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#Labor and Timeline Challenges

rekhatech · 3 months

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Navigating Labor and Timeline Challenges: Strategies for Success

In the dynamic landscape of project management, encountering labor and timeline obstacles is not uncommon. These challenges can impede progress, strain resources, and jeopardize the success of a project. However, with careful planning and strategic approaches, project managers can effectively surmount these hurdles. In this article, we will explore various strategies to overcome labor and timeline obstacles, ensuring the smooth execution of projects.

Contents

Understanding Labor and Timeline Obstacles

Common Issues Faced in Project Timelines

The Impact of Labor Obstacles on Project Efficiency

Strategies for Efficient Project Management

Utilizing Advanced Estimating Software

Team Collaboration and Communication

Overcoming Labor Challenges

Implementing Technology for Task Automation

Resource Optimization

The Role of Estimating Software

Definition and Significance

How Estimating Software Aids in Project Planning

Challenges in Implementing Estimating Software

. Addressing Perplexity in Project Management

The Role of Adaptability in Overcoming Challenges

Burstiness in Project Management

Utilizing Bursts of Productivity

Engaging the Reader with Analogies

Keeping it Brief and Simple

Importance of Concise Project Plans

VIII. Active Voice in Project Communication

Impact of Active Voice in Conveying Urgency

Rhetorical Questions for Reflection

Prompting Readers to Evaluate Their Project Management Strategies

FAQs

What are the key challenges in project timelines?

How does technology aid in overcoming labor challenges?

Are there specific success stories with estimating software?

Why is adaptability crucial in project management?

How can project managers enhance communication using the active voice?

Understanding the Challenges

Robust Planning and Scheduling

The foundation of successful project management lies in comprehensive planning and scheduling. By developing a detailed project plan, including realistic timelines and resource allocations, project managers can anticipate potential challenges. Regularly updating and revising the plan as the project progresses allows for better adaptation to unforeseen obstacles.

Risk Management

Anticipating and addressing risks is a critical aspect of overcoming labor and timeline challenges. Implementing a robust risk management strategy involves identifying potential issues, assessing their impact, and developing contingency plans. By proactively managing risks, project managers can minimize disruptions and ensure that the project stays on track.

Agile Methodology

In today’s fast-paced business environment, embracing agile methodologies can be a game-changer. Agile allows for flexibility in project execution, enabling teams to adapt to changing circumstances efficiently. Short iterations, frequent feedback loops, and continuous improvement contribute to a more resilient project framework, better equipped to handle unexpected obstacles.

Resource Optimization

Collaboration and Communication

Clear and open communication is essential for tackling labor and timeline obstacles. Establishing transparent communication channels within the project team and stakeholders facilitates the identification of issues at an early stage. Regular team meetings, progress reports, and feedback sessions create a collaborative environment that fosters problem-solving and innovation.

Technology Integration

Leveraging technology can significantly enhance project efficiency. Project management tools, collaboration platforms, and automation software can streamline processes, improve communication, and provide real-time insights. Integrating technology into project workflows helps reduce manual errors and accelerates the pace of work.

Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation

Monitoring project progress in real-time allows project managers to identify deviations from the plan promptly. By continuously tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and project metrics, teams can make data-driven decisions and implement corrective actions as needed. This proactive approach ensures that the project remains aligned with its objectives.

Training and Skill Development

Conclusion

Labor and timeline obstacles are inevitable in the realm of project management, but with the right strategies in place, they can be effectively managed. Robust planning, risk management, agile methodologies, resource optimization, collaboration, technology integration, continuous monitoring, and skill development are all essential components of a successful project management approach. By adopting these strategies, project managers can steer their teams through challenges, ensuring the timely and successful completion of projects.

Tagged:

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Understanding Labor and Timeline Obstacles ,

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#Labor and Timeline Challenges #project management software #project management #Understanding Labor and Timeline Obstacles #construction management software #software for project tracking #construction and project management software

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saradika · 27 days

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— invisible string

din djarin x vaguely force sensitive!reader

rated e - 1.7k

tags: divergent timeline, soulmate!au, takes place across season 1 & 2, missed connections, the Razor Crest lives, PiV, marking, creampie, magical elements

a/n: for the TS Challenge by @beskarandblasters! This was so fun, thanks so much for hosting this event! 💖 I was so excited to get this song & character

There's something about him, this man.

Deep down, it feels as if a string is tied around something vital inside you. A piece of you that you cannot live without, twined with its match inside him. Like the path you've taken has always led to this moment, this meeting.

You feel as if you are always out of step.

Too early. And then somehow - just a little bit too late.

As if you've missed something crucial. A prickle on the back of your neck. Eyes scanning the crowds of people as you weave through cities - looking for someone.

As to whom, though - you're never quite sure.

You think it's always been there. A similar sort of feeling that flickers when you're in danger. That was something you had cultivated. Manipulated into a force you can wield. A push and pull, an aid - when you need it. Something you draw from often, during your days as a smuggler.

But you're not sure what to do with this.

The feeling is pushed down on Nevarro.

Contacted for a job, one that had been easy enough. Your goods exchanged in a dingy cantina - a shipment of stolen fuel cells furtively traded to an irritated man that went by Karga. Your eyebrows raised at the charred hole in the man's fine clothes - a half-hearted wonder at how the man was still standing.

The Imperial credits he offers you do not get you far. He's unable to offer you a puck - his trade was in bounty hunting, not smuggling. You're not sure if you'd take one, and the cells are enough to keep his crew afloat for a while. A dead-end for now, but you think - not always.

After, your ship drifts along an unseen track.

To Tatooine this time. A big job for the Hutts that takes you two weeks. Days in the sun spent waiting for the payments to transfer to your account, and so in the meantime - you tinker.

Trading your way up. A broken blaster fixed, exchanged for ship parts. The parts installed, the labor paid for with two, beat-up old speeders.

Only to sell them both to a cocky hot-shot bounty hunter for double their value - his over-blown self-confidence eclipsing the fact that you were absolutely swindling him.

It’s not your problem.

Though here, you can't help but feel the urge to linger. An itch beneath your skin, as if you've missed something, again.

You ignore it. Trading up one more time - swapping Mos Eisley for the sea. The choppy waters of Trask washing away the grit and sand that clings to your skin.

There's always work to be found here - deals to make with the Quarren and Mon Calamari. Those days spent at the inn, with lunches of warm homemade chowder and wrapped in chunky-knit sweaters.

Eyes snagging on a couple that often sits together at lunch. Their features frog-like, affection clear in their soft chatter, the slow blink of their large, black eyes. You imagine it to be a stolen moment - meeting up in the afternoon, too eager to wait until evening to see each other.

It’s nice.

It follows you, back to your room.

You think about them later - the obvious connection. A bone-deep urge to find another that matches a part of you. Something you've never had.

Somehow you know it’s out there.

But it's not time.

The next day, your ship takes off again.

There's a feeling deep down that for once, you're right where you need to be.

Your path is not guided by a job. Something spinning inside your chest like the point of a compass, your fingers keying coordinates with a mind of their own.

It's not a sea. Not a desert. Not a growing town, slowly rebuilding.

You're taken to a forest. The trees are unlike those you've seen - stretching tall and thin towards the sky. Their leaves sparse, but still filling the space with the sheer number.

There's a village - but you're drawn away from the tall walls. There's nothing inside that you seek. Drawn back to the trees you had seen from above. There's no tracks for you to follow, it's only your own boots pressed into the earth.

But you still go out, day after day.

It's on the third day, as you sit by the edge of a clear, shallow pool, that you hear the crack of branches under boots.

It should frighten you… but it doesn't.

It feels like an inevitability.

Your head turns, and there's a man there. His limbs encased in armor of shining beskar. A Mandalorian, you realize, when your eyes meet the dark visor that bisects his helmet.

"It's you." The words are a flat buzz, through his helmet. Unsurprised, somehow. Just as you are.

And it's him.

There's something about him, this man.

You're not sure what that something is...

But think you are finally ready to find out.

His touch is familiar, though you've never known it. Much like everything else, it feels almost destined.

You know he feels it too. A slow circling dance, the weight of his eyes following you from behind the visor. That string inside no longer feels like a leash, but instead - a lifeline.

Finally being able to acknowledge that he has been what you've been orbiting around this whole time. Easing that ever-present ache of loneliness that had always followed you.

For some time, he had thought you would be the one to train Grogu. That perhaps this had been the reason why the fates had pushed you together.

You had tried, and failed. That part of you still too raw, too unfashioned. It lived inside you, but it was something you had been unable to teach another. How could you, when you did not even know the word for what it was?

And as time passed, you realized deep down that you were truly meant to be here now. Not for the before.

An aid at first, of course. You had gone with him to Tython. Traded in your ship, and traveled on the Slave 1. Had faced death by his side, staring into the black chrome of the Dark Troopers.

Had grieved with him, after.

You think this had been your place all along.

This liminal space, in those months that follow.

Giving him something to grab onto. Fingers sinking into flesh, your back hitting the mattress as he follows.

It’s dark, in the belly of his ship. With anyone else your senses would be screaming, a ringing alarm.

But you’ve come to know each room, fingers tracing the cold metal. From the walls, to the bunk, to him - the tips slipping under to tug at the fastenings of his armor.

He is quiet, like he often is now. But you can feel the heat that rolls off him in waves. The harsh buzz of his breath through the vocoder, before the light cuts out completely.

Before it’s just him and you.

His knees nudge your thighs wider. Pressing into muscle and flesh, forcing them up and apart. Your fingers twist in his curls, angling your mouth up to meet the kiss that is all teeth and tongue.

Fingers dip down, thick and calloused. Parting you, nudging inside to where you’re wet and waiting. Pumping deep with his thumb pressed snug against the button of your clit - leaving you dizzy and clenching and wondering if he just knew, as well.

You think he did. He does.

And when he works himself inside you, you finally feel full. Ripping a sound from each of you - his rough and swallowed, yours a broken murmur of his name.

Something else given in the dark, on another night akin to this. Pieces of himself peeled back and gifted, only to be carefully wrapped up and buried deep.

The pound of his hips itches at something you’ve been missing. Those hands tugging at your hips, pulling you to meet each harsh thrust. Fingers slipping down to swirl against you again - a spark rising each time you fit together, building swiftly to an inferno.

“Din,” You breathe, as something heavy flickers inside you, just out of reach, “Stars, please. Don’t stop-”

“I won’t,” It’s a low oath, as his cock grinds deep, “I’ve waited too long for you, cyare.”

He wrenches it from you, setting you ablaze. Your is cry loud in the tiny room as you come undone. The wild swirl of your senses narrowing down, until it’s just him. Din’s mouth against your neck, warm breath and teeth nipping marks into your skin - the pleasure flowing from you in pulsing waves, sinking into him.

Making him follow, no more than a dozen thrusts later. A gritted, bitten-back moan of your own name, before his hips are stuttering. Giving back what you passed to him, his cock throbbing inside you, buried deep.

Where he stays, until he’s gone soft. A pang of loss shuddering through you when he slips from between your thighs - expecting him to return to his own bunk.

To leave you, again.

But the mattress dips, next to you. The space narrow, a short sigh when you wiggle too much trying to get comfortable. Hands hooking around your wrists, hauling your hips over his. Settling you down on top of him.

And in the dark - he stays.

“Should have met you on Tatooine,” Din tells you later that night, unbidden. Letting your legs twine with his, thighs parted to make room for you. “I didn’t know it was you. If I had-”

His words end abruptly, hanging. Both of you thinking about all those moments when time hadn’t lined up. The synchronicity of your movements, just barely nudged out of time.

Both there, during that same moment. If you had stayed another day, maybe that would have been your meeting.

But you had left early, and he had came late.

“We’re here now.” You tell him, chin pressing against his chest. Eyes finding his in the dark, though you cannot see. “Isn’t that enough?”

There’s the brush of his hand along your spine - knuckles, and then fingertips as they unfurl.

“Yes.”

It is enough, for now.

You’re not sure if it’s forever. If, for some reason, you’ll be forced to part again. But tonight, you’re not worried.

Because, if you were to reach inside yourself and pluck that golden string right now - letting it thrum…

You think that he would feel it, too.

thanks so much for reading!! 💖

cyare - beloved

#din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x f!reader #ts drabble challenge #din djarin imagine

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mandalorianchronicles · 1 year

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Mandalorian History 101

The following is a simplified timeline of all the major events in Mandalorian history leading up to The Clone Wars. This is compiled from the section of The Bounty Hunter Code dealing with Death Watch and Mandalorian history. It is copywrite 2014, the first year of the new canon. Though the book is not included in Disney canon, it was published after TCW episodes dealing Death Watch and not been refuted by anything in current canon, so there is no reason to believe it is not accurate.

approx. 7000 BBY - The Taung race (Progenitors of present day Mandalorians) cleanse Mandalorian space of its inhabitants and lay down roots

approx. 4000 BBY - Mandalorians fight alongside the Sith in the Great Sith War, but are betrayed - Mand’alor the Ultimate opens up the creed to their slaves and conquered people because their race is dying out - They begin a campaign for galactic conquest called The Onlaught, but it was more to fill out their ranks with new recruits - They are defeated by the Republic and the Mandalorians lay low for a time

approx. 1100 BBY - Mand’alor the Uniter brought the best and brightest Mandalorians from the throughout the galaxy home - Warriors ruled, protecting the artisans, manufacturers, and laborers who supported them, and the vassals and servants who supported them in turn - The Darksaber is forged by Tarre Vizsla (the only Mandalorian to become a Jedi)

approx. 700 BBY - Mandalorians begin to stir again and the Jedi take up arms, nearly wiped them out in the “Annihilation” - The New Mandalorians who rejected the warrior ways gain power when the Republic installed them in the government - The Aka’liit (The Mandalorian Faithful to the warrior way) lived in the shadows, giving the allegiance to the True Mandalores they appointed

approx. 200 BBY - There is a split among the Faithful – some wanted to conquer any potential threats while others argued against starting wars and living by more peaceful means

approx. 60 BBY - The Faithful chose Jaster Mereel as the True Mandalore, who wanted to implement honorable rules of conduct for all Mandalorians on how they earn wealth by bounty hunting or the red trade - Tor Vizsla, who dreamed of Mandalorians returning to their roots as conquerors, split away and formed the Death Watch, becoming the Secret Mandalore. The Death Watch used the Darksaber (an heirloom of House Vizsla) as a symbol of their authority and made a decree than anyone could challenge the Secret Mandalore for leadership and “win” the Darksaber*

52 BBY - Tor Vizsla killed the True Mandalore, Jaster Mereel - Jango Fett’s adopted father

44 BBY - The Death Watch tricked the Jedi into eliminating the True Mandalorians for them

approx. 44-39 BBY - The Great Clan Wars take place within the ranks of the The Faithful - Adonai Kryze is killed in battle - Duchess Satine Kryze of the New Mandalorians assumes the throne of Mandalore - Tor Vizsla is killed by Jango Fett in 42 BBY - The Darksaber is entrusted to Pre Vizsla, governor of Concordia and the new Secret Mandalore of Death Watch, who takes in Bo-Katan Kryze as his protege

Since the Great Clan Wars take place after the True Mandalorians are wiped out, we know that Adonai Kryze was not part of their ranks. The following quote from Tor Vizsla concerning the Kryze family suggests that Adonai was one of his men, or was at least revered by him. Considering that Tor dies shortly after this is written, it’s not a big leap to see how Bo-Katan came to be on Concordia with Pre Vizsla, his successor.

“Meanwhile, centuries of New Mandalorian lies had left the Mando’ade weak and soft. One of my kinswomen, the Duchess Satine Kryze, had been sent offworld as a child by her father, a mighy clan warlord, and she fell prey to the lies of the Jedi. After father perished in the Great Clan Wars, she betrayed his memory by becoming the leader of the New Mandalorians. Aided by Jedi tricks, she became the newest Anti-Mandalore, whereupon the exhausted Mando’ade flocked to her banner. Some of our warriors were exiled to the moon Concordia. Others – myself included – slipped away to resume the ba’slan shev’la.” - Tor Vizsla

* The decree that one could become Mand’alor by winning the Darksaber in combat from the current Mand’alor was an invention of Death Watch (in canon and legends), so it suggests a strong tie between Death Watch and the Children of the Watch that the latter is so hung up on this “tradition” when it’s only been a thing for about 70-75 years.

#the mandalorian #mandalorian history #death watch #tor vizsla #the darksaber #house vizsla #clan vizsla #the children of the watch #true mandalorians #jaster mereel #mand'alor #duchess satine kryze #adonai kryze #bo-katan kryze #pre vizsla #paz vizlsa #din djarin

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doyou000me · 3 months

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Part II: Historical Context and Hyung's Background

So… this is not what I was going to write for Part II. I was going to write about shame and the way we perceive/react to how society sees us. I was going to loop it back to Part I; “An excess of self-awareness was a disease in itself.” I was going to compare how the narrator, his mother and his boyfriend are all affected by it in similar and/or different ways.

And then I got to thinking about the boyfriend, mainly referred to as Hyung.

About two thirds into part II, we get Hyung's backstory and, without spoiling anything, it’s basically a chunk where the narrator name-drops a bunch of movements and incidents that are part of recent history in Korea. Most of it meant next to nothing to me, and I felt like I was missing out on a whole lot of context. So I did some preliminary google searching, realised I needed more historical context, and went to the library to borrow a book on Korean history. Then I started making a timeline. Then I went online and started googling specific movements and incidents. Then I got a headache.

[This is long, so I’m putting the rest of it under the cut. Also, this is about Hyung's backstory so, you know, spoilers about that.]

The chunk of a paragraph that started all this is this one:

“He had been part of the leftover student activist generation of the mid-nineties and after graduation had dipped his toes in the labor movement. The Misun-Hyosun incident demonstrations had also been during his time, as well as protests against the abolishment of the National Security Act and the anti-Chosun Daily movement…”

Student Activism in the mid nineties

Labour Movement

Misun-Hyosun Incident

The National Security Act

Anti-Chosun Daily Movement

That’s 5 historical events, all named in one paragraph without further explanation - likely because a Korean reader is expected to know what this all means. I am not a Korean reader and I have no idea what most of it means. It’s a lot. When I started reading about it, I realised it’s even more. As is often the case with history, a whole lot of things are connected, and many of these things connect all the way back to the Japanese occupation.

There are academic papers written on these things. There are books. I am a pyjama-clad person curled up on my couch with a book and an internet connection. Of course I decided to attempt to summarise and explain it all. What could possibly go wrong?

Disclaimer time: I am not a historian or, in any way, an expert on the subject. I’ve spent about a day and a half on this, and it’s not nearly enough. Also, I am paraphrasing to the extreme to make sure I don’t end up writing half a book. I hope it’ll serve as context for anyone reading part II who feels as context-less as I did, but if you actually want to know about any of these topics, I’d recommend doing some reading of your own. I’ll leave references at the bottom.

Also: content warning. This is really dark and really heavy history. Be warned, and take care of yourselves. Now:

Some massively paraphrased Korean history

Japanese Protectorate and Occupation (1907-1945)

Starting out as a protectorate treaty to challenge China’s power on the Korean peninsula and give Japan access to Korean ports, Japan took control of Korea in 1910. What followed was 35 years of repression and Koreans living under systemic racism as second class citizens in their own country. This included institutionalised erasure of the Korean identity. 85% of the Korean population lost their Korean names and were forced to take Japanese names. Many never learnt to write in Korean, only Japanese. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were killed for protesting against the occupation. All higher positions within the country were given to the Japanese, and the Korean workers were paid half of what Japanese workers got. Towards the end (1931-1945) when Japan went to war with China and needed resources, 3,5 million Koreans were displaced, both within Korea and abroad to Japan and China. Many were forced into slave labour in mines where unsafe working conditions and 17-hour work days killed many. Women, many just teenagers, were made “comfort women” and forced into filthy, violent brothels to serve the Japanese soldiers.

Then WWII ended. Japan surrendered to the allied forces in 1945, packed up and left Korea. Korea was suddenly free.

Just as suddenly, there was no government and no regime. There was no leadership, and not just on the government level. Industries ground to a halt. Production stood still. Displaced Koreans moved back, leading to sudden overpopulation of urban areas. Nationwide unemployment was at 50% and criminal activity, homelessness and alcoholism rose.

American Occupation (1945-1949)

The US stepped in. Due to global tensions after WWII, they did not want Korea to fall into the wrong hands, and made a deal with the Soviet Union: they split Korea in two along the 38th parallel, and the US would get the south part while the Soviet would get the north part. The plan was for Korea to eventually regain independence. The split along the 38th parallel was not grounded in any social or geographical conditions. Farmland and manufacturing in the south was divided from fertiliser production, natural resources and energy production in the north. Families living on different sides of the border were divided.

The American leadership that was put in place had next to no time to prepare, barely any prior knowledge of the Korean history, culture or people and very limited interest in learning. The US leader, General Hodge, had little political or administrative experience, and initially tried to cooperate with the Japanese to help with the occupation (this, as you can imagine, did not go over well). Labour demonstrations born from the terrible conditions Korean workers had lived with were brutally repressed and seen as pro-communist. Racism led to the assumptions that the Koreans were incapable of organising and governing themselves. The National Security Law was established in 1948 with the purpose of arresting North Korean sympathisers and infiltrators.

In 1949, the US withdrew from South Korea, and South Korea was declared the independent nation of the Republic of Korea. The Soviet Union (officially) withdrew from the North - while also helping North Korea, along with China, to build up their military. In June, 1950, the North Korean army marched over the border on the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea.

The Korean War (1950-1953)

On one level, the Korean war was about North Korea invading and trying to take over South Korea, turning all of the Korean peninsula into one Korea. On another, global level, it was a cold war power play between the US and the Soviet Union with South Korea, the US and the UN on one side and North Korea, the Soviet Union and China on the other. Both sides tried to take all of the Korean peninsula. Both sides failed. After three years of war, where foreign soldiers fought in a foreign land and Koreans fought Koreans, nothing was gained. In 1953, the border on the 38th parallel was reestablished. The entirety of the Korean peninsula had been bombarded and razed to the ground. Everything needed to be rebuilt. North and South Korea were among the poorest countries in the world and millions were still separated from their families by the border.

34 000 American soldiers were killed. 140 000 South Korean soldiers were killed. More than 640 000 North Korean soldiers were killed. Over one million Chinese soldiers were killed. Some 3 million Korean civilians were killed. And nothing was gained.

South Korea Under Military Dictatorship (1953-1960, 1961-1987)

So, with hunger, spreading disease and homelessness, with cities in ruin, orphaned children on the streets and widows left to fend for themselves in a country where women were not seen as independent citizens at the time, President Rhee and the Liberal Party won the elections in May 1954, making Rhee the first Korean president. They worked to turn the economy around through the use of five year plans as well as grants and loans from the US and secured national safety with an agreement with the US to place troops in Korea indefinitely - troops that are still present today.

They also turned the democracy into a dictatorship when Rhee risked being voted out of office. Elections were rigged and political opponents silenced. The National Security Law (according to which anti-state groups and those who disturb the national order can be imprisoned) was used to silence and root out opponents. Student protests were regularly held against the violations on democracy and corruption in the Rhee administration. After Rhee’s fourth presidential reelection in 1960, the opposing party rejected the results and student-led protests erupted in Masan, quickly spreading to the rest of the country. This became the April 19 Revolution, which led to Rhee going into exile.

An election was held and a new president was chosen.

The next year, in 1961, General Park led a military coup and took power, claiming that South Korea - amidst strikes, protests and student and left-wing groups discussing immediate reunification with North Korea - was not yet ready for democracy. They focused on economic growth, successfully turning South Korea’s economy around and, on the way, making the chaebol into some of the wealthy conglomerates we know from kdramas. They also focused on improving the relationship with Japan, leading to major protests.

They also cracked down on all opposition. Less than a month after the coup, the KCIA was established - for decades, the KCIA investigated, arrested, tortured and assassinated South Koreans who were accused of being North Korean sympathisers, suspected of supporting communism or seen as a threat to the regime. Gradually, the dictatorship became more and more repressive, with crackdowns on freedom of speech, increased power for the KCIA and martial law being imposed. Student activist protested, demanding a return to democracy, and workers protested with them, demanding better wages and working conditions.

In 1979, Park was assassinated.

General Chun took over, appointing himself director of the KCIA and continuing the military dictatorship, but by this point the people had had enough. Starting with university students in Gwangju, thousands of people in the city gathered to demand a return to democracy. The protest lasted from May 18 to May 27 of 1980, and became known as the Gwangju Uprising. It ended in violence, when the Chun regime isolated the city and went in with tanks and paratroopers. 150 were killed, over 4 000 wounded, thousands arrested - both protesters and citizens simply living their lives in the city. After that the relationship between the regime and the people was strained, to say the least, and anti-American sentiment sky-rocketed as people associated the US forces with the violent crackdown in Gwangju.

It was during this time that “Hyung” was born, in 1979, because yes, this post is still about LitBC Part II, and this all started because I wanted to understand his background better. Hyung lived his first years under a military dictatorship, where the people were under constant threat from the KCIA, student activist groups continuously struggled to regain democracy and anti-American sentiment was on the rise.

In 1987, as the next presidential election approached and with the Gwangju Uprising still fresh in memory, people doubled down on their protests. Led by students and workers, the June Democratic Struggle broke out on June 10 with people demonstrating across the country. It lasted until June 29 - in success, as the new president pledged that South Korea would have free, direct presidential elections. Democracy, for the first time in about 20 years.

Many changes were still needed in the country, but now the population could take to the streets and protest without fear of violent repercussions - and the regime listened. Wages doubled over a span of five years.

In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis hit South Korea. Several Chaebols went bankrupt and 1988 became the worst year in the history of South Korean economy since the Korean War. (Go watch Reborn Ritch if you’re interested) Today, this is spoken of as the IMF crisis. Fortunately, South Korea recovered relatively quickly. To balance the country’s over-reliance on manufacturing, the government launched a campaign to support the entertainment industry, thus laying the ground for the Hallyu wave that would spread globally in the 2000s.

The 2000s

“Hyung” entered university in 1995, and would have graduated somewhere around the shift of the millennia, right as South Korea was recovering from the IMF crisis. Shortly after his graduation, the Misun-Hyosun Incident, Anti-Chosun Daily Movement and Protests against the abolishment of the National Security Act all happened within quick succession.

The Misun-Hyosun Incident, also known as the Yangju Highway Incident, occurred on June 13, 2002, in Yangju. Two South Korean schoolgirls, 14 year old Shim Misun and Shin Hyosun, were struck and killed by a US army vehicle on the way to a training exercise. Apologies were issued, but the drivers of the army vehicle were ultimately found not guilty by the US MIlitary court, sparking demonstrations across the country and fuelling the anti-American sentiment in South Korea.

The Anti-Chosun Daily Movement can be traced back to the early 1990s. The Chosun Daily, or Chosun Ilbo, is one of the main newspapers in Korea. It is a conservative newspaper and has historically had a very close relationship with the ruling regime, military dictatorships included, which brings into question its role in a democratic country of free speech. With the rise of more progressive online journalism, the criticism against the Chosun Ilbo has increased and people have gathered online to raise their voices, leading to boycotts and an anti-Chosun manifesto being written. In 2002 the movement became an important part in Korea’s development as a progressive country and was a contributing factor to the media reform that followed.

Protests against the abolishment of the National Security Act broke out in 2004, when the then leading political party called for its repeal. This National Security Act/Law is the same one that was established in 1948 to catch communists and North Korean sympathisers, and was then used by the Rhee regime to silence political opponents (are you still with me?). When the law was about to be repealed, a newspaper poll found that 66% wanted the law revised but not repealed, while a majority would rather keep the law as was than have it abolished on grounds that it helps keep the country’s economic stability. The constant threat of North Korea is a very real factor to why people see the law as necessary. Amnesty International has called for the law to be fundamentally reformed or abolished, as it challenges freedom of speech.

Ok. Deep breath.

If you’re still reading, I applaud you. If I lost you somewhere along the way, you won’t see this but I do understand you. As I hope you understand, this is all very condensed. The history of Korea is very complex and much of what I have written about are still sensitive issues today. I’ve tried to keep close to my sources to avoid getting anything wrong, but I am sure there are many, many more movements and issues that would need to be covered to present anything close to the full picture. Still, I hope this has given some insight into the background of “Hyung” and the past that has shaped him into the character that he is.

When I read part II, I did not understand his character. I dismissed him as some conspiracy-reading guy living in a basement keeping a tinfoil hat somewhere, and when our narrator dismisses and downplays his story, I was fully onboard. Now, after a full day of reading up on the historical context and political climate that “Hyung” must have grown up in, I understand his paranoia and reluctance to interact with anything American far more. It leaves marks, having lived in a time when the KCIA could drag you off the street for speaking up against the government, never to be seen again.

Times have changed in South Korea and they’ve come a long way, but the recent past is still very recent and they still have a long way to go before old wounds can be healed and damage done can be cleared up. All it takes is watching a few kdramas, and it’s clear that general distrust in politicians and the legal system is still around. Apart from a better understanding of a character in a book, it’s shed some light on my own naive ignorance and lack of understanding when it comes to some Korean attitudes and reactions I’ve encountered in the past. Some things I frowned at then, I now understand.

Apart from Reborn Rich, which plays out between 1987 and today with its main focus on the financial crisis, I have not watched dramas depicting this part of Korean history (I have avoided them, because the subject matter was very heavy simply to read about. I do not think I could handle watching it dramatised). Neither have I found any good documentaries covering it. If you have recommendations that you’d like to share, please do.

Now, as promised: sources!

Historical background and context: Korea; A New History of South and North by Victor D. Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo (2023)

Most of this post is based on this book, and if you’re interested in 20th century Korean history, I’d really recommend it. It’s a surprisingly easy read.

Misun-Hyosun Incident/Yangju Highway Incident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangju_highway_incident

National Security Act: https://wilj.law.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1270/2012/02/kraft.pdf

Anti-American Sentiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-American_sentiment_in_Korea

Anti-Chosun Movement: https://www.academia.edu/86931794/The_Anti_Chosun_Movement_Journalism_Activism_Politics_and_Historical_Memory_in_Post_Authoritarian_South_Korea_1998_2002

Student movements in Korea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_movements_in_Korea

Internet activism in South Korea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_activism_in_South_Korea

National Intelligence Service: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Intelligence_Service_(South_Korea)

@lurkingshan I'm not sure if this counts as meta or goes as a context-post, so I hope it's okay I'm tagging you

#litbc book club #love in the big city part II #when my interest in everything Korean overcomes my general disinterest in history

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ariadne-mouse · 1 year

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So with Mercaleb being over for a while now, I’ve felt a bit bereft as an author and found myself working on my next project pretty quickly. I wanted to explore the wizards through a different lens, as I do, but with Caleb once again taking the form of the Other contrasted to Essek. Mercaleb, Volcaleb — this is definitely one of my jams. I hope you will enjoy the start of something new!

The title is from William Cullen Bryant's A Forest Hymn.

(~1400 word snippet, shadowgast, rated G for now)

the groves were god's first temples

The night was dark, and the windows of Essek’s office were speckled with water droplets, each pane a portrait of the rain’s ever-changing visage as it peered in at the room’s lone occupant.

Essek of Den Thelyss worked by candlelight, and by magelight, comfortable with the dark and yet preferring illumination as he bent to his studious labors: a spell theorem that could unlock a new sub-branch of dunamancy. A fire in the hearth warmed his back. A cup of tea steamed at his elbow, hot only due to refreshments of Prestidigitation. Essek had not arisen from his chair in several hours.

“It’s really quite simple,” Essek said aloud, tone edged in frustration. “I don’t see why you must persist in seeking complications.”

For Essek was not truly alone, whatever it might appear to an outside observer. He was never alone here in the study, the sanctum sanctorum of his tower.

“Let us begin again,” he continued. “Beginning with the Principle of Infinite Division, which is the concept that there are a limitless number of divergences from any given point in time, and thus the isolation of a single timeline thread in continuity carries with it the complications of having to specify infinite selections within an infinite number possibilities.”

He paused, letting the words sink in.

The potted plant on his desk listened serenely, the green faces of each leaf gleaming handsomely. This was a being of the sunlit hours, displaced in the eternal darkness of Rosohna, requiring specialized care and constant light. A mark of status. But for Essek, it was someone to talk to.

Well — something. Of course.

Merely something.

It didn’t feel that way, though; it was the strangest phenomenon. It felt as though his words were being heard, and understood.

He had dreams, sometimes, where it answered him.

Essek cleared his throat. “As you can surmise, this represents a challenge if you wish to locate a specific timeline in its entirety. Now, if I can craft a formulaic element to the incantation or inscription — a repeatable recipe, if you will — I could solve the selection process without having to account for each of these divisions individually. Namely, by identifying a unique signature that is ascribable to multiple points within it—” He trailed off, and sighed. “I’ve lost you again, haven’t I. Here, let me better illuminate you.”

He beckoned several magelights — amber-colored, as the last afternoon sun — to hover closer to it, lips quirking wryly at his own joke.

Was it his imagination, or did the leaves turn to seek the light?

“You are very patient with me,” Essek said. “I have been preaching to you all day, and still you endure it. I know what I mean, but when I say it aloud, I hear all the faults of each idea.”

The tree rustled, as if to reassure him.

It was probably just his sleeve brushing the branches — almost assuredly — almost — but he nodded in acknowledgement, feeling touched and a little chagrined. “I know, I know. It takes time. You are constantly teaching me this.”

Carefully he tested the top of the plant’s pebbled soil with his fingertips, and then lifted the container from its dish to see its base, and found no chill of moisture in the sturdy clay.

“Ah! I am neglecting you, as well. I am sorry.”

The remnant of his tea, made cold with the wave of a hand, went into the pot.

Essek leaned on his palm, maudlin. “My theorem is a bit like you. It started small and unrestrained, and over time has grown and been pruned and trained and refined until it is something worth looking at. An elegant echo in miniature of a larger concept. Or at least, that is what it is supposed to become. I wonder, is there a Dwendalian tree somewhere in the Empire that looks like you, but as tall as a tower?”

It truly was a beautiful thing, a tree tricked by skilled gardeners into staying absurdly small, and yet lasting centuries, turning colors or bearing fruit as a full-sized tree might. It was currently fashionable for Kryn nobility to own at least one. His mother had a garden full.

“Maybe I’m wasting my time,” Essek sighed, rotating the pot with restless fingers, a centimeter at a time. The tree was lovely from every angle. “Maybe I am all tangled up in my own ideas, roots snarled together, strangling my own progression. Maybe I’m not a prodigy after all, and my critics are right about me. Maybe— oh!”

A bright crimson-orange flower had interrupted his vision of greenery. Diminutive but striking, its petals were ruffled in an imitation of flame. Had it been there before?

Essek dared to touch the bloom and found it whisper-soft. “Is this for me?” He smiled and looked down at the desk. “Thank you.”

He didn’t let himself be vulnerable in public, especially not with his peers at the Marble Tomes. Encouragement was usually concealing condescension, and praise, envy, and Essek had no appetite for these poisoned gifts.

Here, though, speaking to his quiet listener, he could be imperfect. He could make mistakes, and be treated with grace. Free of judgment.

He traced the edge of the flower one more time, then took a breath, emboldened.

“Alright. Starting once again, from the beginning. Once we accept the Principle of Infinite Division, a challenge in identifying a single timeline occurs when—”

The rain pitter-patted on the windows, as though the night was curious too about how Essek’s research was progressing and wished to listen in. The low murmur of Essek’s voice mingled with the crackle of the hearth, the space warm, and though Essek was alone, he was not lonely.

Hours passed. The fire grew low, and the candles short.

Essek was slumped on the desk, head pillowed on one arm, and the other loosely circling the base of the potted tree, knuckles resting against cool ceramic. His magelights had gone out a while ago and he had not recast them. A few fresh pages of scribblings were scattered around him. A few had fallen to the floor among a modest graveyard of crumpled rejects.

His eyes were closed, neither fully trancing nor true-sleeping, but a hazy mixture of both in which reality felt surreal and soft-edged. A well-earned doze after his academic fugue: he had made progress.

He was not alarmed when there was the muted susurrus of a throw blanket unfolding, nor the weight of it coming to rest on his shoulders. He accepted these things each as they happened, feeling content.

“It’s me,” came a low voice, pitched soft as a midnight breeze through new leaves.

“I know,” Essek said sleepily, eyes still closed. “I always know when it’s you.”

Fingers carded through his hair. “Resting at your desk again? I hope it is because things are going well.”

“It is,” Essek answered. “I have been using the method you suggested.”

“Oh?”

With a yawn, he straightened up and opened his eyes.

Caleb was there, leaned against the desk, looking down at Essek with fondness crimping his expression, his red hair turned bronze by the glowing embers in the hearth. He looked travel-weary and wonderful.

Essek took up Caleb’s hand and held it to his cheek, just because he could. “Yes, I have been explaining the concepts aloud, as if to an ignorant audience.” He indicated the potted miniature tree next to Caleb’s hip.

Caleb nodded sagely, eyes twinkling. “Ah, and is our green friend here now fully educated in the Principle of Infinite Division?”

“He’s getting there,” Essek replied. Then he tugged gently on the hand he held captive, turning his face up to Caleb as a morning flower does the sun. “Now, come here.”

Caleb smiled, and went.

(Happy April Fools! 😁💜🌳)

(also the bonsai is a dwarf pomegranate and would not be "as tall as a tower" in the Empire. Essek knows nothing about botany except where it crosses into alchemy.)

#i probably shouldn't take on such an ambitious project so soon #but i have no self control #etc etc #it's so fun to use AU lenses to examine the blorbos #and of course be very self-indulgent in the imagery etc #....and now that this is below the cut for tags #Happy April Fools' Day!#I do love me an Other!Caleb #but this is essentially the Rubber Duck Coding Method for Wizards #I hope you got a chuckle #april fools day #shadowgast #critical role #ariadne writes CR #tumblr snippets #essek thelyss #op

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capiolumen · 8 months

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Labor Day Holiday Summer Musings 2023 iPhoneXR Hipstamatic Photography Original Photographers Photographers On Tumblr Lowy Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, No Flash

September 04 2023; As I celebrate today, my 73 trip around the sun I have been reflecting on what I would like to do differently while I am on the next rotation around the sun. First off I have never seen myself as a photographer, I am a painter. (My paintings can be seen by clicking on the link at the top of this blog.) Rather I take snapshots daily to continually train my eyes and mind to recognize design elements, and in some cases humor, in everything that I encounter. I started posting on Tumblr on July 01, 2011, as a classroom exercise for my drawing, painting, and design students in the media arts program at Cypress College. I challenged them to record, using a simple camera phone, images that documented the interesting elements that comprise our day-to-day mundane reality with emphasis on design and composition using a square format.

In the summer of 2015, I retired from teaching, as a full professor, after 38 years in the classroom. I have been posting a new picture ever day since the first post in July 2011. Tumblr reports that image is the 6,559 image that I have posted to date. Not bad, considering that I have never missed a day posting a new image from day one. Nor have I ever reposted any images.

Anyway, after giving it considerable contemplation I am going to take a long vacation from posting and spend more time working on my paintings. I will be back (God willing) I just have not set a timeline to rejoin the game.

I want to acknowledge the following blogs for checking in on a regular basis. @eopederson, @trishamaeva, @mystrategyis, @gedditor, @peintre-stephane, @megageorgeous, @aubriestar, @grantrw, @sharonbphotos, @plattlandtmann, @93cnicole, @logwire @fatchance, @brucespencer, @jasmine7031, @lindenardenshighlights, @mostlythemarsh, @ciscandocinza, @ravensvalley, @adventuresofalgy, @jasonlowder: I am sure that I have missed a blog or two so my sincere apologies for the oversight.

#Hipstamatic #Original Photographers #Photographers On Tumblr #wink #humor #black cat #summer #art #capiolumen #iphone #iphoneXR #iphotography #lowy lens #kodot xgrizzled film #no flash

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the-lonelybarricade · 1 year

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A Court of Faded Dreams: Chapter 51

Chapter title: This Is the Hardest part

Fic summary: In her grief after Rhys sacrifices himself to restore the Cauldron, Feyre accidentally sends herself back in time. Back in her human body, in her early days in the Spring Court, Feyre must be careful how she alters the timeline as she tries to save Rhys and Prythian from Under the Mountain.

It's here!! Thank you as always to @noirshadow for betaing this story despite my allergy to timely updates. I appreciate you so much!!

Read on AO3 ⟡ A Court of Faded Dreams Masterlist

Wind whipped over the white-capped mountains, billowing frost off the rocky peaks like drifting white banners. The snow announced their location just as effectively as any banner would; the howling valleys beneath Feyre and Cassian belonged to the Winter Court.

Frozen wind rushed past them with every powerful stroke of Cassian’s wings, lashing Feyre’s cheeks as she braved a glance towards the barren landscape below. The cold leaked into her chest as she thought about the distance still separating them from the Night Court. And how perhaps the white banners hailed more than just their arrival to Kallias’s court—Feyre knew that Cassian would need to rest soon.

If he were by himself, he might have been able to make the full trip. But with her added weight? The waning sun glistened against his forehead, and this close to him she could just make out his labored breathing over the rushing wind.

“Maybe we can stop in Winter,” Feyre suggested, needing to shout so her voice wasn’t lost. “Kallias could winnow us the rest of the way.”

To the Hewn City, at least. They would have to get to Velaris on their own.

“I’m fine,” Cassian said. As if Feyre couldn’t see the tension he held in his jaw, or hear it in his voice. “We’ll be in range of Rhys soon.”

This was assuming Rhys would be in the Night Court. Feyre knew her mate. If it were her, she would have been sweeping over every inch of land and sea between Velaris and Hybern. He had even said as much to her, in another life.

I would have torn apart the world to get you back.

“I’ll fly all night if I have to,” Cassian added, as though sensing her train of thought.

Feyre recalled when Cassian had first started training her. When she had been so lost inside herself, and the only way her friend had known to draw her out was by giving her something to punch. Over and over again, until she’d ruined the sparring pads, and Cassian had offered her his own bare hands.

It should have been me.

She imagined this was his own way of doing that. Pushing his body because it would distract his mind. It was the one thing he could control, the one way he could help his brothers when Feyre knew that every fiber of his being was likely screaming for him to fly to Hybern and make things right. Feyre didn’t know what else to offer him, so she said nothing, letting him fly them across Winter. She only hoped her heavy heart didn’t add to the weight he carried.

The sunset eventually offered a new set of challenges.

Darkness crept, slowly and stealthily, over the skyline. And once the daylight had been fully eradicated, navigation became much more difficult. But what was worse, the temperature dropped.

Cassian continued flying without complaint. The exertion was keeping him warm, she was sure. The Illyrian leathers she wore, though rumpled and stiff from her tumble through the sea, were at least fur-lined. But they were hardly equipped for a night spent in Winter’s mountain range. A shiver was already working up her spine. She clenched her teeth so they wouldn’t chatter.

Feyre would try, for Cassian’s sake, to endure the cold.

It must not have been very convincing, because Cassian swore. “We’re almost to the Middle.”

The thought wasn’t very reassuring to Feyre. The Middle was filled with dangerous creatures that crawled out at night. There would be nowhere safe to stop, and then she would need to wait until Dawn to convince him to rest. What if he became too exhausted before then? Feyre imagined them plummeting into a bog, having to fight off the creatures of the middle through physical force alone.

It was time to make a decision as High Lady, even if Cassian wouldn’t like it.

Just as Feyre opened her mouth, Cassian stiffened. She gasped against a blast of air as they made a sudden dive toward the icy, snow-dusted plains below. They slammed into the frozen earth with such force that a cloud of frost burst upwards on the impact. She worried it was powerful enough to crack the ice, but it held strong as Cassian dropped her—carefully—to her feet.

“Cass, what—”

He was staring over her shoulder, and she cut herself off to turn in the direction of his gaze, where darkness was erupting from a vacant space in the air, unfurling night and star-swept smoke and, eventually, the sight of her mate’s rumpled hair and wide violet eyes. There was no smug half-smile waiting for her, just open distress that faded into soul-wrenching relief the moment their eyes met.

The sound that came out of her was choked, like some garbled thought had gotten stuck in her thickening throat. Maybe it was her body trying to purge every word she’d tried to send to him while the bond had been muted. I’m okay and are you safe and how are my sisters and I’m so sorry that they took Az.

But foremost, always foremost, was I love you. I’ve missed you so much.

It was all Feyre could do not to drop immediately to her knees in the snow. Somehow, she managed to scramble across the ice, slipping from the momentum as she barrelled into her mate’s waiting arms.

Rhys caught her easily, pulling her firmly against his warm chest. He was shaking, or maybe that was the winter frost still trembling in her bones, beginning to thaw as she buried her face in his neck and inhaled the scent of citrus-and-sea. A broad hand tangled in the back of her hair, cradling her against him as his other began roaming over her neck, her shoulders, her back. Searching for injury or simply convincing himself that she was real.

“Thank the fucking Cauldron,” he breathed. “I have been looking everywhere for you.”

And that must have been all he was holding on to, because as soon as he finished speaking, Rhysand’s knees buckled, dropping them both to the ground. Ice stung Feyre through her leathers, but she didn’t care. She wove her numb fingers into his hair, lifting her head to look into his face.

Feyre was not used to looking at him without feeling the mating bond tethering their minds together, always providing her with an inkling of what her mate was thinking, feeling. She didn’t need it now to see the warring anguish and relief and love glistening beneath the layer of unshed tears that collected at his lashes. He was doing a better job keeping them contained than she was. Feyre was only aware that her tears had begun slipping freely past her cheeks once he cupped her face in his large hands and swept his thumb across to chase them away.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. For failing the mission, for leaving Azriel behind, for making Rhys worry.

He continued stroking her cheek in a gentle rhythm, slow and steady, as he scanned his eyes over her face, her dirty clothes. A shadow passed over his features, more of that anguish he couldn’t hide from her. Even without the bond.

“Azriel did precisely what I asked him to,” he said, voice rough. Cassian must have told him, then, or maybe he had drawn the memory from her mind. “We all knew the risks. He decided to make a sacrifice for his court and we…” he took a deep, shuddering breath that dispersed into a cloud of winter air. Then another. Like the next words were painful to him. “We will recuperate and move when the time is right.”

“They won’t kill him,” Cassian said, standing a small distance behind to offer them privacy. Snow crunched under his boots as he walked closer. “They’ll probably make the bastard wish he was dead, but they’ll keep him alive. He’s too valuable.”

It was far from comforting to imagine Azriel being tortured for information. Just the thought of what they might inflict on him, if it were even a sliver of what she’d seen him do to others, to the Attor. Feyre felt suddenly like she’d be sick.

Rhysand nodded grimly. “We’ll get him back. And Hybern will pay for every ounce of blood.” Then her mate was scooping her into his arms, standing in one smooth movement. “For now, I’m grateful that you’re safe.” He turned to Cassian and offered his brother a small, sad smile. “That you’re both safe.”

Cassian didn’t smile in turn, but he did reach his arm out to clasp Rhys firmly, and affectionately, on the shoulder. “Let’s go home,” he said, more like a plea than any of them would acknowledge.

They disappeared into a cloud of smoke, and soon the blistering alpine air gave way to the scent of burning oak crackling in a hearth. Rhys set Feyre down on the carpet in the foyer, though he quickly caught her hand to thread her fingers through his own, unable to resist touching her. She eyed the rooms flanking the foyer, taking in the familiar sights and smells of their home. The brine of the Sidra drifting through the open window, spices wafting from the open door that led to the kitchen, and… the scents of their family. Of Rhys, mostly, and his brothers. But she could also detect the soft, floral hint of Elain, the unyielding fire and steel of Nesta.

Feyre hesitated, peering towards the door to the sitting room, uncertain what version of her sisters waited for her. An Elain that stared absently out the window, a Nesta who was angry with the world?

She turned to her mate. “My sisters,” she said, quietly. “Are they…”

Rhysand nodded toward the sitting room. “Why don’t you see for yourself.”

The distance between Feyre and that doorway felt suddenly like a gaping chasm. She stumbled before it, uncertain how to cross, but her sisters had already heard them come in. They rushed to wedge themselves into the doorframe—both of them, screeching to a halt on the other side of that great distance between them.

The seconds stretched into eternity as Feyre stared at her sisters and they stared back. Dressed in fae clothing, their eyes wide and ears upturned.

It was Elain who took the first step, as she always would in the unending push and pull of their sisterhood. The sea and the moon and the vast, all-seeing horizon that allowed them to meet in the middle. On occasion.

Elain ventured forward, stopping half way with her hand pressed to her lips to stifle a cry as she whispered, “We thought you were dead.”

Then it was Nesta, pushing onwards with Elain at her heel. Her lips were pressed together as she studied Feyre’s rumpled appearance. The braid that had faced battle then ocean then wind.

Feyre studied her back. Searching for any sense of that eerie power Nesta had taken from the Cauldron before.

“You look like Hell,” Nesta said.

Elain shot her a disapproving look. But Feyre understood what she meant: you look like you’ve been through a lot. And deeper under that, I was worried about you.

“You look…” Feyre swallowed. Her tears were already returning. “You look like yourselves.”

Not the sisters from before. Hollowed and aimless and angry at the world. They looked like the sisters she had known from this time, the ones who had been a bit more prepared for Prythian, who had thrown themselves into the Cauldron. For her.

“Thank you,” she said, before plummeting forward. Closing that final distance between them to throw her hands around both their shoulders. Nesta stiffened and Elain hugged her back fiercely and Feyre felt finally as if she’d accomplished something great in this timeline as she whispered, voice breaking, “I love you both.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she had said it to them. Had she ever?

They didn’t say it back, though Elain did hiccup softly, her fingers burying into Feyre’s shoulder. And that was okay. They didn’t need to say it, they had proved it. They had traded their humanity, overcame everything they’d once believed about the fae because she had turned up scared and honest at their doorstep.

Nesta gasped in her ear. Feyre pulled back, thinking that she was crying, but it wasn’t tears that swam in her eyes as she stared over Feyre’s shoulder.

It was something else.

“Nes…” Cassian said. The syllable eked out of him like weight shifting onto a creaky floorboard. There was no lightness to his voice. No humor.

The General of the Night Court staggered forward when his eyes met Nesta’s. Then he stopped, straightening as if remembering himself. Even with the soldier’s rigidity he forced into his spine, Feyre thought he still looked moments from dropping to his knees.

Nesta didn’t move to him. She stayed where she was, even after Feyre released her from the hug. Eyes so guarded, like distant fortresses of ice. She scraped them over Cassian, assessing him, tensing her body like she was preparing to defend, to attack. With her hair swept into an elegant braided crown, there was nothing to hide the delicate pointed tip of both her ears, nor the way Cassian’s eyes gravitated towards them.

He swallowed. Feyre had the sense that Nesta’s decision had been a sacrifice for more than just her sisters. And that Cassian’s reaction would define whether it had been worth it.

Finally he said, in that same strained voice, “Did you do something different with your hair?”

It wasn’t a complete transformation, but Nesta’s expression softened in response. She pushed past Feyre and Elain, moving with the same grace she had always possessed, though now it felt sharpened. All that lethal might and fluid grace that Nesta had been honing for years, finally contained in a body that could wield it properly. Growing into herself, the way a child grows into a pair of oversized gloves.

Cassian stood, a soldier at attention, as Nesta approached. Like he worried any sudden movement might ward her off. But the piercing look in her eyes, far from volatile or skittish, told Feyre that her sister would not be easily swayed from this path. She moved towards him with purpose, and Cassian met it unflinching—but more than that, awed. Overwhelmed. Feyre wondered if that was what she had looked like, the first time she’d seen the daylight after those months Under the Mountain. Or when she’d met Rhys, on Calanmai.

Like his world had ended and begun as Nesta raised a hand and placed it over his chest. Still, he didn’t move. Only watched, lips parted open, as Nesta pushed onto her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

That seemed to be his undoing.

Cassian’s posture crumpled, arms moving as if on impulse, finding Nesta’s waist to tug her closer. He bowed his head forward until it rested on her shoulder.

“Cass,” Nesta murmured. With a gentleness Feyre had only ever heard directed towards Elain.

“I just need a minute,” he said.

Rhys chose that moment to slip around them, looking harrowed himself as he herded Elain and Feyre quietly into the next room. Elain, who might usually have filled the silence with pleasantries, had an aimless look about her as she claimed an armchair by the window.

Feyre admired the way ribbons of moonlight poured over her sister’s features from the large window that overlooked the city, shining like a polish against her ivory skin. There was no denying that Elain’s ethereal beauty had only been heightened by the transformation. But for a moment all Feyre could see were brown eyes, once hollow, staring vacantly towards the city. In the back of her mind, she could hear Elain whispering, we were supposed to be married next week.

Feyre couldn’t resist asking. “Are you happy with it? Your choice.”

Elain turned, blinking rapidly like she’d been startled back into her body. Then those warm eyes focused on Feyre, and she offered a small smile.

“It feels…” Elain started thoughtfully, flickering her attention to the tips of her fingers as she stretched her arm outwards. “It feels familiar in a way I don’t know how to explain. It’s a little overwhelming, but even so… I feel settled. Like I am one step closer to knowing myself.”

Her eyes turned back toward the city, lips curling downwards.

“I can hear his heart,” Elain said. The admission was so quiet that Feyre wondered if she should be hearing it, until Elain turned back to her, eyes wide with concern. “Is that normal, for mates?”

“I…” Feyre looked towards Rhys for guidance. She could hear his heart often, but not once he was in another room, let alone a different Court. Did that mean the Cauldron had granted Elain Sight once more? Or was it simply a unique quality of her bond with Lucien?

Elain’s eyes turned glassy. She pressed her hand to her chest, like she could feel it now. “I’ve been listening for him, but that’s all I hear.”

“If you can hear his heartbeat, that means he’s safe,” Feyre said, sympathetic. “And if you hear or see anything else that might be helpful, let us know.”

Her sister nodded, before turning back towards the window. Feyre wondered if it had been difficult witnessing Nesta’s reunion with Cassian. Cauldron knew how long it would be until Elain could have that moment with Lucien.

“Go rest,” Elain said, drawing her legs up into her chest. “I take it you’ve had a long journey. Your mate has been worrying a hole into every inch of this carpet.”

Rhys, behind her, scraped out a laugh for Elain’s benefit, but it was weighed down. He had been so patient in letting her have this moment with her sisters, knowing Feyre needed the reassurance that they were okay. But Rhysand wasn’t—nor were his brothers. A cautious look over her shoulder showed her mate’s face, edged towards a devastation she knew he was trying very hard to contain. It had always been easier when it was his own life at stake, but now they had so many people to protect. So many to lose.

Was this their fate? That one trio of siblings would always be fractured? Feyre tried not to dwell on that as she took her mate by the hand, leaving Elain in the sitting room with an apologetic grimace. Elain looked like she appreciated the privacy, anyhow.

With Feyre’s magic still dormant and Rhysand passive beneath her guidance, they walked to their bedroom the human way. Step by step, with none of the urgency they normally possessed. Even without their bond, she could sense her mate retreating into his mind. Perhaps he was relishing in the absent bridge between their minds, so that this anguish could remain his own. She wondered what she would find. A howling void, if it were anything like what she felt watching her sisters go into the Cauldron. A raging, dark tempest.

She decided not to interrupt the silence, merely guiding her mate to the bed. He was pliant as she arranged them, coaxing his head to her chest, hoping that even in the dark recesses of his mind he would hear her heartbeat and know she was with him.

There was no magic to comfort, no darkness or starlight or wings she could wrap him in. Just her arms, her scent, her wordless love. It wouldn’t be enough to soothe the pain of what he lost, but it was all they had to hold onto. So Feyre stroked her fingers through his silken hair and Rhysand held her back, tightly. Holding each other in silence for minutes, or hours.

And eventually he murmured, “I know what I need to do, as a High Lord. But I feel lost on what to do, as a brother. It would make me a damned fool to try and break him out of Hybern. But all I want to do is go back there and bargain my own life for his, if that’s what it takes.”

“He would be furious if you did,” Feyre said.

“I know. And I know that this is how they felt, all those years I was Under the Mountain.”

“But you came back,” she whispered. “Against all hope, all odds. They got you back. And we’ll get Az back, too.”

Rhysand nodded absently. Feyre wondered if he’d heard her at all as his jaw worked, restraining all that black, vicious anger that lived behind his eyes. She could already see him calculating, trying to determine the best route forward. A glimpse of the boy from Windhaven, bloodied and bruised, pulling himself up to get back in the training ring.

For his brothers, she knew he would keep getting back in. Again and again and again. As many times as it took. And this time, he wouldn’t be going in alone.

Feyre woke to the sun breaking through the curtains, arriving steadily, just as it had every morning since the moment she woke up in the Spring Court. Even now, its warm rays broke through the frost crawling over the window pane, reaching towards Feyre and her slumbering mate to say, get up.

This was the hardest part—getting back up.

It wasn’t enough to face the wreckage once. To let it be done. They had to pull themselves together and face it again. And again. Every day, pulling them steadily towards that inevitable convergence.

At least her mate was with her. Strong arms, banded securely across her waist. They were tangled, Rhysand’s face pressed into her chest, his inky hair spilling over her shoulder, her collarbone. She had been worried he wouldn’t sleep through the night. Or worse, that he would have left, flown all the way back to Hybern to fight for Azriel.

But he was there, bathed lovingly in the sunlight. His chest rose as he took a slow breath, reminding her to do the same. She needed to be strong for him. For all of them. Inhale. Like Cassian had taught her. Exhale.

Feyre pushed her fingers through Rhysand’s hair, scraping her nails gently against his scalp to wake him. She felt guilty doing so, to force him back into this cruel reality when he looked so peaceful in his sleep.

Violet eyes peeled open. He blinked at her, then shut them, arms tightening around her. Resisting. Feyre took another deep breath, continued stroking her fingers through his hair until he relaxed, until he raised his head and murmured a hoarse, “Good morning, darling.”

It didn’t feel like a good morning.

Feyre didn’t realize she’d said it down the bond until she heard the soft caress of his laughter, more restrained than usual, though it still made her chest flutter. I suppose your magic is back.

Her magic, but more importantly, their bond. She knew he felt as relieved to have it back as she did, because Feyre kissed him and he sighed. Rhys kissed her back fiercely, reaching down the bond so he could hold her there, too. This at least made sense to their bodies. This, at least, felt good. Reminded them that they were alive, and that the glowing thread Feyre could feel shimmering between them once again was something that no one could take away. Not Amarantha, not Hybern, not even the Cauldron.

She opened her mind to him, letting their minds entwine in tandem with their bodies. They made love beneath the beaconing dawn, every touch aimed to comfort, to reassure, to lend the strength they needed to get back up together.

It was midmorning by the time they made it to the breakfast table, hand in hand, uncertain who was pulling who. The others had already assembled, gathered around the dining table, silent as they picked at a plate of fresh pastries that Feyre could guess Elain had gotten up early to make.

Mor was there, staring at her uneaten pastry. She raised her head as they came in, red-rimmed eyes meeting Feyre’s. She offered a tight smile that was much closer to a grimace. Miryam was on the bench beside her, looking in much better health than Feyre had last seen her. That, at least, was reassuring.

“How are you feeling?” Feyre asked.

“I could ask you the same,” Miryam said, suppressing a shiver. “I never want to feel magic like that again.”

That much, they could agree on. Though Feyre knew as she flitted her eyes to her sisters, sat together on the opposite side of the table, that they would need to feel that magic again. Very soon.

“We were all worried sick about you,” Mor added, surprising Feyre by reaching for her arm. She offered an affectionate squeeze—forgiveness, or perhaps an apology. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

She meant it, too. Even if the sorrow in Mor’s eyes made Feyre wish she were drowning again.

“Where’s Cass?” Rhysand asked, causing them all to stiffen at his tone.

“He wasn’t at the House of Wind this morning,” Mor said with a shrug. “I assumed he was—” with Nesta. Mor didn’t need to say it. The way she pressed her lips together, glancing towards Feyre’s eldest sister, said enough.

“I haven’t seen him since last night,” Nesta said, words razor sharp at the unspoken accusation. She grabbed a pastry, playing at indifference as she ripped a chunk of it away. “He said that he needed to leave. I thought he was going back to the war camp.”

Rhysand swore. Mor stood up, a hand over her mouth.

“He wouldn’t,” she said, face turning ashen.

Nesta’s eyes flickered between Mor and Rhysand, some of that anger curbing. Her brows pushed in, worrying at that small piece of pastry between her fingers until it was reduced to crumbs.

Rhys disappeared before anyone could discuss going with him—and that finally pulled Feyre out of her shock. She reached towards the space her mate had just occupied, lips parting open. Then closing. He was… gone.

“Oh, these stupid, impulsive Illryians!” Mor shouted, shaking the table as she slammed her hands against it. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“What happened?” Nesta asked with a viciousness that was more fae-like than she probably even realized.

Feyre rubbed her temples. She reached for Rhys, scrambling against his mental walls. They stood firmly in place, allowing nothing to slip through.

“Cassian went after Azriel,” Mor said. “And now Rhys has gone after them both.”

I’m not mad, Feyre said down the bond. How could she be, when both of his brothers were in danger? But please, please, be smart. Be safe. Come home to me.

“When did he leave?” Mor demanded.

“It was the middle of the night,” Nesta said, more retreated. She wrapped her arms around her chest, face burning as she added, “Two o’clock—maybe three.”

He would have needed to fly all night, to have gotten to Hybern. After having already done so much flying. What was he thinking? By the time he got to the island, he’d be too exhausted to fight.

Feyre debated going after them. The two of them alone, against Hybern’s men and his magic and the Cauldron. She started pacing, weighing the best strategy, trying to think like her mate—even if he, himself, wasn’t thinking practically. The troops were already stationed in Summer, maybe they could advance. No. The Cauldron at full force would wipe out too many of them.

She felt well and truly like she was on the verge of a breakdown by the time her mate reappeared with Cassian slumped over his shoulders. A rush of darkness brushed everything off the table, sending the plates crashing to the wooden floor. Rhys heaved Cassian onto his back atop the table, who groaned.

“You stupid prick!” Rhys snarled, grabbing him by the collar and shaking. “What were you thinking?”

Cassian’s wings splayed out, covering almost the entire width of the dining room. They were littered with arrows, dripping blood and salty water onto the floor.

“I needed to get him back,” Cassian said through gritted teeth. His face was pinched, dirt sticking to his cheek and brow. Feyre felt everything go quiet as she surveyed his labored, wet breathing and her eyes dipped to the split flesh arching up from his navel to the bottom of his sternum—too deep for Rhysand to heal, though Feyre could see he was trying.

“Get Madja,” Rhys said to Mor.

It was a stone cold, unfeeling command. Rage was seeping out of her mate in dark tendrils, coiling through the room until even the sunlight dimmed.

Feyre swayed. Unprepared for the sight of the gore and the fear it struck deep inside her. Somewhere far in the back of her mind, she was aware of Mor rushing out of the room, of Elain and Miryam following.

A hand closed tightly around her elbow. Nesta, watching with her lips pressed together as Rhys moved his hands over Cassian, trying to stave off the blood. Bile surged in Feyre’s throat at the sight of that raw flesh. Her bones creaked beneath Nesta’s grip.

“Do you think I didn’t want to go after him too?” Rhys was saying, teeth bared. His hands were covered in blood—so much blood. “Do you think I don’t know what they’re going to do to him?”

“You’re needed… here,” Cassian choked, the words mostly gargled. “I’m just—a soldier.”

“Just a soldier?” Rhys echoed, all that lethal anger sharpening. Even on the brink of consciousness, Feyre could see Cassian stiffen. “You are my brother. You are my general. I can’t…” Rhysand’s voice softened as he watched Cassian’s eyelids flutter shut. “I can’t do this without you. So you better not die, you fucking bastard. That’s an order.”

Cassian huffed, the only indication he was still conscious.

In the distance, Feyre could hear the door open. Then Madja rushed in, Mor at her heels. Rhys moved aside to let the healer take stock of the wounds. Madja was frowning, but her expression was not so grave that Feyre worried he wouldn’t make it.

She went to work quickly, brows bunching in concentration as her hands flared with glowing white light. They all fell into silence as they watched Madja work, their attention fixed on the healer’s every movement as her hands roamed over Cassian’s body. The lips of the wounds, mercifully, began to reach towards each other, knitting shut.

“Is…” Nesta bit her lip. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Madja said. Nesta’s shoulders sagged. “He’ll need a few days rest. No training. Or flying.” She scowled at the red line across his stomach. “Or throwing himself in front of swords.”

“What happened?” Feyre asked, turning to Rhys.

His anger hadn’t curbed. She could still see it simmering in his eyes, fists clenched at his sides. “He didn’t even make it to land before they shot him down.” Feyre’s eyes fell back to those arrows through his wings. “He landed on the Northernmost peak, who knows how long he’d been fighting before I got there. The bastard had that wound in his gut and was still taking men down. They pushed him off the cliff just as I got there.”

And indeed, looking at her mate she could see his wet hair hanging down his face. He trekked sand and seawater across the dining room as he came to stand in front of her. His eyes glowed, like lightning had struck an ocean. Nesta’s eyes fell to the blood on his hands.

Feyre asked, softly, Are you angry that Cassian got hurt? Or that you weren’t the one who went after Az?

Her mate stared. Jaw clenched. Say what you mean.

That tone. The cold rage, the sharpness. Feyre wasn’t used to hearing it directed towards her.

She brushed her mind against his, gentle. Are you angry at Cassian, or yourself?

Rhysand looked away, which was all the answer she needed.

Come, Feyre murmured, grabbing one of his blood-crusted hands. Rhys flinched. Let’s get you cleaned up, and leave Madja to her work.

It was all of a week before Cassian was well enough to join the morning training sessions. Feyre was grateful he was healed for a multitude of reasons, among them being that she finally had company on the training ring.

Convincing Rhys to join her in the last week had been… difficult. He and Cassian had quickly made up, but every day that passed weighed on him. It was another day that Azriel was in Hybern’s hands, subjected to the King’s will.

Her mate was restless—they all were.

“I’m surprised you were able to sneak past Nesta,” Feyre said in greeting.

Cassian grinned as he strolled into the ring, flexing his arms. “Who would've thought a flesh wound would be enough to earn this much attention?”

A flesh wound was a mild way of putting it, Feyre thought. And Nesta had certainly been attentive. Though her sister would deny it, Feyre didn’t think she’d seen Nesta leave his side for the duration of his bedrest.

“I assume it’s too soon to practice with swords,” she teased, reaching for a pair of fighting sticks.

“Depends on who will be swinging them,” Cassian said. “I trust you not to gut me.”

Feyre lobbed one of the sticks at him and he deftly reached out to catch it in midair.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” she teased. “You did take the last pastry at breakfast.”

“Oh?” Cassian dropped into a fighting stance, spinning the stick expertly around his knuckles. “Come get even then, High Lady.”

Just as Feyre was about to charge, the center of the ring erupted into darkness, and out stepped Rhys. He was frowning, a letter crushed in his fist.

“What’s wrong?” Cassian asked, drawing up short.

Rhys passed the letter to him, saying, “Eris Vanserra has requested an immediate audience. He says that the Autumn Court has Azriel, and they’re willing to negotiate a trade.”

#A Court of Faded Dreams #ACoFD #Feysand #Feysand fic #Feysand fanfic #Feysand fanfiction #Feyre x Rhys #Rhys x Feyre #Feyre x Rhysand #Rhysand x Feyre

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cyrus-uhwo-capstone · 2 months

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Tumblr Progress Update #3

Hey everyone! 👋 Here's a snapshot of the past week's endeavors and a glimpse into what lies ahead in my journey:

1️⃣ Storyboarding Horror:

This week has been dedicated to storyboarding drafts for my upcoming piece, which will delve into the realm of horror. Drawing inspiration from the immersive world of Lethal Company, I'm crafting a narrative that promises to send shivers down your spine.

2️⃣ Next Week's Focus:

Looking ahead, I'm gearing up to delve into the enchanting realm of 'wonder' with my next storyboard. Taking cues from my old favorite movie, Treasure Planet, I'm envisioning a spectacle of wonder—a pirate ship sailing amidst the stars or trailing behind a comet's tail.

3️⃣ Hurdles and Lessons Learned:

Every journey has its bumps, and mine is no exception. While navigating the animation process for my first piece, I encountered an unexpected challenge—the rotation of the black hole. A small misstep led to noticeable jump cuts in the animation, reminding me of the importance of meticulous attention to detail before forging ahead.

4️⃣ Horror Sketch Preview:

5️⃣ Timeline Update:

As I near the threshold of the production phase, I'm exercising caution and restraint, mindful not to rush into the next stage prematurely. Patience and precision will pave the way for a seamless transition into the creative fray.

Your continued support and encouragement fuel my passion, and I can't wait to share the fruits of my labor with you all! 🌟

#lethal company #ArtisticJourney #Storyboarding #HorrorAndWonder #horror

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larrytimelines · 2 years

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Poker-faced Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles have been pictured together for the first time since DailyMail.com's bombshell interview with the actress's former nanny.

The couple both looked glum as they ate at LA restaurant Pace on Wednesday night, with onlookers telling DailyMail.com the usually tactile pair barely exchanged a glance during dinner.

Following dinner, they went on to see the band Wolf Alice play at the Wiltern Theater.

Wilde, 38, wore a simple black mini-dress and boots while flamboyant singer Styles, 28, chose a blue diamond-patterned knit tank and jeans for the early-evening meal.

Although the actress was seen smiling and chatting with friends who joined the couple for dinner, an observer told DailyMail.com that the As It Was singer was serious throughout the meal – which lasted just over an hour – and seemed withdrawn.

The couple even sat separately while leaving, as Styles was seen getting into the driver's seat and Wilde hopped in the back, letting a male friend ride shotgun.

Pace, an Italian restaurant in Laurel Canyon, is close to Styles' LA home and boasts a 'cozy, romantic' atmosphere and serves up a menu of pasta and pizza made with 'locally sourced and organic ingredients'.

Wilde has previously been photographed at the neighboring Canyon Country Store – including on November 13 2020, just three days after she is said to have dumped ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis, leaving him distraught.

The new photos come after days of embarrassing revelations from Sudeikis and Wilde's former nanny who witnessed the acrimonious break-up firsthand.

Wilde had insisted that the split was a mutual decision and came in January 2020 but the nanny has challenged the 38-year-old's timeline and says it came much later, and was far from mutual.

On Wednesday, DailyMail.com published photos of the ex-couple together in Malibu on September 8, 2020 where Wilde can be seen smiling lovingly at Sudeikis and wearing her vintage emerald and diamond engagement ring.

While Wilde has insisted her relationship with Sudeikis ended long before she started dating Styles in October 2020, the nanny pointed to the couple's Labor Day beach trip just two months earlier when she was seen wearing her engagement ring

She began filming Don't Worry Darling with Styles a month later and was seen looking 'giddy' around the British star on set by the nanny.

Then, in early November 2020, Wilde moved out of the family's $4m home in the Silver Lake area of LA citing a Covid outbreak on set and settled into the $1,650-a-night Paramour Estate Hotel in LA.

Wilde then ended her engagement to Sudeikis – leaving him in shock and distraught – before going public with Styles in January 2021 when they were pictured together at his agent's wedding in Montecito, California.

The 38-year-old actress and film director has always insisted that she and Sudeikis parted ways in early 2020, telling Vanity Fair last month: 'Our relationship was over long before I met Harry.'

She added it was a 'horses**t' idea that she'd 'left Jason for Harry' and claimed the pair had decided to co-parent for as long as they could during Covid to make things easier on their children.

But the nanny, who spent three years caring for Otis, now eight, and Daisy, six, said her September 2020 beach trip with the couple and their kids prove that is not the case.

'Look at her ring on Labor Day Weekend (2020). We were in Malibu on Labor Day Weekend,' she told DailyMail.com.

'This was right before she started seeing Harry. She's wearing her engagement ring from Jason and laughing as she's on the beach.'

Sudeikis proposed to Wilde in 2013 after three years together with a diamond ring surrounded by a halo of emeralds.

At the time, Olivia said of the ring's history: 'All they know is that it went through Paris around 1921. I love imagining the story of this ring. Who had it? It's a bit of an aqua emerald, not a deep dark green. Jason said it reminded him of my eyes, which is very sweet.'

Despite her claim that the relationship was over, Wilde was reportedly discussing her marriage plans as recently as October 2020 according to the former nanny.

The nanny said she detailed plans to have daughter Daisy act as a flower girl during the ceremony which had been due to take place 'within a year'.

Full article, published on Oct 20 2022. Link.

#holivia in LA #holivia pap pics #holivia pap walk #tom hull #kid harpoon #jenny hull #holivia october 2022 #holivia spotted #harry spotted #holivia #olivia wilde #harry in LA #wolf alice #oct 19 2022 #oct 2022 #oct 20 2022 #long post

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sagejistu · 2 months

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Living Things to Pretend to be when being a Human with Skin is too complicated

Angora Rabbit -> soft, small, long hair with the ability to make luxury wool. Great for when you want to feel useful but hard labor feels impossible.

Mangrove tree -> A reservoir of carbon, gnarly root systems, lots of animals rely on them. Great for when you want to be a system of change, flux, storage, and wisdom for your friends and loved ones.

Pothos plant -> a reliable houseplant, durable, and nearly impossible to kill. Great for when you want to be resistant and endure all the challenges that come with a positive and consistent self-care routine--you will overcome and rehydrate yourself.

Barred Owl -> mysterious with a neat call, dominating the midnight hours with all-seeing eyes and a big feather coat. Great for when you want to be mysterious and alluring when you want to be a shapeless entity that sees all and knows all.

Eastern Blue Bird -> playful, colorful, a rarity all its own. Great for when you want to be unique and vibrant, a joy for others to see.

Possum -> Grubby, stout, scavenger, wonderful for the ecosystem, weird, unique, positively charming. Great for when you need to allow yourself to be your gross fully authentic self, a great reminder that you are necessary to the world around you, even if you do not look like social media's next top poster.

American Black Bear -> cute, friend-shaped, berry n' fish eating grubby guys, will kill you in a heartbeat, protective, curious. Great to get back to the basics of self-care; when you feel like you want to be playful and curious, but need to be self-assured in your strength for yourself and others.

House cat -> fabulous at self-care, one of the best therapists without talking or weird advice, self-sufficient, loves the sun. Great to remind you that you can be there for others without trying too hard, presence is important. Serve to remind you of the importance of self-grooming, laying in the sun, stretching, being curious, and simultaneously aloof.

Oyster Mushroom -> funky fungi, delicious, love humid dark spaces, can imitate chicken in vegan dishes, also are just otherworldly and pretty. Great to remind you that you can adapt to your circumstances and embody differing facets and personas, it is okay, in fact, it is a great skill to have.

Cecropia Moth -> very short life span, make a huge bang with their size and wings, gentle bugs. Great to remind you that you can make an impact in the world at any time and with little time. You will always have someone who appreciates you despite the brevity you occupy in their timeline--just look at the millions of Moth enjoyers on the internet.

#journal #greencore #whimsigoth #meditation #reading #mecore #media #saved #fairy #fairy grunge #foraging #forest aesthetic

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panda-wa-panda-jyanai · 1 year

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The World Is Yours

God I love this song.

When we initially hear The World Is Yours, we don’t hear it as its own beast. We instead hear it as part of NEW GAME, the opening theme of NEO: The World Ends With You, which could also be argued to be the entire game’s main theme. As NEW GAME progresses, the “remix”-y nature of the song becomes clear as sections from other pieces of the soundtrack are blended in (Twister, INCONGRUOUS, and We’re Losing You). That initial sound becomes muddied amidst the other songs, breaking out its chorus at the halfway point for a brief moment before it’s lost again.

Why does that matter? Because that serves as a beautiful reference for where Rindo begins the story at. Symbolized by his face mask (the speak-no-evil to Neku’s hear-no-evil headphones), Rindo is terrified of making decisions. Whether for himself or his friends, we see in the beginning of the game how much he struggles to both speak up and speak his mind.

We get to see Rindo’s inner monologue; constantly doubting himself, second guessing decisions and laboring over every little detail. To an unhealthy degree, often. It’s too much effort to make all the big decisions, so he simply lets Fret or Nagi figure it out. In those situations where his time travel is needed, he agonizes over every decision and mistake and rippling effect. Facing the consequences of his actions proves to be too difficult, and he continues to defer to his friends even though they are relying on him to lead them through the Game.

Rindo has no voice of his own, and that is reflected in NEW GAME. The fucking sick guitar riffs and vocals struggle to break through the wall of noise (haha get it) of the other pieces present in the song. Even when compared to their reprisal in The World Is Yours, they sound just a tad bit subdued; the guitars don’t blare as loud, and the vocals seem to drone instead of scream.

Somewhere in the middle, the entire game happens but The World Is Yours is eventually revealed as the other side of this musical coin. Leaving this until the very end, the literal final boss theme, was a genius move even outside of the song itself. We hear all of the other tracks that are part of NEW GAME throughout the game well before this one, and you may be left wondering “hey, what song do those fucking sick guitar riffs come from?”. It made me grin ear-to-ear, at least.

So Rindo, at the end of his journey, is facing the literal embodiment of his mistakes; a phoenix forged of those malformed souls left behind from alternate, abandoned timelines GOD THIS GAME IS SO GOOD. And as the phoenix screeches in a swirling void reminiscent of the Xemnas fight from KH2, the opening preamble to The World Is Yours starts up; a fantastic build up to a killer track and the perfect anthem of Rindo’s growth throughout the game.

It's supposed to be hard If it wasn't hard, everyone in the world would do it The hard is what makes it great Making mistakes is proof that you challenged The world is yours

And then we’re hit with the full weight of the guitars, the drums, the defiantly screaming vocals, and eventually the trumpets (??) of the full song, which I can safely say is the definitive theme for Rindo (at least, as far as I’m concerned).

I won’t go into every lyrical nugget because this has already gone on longer than I expected, but the rest of the song echoes that opening verse; Rindo has finally found his resolve. He has found his voice. After losing everything and being given the chance to set things right, he tears through the noise of the other tracks of doubt and fear in his mind, and screams a song of confidence and determination in their wake.

The world is yours, Rindo.

(P.S. Can we appreciate the genius of the lyrics:

Watch it burn Like a firebird I’m coming back

Like bruh. The double meaning of fighting a literal phoenix but THEN ALSO the reading of Rindo rising from the ashes of his mistakes, of the marred timelines he gave rise to, in order to set things right? This game is a masterpiece.)

#twewy #neo twewy #music #new game #world is yours #rindo #analysis #damn sorry that got real cheesy at the end #spoilers #hope nobody's done this already but oh well i've thought of this since the game came out tbh #anyway #SYSTEMATIC WORLD #KILLING ME

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thescrcservices · 6 months

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Collaborative Writing: Tips for Co-Authoring Research Papers

Collaborative research is an integral part of academic work, and co-authoring research papers is a common practice in the scholarly community. By combining the expertise of multiple individuals, you can produce high-impact research. However, successful collaborative writing requires effective communication, coordination, and a shared commitment to the project. In this blog, we'll explore valuable tips to ensure the success of co-authoring research papers.

Define Roles and Responsibilities Before embarking on a collaborative research paper, it's essential to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each co-author. This includes determining who will lead the project, who will conduct data analysis, and who will be responsible for writing and editing. A well-defined division of labor sets clear expectations from the outset.

Establish Clear Communication Open and effective communication is at the heart of successful collaboration. Ensure that all co-authors are on the same page regarding the research objectives, timelines, and milestones. Regular meetings, both in-person and virtual, can help maintain transparent and ongoing communication.

Choose the Right Tools In today's digital age, there are numerous collaborative tools available that facilitate co-authoring research papers. Consider using platforms like Google Docs, Dropbox Paper, or specialized reference management software (e.g., EndNote or Zotero) to streamline the writing and revision process.

Set a Timeline Develop a timeline that outlines the key milestones, from data collection to manuscript submission. Having a clear schedule ensures that the project progresses smoothly and that all co-authors are aware of deadlines.

Respect Each Other's Expertise Each co-author brings a unique set of skills and knowledge to the table. Respect and acknowledge the expertise of your collaborators. This mutual respect can enhance the quality and depth of the research.

Collaboratively Plan the Structure Work together to plan the structure of your research paper. Decide on the order of sections, headings, and subheadings. This planning stage can help maintain a consistent and coherent narrative.

Establish Authorship Order Determine the authorship order, keeping in mind the conventions of your field and the contributions of each co-author. It's essential that authorship reflects individual contributions rather than seniority.

Data Sharing and Management Ensure that all co-authors have access to the necessary data and research materials. Establish data management and sharing protocols to maintain transparency and accountability.

Review and Revise Collectively Collaboratively review and revise the manuscript. Encourage co-authors to provide constructive feedback and be open to making revisions. This iterative process is key to improving the quality of the paper.

Address Disagreements Constructively Conflicts and disagreements may arise during the collaborative process. Address these issues constructively, ideally through open discussions and compromise. It's necessary to assert a positive functioning relationship.

Proofreading and Editing Consider professional proofreading and editing to ensure the paper's language, grammar, and style are of the highest quality.

Plan for Authorship Agreements Before submission, create a clear authorship agreement that outlines the roles, author order, and expectations for all co-authors. This consent can serve as a extract point in case of debate or disagreements.

Acknowledge and Cite Contributions Properly acknowledge and cite the contributions of each co-author in the paper. Ensure that all individuals who contributed significantly are appropriately recognized.

Collaborative writing can be a rewarding experience, leading to the creation of impactful research. However, it requires commitment, communication, and a shared vision. By following these tips, you can navigate the challenges of co-authoring research papers and produce high-quality work that advances knowledge in your field.

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wedelivergravel01 · 10 months

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Stone Slinger Services and the Role of Technology in Modern Construction

In today's fast-paced world, the construction industry is constantly evolving, driven by advancements in technology that aim to enhance efficiency and productivity. One such innovation that has revolutionized material placement in construction projects is the stone slinger service. In Toronto, WeDeliverGravel.com has emerged as a leading provider of stone slinger services, combining cutting-edge technology with exceptional customer service.

Cutting-Edge Technology for Precise Material Distribution: WeDeliverGravel.com's Advanced Fleet

A stone slinger service involves the use of specialized trucks equipped with conveyor systems that can precisely and accurately distribute a variety of construction materials, such as stone, gravel, sand, and soil. This innovative approach eliminates the need for manual labor-intensive processes, saving time and reducing the risk of injuries on the worksite.

WeDeliverGravel.com utilizes state-of-the-art stone slinger trucks that are operated by highly skilled professionals. With our expertise, we can maneuver the equipment to deliver materials to even the most challenging and inaccessible areas, such as steep slopes, tight spaces, or elevated surfaces. This level of precision and versatility allows for more efficient and effective material placement, ultimately enhancing the overall construction process.

Maneuverability and Accessibility: Overcoming Construction Challenges with Stone Slinger Services

The role of technology in stone slinger services goes beyond the vehicles themselves. WeDeliverGravel.com leverages advanced software systems to optimize routing and scheduling, ensuring prompt and reliable delivery to project sites. This streamlines project timeline and minimizes delays, enabling construction teams to work with greater efficiency and stay on track.

Efficient Delivery Management: Streamlining Project Logistics with Technology

Moreover, technology plays a vital role in the monitoring and maintenance of stone slinger trucks. WeDeliverGravel.com utilizes telematics and GPS tracking systems to monitor the performance and location of our fleet in real time. This proactive approach allows for timely maintenance, reducing the risk of breakdowns and ensuring uninterrupted service.

Proactive Fleet Monitoring and Maintenance: Ensuring Reliable Service and Minimizing Downtime

The adoption of stone slinger services with advanced technology offers numerous benefits for construction projects in Toronto. It eliminates the need for manual material handling, reducing physical strain on workers and enhancing safety on the job site. Additionally, the precise and accurate material placement provided by stone slinger trucks improves the overall quality and consistency of the construction project.

WeDeliverGravel.com, with its commitment to leveraging the latest technology, stands as a trusted partner for stone slinger services in Toronto. we combine the power of innovative equipment with experienced operators to provide exceptional service tailored to the unique needs of each project.

In conclusion, stone slinger services have redefined material placement in modern construction.

By embracing technology and utilizing advanced equipment, companies like WeDeliverGravel.com are revolutionizing the construction industry in Toronto. With our precise and efficient material distribution, we enable construction teams to work faster, safer, and with greater precision. When it comes to stone slinger services in Toronto, WeDeliverGravel.com stands at the forefront

#stone #stone slinger #stone slinger service Toronto #stone slinger Toronto

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game-dev-cost-bangalore · 2 months

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Game Development Cost in Bangalore

In the bustling tech hub of Bangalore, the cost of game development has become a topic of keen interest for startups, entrepreneurs, and established companies alike.

As the city cements its position as a leading center for innovation and technology in India, understanding the financial implications of game development projects is crucial for anyone looking to enter or expand within this dynamic sector.

Game development, a multidisciplinary endeavor that merges creativity with technology, encompasses various stages including concept development, design, coding, testing, and launch.

The cost associated with bringing a game from an idea to a market-ready product can vary widely, influenced by a myriad of factors such as game complexity, platform, development time, team size, and the specific services required.

In Bangalore, the heart of India's tech revolution, the cost of developing a game can range from a few lakh rupees for a simple mobile game developed by a small team, to several crore rupees for a high-end game designed for consoles or PCs, developed by a larger, more experienced game developers. This wide range reflects the diverse nature of the gaming industry, where independent developers can make a significant impact with innovative ideas, while larger studios may invest heavily in blockbuster titles.

One of the key factors influencing game development cost is the choice of platform. Mobile games, for example, are generally less expensive to develop than console or PC games due to the simpler graphics and mechanics involved.

However, developing a game that runs smoothly across different devices and operating systems can add complexity and, therefore, cost.

Another crucial component is the game's complexity. A game with intricate gameplay mechanics, high-quality graphics, and multiplayer features requires more resources and time to develop, driving up the cost.

The choice of technology and tools also plays a role; utilizing cutting-edge game engines or incorporating virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences can enhance the game but also adds to the development budget.

The development team's size and expertise are also pivotal in determining the overall cost. A larger team with specialized skills in areas such as graphic design, coding, and audio production can deliver a more polished product, but also increases labor costs.

In Bangalore, where there is a vast pool of talented developers, game development companies have the advantage of accessing skilled professionals, but must also compete in a market that values talent highly.

Outsourcing certain aspects of the game development process to specialized studios, such as Juego Studios, can be a cost-effective strategy. Juego Studios, with its extensive experience in game development, offers a range of services from concept art and design to development and post-launch support. Partnering with such studios allows companies to leverage expertise and technology that might be too expensive or time-consuming to develop in-house, potentially reducing overall project costs while ensuring high-quality results.

Moreover, the marketing and distribution of the game represent additional costs that must be considered. In today's digital age, creating a game that stands out in a crowded market requires effective marketing strategies and platforms, which can significantly affect the total investment required for a game's success.

In conclusion, the cost of game development in Bangalore, as in other major tech hubs, is influenced by a complex interplay of factors including the game's scope, platform, development timeline, team expertise, and marketing efforts. For those looking to navigate this exciting but challenging field, understanding these cost drivers and exploring partnerships with established game development services like Juego Studios can provide a solid foundation for success. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, so too will the strategies for developing and launching games in a cost-effective manner, making it an ongoing journey of innovation and financial planning.

#cost #gamedev #game development

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tubetrading · 3 months

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Advantages of Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes in Pipeline Systems

Introduction

In the ever-evolving world of pipeline systems, the choice of pipes plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency and longevity of the infrastructure. One name that stands out in the industry is Jindal, a renowned manufacturer of high-quality spiral welded pipes. Tubetrading Co. takes pride in being a leading Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes dealer in Vadodara and a trusted distributor in Gujarat. In this blog, we will delve into the distinct advantages of Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes and why they are the preferred choice for various pipeline applications.

Superior Quality Construction

Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes are crafted with precision and adhere to the highest quality standards. The manufacturing process involves helical welding of steel plates to form a robust and seamless pipe. This method ensures uniformity in thickness, resulting in pipes with exceptional structural integrity. As a Tubetrading Co. Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes distributor in Gujarat, we can vouch for the superior quality that these pipes bring to diverse pipeline projects.

Durability and Longevity

Pipeline systems are exposed to a myriad of challenges, including corrosive environments, extreme temperatures, and varying pressure conditions. Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes are designed to withstand these challenges with remarkable durability. The helical welding technique creates pipes that are not only strong but also resistant to corrosion, making them ideal for long-term use. When investing in pipeline infrastructure, longevity is a key consideration, and Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes deliver on that front.

Versatility in Applications

One of the significant advantages of Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes is their versatility. These pipes find applications across diverse industries such as oil and gas, water supply, wastewater management, and more. Whether it's for transporting fluids, gases, or bulk materials, Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes provide a reliable and cost-effective solution. Tubetrading Co., as a Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes dealer in Vadodara, has witnessed the widespread use of these pipes in various projects due to their adaptability.

High Resistance to Pressure and Stress

Pipeline systems often operate under high pressure, especially in industries dealing with oil, gas, or chemicals. Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes are engineered to withstand these demanding conditions. The helical welding technique ensures uniform distribution of stress along the pipe's circumference, preventing weak points that could compromise its integrity. This makes Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes an excellent choice for applications where pressure resistance is paramount.

Cost-Effective Solution

Cost efficiency is a crucial factor in any construction project, and Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes offer a cost-effective solution without compromising on quality. The seamless manufacturing process and the durability of these pipes contribute to lower maintenance costs and fewer replacements over time. As a Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes distributor in Gujarat, Tubetrading Co. understands the importance of delivering value for money to clients, and these pipes align perfectly with that objective.

Ease of Installation

Time is of the essence in construction projects, and the ease of installation is a significant advantage that Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes bring to the table. Their lightweight yet sturdy construction facilitates quicker and more straightforward installation compared to traditional pipe materials. This not only accelerates the project timeline but also reduces labor costs, making Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes an efficient choice for pipeline installations.

Coated Pipes for Enhanced Protection

Jindal Spiral Welded Coated Pipes add an extra layer of protection to the pipes, enhancing their resistance to corrosion and abrasion. The coating acts as a barrier against environmental elements, chemicals, and other factors that could compromise the pipe's surface. Tubetrading Co. takes pride in offering a variety of Jindal Spiral Welded Coated Pipes as part of our product range. As a Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes dealer in Vadodara, we understand the importance of providing comprehensive solutions to our clients, and coated pipes play a vital role in extending the lifespan of pipelines.

Conclusion

In the realm of pipeline systems, the choice of pipes is a critical decision that can significantly impact the overall performance and longevity of the infrastructure. Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes, available through Tubetrading Co. as a trusted dealer and distributor, offer a host of advantages that make them the preferred choice for various applications. From superior quality construction to versatility, durability, and cost-effectiveness, these pipes embody the qualities essential for a reliable and efficient pipeline system. As industries continue to evolve, the demand for robust and high-performance pipes like Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes is set to rise, ensuring a sustainable and resilient future for pipeline projects across the globe.

#Jindal Spiral Welded Coated Pipes #Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes Dealer in Vadodara #Jindal Spiral Welded Pipes Distributor in Gujarat #Jindal spiral welded Pipes

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