d;    height: 110px;    display: block;    position: absolute;    width: 216px;    margin-left: 5px;    padding: 5px;    text-align: justify;    font-size: 12px;    overflow: auto; }

→ Hacer que el texto aparezca vía hover ¡UY UY UY SE COMPLICA LA COSA! Bueno no desesperen esta parte puede ser más compleja pero intentaré explicarlo lo mejor posible.

¿Recuerdan que les había dado esta opción? :

Lorem impusi...

Bueno con esto usaremos dos partes en el css la primera se llamará .nuestrotextocate1 y la segunda .nuestrotextocate1:hover

Les explicaré el más simple (en mi humilde opinión), lo primero será ponerle altura, ancho, color de fondo, display: block; la posición: absolute y opacity: 0; con esto estaremos realizando una cajita (que no la podremos ver porque le pusimos 0 de opacidad), además hay que añadir las propiedades de fuente y las transiciones (esto nos dirá el tiempo que tarda en realizarse el efecto). Les debería quedar algo así:

.nuestrotextocate1 { background: var(--acento2);    position: absolute;    height: 110px;    display: block;    margin-left: 3px;    padding: 5px;    width: 455px;    text-align: justify;    color: #ccc;    overflow: auto;    opacity: 0;    -webkit-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;    -moz-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;    transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s; }

Luego hay que añadir la palabra :hover y la opacidad: 1, nos quedaría así:

.nuestrotextocate1:hover {opacity: 1;}

Llegamos al último tramo del tutorial ¡Se hizo gigante! Ahora tenemos que acomodar los números del costado y el último tema.

dd.topics : Es para editar la zona que nos dice la cantidad de temas.

dd.posts : Es el sitio de la cantidad de post.

Yo pondré ambos con el mismo código para ahorrar líneas de css

dd.topics, dd.posts {    width: 17%;    display: inline-block;    background: linear-gradient(45deg,var(--acento1),var(--acento2));    margin: 5px;    text-align: center;    color: #ccc; }

Bueno aquí pondré algo extra en el panel de administración iré a "Índice - Estructura y Jerarquía:  Mostrar los avatares en la columna "Últimos mensajes" Sí" con eso nos mostrará el avatar del último usuario en responder (no es necesario añadirlo).

dd.lastpost {   background: linear-gradient(45deg,var(--acento1),var(--acento2));    margin: 5px;    width: 35%;    height: 103px;    font-size: 17px;    color: #ccc; }

La parte de la imagen:

.lastpost-avatar img {    width: 65px;    height: 90px;    border-radius: 5px;    -moz-border-radius: 5px;    -webkit-border-radius: 5px; }

¡Y ahora sí se ha acabado! Nos vemos en el siguiente :D

[leeharrington]

I wanted to highlight the class my friend Savage is doing with Black Rose in DC, if you're in the area I think it's worth attending! Class Description: Very few harm doers set out to become one. Very few people expect someone they love or trust to be accused of harm. Yet communities seem to cycle through seasons of harm, call out, and silence, often surprised and resistant to acknowledge when someone they or someone they care for are accused. If the harm doer is not me, then how can I keep my community safe? If I could be a harm doer, how do I know and what can I do to prevent it? Taken from the perspective of shame resilience research and human social group behavior, this workshop will explore personal, small group, and community accountability approaches to understand harm as a behavior and interrupt cycles of harm before they become patterns and identity. How Not to Become a Harm Doer is being held at the crucible in Washington DC on August 13th, 8-9:30p . Registration here: https://br.org/event/how-not-to-become-a-harm-doer-with-savage/ [Description: Image has a solid white background with grey dots. At the top is the Black Rose Logo with black text underneath that reads: "How not to become a harm doer." with red text under that that reads: "with savage." On the left side is more black text that reads: "explore accountability approaches and interrupt cycles of harm before they become patters." on the right side is a round photo of Savage. At the bottom is a text box with a red, black, and white stripe in that order, with red, white, and black text also in that order. The text reads: "In Person, August 13 6-9:30p EST. The crucible 412 v st ne, washington dc."]