#uncivil engineering

[skyhdvideos]

Success has never been easy. Hard work, precision, consistency, and many other things contribute to achieving success. Avnish aka Uncivilized Engineer understands this truth all too well, as he has shared some of his tips and experiences with his audience. Through his dedication and commitment to excellence in engineering, Avnish has demonstrated the importance of perseverance and determination in overcoming challenges. #Video #Uncivilizedengineer #Avnish #Success #Hardwork #Precision

[videoblogbyjacobo]

In the thought-provoking and empowering video titled Don't Ignore These Signs by Uncivilized Engineer, readers are passionately urged to embrace their authentic selves and cease concealing their true identities. With an exciting and professional tone of voice, the author skillfully unveils the importance of self-acceptance amidst a society that often encourages conformity. Watch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxAyDy4OyVI

[amtrak-official]

Consider UNcivil engineers

[fatehbaz]

Most books on the Bengal delta begin by describing it as “riverine,” [...] the land is the product of fluvial action [...]. [I]n thinking about Bengal, one tends to imagine the ricepaddy fields [...]. It was not so all the time; Bengal was never really a land of farming [...]. Traveling through Bengal in the eighteenth century, the French traveler Orme saw a highly sophisticated water-based economy - the blessing of rivers - irrigated [...] by the monsoon rains and annual flooding. [...] The rivers were not just channels of water; they carried a thriving trade, transporting people and goods from one part of the delta to another. Today, Bengal is generally seen as comprising lush green rice paddies [...]. Rivers are often presented as causing immense grief [through seasonal flooding] [...]. Clearly, there is a mismatch here. [...] How (and when) did Bengal’s social milieu transform from water-based to land-based? [...] Bengal’s essential character as a fluid landscape was changed during the colonial times through legal interventions that were aimed at stabilizing lands and waters, at creating permanent boundaries between them, and at privileging land over water, in a land of shifting river courses, inundated irrigation, and river-based life.

Such a separation of land and water was made possible not just by physical constructions but first and foremost by engineering a legal framework that gradually entered the popular vocabulary. [...] BADA, which stands for the Bengal Alluvion and Diluvion Act, [was] a law passed by the colonial British rulers in 1825, following the Permanent Settlement of 1793. [...] The environment of Bengal can be described as hybrid, where the demarcation between land and water is neither well-defined nor permanent. Nature here represents a borderless world, or at best one in which borders are not fixed lines on the ground demarcating a territory, but are negotiated spaces or zones. Such “[...] spaces” comprise “not [only] lines of separation but zones of interaction…transformation, transgression, and possibility” (Howitt 2001, 240).

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Current boundaries of land and water are as much products of history as nature and the colonial rule of Bengal played a key role in changing the ideas and valuations of both. [...] The debate on what constituted productive and unproductive uses of land preceded the application of English property law not only to establish permanent zamindari (a common term for the system of landlordism) settlement of land tenure in India, but also to valorize land in what had essentially been a land-water hybrid environment. The colonial land revenue system, by seeing land as more productive (being able to yield revenue) and useful, began the long historical process of branding the rivers of Bengal as uncivil and in need of control. [...] The problem with deltaic land is its non-permanent nature, as silt is stored by rivers: rivers do not always flow along a certain route [...] The laws that the colonial British brought to Bengal, however, were founded upon the thinking of land as being fixed in place. [...]

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Experiments to fine-tune the land-based economy began in 1760 when Bengal, and its ceded territories, came under the East India Company rule. [...] To entrench the system, the Permanent Settlement of 1793 created zamindars (or landlords) “in perpetuity” - meaning for good. The system was aimed at reducing the complexities of revenue collection due to erratically shifting lands and unpredictable harvests in a monsoon-dependent area [...]. Alarmed at the possibility of dismemberment of their estates, the zamindars decided to bind tenants to the same conditions to which they themselves were bound by the colonial government, and one of their actions was to create patni tenures or perpetual leases. [...]

It also meant that the right to collect rent from the tenants, often through the use of force, devolved to the lower layers, making the upper-layer zamindars more of a juridical rather than a real social entity in the eyes of the peasants. The patnidars, finding how much trouble this arrangement took off their own back, created dar-patnis or patnis of the second degree [...]. The dar-patnis created se-patnis or patnis of the third degree. The East India Company, therefore, had to legalize, through Regulation VIII of 1819, the creation of such formations, thus giving a de jure recognition post facto [...].

The regulation, although innocuous and simple, was of great historical potency: it became the key that unlocked the door to environmental and socio-economic changes of unparalleled magnitude. From a riverine community, within a hundred years, Bengal was transformed into a land-based community. [...]

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The meaning of property also changed as a result of this law: the cultivators began to lose the right to occupy the land that they had enjoyed since ancient times because the colonial British had enumerated the characteristics of the zamindari property as an absolute right of proprietorship in the soil [...].

[T]he Company then began to contemplate the problematic issue of legalizing the fictional entities of chars [...]. The law that was created for this purpose -- and still rules the rights of ownership of charlands -- is the Bengal Alluvion and Diluvion Regulation Act (BADA) of 1825. [...] BADA was meant to establish a set of rules to guide the courts to determine the claims to land “gained by alluvion” or accretion, and the resurfaced land previously lost by diluvion or erosion. Even if one takes it for granted that chars are technically non-land in the sense that they exist within river banks, the difficulty remains that when a piece of land is lost to bank erosion, it may not arise in exactly the same location or arise at all within the foreseeable future. This means the owner has no certainty that they will get it back when it resurfaces or when another char rises nearby. [...] Thus, the key to establishing land rights in the court of law remained the payment of rent, even on diluviated land. [...] Such a rule will, however, not be applicable if a river suddenly changes its course and separates a considerable piece of land from one to join it with another farm, but without destroying the identity of the land so removed -- thus preventing legal recognition. New accretions in large navigable rivers would be the property of the state [...].

---

All text above by: Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt. “Commodified Land, Dangerous Water: Colonial Perceptions of Riverine Bengal.” In: “Asian Environments: Connections across Borders, Landscapes, and Times.” Edited by Ursula Munster, Shiho Satsuka, and Gunnel Cederlof. RCC Perspectives, no. 3, 17-22. 2014. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[zumurruds]

this is one of my favorite scenes in the book.

it highlights the deep-seated prejudice that the veretians hold against the akielon people, considering them all to be uncivilized savages incapable of intelligent thought. this mindset is pervasive throughout vere, especially exemplified by laurent, who mockingly calls damen a "dumb brute" and implies that he only possesses "native intelligence.”

in this scene, radel patronizingly explains the hot springs of vere to damen as though he were a child. however, damen responds with his signature quick wit, pointing out that the akielon people have engineered a system of aqueducts that achieves the same effect as a natural spring. this is particularly impressive because it would have required a deep understanding of the geology and hydrology of the region, as well as sophisticated engineering techniques.

the use of aqueducts was a hallmark of advanced civilizations in the ancient world, and it remains a testament to the ingenuity and skill of the engineers and builders who created them. pacat is constantly weaving hints throughout the books that debunk the veretian bias that the akielon people are unintelligent, uncivilized savages who are inferior to veretians.

for me, the cherry on top of the sundae is damen dryly repeating "a great underground river that is hot" in his head, underscoring the absurdity of the situation, before delivering the killing line.

his cleverness and sense of humor are a delight to read, and it's clear why he has a reputation for his sharp wit. laurent’s match indeed!

[grapenehifics]

Hi friend! 👋 For the fic writers asks, please ❤️:

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Hi back!! Thank you friend! (For everyone else, I am still accepting asks here, just getting to them slowly!)

17. What's something you've learned about while doing research for a fic?

Boats! Not in any way that would be actually applicable if I ever went on a boat, unfortunately. But I had Anakin working as a boat mechanic in Down by the Seaside and needed to use some keywords, at least.

(Please, no one who actually knows about yacht engines judge me too hard. I did my best.)

18. What's one of your favorite lines you've written in a fic?

@ellelans just reminded me of this one! It's more of a paragraph, sorry.

Anakin is watching Obi-Wan puttering around and getting ready in the morning in An Uncivil War:

Anakin let his hand fall to the side of the bed and thought, I am going to steal you away. If, after all this is over, whether we’ve caught Grievous or not, we go back to Coruscant and they try to pull you in again, I won’t let them. They can’t have you. I want you to have a life where you can be this relaxed and happy and feel like this in the Force all the time, and you can’t do it, at the Temple. The Temple makes your shoulders tense and gives you headaches and I have to spend hours every time I see you teasing you and joking with you and making you truly irresponsible amounts of tea before you finally drop your Shields and get even half so relaxed as you have been out here. You are never going to another Council meeting ever again. I don’t care how hard they’ll fight to keep you; I’ll fight harder. You deserve this. You deserve every good, kind, beautiful thing in the world. You deserve an easy life. And I will move galaxies to get it for you.

There's a lot in that fic I'm proud of, but that one is definitely up there :D

Thank you for the ask!!

[20kmemesunderthesea]

Mobilis in Mobili

Things of Interest:

Captain Nemo, Freedom Fighter

Films:

The Russian 1975 "Captain Nemo" Miniseries

SNL: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

AMC's "Nautilus"

Games:

Leagues of Love: a Steampunk Dating Sim

Nemo's Fury

Verne: the Shape of Fantasy

A Whale of a Tale:

Hello my fellow bookworms, geeks and uncivilized vagrants! My name is Anna, and I hail from the United States.

I married a man from India. He’s the full package. Tall, dark and handsome…sort of broody until he warms up to you, then he’s a total cinnamon roll. He’s also adventurous, has compelling leadership qualities and a penchant for humanitarianism, which is one of the main reasons I husband’ed him. We’ve been bound in holy matrimony for many a year, and he’s aged like fine wine.

Here's us as young 'uns living in India:

Behind us in this photo you'll see an Indian naval submarine. He took me on a tour of it as a date, because he knows how to show a girl a good time.

Early on in our relationship I read "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." I couldn’t put it down! At night I would dream about being on board the Nautilus. Furthermore…I was immediately smitten with Captain Nemo. 

I actually got a little flustered reading TKLUTS. Captain Nemo is first introduced with three paragraphs describing how handsome he is, with a commanding presence, swarthy features and “finely-tapered hands.” In Professor Aronnax’s words, “Certainly the most wonderful physical specimen I'd ever met up with.”

As the story progresses, he’s shown to be level-headed under pressure, a great leader, and, of course a brilliant mind. My little ol’ heart could hardly handle it when he saved that pearl-diver’s life…or when he smuggled gold to the revolutionaries in Crete. And it did certainly did not help when he would have an impassioned outburst, or break down in tears at the sight of a human life being taken. 

(Jules Verne made Captain Nemo SO HOT…and for what?!)

Now obsessed with this literary figure, I had to find out his elusive backstory. A brief Google search revealed another Jules Verne book, “The Mysterious Island,” which promised to answer my questions.

Upon reading “The Mysterious Island,” I was hard-hit by the tragic tale of the deposed Indian Prince Dakkar, alias Captain Nemo who lost his family during the rebellion of 1857, then built a futuristic submarine in secret with his faithful followers, and dedicated his life to science…and revenge.

Then it hit me like a thunderbolt.

Captain Nemo is Indian...

The way people look up to him…

The intelligent, constantly active mind…

The thirst for adventure…

The tender heart hidden under an exterior of emotional constipation..

It was then I realized that I was besotted with a fictional character…who is a dead ringer for my own dear husband!

Upon re-reading TKLUTS I could attest that the way Captain Nemo reacts in any given situation is just how my husband would react if he had a penchant for engineering and undiagnosed chronic depression. I was flabbergasted that I hadn’t seen it before!

Practically slamming a copy of “20k League Under the Sea” in front of my spouse, I said, “This could be us: we just need a submarine!”

They always said, "boys are better in books..."

This is why I advise people to not hold out.

Wait until you find the literary character of your dreams in the flesh.

It’s truly a joy to hold his finely-tapered hands.

[catsi]

my colleague admitted to me the other month that until he was like 25 he thought the term 'civil' in 'civil engineer' was a reference to the engineer's disposition, not their area of work. like he thought 'civil engineer' was in contrast to 'uncivil engineer'

[cosmicfleurs]

"Lost in the Astral Seas" MASTER POST

Alright, finally buckling down and making a master post for this scatter-brained Mer AU that I oh so love to draw, but have yet to connect the story dots with! Summary: The lone survivor of a disastrous crash on an uncivilized ocean planet, simply known as D-125C, Y/N struggles to make a safe haven for themselves with the help of lone drone. They find unexpected allies hidden beneath the waves, but within this planets ocean lies a secret best left in its depths.

References (thus far!) :

Y/N - Robotics Engineer, was part of crew of crashed ship, and is not adept to surviving in wild environments. They are stubborn in their pursuit to survive though, despite the occasional existential crisis of realizing they might be the only human left on an alien planet. Sun - Surface leviathan predator, hunts using shifting hypnotic patterns across his skin, similar to a cuddle fish. Least aggressive of the pack, and first to encounter Y/N, coming to see them as a fellow leviathan that is just missing their tail (he is lonely).

Moon- Nocturnal leviathan predator, lures prey in with complex bio luminescent patterns and then chases it down to kill. Is a very proud hunter, and saw Y/N as prey at first from how poorly their attempts at catching fish were. Is close with Sun though and allows Y/N to be part of the pack for Sun's sake.

Eclipse - Leviathan of the depths, eldest of the three and protector of their territory. His deep red colors make him almost invisible to creatures in the ocean depths, and he fights other leviathan to fend them off from his pack members hunting grounds. Is terrifying to encounter, but is surprisingly gentle with Sun, Moon, and even Y/N when they meet. Extra picture of Sun showing off how their flippers can work!

AU Tag for when I post things about this AU!

[defconprime]

Montgomery Scott, Uncivilized Engineer

[nevis-the-skeleton]

Techno-organic has been a thing in other transformers media, so how do you think some of the autobots and decepticons would deal with this idea coming up and also meeting one?

I don't think I can write a story with that idea, sorry about that. But I think it's indeed interesting to wonder about this subject, which is why I propose to see it with an analysis. So, how would the Autobots and Decepticons react to a Techno-Organic?

First of all, it's true that the term Techno-organic has already appeared in several Transformers media, such as Animated, Beast Wars or G1. I suspect there must be some in other universes, but I don't think I can find them all. I will also assume that the term Techno-organic necessarily refers to a half-organic, half-Transformer being.

Techno-organic is a pretty broad term, because in Animated it mentions Blackairachnia as well as Sari Sumdac. The common point between these two characters is to have both a link between their mechanical side and their more "alive" side. Sari's hair or skin can be seen as organic, for example it's not like Astroboy, who is entirely robotic. Also, she eats human food and not energon. Blackairachnia on her side swings webs, and her rather animal appearance is reminiscent of the organic side. Elita-one having absorbed the abilities of organic beings, it is normal that she ends up taking part of them.

It is therefore not necessarily interesting to wonder about the reaction of the Autobots and Decepticons of Animated, because they have already faced it. Same in Beast Wars, the characters are literally Techno-organic, here again it's animal appearance, but also animal characteristics such as fur, feathers, or shell.

Next, in G1, as Techno-Organics we have our little trio of Insecticons: Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback. We can categorize them as Techno-Organics because they technically did like Beast Wars. These ancient Decepticons woke up on an uncivilized Earth, so without any vehicles. They then chose insects that were for them more adapted to life on this planet. Their organic side allows them here to be able to feed themselves with what they want, and to transform it into energon. They are technically omnivorous. Here too, we know the reaction of the Autobots and Decepticons, surprised at first, then they ended up getting used to it.

Finally, for me in TFP we also have the existence of Techno-organic, the most glaring example being Airachnid, which comes very close to the characteristics of Black Airachnia in Animated. Besides, surely Airachnid wasn't the only one of her kind (not counting the Insecticons of course). But we can also wonder about the Predacons, especially seeing the wings of Predaking, which really do not look robotic, more like the composition of the wings of a bat, it is the only flyer robot that does not fly thanks to the propulsion of a engine.

Of course we don't have Techno-Organics in the half-robot half-human sense, Sari Sumdac being truly unique in that regard. This is only possible with the protoforms in Animated, and so the only possible way to create one in TFP would be for example with the protoforms in the Harbinger. Although, given all the procedure Starscream had to go through to get clones, it's not something that could happen by accident. It would have to be intentional. Afterwards, why do that, that would be a good question…

The Autobots would have no interest in it, the only result would be that they would have injured humans. Because to activate the protoforms in TFP would require DNA and human blood. I forgot how it worked with Starscream, but in any case I am sure of one thing and that is that it would take a lot of blood, more than in a single human. It had cost Starscream a lot of energon, so imagine for a human (all his blood goes through it, and that wouldn't even be enough). Either way, if that were to happen, most of the Autobots would be welcoming. The only one who would be the least would be Ratchet, but because he doesn't really like organics, he has already taken a long time to tolerate the kids.

The Decepticons, on the other hand, abhor humans, seeing a half-mechanical one would grossly disgust most of them, except perhaps Breakdown and Dreadwing, who never showed a real aversion to organics. Soundwave most likely wouldn't care, and the only one really interested would be Shockwave. But well, it's Shockwave. Starscream is already disgusted by Airachnid, so imagined another half-human Techno-organic form this time, same thing for Megatron who doesn't like humans. Airachnid would want to collect it, no doubt. As for Knockout, I think that despite the fact that he is attached to his hygiene, he wouldn't mind. I think it's even one of the Decepticons who is closest to humans, meeting a half-mechanical one would surprise him, but he would not join in the half-general disgust. Either way, they underestimate humans for the most part, they would have no reason to want to create a Techno-Organic.

In any case, for me, in TFP, it's not so much a Techno-organic that would make them react more or less badly, but rather the fact that this Techno-organic is half-alien or not. So half-Transformer, half-human, for example.

That's it for my analysis, I know you weren't expecting that. But I hope you like the analysis anyway. Thank you for your request ^^

[skyhdvideos]

Intrigued by the sheer grit and determination displayed by these athletes as they pushed their physical limits beyond imagination, Avnish found inspiration like never before. He knew deep within his heart that this was more than just a race; it was a tangible manifestation of human potential waiting to be unleashed. Fuelled by this revelation, he embarked on an arduous journey towards transforming himself into what seemed impossible – an Ironman. #Videos #YouTubers #Avnish #Uncivilizedenginner #Fitness #Healthy

[a-student-out-of-time]

Nanokumas! I should have seen that coming

I think that's all of them.

Hamoponi, report!

_________________________________________________

Targets neutralized.

And by your request, I have a couple of the blighters stored in my onboard vacuum. Deactivated, of course. I do believe were secure, dear chaps.

Terribly sorry for that display. How uncivilized.

__________________________________________________

Alright, we're good! Now you guys can get back to talking about...whatever you were talking about.

What an unbothered little girl...

Well, we're safe now! That's the important part.

I'm not an engineer, but I can take a look at this nanokumas and see if there's something we can learn from them.

Good. Now that that's out of the way, there's a lot we still need to discuss.

[ruthlesslistener]

If we consider the separate corpse dumping pits in a vacuum yes soul master would be worse, but PK was the one who created a kingdom with a class divide that allowed soul master to snatch up folks without being noticed. Whether he intended it or not, PK ended up enabling soul master. I'm not phrasing this right, I know PK once aware of soul master's actions disproved of them but that doesn't change that every flaw in hallownest's structure, from social to economic, is a result of his negligence.

I dunno at least that's how I felt playing the game. At every misfortune I met from bosses to the structural issues with the caverns (crumbly floors, thorns, spikes, why is there so many spikes???) I cursed the creator of this kingdom, so I personally view the sins of his people as his own sins, or at least view him as partially responsible

Anyways all of this could have been avoided if PK just used his small form to become a civil engineer instead of a god king

... actually the structural issues with the caverns might have been worse if he did that nevermind

(branching away from the main topic I Do wonder what a mortal disguised PK would be like. The only god we seen in HK attempt something like that is Grimm and even then all he does is simply not advertise himself as a god, he very much does not attempt to blend in into the mortal populace, perhaps aware of how his eerie aura would prevent him from doing so. Would any of the higher beings be able to truly blend with mortals if they wished? Or would that be impossible?)

?? Anon, PK had little to no influence on the society of Hallownest beyond the most basic shit like 'throw your entire self into your purpose until you die'. Like yeah I think he encouraged learning about the soul arts and engineering, bc thats kinda his whole thing, but what's even MORE his thing is just..not participating in the society of Hallownest at all, to the point where people speculated about what he looked like because they just straight-up never saw their king. Hallownest's society and social class systems is something that likely was inherent to the beetle tribe before he became their god, which is something that I assumed because a.) There are multiple tribes in Hallownest with their own unique cultures that aren't entirely because of their gods, b.) He's the polar opposite of the Radiance, who obsessively exerts control, c.) He actively formed treaties with tribes that his own populace considered uncivilized savages and beasts (the mantises and spiders), and d.) His own Great Knights are formed of social rejects like Ogrim and foreigners like Ze'mer. Pair that with the fact that the retainers in the White Palace are clearly noblebugs that lend nothing but empty minds and inane chatter who are only useful if exploited for soul or killed, and it paints a very clear picture that PK was not at all involved in the social structure of his own kingdom. In fact, he's probably the exact opposite. And that's not neglect, per se- though he is neglectful- that's just more proof that the people of Hallownest are much more than which faction are aligned with which other god. PK had nothing to do with it. To gods, mortals are pretty much livestock, so I assumed that he paid about as much attention to the social ills of Hallownest as a farmer would for a chicken's pecking order- sure, maybe it seems alarming and like something you should fix, but really they're just gonna keep going at it, so why bother if it doesn't affect the quality of the food you're getting out of them? The Beetle Tribe had a pretty clear hierarchy that resulted in a lot of social ills, but considering the fact that the bugs of Hallownest canonically worshipped the Void before the Radiance came around, I think its safe to say that the hierarchy there was around for centuries before the Pale King took over. He just built the city that they lived in- and if the donations fountain is anything to go by, he did try to siphon off the economic issues at least a bit. He had very, very little influence on their social life

I'm not exactly defending the dead baby pit here, but PK didn't enable the Soul Master at all- he actively opposed him, bc again, he's losing chickens. Contrasting the horror of the Soul Master's slaughter to the dead baby pit is supposed to make you wonder whether mass murder for salvation is really any better than mass murder for power, and the fact that PK was horrified and disgusted by the Soul Master's body count while piling up his own also gives us more context on how he must have felt about the vessel pit- aka, terrible. It highlights the disconnect between the two while also pointing out that both were terrible no matter what their intentions were.

He might have tried to make it seem like he had everything under control, but he very much did not, so pinning all the blame on him when he was only one facet of all the shit going wrong in a very divided world just seems kinda, idk...shitty to me. It takes blame away from the Soul Master, who was the pinnacle of a powerful rich man throwing others under the bus to get what he wanted, to pin it on PK. I certainly am not trying to defend PK here- everyone knows he fucked up- but pinning all of the ills of Hallownest onto only one guy takes away a lot of the nuance and character of the people he was trying to protect, people who were already reduced to livestock and body counts in the war between him and the Radiance, so personally for me that's really :/. He's an important part of Hallownest's downfall, but he's really not that important

[thoughtsformtheuniverse]

I’m having a lot of emotions about Pickler from A Practical Guide to Evil, and there is a tragic dearth of content about this minor grumpy goblin. so. quotes that make me feel emotions, under a readmore

“We can’t win this. We can’t beat them,” Pickler hissed angrily, but her voice broke after. “I will not let us die doing the right thing. We are going to grow old, all of us. I will not – I don’t-“

“We can,” I said softly. “You know that already. It’s what scares you. No shame in that. I know what’s ahead better than any of you, and I’m terrified. It’ll be blood and mud and grief, but don’t think for a moment we can’t do it.”

The Senior Sapper took her hands of the table brusquely, to hide their shaking.

“It’ll be to the death, Foundling,” she said, amber eyes flicking away. “To the death. Do not start this lightly.”

-Book 3, Chapter 17: Allegiance help me they’re all so young and so scared and they were going to grow old, all of them

— “I work with imperfect tools, the way all my predecessors have,” Pickler said, “but it… irks, that I know we could be better. That we could match Keter blow for blow, if we had the time and the coin.”

I hid a fond smile. Leave it to my Sapper-General to be irked by being on the lesser side in an arms race with the Hidden Horror. Even most heroes, those chosen few blessed with the belief of promised victory, usually limited their ambition to survival and eking out a win when it came to the Original Abomination. Yet Pickler of the High Ridge tribe had been forged of goblin steel tempered in Wasteland fire, kept sharp by the whetstone of the Uncivil Wars. When faced with dreadful might, the Sapper-General of Callow’s nature was not to cower but to crave to surpass it.

“War’s not over,” I said. “One day it will take us to the gates of the Crown of the Dead itself, Pickler.”

I offered her a smile.

“On that day, I expect you will find your coffers filled to burst and few requests beyond acquiescence,” I said.

“Gobbler grant me breath until then,” Pickler of the High Ridge tribe grinned, all teeth and malice, and offered a quick bow. “I’ll get started on the work, Your Majesty.” Book 6, Chapter 65: Cross-Check

and

— The dead were scattered and burning, the miraculous engines known as Pickler’s Nails – picklernagel – pounding away at their retreating mass.

Balls of pitch hit the ground, tossed by spindly catapults, spilling blackness where they landed and spreading the flames everywhere. The changes goblin engineering had made here… The Dead King’s commanders had grown wary of committing beorns to the first wave of the assault, after the fourth time they died without even touching a wall. Wary! The absurdity of that old monster’s generals being wary of anything at all had been as fine wine. -Book 7, Interlude: West I Pickler looked at the Dead King himself and said up your fucking game. And she was right. I love her

— “Don’t,” Pickler fervently said. “Don’t let us forge another closed kingdom within the kingdom. Let us into your cities, your countryside, your wilderness. Let us be part of something that does not want to eat us.”

I flinched away from the intensity of her gaze.

“They’ll hate you for it, the Matrons,” she said. “For showing them they don’t own what it means to be a goblin, that they just buried every other way and called it guidance. And I know it’s not what you want, not what Vivienne wants, that you have to think in kingdoms and favours and hard coin.”

She finished her drink, set it down.

“But we’ve stood behind you, Catherine,” Pickler said. “Not them, us. From the start, we’ve been with you. Sappers and soldiers and scouts, we’ve bled for you. And I won’t say it’s owed, because my people don’t believe in debt, but I need you to understand that I loved Robber – more than I thought, more than I knew – but there are fifty thousand like him the Eyries that never managed to flee. That are stuck and lost and will never see the light of day, know what the sun and the stars look like or even feel the wind on their face. Not unless you offer your hand to them.”

She left her chair, stood before me.

“I don’t have anything to offer you,” she said. “Nothing to bargain with. All I can say is please-”

I pushed back my chair, half-risen even as my leg ached, but I was not quick enough to stop her getting on her knees.

“- help us,” Pickler said. “Save us from ourselves, from each other.”

“I-” I choked out, at a loss for words.

“I think you might just be the only powerful person in the world who cares, Catherine,” she quietly said. “And I know you’re a queen, that you can’t afford to bend, but still I ask.”

She smiled, heartbreakingly.

“Please,” Pickler asked. “If not you, then who?” Book 7, Chapter 24: Bequeathal

— “I cannot repay you for this,” she finally said. “I do not have the years. But anything-”

“You told me,” I said, “that your people don’t believe in debt.”

She smiled, baring teeth like needles.

“For this, Catherine,” Pickler replied, “I would learn.”

“There’s nothing to pay back,” I gently said. “Even if it weren’t the right thing to do, even if there was nothing to gain, I would still have done it.”

I met her eyes.

“Because I do believe in debts,” I said. “Because you’re one of mine, Pickler, and you asked.” Book 7, Chapter 52: Mass

my heart, my fucking heart. because she asked

[amaiguri]

"Belle, you have too many GODDANG Senators! Who the heck are they all?"

You're right. I have a problem where I have side characters who start out as props, essentially -- the Captain of the Guard acknowledges something bad happened and "takes over from here." ...Except now she's a cafe owner with a veteran girlfriend and her hobby is making fireworks and she's extremely bubbly as a defense mechanism for her trauma -- because she doesn't want anyone to feel unwanted, like she does... *cough cough* ANYWAY, so let's help you get to know my Senators, at least, by putting them all in one place!

Diacaius Praefori

"You wish to know me? I see no need for self introduction. You will see what I can accomplish soon enough..."

Diacaius was born and raised in Telethens, fought in the war to conquer the farthest West of the South, before going into Engineering and AI.

On the basis of his engineering as well as his charismatic smile, he was elected into the Senate before proposing and making the Philosopher King. It has been a decade-long process but she is finally in a place where she exhibits true sapience, computer-fast reflexes, and the ability to point and destroy any city. With his robot daughter's success, Diacaius was put in charge of conquering the uncivilized North.

But what no one knows is that he's had the help of an eldritch abomination -- the Goddess of the Abyss, Eris. How much longer will she keep favoring him? How much longer can he stay in control?

Sipestro

"The Blood Tsars saw my brother and I as leashed cats who did magical tricks, moreso than human children to raise and educate. Just as some people are born Witches and others must butcher their eyes, some people are simply born capable of seeing other people as people — and others only respect you when you could butcher them."

Kalliopeia describes Sipestro as, "...a measured, Svanihk man with coiled dark hair, flecked gray from his age — though his brown face was relatively unwrinkled save for the furrowed crease in his brow. He, much like Diacaius, featured in many of my earliest memories where he watched and tested the wear on the materials of my body." He's a materials engineer and a natural-born Witch.

But while Diacaius was hailed as "The Father of Modern AI" and widely celebrated as the head of the team that made Kalliopeia. Sipestro is a much lesser-known name from a more tumultuous and "barbaric" region. Sipestro tries not to let the snap judgments of the commonfolk to get to him and carry on doing his own work. He tries to focus on only his team's needs -- as even Diacaius immensely respect him. He tries to be proud of himself with only his own validation.

Tries.

Imedea

I believe in [God] and I believe They work through us. WE have to make the world better — we can’t just wait for miracles.

Imedea is known for her fairness, principles, and adherence to the spirit of the law. She's a Zavlakihk Senator who revolutionized the way bodies of stars are tracked, which has wildly improved maritime navigation of the Aftokratoria.

Imedea's only ""imperfection"" is that she is "just roommates" with the sweet Senator Pythas -- and she shouldn't be in a relationship with a coworker. It isn't even that it's illegal, but she worries it clouds her judgment about voting for things.

She hasn't kicked her out of the apartment yet.

(P.s. I've definitely redone her visual design several times lol)

(Below: Imedea is on the right, Pythas is on the left)

Pythas

Pythas is a shy, brilliant girl who agnostically codified Geometry -- which had formerly been a complicated mess of pseudo-religious jargon and folk-knowledge that made it extremely difficult to pass down. They call her anthology of work "The Pythian Theorem".

She was tutored by a disgruntled Tsar in Zavlakya, and the Tsar's child stole her work until Senator Imedea stepped in to put her rightful name on it. This, of course, made her lose her sponsorship from the Tsar and she ended up having to fall back on government food and housing -- which simply didn't have the same educational resources.

Pythas became a Philosopher at this point -- working streetcorners to teach people about her work and using all her donations to put towards codex printing. Eventually, her work reached shipbuilders, Portmasters, and the famous local Stonemason's Guild -- and wildly adopted the city-over. Through navigating her rising fame and sudden income, Pythas found the confidence to advocate for ideas and, with Imedea's encouragement, ran as the Second Senator of Zavlakya -- which is easily run against the Tsar's candidate.

Pythas is still at her happiest analyzing and optimizing tax codes, building regulations, and railroad lines, but with all that's been happening around Telethens these days, she's having to run a whole new equation now: What's the best way to keep the Aftokratoria safe from Demons?

Eumenides

Eumenides is a lawyer-turned-Senator who still mostly focuses on judicial issues in Telethens. She is a great admirer of her Telethenian co-Senator, Diacaius, and wants to live up the lasting legacy he has built in the city -- but having lived a more sheltered life, she fears the beliefs she holds so strongly and all the ideals she holds for a better future are fake. She works tirelessly for them anyway.

Ex-Senator Tarchus

And last and least, Senator Tarchus was one of the few Senators opposed to the reign of Kalliopeia, the Philosopher King, on the grounds that she is a robot and not a human. Senator Diacaius promptly got him un-elected and he definitely didn't threaten anyone's children to do it. Tarchus is just a priest now and he isn't deeply resentful at all.

And that's all the named Senators! Please stay tuned for when I inevitably make 20 bajillion more!