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literaryvein-reblogs · 3 months ago

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Hi there! I'm writing a barista character and got a bit stuck. Do you have any notes on how to write baristas (e.g. what shifts are like; what you have to learn to be one, etc)? Thank you so much!

(Your posts here are invaluable, by the way, and super helpful. 😄)

Writing Notes: Barista

Barista - specializes in making a variety of coffee and espresso beverages.

Usually works in a cafe, coffee shop or bookstore where they take customer orders, complete transactions and serve drinks.

May also prepare and serve a few small meals and pastry options.

Day-to-Day Tasks

As a barista, you would:

prepare the premises or outlet ready for opening

welcome customers, take orders and process payments

prepare and serve coffees, hot snacks, sandwiches and cakes

clean and tidy work areas, equipment and coffee machines

check and order new stock

Preparing Beverages. One of the barista’s primary duties is preparing various drinks to meet customer preferences. This involves:

Crafting Espresso-Based Drinks: Baristas skillfully pull espresso shots, steam milk, and create drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos. They ensure each beverage has the perfect balance of flavor and texture.

Brewing Specialty Coffees: Many coffee shops offer pour-over coffees, cold brews, or French press options. Baristas must understand brewing methods, grind size, and extraction techniques to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Creating Latte Art: For many customers, presentation matters as much as taste. Baristas often add intricate designs, such as hearts or rosettas, to elevate the visual appeal of lattes and cappuccinos.

Customizing Orders: Customize drinks to customer preferences by adjusting sweetness levels, switching to non-dairy milk, or adding extra espresso shots.

Other barista duties may include:

Welcoming patrons to the shop

Building a relationship with regular customers and remembering their orders

Explaining the cafe’s special menu items as necessary

Recommending beverage options if requested

Following recipes and presentation guides to make beverages

Preparing plates or takeaway containers of pastry and food items

Cleaning and maintaining the commercial coffee machine, steamer and blender

Following health and safety policies

Removing dishes from the table as patrons finish their drinks

Preparing checks and taking payment from patrons

Work Environment

Baristas work in a variety of coffee shops with the following characteristics:

Standing and walking around for extended periods of time

Lifting and carrying food and drink trays to tables

Working near many other customers, servers and kitchen staff

Wearing a uniform if required by the restaurant

Working environment may be noisy

Typical Hours

40 to 42 hours (variable) per week

Evenings / Weekends / Holidays (on shifts)

Cafes and coffee shops typically open early in the mornings

May require baristas to be flexible with scheduling to meet customer demand

The work can be fast-paced during busy periods

Suitable job for students and part-time workers

Career Path & Progression

There may also be opportunities to move into:

barista staff training

equipment maintenance

coffee tasting and buying

product development and marketing

You could become self-employed and open your own coffee shop.

With experience, you could become a:

store manager, then

regional manager, with a coffee retail chain or franchise.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Flexible Hours: Perfect for students or part-time workers.

Skill Development: Learn customer service, multitasking, and coffee expertise.

Social Interaction: Build relationships with customers and colleagues.

Career Growth: Opportunities to advance into management or specialty coffee roles.

Cons

Physical Demands: Standing for long periods and repetitive motions.

Irregular Hours: Early mornings, weekends, and holidays are typical.

Modest Pay: Entry-level wages can be low, though tips often help.

How to Become a Barista

You can get into this job through: a college course; an apprenticeship; applying directly; training with a professional body.

College. Although not essential, you could do a college course that would give you some of the skills needed for this role. Courses include:

barista skills

food and beverage service

retail skills

Apprenticeship. You can apply to do a Hospitality Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This will usually take 12 months to complete

A mix of on-the-job training and time spent with a college or training provider

Direct Application. When you start, your employer will put you through training in barista skills and product knowledge. Some employers may prefer you to have experience in customer service, retail sales or catering.

Common Personality Traits

22,778 baristas were surveyed to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Based on the Holland Codes:

Baristas tend to be predominantly conventional individuals, meaning that they are usually detail-oriented and organized, and like working in a structured environment.

They also tend to be realistic, which means that they often enjoy working outdoors or applying themselves to a hands-on project.

Based on The Big Five:

Baristas score highly on openness, which means they are usually curious, imaginative, and value variety.

They also tend to be high on the measure of extraversion, meaning that they rely on external stimuli to be happy, such as people or exciting surroundings.

Barista Tools

Baristas use a wide variety of tools to complete their duties. Some common tools:

Espresso Machine. Allows you to brew highly concentrated black coffee. During this process, the machine forces pressurized hot water through finely grounded coffee. Some types of drinks you can make using an espresso machine include: Macchiato; Cafe latte; Cappuccino; Mocha; Affogato; and Americano

Frothing Steam Pitcher. Used to create any drink that requires milk. A frothing stream pitcher helps you create a milk foam to top off a cup of coffee. You can also use this type of pitcher to create an assortment of latte art. Frothing pitchers are stainless steel and feature a handle and pouring spout. A narrow spout can offer control when pouring latte art, such as a heart or rose. You can also find frothing pitchers in different sizes, depending on the amount of milk you want to froth.

Foam Frothing Spoon. After creating foam from a steam pitcher, you can use a foam frothing spoon to control how much foam you pour over a cup of coffee. Using a frothing spoon can prevent spilling that may occur when pouring the foam into a cup of coffee. This type of spoon features a flat tip that makes it easier to scoop only foam from a steaming pitcher.

Thermometer. When making espresso, it's important to consider the brewing temperature, along with that of the milk froth. If your espresso machine doesn't come with a proportional-integral-derivative, use a thermometer to measure espresso as it leaves the brew head.When making a drink that requires steamed milk, it's important for the milk to reach the ideal temperature of about 149 degrees Fahrenheit. To reach this temperature, consider using a frothing thermometer for complete accuracy. A frothing thermometer can also help you avoid burning the milk while ensuring a caramelized milk finish that can elevate the flavor of any coffee.

Commercial Coffee Maker. This type of coffee maker lets you brew a standard cup of coffee. After filling it with water and coffee grounds, a coffee maker filters hot water through a basket holding coffee grounds. After filtering, black coffee enters the coffee pot. You can use this black coffee for a standard cup of coffee or for other drinks such as an iced coffee or latte.

Tamper. Baristas use tampers to brew espresso, whether in a machine or through a stovetop espresso maker. A tamper lets you pack loosely dosed coffee grounds so they're tightly pressed, ensuring a quality espresso shot. You can also adjust the length of a tamper depending on the espresso dosage.

Scale. Helps you achieve a consistent and accurately measured espresso shot. In terms of measurement, a scale helps you determine the amount of beans you use for one shot. If you use a quality grinder with a doser, you may not need a scale.

Coffee Grinder. Grinds fresh coffee beans before the brewing process. A coffee grinder lets you grind as much coffee as needed, whether for an espresso shot or a large batch of coffee. Many coffee grinders have conical burrs that let you select the size of your coffee grounds.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, thanks so much for your lovely words, you're too kind! Hope this helps with your writing 💕

#anonymous #barista #character development #writeblr #coffee #literature #writers on tumblr #dark academia #writing reference #spilled ink #writing prompt #creative writing #writing tips #writing advice #light academia #writing inspiration #writing ideas #character building #writing resources

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literallymechanical · 23 days ago

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Hihi I recently graduated and Im about to start my career as a mchanical engineer (!!!) any advice to not flail and drown?

There are so many paths to take. Here are two of them:

Get a job at a REALLY tiny startup doing something crazy ambitious. I'm not taking 40 or 50 employees, I'm saying like, six people led by a crazy professor who's patented something weird. Thankfully, MechE undergrad actually has a really high quotient of stuff that is immediately useful in the professional world, but there's still a ton to learn on the job, and that's what you're doing here. They will not pay you well.

They should have an ancient shitty manual milling machine that leaks oil. Learn how to use it and maintain it. Your goal isn't to become a machinist, but you need to know how to send a machinist a drawing that won't make them hate you. Talking to machinists without coming across as an idiot jackass is the single most important soft skill you will ever learn.

One day you will find that you've memorized a decent chunk of the McMaster catalogue and can tell aluminum from steel at a glance. You will have opinions about aluminum alloys. This may take a couple years. By this point the startup may be exploding into a horrible mess of drama and toxicity (hopefully metaphorically, but I witnessed my fair share of chemical spills and hydrogen explosions).

Now you're ready. Quit your job and apply somewhere better. You might be tempted to do a PhD, that is the devil talking and you should be wary about putting your name in his book. You may be tempted to found your own startup, wait until you're thirty and reevaluate that urge. Ideally you should move at least 100 miles away.

Second option:

Completely disregard all that, (except the bit about machinists, that's important) and get a job at a local branch of a big corporation instead. Aerospace is a good bet if you avoid Boeing, or a firm like GE or smthng. I can't stop you if you want to sell your soul to Lockheed, but yikes. Do this for three to five years, learn something new from everybody who will give you the time of day. Now decide if you want to make a career at this place, or quit and get a higher-paying job elsewhere.

But yeah, if you remember one thing from this post, it's this:

You have a long career ahead of you so don't worry if it takes a bit to get off the ground. For now, just focus on learning on the job. Also don't die in an explosion.

#engineering

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veinsfullofstars · 1 month ago

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Meet the Families: Gear Dee, Eva, & Treble Dee

You guys might’ve heard me talk about Bow’s extremely cool moms before (and maybe mention her sullen older brother once or twice), and now I finally get to introduce you to them! Check below the cut for more deets and fun facts!

(OC info updated as of 05/28/25.)

Started 04/22/25, finished 05/06/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

---

Some fun facts about Gear Dee:

-Raised in a certain city off-world, Gear grew up deep in the heart of Air Ride culture, surrounded by roughnecks and gearheads who absolutely adored her and always treated her like one for the family. Her father, a trophy-winning racer, taught her all the tools of the trade - mechanics, vehicle operation, pyrotechnics, etc. - and fostered in her a love of fast starships and thrilling races. (He maaaay have also let her test out the machines before she was old enough to drive one, but the authorities never found out, so who’s to say how true that is?)

-Once she was old enough to enter, Gear quickly made a name for herself in local Air Ride competitions, living mostly for the thrill and the speed rather than victory. Her vehicles of choice tend to be either the Turbo Star and the Formula Star.

-Her first relationship was… a messy one. During her early days running in the city trials, she fell head-over-heels for an awkward but charming Waddle Dee who always showed up for her races, taken in by gifts, pretty words, and - though she didn’t know at the time - empty promises. Her father and friends never approved of him, but Gear has never been one to follow any path but her own, moving in to his grungy apartment partly out of stubbornness and partly upon learning they had a kid on the way. She’d tried her damnedest to make it work, even as their love started to sour, as her career prospects flagged, as his debts and gambling problems became known, as the shouting matches grew more and more frequent. It wasn’t until the birth of their second child that she’d had enough, packing her bags and ignoring his protests and pleas as she left with the kids, moving in with a certain seamstress friend of hers across town.

-Things improved a bit during her stay with Eva. She didn’t have much time for races anymore thanks to the kids but found enough fulfillment in ancillary mechanics work to make up for it. Her friendship with Eva quickly blossomed into something more, the transition near-seamless given how close they’d grown in the years prior. She saw Eva’s meek demeanor open into something bright and personable, the pressure of city life easing off as she found her footing. It warmed Gear’s heart to hear her talk about patterns and textiles and fabric quality with a fervor that only came when she was at her happiest.

-When the phone calls came, Gear blocked his number. When the letters arrived, she tore them up. When he appeared on Eva’s doorstep - teary-eyed with his pockets turned out, offering the same empty apologies and poor excuses as before - she slammed the door in his face. Almost one year since she left, she once again decided she’d had enough and packed up her things for a second time, now with Eva at her side. They said their goodbyes to their families and friends with promises to keep in touch (and to not tell him where they were going) and boarded the next starship out of the city, making their home in a little middle-of-nowhere village on Gear’s birth planet, Popstar.

-It’d taken some time to get used to more rural living, but Gear settled in well enough. Popstar - for all its peace and quiet - is not without its own avenues of entertainment and thrill. And there’s always need for a handywoman around, whether it’s to fix a busted toaster or build a new fence or see what’s wrong with the family warp star (spoiler - it's probably the result of Para's overcurious tinkering). It’s fulfilling, in its own way (plus, with some help from the Poppy Bros. family, she also gets to be in charge of fireworks on holidays, so there’s that). She does miss the city sometimes, though, especially the races. She hopes she can visit again someday… though, not right now.

-Gear isn’t entirely sure what happened between her and Treble. He used to be such a sweet boy before… well, all that. She’s tried to talk with him about it, but he never wants to hear it, either brushing her off or starting another shouting match. It reminds her a lot of herself at that age. Maybe that's why it strains her patience with him to its limit so often. (That, or seeing his father in those blue eyes...)

-Raising Bow was a journey that Gear wasn’t entirely prepared for - nothing in those stupid parenting books about atypical Copy Abilities. If it hadn’t been for Eva’s help, she has no idea how she would’ve managed. Even now, Bow’s still a handful, but she’s also Gear’s little firecracker, a tiny spark of excitement and energy who loves fun and danger just as much as she does. She can’t wait to take her to the city someday - Bow would love the races, she just knows it.

-Gear will never stop talking about how cool her wife is.

Some fun facts about Eva:

-Eva doesn’t talk about her life before the city. Full stop. For all she cares, her life didn’t begin until she hitched a ride on a passing starship and stepped out into the blinding lights of that sprawling metropolis. The city was hardly kind to her in those early years, forcing her to run with some tough crowds and make some tougher choices in order to survive, but she did survive, finding home and friends and purpose in those grimy, noisy streets. Compared to the nest she’d clawed her way out of, it might as well have been paradise.

-While working in a laundromat to pay for her meager apartment, Eva bumped into a very punk-rock Waddle Dee who introduced herself as one of the many Air Ride racers that populate the city. They got to chatting and hit it off right away, becoming fast friends in a handful of weeks. She learned all about Gear and her life in the city, her interests, her goals, the sound of her boisterous laughter. Eva could feel her heart reaching even then and found herself feeling brave enough to share bits of herself, her own experiences - good and bad - carving out a life in the city. She learned of Gear’s kids and the disintegrating state of her relationship, saw the frustration and misery in her warm eyes, and - though trying to remain respectful - did try to act as a voice of reason regarding Gear’s flaky partner, perhaps the one that finally convinced her to leave him.

-Though Gear and her kids moving in came rather suddenly, it proved to be some of the happiest days of Eva’s life (before coming to Popstar, anyway). It was far from easy, but they shared the weight as evenly as they could, supporting each other and talking through what needed talking through. She watched the life return to Gear’s eyes, her drive returning in earnest as she pursued her passions once again (even if they had to be tweaked a bit). It was Gear who took her to get her first piercing. It was Gear who took her to the Garden in the Sky and showed her the stars high above the city. It was Gear who used her connections to help Eva land a job with an esteemed boutique, a dream she’d had since coming to the city. After all that, how could she not fall in love?

-They’d discussed leaving the city long before the calls and letters. Eva might have come there seeking a fresh start, and learned so much in her time living there, but she never quite took to urban life as readily as Gear did, despite her efforts. Gear was understanding… if a bit hesitant, at first. After all, she had a life here already, family and friends and a potential career. Obviously, Eva didn’t want to tear her away from that, only wanted Gear and her kids to be happy, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there might be a better home for them all elsewhere… It was only when Gear’s ex started coming by that the prospect seemed a lot more inviting.

-Within a year of moving in together, they’d found a new home far away from the city, in a quiet little village full of kind folks that took them in readily. Eva quickly found that the countryside suited her much better than the city, enamored with the clean air and vast blue skies unblemished by skyscrapers and smog. She’d been so used to the roar of vehicles and commuters that she’d almost forgotten the sounds of nature, animals and leaves and wind and silence. She’s never felt so… at home than she has here.

-Though she still takes commissions for custom outfits and accessories, Eva has mostly relegated her clothing passions to the comfort of a beloved hobby. She spends most of her time these days working as a community organizer, helping folks like Dedede's mama and Para's dad with holiday setup and event planning for the village (a far cry from the nervous wallflower she'd been during her first year in the city). That said, she’s still the first on call when someone needs fashion advice or a rip repaired, and she’s knitted at least one sweater for almost everyone in the neighborhood.

-If Gear had been unprepared for a sulky teenager and a hydrokinetic baby, then Eva even less so. She loves Bow and Treble dearly, of course, cares for them as if they were her own children… but, stars, they can be a handful sometimes. It’s so hard to keep up with Bow’s energy, and Treble looks at her like she’s personally responsible for every bad thing in his life… It’s fine, though. If her time in the city has left her with anything, it’s the ability to adapt to whatever life throws at her. She can be patient. She can be strong. She can be a good mother to these kids who deserve the world.

-Eva likes to call Gear her wife despite the fact that they never officially got married.

Some fun facts about Treble Dee:

-Unlike Bow, who was too young to remember her brief time in the city, Treble has no trouble recalling his early childhood. He remembers their tiny apartment, with its faded wallpaper and water damage stains that looked like animals if he squinted. He remembers his dad carrying him on his back out by the wharf, telling him stories and showing him the lighthouse and buying him the best ice cream he’d ever had. He remember his mom coming home smelling like motor oil and letting him play with toy spaceships she brought back from the races. He remembers having friends and going to school and hearing music on the street all the time. He remembers being happy there.

-He remembers his dad being gone a lot, while his mom paced and fumed over the bills on the tiny kitchen table. He remembers hearing them argue a lot through the walls when he was supposed to be asleep. He remembers peering down into the crib with the tiny Waddle Dee inside, feeling crowded despite how small she was.

-Once, his dad bought him a ukulele for his birthday. His mom taught him how to play it, promising to teach him how to play her guitar when he got bigger. He loved that little uke and played it all the time, making up silly little songs that made his dad laugh and tell him he was going to be a star one day. He forgot to pack it up when his mom said they had to leave. He wonders if it’s still there.

-He didn’t like Eva’s apartment. It smelled weird, and the water stains in the ceiling looked like faces laughing at him. He had to share a room with Bow. She cried a lot, so much that she broke one of the pipes in the kitchen. He had a nightmare the first night there, hearing his dad calling out to his mom and begging her to come back. Eva found him crying and tried to hold him until he calmed down. He pulled away. He never got to say goodbye.

-He didn’t cry when they left the city. Just sat with his cheek pressed against the window of the starship, watching the only home he’d ever known fade behind the clouds, and then the stars. He kept his headphones on so he couldn’t hear Bow crying or his mom talking to Eva.

-Treble learned to play bass on his own. Mostly out of spite, if we’re being honest. (Gear’s too proud of him to see it that way, though.) Yes, he’s aware of the irony of being named Treble and playing the bass - stop bringing it up. Also, he's in a band with his friends. Called the Mellow Dees. They're gonna make it big one day, you'll see.

-He wishes his mom didn’t push her interests onto him all the time. Yeah, it’s cool that she taught him how to write music and dye his hair and stuff, but then she wants him to listen to all her weird old-people music or go skateboarding with her and Bow or some other dumb thing he doesn’t care about. Then she gets on his case for staying inside all day and not spending time with people. He is spending time with people, just not her. He has a life, y’know? Friends his own age who actually like the things he likes. He’s not gonna hang out with his parents all the time. That’s so lame.

-He wishes Eva wasn’t so nosy. It doesn’t matter that she’s nice or whatever, she’s such a starsdamn busybody. Always asking what he’s doing and what he’s working on and does he want a snack and ugh, stars, just take a hint already. Does she think he’s still a baby or something? Just leave him alone. He doesn’t want to talk to her. He never wants to talk to her.

-He thinks his baby sister is annoying and wishes she’d stop bothering him when he’d busy doing his own thing. Her friends are just as bad, the little brats. Stars, he hates it here.

-Well… okay, maybe he doesn’t hate it here, living in the village. It’s… fine, he guesses. The weather’s always nice. Food’s good. He even made some new friends who are actually pretty cool. He just… misses the city sometimes, is all. The lights, the music, the tall buildings, the crowds of people, even the smell of the alleyways. He doesn’t miss the races, though. Not even a little bit.

-He does miss his dad sometimes.

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chriscranky · 8 months ago

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Recommended Mods for The Sims 1

This is my archive for tracking the Sims 1 mods I’ve added to my game. Since I started playing Sims 1 again recently, I will continue to update this list as I discover new mods and remove those that don’t work for me. Please check back frequently for updates!

If you want to play Sims 1 like me on a Windows 11 computer, you can check out my blog post on that here. 😀

MONEY & JOB MODS

Online bank computer

This computer allows Sims to pay their bills online, as well as find a job and chat online - no more waiting for the newspaper or visitors!

Link: http://www.somesimthings.com/Elec/hcomputers_bank_2015.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

No Forced Career Change at Level 10

Usually, if you reach Level 10 of any career, you only get to stay at Level 10 for a short time before the game forces you into a different career path at a lower level. This mod eliminates that and allows your sim to keep the job that they worked hard for.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?NoForcedCareerChangeAtL10.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Call Work

With this phone plugin you will have the option to call work and tell them you are sick and can't go to work. If you do that you get the day off and they can't fire you for staying at home. You can stay home as long as you like, just make the call every day.

Link: http://www.somesimthings.com/Job/hcallsickPP.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Call Interview

This is a phone plugin for Superstar. It will give you the alternative "Give Interview" on the phones at home for Sims in the Superstar career track. Just call and give an interview, you will get paid and your fame will go up, it never goes down.

Link: http://www.somesimthings.com/Job/hsuperstarPP.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

MOTIVES & SKILLS

Need Decay Crystal Mod

Turn this magic crystal ON, and need decay stops completely. You can still increase or decrease a need if you DO something, though. What this mod stops is the need DECAY. For example, if you work out on the exercise machine, your Energy and Hygiene will decrease, just as they always do when you use the exercise machine. But needs won't decay simply from time passing. It looks like a blue crystal on a gold base and can be found in the Decorative - Sculpture section of the catalog.

Link: http://corylea.com/EliminateNeedDecayMod.html

Directory: Put this in The Sims\Downloads

Learning Brings Fun Bookcase

Adult & teenage sims recognise that learning can bring fulfilment in the future, no matter how miserable they are. Increases cooking and mechanical skills.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/motives/collegebookcase.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Party Plant

Looks like a party plant. Maximises all motives for all Sims on the lot, except for Social, which is adjusted just enough to stop unhappiness. Perfect for making friends and having babies. No menu, just delete when you've had enough.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/motives/ijpartyplant.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Party Plant (Visitors Only)

Same as Party Plant above, but acts on visitors only. Visitors are counted as anyone who does not live permanently on the lot, so this would act on NPC's and friends who visit.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/motives/ijpartyplantvisonly.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Motives Maxer Outhouse

Outhouse (requires Makin' Magic EP). It satisfies ALL needs, but not when all motives are already high.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/motives/motivestoilet.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Faster Skills Bookcase

A bookcase that skills 2x faster. For those who only want to cheat a moderate amount. :-)

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?CoryleaFasterBookcase.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Skill Picture Two

This painting, of Maxfield Parrish's "Morning," has been modded to add one skill point at a time, in whatever skills you wish. You can add as many points as you want in any skill, up to a maximum of ten.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?CoryleaSkillPIctureVersionTwo.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Control Mods

Move-in Fern

This plant allows you to move Sims (including animals if you have Unleashed) into a family home as permanent household members.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/miscellaneous/ijmoveplant1.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Move-out Fern

Allows player to choose which family to move a Sim out to.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/miscellaneous/ijmoveoutplant1.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Teleplant

This plant is buyable from your catalogue, and can be placed on any tile. But more importantly it can summon any Sim including NPCs to your lot at pre-set daily times, wearing your choice of clothing type. Should work with any EP.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/miscellaneous/ijteleplant.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Visitor Query

Choose a name from the menu, and get a dialog box with all their motive scores listed. NPCs, strays, your date downtown - anyone!

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/miscellaneous/ijvisitorquery.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Visitor Enabler

When turned on from its menu, it gives all visiting neighbours the same powers as residents - cook from fridges, stay the night, use showers etc. Turn off from menu and visitors instantly revert to helplessness.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloads/miscellaneous/visitemp.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Zappers

Objects that get rid of certain objects and visitors from the lot. None of these kill the Sim or destroy the object permanently, they work by waiting until the thing or person shows up then deleting that particular instance. That means the same thing might show up again and be zapped again - until you remove the zapper.

Link: https://simlogical.com/sl/downloadpages/zappers.htm

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Relationship Mods

No More Relationship Decay

When you make friends in The Sims, you have to keep up with them, because your relationship declines gradually over time. This mod stops that from happening, so you no longer need to maintain relationships.

I use Version 2: Eliminate Relationship Decay AND More Walk-Bys, which also means more people from your neighborhood will pass your lots.

Link: http://corylea.com/EliminateRelationshipDecayModForTheSims1ByCorylea.html

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Baby Gives Social

This mod allows your sims' social need to increase when interacting with a baby.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?BabyGivesSocial.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects

Flirt with and Compliment Friends

In the unmodded game, the Flirt interaction disappears when your sim's relationship with another sim is over 60, and Compliment/Admire disappears when the relationship is over 40. This mod changes that; Flirt and Compliment will still be available all the way up to 100.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?FlirtWithAndComplimentFriends.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Global\PesonGlobals.iff - not in a folder!

Note: There can only be one mod in your Globals folder. If you want to use this mod with the Joke and Families and Friends Mod, download this instead: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?FlirtWith&ComplimentFriendsANDJokeWithFriendsANDFamiliesAreFriendsMods.zip

Joke with Friends

In an unmodded, game, sims lose the ability to tell a joke to someone when their relationship goes over 70. So you can only tell jokes to acquaintances and casual friends. nThe Joke with Friends Mod lets you tell jokes all the way up to a relationship level of 100.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?JokeWithFriendsMod.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Global\PersonGlobals.iff - not in a folder!

Note: There can only be one mod in your Globals folder. If you want to use this mod with the Flirt & Compliment and Families and Friends Mod, download this instead: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?FlirtWith&ComplimentFriendsANDJokeWithFriendsANDFamiliesAreFriendsMods.zip

Families Are Friends Mod

In the unmodded game, families are created with a relationship of 20; this mod makes newly created families have a relationship of 50. This mod affects only NEWLY CREATED families, so families that were made before you installed it will not be changed.

Link: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?FamiliesAreFriendsMod.zip

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Global \PersonGlobals.iff - not in a folder!

Note: There can only be one mod in your Globals folder. If you want to use this mod with the Flirt & Compliment and Joke Mod, download this instead: http://corylea.com/countdown/countdownlua.cgi?FlirtWith&ComplimentFriendsANDJokeWithFriendsANDFamiliesAreFriendsMods.zip

Custom Content & Notable Mentions

I don't really use Custom Content such as custom skins, furniture, or animations in my game, but I do have some sites for the day I might want to spice things up.

Objects & Furniture

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Objects if furniture, The Sims\GameData\Lights if lights, The Sims\GameData\Walls if wallpapers, The Sims\GameData\Floors if floors.

Links:

https://oddsim.com/the_sims_objects/miscellaneous

http://www.somesimthings.com

http://mistymage.com/gnohmongoodies/moods.html

http://simcrafters.parsimonious.org/furniture1/pages/k8_elgardian_light.html

https://www.thaliatook.com/MS/objects.php

https://pleasantsims.com/active-sims-1-sites/

Skins & Heads

Directory: Put this in The Sims\GameData\Skins

Links:

http://simcrafters.parsimonious.org/fashion1/pages/all_heads_1.html

http://simcrafters.parsimonious.org/fashion1/pages/all_1.html

http://www.awesomeexpression.com/maru.html

https://www.thaliatook.com/MS/heads.php

https://www.thaliatook.com/MS/skins.php

https://pleasantsims.com/active-sims-1-sites/

#featured #sims-1 #mods #sims 1 cc #sims 1 #the sims #sims1cc

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shaibonbon · 24 days ago

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For some reason I have the feeling you might've mentioned this once but I don't remember, but was there any particular career path Minibon wanted to follow/dreamed of following in the future?

(You know like sometimes when you're a kid you have that one really serious dream job like being a vet)

Maybe stupid question but I dunno I like Minibon lore

I probably told ya her dream job as a kid was to work at a big space organization (like a nasa engineer). I do warn, she didn't understand the jobs quite well and just found the concept/idea of them cool, so they aren't that specific as one would say "vet".

Her 'main' dream is just working at space agency (like nasa or esa). At specifically you might ask? She can't exactly answer that (She usually didn't think about being an astronaut, even tho we the thought of going to space is in all of us), girl is just too indecisive to be able to choose such a big thing for something she doesn't know that much. (It's something that will haunt her till the end of highschool). Anyhow, she had another 3 "categories" of dream jobs, that in a way allow her to work on the main one as them as one of them.

First is being a 'scientist', making a gigantic discoveries, studies on either biology about diseases and discovering cures, or a physics to comprehend and study matter and space better. Second is being engineer that "builds/makes stuff" like robots or buildings. Sounds shallow but she has the heart of a lego builder on her and she loves the idea of robotics. ( Mini bon would join a robotic club and build a few speedy robots ). Finally, just working with electronics, its being a engineer again but different field. Messing with machines/computers cables is just something she found interesting and fun, especially in age where technology and the internet was surrounding her. She would often literally take apart those toy cars or random domestic electronics to see whats inside of them. Her parents even encouraged her by gifting things to actually toy and learn (instead of destroying the tv remote). Even installing some programming softwares for kids on a small poopoo pc. This last one is what she would gravitated towards in her life.

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itsclydebitches · 8 months ago

Text

RWBY Recaps: Vol3E1 "Round One"

Hello, everyone, and welcome to a new collection of RWBY Recaps!!

This is a unique project in that instead of writing purely for my own entertainment, these recaps are part of the Fandom Trumps Hate auction (you can check them out here if you're interested in learning more). Specifically, these recaps are a gift for the lovely Kae who requested some meta on the earlier Volumes, or work that focused on Ozpin and/or Ironwood. I figured that Volume Three would touch on all those requests and, frankly, it's an era of RWBY that I was already interested in covering. Volume 3 was a turning point for RWBY's tone and overall mythology and I'm eager to see what I think of it in 2024, after six additional seasons and a rather chaotic overhaul.

(If anyone is reading this from the future, one of the reasons why it took me so damn long to get the first recap out is because finding official streams of RWBY has become a fool's errand as it changes ownership. Fun!)

Anyway, the game plan is simple: cover all of Volume Three at an undetermined, though hopefully steady-ish pace from here on out. Technically, the deadline for our FTH fandowrks is at the end of 2024, however, I absolutely plan to continue this series past my 5k promise. As always, this will be a RWDE-focused meta (though I'm eager to see how much nostalgia carries me through the season), so if you Don't Like; Don't Read.

Everyone got that? Great!

Now, indulge me for a moment and cast your mind back. It's October of 2015. Pizza Rat is a tumblr icon, Left Shark still reigns, and everyone is arguing over whether a dress is gold and white, or blue and black (it's the former FYI ;). Amidst such quality memes RWBY begins airing again on the 24th, presumably bringing with it another season of stellar choreography and simple, if entertaining conflict. Team RWBY has just helped contain a massive breach courtesy of Cinder's machinations, Torchewick is in Ironwood's custody, the White Fang is falling under Salem's puppeteering, Penny has revealed her android identity as well as her supposed fate to save the world, the girls are beginning to acknowledge the responsibility of their chosen career path, and the mysterious Raven has been identified as Yang's birth mother. All in all, RWBY has a lot to play with going into its third season.

It's notable then that we open peacefully. The viewer is treated to a number of environmental shots to set the scene, including one of the forest with its iconic falling Fall leaves. Ruby is positioned at the edge of a cliff with her signature rose petals drifting behind her. Stylistically it fits the scene, though from a literal standpoint it also implies that she used her semblance speed to get here. Given the momentary reveal that she's speaking to her mom, that's a rather heartwarming detail.

Sidenote: has anyone given any thought to cliffs in this series? It only occurred to me recently how often they show up, often during character milestones. Here we have Ruby talking to Summer for the first time, her (bodiless) grave situated at the end of a cliff. The Beacon initiation involves chucking the kids off a cliff and seeing how they fare, an action that is the catalyst for the group's introductions/growing dynamics. Shooting Oscar off the edge of Atlas solidifies Ironwood's turn from anti-hero to outright villain. Though I'm far from a fan of this scene, Ruby's (ridiculous) near-fall off the cliff during the fight with Cordovin preludes her (supposed) growth in leadership as she stands up to Qrow. Penny lets herself fall from Amity after sacrificing herself to get it up into the air. Then, of course, we've got the girls falling off of Ambrosius' bridge, taking them to a world where - execution aside - the intention was for them all to go through major developments: Ruby is literally reborn, Jaune experiences a lifetime of struggle, Yang and Blake finally admit their feelings, and Weiss... gets over her whole country being destroyed?

Idk, we'll have to come back to that one.

I clearly don't have a big takeaway here, just the acknowledgement that this is a visual RWBY gravitates towards. Might do a whole side meta on it some day...

Anyway, as said we realize quickly this is Summer's grave with her name carved into the headstone along with "Thus kindly I scatter." Notably, she also has her rose motif there and it's likewise prominent on Ruby's belt in this scene. Looking back, we can see how RWBY did a better job at the start of sprinkling in these significant character details before, you know, dropping them completely and then attempting a rapid-fire resurrection. Meaning, I would have bought into the emotion of Ruby giving her pendant up in Volume 9 if we'd gotten these moments consistently throughout the story's run. It wouldn't take much, just a reminder every couple of episodes to maintain the momentum. Give Ruby a scene where she explains that this rose was left by Summer before she disappeared and she's treasured it ever since. Show a flashback where we learn that it was really left behind for both girls and Yang handed it down to Ruby when she was old enough to keep track of it. Give us a minor conflict where it's lost during battle and Ruby unnecessarily endangers herself in an attempt to retrieve it (perhaps in Volume 8, setting up that the object itself is not as important as the intangible love it represents). Hell, keep it lighthearted where Yang gets Ruby something rose related at the gift shop, Nora tucks a Rose into her hair while wandering the wilderness, Qrow gives the pendant a cheeky flick while talking about how Ruby's as stubborn as her mom. My point is there are a million ways the show could have built towards that scene in Volume 9 - ways like showing us that rose on Summer's gravestone - but the show dropped the ball halfway through.

Here and now though, Ruby begins catching Summer up on everything that's happened to her since she started Beacon, which serves as a useful way to catch the viewer up too - both those who, for whatever reason, may have started RWBY with Volume 3, and those who just need a hiatus refresher.

Ruby is delightfully awkward here, a personality trait that I think becomes more forced as the series goes on. She jokes that she hasn't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet - while doing that cute little rock on her heels thing - and says that she's able to "keep [Yang] in line" by being on the same team. She follows that up with, "...that was a joke" which is just quintessential Ruby to me. Love it.

She recaps that Yang has grown a lot as a fighter since Summer left, the rest of their team is made up of Blake and Weiss, together they form Team RWBY and yes, that's as confusing as it sounds. She's stopped bad guys and met some "odd" teachers, including Ozpin.

(THAT'S MY BOY!!!)

Looking back, this is actually a fascinating couple of lines. At least, I think they have the potential to be fascinating if RT had followed a clear writing path. Ruby wonders again why Ozpin let her into Beacon early, but shrugs it off under the assumption that he'll tell her one day. "You know how he is."

Yeah, I do, Ruby. Do you?

We already knew from their initial interaction that Ruby knew who Ozpin was - she recognizes him on sight - though him posing the question implies that he never visited Patch post-her birth. At least, not recently enough for Ruby to have formed a memory of them meeting. I can only assume then that she's heard enough about him from Tai and Qrow to a) be sure of his identity (any promotional material/news about Beacon would have helped with that too) and b) believes strongly that her impression of him formed since entering Beacon aligns with what her parents presumably said about him: "You know how he is." The fact that this is in reference to Ozpin's secret keeping makes me wonder how often that came up around the dinner table. Did Tai ever express frustration, a la Ironwood, that they're clearly being kept in the dark about things? Did Qrow ever dodge the girls' questions about where he's been because he can't be honest about his spy activities, aligning Ozpin's reputation with secrecy by virtue of working for him? The casualness with which Ruby shrugs off Ozpin's secrets to Summer heavily implies that Ozpin's cagey history is both well known to the family and accepted.

Honestly, I would have loved to see this woven into Ruby's core characterization, perhaps even an extension of her "simple soul." Give me a girl who is intrinsically accepting of people, including their need to keep certain things close to the chest. Teammate deliberately kept her faunus identity under wraps? Friend hides the fact that she's an android from the whole world? Ruby accepts them. Ruby gets it. The fact that Ruby does, canonically, accept their duplicity without so much as a blink is, I think, one of the reasons why I expected her of all people to be more sympathetic towards Ozpin's hidden identity. We can argue about the girls' right to the truth via participating in this war till the cows come home, but at the end of the day Ozpin's secrets are intrinsically tied up in his family, his history, and the trauma surrounding both. Let the others get mad, prioritizing information over personal motivations (that does fit their characterizations well, with Blake perhaps being an exception), but Ruby? The show has never been willing to commit to the kind of dark story that would result in a 180 character growth - endlessly forgiving protagonist becomes jaded and cynical as she experiences The Horrors - and little moments like this one further emphasize to me that Ruby, specifically Ruby, is uniquely suited to helping Ozpin not just fight, but finally finish this war. It should never have been (just) about her talent with a scythe, or even the rarity of Silver Eyes. The Gods wanted Ozpin to unite humanity and here's a young woman who unabashedly loves everyone that the world tends to despise: secret keepers and drunk uncles and faunus and Schnees and scary androids. Ruby should have been the emotional bridge!!

Okay, I swear I'm not going to make this series a rehash of my issues with the later Volumes lol. Inevitably some things are going to crop up though.

Moving on, Ruby mentions that Tai is here too and the viewer gets to see his avatar for the first time, albeit from a distance. In keeping Summer updated on her... husband? Wait, were they married? Well, in keeping her updated on her partner, Ruby says that, "He's, you know... Dad," which, unlike the Ozpin line, is just plain funny. Sure, most of her talk is very exposition-y and absolutely functions as a soft lead-in to new content, but that's not to say a story should ever put absurd dialogue in a character's mouth simply for the sake of the viewer. That is, Ruby should never say, 'Oh, Tai is here! You know, my Dad?' because the person she's talking to, Summer, knows damn well who Tai is. Television has actually gotten better about this as a whole. Once upon a time a medical drama would have the doctor yelling, 'Her skin is turning yellow - she's jaundiced! Her liver is failing!' to ensure that the viewer understood precisely what 'jaundiced' meant, never mind how absurd it was for a professional to be shouting that among their peers. (Granted, medical dramas as a whole are absurd. I say that with love.) Despite RT's general inexperience, RWBY belongs to an era of televised storytelling where leaving certain things unsaid is par for the course.

Here, the unspoken information is what it means for Tai to be, you know, Tai. We don't really know who Tai is yet- personality-wise, I mean - so Ruby's comment functions more as a way to set up our expectations rather than to connect with us in agreement. We now expect Tai to be the kind of guy who does things to make his teenage daughter sigh and go, 'That's Dad...' and we, presumably, look forward to seeing that.

Granted, the three things we do know about Tai at this point in the story consist of:

He's a fellow Huntsmen (which is an insane job)

He let his daughter join Beacon two years early to also become a Huntress (also kinda insane but I support him)

He maintains a relationship with said daughter and daughter Sr by sending them their dog in the mail (do I really need to say it?)

Based on that I suppose we can guess as to what Tai is like lol.

He calls Ruby away so they're not late for the match and she sends a last message to Summer over her shoulder: "It was good to talk." As we transition, a murder of crows flies across the sky. Or is it an unkindness of ravens? I can barely tell in real life, let alone when they're animated blobs, but either option works well enough given the upcoming revelation about the Branwen twins.

Cutting to the arena a little time in the future, the viewer is treated to some establishing shots that, while simple, are honestly pretty cool. I believe this is our first introduction to Atlas' floating environments and showing a bit of Beacon Academy in the background helps give us a sense of scale.

This event is clearly popular, with the stadium absolutely packed with people (even more are trickling in from ferrying ships) and, to RT's credit, they did a bit of work to convey diversity in this world. We see a decent variety of skin tones as well as faunus characteristics, to say nothing of the cool designs many of the competitors will get. Beyond the main cast still being overwhelmingly white, I'd say the biggest issue here is the lack of body diversity, what with everyone having the same, stick-thin figure. Yeah, RT is clearly using the same base model copied a hundred times and I'm very aware of their previous status as a small, independent company, but such visuals nevertheless stand out in a series that's been pushing a minority plotline for three seasons.

The camera swoops down to follow Team RWBY in the midst of a battle which, again, is staged in a way that's clearly meant to catch up/invite in new viewers. It's very trailer-esque as each shot lingers on Weiss, Blake, and Yang for a moment before finishing with Ruby, complete with a twirl of Crescent Rose. This is the show visually reminding you of what it's really about. Sure, we might have started with Ruby speaking peacefully by a grave, but at the end of the day RWBY is the story of a team engaging in combat situations.

Oobleck and Port are announcing the event and Oobleck throws out his standard "Doctor" when his title goes unacknowledged.

You know, I started RWBY nearly a decade ago. Four years ago I secured a PhD, so I feel that now.

Port provides another handy info dump for those "just now joining us." AKA the viewer who has no idea what a Vytal Festival is, but this is as good an excuse as any given that people are still entering the stadium. Simply put, all the Kingdoms' huntsmen schools are competing as teams first, then as duos, then as individuals to determine the final winner who will have achieved "victory for their kingdom!" Age and year are irrelevant, which makes perfect sense given the nature of RWBY's combat. You've got young prodigies like Ruby and people who sneak into Beacon like Jaune, and though the other schools/years probably don't have as much drama going on, the variety of semblances, weapons, dust use, and personal experience really makes this anyone's game. A first year might easily beat a fourth year if they won the genetic lottery with their semblance, or a student from School A might trounce someone their age from School B, depending on how much their school has sent them into real combat situations.

Given all that, I kinda wish the Festival had developed the other Kingdoms more, given that it's the perfect opportunity for the cultures to learn from one another and/or butt heads. In a perfect world, one where RT had some sense of where their story was going, I would have loved to see:

Strong development of Vacuo's citizens, especially given that it will be the focal point of Volume 10 and possibly the end of the series (if we ever get that...).

Though the gag that Weiss excepts strict, militaristic fighters from Atlas only to get Neon is funny, that 'Don't judge a book by its cover' lesson really doesn't align well with what Volume 7 and 8 try to push. Better, perhaps, to set up Atlas' dictatorship tendencies before swinging hard in that direction (and I'll get into how what we do see doesn't make the cut).

How Remnant's racism gets displayed in a highly public competition. Do Blake and the other faunus face more discrimination now that they're in the public eye? Do asshole citizens challenge wins because no way did a faunus beat that human?

How different schools approach training their huntsmen. Specifically, everyone seems to abide by the four-person team structure, so why would this competition eventually highlight duos and individuals? It seems counter to what Beacon, and by extension all the other schools, are trying to promote. This setup would make more sense if we were shown that different schools have radically different curriculum. Maybe it's eventually 1v1 because Vacuo's individualist, survival-based culture teaches huntsmen to fend for themselves; teammates are just another liability. Maybe Atlas, being militaristic, prizes safety in numbers and has students train in groups of six rather than four. Maybe Mistral is incredibly semblance-focused (a way to develop Neptune's phobia rather than just making it a gag; a fighter who can't or won't use their semblance is considered effectively useless) and if you can negate that aspect of their style somehow, you find they're lacking severely in weapon-based combat.

Again, I know that RWBY, particularly early RWBY, only had so much time per episode, but looking back it feels like there are a lot of missed opportunities in this world-watched event. None of this is even taking into account Cinder sneaking into the school, or Penny being outed as an android. If any RWBY rewriters are reading this, the Festival is a potential goldmine of characterization and cultural development. If you're going to write random RWBY books, write some about that!

One moment of cultural significance that is shown though is the Atlas security hovering around the arena. They mostly keep to the background, without any single appearance being obtrusive (yet). This is one of those moments where (some) fans look back and say, "See? Ironwood was always a controlling, military-obsessed bastard," but the reality is that this is incredibly tame by real world standards, to say nothing of the realities of RWBY's fantasy world. Regardless of how you feel about the, uh... motivations behind the security in your country (because that's a whole other conversation), you expect there to be some level of professional oversight when that many people are meeting in one place. That's a reality we have to work with, which includes all the potential pitfalls, biases, manipulations, and accidents that come with any large-scale endeavor. Toss in the fact that RWBY's security is designed to defend against man-eating monsters and I'm honestly surprised it isn't presented as dystopian here. Meaning, we easily could have been given a story where people are comparatively safe from grimm in modern day Remnant and the security functions primarily as outside control and/or a fear-mongering tactic. It's not that security is inherently unnecessary, but those walls have done a damn good job for the last generation or so, so why is James so insistent on populating this festival with his probably not-needed robots? Seems sus 🤔.

As it stands, grimm DO attack people on the regular (that was kind of a big part of last Volume's finale), security IS necessary (according to many other council professionals once James raises the issue), and it's arguably MORE necessary now - during the festival - because there are so many potentially negative emotions just waiting to crop up. Instead of "Seems sus," the reaction to having defensive robots around is more, "No duh." At the very least RWBY might have had the characters react to the security with suspicion/fear, even if that doesn't totally track with the rest of the worldbuilding, or better yet, demonstrate that there are major issues with AI leading the charge (robot mistakes kid in grimm mask for real grimm and fires a shot!). Granted, we get that through the hacking at the very end of the Volume, but here and now the Atlas ships seem to be used primarily for transporting viewers, the crowd is fully at ease with these guys, and — as we'll see later — the prospect of additional security in the form of AI is greeted with enthusiasm, not wariness, simply because it will keep real, breathing people off the front lines. Those are all important things to keep in mind when you consider whether a) The show took a very sharp turn in Volumes 7-8 or b) The show capitalized on a long established, slow burn plotline.

(Psst the answer is 'B')

ANYWAY, Oobleck is yelling about the "Spectacular spectacles on which to speculate on!" and I love him all the more. While he and Port narrate we get some non-animated shots of people viewing the Festival from around the world, though frankly it doesn't do much to help RWBY's worldbuilding. Some people watch the fights from a camper outside, others are in a minimalist apartment, still others are in what's basically a bar... if you're looking for intriguing backgrounds to drum up interest in the world outside of Beacon, you're not going to find it here. The presence of various faunus individuals is really the only thing that distinguishes these settings from a show based in the real world.

Onto the fighting! (It's about time :p) The girls are facing off against Team ABRN (pronounced "Auburn") from Haven and they're decent for a couple of one-off characters. I like the design of the girl with the skateboard - Reese - and how her weapon, the board itself, gives her a lot of flexibility in battle. Since it functions as a hoverboard she has a lot of maneuverability, she can use the board as a shield, a projectile, adapt its abilities via Dust, and - of course - she can pull both sides apart to duel wield the guns. Looking at all that flexibility, it is a little lame that she 'loses' that particular encounter with Blake by slipping on the ice, but then we're not really supposed to care about these characters. They exist solely to get us hyped for the battles to come and give a quick primer on how those battles will work. AKA, now we've learned that the battlefield itself has hazards the girls must circumvent.

Blake is cute here though. She's so concerned and I'm like yeah, girl, that looked like it hurt 😬

This whole exchange has that same vibe: one of casual playfulness, which makes perfect sense given that this is supposed to be a fun competition. They're exhibition matches, not real attempts to take the other team out (which is why Yang's supposed act later in the tournament will be seen as so heinous). The guy with the pink hair (Nadir) full on pouts when Ruby successfully traps him in a block of ice and, of course, we have the classic "Got your back!"/"My BFF!" lines in response. The girls are enjoying themselves and that's so damn wholesome to see after all the tragedies - plot and writing-wise - of the later Volumes.

Team ABRN are able to make a bit of a comeback and - *gasp* - the girls have to actually think creatively/combine techniques in order to get the upper-hand. Blake successfully tricks Reese with a clone and catches her in the midriff with a quickly timed ribbon, cleanly knocking her out of the ring. It's here that we learn a team member can be eliminated via leaving the bounds, or having their aura dip too low (remember when that was a thing?) I know I just said there's teamwork, and there absolutely is here, but it did stand out to me how Blake just like... disappears after this moment? I mean she comes back, but it's clear RT wanted each girl to have her moment in this battle, despite the fact that any member who successfully defeated their opponent would be rushing off to help the others. That should be a near defining win condition - defeat one opponent and suddenly it's a 2 vs 1 situation for someone else - but that expectation falls by the wayside until the fight's final moments.

It's a good fight though. Not the greatest by RWBY standards, but it was no hardship to rewatch for this recap either. Weiss pulls out an epic ice hand that ensnares two of the members, now rolling chaotically across the arena, and clearly she thinks this is the end of the fight. However, Arslan — the monk-type who favors hand-to-hand combat (or the one with the "Eastern martial arts influence" according to the RWBY wiki...)— simply rolls her eyes, plants her feet, and shatters the ball with a single hit. Gotta admit, it's pretty cool.

Of course, Team RWBY still comes out victorious in the end. With all of Team ABRN now in one place, the girls have one of those lovely mind-reading moments and pull off a coordinated attack, allowing Yang to sucker-punch them all out of the ring. Again, it's nice to see that kind of teamwork, as well as the adorable way they all stand there, mildly shocked that they won.

I'll take that over the brazen, cocky confidence they've gained any day.

The only thing I'm kinda iffy about regarding this fight is how Team ABRN feels a little less like a full-fledged team to me, and more like a faint Team RWBY echo. It's most noticeable in the Yang vs. Arslan sections where you've got two yellow-coded, hand-to-hand snarkers facing off. Blake and Reese both feel like the cool, alternative style members of their teams, and then you've got the Weiss-Ruby duo trying to overtake the Bolin-Nadir duo. It's admittedly a subtle familiarity that lessens with each example, but it stood out to me in the re-watch; like Team ABRN only exists to give Team RWBY someone vaguely similar to overcome. Which, granted, they do. These are not characters we're going to follow as the series progresses, so in most respects they've done precisely what they needed to do and in a way that looks cool and feels entertaining. So this isn't a criticism, really. More an acknowledgment that RWBY is a series with limits and if we want to know more about these characters/flesh them out beyond their paralleling characteristics, we'll have to do that ourselves in the fanfic.

As Ruby jumps into the air in a victory celebration, we PowerPoint slide cut to the festival later that day where she nearly collapses, asking if anyone else is starving.

Yeah, child. You just made it through a physically intensive battle in front of an audience while existing as a teenager. Of course you're hungry. Blake's stomach gives a giant, embarrassing growl in response and Weiss sarcastically bemoans the fact that there's nowhere to eat at the food-focused festival. Good times, good times.

Ruby: "It's okay, Weiss. I forget about the fair grounds too."

Before they can grab lunch though Weiss declines a call from her father and an old 'acquaintance' suddenly shows up.

Emerald.

You know, kudos to Katie here because Emerald's laugh and, "Good to see you, Ruby" sounds so fake to me now. It just oozes, 'I secretly hate you but am pulling out all my acting skills to convince you otherwise' energy. Obviously RWBY has a host of villains/antagonists that have done a plethora of heinous things, but there's something particularly skin-crawling to me about seeing Emerald in retrospect. Part of it is the deception. I don't know about anyone else, but I personally would prefer a villain who's upfront about their nature from the get-go, rather than one who pretends to be my friend before stabbing me in the back. The first scenario just lacks the same emotional punch, you know? Though the other part of it is, of course, knowing where everyone ends up. Beacon will fall. Ozpin will "die." Pyrrha will actually die, and our heroes will be sent out into a war they're in no way ready for. Yes, Salem is our ultimate Big Bad, yes Emerald has her sympathetic moments and does a heel-turn into "good guy" territory four Volumes from now... but I think the fandom often forgets that she willingly and actively participated in this horror show. This isn't someone just along for the ride because their crush manipulated them, this is someone with a working brain between their ears who has PLENTY of time to consider the ramifications of this and still went, "Yeah, I'll lie my way into orchestrating a massacre."

All this hindsight angst is interrupted by the joke (and I use that term with great reservation) that Ruby must have dropped her wallet because "Girl pockets are the worst!" Sorry, but that has such cis-guy-trying-to-relate-to-women-and-failing-miserably energy to me. Like yeah, I also hate the super small/outright fake pockets that they often sew into women's clothing and I too have smiled at women promoting pockets as part of their independent brands... but somehow hearing the RWBY writers reference it just doesn't land. It's not #problematic, just cringy.

Emerald butters them up a bit by complimenting their fighting and Weiss notes that they haven't seen Emerald's teammates in action yet. We cut to their battle where they dominate the other team, complete with a disguised Neo showing her real eye color before she knocks the competitor out. "[They did] really well," says Emerald in the fakest humble tone ever heard.

Ruby invites them all to lunch and Emerald - clearly horrified by the prospect - dodges by claiming that her teammates are too socially awkward for a meetup. In her defense, Mercury is in the process of randomly sniffing a boot, so although this is absolutely just an excuse, she's also not wrong. Like, at all lol.

Fishing for more info, Emerald asks who's moving onto the doubles round and it turns out that Team RWBY voted for Weiss and Yang. There are three things that I love about this moment:

They voted. Yes, Ruby cheekily tries to make it sound like this is all coming from her genius as team leader, but at the end of the day they decided as a team who would represent them. It's a small detail, but those stand out so much more now that we have Ruby vocally and angrily calling the shots.

(This is a ridiculous side-note I'm 99.9% sure I've mentioned before, but every time I talk about Ruby's intense form of "leadership" in the latter Volumes, I'm reminded of Rick's, "This is not a democracy!" in The Walking Dead. If you know, you know.)

They chose Weiss and Yang. From both an in-world and meta perspective, it's actually a little surprising that Ruby isn't representing them. As established, she's team leader. The team is named after her. She's the protagonist of the show. She's also, canonically, a prodigy wielding an insanely deadly weapon. Yet it's refreshing as a viewer to have a new duo taking the spotlight and within the story-world this choice reinforces Point #1: They're a team and no matter how individually talented any one member may be - or even what titles they hold - they are, at the end of the day, all on equal footing. Why shouldn't Yang and Weiss represent?

The way they both respond to this reveal is dang cute. Weiss' "I will happily represent Team RWBY" while curtseying to Emerald vs. Yang's "Yeah! We're gonna kick some butt!" while slamming her fists together. It's a great contrast and shows why these two might have been chosen. Though powerful on their own, their styles and personality are different enough to compensate for any flaws.

With all that out of the way Emerald rejoins Mercury and her smile immediately drops. She's disgusted at having to get all buddy-buddy with them, but "Orders are orders." She has this classic villain moment where she expresses shock over how they're just so happy all the time and I'm like oh, honey. Darling. Morally misaligned baby girl. Just give it a few Volumes.

We cut to Team RWBY at lunch and aRE THE BOWLS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT BIG?

I recalled that they were big as a visual gag, but not half the girls' size. Honestly? Great choice. I too want to live in a world where you can get insanely giant noodles a millisecond after you order them.

Deviating from the others, Blake nods at the seller dude and receives an equally giant bowl filled with fish. You know, I really wish RWBY had done something with the faunus' animal traits rather than turning them into an endless joke. The concept of a god merging humans with literal animals and then, generations down the line, cat-people being influenced by cat instincts as well as human instincts (because remember, we're animals too) is actually really interesting to me... but navigating the racial implications of that takes a level of nuance that RWBY was never interested in exploring. So we're just left with a Blake who is fish obsessed and chases laser pointers and hates dogs and we're supposed to laugh at all that, rather than buying into her teachings that many people use these traits to dehumanize the faunus.

Anyway, Weiss shows off a bit and pays for all their food. At least, she tries to. Turns out her card has been declined, which is more than a little confusing to her given that she was "barely into [her] monthly allowance." Hmm, could that possibly have anything to do with her ignoring her father's phone calls? Surely no one knows.

Luckily, Pyrrha shows up and offers to pay instead (it's nice having a famous BFF, huh?), but like... what were the girls' initial plans? None of them were expecting Weiss to pay, yet they act like Pyrrha is saving the day by showing up, implying that they don't have the money to cover their meal. The shop guy even takes Blake's fish away, leaving her despondent. So what? Were they planning to eat and just worry about the bill later? Actually, that sounds exactly like something these chaotic preteens would do lol. Yang especially. She was introduced while "buying" a drink before destroying the whole dang bar.

Speaking of teenagers, they all finish their bowls with the kind of appetite only seen in 14-71yos. Although, it was a near thing for Jaune. He's very close to barfing (callback!) and Nora encourages him to "aim it at the enemy!"

She continues ragging on him for a bit, failing to come up with any compliments while hyping up her team. Pyrrha is a world-renowned fighter, Ren is basically a ninja, she can bench five of herself, and Jaune is... Jaune. Nora also doesn't include him in her secondary list which implies that Jaune a) hasn't trained as much (or, more realistically, hasn't gotten as much out of it) as the others, b) doesn't possess an "awesome" weapon, and c) is still frequently yelled at by Glynda.

Poor Jaune. I don't say that very often anymore, but he's going through it here lol.

All of this leads to Nora spiraling at the possibility of them losing. This includes the oh-so-causal drop that she and Ren "have no parents and no home left to go to" which is a HELL of a thing to throw out in a comedically framed breakdown. I mean, being orphans is sad enough, but "no home left to go to" won't be explained until we learn that their town was basically wiped off the map, so damn.

Team RWBY reassures them that a fight with actual rules is nothing compared to what they've already been through. You know, the murderers, extremists, and sociopaths. "Oh," gushes Ruby, "imagine what it'll be like when we graduate!"

As Port and Oobleck call Team JNPR to the arena for their match we cut to Emerald and Mercury settling in to enjoy the festivities. In retrospect, this right here is a really nicely composed shot:

It tells us that Emerald is serious about going through with this destruction (again, she's no manipulated damsel), but she's not getting the same personal enjoyment out of it like Mercury is, as showcased by the smirk. The focus remains on them with Team RWBY framed in between. This is the villains' Volume. They're going to win. Our eyes follow the soon-to-be champions not of the festival, but the battle, while our heroes are literally and metaphorically trapped between them. Finally, Yang is the only one who looks back. We won't know this for several episodes, but she's at the heart of their plan and has every reason to cast the almost-but-not-quite-worried glance over her shoulder. Subtle foreshadowing, how I love thee.

It's shit like this that makes my brain go, "It used to be good! RWBY used to be fun AND occasionally insightful! Those overworked animators were uplifting a mediocre story and the result was good!!!"

As they take their seats who should show up but Cinder, casually using her semblance to pop a kernel of popcorn (power move). "Even if you know how a story ends," she says, "that doesn't make it any less fun to watch." True that! I mean, she's talking about knowing that Team JNPR will be moving on because they need Pyrrha to murder Penny, but I agree with the sentiment outside of that context.

Actually, do they ever explain how they manipulated the fights? I mean, they obviously entered and are winning their own battles and we know that Mercury will be staging his injury with Yang... but here Cinder makes it sound like she's pulling strings in every match. Toss that onto the list of development I would have liked for this Volume: what precisely are they doing behind the scenes? I'll have to pay careful attention going forward to make sure I don't miss anything because right now all I can recall is them looking at Penny's blueprints (presumably obtained via Watts).

Team JNPR's area is randomized into a forest and mountainous land before the battle commences. We end on that cliffhanger, complete with the superhero-esque freeze shot.

And that concludes the first episode of Volume 3! As well as my first recap in a long while. If you've followed me at all you'll know that work has been my personal Big Bad the last two-ish years. Given the scope of my responsibilities and the energy they extract, I simply don't have the time or means to write the way I used to. However, I feel like if I can muster up the willpower to finish this on tonight of all nights (people reading from the future: check the posting date and you'll understand), then I must be getting a little better at carving out writing time in my hectic schedule. All hail self-improvement!

On that positive note, everyone have a wonderful night. Or at least try to. Seriously. Text a loved one, treat yourself to a favored snack, do something that feels fulfilling. Take some deep breaths and I'll see you for the next one.

~Clyde❤️

#RWBY #RWDE #RWBY Recaps #RWBY meta #mymetas

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ignitesthestxrs · 2 months ago

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this is not a post that is a life lesson exactly, but it is like. an update on my life and how glad i am to have had options in this situation, and it can also be a metaphor if that metaphor is helpful to you

anyway, in mid february my boss was like 'hey do you have time for a catch up in at 11.30', and i had to do my regular self talk down of 'you're not getting fired lol clam down' except

(okay i didn't get fired, but i did get laid off.)

(read more because i've never told a short story in my life)

which. positive news, i got laid off in aotearoa nz and not america, but it is still the worst job market my case worker at the ministry of social development has seen in 20 years, so i wasn't feeling like. hype. about this situation.

the specifics of my career are that it's not really a career so much as it is a place i started working at when i was 17, and then didn't leave. it had nothing to do with my degree and wasn't doing anything i was especially interested in, but it was a job, and i was comfortable there, and it paid for half a surgery i needed and dealt with a solid decade of my unmedicated panic attacks, so like. solid work. a job that did essentially what i needed it to when i needed it.

that being said this left me in the position of: not having done a job search, ever! not having a CV! not having comprehensive knowledge of my own skillset because i learnt half a programming language on the job and only knew how to use it with my company's bespoke software! i was not feeling confident!

the huge caveat to this is that i DID receive 38 weeks severance. and when i say huge, i mean that was the safety net/prize that allowed me to do literally anything after the point of being laid off. like. had i not had that financial cushion, i had enough of a governmental safety net to fall back on if necessary, but it would have been high tension misery and panic the whole way through. at no point would i have dealt with any of it with grace (and frankly, no one should have to).

but because i did have that safety net, i had options, and i also just had the ability to...start dealing? my main concern was like, okay, given that this is happening, am i going to be able to continue living pretty normally for the next few months? yes? okay then, the only thing to do is to start doing.

(there are many things to do in this situation, but it did help me to picture having one path, and that path was Forward).

so idk i used my ten years of reading ask a manager on breaks and started writing cover letters and applying for jobs and now i have one. this is a simplification of a process that was at times miserable, and always deeply fucking boring, but i also think that the nature of just getting a rolling application process started helps with the overall brain-work of not taking rejections personally. like, if you're applying to everything that your skillset vaguely fits, your feelings can't be too hurt if a company comes back with 'skillset too vague bitch, nice try'.

anyway the job i ended up landing - and it was One Job, but You Only Need One - has ended up being something in the public sector that in the process of learning it existed, i became weirdly enthusiastic about. it also has a week more holiday than my last job, pays 10k more, and is in the same suburb i live in. it has more opportunity for career growth, and apparently i can also get free eye tests? that sounds nice. and i landed it quickly enough that i still have a stack of that severance money left for savings and also purchasing a celebratory build your own wooden pinball machine set.

all this to say, getting laid off was weirdly the best thing to happen to me this year. perhaps in many years.

which. that's LUCK, so much of this is luck, and location, and random happenstance. but also, you know, some of it was mindset and work also. some of it was due to decisions i made about my job and my mental health over a decade ago. i am a person who was able to deal with this situation pretty okay today because of decisions i made as a much less stable and unmedicated young adult.

this is what i mean about this being a useful metaphor if you want it to be. on account of the luck and the happenstance etc, i would never want to say 'this bad thing that happened to you is secretly a chance for a good thing to come!' because: i genuinely don't believe that.

but i know i have been a person in the past who fucked up in ways i had to trust my future self would be able to deal with and built on. i have had difficult and bad situations in my life that had very little to do with any power i had over those situations, and i had to pick a direction and start walking, because the other option was to lie down and not move.

and that process has been habit forming. allowing myself to take breaks when i could afford to, even if it meant not keeping up, meant that i could built up my tolerance to risk and disaster at my own speed, befitting my own capacity.

i am haunted by the version of myself that i believe could exist if i wasn't weighed down by everything that i am. a hannah who is less tired, more focused, less mentally ill, more supported by generational wealth and opportunity. she sits just out of reach, and occasionally she looks back and says, a little concerned, 'aren't you worried you're just making excuses, though? don't you think if you were a little more disciplined, you could be me? are you going to be so kind to yourself that you forget you even wanted to be me in the first place?'

i am: always worried about these things. but i am the person who is here, and i am moving forward at the pace i am able. for the most part, it's working out.

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tough-girl9 · 2 months ago

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Dear Data

Summary: When Geordi learns that Data has been forced to resign from Starfleet to avoid Maddox's experimentation, the Enterprise's Engineer writes a heartfelt letter to his android friend about everything he's feeling.

Posted on both AO3 and FFN

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Dear Data,

I still can't believe you're really going away. I keep thinking this is all a nightmare that I'm sure I'll wake up from any minute, but I keep not waking up. It keeps staying real. Awfully, unfairly real. You're really going away.

It's so unfair, I want to scream. I want to throw my hyperspanner across Main Engineering. I want to give that puffed-up idiot Maddox such an earful of everything I think of him that his damn skinny head will be ringing for weeks. I want to rage at everyone who was stupid enough to let this happen.

You're one of the best Starfleet officers I've ever had the honor to work with, if not the best. And I don't just mean your super android abilities. It's in how deeply you care about our mission, the thoughtfulness you put into the details of every project you work on, the devotion to nothing short of excellence in everything you do. It's the love you have for your job (yeah, Data, I know you can love). I've become a better Starfleet officer just by working alongside you. The Enterprise is losing so much with your departure, and I can't believe anyone would let this happen.

But I'm not just losing a great co-worker; I'm losing a friend. That might be what hurts the most. It's not everyone who gets to work alongside a dear friend, and I guess I took some of that for granted. I love my job, you know I do, but working with you made the days fly past. I'm realizing just how much I'm going to miss. I'm going to miss how easy it was to talk to you: how I could say something that would leave most people staring blankly at me but you would instantly understand. We were both Perceivers and that's something I'm going to be damn hard-pressed to find again. I'm going to miss your questions about sneezing and sleeping and life and death that made me think more about my own humanity. I'm going to miss watching someone use a colloquialism in front of you and smiling to myself when you immediately turn to me for an explanation. Damn it, Data, I'm even going to miss your never-ending string of awful jokes.

I keep thinking of all the things we'll never do together now. The dozens of ideas we had for future Sherlock Holmes adventures that'll never happen. The plasma flow regulator recalibration that we were going to work on together next week that I'll be doing alone now. That "game night" you were hoping to plan to test out all those 20th century Terran board games you found patterns for in that old replicator program you were fiddling with last week. I know everyone on the Enterprise is missing out – and everyone else in the galaxy whom you'd have been able to help if you'd lived out your career – but I feel like I'm the one who's losing the most. Maybe that's selfish of me, but I feel what I feel.

I know you're not dead, that you're just going away, but it still feels like I'm mourning a thousand little deaths all at once.

I know there are ways we can keep in touch, but it won't ever be the same again.

I hope you're able to find another path that feels as right for you as this one did. I hope you're able to get that teaching job that you were considering and that it brings you the same level of fulfillment that serving in Starfleet did. Most of all, I hope you're all right – out there in a world that sees androids as nothing but machines who can be ripped apart without compunction. I wish the whole world could see you the way I do – white glow and all – and recognize the wonderful person you are underneath that synthetic skin.

I just want you to know, I'm glad to have known you, Data. Even if it had to end like this, I'll never regret the year and a half I had to get to know you and work alongside you. You're the best friend I ever could have asked for. I really thought I'd grow old working on this ship with you, and I hate that everything had to be cut short far too soon. But no matter what, I'll always treasure the time I did have with you, being your friend.

I'm angry for you, Data, and I'm sad and I'm hurt, but more than anything, I'm so glad you were stationed here on the U.S.S. Enterprise with me. Take care of yourself out there.

Love,

Your Best Friend, Geordi

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A/N:

I wrote this little one-shot about a year ago, when I found myself in Geordi's shoes in real life. A wonderful co-worker and dear friend whom I'd worked extremely closely with for over four years was very suddenly and unfairly bullied into resigning, leaving both her and me unable to do anything about it. This one-shot was just as much my way of processing my own sudden rage, feelings of crippling loss, and deep sense of unfairness with it all just as much as it was about Geordi and Data. And unlike Geordi and Data's story in "The Measure of a Man", my story didn't have a happy ending.

This story is dedicated to Jenn, the best Teen Librarian I've ever gotten to work with. This story is dedicated to all the program ideas we never got to do together, the stories we never got to share, and the time that was cut short far too soon. I'm glad I got to be your Geordi while it lasted. Live long and prosper.

#star trek #star trek the next generation #star trek tng #star trek fanfiction #my fanfiction #my writing #star trek geordi #star trek data #geordi la forge #data soong #lt commander data #geordi & data

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nyxtickled · 5 months ago

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I kind of can't get over you studying freakin' *robotics engineering.* Now I'm picturing you as the cool engineer on some sci-fi show. Whaddaya think? Star Trek? Something with giant robots? Maybe something grittier and more cyberpunk?

Maybe this is making too light of what you're working so hard for. Follow-up and/or substitute question: what's one of your dream projects or goals? What kind of robot(s) does Nyx most want to create, or work on?

🥹🤭 awww jeez don’t make me all fricken bashful on main i’m supposed to be tough !!!! CYBERPUNK PLEASE AAAAH

ok ok but to answer seriously, so far in my academic career i’ve worked on autonomous cars (1/10 scale autonomous racecars built essentially from scratch, a full size autonomous EV gokart, and i’ve even been fortunate enough to work on a fully autonomous indy 500 car…essentially the most advanced autonomous vehicle in the world. shit was one of the most mind blowing things i’ve ever been a part of), i’ve worked on some cool solar stuff (solar water heater for an orphanage in Tijuana, solar carport concept design for a nonprofit who wants to propose the idea of charging EV cars while they’re parked outside at work all day and distributing leftover power to the building), and my personal favorite was this project i did for a class i took where i designed an autonomous campus rideshare prototype on one of the 1/10 scale cars that was able to use facial recognition to identify the student who requested the ride and would essentially drive itself to the drop off location!

the last one was the most fun for me bc it was the first time i really got into the programming side of robotics. the car would have a starting location where it waited for ride requests, then when you submitted one it would drive itself to the location using LiDAR for collision avoidance and GPS path training. but the real doozy was the pickup stage bc i had to develop the facial recognition code to be able to scan the student’s face upon arrival with computer vision in live time with a camera that was attached to the car, and then match it to a photo of the student that was stored in a database, and then try to match the name of that student to the name of the student who requested the ride! if it matched, the screen would be like “rider verified! hop in!” and proceed to the next stage of driving itself to the drop off point. if it didn’t, the screen would read “sorry, we couldn’t verify your identity with the ride request” and drive itself back to the parking spot where it would wait for the next ride request! and the database of faces would basically come from your student ID picture, cuz the rideshare service would be around campus for students only!

god it was so fucking challenging but i had so much fun with it. so uhhhh to avoid writing 18 more paragraphs about all the cool robotics shit that i’m obsessed with, i would say my dream project is definitely something that combines machine learning software, robotics operating systems programming, and mechanical design all in one. something that could take the technological advancements that we have made and turn it into something useful for everyone. fuck i’m such a nerd i’m sorry i did NOT mean to go on like this ahahahahaha

#nyx.answers #uhhh anyways…#do u see why i crave venomous all-consuming tickle torture #i need my brain turned to mush by something that is not engineering in order to survive lmao

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mr-entj · 5 months ago

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Hello Mr. ENTJ. I'm an ENTJ sp/so 3 woman in her early twenties with a similar story to yours (Asian immigrant with a chip on her shoulder, used going to university as a way to break generational cycles). I graduated last month and have managed to break into strategy consulting with a firm that specialises in AI. Given your insider view into AI and your experience also starting out as a consultant, I would love to hear about any insights you might have or advice you may have for someone in my position. I would also be happy to take this discussion to somewhere like Discord if you'd prefer not to share in public/would like more context on my situation. Thank you!

Insights for your career or insights on AI in general?

On management consulting as a career, check the #management consulting tag.

On being a consultant working in AI:

Develop a solid understanding of the technical foundation behind LLMs. You don’t need a computer science degree, but you should know how they’re built and what they can do. Without this knowledge, you won’t be able to apply them effectively to solve any real-world problems. A great starting point is deeplearning.ai by Andrew Ng: Fundamentals, Prompt Engineering, Fine Tuning

Know all the terminology and definitions. What's fine tuning? What's prompt engineering? What's a hallucination? Why do they happen? Here's a good starter guide.

Understand the difference between various models, not just in capabilities but also training, pricing, and usage trends. Great sources include Artificial Analysis and Hugging Face.

Keep up to date on the newest and hottest AI startups. Some are hype trash milking the AI gravy train but others have actual use cases. This will reveal unique and interesting use cases in addition to emerging capabilities. Example: Forbes List.

On the industry of AI:

It's here to stay. You can't put the genie back in the bottle (for anyone reading this who's still a skeptic).

AI will eliminate certain jobs that are easily automated (ex: quality assurance engineers) but also create new ones or make existing ones more important and in-demand (ex: prompt engineers, machine learning engineers, etc.)

The most valuable career paths will be the ones that deal with human interaction, connection, and communication. Soft skills are more important than ever because technical tasks can be offloaded to AI. As Sam Altman once told me in a meeting: "English is the new coding language."

Open source models will win (Llama, Mistral, Deep Seek) because closed source models don't have a moat. Pick the cheapest model because they're all similarly capable.

The money is in the compute, not the models -- AI chips, AI infrastructure, etc. are a scarce resource and the new oil. This is why OpenAI ($150 billion valuation) is only 5% the value of NVIDIA (a $3 trillion dollar behemoth). Follow the compute because this is where the growth will happen.

America and China will lead in the rapid development and deployment of AI technology; the EU will lead in regulation. Keep your eye on these 3 regions depending on what you're looking to better understand.

#artificial intelligence #ai #industry #technology #faq

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theliteraryarchitect · 1 year ago

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Hi! I wanted to say, I read that you are a professional editor, and think it's amazing! You also give very logical and well explained advice. I was wondering; would you say being an editor is a job you can support yourself with? I actually aspire to become one someday, but I'm not exactly sure if it's a good plan.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you have a good day/night

Hey there. Great question. It's totally possible to support yourself as an editor. I've done it, and so have other editors I know. However there are a few important things to consider before choosing editing as a career path.

Your chances of being a self-employed freelancer are extremely high. The number of in-house editing jobs in publishing are low and getting lower. While being self employed can give you a certain amount of flexibility, it also comes along with a lot of hustle and hassle, namely fluctuating income, a stupid amount of confusing tax paperwork, and the need to constantly promote yourself to clients in order to maintain steady work.

You probably won't make as much money as you'd think. Editing is one of the many skilled jobs that suffers from market saturation, which has sadly driven down the price the average client is willing to pay for editing services. I can't tell you the number of overqualified editors I know charging barely more than minimum wage for their work. Personally I've stuck to my guns about charging what I'm worth, but I've sometimes suffered by not having as much work as my colleagues who charge less.

Robots have already chipped away at the future of editing as a human occupation, and will continue to do so at exponential speed in the years ahead. They will never obliterate the job completely, as there will always be humans who prefer to work with humans instead of machines. But the outlook will become ever bleaker as more humans compete for fewer gigs, which in turn will drive down prices even further.

If you are also a writer, editing may adversely affect your writing. I don't mean that you'll become a worse writer, quite the opposite. My editing work has brought new depths to my writing, and I'm grateful for all I've learned by working with my clients. However, editing takes time, uses creative energy, and requires staring at a screen (or paper), and personally the more I edit, the less time/creativity/screen-staring capabilities I have left for my own writing.

If you mention you're an editor, someone will troll your post for a typo, grammatical error, or misused word, and then triumphantly point it out to you in the comments. This is mostly a joke. But it does happen every single time.

I hope this hasn't been too discouraging. If you feel a true passion for editing and really enjoy the work, none of the above should dissuade you. However, if you think you might be happy in any number of occupations, I'd honestly advise you to explore other options. Choosing a career path at this point in history is a gamble no matter what, but the outlook for editors is especially grim.

If you'd like to work with writers and aren't attached to being an editor, there are a few jobs (still freelance) that I believe will survive the coming robot apocalypse. Do a little Google research about "book coaches," "writing coaches," or "book doulas." These are people who act primarily as emotional supporters and logistical helpers for writers who are trying to get their book published or self published. Some of them do actual editing, but many do not, and due to the therapeutic nature of their work I believe they will flourish longer than editors in the coming robot apocalypse.

If you do explore editing as a path, the further away you can lean from spelling and grammar (e.g. proofreader or copyeditor), the longer your skills will be useful when competing with robots. AI still struggles to offer the same kind of nuanced, story-level feedback that a human can give. (Speaking from experience here--I'm a developmental editor and have yet to see a dent in my workload because of robots.) They'll catch up eventually, but it could be a while, and as long as there are human readers, there will always be humans who are willing to pay for a human perspective on their writing. Human spell checkers maybe not so much.

Hope this helps!

#writeblr #asks #op #editing

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luckymilkshakerebel · 5 months ago

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ULTRA

Genre: angst, comfort

Cast : changbin x female reader

Song inspired by CHANGBIN - ultra

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Changbin had never been one to take the easy route. From a young age, life had presented him with challenges that seemed too large for someone as small as him. Growing up in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul, he was often overshadowed by others. His classmates, his friends, and even his own family had dreams and ambitions that seemed so much bigger than his. Yet Changbin knew, deep down, that he would do anything to prove he was more than what they saw.

But there was one thing that always gnawed at him—his feelings for Y/n.

Y/n had been his closest friend since they were children. They had shared secrets, laughs, and moments of vulnerability. She had always been there, a steady force in his life. But over the years, Changbin’s feelings for her had grown deeper, and he found himself trapped between the fear of ruining their friendship and the desire to tell her everything. Every time she smiled at him, his heart would race. Every time she spoke about her dreams, his chest would tighten because he couldn’t imagine a future where she wasn’t by his side.

But the truth was, Y/n had her own path, one that didn’t align with his. She had dreams of her own, dreams that were as big as the stars. She was confident, charismatic, and effortlessly beautiful. She had all the traits that people admired, and Changbin had always felt like the shadow standing just out of her reach.

And so, he kept his feelings buried, telling himself that his ambitions—his dream to rise above his pain and become someone worth noticing—were more important. But as he worked tirelessly at his job and trained at the gym every night to transform his small, weak frame into something that could command attention, he found it harder and harder to ignore the emotional storm brewing inside him.

---

Changbin’s journey to success was not one of quick fixes. He worked as a mechanic during the day, fixing cars and machines, learning the ins and outs of mechanical engineering, all while attending night school to pursue a degree. Every moment was a grind. There was no time to slow down, no time to think about the aching pain inside his chest whenever he thought of Y/n.

His muscles grew stronger, but the weight of his unspoken love was even heavier.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day, Changbin stood in front of the gym mirror, sweat dripping down his face. His arms were covered in the familiar burn of exhaustion, but something felt different tonight. He stared at his reflection, his muscles now defined and his body stronger than ever before. He was no longer the small boy who once feared the future. Yet, he still felt a void within him that no amount of physical strength seemed to fill.

It was then that Y/n’s face appeared in his mind, just like it always did when he allowed himself to dream of more. She had moved to another city recently to pursue her career, and though they still kept in touch, her absence made the ache in his heart more apparent.

He let out a frustrated sigh, slamming his fist against the punching bag. "Why can’t I just focus on what I need to do?" he muttered.

Changbin had worked so hard to become someone who could stand tall, someone who could look the world in the eye and not flinch. But every time he thought about her, his dreams felt incomplete. He knew he couldn’t keep living like this. He had to focus. He had to stop running from his pain and confront it head-on.

---

The next morning, he got a message from Y/n. She had returned to Seoul for a brief visit and wanted to meet up. Changbin’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t seen her in months, and the thought of facing her while still holding onto his feelings made him nervous.

They met at a quiet café, the familiar warmth of her smile immediately putting him at ease.

“Changbin!” Y/n greeted him with a bright smile as she slid into the seat across from him. "It’s been too long."

He smiled back, though his insides twisted with nerves. "Yeah, it really has. How’ve you been, Y/n?"

“I’ve been good, busy with work, you know,” Y/n said, her eyes sparkling. “I wanted to see you because… I’ve been thinking about something. You’ve changed, Changbin. I mean, look at you.” Her eyes scanned his form, noticing the noticeable muscle definition, the confidence in his posture.

Changbin shifted uncomfortably, unsure whether to accept the compliment. "Yeah, I’ve been working out a lot. Trying to push myself."

“Why?” Y/n asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

His heart beat faster as he grappled with the decision to tell her the truth. But every time he tried to open his mouth, the words got stuck in his throat.

"I guess… I just wanted to be someone who could stand up, you know? Someone who isn’t afraid to fight for what he wants." He paused, his gaze falling to his coffee cup. “And that includes…” He hesitated, fighting the urge to let his emotions slip out. “That includes being someone who can be successful. In everything.”

Y/n nodded slowly, her expression softening. “You know, Changbin, you’ve always had so much potential. But I don’t think you need to change for anyone else. You’re already amazing.”

Her words hit him harder than any punch he had ever thrown at the gym. He wasn’t changing for anyone else—he was changing for himself.

But the reality of their relationship hit him like a ton of bricks. Y/n was right. He was trying to be someone he wasn’t in the hopes of being worthy of something he might never have. Y/n’s dreams were hers, and she didn’t need him to be anyone other than who he was.

---

The weeks that followed were some of the most difficult for Changbin. He dove even deeper into his work and training, knowing he had to overcome the self-doubt and insecurity that had plagued him for so long. The pain of unrequited love was still there, but he no longer let it define him.

Y/n’s words rang in his ears, and they pushed him forward. "You’re already amazing." It wasn’t just empty encouragement—it was the truth. He didn’t need to change for anyone else. He needed to grow for himself.

And so, Changbin pushed on. He applied himself to his work, taking on larger projects at the mechanic shop. He attended classes late into the night, determined to earn his degree and build something of his own. Slowly, his hard work began to pay off. He got promoted at his job, and his reputation as someone with both skill and determination started to spread. People began to take notice.

One day, he received an offer to join a prestigious engineering firm. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, one that would set him on a path to financial success and professional achievement. It wasn’t just about the money, though. It was about proving to himself that he could become more than the doubts that had held him back for so long.

---

The first day at his new job, Changbin walked into the office with a sense of pride. His muscles, which he had worked tirelessly to build, felt like they had given him strength beyond the physical. He had become someone who stood tall not just in appearance, but in purpose.

And when he walked through the door to find Y/n standing there in the lobby, her eyes lighting up as she saw him, something in his heart settled. Y/n was still the bright star in his life, but he no longer needed her validation. He had proven to himself that he was worthy of his own respect.

“Changbin…” Y/n started, her voice full of admiration. “I heard about the promotion. I’m proud of you.”

He smiled, his eyes meeting hers with a newfound confidence. “Thanks, Y/n. I finally feel like I’m becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be.”

And in that moment, Changbin realized that true success wasn’t just about conquering the world—it was about overcoming the pain, confronting the truth, and becoming someone who could stand tall, no matter the obstacles. He had done it for himself, and that was the greatest victory of all.

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