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weekend-whip · 2 years

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Behold...the Elemental Compass! Everything my Legacyverse lore precariously rests upon until the Crystalized season prolly blows it out of the water!

C’mon, it’s me, you knew this part was coming! There are some very light spoilers for, well, a couple of things, so if you’d rather wait to learn things naturally in The Ninja Legacy Whip, turn back now! Otherwise...I guess you’re getting a little sneak peak ahead of time! But really, I just needed all this info in one place lol OKAY HERE WE GO

Backstory:

Long ago, before time had a name (yet), the FSM journeyed across the other realms in search of a new home where he could live in balance. During his travels, he encountered four magnificent beasts, each possessing a Core Element. From Chima, Ruamoko, the Earth Gorilla. From the Never-Realm, Eirlys, the Wolf of Ice. From Djinnjago, Tawhiri, the Lightning Octopus. From the Realm of Madness, Vulcanell, the Golden Lion of Fire. Recognizing the FSM’s potential, these creatures taught him how command each respective element, enhancing his ability to create (and destroy).

Later on, he happens upon the Realm of the Endless Sea and all its infinite potential (after dealing with a whole Wojira situation), and decides it is perfect for becoming his new home. The FSM ascends up the only land above water in the entire realm, that being the Golden Peaks. From there, he uses his newfound gifts to forge the Four Golden Weapons, allowing him to harness the elements and the essences of life to build a new world, eventually to be known as Ninjago. He then brought to life creatures in his own unique image, eventually to be known as humans, and attempted to pass on his messages of inner balance...which had worked, for a time.

While the FSM had found balance within himself, there was none throughout the realms who could match his power (even if he did use it with benevolent intentions). Due to the presence of this imbalance, the cosmos conjured up something that would keep the FSM in check: that being the Overlord, who began launching attacks on Ninjago almost immediately. Realizing that his people were heavily underprepared for the unexpected threat, the FSM discretely traveled back home to obtain help, and found it in the form of a Dragon named Genesis.

Genesis did their best to protect all the people of Ninjago, but the Overlord’s might was too great, so the FSM used everything in his power to seal the Overlord on half of the island. Genesis held the Overlord in place as this occurred, resulting in them being trapped on the Dark Island as well. The FSM then split Ninjago in two and sank the dark half into the Endless Sea, where the Overlord would continue to persist, but without threatening the people left on the Light Island. This incident also resulted in the creation of the Element of Time, and could be called “Where Time Got Its Name”, or, “When Time Began”.

Now understanding how weak the people were in comparison to him, the FSM took several measures: firstly, bringing in his four creature friends from other Realms to help watch over the island with him. He gave Eirlys jurisdiction of the Northern Province, Tawhiri the Eastern Province, Vulcanell the South, and Ruamoko the West. Second, he established the Monastery of Spinjitzu to train people in his ways, giving them methods to protect themselves from other unforeseen threats. Third, he began experimenting with the Elements, combining them in various forms, until he came to discover and master twelve of the Derivative Elements. And then, by combining all four Core Elements, he discovered the most powerful element of all: the Green Element.

Not wanting to keep all that power for himself, especially now that he possessed the Green Element, the FSM sought out sixteen individuals encompassing the traits of the Elements themselves, and passed his knowledge off to them, forging the First Generation of the Elemental Alliance. These individuals were given the task of assisting the FSM in protecting the people, and beginning the grand tradition of Elemental Inheritance for centuries to come.

However, there were still four other Elements that the FSM had never come to personally master: Time, Water, Wind, and Amber. These Elements were passed on independent of the Elemental Alliance (although the FSM manages to persuade a few of the later inheritors to his cause). These elements were still derived from the Core Four at their heart, albeit faintly. The FSM devised a mechanism to keep track of all these connections, and to pass on the knowledge to generations long in the future.

The four Outlier Elements received symbols relating to how the FSM discovered them*; the Derivative Elements received symbols based on the Element itself; the Green Element received the symbol of Genesis to honor the dragon’s life-altering sacrifice...and, to honor the Guardians that had gifted him this knowledge in the first place, the FSM made the symbols of Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lightning match those of the Guardians he’d learned them from.

And that...is how the completed Elemental Compass was born.

(*Amber’s symbol is subject to change depending on what Skylor tidbits we get in the Crystalized season)

General Info:

The Elemental Compass is divided into three tiers: the center piece, the inner ring, and the outer circle. The center represents the Green Element, as it is compromised of the other twenty elements. Directly derived from the Green Element are the Four Core Elements: Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

They make up the inner ring, and are the Core Elements because they can come together as one to be equivalent to Green, or divide further into four Derivative Elements each. The outer ring represents these Derivative Elements, each of those directly associated with (at least) one Core Element.

When combined, the sixteen Derivative Elements have equivalent might to the Core Four...which is also equivalent to the Green Element all by itself. However, the Derivative Elements have never been successfully combined in such a way, due to certain Masters of the Outlier Elements being cut off from the compass.

Base Compass:

The Base Compass encompasses only the five main elements, and with this, you don’t actually need any of the other versions. This is the most common and easily understood version of the compass—your average individual can find this version used on maps, signs, and other forms of public information. After Wu removed all Elemental info from the world, the public generally just believes this compass reflects the Provinces and their rumored Guardian (which, while there is a kernel of truth there, they’re missing so much of the full story).

The Green Element is comprised of its four derivatives: Fire, Earth, Ice, and Lightning. While the Green Element can take on any attributes of the Core Four at will, the Core Four cannot utilize the Green Element unless in harmony with one another (via the Tornado of Creation).

Fun fact, this is also the compass that exists on the floor of the Temple of Light!

(...there’s actually another alternative for this specific version of the compass as well, but that’s not going to make any sense until Season 5, so we’re not gonna talk about it! :3)

Consecutive Compass:

This version is called the Consecutive Compass because it includes all the Elements that the FSM personally mastered, all just from learning and understanding the Core Four Elements. Each Derivative Element exists by combining a dominant Core Element with a bit of another Core Element. For example, adding a pinch of Fire to dominant Lightning will give you the Element of Speed, buuuut adding a pinch of Lightning to dominant Fire will give you the Element of Light (don’t think too hard about it just roll with it). There is one Derivative Element for each potential combination in this manner.

Earth Sector Derivatives:

Posion (Inheritor Color: Lime): Dominant Earth + Fire; there are many hazardous contaminants out in the Earth + breathing in fire smoke can be noxious.

Nature (Inheritor Color: Brown): Dominant Earth + Lightning; both are generally seen as forces of nature

Metal (Inheritor Color: Gunmetal): Dominant Earth + Ice; Ice is water taken solid form, Metal is the same way for Earth (...?)

Ice Sector Derivatives:

Gravity (Inheritor Color: Maroon): Dominant Ice + Earth; gravity keeps us chained to the Earth and Ice...floats? (Listen there’s a reason I want to switch this with Nature—)

Form (Inheritor Color: Violet): Dominant Ice + Fire; both Ice and Fire can take various shapes, sizes, and forms in their existence

Mind (Inheritor Color: Tan): Dominant Ice + Lightning; Ice already had the Elemental Ability of seeing the future, and someone once said Mind could be related to Lightning due to electrical impulses and neurons or whatever...so, here we are!

Lightning Sector Derivatives:

Sound (Inheritor Color: Teal): Dominant Lightning + Ice; ...not gonna lie, this one kinda got left over, but I connected it to Lightning due to, y’know, thunder

Surprise (Inheritor Color: Pink/Fuchsia): Dominant Lightning + Earth; for similar reasons as Nature, both elements have a capacity for being unpredictable

Speed (Inheritor Color: Alabaster): Dominant Lightning + Fire; both Fire and Lightning are associated with being fast

Fire Sector Derivatives:

Light (Inheritor Color: Yellow): Dominant Fire + Lightning; again, both Fire and Lightning are known for being sources of Light

Smoke (Inheritor Color: Gray): Dominant Fire + Ice; Ice...gives off a steam...when it is melted...by Fire...?

Shadow (Inheritor Color: Lavender): Dominant Fire + Earth; Fire casts shadows on the GROUND! ...thank god this is the last one...

...anyway, fun fact, this is the compass that Master Chen uses in his Anacondrai ritual come Season 4! This is (partly) why he did not need every single Element in existence present to complete his spell; he just needed all of the ones that are directly connected to the Green Element.

Completed Compass:

And finally, the Completed Compass! Called that obviously because it’s complete (As far as we know) and includes the Outlier Elements! The Outliers are technically Derivative Elements as well, due to being connected to a Core Element, but their sources originate from places other than the Green Element, and persist outside of the FSM’s intervention.

Ice Outlier—Water (Inheritor Color: Cyan): The Element of Water is connected to Ice, as a practiced Master is able to manipulate frozen water. While its speculated to have originated from Wave Wojira, who used the element to create the Realm of the Endless Sea in the first place, the first Elemental Master of Water was a Merlopian. This Element happens to be the easiest one to enter NRG Mode with, but also with the highest risk of becoming trapped within it.

The jewels around its sector are representative of the Wave Amulet.

This element has not been cut from the Elemental Compass.

Lightning Outlier—Wind (Inheritor Color: Jade): The Element of Wind is connected to Lightning, as both thrive in the thick of a storm, and a Master of Lightning has demonstrated to have utilized wind abilities. This element has also been speculated to originate from Storm Wojira, hence its symbol being reminiscent of Wojira’s head.

The jewels around its sector are representative of the Storm Amulet.

This element is currently cut from the Elemental Compass, as its last Master died without letting it inherit to another person, or willingly giving it up to another individual. (This is also what almost happened to the Element of Ice)

Fire Outlier—Amber (Inheritor Color: Orange/Amber): The Element of Amber is connected to Fire, due to being artificially forged. Amber’s origins are still somewhat shrouded in mystery, but the image of a phoenix was chosen due to the element’s constant ability to reinvent itself.

The jewels around its sector are reflective of the Essences of Creation and Destruction; as one cannot persist without the other, Amber cannot absorb others if there is no one to absorb. While its potential is incredible, its opportunities for use are also limited.

This element has not been cut from the Elemental Compass.

Earth Outlier—Time (Inheritor Color: Power Dependent): The Element of Time is connected to Earth because...that’s what was left lol. It originated when the FSM first freed the Light Island from the clutches of the Overlord, marking the first opportunity humanity was allowed to thrive as just itself.

The jewels around its sector are representative of the fact Time has experienced an Elemental Split, meaning that its capabilities have been divided. The Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow jewels are all indicative of one divided aspect of Time. (Fun Fact: The Time Twins have heterochromia because of it!)

This element is cut from the Elemental Compass, as its last master(s) abused its powers, and was sealed off from being passed on by becoming trapped within Chronosteel.

(These four Elements, due to their rather...disruptive properties, have been ironically nicknamed the Four Core Elements of Destruction.)

This version of the compass is the one that was present in the catacombs of the Monastery of Spinjitzu, and can be found within a few pocket-sized versions of the compass (for anyone fortunate enough to happen upon one...)

#ninjago #the lego ninjago movie #tlnm #legacyverse #the ninja legacy whip #born to be a 21st century ninja #my timelapse says this took 3 hours #BUT IT FEELS LONGER #art tag #legacy refs #I've been wanting to do this since chapter 1 #mmmm but i definitely am going to need the visuals for an upcoming chapter #long post #info dump

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hiding1ntheforest · 9 months

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Notes on Symbology: Mercury, Life And Death

Mercury is an element that has long fascinated me, particularly due to it’s metaphysical significance and what it represents. This element has captivated alchemists from ancient Egypt to medieval Europe. Mercury was the prima materia- the progenitor of all other metals. Referred to as quicksilver, it was used for transmutation and became a crucial element in the science of practical alchemy. Mercury is represented by the astrological symbol for the Roman god of the same name.

Alchemical symbol for Mercury.

For me, the element of mercury is a Wodenic symbol. The symbol itself depicts the horned god. Archaeological findings often portray Woden with two horns protruding from his head. These horns may signify Woden’s ravens, Hugin and Munin, who represent memory and thought. In spiritual alchemy, mercury has long been associated with the spirit and mental capabilities including intelligence, wisdom, memory, and creativity. Amongst the Romans, Mercury has been depicted donning a winged helmet. Mercury journeyed throughout the many realms, especially the underworld. The element could easily transform into a liquid or solid. To the ancient alchemists, this represented life and death. Additionally, mercury corresponds to the lungs. Mercury signifies the breath of life, which Woden gifted to the first man and woman, Askr and Embla.

Anglo-Saxon Woden pendent, 6th century AD.

In alchemical manuscripts, snakes are symbolic of mercury. A particularly notable symbol of the Roman god Mercury is the caduceus, a staff with two snakes wrapped around it. Furthermore, the caduceus is present in the alchemical symbol of mercury. Cleopatra the Alchemist illustrated an ourboros to represent the philosopher’s stone. The ourboros represents the never ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In Germanic mythology, the midgard serpent, Jormungandr, is wrapped around the world biting it’s tail.

Coin featuring the caduceus, Turkey, 1st century AD.

Cleopatra the Alchemist’s ourboros, 3rd century AD.

So, in general, what does mercury represent? Mercury is the journey of life and death. It is creation, our origin point, the very beginning. I connect mercury to the ginnungagap, the void that existed before the cosmos. The void exists between the realm of fire and the realm of ice, reminding me of the cold and hot extraction methods used to produce mercury from cinnabar. Mercury is the unification of opposites- life and death, hot and cold, liquid and solid. Moreover, it is the power of one’s mind. The thirst for knowledge, deep contemplation, and generative creativity are all found within mercury. The element is the beginning, the end, and the voyage in between. It is our first breath and the final breath that escapes us. It is the horned god, the allfather, divine wisdom.

Ulrich Ruosch Manuscript, Switzerland, 1680.

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princesspinkpopcorn · 6 months

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The soft voice of the Prince of Opera drifted inside Epoch-VI’s cabin, reminding Opal of the enormous rows of flowers on Coccina that bloomed like flames.

Despite being only a small battleship, its interior was more than enough room for a single person. For regular spaceships without jump drive capabilities, Star Gates functioned similarly to station platforms. It would take some time to travel to one of these platforms on a trip from planet B-11 to the Hydra constellation—approximately five days in fact.

The cabin was equipped with self-sustainable food and water converters. These converters contained a kind of inactive blue-green algae native to Aquablue. The combustion of energy produced water and exhaust. The exhaust was released into outer space while the water went to the blue-green algae to cultivate their growth.

The ship carried photon panels on its outer shell and was able to collect sufficient energy from the light scattered by the stars throughout the cosmos. The blue-green algae would absorb the carbon dioxide exhaled by cabin members and, through a simple photosynthesis process, multiply rapidly through a 12-hours growth cycle. Finally, they would be put into a food generator to be disintegrated, processed, and made into a finished food product.

It was not uncommon to find suspended pieces of ice crystals deep in outer space. The ship would automatically collect any approaching ice meteorites, their water contents would be filtered and stored for later use. The carbon dioxide produced by a single passenger was enough to sustain the amount of algae growth required for the person to stay alive. In other words, even if the ship ran out of fuel, the passengers on board would continue to live. At least, they wouldn’t starve to death.

Obviously, it wouldn’t be pleasant to float around aimlessly in the grand cosmos for decades or centuries without end. But if an accident were to occur, radio wave communicators could also be used to send out distress signals. Long journeys across interstellar space were often tedious and dull, and Opal was already regretting not having purchased any game chips to pass the time.

He was slouching down on the swiveling chair in front of the control panel, watching the stars outside the ship’s window.[1]From this angle, the star of Ignitis resembled a blazing ball of flames. The stellar prominence[2] erupting from its surface appeared like countless antennae, the longest of which spanned tens of millions of kilometers.

Opal stared at E7 with boredom. The mini robot toppled left and right under the power of his Will Craft. It went somersaulting on top of the control panel, but managed to quickly balance itself upright, then continued to roll on its tracks along the smooth alloy control panel from one end to the other.

Both E7 and the small battleship Epoch-VI were things that his mother had left him with.

When he was little, no one could be there to look after him while his mother was out in the mines, so she dismantled some parts of her ship and made a mini robot for him. E7 had been a companion since his childhood. It possessed basic artificial intelligence and its inner structure was extremely intricate. The only time Opal had opened up E7 was two years after his mother passed and E7’s batteries had gotten damp. But Opal didn’t dare touch anything once he’d opened it. He had known nothing about circuits nor the elaborate microchip network inside, so he simply left it as is.

After a few days, E7 had miraculously begun functioning again, almost as if it was a sign that his mother hadn’t abandoned him after all.

Opal thought that maybe E7’s central processor was constructed using the ship’s AI computer chip. No wonder Epoch-VI held barely any semblance of intelligence.

“Ahhhh—!” Opal screamed, bored out of his mind.

Everything inside the cabin levitated under the influence of his Will Craft, before falling back down with a rattle.

“E7, go and turn off the gravity system,” Opal commanded flatly.

His body was gently lifted into space, leaving him to drift around inside the cabin.

“Love comforteth like a lover’s tear….”[3] The voice of the Prince of Opera Lejersen echoed inside the ship cabin. The song was the most famous piece of his concerts, with lyrics written by an ancient poet before the Era of Light.[4]

“I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space….”[5]

Opal had listened to the song so many times that he could recite the entire piece. He was suspended inside the control cabin, resting with his eyes closed.

“Approaching Star Gate. Preparing for a one-time jump. Entry into the Star Gate gravitational field. Countdown. Sixty. Fifty-nine….”

Opal scrambled to turn on the ship’s gravity system. A blob of water, along with the mug it had been in, plunked down on his head.

“E7!” Opal called, “We’re preparing for a jump! This is gonna be your first!”

Opal sat back on the swivel chair and buckled his seatbelt, his heart pounding madly as he took a deep breath. An enormous golden ring-shaped relic appeared outside the ship’s cabin.

A white light lit up around the giant metal ring as a layer of metallic photon panels extended outwards from it and cast its rays on the decelerating spaceship.

The Star Gate was composed of an inner and outer ring covered with electrical currents jutting in every direction.[6] Opal held his breath as the robotic voice of the navigation system sounded, “Connection successful. Transmitting data.”

The white glow encasing the Star Gate dimmed, replaced by a sequence of red flashing lights cascading along the ring’s surface. The robotic voice spoke once more, “Position successfully identified. Jump Countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight….”

“Are we supposed to pass through that? What if this was a mothership? The gate doesn’t even look that big,” Opal wondered aloud to himself.

The six interconnected arc discharges that encircled the Star Gate began engulfing Epoch-VI. Then, with a low thrum,[7] the spaceship disappeared without a trace.

“Ahh—-” Opal couldn’t help the yelp that escaped his lips. The stars outside the spaceship’s windows dissolved into densely-packed light rays that zoomed past them with increasing speed. Was this the junction between the fourth- and fifth-dimension?! He felt himself being stretched taut into a thin line momentarily by the powerful forces within hyperspace. Then, a split second later, things returned to normal once more and he was left gasping for breath in his chair.

The space in a muted corner of the Hydra constellation 14 million light years away seemed to warp and bend. The Star Gate took on a white glow, its surrounding matter rippling as though something was about to burst through. Then, with a hum, an entire spaceship tore out of a rip in space, along with remnants of the arc discharge from the jump.

“Jump successful,” came Epoch-VI’s brittle voice. “Accelerating on course.”

The spacecraft’s energy was channelled into its propeller once more. With a loud boom and a streak of trailing blaze, the ship sailed towards the Ares system.

“We’re here?” Opal asked, a wisp of unease still lurking in the back of his mind. “Is this it?”

He unbuckled his seat belt and made his way to the rear of the ship, watching as the Star Gate gradually became more distant. He let out a soft sigh of relief, stretched his back, and opened a closed off section of the ship. The small storage space contained half a ton of rhodevena crystals—about 20,000 Energy Unit’s worth.

Lektor had mentioned that as an obsolete form of currency, Energy Units were no longer in circulation, having been replaced by a newer currency called Interstellar Credits. The Cosmic Economic Summit adjusted its value for inflation and regulated its price. Of course, the use of Credits was limited to the Empire and Republic. Interstellar Credits could be used not only as payable cash, but could also be used to apply for lines of credit according to an individual’s wealth and social value. But if there was runaway inflation among galaxies, then the United Bank would reduce the limit on an individual’s future lines of credit.

Aside from Credits, some planets stubbornly persisted in their use of older local currencies. But in most regions of space, the United Bank branches provided services that allowed for conversion between Credits and local currencies on a given planet.

Opal was planning on first opening a bank account and finding a place to sell these crystal ores. Then, he would spend some time roaming the Kingdom of Mercenaries to familiarize himself with this new environment while honing his skills. The Ares system was completely foreign to him, but he was not one bit scared by it. Rather, his heart was filled with anticipation and excitement for the future.

The spaceship decelerated once more as it passed through the space stations just outside the planetary system. These space stations were different from the ones on Coccina, with hovering magnetic metal bars being released instead of lights and arc discharge. Six magnetic bars locked his spaceship in place.

“Beautiful weather,” a man’s lazy voice sounded. “Please stop where you are and fill in the entry declaration form to the Ares system.”

“H-hello.” Five days have passed since Opal left B-11. He hadn’t spoken to a single person since and was quite excited to do so now.

“Hi,” the man replied. “Outer planetary space inspector Andre here.”

And then, silence.[8]

“Please fill in your entry application form,” Andre reminded him after a moment.

Opal returned to himself and hurried to switch on the navigation station. A holographic screen began to slowly materialize as he sent his personal information, which he had prepared in advance, through the channel.

“Mr. Opal, from the Ignitis system. You’re a mining consultant at Hollens Minerals & Co. Limited. Your citizenship is…Coccinean. If I may ask, what is the purpose of your visit?” Andre asked.

“Um…I wanted to check it out,” Opal replied.

“Are you travelling?”

“And looking for a job while I’m at it.”

“Working? Your current job seems quite decent….”

“Sometimes you gotta find something else to do. I wanna become a mercenary.”

Andre seemed a bit perplexed as he wrapped up their conversation. “Please be mindful of your behaviour within the Kingdom of Mercenaries and welcome to Ares. Hollens & Co. currently doesn’t have a branch in this planetary system, but our main planet just so happens to be in need of talents in the mineral industry.

“Upon entry to any of the planets, you can find and pick up copies of local travel guides near the exit of the parking apron. I hope you have a pleasant stay in Ares.”

“Thanks,” Opal acknowledged politely.

The gravitational field around his spaceship[9] dissipated. After travelling for another three hours, the ship entered into the range of Styrkr’s gravitational pull. From outer space, Styrkr appeared a mottled deep blue. Opal came across another space station, from which a grumpy voice barked across the communication channel. “Oi!”

Opal answered promptly, knowing that this was the second checkpoint in order to enter the planet. “Hello.”

“This stupidass weather,” the voice spoke from across the communication channel again. “Prepare for inspection. Did ya bring any dirty goods with you, boy? I’m warning ya, better toss out the drugs and dark energy batteries now.”

“I don’t have any of those,” Opal responded. He activated the information transference and sent along a list of cargo goods through the wireless interface. A slew of silver metal plates, released from the space station, spun and circled the ship.

“Rhodevena crystals?” the voice on the other side of the communication channel sounded suspicious. “What the hell are those?”

“A kind of energy mineral,” Opal answered.

“Whatcha doing bringing them onto Styrkr?”

“I don’t have any…money on me. Was hoping to trade them in for some.”

“Ah,” the voice on the other end snickered. “Ain’t nobody’s gonna want those. Take care of yer fortune. They’ll wring yer head if ya blow anything up.”

“Yup, got it,” Opal replied, looking unimpressed.

“Happy travels. Don’t let today’s lightning strike ya to dust.”

“….”

The metal plates withdrew to let Opal pass through the second checkpoint. As he entered Styrkr’s atmosphere and the planet drew closer bit by bit, he realized that the dark blue colour he saw from outer space wasn’t the colour of Styrkr’s landscape, but the heavy black clouds that enveloped this planet.

His ship pierced through the cloud layers that reflected the light from the distant Ares star, plunging into the darkness that was Styrkr’s night sky where thunder and lightning seemed to strike everywhere. The spacecraft activated its deflector shield as it approached the parking apron.

The planet was shrouded in a thunderous rainstorm. Lightning flashed across tens of thousands of miles, illuminating patches of white in the sky that blended into one another. The small spacecraft quivered in the thunderstorm. Opal, pushing his head against the window to peer outside, was in awe of the spectacular view.

The transparent outer shell of the spaceship apron below began to open.

Radio wave static sounded, too fuzzy for its contents to be heard. As the ship entered the apron, its outer shell closed and an inner layer began to open.

The robots below flashed their lights and directed the ship to an open parking spot, sending a thoroughly drenched Epoch-VI to park in a corner. The main cabin door of the ship opened. Opal removed the stellar chart before stepping out and securing the cabin door, then placed the stellar chart inside his knapsack. With E7 tucked in one arm and the greatsword Lektor had given him strapped behind his back, he stepped out onto the apron, took a deep breath, then smiled.

“Hi! Do you need your spaceship cleaned?” a boy immediately came over to ask. “From giving your ship new coatings to waxing your ship, you name it and we’ve got it! We’re the best service! Come on, sir! Your ship is a real beauty! Ah, silver-mottled. It sure looks like a glistening rainbow-scale fish! How much did you pay for it?”

“Hi, I’m Opal. This ship was left to me by my mom,” Opal said.

“Hello, sir!” the youth offered. “I’m Shun.”

After Opal’s brief introduction, Shun brought over a mini robot. The robot circled the spaceship and began diligently waxing its surface. Shun smiled as he put his hand on Opal’s shoulder. “Your mom’s got good taste. You can really feel the epoch.”

Opal returned the smile. “Actually, it’s got ‘epoch’ in its name. Let’s see. Would I be able to hitch a ride in your car?”

“Of course, of course. Did you come here to sight-see? Or are you tryna make a living? The Kingdom of Mercenaries welcomes anybody from the Interstellar Alliance who’s willing to make it on their own. Opportunities spring up all the time…. Come on, get in.”

This was the first time that Opal had set foot on a new planet by himself.

Everything before his eyes seemed all so novel and captivating. The robots here were entirely different from the ones on Coccina. They had a disc-like appearance and zoomed around on the floor in every direction, making it easy to trip on one if you didn’t watch where you were stepping.

The parking apron on this planet, on the other hand, looked miserable in comparison. It was run-down, with quite a few shipping containers piled in the corners.

Opal got into Shun’s car. They passed by heaps of outlandish spacecrafts, no two looking alike. Every one of them carried audacious decorations and particle-paint sprayed logos. There was even a giant, bright red spacecraft with a painting of a naked woman parked near the ground-level entry point.

“This is the dedicated spacecraft of the Twelve Nebulas,[10] The Flaming Lips.”[11]

Opal stared at it, speechless. When he jumped off the ground transport vehicle eventually, he found himself drowning in a sea of voices.

The waiting hall was filled with the clamouring voices of passengers. Heated quarrels broke out in every corner and the noise was starting to give Opal quite the headache. “Shun, where can I find newspapers? I’m also looking to exchange for some currency. What’s happening here?”

“You can find the papers in the self-serve machine inside the lounge on the westside. It only requires 1 Credit or Styrkr Coin. Renewal costs 3 currency units. Today’s weather really is gods-awful. The lightning and geo-storm[12] will probably last for another 10 hours. Styrkr’s gravity is 1.2 times the standard unit[13] so try and watch where you’re going or you’ll really break something!”

Shun led Opal forward and shoved the bickering crowd in front of them aside. He raised his voice and continued, “You can exchange your money at the United Bank IRC![14] Alrighty, your ship’s completely cleaned, please verify!”

Shun pulled out a pocket-sized 3D projector. After herding Opal over to a corner with fewer people, he pressed a button and a projection of Opal’s ship appeared.

The other robot left behind inside the parking apron had sent along an image of Opal’s ship with its lens facing the spacecraft.

“Satisfied?” Shun showed the hologram to Opal for a split second before pulling out another small device from his fanny pack, a card machine this time. The boy smiled heartily. “I’m only charging you 3000 Credits. May you live to see a hundred!”[15]

An awkward silence stretched on between the two of them.[16]

Opal finally opened his mouth after a few moments, “It was gonna cost money? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

The shift in Shun’s expression was lightning-quick. “You think I’d wipe down your ship for free?! You’re not screwed in the head, are you? Was it damaged from radiation?” he barked.

“….”

Stranded passengers, who were previously occupied with their own heated arguments in front of the information desk, turned their heads to look at the two of them curiously, drawn by Shun’s raised voice.

Opal tried to explain, “I don’t have any money right now, and don’t have a card either. You’ll need to wait a bit—”

His words were like a switch and the people around them let out an explosion of laughter. Shun was furious. “You tryna walk off without paying?! Oi! Hand me your card! This isn’t—”

“Come with me. I’ll give you your money in a sec.”

“I don’t have a second. I’m busy enough as is! Pay up now—” Shun put his hands on Opal and was about to rummage through his knapsack. Somebody in the crowd whistled and the rest of the crowd waited to see how the drama was going to unfold.

“I haven’t got any money, I swear—what are you doing? Stop it!”

Important above all else was the stellar chart inside his knapsack. Opal immediately blocked Shun when he tried to make a move. The boy was surprisingly strong, and the two of them were suddenly caught in a brawl. The crowd stepped aside to give them some space, loudly cheering them on in mocking support.

“What’s going on here?” a security guard[17] yelled, coming over to try and restore some semblance of order. “This stupidass weather is bad enough as is! Shit! Don’t start a fight here! Take it over to the Ministry of Public Security!”

Shun raised both hands promptly and backed off. “I’m fucking calling the cops! This little shit owes me money!”

Opal was at an utter loss for words. There were people everywhere. The security guard gave them both a kick each before being dragged off by the angry mob. Everyone seemed to be bickering their heads off.

“Hold on!” Opal said.

Shun crossed his arms and stared at Opal.

Opal raised his hand out in front of him in a placating motion. There were a few impulsive moments when he wanted to just wave his hand in front of Shun, control the boy’s mind, and tell him to waive the fees. But in the end, he dismissed the thought.

“I need to exchange money,” Opal offered. “The currency where I’m from isn’t the same as yours. Come with me back to my ship.”

So the two of them ended back inside the parking apron. The gravity on this planet was quite strong. Opal had felt its impact after the little tussle with Shun, not being quite used to it. The people on this planet all seemed extremely crude, far more so than the miners on B-11.

Opal opened the back hatch used for unloading and showed Shun the rhodevena crystals. “Are you familiar with Energy Units? It used to be a common currency. These crystal ores are quite pure, and can be exchanged for between 100 to 120 Energy Units per kilogram. There’s about 520 kg in total here….”

Shun gawked at the pile silently, eyes wide with greed. Three seconds later, he opened his mouth, “Give me all of it and I won’t charge you for cleaning your ship!”

“Are you kidding me?” Opal’s voice was cold as ice. It finally dawned on him that this guy was trying to rip him off. “Take me to get it exchanged and I’ll top you up with a little extra money. Don’t push me. You won’t be able to take me on in a fight.”

Shun gave him a one-over from head to toe as Opal took out a crate of ores. He tossed it onto the car and the box made a loud thud where it landed. “Let’s go,” Opal said.

Opal was able to lift a box that weighed nearly 30 kg with one arm, and did so on a planet with 20% more gravity than the standard gravitational force. From that, Shun knew that he would be no match for Opal and resigned himself to giving him a ride. “Fine, I’ll take you there.”

Opal crossed his legs. “Don’t take me someplace to make a private transaction. It’s gotta be a licensed currency exchange centre.”

Shun had no choice but to drive Opal and his ores to the United Bank IRC office inside the parking apron. Opal went over to trade in his ores and happened to be in luck. It turned out that the lone window booth set up inside the apron traded all sorts of goods from different parts of the universe, as long as they carried value in Energy Units.

Opal handed over the crystal ores to be purified into energy. The energy level began climbing on the meter as the crystals were ground to dust inside a large nuclear reactor behind the booth.

“Hi there. Does the IRC have offices on every planet?” Opal asked.

It was quite difficult to tell the clerk’s gender. They were a strange creature with three pairs of eyes. When they spoke, their voice was raspy. “Mhm, yes sir. But the type of booth where energy is traded for currencies exists only on some branches inside the parking aprons of different planets. As you know, lots of different kinds of people come to Styrkr requesting our services, so we’ve got to deal with all kinds of customers and currencies. Of course, your crystal ores are pretty rare too. If I’m not mistaken, you’re from the Ignitis system.”

Opal nodded. “Yup. These can only be found in Ignitis.”

“Cashing it here means that we can only reimburse you for how much it’s worth in Energy Units. It’s too bad, since they could’ve been sold for quite a hefty amount in the Republican galaxies. Are you sure you want to trade them all in, sir?”

“Yeah,” Opal said, then asked another question. “Did something happen out there?”

“There’s been a geomagnetic storm and the passenger trains were held up. Terrible timing for you, I imagine,” the clerk responded. “They show up a few times every month, like a beauty’s mood swings…. Please press your fingers here to get a print taken. The IRC will be taking a 4% commission from the exchange. Please evaluate the service you’ve received….”

Opal casually gave them a rating of very satisfied and took a thin piece of card handed to him from inside the booth window. “Your rhodovena crystal ores weighed 31.53 kg. A total of 3300 Energy Units were deducted for commission. According to today’s exchange rate, that’s 15400 Interstellar Credits. You can go over to the booth next door to exchange it into Styrkr Coins. Here’s a temporary card, activated with your fingerprints. I wish you all the best.”

In a bout of confusion, Opal went over to the booth window next door to get some Styrkr Coins. An alien-looking lady of upper class status, who wore a carcass of some mucus creature around her shoulders, stood in front of him and threw vexed curses at the counter. It seemed that the banks weren’t free of quarrels either.

Opal handed over his identification and opened an account. Then, he gave the clerk his temporary information card and linked it to his ID card, set up fingerprint withdrawal, created a new voice pass,[18]before finally paying for more service fees. When everything was finally taken care of, he felt like he had just gone through a war. He marched over to Shun who sat inside the lounge. “I’ve got the money now. Let’s settle the debt,” Opal said.

Shun beamed with delight in a flash and handed over his card machine. Opal swiped his card and paid him 100 Styrkr Coins before uttering a quick “Thanks.”

“Do you take me for a bum?” Shun shouted angrily. “A hundred Coins? Did you forget what you agreed on earlier—”

Opal wasn’t stupid. “Newspapers only cost a single Coin. And you’re charging me 3000 for wiping down my ship?”

“Fucking hick from the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere! Bet you don’t know that it cost 1000 Coins just for the supplies to get your ship cleaned! You wait right here, I’m calling the damn cops on you!”

“Be my guest. May you live to see a hundred.”

“You just watch!” Shun yelled.

Opal let out a long, deep breath once Shun walked away.

But when Shun began heading towards a gang of people peering in from just outside the bank, Opal knew something was off. They were probably going to be trouble. Did Shun call those guys over when he was exchanging his money?

“Wait!” Opal called out to him. “I take back my words. I’m gonna give you 3000 Coins, as compensation for taking me to the bank.”

Shun turned around and walked back towards him. “Finally came to your senses—”

Opal hooked his arm around Shun’s shoulder and turned them both away from the gang outside. He gazed into Shun’s eyes and drew on his Will Craft. “You took 3000 Coins.”

Shun immediately blew a fuse. “You only gave me a hundred!”

Opal repeated his words viciously. “You took 3000! Get it in your head! You just received 3000 Coins.”

Shun was stunned at first. Then, for a split moment, his eyes lost focus and began nodding along. “I…took 3000? Does that sound right? I got that much?”

“Yes. I gave you 3000 Coins just now,” Opal insisted.

Shun nodded again, more gradually and with a thoughtful look on his face this time.

Opal’s next words were polite. “Goodbye,” he said and immediately shook the boy’s hand before departing from the parking apron.

[

[6] In reality, you cannot conduct electric currents in a vacuum because there are barely any particles, so you shouldn’t be able to “see” electricity in outer space because it’s functionally a vacuum.

[7] In a similar vein, you technically wouldn’t be able to hear any sound because there are very few particles for sound waves to propagate through. Yes, bloodash and I are absolute pedantic nerds #sorrynotsorry.

[8] “……” in the original text.

[9] Originally “space station” in the text, but it made very little sense in this context (i.e., the gravity bars should have released Opal’s ship so he could continue on with his journey), so we decided to change it for better flow.

[10] A well-known mercenary corps.

[11] This translation is based on a band by the same name, but 烈焰红唇 (flame-red lips) also happens to be the title of a hit track by the famous Cantonese singer Anita Mui.

[12] Short for geomagnetic storm (or solar wind). Although it’s commonly associated with a disturbance in a planet’s magnetic field (and is often related to the presence of Aurora borealis), geomagnetic storms can result in lightning.

[13] The “standard unit” here is referring to the unit assigned to the gravitational pull on earth, measured by g-force. The “standard” g-force (or the g-force on Earth) is 1 g.

[14] It’s not mentioned in the novel what IRC stands for.

[15] 祝你长命百岁 (wishing you live till you’re a hundred/a long life) in the original text and a common slogan used on Styrkr. We struggled to find a good balance between a sense-for-sense vs literal translation. This translation is a bit more clunky/on the literal side than we’d like, but it satisfies a number of constraints presented later in the novel, so we went with the current translation in the end.

[16] In the original text, it was two paragraphs of “Opal: ‘……’” and “Shun: ‘……’”’ respectively.

[17] The author used 警官/police officer in the original novel, but based on Shun’s dialogue later, we decided to change it to “security guard” so it would make more sense.

[18] Voice-based biometric passcode. More details can be found here.

Translations"

Cerulean PlanetNovember 23, 2022In "Translations"

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 7 months

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youtube

Researchers ready NASA's SPHEREX space telescope for 2025 launch

NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has been tucked inside a custom-built chamber on and off for the past two months undergoing tests to prepare it for its two-year mission in space. SPHEREx, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, is set to launch into orbit around Earth no later than April 2025.

It will map the entire sky in infrared wavelengths of light, capturing not only images of hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies but spectra for these objects as well. Spectra are created by instruments that break apart light into a rainbow of wavelengths, revealing new details about a cosmic object's composition, distance, and more.

"It's a small telescope, but it gathers an enormous amount of light thanks to its very wide field of view," explains Stephen Padin, a research professor of physics at Caltech and member of the SPHEREx team. "This will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectroscopic survey."

To ready SPHEREx for its journey, scientists and engineers at Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed by Caltech for NASA, have been busy testing SPHEREx's detectors and optics in a basement lab at Caltech's Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Because performing these tests requires simulating the extremely cold vacuum of space, the SPHEREx team enlisted colleagues at the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) to build a specialized chamber for this purpose. The SUV-sized chamber cools the telescope to about minus 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about minus 200 degrees Celsius).

"A series of measurements inside the chamber will test that the telescope is in focus and stays in focus through the shaking of launch," says Jamie Bock, the principal investigator of the mission, professor of physics at Caltech, and senior research scientist at JPL. "The chamber will later be used to characterize SPHEREx's spectrometer, which will capture detailed spectral information for every point on the sky."

Last year, the custom chamber was lowered into the basement of Cahill with the help of a 30-ton crane, as seen in a timelapse video. The telescope was then carefully prepared to be placed in the chamber, a process that included wrapping parts of the telescope in a foil material to block out stray light and to keep the telescope cool. A second timelapse video shows team members loading the telescope into the chamber.

To test whether the telescope is in focus, the team uses a collimator, basically a telescope operating in reverse, to shine an artificial star into the chamber and onto the detectors. The chamber was designed with a gold-coated sapphire window that allows the team to project the artificial star into the chamber while reflecting heat from the laboratory away from the chamber.

"The lab is glowing at infrared wavelengths," explains Phil Korngut, a scientific researcher at Caltech and instrument scientist for the SPHEREx team. "We need to keep that nasty thermal background light from getting into the telescope because it would totally swamp the detectors."

In between tests at Caltech, the telescope is being shipped to JPL, where a large mechanical shaker is mimicking the vibrations that SPHEREx will experience when it blasts off into space aboard a rocket. Once SPHEREx passes the tests at Caltech and JPL, it will be shipped to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, for integration with the spacecraft starting in March 2024.

The mission's maps of the sky will showcase stars and galaxies throughout the universe in just over 100 different infrared wavelengths of light. Its images and spectral data will allow astronomers to trace the large-scale structure of the universe to answer fundamental questions about the first moments after the birth of our cosmos 13.8 billion years ago. SPHEREx will also help answer the mystery of how water arrived on Earth by studying the abundance of water and other ices in regions where stars and planetary systems are forming.

youtube

"Our mission is complementary to others like JWST and the future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope," says Chi Nguyen, a postdoctoral scholar research associate at Caltech and member of the SPHEREx team. "They look at objects in detail, whereas we map out the whole sky and look more at global features."

SPHEREx is managed by JPL for NASA's Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C. Ball Aerospace will supply the spacecraft. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data will be conducted by a team of scientists located at 10 institutions across the U.S. and in South Korea. Data will be processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech. The SPHEREx data set will be publicly available.

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#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #nasa #astrophysics #SPHEREX #Youtube

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flowersoldier · 3 years

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THE FLOWER GIRL AND THE WOLF

Chapter 3: Midgar

ff.net AO3

Aerith took Cloud for a walk in the slums the next day. Okay, maybe he shouldn't say it this way, it sounded like he's a dog to her. The blonde still wore his coat to hide his ears and tail from the people and Aerith wore the same pink summer dress and red jacket.

“So, what do you think of my home?“ Asked Aerith then and to be honest the wolf didn't know how to answer.

“Uh...well, your place is great. But the rest of the slums...“

“I know, it's not the best place to live in. But it's my home.“ The girl shrugged.

To be honest Cloud couldn't understand how anyone wanted to live here. It's dirty, it's stinky...It's just not a good place to live. “It's weird not being able to see the sky.“

“I don't mind that.“ Said Aerith with a quieter voice. “The sky's kinda...scary.“ The blonde tilted his head, confused, before looking up at the plate. He didn't understand what she meant. “I mean...it's so endless...you never know what might come from it.“ Cloud couldn't say that he understood what she's talking about, but he nodded anyway.

Then, the flower girl was as cheery as ever and dragged him though the slums. They had a snack here and there and Cloud learned to appreciate the humans cooking skills. In the end they had something they called ice-cream. That, too, was really delicious and from all the sweet things people ate this might be his favorite. As Aerith told him more about the human way of life, he noticed a drop of ice-cream running down her jaw. He stopped listening and only stared at the drop, while fighting the urge to lick it off. But this time the urge was too strong and he leaned in to lick it off her face. Aerith stopped talking and only stared at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks once he pulled back.

Only then did he realize his mistake and looked away, his face growing hotter by the second. “S-sorry. Wolf habit...“ He mumbled embarrassed, pulling his hood down to hide his face completely.

“It's okay.“ He heard Aerith say, before he felt her pushing the hood away. And then something soft touched his cheek. Cloud didn't have to look to know what it was. He felt his face getting even hotter then and he turned away from Aerith and pulled his hood back over his face to hide it. Aerith giggled behind his back.

Then they decided to go back to the church. There were flowers she had to take care of, too. Her words. Cloud protected her the whole way there, scaring away all the monsters that wanted to attack Aerith.

Inside the church, the blonde just sat on the ground and watched the girl tending to her flowers. He watched her fingers, using her magic touch on the plants, and his mind went back to the time she petted him when he was in his wolf form. How soft and warm they felt, as she gently ran it through his fur. The thought alone caused a cold shiver to run down his spine.

“What are you thinking?“ Hearing Aerith's voice so close to his ear made him jump in surprise.

“Huh? Nothing.“ He answered and noticed her eye twinkling mischievously. “What?“

“I think you're lying.“ The wolf only hummed, not knowing what to say about it. He knew he's a bad liar sometimes, so fighting it will make him more suspicious.

Cloud helped her taking care of the flowers whenever she needed him, but for the most part he just looked at her and tried very hard not to stare like a creep. It was...really weird. These feelings he suddenly got when she's around. It kinda felt like back then, when he had a crush on Tifa but more intense. The blonde shook his head. No, he shouldn't have a crush on Aerith! She's human and he was a wolf. This wouldn't work!

“What are you thinking, Cloud?“ Asked Aerith again, now her whole attention was at him. It was kinda embarrassing.

“Just...“ He began, trying to think of an excuse quickly. “I think I'll miss this place.“ What he actually meant was that he'll miss her. Aerith smiled sadly, giving him the urge to cheer her up again. But he was never good at cheering people up...

“I'll miss you, too, Cloud.“ She said honestly, making his face flush. The wolf stared at the flowers, as he got the weirdest idea ever.

“What if...“ He mumbled, but then stopped himself. No, this was a bad idea. Elmyra wouldn't want that, even if Aerith said yes.

“What if...?“ Repeated Aerith, looking at him with big, curious eyes.

Cloud shook his head, avoiding her gaze. “Forget it. It's nothing.“ He only glanced at her, when he heard her scooch in. She was sitting very close to him. Too close.

“Tell me.“

He had to look away from her eyes. “It's nothing. Just...I just thought you could come with me.“ Cloud felt so stupid now that he said it. It was the worst idea ever.

“To your pack?“ Asked Aerith thoughtfully.

Cloud shook his head and looked away from her. “Forget it.“

“No! I'd like to come with you and meet your family!“ Said Aerith, crawling over his lap so he was forced to look at her. That was even more embarrassing than just sitting too close together.

“And what about your mom?“

“Well, thank god I'm old enough to decide stuff on my own.“ She replied with a playful tone in her voice.

-----------------------------

After spending some more time in the church they went back to Aeriths place. The kids in the Leave House near her home greeted them happily again, as did every other citizen of Sector 5. She was very popular among the people it seemed. Aerith told him she helped people when they needed it, so it made sense that everyone loved her.

“Cloud?“ The woman suddenly stopped when they stepped on her territory. “I, uh...I'd like to talk with my mom alone for now, okay? Could you...?“

“I'll wait out here till you're done.“ Finished Cloud for her.

“Huh? No you don't need to stay outside! I thought you could go upstairs instead.“

Aerith was really nice, it took him so much strength not to smile too much. “That's fine. I like to be outside. Go in and talk with your mom.“ Also with his enhanced hearing he could probably hear every word when, even when he's upstairs.

“You're really sweet, Cloud.“ Aerith gave him one of her radiant smiles that never failed to take his breath away. His heart thumped happily that this smile was only reserved for him. “You don't have to stay here all the time though. Just look around more, or something, I don't want you to get bored.“

Cloud couldn't help but roll his eyes, the little smile of his was still present though. “Don't worry about me. Go.“

“Okay. I'll get you when we're done talking.“ Aerith giggled and then finally went to the house. Cloud stood there and watched her till she eventually vanished behind the door. Only then did he move. He just walked around the garden, looking at the flowers she planted there, staring at the fish swimming in the pond and held himself back to grab one and eat it raw.

Then he went up the little flower covered hill, where Aerith spoke to the flowers the day before. He kneeled down and stared at the yellow lilies swinging lightly in the breeze. People who could talk to the planet...Until now Cloud thought it's just a fairy tale. But Aerith proved to him that this was very much real. He didn't think she'd lie about these things. And she looked very serious when she said that the flowers' voices couldn't reach her.

Cloud glared at the flowers. “Why aren't you answering her?“ He growled lowly at the plants. Then he sat down, being careful not to squish any flowers and kept glaring at them. What was it that he heard about these special people? There are many different versions of the same story. One said they were humans. One said they were wolves. Another said both kinds existed. Also that these people were the ancestors of the whole shape shifting wolf species. So if Aerith was one of these people...did that mean she had a very old bloodline that reached all the way to both their ancestors? Maybe if Aerith will go to his pack with him, she could probably learn more about her heritage? The people in Cosmo Canyon were very wise and surely knew a thing or two about these people.

---------------------------

Cloud woke up when he felt someone touching his arm. He must've fallen asleep and the sun was gone already. How long was he asleep? Looking up, he saw Aerith hovering over him, smiling gently. Yep, that was a great sight to wake up to. “Hey, sleepyhead. Sorry, it took us longer than I expected...“

Cloud yawned and sat up. “It's okay.“ He did expect it to take that long, after all Aerith wabted to leave her relatively safe home and travel the world. Of course her mother wouldn't agree immediately and try to talk Aerith out of it. “You'll stay here then, right?“

“What are you saying? Of course not.“ Aerith giggled and knelled down to be on eye level with him. “It took me a while but I was able to persuade her. I'm coming with you, Cloud. I have the feeling I can learn more when I'm out there. You know what I mean?“

Of course he did. “Yeah.“ Aerith gave him one of her bright smiles again, before extending her hand. “Come. Let's eat dinner and get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.“ Cloud frowned. She wanted to leave tomorrow? He thought she'd tell him to wait a few more days to prepare and say good bye to everyone...But it wasn't really his business now, was it? If she said she's ready, she she's ready and he won't question it. The blonde took her hand and let her help him get up on his feet, while doing the same to her. When he let go of his hand, it took him quite a lot of self-control not to grab her hand again. And so he just followed her back into the house.

Elmyra looked quite concerned throughout the evening, but they never once talked about the journey ahead of them. And after dinner they all went to bed. Just like the night before, Aerith scent all over the pillow and sheets lulled him to sleep. The only difference was that he had a quite pleasant dream for once.

#clerith #cloud strife #Aerith Gainsborough #ffvii #final fantasy vii #wolf au #fanfics #fanfiction

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just-the-mage · 3 years

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Review-Love Death + Robots (Pt 1. Episodes 1-4)

So here we are again. You, dear readers, and I, a mostly defunct tumblr page. I was thinking...I’ve written a few reviews on here before, and I’ve rather enjoyed myself to be honest. So until RP starts up again for me, I’m going to grab some popcorn and start reviewing some of the media I’ve been indulging in during this exceptionally fun pandemic we’ve all been saddled with (and are becoming increasingly more and more used to as time goes on). Here we go!

Spoilers incoming! I don’t like to discuss a show without going through it entirely-no stone unturned. You have been warned!

Love Death + Robots is a compilation series-each episode is self-contained content, based on what I have experienced thus far. The content varies wildly from cute and sweet to surreal, to horrific. For right now I’m going to stick with the first four episodes since they are fresh in my mind.

Episode 1: Three Robots

Three robots shows a short adventure shared by, you guessed it-Three robots exploring the crumbling remains of human society. It comes across as three tourists making their way through an area that they are completely unfamiliar with, attempting to define and understand elements of the environment as humans once did. Their analysis and attempts to understand not only human culture, but also basic human biology, were entertaining to say the least. Each robot has flair, character, and a their own take on humans and humanity. Over the course of the episode, the fall of mankind is referenced a few times, being initially explained as a mass extinction due to environmental disasters (global warming is probably a factor-one of the buildings has an entire ship sticking out of it). However, the twist ending throws that whole theory into question once the cat that has been accompanying the robots for the last leg of their journey reveals itself as capable of speech. And, interestingly enough...being in possession of opposable thumbs. It was certainly unexpected, and a bit odd-the cat (and its many, many brethren) manage to finish out the episode by convincing the robots that if the robots do not pet them, the cats may explode. I will say that the ending, though it was rather silly and fitting with the tone, felt like an out of place twist intended mostly to give a bit of closure to a story that had no real need to have an ending. It felt a little out-of-left field, at least to me.

This first episode, I think, is one that I could recommend to a much more general audience than almost all of the other content of the show. It’s whimsical and cute, despite inhabiting such a grim setting (and grim it is-post apocalyptic is not taken lightly here. There are plenty of corpses, some skeletal and some not quite so much. At least one of them appears to have died by suicide). I found it to be a nice addition and a good introduction to ease people into the tone of the show. Definitely give this one a watch, even if the ending sort of comes from nowhere.

Episode 2: Beyond the Aquila Rift

This episode was definitely a change of pace from the first. It begins as a high science fiction story starring a hunky, middle aged man and his two crewmates, making some sort of cargo run (?) through a wormhole of some kind, but promptly finding themselves in a completely different place from what they expected. Hunky space captain wakes up first, finding that he is greeted by an old friend (read: lover) of his, who explains that there was a navigation error that led them off course-way off course. They’re in a completely different area than they expected. The ship’s navigator wakes as well, swearing that there couldn’t have been an error in her calculations, but seems ill and is placed back in her future tech cryopod to rest. Space captain man then bangs it out with his ex-lover (Greta) in a scene that was almost definitely written by a man, and she reveals to him that she lied, and that him and his crew are actually hundreds of light-years further off course than they had thought they were, basically dashing any hopes that he could have of returning to his old life. The two then wake the navigator again, who immediately starts ranting that ‘Greta’ isn’t who she says she is. At this point, enough clues have been given that the captain catches up with the audience (it was all a simulation the whole time), and he confronts Greta, demanding that she reveal herself as she truly is. She does, after some prodding-and the captain finds himself in an infested husk of a ship, aged and haggard, obviously dying of starvation. Greta reveals herself as a lovely spider-beast, and the captain wakes up from his pod again-back in his comfortable illusion once more.

I love the premise of this one. Crazy aliens and shit like this is a huge draw for me-sci-fi horror is probably my favorite subgenre of horror when it’s done well. I would count this episode as doing it pretty well. They don’t go into much techno-babble, which I think is a pitfall for some sci-fi stories. The writers are well aware that we aren’t spending too long in this world, so we don’t need to know much about the rules under which it operates outside of ‘computer mistake your ship fly here.’ The twist ending didn’t end up being too much of a twist-in my opinion there were too many clues given throughout the episode to make it that much of a surprise that things weren’t as they seemed. The odds of this man meeting his ex-lover in the infinitesimal reaches of space just by chance were a bit too impossible to make it believable-and the navigator was far too convinced that her work couldn’t be incorrect. In the end, it was an expected twist, but still pretty jarring. Execution is pretty good overall though-and the sex scene is pretty decent as well, even if its strictly a dude-fantasy thing. Also, call me a sucker for cool looking beasties, but I adore the design on spider-Greta. That’s a lady right there for you.

Episode 3: Ice Age

The only live action episode I’ve seen so far-this one gives an *entirely* different tone than the majority of the other episodes in the series. Topher Grace and Mary Elizabeth Winstead happen upon a lost civilization that exists entirely within their refrigerator. They watch in awe as it develops incredibly quickly-hundreds of years passing within the civilization in roughly an hour or so of real time. What starts in the morning as a town in the viking ages eventually develops into a modern society, almost destroys itself with nukes, and then rebuilds from the ashes into a fully futuristic society that quickly ascends beyond physical form, appearing to disperse itself into the cosmos, no longer bound by such petty rules as the laws of physics. A disappointed Topher asks if they’ll return-to which he receives a sad ‘no’ from his partner. It seems all is lost, and the couple go to bed for the night-only to find that the cycle has restarted overnight, and they probably won’t be able to keep any frozen chicken in the freezer for quite some time.

This one is probably one of my favorites of the series so far. It’s fairly well acted, but the real beauty of the episode is getting to watch the mini-civilization develop itself in a glorious time lapse-the work that must’ve gone into it must have been monumental, to be honest. The final product certainly felt that way, in any case. What I also found fascinating was a specific scene in which the protagonists were abandoned in place of some of the tiny denizens of the lost civilization-which made me realize exactly how slow the ‘normal sized people’s’ actions must have looked to the diminutive people of this rapidly developing society. Reminiscent of the earth’s motion in relation to our own perception-and reinforcing the concept that to an individual, perception is everything.

Episode 4: Sonnie’s Edge

This episode opens with three people transporting mysterious cargo into a heavily guarded complex, quickly encountering and interacting with a ‘bigwig’ of sorts with a beautiful woman on his arm. Through context clues the audience is easily able to discover that the three (pictured above) are here for a fight-and that their cargo is their fighter, a living creature of obviously immense proportion. The bigwig asks the team to throw the fight, and they refuse, even after he offers a large amount of money. (It’s worth mentioning that during this scene, ‘Sonnie’, the leader and controller of the beast fighter, shares an EXTREMELY homosexual gaze with the bigwig’s beautiful lady friend. Don’t think I didn’t notice the setup, because I definitely noticed the payoff, even though it was rudely interrupted). Sonnie and her teammates enter the ring, setting up as it appears that she will be piloting her fighter in some way. Her opponent is also introduced, though he is hardly important in the story-imagine a cake of beef with a big sticker on him that says ‘mysogyny’ in bold print. What follows is one of the most brutal fight scenes I’ve seen in animation (this is just my personal opinion though). These creatures fucking tear each other to shreds, with Sonnie’s beast only just barely emerging as the victor, tearing the opposing fighter’s head clean from its body. The bigwig is obviously angry, as is Sonnie’s opponent, and Sonnie and her team retires to a hotel room of sorts, with the exception of Sonnie-who slips away into the room that houses her fighter, promptly encountering the beauty from earlier! (Payoff time)..and it gets gay. Fast. I love me some wlw content, and there’s some nice tension here, right up until the beauty stabs Sonnie through the head. Rude. The bigwig reveals himself, which was a bit of a surprise-the part of me that hadn’t seen much of this show yet was hoping for a fluffy little happy ending. It wasn’t to be though..after the beauty crushes Sonnie’s skull, the two promptly realize that ‘Sonnie’ wasn’t Sonnie at all-just some biotech. The *real* Sonnie...was the fighter, the whole time. Who promptly makes short work of both the beauty and the bigwig, (implied), in what I can only describe as the most satisfying moment in the series that I’ve seen thus far.

This was easily my favorite episode of the show, and has continued to be, and I assume will continue to be my favorite through the rest of the series. It’s not just because of the lesbian rep (my people!), or the misogynists getting fucking destroyed, but the strength of the reveal, the choreography of the fight scene, and the *power* of the protagonist. I love her. I love her sooo much. We are seamlessly introduced into the world, shown a woman who has been beaten, scarred, faced sexual abuse, and she remade herself into a being of pure power. She fought back, and *look how she fights back*. I cannot describe just how much of a cheer-worthy moment it was to watch the smug smile be summarily wiped from the face of the bigwig. I *love* seeing a villain who has full confidence in their victory suddenly realize that they don’t have the upper hand anymore...and that they are, in fact, absolutely screwed. This was one of those wonderful, wonderful moments, and I can think of nobody more deserving than this villain of being torn to shreds. This was an A+ episode for sure-100% recommend this one for anyone who can handle a bit of gore.

Thank you so much for reading! This is only part 1...more to come!

#ooc #not ffxiv #review #show review #tv show review #love death and robots #love #death #robots #animation #sonnie's edge #ice age #beyond the aquila rift #three robots #wlw #lesbian

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saffieunseelie · 4 years

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Prelude for a Fantasy in E♭ Major

This is the first piece of original fiction I’ve ever posted anywhere. Enjoy.

Thousands upon thousands of years ago, wells of magic existed throughout the cosmos, and everything was real. The upwelling of magic fuelled the evolution of strange and fantastic creatures – everything from great dragons to firebirds to microscopic diseases that caused infections of bloodlust and prophecy. And there were beings, at the beginning of everything, powerful beings born of pure magic, whom we would now call gods, or goddesses, or perhaps angels. Nobody knows from where they came, but they were undeniably the greatest of the magical creatures to walk the earth. There were the mother-goddesses of soil and tree, whose potent magic flowed through the bedrock of the planet itself. There were beings of fire and sunlight, who flew through the air on great feathered wings, and sea gods dwelling in the deepest crevices of the ocean. There were maiden goddesses who ran through the woods guiding vast herds of creatures in their migrations, gods who took the form of swarms of bees and creeping seas of vines, and gods who led the first humans on their journeys across the ice floes and grasslands. The offspring of humans and these kind gods were the Faeries, an ever-changing race who linked themselves to the inherent magic of the Earth, and learned to populate those folds in time and space where magic collected like backeddies on a river. For millennia, magic was a force on Earth as elemental as the currents of wind or the sweep of the tides, omnipresent and binding.

But it did not remain so forever. The gods and great beings, who were capable of drawing from the wells of magic, saw that each of them were allotted a certain measure of power they could access at no cost – no more and no less than they were able to handle. But not all gods were capable of the same capacity, and some began to grow jealous of the greatest ones, for they did not understand that their sisters were equipped to handle such power, and that they were set limits in order to maintain balance. Many of them felt they should be able to draw as much power as they liked, regardless of their natural capacity. And when they realized there were ways around those limits, the gods began to delve into the wells of magic in order to increase their own power.

There was a price for such things, of course, and the cost was always steep and merciless. Some of the gods fought and killed each other in their quest for more power, feeding on the magic of those they’d slain. Some gods cleaved to humans, strengthened from the magic generated by worship – but sealing themselves to a terrible fate lest they be forgotten. Sects of gods fought bitter wars, demonizing their enemies despite once having been as similar as the two wings of a bird. And some gods drowned themselves in the wells of magic, losing their ability to take on an earthly form. It took a long time, but eventually, there was barely any left who had not in some way tried to augment their own power – those who didn’t seemed weak as kittens next to their mighty brothers and sisters.

Thousands upon thousands of years ago, there came a time when the wells of magic ran dry and were sealed. It had seemed an impossibility, at the beginning of days, when magic was as common as the air in our lungs. But it happened nevertheless.

There was still magic on the Earth, yes, but there was no longer a source for that seamless meshing of energy and matter that was its essence. Magic had created all it would create, and from that time forward, no new deity or magical creature evolved. The gods still held great power, but never again did they reach the heights of the times before the sealing. The magical creatures became rarer, confined to increasingly isolated habitats. The Faeries lived on in the pocket realms of the world, their strength tied as always to the land, but there were no more unions between gods and men to strengthen their race, and as their physical blood thinned, faerie children became as precious as a river of diamonds. Magic could be transferred from parent to child, through gifts and infections, but it became a resource like any other – a finite resource. Humans lost sight of it, as the magical races clung fiercely to their power, unwilling to teach this rapidly expanding species their secrets lest magic become more diluted than it already was. As they grew apart, magic became something to be feared, and the humans constructed systems of belief to drive that wedge even deeper between themselves and the users of magic. And without the magic of worship, the gods dwindled – though they could not be killed, they were drained by the prices they were forced to pay, sapping their powers and dimming their light and their beauty.

Thousands upon thousands of years ago, the force of magic deserted this earth – perhaps forever, perhaps only until it has renewed itself. Its remnants can be found in the small populations of creatures who are still able to channel that force, in the pocket-realms of the Faeries and the kraken in the deepest trenches of the sea. Humans may be born with the second sight, a tree may attract a dryad, a god might wander the Earth for a time. But the great wells of magic are gone, though they were once part of the very fabric of our world. Though we have never ceased looking for magic, today, it is only found in storybooks, lost now to memory and time.

#fantasy writing #fantasy #my writing #original fiction #mythology #old magic #magical creatures #mother goddess #faeries #prose #origin story

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envisionourfuture · 4 years

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Achievable.2

The ships compartments extend from the fore to the aft of the ship. Engines are supplied at the fore and aft ends to allow acceleration and deceleration without moving the funnel mouth away from the direction of travel. Allowing sets of engines in a ring allows for slight vectoring during travel for flight path alignment. At the front behind engines is field control and there are several auxiliary engine control compartments throughout the height of the ship, mostly for regeneration and internal flux shield control. Generators should be installed toward the front of the ship, being heavy, and being close to shield control, since there will be a slight pendulum effect if the weight is not kept front of centre [https://eastonarchery.com/2014/06/foc/] with a cigar shape flying through the inter-planetary medium.

Due to speed limiting requirements, gravity can be maintained by performing shimmy-slide manoeuvres where thrust is reversed so that travel velocity is maintained on an average basis continuously below safe upper-limit. Transfer manoeuvres can operate a twenty-minute floor to ceiling cycle to allow for soft transfer if any article is not locked in position. Swing container shuttle sides may be considered for future missions with cranes fitted toward the nose of the ship to allow lowering down of containers on-planet, the containers themselves on a swing pivot to allow the floor is always heavier & gravity maintained.

The first general priority on arrival is the construction of further ships to repeat this journey throughout the cosmos.

Locating the opportunity planet on approach requires long-range forward sensors and velocity-direction flight modification to navigate. Really we just search for an Earth-like planet in the goldilocks tri-zone, far enough from the sun, being cool enough for liquid water and occasional snow and habitable areas without ice, breathable atmosphere magnetically shielded and in a stable debris-free orbit with or without a monolithic-geode.

-HRjJ

cont: https://envisionourfuture.tumblr.com/post/622085139867009024/achievable3

from: https://envisionourfuture.tumblr.com/post/189994889304/acheivable1

*** We will have to always care for any planet that we arrive on. ***

#Science #Design #Toward M104

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megacrustle · 6 years

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My last Paper Mario odyssey partners.... had a lot of fun making these! even if they dont get very many notes lol

Part 1 [x] / Part 2 [x]

Oh Mario Baby, I know you're a big, ~strong~ man and all but let me handle these low-class goons~ Siren the Loch Lady. Siren is a former classical opera singer with a silky voice that can put others under her spell. Under the guise of a high-class and posh lady, Siren is actually a bit callous and has a pension for anything morbid. She has no patience for anyone who wastes her time and has no qualms in dealing with others in however manner she decides necessary. Leader of an intimidating "Informant" spy group, Siren and her associates offers help and information to anyone who needs it (granted they have the coins). However, for unknown reasons Siren offers Mario help completely pro bono. Despite her convincing and sadistic nature, Mario and Team have no choice but to accept her incredibly useful help. Siren's ability "Intimidation" is to make enemies on more likely to avoid Mario, meaning he has an easier chance of backtracking or traversing while on low HP? In battle she can give enemies the "cold shoulder" which deals ice damage, as well as charming enemies with her singing so they temporarily switch sides in battle. Attacks Cold Shoulder- Siren snubs a ground enemy and gives them a cold shoulder, dealing ice damage that might freeze enemies. *Siren's Song- Siren sings and has a chance of charming an enemy so they temporarily switch to Mario's side of battle. **Kiss and Tell- Siren plants a gentle kiss on an enemy, dealing damage that penetrates Defense and healing herself the same amount. ***Endear-Gives Mario another chance to act. It's not until later that it's revealed her Sister has disappeared due to mysterious circumstances and she believes Mario's journey is the key to uncovering what happened to her. After time and bonding with Mario and Party, she has grown a bit attached and decided to help him on his journey herself. On this adventure, maybe she will open up emotionally more to the group and in return become less cruel and spiteful.

Times like these makes me just wanna pull out my guitar and strum some mellow jams. Got some good vibes comin' your way, brothuh, I believe we can make it through anything. Morris the Moe-Eye. A world famous retired musician, Morris has traveled to every kingdom playing sold out concerts and spreading the cheer covering a wide range of genres including blues, country, and folk rock (as well as the universal charm of his smooth, golden voice). His music focuses on themes of adventure, self discovery, and other introspective concepts that make those listening stop and *really* thinks bout whats going on in their lives and the lives of others. Morris has a very open minded view of others, he believes everyone and every location has its own story to tell, and in his youth he has traveled the globe and experienced many things in order to gain inspiration for his music. Like other Moe-Eye, Morris has the ability to view invisible and unseen objects, but Morris is capable of seeing also invisible attributes of people and objects, such as emotions, which helps him bond and relate to others exceptionally easily. Morris's ability is to use his shades to reveal hidden objects in the overworld. In battle he can strum rancorous cords that deal damage to enemies or strum a silky lullaby that might lead some to fall asleep, Attacks: Rowdy Twang- Morris plays an unpleasant cord that damages any enemy. *Spectacled- Morris equips his sunglasses which allows him to see enemy weaknesses, which may boosts his attack or defense. **Lullaby Blues- Morris strums his guitar gently and softly, which may cause enemies on the field to fall asleep. ***Rockapalooza- Morris performs a concert which boosts the spirits of the party, temporarily increasing his own and Mario's Attack and Defense as well as replenishing some star points and filling more seats in the audience. Morris joins Mario because he's grown bored of the retired life and decides to relive his old days as an adventurer and helping others, and maybe get inspiration for a come-back album he's planning along the way. How does he even play a guitar without fingers? Does he use his toes?

Come Captain Mustache, with our help we will destroy suffering and evil once and for all! In the name of truth and justice, all villains will experience the mighty power of ROBOT RABBIT RANGER: CYBROOD! Cybrood the Robot Rabbit Ranger. Originally built by a mysterious and unknown scientist, Cybrood was originally 3 individuals of a team of 100 other Rangers who were created to solve problems throughout the world. But when one of these Rangers started strafing towards the side of villainy, re-branding itself as Rex λ, it decided to end the group once and for all by destroy every last Rabbit Ranger. All but 3 Rabbit Rangers were slain, their bodies destroyed and their minds incorporated into the evil singularity of Rex λ. The 3 remaining Rangers; Ranger X, Y, and Z; attempted with all their might to stop Rex λ from wreaking havoc across the cosmos, so they lured it back to their place of origin and used their collective powers to trap it in an indefinite prison. Rangers Y and Z, however, were mortally wounded during the fight. The only way to save them was for Ranger X to assimilate their minds into its own mainframe just as Rex λ had done to the other Rangers. With the assimilation complete, all 3 rangers were no longer individuals, but a new single entity now known as Cybrood who has taken it upon themself to guard Rex λ from escaping its prison. Cybrood has been in guard for many, many lonely years which has given them time to think about themselves. They love being heroes and helping other but more importantly they look back at all the times they were able to give others joy and see smiles on their faces. Perhaps when they're finally back out into the world, Cybrood can find new ways to make others truly happy. Cybrood's ability is an Elemental Blast: Using a concentrated laser that cycles through shock; freeze; or burn, Cybrood can solve numerous puzzles and advance through a multitude of obstacles. In battle he can defeat enemies with simple chopping attack, high kicks, and other similar martial art attacks. Attacks: Bunny Hop-Cybrood quickly hops over to an enemy and kick them with their powerful robotic legs. *Elemental Blast-Cybrood blasts an enemy with his powerful laser, which may leave it shocked, frozen, or burned. **Over the Moon-Cybrood grabs an opponent and flies them high into the sky. A turn later they come crashing down onto the field like a meteorite damaging other enemies on the field. ***XYZ Star Rush-Cybrood produces a myriad of holographic stars to shower over the enemies, causing massive damage throughout the stage. Cybrood follows Mario because, after Mario helps them defeat their demons both literal and metaphoric, they are not only just able to finally return to their original objective of helping those in need and saving the day but also now has a chance to possibly explore new career paths and find new ways to bring joy to others.

HUMAN MARIO, IT IS WISE OF YOU TO HAVE FOUND COMPANIONSHIP WITH A SPIRIT SUCH AS I. WERE WE ENEMIES ON THE BATTLEFIELD, I WOULD BE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE VICTOR. Ja-Shi the Jaxi. A benevolent and ancient spirit, she has protected the denizens of a small village for thousands of years but has become ambivalent of outsiders. But when a danger comes to her village not even she can handle, she realizes she needs to team up with Mario who she did not initially trust in order to keep the townsfolk safe. Ja-Shi's ability is to carry Mario over deadly and hazardous obstacles such as spikes, poisonous water, or lava(similar to Lakitu or Carrie). In battle shy can trample enemies, burn them with spectral flames, or pull them into the spirit world for massive damage. Attacks Knock Back- Ja-shi slams onto the closest ground enemy, launching them to the back of the stage. *Trample- Ja-Shi rams through all ground enemies, possibly launching some out of battle completely **Spectral Bark- Ja-Shi roars and inflicts an enemy with fire damage, possibly leaving them burned. ***Spirit Warp- Ja-Shi attacks and drags an enemy into the spirit world, dealing massive damage as well as leaving a guarantee burn. Ja-Shi joins Mario because she wants to put an end to a greater threat that could cause possible harm to her village or its inhabitants. Maybe on this journey she can learn to have more trust of outsiders, and be more accepting of receiving help and friendship from those outside her town.

Zap Bang Crash and Pow!! Have no fear, Powup is here!! Powup the Bonneter. A quirky little ghost from Bonneton, but unlike the other guys who possessed hats she had the ability to possess and take the powers of power ups! She is a super secret bonus partner, so Mario has to do some work to get her amazing benefits. Outside of battle, Powup can help Mario locate hidden and secret objects. In battlem Powup acts as a 3rd partner: Mario just has to activate an item and Powup will take its powers. She only has 1 attack and it varies between item, but a 3rd partner can help with Mario's strategy as she can damage enemies, defend herself or her teammates, and appeal to the crowd to increase SP. Mario can change what powerup she is currently possessing anytime as long as he has the item in his inventory, and if she falls in battle he can bring her back. She's a bit of a trickster and hid herself behind multiple difficult objectives to see if anyone could find her. After Mario succeeds and reveals her from her hiding place, she devotes her loyalty to him for being such a clever player.

#paper mario #paper mario partner #super mario odyssey #mario oc #lochlady #moe-eye #broodal #jaxi #bonneter #cappy

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dusketernal-blog · 6 years

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Airedalena reads Dusk’s Tarot Cards

Ankh Spread

First Card: Ten of Swords

Airedalena pulled the first card and placed it to her left. The card's face churned and twisted with a maelstrom. The deeper it churned the more it tried to draw the viewer into it. Eventually, the water broke away. A kaldorei woman with long snow hair laid upon a broken shoreline. She faced a stormy sky. Around her, ten swords seemed to bind her to the sand and stone.

"Drawn here is your first significator," she told Dusk. "It is the Ten of Swords. It represents despair, but in a more greater state than its predecessor. It is ruin of plans or projects, a defeat in war, a disruption of one's home life. Tears will fall, trouble will come in spite of all wealth or high position."

Second Card: Knight of Chalices

Airedalena flicked up the second card and placed it to the first's right. The waves of this card were more playful than dark. They collided and twisted around each other. As the waves continued to dance, they picked up speed, ultimately resulting in a crash of white mist that revealed the card's face. This time, the same elven woman sat upon a snow point nightsaber. They walked along a riverbank. Within the maiden's hand was a silver chalice held firmly albeit seemingly empty.

"This is the Knight of Chalices," Airedalena explained. "It represents grace but indolence. A dreamer, particularly for more than that which she has. It is your second significator."

Third Card: Seven of Swords

Airedalena offered Dusk what may of been an attempt at a reassuring smile. However, it faded as Airedalena's attention returned to the deck. She pulled the third card. This one was placed higher above the first. Like the former, it churned with the depths of the maelstrom. It led the viewer nearly into the abyss before the face was revealed. The elven woman rushed away from an ocean city. Five swords were carried in her arms but two had fallen to the sands below. Above her, a night sky with no moon.

"The seven of swords lies in your Early Causes," she continued. "It is a plan that will fail. An attempt to make away with that which does not belong to you. An unstable effort leads to arguments over what should be done. Spying on others leads to a plan only partially successful."

Fourth Card: The Six of Chalices. In reverse

The fourth card drawn showed a distant wave crashing towards the face of the card. As it travelled closer to the viewer, it grew larger, until it almost threatened to break out from the confinements of the card's edges. It crashed into the face, sending unfelt sea mist everywhere. An image of the elven woman was seated upon a riverbank. A man carried a chalice filled with freshly picked flowers. In the distance, a forgotten cottage, taken over by the regrowth of nature. Five more chalices outline the woman's vista. Unlike the others, this card laid in the reversed position.

"The Six of Chalices. In reverse. . . Your triggering causes were living too much in the past. Clinging to worn out morals and manners. Worthless associates. But, just perhaps, that past offered a gift."

Fifth Card: The World

Airedalena tapped cosmos dipped fingertips against the deck and drew the next card. It was placed in the center, above the third and fourth. This time, the waves swirled peacefully around the center of the face. Others lapped at the edges of the card. The sea mist could *almost* be felt, but perhaps that was just a trick of the mind. Sure enough, the waves faded into a new depiction. The elf laid within ocean waters that churned around her. Behind her, the light of Azeroth glowed in its most divine of natures. Dolphins swam in a circular motion, clockwise, around the maiden.

"I should have known," Aire murmured more to herself than Dusk. "This card is the World. It rests in your Higher Perception. It represents completion, reward, or success. It is a triumph in your undertakings. It shows travel, a change in the home as you arrive at a state of cosmic conscience. It sees the path of liberation."

Sixth Card: The Two of Chalices

Airedalena simply smiled at Dusk's inquiry and drew the next card. The maiden stood upon the shoreline of an endless ocean. It was dusk, both sun and moon in a star-dotted sky. She held two chalices, one with blue flowers, and one with pink. Twisted around the » cups and up the elf's arms were a pair of ebony snakes. And had she paid close enough attention, a cloud in the distant skyline formed that of a nightsaber.

"A lot of chalices and swords, my lady," she cooed. "The Two of Chalices represent harmony of both the rough and the soft. It shows us balance but not one we can achieve alone-- a kindred soul to share ideas and plans with. This card rests in your necessary conclusions."

Seventh Card: The Four of Swords

The next card Airedalena pulled churned with lighter blues. Still a maelstrom, it was almost as though it mimicked a day instead of a night. Once it lulled the viewer in, it revealed a woman lying upon a simple bed. She must have been in the bottom decks of a ship. It was empty except for a window and four swords. Moonlight shone through the glass. The swords hung on the hull walls. Except for one that laid across the elven maiden. This one also rested in the reversed position.

"The Four of Swords," Aire declared with a hint of amusement. "It is your next step. Renewed activity comes with qualified success. Movement in one's affairs or social unrest. Be wise, my lady. Make sure you are economical, that you are circumspect."

Eighth Card: The Hierophant Reversed

The following card was a bit of a surprise. While others had showcased predominantly waves and maelstroms, this one had the waters rise up and twist in that of a waterspout. It danced and carved its way through the seas, elegant but frightening. It twirled closer to the viewer until their vision was caught in the water itself. The face of the card was washed into an image of the same elven maiden. She sat within a throne. Two keys rested beneath her feet. One hand rose was if swearing oath. The other held onto a staff carved from sea glass and tipped with a sun and crescent moon. Two pillars rose tall behind her, decorated with oceanic patterns. A crown of silver was decorated with tall, gilded feathers.

"This card is the Hierophant. She rests in reverse. Here, she showcases what may surprise you on your journey. In reverse, she represents an openness to new ideas or unconventionality. Do take care to not become too superstitious. It will harm the creation of inventive ideas."

Final Card: The Tower Reversed.

And with that, they had arrived at the final card. Upon being pulled, water wrapped around Aire's fingers. There's a moment where she hesitates before understanding crossed her expression. She laid the card down quietly. Waters of different color started to twist and collide. Light blues met abyssal darks before they separated entirely. Like the last, this card rested in reverse. The elven maiden that had been throughout the story fell from a tall lighthouse. She crashed into stormy seas below. The skies above her cloudy but with a part that showed a sliver of light from the moon above.

"As you grow busier, my lady, this is your final card. The Tower in reversed. It showcases your outcome. Freedom, but at a cost. The Tower tells that you will gain freedom of mind, of body, . . .of soul but it will cost you. And while you are used to spending, it will almost seem to great. But there is hope beyond simply receiving that sense of freedom. A light in the darkness," Aire informed before she looked over the cards in their entirety. "Your Higher Perception -- Fate -- promises a successful outcome. That all this strife won't be for nothing."

(( Thank you so much to Tidewhisper for this rp and IC tarot card reading. I was ooc a gasp at how on point and to detail both the card’s meaning and the description of the cards as they came to life, were right from the story of my character. It was great and I highly encourage people to seek them out IC if you come across them! ))

#rp snippet #tarot reading #Dusk

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cosmcther · 2 years

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@madeimpact

“Pit... Pit, my dear, Pit! Are you alright?!”

...To the response of silence, a star-pointed wand would find itself tossed about the grass blades as it fell unceremoniously. Then, quickly, an arm props behind the angel’s back, an off-hand glowing with a warm, pink, and healing aura. Touch lays itself down gently as the hand palms the forehead, cups the cheek. Massages the back, strokes the wings...

And cosmic eyes shudder as a lack of reaction is found.

No... Palutena’s best was strong. He would be alright. He had to be alright.

Once more, but with feeling this time. Brighter would an off-hand’s palm now shimmer, its rosy light flaring with a flash. Brows narrow, fingers splay, and a cosmic force is shot into the angel’s chest. Powerful, overwhelming, and sense-numbing if her would-be patient was conscious. But when a heartbeat is finally felt and a rising chest is thankfully seen? All the celestial woman could do was sigh, relieving herself of breath she didn’t know she held.

“Pit!” her voice smiled, breathless even still with the sheer gratitude it died to speak on. “Oh, thank the stars! If after all of this trouble it had been me who had done you in, I... haven, I don’t want to begin to imagine how I’d begin to cope with such a sin!” From the ground would Pit find himself raised, the arm behind his back taking the time to lean him forward into a sitting position. All the while, the star mother too found a more comfortable rest. The piercing tension her body commanded demanded it so.

“If it is any consolation at all, I must say, Palutena trained you quite well. The soul of a fighter grips you tight, even when your spirit is not your own.” Only... the challenge that followed such a spirit caused an extra exertion of effort from the star-bound protector. It was a miracle wounds sustained were capable of being healed over.

Speaking of, the pink shine of an off-hand dimmed once it finished its pass-over of the winged hero’s scarred leg, hand then taking the time to dust off flakes of dirt and dust alike.

“How does memory serve you, my dear? Do you recall everyone’s stand against Galeem? Our... dire situation that befell soon after? For there is a chance to recover and yet again make a stand. Not all is lost! And we’ve work stacked far, far on high to do once you’re physically capable of doing so.”

#(IC.) ''Journeys throughout the cosmos.''#madeimpact #((drops a starter in your lap))

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brokerroute4 · 3 years

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Istanbul Layover Excursions

Then, you will wander via the traditional Roman metropolis of Ephesus; discover the magnificent Roman Ruin theatre, library, and temples. Explore Troy as you learn concerning the well-known legend of this historic city the place the mythological Trojan War occurred. Lastly, you'll visit Gallipoli and Anzac Cove, the battleground of the previous British Empire army against the Ottomans in the First World War. From there you will return to Istanbul to finish your all-encompassing tour of Turkey. Explore the historic attractions in Turkey during this 7-day Turkey tour that begins and ends in Istanbul. Along the way in which stop at Pamukkale to marvel at the cream coloured rock plateaus, take a dip within the hot Hierapolis natural springs and uncover the historical past of Troy. Experience the marvels of Istanbul on this half-day tour that can take you to the Topkapi Palace, Suleymaniye Mosque, and Spice Market to get a taste of the Turkish culture. Tour the wonders of Istanbul on this half-day tour that may take you to St. Sophie Church, the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar to expertise the glory of the Ottoman Empire. Experience Istanbul after darkish for a taste of the local tradition. Enjoy a delicious meal and watch an entertaining present for an unforgettable Turkish evening. Satisfy your style buds with this flavorful Turkish meals tour. Sweets, cheeses, meats, and extra await you on this tasty exploration of the Istanbul's avenue distributors. [newline]This introduction tour includes an orientation drive and two of the large three websites; The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. After a long day of exploring Cappadocia, why not deal with yourself to a people present to accompany a scrumptious meal all while relaxing in a cave? Thanks so much for inspiring post on Turkey, this magnificent nation is unbelievable with centuries old history and culture. This great publish could be very a lot resourceful for first time travelers. Nature, Parks And Gardens In Istanbul Trails wind through the nice hole and alongside the perimeters of precipitous vine and fern-covered cliffs, giving entry to wooded ravines and lesser water-falls. Boulder Canyon, on Trail 9, is within the farthest west section of the park on the north side of the creek. It is a beautiful canyon which accommodates the most effective examples within the park of the various water-worn rounded boulders deposited in the space by the receding glacial ice lots. Turkey Run Hollow, though not of great size, is amongst the widest and most lovely within the park. It was beneath the overhanging rocks of this hole that the wild turkeys roosted prior to now, and the financial institution and rough-winged swallows now nest in crevices in the rock. In this hole, additionally, the very uncommon Sword Moss is to be discovered. It is 4 toes extensive and is hung on two 1-7/8-inch metal cables that are anchored on one aspect to a rock ledge and on the opposite in a fifty-ton cement base. Knoxville’s four,500 acres of inexperienced and open spaces provide peaceable retreats and exciting recreation facilities. Breathe in the fresh air with a walk or jog alongside the lake, skateboard deep bowls and rails, look forward to wildlife in a natural area, or read a guide under a shady tree. Whatever your outdoor pleasure, there's a good park simply across the nook. POKAGON https://www.caterertaiwan.com/ PARKcomprises almost one thousand acres of the stunning, peaceful rolling landscape in Steuben County, two miles of which entrance Lake James. Buffalo, elk and deer of their native habitat, however inside robust corrals, symbolize the bigger species of wild life once native to the mid-west. Excellent boating and bathing services, and tennis courts, offer healthful recreation. Saddle horses are available and an eighteen-hole golf course is positioned nearby. As this part of the park is an open-air museum, there are no leisure services here, simply paths leading previous the ruins. Specific areas inside the park, underneath the shade of timber, have been landscaped for picnickers to comfortably use, and there's a café on-site as nicely when you do not wish to deliver your own meals. For some historic sightseeing earlier than climbing the hill, go to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque at the hill's base beforehand. An Historical Temple To Hecate Restored In Turkey At Yazılıkaya, the Hittites carved and modified pure rock outcrops to create two roofless areas, adorned with rock relief photographs of their deities. They used the site for tons of of years; its present type dates from about 1230 BC. A shrine built more than 3000 years in the past in what's now Turkey may be a symbolic illustration of the cosmos, according to a model new interpretation. Mahmut Yıldız and his father had previously discovered finds while ploughing there, which they reported to the local museum. Having discovered related structures at Nevalı Çori, Schmidt acknowledged the chance that the stone slabs weren't grave markers as supposed by Benedict, however the tops of prehistoric megaliths. He began excavations the following yr and soon unearthed the primary of the massive T-shaped pillars. Ultimately he found solely three tombs on the eastmost hill-group, which had been a pilgrimage destination. The Luxor Temple is situated on the east financial institution of the River Nile within the ancient metropolis of Thebes and was founded in 1400 BC during the New Kingdom. The temple was devoted to the three Egyptian gods Amun, Mut, and Chons. This old temple was the middle of the competition of Opet, Thebes’ most necessary pageant. During the annual competition the statues of the three Gods had been escorted from Karnak to the temple of Luxor along the avenue of sphinxes that connect the 2 temples. The competition lasted eleven days during the 18th Dynasty however had grown to 27 days by the reign of Ramesses III in the 20th Dynasty. No longer an lively religious site, holidays to Luxor are extraordinarily in style with tourists these days. Göbekli Tepe is regarded by some as an archaeological discovery of nice importance since it could profoundly change the understanding of an important stage within the growth of human society. Some researchers consider that the development of Göbekli Tepe might have contributed to the later growth of city civilization, or, as excavator Klaus Schmidt put it, "First came the temple, then town." At this early stage of the location's historical past, circular compounds or temene first appear. Their most notable function is the presence of T-shaped limestone pillars evenly set within thick interior walls composed of unworked stone. Favourite Scorching Springs And Mineral Springs It’s a great spot to spend an afternoon, throughout a go to to Bodrum. The historical past of Kurokawa Onsen may be dated back 300 years in the past. It was once a handy location in Kumamoto Prefecture for many Daimyo and other travelers to stop by to recuperate from the fatigue of their long journeys. One of the spas was believed to be good for curing wounds and referred to as “Kizuyu”, which means “spa for curing wounds.” Even at present, this spa is properly maintained by the native individuals and used as a public bath. It is not solely known for its enticing city, but in addition for the excellent outside baths , some of which are situated proper besides a gushing river or have tremendously large in sizes. Built in 1929 and renovated in 2006, thisArt Deco palace—tucked discreetly in West London—offers bathhouse strategies from all over the world. The Porchester Spa boast Turkish hot rooms, Turkish Soap Massages, Polynesia Spa Ritual, Moroccan Hammam Ritual, Russian steam rooms, a Finnish sauna, cold-water plunge pool, and Thai herbal compress massages. Denizli is simply quarter-hour away from Pamukkale, and there are common native buses, or you'll be able to simply take a taxi. Here you’ll find roman columns that have submerged into the water as a result of a large earthquake many years ago. Known as Hierapolis in Greek, Pamukkale - cotton citadel in Turkish - is a gift of nature for those who visit. Pamukkale was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988 based mostly on its natural and cultural wonders. İstanbul Archaeology Museums He was the first counselor of the Sultan and married Suleyman's sister as the sultan ascended the throne, thus occupying an important place in the Ottoman palace hierarchy. After Ibrahim's demise the palace was used as a army barracks for brand new recruits, and made a museum in the course of the Republic era. The first dervish lodge within the city was in-built 1492 and belongs to the Mevlevi order based by Mevlana. So, simply be part of us and let your Turkish saga begin with us with this Best of Turkey. Experience the five most essential sights in Istanbul’s historic middle on this full-day walking tour. Visit the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Hippodrome, and learn about each place’s history from your guide. Stroll the scenic streets of the Sultanahmet neighborhood and wander the colourful alleys on the Grand Bazaar. Ancient Anatolia and Urartu form an essential land link between Europe and Asia. They lie the place the trendy Republic of Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and north-west Iran are situated right now. Sign up or sign up with Facebook, and share your travel stories with your own words. “With this museum, we have been capable of gather some unique artefacts beneath a single roof, which might otherwise be impossible to set eyes on at a single time,” said Kadri Samsunlu, İGA Airport CEO and director. Istanbul Airport has opened its museum, the Istanbul Airport Museum, with an exhibition on essential Turkish artefacts. Please contact us to get started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, research and worldwide data. Through an energetic roster of exhibitions and applications, Istanbul Modern opened new perspectives, spurred curiosity and inspired reflection within the Turkish public. As a results of these efforts, Istanbul Modern familiarizing the Turkish public with the entire scope of the Museum and encouraged frequent Museum visits. Thankfully, there are some journey insurance coverage comparison websites that show you a wide range of plans, make it easy to match coverage, and may prevent money on the same time. And the coverage can be a lot better tailor-made to your particular needs than the checkbox providing at travel booking sites or through your bank card. Prime Outside Adventures In Turkey Travel companies are now mining the niche vacationer angle with winter and summer programmes. For a strenuous workout, sea kayaking over the sunken city of Kekova, an historical Lycian damage, west of Antalya, is an unusual experience to boast about. Sample typical Turkish delicacies , then settle back to take pleasure in some traditional leisure, together with stomach dancing and folks music. After dinner marvel at Turkish stomach dancers throughout an Anatolian folklore show. Turkey's most scenic rail journey is the Eastern Express (Doğu Ekspresi) practice, which connects Ankara with Kars in Turkey's far northeast. The journey passes through the best of Anatolia's rugged mountain and high plateau surroundings over the 24 hours it takes end to end. If, though, you do have some horse using experience, go for a half-day or full-day horse ride. These normally take you into the countryside of Red Valley, Rose Valley, and Meskender Valley, which connects the villages of Göreme and Çavusin to find the surreal topography of Cappadocia all on horseback. For a quicker ferry tour itinerary, the Short Bosphorus Tour heads up the strait to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the place it turns around and returns to Eminönü, taking two hours in whole. All the excursions give you a extra private view of this mega-city and let you look past the historic monuments to see town's vibrant, trendy face. Paragliding takes place at several destinations in Turkey however for tourists, the 2 greatest places to visit for this adventure sport are Ölüdeniz and Pamukkale. Walk the Honey Road - As a honey fan, you'll mistake this place for paradise. Close to the borders with Georgia and Armenia, the realm round Kars is known for its chilly winters but also for its natural beauty and its honey. The Honey Road promises village stays, mountain views, abandoned churches and an insight into the lives of the women who harvest the region’s gorgeous organic honeys. The Adventure Forest in Göynük - In the Adventure Forest you can redefine your borders away from trouble and noise, as nicely as proving your courage and talent. [newline]Floating excessive above the bottom, outfitted with climbing ropes, harnesses and helmets, one has to accomplish problem after problem on the course. A day on this forest brings lots of adrenaline and a feeling of accomplishment at the finish. This is an journey that is certain to be the highlight of your Turkish vacation. The Gallipoli battlefields - What is more adventurous than re-living historical past by way of battlefields and cemeteries? Getting Enjoyable In Turkey Well-known Festivals, Celebrations And Cultural Occasions The Turkish Black Sea coast receives the greatest quantity of precipitation and is the only area of Turkey that receives excessive precipitation all yr long. The eastern part of that coast averages 2,200 millimeters yearly which is the highest precipitation in the country. In the mid-14th century the Ottomans started uniting Anatolia and created an empire encompassing a lot of Southeast Europe, West Asia and North Africa, changing into a significant power in Eurasia and Africa through the early modern interval. We hate disappointing anybody, however the brilliant facet of that is when it occurs, it means a lot of people came thru the meals lines earlier than you and our sales were incredible, which means we raised a lot of money for the neighborhood. Festival organizers have been working exhausting with local officials to plan an event that is safe, fun, and a benefit to our group. This older sister to the İstanbul Jazz Festival is a boutique occasion, with a program featuring traditional and avant-garde jazz. This event sees the city's design group celebrating its occupation and critically discussing its future. The 12 months's final festivals take everybody's minds off the approaching arrival of winter. Ruby-red pomegranates come into season at the end of the month and are juiced at stands across town. The city's main visual-arts shindig takes place from mid-September to mid-November in odd-numbered years. This pageant started greater than 600 years ago and is a display of energy and well being. There is nothing the Turks like to do better than celebrate! Whether it is a household event, or an opportunity for the city to come back together, they really pull out all of the stops to make such occasions a roaring success. Publication of competition data doesn't suggest endorsement by or affiliation with Everfest. All festival names, trademarks, and brands are property of their respective owners. [newline]Everfest stands in solidarity with the Black group and supports the struggle for justice and equality. We shall be donating the first month of each new vendor & artist subscription to the Austin Justice Coalition. Islamic Reward Shop Turkey has a protracted custom of copper pot-making and if you buy from native artisans, you might be assured of high of the range handmade copper pots. However, once you see their stunning designs, you may discover it onerous to withstand the idea of buying one and you will surely remorse it should you pass up the chance. Fallen in love with the brilliant thing about Iznik tiles at popular tourist points of interest like Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Rustem Pasa Mosque, and Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Mosque? You can’t deliver these artwork works house however you'll find a way to undoubtedly buy your self a piece of Iznik ceramic to recollect your time in Istanbul. While being in Istanbul, you won’t find it onerous to purchase a unique, cultural reward for everyone on your record. Turkish tea for tea lovers, Turkish black soap for the sweetness aware, or Turkish spices for the culinary master. If all else fails, you can all the time buy the delicious Turkish delight which is a positive hit with everybody. I’m not sure who the most effective folks to purchase from would be, but I purchased those I have from Malta on the actual museums within the reward store. We have some great journey sources that can help you together with your journey. If you purchase one, ask the store to package it up properly so that it withstands strain in your suitcase. Many people think gold is cheaper in Turkey but it is simply of a better carat than gold bought in international locations just like the UK. Turkey Shuts Down All Eating Places And Cafes, Orders Weekend Curfews The restaurant lies in the shadow of the mighty Chora Church, famous for its mosaics and one of the most revered and nicely preserved buildings of the Byzantine period. Asitane opened its doors in 1991, serving dishes reflecting the eclectic nature of the Turco-Ottoman neighborhood. Asitane was one of the many names given to Istanbul throughout the era of the Ottoman Empire, and at present Asitane Restaurant brings to life the tastes of a glorious bygone era. After 20 years in hospitality, Asitane now boasts a powerful archive comprising over 450 forgotten sweet and savory recipes, ready based on 500-year-old cooking methods. Visited the castle twice during our stay and we loved both meals. From the quick and skilled service and a employees who deal with you like pals, to the extraordinary meals options, the unique view of Istanbul and the soothing jazz music playing in the background. It’s only some minute’s walk from the “Blue Mosque” in probably the most historic neighborhood in Istanbul. Although most places to stay in Istanbul will supply breakfast included within the room price, they're often somewhat mediocre and not such a spotlight for the resort. For the most effective tasting morning spreads you'll want to head out of our lodge and roam the streets to find a few of these delicious restaurants and cafes. Offering native meals and produce from Antakya within the south of Turkey, Doğacıyız Gourmet has one of the vibrant and various spreads in the city. Notable landmarks that might be seen from Roof Mezze 360 include Hagia Sophia, Golden Horn, Bosphorus Bridge, Galata and the Marmara Sea. The employees is also extremely attentive and pleasant to be certain to have the best dining experience possible. Expect to pay from TL7 for a hearty pide in a pideci, TL10 and up for a kebab or köfte. A simple grill or kebab in a licensed restaurant is likely to be twenty % more expensive than in an unlicensed kebabcı. A meyhane meal is prone to set you again TL25–30 for the food, plus no matter you drink. It has its personal shiny style because of the mixture of boiled white beans, tomatoes, hen eggs, onions, and greens. While the name sounds just like a earlier dish, icli kofte is one thing utterly different. It interprets as “stuffed meatball” and looks like a giant cutlet in bread crumble coating. When in actuality it is fried floor meat with herbs, onions, and nuts in a crispy bulgur crust. Flea Markets In Turkey Act as though the piece youreally, really wantis solely so-so, not a giant deal. Pazarlıkis a social as nicely as a business follow in Turkey, and could be comparatively nice when accomplished correctly. https://www.caterertaiwan.com/hi-tea/ ’m Gloria, a serious travel addicted from Chile, keen about going out of my consolation zone, making an attempt scrumptious food, beautiful destinations and Luxury Places. Having traveled through Asia, Europe, and South America, for the last 20 years, I have a wealth of journey information and expertise to share. NomadicChica.com was created to encourage others to travel and empower solo feminine travels with knowledge. It is also situated within the old city, near the Bosphorus and the New Mosque near the tram stop Eminonu. You can discover lamps, backgammons, souvenir, scarves, leather clothing, and some cafes and some restaurants with very touristy prices. Explore essentially the most complete set of 6.6 million time series overlaying greater than 200 economies, 20 industries and 18 macroeconomic sectors. If you decline, your info won’t be tracked when you go to this web site. A single cookie might be utilized in your browser to recollect your preference not to be tracked. These cookies are used to gather details about the way you work together with our website and permit us to recollect you. The Ulus market, which is now in Ortaköy and Kadıköy’s historic Salı Pazarı just occur to be the most popular and well-established over time. However, there is additionally the Beşiktaş Sosyetik Pazarı, which is situated on a two-floor market across from the Beşiktaş marriage ceremony registrar department and is held on Saturdays. Two Days In Cappadocia, Turkey To drive any of these roads, you will want to first join Turkey’s high-speed toll system referred to as Hizli Geçis Sistemi and have an electronic toll cost device on your automobile. You can’t pay the toll with cash or bank card on the toll booths. If renting a car, your rental automobile will probably come with the sticker and you should ask about it and any related fees. The railway community in Turkey is run by the government-operated Turkey State Railways (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari or TCDD). To be sure to stay protected in Turkey whereas touring alone, listed right here are a couple items of recommendation. Istanbul is a shiny, cosmopolitan metropolis that is divided by the Bosporus strait. If you’re backpacking Istanbul, you’ll wish to take a ship journey along the strait, to catch some great views of the city, when you absorb some relaxation on the water. This itinerary can work irrespective of how you intend to get around Turkey. We have offered recommendation for these planning to journey by bus, car, prepare, airplane, or as a part of a guided tour. If you are serious about reserving a tour, we also give some suggestions for excursions of Turkey which are similar to our itinerary. On the opposite hand, amazing Ayayorgi Bay offers plenty of non-public seaside choices surrounded by inexperienced scenery. Even if most seashores are named as seashore clubs on the Ayayorgi, in addition they cater to kids with children menus and play areas. TURKEY HAS extra solutions to “I’m bored” than you’ll ever be in a position to record earlier than the children are off headfirst into the subsequent journey. Here, you’ll find family-friendly points of interest and actions of all types, some historical, some pure, all academic — and sure, even the ice cream counts as academic. The Times Of Yankee Culture Dominance Are Over, Creator Says Militarily Ankara was less exposed and more easily defended than Istanbul. The choice additionally symbolized Atatürk's policy of nationalism, because Ankara was extra Turkish and less cosmopolitan than the old capital. Except in the south and west, winter is a interval of frost, snow, and social actions. After a month or so of less-urgent work, the hay harvest is adopted immediately by the principle grain harvest, a interval of intense activity lasting some six to eight weeks; everyone works, some folks sixteen to 20 hours a day. Most village areas contain weavers, masons, carpenters, and smiths corresponding to tinsmiths. Some villagers go to town for craft companies, and numerous craftsmen travel across the villages—particularly specialists, similar to sieve makers or sawyers. Letterman was a frequent sub for Johnny Carson in 1980, so NBC figured he was ready for his personal program. The adaklık kurban has become very popular in Turkey, and sacrifices can be made at different instances as well, if for example, you want your daughter to get married or get an excellent job. Being circumcised is a monumental occasion in any Turkish boy’s life as a outcome of it marks the transition towards manhood. According to tradition, boys who're to be circumcised get to wear a pretty flashy outfit and rejoice with a party that’s corresponding to a big birthday. The constitution establishes a popularly elected single-chamber nationwide meeting with full legislative powers, a prime minister and cabinet responsible to the nationwide assembly, and a constitutional courtroom with the facility of judicial evaluate. It provides for a president with in depth executive powers and legislative veto authority who's elected by the meeting for a seven-year term. The women tend to put on conventional conservative clothes, together with head scarves and long coats, even in the summertime. The peasant and rural classes are the least uncovered to Western and urban influences in gown, types, language, and music. They, like the decrease urban class, have a tendency to talk Turkish with regional accents and grammatical peculiarities. The girls put on conservative peasant costume consisting of baggy pantaloons and head scarves. Working out of a small pocket book and binders, six operators tackled some powerful turkey questions on their toll-free phone line. As time handed, the employees grew they usually acquired more and more questions every year. The first time she baked a pumpkin pie, she and the recipe didn't get along very properly. Nightlife In Istanbul Turkey This place is still the best for guests to expertise the city’s inspiring views and a wholesome local weather. The restaurant offers a big selection of cuisine to satisfy the appetite of visitors and locals alike. Some of the best-served dishes embody lamb shish with plums, fresh thyme, spiced rice, pomegranate molasses, and pine nuts. Besides these foods, special pasta with tomato cream sauce and recent mint have all the price to strive. If you're keen on wholesome salads together with Thai-marinated grilled chicken salad, this place is very really helpful for you. An early night exercise somewhat than late at evening, this well-known pedestrian street is a slightly extra healthful method to Istanbul nightlife. Including a sumptuous 3-course Turkish dinner, the crème of the entire expertise is limitless drinks, belly dancing, and dynamic Dervish performances. Such is the standard of the nightlife in Taksim; you have individuals visiting the district solely for that very purpose, locals and international guests. Your publish is basically useful and it really shows the Turkish tradition. The folks in Istanbul really like a different type of food and that really shows in the meals we tasted through the tour.

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