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bitchfitch · 3 years

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this is my first attempt at sci fi and its an au for my dnd characters lmao.

The pin pricks of stars blurred together as Babylon's speeder cut through the clear ink of space away from his home, The Jackalope, a well loved but sturdy clunker of a station that drifted had filled its place in the Capital Belt for decades, and towards the long abandoned station that drifted aimlessly just beyond the Capital's pull.

Babylon would return eventually but his curiosity was going to kill him if he didn't follow this lead through. His sisters had said it was a bad idea, that Sanctuary was a death trap, but if it got him one step closer to finaly finding out the truth of his existence then whatever he had to deal with would be worth it.

Docking his speeder was easy, mostly because Sanctuary was big enough that he could just land on one of the loading platforms instead of worrying about proper procedure.

The lights buzzed on as he climbed out of the speeder, bathing the open docking chamber in blotchy yellow light.

Probably an old automated procedure, Babylon reasoned to himself. Whatever, it saved him from having to waste battery on the flashlights built into his helmet.

While still tethered to his speeder he fussed with the controls of his mag boots, bracing himself on one of his speeder's wings as he found the right settings to let him walk instead of float.

The bay had already been long picked over by other explorers, everything that could be pulled up and carried off had been, but the doors to the airlock, despite their being heavy damage along their faces from where others had failed to cut through them, still stood firm in their place. A busted scanner panel beside them still blinking slowly. Babylon regarded it for a moment and sighed before taking off his helmet.

The vacuum of space stung, it always did, but whatever he was seemed to be made to handle it. The lack of air wasn't much of a problem either, thankfully. Still it was a struggle to get high enough for the panel to see his face, whoever was responsible for this station had been Annoyingly tall, which did mesh well with everything else he knew about his birth family, which was that they were annoying, and tall.

Usually it took a few moments of morphing his face to trick a scanner into letting him pass, but this one folded after just a second, the old doors shuddering open with a groan that was silenced by the empty vacuum of space.

Weak, the software must be ancient to fail that quickly. Babylon grinned to himself as he got his helmet back on, hopefully all the biometric shit in this hell hole will be that easy to fuck with.

Getting through the airlock and into the station itself wasn't difficult, and that was concerning. Airlocks on this type of station either needed a full AI controlling them or a lot of input from whoever was trying to get through, plus someone on the other side to help out if it's needed.

As far as Babylon knew, he was the only person on this ship, yet the interior locks were initiated and opened without his input. He tried to connect to the comms and even found the right channel, but his tentative hello was met only with static.

He paused before finalizing the sequence. Sanctuary was suspected to be an old experimental station, or it had been before it was abandoned, so maybe this weird airlock system was just a form of automation that never caught on? He told himself that as he let the outer doors slide shut, trapping himself in this airlock as it pressurized before the main door whirred and groaned in protest of having to slide on long unused rails.

People who managed to get into Sanctuary rarely came back, but those that did all talked about two things.

The first nearly stole Babylon's breath as he drifted into the lobby. The entire room was verdant. Every inch flourishing with thick grey green plant growth. Every wall had moss and weeds spreading from the cracks in the plates, vines climbed twisting trees and crawled along the floor. Shrubs and flowers and strange little ferns sprouted from the thick bed of rich soil that spilled accross much of the floor.

Babylon's mag boots weren't strong enough to reach through the thick earth, leaving him to drift in zero g and having to pull himself along by the untamed branches as he explored. He'd never been in a jungle, or a forest, or any type of planetary terrain really, so this was completely unlike anything he'd ever seen outside of videos and shows about planets.

The second thing survivors tended to mention was the feeling of being watched. A constant nagging that they had Somethings attention.

Babylon certainly felt that. Even with no cameras visible, and no signs of non plant life, Something was watching him.

"Hey, Like, the silent treatment is cool and everything but maybe we can talk?" He tried, the comms buzzing as he spoke, still only static answered,

He tried again, a different tongue weighing the words, this one being the one his sisters spoke, then another, the one he learned from the rich johns who would visit the Jackalope sometimes, and another, this final one being the one he never used but had always known.

"What would you like to talk about?" came the response, not through the comms, but from the green surrounding him,

He nearly launched himself out of his skin at the sudden voice, it was strange and artificial yet rough around the edges like a persons',

"Oh crap. Hey, Hi! I'm Babs, and uh, what language are we speaking?" He asked, "And uh, who are you?"

"We are speaking High Genyt, and I am EVR-RD, Sanctuary's AI,"

"High Genyt? What race is that from?" Babylon asked, he could feel his skin crawling with excitement. High Genyt, that was the name of the language he'd always known, the one that he'd never met another speaker of.

"The Genytar," came the simple response,

"And what can you tell me about them Ardy?" This was it, Finally after years of searching he was getting dome answers,

"Ardy?"

"Yeah, EVR-RD, RD, Ardy. Its a nickname, anyways, Genytars?"

"Ardy. I like that, But yes, The Genytar are a now extinct race of hyper adaptable lifeforms from sector FY-Wilde. This station was their last ark. A series of Critical System failures resulted in a total crew wipe out about 20 orbital sweeps ago,"

"Total- Oh," Babs floated in silence for a moment, "They're all gone? or- Are the... the bodies still here?"

"Yes, they are all gone, and no, their bodies are long gone. Why do you want to know?"

"Because nobody taught me this language. They might not all be gone because I am still here, but I don't- Do I look like them? I want- I Need to know, please,"

"Are you attempting to find out if you are a Genytar?"

"Yes, Or I don't know, or like, I know that I do not know what I am and no one has been able to give me any answers. And like, I heard about this ship and that it was super weird, and that it showed up already abandoned around the same time my parents found me- I'm rambling, sorry,"

"Please do not apologize Babs. I do not believe you to be Genytar, but, I can not identify what you would be otherwise,"

"Oh," Babs sighs, "Thanks anyways,"

"What will you do now?"

"Strange question to get from an AI, but I don't know. I guess I'll just go home, try to find another clue or something,"

"Is your home part of the Capital belt?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it far?"

"Ardy, what are you getting at here?"

"There are not many people who speak Genyt. You are the first I've met since they died. And Genyt is the only language I have," there's a pause, which is strange for an AI, "I would appreciate it if you would consider returning,"

Babylon laughed, "Yeah big guy, I'll visit again,"

#there is no universe in which everard isnt obsessed with plants.

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floraluniversal · 3 years

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My main muse, Stephanie, is a pretty interesting character, but the character I tend to overlook in art and writing is Celeste. Thus, I decided to dedicate an entire post to Celeste and why she's actually one of my most tragic characters.

(Warning: Very long and also I guess there is one description that could be considered gory?)

What is Celeste's story?

Celeste is the oldest of the three Rikka sisters and is way older than the other two, she is 6 years older than Ember and 12 years older than Stephanie. While her sisters only know her as the beloved prodigy wonderchild, she definitely did not start off that way. There is no way a young child can meet the expectations of the Rikka family, she was simply too weak and her powers took two years longer than usual to develop, so she recieved abuse from her mother, just like her other two siblings.

When she was 8, the girl finally developed her magic, turning out to be a spiritual elemental. Spirituum is a very rare element and it's incredibly difficult to master. She finally had magic, but that did not help her get any appreciation from her mother. As she was learning her element, Celeste noticed a tall ghostly figure following her and as she got stronger, that figure became a fully recognizable person. It was her soul ancestor (a person who had the same soul as her at one point and was forced to reincarnate to fulfill their destiny), her name was Aanga and she claimed to be a Rikka woman too, however, Celeste could not find her in the well kept family tree, though she decided to look past that. Aanga gave the little girl an offer, she would enter her body and train her during practice to properly become strong, no strings attached. Desiring the love of her mother, Celeste immediately took the offer and slowly became the prodigy everyone knew her as.

It didn't take very long for her mother to start favoring her over her two other children and it didn't take long for Celeste to be offered her military training 5 years early, leaving home to study under the king's army men at only 13 years old. At this time she didn't get to see her sisters much, but when she did, she made sure to secretely help them with their chores and work loads as well as their training, so they could spend time together as actual sisters. Everyone loved her, she was seen as a very kind individual, despite kindness not being a trait the Rikka family desires.

The trouble began when she had to return home after finishing her training, having to wait to turn 21 to join the king's army. All of a sudden, Aanga has begun taking control of her body outside the training and combat. It was difficult for her to push Aanga out, because without her, she was a lot weaker. With their agreement guaranteeing her mother's love, Celeste did not tell Aanga off, out of fear that she would back out of the deal.

Eventually, Stephanie got her powers at 6 year old and was nearly murdered by the people from her village with her mother at the lead. Celeste heard spiritual cries for help, following them, she discovered both of her sisters in a forest, hiding from the rampaging mob going after Stephanie. And while Stephanie's body miraculously activated the healing reflex (despite her being rather young for that) and saved her, Celeste knew this wasn't over. Her sister was a universal, they all had to run.

The three sisters ran, spending two whole years on the run and settling in another world (ours) that is connected to theirs. (All worlds and universes exist on the same mortal plane and there are tiny spots where two world overlap, this is where you can create a portal to safely pass through). At this point, Aanga seemed pretty aggitated by Celeste's decisions. The spirit was constantly hurling abuse that no one else would be able to hear, slowly breaking down Celeste's mental state. And once the agitation reached its peak, it became clear that there were strings attached to their deal, that Aanga had a certain plan with Celeste's body. With Celeste's mental state at its lowest, Aanga was able to enter Celeste's body through her left eyeball with the intention of taking it for herself. Celeste never even had a chance, she tried to fight, but her posseser was far too strong for her to remove her with magic... There was only one way.

The young woman dug into her eyesocket with her fingers and with great difficulty, sliced off the optic nerve, then she tore the eyeball out of her head. This caused great damage, losing her eye as well as causing great pain and bad magical burns on her face, and the worst thing of all was... That she did it far too late. The pain of her tearing her eyeball out of her face was the only thing she could feel as Aanga pushed out her spirit out of its own body. With them both being the rare case of a spirit and the possessed having the same eye colour, Aanga was able to become Celeste with little difficulty. Everyone attributed her different behaviour to the trauma caused by her physical exorcism.

Now Celeste is a spirit floating around her own body, being forced to watch every single thing Aanga does to hurt her sisters, all those painful decisions and horrible acts. She can feel all the pain her body goes through, while Aanga is painlessly continuing on. Celeste will never again be able to reach her magic and reclaim her body, living in the pain of being a silent observer to all the tragedies.

So, why did Aanga do it?

As Aanga told Celeste, she truly was a Rikka woman, a truly remarkable one who lived nearly a thousand years before her. She had three sisters as well as a twin named Corvenia (both twins in the faunal element, being able to create animals with magic, speak to animals as well as turn into a single animal ). While very strong, poor Corvenia was the most disliked of the four siblings for her kindness, deep curiosity and the desire to be with nature and to create, but Aanga was powerful and merciless, even from a young age. She was allowed to start her military training at 14, far before her other sisters. All this prodigy talk and early training truly turned Aanga into an ego monster, so when Aanga became the king's general at 19 years old, all of this success has fed into her already existent narcissism. Why should she serve this old fool? She could easily take him and his army... Wouldn't she make for a stronger monarch and form a stronger world?

Aanga has set a plan into motion. A fail safe of sorts. Using her twin sister's better knowledge of their element, they both had built a great dragon body together. Corvenia did not know of her sister's intention, but having so much love and admiration for her, she was happy to help. Thus Aanga began her take over, she easily took over the capital and killed the king, but once the news spread, all the Rikka family members (all her sisters, mother, even aunts and cousins) came after her with a small army of their own. It was a tough battle, but they had managed to win and kill Aanga. Or so they thought.

The purpose of the great dragon was now obvious to everyone, as Aanga had brought her spirit into the lifeless body, taking on a second life with a vengence. She attacked the already very weakened warriors. Fearing damage to nearby villages, they trapped her and themselves in a protective bubble and the battle continued.

It seemed like the family's luck had ran out, as the warriors were falling one by one, either killed by Aanga, or dying from pure exhaustion. Only three people were left. Corvenia and her two sisters. The battle seemed hopeless until Corvenia's arm was chopped off by Aanga's attacks. The two sisters screamed at her to leave, opening a small hole in the bubble for her. They screamed at her and insulted her for being useless, that this is all her fault, because she helped Aanga. Corvenia, stressed and fully knowing that she won't make it to a healer in time, have had enough of everyone always putting her down. She was full of magic, as her family didn't allow her to fight much out of pure hatred for her. Using her last minutes, Corvenia fully charged at the great dragon, changing herself into her raven form to fly up high enough to attack. As she flew high enough above the dragon, she changed herself back and used her only remaining arm to charge a desperate final pure magic attack (no elemental energy channeled), putting every single bit of magic she had, blowback be damned.

The attack worked. Corvenia managed to burn off the dragon's head, killing it instantly, but this resulted in her completely burning off her remaining arm. The woman toppled to the ground, knowing she had redeemed herself and won. Surprisingly, the fall wasn't what had killed her, it was blood loss. She laid there, completely motionless, but still aware, as her sisters rushed over to her, surprised that she actually won! However, this surprise immediately turned into opportunism. As Corvenia drifted off into the great beyond, the two sisters have made a horrible decision: They were to take credit for Corvenia's victory and make her out to be Aanga's accomplice. Corvenia died feeling betrayed, hurt and angry.

The two faunal twin sisters were erased from the family tree, so no one could tie them to the attack years later, and Corvenia's body was disposed off in a swamp, not even getting a proper burial, as she was erased from history.

With both Aanga's and Corvenia's fate being victory without death, they were both doomed to reincarnate. Corvenia only reincarnated once (Stephanie), but Aanga had inhabited hundreds of bodies before Celeste. When a person reincarnates into someone with a different element, that person is then able to easily relearn their old element, making them bi-elemental. Realising that now in death, her potential is higher than a simple kingdom, Aanga had taken up a new goal: She wasn't going to replace the king, she was going to kill and replace the goddesses and reshape the world to her wishes.

Celeste only happened to have the final element she needed, so Aanga shaped her herself to be the perfect fighter. The circumstances were perfect, she could use Celeste's possessing dagger to easily relearn all the elements. She could possess Stephanie by stabbing her with the dagger and practice all of them through her with ease. Aanga had essentially made herself a universal and she is not a force to be messed with. It's only a matter of time and practice until she puts her plan back into action.

Final thoughts:

I am not the best writer of all time, but I feel like the story of Celeste/Stephanie and Aanga/Corvenia is an interesting one! I really like this reincarnation incredibly slow burn plan. With both sisters having destinies that contradict one another, the only way to put a stop to it for good is to shatter the other's soul... But can Stephanie really push herself to do that to her sister? Would it be killing Celeste? Or would it be saving Celeste? All the poor girl wanted was to be loved by her horrible mother... And that lead her to lose control of herself for 20 years and die the most terrifying death imaginable. :C

This one was a real long one. If anyone who reads this (please do, I spent a lot of time writing this post) has any thoughts on Celeste, I'd love to hear them! You can comment on the post or shoot me a DM

#Out of the Garden || OOC #Tell me something about yourself || muse info #HOLY SHIT THIS HAS 2000 WORDS #I DID NOT INTEND TO DO THAT #Lore

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myartofhealthyliving · 3 years

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What is an Oxygen Concentrator and How Does It Work? (Uses and Reasons)

On account of the field of medication's extraordinary progressions, the oxygen concentrators today are smaller, little, peaceful and lightweight, yet at the same time give the most extreme consistence and elite. More established oxygen concentrators are cumbersome and substantial, making it hard for patients requiring oxygen treatment while voyaging or outside their home.

Today, you can browse at-home stationary concentrators and portable oxygen concentrators (POCs), which can go any place you go without any problem.

What is an Oxygen Concentrator?

Oxygen concentrator definition: An oxygen concentrator is a kind of clinical gadget utilized for conveying oxygen to people with breathing related problems. People whose oxygen fixation in their blood is lower than ordinary regularly require an oxygen concentrator to supplant that oxygen.

By and large, you can't accepting an oxygen concentrator over the counter. A specialist should endorse it after they've finished an exhaustive clinical assessment. The specialists will likewise regularly tell the patients the best way to viably utilize these concentrators while voyaging and in their homes.

Oxygen concentrators channel encompassing air, packing it to the necessary thickness and afterward conveying sanitized clinical grade oxygen into a heartbeat portion conveyance framework or ceaseless stream framework to the patient.

It's likewise outfitted with uncommon channels and sifter beds which assist with eliminating Nitrogen from the air to guarantee conveyance of totally cleansed oxygen to the patient. These gadgets likewise accompany an electronic UI so you can change the degrees of oxygen focus and conveyance settings. You then, at that point breathe in the oxygen through the nasal cannula or uncommon cover.

You by and large measure the oxygen concentrator yield in LPM (liters each moment). Your primary care physician will figure out what level of oxygen you need, which might change very still, during rest, and when you work out.

What are the Uses and Reasons for an Oxygen Concentrator?

There are numerous purposes behind an oxygen concentrator and specialists can prescribe oxygen treatment to their patients for different ailments. Ordinarily, your lungs ingest the air's oxygen, moving it into your circulation system.

On the off chance that you've had bloodwork or beat oximetry as of late performed to survey your oxygen immersion levels, and you were found to have low degrees of blood oxygen, your primary care physician might suggest present moment or long haul oxygen treatment.

You're presumably thinking about what is an oxygen concentrator utilized for? Intense conditions generally require transient oxygen treatment. These conditions ordinarily run for a brief timeframe. They might have an unexpected beginning of manifestations versus persistent conditions where things happen bit by bit. Be that as it may, some respiratory or persistent conditions require long haul oxygen supplementation.

Acute Conditions Requiring an Oxygen Concentrator

A couple instances of intense conditions where you would require the utilization of an oxygen concentrator for transient oxygen treatment are:

Asthma: This condition is the place where your aviation routes become aggravated and start delivering a great deal of bodily fluid, which makes it harder to relax. While there are various drugs that can treat and control asthma, an oxygen concentrator can siphon undeniable degrees of oxygen into the circulation system of the patient while they're having or have effectively had an asthma assault.

Pneumonia: Pneumonia is a contamination where you foster irritation in possibly either of your lungs' air sacs and as a rule, top them off with liquid. Numerous pneumonia patients have been recommended oxygen treatment and have seen great clinical results.

Respiratory pain condition (RDS): RDS is a breathing problem for the most part influencing infants, especially the individuals who are conceived at least a month and a half before their conveyance date. Babies experiencing RDS don't make sufficient surfactant (a lung covering fluid), causing their lungs to fall and making them work more diligently to relax. Oxygen treatment utilizing oxygen concentrators assist with siphoning oxygen into the children's circulation system and lungs to decrease further confusions.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD): Newborns experiencing RDS likewise have a higher danger of creating BPD. This is a serious lung condition needing long haul breathing help.

At times, after medical procedure, you might require oxygen for a brief timeframe.

Chronic Diseases that Require Oxygen Therapy

Some chronic conditions requiring long-term oxygen concentrator uses are:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): COPD affects around 16 million people, but an oxygen concentrator can be an effective treatment. When you have COPD, you have chronic lung damage which makes it difficult for your lungs to absorb enough oxygen. As a result, you can have difficulty breathing, and oxygen therapy through a concentrator can help.

Cystic fibrosis: You inherit this life-threatening condition. It causes digestive system and lung damage. It’s a rare condition that affects the body’s cells responsible for producing mucus, sweat, and digestive juices. The fluids are changed which results in a stickier, thicker solution that plugs the ducts, tubes, and passageways of the individual infected.

Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that can be serious and cause the individual’s breathing to sporadically stop and start during their sleep. Usually, treatment for this condition is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), weight loss, and physical exercise, though some people with sleep apnea may require oxygen therapy.

How Does an Oxygen Concentrator Work?

Think of an oxygen concentrator as a window air conditioner — it takes air in, changes it, and delivers it in a different form. The oxygen concentrator takes air in and purifies it for use by individuals who require medical oxygen because of low levels of oxygen in their blood.

It works by:

Compressing air as the cooling mechanism keeps the concentrator from becoming overheated

Taking air in from its surroundings

Using an electronic interface to adjust delivery settings

Removing nitrogen from the air through sieve beds and a filter

Delivering purified oxygen through a mask or nasal cannula

Patients who required oxygen therapy in the past mainly relied on pressurized oxygen tanks. Even though these tanks are extremely effective, they’re also fairly inefficient with the suppliers having to visit the patients regularly to replenish their oxygen supply in their tank.

The TOP 5 Best Stationary Oxygen Concentrators

1. Sanrai Oxypure 5 Liter Oxygen Concentrator

Sanrai OxyPure 5L is a reliable and robust FDA-Approved 5-liter stationary home oxygen concentrator. Our patient-centric R&D team ensured that the OxyPure 5L is suitable for all your oxygen prescription needs. Designed and developed in the USA, this device results from our 14 years of experience in the home respiratory care industry.

Sanrai’s OxyPure 5L stationary oxygen concentrator was built with your needs in mind, no matter where you are. The Sanrai OxyPure 5L home oxygen concentrator can perform optimally at high altitudes and in areas with high humidity with ease. FDA-approved and conforming to ISO guidelines, our product goes through several hours of burn-in and performance tests to ensure quality, efficiency, and reliability at all times.

Features and Benefits

FDA-Approved

Portability

Reliability

Quality

Whisper-Quiet

Lightweight

Low Cost

Easy-to-use

High-Output

Safe

2 Sanrai Oxyflow 5 - 5 Liter Oxygen Concentrator

The OxyFlow 5 is one of the most reliable and robust stationary concentrators in the world. The OxyFlow 5 delivers up to 5 LPM continuous flow oxygen. This innovative oxygen concentrator delivers oxygen up to 96% purity and weighs only 14 kgs, making it a truly lightweight and compact design. With a noise level of less than 45 dB, it is one of the quietest machines in the world.

Features and Benefits

In use since last 17 years worldwide.

Meeting the regulatory requirement of most stringent medical market of Japan.

Designed and marketed by Sanrai International.

Easy maintenance.

Salter lab humidifier bottle and crush proof nasal cannula provided with unit.

Low Oxygen purity alarm provided.

3. Drive Medical DeVilbiss 10 Liter Oxygen Concentrator

Built upon the reliable features of the popular 525 concentrator, the Drive Medical DeVilbiss 10L Oxygen Concentrator delivers optimal oxygen delivery for patients requiring higher concentrations of oxygen. This innovative machine has a high capacity and a wide range of useful features.

Substantially smaller in size than other high-capacity concentrators on the market, the flame-retardant DeVilbiss weighs only 42 pounds and comes in the same shell as the 5-liter size, yet is still compatible with cylinder transfill systems. It delivers 87% to 96% of oxygen purity ranging from 2 to 10 LPM, resulting in adaptive use for an array of patients with varying needs, from home use to hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Standard on every unit, the exclusive DeVilbiss Oxygen Sensing Device (OSD) system ensures dependable performance and patient safety with real-time monitoring of the oxygen produced. Easily accessible patient controls and bright LEDs make operation a breeze, and a front-located knob facilitates simple air-flow adjustments with its flow meter positioned directly below to verify setting selections.

This oxygen concentrator integrates several safety alarms to further ensure proper operation of the device, and these alarms will sound when there is high pressure, low oxygen, high gas temperature, low-high flow, when the power goes out, and if service is required.

Its cleverly-designed recessed humidifier nook and protected cannula port guard against accidental damage. Convenient handles on the top and side enable easy portability for rolling or carrying.

Features and Benefits

10-liter capacity for users requiring higher oxygen concentration levels

Adjusts from 2-10 LPM for multiple patient usages

Small and compact for a 10-liter capacity

Oxygen Sensing Device provides real-time monitoring

Safety alarms to alert users to problems

Easy-to-read and bright LED display

Accessible patient controls

Recessed humidifier nook and protected cannula port

Handles and wheels for transport

4. Drive Medical DeVilbiss 5 Liter Oxygen Concentrator

Built upon a legacy of reliable, field-proven concentrator models, the DeVilbiss 5 Liter Oxygen Concentrator was designed with enhanced quality, durability and simplicity in mind

Patented DeVilbiss Turn-Down Technology minimizes wear on internal components, reduces power consumption by 15% or more and extends the life of the concentrator

Exclusive DeVilbiss OSD (Oxygen Sensing Device), standard on every unit, ensures patient safety and reliability for longer service intervals

Readily accessible patient controls, protected cannula fitting and recessed humidifier nook to prevent damage

Alarms Audible and visual high/low pressure, low flow, low oxygen, power fail, Oxygen Sensing Device

5. Philips EverFlo 5 Liter Oxygen Concentrator

The Philips EverFlo Oxygen concentrator weighs in at only 31 pounds, reducing shipping and storage costs and risk of injury.

EverFlo's ergonomic design takes up less space and doesn't draw as much attention.

EverFlo is part of the Right Fit, a complete portfolio of oxygen products and programs inspired by patients and built for business.

No homecare provider filter change for two years. Patients do not ever have to change filters.

The system uses less electricity and produces less heat.

The platform is designed to be compatible with all bottle styles and features an easy-to-use closure.

Recessed flow meter reduces accidental breakage.

Durable metal cannula is less likely to break

EverFlo is available with or without oxygen purity indicator. This OPI (Oxygen Percentage Indicator) ultrasonically measures oxygen output as a purity indication.

#tumblr #health #healthcare #oxygen concentrator #oxygen #covid-19 #respiratory illness

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bestmechanicaustin · 3 years

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Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin, a well maintained properly functioning drivetrain ensures that as much of the power you input is felt in the bicycle’s output as possible. Tires and Wheels- Ride Quality, Traction and Handling Everything changes gradually on your bike. Not only from riding, but also from age which causes rubber to dry, lose elasticity and grip, and can cause greases and oils to break down. This can be very hard for many riders to sense causing them to ride components till they are well past their prime. Tires are consumable components which need regular replacement and wheels need basic maintenance to help ensure that they function properly and have a long life. They should be inspected before every ride to make sure that they have sufficient rubber, are inflated to the right pressure, have no cords showing, and no visible cracks. There is nothing you can do to your bike that will as profoundly alter its handling for the better as having the right tires for your riding type, style and conditions. Properly trued wheels with clean and greased bearings and drivers are one of the most important pieces of maintenance you can have done. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin,It will help improve performance while saving you money on replacement parts by improving your ride quality, reducing rolling resistance and improving handling. Bodies are complicated. So are bicycles. Each of us is unique and has different physical constraints. Your body and your bicycle should fit each other perfectly, and it makes a lot more sense to adjust the bicycle to the body than the body to the bicycle. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin, professional fitting will align your bicycle to your body, which will help you be comfortable and efficient while riding. I use a strategy of learning to address your individual needs, which will make you more comfortable on your bike. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin will work with you to understand your goals of riding, physical limitations, injuries, strength, flexibility, and range of motion, to create an ideal position that brings health, not pain, to the body. Through a process of education about position, form, alignment and balance, I will help you begin a new understanding of your relationship with your bike. Bicycle fitting Bicycle fitting is the process of adjusting a bike for a cyclist to optimize their comfort, performance and efficiency. Cyclists often experience overuse injuries such as cyclist's palsy, cyclist back, and Anterior Knee Pain. and this is often due to an incorrectly set up cycle. Bike fitting aims to prevent injuries, increase efficiency, comfort and improve performance for all cyclists. Bike fitting is for anybody who cycles, particularly if an overuse injury has occurred, to maximise their enjoyment and performance. Indication Bike fitting is for anybody who cycles. A good bicycle fit goes a long way to prevent overuse injuries and helps muscles and lungs function at best ability, all improving performance and enjoyment. ● everyday cyclists ● touring cyclists ● tri-athletes ● Clinical Presentation who complain of: buttock; back; lower limb; upper limb and neck pain associated with cycling. Often the cyclist may have tried pressure garments to relieve areas of pressure eg gel pads in gloves, gel seat covers, upright handlebars. Often these are a band aid solution to an incorrectly fitted cycle.

To fit or not to fit? Bicycle Services near Austin TX: There are of course ways to set up your bike position yourself and this is still what most people do. There are plenty of handy online guides out there if you don’t feel you want to splash out on a bike fit. The decision whether to get a fit or not will also depend on how seriously you take your cycling. If you are riding purely for fun and perhaps use your bike infrequently using an online guide will be fine. However, if you are looking to race or ride sports then it’s certainly something to at least consider. One way to look at a bike fit is as an investment. It’ll certainly start you off on the right foot as it were. If you do go for a fit, ensure you do your research first. Bear in mind that as you develop and change as a rider (weight loss, increased flexibility, core strength) your position may change too. It’s a fluid, dynamic ongoing process. Many top pros regularly tinker with their position as they evolve as riders. Ultimately it’s up to you. You certainly don’t need a bike fit as most of us (including myself) have got to where we are using trial and error and a basic knowledge of the ideal set up, as well as taking advice from experienced riders. But, if you have the budget, are serious about your cycling and keen to ‘fast forward’ through the trial and error phase and want to fully optimize your cycling efficiency, then go ahead. Visit your local Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin to learn about their bike fit services. Happy riding!

The Importance Of A Good Saddle Seat And Why You Have To Change It Bicycle Services near Austin TX: Pain from your bicycle seat doesn't have to come with the territory. Pain in the saddle can be an indication of many things, including an incorrectly sized seat, inadequate padding and poor positioning. Diagnosing your saddle pain and correcting it can help you enjoy your ride without worrying about potentially damaging any sensitive tissue. A correction to your saddle position could also improve your pedaling efficiency, giving you more power on those tough hills. Sizing Up Your Seat Eliminating saddle pain starts with a correctly sized seat that properly distributes your weight. More padding isn't the solution; you want your contact point with the saddle to be directly on your sit bones, which jut out from your pelvis underneath the flesh of your buttocks. To find your sit bones, try sitting on a table or other flat surface. The two points that contact this surface most firmly are your sit bones. Find a saddle with a width that matches these contact points. Most bike shops have an accredited bike fitter on staff that can assist you in finding the exact measurement. Less Is More With too much cushioning, you may be distributing your weight between your legs, where pressure and vibration can damage sensitive tissue. A good bicycle seat uses high-density foam that matches your sit bones and provides good cushioning without improperly cradling your weight. A channel down the center of some bike seats eliminates contact altogether, which can relieve saddle-related pain or numbness. Finding the right balance between cushion and support is key to eliminating your pain, so don't be afraid to ask to try a few saddles at your local bike shop. Sitting Pretty The proper position in your bicycle seat can make a big difference in your comfort. With your bike leaned up against a wall, mount your seat and rotate the pedals so that one crank is pointed straight to the floor. While seated, your knee should be just slightly bent and you shouldn't be straining to reach the pedals. Now that your seat is correct, lean forward, grab the handlebars and adjust your stem height until the position is natural and your neck isn't craning. If you can't get your positioning right, check that your bike frame is the correct size by matching your inseam to the manufacturer's sizing chart. If it isn't correct and you do a lot of cycling, it's worth your time to try and get a properly sized bike. Finding a Short Solution A pair of cycling shorts is a necessity for rides further than a few miles. All professional cyclists use them, and they come in a wide variety of price ranges, styles and materials. Cycling shorts have a chamois pad built in that provides extra cushion when you're in the saddle and can relieve a lot of issues associated with cycling such as soreness, chafing and numbness. If you want to get the most out of your ride, coupling your seat with a pair of cycling shorts is the safest and most comfortable way to ride.

TIPS 5 Bicycle Fit Tips That’ll Improve Your Comfort and Power Bicycle Services near Austin TX: How you position yourself on the bike makes a huge difference in terms of comfort, power, and aerodynamics. While it’s a good idea for all cyclists and triathletes to get a professional bike fit, there are some basic guidelines you can use to troubleshoot problem areas and generally set yourself up in a neutral position. The goal is to achieve a position that allows you to ride your bike without creating any injuries and one that will allow you to ride your bike for years. As an added bonus, the right fit will also make you more efficient and powerful. Try a Saddle Before You Buy Finding the right saddle can be a bit of a process because it’s important to find the curvature, width, and shape that is comfortable for you. Saddles with more curvature (and/or a channel down the center) are often great for athletes who have limited flexibility through the hips and lower back. The curvature allows you to rotate your hips forward more easily without putting too much pressure on sensitive areas. The width and amount of padding in the saddle also have a big impact on comfort and performance. Finding the right saddle may take some time and some trial and error, so work with your local bike shop – many have a loaner program – so you don’t have to make a huge financial investment. A quick ride in the parking lot is often not enough to tell you whether a saddle will work for you in the long run Determining Saddle Setback Move the saddle forward or backward so your knee is over the pedal spindle when the crank is in the 3 o’clock position. Again, this is a good starting point, and then you can adjust your cleats fore and aft as needed. Use your thumb to feel the ball of your foot on the inside of your shoe. With a pen, put a small mark on this point of your shoe so you can set the cleat using this as a landmark. Basics of Setting Saddle Height While you can dial this in perfectly with a professional fit, here are some guidelines for roughly setting up your saddle height. These are especially useful when you have to jump on a loaner bike or even a bike in a hotel fitness center. Start with the saddle in a level position, parallel to the floor. Sitting on the saddle, pedal with your heels on the pedals. Your foot should maintain contact with the pedal without having to rock your hips. Pay Attention to the Shoe-Pedal Connection The pedals are your third point of contact with the bike. It’s important that the platform is large enough to feel secure (not like you’re standing on ice cubes). And the most critical piece will be adjusting the cleats properly, to make sure you have a stable and tight shoe to pedal connection that will ensure optimal power transfer and allow you to ride injury-free. As a general starting point for many riders, you can set the middle indicator on the cleat slightly back, about 5mm, from the ball of your foot. The angling of cleats and the lateral distance they are set from the crank (Q-factor) is dependent on each rider’s individual body structure, however, you want to make sure you don’t feel any twisting or tension in the ankles, knees, and hips while pedaling. You can start with the cleats set straight ahead and make minor adjustments from there. Note that each foot could require different angling. Handlebar Width and Reach Makes a Difference Bicycle Services near Austin TX: With the handlebar, look at the drop and the width of the bars. If you have relatively small hands or a shorter torso, look for a shallow drop bar. The width of the bar should match the width of your shoulders, which will keep your arms in a neutral position when your hands are on the brake hoods. You also want to ensure the handlebar reach is neither too long or short, as it can cause neck, shoulder, back pain, and compromise bike handling. You should be able to reach the hoods with a comfortable bend in the elbows without feeling like you need to scoot your body forward or backward on the saddle.

COST Bicycle Services near Austin TX: All bicycle services are carried out using professional bicycle tools, greases, and lubricants. Prices quoted for services are estimates only. Thus, prices may vary if other problems are found during the service. If the price variation is significant we will contact you for approval - otherwise we will go ahead with the repairs. Senior bike mechanic has 28 years’ experience in our workshop. Headset repack from $15 Hub repack from $20 Gear adjustment from $25 Brake adjustment from $12.50 Precision wheel truing from $20 Disc brake wheel truing from $22.5 Disc brake bleeding from $25/brake Recoil a dropout from $30 Fit a tube and/or tyre from $10 Recoil a crank arm from $30 Bicycle service from $79 Fit a bottom bracket from $25 BMX bicycles from $49 Fit a chain from $10 Geared bicycles from $79 Re tap a bottom bracket from $25 Frame strip and rebuild from $130 Fit a headset from $20 Annual overhaul from $130 Disc brake truing from $15 Precision wheel building from $37.50 Reface disc mounts from $20 Realign a frame from $25 Reface a bottom bracket from $25 Fit a suspension fork from $35 Disc brake adj & clean from $25 Pack a bike in a box from $30 Flat tire repair – $18 (inner tube replacement included) Bicycle Assembly – $55 Includes assembly, basic tune-up, fitting and free adjustments Basic tune up – $70 ● Safety check ● General cleaning ● Brake and derailleur adjustment ● Adjust bottom bracket, headset and hubs ● Clean and lubricate chain and derailleurs ● True wheels (on-bike) Tune Up Plus – $100 ● Includes everything in the basic tune-up plus thorough cleaning (replacement parts extra) Specific part overhauls – $25/per part Complete overhaul and cleaning (November thru March only) – $150 (a great deal!) ● Bring your bike to a Like-New condition and save $100s (replacement parts extra) Prices quoted for services are estimates only. Thus, prices may vary if other problems are found during the service. If the price variation is significant we will contact you for approval - otherwise we will go ahead with the repairs. Senior bike mechanic has 28 years’ experience in our workshop. Standard bicycle service Our standard bike service includes: ● Alignment of derailleur hanger and adjustment of gears and lubing of gear cables. ● Adjustment of brakes and lubing of brake cables. ● Measure chain for stretch and report on life. ● Lube chain and all pivot points. ● Adjustment of wheel bearings, headset bearings, and bottom bracket bearings. ● General check on tension of all bolts and screws. ● Inflation of tires to recommended pressure. ● Minor in frame wheel truing. ● Alignment of handlebars ● General clean ● Test ride Annual overhaul ● An annual overhaul includes everything in the Standard Bicycle Service plus the following. ● Full clean, grease, and repack of both front and rear hubs. ● Full clean, grease, and adjustment of the bottom bracket. ● Full clean, grease, and repack of the headset. ● Full clean and relube of the drivetrain. ● Test Ride. Wheel Truing All bike wheel repairs are carried out using either DT, Sapim, or Wheelsmith plain gauge or double butted spokes. The double butted spokes can be either plain stainless steel or black.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Can I come in and work on my own bike? Yes! Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin offers do-it-yourself access where we provide you with tools, parts, and guidance so you are able to service your bicycle yourself. No experience is necessary as long as you are actually able to do the work yourself. And there is no cost for DIY service access but we ask for at least a $15 donation an hour to Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin Coop for the bicycle stand and tools used. Most DIY tune-ups take about an hour per bicycle. If you are interested in working on your own bike, you are most welcome at the Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin shop on Wednesdays 6-9pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm.

How much to get my dusty bike in rideable shape? Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin offers full tune-ups for $75 excluding part replacements, please see our Additional Repair Services page for more information.

What is the turnaround time for bike repairs? Anywhere from next day to a week during peak season.

I’m having problems with my bike. Do you know what the problem is? How much does a repair like this run? We can’t say for sure without you bringing the bike to the shop. Please refer all questions to the Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin shop manager at 703-549-1108.

Can I sell my used bikes or parts to Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin Coop? Sorry, Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin does not purchase used bicycles or parts. However, because of our 501c3 non-profit status, Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin can provide you a tax deductible receipt for any material or financial donations you wish to make.

Do you require appointments? Nope!

Do you do mobile repairs? Sorry, Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin currently does not have the capacity to support our customer base through mobile repairs. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin does support bike rodeos where we visit local schools and affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods. For more information, please see the Community Services pages on the Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin website.

Call For Us: ● Bicycle Services Near Austin TX ● Bicycle Service ● Bicycle Service Center ● Bicycle ● Bike Repair ● Gear Cycle Repair Shop ● What Does A Bicycle Service Include ● Bike Service Cost Near Austin TX ● How Much Does A Bicycle Service Cost ● Bike Service Price List ● Bike Shop Service Price List ● Bike Service Center ● Bike Service At Home ● Bicycle Service Centre ● Hero Bike Service Charges ● Bike Maintenance Cost Near Austin TX

BEST BICYCLE SERVICES SERVICE IN AUSTIN TX MOBILE AUTO TRUCK REPAIR AUSTIN REQUEST MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT US NOW! Contact Details Mobile Auto Truck Repair Austin Best Mobile Mechanic & Mobile Auto Truck Repair in Austin Texas Call US: (512) 649-5322 Location: Texas, Austin

Monday-Sunday 24 Hours

www.mobileautotruckrepairaustintx.com

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acvplusketoie-blog · 5 years

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ACV Plus Irealand Reviews & Price- Does ACV Plus Keto Pills Works?

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missmorior · 5 years

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just a thing- unfinished but i wanna share it elsewhere so i’m putting it here

Log date 24/09/XX

My name is Fen.

This was the first thing that had returned to me upon resurrection. Eons ago it may have been longer, as this feels like a nickname more than one proper. This… Ghost, assures me that forgetfulness is normal. To remedy it, I have decided to keep a log with what I know, so that I might piece together who I once was before I was chosen by the Traveller to wield its light.

I know that now, I am… Something. A protecter of those without the light. There are not many of us, and in the wake of the Darkness, humanity is scattered to the winds- terrified but still trying to survive. Many struggle to wield this power, to shape it, but I have no such hurry. My priorities lie with the people. I pick up what weapons I can scavenge or piece together, and when bullets run out, I have my fists. The energy that consumes my actions feels… empty. Like a Void. There is comfort in it.

Log date 08/04/XX

My name is Fen. I am a Defender Titan. My ghost is called Horus. My mission is to protect the Last City.

I have not been as good at keeping a log as I had once thought. The scattered entires have been bothering me more and more now that I have remembered who I once was. A scientist under the employ of one Clovis Bray. I did not always agree with his methods but… I believe it was the only way for me to have had the freedom I desired for my work. Exos. I was one of the few who helped develop the creatures. I see them, every now and again, and am filled with mixed emotion. Joy, at seeing a creation realized. Sorrow, at knowing that not all of their programming was entirely mechanical. Disgust at…

But I digress.

I log now to account for my found fireteam. It has been decades since I have thought to form such a close knit unit, I had thought this old woman too seasoned for it. These two are young, having only recently been brought back to life. I fear for them at times. Their youth begets recklessness, believing themselves truly immortal after the first few deaths. They are high on their Light and eager to earn approval. The Warlock burns as bright as a star, her Light blinding and difficult to look at when she bursts from ash like a Golden Age myth. She is an Awoken, a true child of the Reef who fought against the Fallen, and still has the rage to show it. There is no quiet of the Void within her like my own Light, and I believe it frustrated Ikora at times to see a guardian under her watch who is so determined to buck her teachings. Never let her learn of the storm- I fear instead of control, she would let the Arc run rampant. Speaking of… Our odd third member. An Exo that was found within the depths of the Hellmouth, whose ghost knew of her existence but was terrified to traverse the Moon. I understand. But years rotting away within that unknown liquid which spawns the Hive have left her without a voice and whatever color her metal once was, it is now unnatural darkness. Fitting that this creature became a Hunter. The Bladedance called to that one, I see her blinking from perch to perch. I wonder what Cayde-6 thinks of her; a silent Hunter among his yipping coyotes.

We have worked together to bring down the Hive creature- Crota. Our part not too significant but with these two I have no doubt we will be throwing ourselves into the fray all too soon. There are stirrings from the outer reaches of the Reef and the Fallen have grown too quiet. The Warlock grows restless. We may yet be flying out to her home soon.

Log date 10/10/XX

My name is Fen. I am a Defender Titan. My ghost is named Horus. I miss my Fireteam.

Nostalgia is a new thing. I have never longed for days gone by, but in the wake of the containment of SIVA Lyra and Blink have left to pursue their own goals while I remain behind in the city. Don’t get me wrong, I love the people of the city and have found fulfillment in helping to train new Guardians. These young people, so full of life and light.. They make me feel young again! One young Titan has become something of an apprentice to me. A human by the name of Claudius. He too has no memory of his past, like so many I’ve seen, and views the loss as a challenge. He wants to become someone who his past life would have been proud of. I wonder… Have I become that? Ha, the youth these days… He’s fallen in with two Warlocks also under my tutelage, and I have faith they will be an incredible team. And we once more return to what began this log. Lyra remains out at the Reef, assisting her people in rebuilding their home and consoling those still reeling from the loss of their Queen and Prince. She manages to send messages now and again, that their work is going well, and the Awoken are banding together even stronger than before. However they are few and far between… I wonder, will she ever return to the Tower? Or will she choose to remain with her kin now? Blink has chosen to remain at Fellwinter Peak among the Iron Lords, and recent news has shown that she has fully proven herself as one of them. I still see her now and again within the Crucible when I take my trainees to see how fully fledged Guardians fight. Her Bladedance is still chaotic as ever, and the laughter as she blinks her way through seasoned fireteams to unleash destruction makes me long for our days as a team. To bring us together again and show these young ones how a real fireteam fights.

Ah, I’ve wasted enough time. A message is coming through from Commander Zavala on an urgent channel.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==

Log… Request Access… ********* Access Granted…… >Name query…. Data missing Query- “who are you?”….. >Data missing Query- “what are you?”….. >Exo. Model- unknown. Function- exploration and scouting. Query- “can you see me?”….. >Answer: yes. You are the annoying little light. You are also entertaining to irritate. Query- “can you speak?”…. >Answer: no. sensors indicate voice module has suffered extensive damage. >System query: how long have i been deactivated? Answer: “A very long time.” >System query: what am i? Answer: “A Guardian. Specifically? A hunter, though I don’t know what s-“… >Answer terminated. Too longwinded. The glowing human with you thinks I’m funny too. >System query: what is your name? Answer: “Well, I’m a ghost- oh no I can see that look don’t you cut me off again! I don’t have one-“….. >Understood. System memory recalls someone of similar fondness. They are dead now. >System believes that you would fit the name. >System query: set ‘Ghost’ name to ‘Desmond’…..? >Permission Granted….. Saving for reference….. >System query: can we hurry up and destroy some hive monstrosities Answer: “Copy that, Guardian. Let’s get you armed.”

Log……. Request Access… **************** Access Denied… ‘Cayde_is_a_loser’ is not the password, no matter how many times it has been tried >System message: Damn. Request Access… ************** Access Granted……. >System query: how long since the SIVA crisis?…. 2 years. 14 days. 7 hours. 57 minutes. >Name query….. System name set to “Blink” >System query: search systems for reference of prior system names…… Results found, would you like to restore name to “Nova-88”? >Denied…. System name remains set as “Blink” >System message: So.. Another of these logs. Des thinks he’s the only one with fancy machine bits, ha! It’s been.. A while, since I’ve bothered with these. I never took stock in the past, but more and more it’s been coming up. I don’t trust it. This SIVA business was made by Clovis Bray, who Fen and Whatever-good used to work for. There was the simulated emotions as well that were transmitted biologically and mechanically by Guardians a while back there too. Secret-y nonsense that not even the Warlocks understood. The Iron Lords returned and as much as I adore my brothers and sisters here… I think even Saladin realizes that my pack is not among them. My calling, yes. I can do the most good here and out in the wilds, not under the Vanguard’s jurisdiction. Systems still remain dodgy but I think I’m finally over it all. The Light fills in what bits are missing from my programming so I don’t even bother with trying to recover any lost memory from the previous 87 iterations of myself. They aren’t me anyway. I’m the only one who’s been a Guardian. Probably has a lot to do with the Vex tech that always makes me malfunction anyway and I don’t want to know more about them. They’re murderous robots. I kill the murderous robots. Tada! The End. Done. Anyways I have this story to record about the newbies who keep trying to climb to the top of Fe- >System reminder….. Meeting with Fireteam member ‘Havoc’ in approximately: 2 hours. Travel by ship will take: 1 hour 30 minutes. >System message: Ughhhhhh… I promised to meet her new protege. Right. This is Blink, signing off.

Log……….. Request Access….. ************************* Access De- >nO FUCK THAT THIS IS MY PROGRAMMING. SYSTEM OVERRIDE. Access Granted….. >System message: It’s gone. It’s gone it’s gone it’s gone it’s gone it’s gone it’s all gone. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Desmond is nowhere- I’ve been looking. Please let him be okay, please please please please- I can’t find my guns. There’s nothing to fight with. Where is Havoc? She was here too. I know she was I KNOW she was. What was his name… what was his NAME. I’ll KILL him. How DARE he. HOW DARE HE. >Proximity alert: friendly signature detected on approach >System query: identify signature. who’s still here >Signature identified as: Rabbit (Fiery Space Witch) >System message: Oh praise the Traveller, it’s Lyra. Someone’s alive. Someone’s safe. We need to get out. Away. I still need Desmond oh please please let him be- DESMOND. >Desmond: “Guardian… You’re alive.. I was so worried….” >System message: It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. I was so scared. The Light is gone.

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#mori writes

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timeclonemike · 5 years

Text

Random Idea: “Portia” Spider-Man AU

I haven’t actually seen Into The Spiderverse myself, but I have read that it has started a trend towards people coming up with their own Spider-Man AUs. More specifically I read that there’s a lot of people lashing out against that for some reason, which I don’t get.

I also watched a walkthrough of the PS4 game, which actually motivated me to work on a completely different project.

I might as well state right now that I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of Spider-Man in particular, or the Marvel multiverse in general, much less the exponentially greater possibilities that come from a huge fan base. To the best of my limited knowledge, I don’t think I’m treading on anyone’s toes, and if it turns out somebody had the same ideas before me and reads this, I promise I’m not trying to steal your thunder.

The Origin: Pyotr “Peter” Parker is second generation Russian-American living in the Big Apple. He’s a scientific prodigy, and he was well on his way to getting a scholarship that would launch him to dizzying academic and technical heights when his life was demolished; his mother, father, and uncle were all killed in some sort of crossfire between different mob families. His academic performance and social life were also casualties, first from grief, and later from the impotent rage burning inside him from seeing nothing at all happen to find and punish those who had done so much harm. The kid who was on a fast track to following in the footsteps of such scientific visionaries as Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Oswald Octavius did the bare minimum of work needed to keep his teachers and Aunt May (his only living relative) off of his back; the rest of his days and much of his nights were spent in an angry haze of revenge-based daydreams and fantasies.

The Transformation: Peter does not remember exactly how, but one morning he woke up with a painfully swollen spider bite. After a day or so, the swelling went away, but it was replaced by other “symptoms” that were decidedly more permanent. In no particular order, he could stick to various surfaces, detect motion nearby, and found that his strength and agility were dramatically increased. Most dramatic of all, he could jump much, much farther than any human being had any business jumping. To an angsty, hormonal teenager who had fumed and raged inwardly as he watched the injustice perpetrated on his family go unpunished for years, it was like Christmas morning. (It was actually Arbor Day, but that’s not really important.) With barely enough sense to get gloves, a ski mask, and goggles to hide his identity, he set out to to do by himself what the police and the courts could not, or would not, do through proper channels.

The Defeat: Superpowers or not, a teenager is not a match for multiple, competing organized crime families. Peter was shot four times, twice in the left leg, once in the right shoulder, and one glancing blow to the skull that would have punched his clock if not for his Spider-Sense based reflexes. With a concussion, a leg that couldn’t support his weight, and a whole lot of lost blood, Peter was forced to back off to some place safe, call 911, and nearly collapse right after tossing his “costume” in the closest dumpster. Emergency surgery and a blood transfusion saved his life, and while his recovery was almost miraculously fast according to the doctors and nurses keeping an eye on him, he still had to convalesce.

The Lesson: The time spent in bed, with nothing to do but mull over his defeat, forces him to reconsider what he is doing and why. He was about ready to throw all his dreams of revenge out the window and move on with his life... when the assassins showed up. After all, gunshot wounds are reported to police, and not every officer who swears to uphold the law actually keeps that oath. The assassins try to smother Peter while he pretends to be asleep; for their trouble, they get kicked with the same amount of force that previously launched Peter across streets and up the sides of buildings. Fortunately for them, they are in a hospital already. With a paranoia that has nothing to do with his new danger-detector in his head, Pete leaves the hospital without being officially discharged, makes it home, and discovers that his Aunt May ended up taking out two home invaders... and instead of the invaders being carted off, Aunt May is the one being held on trumped up charges. Peter has the consequences of his actions thrust into his face, and he angsts over his irresponsibility for all of five minutes before he has an epiphany that few Spider-themed superheroes ever figure out: Not everything bad that happens is automatically his fault.

The Comeback: While only a few days older, Peter is now much wiser, and begins a methodical plan of attack. The forces arrayed against his family cover the city like a web, but he’s learned a lot about spiders recently. Between phone calls, letters, and Duck Duck Go, Peter maps out the people he has to fight. These include a hanging judge, an attorney general living beyond her apparent means, and a couple of cops who have some black marks on other people’s social media, if not their professional records. With a new, thematically different costume, some cheap smartphones, and gadgets put together from dollar store specials and dumpster diving, Peter starts collecting evidence of corruption and leaving flash drives and SD cards in the mailboxes of the people who seem to be trustworthy. The gears of justice start to grind, while the gears of corruption have sand thrown into them. (What actually happened is that Peter found the AG was in the mob’s pocket, kidnapped her, called her “handlers” and played back some carefully edited sound bites recorded from a rival family’s conversations. Her “execution” was interrupted, but her home and worldly possessions went up in flames at the same time. She suddenly has much larger problems than she did before.)

The Arch Enemy: Aunt May’s two counts of justified self defense are properly rendered as such by a court that does not have multiple actors in somebody’s pocket. Turns out a whole lot of internal affairs investigations have opened up, and a laundry list of cold cases have been opened, in addition to the conflicts already set in motion. What keeps May and Peter safe, though, is what happens to a mover and shaker way up in the food chain (known as “Hammerhead” to his subordinates because of his shark-like ferocity). Hammerhead gets a mysterious visit from a masked figure who kicks his ass three ways from Sunday, and who lets him know that he’s taking his time to make him suffer for killing the masked figure’s brother. Three bullets are put into Hammerhead with his own sidearm, but the bullet that would have gone in the man’s skull misses, apparently because his guys finally showed up to help him. Hammerhead falls for the ruse hook, line, sinker and compressed air tank, and all the resources dedicated to finding this spider-themed vigilante get aimed in different directions, including the ones that had been sent after this Pyotr Parker kid, since he’s an only child. (The guys sent after Parker don’t have much to say, because his kicks packed a wallop and also because nobody contradicts Hammerhead when he’s angry.) This lays the foundation of a mutual hatred that lasts for the next decade at least, and “The Hammerhead versus The Spider Man” becomes a popular topic of discussion and speculation in the criminal underworld, law enforcement, civilian social media, and the hero community.

The Method: Unlike many Spider-Men, Peter isn’t explicitly an out and out hero. The last time he had ambitions of heroism, rushing in like Iron Man or Thor or Daredevil, he ended up in the hospital. To the contrary, by imitating the methods of his criminal prey, he achieved results far beyond his most optimistic predictions. In that sense, his spider-motif resembles that of the Portia Jumping Spider, a genus of spider species that hunt and prey on other spiders. His powers reflect this, with his impressive jumping abilities. Also like the Portia spiders, Peter stalks his prey and studies their strengths and weaknesses before developing the perfect way to take them down. Sometimes this comes from capturing sensitive information and delivering it to those who can do the most damage with it. Sometimes this means a more immediate response, like a kick that can ruin somebody’s whole day plus the rest of the week. What really sets Peter apart, though, is the “criminal” empire that he is growing using the resources he steals from his targets. Granted, his “Drug Labs” are churning out generic insulin at affordable prices, but it’s the principle of the thing. Likewise, the sex workers and street walkers in Spider-Man’s “territory” have seen a massive drop in violence once he cornered a particularly belligerent john in an alley and mentioned that a lot of male spiders have their sex organ bitten off by the female.

The Gadgets: Unlike most, if not all, Spider-Men in the multiverse, Peter never came up with the idea of web-shooters or web fluid. He has a number of other tricks up his sleeve, sometimes literally, that fill the vacuum when it comes to mobility, combat, and controlling the combat environment. The most complex of these would have to be his costume, which also diverges dramatically from what other Spider Themed Heroes use, in that it is designed to blend in rather than stand out. The basic suit color scheme is a grey-green mixture that’s hard to see under low-light conditions, and Peter has a number of optional “urban ghillie suits” that can look like grey concrete, brick, rusted steel, or other patterns. He’s also been known to take his enemy’s clothing, but it’s not clear how much of this is intended to help him infiltrate them and turn them on each other and how much of it is just humiliating his defeated foes. His mask incorporates multiple vision enhancement devices, from light amplification to infra-red to sonar and radar, and these give him a multi-eyed appearance in keeping with the spider theme. Defensively and offensively, he has arm-mounted weapons that incorporate compressed air guns that can fire chemical darts at range, and provide a close-range electrical charge to incapacitate people in close combat. (In the early days he carried a literal dart gun and stun gun but kept losing them during fights.) Finally, he carries a small arsenal of counter-intelligence tools designed to let him eavesdrop on targets, clone their cell phones, break into secure areas without leaving signs of forced entry, and jam or intercept enemy communications. All of them are incorporated into his suit. He has ambitions of getting an Octavius Harness, since extra arms would complete the spider motif and also make him far more dangerous in combat, but he can’t afford it and he’s years away from learning how to jailbreak the safety features that Doctor Octavius put on his technology to keep it from being stolen.

The Cover: When he’s not making life interesting for the criminal underworld of New York City, Peter works as a photographer. He’s done contract work for the Daily Bugle, including the occasional shot of this Spider Man character, but most of his income is from people needing photographs of their belongings for insurance reasons. After all, this is a world where superheroes and supervillains go toe-to-toe at least twice a week. He’s done weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, graduations, family reunions, anniversaries, baby gender reveal parties, and more. He’s also done some stuff that would normally be within the purview of a private investigator, despite the legal risks, in order to make ends meet. His social circle is limited to a handful of people who still tolerated him when he was lashing out at the world as a teenager, which is basically a handful of former classmates that have moved on to college, trade school, or something else, especially Miles Morales (who also lost family at a young age), Felicia Hardy, and Eddie Brock. His dating life is non-existant despite multiple attempts by both Eddie and Miles to play matchmaker.

The Rogue’s Gallery: The Spider Man has a long standing antagonism with Hammerhead, but has occasionally faced off against other supervillains and even some superheroes. On the villain side, Peter has defeated an electricity controlling lunatic named Electro, some guy in a rocket assisted flight suit the press called the Vulture, the enigmatic and theatrical Mysterio, and some one or something called the Sand Man. Unfortunately, Peter beat the Sand Man by fusing him into glass, and was not able to pull off the same stunt twice. The former Sand Man, calling himself Vitreous, had to be stopped by the Avengers, and The Spider Man’s role in the creation of a much more dangerous villain is what got him on the radar of so many heroes in the first place. For the most part, he knows he’s outclassed and doesn’t really want to fight people who, in theory, have the same general goals, so he tends to run from these encounters. So far he’s managed to evade Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Oswald Octavius in his superhero alter ego of Doctor Octopus. His encounter with Loki resulted in Peter getting the upper hand in classic trickster legend style, earning the God of Mischief’s respect. In other cases, Peter has not been so lucky; while he managed to escape each time, he’s been almost crushed to death by Giant Man, beaten to a pulp by Captain America, and drop kicked into the East River by the Hulk as if he was some sort of football. He has technically never fought Dr. Strange, but was involved in a fracas between the Sorcerer Supreme, Deadpool, and Dr. Doom that resulted in the Eye of Agomotto being lost for five years; everyone involved has agreed to never speak of what happened again. Finally, there’s the matter of Sean Gargan, an aspiring superhero with Scorpion themed powers who has sworn to bring The Spider Man to justice after his father, Mac Gargan, was injured while The Spider Man was fighting Electro.

#spiderman #spiderverse #AU #Portia Spider

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zi-tales · 6 years

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Harpy Lore (mostly from 2014 but some of it is from more recent edits idk)

THE HARPY CONTINENT, TERÆOS:

The Northern Territories (Teræ Sol) are inhabited by the Phoenix Ecclesiarchy and other nobles, including the High Court and other judicial systems to handle legal disputes. It is a very frigid, mountainous area which contains the massive Harpy Citadel, Anatolia. Sinistral Tower - Harpy Citadel The grand tower complex that the Ecclesiarchy resides within, clearly visible from even far in the South. Hopeful acolytes who seek to perpetuate the worship of the Phoenix dream to see the interior of the massive ivory and gold spire.

The Midland Territories (Teræ Lux) are occupied by merchants and farmers who export goods to every region from the Mercantile Heart, a self-sustaining community of both export and bartering services. The relatively warm climate lends well to the vast fields and sparse forests.

The Eastern Territories (Teræ Ignis) consist of an expansive desert with several oases distributed within it, and is almost exclusively populated by the wide variety of dangerously territorial nomadic tribes. These tribes are normally secluded, and are among few groups of harpies that refuse to acknowledge the Ecclesiarchy.

The Western Territories (Teræ Umbra) are infamous for being an area of concentrated hostility. Within the towering Paladria Mountains and humid swamps are groups of human bandits, wandering mercenaries, aspiring adventurers, and vile witch-harpies. Most of those who choose to explore these peaks are primarily attracted to the ancient demon ruins, many of which hold terrible powers.

The Southern Territories (Teræ Luna) are a simple land, hardly populated and heavily forested. Outcasts, travelers, mercenaries, and small communities of all sorts reside scattered within this quiet section of the continent due to its ease of settlement.

PAST EVENTS:

The Reclamation: This war was held to reclaim the Southern Territories of Teræos that over time, was occupied by towering Giants. These Giants, having settled in during an era of reconstruction, were driven out after a drawn out, bloody war which heavily reduced the already lowered Harpy population and nearly wiped the occupying Giants. The Western Conflicts: Harpy communities in the Western Territories quickly grew irate as human interference increased, as adventurers and other relatively hostile human groups continued to enter and occupy their land. An execution policy of all humans was agreed upon throughout the area, eventually resulting in several armed skirmishes between humans and harpies. Due to a disproportionate casualty rate in advantage of the harpies, negotiations to cease the hostile actions were heavily urged. Three years of military intervention and debate of the issues eventually lowered the amount of human danger. Humans continue to attempt taking advantage of the situation, but disappearances within the area remain frequent.

BIOLOGY:

Very long life span (~180 years average, max around 220)

Peak physical condition lasts 18-100 years; slow degradation until 140.

Rapid end-aging, typically starting at ~140 years. Difficult to maintain strenuous physical activity following this point.

Hollow bones; poor at taking high impact. Can heal quickly, however.

Particularly powerful and lean muscles with high versatility.

Flight capability dependent on species and weight, activated through magical support.

Varied species, magical capability dependent on lineage, but all possess at least rudimentary magical ability.

Phoenixes are reborn in the capital upon “death”, but restart age and lose much of their memories.

Males exist in a 5:95 ratio; such extreme rarity often makes them highly protected or worshipped.

ARCANE SUBJECTS:

Glass: The primary substance of the Harpy land, Glass is an incredibly dense, perpetually-sharp material created by transmuting normal metals or minerals. It is manipulated exclusively by those born with the ability to do so. Glass is prone to damage exclusively through shattering or cracking, but is still incredibly durable. All traditional Harpy military gear consists of Glass, as it is substantially lightweight and compacts through arcane means.

Magic: All Harpies are born with innate magical ability. Ability is typically restricted to a single arcane nature. Magical abilities are executed through sigils based on the language the Ancients once wrote in. Unholy sigils are more plentiful, as the Demon race is powerful enough to create such symbols on a whim. Demonic sigils are banned from use, as most are blasphemous corruptions of Ancient text. A sigil example would be the "Form" symbol, used to manipulate Glass. Larger sigils are able to do more, as well as sigils adorned with the "Perfection" symbol.

Spell execution is done either using an engraving activated by tapping into the user's innate magic and empowering the sigil, or by visually drawing the sigil. Advantages and disadvantages lie within both forms of casting. Engraved casting can be instant, and typically provides serviceable results. However, engraving effectiveness is affected by how accurate the sigil is, as well as whatever emotion the sigil was made under. The harpy race is expressive, and has the capability to affect spellcasting through emotion. If a sigil is carved under stress, it can act erratically. Similarly, in a state of elation, a combat sigil might have reduced effectiveness while a healing sigil can act with better effectiveness.

Active casting typically has a wider margin for error to get acceptable results, but perfect results are achieved less easily. However, perfect active casts are typically much more powerful than their Engraved counterparts. Active casting is also fluidly affected by emotion, and with proper training, can almost match the speed of Engraved casting. Furthermore, while considered a practice reserved for experienced mages exclusively, catalysts with certain sigils ("Divine", "Perfect", etc.) can enhance casting.

Scholars constantly try to decipher each symbol left behind by Phoenix archives, typically derived either through similarities with existing sigils or through prayer and answer. These scholars and librarians are certain a sigil exists meaning "Phoenix" in its truest form, something that will likely have significant power behind it.

[Personal note: Didn’t really bother to go through these and edit them, probably could stand to have better descriptions or effects, etc.]

Demonic Schools: Due to Harpy lineage being based in demonic origin, abilities passed down from Demons have shown up in decent frequency within various species of Harpy. Save for research purpose and occasionally combat approval, sigils originating from Demon influence are typically outlawed from use and are scanned for their presence. IGNEUS:

Firespit: Breathe fire, range dependent on skill

Fireball: Rapidly generate fire in a controlled sphere to throw

Hellfang: Imbue wielded weapons with fire; usually applied to blades but can work on anything that constitutes as a weapon

Infernal Body: Coat body in fire and have slight repulsion to attacks

Scorched Earth: Generates a huge amount of flame that incinerates the surrounding area

FACIE DUORUM:

Silver Tongue: More persuasive to others

Velocity: Increases general mobility along with attention, but can quickly drain caster physically

Shroud: Renders invisible in nighttime only

Afterimage: Generates decoy afterimage(s) of oneself; images capable of acting independently with experience

Fog Body: Able to phase through objects or especially weapons in an ghostly manner

MANLIUS NECATI:

Thrall Guard: Summons any dead beings in the nearby vicinity to fight for the caster

Demonhide: Kills existing flesh and hardens it to be extremely damage resistant; process is incredibly painful and cannot be reverted

Fetid Body: Allows body to perpetually regenerate and feel no pain at the cost of making the caster’s appearance necrotic or otherwise sickly if no damage is taken

Resurrect: Resurrects target with necrotic features, but state of intelligence is restored

Ascension: Resurrects target without necrotic features, and also allows full control of the target by the caster should the caster demand so

FACIE MALEDICTIONIS:

Omen: Gives the impression that something benign, dependent on the afflicted individual, is somehow something significant to fear

Pox: Inflicts a random disease that lasts for a generally short period of time

Misfortune: Affects the target’s luck, causing a certain degree of vulnerability dependent on their location

Aversion: Target will cause others around them to shun them, be mortified, or be actively hostile

Tragedy: If properly casted, it will lead to the death of someone the target finds significant to them

Doom: Leads to the death of the target and everyone intended to perish that is correlated with them

TENEBRIS:

Rend: Uses pure dark energy to mangle flesh

Razordown: Hardens feathers and skin with a layer of dark energy, making both caustic to touch and incredibly sharp

Demon Channel: Allows for the caster’s abilities to be further increased by merging with a demon’s soul temporarily, or permanently if the caster is too weak

Vorpal Blade: After casting over the given weapon over enough time, grants the weapon a perpetual sigil that lets it house a demon soul, increasing the weapon’s parameters substantially at the risk of possession after overuse

Demon Summon: Allows for a demon to re-enter the material plane for as long as the summoner can maintain their tether

Divine Schools: Primarily practiced and used by those devout to the worship of the Mothers. Arcane prowess in these schools requires a pure heart, a stalwart mind, or blind faith to use effectively. SANITATEM:

Vigor: Grants an immunity to extreme fatigue

Panacea: Removes general ailments

Recover: Heals internal or external wounds

Vitality Sigil: Can imbue an object with either healing or stamina-based properties

Mending Ground: Creates a aura to heal several individuals at once

QUOS MUNDAT:

Detection: Generates an aura that only performs a scan for demonic sigils or presence

Minor Purge: Purges an object, place, or individual of a minor demonic presence or curse, and can be used to attack demonic beings with slight effectiveness

Great Cleanse: Purges an object, place, or individual of a major demonic presence or curse, and can be used to attack demonic beings with high effectiveness

Demonbane: Purges an object, place, or individual of a truly vile demonic presence or curse, and can be used to attack demonic beings with lethal effectiveness

PROTEGENS:

Prismatic Gauntlet: Generates a holy shield around one arm that protects against darkness and physical damage

Bastion: Creates a small dome that blocks physical attacks and darkness

Blessing: Imbues an object with holy warding properties, repelling curses and demonic beings

Haven: Creates a holy ground that remains as long as the caster maintains it, capable of staving off all forms of darkness

Eternal Veil: Creates a permanent barrier on someone, something, or an area that blocks any and all demonic presence, but requires the life of the caster to remain

DIVINA:

Radiance: Provides an aura of light and repulsion of darkness

Celestial Body: Increases general physical parameters and negates damage from darkness

Holy Sigil: Imbues the given weapon with divine strength for a temporary period of time, or permanently with enough skill and times casted

Divine Lance: Hurls a spear of divine light at the target

Rapture: Binds targets and pierces with multiple heavenly spears

Elemental Schools: Schools of magic with roots shared by other hybrid races, often sharing visual appearance with other languages. Command of the elements is the most common and simple, but more powerful spells require greater control to prevent catastrophic use. GLACIEI:

Frozen Gust: Attacks with a plume of frigid air.

Blizzard Cover: Generates a swirling cover of snow and coats the body in a thin layer of ice, reducing physical, ice, and fire damage.

Frost Sigil: Imbues the given weapon with the ability to freeze on contact for a period of time, or permanently if imbued.

Icicle Torrent: Generates icicles in the air to strike opponents from below

Glacier: Impales or strikes opponent with a massive spike or wall of pure ice

LACUS:

Douse: Generates a thin field of water around the caster and soaks the body to reduce or negate fire damage

Mist Veil: Creates a thick fog

Downpour: Causes rainfall

Hydrojet: Launches a pressurized water jet at the target (Requires suitable water source)

Aqua Cutter: Sends pressurized waves of water at the target (Requires suitable water source)

FULMINIS:

Electric Field: Opponents in proximity of the caster are shocked to stun

Static Down: Creates electricity across the caster’s body, making them highly conductive and able to repel metal weapons

Storm Sigil: Imbues the given weapon with strong electric properties for a period of time, or permanently if imbued.

Punishing Bolt: Fires a heavy bolt from the palm to near-instantly strike the target

Judgment: Brings down multiple high-power bolts from the sky onto the target

ANIMA:

Strike Current: Pushes the target back with heavy force

Windwalker: Allows for a lighter body and increased mobility and flight ability

Gale Sigil: Imbues the given weapon with wind striking properties for a period of time, or permanently if imbued.

Zephyr Blade: Sends a highly compressed wave of air to slice the target

Tempest: Generates a field of cutting wind to quickly dispose of a target

TELLURE:

Stalagmite: Brings a spike of earth up from the ground toward the target or intended direction

Earthbind: Toughens body with an external coat of stone plating at the cost of mobility

Stratum Sigil: Imbues the given weapon with additional durability, hardness, and weight for a period of time, or permanently if imbued.

Monolith Field: Brings up several pillars of earth from the ground in a certain area to strike the target

Megalith: Launches target with a massive pillar of earth from the ground

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lyra-rey · 6 years

Text

The Alternative || Lyra

She was at an underground lab when the sirens were blaring. Her mind was on the new gauntlet she made to help a young pyrokinetic control his powers at Hyperion and the disappointment that she wouldn’t be able to share it with her mentor. She had tried to reach out to Professor Berners several times since his wife passed away, but he has ignored her efforts. Still, she wanted to call him, her finger hovering over his name when she was told they were under lock down.

Scientists and engineers ran regardless of where they were told to go, but Lyra stayed put. Their underground research facility was made to survive worse than whatever emergency was going on above ground.

She was correct, of course. The lab was untouched and the engineers who remained were perfectly fine. After several hours, she volunteered to see what was going on. She climbed up the steps to the surface, hoping that whatever happened had passed and that first responders were already at the scene to help with the damage.

What she found was a battleground and creatures she’s never seen before pouring onto the streets.

ii.

They stayed underground for as long as they could survive, but given their shortage or resources, they had to leave eventually. Lyra had plans already written down, ideas and safe areas that might still be accessible to them. She assumed that there are places outside of the city for them to escape to, but she didn’t want to run without knowing where she was going. A few others decided to stay with her, more so because she had a plan than because they believed in her.

When they surface, it was a lot worse than Lyra had thought. Buildings were decimated, whole blocks turned into rubble. Her plans went out the window.

iii.

She stayed in the lab, surfacing only to grab supplies. Only two engineers chose to stay with her, Lydia and Caesar. They don’t particularly like each other but Lyra figured that they want the company. Someone is better than no one. She figured out how to make a small garden down there, but she knew it won’t last. Through a radio and a lot of tinkering, she found a list of the people pronounced dead. She couldn’t breathe when she saw her parents’ names on the list.

Lydia kept track of the Unity attack while Lyra found things to keep her mind busy. She thought of inventions and ways to rebuild the city. Her thoughts went to the electromagnetic levitation theory she had mulled over but never got around to finishing. She did her best to not think about her parents, her friends, and all the people who were dead several feet above them. The pain in her chest when she thought about them always brought her to tears and if this was even a fraction of what Professor Berners felt, she understood why he was so distant.

Still, she worked. Working was better than thinking about what was going on above them.

iv.

Lydia was taken by Unity when she went to look for supplies. Caesar knew it immediately and forced Lyra to leave. “Unity will be there to take them next. We have to run!”

She didn’t want to, but she did. She left the safety of the underground bunker and ran. She didn’t know where she was going, but she ran as fast as she could anyway.

She found a hole to hide in and hoped Caesar got away.

In her hole, there was nothing for her to occupy her mind with, nothing except the pain that was overtaking her. She wanted her mother to tell her that she could get out of this. She yearned to have her father pull her into a hug. She wanted to quit so badly, to go to Unity and accept whatever fate they would give her.

But she saw Lydia. She saw what they had done to her. She didn’t want to be a mindless drone. She was the smartest person in the city. Lyra was determined to maintain that.

She survived. Surviving alone is easier than in a group. You find what you need and hide out until you have to find more. She had never fashioned herself a thief, but she was smart enough to figure it out. She busied herself with whatever books she could find, occasionally making notes the way she used to--plans for a counteroffensive the world was in no shape to make. Planning it made her feel a little better, as if she could get the revenge she wanted if she made it perfect enough.

From her hiding places, she observed her enemy. She noted the way they walked, how silent they seemed. It wasn’t difficult to recognize their hive mind, but combating it was another issue. She worked with frequencies, hoping that there was one that might cause some discomfort. There were a few that triggers a reaction, but none sufficient enough to keep them away. Regardless, they were a unit that could see everything and anything all at the same time.

She wondered what it would take to break down that connection. She saw the people taken by Unity, their walks not quite human even if they did their best to appear so. Sometimes, she saw Lydia among them.

Her mind focused on her research to the point where she forgets how long she had been working on it. Years? Months? Days? Lyra wouldn’t know. But she had her theories and her notebooks full of Unity and ways to combat them. She was never quite the tactician, but she found a couple books since then. Now, she put herself to sleep at night, dreaming of how she would take them down.

Being alone had never bothered her before, but she felt it at night, when there was no one else to talk to or bounce ideas off of. On those nights, she looked to the stars, imagining that there was something out there better than the aliens that invaded her home.

vi.

They called themselves the Resistance, which Lyra thought was a stupid name. They were a small group in Newhaven, composed of the few survivors left in the city. She was grateful to see Caesar among them.

For a group called the Resistance, they didn’t do much. Lyra shared her research with them, but they had already come to similar conclusions, albeit without the technical terms she had used. Nothing changed that there was little they could do other than take Unity down one alien at a time.

Lyra saw the impracticality of that plan, but she didn’t argue with them. She didn’t want them to toss her out so she played their game.

Along with Caesar, they made their living situations livable with water and a reasonable amount of electricity. They built tunnels and escape routes in case of an emergency and tried to make themselves useful. She used the alien technology to make new things. Weapons came by easily, but she studied the way they are run and came up with a more efficient form of energy for their power generators.

For once, Lyra’s heart wasn’t in rebuilding. It was in the work the scientists were doing, inspecting and figuring out how the aliens worked. Whenever she could, she found herself talking to the duo of scientists, Mackenzie and Yoshi, although, Yoshi was more of a physicist than biological scientist. Regardless, they talked and discussed theories and it almost felt like old times for her.

viii.

It might not have been Lyra’s idea to bring in the alien body for a proper dissection, but she was vocal about her approval. She stressed that they couldn’t fight something they didn’t know about and it shouldn’t be too hard to drag back a body of an alien they already killed.

No one else liked the idea of bringing an alien into their base of operations, but they compromised. Lyra prepared a building for the experimentation far away from the base and they got to do their experiments.

The alien had clearly been dead a long time before it reached the table, but Lyra still made sure to use extra force when cutting it open. She made thorough notes as Yoshi drew out anatomy as best as he could. The three of them talked little as they worked, almost as if they were afraid the alien would come back to life on the table. Lyra just wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing anything.

ix.

Their research sent them to dead ends. They understood some of their basic organs, but their brains were too complicated for them to figure out how the hive brain works. Yoshi wanted to call it quits, but Mackenzie was adamant that there has to be a way to break the connection. Words were whispered about her husband and daughter who were unified, but Lyra paid them no mind.

Lyra came up with an idea.

They called her insane. The Resistance called the plan ridiculous and claimed it definitely wouldn’t work. Caesar told her personally that she should let it go.

She didn’t.

A few gunho soldiers agreed to her foolish plan. They memorized the routes Unity took and cornered one. Their unified came for the attack, but Lyra was already there, stabbing Unity with enough electricity to burn an average human alive. The unified screamed along with their master, but then they attacked, despite the pain. The unified took out the soldiers and Lyra was forced to run with whoever survived.

She was reprimanded when she returned to the base and they threatened to throw her out. Lyra couldn’t bring herself to argue otherwise, but they let her stay, if only because she was the only one who could fix the generator.

Mackenzie asked if it worked, but Lyra refused to tell her. Even if it did, she vowed to never do something like that again.

A boy nearly blew up the entire base when his powers came in and they were forced to move to a more secure location. The leaders questioned their safety and his parents begged them not to throw him out. Lyra offered an alternative.

Her equipment was rudimentary at best, but with alien technology, she managed to figure out how his power worked biologically. From there, she only needed to create a way for him to channel his powers. They manifest in a pair of gloves that absorbed the heat he created and converted it into energy that could be distributed back into his body. He was much more hyper than normal, but otherwise completely safe.

The success with him resulted in others going to her for help. Lyra did what she could for them. Not everyone had a gift that she could create something for, but she tried anyway.

Her name made its rounds through the underground resistance and those with powers began to seek her out. A teleporter named Percy offered his assistance to her after she figured out a way to stop him from teleporting in his sleep and she went wherever she was needed.

xi.

Lyra has all but given up on the world by the time she meets the young man by the name of Royland B. Giver. The resistance was almost completely dead, most of the friends she had made having been unified or killed. The only way she was still alive was through Percy.

Royland’s powers are different than everyone else’s and she finds herself obsessed with them. She feels like a child again when she asks him questions and tries to figure out a way to help him recall the abilities that he learns. It’s through the research done by her long dead friend, Mackenzie, that she begins to put things together.

If she can replicate the hive mind, she can save the powers.

The hive mind was beyond Lyra’s ability in her youth and she had given up her attempt to understand Unity when the remaining super people asked for her help. But Mackenzie continued her research up until her own death. Through her notes she saw theories of how the hive mind worked, more than enough for Lyra to play with.

xii.

She comes to the conclusion that she needs fresh Unity bodies if she is going to make this happen and she can’t bring herself to do so. The Resistance asks her what her next move is and she keeps evading their questions. She knows the only way she might be able to help him would be brain fluid, but how can she ask for soldiers to die for one man.

She tells Royland and he says he understands.

He returns a few weeks later with a body of Unity in tow. Lyra is furious at him, but he assures her that no one was hurt too bad. He promises that he was careful and that no one followed him back. When her anger dies down, she asks him why. He insists it is because she needed it.

xiii.

The first suit is rudimentary, but it works. He keeps two powers in it and it is more than enough to keep them safe at the least. Lyra tells him how it works but he only gives her a smile. She figures it doesn’t matter if he knows how it works as long as it does work.

She is working on improvements to it when he asks her why he can’t understand what she’s doing.

“It’s not a power, kid. It’s just stubbornness and lots of reading.”

She is able to add two more powers.

xiv.

He becomes more powerful than anyone of the Resistance can imagine. She receives praises for her work, but she keeps saying that it isn’t finished yet. There is more to be added.

No one says anything when she begins coughing too much. She claims it is a cold, but she recognizes the signs. Mackenzie had been coughing a lot too after a while. She takes a break from researching, but the cough stays. She is technically an old woman now, older than her mother ever was. It’s normal for her to be getting sick, possibly even dying. She’s trained a few to follow in her footsteps, though none are quite what she was at their age.

After several months, her cough remains and Lyra works on his suit again. If she was going to die, she wanted to at least get his suit working properly before then. By the time she finishes it off, he is no doubt the soldier they need to take on Unity.

If only he wasn’t so outnumbered.

xv.

The Resistance has a plan and Royland volunteers to go.

Lyra is already bedridden, not the spry young woman she once was. But she adds him another slot anyway. Her hands are too shaky to complete and she has her protegee build it into the suit for her. She can see the defects her protegee has created as she installs it and is incredibly annoyed that she can’t fix it herself.

“It’s a one way ticket. There’s no way her horrible work will be able to maintain the power for you to use it twice.”

Royland is grateful anyway.

xvi.

She is there when he poofs back to 2018. She wonders if he would see her there, a woman with a million ideas and not enough time to put them together.

She’s confident that he will fix it, that there will be a timeline somewhere where they are happy.

She hopes she did her part to save the world.

#dr rey #self para #au: unity won #the alternative #;i apologize for this length ok #this really got away with me

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yierknives · 3 years

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What are the best reasons to have a Bluetooth speaker for a party?

There’s absolutely no doubt that a great party deserves amazing music pumping out of awesome speakers. You’ve spent a lot of time curating the perfect playlist and preparing for the evening, so ironing out all of the small details to make sure the night goes off with a bang is critical. Whether you want chilled music for an intimate dinner party or you want to dance the night away with friends and strangers alike, playing the right music from quality party speakers can create an unforgettable experience.

What to look for in party speakers?

So you’re ready to put on the party of the year. But you’re not quite sure what speakers you need in order to get the job done. That is understandable because there are a ton of factors to take into account when picking out the best party speakers. How loud do they need to be? How big do they need to be? Do you need them to be Bluetooth connectable, or is wired okay?

Here we go over a few of the things you need to consider when picking out the best party speakers for your purpose.

Sound Quality

With sound quality, we’re referring to the mids and highs of the music and how clearly and distinctively a speaker is able to produce these sounds. If the sound quality is good then the mids and highs will be clear and flawless without any distortion at high volumes. This is important otherwise once your speaker goes above a certain volume, you’ll start hearing what resembles a “scratching noise” that’ll ruin your music.

If you’re new to frequency response ranges and do not know what mids and highs are, I will make it simple for you.

Highs: These are the high pitches or high-frequency sounds that are often produced by the soprano, violin, flute, etc.

Mids: These are the medium pitches or middle frequencies that are often produced by the viola, cello, alto, tenor, oboe, etc.

Lows: These are the low pitches or low (bass) frequencies that are often produced by the bass, bassoon, bass drum, baritone, etc.

So before buying a speaker, make sure to read some reviews to ensure that the speaker has good sound quality and will not distort when you turn the volume to max.

Portability

How often will you be throwing parties? Will you always be using the same venue? Unless you are planning on keeping your speakers in the same location for every party, you should consider how important a factor like portability is.

Moving heavy speakers around a couple of times a month or even a couple of times a year can become a huge hassle when throwing a party. Larger speakers take up extra space which may mean you need to make extra trips to get the rest of your supplies. But then again, you may need the power that larger speakers offer.

There are some fantastic portable party speakers that are a little bit smaller but still pack 1000-watts of power. If you’re going to be doing a lot of moving, consider the option of picking up a smaller speaker that has more power. The last thing you want is to set up your party and have all the guests invited only to find out your speakers aren’t going to fit into the space you’ve picked out. Smaller speakers mean more dance floor room.

Battery Life

We just mentioned that a hand full of the party speakers on this list do not run on battery so when it comes to the battery it is obviously important to check if the speaker actually has one. Checking whether that battery is a rechargeable battery is important. While the chances of getting a proper party speaker that runs on a non-rechargeable battery are very slim, I still make sure to check.

Batteries come in different sizes, and some can be extremely powerful while others are sadly very weak. Check how powerful the battery is and how long it will last on max volume. Bear in mind that the volume that you are playing music at will affect how long the battery lasts. Another thing that you should take note of in regards to the battery is that if the speaker has accessories such as lights, then it will use far more power than when only the music is playing.

This can actually have a dramatic effect on the battery-life. For example, the ION Audio Block Party Live, which is an amazing speaker, gets about 70 hours of playtime from a charge when the light dome is switched off, however, when you switch it on while playing music, you only get 6 hours of playtime. Take this into consideration when buying a party speaker.

Connectivity

If Bluetooth is important to you, then you’re in luck, because most speakers these days have the capability to be connected via Bluetooth. Bluetooth party speakers generally work on a battery and you will need to take into account the amount of battery life you want out of your speakers.

Ideally, you will be able to play your music for over 12 hours without needing to recharge them. That way you can keep the music going through the entire ordeal. However, wired speakers offer a little more convenience in the sense that you don’t need to worry about recharging at all.

The signal is generally stronger with wired speakers and you don’t need to worry about the signal cutting out in the middle of everyone’s favorite sing-along song. Smaller speakers tend to be better suited to have Bluetooth connectivity as the whole point of having smaller speakers is portability. A lot of this decision will come down to size, power, and capability for your party.

Durability

Have you ever been at a party and had drinks spill on valuable things? It happens, and many other things do too. How much rigorousness are you going to be putting your speakers through? If you’re throwing university frat ragers, then a set of speakers that can handle whatever is thrown at them may be necessary.

If you have a more sophisticated social circle, you may be able to get away with using speakers that are a little more fragile. Most portable Bluetooth speakers these days are made with waterproof capabilities and are fairly durable. Generally, you should be okay in most cases, but this is a factor you should keep in mind.

What to Consider when Buying a Party Speaker?

Your Budget

Yes, the mighty dollar rules. Ideally, we would all own a B&W Nautilus but that’s not the way the world works and everybody cannot spend 50k on a speaker. So when we buy speakers (or most stuff actually) we often look at our budget and then limit our options to what we can afford. Since we know how important it is to stick to your budget, we’ve added party speakers from a variety of price ranges to our list.

Party Size and Location

If you think about this logically then it is obvious that a person throwing a small house-party for 20 people would not have the same audio needs as a person who invited 100 guests. So consider the number of people you typically entertain before making a final purchase decision.

Hand in hand with this consider the location of your party, more specifically whether it will be held indoors or outdoors. Some speakers sound amazing indoors but once you take away the acoustic effects provided by four walls and the roof, the sound “falls flat”. If you are planning to host an outdoor party, buy a speaker that will excel in that environment.

It’s going to have to be powerful, and loud, and if you know that there will be water nearby, you’d also want it to be water-resistant or even fully waterproof. There are many speakers, like the DinDinModern, that are water-resistant, making them perfect for pool parties. Speakers rated IPX7 have no problem ending up inside the pool if the party picks up speed!

FAQs about party speakers

1. How can I test if my speakers are good? One great way to test the quality of your speakers is to begin by playing a sound or music through them quietly. Listen intently to the sound quality at a lower level before turning it up. If the quality and tone don’t sound great at a low and quiet level, then it’s likely that the speaker needs replacing. Also, make sure that your speakers are connected correctly, as your music is only as strong as the cables and signals that it flows through.

2. Can certain sounds damage speakers? Yes, absolutely. Playing music through the speakers that are turned up too loud can damage the speakers quite quickly. When you over-power low-frequency speakers, it’s the fastest way to permanently damage them. Very often damage happens over time and it can be hard to tell that your speakers are permanently altered until it’s too late. To care for your speakers, ensure that the volume is at the right levels and that the frequencies aren’t too overpowering to ultimately ruin the speaker.

3. What happens if speaker impedance is too low? All speakers have an impedance rating which showcases how difficult it is to power the speaker. The lower the impedance is on the speaker, the more efficiently music will be able to pass through the speaker. This is due to how easily the electrical signal can flow through it. However, if the impedance is too low on your speakers, it can result in a weak output and a low tone. Making sure you get appropriate resistors can help provide a solution for this problem, as they will dissipate one-fourth of the maximum power your amplifier can output.

4. How many watts do I need for my speakers? Usually, the higher the watts on your speakers, the better. Watts help provide cleaner and better sound, no matter which speaker you choose. However, 50 watts should be more than enough to enjoy listening to your speakers recreationally and professionally, in some cases. From there, small differences in power don’t make a noticeable change in the quality of the sound. You would have to go up 100 watts per channel before being able to really tell a difference.

5. How can you tell how powerful a speaker is? You’ll be able to tell how powerful the speaker is by looking at the watts. If you are only listening recreationally and need something to fill the space, 50 watts will be adequate. If you are playing music professionally or want something with more power, 200 watts is said to be plenty of power coming out of that speaker. To determine how many watts your speaker has, you should be able to look at the back of the speaker box or the manual. Once turned around, there should be a plate or sticker on your speaker listing the wattage, voltage, and amperage.

Conclusion

Don’t overthink your desire to play great music at your next party or gathering. Consider the size of the party, the location, and what you are trying to accomplish overall with the music as your friends and family arrive. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun with your guests. Choose the best speaker that will help you to enjoy the night the most!

Any of our winning options are quality speakers that will serve you well, but selecting the perfect one is about your preferences and ideal price point.Want more recommendations for the best Bluetooth speaker ? Check out our guides to the DinDinModern.

Why choose DINDINMODERN?

We do the retail and wholesale business of authentic Bluetooth speakers. We hope to be your stable global supporter and partner. We are an enterprise integrating factory and trade, specializing in the design, manufacture and sales of high-quality Bluetooth speakers. We always make every effort to check the quality of each Bluetooth speaker.

#qualty party speakers #best party speaker #portable party peaker #fully waterproof

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mobilemechanicsabq · 3 years

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Best Bicycle Services and Cost in Albuquerque NM |Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque

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TIPS 5 Bicycle Fit Tips That’ll Improve Your Comfort and Power Bicycle Services near Albuquerque NM: How you position yourself on the bike makes a huge difference in terms of comfort, power, and aerodynamics. While it’s a good idea for all cyclists and triathletes to get a professional bike fit, there are some basic guidelines you can use to troubleshoot problem areas and generally set yourself up in a neutral position. The goal is to achieve a position that allows you to ride your bike without creating any injuries and one that will allow you to ride your bike for years. As an added bonus, the right fit will also make you more efficient and powerful. Try a Saddle Before You Buy Finding the right saddle can be a bit of a process because it’s important to find the curvature, width, and shape that is comfortable for you. Saddles with more curvature (and/or a channel down the center) are often great for athletes who have limited flexibility through the hips and lower back. The curvature allows you to rotate your hips forward more easily without putting too much pressure on sensitive areas. The width and amount of padding in the saddle also have a big impact on comfort and performance. Finding the right saddle may take some time and some trial and error, so work with your local bike shop – many have a loaner program – so you don’t have to make a huge financial investment. A quick ride in the parking lot is often not enough to tell you whether a saddle will work for you in the long run Determining Saddle Setback Move the saddle forward or backward so your knee is over the pedal spindle when the crank is in the 3 o’clock position. Again, this is a good starting point, and then you can adjust your cleats fore and aft as needed. Use your thumb to feel the ball of your foot on the inside of your shoe. With a pen, put a small mark on this point of your shoe so you can set the cleat using this as a landmark. Basics of Setting Saddle Height While you can dial this in perfectly with a professional fit, here are some guidelines for roughly setting up your saddle height. These are especially useful when you have to jump on a loaner bike or even a bike in a hotel fitness center. Start with the saddle in a level position, parallel to the floor. Sitting on the saddle, pedal with your heels on the pedals. Your foot should maintain contact with the pedal without having to rock your hips. Pay Attention to the Shoe-Pedal Connection The pedals are your third point of contact with the bike. It’s important that the platform is large enough to feel secure (not like you’re standing on ice cubes). And the most critical piece will be adjusting the cleats properly, to make sure you have a stable and tight shoe to pedal connection that will ensure optimal power transfer and allow you to ride injury-free. As a general starting point for many riders, you can set the middle indicator on the cleat slightly back, about 5mm, from the ball of your foot. The angling of cleats and the lateral distance they are set from the crank (Q-factor) is dependent on each rider’s individual body structure, however, you want to make sure you don’t feel any twisting or tension in the ankles, knees, and hips while pedaling. You can start with the cleats set straight ahead and make minor adjustments from there. Note that each foot could require different angling. Handlebar Width and Reach Makes a Difference Bicycle Services near Albuquerque NM: With the handlebar, look at the drop and the width of the bars. If you have relatively small hands or a shorter torso, look for a shallow drop bar. The width of the bar should match the width of your shoulders, which will keep your arms in a neutral position when your hands are on the brake hoods. You also want to ensure the handlebar reach is neither too long or short, as it can cause neck, shoulder, back pain, and compromise bike handling. You should be able to reach the hoods with a comfortable bend in the elbows without feeling like you need to scoot your body forward or backward on the saddle.

COST Bicycle Services near Albuquerque NM: All bicycle services are carried out using professional bicycle tools, greases, and lubricants. Prices quoted for services are estimates only. Thus, prices may vary if other problems are found during the service. If the price variation is significant we will contact you for approval - otherwise we will go ahead with the repairs. Senior bike mechanic has 28 years’ experience in our workshop. Headset repack from $15 Hub repack from $20 Gear adjustment from $25 Brake adjustment from $12.50 Precision wheel truing from $20 Disc brake wheel truing from $22.5 Disc brake bleeding from $25/brake Recoil a dropout from $30 Fit a tube and/or tyre from $10 Recoil a crank arm from $30 Bicycle service from $79 Fit a bottom bracket from $25 BMX bicycles from $49 Fit a chain from $10 Geared bicycles from $79 Re tap a bottom bracket from $25 Frame strip and rebuild from $130 Fit a headset from $20 Annual overhaul from $130 Disc brake truing from $15 Precision wheel building from $37.50 Reface disc mounts from $20 Realign a frame from $25 Reface a bottom bracket from $25 Fit a suspension fork from $35 Disc brake adj & clean from $25 Pack a bike in a box from $30 Flat tire repair – $18 (inner tube replacement included) Bicycle Assembly – $55 Includes assembly, basic tune-up, fitting and free adjustments Basic tune up – $70 ● Safety check ● General cleaning ● Brake and derailleur adjustment ● Adjust bottom bracket, headset and hubs ● Clean and lubricate chain and derailleurs ● True wheels (on-bike) Tune Up Plus – $100 ● Includes everything in the basic tune-up plus thorough cleaning (replacement parts extra) Specific part overhauls – $25/per part Complete overhaul and cleaning (November thru March only) – $150 (a great deal!) ● Bring your bike to a Like-New condition and save $100s (replacement parts extra) Prices quoted for services are estimates only. Thus, prices may vary if other problems are found during the service. If the price variation is significant we will contact you for approval - otherwise we will go ahead with the repairs. Senior bike mechanic has 28 years’ experience in our workshop. Standard bicycle service Our standard bike service includes: ● Alignment of derailleur hanger and adjustment of gears and lubing of gear cables. ● Adjustment of brakes and lubing of brake cables. ● Measure chain for stretch and report on life. ● Lube chain and all pivot points. ● Adjustment of wheel bearings, headset bearings, and bottom bracket bearings. ● General check on tension of all bolts and screws. ● Inflation of tires to recommended pressure. ● Minor in frame wheel truing. ● Alignment of handlebars ● General clean ● Test ride Annual overhaul ● An annual overhaul includes everything in the Standard Bicycle Service plus the following. ● Full clean, grease, and repack of both front and rear hubs. ● Full clean, grease, and adjustment of the bottom bracket. ● Full clean, grease, and repack of the headset. ● Full clean and relube of the drivetrain. ● Test Ride. Wheel Truing All bike wheel repairs are carried out using either DT, Sapim, or Wheelsmith plain gauge or double butted spokes. The double butted spokes can be either plain stainless steel or black.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Can I come in and work on my own bike? Yes! Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque offers do-it-yourself access where we provide you with tools, parts, and guidance so you are able to service your bicycle yourself. No experience is necessary as long as you are actually able to do the work yourself. And there is no cost for DIY service access but we ask for at least a $15 donation an hour to Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque Coop for the bicycle stand and tools used. Most DIY tune-ups take about an hour per bicycle. If you are interested in working on your own bike, you are most welcome at the Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque shop on Wednesdays 6-9pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm.

How much to get my dusty bike in rideable shape? Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque offers full tune-ups for $75 excluding part replacements, please see our Additional Repair Services page for more information.

What is the turnaround time for bike repairs? Anywhere from next day to a week during peak season.

I’m having problems with my bike. Do you know what the problem is? How much does a repair like this run? We can’t say for sure without you bringing the bike to the shop. Please refer all questions to the Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque shop manager at 703-549-1108.

Can I sell my used bikes or parts to Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque Coop? Sorry, Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque does not purchase used bicycles or parts. However, because of our 501c3 non-profit status, Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque can provide you a tax deductible receipt for any material or financial donations you wish to make.

Do you require appointments? Nope!

Do you do mobile repairs? Sorry, Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque currently does not have the capacity to support our customer base through mobile repairs. Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque does support bike rodeos where we visit local schools and affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods. For more information, please see the Community Services pages on the Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque website.

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expatimes · 4 years

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Bulldozed: The Zimbabweans losing their homes to a land dispute | Construction News

Harare, Zimbabwe – Chengeto Tapfuma, 59, has become accustomed to pain and loss.

Three years ago, she lost her only daughter after a long illness and became the sole provider for her four grandchildren, who are now aged between eight and 13.

The oldest will start secondary school in Harare’s Budiriro suburb, close to where they live, next year.

While she was still mourning her daughter’s death, her two-roomed cottage, the place she has called home for the past 10 years, was levelled after being declared an “illegal structure”, leaving her young family homeless.

As a bulldozer roared into the sprouting suburb on December 8, residents were ordered from their homes with the few possessions they could grab, and then the demolitions began.

Together with 134 other households in Budiriro 5, an extension of Harare’s Budiriro suburb which has grown up over the past 10 years as people have built informal structures there, they stood in the heavy rain and watched as their homes were pulled down.

Like councils in other urban areas of Zimbabwe, Harare City Council is facing a rise in illegal settlements which have emerged as powerful businessmen known as land barons have parcelled out land without proper planning and approval.

While many legal housing cooperatives, which are approved and registered by city councils, do buy land in order to help local people build homes, some land barons have set up illegal housing associations and have illegally sold land they do not own to unsuspecting residents.

As a result, Harare City Council has taken legal action to deal with the malpractice, targeting more than 20 housing cooperatives it says are operating illegally.

“Due to the rampant illegal occupation on open spaces of land by land barons in Harare, the Harare City Council took illegal occupants of such land to court,” the minister of local government, July Moyo, said on December 16, one week after the demolitions in Budiriro 5. “To date, Harare City Council has secured 23 court rulings in their favour, and 22 are yet to be executed.”

The Budiriro 5 demolition was the first of these 23 orders to be executed and the casualties are the local residents, who say they believed they had bought their land plots in good faith from a legitimate housing association.

The temporary shack that Chengeto Tapfuma has been forced to build to provide shelter for her four grandchildren, for whom she has cared since the death of her daughter three years ago. The family has nowhere else to live after their home was demolished by bulldozers last month

Waiting in vain and in the rain

After the demolition gang departed Budiriro 5, mountains of crumbling brickwork and rubble remained, a reminder of more than 10 years of investment and sweat by the homeowners gone to waste in an instant. With her grandchildren wailing in the rain, clinging to her arms and legs, Chengeto says the agony of losing her daughter came right back to her.

Her pain and frustration are evident. “It seems like a vital organ was forcibly extracted from my fragile body,” she says. “Speaking to anyone, even you journalists, is helpless because nobody is willing to listen and help us anyway.”

After the demolition of her home, Chengeto managed to put up a small shack on the site, but all of her personal possessions were lost when the bulldozers came.

At night, Chengeto and her grandchildren shelter in the shack. But when the rain is too heavy, the family tries to stay with relatives in the area. Meals most days are donated by well-wishers.

Feeding a fire to boil water for tea, Chengeto says, “The government promised to bring us food and tents to shelter us, but they haven’t come back yet. We have nothing to feed the children, after everything was damaged by the rain.

“We have nowhere else to go, this is our home.”

Game of thrones

Chengeto’s life – and the lives of her neighbours – has been thrown into chaos because of a dispute over ownership of the land on which their homes were built.

Residents say they bought their plots of land from Tembwe Housing Cooperative in 2010, making them the lawful owners. Members of the cooperative have paid monthly subscriptions for their plots; in total, the 134 members of Tembwe Housing Cooperative say they have each contributed $3,600 since 2010. It is a large sum considering that many families here earn about $50 per month.

Residents of Budiriro 5 contemplate their next move, resolving to stay put for as long as they can

They say that Tembwe Housing Cooperative, whose name is derived from the armed struggle against British colonial rule, which ended in 1980, told them it had acquired the land lawfully from the council.

But Harare City Council claims it did not sell the land to Tembwe Housing Cooperative and instead, it announced in 2015 that it intended to sell the land to another cooperative – Events Housing. The resulting dispute has been raging ever since.

In a December 16 statement following the demolitions, July Moyo, the local government minister, said, “While it is a fact that Events Housing Cooperative was in the process of being allocated the said piece of land, Tembwe Housing Cooperative invaded the land resulting in the Harare City Council and the two cooperatives dragging each other to court.

“The occupations are also championed by individuals who are seeking to profiteer from the ordinary peoples’ quest for land and housing. These land barons are causing chaos and frustrating orderly development in Harare.”

The residents do not agree with this version of events. Jennifer Mtami, 31, a mother of five who has been displaced by the demolitions, says, “We were told by both the city council and the government department that registers cooperatives that our cooperative was legally registered with the government. Every member contributed US$30 per month as subscription fees, and we wanted development to take place. We got water connection that was inspected by the city council.”

Land disputes between cooperatives or with the city council regarding boundaries and proper use of an area are not uncommon, particularly where land is of high quality.

Unlike other wetlands in the area – areas where water covers the soil, or is present at or near its surface – this portion of land has attracted a lot of interest from rival developers because of the good quality of its soil, and its suitability for building and habitation. Other wetlands which have been occupied across Harare and neighbouring towns have, by contrast, been frequently flooded.

A 2019 inquiry commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa into the sale of state land by land barons and the city councils in and around urban areas since 2005 observed that “land was either invaded by home seekers, invaded by war veterans for agricultural purposes, which subsequently morphed into urban settlements, or allocation to cooperatives, trusts and land developers by the responsible ministry, who pocketed proceeds”.

The report noted, “Aspiring or sitting Members of Parliament created new urban settlements as a way of mobilising political support, and use of names of top ruling party leadership to exert undue influence on government institutions and processes.

“Housing development has occurred on unplanned areas such as wetlands, under power lines, on top of sewer lines or sites designated for schools and clinics.”

An abandoned couch sits outside one of the demolished houses in the Budiriro 5 neighbourhood

Who is to blame?

Further complicating the dispute over Budiriro 5, the opposition-controlled Harare City Council, which claims ownership of the land, has denied that it is responsible for bulldozing the houses there. Instead, it blames the ZANU-PF government.

Hostilities between opposition-controlled city councils and the central government date back to the 2000 elections when the new main opposition Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) won an unprecedented 57 parliamentary seats in mainly urban areas, a record for the MDC since independence in 1980.

Currently, the MDC Alliance (a grouping of opposition parties which includes the original MDC) controls 28 of the country’s 32 municipalities in towns and cities, while the governing party has much greater support in rural areas, and exists in urban areas primarily as the opposition.

The resulting political feud between the governing ZANU-PF and the MDC Alliance over control of urban councils has caused upheaval for common residents.

The MDC Alliance, in particular, complains about interference from the governing party over the running of council business, resulting in disruption of water and refuse collection services.

The MDC Alliance also says it has inherited chaotic services, inefficient administration systems and a scourge of land barons protected through their political links.

Neither side will officially take responsibility for ordering the demolition of people’s homes and the dispute over who exactly is to blame continues on social media channels.

On the day of the Budiriro 5 demolitions, December 8, Information Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana tweeted: “I am told @cohsunshinecity is going to demolish 134 houses under Events Housing Cooperative in Budiriro. They obtained court order to carry out the demolitions.”

Nelson Chamisa, the main MDC Alliance opposition leader, denied his party was to blame. “The heartless and cruel demolitions of citizens’ homes is a violation of the dignity and security of persons,” he told the media two days after visiting the affected residents. “This command politics based on iron-fisted governance style must be resisted by us all. Those responsible please stop it.”

Harare City Council Mayor Jacob Mafume did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

In previous statements, however, he has stated that residents will be given the chance to prove ownership of land if they can do so. On December 10, he wrote on Twitter: “I have asked the officials to compile the court orders that are there advertise them on all platforms. Those with a legal basis be allowed to prove. Need to be humane always in Covid-19 times. In the meantime, we hold in abeyance all processes.

“I am sorry for the pain that have been caused to the victims who have been victimized twice. Land barons should be brought to account first. We now have a humanitarian crisis which should have been foreseeable. We need to show empathy in this hard times.”

Householders’ possessions were destroyed by the bulldozers that flattened the neighbourhood

‘We have nowhere to go’

Martha Samanga, 43, is one resident of Budiriro 5 who has not yet lost her home. However, she says, the bulldozers could be back at any time. “Ten years since the suburb started being built, we are now called illegal residents by the city council and the court but this is not a wetland compared to some areas in Budiriro ,” says Martha. “They promised to return and destroy the rest of the homes, including mine, and we are still waiting for them.”

At least Martha still has a home, unlike Vimbiso Farasi, 41, and her three children, for whom every day is a struggle, sleeping in the rain in temporary shelters.

“I have three young children, and we have nowhere to go,” she says. “We built this temporary structure, but it is not safe for my family.”

The met department has forecast more rain in the coming days.

The residents of Budiriro 5 are yet to meet the relevant authorities from the council to discuss the way forward. The government has suggested relocating them to an open ground, far from Budiriro 5. The proposed area is still within Harare, but, while close to shops and schools, has no running water.

“The authorities don’t want to come and address us. They must come and meet us, and tell us the way forward,” says James Chimeramombe, 46, a now homeless self-employed father of six.

Children play beside the ruins of a bulldozed house in Budiriro 5

History of corruption

Opposition and ruling party politicians, councillors and officials have been among those who have pounced on vacant land, parcelling it up and dividing it among themselves, or selling it on illegally to home seekers, even land located on top of sewer lines and other reserved amenities on which it is illegal to build.

In a bid to clean up such corruption in urban areas, the late opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, led a purge of corrupt councillors in 2010. But the rot had already set in.

A November 2020 report by Tabani Mpofu, head of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU) in the office of the president, singled out city councillors. It said: “Corruption has a direct and adverse effect on the society within which it is practised. There is no better illustration of this fact than the dire circumstances that residents of Harare and other urban centres find themselves in.

“Service delivery in Harare has deteriorated to such an extent that garbage collection is almost non-existent in most suburbs with many urban centres going for decades without water,” the SACU report added.

In 2005, just as winter began, nearly 700,000 citizens of Zimbabwe were rendered homeless and destitute when then-President Robert Mugabe demolished houses deemed as slums in a campaign said to be targeting illegal housing and commercial activities in a bid to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

Nearly 2.4 million people were indirectly affected. The directive was viewed by the MDC opposition as retribution towards urban voters for electing them into power in their areas. The United Nations called the episode a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

Inside one of the demolished houses in Budiriro 5, a family’s possessions lie ruined by the bulldozers and the rain

Voices of defiance

As the 2023 general elections draw closer, residents of Harare suburbs like Martha, Chengeto and James anticipate that politicians will flood the area, as usual, canvassing for votes. With the majority of their identification particulars destroyed by rain during the demolitions, their lives are in disarray, though residents of the area are confident they will rise again if they get assistance from charities and government.

“We need assistance urgently to get identification documents for us and our children because they were destroyed by the rain,” says Jennifer Mtami, 31, a mother and one of the displaced residents of Budiriro 5.

The residents say they are not going anywhere; that they just want to restart their lives.

“We are ready to rebuild but we are afraid the homes will be destroyed again and bring others in our place,” Chengeto says. “Corruption is ruining our lives because we were here for the past 10 years, and they should have sorted the area and given us the first priority. We are prepared to pay the council whatever they want for the land.”

Meanwhile, the cabinet has directed the demolitions to stop, for now, until the rainy season is over, by around March.

The word Budiriro means “prosperity” in the prevalent Shona vernacular, but for the affected residents, their neighbourhood has brought them very far from that.

#humanrights Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=16629&feed_id=27781 #africa #construction #features #humanrights #zimbabwe

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