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400legends · 1 year

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Super Scanner Scenario (Day 183)

"What we have here," I declared to the crew with full confidence, "is a super scanner scenario. And I know just what to do. We take our radar dish, and we point it at Malaka. Our signal, amplified by the ship itself, will bounce straight back to them, revealing exactly who is scanning us."

This was met by a moment of silence, and then Esmae half raised her hand and said, "I don't think that's how scanners work, Doctor Quinn."

"I'm a scientist, you know, a computer specialist. I have very high intelligence, so I think I know more about scanners than, excuse me for saying this, someone who spends a lot of time as a frog."

The captain spoke up. "Ah, Quinn? We're not gonna do that. It's dumb. It's a dumb, dumb idea." Cosmic Peanut laid a hand on my shoulder. "You feeling OK, buddy? You didn't eat that casserole you made, did you? It smelled off." She rubbed my arm. "Why don't you go run some diagnostics, huh? Just make sure you're not, I dunno leaking memory or oil or something."

I nodded silently at the captain and left the galley. I heard Hex, our newest member, say, "We could go dark for awhile. Seems like we got to be at the tippy-tippy edge of their range."

"Indeed, Captain," said EDI, "my best estimate puts the scanner ship three days' distance from us."

Three days from us and they could paint the ship so completely? I hit my comms so I could both obey the captain's orders and still be at least a silent part of the conversation.

"I've never seen wave forms like this," said Cosmic Peanut. "What the hell tech are they using? Merrin? You ever see anything like this back home? Who but Kygore could pull off something like this?"

"This is not my area - at all," said Requiem, "but do these lines mean they are getting closer?"

"Probably?" said Merrin. "But that does not mean they know where we are. Especially now that we're coasting."

"EDI? Set up an encrypted link to Nyla Brassjaw."

"What are you thinking, Peanut?" asked Esmae.

"I don't know. Honestly. But I'm out of ideas right now."

Several minutes of silence followed, and then Cosmic Peanut said, "What's LB doing all the way out here?"

"Is that a person or a ship? What did Nyla say?" asked Requiem.

"She kindly reminded me to check the bounty hunter app. A guy I kinda know - Ladybug - is out here. 'Small crew, mighty ship.' Hell of a dancer. You know how Ix are, right? Got the moves. So maybe he can--"

I couldn't help myself. I broke in on comms. "Captain? Do you think we could rendezvous with them, go aboard their ship, and set Malaka on autopilot for a bit?"

"Have you been listening this whole time? Don't do that. But it's a good idea. I'll ask."

"The 'small crew' part of his posting might be a problem," said Merrin.

A few minutes later Cosmic Peanut had worked out a deal where for a thousand credits, Ladybug would guide us into a nearby asteroid field where he was hiding his ship. We'd lure the scanner ship in, and Ladybug would ambush them and lead them out of the asteroid field while we laid low.

It seemed like as good a plan as any, but as the scanner ship came within firing range we saw that instead of blasting things with their weapon systems, things they hit just disappeared.

"I wonder if that is some sort of displacement blaster," said Requiem. "Are they somehow sending targets to another plane?"

"Let's not find out," said Cosmic Peanut. "LB, we're coming in!"

As we threaded the asteroid field and passed Ladybug's hiding place, heading to our own special hiding spot, Merrin checked the cameras and said, "Looking good; they're following. And there's LB! They won't know.... Oh no."

Esmae craned to look over Merrin's shoulder. "What? What happened?"

"Ladybug's ship. It's gone."

At this point the captain had us in our hiding place - a hollowed out asteroid. We cut the engines and dimmed the lights and stared at each other. In the silence there was a ping! Cosmic Peanut looked at her handheld and read, "Contract has been canceled. Contractor unable to complete contract. Refund in progress."

EDI said, "Captain, a crew member has left the ship."

We looked around in panic and realized that Hex was missing. "Is Hex skipping out on us?" I said. "Where's he going to go?"

"Wait," said Requiem, "Whose contract has been cancelled? Hex or LB?"

Esmae hit her comms. "Hex? What are you doing?"

"Just checkin' on things. Takin' a peek. Be back in 30."

When he came back he said, "Seems like we're clear. Not sure why but they sure don't want to kill us. Probably hoping to pounce on us coming out the other side."

"They evaporated Ladybug," I said. "So how can you say they don't want to kill us?"

"Because they would have blasted anything big enough to hide us." He shrugged. "That's what I'd have done anyway. I say we jettison the escape pod, lay low for a day or two and then get out of here."

"Oooo, I don't really want to throw away our only escape pod," said Cosmic Peanut. "But as Quinn said, this is a super scanner scenario, so....." Her eye lit up. "Gimme a sec." Her fingers raced across the console. She pushed away and said, "I programmed the pod's database to show that we had a catastrophic breach and had to abandon ship. Hey, EDI? Do we have any meat in the locker? I want this pod's crash landing to look authentic." She grinned at all of us.

I said, "Speaking of food, I think I'll get in some more cooking practice while we lay low."

"Do you want some company?" This from Esmae.

"I'm very sorry. I said some not nice things to you, and I offer my apologies, but why would you want to be around me?"

"That doesn't matter." She threaded her arm through mine. "Have you heard of tiramisu? Your cupcakes were truly terrible, but tiramisu? I think that could be your signature dessert."

"I get a signature dessert?" Enraptured, I let Esmae lead me to the galley.

#dnd #spaceships and starwyrms #dnd stories

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invcntions · 2 years

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also ryder and esma please thank u xx

Who starts most fights? oh they absolutely both do, they’re so chaotic that honestly it just depends on who’s feeling more on edge on any given day to get things rolling. Who surrenders at the end of most fights? haha neither of them. why surrender in a fight when you can just break up again and be angsty about it for months before getting back together without admitting any wrongdoing. Who is more likely to cry during a fight? i feel like esma. she seems smart enough to know it’s one of the sure ways to make ryder feel awful and also just is slightly more likely to be how she shows she cares whereas ryder shuts down when he’s feeling too much. Who is more likely to storm out during a fight? ryder every time. when things get too much for him he takes off to find alcohol and a good distraction for a while Who is louder in fights? again ryder, he doesn’t angry yell or anything but he definitely gets louder the more frustrated he gets especially when he’s trying to defend himself and his actions. Who is more likely to throw things in fights? also ryder, never at her of course but he’s thrown a glass or two against a wall when he’s drunk and unhappy. Who is more likely to bring up past mistakes? lmao look they both absolutely do, it’s all fair game - the names of people they’ve slept with, forgotten dates and celebrations, anything to make a point. Who is more likely to give the silent treatment? i’m going to assume esma. i reckon she’d be great at doing it as well while ryder can’t keep his mouth shut and it DEFINITELY winds him up lmao. Who is more likely to blame the other? also esma? she’s good at playing innocent and lets be honest ryder never is so it’s quite easy to put all the blame on him when they’re fighting. Who is more likely to blame themselves? nether blame themselves out loud but deep down they both kinda do and ryder 100% does when they’re separated and he shows up wasted and sad at hers he probably spends half the time apologizing and saying it’s all his fault. Who gets jealous more easily? oh absolutely both of them, esma in the current thread maybe but the moment she’s actually seeing anyone else ryder is just 99% jealousy and kinda a wreak. Who is angered more easily? i actually want to say esma? ryder gets frustrated rather than angry and i feel like he just does plenty of things to piss her off. Who is more likely to break off the relationship? they both do at various points... Who is more likely to threaten to leave? ryder probably, he says it a lot more than he actually means it though. Who is more likely to actually leave? esma, i feel like she’s better at following through so while she threatens it less often she’s more likely to actually do it when she does. Who is more likely to forget the other first? neither do okay that’s why they come back to each other every single time, deep down they’re the only thing that matters :’(

#* ships; ryder and esma #ugh i just love them so much

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kate-likes-this · 4 years

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Pedro for GQ Germany (09-10/20)

By Esma Annemon Dil • Photo by: Doug Inglish Related: photoshoot / list of articles / Auf Deutch

It's almost eerie how empty the streets of Los Angeles are under the bright sun. While Europe is groping its way into its “new normal”, here in LA even those who are not neurotic are still apprehensive. Many of them haven't met their friends for six months. The pandemic is out of control. The reactions to it, too. Inviting someone to the garden for a “distance drink” can lead to exactly the same amount of annoyance as suggesting a partner swap.

It was all the more surprising that Pedro Pascal immediately accepted. So for a drink, not to swap partners. He's one of the big climbers of the year - and if Corona hadn't put the film industry on compulsory leave, there probably wouldn't have been time for this drink. After “Game of Thrones”, the series in which his skull was suddenly crushed, the lead role in “Narcos” followed in 2015 as a DEA agent on the hunt for Pablo Escobar, and now the step into the big Hollywood cinema. From October 1st, the native Chilean will appear in the blockbuster "Wonder Woman 1984". In addition, the second season of the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” starts in October on Disney+ with him in the lead role - but under his helmet. And somehow we are all under a helmet in 2020. We want to meet this man who worked as a waiter in New York a few years ago, whose parents are political refugees who found asylum in Denmark, settled in Texas and whose son went to the theater company one day in high school.

Then the rejection! While we were just preparing the house and the garden for a drink with Pedro, and organizing the fashion shoot - which is not easy under the current security precautions in LA -, his management called us with an unfortunate news: Pedro had - no, no Corona - to be operated due to an accident, and now in bed with a swelling face that does not allow any conversation or photo-session.

A few days later he was standing in front of the door, puffy, still with threads in his mouth, not been brought by a limo service, but in his own car - and a make-up artist he also picked up at home and brought with him. He helps her bringing in her work utensils - what a gentleman - and lets you know first: “Now I have time today!” At first we didn't want to ask him about how he made it onto Hollywood's A-List, but he promopts us.

Pedro Pascal: Sorry that I messed up your plans. The operation was an absolute emergency.

GQ: Really? We wondered if the swelling wasn't the result of a secret visit to the cosmetic surgeon. They should currently not be able to save themselves from orders due to the quarantine in Hollywood.

I have to disappoint you there. I sped to the hospital a few days before our appointment with a tooth fracture and the worst pain of my life - one where the severe corona cases end up. I couldn't reach a dentist! A specialist called me back shortly before the parking garage. I'll spare you the details of the operation, truly scary. Anyway, the pain was hellish, despite the ten injections. The doctor said that I was not an isolated incident, as people grind their teeth extremely from stress at night.

What are you most afraid of at the moment?

How the government is dealing with the pandemic worries me even more than the virus itself. This lack of intelligent crisis management is a moral shame. The leadership crisis in the country makes us all orphans - penniless left to our own devices.

How have you spent the last few months?

With frozen pizza in a jogging suit in Venice Beach. I live in a back building that is in a family's garden. There are actually plenty of good take-out restaurants nearby, but for some reason I like salami pizza from the supermarket.

That doesn't exactly sound like a movie star lifestyle. How does it feel when you are slowed down from top speed to zero?

If you look at what else is going on in the world, you should keep your own sensitivities in check. I would have to lie if I pretended not to be disappointed. The whole team put an incredible amount of heart and soul into the production of “Wonder Woman 1984”. We had a lot of fun on set. I would have liked to travel the world with this feeling of liveliness, and present the film.

You come from a politically active, socialist family who fled Chile from the Pinochet regime. What do you remember back then?

My sister and I were born in Chile, but I was only 9 months old when we first found asylum in Denmark. From there we moved to San Antonio, Texas, where my father worked as a doctor at the university clinic.

Texas isn't exactly known as a socialist utopia. How did you settle in there?

San Antonio is not a cowboy city, but rather diverse, with large Asian, black and Latino communities. I remember it as a romantic place, culturally open. The culture shock didn't come until we later moved to Orange County, California. There the atmosphere was suddenly white, preppy and conservative.

How were you received in California?

I am still ashamed now when I think about the fact that my classmates just called me Peter and I didn't correct that. I am Pedro. Even if I didn't grow up in Chile, the country and the language are part of me. I was pretty unhappy in this environment. But at least I was able to switch to another school near Long Beach where I felt more comfortable. I found my way through the school theater there.

Were you able to visit your family's home as a child?

Yes, when my parents landed on a list of exiles who were allowed to return without consequences. First, there was a big family reunion, then my sister and I were stayed there with relatives for a few months while my parents went back to Texas. They probably needed a break from us. They got us pretty young, a lively social life, and my mother was doing a PhD in psychology.

Was your mother a typical young psychologist who wants to apply her theoretical knowledge at home?

You mean, was I a guinea pig? In any case. I still remember weird tests and sessions disguised as a game, where someone watched me react to different toys. Although I couldn't have been more than six, I was aware of the dynamic. I preferred to be asked about my dreams. It was always a wonderful opportunity to come up with fantastic stories.

Was that your first performance?

Without doubt! My mother was troubled by my strong imagination, as I would rather live in my fantasy world than reality. I hated school. I ended up in the “problem child” drawer. At some point the topics got more interesting and my grades got better. So many children are unnecessarily diagnosed with learning disabilities without considering that class can be downright daunting. Why is it acceptable to be so bored in class when there are more stimulating ways to impart knowledge?

With all that is happening in the world this summer, do you think that we are now taking social change seriously enough?

Hopefully. I went back to people for the first time after the lockdown to take the streets for “Black Lives Matter”. The energy was peaceful and hopeful until the police interfered and provoked serious rioting. After all, we cannot run away from the problems as we usually do and are less likely to distract ourselves. It seems as if the pressure of the pandemic has led to a new clarity: we do not want to continue like this.

The trailer for "Wonder Woman 1984" revives the optimism of the 80s. From today's perspective that is almost nostalgic.

Not without a reason. You're really happy for a full two hours. The director Patty Jenkins has made a film full of positive messages. We shot in Washington, DC, then in London and Spain - which sounds like I'm telling from a bygone era.

Do you miss traveling?

It is only now becoming clear what a privilege it is to be able to pack your things and fly anywhere. With an American passport you could always move freely. And that is why it is actually unimaginable in what small radius our life now takes place. In the last few years I have often withdrawn between filming because I was so much on the go and overstimulated. Friends have already complained about how comfortable I have become. We all took social exchange for granted and are only now realizing how much we depend on human closeness. In the past few weeks I have often wistfully thought of all the party and dinner invitations that I canceled earlier.

In LA, you spend more time in private spaces or in nature than in other metropolises that are more oriented towards public life. Could this city be your retreat after New York?

My real home is my friends. I lead a nomadic life from an early age and have never taken deep roots anywhere. Until recently, the physical home was a place between arrival and departure and therefore not something I wanted to complicate with the accumulation of things. On the contrary: without having read Marie Kondo's book beforehand, I have freed myself of ballast in recent years and have already lived quite reduced.

Is there nothing that you collect or that you wouldn't say goodbye to?

Books! I even have the literature I read as a teenager and in college. The other day I came across a box of old theater manuscripts and materials from my studies at New York University. I can't easily part with art, just as I can't part with lamps or old photos. On the other hand, furniture and clothes are not a problem.

Do you remember roles that the costumes really defined?

Yes, “Game of Thrones” comes to mind primarily. During this time I first understood what it means to be supported by a look as an actor. I owe that to the costume designer Michele Clapton. For my role, she developed these very feminine robes and brocade coats, which looked dressed but manly and in which I felt sexy. And of course Lindy Hemming's power suits and Jan Sewell's bleached hairstyle for the tycoon villain Maxwell Lord in “Wonder Woman 1984” were also very important. In terms of style, I didn't see myself in this role at first, as the cuts and colors of the 80s don't necessarily suit my body. I'm seventies by type.

Do you take inspiration like this into your private wardrobe?

In my spare time, a cool look is now being abandoned in favor of comfort. Occasionally, I feel sorry for the times when I expressed myself through a certain style. Hard to imagine that I went to raves as a teenager in the 90s; a real club kid with insane outfits: overalls, parachute pants, soccer jerseys and a top hat, as in the children's book "The Cat In The Hat" by Dr. Seuss. Later in New York I was out and about with a clique in which it was very important to have a certain style. The fact that I am now only out and about in jogging pants is not really possible!

Anyone who plays in comic book adaptations actually becomes a bodybuilder and eats ten steamed chicken breasts a day. How about you?

My body wouldn't go along with that. I find it hard enough to keep in shape. From your mid-40s you have to be a lot more disciplined. Until the tooth incident, I worked in the garden with a trainer several times a week to get the quarantine body under control.

Apart from this coach, is there any steady relationship in your life?

I am not that far yet. Maybe someday, but until then, I'll show mercy. Unfortunately, I don't even have absurd corona dating stories to offer.

What would get on your nerves the most if you had yourself as a roommate?

I can be pretty decisive. I have to scrape together all of my humanity so as not to push through my film selection every evening. If I want something, I don't approach it from behind or passively-aggressively, but in frontal mode. I also tend to tunnel vision: if I feel bad, I cannot imagine that it will eventually get better. I find it difficult to put emotions into perspective or to cast off problems. Method acting really wouldn't be for me at all. And that's why I try to only work on projects that feel good, where you support and encourage each other.

Before trying on clothes [for the photoshoot], you spoke of a lack of self-esteem. How does that go with a career like yours?

Isn't it interesting how these properties and conditions are related? Self-worth comes from within, but it is also influenced by what society values, as we often adopt critical views from outside. I lived in New York for 20 years, studied there and then, until my mid-30s, earned my living as a waiter because I couldn't keep my head above water with theater and occasional film roles. Again and again it almost worked. The disappointment of repeatedly missing a perfect role or opportunity can be weary. When should you give up and what would plan B be? These questions arise not only for most actors, but also for many others,who struggle to survive professionally - no matter how much potential they have or how close the tip seems to be within reach. We are just realizing how much our narrow definition of success is destroying society. At the same time, we also become aware that origin and skin color still determine the likelihood of being able to lead a dignified existence.

What are the positive aspects of relatively late success as a leading man?

I have the feeling that I can shape my life myself - without being under pressure of accepting projects or having to develop a certain identity on social media. That certainly has to do with the fact that I am a man. Sadly, it’s different for women, and needs to change that - regardless of age -, they have been constrained by social conventions where they either expected to play a predefined character, or go through even more struggles to get their talent and skills recognized.

Life is always a risk management, but even more so than usual. What would you be ready to lose?

Generally speaking, if you don't risk anything, you run the risk of achieving nothing. That goes for friendship, love, work, creativity. For everything that really means something to me, I have to be ready to take risks.

#Pedro Pascal #pp article

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ottomanladies · 6 years

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Hi,I know this is probably a weird questions,but could you list some of the luxurious weddings in the Ottoman Empire,I know Sultan Ibrahim i and Haseki Telli Humasah Sultan was very luxrious and heavily celebrated,beating Suleiman and Hurrem's wedding.

Hello! This is quite a difficult question because after Süleyman I (and especially after the Ottomans stopped winning wars) weddings were one of the biggest celebrations designed to display the grandeur of the dynasty.

Therefore they were all more or less magnificent.

the wedding of Pargali Ibrahim Paşa and Muhsine Hatun: it was the first big celebration in Suleyman's reign and the whole affair lasted 15 days. The historian Peçevi, not a contemporary, described it like this: "spread before the eyes was such abundance and merriment as had never before been observed at the wedding of a princess.'', which is why later historian presumed that Ibrahim's wife was an imperial princess.

the wedding of Mihrimah Sultan and Said Mehmed Paşa: she was one of the daughters of Mahmud II and the wedding was described by Julia Pardoe, who was there at the time. I don't know if it was expecially grand compared to other weddings or if the retelling is influenced by the author, who had never seen an ottoman wedding before, but the huge quantity of jewels given to the princess is outstanding: “But the most gorgeous display was yet to come; embroidered handkerchiefs whose gold and silver threads were mingled with silks of many hues, and whose texture was almost as impalpable as the gossamer — jackets of velvet worked on the sleeves and breasts with precious stones—trowsers sprinkled with stars of gold and silver — anteries of white silk, wrought with coloured jewels — robes of satin powdered with seed-pearl —slippers as diminutive as that of Cinderella, fringed with floss silk, and powdered with rubies ; and finally, sixteen bearers, balancing upon their heads cages of silver wire, resting on cushions of crimson velvet, whereon were displayed the bridal diamonds. The sunshine was flashing on them as they passed us, and at times it was impossible to look upon them. It seemed as though the trees of the Serai must have dropped diamonds, to supply the profusion of the Imperial Father. It is impossible to describe them — the diadems and bracelets, the necklaces and wreaths, the rings and clasps: suffice it that every female article of dress or ornament, for which this costly stone could be made available, was here in its magnificence ; and assuredly the gifts of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon must have sunk into insignificance before the bridal trousseau of the Princess Mihirmah—” The Glory of the Moon ! “

the wedding of Abdülmecid I and Rahime Perestu (future valide sultan): I'm going to include this one since it's almost an anomaly. Ottoman sultans - after Süleyman I - tended to keep their wedding ceremonies as private as possible, but Princess Ayşe recorded it in her memoirs so we have a glimpse of what a wedding with the sultan looked like towards the end of the empire: "Within the week the marriage ceremony was celebrated with all due tradition in Princess Esma’s villa in the presence of the Sultan’s ministers. One week after that, [the lady Perestu] was ushered into Princess Esma’s silver-lined carriage in her pearl-trimmed red dress, tiara, and bridal veil, and sent oﬀ to the palace. In those days Sultan Abdülmecid still resided in Topkapı Palace, and he greeted his bride at the main entrance gate into the harem, wearing a splendid uniform with an aigrette plume atop his fez. He took her by the arm and escorted her into the Sovereign’s Hall in the palace harem, having her take a seat in the nook that had been prepared for the bride. Grandfather’s children were young then. Sultan Mahmud’s daughters and consorts came in and joined in the ceremony, as did the wives of important personages. Gold coins were scattered as Grandfather and his bride passed by, and the band, composed of forty ladies from Sultan Abdülmecid’s harem, all dressed in men’s costumes, played marches. Sultan Mecid’s other consorts attended as well, scattering coins. Until evening they passed the time listening to the ensemble playing traditional Ottoman music, after which sherbet was served, followed by a banquet. It was quite a splendid wedding celebration in the palace. Th at evening, according to custom, the couple entered the bridal chamber, where Princess Esma kissed the bride and groom on their foreheads and said a prayer on their behalf."

Peirce says that the weddings of Murad III's daughters were especially splendid but does not describe them, unfortunately. We only know that they were celebrated in the Old Palace, which had become the standard place for imperial weddings, and that from there the bride was taken to the palace of her husband. "The historian Selaniki described the excitement of the crowds who turned out to watch the elaborate processional that carried Fatma Sultan, who was concealed behind a screen of red satin, to the palace of her new husband. On such festive occasions, the lucky onlooker might receive one of the coins distributed as tokens of the dynasty's beneficence (and perhaps also as a means of ensuring a sizeable and appreciative audience): Selaniki wrote that at the wedding of Fatma Sultan "skirtfulls of shiny new coins were distributed . . . those who did not receive any sighed with longing." -- Leslie P. Peirce. The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

#anon #ask post #ask: ottoman history #suleyman i #pargali ibrahim pasha #mihrimah sultan daughter of mahmud ii #rahime perestu sultan #abdulmecid i #murad iii #late ottoman empire

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tasksweekly · 7 years

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[TASK 052: AFGHANISTAN]

Shout out to anon for inspiring this task! There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 70+ Afghan faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite Afghan faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by a Indonesian artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on Indonesian culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Note: If you’re using this masterlist for casting purposes please do further research before casting any of the following because some pages only listed their nationalities!

Ladies:

Salma Jahani (65) - singer.

Naghma (63) - singer.

Wajiha Rastagar (50) - singer.

Sonia Nassery Cole (48) - activist, director, writer, and producer.

Layla Alizada (39) - actress.

Vida Samadzai (39) - actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder.

Fereshta Kazemi (38) - actress.

Azita Ghanizada (37) - actress.

Celina Jia Jaitley (35) Punjabi / Afghan - actress.

Seeta Qasemie (34) - singer.

Mozhdah Jamalzadah (34) - actress.

Shama Ashna (32) - singer.

Zohre Esmaeli (31/32) - model, designer and author.

Aryana Sayeed (31) - singer, songwriter and TV personality.

Zallascht Sadat (31) - Afghan and German model.

Marina Golbahari (25) - actress.

Bahari Ibaadat (24) - model.

Ruba Zai (23) - YouTuber.

Anne Marie Khan (born in 1990) - model and writer.

Elaha Soroor (born in 1988) - singer.

Zohra Daoud (born in 1954) - TV celebrity, radio show host, and journalist.

Nelofer Pazira (born in 1973) - director, actress, journalist and author.

Ustad Farida Mahwash (born in 1947) - singer.

Mezhgan Hussainy (?) - make-up artist.

Mehrangez (?) - singer.

Mariam Morid (?) - model.

Madina Taher (?) - model.

Hangama (?) - singer.

Soheila Zaland (?) - singer.

Shahla Zaland (?) - singer.

Fereshta Samah (?) - singer.

Parasto (?) - singer.

Khoshi mahtab (?) - singer.

Seema Tarana (?) - singer.

Leena Alam (?) - actress.

Soosan Firooz (?) - actress and rapper.

Nikbakht Noruz (?) - actress.

Males:

Kader Khan (79) - actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer, director.

Khyal Muhammad (70) Afridi - singer.

Farid Zoland (65) - song writer ad composer.

Ahmad Morid (60) - singer.

Farhad Darya (54) - singer, composer and music producer.

Farid Rastagar (54) - singer, music arranger, and composer

Naim Popal (53) - singer, songwriter and composer.

Fahim Fazli (51) - actor.

David Kabbe (40) - stunt performer.

Aryan Khan (37) - actor.

Shakeeb Hamdard (32/33) Hazara - singer.

Zekeria Ebrahimi (21) - actor.

Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (born 1994) - actor.

Nabi Tanha (born in 1968) - actor.

Razi Mohebi (born in 1970) - actor.

Muhammed Cangören (born in 1951) - actor.

Ehsan Aman (born in 1959) - singer.

Hafiz Khan (born in 1995) - actor.

Habib Qaderi (born in 1971) - singer.

Dawood Sarkhosh (born in 1971) - poet, singer, and musician.

Faiz Karizi (born in 1953) - singer.

Nashenas (born in 1935) - singer.

Tahir Shubab (born in 1969) - singer.

Aziz Herawi (born in 1952) - musician.

Tawab Arash (born in 1976) - singer.

Shah Wali (born in 1952) - singer.

Vahid Soroor (1971) - singer.

Hashmat Khan (?) - actor.

Belal Hussaini (?) - model.

Qader Eshpari (?) - singer.

Zalmai Araa (?) - singer and comedian.

Ahmad Wali (?) - singer.

Amir Jan Sabori (?) - singer, musician, composer, and poet.

Asad Badie (?) - singer.

Haidar Salim (?) - singer.

Mohammad Din Zakhil (?) - singer and composer.

Mangal (?) - singer.

Nasrat Sharqi (?) - singer.

#rph #afghanistan fc #afghan fc #underused fc #task: 052 #task: afghanistan

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matredaen · 8 years

Text

bread & circuses

CHAPTER 3

dishonored; 1.6k

1, 2, 3

<<< prev

Emily gets to school with three minutes to spare – Corvo pulls her off his shoulders and swings her down, crouching so she can throw her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. When she finishes with that she turns to Jessamine and throws herself at her, pressing her face tight against Jessamine’s side, squeezing the breath out of her lungs.

“Have a great day!” Jessamine says, bending down to kiss the crown of Emily’s head.

“Be good for your teacher,” Corvo says, ruffling her hair affectionately, “Don’t fight your classmates.”

“’Kay!” Emily says brightly, smiling up at them. Her hair really is going everywhere; Jessamine wishes she’d braided it, or given her a headband. “Bye Mom, Bye Dad! See you later!”

She runs off through the gate, waving as she goes. Corvo loops an arm around Jessamine’s shoulders and she leans into his side and they wave until Emily pulls open the door of the school itself and disappears inside with a pack of other children. Jessamine sighs, leaning her head back against Corvo’s shoulder, reaching up to hold his hand.

She frowns. “Does she fight her classmates?” she asks, voice dipping low in concern when she remembers what he’d said. Corvo laughs, the sound reverberating deep in his chest. When she tilts her head to look at him, still frowning slightly, he’s got the slightest smile on his lips. She nudges his hand. “Corvo?”

“Uh,” he starts, “Not all the time? But I got a call from Ms. Curnow, y’know, before her last parent-teacher conference and apparently, she’d pushed a classmate.”

Jessamine’s frown deepens. “Why didn’t I hear about it?”

“I thought you knew?” he confesses, “I’m sorry. I did have a talk with Emily about it, though, that night I took her out for ice cream.”

Jessamine sighs. “I remember,” she says. She’d thought that she had seemed unusually quiet that afternoon, though she’d brightened considerably when she and Corvo had returned home. Curiosity still bites at her – she pulls out from under Corvo’s arm but keeps her fingers threaded with his, and they walk back down the street toward the trolley station. She asks, “Did you find out why she got into the fight?”

Corvo shrugs; they cross the street. “Emily didn’t want to talk to me about it, but Ms. Curnow said it was to do with something that Pendleton boy said to her, I think,” he glances at her sidelong, expression apologetic, “Again, I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

Jessamine waves her free hand through the air, tightens her grip on his hand. “It’s fine. I’ll be sure to talk to Mr. Pendleton the next time he comes to the PTA meeting,” she says, her eyes narrowed while they wait for the light at a crosswalk to change. “If he ever comes to another PTA meeting. This is probably why he hasn’t been coming to PTA meetings.”

Corvo makes a sound of agreement. The light changes, and they cross the street, the sound of traffic briefly drowning out any conversation they might have. They walk quietly for another block, passing a large group of Jessamine thinks are tourists, judging from their sweaters and the cameras some of them carry.

They turn at the next block, and the sun is in their eyes, no longer blocked by the long shade from tall buildings. Jessamine must make some show of discomfort, either a sound or some flinch, because Corvo steers them into the shade in an alcove of a bodega. Reaches into his jacket’s breast pocket and pulls out their sunglasses.

“Should have been wearing these to begin with,” he grumbles, passing her pair to her, his mouth quirking into a smile. They slide them on and then they keep on down the street.

The station’s one block further – the train they’re taking is a street-level line. There are others, snaking through Dunwall’s belly, that go further, but she and Corvo are only going to Waterfront Station, the closest stop to Claverling. They could have walked there, if they weren’t on a schedule.

It’s a shame, Jessamine thinks. It’s a nice day, and the walk would have been nice. She should have told Esma to meet her later.

She’s almost hesitant to check her phone – she’s sure Esma’s left a dozen more increasingly irate messages for her. She’ll go through and delete them later. It’s always been easier for her to deal with the woman when she’s speaking with her face to face.

Ergo, brunch.

They board the trolley, sitting in an open space on the bench that’s probably meant for one person, but they make it work. Not much of an option besides it, given the lack of other vacant seats. It gives her an excuse to tuck herself up under Corvo’s arm again – it’s the twenty-second of Harvest, still technically summer, but she gets cold. It’s helpful, then, that her husband is so warm all the time.

The windows on the trolley are open, and a breeze comes through them. Jessamine shivers and bundles a little closer to Corvo’s side, feels him laugh. His arm draws her closer, fingers tapping idly on her upper arm. She could close her eyes and sleep like this, and on another day, if they were going further, she might have.

“Hey, hello, yeah,” Jessamine’s gaze slides from the light falling in through the windows to meet the eyes of the woman sitting on the bench across from her. Older, lank hair drawn into a low pony-tail, tourist t-shirt and Dunwall City hoodie rolled up at the wrists and stained, somewhat. She smiles pleasantly, insistently, leaning forward in her seat, continues, “Hi, sorry to bother you, Miss, but do I know you from somewhere?”

It’s a polite question, and a probing one too. Jessamine blinks behind her sunglasses, sighs privately. It’s not often that people recognize her as her father’s daughter these days, but she’s no stranger to dealing with it. She’s about to flash a silver-screen smile at the woman, sign whatever it ends up being that she and whoever else on the trolley will shove at her, then be done with it. Corvo’s fingers on her wrist stop her. He laughs.

“I don’t think so, no,” he says, shaking his head. The woman’s eyes glance to him, a flicker of annoyance fluttering across her face, chased by something more like unease. Her lips press together and she leans back, turning her gaze elsewhere. Jessamine bites down on a smile, threads her fingers into Corvo’s, a quiet thank you.

The rest of the ride to Claverling is quiet, the chime of the bell announcing Waterfront feeling obscenely loud in contrast to the muted silence. She and Corvo disembark and start threading their way up the street, dodging tourists and locals alike.

Esma’s smoking outside of the Blue café, her pale gold hair cropped short at her neck, unmade. Her eye make-up smudged artfully, intimidatingly, her dark dress crisp and clean. She blows a thread of smoke away from Jessamine and Corvo as they come up the street, and then drops the cigarette and grinds it out underneath her heel.

“Good morning,” Jessamine says when they’re about ten feet away, raising her voice to be heard. Esma turns to them, smiles bright and wide, eyes heavy lidded and mouth like a red slash.

“Good morning, Jessamine!” she says, bustling forward, her heels clicking loud on the sidewalk, “I’ve been trying to message you for the last hour.”

“Are we late?” Jessamine asks, falling into step besides Esma, who pulls opens the door to the café. She waves a hand dismissively, and they step into the building.

“No, no,” she says, with a laugh that’s more like a cackle, “It’s – what, 9:30? Let’s sit in the back, it’s chilly – and thank you for holding the door, Mr. Kaldwin.”

Jessamine blinks. “It’s Attano, actually,” Corvo says, clearing his throat. Esma doesn’t falter in walking to a table, but her smile seems to slip, if only for a moment.

“Right,” she says. They all sit, Esma and Corvo ordering coffee from the young woman who comes by to take their order, Jessamine asking for an orange juice. If the day weren’t the fourth of the week, still a solid distance from the weekend, she’d have ordered a mimosa; as it is the juice is enough.

Esma pulls a few colored swatches of craft paper from her clutch, lays them out on the table. “These are the colors we’re using for the banners and the posters. Will they match the cupcakes?”

Jessamine sips at her juice, considers the swatches. Then she points at three of the colors, sliding the other four out of the way. “These ones will,” she says. Esma sighs in relief.

“Great,” she says, pulling them back into her purse. The waitress returns, takes their orders for food and then putters off again. Jessamine reaches for Corvo’s hand under the table while Esma stirs three large spoonfuls of cream into her coffee, “I figured you’d choose those ones – and I already sent Bethanie to purchase enough for the kindergarten and first grade kids to make their posters with. I’ll need you to sign off on that report, by the way.”

“That’s fine,” Jessamine says, “Just make sure you get all the invoices to me by the end of the month.”

Esma waves her spoon in acknowledgement. She grins. “Can do, will do,” she chirps, “And hey, while we’re at it, we need to discuss the chaperones for the upcoming Ramsey-Rothwilde museum trip.”

TBC >>>

#dishonored #jessamine kaldwin #corvo attano #bakery au #my writing #this was going to be longer but then it would have taken another month for me to write it #on to more fluff!!!

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handle-with--care · 4 years

Text

Tris && Esma | Post Esma’s Almost-Fight With King

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

@Esma Driscoll | Colette Tris' hands were shaking, a little, at everything that had just transpired - from his usually easy going, sunshine-esque friend reaching threats of murder levels of anger, to Mildred of all people raising her voice - but he tucked them up into the sleeves of his sweater, and addressed Esma as soon as they were a decent distance from the others. "I did want to talk about our last Divination lesson, but I won't pretend that toward the end there taking a walk was more about trying to diffuse things." He hesitated a moment, and then frowned at Esma, concerned. "Are you okay? That guy really seemed to get to you."

Esma Driscoll | Colette

Esma gave his friend a calm smile. He turned his head, eyes locked on the path. Esma's mood swings could be scary and possibly deadly, but there was no way he'd EVER hurt his friends while upset "Meh, at least its over."

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

"That's one way of looking at it," he offered dryly, before chuckling softly. "You had Mildred yelling though. Mildred. That's almost impressive." He knocked his shoulder gently against Esma's, returning his smile.

Esma Driscoll | Colette

*He toppled over, as if he was hollow, words could simply not describe his expression. He blinked, before laughing uncontrollably from his spot on the ground * "Really?"

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

"What the hell, are you made of paper?" His own giggles poured out of him, and for a moment he attempted to tug Esma back to his feet; before he gave up, and dropped to sit beside his laughing friend instead, grinning down at him. "Does this always happen? People attempt a friendly bump of the shoulders and all of a sudden you're a giggling heap on the floor? Because honestly if it is a regular thing then I love it and you should expect to be bumped into at least once a week."

Esma Driscoll | Colette

Esma snorted, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter "As long as you don't bump into me while going down stairs, sending me toppling down them, I'd look forward to daily shoulder bumps."

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

"Well I promise not to do it intentionally, but there's no accounting for my clumsiness and your apparently having all the sturdiness of a house of cards." He grinned at Esma as he spoke, before hesitating a moment, fiddling with a loose thread in the knee of his trousers, before speaking again, carefully. "Can I ask you a favour?"

Esma Driscoll | Colette

Esma raised a brow, giving him a questioning look "Go for it."

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

"...I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Yule Gala together, as friends. Obviously you might already be going with someone? But I just...thought it could be nice, to have someone to go with who we know we'll get along with. And, you know. We'd probably have a decent amount of fun," he concluded, grinning sheepishly.

Esma Driscoll | Colette

Esma smiled "Let's see, I'm flattered you think I might be going with someone, most defiantly am not. I wasn't planning on going at all, fancy clothes and things like that aren't my jam. Buttttt, I'd hate to leave ya hanging, so sure, I'd love to!"

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

A grin spread across Tris' face, and he ducked his head, a little embarrassed. "Hmm, my hero, saving me from going stag. I'm sure you'll look great in fancy clothes; and if you see anyone cute, I can talk you up and go on and on about how lucky I am you took pity on me and decided to be my platonic date." He grins at him; and then pretends to think for a moment, tilting his head and frowning. "Or well, you know. So long as I don't call dibs first."

Esma Driscoll | Colette

Esma giggled, raising a brow once more "Is that so? Pretty bold aren't cha." Esma got up, turning his head over his shoulder as he walked away "Best of luck then."

Tris Karenin || Caitlin 🦊

Tris bit back the retort that that was rich coming from Esma of all people, and waved as he started to leave. "Try not to hex anyone unless you're sure you won't get caught!" He called after him, teasing; before he sighed, and got to his feet, heading off in his own direction.

#convo #esma #brotp: ur scary when ur mad #brotp: bad for mildreds bp

0 notes

click2watch · 6 years

Text

Proof-of-Stake Could Lead to Crypto Banking. Let’s Avoid That

Michael J. Casey is the chairman of CoinDesk’s advisory board and a senior advisor for blockchain research at MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative.

The following article originally appeared in CoinDesk Weekly, a custom-curated newsletter delivered every Sunday exclusively to our subscribers.

___________

With last week’s Constantinople delay offering a reminder that ethereum faces challenges in its long roadmap to migrate from a proof-of-work (POW) consensus algorithm to proof-of-stake (POS), it’s easy to miss the fact that elsewhere in crypto-land, POS is already a thing.

A little-discussed ramification is that POS will drive new business and financial models for cryptocurrencies, which will, in turn, give rise to a new regulatory and security challenges.

Viewed through the prism of traditional finance, a consensus model in which owners of cryptocurrency earn block rewards when they stake, or deposit, their holdings to “vote” on ledger validation starts to look a bit like an interest-earning function. And when third parties, such as those that are starting to provide “staking as a service,” do this on behalf of coin-holders who trust them to provide custody and exchange functions, it starts to look like banking.

That assessment would rightly alarm crypto traditionalists. And it’s one reason why some warn against these attempts to improve on the POW model on which bitcoin is founded, arguing that POS will diminish security and incentivize centralization.

But although the Lightning Network and other “Layer 2” solutions may help bitcoin and other POW coins resolve scalability and cost problems, proof of work faces real challenges both in terms of computational efficiency and in its public perception as an environmental threat.

As such, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be continued and growing support for chains using proof of stake and its cousin, delegated proof of stake (DPoS), which draws from notions of representative democracy to increase efficiency at the cost of some centralization.

Already, out of the 19 leading blockchain projects reviewed on CoinDesk’s Crypto-Economics Explorer, three – Cardano, Dash and Qtum — are using proof of stake and another three – EOS, Lisk and Tron – use DPOS. Four of those six are among the top 15 ranked cryptocurrencies cited by CoinMarketCap.com, collectively accounting for $6 billion in coin value as of Friday afternoon.

If we added ethereum to that group, along with Tezos, another prominent blockchain project using a variation of POS, the total market cap of these leading POS chains would run to $18.8 billion.

That’s still less than a third of bitcoin’s total $64 billion valuation. Nonetheless, this universe of future and current POS chains can’t be ignored. We need to think hard about what POS means for the evolution of a crypto-based financial system.

A business waiting to happen

I hadn’t given this much thought until I read an excellent Twitter thread from Israel-based blockchain entrepreneur Maya Zehavi in which she assessed aspects of a new report from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on regulating crypto assets.

Zehavi made the point that while ESMA is recommending that crypto exchanges now employ systems of segregated accounts, in the future there will also be a need for “exchanges to explicitly inform clients whether their funds are used for staking purposes” and to “get specific consent.”

It got me thinking of how unavoidably appealing staking-as-a-service is for all the exchanges managing people’s trading in POS coins. There are no clear signs that any are actually doing this with crypto tokens in their custody – and if that is happening without users’ consent, it needs to stop. But the idea of helping their clients earn revenue on their otherwise dormant coins, and charging a fee for doing so, is surely an attractive one for both sides.

A bitcoin utopia in which “everyone is their own bank,” with complete control over their private keys, may well be desirable from a decentralization and security perspective. But millions have shown that they are happy to have an insured third party handle custody for them rather than have sole control over their assets. The success of Coinbase and other such custodial exchanges and wallet providers speaks to this.

Now, add to that the prospect of having that exchange or dedicated custodian manage staking rewards on people’s behalf and it’s easy to see many people going for it.

There’s a fiat equivalent: most of the world’s savings in dollars, euros, yen and all other traditional currencies sit in either interest-bearing bank accounts or are pooled into funds whose portfolios are managed by third parties. People find it both convenient and more effective to pool their monetary power with others and have an outsider invest it for them.

Back to the future

But, hang on a second. Aren’t we just recreating the old banking world with all of its attached system and counterparty risks? Maybe, yes.

As Viktor Bunin of Token Foundry points out, if we can envisage staking-as-a-service becoming so popular that pretty much all coins permanently reside with the most trusted of these custodians, constantly earning rewards, then we can also imagine those entities issuing tradable, interest-bearing depositary receipts based on the coins held with them.

Given the unlikelihood that all users’ coins will be withdrawn from that institution at the same time, those receipts would trade at par, which could mean they’re treated as a unit of exchange equivalent to the value of the underlying deposited coins, essentially allowing for off-chain monetary creation.

“Congratulations!” writes Bunin, “We’ve come full circle to reinventing fractional banking! You now have an asset AND a financial instrument that’s a claim on that asset.”

Anyone who’s studied the history of banking, specifically of bank runs, of systemic risk and all the panics that have led to repeated crises in our financial system, and who’s also watched how governments have stepped into the crypto space in the name of protecting consumers, will know that this scenario will inevitably invite another layer of regulation. And for a host of reasons, including for keeping the cost of entry down for breakthrough startups, that can be problematic.

Now’s the time to try to get ahead of this. As with many other ideas that try to wrestle control over security risks away from regulators and put it into users’ hands via blockchain-inspired governance, the way forward may lie in innovators developing decentralized solutions.

Not unlike the work going into decentralized exchanges and atomic swaps that protect users from the counterparty risks with centralized exchanges, so too can developers look at decentralized systems for pooling assets employed in staking services.

One way to think about it is illustrated by a proposal for creating block producer pools run by their own decentralized applications, so that smaller players can participate in EOS’s lucrative reward system for delegated block producers.

Another way to add protection to the system might be to somehow apply multi-sig custody arrangements in staking service agreements, so that clients retain ultimate control while service providers are still empowered to execute staked votes.

As investor Arianna Simpson has documented, staking-as-a-service is already taking off, with the early players earning steep margins. She notes a natural trajectory by which new competitors will enter the market and narrow the spread, making this more attractive for the wider market.

The time to figure out what this means for the crypto financial system is now.

Ethereum image via CoinDesk archives.

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