#i put too many options lel

[noratilney]

okay but once i get around to the writing part of the day, what should i work on:

and i’ll be your waystation in the night (wynonna earp, unstarted)

begin the masquerade (the originals, unposted)

castoffs (the originals, unposted)

constancy (narnia, unstarted)

dark glory (harry potter, au)

deepwater (asoiaf, historical)

igniting sparks (the originals, unstarted)

might tell you tonight (the vampire diaries)

proximity to power (asoiaf, historical)

traitors, kith, and kin (harry potter, marauders)

untitled chrestomanci fic

untitled saera fic

[daitranscripts]

Josephine Conversation

Qunari Origin

Josephine Masterpost Related Quest: The Threat Remains

The PC walks into Josephine’s office.

Josephine: Has anyone dared ask? No, I do not think— Ah. [Master/Mistress Adaar]. My I have a word?

PC: What did you need?

Josephine: Well, as Tal-Vashoth, people have asked… you grew up outside the Qunari homeland, but… (Sighs.) There is no easy way to ask your thoughts on the Qun.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: What do you know about it? [2]

Mage: They’re not mage-friendly. [3]

General: It’s too controlling. [4]

General: It’s interesting. [5]

General: I don’t have any. [6]

General: I’ve thought of joining. [7]

2 - Investigate: What do you know about it? PC: Have you studied the Qun? Josephine: It is a decided gap in my education. I know the Qun is a philosophy, a set of laws, a legislative guide, and a social architecture governing the Qunari. Those who appeared at court, however, insisted the Qun is too complex for an outsider.

Dialogue options:

General: I’ve gotten that answer too. [8]

General: Maybe it is. [9]

General: I could learn the Qun. [10]

8 - General: I’ve gotten that answer too. PC: It’s not because you’re human. “Real” Qunari tell me I’ll never understand the Qun. Josephine: Yet they take converts. Their criteria is beyond my grasp. [11]

9 - General: Maybe it is. PC: They grew up living the Qun. What could we know? Josephine: I should like to be given the opportunity. [11]

10 - General: I could learn the Qun. PC: I’m a quick study. I could learn the Qun if I put my mind to it. Josephine: Perhaps. If they let you. [11]

11 - Scene continues.

Josephine: Do you believe any of the Qun’s philosophies? [Back to 1]

3 - Mage: They’re not mage-friendly. PC: I’ve met mages living under the Qun. Believe it or not, they trust mages even less than the Chantry. Josephine: Which indicates you have no reason to  join them, and yet. [12]

4 - General: It’s too controlling. PC: You can’t take a breath in the Qun without someone deciding how long you should hold it. That’s not the life for me. Josephine: Many won’t accept your word, by virtue of your birth. [12]

5 - General: It’s interesting. PC: The Qun runs things differently. I’ve wondered  what it’s like to grow up with it. Josephine: Please, be careful not to praise it out loud. [12]

6 - General: I don’t have any. PC: I don’t think about it. Josephine: You must, if these rumors—that you would convert us all to the Qun—continue. [12]

7 - General: I’ve thought of joining. PC: I’ve considered joining the Qun. Josephine: Please, please keep that between us. [12]

12 - Scene continues.

Josephine: People ask how a Qunari could be Andraste’s Herald. It worries them if they believe is, and angers them if they do not. Convincing them of your good intentions will be tasking.

Dialogue options:

General: You’ll find a way. [13]

General: Good luck endorsing me. [14]

General: We need actions, not words. [15]

13 - General: You’ll find a way. PC: You’ll think of something, Ambassador. Josephine: I hope so. It will be interesting. [16]

14 - General: Good luck endorsing me. PC: Maybe they’d go easier on the Qunari Herald if they knew of my winsome smile. Josephine: I’ll be sure to add a postscript to my letters. [16]

15 - General: We need actions, not words. PC: The people will only trust me with the Inquisition after we impress them. Josephine: Very true. Let us hope sealing the Breach, brings us some goodwill. [16]

16 - Scene continues.

Josephine: Strangely, your mercenary work is not so inflammatory.  People are fabricating extravagant tales of your heroics.

Dialogue options:

General: They can’t beat reality. [17]

General: I’m done with that life. [18]

General: I was pretty good. [19]

General: It was grunt work. [20]

17 - General: They can’t beat reality. PC: They don’t know how we held Kelgor’s Pass, or tricked an army into surrendering at Val Falaise. These people don’t know the half of what I’ve done. Josephine: I noticed. Leliana found a letter from the captain of your last company. He had nothing but praise for your skill in battle, but doesn’t mention what part you played. [21]

18 - General: I’m done with that life. PC: I’ve been a sword-for-hire long enough. Let’s put those days behind me. The faster you bury my old life, the better. Josephine: May I ask you one more question, Herald? For myself? Leliana found a letter from the captain of your last company, praising your skill in a particularly terrible battle. The letter doesn’t mention what your part in the fight was. [21]

19 - General: I was pretty good. PC: There wasn’t a group around that didn’t want my help when a tough assignment came up. If you needed it done, Adaar was at the top of the list. Josephine: I noticed. Leliana found a letter from the captain of your last company. He had nothing but praise for your skill in battle, but doesn’t mention what part you played. [21]

20 - General: It was grunt work. PC: It’s not the exciting adventure they dream of. We were hired to guard carts, kill people, and watch our friends die in the cold. Josephine: It sounds like a grueling life. Leliana found a letter from the captain of your last company, praising your skill in a particularly terrible battle. The letter doesn’t mention what your part in the fight was. [21]

21 - Scene continues.

22 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Tully complimented me? [23]

General (mage PC): I got the enemy to surrender. [24]

General: I led an ambush. [25]

General: I commanded a squad. [26]

General: I blew up a bridge. [27]

General: I don’t want to talk about it. [28]

23 - Investigate: Tully complimented me? PC: Captain Tully praised me? William “Iron-Ass” Tully? Josephine: That’s quite the moniker. But yes. Your captain went so far as to say  he’d have lost entire battles without you.

Dialogue options:

General: I wish he’d told me. [29]

General: But he underpaid me! [30]

General: Just like him to hide it. [31]

29 - General: I wish he’d told me. PC: I thought Captain Tully didn’t even notice me. Josephine: It would be difficult to miss someone of your stature, Herald. Perhaps your captain felt it improper to play favorites. He certainly valued your skills in your last engagement. [Back to 22] 30 - General: But he underpaid me! PC: That miser deducted five gold from my pay the day I left! Josephine: Whatever for? PC: “Poor morale.” Josephine: Well, your captain still held your skills in high regard. Especially after your last engagement. [Back to 22]

31 - General: Just like him to hide it. PC: Just like the old man to not admit that to my face. Josephine: Some people find it difficult to give praise. Or find it in their interests to withhold it. Your captain did sincerely admire your skill in battle. He especially praises your last engagement. [Back to 22]

24 - General: I got the enemy to surrender. PC: I cornered bandits we were chasing, and convinced them to give themselves up or be devoured by “pet demons.” I conjured up a few wisps, and they practically threw their weapons away. Josephine: If the Chantry had heard and mistook you for a maleficarum… how daring! I hope life in Haven doesn’t bore you compared to such exploits. [29]

25 - General: I led an ambush. PC: Our employer wanted the head of a bandit chief plaguing her land. The captain asked me to deliver. We waited twenty hours in freezing rain before the chief rode by, but he never saw it coming. Josephine: Twenty hours? At the least the conclusion was satisfactory. I hope life in Haven doesn’t bore you compared to such exploits. [29]

26 - General: I commanded a squad. PC: I was in charge of mercenaries storming the headquarters of the bandits we were to dispatch. We caught them by surprise. It was over before the sentries even blew their horns. Josephine: Impressive. I hope life in Haven doesn’t bore you compared to such exploits. [29]

27 - General: I blew up a bridge. PC: A friend of a friend got us a barrel of gaatlok powder. Explosive stuff. The bandits we were fighting found that out when their reinforcements tried to cross over the bridge. Josephine: How… exciting? I hope life in Haven doesn’t bore you compared to such exploits. [29]

28 - General: I don’t want to talk about it. PC: That’s a day I don’t want to relive. That’s all I have to say. Josephine: Of course. My apologies. I only wanted to know if Haven was perhaps more peaceful than you are used to. [29]

29 - Scene continues.

Dialogue options:

Flirt: Not with you around. [32]

General: It’s the nicest home I’ve had. [33]

General: I’m not a fan of the demons. [34]

General: Nothing here is boring. [35]

General: Staying in one place is dull. [36]

32 - Flirt: Not with you around. PC: There are some people who’ve made staying worthwhile. Josephine: How wonderful. You must tell me who they are. PC: (Sighs.) [37]

33 - General: It’s the nicest home I’ve had. PC: Clean sheets, warm food, sturdy walls… I even have a cot instead of a bedroll. Compared to life on the road, this place is luxury. Josephine: I would never have described it that way. I mean, I’m glad you’ve acclimated to this place, Herald. Truly. [37]

34 - General: I’m not a fan of the demons. PC: I was paid to hunt bandits, slavers, nobles… not demons falling out of Fade tears  when I walk by. Josephine: That is true, but do consider the advantages. Unlike people, upon their death demons leave no grudges behind. [37]

35 - General: Nothing here is boring. PC: The giant pulsing tear in the sky does keep keep things lively. So do the arguments in the war room. Josephine: Ah. Our voices carry that far, do they? I must bring that up at the next meeting… [37]

36 - General: Staying in one place is dull. PC: I’m used to being on the move. A new job, a new town,  new faces… Josephine: You’ll see new faces as word spreads,  Herald. Things will become more lively here. I promise. [37]

37 - Scene ends.

[neylakiiroisenkou]

Impressions about Tales of Arise

Hello, long time no see here! :D

I finished Tales of Arise some days ago, so here my impressions about it, be warned that there are some spoilers under the cut.

General impression (for those who don't want to read everything XD): Main story is good, though I find it pretty linear and predictable for my own taste. The cast is really good, I like how they interact to each other, they're a well merged group, and I'm happy that I like everyone here *_* Battle system is good too, better than expected and more close to what I like :) I enjoyed playing it, though I will not replay it twice.

In focus (please forgive my bad English):

Story/Lore: As written before, the story is simple, linear and the events are predictable. Not that it's a bad thing, but for me it misses the "OMGASHKAWHAT" feeling. The story is actually divided in two parts: the first with the retrieval of the Cores from the Lords, and the second one more focused on "Rena". I found the second part really really boring, I was always waiting for a huge plot twist, but it never happened :/ Also quite disappointed that Rena is a lie LOL I wanted to explore a new world, damn XD That part reminded me a little the Fodra part in Graces. Also, I think they should've put the second opening AFTER the resume of what happened after Vholran's fight, and not before. That made me really confused.

Sub quests are actually better than main story, though they should've put the Spirits quests as main goals in the second part, and not as an optional thing.

Sadly there isn't so much lore because they dealt everything with the "the Renans deleted Dahnan history" so, uh, no background story digging.

Battle system: The battle system is really cool, I enjoyed it A LOT, the burst attacks are so hyping XD By playing the demo I was worried to have just 6 artes slots (3 on ground and 3 in air), but pretty much early in the game you unlock another set for other 6 artes! That's good for the combos. I enjoyed Arise's battle system more that Zestiria and Berseria (I don't really like to be forced to chain artes to reach the one I want to do).

I also liked the fact that there's a difficulty gap between normal monsters and bosses, where boss fights feels actually like boss fights XD (I always played in normal difficulty). And the in-fight scenes are cool too! Hope to see them more in the next Tales.

One of the things I didn't like is the separate PC thing, esp at the beginning because Alphen always loses too many HP due to his ability LOL poor Shionne, always healing him (I know there are healing items, but I'm always so stingy LOL) I started saving the PC when I switched Alphen out XD The other thing is the overlimit... the activation is TOO random for me, I want to be the one to choose when to go in that state... Due to that I barely saw Rinwell's MA, despite her being always in active party...

Scenery & Graphics: nothing much to say here, graphics are really good and sceneries are visually amazing, and I love the day/night turnover, though you spend 80% of the time inside some dungeon, so you barely see it... Though they still remind me more a Final Fantasy thing than Tales. Viscint and Niez are my favourite places.

Extras: the skits format isn't realy my thing, I don't like it at all, I miss the usual ones with the 2D images. I would've accepted even something like normal 3D cutscenes, but not those rectangles appearing on random parts of the screen. And I don’t even find them so expressive like they said before release, in the end they have the same 2-3 expressions and reactions, nothing more than normal 2D skits... I also miss the MA cut-in images, they were always a thing that “breaks” the 3D graphics that tells you that something cool is happening. At least they have them in mobage, lel.

I appreciated the camps where you can heal the HP/PC for free (even the Inns are free, how generous they are XD), and you can interact with the other characters too. Cooking is nothing new, you cook and sometimes unlock the related skits.

Weapons and accessory creation is okay, nothing difficult, though I barely used the accessory one if not in post end game.

I don't like the fishing system, but it's just something personal because I hate in every game LOL And I find it in every game I play... orz I’m doomed. At least it's pretty easy to do, so I got fast all the fishes for the trophy.

Arena is cool and I like the solo training thing, it helped me to use better the other characters as well.

I LOVE the cameo dungeon, it was really a surprise to see dungeons from the past Tales aaahhh (the Destiny one hurts my feeling tho. And the Symphonia one lol I still remebered how to find the right path XD) Too bad that the people that never played a Tales before will not appreciate it. Also I kinda expected Edna to be the cameo because ugh she's really popular everywhere, and because of that I was hoping for Eizen due to the "siblings need to be together" thing and ASJKFGGJRI HERE HE IS. LOVE. I didn't expect Chronos tho, and it was really nice to see him and to know the reason behind the extra dungeon (that fetus tho, it still creeps me a lot ;___; help). 

The hot springs scene is a classic and I always have a good laugh with those.

The ranch thing is... pointless. I'm still ??? at it, I thought you had to put more effort in it, but you just have to choose the animals and their growth speed. Not even something like "oh the ranch is under attack by monsters, save the animals!" and you have to run to not loose meat. I will not miss the feature.

The subquests are pretty easy to unlock and to follow thanks to the fact that the game tells you when there are new quest and where are the goals. I really appreciated this because I don't have anymore the time to lose hours by searching them around ;; Trophies are also easy to get.

Localization: eeehh I have my fair set of complaints about localization, especially for the Italian one tha followed the English version and not the Japanese one, as always =_= and like I always say, the translation of a translation is always a bad translation. But I'm really tired about it, so I'll ignore. Just to note that with the cameos they just copied a part referred to Edna and pasted it to Eizen, so Eizen is now a woman for Alphen LOL (dunno if it's in the EN version too, but c'mon, at least check where are you copying/pasting =_=)

OST: aside some tracks, the OST is repetitive, nothing that got stuck in my mind. Sorry Sakuraba, but I still miss Shiina T_T

Characters

Alphen: in the end he's pretty much... normal. I like him, though I would've kept his inability to feel the pain, instead of being only something related to the mask. His story is interesting, and I love how caring and cheerful he is, when he was first revealed I was worried he was just an edgy character pretty much like Velvet (I don't mind that type, but at least not one after the other). Also, he loves spicy food and weapons like I do, we could easily be friends <3

Shionne: her design is wonderful, I loved her at first sight. I like her character development in the story, from being closed and selfish to being honest with her feelings and caring towards the others. Also, the story behind her "thorns" is what actually motivated me to continue playing Arise. I really wanted to see what would've happened in the end. And I wasn't disappointed. I still have problems using her in battle tho ;_; her fighting style is really interesting. Also, I love that she's a glutton and she doesn't even hide it in the end XD

Rinwell: I like her, but I'm disappointed about her character development. With the fact of being the last of her clan of mages I expected something more, but in the end that wasn't even developed that much if not to be a reason to fight Almeidrea. She deserved more background tbh. It was interesting to see the change of her hate towards Renans to a total acceptance thanks to Shionne and Dohalim in party (that reminded me a lot Annie from Tales of Rebirth, being the discrimination between races the main theme). A smart girl that can think with her head, I like that (more mature of her 14yo tbh). Sadly I still didn't get how to use her in battle, her style is so interesting and I'd like to main her sometimes, but I always mess up things ;;

Hootle: baby instantly ranked 3rd in my favourite mascot list (after Teepo and Mieu), So adorable <3

Law: probably my second favorite Arise character. I really like how you met him and how he consider Alphen as a brother. Also, he's the funniest of all, and Matsuoka should really get an award for his dubbing performance, some lines are just wonderful XD (especially when Law freaks out like in the waterfall thing LOL I laughed for 10 minutes there). Really fun to use in party, and usually I don't like using martial fighters (aside Jude uwu).

Kisara: mom, literally the mom of the group XD it was intended and everyone see her like one. I like her, especially for the weapon of choice. That big shield is really a fresh thing to see in Tales. I just don't like that in the end she only talks about her brother or about fishing, without any real character development. Her second MA, which is a cameo MA, is SCARY thanks to the camera angle. Nice, I like it XD I also like to use her in battle, esp with the speed accessory lol.

Dohalim: MY FAVORITE ARISE CHARACTER. I LOVE HIM. I could write an essay of the things I like about him. First, I really love his design, so different from the others that it's obvious he's not a common person (and he's really handsome, damn). He's one of the Lords to fight, and I really liked how they dealt with that part. I really love his character development, from being -unwilligly- unaware about what was actually happening to his people and don't know what to do to try to amend for it, to finally deciding to take the lead in the end, despite he never had the intention but he knows he's the only one that has the power to do so. To me that's a sign that someone can be a great leader (personally, I will follow him to the world's end). Also, on the other side, he's pretty dumb towards the most common things X°D Like, he doesn't even know how to dress/undress himself LOL I love that gap XD I love his passion for art, history and antiques, and I want him and Eizen to discuss about those things LOL they will probably never end XD His interaction with Rinwell is especially cute, and I hoped more with Kisara aside the Lord/Bodyguard thing. I mained him the whole game, I really like his battle style, with magic, healing and nice aerial combos <3 Perfection.

Antagonists: they're all pretty meh, without background (except Vholran), they were just a story checkpoint in the end :/ really really disappointed. Vholran is bad copy of Sephiroth, and I don't really like him for that =_= I like Sephiroth and it wasn't really necessary to brutally copy him lol The first clash between Alphen and Vholran? Just like Cloud and Sephiroth clash. Stabbing a girl in your group with your long katana? C'MON, was that really necessary? (though that was interesting plot-wise) Vholran walking in flames? C'MON WAS THAT RE- okay I stop. Also the fight with Vholran is just a dodging festival, I didn't understand anything about it lol.

Ships: eh, here you have probably the most canon ones, they were pushed even before the release, and I'm fine with it. So Alphen/Shionne (finally we can see an acutal kiss and marriage!), Rinwell/Law, Dohalim/Kisara, though I didn't feel the latter so much in-game (maybe just a one-sided thing from Kisara). I still appreciate all the shipping fanarts, so I guess I like them as ship XD

I think I covered everything owo thanks for reading this wall of text, here’s a spicy cookie prepared by Alphen for you xD

[tellywoodtrash]

ebss 14.08.19 lb

lord give me the strength to get through... whatever the fuck this show has become.

———————————————————————

"pata nahi kabir kya shart rakhne waala hai. lekin main apni maa ko bachaane ke liye kisi bhi hadh tak jaa sakti hoon. uski har shart maanne ke liye tayyar hoon!"

famous last words.

lo ji, bulaava aaya hai.

why do all these creeps want to have these zabardasti ke shaadi waale convos in sunsaan mandirs at the dead of night?

(once again, for our viewers at home: this is a purely north indian phenomenon. south indian temples close a little after sundown. you'll have to come back next morning and do your shady coercion bs in front of everyone in broad daylight, if you so dare.)

very thanks to tanishk bagchi for writing a song describing majority of tellywood male leads.

lmao what's with this dramatic ghanti ringing?

"tumhe. mujhse. shaadi karni hogi."

oh ho. seedha mudde par. no beating around the bush.

BUT ALSO YIKES. SO MUCH MICHMICHI IN SO MANY WAYS.

SIS WHY YOU NO FUCKING USE YOUR MARTIAL ARTS???????? BAS MANOHAR KE AGAINST USS EK DIN KE LIYE DIMAAG MEIN YOU DOWNLOADED THAT TRAINING OR WHAT? PHIR DELETE KAR DIYA, COZ YOU THOUGHT NO MAN WOULD EVER TRY THIS SHIT EVER AGAIN???

"aukaat. aukaat mein."

bitch lmao, what aukaat YOU have to be telling her about hers??????

lol ok babe, a little rich for you to be lecturing on shaadi ke maayne when you fucked dhruv over like that.

yikes, why zain's acting going all haywire and hammy? what happens to these dudes when having to do these shaadi scenes??????

ohhhhh, same mandir as her shaadi with dhruv.

zain yaaaaaaaar, zyaada ho raha hai. 4 mahine toh achche se kiya tumne, aaj kyun jaake beda-garak karne pe tule ho???

instant decision made. she's like ‘ek mittal chutiye ko bardasht kiya kuch din, toh is doosre ko bhi kar loongi. yeh pehle se zyaada good looking aur dimaag waala hai at least’

lel he didn't expect her to agree this easily.

a very sombre reprise of this song.

chalo koi nahi, show tab tak chali toh 2-3 mahine mein we'll get to that level also.

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

yeah actually, she DIDN'T have time to play gudde-guddiyon ki shaadi as a kid coz she was too busy trying to evade murder and poverty. thanks to your father.

god. not only does he want to do shaadi, he wants to nikaalofy poore armaan of shaadi and rasms that he didn't get to do with kavya.

"main tumhe dulhan ke jode mein dekhna chahta hoon. shaadi mein tumhe tadapta dekhne ka mazza kaise chod sakta hoon? jitni lambi shaadi chalegi utni lambi tumhari tadap."

wow this dude has accurately pinpointed my fears about weddings (even if i wasn't marrying under duress) down to a T.

kal shaadi ki pehli rasam. oh boy, kitne din kheenchne ka iraada hai? (methinks agle 2 - 3 hafte ke trps are sorted this way.) AUR YEH SAB FINANCE KAUN KAREGA, HEIN?????????

for once i am on mummy's side. sighhhhh, bhugto auntyji, bhugto. saare aapke khud ke paapon ka hi nateeja hai yeh. first for not stopping pk, then for raising your sons to be such sociopaths.

amma is taking this surprisingly well.

oh boy. rani. i forgot she exists and is in this equation. her shit fit is gonna be fucking legendary and in some way i cannot wait, lmao.

IS THIS DUDE..... LIKE.... USS THAPPAD NE PECH-WECH DHEELA KAR DIYA KYA ISKA????? HE THINKS WHAT HE'S DOING WILL PUT AN END TO THE BADLE KI AAG BETWEEN THE TWO???????????

whatever he's huffing, i want some of it too, coz it's ultra-powerful stuff and seems like it'd work on these period cramps of mine.

lol sonali.

LOL MUMMY.

"aap logon ki khamoshi mein mujhe haan sunaayi de rahi hai."

achcha? kyunki mujhe toh zor zor se inka WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK chillaana sunaayi de raha hai.

good lord. GOOD LORD.

also why is his kurta so comically long?????

i think chachi is too caught up in dancing to realize he said he’s marrying pooja.

lmao inki shaqalein dekho.

zain haath se nikal chuka iss ep mein. overacting dialled up to 17.

lol chalo, at least it looks like he’s having fun.

lol chopras faces. gayi bhai company tumhare haathon se.

indore mein ho toh why band-waalas drum say mumbai????

chachi and ranjeet secretly grooving is best.

oh shit oh shit oh shit.

lmao ranjeet is planning alternate career options for papaji when yahaan se laath padegi.

i truly love ranjeet the most these days. he's the most fun to watch.

ummmmm, rani is being a little too understanding????

maa zinda hai waala sach.

WHATTTTTTT?!?!?!!? "DI MAIN AAPKA POORA SAATH DOONGI!"???????? THIS IS SOME HUMSHAKAL KAANCH RANI VERSION OF RANI THAT'S RETURNED FROM DELHI. WARNA OVERNIGHT RANI ITNAAAAAA COOL AUR UNDERSTANDING HO GAYIII?!?!!?!?!?!? UNBOHLIEVABLE.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. there she is!!!!!!!! the selfish brat we know and reluctantly tolerate. she don’t give a fuck about maa or anyone else other than herself and that mediocre mittal dick.

this fucker. THIS GODDAMN FUCKER.

sis, maa is the only leverage he's got over you. he's not gonna let anything happen to her.

but then he's also a psychopath now so you're right to worry a little.

chopra trying his best to fight for madamji, but please note wise and astute ranjeet holding him back and knowing his place.

"tameez se pesh aayiye. yeh mere hone waale pati hain."

mummy is me, i am mummy.

FUCKING CRAZYASS ASSHOLE BASTARD. HE IS FULLY PULLING A SHIVAAY AND THREATENED TO KILL HER MOM.

i really and truly am mummy, taking measured deep breaths and trying not to choke this cursed fruit of my own loins.

iss kabir ka naatak kya kam tha, ki chanda ki nautanki bhi bardaasht karni padegi???

ghar more pardesiya, aao padhaaro piya.

———————————————————————

the ghusaoing of romantic situations has officially begun.

ofc chachi has to ruin that with some casual slut shaming.

[fapangel]

Only one way to find out. | Because >lel Microsoft project their payload is a rocket that already launched successfully on bog-standard B-52s (Balls 8, same that launched the X-15) and Lockheed L-1011, making the new plane completely pointless except to suck dry some clueless venture capitalists. So it'll probably work and then be quietly shelved because it's too expensive and useless.

Not necessarily. The aircraft in question, the “Scaled Composites Stratolaunch,” is rated for a staggering 500,000 pounds of payload. The B-52′s max payload is only 70,000 pounds. This is a purpose-built, heavy-lift aircraft.

Now getting to space is mostly about getting fast, not getting high, but there is a significant advantage in launching from 35,000 feet; you’re above the thickest part of the atmosphere already and can spend a lot less fuel plowing through it. 

Now I made an honest attempt to compare the Scaled Composites Stratolaunch to the Falcon 9s second and third stage weight to get a rough idea of their comparative mass-to-LEO abilities, but because third stages vary by customer, Space-X’s own in-house third stage (Dragon capsule) is too heavy to orbit without an expendable launch (rather than recoverable first stage, which is what we’re comparing,) and the general questionable-ness of any damn number on Wikipedia, I gave up. Sorry, I’m lazy and I’ve got yardwork waiting. 

So instead I’ll look at their announced plans - as Anon mentioned, they’re planning to use Pegasus rockets as the third-stage, which have already been used and proven in the past from B-52s. The Pegasus XL apparently weighs in at 51,000 pounds, and can orbit about 1,000 pounds of payload from an air-launch altitude of 40,000 feet. So some quick division shows this big plane can deliver nine Pegasus rockets to orbit per sortie, with some mass left over - which is about 9,000 pounds to LEO, which is comparable to the Falcon 9 when using a recoverable first-stage launch. That’s pretty damn impressive. 

The article for the Pegasus makes another interesting point: 

For many small satellites it is desirable to be the primary payload and be placed into the orbit desired, as opposed to being a secondary payload placed in a compromise orbit. For example, Pegasus launches from equatorial launch sites can put spacecraft in orbits avoiding the South Atlantic Anomaly (a high radiation region over the South Atlantic Ocean) which is desirable for many scientific spacecraft. Though more expensive than satellites launched as secondary cargoes on larger launchers, Pegasus offers these benefits.

Translation: bulk launches of big rockets are so efficient per-pound that it’s more expensive to launch a Pegasus from a plane - but since that big rocket is slinging multiple customer’s payloads, most of which are going to want their satellites in a usual, common orbit (often equatorial LEO,) the air-launch option is much cheaper than buying an entire rocket launch just to deliver your payload to a desired orbital inclination. It also makes another good point: 

Air launching reduces range costs. No blastproof pad, blockhouse, or associated equipment are needed. This permits takeoff from a wide variety of sites, generally limited by the support and preparation requirements of the payload. The travel range of the aircraft allows launches at the equator, which increases performance and is a requirement for some mission orbits. Launching over oceans also reduces insurance costs, which are often large for a vehicle filled with volatile fuel and oxidizer. 

Now consider - as Anon said, Orbital ATK is currently launching these with a Lockheed L-1011. Like the B-52, it can only carry one Pegasus rocket airborne per-sortie, and as the article noted, launches like this are more expensive than buying payload allowance on a big-ass rocket launching multiple payloads. 

So if you can launch nine Pegasus rockets per sortie, your cost efficiency improves by, well, a factor of nine. You’ve got to invest in the R&D for the big plane and a custom hangar for it, but that’s a one-time sunk cost. In short, this makes the Pegasus air-launch delivery method a hell of a lot more competitive in dollar-per-pound-to-LEO than it was in the past. 

I don’t think this is direct competition with Space-X’s model; Space-X can still deliver 9,000 pounds to LEO in one single payload, or even 22,000 pounds if they expend the first-stage . The Stratolaunch aircraft can potentially do this if they develop a much bigger rocket to carry alone, but I doubt they’ll bother. That’s because a Space-X rocket can still deliver nine 1,000 pound payloads if they want. The Stratolaunch will be able to launch regardless of weather delays (since it launches from above the weather layer) and it can launch multiple payloads on varying orbital inclinations (since each payload is carried by its own second-stage booster, and the first-stage can re-position as desired,) which will make it cost-competitive in a variety of launch profiles that Space-X’s more traditional launchers are not. Stratolaunch is targeting a different launch profile, and thus, a different market. 

[thefrostfalgar]

Day 3: Skype

Skipping the U because i’m forever alone~~ lel no it was because my schedule is so mean!

enjoy x)

Eustass Kid rushed to the small, temporary apartment on the outer part of the nowhereland he had spent his last three weeks in. His pale skin turned pinkish, almost as red as his hair from sunburn.

The redhead sighed as he enter the small room where he spent his night fidgeting / passing out. No, not because he managed to get away from the heat of Tropical Island weather, to an air conned small room that is almost as cold as his small house far north. Instead, he felt relieved for another reason.

A reason that sits neatly in his working desk in the corner of the room.

He hurried himself to sit on the too small chair for his built, but it’s not like he had any option, or even will stay long enough to complain. He opened his laptop, and double click the blue icon with S logo on his desktop screen. “Come on,” he muttered as he thumped his fingers to the table, restless and furious as he glared at the small round animation spinning round and round as they prepare for the app to launch. “Come on,” he muttered again, heart racing from fatigue, anger, and another feeling that he never thought existed until a few weeks ago.

A feeling caused by the absence of certain someone.

Eustass Kid was normally a carefree guy. He was well known as a man who don’t get attached. People come. People go. Time heals shit. Life goes on. That’s basically his motto; in that exact order.

But that was before.

Kid nearly ripped his face in half when the window is ready, showing a picture of a dark skinned, raven-haired guy who glared at the camera that took the picture.

Even better, he saw a round green button below that photo.

Kid almost broke his touchpad hitting the video button. It takes only two rings, before his mostly black screen turned into a full screen hotness of the very olive skinned man in green scrubs.

The man with grey eyes blinked twice, before grinning like a mad man he is.

“Finally!” he said. The picture froze for a second before it gives him the live image of the man he longed for ever since he arrived in this uncivilized hell hole. “Eustass-ya?”

“Yo. Can you hear me?”

“Clearly. Can you hear me?”

“Eustass!” he shouted, too excited to keep his voice down.

“Once again, Eustass is NOT a synonym for perfect. Believe me, I know. I’ve looked in every dictionary I can find,” Law chuckled. Kid laughed with him, unsure of what to say now that they have the long-awaited Skype call. So much to say, so little words he can say. That is another thing only this bastard of a Doctor can do to him.

“But well, hello, stranger,” Law started again. His chuckles reduced into a coy smile.

“Hey, asshole,” Kid replied.

“Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen for days? Reducing them into a certain body part? That’s rude, even for you. But again, I know that means ‘I miss you’ in tough slash retard guy language, huh?”

“Yeah pretty much, yeah.”

Law grinned. “Are you sure you miss me? Or do you only miss that one particular body part of me?” he asked, pretended to hurt but Kid can tell that Trafalgar Law, the smug looking, smart mouthed sexy ass doctor is just as eager as he is. It’s not just baseless statement. He knew because after spending almost a year dating that guy and another half year waking up by his side, he could tell that Trafalgar Law can only pull two expressions; the calm, collected attitude that he shows to the world despite of what he thinks or feels, and the grinning evil face he only show Eustass and some of his close friends only when he’s happy.

And boy, does that hot Doctor grins right now!

“That too,” Kid decided to play along.

“Well, you wouldn’t miss anything if you don’t go half way around the world just to watch your machine drills to the center of the earth,” Trafalgar replied. He propped his head on his folded hand, looking up to the camera innocently. Fuck, Kid just wanted to grab him and kiss him right now, instead of doing a small talk.

“Don’t bullshit me, Trafalgar. You were the one who was so eager to get rid of me the first time.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Eustass-ya. You were the one who can’t stop whining about seeing your machine in action on the actual mining site.”

So much sass. Kid was so thirsty of snarky remarks of his boyfriend, he was so ready to gulp it all. But before he could voice his answer, he could hear a loud, urgent voice from Law’s side.

“Law, we got emergency.”

That got to be Penguin. Again. Shitty little bird.

Law scowled, for the first time looking a little bit tense. “What happened, Pen?”

“Gunshot victim. You’re needed.”

Kid almost groaned in defeat as Penguin speak fluent Grey’s Anatomy to Law. His boyfriend only scowled, nodded, scowled some more, and then turned to him in an obvious guilt.

“I’m sorry, Eustass-ya.”

“Ugh ditch it. People die every day anyway.”

“So cruel, Captain. I thought you date me because I’m a hero that can save lives?”

“I date you because you are a hot piece of ass. Now sit and ditch it.”

Law chuckled. “I won’t be long,” he said. “Be right back. I promise. I love you.”

Before Kid could answer or protest, Law had disappeared from the screen, running away to the emergency unit where he fucking needed. Kid groaned in disappointment, palms pressing his eyes as he realized that based on experience, “Emergency” combined with “you’re needed” from that shitty little bird always means that Law will be locked in the emergency room for hours. Kid got up from his chair, propping his laptop on top of his bed, facing the bathroom’s door so he can still see Law’s office while taking shower. Just in case he got false alarm and get back sooner than Kid predicted. Kid then took off his shirt, standing under the rain of cold water as he mourn his decision to come to this Nowhereville in the middle of unknownland. It was a supervision job that only the machine builder can take. Franky was supposed to be the one that go and supervise the machine, but his wife got pregnant, leaving Kid no choice than to go─well, he did have a choice, but he was so proud of his machine that he can’t resist the opportunity to actually see it in action.

When he relay the news to Trafalgar, he only shrugged. “Go, then. We can always Skype to talk to each other. Saw Pen and Killer does that. It looks like they never separated at all,” then added with a cunning smile. “We can try the hot Skype sessions too.”

But then reality hits hard. Forget Hot Skype sessions. They can barely make any calls, with Kid turned out have to stay in limited service area, where internet signal is rare and weak most of the time. Kid had to purchase signal booster to the nearby city, which took him 2 hours driving in bumpy, slippery dirt road to stabilize the internet. Then, when all is settled and Kid could even watch 10 episodes of Hannibal without any delays, their call attempts were ruined because of time difference. Either Kid fell asleep while waiting for Law to online, or Law never showed up at all with all the emergencies in the hospital, even on weekends.

“13 hours difference sucks!” Kid yelled to the bathroom walls. He decided to get out of the shower, put on his clean shirt and shorts, and lay down on the bed, plugging in his laptop charger with his eyes occasionally glance to the screen. It’s still showing blank white hospital wall on the other side of the world. Law’s office.

Kid put the laptop on his stomach, letting out a small smile as he recalling the moment he first enter Law’s office, doing the not-so-safe-for-work thing. Law always ditched the idea when Kid threw them, but once they were provided with the opportunity, the nasty Doc was always the one who follow through on the ideas.

Kid missed him so much. He should have known that Skype just won’t cut it. He needs the doc. Hell, even this small bed feels too large for him without Law’s body beside him.

“Damn you, Doc,” Kid smiled. “You’re really gonna be the death of me, you know that? I don’t know why I even agreed to this whole 18 weeks away from you. Can barely stand the last 3 weeks. Too bad I can’t just ditch this now. But you, though. You can ditch the patients. People die every day. I will die if we can’t talk more than few lines in the next week. You really got into my skin, aren’t you? You little shit head.”

Out of desperation and sleepiness, Kid continued to blabber randomly.  He’s saying things that he wouldn’t caught say out loud sober, even to save his own life. He kept talking and talking, before ended up fell asleep with skype still on, like he always did the past two weeks.

Kid woke up one hour early the next morning. His laptop still rest on his stomach, but the screen is dead. He yawned, lazily starting his laptop back just to check on his luck with this Skype thing.

But just like many other attempts before, Law is offline at this hour. Probably fell asleep on his laptop too, or too busy focusing his mind on another emergency.

However, this time, he saw that Law left a message.

A video message.

That’s just enough to jolt Kid to full consciousness. He eagerly played the video, which shows Law still in his scrubs, but with heavier eyes. His mouth curved into a wide, cheeky grin. Kid smiled automatically, replying the bastard’s smile even though he’s not actually there to see it.

“Hi, Eustass-ya,” he started. Kid mirrored Law’s smirk. His sleepiness just evaporated. “So, while I’m in the emergency room, Shachi sat on his desk just in front of mine, working the papers from today’s patients. He might heard something. One or two…”

“Law, don’t say my name! I don’t want the Captain kill me the moment he set foot here!” someone yelled in the background, distracting Law from his words. He smiled cunningly through the screen, obviously at Shachi. That pause is enough to make Kid blush hard. Oh, shit. What did he say last night? He did remember saying things. He just can’t remember exactly what, though. Shit. How screwed is he?

“Yeah, anyway, he might heard one or two things of your… confessions to me,” Law paused for a moment. His signature move to surprise / kill people with his words. “And might recorded that for me to hear. I must confess, I never thought of you as a romantic type,” he continued. However, he can’t seem to hold the amused smirk anymore. Kid choked on his own saliva. What did that Shachi guy recorded? Fuck. How much did he heard?

“I know tough guy like you don’t say weak things like ‘I miss you’ a lot. Hence why you always say it indirectly. But really, you’re such an idiot,” he shook his head, clearly amused. Shit shit shit. “Since our schedule is making it impossible for us to meet on Skype, say, how about I record a video message like this when I have time, and you recorded yours when you have time? But I promise, it would only be for a while. I’m booking a plane ticket departing next month. So don’t sulk about it anymore. Or sulk. I don’t care. I’ll punish you for humiliating me with those lovey dovey words either way,” he laughed, almost evilly while Kid widened his eyes. 

Holy shit! He’s gonna come here, to the middle of nowhere?

“By the way, I think I found your absence irritating too,” Law said, in a softer voice. “So see you next time. Record something nice for me to wake up to, will you?”

And with that, the video time indicator hits the right part of the screen and the video stopped. Kid set up his laptop camera, and hit the record button.  

“Nice, Doc. Now it's gonna be hard for me to beat that big surprise of yours. The only thing big around here is something in my pants but that's not a surprise for you anymore. So instead, to celebrate the news of you coming here…” 

[fapangel]

Looks like we have to undergo a first strike against North Korea. You think he can get nukes off before we can stop him?

Lel, no. 

We needn’t take them out “before he launches” anymore, because we’ve got great capabilities for just shooting them down outright. Japan’s operating our own Aegis system and SM-3 missiles, and we’ve got THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) stationed on Guam and in South Korea, now. THAAD is almost certainly capable of boost-phase intercept (which is why China is whining and throwing tantrums over it, they’ve got nuke envy because of their smaller ICBM arsenal, and their silos are probably in the mountains of south-east China.) US warships off the coast can likely conduct boost-phase intercepts with SM-2/SM-6/SM-3s as well. 

Assuming a buildup of tensions preceded by bellicose threats and such (the way it usually goes) we very much have the ability to penetrate North Korean airspace, and penetrate any bunkers/hardening they have around their silos. Nobody’s invested as much money in bunker-busting munitions as the US has, and we have a silly amount of fixed assets in the area; our bases in Japan, Signapore, Japan and Guam. Guam especially is a B-52 base; the B-52 can lug twelve TALD decoys (or MALD decoys, which also carry a powerful jammer); they’d serve as very effective delivery trucks to saturate Nork air defenses with contacts to assist aircraft launching penetration missions. Nork equipment is badly out-dated. They have gotten some newer stuff in recent years, but not a lot of it, and other equipment of theirs is simply unknown, much like Iranian stuff, they (try) to modify/copy things domestically and we just don’t have much information on how good it is. (The military will have more than we do open-source, but typically speaking if the civilian analysts can’t even make an educated guess, than the military guys with the classified intel probably have an educated guess and nothing better.) The Norks have hardened their air-defense sites, true - some of their SA-2s actually roll out of cave mouths on rails, and shit - but the downside is that they’ve all long since been located by satellite recon, and had a bulls-eye painted on their ass for the latest, greatest bunker-busters. (That, and it’s not easy to harden a radar site, without which the missiles are useless.) 

The big danger in striking North Korea isn’t penetrating their air defenses, but overcoming their deterrent forces they’ve developed specifically to prevent this kind of thing from happening. The myth of Seoul being turned into a “sea of fire” by Nork artillery has been well debunked already, but some people still worry about the Norks firing chemical agents (i.e. nerve gas) with those weapons. I’m not too worried about that, however, for a few reasons. One, artillery shells do not have a very large internal volume for that kind of thing. Nerve gas is very volume-efficient, of course, but the main reason you put it in artillery shells are so you can spread the artillery fire around and distribute the gas in bite-sized parcels more efficiently. Given that the Nork artillery can expect some of the best counter-battery fire in the world to be whistling down upon them very fast - especially since all their hardened firing positions have long since been located - they’re going to need to deliver a lot more, a lot faster, to be effective. 

Rocket artillery is perfect for this, and the Norks have some - but sadly for them, it can’t be fired from inside a bunker. It has to leave it’s hardened position and drive out to a firing pad to launch. Given that the US (which will be operating in close support of South Korean forces) has stealth drones even better than the RQ-170 now in service (we know the RQ-180 is probably flying, but it’s still super sekkrit,) we can probably count on real-time surveillance of those rocket artillery locations. By the time the rocket carrier has parked, braced, and begun to elevate for its strike, it’ll have GPS-guided Excalibur shells landing on it. It’s hard to beat artillery for prompt and swift responsive firepower. 

That, of course, leaves the classic method of delivery - SRBMs, of which the Norks have many. That, however, is something South Korea is well protected against - the Patriot system’s PAC-3 and PAC-3 IRINT missiles are specifically designed for anti-ABM work against targets like that, and the THAAD system deployed there is effective against MRBMs and even has limited ability against ICBMs, which come screaming in much faster - it’d eat SRBMs for lunch. We’ve deployed more PAC-3 systems to South Korea recently, and the South Koreans are currently upgrading their own batteries to PAC-3 standards (and buying the missiles for it.) 

And then there’s the remote, but notable, possibility of retaliation in kind. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if anyone thought Lil’ Kim was still sane enough to be swayed by deterrence, so we have to talk about actually using nukes against them. Should Seoul (or anywhere else) be subjected to WMD attacks that our defenses  cannot sufficiently repel and/or neutralize before launch, using tactical nuclear weapons against the launch sites would forgive a lot of difficulties and/or hardening of Nork launch sites. If the Norks actually fire nerve gas into Seoul, I would not be terribly surprised if a tac-nuke or two was used to quickly and efficiently remove the offending artillery north of the city. Yes, maybe even ground bursts to penetrate bunkers - it’d cause a hell of a lot of fallout, but prevailing winds would carry it out over the ocean, and by that time most everyone near the DMZ (especially in Seoul) would either be indoors, or in the artillery shelters that are prevalent in Seoul, so civilian exposure would be minimal. Any way you dice it, it’d be a much better option than letting nerve gas rain on Seoul. 

The threat of deterrence becomes toothless if it’s not actually followed through with when some crazy son of a bitch actually fires their own WMD anyway. Nork use of WMD would immediately remove the biggest prohibition against our own tac-nuke use. It’s also important to remember that tac-nukes aren’t that powerful - people tend to over-estimate the power of nukes. There’s a big, BIG fucking difference between kiloton-yield aircraft bombs and megaton-yield ICBM warheads. For instance, here’s what the most common tac-nuke in the US inventory - a B61 aircraft bomb - would do if dropped on the DMZ. Now presume the B61 is being dropped on a hardened bunker complex to quickly knock it out with one blow. The B61 has recently been upgraded with modern GPS guidance capabilities (like our general-use JDAM bombs, and such) so there’s no longer a need to set this variable-yield weapon to full blast to ensure taking out a hardened target. A 50 kiloton yield creates a crater with a radius of 30-68 meters, (depending on the local conditions,) which is more than enough to nail an entire bunker complex when guided by a JDAM kit with back-up inertial guidance. This is what a 50kt ground-burst would look like, fallout included. 

Remember, however, that the latter scenario is extremely theoretical - if you’re targeting a bunker (which has already been located ahead sometime in the past 50 years by every recon asset available to the US) there’s no reason not to go after it with conventional bunker-busters. The use of a tac-nuke in this scenario is to rapidly take out multiple enemy targets over a wide area, with just one aircraft sortie. Refer back to the first link and note the area inside the red circle - that’s the 20PSI air-blast radius. And note the description: 

At 20 psi overpressure, heavily built concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished; fatalities approach 100%. Optimal height of burst to maximize this effect is 0.79 mi. 

Even an airburst that produces negligable fallout will still demolish most concrete bunkers and such in a 4.7 mile square area, with a B61 bomb set to max yield (340kt.) That’s precisely why we have these weapons in the inventory - they’re powerful and flexible. 

I think it highly unlikely we’d have to resort to WMD to counter any use of it by North Korea, but the fact that we could, without slaughtering civilians en-masse, just illustrates my general point: the reason Lil’ Kim is fucking nuts by definition is because he’s hell-bent on fucking with people who played this same game on a much bigger scale during the Cold War. To paraphrase Tony Stark, there’s no way this end well for him.