#micro-rotor

[watchilove]

Panerai and its universe of complications

Where design and engineering come together, Panerai stands out in the world of high watchmaking complications for its commitment to innovation, technical expertise, and attention to detail. Accurate timekeepers that are also masterpieces of craftsmanship, Panerai’s creations are a testament to its unwavering pursuit of excellence in horology with an Italian soul. Continue reading Untitled

[pkansa]

Micro-rotor watches: WWR Top 10

Wondering what micro-rotors are all about? They come in many designs, and in this article, we review our top 10 favorites.

[finerthingsblogs]

Ming 22XX vs Ming 29XX: Travel Utility Meets Calendar Innovation

In the ever-expanding world of independent horology, Ming has carved out a distinctive space with its architectural aesthetics, meticulous finishing, and consistent innovation. Among its standout series, the 22XX and 29XX collections reflect Ming’s evolution into more complex complications while maintaining the brand’s minimalist DNA. The 22XX series, including models like the 22.01 GMT, focuses…

[osakanone]

"How realistic are mecha, really?": They aren't, but not for the reason you're thinking of or the one adjacent to it. Trust me.

Crossposted from reddit, since people seemed to like it. Like in the thread, I am very happy to answer questions about any esoteric weirdness.

Hold my beer. Again

They're not becoming a possibility. Yes. I know. This sucks. But stick around. Its not for the reasons you think. Well it is, but it also isn't. You'll see.

The robot needs the technology more than the technology needs a robot.

the technologies which the robot needs will improve and alter the doctrine of every other platform

This creates a doctrinal lock-in where the potential functional space for them to exist is unmet -- that they are so far ahead, that nothing new can emerge that isn't just other platforms becoming more generalized (eg, a post-stall recovery aircraft, or a helicopter with high impact landing-gear and a rigid rotor/jet engine design to act as a surface-fighter -- a tank which walks or manoeuvres like a robot is just flat out of the question: Tanks are made to be simple-as-fuck boxes which tank hits, and shoot and acquire asap and rumours of their deaths as a doctrinal weapon are exaggerated by recent events where obsolete weapons which aren't maintained properly who's crews aren't adequately trained were fighting very clever civilians with drones)

What you consider "realistic" (5th/6th) is just as if not more unrealistic than other gens purely because of their smaller size and very bizarre relationship with the environment -- they're just both too big, and too small to make sense, sitting in a size niche which is just very weird

If such a vehicle does exist, its going to be defined by its functions rather than a humanoid appearance

we know this because specialized platforms tend to beat tasked platforms historically until specialized platforms mature and become generalized enough for it to act as a force-multiplier (eg, your air to ground radar and datalink let you drop bombs smarter, or interfere with Ground-to-Air radar to defend yourself)

thus, the closest you're probably going to get is some weird variation of DARPA's Ground X Vehicle Project meeting with Gravity Industry' style mobility in limited cases, hybridized with smaller robots and wingsuits, which mix manoeuvring operation styles, with some rocker-boogie mechanism elements for terrain handling: It won't be humanoid, whatever it is.

This is assuming you can magically solve the square-cube law of volume-mass which is partially negatable with certain custom topologies exceeding graphene but actually manufacturing them would be miserable work probably not even be something you can make without microgravity

Energy flat out isn't solvable with what we know about right now. Nothing with that energy density can exist that isn't going to simultaneously make for an incredible fragile, dangerous and problematic source of power given the forces involved. Cooling is also a horrifyingly unsolvable problem on this scale, as is radiation management: You can't just dump molten tungsten in emergency cooling mode - you'll not only proceed to alert everybody who has even the vaguest IRST capacity to your position, but you'll also probably set fire to the environment and cook off your own ammunition. *

Motors aren't well suited to the tasks of such bodies (its like trying to make a slingshot out of dental floss), and we don't have an effective way to turn electricity into a form of motion which corresponds with the shock absorbing and motion control qualities which are actually desirable yet

Even if we did, the actual means of ensuring it doesn't fragment every time it moves don't exist. Every time an A10C fires its main gun, the fuel lines micro-fracture and have to be replaced after it lands. Metal, when you subject it to high physical forces ends up feeling and behaving closer to how you would think of glass. You'd need a material capable of repairing itself too, atop the quasicrystalline property which again, just isn't doable, let alone simultaneously.

So in terms of our mindset going into this?

Its... Probably not happening barring a very, VERY extreme change to how we understand physics to function, or some really kick ass (and actually entirely possible) changes in how engineering achieves outcomes (which could happen if the greatest threat to the mecha didn't exist)

Combat is moving towards information dominance. 

That's drone swarms, and role modularized long range travel, and the idea of fighter beyond-visual-range combat extending out to infared search and track systems which are networked to one another, which we're already seeing in singleton weapons and their mounting strategies even on the personal scale, which DARPA is currently investigating which everybody wants to mate with the gravity industries gear for boarding ops so the most likely avenue is to scale up from people, rather than scale down from vehicles as the development pathway -- but there's probably going to be multiple pathways with competing niches once the technology becomes cheap enough.

Costing

Ultimately its down to "how much money do I have to spend to defeat something more expensive than myself?" -- because our current structure of war is defined by cost, and by making the other guys surrender by using economic, and military violence (private, and publicly funded) instead of convincing them that we (NATO members, etc) have good opinions purely because of the natural benefits of "doing as we say" (which we see with basically any conflict in the last 70 years, which are usually feigned as ideological but pretty much always about disrupting market competition, dominating markets, or controlling a pressure position in another country to achieve those two things).

This isn't because they're particularly excellent weapons, but because they're cheap relative to the strength they offer, and how we define cheap is very different to how we defined cheap 100 years ago -- both in good, and terrible ways (such is the way of history).

Mecha are kinda the ultimate boondoggle. They are very very expensive, and just don't make sense.

They're cool as hell, yes.

But they don't make sense.

DISCLAIMER: If you're prone to depression, are dealing with a lot right now, or don't want your day ruining, you should stop reading NOW. What comes next is a psychosocial hazard and could be very bad for your mental health. LAST CHANCE . . .

The "real" reasons

If conflict some how became a meritocracy of leading by excellence rather than intimidation, and about human outcomes instead of cost outcomes, then things could change, but we don't live in that world.

Remember, violence exists to end human conflict (not to be confused with military conflict, which violence is the primary instrument of): Human conflict is when two parties oppose one another and communicate about what their goals and intentions are. Violence happens when communication stops. Communication stops, because parties cannot come to terms, or because nobody wants to be reasonable because the inherent request is unreasonable to the interests of the other party.

I'd love to say physics is the greatest threat, or maybe our concept of conflict but its not: * Its economics.

The concept of private-equity (not to be confused with venture-capital investment) is kiiiind of the dominant economic system on the face of the planet which dictates the interest of every nuclear power's actions against every non-nuclear power) is functionally dissolved, and investment models as we know them magically become better regulated OR a better economic system comes along which totally undermines private equity.

Its an economic finger-trap where most of the money that would be reinvested into people and technologies to push the world forward ends up getting swallowed up.

It also has private armies) and simulates the economy and political events in order to control them for maximum profitability. Yeah.)

We already live in Armored Core, folks.

And that economic system knows that if it gave free agents like ravens any kind of military power, it would functionally undermine itself, which is why it will never happen.

Private equity benefits from not having technology change, because its primary goal is wealth extraction. It leads to the collapse of every business you've ever seen go under, its why products undergo enshittification, which is coming for everything.

Its why the housing crisis happened, why the banking collapse happened, and its why there's an incentive to continue industrializing diseases like insulin instead of curing them.

tl;dr:

The one thing AC gets super wrong is you can either have the depressing relatable low-saturation late-stage hyper-capitalist dystopia where life is cheap on planet earth and everything terrible about South Korea times a thousand covers the whole world, and you need to have your own organs brought from you and leased back to you to lock you in to a lifetime of debt the same way everything else works...

OR

you can have the robot;

You can't have both.

e: I'd pick the robot any day

--

Apologies for any inaccuracies, I haven't edited this and I threw the original together in the space of around 40 minutes. Questions very welcome: I enjoy giving long detailed and substantiated answers.

If you enjoyed this, please consider reading my other work on the theoretical design factors of mecha, their control systems, and my fictional writing in mechposting.

[miz-orque]

Long Post

Sooo here's my silly little Monsoon concept in the Cyberpunk universe. This took some time, but I had a lot of fun doing it. You'll find a few things repeated on paper as my thought process was a little all over the place. The notes and layout on the pages may be a little unorganised. What's written on paper is reflected in the text, plus extra.

Yeah, this is longer than I thought lol so it's really appreciated if you do take the time to read it. I think I went a little ham 👀;

Apologies for image quality. I still have yet to get a scanner.

Cyberpunk!Monsoon.

General info

Typically, I would fashion him in: an Edgerunner's jacket (which is generally a mix of military armour and pedestrian materials woven together (this jacket is the Valentinos dual-weave Edgerunner)), simple black yoros and yoru no samurai kicks - the last two items being reminiscent of his ninja design in his canon universe. His utility belt and sais are also kept the same, tho the end of the sai's pommel glows when in use for combat.

He has a multitude of implants and cybernetics which include:

Memory boost - optimises sync between the brain and cyberware. An additional neuro chip implanted in his frontal lobe allows him full control of his unique cybernetic arms, including detaching and reattaching his arms, and control of his hands if they are several metres away when detached.

Self-ice - prevents him from getting a neuro virus.

Kerenzikov boost system - essentially a reflex booster

Custom Kiroshi optics: the Oracle (more details of this later)

(outdated) magnetic segmented cybernetic arms where each segment has a neuro link for full control (more details of this later)

Second heart - if his current heart stops beating, the second one activates.

Adrenal boosters - helps body maintain performance under pressure (in game stats detail less stamina usage when engaging in melee)

Micro rotors - increases attack speed

Adreno-trigger - increases attack speed for several seconds whe entering combat

Synaptic accelerator - a neuroprocessor that regulates hormonal balance during threatening situations (in game time is perceived slower for a few seconds when in combat. This implant can be used repeatedly after a 60 second cool down, but he's not looking to have a fight for longer than a minute)

Sub-dermal armour - exactly as it sounds - armour beneath the skin. He has this installed on his neck, torso, back and legs (before they were replaced)

Proxi-shield - the closer an attacking enemy is, the less damage they deal

Bionic joints (eventually replaced) - support of joints. He had this in his legs.

Dense marrow (eventually replaced) - increased power behind melee attacks. He had this in his legs

Dermal implant of a Tyger Claw tattoo - This implant directly links the user's optical implant to the weapon's system, offering real-time data-tracking of the weapon info - he only has this because he was a member of Tyger Claws for a few years, but he decided to keep it as he found it useful and for sentimental reasons

Fortified ankles (eventually replaced) - allows for greater distance covered when jumping

Iron lungs - is able to take in and utilise more oxygen. This was useful when he had his organic legs. This cybernetic has become rather redundant to him now that he's more metal than meat, tho he finds it useful for when he's smoking, he doesn't cough, however they're due for a cleaning from his habit.

Blood pump - supplies body's cells quickly and efficiently with oxygen - again no longer required. He eventually gets this removed

Further info

In this canon, Monsoon has albinism. His original eyes were replaced at a young age due to his poor vision and he received dermal implants to protect his sensitive skin from UV radiation.

Originally, his cyber optics were designed after his real eyes. These were standard optics that allowed him to see as the average person. The eyes were later replaced with Kiroshi the Oracle optics when he was recognised as a competent attack dog. These new eyes, however, were again based on his real eyes. He did not obtain his custom black and red optics until he joined Tyger Claws

The Oracle line allows the user to detect enemies (even under cover) within 17 m, turrets and cameras within 35 m and explosives and traps within 26 m, as well as 10x optical zoom in. He later got these functions upgraded when he opted to change their appearance. They were eye wateringly expensive.

The cyber threading on his face (the lines) are based on the veins surrounding his eyes in his original MGR concept art.

Likewise, the barcode on his forehead from his original concept, has been repurposed as evidence of being an unfortunate victim of human trafficking. Human trafficking exists across the globe in the Cyberpunk (CP) universe. The barcode that was tattooed on his forehead as a child was produced for the underground market to audit their stock. These markets are also owned by corporations who donate some of the profit made to charities (to look good to the general public), to law makers (for manipulation) and to crime syndicates (as pay).

As previously stated, Monsoon obtained custom black and red Kiroshi optics when he joined Tyger Claws. He thought they looked intimidating and cool. He was 15. And he still stands by this decision in his 40s. The black and red are also based on his MGR concept art.

For the record, Monsoon's unique eyes and visor in his original MGR concept design are some of my favourite things about him. Respectfully, these were omitted as I felt they didn't completely suit the environment I placed him in for this au. Sure, visors exist in CP, and of course there are characters like the Maelstrom group and even River (2077) that have robust optics, however:

Monsoon in this canon doesn't work as a corpo cyborg based in Denver with henchborgs under him; he is the henchborg and he's really fucking good at it

His visor holds his electromagnetic generator. In this canon, he doesn't have the ability to separate his entire body, just his arms. It would be redundant for him to have it unless he wears it for the aesthetics. I'm on team Practical Monsoon here so...

Maelstrom essentially believe in transhumanism. Monsoon does not believe in this (him becoming a cyborg in MGR is a consequence of him not wanting to die) and the glowing eyes would give his position away if he's being stealthy.

I think River's too broke to get a better looking eye lol. Monsoon may not be rolling in it, but at least he can afford eyes that provide wider perioral vision and allows him to blink his eyelids.

I just wanted to show off the emotions in his eyes. Can't do that if he's looking like: ⚫👃⚫ "I luv u"

I've designed him bulbous eyeball connecting visors that help increase his field of vision to act as his CP au visor. (A little on the fence with this)

Regarding his arms, their design is outdated. Further information will be provided later in the post, tho I thought I'd keep this here as this was used as reference for myself.

Ken doll Mons and his bs (backstory obvs)

Born in 2031 in Cambodia, Monsoon grew up in poverty. He was abducted as a young child and sold in the black market to an organised crime syndicate. Originally, he was going to be used as an actor for the growing extreme braindance (XBD) market, however, due to his aggressive and tenacious nature, he was taken to be trained as an attack dog instead.

Mention of a several years' mission is present, but this will be touched upon later. The two images are of Monsoon before and after this mission.

Pre-mission:

Most of his body is organic, tho he has a number of internal implants (as mentioned previously)

As stated, unlike his original canon design, the additional segments are omitted. Due to CP lore, and considering Monsoon's upbringing, he would have succumb to cyberpsychosis ages ago (would have gone on a spree like James Norris in Edgerunners). A super bog standard definition of cyberpsychos is a condition where the person dissociates from society when they have too many implants and not a great support system (if they even have one). (It's a theory that David's support system is the reason why his tolerance for something as extreme as his sandevistan was high). If the chassis was kept, I would have had to abide by this rule; Monsoon at this point would have been a slender version of Adam Smasher. (Not a bad idea, but that's literally what he is in MGR but with MG lore in place). Omitting his chassis meant that there was more freedom to explore the world of CP with Monsoon. Also I wanted to see him in sneakers.

Also, his design wouldn't suit the Night City (NC) environment. In his original canon, he's the only WoD member that isn't wearing a coat. In NC, he would need to be naked to fully utilise his abilities. Not to mention, the city itself being so busy, I feel as if his magnetism would cause some damage to certain technology, if his segments don't catch onto a vehicle or a building or a fellow cyborg's butt. If anything, reference of his original design (torso and legs) would be for cosmetic purposes.

Post-mission:

He lost his pelvis and legs during the mission

As he was out in the desert at the time of this incident, his legs were replaced with robust mechanical legs provided by a nomad ripperdoc.

His legs were later replaced with a sleeker and more modern design. He also got that Mr Studd installed 😉

His cyber legs also include reinforced tendons (can literally double jump/jump great heights), Jenkin's tendons (accelerates sprinting for a few seconds - recovery time is just as quick when he's not sprinting), fortified ankles (jump great distances) and lynx paws (quiet footsteps). These are to mimic some of the attributes he has in his original canon.

His cyber arms are eventually replaced with an upgraded and custom pair.

He has cyberpsychosis. Treatment includes therapy, medication and being around his support system regularly. Of course, due to the nature of his work, slaughter does help relieve the aggression he gets from his psychosis.

After being sold to an organised crime syndicate to become an XBD actor, his aggressive nature had them think he would be better suited as a protector. He was repurposed to become an attack dog. For fun, he was given a pair of sais to train with, tho his mentor was compassionate enough to train him well. Tho he was born in Cambodia and spent his early childhood there, he was migrated to Japan after being sold. He spent the rest of his childhood serving the Yakuza as their favoured attack dog. From 15, he was stationed at Night City, being a body guard for a high ranking Yakuza member, but he decided to join Tyger Claws instead.

Additional notes:

The crime syndicates involved are primarily a mix of Triad and Yakuza members, smaller groups and groups outside of Asia are also involved, taking advantage of the state of Cambodia (it's not great). Particular corps are also involved and it's rumoured the Khmer Rouge may also be poking their noses into this black market (they exist in the CP universe. Like in our real world history, they did have their influence, however they were expelled from Cambodia and ended up ruling over Laos in the turn of the 21st century) in hind sight, Monsoon was pretty lucky

He was sold at the age of five.

The XBD market involves things like murder, torture, sexual assault - basically any instance that involves very extreme negative emotions (and is obvs very illegal). Monsoon would have likely been put up for murder and maybe even have cyberpsychosis induced on him

The Yakuza viewed Monsoon as disposable, but thought to have him at least trained in fighting. When his teacher taught him how to use the sai (which he picked up quickly), the members he often interacted with saw his potential. On the field, Monsoon was aggressive.

He was named Monsoon because he was purchased during the season. The name stuck because of his extreme behaviours: eerily calm when he's not in a fight, frightfully violent when he is.

His first implant were his eyes. The following cybernetics were implanted on him without his knowledge ie he woke up one day with his hand replaced with a cybernetic one lol. He freaked

When he arrived in Night City, he offed the Yakuza member he was meant to protect and joined Tyger Claws swiftly after. It was rumoured that this particular was to be disposed of once a negotiation with affiliate groups was made. Monsoon didn't care and killed him anyway. He's never forgiven them for what they did to him.

Because of his upbringing, he speaks Japanese fluently. Being the favoured attack dog, he wasn't required to learn any additional languages, especially with the advent of the translator, however, he did take up learning English when he learned he was going to visit California for an unknown amount of time. Much to his chagrin of learning the common conversational sentences English, when he arrived at Night City, particularly Japantown, he was disappointed that everyone around him was speaking Japanese. That didn't stop him from actively learning tho. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember much Khmer if at all.

The crummy tattoo dermal implant on his back depicts Reahu, the demon king in Cambodian mythology. It's described to be a head without a body and devours the sun and moon, but because of its lack of body (and therefore stomach), it's a perpetual cycle of devouring these celestial bodies.

His stoic and serious nature proved him to be a valuable member to the Tyger Claw gang, getting some recognition from high ranking members, including a glance or two from the up-and-coming fixer, Wakako Okada. He was given a few private jobs, one of which awarded him his extraordinarily unique magnetic arms at around the age of 18. Tho his peers didn't care for the attention he received, a small group of Tyger Claws grew jealous of him, even denouncing him as a member for being an outsider.

During a mission out, the small group turned on him, disabling his arms and taking advantage of his shock. He did defend himself to the best of his abilities, however, he was outnumbered and beaten to near death. Before completely blacking out, he called Wakako.

Once recovered and his arms repaired, he left Tyger Claws and sought vengeance on those that tried to kill him. No longer a member, he happily attacks any member that so much as looks at him funny.

Additional notes:

His position in the gang would have been pretty much the same in his original canon. He did participate in some drug dealing and trafficking, however he enjoyed fighting the most.

He was out cold for a couple days when he was picked up by Wakako and taken care of by a doctor of her choosing

Monsoon was growing tired of the gang anyway and thought he would be successful if he left. The group that attacked him provided him a really good reason to leave

He wanted to remove the Tyger Claws tattoo on his back, but decided against it as he gave it a new meaning: continuously devouring the clan

It's an exaggeration to say that he attacks any TC member if they look at him funny. He attacks them if they touch him in any way, shape or form.

Despite the fact he was a member for about five years, he has never crossed paths with Jimmy. Jimmy was locked away being a cringe teenager editing edgy braindances and wearing black eyeliner.

Ze arms

Gifted his magnetic arms at 18, adapting to fully cybernetic arms was a challenge, especially with the unique ability to desegment at will. Tho they are rumoured to be of Arasaka make, his provider advised it was from an underground yet promising corporation.

Previous arms

Neural connection between brain, arms and segments.

Powerful electromagnetism, however best performed away from the busier parts of Night City

Electromagnetic generator located in shoulder joint.

Silicone connection inside and outside of elbow.

Upper half of arm matches skin tone. Forearms and hands are black (right) and red (left).

Palm and fingertips padded; sensors are quite sensitive

Range began at 10 metres, but increased to 15 when his arms were repaired

New and current arms

Possess the same elements as the previous arms, but with a sleek design

Arms are completely black apart from the left forearm and hand being red.

Generator hidden in shoulder

Fingertips have highly sensitive sensors

Edge of segments glow red when in use (when he gets his magnet on)

Carbon fibre material

Faster movement

Range is about 30 metres max.

Additional notes:

The arms are quite expensive. He has to visit a reputable doctor that is well educated in electromagnetics and whatever the fuck else his arms possess because they're pretty insane

It took him a good month to get used to using fully cybernetic arms and even long to actually master the use of its magnetic abilities. He would say about a year.

The underground corporation used both Arasaka and Militech to craft the arms. Monsoon's unknowingly a guinea pig, however he does eventually meet the people behind these.

Said people provided him with the new arms

He exclusively uses his magnetic abilities in combat. At least, that's what he says. Monsoon has used his abilities to get something out of reach, get something from another room, and trip Jimmy (when he didn't like him) - now he uses them to pull Jimmy towards him

Sundowner

Monsoon became a solo mercenary after he left Tyger Claws. Mainly working with Wakako, he would sometimes do gigs with other solos. More often than not, he would find himself working alongside this heavyweight merc, Sundowner. At first, he found him to be rather loud and obnoxious, but eventually he found him to be a worthy and competent ally to the point he's glad to see him in his group of mercs.

Additional notes:

They met for the first time during a meeting with a fixer at Tom's Diner. Monsoon mistook him for a patron as Sundowner was chowing down on a burger and commenting loudly about the music. He wasn't particularly excited to learn that he would be working alongside him for this mission

They only ever hang out at bars or eating establishments, and the occasional visit to a braindance club.

Okay, maybe sometimes they visit Dogtown for the thrill and chaos

Monsoon's been to Sundowner's humble abode once for bbq. It's in the Badlands

They once infiltrated a Scavs base because Sundowner thought one of them stole his keys to his truck. They killed them all. They did not find his keys because he suddenly remembered where they were kept.

They once got into a random scuffle with Sixth Street

And the Voodoo Boys

And the Valentinos

And the Animals

And Tyger Claws (Monsoon enjoyed that one)

All started by Sundowner.

Sundowner is gun heavy in this universe, only using Bloodlust when he wants to get messy, but keep his hands clean.

Of course, Sundowner has the Gorilla Arms cybernetic that grants him immense strength as well as the Reinforced Tendons implants

Coming from Alabama, Monsoon's not quite familiar with the terms Sundowner uses that isn't Night City lingo. Sometimes he uses his translator which isn't the most reliable due to Sundowner's accent. He did eventually grow accustomed to his way of speaking

Sundowner most definitely did partake in the Corporate War of 2069.

Sun became a fan of Jimmy's unnecessarily violent XBD edits

The above drawings are of them in their twenties

Legs and mission

The mission

At around 25 years old, Monsoon with Sundowner was given a secret gig by their mysterious fixer. Like most gigs, survival was not guaranteed, however, the payout for this gig was huge if they did survive. This gig involved them and a small group of other mercs, techies and netrunners to travel outside Night City across the country. The mission was so secretive, contact outside anything that did not revolve around the mission was forbidden, this meant that kin were left in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

The gig proved challenging; some members lost their lives. Monsoon almost lost his life being involved in an incident that had him lose the lower half of his body. He carried out the rest of the mission in a set of robust cybernetic legs that included storage for his stoma bags. The difficulty of this mission did solidify and strengthen his friendship with Sundowner.

After the mission, which ended up lasting five years, and of course receiving his massive payout, Monsoon got himself a new set of legs, a built in bladder, rectum and a Mr Studd (with Jimmy's assistance). He also developed cyberpsychosis which is handled by his medication, therapy sessions and time spent with loved ones.

Additional notes:

The payout was six digits

The mission itself was arduous. Flat lining tended to be the bulk of the mission, tho the men would argue it felt like an underground war. Really, it was corpo shit trying to keep governments outside of their business. Infiltration and assassination proved more difficult than initially thought, especially when theft of technologies was involved

Monsoon did find it difficult to not get in contact with the people he cared about during his gig. He obviously worried about Jimmy the most because he's a danger magnet. He forced him to get the Shock-n-Awe implant as a means of defence, but he also told Jimmy not to wait for him.

Monsoon's lower body was crushed by a massive structure that collapsed after a bomb went off.

He often wrapped cloth tightly around his abdomen to keep his storma attachments extra secure. The last time he didn't have that security, he dookied on Sundowner when he tried to parkour. They still laugh about it.

He lost his legs about two years into the mission

His psychosis developed rather quickly when his legs were swiftly replaced with robust cybernetic legs.

He was fully prepared for Jimmy to have moved on. Much to his surprise, he waited for him and started gaining immense success in his work.

He also learned he became a cat dad

Ze legs and pelvis

His replacement legs right after the accident were standard metal robotic legs that helped him get around, tho it hindered his athletic abilities. He was happy to have them finally replaced with a more competent model. These legs include:

Matching skin tone

Sensors included that allows him to detect pressure, temperature changes and pain

A faux butt with padding

A Mr Studd that acts similarly to a natural penis - of course he misses his real one, but he's glad he can pee out of this one and relieve sexual need. Special sensors in the phallus connected to a specific neural link allows him to feel aroused when stimulated and lead to an eventual climax, of course it's not the same as it once was. His sex drive is also quite low.

Faux testes included for aesthetic purposes - they look and feel almost like the real thing! 😃 A TRT device was considered to be included in his pair, but he opted to take injections whenever he wanted to. He doesn't think the lack of testosterone hinders his abilities to carry out his duties as a merc. Before he changed his legs, he wasn't on testosterone regularly.

Reinforced tendons, Jenkin's tendons and Lynx paws installed

Height increased from 6'2" to 6'5" - he had a high calorie and nutritional diet due to being trained as a fighter, however, that isn't to say he didn't receive painful procedures to increase his height to appear more intimidating

Has replacement organs with sensors

Artificial butthole works fine 👍 (don't lie, you were curious)

He takes rather strong immunoblockers

Additional notes:

Jimmy paid for some of the costs. He insisted.

Recovery was relatively quick, tho he had to take the time to get used to his new legs and make sure sensors worked well.

Jimmy's aware of Monsoon's cyberpsychosis. It kinda turns him on. And he loves to admit it.

....yeah Jimmy did select the junk to be Monsoon's replacement sausage

Khamsin

During a few of his gigs, he had Khamsin as his "wheels guy". His chatter and loud music gets on Monsoon's gears, but Sundowner like Khamsin, plus he's an excellent driver. Most of the time, Monsoon zones out when he's around Khamsin, but with enough drinks, he'll chuckle at a joke or two.

Additional notes:

Khamsin's truck looks better than how I drew it. I'm just bad at drawing vehicles

Khammy also has cybernetic legs

Mons doesn't hate him, but he wouldn't invite him to his place

Sometimes he gets taunt ideas from Khamsin

Mistral

Monsoon has been a well established solo when he met the young and snarky woman who goes by Mistral. Tho she's solo, she also dabbles in netrunning, proving her versatility. At first the two didn't get on so well. She taunted him about being an old fogie, and he retorted her about being a naïve and obnoxious little girl with pink hair, even tho their age difference is approximately 15 years.

Sundowner kept wanting her on the team despite the bickering as the group worked well together and he enjoyed her accent. When the group finally did decide to hang out together at a bar, Monsoon and Mistral bonded over their annoyance with Khamsin and their love for Jimmy. As the two got closer, Mistral gifted Monsoon a couple of sakura hair clips she won at a fair. He invited her to his place to see his cat.

Additional notes

Mistral's married to Courtney lol. Courtney's a corpo, but they hardy spend time together due to their work

Mistral's a fan of Jimmy's XBDs.

She's visited their place multiple times and has designated herself as their cat's aunt

Monsoon loves the hair clips, even tho he doesn't express this out loud

She's a gun user - I'm basing this off her time as a soldier, plus I'm not sure where her lance fits in the CP universe. The geckos would be more like her and Courtney's freak children than her tools

Monsoon does not like her freak children

Weirdly, her and Jimmy became good friends. They text each other on a regular basis

She also hangs out with the two if Courtney's busy with work

She playfully throws things at Monsoon. Monsoon draws on her face when she's netrunning

She came to Night City directly from Algeria. She misses the food there

Fighting

Monsoon's fighting style is more or less identical to the original canon moveset, save for his lack of magnetic segmented legs and torso. When he had his natural legs, he utilised reflex implants to boost speeds and force behind his kicks. Now that he has his cybernetic legs, he's even more dangerous in a fight. He has implants that increase his resistance to hacking. His arms can be disassembled by skilled hackers, a hell of a disadvantage if he's using his sais to attack from a distance. He carries a multitude of grenades with him which includes explosives, EMPs and smoke grenades.

Outfit

Monsoon dresses in kitsch style clothing. His wardrobe consists mainly of vests and short sleeves, and perhaps five pairs of bottoms. As he's often doing gig work (and beating up Tyger Claws), he favours no sleeves for their practically and ease of wear. He does own at least a handful of long sleeve shirts, bombers and hoodies which he wears on special occasions, such as when he doesn't want to use his magnetic abilities.

Additional notes

He owns a couple neokitsch style clothing (clothing that only the wealthy can afford) because Jimmy likes to spoil him. He only ever wears them when he's visiting Embers

Jimmy likes stealing his jackets and hoodies.

Monsoon on occasion wears Jimmy's jacket to feel like a villain - Jimmy doesn't take offence to this.

Monsoon wears his clothes until they fall apart. It annoys Jimmy because he knows he can afford new clothes.

He also hates going clothes shopping with Jimmy

Apartment

His apartment is located in Japantown, Westbrook of Night City. He keeps the apartment clean and free of clutter, the only decorations he has are books/magazines and a dragon statue that holds incense (came with the apartment). Eventually, his apartment transformed into a lively little abode when Jimmy entered his life. After becoming accustomed to the company, the apartment now includes horror movie posters, memory chips dotted everywhere, cute little momentos, cans of Spunky Monkey in the fridge, an additional toothbrush, additional clothes in the wardrobe, sex toys and numerous Polaroid photographs of the two.

Additional notes:

Sometimes they use each other's toothbrush by mistake

He has a plethora of plants. He likes nature. Jimmy's a little freaked out by the plants especially when they touch him

He doesn't smoke in the apartment

[stevebattle]

Mars 1 (1990) by Andrew Cattell. Mars 1 competed in the 1990 UK IEE Micromouse competition in London, and again in 1992 where "Derek Hall’s Motor Mouse 2 managed a good best run but picked up some penalty points as did Andrew Cattell’s Mars 1." – UKMARS

"Mars 1 is a wheelchair design with DC (PortEscap ironless rotor) motors. Home made opto discs on the motor output shafts give 1.4mm resolution plus some backlash. Eight downlooking opto sensors are used on each side, set to allow peeking over ythe walls into adjacent cells. The inner set are used to check heading error before a turn by measuring distance travelled between 1st on sensing wall ahead and 2nd. A crude compensation is added to turn. The processor is an 8031 micro @ 6Mhz with 8K EPROM, 8k RAM, battery backed for post-run diagnostics using a BBC micro. The motor current control loop sets basic acceleration uses pwm for steering corrections. This was unstable till a disc of foam rubber, with grease on, was squeezed between gears on inner ends of the axle producing a sort of LSD (limited slip differential). All moving parts run in ball bearings, including the castors and their pivots. Power is provided by 6 Nicads of 600mAh capacity and the all-up weight is more than 2 pounds (1kg). Mars 1 took 3rd place in the London competition in 1991, but it was obvious that the resolution of travel distance and control of motors were too crude to be really competitive. A bug somewhere in the hardware was the final straw." – Andrew Cattell (via Pete Harrison)

[justforbooks]

Clouds

Only those who fly fully appreciate the wonders that exist out the front of  the cockpit. Our passion is fueled by the experiences of seeing and feeling many things, including the extraordinary cloud types that comprise our living atmosphere.

My memories of clouds include the theory in the class rooms, tempered and case hardened by experiences in the cockpit:

The experiences of crossing, or jumping on the back of Jet Streams (narrow bodies of air that form due to temperature shears that can travel up to 300 kilometers per hour);

The threatening view of roll clouds in front of thunderstorms that took on the colour of their contents (green ocean water) ;

The seemingly innocent and beautiful views of “virga”, rainfall that evaporates before descending to the ground, but acts as the cooling process to create dangerous micro-bursts that are deadly to aircraft near airports;

The fascinating events during lightning strikes to aircraft;

Morning Katabatic winds that roll down mountain slopes in Perth, Adelaide, Jordan and Los Angeles; and

“Rotors” of turbulent air that form in the lee of the escarpment just a few miles to the east of Perth Airport in Western Australia. Every Perth inhabitant who has flown has probably experienced this rough ride just prior to landing or after takeoff.

Through the Inter Tropic Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a corridor ringing the Earth that marks the most heated surface temperatures,  that trails the sun’s highest position in latitude by one month. The warmer surface heats the air more than the surrounding cooler surfaces.

Convective forces lift moist air mass in the ITCZ to form the highest and most spectacular thunderstorms on the planet.

The water vapour causes the wet rising air to cool slower than the surrounding drier ambient air. This growing temperature difference causes the rising column to become even more buoyant in the atmosphere. The buoyant thunderstorm clouds can often ascend at more than 5,000 feet per minute.

The thunderstorm tops rise until the atmosphere becomes stable. The highest stable altitude is found at a point called the Tropopause, where the air temperature remains constant as the altitude increases. The tropopause can be located anywhere from 25,000 (poles) up to 60,000 (equator) feet above the surface. Many ITCZ thunderstorms reach these amazing heights and then then “top out” at  after punching though the tropopause. This is the reasons that the coldest atmospheric temperatures exist over the equator!

Every pilot who flies through the ITCZ knows about these dangers and avoids thunderstorms accordingly. We are always on alert, aware that a “safe” radar picture one minute can change into a “dangerous” paint the next. We never fully trust the radar presentations.

The pilots creed of “one look outside is worth 100 radar scans” holds true and at night. Whilst the passengers are snug in their seats watching the latest video, we have turned down the cockpit lighting to the minimum and pressed our faces against the windows, using the “Mark 1 Eyeball” to scan the outside horizon for dangerous storm cells.

This is just another day in the life of an airline pilot.

Our 400 passengers were either asleep in the A380’s remarkably quiet cabin, or watching one of the thousand in-flight movies. Whilst they relaxed with their window shutters closed, we dodged one ITCZ thunderstorm after another, banking and weaving, banking and weaving through the sky, all the time ensuring that the aircraft rolled at a rate less than three degrees per second – a rate that is undetectable to our passengers. We were busy in the flight deck whilst the passengers presumed that their pilots were carving a straight line through clear skies.

Not a drop was spilled from any glass.

The energy in this thunderstorm, if tapped, would have powered a city for a day.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[sgt-scottymoreau]

Till Death do us appart

Summary: The fatal day and accident where Henri lost his childhood best friend.

Warning: Mention of death, description of death, grief

Words: 3.4k // Masterlist

A/N: At first I want to do this serie more in a chronoligically order, but then I realized that I was giving myself some restriction to stop me from writing. So like for the main series, I'll just write whatever event I feel like writing even if it's not chronological. This is supposed to take place around 2002. Also, what happen in there had been roughly mentioned in Lesson of Life, which was more Scotty's POV (even reused a micro portion of the fic here). This time you get her father's POV.

One minute everything was fine, the next one alarms were going off and he was pulling on the shift stick to stabilize the helicopter. Their reaction time had not been fast enough, that or they didn’t expect a second rocket so fast after the flares had been used against one. Through the window he could see the world spiraling and the ground coming closer at an alarming rate. He could already hear the terrain warning yelling at him.

“Didier! Pull up!” Henri yelled.

“I’m trying! Putain!” His co-pilot strained against the pull. 

This was hopeless. “Brace!”

A few hours before…

Henri just finished his call with his family. He truly hoped that this time he would be able to go home. Suzanne had chewed him a little, yet he knew that she understood it was beyond his power, since his deployment had been extended by a month. This in itself was technically nothing. But Henri knew it must be difficult for his wife to have to handle the kids a little longer alone. Especially with Camille. She had been quite a handful during his absence. Part of him thought it might be because she was in the child phase of being a little too adventurous for her own good, but he really feared it could be her way to ‘rebel’ that her dad wasn’t home much often. 

An arm wrapped around his shoulder taking him out of his thoughts. 

“What’s with the long face?” Didier teased him. “Missing your girls?”

Henri shook his head with a smile. “You damn well know it’s this. When you're gonna have kids you will understand.”

Didier laughed heartily and gave his friend a slap on the back. “Yeah, one day. I’m getting old and… well you know with Thérèse. I don’t know if she could handle raising a kid when I’m far from long periods.”

“Forty-two is not that old. You still have a few years left.” He nudged his friend. 

“If I was working at a desk job! With the military, who knows. Anyway, I was coming here to pick you up. They want us to deliver the boys in two hours.”

Henri let out a sigh with a smile. He couldn’t anymore with Didier’s ‘humor’ sometimes. With that they both walked to the tarmac to go look around the helicopter and take a look at the checklist before take off. A quick discussion with the mechanics about a few things here and there. For a moment, Henri and Didier decided who would be the pilot and co-pilot. Their regular pre-flight routine. Two hours later, right on time, the soldiers were loaded and the two pilots were ready to lift off. 

“After this mission, we can go home.” Didier smiled, placing his helmet on his head. 

Now…

Henri came back to his senses after he didn’t know how long. All he knew was that his body was in pain. He moved slowly, unsure if he had something broken, but he knew he was bruised. He groaned as he pushed himself out of his seat. The nose of the helicopter was dented on the ground, the cockpit was tilted in an awkward angle. The engines were slowly dying down, the rotor on top was broken but still spinning from the momentum. Dust and smoke swirled together with the noise of the surviving soldiers in the back. His mind cleared of any fog hearing their voices and was reminded of where he was. His head turned quickly to his co-pilot who was against the controls, motionless. 

“Didier!” Henri shouted and shaked his friend. The man groaned. In an almost slow motion move, he pushed himself back against the seat. Only then did they both realize a broken piece of metal had lodged itself in his front shoulder and from the look of it was deep. Blood was soaking Didier’ uniform at a rapid rate.��

“Merde! Come on, we need to get you out of here now.” Henri did his best beside the angle of the cockpit. Two other soldiers finally came to help their pilots to get out. Didier did his best to not complain, but every shift, every movement, the smallest knock against his shoulder sent a jolt of pain that was so atrocious he couldn’t contain his cries. Henri and the soldier helped the co-pilot out and laid him on the ground. 

“Major, we are far enough from any conflict zone and we contacted a medic evac. ETA is five minutes.” 

Henri didn’t reply. He was just the pilot, despite having the higher rank of the group, he wasn’t leader of the mission. But hearing that rescue was on the way was good. His eyes scanned the wreckage of the helicopter and the other soldiers. It seemed that most had been able to survive the crash without much injuries, except for Didier.

The co-pilot looked around as well, with a labored breath, and he smiled. “Well the boys are good at least.”

“Shut up, you need to focus on yourself, Di.” Henri said between his teeth. He was no medic, all he had was basic techniques, nothing about being impaled! Didier’s taint turned livid by the minute. “Listen to me, you stay awake and you stay alive. That’s an order.”

Didier laughed with a wince. “It’s not because you are the pilot this time that you get to order me around.” His voice wheezed at each word. 

“Stop talking, don’t waste your energy ok. Evac will be there soon, you will be fine.” 

“Come on, idiot. You and I both know I’m not…”

“Shut up!” Henri’s voice echoed in the area, making everyone look in his direction. Everyone was aware of the situation, but Henri was rarely known to be the kind of mind to raise his voice without a reason. Even when someone made a mistake or weren’t listening, it was never this powerful. “You die, I’ll kill you myself, understand? So keep it together, fight!”

Didier smiled weakly. “Remember when we first met?”

“I fucking swear if you don’t shut your mouth, Didier. Don’t… Don’t talk like that.” The pilot’s throat tightened under the emotions. 

“I’m not gonna make it, we both know. So let me have one more conversation with my brother, ok?” 

Henri nodded, battling the tears in the back of his eyes. “When we first met, that was after school. I was the only one left because my dad had forgotten me again and my mom was busy at work.”

“Yeah… ask my dad if we could walk you home. Instead he took us for an ice cream.” 

Henri smiled remembering this day vividly. Dider coughed, wincing more. “Thirty five years of friendship… A true brother… You know I always loved Gabby and Cam as my own, right?”

“Yes… You are their uncle. They love you too.”

“Henri… Tell… Tell Thérèse I love her too. That I am sorry… I really tried to make this landing as… safe as possible. I saved lives.” His hand was trembling as he reached for Henri’s. He grabbed it with very little strength he had left. 

“I’ll tell her, don’t worry. I promise. You did good, soldier. You did good.”

“I’m happy I… didn’t had… to die alone.” Didier’s hand slipped down, his eyes remained fixed on Henri but it was clear that there was no life in them. Henri held his friend in his arms. The world around him was a blur, he could hear voices and maybe the faint noise of a rotor. He had seen and lost a few friends in the army, it wasn’t the first time. But this time, it was different. He had felt sad in the past, but never like this. Tears rolled down his cheeks. A soldier shook him, telling him something but he heard nothing. He felt his body being pulled away from his best friend and he didn’t resist. He let whoever did drag him away as the medical team rushed to Didier.

They were supposed to go home together tomorrow.

******

From that moment till the plane landed back to base in Belgium, everything was a numbing blurr. He replayed the event in his mind over and over again, every time trying to figure out why it ended the way it did. How could he have prevented it? How could he have saved him? The other soldiers who had been there or heard of what happened gave him a sympathetic look as they passed him to disembark. No words, but a silent respect was all that was needed. Henri stayed in the plane a little longer. He would have to break the news to Thérèse. He wasn’t sure he could do it. He eventually grabbed his bag and walked down the ramp to the join where he knew his family would be waiting. 

As we walked closer, his eyes remained low, he didn’t dare look for anyone. His heart ached between being happy to see his wife and kids, but also to tell the truth. At some point, his eye met with Suzanne and he looked away. When he looked back up, Suzanne and Thérèse were right in front of him with worry all over their faces. 

“Henri?” Suzanne first spoke up.

His eyes glanced to his wife and then to Didier’s wife. His heart raced, his mind trying to figure out the right words to use. “I’m sorry. He… didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean he didn’t make it?” Thérèse’s tone was somewhere between worry and knowing what it meant.

“We lost control of the heli and… we crashed and… Thérèse I’m sorry, he told me to say he loves you. Till the end.” 

Thérèse grabbed at his forearms, her hands clenching on his uniform. “No… No! No this is one of your stupid pranks! Tell me this is just a joke! Henri! NO!”

“I’m sorry.” Henri let out in a defeated tone. Thérèse became so hysterical that Suzanne had to hold her. Henri tried to not break down himself, to keep looking strong, especially when he saw Camille suddenly coming running towards them. He dropped his bag and quickly went to scoop her before she would get too close. “Hey Tulip.”

"Dad! Where's Uncle Didier?" Camille asked innocently. Henri didn't have his usual smile, he looked different which made her worry. 

Henri didn't know how to bring this to her. She knew what death was, but not like this. She had been too young when her great-grandmother died to remember anything. Since then the family hasn't had much loss. This would be the first she would be aware of it. He had to be careful of his words, but he also didn't want to shield her to the reality of things. "Uncle Didier…." His throat tightened. 

"Why is Auntie Thérèse crying?" Henri bit his lips feeling the tears coming up again. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. He stroked her hair, his shoulders shaking under the silent cry. "Dad?" 

"I'm sorry, Tulip. Uncle Didier is not coming home."

"When is he coming back?" Henri bit his lips to keep his sobs down. What he would give to keep her innocence but, he would have to tell her.

“Let’s go home, I’ll explain to you there.”

****

Henri did his best to explain what happened to his daughters. Only saying that they had an accident and Didier was hurt that he…died. He didn’t want to sugar coat anything. Gabrielle took the concept better than Camille had she had been more aware when her great-grandma died. Camille seemed to take the thing a little more…unsure. He was tucking Gabrielle in bed that night, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “Papa, can you promise me you will always come back?”

Henri remained silent for a moment. This kind of promise wasn’t something he should make lightly. He understood the underlying worry Gabrielle was voicing behind this demand. “I’ll do my best to always come home.”

“Ok. I love you dad.”

“I love you too, sweetie. Sleep tight.”

His eldest tucked in, he went to see the youngest. She was sitting on the bed looking down, her feet kicked in the air. “Camille, it’s late, you should sleep. You have school tomorrow.” He softly said with a smile.

The little girl lifted her head and slipped under her blanket. She grabbed her plush holding it tight against her. Henri knew something wasn’t completely right. Camille was always the most difficult to get to bed when he finally came back. Always had questions, so happy to see her dad, she was the most restless of all. He sat on the bed and kissed her on the forehead. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” She replied with a weak voice. “Goodnight, papa.”

He smiled. “Goodnight, tulip.”

Henri headed back downstairs just as Suzanne got off the phone. “It was Thérèse. She was able to get a more personal funeral for Didier. She said it will be this Saturday.”

Henri let himself fall on the couch with a nod. He ran his hands on his face, exhausted emotionally and physically. His wife sat next to him, placing a comforting hand on his lap. His head stretched all the way back on the couch, he looked at the ceiling. “Honey?” She called him out.

“It should have been me… It could have been me.” He let out.

“What do you mean?”

“He should have been in the pilot seat, it was his turn. We like… liked to alternate. But he insisted on letting me pilot.” 

“Henri, don’t say this. No one knows what could have happened, no matter the seat he was in. It’s not your fault.”

He turned his head to his wife. It broke her heart to see how defeated he looked. After all these years together, it was maybe the first time she saw him like this. They remained silent for a while, not knowing what to say to the other. “Suzanne, I’m not sure I can ever forget how he died. Every time I close my eyes, I see him, the blood, the-”

“Do not. You know I don’t like when you get descriptive.”

“I’m sorry.” They kept talking about a few things here and there, without noticing little Camille who was sitting in the stairs listening and getting more information that she should know. Till her parents stood up to get to bed and she quickly ran back to her room.

As Henri slipped under the blanket, he had a strange feeling. A strange feeling of guilt that he was there going on with his life while his best friend was gone. A feeling it seemed Suzanne caught on. She looked at him with one last demand. “I’m not gonna tell you how you should mourn, but if not for me, at least for our daughters, do not hesitate to ask for help. Can you promise me this?”

“I promise.”

*****

They were lucky today. The weather was nice, the sun was shining bright, birds were chirping, life was flowing as it should. Elements that contrasted with the mourning of the funeral. Henri was sitting half listening to what the priest was saying. Camille was on his lap, very calm, holding him tightly. There were a few friends they made in the army that also joined, Didier’s parents were also here and Thérèse, of course. It was a more intimate funeral, nothing big. When the service was done, Henri followed the casket as it was being transported to the cemetery, Camille still in his arm and Gabrielle holding his hand. He couldn’t blame them for being so clingy. It probably hit them how close they had been to losing their dad. One thing that surprised him was how calm and collected Thérèse seemed to be. She had barely spoken a word except thanking them for coming. But both him and Suzanne could feel that there was something going on. Yet they didn’t blame her. 

Everyone paid their respect one last time before going back to a small meal together. Most of it went without any problem. Henri had some good times remembering the good memories and it helped heal the wounds. He talked for a long time with Didier’s parents. Of course it was hard for them to lose their only son, they did their best to reassure Henri they knew it wasn’t his fault. It was the risk of the life their son chose. 

Eventually Henri and his family went to talk to Thérèse before leaving. 

“Thérèse…” He started.

“Thank you for coming here.” She said with a cold tone that took both adults by surprise. “I really appreciate that you came here. But… I don’t want to ever see you.”

“What?” Suzanne was baffled.

“Why does he get to live but not him? Why!” 

Henri frowned. “Gabrielle take your sister to the car, we will be there soon.” He didn’t want them to be there for this talk. It wouldn’t turn ugly, but he didn’t need the kids to hear all of that. The two girls didn’t have to be told twice before leaving. “Thérèse I told you I’m sorry. You know I would have done everything to bring him ba-”

“Well you didn’t do enough. I’m sorry but I just can’t see you without thinking about Didier. I just can see any of you right now… just going on with your life… getting the life you always wanted. Thank you, but you can leave now.”

“Thérèse, please be reasonable, are we still friends?” Suzanne chimed in.

Thérèse scoffed. “You get to have the life and husband I wish I could have had. But faith decided to take my husband away. I don’t want to make a scene, so leave. Now.”

Henri and Suzanne didn’t argue anymore about this and simply accepted the request. Maybe she needed some time to mourn and this was her way. Who could tell?

******

Ten years had passed since he lost his best friend and it always hurted, no matter what. There was time he had some thoughts he wasn’t proud of now in retrospect. He pushed hard for his kids who had been a great anchor when he felt lost. Despite all the therapy he went through, it took him so long to accept everything. Having a new co-pilot all the time didn’t help. No that he felt they replaced his friend. He was simply scared the same would happen again. Which almost happened recently. Another accident which luckily ended with only a few injuries. His left eye was still bandaged, always recovering, or what was left of it. He stood in front of the tomb, still feeling guilty that once again he survived. The wind gently blew. 

“Hey brother, I thought you wouldn’t mind another conversation.” He smiled. “I guess I am a tough one to kill. Doctors said they had to remove the eye, which was too damaged. But I will live. If someone had told me that losing an eye would also come with neck problems, I would have rather liked to keep it.”

He let out a sigh. “Well nothing much can be done about it. That is probably gonna be the end of my flight career. That remains to be seen. At least I can still instruct the recruits.”

Henri balanced on his heels and toes. “What else… Oh right. Camille is following our steps. Well not exactly the same branch. She opted for the land. Isn’t that funny? My grandfather was in the navy, I'm in the air force and she will be in the army, on the ground. We made the full circle. We will see how the selection goes, but… I do believe she will make it. She never changed much from the little girl she was. Gabrielle is still doing well in her career too. I’m really proud of both of them.”

He stayed a little long in silence, simply enjoying the moment. A flood of good memories invaded his mind; him and Didier getting in trouble at school, playing in the streets till the stars showed up, both acting like wingmen to one another, the laughter, the sadness and the rage they shared. These memories ached but not as much, they brought more a sensation of nostalgia. Henri’s fingers brushed on the rough stone. “Alright Didier, I’ll come see you next week. I’ll bring your favorite beer this time.”

He let out a soft chuckle and left to return home.

[altruistresistance]

INFO DUMP FOR MY PRIMARY AU

SONIC: BATTLE LINE

PLOT

On the Planet Mobius, all is quiet. The population of Humans and Mobians alike live in harmony. Or so it seems. Under the shining exterior, a cold war between extremists and the government is starting to boil over. Head of the Science Division, Dr. Ivo Robotnik plots to use scientific advancements to turn the population against one another. As such, the Guardians of the United Nations scrambled a small platoon of heroes with remarkable powers in order to stop him. The conflict has been going for three years... and it's reaching a boiling point.

THE SECOND STAR RESISTANCE

Cole "Sonic" Aleena the Hedgehog (Powers: Super speed, mild wind manipulation.)

Michelle "Sonia" Aleena the Hedgehog (Powers: Invisibility.)

Jordan "Manic" Aleena the Hedgehog (Powers: Super strength, limited seismic manipulation.)

Miles "Tails" Prower the Fox (Powers: Two-tailed flight.)

Amy "Rusty" Rose the Hedgehog (Powers: Super strength, invisibility, cyborg anatomy.)

Elijah "Knuckles" Meadows the Echidna (Powers: Super strength, hyper durability.)

Clara "Rouge" Hopkins the Bat (Powers: Psionic shield.)

E-123 Omega (Powers: Internal nanometal arsenal.)

Samson Robotnik Beowulf "Shadow" Terios the Hedgehog (Powers: super speed, super strength, mastery over Chaos manipulation.)

THE ROBOTON REGIME (HIGH COMMAND)

Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (Powers: Cybernetic enhancements Badnik control.)

Jason "Sleet" Fredrick the Wolf (Powers: control over the nanometal drones known as the Dingo Pack.)

Snively Robotnik (Powers: Badnik control.)

Neo "Metal Sonic" Metallix the Android Hedgehog (Powers: Nanometal copy ability.)

Xander "Infinite" Oliver the Jackal (Powers: Unstable Chaos energy manipulation filtered through the Phantom Ruby.)

Agent Breezie the Synthetic Hedgehog (Powers: Hypnotic mist.)

THE ROBOTON REGIME (BADNIKS)

MotoBugs (Motorcycle beetles armed with submachine guns. Weak point, wheels.)

Buzz Bombers (Small VTOL wasps armed with low-burn plasma beams in the stinger. Weak point, torso.)

Crabmeat (Crustacean sentinels with claw-mounted rocket launchers. Weak point, joints.)

Optic Pods (Single-eyed scouts with micro missile salvos. Weak point, power core/eye.)

Slicers (Praying mantis guards with reinforced titanium blades. Weak point, back of the neck.)

SwatBots (Elite humanoid Badniks capable of speech that use built in high-burn plasma cannons and smart-lock missiles. Weak point, Achilles heel.)

Hover Units (Large helicopter drones armed with ultrasonic concussion cannons, fusion core missiles, and a deployable energy shield. Weak point, rotor blades.)

Tank-Rexes (Huge theropod-like tanks with powerful jaws, optical plasma cutters, drill tail, and hyper-concussive roar. Weak point, internal generator.)

WEAPON TYPES

Melee (Swords, hammers, pile bunkers, the list goes on.)

Ballistic (Firearms that use traditional bullets. Effective against lighter Badniks, but useless against SwatBots and large units.)

Plasma (Firearms that utilize plasma engines rather than standard ammunition. Rare, but effective against more elite Badniks.)

Explosive (Be it a rocket launcher or grenade, these weapons pack a punch. Can be just as damaging to the wielder as it is to the enemy.)

HEADCANON VOICES SO FAR

Sonic - Benjamin Diskin

Sonia - Erica Mendez

Manic - Johnny Yong Bosch

Tails - Anthony Del Rio

Knuckles - Khary Payton

Amy - Jamie Lamchick

Rouge - Grey DeLisle

Omega - Keith David

Shadow - Ian Hanlin

Eggman - Charlie Adler

Sleet - Steve Blum

Snively - Peter MacNicol

Metallix - Ron Perlman

Infinite - Liam O'Brien

Breezie - Laura Bailey

SwatBots - Isaac Singleton Jr.

[watchilove]

Laurent Ferrier x Hervé Di Rosa Classic Micro-Rotor

Laurent Ferrier has always been committed to creating timepieces that are both modern and timeless, combining horological technicality, functionality, and aesthetic purity. Today, to celebrate the longevity of the flagship piece of the collection, Laurent wished to infuse his iconic Classic Micro-Rotor with natural escapement with a touch of playfulness and a more artistic dimension by…

[pkansa]

Yema Superman Slim: a new micro-rotor appears

Yema Superman Slim: a new micro-rotor appears

Back in 2011, we first took a look at a watch from Yema, with John’s review of the Yema Rally Chronograph. Then, things were radio silent until I caught wind of the brand in 2020, when I wrote about the Yema Spacegraf Zero-G. That opened the floodgates, and since then, I’ve become familiar with what I consider to be their icon – the Yema Superman. Back at the end of 2023 they released a…

[ariesgamesandminis]

New CGL Sized Hex Base & Restocks are in from Iron Wind Metals!

20-5089 Cizin Hover Tank (2) 20-5117 Kodiak II (Standard) 20-5140 Ostscout OTT-7J 20-5173 Scourge SCG-WF1 20-5187 Dominator 20-5204 Stormwolf Prime 20-5214 Jade Phoenix Prime 20-715 Jagatai Prime 20-785 Demolisher II Tank 20-885 Hermes II HER-2S 99-202 Large Flat Top Hex Base #2 99-207 Large Flat Top Hex Base #3 BT-008 Void Battle Armor BT-098 Visigoth Micro Fighter BT-104 Jagatai Micro Fighter BT-108 Tyre Micro Fighter BT-112 Sulla Micro Fighter BT-120 Sabutai Mech Scale Fighter BT-141 Hydaspes Micro Fighter BT-144 Lancer Micro Fighter BT-147 Zero Micro Fighter BT-148 Dagger Micro Fighter BT-149 Eisensturm Micro Fighter BT-152 Vandal Micro Fighter BT-168 Vulcan Micro Fighter BT-202 Rogue Bear Heavy Battle Armor BT-207 Delphyne ProtoMech BT-216 Archangel Dominus BT-239 Jump Support Infantry BT-245 Heavy Infantry - Firing BT-303 Vulture Mk III Prime BT-317 Thor II A BT-331 Phoenix Hawk LAM MK I PHX-HK1 (Mech) BT-364 Gabriel Hovercraft BT-368 Cecerops Protomech BT-369 Elemental Battle Armor (3) BT-372 Savannah Master Hovercraft BT-381 Basic Inner Sphere Battle Armor (3) BT-463 War Crow A BT-472 Wolverine WVR-7M / 7M2 / 7K FT-017 Scytha Mech Scale Fighter FT-019 Kirghiz Mech Scale Fighter 20-400D Puma "Adder" Prime Arm Sprue 20-456C Typhoon RAC Variant RAC Gun Sprue 20-727B Karnov UR Transport Rotor / Blade 20-864B Hatchetman Arm Sprue

[finerthingsblogs]

Ming Signature Essentials vs Ming 19XX: Core Design vs Chronometric Innovation

In the world of independent horology, Ming has carved a path that blends elegant design with technical substance. Two pivotal families—Signature Essentials and 19XX—encapsulate the dual identity of the brand: one rooted in purity and design clarity, and the other venturing into chronometric experimentation and mechanical finesse. The Signature Essentials serve as the foundational…

[spacenutspod]

After over 70 successful flights, a broken rotor ended the remarkable and groundbreaking Ingenuity helicopter mission on Mars. Now, NASA is considering how a larger, more capable helicopter could be an airborne geologist on the Red Planet. For the past several years scientists and engineers have been working on the concept, proposing a six-rotor hexacopter that would be about the size of the Perseverance rover. Called the Mars Science Helicopter (MSH), it would not only serve as an aerial scout for a future rover, but more importantly, it could also carry up to 5 kg (11 lbs) of science instruments aloft in the thin Martian atmosphere and land in terrain that a rover can’t reach. A new paper presented at the March 2024 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference outlines the geology work that such a helicopter could accomplish. The paper, “Unraveling the Origin and Petrology of the Martian Crust with a Helicopter,” notes there are several outstanding questions about the makeup and history of Mars’ surface, especially with recent discoveries of unexpected dichotomies in the composition of basaltic rocks. In observations from the Mars rovers and orbital spacecraft, some regions appear to have been influenced by water while some have not. “Up to last decade, we thought that magmatic rocks were only basaltic on Mars,” said Valerie Payré from the University of Iowa, the paper’s lead author. “But with recent rover and orbital measurements, we observed that there is a wide diversity of magmatic rocks similar to what we see on Earth.” Payré explained via email that there are rocks on Mars with elevated silica concentrations called felsic rocks – feldspar and silicate — that are rich in elements and were not expected to be found on the Martian surface. “We measured these with the Curiosity rover and have some hints of where there might be others using orbital measurements,” Payré said. “However, close-up images (millimetric scale) and composition analyses are lacking from the orbital dataset to know if these felsic rocks are widespread on Mars or just at a few locations. This is yet highly important to understand what the crust of Mars is made of and if it is similar to Earth’s crust, which has implications regarding the formation of the planet and even past climate.” First X-ray view of Martian soil – feldspar, pyroxenes, olivine revealed (Curiosity rover at “Rocknest”, October 17, 2012). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames Payré and her team feel that a helicopter would be perfect to explore places where a rover could never traverse, such as terrains that are too high in altitude, since landing there would require too much fuel. The instruments they propose include a miniaturized visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectrometer for small scale mineralogical mapping and a small Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometer (LIBS) with a micro-imager, an instrument similar to the ChemCam laser instrument on both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. In their paper, the team writes that a helicopter with these instruments could travel kilometers to detect promising felsic terrains, and measure their composition at a micron scale. “We could fly over these possible felsic terrains and look at their minerals using a visible/near infrared spectrometer, land on locations of interest, take close-up images, and measure the compositions of these rocks with the LIBS,” Payré said. “We could finally know what Mars’ crust is, and better constrain how it formed.” A graphic show the parts of the Ingenuity helicopter. Credit: NASA There could also be an onboard a magnetometer, which measures magnetic field anomalies, to better understand how Mars’ magnetic field operated, which is still uncertain. Mars does not presently have a global magnetic field, but had one early in its lifetime. “Such payload would finally enable us to better understand the past climate on Mars by measuring the composition and minerals of sedimentary rocks of various age,” Payré told Universe Today. A conceptual design paper published in 2020 proposed a Mars hexacopter with a mass of about 31 kg (70 lbs) and a total diameter of just over four meters (13 feet). Each set of rotors would have blades about 0.64 meters (2 ft) long.  The helicopter would be powered by a rechargeable solar cell. This would not only power the rotors, but the desired scientific instruments.  A model of NASA’s Mars Science Helicopter concept. Credit: NASA. This helicopter could move as fast as 30 meters a second (60 mph) but also could hover over a spot for as long as five minutes. Engineers from Ames Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Lab and the University of Maryland wrote that MSH could fly with a range of up to 10 km (6.2 miles) per flight. With this speed and range, MSH could potentially cover as much ground in a few days as rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity have traversed in years. “The fact that a helicopter can fly would facilitate the mission to visit to places that would be inaccessible for a rover, and we could access locations that we never imagined before,” Payré said. Payré and team proposed several landing sites including Gale Crater Gale crater where evolved felsic rocks were found by the Curiosity Rover; the massive canyon of Valles Marineris, where orbital observations have revealed a deep crust with feldspar-bearing rocks; and Hellas basin, 2,300 km impact crater known to have layers of feldspar.  Annotated view of Valles Marineris from the High-Resolution Stereoscopic Camera (HRSC) on the Mars Express spacecraft. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Michael) The post The Mars Science Helicopter Could be an Airborne Geologist on Mars appeared first on Universe Today.

[kvrinas1]

@xicojvn

Dejunnie~ I'll leave this short and sweet since I wrote plenty on the letter but, happy wedding anniversary, baby! This last year getting to call myself your wife has been the most fun year I've ever had. I can't wait to see what forever holds in store for us, my love, and I'm so happy I get be your partner in life, love and everything in between. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me~ On top of all the gifts lay an envelope that says Dear Husband..

A paper print of our first dance song's lyrics.

A paper bouquet of both of our vows!

A custom pull out photo album of all of the adventures we've gotten to go on together over the last year and some of our wedding photo's included!

A cheeky little dice set for date nights and that goes with the next gift~

The most special candle I could get~

Next, a double breasted blazer and matching pants from YSL.

Along with the DORIAN JODHPUR IN SMOOTH LEATHER boot.

the L.U.C XP URUSHI YEAR OF THE DRAGON watch from Chopard. Greatly inspired by Chinese traditions, Chopard’s L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon boasts a 39.5 mm ethical 18k rose gold case, while the in-house L.U.C 96.17-L caliber with micro-rotor ensures a slender profile of just 6.80mm can be maintained. It is a fusion of both technical savoir-faire and artistic flair delivered by Chopard Manufacture. Its dial is a piece of art, skilfully decorated with Urushi lacquer, gold powder and mother-of-pearl inlays. And for the twelfth year running in the Chopard Urushi story, the dial has been hand crafted in Japan by a world-renowned artisan specialising in the Maki-e technique.

Next, the MetaQuest, Oculus 3 VR gaming set.

And the LG CineBeam portable projector for all the movie nights we can have in the backyard together.

Finally, this is for you take off of me later~