#Production Engineering Assignment Help

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part I

The Kowloon Walled City was one of the most emblematic locations in Hong Kong due to its irregular, fast-paced and largely ungoverned growth within a minute parcel of land. During the occupation of Hong Kong Island by the British in the mid 18th century, the Qing authorities surrounded the area with walls, turning it into a strategic position from where to closely inspect the foreign nation's covert activities. Almost a century later, during World War II, the area was seized by the Japanese, who tore down the walls and repurposed the stone for the construction of a nearby airport.

After the war, China would eventually regain possession of the city, though the disinterest of local authorities in addressing its increasing social disturbances placed it in a downward path to a state of utter degradation. By the 1970s, Kowloon had become the epicentre of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, dominated by a handful of its most vicious Triads.

Towards the last years of its existence, the ancient settlement was as a precarious heap of concrete, sheltering nearly half a million people within less than seven acres of land. Cultural and political changes in China made it increasingly difficult for this urban anomaly to remain unaddressed. In the late 1980s, an action plan was put together aiming to relocate its inhabitants and reconvert the real estate into an inner-city park. Stories about residents refusing to leave their unsafe and unsanitary homes were featured prominently in newspapers, baffling readers all over the world. Once the single most densely populated area in the world, this enclave was an architectural aberration whose disconcerting aesthetic influenced numerous works of art in different fields of creation; including a small yet consequential number of video games that briefly reference or prominently feature this abominably transfixing space.

九龍島 (Kyu-Ryu-Tou) - Starcraft - 1986

The year is 2025. An arms dealer escalates the tensions between East and West by developing a genetic weapon in a secret base at Kowloon Island. The United Nations react by sending in their best man, Jamie Starr. Unrelated to the Walled City itself, the first game to be located in the Kowloon peninsula - and indeed include the name as a part of its title - is this obscure turn-based RPG, Kyu-Ryu-Tou for the NEC PC88 and FM-77 machines. The game is a sequel to Shangai, released the year before, featuring the same protagonist. Starcraft would also go on to produce a third instalment in 1987 named TO.KY.O. Clearly there wasn't much regard here from the developers part for geographic accuracy, as Kowloon is depicted here as being an island. While Hong Kong's southern territory is composed of an actual island, all the different areas named Kowloon are located in the mainland.

Riot City - Westone - 1991

One of the most shameless specimens among a relatively long list of Final Fight clones, Riot City contains subtle references to Kowloon, though never referring to it by name. Curiously enough, the PCE port, renamed Crest of Wolves, refers to Kowloon directly in one of the cutscenes. Two narcotics detectives are assigned with the mission of dismantling a cartel running a crime-ridden located in fictional Riot Island. This recurring yet geographically nonsensical notion of Kowloon as an island comes up here, yet again. The final moment of the introduction sequence for this minor Sega arcade success shows both protagonists approaching a tight cluster of buildings whose source inspiration is quite unmistakable. Because Westone maintained ownership of most of this production's intellectual property, a later port to the PC Engine entitled Riot Zone was made possible with the help of Hudson soft. Kowloon's Gate - Zeque - 1997

Reviving the Walled City through the lens of cybermystic surrealism, Kowloon's Gate is a dense, daunting adventure masterfully capturing the slum's dark and narrow recesses. This 1997 Japanese Playstation exclusive spans across four discs of unparalleled full motion 3D CGI spectacle, alternating with real-time 3D dungeons brimming with outlandish characters and concepts deeply inspired by Chinese history, geography and cultural traditions.

Ironically, Zeque managed to embed the theme of Feng-Shui, the ancient geomantic art seeking harmony between the individual and their surrounding space, into a story set in the world's most historically untidy district.

SaGa Frontier - Square - 1997

SaGa Frontier takes place in a solar system named The Regions, composed of multiple inhabited worlds for the player to explore, each with its different degree of civilizational development and culture. One of these planets goes by the suggestive name Kūron. Its pervasive neon light signs, food stalls, makeshift cabins and rooftop scaffolding instantly evoke the memory of China’s so-called city of darkness.

Shadow Hearts - Sacnoth - 2001

Shortly after the release of Koudelka, Sacnoth's initiated the development of Shadow Hearts, the first episode from a cult RPG trilogy exclusively designed for the Playstation 2. In good Japanese fashion, the game proposes an anachronistic yet visually suggestive depiction of Kowloon, portraying its architectural style and degree of decay as it existed in the late twentieth century, despite the fact that the game's events take place during the nineteen twenties.

Just as noteworthy is the almost complete absence of any inhabitants, which inadvertently make this portrayal of the quarter eerily reminiscent of the state in which it was found circa 1993 or 1994, as local authorities brought the long, arduous eviction project to a close.

Shenmue II - SEGA AM2 - 2001

Shenmue II exhibits the most complete and period-accurate video game representation of Kowloon to date. While more recent games featuring this area may represent a number of its aspects with the aid of improved visual fidelity, none features it with such depth as this masterpiece of masterpieces. More than mere background decoration, Kowloon exists in the Shenmue series as a crucial, climacteric element of its modern epic narrative.

It is a well known fact that Yu Suzuki and his team conducted extensive research of the region so as to achieve a result that impresses even to this day. It must be noted, however, that they have similarly taken a fair share of creative liberty when converting the area to best align with the themes they wished to explore. Further reading is required for a more complete context in this regard, namely how this area ties with an early Dreamcast tech demo design which fans lovingly named Tower of Babel. Ostensively, technical limitations did curtail the degree of precision in which the surrounding area could be replicated. The aerial view from the cutscene in which Ryo Hazuki arrives on location places Kowloon at an imaginary degree of elevation over surrounding vegetation. In the year of 1987, during which the game is set, the actual enclave stood perfectly levelled with a myriad of other modern buildings, undoubtedly more than could be reproduced under the circumstances. These trifling considerations aside, Shenmue II entirely succeeds in capturing the vibrant life and mesmerizing beauty of the destitute and decayed urban agglomeration, in a way that it was deemed entirely impossible at the time of its release.

For reasons entirely related to per post content limitations imposed by Tumblr, this article will be continued in PART II.

[mariacallous]

In the middle of the nineteenth century, filth of every kind accumulated on the streets of New York. The land was boggy and lacked proper drainage. Epidemics ravaged many of the city’s impoverished neighborhoods. In the summer of 1864, an inspection undertaken by a committee of concerned physicians yielded a seventeen-volume report that catalogued the conditions. One inspector noted that, in his assigned district, refuse filled gutters, blocked sewage culverts, and sent forth “perennial emanations which generate pestiferous disease.” Another observed that certain streets better resembled “dung-hills rather than the thoroughfares in a civilized city.” In response to the report, state lawmakers introduced legislation that led to the establishment, in 1866, of the Metropolitan Board of Health, one of the country’s first municipal public-health authorities. Upon its formation, the board immediately confronted a potential cholera outbreak. It established quarantine measures and administered new health ordinances that helped to contain the spread of the disease. Support for the new agency soared, and other cities began organizing similar authorities. The modern-day public-health movement in the United States was born.

An important revelation from the “great sanitary awakening” of the nineteenth century, as it became known, was that social and environmental factors could significantly affect people’s health. During the second half of the twentieth century, policymakers began turning their attention to issues such as product and workplace safety as a way to save lives. In the mid-nineteen-fifties, nearly forty thousand people were dying every year from motor-vehicle accidents. Attention was primarily focussed on the responsibility of drivers, but physicians and engineers pointed out that most of these deaths were, in fact, preventable through changes in automobile design. In 1965, Ralph Nader, a young lawyer who later became an activist and a perpetual Presidential candidate, published “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a book examining the ways in which automakers had failed to prioritize safety. It became an unlikely nonfiction best-seller, alongside Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” Nader’s reporting prompted congressional hearings and the formation of what is now known as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. William Haddon, a pioneering public-health scientist, became the agency’s first administrator and oversaw the first safety requirements for new cars, including energy-absorbing steering columns, shoulder harnesses, and side-door beams. The ratio of motor-vehicle deaths to miles travelled by drivers in the United States plummeted.

The principal aim of public health is prevention. It takes its scientific cues primarily from epidemiology, which studies the prevalence of diseases and their determinants to shape control strategies. In the mid-nineteen-sixties, public-health practitioners began to incorporate these methods into a nascent discipline known as injury science, taking on problems such as children falling from windows, residential fires, childhood drug poisonings, and, beginning in earnest in the nineteen-nineties, gun violence. The premise is tantalizingly straightforward: utilize scientific data to identify risk factors and the most vulnerable populations, and adopt multipronged solutions to stop problems before they arise. When it comes to gun deaths, for instance, public-health interventions might include pediatricians inquiring about safe storage at home, and the government establishing waiting periods for the purchase of firearms and raising the legal age for gun ownership. The challenge comes in marshalling consensus for the kind of community-wide solutions that public health demands. This is where public-health initiatives have often floundered, including with guns.

In recent years, public-health researchers have begun to consider whether a new societal threat deserves their scrutiny: political violence. One of the researchers leading this effort is Garen Wintemute, the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California at Davis, who has spent more than four decades studying firearm violence. Wintemute is a gaunt, bespectacled emergency physician. (He still works four or five weekend shifts a month at U.C. Davis’s hospital.) He is seventy-two years old but speaks with an almost childlike inquisitiveness when discussing research into violent death. Wintemute told me that, during the coronavirus pandemic, he and his researchers tracked a nationwide surge in firearms purchases, particularly among first-time gun owners. Even as the COVID-19 crisis began to subside in 2021, they noticed that people were still purchasing guns at unusually high rates. Baffled by the ongoing demand, he wondered, What the hell is this? He spent a week immersing himself in the available data on political polarization and its connection to violence. When he emerged, he concluded that the subject of political violence urgently needed study, because people seemed to be “arming up” and the result “could reshape the future of the country.” He eventually directed a third of his thirty-person team to spend at least some of their time on a new project: researching the possibility that people might resort to violence to achieve their political ends.

As with any public-health problem, the first task was to collect reliable data. Wintemute’s team conducted their first broad-based survey in 2022 and found that nearly a third of the population believed that violence was usually or always justified to advance at least one of seventeen political objectives—a list that included curbing voter fraud, stopping illegal immigration, and returning Donald Trump to the Presidency. Nearly one in five agreed strongly or very strongly with the statement that “having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy.” The willingness to justify violence was greater among people who identified as “strong Republicans” than those who identified as “strong Democrats.” Another study by Wintemute’s team found that nearly half of a cohort that they labelled “MAGA Republicans”—self-identified Republicans who voted for Trump in 2020 and believed the election was stolen—strongly or very strongly agreed with the statement “Our American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.” Wintemute also examined the threat posed by right-wing extremists who endorse racist beliefs and the use of violence to effect social change, and who express approval of certain militia groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Within this small subset—Wintemute estimates it to be less than two per cent of the population—he found strong association with support for political violence and the willingness to engage in such violence.

Yet certain findings offered Wintemute reason for optimism. A survey published last month found that only 6.5 per cent of the population believes strongly or very strongly that a civil war is coming, and just 3.6 per cent that the “United States needs a civil war to set things right.” Both figures are roughly similar to the previous year’s findings, an unexpected result, given that 2024 is a Presidential-election year and political tensions have ratcheted upward. Wintemute also found that, of the 3.7 per cent of respondents who said they considered it very or extremely likely they’d participate as a combatant in a large-scale conflict, more than forty-four per cent said they would be “not likely” to join if they were dissuaded by family members; more than thirty per cent said they could be deterred if a respected religious leader urged them not to participate; and just under a quarter said they could be dissuaded by a respected news or social-media source. The implication, according to Wintemute, is “a large percentage are saying, ‘You can talk me out of it.’ ” That points the way to potential public-health interventions, which might include consistent messaging from the media, religious leaders, and others about rejecting political violence.

The threat of violence has hovered like a nimbus cloud over this election season. The spectre of the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol remains omnipresent, but the two most visible instances of violence during the 2024 campaign have been directed at Trump. On July 13th, during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a man on a warehouse roof fired eight times at the former President. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear; one rallygoer, a former volunteer fire chief, was killed; two others were injured. Then, on September 15th, as the former President was playing a round of golf at his club in West Palm Beach, a Secret Service agent patrolling the grounds spotted the muzzle of a rifle poking out of the shrubbery along a chain-link fence. The agent opened fire and the gunman fled. After the authorities arrested him, they discovered that he had been staking out the course for hours. Democrats have also been targeted. In Tempe, Arizona, state Party officials recently closed a campaign field office after it was shot at three times in three weeks.

According to tracking by the Bridging Divides Initiative, at Princeton University, threats and harassment of local public officials surged in July. Despite this, violence by extremist groups, as reported by a different organization, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, has actually ebbed this year, likely because law enforcement has arrested dozens of members of these groups for their participation in the Capitol riot. It makes for a perplexing picture. Is political violence an imminent threat to Americans or not? Political scientists, applying their theoretical frameworks, have long made clear the reasons for concern, including the way the country’s deepest cleavages, over race, ethnicity, religion, geography, and culture, are now embedded in people’s politics; the weakening of democracy’s guardrails during the Trump era; and the spread of misinformation.

The promise of public health is that it rests on scientific data and offers pragmatic solutions. Treating political violence like a contagion could help safeguard the future of American democracy. And yet the same fractures that potentially drive political violence can imperil the collaboration needed to address public-health crises. They can also lead to the most dangerous symptom of all: a sense of helplessness. But, if we simply wait for the disease to strike, it may already be too late. 

[i-love-your-light]

too many thoughts on the new hbomberguy video not to put them anywhere so:

with every app trying to turn into the clock app these days by feeding you endless short form content, *how many* pieces of misinformation does the average person consume day to day?? thinking a lot about how tons of people on social media go largely unquestioned about the information they provide just because they speak confidently into the camera. if you're scrolling through hundreds of pieces of content a day, how many are you realistically going to have the time and will to check? i think there's an unfortunate subconscious bias in liberal and leftist spaces that misinformation is something that is done only by the right, but it's a bipartisan issue babey. everybody's got their own agendas, even if they're on "your side". *insert you are not immune to propaganda garfield meme*

and speaking of fact checking, can't help but think about how much the current state of search engines Sucks So Bad right now. not that this excuses ANY of the misinformation at all, but i think it provides further context as to why these things become so prevalent in creators who become quick-turnaround-content-farms and cut corners when it comes to researching. when i was in high school and learning how to research and cite sources, google was a whole different landscape that was relatively easy to navigate. nowadays a search might give you an ad, a fake news article, somebody's random blog, a quora question, and another ad before actually giving you a relevant verifiable source. i was googling a question about 1920s technology the other day (for a fanfiction im writing lmao) and the VERY FIRST RESULT google gave me was some random fifth grader's school assignment on the topic???? like?????? WHAT????? it just makes it even harder for people to fact-check misinformation too.

going off the point of cutting corners when it comes to creating content, i can't help but think about capitalism's looming influence over all of this too. again, not as an excuse at all but just as further environmental context (because i really believe the takeaway shouldn't be "wow look how bad this one individual guy is" but rather "wow this is one specific example of a much larger systemic issue that is more pervasive than we realize"). a natural consequence of the inhumanity of capitalism is that people feel as if they have to step on or over eachother to get to 'the top'. if everybody is on this individualistic american dream race to success, everyone else around you just looks like collateral. of course then you're going to take shortcuts, and you're going to swindle labor and intellectual property from others, because your primary motivation is accruing capital (financial or social) over ethics or actual labor.

i've been thinking about this in relation to AI as well, and the notion that some people want to Be Artists without Doing Art. they want to Have Done Art but not labor through the process. to present something shiny to the world and benefit off of it. they don't want to go through the actual process of creating, they just want a product. Easy money. Winning the game of capitalism.

i can't even fully fault this mentality- as someone who has been struggling making barely minimum wage from art in one of the most expensive cities in america for the past two years, i can't say that i haven't been tempted on really difficult occasions to act in ways that would be morally bad but would give me a reprieve from the constant stress cycle of "how am i going to pay for my own survival for another month". the difference is i don't give in to those impulses.

tl;dr i hope that people realize that instead of this just being a time to dogpile on one guy (or a few people), that it's actually about a larger systemic problem, and the perfect breeding grounds society has created for this kind of behavior to largely go unchecked!!!

[menderreplika]

I worked on my OC finally :) I like how she turned out. ------------

Loretime!

MDNR units primarily support Gestalt engineers or ARARs on the software side of technical operations. Otherwise they work in teams of 3-9 members, known as Scrums, developing programs or debugging systems – hence the nickname Madenhacker. Assigning a scrum master or team lead is strongly recommended, or else members may compete for leadership, which often results in internal tension.

They tend to name each other based on their specialization or focus during work. Common examples include: Modul, Speicher, Rekurs, Ziffer, Null, and Kern.

While not strictly introverted, MDNRs prefer environments where they perceive personal gain – be it intellectual stimulation, social reward or productivity. Other units sometimes interpret this as parasitic behavior. However, when paired with the right companions, MDNRs are dependable and efficient.

They are quick to point out errors if they perceive one, which often leads to conflict. There have been reports of bullying, particularly from STCRs and Starlings, who abbreviate Madenhacker to Maden ("maggot") or MDNR to Moder ("rot/decay"), mocking them. This can lead to frustration or social withdrawal. Regular monitoring of inter-unit interactions is recommended, with particular attention to protektors.

To help prevent persona degradation, avoid prolonged periods of boredom. Provide mentally engaging objects – such as a Rubik’s Cube – or allow them to pursue self-directed projects. ------------

The black sclera helps them stare at the CRT monitors all day! My source for science is that I made it the f up :D And funfact, I drew the woodpecker logo longer than I did the render ._.

[memen18-m5r3]

I've been expanding upon my centricide authleft lore a bit but I got no idea when I'll be able to actually do something tangible with it so I'm putting it in text for now. for those curious <3

I've established in previous posts that I imagine their quadrant to act like an ant colony. And any ant colony needs its anthill right? Their "anthill" is a steel plant/factory which is producing, well, steel. As of now I'm unsure for what purpose they would produce it, as I don't think ideologies need metal. Perhaps it's powering them up? There is a funny possibility they're doing it simply because they're "working class", and working class needs to work on something.

Whatever the case this factory is big enough to accommodate all of the current authleft and possible newcomers. It's also as old as the left itself so it's got its fleur of mystery. Some speculate it's a living organism even, and needs to be treated with special care because of that.

Ant colonies also have hierarchies, and by sheer coincidence alone, factories do too.

Marxist, as the patriarch, takes the role of factory's director. He holds all of the meetings and is the one to make final decisions, but is not seen otherwise. Most of his wishes get channeled through Commie. There is a bit of a broken telephone between them tho cuz it's Commie we're talking about and Commie knows best. You know the drill.

Moving down we've got Commie and Trotskyist. Commie is the foreman on paper but more of a deputy in action. A practical doer, acting as Marxist's will and fixing issues on the spot. Basically he makes sure everyone does what they need to be doing and solves whatever might be in the way of that. If he doesn't check on you at least once during your shift consider yourself lucky. Trotskyist is the chief accountant and is responsible for everything involving numbers, making sure the factory meets its work plan. He's also writing and publishing the local newspaper (that most don't read). A cabinet man through and through, hardly if ever spotted down at the workshops, making him removed from regular workers and seen as the "grey eminence". This totally bites him in the ass later down the line. They look like opposites but are actually two halves of the same cog. It goes really fucking bad when they stop acting as one.

And then we have the workers. Like ant workers, these got specialties. Some work the production line ("the foragers"), some tend to the machines ("the cleaners"), some are responsible for safety and act as guards ("the soldiers"), etc. I need to take the time to assign everyone proper positions.

I was thinking of making Posadist a process engineer, or a mechanic. Going by the logic of "if someone's good at destroying things, they could be equally as good at putting them back together". What I know for sure is that he used to help Trot print the newspaper, and when Trot got sent to superhell, took hold of it completely. It probably got discontinued once Posad turned wacky and left to form their council though; don't think anyone else would care enough.

So that's essentially the concept I had in mind! Other quadrants had their ancapistans and what not, I think authleft deserves its own homebase too <3

[nerilestudy]

Unleashing Focus: How Pomodoro Transformed My Procrastination Habits

Hey fellow students! 👋 Today, I'm sharing a study game-changer that turned my procrastination habits around : the Pomodoro Technique. As a second-year electrical engineering student, I've faced the challenges of balancing coursework, labs, and exams. The Pomodoro Technique has been my secret weapon, significantly improving my focus, productivity, and overall academic performance.

Overcoming Procrastination

I used to be a notorious procrastinator. The daunting size of tasks overwhelmed me, leading to delayed assignments and last-minute cramming. Enter Pomodoro, and everything changed.

Pomodoro in Action

Here's how I apply the Pomodoro Technique to overcome procrastination and boost my grades:

Clear Goals: Before each study session, I set specific tasks or topics to cover during the Pomodoro intervals.

Timed Focus: Using a simple timer app, I dive into focused 25-minute (up to 50 minutes) study sessions, eliminating distractions and boosting productivity.

Short Breaks: After each Pomodoro, I take a 5 or 10-minute break to refresh my mind, stretch, or grab a quick snack.

Longer Breaks: Every four Pomodoros, I reward myself with a 15-30 minute break to fully recharge.

Results Speak Louder

Since adopting the Pomodoro Technique, my grades have seen a remarkable improvement. The structured approach transformed me from a procrastinator into a focused and efficient learner.

If you're battling procrastination and seeking a study routine that works, give the Pomodoro Technique a shot. It's not about the quantity of study hours but the quality of focused learning.

To keep myself motivated and help other students, I recorded my study sessions using this technique and made them available online. You can check my channel if you’d like to give it a try.

Try it out, and let me know how Pomodoro works for you! Happy studying! 📚💡

[downins]

ᯓᡣ𐭩𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖺𝗋𝖼𝖺𝗇𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗃𝗈𝗋 𝗌/𝗈ᯓᡣ𐭩

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌: 𝗃𝗂𝗇𝗑, 𝗏𝗂, 𝖼𝖺𝗂𝗍𝗅𝗒𝗇

𝗆𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗇!𝖺𝗎

𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀(𝗌): 𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗎𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾, 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂 𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗌

───────────────୨ৎ───────────────𝗃𝗂𝗇𝗑

✮ jinx absolutely adores you and would always drag you to start a new project or help with her little trinkets

✮ you guys have matching goggles and whenever she misses you, she uses yours and fiddles them in her hands while thinking of any new ideas

✮ when you fall asleep on the desk while working on your assignments, she doesn't wake you up and sleeps beside you instead

✮ since she's always babysitting isha, you two started putting away welding tools and placing sharp objects on higher shelves because isha's a curious kid and it'd be difficult to keep her away when you two are working

✮ if she's stuck on an equation or a question, she'd literally find a way to sit on your lap and listen to you explain the solution to her

✮ it usually ends in makeout sessions because she thinks there's something REALLY attractive about you being all patient and sounding smart

✮ she crafted matching rings for the both of you literally never takes it off, even when there's a high chance of her getting electrocuted while working with it

𝗏𝗂

✮ she's loves accompanying you in your workplace, doesn't matter if she has any idea what's going on or not

✮ she enjoys helping you by handing you tools before you could even ask, like she knows what you need then goes to get it right away

✮ at some point, she also starts gathering basic knowledge about engineering and would ask you if you two could try out an experiment she saw online. it almost blew up the whole college campus but it made her happy, so it's worth it

✮ she secretly takes videos of you when you're working, posts them on her story and most of the time she spams it with you, even takes pictures of your products then showing it off to everybody

✮ when vi notices that you look exhausted or burnt out, she would literally carry you and bring you to bed, making you take a break

✮ one thing that she always does is keep you safe whenever you're working, it could be something small and she'd still have an arm around you. ready to pull you away in case anything happens

✮ vi is your biggest supporter and cheerleader, she's always there cheering you on and encouraging you

𝖼𝖺𝗂𝗍𝗅𝗒𝗇

✮ based on league of legends game, caitlyn is actually stem smart so she would have an idea or two on the stuff that you're doing

✮ she would help you make a couple tweaks and fix the little mistakes that went unnoticed, it makes her happy to be able to lessen your burdens a little

✮ she lays on your shoulder while you're writing and drawing on your blueprints, just observing you silently and admiring your intelligence

✮ she would cut up fruits and bring them to you if she notices that you've not been eating on time due to your busy schedule. feeds you sometimes even when you tell her to just leave it at the side

✮ if you're the type to work while wearing headphones and airpods, she'd have a note somewhere on your wall with the words. "make sure it's on a suitable volume!!"

✮ speaking of notes, it's not just one note on your wall. at some point, you even created a special space for her to stick the reminders on the wall and surprisingly you actually listen to her even when she's not there

✮ if you got a bad grade on your tests or assignments, caitlyn wouldn't hesitate to console you and revise the materials all over again. she'd understand your frustration and will comfort you by saying that she's always proud of you

[annerly-san]

Love and Deep Deadlines | A LaDS Corporate AU - Chapter 3

Summary:

Amidst the cut throat culture of Onyxion Enterprises where cutting-edge innovation is overshadowed by corporate chaos, no one talks about how hard it is to be an intern.

Alongside Caleb, the sales department smooth-talker; Zayne, the cold and unflappable CTO; Xavier, a director who might as well be an intern himself; and Rafayel, the overly dramatic Creative Director who brings his own flair to every meltdown, our intern is just trying to survive the workday. Oh, and don’t forget Onyxion’s very own CEO, Sylus, a walking HR violation who gets off on terrorizing his employees.

In this company, will love bloom before the deadlines run deep, or will the company go under first?

Chapter Navigation: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ?

Alternative AO3 link:

A few weeks had gone by, and I’d finally settled into my role at Onyxion. After the initial onboarding and training, the beginning phase of confusion and anxiety around a new role seemed like a thing of the past as I was quickly assigned to projects and tasks.  While the team seemed to run at a consistent pace initially, there was an underlying tension that was building up amongst the team around Onyxion’s latest product launch to be released later this month.

Even Tara, whom I have gotten quite close to in the past couple of weeks, was running around more frantic than I’ve ever seen her before.

Wanting to contribute and do well in my new role, I offered to help out.  And so, tasked with the job to gather all the relevant details about the new product launch from the tech department’s all-hand meeting, I rode the elevator up to one of the larger conference rooms in Onyxion’s building on the 125th floor.

My nerves were on edge again as I wondered if I would be able to perform well enough on this task that I had volunteered to do.

Making my way into the auditorium, I spotted Caleb sitting near the back, slouched in his chair playing on his phone. I waved, heading over to him.

“Pipsqueak!  I didn’t know you were attending this!” Caleb grinned, nudging the chair next to him with his foot. “Come sit with me. Let’s see what these nerds have to say,” he joked teasingly.

“Hey, don't be mean to the engineering team!”  I rolled my eyes and smiled, the anxiousness that ate at me earlier disappearing. Caleb always had a way of making me feel less out of place in situations like this.

“Yea, yea, it’s not like they ever tone it down so that the rest of us idiots can understand.  I’m just here ‘cause they force us sales guys to attend.”

I snorted. “Well, I’m here to learn about the new product for my team’s project. So I actually have to pay attention.”

“Don't be so uptight, pipsqueak.  They record these things.”  Caleb grinned lazily. “But you do you. I’ll be over here, playing bingo with the corporate jargon and nerd terms.”

The lights dimmed, and the murmurs in the room subsided as the presentation began. I leaned forward in my seat, ready to take notes on my tablet. The first few slides were typical corporate fare-- overview, goals, some broad tech specs-- Caleb almost made a scene when he hit bingo, but I slapped him before he was able to scream over the current presenter on stage.

The last presenter came out.  My breath hitched.

“Zayne?”

It was him.  Sharply dressed with a piercing gaze as he scanned the room.  He’d changed a lot over the years, but he was still unmistakably the same Zayne I remembered. Confident. Cold. Completely composed.

“C-caleb, did you know that Zayne worked here?”  I prodded at his side, and Caleb gave a quick glance at me and then at Zayne up on the stage.

“Hmm?  Yea?  Zayne’s Onyxion’s CTO,” he said nonchalantly.  “You didn’t know that?”

There was a twinge of betrayal at Caleb's dismissal of that fact so easily.  Zayne was our childhood friend.  The three of us practically grew up together until Zayne moved away sometime in the middle of high school.  We lost contact with him, and this was my first time seeing him since then. 

Does he still remember me?  I looked over to Caleb, ready to question him about why he didn’t ever mention Zayne to me.  Both of them surely must have crossed paths in their tenure here.

But before I could press him further, Zayne’s voice cut through the room. His presentation was direct and to the point, just like I remembered him. No fluff, no unnecessary explanations. He talked about the new product as a complement to the acquisition of EverTech, utilizing both companies’ strengths and capabilities to craft a new frontier for the field of biomedical devices.  The conclusion showcased a new implantable prototype of a modified protocore, the Aethercore.  He barely paused for questions, moving swiftly through each slide with deft precision.

I could hear the pounding of my heart in my chest.  The crush that I had on Zayne when we were kids was rapidly rising from the back of my mind.  The buried and tucked away feelings for him were resurfacing with a fervent intensity, but through the attraction from a more mature perspective this time around.  Admiration for what he made of himself and how far he was able to get, coupled with the unresolved emotions of childhood love had my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

“What’s with the googly eyes, pipsqueak?  I didn’t know you were that into the biocompatibility of protocores for the future of implantable health monitoring systems,” Caleb whispered over to me, poking me in the cheek with a teasing finger.

I batted his hand away, my heart still racing. “I’m not... it’s just... I didn’t expect to see Zayne here.”

“Well, expect the unexpected at Onyxion,” Caleb mused, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he reclined back in his seat, eyes half-lidded with amusement.

I glanced back at Zayne, trying to focus on his words, but all I could hear was the pounding in my chest. The presentation was almost over.

Once the final slide flashed on the screen, Zayne stepped down from the podium. The room buzzed with murmurs as the engineers around me exchanged thoughts and questions. I stood up quickly, determined to catch him before he disappeared into a crowd of executives or tech leads.

“You’re gonna go talk to him?” Caleb raised an eyebrow, standing up with me. His tone was casual, but there was a slight tension in the way he said it. He shifted his weight, crossing his arms over his chest.

I nodded, my breath hitching. “Yeah.. for the project.”  Some excuse that was.  I could tell that Caleb saw right through me, and I caved to the admission.  “And... I want to say hi.  I haven’t seen him since he moved away back then.”

“...Well, I guess if you put it that way...” Caleb said, leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed and back stiff.  “I’ll be waiting here for you when you’re done talking to him.”  He didn’t say anything further, but his silence spoke louder than words. It wasn’t like him to hold back, to not throw one last jab my way. Instead, there was only the faintest sigh behind me, like he saw something that I was overlooking.

My heart pounded harder with each step I took toward Zayne -- trying to steady the swirl of emotions already bubbling up inside me. I could still remember our last conversation back in high school-- how I was on the verge of tears as I gave him a hug goodbye and asked for him to write or call me once he finished moving to his new home. Even though those letters and calls never ended up coming, surely those many years of friendship still left a connection between us. He’ll remember how close we used to be... right?

I swallowed hard as I finally approached him. "Zayne?"

He turned, his gaze meeting mine. His expression was blank at first, but there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes, just for a moment, before his gaze turned cold.

"It’s you." His voice was calm.  Indifferent.

"Y-yeah, it's me." I smiled nervously, trying to gauge his reaction.

He nodded slowly, his demeanor cool and collected. "It’s been a while."

I shifted awkwardly on my feet.  There was a strange wall that I felt between us, and the coldness of Zayne’s words made me recoil a bit.  I was unsure how to bridge this sudden and immense gap between us. "Yeah... it really has. I, uh... I’m working here now. In marketing. As an intern.  I-I was actually hoping to talk to you about the new Protocore launch since we’re working on the press release."  I twisted the cap of my pen nervously.  “And maybe we can catch up after all of this?  Go to dinner or something?”

Zayne’s expression didn’t change.  “My schedule’s full,” he said flatly, his tone almost mechanical. “I’ve got meetings lined up, and I don’t have time for anything extra right now.”

I blinked, trying to mask the sting his words carried. “Oh, I see.” I forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow even to my own ears. “No worries, I just thought—”

“It’s nothing personal,” Zayne interrupted, his voice clipped, but the way he said it made it feel exactly that—personal. “The slidedeck will be sent out within the hour to all attendees and there should be a recording on the cloud. But if you need anything more, just email me or schedule something on my calendar.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, feeling my stomach drop.  “Right,” I muttered, eyes cast downward as I scribbled something useless on my notepad to keep myself busy. “I’ll, uh, send you the email.”

Without waiting for a response, I nodded and turned away, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from showing how much that rejection hurt.  Zayne was always quiet and distant as a kid, but this felt different from his mannerisms back then.  Our interaction, though brief, felt like he was interacting with a stranger that he would rather die than be around.  I could feel his gaze on my back for a brief second before he moved on, his focus already elsewhere.

I hurried through the crowd, my breath shallow, chest tight with disappointment.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up in surprise to see Caleb.  “Hey, pipsqueak.  How’d it go?”

I forced a shrug, trying to hold it together. “...Good, I guess…  I have to email him to set up something on the calendar.”

Caleb’s gaze flickered from me to Zayne in the distance, then back to me. His smirk had faded, replaced by something unreadable.  “Hey, well you know.  He’s probably got a lot on his mind.  He’s a CTO, now you know?”

His words did little to console me, and I soon made my way back to my desk with my notes from the meeting compiled.

The day flew by quickly after.

As I checked through the last few boxes on my tasklist for the day, I heard a soft tap on the side of my desk.

It was Tara.  There was a smile on her face as she pointed to the document I had sent her through email a little while ago.  “Thanks for your work on those notes!  They were great, and I appreciate you taking the initiative to attend that meeting for the team. We all had a major call that came up at the last minute and couldn’t reschedule.”

The praise for my work cheered me up a bit, and I couldn’t help but smile.  “Thanks, Tara!  I’m always happy to help!  Just let me know if I could do anything else!”

Tara beamed.  “Jenna also looked at your notes and we were thinking that maybe we should do an interview style press release!”

“ An interview press release, huh?  That sounds interesting!”

“Yea!  We’re wondering if you could conduct that for us!  Maybe you could set up a meeting with our CTO and have him talk through the product!”

“H-huh?”  Dread filled my stomach as the thought of needing to meet up with Zayne again sent me into a panic.  “A-are you sure?  I’m just an intern.  Shouldn’t someone else interview him instead-?”

“It’s national intern day on the press release date too! We figured that it would be cute to showcase that leadership cares about our interns and talent development program too!” My hesitation and reluctance were completely ignored by Tara, her enthusiasm bubbling over as she continued, “Plus, Jenna thinks it’s a great way for you to really shine. You’ve done fantastic work so far, and we trust you can handle this!”

With the compliments and faith that my boss had for me, I was hard pressed to refuse.  I forced a smile, even though my nerves were spiking. "Y-yeah, I mean... sure. I’ll give it my best shot."

Tara’s face lit up as if I’d just agreed to the most exciting opportunity ever. “Great! You should go ahead and send Zayne an email, maybe put something on his calendar for early next week. Just keep it simple—he’s super busy, but he’ll make time for you, I’m sure.”

I nodded, even though the knot in my stomach tightened. The thought of sitting down with Zayne for an interview—-- after how cold he’d been earlier -- felt daunting. But Tara was already walking away, leaving me no room to protest.

I let out a deep sigh, sinking back into my chair. I stared blankly at my screen for a moment, my fingers hesitating over the keyboard as I opened a new email draft.

Subject: Aethercore Interview Request for Press Release.

The words seemed simple enough, but I couldn’t shake the sense of impending doom as I typed. I tried to make the email as professional and straightforward as possible:

Hi Zayne,

I hope you’re doing well. I’m working on the Aethercore launch press release and was wondering if you’d be open to doing a short interview for it. Given your role as CTO and your involvement with the product, it would add valuable insights. Could you let me know your availability, and I can schedule a time that works best for you?

Thanks in advance.

I cringed as I hit send, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. Now, all I had to do was wait.

The clock ticked closer to 5 p.m., and I was counting down the minutes, hoping to sneak out of here as soon as Caleb came to pick me up. My mind was still buzzing from the day’s events—Zayne’s cold dismissal and Tara’s sudden assignment. I just wanted to go home, curl up, and not think about the awkward email I’d sent Zayne.

But then, just as I was about to close my laptop, a new notification popped up on my screen. My stomach twisted as I saw the sender’s name.

Zayne.

I clicked on it hesitantly, my eyes scanning the message quickly:

Subject: Re: Aethercore Interview Request for Press Release.

Sure. How about Tuesday at 3 p.m.? I’ve added it to my calendar.

Zayne.

My heart dropped. He responded immediately. Of course, he made it sound so... clinical. No greeting. No sign of warmth. Nothing that even remotely hinted at the Zayne I remembered from back when we were close.

I barely had time to process it when Caleb appeared at the side of my desk, leaning against the cubicle wall, his usual easy grin in place. “Ready to go, Pipsqueak?”

I jumped slightly, clicking my laptop closed. “Y-yeah, let’s go.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed, picking up on my nervous energy. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” I muttered, grabbing my bag. “Not here. Let’s just… talk in the car.”

He didn’t press me further, but I could feel his concern as we made our way out of the office and to the parking garage. As soon as we got into his car, I could feel the tension release slightly, but Caleb wasn’t one to leave things alone for long.

“Is this about Zayne?” he asked, starting the engine and pulling out onto the road. His tone was casual, but I could see the sharpness in his gaze out of the corner of my eye.

I sighed, staring out the window. “Yeah... kind of. I just thought... I thought things would be different, you know? Like maybe after all these years, he’d still care. Or at least act like he recognized me as a friend. But it’s like none of it mattered to him. He barely even acknowledged me.”

Caleb’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “He’s always been kind of like that, Pipsqueak. You know how he is.”

“I know, but...” I trailed off, feeling the weight of the disappointment settling in. “It just hurts, I guess?  We were all friends, weren’t we?  Really close friends.  And now it’s kind of like being total strangers- years of friendship down the drain and forgotten.”

Caleb was quiet for a moment, his jaw clenching. “He’s just busy,” he offered. “Being CTO of a company like Onyxion isn’t exactly a laid-back job. It doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about you or the fact that we used to all be close together.”

“...I hope that’s the case…”  I let out a soft sigh. “He didn’t even want to talk after the meeting.  I asked him to dinner to catch up, and he just-”

Caleb’s frown deepened, but he didn’t say anything.  I could sense he wasn’t happy about it, but he was holding something back and not saying anything more.  He nodded.  “Well, maybe he’ll warm up eventually.  It’s hard to keep you at arm’s length, Pipsqueak.  That’s how the three of us became friends in the first place, remember?”

I managed a small smile at his attempt to cheer me up, but the ache in my chest didn’t go away.

“And now I have to do this stupid interview with him for the press release.” I groaned, leaning my head back against the seat. “Tara wants me to be the one to ask him about the product, and I don’t even know how to face him after today.”

Caleb shot me a look, his brows furrowed. “You’re meeting with him again?”

I nodded, not really wanting to delve into it. “Yeah, next week. It’s for work.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, the silence stretching between us as we drove. Finally, he sighed. “Well, good luck with that. Just… don’t let him get to you, okay?”

“I’ll try,” I muttered, though I wasn’t sure I believed it. As much as I wanted to brush it off, the thought of sitting down with Zayne for an interview—after everything—was gnawing at me.

Caleb parked the car in the driveway, turning to look at me with a serious expression. “And if he gives you a hard time… you know I’m always down to throw hands with him.  You know he never wins against me in a fight.”  He flashed me a grin and a teasing smile.

There it was again—that lightheartedness that always managed to pull me back, just enough to make things feel less heavy. Caleb had this way of making the world seem a little less overwhelming, and for a moment, I almost forgot the tangled mess of emotions waiting for me. I couldn’t help but smile back, even as a knot still lingered in my stomach.

“Thanks, Caleb.”

[zenaidamacrouras1]

16, 17, 26 and/or 31 for the fic writer game! (feel free to pick and choose whichever ones you feel inclined to respond to!)

Link to asks here!

Hey thanks for asking! Let's see. Sorry in advance.

16. What do you struggle with most when writing?

Looking at the words so much they don't make any sense and panicking that it's garbage and every one will kill me if they read it because it was so bad it actively caused their brain harm. My apologies to everyone who has ever interacted with me in this phase of my writing. I know it's annoying. The feelings are real when I am having them. I am always so sure it's that bad and then someone reads it for me and I'm so sure they will shake their heads sadly and tell me I deserve to be smited. Smote. Smitten. For having written something so profoundly irredeemable.

then they say "it's fine you fucking dramatic raccoon" and I look at again and think "oh maybe it is fine"

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

I got a comment recently assuming that my career was the same as the one of the characters in my fic which always fills me with wicked glee. Hahahha no I do not have a medical or engineering or paleontology degree I am a fucking poetry major behold the power of the humanities!!!

26. Do you ever "prep" your fics with outlines or warmups before you start writing, or do you just dive right in?

Hahahha I can not convey to you the depths to which I don't. I spend a lot of time walking around or gardening kind of daydreaming on vibes for my fics which is a valid part of my process no matter how many memes I see about how daydreaming about the vibes of your fic is not the same as writing your fic.

I mean, sure, but they are also not unrelated. So most of the time I spent a few weeks/months/years sort of mentally puzzling through the concept of a fic while falling asleep or whatever (I usually have a few fics in the old brain loop at a time) and then after sufficient brain marination, I usually spend a few weeks doing research about whatever the major themes are and maybe create a meticulous 30 page doc of sources.

And then I just fuck around and write and see what happens and then after about 10-20k words and blah la la blah tuppy tap typing I have a breakdown because I didn't plan anything because I'm a fucking idiot and now fucking what? And then I get through that and figure out what they are doing for a while till I hit another wall.

And wonder why I was born and also why don't I enjoy exercising or cooking health food or meditating or some other hobby that is healthy and productive or even something dangerous like ax juggling, anything that isn't writing.

It depends how much rising action/turning points/climax there are in the fic but pretty much all the turning points make me wish I had never seen a keyboard and that I was a person who made plots.

sometimes I think of all the writers I know who make a plot and then write all the scenes. Just like. In a row? And they know what's going to happen?

and I think they must be the happiest people alive and why can't I be like them??? They probably also enjoy exercising and cooking healthy food. I bet they do all of the exercises their physical therapist assigns them and their knees never make a weird creaky-clicky sound on the stairs because they are responsible and kept up with their exercises.

But the thing is --- that if I know how a fic ends it's not as interesting to me to write it. One reason I am so productive as a writer is I genuinely don't know how my fics will end and I want to know.

Often I struggle to finish a fic once I have got near enough to the end to know how it ends. This usually happens with a chapter or two left. And I have to just chain myself to my desk and hammer those chapters out like it's a fucking work email because blahhhhhh I already know this why do I have to write it downnnnnn.

Is this helpful? Should I write a flow chart of my process? (That is a joke)

31. What fic meant the most to you to write?

Probably Plastered just cause it was my first fic and I was incredibly sad when I wrote it and writing it really made me feel better. I have a whole thing about it at the end of the fic if you want to know my business.

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[ramblings-from-the-ether]

Prohibition AU: The Family

The Outer Circle

These members have a limited amount of knowledge into the scale or even the degree-of-illegality of Naven's empire (Bliss Ocean).

Molly Blyndeff, trudging through hard times with an uncaring family, Ms Blyndeff has been quietly emancipated in exchange for her eyes, ears, and unassuming demeanor. A little spy in short.

Trixie Roughhouse, a close friend of Molly's with a fascination with concoctions. Upon introduction, they were assigned to be apprenticed in moonshining at one of Naven's underground distilleries, though they personally prefer experimenting for unknown product.

Phoenica Fleecity, another friend of Molly's. She isn't of much use in criminal activities (also the least informed of Naven's doings), but her generous allowance does help grease the financial side of activities she has no business knowing about.

Howie Honeyglow, an engineer and construction contact of Naven's. He provides maintenance and solves any lack of facilities for 'business activities', by building them up in record time with little excess charges.

Giovanni Potage, leader of a band of misfits who broke off from another street gang; now in Naven's employ. As mentioned in a previous post, he provides the majority of grunt work in Sweet Jazz City for Bliss Ocean. His talent lies in his rousing leadership which keeps morale steady no matter the branch, much to Naven's surprise. Hosts weekly hotpot nights for his brothers (in-arms).

Percival King, the officer who chose peace. She sees Naven as a major businessman with some connections to the criminal underworld; thus a deal was struck where Percy cooperates with Naven in removing the violence on the streets (and kills off competition) while Percy avoids further investigating Naven's influence that made the deal possible.

Indus Tarbella. Formerly Mera's self-declared servant and bodyguard, he now provides security and butler-like services in extension to Naven as a means to remain close to Mera.

The Inner Circle

Everyone here has blood on their hands. These are the men and women who initiates and executes the family's plans. Aka Bliss Ocean Proper.

Zora Salazar: former bounty hunter, gunsmith, and living action film 'protagonist'. Once carried out a hit halfway across the country within a single day by jumping off a wing of a plane midair onto a passing train to cut time. She usually works alone over larger distances outside of Sweet Jazz City.

Mera Salamin, the main (once) licensed surgeon and occasional strategist. She was out of a career after leaving glass shards in a patient and former co-worker who allegedly harassed her. But her swift manner of action caught Naven's attention, and she refuses to play on the sidelines this time.

Ramsey Murdoch is the accountant and financial advisor, mainly for Naven's legitimate ventures but also reaffirms good and competitive business sense for an empire balancing its legal and illegal standings. Whilst Naven is a great dealmaker, Ramsey makes those bigger deals possible.

The Driver is Naven's eyes on the city, as well as his personal companion. Always (seemingly) a different person to outsiders, some speculate that Naven has Sweet Jazz City's private chauffeurs under his patronage. Though in reality, Yoomtah Zing is a master of disguise and has a more hands-on role in managing Naven's criminal operations alongside Mera.

Naven Nuknuk, former arms dealer to the IRA and the man who came from selling apples to apple cider. He is just a small fish in comparison to the big bosses in New York or Chicago, no need to pay heed to him! (The FBI certainly doesn't anymore)

[askagamedev]

re: bug fixing. How often do you receive reports that subjective, or incomplete? I worked at a studio where I would get assigned tasks like “actor look weird here” alongside an attached video capture, or “mission 167 is broke”. These would come from playthroughs by higher ups, they would have a top proprity attached to them, and quite often they were not reproducible or not fixable (systems would need to be rewritten). Is that normal?

Yeah, it's pretty normal. These kind of bugs commonly come in via playthroughs during a feature review (usually producers, sometimes designers/engineers/art/QA, sometimes bigwigs), and often have only the comments made during the review for context. It usually requires some analysis after the fact, optimally with video footage of the playthrough to help provide some context to the issue. These kind of issues often have to go through production and get reviewed by the subject matter experts to interpret what is actually being asked. Once that's figured out, they get assigned. The bad thing is that these bugs are often difficult to reproduce consistently by QA (or they'd have been written up by QA already), but the behavior happens often enough that the bug is still a must-fix.

In that kind of situation, a hard-to-reproduce bug is often tasked to an engineer with a solid understanding of the systems who can track the bad behavior through the code, script, and assets to figure out what's causing it. These engineers aren't necessarily responsible for fixing the bug, but they are the specialists who figure out the cause of the bad behavior (e.g. animation X got checked in with a bad export) so that someone on the team can fix it (e.g. animator re-exports animation X).

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[anonymousboxcar]

I have a fic/au idea that I don’t have the spoons to write in full prose right now, but I’d like to put it out there.

So. Henry arrives on Sodor and an outraged Fat Director demands to know who built him. Henry tries to answer all his questions, but he soon realizes he doesn’t know much about his builders either.

He first came to in a damp shed with boarded-up windows. He never made out any faces, only ever hearing low voices around him. This was done to keep him from identifying anyone involved.

Once this is clear to Henry, it eats away at him. All the other engines on the NWR know their builders, their inherited legacies, and their engine families (siblings, cousins, etc.). Even worse, he’s not the engine the Fat Director wanted. He can’t help any of this.

…but he can figure out who his builders are. And maybe being able to answer those questions would make the Fat Director a little less angry with him. Maybe he could find out what family he might have out there. Maybe he could get an explanation from them.

So Henry asks engines coming in from the Mainland for info, with Edward and Thomas also asking around for him. The crew assigned to Henry sees how much this matters to him, and, growing fond of him, write letters to the place Henry was built.

They don’t make much progress, however, until Gordon arrives.

Gordon and Henry both feel very shaken when they see each other. Their designs are so close that it can’t be coincidental.

Their investigation is impeded somewhat by Gordon not wanting to associate with Henry. For him, it’s uncomfortable to acknowledge an engine so similar to him and yet so wrong. He looks at Henry and sees what could’ve been his fate, as an experimental prototype. And that doesn’t even go into the blow to his Gresley lineage and prestige as which he perceives Henry.

But then it only makes sense, a bitter Henry argues, for Gordon to disprove the idea that Henry’s a real Gresley engine. And so Gordon relents (with some sternness from Edward and some scowling from Thomas as well).

Gordon then admits when they question him that some plans went missing from Doncaster. It was before his time, but he overheard some people still speculating about who could’ve done it.

He says nobody saw the plans as a great loss — that they were rejected for having too small of a firebox for a locomotive of that size.

But as Henry and his crew begin looking into who stole those plans, suspecting a rival of Gresley, things go wrong with his trains. Things like loosened couplings, damaged track that was fine an hour ago, and trucks catching fire.

It’s all sabotage. Henry has become a liability to his builders by trying to expose them. And seeing as they already got the money from his sale, they have no further need of him.

Henry is horrified, make no mistake, but he’s also angry. He’s done with this nonsense. He wants to see his builders face-to-face, to draw them out, to get some kind of explanation from them.

And so he makes the impulsive decision to stop in a tunnel.

He’s miffed that the Fat Director matches his expectations and bricks him up, but not surprised. He does his best to explain himself to his crew once the hullabaloo dies down. But as he lays out his idea, his confidence wavers.

He’s not sure if he can face the people who built and then abandoned him. He’s not sure if he’ll come away from this safely. And even if does, he’s not sure he hasn’t burned every bridge on this railway and any hope of a future here. Can he trust anyone here?

He doesn’t tell them this, though. It’s too late to go back. He can only see this through.

That night, some strangers approach Henry’s tunnel. They’re his builders. They’re here to dispose of him. He finally sees their faces, even if he can’t put names to all of them.

The way they talk to him confirms that they never cared about him. He was always a means to an end. He was always one of a kind, the product of a jealous grudge against another engineer.

And yet it doesn’t hurt the way Henry thought it would. He sees them and feels no connection, no obligation to them. He realizes they’re not and never were his family — that he never had to please or live up to them.

So when they give him one last chance to shut his mouth, to keep quiet about who they are, he laughs in their faces.

He takes great satisfaction in telling them they can’t command any kind of loyalty from him. He knows he could never trust them and he’s fine with that, because he feels nothing for any of them now. He doesn’t need them.

The only thing that scares him is the thought that he won’t get away from this. As the builders advance on him, he thinks that he’s grown fond of Sodor and this ridiculous railway. He wants to roll his eyes at Thomas’ quips, to watch the sunrise with Edward. He might even want to bicker with Gordon. He wants a future here.

And then his crew leaps out of hiding, getting into a scuffle with the builders.

It’s long enough for Thomas to come barreling down the line, followed by Edward and Gordon. They bring the police, having been informed of the “stake-out” plan… and the Fat Director steps off Thomas’ footplate, too.

The builders are summarily subdued and arrested, and all the engines and crews ask Henry is he’s alright. (Well, Gordon does so in a very roundabout, emotionally constipated way, but he still asks.) Henry is overwhelmed. He was right to trust them, it seems. He could more than trust them.

Henry and the Fat Director then hash things out. It’s a tense and messy conversation, especially because Henry is still reeling from the events of the night so far. But the Fat Director says that, regardless of his own opinions, it’s clear the rest of his engines and workmen would riot if he turned Henry away now. And he can’t afford that.

“You are needed here,” he says. It’s not quite an apology, but it’s close — an undoing of the bricks between them. “You are useful.”

Henry doesn’t say thank you, because this is the bare minimum. “Yes, sir,” he says, trying very hard not to cry anyway.

And so Henry is let out of the tunnel and remains on the NWR. It’s not perfect — far from it, sometimes — but it’s home. It gets better over the years. Decades pass before the Thin Clergyman starts asking around for the story of Henry’s tunnel.

By now, not many people know about what really happened. The knowledge of Henry’s leading designer would’ve torpedoed a workshop’s reputation, one which turned out to be uninvolved in what one of its designers did in his free time. Many people would’ve lost their jobs and locomotives would’ve lost the ability to find homes. So in the end, the scandal was hushed up and the builders were charged on the more minor offenses they committed.

For that reason, Henry and the others quickly rule out telling the truth. Nor does Henry want to revisit that time in his life. He doesn’t want to be associated with his builders in any way.

Thomas’ cheeky suggestion about him not wanting the rain to spoil his paint isn’t very flattering, but the others’ suggestions are even worse. (Edward’s idea of Henry being in the tunnel for a heroic reason is outvoted, though Henry appreciates it.) He also has to admit the Fat Director doesn’t look much better in that version of events — he looks arguably worse than Henry.

Is it petty? Yes. Does Henry go along with it anyway? Yes.

The Fat Director, now the first Fat Controller, accepts this without comment. He’s learned and grown quite a bit since the early days of his railway. He’s not the same man who bricked up Henry; he doesn’t think it’s worth getting so worked up over a small dig at him. (And while he’d never admit it, he thinks it’s a way to somewhat atone for his part in it all.)

But even if the Fat Controller did get upset, Henry wouldn’t be afraid in the slightest. He knows the engines here have his back. He knows he’ll always have his family.

[usafphantom2]

In 1970s NASA was not allowed to have any SR-71s, yet they received one and they passed it off as YF-12C (with a bogus A-12 tail number)

NASA YF-12C

Taken in 1975, the interesting photos in this post show NASA Blackbirds carrying the so called “coldwall” heat transfer pod on a pylon beneath the forward fuselage.

The Blackbirds portrayed in these photos are usually referred to as YF-12s, but actually one of them was an SR-71: the one on the top is a YF-12 but the one on the bottom is an SR-71.

CLICK HERE to see The Aviation Geek Club contributor Linda Sheffield’s T-shirt designs! Linda has a personal relationship with the SR-71 because her father Butch Sheffield flew the Blackbird from test flight in 1965 until 1973. Butch’s Granddaughter’s Lisa Burroughs and Susan Miller are graphic designers. They designed most of the merchandise that is for sale on Threadless. A percentage of the profits go to Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. This nonprofit charity is personal to the Sheffield family because they are raising money to house SR-71, #955. This was the first Blackbird that Butch Sheffield flew on Oct. 4, 1965.

Another interesting thing about those pictures is that NASA was not allowed to have an SR-71 but they did and they passed it off as a YF-12!

In fact, the “YF-12C” was a then-secret SR-71A (serial no. 64-17951, the second production SR-71A) given the NASA tail no. 60-6937. The reason for this bit of subterfuge lay in the fact that NASA, while flying the YF-12A interceptor version of the aircraft, was not allowed to possess the strategic reconnaissance version for some time.

In 1970s NASA was not allowed to have any SR-71s, yet they received one and they passed it off as YF-12C (with a bogus A-12 tail number)

Two NASA Blackbirds: the one on the top is a YF-12, the one on the bottom is the YF-12C/SR-71.

The coldwall project

The bogus tail number actually belonged to a Lockheed A-12 (serial no. 60-6937), but the existence of the A-12 remained classified until 1982. The tail number 06937 was selected because it followed in the sequence of tail numbers assigned to the three existing YF-12A aircraft: 06934, 06935, and 06936. Isn’t that amazing?

The coldwall project, supported by Langley Research Center, consisted of a stainless steel tube equipped with thermocouples and pressure-sensors. A special insulating coating covered the tube, which was chilled with liquid nitrogen. At Mach 3, the insulation could be pyrotechnically blown away from the tube, instantly exposing it to the thermal environment. The experiment caused many inflight difficulties, such as engine unstarts, but eventually researchers got a successful flight.

Noteworthy the Flight Research Center’s involvement with the YF-12A, an interceptor version of the Lockheed A-12, began in 1967. Ames Research Center was interested in using wind tunnel data that had been generated at Ames under extreme secrecy. Also, the Office of Advanced Research and Technology (OART) saw the YF-12A as a means to advance high-speed technology, which would help in designing the Supersonic Transport (SST).

Given that the US Air Force (USAF) needed technical assistance to get the latest reconnaissance version of the A-12 family, the SR-71A, fully operational, the service offered NASA the use of two YF-12A aircraft, 60-6935 and 60-6936.

Eventually, with 146 flights between Dec. 11 1969 and Nov. 7 1979, 935 became the workhorse of the program while the second YF-12A, 936, made 62 flights. Given that this aircraft was lost in a non-fatal crash on Jun. 24 1971, it was replaced by the so-called YF-12C SR-71A 61-7951, modified with YF-12A inlets and engines and a bogus tail number 06937.

The YF-12A

Cool Video Explains how SR-71 Blackbird’s J58 Turbo-Ramjet Engine Works

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. SR-71A Blackbird 61-7972 “Skunkworks”

The SR-71 differed from the YF-12A in that the YF-12A had a round nose while the SR-71 had its chine carried forward to the nose of the airplane. There were other differences in internal and external configuration, but the two aircraft shared common inlet designs, structural concepts, and subsystems.

The YF-12 was developed in the 1960s as a high-altitude, Mach 3 interceptor to defend against supersonic bombers. Based on the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, the YF-12A became the forerunner of the highly-sophisticated SR-71 strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

The first of three YF-12s flew in August 1963. In May 1965, the first and third YF-12s set several records, including a speed record of 2,070.101 mph and an altitude record of 80,257.65 feet. For their speed record flight, Col. Robert L. “Fox” Stephens (pilot) and Lt. Col. Daniel Andre (fire control officer) received the 1965 Thompson Trophy.

Though the aircraft performed well, the F-12 interceptor program ended in early 1968. High costs, the ongoing war in Southeast Asia, and a lower priority on air defense of the US all contributed to the cancellation.

@Habubrats71 via X

[silviakundera]

Ok, upon request my thoughts on Bad Buddy, a good queer romance drama that doesn't get much if any international exposure outside the circle of Thai BL fans. Full spoilers.

after consuming literally dozens of BB videos, the best trailer to the drama imo is actually the talented samyvids' "Just My Type" songvid. Perfectly captures the setup.

* the hook: 2 boys raised by their feuding families to be rivals end up attending a university that has a childish Jets vs Sharksesque historic rivalry between the science/engineering vs artistic/architecture majors. Despite these 2 barriers, the boys stumble into a secret bromance and then into love. Secondary couple here is f/f, though it's basically just soft girls meet cute then getting together (no conflict).

* Comedic and light-hearted drama that doesn't take itself too seriously, while also swerving into the appropriate amount of angst for its set up.

* This '20-something bros in love' dynamic reminds me vividly of what a lot of SPN J2 RPF and Hockey RPF has tried to capture. The 2 leads feel like your prototypical good natured university bros and falling in love never changes that. Friends AND Lovers is a challenging dynamic to capture imo but Bad Buddy succeeds

* It helps the Bros In Love vibes that the actors look less primped & polished than many other asian BL productions. They seem like guys you could have actually had in your classes in uni.

* If you welcome the drama's tone and just vibe with it, I think it successfully executes 4 popular romance tropes:

- rivals to friends to lovers

- forbidden (hidden) love

- fall first vs fall harder

- golden retriever bounding around paw cleaning cat

* If you are going to sell me on a modern day romeo & juliet esque queer rom-com, without the bloodshed, then you BETTER put your money where you mouth is and make their love actually forbidden.

* Thankfully, Bad Buddy understood the assignment. It's not just a misunderstanding. Their parents truly do have a feud and they truly are forbidden to even be friends, forget a romantic relationship. 2 kids obligated to be enemies since birth, bound by this twisted shared experience that no one else understands.

* Pran falling first, with enough time to comprehend how cruelly impossible they are. Pat falling late, fast, and hard - too impulsive to consider the consequences and wearing his heart on his sleeve.

* Both characters won me over quickly:  cautious & restrained Pran who likes order, chaotic Pat who craves his attention

* Love that the dramatic tension & hiding in all the early episodes isn't revealed to be pointless. If there was no consequence, then it removes the poignancy of its classic rooftop kiss scene. Prans' fears must be justified in order for the angst to stand up in a rewatch. Pran's friends DO reject him at first. Their parents DO refuse to accept the relationship, including his mom considering this a personal betrayal.

* Prans' fears are painfully rational and everything he is scared of does have to be confronted. But that also gives romantic weight to his decision to give in to the feelings and accept the consequences.

* In the way that scifi authors will try to explore sociopolitical topics through allusions & metaphor, and that Hunger Games author keeps writing dystopian YA whenever she gets heated about politics, Bad Buddy does a good job imo of using the feuding families setup to address the reality of existing in a homophobic and transphobic society while being queer -- demonstrating it in a way that straight cis people can relate to. And approaching from this angle allows the production to tell that story with a certain emotional distance for queer viewers who have experienced such struggles.

* The bittersweet ending sells me completely on this drama. Closeted but not. Open but not entirely. Accepting that you can't change the world and make all your family & friends & coworkers accept your truth... but refusing to abandon them OR your truth. It's a decision so many queer people have made over the years, in different countries and decades. And it's tinged with hope.

* Let's acknowledge that indeed there is tons of product placement in this series. Sometimes to hilarious ends. But frankly, without this sponsorship the series would not exist. So I'm very grateful to suffer through the marketing that helped fund it.

* Available streaming in multiple places, including YouTube.

[planet-of-the-machines]

Ability Get (Part 1)

I consider today to have been rather productive. I've got my History assignment done three days early, got some hands-on experience working on one of the Expedition Corps.' APCs, and- most importantly -helped Uzi figure out more of her superpowers. Just got back from that, actually. Turns out she can turn her entire body into a rover. And she can drive herself!

That being said, turning back to her normal appearance without a hitch is, um, a Work In Progress. And it still doesn't answer why she can turn her legs into jet engines...

-Bee

I'm pretty sure I know what those are for now, and the wings. Next step: FLIGHT! >:D

-Uzi

Dare we ask N to give her flying lessons?

-Boulder

As much as I'd like to, her wings are single pieces, while mine are made of several moving components. I don't think she can fly the same way me and my team do.

That, and Uzi and I still have some, uh, baggage.

-N

?

Can someone please translate what the genocide bot said into English?

-Heatwave

I think N is saying is that he (and the other MDs) fly like a bird, using their wings for thrust to pull themselves, so to speak. Uzi, if she can fly at all, will only be able to do so using thrust from her legs to push herself, like a plane.

-Arcee

Bite me! I'm going to be flying so high I'm gonna see the sun!

-Uzi

I'll believe it when I see it. End of discussion.

-Heatwave