#wharton lab

[hamaonoverdrive]

Art originally from Jan 2021

About the Wharton Lab Incomplete lab photo, taken after lunch. Our lab investigates the molecular basis for tissue-type patterning in Allazegin™ regenerative processes, with a focus on endogenous steroid hormone interactions and innate immune inflammation. We perform translational research with the goal of making discoveries that can be used to develop improved diagnostics and therapies. Robin Wharton PhD. M.D., Principal Investigator. she/they, center Alexander Smoot, Research Associate. he/him, left Bonesetter, Lab Manager. he/they, right

[study-with-aura]

Thursday, March 7, 2024

I am not a fan of thunder. There is no rain at the moment, but there is supposed to be on the way back from ballet and possibly a thunderstorm. People around here do not know how to drive when it is raining.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Review of third quarter topics (part 1)

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Unit 20 vocabulary + read chapter 36 of Emma by Jane Austen

Spanish 2 - Reviewed vocabulary + wrote a paragraph describing my ideal home in Spanish (not pictured due to need to include location and other identifying details)

Bible I - Read Judges 7-8

World History - Completed the propaganda presentation assignment + added WWI events and dates to my overall timeline

Biology with Lab - Took an educational "tour" of the evolution history of life + read about adaptations + read about the appendix and evolution ideas changing over time

Foundations - Read more on reverence + read another selection of media bias + read two political speeches and compared them

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Khan Academy - Completed World History Unit 6: Lesson 6 + completed High School Biology Unit 7: Lesson 1 (parts 4-6)

CLEP - Completed Module 10.3 lecture video

Duolingo - Studied for 15 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 245-282 of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

Chores - Put away the dishes + took the trash out

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Psalms 72)

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

-

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful that, besides putting together my WWI propaganda presentation, it was another easy study day.

Quote of the Day:

There are two ways of spreading light. To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.

-Edith Wharton

🎧Sonata in D minor R. 25 - Antonio Soler

[tumblingyeti]

Sloan According to Sloanies

For our final project, our group (Sloanies for Sloanies), has decided to examine and assist MIT Sloan in their branding strategy. In this blogpost, I reflect on some of the dilemmas faced by Burberry and the power of consumer stories in digital marketing as it applies to Sloan’s branding challenges and opportunities.

Pricing Dilemma: Elite but not elitist?

The Burberry case mentions three customer segments of the luxury fashion goods industry: absolute, aspirational, and accessible. The absolute segment is characterized by their “push back against masstige” in which they desire to own unique, iconic brands with history and heritage that emphasize their elitism. For this customer segment, the product’s price is an important element as it must be high enough to price out the mass-market; thus, helping set them apart from the masses.

Though I personally associate MIT Sloan with more inclusivity than elitism and exclusivism, it is true that per its pricing, Sloan does stand out as one of the most expensive among the MBA schools in the US. In 2023, MIT Sloan had the third highest tuition fees for a two-year US MBA program trailing only Wharton and Columbia Business School (see table below). As a pricing strategy, this would signal and maintain a certain level of exclusivity.

Source: AdmitExpert (link: https://admitexpert.com/blog/mba-cost-usa/)

This exclusionary pricing is in contrast to the mission statement and values of the parent institution, MIT which states its mission is to “make a better world through education, research, and innovation” and its culture as “elite but not elitist.” Additionally, Sloan describes it culture as welcoming people with a “wide range of backgrounds, experience, and interests” (see screenshots below). Perhaps in the context of education, one can argue that price indicates more about the quality and benefits of education than the exclusivity. For example, maybe Sloan is more expensive because it provides better opportunities for skills-building and career-building. As a student, there are opportunities such as the action lab which provide hands-on learning opportunities domestically and abroad, entrepreneurial programs and grants, and courses from exceptional faculty which define the quality of the educational experience. All of these have costs associated with them. However, it’s also true that price does largely determine who and who cannot afford to attend a school and therefore, can have a discriminatory effect.

Given this, I would imagine for Sloan, their pricing strategy should carefully consider a balance between quality (value) and affordability (inclusiveness/diversity). If it becomes too expensive, it may sacrifice on the diversity and range of candidates it can attract, while it becomes too cheap, it may require sacrifices on the quality of experience provided to its students.

Source: MIT website

Source: MIT Sloan website

Power of Consumer Stories: Sloanies defining Sloan?

I imagine that most of us spoke to at least one Sloan student/alum to help us make the decision on whether or not to attend the Sloan MBA program. From a small sample size of my core groups and extended Sloan friend network, I would presume that >90% had talked to a Sloanie in this decision making process. Speaking from personal experience, it was in fact a panel with a current Sloanie and a former HBS alum that solidified my decision to go to Sloan.

I remember in my conversation during AdMIT weekend, I had a 1-on-1 chat with a student who was in the middle of her 1st year in the MBA program. She described an experience where multiple Sloanies were in the interview process for a certain consulting firm. She then continued to describe how the students were sharing insights amongst themselves to help each other in the process, even though they were likely competing for the same position. Students who did their interviews first left notes on what kinds of questions were asked and gave tips to the students who were interviewing after them. She said “This was unexpected and really made me appreciate our culture of Sloanies helping Sloanies. It’s truly a place where we collaborate with each other, rather than compete.”

At the same time, my mentor, who had attended HBS encouraged me also to go to Sloan over HBS. According to him, he thought MIT had a “humble” culture where I would fit in better.

At the time, I didn’t realize that “Sloanies helping Sloanies” was somewhat of a slogan for an aspect of the culture. I was surprised to see it mentioned on the Sloan website and think this is proof of a great marketing strategy from the school.

Albeit being a small sample size, I thought it was curious and compelling that out of all the business schools, Sloan was the only one with a perfect 5.0 review on GMAT Club.

Source: GMAT Club (link: https://gmatclub.com/reviews/business_schools/)

I was curious what the student reviews said decided to create a word cloud of the 5 most recent reviews which gave the following result. Seeing the words – students, culture, and people – being mentioned the most points towards culture being a potential differentiation point of Sloan, as voiced by its consumers/students.

Given how much prospective students rely on the experiences of other students to inform the decision and the positive students reviews already being posted online, Sloan’s branding could benefit from leveraging more of its student stories and by focusing on specific differentiation points that resonate with its consumers such as the “Sloanies helping Sloanies” culture.

[rthidden]

Auto-prompt Your Way to Success

Ever wonder if your AI has a PhD in Wordcraft?

With prompt engineering, it's like giving your AI a degree in problem-solving.

Why it matters

Small business owners, listen up!

Prompt engineering isn’t just technobabble—it’s a game-changer.

You can boost accuracy and reliability by teaching AI models to think methodically without hiring a Data Science 101 professor.

By the numbers

Only 22% of AI models count letters in words accurately without prompt engineering. Let's face it: AI might need a tutor (Source: AI21 Labs, 2023).

Experts say that smart prompting can enhance AI task performance by up to 50% (Source: Stanford University AI Index Report, 2023).

63% of AI pros view prompt engineering as crucial. It's like having elite coaching for your AI team (Source: O’Reilly's AI Adoption in the Enterprise survey, 2023).

What they're saying

Remember Ethan Mollick from the Wharton School? The guy knows his prompts.

"The art of prompt engineering is about guiding AI to think... it's not just about asking the right questions," he says.

It’s like giving your AI a roadmap instead of letting it wander like a tourist without a GPS.

The big picture

The bottom line for the uninitiated is that treating prompt engineering like a cheat code can seriously level up your AI's play.

Pop culture nod—your AI could soon be the Houdini of hasty tasks, performing miraculous feats with every correct prompt.

The bottom line

Whether running a mom-and-pop shop or aiming to turn your small biz into the next Amazon, don’t overlook the power of prompts.

Empower your AI today, and save time (and gray hairs) tomorrow.

Give your AI a prompt master's touch—it’s a skill set as crucial as WiFi in a café.

[ausetkmt]

Defense Attorney Joe Munoz sits with Rhonda Bay in Wood County Circuit Judge Jason Wharton’s court on Wednesday where Bay accepted a plea deal to plead guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact to burglary, a misdemeanor offense. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — A Parkersburg woman accepted a plea deal and will likely testify next week in a murder trial.

Rhonda Bay, 35, appeared in Wood County Circuit Court on Wednesday before Judge Jason Wharton to enter a plea of guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact to burglary, a misdemeanor offense.

Bay was originally charged with accessory after the fact to murder following the Memorial Day Weekend 2021 murder of Darren Jimmie Salaam. Victor Thompson is scheduled to go to trial Monday before Wharton for the murder of Salaam. Vincent Cross will also be tried for being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Thompson was indicted on two counts of murder and one count of burglary after allegedly shooting and killing Salaam, 36, of Akron, in May 2021.

By entering into the plea agreement the original indictment against Bay will be dismissed. She is also expected to testify next week.

“The defendant will be forthright and truthful with the prosecutor’s office and other law enforcement agencies in regards to all inquiries made to this agreement including debriefings with the respect to the defendant’s knowledge of the facts surrounding the shooting of Darren Salaam,” Bay read from the plea agreement.

She said she is willing to do that.

Bay said she bought Thompson cigarettes, giving him food and telling him a place where he could go after the offense when he broke into a home at 4420 17th Ave. She told him he could go to an old tattoo shop on 19th Street.

She said she knew that he had broken into the house when she did this, but did not immediately know he had shot and killed someone.

Bay told Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure that Thompson did not really tell her what happened at the residence, only indicating he said he was in trouble when Lefebure asked her about whether Thompson told her about firing the gun.

Thompson allegedly went to the residence on 17th Avenue to collect a debt and there may have been a disagreement involving a drug transaction before he shot Salaam through a curtain divider, prosecutors said during a bond hearing in 2021. Thompson was arrested in Ritchie County after a weeklong manhunt.

Thompson’s criminal history includes prior felony convictions for operating a methamphetamine lab, unlawful assault, third-offense driving under the influence and uttering between 2003 and 2014, prosecutors previously said, adding he also had ties to the Aryan Brotherhood.

Bay said she had gone to the residence early in the morning with Thompson to get $140 in money that was owed to her from a female resident there. She did not get the money. Thompson was there because the resident also owed him money for a drug debt and also did not get the money. Bay did not believe Thompson had a weapon at that time.

Thompson’s girlfriend was upset he did not get the money and belittling him, Bay said.

Bay got dropped off at her house and did not go back to the house on 17th Avenue.

Sometime later Thompson and his girlfriend showed back up at Bay’s house after the shooting, but she did not learn of the shooting later after she saw news reports about it and Thompson’s girlfriend later indicated to Bay Thompson shot someone there.

She never saw Cross and did not know him. She also admitted to using drugs at the time.

Lefebure said Bay is providing assistance in this case against Thompson and he feels the plea agreement is in the best interest of everyone.

The statute of limitations for the crime she is pleading guilty to is usually one year. Bay waived that and proceeded to plead guilty.

She could face a possible sentence of one year in jail and a fine of $500. Defense attorney Joe Munoz moved for alternative sentencing. Wharton ordered a pre-sentencing investigation through the Adult Probation Office.

Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 22.

[silavut]

The 7th Guest VR Review

Disclaimer: I did not play the game myself (no VR hardware unfortunately), but watched a complete playthrough video.

The 7th Guest VR, a re-imagining of the original, deviates from the original lore, with some original lore thrown in. The 13th Doll, a fan-made sequel, did so as well. They both went off the lore in opposite directions.

The puzzles were completely different as well, save the cake puzzle. It was similar in style but a different format.

The acting was OK but a bit lacking and didn’t quite have the same tone or emotion. There were some parts that were good but it was mostly bland. It also wasn’t quite the same without Robert Hirschboeck as Stauf. Carl Wharton just didn’t quite have the Stauf touch. The other characters weren’t quite as eccentric and seemed a bit off as well. (There’s a whole other thing I could do about the characters but I’ll just leave it simple.)

There were also the murder scenes, which added a nice touch from the original. Though a couple still felt like they didn’t quite fit, or were out of place. Would’ve been better without one specific weapon, I think.

Having actually seen the game in full now, the costumes / clothing were more period than originally thought from the character profiles originally posted for T7G VR, so that was nice.

It also didn’t have a few of the rooms and different ones were added. It was missing the Gallery, Lab, and Maze with the Crypt. The new areas were the Basement, Storage Room, Workroom, Landing, Stauf’s Bedroom, and the Ritual Room.

The guests' rooms were modified as well, with different layouts and furniture. (You can see comparisons I made in previous posts.)

Wonderworld was the name used for Stauf’s toy store which was the name used in THE 7TH GUEST "STAUF FILES" (a PDF extra from The 11th Hour GOG version) and The 13th Doll. In the original T7G, it was never mentioned, just that he opened a toy store.

So overall, from what I saw in the playthrough video, it was a good game but some things were off or didn’t quite fit.

Of course, a re-imagining will never be the same as the original, and the way it was presented was rather quite interesting.

You’ll just have to play or watch it to make up your own mind.

(@hobbitonwheels Thought you might like this.)

ETA (above): The name Wonderworld actually came from The 7th Guest "Stauf Files" document, an extra from The 11th Hour GOG version. Thus I stand corrected: It wasn't fan-made, it came directly from the creators themselves, just at a later time than the original T7G.

[chzenan]

Generative AI Workshop & Foggy Morning in SF

周五有幸在 Wharton 的 SF 校区讲我有关 LLM in Creative Work 的 job market paper。由于他们的投影无法连接 Mac，有惊无险地用 Keynote Live 完成了 presentation （可惜听说 Apple 年底就要移除 Keynote Live 功能了）。见到了不少老朋友也认识了不少新朋友。特别感谢 Zehua Li 前晚在酒店听我 present，指出了一些可以继续提升的地方。

次日清晨五点半，与网友 Haotian Zheng 一起去 Trojan Point 带着胶片机看日出。清晨有大雾，从山脚下开车钻入雾中时不禁心里一凉，觉得日出恐怕是难以见到了。谁知峰回路转，随着海拔升高我们竟然穿过了迷雾，来到山顶。

从山顶上看，天空有着温柔纯净的蓝色，而山体上覆盖的枯草又带着微妙的质感。二者结合起来，便像是一副抽象画。

Haotian 帮我拍了不少照片，特此感谢。

下山路上，我们重新钻入迷雾。阳光钻过树梢，在迷雾中散射。我们自然是不会放过按下快门的机会了。

最后恰好拍完一卷 CineStill 800T。可惜我已经数个月没有拍胶片了，似乎测光出了点问题。在 MPLS 的 Basement Lab （是一个集 Record Store + Coffee + Film Lab 为一体的好地方）冲洗扫描后发现颗粒非常严重。本应迫冲一档的。

[bschoolcollegesakha]

Which is the best executive MBA program for entrepreneurs?

There are many executive MBA (EMBA) programs that are well-suited for entrepreneurs. However, it's important to note that the "best" program will depend on your individual needs and goals as an entrepreneur. Here are a few EMBA programs that are often considered to be strong choices for entrepreneurs:

Stanford Graduate School of Business: Stanford's EMBA program is known for its focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. The program includes courses such as "Entrepreneurship and Venture Creation" and "Innovation and Design Thinking."

Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University: Kellogg's EMBA program is designed for experienced professionals who are looking to advance their careers and start their own businesses. The program includes a course on "Entrepreneurial Finance" and offers access to resources such as the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative.

MIT Sloan School of Management: MIT Sloan's EMBA program is known for its focus on innovation and technology. The program includes courses such as "Entrepreneurial Strategy" and "Global Entrepreneurship Lab."

Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania: Wharton's EMBA program offers a range of courses on entrepreneurship, including "Entrepreneurial Management" and "Venture Capital and Private Equity." The program also offers access to resources such as the Wharton Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

Columbia Business School: Columbia's EMBA program is designed for experienced professionals who are looking to start or grow their own businesses. The program includes courses such as "Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity" and "Entrepreneurship and Innovation."

Again, it's important to note that the "best" EMBA program for entrepreneurs will depend on your individual needs and goals as an entrepreneur. You may want to consider factors such as program format, location, faculty expertise, and access to resources when choosing a program.

[wikibiofact]

Sundar Pichai Net Worth 2023 & Biography: Indian Engineer to Being world’s Top Ranking CEO!

Sundar Pichai Net Worth in 2023 is of $ 1310 million! making him the richest CEO in the world.

Sundar Pichai is one of the most influential people in technology today. As CEO of Alphabet and Google, he has overseen some of the biggest changes to our lives in recent years.

His influence on how we use technology can’t be overstated, so it’s no surprise that his net worth and biography are topics of interest.

Here, we’ll look at Sundar Pichai’s impressive career trajectory, his vast wealth and what makes him such an iconic figure.

Born in India to Tamil parents, Sundar Pichai had a humble beginning before becoming one of the world’s wealthiest tech executives. He studied engineering at Stanford University and later earned an MBA from Wharton School of Business.

It was during these early days when he developed an interest in computer science which eventually led him to become a part of Google’s team in 2004.

Since then, he has held multiple key positions within the company while also managing its many products including Chrome OS, Android OS, YouTube and more recently Google Cloud Platform.

As a result of his hard work and expertise, Pichai became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google LLC, in December 2019 — a position that made headlines around the globe due to its prestige and power.

According to Forbes’ Real-time Billionaires Listing as of April 2021, Sundar Pichai holds an estimated net worth of $1 billion dollars — making him one of only 18 Indian-origin billionaires worldwide!

In this article you will learn about Sundar Pichai’s incredible journey from humble beginnings to financial success along with all other fascinating details about his life story that make him such an inspiring role model for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere!

Sundar Pichai’s life story reads like a classic rags-to-riches tale. Born in Chennai, India to humble middle class parents, little did anyone know that this young man would one day become the CEO of Google and have an estimated net worth of $1310 million.

His journey began with his parents’ investment of their savings into his education which allowed him to attend the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur for engineering followed by Stanford University for an MS in Material Sciences & Engineering and then Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for an MBA.

It was during these formative years that Sundar developed what became his trademark traits: intelligence, ambition and drive. With hard work, determination and resilience he earned accolades from faculty members and gained invaluable knowledge about business and technology — all essential ingredients for success in the future.

With a solid foundation now laid down it was time to move onto bigger challenges; it was time to embark on the path towards career greatness.

After graduating from college, Sundar Pichai was determined to make a mark in the tech industry. He worked at Applied Materials and then McKinsey & Company before joining Google as their first product manager in 2004.

At Google, Pichai began working on products such as Gmail and Google Maps, eventually becoming the senior vice president of product management. His success with these projects led him to be promoted to vice president of product development in 2008.

Pichai’s rise in Google has been incredible; he was appointed CEO of the company in August 2015 and assumed responsibility for all operations across its products and services.

As CEO, he has overseen some major changes including increasing the focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies.

He also spearheaded several acquisitions such as Nest Labs, which specializes in smart home devices, DoubleClick advertising network, and YouTube which is now one of the most popular online streaming platforms worldwide.

Sundar Pichai’s rise in Google has been remarkable. Having joined the company in 2004, he has become one of its most influential leaders and is now both CEO and Chairman for Alphabet Inc., parent company to Google. Here are some key points on his journey:

1. He was appointed Product Chief at Google in 2008, leading development of apps like Chrome and Gmail.

2. In 2013, he became Senior Vice President overseeing Android, Chrome OS & Apps divisions.

3. In 2014, he assumed control of all product & design functions across Google’s products & services.

4. And finally, in 2015, he was named CEO of Google as well as Alphabet Inc.’s Chairman Board Member.

Pichai’s leadership positions have given him an opportunity to shape the future direction of technology around the world while also becoming a symbol of success among aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.

This section will explore how his role as leader has evolved over time and what it means for tech innovation today.

As the old saying goes, “great leaders make great teams” — and no one knows this better than Sundar Pichai. He currently serves as the CEO of Google LLC since 2015, leading a staff of over 118,000 employees worldwide.

His journey to the top started in 2004 when he was promoted to be the Vice President of product management at Google.

Over time he rose through the ranks holding several executive positions including Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome OS and Apps before finally being appointed as CEO in 2015.

Sundar is also on numerous boards such as Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc., HP Inc., and many more that have helped shaped his career into what it is today — an exemplary business leader who has had tremendous success in driving growth for some of the largest companies globally.

With his vision for transformation and innovation, Sundar continually pushes boundaries within these organizations constantly striving for excellence.

As we move onto exploring philanthropy and charitable endeavors from Sundar’s life, it is clear that his leadership skills have been instrumental in pushing him towards greater heights professionally as well as personally.

Apart from his professional success, Sundar Pichai is also well-known for his philanthropic endeavours. He and his wife, Anjali Pichai, donated $50 million to their alma mater Stanford University for “need blind admissions” in 2020.

They have also made donations to charitable organisations like The India School Project that helps build school libraries and provide technology access to students in rural areas of India.

In addition, they are long time supporters of the United Way Bay Area charity organisation which provides basic human services such as food banks and homeless shelters.

Pichai is passionate about giving back to society and has continually expressed this sentiment through various initiatives over the years.

For example, he established a scholarship program at IIT Kharagpur where underprivileged students can obtain higher education without any financial burden.

Additionally, Google recently announced its global initiative called Grow with Google which focuses on providing training resources to small businesses around the world so they can benefit from digital technologies.

This further demonstrates Pichai’s commitment to making the world a better place through the power of technology.

Moving forward into awards and achievements, it is evident how much recognition Sundar Pichai has received for his dedication and leadership within the tech industry.

Sundar Pichai has achieved tremendous success in his career. He is estimated to have a net worth of over $1310 million dollars in 2023, making him one of the richest tech executives in the world.

Among some of the awards and honors he’s received include:

* Being named as Fortune Magazine’s Businessperson of the Year in 2017;

* Receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Loughborough University;

* Named among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

Most notably on December 3rd, 2022 Sundar Pichai received the highest civilian award in India the “Padma Bhushan”.

These accomplishments are just an indication that Sundar Pichai has made significant contributions to both technology and business throughout his career. As such, it comes as no surprise that he continues to be highly respected by many people today.

Moving on, let us take a look at Sundar Pichai’s personal life.

Moving on from the awards and achievements of Sundar Pichai, let’s look into his personal life. He is married to Anjali Pichai and they have two children together — a Daughter, Kaavya, and Son, Kiran.

His wife Anjali works as an engineer at Intuit. Sundar was born in Chennai, India where he grew up with his family before moving to the US for college.

He attended Stanford University and after graduating from there moved onto Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania for his MBA. After completing his education he worked for McKinsey & Company Inc., Applied Materials Inc., and other companies until joining Google in 2004......Read More

[hamaonoverdrive]

Assorted doodles ca. March 2021

[study-with-aura]

Friday, September 1, 2023

Everything today was done on the computer so no written work. I did make boba tea though! Passionfruit mango and it was divine! It is also the start of September which seems unreal. The holidays will be here quickly, and then Julien will get to come home!

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Learned about symmetry + practice

Lit and Comp II - Vocabulary test + worked on my analyzing poetry project + read Chapters 11-12 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer + read about symbolism

Spanish 2 - Listened to videos + answered questions

Bible I - Read Genesis 27

World History - Read about Homer and the Mycenaeans

Biology with Lab - Reviewed the metric system + watched three videos on the metric system + practiced converting units

PE/Health 1 - Read more on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle

Foundations - Read a story on boldness + took a quiz on Read Theory + read through the second section of a paper on student strategies

Practice - Practiced assigned pieces for 30 minutes and worked on memorization

Khan Academy - Completed Unit 3: Lesson 3 of 9th-grade reading and vocabulary

Duolingo - Completed one lesson each in Spanish, French, and Chinese

Activities of the Day:

Zoo with my grandparents

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

-

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I’m grateful that tapioca pearls exist because they are yummy!

Quote of the Day:

Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.

-Edith Wharton

🎧Oboe Concerto D Minor Op. 9 No. 2 - Tomaso Albinoni

[genevaschoolofdiplomacy]

Best universities for an MBA Program

Globally, the most sought-after postgraduate program for students is an MBA or Masters of Business Administration. It is the dream of everyone to be included as a part of the best business universities. Thus, numerous universities worldwide offer adequate training in their top MBA programs.  Before choosing an MBA program, students must consider the high amount of investment, both in money and time, during the duration of the course.

Mentioned below is a list of the best universities for an MBA program.

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business is located in the heart of Silicon Valley. It has redefined the experience of the business schools. Students are challenged and pushed to their limits. Besides, they are mentally tested by the best faculties. Also, unlike anywhere else, their classmates always support them in a competitive environment. Moreover, there is a close coordination between students from across the globe and of differing backgrounds. Furthermore, students study various courses like managerial skills, group and team management, financial accounting, management ethics, and leadership labs.

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School offers a full-time or a two-year MBA program. Generally, the curriculum focuses on the real-world application of management techniques and procedures. Upon admission of a student at Harvard Business School, they can join a global community that helps propel career support and lifelong learning along with their peers. Also, the staff and the faculty cheer to overcome the challenges one faces, which accelerates the career path. The Harvard Business School provides an enriching and experience-based curriculum. The students gain in-depth knowledge of general management and build leadership skills that have a lifelong impact on the foundations.

Moreover, students learn directly from real business leaders, which helps them make tough decisions and challenge the diverse perspectives of their classmates. Furthermore, students establish a fundamental knowledge of marketing, negotiation, leadership, strategy, finance and operations practices.

HEC Paris Business School

This is a 16-month-long program specifically designed so that students can gain work experience in the job sector and also have the time to learn new skills. There is also the customised phase during the program's second half. In this, the students are provided with the opportunity to merge into one class, creating a sense of community collaboration and teamwork. Moreover, the curriculum of the students is divided into two distinct phases. During the fundamental phase, a rigorous combination of hands-on learning and academic training teaches core business skills. While in the customized phase, the MBA program is tailored according to the student's professional objectives and personal aspirations.

Wharton School of Business

An MBA from Wharton provides the leadership skills required to fulfill goals and objectives throughout their business career.  For over a century, Wharton has earned a global reputation for educating the most brilliant minds in the business sector. Besides, Wharton has consistently ranked as one of the best universities for an MBA program. The curriculum and research conducted at Wharton focus on propelling growth, productivity and social progress. Also, for first-year students, a personalized executive coaching program is available. The curriculum is intensively cross-functional and provides the fundamentals of business, leadership, and analytical and communication skills crucial for student success. Furthermore, the MBA program at Wharton emphasizes in-depth general business education of majors, including accounting, marketing, finance, management and real estate.

Every year many students apply to the best universities for an MBA program. The prime reason can be attributed to broad exposure in these top-notch business schools. After completing the degree, students can pursue and land jobs in the top managerial positions of gigantic multinational corporations. Also, they receive handsome paychecks for their contribution to the organization.    

Read More-  https://techplanet.today/post/best-universities-for-an-mba-program

[amitymohali]

CBSE schools in Chandigarh | Amity AIS Mohali

Your search for the perfect school for your child is now over. Amity International is one of the best CBSE schools in Chandigarh. We create an environment which maximizes the students’ learning ability and potential. Give your child what the best like they deserve. We can be the one’s who lead them to a successful future.

The number one reason for Amity to be the best out of all international schools in Chandigarh is that we have multiple global recognitions.

Three Time Winners in Knowledge Wharton Competition at Wharton, USA in 2016, 2017 and 2018

Three Time Asia Winners and One-time Global Winners of International Space Settlement Design Competition, USA

World Scholars Cup Winners at Yale University, USA

Winners of International Amazon USA App Making Contest

Winner of Google Code- In Competition conducted by Googleplex

Talented and experienced teaching facility

Our teachers are well- qualified compassionate role models for the students. They have effective teaching methodology and pay close attention to every student’s strong and weak traits to help them grow and learn better.

Unique campus

Amity International school Mohali campus is designed in a way that makes the students maximize their potential. The campus is surrounded by green spaces and is constructed to make learning comfortable. The infrastructure is globally- benched marked and has every facility a student would need in their process of learning. Amity campus is modernistic in features. It provides students with following facilities-

Centrally air-conditioned and air-purified campus

IT driven elegant classrooms and labs

Low teacher-student ratio

Sports facilities like temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool, football ground, tennis and basketball courts, skating rink, etc.

Extensive CCTV surveillance

Amity’s ERP – ‘Amitranet’

School Transport Facility

Focus on comprehensive and holistic nurturing

For a holistic nurturing, we take a comprehensive approach to teaching where educators seek to address the emotional, social, ethical, and academic needs of students in an integrated learning format. We encourage Amitians to take responsibility for their own learning and to reflect on their actions and how they impact the global and local community.

Cosmopolitan community

Amity is more than just a school like other CBSE schools in Chandigarh, it is a community. Amity is designed for students to learn how to be responsible global citizens in a world-wide community. We teach and enhance real-life skills to our students in a communal setup which enables them to grow up to be self-sufficient and successful.

Gradual transition from pre-nursery to doctoral programs

Besides being one of the top K-12 international schools, Amity Education Group is leading in its field and has set-up multiple schools and universities. We have excellent quality of primary as well as higher educational courses. Amity has a fast-growing network of world class educational institutions.

Enrol your child in the best CBSE school in Chandigarh today. Admissions open for pre-nursery to class 10.

Visit amity.edu/ais/mohali to get to know more about the best CBSE schools in Chandigarh. What’s the wait for?

For more information or any other enquiry

reach us at -Email: admissions@aismohali.amity.edu

Phone: 7743000241/42/43/44

Source: cbse schools in chandigarh

[devonellington]

Tues. Oct. 19, 2021: The Good Work of Writing

Tues. Oct. 19, 2021: The Good Work of Writing

image courtesy of Lisa via pexels.com Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Waxing Moon Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde Jupiter and Mercury went direct yesterday Cloudy and cool Jupiter and Mercury have gone direct, which means maybe we can have some positive forward motion. You can hop over to the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site for the mid-month check-in. The house we lived in on Cape, which…

[eastertag]

Take A Chance On Me

@tsarinatorment gift for @singmetothesun

—

So, my person is @singmetothesun, who gave me some rather contradictory prompts, although I still tried to at least nod to all of them:

1. “TAG Scott & Alan with Dad!Scott because I love their relationship” - twisted a lot but I hope it still counts 2. “Anything 2004 Movieverse because it’s my fav universe 😇” - check! 3. “TAG Gordon - maybe whump, but my fav bean being a badass” - uhh… the spirit was there when I was writing?

Without further ado, here we go and I hope you like it!

—–

Thirteen.  Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon had all had their first flying lesson when they turned thirteen, but when it was Alan’s turn, Dad said no.

On a completely unrelated note, Scott is the world’s best big brother.

 It wasn’t fair.  He was thirteen now, but Dad still insisted on treating him like a child.  Alan had been looking forwards to spring break ever since his birthday, knowing that now he was thirteen he, like his brothers before him, would take his first steps towards flying a plane.

Flying a Thunderbird, and joining his brothers in the ranks of International Rescue.  One step closer to his dream, and he couldn’t wait.

Except…  Except Dad had said no.

No.

You’re still too young.

Once your grades improve.

There had also been a reminder about the chemistry accident that had got him expelled and shuffled over to Wharton’s, which Alan hated on so many levels.  The sole positive was at least none of his teachers were comparing him to his brothers anymore.  Even Fermat coming with him wasn’t a positive – not because he didn’t want his best friend with him, but because it meant new people for the smaller boy, new potential bullies, new people who didn’t look past the stutter to see how awesome he was.  He was glad he wasn’t alone, but he hated that he’d inflicted that on Fermat – all because his chemistry teacher had a grudge against Gordon that he’d imposed onto Alan.

It wasn’t fair, he hadn’t meant to explode the lab, but no-one believed him and now his Dad thought that meant he couldn’t handle a plane?  Alan wasn’t a baby any more, but there were tears of frustration in his eyes, running down his cheeks, dripping salt on his lips.

He’d already screamed himself hoarse at his bedroom door, and with another throaty yell, he snatched up the nearest object and hurtled it at the door, just as it started to open.

Lightning-fast reflexes caught his phone just before it smashed into his brother’s face.  Blue eyes widened at the projectile in his hand, before Scott pushed the door the rest of the way open.

“Hey, Al,” he said, nudging past the threshold despite Alan not saying he could.

“Not in the mood, Scott,” he retorted, looking away.  “Leave me alone.”

His eldest brother sighed.  “If that’s what you want,” he said, in a tone that clearly said he didn’t think Alan wanted that.  “But if I leave you now, there won’t be time.”

Despite knowing it was one of Scott’s tricks, Alan couldn’t help his curiosity.  “Time for what?” he asked, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the wall and nowhere near his invading brother.

“I organised a welcome home for you,” Scott told him.  “Do you want to come?”

Alan hadn’t grown up with four older brothers not to recognise scheming when he heard it.  If it was Gordon, he’d have thrown whatever else he could at him until he left, because it wouldn’t end well and Dad would get mad.  But Scott wasn’t like that.  Was he?

“Right now?”  It couldn’t wait until after he was over the betrayal of not getting the same privileges as his brothers?

“Now’s the only chance,” Scott said, an apologetic smile on his face.  “You don’t have to hang around for long if you don’t want to.  Just give it a go?”

Scott was still holding onto his phone.  Alan glanced at it, and then back at his brother.  He knew Scott was planning something, because having four older brothers meant he wasn’t stupid, but also… it was Scott.  Scott didn’t pick on him the same way their other brothers did.

Dad had let him down, but maybe he could still trust Scott.

With a great show of reluctance, he padded across the floor to where Scott was waiting, that smile still on his face.

“You’ll need shoes, Al,” he said.  “Not those.”

Alan glanced down at the crocs he was wearing, and then at Scott’s feet.  His brother was wearing boots, despite the rule of no boots indoors.

Seeing Scott break one of Dad’s nonsensical rules made Alan feel a little better, even if something bitter swelled in his chest.  If Scott got caught breaking rules, he’d just get told not to do it again.  Alan would get all his failures thrown straight in his face.

But Scott was telling him to.  Surely Scott wouldn’t let Dad yell at him if it was his fault?

Scott glanced at his watch, and Alan got the message.  Some weird time limit on welcoming him home, as though he hadn’t already had a welcome home from his family the moment he’d set foot on the island.

Still, Alan was curious enough to investigate, and kicked off his crocs before hunting down socks and his boots from where one had somehow slipped under his bed.  Scott stayed by the door, almost seeming like he was standing guard.  He kept glancing at his watch, and then down the hallway.  Either he was waiting for something… or he was hoping something wouldn’t happen.

Alan’s curiosity was peaked further.

“Well?” he demanded, tucking the laces in rather than tying them up in the interest of time.  Blue eyes zeroed in on the action and Scott rolled his eyes.  It did, however, get him away from the door as he crouched down to tie Alan’s boots properly, like he was five again.  “Scott, I thought you were in a hurry?”

“Hurrying won’t get us anywhere if you trip up,” Scott reprimanded lightly, tying the laces in perfectly neat, symmetrical bows.  Alan had never understood how he did that.  “There you go.”  He straightened, and with a grin that looked almost like it belonged on Gordon’s face – almost – he headed for the door.  “Come on, then.”

Still curious what Scott was planning, and not willing to be caught wearing the boots without his brother there to take the blame, Alan darted to join him.

“What’s the hurry, anyway?” he asked.  Scott glanced at his watch again.

“Dad’s in a meeting,” he said, voice just a little quieter than normal.

It didn’t take Alan long to connect the dots.

“We’re dodging Dad?” he asked, voice maybe a little too loud, judging by the way Scott shh’d him.

His brother didn’t reply, but he grinned a little wider and Alan relaxed.  If it was something Dad wouldn’t be happy about…  Well, at least Scott wouldn’t sell him out.

Scott led them down familiar hallways, and then stopped at an even more familiar doorway.  The no entry, Alan if I catch you in here without me you’ll be grounded until you’re twenty one doorway.  Alan watched him glance around – no-one was there – before he keyed a number into the pad.

He didn’t hide it from Alan.  Dad always made him look away, but Scott just punched it in as though there was nothing to hide.  Naturally, Alan watched and memorised it.  It was randomised – no meaning that he could discern – but he’d always had a good memory.  Once was enough.

Shouldn’t Scott know that?

The door opened, and Scott stepped through, beckoning for him to follow.  The thrill of disobeying Dad – and the safety net of a big brother to pin the blame on if Dad found out – found him bounding in immediately, straight into the elevator down to the hangars.

Not just any hangars.  The Thunderbird hangars.

Alan had never been down there without Dad gripping his shoulder in a vice-like grip.  Scott kept his hands to himself.

“Before we get there, I need you to promise two things, Alan.”

He looked up at his brother, who was regarding him with a serious expression.  Considering where they were going, Alan would promise anything to get there.

“What?” he asked, just to be sure Scott wasn’t pulling his leg.

“Number one – don’t tell Dad about any of this.”

Dad would yell and be furious if he found out.  Alan had no problems promising that.  “And the other?”

“Don’t come here without me.”

The elevator came to a stop, the doors sliding open to reveal the locked door of a silo.

Thunderbird One’s silo.

Alan had never been in Thunderbird One’s silo.  Dad always deemed it too dangerous whenever he asked.  When you’re older.

“Alan.”

He looked away from the door, its small viewing window showing the same silver he’d seen countless times erupting from the pool, but never this close.  Scott’s blue eyes had lost all their humour and were looking at him with nothing but seriousness.

Alan wasn’t a kid anymore.  He understood.  If Dad ever caught him in here…  The shouting match from earlier would be nothing.  Scott would get in trouble, too.  Big trouble.  He was taking a risk.  For him.

To cheer him up, he realised.

Sure, he didn’t always get on with his brothers, and Scott was almost twice his age – an age gap dramatic enough that he didn’t understand him all the time – but he still loved them.  Even if they had an annoying habit of picking on him because he was the youngest.  He’d still never loved Scott quite like this before.

“I promise,” he said, solemn and serious to match his brother because this?  This was huge.

Scott smiled at him, and Alan watched breathlessly as he punched in the access code.  Again, not bothering to try and hide it, and now Alan knew – it wasn’t that Scott didn’t know he’d memorise it, Scott trusted him with the knowledge.

Scott was treating him like an adult.

The door slid open, and Scott stepped in.

“Watch your step,” he said.  “It’s a long way down.”

Alan followed, and glanced down.  The mesh gantry floor beneath his feet was suspended far, far in the air.  Beneath him, he could see those white letters.  Thunderbird 1.  The T was as big as he was.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?”

His gaze snapped to Scott, who was watching him with something Alan would call nervousness if it wasn’t Scott.  His hand was resting on the silver hull of the jet, a soft caress Alan didn’t need to see to know how much his brother loved his Thunderbird.

Maybe he was a little nervous as he waited for Alan’s first impressions.  His judgement of the plane his brother loved so much.

Alan had always loved Thunderbird One.  Maybe it was because she was the one he saw launch the most – right in front of the villa, impossible to miss.  Maybe it was her speed, the roar she made as she vanished in the blink of an eye.  Maybe it was just that little flash of red at her nose.  It wasn’t so little now he was standing on the gantry and it towered above him, at least the height of the brother still standing there, still touching his Thunderbird with a love he’d only ever seen aimed towards family.

“Wow,” was all he could manage.  Scott smiled, clearly delighted with his simple, one-word response.

“I can’t teach you to pilot a plane,” he said, an apologetic note in his voice.  “I can’t take that from Dad.”

Alan scowled, not liking the sudden reminder of the argument, how Dad had told him he wasn’t good enough to learn even though the rest of his brothers all got to learn aged thirteen – even Gordon, who barely cared about anything that wasn’t aquatic – but then Scott kept talking and his jaw dropped to the floor.

“But I can teach you to pilot a Thunderbird.  What do you say, Al?”

What did he say?  What could he say to that?  Scott…  Scott-  Was Scott offering to teach him to pilot Thunderbird One?

His mouth opened but no sound came out.  Scott laughed and moved forwards, hand dropping from Thunderbird One’s hull and instead finding its way onto Alan’s shoulder.

“Well?” he asked, and he was smiling like he was the happiest man in the world.

Alan tried again.  His voice squeaked and he flushed red as words he didn’t mean to say tumbled out.  “Isn’t she yours, though?”

He wanted to swallow them back straight away.  He was supposed to be saying yes, not giving Scott reasons to change his mind!

Scott chuckled.

“Of course she’s mine,” he said.  “But we all know how to operate each others’ ‘birds, Al.  You’ll need to know them all, too.”

He said it simply, as though it was a plain fact of life.  One day Alan would need to know how to operate all the Thunderbirds.  One day Alan would be a Thunderbird.

Scott was still smiling at him.  Dad might be saying no but Scott was saying yes and Alan knew Dad’s word was final, but if Scott was so sure…

Alan knew enough about the command structure of International Rescue to know Scott was second in command, and maybe he’d secretly accused his biggest brother of being a rule stickler and a suck-up because he always seemed to do whatever Dad said anyway, but this wasn’t obeying Dad.

If Scott could teach him to pilot Thunderbird One without Dad’s permission, then maybe, one day, Scott could bring him into International Rescue anyway.

“Come on,” his brother said, and Alan’s eyes widened as a panel moved aside, revealing the interior of Thunderbird One.

He’d never seen it before.  Despite the windows surrounding the cockpit, her launch speed never gave him a chance to peer inside, and even if he happened to catch Scott landing again, it was pretty difficult to make out the interior.

There were four seats.  Pilot, co-pilot, and two passenger behind.  Scott slipped inside first, gripping onto hand-holds and stepping on struts until he was in the far seat.  From what Alan knew of planes, that was the- the co-pilot’s seat.

Why was Scott in the co-pilot’s seat of his own Thunderbird?

He edged cautiously over to the Thunderbird, reaching out tentatively to touch her hull.  Part of him was sure he had to be dreaming, that there was nothing there and he’d wake up the moment he tried to make contact.

The rest of him met Scott’s eyes, his brother’s matching blue full of encouragement, and with a deep breath he made contact.

He didn’t wake up.  Dad didn’t appear out of nowhere and start yelling.  His fingers didn’t slip through.

The metal was cool, confirmation that she hadn’t launched in a while.  Alan knew that, followed his brothers’ rescues with an avid enough obsession that he was gaining a reputation for it at school.  Thunderbird Three had responded to a manned satellite in distress yesterday, but it had been three days since Thunderbird One had last launched.

A hand reached for him, and he blinked.  Scott was leaning over, across the pilot’s seat and offering him his hand.

“Ready, Al?” he asked.  Alan eyed the hand, and then his brother.  Scott looked excited, and he realised his big brother was looking forward to teaching him.

He took the hand.

“Watch where you step,” Scott cautioned.  “See the bar by your right foot?”  Alan looked down and nodded.  “Step on it.”

One hand in Scott’s firm grip, and the other fumbling to catch the edge of the cockpit door, Alan obeyed.  Scott’s smile widened.

“Now the bar above your head,” he said, and step by step, Alan followed his instructions until he was sat in the seat.

It felt weird, but in a comfortable way.  Like laying on his bedroom floor but hooking his feet on his bed.

“Welcome to the best ‘bird in the fleet,” Scott said, and Alan could hear both the smugness that always accompanied his brothers’ insistences that their ‘bird was the best and the same love he’d seen in the caress.

One of his other brothers might make a quip then, and if Alan wasn’t so awestruck about finally being inside a Thunderbird, he would, too.  Something about there being too much blue for Thunderbird Three.

Instead, he sent his big brother the biggest grin he could muster, feeling moisture welling in the corners of his eyes.  If Scott noticed, he didn’t comment.

“The first lesson’s a bit boring, I’m afraid,” he said, and while he still sounded light-hearted, his face was a little more serious.  “But it’s necessary, so I need you to pay really close attention, okay?  We can’t move on until you’ve completely mastered it.”

There was more and more seriousness in his voice as he spoke, until the humour was all but gone, and Alan nodded his understanding.

He wasn’t a child anymore.  Whatever Scott had to teach him about piloting Thunderbird One – Thunderbird One! – it was important.

“Okay.”  Scott reached over to something above his head, and Alan craned his neck to see a solid blue harness that looked like it belonged on a roller coaster just before it swung down and locked in front of him.  “Safety features.”

Alan muffled his groan.  Scott had said it would be boring, but he’d still been hoping for something a little less mind-numbing.

Luckily, Scott wasn’t in such a serious mode that he couldn’t crack a small smile as he pulled his own harness down.

“I know,” he said, somewhat sympathetically.  “But we can’t rescue anyone if we get in trouble ourselves, so you’re going to have to learn this stuff until you don’t even have to think about it.”  His small smile widened into a grin.  “If you pay attention, it won’t take too long.”

And with those encouraging words, the lecture began.

There was a lot of safety rules.

Alan was also pretty sure Scott’s definition of won’t take too long was not the same as his, but despite it all being to do with safety, his big brother managed to at least make it interesting.  The knowledge that he wouldn’t let Alan do anything else – let alone start learning to actually pilot – until he learnt it all was also powerful motivation.

Halfway through an explanation on which rules changed depending on whether or not the sweep wings were extended, Scott’s communicator bleeped.  His brother cut off, and motioned for Alan to be quiet.

He held his breath, determined not to let a single sound out.

“Time’s up.”  Gordon was talking quietly, and hurriedly.  “The meeting ended early.”

Scott inhaled sharply, and Alan had to fight not to do the same.  The only meeting he knew of was Dad’s, and if that was over…  If Dad found them – him – in Thunderbird One-

“Distract him.”  There was an edge to Scott’s voice Alan hadn’t heard before.  It was a bit like his get out of the pool, Gordon voice, when he was pulling big brother rank to get a younger brother to obey, but wasn’t quite the same.  A little sharper.  Crisper.

He was throwing Gordon under the bus.  There was no way Gordon would-

“F.A.B.”

-obey that.

Gordon’s voice had been similar.  Serious in a way his immediate brother rarely was.

Professional.

The call ended as Alan reeled from the realisation those had been their International Rescue voices – Field Commander and Operative.  Dad had never let him near Command and Control, not for briefings, rescues or debriefs.  He’d never heard his brothers when they were in International Rescue mode.

Scott slithered around him, hands and feet finding the holds without seeming to even think about it, and then he was standing on the gantry, hands reaching for him.  “Sorry, Al,” he said.  “That’s all for today.”

With the safety lecture still ringing in his ears, Alan accepted the help back out of the Thunderbird.  He didn’t know how long Gordon could distract Dad for before he realised two of his sons were not where they should be, and just the thought of Dad finding out terrified him.

Scott’s fingers flew over a panel, and the entrance to the Thunderbird slid shut seamlessly.  His brother did a few more checks, presumably to make sure there was no sign of access, and then a hand was on his shoulder, nudging him out of the silo and back to the elevator.

“John, we’re out of the silo.”

“F.A.B.” his second-eldest brother said, all business – and that voice Alan did recognise, because it had interrupted his calls to John for homework help often enough.  There was a pause.  “All cleared.”

Some rigidness seemed to seep from Scott’s shoulder as the elevator rose, and Alan blinked as a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him snugly against his brother.

“Sorry about the abrupt ending,” Scott apologised.  “We’ll pick back up again next time, okay?”

Next time?

Alan squeaked, and Scott smiled widely.

“You didn’t think you were going to learn everything on one go, did you?” he asked, sounding amused.  “I can’t promise a schedule – we’ll have to work around whenever Dad’s too busy to notice – but you’ll learn to fly her, I promise.”

Words failed Alan, and there was that moisture in his eyes again, so he did the only thing he could think of and twisted in his brother’s hold until he could wrap his arms around Scott tightly enough his brother was forced to exhale a quiet oof.

Scott chuckled fondly, and Alan felt him return the hug.  “You’re welcome, Al.”

The elevator docked and Alan slithered out of his brother’s hold as the doors slid open, only to freeze at the sight awaiting them.

Virgil said nothing, and for one dreadful moment Alan feared that was it, Dad knew.  Then his brother winked at him, a grin breaking across his face.  As he tentatively followed Scott out, he saw that the hallway was otherwise clear.

Then there was a hand on his head, mussing up his perfectly styled hair, and he sent a glower at the culprit.  Virgil just grinned at him again, before looking over his head at Scott.

“Gordon says he can hold him five minutes,” he said.  “That was three minutes ago, so you’d better hurry.”

“F.A.B.” Scott replied.  “Come on, Al.  Let’s go.”

Alan let himself be led away, his brain spinning.  First Gordon, then John.  Now Virgil.  Were… were all his brothers in on it?

Had they planned it?

They arrived at his bedroom door before he could figure out a way to ask.

“Boots,” Scott muttered, nudging him into his room.  “And remember: don’t tell Dad, and not without me.”

Alan nodded his promise again, and watched as Scott darted off in the direction of his own room, presumably to take his own boots off.

He yanked his off, stuffing them back in the closet where they lived, before collapsing onto his bed.  Something dug into his hip, and he scrabbled at it until it was retrieved.

It was his phone, no doubt dropped there by Scott when he’d fussed over his laces.

Alan stared at it.  The temptation to tell Fermat what his brother – brothers – had done was strong, but while Scott hadn’t told him he shouldn’t… the more people that knew, the more likely Dad was to find out.  Besides, Fermat would be with Brains, and they were probably too busy talking geek to listen to him even if he tried.

And maybe Alan was looking forwards to the day he could surprise his best friend with the knowledge he could pilot Thunderbird One.

Scott kept his word.  Lessons were sporadic, lengths varying depending on how long Dad could be distracted for by either work or a combination of his brothers, but they kept happening as often as his brother seemed to be able to wrangle it.

By the end of Spring Break, he had a decent grasp of the basic controls.

Summer Break, and he successfully ran through the sims without a single mistake.  Scott had beamed with pride.  Virgil had made noises, and Alan had been introduced to Thunderbird Two.

Winter Break, and Gordon staked his own claim.  All the years of scuba diving at his brother’s insistence had paid off, and the thought crept into his head that his brothers had been prepping him for far longer than he’d realised.

Then came the Worst Spring Break Ever.

Alan had been angry – angry at his brothers, at his Dad, at anything and everything – and he’d broken his promise.  He’d gone to Thunderbird One without Scott, and from there, everything went wrong.

Too wrong to think about, but underneath it all was the underlying thank fuck that Scott had disobeyed Dad last year.  Thankfulness that his brothers had taught him to pilot their ‘birds, thankfulness that it meant the Hood didn’t get his way and kill all those people while sullying International Rescue’s name.  His family’s name.

But Dad had acknowledged him.  Him, and Fermat, and Tin-Tin.  The pin on his shirt was heavy, an unfamiliar weight he’d been waiting for for as long as he could remember.  A member of International Rescue.  Technically a trainee, but thanks to Scott and his other brothers he’d been an unofficial trainee for a year already.  Finally, Dad had let him in.

Alan had almost forgotten how it had all started, until after Lady Penelope had gone back home to England, citing something important or other that needed to be done.  Spy things.

Then Dad struck.

“Alan.”  He was familiar with that tone – too familiar.  That was disapproving Dad, in a very sudden change from the proud father he’d been enjoying in the hours earlier.  His brothers – all four of them, with John still rarely down on Earth – stilled where they’d been teasing each other.  They knew the tone, too.

Alan had become used to Scott’s presence, and didn’t need to look to know his biggest brother had positioned himself just behind him in silent support.  He didn’t lean into him, but the temptation was there.

“You never told me how you knew Thunderbird One’s access codes,” Dad said.  Compared to the warmth of earlier, the words were ice cold and doused Alan with a harsh dose of reality.  He’d broken his promise to Scott and Dad had found out.  That was both promises broken.  “And I’d like to know when you learnt to pilot the Thunderbirds.”

Alan had messed up.  He’d messed up big time, but he was a Tracy and he might have broken his promises, but the only thing running through his mind right then was that he couldn’t let Scott take the fall.  A year ago, he’d been more than happy to hide behind his eldest brother, but Alan was older now.

Or maybe he couldn’t bear the idea of Scott getting in trouble after the hell they’d all had.

“I hacked the sims,” he said, pushing all the bravado he could muster into the words and meeting his father dead in the eye, daring him to doubt him.

“And the access codes?”  If looks could kill, Alan would have been zapped on the spot.

“I guessed.”

“First time?” Dad said, doubt clearly oozing from every pore.  Alan refused to cower.  He couldn’t cower.  He had to protect Scott, make sure Dad didn’t find out that Scott had disobeyed him.

He owed Scott that much.

“First time,” he retorted.

“You expect me to believe you successfully hacked the sims without anyone noticing often enough to teach yourself to pilot three Thunderbirds, and correctly guessed Thunderbird One’s access code first time?”  Dad sounded furious.

“Yes,” Alan snapped back.  “I-”

A hand landed on his shoulder and tugged him back.  A blink later and he was staring at his eldest brother’s back.

“I taught him,” Scott said.  “Dad, I taught Alan to pilot the Thunderbirds.  He got the access code from me, too.”

“Scott!” Alan hissed, unable to believe what was happening.  Scott was rigid, stiff enough that all he was missing was the salute to flash back to his air force days, and Alan recognised defensive body language when he saw it – even if he’d never seen it on Scott before.  “Scott, no-”

Scott turned his head, and Alan was silenced by a small smile.  “I appreciate you trying to cover for me, Al,” he said.  “But you don’t have to take the fall for this.”

“Scott.”

At Dad’s voice, Scott’s head snapped forward again.  Alan tried to peer around his brother to get a read on Dad’s face – he couldn’t be too mad at Scott, could he?  But Alan had also never heard his voice that cold.  If Absolute Zero had a sound, Alan suspected it would be like that.

No-one spoke.  Alan found himself holding his breath.  Then Dad broke the silence with two words that said so much more.

“My office.”

Alan wanted to shout and scream.  That wasn’t fair!  Scott was the eldest, was second-in-command.  He wasn’t supposed to be hauled to the office to be reamed out with the full force of Dad’s temper!

But he couldn’t talk.  Hands were finding his arms, his shoulders, and pulling him back into a defensive cocoon of brothers, away from Dad’s line of sight.

Still straight-backed, still stiff as cardboard, Scott obeyed.  He didn’t say a word, didn’t look back at them, and Alan wasn’t sure if it was because he thought Dad would somehow get even angrier if he did, or if he just didn’t want to look at them.

Dad didn’t follow immediately, and despite himself Alan found himself thankful for the cluster of brothers half-shielding him from the piercing gaze of his father.  It rested on each of them in turn, and Alan realised he was putting the facts together, realising Scott couldn’t have pulled it off long enough for him to actually learn as much as he clearly had without some back-up.

Realising that Alan had been able to pilot Thunderbirds Two and Four as well.

It was John standing in front, taking Scott’s place as the shield.  John, the only brother who hadn’t directly taught him anything, but had been instrumental in keeping the access logs and security footage clear of incriminating evidence.

Alan waited with bated breath, anticipating orders for more brothers to go to Dad’s office and join Scott in disgrace, but after a too-long moment of silence, Dad just turned and walked away.

Only once he was gone did the tension ease from the room, his brothers’ shoulders dropping and dramatic exhales of air filling the room – mostly from Gordon, who was clearly exaggerating them.

“Scott,” Alan found himself whimpering, staring wide-eyed at the stairs that lead to Dad’s office.

“Dad was always going to find out one day,” John told him, turning around and putting his good hand on his shoulder.  Physical contact from him was rare, and Alan straightened his spine on instinct.  “Scott knew we couldn’t hide how much you’d learnt forever.”

“We could have done without the timing, though,” Gordon chipped in.  Alan glanced at him to see his face twisted into something between a wince and a grimace.

“Are you all going to be in trouble?” he asked, feeling a little small.

John gave him a small, sad grin.  “We’ll be fine.  Scott’ll take the fall for all of us.”

That didn’t seem fair.  They had all disobeyed Dad – all five of them – so why did Scott have to take the rap?  Why hadn’t Scott let him take the punishment?  It had been his broken promise that had triggered it all in the first place.

The familiar roar from the direction of the office – muffled by walls and distance in a way Alan wasn’t used to when it was usually him on the receiving end of it – interrupted anything he might have tried to stay about it.

“-got your brother killed!” exploded into earshot, and despite it not being aimed at him, despite it being yelled from several rooms away, Alan froze in place.

He’d never realised the rest of the villa could hear Dad when he was on a rage.  How was it soundproofed against the Thunderbird launches but not Dad?

The rest of the words were still muffled, clarity fading away back to an overarching roar, and he heard Virgil make a disbelieving noise under his breath.

None of them spoke, though.  Nor did they move, instead remaining clustered together as they listened to the sound of Scott taking the fall for them.  All of them.

Alan hated it.

It felt like an age before silence fell, Dad’s tirade finally exhausted.  He exchanged glances with all of his brothers, the four of them debating if it was safe to separate and go their own separate ways now it was over, or if they should stay together and wait for the reappearance of the rest of their family.

The latter won, so it was as a cluster they turned to the stairs at the sound of footsteps.  Only one set, and something unpleasant settled in the pit of his stomach when Dad’s feet came into view.  He still looked unhappy, and when his sharp eyes landed on John, Alan found himself gripping the hem of his brother’s shirt.

But Dad didn’t say anything to John, nor did he speak to Virgil, or Gordon, as his eyes homed in on them in turn.  Then the steel landed on Alan, and he tried not to gulp.  He was officially a member of International Rescue now.  He couldn’t cower in front of the commander – in front of Dad.

Somehow, impossibly, the steel seemed to soften, just a little.

“Your official training starts tomorrow,” he said.  “I want you in Command and Control at oh-eight hundred hours sharp.”

Alan felt his eyes widen.  His training?  Dad was still going to start his training?

“Yes, sir!”  The words exploded out of him, his back straightening.  He was rewarded with something that, for a split second, looked like a flash of a smile, before Dad’s face was stern again.

“Your training will be with me,” he continued.  “We’ll be starting with Thunderbird One.”

There was a ripple through his brothers, and Alan’s breath caught in his throat.  Thunderbird One training… without Scott?

He remembered the first time Scott took him into the silo, the way his eyes had lit up with love at the sight of his ‘bird, and the hidden nerves as his brother had waited for his judgement on the ‘bird.  Thunderbird One was Scott’s.  Scott loved Thunderbird One, and he knew from snatched conversations with all his brothers that Scott had trained them all on his ‘bird himself.

Alan was adult enough to read between the lines.  Not being able to officially train him was Scott’s punishment.

But there was nothing he could do to get Dad to change his mind.  Protests swirled through his mind, but the words wouldn’t come, and Dad wasn’t waiting for a response anyway.  Sentence given, Dad carried on walking, past them and into the kitchen where Alan could vaguely hear murmured conversation start up.

“Damn,” Gordon breathed.  “Did Dad just-”

“Strip Scott of Thunderbird One’s training rights?” John finished for him.  “I think he did.”

Virgil made another noise, almost keening, but wordless.

Alan just felt cold.  This was his fault.  This was all his fault.  Scott would be absolutely devastated, and it was all his fault.

Scott still hadn’t appeared, and he felt the urge to find him.  To apologise, even if all he could offer were words and he couldn’t change anything.  Couldn’t persuade Dad to change his mind.

His other brothers slowly started drifting apart, no longer feeling the need for safety in numbers now Dad seemed satisfied with the fallout.  None of them went far, but it was enough for him to take a breath and head for the stairs.

No-one stopped him.

Alan didn’t know where Scott would be, but he hadn’t come downstairs, so he had to be in the villa somewhere.  He wouldn’t have stayed in the office, either – Dad wouldn’t have let him even if he’d wanted to after that chewing out – so that was one less place to look.  His feet took him to the floor with their bedrooms, five open doors in a row.

Four open doors.

Alan blinked and looked again.  Four doors were in various states of open, mostly ajar or half-open, but the door that was always open during the day was shut tight.

Scott’s door.

He gulped again.  Scott’s door was always open to them; even at night when it was physically closed, it had never felt as shut as it did then.  The temptation was there to leave and come back later, and Alan took a stumbling step back almost without realising what he was doing.

He should leave Scott alone.  That was what the shut door meant, right?  Scott didn’t want to see anyone – see him – so he’d shut them all out.  Except… wasn’t it also a cry for help?  They had an entire island to escape in if anyone truly wanted to be alone.  At least for Alan, if he was in his room… he always knew his brothers would find him there.  It was the beaches, the rocks, the jungle, where he went when he really wanted to be alone.

Maybe he was wrong, but this was all his fault.  He had to fix it.

Taking in a deep breath, he reached out and pressed his palm flat against Scott’s door.  It didn’t move, but he stepped closer anyway, resting his forehead against it as well.

“Scott?” he called quietly.  There was no response but it felt like the silence was suddenly heavy.  Listening.

Waiting.

It wasn’t a go away, Alan, so he took another breath and found the door controls, switching it to open.

He braced himself as it unlatched, sliding open smoothly, but still there was no reaction from the other side of the door.  The thought flickered through his mind that maybe the closed door was a decoy, maybe Scott wasn’t there, but then he could see into the room and the figure hunched over on the bed.

Any doubts that Scott hadn’t been told about the new training plan were dashed at the sight of him.  Perched on the side of the bed, his head and shoulders were slumped forward, hands limply in his lap.

Alan had never seen his brother like that.

“Scott?” he tried again, tentatively edging into the room.

“Hey, Al.”  His brother’s voice was quiet and unusually flat.  Unless he was imagining things, there’d been a small rasping edge to it, too.

Then Scott turned his head to look at him and Alan knew he hadn’t imagined it.

Bright blue eyes glistened, but his attention was caught by the raw red rings around them, a sight Alan had seen in the mirror more times than he cared for, but had never thought he’d see on Scott.  But it was the quirk of the lips into the most painfully fake attempt at a reassuring smile Alan had ever seen that stung the most.

Scott was hurting.  Scott was hurting so much and listening to the same instincts that always had him teaching the kids that picked on Fermat a lesson, Alan’s hesitation melted away.  Letting the door fall shut behind him, he launched himself forward, catching hold of Scott and gripping him in the tightest hug he could manage.

“I’m sorry!” he wailed, hiding his face in his brother’s neck.  “I’m so, so, sorry.  You trusted me and I broke it and now Dad’s mad with you and I’m so sorry, Scott.”

Scott had stiffened when he grabbed him, a natural instinct to an unexpected tackle-hug, but Alan felt him quickly fall lax again.  Arms loosely wrapped around him, too loose to really qualify as a hug, but any reaction was better than none.  They stayed like that for a moment before tightening.

“Thanks,” Scott muttered into his hair.  “That wasn’t why Dad figured it out, but thanks for apologising.”

“It wasn’t?” Alan asked, “but-”

“You and Fermat in the silo because you guessed the access code or stole it from Brains would have satisfied Dad,” Scott said, and it sounded an awful lot like reassurance even though Alan wasn’t the one that had just been crying.  Alan wasn’t the one being punished.  “It’s the Hood and someone needing to stop him, and you were the only one that could.”

Scott’s hold tightened again.

“John had to convince Dad you could do it,” he muttered.  Alan remembered seeing Dad look to one side, but he’d thought that had been Scott.

“Not you?” he asked, not sure he wanted to know why it hadn’t been.

Scott let out a wet chuckle.  “I was still waking up,” he admitted.  “Didn’t know what was going on by the comms until Dad ordered us all back to Three and said we had to get to London asap.”  He paused, letting out a quiet huff that ruffled Alan’s hair.  “Not the first flight I had in mind for you,” he said, an almost dry attempt at humour despite his voice still being wet.  “But I knew you could do it.”

“Even if I messed up the landing struts?” Alan asked.  The laughter he got was a little louder that time.  More genuine.

“Nobody’s perfect,” his brother said.  “Her landing struts are a small price to pay for everything ending up okay.”  Alan felt him pause again.  “But I don’t know if Brains will have them fixed in time for your training tomorrow.”

His voice hitched on the word training and Alan winced.

“I wish it was you,” he muttered.  “Things make sense when you say them.”

To his surprise, Scott pulled back from the hug, far enough to meet his eyes.  They were still red-rimmed and glistening, even if the grin on his face looked slightly less sad.  Slightly more genuine.

“Just make sure to show Dad how good you are,” he said.  “I’ll bribe John for the footage.”

Despite himself, Alan laughed.  He didn’t think Scott would even need to bribe him; John had been as taken aback as the rest of them at Scott’s punishment.

“Okay,” he agreed.  It still hurt that Scott wouldn’t be with him, especially not when it was all his training that Alan would be showing off, but if Scott could still at least watch…

Well, it was better than nothing.

Scott squeezed him tightly again for a moment before letting go entirely.  Reluctantly, Alan got the hint and stepped back.

“Are you going to come out?” he asked, and tried not to be too crestfallen when Scott shook his head.

“I’m still not too old to be sent to my room to ‘think about what I’ve done’,” he quoted, rolling his eyes and smiling a watery smile.  “I’ll be down for dinner.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Alan offered, knowing the loneliness of imposed isolation, even if it was only for a few hours.

Scott shook his head, but his smile was a little brighter.  “I’ll be okay,” he said.  “Go spend some time with John while he’s dirtside.”

That was a dismissal, and Alan sighed.  “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”  Scott made childish shoo, shoo gestures and shot him another watery grin.  “Go on.”

Alan didn’t want to leave, but it was clear Scott wasn’t interested in company.  His eyes were still glistening with unshed tears, and somewhat selfishly Alan didn’t want to see them fall.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he said, reluctantly obeying his brother’s request.  “Don’t be late, okay?”

“I don’t plan on missing out on any of Ohana’s cooking,” Scott promised.  “I’ll be there.”

Alan nodded, and with one last look at his brother – still sat slumped on the edge of his bed, but sending him an encouraging grin that clearly said Alan should leave – slipped back out into the hallway.

As he had promised, Scott reappeared in time for dinner, looking much better and clearly cleaned up.

And as Dad had promised, he wasn’t there at oh-eight hundred hours when Alan reported to Command and Control.  The rest of his brothers were present, in various stages of lounging as they eyed him, but Scott’s absence was a gaping hole.

Dad didn’t even acknowledge it.

“Put that on,” he said, gesturing to a folded uniform on the desk.  White with blue piping, it perfectly matched the one Scott was wearing in the portrait behind him.  Thunderbird One’s colours.

He did as he was told, realising it was a little too big for him in the shoulders, but not quite long enough in the leg.  The name patch said Alan, but he knew there was no way Dad had managed to get a uniform made for him that quickly.  If he squinted, he could see the pale imprint underneath that spelled out Gordon.  A hand-me-down training uniform, then.

Dad was wearing his own, also blue-trimmed with Jeff on the name patch, and next to him in his brother’s hand-me-downs, Alan felt like a child playing dress-up.

No.  He wasn’t a child.  He was a member of International Rescue, had at least some training on piloting three of the Thunderbirds thanks to Scott, and for Scott he had to hold his head up high.  It was his eldest brother that had got him here, and even if Dad was furious about it, Alan owed him that much.

He straightened his back and met Dad’s gaze head-on.  The look he got back was unreadable and he fought the instinct to look away.

“Let’s go,” the man said, not paying his three middle sons any attention as he breezed past them.  Alan glanced at them as he followed, and got three supportive smiles in response.  Gordon added an encouraging thumbs’ up.

It was the first time Dad didn’t order him to look away when he typed in the code, and Alan watched him punch in the same number sequence he’d seen Scott enter so many times.  From the look Dad gave him, he no doubt knew.

Nothing was said until they were in the elevator, riding down towards Thunderbird One’s silo.  Doing the journey without Scott felt wrong.

“You might – officially – know the codes now,” Dad said, “but for as long as you’re under training, you are still not permitted down here without a full member of International Rescue for company.  Do you understand?”

It was a step up from the previous Dad-only rule.  Alan knew he could badger any of his brothers into taking him down.  They’d been willing to do it behind his back, after all.  Dad probably knew that, too.

He nodded his agreement just as the elevator came to a stop.  The by now familiar sight of Thunderbird One through her access door greeted them, and he watched as Dad entered the same, familiar, code.  The door opened as smoothly as ever, and Alan followed Dad onto the gantry.

“First of all,” Dad said, turning and facing him.  He was standing straight, towering above Alan, but Alan refused to show how intimidating that was.  Being in here with Dad was nothing like being in here with Scott.

Scott always went straight for Thunderbird One, touching her hull lightly as though being separated from her for any length of time had been too long.  Even as he was talking, he’d send occasional soft glances his ‘bird’s direction.  His love for Thunderbird One was a tangible thing.

Dad was treating her like any other bit of machinery.  The difference was jarring.

“I want to see what you know,” Dad continued.  “Show me, and try not to launch accidentally this time.”  There was a rebuke in there.  Alan heard it clear as day, and despite his determination to prove himself an adult, he felt a wince cross his face at the reminder of his blunder.

He’d been too busy showing off to Fermat and panicked when something went wrong.  One of the first things Scott had shown him was how to cancel the launch sequence – before Dad got wind that she was trying to launch.  It shouldn’t have happened.

At Dad’s command, the access panel slid open and he muscled his way across to the co-pilot’s seat.  Nothing like Scott, who moved like he knew her intimately.  Alan supposed that was the difference between being in someone else’s ‘bird and being in your own.  Maybe Dad was softer with Thunderbird Three.

As soon as Dad was settled, Alan sidled in.  It was an action he’d done countless times, and he didn’t need to think about the correct hand and foot holds as he eased himself into the pilot seat and instinctively pulled on the harness.

Then he glanced across at Dad, whose expression was still unreadable.

“Whenever you’re ready,” his father said.  Alan took a deep breath, settling the nerves that had suddenly sprung up.  It was worse than an exam at school; at least he didn’t have the additional pressure of validating his brother during exams.

He could do this.  Scott believed in him.  Scott had taught him.  He’d piloted her all the way to London to stop the Hood; he could run through the motions cold.

Another breath and his hands began to move, starting pre-flight checks and doing his best to ignore the prickle of Dad watching.

She told him her landing struts had a fault, and he faltered.  He knew that, knew Brains had her slated for repair once the hangar was put back together and Thunderbird Three’s engine was replaced, and they weren’t actually going to be flying Thunderbird One, but… if he just ignored that, what would Dad think?  Was he supposed to be acknowledging what they both knew, because it was a fault?

His fingers stilled, and Dad sighed.  The sound sent a shudder down Alan’s spine.

“I’ve seen enough,” he said, and Alan wilted.

He must have hesitated too long, must have made a mistake in his judgement.  Dad was disappointed; he’d let Scott down.

“Scott, report to Thunderbird One’s silo immediately.”

What?  He wasn’t going to chew Scott out again, was he?  He’d already made Scott cry last night; was Dad really going to be that harsh?

“Dad-” he started, not sure what to say but knowing he had to say something.  Scott had taken more than enough of the rap for his unauthorised training already.

“Get back onto the gantry, Alan,” Dad interrupted.

“But-  I-”  No, he couldn’t just give up.  Dad couldn’t make him stop like that, could he?

“That was an order, Alan.  We’ll wait for your brother on the gantry.”  Dad’s tone brooked no arguments, and Alan reluctantly obeyed.

Almost as soon as he was out, Dad was behind him, nudging him forwards with a hand on his shoulder so he could leave the cockpit, too.  Alan hunched over, catching one arm with the opposite hand, and tried not to shuffle his feet as he waited for Scott to arrive.

It wasn’t a long wait.  Barely a minute after being ordered out of the Thunderbird, the silo door opened to reveal Scott.  His hair was mussed and he looked like he’d run from wherever he’d been as fast as he could, despite the no running in the house rules.

Blue eyes homed in on him, and he flinched.  Scott, of course, noticed.

“What happened?” he asked.  It would have been a demand if it wasn’t aimed at Dad.

A blur of white and blue landed in his face, and Alan felt his own eyes widen as Scott reflexively caught it.

“Put that on,” Dad ordered.  Alan watched Scott shake it out, revealing it was his own uniform.

“Dad?” Scott asked, confusion dripping from the word.  “I thought-”

“I know what you thought,” Dad interrupted.  “Suit up.”

What was going on?  Alan looked between the two of them, seeing his own confusion mirrored in Scott’s eyes while in Dad’s there was something that looked like… satisfaction?  Dad was satisfied about something?

He’d banned Scott from training him, but now he was making Scott suit up, and it didn’t make sense.  What was he thinking?

It didn’t take Scott long to pull the uniform over his clothes, zipping it up in a rush.

“Well?” Dad said, crossing his arms expectantly.

“You told me I wasn’t allowed to train Alan anymore,” Scott said slowly, although Alan didn’t miss that he was edging closer to his Thunderbird – and him.

Dad hummed.  “I trust you’ve learnt your lesson about undermining my authority?”

Scott flinched.  “Yes, sir.”

“And you won’t do that again?”

“No, sir.”  He was standing next to Alan now, one glove pressing against the silver hull seemingly of its own accord.

“In that case,” Dad said, “I’m not about to compromise an operative by denying him the best training.  Your brother here can already do the pre-flight checks faster than Gordon without losing any accuracy.”  Wait, what?  But he’d hesitated…  “I’ll be supervising all training until further notice; I look forward to seeing how far he continues to go.”

“He’s going to give me a run for my money one day,” Scott said, and Alan whirled around to look at him.  His brother smiled down at him.  He looked proud.  “Come on, Al, let’s get this training session underway.”

He slipped into the cockpit, a stark contrast to Dad’s firmness as he all but flowed into the co-pilot seat.  This was familiar, and even though Dad was still there, still watching, Alan felt the tension leave his body as he followed.

Dimly, he was aware of Dad settling into the passenger seat behind Scott, but his attention was firmly fixed on his brother, who was running an eye over the controls and clearly working out how far he’d got before Dad had interrupted.

“Well, Al, I think we need to work on your landing sequence,” he said after a moment.  Alan was pretty sure that was partially prompted by the pre-flight warning, although it had probably been running through Scott’s mind ever since he realised her landing gear was damaged in London.  “Run me through what you did then, and we’ll see where you went wrong under the pressure.”

Confident that Thunderbird One was cold and the engines weren’t going to ignite unexpectedly, Alan reached for the first stage of a VTOL landing, only for Scott to catch his wrist.

“Not what you know is right,” he corrected gently.  “I know you can do it from cold.  Try to remember what you did on that flight.”

Most of the flight had been a blur of panic and a little bit of rage thrown in.  Alan pulled his hand back and closed his eyes, trying to remember what he’d done.

He’d-

Oh.

Sheepishly, he moved his hand away from the control he should have gone to first, and skipped a step.

From the look on Scott’s face – and the fact he’d stopped him immediately – his big brother had already known exactly where he’d gone wrong.  But he was still smiling.

“Looks like we need to drill that a few more times until you don’t have to think about it,” he said.  “Okay, keep going.  Let’s see if you made any other mistakes, then we’ll get to work.”

Alan returned his grin, finding himself completely undaunted by the prospect despite Dad sat behind them, watching like a hawk but saying nothing.  Scott was just that good at teaching.

“F.A.B.”

[nothingunrealistic]

naturally was going "hmm what kind of fins (fish) would young taylor in the bathtub wish for. how would we know what they think would be the best fish tail to have" & then was just thinking of Younger Taylor Hcs just in general. got any you'd wanna share, or like, any faves from what's been provided either as unofficial ideas or via those glimpses of info in the show's text. Fave can be in a "truly enjoy this" way & or simply more of a "truly Thinking About This An Extra Lot" sense lol. They

Boy Do I… first, a listing of everything we Know from canon about their childhood / early life / family:

taylor grew up in “a place like” connerty’s small apartment where “the heat pipes bang practically all night” in the winter [2x11]

taylor’s mom would deem the apartment they rented for her & douglas too expensive, and if she & douglas were shopping for furniture, they’d argue about how much things cost [4x07]

taylor never thought they’d be thinking about living a life where they book private jets [2x09]

the masons’ home is hundreds of miles from any body of water (as shown here) and douglas had to fly to nyc to see taylor [4x03]

douglas figures taylor’s mom won’t miss him getting in her way back home [4x03]

taylor has a sister; when she gets married, in michigan, taylor is part of the wedding party [2x09]

at a young age, taylor was always measuring information around them, and sweet / affectionate, especially toward douglas [4x03]

taylor’s favorite cereal as a kid was frosted flakes [4x09]

taylor was never really douglas’s “little girl” like he claims [4x03]

the first time douglas brought taylor to his lab, it meant a lot to them, and the next day they gave him designs to remake it [4x06]

douglas taught taylor: “don’t just have an idea, build the model that proves it” [4x07]

according to douglas, taylor gets the “unyielding compulsion to get it right” from him, and their relationship was best when they “kept things mathematical” [4x03]

douglas wishes he could have built real wealth / success and given it all to taylor [4x03]

wendy mentions to taylor that douglas has “exploited your need for his approval,” and taylor agrees that douglas only cares about his own advancement rather than being a father first [4x07]

douglas dislikes the military / the government [4x06]

taylor is surprised by douglas quoting a pop song [4x07]

when taylor was younger, the bathtub was the only place they could go to be alone and think, and they’d press their legs against the sides hard enough to make them go numb [3x11]

taylor started playing online poker at age 12 under the screen name ZackCody892 and played up to 16 tables at a time (and for thousands of hours) [2x03]

douglas was fired from his job at an aerospace firm when taylor was in 7th grade. this firing damaged their relationship with him and “affected the home life.” for years, taylor thought douglas had been fired so that the firm could steal his invention, and only found out the truth from his personnel file [2x11, 4x05, 4x06]

taylor has had 927 hours of therapy prior to their session with dr. gus, and that number hasn’t changed at their first session with wendy [2x03, 2x08]

douglas, in bringing taylor food and coffee, claims they rarely take the time to look after themself [4x04]

taylor used to lie to themself and others but is now past that, and knows “how hard it is to have things inside you that you can’t communicate” and “what it’s like to face public scrutiny over who you are” [2x08, 3x02, 4x04]

when taylor reminds douglas about their pronouns, he says “this talk again?”, implying it’s a discussion they’ve had before [4x03]

taylor once got into a bar fight with a high school classmate (it’s unclear whether they were still in high school at the time) after seeing y tu mamá también in a theater [5x07]

taylor was active in occupy wall street in college [2x10]

taylor played poker in college against classmates, grad students, & professors, but their opponents kicked them out for winning too much; additionally, the competitive aspect made them sick (described as “malaise” or “vertigo-like symptoms”) [2x03, 4x12]

taylor planned to go to chicago for grad school and study with eugene fama [2x02]

mafee picked taylor as his intern because they were the only applicant who wasn’t boring / didn’t care about the same bullshit that everyone from wharton or harvard did [5x04]

douglas initiated the visit to taylor, claiming it was because he’d missed them, after not being ready to see them even though taylor’s mother wanted to visit countless times [4x03, 4x07]

taylor is trying to be “everything to their father” in funding his company, and neither of them will be able to come back from taylor being forced to betray him [4x06, 4x07]

wow that’s a long list. and now, my own thoughts and extrapolations:

taylor grew up somewhere in the west / midwest with their parents and sister, who’s a few years older than them, in a house small enough that they had to share a bedroom with her. hence, needing to hide out in the bathtub to get any space & time alone.

from very early on, taylor was douglas’s favorite child and he was their favorite parent — douglas saw taylor’s intelligence & insight (and saw himself in them) and chose to put time & effort into teaching / guiding / molding them, hoping they’d one day follow in his footsteps / support his ambitions, and taylor liked that attention & recognition. (douglas’s attitude toward taylor’s sister is essentially “well she’s here too i guess.”)

douglas taught taylor enough about aerospace engineering & mathematics for them to understand the value of his lattice fin concept, and to generally have a better grasp of engineering concepts than your average (even very well-read) business major / financier. (remember how rebecca knew a robot’s “proprietary” power source was a combustion engine because her father was a mechanic? same deal here. see also: the “smash electronics apart to find the microchips inside and figure out who makes them” strategy; taylor comparing losing grigor’s money to building a turbo engine and having the nitrous tank blow up in their face.) this manifested in both directly teaching them in his lab and in playing games like the silverware-stacking game we see in 4x03, or like douglas throwing out math problems for taylor to solve on the spot, or the two of them solving math problems together.

douglas also imparted his taste in music (which does not include anything new / popular) to taylor, though their taste as an adult (or even as, like, a teenager) isn’t identical to his. this is how they discovered rush in the first place and why they have such strong opinions about The Best Rush Albums. (if douglas had such a ranking, it’d be closer to axe’s than to taylor’s.)

listening to rush helped make taylor a libertarian 😔 that’s just life when you’re a neil peart stan, which of course they are. they admire his lyrics + his drumming talent + his absolute poker face in performances.

douglas also taught taylor to play blackjack, which inspired them to go and learn poker on their own and start playing online. they tried to keep it a secret, but it's hard to be secretive about spending hours a day playing online poker on the family computer. (this is 2006 or so, after all.)

taylor figured out that they were Not A Girl (or at least had thoughts of “hm i don’t enjoy being addressed / perceived as A Girl”) fairly young but didn’t acquire a concrete vocabulary for / specific understanding of that for some time. (if douglas is calling they/them pronouns “that woke stuff” in 2019, he sure wasn’t saying anything clear or favorable about trans people in 2009 or 1999. ditto for online poker sites.)

douglas’s firing exacerbated every negative aspect of the mason family dynamic. he doubled down on pushing taylor toward his field, urging them to succeed where he’d failed, and warning them against letting anyone Steal Their Value. money got tighter, taylor’s parents argued more, and any activities taylor was in (like, say, swimming at the ymca) that required payment got cut; they may have figured out how to make money (illegally!) from online poker at this point. the combined stress of financial instability, being torn between pursuing their own ambitions and fulfilling douglas’s expectations for them, and increasing Gendered Expectations in general — plus the whole “playing online poker for hours a day” thing — probably put taylor in therapy within a few months, if they weren’t in therapy already. (how did their parents pay for it? i don’t know either.)

stealing this from that interview asia & brian & david did in 2017: if taylor had not already taught themself to think and speak directly & incisively and look people in the eye when they talk, et cetera, it started here, whether in therapy or on their own time.

taylor went to college in new york city. douglas did not want them to do this, for a number of reasons, and would have preferred they stick closer to home (and study something other than finance), but doing so would have made them miserable.

by the time they finished high school (circa 2012), taylor had properly heard of trans people and figured that they were somehow One Of Them, but not until college did they hear of people being nonbinary and go “ohhhh yeah that’s me.” (they’d also gotten a Short Haircut in high school, but didn’t go full buzzcut until college. unsurprisingly, they got some shit in high school for being Visibly gnc.)

for some period of time while figuring out their gender situation, taylor went by the name neil as a nod to neil peart. (it’s fun to imagine that they still have a faceless twitter / tumblr account where they go by neil. doubles as a way to prevent anyone connecting it to their real life.)

taylor came out to their family while in college. their mom and sister had fairly similar reactions of “well i don’t Get this exactly, but i love you and want to support you and i’m sure you know what you're talking about better than i do and you did clearly hate it every time i urged you to conform to Standards Of Womanhood so sure i can call you Them and my [child / sibling] :)” given some time to think about it. douglas… well. if he’s starting from a place of “i don’t get this,” he’ll end up at “so it must be wrong and stupid, because i’m always right,” especially if This = his favorite child being different in some significant way from who / what he thought they were. obviously he doesn’t react well or supportively, and the strain in his relationship with taylor tips over into full-blown estrangement. bad times for everyone.

if taylor’s bar fight happened when they were old enough to legally enter a bar, it happened after coming out to their family (also after the live poker fiasco), and before making plans for grad school / internships. most likely it was on a summer break they were spending back in their hometown. (another fun thought: taylor seeing the video of axe punching a guy, just weeks after they punched a guy, and going “well maybe i should work for him.”)

if douglas was at taylor’s sister’s wedding (and maybe he wasn’t!), it was awkward for everyone when he and taylor crossed paths again. barest of pleasantries, passive-aggressive comments, et cetera. naturally, it took a few more years — and douglas realizing that taylor, now being fairly wealthy and successful, could probably fund his dream project if they didn’t hate him — for him to decide to visit them.