#Pinwheel Journal

[lullabyes22-blog]

Snippet - The Void - Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

Jinx, what did you do now?

Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

tw: jumpscares, horror

Snippet:

"Faster," Silco says to Sevika

His profile is turned to the window. In the green-tinged reflection, his skin holds a jaundiced pallor. The bruises are blooming full-flower across his cheekbone. The cut, on his temple, is the exact color and shape of a rusted fishhook. The blood has clotted into a dark smear, same as the mess gluing Vi's hair to her brow.

Same as Vi, he’d refused Sevika's offer to tend to the injuries.

"We're going top speed, sir," Sevika says evenly. "Unless you want us to tip the whole thing on its side."

"Do what you must. Just get us there."

"Yes, sir."

The crawler slaloms a corner. The interior sways on its axles. But whatever else, Sevika is an efficient driver.  She takes the next bend like a knife slicing through butter. Zaun's tunnels, an intricate network of intersections, branch-offs, and switchbacks, seem as straightforward to her as a flat plain.

As the crawler speeds toward Entresol, the cityscape unrolls: the craggy outcroppings of cliffs and a ramshackle gridwork of industrial complexes.  There are narrow swathes of Zaun still luminous with neon. Others show dark patches, where the power has fritzed out. Smoke rises in a dozen spots, curling like ghost-fingers toward the sky. 

A diffuse blue haze floats like a halo above the rooftops. Here and there, Vi sees what Sevika was referring to: clusters of translucent blue specks dappling the gloom. Some as tiny as bubbles in a champagne glass, others the size of balloons. They float in midair, bobbing on an invisible current. Their edges shimmer like the afterglow of a flame.

Ghosts, Vi thinks again.

A childish terror squeezes the ventricles of her heart. Her eyes cannot peel away. They follow them, those little blue shapes, as they pirouette and pinwheel. She has the strangest sense that they can feel her scrutiny. That they are... teasing her.

Daring her to unroll the window, and reach out for them.

As she watches, a small clutch of them shape themselves into a playful O, rolling side to side like a pair of eyes. Then, in a flurry of winking sparks, they coalesce into two straight rows at intersecting angles: X marks the spot. The shapes become a disorienting repetition—XOXOXO—until Vi's head churns with vertigo.

She's seen that symbol before.

Scribbled in the margins of Jinx's journal. Notched on the maps scattered around the Aerie. Embroidered at the edges of Silco's handkerchief.

Slitting her eyes, Vi catches a sense of silhouettes at the granular margins of the light-show. The faintest impression of human dimensions: familiar, and yet alien, like a memory that isn't her own. Old friends from lives unlived. Lovers she's never met. Strangers whose faces are her own.

Vander.

Stunned, Vi blinks.

He is a hulking shape in the middle of the road, his outline diffused by the glow of headlamps. It is a Vander whom Vi has never known: brown as a bear from a lifetime of sun and soil, and broad as a mountain slope from decades of farm-fed decadence. His hair, the same dark mane, is clustered light-over-dark into the signature wolf-cut. Dressed in well-patched brown trousers and a threadbare cotton tunic, heavy-soled boots shod at his feet, he could be a farmer fresh off the Ionian wheat-fields.

But his face, the warm complexity of lines etched into a grin, is the same from Vi's memory.

The twin circles of the crawler's headlamps coalesce into a spotlight. Vander moves forward. There is no mistaking his gait. The same purposeful stride, shoulders rolling and fists cocked. The same head-tilted swagger of a man accustomed to toeing the scratch, and owning what's on either side. Vi sees his lips stir: words of welcome spoken like an incantation.

Violet.

Blut.

I’m here where you are.

Vi reaches, in a blind fugue, for the door handle.

In the rearview mirror, Silco's eyes snap to hers.

"Don't," he orders.

Vi freezes.

The phantom of Vander is suddenly eclipsed by the glare of the headlamps. His delineations flicker and fade, and in their place is a swirling angry blue, so bright it burns everything it touches: skin, eyes, teeth. Reflexively, Vi throws up an arm, the brightness solidifying into a pair of fists whooshing toward her at phenomenal speed—

Nothing.

The infernal phosphorescence is gone.

Only the crawler. The headlamps. The bare stretch of the empty street.

A hot wetness films Vi's eyes.

"Fuck," she breathes.

Sevika glances sidelong, from Vi to Silco. Twin coals of confusion—and low-key concern—are burning in her dark eyes.

"What?" she asks. "'Don't', what? What'd she do?"

 Vi drags in a spooked breath. "Didn't—didn't you see him?"

"See who?"

"Vander." She makes a frantic stab toward the windshield. "He was right there. He was standing there, just a second ago!"

Sevika's eyes flick back to the road, then reorient on Vi.

"I didn't see jack shit," she says flatly.

"Neither did I," the guard on Vi's left says.

"Me neither," grunts the one on her right.

Quietly, Silco says, "There's nothing to see."

Vi whirls on him. "Bullshit! You saw it, too! He was—"

"He wasn't." Silco half-turns to face her. His good eye is a chip of frozen sea-glass. "It's only a figment. An echo."

"An echo of what?"

"The Void."

The single word sucks the oxygen from the crawler: a deep peristaltic flex, like the darkness itself has gulped.

#arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane silco #silco #forward but never forget/xoxo #forward (never forget)/xoxo #arcane jinx #jinx #arcane sevika #sevika #arcane vi #vi #arcane violet #violet #arcane zaun

[sobercoffee415]

Genshin Headcannons Part 4?

Razor calls fireflies as lightning bugs.

Thoma has a pinwheel in his room so it reminds him of Monstadt.

Kujou Sara has nightmares of some of her previous battles.

Chongyun loves Inazuman dishes and he can cook them but he claims it's not as good as true inazuman cuisine

Xingqu has a little pocket journal for him to record his adventures and maybe he may write his adventures in a novel.

Scaramouche has been officially a resident of Sumeru courtesy of Alhaitham and Nahida.

Tighnari has a little pouch of medicine herbs for his or others injuries.

Jean loves staying under the Windrise tree. She often spends her free time there and she always plans a picnic with Barbara or Klee or both.

Diluc has a basement full of corkboards and newspaper clippings filled with crimes, contacts, and more.

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematic Students would probably work with Albedo, Sucrose and the Akademya.

Political Government Students and Business students would work along with Ningguang and the others at liyue.

Law Students would shadow Yanfei

Med Students would work in the churches, since I haven't seen a hospital in Genshin.

Teachers would freely teach the kids, those would want to learn can come to study.

#genshin self aware #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #self aware genshin #genshin imapct #genshin impact isekai #sagau brainrot #sivirants

[e-ziara]

Moth & blooms in full detail for this naturalist journal spread! 🌱 📖 🌿 I didn’t notice until I started sketching for this page but, the pinwheel design of these jasmines are pretty unique! I find it interesting that each jasmine has a quirk of their own that makes them different... 🌼🍃 Enjoy the fuzzy moth! ✨✨

#art #nature journal #naturalist #art journal #field journal #watercolor #watercolor painting #watercolour painting #painting #scienti #botanical illustration #insects #moth #nature #traditional art #illustration #sketchbook #cottagecore #aesthetic art #plants #painting of the day #watercolor and ink #artists on tumblr #illustrationartists #illustrators on tumblr #naturecore #flowercore #artistic #art of tumblr #entomology

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

The Most Complete Portrait of a Supernova Ever

Accounts of supernovae – exploding stars – go back thousands of years, and while we know today these events create the building blocks of life itself, there are still unanswered questions about the conditions that cause a star to explode.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have now made major headway in better understanding these fascinating phenomena. Using multiple telescopes, including W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, they were able to gather data from a once-in-a-lifetime supernova called SN 2023ixf. Their findings are published in today’s edition of the journal Nature.

Until recently, supernovae were considered rare with known occurrences in the Milky Way happening once a century at best, lighting up the night sky with the intensity of 100 million suns; the last observable explosion in our galaxy took place hundreds of years ago.

Advances in telescope technology have since helped identify supernovae in distant galaxies, supplying more data than was previously possible. Still, the same problem persists; since explosions can’t be predicted, astrophysicists are like space archeologists, usually arriving at the scene after the event and trying to piece together information from the remains.

“That’s what makes this particular supernova different,” says PhD student Erez Zimmerman of Prof. Avishay Gal-Yam’s group at Weizmann. “We were able – for the very first time – to closely follow a supernova while its light was emerging from the circumstellar material in which the exploding star was embedded.”

The discovery was equivalent to getting to the scene of the crime while the crime was still taking place.

The scientists admit they were lucky. Gal-Yam’s team applied for research time on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, hoping to gather ultraviolet (UV) spectral data on any supernova interacting with its environment. Instead, they got the chance to witness in real-time one of the closest supernovae in decades: a red supergiant exploding in a neighboring galaxy called Messier 101, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy.

Koichi Itagaki, an amateur astronomer from Japan, discovered SN 2023ixf and reported it on a Friday night, which was in the middle of the weekend in Israel (the work week in Israel is Sunday-Thursday) and right before the weekend in Baltimore’s Space Telescope Science Institute – the operations center for the Hubble Telescope. Complicating things even further, it took place two days before Zimmerman’s wedding. But his team quickly conducted follow-up observations of the supernova, pulling an all-nighter on Friday and delivering the necessary measurements to NASA in the nick of time.

“It’s very rare, as a scientist, that you have to act so swiftly,” says Gal-Yam. “Most scientific projects don’t happen in the middle of the night, but the opportunity arose, and we had no choice but to respond accordingly.”

Not only did they succeed in getting Hubble to assume the right coordinates and angle for recording the necessary data, but because of the explosion’s relative proximity, it turned out Hubble had already made recordings in this sector of the universe many times before. Turning to the NASA archives, Gal-Yam’s team and many other groups were able to acquire data from before the star’s eventual demise – when it was still just a red supergiant in its final stages of life – thus creating the most complete portrait of a supernova ever: a composite of its last days and death.

Observations of SN 2023ixf consisted of UV and X-ray data from NASA’s Hubble and Swift satellites, as well as many of the best telescopes across the globe.

This included spectra captured using three of Keck Observatory’s instruments – the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), Deep Imaging and Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS), and Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) – with each instrument offering a unique view of the supernova and how it changed over time.

The compilation of high-quality space- and ground-based data enabled the researchers to map out the two outer layers of the exploding star and come up with an extraordinary hypothesis.

“Calculations of the circumstellar material emitted in the explosion, as well as this material’s density and mass before and after the supernova, create a discrepancy, which makes it very likely that the missing mass ended up in a black hole that was formed in the aftermath of the explosion – something that’s usually very hard to determine,” says PhD student Ido Irani of Gal-Yam’s team.

“Stars behave very erratically in their senior years,” says Gal-Yam. “They become unstable and we usually cannot be sure which complex processes occur within them because we always start the forensic process after the fact, when much of the data has already been lost.”

“This study presents a unique opportunity to better understand the mechanisms that lead to the conclusion of a star’s life and the eventual formation of something entirely new,” said Zimmerman.

Scientists may never find out what will happen to the matter that made up Messier 101’s former red supergiant. However, the later stages of the supernova are ongoing and new data are still coming in, which means this study, along with follow-up studies of SN 2023ixf, could provide more insight into these explosive events.

TOP IMAGE....A composite image taken with the Liverpool Telescope showing the location of SN 2023ixf, a red supergiant supernova (the most blue object in the rectangle) that occurred 22 million light-years from Earth in the Pinwheel Galaxy. Credit: E. Zimmerman et al., Weizmann Institute of Science/Liverpool Telescope

LOWER IMAGE....sn 2023ixf occurred in a spiral arm of the pinwheel galaxy near several star-forming regions. Credit: Travis Deyoe, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, University of Arizona

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #astrophysics

[fayrinferno]

The Mystery of Leon Schezar

@radical-rad1986 @konstantya in response to this post:

Don't blame the messenger, lol. But yes, it does say that.

But then, I was thinking... what did I think of the whole thing, really? Why would he be so desperate to meet this girl he only talked for a while again? Why else would Allen flip out when Dryden reads about her from the journal? Well, the obvious take is that he "fell in love" with her and dumped his family for that. What's your take?

This actually gave me a reason to do something I had planned for a longer while: to take a closer look at the Leon and Hitomi's grandma situation.

I never really paid too much attention to that part of the story, because yes, it's sort of creepy as it is and it's also sort of complicated with the timeline revealed through Hitomi's visions, random flashbacks and excerpts from Leon's journal. So maybe it will be nothing new for those who were actually analyzing it before already. But here goes, and chronologically this time.

The First Meeting

First revealed part (cold start to ep. 16)

What do we know of the first meeting? Younger!Leon (or let's call him Moustache Leon) climbs some sort of mountain. It's windy and foggy but not frozen; he just climbs a mountain for whatever reason, wherever he is, during his search for the secrets of Atlantis. On the top, a pillar of light hits, bringing a girl with it -- with a summer yukata and a pinwheel.

Second revealed part (Hitomi's vision)

Their revealed conversation goes something like this:

ML: "I can't believe it. You're from the Mystic Moon. I left on this journey to leave all my ties behind. But when I look at you, at your eyes... I think that maybe it was all in vain. You'll forgive me, won't you?"

HG: ... (gets whisked away by the pillar of light)

This doesn't seem to be something that a man falling in love on a first sight would say? Also, what is interesting, Allen gives the very same "you'll forgive me, won't you?" line to Hitomi in "present day", as he flips out about his dad and she is concerned.

Anyway, how old is ML at this point? Are the ties he mentions his family here already? I was hit by an idea that he could possibly be not married yet? Later on, he calls it an "encounter of his youth". Is it possible, he met the girl before marrying Encia, he tried to forget her and the whole Atlantis discourse but later on, he can't escape the restless wish to look into it further?

Whatever it is, he is supposed to be much younger here than his bearded self that appears in the other visions and such. If this is actually the first time he had left his family, I believe he would be in his late 20s or older (Allen is about 10 at the time). If this is before starting a family, perhaps even early 20s. Making the age difference same as Allen and Hitomi/Millerna.

The Search

First revealed part (Leon's journal)

Year of Crystal Northeast, Green, 12th Moon

In his search, Leon (the Older or Bearded; BL) is coming to the dark continent of Asgard, where "no man has set foot before". This means that the first meeting with the girl did not take place in Asgard! I believe I never realized it before.

Also, Leon is not searching for the girl per se (meaning he expects to find her there), he is searching for "the Mystic Valley, where the power that makes miracles happen resides - the Power of Atlantis".

Next, we are shown the leviship that is about to crash into the seas near Asgard. Leon "paid a large sum for the ship and the crew" and will not let them turn around. He is then shipwrecked and washes ashore of Asgard, possibly after several days. He mentions "the memory of girl reappeared, and that the gods led him there". It was "destiny". He also reveals he is seeking to "ascertain his feelings for the girl" and that "everything he looks for is in the Mystic Valley". I feel like he is planning to use the power of Atlantis to summon her.

Blue, 16th Moon

Bearded Leon reaches "driven snow and jagged rocks" that block his path. He also meets "Isaac" an old man saying he comes from the Mystic Moon.

White, 3rd Moon

Bearded Leon walks the misty moor that he is convinced is the last obstacle just before the Mystic Valley together with Isaac, but loses him in the fog. He doesn't care much as he is hell-bent on "revealing the mystery of Atlantis", and "meeting that girl, because if he can meet her..." Aaaand Allen has a ragefit and won't let him finish.

The Reunion

First part (revealed by Allen's vision in the Mystic Valley)

Bearded Leon is injured and runs from the Zaibach soldiers. He says "they chased after him since he left the valley" and that they were after "the mystery of Atlantis". But then, his whole visit to the Mystic Valley happens offscreen, doesn't it. And without any obvious results. What does happen to him there? What is the content of the torn journal page? Did the gate open for him, like it did for Hitomi and co.? Because apparently, the big realizations come only after he leaves the valley, is assaulted and left for dead by Zaibach.

Who, as it turns out, just wanted his journal, but he was cleverer than them and had ripped the important pages out. They, on the other hand, were dumb enough to kill him even if they wanted information out of him (you were supposed to be smart, Isaac). Defeated Isaac/Dornkirk leaves, left to his own devices about Atlantean power.

Then, using the pendant (that he has now and can be assumed found in the Mystic Valley as the only thing that confirms he was even there), Leon summons the girl one last time. Upon seeing her being the same age as she was the first time, Leon understands that wishes "transcend time and space" and "the power of Atlantis is the power of human heart (or wishes)". He also says his "hunch had been correct", meaning, he had assumed this earlier already. Finally, he sends his journal home, to his beloved wife, Encia.

One more thing is funny here, how did Allen not realize the final part of Leon's journal should not be at his villa? But maybe he just thought it was delivered by some sort of messenger and his mother never told him cause it was too painful or something.

Anyway, Allen, sill pissed at his cheating homewrecking father (also, the large sum of money that Leon used to "buy the lives of the crew" of the Asgard leviship was surely missed in the household budget, which is something the artbooks confirm as well), finally sees the truth which is that his parents truly loved each other. But he still can't understand why Leon left.

What Leon says to that is that "he wanted to break free of his destiny" because he married and had family out of duty. Finally, he says something like "what did it matter finding out if the Power of Atlantis is the power of wishes/feelings, when I didn't even understand my own wishes/feelings"... he concludes that he "loves Encia" and encourages Allen to "follow his heart" as well. The wishes/feelings duality comes from the word 思い (omoi) that Escaflowne uses very often. And means both, btw. That's why I didn't use literal translation of that line, cause I think Leon is talking more of his feelings there.

Also, I want to say something the words for "love" that were used:

恋する (koi suru) in the artbook for Leon / Hitomi's grandma

愛する (ai suru) Leon in his own words towards Encia (Allen also uses this in his confessions).

Ai suru is definitely the deeper type of expression, where koi suru can be sort of the infatuation, crush, yearning; ai suru is something you do not say lightly and shouldn't be something short-lived.

(My Own) Conclusions

So from all this, I feel like I want to headcanon that Leon met Hitomi's grandma even before Encia. I believe nothing that I've seen in the anime contradicts that option (even if the artbook kinda does). It would also be the most merciful one that puts him in the better light. He was researching Atlantis, met this mysterious girl on one of his trips but went back and married for duty. But the "what ifs" haunt him and the call of Atlantis prevails over his "destiny" in Asturia. The age difference of their meeting would also be way less creepy.

The worse option would be, he actually left the family first, met the girl and spent all the years searching for the power of Atlantis that could lead him back to her again. But I don't think it necessarily had to mean romantic love. Actually, I decide it doesn't. She probably personifies his obsession, the goal of his Odyssey. Imagine, he gives up on everything, including his own family and life, in search for something pretty unspecific. And then, at the end of one torturous journey, a girl falls from the sky. Probably, the fate would have him believe he searched for that girl, right? There has to be some higher meaning to their meeting. It's really as if one of these scholars and adventurers searching for Atlantis (on Earth) could suddenly talk to someone who lived there. Of course they would become obsessed. Their talk was too short, if he could talk to her some more, maybe he would understand. It would give a meaning to his journey. But in the end he realizes he had it wrong. He was searching for something he already had with his wife and family.

One last thing that would be interesting to look into is how it all influences Allen. One strong thought I had was, at one point in the episode, it really looks like his father abandons his "duty" for a woman which is something Allen doesn't do with Marlene. But I always feel like it haunts him a little that he gave up on his first love like that. So would he understand Leon a little, if it wasn't for all the grief he caused his mother? I really like the "heroic story can be forged out of the playboy Allen" from the artbook btw. I think this sort of captures the creators intentions for him. As for Leon, he still remains kind of an enigma... also wish I hadn't noticed today that the color of Hitomi's mother's eyes seemed dark blue in some shot... damn, I don't even want to go there X_X So I won't. This is it for today.

#leon schezar #allen schezar

[blood-injections]

Silly little list of reminders/thoughts I wrote in my journal today

-I want to be fangs in a smile

-pinwheel tune

-watermelons don’t have seeds anymore. I think that says something about society

-singing a song I wrote again, I don’t have it memorized anymore

-history through the eyes of a junk drawer

-thank you for loving me so well

-need maps(for aesthetic)

-Jesus Christ by happyhappy

[agirlnamedbone]

Emily Pittinos in Pinwheel Journal

#op #poem #poetry #emily pittinos #literature #quote #orphan #girlhood

[pokejstor]

Excerpt from The Journals of Warden Nobori: A Glimpse into the Mundanities of Hisuian Life.

Part of Sinnoh Historical Society Digital Collections.

Klio Mizuki

Documents of the late Hisui Era, vol 11, no 4.

Unfortunately, this marks the point where many of Warden Nobori's journals are severely water damaged. While researchers have done what could be done to preserve what remains, the following journals are incomplete, with some entries being entirely missing, and many important sections rendered completely impossible to understand. What could be salvaged was, and has been made as complete as it can be.

---

I greeted her as she awoke and directed her to Commander Kamado’s office. While the position of messenger is far beneath me and was perhaps meant as an insult by the Commander, I saw no reason to [...] her accent was so terrible and her wording so clumsy that I intervened and asked that we communicate in Galarian instead. Today is the first time in quite some time that I’ve spoken more than a few words in this language!

We traveled together [...] a mass outbreak of Scyther. To watch [...] not only match me- she surpasses me.

Complications arose [...] to remember something of my life before- that I did have Pokemon, or at least one, and that I shared a close bond with one that wields flames masterfully. [...] I plan to speak with Professor Laventon to see if we can identify what this Pokemon I barely remember may be.

Tsubaki did confront us outside of the cave, after I replaced the torches, and went through his typical speech [...] his Ideals. She did not. Unbelievably enough, Tsubaki informed us that he did not want his Noble’s frenzy quelled, [...] fearing that the frenzy may strike Ōnyūra-nispa^. I am just trying to ignore my frustrations with him, and focus on my gratitude that [...]

we also met that Ginkgo Guild merchant, Woro. We’ve spoken once or [...] my memory loss, and about if I thought I might be from beyond the rift. Informing him that my memory is completely gone only got him to change tracks, instead questioning [...] I will be keeping an eye on him.

[...] to a battle. Although Pinwheel, Bo-Bo and Em fought their best, they were defeated. I have never been so pleased to lose a Pokemon battle. It was familiar- I am now certain that wherever I came from, I battled regularly, and delighted in it, and that I was not alone [...] battle together against opponents. I only wish that I knew who he was to me. I wonder if that Pokemon who wields flames is with him now.

[...] memories I regained slipped away from me. It is the most I have recalled [...] I hope that we can battle again soon.

#Hisui #Pokejournal

[goji-pilled]

MK-S: Dark souls update.

Did some research on the dragon. If I recall correctly, breath attack is both magic and fire; given the color, I thought it was some form of unique poison.

And he just levitated me into the air. This must be that “take double damage” thing I read about…well, that wasn’t too bad. You’d think he just eat me while I’m floating. Apparently you can cut his tail off, but he rarely brings it down low enough…I’m going to try it for a bit.

Screw it. It’s been five minutes and it seems the only opening is when he’s swinging the darn thing…there is a VERY pleasant upside to this though: my str and dex are both 25, so I’m not going to wield that weapon soon regardless, but the better news is a clarification on that time I gave. Not five minutes of attempts. Five minutes of the battle. I’m getting good at reading his attack patterns. In fact, if anyone is ever stuck on any boss in any game, I recommend the following: take a few attempts, not to try to win, but merely to survive. Learn their patterns, break bad habits, etc. Applies to Dark Souls, Sekiro, Hollow Knight, etc.

Got him down by about a quarter or a little less. Mask of the child helps with stamina regen. And I’ve gotten good at reading at of his attacks. But he’s keeping a few up his sleeve; found the rear tail slam attack. That one is the opportunity for hitting his tail with the CGS (to recap, an abbreviation of cursed Artorias sword). Going to check something: how much damage would a regular soul arrow do against him with Manus Catalyst? Increased strength, but halves spell uses; but if it does alright or even just chip damage, and even halved, I still have a bunch, then it may be usable.

Little over a quarter of the way that time. Lasted quite a few minutes that battle did. Definitely need to re-equip a wand; if I’m not close enough for melee, I’d like to be able to punish at least some openings.

Remember how I lost to Pinwheel? I think I have redeemed myself:

Believe it or not, I actually timed this fight. I figured it would be a good metric to use. Didn’t think I’d win this run. I think this attempt three or four for today, no idea how many other times I’ve tried in days prior. But for context, this fight took 10 minutes and 41 seconds. I did not get his tail, he doesn’t like to be facing away from me. But I got REALLY good at reading his attacks. Only consumed 10 estus flasks, but there were several points I lucked out and he did some attack I could easily dodge. In this dance, if I missed my “turn” I’d have to forgo a heal until he attacked and my turn rolled around. But now the ring of take more damage from everything is mine.

Heh…I kinda feel almost hollow, no pun intended…alright, a little intended, but not by much. This journey is starting to come to a close.

.

.

.

When, because it will eventually be a when not an if, I buy Dark Souls 2 and 3, would you like similar updates on progress for those? (Or if you’d like I can put my experiences through the frame a a “Candeloro plays video game journal” sort of work. That may be fun.)

Here’s hoping I can resist buying them Before they go on sale. I can afford them, but if I can muster the will to wait for a sale, I could afford them AND…well, literally anything else, the advantage of saving money when you can. I always was tempted to buy them, but always took them out of my Steam Cart, under a motto of “play the first one, before you buy the series.”

I’m gonna farm a bit. Then I gotta kill the daughter of chaos for her soul, kill the hybrid in the painted world, maybe make sure I upgrade as much of my stuff as I can, etc.

oh, apparently the kiln knights drop what I’m looking for. Off to there I go!

I will never get used to this place. Is this…wait, I can reach this place without the serpent by just jumping in a hole and then…something softens the fall. So it is just down. But then where the heck is this place? Is it not just time that has been torn asunder in Lordran, but space as well? …actually, that could make sense; Gwyn linking the fire did Something, and such an act could alter local space-time.

These broken pillars and bridge supports look almost…organic. Like they’re fossilized remains of something once alive, trying to look like a building. Almost looks like I’m entering a giant rib cage…and if I am, the heart is where the fire’s at…

Oh there’s a Ornstein statue by the Anor Lando Bonfire. Cool.

Think I’ll get my head infected with parasites. There’s some final pyromancy I want to buy but I need to be infected first.

My character has an itchy head…so do I come think of it. You guys hear that chittering sou- wait no, this is a message, not a live chat.

Oh my head is an egg now.

Got the cure, bought more and currently grinding for souls and white ore.

Finally figured out how to intentionally backstab; I have to be behind and at WALKING speed. Good to know. Hadn’t realized it consciously before.

“Pardon me Black Knights, I must shove this Greatsword up your bums and out your lungs…or heart, but whatever it came out of was probably important…actually, it’s more in through the back around the second to last vertebrae, but you’re turning to dust so it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Alright, time to kill percilla then a fire keeper, then Gwyn. Then on to new game plus. (Let me know if you’d like new game plus updates as well.)

Off to kill percilla.

That was easy: she turned invisible before I could cut her tail off. Oh well, One Chaos Storm killed her stone dead. Oh, and I have all pyromancies now.

I am now level one hundred. It’s time. I’ll kill the daughter of Chaos, consume her soul…then kill the firelink shrine firekeeper too; I won’t be leaving that place…no, I feel bad about killing the spider…actually no, I’ve had no interaction with the firelink shrine firekeeper this playthrough since I skipped the quest that restores her tongue; something to look forward to for next playthrough. But the spider one, even though I had no talk with her for most of the relationship, I at least interacted with. Her I feel bad for; but the firekeeper of firelink is just a gameplay mechanic. Though I love how I’m feeling guilt over a fictional character. I deliberately wore the witch ring to tug at my own heartstrings, put some real regrets into my action. Her butler’s last words were to try to warn his lady. And he invented several swamp pyromancies.

Scratch that, I guess I can’t kill her.

I want to be human for this.

Pha-haha! A black knight bounced off my shield then fell to his death.

Oh, a Solare summon sign. Sure, why not?

Well, he’s apparently got a laser. But now…

Time for the last fog gate. At level 100.

…well that was fast. I think im a bit over leveled for this. Just three or four Manus Catalyst Soul Spears. Solaire helped when I realized I forgot to equip a catalyst by distracting Gwyn while I fumbled around in the menu.

That was fun. Definitely one of my new favorite games of all time.

And thank you Kechi, for being the place that finally got me to give this game another go.

New game plus. Let’s go. Oh yep, you can see stray demon walking about. Manus catalyst is a powerful melee weapon. Oh, while my gear carried over, I did not get a refresh on my used spells. So no soul spear for the demon. Never mind there’s a bonfire before him. Time for a nostalgic beat down. And look who’s up on the roof….that photo came out really well too; could act as a nice poster.

Three hits. I am over leveled. He didn’t even get to react. And I can hear stray demons footsteps. Love how I initially had thought those were asylum demons.

Ah, time to put my +10 divine gargoyle halberd to good use, and my old trusty shortsword is now a +5 occult shortsword. (Does that inflect curse on enemies?)

Found out how to kill one skeleton without divine weapons: knock him off a cliff.

Well, I’m off to bed now. Have a good day everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this…series, I suppose.

Well congrats on beating the game! Now you play through NG+ until you get to number 7 and get the hardest difficulty

Also yes, Gwyn was a suprisingly easy bossfight he first time, especially with Solaire.

It was harder in NG+ and without the sun boy around

#felix answers #also if you do get dark souls 2&3 id prefer if you dont do these uupdates #as i havent played the games myself and dont want spoilers until i someday can :)

[xasha777]

In the sprawling expanse of the cosmos, nestled between the swirling arms of the Andromeda galaxy, there lies a little-known, but highly advanced planet called Darmstadtia. Its inhabitants, the Darmstadtians, are a peculiar and intelligent species, known throughout the star clusters for their love of intricate machinery and steam-powered technology.

One of the most esteemed individuals on Darmstadtia is Professor Alphonsus Gearheart, a figure that could easily stand out in any crowd with his emerald green skin and piercing yellow eyes. He is garbed in what could only be described as the pinnacle of Darmstadtian fashion: a blend of Victorian elegance and steampunk innovation. His top hat, tall and proud, isn’t merely for show; it’s a complex network of cogwheels and levers, performing calculations beyond the grasp of most other civilizations.

In this story, Professor Gearheart has embarked on an audacious mission to bridge the realms of quantum entanglement and relativistic travel. The professor had discovered a theoretical nexus point, a place where the fabric of space-time thinned, and realities brushed against one another like the pages of a well-thumbed novel. It was located precisely in the Kesselring Sector, an area named after a long-forgotten explorer from old Earth's Germany, whose last transmission spoke of the wonders of a star system which reminded him of the city of Darmstadt during the Autumnal Equinox Festival.

With the Darmstadtian High Council’s blessing, Gearheart had crafted an interstellar vessel unlike any other: The Temporal Voyager. The ship was a masterpiece of engineering, with steam funnels jutting out from its hull, harnessing the cosmic radiation to fuel its impossible engines. It was tethered to Darmstadtia by the Quantum Helix, a spiraling construct of energy that ensured the professor's safe return.

As the Voyager approached the nexus point, a visual symphony of astral bodies played out before Gearheart. Saturnine rings encircling gas giants, moons of every conceivable geology, and the warmth of a binary star system casting an eternal golden hour over the sector. With a gentle tug on his cufflink, which doubled as a throttle, Gearheart activated the Voyager's core mechanism.

The universe seemed to inhale sharply as the machinery whirred into action, steam billowing from the pipes with the force of a thousand geysers. A shimmering portal opened before the Voyager, rippling with the colors of an oil slick against the canvas of space.

Professor Gearheart adjusted his monocle, which was connected to the ship's sensors, feeding him data at an incredible rate. "To go where no Darmstadtian has ever ventured, to stretch the boundaries of what is known into the vast tapestry of what is possible," he murmured to himself, his voice steady despite the historic moment.

With a steadiness that belied the excitement that thrummed through his veins, he steered the Voyager through the portal. Light bent around them, time stretched and contracted like the bellows of an accordion, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. The Temporal Voyager emerged into a reality that was Darmstadtia, and yet not.

Here, in this alternate dimension, the city of Darmstadt was not just a namesake but an echo of the Earthly city, built on the principles of steam and gear, yet soaring amongst the stars. The architecture was familiar, reminiscent of the Jugendstil style, with structures winding around themselves like vines, but with the glow of neon and the hum of anti-gravity engines.

Professor Gearheart, the eternal scholar, took out his journal and began to write. He wrote of the similarities, the differences, the sheer wonder of it all. He sketched the alien flora, documented the strange, harmonious blend of technology and artistry, and hypothesized about the parallel development of two distinct yet intertwined worlds.

And as the twin suns dipped below the horizon of this alternate Darmstadt, casting long shadows and painting the sky with the deep indigos and purples of dusk, Professor Gearheart knew that this was but the first chapter of a much grander story. A story of exploration, of understanding, and of the inexorable link between two planets bound by a shared name and an adventurous spirit.

Thus begins the chronicles of Professor Alphonsus Gearheart: The Steam Savant of Darmstadtia and his voyages through the cosmic tapestries that weave together the multiverse.

[audioresearch111]

sound of the wind

I plan to create an installation project called "Sound of Wind", which aims to visualize the power of wind and create a beautiful wind sound through paper pinwheels. The project will combine elements of nature and art to provide the viewer with an experience of interacting with nature and reflecting on the relationship between sound and vision.

Designing and making paper pinwheels: each pinwheel will be made of lightweight paper to maintain sensitivity to the slight breeze.

"Sound of the Wind" will be a paper pinwheel that creates a sound of wind through the interaction of the wind and the audience. The audience will be able to walk around the installation and feel the wind while listening to the sound effects created by the pinwheel.

where:

Outdoors in windy conditions.

Research:

I will be experimenting with different paper materials and pinwheel designs to find the best way to build them interactively.

Artists:

Installation artist Daniel Rozin, who features interactivity and visualization to create installations that reflect viewer behavior.

Nature artist Andy Goldsworthy, whose work often interacts with natural elements, inspired the combination of nature and art in my project.

The 'Wind Door' installation by Najla EI Zein inspired me to use the shape of a pinwheel to represent the sound of the wind.

References:

Smith, J. (2020). "Sound Art: Exploring the Intersection of Sound and Art." Journal of Contemporary Art, 15(2), 45-62. Green, A. (2018). "Natural Aesthetics: The Influence of Richard Long and Nils-Udo on Environmental Art." Environmental Art Review, 4(3), 101-120. Tarkovsky, A. (Director). (1975). Mirror [Film]. Mosfilm. Lynch, D. (Director). (2001). Mulholland Drive [Film]. Universal Pictures. Lucier, A. (1990). "Exploring Acoustic Phenomena Through Sound Art." Sound Studies, 8(4), 315-330. Oliveros, P. (2005). "Listening as a Creative Act: Sonic Meditations and Deep Listening." Journal of Sonic Arts, 20(1), 55-68. Eliasson, O. (2019). "Sensory Immersion in Art Installations: A Case Study of Olafur Eliasson's Works." Art and Perception, 6(2), 112-127. Johnson, M. (2017). "Environmental Awareness in Contemporary Art." EcoArt Quarterly, 12(4), 33-49.

[netmassimo]

Two articles published in "The Astrophysical Journal Letters" report as many studies on the supernova cataloged as SN 2023ixf. Two teams of researchers with members in common examined the evolution of this supernova discovered in the so-called Pinwheel Galaxy. To do this, they used various instruments including some from the Center for Astrophysics (CFA) Harvard & Smithsonian which allowed observations in different electromagnetic bands. The results were different from what was expected from the explosion of a massive star with a delay in the time of the peak of the light pulse just before the explosion. The conclusion is that this was due to the presence of dense materials ejected from the star in the year preceding the supernova.

#astronomy #supernova #SN 2023ixf

[tastystoppicksboutique]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Life Is So Much Fun With ColourPop Tasty Bundle.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Extreme weight loss: Star sheds unexpected amounts of mass just before going supernova

A newly discovered nearby supernova whose star ejected up to a full solar mass of material in the year prior to its explosion is challenging the standard theory of stellar evolution. The new observations are giving astronomers insight into what happens in the final year prior to a star’s death and explosion.  

SN 2023ixf is a new Type II supernova discovered in May 2023 by amateur astronomer Kōichi Itagaki of Yamagata, Japan shortly after its progenitor, or origin star, exploded. Located about 20 million light-years away in the Pinwheel Galaxy, SN 2023ixf’s proximity to Earth, the supernova’s extreme brightness, and its young age make it a treasure trove of observable data for scientists studying the death of massive stars in supernova explosions.

Type II or core-collapse supernovae occur when red supergiant stars at least eight times, and up to about 25 times the mass of the Sun, collapse under their own weight and explode. While SN 2023ixf fit the Type II description, followup multi-wavelength observations led by astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), and using a wide range of CfA’s telescopes, have revealed new and unexpected behavior.

Within hours of going supernova, core-collapse supernovae produce a flash of light that occurs when the shock wave from the explosion reaches the outer edge of the star. SN 2023ixf, however, produced a light curve that didn’t seem to fit this expected behavior. To better understand SN 2023ixf’s shock breakout, a team of scientists led by CfA postdoctoral fellow Daichi Hiramatsu analyzed data from the 1.5m Tillinghast Telescope, 1.2m telescope, and MMT at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, a CfA facility located in Arizona, as well as data from the Global Supernova Project— a key project of the Las Cumbres Observatory, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and many others. This multi-wavelength study, which was published this week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, revealed that, in sharp contradiction to expectations and stellar evolution theory, SN 2023ixf’s shock breakout was delayed by several days. 

“The delayed shock breakout is direct evidence for the presence of dense material from recent mass loss,” said Hiramatsu, adding that such extreme mass loss is atypical of Type II supernovae. “Our new observations revealed a significant and unexpected amount of mass loss— close to the mass of the Sun— in the final year prior to explosion.”

SN 2023ixf challenges astronomers’ understanding of the evolution of massive stars and the supernovae they become. Although scientists know that core-collapse supernovae are primary origin points for the cosmic formation and evolution of atoms, neutron stars, and black holes, very little is known about the years leading up to stellar explosions. The new observations point to potential instability in the final years of a star’s life, resulting in extreme mass loss. This could be related to the final stages of nuclear burn-off of high-mass elements, like silicon, in the star’s core. 

In conjunction with multi-wavelength observations led by Hiramatsu, Edo Berger, professor of astronomy at Harvard and CfA, and Hiramatsu’s advisor, conducted millimeter-wave observations of the supernova using CfA’s Submillimeter Array (SMA) on the summit of Maunakea, Hawai'i. These data, which are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, directly tracked the collision between the supernova debris and the dense material lost before the explosion. “SN 2023ixf exploded exactly at the right time,” said Berger.  “Only a few days earlier we commenced a new ambitious three-year program to study supernova explosions with the SMA, and this nearby exciting supernova was our first target.”  

“The only way to understand how massive stars behave in the final years of their lives up to the point of explosion is to discover supernovae when they are very young, and preferably nearby, and then to study them across multiple wavelengths,” said Berger. ”Using both optical and millimeter telescopes we effectively turned SN 2023ixf into a time machine to reconstruct what its progenitor star was doing up to the moment of its death.”

The supernova discovery itself, and the immediate followup, have significant meaning to astronomers around the world, including those doing science in their own backyards. Itagaki discovered the supernova on May 19, 2023, from his private observatory in Okayama, Japan. Combined data from Itagaki and other amateur astronomers determined the time of the explosion to an accuracy of within two hours, giving professional astronomers at CfA and other observatories a head start in their investigations. CfA astronomers have continued to collaborate with Itagaki on on-going optical observations.

“The partnership between amateur and professional astronomers has a long-standing tradition of success in the supernova field,” said Hiramatsu. “In the case of SN 2023ixf, I received an urgent email from Kōichi Itagaki as soon as he discovered SN 2023ixf.  Without this relationship, and Itagaki’s work and dedication, we would have missed the opportunity to gain critical understanding of the evolution of massive stars and their supernova explosions.” 

TOP IMAGE.... In the year prior to going supernova the red supergiant star now known as SN 2023ixf shed an unexpected amount of mass equivalent to the mass of the Sun. This artist’s conception illustrates what the final stages of mass loss might have looked like before the star exploded. CREDIT Melissa Weiss/CfA

CENTRE IMAGE....One of the nearest Type II supernovae in a decade and among the brightest to date, SN 2023ixf is a young supernova, discovered earlier this year by amateur astronomer Kōichi Itagaki of Yamagata, Japan. This artist’s conception shows the bright explosion of SN 2023ixf, which occurred after an unexpected amount of mass loss unlike anything astronomers have seen before. CREDIT Melissa Weiss/CfA

LOWER IMAGE....Captured using the 1.2m telescope at CfA’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on June 27, 2023, just over a month after SN 2023ixf’s progenitor star exploded, the image in this composite combines together green, red, near-infrared, and infrared light to highlight both SN 2023ixf and the Pinwheel Galaxy. SN 2023ixf is located in one of the spiral arms of the galaxy, as expected for the explosions of massive stars.  CREDIT S. Gomez/STScI

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #astrophysics #supernovae

[lymains]

Endless sky change flagship

In his more adventurous musings, he proposed how humanity could build rotating Pinwheel Stations in space and a space elevator. Considered to be the top contender for the title of the “Father of Rocketry” (the other two being Hermann Oberth and Robert Goddard), Tsiolokovsky is responsible for developing the “ Rocket Equation” and the design from which most modern rockets are derived. Like most time-honored revolutionary ideas for space exploration, the space elevator can be traced to Russian/Soviet rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935). This engineering facility specializes in the rapid development and scaling-up of graphene and other 2D materials. Nixene’s flagship publication (the Nixene Journal) is an affiliate member of the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). John Knapman, a former AI specialist with IBM, a member of the British Interplanetary Society, and the Managing Director of the ISEC. He was joined by Dennis Wright - the vice president of the ISECIBM and a former researcher with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory - and Dr. The research was led by Adrian Nixon, a graphene and 2D materials scientist, a Royal Society of Chemistry member, founder and editor of Nixene Publishing, and a board member of StellarModal and the ISEC. But as it turns out, this issue may finally be resolved! According to scientists with the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC), a cost-effective manufacturing process could produce graphene ribbons that are strong enough to fashion a tether! Their latest findings are detailed in a paper they will present at the upcoming 2022 International Astronomical Congress in Paris. The single-greatest challenge has always been the tether since no known material has ever been strong enough to handle the stresses involved. But every generation or so, new research comes along that causes engineers and space agencies to reevaluate the concept. The engineering challenges and costs associated with such a structure have always been enormous. Our planet’s rotation would keep this tether taught, and a system of “climbers” would transport people and payloads to and from space. Originally proposed about a century-and-a-quarter ago, this concept calls for a tether of supermaterial that connects a station in orbit to Earth’s surface. The s pace elevatoris one of those ideas that seems to have an endless supply of lives.

#Endless sky change flagship

[rustbeltjessie]

This is something we can

agree on: clap your hands and sing yeah it’s beautiful heretoo like YEAH IT’S

BEAUTIFUL HERE TOO and I’m telling you again because that’s affection

that’s my liver at full throttle and it’s singing and I don’t know why and I feel

forever is the second-punkest word ever invented after love

—Nate Slawson, from “I ❤︎ YOUR FIRE VS I ❤︎ YOUR FACE”

#quotations #poetry #nate slawson #pinwheel journal #love #forever #yeah it's beautiful here too #yeah why am i telling you?