Hello lovelies! I have written more fluffy headcanons for you, this time in the form of;

Romanced Companions comfort Tav, who's in shocked after having to be revivified.

Essentially they're kinda shook/out of it, like, the other companions come back and tell the romanced companions "Yeah, they have been out of it since they got up. Idk what to tell you" (If it makes anymore sense, it could even be Tavs first reviving)

Prepare for fluff, hurt/comfort, lots of hugs, lots of sweetness. Essentially, all your Tavs are getting the princess treatment they deserve!

(ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE ON MY LAST HEADCANONS POST OH MY GOD?? 400+ NOTES IS INSANE)

Lae'zel -

Once informed Lae'zel becomes weary. Something must be wrong, Tav is never so- elsewhere. She goes out of her way go ask Halsin for antidotes, ask Shadowheart to remove curse, but upon going to ask Astarion if he can smell blight in their blood, he suggests dying and being brought back in any way can be challenging. "We're not made to come back." Now, comfort isn't her strong suit- but Gods she was desperate to aid them.  She brings carefully decorated food (like a fun charcuterie board Gale helped with) over and helps them out of armour, massaging their tired muscles and feeding them by hand. She doesn't cuddle, but she stays all night, pressed as close as possible. For protection, of course. (The rest of the companions get a private earful about keeping them safe. She knows they're scared of her and will exploit it)

Shadowheart -

She gets a strange feeling before the group even returns- something in her feels off. So when she sees everyone back in one piece, she's relieved- until she isn't. Karlach tells her immediately, seeing her worry. "Only been revived in the last hour. Been real quiet too" Shadowheart can't stand her lover being so lost in their own eyes. Shadowheart gets an idea- and invited Tav to help her cook for the camp, but sulks at their mindless nod. She's not deterred- she holds up every ingredient to Tavs nose, gets them involved with simple tasks and gets them to taste test. Everything to get their senses wired until they come back to her. The minute she sees a smile on their lips again, she's kissing them too. "Thanks for coming back...would have been boring without you" She smiles into every kiss. (The food might be burning, but who cares?)

Wyll -

Wyll always greets Tav when they come back, happy to see them alive, but he can tell something is wrong immediately. "Tav is still adjusting to being alive again, I think. I don't know if they can talk right now" Shadowheart says. Wyll approaches Tav slowly, taking their face in his hands and gently kissing their forehead. "Hi love." He smiles. "Can I take you back to my tent? I'd love to get you into a bath, if that's okay?" He asks, trying not sound certain. Tav gets a small nod out, but Wyll asks again several times until Tav is in the bath, Wylls hands on their scalp, gently washing their hair and body of blood. He tells them about his day, a story he was telling Karlach- how glad he is to see them alive. Because they are alive. And Tav clearly needed to hear it. The reminder makes them human once again, settling into the warm water. He wordlessly, but diligently cleans them, head to toe, the odd kiss to their brow here and there.

Karlach -

When Karlach peers out of her tent and sees Lae'zel, Astarion and Wyll back, she frowns, not seeing Tav right away. She finds Tav with Gale, unsure what to do with them, and explains what Lae'zel told him. "Awful knock to the head. Went straight down, not even a yell" He frowns. Karlach wants nothing more than to throw her arms around them, but she gets a better idea, taking Tav to the lakeside and brings them for a swim. Wyll and Shadowheart advise against it, but Karlach persists. She strips them both and gently pulls Tav over herself to drift. They react immediately to the water but still and calm, clinging to her as they float. "It's alright soldier, you're off duty now. I've got you" She says, thumbing some of the dried mud off their face with a patient smile.

Gale -

Gale's a mess. I mean, specifically now. Tav looks like they're seeing the sun for the first time, and needs to be told not to stare. He gets them sat down and tries to comfort with words, but it all comes out as "Ah, needn't worry, you've got one of Waterdeeps finest, and I didn't fall asleep during all my herbalism and medical weave classes. I'm sure I have something- I know I have something-" And he sits beside you and reads in his tent, leaning Tav against his shoulder to keep them awake. He ruins his hair keeping it out of his eyes, throws off his bracers to avoid catching pages- and it takes him a moment to realise- Tav is asleep on him. He has bored them to sleep. Tav is drooling. And Gale is relieved. They look like themself again, pressing their face into his arm. The breakfast they're greeted with is almost worth dying, trust me.

Astarion -

Aatarion knows immediately, he doesn't have to be told. He knows that look and all the horrors behind it, not letting anybody get in his way as he got to Tav. But- well he doesn't know what to do, really, nobody did the right thing when Astarion had been "revived" so he didn't know what it looked like. But he had an idea. He slowly walks them to sit in his tent, strips their armour and asks them to wait. He's back 2 minutes later with a washcloth and water bowl in hand, and mid-way through washing Tavs face, Wyll brings some bread, fruit and orange juice. Astarion smiles and makes the odd "You must be famished" between pressing grapes to their lips. "I can see you've been doing your bloody best, as usual" he complements dabbing their cheeks. "You did wonderful today, darling" he praises. "...There's my Tav" He smiles like he's come home, looking at their now clean face.

Hope you all enjoyed, if you have any prompts/requests, let me know in the notes/in my asks! ♡

THE UNIVERSE COULD BE FILLED WITH ULTRALIGHT BLACK HOLES THAT CAN'T DIE??

Blog#400

Saturday, May 11th, 2024.

Welcome back,

Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects formed during the earliest moments of the universe. According to the models, they formed from micro-fluctuations in matter density and spacetime to become sand grain-sized mountain-massed black holes.

Although we've never detected primordial black holes, they have all the necessary properties of dark matter, such as not emitting light and the ability to cluster around galaxies. If they exist, they could explain most of dark matter.

The downside is that most primordial black hole candidates have been ruled out by observation. For example, to account for dark matter there would have to be so many of these gravitational pipsqueaks that they would often pass in front of a star from our vantage point. This would create a microlensing flare we should regularly observe. Several sky surveys have looked for such an event to no avail, so PBH dark matter is not a popular idea these days.

A new work, posted to the arXiv preprint server, takes a slightly different approach. Rather than looking at typical primordial black holes, it considers ultralight black holes. These are on the small end of possible masses and are so tiny that Hawking radiation would come into play.

The rate of Hawking decay is inversely proportional to the size of a black hole, so these ultralight black holes should radiate to their end of life on a short cosmic timescale.

Since we don't have a full model of quantum gravity, we don't know what would happen to ultralight black holes at the end, which is where this paper comes in.

As the author notes, basically there are three possible outcomes. The first is that the black hole radiates away completely. The black hole would end as a brief flash of high-energy particles. The second is that some mechanism prevents complete evaporation and the black hole reaches some kind of equilibrium state. The third option is similar to the second, but in this case, the equilibrium state causes the event horizon to disappear, leaving an exposed dense mass known as a naked singularity.

The author also notes that for the latter two outcomes, the objects might have a net electric charge.

For the evaporating case, the biggest unknown would be the timescale of evaporation. If PBHs are initially tiny they would evaporate quickly and add to the reheating effect of the early cosmos. If they evaporate slowly, we should be able to see their deaths as a flash of gamma rays. Neither of these effects has been observed, but it is possible that detectors such as Fermi's Large Area Telescope might catch one in the act.

For the latter two options, the author argues that equilibrium would be reached around the Planck scale. The remnants would be proton-sized but with much higher masses. Unfortunately, if these remnants are electrically neutral they would be impossible to detect. They wouldn't decay into other particles, nor would they be large enough to detect directly. This would match observation, but isn't a satisfying result.

The model is essentially unprovable. If the particles do have a charge, then we might detect their presence in the next generation of neutrino detectors.

The main thing about this work is that primordial black holes aren't entirely ruled out by current observations. Until we have better data, this model joins the theoretical pile of many other possibilities.

Originally published on https://phys-org.

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, May 15th, 2024)

"DOES THE UNIVERSE EXPAND BY STRETCHING OR CREATING SPACE??"

(New York) – The Chinese government is significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces under its “mosque consolidation” policy, in violation of the right to freedom of religion, Human Rights Watch said today.

Chinese authorities have decommissioned, closed down, demolished, and converted mosques for secular use as part of the government’s efforts to restrict the practice of Islam. The authorities have removed Islamic architectural features, such as domes and minarets, from many other mosques.

“The Chinese government is not ‘consolidating’ mosques as it claims, but closing many down in violation of religious freedom,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch. “The Chinese government’s closure, destruction, and repurposing of mosques is part of a systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam in China.”

Chinese law allows people to practice only in officially approved places of worship of officially approved religions, and authorities retain strict control over houses of worship. Since 2016, when President Xi Jinping called for the “Sinicization” of religions, which aims to ensure that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the arbiter of people’s spiritual life, state control over religion has strengthened.

“Mosque consolidation”[1] is referenced in an April 2018 central CCP document that outlines a multi-pronged national strategy to “Sinicize” Islam, or make it more Chinese.[2] It instructs the CCP and state agencies throughout the country to “strengthen the standardized management of the construction, renovation and expansion of Islamic religious venues.” The document notes that a central principle behind such “management” is that “there should not be newly built Islamic venues,” in order to “compress the overall number [of mosques].” While there can be exceptions, the document states that “there should be more [mosque] demolitions than constructions.”

Ma Ju, a US-based Hui Muslim activist who has been in contact with Hui in China affected by the policy, told Human Rights Watch that it is part of efforts to “transform” (转化) devout Muslims in order to redirect their loyalty toward the CCP: “Government officials first approach those Communist Party members who are also Hui Muslims … then they move onto ‘persuading’ students and governmental workers, who are threatened with school probation and unemployment if they continue with their faith.”

Available government documents suggest that the Chinese government has been “consolidating” mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces, which have the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang.[3] Since 2017, Chinese authorities in Xinjiang have damaged or destroyed two-thirds of the region’s mosques, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). About half have been demolished outright.

In Ningxia, Human Rights Watch has verified and analyzed videos and pictures posted online by Hui Muslims and used satellite imagery to corroborate them in order to examine the policy’s implementation in two villages. Of these villages’ seven mosques, four had significant destruction: three main buildings had been razed and the ablution hall of one was damaged inside. The authorities have removed the domes and minarets of all seven mosques.

Human Rights Watch is unable to determine the number of mosques shuttered or repurposed throughout Ningxia and Gansu, as official documents do not give precise details. In a forthcoming research report, two scholars on Hui Muslims, Hannah Theaker and David Stroup, have estimated that one-third of mosques in Ningxia have been closed since 2020.[4] A March 2021 Radio Free Asia report estimated that between 400 and 500 mosques faced closure in Ningxia, which had 4,203 mosques as of 2014.

The Chinese government claims that the mosque consolidation policy aims to “reduce the economic burden” on Muslims, especially those who live in impoverished and rural areas.[5] Actions against mosques often take place as the Chinese government relocates villagers from these areas, consolidating several villages into one.[6] The government also claims that as different Islamic denominations share the same venues, they learn to become more “unified” and “harmonious.”

Some Hui Muslims have publicly opposed the policy, despite government censorship. In January 2021, Ningxia officials indicted five Hui for “creating disturbances” after they led 20 people to oppose the policy at the village Party chief’s office. People have also protested mosque closures and demolitions, as well as the removal of domes and minarets in Ningxia, Gansu and other Hui Muslim regions, such as Qinghai and Yunnan.[7]

Ma Ju told Human Rights Watch that mosque consolidation aims to dissuade people from going to pray at mosques: “After removing the minarets and domes, local governments would start removing things that are essential to religious activities such as ablution halls and preacher’s podiums.”

Ma Ju said the government has sought to discourage religious practice: “When people stop going, they [the authorities] would then use that as an excuse to close the mosques.” He said that the authorities install surveillance systems in the remaining “Sinicized” mosques: “After the mosques are converted, the local governments strictly monitor attendance at the remaining mosques,” he said. “In the beginning, they would check the attendees’ national identification cards. Then they install surveillance cameras … to flag [those prohibited from mosques, including] Communist Party members or children.”

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that “[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” One has the right to manifest their “religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” The Chinese government should reverse its Sinicization campaign on religions, review and repeal laws and regulations that restrict the right to freedom of religion, and release those detained for peaceful criticism or protest against such restrictive policies.

Foreign governments, particularly member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), should press the Chinese government to cease their mosque consolidation policy and the broader Sinicization campaign.

“The Chinese government’s policies of Sinicization show a blanket disregard for freedom of religion not only of all Muslims in China, but all religious communities in the country,” Wang said. “Governments concerned about religious freedom should raise these issues directly with the Chinese government and at the United Nations and other international forums.”

noodle bowl recipe/technique

When I'm not at the farm it's always a struggle to eat as many vegetables as my body wants me to eat. Like it's just confusing to go out and buy vegetables when you're really used to just kind of going to the walk-in cooler and being like "ok what have we got too much left over of, time to Eat That", and I need to overcome this by having a recipe in mind beforehand but one I can adapt if they don't have the thing I'm thinking of at the store. So I'm trying to collect not recipes so much as techniques, because I have this problem where it's hard for me to follow a recipe because I accidentally skip reading the middle of it. Ha.

(I saw a good post about how "measure that shit with your heart" is misleading and like, mood. I am a very experienced cook but I have attention problems and can't follow a recipe if I'm tired or distracted or in pain. So I'm trying to link to real everything is measured for you recipes where I can, so if you haven't made this before and don't know what it should look like, you've got a tested version with proper amounts to start with. Just like I do! And then once I have the technique down, and the relative amounts, I'm sharing my method, which is less so on the measuring and more on my mother's technique, which is "you put in enough and then cook it until it is done", which when I was new was so frustrating, but now that I am old, I know it is 100% based on practice. And that's all, there's no mystery, it's just "I've made it before and I know how it should look so you just make it look like that." Now that I can't reliably read a whole recipe and not miss a big whack of the middle of it, I rely so much on having practiced and generally knowing what things look like when they're "right". But it's not magic and I'm not measuring with my heart I'm measuring with my practiced eye and hand.)

Anyway. Rice bowls or noodle bowls are a fantastic way to just throw a bunch of vegetables into a nice yummy sauce over a good comforting starch and have that be a meal. I tend to do a noodle bowl, and then any left over ingredients get incorporated into a fried rice scramble thing later, so you can keep that in mind if you want to try this.

I found this recipe for butternut squash mushroom noodle bowls. And I tried it as written, and it wasn't bad, but for me, roasting everything in the oven was very hard to time and didn't turn out fantastically well. YMMV, but I have more experience sauteeing things. (My first attempt I also used bok choy instead of spinach so I roasted it separately on another sheet pan according to a technique I've done before for roasted bok choy; this approach would probably work just fine if you were paying more attention than I was; my main issue was that noodle bowl recipe linked above gives far too little time for the butternut squash to roast so mine was unpleasantly crunchy. It's wrong, give it longer, and so I found it best to just not try to squeeze anything else onto the sheet with it as that recipe directs.)

So I changed it up for a second try.

First thing I did was peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler (I find it easiest to do this if I kinda cut it in half crosswise first), then scoop out and set aside the squash guts, then cube the thing up and roast it on a sheet pan, drizzled with peanut oil and salt and set at 400.

That's gonna take like 45 minutes or so, so I set most of my timing around that. Check the directions on your noodles or whatever, figure out what order you've got to do those in. (Soba are best for the protein, but I had rice noodles and they needed a pre-soak and it messed up my timing, which is why I'm making this note here.)

dice an onion. preheat skillet, add oil, begin to sautee onions.

rinse and prepare bok choi or other green of choice.

when the squash is part of the way cooked (like 25 minutes or so, give it a stir and check it to see if it's softening at all), take the seeds you set aside. separate them from the guts (I squeeze them with my fingers out of the assorted gut-fibers, works pretty well), spread in single layer on small baking sheet. turn oven down to 350. drizzle seeds with sesame oil and a tiny bit of salt. put them in the oven for like ten to fifteen minutes. (Turning the heat down is my attempt to have them not pop and fly all over the oven. IDK if it'll work. Be prepared to wipe seeds out of your oven tomorrow morning. They're not messy at least they just fly everywhere.)

Now throw your mushrooms and some diced garlic into your onions and saute. Add the bok choi or spinach or kale or whatever as you're stirring. Cook it all down.

Now make your sauce-- I did not measure anything this go-round, I just grated a bunch of ginger (I keep my ginger root in the fridge and it's easy to microplane off whatever you need) into a wee prep bowl, then added soy sauce, some honey, a couple spoonfuls of water from the boiling noodles to melt the honey and clean the spoon, and then a spoonful or two of chili crisp ("happy lady sauce" [lao gan ma]) because i don't stock sriracha currently.

When your noodles are ready, turn the oven off. Drain the noodles and divide them into your serving bowls, top with squash, add sauteed veg, squash seeds, the sauce. top with sesame seeds.

This was awesome, and I have leftover cooked squash cubes I'm gonna put into another recipe later cuz if you're gonna roast a butternut you might as well roast a pretty big one. I particularly like using the squash seeds because they're so tasty and crunchy and deserve to be eaten rather than thrown out.

Ever The Chief

I think an underrated skill of Dagur's is his leadership.

Something I love was Dagur's interaction with the Riders in the episode "Gold Rush." Easily, he could have just acted like a side character and gone along with whatever they wanted to do, but that's not what happened. Immediately, Dagur goes into leader mode. They get on the island and he says they should split up to cover more ground. When they try to take down the structure that's actually the gold, he is up with an idea again. The same thing goes on when the Riders (minus Fishlegs and Heather) get captured. I like that he's not pushy though. Dagur isn't trying to force his idea on anybody, but he knows that it could work and mentions it again when what they tried before failed. This makes a lot of sense to me because he's the only one there who is officially a leader. Note the word "officially." Hiccup might lead the Riders, but Dagur is a chief and that shows here. A consistent thing with Dagur is that he's never been afraid to take charge.

Honestly, I think that Dagur is one of the best leaders in the series. Now, I will 100% admit that he made a load of mistakes and wasn't a leader I would want when he was evil. So, I'm specifically saying post-redemption Dagur is ne of the best. That said, I do feel like he really wasn't even the worst bosses of the villains. Compare him with Viggo and Krogan. One of the Hunters literally had to steal money for food. The Berserkers haven't gone hungry. Dagur was even shocked to hear that the Hunters were deserting them and that Viggo considered his people expendable. Krogan is just as bad and even kills one of his people who decides to leave (not to mention when a bunch of people died trying to get the Dragon Eye and he couldn't have cared less). It's made clear that Dagur doesn't feel this way.

As a hero, we see Dagur help protect his people against their enemies and there's another fun moment in the last two episodes. Dagur is shown to jump into his leadership position again when the Flyers and Hunters are approaching. He's got an idea I think is deceptively clever. The chief's plan is to wait for the Flyers to get close and then fire the catapults. The other Berserkers think he's crazy (which is funny, sad, and a bit nice when he just acknowledges that they're right), but he still goes through with it. At first glance, if you don't think it's a dumb plan, you might think it's a simple one. Despite that, it involves a lot. By waiting, it uses the information Dagur already has: that dragons can't fly close to the island. Why attack the ships when the Singetails are in the way? They'll either blast the boulders, saving the ships, or get hurt which would be bad since they're innocent in this. So, Dagur waits. Waiting fixes two problems. It gets the dragons close enough to get discombobulated AND allows easy access to sink the ships.

I wish we got to see more of his leadership in the show. I absolutely adore it, but there's just not a lot. Still, I enjoy the little that we do get. (Not even going to lie...I think good Dagur is a better leader than Hiccup. One of the two DIDN'T lose all his island's gold, not search relentlessly to find it, and have all his Vikings evacuate their home of 400+ years for a relatively minor threat compared to what they're used to..just sayin'.)

cast: txt all members & enhypen hyung line ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: an anthology series for txt and enhypen; a love letter from the author to “loveless”, my bloody valentine, and the shoegaze genre

genre: variative for each member

based on: music my bloody valentine’s “loveless” album (1991)

message from the moon: do remember that this is fiction and all the actions the idols do in these works do not reflect what they are in the real world. this is a non-priority anthology so all stories are standalone, won't have any schedule for deadlines, and will be written on my availability! also, noted that the infos written below aren't the final one so i can add/subtract anything.

i had this on the back burner for almost a year now, but i want to create hype (for others and myself) since this has been in my wip from the moment i posted it and since i have the desire to write the stories…

taglist? right here

writing order? here’s the poll result!

only shallow

cast: rebel!sunghoon ✗ outcast!fem.reader

synopsis: watching the goonies on vhs in the corner behind a counter, you are working your night shift in a gas station in the center of downtown. head tilts up from the chiming bell, you see your school’s rebel and his red ford mustang behind him, a smirk on his face as you roll your eyes

genre: kinda enemies to lovers, 80s au, high school au,

warning(s): tba

inspired by: a bit of movie dazed and confused (1993) and the breakfast club (1985)

loomer (visualizer) • an entry for equinox: the escapist

cast: jay ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: jay has always been a loomer, an introvert, and an outsider in a group of people others presumed are bad. looming in the shadows in the corner of the parties full of drinks, drugs, and sex, only can be seen with the flamed blunt of his cigarette in the dark. out of the blue, an orange flame is ignited in the dark corner, creating a silhouette of another person, another loomer, standing beside him

genre: lonely people in neon cities, drama, romance, early 00s au, bad boy au, angst, mature content (consumption of drugs, explicit smut)

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie fallen angels (1995) and millennium mambo (2001)

when you sleep

cast: hueningkai ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: a soulmate's connection can be different for each of them. kai’s connection to his soulmate comes every time he sleeps: when he relieved the highlights of the day that isn’t his, but his soulmate’s. kai didn’t like that his friend ask him to go on a double date with their soulmate and their friend. yet, the date doesn’t seem to be that bad

genre: soulmate au, college/uni au

warning(s): tba

i only said (visualizer) • an entry for discovery: 400 and solstice: a comeback story!

cast: soobin ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: as you stood on the crowded train while making eye contact with the boy from the neighboring school. light shines into the dim train car as it becomes empty and filled with sand. approaching you is a humanoid figure, who calls you the king and queen of viliya—the island kingdom that is plagued with nightmares that haunt its people which you and the boy are also not immune to

genre: two lost souls find comfort, silent lovers, magical realism, meet ugly, hurt/comfort, adventure, thriller, coming of age, romance, high school au, late 2010s au, modern royalty au, angst, fluff, mature content (phobias, trauma, war, explicit smut)

warning(s): tba

inspired by: music my bloody valentine's "i only said" (1991), txt's 2019-2020 star seekers music videos ("nap of the star", "magic island", "eternally"), and movies bridge to terabithia (2007) and tigers are not afraid (2017)

come in alone

cast: drummer!jake ✗ videographer!fem.reader

synopsis: the crowd cheers as you watch from the sideline from behind your camera, the band closing their shows for the night as they have to prepare for their next stop. a whistle can be heard as you see the drummer standing against the doorframe, waiting for you to be tangled in his arm. that is until your past haunts you in one of the shows

genre: band au, tour au, acquaintances with benefits

warning(s): traumatic experience

sometimes

cast: rogue chaebol!beomgyu ✗ supermodel!fem.reader

synopsis: flashes of lights filled the dark void as you run the runway for the last time in your show in italy. what you didn’t see is a man whose importance people knew, hidden in the crowd as he looks at the glitz and glamour. only then do you see him in your sight as you sit in the back alley of the after-party, in solace as you join into an adventure you never expected to go

genre: existentialism, travel au, runaways, set in italy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie lost in translation (2003) with a tinge of call me by your name (2017)

blown a wish

cast: taehyun ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: the eighteenth birthday is the one that you’ve been excited about since you enter high school. so excited that you even bought a candle set from one to 18 in counting down the days to your birthday, each candle represents a wish you want to achieve by 18. with taehyun beside you, surely you can achieve all your wishes, right? ...right?

genre: magical realism, romantic comedy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie 16 wishes (2010)

what you want

cast: heeseung ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: sweats trickle down your forehead as you look at the track before you. all the training and hardships have come to this but you have an underlying thought crossing through your mind. is it worth it?

genre: drama, rivals to ???, athlete au

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie i, tonya (2017)

soon

cast: dance prodigy!yeonjun ✗ dance amateur!fem.reader

synopsis: a mirror wall resides on one side of the practice room you’re in. stretching your stiff body, you overcome yourself to follow your interest after a long time. dancing. not knowing that the room was actually bigger as there is someone on the other side of the mirror, looking and wanting to guide you to your glory

genre: dancer au, mystery

warning(s): tba

inspired by: the phantom of the opera meets movie step up (2006)

taglist: @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @haechanswaifu @wccycc @cha0thicpisces @y4wnjunz @stayzentiny @rebsmoonn @boba-beom @angelbythewindow @ttyunz @reallysmolrenjun

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calx’s experiments #1 plans for my upcoming smaus

aye, thanks for 400+ follows! consider this as a special hehe. i will add my thoughts, opinions, concepts, ideas, and outlines in this post.

the smaus that will be discussed in this post are MIXED SIGNALS (kazuha's), CHEMISTRY (albedo's), TWO WORLDS APART (ayato's), PROFESSORS OF LOVE (zhongli's), and another kazuha smau. spoilers ahead!

✧ー MIXED SIGNALS :: ft. kaedehara kazuha x GN!reader

since this won (tbh i'd still publish it sooner than the others if it didn't lol) i continued outlining it and... unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be as light-hearted as everyone might expect it to be so i decided to make two (2) kazuha smau.

before talking about the other smau, i'd like to discuss my plans for this one. (i will be talking about the other kazuha smau at the very end)

this will be a very short smau (i think) so i decided to make a Tagalog version of this one (currently suffering, i regret this decision but it is what it is). narratives/written chapters are going to be written in full English except for the dialogues. the dialogues and texts may be different from each other, but the context and meaning will still be the same as i will not try to translate them directly.

also, don't expect to see the group chat that you saw at calx's experiments #1 main post ー i'll be posting a teaser soon (slay 💅). i won't discuss it much so,, have these tags and warnings instead lol

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✧ー CHEMISTRY :: ft. albedo x FEM!reader

TW bullying

i haven't planned much as of now because i want to finish mixed signals first before anything else. i'm still not sure about the length of this smau; it might be longer than mixed signals but shorter (debatable) than abyssal love.

idk what to discuss so have this:

y/n, the reader - you, comes from a rich family. she doesn't really do well in her academics but still manages to get good grades — which her classmates really hate. they blindly assumed that she pays the prestigious school to let her stay and give her good grades. however, albedo knows that that is not the case, therefore, he decided to help. the synopsis is subject to change.

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✧ー TWO WORLDS APART :: ft. kamisato ayato x FEM!reader

my notes for this smau is... e m p t y. well, oops, anyways. i really want to work on this smau as soon as possible but i gotta be patient ! also, are you guys good with idol!ayato x photographer!reader? still thinking about what y/n's job should be. do tell if you guys have any suggestions <3 i may not have much for now but expect a shit ton of angst

ayato is a famous idol/actor in inazuma. during his travel in their neighboring country—liyue, he saw a young woman crying. he approached her and offered her a handkerchief and— ok nvm im not gonna spoil anymore kbye

anw, i won't be making a tagalog version of this bc i'm too lazy (🤡), and, expect this to be longer than abyssal love bc there will be so much pining.

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✧ー PROFESSORS OF LOVE :: ft. zhongli x GN!reader

‎if my notes for the ayato smau is empty, well, i don't have notes for this one.. HAHAHAHA what i have in my mind rn is just a cute lighthearted story,, bc i need a break... 💪

y/n and zhongli are both famous professors for their intellect and strong passion for teaching. students would always see the two of them hanging out together, and they thought that they would make a good pair — leading to almost everyone to ship them.

venti is the #1 supporter of the yn x zhongli agenda and supports his students shenanigans when it comes to the two <3

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✧ー ENIGMA [stc] :: ft. kaedehara kazuha x FEM!reader

TW death, car accident

this was supposed to be mixed signals but it will be very angsty so i was like NOOOO ok imma just make this into another smau. THUS, the birth of this smau. ALRIGHT!!!!!! get ready for angst AND i'm giving y'all some second lead <33

y/n once live a happy life with her loving parents alongside their blooming business — but all those were gone because of a mishap that occurred one rainy night. throughout the years of finding the truth about the tragic accident, y/n found herself falling for her childhood friend, kaedehara kazuha. kazuha had always been by her side since the day her parents passed away. never did he leave her side, he was always there to support her. but... why?

AAAAA i wanna shout bc i want to do this one SO BADDDD i want to finish every smau that i'm supposed to do so i can get started with this one. i might publish this alongside Professors of Love but i think i'd be able to start this during the summer vacation (april ?) of 2023? i hope i won't be busy by then so i can do this :'))

tags sneak peek!!!!!

Current Activities in Sims 4 #7

My #6 post was almost quaint. Very little in terms of varied CC/Clothing. Looks like it was probably sub-90 hour, of which I’m now approaching 400. I just wanted to do a breakdown of my current world. With a few notes. Some of these are more played than others, sometimes I just whipped up old archetypes just to have them wandering around in the world. Results are mixed. Read break to follow because lots of images.

First up on my “Barely Played”, Nala Asanti.

Witch. I used to play her a lot more during my previous mood burst of this game. I had a more spellcaster-y outfit for her but some things modmakers don’t understand is now natural lighting works. The design of that link looks great but it also looks very plastic. It’s completely devoid of any wrinkling, and it looks EXACTLY like those screenshots in-game regardless of light level. It’s well designed and straight out of something from Fable, not Sims. When I played her last I just ended up using the multiply spell and got her incredibly rich off of floral arrangements, spawned a cool cottage for her and was basically done with her at that point. She was essentially the reason I don’t make any spellcaster occult anymore. They make the game just a tad too trivial for my liking. And that’s speaking as someone who very often cheats the “forever full” trait because I got real fuckin’ tired of my sims taking 4 in-game hours making and eating a grilled cheese sandwich because they can’t find the table and chairs next to them. The next duo is the two I started my newest spree with.

Aniko and BD-A5.

Sort of a DedSec analog with my hacker girl that spends most of her time playing video games and hacking corporations. Sadly my Stream-Without-Career mod broke when I got a game overlay mod that replaces the vanilla stuff with real world games like GTA and Cyberpunk.

I used to have a trio of three girls that just streamed games all day and made some pretty damn fine money doing that. This duo is sort of the “calm” version of that, though I do want to try that again. Given that that one CC broke I’ll probably need all three of them back in the career. Shame. BD is also the recipient of a cool pack of android traits I found so in theory she shouldn’t really be experiencing many needs or emotions. Due to the android nature of her I also have like two others implanted in other households (and I also think there’s one floating in the world because of an accidental duplication). It’s fine, entirely reasonable that there’d be a few of them. Next, one of my favorites; Anna Rodgriguez.

She’s one of my first forays into exploring the “paranoid” trait. It’s not a very powerful moodlet on its own. Introduced in Strangerville, basically all of the conspiracy theorist townies have it. Anna herself is in the military and uses that inside knowledge for her media production, a lot of her video titles are like “How to Blend in Crowds” and “How to spot Security Cameras”. Honestly Aniko and her probably belong in the same household. Anna is also incredibly rich. Loading her up, her household has 370,000$. I know she makes a very good chunk of change from media revenue but I didn’t remember it getting that high. I like to think she uses that money for all the best technology to keep her identity hidden and location secret from the very people she works for. I am also thinking of a short story to write about her on Royal Road. Will work on that... eventually. These next two don’t live together but they’re basically the same archetype. Different neighboorhoods, different aesthetics. Basically the second girl is mostly me testing out a variety of clothing CC. The first one is Katrina Kalhille.

And the following is Ami “The Shadow”.

They’re both fairly high-class thieves and I think I gave them both the same traits, maybe with one or two differences (I have a mod that allows my sims to have up to 5). Katrina I believe, is more serious about her work. She has the “robber” job, another CC that doesn’t really elaborate in the blurb about what your sim is doing. It’s a fairly high payout but you only work one day a week in the later promotions. Ami is the “bank robber”, and I don’t know how that payout is yet because Ami is my newest character. I hope it functions similarly to Robber in the sense of high payout/low hour workweek, because I gave her a basement and I hope to explore the drug mod with her as well. My next character, some may find familiar in the strange event I have any long-time viewers. Kiur Kenneth, born from WoW and I’d later import her across a multitude of MMO’s and games to roleplay her in their respective universes.

She’s loaded with all of the traits that should, in theory, swing her moods around like you wouldn’t believe. ADHD - Trouble controlling her impulses. I’m not sure how that translates in gameplay. Unpredictable - Builds relationships faster when playful, slower when focused. Witty - big on +funny radial, and build charisma and comedy faster. Crazy - This has the Harley Quinn icon attached so it gives her powerful flirty moodlets. Erratic - Unpredictable emotions and can talk to themselves to build their social up. Very on-brand for her. She also lives with some Lilith Vatore I made up but I don’t know what her deal is yet. Kiur is more important. This is Livia Avencii.

After owning but not playing the werewolves pack for months, I finally made one to play with its mechanics. I actually very much enjoy it, and how self-sufficient they can truly become. I am actually considering remaking my old nudist archetype as a werewolf. They can fulfull their needs anywhere with 3-4 perks available within the first two tiers of being a werewolf. The only ones they can’t is their Fun and Social. Everything else is done by pissing on the street, licking your arms for a “shower”, taking a nap anywhere, or running off to hunt for raw meat. It did lead to a funny moment where I pissed in some grass and my active girl immediately started doing pushups in her own leavings. I have her living in a rundown, practically destroyed house with only part of a roof. It lends to her story well (which I do have written and available to read on Royal Road)  Per her story she’s escaping her old life and father and basically just lives off the grid like a witness protection recipient. Really, I just like how they can treat their needs in any location but in a more balanced way than spellcasters who can just drink a potion and fill their needs instantly. This next character is my second newest behind “The Shadow”. Gabriela Bennet.

Basically directly inspired and made right after Livia above. She’s my clubber, who spends her days off and away at nightclubs (with the aspiration to match). Her look was also ripped directly off of Pinterest, and in fact is hosted right here on Tumblr. I couldn’t quite get her exactly like what is shown for a few reasons. Different skinpacks, I don’t have the posing mod, and for the life of me I spent ten minutes on her lips but I could not match what is shown in that link. I like her a lot though. Anyway that’s what I’ve been up to for the last week.

1. What is your favorite trope to rp?

5. What is a character you love, but don’t think you can write?

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses.

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend?

11. Do you welcome duplicates of your character or stay away from them?

13. Is there one trope you can’t stand?

14. What is your opinion on writing smut?

15. What is your opinion on tagging triggers?

17. What makes you insecure about your own writing?

18. What is one thing you’d wish to see more in the rp community?

22. Are there any red roleplay flags for you that make you back off immedately?

23. Your favorite fandom to write in?

24. Have you ever left a fandom because of negativity?

25. One thing you’d like new roleplayers to know?

Once I'm done with this list you'll know everything worth knowing about me. 😉 Here we go...

1. The shy and awkward phase of nascent romantic interest, where each muse is just beginning to realize they like the other. I dunno why, I'm just kind of a slut for that.

5. Oh. Wow. Hm. Uh... y'know, I'm fairly confident in my writing skill, and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at finding characters' individual voices (even villains). But, I have trouble finding specifically female voices in my head... and the first one that came to mind for this question was Mystique. I think she's incredible as a character, complex, layered, uncompromising in her beliefs, a badass in every way, but I just don't think I have the chops to write her... not least of which because I don't share her gender. I don't necessarily consider this a deal-breaker, but I am very much aware that womanhood comes with an array of experiences, both biological and societal, which men simply don't have, and I have a hard time imagining I could do proper justice to RPing a woman.

...that's probably a longer answer than you needed.

6. My muses all have stubborn streaks, and martyr complexes. And they're also willing to be goofy when they don't need to have a game face on. In all of these aspects, they reflect facets of me.

7. ABO romance. I'm so very sorry to those of you out there who love that kind of thing, and it's taken me this long to realize it, but I just don't see the appeal. Threads either collapse within ten posts or they go on interminably (I know I've seen at least one out there with something like 400+ notes); there doesn't seem to be any in-between. Obviously the long ones are happy-making for their authors and bless them for that, but... meh?

11. I would gladly welcome duplicates of them, especially Dr. Strange, Spidey, Vision, and Groot. But I've not been approached, and I haven't gone out of my way to seek threads with that express purpose.

13. "Canon character A belongs with canon character B because canon." Bzzzzt! Wrong. I have exactly ONE ship here on Tumblr that has any canon foundation -- coincidentally with the mun who sent me this list of questions!

14. Love it, as long as both writers are consenting adults and not crazypants. I prefer it to be discreet, such as under cuts, or maybe even off Tumblr altogether (Discord is a thing!), but y'know, do what you like, all our muses get horny at some point or another.

15. AN ABSOLUTE MUST. No debate will be entertained.

17. Re-reading it too many times. I eventually find something about it I dislike enough to try and go back and change it, when it was perfectly fine the way it was before.

18. Uhh... RP? 😂 It'll happen sometimes where people are posting nothing but meme prompts, and yet there will be so few actual responses to them, such that my entire room could be plastered in meme prompt wallpaper just from what's on my dash between one active RP post and the next.

22. Lack of a clear declaration that an RPer is 18+, lack of a Rules page, lack of a Characters page for multi-muses... and, I cannot stress this enough, problematic themes without trigger warnings. We ask for TW's for a reason in this community and it's the height of selfishness to ignore this request. I will have my boundaries respected, or I will not engage. Simple as that.

23. It should come as no surprise my dedicated love is to the Marvel fandom.

24. Not an entire fandom, no, but negativity has touched me in ways that caused me to lose contact with productions I enjoyed. I had Naruto shoved down my throat by a "friend" who'd hoped to Stockholm me into liking it, and he almost succeeded, but he wound up driving me broke one summer (and now not only am I jaded towards Naruto, I have a passionate hatred for World of WarCraft, his favorite game of the time); I'd been enjoying Chobits with my ex-girlfriend but never finished it because our relationship went very sour (and I almost bailed out on Yu-Gi-Oh! over the very same relationship). I don't see myself coming back to those productions, but I never really considered myself part of the attendant fandoms in the first place.

25. Cultivate your experience. It's perfectly normal to seek out swaths of RPers only to realize you don't have nearly as much in common with a lot of them as you'd hoped. If you don't care for what you're seeing from someone, it's okay to drop them! The Unfollow button is as much a friend of yours as the Follow button is. There are always more RPers, and they're all eager to have someone to write with.

As 400 million Europeans get set to elect 720 EU parliamentarians in June, polls are predicting big gains for right-wing populists. As a result, for the first time since the European Parliament was directly elected in 1979, it is expected to have a solid majority on the right. This will mark a “sharp right turn” for Europe, the European Council of Foreign Affairs (ECFR) recently noted. The consequences for European politics and policy are already coming into view.

The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the left-leaning Socialists and Democrats party (S&D) are again expected to finish in first and second place, although both may lose a handful of seats. The EU’s far-right groups, Identity and Democracy (ID) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), will improve their tally mainly at the expense of liberals and Greens. According to ECFR, populists are likely to be the top vote-getter in nine countries, including Austria, the Netherlands, France, Hungary, Poland, and Italy. In nine others, including Spain and Germany, they could emerge as strong second or third-place contenders.

ID—which includes the main anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic parties in Germany (Alternative for Deutschland or AfD), France (National Rally), and Italy (the League or Lega)—is likely to become the EU parliament’s third-largest group after elections are held between June 6 and 9. The ECR is led by Georgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister and leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, and is home to Sweden’s Sweden Democrats and Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS). If authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, a member of the EPP until a few years ago, joins the ECR as expected, the far-right could claim a quarter of the total seats.

Political machinations already seem to be underway among some establishment parties to create cooperation with this newly powerful bloc. Experts say if the EPP, the strongest conservative party in the EU, welcomes far-right politicians in its fold or co-opts their policies, as it has lately been accused of, the balance of power in Europe will decisively shift to the right and have major implications for not just the EU’s common agenda but may also influence how member states decide critical policies.

“I think in our campaign we will ask the EPP to be pragmatic, to pick the alternative to a center-left majority,” Marco Campomenosi, a Lega politician and the head of the Italian delegation in ID, told Foreign Policy.

Experts say any such shift will have major implications for the EU as a whole, tainting its recent promises to pursue a humane migration policy and to establish rule of law at home that encourages democratic checks and balances. An empowered far-right may also keep coordination on a common defense policy to the bare minimum in the face of a looming threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The EU’s flagship Green Deal climate framework, which has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, is also at stake, as the populists try to push the EU to erode its commitment to renewable energy development and other climate policies.

Charlie Weimers, a member of the far-right Sweden Democrats that supports Sweden’s minority center-right government, said, his party’s priority is to push for a “Migration Pact 2.0,” with more stringent measures to stop the influx of immigrants than already listed in the new migration pact. “We need to stop asylum,” he told FP over the phone. “We need breathing space to deal with the immigrants already here otherwise we can never catch up.”

Lega’s Campomenosi said, “it’s not about the money” but about the “trouble” immigrants make. (Under the new migration pact an EU member state which refuses to accept an asylum seeker should pay a sum of 20,000 euros to an EU fund.) “If there are too many immigrants they can’t be integrated,” he added.

Three far-right parliamentarians told FP that with bigger numbers in Parliament they will be able to apply more pressure on the EU commissioner to throw out or dilute the green deal.

It “needs to go away,” Joachim Kuhs, the acting head of the AfD delegation in EU which is polling as the second strongest party in Germany, told FP in his office in the parliament. “It should be repealed and replaced,” Weimers added.

The liberal groups say the center-right has strengthened the far-right by co-opting its policies and forming alliances in individual member states.

Pedro Marques, a vice president of the S&D group, said the EPP parties have been “eroding the Cordon Sanitaire,” erected to keep the far-right out of governments and important positions. “The EPP is dancing with the far right,” he added, with grave consequences for the future of the union.

The cordon sanitaire is crumbling in many European nations. In Italy, the far-right is in power, in Sweden the center-right government is backed by the far-right. In Austria, center-right and far-right have been in a coalition, and the latter is polling ahead of all others in the run up to national elections. In France, Marine Le Pen is leading the polls, and in Germany, the conservatives have hinted at future cooperation at a regional level with the far-right AfD.

The legitimization of the far-right isn’t limited to member states. Ursula Von Der Leyen, a member of the EPP and EU commissioner, has alluded to Meloni’s inclusion in her grouping. She said it wasn’t clear which parties will remain in the ECR after the elections and which will leave, and “join EPP.”

Hans Kundnani, writer of a book called Eurowhiteness, said the boundaries between the ID, ECR and the EPP have always been “very fluid.”

“As soon as Meloni indicated she won’t be disruptive in the Eurozone, that she won’t be pro-Russian, centrist pro-European EPP said that’s great, we don’t mind,” Kundnani said. “The center right has no problem with far-right at all, they just have a problem with those who are Eurosceptic.”

Experts say Von Der Leyen has often backed off on key policies to appease the far-right. Just over the last few months as the farmers protested against the provisions of the green deal, the far-right found another issue to mobilize against mainstream parties. During election season, Von Der Leyen quickly conceded and granted several concessions to the agriculture sector that will affect the 2050 net zero target.

The best example of how the EU commissioner validated the far-right’s worldview, Kundnani argued, was when she created a post for an EU commissioner to promote a European way of life.

“The big theme of the European far-right is that the immigrants threaten European civilization,” he said. When Von Der Leyen created the position, she framed “immigration as a threat to the European way of life,” and in doing so legitimized the far-right.

It is unclear if co-opting the far-right’s talking points benefits the center right in keeping their traditional voters from moving towards populists, but there is an emerging consensus that it strengthens the radical right in the longer run. For its part, the far-right has moderated its own positions on many issues to appeal to the voters more to the center. The far-right parties say they are no longer calling for an exit from the EU, but merely to reform it from within. They say they back Ukraine and not Putin.

Many parties on the far-right advocate return of border controls in violation of the EU’s founding principle of free movement of people and goods. Last year, the AfD described the EU as a “failed project,’’ while Sweden Democrats said they had “good reasons to seriously reevaluate our membership in the union.” There is still a lingering suspicion that the rank-and-file members of the far-right parties harbor sympathy for Putin. Last month, Lega’s leader Matteo Salvini deflected when asked if he blamed Putin for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s sudden death.

The parliamentarians of the ID and ECR with whom FP spoke expressly rejected Von Der Leyen’s proposal to appoint a dedicated defense commissioner to improve coordination among member states on matters of defense.

“We say that we want to manage immigration in a humane way, we can do better to manage the borders,” added Marques of the S&D. In response to the far-right’s demand to externalize the screening of asylum seekers, he said it was difficult to find credible partners. “We did this agreement with the Tunisian authorities, but when we tried to go there to check the conditions, to see how European money will be spent, they said we don’t want your agreement anymore. These have to be credible partnerships.”

The center-left S&D party simply dismisses the moderated stances of far-right parties as a charade. They believe the far-right simply wants the benefits of being in the union, not the costs that sometimes come with upholding its values. “They want an EU without the rule of law, without humanity,” Marques said. “That’s not what we built after the Second World War. They want to change the EU into something that it isn’t. Their values are not European.”

ASRock’s PGO270W2A and its 360Hz OLED Glory!

ASRock has provided enthusiasts with a look at the ASRock’s PGO270W2A, a cutting-edge gaming display that promises to alter the gaming experience. This sneak view was made available to enthusiasts exclusively. They are going to the most important features, specs, and everything else you need to know about this 27-inch wonder since this post is going to be so extensive. In the latter part of this year, ASRock is about to unleash a gaming revolution, so be ready for it!

Exploring the Gaming Monitor Lineup Offered by ASRock

ASRock has always led the market in producing top-notch gaming monitors, and the Phantom Gaming ASRock’s PGO270W2A is no exception. To get a deeper comprehension of its unique attributes, let us compare it to its equivalents, the PGO27QFS2A, PG27FFX2A, and PG27QFW2A.

ASRock’s PGO270W2A and PGO27QFS2A: The OLED Displays Are Revealed

The ASRock’s PGO270W2A takes a different approach by using an OLED screen, despite the fact that sharing a model name might potentially lead to misunderstanding. An LG Display WOLED panel was selected by ASRock for the PGO27QFS2A, which is a preference that is comparable to that of the UltraGear OLED 27GS95QE.

Connectivity to the Samsung Display for the ASRock’s PGO270W2A

On the other hand, in contrast to its OLED counterpart, the PGO270W2A is speculated to make use of a Samsung Display, which might be a QD-OLED screen. Based on panels from the MSI MAG 271QPX, Dell Alienware AW2725DF, and MPG 271QRX, TFT Zone speculates that there could be a connection between the three. Its original quality of 2,560 x 1,440 inches with certifications like VESA HDR TrueBlack 400 and AMD free syncing Premium Pro might be one explanation for this.

Bringing to Light the Power of Display

Now that they have that out of the way, let’s get into the technical specs that make the Phantom Gaming ASRock’s PGO270W2A a formidable competitor in the world of gaming monitor performance.

In addition to Connectivity, Refresh Rates

Featuring a remarkable 360 Hz refresh rate, the ASRock’s PGO270W2A provides a gaming experience that is unmatched by any other graphical display. However, it is vital to note that this maximum refresh rate is obtained via the DisplayPort connection. On the other hand, HDMI connectivity restricts the display to 144 Hz owing to the fact that HDMI 2.0 connections impose this limitation.

Color Accuracy, Brightness, and Response Time are all included.

With a peak brightness of 400 nits, a quick reaction time of 0.03 milliseconds (GtG), and a color space coverage of 99% in the DCI-P3 standard, the ASRock’s PGO270W2A is designed to provide users with images that are both rich and realistic. Despite the fact that information on the accompanying USB Type-A and USB Type-B ports has not been published, the existence of a USB Type-C connector allows for a greater degree of adaptability in terms of its connectivity possibilities.

Insights and Forecasts from Industry Masters

Despite the fact that ASRock has offered a tantalizing insight inside the Phantom Gaming PGO270W2A, essential data like as price and release dates are still being kept under wraps. Those who are knowledgeable in the industry predict a debut that is greatly anticipated, although fans will need to be vigilant for official statements from ASRock.

Is it possible to use AMD FreeSync Premium Pro with the PGO270W2A configuration?

Furthermore, it’s expected that the PGO270W2A will get the AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification, ensuring that gamers using AMD graphics cards can enjoy a seamless and tear-free gaming experience.

Will a USB Type-C connection be included with the purchase of the PGO270W2A?

According to reports, the PGO270W2A does, in fact, come equipped with a USB Type-C connection, which expands the range of connecting possibilities available to it. The information about extra USB Type-A and USB Type-B ports that are included in a USB hub, on the other hand, has not been published.

When it comes to the PGO270W2A, what is the anticipated resolution?

Clear and detailed images will be available to customers thanks to the PGO270W2A’s native resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, as per reports.

Last Words

All things considered, the ASRock Phantom Gaming PGO270W2A seems to have the ability to completely transform gaming monitors. It claims to provide the greatest gaming experience imaginable with its OLED display, quick refresh rates, and cutting-edge technologies. Even although many details are still unknown, gamers’ anticipation for its release doesn’t appear to be waning.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

Dark Energy Survey Uncovers Clues to Universe’s Complexity - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/dark-energy-survey-uncovers-clues-to-universes-complexity-technology-org/

Dark Energy Survey Uncovers Clues to Universe’s Complexity - Technology Org

In 1998, astronomers discovered that the universe is accelerating, thanks to a mysterious force called dark energy that makes up about 70% of the universe. The discovery came as a surprise as it countered the prevailing notion that the universe’s expansion should be slowing down because of gravity. 

The image here depicts Kepler’s supernova remnant, captured through a blend of X-ray and optical wavelengths. This remnant originates from a Type Ia supernova, a type of supernova that serves as a tool for measuring distances on a cosmic scale. Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/D. PATNAUDE; (OPTICAL) DSS

The breakthrough, which astronomers achieved by making calculations with observations of specific kinds of exploding stars, called type 1a supernovae, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011.

Now, 25 years after the initial discovery, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) has released the results of an analysis using the same technique to further probe the mysteries of dark energy and the expansion of the universe.

In a presentation at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society, and in a paper submitted to the Astrophysical Journal, Masao Sako of the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and other DES astronomers reported results that are consistent with the standard cosmological model of a universe with an accelerated expansion. Yet, the presenters noted that their findings are not definitive enough to rule out a possibly more complex model. 

“It was exciting to ‘unblind’ our results and to look at the latest and greatest measurements on the amount of dark matter and dark energy, and see this effort come to an end,” says Sako. “It was definitely an emotional moment for me.”

Taking a unique approach to analysis

The DES is an international collaboration made up of more than 400 scientists from over 25 institutions.

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, DES mapped an area almost one-eighth of the entire sky using the Dark Energy Camera, a 520-megapixel digital camera supported by the DOE-Office of Science and mounted on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the National Science Foundation’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. DES scientists took data for 758 nights over the course of six years.

An example of a supernova discovered by the Dark Energy Survey within the field covered by one of the individual detectors in the Dark Energy Camera. The supernova exploded in a spiral galaxy with redshift = 0.04528, which corresponds to a light-travel time of about 0.6 billion years. In comparison, the quasar at the right has a redshift of 3.979 and a light-travel time of 11.5 billion years. Image credit: DES Collaboration

To understand the nature of dark energy and measure the expansion rate of the universe, DES scientists perform analyses with four different techniques, including the supernova technique used in 1998.

Sako and his team began work on the DES in 2010, while the camera was still under construction and their major contribution to the project was in designing the survey strategy for the supernova technique. This involved choosing which areas of the sky to observe, setting the cadence for observations, and setting up simulations of the full survey to determine what to expect from their imaging data precisely.

The researchers explain that this technique requires data from type 1a supernovae, which occurs when an extremely dense dead star, known as a white dwarf, reaches a critical mass and explodes. Since the critical mass is the same for all white dwarfs, all type 1a supernovae reach approximately the same levels of brightness.

So, when astronomers compare a type 1a supernova’s apparent brightness as seen from Earth to its true brightness, they can determine the supernova’s distance from us.

There is a strong correlation between a supernova’s distance and its redshift—a measurement of how quickly it is moving away from Earth. Combining these two values reveals how fast the universe was expanding when the supernova occurred. Astrophysicists can compare that combined rate to the rate of expansion today to determine whether the dark energy density has remained constant or changed over time.

“As the universe expands, the matter density goes down,” says Richard Kron, director of the DES. “But if the dark energy density is a constant, that means the total proportion of dark energy must be increasing as the volume increases.”

The culmination of a decade of effort

DES collaborator Tamara Davis, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Queensland, Australia, notes the standard cosmological model, known as LambdaCDM, is the leading theory that describes how the universe works. “It tells us how the universe evolves using just a few features, such as the density of matter, type of matter, and the behavior of dark energy,” she says.

Davis explains that the supernova method constrains two parameters very well: matter density and w, which indicates whether the dark energy density is constant or not. According to the standard cosmological model, the amount of dark energy in the universe is constant, which means it doesn’t dilute as the universe expands. If this is true, a parameter represented by the letter w should equal –1. 

The culmination of a decade’s worth of effort, it was an emotional time for many astrophysicists involved. “I was shaking,” says Davis, who is also co-convener of DES’s supernova working group. “It was definitely an exciting moment.”

The results found w = –0.80 +/- 0.18. Combined with complementary data from the European Space Agency’s Planck telescope, w creeps even closer to –1—but still doesn’t quite reach –1 within the error bars. 

“w is tantalizingly not exactly on –1, but close enough that it’s consistent with –1,” says Davis. “A more complex model might be needed—dark energy may indeed vary with time.”

The history of the expansion universe can be traced by comparing recessional velocities (redshifts) with distances determined for each supernova. The DES result shows that the expansion has been accelerating with cosmic time, the signature of dark energy. Image credit: DES Collaboration

To come to a definitive conclusion, astrophysicists will need more data. But DES won’t be able to provide that; the survey stopped taking data in January 2019. DES collaborators are still conducting analyses with other techniques. The supernova team, led by many Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows, will soon have extracted all they can from the DES observations.

“Combining the DES supernova information with these other probes will even better inform our cosmological model,” says Davis.   The supernova team will soon have extracted all they can from the DES observations. Soon, experiments like the Rubin Observatory will pick up where DES left off—probably doing the same kinds of analyses. “We’re pioneering these techniques that will be directly beneficial for the next generation of supernova surveys,” says Kron.

Pioneering a new approach 

This 2018 analysis, DES supernova analysis made many improvements upon DES’s first supernova result released in 2018 that used just 207 supernovae and three years of data. Davis and Sako say the team, led by many Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows on DES, improved their analysis at every step. It took many years of work, but the collaboration was able to halve their systematic uncertainty and greatly lower the statistical uncertainty.

“It’s been such a rewarding experience being here for the final push of the DES supernova analysis,” says Helen Qu, a current Ph.D. student working with Sako.

“I’m certainly looking forward to further cosmological insights with Rubin.” Qu developed one of the machine learning methods used for the analysis and compiled the full catalog of galaxies observed by DES. A host galaxy is identified from this catalog for each supernova and used to obtain ultra-precise redshift measurements for the supernovae.

Jason (Jaemyoung) Lee, another one of Sako’s Ph.D. students, says, “It has been an amazing experience to be part of this collaborative effort, I truly learned a ton from my collaborators. I also really got to appreciate how much effort goes into making sure that our results are robust.” Lee has quantified how much our atmosphere impacts the DES supernovae flux measurements depending on the color of the supernovae.

Another improvement was that Sako’s team and the other DES researchers used the most advanced machine-learning techniques to aid in supernova classification. Among data from 300 million distant galaxies observed, Sako’s Supernova Working Group at DES found 1,499 type 1a supernovae, making it the largest, deepest supernova sample from a single telescope ever compiled.

In 1998, the Nobel-winning astronomers used just 52 supernovae to determine that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. “It’s a really massive scale-up from 25 years ago,” says Davis. 

These DES supernovae also have more-precise data than previous surveys because they were observed in four colors of light filters—a major advancement compared to the Nobel-winning supernovae samples, which only used one or two light filters.

This diagram shows the filter system installed on the Dark Energy Camera used by DES to discover supernovae and monitor their brightness evolution. The method uses an unprecedented four filters: g (bluest filter), r, i, and z (reddest filter). Image credit: DES collaboration

“[This new supernova result] is exciting because this means we can really tie a bow on it and hand it out to the community and say, ‘This is our best attempt at explaining how the universe is working,’” says Davis. “These constraints will now be the gold standard in supernova cosmology for quite some time.”

Even with more advanced dark energy surveys forthcoming, DES scientists emphasized the importance of having theoretical models to explain dark energy in addition to their experimental observations. “All of this is really unknown territory,” Kron says. “We do not have a theory that puts dark energy into a framework that relates to other physics that we do understand. For the time being, we in DES are working to constrain how dark energy works in practice with the expectation that, later on, some theories can be falsified.”

“Even if we measure dark energy infinitely precisely, it doesn’t mean we know what it is,” says Davis. “Dark energy is still out there to be discovered.”

Source: University of Pennsylvania

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How Can A Mentor Help You With Your UPSC Preparation

Let's begin this blog post by defining a mentor.  Oprah Winfrey has very elegantly explained what a mentor is. She went on to say, "A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself." . This is relevant to UPSC because, as we all know, preparing for the UPSC is not simple. Even though this exam requires at least a year of preparation, many candidates still fail to pass it. Only 0.1% of candidates for the UPSC will actually succeed. Even though the struggle is challenging, it can still be won. But many students lose interest or lose hope as a result of continuing failure. Herein lies the function of a mentor. The only thing you need to pass the exam is the right mentor for UPSC preparation. Here, we'll talk about the best IAS coaching in Delhi that is suited to your demands and the best UPSC mentorship program.

How a Mentor Can Help You Win the UPSC Battle?

Not every candidate who chooses to study for the UPSC CSE exam has access to someone who can provide them with accurate guidance. All an applicant has to offer at this point is the desire and dream of someday becoming an IAS.  They travel to Delhi in the belief that they will succeed in the exam. But they don't realize the fierce rivalry until they arrive. You must wait while the teacher continues the lessons while seated among 400–500 other applicants. With the right mentor you will be able to choose the best IAS coaching in Delhi that is just the right fit for your needs.

Having the right mentor for UPSC preparation, you will have a guide who will suggest ways to approach UPSC and tackle the multiple problems that come along. Points to note what a the best UPSC mentorship program will get you are:

Have a Friend cum Teacher - A lot of the times it is seen that the student is unable express his/her doubts regarding studies or otherwise. Like mentioned before a lot of the students emigrate for studies, they have no one to share troubles with. Mentorship can help you with that. 

Motivate you in Times of Stress - UPSC is challenging. The competition is stiff and the syllabus is extensive. Many times, applicants begin to wonder, "How can I pass the exam when there are 10 lakh others competing against me?" One of the often asked questions is this one. The ideal mentor will not only inspire you but will also offer you advice on how to handle this. 

Suggest the best IAS coaching in Delhi - Students get distracted by advertisements. Without thinking they enroll themselves to institutes. Mentor will understand your weaknesses and strengths and observing the parameters will help you choose the right IAS coaching institute that is right for you.

Conclusion:

The Hinduzone is a platform that provides mentorship for you to choose the right IAS coaching center for yourself. And not just that, if you want to self-study, our UPSC mentorship program is all you need. From suggesting the right books to even providing counseling, we will help you all throughout your journey. 

Learning Agreement Draft #1

Name: Hopper Miller

Course: Visual Communications

Level: 5

Unit: Concepts of Visual Language

Unit Code: VCO565

Credit points:  40

Study hours: 400 hours

Tutor(s): Rich Hurst, Mark Pavey

Synopsis of study

For my CVL Brief, I'd create a Navigation system for productivity. More specifically a productivity web tool that brings together the best ideologies and systems I've found to help with time management and organization. The website will aim to make productivity aid more accessible to a mass audience by cutting out the steep learning curve of many tools and setting up systems automatically.

To achieve creating this web tool, I plan to use my prior knowledge of app and web design to create a more user-friendly interface that provides users with a clear understanding of how these tools work. The website will include things such as a calendar, a to-do list, and note-taking.

There is a significant gap in the market for a tool such as this. I've found that many productivity tools of today have complex UI, require a lengthy setup process, or need more interconnectedness with other tools. By bringing all these tools to one place, I want to build a tool that streamlines the idea of a productivity system and gives casual users the ability to benefit.

The primary motivation for this topic is a growing need for productivity systems as we move into a more digital world. Many people now work remotely and have to manage their schedules; this leads to the need for effective time management and organization to be present more than ever before. I also want to bring my knowledge of current UX and UI trends to create something modern and accessible to the masses.

My personal motivation to create this website is to continue to develop my skill in product design. I have worked much more with app and now want to develop my skill with websites as well.

Ethical issues

No ethical issues present

Aims  

A1 To identify links between my specialist topic and relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks through independent led research and critical understanding.

A2 To strengthen my ability to define problems and generate ideas using different approaches to solve them appropriate to an identified audience.

A3 To develop my creativity, knowledge and understanding of practice through the effective use of communication in professional contexts.

Learning outcomes:

LO1 Demonstrate my understanding of relevant theoretical / conceptual frameworks through independent led research and critical reflection.

LO2 Demonstrate my ability to problem solve using different approaches and defining my ideas in relation to audience / user / viewer.

LO3 Generate effective communication that demonstrate:

• solutions that show an awareness of contemporary practice within professional contexts.

• work that shows a high degree of creativity and aesthetic judgment.

Assessment criteria

A body of work containing sketchbooks, process book, blog posts and worksheets showing your design process: research, analysis, ideas development and final designs. All digital files must be named / labeled correctly and submitted. All final  outcomes must be presented to a professional industry standard.

Assessment Components

For Assessment I will produce A body of work containing sketchbooks, process book, blog posts and worksheets showing your design process: research, analysis, ideas development and final designs. 100%

Reference 

In units which require a learning agreement, you should provide evidence of the references you will use during the project. 

Each course will indicate in the assignment brief what is required in terms of references to be included in the learning agreement, but any bibliography for AUB projects must be presented using the Harvard System, details of which can be found in the library.

Action plan/time plan

Research

Continue researching methodologies used to maximize productivity

 Continue researching contemporary examples of these methods in practice

Continue researching modern UX/UI in the web space 

Outcome

Create a user flow and user persona 

create a lo-fi wireframe of pages 

create a hi-fi wireframe of pages

create mock ups and presentation for website

The Slaw Line, Fallout 76 and Other Stories We Need to Tell About West Virginia

(Publisher's Note: This article was published late last week on Moundsville.org, and with permission of the publisher, John W. Miller, we're re-publishing it this morning in case LEDE News readers missed it on the Marshall County blog.) West Virginia might be the most misunderstood state in the union. How can outsiders, and its own people, understand it better? The best answer, of course, is to empower and celebrate storytellers from West Virginia �� like memoirist Neema Avashia, or Steve Novotney in Wheeling, WV and Brianna Hickman in Moundsville – who write about their home communities. Emily Hilliard, the state’s folklorist from 2015-2021, has written Making Our Future (UNC Press, 312 p., $24.95), a rich, witty, deeply-reported and impassioned survey of West Virginia folklife, and a plea for “collaborative ethnography”. That’s a way of reporting “in a place like Appalachia, where journalists and cultural workers have extracted stories and cultural resources without community input, benefit, or respect, employing narratives that frame the region’s faults as individual failures rather than systemic problems.” For her kinder, more human approach, amplified by a relentless and refreshing curiosity, Hilliard chose eight specific stories: the history of the Scotts Run coal-mining community and its museum; the inspiring, heart-melting songwriting of four working-class women; the food and culture of Helvetia, WV, a Swiss community of 59 people; the landscape of the stories of legendary fiction writer Breece D’J Pancake in Milton, WV; the West Virginia teachers’ strike; hotdogs and the so-called “slaw line”, which demarcates where coleslaw is added; independent pro wrestling; and the video game Fallout 76. The nature of her work as a public folklorist, she writes, “is to offer my assistance to local communities in recognizing themselves as collectivities with some shared identity and history (even if contested), communities that, through shared reactive expression, can together realize the power of self-determination in making their future.” (As University of Pittsburgh anthropologist Loukas Barton told me after we premiered our oral history film Moundsville in the town’s it’s about: Presenting a finished work to the subject “is about respect, but it’s also aboutinteraction, collaboration and growth. Self-knowledge can give a community political power.” When Hilliard moved to West Virginia from Washington, DC on Halloween, 2015, she discovered a wildly diverse state. Today there are still actively practiced African American, Serbian, Lebanese, Italian, Spanish, Swiss, Greek, and Polish traditions…West Virginia is also home to newer Syrian, Haitian, and Burmese refugees, and a quickly growing Latinx population. A new Hindu temple opened in Dunbar in 2017, and the Islamic Center in Charleston, a multiracial and multiethnic faith community, has over 400 active members. It is important to note that while West Virginia is declining in population overall, notably among its white population, communities of color in the state are growing. One of West Virginia’s most expansive exposures in the last decade has been the best-selling video game, Fallout 76, which takes place in post-apocalyptic West Virginia, 25 years after a nuclear war has decimated the world. Players emerge from a bunker in Flatwoods, WV, and are charged with fighting two-headed opossums, giant ticks and mangy beavers, and the Scorched, a zombie-like army, securing nuclear silos and making the world for rebuilding and repopulating.   Rightly, Hilliard spends an essay exploring the game’s cultural significance. It is, after all, global. She quotes Norwegian Anders Isaken: “I have been playing Fallout 76 and I have to admit that I have developed a love for West Virginia. I have never been to the USA but if I were ever to get a chance to visit your wonderful country West Virginia is high on my list of places I want to travel to. Your local culture, folklore, nature and people seem absolutely lovely. Without the game you and your amazing state would just be a word on a map. Now it is in my heart. Country Roads take me home.” The game is full of West Virginia tourist sites, including Harper’s Ferry, the Mothman Museum, the Moundsville prison, New Vrindaban, and the Greenbrier resort. “The in-game portrayal of Helvetia, the remote mountain village of population 59, founded in 1869 by Swiss German immigrants, is particularly accurate,” Hilliard reports. “Though the game designers swapped a few building locations, the scale and aesthetic is impeccably simulated and everything is there, down to the hand-painted signs, the historic bootmaker shack, Cheese Haus, Honey Haus, Hutte Swiss Restaurant (called Freya’s Restaurant in-game), the Kultur Haus/general store/post office, mask museum, and even the assortment of instruments in the museum that belonged to the original members of the real Helvetia Star Band. Though I never played the game, when I watched a friend navigate through virtual Helvetia, I was able to direct him to where to go based on my familiarity with the town.” The world of Fallout 76 “is a West Virginia that has been returned to the frontier it once was.” Fallout 76, is also an example of extracting a cultural resource, and could possibly overwhelm the tourist capacities of small towns. It’s also expensive and difficult to play for people without decent incomes and good broadband. Hilliard argues that “as a next step beyond documentation, contextualization, and presentation, folklorists, myself included, should be more attuned to the future life of traditions beyond sustainability, and actively work in collaboration with communities to combat the outside destructive forces, such as privatization, extraction, and austerity, that disrupt them and block their agency to negotiate the transmission of their traditions.” The book shines brightest when Hilliard is on the ground: Leaving Charleston and heading southeast, the road is immediately hedged in between the mountains on the left and the Kanawha River on the right, with the railroad crossing back and forth over the course of the journey. In Malden, I pass the former location of the saltworks where Booker T. Washington worked as a boy. In belle, smokestacks and cranes stretch up into the sky, competing with the mountains for the view. A group of Black girls with new glittery pink bikes ride by a group of white girls holding signs advertising a yard sale. I drive past cinderblock auto shops and neat former company houses and churches (so many churches!)—Church of Christ, Church of God, Catholic, African Zion Baptist, First Baptist, Memorial Baptist, and the mysterious “House of Non-Judgement.” There’s an old three-story brick elementary school, Dollar Generals, and a barbecue restaurant, a couple Taco Bells, the beloved West Virginia chain Turdor’s Biscuit World, and a Shoney’s Buffet with a sign that reads “Reopening Soon.” Past Cedar Grove, hand-painted boards advertising a hot dog joint are stapled to telephone poles every few yards and campaign signs are scattered along the berm. In London, the transport system for the Mammoth Coal Processing Plant arches from the hillside over the road to a looming metal tipple, standing guard. The book’s title comes from a conversation Hilliard reports with a high school student while covering the West Virginia teachers' strike. She also quotes the poet Audre Lorde: “We are making the future as well as bonding to survive the enormous pressures of the present, and that is what it means to be part of history.” However West Virginia makes its future, I pray for more of what Hilliard lovingly demonstrates: encounters with neighbors close and far, not judging, just listening, noticing, and noting. The stories will come. John W. Miller Read the full article