#tech is me in this picture actually real and true

[sanshinexx]

Here's part two of drawing my family pictures as the Bad Batch because I can and you can't stop me

#i can tell you right now that drawing their armor was a fucking pain in the ass #and the l e g s jesus fucking christ #why do i have to care about anatomy #don't ask where crosshair and wrecker's legs are btw i wouldn't know #fun fact the original picture is from our summer vacation to Italy back in 2018 #tech is me in this picture actually real and true #another fun fact #omega's eyebrows were blonde until the very last minute because i felt like they looked kinda odd #and she does actually have dark eyebrows in the show so-- #i don't know if they look any better now but ehh good enough #hunter looks so wrong for some reason but i can't fix him i'm sorry #also yes they're all in their blacks because a) i couldn't be bothered to draw all the armor again and b) they deserve the comfort #i might do proper shadings if i find the motivation for this but until then this is what you're getting #the bad batch #bad batch #tbb #the bad batch fanart #bad batch fanart #tbb fanart #hunter #omega #crosshair #wrecker #echo #tech #the clone wars #star wars #star wars fanart #fan art #art

[irisintheafterglow]

i'm having many thoughts about bf!satoru playing pretend with little megumi so bear with me.

"oh no, we've been hit by a sudden lightning storm! get down, buddy!"

"no, we haven't! your yelling is going to scare the tigers away."

"tigers? i thought we were in africa."

"we were in africa yesterday, but we took a ship to india and now we're looking at tigers."

"oh, you're right. sorry, i'm not good at keeping track of our travel itinerary."

"it's okay; that's why i write it all down in your passport."

the vague sounds of your boyfriend and your unofficial son ring out in the apartment. you shake out your umbrella and hang your coat by the door, the sounds of incessant rain pattering against your windows. your boys are nowhere to be found.

"megs? 'toru?"

"in here!" you follow your boyfriend's voice to the room that you've designated as megumi's room, a place for him to call his own whenever he wasn't staying with family. it was sparsely decorated because you'd only moved into the new space a few days ago, but it was already cozier than the stale dorms at jujutsu tech. "we've decided to adventure into the jungle," satoru says from within the tent pitched in the middle of the room.

"mhmm," you hum in amusement and slight confusion, "and where did you get the tent?"

"stole it," megumi pipes up, his face sticking out of the zippered door flap. he unzips the entrance all the way and you give your boyfriend an incredulous look. "satoru said it was okay."

"you stole it?" megumi snickers at your tone that makes satoru raise his hands defensively.

"you think yaga's gonna be camping in this weather, sweetheart?"

"you're teaching him that stealing is okay," you argue with a hand on your hip.

"if it's from yaga-"

"satoru," you chuckle, dragging a hand down your face. he really was an idiot when he tried to be. you can't say that megumi's smile wasn't making you happy, though. "look, just make sure he gets it back without him actually knowing it was gone."

"deal, now get in here," satoru says before grabbing your hand and tugging you into the tent. it's so small that his shoulders pull forward because he can't sit up straight and his hair brushes the top of the tent. it becomes even more cramped when you crash into the various pillows and blankets they'd pulled from the closet. "look at what we did." his finger points up at the string of lights they'd successfully strewn across the top perimeter of the tent, making your faces glow in soft hues of yellow and orange. "what time is it out there?"

"what, in the jungle?"

"in the real world," satoru corrects. "this explorer is getting a little hungry."

"it's almost 5:00, so we can grab something for dinner soon. but, first, i wanna see these tigers you're looking at." you run your hand through satoru's hair and he leans into your touch. megumi enthusiastically shows you his binoculars toy that changed pictures of different animals with the flick of a bright blue switch. as he plays, you lean back into satoru's chest and his arms wrap around your body. "what were you thinking for dinner, love?"

"i was thinking soup, but i'm good with whatever you're craving," he murmurs in your ear. "i'm just glad you're home."

"me too. maybe we can go furniture shopping tomorrow if the weather lets up," you suggest. his body is warm like a space heater and it's a nice contrast to the chilly winter storm raging on outside.

"i'm also just as happy to sleep in this tiny little tent with you and the kid."

"i love you, satoru."

"i love you more. also, we should get him more pictures for that little toy."

"or, i just portal us to see some actual tigers." you feel him laugh softly against your body. "i could portal us to africa, too. just depends on your itinerary."

"you're very funny," he deadpans lightheartedly.

"i know i am. it's why you love me so much."

"very true. i'll go anywhere as long as i'm with you."

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

#gojo x you #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo x y/n #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #satoru gojo #jujutsu kaisen

[arizonaconservativegal]

Since you believe it´s true show me 100% proof that Noah´´s ark existed. You climb up that mountain in Turkey like so many have and proved nothing and you prove all those people who have taken so many pictures with super high tech cameras and high tech satellites that has proved all those stories to be hoaxes. You show me solid 100% proof that the ark of the covenant existed or better yet go to Ethiopia try and convince those people who claim that they have the real deal supposedly heavily guarded to let you take pictures or even look at it. I also believe that story to be bullshit because they claimed for years that they have it in their church but no one is allowed to see it. Sure and I invented the wheel and invented the internet. I also built the pyramids too.

And this is why people don't like atheists. Can't let anyone believe anything in peace. Always gotta tell them they're wrong and that you're smarter than they are. You think they're close minded but you refuse to consider things like physical evidence of a great flood in the sediment of the Black Sea because that contradicts what you've already decided to believe. Actually I'd be willing to bet that you believe lots of things that you don't have 100% proof of and yet that is what you demand of others to justify their beliefs.

But none of that is really the point here. The real question is how does it hurt you if someone believes the stories in the Bible?

[discocandles]

Y'know, I think True Hearts Day was a good story, but that doesn't make me not want to improve it.

Firstly, Hunter's role. This is my biggest issue with THD. He should've been more active. Up until that point, he seemed to be following his destinies as the huntsman. The only claim he has as a rebel is siding with Raven in the food fight and being vegetarian. Also, Hunter is a big part of the Snow White story. If not for the Huntsman, Snow White would never find the dwarves. But Apple focuses more on Ashlynn than her own story, which is ooc, bc being Snow White is Apple's main motivation. She never seems that worried Hunter is going against his destinies(yes plural. He's also in Red Riding Hood)

In THD, he's barely there. We get him and Ashlynn getting caught, Gunter Guntsman, and the big reveal. There's no reason he's not with Ash in the book end, but he's missing from when they come out until when they break up. And I know, it's a girls show, why focus on the boy? But relationships take at least two people. And the break-up scene really shows how static he's been. Hunter is doing what he'd do for their dates in the forest, but Ashlynn's acting different, bc she's the only one who had development.

To improve this, I say Apple talks to Hunter after the reveal about destiny, bc it's bad enough Raven won't be evil, but Hunter too? Her talk isnt as effective on him as it is Ashlynn, bc he's not close to Apple like his gf is. But he thinks of how dating Ash changes his story. Hunter is talks to Cerise in the forest, who supports it, hinting to her dad's identity, which he misses. The next day, Hunter is excited to see Ash, but less grand gesture-y about it. Instead of a picture frame and flower path, he walks up to her and gives her a flower crown. The break-up ensues and she gives back the flower crown. Ashlynn considers not going to the dance, but Briar won't have that. Longing looks at the dance, Ashlynn confesses, Hunter accepts, and they're together.

Ok, that's the big one.

Next, the love triangle. My beef here is how all of them lose their personality in this plotline. Cupid, who is about the journey of love and taking your time, basically yells about her crush in a library. Dexter, who is very tech involved, says who his crush is on a live broadcast without a voice modifier. Raven, who always believes there is more than what meets the eye jumps to a conclusion and sticks with it. Like all of their personalities had a downgrade. Though I do like Dexter and Cupid's dynamic in THD. The idea that Dexter sees the book about True Hearts Day and knows it's right up Cupid's alley is cute. My biggest issue is Raven's personality shift. I firmly believe Raven should've been far more confused at the idea of Daring giving her a love note. He's a royal, and believed to be Apple's future prince.

I would improve this by Raven deciding the note is a prank from Daring, and Dexter's not sure what's worse, her thinking it's from Daring, or a prank. Raven confronts Daring at school the next day, bc she wants to dismiss it asap, and realizes it has nothing to do with him. So Raven knows it's real, and realizes as she's getting ready "oh. How did I forget Dexter is a Charming?" She tries to calm down, and looks for Dexter at the dance, but he's hiding, trying to gather enough nerve to confess, sees her, and loses all of it. Dexter decides it's hopeless, and sits down to mourn his bad luck. Cupid, who has finally caught a break, sits down and helps cheer him up, which Raven sees and believes she's too late. She and Maddie spend the rest of the dance hanging out. And it's left open ended.

Next, duchess(and sparrow). If I hadn't read the books and known Duchess's motives are bc she wants a story where she doesn't die as a swan, I'd be very confused. All I'd change is in her chat with Ashlynn to mention that she wants to actually see her own happily ever after like Ashlynn has. But it still backfires. And it's also never explained why Duchess and Sparrow are friends to start with. I like the dynamic they have, but a line of how they became friends would probably help given the clashing aesthetics. Like maybe Sparrow and the merry men sometimes have to play for dance class, so he and Duchess had a similar goal for it, and became friends? Idk.

Last but not least, Lizzie should have been stealing any of the heart-shaped decorations shown from cupid, hopper, and briar bc hearts are her whole thing

#ever after high #true hearts day #ashlynn ella #hunter huntsman #apple white #raven queen #dexter charming #ca cupid #cerise hood #duchess swan #sparrow hood #lizzie hearts #did I take this too seriously? #yes yes i did #there were so many tidbits from the books I wanted to mention #but no I had to focus on the show #go read the Eah books they're fantastic #the fact the show never addresses that hunter is in at least 2 stories is so sad #or that sparrow and cerise are *distant* relatives #or the fact Dexter is about as athletic as Daring is #or Maddie's ability to do the impossible if she doesn't already know that it's impossible #i love them so much #eah

[statementlou]

Hi, how was your show!!!??

Thank you for asking! It was great, OBVIOUSLY. I saw Louis play a short set in late 2019, but was not able to go to Walls tour, so this was my first time at a proper tour show (in Berkeley last night) and it was brilliant! I have been trying to figure out what to say besides that though cause tbh there are two posts I want to make. So… both? First for my recap- it was so loud, like the music was just normal concert loud but I had to plug my ears against the screaming between songs cause it was way louder- I just figured it was the in person experience difference but no, Louis confirmed, “you guys have been so fucking loud in here tonight, it's actually been hard for me to hear” so GO US! The chokingly thick haze of weed smoke (“I already feel the energy, I already feel the love, I can already smell the weed,” he was not fucking kidding) to usher in HIC in California (and all the other songs lol) didn’t diminish the energy a bit! Truly, there is nothing like the energy of shared live music, and meeting eyes of other fans (through the trees) and sharing that excitement. And seeing actual physical unmediated Louis, just existing in space being a real live human, yeah. Something.

I was like I'm not gonna bother to take pictures or anything, I just want to dance and hear and look, everyone else's pics will be better anyway but then the TECH, you guys know how much I love the fucking aesthetic of this tour and the screens were SO PRETTY in real life!! So in fact I KEPT getting my phone out for that so like... good one tech crew, you got me. Look for many low quality aesthetic posts of the screens incoming, sorry not sorry. Common People was SO PRETTY, his voice was so clear and lovely and I'm so glad that's been added in. WDBHG went HARD live, holy shit, SO FUN (tho tbh me as Louis thinking I know all the words to that song but it turns out there are a lot? And I do not? At least I was in the best possible company fumbling and mumbling through parts.) Heartbroken I didn’t get Saturdays live (honestly the one song I think might have been my exception to the next thing I’m gonna say) but so thankful for BTM🖤

But part two of this post is to say that watching the livestreams with you all is also brilliant and special and also lets me experience the beauty of Louis’ voice and presence and connection and the feeling of experiencing something together. I wasn’t able to go last year, and I know some of you (many many thousands worldwide!) won’t be able to go this year either or maybe ever, and I know you are seeing the posts telling you there is nothing like being there and you can't really know or appreciate Louis/ Louis’ voice/ the experience unless you are there in person and it feels sad and I want to tell you that I have done the research now and I don’t think that is true. Most people who go to the show won’t have a Y/N moment and be Perceived by Louis or be at barricade, and I don’t think the experience we are having online together is less real or profound than the live experience. His voice sounded fucking gorgeous and soaring and I loved it, but even if you are there it is mediated by all kinds of tech; I imagine getting to be present for an acoustic performance really would be something that couldn’t be replicated but I think a really good live through a clear speaker or a nice quality show video is in fact just fine. Some of the songs did hit me harder in person and get my blood pumping in a different way, yes- but others I actually think I get a fuller experience of in a chiller more focused environment when everything isn’t flying by as quickly. Like I don’t think the megamix would impact the way it does (UGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH) if I just saw it live once and done, for example. Anyway I’m just saying if you can’t make your own (go to the show) store bought is fine (hang with us at stream time! or just whatever online content). While I never intend to watch every stream in fact I am usually right here and love to chat and squee with people, come hang out, or just watch some videos and enjoy the magic.

#obviously overall HECK YES SO HAPPY but I have two complaints in addition to the Saturdays Issue #one is that the Snuts didn’t play Maybe California?? for their first california show?????? why do they hate me?!!! #to be clear it is ON THEIR SETLIST. AND YET. #and the other is something I’ve come up on before with these guys which is that being in the location where your show is always #the day BEFORE the one they are really excited about (LA)… is kind of a bummer🙈it is what it is and it's not a big deal but js #was about to say why can't any of them ever go in the other direction but LMAO NEVER MIND #the question answers itself 😂 #anyway I have more thoughts about live vs online experiencing of it all but ...another time #blah blah blah #fitfwt berkeley

[greenlikethesea]

emails between dustin and max, fair ithilien verse

these will likely never see the light of day, mostly written to make @sparklyslug smile and give us some character work. basically, they're tech savvy and email each other!

the only context you need to know for these two emails is that max, in her prior email, told dustin to stop being such a dick to megan and stop meddling in steve's affairs.

06-14-1998

SUBJECT: Two photos, one question

Madmax,

I know I’ve already seen you in person and we worked it all out, but I want to tie up this thread too, because if nothing else, I’m a completionist. Suzy’s brother Samson says it’s because I have a Virgo moon. I have literally no idea what that means, but I’m sticking to it.

This reply is a week late because I had to stop being mad at you first. Not because you were mean, which you kind of were even if you acknowledged it, but because you were right, which you absolutely were. And you know how much I hate it when you’re right. I am lonely, and I’m pissed off because neither of them are fucking happy in their relationships and could be perfectly happy with each other. Fuck, Eddie won’t even officially tell me that he’s dating Josh, even though he’s been in the picture for a while now. And god, it’s bad. He and Steve haven’t spoken to each other in like four months. Steve’s drinking again, and doing that thing where he thinks he’s hiding it. No one else knows, but I know him, and I know the tells.

I’ll have you know that I’m only going to keep my mouth shut about Megan for everyone else’s sake. You all act like I’m out for blood with her, and that’s not true. I just think he should be with someone who actually knows him. I wish he’d think with his whole brain instead of his heart (and, to be real, his dick, because she is objectively hot). 

Okay, enough about that, it’s thoroughly depressing me. Subjecting myself to utter mortification in order to not mope around and be single: I caved. I got a profile on Match.com. I have filled out more information than I did the last time I went to the doctor. And because apparently my shining personality is not enough, I’ve attached two pictures for the profile. Please tell me the one I look the least bad in. Be honest. Not that I have to tell you to be honest, because you will be, but really, don’t hold back. 

Glad I finally got to meet this mystery girlfriend you keep mentioning in your emails. You didn’t tell me Claire was that fucking cool. Way to hold out on me. If you don’t want to go with her to the next Weird Al show on account of it being, in your oh-so-incorrect words, “unspeakably lame,” I will gladly go with her as a friend. I’ll pick her up and everything. 

Forgive me if this is crass, but I feel like you’ll get pissed if I pussyfoot around it – are you gay now? I know you were kind of in bisexual land for a while, but Claire is for keeps, I think. I know you haven’t been together for a long time, but sometimes you get a vibe. 

Love,

Dustin

SUBJECT: Re: Two photos, one question

Darlingest,

Claire is the absolute coolest. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her, which is frightening and not something I want to touch now that I’ve written it out, so don’t ask for elaboration. The only annoying thing about her is that she works nights right now, so coordinating plans with her can be tricky. But that means I can write this email to you in peace, and that also means that she’ll be wide awake when you see Accordion Man next month, thankfully without me.

Let’s get the pertinent shit out of the way: they’re both good photos, but the second picture’s better. Not that anyone will believe you if you tell them I told you this, but you have a great smile. The nerdy girl of your dreams would much rather see you silly than serious. It’s weird to see you serious. I know you wanted a brutal critique, so I showed them to Erica when she was over yesterday and she said you look constipated in the first one. Call her, by the way. She’s pretending to not miss you but she’s worried that you haven’t reached out. I told her you’re just busy and that you skipped out on our phone call too (which fuck you, by the way :D), but she’s still worried.

As for the topic of my sexuality – grateful as always that you didn’t pussyfoot around it – one of the interns in the office refers to herself as queer and that sounds good. I feel a little uneasy about it sometimes, because Billy weaponized that word to an absurd degree, but it also feels like a fuck you to him, in a way. I think I’ve heard Steve use it a few times too, and if he’s using it in a positive way, I can too. (Yeah, he’s finally owning being queer, even though he’s not telling anyone still. I don’t know why. We’ve all known since like 94. 95, at the latest.) Not everyone likes it, but I do. I hope that answers your question.

I can hear Claire poking around the kitchen for something to eat, so I should probably help her out. It’s a good pain day today, barely need my cane at all. 

Call me, you bitch. I miss you.

Love,

Max

#reading these back i'm so delighted by them #fair ithilien verse

[terristarstrike]

Is This The Real Me?

Oh boy... we're heading into some huge spoiler territory as we explore the true heritage of our little human protagonist, Bailey Wilson. Apparently, Bailey is actually an orphan girl with a mysterious past, and we're about to dive into who.. or what she truly is.

GIANT-SIZED SPOILERS FOR TERRI STARSTRIKE AHEAD

Bailey Wilson thought that her life was completely normal. She had a loving father, a sweet stepmother, and a groovy big brother, but she barely knew anything about the biological mother who brought her into the world. All she could recall was the night of her first birthday, when she was left on the doorstep of her father's house. At first, she desperately wanted to learn about her mother's identity, but she didn't show that much interest when she was already happy with her family.

After Terrina Ave-Lo came into her life, it seemed that everything was right in the world, but Bailey suddenly gained a feeling: the feeling that she wasn't meant to be in this tiny human body. She just learned about the existence of a whole world of giants, out in space, so maybe she could try to take the form of a fifty-foot Jotuzon to see if she would feel better in her own skin, and when she finally assumed Jotuzon form, she finally experienced true euphoria!

Bailey had just came home from a pretty fun experience in her new giant form, but she also found something in the basket where she found her new transformation bracelet. What the hell was a Jotuzon Bracelet doing in her old baby basket? It would be odd for an invention from the Giants to be found in her father's old junk.. but then again, maybe he did have some connection with those giants. After all, he was an astrophysicist!

Bailey asked her girlfriend Terri about the old Jotuzon tech in her old basket, and if her father knew any of the Jotuzons while he was still alive. Terrina was too young to remember Irwin, or if any humans had a peaceful relationship with her race, but Bailey was starting to put all the pieces together. What if this a sign of her own true identity, and where she truly came from?

Bailey searched through her father's old documents to find a bunch of old photos lying in a box near the basket. The names written on the label of the box were Irwin Wilson, and someone named Athene Lo-Shanta. It sure sounded like a Jotuzon name. Perhaps, he's been hiding something from her, or more importantly, he's been hiding it from the other humans. Hesitant to learn the truth about herself, Bailey took a deep breath and opened the box.

She scattered her hands through the box and picked up an old Polaroid picture of her father with a mysterious maiden. The maiden spotted bright violet eyes, and a brunette hairdo with purple tips. She looked like.. a Jotuzon! This Athene person couldn't be her real birth mother, but then again, maybe she could be! Bailey found multiple photos of the couple at a concert, by the lake, on a formal date, and weirdly enough, there were no photos of Bailey as a baby. "Strange.." she thought. But there was more.. she found a photo of Irwin sitting on top of Athene's knees at her full giant size, and another of the giant woman kissing little Irwin on her hands. This is too good to be true! Irwin fell in love with a Jotuzon? Once Bailey connected the dots in her head, it was all starting to make sense!

Bailey couldn't believe it! At this point, her mind had nearly exploded to smithereens, her "Twilight Zone" fantasies were coming true! "My mom was an alien!.. MY MOM WAS AN ALIEN! And not just an alien, but A GIANT!! And that means I'm a giant too! I finally know who I am!" Bailey squealed at the top of her lungs and hugged her girlfriend with tears of joy. She finally found her place in the universe, as one of the Jotuzons! Bailey's giant form was her true form all along. She wasn't a human who became a Jotuzon, she was a Jotuzon who spent 15 years of her life hiding as a human!

But what now? She knew that her dad tried everything to protect her, especially from major alien paranoia. He tried to give her a normal life, but now the truth of the Jotuzons' existence is much too large to kept hidden, especially in the times she was living in. Her true heritage is not something that should be kept under wraps anymore. Even worse, no one knew what happened to her mother. Poor little Bailey was stranded here, on Earth, for 15 years, but now, even in her tiny little human form, she can show off a little pride in her true half-Jotuzon heritage, and the best part, she has a loving Jotuzon girlfriend who can help reconnect her with her lost heritage. She may be figuring it all out for herself, but hiding her identity is not something Bailey will resort to. At long last, it's about time people recognize her for who she truly is: a Jotuzon!

#terri starstrike #character: terrina ave lo #character: bailey wilson #prompts #SPOILER WARNING!! #giant/tiny #g/t

[lilflowerpot]

After literally just throwing my previous thoughts into the void without any real structure, I realised that, no, actually I really wanted to break this down properly even if only for my own peace of mind, so:

That teal-green colour is shared between the twili and everything we’ve seen of the zonai tech in TotK thus far, standing distinctly apart from the true-blue of the sheikah tech. While the Palace of Twilight does have a lot of red-tech, this is Zant’s influence (just as the twili themselves are riddled with red markings when in their corrupted, bestial forms, but teal-green when returned to their true forms by the light of the sol orbs.

Speaking of TP’s sol orbs, the zonai charge we saw in the new gameplay footage looks a hell of a lot like a smaller, modified version of one, which would make sense seeing as when Link first encounters one of these glowing spheres, Midna describes it as “the source of life in [the twilight realm]... it is pure power.” In other words, it’s the perfect candidate to function as the primary power core of a construct.

The Twilight realm itself (or the little we see of it, at least) is a series of small floating islands in the sky. Need I say more?

Totk’s newly released emblem with its three eyes doesn’t not look like the glowing carvings behind the twilight throne. Again, we see snakes and eyes and swirls... you get the picture. Given how the symbols associated with the rest of Hyrule’s races have evolved throughout various games, I wouldn’t think it an impossible reach.

Zant’s entire design //screams// zonai. The carvings on his helmet and shoes echo the zonai carvings that litter BotW’s overworld, his shoulder pads have snakes akin to TotK’s ourborors, and the same can be said for the embroidery of his sleeves which AGAIN comes in that same teal-green.

Midna’s headpiece has those same zonai-dragon-heads, and combined with her glowing teal-green embroidery & tattoos that almost look like circuitry, and her skirt is pattered with gears that represent the fact that the twili were not only magic users but in possession of advanced technology (moving platforms / giant hand sentinels / sol spheres),,, it’s not hard to believe that, given a little more time, the twili’s level of advancement in TP could very easily have become that of the zonai in TotK.

Midna’s fused shadow helmet is considered a “dark/forbidden power” and that may well be true, but... again it’s designs not only look like those of the zonai (geometric patterns & snakes) but also circuitry, and it’s really not that much of a stretch to think that what the twili achieved was an advanced technology that either looked like or was literally powered by magic. Either way, the abilities of the fused shadow (to corrupt and empower) and that of the mirror of twilight (to travel between worlds) are //astounding//, and again in line with the feats of engineering that the zonai were evidently capable of judging by not just the ruins that litter Hyrule, but in particular the three labyrinths.

Jumping back to colour analysis for a hot sec, the construct’s eyes are really important to me: yellow and red/orange. the two colours that the twili’s eyes were shown to be (Zant’s yellow, the unnamed civilians’ red, and Midna’s a combination of the two). The eye of the fused shadow is also a dead-ringer for those of the constructs.

TotK’s deity could very well be wearing a fused shadow of its own (or something like it) Assuming the seven objects surrounding it are something link has to collect throughout the game, they might be collected in those little glowing green phials we saw him carrying around in one of the trailers, and those very much reminded me of collecting the tears of light in TP (and also SS’s silent realms but please god don’t make me do that again they were terrifying).

Narratively speaking, the zonai (their name being a take on nazo, a word meaning "mystery" in Japanese) ~mysteriously~ disappeared one day without a trace... the twili were banished to the twilight realm by the golden goddesses... if I were an average hylian citizen, I’d find that pretty damn mysterious.

I, personally, miss the twili and would like them back please and thank you.

#give them back give them back give them back #PLEASE i am begging #LoZ #TotK spoilers #the author speaks

[fallintosanity]

y’all liked my post about why Tumblr Blaze is the biggest fuck-you to Facebook and other ad companies in forever, so okay, let’s talk more about another advertiser thing that - intentionally or not - Blaze disrupts. 

(disclaimer: I am not a marketer, and have not worked in the ads industry. I have over a decade of experience in information security and privacy at a variety of major tech companies, including Google. A significant part of my career has involved working with marketing teams from the security and privacy side of things.) 

Fifty years ago, advertisers had no real way of knowing how effective their marketing funnels were. The funnel represents how many people see the ad, how many people follow up on the ad (by clicking, or going to a store, or whatever), and how many people convert (to customers, subscribers, whatever) as a direct result of the ad. At best, pre-Internet advertisers could see big-picture numbers, like a spike in purchases after an ad campaign kicked off, but it was very difficult to directly attribute any given conversion to a specific ad or campaign. 

Enter the Internet. 

(under a readmore because this is long. still not a rickroll.)

Without going into a lot of technical detail, the current ads ecosystem gives advertisers an INCREDIBLE amount of detailed information about how their ads are performing. Essentially, advertisers can track how many people see an ad, click through the ad, leave the page after clicking through, convert after clicking through, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Aside from using this to justify their own existence to the business higher-ups (“we spent $100k on ads and got 23k new subscribers, 15k new customers, blah blah”), advertisers use this information to tweak how their campaigns are performing - changing the ad copy, or the targeted demographic, or whatever else in order to ensure maximum effectiveness. 

Now let’s look at Tumblr Blaze again. From the FAQ: 

(Side note 1: you do get to see all the activity for your blazed post in your regular Activity dashboard, as well, though it’s mixed in with the rest of your activity. Depending on how many notes you get normally, it may be hard to separate the blazed post’s notes from everything else.)

The report you get at the end of your blaze period is surprisingly different than what you see from looking at your Activity dashboard. When my blaze period ended, I had upwards of 9k notes on my post, but this is the report I got:

(Side note 2: I paid for the 20k impressions level so it’s neat that I got more than 25% extra.) 

I’d guess that the reason for the difference between the Blaze report and what my Activity dashboard showed is that the report is only counting direct reblogs, i.e. people who reblogged directly from me, rather than from someone else who had already reblogged it. Ditto likes and replies - those are probably only on my copy of the post, rather than on all the reblog chains like the Activity dashboard shows. 

Whatever the reason, I actually got a much better view of the true reach of and response to my blazed post just by looking at my regular blog activity, than I did from the “full” report. The report also comes as an email - that’s the whole email in that screenshot - so it’s no good for pulling into any kind of automated reporting or metrics dashboard. 

Tumblr also doesn’t allow you to edit or delete your blazed post at all during the blaze period. If you want to change your post, you have to wait until the Blaze campaign is over, or end the campaign early:

(Side note 3: this is GOOD. Since blazed posts are moderated, i.e. approved by a human before being blazed, Tumblr is making sure that you can’t pull a fast one on the mod team by swapping your post content after it’s been approved.) 

So Tumblr doesn’t give you any more stats while your Blaze campaign is running than you get just for, y’know, posting a regular non-blazed post. You can’t change anything about your blazed post to improve its performance. And like I talked about before, you can’t target your blazed posts to reach a specific audience. 

The upshot of all this is that anyone trying to use Blaze for a traditional ad campaign is not going to get any useful information about how their ad is performing - unless they take the time to interact with Tumblr the way a regular user does, i.e. by obsessively and manually reading all the notes on the Activity dashboard. They can’t change their ad mid-campaign to make it perform better - at best, they can reblog or reply to their own blazed post with additional information. But again, that requires them to interact with Tumblr the way a regular user does. 

This is another sign that Blaze is not designed for advertisers or marketers: it makes only the most token gesture toward providing the kinds of performance feedback and enhancement they’re interested in. Given how thoroughly the ads industry flipped out when first Apple, then Firefox, and finally Google announced that they were removing the cookies advertisers depend on for targeting ads, I don’t see advertisers having any interest in using Blaze. It doesn’t provide them the ability to even meaningfully track how well their campaigns are performing or make real-time changes to improve performance, much less target their audiences. 

Blaze isn’t for advertisers. It’s for us, the users of this hellsite(affectionate).

#information technology #information security #sanity talks a lot #sanity talks infosec

[sporesgalaxy]

the other plot holes i patched up for lab tech lol

why would I believe the prophetic visions so strongly -> was also psychically emailed a jumble of potentially relevant information (procured via divination magic) for fulfilling my leg of the rube goldberg machine, which all turned out to be observably true, such as the locations of some places of interest, the events of the original reactor meltdown, & Spidey's secret identity.

why do i feel guilty & like Im manipulating doc ock -> Doom never gives me the full picture at any given moment, but I know ahead of time that getting the reactor working is a part of something bigger I have to do & am not honest about that. I'm also hiding info that could take Spidey out of the picture. This whole situation is worsened once the reactor is completed and I start getting psychically emailed instructions on making The Device, which I either have to ditch the doc to frantically begin constructing or am not forthcoming about in any number of other ways in the interest of being persuasive out of desperation for things to work, lest the universe collapse.

why would Spidey not spot me and get me arrested EASILY on account of my lack of powers or real disguise -> I reveal that I know his secret identity and have not informed Doc Ock or anyone else which really throws him for a loop & strongly supports my claim of questionable means but good intentions

why don't I team up with any heroes -> Doom is against it and has full control on my perspective of what's necessary to save the universe, and makes it seem like getting heroes involved would cause the wrong sequence of events. There IS some amount of actual divination going on here, but also Doom's plan isn't actually the only solution, he just makes it seem like it is & I have no way of knowing otherwise. He's against heroic help because heroes are a hassle in general but especially bc of Doom's ulterior functions of The Device, which he knows most do-gooders would get all fussy about.

what's the deal with the fantastic four being there/why don't they show up sooner -> see logistical diagrams post <3 they are in a race against Doom to fix this properly before he can fix it HIS way.

#doomed from the start

[introvertedlass]

Yeah, I really don’t understand how the new Dodger picture is such a big deal. It was taken in his house in Vermont we can tell from the carpet. Chris is still in Atlanta shooting. It’s not the gotcha moment people think it is. That photo is a month old. He went back to work and sent them home. ///

Thank you! I absolutely agree with this. I do not agree with calling people names if they don’t. So we have a fucking SHOE. Great. Still nothing of a real relationship showing. In fact, if that is Justin’s shoe, it shows this isn’t real because why not just show your true love’s best friend? Why not show a picture with your true love.

I do also think he is not running his SM at this point. The crumbing has been, well too sophisticated for his technology level. If this is so fucking real, why does he make absolutely sure he is never actually seen with them?

Look, personally, the heels look different to me. I’m not in denial, I just did a comparison with my own two eyes. I used to be a vet tech, owners, techs, vets-we ALL call the paws feet. Can we stop calling people delusional?

Yes, that's what sticks out to me. He has never been "seen" with his super serious girlfriend outside of a manufactured setting- papwalk, Disney, scare video. There are absolutely no candids anywhere. I get private but that is ridiculous to me. He's never even been spotted with the Portu-trio and we know they were all together. Why not? Why take great pains to never been seen with them? Just super weird to me.

I actually think he should turn over his social media because he clearly sucks at it.

#chris evans #chris evans pr

[sardonicnihilism]

Missing by Me

Chapter 8

Hector drove up to the construction site his cousin Roberto was working at. Hector and Roberto were like brothers growing up. Even when they had chosen different roads in their early adulthood (Hector wanted to become a businessman, and Roberto chose street life), they still remained close.

Roberto was an amiable guy, always loving to joke around and laugh. He was also one of the toughest and most dangerous criminals out there. Ostensibly, he owned his own construction company, and they actually did build houses, but his real income came from coordinating between the various street gangs and their mafia backers. He had ties to pretty much every single crime syndicate operating in California.

Hector saw Roberto and stopped his car. Roberto had a shaved head that was covered in scars. His frame was extremely lean and hid his true strength. He had on a white tank top, black, terrycloth shorts, and flip flops. Hector got out of the car and started shouting to his cousin. "Hey Bobby! How are you, you hijo de puta con cara de cabra?"

Roberto turned around and smiled. "Hector! I'm surprised you can still speak Spanish after schmoozing with all them nice white people you've been hanging with lately."

"Hey, their skin might be blanco, but their money is the perfect shade of verde!" Hector replied warmly.

The two hugged and slapped each other on the back.

"So what's going on, bro? How's the search for your little girl going?" Roberto asked with real concern. He had been praying every night that the police would find Lucia.

"That's what I've come to talk to you about," Hector said in a low, hushed tone.

Roberto understood immediately what Hector wanted. He quickly started calling out for his guys to take lunch. Once they had all gone to their vehicles and out of earshot, Roberto turned to Hector and said, "Sure bro, no problem. I ain't seen Lucia since she was this high, but she's still blood. Whatch you need?"

"I got a picture of the piece of shit that took her. I'm not asking you to do anything other than help me find him. I'll take care of the rest." Hector's voice cracked a bit, but his determination never wavered.

Roberto nodded. "Yeah, sure, whatever, man. Let's see the picture of this mutha fu . . ." Roberto stopped dead when he saw the picture. He suddenly started shaking his head and waving his arms in an X in front of his chest. "Naw man, huh-uh. No," he said over and over again.

Hector was shocked. How could Roberto be turning his back on him? On Lucia? "What? Why? What happened to all that talk of blood?" He demanded.

"Listen bro, I'm sorry. Any other creep, perv, whatever, I'm down with you, bro, but THAT? No, sorry. I can't help you," he said as he turned around and tried to walk off.

Hector grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. "You know who this is, don't you? Is that it?"

Roberto shook his head again. "Him? No. But I know of people like that. Listen, bro, I'm telling you because I love you, there are certain people, certain groups, you don't mess with. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest crime boss, billionaire tech guru, president of the United States, crown prince, whatever, it doesn't matter, certain people you just leave alone."

"You going soft?" Hector hoped his taunt against Roberto's masculinity would cause him to change his mind.

Bobby turned to the area where his men were sitting at. He shouted, "FELIPE! AQUI!" A large mountain of a man stood up and started running over. Bobby turned back to Hector. "If Bruce Lee and Mike Tyson had a Mexican baby, that'd be Felipe. I saw home boy face down a whole roomful of armed men before. There ain't no braver or badder."

When Felipe got to them, Bobby explained in Spanish that his cousin's daughter had been taken, and he was looking for help finding the man that did it and that his cousin had a picture of the guy. Felipe nodded in agreement and asked to see the picture. As soon as he saw it, he screamed, crossed himself frantically, and ran off, reciting every prayer he could remember.

"See?" Roberto said. "You're not gunna find a different answer from nobody here." Roberto then put his arm around Hector's shoulders. "Listen, I'm going to give you a little tough love here, bro. The best thing you can do is delete that picture, bury your girl, and walk away." He then walked off, leaving Hector all alone.

********************************************

Elana was getting ready to leave. Her entire life had boiled down to wrote repetition. Get up, shower, get dressed, go to work, come home, and sit alone in darkness until it was time to go to bed. Rinse and repeat. Her life, her heart, her soul were as empty as Lucia's bedroom. Nothing mattered anymore. Life was meaningless. She barely ate and had lost almost 60 pounds. She was so thin, even the hospital where she worked, had talked to her, concerned. It didn't matter, though; nothing did.

She opened the front door to go to her car and saw Hector standing there. He looked horrible. His hair was a mess; several days of beard growth clogged his face, his clothes looked like he'd been sleeping in them for about a week. It didn't matter, though; nothing did.

"What do you want?" Elana asked without emotion.

Hector, who had been leaning against the side of the door, looking down at the ground, slowly turned his head to face Elana; his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. "My daughter," he said, his voice, hoarse and tired.

Elana just looked at him. "She's not here, so please leave. I have to go to work now."

He just looked at her, not fully understanding what she said. He turned his head back down. "I tried to find him, the man who took our Luz. I tried every connection I had. I begged, I pleaded, I promised everything I had, but no one would help me."

"And?" Elana asked in a cold, dead voice. "What is that to me, Hector? The only way I could possibly care is if you would have brought her home. I don't care about your revenge fantasies. Why would I? Do you think if you would have killed that man but not bring Lucia home, that would have meant anything to me?"

Hector turned back to face Elana again. "No, it wouldn't have. I don't think it would have meant anything to me." He paused for a moment, then lowered his head, rolling it back and forth. "You were right; I failed. I failed as a husband. I failed as a father. I was supposed to look after my family, and I didn't. I wanted to kill him, make him suffer like I have. Thing is, I don't think, no, I know it wasn't for Lucia, but only to make me feel better, like I had done something."

"Yes, you were a failure, but you weren't the one that put her on that bus." Elena's voice was low and broken. "I want to hate you for the same reason you wanted to kill that man - guilt. I wasn't there for her. I sent her away. I didn't even think about therapy. You failed; I failed."

Hector slid down the wall to sit on the porch. "Go to work; I won't stay long. I'm just tired." He then looked back up at Elana. "For what it's worth, I was always proud of you. I might have hated you, but I was always proud. You were a good role model for Lucia."

Elana sat down beside him but didn't look at him. "When I found out you were cheating on me, I asked myself why. I felt ugly, unwanted, unloved. Why? Why did you do it?"

"Oddly enough, for most of the same reasons. You had stopped being intimate with me. I felt left out. That was my way of feeling wanted, desirable again." As he spoke, he remembered the pain and frustration he had felt back then, but now it seemed selfish and cruel.

"I was exhausted. I went to school, worked, took care of the house, and looked after Lucia. It felt like another pressure, another obligation I didn't want to have."

"I was busy too, working multiple jobs, trying to start a business, that was my release. It took the pressure away. I thought it did for you as well. " He tried to sound conciliatory but ended up sounding petty and childish.

"Maybe it would have if I thought you actually cared about my feelings and not just wanting to use my body for a little bit," she responded tearfully.

"I never did consider your feelings, did I? No, I didn't. I'm sorry. I was just too caught up in my own bullshit." He was done trying to find excuses or pretty words to make everything better; it was time to just own up to himself and admit everything."I never talked about my feelings. I yelled. I screamed. But I never talked."

"Neither did I. Not until now." Elana said, also wanting to get everything out.

The two just sat there, staring into nothingnes, wondering why it had to take a tragedy like this to open up to each other.

[moonstrider9904]

Moon, I need to share this with someone and hopefully you’ll appreciate it. If not you can delete this ask.

I was with a new partner and they said something that made me think of our favorite engineer. While making out and getting handsy she stopped to tell me that squeezing my breasts releases serotonin and it was actually good for me. It was the sweetest thing.

I can picture Tech using all his knowledge for his partners benefit. And in more ways than one.

Ooh I'm always open to discussing Tech! Thank you for coming to me 👉🏻👈🏻💖

Interestingly enough, this is a real fact! There is a phrase that goes "True love is stored in the boob," which is jokey and memey indeed, but apparently holding breasts does release serotonin.

There was actually a post circulating around tumblr where many women claimed and admitted that at times of stress, would grab their own breasts and feel better.

Tech would most definitely use this knowledge to his and his partner's benefit and he'd be able to explain it far better than me 😅 i personally hc him as a boob man, he'd love his partner's chest coconuts for endless reasons, particularly the fact that she has the built-in function to release serotonin!!

#aawww so sweet #nsft text #not reeeeally but still tagging #moonstrider answers #tbb tech

[dishtothedeath]

Class Action Settlement

There was a lot presented to them that they needed to address and to say. The room was vibrating with energy but as a message comes through from her tablet, she knows there’s not that much time left and they deserved the truth or as much as they could give.

So though she asked, Araceli knows better than to expect Tsuki to immediately comply so she can take the lead. Let’s start with an easy one.

“The staging of this finale is Severin’s handiwork… I’m not entirely sure how everything works but I do know that there were no plans to execute us. I… can’t tell you why it might be that he just ran out of time.”

She shouldn’t regret that that was the case. If anything she should be thrilled to live but it’s weighing on her. They wanted their justice, whatever form it took, but would have to wait.

“In any case, while what you’ve experienced here is real… the world at large does not think that is true. It was framed as a show and HDQ Entertainment bought out the broadcasters, networks, and internet providers along the way… There are people who have tried to voice concern but they are far and few between. Though I suspect that the proper authorities have already been alerted so… It’ll be easier for you to share your experiences if you so wish to.”

She had considered if her manager or dad were part of those people who cared enough to speak. It feels just as sick saying it as she remembers hearing it for the first time. Worse, actually. Back when she had convinced Basile to follow her lead even at the detriment of Tsuki.

Araceli stops her talking and keeps her eyes on him, nodding to signal that he should start. 

“Everything is a broad ask you know… besides I already said it early on… there was no good reason. The person in the pod, my brother, was just a bonus once I realized I could potentially use him for all of this too. 

The short of it is I was at a company party and happened to have a chance to speak with the boss about my future career… one bad faith joke after another lead to me saying that with how desensitized people are to the media these days we could likely get away with actually killing people on a show. I get along with some of his tech support staff who were sharing details of a new VR project going on since the environments fucked, so I added that we could use the people we kill to further the project. Honestly I thought it was corporate banter at first, but he liked the idea… This is where I’d love to say I’m a better person and I called him a freak, but once I saw he was genuinely invested… I mean honestly I was curious about it all.

So why? It was a sick joke between two corporate bigwigs that became real because neither saw an issue with it. We toyed with you like all reality celebrities are toyed with. And to be honest for most of you… you’re getting bodies back and will have full control, so there’s really only emotional damage.”

It was quick, clinical, and painless, at least on the Producer’s end. A clear lack of guilt in his words, in his tone, in his expression, save for a small glance towards Araceli before he closes his eyes and continues.

“I put Haruki into a coma when I tried to get him out of the picture… oh over a decade ago? Since then my mother made me replace his existence, as she could live without her second son existing, but her dear precious first born needed to live. Add some resentment, some wanting him dead, and now I have a chance to put him, or a version of him back so she’ll finally leave me alone. Like I said… he was just a bonus. If anything, the fact that research can at least potentially help other coma victims… is an even further bonus?

Despite the lack of chip in his brain initially, the combination of it, and some time has lead to his AI self being a one to one with how he was, and I never added any blanks in for him… it was just the system itself. The new issue is figuring out how to get my idiotic brother’s consciousness back to his physical body, but clearly I don’t have time for that anymore, so I’ll probably just shove him in a robot too, he’d probably prefer starting at 18 again instead of his atrophied body.”

As long as his brother was back so his mom could leave him alone, it was clear at this point that was all he cared about. Shallow, just like everything he claims.

“So, most people think this show was actually a performance by all of us, once you’re all in new bodies it will be like this never happened, and you can have as many chances at further life as you want until you’re done. Even us who never died, that chip can still be used down the road if wanted. Optional of course.”

Tapping the side of his head, the Producer continues.

“Orrrr you can stay in the servers. Love the whole virus idea, but you’d be just that. A global virus and I really don’t care to have several governments after me just because you want to hack Tesla’s. Soooo… those are the choices. Oh and to keep things from being all how do we know you didn’t add mass self destruction, I’ll work on Sunny first with him overseeing me. Then once Sunny’s back we’ll work on everyone else…

Until I get bored, then it’ll just be Sunny. He’s a fast learner he’ll probably figure things out, and if he really needs advice he can contact me. If anyone who is currently alive and wants a backup body since you also want a second life, you’ll have to let me know now. Otherwiseeee I can’t really do much, oopsie.

Feel free to pitch other ideas that don’t involve me dying though. Maybe I’ll consider them. Any cool special features you want your bodies to have like built-in roller blades.”

Thumbs up.

Araceli… doesn’t know how to possibly follow all of that up. There were bits and pieces she didn’t know and information being put into a different light. Whatever picture she had of Tsuki warped into a different form. She didn’t have enough fight left in her to scream or even get angry. It just hurt. 

“Right. You may not need it depending on what HDQ is going to have to spare, but Sweethearts can and will provide you with money, legal services, or.. connections but I doubt many of you would want to be involved in the entertainment industry.” She hadn’t gotten approval from this but Araceli knew the names and faces of all those who attended the meetings. This was only part of what she was owed. “Public Relations will also be handled on our side. Even if you want to disappear from the public eye, that can be arranged.”

She looks down at her tablet, carefully sending a message and looking to make sure that none of the dead glitched out more than they already have been. She receives a message in turn. There’s relief on her face.

“The rescue will be here soon, with medical staff for those who need it… Wherever you want to go, they’ll take you. You should pack your belongings, if you still want them. They’ll take you when you’re ready to leave.”

The Producer takes a moment as his tablet beeps at him and nods to confirm Araceli’s words.

“Meanwhile I have work to do. Please give your last requests of what you want so I know where to focus my efforts. If you don’t make one, I’ll choose for you. Perhaps I’ll see you all again, though, probably not since none of you really want that, if you really want to… I don’t know. Add that onto the requests because I’m assuming no otherwise?? You guys really are all so mean, making Sunny have to do extra work.”

#mm #trial

[wytfut]

The “ditch”

This is the patrol car that I put into the ditch this episode refers to. 1953-54 Ford. Very collectible hub caps and beauty rings. Note crushed limestone roof. Not common then or now.  

Interesting note to the gear heads that maybe reading along. if its a 1953, its a flathead designed motor of 239 CI.

If its a 1954, its a “Y” block OHV with also 239 CI.

This would be my Pops 1957 ford patrol car. In the back ground you can see the “ditch” that this episode is about.  You can actually see the curve of it on that far slope. 

Also note on this picture, that there is no true garage.... all these Strauss built homes on this side of the “ditch” had car ports. Pop enclosed his with glass, to make it better to keep out of the weather.

I also just noticed that both of these patrol cars are Tudor’s. Curious when the 4 doors became the norm for NSP? My guess would be 1959, with no idea why. These hubcaps are also a bit rare.... inner circle around nipple was usually painted....   tan/beige. 

This 1957 I’d suspect had the big 312 “Y” block. Lots of torque. 3 speed and Overdrive. An option this year was the supercharger, but that’d be real doubtful.

Grew up in an odd neighbor hood environment. Folks home was built in a natural valley, and instead of just a street in front of their place, was a street, a rather deep ditch, and another street. All Strauss built ranch houses with crushed rock roofing. 

Both streets were one way. With houses on one side of each street. 

The “ditch” portion of the public property was early design for watershed,. I think in reality it was a poor design, but a good try compared to todays engineering tech. 

Homes here were built in the early 50′s, and growing up there, I had seen many times this ditch full across curb to curb..... and many wet basements. Ours included.

This piece of “ditch” property was about 150′ across, street to street. And pretty much ran some water year round, usually at a trickle. Depth of this ditch was about 10′ deep.  And close to 1/2 mile long.

For a city kid this was ideal situation for a free for all play ground year round. Crawdads, bright clay dirt, mysterious pipes appearing time to time, water and mud always, fun ice to mess with, frogs..... the perfect place for someone to get into muddy trouble. A demolition site for illegal fireworks. 

And so it went. I’m sure I drove my Mother crazy, coming home constantly covered in mud. Many Many times on my way home from school, still in my school clothes. Mom and Pop both begging me to come home first, then go play. But as it went, I’d get distracted by class mates on the journey home.... and we’d all end up in the “ditch” getting soaked, school materials included. 

You all get the drift (young boys playground) ....    but here’s an interesting side story....

As stated here... Pop was totally OCD about his cars. especially his patrol car. It was nothing to see him hand wash both vehicles EVERY week year round. 25 cent car washes with the hi pressure sprayers weren’t around yet. And he couldn’t afford the drive thru automated type.

I’d guess I was pre grade school age, but I’m not really sure. Pop was washing his pristine patrol car in the driveway, with me inside fooling around with the levers and buttons. Summer time? I think so....

I distinctly remember to this day.... letting the emergency brake let go. I can see this action in my head as I write. Weird what you remember.

Driveway had a soft slope, and then the approach to the driveway was steeper. Pop was washing along, and his pride and joy started moving. I’m not sure what all happened here, but I do know Pop was giving his best heave hoe to keep it from rolling, but gravity won .....  guessing I may have just pushed all the door locks down? Nope, I was an angel by trait.

Pops feet sliding, and the car picking up speed.... jumping the curb into the “ditch”... 

And there it set, ass end at the bottom, young son peering out the window wondering what just happened, and I’m sure Pop taken back.....    This could be his job for “crying out loud”.

A reminder.... its at least 10′ deep. 

Car is sitting close to a 45 degree angle nose up. 

I heard it took a lot for Pop to get it out... but he got it done. Tire smoke boiling out of the wheel wells. That old “Y” block screaming. And everytime he put the clutch in, it would bump down back on the bottom, surely bending/tweaking the rear bumper, and possibly taking out the tail lites... 

No tow truck required. No assistance, but he got it out....

I wasn’t allowed back in any Patrol car unattended for a long long time.

[arabellaflynn]

Advent Calendar 11: Into The ~THIRD DIMENSION!~

Greetings, and welcome to Advent Calendar 2022! This year we're being self-indulgent and rambling about video games.

As usual, the Advent Calendar is also a pledge drive. Subscribe to my writing Patreon here by December 15th for at least $5/mo and get an e-card for Ratmas; subscribe for $20/mo (and drop me a mailing address) and you'll get a real paper one!

I hope you're all having a happy winter holiday season. Let the nerd rambling commence!

Video games from the very start have made creative use of two dimensions. The ancestor of the video game as we know it was a Pong-like amusement that involved creative misuse of an oscilloscope, a device meant specifically for graphing electrical signals on an XY plane. But almost as soon as they had worked out how to draw pictures on a flat surface, game makers set their sights on the magical, mystical THIRD DIMENSION.

The first attempts actually mimicked the nascent processes of computer animation. The earliest way to get computers to understand the idea of 3D objects was to define them as a series of flat polygons, attached to each other at edges and vertices at specific angles. The classic example was a still render of the Platonic solids (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron), as well as a model of a Melitta teapot that was affectionately dubbed the "Utah teapot" or "teapotahedron". Arcade and console games, with their limited computing power, could handle a handful of vertices, but couldn't keep up with filling in the faces with color or shading -- the result was a distinctive 'wireframe' look, which was emulated as a 'high tech' effect in movies like Star Wars, Star Trek II, and TRON. A lot of famous wireframe games from as far back as the Star Wars arcade game in 1983, are genuine 3D renders, just extremely simplistic ones. Many of them made use of vector graphics, where the electron beam in the monitor draws directly from point to point on the screen, rather than having to draw the entire screen on ever field, line by line, top to bottom.

Simulating a three-dimensional space with color and shading on a 2D plane is an interesting problem, and largely makes use of cognitive tricks like size cues and relative motion. As long as the viewport is restricted, you can use some fairly simple transformations to mimic depth of field. Most of these tricks have been widely known and used since the fad for linear perspective art in the Renaissance -- what they were waiting for, with respect to video games, was for computing technology to advance to the point where these transformations could be applied to the picture in real time. Gamers today are snobs that would refuse to open their actual eyes if life ran at any less than 60 frames per second, but realistically you can at least give the viewer the idea of movement in 3D space at 10-15 FPS, as long as your graphics aren't mud. Coding Secrets below gives a pretty concise explanation of how you can create the illusion of movement in space just by careful color manipulation.

Mickey Mania was not the only game to use the technique, which was achievable to some extent on any console that combined tile-based backgrounds and sprites. Slightly more sophisticated on the computing end was the Super Nintendo's infamous "Mode 7". While this was still not a true 3D rendering system, it allowed the programmers to automate the process of those perspective-mimicking distortions, using affine transformations. Retro Game Mechanics Explained gives a good overview, if you dig the technical language.

True volumetric 3D would have to wait for better computing power, and its popularity had to wait for a bunch of geeks who wanted to shoot Nazis from a first-person perspective.

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