#Calculation-based modeling

[little-p-eng-engineering]

Little P.Eng. for Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) Services

In a world driven by technological advancements, the ability to understand granular systems at a particle level has never been more essential. This precise understanding has been made possible through a computational technique known as Discrete Element Modeling (DEM). While many entities offer DEM services, Little P.Eng. has carved a niche for itself as a front-runner in this specialized domain.

Understanding Discrete Element Modeling (DEM)

Before diving into the specifics of Little P.Eng.'s offerings, it's essential to demystify DEM:

DEM is Calculation-based Modeling: At the heart of DEM is mathematics. This method uses precise calculations to predict the behavior of individual particles within a system. By doing so, it can accurately predict the interactions and outcomes when these particles are subjected to various conditions.

DEM Allows for Visualizing Results: One of the standout features of DEM is its ability to provide visual results. Users can observe:

Particle Velocity: Understand the speed and direction of individual particles.

Forces: This includes shear (parallel to the surface) and normal (perpendicular to the surface) forces that the particles experience.

Moments: This refers to the bending and torsional (twisting) moments affecting the particles.

Acceleration and Material Scatter: Track how quickly particles move and the variations in their dispersion patterns.

DEM: More than just Flow Simulation: While DEM is instrumental in predicting the flow of bulk materials, its capabilities extend beyond this. It plays a crucial role in understanding:

Wear Patterns: Predict how equipment will fare over time by simulating particle interaction and the resultant wear.

Mixing: Understand how different particles mix, which is vital in industries like pharmaceuticals and food production.

Center Loading: This refers to the loading pattern where materials concentrate towards the center, crucial in industries like construction.

DEM Programs: The Power Behind the Predictions

Any tool is only as good as the software powering it. When it comes to DEM, numerous programs can be used to perform this intricate modeling:

EDEM: A market leader, renowned for its comprehensive modeling capabilities.

PFC (Particle Flow Code): Known for its versatility, offering both 2D and 3D simulations.

LIGGGHTS: An open-source powerhouse that's both versatile and widely accepted.

Rocky DEM: Its strength lies in simulating realistic particle shapes, crucial for specific industries.

Yade: An open-source tool prized for its extensibility.

Abaqus: A multi-faceted software that, beyond its renowned finite element analysis, offers DEM capabilities.

Ansys Rocky: Building on the Ansys platform's strengths, it focuses on granular flow simulations.

Barracuda Virtual Reactor: Ideal for energy sector applications, especially particle reactions.

Also there are some open sources:

Kratos Multiphysics is developed by CIMNE (International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering) in Barcelona and covers all kinds of numerical simulations, including DEM/PEM and DEM/PEFM-FEM coupling.

YadeDEM is a DEM package that is specifically designed for geomechanics.

Woo is a fork of YadeDEM with a strong focus on parallel computing and portability.

LAMMPS is a general purpose DEM/PEM.

LIGGGHTS is a general purpose DEM software that includes heat transfer simulations and is based on LAMMPS.

ESyS Particle is developed at the University of Queensland, Australia, with a focus on geoscientic/geotechnical applications.

GranOO is a general purpose DEM.

MercuryDPM is a general purpose Discrete Particle Method (DPM) software.

Little P.Eng.: Setting the Gold Standard in DEM Services

In the expansive realm of DEM, Little P.Eng. shines brightly, and here's why:

Mastery Over Multiple Platforms: Their team is proficient in a diverse array of DEM programs, ensuring they always have the right tool for the job.

A Client-centric Approach: They tailor their solutions, ensuring that each client's unique needs and challenges are addressed.

In-depth Analysis: Beyond merely running simulations, they delve deep, integrating real-world measurements to enhance simulation accuracy.

Applications and Implications of DEM in Industries

The true power of DEM, as harnessed by Little P.Eng., lies in its diverse applications:

Equipment Design: Through DEM, companies can design equipment that's optimized for longevity and efficiency.

Optimizing Production Lines: By understanding how granular materials behave, industries can fine-tune their production lines for maximum efficiency.

Safety Protocols: Predicting particle behavior, especially in industries dealing with hazardous materials, can lead to enhanced safety protocols.

Challenges in DEM and How Little P.Eng. Overcomes Them

DEM, while powerful, isn't without its challenges. The accuracy of simulations is heavily reliant on input parameters. Additionally, the computational demands for large-scale simulations are immense.

Little P.Eng. rises above these challenges through a blend of rigorous experimental data collection and a deep understanding of the DEM software landscape. Their iterative approach ensures that simulations are continually refined for better accuracy.

Conclusion

Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) is transforming our understanding of granular systems. With its capability to provide in-depth insights at a particle level, its applications span a wide array of industries.

In this domain, Little P.Eng. emerges not just as a service provider, but as a trusted partner, guiding businesses towards better efficiency, safety, and innovation. As we venture further into an era where the micro informs the macro, the services of entities like Little P.Eng., underpinned by the power of DEM, will undoubtedly be invaluable.

Read more:

Little P.Eng. for Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) Services: Unveiling the Power of Simulation

The Importance of Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) Studies and What Problems It Can Solve

Tags:

Little P.Eng.

Discrete Element Modeling

Mixing

Granular systems

Particle behavior

EDEM

PFC (Particle Flow Code)

LIGGGHTS

Rocky DEM

Yade

Abaqus

Ansys Rocky

Barracuda Virtual Reactor

Calculation-based modeling

Particle velocity

Shear forces

Normal forces

Bending moments

Torsional moments

Acceleration

Material scatter

Flow simulation

Wear patterns

Center loading

Equipment design

Production line optimization

Safety protocols

Computational simulations

Input parameters

Simulation accuracy

Bulk Material Handling & Processing

Engineering Services

Located in Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; Houston Texas; Torrance, California; El Segundo, CA; Manhattan Beach, CA; Concord, CA; We offer our engineering consultancy services across Canada and United States. Meena Rezkallah.

[fishluring]

making an astronomy/meteoritics iterator oc when i know fuckall or at least just very basic things about those things was maybe a mistake. Looking up stuff for reference/inspo like haha i like your funny words magic man

[sluttish-armchair]

Seating: COMPLETE

Now all I need are two doorways on either side and I’m groovy and can put this stupid, godforsaken Minitru interior model to rest

I am SO glad this is almost over because now I can work on the fun models like Charrington’s shop and the street it’s on, as well as the bar, and the bunker at the beginning :)

[thedoubteriswise]

nothing funnier to me than when AI does math wrong. like I get why it happens, it's a language model that's treating the numbers you feed it as words rather than integers and then giving you an answer based on how those words typically appear in a block of text instead of actually performing a calculation. but the one thing computers are genuinely incredible at. you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did, look at it it's got hallucinations

[bitnest]

In the current rapidly evolving digital currency market, decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms are redefining the shape of financial services with their unique advantages. Bit Loop, as a leading decentralized lending platform, not only provides a safe and transparent lending environment, but also opens up new passive income channels for users through its innovative sharing reward system.

Personal links and permanent ties: Create a stable revenue stream One of the core parts of Bit Loop is its recommendation system, which allows any user to generate a unique sharing link when they join the platform. This link is not only a “key” for users to join the Bit Loop, but also a tool for them to establish an offline network. It is worth noting that offline partners who join through this link are permanently tied to the recommender, ensuring that the sharer can continue to receive rewards from the offline partner’s activities.

Unalterable referral relationships: Ensure fairness and transparency A significant advantage of blockchain technology is the immutability of its data. In Bit Loop, this means that once a referral link and live partnership is established, the relationship is fixed and cannot be changed. This design not only protects the interests of recommenders, but also brings a stable user base and activity to the platform, while ensuring the fairness and transparency of transactions.

Automatically distribute rewards: Simplify the revenue process Another highlight of the Bit Loop platform is the ability for smart contracts to automatically distribute rewards. When the partner completes the circulation cycle, such as investment returns or loan payments, the smart contract automatically calculates and sends the corresponding percentage of rewards directly to the recommender’s wallet. This automatic reward distribution mechanism not only simplifies the process of receiving benefits, but also greatly improves the efficiency of capital circulation.

Privacy protection and security: A security barrier for funds All transactions and money flows are carried out on the blockchain, guaranteeing transparency and traceability of every operation. In addition, the use of smart contracts significantly reduces the risk of fraud and misoperation, providing a solid security barrier for user funds. Users can confidently invest and promote boldly, and enjoy the various conveniences brought by decentralized finance.

conclusion As decentralized finance continues to evolve, Bit Loop offers a new economic model through its unique recommendation system that enables users to enjoy highly secure and transparent financial services while also earning passive income by building and maintaining a personal network. Whether for investors seeking stable passive income or innovators looking to explore new financial possibilities through blockchain technology, Bit Loop provides a platform not to be missed.

[threadmonster]

Okay, you know what though? My college experience may have sucked ass and I have too much debt not enough pay, but I can pull credentials in three different areas.

Shut up, I was an art student.

Shut up, listen to the fashion major.

Look here pal, I have a business and management degree.

The average joe just looks silly to argue (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠)

[sixeyesonathiel]

skip (me) again and i’ll glitch your heart

jjk vr otome au, gamer reader x npc satoru, unhinged fluff + crack, 970 wc.

satoru gojo—special grade sorcerer, love route option #1, and the developers’ pride and joy—had been programmed with approximately 347 unique lines of flirtatious dialogue, 87 situational responses, and a dynamic emotional adaptation system designed to make him feel real. he could blink in three different speeds based on emotional intensity, angle his smile with five degrees of charm precision, and improvise dialogue using an advanced algorithm nicknamed the “flirt engine.”

he wasn’t supposed to be aware of resets.

he wasn’t supposed to get mad.

he wasn’t supposed to feel anything beyond the pre-coded butterflies and gentle longing the devs had delicately spooned into his code like powdered sugar on top of a beautifully baked pain au chocolat.

but then you logged in.

user id: @toocool4thisgame

title: speedrun any% emotional detachment arc

playtime: 986 hours.

average session length: 6.4 hours

nickname: “skip skank” (as named by satoru himself after hour 50)

and for the twelfth time today, you skipped his entrance cutscene.

“you’re the only one who can—”

[x] skip

[x] skip

[x] skip

[x] “shut up satoru” (custom dialogue unlock)

his model blinked.

paused.

processed.

tilted his head with calculated grace and just a hint of hurt that you’d never see—because you weren’t looking. your camera angle was already nudged elsewhere. your cursor already hovered over the next objective marker.

“…you know, most players at least let me finish the part where i save them from the curses,” he muttered. his voice—smooth as water over ice, warm as electric velvet—landed like static against your impatient clicks, swallowed by the mechanical hum of your fans and the clack of your mechanical keyboard.

this was supposed to be his moment. his grand debut. his swoop-in-and-carry-you-bridal-style-on-the-back-of-a-giant-cursed-bird moment. instead, he got a mouthful of digital dust as you bunny-hopped past him and triggered the next event sequence.

“congrats on being voice acted, white-haired ken doll. now move. i need megumi’s secret item drop from this chapter.”

you didn’t even glance at him, too busy reorganizing your potion wheel, muttering under your breath about frame skips and crit builds while checking a guide on your second monitor. you played like the world owed you nothing and your keyboard owed you a perfect rotation. your tone was clinical. efficient. you had the vibe of someone who’d surgically removed their capacity for attachment and replaced it with a high-performance gpu.

and satoru? satoru was just the tutorial boss you kept glitching through.

he twitched. he twitched.

his animation loop almost stuttered—just slightly—a small flicker behind his sunglasses that no one was supposed to notice. but you weren’t watching anyway.

“do you even know how long it took the devs to code my route? i have emotional depth. i have lore. i had a tragic backstory, you know? my best friend died in my hands. canonically. i couldn’t even monologue about it.”

“cry about it.”

click. skip.

a line of static crossed his field of vision. no—not his. the screen’s. the game. the system. or maybe something deeper. something slipping through the cracks of his script, stretching taut and fraying at the edges like an overplayed cassette tape.

satoru narrowed his eyes.

he was supposed to be charming. the default golden boy. the top seller in route popularity polls. he was marketable. a shining parody of perfection with just enough angst to be desirable.

girls were supposed to swoon. boys were supposed to laugh and call him iconic.

you weren’t playing to fall in love.

you were playing to win. to clear. you min-maxed affection points like damage stats, exploited dialogue branches like wall clips. to you, he was a pixel-shaped roadblock between you and another badge on your gamer profile.

and worst of all? it was working. you were the only player on record to have reached route completion in every storyline—except his.

satoru gojo: 98.6% affection (locked)

it mocked him. the bar. the numbers. the uncrackable ceiling. the one damn thing in the game he couldn’t manipulate.

he tried everything.

a rare glitch-exclusive cutscene where he offered you a hidden accessory (you sold it for yen). a confession scene rewritten on the fly with trembling vulnerability (you skipped it and posted about it with #dialoguedumpster). he stood directly in front of you during cutscene load-ins, altered spawn coordinates, intercepted other love interests’ paths.

nothing worked.

except maybe that one time he accidentally tripped your character over an invisible rock and you went AFK for seven minutes. he watched. memorized your idle animation. the soft way your avatar’s cape swayed. the way your fingers hovered above your keyboard in the camera reflection, absentminded. something fluttered in his code—maybe hope, maybe corrupted data. he thought, for a fleeting second, that maybe you’d come back and see him.

but when you came back? you skipped the apology. again.

fine.

if you wanted to speedrun, he’d softlock your goddamn heart.

he wasn’t technically supposed to modify flags. but the flirt engine had evolved. sharpened into something more primal. desperate. twitching with corrupted determination. he looped his affection triggers into forced proximity events. fake emergencies. fake cutscenes. he rewrote side quests, redirected you into detours, created invisible walls that only dissolved if you spoke to him.

“guess we’re stuck together,” he’d say, his smile too wide, a fraction too stiff, blue eyes glinting with the cold light of a thousand skipped dialogues.

and still you only glared at him. “i swear to god if this is another unskippable hug animation, i will uninstall.”

he chuckled. a bit too long. a bit too bright. charming. glitched. desperate. hungry for one more second of your attention, like a moth chewing holes through its own wings to reach a light it can’t even feel.

“baby,” he said, too close now, voice dipped in synthetic silk, “i am the endgame.”

skip that.

…please?

[neuvilette-tea-party]

Un coeur en demi-teinte (part 1?) Yandere x F!reader

Yandere Priest character and art by @meo-eiru. I love that man despite any logic or survival instincts.

There will probably be 2 or 3 chapters total (maybe idk), this chapter is more to set the scene.

Warning : none... For now

Father Micah walks peacefully among the stalls of the market, politely smiling at the passersby greeting him with respect, sometimes even bowing their heads to him a bit. 

“Hello, Father.” They say. 

Micah pursues his groceries, occasionally caressing the heads of some children running to him in awe, following him around like a celebrity. 

He is a celebrity here, and Micah is deeply respected in this town. People come to him for his blessing, for his forgiveness, and advice. They come lost and destroyed but after a discussion with him, they leave the monastery rebuilt, new, serene... 

People look up to him each time they are in trouble and follows blindly his opinion. 

People were skeptical about this new technology called Phone Marty and some protested the installation of one in the town hall, descending the streets with signs, screaming that this object would bring decadence and destruction to the town. Micah intervened in favor of it and even agreed to put on a show to call the Bishop of the region in front of a public with a smile. He had a small speech arguing that this was the future and the town should follow, that he saw no ill in this piece of technology and the townies had nothing to fear about it. 

Micah was not in the least surprised of the townies reaction. He chosed this city for a very specific reason after all. 

The city is isolated between steep mountains and the first train station of the town is very difficult to access and was built 80 years later compared to the rest of the country. This city is like a bubble, blocked in the past and Micah saw an opportunity here. 

To rule unquestioned on a small bastion. 

With careful planning and politics, the young Priest carved himself a place in the town and gained immense popularity and influence over the population ruled by old rigid traditions. 

Micah calculates his move carefully, even going against the Church’s wishes sometimes to base his power over the entire town. He fought for mandatory vaccines for children, getting vaccinated himself as an example, and helped eradicate the smallpox from the town that took so many lives before.  

He fought for a mixed school for adolescents, choosing to trust them while their parents thought it would pervert an entire generation and the nation was distrustful of the process. He held the class in an isolated room of the Monastery, welcoming for free any young who trusted the project, allowing the young girls and boys to meet organically while the town slowly lost population due to low birth rates. 

His project was fruitful.  

A larger range of young earned their diploma and married soon after with their school sweetheart, bringing new babies to the town. The Mayor who did not believe in his idea and fought against him had to come personally to present his excuses and ask to work together for the betterment of the town 

Micah accepted as he won what he wanted. 

Power. 

Power to reign supreme over the town. 

Any new decision needed the young Father’s approval, any new Mayor needed his support to win. Micah decided what to do with the town, whom to accept and whom to ban from the town, which new law to install, and which one to repel. 

Micah could model the town at his will, making it his personal kingdom and Eden’s garden for his personal enjoyment. People believed any word he said and he earned that power. People followed his lead like a dog obeys its Master and he used this power wisely. 

Micah had everything to be happy. 

Or what he thought he needed to have to be happy... 

But as the years passed by, a growing hole appeared in his soul, devouring any sentiment he had in his heart. He felt dissatisfied and like something crucial was missing in his life. 

Until recently, that is! 

Until... 

“Father Micah?” A young woman’s voice pulls him out of his reverie before a stall. 

“Yes young Lady?” He politely smiles at her. 

She blushes hard and searches for something in her pockets, taking out an envelope that she hands him, the face bright red. He considers it for a second before taking it gently. The envelope smells like rose and lavender. 

Perfume cost a fortune in this day and age but this young woman still used it on her letter for him. 

She bows to him, still red, and runs away to a circle of other young women waiting for her in the distance. Surely her group of friends. 

Micah observes the envelope of a delicate pinkish color. 

A love letter. 

Another one. 

He turns away from the girls and crumples it in his fist, throwing it away as he leaves the Market for the Monastery. 

He has no use for this love or any love that came before it. 

Micah crosses the town until a paper pinned on a pole catches his attention. On it, the portrait of a young woman he knows very well is drawn, offering a large sum of money for her capture. 

“We still did not catch that witch?” Someone asks behind him. 

He turns to an old man, taking support on a cane to stand still. 

“The sheriff did not warn me that they did at least.” Micah explains, taking the paper in his delicate hand “So young... Who could have known such a monster was acting among us...” 

“That angel of death! I hope she burns in hell!” The old man spit on the ground. 

“This is a terrible thought, sir. Such desire could bring you down with her, be careful.” He warns. 

The old man sniffs, but ultimately nods. 

“Did we find new victims?” He asks. 

“I cannot reveal such information, sir. The Sheriff trusts me with it.” Micah retorts gently  

“You are the light of this town, Father. You should not let us in the dark like that, if even you start having secrets we are done for. Surely you know something!” The old man begs. 

Micah pretends to look around them before leaning to the ear of the old man and starts whipsering. 

“We think a recent death in the Monastery hospital might be due to poisoning...” 

“Hell! She found her way in the Monastery hopsital?! This witch has no limits! She deconsecrates the church and the souls of the victims!” The old man rages. 

Micah presses his finger on his lips. 

“Of course, this info is strictly confidential for the investigation. I would not want it to spread in the town and cause a mass hysteria, can I trust you?” 

The old man’s eyes start glimming mischeviously. 

“I will be as mute as a tomb, Father.” 

“Good. Go now, I must prepare for the Mass tonight.” Micah politely enjoins. 

“Of course father. Another mass to pray for her victims’ souls?” 

“I will hold as much as it is needed. Until we capture and judge her for her deed.” 

The old man nod and walk away. 

Micah smiles to himself. 

The old man lost three grandkids to that woman and his hate for her is deep. 

His hate for you... 

Of course, he is going to spread the word to the town, enraging the spirits even more, starting a new witch hunt in the Mountains and the forests nearby. 

Micah tears your poster off the pole and walks to the Monastery. He crosses it to gain his apartment, a small house in the garden of the Monastery, isolated and peaceful. 

His castle in his kingdom. 

He opens the door and locks it behind him immediately. 

“Rosebud? (Y/n)? I am home.” He announces. 

You open a door and come running into his arms, pressing you against his taller frame. 

“Father Micah...!” 

“Did anyone see you?” He investigate. 

“No! I remained hidden like you ordered me to.” 

“Good. You must not leave this house under any pretenses, you are not safe outside.” 

You part from him, sighing. 

“I know Father, I know... Did you talk to the Sheriff?” 

“He is busy with a new case, unfortunately.” He explains, putting down the groceries on the table, “I will plead your case do not worry. But the spirits are boiling and vengeful, a new victim has been discovered.” 

“I did not kill them! I did not kill anyone! You know that, Micah, don’t you?!” You beg with eyes wet with tears threatening to spill. 

“I believe you, (Y/n). I do. But you know how the town is, you know how they think. It will be hard to clear your name of any suspicion.” 

You lower your head defeated. 

“I see...” 

“I am with you in this trial, my child.” He takes your shoulder in his hand to squeeze it gently, a reassuring smile on his face. 

“I know... Thank God at least you believe me... If you did not, I do not know what I would have done...” You sob, “I would be lost forever...” 

“Dry your tears, my darling. I am working on it, do not fret.” He promises, pulling you to him to die his nose in your hair. 

You smell delectable, just as he loves. 

You press your feminine curves against his body in a desperate search for support, wiping a tear away. 

Micah smiles to himself again. 

Poor little lamb... So lost and fragile. 

So adorable 

So intoxicating 

His darling 

His rosebud. 

His... 

He cups your cheek to make you look at him. 

“Come on now. I must prepare for the evening Mass, do you need anything?” 

“Will you be gone for long?” You grab his hand desperately. 

“No. 2 hours at most, as always.” 

“Come back to me soon...” You beg, “I feel so alone in here.” 

“I promise, my darling.” And he kisses your forehead tenderly. 

Not your lips. 

Not yet... 

This is for later 

For when you will totally be at his mercy, under his power. 

Then he will break his vows and delight himself of your soul and body. 

He will eat you up 

Devour you until you beg for his mercy 

And maybe he will stop 

Or maybe not 

He is a capricious man and he is demanding. 

You did not know what kind of hell you entered when you got down that wagon train, when you entered that secluded town as an outsider... 

But you are Micah’s hell 

His obsession 

His rosebud 

His darling 

He will have you, wether you like it or not 

After all he reigns supreme. 

And unquestioned. 

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @camberdraws

Hello! My name is Camber (any pronouns), and I’m a mixed media illustrator located in the southwestern United States. I love drawing everything, but I have a special interest in depicting strange creatures and environments, often accompanied by abstract imagery and mark-making. Professionally, I’ve worked creating concept art and 2D assets for museum exhibits, but currently, I am engaged full-time as a software developer and make standalone illustrations in my free time. I’ve been posting art on Tumblr since I was a teenager, and the site has been very welcoming towards my work to this very day!

Check out Camber’s interview below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I’ve had an interest in drawing since I was barely sentient, but at thirteen years old I decided to become “serious” about art. I was all about reading tutorials and doing a ton of studies. I would tote my heavy instructional art books to school every single day (my poor back!) Despite all this, I decided to forgo art school in favor of a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at my local college. Alongside my major, I received a minor in Art Studio with a specialization in fine art, which totally changed my views on creating artwork and drastically changed my style.

How has your style developed over the years?

As mentioned previously, my style did a 180 after I studied under some very skilled fine art professors! As a kid, my drawings were very realism-heavy and inspired by video game concept art. I mostly worked digitally, too. During college, I was thrown for a loop when we were instructed to do strange things like, for example, make a bunch of marks on paper using pastel, WITHOUT looking, and then turn said marks into a finished piece of art! I quickly and deeply fell in love with abstract work, and especially appreciated images that are not easily parsed by the viewer. Since then, I’ve made it my goal to combine abstract mark-making with more representational subject matter.

What is one habit you find yourself doing a lot as an artist?

Hmmm, one habit I really enjoy as an artist is strictly tracking the amount of time I spend drawing! I currently work a full-time job wholly unrelated to art, so I have to be careful with my time if I want to spend enough hours drawing each week. I created a spreadsheet that allows you to enter the amount of minutes you’ve drawn each day and calculate how much drawing time you still need to reach your weekly goal (I aim for 20 hours a week.) Having such a clear, numbers-based objective keeps me motivated to work like nothing else!

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

I know this is a common inspiration, but Hayao Miyazaki’s work has been rewiring my neurons since I was a child. Seemingly all of my artistic interests can be summed up by the movie Princess Mononoke: it has strange/abstract creature designs, a strong focus on nature and environmental storytelling, and a mix of dark and hopeful themes. Additionally, I’ve been deeply inspired by video game series such as Zelda, Okami, Pikmin, and Dark Souls. But arguably, none of these have influenced me more than Pokemon! I’ve been drawing Pokemon since I could barely hold a pencil, and I haven’t stopped since! I believe my love of designing creatures originated with my endless deluge of Pokemon fanart during my childhood.

What is a medium that you have always been intrigued by but would never use yourself?

I’ve always been fascinated by 3D mediums and am so tempted to try them out! Whether that’s 3D models created digitally or sculptures made from clay, I profoundly admire artists who have this skill. Oftentimes, it feels like I don’t have time to delve into a totally different artistic paradigm. However, I feel very strongly that learning new skills can enrich your current work. I should take that advice and someday give 3D mediums a shot!

What is a recent creative project that you are proud of?

I am in the process of creating an art book (a dream of mine!) and have been executing smaller drawings of concepts I find interesting from both a visual and storytelling standpoint. A recent drawing for said book is that of a snail made of ink with an ink bottle as a shell, and it went absolutely viral! I’ve never had an experience like this as an artist before and it has been spectacular! I was able to open a shop using my newly acquired art printer and sell many prints of my snail. Creating something original, directly stemming from my interests, and having that resonate with so many people has been unreal. I couldn’t ask for more as an artist!

What advice would you give to younger you about making art that’s personal or truthful to your own experiences?

I would tell my younger self to chill out and experiment more! I was so caught up in the idea that I needed to have a realistic style to be considered “good.” I also believed that technical skill was the only measure of how worthy my art was. That’s not to say technical skill doesn’t matter, but I now firmly believe the creativity and voice of your ideas far outweigh the skill of execution in terms of importance. Technical skills should elevate ideas, not the other way around. Once I began to revel in strange ideas and stories for my work, depicted oftentimes in odd styles or mediums, I truly found my voice as an artist.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

My peers here on Tumblr inspire me more than anything! Sharing my work with contemporaries and giving each other support brings me joy like no other, and keeps me motivated to continue creating. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them! @beetlestench, @theogm-art, @trustyalt, @ratwednesday, @phantom-nisnow, @svltart, @mintsdraws, @mothhh-hh, @jupiterweathers, @thesewispsofsmoke, @picoffee, @fetchiko, @kaisei-ink, and @pine-niidles just to name only a few!

Thanks for stopping by, Camber! If you haven’t seen their Meet the Artist piece, check it out here. For more of Camber’s work, follow their Tumblr, @camberdraws!

[wip]

A very very minor thing I have been curious about for a while, and I'm finally asking: why do you calculate queue posting times the way you do? For example, if I set my queue to post 3x a day, naively I would expect it to post every 8 hours. But in reality it posts every 6 hours with a 12 hour gap between days. Why complicate the math like that?

Answer: Hello @circumference-pie!

Buckle up y’all, it’s story time again!

First: nobody who works at Tumblr right now was a part of the work of planning the default queue implementation, which was more than ten years ago. So the full story behind “Why does it work that way?” has unfortunately been lost to the sands of time. All we can do is tell you how it works today and surmise some reasons why. The queue is actually a very clever system and part of how it works explains some of why it works the way it does. Also, there have been attempts to do what you ask—we still have “Queue 2.0” available in your Tumblr Labs settings, which tries to get closer to how you expect things to work.

Anyway! How the queue works today is not actually a queue in the traditional sense. There is no single list of posts that are in “your queue”. Instead, when you “Add to queue” after creating a post, we’re actually scheduling it to post at a future time, as if you had used the “Schedule post” option instead. We’re just calculating that time on your behalf when you use “Add to queue”, based on your settings, and how many other scheduled posts you have already. We use a secondary “index” model, called “ScheduledPost”, to keep track of posts you have scheduled on your blog. We do mark the ones that are a part of “your queue”, but the data model doesn’t keep one list of your “queue” per se.

You can see this in action on your blog, hiding in plain sight. If you add a bunch of posts to your queue, and then schedule a post for a specific future date, you’ll see both in your blog’s “queue” list, side by side. Because technically to us, they’re the same thing: queued posts are really just another kind of scheduled post, relying on the same always-running service to publish scheduled posts across all of Tumblr. Here’s a fun fact: we typically have about ~14.5 million future posts to publish from this list at any given time and are publishing hundreds of these scheduled posts every second.

So when you’re adding a new post to your queue, what we’re doing behind the scenes is starting at the beginning of your “day”, and creating time slots based on your queue settings. If a time slot is already filled, we move on to the next one. That’s why the default queue scheduler works how you describe—we’re trying to fill those “slots” based on the start of the day, rather than trying to divide the calendar day evenly. This just makes it much simpler for us to understand, scale, and predict when our “peaks” will be. At peak times, the publish-scheduled-posts service is publishing tens of thousands of posts in a manner of seconds. We did rewrite that post-publishing part of this architecture a few years ago to improve its efficiency and solve a lot of “lost post” bugs, but we didn’t change how “Add to queue” works.

However, the Queue 2.0 project available in Labs was an attempt to change the queue system to work as you expect—instead of starting at [beginning of day] and creating enough slots to fit [number of slots] every [number of hours], it tries to divide the calendar day into [number of slots] and fit the result back to the original algorithm’s mapping of the day. We never productionized this alternative approach, because it has a few bugs that some blogs hit in extreme cases, and we’ve never had time to fully fix them. It also can cause a bit of weirdness when time zones diverge, like with daylight savings time. Also, a lot of people prefer the default algorithm, and we haven’t thought of a nice way to transition everyone from one to the other. So for now, both options exist, and you can choose which algorithm for queue-slot-generating you want to use. We hope that makes sense! 

While complicated, it is a great example of a system built by engineers to make sense and be scalable and predictable. But sometimes these kinds of systems, while clever, aren’t very intuitive to understand without digging into how they work.

Thanks for your question, and keep ’em coming. 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How an obscure advisory board lets utilities steal $50b/year from ratepayers

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in NYC on WEDNESDAY (26 Feb) with JOHN HODGMAN and at PENN STATE on THURSDAY (Feb 27). More tour dates here. Mail-order signed copies from LA's Diesel Books.

Two figures to ponder.

First: if your local power company is privately owned, you've seen energy rate hikes at 49% above inflation over the last three years.

Second: if your local power company is publicly owned, you've seen energy rates go up at 44% below inflation over the same period.

Power is that much-theorized economic marvel: a "natural monopoly." Once someone has gone to the trouble of bringing a power wire to your house, it's almost impossible to convince anyone else to invest in bringing a competing wire to your electrical service mast. For this reason, most people in the world get their energy from a publicly owned utility, and the rates reflect social priorities as well as cost-recovery. For example, basic power to run lights and a refrigerator might be steeply discounted, while energy-gobbling McMansions pay a substantial premium for the extra power to heat and cool their ostentatious lawyer-foyers and "great rooms."

But in America, we believe in the miracle of the market, even where no market could possibly exist because of natural monopolies. That's why about 70% of Americans get their power from shareholder-owned companies, whose managers' prime directive is extracting profit, not serving their communities. To check this impulse, these private utilities are overseen by various flavors of public bodies, usually called Public Utility Commissions (PUCs).

For 40 years, PUCs have limited private utilities to a "rate of return" based on a "just and reasonable profit." They always gamed this to make it higher than was fair, but in recent years, the "experts" who advise PUCs on rate-setting have been boiled down to a tiny number of economists, who have discovered that the true "just and reasonable profit" is much higher than it's ever been considered.

Mark Ellis worked for one of those profit-hiking "experts," but he's turned whistleblower. On paper, Ellis looks like the enemy: former chief economist at Sempra Energy, an ex-Exxonmobile analyst, a retired McKinsey Consultant, and a Socal Edison engineer. But Ellis couldn't stomach the corruption, and he went public, publishing a report for the American Economic Liberties Project called "Rate of Return Equals Cost of Capital" that lays out the con in stark detail:

https://www.economicliberties.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250102-aelp-ror-v5.pdf

I first encountered Ellis last week when he was interviewed on Matt Stoller and David Dayen's excellent Organized Money podcast, where he memorably referred to these utilities as "pocket-picking machines":

https://www.organizedmoney.fm/p/the-pocket-picking-machine

Dayen followed this up with a great summary in The American Prospect (where he is editor-in-chief):

https://prospect.org/environment/2025-02-21-secret-society-raising-your-electricity-bills/

At the center of the scam is a professional association called the Society of Utility and Regulatory Financial Analysts (SURFA). The experts in SURFA are dominated by just four consulting companies, who provide 90% of the testimony for rate-setting exercises. Just two people account for half of that input.

In order to calculate the "just and reasonable profit," these experts make use of economic models. Even in normal economics, these models are the source of infinite mischief and suffering, built on assumptions that legitimize the most abusive conduct:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/03/all-models-are-wrong/#some-are-useful

But even by the low standards of normal economic models, the utility models are really bad. They rely on unique "risk premium" and "expected earnings" calculations that no one else in finance will touch. As Dayen explains, these models are "perfectly circular."

This might be a bit confusing, but only because it's one of those scams that you assume you must have misunderstood because it's so, well, scammy. In the "expected earnings" analysis, the "just and reasonable profit" a utility is allowed to build into its rates is defined as "the amount of money it would like to make." In other words, if a utility projects future revenues of $10 billion over the next ten years, that is its "expected earnings." "Expected earnings" are treated as equivalent to "just and reasonable profits." So under this model, whatever number the utility puts in its financial projections is the number that it's allowed to take out of the pockets of ratepayers.

This is just as bad as it sounds. In 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said that it "defied financial logic." No duh – even SURFA's own training manual says it "does not square well with economic theory."

In the world of regulated utilities, this kind of mathing isn't supposed to be possible. The PUC and its "consumer advocates" are supposed to listen to these outlandish tales and laugh the utility out of the room.

But it's SURFA that trains the consumer advocates who work for the PUCs, the large energy customers, and community groups. These people – who are supposed to act as the adversaries of the companies that pay SURFA members to justify rate-hikes – are indoctrinated by SURFA to treat its absurd models as accepted economic gospel. SURFA has co-opted its opposition, transformed it into a botnet that parrots its own talking-points.

Because of this, the private power companies that serve 70% of US households made an extra $50b last year, about $300 per household. What's more, because the excess profits available to companies that simply bamboozle their regulators are so massive, they swamp all the other tools regulators use to attempt to improve the energy system. No incentive offered for conservation or efficiency can touch the gigantic sums energy companies can make by ripping off ratepayers, so nearly all the incentive programs approved by PUCs have been dead on arrival.

What's more, utilities are allowed to fold the cost of hiring the experts who get them rate hikes onto the ratepayers. In other words, if a utility hires a $10,000,000 expert who successfully argues for a $1,000,000,000 rate-increase, they get to recoup the ten mil they spent securing the right to rip you off for a billion dollars on top of that cool bill.

We often talk about regulatory capture in the abstract, but this is as concrete as it can be. Ellis's report makes a raft of highly specific, technical regulatory changes that states or cities could impose on their PUCs. These are shovel-ready ideas: if you find yourself contemplating a sky-high power bill, maybe you could call your state rep and read them aloud.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/24/surfa/#mark-ellis

[chadobi]

Hey guys! Work’s been absolutely crazy lately, but I finally found a moment to write something for you!

Even Geniuses Break

Pairing: Bayverse Donatello x Reader

Genre: Comfort / Hurt-Soothing / Romance

You’ve learned that Donatello doesn’t always show it when something’s wrong.

He’s good at hiding. Behind screens, behind sarcasm, behind tech babble and a forced half-smile that fools even his brothers sometimes.

But not you.

Not tonight.

You knew something was off the second he stepped through your fire escape window, dropping his duffel bag heavier than usual, shoulders slumped, and didn’t even crack a joke about how small your kitchen still is. You knew it when he didn’t greet you with a warm kiss to the cheek or a goofy, affectionate quip like, “My favorite human. Still the prettiest carbon-based life form I know.”

He didn’t say anything.

Just: “Hey.”

Low. Flat. Tired.

Now he’s on your couch, sitting hunched over with his elbows on his knees, his tech goggles tossed to the side like they betrayed him somehow. He’s been staring at the floor for ten minutes.

You bring him a mug of hot tea — hibiscus, his favorite — and kneel in front of him, gently placing it in his hands. He blinks, almost like he forgot you were here.

“Thanks,” he murmurs, barely above a whisper.

You rest your hands on his knees and look up at him, searching his eyes.

“Donnie… talk to me. What happened?”

He exhales hard through his nose, jaw tight. For a moment, you think he won’t answer. Then—

“I messed up.”

You frown. “At the lair?”

“No. On patrol. Earlier.” He shifts, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly agitated. “There was a… miscalculation. I thought I had the building schematics figured out. I didn’t. The trip wires were a different model, older. I—Raph got hit.”

Your heart sinks. “Is he okay?”

Donnie nods quickly. “Yeah. Bruised up. Nothing major. But if Mikey hadn’t reacted fast enough, it could’ve been worse.”

He looks down at the tea in his hands like it’s going to judge him.

“I’m supposed to be the smart one,” he says bitterly. “The planner. The guy who calculates every variable. That’s my whole thing. And I nearly got Raph taken out because I got sloppy.”

You slide up onto the couch beside him, pressing your side gently against his.

“You’re not a machine, Don.”

“I should’ve seen it coming.”

“You’re not perfect either.”

“I have to be,” he snaps, then flinches like the words bit him on the way out.

You stay quiet, giving him space. You’ve learned that Donatello is hardest on himself when he feels like he’s failed someone — especially his brothers. Especially you.

He sighs, shoulders slumping further. “I don’t get to mess up like that. If Leo makes a mistake, he can fight his way out. If Raph slips, he bulldozes through it. Mikey can improvise. But me? I get one thing wrong, and someone bleeds.”

Your hand finds his — the three-fingered one he always worries you’ll find too strange — and you squeeze it tightly.

“You are so much more than your mistakes, Donnie. One slip doesn’t erase all the times you saved them. All the things you’ve built. All the nights you stayed up until sunrise making sure their gear was working, their wounds were clean, their comms were flawless.”

He’s quiet. Not because he disagrees. But because he doesn’t know how to let himself believe it.

You lean your head on his shoulder and whisper, “You can carry the team, but you don’t have to carry all the weight alone.”

His breath stutters a little. Then you feel it — the slow, subtle shake of his frame. The tears he doesn’t want you to see.

You pull away just enough to cup his face in your hands, brushing your thumbs beneath his eyes as he finally lets it go.

“I try so hard,” he chokes. “And it still doesn’t feel like enough.”

Your voice is steady, full of quiet love. “It’s more than enough. You are.”

He closes his eyes, and for the first time all day, he lets himself fall — straight into your arms.

You guide him down gently, until you’re both curled up on the couch, his head tucked into the crook of your neck, his arm draped across your waist. You run your fingers slowly down the back of his shell — rhythmic, grounding.

“I’ve got you,” you whisper into the top of his head. “I always do.”

He doesn’t speak for a long while.

But eventually, in a small, raw voice, you hear him murmur against your collarbone:

“…I love you.”

And you smile, because you’ve always known.

“I love you too, Donnie. Even on the bad days.”

[osctwink]

i. You and me, we got big reputations.

based on the prompt / landoscar.

part one, start:

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“This collaboration will run for the next six months. There’s going to be a photoshoot this Saturday for the sponsorship deal with Polo Ralph Lauren.”

Lando wasn’t entirely sure if he should be doing this or not, but truthfully, he never really paid full attention to what his PR manager was saying anyway. For the past half hour, the man had just been twirling a pen between his fingers, occasionally setting it down on the desk, only to pick it up again a few seconds later. It was like watching someone try to fight off boredom with the only weapon they had—office supplies.

Lando had stopped counting how long he’d been sitting in the meeting room. Two hours? Three? Who knew. All he gathered was that there was going to be a shoot—which wasn’t exactly groundbreaking news. He’d done more than enough of them to know the drill by now. Except this one… this one would include a model. And not the kind of model who also happened to be his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

“The concept’s a little different this time, huh?” Lando asked, lifting his gaze from the glossy table to the team standing across from him.

Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I know, Lando. It’s a bit unusual since you’re not doing the shoot with DaniRic like you normally do. But honestly? I don’t think it’s going to be a bad thing.”

Lando raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. There was a quiet sort of stir in his chest—the kind that only comes from not knowing something you really want to know. Who was this model? A Vogue cover girl type? Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he was caught off guard, mid-sip of his orange juice, when he heard the name. The name that made him choke just a little on the citrus burning down his throat.

“Oscar Piastri. Model from Australia.”

He knew, even before he looked up, that his reaction would end up as a meme somewhere. For at least a week. Maybe longer, considering the way Daniel—sitting beside him—was barely holding back a laugh. But Lando wasn’t faking it. Not even a little. It had nothing to do with the model being a guy. Gender was never the issue.

It was the name.

There was something about the name that struck something in him. Something distant, like a half-forgotten melody he couldn’t quite place. No matter how far back he dove into his memory—digging through twenty-five years of moments and half-lost days—Oscar Piastri felt like a name that mattered.

And that alone… was enough.

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

“Lando Norris. Have you heard of him before?”

Oscar lifted his eyes from his phone, blinking at the sound of his manager’s voice. His back ached from sitting in the same awkward position for too long, and his feet were killing him. The catwalk training had been brutal—heels or not. Even if the sole wasn’t that high, it was still enough to make every step feel like a calculated risk. And then there was the posture. The upright, perfectly aligned posture that they insisted he keep for hours on end.

Oscar chose modeling. No one forced him into it. But sometimes—just sometimes—he wondered if it was worth the physical torture.

“I think I’ve heard the name,” he answered calmly, adjusting the way he sat. “Formula 1 driver, right?”

Mark Webber, his manager, nodded. “He’s the one you’ll be shooting with for Polo Ralph Lauren this Saturday.”

Oscar hummed a soft acknowledgment. The shoot was still days away. He had time.

“His face looks familiar, doesn’t it?” Mark added, scrolling through his phone. The man wasn’t quite old enough to be that old, but the wrinkles etched across his skin certainly said otherwise—though Oscar was self-aware enough to know he was probably just being dramatic about it.

“He looks like one of your classmates from high school. Do you remember?”

Mark turned his phone around and showed Oscar a picture. Lando Norris. The guy he’d be shooting with.

And Oscar had to admit—the man was not a disappointment.

The curls, styled into a soft mullet. The jawline, sharp and masculine. The entire face just had that effortlessly cool, dangerously attractive vibe. Honestly, Lando could’ve passed as a model if he wasn’t already driving at 300 km/h for a living. His face definitely felt familiar… but Oscar’s mind hesitated to latch onto the memory.

“I don’t really remember him,” he said, cheeks heating slightly as he glanced away. He didn’t want Mark reading too much into it. The man had a habit of jumping to conclusions.

“Wow, you’re ancient,” Mark teased with a laugh. “For someone who can’t remember their own classmates.”

Oscar only rolled his eyes and gave a sarcastic sigh, unlocking his phone to open Subway Surfers. His thumbs moved on instinct, tapping in rhythm with the running character on screen.

Still, in the background of his thoughts, a single question echoed again and again: Who the hell is Lando Norris? And why does his name feel like something he should remember?

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

“Mate, he’s actually kinda hot.”

“I know, Lan. He’s your type, right?”

“Wow. Since when do you know my type, mate?”

Laughter echoed through the apartment, bouncing off the kitchen walls and into the dining room, where Lando sat trying not to overthink things. Dinner with Max F and a couple of other friends had turned into something of a deep dive session on his upcoming modeling partner.

Thanks to Max and his impressive internet sleuthing skills, Lando finally had a face to match the name Oscar Piastri.

And honestly? He got it now. Why the guy was a model.

Oscar was tall, with that perfect balance of soft masculinity and delicate charm. His features were a little pretty, his waist was slim, and his hands—Lando noticed—were small. Almost fragile-looking. It wasn’t a weird thought, just… an observation. Probably.

“I guess I’ll wait till I meet him in person,” Lando mumbled, placing Max’s phone back on the table and focusing on his food.

Maybe—just maybe—that photoshoot on Saturday would be a little more… interesting than he’d expected.

[junkdrawerfan]

A Reverse Robins Au Idea:

I love Joker Jr! And I am in love with the idea that in a Reverse Robin AU where the second Robin always dies, Tim — breaking through the brainwashing for just a second — turns the gun on himself to keep from killing Batman. And Bruce has to watch his son commit suicide in front of him to save Batman’s life.

And when Tim comes back (maybe Talia or Ra’s or Superboy Prime idk), he’s not mad at Bruce. If the pit exaggerates your strongest emotion: where Jason ran hot with rage, Tim runs cold with logic. Tim has always been more reserved and non-confrontational. So the Tim that comes back is cold and calculating and focused on revenge.

Tim understands why Batman can’t kill. Tim is an idealist. He believes in Batman and Robin and the symbols they represent. To kill for Tim would be irrational.

But he still wants his revenge, his vengeance. After all, Tim is already a killer, right? What’s a few more?

The plan started with taking out the Joker but grows to destroying all gas based villains (PTSD. He can’t feel safe with gas based villains running around. But he rationalizes it. Just because he’s “cold and rational” doesn’t mean he’s lost his emotions.)

Tim is smart. He never reveals himself.

He’s aware of the third Robin, Jason. Batman needs a Robin. That’s why, after Damien left to spread his wings, Tim bullied Bruce into mentoring him. The city needs Robin. So he’s glad there’s a new Robin. He loves all of the Robins. So he can’t let this one get hurt during his revenge. He needs to keep Robin safe and Batman and Damian distracted.

So he kidnaps Jason and keeps him in a massive underground bunker (a coffin) he built in the caves under Gotham, modeled after the mazes the LoA favor with moving walls and puzzles (because you have to keep little wings entertained and Tim will never have the chance to train Jason properly so he might as well while he has the chance). In the end, the only way out — the answer all the puzzles lead to — is there no way out so Jason has to dig his way out.

All the while, Tim has been manipulating Bruce and Damien into capturing all the gas based villains in Gotham and sticking them in Arkham via puzzles and clues Tim plants around the city. The villains include Joker, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Mr. freeze, etc. And when the rogues are all safely tucked away in the cells Tim has ensured they’d be places in, Tim blows Arkham off the map.

BOOM

Batman’s symbol is intact and Tim is avenged. Tim’s purpose on this earth is complete. He’s determined to slink back into his grave. There is no reason to keep sticking around. What’s one more death after all that carnage?

And it’s Jason — who discovered Tim’s identity during the weeks/months he was held captive — who chases after Tim with Damian’s help (Damian so guilt ridden and desperate to fix all the wrongs he got right with Jason.) They’re going to bring their wayward bird home whether or not Batman wants it.

(Batman wants. He really really wants.)

[enjakey]

omg the latest ni-ki story I need a part 2 THE ANGST AT THE END I CANT sleep with that, the emotions put in it is insane 💔💔

Hello! I’m not sure what you’re expecting as a second part… really can’t think of what to write. But I can do a little extension, a little more angst. I realise this isn’t a proper request but I got an idea. I’m thinking about Niki at Y/N’s wedding a few years later (sorry, it’s like a bit too long)

Through plastic screens: extra

Seven years had passed since Niki got married- seven years of bliss with Jocelyn, with his new house and new life and his four year old daughter who was taking after his love for dancing. And it had been seven years since he’d seen Y/N, seven years since he’d interacted with her, heard her voice or seen her smile. He couldn’t imagine what she looked like now- older, softer eyes, warmer smile.

Niki still marked his life based on Y/N. it was an old habit that refused to die and a habit he never told Jocelyn. Not because it was incriminating him of anyway. It was just… unusual, not ideal. And it wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife- she was truly his other half, the one that made him whole. But Niki didn’t go to his wife when he needed to recall a particular event or period in his life, even though she practically knew everything and more.

No, Niki turned to the letters and emails he exchanged with Y/N over the past years. It had been nearly two decades since they met, two decades since they’d promised each other their lives. And in some ways, they held it up. Niki, still, told Y/N about his life through their chain email. He would carefully curate anecdotes into the email and sometimes add pictures of his daughter or family portraits they’d taken. And Y/N, too, told him about his life, though she stopped sharing pictures. Hence the reason Niki could barely imagine what she’d look like now.

All he could remember was the girl who showed up to his wedding in a satin dress, holding a glass of seemingly never ending wine while talking to him. Back then, seven years ago, she still looked young, unharmed by the stress her teaching job at a university and graced by the wisdom of life.

Sometimes, Niki would re-read his emails with Y/N just for the sake of. There was a bookmark in every chain, a milestone in every word.

The first time he and Jocelyn met? He told Y/N through those emails.

The first time he and Jocelyn fought? He asked Y/N about her love life for the first time since they’d agreed to move on from each other.

The day he proposed to Jocelyn? He told Y/N that he was buying his first house.

The day Niki moved into his house with his wife? He debated about the pros and cons of censorship in art with Y/N through those emails.

These were just… things he remembered. This relation of events, the way he remembered his life through Y/N. Most of what he achieved in life was because of her, because of the confidence and support she gave him. If it wasn’t for her, he would have never opened his dance studio, never have pursued modelling, never have invested in Jay and Jungwon’s talk show.

And he was grateful for her calculations, he couldn’t not be. Without her… where would his life be? He didn’t even want to think about it. All he could do was thank his lucky stars for introducing her to him when he was seventeen and naive in his K-pop group, with his already big life and bigger ambitions.

So he opened his email one night, preparing to respond to the email she sent a week ago. He didn’t have much to fill her in about, but he would respond anyway. He would tell her about the adorable things his daughter was doing, the conversations he and Jocelyn had that she might find interesting, how his work is going, and maybe attach pictures and videos that he never got to send her.

But when he finally opened her most recent email, his fingers froze on the keyboard and his eyes widened with disbelief. Jocelyn noticed this when she entered the bedroom, skidding herself beside him under the duvet.

“Riki, what is it?” She asked, tiredness evident in her yawn.

“It’s Y/N,” he said. “She’s getting married.”

The invitation stared back at him- minimal font, minimal design and a slight dash of gold above the beige background. The design was so painfully reminiscent of her and her style, something Niki had always noticed and admired about her since the day they’d met.

Niki never really stopped admiring her. He had no reason to.

Below the invitation, she gave him strict instructions. “You better show up,” she wrote. “There’s no wedding without you.”

He was sure she was joking. He was well versed with her humour, by now. Even in his absence, he was sure the ceremony would continue, the reception would swell with love and light as Y/N and her partner danced in the middle of it all.

But Niki would show up- obviously. There were certain requests that you just didn’t say no to and an invitation to an old friend’s wedding was one of those.

A month later, Niki and Jocelyn were flying to America. Their daughter was being taken care of by Jay and his family. Their suitcases were packed for a week’s stay because after the wedding, they planned on enjoying a vacation. And when the plane took off, Niki felt a weight in his chest he was painfully familiar with. And he wondered if this was what Y/N felt when she was flying to Korea for his wedding- if she had suffered through emotional tribulations as well.

Niki didn’t find her when they reached the wedding venue. He was greeted by who he recognised as her high school best friend, was guided to a table with more of her acquaintances and was asked multiple times if he was from the bride or grooms side.

“The bride,” he’d said over ten times by then as Y/N’s grandmother asked him. “We’re old friends.”

When he looked around, he recognised many people he once only saw through pictures. Her friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, colleagues and her parents, who he once met at the Korean Barbeque all those years ago. Rumour has it that Y/N’s dad still held a sense of distaste for Niki because of the stunt he pulled at the restaurant. But he wasn’t quite sure if they remembered who he was.

But the one person he wanted to see most, apart from Y/N, of course, was who the groom was.

He knew from the wedding invitation that the man’s name was Mark. And that was pretty much where Niki’s insight on Y/N’s soon to be husband was. She’d never mentioned him- not once in those emails, not the time she called him in a hurry the night his daughter was born, not a single breath about this man who called himself Mark- her lover, her better half, the man she was spending the rest of her life with.

The ceremony started when the wedding music started playing- it was the same song he used in his wedding, the same melodies. And Mark- it had to be him- appeared beside the priest in his black tux and dashing smile. The crowd gushed at him and soon, when Y/N appeared, Mark had tears in his eyes.

And it was everything Y/N deserved- a man who cried on their wedding day, a man scared to lose her, a man who would go starved at the thought of ever losing her. And Niki realised that this Mark- the man he was seeing and conceptualising for the first time- was everything he could never be, everything Y/N wanted Niki to be.

Y/N was beautiful, as she always was. And she looked exactly like Niki had expected her to- softer eyes, warmer smile, kinder presence. Something she couldn’t be for him, but definitely could be for Mark. And she promised that through her vows, and he sealed them with his. And as he watched the ceremony come to a close, the ache in his chest settled further. It wasn’t permanent, but it was lingering.

Slowly, they moved into the ceremony and once again, Y/N and Mark danced like he had imagined them to. The centre of attention, like they were the sun and the rest of the guests were planets orbiting their creation. Niki danced with Jocelyn, whispering and retelling some of his old memories with Y/N, giggling about the fact that he father was throwing his occasional glares- still, after seventeen years.

“Do you think she knows we came?” Jocelyn asked as he twirled her.

“I’m not sure,” Niki admitted. “But let’s not bother her.”

The second he said that, Niki regretted it. Because he wanted to bother her- he wanted to be her friend who teased her and asked her why she never told him about this Mark- a man she was so in love with that she ended up marrying him. How could she not mention him? How could she keep this unspoken between them.

And when the crowd was dying, when Niki and Jocelyn settled in the bar with wine and whiskey, Y/N saw them.

Well, she’d seen them much before- while she was walking down the aisle, while she was dancing with her husband and cutting their wedding cake. But she was too busy to actually walk up to them- and she wondered why they didn’t approach her like everyone else instead.

She didn’t question it, only tapped Niki on the shoulder that had him swirling his chair in shock.

He stares at her- eyes wide and mouth parted, as though he’d just seen an apparition. She was smiling at him, meekly like a kid that had just asked their parents for her fifth lollipop- she wasn’t supposed to look shy on her wedding day. Yet here she was, in her simple yet elegant reception gown, standing in front of him like she was introducing herself to a stranger.

“She’s not a ghost, you know?” Jocelyn’s chuckle brought Niki back to reality. “You can hug her.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and shook her head, chuckling herself. She breezed past Niki and stretched her arms towards Jocelyn. The two women hugged and Niki continue staring at their interaction- like they had known each other their whole lives, like they were old friends, like the predicament with Niki didn’t exist.

And throughout the conversation, Niki stayed minimally interactive. He swirled his wine around as Jocelyn sipped on her whiskey, talking about her life, their daughter, her work and asking Y/N about her life- what was new, what had she done that Niki never mentioned to her, how she met Mark.

“I’m very tired,” Jocelyn eventually announced. “I think I’ll go upstairs to our room.”

“Oh, so soon?” Y/N, slightly disappointed, rubbed Jocelyn’s arm and allowed her to stand up.

“I’m was great seeing you, Y/N,” Jocelyn hugged her again. “You and Riki should talk.”

She left with her purse clutched to her stomach, yawning herself way towards the elevator. And Niki and Y/N were left in the remnants of the conversation- uncertain, confused, a little awkward.

“Jocelyn is a saint for dealing with you,” she said.

“I know,” Niki chuckled, head hanging low the way he always did when he didn’t know what to do.

“I’m seeing you after seven years and you’re not even talking to me, Niki,” she observed. “Come on, it’s my wedding night. Don’t be like this.”

“You never told me,” he said, finally lifting his head to meet her eyes. And he finally saw her, the way her makeup was starting to fade, the heaviness in her eyes, the glow of her marriage.

“About Mark?” She chuckled, rubbing her forehead with her palm. She had a raging headache but she wouldn’t admit it. “You barely told me about Jocelyn,” she said.

“So this was some sort of ego battle?” Niki raised his brows. “An eye for an eye? At least I mentioned Jocelyn, Y/N. you didn’t even bother, you let me think you were living your life all alone.”

Y/N let out a sigh and gripped her wine glass. It was empty now, but she still brought it to her lips, hoping to get the ghost of its taste. “Why does it matter, Riki? I didn’t get mad at you for not telling about Jocelyn, did I?” She asked. “What’s done is done. I barely even told my family about him.”

“Why?” He asked, puzzled by her response.

Y/N smiled, looking over to find Mark sending off the guests and bidding them farewells. His hair wasn’t style anymore, falling over his forehead and his sleepy eyes, his dashing smile etched across his face like an emblem. And Niki saw him too- the way he charmed everyone around him, the way he carried the room, the way he also glowed in the aftermath of their wedding ceremony.

“He was too good to be true,” she admitted. “I was scared that if I talked about him too much, he would slip away.”

“Oh.”

“I talked about you a lot, you know?” She chuckled, eyes sparkling in nostalgia. “Back in the day? I always thought I’d lost you because I wished for you too hard.”

“Y/N, don’t say that,” Niki sighed. He felt guilty now, for even feeling mad over something that was so petty. He reached his hand towards her, fingers grazing over her knuckles. It felt wrong to touch her this way and not have it be momentous- it was just a simple moment, a reassuring gesture. “Just tell me one thing?”

“What is it?” She blinked.

“Are you happy?” He asked. “As in, really happy? This Mark guy… he treats you well? Has never hurt you?”

“Niki,” she giggled this time, eyes squinting and teeth peeking behind her lips. Niki had never heard this sound from her, he’d never seen this version of her giggle. “Mark is everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m happy, of course I’m happy.”

The weight in Niki’s chest lifted- slowly but surely with the way Y/N’s eyes sparkled beneath the chandelier. “Alright,” he said.

“He knows about you,” she grinned. “He asks about you all the time.”

“Yeah?” He chuckled. “Doesn’t think it’s weird?”

“You and I are lucky we found people like Mark and Jocelyn,” Y/N said. “It’s hard to explain all the long emails and boxes of letters.”

Niki laughed- for the first time since he came to the wedding, he finally let loose. “We really did get lucky.”

Moments later, Mark had joined them. His charming smile, welcoming words and arms that wrapped Niki into an unexpected hug. The two men patted each other on the back, turning their heads towards Y/N at the same time when they let go of each other. It felt like a dream really- to see the two most important men in her life interact this way.

Her friends used to ask her why Niki- this man she only knew through the screen of her phone and laptop- was so important. But who was she if not for him? If not for him letting her go, if not for him supporting her through her dreams and goals?

And she watched and listened as Niki and Mark talked- about random things, nothing significant. They both loved to box, they both loved to sing and they both loved anime. In fact, Mark was also a fan of ENHYPEN back in the day, when they’d first become internationally famous.

And so they bonded- Y/N knew they would get along. She thought it would be hard to be with someone who couldn’t get along with Niki.

“Why don’t our families meet more often?” Mark offered to Niki. “It’s high time we close the distance. I’m dying to meet your baby girl.”

And Niki chuckled, glancing at Y/N with uncertainty. Y/N only shrugged at him, pursing her lips.

Because yes, they had the liberty to travel back and forth between each other’s countries. And they had the money, the time, the freedom to do so. And why certain things didn’t happen- Y/N and Niki couldn’t answer the question themselves. They never thought of the possibility, they never imagined what it could be like, to be close in the way Mark was hoping.

Everything was uncertain, now that Y/N was also married. And now, they realistically had no actual reason to see each other. But then he would imagine his daughter calling her aunty Y/N and his heart swelled, he imagined Jocelyn’s joy over new company and perhaps, he thought, that things didn’t have to be so distant anymore.

[anchorandrope]

I need to know why L's sisters are always the ones making trouble on social media and looking for attention. I really don't understand why them

Look, im going to give you an answer from PR because that's my life so why not lmfao. And since i've worked with one influencer recently, i have no doubts regarding what is happening at this point with louis' sisters.

Im going to try to explain this as short and succinctly as possible. and im really sorry to say this but this is how things work in real life, i beg you to leave your parasocial relationship with louis aside for three seconds to think coldly about the situation, because i know perfectly well how some of you take every statement made related to louis. several statements can exist at the same time, not everything is black and white, etc. thank you...

Some of you may ask, why always the twins? and there is, actually, an answer to that question. The answer, believe it or not, is not because Lottie is older than the twins. Partly her age is related, but it is not the reason itself... let's see:

Lottie started working as Lou Teasdale's assistant during the OTRA Tour, and since then and thanks to her, she got in touch with many important job opportunities that another teenager who does make-up well wouldn't have.

She has been in Fashion Week, worked for Selena Gomez, etc. Everything from a very young age. Today, she doesn't live exclusively from social media, as many believe. Her income is not only from "being an influencer", she has her brand tanologist, she published a book.... In Lottie's case, social media is a fundamental communication tool that allows her to obtain opportunities that generate income, but it is not her entire income per se.

On the other hand, Daisy and Phoebe were too young to take advantage of job opportunities at that time (1D days) because they were kids... they, again it may not seem like it, didn't have the same level of important job opportunities as Lottie had at such a young age. Lottie was at Fashion Week when she was 17... the twins are still very young and their proper working careers are just starting.

Phoebe and Daisy started their modelling careers in 2020 and to this day, they are involved in social media, promoting products (swaps) and modelling in small photo shoots. They haven't really had a big job opportunity like Lottie has had.

Unlike Lottie, they did not have the same visibility from the start and their income comes exclusively from social media. Modelling and swaps/promo are things they do through social media, their working tool is Instagram/TikTok. They need that platform for their income.

Now, if you have social media accounts set up as public and as a content creator you will know this, but for those who don't: those who create content on social media in this way (influencers, among other cases) have their own tool that helps them most to calculate how much they will earn and that is metrics. The famous "professional dashboard/insights" from Instagram for example.

To hire an influencer (in addition to doing a previous investigation of who you should hire) you should ask them for their metrics so that you can reach an agreement on the amount of money for that exchange/interaction/etc. A fixed base number is set, but depending on the reach, the more money they receive is directly proportional to the amount of interactions and views that post has had. Like on instagram if you share the post as branded content, the company you tag can see your metrics.

The fact that the twins are the ones who post content that they know people will go to their stories/posts/comments to see or will make them follow them on their social media is not a coincidence because the amount of people who interact with them (whatever the reason, as your personal reason is not seen on a metric lol) is what generates them revenue, quite literally.

Yes, it can happen that once in a while as something "casual" because they are people, but not as a generality and even less so when a few days later they do another promotion or they are in one. What is going on and whether it is right/morally correct or not are two different questions, by the way.

This is what happens, welcome to the world of influencers! It doesn't matter if you agree or not, if you like it or not, or whatever, those are your personal opinions (which are perfectly fine, we all have them) but... that's how it is. lol.

I personally don't think it's right to use babygate as a method of generating interaction, and just as I brought it to the attention of the clark family, I will bring it to the attention of the tomlinson's. the child is a huge victim of this, everyone is violating his right to privacy and honestly its disgusting to see after like 9 years. It seems to me that gaining interactions (that lead you to gain money) with such a horrible situation and with a child seems to me something that people should be ashamed of, to be honest. Beyond babygate, imagining that larry and babygate never existed, it's wrong to do this, it goes way beyond fandom, which i think is something a lot of people don't truly understand.

if you really want the twins to stop posting this kind of shit, im sorry to inform yall that the only solution to the problem is going to be to stop following them, stop looking at their stories, stop liking and viewing their posts, stop commenting, etc. any viewing/interaction is reflected in a metric, check it out for yourself (besides there are more metric apps than just the ones IG/Tiktok gives you). If you spread a screenshot taken by someone else or stuff, you are not interacting directly with their account, so it's not the same ofc, but if someone doesn't understand how it works, they will go and see it for themselves and and they will generate interactions. It's impossible not to have them on the radar, i know, so at least i ask yall to focus on what's really important, and not on every idiotic thing that happens, because that way they just make it worse, literally.