#both the train kind and the machinery and tech kind

[the-lord-of-the-things]

Riding the Rails

[tmntkiseki]

This is a bit tangential to your Bo staff thought, but it made me think about it.

I’ve always thought Donny was the weakest fighter, mostly because on screen he’s the most likely to just drop what he’s doing or trip over himself. Which I attribute to him having his focus split between training and tech.

However, I personally don’t think him being physically the weakest makes sense. I don’t know a lot about the Bo staff either, but he uses it to launch himself quite a bit which has gotta take some crazy upper body strength. Which also tracks since he’s the one who’s (most often) working with heavy machinery. I think that’s a really interesting thought about how the weapon could lead to that stereotype, though. A guy with a staff doesn’t immediately look as imposing as a guy with a sword, even if they’re built the same.

Yeah, being physically weak and being the weakest fighter are two different things. As a casual observer, the bō comes off as a weapon that is far trickier to utilize effectively in combat as an offensive weapon than, say, Leonardo's katanas or Raphael's sais, simply due to the fact it's not a blade weapon; it is, for lack of better comparison, a glorified stick. And because it is a stick, it doesn't look particularly intimidating, which might give off the impression that Don is weak and doesn't have as much going for him when faced with a crowd of enemies.

However, what the bō lacks in raw attack power it more than makes up for in overall utility. A lot of Donatello's fighting style seems to rely on first defending against attacks with his bō, then finding an opportunity to counterattack using either the bō itself or his own strength. This gif offers a pretty good example of what Donnie looks like when he's at his best in combat, since we get to see him using his bō both offensively and defensively.

Like, especially note how the encounter with the Foot Ninja wielding the katana plays out. Don first uses his bō to block his attacker's weapon, then kicks him away while spinning the bō in the event the Foot Ninja attempts a counterattack, adopting a defensive posture in the process. A lot of lovely little details in the span of only a few seconds that show just what kind of fighter Don is.

Again, it's difficult to talk about how the turtles fight when you don't study/practice martial arts yourself, but Don is an interesting case study because he's probably one of the strongest turtles physically, yet his weapon of choice and the fighting style that comes along with it demands that he fight more defensively.

Edit: ALSO, in regards to Don having his focus divided between both ninja training and inventing, that would definitely account for some of his occasional clumsy moments during missions. He's definitely dedicated when it comes to his actual training sessions, but if he's spending a significant amount of time working on his machines, then he's likely not getting in quite as much practice as, say, Leo.

[tinapaysmp]

Roseblings and by extension Grimlands HCs

A lot of fWhips since I'm currently rewatching the first season in his pov.

fWhip is a jack of all trades master of none kind of person and jumps on so many different interests, from potions to explosives to map making to different kinds of mechanical stuff.

Gem has mastery on all forms of magic, although it's more on she was required to master everything due to being Head Wizard.

Their dad's side of the family, the house ruling over the Grimlands, specializes on gunpowder production.

Their mother's side, hailing from the Crystal Cliffs, specialized in potion's brewing as a family trade.

Both Gem and fWhip were thought the basics of potion brewing at a very young age considering that getting straight into gun powder productions is a bit too much for a bunch of kids.

Their dad wasn't really the ruler of the Grimlands but instead it was their uncle who was much older than their father.

Their uncle much preferred Gem over fWhip as the next ruler even if fWhip was older. That all changed when Gem got chosen by Gandalf as the next Head Wizard, much to their uncle's annoyance.

This is mainly because their uncle found fWhip to be too unpredictable and had a hard time controlling the kid. Where, Gem typically just do as the adults say so she was found to be more favorable at that time.

Both of them have ADHD, they just manifested in their own kind of way. Although fWhip was a text book case, Gem tries so hard to appear normal and put together.

Honestly, the both of them try so hard to look like they know what they're doing. Gem more than fWhip.

The old religion in the Grimlands isn't as practiced by many anymore and has been waning in popularity. Gem and fWhip were also indifferent to it when they were kids, but fWhip got interested later once he became ruler.

The Grimland's religion revolves around the redstone deepslate, which is actually connected to the spirit of the Titan that died around the nation.

This Red Titan had a twin. He was very close with this twin of his but one day they had a fight. They argued and things kept getting worse. It eventually turned physical. The both of them fell to the earth, and the both of them died.

From the body of the Red Titan formed redstone deepslate that has been revered in the Grimlands and now powers their machinery. Meanwhile, from the body of his twin formed an Amethyst Geode, the same amethyst that supplies the magic in the Crystal Cliffs.

People don't know of this nor any of the Titans. But their spirits and bodies give magic to the lands the people live in.

When fWhip was younger he could swear he could hear the dark red ores talking to him, but he tried shrugging it off. He decided to pay more attention to it once his interest swung to redstone tech and more after he became the Count of Grimlands.

He doesn't know how to explain this to anyone in fear that they'd ridicule him. But he eventually 'fessed up to his sister and Gem at least didn't made fun of him for it.

In the old house where the two grew up, before their fates were arranged to where they are today, their room had amethysts that were enchanted by their mother to glow like a nightlight to keep them company when it's dark.

At one point when fWhip was visiting their parents, he took them with him and placed it in the bedroom of his manor. The manor he was shipped off to after Gem became Head Wizard in-training.

[gattnk]

Terence and Scarlett, the youngest Deans in this Golden School's history. What kind of future do you think they'll bring?

I'm back on track my lovelies! Or rather, I never really left the AF train: I just needed some time to plan things out. I've sketched out the rest of the school staff, but I'll give priority to finishing chapter 5. Not gonna lie, I only finished these two first because I fell so in love with their designs I couldn't resist sharing them sooner!

Back in the early days of my production bible, I established the Golden School would offer other courses unrelated to guardian angels/devils; both the comic and S2 of the show inspired this concept. I came up with five faculties in total, with a pair of canon teachers at the helm of each. This is how Terence and Scarlett became my Academic Deans of the Tech and Support faculty.

Tech and Support is an engineering faculty: they're the mechanics behind mascots, vehicles like auto-spheres and motor-spikes, and pretty much every piece of angel/devil infrastructure on Earth. I chose Terence and Scarlett specifically because they're the least established teachers we see in canon. Simply put, they were the only teachers with enough wiggle room to fit the bill.

I took a long, hard look at what Terence and Scarlett were supposed to be in the series: the young, hip, hot new teachers in town when they first show up in the movie, the kind that make their younger students swoon and maybe stir some love trouble indirectly with their presence. I could definitely work with that!

Terence's original design looked like the kind of guy who brings an acoustic guitar to a college party, which is a very... 2000s kind of "hot". He needed an upgrade, stat. So I went on a quest and found that hunks are in vogue now, which is fine by me! And so a hunky engineer he became, with a high-visibility coverall, work boots, tool-bags and a helmet. He got to keep some stubble and his long hair (tied up in a ponytail for safety reasons) as a recall to his original design.

Scarlett's original design screams femme fatale, which is great for eye candy but not very practical when handling machinery. So I decided to gear her properly: strong-material overalls and shirt, work boots, welding gloves and safety goggles, protective horn cuffs, short hair and no jewelry (seriously, avoid wearing dangly bits like loose hair or jewelry when you're in a workshop). Properly geared women in STEM are, or so I'm told, pretty hot :v So mission accomplished!

While Terence and Scarlett's role in my rewrite is no longer to act as a romantic wedge between Raf and Sulfus, I ended up giving them shared traits with my Raf and Sulfus redesigns. It has a narrative purpose I won't disclose for now, but if you were wondering why they feel like grown-up genderbent versions of the protagonists, now you know.

Their new colors are pretty much a mash-up of their canon palette and my usual colors for angels and devils. I wanted to subvert expectations a bit however, so I gave Terence a red halo and wings and Scarlett blue horns and wings. They're the same hue as each other's eyes for entirely aesthetic reasons.

Honestly, it's been real fun so far to work on the teachers! I love working on side characters, there's more room to explore in terms of design because there's less expectations surrounding them.

I'll Fly With You (rewrite fic) Art masterpost

[r6-unifiedlands]

A Random Sunshine Encounter

[Remington "Espion" Harmonics & Julien "Rook" Nizan]

Summary: It's finally Espion's first visit to Viperstrike's base to get her gadgets improved! But Mira's not the only one overseeing her.

A/N: I promised myself that I wouldn't write above 1k today

When she entered Rainbow’s Greece Base, Reth noticed that Viperstrike’s base was surprisingly more high-tech than the other groups' tech labs. It’s not really that surprising for her, though. Many of Rainbow’s engineers and technicians came in and out to develop and research more technologies to make future operations easier.

Mira had ordered her to bring in her gadgets—Her motion-detecting knives that had been fucked up by a Certain Japanese Geek during the device evaluation—to look for a solution to the fragile casing.

…she couldn’t help marveling at the inner lab. It felt like she was again back in her old workshop in Nighthaven.

Before the young operator managed to get her grubby hands all over the pieces of machinery, however, she felt a pair of gloved hands grab her shoulder firmly and put enough pressure downwards to stop her from moving around.

“Wha—”

“Enchanté, Espion!” The figure looming over her suddenly spoke in a cheery tone. His light French accent reminded him of Gustave’s existence, making her head snap upwards to see who that was.

Messy dark chocolate hair in undercut style, five o’clock shadow on his well-defined jawline, dark blue eyes that sparkled like an excited golden retriever, and a smile that could bring joy and warmth to this cruel and cold world.

Oh, Jesus Christ, that’s a handsome man.

Maybe it was because the room was too cold or she suddenly developed a fever, but one of them was definitely the reason why her face reddened like crazy with nervous soft chitters coming out of her lips. Both palms tried to hide her current state.

The man was absolutely beaming, patting her light blonde hair while pulling her close to his tall body. “Mira told me that you’ll be joining us today, so I asked her to help assist you.” His tone was as bright as his personality. “My name is Julien Nizan, but you can call me Rook. I hope we can be good acquaintances!”

It didn’t help that her brain was short-circuited from the overwhelming amount of affection that he gave her, still struggling to say something.

He finally let her go after a while, finally snapping her from the overloading mind state. She almost immediately took multiple steps away, her face still looking bright red.

The sunshine expression faded slightly, eyes reflecting a sense of worry. “Sorry, did I overwhelm you?”

As much as she wanted to deny it, she did feel overwhelmed by his whole greetings.

And as Harry said during her last therapy session; be honest with people, or they will not know what their mistakes are.

She nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact. “...Sorry…” She muttered softly.

“It’s alright, mon ami.” Julien didn’t move an inch while keeping his warm tone, like a vet talking to a scared animal. “Take your time, okay? I can get Mira or Doc for you if you’d like.”

“It’s.” She paused, taking several deep breaths. Calm down, Reth. “I’m okay. I was just. Surprised. I’m no good to affection.” Her voice softened, now more like a whisper. “Gustave is scary. Don’t want to see him.”

“He’s a doctor. He’d take care of you.”

“Last time I saw him, he scolded me for being too rough in training and kept escaping his clinic while in his care.”

The taller operator grinned. “You’re not the only one.” He gave a wink that made the younger operator’s heart jump to her throat.

What the fuck. Oh my god. She shouldn’t be like this!!!

Reth whined out loud. Her frustration came out. Not because of the kind gent, no.

There’s a first time for everything. And it was the first time she felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, tickling her abdomen and trying to make her smile.

Julien’s happiness was infectious. 

Currently, it’s infecting the young operator.

“Stop making me happy!!” She whined in protest, but her giggling state betrayed her.

“I can’t help it! Ton sourire est contagieux!”

The French accent that she’d once associated with Gustave’s fatherly scolding now made her heart thump like crazy. Julien’s bright and positive attitude cleared out the negative association of what had been imprinted in her mind.

Was that a bad thing? Nope!

“And what are you guys doing?”

Those fluffy feelings sunk back into the depths and managed to snap Reth out of the current state. Her cheeks were still tinted red from the blood rush.

Elena leaned on the doorframe of the lab entrance while crossing her arms, dark eyes glaring at Julien. “What did you do to our new recruit, cabrón? She’s a tomato now!”

Now it’s the French’s turn to be flustered, cheeks dusted in pink. “Non! I was introducing myself and accidentally got her overwhelmed a bit.”

The Spaniard turned her attention to Reth, raising her eyebrows. The American quickly nodded in response.

“Well,” Elena cracked her knuckles, and satisfying pops came out, “introduction’s over. Let’s get back to work, you two.”

[multiandmany]

Clay Bailey (Canon)

Fandom: Xiaolin Showdown

Name: Clay Bailey Age: 16 Species: Human Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Height: 6'1" Weight: ??? Abilities: Earth Manipulation*, First Aid Skills, Cooking/Baking Skills, High Food Tolerance*, Superhuman Strength, Martial art skills, Seismic Kick Earth, Elemental Combination (using the Fist of Tebigong), Dragon X-Kumei Formation (with the other dragons) *Comes with the elemental martial arts attacks as well as being able to use her element outside of that. (Basically covers the whole elemental powers outside of the named list.) *AKA Iron stomach, meaning he can eat things that would make others sick, this does have its limits

Clay's southern upbringing causes some confusion among the dragons and monks, but his actions clear things up well when it comes time for them. He's physically strong and uses his side to his advantage in battle. His strength comes in handy for every day tasks too. Raimundo keeps trying to swap chores with various degrees of success!

While at times taken as slow and dense, him being quiet is not a sign of weakness, its him thinking and working through what's going on. Him being of few words means he's for the most part keeping up with everything. There are times things confuse him when it comes to magic though, as where he comes from, magic is not common at all aside from the spare magic show put on for kids.

When it comes to reliable, its Clay you look to, if he says he'll do something he'll do it, if he doesn't then something really important got in the way or something happened to him. Or the world is ending and you should run for cover cause he's fighting for the planet.

Out of all of the dragons, he's the best cook and the best at first aid. Things he was taught at home have come in handy at the temple. He can also fix certain things mechanically but only if its heavy machinery. Leave the tiny tech to Kimiko.

Due to growing up on a ranch, he has some veterinary experience as well. He can handle and take care of multiple kinds of animals, both wild and domestic. He can ride horses and tack them. His lasso skills are second to none and he uses them all the time while in battle and other times too, like keeping Omi out of trouble.

His monk outfit is above.

His casual outfit is above.

——————————-

Mythic Showdown AU || (X)

The last of the dragons in training to find out what myth he is, Clay was surprised to find out that he was. You'd think he'd notice more signs coming from a cattle ranch but he didn't until right up at the turning point.

It takes him the longest out of them to get use to being a mythic because while the others are full creature myths, his myth is part human. It's a learning curb. It is also likely why it took him so long to notice. His ears shift out more than often, like when he's embarrassed.

He's 6'7" in this form. He still has freckles too!

[mechanicalinertia]

Bubblegum Black: For A World Without Gold - Chapter 1 is now live! (& Author's Commentary

It's the first of its kind: A BGC x Black Lagoon crossover, a new paradigm in cyber-powered hyperviolence and waifus swearing like drunken sailors! A new kind of war - A new kind of Crisis!

...Oh, right, I said I'd put in some metacommentary here, in the author's notes, right? Yeah. Time to do that. In essence, I'm going to run through every bit of technobabble or characterization piece that readers might be confused by, and just address them. I am, however, assuming some elementary knowledge of BGC and Lagoon (I will not abbreviate it to BL I simply refuse to fall into the path of degeneracy it will not happen). If there's an element from that you don't know about, uh... read the wiki? Or watch either show, they're both great.

Koh Kood Island: There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Roanapur's actual location in Thailand. It's near the Cambodian border, it's on the water, it’s got a bridge running to it - it’s Koh Chang Island, it has to be. Sure, the real island is steep and forested, sure it’s a mile away from the mainland (one helluva bridge!) but the island is just big enough to house a medium-sized city like Roanapur if you level it out a bit via the powers of Dramatic License. Koh Kood is an island adjacent to it, closer to the Cambodian border. So the scene of the action is close to Roanapur, still in Thai waters, but not that close.

Stemjack and the Cybersuite: Lingo for the usual cyberpunk plug n' play neural interface port. Cyberpunk 2077 may have them in the wrists, but in this particular cyberpunk-y universe they're a much less well-realized piece of technology. That's because most people, as their default information-interface replacing the smartphone, use the 'Cybersuite', an amalgam of several technologies: soft augmented-reality lenses grafted onto the corneas ('corneals' to actualize a 'holofeed' in the 'holocloud', a kind of augmented-reality internet), jawbone-induction microphones and speakers ('mastimikes'), and finger-and-palm haptic sensors to make AR objects interactable by touch ('phantomics'). All this is as cheap and ubiquitous as, well, a smartphone, and in that case who needs a neural interface for anything besides synchronizing with heavy machinery, which requires neural rewiring and training if said machinery isn't humanoid? Absent downloading-information-directly-into-the-brain technology, which isn't quite realized here, there just isn't a huge need outside of military applications or more exotic cybernetics, I think.

Strikesuit Tech: Shape memory polymer artificial muscles are a thing already, albeit unrealized in industrial applications, as is foamed-alloy armor. The Strikesuit is slightly on the heavy side for what it is, especially compared to a Knight Saber hardsuit. It's a relic from before Boomers became common in American-aligned militaries across the world, one of those things that of course Eda would sell for the price of a small car.

NBC Sealing: Short for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical sealing, usually used to refer to armored vehicles.

Kerenzikov: A leftover reflex booster from the Cyberpunk franchise, less cool in all ways compared to the Sandevistan that plays such a big part in Edgerunners. Say that the Kerenzikov is still a reflex booster, but one that's a little less severe in how much it boosts the body and the brain into overdrive.

SSW40’s: Rheinmetall, the gentlemen who make the Abrams’ main cannon, have decided to diversify, apparently, and aside from semi-autonomous 50mm guns for lighter armored vehicles, they’re also working on magazine-fed 40mm grenade launchers. That means more ammo capacity than the current standard M32 / Milkor MGL, and a higher-velocity round because it isn’t a revolver-action, and better reloading ergonomics because, again, not a revolver. That’s the SSW40. Ancient by the time of this fic, but if it saw use in World War 3 it’ll probably see action in Roanapur again, just like Revy’s strikesuit, give or take an update for airburst programming. Also, it felt like a cool update to her old M79.

Saber 5: Read my previous completed fic, Anatomy of A Lovedoll, to know who that fifth Saber is. Or just wait till Chapter 2 comes out. Either way you’ll find out soon enough.

Absolu: A very clear knockoff of France’s largest company, petrochemical giant Total. I do think humanity will get off of petrochemical reliance for the most part save in places where it’s irrationally culturally engrained by midcentury, but it’ll probably be too late to stop the really bad effects of climate change from kicking in (fuck, most of Canada’s forests are burning down as I write this, West and East now). Companies whose bread and butter is commodity extraction will still find ways to poison local environments with stuff like rare-earth mining, if I had to take a wild guess, but hey at least they won’t be shitting x number of gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere annually! Baby steps.

Necessary Evil: Another bit I borrowed from Anatomy. Saber White has never said this in the actual series, but the way I’m writing her, this is something she would say and has said. Which runs contra to how she’s characterized in the OG series’ OVA 8, according to some people, but dammit this is my fic I’ll misinterpret things as I please.

Manhattan: Has anyone here ever read the cyberpunk-ish novel Blackfish City? Anyone know what happens to NYC in that book? Well, I decided to rip that off. Fuck it, here’s the lowdown: Sea levels rose, NYC had a seawall, and then the usual gaggle of postfascist Christian extremists blew up the seawall to flood ‘Liberal Sodom’, and the government did very, very little to help as the city died in bits and pieces, probably because said government was also run by postfascist wackos who saw NYC as the enemy. That time, and that place, are where Revy grew up. Even more unpleasant than her old backstory, yeah?

Red Fraction: I know Revy has a playlist she uses when she’s doing premediated killing. I know Gen Urobuchi put a Rage Against The Machine song on that playlist for the 90’s. But this fic is set 70 years after that time; what the flippedy dippedy was I supposed to do for Revy music? Make shit up? Endless fictitious Black Metal groups? So, in the spirit of a Big Grand Opening, I decided to go for Lagoon’s anime OP. Because it’s such a Revy song, isn’t it? Aggressive, profane, swaggering, and all the same just a little defensive (These aren’t tears / don’t let them trick you). Every part of it feels like a song Revy would sing. So if I was opening with Revy, I had to back that up. Shit, I might sync fight scenes to music more often after this, too.

Riot Boomers: I visualized some very Five Star Stories looking mecha for this particular not-in-the-actual-series Boomer, very exaggerated and top-heavy. I don’t know why.

In the land of the blind…: This is one of the best action movie one-liners I have come up with, like, ever. I’m so proud of it.

The Doberman: The Doberman is probably the scariest-looking Boomer in all of BGC, and it gets only a bit part enforcing order in the opening of OVA 5. So a) I thought I’d bring it back as a scary threat and b) thought I’d rip it to bits with ease so the reader gets an idea of how goddamn powerful the Sabers are in this fic, how after about a year and a half of operation their hardware and tactics are such that they can render one caught-off-guard hunter-killer unit so much nanotech meat and scrap. So maybe it should be a tougher fight realistically, but I wanted to show off. Forgive me.

Gunship’s The Mountain: No real thematic purpose to this particular bit of music. It just feels like really good opening-to-something music.

Rock’s Mental State: Oofah. Our boy isn't doing so good, is he? In tumblrspeak we'd call him a Sad Blorbo Meowmeowman. For real Lagoon fans (Lagoonatics?), you may be wondering how closely I'm following the events of the anime and the manga after that (I do treat the order of events for the first few arcs as being in the anime's canon not the manga's), and the answer, profound and deep, is a great big 'eh'. That is to say: Everything that happened in the manga / anime happened, with only history-updating changes to the characters' backgrounds and their patron organizations changed. But of course I'm going to deviate from where Hiroe-sensei wants to take what's left of the manga. I don't know what he's doing, and I'm not waiting around for ten years or so for him to finish. So: Roberta got fucked up, Feng Yifei / Li Xinlin has found her home in Roanapur, and Le Majeur did join the Lagoon Company. Where is she now? Um... you'll find out later. Suffice to say that I'm guessing that as of the events of the manga as-is (2023), Rock's been in Roanapur about two years, and as of this fic's timing, he's been around for about three. Things can change a lot in a year, especially in a city like that. As for how closely I'm following the spinoffs, again I give you an 'eh' followed by a belated 'not really'. Initial Stage is too tied up in the geopolitics of the 90's to translate lore well to this fic, and Gore Gore Girl introduces a bunch of characters I don't really care about and so probably won't do anything with (untranslated, but I read about it on the wiki. It seems to be a much sillier series than OG Lagoon and that's saying something.) I think the only non-Hiroe media with events I want to trace are the Gen Urobuchi light novels, since they're amusing fun that introduce new characters without going overboard on throwing wrenches into the plot. Well, except for Shadow Falcon. He's not showing up in this fic for sure. Say he's around, but he's on assignment elsewhere.

Opening Credits: So wayyyyyy back in 1991, the first digital-native anime fanfiction megacrossover, one Undocumented Features, was published by a couple of dudes at Worchester Polytechnic Institute. As you can see, a similar thing was done there, something that I find so funny that I've tried to use it myself for my own fics, using JP voice actors for the main cast like real credits (yeah yeah yeah I know, everyone tells me the Lagoon dub is superior, it's probably better for the Japan arc for sure so I don't have to listen to Megumi Toyoguchi choke out 'Haiy Asuhoru' again, but Roberta's seiyuu does one of the best performances of her career there and you can't convince me otherwise), and throwing up some fictitious production companies into existence to amuse myself and others. If you can figure out what they're referencing, let me know and I'll... eh, I'll be internet-happy. It will, of course, be updated on the AO3 version of this fic as I add in new cast members; so far, all I've got there is characters I know have to show up in the fic, with more to hopefully come along the way (might have to just put in seiyuu names without their characters for a bit of surprise? Eh, you could just look them up then if you really wanted to, we'll see).

Anyway, that's that! Hope you enjoyed the work so far! I've got the next chapter written, it just has to be edited, but to whet your appetite, let me ask you a question: How did Balalaika know how to contact the Knight Sabers? And why did Saber White accept her request?

[james-smith07]

Advanced Technology in Busbar Bending: SunShine® NC.40Z-1200 CNC Machine

When you think of high-precision engineering, do you imagine complex machinery that seems almost magical in its capability? The SunShine® NC.40Z-1200 CNC Busbar Bending Machine is one such marvel, transforming the mundane task of busbar bending into an art of efficiency and accuracy. View More to dive into how this cutting-edge machine is revolutionizing the industry and how it could be the game-changer your manufacturing process has been waiting for.

The Importance of Precision in Busbar Bending

Imagine you're putting together a jigsaw puzzle; each piece must fit perfectly to complete the picture. In the same way, busbar bending requires exact measurements and flawless execution. A slight deviation in bending can lead to significant issues, such as electrical failures or inefficient power distribution. That's why precision is crucial—without it, even the most advanced systems can falter.

Meet the SunShine® NC.40Z-1200

The SunShine® NC.40Z-1200 is not just another CNC machine; it's a state-of-the-art solution designed to handle the demands of modern manufacturing:

Advanced CNC Technology: Ensures precision and efficiency.

Built for Performance: Optimized for high-volume production.

Think of it as upgrading from a standard toolkit to a high-tech laboratory—where every tool is fine-tuned for peak performance.

Innovative Technology Behind the Machine

What makes the NC.40Z-1200 so exceptional? Let’s explore its technological innovations:

Sophisticated Control Systems: These allow for precise adjustments and real-time monitoring.

Enhanced Automation: Reduces manual input and increases consistency.

It’s like having a smart assistant who handles all the complex tasks, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of your work.

Key Features of the NC.40Z-1200

Here’s a closer look at what makes the NC.40Z-1200 stand out:

1. Precision Bending Capabilities

Exact Angles and Radii: Ensures each bend is executed with perfect accuracy.

Reduced Error Rates: Minimizes the need for rework and adjustments.

Imagine a laser-guided tool cutting through material with pinpoint accuracy—this is the kind of precision you can expect.

2. User-Friendly Interface

Intuitive Controls: Designed for ease of use, even for beginners.

Real-Time Feedback: Provides instant updates and diagnostics.

Think of it like operating a high-end smartphone—complex functionalities simplified into an easy-to-navigate interface.

3. High-Speed Production

Efficient Operation: Speeds up production without compromising on quality.

Seamless Integration: Fits smoothly into existing workflows.

Imagine the difference between a slow, manual process and a high-speed conveyor belt—your production line will experience a remarkable boost.

How the NC.40Z-1200 Boosts Efficiency

The NC.40Z-1200 is designed to enhance your production line in several key ways:

Faster Setup Times: Get up and running quickly with minimal downtime.

Streamlined Operations: Reduces the number of steps and manual interventions.

It’s like moving from a cumbersome, slow process to a sleek, efficient assembly line—everything becomes quicker and more streamlined.

User Experience: Intuitive and Easy Operation

One of the highlights of the NC.40Z-1200 is its ease of use:

Simple Programming: Users can quickly set up and adjust tasks.

Comprehensive Training: Available to help your team get the most out of the machine.

Imagine a tool so straightforward that even those with minimal experience can operate it effectively—making your team more versatile and productive.

Versatility for Diverse Applications

The NC.40Z-1200 isn’t just specialized; it’s versatile:

Handles Various Materials: Perfect for both copper and aluminum busbars.

Adaptable to Different Tasks: From bending to cutting and punching.

It’s like having a multi-tool that can handle a range of tasks with ease, providing flexibility for different projects.

Built to Last: Durability and Reliability

Investing in the NC.40Z-1200 means investing in long-term reliability:

Heavy-Duty Construction: Designed to withstand high-volume use.

Minimal Maintenance: Engineered for durability and ease of care.

Consider it a high-quality, long-lasting investment—one that pays off through dependable performance and reduced maintenance needs.

Success Stories and Customer Feedback

Don’t just take our word for it—here’s what others have to say:

Mark T., Manufacturing Lead: “The NC.40Z-1200 has transformed our production process. Precision and speed have never been better.”

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Real-world feedback highlights how the NC.40Z-1200 can elevate manufacturing operations to new levels.

Comparison with Other Busbar Machines

When comparing the NC.40Z-1200 with other machines, its advantages become clear:

Superior Precision and Speed: Outperforms many competitors.

Advanced Features and Controls: Offers more functionalities and better user experience.

It’s like comparing a luxury car to a standard model—every feature is designed for enhanced performance and comfort.

Cost-Effectiveness and Value

While the initial cost may be higher, the value it provides is unmatched:

Long-Term Savings: Reduced waste and improved efficiency translate to cost savings.

High ROI: Enhanced productivity and quality lead to a better return on investment.

Think of it as investing in top-tier quality—one that offers excellent value through improved outcomes and operational efficiency.

Integration and Setup Process

Setting up the NC.40Z-1200 is a streamlined process:

Custom Setup: Tailored to fit your specific production needs.

Operator Training: Ensures a smooth transition and effective use.

It’s like setting up a high-tech system where every aspect is optimized for performance from day one.

Future-Proofing Your Investment

SunShine® is committed to staying ahead with:

Future Upgrades: Continuous improvements and new features.

Ongoing Support: Keeps your machine updated and performing at its best.

Imagine having a partner who ensures your investment remains cutting-edge and valuable over time, adapting to future advancements.

Conclusion

The SunShine® NC.40Z-1200 CNC Busbar Bending Machine is more than just a machine; it's a technological marvel that brings precision, efficiency, and innovation to your manufacturing process. View More to discover how this advanced technology can revolutionize your operations, enhance product quality, and drive your business forward. Embrace the future of busbar processing with a machine designed to exceed your expectations and elevate your production capabilities.

[pei-pingenterprise]

Pei Ping Company's Cutter Grinder and End Mill Grinder Releases New Levels of Accuracy and Productivity

In particular, the Pei Ping Company is well-known for producing high-quality cutter grinders and end mill grinders. Machines manufactured by Pei Ping have earned a reputation for reliability in the metalworking sector thanks to their accuracy, productivity, and longevity.

One of their hallmark items is the cutter grinder. The cutter grinder is a vital piece of machinery for any machinist or toolmaker, since it may be used to restore the cutting edge to any number of different cutting tools. It allows for fine tuning of the cutting edge geometry, which improves cutting efficiency and extends the life of the tool.

The cutter grinder from Pei Ping has a sturdy design that ensures it will last a long time and perform reliably. The machine is made to last and tested extensively to ensure it meets the highest quality requirements. Its sturdy foundation and central column provide exceptional stiffness, hence reducing the likelihood of error during grinding.

Sharpening tools with the cutter grinder is quick and easy thanks to the high-tech grinding system. An aggressive grinding wheel spins at high speed to remove material off the blade's edge uniformly and precisely. The spindle motor on this machine provides plenty of torque for using a wide variety of cutting tools.

The cutting tool grinder may perform a variety of grinding operations. End relief, main relief, secondary relief, and radial relief are just some of the angles and combinations that may be ground using this tool. By adjusting the settings of the grinding process, machinists may create cutting edges with the precise geometry required for each given task. The machine's ability to grind cutters with a wide variety of flute configurations expands its usefulness for reconditioning tools.

The cutter grinder by Pei Ping is designed with practical, user-friendly features. It's designed with both seasoned pros and newcomers in mind, thanks to its straightforward layout and straightforward controls. The machine's workhead may be adjusted to precisely position the cutting tool for repeatable, precise grinding.

Pei Ping provides both a cutter grinder and an end mill grinder. End mills are used often in milling processes, and this machine was built with sharpening them in mind. The end mill grinder gives machinists fine control over the cutting edge geometry, bringing dull end mills back to life.

The end mill grinder from Pei Ping is built and designed in the same way as the cutter grinder. Having such a solid base for grinding operations guarantees accurate and consistent outcomes. The machine's high-velocity grinding wheel and robust spindle motor provide rapid grinding cycles and precise material removal.

The end mill grinder has a selection of grinding modes to work with a wide variety of end mills. It has the capability of grinding the end cutting edge, as well as the primary and secondary relief angles. A variety of flute counts (two, three, four, and more) may be sharpened on this machine. The end mill grinder's adaptable features make it suitable for a variety of applications.

The cutter grinder and end mill grinder from Pei Ping may be customized with a variety of features and attachments. These extras expand the machines' capabilities and adaptability, giving grinders more control over the grinding procedures they undertake. Grinding wheels, collets, index plates, and fittings to handle various kinds of cutting tools are all available extras.

Pei Ping Company also has great customer service and assistance after the deal is made. To guarantee the best possible functionality of their grinding machines, they provide technical support, training, and troubleshooting services. To further extend the equipment's useful life and performance, the firm offers scheduled maintenance and readily available spare parts.

In summary, the cutter grinder and end mill grinder produced by Pei Ping Company are high-quality examples of their type. These devices are made to precisely sharpen and recondition cutting tools for maximum efficiency and durability. Pei Ping's machines are reliable in the metalworking business because of their sturdy build, cutting-edge grinding technology, and straightforward design. Pei Ping's cutter grinder and end mill grinder are the gold standards among machinists and toolmakers everywhere, and they come with a variety of useful extras and top-notch support from the company.

[moss-and-marimos]

i just remembered ur into ninjago so i must know ur opinions on all the cast like the main one yk. cole zane kai jay lloyd nya pixal

I love all of them but for different reasons each, I have so many headcanons I will happily share them all the time and I have a bunch of doodles from earlier this year of them too, I should make some more Some random Hc's: (long post incoming)

- Cole has tear scars from being a ghost bc water hurts them (we ignore the fact that this makes my mcyt phase abundantly apparent /lhj) - jay and zane were the closest at first bc theyre the two that people seem to immediately perceive as neurodivergent but everyone is in actuality - I am a big fan of polyninja (with Lloyd as their younger brother of course) - zane wears gloves bc of how cold his hands are - kai wears glasses for up close/reading - kai and zane become an important duo because of temperature regulation, its not surprising for kai to get a fever when he's upset over something and zane ends up mostly taking care of him - related to previous, kai sticks with zane a lot so none of his internal machinery end up freezing and so that he can interact with stuff without it getting stuck to him bc of the cold - jay still has a snake tail and one of his eyes (which he eventually gets the eyepatch on to help level out his vision) is still a snake pupil - everyone besides kai has nonhuman traits bc they all are or have been nonhuman because of him bvjdhbfjd - kai has a scar on his hand from when jay stabbed him with the fork - when kai uses fire you can see his lungs light up internally so his ribs become visible like silhouetted - i like the idea that kai can also control water a little and nya can also control fire a little, kai was just taught fire because its an element of creation but i like to think kai and nya would train together and help learn eachothers powers even if its only a tiny bit - pixal is the tallest and is transfem - kai and pixal would have surprisingly similar music tastes I think - Cole nya and jay would cook together a lot but jay isnt the best cook so he sometimes has to sit out or he messes up the food but the others dont mind, they just like spending time with him - Cole and Lloyd bake together a lot - they are both also aroace spec - jay and nya have the most scarred hands just from doing tech stuff - zane ends up weirding people out just because he has no scars and always looks the same, he kind of hates it because it makes him seem inhuman - bonus character echo zane, I think he's like a 13 year old version of zane but ends up very different just because he has a family and original zane didnt at this age, he's particularly close with nya and pixal I now realize there was a lack of pixal nya and Lloyd in this but I do have stuff for them i will try to find it and share at some point

[romelle]

What are you headcannons for pidge since cannon made her a little shit? I really like the idea of her being a little sister to the team, but the way she was in cannon was just.... yikes. I know it made a lot of people dislike her a LOT, but I was wondering if you had your own little idea of her that made her actually likeable

yeah same!! she was my favourite character after the first season aired, but then the writers kind of ruined that. however! that also means that i have very many thoughts 🤷🏻

she's still a little shit, just not a (too) mean one

lance: what do you think i should do to woo her?

pidge, who wingmans keith exclusively through causing problems on purpose: i read somewhere that people on this planet LOVE it when you fill both of their shoes with food goo. they think it's super romantic

lance: ...y'know somehow i feel like that can't be true

pidge: when have i ever lied to you?

lance: dude. we literally met while you were using a fake identity, so i really don't-

lance:

lance: what are you grinning about

pidge, a fourteen-year-old: you said titty

when they first became paladins, pidge overheard lance and hunk talking about having "leg days" where they just chill & do face masks, so she made keith have an "arm day" with her

they got as far as painting their nails black before they both said fuck that and instead just started talking about alien conspiracies while munching on the space cucumbers meant for their eyes

pidge, during their first arm day: how did you know you were gay?

keith, shrugging: it wasn't that big of a deal. i just always knew that i liked boys that way

pidge, who took one look at his hair and jacket and sword and just immediately assumed he was a butch lesbian: wait. boys????

she's happy about finding her family, but also knows that the others don’t have that. after she hears lance and allura talk about how they're afraid they'll forget the faces of their loved ones, she works really hard on making a device that can turn memories into photographs!

coran, during a boring diplomatic meeting: i'm afraid pidge isn't paying much attention to our hosts

hunk: yeah, but she's typing really fast on that thing. maybe she came up with something important

pidge: (hardcore club penguin fishing)

after that infamous first try, she's kinda scared to learn altean on her own. fortunately, lancey lance is incredibly generous and offers to do it with her!

pidge: your head is already huge so i probably shouldn't say this, but you're really good at this language thing. thank you for helping me out

lance: hell yeah i am! anything for my sar'rstse

pidge: ...if you’re calling me a rat again i'll bite you

lance: i’m not!! it means little sister

pidge:

lance, poking her: you good, rat?

pidge, tearing up: you're such a loser. suck a dick. i love you

it's canon that she kept some of those fluffy junkyard aliens in her room, so i like to think that since she's not yet good enough to braid allura's hair like lance and hunk do, they instead bond by gently twisting tiny little braids onto the fluffy alien's fur (and tie them off with sparkly hairbands)!

pidge, a paladin of voltron and a certified tech wizard: (makes snarky comments even during battle) (speaks in literal code) (hacks the system of a ten thousand years old empire like it's nothing) (brings down trained soldiers three times her size) (builds all sorts of cool machinery)

a cute alien girl: that was so badass <3

pidge, a teen lesbian with a crush: fbxbysbztvx. thanks. do you wanna see my renegade

her and hunk's friendship dynamic is best summed up by pidge going "i think manslaughter should be allowed" and hunk responding with "yes of course?? why wouldn't men be allowed to laugh?"

[erimeows]

Could I get Sentinel Prime falling for a shy repairbot (one that fixes regular machines, not a medic like Ratchet) that works with Team Prime?

Sure thing! Headcanons beneath the cut; thank you for the request, enjoy!

You're sent with Team Prime to fix space bridges because, honestly, you're good at fixing just about anything- a lot like Bulkhead, but more generalized, so rather than specializing in just space bridges, you can help with those, the ship, any tech issues they’re having, weaponry, equipment, etc. The only thing you really can’t do is act as a medic/repairbot for the actual Cybertronians themselves because you’re squeamish and just don’t have the expertise for it yet.

You’re arguably one of the most talented and useful on your team and are very appreciated because of it, even if you’re not the most outgoing. Team Prime is kind enough that they usually try their hardest to find ways of including you/talking to you, but they also leave you alone when you need it. They just enjoy having you around and all love you very much, at least in a platonic sense.

But then Megatron attacks your ship and you end up on earth fighting Decepticons. It’s not what you signed up for, you hate it, and all you want is to go home, but you try to make the best of it. You’re not necessarily bad at fighting, but you hate having to do it since you don’t have any experience beyond required Autobot Academy training that you had to get to join Team Prime, so you’re usually in charge of evacuating the organics when something happens, who you quickly come to adore despite hating being on their planet instead of on Cybertron or back on your ship.

In your spare time, you learn how to repair human machinery and build your own little shop on base to tinker in. Sometimes, Ratchet or Bulkhead will come in and show interest and help you. Everything is peaceful for a bit- at least until the Elite Guard comes.

You’re immediately charmed by Jazz- he’s friendly, cool, and open-minded, someone who could fit into your group pretty easily. Ultra Magnus is fine, you suppose- boring and a bit stuck-up, but it kinda comes with the position. And then there’s Sentinel. 

Your first thought is that he’s gorgeous. You’re close enough with Optimus to know the history, know that he’s terrible and that you should hate him, but when you look at him... Your face goes red, you clam up, and you can’t even talk to him despite him being decently rude to you.

And honestly? It pisses him off. He hates it at first. Why aren’t you giving him the reactions he wants, snapping and yelling at him like everyone else or at least acting annoyed? Instead, you’re always staring at him with blushing cheeks and soft optics, wringing your hands together because you don’t know how to talk to him but obviously want to. As in, Sentinel isn’t stupid and it’s so apparent that you like him that he can just tell. It makes him secondhand embarrassed and cringy feeling and he hates to watch it, so usually he doesn’t, but as he sees you more... He finds that he can’t help it.

Maybe part of him is flattered. He likes attention, he tells himself, that’s why he likes it!

But then he starts actually paying attention to you. At the rare times you’re not looking at him, he’s looking at you- sometimes the two of you accidentally meet optics and you both end up snapping your helms to the side to avoid looking at each other. Everyone else notices it but doesn’t say anything aside from Jazz and Bumblebee, who tease the shit out of you both, but are relatively harmless. You never really respond, just getting quiet, but Sentinel always yells at them and tells them to stop because he’d “never have a crush on her!”.

Only, he does have a crush on you now. You’re soft and kind, sweet and shy, pretty and charming- a lot different than the rest of your rough, boisterous, rude team, Sentinel thinks. It’s just a shame you aren’t in the Elite Guard like him and are currently stuck on earth, but that aside, he can’t help his attraction to you. He was under the impression that he’d hate someone like you for making things awkward and being unable to speak your mind, but you’re actually... Cute. And he feels quite protective over you.

So anytime anything happens to you, i.e. Decepticon attack or argument, he’s up in arms and immediately wanting to take your place/do everything for you. Everyone notices it, including you, and you can’t help but thrive off of the attention from Sentinel. Oddly enough, you’re good at keeping him calm and kind of the one he just gravitates to whenever you’re in a room together. A weird sort of friendship and mutual attraction forms. 

It comes to a point where you’re still shy around him, stuttering and blushing a bit, but you become more comfortable and talk to him quite a bit. He’s almost always there with an arm around your waist or over your shoulder, smiling or smirking at you and like... It’s genuinely painful for everyone to watch “can they just interface already?”.

Though he won’t admit it, he’s very interested in your work and will linger around your shop, helping you when you ask him to hand you things or hold something in place. It’s fascinating what you do and how broad your skill range is, and he admires how talented you are. Plus, it’s an excuse to stare at you without you noticing.

There’s something about him that you just love; the confidence, the boldness, the charm, the affection and attention he gives you and no one else. 

You’re talking to Optimus one day, as he’s probably the Autobot you’re closest to, just... Gushing about Sentinel, talking about how you like him so much but are scared to say anything, as you usually do because Optimus is the only one you can really talk to about it. He’s very patient and doesn’t mind listening tbh, he’s been friends with Sentinel on and off for a very long time- he gets the appeal that the older mech has. 

Only, Optimus leaves the room, and as soon as you leave, you see Sentinel out there waiting for you with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed.

“So, you have a crush on me, eh?”

“Y-You heard that!?”

He nods, looking awfully smug.

You’re embarrassed as hell and don’t know how to react, but Sentinel only laughs and wraps his arms around your waist pulling you into him.

“Mind if I kiss you?”

“S-Sure.”

And with that, his lips are on yours.

[weekend-whip]

What is your oc(s) backstory? What is their place in the world of Ninjago? --- Ninjago-Oc-Appreciation

(this took so long because I couldn't decide on who to talk about ghhh but we're gonna go with Miranda from my Legacyverse UA!)

-She is the younger sister of the current EM of Surprise, and is the only one prior to the Secret Ninja Force to be aware of his true nature. The rest of their family is convinced he's just quirky, but Mira helps him "train" with his powers by assisting in his magic shows, while also studying and theorizing how his powers actually function. Ironically, through gathering data on his abilities in (failed) attempts to make sense of them, she discovers a passion for coding, software development, and data management, which leads her to growing out of "believing in magic" and focusing more on science-y things, which her brother has some mixed feelings on.

-During Garmadon's first attack on Ninjago, she ends up badly injured, resulting in losing both her right arm and her right leg. Her brother blames himself for the incident, but ultimately Mira's just glad she's still alive. She's much more upbeat about it than anyone else, taking it in stride as a second chance, and is excited to get her prosthetics. However, they can't find a good match for her (due to not finding the ideal fit, one that works the way she needs, or just being way too expensive) which leaves her stuck in the hospital for a few months. Tired of waiting, she starts developing plans/code for her own custom (and complex) ones. The only problem is, who in the world would have the engineering capabilities to put it together, and have the supplies to even get it off the ground? (Certainly not a bunch of mech-building ninja, of which includes a literal engineering genius, a mechanical technician, a blacksmith, a freaking Nindroid, a Master Builder, and the poor sap her brother happens has a crush on, riiiiiiight?)

-Her place in the world of Legacyverse!Ninjago doesn't really kick in until roughly Season 3 events + she finally builds her prosthetics, as while the ninja are definitely tech savvy in the physical sense, most of them can't program to save their lives (and they can't rely on Pixal quite yet). She works to make sure the ninja's mechs, vehicles, and other machinery stay up to date with the latest software, while also occasionally upgrading them with random apps and whatnot behind their backs (which Jay finds hilarious and Nya...doesn't). She also serves to quick-fix issues with Zane/Pixal that aren't physical or immediately obvious. And (spoilers?) as Nya becomes a ninja a little bit earlier in this universe, Miranda fills in some of gaps on the sidelines that Nya would leave behind as a result.

Super-sketchy concept stuff for her under the cut!

I haven't even decided on a color palette for her yet, might go with some yellows/pastels/warmer colors because you don't usually see that for tech-y characters~

Other lil tidbits I wanted to share (mainly so I don't forget HA)

-Jesse is the only one to call her 'Mira' as a nickname; she tells everyone else to call her 'Randy', although she has no problems with 'Miranda'

-She and Jesse have a "Science vs Magic" rivalry thing going on (because I happen to love that dynamic A LOT and its kind rare). It festers because Mira thinks Jesse loses sight of reality a little too often, while Jesse fears the death of Mira's sense of wonder in turn.

-Her symbol parallels Jesse's: his is a fusion of an exclamation point and a firework (representing surprise/magic) while hers is a fusion of a lightbulb and a question mark (representing science).

-Once her prosthetics are built, she continues to upgrade the software programmed into them. Her arm can serve as a hotspot for free wifi for and can also be used for hacking, while her leg can hotwire vehicles and send out an EMP shockwave when she stomps hard enough (because every leg should be able to do that). Both limbs have bluetooth (because why not) and are connected to the various tech accessories Mira has all over her body (her earrings, her necklace, her left glove, and the small emergency power source on her other thigh). Each accessory has a different main purpose, but the main functions are to alert her of any tech issues and keep track of her limbs should they become detached (which happens a lot when you hang out with trouble-magnet ninjas).

-She is in the same class as Lil' Nelson (Nelson Roise in Legacyverse), which is a year behind Lloyd, Harumi, and most of the Darkley's kids. They bond over being fans of the ninja, constantly being in the hospital for limb-related injuries, and nearly dying in a Garmadon attack (just teen things).

[planet4546b]

hello i would like to hear more about technology in s/n. i know it’s primarily radio tech (?) but i want details. u know the drill

Ok hiiiiiiiiiii I literally completely rewrote this at least 5 times I <3 weird technology but it is SO hard to develop when you also have no idea how technology works. And once again this is crazy long but omg am I having fun

So the fun thing about technology in this world is that in the process of rebuilding technology and technological knowledge after the resonance, they were able to use both modern day, familiar technologies to us and completely new technologies from other worlds to base their knowledge off of. So like, someone’s taking apart an old rusted apart car engine to figure out how to rebuild an engine, and someone else 15 miles away is doing the same thing with a car that looks like it’s from the 1800’s and runs on hard light and is flotsam from another universe. So while a good chunk of technology looks relatively similar to sort of early/mid 1900’s technology, technology varies WILDLY from city to city, and some of it looks completely and utterly unrecognizable.

Backstay is probably the best example of this! Backstay is an entire city that was originally from another dimension and while it’s now completely integrated into this world, much of it is at it’s core sort of deeply weird. Backstay is ALSO (arguably) one of the most technologically advanced cities on the east coast (the cities on the west coast are Doing Some Shit. we’ll get there) - they’re very much an industrial city, with factory manufacturing and electric light and electric trollies and the early stages of computing, etc etc. They’re also powered by probability engines that create power through manipulating quantum uncertainty on large scales that are guarded by a religious order. So. That’s the general vibe of a lot of their technology - it looks like a lot of brick and steel and steampunk bullshit, but you peel back one layer of all of that and the underlying machinery is just bizarre. 

Backstay also is doing a lot of making this tech very available - their current sovereign is trying to make up for the previous sovereigns warmongering across the continent, and is like uhhhh here lemme build some power relays so you can have some of our power and also we’re gonna build the first train system. Do you want our lightbulb technology. Except most other places on the map have, pretty independently, worked out their own technologies (to various different degrees - Staple has a decent amount of space around them for larger scale architecture, so they may have farm equipment that uses engines while Oiler’s pass doesn’t particularly have engines but does have a more robust communication system, you know?). Electricity, the beginnings of digital technology, radio as the primary form of communication, intra-city transport of some kind (99% of inter-city travel is still just horses or by foot, it’s easiest with how travel works), food preservation, decent medical technology (important note: i dont know how medical stuff works, but i do know that part of the reason emily moved to staple is because hrt was available there. so), non-automatic firearms, and advanced building materials (concrete, steel, etc) are preeeetty common across the board, they just look slightly different in each place and are used in diff ways etc. Also, now that in the past 75ish years regular travel + communication between the cities has been established, technology is shared between them pretty reliably. While I can’t completely describe how the tech in each of the cities works 100%, I can give some vague sort of visual touchstones that I’m thinking about while designing tech from each city:

As previously mentioned, Backstay is a lot of steampunk, and…weird steampunk at that. Just bc I think it’s cool, I think the probability engines look like neutrino detectors in some way (as much as I <3 Kamiokande, I think it’s probably the Sudbury neutrino observatory)

Oiler’s pass has a focus on sort of trade knowledge + trade knowledge that’s passed on as oral traditions within families. Their tech is still mostly handmade, and is made to be easily repaired and a lot of it ends up looking kinda patchwork.

Loom actually has most/all of their tech imported, from Backstay and Oiler’s mostly. They have a similar focus on sort of trade knowledge in families, but tech made in Loom tends to be made of sort of weird materials (Girl How Did You Make A Circuitboard Out Of Wood.)

Stitch + Staple have an aesthetic that sort of combines the technological and the ritual - there’s a lot of ceramic and metal wires and little charms tied onto radio antennas - ESPECIALLY in the crossing across the suture (I thiiiink this crossing is in part managed by a religious group, but I haven’t decided yet). Some of yao yao’s older character designs were def on the mind for this style. 

I don’t talk about the cities on the west coast a lot because they’re 1. not plot relevant (except for in pepper’s ghost) and 2. WEIRDOS but talking about their technology is fun, so really quick update on them: the gloaming protectorate is originated in a group of people who lied about being from another world after finding tech from that world - their tech today is a lot of crystal, glass, and sandstone, and they have some weird fantasy vibes going so they’ve really merged the mythic and the technological. Triad has been living underground for centuries, so 99% of their technology hasn't changed too much since the resonance, but has been specialized in batshit ways (they also have a lot of really unique things the rest of the world doesnt particularly need, like hydroponics technology and water recycling and a sort of cobbled together wifi to send messages across the city). Decade (my friend and bestie decade) is focused on architecture to an absurd degree, so they have like, incredible building technologies, but not well developed agricultural tech or medicine or weapons etc. They also have what’s probably one of this world’s first computers - it’s a warehouse-sized construction made of etched glass that spits out architectural plans that only make like, some sense, and it can’t do anything else, but it’s still pretty sick.

One final note: Sam has a whole little arsenal of technology she carries around with her that’s all COMPLETELY handmade, most of it from bits of her spire station. She’s got advanced portable radios, a handful of recording devices, quantum detection gear, etc etc, and spends a lot of time sort of fiddling with it and fixing it in the background. A lot of the sort of detection/observation tech that Mel uses that’s more typical of travelers in this world is almost completely analog in fun ways, so to everyone else Sam essentially has like, a tricorder. Lmao.

Anyways WOW this took me forever but also holy shit thinking of this was so fun and its still rattling around in my head. I think I’m gonna do a bunch of tech concept sketches when I get around to it bc I have Ideas now so thank you ilu!!!! muah muah muah

[abarbaricyalp]

hi. you still taking prompts? sambucky meet cute: the lobby of some kind of really tall building and they both have to get to the to top floors. bucky gets to the elevator first, pushes the "door close" button cause he's in a hurry even though he sees sam rushing towards it, but sam gets there just in time. he saw what bucky did so in retaliation he just pushes every single button to make bucky late. now they're stuck in the longest elevator ride, having to stop at every floor

Friend, this is not a meet cute. This is full on meet ugly 😅

AO3 link in the reblog

Push All My Buttons

Bucky was being haunted. That was the only logical explanation for how someone followed him from Brooklyn to Manhattan, mostly on foot. He’d seen the same guy on two trains, across approximately a thousand city blocks, and in the dumb cafe that Bucky squeezed into five seconds after it opened.

And now, the same handsome young black man was standing in the middle of the Stark Tower lobby, looking lost. Bucky quickly hit the close door button of the elevator that he blessedly had to himself. Apparently, he hit it too loud because the guy’s gaze snapped over to him and recognition lit on his face.

Bucky hit Close Door again.

“Hey! Could you hold that!” the guy called, jogging across the lobby floor and avoiding milling people. The fucking tourists on the ground level were killer.

Bucky was not letting a stalker into the elevator with him when he had 91 floors to get up. He hit Close Door for a third time.

Finally, the guy seemed to realize what Bucky was doing and he scowled before tossing his army bag towards the closing doors. They hit the bag and opened up just in time for the guy to jog over, grab his bag, and step inside.

“You’re kind of an asshole,” he said as he slung the duffle over his shoulder again.

“I’m late to a meeting,” Bucky said, which was true. Mostly what he wanted to say was ‘don’t kill me and wear my face as a mask’ or whatever someone who’d followed him over three boroughs would want to do.

The man looked over at him from the corner of his eyes, looked at the highlighted 91 and then reached over to smooth his hand up every single button on the machine. 2-93 lit up.

Bucky stared.

The man crossed his arms. “Now we’re both late.”

92 and 93 unlit themselves. Those were Stark’s personal suites. 2-91 remained lit.

“You fucking asshole,” Bucky groaned and dragged his hands over his face. “Why would you do that? I’m meeting with Stark. I’ve got his-his-his fucking coffee. Jesus.”

“Because I’d rather be late and piss you off than be on time and let you get away with trying to close the door in my face.”

“What was the point of following me all the way around the city? Are you trying to make my life difficult?”

Now the man fully turned to look over at him. The elevator stopped on the second floor and no one was waiting. “I’m not following you. I don’t even know who you are.”

“Are you kidding?” Bucky asked. “You’ve been on my ass since Lloyd’s, in Brooklyn.”

The man frowned. The elevator eased up to the next floor. “Why would you stop at Lloyd’s if you were coming all the way in here?”

“I like to eat on my commute, that’s not the point! You followed me!”

“Pal, I dunno how to tell you that anyone coming from Brooklyn to Stark Tower’s gotta take a pretty similar route.”

“It’s Bucky, pal.”

“Sam,” the guy said and then honest to God offered his hand out like he wasn’t actively ruining Bucky’s life.

On the fifth floor, someone stepped into the elevator, looked at the buttons and stepped back out. Bucky shook Sam’s hand with a resigned sigh.

“Where’d you get that piece of machinery on your arm?” Sam asked around floor eight.

“It’s not on my arm,” Bucky answered. “It is my arm.”

Sam rolled his eyes and punched the door close button. “Fine, where’d you get that piece of machinery on your torso?”

“It’s not Stark tech,” he answered because he knew that was actually what Sam was asking about. He let his eyes slide over Sam’s body quickly, trying to discern if Sam was here for a prosthetic. The bag on his shoulder and the silver ball-chain around his neck gave away that he was military. Stark Industries had a veterans program, so there was a good population of soldiers walking around the building at any given time. Sam was wearing pants, so Bucky couldn’t be totally sure he didn’t have a bad leg, but he hadn’t clocked any limp or awkward gait since Brooklyn. “You here for a prosthetic?” he asked anyway.

Sam snorted and shook his head. The door opened again and someone got on before reaching to press the ground level button.

“Shit,” the woman said, upon seeing everything else lit up. She quickly hit the door open button and jumped back out. “You know, if you two wanted extra time together, having the doors open on every floor was probably a bad idea.”

“That’s not what we--” Bucky started to argue, but the doors slid shut in front of him.

“Anyway,” Sam started again. “I’m not here for a prosthetic. I’m here with Colonel Rhodes.”

“Wow, big man on campus,” Bucky said drily.

“Oh, right, you’re so unimportant, going up to the 91st floor,” Sam shot back.

“I work here,” Bucky said. He held up the quickly cooling coffee in his hands. “Glorified secretary most days, but I’m supposed to be an engineer.”

“What kind of machines do you work with?”

“Not the planes or the suits. Military tech, mostly. I try to stay away from weapons when I can.”

“Did you serve?” Sam asked.

Wish I hadn’t, Bucky wanted to say. “Nah, actually I lost my arm when Stark flew into an uncaffeinated rage and threw a saw at me.”

“Whatever, man. There’s a thousand ways to lose an arm. It ain’t gotta be out in the desert.” His cheeks didn’t quite color, but he crossed his arms and stared ahead.

“Mountains,” Bucky corrected. “Special OPs.”

“Oh, right, but I’m the big man on campus,” Sam said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“Rhodes is a big deal around here. You think Stark’s letting him out of his sight for just anyone?”

“The Air Force is testing a new gadget. Rhodes is involved ‘cause Air Force. Maybe you worked on it.”

“Yeah, maybe. It’s a big program. Stark’s got a lot of things going on all at once. Lots of engineers and designers.”

The elevator stopped on the 25th floor and Sam and Bucky both said, “We’re going up,” at the same time to keep the group of suits from crowding into the elevator with them.

Sam kicked his bag into the corner and sat down heavily in front of it, leaning back and closing his eyes. “So you’re a soldier who works for Stark Industries but didn’t get your prosthetic from him, even though he’s the cutting edge of prosthetics and has a full-paid program for those injured in duty.”

Bucky gave up and sat down too. He cradled the coffee cup between his legs, which was probably a bad idea, but this whole morning had been bad. “My story’s a little more complicated than that,” he said. “A lot more twists and turns. My arm is still high tech, though. I asked for a flamethrower, or at least a saw hand but I didn’t get it.”

Sam laughed and, for the first time all morning, Bucky thought maybe he wasn’t so angry at him anymore. Sam laughed like nothing had ever hurt him before, which made it feel like maybe nothing had hurt Bucky either. “Well, there’s your problem. Stark would’ve definitely given you that, from what I hear about the man.”

Bucky grinned over at him and dropped his head back against the wall. It was uncomfortable and the jostling of the car every few seconds rattled his brain, but it beat standing up, or keeping his eyes on Sam for too long. “You’re still in the service?”

“Well, not all of us are so lucky to get a medical discharge on our first tour.”

“Oh, yeah, real luck of the Irish, me. And it was my second. I wasn’t SpecOps until I finished my first stint in the army.”

“Right, right,” Sam said. Then, “You joined up young.”

“So did you. I mean, I assume you’re on your second or third tour too, if you’re being asked to work with Rhodes.”

“Second. I took a long leave to do some school stuff.”

“Oh, so working with Rhodes and you’re smart. You really are the whole package.”

“I’m working with Colonel Rhodes because I’m smart,” Sam corrected. “I could probably take your job. I’m real techy.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t. I’m fond of my apartment and I definitely can’t afford it without being here.”

“Right, I assume you make buck working for Stark.”

“Eh, he’s still a multi-billionaire, he could pay us more.”

“What’s that say about the military then?”

“I’ll drink to that, bro.”

Sam chuckled again and opened his eyes to glance over at Bucky. “How does someone go from losing their arm in a SpecOps mission to working for Stark Industries.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. It’s at least a three course discussion.”

The elevator dinged on level 39 and paused, though there was no one there.

“Almost halfway up,” Sam pointed out.

“You are good at math,” Bucky joked just to see Sam roll his eyes again, which he did. “Why Air Force?” he asked when the doors decided to shut again.

“It’s gonna sound so stupid, but I’ve been dreaming about flying since I was a little kid. I wanted to be an astronaut and a lot of astronauts were in the military. So, air force. Figured if I never got to space, at least I spent years in the air anyway.”

Bucky didn’t think that was stupid at all. “You’re right, that’s pretty dumb.” Sam flipped him off with a laugh. “Are you a good pilot?”

“Pal, I’m one of the best out there.”

“God, you chair force guys are all the same,” Bucky said. He squawked as Sam leaned over to tackle him down. “Coffee, coffee! Sam, if you spill Stark’s coffee I’ll make you explain it to him!” he threatened as Sam pulled him away from the cup that had managed to remain upright by an unlikely bout of luck and physics.

Sam was fucking strong, wrangling Bucky down and holding him still. Sure, he was on his knees and Bucky’s legs were mostly trapped under him, but still. Bucky wasn’t a small guy and the prosthetic wasn’t light either but Sam had tugged him out of the corner anyway.

“Oh my God, seriously?” a guy asked on the next floor.

Bucky took the moment of distraction to dig his knee into Sam’s ribs and flip them over as the doors shut again. He locked his fingers around Sam’s wrist and held it to the floor. Sam tugged at the hold futilely.

“Shit, what’s that made out of?”

“That’s another three course answer.”

“At this rate? No chance,” Sam said and got his foot braced against Bucky’s shoulder before shoving him off. Bucky sat back and made sure the coffee was still standing. Sam leaned up against the wall by the doors. They both took in heavy breaths.

“What are you doing with Rhodes?” Bucky asked at floor fifty, when he was pretty positive they weren’t about to leap at each other again.

“Maybe that’s a three course answer,” Sam responded with a small smirk.

“I didn’t know Stark was working on planes with the Air Force.”

“Did I say plane?”

“Helicopters, whatever,” Bucky amended with a wave of his hand. “What do you fly?”

“I’m pararescue.”

Bucky let out a low whistle. “Shit, that’s more impressive than working with Rhodes, maybe. You a doctor?”

“I’ve got triage training, but I’m not, like, ready to walk into an E.R. as soon as I get home or anything.” Sam ran his hand over his buzzed hair and Bucky suddenly wanted to know what it looked like grown out, or if he’d ever kept it long. How he styled it and if he had facial hair and what he was hiding under his shirt and Jesus Christ, he needed to think about anything else.

“Well, from what I’ve seen, your beside manner probably sucks.”

Sam kicked out his foot lamely, missing Bucky’s by a mile. “You ain’t hurt. I don’t gotta give you no bedside manner.”

“What floor do you want off on?” Bucky asked after a glance at the rapidly dimming lights on on the button panel.

“85.”

“Right, yeah, Rhodes works there. We’re at 70 now.”

“What’s it like? Just offices?”

“Nah, he’s got a whole training floor. There’re a few offices, a reception area, but there’s also a gym and some space for simulated battle, sparring rooms. It’s pretty cool. You’ll have a lot of room for whatever he’s doing.”

Sam nodded and looked over at the gaping doors with the first look of unease he’d had all morning.

“You nervous?”

“You would be too,” Sam answered. “If you knew what I was doing. But, hey,” he looked away as the doors shut, “my partner’s already up there, so I can’t make any more of a fool of myself than he probably already has.”

Bucky grinned and shrugged. “I dunno about that. You seem pretty incapable,” he said sarcastically.

Sam kicked out his leg again and then stood up and grabbed his bag from next to Bucky. “You work here every day?”

Bucky nodded and took Sam’s hand when he offered it down to him to haul himself up. “9 to too late.”

“Well, I’m around for a few weeks. Maybe we could walk together instead of around each other next time,” he suggested.

Bucky ignored the swooping of his stomach. “Yeah, if you can keep up.”

Sam jostled his ribs with an elbow. “I can keep up. You’re the one with the machine on your arm.”

“Yeah, and what about it? I could hand-walk faster than you could run.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Sam snorted. The door opened on floor 80 and Sam’s mouth screwed to one side briefly before he looked at Bucky. “Maybe you’ll get my number out of all of this eventually.”

“Maybe I don’t want it after this stunt.”

Sam placed his hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder solemnly. “You want it.”

With a grin, Bucky shrugged Sam off and shoved him forward. “Get outta here, Wilson.”

“How’d you know--?” Sam asked, taking half a step back to the doors.

Bucky reached over to trace his fingers over the name patch on the other side of the bag. “I’m just a good guesser.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. What’s your--”

The door shut between them and Bucky sagged back against the wall with a sigh. His heart was racing like he was a teenager again and his head felt cloudy. This meeting was not going to go well at this point. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to focus on anything but Sam’s smile or the way he looked in boots or the weight of him above Bucky’s body.

When the elevator dinged on 91, he grabbed Stark’s coffee and let himself off and then almost immediately ran into Rhodes.

“Oh, hey, sorry. Hey, I was just on the elevator with your meeting,” he said. “Sorry he’s late. I hit a bunch of buttons on accident when I got in,” Bucky lied as he passed the coffee to Stark.

“No harm, no foul,” Rhodey said easily. “Clearly I wasn’t even down there. I was actually waiting on you.”

“Me? What for? I’m not working on anything military.”

“You’re not?” Stark asked around a mouthful of coffee. “You assigning yourself projects now?”

“You didn’t say anything about the wings being military. I mean, how would that even work? It’d put a soldier in the air bare.”

“Yeah,” Stark agreed sarcastically and clapped a hand down on Bucky’s metal arm. “What kind of soldier runs around without full body protection.”

“What are you calling the project?” Rhodey asked, guiding the discussion back to where it was supposed to be.

“EXO-Falcon,” Bucky said. “I was modeling it after some of Stark’s EXO-skeleton suits, but it’s much more compact, situated on the back with all support sitting around the chest and ribs.”

Rhodey nodded. “Can I see them?”

Bucky quickly dashed to his work bench and came back with the wings in their case. “They’re carbon fiber, which makes them a little more flexible and keeps them a little lighter weight. I had thought about doing interlocking plates like my arm, but it wasn’t working. I took some of the more basic structures of my arm and modeled a folding mechanism out of it instead. The wings retract into and out of the case.”

He pulled the jetpack on and stepped away from the other work spaces before clicking the wings open. They snapped out behind him, grand and proud. Not unlike how Bucky was feeling at that moment.

“And the jetpack? Is that ready to go?” Rhodey asked.

Bucky shifted from foot to foot. “Well, in theory. I haven’t tested it out yet ‘cause I’m not trained to do things like that, but I’ve put DUM-E into the air and nothing blew up.”

“Well, the Air National Guard guys here today will be thrilled to hear that,” Stark said. “Shall we?”

“You don’t wanna test the jets before you put it on someone?” Bucky asked, a little strangled. He trusted his design. But he really, really hadn’t put as much time into the whole human safety element as he did the ‘up and running’ element.

“We’ll strap a crash test dummy to them in over the mats. It’ll be fine. The fire suppression system on 85 is better than up here.”

“No it isn’t. It’s just further from your suites,” Rhodey said.

Stark shrugged and tossed a piece of pastry in his mouth. “It’s my building. I say we go down to 85.”

“Well, that’s where I left your trainee or whatever too,” Bucky said as he shrugged off the pack and packed it all back up. “Do you want me to grab the other pack?”

“No worries, I’ve already moved it,” Stark said. “I knew Rhodes was coming by. You’re welcome, those things are heavy.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t have DUM-E move it,” Rhodey teased. He made his way over to the elevator and Bucky followed with Stark on his heels. The ride down to 85 was much faster than the ride up to 91. It was a miracle what not hitting every button could do. They stepped out onto the floor and made their way to the training mats, where two other people were already standing.

“Barnes, I’d like to keep you on the Falcon project,” Rhodey said. “No one knows the wings like you do. That being said, you’ll be working with live test subjects now, so it’s a little more critical.”

“Hey, you don’t have to say it that way!” the blond man in the middle of the room said. “Call us, like, Top Guns or something.”

“You don’t get to choose your nickname around here,” Stark called over, propping himself up on a stack of sparring mats to watch from afar. “Ask Manchurian Candidate. He definitely didn’t choose his.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Barnes, this Sergeant Wiatrek and Sergeant Wilson.”

Fuck.

“It’s Barnes, huh?” Sam asked, smugly crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, Sammy, you didn’t hook up with this guy already did you?” the blond asked in teasing horror.

“Screw you, no. I met him this morning.”

“Ah,” Rhodey said with a grin. “This was the meeting you made late,” he said to Bucky.

“Yeah, we met this morning,” Bucky confirmed with a raging blush. How was this his life?

“Well, good, you can get right to work on the wings,” Rhodey said. “Let me go find a crash dummy.”

“DUM-E,” Stark called as Rhodey started away.

“I’ll find that doll first,” Rhodey challenged.

Bucky turned from their bickering and looked at Sam, then the blond next to him.

“It’s Riley,” the other man said and offered out his hand. “I’m better conversation than this one.”

Bucky doubted it. He shook the guy’s hand and then held out the briefcase like a shield between him and Sam’s teasing gaze. “Do you wanna see the wings?”

Riley nodded eagerly and Bucky moved to another stack of mats to open the case. Riley and Sam stood on either side of him. As Riley pulled the jetpack free, Sam pulled out his phone. Bucky thought he was going to film his friend inevitably crashing, but instead he turned on the auto-help.

“Hey, where’s the nearest three-course restaurant?” he asked without looking away from Bucky, without his grin faltering.

Bucky dragged his hands down his face as he looked at Sam. Riley yelped behind them after the tell-tell whoosh of the jet pack, but Sam still didn’t look away. Bucky couldn’t either.

[deiliamedlini]

WIP Wednesday 1

I’m posting two WIPs today because they’re both currently being absorbed into another fic and will never again see the light of day in this form! So here is the first one!

This BOTW scene, but written in a modern fantasy way is: Link saves Zelda from a Guardian with a pot lid, which is a scene from Zelda’s diary.

Goes along with this other scene that happens a little later with this same Link and Zelda where Link gets assigned to guard Zelda personally.

~~~

“Hrmmm,” Robbie hummed to himself as he looked through Zelda’s notes. “This is interesting, I’ll admit that. But the way I read it, it’s too flawed. Tell me more. Let’s think this through.”

Robbie was the lead researcher on Project Guardian. His posture was perhaps the most telling part of his personality; his hands were always on his hips, straight backed, almost like a superhero. When others would cross their arms to think, Robbie would go straight into his superhero pose and hum loudly to himself.

His goggles held his white hair back from his face. The goggles were a staple of every one of his outfits. He worked more with the large machinery, building prototype after prototype until he was forced onto a break by anyone higher than him, or Purah, who technically matched his position.

Both were young, doctorates before they were even out of their twenties and neither yet nearing thirty. Both Sheikah, ensuring that the artifacts were treated with the respect and reverence that their culture demanded. Both the brightest minds in all of Hyrule.

Zelda felt intimidated near them, but she was learning from the best. So when the Robbie asks you to tell him more, one tells him more.

“Okay, my idea is that we come up with some kind of injectable serum that we place markers in. When the Guardians go to attack the threat, but they see, say, me rather than a Yiga for example, they’ll scan for the presence of that marker and cease to fire on me. Instead, they’ll attack the real enemy.”

“Hrmmmm,” Robbie said, though he’d just read all this in her notes. “Money and funding for such a task aside, how do you propose we go about injecting nearly 30 million people?”

“Mandate it, of course.”

Robbie scoffed, forgetting for a moment that he was speaking with the Princess of Hyrule. If she wanted to mandate the injection, of course she could.

“You will have those who refuse,” he said instead. “Or those too unhealthy or who reject the serum for whatever reason. Perhaps it’s toxic to our first trial participants. Perhaps it won’t work as well on a Sheikah or a Rito as it will on a Hylian. You must also think of some other, faster, more effective ways.”

Zelda sat at the desk, resting her hand on her cheek. “I suppose it could be a type of paint. Something that goes onto a person rather than into them.”

Robbie surpressed a laugh at the Princess’ expense. “Well, perhaps someone forgets their paint? Maybe the weather will wash it off. Or someone cannot afford it. Or runs out. Perhaps the Guardians attack them, and their children. What then?”

“Fine,” Zelda hissed, getting his point but feeling frustrated. It had been such a good idea, she thought. “I don’t know. If only we could set them to auto-pilot, then we could—”

Robbie smiled, knowing where her mind was going before she even got there.

She stopped, her mouth open. “We need pilots. We need a conscious mind to control them. The large ones we excavated… those would be too wild to use without a pilot, even if we theoretically could. A pilot would negate those fears. They’d see friend from foe.”

“How many pilots can we afford to train?”

That had Zelda stop immediately. “I… I don’t know.”

Robbie didn’t expect everything from her. “I don’t think we can have each Guardian with their own pilots. We start with four, one for each of the four larger ones. We take samples, record data, and see if we can synthesize a program for an autopilot. If we can, then I think we should work on incorporating that into the smaller Guardians. Perhaps we can have a lead Guardian each time, and those would have its own pilot, and a string of others will follow?”

“See,” Purah said, looking up from her phone where she’d been taking notes in the corner of the room. “Told you she had a good idea.”

“You did indeed, Princess,” Robbie said with a winning smile. “I’ll get straight to work on it. I’ll draft a proposal and send it to your father immediately so we might be able to recruit the first pilots who will champion this project. I’ll have it in to him by tomorrow.”

“Dr. Robbie,” a researcher said, coming in with a tablet. “You asked for a briefing on the latest trial run?”

Robbie hesitated, not wanting to ignore the presence of the Princess. 

But she read the room. “Don’t worry,” Zelda said, standing up. “We should be going anyway. I look forward to hearing how the proposal goes.”

“I’m sure you’ll know before me, Princess. Good night.”

“Night, Robbie.”

Purah led Zelda out from Robbie’s office, taking the route past the prototype Guardians.

Researchers were mulling around, some in lab coats, some in street clothes, all of them looked busy. And most of them had their eyes on her as she passed by.

“Next time,” Zelda muttered, “we take the quieter route.”

“Understood and agreed. Come on, let’s go to my lab. I can show you the Slate I’ve been working on.”

But they didn’t get the chance.

A deep scream rang out, crying “look out!” to anyone within earshot. Perhaps it was instinct from being in the dangerous lab often, but Purah took a flying leap forward behind one of the pillars that held up the balcony of the second floor, unsure what she was looking out for.

But Zelda didn’t have that reflex.

Instead, her head shot around, looking for the threat so she could hide in the most appropriate location. Was it a Yiga attack? Should she find something to defend herself with? Was it a chemical spill? Did she need to take heed at all if it was simply a broken glass that someone nearly stepped on.

So she didn’t see the red laser aimed in her direction, and worse, she didn’t see the blue beam of energy that followed it.

When she was knocked backwards, she was surprised to find herself on the ground at all, let alone to find someone lying on her, covering her entirely from the blast.

The white sleeve of his lab coat was smoking, burned nearly clean off and exposing singed skin beneath it, fabric melted into his flesh, and hairs on his arm gone. His hand shook, and he dropped a large piece of Sheikah tech that looked far worse than his arm, a hole burned clean through the thick piece of metal that had taken the brunt of the impact off them both, though his arm appeared to have suffered regardless.

When Zelda noticed those two things, her eyes widened, and her heart sped up. “Oh Goddess!” she breathed, her head falling backwards with a harsh thud before she remembered the man on top of her. “Are you okay?”

Her hand went to his chest to help push him up, and she felt something hard under her hand. Something hard that she knew... something like the body armor her guards used. She let her fingers move. Solid, not human flesh; definitely the armor. Her eyes darted immediately to his ear next. And above his blue earring, she saw that her suspicions were confirmed. His ear wasn’t empty, but a very familiar earpiece with a wide hidden by his disheveled hair and low ponytail that had hidden it.

He was not a scientist. He was one of her undercover guards.

“How did you get to me so fast? Where even were you?” she asked, finally understanding why some strange scientist had risked his life to reach her. But she and Purah had been alone on this side of the room. Everyone kept their distance. Everyone stayed out of reach, and he’d been there in an instant.

He stood up, off her almost as quickly as he’d dove in front of her in the first place. “Are you alright, Princess Zelda?” he asked, oozing formality and professionalism, as if he hadn’t just nearly died. He offered her his hand before wincing and retracting it, offering her his other, non-singed one. As if nothing had happened. As if she’d simply tripped.

Now, she was stunned into confusion, trying to put the events in order, to relieve them and understand. She blindly accepted his hand and felt a shockwave of energy pass between them, sending a harsh shiver down her spine that had her attention immediately shift to the man who’d saved her.

He was slightly older than her, though it couldn’t be by much. She was almost surprised her father actually employed any of the younger agents to be her guards. She’d only ever really noticed the older ones. But this man was familiar somehow, though she was sure she’d never seen him in person before today. He could have been her guard in the past, expertly blending in as was his job. But she suspected something more.

His blue eyes were brilliant and captivating. Alert and on her, like he was thinking something about her rather than simply waiting for her to answer him, his eyes were straight out of a crayon box, like the lightest and purest of the blues had been picked for his eyes, one that a child would use for the daylight sky. But the color wasn’t all that was intense about them. It was in the way he looked at her, like she held the answers to the world. His gaze was that intense. It was unnerving.

“Yes,” she finally managed. “I’m fine, thank you.”

He managed a short nod and stepped backwards, allowing her to pass. Purah had grabbed onto Zelda, rambling about how she needed to get checked. But Zelda’s eyes drifted to the burned Sheikah tech on the ground. A hole had gone through the metal. His arm had been burned. And he’d gotten to her in time. 

He was good, apparently. Good at his job. Too good. She’d have to be more alert to the locations of her guards.

“Was he near us?” was all Zelda could ask Purah as they headed out of the building, the other researchers proceeding to clean up the mess.

“I don’t know. Your guards are always near us. But Zelda, are you okay? That could have killed you! That was nearly the end of your life!”

Zelda chuckled nervously, rubbing at her hand, still feeling the agent’s in hers. But what she didn’t realize was that the attack from the Guardian hadn’t nearly been the end of her life, but it was the start of it.