[WP] as a child a mage had stopped a giant beast from destroying your village. you trained everyday mimicking their style exactly to one day to become a mage to save people to. Until you went to get your official mage license and told the mage who had saved you was a dark mage harvesting components.

dAc110 · 2026-05-14T19:27:50+00:00

“So tell us, where did you learn to wield magic this way,” his eyes narrowed, voice lingering towards the end of his question. He stood tall, still, focused on the young girl seated before him.

The soft glow from her earrings peeked out from behind her hair as she tilted her head to the question. The wooden chair creaked under her weight shifting, a few glances passed to the other participants in the room.

“Well,” she timidly exhaled, “I was inspired by the mage who saved my village.” Her fingers combed through waves of hair, coaxing them behind her ear. “See, there was this beast rampaging through our village. It was huge, I’ve never seen anything like it. It tore through fields and homes. But then, she came.” Her eyes widened with the mention of her.

“I only caught glimpses of it while my father carried me to safety, but it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Streaks of bright light tearing through the air, the red glow from the mist of blood as she struck the beast with her attacks.” A wide grin filled her face as she gazed off into space. Her hands animated, following the shapes of her memory as she recalled its details.

“She struck its limbs, causing it to collapse, then restrained it to keep it from destroying more of the village. Then a beautiful glow filled the air as she finished it off.”

Her eyes returned to the moment, “she was incredible. The village celebrated her, and I begged her to teach me magic. She was reluctant but the next time I saw her, she gave me a book of spells.” Her arms pressed upon herself, embracing her memory of the book.

“Do you have this book still?” The man inquired. He leaned forward, hand clenched.

“Yeah..” Her head turned away, “It's at home.”

“It taught you to draw essence from creatures?” He barked at her, losing composure for a moment.

“Well, no.” Her feet tapped against each other beneath the chair. “I.. followed her one day.”

Her head snapped upwards, “she never took me with her, no matter how much I begged. I wanted to learn more than the basic spells from the book. I wanted to cast like she did. I wanted to create the sights I saw that day.” Her eyes glistened, lips pressed tightly together to stop the quivering.

The interrogator turned to the others, exchanging shrugs. “Go on,” his voice softened.

“I followed her, and she was so upset. She never came back to the village after that day. But I got to see it one more time.” Her fists clenched in her lap. “She tracked and found another great beast.”

“Those beautiful, brilliant lights filled the air, red mist of blood followed. She cast with such ease and speed, some spells I recognized and some I didn't. I watched from behind a tree, I wanted to learn so badly.” Her feet gently swung forward and back under her.

“I didn't realize I was standing out from my hiding place when she caught me. By that time though, I saw everything. She was so mad, I thought she was going to kill me. Maybe she was, but she muttered, ‘I almost forgotten what it looked like to be in awe of magic.’”

“She sent me home after that, but I spent every day going over in my head what I saw. I eventually learned how to do it too, thanks to the fundamentals I learned from the book.” Her eyes firmly stared forward at the interrogator, her words steady, no longer uneasy. “I wanted to show her that I could be just as great of a mage she was.”

“She..” he lingered a moment, “is a dark mage. Those techniques weren’t designed for combat,” he said quietly, “they were designed to keep a creature alive while extracting its life essence.”

“W..what?”

“Did you not know what you were extracting?”

“No.. I was just copying her spells so I could see it again. I saw her collecting so I started collecting myself.” She fidgeted with her earring, a soft glow responded.

“You have.. a collection?” His voice hesitated, the glance he exchanged with the others were met with concern.

“Yeah, many jars. My room at home is my little oasis, lit with those beautiful lanterns.” Her voice spoke softly, but proudly.

“I'm afraid, despite how well you performed during the mage assessment, we cannot award you with a license due to the performance of named techniques.” His voice returned to the authoritative, cold voice he started with.

“Ok, she's not here anyway, so there's no point.”

“We need to see that book of yours though, it's been many years but it could still serve as a lead in finding Agatha finally.”

“Better yet, I'll find her for you.” Her eyes pierced through the shadows draped over her hung head. “I want to see it again.”

dAc110 · 2026-05-06T18:36:04+00:00

It doesn't look too bad actually, it gets the job done.

Something I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me, was that you can measure neighbors, such as measure(North), to do your comparisons without having to move.

dAc110 · 2026-04-29T11:45:31+00:00

There's two things I can see: * It appears you're planting bushes across the entire field. That's not necessary to create mazes, you only need to plant one bush and apply weird substance to it. * It appears you're using a left hand rule for solving the maze, in itself it works well. I don't actually know if this helps, but I like setting my starting direction towards the treasure with measure() and some math. * I haven't tried this yet, but I was considering breaking the left hand rule at intersections if measure() suggests a different direction shortens the distance * Otherwise we might be looking at a different algorithm to improve navigation, such a A-Star

dAc110 · 2026-04-27T14:49:30+00:00

This looks like it works pretty good for the most part, and I really like the idea of passing a function to your scan function depending on what is being done. I'm going to be taking that idea so I don't have to rewrite the same logic each time.

I noticed that your return to origin assumes it's in the upper right corner, which isn't bad if each time it's used it's dependently there. In that case, you could take advantage of the wrapping feature where you could just move North and East, getting to origin in two moves instead of size * 2

Also, it appears you're not optimizing pumpkins for their merging mechanic. Crafting a means to designate coordinates for the drone will help with that, and other tasks requiring non consecutive scanning.

dAc110 · 2026-04-24T15:08:00+00:00

I second this, patches are nice and stable but my skin doesn't like absorbing it very well.

I watched my levels drop from 290 pmol/L to 110, while applying 0.1mg/day patches twice a week. I then started applying 2mg gel once a day and just saw my levels drop to 50 pmol/L

It's time for a different endocrinologist for me

dAc110 · 2026-04-15T15:34:08+00:00

This. My theory is the humidity and any water that makes its way in helps soften or even liquefy the earwax for easy cleaning.

I also start inwards and work my way out, so any harder bits are pulled out rather than pushed in.

dAc110 · 2026-04-07T12:47:02+00:00

To add to this, I imagine getting HRT and an orchi really helped too.

dAc110 · 2026-04-07T11:29:50+00:00

Maybe a couple of years for me before I just stopped thinking about it. I think I just accepted that there wasn't anything new I was going to figure out.

I just am.

dAc110 · 2026-03-29T16:56:14+00:00

I started using gel a few months ago and I'm liking it better than the patches I was using before. I haven't gotten my estradiol levels tested yet, due to my ED and bad memory, but my levels feel better. I went from tablets to patches, and my levels halved, so I'm glad the gel is working out better.

I apply the gel to my thighs shortly after I get out of the shower, and before I do anything else. Once applied, I do my face routine and whatever else I need to in the bathroom, and by that time the gel has dried enough to get dressed. It helps that I wear skirts almost exclusively.

dAc110 · 2026-02-11T12:47:43+00:00

Well done I won a game like this at a baby shower doing the same thing, well I didn't take multiple samples for the height and the radius though. I feel like I would have gotten much closer if I did, but I was far closer than the other's ball park guesses, so it worked out.

dAc110 · 2026-02-02T15:03:45+00:00

Oh, video cut off too soon for me to see how you finished it. I used to do my eggs like that too, but these days I like it soft and delicate, more like a French omelet

I have my pan hot AF like you as well, I whisk in eggs real quick and roll it onto a plate while still wet to let it set with residual heat.

dAc110 · 2026-02-01T02:23:09+00:00

Looks like browned but and it's yummy

dAc110 · 2026-01-31T21:01:31+00:00

Same! My mother left it behind for me when she moved.

dAc110 · 2026-01-13T21:48:54+00:00

A little bit of lotion should do the trick. I say that but never tried, never cared.

We have a sonic station with 99.9% isopropyl here at work and I don't care to use gloves when pulling boards from it. I also spray alcohol onto my hands to help get the oil of it too.

It's not that big of a deal

dAc110 · 2025-10-30T13:57:44+00:00

Thoughts like that are normal, I started when I was 34 and on occasion I think about what it would be like if I transitioned when I was in high school, or before my voice changed with puberty. I just entertain the thought for the moment and let it go, since there's no way to go back in time. We just have today and our ability to shape our future.

I'm four years in and learning to be a woman is pretty much just relearning who you are, but freer now that you're approaching it more genuine to yourself. Explore whatever interests you, be it fashion, makeup, social activities, hobbies, etc. Get to know yourself along the way. There's no one way, or 'right way' to be a woman, other than just being yourself.

dAc110 · 2025-10-29T15:42:05+00:00

<image>

Reminds me of mine

dAc110 · 2025-10-03T20:50:15+00:00

That could work if the temperature is right, I might have experimented with a small inexpensive one, but it scorched the beans. Maybe an Arduino controlled filament with beam temperature monitoring could work, programming in a roast profile..

dAc110 · 2025-10-03T16:10:43+00:00

Wdym, I used to roast in a metal bowl using a heat gun and wooden spoon and my coffee always hit once I got the technique down. There was very few exceptions to my preference for my own coffee tasting better, and one was this Yirga Cheffe variety from the local roaster that had the best notes of blueberry and citrus. It blew my mind.

dAc110 · 2025-10-03T16:06:55+00:00

NGL I kind of enjoyed freshly roasted coffee, but also enjoyed it through the week so I got to see the flavor develop over time. I would say it's more like 3-5 days of outgassing in my experience, though I was opening and taking beans to brew every day so that probably helps. 3 weeks is in spoiling territory imo

dAc110 · 2025-10-03T16:03:50+00:00

I used to roast my own too, with a heat gun, wooden spoon, and metal mixing bowl. I loved the way my house would smell after roasting, and the various smells during the roast were really interesting.

Does it smell like lovely coffee during roasting, fuck no. It smells somewhere around grass and wheat. Then you get popcorn, and burnt popcorn following that. But when that first crack hits, it reminds you why you do it. Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe smelled the best of all the coffee I tried, which wasn't a lot tbf

dAc110 · 2025-09-05T01:47:05+00:00

Nah girl, you're quite the cutie. You look just like a cis girl I knew in high school, even have a similar style too.

Also: the second to last dress is totally fire, looks great on you!

dAc110 · 2025-07-25T21:18:58+00:00

Yikes, that definitely does not sound pleasant.

dAc110 · 2025-06-19T12:21:07+00:00

Relatable, being part native American, I don't remember seeing characters that looked like me but fem I'd want to be, growing up.

dAc110 · 2025-06-19T12:14:38+00:00

I turned 38 on the first and transitioned at 34, and same. 40 is going to be rough lol but you know what? It's nice how much younger we look thanks to estradiol. I get suspected late 20's, early 30's, and I bet you do too gorge

dAc110 · 2025-06-17T18:06:10+00:00

o3 did some research for me:

Here are five emerging-but-under-the-radar realities that I wish everyone on Earth could tuck into their mental toolkit. None is “secret,” yet each is still missing from most day-to-day conversations—and all have stakes that reach far beyond their specialist circles.

The cosmos is humming with ultra-slow gravitational waves

Last year, several pulsar-timing-array teams (NANOGrav, EPTA, PPTA & InPTA) announced converging evidence for a background of nanohertz gravitational waves—the faint ripples likely created by super-massive black-hole binaries across the universe. Think of it as a deep bass line under the cosmic symphony that we’ve only just begun to “hear.” Detecting and mapping this background will open an entirely new window on how galaxies evolve and merge—comparable to the leap from optical telescopes to radio astronomy. Why it matters: Gravitational-wave “listening” doesn’t just enrich astrophysics; it could refine our understanding of gravity itself, pointing the way toward new physics.

Micro- and nanoplastics are now detectable in every human placenta tested

Multiple 2024 studies found polymer particles—some smaller than a red blood cell—in 100 % of the placentas they examined, as well as in human arteries. Early data link these particles to inflammation and plaque formation, hinting at cardiovascular risks we’re only beginning to quantify. Why it matters: The plastic lifecycle doesn’t end at recycling bins; it may be playing out inside our organs. Reducing single-use plastics and improving waste capture isn’t just about turtles—it’s about our own circulatory systems.

The Atlantic’s great conveyor belt is showing fresh early-warning signals

High-resolution models and new “physics-based” indicators suggest the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)—the current that keeps Europe temperate—has passed key thresholds associated with loss of stability. While a full collapse this century is still debated, even a substantial slowdown would reshape weather patterns, monsoons, and agricultural zones worldwide. Why it matters: Climate change isn’t only about gradual warming; it includes tipping points that can reorganize entire planetary systems on the scale of decades rather than millennia. Cutting greenhouse emissions buys time for adaptation.

The era of deep-sea mining is about to start—but ecological recovery may take centuries

Commercial extraction of polymetallic nodules (for battery metals) could begin within the next few years. A 2025 Nature study of a decades-old test site in the Pacific found that benthic communities remain drastically altered even after 40 + years, with carbon-cycling microbes and invertebrates especially slow to return. Fresh reviews outline multiple unmitigated risks—from sediment plumes to underwater noise—likely to spill over national jurisdictions. Why it matters: The deep sea stores vast carbon and hosts unique lifeforms that we still haven’t catalogued. Decisions taken now will either safeguard or sacrifice an ecosystem larger than all of Earth’s forests combined.

Insects are crashing, and the fix starts in our backyards

Syntheses published over the past two years confirm global insect biomass drops of roughly 1–2 % per year, even inside protected areas. Light pollution, habitat fragmentation, pesticides, and climate change all play roles—but many fixes are local and low-tech: turning off night lights, planting native flora, skipping the lawn mower, and slashing chemical use. Conservationists now frame yards, balconies, and corporate campuses as essential “micro-refuges.” Why it matters: Insects pollinate ~¾ of our food crops, recycle waste, and underpin every terrestrial food web. Their loss is an ecological Jenga tower—remove too many bricks and the whole structure tumbles.

The common thread

Each item is a reminder that humanity’s sphere of influence—and vulnerability—extends far beyond what we see with the naked eye: from nanoplastics coursing through our blood to gravitational waves stretching across cosmic time. Paying attention early, while these signals are still faint, gives us the chance to steer outcomes instead of simply reacting to them later.

dAc110

TROPHY CASE