#live project based summer training

[dropout-if]

DEMO (coming soon) - FAQ - NAVIGATION

Dropout is an upcoming (and a side project!) +18 slice-of-life interactive fiction game. Loosely inspired by media such as In the Heights and Night in the Woods.

Tag(s): Slice of life, Drama, Romance, YA, LGBTQ+, Text-based.

You take the train home from college after nearly four years away, knowing you will be welcomed with open arms, bright smiles, and the sincerest congratulations from your friends and family, from the entire neighborhood. Their pride has not been misplaced, for better or for worse, you are the one: the only one who made it into college.

This is your first summer home since you began studying in Stanford. That is what everyone thinks.

This is your first summer home since you dropped out of college, thus becoming the biggest disappointment in your neighborhood. That is what only you know.

Trigger Warning(s): Crude humor, Strong language, optional sex scenes, Violence, Depression and depictions of other mental illnesses, Substance use, Unwanted pregnancy (a RO's, Wanda).

A short disclaimer

Features and Characters below!

Return to your home, the fictional neighborhood of Downtown Heights, where you're treated like a local hero because of your grand achievement.

Determine how you managed to make it into college and why you decided to call it quits.

Reunite with your high school friends and acquaintances, with whom you've barely spoken in the past few years.

Romance one (or more) of the six old faces waiting for you in Downtown Heights.

Customize your Main Character! From their teenage years to their young adulthood, from physicality to personality. Be it your traits, flaws, and vices: everything shapes your return home.

Navigate the very dramatic shenanigans of young adulthood.

Queer relationships • RO Intros • ROs' Social Media • RO Facts

Jean/Jade Gray (he/him or she/her): THE EX • 23 years old

J and you were good. Until you weren't, and then they broke up with you right before you left for college. The two of you promised to stay as friends, but, like most promises between you and J, that too was meant to be broken. Your ex is often considered to be ambitious, determined, and cutthroat. You honestly expected them to be well out of the neighborhood.

Exes to lovers. It's possible to start a poly relationship (v and triad) with J and Kai.

Uma Bharat (they/them): THE OLD FRIEND • 22 years old

It has always been you and Uma, and this has been something you covetously believed to be true. But then the distance settled in, and then the many years in which you lived abroad. You can't claim to know them as well as you once did. Uma once dreamed of being a successful painter, and they have never given up on art (though they sometimes feel like art has given up on them).

Childhood best friends to lovers. It's possible to start a poly relationship (triad) with Uma and Travis.

Statler Amani (he/him or she/her): THE HEARTTHROB • 25 years old

You knew Statler back in high school, though they can't claim to have known of you until you made it out of the neighborhood. Many years ago, they were every high schooler's dream partner: kind, polite, intelligent. Their current partner must be proud. Nowadays, Statler works as hard as they can to help their family.

Unrequited crush to lovers. Statler is already in a relationship, a (more-or-less) toxic one.

Wanda Pavon (she/her): THE MODEL • 22 years old

Wanda had a future in modeling, the two of you were in the same group of friends in high school, and you never doubted she would be capable of making it out of the neighborhood. Her self-assertive and spontaneous personality surely would have made Wanda's road a little easier. You only find out why Wanda stayed in Downtown Heights when you meet her daughter.

Friends to lovers. Wanda is a single mother, her daughter's name is Gabi.

Kai Alofa (he/him or she/her): THE ROOMMATE • 24 years old

Kai's glow-up is the reason some Downtown Heights grandmothers believe in magic. The high school nerd turned fuckboy/girl has spent the past few years traveling around the state. Like you, they are back for the summer, ready to disappoint their parents. Rooming together comes as a natural result of delaying said disappointment (or so Kai claimed).

Friends with benefits to lovers (mandatory to romance Kai). It's possible start a poly relationship (v and triad) with Kai and J.

Travis Camaro (he/him): THE RIVAL • 21 years old

Uma, Travis and you were considered to be inseparable: it was the three of you against the world. That is no longer the case. A massive argument completely shattered the friendship Travis and you had. You know he resents you, you know he's jealous you managed to make it out and that he was left behind. And that's all you know. Travis has always been... a private guy.

(Past friends) to enemies/rivals to lovers. It's possible to start a poly relationship (triad) with Travis and Uma.

Choosing a route.

The Dropout's Family

The list of flings!

[thehopefuljournalist]

This article isn't solely about the environment, but some of the things there are, so I'll summarize them for you :)

Bhutan and India boosted tiger numbers

According to Bhutan's latest tiger census, tigers have increased their population from 103 to 131 since 2015 - which is a rise of 27 per-cent.

This follows the country's major interventions to help the wild tiger population, including community based tiger conservation programmes, habitat improvement and human-wildlife conflict management projects. 

Tigers are, of course, still at risk, but Bhutan's dedication to help and preserve their population is inspiring.

India has also reported a six pre-cent rise in their wild tiger population since last year. The country is believed to be populated by 3,682 tigers now.

Germany’s €49 travel pass

A part of a green new policy in Germany, a €49 (£42)-a-month pass allowing unlimited travel on buses and trains in Germany. 

This will result in about 25 per-cent rise (per year) in the numbers of people choosing public transport instead of cars - a low carbon way of transport (according to the national rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB)). 

The Deutschlandticket launched on 1 May as a plan to lower the cost of living and encourage people to take the train instead of driving.

It seems to already have some great results: The Association of German Transport Companies says that almost 10 million people had used the pass by the end of June. DB has also said that trains to holiday destinations were busier this summer.

UK crop yields rose despite a fall in fertiliser use

 New data from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) revealed that UK crop yields rose last year, despite a sharp decline in fossil fuel fertiliser use. Many believed that these fertilisers were necessary, but this data proves that belief wrong.

According to Defra, wheat, barley, oilseed rape and sugar beet yields rose by 2.4 per cent in 2022, while fertiliser use fell by a reported 27 per cent. 

These artificial fertilisers are made using natural gas, and because the prices soared in 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, farmers had to either use much less of them, or embrace more natural alternatives.

England’s plastic bag charge was hailed a success

Since the government in England forced supermarkets to charge 5p a plastic bag, there's been a 98 per-cent reduction of single use plastic bags.

That’s according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which introduced the charge in 2015, then increased it to 10p in 2021. 

Environmental campaigners welcomed the figures, but urged the UK government not to row back on other green policies, including a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and rules to make plastic producers contribute to clean-up costs. Both policies have been delayed until 2025. 

Have a good weekend everyone!

Let me know, what good news have yo read or heard about lately?

[blurredcolour]

You Arms Pull Me In Like The Tide Pulls Me Under | Epilogue

Your Arms Pull Me In Like The Tide Pulls Me Under Masterlist

Dick Winters x Female SOE Agent!Reader

The end of the war is just the beginning of the rest of your lives.

Photo Credit: East Islip Historical Society

Warnings: Discussion of War Hardships, Permanent Injury/Disability, Holiday Party Setting, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Language, Mature/Explicit Themes - 18+ ONLY.

Note: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal of Dick Winters by Damian Lewis. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within. Non-English is denoted in italics.

Word Count: 1244

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

Nixon, New Jersey – December 20, 1946

The sprawling home of Stanhope Nixon was overflowing with guests, alcohol, and music as the annual Nixon Nitration Works holiday party was in full swing. Catering staff were milling about with silver trays of canapés and champagne while the management staff and their wives ate, drank, and made merry amongst the millwork and art that adorned Lewis’s father’s New Jersey home.

Lewis himself was busy playing host alongside his father, with his British war bride Irene in tow, as Dick kindly introduced you to his immediate supervisor. The modest diamond engagement ring and matching wedding band on your left ring finger refracted the light against the glass of champagne Lewis had planted in your hand upon your arrival, snagging your attention as it still tended to do, even eight months on.

The end of the war had come around the same time for you and Dick, with the Japanese surrender for him and with your discharge from Major Wilke’s command upon the arrival of the Allied prosecutorial team in Nuremberg furnished with a fleet of translators freshly released from Bletchley Park and other frontline duties. It had been bittersweet to be no longer needed, but as you had admitted to Dick that dreamy summer day in Austria, you were quite finished with your time in Europe.

It had taken over five months for Europe to let you go, however. Returning to England had been the easy part, your uncle’s widow in Oxford welcoming you back with open arms. With your more ambiguous service record under CWAC, however, return to Canada had taken rather longer. Priority on troop ships was naturally given to the boys in uniform, and then the girls who had enlisted in Canada. You had waited impatiently for your turn, working with your aunt to alter the wedding gown she had squirreled away from her own marriage in 1936. It had been her hope for her own daughter to wear it someday, but she had insisted as you were the closest thing she would ever have to such a person now, you ought to have it. So, it had become your joint project to turn it into something more modern for whenever you could find yourself standing in front of Dick Winters again.

That chance had not presented itself until March of 1946. Dick had arrived by train in your hometown in Canada, insistent on asking your father’s permission to marry you in person. He brought a ring, as promised, and married you one week later. Immigration paperwork had taken six weeks to clear, but you were grateful that it was nothing like the delay women from overseas endured. By the time you arrived in Nixon, New Jersey, Dick had a modest house and a car waiting for you, true to his word again. By the fall, you’d started offering private French lessons and you and Dick were seriously discussing whether or not you would attend vocational school to become a public-school teacher. Life was good, better than you could have ever imagined.

This party, however, had begun to drag on. Your feet were beginning to hurt as you stood around in your heels and you were feeling the strain of trying keep up with the myriad of conversations swirling around you amid the din of music and laughter. Dick’s hand on your lower back had you turning to him as he leaned into your left ear. “Let me show you the library.” His thumb swept along the fabric of your dress soothingly and you nodded gratefully as he excused you both.

Leading you down the hallway confidently, you wondered how many times he had been in this house, but felt your shoulders relax as the oppressive wall of sound faded away behind you. Guiding you around a corner, you couldn’t help but gasp as you stepped into a room filled with an expansive collection of leatherbound books, a fire laid in a stone hearth with a cozy seating area in front anchoring the space.

“Did we just find heaven?” You whispered conspiratorially and he chuckled as he kissed your temple, leading you to sit on an overstuffed leather sofa.

Setting down your now-empty glass on the low table in front of you, you sighed as you pressed a thumb between your brows. “I’m sorry it was so obvious I was having a hard time in there.” You apologized softly.

Sliding an arm around your shoulders, he gave a gentle squeeze. “Only to me, honey.” He assured you.

The sound of footsteps in the hall had both your heads turning sharply, concerned your sanctuary was about to be disrupted, but it was only Lewis who appeared in the doorway. “I thought I saw you two sneak off here.” He smirked, a glass of whisky in one hand and a bottle of Canada Dry ginger ale in the other. Kicking the door shut behind him, he came to sit in one of the armchairs across from the pair of you.

“Apparently we were not as subtle as we hoped.” You laughed as he poured half the bottle into your empty glass before handing the remainder to Dick, raising his own glass of amber liquid in a toast.

“Happy Holidays.”

“Happy Holidays, Lew.” Dick replied before your glassware came together in an awkward symphony of mismatched ‘clinks’ before you each took an appreciative sip.

“And to think we spent the last few scattered hither and yon.” Lewis remarked.

“Eating potatoes…” you muttered.

“Or nothing at all.” Dick added thoughtfully.

“Couldn’t get beef, Vat 69…nylons…” Lewis gave a nod in your direction, and you glanced at the closed door before eyeing him over the rim of your glass.

“Oh, I suppose it was a bit of a nuisance, but I honestly did appreciate having silk in my parachutes.” You took a leisurely sip, waiting for his reaction.

It unfolded slowly, his eyes widening before he sucked in a breath laced with droplets of his treasured whisky before coughing violently, pointing at you. “I knew it.” He wheezed eventually as you tried not to laugh too brightly at his expense. Dick held no such qualms, laughing richly beside you.

“Of course you did, you saw my last day firsthand.”

“But you finally admitted it! Please, you have to tell me everything…” He leaned forward eagerly, and you swallowed, wishing more than anything that you could.

There was still a great deal you hadn’t even shared with Dick; The Official Secrets Act preventing you from divulging anything. How you longed to share everything with them – the training schools in Scotland, the slosh of an aggressive amount of rum in your belly as you had fallen no more than ten seconds to hit the ground outside Lyon, your harrowing journey across the Pyrenees mountains into Spain to find passage back to England with your fresh side wound nagging at every step. The determination that had driven you back to Normandy just weeks after you return to London, and the eight months of exhausting, tension-laced work that had preceded their arrival. How you longed to share everything, to commiserate and to laugh. To be honest.

“Someday, Lewis. Someday it won’t be treason to talk about it and I will tell you everything.” You promised.

“To someday, then.” He grinned, raising his glass in another toast. “And believe me I will hold you to that.”

Laughing warmly, you raised yours in return. “To someday.”

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

Your Arms Pull Me In Like The Tide Pulls Me Under Masterlist

Tag list: @allthingsimagines, @bcon24

[disneytva]

Chris Houghton and Shane Houghton Extended Overall Development Deal With Disney Television Animation, Ink Overall Development Deal With 20th Television Animation And Disney Branded Television In Multi-Year Agreement With Disney.

Chris Houghton and Shane Houghton, creators of “Big City Greens,” have struck a wide-ranging deal with Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios, it was announced today by Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, during the 2024 Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California. 

Under the deal The Houghton Brothers will also have full access to legacy and modern Disney IP to develop potential new animated series for Disney Channel and Disney+ based on heritage and modern Disney IP

“Big City Greens,” which debuted in June 2018, has been making kids laugh for four seasons and nearly 100 episodes. It was the No. 2 most-watched kids animated series of 2023, with more than 2 billion hours watched across linear and streaming since it debuted in 2018. The “Big City Greens” franchise will soon expand with a movie, set to premiere this summer. Additionally, “Big City Greens” recently collaborated with ESPN for the “NHL Big City Greens Classic” — a live, animated NHL game telecast, powered by volumetric and motion capture technologies — which is returning for a second iteration this year. The franchise's content also extends into many of Disney Television Animation's hit animated short-form series, including “How NOT to Draw,” “Chibi Tiny Tales”, "Theme Song Takeover" and “Broken Karaoke.”

Under this multiyear producing deal, the Houghtons will produce animated series,films and speciales with Disney Television Animation studio while also providing opportunities to develop live-action projects within Disney Branded Television across linear and streaming platforms like It's A Laugh Productions. Additionally, the deal includes development opportunities for adult animation projects with 20th Television Animation for ABC Network, FX Networks, Freeform and Hulu.

The Houghton Brothers and Big City Greens have trained the next generation of storytellers at Disney Television Animation with upcoming shows on development like chicano-lead comedy Primos created by Natasha Kline slated for a summer release on Disney Channel, other creators with shows in development include Monica Ray with an original show and potential buyout of Magic Children Doing Things, Hannah Ayoubi with a original show and a potential buyout of Monsters Abroad, both projects originally with pilots at Nickelodeon (Both pilots buyouts have been on freeze at Disney Legal department due Bob Iger's cost cutting and content overhaul at Disney), Raj Brueggemann and Amy Hudkins are also other Big City Greens artists and alumnis with a chance to get their own animated series for Disney Channel.

The brothers also collaborated on “Harvey Beaks,” with Chris serving as a storyboard director and Shane as a staff writer, "Harvey Beaks" creator C.H. Greenblatt has been developing a Disney Channel animated series since 2023.

[mappingthemoon]

For the past several years (can’t remember if this attitude predates the pandemic), I’ve been kinda “meh”/side-eye re: New Year’s Resolutions. I am a very goal-oriented person and feel existentially unmoored when I don’t have something that I’m working toward, be it a class, a trip, a concert, a zine or other artsy project. But I also tend to have very unrealistic expectations, namely of how much time it will actually take me to complete tasks and how much energy I will still possess after I get home from work every day. So I don’t want to put all this abstract pressure on myself for the new year and then get burned by my, idk, ENORMOUSLY OVERWHELMING CAPACITY FOR HOPES AND DREAMS (or inability to accept reality or whatever, I guess, depending on your viewpoint lol).

Last year, I got a faculty librarian job and I was able to finally quit doing part-time transcription work, a (second) job I’d held for over 11 years. I thought the sudden influx of “free time” would result in a flood of creative projects in 2023, but I didn’t get nearly as much done (or started) as I’d hoped. My new job duties brought increased stress – I supervise someone now and received zero training for this so I’m having to figure out all this soft skills work relationship stuff on my own, I’m one of only two special collections catalogers in a large academic institution and ofc our backlog is a million miles long, I have to deal with so many more dang emails and meetings as a faculty person than I did as a staff, our institution is grossly underfunded and understaffed and people keep leaving bc our wages are comparatively Bad; many of my colleagues and I are burnt out af. SO ANYWAY due to all that, instead of blossoming into a creative powerhouse now that I have only one day-job, I instead found myself sinking into the couch after work, watching youtube on the big tv screen and transforming into a sad amorphous blob.

BUT! One reason I am risking feeling slightly more hopeful about 2024 is that this year, I am scheduled to have two out of four credit card loans paid off! (I had five but already paid one off this year too :D) This will put like… nearly $400 back into my pocket each month. I hate complaining about my money situation bc I do make what would be a decent living wage for my ~lifestyle~ (2 very frugal working adults, no kids in the home), but nearly 25% of my income goes to debt (not including mortgage lol). (The reason I am carrying so much debt is because I didn’t make anything even remotely close to a living wage for the entirety of my working life until I got the librarian job last year and I had to use credit cards for things like groceries and travelling home for funerals and then I’d transfer the credit card balance onto a loan and then I’d be like “okay, as long as we have no more emergencies for 18 months, we’ll be good,” and then there’d be another emergency and I’d have to borrow more money again 🇺🇸) So the TL;DR is I strongly suspect that when I have a bit more of a financial cushion and don’t have to deprive myself of most material pleasures (such as the occasional deli sandwich or vinyl record! I have simple desires!) and white-knuckle it through the last week of every month, I might be a bit less exhausted and stressed out on a daily basis?

So based on that completely speculative hope, here are my goals/resolutions for 2024:

Start a monthly one-pager photozine (my intention is for this to be a simple project to keep me active in the zine community and more ~intentional~ with my photography). Finish writing Moonshot #3 (Summer 2024) and #4 (Fall 2024). Start outlining (at least) Phases of the Moon #7. Maybe: Think abt starting a new art/literary comp zine. [I used to do tons of comp zines when I was younger and I’ve been revisiting them in my zine digitization/archiving project and feeling inspired!! Love bringing a variety of people together to collectively work on an amazing goal! ♈]

Do something analog with photography – maybe cyanotypes? [I’m despondent that I’ve been dragging an enlarger around for over 10 years but still haven’t built a home darkroom. This can still happen someday, but in the meantime, I know there are other analog photographic processes I can do without a full darkroom!] I also want to get back into photographing concerts. [I was a little disappointed that my Quintron pics {still forthcoming sry} didn’t turn out fantastic but it was my own damn fault for falling out of practice with my DSLR, and also forgetting to turn on autofocus lmao.] AND, I think it would be fairly easy to turn my bedroom into a camera obscura, which would be TOTALLY AWESOME and SWEET.

Redesign my website/portfolio: selenographer.info. Try to actually post some newsletters once in a while?

Finish at least one cross-stitch!

Leave the house more often for social activities?????

Better daily health routine [I already do this stuff, but I’m not always consistent]: Meditate & do yoga, preferably in the morning. Teeth care at least twice a day [sry if it’s TMI gross but brushing before bed was never part of my childhood and it has been a constant struggle to solidify this habit as an adult, ugh] and actually use the dang waterpik & electric toothbrush that I bought. Wear the sleep apnea device every night. [This thing works. But I fucking hate wearing it and I skip nights which makes me feel like a big dummy since I borrowed an additional $3000 to treat this problem.] STOP TAKING GOODY’S POWDER. [This should follow if I am consistent in wearing the apnea device bc I won’t get morning headaches if I am not waking up in a state of oxygen deprivation!]

Buy a new bed! [We got one of those cheapo internet mattresses in 2018 and man is it killing me. If I ever won the lottery the first thing I would do is completely redesign the bedroom into the ideal sleep environment.] Also need to buy 1 or 2 new bookcases bc I now have 3 storage bins full of unshelved books and it makes me anxious.

Work-related goals: Reclaim as much time as possible from the workweek. Try to have at least a half-day of work-from-home time per week. Actually use the professional development time I am privileged to have as faculty! Try to detach from the stressful sense of urgency other people (inexplicably) bring to the table and don’t let that shit get to you. Figure out a better way to handle emails? [My current modes are either complete avoidance so I can hyperfocus on a task, or checking my email every 30-60 mins and spiralling into the distraction zone for hours.] Hopefully take another class at Rare Book School. Help with more outreach events (aka teaching people about ZINES! :D)

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY <3

[stormiclown]

Master post (& fics I’m planning to write)

Ladies and Gentlemen: My take on Adrien having his own antagonist like Marinette has Lila and Chloe. A new transfer students makes an enemy of the entire class, but Adrien seems to be his main target.

Part 1 Part 2 Headcannons

Status: Completed (maybe)

Let Her Eat Cake: A one shot in which Lila is exposed as Hawkmoth’s ally, which opens up questions about Francois DuPont. In other words, Bustier is accused of being Mayura.

Read Here

Status: Completed

Lila’s Reflection: A one shot in which Lila has a twin sister who she feels inferior against. Includes Lilanette, Male Marinette, and Lila angst.

Read Here

Status: Completed

Marion Dupain-Cheng: Ice Cold: So we know the umbrella scene where Adrien basically pulls his “sad boy” card to make Marinette feel bad for him? Realistically, she shouldn’t have fallen in love with him just like that. I think she should have been wary of him because of his association with Chloe or outright hate him after he scolded her for being happy that Chloe was leaving. Or in ’Bubbler’ when all he cared about was having a party and not that adults we’re literally being launched into the sky. Or in ‘Despair Bear’ after a day of forced niceties he laughed when Chloe insulted Mylene’s macaroons. Long story short, Marinette shouldn’t have tolerated Adrien for as long as she did much less have a crush on him. If she did, it should’ve been obliterated by now. (This is a Drabble)

Read Here

Status: Completed

A Beetle’s Blossom: The members of the Justice League have seen many things. The deaths and resurrection of some of their comrades, alien doomsdays, off planet missions, and the literal destruction of the world. But the boy who *strongly* resembles Bruce in more ways than just his appearance has them stumped, especially Bruce himself.

On AO3

Status: On going

Fics That Are Coming Soon

The Most Hated Girl in Paris: An AU where instead of getting off Scott free, Chloe is legally punished for the Train Incident and has to deal with the fact that’s she’s Paris’ most hated girl. She must decide if she wants to continue living this way or if she’s going to claw her way to redemption. Long term project.

Tumblr Concept

Status: Not started

Not So Miraculous After all: Tired of citizens justifying their reckless behavior with the Miraculous Cure, Ladybug stops using it, making sure that consequences get left behind.

Status: Not Started

The Fall of A Queen (C. Bourgeois): An Au where Andre isn’t re-elected as Mayor. This changes everything. Long term project.

Status: Not Started

Cuisine Paradise: Seeing as both their parents work in the food industry, Alya and Marinette decide to start a YouTube channel together to share their recipes; Marinette’s pastries and Alya’s dinner recipes. It all in good fun and they accidentally become famous. Long term project.

Status: Not Started

New Boy In Town (Remy Gasteau): The son of the Prime Minister transfers to Francois DuPont and takes an interest in Marinette. Extremely long term project.

Based on an ask I submitted to @mcheang

Status: Not Started

Civil War (Paris Edition): No matter how hard Lila tries, the class refuses to turn against Marinette, believing that Lila was just confused and there was a misunderstanding. In an attempt to get the girls to help her with Adrien, she insists that Marinette would go great with Luka. It was a brilliant plan— until war breaks out over the class. Lukanette vs Adrienette. Short term project.

Status: Not Started

Round the World Trip: After winning a series of contests, essay challenges, and competitions, Marion unintentionally earned his class a fully paid global trip over summer vacation. Includes Male Marinette and shenanigans. Mid-length project.

Status: Not Started

Damian’s Secret Brother: After ruining any chance at a brotherly relationship with Tim after his murder attempts, Damian Wayne is determined to prove that he wasn’t just a brutish assassin. The discovery of his newest biological brother provided him with the opportunity to show everyone that he could be civil with new family members. But he didn’t think he would get attached to the friendly baker’s boy who had ambitions to be a fashion designer. Male Marinette and bio-dad Bruce Wayne. Mid-length project.

Status: Not Started

[mathhombre]

Summer Math

As usual, great work from OURFA2M2.

REU Programs

Discrete and Continuous Analysis in Appalachia

Program Runs: June 3 - July 26

Application Deadline: March 4th

Undergraduate US citizens who expect to graduate AFTER July 26, 2024, and especially such students attending university in the Appalachian region apply for the DCAA REU. The projects center around probability and data analysis, as well as linear algebra and combinatorics. 

Participants will receive a $4,800 stipend and paid housing for 8 weeks during Summer 2024.

Participants funded by DCAA must be US Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States. Students who are women, underrepresented minorities, first-generation college students, and those whose home institution have limited research opportunities in mathematics are encouraged to apply.

Applied Mathematics and Computational and Data Science

Hosted at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 

Program Runs: June 13th - August 12th

Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2024 and offers will be made by April 1, but competitive late applications may be considered until April 15. 

Students will work collaboratively on group research projects in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, and computational and data science, including applying theoretical models to physical and biological phenomena. In the application the student should choose one of the two possible research topics:

Wave Phenomena and Mathematical Modeling

Mathematical Modeling of Spatial Processes and Deep Spatial Learning

Only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible. 

Women and underrepresented groups in Mathematics are encouraged to apply!

Stipend $5400 plus $900 meal allowance and $1000 travel expenses. Housing will be provided. 

Computational Modeling Serving The Community

Program runs: June 10th - August 16th

Application Deadline: March 31st

Held Virtually in 2024

The focus of this REU is computational modeling to serve and enhance communities. Students will be involved in multi-disciplinary, community-based research projects and trained in computational thinking across different disciplines. In doing so, they will gain an understanding of the potential and limits of these tools and how they can serve diverse communities.

The activities of this virtual REU Site will involve a 2-week training followed by an 8-week research project completed under a faculty mentor’s guidance and with the involvement of a community partner.

Only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible. 

Students from institutions with limited STEM and research opportunities (such as 2-year community colleges) and tribal colleges/universities are specifically encouraged to apply.

Stipend $7000 + $1400 meal allowance and $2200 housing allowance

REU Program in Algebra and Discrete Mathematics at Auburn University

Program Dates: May 28 - July 19

Application Deadline: March 25th

See the program webpage for more info on problems and ares.

Participants will receive a stipend of $4,500 and will live near campus at 191 College with housing paid.

NSF funding is restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. Other self-funded students are welcome to apply.

Polymath Jr.

Program Runs: June 20th - August 14th

Application Deadline: April 1st

Application Here

The Polymath Jr program is an online summer research program for undergraduates. The program consists of research projects from a wide variety of fields. For more information go to the website linked above.

The goal of the original polymath project is to solve problems by forming an online collaboration between many mathematicians. Each project consists of 20-30 undergraduates, a main mentor, and additional mentors (usually graduate students). This group works towards solving a research problem and writing a paper.  Each participant decides what they wish to obtain from the program, and participates accordingly. 

MathILy-EST

Program runs: June 16th - August 10th

Application Deadline: April 2th

In 2024 the MathILy-EST topic will be combinatorial geometry of origami, an area that mixes discrete mathematics, geometry, and analysis, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Hull.

MathILy-EST is an 8-week intensive summer research experience for exceptional first-year college students. MathILy-EST provides early research opportunities each year for nine college students who are deeply but informally prepared for mathematics research. The focus of the program is on first-year students, with second-year and entering college students also considered for participation.

Stipend- $4800, housing and meals included. 

Internships

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Summer Internship

Programs Begin: May and June

Registration Deadline: March 29th

Summer Internship ProgramThe JPL Summer Internship Program offers 10-week, full-time, summer internship opportunities at JPL to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. As part of their internships, students are partnered with JPL scientists or engineers, who serve as the students' mentors. Students complete designated projects outlined by their mentors, gaining educational experience in their fields of study while also contributing to NASA and JPL missions and science.

Conferences

Women in Data Science Livermore 

“WiDS Livermore is an independent event organized by LLNL ambassadors to coincide with the annual global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference held at Stanford University and an estimated 200+ locations worldwide. All genders are invited to attend WiDS regional events, which features outstanding women doing outstanding work…This one-day technical conference provides an opportunity to hear about the latest data science related research and applications in a number of domains, and connect with others in the field. The program features thought leaders covering a wide range of domains from data ethics and privacy, healthcare, data visualization, and more.”

Hybrid, free event: In-person at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, or Virtual

Registration Deadline: March 1, 2023

Date: March 13

The International Mathematics and Statistics Student Research Symposium (IMSSRS)

Date: April 13, 2023.

Location: Virtual

“IMSSRS is a free conference for all mathematics and statistics students (high school, community college, undergraduate, graduate) to share their research with the rest of the world, to learn about current research topics and to hang out with like-minded math and stat enthusiasts. Presenters must be students, but everyone is welcome as an attendee. Please feel free to share this opportunity with other students who might be interested.”

Abstract submission and registration deadlines: March 22, 2023.

To learn more, please visit the the IMSSRS website. 

OURFA2M2

Online Undergraduate Resource Fair for the 

Advancement and Alliance of Marginalized Mathematicians

Ashka Dalal, Gavi Dhariwal, Bowen Li, Zoe Markman, tahda queer, Jenna Race, Luke Seaton, Salina Tecle, Lee Trent ourfa2m2@gmail.com ourfa2m2.org

[rexila-rites]

Hello and welcome to my fic tumblr or whatever this is!

I currently have two major fics on the go:

Jailbreak

a fic based on the Clock 0ut series of animations and destined to go out of date as Sad works faster than me lol. Updates about once a month. IN PROGRESS again, no eta on chapters yet.

The unthinkable happened. Stanley was in the control room, the clock was in his hand and in a swift motion he brought it down-

And the Narrator woke up bound to a chair in a strange, glitching room. He was (for want of a better phrase) missing time, and the only way to get it back was to trust his former project with his mind.

Why the hell would he do that?

This Belongs In A Museum!

Aka Superthieves AU, Stanley and Narrator are more based on their Clock 0ut incarnations than TSP, however I ended up including a lot of TSP elements anyway like Curator my beloved. Updates whenever I have chapters for it, minimum once a month but often more. Heed the tags and author notes! VOLUME ONE COMPLETE! Volume 2 coming probably late summer.

If you have super powers, why not don a mask and cause some trouble? Unfortunately, Stanley robbed the wrong museum, and now he's being put to work in the 'Special Acquisitions' department, stealing objects of great importance or power from private collectors and bringing them back to the safety and security of his new employer's museum. Narrator has been trying to quit this type of work for years now, and yet, here he is. He's here to support and train the reckless new agent, and good god he already needs a raise.

Also be sure to check out the Superthieves Series it's a part of for side stories and missing scenes:

old ghosts - by caret

A missing scene that takes place after Chapter 8 (Kick the Bucket Part 3), some aftermath of Stanley's encounter with the bucket demon.

23 Times Stanley Was Stabbed (And One Time He Wasn't) - by me

meet me in our garden - by caret

takes place after Chapter 17 (And They Were Roommates), straight up pre-slash fluff of Narrator and Stanley getting the hang of sharing a living space. Includes art by calwasfound!

Liner Notes For The Same Old Songs - by me

Sometimes a song really speaks to you. Sometimes, they’re totally unrelated but are just fun and cathartic to sing. Sometimes, they’re vessels for painful memories. But just because a memory is painful, doesn’t mean you want to let it slide. Today's a very important day.

Or: Narrator dissociates in a Karaoke booth for 2 hours.

Related fics/crossovers/etc:

This Belongs In A Soulmate AU! - crossover fic by Gem_Alawas showing the Superthieves boys in the world of An Awful Game of Cat and Mouse!

Unofficial Superthieves Fanfiction

Fanfiction for an AU fanfiction based on an AU animation inspired by a re-release of a video game remake of a mod for Half-Life 2-

Yep!! Some of my cool talented friends wrote Superthieves fanfiction?? And i thought a collection might be easier for that!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Lost Cause prologue, part III

I'm coming to Minneapolis! Oct 15: Presenting The Internet Con at Moon Palace Books. Oct 16: Keynoting the 26th ACM Conference On Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing.

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a solarpunk adventure about "the first generation in a century that doesn't fear the future." It comes out on Nov 14, and its early fans include Naomi Klein:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/the-lost-cause

Amazon won't sell my audiobooks, so I made my own, doing the narration this time around. I'm running a Kickstarter campaign to pre-sell the audiobook, ebook and hardcovers, including signed, personalized hardcovers – I hope you'll consider backing it:

http://lost-cause.org/

This week, I'm serializing the prologue to the book.

Here's part one:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/06/green-new-deal-fic/#the-first-generation-in-a-century-not-to-fear-the-future

And part two:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/07/met-cute-ugly/#part-ii

I woke at noon, the house hot because Gramps had left the blinds up in the front room, and ever since the big live oak had been cut up and taken away for blight, we’d lost its shade.

I used the bathroom, pulled on shorts and a tee, and went looking for breakfast, or brunch, or whatever.

“Gramps?”

He didn’t answer. That was weird. Gramps was a late riser and he rarely got up before ten, and then he took a long time to get going, listening to his podcasts and drinking coffee and sending memes around to his buddies with his giant tablet, with the type zoomed way, way up. He didn’t like going out in the heat, either, so in the summer he rarely left the house before four or five, once the sun was low to the hills. He’d left his coffee cup in the sink and his tablet on the table, so I knew he’d gone in a hurry. He hated dirty dishes and hated dead batteries even more.

I put his stuff away and thawed out some waffles and got a big iced coffee from the cold-­brew jug I kept in the fridge and started the process of becoming human.

I gobbled my first waffle before the emotional weight of the previous night settled on me. Those emotions were way too big, so big that they all layered on top of each other, leaving me with nothing but numbness.

I did the reflex thing and pulled out my screen, giving myself a brief sear of shame for my mindless screen-­handling, just as I’d been trained to do in mindfulness class. That was enough to prompt me to run through the checklist: Do I need to look at my screen? Do I need to look at it now? What do I hope to find? When will I be done? I answered the questions (Yes, yes, news about last night, when I’ve looked at two or three stories), and then unlocked it, but didn’t look at it until I’d poured myself another glass of coffee.

Two hours later, there was no coffee left and my eyes hurt from screenburn. I dropped my screen, came out of my trance, and stood up.

I’d gone viral. Or rather, Mike had.

My post had been picked up, first in Burbank, then statewide, then nationally, then internationally. Amateur comedians had edited the footage into highlight reels, moments chosen to demonstrate just how idiotic and hateful he was. Someone made a White Nationalist Bingo Card whose every square had a quote from Mike Kennedy. There were lots of jokes about inbreeding, hillbillies, musket-­fuckers and ammosexuals, master race masturbation, senility, removable boomers—­all the age-­and class-­ based slurs that we weren’t allowed to say in school, but that everyone busted out as soon as we were off the property. It was pretty gross, but on the other hand, I couldn’t exactly argue with them. Bottom line was, Mike Kennedy had been up on that roof for no good reason, and he’d been ready to kill me to let him finish his stupid, senseless project. So yeah, fuck that guy. I guess.

I was pleased to see that I came off as a hero, with strangers around the world praising me for my cool head, saying I’d saved his life.

I put my plate in the dishwasher and wiped up my crumbs and checked the clock on the kitchen wall—­I’d always loved its plain analog face with its thick and thin lines, the yellowing AC cord that came off it. It had belonged to Gramps’s own parents, and it was the only thing in the house I considered anything like an heirloom.

It was coming up on one and if I showered fast and ran, I could make my physics class. I decided to go for it, had the fastest shower in history, pulled on whatever was on the top of my dresser drawers, and sprinted for the street.

I was just jogging up to the entrance to Burroughs when I got a screen chime, which stopped me because, like all the students, I’d installed the school app that turned off audible alarms while I was on property during school hours. It wasn’t mandatory, but the punishment for having an alarm in class was confiscation, so . . .

I pulled out my screen as I panted by the doorway, mopping my face with my shirttail. It was a text from Burbank PD, informing me that Mike Kennedy was headed for a bail hearing in two hours, and I was entitled to present a victim impact statement, either recorded or in person. I’d known that the police could override the school app (there was a kid in my class whose parole office sometimes paged him, and the fact that he audibly dinged was just part of the package, I figured—­a way to remind us all that this kid had fucked up bad), but I hadn’t expected them to ping me, let alone on school property.

I tapped out a quick thanks-­no-­thanks, and headed to physics.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/09/working-the-refs/#lost-cause-prologue

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[awesomeart-83]

Future Projects for the Summer and Beyond 2024!

Decapolice

I can’t lose you: After the Clown kidnaps and tortures Harvard, Carl goes on a mission to stop this horrid serial killer while dealing with the aftermath of it and his feelings with Harvard.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code x Decapolice crossover

Donut Party: To celebrate a finished case, the team decide to celebrate with donuts, unfortunately for Harvard……

Childhood Friends au where Carl and Harvard are well Childhood Friends

Role swap au (Harvard=Carl, Manimani=Zhang, Mikey=Yellow-haired girl)

Fan cases with crime beasts

Analysis and Theories

Other one-shots which include the investigation team and other characters like Miase and Boston

A let’s play and first time experience and later review of the game when it comes out (hopefully this year)

Pokemon

Pokemon Legends: From Z to A: A story involving the main cast of X and Y (the player character, the rival, and their friends) stuck in the story of Legends: Z-A- Coming soon in 2025

Parallel Pathways: A crossover with Infinity Train with the main characters being Kieran and Emmet along with other characters

One-shots with the main characters, Kieran, Carmine, and the BB Elite Four

Theories on Z-A and Generation 10 when it is revealed next year or in 2026

Fakemon based on Florida

Miraculous

Imposter Girl Au: An Au where I tried to rewrite Lila Rossi into a much scarier threat than in the main series while giving a her (GASP!) a redemption arc!

Butterfly of Hope: An AU based on the movie’s ending focusing on what happened to Nooroo

A new butterfly miraculous holder considering what happened in Season 5 (Spoiler: it’s not Lila.)

Heroes of Tokyo: Au where Danganronpa characters get Miraculous get the miraculous instead

An au where Luka and Kagami are heroes separate from the main duo leading to a actual love square

Other Fandoms:

Reviews and reactions on Wakfu Season 1 to 3 (Hope that Season 4 comes out)

Play through of Digimon: Survive, Live a Live, and other games I have

Rain Code Au where Yuma’s parents are Kyoko and Makoto from Danganronpa because why not?

Island of the Slaughter starting the reboot cast

Total Drama crossover with a odd series

Other Works

Making more art (both tradintional and digital)

Writing my own original work

[fvriva]

Whole hog winter 🐽

Vamonos

Thanks for the ask! I missed my girlllll 🥹🥹🥹🥺🥺🥺

Autumn & Vernon | Cy & Newton

send an emoji + an oc (or order the WHOLE HOG)

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Winter Carthmarrow in a lot of ways was designed to be alongside Autumn Saffworth, especially back when the project was called Seasonal Depression as a goofy pun as opposed to Animus Vitrum. Carthmarrow combines the bone theme (to go along with Autumn's blood theme) with a sense of destruction and fire (Carthago delenda est).

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

18-21. Her arc is a little longer than Autumn's to finish.

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

Winter has had a couple over the course of her existence, but I'm currently in the process of reworking hers.

Originally she was meant to be paired with Summer/Midsomnir Titania because they were designed as opposite spirits for each other, but I've been wanting someone more conniving for her ever since playing with @mitspeiler and his girl Elmindreda as her partner. I think based on that, she would do well with someone conniving and devious, but dense and headstrong in her own way.

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

She likes salads, wraps, protein bars, and protein shakes/smoothies. Lots of health food that can be eaten pretty quickly and on-the-go. She also likes black coffee.

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Winter is currently a magic student that specializes in fire magic. She expects she'll inherit a number of shares in the family business when she comes of age, given that Autumn is pretty much worthless for it and incompetent in the business world. In a modern au she's practically built to be a lawyer as well.

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

She has a few but they're not especially enjoyable. Mostly just working out, training, studying, maybe playing an instrument. That sort of thing.

🎯 -What do they do best?

Winter genuinely is very talented at learning new spells quickly. She also has impeccable fashion sense.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

She loves dancing. It's a skill she's cultivated for social/heiress reasons, but she especially loves to teach girls their first ballroom moves.

She hates actually putting up with the male partners she ends up with during those. It takes everything she's got to be civil about it. She also gets easily frustrated in general, as she doesn't take criticism well (even self-directed).

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

It's a memory that's soured since she left home, but one time she was exceptionally good at some milestone or test or competition, and Blanche let her loose at a fancy boutique with the credit card. Her Aunt even bought her something to eat afterwards.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

I think I will keep the duel canon, meaning that after throwing the match because she doesn't want to kill [love interest], Blanche stabs her in a way that will incapacitate but not harm her long-term, with the intent of shipping her off to marry some loathsome political ally.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

It's pretty close! Honestly the only thing that's really changed is the specifics of her dress and her jewelry. Her palette and a lot of her facial features have been pretty set since day 1. The main thing that's changed is her role in the story.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Todoroki from My Hero Academia. Winter was originally born out of a cartoony split-personality au for him before I turned them all into their own characters, and also girls. She's also heavily inspired by the Schnees from RWBY. And my love for hot, mean, misunderstood women.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

I could see her in basically any drama, especially something with a competitive social element like business-themed. However, she's in a high fantasy adventure story currently, on a journey of self-discovery.

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

Cis lesbian, she/her.

🙌 - How many siblings does your OC have?

No siblings as she was orphaned at a young age. Autumn is her only sister-figure.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Winter was very close with her mother, Rosé, and her father, Enamuel, and they loved her very much. After they died when she was two or so she was taken in by her Aunt Blanche and Uncle Theros, who were always a little distant. It got worse when Autumn was born and they started neglecting her, but it got slightly better as she proved to be very talented where Autumn proved to be somewhat of a dud, magically speaking. It was never very wholesome or supportive of an environment though.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

I like how she's got the mixture of the extreme competence and talent with the utter incompetence when it comes to intimacy and vulnerability. She also SUCKS but I can fix her.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

Rather frequently! I used to actively roleplay Winter and I really must say she's one of my favorites. I draw her quite a bit too.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

I don't think so. She doesn't get to weasel out of all the shit she's done that easily.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Even with her fire magic, she gets kind of nervous around uncontrolled large fires. She's also scared of intimacy, especially with her internalized homophobia.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Ideally she would have one of each: a rival that pushes her to be better and better that she events falls in love with, and an arch-nemesis shitty betrothed that doesn't care about all that, just wanting to use her for her bloodline.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

Since late 2017, so 6ish years.

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

I would've been 16!

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Welyer Week Day 8: Free Day—Star Atlas✨

"Jorgensen is breaking out the Malaria samples today."

"The what? Wait, why aren't you wearing a rebreather?!"

My eyes nearly fell out of my head at her message--Xavier even nudging me asking me if I was okay.

"Relax, we have rebreathers." Sending me another picture of her in her full hazmat getup, Wednesday gave me a thumbs up. "Dr. Jorgensen wouldn't risk both our lives. She's not as crazy as I am."

"That's a relief."

Saving the pictures and sending them off to my storage drive back at the house, I stared at the picture a minute longer. Smiled to myself while reminding myself that I only had one more month on base then I'd be heading home. I'd only be on Earth for six months which never felt like enough time. Always felt like it was getting shorter and shorter. But Six months was better than nothing. And since my time off-base spanned the summer and holiday season that meant I'd be able to spend more time with my friends and family. More time with her--my death metal Barbie that always seemed to be up to causing some sort of chaos somewhere nearby.

"What are you doing?" Wednesday asked.

Looking to Xavier, I leaned in as he was biting into a pretzel he had bought at the train station and took a picture mid-bite. Sending it off to her despite his protest I smirked at the message.

"Heading off to work with my base husband."

I could practically hear the sarcasm and humor in her voice when she answered with, "I'm telling Ajax that you're cheating on him."

"Ajax is my Earth husband and he knows that."

"We'll see about that. Enid's going to be disappointed in you."

"No. Anything but that!! :("

"Looks like you're in a tough spot there Galpin."

.

.

.

this excerpt is from my fic Star Atlas. to continue reading click the link below!

.

.

.

[antigonenikk]

do i dare // disturb the universe?

chapter 1/2/?

pairing: john “bucky” egan/eugene sledge

summary: Eugene Sledge and John Egan are both adrift in the wake of the War. They find each other in a small bar in a small corner of Chinatown. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Chapter 2: april is the cruelest month

“April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee

With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,

And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,

And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.”

——————————————————————

New York isn’t what he was expecting. He’d never been of course. He’d been to San Diego technically, for all that being stuck inside the barracks for two days before shipping out again to Alabama counter as “being in a city.” But the only real city he’d ever lived in had been Peking. He’d developed an idea subconsciously that New York would be the same. That the streets would smell of wood burning coal and fry-oil, that there would be streets crowded with sprawling marketplaces. That there would be labyrinthian alleyways and war torn buildings and giant palace complexes.

New York was not the same. The people seemed alien to him. Just as alien as the ones back home in Alabama. Their faces looked through him, leaving him a deep sense of panic that he had turned invisible. That he was a ghost. The streets smelled of baking bread and wet asphalt, and the noise of thousands of people all speaking English at once overlapped and brought him back to Pavuvu. When they’d all been living on top of one another, trying to pretend the world wasn’t ending.

It was unfamiliar. But it wasn’t all bad. He’d quickly found a place near Times Square, lured in by the neon lights and the friendly crossdressers prowling for rough trade. It felt liberating, to be here, to be alive and not in hiding. He’d remember what Shelton had told him. About the Red Light District down in New Orleans. How boys would cruise by the dockyards. He hadn’t believed it, not really. But it was true. There were people like him. Hundreds of them.

He didn’t dare touch anybody. Didn’t go out at night with desire on his mind. The wound of waking up cold and alone on that overnight train still stung a bit too deep. And besides, he’d always been a bit of a hopeless romantic at heart. The idea of cruising made him feel uncomfortable. Akin to jumping into the line of fire just to feel something. Instead he spent his days trying to figure out how to spend his unemployment. He had six more months of it left. And then it was pick a college or get a job. The possibility that he would choose wrong. That he’d waste the sum he’d earned through unwilling murder made him sweat. So he distracted himself. Spent hours at the bookstore, wandered the streets of lower Manhattan. Always somehow made his way to Chinatown by nightfall. And wasn’t that a gas. He thought he’d find something familiar there, but instead of Mandarin everyone was speaking Cantonese. And there were no families in sight. Just worn down men like himself. He’d found a bar though. A little place that reminded him of where he, Shelton and Burgie would go when they got Rec Passes. A hole in the wall with cheap beer and soft music. He’d sit in the corner sipping on drink after drink until it hit midnight. Then he’d drift over to the streets, empty as they could be, and try to clear his mind. Replace it with the sound of his feet moving one two three four. Marching easy like at base camp when they got far enough away from the huts. It didn’t seem to matter at night that you were lonely. With the sun gone down there was no one left to see. Almost like it never had happened at all. None of it.

That night he was feeling sorer than usual. He’d been at the butcher’s earlier when a car backfired. And he recalled with humiliation how he’d dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks, hands reaching for a sidearm that wasn’t there anymore. It had felt like eyes were on him. Like the whole store was staring. And so he’d ran out, kept running until his lungs started to ache. And spent the next hour curled in an alleyway for better cover, packing and repacking his pipe, not seeing much of anything at all. Now he was trying to return to normalcy. Beat down the shame. A glass of bitter Tsingtao in front of him. The place was filling up quick for a weeknight. And suddenly it just wasn’t worth it. Didn’t feel right. He wanted to be alone and to wallow and to curse at fucking everything that had led him to this point. He felt the inner lining of his jacket for his little Bible and tried to breathe. Getting up he strode towards the door, going for calm, hand on the book the entire time gripping.

And then his feet were knocked from underneath him and he landed hard onto his palms, hard. Groaning, he felt rage growing quick inside of him, begging for a release. He turned his head and felt himself torn between completely annoyance and unwilling attraction at the blue eyes and smiling face that stared down at him. He settled for an unimpressed scoff.

——————————————————————

New York was….well. It was. In a lot of ways it was like London. The only real city he’d had time to experience. The buildings were just as tall. Although these ones weren’t bombed out. Destroyed by the hand of some dumbass kid playing God, little toy soldiers collapsing into coffins. The buildings in New York were tall, and filled with pomposity. Just like the people. At first he barely noticed it. Off from Port Authority he’d made his way to Manhattan. Everyone was getting hitched and moving to the damn suburbs, so it hadn’t been hard to find a studio in a less than glamorous spot of town. After finally finding a place (a whole fucking week of living in a dirty ass hotel was starting to get to him) he holed up. Bought half a liquor store’s worth of booze, a carton of cigarettes and a month’s worth of canned food and just did nothing. Slept with a blanket on the cold floor, unable to bear the thought of buying a mattress. He checked the taps every few hours to make sure he still had water. He checked the cupboards four times a day to make sure he had enough food. And he let the panic run its course. Let it flood into and through him. He was all on his own now for the first time in five years. It felt alien. To not have someone lying beside you. To have enough to eat and drink. To be able to hear yourself really think. The silence rang heavy and weighed on him. And after two weeks he decided being a hermit wasn’t for him after all. And so he set out on the town. But man, he couldn’t stand most of the people.

He knew people now. Knew of people at least. Knew which bars were cheap, which folks were generous and would let him mooch. Knew the name of the baker and the grocer and the butcher and knew the price of a loaf of bread to the letter. But friends were off the table. It felt like everyone in the city was looking down on him. Looking at his sunken cheeks and his dead eyes and his twitching arm. Couldn’t stand it. So he rode the subway instead. The novelty of it hadn’t warn off. And even though his feet ached like a bitch he’d make a game of picking a random direction and just walking. Up the subway steps and through the alleyways, the long meandering streets. It felt a bit like the March. A bit like home. But that thought made him feel….But he didn’t think about the March, so it was fine. He played darts at bars all over the city. Got drunk as all hell and made a fool of himself. Listened to enough jazz to make his ears bleed. God. The jazz. Really that was the only time he was happy. He’d pick a spot. Any club in town. And fuck were there a lot of them. He’d sit and he’d watch the bands play. Good bands. Bad bands. God awful bands. It didn’t matter. The music sang through him. Made him want to bust up and dance and laugh and cry that he was alive at all. He lived for the nights. Lived for the music. That was reason enough to while away the days. Even if he didn’t have Buck anymore. Even if he was a shell of the man who was once a respected Major, he had the music.

That night he’d made a detour. Figured it would be funny to head down to Chinatown. See if Chinese drink had anything on Irish Whiskey. See if Chinese music had anything on American. He picked a small place, lit up with quaint little red lanterns that reminded him of the fireflies back home in Wisconsin. Except he didn’t think about Wisconsin. So he sat and smoked half a pack of cigarettes. One by one. Sipping on the oddly bitter beer the bartender had handed him, the name of which he couldn’t pronounce.

He could feel himself relaxing finally, a hazy buzz coming over him, when he turned and saw the Little Doll. Didn’t know how else to describe him. The kid, couldn’t be older than twenty one, was hunched over in the corner. His hair gleaming bright red beneath the lights. His face was an unearthly sort of white. The kind of white that reminded him of his sister’s dolls. He used to touch their cheeks when he was little. Amazed at how pure and clean the porcelain looked. Amazed that anything could be so untouched by living. The boy didn’t look untouched by living. His eyes were big and downturned and achingly empty. Cow’s eyes. Doll’s eyes. Sad little things. John heard him talking to another patron briefly and had to do a double take. The kid could actually speak Chinese. After that he tried to not look at all. But the buzz was gone. All that was left was a restless feeling. The need to constantly look over his shoulder and check that the Little Doll was still there. He felt giddy and stupid and old.

He got up to leave, drowning the rest of his piss poor drink in one go, and stumbled on the next step, watching as if in slow motion as the Doll tripped over his foot and went sprawling. Fuck. That had to have hurt. John felt himself grinning for a reason he couldn’t explain. For a moment he was a kid back on the school yard, getting ready to pull at some girl’s pigtails. He cleared his throat and reached his hand out determined to help, maybe. And then Doll turned around and he was met with the nastiest little look he’d ever gotten outside of when he’d dumped a whole bucket of ice-water over Buck’s head their second week into Basic. And he couldn’t help it. Really. He started to laugh.

He felt his hand shoved away with more power than he would have expected as Doll sprung up, glare still fixed to his pretty face, sneering out in a deep southern drawl, “Get outta my way, puhlease.”

He could feel the patented John Egan grin, the one that annoyed Buck to hell and back, making its way across his face as if it belonged there, even though it had been MIA for two years now. There was no way in hell he was about to do that.

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites Summer Movie AU Announcement

ATTENTION FELLOW SOLAR OPPOSITES FANATICS, I HAVE AN EXCITING NEW SUMMER MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!

The summer movie au for Solar Opposites is called…

Solar Opposites: The Beast Within

Here is the main plotline:

“On a family vacation to Hawaii, Korvo ends up having his Super Shlorpian spirit stolen and unwillingly traded away by a dark familiar face from The Wall. Now he is turning into a Mundane, a monster Shlorpian based on a huge amount of overwhelming thoughts and depression that leads to monstrous effects! This ends up terrifying Korvo, because he loves his super Shlorpian spirit and needs it to live. Soon enough, personality starts to change and his family and friends began to grow concern when most of the citizens starts to treat Korvo like a pariah. Now it’s up to Korvo to save his town and himself before Sister Sisto goes after or he’ll lose his family forever. But most of all, who is that mysterious beta Mundane?”

*The film is gonna be an adult animated comedy-drama romantic monster horror adventure movie and it’ll be like Spider-Man 3, Turning Red, Good Luck Charlie: Sun Show Pt. 1 & 2, Nimona, Bolt, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Scooby-Doo and Rampage*

*It will also feature how Louise and Trevor met the Opposites, Stacy G is finally revealed and shown on onscreen for the first time and developed feeling for Jesse, Janice joining the gang and meeting Randall, who later develop feelings for her and Terry becoming a Mundane for the first time.*

I hope you’re excited about this summer movie project. It’ll be release in June, July or August. Might as well wait and see. See you all real soon!

[gsirvitor]

Uuuh, can you give me some lore on that nuclear capable missile?

We talking the air to ground missile or the ground to air missile or the air to air missile?

Let's go over the final first.

The Douglas AIR-2 Genie was an unguided air-to-air rocket with a 1.5 kt W25 nuclear warhead. It was deployed by the United States Air Force (USAF 1957–1985) and Canada (Royal Canadian Air Force 1965–68, Air Command 1968–84) during the Cold War. Production ended in 1962 after over 3000 were made, with some related training and test derivatives being produced later.

The interception of Soviet strategic bombers was a major military preoccupation of the late 1940s and 1950s. The revelation in 1947 that the Soviet Union had produced a reverse-engineered copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the Tupolev Tu-4, which could reach the continental United States in a one-way attack, followed by the Soviets developing their own atomic bomb in 1949, produced considerable anxiety.

The World War II-age fighter armament of machine guns and cannon were inadequate to stop attacks by massed formations of high-speed bombers. Firing large volleys of unguided rockets into bomber formations was not much better, and true air-to-air missiles were in their infancy. In 1954 Douglas Aircraft began a program to investigate the possibility of a nuclear-armed air-to-air weapon. To ensure simplicity and reliability, the weapon would be unguided, since the large blast radius made precise accuracy unnecessary.

The then top-secret project had various code names, such as Bird Dog, Ding Dong, and High Card. Full-scale development began in 1955, with test firing of inert warhead rockets commencing in early 1956.

The final design carried a 1.5-kiloton W25 nuclear warhead and was powered by a Thiokol SR49-TC-1 solid-fuel rocket engine of 162 kN thrust, sufficient to accelerate the rocket to Mach 3.3 during its two-second burn.

Total flight time was about 12 seconds, during which time the rocket covered 10 km (6.2 mi). Targeting, arming, and firing of the weapon were coordinated by the launch aircraft's fire-control system. Detonation was by time-delay fuze, although the fuzing mechanism would not arm the warhead until engine burn-out, to give the launch aircraft sufficient time to turn and escape.

However, there was no mechanism for disarming the warhead after launch. Lethal radius of the blast was estimated to be about 300 metres (980 ft). Once fired, the Genie's short flight-time and large blast radius made it virtually impossible for a bomber to avoid destruction.

The new rocket entered service with the designation MB-1 Genie in 1957. The first interceptor squadrons to carry the MB-1 declared initial operational capability on 1 Jan. 1957, when a handful of rockets and 15 F-89 interceptors capable of carrying them were deployed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northern Michigan and Hamilton Air Force Base outside of San Francisco. By the next year, 268 F-89s had received the necessary wing pylon and fire-control system modifications to carry the weapon.

While officially known as the MB-1 Genie, the rocket was often nicknamed "Ding-Dong" by crews and pilots. About 3150 Genie rockets were produced before production ended in 1963. In 1962 the weapon was redesignated AIR-2A Genie. Many rounds were upgraded with improved, longer-duration rocket motors; the upgraded weapons sometimes known as AIR-2B. An inert training round, originally MB-1-T and later ATR-2A, was also produced in small numbers – the training version was known to Canadian crews as the "dum-dum".

A live Genie was detonated only once, in Operation Plumbbob on 19 July 1957. It was fired by USAF Captain Eric William Hutchison (pilot) and USAF Captain Alfred C. Barbee (radar operator) flying an F-89J over Yucca Flats.

Sources vary as to the height of the blast, but it was between 18'500 and 20'000 ft above mean sea level. A group of five USAF officers volunteered to stand uncovered in their light summer uniforms underneath the blast to prove that the weapon was safe for use in populated areas. Gamma and neutron doses received by observers on the ground were negligible. Doses received by aircrew were highest for the fliers assigned to penetrate the airburst cloud ten minutes after explosion.

The only other Genie user was Canada, whose CF-101 Voodoos carried Genies until 1984 via a dual-key arrangement where the missiles were kept under United States custody, and released to Canada under circumstances requiring their use. The RAF briefly considered the missile for use on the English Electric Lightning.

Now onto the ground to air missiles.

The CIM-10 BOMARC was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile used during the Cold War for the air defense of North America. In addition to being the first operational long-range SAM and the first operational pulse doppler aviation radar, it was the only SAM deployed by the United States Air Force.

However, two squadrons of these were purchased and deployed by the Canadian government in 1958, and were modified to carry a nuclear payload, designed like the air to air missile to detonate on a fuse between enemy bombers. This was part of Canada's role during the Cold War to defend North America against an attack from the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately Prime Minister John Deifenbaker refused to allow the nuclear-armed missiles to be used, opting to use non nuclear options over Canadian soil, souring Canada's relationship with the US, and upon the Cuban missile crisis he lost reelection as his cabinet was split over his decision to disarm the nuclear ground to air anti aircraft missiles, the coward.

Now, onto the air to ground missile.

The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet-propelled, nuclear armed, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force.

It was primarily designed to be capable of attacking Soviet ground-based air defense sites prior to a potential air attack by B-52 Stratofortress long range bombers during the Cold War.

The thermonuclear warhead carried by the Hound Dog was the W28 Class D. The W28 warhead could be preset to yield an explosive power of between 70 kilotons and 1.45 megatons.

Detonation of the Hound Dog's W28 warhead could be programmed to occur on impact (ground burst) or air burst at a preset altitude. An air burst would have been used against a large area, soft target. A surface impact would have been used against a hard target such as a missile site or command and control center.

The Hound Dog could be launched from the B-52 Stratofortress at high altitudes or low altitudes, but not below 5000 feet in altitude.

One Hound Dog missile crashed near the town of Samson, Alabama, when it failed to self-destruct after a test launch from Eglin Air Force Base. In 1962, a Hound Dog was accidentally dropped to the ground during an underwing systems check.

In May 1962, operation "Silk Hat" was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base. During this exercise, a Hound Dog test launch was conducted before an audience of national and international dignitaries headed by President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson.

After thirteen years of service with the Air Force, the last Hound Dog missile was removed from alert deployment on June 30, 1975.

[livvyofthelake]

1, 3, 6-8, 13, 16, 20-22 (didn’t think of a Thing to ask abt so go wild!!) (sorry if this has sent several times my app keeps crashing <3)

1) the character everyone gets wrong

oooh another one of this question lemme think of another one to complain about…. um. ty blackthorn…. i know you don’t know him but you should have a basic level of familiarity with his sherlock holmes swag and necromancy realness and ghost guy slay like. just based on my posting… i don’t like fandomy interpretations of him that make him like. soft and cutesy and uwu whatever like that boy is a huge fucking cunt he’s the worst… he’s a supervillain in training it’s ridiculous stop calling him your soft little baby or whatever the hell…. like you sound insane not even cassie is babying him like that get serious

3) screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

i’m saying this cuz i know you were there too so you’ll get it but literally the 2021 pre s4 era of bylertheorism posting was so awful fr….

6) which ship fans are the most annoying?

wow see prev response….. no but like i’ll give a real answer. um idk i already complained about a few things but i’m gonna pull out a nicheish one due to the fact i saw a sofia wylie tiktok today and it made me think about hsmtmts. um i think ricky and gina shippers ruined everything sacred about that show and tim federle needs to die for the crimes he’s committed against me for them. this is also true about jiara but i’m beyond caring about obx and hsmtmts is like. THE show that got me through summer 2021. it was so rough oh my god. ej and gina were all i had. and now i don’t even have them anymore we should all kill ourselves. not to be a person that cares too much about ships. idk you had to be there maybe. and by there i mean like. you had to be me i guess

7) what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

damn speaking of outer banks. jj. that boy should kill himself i don’t even care. or jesper shadow and bone. i promise i’ll like him more when i read about him but as a netflix original comic relief man…. i just can’t get behind him. also that actor was in a movie i hated so he should have to do like. 100 hours court ordered community service picking up trash in parks. that’s just one girl’s opinion

8) common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

can i talk about my shadowhunters. ok well i’m going to. it’s like sorry about your mental illnesses or whatever but i don’t think projecting them onto kit herondale is necessarily the way to go babes. he exists in a fantasy universe where he can put a little tattoo on his body and instantly gain speed, the kid hangs out with werewolves and his mom can do magic. i don’t think he is taking adderall. plus shadowhunters can’t take medication anyway so L + ratio + i can tell you’re either 16 or the most annoying adult alive. sorry if you’re 16, i promise when you stop being 16 you will feel better about life. like fandom lovessss to headcanon him with the most boring shit imaginable. oh you headcanon that this character who lives in a universe where MAGIC IS REAL has adhd? that’s cool i headcanon that he’s a virgin but makes up elaborate lies about it so none of the bad guys who are constantly after him can use him as a virgin sacrifice. i just made that up but it’s still more fun than being like ohh this character is training to be able to kill demons but the most important thing in his life is remembering to take his medication!! like booo 👎 nobody wants to read about medication in fantasy…. unless it’s like some sick ass herbs and potions like my buddy gaius makes. whatever.

13) worst blorboficiation

can i say will herondale. you know what don’t even worry about it. i’m gonna say tom holland spiderman. i don’t engage with literally any of that but i am an internet user in this day and age so it is unfortunately thrust upon me. sorry to that man but i hope peter parker dies goddamn. today’s writers just don’t hate their protagonists enough they always wanna keep ‘em around as long as possible it’s insane. arthur conan doyle had the right idea i think. like kill that dude!!

16) you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

i hateeeeeee fandom himbo characterization. ESPECIALLY. when it comes to my beloved arthur bbc merlin. he is not. a himbo…. we should all kill ourselves.

20) part of canon you found tedious or boring

no offense to cassandra clare’s infernal devices but. i’m so so sorry tessa i love you forever it’s just. well.

21) part of canon you think is overhyped

i’m just gonna say barchie. can’t fucking stand this season sorry abby that i made you watch this show only for its final season to be a flop ass barchie season.

22) your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

i think we all need to talk more about how in city of fallen angels clary had a pink cell phone. that was a nothing detail i just think about it a lot and i didn’t know what else to say here.