#Need for Speed Heat System Requirements

[gilded-sunrays]

How fast is Yoriichi Tsugikuni? || Calculating his minimum speed

Yoriichi Tsugikuni is regarded as the most powerful character in Demon Slayer, with him being able to rival and overpower the demon king himself, Muzan Kibutsuji. He is renowned for his exceptional speed and agility; however, the true extent of his speed remains uncertain due to the lack of comparable benchmarks. 

Therefore, today I will make an effort to clarify some of the confusion by applying some of my knowledge to estimate the average speed of this character. From here, you are free to interpret and use this information as you see fit. 

NOTE: SIGNIFICANT FIGURES UPTO 3 DIGITS AFTER THE DECIMAL POINT 

⚠ SPOILER WARNING ⚠

⨳ Muzan's Explosion: Detonation or Deflagration?

To begin, let us examine this image. If we want to determine Yoriichi's speed, then we obviously have to know the relative speed of some other body that we can compare it with. In this case, we will consider Muzan's explosion. [Not using NLM or COLM as it doesn't consider the huge amount of force being exerted]

In an explosion, an internal impulse (force per unit time) acts in order to propel the parts of a given mass into many fragments in different directions. After the explosion, the individual parts of the system have momentum. Obviously, if a body has momentum, it would mean it has a velocity as well, as momentum (p) ∝ v. 

Explosions can be further classified into detonations and delafegations:

[Defragrations: Energy released is in the form of heat like in a flash fire. It requires fuel an external oxidizing agent, rely on the external pressure and are considerably more stable.] [Detonations: Energy is released in the form of high pressure (force). Does not require a fuel and doesn't depend on the external pressure, and involves chemicaly unstable molecules, which instantaneously split that recombine into different products.]

[Defragrations VS Detonations] You can refer to this link for more information. However, to keep this post concise, I will outline a straightforward distinction between the two

⇒ Muzan's explosion is more likely that of a Detonation, rather than a deflagration.

⨳ Muzan's Detonating Speed:

Detonation velocity depends on a number of factors, such as density, it's state, charge diameter and temperature. For solids and liquids, these velocities usually range from 4000 m/s-10300 m/s. Muzan's density is likely similar to that of a human, around 1000 kg/m³ or 1g/cm³. .. Let's compare this density to that of regular explosives:

link here

Although, we can see the closest explosives to Muzan's density are 1.___ ones. However, we can also see even then these velocities aren't propotional to their ascending order of densities, but it does give us some insight.

Though, we cannot determine his charge diameter and temperature [although his flesh appears very red]. Plus, there also seems to be one compound in the given table [ansu] which only has a detonation velocity of a mere 3400m/s. So.. it is very difficult to make assumptions here. So to remain neutral, we will just use the lowest speed value, ie 4000 m/s.

⇒ Hence, we can safely conclude, that muzan likely detonates with the minimum speed of 4000m/s.

⨳ Yoriichi's Attack Range and the Time Needed For Him to Cut All the Peices of Muzan

To evaluate Yoriichi's speed, we will first calculate the total time it would take for him to react and effectively cut all of Muzan's pieces [excluding the 300 pieces, which we will discuss later] before he has the chance to escape.  

So for that, first, we need to determine Yoriichi's attack range by measuring his arm length. Instead of making an estimation using measurements of an average male arm, I decided to accurately measure this out myself:

We know Yoriichi is approximately 6.3 feet tall, which is about 2.6 times the length of his arms. Based on this, we can conclude his arm to be around 73.07 cm. (190/2.6) + sword length (we'll take the average of 65 cm)   

ie = 1.381 m So, the maximum time needed for him to cut down muzan would be: ∴ 1.381 ÷ 4000

⇒ ~0.000345 seconds

⨳ Distance Covered By Yoriichi:

 [I think if you know a bit about physics, you might see where I'm headed.] We know that speed = distance/time. We have already determined the time, and now we need to find the distance to calculate the speed. How can we do that? We can begin by figuring out the total distance Yoriichi's arms cover while swinging the sword:

 To do this, let's refer to the image above. If we examine it closely, we can see that Yoriichi creates arcs with his sword, forming almost a complete circle

Please excuse my silly drawing, but this is my idea of the sword arc. I imagine it as two-thirds of a circle instead of a semi-circle.     

To find the arc length, we will use 2πr × 2/3 Radius: Yoriichi's arms and sword  ∴ 2 × 22/7 × 1.381 × 2/3

= 5.786 m is the length of each slash

⨳ How Many Slashes Did Yoriichi Make?

To finalise, we will check how many slashes he made to cut muzan. Clearly, he wasn't making just one slash for each cut, as that would be very impractical. So, let's see how much work he is doing here: 

Once again, in the image above, we can see that he cuts multiple pieces of Muzan with each slash. On average, let's say he cuts about 2.5 pieces per slash. The picture shows him cutting 4 pieces with one slash and only 1 with another, with one piece just hovering, so the average:

(4 + 1) ÷ 2 = 2.5.  

Now, he also mentions that he cut around 1500 pieces of Muzan, so we can divide to find the total number of slashes he made. That is:

1500 ÷ 2.5

⇒ ie; He made 600 slashes during that time. 

⨳ Yoriichi's Average Striking Speed

Finally, for the moment we all have been waiting for. The speed by which Yoriichi is moving his arms would be: 

n(number of slashes)×distance covered by Yoriichi/max. time frame  = (600×5.786)/0.000345

~10,062,608.696 m/s

For Comparison: this is about 29,337 times faster than sound. ▪︎Have you guys ever played fruit ninja before? If you have, just picture Yoriichi taking on that game in real life; Number of slashes/frequency [1/T]= striking speed/ distance covered (gonna take 1/3 of the circumference of his slashes) Ie n= 10,062,608.696 ÷ (1/3 × 2 × 3.141 × 5.786) ∴ Slashes per second= ~ 831,361 So, if you were to toss about 8 hundred and 31 thousand fruits into the air, Yoriichi would be able to slice through them all in just one second! Meanwhile, I’m here taking like two entire minutes to chop an apple.

⨳ Yoriichi's Average Running Speed

So we have found out Yoriichi's striking speed; however, that doesn't tell us anything about how fast he can run. Since we're already looking into Yoriichi's speed, why not find out about his running speed as well? 

"In an average person, the legs are able to push roughly four times as much weight as the arms can pull. What's more, the legs have an even better advantage when it comes to endurance." 

Although there is no relationship between strength and speed, let us just try finding it ourselves.  

 Fleg-mg= ma (force exerted to lift your leg. Could have used the work formula, but then I realised that you're probably not doing any work when it's your own body. The same could be said for the force, however. Though this is an idealised situation and it really doesn't matter because:) ∴ Fleg∝a a∝v Let force required to push your arm be be f⁰ & leg be f Since f⁰ and f = 1:4 => f⁰/f=v⁰/v = v⁰/v= 1:4

This would mean the legs must also be 4 times faster than the arms.

Ie: 10,062,608.696 m/s ×4

= 40,250,434.784 m/s

For comparison: The speed of light, 299,792,458 m/s is only about 7× faster than Yoriichi's running speed. ▪︎If Yoriichi were to complete a journey around the entire Earth, traversing its full circumference, the time required for this would be: Earth's circumference: 40,075,000 meters Calculation: 40,075,000 ÷ 40,250,434.784 = 0.996 seconds [Wow.. now that's fast o-o] So imagine, if you ever find yourself missing a flight and in desperate need to get somewhere, all you have to do is call Yoriichi. He’ll have you zooming off faster than you can say “I missed my flight"!

poor muzan..

-> The distance between two countries [say, Japan to brazil] would be about 17,371 km (pretty sure it's not the road distance, so lets just just imagine Yoriichi can run on water) Time=d/s = 17371000/40,250,434.784 ...0.4 seconds to reach there.

▪︎But instead of a circumference; what about him covering the entire surface area of the earth? [not the area, but the entire outer surface, covering eacg and every path possible. Just visualize unfolding the entire earth into a flat ground.] So: 4πr² [csa/tsa] =4×3.141×6,371,000× 6,371,000 =509,805,890,960,000 m So the time: 509,805,890,960,000/40,250,434.784 12,665,848.050 seconds Which is about 3,518 hours Which is about 4 months I know now this looks kind of slow, but trust me- this is extremely fast. This pace equates to covering the entire circumference of the Earth approximately 29,348,102 times.. (29 million times)

��� Final Thoughts:

A/N: I tried my best to keep this entire post simple and concise as possible. For some reason though, I still feel like it might be more technical than I intended. I’m not sure this post will get much attention because of that. It doesnt matter though, I really enjoyed putting all of this together. I truly hope it proves helpful to someone out there who might find this interesting.

And to anyone who made it till here, I thank you wholeheartedly!! You’re amazing for sticking with all this. And if you think that I may have made any mistakes, then feel free to correct me!

Sources:

Leg Strength as a Limiting Factor, climbstrong Detonation velocity, wikipedia Table of explosive detonation velocities

[nurse-floyd]

F1 and VO2 Max Training

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

What is VO2 Max Training and why do drivers do it?

VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen the body absorbs during exercise and can measure aerobic fitness levels. VO2 = Volume of oxygen consumed by the body per minute - it is one of the strongest predicters of heart disease and death. It is the best measure of cardiac and respiratory fitness available.

VO2 is measured in ml (of oxygen) / kg (body mass) / minute

How much oxygen the body consumes - the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute and how much oxygen was taken from it.

Now...why do F1 drivers need this?

Drivers put extreme demand on their cardiovascular, respiratory and overall physical health during races. Their bodies are subjected to enormous amounts of g-force and experience extreme heat and stress. They need a lot of energy to do this and as a result can burn a lot of calories per race.

VO2 max training is a useful measurement to assess a drivers endurance at their maximum during exercise which they are subject to during a race. The strain they're under during a race would require their bodies to be pushed to the max, requiring optimal oxygen intake and energy production.

It can ensure drivers are fit enough to endure the stress they subject their bodies to despite the environment within the car - maximum speeds/ heat. It gives drivers and their teams a greater understanding of how hard they can push their bodies and also how they can further maximise their performance during races.

Want to know a bit more about the science? Read below.

Now the (more) science-y bit - oxygen is used in respiration and as you breathe in oxygen the lungs turn it into energy called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This powers the cells and helps release the CO2 in the body that's created during respiration when you breathe out.

The greater a persons VO2 max, the more oxygen a body can consume and the more effectively the body can use this to create the maximum amount of ATP energy and the better the body can handle aerobic/ cardio exercise.

During the test the goal is to get to maximum exercise to determine max heart rate, vo2 max and an estimated lactate threshold. The test measures oxygen consumption and CO2 production using a mask to determine values. The goal is to run at a comfortable speed but not too comfortable for around 10 minutes to max out oxygen consumption and heart rate. During the test heart rate is measured using the ECG dots you can see on the chest.

The Fick Equation is used to calculate VO2.

VO2 (mls O2/ minute) = cardiac output (stroke volume x cardiac output) x arteriovenous oxygen difference (difference in O2 content between arterial and venous blood - how much O2 is used by tissues in systemic circulation).

So in short, VO2 is how much oxygen the body consumes - how much blood the heart pumps per minute and how much oxygen was taken from it.

[f-104starfighter]

The North American X-15 is no ordinary aircraft; it is the fastest manned aircraft ever flown. Tearing across the sky at Mach 6.7, the only way to go faster than this is to dream. Unlike traditional jet-powered planes, the X-15 is powered by a rocket motor. The main difference between a rocket motor and a jet engine has to do with air intake and compression. A jet will use spinning blades to compress air, mix it with fuel, and ignite the mixture, expanding it out the back of the engine. It needs constant airflow because, without it, there is no compression and thus no expansion, which is why jet engines cannot be used in space. A rocket has no mechanism to compress air because its fuel and air are already compressed. Rockets have two fuel tanks, a liquid fuel tank and a liquid oxidizer tank. both of these liquids are pumped into the combustion chamber, where they are ignited and expand out of the nozzle of the engine. Rockets can generate magnitudes more thrust and travel much faster than a traditional jet, but they are far less fuel efficient. Because of this inefficiency, the X-15 did not take off on its own power, instead, it was launched from a B-52 Stratofortress, similarly to a parasite fighter. The X-15 would only experience powered flight for the first two minutes of flight, and the rest of the flight would be an unpowered glide down to the surface. The X-15 had a landing speed far too fast for an ordinary runway or landing gear; it required a dry lake bed to be used as a landing strip. The X-15 was created so that NACA (later NASA) could research space flight and and how controls surfaces would react at hypersonic speeds. Because the X-15 flew in both high and low density environments, it needed 2 different control methods. In the dense lower atmosphere, it used conventional control systems to orient itself, but in the less dense upper atmosphere, it used tiny rockets mounted on the nose and wings to control the aircraft. Two control surfaces were needed because in the upper atmosphere, there is less air moving over the control surfaces, which means the aircraft cannot be controlled. Unlike traditional aircraft made out of steel and aluminum, the X-15 had to be coated in a special heat-resistant alloy because the air resistance at high speeds creates so much friction on the skin that it would melt traditional materials. The Information collected during the X-15 program would contribute to the development of the Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. One of the 3 X-15s was recently renovated at the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar and will be on display in the National Air and Space Museum in 2026 once renovations are complete.

[flootfloot]

Here’s my take on elemental magic systems. Usually I like having powers but they should come at a cost somehow. Yes you can learn it or use special items. But when it comes to casting spells. It should take some kinda toll on your body. Or even cause major injuries/chronic issues if use unsafely. Why can’t everyone just use magic? Because it can a dangerous tool that requires years of practice in order for your body to withstand it safely.

So here’s my lore dump

Elemental magic in alignment world is tied to one’s emotions/mental state. These emotions can both be negative or positive. Overtime the elements can physically affect the person not only mentally but emotionally. This can lead to people either embracing their magic, or falling to it.

Each type of magic needs both a physical/mental source of fuel. Most of the time, it involves a particular emotion but it can also include literal food in your stomach, muscle mass, mental energy and sometimes even memories

While there’s a variety of magic types, I’ll only talk about the 3 main ones. Lightning, fire, and water

Lightning

Lightning magic stems from the fear and the instinct to survive. Electricity in your body will react to make your stronger, faster. The adrenaline rush of when you’re in danger. Imagine this but take it up a notch. Through various means you can generate energy in your body to shoot our electricity or control your adrenaline to be temporary stronger or faster.

Side effects:

However, using this magic can result in a high tensed sense of anxiety/fear, your heart rate will increased, ADHD might be present, perception of time might feel slower than usual. Your body will also be of high risk of paralysis if the magic is used too much.

Panic attacks are also not fun with lightning magic. When your body is overloaded with magic and electricity your brain and body will be overwhelmed to a point it cannot function properly and you will think you are dying.

Lore

As long as you balanced your mental and physical health along with your magical use, you’ll be fine!

Lore wise, lightning magic is a tool that isn’t used often. Given the physical risks and lack of electronic based technology. The rare few who do practice this magic are often wealthy or desperate enough to get the speed boost to escape.

Lightning magic mixed with water can be used to form storms but I’ll cover that in a bit

Fire

Fire magic stems from anger and passion. The drive to create, the drive to change. The frustration towards a higher power or the wrong order at wackdonalds. Fire magic is more basic compared to other elements. You can create fire, use it like a flamethrower. Your body naturally runs hot and slowly it develops to be more resistant to heat. On a higher technical skill, you can also control the intensity of preexisting flames and can alter flames so they don’t cause burns or even light, or you can heat up specific items without lighting them aflame.

When you create magical fire, you must use something as fuel. This can be a physical item like wood, but in order to control it the fuel must be mental. Physically energy is the most common fuel, as well as emotional energy.

To create certain effects, specific emotions or even memories must be triggered. Depending on the emotion, it creates different effects

Anger/frustration: very blatant. Can increase the intensity and temperature of a fire.

Nostalgic: Can warm up item to a small degree, not to burn. It often smells sweet. Can also make fire not cause burns. Is used in cooking/baking. It’s the safe kind of fire. And one often used around kids when teaching magic at a young age.

Passion: very colorful, can alter the color of fire and also it’s size and brightness. Often used by performers.

Keep in mind not all of these categories are completely seperate. The types can easily overlap. The temperature of a flame can alter the color. The flame can become brighter but also not cause harm.

Sideffects

Burnout is the most common illness that takes place. Your body is overheated and is just exhausted.

Genuine burns are also a common thing that happens, it is fire after all.

If left unchecked, their body can be dry, if not thin a frail. Magical fire also fuels on muscle mass. Plus fire is also execptionally dry. So get some lotion.

Also depending on the “fuel” you use, that emotion, you’ll feel on a more constant basis. You might feel more frustrated than usually at smaller things. Suddenly passionate and enthralled in oridinary/repetive tasks. You feel nostalgic/bittersweet towards every item that reminds you of the past.

Lore

Fire magic is one of the most common forms of magic and can even be taught at a young age with a lot of adult supervision. Fire is a necessity for life after all! It’s often a wizard’s first spell, casting a small flame or creating light.

Water

Water magic stems from grief, saddness, but also calm. Specifically staying calm in times of crisis.

This type of magic that can’t physically be create. The spell “create water” is more “transform into water.” Snow will melt, steam will cool, and water from other sources will gather where you want.

Magic is less creating, more manipulating what’s already there. While emotions do play a role in harnessing this kind of magic, it’s not as strictly needed given you aren’t creating that magic.

It doesn’t mean there isn’t any consequences

Sideffects

Dehydration is very common. Part of the water in your body is used when casting spells. So make sure you have a water skin at all times! It’s also common to be teary eyed or sweaty. Your body constantly making water just in case you need to use it. Mental health is also a pretty big thing. Since this magic can stem from grief and sadness, this type of magic can tend to consume you if left unchecked.

Lore

Though not as popular as fire magic, water magic is quite common among coastal towns. I mean the ocean is literally right there! Ironically sailors don’t use it given it leaves the user rather dehydrated and unless you’re extremely skilled, you can’t immediately control the tides/waves. Besides, it always a good idea trying to control what beneath the waves. They aren’t too friendly

Mixing magics.

Magic isn’t completely catagorized and separated. Like emotions, there’s overlap. And magics can be combined to create different effects. Leading to several combinations.

Water+lightning=Storms

How to you combine fear and sadness! A stormy mess! While weather spells/rainstorms can be used with only water magic. If you want to make a thunder storm, you use both magics! (This is the magic Jasmine uses)

Water+Fire=steam/winds

Winds basically stems from differences in temperatures. So by combining these 2 elements, you can create strong winds and produce steam. Steam is pretty painful it the temperature is high enough.

Fire+lightning=explosions

Things go boom. Use wisely

[network-rail]

Third rail or overhead?

Well, it depends! If you want a more detailed answer, here you go:

Overhead line electrification is typically better than third rail for a few reasons, ranging from physics related to safety conscerns. The higher voltage of overhead wires compared to third rail means there are smaller power losses due to ohmic heating, and fewer substations are required to power the lines. Overhead lines being AC rather than DC helps with this, since they can use transformers to change voltage, although some places do use DC overhead (no British mainlines do, however). The other area where overhead is better is safety, as it is rather difficult for passengers to touch the overhead wires and even harder to ground themselves while doing so (unless they're trying to electrocute themselves), whereas with third rail you can easily touch both the live rail and another piece of metal (such as the running rails). This is one reason why you shouldn't trespass on the railway, as you will die.

There are a few other areas where overhead is better, such as allowing for faster speeds (the contact shoe for third rail is much easier to damage than a pantograph, especially since the third rail has to stop briefly at switches & similar places) and how overhead lines can't really get covered in leaves that insulate the electrical current.

Looking at all of the advantages of overhead lines compared to third rail, you might wonder why third rail is used at all. However, there are still some advantages to using third rail. One big advantage is that third rail is much, much simpler than overhead wires, since it just needs a third rail; instead of stanchions, gantries, cables, weights, and pulleys for keeping the wires suspended, level, and under constant tension. The less complicated infrastructure does also mean third rail is easier and cheaper to build, which is one reason why a lot of older systems used it. In Britain, most of the trains south of London are third rail since the Southern Railway used it extensively, and changing it over would be rather pointless and expensive.

Another advantage is weather: strong winds don't affect third rail, and while you could have a strong storm blowing over caternary poles, you wouldn't have any problems with third rail. Also, neither system does well with ice.

A less important advantage of third rail is that some people don't like the look of overhead wires, and third rail can be a way of electrifying without having to deal with their complaints or resorting to battery electric trains (which are terrible and worse than either). This is a stupid reason for choosing third rail instead of overhead wires,

One final way in which third rail is better than overhead wires is that it is less restrictive in loading gauge – trains can't be taller than the overhead wires, and also need some clearance so they don't clip the wires or support structures. This is why most third rail systems around the world are metro systems, where it's very important to fit large trains into small tunnels, but high speeds are less important, so third rail works well (the same applies to fourth rail, used by the London Underground and almost no one else). However, this is less important for more recent metro systems, as advances in technology mean it is both possible to have larger tunnels and reduced clearance between overhead wires and trains; which can be seen in the use of overhead wires for modern metro systems such as the Delhi Metro.

Overall, both systems have advantages and disadvantages, but overhead wires are generally better than third rail. The reasons for third rail's use are largely historical, and it continues to exist because it would be too expensive to replace and for very little benefit – it is still electrification, and it's better to install new electrification than to swap one system for another.

[formulaphoe]

the brutality and unfairness of formula 1

image source: f1

formula 1 is often hailed as the pinnacle of motorsport—a glamorous world filled with speed, technology, and the elites of racing. yet beneath the polished surface lies a brutal reality that often leaves drivers and teams at the mercy of ruthless decisions and the cold calculus of performance. with the controversies surrounding recent driver sackings and the ever-looming shadow of financial disparity, it's high time to examine why many argue that f1 is not a fair sport.

ruthless reality

image source: williams racing

just recently, valtteri bottas made headlines by bluntly stating that formula 1 is "not a fair sport." this sentiment resonates deeply with fans and insiders alike, especially in light of the way teams handle their drivers. for instance, williams' mid-season decision to replace logan sargeant has raised eyebrows and sparked heated debates. was it a ruthless move? or was it justified based on performance? the circumstances around logan's sacking were especially harsh, underlining the pressure to deliver results in a sport that doesn't tolerate anything below excellence.

these decisions are just business, but they reflect a culture where loyalty and patience often take a backseat to immediate results and instant gratification. a planetf1 analysis of f1 driver sackings reveals a history of brutal firings that underscore the cutthroat nature of the sport. one moment a driver is a team's new big thing, and the next they can find themselves out of a job—often with little explanation and even less sympathy.

money talks

image source: planetf1

one of the most damning realities of formula 1 is the pervasive influence of money. while talent is certainly a necessity for success, it's increasingly clear that without financial backing, even the most skilled drivers can find their careers stymied. talent alone isn't enough—financial resources play a critical role in a driver's future on track.

the narrative is all too familiar: drivers from wealthy backgrounds secure seats, while those without such financial support are often left scrambling for alternatives. the talent pool is vast, but the pathways to success are often barricaded by financial constraints, leaving many deserving drivers in the dust.

pressure cooker environment

image source: f1

the intense pressure in f1 extends beyond just performance; it creates a hostile environment where mental health often takes a back seat. with every race being a high-stakes affair, the neverending pressure to perform can lead to a decline in mental health, resulting in public scrutiny and harsh critiques from fans and pundits alike.

this culture can be devastating, particularly for young drivers like sargeant, who may not yet have developed the thick skin required to withstand the scrutiny that comes with the job. in a sport where every mistake is magnified, the fear of failure looms large, creating a vicious cycle of anxiety and poor performance.

a system rigged against fair play

image source: valtteri bottas

as bottas pointed out, the very structure of f1 seems rigged. with teams prioritising sponsorship over pure driving skill, the sport can sometimes feel more like a corporate machine than a celebration of racing talent. the narrative that emerges is one where drivers are mere cogs in a vast, profit-driven engine—evaluated not just on their ability to race, but on their marketability and financial backing too.

this is a trend that not only alienates talented drivers, but also undermines the essence of competition. when financial clout trumps sheer talent, fans are left wondering if they are witnessing trye sporting excellence or merely a financial showcase.

a call for change

image source: reddit

the brutality and unfairness of formula 1 cannot be ignored. as we witness the rise and fall of drivers like logan sargeant and daniel ricciardo and hear the stark words of valtteri bottas, it's clear that something needs to change. the sport should be a true meritocracy, where talent is the primary determinant of success, rather than the size of a driver's bank account and mental health is valued and supported.

in a world that often glorifies the fast and the furious, it's time to take a step back and consider the humans behind the helmets. the brutal realities of f1 deserve a spotlight, not just for the sake of drivers like logan and daniel, but for the integrity of the sport as a whole. it's high time formula 1 balanced its fierce competitiveness with a sense of fairness, allowing true talent to shine without the heavy hand of financial disparity and mental turmoil looming overhead.

sources

woodhouse, jamie. "valtteri bottas delivers brutal f1 'not a fair sport' verdict after '10 per cent driver' claim." planetf1, 16 aug. 2024, www.planetf1.com/news/valterri-bottas-formula-1-not-a-fair-sport

beevi, zuhrah. "williams replacing logan sargeant mid-season: brutal or deserved?" medium, 28 aug. 2024, www.medium.com/formula-one-forever/williams-replacing-logan-sargeant-mid-season-brutal-or-deserved-b0bd57de94b9

mitchell-malm, scott. "the most damning part of william's ruthless f1 sacking." the race, 28 aug. 2024, www.the-race.com/formula-1/most-damning-part-williams-ruthless-sacking-logan-sargeant/

maher, thomas. "f1 driver sackings: the most brutal firings and bitter disputes in f1 history." planetf1, 17 july 2024, www.planetf1.com/features/brutal-f1-driver-sackings

"the cruel side of formula 1: talent not enough, without money there is no future on the track." scuderia fans, 8 sept. 2024, www.scuderiafans.com/the-cruel-side-of-formula-1-talent-not-enough-without-money-there-is-no-future-on-the-track/

if any errors or typos are noticed, PLS PLS point them out via comment, ask, or dm. if there is a specific topic you would like me to cover, send in an ask and i'll look into it!

[goshenightie]

Not a lot of people pay attention to this, but most Nanook's/Destruction's blessings in the Simulated Universe are Astronomy related!!

Let's start from the 1 star blessings (not gonna add images because the MAX is 10 images lmao):

Eternally Collapsing Object

(This blessing could be a reference to) The magnetospheric eternally collapsing object (MECO) is an alternative model for black holes initially proposed by Indian scientist Abhas Mitra in 1998 and later generalized by American researchers Darryl J. Leiter and Stanley L. Robertson. A proposed observable difference between MECOs and black holes is that a MECO can produce its own intrinsic magnetic field. An uncharged black hole cannot produce its own magnetic field, though its accretion disk can.

Instability Strip

The unqualified term instability strip usually refers to a region of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram largely occupied by several related classes of pulsating variable stars: Delta Scuti variables, SX Phoenicis variables, and rapidly oscillating Ap stars (roAps) near the main sequence; RR Lyrae variables where it intersects the horizontal branch; and the Cepheid variables where it crosses the supergiants.

Orbital Redshift

(This blessing could be a reference to) The main causes of electromagnetic redshift in astronomy and cosmology are the relative motions of radiation sources, which give rise to the relativistic Doppler effect, and gravitational potentials, which gravitationally redshift escaping radiation. All sufficiently distant light sources show cosmological redshift corresponding to recession speeds proportional to their distances from Earth, a fact known as Hubble's law that implies the universe is expanding.

Primordial Black Hole

In cosmology, primordial black holes (PBHs) are hypothetical black holes that formed soon after the Big Bang. In the inflationary era and early radiation-dominated universe, extremely dense pockets of subatomic matter may have been tightly packed to the point of gravitational collapse, creating primordial black holes without the supernova compression typically needed to make black holes today. Because the creation of primordial black holes would pre-date the first stars, they are not limited to the narrow mass range of stellar black holes.

(I'm gonna skip the two star blessings because I don't think there's any Astronomy related ones?)

Universal Heat Death Characteristic

The heat death of the universe (also known as the Big Chill or Big Freeze) is a hypothesis on the ultimate fate of the universe, which suggests the universe will evolve to a state of no thermodynamic free energy, and will therefore be unable to sustain processes that increase entropy. Heat death does not imply any particular absolute temperature; it only requires that temperature differences or other processes may no longer be exploited to perform work. In the language of physics, this is when the universe reaches thermodynamic equilibrium.

Non-Inverse Antimatter Equation

E=mc2

The story of antimatter begins (again) with Einstein and his famous formula: E=mc2. It means that energy and mass are interchangeable - so mass can be transformed to energy (as in stars), or energy into mass. And this has huge consequences.

Resonance Interplay: Protostar

A protostar is a very young star that is still gathering mass from its parent molecular cloud. It is the earliest phase in the process of stellar evolution. For a low-mass star (i.e. that of the Sun or lower), it lasts about 500,000 years.

Resonance Interplay: Zero Age Main sequence

zero-age main sequence: a line denoting the main sequence on the H–R diagram for a system of stars that have completed their contraction from interstellar matter and are now deriving all their energy from nuclear reactions, but whose chemical composition has not yet been altered substantially by nuclear reaction.

Resonance Interplay: Substellar Belt

A substellar object, sometimes called a substar, is an astronomical object, the mass of which is smaller than the smallest mass at which hydrogen fusion can be sustained (approximately 0.08 solar masses). This definition includes brown dwarfs and former stars similar to EF Eridani B, and can also include objects of planetary mass, regardless of their formation mechanism and whether or not they are associated with a primary star.

Resonance Formation: Event Horizon

We can think of the event horizon as the black hole's surface. Inside this boundary, the velocity needed to escape the black hole exceeds the speed of light, which is as fast as anything can go. So whatever passes into the event horizon is doomed to stay inside it – even light.

Resonance Formation: Extreme Helium Flash

A helium flash is a very brief thermal runaway nuclear fusion of large quantities of helium into carbon through the triple-alpha process in the core of low-mass stars (between 0.8 solar masses (M☉) and 2.0 M☉) during their red giant phase. The Sun is predicted to experience a flash 1.2 billion years after it leaves the main sequence. A much rarer runaway helium fusion process can also occur on the surface of accreting white dwarf stars.

Resonance Formation: Cataclysmic Variable

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are binary star systems that have a white dwarf and a normal star companion. They are typically small – the entire binary system is usually the size of the Earth-Moon system – with an orbital period of 1 to 10 hours.

(Sources are all from Wikipedia and the official Nasa website, but correct me if i got some of it wrong^^)

[lunarsilkscreen]

An idea to generate electricity (that requires electricity)

I got this idea from Turbines(Turbos) and Jet Engines.

In airplanes; Engines not only make the Jet go vroom; they supply superheated air into the aircraft. This air goes through various methods for cooling and is used to pressurize the cabin.

The Jet Engines *also* drive a power shaft connected to an alternator(generator) that powers the aircraft's electronic systems.

But here's the part I'm interested in; the Super Heated air turned into Super Cooled air.

This works through several mechanisms; Ram Air being a primary provider of cooling to the super heated air directly off the engine.

But that Super Heated air then drives a Turbine, and gets super cooled through a regenerative process. That process is connected between Liquid Coolant systems and the Super Cooled air.

The Excessively hot air air gets super cooled at the turbine and through liquid cool systems; and then comes out of the other side of the turbo *super cooled*.

Not all air systems care about the liquid coolant, as cabin air (sometimes termed crew air) may be its own system that is focused on the air conditioning inside the cabin (so that the people inside the Jet are super affected if something else goes haywire. Like an Overclocked GPU or something).

This process which takes in the super heated air and turns into super cooled air; can also be used to drive air generated current.

But likely isn't used because of the oil/grease needed to maintain fans of that high caliber *all the time*.

This is very similar to refrigeration units; the main difference is that there isn't a high pressure of air to work with.

Which may make this idea moot, as flying super sonic speeds isn't in the realm of possibility for your average person.

But then I started considering Tornados and Hurricanes. The eye of each of these is *super heated*, and they move like air does in any other facet, high to low.

How do these supernatural phenomenon work? Id theorize that it's the sun that gets one started. Creating a super heated zone, that pushes strong winds outward in a cyclonic fashion.

Which means there needs to be enough *heat* to generate it *and* keep it contained. With the supplemental above-storm pressure feeding in air like a jet engine or a vacuum.

Oh dear God... I'm on par with evil genius thesis' now.

The question I'm trying to answer now; how can we identify and measure micro-high-pressure systems; and then use them for regenerative energy purposes?

Because trying to control the weather is a NATO violation...

[wolven91]

A Heated Bed - Chapter 1

[Trigger Warning; Dubious Consent. References to Depression / Isolation]

Matt sighed through his nose as he turned off his workstation and glanced up and out of the office window, into the transport sector where he worked on board the spinning station. From here, new arrivals and materials would be shuttled off to wherever they were needed aboard the station itself.

Another day done, just like the hundred that came before it and now he was just going to head home. Without a hint of uncertainty, he knew that his evening would follow the same pattern as all the others. He thought getting a job out in the stars would be exciting! He'd be like Kirk or Mal or something!

But no. He was just a clerk.

He was still just 'Matt' and as it turns out, the rest of the alien folk up here, tend to give humans a wide berth. Thanks to everything that had happened, humans were well known now as the 'rare' ones and had a multitude of rules and regulations surrounding them. The aliens couldn't even get a selfie with a human without some serious thought first thanks to the worry that something in the background would tip off 'would-be' kidnappers. Not only that, but thanks to his inherent 'value', the various governments enforced the requirement that humans scattered themselves out. No one station could have too many humans or they'd become too juicy of a target. The station Matt was on was actually, fairly 'near' to the Sol system, at least on a galactic scale. He was on the 'southern' most edge of Galactic Community territory.

So here Matt stood on his own, completely ignored. Oh sure, everyone apparently loved humans, but right now? Nobody wanted to get too close in case they got into trouble by overstepping some hastily thrown together rule with little to no thought behind it. It seemed no-one really knew what to actually do about humans, so ignoring them was the safest choice and the administration would deal with whatever issue popped up.

Matt considered that it had been just short of four months since he'd last stood on a planet as he leant against one of the railings exiting the office in which he worked. He was in no rush, so stopped to watch the 'world' go by. Despite him being high up, it was louder out here, claxons and alarms whooped and alerted staff of moving machinery in the distance. The transport sector of the station was a huge, cavernous and very busy space, it could have fit the statue of liberty and the torch would barely scratch the roof. As it was, most of the walls were dominated by airlocks and maintenance bays, pulling ships in to be disembarked or their payloads removed within the safety of the station, but the centre of the zone was administration and various storage bays for materials.

Far above, tram stations ferried passengers at high speeds around the circular station, disappearing into the massive bulkhead walls that separated the sectors. One such tram silently whizzed past as some of Matt's colleagues exited the office space and headed towards the lift.

"Did you hear?" Matt overheard as they walked past.

"There's a new species joining the station! They just arrived, let's get down there quickly!" Burbled a sluggat, while the young male taurian trotted along beside them.

"They're not new, they just didn't leave their territory very often until now. It's like someone lit a fire under every single one of them or something?" The youngster said. The taurians were an odd bunch, the males seemed to gracefully glide along despite having hooves beneath the flowing silk dress.

What they were discussing however, perked the human's curiosity. The various races that he'd seen so far were all as unique as they could possibly be and aside from sharing the odd trait, most were a sight to behold when they first arrived. It was jarring to the human mind to see an alien; to understand and know that they were conscious behind the eyes and not human at all. Matt wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he tried to take the many eccentricities of the various races in stride.

Walking to the lifts that would take him down to the station foyer, he found that seemingly everyone had the same idea. But at the sight of the walking bad luck charm that was Matt, the being closest to the lift's buttons started 'subtly' hitting it rapidly.

"Oh no, the doors are closing I don't understand what's happ-" The closed doors cut it off. Matt frowned but he wasn't surprised. They were as subtle as a brick through a plate glass window.

By the time Matt made it down to the new arrivals building, he had long since lost his passion for seeing the new race and was wondering why he was even still heading in this direction. He walked over to the main balcony and looked over to the entrance to the station from the docks and saw the usual traffic one expected, not the heaving mass of new arrivals.

He sighed and leaned down to rest his chin on the side of his fist that rested against the rail in dejection. He didn't really feel sad anymore, he just wanted to talk with someone... no... not even that... just to feel physical touch again, that would be enough. He closed his eyes and made a hopeless wish.

"Excuse me." Said a calm, smooth voice from behind and above him.

He flinched, clanking his head off the higher railings that protected the taller races from falling and straightened up to turn around, rubbing his head. He hadn't heard anyone approach; ssypno slither, taurians clop and ursidians shake the ground, who could sneak up on him so well?

Turning around he was left staring at the fluffy midriff of an alien, so he tilted his head back and kept tilting.

Eventually making eye contact with the owner of said midriff, it had heavily lidded, bright green eyes that regarded him in an aloof manner and yet there was a vague interest there, like it had seen him from a favoured seat and couldn't decide whether to get up to come to him or remain seated.

She, he assumed based on her rich voice, was tall, at least eight feet and wider than himself as well. The thick long fur that covered her from the top of her pointed ears to the tips of her large paws reminded him of a snow leopard. She sported greys, blacks and whites, giving her a very unique appearance. The other aspect he saw was that she was muscled; this couldn't be someone who did nothing all day, this was a dangerous person even without the obsidian claws that protruded slightly from the tips of her hands and feet. One of said paws with tapping the claw against her chin as she considered him.

"Er, hello? Are you one of the new arrivals?" Matt asked, aware he'd never seen one of these things before.

"Mm, yes... Hold still please." She said absently, not ignoring him, but like she was thinking about something more important while interacting with him. She stepped forward, closer to him, crowding him, it was a far cry from his usual environment of having an oasis of space in the crowds, he stood his ground. A strong arm reached out and, nearly touched his face, but paused a hair's breadth away, she smelt of something like citrus.

"Are you an ill taurian?" her cool voice asked, hand still somewhat hovering close by. Matt could feel the tiny hairs on his skin sensing her proximity.

"Ah, no. I'm a human, I'm afraid this is normal."

"Good." She decided cryptically before turning and stalking away, a long thick tail trailing behind, briefly brushing under Matt's chin before leaving the human confused, bemused and alone once more.

=== 0 ===

Sometime later it was late, and Matt found himself back in the residential district and on his floor, nearing his room. His quarters were sequestered away from others, practically having an entire habitation block to himself. Once more, it was easier to just isolate the vulnerable human than have him potentially interact with others.

His interaction with the new alien however was replaying in his mind. It was one of the longest conversations he had had in over a month. He was disturbed however, as ever since that interaction, he had a vague sense of being watched or followed. Turning and looking over his shoulders, each time resulted in empty hallways and nothing out of the ordinary. Did he want to see her again? Did he want more than to 'just' see her?

"Yeah.." He vocally admitted glumly with a hint of guilt to himself.

He chalked the 'being followed' feeling up to his mind wanting to see someone, his brain had a brief taste of the 'good life' and now cried out for more. He got to his door and placing his forehead against it, unlocked it. He straightened up, smelt citrus again and opened the door with a confused expression as he wondered the scent.

"This will do." Said a familiar voice both behind and above him. Strong paw-like hands grasped his waist, effortlessly picked him up and, bodily turning him, he was pressed against the strange alien's wide hip as she ducked her head through his front door gracefully and entered his abode with him under her arm.

"W-what are you doing?!" Matt exclaimed, stunned into compliance, not considering that he should maybe flail about or resist in some fashion. He was stunned into limply going along with the strangeness of the situation. Was this a kidnapper!? Is this how it all worked!? Nobody had actually explained it all, they just said 'kidnappers'!

She, again, whilst responding to him, was focused on looking around his modest albeit basic home and stalking further in.

"There are no sunbeams on this station, and it is cold. You will assist, I am adopting you." She said as a matter of fact as she moved into his bedroom, her movements were so graceful that despite him being held horizontally against her hip, he wasn't jostled or shaken with her footsteps as she moved.

Walking up to his bed, rather than move around it, she merely took a step up onto it, walking into the centre before turning in place. The whole thing groaned under her and his weight. Next, she released him without warning, so he fell the short distance and bounced one, then twice onto his back with the fall. He blinked, still utterly shocked into confused stillness.

"Hmm, you're clumsy then. That is fine, I will work with you." She said while staring down at him from her seemingly mile up vantage point. From his perspective, her legs went on forever. Her arctic colourings were emphasized, but it was how she was looking AT him that caught his breath. She wasn't avoiding him, she wasn't ignoring him or even treating him like he was made from thin porcelain. He was the sole subject of her attention, she wanted to give him her attention and he had no clue what to do.

Before he could react further, she folded herself down onto his mattress and duvet. Laying on her side she effortlessly grabbed a hold of his hips and drew him into herself with one solid pull whilst he uttered a single squeak in surprise. Her strength moved him without so much as a grunt of effort by her.

He struggled for a moment, but the arm he was now laying on, curled around, bicep flexing against his cheek and held his opposite shoulder, the other arm draped over him and held against his chest, gently running fingers up and along his jawline, soothingly. A long fluffy leg entwined itself around his own and she curled in on herself, forcing him deeper into her 'hug'. The very thick and fluffy tail made a reappearance and settled, draped across him... almost protectively? He continued to try and half-heartedly pull away, but despite the strangeness; he was secretly... shamefully... enjoying it. Despite his wiggling, none of his actions could have actually broken her hold...

Tiring himself out however, he eventually recognised that he could feel the soft, thick pelt fully covering and pressing into his back and sides with ease, his head was tucked under her chin still resting against her arm while her chest fur framed his world with the ends of her pelt, surrounding his vision. He was warm, for the very first time in a long time, he was deliciously warm. The interloper was right, the station was cold, he'd just gotten used to it.

Laying still, whilst confused, and bewildered, he had to admit it was quite pleasant being held so firmly and protectively as a 'little spoon'. When the rumbling purr started behind his head and chest, it rolled through him like an old-fashioned massage chair. It was soothing and she offered no other words or statements as they settled. Catching his breath, the rhythmic rumbling gently unravelled the tensions that had built up in his back and neck. It was a few minutes later that he flinched awake, realising he was dropping off and he realised that this was completely mental!

She couldn't just 'adopt' him, right!? This was technically his home! It was the other way around, surely!

He took in a breath to start shouting, but the coiling loneliness inside his chest had him pause. It gripped at his heart, inspiring fear. Whilst his mind happily supplied the idea that protesting might ruin a good thing. It was an alien, right? A new one? Maybe they didn't understand this wasn't normal? Sluggats are strictly opposed to physical contact, even offering a handshake is tantamount to threatening one's life, so maybe she was just unaware?

Stifling a yarn, he came to the decision that he would have words with her in the morning. He could share his home for a weary traveller this once. She may be rude, but he'd be polite...

...yeah... that was it...

=== 0 ===

Many hours later, Matt had no desire to wake up.

He felt warm and calm, the bliss of a rare full night's sleep undisturbed was not something he had any desire in leaving any time soon. As his mind came back to the waking world however, he understood that he was laid on his front.

Matt smiled as he realised, he didn't need to go to work, it was the weekend. He couldn't recall any other pressing matters that needed his attention either. He was safe to relax and take things slow today, no need to leave such a comfy bed.

He rolled his shoulders to prepare to stretch when he noticed that his movement was severely limited.

In fact, he could barely move at all; something rather large and heavy was weighing down on him across every inch of his body and limbs. He could breathe, but it was like having several weighted blankets on top of him.

Opening his eyes, the first thing Matt took notice of was that he was pressed deeply into the mattress. He could see a curtain of grey and white fur bordering his vision from whatever was limply placed on his back. He was essentially spread eagle on top of the covers, but every inch of him was covered by something warm and soft. He moved his arm, sliding it across the bed and out from beneath the foreign arm that had been placed on top of his own, the larger of the two thudded against the mattress with the sudden loss of his limb beneath it.

A stirring from above and a low grumble, rumbled through his spine as whatever, or more to the point, whoever it was, woke up apparently due to him moving his arm so suddenly. The other occupant of the bed reached out to his hand, pushed their leather pad clad fingers through the spaces between his own fingers and gripped his hand, holding it still with a strength that prevented any more use of the limb. The worrying part was that the arm and hand weren't tense at all but held a strength that dwarfed the human's. The interloper's hand was nearly double the size of his, he could feel the pads warming the back of his palm. They were soft and almost hot to the touch.

Matt blinked in utter confusion as he tried to remember what was going on. After taking some time to calm himself and figure things out, he realised that the strange dream he had last night, was not a dream after all. The giant cat-like alien that had joined the station yesterday, had followed him home, physically picked him up, barged into his home and declared that she had 'adopted' him. Regardless of how well he had slept after so long buried beneath her, or how soft and warm her fur was, this was beyond what he could accept as proper behaviour. He needed to give her a stern talking to.

"Umph.." He started, catching a mouthful of fur and duvet, forcing him into shaking his head to clear it.

"Er... excuse me? Hello?" He stated in as demanding a tone as he could, bearing in mind he was still buried underneath the one he was trying to address, which undercut his authority somewhat. He didn't get a response, so he cleared his throat and again, he also tried to buck his hips, moving the body above him, but only barely as she was still a dead weight from above, her hips merely fell back down on him from behind.

"Excuse me!"

A groan was spoken directly into his ear.

"Mm. Go back to sleep. It's too early, little one." A drowsy voice spoke out, before the head on top of his lifted and he felt a broad, wet, and rough tongue lick the hair on the back of his head twice, before the weight returned and it pressed him back down into the mattress.

"What.. hey! No! Don't go back to sleep! What's going on here!" He exclaimed, again, trying to wiggle as much as he could with his limited movement, he had to get her awake and moving! In the end it appeared as if he was recreating 'the worm', the now long-lost dance move of the now destroyed Earth.

A deep and dramatic sigh of someone extremely displeased was given in response, before her almost 'noble' voice came back, far less sleepy this time.

"What is it? This is far too early 'human'." She asked from behind his ear.

"Who are you? Why are you in bed? What's going on?!" He asked in a tirade of questions that tumbled out from him.

Another exasperated sigh came from the creature, before her hands released his, she curled her arms around his chest, a leg looped behind his knee and she rolled in one movement, so she was on her back, her head against his pillows and he was dragged along for the ride. He ended up facing upwards, being held against her body with her underneath his back. A clawed hand snagged the duvet and pulled it over both of them, leaving the top of the thick cover, underneath Matt's chin. The hand landed on his head and began to draw a set of claws gently through his hair, ever so slightly scratching at his scalp.

Overall, it felt quite pleasant, the low rumbling purr returned as it rolled over his body. At least she was awake, so far, his attempt to establish dominance over the situation was going well.

"I am Her Highness Varuna; you may call me 'your majesty'. We are here because we were both tired and due sleep, we are still tired I will remind you. As for what's going on, I am being rudely awakened and you are asking questions."

"I meant... highness? No, I meant why are you in my home? What did you mean by 'adopting' me?"

A rumble.

"Ah, you were able to provide appropriate warmth and I am adopting you because you do not currently live with another felinoid. Now my turn my human. What is your name and how many humans are there on this station?"

Matt's eyes briefly rolled up in his head as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, scratching and clawing at his scalp. She would draw her hand through one way, then brush back with the curve of her claws, rather than the points. Goosebumps crawled up and down his arms. He supressed a shiver, but she still gave a single mirthful 'humph' as his body quivered.

"I'm Matt... and none. Just me."

A dissatisfied huff came from above as her hand stopped to grip his head in her oversized paws gently.

"Urgh.. There is not enough. The rumours that you humans were rare has been understated. This is both good and bad it seems. You humans are perfect, and I do not wish to share." She growled to herself, before she relaxed and continued her attention.

"Share? Like with the rest of your kind? I thought you were a queen or highness or something?" Matt asked confused as to why someone of her position would be in his room and would even need to consider 'sharing' whatever that meant.

"A-a-and you can't just 'share' me! What if I don't consent? I-I-I could have you kicked off the station for breaking into my home!"

She sighed, a brushed the back of her furred fingers against his cheek.

"I am sorry if I have offended, if I have distressed or hurt... I apologise..."

"It's fine." Matt parroted automatically before admonishing himself. He was meant to be angry! He was supposed to be angry! As a severe introvert though... even back on Earth he had been adopted by those who were more outgoing than him.

"I have no interest in upsetting you, but my kind are very interested in your kind. You are supremely unique, and we are a race of those who seek out the unique."

"W-what do you mean? Am I being kidnapped?"

A flinch from below.

"No! Bleck! Not at all, freedom is above all things! Freedom of the self, freedom of the choice, freedom is ultimate and the only thing that must be demanded." She stated firmly seemingly repeating a mantra or oath. She pulled away from him for the first time to raise a single digit upwards to emphasise her points.

"If you... choose... not to have us around, then we will not be around. Our people... our... society... is about enjoying oneself, I believe 'hedonistic' might be the correct word, but poorly explains it. We no longer must toil, so why should we? If you want to; go, work and earn. If you don't? Relax and work on yourself. Freedom, above all."

"So.. where do I come in? How am I to be 'shared', this is what I'm confused about."

"Alongside Freedom, is experiences, the truly desired 'unbuyable' thing." To punctuate her next sentence, she started by tapping his nose with a soft leather pad on the end of her finger. "Humanity is new and rare. We sought you out to experience you. I would have settled for sight and smell, but then you spoke with me rather than ignore. You did not stop me when I reached out to touch you. Even last night, your home was easy to find as it smelt of you, so I waited. You did not protest my entry until we were already settled and even then... you did not say 'no'."

A joyful 'hm' came from behind his head.

"Your actions were half-hearted, so I believe you enjoyed last night. Am I wrong?"

"No..." Matt tilted his head in reluctant agreement, but that was pushing it to say the least. He'd need to teach them the do's and don'ts before they got into trouble. Still, he'd rather have a bit more control over his life than being 'told' what he was going to do.

"But! You can't just barge into someone's house and expect to be welcomed in, arms wide! This is weird!"

"You don't like this?" She asked, hurt bleeding into her tone and her hand moved away in hesitation, holding away from him as if to release him. The loneliness returned with a writhing behind his ribs, it felt like a snake retreating backwards, towards her.

"It's not... it's not that it doesn't feel good, but you have to.. to.. introduce yourself or something? Be invited in."

She was quiet for a time, her hand clasped his head again, but didn't move now, but it warmed his exposed flesh pleasantly.

"Strange, no wonder we kept to our own for so long. We expected to be welcomed and praised, but the reception so far has been.. underwhelming. I suppose I could lower my expectations... 'Slum it' if you will? Would you be able to teach me the social graces of your world?"

"Social g like you don't know how to interact like the rest of them? I mean, I'm still learning myself, but I guess I could?"

"Matt, was it? May I start again?"

"..sure?"

"Good morning warm human." She began, a jovial tone now adorning her voice, Matt couldn't help but snort and grin as he remained laying on top of her, chuckling against her.

"Good morning crazy cat lady. How are you?" he responded, playing the part.

"I am well! May we share heat, it is cold, and you are very warm?" She asked, starting her purring once again beneath him.

Matt rolled his eyes and relaxed somewhat. She seemed to mean well, if not a bit ditzy, not to mention she was quite one track minded.

It was going to be an 'interesting' few weeks attempting to educate his new 'student'.

=== 0 ===

"My name is Ruby." The felinoid answered him later on as he cooked.

Matt frowned as he leant over the stove, finishing up at getting the 'bacon' as crispy as he could. How he had ended up on cooking duty after being the 'bed' as well, he wasn't sure; but the large cat creature currently picking through his apartment behind him had wrangled this somehow. Still, he was glad to find that whilst pigs did not survive earth, there was something called a 'squidgit' that if their meat was prepared correctly, tasted very similar. Apparently, you could cook them every which way and they tasted different each time.

He scraped the 'bacon' strips onto a plate, next to the scrambled eggs on both plates. He had no idea where the eggs came from, however.

He looked behind him to see the green eyes with the black slits in the middle staring back at him. She had seated herself in the middle of his sofa with one leg crossed over the other, she rested her hands, fingers interlaced, in her lap.

"I like your eyes by the way..." He blurted out without thinking.

"Mm, thank you. I had them changed a few years ago, I got bored with my natural yellow colour."

"Changed?"

"Freedom, my dear Matt, freedom in everything. We felinoids will often change our appearance. Quite dramatically I will add. Our kind are adept at appearance adjustments."

With a nod and quick, nervous smile, he walked over and offered the plate. It wobbled slightly due to his nerves. He wasn't used to being under such scrutiny after months of being ostracised by the rest of the aliens aboard. Why did he care so much as to what this alien thought of him? He couldn't be smitten or anything, she was an alien. She accepted the plate with one hand, with an ever so slight smirk, tugging at the edge of her lips.

"Cutlery." Matt reminded himself, turning and moving back to the kitchen to retrieve somewhat clean utensils from the sink. He gave them a rapid but thorough wash and dried them in short order. When he moved back to the sofa with a knife and fork in hand, an empty plate was being held out for him to retrieved back.

His mind was confused for a moment; he'd given her a plate of food. Right? Had she'd just tipped the whole damn plate down her gullet?

"I should thank you, shouldn't I?" The artic felinoid stated, blinking slowly. "I'm very grateful, that breakfast was delicious." She finished as he plucked the empty, greasy plate from her hand.

"I-... sure, no worries?" He returned to the small kitchenette and retrieved his own plate. Whilst she claimed not to no what manners to employ, he hadn't actually 'taught' her anything yet, but she was now seemingly acutely aware of what social expectations were placed upon her.

Matt moved to sit down and considered that the last twelve hours had been very strange, he'd gone from pariah to the sole focus of an overbearing, but seemingly harmless 'felinoid'. They had been apparently part of The Galactic Community for hundreds of years like everyone else, but had kept mostly to themselves, until now of course. Ever since Humans appeared Walking back to the sofa, he took note of her white and grey fur; she looked exactly like one of the old snow leopards of earth, all the way down to the spots and thick fluffy tail and oversized paws. Her size was something of note, easily larger than him, her ears brushed the ceiling when she stood up straight.

Her strength was also of note, she was not slim. Her arms, whilst covered in a long thick pelt, that Matt knew was also incredibly soft thanks to last night, barely hid the bulging muscles beneath. She proved she had no issue picking up and carrying him like he weighed nothing.

When he stood next to the sofa, he realised that there simply wasn't any space for him to sit on the cushions of the seat. The size of her hips took up much of the space of his rather crappy, standard issue sofa and to try and sit down would have him perched half on top of her. With a shrug, he chose instead to perch on the sofa's arm.

Ruby, however, had different ideas.

Before he could perch and start on his light breakfast, a grey furred arm and dinner plate sized hand wrapped around his sternum.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wai-" He cried out, trying to prevent his breakfast from spilling as he was dragged from the arm, and into the centre of the sofa onto the larger creature's lap. Thankfully, he hadn't spilt anything.

"That was dangerous, I could have spilled!" He complained as he attempted to disengage, but with an arm locked around his waist, he found the act impossible while holding a plate with both hands, so he reached down with one. When a clawed hand plucked a strip of bacon from his plate, his priority changed immediately.

He lost one piece but defended the others by starting into his breakfast with no further delay. The large feline sat beneath and behind him chewed the stolen bacon slowly as she held onto him carefully. It was only once he started to relax that he noticed she was purring again.

"So, we have a problem that will need to be addressed today." Ruby stated calmly whilst Matt's mouth was full. It didn't stop him from 'mm'ing as a wordless question.

"Not with your mouth full, little one. But yes, my dema- err.. Request? Yes, my request from yesterday remains quite important. My people will begin spreading out amongst the stars. They will want to meet you humans, but... like myself... will not know your... er... protocol?" A hand landed on the top of his head and a set of claws poked through his hair. She started talking again as Matt swallowed the last of his eggs and settled into having the back of his head scratched.

"We wish to make the best first impression and avoid upsetting your kind. We can compensate you and others if you agree to assist us in learning your ways. I wish to 'employ' you as a cultural guide? Would you like to come with me when I leave here?" She asked gently while still steadily scratching at him. He leaned forwards to put the plate down and was gently pulled back onto her whilst she laid back, horizontally across the sofa, taking him with her. She released her claws from his hair and instead hugged him from behind as if he were a cushion or favoured teddy.

The way he sank into her fluff, how he felt it cover his ears from behind and tickle his cheeks. It was incredibly pleasant and relaxing. He considered her words.

Did he want to just end his life here? To leave everything behind? What of his colleagues? Friends on the station? All for some random personal-space ignorant, socially inept space cats?

=== 0 ===

Half an hour later, Matt had his bags packed. Or rather; bag. Singular. He had little he needed to bring aside from a few sets of clothes and some mementos of sentiment. He had no friends on the station, he had a contact which treated him like a house plant rather than a person. His choice was made purely on the fact that his depression and apathy had been lifted all in one evening and he was petrified of it returning.

Was this a good idea? Probably not. Was it healthy? Also no. But he didn't have a good answer and he had nothing else to lose. His planet was dead, his people were scattered, and he was working a crappy job that a computer could do just to save up money to buy things for his domicile.

When Matt stepped out of his bedroom, Ruby was leaning against the front door with a foot raised against it and her arms crossed over her chest. She grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"You're helping many of my kind, you know? Is noble."

"Let's not pretend I'm saving lives here, I'm a glorified heating mat." Matt said, stopping in front of the alien. She looked genuinely shocked, leaning down and lifting his chin with a finger.

"You are very important Matt; I am not ignorant to how you were when I met you. Alone and distant from the others? I am not blind to the lack of pictures of friends on this station in your home. The only ones you had, were in your bedroom and seem to be of family. Your journey to this apartment was one of an outcast." She pushed off the door and stepped close to him again, looking down at him with a firm expression that left Matt guessing what she might have been thinking.

"You have natural abilities and skills that somewhere else would be valuable. Here, you are out of step with your surroundings and seemingly... Left questioning your value, wrongly." She shook her head with a pitying look to her eye, yet her words were firm. She believed what she was saying.

She reached out, placed her long arms over his shoulders and pulled his back towards her. She gripped him against herself and held him there.

At first, he didn't understand what she was doing, again, her odd actions caused a jarring to his expectations. The outside world, however, was lost to him for a time, the fur of her torso muffled the air circulation humming and was replaced by the sound of her heart beating and her lungs breathing in and out steadily.

The lonely man's arms gingerly reached up and around the felinoid' s body, and he hugged her back for the first time. It was the first time he'd held someone away from Earth. It actually physically hurt his chest to apparently reconnect with someone, to consider reopening himself after protecting himself from isolation. After so long as being held at arm's length by others, he wanted to latch onto her like a lifeline.

He gripped at the fur at her back and breathed into the fluff that pressed into his face. Ruby placed one of her hands at the back of his head and stood there, she would not rush him nor prompt him to move. She was patient, she could wait for him until he was ready. It would be his choice, his freedom to do so. To her and her find, freedom was as vital as air and this human was not 'free' here on this station.

It was only a short hour later when Matt finally boarded the felinoid ship as it prepared to leave in search for more elusive humans.

They had barely been checked, the station administration seemingly rushing through Matt's paperwork. Matt had been pulled aside and been asked if he was being coerced, but in the end the administer let slip that he was glad Matt was leaving. He was too dangerous in the administrator's opinion. Matt had thought that there would be more effort in a supposed long-term resident demanding to leave, but it seemed his request to leave was received with gratitude and relief instead.

He felt like he should be betrayed, but he had to admit that he also felt relief and gratitude right back at them for being able to leave with such ease.

Whether The Galactic Community was informed of his change of location Matt didn't know, the ship was tracked and he would be met at the next station to ensure his safety in the void, but when he put his bag down and looked up, he found himself looking at a team of felinoids who, whilst were wildly different in appearance, each had a rapturous grin, one or two waved at him.

Suddenly his vision was blocked by the furred back of a snow leopard, Ruby.

Her tail flicked rapidly from one side to another, was she agitated?

"We have gained an ally. However, we must; be polite." Ruby stated clearly and definitively. She remained in front of Matt, until the group stalked away. Ruby turned back to Matt and picked up his bag with ease.

"They will need teaching but are harmless. You will need to be a teacher before we arrive at our next destination, I hope you are ready."

Matt watched as the group disappeared around a corner and the last tail trailed behind.

In all honesty, after spending multiple moths just pressing buttons on a computer, the human was ready for a new challenge.

=== 0 ===

Unfortunately, the new challenge began that evening.

The engines were probably several hundred meters away and behind many bulkheads, but the human could hear them, and Matt lay awake in his bed. It wasn't really the humming of the engines that was keeping the human awake, however.

The creeping doubt that plagued every decision in the dead of night had made itself known to him by 'midnight' aboard the felinoid ship. It was a frigate it seemed and just one of a small group of ships that travelled together.

His bedding was tangled around him as he stared up at the distant ceiling. He'd thrown his lot in with this new species while knowing precious little about them. God, why had he been so stupid?!

Was his life aboard the station been so bad that at the first offer from a complete and utter stranger of another possibility, he'd just jumped with both feet?!

He had to admit he wasn't happy aboard the station. His conscious mind agreed that he couldn't have stayed there much longer without him going crazy or doing something stupid. But no number of antidepressants would alleviate the crushing loneliness of being avoided by everyone else. Christ, they didn't even have antidepressants that were designed for humans up in the stars.

Sure, tell someone a drug's name; the materials might not even exist outside of Earth, let along share the same name.

But his subconscious continued to jab and peck at his choices. They didn't care about him. They just wanted to use him.

That's why he was given his own room alone. Alone again. He'd had one night of glorious sleep and now he couldn't pass out on his own.

Matt rubbed his face and let out a growl in frustration. He could argue the toss with himself all night but there was no way to prove that these giant bipedal cats actually had his best intentions in mind.

Till a thought occurred to him, it wasn't completely true, that there was no test.

Ruby, the snow leopard that had 'recruited' him onto the ship full of them. She had made a point to show him around the ship. She finished by introducing both his room and hers, which were near one another, almost directly neighbours.

'If you need me, day or night, my door will open for you. I will only be upset if I find out you didn't seek me out when in need.' It was the last thing she had said to him before disappearing down the corridor and away from his room. He stared after her, focusing on the swishing tail and ample rump beneath the grey and white dotted fur.

'Prove it.' His tired mind demanded now in the darkness. He'll always mistrust them if he didn't test their promises.

Without thinking, he sat up, and in naught but loose knee length nightwear, moved to his front door. It slid open without a noise and revealed low lights highlighting the corridor.

'Am I doing this?' He asked, doubting himself as he lingered in his doorway, torn between truth and familiarity.

He glanced back into his dark room. He wouldn't make any social faux par in there. He looked down the corridor, he could see her front door. He could be shunned horrifically if they didn't stand by their word...

His first step was the hardest. The other steps went by too quickly. He was lightheaded by the time he approached Ruby's door. His mind screamed not to, his subconscious promised to be good, just don't knock on the-

The door opened as if it was his own, he had no need to knock...

He stepped within, mimicking her from the day before. The room structure was no different from his own from what he could see in the gloom, despite different adornments.

"Hello? Ruby?" He whispered into the oppressive darkness barely a whisper. He took a few steps towards the bedroom, before realising what he was doing.

"I'm an idiot." He admonished himself, turning and intending to go back to his room.

A large paw on his shoulder caused him to jump and have his heart attempt to blast out of his chest.

"Don't say that please." Stated a shadow with Ruby's voice. "Are you okay?" She asked, turning him to 'face' her, another large broad paw found his other shoulder. He couldn't actually see anything, merely a silhouette of blocked light.

"Ah.. yeah, yeah, I'm... not sure why I'm here."

A low growl came from the shadow before she spoke again.

"Big changes dear Matt, freedom is imposing to those who haven't tasted it properly. You will doubt yourself, that is normal. But you chose a course and now you should commit until you know better. There is a cure for the voices this evening my Matt." She promised.

He gave a small smile into the dark, whilst he could not see her, to her it was as bright as day.

"What's the cure?"

"Come with me..." she said simply, turning but catching his hand in hers. Her digits with padded, furred, longer and thicker than his. Her hand or paw engulfed his own and marched him silently into the bedroom proper.

"Climb in, be careful." She requested as he felt for the edge of the bed and climbed aboard. Their beds were far larger and more luxurious, squishing significantly beneath him, certainly more than anything he'd enjoyed before. But when he felt Ruby climb in immediately after him, he was confused when a second set of hands from within the bed, grasped him down onto the mattress, rolled him so he was facing Ruby and a large body began to spoon him from behind.

Ruby was in front of him... Who was..?

Looking down at the thick arms that were curled around his chest and stomach, he deduced the fur to be pure black or some other similarly dark colour.

"That is Onyx, my current lover, they will help me keep the doubts away..." Said Ruby as she pressed up to his front and wrapped her own arms over both of the other occupants of the bed.

His back was pressed into devilishly soft fur, while Ruby's longer fur and chest pressed into his front. Her head rested almost touching his forehead, while he could feel warm breath gently washing over the back of his neck in time with the moving chest touching his back.

A rumbling growl and yawn came from behind his ear.

"Doubts?" a male voice asked from behind his ear.

"He has doubts hunting him. True freedom is new for him." Stated Ruby, speaking over his head as she settled.

Matt felt a rough tongue gently run up at the back of his neck once.

"It's okay... we're here. You're not alone... You are safe." rumbled the gravelly voice.

Likewise, Ruby gave a loving lick to his forehead, before rubbing her cheek over his face. First one cheek, then the other as the pair of aliens began to purr loudly, whilst Onyx nuzzled into the back of his neck. If he didn't know better, Matt would have worried about an earthquake, but now, just two larger-than-a-human cats, both purring while whispering sweet nothings and reassurances into the blighted man's ear.

Their limbs intertwined and while there was no blanket on the bed, every inch of his exposed flesh had at least some of the felinoid bodies and fur pressed against it. With the exception of his face, he wasn't exposed to the air.

Slept came surprisingly swiftly shortly after this to Matt. He rested obscenely well and woke the next morning feeling incredibly refreshed.

Getting out of bed however took several hours, not that anyone within that bed cared...

=== 0 ===

Links:

Discord / AO3 / Tip Jar

[macgyvermedical]

Home Nursing Advice Column #2: Tracking and Treating Small Skin Infections

Small skin infections occur when bacteria enter the body through a cut or nick in the skin. As the bacteria multiply, the body's immune system responds, causing the area to become hot, swollen, red and painful. This response encourages blood flow through the area, bringing bacteria-fighting white blood cells and carrying away dead bacteria and other waste.

You can tell whether you need to see a doctor about this infection by tracking how quickly it spreads through the skin. Do this by drawing an outline around the reddened area. The line should be tight against the edge of the infection so you can see if the infection gets bigger or changes shape.

If the redness spreads rapidly (if you can see a significant difference within about an hour), call a doctor, as this might require antibiotics to treat. Other reasons you might want to see a doctor is if there is a pocket of pus below the site of infection, you have diabetes or vascular problems, or if the area is more than 2 inches across.

If the infection is spreading very slowly or while waiting for a doctor to call you back, you can help the process along and speed up healing by using hot, moist compresses.

Take 2-3 cotton washcloths or rags and put them in a pan of tap water. Heat the water on a stovetop to about 107-110 degrees F. Take the first cloth out, wring the excess water out of it, fold it, and press it against the site of infection. It should be uncomfortably hot, maybe somewhat painful, but it should not burn you.

Every minute or so, put the first cloth back in the water, and take the next cloth out, wring it out, fold it, and place on the infection. Repeat for 20-30 minutes, then allow the site to go back to it's normal temperature.

Do this every 2-3 hours while awake. Right before each session, draw your outline of the reddened area the same way you did initially. You should start to see the red area shrink. If you don't see any change within a day, call a doctor.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Combustion engines, the engines in gas-powered cars, only use a quarter of the fuel's potential energy while the rest is lost as heat through exhaust. Now, a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces demonstrates how to convert exhaust heat into electricity. The researchers present a prototype thermoelectric generator system that could reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions -- an opportunity for improving sustainable energy initiatives in a rapidly changing world. Fuel inefficiency contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and underscores the need for innovative waste-heat recovery systems. Heat-recovery systems, called thermoelectric systems, use semiconductor materials to convert heat into electricity based on a temperature difference. However, many existing thermoelectric device designs are heavy and complex, requiring additional cooling water that's used to maintain the necessary temperature difference. Now, a team of researchers led by Wenjie Li and Bed Poudel have developed a compact thermoelectric generator system to efficiently convert exhaust waste heat from high-speed vehicles like cars, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles into energy.

Read more.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Wolverine

The Wolverine was developed as a fast strike BattleMech, one which could take part in missions requiring speed and firepower but too hazardous for lighter recon 'Mechs. Although meeting all the requirements for just such a machine, the Wolverine has since become known for its versatility and is considered a jack of all trades throughout the Inner Sphere. With the same electronics package as the Phoenix Hawk and mobility that allows it to keep up with most medium 'Mechs, the Wolverine is often used for command purposes when working with medium units, in spite of the terrible visibility and cramped cockpit due to the placement of the head-mounted weaponry.

During the Age of War, the early history of the Wolverine was born as a direct result of the Federated Suns' need for a front-line unit that could keep up with a forward advance and outmaneuver enemy BattleMechs. At the time, while they fielded their own versions of the Mackie and BattleAxe - they were too massive, slow, and lacked maneuverability. When the Terran Hegemony debuted their Shadow Hawk and Griffin - the Davions suddenly had their answer in which they could model a design that fit their requirements for an ideal cavalry 'Mech. Fierce competition followed suit by companies within Richard Varnay's Capellan March with Norse BattleMech Works ultimately winning a contract with the Federated Peacekeeping Forces. The designers, led by Supervising Engineer Russell Bell, while using the aforementioned inspirations opted for maneuverability, followed by a balanced weapons loadout with both offensive reach and close-in firepower without taxing heat exchange systems. Initially this was accomplished with the inclusion of a prototype Autocannon and medium-class laser, but Norse BattleMech Works felt this made the design too lightly armed compared to the competitors it was influenced by. The design team then made arrangements to allow the initial prototype to mount a PPC and additional heat sinks in place of the Autocannon, but the first PPC they were able to secure was completely unsuitable for the test frame, due to significant overheating and EM interference making for a wholly inaccurate weapon.

This initial failure did not go unnoticed by the FPF High Command and they urged the company to stick with the initial proposed design. Instead of rushing to create and test alternative weapon loadouts, the Norse engineers opted instead to stick with the original prototype for the Wolverine while electing for heavier levels of armor protection. Most of the armor was focused on the legs and arms, while extra plating was specially placed around the main joints to protect from shrapnel and debris. The end result was a 'Mech that was more stable, cooler running, and could endure severe punishment while outjumping Shadow Hawks and Griffins. Prince Varnay himself would receive the very first 4 production-grade WVR-1R Wolverines in 2471. It would go on to become the standard AFFS BattleMech for centuries, ironically serving as a template for the Hegemony's upgrades of the 'Mechs it was based on to in turn match the Wolverine. To counter this, Norse BattleMechs introduced yet another more influential variant in 2490 known as the WVR-3R and would not be fully upgraded to modern standards for another 85 years.

Purchasing the primary production rights to the design from Norse, Kallon Industries introduced the definitive WVR-6R Wolverine in 2575 for the newly-formed Star League Defense Force in the lead-up to the Reunification War, where it served with distinction. Afterwards it was approved for use by the Great Houses and became quite common on the battlefields of the Succession Wars after the fall of the Star League. Besides being produced by Kallon's factories on Nanking and Thermopolis, Free Worlds Defense Industries and Victory Industries later acquired the right to build Wolverines from their plants on Gibson and Marduk respectively. The Free Worlds League was thus the largest user of Wolverines followed thereafter by the Federated Sun-turned-Federated Commonwealth. The Fourth Succession War brought about minor changes when the House Davion captured Nanking from the Capellan Confederation but lost Marduk to the Draconis Combine. In the end the exchange was a net gain for Federated Suns thanks to the larger Nanking factory with the Confederation the clear loser. Houses Davion, Marik and Kurita all introduced new variants of the Wolverine which exploited the recent recovery of lostech just prior to the Clan Invasion.

During the Combine-Ghost Bear War House Kurita found itself running short of equipment when they lost Marduk and Al Na'ir to Duke James Sandoval's surprise attack, although DCMS forces managed to recapture Marduk in mid-3064. Inspired by Vicore Industries' "Project Phoenix" initiative Victory Industries went about scouring the entire Combine for any old Wolverine chassis in order to perform a complete strip, disassembling those in the worst shape for their parts and apply a modernizing factory refit to the rest. By 3067 this effort had virtually picked the Draconis Combine clean of older Wolverine machines but the new WVR-8K was so well received it inspired the production of brand-new models. The Federated Suns was similarly inspired by the success of the WVR-8K to perform their own updates on the aging design although the League, themselves still prolific Wolverine users, had yet to institute what turned out in the end to be a long and costly program.

The Wolverine carries a weapons payload that is both versatile and, at the same time, limited by its ammunition dependencies. The primary weapon is a GM Whirlwind Autocannon/5. This weapon, mounted in the right arm along with one ton of ammunition, allows the Wolverine to cause damage to the enemy at respectable ranges. This is backed up for short range work by a Harpoon-6 SRM-6 launcher with one ton of reloads in the left torso and a single Magna Mk II medium laser mounted in the head. The laser is the most unique aspect of the Wolverine as it is mounted in a ball turret originally providing a 360° field of fire on early models of the Wolverine. Following the addition of the Harpoon launcher and Tek BattleCom electronics blister, a fire-interrupt circuit had to be added to prevent pilots from shooting their own 'Mech.

Five Northrup 12000 jump jets, with two in either leg and the fifth in the rear torso, improves upon the Wolverine's relatively fast cruising speed of 54 km/h by allowing it to jump up to 150 meters at a time. Unfortunately the jets are slightly underpowered for this role and must be operated near maximum thrust to achieve their potential, resulting in increased wear and tear on the components. For this reason a number of variants were introduced which simply removed the jump jets.

Nine and a half tons of armor make the Wolverine well protected and emphasize its survivability when undertaking dangerous reconnaissance missions. Twelve heat sinks also provide adequate heat dissipation even in the event of damage to the fusion engine, further emphasizing the durability of the machine. In its role as a command 'Mech the Wolverine is well equipped with the same Tek BattleCom system with multichannel transceiver/receiver as found on the Phoenix Hawk. Well shielded in the head blister this setup allows the Wolverine to provide superior electronic support when leading other 'Mechs or conducting reconnaissance on its own.

[mariacallous]

A new Pew Research Center poll finds partisan polarization among Americans at its highest level in decades. As just the latest example, House Republicans passed a budget bill without a single Democratic vote. But there is at least one issue on which both sides of the aisle can increasingly agree: The United States needs to re-embrace nuclear energy and retake its role as a global leader in nuclear power technology.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed four executive orders aimed at dramatically increasing nuclear power generation in the United States. While those orders correctly identify several areas for reform, the executive branch cannot overcome existing barriers on its own. Democrats and Republicans in Congress need to strengthen efforts to build a reinvigorated nuclear sector in the United States, as exemplified by a bipartisan bill introduced in May aimed at developing an export strategy for civilian nuclear energy.

Operationalizing a U.S. nuclear resurgence requires agreeing on an ambitious goal and working together to realize it. Just as Trump in his first term announced Operation Warp Speed to bring a COVID-19 vaccine to market, both parties should set aside partisan differences and back a Nuclear Operation Warp Speed with a target of building 20 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2035.

Nuclear energy is undergoing a resurgence. Beyond the growing recognition among environmentalists that curbing greenhouse gas emissions will be easier and cheaper if nuclear is part of the mix, there are two additional reasons for the focus on nuclear energy that have broad bipartisan support.

First, after two decades of flat electricity demand, it is set to surge in the United States in the coming years to meet the demands of data centers for artificial intelligence, in addition to the electrification of cars, heating systems, and industrial processes. According to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), electricity demand from data centers worldwide is set to more than double by 2030. Given the need for data centers to rely on large quantities of power that runs 24/7 and 365 days per year, nuclear energy’s high reliability makes it particularly attractive.

For all the attention paid to surging natural gas investment to meet the power needs of AI, the report finds that by 2035 nuclear power will contribute just as much as gas to meeting increases in data center electricity demand—and the longer-term potential is even larger given the longer time frame for advanced nuclear technology to come online. Big tech firms, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, have all signed deals to buy new nuclear power for data centers—and even to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island. Just last week, Meta signed a 20-year deal with Constellation to buy power from a nuclear plant in Illinois that was at risk of prematurely closing.

Second, the United States’ geostrategic influence and national security are undermined by ceding nuclear leadership to Russia and China. Russia is building more nuclear power plants abroad today than any other country, including in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, and Turkey. When domestic construction is included, China leads the world in the build-out of nuclear power. Of the 58 reactors currently under construction in 17 countries worldwide, 80 percent are of Russian or Chinese origin. These include not only traditional reactor designs, but also advanced nuclear technologies that will dominate future growth in the nuclear energy market, including small modular reactors.

Both Beijing and Moscow view nuclear energy leadership as a geostrategic priority. They provide vast state financing to state-owned nuclear companies, which then offer emerging and developing countries low-interest loans and contracts that allow them to build, own, and operate the plants. In this way, China and Russia not only make it hard for companies from other nations to compete. They also ensure that buyers become indebted to them—and dependent on their expertise and supply of nuclear fuel. These arrangements allow China and Russia to deepen their economic and political influence over the countries buying their technology. The United States prides itself on its safety standards, security culture, and nonproliferation stance, but when the United States is not the technology supplier, it does not spread those standards, cultures, and policies to the purchasing countries.

To put the goal of 20 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear power in the United States by 2035 in context, this compares to current U.S. nuclear generation capacity of around 100 GW. Although only about 6 GW of new capacity has been added over the past 35 years, more than 50 GW were added in the 1980s, showing that major buildouts have been done before. While the goal is ambitious, fast-tracking even a handful of initial reactors to be under construction by 2030 would build the momentum for additional projects by establishing robust supply chains and a ready workforce.

While the U.S.-China race for AI leadership demands power be added to the grid more quickly than 2035, focusing exclusively on speed would lock the United States into currently operating nuclear technology and forgo the longer-term opportunity to build leadership in advanced nuclear technologies that will take time to develop.

Elements of Trump’s executive orders offer promising avenues for reforming U.S. nuclear policy and align broadly with bipartisan reforms set forth in the 2024 ADVANCE Act. Thoughtful implementation will be necessary to avoid introducing delays due to regulatory churn and undermining necessary safeguards, nonproliferation controls, and public confidence in nuclear energy.

A successful Nuclear Operation Warp Speed should bring down costs, eliminate delays, and ensure a secure fuel supply. Today, the key challenge for nuclear energy is cost. The causes of delays and cost overruns include immature designs and supply chains, regulatory burdens, other first-of-a-kind issues, and megaproject management failures. When these issues are addressed, analysis shows that the costs of nuclear energy deployed at scale can compete favorably with other clean energy sources on a power generation basis. What’s more, the overall system costs for generation and transmission of low-carbon electric power supply are much lower when nuclear energy is included.

The list of steps the Trump administration and Congress must take to overcome these challenges is long. It requires addressing issues ranging from spent nuclear fuel disposition to workforce development to fuel supply. To start, policymakers should focus on three key policy reforms: financing, regulation, and exports.

First, the government should increase financial support for new nuclear reactors and fuel supply infrastructure. Doing so is justified to value the carbon-free electricity; to compete with extensive Russian and Chinese government support; to overcome the extra costs of first-of-a-kind projects to restart a shuttered U.S. nuclear industry; and to address the mismatch between a nuclear plant’s 60- to 80-year lifespan and the 30-year cost recovery period expected by financial markets.

One promising approach is a milestone-based payment model, similar to that used by NASA to jump-start a private space transportation sector in the United States. Existing loan guarantees and tax credits are effective tools, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright was right to encourage Congress to retain current nuclear tax incentives. The Defense Production Act is also a powerful tool to secure the nuclear fuel supply, as proposed in Trump’s executive orders. Federal agencies can use government procurement of future power generation to stimulate demand.

Second, the federal government should reduce nuclear regulatory and permitting burdens while protecting public health and safety. Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should streamline the environment review process, as a major new report from the Center on Global Energy Policy explains. Trump’s orders also direct NRC reform—including streamlining regulations, establishing fixed deadlines for reviews, reorganizing the structure, reducing staffing, and establishing a process for more and faster licensing—although in ways that risk undermining the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency if they are implemented without adequate care and independence.

Congress should eliminate the so-called mandatory hearing, which only adds time and cost to new reactor licensing. The NRC should improve its procedures based on the lessons of the last U.S. nuclear reactors to come online in Georgia in 2023 and 2024, which ran far over cost and schedule.

Third, the U.S. government should support its nuclear industry’s global leadership by providing diplomatic support and export financing for companies building projects abroad. Bipartisan bills such as the Civil Nuclear Export Act, as well as Trump’s new executive orders, aim to increase the Export-Import Bank’s financing capabilities for U.S. nuclear projects in other countries. In its reauthorization of the Development Finance Corporation this year, Congress should give the agency more resources to expand its nuclear expertise and its investment authorities.

Finally, the United States should keep pressing the World Bank to lift its restrictions on financing nuclear projects and develop its capacity for assistance in this area, as World Bank President Ajay Banga suggested earlier this year.

In today’s new age of great-power competition, the United States faces three related threats: competition from China and Russia for leadership in the construction and export of nuclear technology; competition for leadership in the transformational new technology of artificial intelligence, which requires vast amounts of electricity; and competition for leadership in the clean energy technologies that will be necessary to address the threat of climate change in the decades to come. Nuclear energy is key to meeting all three competitive challenges.

Democrats and Republicans should continue making nuclear energy a rare bright spot of bipartisan cooperation, working together to build out nuclear power, reinvigorate the U.S. nuclear industry, and assert leadership in advanced nuclear technology.

[theamateurhimself]

I Don't Run Weapons, and I Don't Run Livestock

He was there in the hangar bay when they loaded up his latest shipment, as usual. You don’t get this far in the shipping industry by letting just anything into your cargo hold. It was a small shipment in volume, but not in pay; 30,000 credits now and 45,000 more on delivery. It was a strange amount, especially when running cargo for the an academic group like the Forrestal Institute.

Marco had earned himself a reputation for timely deliveries and minimal property loss, which long ago earned him the eye of many respectable institutions and wealthy benefactors across the Solar System. It was a side commission by the Martian Government that made him enough money to buy his ship, the Black Hawk, from his former employer, the Earth Transport Alliance, and forge his own path. In the three years since he left the ETA, he’s delivered packages of sensitive scientific equipment to Aphrodite Station on Venus and even a rare uranium glass collection to Mrs. Gilderstein’s new estate on Titan.

But no matter what, he had two rules: he wouldn’t run weapons, and he wouldn’t run livestock. The former rule came about when some shady characters from Earth approached him with a baker’s dozen of Plasmatic Disruptors and the coordinates of an unlisted docking bay on Europa. Even with a total sum of 6.5 million credits, 500k for each disruptor, he wouldn’t risk his life or, more importantly, his reputation for some nonsense freedom fighting on some frozen moon.

The latter rule was a very simple one. Whereas people would, nine times out of ten listen to him and stayed put in the cargo-bay-turned-stateroom, livestock could break out of their cages, gnaw through the conduits, or die for some reason, all of which would reduce his pay and his on-time percentage.

And when they loaded the single crate aboard, it was neither of them. According to the official from the Institute, it was a highly sensitive experiment on Plutonian gravitational distortions, and would be activated by the personnel at Punak Labs, a research station on Charon, Pluto’s moon, operated by the aforementioned Institute. Upon inquiry, they explained that the special crate, which was 1.25 meters tall, 1 meter wide, and 3 meters long, was designed to protect not only the experiment but the ship as well. It was highly reactive to gravitational and electro-magnetic energy, so it was powered to provide a cushion and to completely dampen interference between it and the ship. It would need to be delivered within a week, or the experiment would “loose calibration” or something like that. One week to Pluto was completely doable, no questions about it.

Any route across the Solar System required a precise plot to ensure that ships didn’t pass too close to the gravity wells of the planets and planetoids, but close enough that they could detour to any one of a hundred little service stations and rescue platforms that existed in case of emergency. It was only by the time that the Black Hawk was passing Ceres when the proximity alarm for the cargo bay went off, blinking on and off as a buzzer blared.

“That’s strange,” he grumbled to himself, pushing the alarm button to silence the buzzing, the white light now blinking silently. He dropped the speed to a more reasonable 11 KPS, as not even the best laid courses were 100% foolproof in the asteroid belt. Swinging out of his seat, he nabbed the magnetic coffee cup from the heating pad off the side of the console. Marco thought that he might as well get a refill of the ole Joe if he was going down to the cargo bay.

As he walked back to the galley, down the long corridor that connected the cockpit to the rest of the ship, he couldn’t shake a feeling he’s had about this contract since the first meeting between him and Mr. Mbele, his contact with the Institute. If the Forrestal Institute was at the forefront of planetary geology and heliophysics, why hadn’t he heard of them before? And nothing about them particularly indicated that he was dealing with academia or scientists. He shook his head. It doesn’t matter, so long as I get the credits.

In the small, but technologically compact and advanced galley, he got the matter replicator switched on and programmed to make another pot of coffee, and continued on to the cargo bay. Descending the ladder into the cargo bay, his orange emergency pressure suit rustled and clanked, and his boots made a dull thud on each rung. At the bottom of the ladder, he turned to face the single crate in the center of the moderately sized cargo bay, his respirator swinging back and forth as it hung from his helmet. It was then that he stopped and noticed the obvious millimeter or two gap between the lid and the walls of the crate.

As he got closer he noticed something else, that the latches weren’t open, but that they were broken.

---

Four days later, the Black Hawk touched down on landing pad 4C at Punak Labs. A small welcoming group, consisting of the director of the station and two orderlies ready to cart the crate away into the sprawling complex, waited near the foot of the ship as the loading ramp descended. The director eagerly awaited the experiment in the crate, and impatiently rocked on his feet back and forth.

Deliberately, the spacer descended the ramp, the face mask strapped across his face and the visor down on his helmet. It was a good thing the suit came with the helmet and mask, because human faces are hard to replicate.

[beefrobeefcal]

Beefro, I'm on my period rn. Tell me why the only thing I can think about is having a beefy pedro boy to cuddle. One who would rub my lower tummy with big warm hands to help with the cramps, and his belly would press into my lower back and we could just watch rom coms and Star Wars movies. It's giving Frankie vibes, but I also can't stop thinking about retired agent Jack Daniels and that southern drawl.

Oh Redy! I’m too riding the crimson tide…

Who would be the best chubby!P-boy for this job?

Let's find out...

We're-all-in-this-together regards,

Beefro 👌🥩💜

Chubby!Frankie - 9/10

Of course, our resident military snugglepuss would be ready to take orders. Need supplies? Text him a picture of what tampon/pad combo you want. Don’t feel like cooking? He already knows he’s in for a few days of take out and he’s not complaining. Want comfort? Already has plans to cuddle on the couch and his big body is JUST RIGHT for warm snuggles. Frankie is ready to take on your period and has a strategy for every variable and Is the ideal candidate for the job.

Chubby!Dieter - 7/10

While he may lack in empathy, he has the drugs you need to quell your pain. Uppers, downers, side-to-siders - he's got the gambit and he'll partake what ever you choose. He's also got every take out restaurant on speed dial and a private chef. It's not for everyone and some of his remedies might be questionable, but his heart is in the right place... that and he's a human heating pad.

Chubby!Joel - 7/10

He's done this before - had multiple female partners, had the teenage daughter. Periods are just a part of life and Joel has seen his fair share of blood before (periods or not). Unphased, he's be your matter-of-fact pillar to lean on and offer advise (unsolicited and otherwise). While you love the support, the know-it-all attitude he carries might get on your nerves, but he's quick to apologize and remain supportive in any way he can... while also telling you what to do as he gives you one hell of a backrub.

Chubby!Peña - 6/10

Probably the most uncomfortable with any talk about your 'monthly', he would be supportive albeit a bit clueless. He'd probably get either Connie or one of the other girls in the office to pick up supplies and he'd nervously look at you like a beaten puppy as you sit doubled over on the couch in pain. He'd eventually find a system to help, but it would take a lot of guidance. Perk? You'd get to watch him stress eat over the whole situation.

Chubby!Dave - 3/10

100% out of his wheel house. This is a woman's issue and Dave is not a woman, therefore it's not his issue. Tell him what you need, but don't expect support beyond a pat on the head and a kiss. He might give you a good pain killer if he's feeling sympathetic. You're better to keep your period stuff to yourself, according to Dave. He does get a mark deducted for being terrible at sharing his snack hoard with you.

Dark!Frankie - 0/10

As much as he'd like to think he's great at everything, this is an area that requires empathy. Unfortunately for you, unless the solution to your monthly woes is fucking him or cooking for him, BigFish is out of ideas. He doesn't want to see you in pain though, and he'll tell you that... less to offer comfort and more like an order for you to get in line... The only way it could be worse is if you had to deal with PORP.

Honorable Mentions:

Benny Miller: We'd all be so lucky to have a Benny. We see how he is with Honey (when his good intentions come out wrong.) Chubby!Jack Daniels: Not yet part of the Bistro, but maybe soon? I think you're right, Redy - this old, fat cowboy would be heaven sent. Chubby!Javi G: If he was a Cannon P-Boy, he'd clock a 58/10 on the scale. Homeboy's love language is MADE for dealing withy your period.

[usafphantom2]

He Fell from an SR-71 at 78,000ft! #shorts youtube.com/shorts/2ZMMrna… via @YouTube

DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF TESTING FOR THE LEGENDARY SR-71 BLACKBIRD, THERE WERE SOME HARROWING MISHAPS, THE DETAILS OF WHICH HAVE RARELY COME TO LIGHT.

ON JANUARY 25, 1966, TEST PILOT BILL WEAVER AND LOCKHEED FLIGHT TEST RECONNAISSANCE AND NAVIGATION SYSTEMS SPECIALIST JIM ZWAYER EXPERIENCED THEIR PLANE VANISHING AROUND THEM WHILE EXECUTING A TURN… AT MORE THAN 2,400 MILES PER HOUR.

The most memorable flight occurred on Jan. 25, 1966. Jim Zwayer, a Lockheed flight test reconnaissance and navigation systems specialist, and I were evaluating those systems on an SR-71 Blackbird test from Edwards AFB, Calif. We also were investigating procedures designed to reduce trim drag and improve high-Mach cruise performance. The latter involved flying with the center-of-gravity (CG) located further aft than normal, which reduced the Blackbird’s longitudinal stability.

We took off from Edwards at 11:20 a.m. and completed the mission’s first leg without incident. After refueling from a KC-135 tanker, we turned eastbound, accelerated to a Mach 3.2 cruise speed, and climbed to 78,000 ft., our initial cruise-climb altitude.

Several minutes into the cruise, the right engine inlet’s automatic control system malfunctioned, requiring a switch to manual control. The SR-71’s inlet configuration was automatically adjusted during supersonic flight to decelerate airflow in the duct, slowing it to subsonic speed before reaching the engine’s face. This was accomplished by the inlet’s center-body spike translating aft, and by modulating the inlet’s forward bypass doors. Normally, these actions were scheduled automatically as a function of Mach number, positioning the normal shock wave (where air flow becomes subsonic) inside the inlet to ensure optimum engine performance.

Without proper scheduling, disturbances inside the inlet could result in the shock wave being expelled forward–a phenomenon known as an “inlet unstart.”

The ejection seat had never left the airplane; I had been ripped out of it by the extreme forces, seat belt, and shoulder harness still fastened.

“Can I help you?” a voice said. Did I hear things? I must be hallucinating. Then I looked up and saw a guy walking toward me, wearing a cowboy hat. A helicopter was idling a short distance behind him. If I had been at Edwards and told the search-and-rescue unit that I would bail out over the Rogers Dry Lake at a particular time, a crew couldn’t have gotten to me as fast as that cowboy pilot had.

The gentleman was Albert Mitchell, Jr., owner of a vast cattle ranch in northeastern New Mexico. I had landed about 1.5 mi. from his ranch house–and from a hangar for his two-place Hughes helicopter

Bill Weaver was an SR 71 test flight pilot; he survived the crash. There were problems with the Faceplate on his helmet that needed to be corrected.. At 80,000 feet the temperature outside is -65��. Which is near the maximum altitude of a potential bail-out.

Bill Weaver was unable to see out of his face plate because of the ice buildup. An ejection out of the world's fastest man-breathing airplane is scary enough but not being able to see is terrifying!

@Habubrats71 via X TAP ARROW BUTTON BELOW TO VIEW 😋👇

His face plate was frozen. The result of this accident a heated face plate was manufactured, that required a battery pack and that worked.

There were several more accidents over the next 20+ years and all of the Air Force officers would survived their ejections. The only unfortunate death occurred to a test pilot who broke his neck.. Mitchell said he’d check on Jim. He climbed into his helicopter, flew a short distance away and returned about 10 min. later with devastating news: Jim was dead. Apparently, he had suffered a broken neck during the aircraft’s disintegration and was killed instantly. Mitchell said his ranch foreman would soon arrive to watch over Jim’s body until the authorities arrived. #HABUBRATS

@Habubrats71 via X