#scaffold installation

[sheltiechicago]

JR Unveils Giant Installation of Athlete Jumping Over Hong Kong’s Bamboo Scaffolding

[businessbb]

We explore in more depth Scaffolding Installation here by discussing its importance, key considerations and best practices aimed at creating safe working conditions during any type of building process.

[firsthomeservice]

Why Choose Builders in Auckland for Quality Construction and Property Maintenance

If you're considering building or renovating in New Zealand, finding the right builders in Auckland is essential. From constructing homes to handling repairs, professional builders ensure every project is completed to a high standard. Along with construction, reliable property maintenance in Auckland is crucial for preserving the value and functionality of your property.

Why Hire Builders in Auckland?

Choosing experienced builders in Auckland for your project comes with numerous advantages:

Local Expertise Builders familiar with Auckland’s regulations and climate ensure that the construction process complies with local building codes and withstands the region's environmental challenges.

Quality Workmanship Reputable builders focus on delivering quality craftsmanship, whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing structure.

Project Management Professional builders handle everything from sourcing materials to managing subcontractors, ensuring a smooth construction process and timely project completion.

Custom Solutions Every property is unique, and professional builders in Auckland offer custom design and construction solutions that align with your specific needs and vision.

Property Maintenance in Auckland

Ongoing property maintenance in Auckland is essential to ensure your home or commercial space remains in top condition.

Preventative Maintenance Regular upkeep can prevent major issues down the line. From fixing leaky roofs to maintaining electrical systems, property maintenance services help you avoid costly repairs.

Increased Property Value Well-maintained properties retain their value and appeal. Whether you're a homeowner or an investor, keeping your property in good shape is crucial.

Compliance with Local Regulations Property maintenance professionals ensure your property adheres to Auckland’s safety and health regulations, protecting your investment and keeping tenants or homeowners safe.

Why Builders Offer More Than Just Construction

Many builders in Auckland also provide property maintenance in Auckland, making them a one-stop solution for all your building and maintenance needs. Combining construction expertise with ongoing care means you can trust that your property will be both beautifully built and well-maintained for years to come.

Conclusion

When planning a new project or maintaining your current property, hiring builders in Auckland ensures a seamless experience. By also focusing on property maintenance in Auckland, you can protect your investment and enjoy long-lasting quality.

[renewablescaffoldingservices]

Renewable Scaffolding Services | Scaffolding for Renewables in UK

Renewable Scaffolding Services (RSS) is a leading provider of scaffolding services for renewable energy projects in Hertfordshire, Cambridge, Essex and London. We specialize in safe and reliable scaffolding solutions to support your renewable energy construction needs.

[todays-xkcd]

We're considering installing a pressurization system to keep the tanks at constant pressure solely to deter them.

Storage Tanks [Explained]

Transcript

[Two characters wearing helmets are standing on scaffolding next to two large tanks labeled "Tank #3" and "Tank #4", with the person on the left talking. Miss Lenhart has drilled a hole into the base of Tank #4 with liquid pouring out of it and she is running away with the drill.] Left person with helmet: As head of security, your primary task is to monitor the storage tanks and watch for calculus teachers trying to drill holes in their bases.

[sneaky-tank]

Working on building a cutie a new body.

Walking them through the configuration process of their new skeleton, taking measurements like a tailor, fine tuning offsets and sizes via VR motion tests.

Either ship of theseus conversion of their brain or taking a scan while holding their hand.

Helping them build the skills to control peripherals from limbs to sensors.

Starting the print for their brand new skeleton, nerves, and the tooling for molding their soft features.

Watching their body slowly coalesce from different lentil-like plastic pellets used artfully and intentionally.

Installing and sealing their brain into their skeleton, so they can feel and enjoy the process of being freed from their soluble support structure.

Manually washing them down with solvents to melt away all the support scaffolding, freeing up their joints for the very first time and testing their range of motion before they even have their motors installed.

Taking them out of the spray down station and dutifully bolting each of their motors in place, crimping ferrules onto the leads, and connecting their motors and encoders for the very first time.

Giving them a few moments to amble around on their own, doing the pre-overmolding checklist to ensure they can hold the right position as their soft features are molded on.

Finally, you lead them gently by the hand to the molding machine, they stand in place, and a suit of armor specifically tailored to them assembles around them to have the spaces filled with their soft artificial skin.

Indecent for the first time in their new life, you kiss them on the cheek and dress them in the standard hospital gown and guide them to the auto-tailor that has already sewn their new outfits of choice to perfectly match their new form.

For the first time in their life, everything fits. Perfectly. Not a single hitch or tear, everything just as tight or loose as they want it. They fill out their outfit perfectly and you stand there in awe even though this is your 6,735th time. It really never gets old.

This time is special though, because you'll be spending the rest of your unnatural lives together. This is the last hour of your last day, and you walk out for the last time. For the first time hand in hand with your gorgeous handsome beautiful cute adorable pretty breathtaking perfect partner.

It's time to enjoy eternity, together, no need to worry about 'in sickness or in health', and death will never do us part.

[literary-illuminati]

2025 Book Review #22 – The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo

This is my second Hugo nominee for the year, and far more agreeable to me than the first. It’s also the fifth in the Singing Hills Cycle and, though it’s left behind basically all of the ambition and a large part of the structural distinctiveness of the first couple installments, otherwise a real return to form. Just a thoroughly enjoyable campfire tale.

Cleric Chih, itinerant monk and collector of histories and folklore to be recorded and preserved within the archives of the Singing Hills monastery, is once again out walking the earth. Specifically, they find themselves in a rather troubled region on the western frontier, falling in with a beautiful young bride and her family as they journey to the palatial estate of Do Cao. There, they fall into the role of the bride’s confidant and emotional support as she endures the days of feasting and negotiation involved with her betrothal to the rich and powerful (and two or three times older than her) Lord Guo. As one days fades into the next, Chih becomes increasingly, horrifyingly aware of just how many monsters are lurking behind porcelain masks.

This is actually quite a departure from the rest of the series in mood and tone – Chih’s adventures in prior books have been rather sedately paced and contemplative, and the cleric themselves has usually been more of a narrator or fly on the wall than a key part of the action (if they’re not mostly just there to provide a framing narrative for a different story entirely). By contrast, Brides – while still fairly sedately paced for a novella, and very concerned with atmosphere and aesthetics – is an extremely plotty little book. Especially compared with Mammoths at the Gate (the previous installment in the series), where the story was basically scaffolding to capture a particular snapshot of the grieving process, in Brides the most striking thing is how things just never stop happening. If anything it’s a bit overstuffed.

I personally found it a refreshing change of pace. Or, well – the way I have described this series to a friend is that Empress of Salt and Fortune was a film with thematic depth and real artistic ambition, whereas the books since have felt more like episodes of a fun and well-done episodic television serial. Trying to compare the two categories rather feels like missing the point. Both Empress and especially When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (the second in the series) also did interesting things with framing narratives and unreliable narrators that the series has increasingly abandoned since. But compared to Riverlands and Mammoths I just straightforwardly enjoyed this far more as a reading experience.

It’s not quite a horror story, really, but it’s definitely something adjacent. A sense of eerie dislocation and looming dread, dark secrets hidden behind luxurious facades and monsters leering from every rooftop, an insane son raving about his father’s dark secrets and a too-good-to-be-true young bride – it’s all a bit reminiscent of a few different gothic horror stories piled on top of each other. Or not even gothic, really – you get the sense that any other women marrying Lord Guo would play out as essentially a pseudo-Chinese Bluebeard’s Bride. The exceptionally blood and indiscriminate karmic justice for all involved at the end really just seals the deal. I enjoyed it all immensely.

The book also has just an immense amount of fun with Chih’s own unreliable narration. They spend most of the story (literally) enchanted by the young bride, and so terribly besotted with her. The book conveys this by writing their narration like they’re the protagonist of a romance who hasn’t quite realized they’ve fallen in love with someone yet, and is instead just very preoccupied with any moment of context between them and their physical appearance, and interprets everything they do in the most indulgent possible light. It really did sell the effect quite well.

As I say every time I read one of these, they’re a really nice little episodic series and, if they’re going to keep up such a variety of tones and subjects, one I’ll happily continue reading for as long as Vo keeps writing them. You can theoretically start with any of them (though I would strongly recommend against doing so with Mammoth at the Gates, given how much it relies on you caring about Cleric Chih already), but honestly reading them in publication order is probably the best? That said i this is the only one you can get, fully recommended for anyone who likes more folktale-like fantasy.

[peachdues]

VIOLENT DELIGHTS — TEASER

Tengen’s Tell Me to Stop

A/N: because the more shitty anons bitch about my teasers, the more I’m gonna post because I don’t give a fuck.

Tengen’s installment of my Tell Me to Stop series. A true enemies-to-lovers fic. Read the spicy teaser here.

CW: blood • description of whipping • some angst • Tengen is confused by his own actions here

Ty always to my biggest enabler @marenalee . This fic is dedicated to you bby.

Tengen paled as he watched the villagers wrench the hood off the person struggling against their restraints.

Rough hands shoved Y/N to her knees, hair mussed, eyes wild and murderous as she glowered at her captors. Rope had been tied around her mouth, forcing her teeth to part around its coarse fibers. If he squinted, he could see the way the rope had rubbed the corners of her mouth bloody and raw.

The assassin thrashed against the hold of her captors as they secured thick, iron shackles around her wrists, each one connected to a separate piece of scaffolding that forced her into an awkward, half-star position on her knees. A sour-faced man stepped out from the shadows behind the stage to glare down at her, his puffy, fish-like lips twisted into a disgusted sneer as he spoke. An audience had gathered at the base of the stage, and Tengen felt his gut twist at the excited buzz which rose over them.

Whatever was to come, it was nothing good.

His suspicions were confirmed when he watched the Magistrate turn his head and bark at one of the grim-faced men standing off to the side of the podium. A moment later, and a grubby hand pressed something long and coiled into the Judge’s outstretched and waiting palm.

Tengen recognized what it was at precisely the same moment as the assassin — his nemesis — though he was certain the dread filling his gut was but a fraction of that which filled hers.

In all the months of tormenting her — of even trying to kill her — Tengen had never seen Y/N look afraid. Surprised, sure, but never frightened.

Yet, as the long, cruel tail of the whip unfurled in the Magistrate’s hands, curling down to the wooden slats of the podium, he saw the fear enter her widened eyes — deep and primal.

She was terrified.

(…)

—

The crack of the whip was capped by an ear piercing scream that made Tengen’s blood curdle.

Spring had always been his favorite season; winter was drab and monotonous and summer was too damn hot to appreciate anything, but spring — spring was resplendent with color and life and all things vibrant and exciting.

This village had been awash in springtime’s splendor. The cherry blossoms had bloomed, coating the sloped roofs of houses and restaurants in a soft blanket of pink and white. The streets had been lined with attractive stalls, offering an assortment of food and jewelry and hand sewn silk garments in every hue imaginable, guaranteed to allow even the pickiest shopper to find something suited to their tastes.

But now, all the sounds and smells and sights and warmth had fallen away; now, all the pastels and greens and effervescence of spring had melted into something dull and gray and muted.

Tengen could only see red.

Red was the color of her blood as it dripped from end of the curled, thin length of rope and soaked into the wooden planks of the post.

Red was the color of her flesh, hanging in torn, bloodied ribbons as each lash flayed her open more and more.

Red was the color of Tengen’s fury, hot and vitriolic, saturating everything in his line of vision until the once reverent sights of the village around him faded to amorphous, crimson blurs as he moved.

Red was the color staining his hands as he threw the whip to the side, having wrenched it free from the magistrate’s cruel hands before he’d thought the better of it; and red was the color that now sprout from the magistrate’s nose as he crashed against the blood-soaked slats of the whipping post, bubbling over his swollen lips as he sputtered at the formidable man standing above him.

“If you would like to avoid taking her place, then I suggest you disperse this crowd,” Tengen said coldly. “And do not try and interfere.”

He held the stammering Magistrate’s petrified stare for a moment longer before he turned his attention to his target. Cautiously, the Sound Pillar approached the half-conscious assassin where she’d been partially stripped and chained to the wooden whipping post. Tengen fought to keep the bile in his throat from rising at the way the wooden slats under his feet squished, so heavily saturated with blood from both his enemy and the poor souls which had been subjected to the brutality of the whip before her.

Her head hung limply between her shoulders, bent toward the floor of the post, and her body slumped against the stage. Her arms, however, remained awkwardly stretched out before her thanks to the iron manacles nailed into the post’s scaffolding. Grimly, the Sound Pillar noted that the gallows were to ensure the penalized would be held up and open even well after their body succumbed to the pain of their lashings; a crude display of utter helplessness and submission to the whip.

He said her name, once, and though she moaned faintly under the pull of her restraints as they stretched the ruined skin of her back, she did not stir.

The full horror of her suffering slammed into him as Tengen ran his eyes over her swaying, whimpering form once more. Before he could think the better of it, before his brain could scream at him to stop, to leave her to a fate that was none of his business, the Sound Pillar unsheathed one of the great blades he kept strapped to his back. With a single, mighty stroke, he cleaved the iron chains of her bonds clean in half, and one by one, her arms fell limply to her side.

No longer held up by her forced prostration, Y/N began to fall forward face-first but Tengen caught her before she could make contact with the floor of the blood-soaked stage beneath her. Mindful of her wounds, he laid her limp form over his shoulder and hauled her up, his arms winding around her legs to keep her locked in place. Her arms dangled over his back. As he began to walk, he realized that the tips of her fingers just barely grazed the middle of his spine.

Small; she was so small in his arms. So helpless.

The crowd of townsfolk who had gathered to watch her flogging parted silently for the Sound Pillar as he descended the stairs of the whipping post, unconscious assassin draped over his shoulder, and departed the village without a word.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites. In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician. The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[hometoursandotherstuff]

You know how I love offbeat properties and I found this seller's For-Sale-By-Owner ad on Zillow. He started building the home in 1969, in Eureka, California, and it's been under construction for 43 years! It's a French ornamented cathedral Gothic, with all custom ornaments, molds and scaffolding techniques. This mansion is based on Newport, Rhode Island style and spirit from the 19th Century.

This is what it's supposed to look like - The Vision.

And, in 43 yrs., this is what he's done so far. He's asking $4.5M. Now, he has been living in it, so you can live in the finished part. The house is being sold furnished, and what furnishings! Read what he wrote about them below:

"Also for sale here are 1500 sq. ft of the ultimate grade palatial antique Italian marquetry, veneer and solid wood furniture, ranging from console tables and mirrors; 10 different sizes of round antique tables, up to a 12' x 6' museum-piece dining table, various rare cabinets, marquetry, upholstered chairs, couches, china and other cabinets, solid gold (plated) grandfather clock and two huge antique chandeliers, all worth over $300k on the market now and arguably TWICE that!"

This outer door is amazing.

Here's a gargoyle and other ornamentation that still has to go on the house.

But, look at this - it says the exterior designs are ready for installation "when the lawsuit is over." So, the property is involved in a lawsuit, too? (Check the blog - I found the lawsuit papers and posted it.)

There's so much stuff here.

This room is done. It must be a ballroom. I don't know what to make of all this. This looks like the Romanoff's place.

This must be a music room. There's a harpsicord and a harp in here.

Look at these walls. He says the walls are hand done- are these the actual walls?

The walls are hand painted according to the description.

Here's a mantel waiting to be installed.

This is going to be the kitchen.

The gold double sink.

I don't know if this is an old picture of the original inspiration for this home, but it's definitely a representation of the home itself.

This is an amazing fireplace.

Another beautiful fireplace.

He's using the bedroom, but it's not finished.

I'm disappointed in this bathroom. Maybe it's just temporary?

He has a lot of photos of the furniture and these are really primo antiques. So, this would be one of the dining rooms.

This looks like a brand new bedroom set. Looks like a furniture store that used to be near me called Roma Furniture.

The chandelier in the ballroom that he says is included in the sale.

One of the sitting rooms.

Nice inlaid table.

There's a lot of furniture. If you want to see it all, click on the link b/c he's posted 100 photos. But, I'm very confused.

The property measures 6 acres and there are "massive fall color and rose gardens, 20,000 plantings, plus 10,000 daffodil, iris, lily, etc. Bulbs are spread over 6 acres, still there mostly, alive and colorful. Plus, hundreds of valuable landscaping sculptures are included."

[ssunspotted]

An offering: MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT

Meat. An unidentifiable collection, piled and piled. A rumble of intrigue rolls through the hallway, emanating from the live wood that cases it, and a few wooden strands lift up to investigate what's been dropped into it.

Their body has been idling like a statue in a nearby armchair while their mind has been elsewhere, but with a twitch, the carcass blinks to life.

Focus filters back into this part of them in a disorienting shift, and gradually they lean forward to rise, a muffled creak sounding from somewhere in the scaffolding that pilots them. Up. A few steps forward. It's the smell of this offering, mild as it is, that hits them all at once, and their gaze snaps sharply to the offering. Who..? Who? Someone who must know them at least a little.. It's been weeks since they've eaten anything but the smallest, most polite portion of snacks as they were watching something with Belle late into the night, but with the tension of recent events that they're still recovering from.. Agitation in them has something in them primed, and this smell sparks that something. It isn't hunger, but it is.. something. An echo? A release? They contemplate, and for a strange minute their body buckles into a deeply unnatural posture, torn between the instincts of the body and the expediency of the plants within them, unbound by anatomical 'should be's. Then, with no face to have to present, dignity is discarded. They descend. Their claws sink into the flesh, hands and robes quickly messied as they let teeth shaped explicitly for shearing flesh serve the purpose they were made for, tearing, and tearing, and tearing. They get lost in it, violence in a perfect replica of something ravenous. Even their jaw unhinges like a snake as they force down more than they could have while alive. Around them, roots snake up and dig through what they can't take, burying themself through it, and then burying it all beneath themself. Once the body reaches its limit and there's no more they can take, they're left crouched, half-consumed in what could look like some kind of art installation of rolling driftwood waves. Gorged, hissing and panting with the strain of pushing beyond anything this thing was ever built for.. They stay like this for some time, basking in catharsis until in an instant, all motion and all sound ceases, and they're left again like a statue. An exhibit that's been turned off.

[lonestarbattleship]

December 30, 2023 Update from the Battleship Texas Foundation

Battleship Texas sporting a Navy Blue 5-N paint on the hull. This is in accordance with the Measure 21 camouflage scheme. The deck (after being replaced) and superstructure will be repainted at a later date. Repairs are ongoing in these areas.

"DRY DOCK TOURS

Dry Dock Tours are scheduled until the end of January 2024. Discount available for those who return. VERY LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPOTS REMAINING. For more information please visit: battleshiptexas.org/drydock

SHIP REPAIRS

Deck repairs are near completion on the ship's flag bridge.

TORPEDO BLISTERS (COMPLETE) - The new torpedo blisters are a slightly different design and square off at the bottom below the waterline. This design change will make the new blisters easier to maintain increasing their longevity.

PAINT - The ship has been coated in a black primer from stern to bow (PPG SIGMA SHIELD 880 GF). Some areas have been top coated as more layers are applied. NAVY BLUE 5-N has been applied to the hull. Touch up has begun on hard to reach areas.

The old and faded blue paint (on the turrets) vs a fresh coat of Navy Blue 5-N.

HULL NUMBER (COMPLETE) - The new hull numbers have been extensively researched so each number is not only the correct font, but applied in the appropriate position it was in 1945. The numbers have been applied to both bow and stern.

New 1945 hull numbers!

SHIP’S NAME APPLIED (COMPLETE) - The lettering for the ship’s name has been cut from steel plate and has been attached to both sides of the stern. A ton of work and research went into getting the correct font and positioning.

COATING (COMPLETE) - The inside of the blisters, and the ship’s hull will be coated to protect against possible corrosion.

TANK CLEANING (COMPLETE) - Tanks inside the ship are being inspected, cleaned, and repaired if need be. Some will be coated with a marine coating to help prevent future corrosion.

AFT FIRE CONTROL - A new steel deck has replaced the steel grating on all added levels of the tower. Mullions for the windows have already started being added. Work will continue to return the tower to its 1945 appearance.

Scaffolding masks the ship's Aft Fire Control Tower as repairs and restoration continue.

Mullions (for the windows that will be added back) are starting to be installed.

SPLASH! - The ship will be put back into the water in late February 2024, but is dependent on the weather.

KEEL BLOCKS - YES, the keel blocks can be moved to coat the docking keels on top of them. The ENTIRE hull will be coated.

Battleship Texas Staff deploy the drone to capture ship progress pictures and video!

Live, Laugh, And Flood your Torpedo Blisters.

To donate to the preservation and operation of Battleship Texas, please visit: battleshiptexas.org

Ship's Store: https://store.battleshiptexas.org/"

Posted on the Battleship Texas Foundation Group Facebook page: link

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

International team captures direct high-definition image of the 'cosmic web'

Matter in intergalactic space is distributed in a vast network of interconnected filamentary structures, collectively referred to as the cosmic web. With hundreds of hours of observations, an international team of researchers has now obtained an unprecedented high-definition image of a cosmic filament inside this web, connecting two active forming galaxies—dating back to when the universe was about 2 billion years old.

A pillar of modern cosmology is the existence of dark matter, which constitutes about 85% of all matter in the universe. Under the influence of gravity, dark matter forms an intricate cosmic web composed of filaments, at whose intersections the brightest galaxies emerge. This cosmic web acts as the scaffolding on which all visible structures in the universe are built: within the filaments, gas flows to fuel star formation in galaxies. Direct observations of the fuel supply of such galaxies would advance our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

However, studying the gas within this cosmic web is incredibly challenging. Intergalactic gas has been detected mainly indirectly through its absorption of light from bright background sources. But the observed results do not elucidate the distribution of this gas. Even the most abundant element, hydrogen, emits only a faint glow, making it basically impossible for instruments of the previous generation to directly observe such gas.

In this new study, an international team led by researchers at the University of Milano-Bicocca and including scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) obtained an unprecedented high-definition image of a cosmic filament using MUSE (Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer), an innovative spectrograph installed on the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

Even with the advanced capabilities of this sophisticated instrument, the research group had to carry out one of the most ambitious MUSE observation campaigns ever completed in a single region of the sky, acquiring data over hundreds of hours to detect the filament at high significance.

The study, led by Davide Tornotti, Ph.D. student at the University of Milano-Bicocca, used this ultrasensitive data to produce the sharpest image ever obtained of a cosmic filament spanning 3 million light-years and connecting two galaxies, each hosting an active supermassive black hole.

The discovery, recently published in Nature Astronomy opens new avenues to directly constrain gas properties within intergalactic filaments and to refine our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

"By capturing the faint light emitted by this filament, which traveled for just under 12 billion years to reach Earth, we were able to precisely characterize its shape, explains Tornotti. "For the first time, we could trace the boundary between the gas residing in galaxies and the material contained within the cosmic web through direct measurements."

The researchers took advantage of supercomputer simulations of the universe run at MPA to calculate predictions of the expected filamentary emission given the current cosmological model. "When compared to the novel high-definition image of the cosmic web, we find substantial agreement between current theory and observations," Tornotti adds.

This discovery and the encouraging agreement with supercomputer simulations are key to understanding the tenuous gas environment around galaxies and open up novel possibilities to pin down the galaxies' fuel supply.

Fabrizio Arrigoni Battaia, MPA staff scientist involved in the study, concludes, "We are thrilled by this direct, high-definition observation of a cosmic filament. But as people say in Bavaria: 'Eine ist keine'—one doesn't count. So we are gathering further data to uncover more such structures, with the ultimate goal of having a comprehensive vision of how gas is distributed and flows in the cosmic web."

TOP IMAGE: Simulation of a vast region of the universe based on the current cosmological model and performed using supercomputers. In the image, the faint glow of the gas within the cosmic filaments, forming a dense cosmic web, is shown in white. At the intersections of these filaments, the gas within galaxies, which fuels the formation of new stars, is highlighted in red. Credit: Alejandro Benitez-Llambay/Universität Mailand-Bicocca/MPA

LOWER IMAGE: The image shows the diffuse gas (yellow to purple) contained within the cosmic filament connecting two galaxies (yellow stars), extending across a vast distance of 3 million light-years. Credit: Davide Tornotti/University of Milano-Bicocca

[pocketseizure]

King Mode

Using his parachute cap, Luigi arrives at the final castle early only to find that it’s not set up yet. Bowser invites him to talk, and Luigi confesses his disappointment that his green hat has become synonymous with easy mode. Bowser puts this into perspective before making a confession of his own.

complete at 1,350 words . ( also on AO3 )

. . . . . . . . . .

Luigi glided to the upper balcony of the castle. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the green hat in his hands shrank down to its normal size. He pushed back his hair and replaced his hat on his head as he stepped across the threshold.

He expected to be met by traps, but instead he found a koopa and a shy guy sitting on a bench and eating sandwiches. The koopa greeted him with a wave.

“Hi Luigi! You’re here early,” she said. “We’re still getting set up. The boss is in the back. Just head down this hallway and take a right. It’s a bit of a mess, but you’ll be fine.”

Luigi didn’t know what he expected. “Okay,” he replied. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Nice place, isn’t it?” the shy guy added.    

It certainly was. Bowser’s team had been taking care of the castle flowers, which looked as healthy as they’d ever been, and the carpet running down the center of the stone floor was freshly shampooed.

“Yeah, it is nice,” Luigi agreed, not knowing how else to respond. “Well, enjoy your afternoon.”

He set off down the corridor. Piranha plants were already arranged along the walls. A few offered their snouts, and Luigi pet them absentmindedly. He took a right at the end of the corridor and abruptly found himself in a cavernous hall whose floor was submerged beneath a swamp of bright purple ooze.

This would have been a problem if he didn’t have a magical hat that doubled as a paraglider. While everyone else had to navigate obstacles by trial and error, Luigi could just glide and enjoy the scenery. That was why he was here early. So early, in fact, that the scaffolding over the poisonous pit hadn’t been removed yet. A few gnarly vines thumped lazily on the boards of the shaky wooden platform, but Luigi had the luxury of ignoring them as he crossed.

The throne room lay on the other side of the makeshift bridge. Aside from a thick jumble of electrical cables snaking across the floor, the chamber was empty. With nothing else to do, Luigi seated himself on one of the oversized plush chairs and made himself comfortable as he studied the colorful mess of objects occupying the room. He couldn’t make sense of most of it, but it was clear that Bowser intended to pull out all the stops for this performance.

If he waited long enough, Luigi decided, Bowser would show up eventually. Sure enough, as soon as the thought entered his mind, there was the man himself.

“Luigi! Good to see you,” Bowser called out. “I was just taking a break. Want some coffee?”

“Wouldn’t you prefer to battle to the death?” Luigi asked as he accepted a mug.

“Maybe later,” Bowser offered affably, seating himself on the throne next to Luigi’s.

Luigi tried the coffee. It was surprisingly good. “Is there any way I could convince you to give the Flower Kingdom back the… what was it you took this time?”

“Just their castle. Sure, I’ll give it back. But I’m not done with it yet.”

“Don’t people live here?”

“Would you want to live in a giant castle with bad plumbing built over a poisonous swamp? I’m telling you, this place was practically begging for renovations.”

“That’s a fair point. Sorry for getting here early, by the way.”

“Don’t apologize! It’s good to see you.” Bowser flashed his teeth. “And besides, the Yoshis have been running around the castle since this morning. They’re handy little buggers. Who do you think made this coffee?”

“Yoshis drink coffee?”

“Don’t dinosaurs drink coffee where you’re from? Listen, I want to show you something we’re installing on the lower level,” Bowser said as he passed Luigi an electrical panel adorned with a comically large red button.

“I’m not sure I should push this.”

“Come on, I’ve been working on it for weeks. You’re gonna love it.”

Luigi shrugged. What was the worst that could happen?

As soon as he pushed the button, a set of wall panels dropped to reveal cannon barrels. An explosive bang reverberated across the room as missiles fired into the room. They moved slowly, their flight governed by motion stabilizers. Each trailed a puffy cloud of rainbow-colored smoke.

Luigi considered how he might navigate this hazard. Jumping from missile to missile would require keen reflexes and precise timing. Or, as he had done up to that point, he could simply glide. Not much challenge there.

“That’s impressive,” Luigi said, doing his best to infuse his voice with enthusiasm.

“Damn right it is,” Bowser agreed. “You could even say these missiles pass with flying colors.”

Luigi nodded. “I like the rainbow. It’s always good to take a shot in the bright direction.”

The missiles hit the far wall, and the castle shook. Luigi cringed as the thick electrical cables hanging from the ceiling swayed with a menacing looseness.

“You don’t seem all that impressed,” Bowser observed. “I can take critique. Lay it on me.”

Luigi knew that Bowser could not, in fact, take critique. Mercifully, it wasn’t Bowser’s work that was the problem.

“I was just thinking about how it’s a classic combo, the bullet bridge over the poison swamp,” Luigi said. “It’s a fun obstacle course to navigate, if you have the skills, but that sort of thing always gives me trouble. I assumed I would get better, but I never did. Now I probably never will. I’m starting to feel bad for using my hat to bypass traps like this.”

“Why would you feel bad?”

Bowser seemed confused, so Luigi told him the truth. “It’s like I’m going through this on easy mode.”

“And what’s the matter with that?”

“It feels like cheating. And worse, I hate that it’s my green hat that’s become the symbol of just gliding through a level.”

“Hey, I worked on this project for years with the help of my staff and the entire Flower Kingdom. Don’t you think I want people to see as much of it as possible? No one is going to appreciate the full extent of my brilliance if they quit halfway.” Bowser laughed and clapped Luigi on the back. “You keep saying ‘easy mode,’ but I think they should call it king mode!”

“Don’t mind that I got here early?”

“Of course not. Junior’s away from the castle, and everyone’s busy with last-minute prep. I don’t have much to do until Mario and the princess get here, and I wanted to spend time with you. That’s why I made those adjustments to your hat. Didn’t I tell you?”

Luigi finished his coffee, savoring the moment. Bowser, who normally couldn’t keep his mouth shut, hadn’t said anything about this before now. Luigi supposed that he didn’t mind. In a world built for people like Mario, it was nice to feel welcome and included.

“So, now that I’m here,” Luigi prompted, “what do you want to do?”

“I was hoping you’d ask! Did you get a chance to try the wonder seeds on your way to the castle?”

“I took every chance I could get. Wonder seeds are way better than mushrooms. Back at home, there are so many mushrooms that I’m always tripping on them.”

Bowser snorted in approval. “I can see how that doesn’t leave mushroom for adventure. But wouldn’t you know it, I happen to have a high-quality batch of wonder seeds not available to the general public. This is the king’s own stash,” Bowser boasted as he presented Luigi with a velvet bag.

Luigi selected one of the chestnut husks and pulled its sprout, revealing a seed of an unusually brilliant turquoise blue. Something this neon couldn’t be healthy, but Luigi’s time in the Mushroom Kingdom had taught him not to be picky. With any luck, this wouldn’t be the strangest thing he’d put in his mouth before the day was over.

“Here’s to king mode!” Bowser toasted before emptying the bag of seeds into his mouth.

“Here’s to king mode,” Luigi agreed. He took a bite of the wonder seed and sat back to enjoy the show.

[koko-mochi]

TR404

Operator Slocumb stood with one boot on the lip of the cockpit, leaning down to tighten the nylon straps on the harness holding the cockpit’s occupant in place. Machine Interface Device TR404, callsign “Terra,” looked up at her operator, wincing as Slocumb cranked the straps tight, buckling them to the bulkhead at the back of the cockpit.

“I saw that,” the Operator teased, “No complaints now. You know full well what can happen if you’re not properly secured in here.”

TR404 gave a meek nod, and then looked down at the stumps of her legs, splayed out through the leg openings in her harness. She had lost the legs a few years ago in a stupid accident, result of teenage recklessness. Turned out losing your legs made you an ideal candidate for a career that required sacrificing a large percentage of your biological body.

Slocumb crouched down and connected heavy, stiff cables to sockets that had been installed in TR404’s stumps. Somewhere in the cockpit, a computer whirred to life and began running pre-launch diagnostics on Terra’s peripheral nervous system. She felt phantom pain sear her limbs as the computer rapidly cycled through the various loads and sensations her nervous system would have to endure once the mech was active. TR404 gritted her teeth, but still her eyes moistened from the pain, and she knuckled away a tear.

And then there was a hand on the top of her head, pushing it forward as Operator Slocumb connected a plug the size of a fist to the base of her skull, with a heavy bundle of cables sprouting from it, snaking down into the darkness of the mech’s interior. TR404 felt her brain prickle, as the mech systems formed a connection to her human nervous system.

She had sacrificed a lot of her human body to become what she now was, but some things were irreplaceable. Her brain was still her human brain, she still wore her human face, and a human heart beat within her chest. She was both human and machine, but not wholly either. To Nakata Corp she was a Machine Interface Device, an essential link between the Operator, transmitting instructions from central command, and the mech, unleashing destruction upon the battlefield.

She furrowed her brow and opened her mouth, but the fuzz of the developing connection between her brain and the machine overrode her Broca region, and she couldn’t make words anymore. Operator Slocumb noticed it, and paused, lifting TR404’s chin so their eyes met. “You’re doing great, TR404, we’re almost ready.” She picked up a U-shaped piece of steel and silicon that the Operators called a “muzzle,” and fit it over the lower half of TR404’s face, from the bridge of her nose to the back of her jaw. It clicked into place, plugging into two sockets just below her ears, and then tightened, pistons twisting down, holding Terra’s jaw closed.

For a moment, her eyes widened, dilating, panic written across her visible features. But it was short lived. The muzzle pumped psychotropic chemistry into the sockets below TR404’s ears, and she felt that warm comfort overwriting the fear, pain, and anxiety she felt.

Operator Slocumb gently ran a finger over TR404’s brow. “There you go, what a good girl you are.” She hopped backwards from the lip of the cockpit onto the scaffold constructed in front of the mech. “Let’s get you out there.” She punched a code on her datapad and the cockpit began closing.

With a thud and a hiss it sealed, and Terra was left in the dark.

[messusminnow]

JEGULUS/SPIDERMAN MINI FIC.

I’ve been thinking about them recently and a fanart of them as Spideys from different universes. So here is a little something for your reading pleasure. There may be a couple more installments.

Rating: M

James couldn’t be sure how he’d gotten there. He knew his head was burning and he felt shaky with all of the lights and sounds. He’d already almost been hit by three cars that were zooming through the air.

The air!?

That wasn’t even the first realization James had at just how far from home he was. The very first was the water that was covering any ground he couldn’t see. What was this place?

“You’re a long way from home.” A voice came from behind him.

James turned quickly, ready to continue the fight he’d been having only moments before. He paused, the black suit with the silver webbing across it took him by surprise. He nearly lost his balance on the precarious perch of the skyscraper he’d gotten himself onto.

“Cool retro spidey suit.” The black spider said.

“Who are you?” James asked.

The Black Spiderman held his arms out as if it was obvious. “I’m Spiderman. At least in this universe.”

“This universe?” James’s head was swimming.

“How’d you get here?” The boy dropped down next to James.

“I don’t know.” James looked around, flashing lights and constant noise weren’t new to him. He was a New Yorker after all, but this was an entirely new monster. “I was battling Green Goblin—“ James looked around for the villain, there were endless places he could be hiding.

“And then I was suddenly here, flying through the air almost getting smashed by these hovercrafts.”

“You came through a wormhole.” The boy pointed further away from them. “It appeared right there.”

“Did anyone else get through with me?” James was still scanning the horizon for Gobby and his glider.

“Nope, just you.”

“I’ve got to get back.” James shot a web out to catch the nearest building. “Gobby is probably wreaking havoc all over my city by now.”

“I don’t think you can go that way.” Black Spidey shook his head.

“Well I’ve got to try.” James said. “Er… nice meeting you.”

He leapt from the building, catching webs until he finally reached where the other Spider-Man had said he’d appeared, propelling himself forward and shooting through the air only to find himself falling towards the water again. He shot a web out, missing the nearest building and plummeting downwards.

“Oh shit!” James swore, trying to release a couple more webs to no avail. At least he could swim, although he hated when his suit got drenched.

A hard force was now colliding with his body and tugging him upwards, back to safety at the base of a large scaffolding.

“I told you that wouldn’t work.” Black Spider-Man admonished.

“Thanks for that.” James rasped, his hands still wrapped around the other boys shoulders. “Usually I’m the one doing the saving. It’s quite nice.”

“Oh for fucks sake.” Black Spidey hissed. “We need to move now. Follow me!”

James watched as the boy released his webs and flew into the air. He had no choice but to follow the other boy, just in time as a blast of hot molten goo exploded right where they had just been.

“Two spiders to squash. It must be my lucky day!” Squealed Green Goblin.

“I thought you said he didn’t follow me!” James yelled towards the Black Spider-Man who was now swinging around a building.

“He didn’t.” The boy said. “This guy isn’t from your universe. He’s from mine.”

“Hobgoblin! Get Spidey!” Green Goblin commanded.

“Which one?” Hobgoblin yelled from his own green and black glider.

“Take your pick!” Gobby smiled, grabbing two more bombs from his pack.

James took only a moment to get his bearings before swinging back around and kicking Hobgoblin off his glider, the glider jetting down underneath to catch him before he fell into the ocean.

“Spider-Man!” Black Spidey yelled, grabbing James by the arm they spun into each other, the air rushing out of James at the force of it.

“Make a sticky web down there!” He pointed towards the water. “I’ll keep them busy then drop them to you.”

“Alright.” James dropped down and began working on his sticky web, glancing up as Black Spidey soared through the sky like a ballet dancer. It was incredible to watch. He took Hobgoblin’s punches with ease, wrapping the boy up in webs until he couldn’t anymore.

“One coming down.” He called to James as Hobgoblin fell towards his incomplete web trap.

“Hold on!” James yelled, catching the young villain just before he hit the water, he began spinning him into the web around him fully encasing Hobby into it.

“Two Spidermen is cheating.” The boy complained.

“Can it kid.” James snapped. “I’m not even meant to be here.”

He was spinning as quickly as he could as Green Goblin came falling into his web, flailing and throwing the last of his bombs. James encapsulated them, minimizing the explosion that still hit him, searing his face through his mask.

“Are you alright?” Black Spidey was now with him, spinning Gobby up tightly next to his son. “I’m sorry! I thought I’d gotten him to use all of his bombs.”

“I’m alright.” James grunted, his ears were ringing and a dull throb has started just behind his eyes.

“Quick let’s get out of here before the police show up. They don’t take kindly to me and you by association. Can you still spin?”

“Yeah. I think so.” James said, releasing his webs and following Black Spidey through the skyline.

He could feel the wind whip against his exposed face and his right ribcage. He must have taken more damage than he thought. He looked up towards the other Spidey, he could see milky white skin and blood covering his back.

“You’re hurt!” James yelled.

“I’ll be fine.” The other boy responded. “Let’s just get to safety.”

He followed Black Spidey until they finally stopped in a far more run down piece of town, the skyscraper old and rotted where water was engulfing it.

“In here.” Spidey said, crawling through a webbed tunnel. James followed, the full extent of his injuries finally hitting him. He tore his mask off as he vomited in the sticky webbing.

“I worried you may have gotten a concussion from that blow to the head. I’ve got something inside that’ll help.” Black Spidey was next to him again. “Can you make it?”

“I’ll be fine.” James said. “Worry about yourself.”

Black Spider-Man was shaking from the pain of his own wounds. He shook his head and continued crawling forward, giving James no option but to follow him.

When they finally emerged in a run down room James truly felt like he may pass out. He tugged his glasses out of their special compartment and slid them on, his eyes trying to fully focus.

“Weird.” black Spidey said, tugging his own mask off.

James stared at the face of the boy, his heart slamming hard in his chest.

“Reggie?” James spluttered.

Regulus made a face. “How’d you know my name?”

“You… were dead. H-how—“ Images of Regulus’s body slamming into the concrete, slipping just out of James’s grasp flooded into his mind. He could practically feel the weight of the boys lifeless body in his arms.

“Stop.” Regulus snapped, his hands now covering James’s mouth. “Don’t say another word. I can’t know about my death in a different universe. It’ll give me nightmares of it.”

“But you’re here now.” James grabbed Reggie’s hands tugging him closer. “You’re here. And you’re… Spider-Man in this universe? Who the hell am I then?”

“No idea.” Regulus shoved James’s hands away and turned peeling his suit down his skin. He tossed a bottle of pills behind him, James’s hand reaching up to catch them on instinct.

“Take three. It’ll heal you. Then we’ll worry about getting you home.” Regulus was now trying to dab an ointment on his ruined back.

James took the three pills, swallowing harshly. “Can I help?”

Regulus squinted at him and shrugged, handing the bottle of ointment to James and turning. James squeezed some onto his hand, rubbing down the other boys back.

James sighed, his hands shaking against the boy identical to his Reggie.

“Whatever bullshit you’re thinking about knock it off. I’m not him.” Regulus said harshly.

“I know that.” James said.

They were silent again.

“Who was he?” Regulus asked, quieter this time.

“His family owned a corrupt corporation that was siphoning funds from their non profit hospital and not caring for its tenants. He and I were trying to bring them to justice.” James said, wiping the excess ointment onto his suit leg.

“My parents were terrible too, but they’re dead now.” Regulus said slowly, turning to face James.

He was so beautiful, his light blue eyes giving James the same burning sensation down to his core. His high cheek bones sending electricity through his fingertips. He balled his hands into fists to keep from reaching out and touching the stranger in front of him.

“And you loved him?” Regulus finally said.

“Yes.” James breathed.

“I’m not him.” Regulus turned away, tugging his ruined suit back over his shoulders, zipping up the side. “C’mon. I know someone who can help with your little world issue.”

***