waiting for sunrise

neg, she/they, in my late 20s. i like many things. smallerthanzero on ao3, renegadecreation@ for more creative content

[rynsketches]

these tags by @vaguely-concerned cracked me up so I had to sketch it as baby Orufrey

bonus:

[thegoliathbeetle]

Man, Beldaruit gives me suuuuch brainworms. What is that man THINKING in any given moment? I was rereading chapters of the manga to prepare myself to write chapter 7 of Silver Children , and Bel's whole description of Qifrey and Olruggio's childhood adventures is so fascinating to me.

Chapter 36

Insane. Insane description of his young apprentice/adopted son. "His hatred ran dark, and his fixation deep." Does he really see baby Qifrey like this?

Esp when from Qifrey's pov, these adventures are such joyous things. "I greeted every morning with excitement, for with the rise of the sun, came another adventure with you."

In chapter 91, we get a glimpse of Beldaruit's opinion of Qifrey and Olly's adventures from a more neutral perspective.

"Those darned rascals...at least they have each other!"

He's supportive of this friendship. And he sounds like an exasperated parent, not someone who thinks Qifrey is hateful and obsessed. The image of the two boys is also very telling: happy kids who just love being together. Something positive, not two dark avengers stealing into the night.

Now look at this bit from chapter 38.

Again, we see baby Qifrey, alone in the dark, followed by the beautiful atelier, and Beldaruit's monologue, which again, reads very parental. A concerned parent who realises he can't do anything more to intervene. The tone is of a man who sounds rather defeated.

"I pray he knows better than to tear it down with his own hands...and lose that which he has finally managed to find."

Okay, so Bel, you acknowledge that Qifrey was looking for a place of comfort and solace? So then why would you describe these adventures to Coco as awful, vengeful quests? Is that truly what you believe, or were you feeding her stories so you could manipulate her into leaving Qifrey? What IS your game here?

Am I reading too much into this??? Maybe. But I haven't met anyone who disagrees that Beldaruit has some kind of plan or involvement in whatever's been going on. He's smart and powerful, and we know basically nothing about him.

He genuinely cares for Qifrey. I see this time and time again. Even this internal monologue in 38 is a big tell. That's love. If he didn't care, it wouldn't matter to him whether Qifrey found solace and comfort. He describes Olruggio and their friendship in warm, glowing terms. "Those darned rascals" and "one dear friendship". So he is HAPPY that Qifrey and Olly found each other.

But I'm starting to wonder if he actually believes Qifrey was a vengeful angry kid, or if that's just something he's fluffing up for Coco. He does have a flair for the dramatic, doesn't he?

I do believe that Beldaruit genuinely thinks some part of Qifrey is obsessed with revenge, and he is right in thinking this—obviously. We know Qifrey hates the Brimhats.

Chapter 37:

He admits that he was wrong. Qifrey has become selfless. His role as a teacher has become very important to him. "I've been grappling with the wrong fear."

I think...my conclusion, for the sake of my fanfic, is that Beldaruit didn't know WHAT to make of Qifrey and Olly's adventures. Were they childish flights of fancy? Yeah, maybe. But Beldaruit is aware of Qifrey's dark side, and has wondered, ever since childhood, if these childish flights of fancy have a darker motive. And when Qifrey tells him about Coco, about her mother, about how she's a lead, it confirms to him everything he's feared. Qifrey never gave up the quest.

I basically think Beldaruit, rather than being certain/confident, has actually been unsure about Qifrey's motives for a very, very long time. Because he fundamentally doesn't understand Qifrey. He loves him but for many complex reasons, Qifrey has shielded Beldaruit from his darkness (likely because Beldaruit always sounds so judgy about it). Over time these small cracks of doubt grew into vast chasms, until their relationship became so strained that Beldaruit feels compelled to poach Coco from Qifrey to protect her from him.

AAH. They FASCINATE ME. THEY FASCINATE ME, I TELL YOU!

[tastylemonbread]

friend who went to bed is a type of dead wife

[didderd-reblogs]

[sawed-on-shotgun]

Im glad they made up romance for stories and music but can you imagine how scary it would be to deal with all that for real

[sawed-on-shotgun]

this is a certified AROMANTIC POST!!!!!!!!!!! NO yearning on my shit..... GO ON . GET

[zvaigzdelasas]

the solution to the Mathematician's Lament is to teach calculus in early grade school if not kindergarten & i am being 100% unironic

[zvaigzdelasas]

5-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus

Why playing with algebraic and calculus concepts—rather than doing arithmetic drills—may be a better way to introduce children t

The familiar, hierarchical sequence of math instruction starts with counting, followed by addition and subtraction, then multiplication and division. The computational set expands to include bigger and bigger numbers, and at some point, fractions enter the picture, too. Then in early adolescence, students are introduced to patterns of numbers and letters, in the entirely new subject of algebra. A minority of students then wend their way through geometry, trigonometry and, finally, calculus, which is considered the pinnacle of high-school-level math.

But this progression actually “has nothing to do with how people think, how children grow and learn, or how mathematics is built,” says pioneering math educator and curriculum designer Maria Droujkova. She echoes a number of voices from around the world that want to revolutionize the way math is taught, bringing it more in line with these principles.

The current sequence is merely an entrenched historical accident that strips much of the fun out of what she describes as the “playful universe” of mathematics, with its more than 60 top-level disciplines, and its manifestations in everything from weaving to building, nature, music and art. Worse, the standard curriculum starts with arithmetic, which Droujkova says is much harder for young children than playful activities based on supposedly more advanced fields of mathematics.

“Calculations kids are forced to do are often so developmentally inappropriate, the experience amounts to torture,” she says. They also miss the essential point—that mathematics is fundamentally about patterns and structures, rather than “little manipulations of numbers,” as she puts it. It’s akin to budding filmmakers learning first about costumes, lighting and other technical aspects, rather than about crafting meaningful stories.

[finalgirlfall]

mathematician's lament pdf on github

[bravoechoes]

ok I’m ONLY posting this out of context screenshot because I want to talk about ethan and this post made me think about him a lot. I was going to say I’m not vagueblogging but I guess that’s kind of unavoidable. it’s all going under a cut anyway. I do not want to antagonise anyone I just think it’s an interesting thing to disagree with

ok so like. I want to disaggregate what “equal” means because I think this is both correct and wrong at the same time. I think this claim is true in the sense that Ethan does not think anyone else is able to shoulder the emotional + psychological burden he carries around about saving everyone. Like I think you could argue that TFR is the closest he gets when he makes Benji team lead, but imo that happens in a context where Ethan is fully convinced of the belief that being around him is a death sentence. Ilsa and Luther die within two months of each other and both of them are “Ethan’s fault.” He knows Benji is capable of leading other people but he is not actually handing Benji any mantle of responsibility beyond that. Ethan is alone for a lot of TFR and I think that is the reason why. Luther even says in Fallout that the reason he left Julia was because he couldn’t handle Not being at the centre of whatever catastrophe is happening because he feels responsible for all of it. So in this respect the post is correct. 

where I think this post is wrong is that ‘equal’ kind of implies a sense that Ethan views people as beneath him. and like he does behave like a dick sometimes (MI3-MI4 was peak asshole coworker era lmao) but I think from RN onwards that mostly recedes into the background. I think being Ethan’s coworker/on his team is very difficult because he’s single-minded and drives most of the decisions, but I think that, again, comes from his neurotic conception of himself as Atlas holding up the world. Like he’s certified insane so it’s hard to be around him sometimes, but I don’t think the source of that difficulty is because Ethan views people as less than equal to him.

AND, I think his entire deal with Ilsa is that he encounters his equal. Equal in the sense of someone who is terminally lonely in the world, who is burdened with a responsibility they are tired of bearing but can’t pass onto anyone else. Ilsa’s conclusion to this problem is to just leave, which is her biggest difference with Ethan, but the yearning and grief are all still there. And like narratively they’re framed as equals. She bests him, she outwits him, she saves his life multiple times. And Ethan’s POV is privileged at all times in the films. He is both protagonist and narrator. And so I would argue that when the film presents Ilsa as his equal, that is a cinematic depiction of Ethan’s view of her. 

So like re: the question of how Ethan views other people, I think he has lunatic levels of self-responsibility that he imposes (and is imposed) onto himself that he doesn’t place on anyone else. But on an interpersonal level I think he’s very capable of recognising an equal. And what “equal” means to him is probably also insane because of his own sense of self. Like I don’t think he views Benji and Luther as tools that are meant to be used for specific ends. And I don’t think he views Julia as an object that makes him feel good about protecting someone (I’m vagueblogging another post now lol). But he recognises Ilsa as a fellow living weapon basically the moment he meets her. Ethan feels separated from the rest of the world but I don’t think that comes from a place of arrogance. He is lonely and is made lonely by the many, many deaths and horrors in his life and as a result of that, he views himself as uniquely utilitarian and uniquely dangerous. He’s so dangerous he even gets his equal killed. so I think this is a mostly incorrect statement 

[rosettyller]

Behind the scenes of PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026)

[tossawary]

Rewatching the original "The Little Mermaid" animated movie while working on something else... I can't quite recall at the moment (early into it atm) if this movie ever establishes Eric as the heir of the throne of his kingdom.

I think it'd be really funny if Eric was actually a younger brother. So, like, maybe he's a duke, actually, but he still gets the title of Prince. Travels the sea a lot, unlike a more landlocked heir. Hanging out at this summer seaside palace while the rest of the family is elsewhere for some reason.

Like, imagine Eric's parents and older brother and maybe sister-in-law and niblings getting that letter at the end of this movie. Nearly drowned. Miraculously washed ashore. Fell in love with a mysterious voice and then a mute girl. Got enchanted by a shape-shifting sea witch and nearly married her. Killed the sea witch after she turned into a giant. Married the aforementioned girl who turned out to be the beloved youngest daughter of the mythical King Triton instead and have now established a strong alliance with the merpeople. Wild summer! Wish you were here!

[ruffboi-mags]

(via @owl-librarian)

[viktor-sbor]

A 50-kilogram anvil floats perfectly on the surface of mercury, because the density of the steel from which it is made is almost half the density of mercury.

[e-102]

damn that shit is light lmfao

[telltaletypist]

[vienna1954]

Fun fact! Many lighthouses with especially large fresnel lenses would have huge fucking tubs of liquid mercury in the lantern room because it’s a super easy way to make these giant lenses rotate quickly!

Shockingly, however, spending most of your time in close proximity to 500 pounds of liquid mercury is Not Great For One’s Health and tons of lighthouse keepers started to go crazy from the whole. Mercury poisoning thing. Hence why there are a lot of “haunted” lighthouses or wickies that lose it and maybe do a bit of manslaughter.

Anyway, people saw a bunch of lighthouse keepers go crazy and get sick and got empirical evidence that it was in fact related to the 500 pound mercury bath they have to visit every day and then they decided nah it’s fine actually. So we’ve kept the liquid mercury thing and I think that’s beautiful

[ben-the-hyena]

I love how it is so dense it does not "wet" the anvil, the drops all run and leave with nothing behind them unlike water, oil, sauce... it's super satisfying it's like in cartoons

[macleod]

In a letter written on April 19, 1825, Augustin Fresnel proposed the use of mercury to reduce the friction in revolving lenses. His statement follows: “I propose to float our rotating devices, of the first order, in a bath of mercury, instead of placing them on rollers. This project won't present many difficulties; nevertheless, as I have not put it into execution, I won't require you to adopt it for your first lighthouse.”

Fresnel’s plan for mercury flotation was not put into practice until 1890 when Monsieur Leon Bourdelles, Chief Engineer of the French Lighthouse Service, designed and built a workable mercury flotation system. The mercury bath allowed the lens to operate in an almost frictionless environment and, additionally, allowed the speed of rotation to be dramatically increased.

Lens Rotation by Thomas Tag | United States Lighthouse Society

[sashaforthewin]

Ah to be a sailor in 1890 who has to turn to his fellow men and ask "is it just me or are the lighthouses flashing faster?"

[asteroidtroglodyte]

They had been slowly getting faster for decades.

It mattered for optics reasons.

Under less-than-ideal conditions, you can only see the beam when it’s pointed more or less directly at you. In-between beams you would not be able to see anything. One solution to this was to create multiple beams, and the lenses Mr Fresnel designed usually created 8 beams. But, even still, duration between flashes could be as long as one minute in the old mechanical roller systems.

The nearly frictionless operation of the Mercury suspension system allowed the lenses (large pieces of precisely ground glass weighing several hundred pounds in some cases) to rotate fast enough that they could be redesigned to create fewer (usually 3) beams. Fewer beams from a similar light source will be proportionally brighter, and the gains in speed were sufficient that duration between flashes could still be reduced to as little as 10 seconds.

This was a big upgrade. It didn’t just make the lighthouse signal faster, it allowed them to completely overhaul the lens and derive more visibility from a light source.

What’s a little Madness, in the face of Progress?

[myth-myth-yeth]

mods are asleep, post the fresnel lens

[relevant-wikipedia-articles]

History of lighthouses - Wikipedia

[pennyplainknits]

… Fresnel's Wonderful Concentrator is a spell in The Colour of Magic that produces a large lense used to cross bodies of water.

god FUCKING DAMNIT PTerry

[lastoneout]

The thing they don't tell you about dealing with ADHD is that sometimes when you really, really don't want to do something you absolutely need to do your brain will suddenly lift the barriers stopping you from cleaning or doing other chores you've been struggling to finish, and so you have to run around stopping yourself from doing all the dishes or laundry or deep cleaning the bathroom despite needing to because you do not have time for that right now, you absolutely have to do this other task, and the whole time it feels awful because you've needed to do all the rest of that too for a while and you couldn't, but you can now—only no, you can't—and yeah you can come back to all that after you do your thing you don't wanna do, but then you'll be back in "I can't do this" mode because you don't have another task to avoid, so you just have to accept it and it sucks.

Brought to you by me not wanting to make phone calls so badly I had to actively stop myself from doing like seven other chores, which felt like being hunted for sport.

[fictionadventurer]

One of my biggest literary pet peeves is when historical or history-inspired fiction pretends that "courting" is a synonym for "dating". Usually it's just a one-to-one word swap--in a modern context, these characters would be dating, but this is olden times, so they call it courting instead. Sometimes they'll pretend there's a shade of difference, and that courting is a more serious exploration of marriage or something. But I read a lot of fiction that was actually written during these historical eras, and the word "courting" is never used like that.

Two people do not decide that they are "courting". One person decides to "court" someone else. It's an action, not a stage in the relationship. A man decides to court a woman because he wants to encourage her to have romantic interest in him. He's trying to win her favor. It's not an exclusive relationship--a woman could be courted by multiple men at once. She'll spend time getting to know the guy who's interested in her, but they won't officially define their relationship as one where they only show romantic interest in each other. If they reach a point where they want it to be exclusive, that's when you propose.

There's no middle ground--either you're getting to know each other, or you're committed to marrying each other. This idea of a period where you kind of commit to each other until you decide you definitely want to get married is a modern one, and it occurs in eras where they use the word "dating" to describe it. The closest equivalent I can think of are times and places where they'd talk about a couple "stepping out together", but they're still not calling it "courting". Words have meaning, and the word "courting" has never meant that, so stop using it that way!

[starfieldcanvas]

the other mild historical disjoint i run into is when people talk about dating in the fifties like it automatically meant exclusivity. the whole reason we have the expression "going steady" is because the default was to or "go around with" or "go out with" multiple people. not in the sense of being in a stable polyamorous vee, but in the sense that archie is actively "seeing" both betty and veronica during the entire time the two girls are competing for his attention and they're both seeing other guys to make him jealous, and nobody involved considers this "cheating."

bizarrely, America has in many ways gotten more conservative about dating since World War II.

[ceescedasticity]

From the Wikipedia article:

The trend of going steady was met with concern and disapproval by adults. A 1951 book, Profiles of Youth, called going steady "a national problem", and said teens' greatest concern was "whether to go steady".[19] Some parochial schools forbid the practice after Catholic leaders declared "going steady is a proximate occasion of sin".[3] Advice columnist Dorothy Dix wrote, "The custom has all of the worst features of marriage and none of its advantages." Another syndicated columnist, Doris Blake wrote "It's simply a pernicious habit grown out of we-don't-know-what that has fostered this ridiculous custom of a couple of 16, 17, or 18 year olds pairing off to the exclusion of everyone else on the dance floor."[15]

[bramblepatch]

Grace explaining sheepishly to Eridian linguists that the reason he uses different pronouns for Rocky than for the rest of the population is that he reflexively defaulted to assigning Rocky the same grammatical and social gender that he himself uses, in a way that has historical precedent but in modern English is considered somewhat chauvinistic and backward, and he's not proud of it but also the habit is pretty deeply ingrained now and unless Rocky objects it's probably easier to just keep on as he has been...

and immediately being informed lol. lmao. do not even worry about it. you have no idea what kind of buck wild grammatical constructs Rocky has invented for you. everyone else addresses you as foreigner/scholar. they're somehow managing to refer to you as their sibling, ward, and semidivine culture hero at the same time every time they talk about you.

[victusinveritas]

[black-crested-jaybird]

I always think of the description I saw years ago: Self-imposed deadlines don't help me, because I know the person who set them, and they're full of shit.

[37q]

[antisocial-transfag]

tags by nothorses

[valtsv]

we need to bring back the phrase "what business is it of yours" in a big way i'm serious

[valtsv]

i know you can just say "none of your business" but phrasing it as a question with a jarringly formal tone is the ideal way to shoot an overfamiliar unwelcome overture dead in its tracks and force the person making it to confront the boundaries they're taking for granted + it would really piss people off which is funny

[valtsv]

&also it allows you to experience the joy of talking like an autistic vampire, which i highly recommend

[drumlincountry]

Why do they even make apps for ADHD. You want me to use my 24/7 handheld immediate distraction device? To manage my 'gets distracted too easily' disorder? Ooooh we developed the perfect tool for managing your anemia. Its hosted in Dracula's castle. 👍

[shortshortking]

Picked up my phone to consult my task list for today and now I'm reblogging this instead, case in point

[cassassinated]

I miss the days when, no matter how slow your internet was, if you paused any video and let it buffer long enough, you could watch it uninterrupted

[mythicalwashrag]

[useful-info-haver]

If you use Firefox, you can go to the about:config page, search for "media.mediasource.enabled" and double click on it to set it to false. After you restart Firefox, all youtube videos will load entirely even when paused! This also affects other streaming websites :)

[nyxgoddessofcandles]

There's more to do actually, now

go to About:config find media.mediasource.enabled and toggle it to false find media.cache_readahead_limit and change it to 9999 find media.cache_resume_threshold and change it to 9999

additionally if you'd prefer mp4 to webm

also in about:config, find: media.encoder.webm.enabled media.mediasource.webm.audio.enabled media.mediasource.webm.enabled media.webm.enabled and toggle them all to false

note! this will limit video to 1080p

and use https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dont-accept-webp/ to kill WebP Fuck Google

[vortex-vt]

We jailbreaking browsers now lmao

[smoqueen-deactivated20251108]

sorry for the nervous breakdown everyone im actuallt fine because i have to be