#international cruise liners

[suchananewsblog]

Holidays at sea return as international cruise liners begin to arrive at Indian ports

A celebratory beating of drums welcomed Viking Mars at Mumbai Port in November 2022. The Norwegian vessel was the first to restart India’s cruise line tourism season (November-May), paused by the pandemic since March 2020. The luxury passenger ship was followed by several others. In the New Year, the French vessel Le Champlain was the first to arrive in Indian ports — Mumbai, Goa and Kochi — on…

[regal-bones]

GLITZ (Glittering Liquid Internal Titration Zone) and GLAM (Grape Liquid Aeration Machinery) are modified Typhoon units that can be found in the Lounges of the THESPA-02. GLITZ units carry champagne for the esteemed guests of the luxurious cruise liner, and their carbonation technology keeps drinks fresh and fizzy. When it’s time to celebrate, a GLITZ unit will be the first to pop bottles and toast to good health! 🥂 GLAM units carry wine, their internal systems always swilling, decanting, and showing off the beautiful robe and decadent flavours of today’s wine. A sommelier through and through, GLAM units will talk for hours about a wine’s history, production, and of course, price. 🍷 These two seemed to be malfunctioning even before the crash, and with time their processes dulled, speech slurred, and they are - quite frankly - a little bit tipsy.

For more information, check your nearest information terminal to see unit specifications, duties, and more importantly the cocktail menu.

Watch the trailer for Last Sprout: A Seedling of Hope at this link! 🌱

You can support me on Patreon for £1 and see concept art, assets, and snippets of story for the game!

[sunflowervoltwentyeight]

Hi! This is a fic rec of my favorite fics where Harry and Louis are co-workers. These fics are organized by word count from longest to shortest. You can view my other fic recs here. Enjoy!

If It Kills Me by you_explode / @nobodymoves (111k)

Harry and Louis have worked together in a difficult office environment for six years. They're best friends; Louis is the bright spot of all of Harry's days. But Louis is in love with Harry, and Harry's engaged to someone else. And that's only the beginning.

The Office AU. More or less follows the first five seasons. A lot of pining and misunderstanding the depth of feelings and rejection and angst, until there isn’t.

Let Your Heart Be Light by Cyantific / @cyantific (77k)

Louis Tomlinson, a self-proclaimed holiday-hater, loses his job two weeks before Christmas. Broke and desperate to see his family back home in England, he takes the only job left at the mall as one of Santa’s helpers. Harry is an unconventional mall Santa, the youngest one they’ve had in years, but with as much holiday spirit as any other seasoned Saint Nick. He’s determined to un-Grinch the new guy in Santa’s Village if it takes until Christmas, then he finds out the devastating reason Louis has lost his Christmas cheer. Will Harry be just the thing Louis needs to help him get his sparkle back?

Featuring Liam as the manager at Santa's Village, Niall as an easy-going Irish elf and Harry's best friend, grumpy Grinch Louis and his best friend Zayn and one matchmaking Mrs. Claus.

 A 2022 Advent Fic

Do Not Go Gentle by afirethatcannotdie / @afirethatcannotdie (70k)

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it? Well, it’s not for me. This is a real life or death situation,” Louis says, spitting the words at him. “And I just don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

For a moment, they stare at each other in complete silence. Harry can feel his blood thrumming between his ears, can see Louis glaring at him, feels red-hot anger. And then all he feels, oppressively and desperately, is lust.

Suddenly Louis is surging up to him to press his lips against Harry’s. Harry walks the two of them backwards, pressing Louis back against the door. Louis oomphs in surprise and brings his hands under Harry’s scrub top, scratching at his lower back.

“Lock — oh — lock the… fucking door,” Louis mutters.

When Harry Styles starts his first day as a surgical intern, he expects a lot of things: to treat patients, to observe a surgery, to feel a bit overwhelmed. What he definitely doesn’t expect, however, is that the handsome guy he kicked out of his bed this morning is also an intern.

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

Sail Away With Me by star_henderson / @tommosgun (47k)

“It’s inhumane putting four blokes in one cabin.” Louis stripped off and climbed up into his top bunk. “And why did we get the smelliest twat on the whole ship and bore of the century?”

Harry shrugged. “We clearly pissed someone off along the way.”

Louis snorted softly. “Who do I have to bend over for to get us an upgrade?”

Harry barked out a laugh. “If only it were that simple.” He rolled his eyes wistfully at Louis.

“The only way I’m going to get a two berth is to throw Payno overboard and be next in line for the deputy cruise director’s job.” Louis leaned up on one elbow to look over at Harry. “Would you help me weigh his body down so I don’t go to jail?”

“Only If I can share your cabin.” Harry shuffled about, tucking the duvet between his legs, sweeping his hair up into a bun and securing it in a band. “I’m not being an accessory to murder and then still having to share with them two, no fucking way.”

Or

Louis and Harry are part of the entertainment team on board a luxury cruise liner. They hate sharing their four berth cabin with two other guys and would do anything to get a cabin of their own. One drunken night the solution was simple. They’d just get married…

Hands Clasped Tight by afirethatcannotdie / @afirethatcannotdie (47k)

“What am I looking at here?” Harry asks.

“This, my friends, is a ‘proof’ Instagram account, run by your students,” Liam announces.

“It’s got all this stuff about how the two of you are together,” Niall adds.

“I heard about that,” says one of the math teachers. “Confiscated a kid’s phone today when they were looking at it. I have to say, the evidence that you’re dating is pretty damning.”

“Really,” Louis says dryly. “Do you think being married for three years might have something to do with it?”

Or the one where Harry and Louis are high school teachers and their students have been playing matchmaker for over a year. Little do they know, Harry and Louis are already married.

You Watched Me Sink by bananasandboots / @anylessreal (38k)

They've discussed it a few times - the boyfriend thing. It's not like it's some forbidden, horrific, abandon hope all ye who talk about furthering the relationship sort of subject. They're mature adults. They're in tune with their feelings, their hearts' desires, the way those butterflies swoop in their bellies whenever they so much as hold each other's hands. They like each other. A lot. It's mutual, they know. But for now, they're just content to enjoy the simplicity of what they have, and what they have is great.

When dating in secret stops being enough, then they'll discuss that too.

Or, the one where Harry teaches Sex Ed and sneaks around with the drama teacher, and doesn't realize how out of tune he is with his true feelings until everyone else figures it out for him.

Part 1 of You Watched Me Sink Verse

Big, Bright World by RealName (35k)

It really was just a little crush in the beginning, nothing to be worried about. Louis had never really liked anyone he'd worked with in the past, but he was sure he could control himself. Little did he know that over time his 'little crush' would develop into a blazing inferno of Hell-fire proportions. Every day, Louis' feelings became more intense, more immediate, each little smile and gesture and silly flirtation mounting up into something palpable, with a life of its own. Louis felt it every moment they were together.

The only problem? Harry was engaged to someone else and had been from the moment Louis started working at Visionary.

Office AU (not based on the TV show).

Like Vines We Intertwined by bananasandboots / @anylessreal (11k)

"You want to tell me what's up with you tonight?" Louis tries. "With the flowers and the suit jacket and kissing me on the cheek?"

Harry's stomach twists. "It's your big night," he says feebly. "And I'm kind of a big fan."

"Of musicals?"

"Yeah," Harry shrugs. "And you."

Or, the one where Harry and Louis first figure it out. A prequel to You Watched Me Sink.

Part 2 of You Watched Me Sink Verse

Erase My History, (Expo)se Me by BayouSexual, pacificrimjob (6k)

“My hair does not smell like strawberries.”

Louis blinks up at Mr. Styles. “I never said your hair smells like strawberries. How would I even know that?” Harry’s hair does smell like strawberries, Harry himself smells like strawberries, everyone who’s been within three feet of him knows this.

~~~~~~~~ Or the one where Harry and Louis both teach history, their students think they should date, and one pink dry-erase marker is trying to ruin their lives (with a little help of course).

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 44 – The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

Alright, first full novel I’ve read entirely due to it getting a Hugo nomination. In retrospect that fact that there was absolutely no wait list for it at the library was perhaps a sign I should have paid attention to. I’m not sure it’s a bad book, exactly, but my god is it just chock full of little things that grated on me (which more or less tracks with my very vague memories of casually perusing The Calculating Stars when it first came out, so probably just a sign Kowal’s not for me, really.)

The story’s set in a fairly grounded space age future, on an ultra-lux cruise liner taking its passengers from Earth to Mars in speed and style. Tesla Crane, heiress, celebrity, and generally incredibly famous and unfathomably wealthy, has booked one of the nicest suites in the earth-gravity section of the ship under a false name to enjoy some anonymity on her much anticipated honeymoon cruise. Things of course take a drastic turn as a woman is murdered outside their sweet, and her spouse is framed for the crime. The shipboard security is obstructive and suspicious, bodies keep piling up, and it’s largely up to Tesla to solve the murder and clear his good name.

So first off – this is largely a style thing that grates on me far more than it should, and it probably effects my overall reading experience to an entirely unjustified degree, but – the standard etiquette in the story’s future is for everyone to use the gender neutral Mx. Using gendered terms like wife, husband, sir, m’am, or similar is also called out as being somewhere between archaic and offensively retrograde. Also, it is totally standard courtesy to list someone’s pronouns in any case where you’d their full name. In which case what is the point of taking so much care to be gender neutral of everything else. (In a sense this actually inspired worldbuilding, insofar as it’s exactly the sort of stupid language games high aristocracy or its equivalent tends to love, but the reading experience kind of grated).

The society’s generally very consciously progressive in a way that kind of calls attention to itself. It really wasn’t a surprise to see in the acknowledgement’s section that all the mentions of courtesy masks being a thing were edited in as covid happened. This is all mostly just background noise though, as far as narrative focus the only things that really occupy the story’s attention are its portrayal of disability and its bizarre class politics.

So, a key point of her backstory is that some years before the story, a lab disaster (during a demonstration of a personal assistance mech, which is actually some incredibly bitter dramatic irony I’m surprised the story doesn’t call any attention to?) killed six people and left Tesla with permanent spinal damage, chronic pain, and PTSD. Medical science doesn’t seem to have made many innovations on a cane or breathing exercises as far as mobility aids and PTSD treatment goes, but it does provide the absolutely incredible wish fulfillment device of a switch in your brain that lets you turn your pain sensitivity up or down at will. Tesla’s disability is a recurring thing throughout the book and generally the portrayal seemed fine to me? A couple conversations that bled into ‘giving the reader an important message’ territory, but only slightly and hardly the worst in the book.

The book’s attitude to class and wealth though, woof. Like, okay, the story is clearly a bit of a pastiche, a sanguine attitude to vast inequality and social hierarchy are necessary for the whole fantasy to work, but my god in that case please stop calling attention to it. The book so badly wants to simultaneously be progressive and have Tesla’s life be as maximally glamorous and exalted as possible that it gets twisted into this incredibly awkward spirals showing that she’s a good hyper-elite oligarch which really only call attention to the issue without doing anything to resolve it. Her internal monologue including some variation of the line ‘normally I hate just using money as a bludgeon to get what I want, but” happens a few too many times for it to not make un less likeable than an aristocrat who owns it.

Like, this is potentially uncharitable, but the book seems to take it as read that I find the idea of demanding to speak to a manager and having them grovel and apologize for how I’ve been disrespect far more alluring than I do? Not being that customer is a subject Tesla ruminates on at some length, and at the same time calling up her high priced lawyer and threatening to bury the whole cruise line in lawsuits while they rush to provide apology gifts is definitely portrayed as this thrilling power fantasy. It all left me actively rooting against her, at least a bit.

The actual mystery itself honestly wasn’t much to write home about – a bit confused, red herring introduced blatantly and too late, the obviously suspicious and personally unlikable character was the villain – but in a similar vein it did seem…telling, that the guy who’d been positioned as the unlikable asshole oligarch in opposition to Crane was secretly a murderous gold-digging imposter all along! Also, the fact that this was proven by a photo showing the oligarch to have been a dog guy, and the imposter being quite literally the only character in the entire book who didn’t adore Tesla’s emotional support dog. Like, c’mon.

Speaking of the dog – the book had a few recurring beats which I’m sure I’m supposed to have found funny or endearing but just overstayed their welcome with me several times over. The entire cast’s brains leaking out whenever they saw Tesla’s westie like it was some sort of platonic ideal of canine cuteness was one of them, along with like, Tesla and her spouse making out at a moment’s notice because a plot point meant that their encrypted tele-chat required skin-to-skin contact, and the book doubling as a cocktail guide. All things that if I’d liked the book I could have easily overlooked, but as is were just extra straws on the proverbial camel’s back.

Anyway, yeah, didn’t work for me.

[blueiskewl]

The Titanic and Titan

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush told news outlets that his submersible was “Invulnerable”.

He is one of five who died on his own invulnerable submersible 'Titan'.

The submersible was carrying an expedition of tourists, including Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Dawood's son, Suleman, and the founder of OceanGate, Stockton Rush.

OceanGate Inc. is a privately held U.S. company operating out of Everett, Washington, that provides crewed submersibles for tourism, industry, research and exploration. The company was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush.

In 2021, OceanGate began taking paying customers to visit the Titanic shipwreck in its Titan submersible. As of 2022, the cost of an OceanGate expedition to the Titanic shipwreck is US$250,000 per person. On 18 June 2023, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck site, contact with the company's Titan submersible was lost prompting an international, ongoing search and rescue operation. Among the five passengers on the expedition is OceanGate's founder, Rush.

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time. It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship. The disaster drew public attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and has inspired many artistic works.

RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the disaster. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

so i have a soft spot for the 2006 film poseidon which is a film i reckon about 24 other people remember existing since warner bros lost like $70million on it, and i just like, need to talk about it.

its a loose remake of a 1972 film, and overall, its a very silly film, however its also connected to massive advancements in oceanography, and through that connection, also connected to an incident that could have killed around 10000 american recruits during ww2 in less than an hour.

and i cannot stop thinking about this stupid film so please enjoy this stupidly long post no one is going to read because I Need To Infodump.

so poseidon (2006)...

it's a very of its time disaster film with your group of plucky survivors trying to overcome more and more obstacles as they desperately fight for safety. among them, youve got kurt russell as an ex nyc firefighter and mayor because its 2006, of course you do. emmy rossums here because of course she is (again, its 2006), and surprise richard dreyfus is here as a gay naval architect who survives the film. fergie even has a cameo and its honestly a crime that the song she sings for it is not on spotify.

but the film is also very much not a of its time disaster film, because production decided to not update the setting. and i have absolutely no idea why. and its confused me for years now because its an easy fix.

see the 1972 film (the poseidon adventure) and the book its based on, both take place on an ocean liner, and that makes sense for that time.

contrary to popular beliefs, ocean liners =/= cruise ships.

during the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, ocean liners were all the rage, because if you wanted to go from liverpool to new york, they were your best bet.

with the invention of steam engines, they were no longer dependent on weather, and once wood was swapped for steel, they were at serious less risk of sinking. this meant they could run reliable trips from point a to point b and back again. they were essentially buses for the ocean. thats what titanic was btw.

while less popular due to jet travel in the 70s, people were still using them. the ss michelangelo sailed her maiden voyage in 1965, and ran for ten years still. it does make sense for both the book and film to take place on an ocean liner.

it does not make sense for the 2006 iteration to take place on an ocean liner, but it does. and its not even an ocean liner turned cruise ship like the rms queen mary 2 or the ss france/ss norway. there were no ocean liner only businesses operating in 2006 because you can now take a plane rather than a five day trip across the atlantic.

but in poseidon (2006), the rms poseidon is not a cruise ship. it is an ocean liner, and designating it as rms means it is also delivering international royal mail. theres even a plot about a stowaway aboard the ship which is just a tad bit bizarre. its such an odd choice not to simply update it so its a cruise ship. most people dont know the difference between them, theres no reason to specify that it is an ocean liner.

(its especially odd because the gay naval architect apparently knows the vessel very well which, sir, who is paying you to draft up ocean liner designs in 2006??)

weirdly enough though, the film does decide to update the actual cause for the disaster, which will bring us back to the ww2 point.

the general gist of the story is that some environmental event causes the ship to capsize (turn upside down in the water), and our heroes have to escape the ship.

i have attempted to read the book, but i didnt enjoy it and i was getting a feeling that the author, paul gallico, was antisemitic. he was. he specifically expressed it by saying jewish folks love basketball because its a game specialised for tricky characters, to paraphrase. yeah no theres also basketball antisemitism going on.

in the book, its an underwater earthquake that causes the ship to capsize. the quake created a 90ft wave (put a pin in that, we'll get back to it) which i believe hit the ship side-on, after the ship fell into a deep trough.

i have no idea if this is possible irl as im just an autistic with a special interest in ocean liners.

in the 1972 film, its a tsunami that hits the ship. i believe the tsunami is also caused by an underwater earthquake (again, put a pin in that) which would hit the ship on the side and cause it to roll right over (put a pin in this too btw).

again, i dont know about the veracity of this happening irl. i know tsunamis are related to underwater earthquakes, but as far as i know, they dont form into the massive wave until the wave is closer to shore?

but anyway, in the 2006 film, the capsizing is caused by a rogue wave.

as aforementioned, my special interest is ocean liners so i know quite a lot about rogue waves and i dont know how much of that is common knowledge so time for another abrupt explanation of niche topics.

so rogue waves, what are they? well, theyre big fuck off waves. descriptions tend to put them anywhere from 50ft high to 100ft (10 stories high).

for a wave to be considered a rogue wave, it needs to be more than twice the height of any other wave in that region. theyre unpredictable and often occur out of nowhere. theyre more common in some specific regions like off the coast of south africa, and are distinct from tsunamis. they can occur both in the ocean and on the great lakes.

for centuries, sailors have told tales of them but like krakens and sea monsters, they werent believed. this is partly due to survivorship bias because if youre in a wooden sailboat and get hit by a rogue wave, youre not going to survive. it was only after advancements in ship building that people began to survive them. and even then, its not guaranteed.

some theorise rogue waves were responsible for the sinking of both the ss munich/munchen and the edmund fitzgerald.

still, it wasnt until one was recorded by a research post in 1995 that rogue waves genuinely became a serious topic within oceanography.

however, we did have credible reports of them hitting ocean liners long before then. both the rms lusitania (in 1910) and the ss michelangelo (in 1966) were badly damaged when they ran into rogue waves bow first (head-on). they both fell into deep troughs before the wave hit and both of their bows sustained serious damage. three people lost their lives on the ss michelangelo.

(damage done to ss michelangelo)

despite this, it was preferable for both vessels to hit the wave head-on. both were ocean liners with bows designed to break through waves, and designed to be able to keep sailing even if the bow was caved in.

(fun fact: if titanic had hit the iceberg head on, there was a very good chance she wouldnt have sunk)

now you might want to know why we know it was preferable to be hit head-on, and why i specified the ship would have been hit side-on. this is how the ship was hit in the 2006 film also. and well, this is when were getting into ww2 territory.

the lusitania and michelangelo are not the only ocean liners to encounter a rogue wave. this also happened to the rms queen mary in 1942.

just some quick background on the queen mary; she was launched in 1936 and built with the goal of stealing the blue riband (the record for fastest journey for a passenger line from southampton to new york) from the ss normandie, owned by french line. queen mary was owned by the cunard line whose reputation partly rested on speed. both the lusitania and mauritania (both cunard ships) had won the blue riband at some point. in 1942, queen mary held the blue riband and was considered the fastest passenger liner in the world.

at that point though, she has been requisitioned by the admiralty for the war effort and was acting as a troop ship. a very effective troop ship as she averaged 28 knots in speed and they managed to up her capacity from around 3300 (including crew) to 16000.

she also was owned by cunard line who have a long history of conferring with the admiralty during peacetimes. their ships were designed with spaces left for guns and weapons. part of why the lusitania was sunk by a u-boat in ww1 was her secretly carrying firearms back from the "neutral" america to the uk despite it still being a passenger ship. the admiralty knew queen mary would be a massive benefit in a war.

this isnt to say that she was perfect, however. she was a famous roller. see, when youre building a ship, you expect it to roll somewhat on any difficult seas. to combat extreme rolling (which can be fatal), ships are built with their centres of buoyancy and gravity close together. this reduces rolling, but can cause very sudden lists (tilts). as queen mary was a big fuck off ship, it was assumed she wouldnt roll badly, so she was designed with a slightly bigger gap between those centres which caused very slow rolling from side to side. this often felt like the ship would never right itself, and as handrails were not considered necessary at first, passengers had to shuffle down hallways.

cunard took her in for repairs and added stabilisers to lessen the roll. they also added handrails. it didnt fix the rolling, but it was bearable and not considered dangerous. she soon became a superstar liner, and again, a very good troop ship.

hitler had even put a monetary bounty specifically on the queen mary for whichever submarine could shoot her, with the iron cross promised also. this did not come to pass.

(rms queen mary as a troopship)

what did come to pass, however, was a 92ft high rogue wave smashing into her portside (left). this is the absolute opposite of what you want to happen.

there was an attempt to steer her head-on into the wave but ocean liners that size take two miles to stop moving. they also couldnt risk too sudden of a turn because they were in the atlantic in a storm. this attempt to change course is repeated in the 2006 film and is also unsuccessful.

so now when the wave hit queen mary, it caused her to begin listing to starboard (right side) because a 90ft ocean wave just smashed into her. and she began to list. the portholes broke and wager poured in, making the list worst.

at first, it was 15°, then 20°, then 25°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 52°

then she stopped. and she stayed there, listing 52° to starboard. she was nearly capsized. and what must have felt like hours for those 11000 recruits and crew, she just stayed there, nearly on her side in the atlantic ocean.

and then finally, she began to right herself, one degree at a time, until she was back steady as if nothing had happened.

the technicians had later examined the ship and estimated that if shed listed just 3° extra, they would have capsized and sank, taking 11000 men with her.

so i imagine at this point, if youre even reading this anymore, youre like okay, kai, we get it, you dont wanna get hit broadside by a rogue wave, do we need all this detail?

and well, no. you dont need to know it and i dont need to tell it but here i am, telling you so.

but it is very relevant to poseidon (2006) because remember how its a remake of a film based on a book? and that book was written by the basketball antisemite? yeah, so paul gallico was on board the queen mary when this happened.

and this is what inspired him to write the book.

obviously, at the time, we didnt fully understand rogue waves so gallico explained it as an underwater earthquake, but we know now it was a rogue wave.

and so the 2006 film honours that and makes it a rogue wave. they never really explain it so unless youre insufferable like me, you might just be like what the fuck? is that poseidon (god) doing that?

but im gonna redirect your attention to the fact that the queen mary was 3° away from capsizing and that 3° could have caused an entirely different outcome to the war.

if she had capsized, she would have taken 10000 recruits with her and the allies would have lost their best troop ship. morale would have been affected because back then, ocean liners were household celebrities. they were adored by residents.

im not a historian, and especially not a war historian, so im not gonna be like oh look alternate history where the nazis won oooh how edgy?

but like, just a few more feet of water on that wave and parts of ww2 would be so different.

it also would have affected the cunard line massively after the war, and the white star line (titanics owners) as well. i believe their merger was after ww2.

also, gallico would have died so his book wouldnt have existed, neither would the film adaptation or the remake. it all just comes back around like a never ending carousel of feral seahorses.

but anyway, away from all the existential crises. i wanted to actually address what made me want to write this stupidly long post in the first place:

an article i skim read that addressed the veracity of the inciting event in the 2006 film, aka the rogue wave.

after a mostly accurate explanation of rogue waves and at least one misuse of cruise ship for ocean liner, the article concluded that a rogue wave hitting an ocean liner like that was simply so unlikely, it was basically impossible.

and if youve got this far in my ramblings, you might be able to understand the level of bafflement i felt reading that.

because while it is a fair conclusion as it is a very unlikely thing to happen. but THIS FILM EXISTS BECAUSE A ROGUE WAVE SMASHED INTO AN OCEAN LINER AND NEARLY CAPSIZED IT

[satoshi-mochida]

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance launches November 28 in the west

Gematsu Source

Otome visual novel My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance will launch for Switch both physically and digitally on November 28 in the west, publisher Idea Factory International announced. It will feature Japanese voice-overs with English subtitles.

The game will be available in both standard and limited editions. The latter will be offered exclusively through the Idea Factory International online stores in North America and Europe. Its contents will be announced at a later date.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance first launched on December 23, 2021 in Japan. Gematsu has previously referred to it as My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates that Stir the Waters.

Here is an overview of the game, via Idea Factory International:

About

Catarina Claes is a young woman born into a family of nobility who has a memory of her past life as a high school student. She was reincarnated as a Villainess in an otome game called Fortune Lover​. Exile or death were all that awaited her in this new world. However, she managed to evade these ends, and somehow made it through the year to spring break. As fate would have it, both Catarina and her adopted brother, Keith, were to board a state-of-the-art luxury liner called the Vinculum on its maiden voyage during their time away from the Academy. Once aboard the ship, she realized her friends were also in attendance on what was meant to be a luxurious journey at sea. The tides changed quickly when they were attacked by pirates who took over the Vinculum and held all of its passengers hostage.​ This turn of events all seemed familiar to Catarina, and she begins to recall this was the storyline to a Fortune Lover fanbook. Could this mean she’s living in a resurrection of a canned doom ending?!​ Will Catarina and her friends be able to return to Sorcier safely? The curtain rises for a new twist in this ​doom-flag-evading romantic comedy!

>Key Features

Uncharted Waters Ahead! – A new doom flag has risen in this all-new story set in the My Next Life as a Villainess universe! This original tale can be enjoyed by both longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Rascals, Scoundrels, Villains, and Knaves – Catarina isn’t the only one who decided to take a cruise on the Vinculum. The full My Next Life as a Villainess crew is here. Featuring six romanceable shipmates, including two all-new characters!

A Voyage Down Memory Lane – As you progress through the story and fulfill certain conditions, you’ll unlock special Memory Scenarios. These episodes will take place from the perspective of the other characters in the story. Experience events such as childhood memories and tales from academic life!

Batten Down the Hatches! – Along your journey, you’ll sometimes face two paths before you. Time for a Strategy Meeting! Who better to ask for advice than… well, yourself! As seen in the light novel and anime, Catarina looks within to attend a meeting with five versions of herself—led by Chairman Catarina—to decide which route to take.

Watch a teaser trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Teaser Trailer

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics where Harry wears makeup as requested in this ask. You can find my other fic recs here. If you like the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! Happy reading!

-Larry-

💄 Finding Lou by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci

(M, 60k, bookstore au) Louis is the nomadic stranger who wanders into Harry’s bookstore. 

💄 Mirror Touch by pinky_heaven19 / @pinky-heaven19

(NR, 58k, synesthesia) the one where Harry owns a second-hand clothing store, and Louis is a radio host. Louis has mirror-touch synesthesia, which makes him experience what people around him feel. He feels a lot around Harry.

💄 Sail away with me by Star_Henderson / @tommosgun

(E, 47k, cruise ship) Louis and Harry are part of the entertainment team on board a luxury cruise liner. They hate sharing their four berth cabin with two other guys and would do anything to get a cabin of their own. One drunken night the solution was simple. They'd just get married...

💄 oh we're in love aren't we by delsicle / @eeveelou

(M, 20k, uni au) a soft 19/19 university AU in which Harry is getting a fresh start, Louis isn’t subtle, no one does their homework and 3 AM is an excellent time to fall in love.

💄 Damn the Dark, Damn the Light by @hrrytomlinson

(E, 20k, historical au) Louis is stuck with only dreaming of such wild fantasies and writing them down. He can create entire romances in his dreams, yet he can never live one.

💄 Blind Faith by @2tiedships2

(M, 18k, a/b/o) Not even a soulmate is going to want to put up with a blind alpha.

💄 Vanity and Pride by glitterlarries / @illouminating

(NR, 9k, model au) Harry is a model and Louis is a makeup artist that won't stop distracting him when he's trying to do a shoot.

💄 You Look So Wonderful in that Dress by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird

(E, 8k, actors au) Best friends Louis and Harry are the stars of an English Renaissance theatre troupe that travels the countryside performing history and morality plays. 

💄 Always Fearless in Love by @angelichl

(M, 7k, famous/not famous) Harry Styles is the international popstar who refuses to remove his lipstick just minutes before a live performance.

💄 american rose by docklands / @hershelsue

(E, 7k, historical au) where Louis is JFK and Harry is Marilyn Monroe.

💄 Diamonds and Pearls by superglass / @gaymoustache

(NR, 6k, historical au) In the midst of the AIDS crisis, Harry meets Louis after coming home from a drag ball. 80s NYC au.

💄 come to me wild and wired by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 5k, girl direction) Rule number one? Always take off your makeup before going to bed.

💄 Is It Okay? by larry_hiatus / @larry-hiatus

(E, 4k, established relationship) Louis’ breath hitched when Harry added his second hand, and even more of his pretty little polished nails came into view. 

💄 makeup drawer by @soldouthaz

(T, 4k, famous/not famous) harry’s excited and nervous about wearing makeup for the first time publicly. louis is his supportive makeup artist.

💄 Can't Wait To Consecrate This Wondrous Mess by graceling_in_a_suit / @graceling-in-a-suit

(G, 4k, uni au) Harry wants to paint his nails. Louis has nail polish. It's a match made in heaven.

💄 Lips Like Sugar by dimpled_halo / @comebackassholes

(E, 3k, friends to lovers) But that’s not what takes his breath away, no. Harry is wearing dark maroon lipstick on his luscious lips and eyeliner smudged around his eyes.

💄 Daily Makeup Routine... By Your Boyfriend?! by markrenjun

(NR, 2k, youtuber au) Harry does a "my boyfriend does my makeup" video to be uploaded next.

💄 Something Great by @ashavahishta

(E, 2k, pwp) Louis and Harry have sex while Harry is in a skirt and panties. 

💄 Delicate by @fallinglikethis

(T, 1k, trapped in elevator au) They say opposites attract. Maybe that’s why nerdy, shy Harry Styles has such a huge crush on rough, brash Louis Tomlinson.

-Rare Pairs-

💄 pretty in pink by loafers

(E, 9k, Harry/Nick Grimshaw) Harry's as easy to get going as the average eighteen year old, maybe even easier, but it seems-- not odd, never odd, but significant that Harry's gotten hard from, what, from a tube of lipstick?

💄 kiss kiss bang bang by shuttermutt

(E, 2k, Zayn/Harry) Harry loses a bet and has to wear lipstick. Zayn finds himself unable to look at anything else.

[valpohq]

BIENVENIDOS A LA REGIÓN DE VALPARAÍSO

Valparaíso developed as a trans-oceanic rest stop for fishing ships, sea cruise-liners, and international naval ships. As a result, Chile's people are as varied as the land. A large portion of the residents have a variety of nationalities, origins, ethnic groups, and cultures. The region is split into areas known as communes, the equivalent of city quarters or municipalities. People come from all over to see the famed painted houses of Valparaíso, the golden sands of Viña del Mar, the sweet vineyards of Casablanca, and the way nature and design intermix in Quilpué. From the sights, to the foods, to the people, you’re sure to find not just inspiration, or friends, or love, but your own little paradise, too.

DISCLAIMER: The Valparaíso Region has more than four communes, but to make the rp more accessible to muns that may be unfamiliar with the region, we decided to focus on only four of the communes and to created our locations list to include both real and made-up locations. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the admins.

find your way with our navigation

learn about the beauty of the valparaíso region by reading our plot

to ensure a respectful stay check out our guidelines

current reserves: none mun count: 16/20 revamp completed: 01/17/2024 acceptances: monday, wednesday, friday, & sunday after 8pm CST admin dova: offline / online / lurking admin link: offline / online / lurking

[chrisframeofficial]

Queen Anne Floats!

In what is a milestone event, the Cunard cruise ship Queen Anne has been floated out, and in 12 months will enter service.

What is a float out?

These days, most ships are built in a dry dock. This is a watertight dock that is sealed off from the ocean by large doors, that enables water inside to be pumped out. Large controllable valves can be opened to allow water in at a steady pace, enabling ships to enter and exit the dock.

As it is a controlled process, building in a dry dock means that a ship like Queen Anne can be built in a stable, dry environment. When the time comes to float the ship, it is undertaken in a far slower, more methodical way than a traditional launch.

How does this differ from a “launch”?

In days gone by, ships were commonly built on slipways. Liners such as Titanic, Olympic, Queen Mary, Normandie and the QE2 were all built this way.

Getting these ships into the water often involved a process known as a gravitational launch.

Here, the ship would be ‘released’ down a lubricated slipway. If all went according to plan - and sometimes it didn’t - the ship would slide stern first into the water.

The immense momentum of the launch required massive drag chains to help slow the ship down on lubricated launches, while some others relied on mechanical supports under the ship to reduce the motion.

What happens next?

Regardless of whether the ship is launched gravitationally, or floated out, there is still much work to be done. Interior fitting out, internal cabling, engine and engineering works as well as sea trails, will take around another year to be completed on a ship like Queen Anne, before she is handed over to its owners.

A interesting side note is that Queen Anne had both a launch and a floating out. This isn’t usually the case. But for Queen Anne, the forward section of the ship’s hull was built and launched in 2022 down a slipway.

Because it was only the bow section that was built at this stage, the launch took place bow first into the water. It was then towed to another shipyard near Venice to be connected to the stern section.

Other types of launches:

There is another style of launch known as a side-slide-way launch. This definitely looks the most dramatic, because the ship enters the water on a sideways motion!

Image: Hull launching in Northern Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland (Brosen CC. By SA 2.0)

These kids of launches are rarer for cruise ships, but were used on some significant vessels including the Home Lines’ Homeric in the 1980s.

[crescentblossom66]

Tip Top Ship Shape (Walrus Captain x Reader)

“No, watch, I'll show you.” You turned down the stove a little, getting it back to a reasonable amount of heat for the casserole you were about to help the seal put onto the oven rack.

“Sowwy, I twy harder next twime.” The clumsy, but adorable seal's head drooped down a bit, but you assured them that they were doing better.

Since you arrived, things went a lot smoother on the large cruise liner. You managed to get the seals in line a bit better, it turned out that they just needed someone to take the time and teach them how to do their tasks properly. After fixing the issue of the sliding tables and the luggage in the restaurant and entrance hallway respectively, you helped them learn to deal with the kids in the play area and helped them with the laundry, they still struggled a bit with the cooking, but you were getting there slowly.

“I've gotta say, pup, this ship never ran smoother.” You turned your head over to the entrance of the kitchen and found none other than the captain himself, smoking two cigarettes like usual. You were happy to see the perpetually sad expression that normally was present on his features,be replaced by a small smile for once.

“I sure hope so, it was a lot of work, but it finally paid off. We've been accident free for 3 whole weeks now, a new record.” You got up, but not before petting the seal on the head, they gave you a goofy, happy smile that extendedfrom ear to ear.

“I honestly thought that you would have left by now, especially after my crew spilled hot soup on you the very first day.” You cringed internally a bit at the memory of the hot liquid practically boiling your skin, but you were aware that it wasn't done on purpose, somebody just needed to guide them.

“You really think that I would have left you to deal with all of this by yourself? I stayed because I knew that I could fix this mess up...and because I felt bad for you, I heard what happened to your mentor, we all miss him.” You cast your eyes to the ground and heard him exhale deeply.

“Pup, don't think that you have to stay here out of some sort of obligation. I'm aware that I'm not what you'd consider fun company.” You really hated that self-deprecating tone he spoke with.

“That's what you say. I just wish that you'd smile again...I really miss the Walrus Captain with that hopeful smile that just longed to set sail and travel the ocean...It's heartbreaking to see you like this.”

“I'm really worrying you, huh.-” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “-Well, maybe things will be better now, after all, we have you here now.” Another small smile spread on his face, one that you returned.

It was a step forward at least, for the ship and its captain.

[pix4japan]

Cruise Ship and Terminal Pier

A nightscape shot of Asuka II, which is a cruise liner docked at Osanbashi International Terminal Pier. The Asuka sails out of the Port of Yokohama two or three times a week and makes port visits as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Kyushu.

Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 105 mm ISO 100 for 2.0 sec. at ƒ/6.3

ＩＤＣＳ英会話の「Pix & English」は、風景写真撮影しながら、英語を使って、楽しみましょう。

あなたのお気に入りのスポットで写真撮影しながら、カメラ機材、写真の撮り方、撮影技術、人気の観光地などについて、英語を使って、楽しみましょう。

さらに、一般的な個人レッスンもやっています。

横浜駅・桜木町駅・関内駅・馬車道駅のちかくのカフェ、ファミリーレストラン、スターバックス、でプライベートレッスンを行います。 詳しくはホームページをご確認お願いします！

ホームページ👇 https://sites.google.com/site/idcseikaiwa/

[waheelawhisperer]

'How's Remnant contend with covid' anon again: I guess societal norms forced by the Grimm might mean fewer dipshit tourists & entitled fucks insisting on their Freedom To Be Careless taking priority over survival. Plus, tons of isolated small communities that might be minimizing outside contact even prior to hearing of the plague. Solitas seems like a mixed bag 'cause you have shipping robots & top-down authoritarians *plus* class struggle & Remnant's most entitled fools.

Oh, yeah, I didn't even consider the Grimm. Yeah, with that in mind, I think pretty much every Kingdom that isn't Atlas is pretty screwed, given that even a well-handled pandemic will result in an increase in negativity, which will in turn result in more attacks, and the negativity from that will continue to create a feedback loop that just makes the situation worse. Even if a given Kingdom has the Huntsmen available to fight off increased Grimm incursions, they will take casualties and probably end up like Mistral and Vale do in canon, if not worse.

Tourism doesn't really seem to be as much of a thing in Remnant as it is in the real world, given how much more dangerous travel outside of the Kingdoms is. It clearly exists, given the presence of cruise liners and passenger trains and luxury airships like the ones Winter/Jacques travel in, but it's probably much less widespread than we're used to. I feel like if an outbreak was detected in a given Kingdom, it would be easier to isolate that Kingdom due to the lower volume of international travel and the smaller number of possible destinations for travelers.

Small settlements are probably unlikely to experience covid outbreaks since they mostly seem pretty isolated, but if anyone gets infected the settlement is in serious trouble, either from the effects of the virus itself or from the Grimm the negativity attracts. It's unlikely to spread beyond any given village though, given that not much will be left to spread the virus after either the disease or the Grimm are done.

Atlas's response really hinges on Ironwood. Atlas as a Kingdom is heavily automated in comparison with both the real world and other Kingdoms on Remnant, and the cultural deference to top-down hierarchical authoritarian leadership means you probably aren't going to get as many dipshits screaming about how wearing a fucking mask and getting a vaccine are intolerable infringements upon their personal liberties, but we've already seen what happens to Atlas when it faces economic stress. If the robots can't replace the human (and I use this term to include Faunus) workforce at least well enough to keep the lights on, Mantle in particular is going to have problems.

Like I said, Ironwood is key to this whole thing. We've seen from canon that he will not hesitate to take drastic measures to avert a crisis (and this is about the kindest way I can phrase it). If a hard choice needs to be made, he will make it. He might be upset about it later, but he'll do what he thinks needs to be done, no matter how anyone else feels about it.

The problem is convincing him to implement policies that actually work. Ironwood is very hard to divert once he's settled on a course of action, so it's essential to make sure someone steers him onto the right one, which is not a sure thing at all if Remnant lacks our real-world knowledge of epidemiology, especially on a global scale. I think Atlas (the city), at least, comes out relatively unscathed, if only because Ironwood would not hesitate to reduce Mantle to so much ash and rubble the moment he thinks it poses a threat to the city he prioritizes.

That said, the Atlesian upper class is painfully stupid and would probably find a way to fuck things up somehow, so who knows

[classichoreca]

RAK Porcelain is one of the fastest-growing Porcelain Crockery brands in the international market. Its products are a canvas for chef creativity in more than 40,000+ starred hotels, international airlines, premium cruise liners, convention centres, and stadiums that proudly endorse us in various segments of the HORECA industry.

You can get RAK Porcelain at www.horecastop.com

[valpopromo]

BIENVENIDOS A LA REGIÓN DE VALPARAÍSO

Valparaíso developed as a trans-oceanic rest stop for fishing ships, sea cruise-liners, and international naval ships. As a result, Chile's people are as varied as the land. A large portion of the residents have a variety of nationalities, origins, ethnic groups, and cultures. The region is split into areas known as communes, the equivalent of city quarters or municipalities. People come from all over to see the famed painted houses of Valparaíso, the golden sands of Viña del Mar, the sweet vineyards of Casablanca, and the way nature and design intermix in Quilpué. From the sights, to the foods, to the people, you’re sure to find not just inspiration, or friends, or love, but your own little paradise, too.

Valpohq is a appless city rp for (21+) muns taking place in the beautiful Valparaíso Region of Chile. It focuses on the development and connections of the (22+) characters residing in the Casablanca, Quilpué, Valparaíso, and Viña Del Mar communes.

[afactaday]

#aFactADay2024

#1248 (hey, that's a nice number): bunting is an integral component of any trip away from home - on a boat, it's called a "dressing line", or sometimes a "pavese" (from Italian) or a "pavoising line" (i think... i can't find many people saying that). national colours or maritime flags are paraded in one long string from the bow over the masts to the stern, which is called "dressing ship" or "dressing overall". the largest display of international maritime flags was in Genoa (2018), and 1,840 flags were put up through the town on a single pavese over 2km long, as part of a celebration of a cruise liner or something. there's also a place in Lombardy called pavese.