#Deep Town: Mining Factory

[vonkarma2]

just checking in how's the war going? you're losing? damn that's crazy..

[literaryvein-reblogs]

some words for worldbuilding (pt. 1)

Air

billow, breath, bubble, draft, effervescence, fumes, puff, vapor

Arena

aquarium, bazaar, coliseum, field, hall, mecca, stage

Building

abbey, architecture, armory, asylum, bakery, bar, booth, cathedral, club, construction, court, department store, dock, edifice, emergency room, factory, food court, fort/fortress, framework, garrison, greasy spoon, hacienda, hangout, headquarters, hotel, inn, institute/institution, jetty, laboratory, mansion, mental hospital, monastery, mosque, museum, nursing home, office, pavilion, penitentiary, plant, prison, rampart, repository, ruins, sanctuary, shrine, skyscraper, stockade, storeroom, structure, temple, theater/theatre, treasury, warehouse, wharf

City

capital, metropolis, town, village

Furniture

altar, banister, bench, booth, bunk, cabinet, chair, couch, crib, davenport, dresser, furnishings, futon, jetty, lectern, partition, perch, platform, pulpit, rail/railing, screen, secretary, stand, wardrobe

Geographic division

area, county, desert, dynasty, kingdom, outskirts, quarter, sector, suburb, territory, tract, zone

Habitat

abode, ecosystem, environmentalist, habitat/habitation, harbor, home, land, nest, paradise, premises, refuge, settlement, tent

Habitat, human: accommodations, apartment, barracks, cabin, castle, condominium, convent, domesticity, dungeon, element, encampment, estate, grange, hacienda, home, house, housing, hut, jail, lodging, madhouse, monastery, neighborhood, old country, palace, prison, reservation, resort, sanctuary, shanty, suite, vacancy, villa

Habitat, rural: barn, burrow, conservatory, desert, farm, forest, grange, jungle, sanctuary, wilderness/wilds, wood/woods

Land

abyss, avalanche, bank, bay, bed, bluff, campus, cape, cavern, cliff, compost, cove, crevice/crevasse, dirt, downgrade, dune, elevation, estuary, expanse, field, fossil, garden, glacier, gorge, green, ground, gulf, harbor, hillock, inlet, knoll, landscape, lawn, lot, marshy, menagerie, mine, moat, mound, mountainous, nature, outlook, park, patio, pit, plateau, plaza, porch, prairie, projection, property, quagmire, ravine, ridge, savanna, shelf, soil, stack, table, trench, tundra, valley, well, wood/woods, yard

Nation

country, home, land, nationality, soil, state

Personal item

adornment, amulet, beads, best-seller, briefcase, cache, cargo, charm, contraceptive, disguise, effects, equipment, favorite, gem, glasses, handbag, jewelry, knickknack, luggage, marionette, memorabilia, necklace, novelty, object d’art, odds-on-favorite, paraphernalia, pledge, possession, pride, puppet, purse, resources, ring, souvenir, stuff, supplies, sustenance, thing/things, trappings, trifle, valuable

Planet

cosmos, Earth, galaxy, moon, planet, sphere, world

Region

capital, commonwealth, quarter, region, settlement, suburb

Room

alcove, attic, bath, bedroom, boutique, cellar, den, enclosure, foyer, gin mill, hall, lavatory, loft, outhouse, parlor, restaurant, saloon, shop, stage, store, tenement, theater/theatre, vestibule

Shape

angular, beaten, billowy, checkered, concave, conical/conic, crescent, curly, deformed, elliptical, flat, gnarled, kinky, misshapen, obtuse, round, shapeless, spiral, straight

Vehicle

camper, conveyance, motorcade, transport

Vehicle, air: aircraft, armada, blimp, dirigible, helicopter, shuttle, UFO

Vehicle, land: ambulance, bicycle, car, cherry-picker, dolly, excavator, model, traffic, truck

Vehicle, water: armada, boat, craft, fleet, sailboat, yacht

Water

abyss, aqueduct, basin, beach, blackball, brook, cape, channel, condensation, creek, deep, estuary, fountain, gulf, heading, inlet, lake, oasis, pond, promontory, reservoir, sea, spray, strait, tide, wash, wave, whirlpool

NOTE

The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.

It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary. Writing Resources PDFs

Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

I’m loving so much the new disowned verse omg, it is so good, you are a genius.

But I’m curious, how did reader and jason met?

The apartment was in a cracker box of a building with thin walls. His neighbors were a young couple that fought about money 25/8 and an elderly 'Nam Vet who liked his porno but- he could cope.

It was different than Gotham. There weren't constant gunshots. And that was weird. But. He knew better than to think his PI license wouldn't make him some money. Even out in the sticks. There was always a contentious divorce. There was always something not quite right. Cops in over their heads.

And he'd have down time. He could read. Work on his bike. Fuck. Maybe even actually go see a movie... Sure. He knew eventually he'd get bored but. For now, he was looking forward to it.

He shut the door and locked it behind him, frowning just slightly and making a note to get a better lock while he was out. He doubted he could find anything super great in town- he'd probably have to order something but. He'd passed a hardware store in town so... it might be worth checking out. If he made friends with the old guy that probably ran it he could probably get some special orders if he needed it.

So he set off that direction, wandering on foot down the sidewalks and taking note of the other houses. It was the middle of the afternoon. And the lunch whistles at the old factory still sounded at nood and then 30 minutes later. Tucked away from the tree-lined main drag, the houses back here varied from run down to better homes and gardens.

That tracked.

They got better closer to the front. The older show homes outweighed the eyesores. American primitive lawn decor. A surprising number of pineapples- and he snorted, wondering if it had come from a big box store or if it was a signal. Or both.

Still.

By the time he made it to the hardware store, he was reasonably certain he could stay busy. All was not as Leave it to Beaver as the Town Council would have you believe. And the first place he was gonna leave a flyer was in the beauty shop. Those old biddies HAD to have some shit to stir up.

He shouldered the door open and a bell, an actual bell, chimed. And he smiled a little taking a deep breath. The smell of dust, tools, and old well-maintained wood hit his nose and he exhaled. Definitely not going to find any high tech locks here. But, he had a soft spot for independent shops.

"Be with you in a minute!"

The voice made him jump. Not the gruff voice of a grumpy old fuck he expected. And it made him search of the source. Curious. "No worries," he said, walking a little farther towards where he'd heard it. Finding a young woman on a ladder stocking some boxes of bolts on a shelf. A pink canvas gardening apron tied around her hips to hold more boxes. "You got door locks?" he asked.

"Aisle 5 next to the paver catalogs," you tell him, steadying yourself so you can turn and glance down at him.

"Perfect," he said, "Thanks."

"Mhm, let me know if you need anything else," you tell him.

Jason paused and looked around, "Think you can put a tool box together for me I just moved and-"

"Ah, yeah. One Bachelor special," you tell him," Jumping down from the ladder, "I think I can get you fixed up. At least enough to get you started. You'll be smashing your thumbs in no time."

"Got a first aid kit too?"

"Right up at the counter," you snort. "But if you want anything special, you gotta see Adam at the Pharmacy. Mine are pretty basic."

"I can deal with basic- at least until you sell me a band saw-"

"Oh lord."

[respectoughfully]

My home planet in my Star Trek Dr

𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠, also called 𝑀𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎 𝑍𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑖 (velisianese 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠) or 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦, is the planet on which I was born and grew up. It's located on the border in the Beta Quadrant, between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Free State, near the Azure Nebula. 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠 is particularly regarded for it’s natural beauty, abundance of resources, cultural wealth and exquisiteness of it’s arts.

From space the planet appeares as a silvery-blue orb speckled with the green of the mainland, all enveloped in griseous web of thick clouds. It's orbiting the star 𝐸𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑘𝑎 𝑉 and have two natural satellites, the twin moons called 𝐾𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑜 and 𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑠 and one artificial satellite, VNS 14-550 "Leyda", serving as research base for the Velisian Scientific Society.

𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠 have an oceanic climate, meaning that there are frequent rainfalls and the typical humidity is quite high, high winds appears on the basis too. There are relatively cool summers and mild winters throughout the year, divided by short and wet springs and autumns. The average annual temperatures are typically 13 to 22°C (55 to 72°F). Exceptions to this are the tropical islands close to the equator, where temperatures can reach even above 30°C (86°F). Planet's atmosphere contains almost half as much oxygen as that of the Earth, and it's gravity is one-fifth lower. The sky in a day have a lilac-blue colour, similar to that seen on Earth in the morning, while at night it takes on a deep navy blue hue. The day there lasts 28 hours and a year 420 days.

About 80% of the surface is covered by seas and oceans, the shimmering waves of unique clearness and azure color. They're most beautiful in the full-moons nights, when tiny flecks of silver in it starts to entirely mirror the moonlight. The water is shining brightly under the dark sky. Some say that if you look in the depths for long enought you can see the reflection of your own soul in it.

The land is a huge continent called 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑛, the land of fertile black soil on which mainly vines and fiber crops are grown. There are also acres of lush green forests and deep valleys, crossed by rapid rivers and lakes. On the south we have the 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑦 𝑀𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠, nine-thousanders in the shadow of which marble is mined. Behind them is a strip of frozen solid sea. It's other shore is the Stone Wall - a gigantic uplift of rock that surrounds the planet's pole like a ring. In turn, the most important deposits of silver, on which the most of velisian economy and industry are based, stretch on the west, so there are many mining towns and also factories there.

The mainland is surrounded by a cluster of islands, called the 𝐻𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒'𝑠 𝐼𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠. They are not very well populated by themselves, but their tropical climate and remarkable historical relics of the origins of our civilisation makes them a popular travel and recreation locations for both natives and travelers from other planets.

The planet's capital and also it's largest city is 𝐴𝑡𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑖, located on high hills in the central part of 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑛. It's where the most important state institutions are located, such as the Houses of Parliament and the seat of the Supreme Court. It's also a centre of cultural life, symbolised by 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒, a gigantic library housing the largest collection of information in both physical and digital form in the Quadrant. In it's direct vicinity, towering over the city, is the 𝑅𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒.

But not all cities on the planet were build on the surface. In order to prevent excessive alteration of the ecosystem, some were constructed underground, carved directly out of the rocks and another were build underwater - they are located in air-filled energy bubbles, the surfaces of which are preventing water from getting in. We call both of them 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠. They draw light from the outside through an extensive system of mirrors.

The political system of the planet is a constitutional monarchy (system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organised government). The current 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 is 𝑇𝑎𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛 𝑆𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑔ℎ𝑎𝑟’𝑛𝑜 𝐼𝑉 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑦𝑑𝑎 (my dad <3) and the 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 is 𝐴𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑦𝑎 𝑊𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟'𝑛𝑎 𝑀𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑒.

The planet is the manufacture of luxury items exported to almost all corners of the known universe. This are objects made of marble and silver like sculptures or jewellery as well as these materials in their raw state, but also beautifully woven fabrics made from natural fibres, exquisite wines and spices and the famous “velisianese white honey” made from the nectar of flowers found only there and known for their medicinal effects.

(all pictures are from Pinterest)

[bumblehoneybee]

Imagine Stardew Valley Player being unaffected by anything in the factory. You grow accustomed and jaded to weird/terrifying creatures when you fight monster for hours on end when they show up on your farm, or when you try to go mine.

Playing Stardew Valley, I always chose a cat as my pet. Catnap/Dogday would be so smug, depending on which pet you chose, that you prefer cats/dogs. Also just the toys fawning over the fur babies. As for the farm animals, the sheep fear/respect Dogday greatly, and the horses and such animals are oddly ok with Catnap's presence, as they actually like/get along with cats irl. Etc.

Also-

Dogday: How are you doing today Angel?

Player: Gotta go talk to the wizard and barter with the sewer monster.

Dogday: W h a t -

yeyeyeyeyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

you get me!

it's fun to think about whether or not the player is established in Pelican Town before or after the factory events. Before, they're friendly and more talkative, then suddenly they're reclusive and don't allow anyone on the farm anymore. Perhaps they can spin a bit of a (not entirely untrue) yarn about finding survivors in the factory but they're so terrified of other people that anyone coming onto the farm will make them so upset and such like that.

Or maybe they just show up one day and while there are whispers and glimpses (mostly from Pierre who is the only one to see the player regularly), the new farmer is a cryptid and few have looked upon their visage.

Also, just the absurdity of being the farmer in Stardew. Looking poor Dogday, the victim of so much, in the eye and telling him, dead serious, you need to go talk to the local wizard about communing with the spirits of the forest. . .

He loves and respects his angel so much. They've gone off the deep end from overworking.

Now Catnap. . . Catnap is fun too. He loves the farm life, basking in the sun and seeing the animals. Sometimes he'll even help you with farm chores, and it feels so. . . domestic and normal that he grows a little jollier. He feels a little less like a monster.

Poppy loves the animals because she can ride on all of them. You've found her asleep atop the cows and sheep so many times. Kissy likes the smaller animals, the chickens and ducks and rabbits. The birds especially like her back, and happily follow her around in a cute parade.

[sabastory]

Leni - The Northern Territory

Desolate and volatile, the northern territory is a force to be reckoned with. While the Cavatina Penninsula is mildly temperate, the rest of the continent is a harsh, chilling wasteland.

The Kingdom of Forthwin is the central ruling power, controlling everything north of the Cielo Range. Due to the extremely harsh weather and incredibly isolated nature of the kingdom's territories, they have remained in quiet isolation for centuries. This, combined with the death of one of the kingdom's most beloved and benevolent rulers, has plunged the kingdom into a state of mourning. As such, they have shunned any and all emerging technologies of the new world and prefer to live a solemn and modest life.

-Opulus, the capital city of the kingdom, is surrounded by massive walls lit by enormous braziers. This allows the city to be visible at night or in the fog from a great distance, granting it the nickname The North Star.

-Satora is one of the continent's oldest settlements, and was originally a mining town settled by inhabitants of the Eastern Territory. It is now famous for its gemstones, which are pulled from deep within the earth in the Gregorian Barrens. A brutal and dangerous job.

-The Borean Deep is thought to be bottomless. Legends say it is the domain of the Bastion of Torrents.

-Figaro is the largest city south of the mountains. Known primarily for its airship factories.

-The Valencia Islands are a group of semi-autonomous islands under the jurisdiction of the Aldsten Empire. North Star Outpost is a lonely, isolated station that is used as a front for espionage.

-Contralto is a cold and quiet coastal town, where Soprano Saba calls home. The headquarters of Valkyrie Post is located here.

-The Reverie Strait is a narrow but highly dangerous body of water separating the Northern and Southern territories. Littered with rocky spires and treacherous sea monsters, the journey often fills sailors with a maddening and maniacal countenance if they make it through, earning it it's ironic moniker.

-A structure known only as The Mausoleum exists in the tundras southwest of Opulus. It appears as a massive stone tomb with a statue of a previous Forthwin king standing tall atop it. Forthwin citizens speak of the tomb with eloquent reverence, and frequently make pilgrimages to it to pay their respects.

[deebormzone]

Deeborm's Big New Year's Gamer Post!

Happy New Year!

Will it be a happy new year? Probably not. But as the Greek philosophers once wrote:

pls rember that wen u feel scare or frigten never forget ttimes wen u feeled happy wen day is dark alway rember happy day

And in the spirit of those wise words, here's some good stuff I've enjoyed recently, as well as some stuff to look forward to in the year to come.

Yet Another Steam Sale

It's been a long time since these sales have been anything special, but for Gamers like me, they're still good opportunities to scan for bargains.

I mainly look for indie games on deep discounts. Bonus points if they're relaxing. I'm an old man now, and if something on screen moves too quickly I panic and drop my mouse.

Wilmot Works it Out

The perfect game for me. You play as a happy square who puts jigsaw puzzles together and then has a cup of tea. I think there may soon be a too-close-to-home subplot about how Wilmot needs to go touch grass, but for now I am safe.

Webfishing

It's Animal Crossing but for fishing only. Also allows the player to talk to freaks online while doing the fishing. Very relaxing, and there's progression! Unfortunately fishing is dull so I can only do this for 5 minutes at a time.

Atlyss

I was pretty skeptical of this one despite hearing about how good an action RPG it is, but then it went on sale and I gave up trying to avoid it. Movement is fast and fluid! But you have to use that speed to skillfully avoid enemies. Harder than expected! Maybe I picked a bad class (rogue?).

Grindstone

I love Match-3 games! But it feels like nobody really makes them nowadays. The most popular one lately is, what, Huniepop? And I'm not usually about that life.

Grindstone isn't a Match-3 but it's close. It has the player drawing a line through colors of enemies, and then you get a bunch of points. Satisfying, but I wish they didn't use so much toilet humor. I hate that shit, literally.

Robo Quest

As part of my endless quest to find a Borderlands game that doesn't have Borderlands humor (see: toilet), I picked up this one. Great so far; despite the action it's fast and fun. Roguelites are favorites of mine since in those, even failure has its benefits.

Additional Gaming (Non-Steam Sale) (Real)

Palworld

I finally got an upgraded computer, so I can finally play this one!

I think I've finally grown out of Pokemon. It just feels dopey these days, and I suspect that's because it always was, I just never cared until now. But the disease (Pokerus?) still festers within me.

Thus, Palworld. It's been doing very well for itself lately! It's not really a Pokemon successor, but it does a lot of stuff with the concept that Pokemon won't do, and I don't mean the factory farming or automatic weaponry. Having your Pals use their powers to help with building and cooking really adds to the team-building feel of the game, while also reducing the tedium of base building.

Fallout 4

As part of my endless quest to find a Borderlands game that doesn't have Borderlands humor (see: toilet), here's Fallout again. I love the series but I've played it exhaustively. To keep things fresh, I'm trying the ultra hard Survival Mode, which should last about 10 more minutes before a roach kills me and I give up.

Against the Storm

This roguelike town-builder has had a bunch of updates since I played it last. For one thing, it's now possible to beat the game. I think.

There are also a bunch of new resources, like "tea". But it's not for drinking - the only use for tea is something called "treatment" at the "Tea Doctor". I don't know what that means, but the people in my settlement love it so much that I win games due to accumulated happiness. Until proven otherwise, I'll assume the Doctor pours it directly onto people's heads.

The Game Awards 2024

I got tricked into watching TGA again this year. I know it's going to be mostly crap, but I fall for it every time anyway. Fortunately they got the top shelf Muppets to attend this time.

I don't really care about the awards themselves. I'm mostly in it for the reveals. But there were some good ones!

Dog Game 2 is frankly astonishing. Team Clover's revival also means Viewtiful Joe could be back on the table as well, but I won't get greedy. This game will do for now, and I look forward to its release in 2035.

Project Century is also interesting. I don't know if it's Yakuza or what, but it sure looks like it. LaD Ishin was a lot of fun in its historical setting, and this could be similar.

It's a lot of fun seeing Balatro nominated for Game of the Year at the Game Awards (and elsewhere). The game industry nowadays is made of billion dollar projects worked on by thousands of people, all of whom get laid off five minutes before release. And this year, sitting next to them at the pinnacle of the medium, is one guy with a deck of cards.

The most dramatic depiction of this is the Game Awards GOTY medley, which is always a highlight of the show.

Nowadays the Game Awards gets more viewers than the Super Bowl, and here on the world stage is the main theme - and only song - from Balatro being played by full orchestra right next to fucking Elden Ring. That poor solo dev must feel like he's in a permanent, waking dream.

My one complaint about Balatro is that it means my beloved UFO 50, probably my own GOTY, got snubbed in every indie category. Mossmouth worked on that gargantuan collection for years and years, and deserved better. I hope it shows up again for a console release - it'd be perfect on Switch.

The Future Of Gameing

There's some good stuff coming up soon.

Firstly is Dog Game 2 (pirate edition). This will be short for an RGG game but I'm down for anything the studio puts out.

One day later is Civilization 7, which is currently PC Gamer's Most Anticipated Game.

This is actually a very big deal for me. I grew up playing Civ 2, back when you would earn fabulous AMVs for building world wonders.

And lately I've been playing a LOT of Civilization. It's the perfect old man game.

Of course Civ 7 screwed up the whole series formula and is going to be a lot more expensive, but that's true of any new installment of anything. It's possible the changes to core systems could actually make a more enjoyable game.

Also the playable leaders are getting real crazy. You get to be Machiavelli.

He claimed that his experience and reading of history showed him that politics has always involved deception, treachery, and crime. He advised rulers to engage in evil when political necessity requires it, and argued specifically that successful reformers of states should not be blamed for killing other leaders who could block change.

Speaking of which, the Switch 2 is likely to release this year.

I'm not too excited about having to buy another console. Nintendo hasn't been great lately - probably because they're getting ready for Switch 2 - so they'd need some solid launch titles to grab me. It would take either

A new 3d Mario AND a new 3d Zelda

or

Smash

In Closinge

This might be the year I get back to work on my own game, Evil Justice.

Right now, it's a story with 146,000 words, with about a four-hour playtime. I think it's the most successful project I've ever had!

But between the effort required and my demanding job, I've fallen off. Lately, though, I've been feeling some of that old drive... fingers crossed.

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a very good 2025! If I've learned anything, it's that self-esteem is the key, so make sure to treat yourself like a friend.

[nekoannie-chan]

Game

Title: Game.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Agent of HYDRA!Reader.

Word count: 381 words.

Square: E2 “Russian roulette.”

Rating: Mature.

Summary: Steve and you played a deadly game.

Major Tags: Mention of a gun, Russian roulette.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @steverogersbingo Steve Rogers Bingo round 3. SB3090.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @Smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @Harrysthiccthighss @Marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @Here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

Steve had followed a trail to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town, where you were supposed to be.

The factory was deserted, the sound of his boots echoing on the concrete floor as he advanced cautiously, shield in hand. In a dark and dusty room, Steve finally found you. You were sitting in an old wooden chair with a serene expression on your face, as if you had been waiting for him.

"I knew you'd come, Captain," you said.

"You always know everything, don't you?" Steve replied dismissively. "But this time, I've got you cornered."

You smiled slightly and pulled a small pistol from his bag.

"How about we make it more interesting?" you suggested, twisting the revolver's barrel and making sure only one bullet was loaded. "Russian roulette."

Steve didn't want to play, but he knew he didn't have much choice. If he tried to disarm you right away, you might shoot.

"All right," he agreed.

You raised the gun and pointed it at your own temple. You turned the barrel and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. There was a sharp click; without flinching, you passed the revolver to Steve.

Steve took the gun, his gaze locked on yours. He took a deep breath and turned the barrel again. He raised the gun, pointed it at his temple, and pulled the trigger. Another click. He passed the gun back.

The game continued each click echoing through the room like a drumbeat of impending death. Neither of them blinked, keeping calm under unbearable tension.

On the sixth round, the reader turned the drum again and raised the gun for the last time. "It looks like we're both luckier than we thought," you muttered before pulling the trigger. Click.

"It looks like fate is smiling on us today," he said, slowly approaching.

Suddenly, in an unexpected move, you pulled out a small device and activated it. An explosion of smoke filled the room, momentarily blinding Steve. By the time the smoke cleared, you had disappeared, leaving behind only the revolver on the floor.

Steve picked up the gun and sighed. "Until next time," he muttered. He knew it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other; even if you were part of HYDRA, he wanted you by his side.

[cityofalbinoch]

Welcome to Albinoch, the last, best, biggest factory town that Earth has to offer.

Humanity has always found it easier to run away from its problems than to fix them. So it should come as no surprise that interplanetary space travel was prioritized over unfucking our own environment. Terraformers deployed to Mars and Venus and the Moons of Jupiter wouldn’t work at home because of the way they made things worse before they made them better. So the Earth, our Earth, was dying. And we were running away. 

And that’s where Albinoch comes in.

Albinoch is a megacity founded around resource extraction. Humanity may be fleeing our planet in massive spaceships, but someone has to stick around and fucking. Build the massive spaceships, yaknow? So while most of the world was being left barren and derelict, several of these megatropolises dotted across the globe, spreading outward like concrete cold sores. 

Our dear Albinoch in particular was focused on extracting and refining the raw materials needed for building (though some ambitious businesses are trying to break into industrial machining and manufacture). The city is sandwiched between several mines for coal, various ores, and minerals; a huge quarry that spirals into the ground like the mouth of a titanic deep sea suckerfish, and an offshore oil rig whose lights we can see more clearly than the stars most nights, bobbing and rocking in the swells. As a result of all this bustling industry, the land got unstable. The whole damn city *settled,* sinking below sea level and flooding the streets. These days narrow canals are everywhere, almost as plentiful as the streets and back-alleys, populated by gondolas and riverboats, for living on and for taking people where they need to go.

The Allercorps mined deep for the fleeing colonists, and when they did, they discovered a dormant, prehistoric amoeba that colonized infected people's bodies, turning them into strong, fast, sensitive corpses with a hunter's mind and an insatiable craving for human blood. 

Scientists all over Albinoch immediately set about looking for a cure, but what they found instead is that by manipulating the Amoeba's genetic code, they could essentially manufacture a treatment for eternal life, youth, and beauty...... With a few side effects.

Of course this treatment was only available to a select few. The upper echelons of society's best and brightest. 

Meanwhile the infectious amoeba, transferring in the blood and saliva of its hosts, continued to ravage Albinoch's faceless masses. 

So, bringing us up to speed—the people of the city are ruled by beautiful, charismatic, wealthy vampires, both loathing them and longing to become one of them, while being haunted in their nighttimes and nightmares by the bloodthirsty faces of their dead loved ones, calling out in the mimicked voices of those they've killed. The UV Lamps along the more populated streets feel like a bandaid, and just because you’re scared to go out at night doesn’t mean you always have a choice. If the wind turns right, the parties from the wealthy quarter are audible, reminding folks of the gulf between their lives and ours. Never go out alone if you can help it, unless you want to become another stolen voice in a dead man’s chest.

[swindle-broth]

Found on Apple Arcade

A Game I loved in my youth I replay in my years young on Apple Arcade

❤️‍🔥 Excessive sexual display instead of violence ❤️‍🔥

“Holy cow”

Acrylic painting on canvas

Size 40 x 30 cm

[panarin-archive]

“The 8-year-old boy stood shaking and scared in the middle of a bus station in Chelyabinsk, Russia, tears gathering in his eyes and dripping off his cheeks. His panicked hands rifled through the same pockets over and over for the bus ticket he could not afford to lose.

At the previous stop, he’d reached into a secret pocket on the inside of his pants — to the left of the zipper, just behind the waist — to buy a snack for the 25-mile trip from Korkino to Chelyabinsk. The ticket must have been left at the counter when he reached for his money.

His grandmother didn’t just put the rubles in that pocket, she sewed that pocket into his jeans, too, hoping robbers wouldn’t find it when they patted him down. This was more than 900 miles east of Moscow and just eight years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Poverty was a permanent cloud in the Chelyabinsk region, and crime was rampant. Even kids weren’t safe.

The boy stood trembling at the world’s mercy. Most mistook him for a 5- or 6-year-old, a golden mop of hair on top of a frail 65-pounder, all ribs and elbows and knees.

Two men emerged from the swirl of legs and luggage. “Where are your parents? Why are you crying? Are you lost?”

They looked around the station for an adult accomplice, fearing a ruse. One gave the boy the money in exchange for a promise that he’d spend it on a bus ticket. Even kids couldn’t be trusted.

The tears dried. A natural smile returned. Deep breaths.

Artemi Panarin remembers this as one of the scariest days of his young life. He bought a new ticket and boarded a bus back home to Korkino, but his remarkable journey from isolation and poverty to NHL stardom and immense wealth was just getting started.

…

When Panarin, an only child, was only 3 months old, his parents divorced and he was adopted by his grandparents, Vladimir and Nina Levin. They lived in Korkino, a mining town of about 40,000. The quarry on the edge of town — it’s 1,500 meters in diameter and 500 meters deep — looks like it could swallow the village.

Vladimir was a celebrated hockey player in his day, but could never play his way out of Korkino as a pro. He’d mined a bit, worked in the factories and bought a cow to sell its milk, all to get by. Nina made money as a seamstress and sold baked goods.

They were barely scraping by when baby Artemi arrived in their tiny apartment in early 1992.

The hockey career that escaped Vladimir became his obsession all over again, but this time for Artemi.

By the time he was 5 years old, Artemi was up on skates that Vladimir would pull out of the discard pile at the local rink. The first pair was for a figure skater; the second were hockey skates, but they were so big that Artemi wore a pair of shoes inside them.

The gloves he salvaged were completely worn out in the palms. Vladimir patched the palms with leather from a worn-out pair of leather boots, and Panarin had his gloves.

This is how the rest of his gear came together, too. Vladimir would find something salvageable at the rink, Nina would retrofit it to Artemi’s small frame, and the skating lessons could move forward.

His skates didn’t even have laces.

“My grandpa found this rope that would fit,” Panarin says.

Nina would try to find the material to replicate the sweater the rest of the boys on the team were wearing, but she could only get so close.

Most days, Vladimir would drive Panarin to the rink in his World War II-era utility vehicle — a YA3-469 — that had more rust than steel. It broke down frequently, making Panarin late to practice or Vladimir and Artemi late arriving back to Korkino.

The boys his age took notice of the scrawny kid in ill-fitting equipment. Bullying knows no borders.

“The (other kids), they were laughing at me when I got to the rink,” Panarin says with a smile. “They laughed at my grandpa’s car. They laughed at what I wore. They just laughed at me.

“It was not really comfortable to skate in my equipment. The other kids, they had the stuff. I used things that were left by the older guys. Some of the things, my grandma was making herself.”

The practices were relentless. Panarin didn’t really enjoy it, didn’t see the point in all of this. His grandfather would entice him with chocolate candies to keep him motivated.

“Even when I was first starting, my grandfather was very strict about my skating,” Panarin said. “It wasn’t enough to just stay up on my skates and learn to stop. It was always ‘Bend your knees!’ And he was right.”

When he was 8, Panarin started traveling to Chelyabinsk six days a week for practice and games. The only day off was Sunday.

On days when Vladimir couldn’t drive — or the old car wouldn’t start, or they didn’t have money for gas — Panarin would take a bus to Chelyabinsk, with enough money for a snack stuffed into his secret pocket. He played with Matchbox cars to pass the time.

“It was hard for him,” Georgi Belousov, a childhood friend of Panarin��s, wrote in an email to The Athletic. “There were kids who had everything handed to them, while Artemi had to borrow things or just have his grandfather ask for help around town. You can’t describe it. There are no words in Russian or English to describe how sad and humiliating it was for Artemi.

“But he was such a strong kid that he somehow always managed to deal with everything with the help of his grandparents. Others helped, too, but it was mostly him and his family. It was hard to look (at) sometimes.”

The worst day, Panarin says, was the day when he was 8 years old and lost his ticket in Chelyabinsk.

“I didn’t have a phone; I had no money,” he says. “I lost my ticket and I was all by myself. I just started crying for somebody to come to me and help. That was a bad day.”

But Panarin makes a careful distinction between poverty and being poor. He didn’t have much, but his grandparents gave him everything they could, and it was everything he needed.

He winces at some memories but smiles at many others.

In the living room of their tiny apartment, Vladimir would move around the furniture, set up a makeshift net and play a game with Artemi, drawing the ire of Nina when a shot went astray.

“What are you both doing, breaking everything in here!” Nina told a Russian TV documentary on Panarin. “That’s what I was saying to them!”

Panarin was a fast skater, but nothing special as a hockey player in his early teen years, when the separation of talent typically begins. Most of his teammates still towered above him.

When he was 13, he endured a crushing blow. He was cut by Chelyabinsk’s top junior club and relegated to the second tier, a team called Signal. Vladimir was irate; Panarin was devastated, and nearly quit.

“I didn’t have big hopes at this point,” Panarin says.

Belousov’s father went to work trying to find a place for them to play, one that would have a future. He found a boarding school in Moscow that was connected to a club in Russia’s top league, the KHL, but Panarin would have to try out.

Suddenly, the bus rides to Chelyabinsk were child’s play. Panarin took a two-day train ride to Moscow and said goodbye to Vladimir and Nina for the entire school year, including the holidays.

Boarding schools in Russia are not as we think of them in America. They aren’t college prep schools for the ultra-wealthy. The conditions were meager, Panarin says.

But Panarin’s outlook started to change when he arrived at the Podolsk boarding school. For the first time, Panarin was fitted for new hockey gear: skates that fit, new gloves, a composite stick, etc.

About those new gloves …

“I didn’t know I wasn’t really feeling the puck before,” Panarin says. “The old gloves, with the boot leather, were really thick. I couldn’t feel the stick in my hands, really.

When I went to try out in Podolsk, I was shocked by the feel of the puck on my hands. I could feel the stick in my hands, the puck on my stick, those things. It was exciting.”

Coaches in Podolsk could see what coaches in Chelyabinsk were missing, perhaps because Panarin was wearing proper equipment.

“I remember this day (he arrived) very well,” said coach Sergey Levashov, speaking to the Russian TV documentary. “He was like the Ugly Duckling, you know? But you could see a swan growing in him anyway. We just had to look closely.”

Panarin says he didn’t quite realize then how much pressure he was under in Podolsk. If his tryout hadn’t gone well — if he’d not been accepted by the boarding school — he would have been sent back to live with his grandparents in Korkino.

What then? His hockey career likely would have been finished, and Panarin would be living in Korkino … a coal miner, a factory worker or such.

Panarin spent four years at Podolsk, taking the two-day train ride to Moscow each fall and back to Korkino each summer. Vladimir kept close tabs on him, and the dream of a career in the KHL was starting to seem possible.

When he was 16 years old, Panarin says, the shame and embarrassment he was made to feel as a child started to boil up in him. He was already a better hockey player than the kids who used to laugh at him, but now he was determined to set his sights higher.

“It was a strong feeling,” Panarin says. “It made my desire very strong. Those were the years … that was the motivation, what made me want to go really high with my career.”

Panarin made his KHL debut as a 17-year-old in 2008-09, but he spent the next two seasons bouncing from the KHL’s Chekhov Vityaz to a second-tier team.

It was in 2011 that the rest of the world learned his name.

Panarin was one of the least-heralded players on Russia’s roster at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, but he moved up in the lineup because of an injury after two periods of the gold medal game between Russia and Canada.

With Russia trailing 3-0 in front of a heavily pro-Canada crowd, Panarin scored at 2:33 of the third period to make it 3-1, sparking a Russian rally. Only 13 seconds later it was 3-2, and at 7:29 of the third it was 3-3.

Panarin scored the game-winning goal with 4:38 remaining. As he celebrated, he pulled on his sweater and yelled “Korkino!!!”

“That is something, a memory, that I will always think about,” Panarin says. “It is a proud moment for Russia, right?

“This was a highlight for me, yes, but there’s always another game, always a bigger goal to achieve.”

Four years later, after establishing himself in the KHL and winning the KHL’s Gagarin Cup with SKA St. Petersburg, Panarin began to be hounded by NHL teams.

He signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on April 29, 2015, turning down several other NHL teams. (The Blue Jackets were not in on the bidding.)

“This was not the goal that my grandfather put before me,” Panarin says. “Even when I had a chance to come to the NHL before, he was saying, ‘Don’t do this.’ He was afraid. He was afraid that in the NHL I would be broken.”

The 35-minute bus ride that became a 12-hour train ride was now an 18-hour flight to the other side of the world.

Panarin became an instant star in Chicago, skating on a line with Kane and riding high in one of the NHL’s great cities in which to play.

…

If Panarin hadn’t learned to face the world alone at such a young age, maybe he doesn’t have the guts to leave Russia for the NHL in a new world. He spoke almost zero English and still isn’t comfortable speaking to reporters without a translator.

All of Panarin’s hardships, though difficult to endure, might have led directly to the wondrous skills he possesses today.

Tortorella always marvels at how strong he is on the puck despite weighing “a buck seventy!” Maybe those outsize skates, and the challenges they provided at an early age, helped make him such a strong skater.

His teammates rave about his ability to handle pucks in heavy traffic. Maybe the boot-leather gloves he used until he was 13 years old sharpened his ability to focus and control pucks.

Maybe the poverty and struggles of his youth have created an unquenchable desire for success.

“It’s unbelievable,” says Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, who spoke with Panarin recently about his backstory. “You just don’t think that in this day and age a 26-year-old would have a story like that.

“Now you know why he is so humble and so kind. And so hungry. This guy just works for everything, and he wants to be the best player. It’s made him who he is.”

Tortorella almost choked up when he heard about Panarin’s background for the first time.

…

Before every game in Nationwide Arena, Panarin leaves his LeVeque Tower apartment with enough time to stop at a nearby Russian Orthodox church before heading to the rink.

“Some days it’s open and I go inside, just to be alone and think,” Panarin says. “Some days it’s not open, so I sit outside, just to be around it.”

Panarin says he’s not deeply religious — “I don’t agree with everything that is written in the Bible,” he says — but he believes in a God and enjoys being alone with his thoughts.

It’s also an attachment to something from his days in Mother Russia, something he can hang on to, even if he’s not sure how much he believes.

Panarin has stayed in contact with his mother, Elena, and says he holds no ill will. “She was trying to make progress with her career,” Panarin says. “It’s really hard for you to give birth to a kid at 20 years of age.”

As for his father, Sergey, they speak about twice a year. “He’s my father,” Artemi says. “Still my father.”

But there’s a part of Panarin that isn’t whole.

I don’t have these feelings like regular kids do, the kids who are around their parents all the time,” he says.

“I still feel something towards my family. But I don’t have a big heart towards my family.”

His grandparents are another story.

Panarin bought them an SUV with his first paycheck from the Blackhawks. When he and Alisa travel home in the offseason, they stay on a sofa bed in the cramped living room, not in a hotel.

“Artemi is like his grandfather,” says Belousov, his childhood friend. “He has great jokes, he can toy around, but at the same time, when it’s needed, he’s all business.

“His grandfather is strict but so kind. That’s Artemi, too. He’s one of those people his friends can always reach out to. I recall once calling him early in the morning while it was (late at) night in North America, just to talk. He didn’t flip the phone on me, either. He picked it up and we talked a couple of hours even though he had a game the next day.”

From their Korkino apartment, Vladimir and Nina are able to watch almost all of Artemi’s games with the Blue Jackets via the internet. When Artemi played in Chicago, he and Vladimir would talk after every game.

They still speak a couple of times a week, but not after every game. They’ve had a few spats on the phone, one that lasted in a three-week standoff they laugh about now. Normal stuff. Family stuff.

“I score two goals and he says, ‘You should do this better or that better,'” Panarin says with a laugh. “I say, ‘Papa, I’m gonna take a break from you, OK.’ We don’t ever go too long without a talk, though.

“I was pretty young at the time. I was a child. So I didn’t understand all of this, all of what they did for me. Now I understand how difficult it was, and, of course, I owe them so much. Everything.”

[gorimbaudandgojohnnygo]

the drive home, delirious and drunk on possibility, i took to the backroads again, i'd been told the interstate was closed cos of the floods, but in my state of utter intoxication, i missed a turn or two and ended up in central wisconsin nowhere. the car was runnin on less than a quarter tank of gas, so's soon as i found a gas station, i pulled up to the pump, gassed up, maggie & i both had to piss but the inside of the station was closed up. we lifted our skirts and squatted in the ditchgrass by the side of the road. i took my turn, then i leant 'gainst the warm hood of the car as i waited for maggie. from the not-so-distant treetops, i heard a nightbird skee-skee-cackcackling, and i gazed up at the whiteface of the near-full hot moon of june, and i swear to god it winked at me.

okay, i'd gotten us a bit misplaced, but i figured if i just took a few turns back in the direction we'd come from i could right our course, just follow the first star to the right and straight on til morning... but on those unmarked inkdark country roads, direction didn't make any sense, and i kept turning, goin down one road & back up another. at this point maggie was dozing in the passenger seat and i was chainsmoking to keep awake, and i made another turn, and there were no signs of warning, nothin saying "turn back!," one minute there was rutted pavement beneath us & the next there was water, black black water, coming up past the fields and swallowing the road in its hunger, a lake where there shouldn't have been a lake, and the only light i had to navigate by was the dawnstars and that laughing harlequin moon. "oh, shit," i said, and maggie woke, and shrieked, cos driving into water has been a nightmare of hers since childhood; i tried to calm her while getting us out of it. i did get us out, otherwise i wouldn't be here talkin ta you, i took my foot off the gas and remembered not to use the brake, i steered best i could, and when the waves subsided - yes, waves, the water was so deep that the motion of my car caused it to surge up and slap at the sides - i threw the car in reverse & backed up slow, slow, slow. "well, maggie, we ain't gonna die tonight," i said when i'd caught my breath & we were back on dry land, and we both lit smokes by the glow of the dashboard light. eventually, i found the freeway, which was not closed, and we got on it and zoomed the rest of the way to miltown, and we entered the city limits just as night bled into day, the horizon all shot with icecream orange & pink, & the factories & breweries of that dearbeer city casting a brown haze. it was close to 5 a.m. when we reached the chateau; we washed the splotched, smeared greasepaint off our faces, maggie conked out right away and i knew i needed to sleep, needed to save my energy for the next night, but i ain't ever had much common sense, so what did i do? i sat sippin the dregs of the previous eve's red grape md 20/20, stayed awake til the sky was full-on impossible summer-day blue.

we spent most of the day acting like giddy hungover fools, which of course we were; we modified the designs of our clownfaces and costumes, we went to the novelty emporium to purchase clown necessities such as squirting flowers, fake eyeballs, cap guns & rubber chickens, and we guzzled coffee, to cure our damned hangovers and give us some energy. while we sat at the coffeeshop, levi gave us fake-out knuckle tattoos with a sharpie pen, mine read "CARN EVIL." oh, and maggie was supposed to work that night, right, but she couldn't go, y'know, circus day comes but once a year & is far more important than a wageslave 'career.' she called 'em up and gave 'em some story 'bout being stranded in middle-of-the-sticks wisconsin, caught in the floods & waiting out the storm at a roadside motel, and they swallowed it hook, line & sinker. with that business taken care of, it was time to gather our props, and hats, our flasks and my accordion. onward to chicago-town. burn shit up!

—excerpt 1 from a longer piece which I will call “warehouse of the damned,” c. 2008 or 2009

[cowboyhatesithere]

tell me about the historical references in gold rush im listening 😁

Okay, not ignoring this ask but it sat in my inbox for a while because I wanted to give it more of my full attention, so here we go!

Firstly, most of my personal familiarity with gold rush history comes from the California gold rush of 1849-1850s. This is partially because I'm Californian myself, but more because I spent three years working at a History Museum in the Mother Lode region of the Sierra Mountains (yes, I taught many a tourist how to pan for gold. yes, when you do that at museums the pans are pre-loaded to guarantee you find gold).

See, the most interesting part of the song "gold rush" to me is the unspoken after, which I'll get to by the end of this.

The song goes to great lengths to describe the anxiety of pursuing someone that everyone else seems to want.

I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

In the historical event of the 1849 California Gold Rush, everyone was racing to the Sierras and Mother Lode region from around the world. By boat, by wagon trail, whatever their route, the idea of striking it rich in California and living comfortably for the rest of their life was the dream.

But the reality, and ironicity, was that no one really "struck it rich" by searching for gold. The most easily accessible gold in top layer soil and running through creeks and streams was quickly removed by the thousands who were first to the table. By the time many so called "Argonauts" dreaming of finding gold actually made it to California, much of the mining opportunities left were far more laborious work than simply panning in the river like what had been indicated to them initially.

Their options now were largely corporate mining groups to work in stamp mills, hydraulic mines (which were thankfully banned in the 1880s as one of the nation's first environmental protection laws!), deep quartz mining, and dredge mining, OR giving up mining altogether.

pictured: Standard Mill Mining factory in Bodie, California (left) and Hydraulic Mining at Malakof Diggings in the Sierra Nevadas, California (right).

One of the most fascinating aspects of the California Gold Rush to me is this: that it was those who gave up mining who won in the end.

The ones who abandoned mineral mining work and instead started businesses to benefit the suddenly boomed population of California, were, ultimately, the lasting winners. The Ghiradelli family moved to California from Italy with intentions of striking it rich as miners. But by opening a confectionery in Hornitos, CA (and later San Francisco) instead, they became known as the primary chocolate provider for the west coast and grew into a major business. The Wells Fargo bank story is similar, though I don't want to put much good word to their name in the modern day. Basically, if you embraced what you were already good at, stayed in your lane, but did it in this new environment of California, you had a far better success rate than anyone in mining, and there was high demand for just about any business anyone could offer up (You could probably speak similarly of California again today for this, given the propensity for tech startups here over the last 15 years or so).

So what does this have to do with the song? Well, that dreams are fickle, and the ideas we may have about our futures are unrealistic. Impossible, even.

My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

"gold rush", as a song, is quite hopeless. The narrator never really found the idyllic coastal life and love they dreamed of. It was a fantasy, and it will never be. Their best hope is to stick to what they know, and find comfort in familiarity.

And the coastal town We never found will never See a love as pure as it 'Cause it fades into the gray of my day old tea 'Cause it will never be

Of course, this idea is the same one that advanced into "familiarity breeds contempt" on Bejeweled, but I view "gold rush" as one of the first steps towards that self-suppression that was such a large theme on Midnights. Like most of the at-first-glance "love songs" of evermore and Midnights, it's a tragedy.

It's gleaming, twinkling, so inviting, I almost jump in. But the narrator stays safe instead, safe in what they know. From there, you can follow the line of "gold rush" -> "Fresh Out the Slammer" very clearly.

[cyberbenb]

10 Ukrainian drone makers to watch

In the three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine has almost certainly become the largest producer of drones in the Western-aligned world.

Early workshop tinkering on mainly commercial Chinese drones evolved into steadily more professional and massive production of domestic unmanned aerial systems (UAVs). The industry’s rapid growth has given Ukraine a fighting chance against a much bigger enemy, making drones a source of national pride.  

Details on the drone industry and its producers are hard to come by. Russia constantly targets weapons factories and even drone executives personally. But some drone makers are already clearly big businesses.

Based on knowledge both publicly and privately sourced, the Kyiv Independent has assembled a list of makers ranging from mass-produced first-person view (FPV) drones to highly secretive deep-strike UAVs that we believe to be the biggest game in town.

Going forward, many of these drone makers hope to sell their wares abroad once export controls are lifted, or the war comes to an end. Those looking to sell abroad are keen to headline non-lethal drone models like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) or cargo drones, which face fewer restrictions than those more clearly designed to blow things up.

Here are 10 of Ukraine’s drone makers to look out for, in no particular order:

1. Vyriy

Key model: Molfar

Taking its name from a paradise in pre-Christian Slavic mythology, Vyriy produces what one long-time drone pilot describes as the best FPV he’s ever worked with, the Molfar. The small and cheap Molfar has been in use since at least the start of 2023. For massive  FPV makers, what’s tricky is producing swarms that function reliably. By reputation, Vyriy manages as well as anyone.

Molfar drone. (Vyriy Drone / Facebook)

The firm is working to onshore production but cites a continued financial dependence on Chinese components that afflicts the drone industry worldwide.

Notably, Vyriy’s drones operate on low-frequency channels. Prior to 2022, most drones ran on 2.4 or 5.8 gigahertz (GHz) communications. Those channels are easily jammed by Russian electronic warfare systems at the front, so many operators, including Vyriy, have lowered their frequencies to under 1 GHz, which transfers less data but goes further and is harder to both jam and detect.

2. Skyfall

Key models: Vampire, Shrike

Despite keeping a lower profile among its fellow major Ukrainian drone makers, Skyfall has brought production to a massive scale since launching in June 2022.

Skyfall’s most beloved model is the Vampire, which first became famous under the name Russian soldiers have for it, the Baba Yaga, named for a fairytale witch. The moniker is due to the drone’s ability to run night missions, particularly while bearing payloads of up to 15 kilograms — over five times the standard for FPVs.

Ukrainian soldiers from the Ukrainian military’s 121st Brigade load a Vampire drone with an anti-tank mine to target Russian positions in Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on July 22, 2024. (Pablo Miranzo / Anadolu via Getty Images)

One of Skyfall’s biggest selling points is nocturnal navigation. It’s a feature largely enabled by thermal cameras like those produced by Ukrainian company Oko (which means “eye” in Ukrainian), and one that has proved especially effective as many Russian units reportedly lack night-vision goggles.

In drone footage from a Shrike — Skyfall’s smaller FPV model — shared with the Kyiv Independent by a Ukrainian drone pilot, a Russian truck stands out clearly from the treeline it is hiding inside before the Shrike hurtles into its grill before the signal turns to static.

Data from government contracts show the Shrikes selling for a little over Hr 13,000 in 2024, or about $320, making them some of the cheapest quadrocopters being purchased en masse inside of Ukraine.

3. TAF

Key models: Kolibry 7, 8, and 10-inch FPV quadrocopters

TAF is possibly the largest-scale manufacturer of FPV drones in Ukraine today, producing some 40,000 drones per month. Its output is valued at over $1 billion per year, according to Forbes Ukraine.

TAF’s drones are fairly standard cheap quadrocopters that flock over the front line in Ukraine. TAF emerged from a charity fund run by now-CEO Oleksandr Yakovenko, which was already producing drone parts to be assembled by soldiers by early 2023. TAF’s surge in production over the past year has been quite stunning.

Kolibry 7. (TAF)

If true, 40,000 a month would account for about a third of the 1.5 million drones that the Defense Ministry said Ukrainian makers shipped to the frontline in 2024. One billion dollars in orders would be a similarly massive fraction of Ukraine’s total drone budget — approximately $2.5 billion in 2025, not including money that individual brigades raise in donations.

4. UkrSpec

Key models: Shark and PD 2

By many accounts the archetypical Ukrainian drone maker, UkrSpec dates back to 2014, when it was founded in response to Russia’s initial annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas.

UkrSpec has produced many models over the years, but almost exclusively of the highly engineered repeated-use variety — specifically intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

The Shark, long-range ISR drone. (Nazar Korovai / Wikimedia)

The Shark is a long-range ISR drone that largely set the standard for the genre within Ukraine. The “People’s Drone,” or PD-2, is similar but can carry cargo up to 8 kilograms — in theory, anything including a few artillery shells — with a range of up to 1,300 kilometers.

5. Avia Atlon

Key models: Furia, Hrim (Thunder/Silent Thunder)

Avia Atlon is another firm that dates back to 2014. Its bread-and-butter model is the Furia, a long-range recon drone that the firm began exporting abroad prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion. They were selling the Furia for just over $100,000 in 2022, per the accounting of local charity Come Back Alive.

The most recent Furia model is a massive ISR drone that resembles a white manta ray and is specially designed to scout targets from up high for Ukrainian artillery.

Ukrainian 24th brigade’s A1-S Furia UAV. (Wikimedia)

Far cheaper is Avia Atlon’s Hrim, also known as Silent Thunder, which is a smaller kamikaze drone that remains more intricate than the average FPV drone of its class as it depends on a reusable quadrocopter for liftoff.

6. UkrJet

Key models: UJ 22 and UJ 26 (Bober/Beaver)

Another of the founding fathers of what would become Ukraine’s wartime drone boom, UkrJet shares some overlap in leadership with UkrSpec.

Unlike UkrSpec, UkrJet is most famous for its actual explosive models. Its Bobr, or “Beaver,” was the first of Ukraine’s major deep-strike drones, flying up to 1,000 kilometers inside of Russia.

UAV Bober. (Defense of Ukraine / X)

UkrJet is a project of Oleksandr Chendekov, who a competitor referred to as “the father of the Ukrainian drone.” Chendekov was chief technology officer at UkrSpec, UkrJet, and today, at Airlogix. Registered in 2021, UkrJet started public production of its attack drones in 2022, in the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

7. Terminal Autonomy

Key models: AQ 100 “Bayonet,” AQ 400 “Scythe”

Terminal Autonomy is a relatively low-profile, internationally owned, Ukraine-based firm that nonetheless ships upwards of 1,000 of its AQ 100s and an unknown number of its deep-strike AQ 400s each month.

At $30,000 and a range of 750 kilometers, the AQ 400s are likely the cheapest long-distance strike drones on the market. To cut costs, their drones are made of plywood.

AQ 400 Scythe kamikaze drones in an undisclosed location in Dec. 2023. (Terminal Autonomy)

The similarly wooden AQ 100s are kamikaze drones, likewise designed to be deployed en masse, affordably. In addition to wooden frames, their fixed-wing design means they only need a single motor, unlike quadrocopters which, while more maneuverable, require four.

8. Antonov

Key models: AN-196 Lyuty

The largest traditional aircraft maker in Ukraine, Antonov is often overlooked in considerations of drone manufacturers. Given its standing ties to Ukraine’s government-owned weapons makers, it had little reason to advertise.

Among drones, Antonov is most notable for its “Lyuty” drone, a long-range model roughly analogous to the Iranian-made Shaheds that Russia sends into Ukraine nightly. Ukraine’s long-range strike drones are typically tightly held secrets within Ukraine’s drone programs. But Russian sources frequently identify Lyuty drones as those striking local oil infrastructure.

Screenshot from a video allegedly showing the launch of AN-196 Lyuty. (X)

Long a government-owned defense manufacturer, Antonov formally transitioned into a private holding in April 2024. Its ties to Ukraine’s Soviet-descended, state-owned defense conglomerate, UkrOboronProm, remain well-established. The pricing on a single Lyuty comes in at just under $200,000 a unit.

9. Airlogix

Airlogix is a large-scale drone maker that has seen massive growth since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Pre-2022, Airlogix launched with a hefty cargo drone. After Russia’s invasion, they militarized their production. Their GOR model is an ISR drone that boasts four-hour flight times and sells for some $200,000 a piece, founder and CEO Vitalii Kolesnichenko told the Kyiv Independent.

Airlogix drone. (Airlogix)

Kolesnichenko says Airlogix has quintupled sales of the GOR in the past year, reaching 500 units shipped in 2024, which adds up to about $100 million.

Other sources say that Airlogix is also working on a deep-strike drone, but Kolesnichenko would not comment on details.

10. Skyeton

Key models: Raybird (various versions)

Skyeton’s Raybird is a hyper-advanced ISR drone whose latest models boast max flight times of 28 hours.

A Raybird system, which includes three separate drones, sells for over $1 million a piece. Total battlefield usage remains a mystery as military acquisitions are secret, but public records show Ukrainian emergency responders buying at least five of those systems since the start of the full-scale invasion.

An employee works on a Raybird long-range surveillance drone at the Skyeton drone-manufacturing company on Feb. 27, 2024. Skyeton is a drone-manufacturing hub for the Ukrainian armed forces, churning out unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support the country’s defense. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

Skyeton opened up production in Slovakia earlier in 2024 to escape wartime controls on Ukrainian military and dual-use equipment. The firm at the time claimed that the Ukrainian military was only contracting 50 of their drones annually, lamenting that internal production could have reached 100.

How Ukraine’s new drone-missile hybrids are changing long-range weapon technology

Ukraine has turbo-charged its long-distance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), making “rocket-drones” to compete with cruise missiles or save the trouble of asking for more Western-made ranged weapons. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has been showing off the latest results, with videos…

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

[jacks-tracks]

30 kilo striped marlin

My 6 am taxi was a no show, but got a flag stop up at the highway down to Playa principal to catch the boat. Just light at 6:30, stiff Easterly breeze, warm and pleasant. The very nice panga is driven by Leo and he brings a deckhand to do the work. With Brian from Pender harbour, Andre from Montreal and of course my buddy Tortuga(aka jimmy) we zoomed out 10 miles to fish. Choppy but only a small groundswell and full sun by 7 am. Nothing usually happens right away and indeed we waited an hour for the first fish. Jimmy hooked a nice sailfish(10 kilos,6 meters long) and handed off to Andre when winded. The sailfish jump a lot so it,s exciting to see. Boating the fish is done by the crew who put on gloves, grasp the fish beak alongside , let them thrash a bit ,then hoist the whole fish inboard and let it expire on the side deck.

Taking turns we had time for bag lunches(brian drank beer instead) and banter. Makes fishing more fun, and I got caught up on Jimmys adventures over the winter. Sold all his boats! After 27 years staying at the YuriMar hotel he and Tracy will upgrade into a Calle Morro palace for January. The Yuri Mar(dump right by the 4 lane highway) has started bringing in bus loads of Mexicans with screaming kids thrashing in the tiny pool till all hours.

Fishing here is very different from home. The panga runs 6 rods on outriggers, and the baited hootchies a re splashing on the surface just 60 feet behind the boat which is zooming along at 5knots(6mph). The skipper looks for current lines where bait gather, or trash floating which gives cover for the bait fish and a feeding zone for the predators. Fish hit hard, hooking themselves and running off a lot of line.This gives the crew time to pull in the other lines and the guest a chance to jump into the fighting chair. The big Penn deep sea reels are loaded with lots of high test line and everything was top shape.

My turn to fish, and a striped Marlin(there are 6 kinds) ripped off 110 meters fast. Plunked into the chair, grabbed the stiff rod and held on! Oddly enough another marlin started jumping 100 feet away from the boat while mine went west. I,ve reeled in a lot of fish but this was one of the hardest, giving no ground just pulling strong. Salmon come up after a while, and Halibut go down but rise easily once their heads are turned upwards. Not Marlin. No jumping just a powerful pulling resistance. It took me 20 minutes of supreme effort, giving it my all to gain line enough to boat the fish and even then he ran from the boat at the last minute. I seriously contemplated handing off the rod to a younger guy, but pride kept me at it. Once the skipper grasped the beak he let the fish thrash against the hull to tire it ,then in one smooth lift hauled it inboard. I was beat and happy. 30 kilos, 7 feet long , a powerhouse of pure muscle. My muscles were done and my left arm which held the weight still feels weak a day later. Back muscles, butt bones, neck stiff, and generally aching all over! Fishing is fun! That,s the biggest fish I,ve ever caught.

We caught another small sailfish, and released it,then after a few good bait stripping hits we trolled towards town. Jimmy was hoping for Dorado, best eating, but the long liners have got them, and Russian trawlers and factory ships have stripped the coast of tuna. All illegal, zero enforcement. Saw federal truck with a bumper sticker : report illegal fishing 1 800...) Ha! They probably transport he catch for the pirates. We were back at the beach by 11:30 from a 6 :30 start, which was enough pitching and rolling exercise for a day.

So... Everybody got to play a fish, we all had a good time, and the price was right given Jimmys bargaining skills. 1000 pesos each plus tip and fish cleaning, my cost was $100 canadian. Probably cheaper to buy it, but the experience is well worth the cost, and it,s fresh. After sharing out the meat I took home 15 pounds, 10 of Marlin ,5 of sailfish. The fish cleaning lady, (there a re several) with shady cleaning table right at the boat landing tried to charge us 300 pesos per fish, but our captain dealt her down to 150. Very expert, fast and no waste, with roll bags provided. By the time the skin, guts and fins, head and tail are chopped off the yield is perhaps 50% flesh. They'll cut the meat down to paper thin filets , the local choice, but we wanted chunks. With a fish as big as me and just as thick, there,s some chunks. My freezer filled with portions ,using every bag i had,, and I gave fish away to the neighbours,(it,s good luck and good neighbourly policy). The meat is red, firm and not fishy, more like meat. I prefer to poach fish as that drives off the fat and leaves a tasty slab. Put fish in pot , cover with cold water, lid on and full flame till it boils. Done! I ate my fill, and the stray cat ate scraps till she fell over, still meowling . I,ve enough fish for a month when I'll look up Jimmy and go again. No guarantee of catching, but jimmy is lucky and we,ve done well in the past.

[sillysurrealwriter]

Vivi teaches some jerk, a lesson!

I could not sleep.

I couldn’t sleep for a long while. The heat was rather excessive to say the least, even though the AC was going on full power. It was currently 1 AM and the night was clear. Stars were shining and were rather bright, watching over the small town.

Like the guardians they always were.

It....was rather depressing, though.

See, this town had its best days long behind itself. It was located in the lower part of the country and ever since the main economy collapsed, it affected most of the major regions. Including this small town.

We used to actually have a working industry here.Well, more than one actually. We had a mine deep in the woods, which we used to mine rare goods, you see. And tons of factories, manufacturing all kinds of sweets. Chocolate, gummy bears, licorice, you name it.

But thanks to a strong inflation, the economy suffered under it. It was so hard to buy even a slice of bread. Now, it’s 9 times more expensive and our currency is quite worthless too. What a shame.....

I was one of the many workers, who were let go because we couldn’t get paid. I just dropped out of school too, because I had some trouble with the law here and there. Even though I didn’t get, why people were upset with me selling drugs to kids. It’s a vital business strategy. Pure capitalism, baby.

Because my father was a local judge, I was let off the hook and was forced to work at the factory there, as a way to atone for my non-existent sins. The work was actually fun there, not gonna lie. Manufacturing candy was quite fun and the work atmosphere was relaxing too. I actually felt at ease there, unlike here.

Mother was in the hospital, still in a coma. Doctor said she may not make it. Not that I really care, to be honest. Unlike my dad, my mother was a loser. Seriously. All she did was clean, clean, clean and just clean the house. I had to make money, because that bitch didn’t have a good education. And no, a history degree doesn’t count. Who needs that shit nowadays?

Not me, I’ll tell you that much. Thanks to her being not a good wife, my dad divorced her and fucked a much prettier girl. Big boobs, fat ass...Just thinking about her, gives me a big fat boner.

My father was much better though. He was strong and rich. Because mom wasted all her time at home, I spent most of the time with him. And learned what it’s like, to be a real man.

To be strong. To be successful. And to dominate every bitch, you see.

I still have yet to find a bitch to fuck though. I am 22 and I am still a virgin. Guess those virgins are more into those woke femboy bitches. Eww.

I turned to the side and tried to close my eyes again.

No....damn it, it was so frickin hot.....There’s no way, I’d fall asleep like that...

I got up and checked my social media stuff.

0 followers and an account strike. Just because I pointed out how that one guy was a fat fuck and got no bitches. Is it bad to speak the truth?

I checked YouTube. My favourite pundits did not upload anything yet. I wanted to see them bully naive young college men/women. And only those. Especially those fucking pronoun freaks, who are all extremely fat, have tons of coloured hair and are gay too.

Did Jesus Christ die for this? Really?

Well.....Guess I’ll turn on the TV. Maybe they’ll air that one show, with the sexy woman that looked a bit like a man and had some facial hair. Eh.

I moved myself off my bed and the ground shook, as I placed my feet on it. Grinning, I grabbed another big chocolate bar and pushed it down my throat.

Yum. 10% less sugar too.

I stomped and eventually went downstairs, because the house was just so ridiculously small. Urgh.The upper floor just had two bedrooms. Mine and mom’s. And I am sure she used hers in the past, to fuck with woman while dating dad.

She really deserved all those beatings.

In any case, I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. I changed through the channels, but most channels were shut down on maintenance. And my usual porn channels were having some strange issues, as static was shown there.

Weird.....

After finally scrolling through the program, I stopped bewildered.

Dreamy Eden.

The hell? I never saw that channel before.

And what I saw confused me even more.

A whimsical intro music played, showcasing a small town with all kinds of strange creatures. Furries of all shapes and sizes doing mundane activities like walking, talking, cooking....

Was that a kids show? At 1 AM? Geez, if they wanted to entertain kids they should do it throughout the day. Not at night.

I was about to switch to another channel, when I suddenly saw the title of this show appearing on the front. The animation was quite old and stiff in general, like the first season of the Simpsons.

Before that show got ruined later, for being dragged out too long. And for encouraging men to not be men and to kiss other men. Eww.

Just watching that, made my boner perk up in disgust. What else?

But the title.....

“Vivi’s Garden”

“What kind of shitty name is that?”, I asked, as I stared at the colourful title. It was awful, really. I could barely make out the letters of this show. They were too many colours, ranging from rainbow, to....

To......black?

Weird.....

The scenery changed and then I saw some girl on screen. And her appearance was....odd.

Her hair was all orange and long and wavy, reaching down her hips. She was wearing an oversized white coat, depicting smiley faces, flowers and other strange stuff. She was wearing yellow clown shoes and her hands were rather thick too.

But the creepiest part....

Were her eyes...

All of those furry characters had classical cartoon eyes. You know, white circles and black circles inside of them.

But...not with this character....The black circles were much, much larger. Not only that, but there were several white circles inside of them.

What was that thing supposed to represent?

The character waved.

“Howdy, lousy mousies!”, she exclaimed with a shrill and super excited voice, as if someone had taken too much heroine. “I am Vivi Vicky! And welcome to my garden! Isn’t it wonderful? I LOVE GARDENING!”

She jumped up and down at least 90 times a second (Don’t ask me how I counted) and the screen actually shook so much, which caused me some headaches. That...Vivi girl then suddenly ran towards her garden and indeed those flowers looked........colorful.

I’ll be blunt. I have no idea, what those things are. Those were little balls and shapes in all sorts of color. It reminded me more of candy you’d buy from the store and not....flowers.

Vivi did a backflip and giggled.

“ARENT MY FLOWERS BEAUTIFUL!?”, she asked happily. “But I couldn’t do this alone! No, no! My dear mommy made this garden to begin with! Mommies are the best!”

“Bs.”, I muttered annoyed. “Mothers are useless worker bees. Only properties and waste of space.”

“That’s not really nice mister!”

Surprised, I stared at the screen and Vivi was frowning at me, shaking her head.

“Mothers take care of you. Of all of us. Of the kids. They are wonderful.”

“Yeah, but they barely make money.”, I shot back annoyed. That little bitch-

Wait, why the hell was I arguing with my TV? This was stupid!

So I aimed my remote at the TV and switched the TV off....

...to the p*rn channel.

Much better. Staring at those girls making love was so hot. God...my fat pot belly was....

But suddenly, the channel changed back to the stupid kids channel. Vivi pouted annoyed.

“Mister, it’s not nice to leave. We were-”

“Shut up.”, I muttered and changed the channel again. I drooled, as I saw those lesbians have coitus...

And then, the channel switched again. Vivi glared at me even more.

“Hey! Why are you so mean?”

“Shut up, f*ggot.”, I mumbled and changed the channel again.

...I changed the channel again.

...I said, I changed the channel again.

...I changed the channel again.

...I changed the channel again.

...I changed the channel again.

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...I changed the channel again.

...I changed the channel again.

!!!!!!!!!!!

But no matter what I did, it wouldn’t work. The TV wouldn’t turn off. Vivi shook her head angrily.

“No Mister, we’ll talk. Whether you like it or.......”

All of a sudden, she stretched her arms out towards the camera. I laughed at her, finding her too stupid to be terrifying.

And then suddenly, a large pair of hands emerged out of the screen and grabbed me. I tried to free myself, but the grip of those massive hands was too strong. Vivi laughed from the inside.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long mister bister sister!”, she exclaimed and her laugh distorted, as my ears bled and the hands began to drag me into the TV. I gritted my teeth.

Hell...No!

I bit the giant hand, only to feel all my teeth breaking upon impact. Terrified and bleeding all over the mouth, I was dragged deeper and deeper into the TV...

And then the next moment I awoke. With a smile, I got up and smiled outside. I really needed to see my mother and to make sure that she is all well and good. Maybe she woke up yet?

And I also needed to talk about dad, as to how he treated women. They deserved better. And maybe I should ask that man out that I’ve been crushing on for weeks.

I had so much to do!

So, with a huge smile and all colorful clothes I stepped out into the world, aiming to improve the world.

I may not have any teeth any more...

But who cares, if I can help people and protect women?

Right?

RIGHT?

R I G H T?

RIGHTEOORIJOR§NROHN§O§NF”I=!!”===!=!=§!==!=!=!==!§==§!=!!=!=

:)