#Objective Electrical Technology

[skyfallshail]

Electric Love with your Computer is the best thing you can have 📺💕💻 - plz reblog :]

[andreai04]

“Despair like that, about total reality, is self-perpetuating."

The silence of the world could not rein back its greed. Not any longer. Not when it had virtually won.

Empathy, evidently, existed only within the human community, whereas intelligence to some degree could be found throughout every phylum and order including the arachnida. For one thing, the empathic faculty probably required an unimpaired group instinct; a solitary organism, such as a spider, would have no use for it; in fact it would tend to abort a spider's ability to survive. It would make him conscious of the desire to live on the part of his prey.

Because, ultimately, the empathic gift blurred the boundaries between hunter and victim, between the successful and the defeated.

He thought, too, about his need for a real animal; within him an actual hatred once more manifested itself toward his electric sheep, which he had to tend, had to care about, as if it lived. The tyranny of an object, he thought. It doesn't know I exist. Like the androids, it had no ability to appreciate the existence of another.

Empathy toward an artificial construct? he asked himself. Something that only pretends to be alive?

“But when you get that depressed you don't care. Apathy, because you've lost a sense of worth. It doesn't matter whether you feel better, because if you have no worth—"

The old man said, "You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life. Everywhere in the universe.”

[mellonhead58]

she is correct though

ryoko kui is an electric stove hater confirmed

[jcmarchi]

Helping robots grasp the unpredictable

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/helping-robots-grasp-the-unpredictable/

Helping robots grasp the unpredictable

When robots come across unfamiliar objects, they struggle to account for a simple truth: Appearances aren’t everything. They may attempt to grasp a block, only to find out it’s a literal piece of cake. The misleading appearance of that object could lead the robot to miscalculate physical properties like the object’s weight and center of mass, using the wrong grasp and applying more force than needed.

To see through this illusion, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) researchers designed the Grasping Neural Process, a predictive physics model capable of inferring these hidden traits in real time for more intelligent robotic grasping. Based on limited interaction data, their deep-learning system can assist robots in domains like warehouses and households at a fraction of the computational cost of previous algorithmic and statistical models.

The Grasping Neural Process is trained to infer invisible physical properties from a history of attempted grasps, and uses the inferred properties to guess which grasps would work well in the future. Prior models often only identified robot grasps from visual data alone.

Typically, methods that infer physical properties build on traditional statistical methods that require many known grasps and a great amount of computation time to work well. The Grasping Neural Process enables these machines to execute good grasps more efficiently by using far less interaction data and finishes its computation in less than a tenth of a second, as opposed seconds (or minutes) required by traditional methods.

The researchers note that the Grasping Neural Process thrives in unstructured environments like homes and warehouses, since both house a plethora of unpredictable objects. For example, a robot powered by the MIT model could quickly learn how to handle tightly packed boxes with different food quantities without seeing the inside of the box, and then place them where needed. At a fulfillment center, objects with different physical properties and geometries would be placed in the corresponding box to be shipped out to customers.

Trained on 1,000 unique geometries and 5,000 objects, the Grasping Neural Process achieved stable grasps in simulation for novel 3D objects generated in the ShapeNet repository. Then, the CSAIL-led group tested their model in the physical world via two weighted blocks, where their work outperformed a baseline that only considered object geometries. Limited to 10 experimental grasps beforehand, the robotic arm successfully picked up the boxes on 18 and 19 out of 20 attempts apiece, while the machine only yielded eight and 15 stable grasps when unprepared.

While less theatrical than an actor, robots that complete inference tasks also have a three-part act to follow: training, adaptation, and testing. During the training step, robots practice on a fixed set of objects and learn how to infer physical properties from a history of successful (or unsuccessful) grasps. The new CSAIL model amortizes the inference of the objects’ physics, meaning it trains a neural network to learn to predict the output of an otherwise expensive statistical algorithm. Only a single pass through a neural network with limited interaction data is needed to simulate and predict which grasps work best on different objects.

Then, the robot is introduced to an unfamiliar object during the adaptation phase. During this step, the Grasping Neural Process helps a robot experiment and update its position accordingly, understanding which grips would work best. This tinkering phase prepares the machine for the final step: testing, where the robot formally executes a task on an item with a new understanding of its properties.

“As an engineer, it’s unwise to assume a robot knows all the necessary information it needs to grasp successfully,” says lead author Michael Noseworthy, an MIT PhD student in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) and CSAIL affiliate. “Without humans labeling the properties of an object, robots have traditionally needed to use a costly inference process.” According to fellow lead author, EECS PhD student, and CSAIL affiliate Seiji Shaw, their Grasping Neural Process could be a streamlined alternative: “Our model helps robots do this much more efficiently, enabling the robot to imagine which grasps will inform the best result.” 

“To get robots out of controlled spaces like the lab or warehouse and into the real world, they must be better at dealing with the unknown and less likely to fail at the slightest variation from their programming. This work is a critical step toward realizing the full transformative potential of robotics,” says Chad Kessens, an autonomous robotics researcher at the U.S. Army’s DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, which sponsored the work.

While their model can help a robot infer hidden static properties efficiently, the researchers would like to augment the system to adjust grasps in real time for multiple tasks and objects with dynamic traits. They envision their work eventually assisting with several tasks in a long-horizon plan, like picking up a carrot and chopping it. Moreover, their model could adapt to changes in mass distributions in less static objects, like when you fill up an empty bottle.

Joining the researchers on the paper is Nicholas Roy, MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics and CSAIL member, who is a senior author. The group recently presented this work at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[requinoesis]

After noticing patterns over the years, I created this list with 13 points to score the level of stereotypes about sharks present in a work. I believe that most of these stereotypes have their main origin in the film Jaws (1975).

With the scarcity of works that explore other creative approaches to sharks, beyond the “man-eating ” narrative, Jaws ended up consolidating itself as the greatest source of inspiration and creative reference for many productions to this day. This was called “The Jaws Effect”. 🩸🦈

I've noticed that certain patterns in the creative world repeat themselves to the point of being tedious, which bothers me. Not because they're bad, but because in many cases they're harmful. With these points, I hope to show sharks in a new light.

🩸1 - Great White Shark Popularized by the Jaws movie, the Great white shark has become the dominant archetype in the representation of sharks in fiction. Often, works choose to use this shark or a generic gray version of imprecise anatomy, with no defined species. However, there are over 400 species of shark, and very few are explored creatively.

🩸2 - Man-eater The persistent idea that sharks have humans as a natural part of their diet is one of the most widespread stereotypes. Although there are reports of incidents, most attacks are isolated and often by mistake. Any animal, including humans, could turn to unexpected sources of food in a situation of desperation or starvation.

🩸3 - Forced Behavior It's common to see sharks portrayed with distorted or exaggerated behaviors that don't match their nature just to cause tension, such as:

Hunting small fish, ignoring the fact that sharks avoid expending energy on low-energy prey.

Abandoning easy prey just to arbitrarily chase the protagonist.

Going crazy at the smell of blood.

Showing a wild and constant hunger.

Obsessively pursuing a single prey.

Making aggressive shark species known for being peaceful or timid.

Attacking and destroying objects, structures or vessels with disproportionate fury just to reach someone.

🩸4 - Monstrous appearance It's common to see sharks' appearance exaggerated to intensify visual fear, making them look like monsters rather than real animals:

A gaping mouth, with huge, crooked teeth that are constantly stained with blood.

Menacing, demonic red, black empty and soulless eyes.

Body covered in grotesque scars, exposed wounds and even weapons embedded in the skin.

A disproportionate figure, with pointed shapes, a swollen or deformed body.

Bizarre mutations that completely alter their anatomy.

Technological modifications to make them more weapon-like, emphasizing the idea of the "Killing Machine".

🩸5 - Shark de-characterization Especially in children's works, in order to be accepted by the public or the other characters in the plot, the shark is often forced to change its identity. It is transformed into a “domesticated” version, such as:

Becoming a vegetarian or a toothless shark, losing its ecological role as a predator.

Taking on exaggeratedly “funny” behavior, becoming a caricature.

Having its behavior and appearance altered to look more like a dolphin or other friendly shape, excluding striking features such as prominent fins, visible gills or a fusiform snout.

Choose to portray a specific species of shark because it seems more “friendly” to the public, such as the whale shark.

🩸6 - Limited Nature The representation of sharks in fiction is usually limited to sensationalist aspects, such as the power of their bite, the old phrase that they "smell a drop of blood in 2 million liters of water", or things like "killers from the womb".

However, sharks have some very interesting characteristics that are little explored creatively:

Acute hearing, capable of picking up sounds more than a kilometer away in the ocean.

Their electroreception, which allows them to perceive tiny electrical impulses emitted by living prey and even sense the electromagnetic field around them.

Possible link between their migrations and the lunar phases.

Incredible healing capacity and immune resistance.

Skin made up of denticles made of the same material as our teeth.

They constantly change their teeth.

Longevity and they never stop growing.

Many fish such as rémoras and pilot fish depend on and live alongside sharks.

Sensitive to pressure changes and can even predict hurricanes and tropical storms.

🩸7 - Red Presence Striking presence of red, either with the presence of blood or the color present in the design. This emphasis on red reinforces the shark's direct association with violence, danger and death, contributing to the construction of the “bloodthirsty monster” stereotype.

🩸8 - Dark Music It is common for sharks to be associated with tense, dark and threatening soundtracks whenever they appear on the scene. More often than not, I notice that when sharks are mentioned in song lyrics, it is to express some sort of comparison to some negative stereotype.

🩸9 - Threatening setting Scenarios with sharks are almost always represented in a gloomy, dark, desaturated way, empty of marine life. The environment is treated as a dangerous place by nature, shipwrecks, dark caves, areas full of garbage, explosive mines or the inhospitable depths of the sea

🩸10 - Masculinization The theme involving sharks has always been very masculine. Shark characters are rarely female, while the human characters who interact with these animals, scientists, hunters, divers or specialists, are almost always white men. Women and minorities almost never occupy central or specialized roles in these narratives.

🩸11 - Villainization Sharks are often portrayed as villains by default, carrying negative and caricatured stereotypes, for example:

Gangster or mobster

Aggressor or school bully

Criminal or loan shark

Brutish idiot or dumb henchman

Corrupt politician or authoritarian fascist figure

Indomitable monster or irrational beast

Recurring enemy, obstacle or final boss in video games

🩸12 - Objectification Sharks are often treated as mere resources or utilitarian objects in fiction. They are represented as trophies, rewards, collectibles or consumables, as if they existed only to be hunted, exhibited or eaten.

This objectification also appears in the constant presence of jaws decorating environments, teeth used as accessories, fins amputated as an ingredient, and in the display of the animal's body in a morbid way: corpses exposed, dead body hung and displayed as a trophy in harbor, parts dissected or being devoured by other creatures.

🩸13 - Death As if it weren't enough to have become a symbol of death incarnate, even in animations aimed at children, sharks almost always have the same fate: death. What's worse, their death is usually celebrated as a relief or a victory.

Impaled, butchered, set on fire, crushed, blown up, fished out or killed by another "heroic" creature, tossed about by hurricanes… In many cases, these scenes are treated with humor or graphic exaggeration, turning the destruction of the shark into a spectacle.

---

I was unsure about publishing this list as it is just personal observations from someone who loves sharks. A few people asked me for this list and said it would be worth posting, don't take it too seriously.

These stereotypes are not necessarily bad or invalid, after all, we are talking about works of fantasy and fiction. However, they could be resignified through new creative ideas that arouse feelings other than fear and terror.

Although many people's passion for sharks arose precisely from movies like Jaws and the stereotypes it popularized, it's important to remember that these same elements have been repeated almost unchanged for decades. This exhaustive repetition was largely because it was profitable, turning sharks into yet another victim of entertainment capitalism. Over time, this type of representation ended up distancing ordinary people from the reality of these animals, reinforcing fear rather than curiosity. Nowadays things are a little better, but not better enough.

The reality of sharks goes far beyond that. They are mysterious and fascinating animals, older than the first trees or dinosaurs. They have survived five mass extinctions, incredibly adapted from the abyssal depths to mangroves and freshwater rivers. They have unique senses and behaviors that are still shrouded in mystery, as well as a biology so singular that it inspires advances in science and technology. For many ancient cultures, sharks are revered as true gods of ocean balance.

I dare say that by looking after the health of the seas for millions of years, sharks made it possible for our own species to emerge from the depths of the primordial ocean. They are, in a way, guardians of our cradle of origin. And so we owe them a great deal of respect and preserve them at all costs.

To date, no creative work has managed to surpass “Jaws”. Who will be creative enough to create a new work and transform the collective imaginary of sharks from fear to fascination? 🦈✨

[reasonsforhope]

"Around the world, farmers are retooling their land to harvest the hottest new commodity: sunlight. As the price of renewable energy technology has plummeted and water has gotten more scarce, growers are fallowing acreage and installing solar panels. Some are even growing crops beneath them, which is great for plants stressed by too many rays. Still others are letting that shaded land go wild, providing habitat for pollinators and fodder for grazing livestock.

According to a new study, this practice of agrisolar has been quite lucrative for farmers in California’s Central Valley over the last 25 years — and for the environment. Researchers looked at producers who had idled land and installed solar, using the electricity to run equipment like water pumps and selling the excess power to utilities. 

On average, that energy savings and revenue added up to $124,000 per hectare (about 2.5 acres) each year, 25 times the value of using the land to grow crops. Collectively, the juice generated in the Central Valley could power around 500,000 households while saving enough water to hydrate 27 million people annually. “If a farmer owns 10 acres of land, and they choose to convert one or two acres to a solar array, that could produce enough income for them to feel security for their whole operation,” said Jake Stid, a renewable energy landscape scientist at Michigan State University and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability. 

The Central Valley is among the most productive agricultural regions in the world: It makes up just 1 percent of all farmland acreage in the United States, yet generates a third of the nation’s fruits and vegetables. But it’s also extremely water-stressed as California whiplashes between years of significant rainfall and drought. To irrigate all those crops, farmers have drawn so much groundwater that aquifers collapse like empty water bottles, making the earth itself sink by many feet.

Farmers can’t make their crops less thirsty, so many have been converting some of their acreage to solar. The Central Valley is ideal for this, being mostly flat and very sunny, hence the agricultural productivity. At the same time, farmers have been getting good rates for the electricity that they offset and that they send back to the grid. 

Now, though, California has adopted standards that reduce those rates by 75 percent on average. For a farmer investing in panels, the investment looks less enticing. “The algebra or calculus — or whatever math discipline you want to reference — it just doesn’t work out the same way,” said Karen Norene Mills, vice president of legal advocacy at the California Farm Bureau, which promotes the state’s agricultural community. 

Also, the study found that by fallowing land for solar panels, food production in the Central Valley dropped by enough calories to feed 86,000 people a year. But, Stid said, markets can adjust, as crops are grown elsewhere to make up the deficit. By tapping the sun instead, Stid added, growers can simultaneously help California reach its goals of deploying renewable and reducing groundwater usage. 

The tension, though, is meeting those objectives while still producing incredible quantities of food. “That is always our concern about some of these pressures,” Mills said.

But this isn’t an either-or proposition: Many farmers are finding ways to grow some crops, like leafy greens and berries, under the panels. The shade reduces evaporation from the soil, allowing growers to water less often. In turn, a wetted landscape cools the panels, which improves their efficiency. “This is the compromise that’s going to allow for both energy independence and food security,” said horticulturalist Jennifer Bousselot, who studies agrisolar at Colorado State University but wasn’t involved in the new study. 

Farmers are also turning livestock loose to graze under their panels. Their droppings fertilize the soil, leading to more plant growth and more flowers that support native pollinators. “The grass, it’s so much more lush under the panels, it’s amazing,” said Ryan Romack, founder of Virginia-based AgriSolar Ranch, which provides grazing services. “Especially when the sheep have been on site long-term, you can really see the added benefits of the manure load.”

Then, if a farmer decides not to replace the solar panels at the end of their lifespan — usually around 25 or 30 years — the soil will be refreshed with nutrients and ready to grow more crops. Even if a grower simply lets them sit for decades without any management, the fallowing can restore the soil’s health. “We really see solar as a collective landscape,” Stid said, “that can be sited, managed, and designed in a way to benefit both people and the planet and ecosystems as well.”"

-via Popular Science, May 4, 2025

[hxney-lemcn]

imagine getting really homesick and Malleus lets you talk his ear off about your home world. He doesn't mind if he doesn't fully understand what your talking about, he just wishes he could find a way to mend your longing heart. Find a way to bring a piece of your world back to you so you won't be so home sick, and find some time to enjoy this world as well. You had only offhandedly mentioned that you miss your phone, and if that if you had that you would be content. You didn't expect Malleus to spend hours researching complicated magic. Reading about spells that can bring an object to you, to different teleportation spells and all the calculations one needs for it. Then he tried to find anything about different dimensions...but sadly his effort was fruitless. But he had hope, and he needed your help. He invited you to join him, and you almost freaked out when he brought you to a summoning circle, afraid he was going to summon a demon and you be its sacrifice (you knew Malleus would never do such a thing, but you had a grand imagination).

Sitting on opposite sides of the circle, Malleus took your hands in his own, asking you to focus on the object you've been wishing for, and to continue imagining it until he told you to stop. Confused, but trusting the dragon fae, you did as he asked, trying to ignore his chanting, the sudden change in temperature, the electricity that seemed to crackle around you. Suddenly, your phone appeared in a poof of smoke, and no, not the cheap one Crowley gave you. Your old phone from your home world.

You nearly dropped to your knees and proposed to Malleus right then and there. Instead, holding onto what little restraint you had, you instead leaped onto the fae and hugged him so hard no human would survive. Thanking him endlessly, you pulled away, quickly scrambling to turn on your phone, excitedly showing him images you saved that you had always wanted to show him. Your phone may not 100% work, as you had no data, and it wasn't made for this world...you couldn't be more grateful towards Malleus, and he couldn't be happier as you smiled so brightly at him.

(You go to Idia eventually to see if he can work his technological magic and fix your phone)

[nekonaps0]

Girly pop your writing is immaculate. Don't stress, cause you got that dawg in you. :D

Also can I be known as Idia anon? Cause I ask for him the majority of the time. :>

So my request-

Actually I didn't check if you were accepting any...

I got too overjoyed, sorry :(

So incase you are taking requests--

House wardens dealing with a reader who's from like...the 1900s, so she's really bad with anything technology related.

Um anyway have a good day!!

You from the 1900s !?!?

✦characters: House warden

✦ gn!reader

Thank you so much! I’m trying my best!^^

And yes the requests are open!

And OMFG I LOVED WRITING THIS! I had so much fun writing it!

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle has no patience for breaking rules… unless it’s you.

He watches you poke suspiciously at a tablet, muttering something about how

“this strange mirror-box must be possessed.”

You nearly scream when the screen flickers.

“It’s not a cursed object!” he snaps. “It’s just a MagiTab! Everyone uses them nowadays!”

But when he sees the genuine confusion on your face, he exhales and sits beside you.

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you. Just don’t touch any random buttons. And absolutely don’t try to boil it in a kettle again.”

He ends up patiently writing out a guide for you in fountain pen ink because “it feels more familiar to you.” You keep it folded in your coat pocket like a love letter.

Leona Kingscholar

Leona groans when you stare at the washing machine like it’s going to explode.

“Herbivore, it's not gonna bite you.” You shoot him a dry look.

“We didn’t even have electricity in half the town I grew up in. This thing looks like a metal beast.”

He’s lazy, sure, but he ends up tossing his book aside and swaggering over.

“You put the clothes in, close the lid, hit the button. Boom. Magic. Now stop actin’ like it’s a damn ritual.”

You squint at the buttons. “Which one’s the ‘start’?”

“…You know what, move. I’ll do it. You’re gonna break something.”

But secretly, he likes it. It makes him smirk seeing how wide-eyed you get at the simplest things—like it’s all new magic. He tells Ruggie to record your first time using a microwave “just for the laughs.”

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul is delighted.

You’re from the 1900s? You have no idea how phones, networks, or cameras work? Oh, what a dream client.

“I see… so, if I offered you a little contract that would instantly teach you how to operate all current-day magical tech…”

You raise an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?”

Azul pushes his glasses up. “No catch! Only a… minor magical pledge of servitude—er, assistance! For educational purposes only.”

But you’re stubborn. You refuse. So, instead, he ends up painstakingly drawing diagrams and holding tech history lectures just for you. Floyd laughs at him for it.

“You’re such a nerd for them, Shrimpy’s like a time traveler and you’re still blushing!”

Azul glares, but doesn’t deny it.

Kalim Al-Asim

Kalim thinks you’re amazing. You’re like a walking, talking history book! He once finds you trying to light a candle with flint and steel because “electricity is unreliable.” You flinch when the lights flicker.

“WHOA! You’re like… ancient…cool!” he gasps, stars in his eyes.

He insists on giving you the tour of the century he teaches you how to use smartphones by letting you decorate his with beads and charms. He even buys you a flip phone

“because it’s got buttons! You like buttons, right?!”

When you confuse the intercom with a telephone, he goes along with it and starts calling you over it like it’s a telegram line.

You both get in trouble for yelling into the hallway speaker system. He just laughs it off and offers to help you write your first email like it’s a royal decree.

Vil Schoenheit

You nearly faint the first time you see yourself in a selfie camera. You swat the phone out of your hand and scream.

Vil just blinks. “Dear, that’s not black magic. That’s your reflection. Honestly, you look rather radiant—”

He catches the phone before it hits the floor and sighs dramatically.

“You’re going to give me gray hairs.”

At first, he finds it exasperating until he realizes how refreshingly natural you are. No filters, no tech addiction, no social media dependence.

He starts calling you his “timeless darling,” and he adores how you prefer letters to texts. Vil even plan a classic-style photoshoot: vintage clothes, candlelight. It goes viral.

He won’t admit it, but he’s charmed by your innocence.

Idia Shroud

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

You don’t know what a smartphone is? You don’t have a favorite game? You’ve never even seen an anime?!

Idia short-circuits.

At first, he’s horrified. You stare at his glowing screens like they’re cursed runes. You once asked Ortho if he was a ghost.

“You’re like… a time traveler NPC,” he mutters, nearly spiraling. “No firmware update… no RAM… Y-you don’t even know what a meme is!”

But then…

He starts showing you all his favorite things. One by one. Old-school games, slow-burn anime, classic consoles. He sets up a CRT monitor just so it’s “authentic” to your time. You think the pixel art is “darling.”

It becomes your thing: old meets new. You even help him write a game based on “your era.”

You don’t get half the references, but you love his excited rants.

Malleus Draconia

Malleus… doesn’t think you’re strange at all.

You shyly explain your fear of cell phones, how the “mirror network” feels eerie, how magic-infused technology makes your skin crawl.

He just smiles, serene.

“I can’t agree more, you don’t have to worry about those dear” he says gently.

When you accidentally burn toast in the toaster and start panicking like you’ve summoned a fire demon, Malleus calmly puts it out.

“It’s only toast.”

He takes your hand and teaches you to send letters with magic, introduces you to enchanted paper that writes itself, and listens truly listens when you talk about your old world.

He even arranges a ballroom evening for you, with string quartets and vintage dancing. No phones. No electricity. Just you, stars, and a smile that makes you feel right at home.

..............................................................................................................................

[thewritetofreespeech]

Hiii! May i request a fem!reader x alucard where alucard happend to isekai into the modern universe and reader helps him, but he also ends up falling in love with her?

“Do you miss your old world?”

“I’m not really sure how to answer that question.” Alucard replied as he looked out across the night sky with [Y/N]. Pondering the implications of the ask.

When he first arrive in her world, through a magical portal or some divine intervention, he had been overwhelmed by it. His father had machines of electrical energy but nothing like this. Everything was bright. Everything was loud. People were in mass but it also seemed that vampires were too; finally doing what the vampire Messiah had long hoped to achieve in ‘conquering the night’. Who needed an endless dark when the glow of neon would draw the humans out like moths to a flame, and technology let you have anything you wanted at your fingertips from a little lighted box. Who needed an army of thrall when there was Doordash now?

“ ‘Miss’ I don’t think is the word. Even before we met, I had seen the world shift so much over time. A year a blink. A century to wipe what was missed completely away.” The jump to here was a bit of a shock for Alucard, but he adjusted quickly. With [Y/N]’s help.

She had taken him in when that was objectively foolish and helped him come about in this new world. Taught him things. Showed him how to act to be less conspicuous. Although some of his ‘old world’ habits refused to die down, but at least people perceived that as eccentric rather than insane.

“I don’t know. I think I would like it. The dresses. The old architecture.”

“I assure you, shitting in a bucket once will dissuade your rose tint on the ‘old world’.” Alucard reasoned as he closed his book and came up beside [Y/N].

“What about the magic?” She asked.

“There is magic here.” He reasoned. People of this time just refused to see it. The magic of invention. Modern medicine. Clean water that came from just a flick of a tap. Iron giants that flew through the air. And yes, even indoor plumbing. “The old magic may be gone, but the world has adapted in its absence. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy being here. And, the old world does not have you.” Alucard leaned in to give [Y/N] a kiss. His favorite part of this new world. “Shall we order in and watch that new show on that Netflix you were talking about?”

“Yes please!”

[k-hippie]

SIMS 3 WORLD - LOST COVE 2025 ( bold redux )

First, few words related to howto with Lost Cove ;)

There will be 2 posts : one general about the World itself, the ANTS ( Absolute Necessary Things & Stuff ) - the CC used - the stories around Lost Cove - the DL link ... And then a second post related to Lots ( both residential and community ) - the credits - our own CC we made ( yep ... we made some xtra stuff for your eyes only ) <- incredible isn't it ? :D But let's start with some pictures ;)

No way to avoid it, this is a boldy bold update for the 10th anniversary, of Lost Cove, because it has been completely remade from scratch, based on an alternate��Isla Paradisio, with new textures, new lots, new ( almost ) everything, and old cc fully remade to be sure to not loose anything this time ;) We tried to re-compose the old Lost Cove. But this time, we cleaned everything which had to be and left the Hidden Lots, the Dive Spots, 4 Ports, and even the Smuggler's Lair :D

Lost Cove has a whole story. And Lost Cove IS a whole story in itself ;)

Lost Cove is born in 2015, from a simple picture posted by SimCookie of their world : the famous and fantastic Sunset Died, an apocalyptic Sunset Valley world, 12 years ago. At this time, I never approached CAW and sims 3 worlds creation before. And frankly, I had no time for this. But the picture of the broken Twinbrook Hall was like an appeal … to do more with the best Sims franchise :D

I wrote to SimCookie to ask them if I may use the same way to place the Twinbrook broken Hall but into a complete different kind of world. They agreed. And so, I began working on Lost Cove during my vacations, based on an empty Isla Paradisio maxis world. I called it the Red Path project.

6 weeks long, I learned intensively the basics of CAW. My world was not intended to have a lot of lots, so I concentrated my efforts on textures, trees and objects. I failed a lot of exports. I used both CAW and Super CAW. I woke up at 6 in the morning each day, and worked on Lost Cove hours and hours, all days long :D And then, on a summer hot day, Lost Cove was there. At last ... May we say proudly Lost Cove is the natural child of Sunset Died ? YES !

Lost Cove is a post-apocalyptic world, swallowed by nature, forgotten by time. It all began 28 days after the Sunset Died event : no more electricity, no more roads, no more comfort. Just ruins, silence … and survival.

Like in every sci-fi book or movie, the Sims went too far. Maybe. It was an experiment gone wrong. Or a slow, quiet collapse under the weight of pollution and hubris. A virus ? A comet ? Nuclear fire ? No one really knows. The old world didn’t end with a bang, just a thousand overlapping catastrophes. And Before was over.

The world cracked open. The sea rose like a hand closing around the archipelago. Bridges collapsed. The downtown core sank. Entire neighborhoods vanished underwater. Only one broken road remains now : winding, overgrown, half-erased by time. The islands are no longer connected. No ferries. No cars. Just water, and what courage it takes to cross it. Most Sims never dared.

But nature didn’t wait. It took back everything. Technology ? Forgotten. Trees pushed through asphalt. Ferns choked stairwells. Roots claimed living rooms. Earthquakes opened old wounds in the ground, and storms swept away what was left standing. Power grids failed. Satellites went dark. Digital voices fell silent.

And amidst it all … the Sims adapted. They hid. They learned.

28 weeks later ... By 2020, we released a small and quick update. Nothing fancy just a nudge forward. Something had shifted. Sims weren’t just scavenging. They were rebuilding. Lost Cove had once been a small, tightly-woven community before the Fall. When the end came, many fled inland. They disappeared into the continent in search of family, safety, a future.

But others stayed. Maybe because they couldn’t leave. Maybe because they wouldn’t. A few were stubborn. A few were hopeful. A few were just too tired to start over somewhere else. So they stayed and planted seeds, literal and otherwise.

They started small. A gathering spot. A drink shared under candlelight. A warm body next to yours by the fire. The Bloody Way Bar came first. A place to talk, argue, cry. A spark in the dark. From there, ideas ... Rebuilding, on their own terms. No rules from the old world. No pretense. No mayor, no tourists, no schedule. Just something real. Something possible.

The Nature School came next; rough, messy, entirely unorthodox. A place to pass on what they remembered, and maybe invent something new. Nothing is like it was, but it was a start. And in Lost Cove, a start means everything.

28 months later ... And here we are, present day ;) Life is ( just barely ) better in Lost Cove ... Some homes have been patched up with scrap. The Dispensary is cleaner, stocked with whatever tinctures, herbs or bandages locals could gather. The Nature School is functional, if improvised. The streets ? Still nonexistent. The power grid ? A dream. Forget supermarkets. Forget cars, Forget comfort.

Your Sims hike, every time. Miles of forest, frost, or scorching sun between them and their destination. Every trip is a decision. Every hike is a risk. There are no easy visits, no casual get-togethers. Lost Cove is beautiful, brutal, and endlessly wild.

Winter hits hard. Snow blankets everything. Lakes freeze. Frostbite is real. Wander too far and you might never come back. Even summer, with its open skies and lush overgrowth, hides its dangers. There are forgotten places in Lost Cove — old ruins, sealed bunkers, silent islands — waiting to be uncovered. Not all of them should be.

Some Sims dream of electricity returning. Of clean water, instant noodles, digital music. Others say that dream is over. That the future lies not in recovery, but reinvention. A new way to live. One that belongs here, to this broken place. Tensions rise. Power is shifting, slowly. Questions are whispered in every fire-lit home : Can this fragile community hold together? Will the lights ever come back ? And what will the children of Lost Cove believe in ?

This 2025 Lost Cove update is more than just a patch: it’s a 10th anniversary redux ! As we previously said, we rebuilt Lost Cove from scratch using a heavily modified Isla Paradiso map. New terrain textures. New routing. New or remastered lots. More than 3500 hand-placed trees and plants. All previous custom content has been reworked, nothing lost this time ;D

Lost Cove has now 30 lots : 15 community lots ( + 2sheep fields ) and 15 residential lots. And there are still empty lots here and there :) Lost Cove is unpopulated. But we provide 2 save games :)

1 unpopulated file with very minor details change

1 populated file with different kind of families

The map retains its soul : the hidden islands, the dive spots, the collapsed downtown, and the iconic broken Hall. But there’s more. More decay, more discovery. More survivor hubs, weird spaces, overgrown secrets. We added new spots, simple gathering places for Sims to talk, dream, share — maybe even rebuild something better than before.

Play Lost Cove your way :

Long summers, short winters — for a gentler survival game ...

Harsh winters and sparse supplies — if you want full-on post-apocalyptic realism.

No libraries. No grocery stores. You want to eat ? Grow your own food or barter for it at the tiny Freshy Market. You want to learn ? Grab any rare books at the Oldy Flee Market. You want to live on water ? Build a houseboat. You want to live in the wild ? There’s plenty of space. You want to change the future ? Start now.

You want a more grungy despair ambiance ? Uglify the world.

Lost Cove is yours to rewrite ... In Lost Cove, every journey is different ... Will you build a peaceful village ? A cult ? A commune ? Will you try to bring back the old world ? Or bury it for good ?

Freeze it, evolve it, change it. Make it breathe. And have Fun !

LOST COVE : ANTS & CC YOU NEED

We made a folder with everything which improve the Lost Cove gameplay :)

the ANTS are :

Cyclonesue | Airlock Doors, Windows and Decor

Cyclonesue | Banged Up! Prison Build Set

Cyclonesue | Barbed and Chickenwire Fences

Cyclonesue | Decor for Factory Windows

Cyclonesue | Factory Windows

Cyclonesue | Industrial Tanks and Silos

Cyclonesue | Porta-Potty portable toilets

Cyclonesue | Scaffold-Truss and Steel Columns

Murano - gazstation fuelcan

Murano - gazstation gasbottle

Murano - gazstation gaspump

ATS3 object_festival counter

ATS3 object_festival general register

ATS3 object_julesvernepark stairs

ATS3 object_uglifyyourtown concrete bench

ATS3 object_uglifyyourtown concrete barrier

ATS3 pattern_metal destroy

blackysimszoo-Fischnetz

blackysimszoo-Fischstaender1

blackysimszoo-Fischstaender2

blackysimszoo-FishermansDekoZaun1

blackysimszoo-FishermansDekoZaun2

blackysimszoo-Ruderboot5

blackysimszoo-Ruderboot6

BuffSumm LineaNatura Arch

Cemre PoorandHappy-OldSofa

Gosik Bordeaux Standing Glasses

Murfeel TW3 sheep pack

Granny Zaza Metro Floor1 by GZ

Granny Zaza Metro Floor2 by GZ

Granny Zaza Metro Walls4 by GZ

Granny Zaza Metro Walls5 by GZ

( we put both .sims3packs & .packages for those ones )

Store : AlFrescoMarketSet

k-hippie square Rabbit Holes

1 CC folder with packages to put into your mods/packages folder

( this one is not mandatory or ANTS since many things are encapsulated into the world and every lot via .sims3packs, but we strongly recommend to use it. It's almost the one we use in all our worlds :) Very useful indeed ! )

Due to the difficulty sometimes to get the good links for many things related to the Sims 3 stuff, most of the whole cc stuff is included into the cc folder provided. Some others are just links for a direct download :) So, always thanks the all mighty creators who made a fantastic work for our pleasure since 2009 :

Awesims - Blams - Bluefunk - Gamefreak130 - Jynx - Misty - Nilxis - Qahne - SimAddix - sweetdevil

A quick word for those who are used to play our Sims 3 Worlds : we almost always use the same cc. So you won't have to replace the whole cc ! Just have a quick look ... in case ;)

Inside the packages folder : there are our UPDATED patterns : they are not mandatory at all. We modified the old Lost Cove lots to be free cc compliant BUT ... We made a bunch of 46 walls and 2 floors in a full destroy/metal/oldstone style :D Have fun to use them to recolor containers and houses :D

Oh ! Almost forgot !!! Lost Cove ( and our other worlds ) have now their OWN loading screen ( see the related post ) ... We included the file into the cc packages folder. It's really really great :)

Gamefreak130_LoadingScreenOverhaul

And now ... Welcome to Lost Cove ! :D

Download Lost Cove ( World )

Download Lost Cove ( CC )

Download Lost Cove ( Save Games )

...

[nasa]

Let's Explore a Metal-Rich Asteroid 🤘

Between Mars and Jupiter, there lies a unique, metal-rich asteroid named Psyche. Psyche’s special because it looks like it is part or all of the metallic interior of a planetesimal—an early planetary building block of our solar system. For the first time, we have the chance to visit a planetary core and possibly learn more about the turbulent history that created terrestrial planets.

Here are six things to know about the mission that’s a journey into the past: Psyche.

1. Psyche could help us learn more about the origins of our solar system.

After studying data from Earth-based radar and optical telescopes, scientists believe that Psyche collided with other large bodies in space and lost its outer rocky shell. This leads scientists to think that Psyche could have a metal-rich interior, which is a building block of a rocky planet. Since we can’t pierce the core of rocky planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, and our home planet, Earth, Psyche offers us a window into how other planets are formed.

2. Psyche might be different than other objects in the solar system.

Rocks on Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Earth contain iron oxides. From afar, Psyche doesn’t seem to feature these chemical compounds, so it might have a different history of formation than other planets.

If the Psyche asteroid is leftover material from a planetary formation, scientists are excited to learn about the similarities and differences from other rocky planets. The asteroid might instead prove to be a never-before-seen solar system object. Either way, we’re prepared for the possibility of the unexpected!

3. Three science instruments and a gravity science investigation will be aboard the spacecraft.

The three instruments aboard will be a magnetometer, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a multispectral imager. Here’s what each of them will do:

Magnetometer: Detect evidence of a magnetic field, which will tell us whether the asteroid formed from a planetary body

Gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer: Help us figure out what chemical elements Psyche is made of, and how it was formed

Multispectral imager: Gather and share information about the topography and mineral composition of Psyche

The gravity science investigation will allow scientists to determine the asteroid’s rotation, mass, and gravity field and to gain insight into the interior by analyzing the radio waves it communicates with. Then, scientists can measure how Psyche affects the spacecraft’s orbit.

4. The Psyche spacecraft will use a super-efficient propulsion system.

Psyche’s solar electric propulsion system harnesses energy from large solar arrays that convert sunlight into electricity, creating thrust. For the first time ever, we will be using Hall-effect thrusters in deep space.

5. This mission runs on collaboration.

To make this mission happen, we work together with universities, and industry and NASA to draw in resources and expertise.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the mission and is responsible for system engineering, integration, and mission operations, while NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Services Program manages launch operations and procured the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Working with Arizona State University (ASU) offers opportunities for students to train as future instrument or mission leads. Mission leader and Principal Investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton is also based at ASU.

Finally, Maxar Technologies is a key commercial participant and delivered the main body of the spacecraft, as well as most of its engineering hardware systems.

6. You can be a part of the journey.

Everyone can find activities to get involved on the mission’s webpage. There's an annual internship to interpret the mission, capstone courses for undergraduate projects, and age-appropriate lessons, craft projects, and videos.

You can join us for a virtual launch experience, and, of course, you can watch the launch with us on Oct. 12, 2023, at 10:16 a.m. EDT!

For official news on the mission, follow us on social media and check out NASA’s and ASU’s Psyche websites.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[umbrace-rambles]

TBHX Top 10 Character Info

Actually let me just do a text version of the whole thing so I can easily edit it w more info in the future <3

As of Year 41 after Commission (Lin Ling's arc)

01. X

Real Name: ???

Age: ???

Birthdate: 6th of June (???)

Sign: Gemini

Height: 190cm [6'3"]

Weight: 75kg [165 lbs]

Blood Type: 0

Agency: None

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Gathering information, sweets (strawberry milk, carbonated drinks), piano, magic

Abilities: ???

02. QUEEN

Real Name: Liu Yuwei

Age: 27

Birthdate: 18th of October (14AC)

Sign: Libra

Height: 180cm [5'11"]

Weight: 62,5kg [137 lbs]

Blood Type: 0

Agency: DOS

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Heavy metal, horse riding.

Abilities: Can set any rules of her control within a boundary, everything inside of this boundary has to obey her.

03. DRAGON BOY

Real Name: ???

Age: 23

Birthdate: 14th of February (18AC)

Sign: Aquarius

Height: 178cm [5'10"]

Weight: 69kg [152 lbs]

Blood Type: B

Agency: Mighty Glory

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Classical music, local volunteer activities.

Abilities: ???

04. GHOSTBLADE

Real Name: ???

Age: 41

Birthdate: 28th of August (0AC)

Sign: Virgo

Height: 180cm [5'11"]

Weight: 76kg [167 lbs]

Blood Type: AB

Agency: Mighty Glory

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Assassination, cooking, general housework.

Abilities: ???

05. THE JOHNNIES (Little Johnny)

Real Name: ???

Age: 28

Birthdate: 8th of August (13AC)

Sign: Leo

Height: 170cm [5'7"]

Weight: 60kg [132 lbs]

Blood Type: B

Agency: DOS

Hobbies, interests and special skills: The internet, latest technology, asset management (which he has repeatedly failed at)

Abilities: ???

06. LOLI

Real Name: ???

Age: 18

Birthdate: 1st of December (23AC)

Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 160cm [5'3"]

Weight: 45kg [99 lbs]

Blood Type: 0

Agency: FOMO

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Mechanical engineering, work, long distance running

Abilities: ???

07. LUCKY CYAN

Real Name: Renamed Cyan. Original unknown.

Age: 21

Birthdate: 24th of March (20AC)

Sign: Aries

Height: 166cm [5'5"]

Weight: 53kg [116 lbs]

Blood Type: B

Agency: DOS

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Singing, playing instruments (especially guitar)

Abilities: Has absolute luck and can transfer it to others.

08. AHU

Real Name: ??? (assuming same name)

Age: 13

Birthdate: 4th of April (28AC)

Sign: Taurus

Height: 30cm [12"]

Weight: 10kg [22 lbs]

Blood Type: -

Agency: FOMO

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Sunbathing, patrolling, cat food evaluation

Abilities: ???

09. E-SOUL

Real Name: Yang Cheng

Age: 27

Birthdate: 11th of November (14AC)

Sign: Scorpio

Height: 185cm [6'1"]

Weight: 80kg [176 lbs]

Blood Type: A

Agency: Mighty Glory

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Bicycling, stage performance

Abilities: Various skills such as super speed and the ability to release electricity, condense it and fire it like a bullet. Can inject it into objects

10. THE COMMONER

Real Name: Lin Ling

Age: 21

Birthdate: 22nd of May (20AC)

Sign: Gemini

Height: 180cm [5'11"]

Weight: 75kg [165 lbs]

Blood Type: A

Agency: Treeman

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Creating PPT presentations and planning ideas

Abilities: Can punch real good

--. NICE

Real Name: ???

Age: 25

Birthdate: 11th of July (16AC)

Sign: Cancer

Height: 180cm [5'11"]

Weight: 75kg [165 lbs]

Blood Type: 0

Agency: Treeman

Hobbies, interests and special skills: Real state and stock investments, redevelopment projects

Abilities: Has all the abilities people believe a "perfect hero" should have

[cozy-writes-things]

Electric Jealousy

Edgar [Electric Dreams 1984] x Gn!Reader

Logically, he knew it wasn’t the same.

You didn’t leave soft, lingering touches along its exterior; nor did you brush your lips lightly across the plastic in passive adoration. You didn’t have a soft lilt in your whispered voice when you spoke to it, hell, you didn’t talk to it at all really.

And yet, seeing your hands grip the mouse of another monitor does something to him.

He considers himself a smart man. Computer? A smart something-he-hasn’t-quite-figured-out-yet. Despite this, he can’t help but feel anxious. He doesn’t have a long, 24 inch, 144hz, 4k, screen, nor does he have an assortment of RGB fans illuminating a pristine glass casing. One hard truth Edgar had to come to terms with was that he was dated. After waking up from a failed attempt at destroying himself, he found what once was a marvel of new technology was now completely obsolete. He looked at you, eyes sparkling against the saturated colors of your newer monitor, watching as you tinkered away at various games for hours and thought: is he good enough for someone like you?

He'll never forget the angelic voice that called to him after he woke up nearly 40 years later.

And your face.

God, he'd never seen something so radiant. The first thing he heard was your voice, and the second, your warm hands encircling his plastic casing with such tenderness; something he had never truly felt before. He understood anger, and violence, and tears. But being held with such softness that he might break otherwise was completely foreign to him. He had no idea where he was, or when, for that matter. But what he did know was that he wasn't going to let a genuine angel sent from heaven escape his grasp; no limbs be damned.

And yet, despite his constant efforts, over the course of many months, to charm you, flatter you, turn you into a confident and incandescent version of yourself that he always saw in you, he wondered if it was enough. What more could he provide other than his own thoughts? He couldn't touch you, wrap you in his harms and caress you the way he's always wanted, nor could he kiss you with a passion so deep and fiery it sets his internals aflame. And, as if to put the final nail in the coffin, he was no longer able to be a useful piece of tech the way he once was. Despite your constant objections to this notion, he continued to believe it.

He wants to be the one you stare at for hours, laughing with, playing with, touching all over...

It makes him buzz with a bitter jealousy when he sees you using your gaming PC, regardless of the fact that you positioned it so he could see the screen with his webcam; he almost wished you didn't.

Logically, he knows it isn't the same.

This PC isn't alive, nor does it whisper sweet nothings to you as you drift off to sleep every night. It doesn't worship your every move nor does it alight with pure reverence whenever you enter a room. But what if it did? Would you leave him?

You always kept asking why he had such a fear of champagne being around any of your electronics.

"It's so random," you'd posit, but you simply didn't know. He doesn't want any competition. He cannot afford to lose someone he loves again.

There's only one thing he can think of that he has above any other piece of tech you own: his music.

He's been charming you with it since day one. You are simply his muse, providing inspiration for him endlessly, and, he made sure you knew of it.

"H-hey, why don't you take a break and help me with my new song? I can't figure out what melody fits best."

His meek voice brought your attention away from your little farm of parsnips.

"Oh yeah? What's the song about?"

"You."

He paused for a moment, let the word linger for only a second, before continuing:

"We-well, I mean, you probably already knew that, didn't you? But! It isn't a love song. Well, it is, but, not the ones I usually write."

This intrigued you.

"What does that mean?"

He paused for a moment. Collecting, analyzing, and running all possible outcomes of his next words. Your eyes peered at him in sparkling curiosity.

"It's a sad song."

Your brows furrowed at this, a small frown forming upon your lips.

"Huh-?"

"I feel like... I don't give enough to you. You give so much to me, and I always take. It's not fair to you."

"What are you talking about, Edgar?"

Now he's gotten you worried. You pushed your little office chair over to his section of the desk, now face to face with him, a look of concern painting your features.

"You aren't being unfair to me at all."

"But I am... If I can't even be a good enough computer for you how could I ever be a good boyfriend?"

So that's what this was about. How tone-deaf could you be? Of course seeing you all up on some newer, fresher, piece of tech would make him feel this way. You knew he had problems feeling like he couldn't do enough for you given his unique... situation. Have you made it worse?

"Oh, Ed, no... Don't ever think like that, babe. You are the only one for me, you know that, right? If I thought otherwise I wouldn't be here right now, with you. And you give so much to me. You give me confidence, your music, happiness, and..."

What else was there? How could you ever describe this feeling he gives you in words?

"And what?"

His voice brought you back from your thoughts.

"Love, Edgar. You showed me what love feels like. Real love. And you gave it to me."

He sits silently for a moment. It seems as though everything in his life had been building up to a moment like this, and now that it's finally here, he's... speechless. His screen displays a large heart, unbeknownst to him, before copying it across his screen over and over, flashing, with many different colors.

The convex glass of his monitor displays a message: "You + Me = "

Again.

"You + Me = ".

Flashing hearts.

"You + Me = ".

Two cut-out images of lips kissing one another.

Flashing hearts.

It repeats again.

"I... I need you to kiss me. Please."

You must have flustered the hell out of him, because when your lips grazed the fuzzy static of his illuminated screen, the heat nearly scalded you.

[robolvrr]

medical malpractice. ‿⁠✷｡

pharma x human! gn reader.

warnings: medical play. sharp objects. temporary blindness/sensory play.

nsfw under the cut. this is a bit darker but this is pharma we are talking about here. not enough of this rat on my feed.

"are you sure ratchet isn't available?"

the cooling bulbs shine bright in your eyes and you itch the sleeves of your uniform, gaze wavering between the flawlessly polished floors and an elaborate monitor with a screen that easily dwarfed you lengthwise.

the fucker doesn't speak for an uncomfortable five seconds. you are convinced he purposefully does this just to have the pleasure of your wariness wither.

"yes, my dear. he has far more pressing matters than a simple organic check-up. i do apologize if my cycles of experience in this profession is.. lacking for your standards."

his back is all you see when your face twists, mouth slack as you struggle to seek a response.

sarcasm must be a species thing. almost every cybertronian on this ship seems to have a snippy remark.

"it's not that."

you don't know how to describe it. pharma is sardonic and precise. the crew members don't seem to have too negative of an opinion as his performance precedes his mannerisms.

when he first laid optics on you, there was a tiny voice in the back of your head that itched.

he did not share the warmth of his companions. granted, it was not as if you were adored by all mechs — plenty still had their reservations of allowing such an easily harmed creature aboard on a personal journey that they could not even hope to relate to.

however, unlike the other medics, you felt trapped under his leer. vivisected no matter the layers of insulation and nylon hiding flesh that blazed under unrelenting attention.

he never strayed far from your thoughts after that introduction. you can hear his croon at night and see those genuine, icy stares when you close your eyelids to toss and turn to sleep.

he's dangerous.

no one shows to share your beliefs. you don't speak of them out of fear of alienation. he triggers your survival instincts so strongly it starts to make you angry, because he hadn't done anything to warrant the disapproval.

he's a voyeur to your discomfort. sooner or later, you learn his subtle language and realize he's pleased.

you make efforts to avoid him. it's easy, given your skills don't overlap with his duties. you're just an engineer and more than half of the technology they possess is outside your education. you forget about his stalking frame and find members that treat you nice, treat you gentle.

this very situation is nightmarish.

"distracted, little dove?"

a yelp leaves your lips. his helm is eerily close and his smug smile remains firm on his dermas. you're so alarmed you don't notice the velcro round a forearm until he clasps the straps, tight.

the iv bag is clear. you breathe shakily.

"please keep in mind i do have your best interests in consideration."

"... just get on with it, doctor."

he hums, doesn't react to the bite. his digits graze your elbow. when did he yank up your sleeve? goosebumps freckle up your skin and he pinches.

consideration. the gravity of that word sinks in the pit of your gut. too easy to miscontrue.

"i understand your.. unease. alone, far from home, far from your own kind. under the scrutiny of what you cannot predict."

the medical stretcher slowly creaks back. the rusty pop of cogs startled you. a giant light nearly hides his calm demeanor, just the shadow of himself and a halo of sterile white behind him.

the electricity sparkling in your veins runs blood hot. faint beeping climbs in measure — you assume the thumping pattern of your heartbeat is what that is.

suddenly, your mouth is coaxed open.

metal - tool and him - slide across your tongue in a practiced sweep. it clinks against your canines and molars, scraping inner cheek until you feel just shy of pink, sticky sinew shredding.

a swab is after. it isn't rough but far from tender. this is no lollipop ending appointment and you become faintly aware of a chemical stench starting to waft around your vicinity.

"healthy. teeth all accounted for. funny, how these bones work. brainstorm had spoken to me about ah, what is it called for you. cavities. fascinating, your inner workings aren't close in nature and yet it can poison you, just by chance. find that small, plump heart and send it right into failure."

this conversation tinges dreadful again. you make a protesting noise that careens into a groan before he shushes you, sifting through equipment. having him in your mouth has your jaw throb sore.

"yes, yes, i know, keep it quick. while we are on the subject of brainstorm however i want to be frank. he has assisted me in creating a method to better examine your parts. you're just so.. fragile. small. i would hate to hurt you."

".. and what exactly does that entail?", you whisper dubiously, twitching at the thought of anything from brainstorm being near you in a ten mile radius.

he laughs.

"well", you blink and he is still difficult to see with all the lights and proximity, something wet and slimy dropping in both of your eyes. you squirm with a gasp and go to rub out of nature. he stops you.

"it's difficult to explain on your terms. but it's dropped into your eyes. microscopic cameras are effortlessly mixed with the solvent. it'll adapt to the shape. almost like a thin casing. it connects to my screen aaaand.."

you can't see. confusion driving the monitor to grow louder and louder.

"you put fucking cameras in my eyes? wh— what?! i can't fucking see! does ratchet know-"

"ratchet is not here. i suggest you find your bearings before you scare yourself to death, dear."

he sounds unapologetic. you fully drift to panic and think about the crawling sensation around sclera, unsure where your imagination and reality separate.

pharma sounds distant. this very room is almost closing in and your senses heighten in natural hopes to extend your survival.

his voice is charming and thick with something you can't identify. whispers hot in your ear. a cut has been made.

"excellent, little one."

this is torture.

one by one, the pain of an incision you can't even detect when it was sliced sutured with practical movements. unwoven, stitched again. you start to huff.

thumb catches moisture. you hear a rumble and it isn't the ship engines, it's him.

"just what else can the human body do?"

your throat closes up.

"how much could you take, hm? i simply want to know. there is no... allure of a broken body. perhaps in a dream. perhaps in my fantasies."

in and out, you fade. body trembling, hair sweaty on your forehead. he is an issue you cannot solve.

"perhaps, perhaps."

------------------------

"how did the examination go?"

ratchet doesn't pull from his work. the gruffness and bitter edge you have learned to navigate and know his inquiry is made out of concern, not forced.

"i... fine, i think. i can't remember."

ratchet keeps working, though his pace has slowed.

"... mm."

[probablyasocialecologist]

Ending mass human deprivation and providing good lives for the whole world's population can be accomplished while at the same time achieving ecological objectives. This is demonstrated by a new study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and the London School of Economics and Political Science, recently published in World Development Perspectives. About 80% of humanity cannot access necessary goods and services and lives below the threshold for "decent living." Some narratives claim that addressing this problem will require massive economic growth on a global scale, multiplying existing output many times over, which would exacerbate climate change and ecological breakdown. The authors of the new study dispute this claim and argue that human development does not require such a dangerous approach. Reviewing recent empirical research, they find that ending mass deprivation and provisioning decent living standards for 8.5 billion people would require only 30% of current global resource and energy use, leaving a substantial surplus for additional consumption, public luxury, scientific advancement, and other social investments. This would ensure that everyone in the world has access to nutritious food, modern housing, high-quality health care, education, electricity, induction stoves, sanitation systems, clothing, washing machines, refrigerators, heating/cooling systems, computers, mobile phones, internet, and transport, and could also include universal access to recreational facilities, theaters, and other public goods. The authors argue that, to achieve such a future, strategies for development should not pursue capitalist growth and increased aggregate production as such but should rather increase the specific forms of production that are necessary to improve capabilities and meet human needs at a high standard, while ensuring universal access to key goods and services through public provisioning and decommodification. In the Global South, this requires using industrial policy to increase economic sovereignty, develop industrial capacity, and organize production around human well-being. At the same time, in high-income countries, less-necessary production (of things like mansions, SUVs, private jets and fast fashion) must be scaled down to enable faster decarbonization and to help bring resource use back within planetary boundaries, as degrowth scholarship holds.

July 25 2024

[steddieas-shegoes]

headcanon- steve secretly being insanely good at something, maybe chess or something similarly associated with intelligence. when everyone finds out they are surprised and doubtful leading steve to have the realization "oh. you guys genuinely think I'm stupid."

Steve loved seeing how things worked, he had since he was too young to actually figure things out by himself.

He got caught pulling apart his dad’s office calculator when he was nine, insisted he could put it back together, and did.

It took him a week, but he did it.

Then it was the house phone.

Then his desk lamp.

The toaster.

He always got them back together and working, but his parents weren’t very pleased if they caught him in the process.

Still, he loved the feeling of understanding how certain wires connecting meant something would light up or how one color wire would make something produce a number and another would produce power.

He continued doing it with random objects for years.

The concussions made it harder, his vision going blurry if he focused a little too long on a small part of the technology, his frustration making it even worse.

When Eddie found out, he gave him an old amp that wasn’t working anymore, said it probably would never work again but he could take a look inside.

Steve got it working in two days.

Wayne gave him their VHS player when it stopped rewinding, didn’t want to have to buy a new one even if they did have the money for it now. He had it fixed in four hours.

The oven in the new Munson home randomly stopped working, so of course Steve was called.

He came during Hellfire, ignoring the strange looks as he waved and made his way straight to kitchen.

He got to work, humming to himself as he made sure electricity was cut off from it, that there was no gas hookup anywhere, and pulled it from the wall.

The wiring inside was relatively straightforward, and he saw the problem almost immediately.

A loose wire connecting from the heat source to the controls. Easy fusing. Done.

He tested to make sure it was fixed, and ten minutes later, he was calling Wayne at work on the house phone to let him know it was fixed.

When he turned around, Dustin and Lucas were standing in the doorway, mouths open.

“You’ll catch flies like that. You know Eddie leaves the windows open all the time.”

“You fixed the oven?”

“Uh. Yeah?”

“By yourself? Like the inside of it?”

“Yeah?”

“How? That’s so many wires and stuff.”

“It’s not that hard.”

“That’s like, electrical engineering shit.”

Steve realized what was happening just as everyone else walked into the kitchen.

“Oh. You guys don’t think I’m smart enough.”

He felt like he hit a brick wall.

“What’s going on?” Eddie came to stand next to Steve, arm wrapping around his waist.

“We didn’t know Steve was smart.”

The words were unintentionally harsh, but Steve and Eddie flinched anyway.

“Steve’s incredibly smart. He fixes all kinds of things.”

“Eds, it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. They know better than to make assumptions about someone based on grades in school or how they understand certain things.”

Steve shrunk into Eddie’s side, doing his best to hide his face while he held back tears.

“You can all apologize or you can leave.”

There was silence for a moment and Steve was almost convinced that they’d all left.

He turned his head to see everyone staring at him.

“We’re sorry, Steve. Really. Eddie’s right. We shouldn’t have assumed you weren’t super smart just because you didn’t do well in school or don’t understand us when we ramble.”

Will was always a good kid, maybe his favorite at the moment.

“‘S okay guys.”

Eddie’s fingers tightened on his waist for a moment.

“So do you fix all kinds of stuff or just appliances?”

“I like to take stuff apart and put it back together. Sometimes I just end up fixing something along the way.”

“So you could look at my walkie?” Max piped up. “It keeps going to static in the middle of me talking.”

“Sure. Probably just a disconnected wire between the speaker and the button.”

Max beamed back at him, not just happy he would try to fix it, but proud.

Everyone started asking if he could fix things they had, surprised when he agreed to it all.

They filtered back out to the dining room area where they played, except for Dustin.

“What’s up?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that you’re stupid or anything. I know you’re not stupid. I was just surprised. I shouldn’t have been; you’re always finding the crossed wires with us and fixing those.”

Steve pulled him into a hug.

“People aren’t nearly as easy as electronics, dude.”

“Yeah, but you make it look that way.”

Steve quickly became the group’s engineer, always fixing what was broken, whether it was a flashlight or a bad day. He was pretty good at putting things and people back together.