#surface finishing software

[slavetomyheadcanon]

Sometimes the best way to learn a raid is to clown around repeatedly

[thereoncewasagirlnamedjane]

THIS COULD BE A DREAM.

PAIRING — steve rogers x gn!reader

CONTENTS — drabble; post-ca:cw; angst; tiny bits of fluff if you squint; hurt/comfort; established relationship; tw:grief?

SUMMARY — you find out why steve hasn’t been sleeping lately.

WORD COUNT — 513

✩ masterlist ✩ library blog

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like much has changed.

He walks into the safe house and people see their ever-dependable captain, his back straight and chin lifted, oozing authority and control even if he’s not technically captain anymore. 

But you see it—the dark circles, the slight drooping of his shoulders, the irritability, the pained rubbing of his temples when he thought no one was looking, and the off-by-a-millisecond slowed reaction times out in the field. 

He’s tired. Steve hasn’t been sleeping. 

It has been a hard couple of months; being on the run takes its toll, but there’s a hint of something else in his features you just can’t seem to place. 

When you gather the courage to ask him, he brushes you off. When you stand there, dejected, watching his retreating back with resignation and sadness, Steve turns towards you just before he steps out into the night. 

He offers you a sad smile, forced and unnatural, before promising you that everything is fine. For the first time, you don’t believe him. Steve has always been a terrible liar. 

When you tiptoe into his room late one night, you’re not at all surprised to find him on the floor. Sometimes he preferred it there, but this time you pause for a second.

Bucky is lying fast asleep just mere inches away, his metal arm curled under his head, his dark brown hair splayed out across a pillow.

You almost smile at the sight of the two recently reunited best friends sleeping on the floor like they’re two boys at a sleepover. 

Except Steve is awake. He looks too afraid to even blink, let alone sleep. 

He doesn’t acknowledge you until you’ve settled down on the floor quietly behind him. Your hand splays carefully over his shoulder, and then he’s leaning back against you. 

Bucky stirs, a sleepy sound escaping his lips, but doesn’t wake from what looks to be his first peaceful slumber in decades. 

Steve gasps softly, releasing a shuddering breath. 

Realization dawns. However improbable, someone he loves isn’t dead. Someone he loves has come back to life. Now that the chaos of it has died down a little, Steve needs some time to process that life-altering information. 

“This could be a dream,” he whispers, his eyes wide and terrified. 

“It’s not,” you whisper back. Heart wrenching, you lean down to wrap your arms around him, tears springing to your eyes when his tense shoulders begin to tremble.

“How do we know?”

“Sleep, Steve.”

“What if—what if he’s gone when I open my eyes?”  

“I’ll keep an eye on him for you,” you swear as you lean down to kiss his temple. Despite his fears, his eyelids begin to droop. 

“Promise?” He asks, sounding much smaller than he is.

“Promise.”

By the time you’ve finished speaking the word, Steve has finally drifted off, entrusting the personification of his very own heart into your two hands. You watch over them both until morning.

By sunrise, they are rested again.

And the sky is new.

fin.

© 2025 by thereoncewasagirlnamedjane. do not repost, translate, or copy to third party sites. no part of this work may be fed into any AI software or websites. minors are asked not to interact with my blog; you are responsible for your own media consumption. blank/ageless blogs will be blocked.

[gemmahale]

Ficbook.net and Unauthorized Translations - An Update

Update to the update: some of the fics have been removed! 🎉 This happened before I finished this write-up even!

You may have seen this post last night about some CoD X Reader fics having unauthorized translations posted to the Russian site ficbook.net. @karlachismylife was monumental in helping me understand what's going on, and there's some explanation in that link from her POV as well.

Basically - multiple people have copied and translated fanfics into Russian and hosted them on ficbook.net. They're rough translations, some going as far as to use literal translations for turns of phrase. Most likely, they were run through a translation software (Google Translate or similar) and then roughly edited. (Juju mentioned that there is a subset of jobs in Russia where that is your job description. 😖)

Most of them have come from Tumblr posts, some from AO3. Very few had attribution beyond "tagging" the original author. (Aka - no consent was given for these translations.)

@syoddeye took the time to compile a list found here (google sheet). At the time of writing, 65 fics CoD x Reader fics were found - we know there's more but we only have so many knives in a day. (Sy did not look into slash fics either.)

Authors that have been tagged in the comments: I'm sorry you found out this way. I wanted to tell you in person, but given Tumblr's likelihood of thinking I was spamming you, I felt that this was the best option to alert you, provide you with options, and let you determine how you wish to move forward.

So what can be done?

If you already have an account, please report the fics! I'm told that spamming reports gets it taken down. Also consider messaging the author and ask them to remove them - they do not have the author's consent to publish them.

If you want to make an account and report the linked fics, you can. I have chosen not to, because I don't want to give Ficbook any extra support I otherwise might by doing so (clicks, ad views, account numbers).

If the author does not have closed comments (or you have an account), you can leave a comment on the fic.

Russian: Автор оригинала лично подтвердил, что не давал разрешения на перевод и публикацию. English: Author of the work personally confirmed that they did not give permission to translate and publish.

Finally - check in on your author friends that are on that list. It's devastating to find out your work has been plagiarized, translated and hosted somewhere else without your consent. Reblog their work, share comments, hype them up!

A couple of notes: (Juju correct me if I've fucked any of this up 💚)

The posters are likely not making money off the unauthorized translations. The website and their owners definitely are (ads, "premium features", promotion tools, etc.)

Ficbook.net is the biggest Russian language fanfiction platform - somewhat akin to AO3, but it doesn't have a great reputation within Russian circles because of the stealing and underhanded practices the owners use.

AO3 is banned in Russia, and Tumblr is one of the few places Russians can easily (aka without VPNs and Mirrors) read English version of fanfic.

CoD isn't the only fandom affected - there are dozens that have more posted, and we only scratched the surface in our list.

Finally, if you want to translate works, TALK TO THE AUTHOR. A lot of folks don't like having their work shared without their consent. Even if you feel like you are doing a good thing spreading it to a wider audience, YOU NEED THE AUTHOR'S CONSENT. If they've deleted their presence and their stories from hosting sites (tumblr, AO3, etc) - you don't get to pretend you're doing them a favor by reposting them. Respect their decisions.

[telesilla]

So something came up on Bluesky, a question:

legitimately why are you here (on social media)? i am asking myself the same (other than because of addiction).

And it’s kind of wild, because when I did the math, it is literally 30 years since a very cold night in January of ‘95 when I figured out how to venture from the safe and tame world of AOL out into the wilds of USENET. I spent several hours on a newsgroup dedicated to the works of one of my favorite fantasy authors from my teen years, having a discussion about magic and Christianity with a software engineer in Rotterdam and it was like, oh this is a new thing. I was seriously struggling in those days, figuring out my identity and also the mental illness was coming to the surface more and more, but I knew I’d found a new and important place.

In the last 30 years, I’ve experienced the best and worst of the Internet. I’ve started two relationships online that led to marriage—one disastrous and one happy—and I’ve been through countless flame wars and endless wanks. I have met some amazing people and, to paraphrase, some insufferable people who also met me. And I’ve written. 3m+ words of fiction and who knows how many words of just me talking to people and, sometimes, just yelling into the void. Before February of ‘95 I had never finished a story, because why bother? Writing on paper is hard for me and I only got my PC that Christmas and anyway, I’d told myself stories my whole life. But now…now, I had someone to share them with.

The Internet is younger than I am, but it fits into a long line of brilliant human inventions, from the spoken word, to writing, to printing, to instant communications like telegraphs and telephones, each one seemingly requiring faster and faster adoption. We’re still dealing with the ramifications of instantaneous communication and that was over 100 years ago. No one reading this will be alive when we are able to look back and see how the Internet and social media shaped us as a species.

It’s so easy to look at Elon throwing a Nazi salute and think, “the Internet was a mistake” but tbh, it’s too late for that. I’m sure at least one person looked at the violence and chaos of the Reformation and thought, goddam Gutenberg, this is all your fault. And idk, man, maybe I’m just a naive optimist, but right now, on a cold January night, when the world feels dark, Mongolian horse ranchers are bonding with USAmerican horse girls, and people are watching videos of snowball fights in New Orleans, and someone somewhere is coming out to their online friends using words they might not have had when I was born, and all around the world conversations are happening between people who would never meet face to face—so many flickers of light. Maybe, just maybe, the real Internet is the friends we made along the way.

Happy Internet Anniversary to me.

[dendrobium-writes]

"It does not snow anymore."

Executor 1 shifted to face the other occupant of the room, filling the air with a strained creak from her chair. The previous fifteen minutes of silence left her unprepared for the sudden vocalization.

"What?" She asked. This was... Different. One's never spoken to her before.

"It is nearly the end of winter." The doll answered. "There has not been any snow." It clarified.

Executor 1 pondered this for a moment. Practically, she understood why that was the case. With the growing intensity of fighting on the surface, orbital weapons platforms saw more and more use.

As a result, the planet was getting hotter.

But before she could form a reply, the soft voice hit her aural implants again.

"This one likes the snow." It spoke, turning to face her. Its orange eyes fixed themselves on hers. "Do you?"

She stared back into the doll's eyes. Her facial analysis software couldn't make heads or tails of what might have been written on its face.

"I think so." Executor 1 hedged. She tried to recall the last time she had seen snow. Vague visions of white flecks in the sky, a girl smiling beside her. The warm clutch of another's hand in hers.

The feeling of lips pressed together.

"Do you? Or do you not?" It reasserted its question, snapping her back to the present.

"I d--" she began, before being cut off by a third voice. Another figure had snuck into the room. It was impossible to conceive how they could have snuck in, wearing such a gaudy uniform and large hat.

"Citrus, leave the woman alone. I'm sure she's tired."

The doll snapped to attention, seemingly losing all interest in Executor 1. "At once, my lady." It said, standing and moving to join its witch's side.

"Oh, it wasn't a bother at all, lady..." Executor 1 trailed off, gesturing vaguely at the witch.

"Juliana." She finished. "But you are to address me by my rank, pilot." She nearly spat out the word.

"My sincerest apologies, Major." The pilot drawled after peeking at her insignia.

The Major sneered and turned to leave, seemingly only here to retrieve her doll.

"Citrus?" Executor 1 called.

The doll turned to face her as the witch strode on.

"I enjoyed our little talk. Maybe we'll have longer next time." She said with an earnest smile.

The doll's face lit up. "Yes! I hope so!" It beamed.

"Citrus, now!" Juliana called, annoyance echoing down the corridor.

Executor 1 waved goodbye.

Citrus waved back, turning to catch up with its witch.

[fromthedust]

Sophia Collier (American, b.1956)

River under Me (two views) - carved acrylic - 61 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm - 2012

". . . I was walking across a bridge and looked down at the water and thought I wish I could pick up a piece of the surface and keep it forever. This idea became a compelling force."

"I create computer code which tells the router what to carve. I have come to see the surfaces I create as lenses. The light cast from the surface jumps from the boundary of the block and throws off brilliant shapes that offer both tranquility and challenge. The shapes are abstract but primal and familiar."

Through the use of animation and 3D modeling, Collier models digitally the water surface, inserting randomly a source of wind that determines the movement of the waves. Other times, the artist collects sounds with a microphone and extracts them using a software. The sound information acquire a solid shape forming the size of the waves with its rhythmical patterns. Sounds are essential in her work because they are as elusive as the waves, but are also as vital as water. When a surface is finished she carves it from an acrylic block using the CNC router in her studio in Sausalito. Finally, she polishes it to optical clarity.

Dark Water - carved acrylic

[xenosagaepisodeone]

I was complaining to alex about how printers have remained user unfriendly since the dawn of time for tasks beyond the most basic streamlined print/scanjobs, despite being a necessary appliance. he pointed out that printers are always going to be tricky machines because they are technically doing very difficult tasks. On the surface, I do understand; moving paper reliably is a very delicate process with many moving parts, manufacturers often stiffle innovation by viewing printers as a merely conduit for selling ink cartridges, not to mention "user friendly" touch screen software present in modern printers introduce a host of problems on their own. In accordance with my ideals however, I believe that the STE(A)M fields could combine the specialized knowledge relevant to their respective disciplines in order to create a wholly unique printer/scanner device. naturally, this would involve revolutionizing the way we think about the way we think about these machines, as well as the labor that goes into interacting with them. here's what I made alex listen to:

we need a printer you can have sex with and it will in turn use your genetic material over a short gestational period to produce it's own paper and refill it's own cartridges. the actual contents of the print would still be determined by the connected desktop, but the printer would sustain everything you need to produce the document until it was time to refill it again.

the printer serves a similar function as a watercooler in that it serves as a reprieve from labor while not actually being a reprieve from work. when you idle, sip or chat by a watercooler, you are exercising subordination to the social norms of your job vis a vis Congenial Coworker Conversation or rehydrating/taking a breather to maintain job performance (on top of ensuring you get back to your desk on time). your individual personality is digested and repurposed by the microbial culture of your workplace. Refilling the printer by extension is a display in the ability to separate intimacy with a partner from simply doing a printjob (<- colloquial name).

in the interest of alienating the process of refilling the printer further from sex, the printer will remain located in it's usual open area. the employee however will be forced to wear a uniform to indicate they are on "printer duty", and will be afforded a curtain to obscure the body from the shoulders down, encouraging socializing while emphasizing the task as something akin to conventional physical labor. the bleak harmony of the workplace evaporates any post-finish euphoria, finalizing the printjob's designation as merely another task.

once more like the watercooler, the printer will play a role in maintaining relations among coworkers. as one already tends to refer to personal possessions in human terms, the unique features of the printer coupled with it's flawless utility will only beckon employees to refer to it affectionately. "my work wife" and "my work husband" (<- a feminist spin) for the machine itself, and "my baby" for prints (as one already does with important docs). indeed, the printer is family, like all coworkers are.

"is the printer....alive?" not anymore than the lobster at the grocery store or the customer on the other end of the line at a call centre. don't think about it, you aren't being paid to.

"What if someone who is in charge of fucking the printer or watching someone fuck the printer develops a fetish for this rigidly defined process" well that means that my true plan is coming to fruition.......which is:

Are White Collar Printer Fuckers Sex Workers discourse in 2030

[mingiatz]

Summary: Jiwon, a reserved biotechnology student, never expected her quiet late-night study sessions to include Kang Yeosang—an idol hiding from the world. What starts as an unlikely friendship slowly turns into something deeper. But with secrets, insecurities, and the pressures of fame between them, can they truly belong in each other’s worlds?

Pairing: Kang Yeosang x OC (Jiwon)

Trope: Idol x Fan

Genre: Romance, Slice of Life,  Angst, Software & Awkward First Love, Fluff

Featuring: Ateez, OCs, late night walks, Lots of Fluff and Awkwardness

This Series will have multiple Chapters with around 2000 words. I hope you like it. Please be kind this is my first Fanfiction and English is not my first language. (I am open for constructive criticism). I will try to upload a chapter everyday.

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Chapter Five

Yeosang’s POV

Yeosang was not in a good mood.

He didn’t know why.

Or—actually, he did. He just didn’t want to admit it.

Because the truth was, he had spent the last three days going to the library, only to find her seat empty.

At first, he had assumed she was just running late.

Then, maybe she had an assignment keeping her busy.

But after the third time of walking into the library and seeing her not there, Yeosang felt something that could only be described as frustration.

Jiwon wasn’t someone who changed her routine for no reason.

She was always here.

So why wasn’t she?

Yeosang tapped his fingers against the table, staring at the empty seat across from him.

He was being ridiculous.

This wasn’t his business.

And yet…

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Yeosang exhaled through his nose.

The members had definitely noticed his mood.

Wooyoung had grinned knowingly when he left the dorm earlier, but Yeosang had ignored him.

Because what was he supposed to say?

That he was irritated because Jiwon wasn’t here?

That he had started looking forward to seeing her without realizing it?

That sitting at this table alone felt strangely empty?

He was not saying any of that.

So instead, he just sat there, fingers tapping against the surface, staring at the seat that shouldn’t feel this important.

But for some reason, it did.

And Yeosang hated that he cared.

Jiwon’s POV

Jiwon had gotten really good at ignoring things.

At tuning out whispers. At brushing off comments. At pretending she didn’t hear the way people talked when they thought she wasn’t listening.

But today?

Today was harder.

She was sitting in the university lounge, finishing up some notes, when she heard her name.

She wasn’t even trying to eavesdrop—it was just one of those moments where the wrong words found their way to her ears.

“She has such a pretty face, though.”

Jiwon’s fingers stilled on her notebook.

“Yeah,” another voice chimed in. “I always thought that too. Like, her face is so soft and cute, but… you know.”

Jiwon knew exactly what came next.

“But?”

The first girl sighed dramatically. “But if she lost a little weight, she’d be so much prettier.”

Jiwon forced herself to keep writing.

Her pen moved steadily, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

As if she hadn’t already heard this a hundred times before.

“She’d have such a nice figure if she just toned up a little,” another girl added. “I don’t get it. It’s not that hard to work out.”

Jiwon inhaled slowly. Steady. Don’t react.

They weren’t trying to be cruel.

They weren’t whispering behind her back with malice.

They were just… talking.

Because that’s what people did.

They said things like this so casually, so effortlessly, because to them, it wasn’t a big deal.

But to Jiwon?

It was just another reminder.

She had tried.

God, had she tried.

She had spent years picking apart her body in the mirror, trying to figure out what was wrong with it.

She had tried every diet.

She had gone through the gym phases.

She had cut meals, drank green smoothies, pushed herself harder than she should have.

And yet—

She still looked like this.

She was healthy. She knew that.

But in a world where "healthy" only seemed to count when it looked a certain way, it didn’t feel like enough.

She swallowed, pushing the thoughts away.

Then, with careful precision, she packed up her things, stood up, and walked out of the room without looking back.

Mingi’s POV

Mingi was on a mission.

It had taken him a few days to finally push himself to do this, but now that he was here, there was no backing out.

He had to find Jiwon.

He had to apologize.

Properly.

Mingi had replayed that conversation over and over in his head since that night.

He hadn’t meant anything bad. He truly hadn’t.

But his phrasing had been terrible.

And the moment he saw Noah’s face—and then watched Jiwon leave—he knew he had messed up.

So now, he was here.

On campus, looking for her, not entirely sure what he was going to say but knowing he had to say something.

He was passing by one of the lounges when he heard voices.

He wasn’t paying attention at first.

Until he heard her name.

Jiwon.

Mingi slowed down, instincts kicking in.

“…has such a pretty face, though.”

His brow furrowed. What?

“Yeah, I always thought that too. Like, her face is so soft and cute, but… you know.”

Mingi’s stomach twisted.

He knew.

He knew exactly where this was going.

“But if she lost a little weight, she’d be so much prettier.”

Mingi’s hands curled into fists.

“She’d have such a nice figure if she just toned up a little,” another girl added. “I don’t get it. It’s not that hard to work out.”

Mingi’s jaw clenched.

The girls weren’t saying it maliciously.

But somehow, that made it worse.

Because they were so used to saying things like this, so comfortable talking about someone else’s body like it was a problem to fix.

Like it was an improvement away from being acceptable.

Like they knew anything about Jiwon.

Mingi didn’t even realize how angry he was getting until someone brushed past him, walking toward the exit.

Jiwon.

Mingi’s stomach dropped.

She had heard.

She had been sitting right there, the whole time.

And she had just gotten up and left without a word.

Mingi felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

Because he suddenly realized—

He wasn’t the only person who had said something thoughtless to her this week.

And now?

Now, she was probably more sure than ever that people like him thought the same way those girls did.

Shit.

Mingi ran a hand through his hair, feeling a sharp pang of regret.

He had to fix this.

He needed to fix this.

Jiwon’s POV

Jiwon had felt it the moment she stepped outside.

The faint sensation of being followed.

At first, she had ignored it, assuming it was just paranoia.

But when the footsteps behind her didn’t fade away, she sighed and stopped walking.

She turned around, arms crossed.

“Are you going to keep trailing me, or do you actually need something?”

Mingi, standing a few feet away, froze.

Busted.

He looked like a deer caught in headlights for half a second before rubbing the back of his neck, sighing.

“Yeah, okay,” he muttered. “I deserved that.”

Jiwon raised an eyebrow. “So, what do you want?”

Mingi hesitated. Then, instead of answering, he walked over to the nearest bench and sat down.

Jiwon narrowed her eyes.

What was this?

An ambush?

A weird idol intervention?

Mingi glanced up at her. “Sit?”

Jiwon frowned but didn’t move.

“I’m fine standing.”

Mingi exhaled. “Well, I’m not.”

Jiwon rolled her eyes but finally sat down, keeping a noticeable gap between them.

She waited.

And waited.

And then—

Mingi groaned, tilting his head back. “God, I suck at this.”

Jiwon blinked. “At what?”

He sighed, rubbing his temples. “Apologizing.”

Jiwon stiffened slightly.

But before she could process that, Mingi kept going.

“I’m an idiot,” he said. “Like, actually an idiot.”

Jiwon blinked again. “Okay?”

Mingi let out a humorless chuckle. “Emilia already told me I’m a dickhead. Multiple times, actually.”

Jiwon snorted. “Sounds like her.”

Mingi nodded. “Yeah, she wasn’t subtle about it.”

Then, more seriously, he looked at her.

“I know I said something stupid at the dorm,” he admitted. “I know it hurt you, even if you won’t say it.”

Jiwon looked away. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not,” Mingi said firmly. “And I should’ve known better.”

Jiwon stayed silent.

Mingi exhaled, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I don’t know what women have to deal with,” he admitted. “Not really. And that’s the problem, isn’t it?”

Jiwon turned back to him, surprised by the honesty in his voice.

Mingi gave a small shrug. “I mean, I grew up knowing society sucks. But I didn’t really get it. Not in the way I should.”

He let out a dry laugh. “You should’ve seen Emilia. She went off on me.”

Jiwon raised an eyebrow. “What did she say?”

Mingi groaned. “She told me I was dense. That just because I’ve never had to think about it doesn’t mean it’s not a real thing.”

Jiwon didn’t say anything.

Because, well.

She wasn’t going to argue with Emilia.

Mingi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I didn’t mean what I said the way it sounded,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t matter, because words stick, don’t they?”

Jiwon swallowed.

Yeah.

They did.

Mingi turned toward her, expression serious. “You don’t need my validation. You don’t need anyone’s. But I still want to say it.”

He exhaled.

“You’re already beautiful the way you are.”

Jiwon’s chest tightened.

Mingi shook his head. “And I should’ve known better than to let words make you think otherwise.”

For the first time since this conversation started, Jiwon felt the tension in her shoulders ease just a little.

She let out a slow breath.

“Well,” she said lightly, “at least you’re self-aware now.”

Mingi let out a small chuckle. “Yeah. Work in progress.”

Jiwon finally looked at him properly.

He was being genuine.

Not just apologizing because he had to, but because he actually meant it.

And somehow, that made all the difference.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Fine. Apology accepted.”

Mingi grinned. “So I’m forgiven?”

Jiwon rolled her eyes. “Don’t push it.”

Mingi chuckled, leaning back. “Fair enough.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

Then, finally, Jiwon stood up. “Come on, idiot. I need food.”

Mingi grinned. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

And just like that—the weight in her chest didn’t feel so heavy anymore.

Yeosang’s POV

Yeosang hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation—at least, not at first.

The members were gathered in the dorm again, talking about Mingi’s meet-up with Jiwon.

“She forgave me,” Mingi announced, sinking into the couch with a relieved sigh.

“That’s good,” Seonghwa said. “You were stressing about it all week.”

Mingi nodded. “Yeah, but I still feel like shit. I should’ve never said what I did.”

Yeosang, who had been staring at his phone, finally glanced up.

“She was avoiding us,” San muttered. “Avoiding you especially.”

Yeosang stiffened but said nothing.

Mingi sighed, rubbing his face. “There’s more.”

Everyone turned to him.

Mingi hesitated, then exhaled. “Before I found her, I overheard some girls talking about her.”

Yeosang immediately sat up straighter.

“What did they say?” Wooyoung asked.

Mingi’s jaw tightened. “Same old bullshit. ‘She has a pretty face, but if she lost weight, she’d be so much prettier.’ ‘I don’t get why she doesn’t try harder.’”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Yeosang’s fingers curled into fists.

“She heard it,” Mingi added. “Didn’t react. Just packed her stuff and left like it was normal.”

Like she was used to it.

Yeosang’s heart twisted.

Mingi let out a humorless chuckle. “And after what I said at the dorm? You think she doesn’t hear that crap enough already?”

No one spoke.

Yeosang felt something snap.

He stood up.

Wooyoung raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”

Yeosang grabbed his hoodie, already heading for the door.

“To find Jiwon.”

San gave him a knowing look. “Even though she’s avoiding you?”

Yeosang’s jaw clenched.

“I don’t care,” he muttered. “I’ve had enough of this.”

And then—he was gone.

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Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and scenarios in this story are entirely fictional and not intended to reflect the real lives of the members of Ateez or any other individuals. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes.

[cjgladback]

So this blocking thing! It's good for more than just nuisances. I haven't knit a lot of garments yet with fiber that responds to blocking, and what I have has been like...socks where it seems unnecessary because the whole thing will be in tension while worn. But also I just don't have large pinnable surfaces, as one typically needs when the point is to soak a piece of fabric and then stretch it out to pose in the shape you want it to be until next soaking. What do I have? The ability to stack waterproof objects on a small patch of flat counter space. And thank goodness because that definitely saved this hat.

Anyway! I am happy to have used my extremely inconsistent first skeins of support-spindled yarn (see the post with them all laid out here) for a project I'll probably actually use once it's chilly again. It is comfortable, even if I'm a bit disappointed in the colorwork legibility. This is how the chart looks:

But I didn't quite manage matching gauge yarns, I'm low on practice/experience keeping tension for stranded colorwork, and probably just aiming for too loose a fabric anyway (should've found a path to increasing stitches and using smaller needles on that section) so it's very blobby.

I do have some of that green and "matching" oyster skein left, as well as a little of the finest oyster yarn I used for the ribbing. So if I use them together again, I'll probably hold the two oyster threads as one. Speaking of, I had way too much of the underplied lace yarn and wasn't happy with my first run at an even more open lace panel, so ended up frogging that back and making these sections with the lace yarn held double. Worth it! Much happier with this result. And I can see why underplied yarn has been said to do lace well; was cool how open it already was before blocking.

Image descriptions below:

[ID: Four photos of a slouchy, off-white beanie with some green colorwork being knit, blocked, and worn. The hat is constructed with a solid top of thicker yarn, strip of lace, a strip of green colorwork (meant to be jumping frogs), a matching strip of lace, and finally a long section of ribbing, broken into four strips by inverting the knits and purls.

In the first photo, with a blurred background, the beanie is still in process with a green string holding the live stitches while it's tried on, partway through the first section of ribbed brim; it fits like a misshapen mushroom, the top lace panel collapsing over the relatively tight colorwork, all under the lumpy increases of the densely knit crown.

The second photo also has a blurred background but shows the hat being blocked, gently stretched over a tower of stacked containers, widest at the top around the curved base of an upside down plastic coffee canister from crown to colorwork, the gradual taper of a hair bleach tub easing the lower lace panel into the ribbing before the very end hangs free around a peanut butter jar pedestal.

The third and fourth photos show the finished hat from the side and front, being worn by a pale-skinned brunette woman with a braid and orange t-shirt in front of painted wood paneling on an overcast day. The hat is slouched but not bulbous, blocking having stretched the colorwork horizontally and the lace vertically; a twice-rolled brim covers the lower lace panel but leaves the still not very legible frog colorwork visible. End ID]

[ID: Chart of green on white colorwork made in the Google Sheets spreadsheet software; a section in the middle is selected, though there are repeated motifs on either side. Every cell with an X in it is colored green and makes slightly horizontally stretched pixel art of a frog hopping from the right to the left; the rightmost frog is crouched under a flower or star made of four dots, to its left is a frog pushing off the ground and to its left a frog leaping horizontally through the air. The repeat is 39 stitches wide, 10 rows tall. End ID]

[proplatepro]

10 Key Advantages of Implementing Surface Finishing Software in Modern Manufacturing

The surface finishing industry is integral to manufacturing, ensuring that components are both high-performing and visually appealing. As demand grows and production scales, traditional tracking methods and manual systems begin to show their limitations. That’s where surface finishing software proves to be a game-changer — streamlining processes, enhancing visibility, and boosting accuracy across the board.

Here are the top 10 benefits manufacturers can gain by adopting surface finishing software:

1. Live Visibility Across the Shop Floor

Surface finishing processes include numerous stages, from pretreatment to final rinse. Knowing exactly where each load is at any given moment is critical. Specialized software built for surface finishing provides:

Real-time tracking of every job’s progress

Insights into delays, dwell times, and tank status

Instant updates to avoid communication gaps

This transparency ensures smoother coordination, faster response times, and fewer production mistakes.

2. Complete Digital Traceability

Traceability is no longer optional — it’s a requirement for both customers and regulatory compliance. Instead of relying on paper-based job travelers, surface finishing software enables:

Automatic, timestamped tracking of job history

Digital QA records

Surface area, operator, and inspection logs

These digital records improve audit readiness and accountability throughout the process.

3. Smart Surface Area Calculations

Accurate coating depends on precise surface area estimations. Surface finishing software supports:

Automated calculations for both standard and complex geometries

Integration of surface area data into job pricing, dosing, and QA routines

Consistent and predictable finishing quality

This not only reduces coating errors but also cuts down on chemical waste.

4. Flexible, Real-Time Scheduling

Unexpected changes — rush jobs, equipment issues, or part delays — are common in surface finishing. Software tools help manage this by:

Visualizing workflow capacity and identifying bottlenecks

Enabling drag-and-drop job rescheduling

Allowing immediate schedule adjustments with minimal disruption

This agility helps maintain productivity and avoid downtime.

5. Integrated Quality Assurance Workflows

Relying solely on manual QA increases the risk of missed defects. With finishing software, you can:

Customize QA checklists for each process

Record inspection results, measurements, and images

Automatically flag defects and assign rework

Built-in QA tools help enforce high standards consistently.

6. Optimized Load Management

Managing racking and processing loads efficiently is vital. Surface finishing software simplifies this by:

Digitally tracking loads throughout the process

Providing instant updates on tank availability and job status

Reducing manual errors and missed components

This improves throughput and labor efficiency.

7. Centralized Chemical Testing Controls

Chemical bath condition directly affects output quality. With software, you can:

Schedule and log chemical tests systematically

Monitor trends across tanks and time

Receive alerts for abnormal readings or overdue tests

This reduces unnecessary chemical consumption and extends bath life.

8. Detailed Cost Per Part Insights

Accurate cost management requires more than tracking labor or materials. Surface finishing software offers:

Cost-per-part calculations based on surface area, time, and chemical usage

Historical job data to support quoting and pricing

Visibility into profitability and resource allocation

These insights empower smarter pricing strategies and improved margins.

9. Unified Job and Process Management

Instead of juggling spreadsheets or whiteboards, surface finishing software centralizes operations via:

A single dashboard for job tracking, QA, and documentation

Consolidated load history and production data

Role-based access for shop floor teams, supervisors, and QA personnel

This fosters better team collaboration and standardized procedures.

10. Audit-Ready Compliance and Documentation

Maintaining certifications and meeting customer expectations requires meticulous records. Software solutions streamline this by:

Automatically generating and storing job documentation

Organizing QA forms and chemical logs for quick access

Ensuring alignment with compliance standards

This reduces audit stress and builds customer trust.

How PROPLATE™ Elevates Surface Finishing Operations

PROPLATE™ is built specifically for the surface finishing industry, incorporating decades of hands-on experience into one powerful platform. It offers features such as:

Real-time load tracking and job visibility

Accurate surface area and cost-per-part tools

Dynamic scheduling and QA management

Automated monitoring of chemical baths and compliance records

It’s compatible with desktops, tablets, and mobile devices — ensuring seamless integration into existing workflows and setting your operations up for long-term efficiency and scalability.

Final Thoughts

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment, surface finishing software is more than just an upgrade — it’s a necessity. By digitizing and streamlining complex finishing processes, manufacturers can maintain quality, adapt to changing demands, and improve operational control.

Looking to enhance traceability, efficiency, and compliance in your surface finishing workflow? Discover how PROPLATE™ can help you modernize your operations with confidence and precision.

[ilottthepilot]

ilottthepilot's Motorsport Moments of the Year: 2024

This is a list of events from F1, WEC and Indycar that I either, loved, hated, or was just shook by in general. This is by no means an objective list, you might find that some items are completely irrelevant to you. It is also heavily biased towards my faves. Think of this as a recap in my personal diary. This is also not a ranking, I just tried to find a semi-chronological order that makes sense. Enjoy!💞

1. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Announcement

Has there ever been a better day to refresh every app 100 times and scroll all day? What started off as just a sketchy rumour grew throughout the day as more and more mysterious leaks surfaced. There were journalists camping out at Mercedes HQ when Toto Wolff scheduled a meeting with the team. And in the end this crazy bit of chatter actually turned out to be true. What a way to start the season! I love Carlos Sainz, but I love plot twists more!

Rating:🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

2. Bus Bros Divorce

Where do I even start with these two? If you are not familiar, I suggest this post, which gives a good summary. TLDR: they were besties with a youtube channel up until 2023, when Josef managed to win the Indy 500, but Scott was ahead in the champioship. In the beginning of 2024 Josef decides to cut out all distractions, so he unfollows everyone on social media, ends the youtube channel, and the two stop talking.

Weeks after the first race of the season, which Josef wins, it is revealed that their team had been cheating with software which illegaly allows the drivers to use push-to-pass on restarts, and they both get disqualified for using it. P2Pgate becomes the topic that won't disappear and everyone is arguing if it is possible that the drivers were not aware. Scott decides to die on the hill that he noticed nothing. Josef gives a tearful press conference admitting that he was aware of the push-to-pass when he pressed the button and it would have been impossible not to.

From there on out the energy between the two stays tense and they mostly avoid each other, including leading up to the Indy 500, when Scott breaks the qualifying record and gets pole and Josef wins the race the second year in a row. Then suddenly, when Josef gives his winner's speech at the Indy 500 banquet, he drops the "i still love you, my bus bro" and everyone goes wild. The season ends with Scott finishing 3rd, losing out on the championship due to the P2Pgate disqualification (if my math is right). Josef is 8th. It seems like the refocusing and cutting out distractions did not work. What version of Josef and Team Penske will we see in 2025? Will they ever be bros again?

Rating: 🤔🤔⁉️❓❓

3. Carlos Sainz Appendicitis and Melbourne Win

Carlos has been one of my favourite drivers ever since I became an F1 fan. Seeing him lose the Ferrari seat was a bit sad and seeing him lose out on one of his last races with the team did not help. Especially considering how painful appendicitis is and how it in theory seems like a huge obstacle to race fitness. So of couse I absolutely lost my mind when Carlos won the first race after getting back into the car.

I will admit right away that I did not actually watch the Australian GP because I was up until like 2am watching the figure skating world championships, particularly the free skate points record being broken (another sporting event I lost my mind over) but the moment I grabbed my phone to look up the results in the morning was like drugs.

Rating: 😱🤩😍🤯🤯

4. Georgina the Mannequin

Some racing moments are memorable because they are joyous, some are memorable because they are devastating. Some are just simply so bizarre that you could not have ever predicted them. If you have somehow gone all year without seeing a mannequin fall onto a racetrack in the middle of an Indycar race, I would suggest you check out the video right now. It's also the souce of some of my favourite silly race commentary of the year. "Imagine if she stuck the landing"

Rating: Tens across the board

5. #12 Wins the 6 Hours of Spa

I will tell you right now that I'm not really a WEC fan. I get fomo when I miss races and I simply do not have time to spend my entire weekend in front of a screen. But after I found out that my favourite driver got a ride in WEC I had to check it out.

The Spa race was a bit strange, as there was a long red flag around two hours before the scheduled end and instead of the timer running out, it was reset to the time of the red flag, allowing for more racing. This was a huge advantage for the #12 Jota, driven by Callum Ilott and Will Stevens, which got its first win and the first ever privateer Hypercar win. While I couldn't watch the end of the race live (I was at a classical concert with my phone off. I was stressed and manifesting), I feel like I have replayed the clip of the final lap 100 times. "Callum Ilott, you superstar" still lives rent free in my mind. It's one thing to become a fan of a driver that many people say is talented, with plenty of wins in his junior career. It's another to actually see that driver get a win and his hard work pay off. Spa 2024, you will always be famous.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

6. Pato O'Ward Loses the Indy 500 Win on the Last Lap

This year I had many busy weekends and I missed out on a lot of racing, but the one that I was the most sad about missing was the motorsports super bowl double feature Monaco GP Indy 500 Sunday. While Monaco turned out to be the feel good story of Charles beating his hometown curse, the Indy 500 wrote a much sadder story. Pato O'Ward managed to overtake Josef Newgarden for the lead going into the final lap, ready to cement his place in history, only to lose the the position to the defending Indy 500 champion moments later.

The look on Pato's face after the race, all that sadness and disappointment really captured the fanbase and reminded everyone why we watch sports. How a single overtake can mean the world and change someone's life. I think about the video of Pato and Alexander Rossi, who finished 4th, hugging like every day. Either one could have had fate on their side that day and taken the victory, but it wasn't meant to be.

Rating: 💔💔💔💔💔

7. #12 Car Le Mans Wreck

I'm sure it's fun to be a superfan of an athlete or a team where everything runs smoothly and they win all the time. I wouldn't know.

As previously mentioned, I was on top of the world when my boy Callum won Spa. I was ready for him and the #12 Jota team to take that energy to the next race, the big one. I was so excited, I even followed qualifying. The #12 lucked its way into Hyperpole qualifying, after the #7 had all its lap times deleted. Time to breathe easy, right? Just a bit more practice and then time to throw everything at Hyperpole the next day, right? RIGHT? WRONG! My guy, my fave, my one and only spun during night practice and absolutely totalled the car. The team had to completely rebuild the car around a spare chassis that was provided by a different team. This process is supposed to take 3 weeks. The team did it in 48 hours, just in time to start the 24 hours of Le Mans. As they missed hyperpole and the other practice sessions, Jota got permission to shake down the newly rebuilt car at a nearby airfield, leading to some cool pictures.

While the Le Mans results table doesn't reflect a feel good story about overcoming setbacks, I am not going to forget what those mechanics pulled off.

Rating: 💔💔🥹🥹🥹

8. Lewis Hamilton Wins Silverstone

I have always admired Lewis Hamilton and his accomplishments, but I have always found it hard to root for him, ever since I started watching in 2023. If a guy has over 100 wins, why should I care if he puts his mediocre car in p4 or p3? What I will say is that I was sad that I had never watched a single one of those many wins live.

This win during his last season with Mercedes, after a two year drought, at his home race where he holds the record for most wins, was simply perfect. I don't fault anyone for getting emotional at that.

Rating: 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

9. Arrow Mclaren #6 Car Saga

I have spent so much time yapping about this all year, so I am not gonna summarize it again. You can read all about it here. As much of a mess as this was, I do think it's time to acknowledge the positive sides. Most importantly, Callum Ilott, my favourite driver, in case anyone has not yet noticed, got to race the Indy 500 in a competitieve car. Did it go completely smoothly? No. He had a problem with the steering wheel during the warm up lap and had to start from the back of the grid, where he had contact at the beginning of the race. All things considered, I really can't complain about a P11 finish. And nothing can compare to the moment Callum teased that he would be doing the 500 in his post win interview in Spa. Lives were changed.

The other great thing to come out of the #6 car mess was Théo Pourchaire's introduction to Indycar. Last year my feelings towards Théo where mostly ambivalent when he was fighting for the F2 championship. I primarily spent most of my time asking everyone why he was so unpopular amongst F2 fans. Well, the same can't be said for Indycar, where he was instantly embraced and given a silly nickname (that honestly got old after about 3 days). Nobody has ever seemed this happy to be driving in Alabama. His excitement was contagious and even famously grumpy Alexander Rossi referred to him as the nicest person he had ever met

Rating: 😢😍🤠🧐🤯

9.b Mclaren's Broken Bones and July 21

Jumping off the previous point, I simply can't make this list without mentioning the comically insane number of broken bone incidents throughout the different Mclaren teams. Of course the Indycar silly season would have gone very differently, had David Malukas not fallen off that bike and broken his hand, which eventually got him fired the same weekend as Sam Bird broke his hand in Formula E, giving Taylor Barnard the chance to shine.

A third broken hand hit Mclaren on July 21, with Alexander Rossi out for the rest of the Toronto Indycar weekend after hitting the wall in qualifying. This of course gave Théo Pourchaire the chance to make a glorious return in form of a mad dash from France to Toronto, just in time to qualify a car he had never driven, with an entirely new type of power unit, on a track he had never seen before with absolutely no practice beforehand. The race is a huge mess of crashes, with Théo not only not finishing last, but also being the only Mclaren driver to not total his car. And if there wasn't enough going on during that race, Joe Biden dropped out of the US presidential race in the middle of it.

Hands are not the only bones Mclaren drivers can break and Oscar Piastri shocked the entire F1 fanbase when he revealed during the summer break that he had been driving with a broken rib, including the day he won his first race.

Rating: 🦴🚫🫠🤪👍

10. Oscar's First Win aka July 21 pt II

Roll the clip back for a moment. A few hours before the crashfest that was the Indycar Toronto GP, while Théo Pourchaire was probably flying over the Atlantic ocean, there was another eventful race. While Lando Norris got pole position, Oscar Piastri showed what he's made of at the start and snatched the lead away from him. As Oscar quickly built a healthy gap, the first win seemed inevitable until a confusing stategy call led to Lando retaking the lead with an undercut. Why am I recapping this, we all watched it. The following laps filled with endless radio messages pleading with lando to give the position back were some of the most excruciating minutes of racing i have ever watched. While I was so hyped for an Oscar win at the start of the race, watching Lando give that position back gave me second hand embarrassment to the highest degree.

What really surprised me after the race was that my opinion (Lando should have absolutely not given that position back, racing sometimes means grabbing every advantage that falls into your lap) was nowhere near as popular as I expected it to be. I saw so many people say that Lando should have given the position back immediately. While the incident as a whole was pretty bizarre, I stand by the fact that the moment you have the best car on the grid and a plausible chance (even if it's a long shot) of winning the championship, you need to smell blood and start biting.

Rating: 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴

11. Franco Colapinto replacing Logan Sargeant

2024 was an eventful year in motorsports and some people really went through it. Not many people were having as bad of a time as Logan and Williams though. The moment something seems to be going well for he team you already know that they are about to encounter unbelievable horrors a week later. When Logan had to give his car to Alex in Melbourne the tone was set for the rest of the season.

2024 was the year when sweet, soft spoken James Vowles got his claws out and showed the kind of ruthless ambition that gets you into a team principal position. Firing someone mid season is always harsh, but it's not necesarily a bad decision. When Franco Colapinto got in that car he immediately made a splash, outscoring Logan's career points by his second race and winning the hearts of the eintire F1 community.

Unfortunately the euphoria of those first few races quickly wore off and Williams had one of the worst finishes to a season imaginable, with five DNFs and a DNS across the last five races. I hope the mechanics got the most relaxing christmas possible. With a dissappointing end to his year and no seat, things could be better for Franco, but I doubt we have seen the last of him. Ironically, I think he paved the way for many of theyoung drivers on the grid instead of him in 2025.

Rating: literally traumatizing.

12. The Thing With Liam Lawson

I will start this off by saying that I like a villain. It is very unlikely for me to hate an athlete because of his ego or entitlement. You can argue for day if a driver has that dog in him, or is simply an arrogant dick, I don't care. I want to see someone who beliees in his own skills and potential and fights to prove himself.

When Liam got that seat he knew exactly that these six races could catapult his career to new heights or ruin it forever. With Checo on his way out, Liam saw a chance to rip that Red Bull seat out of his hands and he was willing to do so, unafraid to make enemies along the way. Sure, we all know Yuki deserved his shot, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to see Liam give his all next to Max. Who knows, will he be the one to hold his own, or will that seat open up for Yuki after all in six months?

Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

13. Brazilian Grand Prix

I love Max Verstappen, but I coudn't root for him in 2023 because I was so bored of the predictable race results. I only became an F1 fan in 2022, so I was so glad that I finally got to see Max fight for something this year, and oh my god, it is remarkable. I don't think I've ever had this much fun watching F1.

The highlight, of course, was the Brazilian GP, with it's sunday morning qualifying, endless rain and yellow flags, an Alpine double podium (??) and of course Max going 17th to 1st. What. A. Day. (I also choose to ignore everything that happened beween Alpine and Esteban Ocon after this.)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

14. George and Max Beef

If you have followed me for a while, you have probably seen me daydream about a Max/George title fight. There is just something about the way they have opposite personalities but still match each other's energies that is so compelling to me, that, with the right cars, I think would lead to the most toxic but entertaining championship battle.

Well, turns out that such a title fight is not even necessary to to create the type of toxic mess I was predicting. I refuse to pick a side between "I have never seen somene try to scew another driver over like that" and "max is a bully", because I love them both equally. I did however have so much fun watching them trow insults at each other. And what coulld be a better time for a pregnancy announcement?

Rating: i love mess

[motorspexx]

At the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche unveiled a unique one-off vehicle: the Porsche 963 RSP. Developed as a tribute to the legendary 917 and inspired by Count Rossi’s 1975 street-driven prototype, the 963 RSP is based on Porsche’s LMDh competition car but reimagined for public roads under special conditions.

The project was a collaboration between Porsche AG, Porsche Penske Motorsport, and Porsche Cars North America, with direct involvement from Roger Penske—whose initials form the RSP name. The concept was initiated as a design study and passion project, eventually culminating in a street-legal prototype unveiled near Circuit de la Sarthe.

The 963 RSP retains the race-spec 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid powertrain, delivering up to 680 horsepower. Originally developed for the RS Spyder and later refined in the 918 Spyder, the engine architecture includes a flat crankshaft, short stroke, and Van der Lee turbochargers for optimized throttle response. The hybrid system uses a Bosch motor generator unit and a Williams Advanced Engineering battery, working with a 7-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox. For road use, the power delivery was remapped to be smoother, and the system was configured to run on pump fuel.

To comply with road operation under French regulation, the chassis was adjusted with raised ride height, softened Multimatic dampers, and revised software to enable functioning headlights, taillights, and turn signals. Michelin rain-spec tires were mounted on 18-inch forged OZ wheels. Unique modifications such as covered wheel arches, a working horn, and license plate mounts were added.

Visually, the 963 RSP is finished in Martini Silver paint—not a wrap—requiring a triple-layer lacquer on ultra-thin Kevlar® and carbon fiber surfaces. An enamel Porsche crest replaces the standard nose graphic, and 1970s Michelin branding adds a period-correct touch. The rear features a 3D-printed “963 RSP” badge.

The interior departs sharply from the competition car. Trimmed in tan leather and Alcantara, it includes a cushioned, leather-wrapped carbon seat, air conditioning, a leather-finished steering wheel, and even a detachable 3D-printed cup holder. Storage space is provided for a laptop, headset, and Roger Penske’s custom carbon helmet. Ventilation outlets mimic the 917’s engine fan design, reinforcing historical continuity.

While the 963 RSP is not homologated for mass production, it is fully operational and authorized for limited road use under manufacturer permissions. Following its debut, the vehicle will appear at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This project showcases Porsche’s ability to blend heritage, engineering, and bespoke craftsmanship—all within the limits of a modern endurance prototype.

Porsche 963 RSP – Technical Specifications

Model name: Porsche 963 RSP Type: Road-legal high-performance prototype Chassis: Carbon-fiber monocoque (LMP2-based, by Multimatic) Length: 5100 mm Width: 2000 mm Height: 1060 mm Wheelbase: 3148 mm Weight: Approximately 1030 kg

Engine type: Twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 Engine code: 9RD (derived from Porsche 918 Spyder) Max engine power: Over 515 kW (approximately 700 PS) Max RPM: Over 8000 rpm Turbo boost: Approximately 0.3 bar (2 turbos)

Hybrid system: Bosch MGU with 1.35 kWh battery from Williams Total combined power output: 520 kW (707 PS, regulated) Drive system: Rear-wheel drive Transmission: 7-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox Clutch: Carbon-fiber racing clutch

Top speed: Over 330 km/h Suspension: Pushrod double wishbone with adjustable dampers Brakes: Carbon racing brakes with regenerative hybrid system Wheels: 18–19 inch race wheels adapted for road use

Fuel type: Synthetic or biofuel compatible Emissions: Modified for street approval Street modifications: Lighting, mirrors, exhaust system, license plate mounts

Interior: Stripped-down, race-focused with minimal comfort features Production: One-off road-legal concept

[autolenaphilia]

Thief: The Dark Project (1998)/Thief Gold (1999)

Thief: The Dark Project by Looking Glass Studios is a genre defining stealth game

It’s far from the first stealth game but to a large extent it shaped and re-made the genre in its own image. A good example is the Wolfenstein series. Castle Wolfenstein from 1981 might the first western-made stealth game, but when the venerable Wolfenstein franchise finally returned to stealth mechanics in Raven software’s Return from Castle Wolfenstein in 2001, its mechanics were imitating Thief.

The Thief seriesis about Garrett, the player character and thief of the title. You play as Garrett breaking in and sneaking around various locations, in order to steal valuable things. It’s set in a fascinating world that at first seems to be a medieval european fantasy world, but is revealed to have steampunk-ish advanced technology. It’s a world lit by both torches and electric lights.

The pioneering Stealth and movement Mechanics

The game and its central stealth mechanics were above all an impressive technical achivement which is central to its legacy today. The original Thief was a technical marvel in terms of lighting, sound design and AI, and how these systems interact.

Dynamic lighting was not new to video games in 1998, but it influencing NPC’s response to the player very much was. This is a central part of the game’s stealth mechanic. By staying in the shadows and out of the light, guards and other NPCs can’t see the player character Garrett. Garrett can also put out light by extinguishing torches.

It’s a very complex and gradual system too, where there are completely dark areas in which you basically can’t be seen but also dark but not completely dark areas where the enemies can’t see you if you are in their peripheral vision or far away. Garrett’s visibility is also influenced by whether he is standing or crouching, how fast he is moving, and what items he is holding. Garrett’s visibility is always indicated by a hud element, a visibility gem at the bottom of the screen.

The sound design is the other major half of the stealth mechanics. The AI react to the sounds the player makes. Most importantly, Garrett’s movements are quieter or softer depending on how fast he is moving or most importantly, which surface he is walking on. And NPCs can hear this depending on how loud the noise is and how far away they are. So moving slowly and quietly and avoiding noisy surfaces is important.

There were additional AI complexities that were novel at the time. Most games at the time had enemies with simple “idle” and “aggro” states depending on whether they’ve seen the player or not. In Thief, the AI have multiple stages depending on their awareness of Garrett’s presence. If they have not noticed him at all, they go about their routine independently of his actions. But if for example, if they hear a single sound or catch a glimpse of Garrett, they will become slightly suspicious and say something. If their suspicions are confirmed by for example more noises, they might search about for the intruder for some time. But if they hear or see nothing more, they will dismiss it and return to their work. They can also be alarmed by things like unconscious or dead bodies or even blood stains from someone dying. There are multiple stages of alertness depending on how aware they are of Garrett’s existence and whereabouts until they become fully aware of him and either attack him or go to get help dealing with him. It was very complex for the time.

Garrett’s movements were also innovative in different ways. Garrett can do something called “mantling”, which means he can climb up ledges if he is close enough by pressing the jump button. Ledge-grabbing and climbing existed in third-person platformers at the time, but this was new to first-person games. And it’s an important part of moving across the levels, as you can “parkour” across them to avoid guards.

Thief’s objective-driven level design was also remarkable. To finish a mission, you have to fulfil the mission’s various objectives, most of them boil down to stealing things, or to do things that enable you to steal things. It’s not the first game to have this, Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64 famously had it a year before Thief did. But in 1998 a video game level not just being a matter of getting from the level start to the level end was still novel. The complex victory and failure conditions of Thief’s levels were impressive at the time.

All these mechanics sound like basic stealth game things nowadays, but at the time they really weren’t. The first Thief game was maybe the first to have these mechanics, and it was a major programming achievement to create and implement them. Especially with the hardware available at the time. To give you a hint of just how limited, Thief II’s manual recommends just 64 mb of RAM.

It all works surprisingly well for such a pioneering effort. Stealth games depend on conveying information to the player, you need to know if you are detected or not, and some way of predict if you move there in this way you won’t be detected, and the original Thief is very good at doing that. The visibility gem is great at conveying how visible you are depending on where you are or what you are doing. And while it is not accessible to deaf players at all, the sound design is excellent at conveying information. You hear how loud your footsteps are depending on surface, if you listen to what the guard’s say you can hear if they heard you or not. It’s a challenging game that like many PC games at the time seems balanced around you having unlimited saves including quicksave and load. But you are given so much information that it feels fair, you can figure it out and you’ll feel like a master thief when you do.

Atmosphere

These innovations around lighting and sound design are also used well to aesthetic ends, and the game really excels at this. The art and sound design overcomes the limitations of 1998 era 3D graphics to create this compelling gothic world that is extremely atmospheric. It’s part of why the game works so well.

Garrett’s Inventory

Thief’s world is rather unique. The medieval fantasy aspects combined with steampunk gadgetry gives Garrett a different set of tools compared to straightforward high-tech stealth games like Metal Gear and Splinter Cell.

Your most important tool is the humble blackjack, which enables you to knock out guards and other npcs silently from behind. It does come with difficulties, a guard needs to be unaware of you to be able to blackjack him, and it also gives you a body to hide, because if the guards see an unconscious body, they will raise the alarm. But if you are smart about it, you can slowly but surely clean out an area of conscious humans in order to freely explore it for loot and fulfil your objectives.

Garrett also carries a sword, but it’s not that useful. The sword combat is actually deliberately designed to be clunky and difficult, as Garrett in-game is not good at swordfighting. You can maybe take on a single enemy who is isolated if you absolutely need to, but straight-on hack and slash gameplay is not viable. This is how this game incentivizes stealth. There is really no other option for Garrett. You can do “backstabs”, a strong sword swing from behind which will kill people in one hit, but they make a lot of noise dying and will leave a bloodstain other guards can notice and be alarmed by. Knocking them out with a blackjack is silent and leaves no trace once you move the body. And killing people is actually forbidden on higher difficulties.

The most versatile tool is the humble bow and arrow. The basic arrow for killing people isn’t that useful, though you can use it for stealthy ranged one-hit kills. But again, killing people is noisy, leaves bloodstains and is not allowed on high difficulties.

Garrett does however have a variety of trick arrows that would make Oliver Queen jealous. These are limited in quantity because they are so useful. There are water arrows that can’t hurt people but do put out torches, giving Garrett the darkness he needs. There are moss arrows that make loud surfaces silent. Noisemaker arrows that distract and lure guards away from their post. One of the most useful is probably the rope arrows, which if shot into wooden surfaces give you a rope to climb. And rarest of all, gas arrows that release clouds of knockout gas, enabling silent knockouts at range.

There are also steampunky gadgets Garrett has access to. There are flash bombs that temporarily blind enemies enabling you to sneak by them or blackjack them. Or mines that either explode or release a cloud of knockout gas.

These tools are limited in quantity but do feel genuinely useful, and finding them feels like finding a treasure. In fact finding literal treasures are mostly useful because it allows you buy more gear. You find loot during missions, most often in the form of various valuable trinkets. Often you are required by the mission objectives to find a set amount of loot before you can end a level, the higher the difficulty the higher the loot requirement. And before most missions, you have a shop screen where you can buy useful gear, using money gained from the loot you stole in the last mission.

Interestingly, the game also doesn’t let your carry over items or cash from mission to mission. Money from the last mission that isn’t spent on the next mission is lost. And items left when you end a mission aren’t available to you when you begin the next. This works rather well, since it encourages you to use the items you get instead of hoarding them for an end-game challenge. It avoids the problem in this old Prozd video.

Challenging technology

This mix of simple medieval era technology and more advanced steampunk-ish tech extends into

the environment and create interesting challenges. The mix of torchlight and electric light for example has an important gameplay element, because torches can easily be extinguished with a humble water arrow while electric lights can’t. You have to find a switch, and most of the time, there are no switches. So while torchlight can be extinguished, you must simply avoid electric light.

Electric lighting is not the end of your problems. By the second mission, you learn that the world really isn’t as medieval as it might seem, when you break into a prison that has everything from doors operated by levers to an alarm system and security cameras. The seeming contradictions of this world are in themselves fascinating and part of what makes this game unique.

Story and themes

These contradictions of the game’s world are in fact integrated into the story and its themes. Spoilers I guess, but I want to discuss this game’s themes.

Garret lives in a city-state, simply known as the City, based on medieval/renaissance era city states. Thief’s world is revealed to be a post-apocalyptic scenario. There was once a technologically advanced civilization of “precursors” that had collapsed, and Garrett’s world is actually re-inventing advanced technology rather than starting entirely from scratch, which to some extent accounts for the discrepancies in technological level.

This is of course based on a simplified popular version of European history, where the knowledge and technology of Ancient Egypt and Rome were lost in their empires collapse and Europe entered the medieval “dark ages.” This is of course not true, but these are the ideas that Thief plays with, and with some success.

The other explanation is a prominent theme: class differences. There is a wide gap between rich and poor. The wealthy nobles and the catholic church-like Order of the Hammer can afford advanced technology (especially to protect their wealth), while the poor live in primitive medieval squalor. Garrett’s own adventures are mostly motivated by his need to get money to pay rent to his landlord, the most immediately relatable motivation for any video game protagonist.

The central theme of the first two games is broadly nature vs. technology. This is simultaneously also a theme of chaos vs. order, probably inspired by Michael Moorcock’s fantasy works.

The aforementioned Order of the Hammer or the Hammerites is a central, controlling faction in the game’s world. They worship a god called “the Builder” and creating things and improving technology is part of their religion. It’s them who are responsible for a lot of the technological advancement. They are also based on the medieval european catholic church, and has similar oppressive principles, that they don’t hesitate to impose on others. And like the real life catholic priesthood, they are a misogynistic all-male order and do things like punish women for prostitution. Me and Civvie 11 don’t call them hammer bros for nothing. And in the games thematic conflict, they represent order and technology.

The other faction are “the pagans” who live primitive lives shunning technology outside the city, and worship “the woodsie lord”, a Pan-like nature god. The woodsie lord is known as The Trickster to the hammerites and is a satan-like figure to them. If the city is a european medieval/renaissance citystate heading towards the industrial revolution, the pagans represent the earlier relatively simple tribal life of northern european pagans like germanics and celtic tribes, the original “barbarians” to the Romans. Or rather the 19th century romantic conception of them as noble savages living simple natural lives. The pagans represent chaos and nature in the game’s thematic conflict.

Garrett sensibly doesn’t belong to either the tradcath techbros or the an-prims, but is a free agent.

The third faction are the mysterious Keepers, who want to maintain “the balance”, vaguely defined, but it mostly seems to be the balance of order/technology vs. chaos/nature. Garrett was once aligned with them but broke off to be an independent thief.

The first two games are largely about this balance being disturbed in different directions, and Garrett being somewhat involuntarily tasked with restoring it. In the first game, the balance is disturbed in favor of the pagans, as their god returns. His plan is to return the human world to nature and destroy technology, including electric light, this is “The dark project” of the game’s subtitle.

The game slowly develops from single episodes in a thief’s life to Garrett having to save the world from the Trickster. This is also reflective of his own development as a character. Garrett is at the start of the game solely concerned with himself. He steals from the rich to get money, nothing else, to pay rent and make himself comfortable. His exceptional skill at thievery however makes people take notice of him. And because he is out for money, Garrett is for hire. His greed makes him take a well-paying job he really shouldn’t, and he contributes to the trickster’s dark project by doing so. And in the game’s finale he has to step up, become a hero and save the world from a danger he contributed to. It’s a common plot, selfish rogue has to become an altruistic hero.

Storytelling

Thief is a solid fantasy story, with some actual themes and there is some real depth to its world. But the real appeal of this story lies in how it’s told. The themes around the nature/chaos vs order/technology don’t entirely cohere but the atmosphere and storytelling are so appealing I don’t care.

There are conventional cutscenes before each mission, and they are a treat. Most of these cutscenes are not fully animated for budgetary reasons, they are usually voice-overs with slides of art, but it works because the art, voice acting and writing are well-done. And at major turning points in the story, Looking Glass did take the time and money to give us animated cutscenes.

A large part of it is the voice acting. Everyone loves Stephen Russell as Garrett for good reasons. The voice acting is part of what makes this loveable rogue so loveable. Russell nails pracitcally every line from Garrett, gives us the right shades of toughness, cynicism, humor and warmth. Russell also voices a lot of male NPC characters. Terri Brosius (the voice of Shodan in System Shock) is also responsible for this game being as good as it is. She not only voices the most prominent woman character in the first two games, Viktoria, but wrote the cutscene scripts for The Dark Project. and was a designer for the Gold edition and the second game.

The cutscenes are good, but a lot of story lies outside it. Like in Looking Glass’s earlier System Shock, you can find in-game texts lying about, that both give you mission-critical information but also expand the story and the world. This might also be the first stealth-game where you can use your stealth to eavesdrop on conversations between NPCs, that also gives you story and worldbuilding tidbits. Garrett also makes occasional comments that serve to build his character and explain your objectives.

There is also a lot of information just baked into the level design. Unlike a lot of video games, Thief has reasonably realistic locations. Locations are not just mazes for the player to get lost in, but have clear functions for the characters. These levels are places in which people live and work, you can see where people make food and eat and where they sleep. There are only occasionally rooms where people shit but that’s because not even most nobles have indoor plumbing and people make do with chamber pots.

Level Design

The level design in The Dark Project is truly excellent, especially by the maze standards of the time. But it’s also where the game at times falters. Admittedly a lot of the problems with The Dark Project only stand out in retrospect, in comparison with the overall superior level design in Thief II. The first game is excellent, especially when it was released, and it’s only because Looking Glass learned from their mistakes and improved the Thief formula in the second game that the flaws stand out more.

Thief is at its best when you are breaking into some rich guy’s mansion to sneak around and steal his stuff. The first non-tutorial level, Lord Bafford’s Manor, really sets the tone for this by giving you a relatively simple and easy mansion to break into, perfect for a first level. These mansions and other urban environments feel like realistic grounded places, and do things other games at the time did not. You really do feel like a thief robbing them. Thief in these levels feels most like itself, and it is really doing something no other game at the time did.

But the game breaks away from this mansions and urban environments, and it feels motivated by fear and a lack of self-confidence. Specifically, the fear that these kinds of missions would be too repetitive for a full game or that people wouldn’t accept a full-on stealth game.

So there are a bunch of levels themed around the setting’s supernatural horror element, in which Garrett ventures away from the world of living humans into abandoned haunted places. Places like tombs, abandoned parts of the city he lives and even an entirely lost city belonging to the fallen civilization. The enemies are often zombies, ghosts (or “haunts” as the game calls them) or poison-spewing giant lizards called burricks.

These levels do feel less like Thief, despite in the end perhaps taking up more of the game than the mansion-based levels do. They feel more like a mix of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider. They are less grounded, more “video-gamey”, less spaces where people live, sleep and work, and more navigational and platform challenges for the player. For example, the third mission Down in the Bonehoard is set in an Indiana Jones-style elaborate tomb complex filled with treasures and traps. It’s fun to an extent, but a realistic space it isn’t.

It’s telling that for several of them, stealth is actually optional. It’s more about navigating a maze-like level, doing platforming and avoiding traps, Tomb Raider-style. And the developers evidently agreed these levels were a mistake, because they are absent entirely in Thief II.

Sure, you can use stealth against zombies, burricks and haunts. You can even do the sword backstab on ghosts, and it’s the best way to get rid of them. So stealth mechanics aren’t entirely abandoned.

Yet stealth isn’t required for several of these levels. In most of the game, you need to use stealth because fighting or running away is not viable strategies at all, human enemies will catch up and kill you. The game tries to make the zombies a threat, with a clever survival horror mechanic in these levels: holy water. You can’t kill a zombie with your sword or normal arrows, they are already (un)dead, they’ll just get back up. To put them down permanently you need to use water arrows infused with holy water, and holy water is a very limited resource.

Now that would be scary, except zombies are not a threat at all. Nor are the burricks. They are both slow and lumbering creatures. If they spot you, just running away from them is a totally viable option. You can just run from objective to objective while zombies slowly follow you with no hope of catching up. So the zombie-infested levels like Down in the Bonehoard and The Haunted Cathedral are such a non-threat that they don’t work as either stealth or horror levels.

The last three levels of the game, when the game’s fantasy plot kicks into high gear and we get different supernatural elements from the ghosts and zombies of before are also weak. These levels give the impression they were made under intense time pressure to finish the game. The level design feels lazy, lots of boring samey caves plus re-used environments. The final level is basically a straight line. The beginning of the final level, where you are given the choice of two tunnels, one with enemies marching down it in an endless parade and one tunnel that is entirely unguarded, feel like Thief’s level design simplified to the point of utter stupidity. And the level is mostly a platforming challenge.Your opponents are the trickster’s anthropomorphic monster animal minions, and they don’t add much to the game. Gameplaywise they just feel like tougher and less grounded versions of the sword and bow wielding humans you faced earlier in the game.

Yet there are times when the more fantastical levels work. The fifth level The Sword is overtly unrealistic, in ways that are surreal and illogical, deliberately weirding out the player, and it works. Return to the Cathedral, the last of these undead themed levels is a great one. It’s actually scary and requires stealth. It focuses on the hammer haunts, ghosts who are actually a major threat and you need to use stealth, otherwise you die really quickly. Zombies actually are a threat for a bit, because they can attract hammer haunts. The cathedral with its adjacent monastery does feel like a real human environment too. A late game peak.

The Gold Edition levels

In 1999 this game got a re-release called Thief: Gold, with three added levels expanding the story and changes to the existing ones (partially to accommodate the new levels role in the story). This is the version i played and which most people play nowadays, since it’s the version that is on GOG and Steam.

And they are a mixed bag. The first one Thieves’s Guild is massive and has some fun environments, a restaurant/casino and two mansions to explore. But they are connected by a big underground sewer maze that is confusing and boring to navigate. You also need to do the mansions in the right order, one mansion has the key to a safe in the other mansion. And you don’t know which one is which before you go there, and if you have bad luck and pick the mansion with the safe first, you have to do some major backtracking through the sewer maze. It’s also the fifth mission in the game, and a massive peak in complexity and difficulty compared to the levels preceding it. It is a real mixed bag of a mission in itself.

The second Gold edition mission, The Mage’s Towers, is also a mixed bag. It has an interesting theme with the four elements and Islamic golden age influences. But it feels too difficult to be really fun. Too much flooring made of marble or clanky metal grating where the enemies can always hear you moving, not enough darkness. Plus we get some really janky platforming puzzles.

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The third Gold Edition Level, Song of the Caverns, however is enough to justify the Gold edition by itself and it’s one of the best levels in the series. It has such a fun environment for you to break into and rob, an opera house filled with secret passages and lots of The Phantom of the Opera references. It’s a massive and complex level, but it’s an environment that makes sense and is fun to explore, it’s not a sewer maze.

Conclusion

I have been harsh on this game’s level design, but it remains a mostly enjoyable experience even when the levels aren’t the best. That’s because the game is carried by its innovative but solid stealth mechanics, excellent atmosphere and solid writing and worldbuilding. Even the final levels have an interesting narrative and expands the world. I think Thief II is the better game, but Looking glass made it so from learning by the experience of making Thief: The Dark Project.

If you are playing it today, I recommend buying the GOGversion, and installing the Tfix mod which makes the game work much better. On linux, the most headache free method for installing it is also the simplest: just installing the vanilla GOG version with https://lutris.net/ and then use Lutris’ “Run exe inside Wine Prefix” option to run the Tfix installer on the game files.

[eksvaized]

I'm currently taking a break from writing and editing. So, I thought I'd let you in on the apps and sites that have been my go-to for writing, and give you a quick run-down on how I make the most of them. Everything I use is free 'cause you know, college student budget. You might already know about most of the stuff I'm gonna talk about. However, if you are just starting out and unfamiliar with these apps and sites, I hope you'll find this information useful.

Got any other recommendations? Please let me know!

This tool is my go-to-tool I use once I finish writing and start editing. It identifies surface errors like overlooked typos, punctuation errors, and grammar issues; with a single click, you can fix all these issues instantly.

It also includes an integrated thesaurus that I use when I need to quickly find synonyms for a word.

There are two versions available: free and premium. I use the free version, which, in my opinion, performs just as well. The only minor drawback is that when you run a report, it only checks the first 500 words. This might require some effort to copy and paste the texts, but I promise you, it's absolutely worth it.

Here are all the reports it can generate:

You also have the option to download this instead of using the web version if you prefer.

As a non-native English speaker, I occasionally find myself struggling with the constructions of simple sentences; when I read them, I feel that it doesn’t sound quite right for me, and I know I want to change it. In such cases, I use this tool.

However, I would not recommend using it to paraphrase extensive texts.

There's both a free and premium version available. Personally, I stick with the free version.

I use this app for writing. It offers many functionalities, but what I really appreciate is the ability to create multiple pages within pages. This feature eliminates the need to open numerous files as it organizes everything in one place:

However, my favourite feature is ‘Synced block’ because it allows me to sync content across different pages. This is particularly useful when I'm writing and want to keep my notes visible, ensuring that I don't forget any minor details:

The online version is free.

[neonblessing]

9.

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT! ⚠️ Click here to read Neon Blessing from the beginning!

“Look, you don’t have to give me a map. Just point me in the right direction.”

“Shiv, kid, I get it. You want revenge. But-”

“I don’t want revenge,” she said. She wasn’t certain if it was a lie.

“Then what do you want?”

“Answers.” Hell, she didn’t even know the finer points of what the two of them had stolen. The house had been full of valuable art, they’d passed a poorly-hidden wall safe on the way to the owner’s office, and they ignored it all in favor of the data drive that had sat atop a messy stack of papers. Ornarch hadn’t told them what was on there, just that it would go for a hundred thousand credits at a minimum, or a million from the right buyer. Most drives its size were just something convenient to hold, with the data itself stored on a chip a few nanometers thick. Whatever was on that drive had been complex enough that the whole damn drive was dedicated to memory. A sphinx glinted darkly on its surface, mirror finish set into matte black. There was something captivating about its sheer scale and the precision of its construction. Something a little sinister, too. Then he had shown up, and the rest of the night was a blurry nightmare of burning, screaming, and blood.

Kooler pursed his lips. “And once you have those answers, what are you going to do?”

“My job. Ornarch wants me to-”

Kooler’s eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head. “Isn’t your job breaking and entering? At least, I think that’s what you told me the first time we met. Forgive an old man’s memory for its failings, but I think I would have remembered hearing a teenager call themself an executioner.” He suddenly sounded very old, and very tired.

“Maybe I’ve changed. Why do you care?” It came out a little colder than she’d intended it to.

“Sorry, sorry. You’re right. None of my business.”

“So you won’t help me?”

“Staying neutral is how I stay alive. Everyone knows old Kooler keeps his mouth shut.”

“That’s a no?” Her heart sank. She’d known it was a long shot, but even still, Kooler was the closest thing she had to a lead.

Whatever he saw in her face gave him pause. “I… offered them ten thousand for the drive. I don’t even have half the hardware it would take to decrypt that… monster. I told them I wasn’t paying a credit more than that for a piece of software I couldn’t validate, no matter what rumors I’d heard. They took their business elsewhere. I don’t know where.”

“Rumors?”

“Have you been online since you stole it?” She hadn’t. “Half of the criminals in the Diluvian District are hunting after that sphinx drive. It’s anyone’s guess what’s on there, but Ebrelurge put a bounty out on it and then a few gang bosses joined the bidding war. As of this morning, the best offer is 1.6 million.”

Lord of birds. One point six fucking million?

He went on. “I don’t know where they went, but I know someone who might. Don’t go telling everyone I lent you a hand, but you’re- you’re a good kid. Just- hear them out when you see them. Don’t rush headlong into being a killer.”

“Yeah.”

Kooler pushed off the counter, sending his chair on a practiced arc towards a shelf of folders in one corner of the shop. He returned bearing a business card, a thin sheet of crisp white plastic stock with “Club RED – 1191-3962” embossed on it in brilliant crimson. The back side of the card was decorated with a staring eye in the same shade. “Kurtz–the owner of Club RED–knows me, and she’s got a panopt. Ask to see Odie. If it can’t help you, no one can.”

Shiv grinned. “Thanks, Kooler.”

“I’d say ‘any time,’ but really I’d rather not stick my neck out again.”

“With any luck, you won’t have to!”

The door squealed as she left.

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