#structure guide

[kapilasteel]

How to Optimize Concrete Structures with TMT Steel and Super Rings

Constructing durable concrete structures demands strategic reinforcement, with TMT steel serving as the backbone of modern building foundations. Engineers increasingly depend on this revolutionary material alongside super rings and dowel bars to enhance structural integrity from the ground up. The thoughtful integration of these components marks the difference between standard constructions and exceptional buildings that withstand decades of stress and environmental challenges.

Understanding Reinforcement Essentials

Quality reinforcement begins with proper material selection. TMT steel has revolutionized construction practices due to its remarkable tensile strength and flexibility. When combined with precision tools like super rings that maintain exact concrete cover, structures gain fundamental advantages that prevent premature deterioration. Engineers particularly value how dowel bars transfer loads effectively across concrete joints, reducing the risk of uneven settlement that compromises structural integrity.

The molecular structure of TMT steel explains its exceptional performance. Unlike traditional metal alternatives, the thermomechanical remedy system creates a special dual-shape formation—a difficult exterior with a softer, extra-ductile core. This composition permits buildings to flex slightly all through seismic occasions without catastrophic failure, making TMT steel indispensable for creation in earthquake-prone areas.

Enhancing Structural Durability

Construction quality directly correlates with reinforcement placement precision. Super rings play a critical role by maintaining consistent concrete cover around TMT steel bars, preventing moisture penetration that leads to corrosion. This seemingly small detail dramatically extends structural lifespan, with properly installed super rings preventing the premature deterioration that plagues many buildings within their first decade.

Concrete slab performance depends heavily on proper load transfer mechanisms. Dowel bars positioned strategically at construction joints ensure that adjacent concrete sections move in harmony rather than independently. This coordination prevents uneven settling and the resulting cracks that compromise both appearance and function. Contractors who invest time in precise dowel bar placement report significantly fewer warranty claims related to concrete cracking.

Temperature fluctuations pose a constant threat to concrete durability. TMT steel's superior ductility allows it to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction without transferring destructive stress to surrounding concrete. Combined with properly installed super rings that maintain appropriate spacing, this system creates a harmonious structural element that responds appropriately to environmental challenges throughout seasonal changes.

Maximizing Long-Term Value

Initial material quality dramatically impacts lifetime maintenance requirements. Structures reinforced with premium TMT steel require significantly less remedial work throughout their lifespan compared to those using standard reinforcement. The initial investment in quality dowel bars and super rings similarly pays dividends through reduced maintenance costs and extended service life, making them extraordinarily cost-effective despite marginally higher upfront expenses.

Building safety correlates directly with material performance under stress. TMT steel maintains structural integrity even when subjected to extreme conditions, offering occupants crucial additional minutes for evacuation during emergencies. This performance advantage becomes particularly evident in multi-story structures where failure risks carry catastrophic consequences. Safety officials increasingly recommend super rings and properly positioned dowel bars as essential components in buildings designated for high occupancy.

Construction deadlines often pressure teams to compromise on reinforcement details, but experienced builders recognize this false economy. Taking time for proper TMT steel installation, including appropriate super rings and strategically positioned dowel bars, prevents the costly rework that plagues rushed projects. The slight additional installation time translates to dramatically improved structural performance that benefits owners throughout the building's entire lifecycle.

Structures optimized with quality materials establish reputations that extend beyond individual projects. Buildings incorporating premium TMT steel with properly installed super rings and dowel bars become showcases of engineering excellence, standing as testimonials to thoughtful construction practices that prioritize longevity over short-term convenience.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Political Structures

A Horse! A Horse! My X for a Horse!

Let's be honest, fantasy authors love their kingdoms and empires. You can throw a rock in a bookshop or a library in the fantasy section and you will 99.99999% hit a fantasy book that will be set in or mention either of those structures. But what are they really? What's the difference between them all? Are there any more examples of structures that would suit your WIP better? Are you using the right terms? Let's have a closer look.

Duchy

A Duchy is a small territory ruled by a Duke/Duchess. While Duchies can be found in kingdoms, some duchies were sovereign states in their own right. Duchies are usually small by land mass but some duchies such as Burgundy were extremely powerful and influential. Independent Duchies were usually apart of a kingdom but grew so powerful that they eventually broke away to become a sovereign state in their own right. An example would be modern day Luxembourg, historic Milan and Burgundy.

Principality

A principality is territory ruled by a Prince/Princess. A principality is typically smaller than a kingdom and in some instances, can be apart of a larger kingdom or be a sovereign state. Principalities have a history of having broken away from a larger kingdom or eventually becoming apart of a kingdom. A principality within a kingdom is ruled by a Prince/Princess, usually an heir of the monarch and can be used to train them up to assume the throne in the future. Examples include Monaco, Liechtenstein and Andorra.

Kingdom

A sovereign state/country that is ruled by ruling King or a Queen. A kingdom is much larger and more powerful than a principality. Kingdoms can be feudal, meaning they are ruled in a strict hierarchy or an autocracy where the monarch rules alone with minimal input from the government or constitutional where the monarch is more of a figurehead and the government has a good chunk of control. Examples include England, Thailand and modern day Spain.

Commonwealth

A Commonwealth isn't a popular choice in fantasy but it is an interesting structure. A Commonwealth in its most basic form is a collection of states that are linked by either a shared culture or history. A Commonwealth can be a politically power or an economic power, with every state allowed to participate as much as they like. Not one state leads the others, it is all one group of equals. A Commonwealth can be a good idea for a group of nations that are more powerful together with them keeping their own independence.

Federation

A Federation is a political structure that is made up of united states or countries that are under a single government but each state is still independent and rules itself. Each state can have different laws, different cultures and economies but they all answer to the single government. Examples include the United States of America.

Republic

A Republic is a territory that is ruled by leaders and heads of state that have been elected on merit and by choice of the people. Republics are not just countries but can also be much smaller areas such as cities. Republics are democratic in nature, with the people having a say in who leads them in accordance to a constitution. There are many kinds of Republic: presidential, parliamentary, federal, theocratic, unitary. Examples of Republics include the Republic of Ireland and the city of Florence.

Protectorate

A Protectorate is a country/region/territory that is independent but relies on a larger, more powerful state for protection either in a military or diplomatic sense. A Protectorate was often used by Empires in order to maintain control over an area without annexing it. There are many reasons a larger state and the protectorate would agree to this, mainly the protectorate is much smaller meaning it is far more vulnerable to attack or it has very little power when compared to other states. A Protectorate allows the territory some power to rule itself but the larger state may feel the need or desire to interfere in the dealings of the territory. Examples of protectorates include the client kingdoms of the Roman Empire like Egypt before its annexation and Puerto Rico.

Empire

An Empire is a collection of nations that are united under one sovereign head of state or government. An Empire is formed by one nation steadily taking control of other nations, either through straight invasion and colonization or acquiring them through marriage and other less violent ways. An Empire is powerful mainly because it can drum up more resources, more influence and more military power. An Empire might impose the traditions, beliefs and culture of its principal nation - the nation that started it all - onto its colonies for better control and feeling of uniformity. Empires never last, that is something to always remember. Empires will eventually fragment due to the vast size and sometimes revolt among the conquered states. Examples of empires include the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🧩 How to Outline Without Feeling Like You’re Dying

(a non-suffering writer’s guide to structure, sanity, and staying mildly hydrated)

Hey besties. Let’s talk outlines. Specifically: how to do them without crawling into the floorboards and screaming like a Victorian ghost.

If just hearing the word “outline” sends your brain into chaos-mode, welcome. You’re not broken, you’re just a writer whose process has been hijacked by Very Serious Advice™ that doesn’t fit you. You don’t need to build a military-grade beat sheet. You don’t need a sixteen-tab spreadsheet. You don’t need to suffer to be legitimate. You just need a structure that feels like it’s helping you, not haunting you.

So. Here’s how to outline your book without losing your soul (or all your serotonin).

—

🍓 1. Stop thinking of it as “outlining.” That word is cursed. Try “story sketch.” “Narrative roadmap.” “Planning soup.” Whatever gets your brain to chill out. The goal here is to understand your story, not architect it to death.

Outlining isn’t predicting everything. It’s just building a scaffold so your plot doesn't fall over mid-draft.

—

🧠 2. Find your plot skeleton. There are lots of plot structures floating around: 3-Act. Save the Cat. Hero’s Journey. Take what helps, ignore the rest.

If all else fails, try this dirt-simple one I use when my brain is mush:

Act I: What’s the problem?

Act II: Why can’t we fix it?

Act III: What finally makes us change?

Ending: What does that change cost?

You don’t need to fill in every detail. You just need to know what’s driving your character, what’s blocking them, and what choices will change them.

—

🛒 3. Make a “scene bucket list.” Before you start plotting in order, write down a list of scenes you know you want: key vibes, emotional beats, dramatic reveals, whatever.

These are your anchors. Even if you don’t know where they go yet, they’re proof your story already exists, it just needs connecting tissue.

Bonus: when you inevitably get stuck later, one of these might be the scene that pulls you back in.

—

🧩 4. Start with 5 key scenes. That’s it. Here’s a minimalist approach that won’t kill your momentum:

Opening (what sucks about their world?)

Catalyst (what throws them off course?)

Midpoint (what makes them confront themselves?)

Climax (what breaks or remakes them?)

Ending (what’s changed?)

Plot the spaces between those after you’ve nailed these. Think of it like nailing down corners of a poster before smoothing the rest.

You’re not “doing it wrong” if you start messy. A messy start is a start.

—

🔧 5. Use the outline to ask questions, not just answer them. Every section of your outline should provoke a question that the scene must answer.

Instead of: — “Chapter 5: Sarah finds a journal.”

Try: — “Chapter 5: What truth does Sarah find that complicates her next move?”

This makes your story active, not just a list of stuff that happens. Outlines aren’t just there to record, they’re tools for curiosity.

—

🪤 6. Beware of the Perfectionist Trap™. You will not get the entire plot perfect before you write. Don’t stall your momentum waiting for a divine lightning bolt of Clarity. You get clarity by writing.

Think of your outline as a map drawn in pencil, not ink. It’s allowed to evolve. It should evolve.

You’re not building a museum exhibit. You’re making a prototype.

—

🧼 7. Clean up after you start drafting. Here’s the secret: the first draft will teach you what the story’s actually about. You can go back and revise the outline to fit that. It’s not wasted work, it’s evolving scaffolding.

You don’t have to build the house before you live in it. You can live in the mess while you figure out where the kitchen goes.

—

🛟 8. If you’re a discovery writer, hybrid it. A lot of “pantsers” aren’t anti-outline, they’re just anti-stiff-outline. That’s fair.

Try using “signposts,” not full scenes:

Here’s a secret someone’s hiding.

Here’s the emotional breakdown scene.

Here’s a betrayal. Maybe not sure by who yet.

Let the plot breathe. Let the characters argue with your outline. That tension is where the fun happens.

—

🪴 TL;DR but emotionally: You don’t need a flawless outline to write a good book. You just need a loose net of ideas, a couple of emotional anchors, and the willingness to pivot when your story teaches you something new.

Outlines should support you, not suffocate you.

Let yourself try. Let it be imperfect. That’s where the good stuff lives.

Go forth and outline like a gently chaotic legend 🧃

— written with snacks in hand by Rin T. @ thewriteadviceforwriters 🍓🧠✍️

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:

[imfromsixam]

Quick Guide: Stay Safe While Downloading Sims 4 CC & Mods

I just published a quick guide to help you download Sims 4 CC & mods safely. ⚠️ From trusted sources to spotting red flags. Keep your game clean and secure! 😊

Read it now

[homeostasister]

Was anyone going to tell me the new Sultai are incredibly based?

[mothmanavenue]

can i confess something else that will absolutely get me stoned in the town square since im dropping my unpopular opinions. I don’t like altean broadsword Lance. i already disliked red paladin Lance. the broadsword was like rubbing salt in the wound. why couldn’t he have his own niche. why was his character development just making him keith. i understand that it was like “he accepts that he doesn’t have to be a leader and excels as a co-leader and you can find happiness that way yada yada yada”. but you could’ve done that without making him keith. also now give him something unique, cool, that falls in line with his sniper bit. i’m not saying just give him another gun, im saying give him something quiet and lethal. like a garotte. yeah i want garotte lance.

i yap a lot more in my notes by the way if you were interested in other unpopular opinions. don’t send me hate messages or comments i won’t read it and will block viciously i also will not be debating this this is my hill to die on <3

[theborzoiarebackintown]

My sweet summer child has no idea we’re leaving in less than two hours to gO RUNNIN!!!!!

[lizzybeanbutt]

now that you mention it, yeah kabru is kind of an ibex

trying to pin it down but I don't feel confident on my grasp of kabru's characterization (depsite him being my favourite guy. you know how it is) but like. Kabru is a nicer ibex. Ibex is kabru but he's no longer asking. Ibex is a kabru but he's not afraid to let outright enemies stay on the board if he knows he'll win the overall battle. I think Kabru would make a better candidate of rightousness. I need a two way au and we're gonna send the dunmeshi cast to divine cycle space and we're throwing the kingdom crew in a last ditch dungeon crawl

@arcnoise tagging just in case

[doodledatkittykat]

Your art is super cool and inspiring to me be an art person. Can you show how to draw a cat please? If that is okay?

Thank you oh so much <3 it’s honestly shocking! It’s kind of nice to know im repeating the lineage of giving people cat brainworms. It’s more than okay!!!

I don’t know if this is entirely what you mean, but!!! I’m gonna be honest, a lot of it is making basic shapes and silhouettes. Usually I do more semi realistic cats. And a lot of it is your sense of shape language!!!!! But, I’ll take you through the steps. (Keep in mind that a lot of this is better said than done, as this is from years of being a self taught artist.) this may end up being a thread? There’s also plenty of artists who do cat tutorials WAY better than me. None of this is really defined!

1) CIRCLES AND SQUARES.

Twilight ended up with a circle shape, but as you’ll notice she actually ended up with a more triangle shape! Circles and squares are a best friend.

2) Basic shaping

Anytime you draw, you probably already have a pose in mind. I usually like to shape it out and mold it kind of like clay!!! But the real refinery comes later. Again, keep it basic. You iron out the details later and if you get stressed too fast due to detailing it’ll put you off from the drawing in general.

3) Minor detailing

Since Twilight was sitting, this is just kind of outlining a placement and shape for the limbs and chest I liked. This also includes tail placement!

4) Rough Flats!!!

This is the moment where you of course do the flat base color! As you can see this is usually pretty rough. Again, clay! You’re doing a basic cookie cut shape and smoothing it into the shapes you want come later. As you’ll notice I leave the tail for later since it’s usually BEHIND them and it’s less headache.

5) Put the sketch layer on top and lower the opacity !

This is where more detailing comes in. Like placement of the eyes and patterns. As you’ll notice I’ve ironed out the shaping!!!

6) Mapping

This is pelt mapping!!! Of course, it’s mapping out the patterns and shapes of a cats fur to a place im content with. Again, this kind of plays into your understanding of shapes.

7) Color!!!!

I’ll end it here, but this is for playing around on a clipping layer once you figure out a placement and color you like!!!! Airbrushing, stippling, the pattern and detail is up to play with!!!

8) And you have yourself a pretty decent cat!

Remember, shapes and exaggeration of features are your best friend!

a repeat but a more standard show of anatomy: my snow leopard study! But as you can see even in the character design I give them poof and exaggeration to make expression. Even in the final product I think I will mess around with the shapes to give off whatever vibe I want! Even as you can see for the full body I referenced I blocked out the character instead of really following the shapes.

[noknowshame]

I recently finished reading heart of darkness and I found it such an interesting and complicated read. it's like the narrator is fighting desperately to meaningfully express the horrors of colonialism, but he has no vocabulary to describe what he witnessed that isn't in the language of the oppressor. the whole novella is haunted by this underlying – and ultimately correct – fear that the superiority of white "civilization" is an illusion hiding something much more insidious beneath it, but there's a fog of deeply, deeply entrenched racism that is preventing the narrator from clearly identifying where that illusion begins and ends. there's something ironic about it that I find really effective, in spite of (or perhaps even because of) it seeming to be a byproduct of the author's own ignorance

[theygender]

Going to college as a nontraditional student with an office job is kinda funny bc now when a professor messes things up in a way that fucks me over instead of being like "omg this authority figure is so unfair 😭" I'm approaching it more with the vibe of like "if Karen from Accounting doesn't fix this mistake that's hindering my work after my third passive aggressive email I'm going to CC her boss"

[thetitan555]

cis man frantically teaches you bridget basics before 'The Town Inside Me' ends. the very basics. very, very basics. basics like:

Dash and press the [S] [H] [H] combo

Keep them out with [P] or [S]

Hold down+back on defense, or use [↓ K] (fast) or [→ ↓ ⬊ P] (invincible)

Grabs beat blocking

don't waste your burst please don't gold burst it's not worth the bit

[dailyfigures]

i'm an hour into writing a way too long step by step guide on how to spot bootlegs i better never see anyone falling for a bootleg again after i post this

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

📊 How to Use Tropes Without Turning Your Story into a YA Checklist

You can tell when a book was written by vibes and TVTropes alone.

It’s got: ☑️ the reluctant chosen one ☑️ the love triangle ☑️ the mysterious brooding boy™ ☑️ the sassy best friend ☑️ the dead parents ☑️ the villain with daddy issues ☑️ the scene where someone says “you don’t know what I’m capable of” and walks away dramatically

And like… that’s fine.

Tropes are tools. But here’s the thing: they are starting points, not story goals.

If your plot reads like it was drafted by a checklist in a Pinterest caption, it might be time to recalibrate. Here's how to actually use tropes without turning your book into a YA Mad Libs generator:

─────── ✦ ───────

🧩 Tropes Are Patterns--Not Presets

A trope is a pattern, not a requirement. It’s not a law. It’s not a plug-and-play feature. And it’s definitely not your plot.

The “enemies-to-lovers” arc? That’s a container. What you put inside it, that’s where the originality lives.

The goal isn’t to avoid tropes. It’s to do something interesting with them.

→ Why are they enemies? → What does the “love” cost them? → What happens if they fail to become lovers?

Tropes don’t carry the story. The conflict does.

─────── ✦ ───────

⚔️ Complicate the Familiar

Here’s a trick: if a trope feels too easy, break it in half.

Examples: → “Reluctant chosen one” → okay, but what if they wanted it, and then hated it once they got it? → “The mentor dies” → cool, but what if the mentor fakes their death to manipulate the protagonist? → “Sassy best friend” → no. Make them real. Give them pain. Give them depth. No more walking punchlines.

Tropes are scaffolding, not shortcuts. Add weight. Add doubt. Add betrayal.

─────── ✦ ───────

🕳️ Interrogate Why You’re Using It

Ask yourself: → Do I love this trope or do I feel like I have to include it? → Am I doing this because I’ve seen it done… or because it serves my story? → Is this trope the only interesting thing about this scene?

If your answer is “because that’s what YA stories do,” delete it. Go deeper.

─────── ✦ ───────

💔 Tropes Aren’t Substitutes for Character Arcs

You can’t use “grumpy x sunshine” and call it development. Tropes are flavors, not meals.

Give us: → Choices with consequences. → Conflicting values. → Character growth that costs something.

Otherwise? Your grumpy guy is just a Pinterest moodboard with a pulse.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧨 Use Reader Expectations Against Them

You want to use a trope and not make it predictable? Weaponize it.

Example: → Start with a love triangle. Let the MC fall hard. Then have both love interests realize they’re in love with each other. → Use the “chosen one” trope… but make it about dismantling that myth entirely. → Introduce the “villain redemption arc” and let them choose to stay bad because it makes more sense for them.

Set up the pattern. Then snap it in half. That’s how you surprise a jaded reader.

─────── ✦ ───────

Final thoughts from your local trope goblin:

→ Tropes aren’t the problem. It’s treating them like a checklist instead of a narrative engine. → A good trope doesn’t make your story good. How you twist it does. → If a story reads like it was built from Tumblr quotes and nothing else—it’s gonna flop.

So go ahead. Use the trope. Then ruin it. Make it weird. Make it hurt. Make it yours.

—rin t. // story mechanic. trope thief. YA bingo card burner. // thewriteadviceforwriters

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:

🕯️ download the pack & write something cursed:

[fuckyeahmeikokaji]

Saburo Shinoda (篠田三郎) and Meiko Kaji (梶芽衣子) in Structure Of Corrosion (Fushoku No Kozo, 腐蝕の構造), a seven episode miniseries broadcast on Japanese television in October and November of 1977. Scanned from a loose clipping.