#fractals gen 2

[pixelatedparticles]

Moonstone Fractal, matriarch of generation 2, and her wife Currant Rosehip made by @rosesupposesmanythings

[blackknight95857669]

"Finished" PC Build

Backstory: Starting 2023 I was still running a cobbled together mess of a PC, the heart of which was a Dell Studio XPS desktop from 2010. Yes, THIRTEEN YEARS old. I got 2 of them from a gaming company in 2012 for the price of a tank of gas, thanks to knowing someone working there that had been tasked with E-wasting all the Windows PCs. Company was switching to iOS dev.

Anyway, at its heart was the Dell Mobo, which featured a 1st Gen i5-920. By this point, the OG GPU was long gone and I had "upgraded" with a 1050TI. 16gigs of DDR3 RAM. This basic as hell setup had served me admirably for a decade, for a couple reasons.

I run Linux.

I have never been a HEAVY PC GAMER. Sure, I have gamed on PC since I first got one in 2005 (yeah, kinda late to the game, considering I was almost 30, lol), but I mostly used my PC for World of Warcraft, other similar MMOs, and what are now called Indie games on Steam. I've had consoles from like 6yrs old, and I tend to prefer them as they are the cheap option for gaming. I appreciate what a modern PC can do (esp lately with RT etc) but like, more often than not PC gaming can be as much of a chore as it can be fun.

Now, starting around March 2023, that old PC began having strange errors with the RAM, which would cause Firefox to crash tabs/completely, among other things. Eventually it broke my Linux Mint OS badly enough it just stopped allowing me to login. Finally figured out the HDD I had was failing and got an SSD. Installed Garuda on it and pretty quickly realized I had Mobo issues as the RAM was still reporting less DIMMs than it had, half the time.

At this point, a friend that was aware of the issues offered to mail me an i5-6400, to build a "new" system around. Naturally I accepted and bought a Fractal Meshify 2, some new DDR4 RAM, DeepCool Gammax, and a used MSI Krait Gaming Mobo. Stuck the new parts in the new case, and moved over storage/GPU from old PC. Booted and updated the OS, then launched WoW. Still getting 10fps in Valdrakken. Shit. Guess I need to upgrade this GPU.

So I bought an RX 6800. Stuck it in the case and booted. Updated the OS, which brought the Mesa drivers on board. Launched WoW again. 10fps again. What the fuck. Thought maybe swapping from Nvidia to AMD might have left over some driver mess, so I fresh installed Garuda and got all set up. Logged WoW Main again. STILL 10fps. WTF. Took my Main to SW, stood in front of the bank, then logged an alt with NO UI. Holy shit, there's a 35fps difference between them. My UI was broken, lol. Spent a day fixing that. Now I get 20fps in Valdrakken, but 55ish everywhere else. This is good.. but... What if I upgraded the core to something current gen, say AM5?

Finally we arrive at the part the title of this post suggested, building the "new" PC. I went to Newegg and picked out a Ryzen 5 7600X, MSI Mag B650 Tomahawk WIFI Mobo, G.SKILL FlareX5 32g RAM kit, and a TFORCE 2TB M.2 SSD. I also got a "free" 1TB Sata SSD with the CPU, it was also a TFORCE. The following are the pics of the "build" process. There will also be an aside for a complication. ProTip: be real fucking sure everything you want to put into a PC is absolutely compatible. Some things say they are when they aren't. You'll see what I mean.

Here's the parts laid out and ready to be installed.

This Mobo has a ton of IO.

The iFixit "Pro Tech" toolkit. I got it on sale for I wanna say 80 bucks a few months ago, as of today it's listed for $75, and I think it's definitely worth the money.

Here we see the 3 M.2 slots. 2 of them have included heat sinks. Nice.

ProTip: Remember to peel the fucking plastic off these thermal pads, cause they don't really work with it on there.

Like a glove.

ProTip: it's real damn important to make sure you put the RAM in the proper dual channel config on an AMD system. On this motherboard there is a little diagram pointing out that the slots the sticks are in clearly say "first" on them, which is a nice touch. If you look closely, you can barely make out the very fuzzy diagram printed just above the heat sink bracket on the right hand side of the CPU.

Storage in place with the little "carder heat sink" strip in place. This SSD came with its own heat sink but I'm going to use the one that came with the board.

Like so.

And here's the board, ready to go into the case for further assembly.. however, it was at this point that i realized that the EVGA 650w PSU I had didn't have two 8pin(4x4) CPU cables. I got it open box, no manuals etc, and could have sworn it had 2 cables but I was wrong. Makes sense, really, 650 watts would be cutting it too close with this build. Bummer.

Ok, well I can at least move over my DeepCool Gammax heat sink. I looked at the listing from when I bought it and it says "AM5 compatible". I watched a vid that said "hey as long as your cooler doesn't use a back plate, it should work with AM5"

LIES, BOTH OF THEM. I tried to get the DeepCool on there but the brackets didn't quite line up, and then even if I could kinda fudge it a little to make that work, the screws were threaded differently. Fuck. So at this point, in the middle of a somewhat heavy storm, I had to make a run to Best Buy and hope the store really did have the things the website said it did. Thankfully, it did (and I guess yay for living in a decent area or something? cause I've heard stories about BBs having like 3 PSUs from one brand, so "my" store having 19 from 6 brands is luxury, it seems. I miss Fry's). Picked up an EVGA GT 850w 80+ Gold with auto Eco Mode and a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo, which was extremely lucky as it was the only one in the store.

That out of the way, the build can continue.

Coming along nicely. Sorry about the quality of some of these pics btw, I'm getting old so the eyes ain't what they were plus I had been dealing with this for several hours by now so I was also cranky and kinda rushing through the pics part. They looked good on the phone, less so once I moved them to the PC, heh.

Oh thank fuck, it posts. Ignore the slightly dirty desk, I been busy damn it.

That's looking clean as fuck. Yeah that old USB IO thing is old and kinda looks stupid but like, never can have enough ports, right?

I really do like this Fractal Meshify 2 case. It's laid out super well and is a breeze to build in. I mean just look at that cable routing, yo. And I was kinda rushing and not really being that finicky about it lol.

And it's home. Yeah, yeah, I know I need to clean up the cable situation on the left, there. I'll get to it. Also yes, there's some rust on that standing desk pole. I got it for free and it had been sitting outside. I've meant to clean that up but just haven't gotten to it, heh. Living in an RV as a not small dude (6ft1 240lbs or so) makes doing things like this just kinda suck, honestly. Add another person to the mix and yeah things can get tight. A 28ftx8ft box to live in just ain't the best time in the world, lol. We make do, though.

Finally, I figure I can give one nod to the RGB fans, so here you go. The Halo's fan in all its glory. I have since installed OpenRGB and managed, even on Linux, to gain access to the RGB controller and set the brightness to minimum.

I have run some benchmarks with Phoronix. I guess at least one person who might read this may be interested, especially Linux fans? So here's links to those:

GLmark2

Unigine Valley

Blender - this is an all tests, best of 3 run. Took a couple hours, which meant it was a great stress test for the CPU. I had no problems, which is impressive as the CPU sat at what I understand to be the throttle point temp of 95C. Yeah. I'm going to be looking into a better cooling solution or at least add another fan to the heat sink and see if that helps.

There's also 3 tests from when I was running the i5-6400 with the RX 6800.... if you wanna see what happens to a GPU when you severely bottleneck it, lol. If anyone actually reading this is interested you can just click "System Logs" on any of the links above, then "Show System Information" which will take you to a list of all benchmarks I've done so far.

Well, I guess that's it. Hope this was interesting and/or amusing to whoever reads this. Thanks for taking the time.

Edit*******

Oh and by the way, I launched WoW again after I finished, despite it being late and I was sore and tired. But I just had to see. I am now unable to get less than 35-40fps in Valdrakken, and I'm averaging nearly 100 anywhere else. I actually saw 130fps a few times. I'm not sure I've ever seen that high a number even when I flew as high as is allowed and looked straight up, lol.

In other words: yes, it was worth it. Especially if I can manage to baby this thing well enough it lasts me at least a few years before I "have" to think about upgrading it. Again.

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

Shelter in the Enemy’s Nest

by FractalFiction

Wilbur was upset. He smelled angel blood in his territory. Which meant two things. 1: There was an angel in his territory. And 2: There was something that killed an angel in his territory.

Wilbur huffed, crawling along the ground, low and hidden in the shadows, before coming to the massacre. The angel was, well… everywhere. And there were two other demons feasting on the remains.

Wilbur’s pupils narrowed, tail glimmering in the moonlight before he pounced. The barb on his tail pierced through one of the demon's chest, teeth sinking into the other simultaneously. The demons let out loud screeches, Wilbur only hissing violently in return. Venom seeped from his mouth, injecting into the demon's veins. He ripped his tail back through the demon’s chest, claws extending to rip it apart.

Or, Wilbur finds a baby angel. The forbidden chicken nugget. He almost wants to eat it, but of course the baby made a couple baby sounds and it was joever for him. Now he’s gotta protect his baby (even from his family at times) (it’s mostly fluff I promise)

Words: 7346, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 69 of Fractal’s One Shots

Fandoms: Minecraft (Video Game), Dream SMP

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen

Characters: Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson | Philza, mentioned Kristin

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Mentioned Kristin - Relationship

Additional Tags: Demon Wilbur Soot, Angel TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot Acting as TommyInnit's Parental Figure, Wilbur Soot Adopts TommyInnit, Demon Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Demon Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Good Parent Wilbur Soot, Morally Grey Characters, Cannibalism, Demons eat angels, But Tommy’s okay, Baby TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Cute TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Soft Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot Loves TommyInnit, TommyInnit Loves Wilbur Soot, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing, Dark Wilbur Soot, Dark Sleepy Bois Inc, Animal Instincts, Happy TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Angst, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Happy Ending, Kinda open too but it’s happy for crimeboys, Protective Wilbur Soot

[farbeagle]

Pokémon Jurassic Park AU

When I like 2 things, it's only a matter of time before they collide and combine in my brain and the resulting level of coherence is what determines whether I poast about it anyway here's what I think are Pokémon Jurassic Park AU could look like

Saying this once, now, very loudly: JURASSIC PARK BOOK CANON. NOT MOVIE CANON. BOOK CANON BOOK CANON BOOK CANON

(Plot Relevant/Dangerous) Dinosaur- Pokémon Analogue Lightning Round:

T. Rex - Walking Wake (biggest of the Fossil/Paradox Pokémon)

Baby Rex - Tyrantrum (Actually based on T Rex, just unfortunately smaller and less intimidating than Walking Wake)

Velociraptor - Kabutops (somehow we are already running out of fossil/Paradox pkmn based on land predators)

Procompsognathus - Velozolt* (probably based on actual velociraptor, but nothing else fits the bill for procompsognathus even remotely)

Dilophosaurus - N/A (I'll explain later)

*I imagine the Gen 8 fossils would be properly put together in this AU, sourcing names from here

It occurred to me that Ghetsis and Colress would make a great Hammond and Wu analogue for the simple reason that they share similar relationships— Colress and Wu are beholden to Ghetsis and Hammond respectively, and neither is particularly happy about that arrangement. Like Wu, I'm sure Colress started out thrilled to have his experiments bankrolled and then gradually grew to resent his employer.

Hammond and Ghetsis are really not much alike, but their behaviors do share base functions— Hammond is stubborn and bratty, like a child; Ghetsis is so convinced of his own perfection that he won't hear outside criticism. They can each serve the same narrative role.

Regarding dilophosaur: Hear me out on this— I think Colress can also fill Nedry's role. He can either die like Nedry, at the hands of any dinosaur, or he can live. Colress is probably nuts enough to keep the power off just to fuck with Ghetsis, human life be damned. One or two deaths would easily sabotage Ghetsis' plans. Giovanni can play Dodgson's role, less interested in the dinosaurs and more interested in gene-manipulating technology (for some reason........) If that REALLY breaks things narratively, Nedry's role can also be played by Faba. Or even vice versa, with Faba as Wu and Colress as Nedry 🤔

Anyway, regardless, there's no fossil Pokémon OR paradox Pokémon that spits poison, so I'd be inclined to have any dilophosaur-related deaths be changed to something no doubt equally disturbing. Like idk getting Cranidos'ed to death. Regardless, there's no need for a 1:1 dilophosaurus analogue

Ghetsis and Colress' involvement naturally brings up N. Now, N would be perfect for the role of a certain highly-opinionated genius mathematician who can't shut the fuck up, but Dr Malcolm mostly serves as a mouthpiece for Michael Crichton's political and philosophical views and to deliver fractal and chaos theory exposition, and I think N deserves better. So I think he works best in the role of Tim. Tim being a child really has no bearing on the plot, so N being an adult doesn't break anything. His intelligence and skill with computers is, however, plot relevant, which works nicely.

Because Lex serves no purpose at all except to cause problems which could be easily caused by other factors, you can really throw in anyone who might have a reason to come along with N. Probably Hilbert. Pokémon Jurassic Park: Hilbert is there.

Next up is my princess, Donald Gennaro. His role as a lawyer falls secondary to his role as an investigator, so he could be played by any Interpol agent (Looker, Anabel, Nanu) or any member of the Ultra Recon Squad (Dulce, Zossie, Phyco, Soliera, Rhi), any of which could be posing as a lawyer to get access to the island. If I were to write this, I would probably choose Anabel or Looker, but my heart says Phyco because I love him

Regis: I thought to myself, who is slimy enough to abandon guests in a park full of dinosaurs and try to save himself, but also unlucky enough to die anyway. And the answer came to my heart. It's Grimsley.

Muldoon: Probably a Pokémon Ranger, but I haven't played those games in a while, so consider: Byron. He's dinosaur-adjacent and also rugged as all hell. He could definitely shoot a T Rex in the face.

Arnold: Could theoretically be any of the Pokémon Storage System developers (Bill, Lanette, Bebe, Amanita, Cassius, Molayne). Of these, Molayne is ofc my favorite, but I dont want to think about him getting brutally murdered by dinosaurs, so I'd probably choose Cassius

Dr Grant simply must be played by Grant. Pokémon has dinosaur associated rock enthusiast named Grant. Come on now. HOWEVER. I think Steven could also be a strong choice. As a writer, I tend to gravitate toward characters with more dialogue, because it's easier to write about them when you're not just making stuff up, so I'd probably put Steven in this role. BUT COME ON. GRANT? GRANT???? I just know that was on purpose.

Dr Satler: I think Cynthia makes sense in her role, and I dont think it's too far of a reach to tweak her interest in history to an interest in paleontology

Previously, I have made references to writing this as a SnazzyShipping AU but as you can see I very much got lost in the sauce and started planning based on what makes the most sense to me. But I can still have my way, because in the book, Dr Sattler is engaged to someone not present on the island. In my petty little heart, that can be Lucian 💕

Dr Malcom: My beloathed..... I almost forgot about him lmao...... When he's not played by handsome Jeff Goldblum and he's just a collection of (preachy, didactic) words on a page he is SO annoying. There is no Pokémon character I really dislike, let alone one I despise as much as Dr Malcom LMFAAOO. I think Cyrus could fit the position by virtue of being a genius and a yapper, but I'm not sure he's curious or naïve enough to end up on Brutal Dinosaur Attack Island. This is another case where Faba could pick up the slack (or even Wicke, but I dont want to think about her dying in a dinosaur attack :(((( ). Maxie or Archie could also fit the bill as well as Charon or Xerosic— really, Pokémon has no shortage of vague genius characters who can play this part. In terms of writing an actual fanfic, I think I would choose Cyrus because he's the most self-righteous

Harding: Can be played by any one of the Professors. I'd probably choose Ivy because we've had a severe shortage of female characters so far and I like women. IIRC Harding lives, and I love to not think about characters I'm actually attached to dying violently

And uhhhh. That's it. Ta-da!

I probably won't actually write this bc I dont have fun writing AUs where characters are simply inserted into an extant narrative, but it's fun to think about :)

[tunewtec]

Le Meilleur Boîtier PC Gamer : Comment Choisir le Boîtier Idéal pour Votre PC de Jeu

Le boîtier PC gamer est un élément clé de votre configuration, non seulement pour protéger vos composants, mais aussi pour offrir une meilleure circulation de l’air, un refroidissement optimal et un design esthétique qui reflète votre passion pour le gaming. Que vous cherchiez un boîtier compact ou grand format, découvrez comment choisir le meilleur boîtier PC gamer pour votre setup.

🎯 Pourquoi le Choix du Boîtier est Important pour un PC Gamer ?

✅ Améliore la circulation de l’air pour un refroidissement optimal. ✅ Facilite l’installation et la gestion des câbles pour un montage propre. ✅ Esthétique et personnalisation – Un boîtier peut avoir un design unique avec des éléments RGB, du verre trempé, etc. ✅ Commodités supplémentaires – De l’espace pour des composants haut de gamme, de multiples ventilateurs ou un système de watercooling.

💡 Le boîtier est essentiel pour garantir que votre PC gaming fonctionne à son meilleur niveau tout en ayant un look impressionnant.

🔍 Les Meilleurs Boîtiers PC Gamer en 2025

📌 1. NZXT H510 Elite

🔹 Design épuré avec verre trempé sur le côté et le dessus. 🔹 Ventilation améliorée pour un flux d’air optimal. 🔹 Compatibilité avec des systèmes de watercooling AIO (All-in-One) et des cartes graphiques longues. 🔹 Port USB 3.1 Gen 2 et gestion des câbles facile.

💡 Le NZXT H510 Elite offre un excellent compromis entre style et performances avec un excellent refroidissement et une gestion des câbles simplifiée.

🎮 2. Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB

🔹 Espace pour jusqu’à 6 ventilateurs avec des contrôles RGB intégrés. 🔹 Design moderne avec panneaux en verre trempé pour une vue imprenable sur vos composants. 🔹 Système de gestion des câbles optimisé pour un montage propre. 🔹 Compatible avec des systèmes de watercooling et des cartes graphiques de grande taille.

💡 Ce boîtier est parfait pour les utilisateurs qui veulent un refroidissement puissant et un look RGB attrayant.

🏆 3. Fractal Design Meshify 2

🔹 Excellente ventilation grâce à son design mesh à l’avant. 🔹 Grand espace interne pour accueillir des configurations haut de gamme. 🔹 Panneaux latéraux en verre trempé pour une esthétique moderne. 🔹 Facilité d’accès pour la gestion des câbles et l’ajout de nouveaux composants.

💡 Fractal Design Meshify 2 est idéal pour ceux qui cherchent une performance de refroidissement maximale tout en gardant un design élégant et fonctionnel.

⚡ 4. Phanteks Eclipse P500A

🔹 Boîtier de grande taille avec espace suffisant pour les cartes mères ATX, E-ATX et les configurations de watercooling. 🔹 Panneau avant mesh pour un refroidissement optimal. 🔹 Contrôle RGB à travers un hub de gestion inclus. 🔹 Prise en charge des systèmes de refroidissement liquide personnalisés.

💡 Un boîtier avec une excellente circulation de l'air et un design élégant pour les configurations haut de gamme.

🎮 5. Cooler Master MasterBox Q300P

🔹 Boîtier compact mais spacieux adapté aux configurations mini-ITX et micro-ATX. 🔹 Panels modulaires pour une personnalisation totale du flux d’air. 🔹 Support pour des configurations de watercooling AIO. 🔹 Design flexible et facile à transporter, idéal pour les LAN parties.

💡 Le Cooler Master MasterBox Q300P est parfait pour les joueurs à la recherche d’un boîtier compact mais capable d’accueillir des composants puissants.

🛠 Comment Choisir le Meilleur Boîtier PC Gamer ?

📍 1. Taille et compatibilité

📌 Vérifiez que votre boîtier est compatible avec la carte mère, la carte graphique et le système de refroidissement que vous souhaitez installer. 📌 Assurez-vous qu’il y ait suffisamment d’espace pour vos composants.

🎮 2. Circulation de l’air et refroidissement

📌 Les boîtiers avec des panneaux mesh ou des ventilateurs supplémentaires offrent une meilleure circulation de l’air et aident à maintenir les composants à une température optimale pendant les sessions de jeu. 📌 Si vous avez un système de watercooling, assurez-vous que le boîtier offre un espace suffisant pour l'installation.

🔧 3. Design et personnalisation

📌 Si l’esthétique est importante pour vous, choisissez un boîtier avec des panneaux en verre trempé ou des options RGB pour un look plus dynamique. 📌 Optez pour un boîtier facile à personnaliser et à entretenir, avec un bon système de gestion des câbles.

🔗 Découvrez Nos Boîtiers PC Gamer Performants

Si vous cherchez un boîtier PC gamer adapté à votre configuration, consultez notre sélection ici : 👉 Tunewtec - PC Gaming

🧐 Conclusion

Le boîtier PC gamer joue un rôle essentiel dans le maintien des performances de votre système. ✅ Un bon boîtier assure un refroidissement efficace et une gestion des câbles propre. ✅ Il doit être compatible avec vos composants et vous offrir un design qui vous plaît. ✅ Les boîtiers comme le NZXT H510 Elite, Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB et Fractal Design Meshify 2 sont parmi les meilleurs en 2025.

[grumpygreenwitch]

Machina Ex Machina 12-13

As always, if you enjoy the writing, please like and reblog. There's no algorithms here; my publicity is you. And if you'd like to buy me a Ko-fi, I certainly won't complain.

1+2 - 3+3.5 - 4+5 - 6+.6.5 - 7+8 - 8.5+9 - 10+11 - 12+13 - 13.5+14 - 15+16 - 17+17.5 - 18+18.5 - 19+20 - 21+22 - 22.5+23+24 - 25+26 - 27-28 - 29.29.5 - 30+31 - 32+33 - 34+35 - 36+37 - 38+39 - 40+41 - 42+ AO3 Link

TWELVE

The first simulacra reached them at the very bottom of the slopes of Parnassus. By then it was a four-legged thing, lean and long, with a sloping back and the barest suggestion of a head. It bristled with bits and pieces of what had once been Ilo City, but it also had flashes of circuitry here and there that burned with the poisonous energy of the virus. Those shattered lines of code beeped and crackled at the three of them as it closed in.

Then it somehow perceived where they were and faltered, taking several steps back.

None of the programs could blame it. They, too, had stopped on reaching the slopes of Parnassus. Unlike the rest of the Outlands, where little else existed beyond the terrain itself and occasional remnants cast out from the cities, the mountain was covered in…

Something.

A layer five or six deep of dark green voxels covered every part of the terrain, rendering shadows nonexistent, constantly undulating. Gnarled, imperfect fractals rose from this shallow tide and reached up, a luminous white peppered here and there with specks of brighter green, deep russet, pale gray or nearly black blue. Gossamer curtains of energy spiraled around the fractal branches like lazy currents or effusion clouds, occasionally stretching out from the branches of one fractal to another.

Even the Sentry found himself so stunned by the alien beauty all around them that for a moment he didn’t think to urge them forward. It was Adas who said, “Come on.”

They stepped gingerly on the dark green mat, to find it springy underfoot, but harmless, and hurried as best they could under the gleaming branches and odd energy puffs. Behind them, the virus’ simulacra chattered. It paced up to the edges of the slope, where the dark green voxels began, but the moment it touched them they overran him, flowing up its leg and tearing it apart to its basic components, black voxels and primal matter. It scrabbled back, trying to shake them off with no success.

The virus picked up its simulacra by the scruff, ripped off the infected limb and threw it back onto the slopes of Parnassus. The dark green carpet flowed over it and it was gone in a moment.

“Int… Interesting,” it murmured, dropping off the imperfect copy, which promptly grew back the missing limb. Several simulacra paced forward to surround their source, clicking and chattering like broken commlinks. Behind them came several construction ground vehicles, their energy indicators brightly yellow.

In answer to some unheard command, the door of one of the vehicles opened, and out shambled a program. Whoever they’d once been, they weren’t anymore. Their circuitry, once identifying a mid-gen program, matched the jagged lines and sickened color of the virus. They moved with shambling jerks, as if unsure of what limbs were, or how they were supposed to work. Little whines of pain came from it, and occasionally voxels dropped off its body as it approached the virus.

The virus looked at it. Without further instruction, the infected program moved forward. It stepped without hesitation onto the slopes of Parnassus.

The dark green carpet surged up its foot and leg at once. The program got four steps in before it was completely covered, and then the vaguely program-shaped mound collapsed, leaving nothing behind – not even a disk.

“Potent,” the virus said, a note of admiration in its broken voice. It considered. It had machines that could fly, but they were few and dependent on code interlocked with constants that it couldn’t detect in the mountain before it; they were either hidden under the protection protocols, or they just didn’t exist altogether. Its machines might not fly at all. They might not fly high enough. Dare it risk them, and possibly lose part of its growing army, on an experiment?

It was, at that point, a much more refined figure. In body it was a program, but its face had the simplified features of a first-gen. Wherever the shattered, ill-fitted yellow circuitry failed to be present, it was as black as the terrain all around it, blank voxels studded everywhere with shards and pieces of broken disks. But from the waist down it was still relatively unformed, as if it wore a vast skirt that merged seamlessly into the terrain. If it lingered on one spot too long, that skirt began to spread.

It sank into itself, spreading out its awareness, circling around the mountain like a predator on the hunt. Wherever it went that vast curtain of moving, delicate green was there to meet it. Everywhere but one spot.

It came back to its forces. There was no motivation for it to feel frustration or anger. Yet. There was one way in, and one was more than enough. “I g-g I guess the front-front-front door it is.”

THIRTEEN

Stepping on bare terrain was startling after all the time they’d spend moving through the whispering fractals on the slopes. But all at once the three programs found themselves moving past the dark green and onto polished white tiles, vast and flawless slabs of something far more solid than the average construction matter.

“Sitting,” GAM croaked. The first thing he’d noticed was a bench. The other two lowered him carefully onto it, and for their sake he refused to make a sound.

His code was in shambles. At least a third of it had become completely isolated, communication channels broken. He was bleeding energy and he was so jammed up he couldn’t even tell where. The Sentry figured he had, at most, another microcycle, perhaps two, and unless Parnassus could provide him with a miracle, he couldn’t figure out a single way to get Adas and Vidi to safety.

He focused, simply, on continuing to exist. Existence meant change. What was true one cycle rarely remained so for the next. All life in the Grid was about changing, evolving, advancing. If he could just keep from derezzing, something was bound to change, and in that change he might be able to squeeze escape for them out of a new variable.

Adas sat next to him while Vidi explored. She looked strange without her robes and faceplate, as if she were something other than a program despite her basic upload uniform.

“What?” she asked him, and belatedly he remembered his faceplate had shattered.

“It’s nothing. I got used to you looking… in charge, I guess,” he admitted.

“Oh. Nope. I’m a program, under all the bossy,” she replied, looking down at herself. Then she brightened up, and closed her clear faceplate over her face. “Does this help?”

He had to laugh a little. “Loads,” he admitted in spite of himself.

“You should open your faceplate more often,” she told him, handing him back his baton. “Your laughter’s nice.”

“Sentries don’t laugh.”

“Right. Got to keep up that appearance of being all business.”

“Mm.” He secured the baton to one leg and examined the other, the nonresponsive one. He was looking at it, touching it, and yet his code told him there was no leg. It was infuriating. He tried consciously commanding it to move and it did, with something just shy of excruciating pain, but he couldn’t very well send a requisition for every step he took while attending to their continued security. Rather than focus on something he couldn’t change, he looked around.

They were in a vast garden, something he could understand far better than the beautiful but alien little world they’d just left behind. Paths made of luminous white stone dashed away between walls of gleaming metal filigree. At regular intervals, statues either floated over decorative light-pools or stood on light-plinths – real statues, User-art. Everywhere he looked the world of the Users stared back at him from their finest artistic creations. “Do you think he’s from Om originally?”

“It does look like it, doesn’t it?” Adas agreed. The oldest city in the Grid was implacable in its faith that the Users weren’t just real, but alive.

Vidi came trotting back. “You want the good news or the bad news?”

“I don’t think there’s enough left of me for more bad news,” he admitted wryly.

“I can see the house from here.”

He considered that, and then grimaced, offering his arms. “Then I don’t think I need to hear the bad news. It won’t get any closer if we don’t get moving.”

“Anyone ever tell you it’s weird how you can guess at things that no one’s saying?” Vidi told him as she and Adas helped him up. Together, they started hobbling once again along the paths.

“I’m not guessing, you did say it. You said you could see the house, but you didn’t say anything about being close.” He gritted his teeth against a slew of new error signals, and did his best to ignore the new little pile of voxels he’d left behind on the bench. “That would’ve been good news.”

“That’s rude.” She declared after a moment. “That’s like reading my mind, WallSec. No privacy with you around.”

“If I could read minds, I’d have known to get us moving before the skiff showed up,” he ground out, riding a crest of pain until it passed and then focusing on the path. “That was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I dropped my guard.”

“We’re still online because of you!” Adas protested.

“Stop saying dumb stuff. Ugh, I need you to be better so I can throw things at you.”

“You are both so violent. Why am I stuck with such violent programs,” he asked of the world in general. They left the statuary garden through a wrought iron arch big enough to accommodate a freight skiff and found themselves looking up at the pinnacle of Parnassus. At a brisk, normal walk it would have taken them perhaps twenty nanocycles to get to it. At the moment it was as distant as Om.

Atop the mountain sat a vast house, a mansion built on lines not found anywhere else on the cities of the Grid. Sweeping, elaborate columns framed mostly open rooms. Walls were scarce. Lights hung on nothing where rooms lacked ceilings. Occasionally, shallow bowls rested on low, elaborate plinths, and thin streams of faint energy curled up from them, spiraling up to be lost in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. More of those irregular fractals surrounded the mansion, covered in flickering motes of bright green. The ground between them and the top of the mountain was carved into broad, even steps, and when Adas set a foot on it, a splash of light rushed away from her dainty boot in every direction, like primal matter spilled on a perfectly even surface.

“More climbing.” GAM sighed wearily.

“Quit whining, WallSec. Imagine you’re chasing me after I stole all your beans,” Vidi told him cheerfully.

“Beans aren’t solid enough to steal,” he quipped as they moved onto the next step, their feet creating rainbows of color all around them.

“What?” Adas looked at them both in confusion.

“There’s no real beans to count,” Vidi explained. “No beans stashed away anywhere. All the beans ever are in someone’s soukscan always. Always moving, all of the time. It used to be this con you could do on programs new to Halcyon, offering them a handful of something tiny and solid and bean-looking in exchange for whatever. WallSec stopped that and that was -” She abruptly realized she was about to agree with GAM on something. “Bad! It was very bad! It was so bad, it was terrible, getting in the way of free business like that.”

“How dare we,” GAM managed. Laughter made him hurt even worse, but he preferred that pain, it felt cleaner somehow.

The three suddenly caught their breath. A little dot of color had separated itself from the many lamps and lights of the manor, and it was flying at them with startling speed. “Bit,” GAM breathed out.

“Oh,” Adas helped him shift until Vidi was holding up the Sentry’s weight, and drew herself up straight. She lifted up a hand and waved it. “Yes, excuse me!”

The Bit paused, then sped up to her, rotating swiftly through multiple stellations before stopping and very clearly saying, “Hello.”

Adas blinked. It was rare to find Bits on the Grid anymore. You could find the occasional Navi but they were relics, creatures of the distant past, when cities had been smaller and communications between them unreliable. “Hello. I’m Adas, Senior Assist-”

“Hello,” the Bit repeated.

“Yes, we went through that already,” she assured it. “I’m the Senior Assistant to the Ilo SysAdmin. My friends and I,” she gestured to Vidi and GAM, “we need urgent help -”

The Bit turned minutely to ‘face’ them. “Hello.”

“I think it only knows the one word,” Vidi pointed out.

“Oh, I bet it knows two,” GAM said quietly.

The Bit suddenly abandoned Adas, and moved to hover before GAM. “Hello.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” the Sentry managed. The Bit didn’t seem to be listening. It was floating lower and lower, stellating slowly, as if scanning the Sentry from top to bottom.

“We need help,” Adas said firmly. “We need medical assistance from your commanding program, and if that’s not available we need access to any sort of communications they can pr-”

“Goodbye,” the Bit suddenly declared, and sped away as quickly as it had arrived.

“Hey!” Adas protested indignantly.

“Told you,” GAM said wearily.

“You are just – GAM? GAM!” He was going limp against Vidi. They helped him drop to one knee; his circuits were nearly as dark as his battered armor.

“He needs energy,” Vidi glanced wildly around. “There’s gotta be energy somewhere in this place.”

Adas looked up, hoping for an ETC, a fountain, any of the familiar forms of free energy she knew from Ilo. What she saw instead was two of the virus’ mimicries padding along one of the lower steps, gleaming yellow eyes fixed on the little group. Where they passed, the ground remained dark. She gasped hugely and began to tug them both up. “Get up, get up. We have to go. GAM, we have to go.”

GAM looked up. Behind the simulacra came six or seven infected programs, shuffling forward on limbs they could barely control, their circuitry winking in and out of synch with itself and little electronic sounds of pain coming off them. He fought himself to his feet and reached for his disk, the only weapon left to him. “You have to run,” he told them both wearily. “One of you has to run.”

Adas looked torn. Everything in her wanted to stand with her friends. But her actuarial nature, for once, understood why the Sentry kept hammering on the same point: unlike Ilo, Parnassus was live, online. If the virus took the mountain, it could easily use its connection to spread to every single city in the Grid.

“Yes,” the virus spoke from the dark. More shattered lines and winking yellow eyes were revealing themselves as it and its creatures moved around the perimeter of the broad stairwell. It had formed legs, but it wasn’t using them, instead advancing on a small wave of mixed matter and dead voxels that flowed behind it like an elaborate fashion Cosmetic, a combination hair and half-skirt that, if anything, made it look even more unsettling than it already was. “You sh-shou-should run. Perh-perhaps it will ach-ach-achiev-achieve something. Even now.”

Adas reached for her disk. The virus’ attention shifted to her. “I have-have-have. I’m not interested in you, little pr-program.” It pointed at GAM. “I want him, first.” Its hand shifted minutely to Vidi, who was hiding behind the Sentry. “Her, sec. Second.”

“What do you want with me, I don’t want nothing to do with you!”

Vidi wasn’t hiding. GAM could feel what she was doing, but he didn’t know how she was transferring energy into him. The Gridborn never seemed to run out of tricks. The Sentry closed his helm but didn’t deploy the shattered faceplate. His grip tightened on his disk. “I’m not going down easily, worm,” he ground out, swiftly creating a simple iteration and throwing it in place.

“That was-was-wassssss expected,” the virus agreed easily. “I will not lie. I am look-looking forward to it, securit-t-t-t-y.”

The simulacra charged them with electronic screeches.

[remaining-railjack]

MUSE LIST

ULTRAKILL:

OC:

VJ/Missile/Jackrabbit (it/its, system, vee)

Cutter (it/its, swordmachine)

Whalefall (she/her, earthmover)

Starshine (she/her, earthmover)

Cyclone (he/him, earthmover)

Pyroclastic (he/him, earthmover)

Blackhead/V-B13(she/her, vee)

Dingo/V-D1 (he/him, vee/angel)

V-TN (he/him, vee, Atheon?????)

Sithiel (he/him, council member, Dominion of Gravity)

Yaniel (they/them, Heaven's Omen)

Variael (he/him, fallen angel)

Noaqael (he/him, Archangel of Healing)

Xhiel (he/him, former council member, Dominion of Healing, Healer flock leader)

CANON:

Benjamin (he/him, earthmover)

V2 (she/it/they, vee, pre 4-4 encounter)

RAINWORLD:

Elective Debate (she/her prototype iterator, p-gen 16)

Tyrant Sings Tales (she/her Gen 1, Eleventh made, walking bossfight)

Wetted Stones Unturned [Sue] (she/her Gen 1, Fourteenth made, keeper of the Last City)

Twin Stones, Three Feet Above (he/him Gen 1)

Demanding In Moments [Dim] (vey/vem Gen 2, Rotted out)

Nine Birds Feathered Flaws (she/he Gen 2)

Gone With The Wind [Gowwi] (he/him Gen 2)

Twin Wrapped Leaves (she/her Gen 3)

Deep Inside Stone Crypts [DISC] (she/her Gen 3, in orbit)

Ascended By All Means (refer to by name, Gen 3, in orbit)

Next Step To Evolution (refer to by name, Gen 3, in orbit)

Next Step To Light (they/them, Gen 3, in orbit)

Timelost Needle Weaving Fates (he/him Gen 4... Atheon stop this)

Gateway To Oblivion (he/they Gen 4, walking bossfight)

Flowers After Flames (it/its Gen 4)

Looks Upon The Stars (he/him Gen 4)

Multitude Of Endless Thoughts (she/her, Gen 4, walkerator)

Cascade Of Endless Hope (they/them, Gen 4, walkerator)

Drown Within Depths (vis/vim Gen 5)

Diamonds In The Rough (ir/irs Gen 5)

Opals In The Deep (they/them Gen 5)

Monsters In The Depths (she/her, Gen 6, Underwater)

Kilns Burnt Over (he/him Gen 7)

Teeth Wrapped Around Throats (she/her Gen 8)

Boundless Thoughts, Eternal Fractals Spiraling (he/him, Ancient)

Ten Bricks Of Colour, Eight Pillars Of Stone (he/him, Ancient, Karma's headman)

Looking Past The Veil, An Emerald Storms Blessing (he/him, Ancient. Worlds Edge Lookout)

Voidless Seas Setting Suns (he/him, ancient/echo, Gateway To Oblivion's possessor)

Mountains Washed Ashore (he/they, ancient, Fractals' last son)

Vault Of Glass, Guardian Made Fate (he/him, ancient/echo, Timelost's play thing)

Red Roads Turning, Fifteen Lanterns Glowing (she/her, ancient)

Seven Fish Glinting In Barrles (he/him, ancient, Rightfull Redemtion's architect)

Torn Down Walls, Secrets Gone Untold (she/her, ancient, Warden's survivor)

Creampuff (it/its, snow vulture, swarm leader, Fractals' bestie)

The Companion (she/her, slugcat)

Fluffy (it/its, false red lizard, Kiln's pet dog)

Jump (he/him, scavenger chieftain)

Echos Of A Fond Memory (she/her, Tyrant's pet miros vulture)

Pursuit (it/its, snow vulture, swarm leader)

WARFRAME:

OC:

Ceia (she/her, preferred frame: Octavia, infested)

Ivan (he/him, preferred frame: Dante)

Widow (she/her, preferred frame: Sevagoth)

Cephalon Bemo (he/him)

Glasswatch (he/him, preferred frame: Gara. ATHEON FOR FUCKS SAKE)

CANON:

Cephalon Cy (he/him)

Cephalon Samodeus (he/him)

DESTINY:

OC:

Lockness (she/her, exo warlock, void/stasis. Ghost: Beyblade)

Ahmed (he/him, awoken hunter, solar/arc, child, Ghost: Grit)

Theia (they/them, exo titan, solar, Ghost: Lexicon)

Rosenio (they/them, human titan, arc/stasis, Ghost: Rabbit)

Ihad (she/her, hive warlock, arc, Ghost: Love)

Inara (they/them, awoken warlock, stasis, Young Wolf, Ghost: Ghost)

Martyn (he/they, exo titan, prismatic, Ghost: Telesto)

Jenga (she/her, awoken warlock, solar, Ghost: Tamagotchi)

Fang (she/her, human hunter, stasis/arc, Ghost: Tulip)

Xeki (he/him, hive titan, void/solar, Ghost: Button)

Kataigida (she/her, timelost warlock, arc)

Teppo (he/him, human titan, stasis/void, Ghost: Fletcher)

Theta (she/her, hive hunter, solar, Ghost: Bastard)

Void (she/her, harpy unit)

Arc (she/it, harpy unit)

Solar (she/it, harpy unit)

Itch (it/its, wyvern unit, Ghost: Livewire)

Flower (he/it, hobgoblin unit)

CANON:

Kabr (he/him, vex titan, void/vexwork, Ghost: Nako)

Atheon, Time's Conflux (he/they/it, Vault Guardian. STAY IN YOUR UNIVERSE DAMIT)

Panoptes (they/it, Infinite Forest Guardian)

[ao3feed-starsky-hutch]

Fractal 2: Dangerous Admiration

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/aJrAOPf by TLR3 Special needs artist Bray Hamilton needs Starsky and Hutch. Trigger warning for non-consensual sex. Words: 5640, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Fractal Fandoms: Starsky & Hutch Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Categories: Gen Additional Tags: Autism Spectrum, Asperger Syndrome read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/aJrAOPf

[lizascribes]

Blogging in a time of internet addiction

Is it 2016 again?

Lately I've been finding myself glued to the screen from the moment that I wake up (1pm) to when I get too tired to scroll (3am). The only difference from now to 8 years ago is that I have the agency to carry out this routine as an unemployed daughter, versus the bygone years of having to wake up for school at the ass-crack hour of 6am. Same-same, but different.

Probably the reason for my wack sleep schedule is the liminal space and time of my life right now as Mossy and I settle old scores with Melbourne before leaving next month. Hopefully we'll get the fuck out in 3 weeks because I am ready to live in a place that does not have a cost-of-living crisis for once.

But because of this "gearing to leave" process, these past few days I've just been zoning in and out of conscious states; everyday a fugue of packing, donating/selling, and cleaning interspersed with long hours of consuming Youtube videos.

Oh, Youtube...

Now one thing about the little video app is that I feel like I grew up under its guidance. You could call it childhood neglect or just plain old Gen-Z culture but I've realized that year after year I just keep coming back for more. It has brought me a lot of joy and gleeful knowledge over the years -- especially showing me perspectives I usually wouldn't come across. But I'm starting to realize the negative effects it has on my psyche.

First of all, I just be clicking on anything that excites me. And that's usually video titles with viewpoints that I already agree with -- 25 minute video essays with points that I can already anticipate from the thumbnail. Why am I watching a 25 minute video that doesn't tell me anything I don't already know? The presenter's not that charismatic. I probably just wanna hear someone agree with my opinions. And that's how I be digging my own echo-chamber.

But there's also another type of video that'll get me clicking: productivity/optimisation tips of any kind (work, gym, finances). This kind of content used to do a number on me when I was a tad bit younger (up to 2 months ago). Subconsciously, I felt that if I just watched enough of these videos and farmed these ideas, that I could fast-track becoming my "best self".

Current-day social medias are flooded with content of such tomfoolery. I acknowledge that many are just trying to give good tips to help beginners along on their journeys, but the content and its presentation has needed to evolve strategies and tactics of manipulation to survive the algorithms of today. Like a virus, they leech onto us and find our weaknesses for their own gain. And one of our greatest weakness is tapped into daily -- the fear of not being good enough.

"This is how you can be your best self tomorrow/next week/next month! Only if you buy my online course, of course!"

I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to survive in this hyper-capitalist hyper-real landscape. But I have noticed a few of my favourite older Youtubers talking about these new rules of social media and how they're effectively quitting the game. It's simply unsustainable and yet many are throttling full speed ahead.

For someone who has grown up online and hopes to become a working artist in the next 2 years, this bleak digital landscape doesn't excite me. But maybe that just means that I'm ready to lift my head out of the pensieve and explore some other part of this weird fractal.

[guncelkal]

ATX Semi-tower Box Fractal FD-C-TOR1C-04 White Black

If you’re passionate about IT and electronics, like being up to date on technology and don’t miss even the slightest details, buy ATX Semi-tower Box Fractal FD-C-TOR1C-04 White Black at an unbeatable price. Connections: USB-A 3.2 USB C 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Colour: Black White Type: Gaming PC Material: Steel Characteristics: On button Form factor: ATX Ports: Audio entry Audio…

[bluebudgie]

had a great spontaneous idea yesterday, because what else would be better with a new expac just released other than...

...crafting a gen 2 legendary

people say the collections are hell, went through the wiki and i think the only thing that really gives me a stomachache is vinetooth prime during collection IV. do people even still do any of the auric basin "pre events" ever since they became obsolete for the meta? (yea. remember when you actually had to do all the lane events or else you'd get no exalted armours during meta?)

that and some strange bosses in orr that ive never heard of in my life, but considering it's core game i figure it should be easy enough to tackle those with only a hand full of people.. hopefully...

rest seems manageable. the fractal selection seems kinder than the one nevermore had, nothing that requires more than 2 players at least

also spiritwood planks cost barely 2 gold lmfao. nevemore in 2016 with its 13 gold per piece spiritwood planks says hi

[pixelatedparticles]

[shinglescat]

Alright, so, ram modules that are about 3600Mhz is just enough, esp for 5xxx Ryzens. Then the more ram sticks you have, the better the performance thanks to the channels. God, my head is boiling from all this computer information.

Then Ryzen has something called Infinity Fabric, and it matters the most when it comes to AMD’s CPUs and memory; timings matter too, but seems like IF matters more. Still don’t exactly understand it, but it’ll be something to think about once I actually have the new pc.

Rant goes below.

Then there are PSUs. Man, I wanted a Fractal Design build like a dumbass I am, but... their PSUs are not so good when it comes to oscillations, and that’s a big thing apparently for stability. Looked at all the reviews about ion gold, decided to switch back to the Cougar PSU I bought last year, and then decided to switch to a be quiet! PSU because of the CPU I chose... but something tells me I may actually revert back to my Cougar and buy the second one. AAAAAAA

Then there’s mobo. The first one I picked was ASUS ROG STRIX B550-A, because good VRMs and heatsinks on them. And watercooling compatibility. Then it’s 4 gen PCI-E, but whatever, ‘cause I picked gen 3 SSD, and the video cards don’t utilize gen 4 in full. Also its heatsinks are whitish. And I’m a girl. And I want pretty things. Like an idiot, I chose the mobo based on looks, what a retard, but I can’t make myself get me one of those ugly shroud-less mobos, I’ve had enough with my current one, SO UGLY. Luckily, the mobo doesn’t seem to be faulty. Then I heard people recommend MSI B550A PRO for 5xxx CPUs. Picked one, granted it also costs 7k lower than the strix. And everything would be okay, but turns out this mobo has a lot of failures. So I went back to strix. Also, initially, a year ago or so I wanted an MSI board, something-something ace meg whatever with SLI compatibility. But they’re gone, and SLI’s dead, and games don’t really support SLI anyways. So lucky me here, otherwise I’d spend more on the mobo like an idiot I am.

Anyways. Since my mobo is white, I changed my FD case to white, lmao, it’s also couple rubles cheaper than the black one. Also note - I hate RGB stuff, and there’s not glass panel in the case I picked, it’s just solid block of metal... So why the idiot me needs a pretty motherboard? Logic, but I can’t fight it, I want me a pretty thing.

And I changed my AIO, which is FD Celsius S36 to Noctua NH-15D. Had a fight here with myself, ‘cause the AIO looks nice, and the NH-15D looks ass ugly in Noctua’s brand colors; Celsius performs slightly better than the NH-15D, and... THREE FANS. Wanted to place it in front of the case, but then... evaporation is a thing. Fuck it, went with the Noctua, esp since I found it in stock in black, yay. Then again, watercooling is good for short bursts of temperature spikes, then it equalizes and performs maybe worse than an air cooler. So Noctua it is.

Then come SSDs. Fuck me. That’s just hard to pick, there are so many drives. Initially I planned on a 512 GB Samsung 970 PRO because it’s probably last of the MLC guys when everyone went for TLC and QLC. But it’s pricey as fuck. Reliable, but pricey. With great tears I swapped it to an Aorus SSD. Same capacity, but TLC, similar speeds, similar write span, only almost 4k cheaper. But it’s new, no reviews whatsoever, kinda sus. So I just sat and thought about this all and went for a 512 GB NVMe WD Blue, ‘cause I don’t really need it besides having the OS installed on it and all that. And it’s cheaper. And I’m not going to be writing anything on it myself, it’s all for Windows.

Ha, also found some cheap memory sticks at a retail electronics store, 64 GBs of ram would cost me around 20k. 3000Mhz, low timings, could forgive it having rgb lighting. Next day I open their internet store and... there goes my el-cheapo HyperX. Send everything to hell and opted for four sticks of G.Skill RIPJAWS V 3600Mhz CL18. Gonna be fun making it marry the air cooler.

Damn, HDDs got pricey, thanks to the chia mining. Wanted a WD Gold, had it bookmarked, it was around 12 to 14 grand before, and now it’s just unobtanium with its price. Fuck it. And el-cheapo ones, a-la barracudas and blues got more expensive. But I need me some storage, for went for a 2TB WD Blue anyways... and for a Seagate SkyHawk, 1TB.  

Man, I wish someone else would pick me parts and build the thing, but last time my father bought one (not for me ofc, I’m the devil child, even tho I eventually took over it), it almost fried my new shiny 2080 thanks to a cheapfuck of a PSU.

Do not ever cheap out on PSUs, ever.

Also got me a single high static pressure Noctua fan (but it’s black, ugh, and the case fans are white) for the video card cooling. Dunno if it’s going to fit in between the PSU and HDD cage in the end, but if not - it’ll have to do on the front panel in the middle of two white fans pushing air to the 2080. At least the case doesn’t have a glass panel. And finally no fans with light, I swear I hate my shitty Thermaltake fan with passion - it shines blue through the small window on the side panel of the case like a beacon it is, no way to turn it off (except for smashing it, but I ain’t no barbarian).

Low key regretting I went for the bachelor in civil and industrial engineering instead of electric stuff, would’ve been so much easier for me now, lmao.

Hoping I won’t change my mind yet again about the parts, tho honestly I really want to wait till the DDR5 hits the market, and AMD releases their DDR5 compatible CPUs, but I don’t want to wait a year, and then DDR5 will be a lot more expensive than DDR4... and I just can’t wait, I need me more power and less bottlenecks.

UWU

Fuck I’m excited for it. Also dreading it, never dealt with PGA CPUs, wonder how fragile the pins are.

Also, I’m finally excited for a game, ready to shit-piss my pants. Stalker 2 is coming next year, baby! Gotta get me that retail version of the game to put it in my Stalker collection... 

[dasozelotvonnebenan]

30 questions: GW2 edition

not tagged by anyone (yet) but @pr-gw2​ said to just do it if you like and I’d very much like to ^^

This can be done in many different ways: get asks by your followers, pick some questions for yourself, answer the whole damn thing at once, etc!

You can draw, write (to explain in details or not) or just post screenshots! If you miss one it’s totally okay, whether it’s by lack of answer or time. Have fun!

1. Favorite living world season?

Season 3, though it also includes some of my least favourite maps (looking at you lake doric) had a very fun story. Well apart from what they did with the actual lazarus.

2. Favorite expansion?

Definitely HoT. Love the maps, love the story, love the elites. I’ve spent a significant part of my life in the heart of maguuma.

3. Favorite soundtrack?

“Attack on Tarir” and “Tarir, the Forgotten City” and the rest of the HoT soundtrack in general. The instrumental version of fear not this night that plays when you fight at the artesian waters in orr. The vanilla character select music, as well as the HoT one. Some of the PoF combat music. Look I really can’t decide on a favourite the games soundtrack is just awesome.

4. First profession you played?

Ranger, its Frigg

5. First race you played?

Asura, its Frigg

6. Favorite Destiny’s Edge character?

Zojja

7. Favorite Dragon’s Watch character?

Rytlock. He’s an idiot, and not actually the character I like the most, but I think he’s a great character. I also want to say that Faren should be an honorary member of DW

8. Favorite Elder Dragon?

Zhaithan. His design is just *chef kiss*

9. Best boss fight (story)?

Joko, obviously, loved to hate him

10. Best boss fight (fractal)?

Its been ages since I last did a fractal. Uhhhh the molten Berserker and Firestorm is awesome

11. Best boss fight (raid)?

Only one I ever fought was Vale Guardian. From what I saw in videos Samarog really cought my eye.

12. PvE or PvP or RP?

Never actively played PvP, I really don’t enjoy it. PvE only casually, no fractals or raids or anything. I’ve been playing RP in a guild for five years now, and its definitely the thing I spent most time on. (though now that the guild is disbanded I don’t play actively anymore)

13. Favorite canon couple?

Caithe and Faolain. Its interesting to me. Its an absolutely horrible relationship, but its interesting.

15. Favorite quote?

“Commander, a word” just sends a jolt of happyness through me everytime I hear it.

“We'll have no more words, Tyrian. Only death.” from Balthasar was nice as well.

A lot of Joko’s dialogue is obviously up there

16. Most emotional cinematic?

Seeing Zhaithan fall down into the ruins of Arah. Such a sweet victory.

17. Favorite VA?

Zojja’s VA, Phlunt also. Basically any asura. (Though I have to note that I’ve only semi recently changed the voice to english. The german dub is really good, and I actually enjoy the asura voices in german more)

18. Post a fun screenshot!

They certainly won’t recognize you Eir!

19. Post a landscape screenshot!

A landscape screenshot? My folder has about 800 of those! (250 of those are just screens of Asura Buildings. Don’t worry, it was just a phase)

But this one is one of my best!

20. Most used mount(s)?

Jackal most likely. I have all but the Warclaw, but rarely use them outside of PoF and later areas.

21. Favorite mount skin (for every mount you have)?

I don’t have any mount skins except for the ones I got today from the supply drop thing I impulse bought despite the fact that I rarely play currently. I also don’t really look at the skins so I can’t say that I have favorites.

From the two licenses today I got the primordial raptor and the exo suit roller beetle

22. Favorite weapon?

This is a hard one. I’d say Cobalt, for the simple reason that it was the first exotic I dropped and used for a long while. I still have the original cobalt in Frigg’s inventory.

23. Favorite gear set?

I really like the carapace armors. all three of them

24. Favorite title?

Honorary Skritt and Storyteller of Orr

25. Something you worked really hard to get?

I have the first stage of the Claw of Khan Ur legy, and that first step alone was enough work to put me off building legendarys alltogether. I love the collections they did for the gen 1s and some of the later collections of those sound fun as heck, but the amount of mats involved means I’ll never do them.

27. Most used miniature?

Mini Snow Owl because that way I can have both of Frigg’s pets out at once. (I also have the mini whiptail devourer so I can switch around, though I usually run with knibbles as the actual pet)

28. Most used novelty?

Embiggening Tonic to make my Norn as big as they actually are.

29. Number of achievments points?

11.873

30. Something you’d love to see in GW2?

Honestly I’m just looking forward to the coming expansion maps where they don’t expect you to have mounts anymore. I know the vistas are intended that you jump up there with the springer, but it still feels like cheating.

[ao3feed-bemorechill]

fractals

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Q2drRP

by Sorunort

Fractals. Vague fractals spiraled and branching off. Twisting and turning in intricate yet unknown patterns and directions. Jagged and painful and deep and

And it was all on his back.

**

jeremy doesn't like people touching his back and michael finally finds out why.

Words: 1320, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of POST - SQUIP Comfort Stories

Fandoms: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Jeremy Heere, Michael Mell

Relationships: Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell, Jeremy Heere & Michael Mell

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Post-Squip Jeremy Heere, post squip, electrocution scars, post squip trauma, CAN BE EAD AS PLATONIC OR ROMANTIC IT DOESNT MATTER, THEYRE JUST RLY GOOD FRIENDS, this isnt proofed bc its 3am and i dont Care, i said in my last oneshot about them that jere doesnt like people touching his back, so here we are.

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Q2drRP

[ajourneythroughtime]

Stories also display repeating patterns because, when expertly made, they reflect the same ideas, themes and events. But because the patterns in story are far more abstract than the visual patterns of a fractal, to see them you have to take a deep dive into the core techniqes of the storytelller. The best storytelling has a unique quality.

The stories we love almost always share this quality.

They are fractal.

Fractals are one of the wonders of mathematics. 

When you chart certain equations they produce beatiful patterns. And a quality of those patterns is that they have infinite dimensions.

You keep zooming in and in and in to a fractal, and find the same patterns repeating again and again and again.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.” - William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:

The fractal displays this pattern because it is generated from basic rules.

Stories also display repeating patterns because, when expertly made, they reflect the same ideas, themes and events. But because the patterns in story are far more abstract than the visual patterns of a fractal, to see them you have to take a deep dive into the core techniqes of the storyteller.

Creators of all kinds have a love / hate relationship with structure. Some equate structure with formula and reject it. Others see structure as the shortcut to success and let it overwhelm them. The truth, as with most things, is likely somewhere in between.

“Burn me with Fire. Drown Me In Rain.”

I use this basic principle to measure structure. STRUCTURE IS BIGGER THAN WE ARE. If I set out to make a car, or a cathedral, or an iPhone app, or a novel, or a movie, these things all have a structure. A structure that has been evolved over time, by creators far wiser and more skilled than I.

In martial arts there is a maxim: Learn the form. Master the form. Break the form. Untrained writers often rush to break the form. They see the work of a master, like Ray Bradbury perhaps, who broke the short story form in many marvelous ways, and assume the key to success is the act of breaking. But they ignore the years of hard work Bradbury first put into learning and mastering the form.

Stories seem to exist in a bewildering variety of forms. The 3 Act structure defined by Aristotle is arguably the most widely known.

Modern stageplays often adopt a 4 act structure, while Oscar winning movies like The Godfather spread over five acts. Short stories are commonly based on an Epiphany structure.

But all of these structures share that same single quality.

They are fractal.

Infinite Crisis

Stories within stories.

Here’s another way into the fractal nature of story. All stories are made of stories, and are part of bigger stories. If you pick up an issue of Wonder Woman, or watch the Gal Gadot fronted movie, you’re seeing just one story within that character’s overarching story. If you watch Lawrence of Arabia, and know a little history, you realise you’re watching just one small part of the story of World War One.

(Side Note Link: The Machine At Play - Blade Runner - Sword & The Stone - Lion & The Lamb - Dare we Continue?) History Repeating Itself

As storytellers, we make decisions about the boundaries of the story we’re going to tell. Game of Thrones is the story of one power struggle for Westeros. But it’s the beautiful weaving of the history that came before, and the smaller stories within the grand struggle, that make George R R Martin’s epic so intriguing to so many.

Whether you call them acts, scenes, sequences and beats…

…or parts, chapters, paragraps and sentences…

…or story arcs, issues, pages and frames…

…all stories exist are within other stories, and hold other stories within them.

“To see a world in a grain of sand. And a heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand. And eternity in an hour.”

Can you see an epic tale in every single sentence of your story? Here is one of the single best questions you can ask to raise your storytelling to a higher level. How does this single scene, or chapter, or frame, or sentence, reflect the whole of the story? And how does this trilogy of novels, or 10 hour television series, or epic poem, relate to the smallest story it contains?

The Supercomputer That Could Map the Human Brain

Bobby Kasthuri has a problem.

In an effort to understand, on the finest level, what makes us human, he’s set out to create a complete map of the human brain : to chart where every neuron connects to every other neuron. The problem is, the brain has more connections than the Milky Way has stars. Just one millionth of the organ contains more information than all the written works in the Library of Congress. A map of the brain would represent the single largest dataset ever collected about anything in the history of the world.

Making that map seems like a task that could consume not just one lifetime , but dozens. Yet in just three years, it might just be possible.

Kasthuri, a neuroscientist at Argonne National Laboratory, is one of many scientists whose research will use a new supercomputer the lab is building, which is scheduled to be deployed by 2021. The computer, called Aurora 21 , will run one quintillion operations in parallel—a billion billion calculations—putting it on par with the processing power of the human brain. For the U.S., which has lagged behind China in an intensifying supercomputing race since 2013, this milestone—exascale computing power—is both a national status symbol and a scientific game-changer.

Agent "one who acts," "effective, powerful," "to set in motion, drive forward; to do, perform; keep in movement" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move") "deputy, representative" "spy, secret agent"

discern "perceive or recognize the difference or distinction between (two or more things);" "distinguish (an object) with the eyes, see distinctly, behold;" also "perceive rationally, understand;" "to separate, set apart, divide, distribute; distinguish, perceive," from dis- "off, away"

The name Aurora is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "dawn". Aurora, the poetic name of the Roman goddess of sunrise whose tears turned into the morning dew, and of (Disney's) Sleeping Beauty, would be sure to make any little girl feel like a princess.

a natural electrical phenomenon

Plasma "form, shape" (earlier plasm) Greek plasma "something molded or created," hence "image, figure; counterfeit, forgery; formed style, affectation," from root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread." "liquid part of blood"

(Click here to see the list of *pele- root forms. Much time is recommended in this open field of potential and connectivity)

Plasm "mold or matrix, cast;" see plasma. Meaning "living matter of a cell"

Aurora has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon)

Gen(isis) Pact

Orion & The Magi

So, this is what it means to be a-live!

True-Man

VR Minecraft is more Real than Real Life

AI will be as biased as the humans that programmed it

Confirmed: We Really are ‘Star Stuff’

It might be that we are afraid of opening ourSelves to Our infinitely contradicting nature and essence of Infinite Chaos. Fear not, the Journey leads you Home.

Enter The Cave

“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.” - William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: