#robotic assembly cost

[asestimationsconsultants]

Beyond Earth | The Role of a Construction Cost Estimating Service in Lunar and Space Habitat Projects

Introduction

As humanity expands its reach beyond Earth, construction is no longer confined to terrestrial landscapes. Ambitious plans from space agencies and private firms alike aim to establish permanent habitats on the Moon and even Mars. While the science behind these missions often takes the spotlight, one fundamental challenge remains critical: budgeting. In this futuristic context, a construction cost estimating service becomes as vital as propulsion systems and life support. Estimating construction costs for lunar habitats is an emerging discipline, bridging engineering, logistics, and economics in an entirely new domain.

The Challenges of Off-Earth Construction

Unlike conventional building environments, lunar and space habitats face extreme constraints. Materials must survive radiation, microgravity, and vacuum conditions. Transporting building supplies from Earth is immensely expensive, with every kilogram costing thousands of dollars. Labor is automated or conducted by astronauts under high-risk conditions, making precision in planning and budgeting non-negotiable.

Traditional construction cost estimating services cannot simply extend their models to space without modification. New frameworks must address entirely different metrics—launch mass, fabrication in zero gravity, and material behavior in non-Earth atmospheres.

Reimagining Cost Inputs in Space Projects

In terrestrial construction, estimators consider land acquisition, local labor rates, and weather impacts. In space, the variables are starkly different. A specialized construction cost estimating service must adapt to factors such as:

Launch weight penalties: Every extra kilogram impacts rocket fuel costs. Estimators must calculate mass-efficient solutions and include cost-benefit analyses for lighter or in-situ materials.

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU): Using lunar regolith or Martian soil to build structures cuts down transport costs. Estimators must model these savings accurately.

Automation and robotics: Much of space construction will rely on robotic systems. Estimating the cost of custom hardware, maintenance, and redundancy becomes crucial.

Habitat resilience: Structures must withstand radiation, micrometeorites, and thermal extremes. These safety requirements inflate material and engineering costs, demanding specialized forecasting.

Material Considerations and Transport Costs

Earth-based construction has access to a broad array of materials, suppliers, and delivery options. For lunar or Martian projects, the first cost hurdle is transport. A construction cost estimating service operating in this context must begin by assessing:

The cost of launching construction components via existing heavy-lift vehicles

The modular breakdown of prefabricated structures to fit within payload constraints

Opportunities to 3D-print using local materials, which introduces cost advantages but also new maintenance and reliability factors

These estimators must also calculate the cost implications of redundancy. In space, failure is not an option—spare parts and fail-safes must be factored into every budget.

Design and Engineering Collaboration

Close collaboration between cost estimators and aerospace engineers is essential. Every design decision affects cost exponentially. For example, selecting a spherical habitat design for its structural efficiency in resisting external pressure may reduce material volume but increase fabrication complexity.

A construction cost estimating service can simulate different design choices and their cost trajectories under space conditions. This collaborative feedback loop is essential for mission planners aiming to balance safety, performance, and financial feasibility.

Examples from Current Space Programs

NASA’s Artemis program and private initiatives like SpaceX’s Starship project are rapidly advancing the potential for lunar bases. While public estimates exist for mission costs, the actual construction phase of lunar surface infrastructure remains largely theoretical.

However, testbeds such as the Mars Dune Alpha habitat—being built on Earth to simulate Martian conditions—already employ advanced cost estimation to determine long-term feasibility. These prototypes rely on construction cost estimating services that consider both Earth-based costs and extrapolated values for deployment beyond our atmosphere.

Predictive Modeling and Future-Proofing

Because space construction is largely untested, predictive modeling is crucial. Cost estimators use probabilistic modeling to account for unknowns: delays due to solar events, failure rates of equipment, or advances in propulsion that may alter transport costs.

As technology evolves, future cost estimates must also be adaptable. For instance, the development of reusable rockets or on-site robotic assembly could drastically reduce certain costs while introducing others. Construction cost estimating services must remain flexible and continuously update their models as aerospace capabilities advance.

Sustainability and Lifecycle Costing in Space

Even in the vacuum of space, sustainability matters. Space habitats must function autonomously for extended periods. Estimators must assess the full lifecycle costs of structures: how often components need replacement, what energy systems are most efficient, and how waste is managed.

Just as on Earth, lifecycle costing helps mission planners make sustainable, long-term decisions that reduce risk and optimize investment. For space projects, these estimations are even more critical due to the complexity of repair and maintenance operations in extreme environments.

Conclusion

As we push the boundaries of civilization into outer space, the disciplines of architecture and construction must evolve—and with them, the role of cost estimation. A construction cost estimating service tailored to lunar and space habitats isn't just a support function; it's a foundation for feasibility, safety, and sustainability. By integrating mass constraints, ISRU, robotics, and life-support durability into their projections, these services help chart a financially viable path to our off-Earth future.

[boxturret]

Mata Nui, The Great Spirit

Hello, how do you feel about painting legoes? I think its fun.

Read on to see the terrible, unethical building process.

Many crimes were committed and I will likely be put to death soon.

Recently I completed quite a large project, painting this huge model kit of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. The kit in question is GiiKei's really impressive build, the instructions of which you can purchase here:

I was quite happy to see they cited my 3d model as reference, along with the original ideas submission. Fun fact: I really liked that ideas submission and made an account just to support it, but something about the proportions never sat right with me, and it was one of the things that motivated me to make that 3d model! So its fun to see it get used in the creation of another model :) And now here I am building it. Full circle.

Now, full disclosure, this is made from third party parts, I did test it on bricklink and it would have easily doubled the price, even before shipping from about half a dozen international stores. I kinda just bought this on impulse, it was pretty cheap and on sale and it was a gamble it would come at all really. But a week ago a nondescript bag came and inside it were sixteen hundred parts of honestly pretty good quality.

I think a couple parts used weren't in their parts catalogue so they had to be 3d printed, but even these were pretty acceptable. Actually in a way some parts were better, because this flame piece was pure red, instead of a mix of red and yellow as all branded parts are.

Some bits had a bit of a tight fit, and I drilled out the middle of the pistons, but I would have done that anyway to accommodate the painting. All in all, really good, was only missing one non essential part.

You can debate the ethics of stuff like this, but either I bought the instructions and paid a company in china X for the parts or I bought the instructions and paid a bunch of unrelated people X*2 for the parts, either way the creator gets the same amount. And I can say I wasn't going to build this off bricklinking parts. For various reasons I'm kinda done with bricklink*.

So after quite a few hour's work I had this lovely fellow. I must say, the design is quite good, its well articulated and has a lot of good build techniques. The head is both the strongest and the weakest part really.

I love the eye assembly, its built to allow for lighting, but it also cleverly includes natural light piping, and the kit comes with 4 sets of eyes, trans red and green for lighting and solid green and pink for display. Even has a little wrench to help swap out the parts.

On top of all of this the mouth is even articulated! So much shoved in such a small package. Unfortunately it does come at a cost, as its incredibly unstable. its a lot of 1 stud wide assemblies held together at odd distances with bars. I think the end result looks good, but its so easy for it to fall apart or get misaligned

Which is why, the instant I finished building this I decided to take it apart again and go at it with a tube of glue.

I glued large parts of this model together. I would happily do it again.

I'm not even going to hide behind any sort of "oh it wasn't real legoes so its fine" excuse, I would have 100% done this with "real" parts. Same with the painting really, I'm sick and tired of hiding behind the excuse that its acrylic so it can wash off, yes, technically, but it would take so much effort and the paints would probably stain some of the parts anyway. If something can benefit from paint or glue I'm not going to hold off just because the parts have a certain company's name on them. They're not sacred.

I can just use mineral spirits to undo everything anyway.

From the moment I saw the original ideas submission I knew: I wanted to paint it.

The GSR is a massive robot that's lain on the bottom of the ocean for millennia, and it reflects that with how dirty and rusty it is, its such an important aspect for me. And personally I quite like painting rust. It seems to be something I end up doing quite a lot.

So basically over the next couple of days I glued everything I felt needed glue, separated the model out in to several chunks, and then began painting.

First I primed it.

Then I did a black wash.

Then I started painting on the rust!

And then I realised I'd made a terrible mistake and redid everything.... Basically I kinda overestimated how much the black wash would fill in the nooks and crannies of the parts, so starting with a light primer base coat meant I was spending an inordinate amount of time trying to fill in all those little gaps and it was taking forever. So I made the correct decision of giving everything a coat of black paint first, and THEN moving on to the rust.

And after that everything went super smooth. Its really important to be open to admitting you made a mistake, and even if it will take more time its for the best to just start over.

For the bits of silver I used a similar technique to how I applied extra streaks of rust to my infected masks. It was a very enjoyable process.

After a quick coat of varnish and a day left to sit everything could go back together!

This guy is massive, around 50cm tall.

The back of the legs is by far the most interesting part of the model.

I especially like these movable pistons.

I did attempt to protect the light piping, and was somewhat successful.

The model is really poseable while at the same time feeling quite stable. Every joint in the legs is doubled. One thing I think is lacking is the ability for it to splay the arms completely out. But I can forgive it since, as I learned when rigging the 3d model, the arm pistons...don't really allow it. And the fact that this model actually has working arm pistons is much more of a positive in my mind.

In any case, you can just remove the pin holding the arms in and do it manually.

You may have noticed my old Mata Nui Island 3d print along with all the parts earlier. Well by some weird coincidence, they kinda match up proportion wise, ie the mouth and eye are roughly at the right places to be under the volcano and bay, respectively.

So that was a happy accident, and now I have a good way of showing how big the GSR is compared to the island.

Its big. And this is the logical size, not the insane 40000000000000 foot number thrown about by some. I have a series of posts about the various sizes of things because I find it interesting.

So in summation, I really couldn't be happier with this. The model design was great, I had a fun time painting it, and now I have a GSR model the size of a small child to display somewhere in my room. I've long been thinking of 3d printing my model, but this has really reduced my need for that. Also with recent duck related developments I've been made aware of how woefully inaccurate my model really is, and have to redo it at some point.

I have reached the maximum number of images per post. I might make a gallery post later. Good night. Have a nice weekend.

*come to bricklink and pay hundreds of dollars for the privilege of getting a smashed mask in the mail. And don't you dare expect a full refund. Not a single part in this kit was damaged and it came in a bag! You can see this guy lying in the background of some shots.

[seat-safety-switch]

Have you ever started a project, thinking it was going to be a quick one-hour thing, only to have it expand into several weeks of complete misery? You haven't? Boys, get over here. We found us one of them replicants wearing a human face. Put them in the vat with the others.

Now that all the unpleasantness is over, we can dish about how awful our hobbies are. I've always been drawn to the small, intricate jobs in life. Fiddly stuff, things where you have to really be paying attention. Being awake enough to notice a strange sound, or a joint that doesn't quite go together right, is the only way to avoid an intractable crisis later. I think it's because I derive a lot of pleasure when it all falls into place and the damn thing works.

A couple years ago, I told a friend that I would really love to build a ship in a bottle. All that precision really appealed to me. Feeding parts one at a time through a tiny neck and assembling this beautiful work, made even more beautiful by forcing it to be pointlessly difficult.

He responded by telling me that nobody actually does it that way. What you do is you build the ship outside of the bottle, with the sail wrapped around it, and then you push it into the neck and use a piece of string to pop the sail back up once it's fully in there. I got really angry. So angry that I left the room, drove to the hospital, and "borrowed" one of their precision microsurgery robots for two rage-spittle-covered days straight to assemble a replica of the Emma Maersk inside a 500mL 7-Up bottle, but by the time I spitefully showed it to him he had completely forgotten about our conversation.

So, if you're like me and trying to stretch out a hobby to the point where it becomes no longer enjoyable, don't stop. Evaluate your motivations, though. Find a reason to do it out of spite. That'll keep you warm on the coldest nights of wondering what exact part in this billions-of-parts arrangement has decided to conk out long before you were even involved. And if you know a wealthy shipping magnate who wants to commission a bunch of weird-looking little boats inside pop bottles, you know where I am. Unless you're a replicant. That'll cost extra.

[mxtantrights]

the unauthorized thunderbolts* office story

a/n: I'll always come back to Bucky Barnes. my first morally grey character (even though that's debatable and he was brainwashed, but we're not here to get into specifics) so this takes place post-falcon and winter solider and maybe during thunderbolts? I don't know the movie plot but we're just gonna go with vibes anyways.

Bucky barnes x fem!reader

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a very peculiar woman. You didn't mean to meet her but you have a feeling know that she always meant to meet you. It happened by coincidence, or so you thought, when your grocery bag ripped. In an effort to gather up all your items you had left your non-ripped bags at the front curb of the store.

When you finally managed to scoop up the apples and lemons you brought, you came back to find her there. She held onto your bags with a smile on her face. She introduced herself and said she was looking for an assistant.

How your bumbling of groceries has inspired her to offer you a job was beyond you. But you took it all the same. Living in a city like New York isn't cheap.

Valentina of course did her own version of a formal interview. You and her walked around Central Park and she asked what it is you like to do, and why you don't do it.

You told her you liked to dance ballet. But you had to drop out of school in order to get a job that paid for the clothes on your back, the roof over your head and the foo din your belly.

Valentina got you re-enrolled within a week. And then she told you that your salary increases each year by five percent. You couldn't have found a better boss.

Which leads you here, to working at your desk. Trying to put together some files to hand over to the weapons and ballistics department. They had recently submitted their monthly spendings sheet and you were tasked with going over their spendings and eliminating some things for a cost-effective next month.

You're sat at your desk the first time you see him.

He comes in wearing all black. Not in a way that sounds alarms in your head, but in a normal way. In a way that says, I like the color black but not for any reason like robbing a bank or something.

You watch as he walks smoothly over to Valentina's door. No one gets in the building let alone on this floor without her knowing. It made your job a bit easier. Whatever meetings she schedules are up to her and your only job is to man the front desk and phone.

He spares you a glance and even a little smile.

You knew who he was. You knew from his face. Bucky Barnes. The winter soldier. You thought to yourself that he must be turning over a new leaf. Trying to do some good in a world full of crazy and aliens and robots.

He goes into Valentina's office. The two of them talk for almost fifteen minutes. Then he's walking out. And not in a good mood either. You can tell by the sour puss look on his face.

Valentina slowly sauntered out of her office. Clearly in deep thought about something that happened. You asked her if she was okay and if she needed something.

She smiled. From that day on you were not only her assistant but something else entirely. She called you the asset.

THREE MONTHS LATER ...

She had the team almost ready to assemble. You laughed when you first said it out loud. She did too.

She had Yelena, Alexei, Ava and the new one who goes by Bob. They hadn't met yet officially but that was in the works as she said. And you had the grandest task of all.

You had to bring in Bucky to the taskforce. Valentina hadn't come up with a name yet. She had tossed a few out but she struck them down just as quickly.

This was the first job she gave you that didn't require sitting at your desk. You liked it very much. Well almost every part of it. You liked the idea of securing a 'employee' as Valentina called it. But you didn't like the idea of being portrayed as helpless.

But she tacked on a commission fee for this job. So you weren't about to say no.

You stood at the bar with a drink. You wore your best night out outfit. And you got to work. Apparently Bucky had frequented this bar. You had struck out the last three nights when you reconned outside. But you got tired of just doing nothing so you decided to be proactive.

You ordered your favorite drink, the one you know only makes you slightly buzzed, and waited.

Good thing you did because maybe twenty minutes after you got your drink he walked right in. This time instead of all black he work a dark blue jacket along with the black. You thought of it as progress.

He sat at the table nearest to the window. His back to the window. His face a bit tucked away from the other patrons of the bar. You don't know how you managed it but you caught his eye.

It didn't take long before he walked over to where you were sat, at the bar. He slid up next to you and ordered a beer. For three whole minutes he didn't even talk to you. You don't know if he was waiting for you to go first, or if he didn't recognize you.

That was until he spoke up.

"Valentina usually this persistent?" he asked.

You shake your head. Not sure how to respond to that. Because for all intents and purposes she was that persistent. If she really wanted something there was almost nothing on Earth that could stop her.

"The whole reason I have this job is because she took a chance on me. She gave me a second chance at my dream." you said.

He took a swig of his beer.

"You do know that she's not a good person, right?" he asked.

"Doesn't mean that you can't be." you spat out.

He looks at you on the side. You thought you might have said the wrong thing. That you might have put your foot in your mouth and costed Valentina a valuable employee.

But then he did the unthinkable. Bucky Barnes got up from his seat. Slapped a twenty dollar bill down onto the wood of the bar. Then he turned to you.

"Tell Valentina I work on my own terms. If she doesn't like that, she can get lost."

Then he told you goodnight. Bucky Barnes left without another word that night. He didn't even wait for you to say anything. He just upped and left.

You reported back to Valentina ten minutes after he left that you secured the employee.

ONE WEEK LATER...

You're watching them fight each other. From the safety of Valentina's office you watch right along with her as the team delivers kicks and punches and blows.

Hardly a team.

"Good thing I left Barnes out of this group bonding experience." she says.

"Is it really group bonding if they could possibly kill one of their possible teammates?" you ask.

Valentina shrugs her shoulders, "This will help me weed out the weak ones. I won't let it go on for too long. They'll be coming up soon. Do you wanna stay for the meet and greet?"

You shake your head no.

"I've got to head to the dance studio. Auditions for the spring recital." you respond.

"Of course I'll let you land the lead role on your own. But if it doesn't work out I can move a couple of pieces off the chess board." she jokes.

"Thanks boss, have a good day." you saw walking to the door.

Just as you wrap your and around the knob, about to pull the door open, it opens from the other side. You take a step back, thinking it might be the new team coming in.

You are sweetly surprised. It's Bucky.

He makes eye contact with you. And you think, maybe for a second or even half that, he has a small smile on his face. It goes away as soon as it comes but you swear you aren't imagining it.

You nod your head once, "Mr.Barnes."

"Call me Bucky." he says.

He side steps and walks into the room. You walk out. You can hear Valentina welcome him inside, and to the rag tag team.

APPROX. TWO DAYS LATER...

You run inside of the elevator. With no grace and even less poise you drop your duffle bag and take off your sweater. You had to change back into your casual clothes.

You hit the button for the penthouse suite. Valentina's office. You finally peel off your sweater and throw it on the ground. Just as the doors are about to roll close something stops it.

The team. The whole entire team.

Like an idiot you stand there, frozen. Not embarrassed, you're used to changing in front of people. No you aren't embarrassed you're startled.

Alexei is the first one to step into the elevator. Then Yelena and Ava. Then the guy you knew nothing about- even though he introduced himself to you as Bob. Then Bucky. Last one inside the elevator is Walker.

Walker. You hate that man with a passion. Not only did he walk and talk like some smarmy prick, you hated that he was ever given the position of captain America.

Walker comes face to face with you. You stand up straight, meeting him with a glare. The elevator doors roll closed behind him. He smiles.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little ballerina." he snarks.

"Save it, captain lame." you reply.

You can hear the others talking amongst themselves about the scene you and Walker and putting on. They more than anyone probably know how much of a prick he is. You bet you could smack him and none of them would come to his rescue.

"Valentina pay you the big bucks to strip in elevators?" he asks.

You shimmy out of your skirt and place it in the bag. You stand back up to your full height. You roll your shoulders back.

"How's your wife and child, asshole?" you ask back.

You can see him clench his jaw. That hit a nerve. Good. You look him right in the eye as you reach for your blazer. You pull it on. Then you grab your jeans.

"Assistants are replaceable." he says.

You put the jeans on one left at a time over the leggings you still have on. Then you smile. You button the pair of jeans resting on your hips.

"How fast did they replace you? What, like two minutes?" you quip.

There's snickering coming from behind you. You watch as Walker tenses up.

"She's right." Yelena says in her accent.

"I would quit if I were you." Ava adds.

Walker scoffs, "If I tell Valentina-"

You coo, "Are you gonna run and tell mommy that someone called you a bad name. Oh no!"

"Shut up." he says.

"You first." you say, then reach around him to press the next floor's button.

He's about to say something when the elevator doors roll open again. He turns around. There's no one in the hallway waiting for the elevator.

"I'm going to leave this elevator now. But I would love to show you how the new bazooka works. You'd make a great target." you say.

You pick up your duffle bag and walk out of the elevator. Not without taking in the laughter that comes from everyone inside of it. You can hear Walker throwing a fit as the doors close.

Its better you get off than antagonize him any more than you already did. You'd probably break protocol and actually punch him in the throat.

A WEEK AFTER THE FIRST MISSION...

There's a knock on the door. You aren't expecting anyone to come around. So you pick up your black kitten and head to the door. When you look through the peephole you see the one person you weren't expecting to see.

You open the door. It's Yelena.

"Funny running into you here." she says.

You invite her in wordlessly. She closes the door behind her and takes her jacket off.

"I thought you would try to talk to me sooner." you say.

She shrugs her shoulders, "I was a bit busy. But I'm here now. So tell me what's this about?"

You raise your finger to your lips and nod her over to the bathroom. She follows you into the blue tiled room. You turn on the sink and put down your kitten.

"Top secret mission from Fury. Infiltrate and report back." you answer her question.

"So Valentina doesn't know you were a former red-room assassin turned blacklist SHEILD agent?" she asks.

You nod your head, "I got a whole new identity. Fully loaded with details. I'd been working this op for almost a year before she approached me."

"So what happens if she finds out?" Yelena inquires.

"Well she either kills me or asks me to double cross SHEILD. She hasn't said anything yet which can mean either of those things." you reply.

Yelena shakes her head at your answer.

"I'm not going to let her hurt you." she says.

"She won't. If she tries I'll just be extracted." you put in simple words.

She makes a face at that. One that says she doesn't believe in the institution you find yourself employed by. She trusts your instincts, she'd told you as much a couple of years ago while on a mission.

"I promise I will take care of myself." you say.

"Please. Valentina isn't someone to mess with."

TWO WEEKS LATER...

You're walking down the hallway with the file in your hands.

Your file. Okay it's not your file but some of your past information is in it. Specifically information that you don't want or need Valentina finding out about you.

You thought SHEILD had done a better job at this. They were supposed to have cleaned your identity off of online and physical files. But here was a couple of missions you had done years ago with your aliases on them.

You come up on the storage closest for cleaning supplies. So you take a sharp right turn. You open the door and let yourself in. With a soft click you shut he door.

In the very dim lighting of the room you open the file up to make sure. Your eyes scan the words quickly. Sure enough you weren't seeing things or making it up.

Shit.

You toss the manila folder onto the ground. Then you rip the papers inside. In half. Then in fourths. Then in more tiny pieces. You hold the bunches of paper in your hand as you look around the room.

A bottle of bleach and other cleaners sits on a shelf. Good you could use that, but you would need a container. You look around some more.

An old tin bucket in the corner. You run over and grab the bucket. You dump the papers in there and run over to the cleaning liquids. You grab both the bleach and the strongest cleaner. Then you open them up and fill the bucket up.

The smell is strong on your nose. But you keep going. You recap the bottles and put them back. Then you grab the broom that stands against the nearest wall.

You turn it upside down and use the handle to mix the solution.

The door opens.

There in the door way is Bucky. You jaw drops and you stop stirring. You were not expecting him to just walk in here. Maybe the janitor? Or one of the lower level agents Valentina has employed. Not Bucky.

"Saw you leave in a hurry. Is everything okay?"

You gulp.

"Yes. I'm good." you lie.

He cocks his head to the side. His eye drop to the bucket on the floor. Then back up to you.

"Why does it smell like bleach in here?"

"It's a cleaning supply closet."

His face drops and he sports a frown, "I told Valentina that-"

"She doesn't know about this." you cut him off.

"So there is something going on."

"Yes. But I've got it handled."

"Right."

A MONTH LATER...

She found out. Or it's safe to say at this point that she knew for a while and didn't say anything.

It's not like she caught you red handed. No, Valentina is too smart for that. She wanted your defenses down. She wanted you distracted.

So she called you into your regular monthly meeting. It's always the two of you, so when you came in and saw her already seated you weren't suspicious.

It wasn't until five minutes into the meeting when the arms of your chair suddenly tied you down, automatic clamps, when you did panic. You struggled at first, trying to pay the damsel in distress.

But that didn't work. She just sat there and looked at you. She watched as you went through every like you could think of. She accepted none of them.

"What's your goal here?" she asks.

"What?"

"Your goal. Your point. Ya know,"

You shake your head, "Valentina..."

"Were you trying to kill me? or sell information to the highest bidder?"

You're taken a back by her last question. Sell information? Then it hits you. She knows you're an agent,t but she doesn't know if you're still active or who for. Huh.

You're safe, for now.

"It was nothing personal." you answer.

She laughs at that, "Nothing personal? I thought of you as my child."

"That's a bit much, Valentina."

"Okay, yeah. That was a lie. But still. You lied to me."

"Like I said, nothing personal. Just a mission." you look away from her.

"Okay so who hired you? CIA? FBI? Homeland? Or maybe-"

The door opens. You both look to the right. Walking in like he owns the place is Bucky. He comes to a stop when he sees you restrained to the chair.

He takes one look at you then at Valentina.

"What the hell is this?" he asks.

Valentina waves you off, "Field training. Have to keep my assistant safe don't I?"

"That's not your assistant." he says.

You eyes are blown wide. You don't understand what he's doing inside of the office in the first place. But you know for sure he doesn't know who you are.

"Oh? Please do share with the class." Valentina jokes and she stands from her seat.

Bucky takes this chance to walk over to you. You watch as he joins you at your side. He places his hand on your shoulder.

"Former Red Room agent." he answers.

Valentina looks surprised. She looks you up and down, like she just got a great return investment. You feel like a piece of meat. You don't like where this is going.

"Woah. You're saying I've got three of them on my roster? Damn I hit the jackpot." she smiles.

"I'm not on your roster." you speak up.

Valentina tuts, "Well if you wanna walk out of here with your life, you will be."

Crap. This means working as a double agent. No, wait you weren't actually going to help Valentina'. This meant working as a triple agent. More crap.

You nod once. She claps her hands together. Then she fishes a remote out of her blazer pocket.

"Well this has been great, but I have an important meeting to crash elsewhere. Do me a favor and get the hell out of my office would you?" she says.

She clicks a button. The restraints around your arms are released. You feel your wrists and rub the tender skin.

Valentina leaves her office with no other words for your or Bucky. You watch as she closes the door behind her. Then you launch out of your seat.

"What the hell was that?!" you ask.

Bucky stammers for a bit, "That was me saving your life."

"I didn't need saving! You just made things worse!" you shout.

He crosses his arms against his chest. Then he gives you an unbothered look.

"I'm not looking for a thank you, I'm looking for an explanation." he says.

You shake your head, "It's a long story. How'd you even know I was in here?"

"I didn't. Yelena did. I was closest to the office so she asked me to barge in here." he answers.

"I'll give you an explanation off we get out of here." you say.

-

FOUR HOURS LATER

You and Bucky are sat in the back booth of a bar. He's been nursing a beer bottle for the past hour. You have had three drinks so far. You're not spiraling, not yet.

"So you're an former red room and undercover SHEILD agent trying to dismantle Valentina's operation from the inside except she doesn't know that you're SHIELD." he summarizes.

You nod your head, "That's pretty much it."

"I don't remember you from the red room." his interest seems piqued.

You crack a laugh at that, "If I was in the red room around the time you were I'd be like eighty or something."

He laughs at that. "I'm not that old."

"Oh yeah, what are you like seventy?" you joke.

"I'm actually in the triple digits." he answers bluntly.

Your eyes widen. Yes, because of the ice. You didn't think to count that. But then again you didn't count it when it came to Captain America.

He laughs again, "Your face is priceless."

Grabbing your drink you down it until the glass is empty. Then you set it back down on the table. You take him in once more. He doesn't look like he's in the triple digits. Damn that serum must work wonders.

You think back to the impromptu interrogation in Valentina's office now.

"How'd you know to tell her I was red room?" you ask.

He shrugs his shoulders, "It gets tossed around so much it should be a bowling club at this point."

You howl in laughter at that. The only other person you ever really joke about the red room with is Yelena. And she is funny as it is. But hearing The Winter Solider basically call it a bowling club? Funny as hell.

"Mr.Barnes," you hold out your hand in front of you, "I'd be delighted to join your bowling club."

He smiles softly, and takes your hand in his. His flesh hand. He feels warm and just a little bit rough. Years of working and committing crimes for the state, both states actually. Huh.

Huh.

[chaos-chloe]

Goodwill Chronicles

Summary: The irl shopping bit stream ?

TW: Mod!reader, Friends to lovers?, admiration

The fluorescent lights of Goodwill flickered, casting a sterile glow on the chaotic racks of discarded clothing. Droid, bless his cotton socks, was sweating bullets. He wasn't built for thrift store chaos. His face, usually a picture of serene composure, was scrunched into an expression of mild bewilderment as he navigated a mountain of floral print dresses.

"Guys, are you sure this counts as content?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the phone strapped to his chest. The phone, broadcasting their IRL livestream to a rapidly growing audience, gave the whole scene a surreal quality. Pezzy, perpetually clad in bright neon and sporting an eternally cheerful grin, bounced beside him. Puffer, a gentle giant who looked perpetually uncomfortable in his own skin, trailed behind, his eyes darting nervously. And Grizzy, ever the pragmatist, was muttering about bacterial loads and the sheer volume of polyester.

"Of course it's content, Droid!" Pezzy chirped, grabbing a sequined vest. "It's 'Thrifting with the Droids'! Pure gold!"

I, meanwhile, was having the time of my life. Rummaging through racks of faded black lace and ripped denim, I was in my element. Goodwill was a treasure trove for a gothic heart like mine. A black velvet corset? Score. A pair of combat boots with enough buckles to launch a small spacecraft? Jackpot.

My laughter echoed through the aisles, "Ooh, look at this!" I chirped, holding up a black velvet corset embroidered with crimson roses. Droid, ever the dutiful cameraman, swiveled his head – and the attached camera – towards me. He was mid-stream, his feed titled "Goodwill Gauntlet with the Bois!" to a surprisingly large audience.

"Alright, chat," Pezzy announced, his voice slightly muffled by his fear-induced curling, "We're here at Goodwill, trying to find… uh… something redeeming."

His attempt at humor was largely met with groans in the chat. I snorted, already elbow-deep in a rack of discarded dresses.

"She's already winning," Puffer cackled, pointing his spiky finger at my progress. "Look at her, diving into the depths of discarded gothic fabulousness!"

I unearthed a tattered lace shawl and held it up, grinning. "Gothic treasure hunt in progress! You wouldn't believe the stuff people throw away."

The guys groaned and continued their own, less successful searches. Pezzy was currently trying to disinfect a slightly stained Garfield plushie. Grizzy was trapped between a mountain of denim jackets and a display of mismatched teacups. Puffer, predictably, had started a small argument with a mannequin wearing a questionable Hawaiian shirt.

"This isn't really our vibe, is it?" he muttered, his eyes fixed on a particularly offensive Hawaiian shirt.

"This is worse than the time we tried to assemble that IKEA bed," Grizzy grumbled, his voice synthesized but still conveying pure misery.

I laughed, a genuine, hearty sound that caught Droid's attention. He panned the camera towards me, catching me off guard. I was examining a pair of lace-up boots, a mischievous glint in my eye.I was holding up a tattered black dress with a skull print, a mischievous grin on my face. Suddenly, the chat exploded.

"OMG IS THAT MAMA MOD?!"

"MAMA MOD SPOTTED!"

"LEGIT MAMA MOD AT GOODWILL?!"

"SHE'S EVEN GOTHER THAN I IMAGINED!"

"QUEEN! BOW DOWN, MORTALS!"

"Mama Mod spotted!"

"The goth queen has arrived!"

"Protect Mama Mod at all costs!"

My cheeks flushed. Okay, maybe I hadn't realized how much I was ‘Mama Mod’ in Droid's chat. I managed to stammer, "Hey, guys! Just… uh… helping the boys find some good deals."

Droid, bless his robotic heart, lingered the camera on me a little longer, highlighting the dramatic kohl eyeliner and the carefully ripped fishnets. Then, he focused back on the chaos that was his friends.

Pezzy, who was trying to decipher the chat comments, squeaked. "Wait, Mama Mod? You're… you're the Mama Mod?"

Puffer howled with laughter. "Dude, she's been moderating your chat and you didn't even know?!"

Grizzy, free from the denim, looked genuinely impressed. "She's got those ban hammers for a reason."

My cheeks flushed. I was Droid's main moderator (but I do hop into the other guy's chat), his right hand, his... Well, we'd been dancing around the edges of something more for a while now. Seeing the chat light up with adoration, and the faint blush creeping up Droid's neck, was both exhilarating and slightly mortifying.

Pezzy and Grizzy, ever the opportunists, started reading out some of the more outrageous comments.

"’She could wear a potato sack and still look like a goddess’," Pezzy read, winking at me.

“’Is it just me, or does Droid look like he’s about to spontaneously combust?’” Grizzy added with a snort.

I giggled, playfully pushing Grizzy. “Alright, alright, enough about me. Focus on the fashion fails!”

As the boys read out the increasingly ridiculous messages from the chat ("She's the Gothic Queen of Goodwill!", "I'd sell my soul for a thrift store date with Mama Mod!", "Protect her at all costs!"), I giggled, trying on a long, black velvet dress with bell sleeves. The dress was a little large, but with a belt, it would be perfect.

But as I turned back to the racks, trying on a fingerless lace glove, I caught Droid's eye. He'd abandoned the livestream for a moment, his gaze fixed on me. There was something different in his eyes, a warmth and intensity that went beyond polite admiration. It was a look that stripped away the carefully constructed barriers we'd both erected.

I tried on the tattered dress, pirouetting in front of an old mirror. As I turned, his eyes locked with mine again. This time, his gaze lingered, a silent conversation passing between us. It wasn’t just admiration I saw; it was a deeper connection, a yearning that mirrored my own. His aura, usually calm and contained, seemed to crackle with an undeniable energy.

As I continued to rifle through the racks, trying on more outfits – a ripped band tee, a faux leather jacket with silver studs, a pair of fingerless gloves – I couldn't help but notice Droid's optics following me. His aura, usually a steady hum, seemed to vibrate with a new, almost tangible energy. The camera dutifully followed, and the chat, of course, ate it up.

Goodwill shopping with ElasticDroid and the boys just got a whole lot more interesting. It seemed someone wasn't just moderating a chat anymore, and that someone might just be developing a crush. And honestly? I wasn't entirely sure I minded. After all, who could resist a robot with gothic tastes and a burgeoning crush on his Mama Mod? This Gothic treasure hunt suddenly became a lot more rewarding.

[stevebattle]

Droid-Bug by Eugene F. Lally, Robot Shack / Robot Shop (1983), El Toro, CA. "DROID-BUG is a lovable and playful robot that is completely self-contained and easily assembled. It is great as a first robot project or as a companion to more mature, big-brother robots. The tiny bug runs about the floor or ground and senses obstacles it touches with a feeler. Then, it turns away and continues in a new direction until it meets another obstacle. The robot makes a loud buzz sound like a hurt bug when it senses something in its path. DROID-BUG acts alive as it scoots about, frantically avoiding anything that tries to get in its way. This robot will provide lots of fun and teaches basic robot construction. The cost is $129.95 plus shipping." – The Personal Robot Book, by Texe Marrs (1985).

[physalian]

On "Fiverr Go" | Their Pro-AI Freelancers

K so I logged into Fiverr today and I guess I never pay attention to the banner on the landing page because bold right up front is “Meet Fiverr Go: Choose a freelancer’s personal AI model and instantly generate work in their distinct style.”

Distinct??? Generative AI is the definition of indistinct. It cannot create anything new, it can only create based off its stolen catalogue of other people’s distinct work.

The suggestion here is that a creative has figured out how to make the AI create assembly line products based solely on their own work… cool. What am I paying you for? ‘Cause it’s certainly not all the hard work and effort that you aren’t putting in.

From Fiverr’s FAQ page.

For the love of all that is holy, if you, a creative, want to speed through the act of creation for profit you are not an artist, you're a grifter.

There is a massive, massive difference between an artist selling 50 prints of the same piece with no effort, and an artist having a robot print 50 different pieces while they sit back and watch the money roll in.

That’s no artist I want to support, sorry. I am paying you for something that you created, from sketch to finishing polish. Even if you draw one piece and color it 50 different ways with Photoshop’s masking tool, I can look at those very obvious color-swapped pieces and see the effort that’s gone into them.

This is a lie, creating the illusion of care, creativity, and time, where there is none.

In theory, everyone having their own, isolated content generator, that only learns off of what they put into it, therefore demanding actual creative effort up front to train the generator, isn't such a terrible thing, because it's putting the power back in the hands of creatives vs the big AI companies scalping the internet with wild abandon.

But it's empty creation. It's just content. It's just stuff. It's meaningless. Remember how quickly NFTs died? Endlessly, effortlessly generated AI content is one step behind them.

In any other scenario of profiting off someone else’s work, there is transparency and understanding as a buyer. Whether it’s the understanding that a designer isn’t personally sewing every dress you can buy at the department store or a paperweight you buy at Target, even if all were created entirely by machines from your one idea. The idea of mass-producing your creative work isn't the problem here.

Outsourcing the means of your production to a robot that employs and benefits no one, and costs us all dearly to function, and pretending like it’s only “helping” you succeed, is a lie. It's an entirely closed circuit that only consumes and gives nothing back. Why am I paying you, when your product costs you nothing, not even time, to produce?

As a creative worried out of my mind about my job being stolen by robots… why, oh why, would I pay a freelancer (and Fiverr) to outsource their creativity to the Robot?

The whole point of all these DIY AI programs is that I can do it myself at the click of a button. There’s a paywall for certain features and multiple uses, yeah, and it can have a little bit of a learning curve in terms of communicating what you want.

But here we have a clash of messaging that muddies both. Is GenAI powerful enough that I can generate an entire movie for myself, or not? Are creatives’ human minds and inspirations still necessary in the realm of GenAI, or not?

This is the world GenAI created, and now you want to cram freelancers back into it as if I’d trust a damn thing they could make me?

I don’t want a product of your plagiarism (and there is absolutely no guarantee that these sellers' "distinct" styles aren't stolen themselves) and I certainly don’t want to have to pay you for it. Robots are stealing my job, too, but I’m not footing your paycheck because you decided to bow down to them. And to then pay Fiverr’s hosting fees on top of it?

The moment I can stop using Fiverr, I will. I have one, old contact on there, and once we can leave it, I'm never going back.

[seaside-writings]

Well, well, well! Hello. all you lovely people! It's been a hot minute since I did one of these lol.

As you can all probably tell, I've been dragged kicking and screaming back into Gravity Falls by "The Book of Bill." Because of this, I wanted to make a prompt list from all of my favorite lines of darker dialogue from the book.

Now I know this book is filled with dark dialogue from front to back, but these are the ones that stood out the most to me, and I know they stood out to others as well.

I hope you all enjoy this list, and if you use any of these prompts, please credit/tag me so I can come check out what you’ve created!

I hope you all stay blessed and safe throughout your day.

Lots of Love & Wishes: Celia 💙△💛👁️‍🗨️🖤

P.s. I did add some lines from the Axolotl’s poem I just felt like they fit well in this mess.

"Until there was no one left but me, covered in blood, alone in the universe,"

"Turn back while you still can, or live forever with the regret,"

"It infects other books!"

"Any regrets about causing the apocalypse?"

"Blame the arson for the fire."

"It's not with it. Trust me. You have to trust me,"

"Love is a trick and worst of all it's a trick you play on yourself,"

"Even his lies are lies,"

"I don't want to die alone,"

"I'm broken wanna fix me?"

"Once you kill with one of these, it becomes a "serious straw,"

"This book has no codes,"

"They don't even consider for a single moment the sheer improbability that they got to exist in the ONE timeline where they kept all of their bodily organs,"

"Maybe one day in the future all their good luck will finally run out,"

"I've peered into the souls of the madmen, but this was the first time I'd been in a mind that was collapsing like a neutron star,"

"Your world is controlled by dark invisible forces that need to operate in the shadows to maintain their power,"

"Some desperate part of him seemed to be trying to heal himself, hoping to weld his memories back together like one of his robots,"

"For the first time, I felt a kind of pain that wasn't hilarious,"

"Nightmares about trying to wash blood off her hands that never comes out,"

"Recurring nightmares about overhearing a fight between his parents he wasn't supposed to hear. Why do you think they were in such a rush to get the kids out the door for the Summer?"

"A single spark from the memory inferno hit me, and a hole sizzled straight through me like a laser through butter,"

"And if I ran into any symbols, I'd be ready,"

"Their screams getting louder and louder."

"Listen not to his lies!"

"And he tended to rip out journal pages that had anything to do with his issues with others… especially me,"

"Is my strange way of seeing the universe a gift or a curse?"

"Is loneliness just the cost of greatness? And if it is… how long am I fated to endure?"

"On your own, you're a bunch of sepia-tinted nobodies destined for the dumpster of history,"

"Although the day had begun with us as strangers, it ended with us as brothers, bonded by vengeance and a newfound hatred,"

"Someone had reversed the Shaman's spell and had summoned me back! Who would it be?! A genius? An idiot? Oh. Oh my goodness me. Yes. It was both,"

"Can you collect them all before the end-times come?"

"How about that; you've got an inferior clone! Why didn't you just eat him in the womb? Think of how powerful you'd be!"

"Assemble all seven collectibles to open the seal,"

"The perfect weight to kill a man,"

"Says he's happy, he's a liar,"

"I grow maddened."

"A different form, a different time."

"He looked distant, more distant than I'd ever seen him before,"

"By a monster."

"He laughed joylessly,"

"It would eat you alive."

"Trust no one,"

"As the chanting grew louder, the forest was suddenly engulfed in flames, screaming laughter echoing, and then- I awake on the floor, gasping for breath,"

"I could see in the third dimension,"

"But being special comes with a price,"

"I've shut down the portal! Damn it all!"

"My mind reels from horror and humiliation! How could I have been so foolish!?"

"Saw his own dimension burn, misses home, and can’t return."

"I was wrong about everything!"

"Break my bones if you must, but you cannot break my will!"

"No, I won't give him the satisfaction! Instead of destroying my work, I'll destroy him instead!"

"That's because I've been knock-knocking your skull against the wall!"

"Has he done this before?? How far would he go?"

"I keep coughing up spiders,"

"My heart was in my throat until I heard the dial tone… the pay phone was out of order. The message hadn't gotten through,"

"You're my property. Don't forget it,"

"You gave me your blood, You let me into your mind!"

"From the graves around me arose a horde of cackling cadavers eyes aglow,"

"Why are you doing this?! Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Without me, you'll always feel unseen, surrounded by dolts who don't recognize your true potential,"

"You've always felt alone in a crowd, haven't you? Who else will give you this feeling again?"

"Even if you got rid of me, you'd miss me. Admit it, you'd miss me,"

"The hillbilly abandoned you, your father won't want you returning without millions, you have no friends, and if you died out here in the snow. who would even miss you?"

"I have no one else,"

“I awoke from the hallucination, heart pounding, to find myself back in my living room, clock ticking, record skipping- and began to weep,”

"What if… he mocks me? What if he sees that I abandoned our family to become a recluse on the brink of madness?"

"Where did you all go? WHERE DID-"

"Shame is a powerful emotion. But if grows even more in the dark,"

"I thought I was protecting my family, but I was really protecting myself… from humiliation,"

"No, they mean nothing to you!"

"Because no matter what the idiot counselors in this smiling cage say, I don't need anyone, I never have, and I don't miss any of them!"

"I'm fine,"

"This morning I awoke to find my knuckles bloody and sore. He must have been punching and scraping the steel door like a caged animal all night in a frenzy to get in,"

“Someday… someone… will let… me… out,”

[beardedmrbean]

A restaurant partially owned by California Governor Gavin Newsom is recruiting for a $16-per-hour role, despite a new state law guaranteeing a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers. The restaurant appears not to meet the threshold for the new minimum wage, a law that Newsom himself signed to much fanfare in September.

The Context

On April 1, the new law guaranteeing a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers employed in large chains took effect across California, up from the previous minimum of $16.

The law was passed by Democrats in the state legislature last year but has come under fire from some Republicans who claim it will cost jobs. A wage of $20 per hour for a full-time worker results in an annual salary of $41,600.

The new law applies to those restaurants that are part of a chain of 60 or more venues nationwide and which offer limited or no table service.

What We Know

PlumpJack Café in Olympic Valley, California, is seeking a part-time busser to "assist the food server in the restaurant to ensure guest satisfaction during all aspects of the dining experience."

The advert, placed on job posting website ZipRecruiter, says that the employee will be paid $16 per hour and their duties will include clearing dishes from tables, the preparation of caffeinated drinks and decorating tables prior to customer arrival.

The café is owned by the PlumpJack Group, a company founded by Newsom which specializes in wine and high-end dining. Its website says that PlumpJack Group operates four bars or restaurants, placing it well below the threshold for the $20 per hour minimum wage to take effect.

Newsom placed his ownership interests in the PlumpJack Group into a blind trust in 2018, and has had no day-to-day involvement in the running of the company since assuming office in January 2019.

Newsweek has contacted Newsom and the PlumpJack Group for comment outside of normal working hours.

The official PlumpJack Group website states: "In 1992, Gavin Newsom opened his first business, PlumpJack Wines, combining his passion for wine and his driving entrepreneurial spirit.

"Over the next decade, the PlumpJack Group began to grow under his leadership to include many of the restaurants, wineries, and retail establishments in the current portfolio."

Views

Republican State Assembly member Joe Patterson shared screenshots of the PlumpJack Café, PlumpJack Group website referring to Newsom as its founder and the rental cost of two properties in the area on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: "I wonder why @CAgovernor @GavinNewson's food businesses don't pay $20/hour? Live job posting at $16/hr in Olympic Valley. It's very, very expensive to live there... but he doesn't do as he tells others and doesn't pay a living wage."

The increased minimum wage for fast-food workers more generally has been criticized by some Republicans who warn it will reduce the number of jobs.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Rep. Doug LaMalfa from California said: "As if prices in California aren't high enough. Fast food prices are already rising, and employees are being replaced by self-checkout kiosks and soon robot cooks.

"Nearly everyone will be worse off: higher prices, fewer jobs, fewer eating options as places close, and fewer small businesses. Ultimately this new $20 minimum wage will affect nearly every job, with similar results."

In an earnings call at the end of October, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that "there is going to be a wage impact for our California franchisees," which he added would have to be partially "worked through with higher pricing."

In February, Newsom denied a report by Bloomberg News that he pushed for a separate exception to the new minimum wage law that benefits a campaign donor. The law exempts restaurants that have on-site bakeries and sell bread as a standalone menu item.

As a result, Greg Flynn, a billionaire and Newsom donor, could save hundreds of thousands of dollars at his Panera Bread outlets in California, according to Bloomberg.

A spokesman denied any connection, saying: "This story is absurd."

In January, a baseline minimum wage of $16 came into effect across California.

[dorkicon]

some progress shots of a comic ive been working on for my sequential art class (tired thumbs up) some of u (?eh) may recognize the blue seeker as the oc i posted a while back. this comic is like his...backstory...thing i guess

some color tests and the script for these pages is under the cut...the dialog is a bit different but im too lazy to sort it out at the moment.

1.

1) far out perspective on a warehouse of identical robots. they stretch on in a large horizontal panel, a box full of similar bodies. light leaks into the crowd, illuminating nightlight. he stares upward.

(some kind of narration..?)

2) thin, long panel showing hole in ceiling. the night sky shimmers. a moon glows yellow.

3) nightlight stares up from a crowd of automatons at the sky

4) zoom in on nightlights face. yellow eyes reflect the moon. long thin panel. bg is stars

(hardcoded to kill.) (born to die)

[high priority: eliminate target at cost of self.]

2.

[i never had to learn. i knew everything from the start]

--

[how to assemble my rifle.]

[a fatal crunch under its stock.]

[how to tear the plating from another living machine]

[the squealing snapping of broken bones.]

--

[i was good. good at following orders. i had gone so long without fulfilling my primary assignment that i had, ironically, become useful for my experience.]

3.

[ i was reassigned--a nearly abandoned fuel outpost that no one was really supposed to know about.]

[alongside two others who had outlived their mission, just like myself.]

--

(kid, cmon. everyone has a name.) [redlyne]

(take it easy. they just pulled this one off the lines. give him some time.) [dawnbreaker]

[i didnt have one. i never needed one until now.]

[i tried to think--]

(my name?)

[nightlight.]

--

[i couldnt comprehend it at first. i didnt understand.]

(ext. a run down outpost.)

[

4.

[no one was supposed to know about our outpost.]

--

[we had lulled ourselves into a sort of mundanity. finally, our unremarkable existence had begun to show its advantage.]

--

(chess game pieces are rattled by gunfire, redlyne goes to check door(?))

--

(he is shot down.)

[of course, even the small amount of fuel we were guarding was worth killing over.]

--

[i dont know who killed him who killed ether of them. our side? the other one?]

[deep in my circuts, in the hardcoding of my frame, all i knew was that they were gone.]

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Nation of Change:

China’s largest automaker, BYD, is selling its Dolphin hatchback EV for a low-low $15,000, complete with a 13-inch rotating screen, ventilated front seats, and a 260-mile range. Here in the U.S., you have to pay more than twice that price for the Tesla Model 3 EV ($39,000) with lower tech and only 10 more miles of driving range. In case $15K beats your budget, the Dolphin has a plug-in hybrid version with an industry-leading 74-mile range on a single charge for only $11,000 and an upgrade with an unbeatable combined gas-electric range of 1,300 miles. Not surprisingly, EVs surged to 52% of all auto sales in China last year. And with such a strong domestic springboard into the world market, Chinese companies accounted for more than 70% of global EV sales.

It’s time to face reality in the world of cars and light trucks. Let’s admit it, China’s visionary industrial policy is the source of its growing dominance over global EV production. Back in 2009-2010, three years before Elon Musk sold his first mass-production Tesla, Beijing decided to accelerate the growth of its domestic auto industry, including cheap, all-electric vehicles with short ranges for its city drivers. Realizing that an EV is just a steel box with a battery, and battery quality determines car quality, Beijing set about systematically creating a vertical monopoly for those batteries — from raw materials like lithium and cobalt from the Congo all the way to cutting-edge factories for the final product. With its chokehold on refining all the essential raw materials for EV batteries (cobalt, graphite, lithium, and nickel), by 2023-2024 China accounted for well over 80% of global sales of battery components and nearly two-thirds of all finished EV batteries.

Clearly, new technology is driving our automotive future, and it’s increasingly clear that China is in the driver’s seat, ready to run over the auto industries of the U.S. and the European Union like so much roadkill. Indeed, Beijing switched to the export of autos, particularly EVs, to kick-start its slumbering economy in the aftermath of the Covid lockdown.

Given that it was already the world’s industrial powerhouse, China’s auto industry was more than ready for the challenge. After robotic factories there assemble complete cars, hands-free, from metal stamping to spray painting for less than the cost of a top-end refrigerator in the U.S., Chinese companies pop in their low-cost batteries and head to one of the country’s fully automated shipping ports. There, instead of relying on commercial carriers, leading automaker BYD cut costs to the bone by launching its own fleet of eight enormous ocean-going freighters. It started in January 2024 with the BYD Explorer No. 1, capable of carrying 7,000 vehicles anywhere in the world, custom-designed for speedy drive-on, drive-off delivery. That same month, another major Chinese company you’ve undoubtedly never heard of, SAIC Motor, launched an even larger freighter, which regularly transports 7,600 cars to global markets.

Those cars are already heading for Europe, where BYD’s Dolphin has won a “5-Star Euro Safety Rating” and its dealerships are popping up like mushrooms in a mine shaft. In a matter of months, Chinese cars had captured 11% of the European market. Last year, BYD began planning its first factory in Mexico as an “export hub” for the American market and is already building billion-dollar factories in Turkey, Thailand, and Indonesia. Realizing that “20% to 30%” of his company’s revenue is at risk, Ford CEO Jim Farley says his plants are switching to low-cost EVs to keep up. After the looming competition led GM to bring back its low-cost Chevy Bolt EV, company Vice President Kurt Kelty said that GM will “drive the cost of E.V.s to lower than internal combustion engine vehicles.”

So, what does all this mean for America? In the past four years, the Biden administration made real strides in protecting the future of the country’s auto industry, which is headed toward ensuring that American motorists will be driving $10,000 EVs with a 1,000-mile range, a 10-year warranty, a running cost of 10 cents a mile, and 0 (yes zero!) climate-killing carbon emissions.

Not only did President Biden extend the critical $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of an American-made EV, but his 2021 Infrastructure Act helped raise the number of public-charging ports to a reasonable 192,000, with 1,000 more still being added weekly, reducing the range anxiety that troubles half of all American car owners. To cut the cost of the electricity needed to drive those car chargers, his 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allocated $370 billion to accelerate the transition to low-cost green energy. With such support, U.S. EV sales jumped 7% to a record 1.3 million units in 2024.

Most important of all, that funding stimulated research for a next-generation solid-state battery that could break China’s present stranglehold over most of the components needed to produce the current lithium-ion EV batteries. The solution: a blindingly simple bit of all-American innovation — don’t use any of those made-in-China components. With investment help from Volkswagen, the U.S. firm QuantumScape has recently developed a prototype for a solid-state battery that can reach “80% state of charge in less than 15 minutes,” while ensuring “improved safety,” extended battery life, and a driving range of 500 miles. Already, investment advisors are touting the company as the next Nvidia.

But wait a grim moment! If we take President Donald Trump at his word, his policies will slam the brakes on any such gains for the next four years — just long enough to potentially send the Detroit auto industry into a death spiral. On the campaign trail last year, Trump asked oil industry executives for a billion dollars in “campaign cash,” and told the Republican convention that he would “end the electrical vehicle mandate on day one” and thereby save “the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration.” And in his victory speech last November, he celebrated the country’s oil reserves, saying, “We have more liquid gold than anyone else in the world.”

[seat-safety-switch]

Have you ever welded? It's one of those essential skills that makes the modern world possible. Without the ability to melt a chunk of metal into another chunk of metal, why, we wouldn't have playground equipment. Or stair railings. Or, less importantly, bridges. And we certainly wouldn't have cars.

I'm not very good at welding, although I certainly appreciate the subculture. I couldn't get a job doing it. One of the reasons why is because my entire childhood consisted of folks telling me that I'd never have to do it.

When I was growing up, there was a hue and cry from the intelligentsia about the rise of automated assembly. Robots could weld better than any human being: perfectly, consistently, quickly, and without getting tired or going on strike for being mistreated. It was not just inevitable for the capitalists to replace the humble human worker: it was imperative.

Of course, we live in a future where the British still make cars out of wood, and the robots aren't cost-effective in every case. Most of the reason why is that the robots have no judgment, no taste, no common fucking sense. If you put a Toaster Strudel® in front of them, they'll try to weld it together. A huge number of humans are involved just to make sure the robot has a car in front of it, and the car is in the right spot. So many so, in fact, that it would probably be faster for some welds just to do it yourself. This is a situation not unfamiliar to those of you with toddlers, small dogs, or bosses.

In the end, I got a job where I talk to a bunch of other human beings, before I tell a computer what to do. And I picked up the welding skill on my own, mostly so I could stitch all the garbage cars made by those welding robots back together as soon as they'd been exposed to only a few decades of road salt. Sure, I could buy a robot of my own, the bankrupt factories are throwing them out on the curb, but... now you know why I don't.

[fancoloredglasses]

[RERUN] Crisis on Infinite Earths, issue 11: “Aftershock” (Same great universe, now 80% smaller!)

[All images are owned by DC Comics, please don’t sue me]

PREVIOUSLY ON…

A being known as the Anti-Monitor has destroyed all but 5 of the universes in existence) with a single survivor on Earth-6 (Lady Quark) and Earth-Prime (Superboy) along for the ride)

Unfortunately, the process was unstable, meaning that time has merged (meaning mammoths and futuristic aliens are among modern skyscrapers) in the areas where the Earths are merged (which are called “Warp Zones”)

The Anti-Monitor’s last three attempts to destroy the multiverse have been thwarted (at the cost of many lives, including Supergirl and Earth-1’s Flash)

The Anti-Monitor’s fourth attempt brought the battle to the Dawn of Time, where the Anti-Monitor attempted to destroy the multiverse before it began, but his efforts were thwarted by the Spectre.

…or were they? As the pair fought for control, reality shattered around them and the assembled heroes!

Now, on with our story! If you would like to read this issue, it (along with the rest of the series) has been collected in graphic novel form and is available (or can be ordered) at your favorite comic shop, bookstore, or online retailer…or on Read Comic Online.

[WARNING: Things are gonna get a bit weirder and more confusing than they’ve been to this point (and that’s saying something!) Furthermore, the jokes could be a bit thin here. I’m not certain if you’ll call that a bad thing or not]

We open on Clark Kent (Kal-L) as he wakes up from a bizarre dream. His wife Lois obviously let him sleep in…and redecorated? He heads to his “day job” as managing editor of the Daily Star. He enters his office and is about to get to work…

…when Perry White barges in and demands to know who’s in his office. That’s when Kal-L noticed Perry’s name on the office door. In barges Clark Kent (Superman) who apologizes to Perry and introduces his “Uncle Clark” before escorting Kal-L from the building.

On the top of the Daily Planet, they guess that somehow after the Spectre’s fight with the Anti-Monitor, they both were transported to Earth-1. They fly to the warp zone in New York…

…only it’s not there. What’s more, no one remembers there ever being anything weird in the area (though they do remember Supergirl’s death).

They then fly to Central City, where the Flash (who is still considered “missing”, as no one was present for his sacrifice) stored his cosmic treadmill…

…only to see the twin cities of Central City (home to Earth-1′s Flash) and Keystone City (home to Earth-2′s Flash) Sure enough, Jay Garrick (Earth-2′s Flash) and his wife Joan greet the pair. Joan doesn’t remember what happened, but Jay does. They fetch Kid Flash and start the cosmic treadmill and break through the dimensional barrier

…to a void; Earth-2 isn’t there! What’s more, Kal-L feels the void calling to him, like he belongs there…though the Flash doesn’t feel the same call!

They return before Kal-L can run to the void, and everyone reaches the same conclusion: there is only one universe now, but obviously elements of the old realities are different from the new reality…and some elements never existed!

While the four contact as many heroes as they can find to discuss the ramifications, we switch to deep space. Rip Hunter’s time sphere (carrying Hunter, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Dolphin, Atomic Knight, and Animal Man) encounter Brainiac’s ship adrift.

They board to investigate and discover the corpse (if a robot can have a corpse) of Brainiac.

Back on Earth, many of the heroes have gathered at Titan’s Tower, where they’re all checking each others’ math to make sure everyone has put two and two together. Huntress and Earth-2′s Robin explain that they, like Kal-L, don’t exist in this “new Earth”. Superboy-Prime is shocked when he finds out his Earth never existed either (that’s what happens when your universe was written in just so it could become a victim. Just ask Lady Quark)

Suddenly, Harbinger appears (having somehow regained her powers due to the new reality) and confirms this fact, and explains that some elements of each individual earths’ histories no longer existed (though reality seems to have conformed around Earth-1 primarily. I guess DC would have lost a lot of readers if it conformed around Earth-X), meaning only the modern versions of the “duplicate” heroes (like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) are part of this new reality, while heroes that share a name, but not a past (like Flash, Green Lantern, and Atom) exist alongside their younger counterparts. 

Kal-L flips out at this news, as it means that he will never see his wife Lois again.

As Kal-L flies off in a streak of self-pity, we switch to the Spirit Realm, where the Spectre lies unconscious, severely weakened by his battle with the Anti-Monitor (I’m sure this will be important later)

Back on Earth, the heroes continue to compare notes. It seems the villains don’t remember the multiverse (since they weren’t at the Dawn of Time), but it seems that Power Girl (Kal-L’s cousin) is remembered. No one is sure how that works.

Suddenly, the weather turns ugly, just as it did when a universe was about to–

Uh-oh…

Earth has been pulled into the Anti-Matter universe!

…dedulcnoc eb oT

[erik-even-wordier]

The reality was, if you were White ... and lucky enough to work for Big Bidnezz with a Big Union, yeah, you got to be in the Blue Collar Middle Class. It wasn't manufacture that made the Blue Collar Middle Class, but unions and the simple fact that Uncle Sam allowed unions to flourish. Not in the South, of course. And, after Big Bidnezz got tired of over paying knuckledraggers to be assembly line flesh robots, they sent the jobs off to impoverished second and third world (over populated, too) countries; often run by dictators. No unions, or OSHA, or low cost healthcare, or pensions, or ...

Robert Young, Dr. Codd Was Right

[neonhellscape]

robot helmets are up! these are B-grade helmets from my trial run of assembly- all have varying levels of issues with symmetry but are otherwise fine. you can always ask me for additional photos if you want to see this better. these are basic construction with the shiny visors and either 2 or 4 fins depending on which mask- i used plastic bolts so theres no metal sticking towards your face. they don't come with any extras by default, but they do have some little clips on the side rails i could add some shinies to if you get in touch with me first. in the image with me there [hi im robot tm] i basically just got some chains and looped them through. i got a few different chains including beaded ones or ones with little stars i could show if you were interested

because theyre B-grade, they're priced up just to cover costs- i am gunna be meeting with my partner for the first time later this month so if anyone so happens to want to support that by paying a little more i'd be grateful, but its by no means obligatory. thanks!

[ttccprojectoverdrive]

I already mentioned ships in a previous post, but figured I should elaborate more on them! I’ll only focus on the main ships this time

Will x Rain

The classic enemies to lovers pipeline with these two! They also kinda have a dynamic similar to Squidward and SpongeBob before they officially get together, then it becomes more soft and gooey. Seriously only Rain can bring out Will’s cheesy/affectionate side, he just can’t help himself. They tried to keep their relationship a secret, but their friends suspected real hard what was going on and were just waiting for the two to admit it. They’re also t4t (Will is a trans man and Rain is an AMAB trans demigirl). They don’t get officially married until after cogs.ink is dismantled and made anew, and when they do they have a small personal wedding in a location hidden from the public. Rain proposed by the way. Will and Rain getting married is something they reveal to the public in their efforts to show that cogs and toons can get along, but they also acknowledge as much as they can the harm both sides have cost each other. More so cogs harming toons obviously. Them having a kid together was something they began to discuss, but just as they were starting plans to adopt or do surrogacy because they thought bio kids were very unlikely it just kinda happened. They were panicked at first but then quickly got their heads back on and came to the conclusion to keep the baby. Eight months later their daughter Olive was born, and she was the first reliably documented cog/toon hybrid before more eventually would be discovered. Rain named their daughter Olive because 1) O for oil haha funny and 2) brown and round, seriously Olive was chonky a ball even when she was born. She gets that from Will’s dad.

BruBuck

Their dynamic is Roger rabbit and Jessica Rabbit, but if Jessica was a mix of her and Roger’s personalities. The two were childhood friends that met when they were around 9-10, and remained friends up until their early 20’s when they both realized their feelings for each other. The two then dated until their late twenties, that being when Dave proposed to Buck. The two didn’t bother to hide their relationship, taking any negative comments with stride. In their 30’s is when they would have their first (and only since they have busy careers) daughter via commissioning. How the commission process works is that both parents submit genetic material, and then that is put into a big machine that creates parts from it. The parents then get to assemble their baby like the movie Robots after receiving them in the mail.

BellThinker

Ah yes, the evil old man yaoi. The two first met in collage and started out as friends, but from the beginning Ben had a deep infatuation for the other cog. It culminated in Ben sneaking in through Brian’s window one night, and while Brian was startled and a little scared at first Ben’s confession of love and total devotion won him over. Brian loved having someone who completely loved everything about him and wouldn’t hold him to high expectations. The two are attached at the hip when doing things they can do together and not individually. Brian is one of the few people to know all of Ben’s dark secrets, none of them making him love Ben any less. The two waited until they were older to have a kid because they simply couldn’t find the right time or place to settle down before.

Firesetter

I pretty much kept their dynamic the same as it is in canon, so there’s not much to say here. In terms of background, the two were friends for a bit in elementary/middle before losing touch after Graham’s family moved away. Graham was a dick during high school before his parents made him go to therapy for his developing narcissism problems, so he’s thankful that he reunited with Flint in college. Flint knows about Graham’s past, and is proud of how far he’s come as a person.

Misty/Mary/Holly

Misty and Mary met each other through their lines of work before joining cogs.ink, and started out as friends before becoming a couple. They’re very soft, sweet, and supportive ocean nerds. Holly and Mary don’t get along at first, and Mary was worried about how Holly would treat Misty considering their clashing personalities. Holly become protective and friendly towards Misty rather than chastising her for poor work performance because Holly was taught growing up to treat those like Misty with kindness (aka be the knight in shining armor to the fair maiden/man). Mary became willing to give Holly a chance after Misty became friends with Holly, and it was with Mary’s blessing that Misty started dating Holly too. Mary and Holly still aren’t exactly a couple, but they aren’t friends either. It’s complicated even if they’re married to/living with the same woman.

Chip/Bubble

Tired sad white boy and manic pixie dream girl

Chip has a type for the loud and colorful who are also respectful and kind (aka those like Dave Buck and high roller) and bubble likes tall sad quiet men. Besides that two, the two have some similar interests and fears such as others being afraid of them. They balance each other out in terms of personality. Bubble isn’t a toon nor a cog, rather a toon from another dimension where they live super long and are super powerful. She’s physically 200 but mentally they’re around Chip’s age and have been that way for most of their existence. Cogs.ink managed to capture him (when in reality bubble let himself get caught so his powers could be suppressed) and from there they didn’t really know what to do with him after getting her to do big things for the company didn’t work. They end up as Chip’s assistant and to make it look less weird to the public every other manager gets an assistant too (I’ll elaborate more on that later). After cogs.ink is dismantled and Bubble feels more secure in their powers, Chip and them are surprised when their attempts at having a kid together actually work. It was even more surprising when a few years later they had another kid.

Alton/Bess

Bess is a big and tall cog woman who resembles a longhorn cow, and she’s Alton’s darling wife who can lift him like a bag of chips. Southern lovey dovey couple out here! They have a few kids together too. Bess is more calm and subdued compared to Alton’s loud personality, but so help you if you make her mad.