#so a series of choices designed specifically for ONE ROUTE would stick out like a sore thumb

[whump-a-la-mode]

Villian-Sicle | Part 5

I feel like now would be a pertinent time to mention that this is my first attempt at writing a sort of drabble series. The majority of my work is 50k-100k word nerd ass novels, and I think that this part will make that unfortunately abundantly apparent. I’m sorry for just how long it is, but I’ve absolutely loved writing these characters, and I got a little bit carried away with fleshing out the world a bit more ^^

Also, I feel I should probably mention that, though characters in this story speak Latin, I do not know any Latin. I wrote this using dictionaries and very basic grammar guides, and I sincerely hope I did not mess up too bad.

Thank you for reading! It’s a long one, but I hope you’ll enjoy.

CW//Superhero whump, villain whumpee, hypothermia, military setting (kinda), pet whump, dehumanization, past trauma, muzzles, restraints, conditioned whumpee, depiction of an implied panic attack, denial of water

Taglist:

@whatwhumpcomments

@sola-whumping

@professional-idiocy

Villain couldn’t help but shake and buck their head as a corrugation of metal and leather was slipped over their face, securing their jaw in its current position and forcing them to bite down against the pressure. It had been fitted since last time, they noted rather hollowly-- with a piece of padding now standing between the bridge of their noise and the harsh metal wires. Regardless of how many adjustments were made to the piece, however, making it comfortable seemed beyond their ability.

They, in this specific circumstance, referred mainly to the two soldiers before Villain. Trainer was the only one of the two that they knew the name of-- though they were nearly unrecognizable beneath the layers of gear shrouding their appearance.

The helmet they wore resembled more so that of a motorcyclist rather than that of an armed combatant, but the rest of their kit was far more military. Beneath their uniform bulged the clear outlines of a tac-vest, with their hands shielded by Kevlar gloves, constructed of an intricate mesh of triangular pieces, in a similar manner to chain-mail.

The other soldier was dressed in nearly identical kit, just without the gloves-- those were for handlers, which this other soldier must’ve surely not been. They turned to Trainer, noises in an odd language curling off their tongue. Trainer replied with a laugh.

With practiced hands, Trainer took the muzzle’s straps and secured them behind Villain’s head, tightening the metal until it dug into their skin, tearing at old sores created by the same device. Their leash was quickly hooked to a ring protruding from the muzzle’s wires.

“Manibus.” Trainer’s voice spoke. They nearly flinched at the sheer speed at which Villain offered their hands. Momentarily, Trainer ghosted their fingers over the leather mitten restraints that kept Villain’s fine motor abilities under control. They checked the wrist straps, ensuring their tautness, nodding their approval.

“Abeamus?” The other soldier suggested, to which Trainer gave another nod. They wrapped Villain’s leash around their wrist, halving its length, until there was negligible slack in the line.

Another group of soldiers, all dressed in military-style garments of their own, loitered together by the door to the staging room. They looked to Trainer, marginally straightening their postures, and, presumably, minimizing the amount of swearing in their speech.

With a few words and a flick of the wrist, the squadron was off.

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Leader couldn’t stop looking at Villain’s eyes.

They weren’t quite certain what had pulled them into such an odd trance. It was nothing about color, certainly, nor anything else physical or inherent-- they were unremarkable, in such respects. No, it was certainly something about the expression they portrayed.

A moment ago, they’d seen shattering fear turn to fury in these eyes. Now, they seemed blank, as though constructed of glass and merely painted upon. There was no expression beyond them, no recognition, no indication that Villain’s mind was occupied by anything at all. Their gaze stared straight through Leader, through the ceiling above as well.

Leader was torn from their daze by a commotion from behind them as the door was thrown open. Medic was nearly knocked over as Hero burst in, followed more ploddingly by Counselor.

“Be careful.” Leader warned, looking up and turning to the group. “There’s broken shit everywhere.”

Hero’s eyes darted around the room, seemingly taking in the mess. Broken glass coated the tile floor in a thin dusting of shards, while various mechanical parts still smoked in whatever place they had happened to end up. The lights had been blown out completely, leaving the lighting in the room to be provided by a flashlight laid on a countertop, as well as, now, the light soaking in from the hallway.

After their panicked scan, Hero settled their gaze on Villain.

“Are they...”

“They’re fine.” Medic interrupted.

“They’re not moving.”

“Well... I’m going to hazard to say that that’s a good thing. If I had to guess, it seems like a shock response. It’s not exactly my biggest concern, right about now.”

“What about the, uh, bleeding hole in their chest?”

“That would be my biggest concern.”

Medic grabbed a variety of, miraculously undamaged, medical supplies from a cupboard, setting to work at Villain’s wound. It was small, deliberate, having been incised to be used as an access point for the dialysis machine, but Leader had a feeling that even minor blood loss could be a death sentence, at this point.

Hero and Counselor hovered, for a moment, at Villain’s bedside, while Medic did their work. Leader stood back, nearly having to forcibly tear their gaze from that of Villain.

That odd sort of silence remained for several moments, if not minutes, as Medic’s deft hands worked to close the wound. It was only when the last suture was tied that Counselor spoke up-- one of the only times they had done so for the whole mission.

“Leader?”

“Hm?”

“What’s our plan, exactly? What are our orders?”

They raised a brow. Counselor was never that direct-- nor that military.

“Um...” It felt quite stupid, being caught unprepared like this, but in their defense, they had nearly just been killed by an exploding air conditioner. “I... I don’t want to hazard doing anything until Villain is stable.”

“That was your plan before.” Medic muttered as they pried latex gloves from their hands. “It almost got us killed.”

“Right. Yeah, um, are they stable enough? For transport?”

“They’re not going to bleed out, if that’s your concern. Physically, I’d say they’re stable. Mentally? I think we need to get them to a secure location before they snap out of this fugue state.”

“Alright.” Leader chewed their tongue. “Let’s get the van ready, then.”

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The ship’s deck was notably busy, despite the fact that it was relatively late at night. The vessel’s skeleton crew hurried about, keeping it afloat and on track, while outdated Humvees drove in chaotic paths. What the commotion was about was beyond Villain’s knowledge, or their capacity to care. All that mattered was fighting their instinct to cover their ears, and ensuring that they were keeping up with Trainer.

They could feel it-- the boat-- beneath them. The millions of systems and circuits and electrons, thrumming and being jolted about by a swaying sea.

The small company that Trainer had gathered made their way to the far end of the deck, where a VTOL plane was already humming, waiting for its crew to board. They did so, clustering themselves into the compact cabin. There was, notably, no room the vessel for a pilot-- all steering operations would be handled by an artificial intelligence of sorts. Villain greeted the computer program, but it did not respond.

Trainer settled themself into a middle seat at the front of the cabin. Villain sat obediently at their side, at which point their leash was secured to a handrail sticking out of the wall. They rested their head against the window. Though the cabin was crowded, at the very least, Villain was no longer forced to make the trip in the K9 compartment.

Once every member of the company was settled and seated, the VTOL’s doors slid shut, and the engine thwapp-thwapp-thwapped until the aircraft was off the ground. It shot upwards for a second, traveling several hundred feet in the time, before entering a linear dive and settling for a position around fifty feet above the choppy waters.

Villain closed their eyes, allowing their mind to wander to the creature around them. The VTOL contained what was likely the most complex computer program that the Organization had. Despite all its bells and whistles, however, it paid no mind to Villain’s prodding and wandering.

The plane’s route was not awfully complex. The vehicle was designed, surtout, for water-based travel. Though it could move over land, it struggled to rise above three hundred or so feet, making it useless for far-inland routes. Wherever it was going today was, luckily, on the coast-- somewhere in the forests of Washington state.

If they so wished, Villain could alter the route in any way they so pleased. They could send the aircraft into the ocean below, or back into the ship, or into the first land they saw. It would be simple-- all their problems gone in a moment.

Once the plane’s angle had leveled out, Trainer stood, moving to the front of the plane. Villain gnashed their teeth, attempting to rise from their seat, but finding themself limited by the taut leather line on their muzzle. They were too far, they were on mission, they shouldn’t have been so far, come on, come on. The leash refused to give way, however, leaving them firmly affixed in position.

Trainer cleared their throat, drawing the attention of the gathered company. They began to speak, words taking on quite a commanding air, though Villain only understand a few choice phrases.

“Incursus” was the one that made them prick their ears. They had heard it only a few times before. In conversation, once or twice, but more notably during mission briefings. The last time they had heard it... several missions ago, before they had been briefly confined to the medical wing.

The word itself was meaningless-- its implications less so.

Villain gulped, their jaw straining against the wires of their muzzle.

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Leader walked at the side of the gurney, ghosting a hand over one of the siderails all the while. A pair of doctors pushed the gurney itself, with Medic trailing close behind, and Hero and Counselor at their sides.

In contrast with the upper floors, the hospital’s lobby floor was brightly lit, almost overwhelmingly so, with expanses of floor-to-ceiling windows. The beige carpeting was bathed with the last remnants of sunrise orange-- it had been a long night.

The few patients in the hospital at such as hour were hurried out of the way as the gurney moved through. A scattering of nurses and varied hospital personnel were littered about, watching the Heroes’ procession, but staying several yards away, unwilling to even be in Villain’s vicinity.

Leader looked down at the gurney. A blanket had been draped over Villain, working to keep them at a stable temperature. Their fabric and webbing restraints had been replaced by those made of metal.

Their eyes were open. They had been the whole time. Despite, they had yet to struggle in any form.

The automatic doors at the front of the lobby rumbled open, allowing the gurney to be pushed through. A team of doctors and Leader’s own personnel stood outside, gathered around an ambulance with its back doors hanging open. The doctors pushing the gurney passed it off to some of the stronger personnel, who lifted the contraption into the vehicle’s back, securing it.

Leader nodded their thanks, and moved to get behind the vehicle’s wheel.

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The ship hadn’t been too far off of the East coast to begin with, making the trip to Washington a relatively short one. It took one hour, thirty-six minutes, and eighty-two seconds, to be exact-- far more amicable than the 16-hour trips they had endured in the past.

The VTOL had made a measured descent into a forest clearing, shredding the grass below with its landing gear. With the doors open, the company had scrambled out; Trainer taking Villain’s leash in hand once more.

In the clearing, there had been no sign of life besides a scurrying songbird or two. Villain had only then realized a far more unpleasant aspect of the mission.

They were going to be marching.

Not marching, exactly, they supposed. There was no regimented order to it, it was more like hiking. Just... hiking for hours. The VTOL couldn’t go too far inland, and landing it close to a target was often impossible.

So, they marched.

Sometimes, heaven would be merciful, and the trek would be short, of only a mile or so. On crueler days, though, they would move for hours-- breaking only for water, which Villain would watch the soldiers drink with a parched throat.

Even just from the look of the clearing, and its location, however, Villain had been able to tell that today was not one of those more merciful occasions.

When the plane had landed, the moon at been at its highest point--signifying that midnight had struck. For the first few hours, they walked in darkness, until dawn slowly began to creep up.

All in all, the trek had taken four hours, most of which were spent walking. By the time the group stopped and crouched down, Villain felt their legs were about to snap. It had been far too many hours and far too many miles since they had cared to look at their surroundings. All that mattered was Trainer, and staying awake.

The company made themselves small among an area of heavy undergrowth. Trainer let Villain’s leash loosely hang around their wrist. Even if the technopath had any desire to flee, they doubted they could even get their legs back under them.

One of the soldiers spoke up, somehow sounding hardly winded. Though most of their words served as nonsense to Villain’s ears, one did stick out: Scopum. It was one of the words Trainer had used, back when they were teaching Villain how to search and retrieve objects.

Trainer nodded, took a drink of water from a canteen, and got to their knees. They pointed to something behind the bushes-- Villain got on their knees to look at well.

Over the wall of undergrowth, a building could be seen. It wasn’t particularly notable-- it would be best described as a cabin, with rustic architecture and an array of out-of-season Christmas lights. It seemed to be a vacation home of sorts; large enough to fit a family, certainly, but not a place anyone would live permanently.

Was this their Scopum? Their goal?

Trainer took hold again of Villain’s leash and stood. The real mission was just about to begin, and Villain could hardly stand.

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The drive from the hospital to their base was longer than Leader would have preferred, enough to make them nervously request updates every few minutes, much to Medic’s distaste.

The base stood at the edge of one of Washington’s denser forests, about half an hour out from the city proper. The location provided security, and in their group’s early days, secrecy, but it made transport difficult.

“Hey, Medic?” Leader started.

“Villain is fine. They’re still out of it. Cabin temperature is staying steady at 70, their body temperature is just about where it should be. Keep your damn eyes on the road.”

Leader nodded, biting the inside of their cheek. City traffic had been left behind a few miles ago, leaving only empty back roads. Seven minutes to go, the GPS diligently reported.

“We’re close now, then.” Medic spoke, starting the conversation for once. They weren’t usually the one to do such a thing, but Hero and Counselor were in the ambulance’s back. “What are you thinking?”

“Thinking?”

“Your plans. Please don’t forget that you’re the leader around here, you give the orders. What do we do, when we get back to base?”

Leader bit their tongue to prevent themself from snapping at that passive insult. They were glad for the change in topic, at least.

“Our first priority is keeping ourselves safe. Villain’s safety is second priority-- I’m not sacrificing anything to keep their wellbeing. But I wouldn’t consider them a threat, right now. I assume you would like to keep them in the med bay?”

“For now, at least. They’re stable, but the fact that they’re still breathing is a miracle. I want to have my equipment nearby if they crash.”

“As long as it’s safe, then.”

“And then what?”

“Then... they’re still a prisoner, injured or not. Then we put them in the cells.”

“We don’t have any cells?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

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The company moved swiftly, forcing Villain’s legs to wake up to the horrible feeling of pins and needles. Trainer remained at the group’s head, leading them forth to the cabin.

It must have looked quite ridiculous, to an outsider. Villain would have laughed if they were able.

The group stopped before the quaint structure.

“Aperire.” Trainer ordered. Villain gnashed their teeth.

The command was a simple one, generally. It meant that they were to open something-- usually a door, or a box, or an encrypted device. The wooden door before them, however, had no electric component; it didn’t even seem to have a lock at all.

Still, they dove into the few electronics that the building did host. The Christmas lights seemed to be meaningless noise-- they tore through those, searching instead through the inner electronics. They were uncomplicated, so much so that their purpose couldn’t be so much as guessed.

Villain panicked, gnashing their teeth, shaking their head against the muzzle. They didn’t know what to do. They could feel their heartbeat, pounding in their head, throbbing.

“Aperire.” Trainer repeated. It only increased Villain’s heartrate-- what were hey doing wrong? Please, what were they doing wrong? They dove back into the systems. There was no door to be seen, just the lights, just some random system. They decided on the latter, tripping the system, just as they drew blood from biting down on their own tongue.

The house rumbled.

Instead of opening as a door should, the rustic home’s door slid into the wall, revealing a brightly-lit interior-- devoid of both furniture and interest.

The only point of interest was at the very center of the floor: A ramp, leading downwards.

Villain gulped. With rougher hands than before, Trainer yanked at their leash, forcing them forth. Together, the two descended, the company right on their heels.

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The base-- it had no real name, it was simply “the base”-- was an uncomplicated corrugation of concrete walls and sparse entranceways. It had been constructed as the shell of a factory, years ago, a factory which eventually fell through. Since then, Leader had organized quite a renovation of the property.

They drove the ambulance to the base’s parking lot, backing up to the curb as near to the entrance as they could.

“You worried?” Medic asked.

“Mhm.” Leader nodded, hopping out of the cockpit and to the asphalt below. The ambulance’s rear doors had already been swung open, with Hero and Counselor working to guide the gurney from it.

Villain still laid on the bed, shrouded with blankets, nearly comatose.

Their eyes moved.

Leader did a double-take, looking back to the figure on the gurney. Villain’s gaze had moved, now directing itself straight at Leader. Whatever expression they were portraying... it looked like fear.

Leader frowned. They moved to the transport bed’s side, placing their hands on the rails.

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The ramp descended at least a story into the earth.

With every step they took, Villain could feel their mind become more and more cluttered. At first, they could only hear the simple lighting and ventilation systems, but as they grew deeper, more noises joined the cacophony. Computers and servers, medical equipment and weaponry, it all blended together, all humming, all whirring, all chanting until it made Villain’s head hurt.

At the base of the ramp, which they only reached after what felt like an eternity, stood a simple door. Nothing more than a steel barrier.

“Perdere.”

That command was about as simple as they came. Within a split second, the door, and half of the wall, before Villain had been decimated to rubble.

On the other side of the newly-torn door, a figure moved. Villain flinched, gnawing again on their bloodied tongue. Trainer forced them forward.

The room was empty, devoid, as the past one had been. There was no furniture, no weaponry, no defense. Only a person, standing squarely before the door at the far end.

Their wings brushed the room’s walls.

Leader glared.

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As they leaned over Villain’s bedside, Leader smiled-- an expression as gentle as they could make it. They weren’t sure what had suddenly turned them so soft. Pity, maybe? Somehow, though, it tugged at them in the same way as nostalgia.

They brushed a hand over Villain’s shoulder.

“Hey. You’re gonna be okay.”

The next part was the stupid one. The soft one, the one that would have made anyone in any faction laugh. One that, if anyone had heard it, Leader surely never would have lived down. Even they were not sure why they spoke it.

Five simple words. Five words without meaning.

“Welcome to your new home.”

[anikkis-fantasirealities]

“Finding the Captivating Dialogue for You”

④ How-to-do Feature ┊ ᴬˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᵃⁿ ᵃⁿᵉᶜᵈᵒᵗᵉ ˢᵒ ᵃʳᶦᵈ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵃˡˡᵘʳᶦⁿᵍ ᵃᵗ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ··· ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᶦᶜ ᶜᵃᵖᵗᵘʳᶦⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒʳᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᶜᵒˡᵒʳᵉᵈ ᶜᵒʳⁿᵉᵃˢ·

꒰⁺˚₊·₍₍loading...₎₎ ✎...۪۫❁ཻུ۪۪ -ˏˋ 🃏 ˊˎ-

༘✶ ㊉ ㈦〘 ⅯⅯ 〙⋆｡˚𓆟 ༉ ║ Posted : ０６/１５/２１° ｡༄ ‧₊˚ ๑ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ •ଓ.° ｡❍ ㈩ ㊇

- - ——— ꒰ An article by Nicole “Nikki” Elaine S. Chua ꒱

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ ࿐ྂ—͙❬₊° ᶦ ᵃᵐ ᵃ ᵇˡᵒᵍᵍᵉʳ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ·“= ‹⸙͎

Cure your boredom by finding something new! Enter the world of art and stories combined! Find the story to obsess over, only here on WEBTOON! Hold on, let me just shake out all the interpretative literary devices I had from my previous articles... There, much better! Welcome back to your favorite bunny—Nikki’s Tumblr blog! It feels a bit different here compared to when I am on Amino, to be honest. Yes, when I formally write without too many literary devices, my blogs smoothen like this, like it was polished with sandpaper or something. Anyway, I loosen up in order to display my love for something I’d like to offer to this world—one of those precious gems that have not been excavated in the realm of fandoms. Today, in this article, let’s enter the world of Webtoons and figure out 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙀𝘽𝙏𝙊𝙊𝙉 (𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙗𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙨) 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧!

Oh, hold on your horses! You’re asking what do I mean by Line Webtoons? My apologies for not explaining that before I bring you along this own carpet ride. To begin with this sudden class session, webtoons are webcomics that have a vertical reading format. In Korea, “manhwa” is often something you’d hear when the locals there refer to comics. These webtoons originated from South Korea, and now, they are rebranded by different companies with their hit titles. One of those brands is Naver Webtoon, and internationally, it is known as Line Webtoons. In 2019, it has now become WEBTOON, for short! Korean webtoons that are from Naver Webtoon have been officially translated into English, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish, French, and German languages in the present. At the same time, all these countries of the world wide web get to also be webtoon creators, too!

Comics are a mix of art and writing in multiple panels. Though unlike those readable from right to left, or the complete opposite of that, webtoons take advantage of vertical scrolling to reveal shocking key plot points and add more aesthetic in the blooming & stunning art they provide to the audience. They don’t upload once a month or year—in WEBTOON, there’s always something to read daily! Most WEBTOON series upload once a week, depending on its creator. As a reader, you’ll surely enjoy the vast options of webtoons to choose from reading at your own pace. There are many interesting genres, art styles, character designs, pairings, story lines, and themes to look forward to. The best part is, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚! There’s a perfect story to dwell into for all kinds of people, so if you’re curious in knowing how to begin reading, let’s go ahead and jump into the app!

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓵: 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲.

The first step to get started with WEBTOON is approaching its services, first! You If you haven’t encountered WEBTOON yet, you could either take a little peak behind its digital pages online. I recommend downloading the app to enjoy the WEBTOON experience to the maximum level. If your first language is not English, perhaps a more comfortable version of the app made for your location fortunately exists! Search for WEBTOON on the playstore, and you will spot the application in a flash. It is only 21 MB or megabytes big, so it is not painful to the phone storage.

However, if you want to save space, you can always take the other route and access the WEBTOON site here. You can search for WEBTOON on your device’s browser, and the link you see immediately will lead you to the destination you desire to land onto. The site is mostly used by personal computer users and those who cannot download the app. It functions the same way as the app, but not all the features, events, and other cool activities can be done here. So, I still suggest to head over to your device’s playstore to get the application!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓶: 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻-𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝗽𝗽.

Any app would instruct the user to create an account to use its services. For WEBTOON though, this is very worth it, for it gives you a chance to use your account to comment on WEBTOON episodes you adore, or subscribe to the series you want to follow and support. You can create an account using your email address and the password to access it personally. Just the same as any other process in signing-up for an account, you will type your own username. You could also your very own Facebook, Twitter, Google, or LINE account to enter, and your name on the site you’ve chosen to log-on with will become your name on WEBTOON.

It is editable, so don’t worry if your username so happened to be humiliating, and you absolutely must change it! Though, if you don’t want to create an account just yet, users can view webtoons with a press of a finger without signing up for anything, if you’d press the return key on your phone or if you’re browsing on the site. Once you submit your approval that you’ve read and understood the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy of WEBTOON, you can finally set foot on the real fun of webtoons!

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𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓷: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀” 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲.

Okay, do not get confused! We’ll get to the rest of the areas of the app in a little bit! There’s a lot of things to do, now that we’ve finally arrived on WEBTOON platform itself. Though before being hyped at the things you are seeing right now, I’d like you to scroll down to the bottom of this “For You” section, and dig up the “Find your series” questionnaire to answer it. This is so that you can have an idea of what to expect here on WEBTOON, as well as what to read first. This is a questionnaire that will also introduce you to stories that you’d enjoy, without getting totally overwhelmed with content to stretch out into. No pressure in choosing, it will not affect how your account is set-up! Don’t worry about the results either. Answer as natural and honest as you can! This step is only applicable to those who are on the WEBTOON application. It is also optional to the reader, specifically if they are already used to reading webcomics and know what to expect.

Once you enter, it’d ask what are the genres you like. There is horror, comedy, thriller, fantasy, drama, romance, superhero, slice of life, action, and sci-fi. To clarify, slice of life does not literally mean a splitted life! It is a genre for stories that showcase the everyday life of a person, that are either relatable or engaging to read about. Choose as many genres as you want—it’s totally fine to check everything, or to choose one specific genre. Then, you can choose which art styles you prefer from the choices you see in front of your screen. Again, don’t worry about picking art styles—this is not a critical survey! Go ahead and pick many art styles you find pleasing to the eye. Then, you’ll get a list of webtoons recommended to you by the WEBTOON management! Easy, right?

You can take note of these titles given to you, or you can press on the webtoons you find interest in, and you will be taken to the webtoon’s contents in a jifty. That’s where you can read the description of the title’s plot, and you can instantly start reading if it strummed your heartstrings. You can continue discovering more stories to read from here, since the freedom is yours. Even so, there are still parts of the application to discuss that may give you an extra hand later on. Stick around this article for more of that, especially when you need an enthusiatic tour guide like me!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓸: 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

If you’re still following me, you may exit the questionnaire that you entered into a while ago. Now, if you scroll up, we’re back seeing graphics moving sideways at the front page. Oh, did you something catch your eye there? These graphics that WEBTOON fans usually call as “banners” (or, for me, personally—anyway,) are another way to gain interest in choosing stories to read. Long story short, when I became a WEBTOON reader, my all-time favorite webcomic from WEBTOON was first shown to me on a banner. (A very epic one, too!) Most of the webtoons shown here are in the “Originals” tab! From “For You,” press the Originals tab next. These are the tenths of webtoons that you can also read here on WEBTOON. The image is just one section of that. If you can observe, there are the seven days of the week stated at the top of these webtoons, under the word, “Daily.” You might be asking why is this section called, “Originals.” All these webtoons found under this tab are in partnership with the WEBTOON management, and these stories release new episodes weekly!

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That simply means that the creators of these webtoons are working together with WEBTOON to share their stories with us, and what’s the best thing? They get to tell their stories, while fulfilling their dream full-time job as a paid webcomic creator! Their work is now known as “WEBTOON ORIGINALs,” though before, they used to be “Featured Webtoons.” Everyday, various webtoons of different genres update with new parts to continue the story from where they left off previously, so there’s definitely something to look forward to from Mondays to Sundays. There are also more choices here than those in the questionnaire, so if you weren’t contented with what you got from answering questions, you can also come here to pick out stories. There are also webtoons under “Completed,” and we’ll get to those in a bit. If you’d ask me what I usually do on Originals, I read everything in general, so I never run out of things to read, but I’m more fond of fantasy genres. You can also choose webtoons from all days of the week, so you can keep reading something everyday before going to school or work, or perhaps, when you’re about to sleep.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓹: 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

Now, there must be another question in your head. “How are these webcomic creators chosen to be featured, or have their work included under WEBTOON ORIGINALs?” There are a couple of ways, though, we’ll focus on this canvas of ideas for this article. Usually, creators are discovered on the fan submissions area of the application. Yes, you heard me right! If you are someone who loves drawing comics as well, then you can give this opportunity a shot and meet other aspiring creators here on “Canvas!” So, let’s move from the “Originals” tab and head straight into the “Canvas” section. The webtoons here are under the word, “Spotlight.” It’s simply because these webtoons are uploaded by other webcomic creators who are not affiliated by WEBTOON, yet. So, you could say that this is the wider scope of webtoons to look through. The best thing about “Canvas” which used to be “Discover,” is the fact that we can support these writers and/or artists by reading their stories.

WEBTOON is a platform perfect for people to test the waves of being a webcomic creator. At the same time, they are given the chance to gain a community of a readers that you could also be a part of! However, since these webtoons labeled as “CANVAS WEBTOONs,” are not fully paid by WEBTOON, there is no guarantee that they’ll upload episodes every week. They are free to upload on their own running schedule, but in return, they are also free to create any story they like, as long as it follows the WEBTOON guidelines. Just a brief heads-up, you must have a computer or laptop, in order to upload your own webcomic on WEBTOON. For us readers, it’s a big chance for us to find stories we’ll fall in love with—the one that will make us invested and devoted to how the story continues. If you give the CANVAS WEBTOON more support, who knows? You might be a part of their life accomplishment journey to doing what they love for a living. Very heartwarming, I see.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓺: 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

We’ve already seen all the webtoons that the app has to offer to us. Despite that, there’s a chance that you still don’t know what stories pique the elements you like in a plot. Now that you know that there are more webtoons to search for on the WEBTOON app, you might need a guide or factor to know what’s the best story to try out. This is why the rankings and genre sections exist on the app! You can view the rankings of WEBTOON ORIGINALs and CANVAS WEBTOONs in their respective tabs. For ORIGINALs, you can click on the badge-like icon to the top right, while in CANVAS, you can see the rankings immediately. If you want to see the complete rankings list for CANVAS WEBTOONs, pressing the arrow at the right side of the rankings preview will do the trick! This step is for users who cannot decide based on what gem of a webtoon preview has caught their attention. If you'd like to find out what webtoons are popular overall, or in their corresponding genres, be sure to use this feature to weigh the odds. We are people who are influenced by whatever is loved by many, after all.

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If ten genres weren't enough choices during the questionnaire, well, thankfully there is more to play with! In the genre sections of both types of webtoons on WEBTOON, which you can see alongside the rankings, you can also view webtoons listed under the supernatural, mystery, sports, historical, heartwarming, and informative genres! So, in total, there are 16 genres to step into, and that's a plenty! In that said area, you can tell which genres have the best stories based on how many people read each webtoon. You can also sort these webtoons by interests, likes, or date. Just press the "Genres" button next to the "Daily" or "Spotlight" text on either tabs. The "sorting the webtoons by interests" option would depend on what your account has read, so far. These features are really handy to introduce to you new webtoons to take your eyes on or pay attention to.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓻: 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗠𝘆” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

I suppose you've already chosen a webtoon to read, or maybe you're already into collecting webtoon titles to remember reading. Regardless, let's make things a little easier. You'd need your account, first! If you haven't created one yet, head to the log-in page and go back to Step No. 2. Catch up here when you're done, alright? If you’re already here, let me take you a stroll around this “My” tab. This section has list of features that are for the account’s convenience and personalization. It tells you what webtoons episodes have you recently read, downloaded, commented, and unlocked. It also states what webtoons have you subscribed to. Oh, yes, you can do all these things for your favorite stories on WEBTOON! To try that out, go to your chosen webtoon to read. As a reader, you are given the chance to rate the webtoon from 1 to 10—whether it is an ORIGINAL or CANVAS-type. That also makes heads turn away or stare closer at the stories, to see if they are worthy of their time.

Just like how subscriptions work on Youtube or any other platform, subscribing to a webtoon with your account means that you’ll get notifications whenever it uploads. It’s also easier to access subscribed webtoons through the “My” tab, instead of continously searching for your favorite stories all over the application or site as if you’re in a never-ending maze. You can track down the episodes you’ve downloaded for offline use as well, which comes in great situations where wifi is not available. Be aware that downloaded episodes will remain on your account for 30 days only, however. After 30 days, you may download the episodes again. Commenting on episodes can give you interaction with other readers’ ideas—those reactions, arguments, discussions, and, well! You could even talk about romantic pairing wars and all that’s fizzling in the premise of the story. With this section of the app, your account will be able to be fit and active, while it gives access to more parts of WEBTOON—including the possession of fast pass coins to unlock episodes for early reading! Wait a minute. Why must we, and how do we do that?

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𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓼: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Fast pass on WEBTOON allows you to read episodes before they are publicly released. In other words, you can gain early access to your most awaited ORIGINAL WEBTOONs’ episodes, especially when they get on that gripping cliffhanger that makes you want to go crazy with what happens next! The question is, how can we use fast pass? We can do that with coins called, “fast pass coins.” This in-app currency will permit you to avail one fast pass episode every five coins. In order to get coins, however, there is real money transactions involved. Though, do not fret, because you do not need to spend a dime or a single peso over buying fast pass episodes! WEBTOON offers users to gain five or more fast pass coins through events in the app.

These vary from having to log-in in 7 days, or read similarly themed webtoons that are featured per event. It’s free to do, though, they do not come by all the time—events do not run forever, after all. So, take on the challenge when it arrives, and get yourself some fast pass episodes to enjoy! One benefit in taking part in fast pass coins events is reading new stories that you’ve never tried peaking into before, because who knows when will it become your top webtoon choice in the future? Take it for me—one webtoon became my favorite when the first fast pass coins event entitled, “Climb the Tower challenge,” occured. I participated and had climbed 100 episodes, and now here I am chilling with floors and betrayal!

If you haven’t asked, all fast pass coins given to each webtoon will have a part of its value given to the creators of the said stories. In other words, it’s like directly supporting the artists, writers, and creators of the stories you love! This step can only be done to ORIGINAL WEBTOONs. CANVAS WEBTOONs do not have fast pass, though its creators can provide Patreon accounts where fans can donate or give thanks for their eloquent and awesome stories to tell.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓽: 𝗗𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Remember when I mentioned “completed” webtoons prior to this step? It’s interesting that there also webtoons that have ended, so there is a section for WEBTOON ORIGINALs that have ended in the “Originals” tab. Here, you can still binge-read completed webtoons for as many times you want to, and you can also gain a collection of read finished webtoons on your proud wall. The satisfaction is there when you finish a story—but, wait a minute. We are familiar with fast pass, now, what’s up with this daily pass? For some completed webtoons, they are readable with the daily pass feature. This makes a webtoon’s episodes first episode public for reading, but the twist is, to read the next episodes, you must come back everyday to continue. Episodes in the middle until the end of the story are locked, and can only be carried on if you’ve lended a daily pass entry for it to be opened for a limited time. Then, you can access the next episodes in the following days. Tedious as it may be, you could also pay for fast pass coins to read these specific completed webtoons quicker.

However, if your route is free reading, it is also a fulfilling experience to follow a story as if it was still uploading everyday, instead of reading it in one sitting. This is the patience, yet satisfaction, that can be acquired from daily pass. That is also the goal of WEBTOON for implementing such a feature to their application. You don’t have to pay for anything if you don’t want to speed up your time in reading. This step is definitely for you, if you’re already reading ongoing webtoons, but want to find more stories in the completed section. Trust me, the stories we got here with the daily pass feature were real hits back in the day—somehow, the dust on their covers will be swept away when you touch it. It’s worth it, so why not give it a shot? I heard that one completed webtoon here was recently adaptated into an anime, another has been published physically, while the other was given a live-action K-drama on Netflix! Let’s see if you can figure out which stories these are!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓾: 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀!

So, once you’ve found your beloved webtoons, fully invested into them with your account, made use of fast pass, and indulge into daily pass, the only thing left to do to begin on WEBTOON is to stick to it! Keep being a WEBTOON reader, and enjoy as many webtoons as you’d like. As you keep being on the application or site, you will encounter more features of WEBTOON, and maybe, as you stick around, more surprises & stories will be coming your way. There’s the fan translation area to explore, where you can translate the webtoons you’d love to support and be a contributor to its spread to other languages. There are thousands of CANVAS WEBTOONs being promoted in the front page for explorers to uncover reading. Spotlights at the bottom of the front page compile webtoons together, and you’d get to see more webtoons that may be under the spotlighted theme you adore!

You will be a part of this passionate WEBTOON community, and I’d like to thank you if you keep engaging into this craft as a reader. WEBTOON is a group of people who loves comics, and webcomics alike. It’s a place where creators and readers get to connect, at the same time, reach for their dreams. This is where their imaginations sprint wild—the happiness, sadness, anger, fear, worry, doubt, cheer, and excitement at every panel scrolling down your devices. You will be joining along with its growth, as well as all webcomic creators trying out on the platform, that WEBTOON sincerely cares for, wherever or whoever they are. You can witness how its stories will not only become panels and dialogue, but also animation, live-action, physical books, and other media types all around the world.

Do continue finding the captivating dialogue for you in WEBTOON, because for sure, it will become the message you will hold onto for life. Dramatic Nikki aside, thank you very much for reading this article! I had a blast—almost like I was going to be blasted on a rocket ship to Mars, while I was writing this feature. I hope my steps were able to help you get started on WEBTOON, and I’d like to bid you all the best on your personal voyage here. I believe each story of how we became attached to something is very significant, so take this moment to make it a memorable event in your life. Once more, thank you for reading! Come back again in another blog in the unknown future, where my fantasies become realities! A Nikki reminder: don’t just be ordinary when everyone is doing wrong—be unORDINARY, right & just, and continue to climb without holding back!

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ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ. · + . *

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ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ . · ·

ㅤㅤ﹙dedication. ﹚ ୨˚୧ ˚ ༘♡.↳ ₊˚‧

This blog is dedicated to you who is like me, and him who is like her. Both webtoon characters that I salute the most—and that beautiful set of panels that has become my lifestory. May you be in work for ten years or five years, I will cherish you, with this shining sword—diamond, ADAMAS.

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ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ┊彡 Credits

➥ Cover Edit

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...Are you asking me if I wanted to be a WEBTOON ambassador...? Yes, but I have no social media influence. I'm just a small bunny in a burrow who loves talking and helping people get to know more about WEBTOON. Also, thank you for liking this, cheezbot. You're such a cute Tumblr bot, indeed.

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[macgyvermedical]

3-Quinuclidinyl Benzilate is My New Favorite Chemical Weapon, A “Mason+Cable+Choices” Medical Review

This episode. This freaking episode.

First of all, Charlie Robinson, who I really thought was going to stick around in this version of the series after he survived his first episode, had to go and become the instrument to someone else’s revenge scheme. We also got to see a relatively hard side of Mac in the interrogation room, and I’m not sure whether to applaud it as character development or feel like they’re going too dark.

From a medical and whump standpoint, this episode sure has a lot of things covered- the gunshot wound, the neck needle, the 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate poisoning (Yay!), the heart needle/antidote, and the toxic smoke. I'm warning you now, most of this review is about the 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate poisoning.

The Gunshot Wound

Honestly, there’s not a lot to be said about the gunshot wound- it was to the outside of Charlie’s thigh, so while it would have been painful and probably would have bled some (the duct tape wouldn’t have helped stop the bleeding) it probably wouldn’t have been enough to really threaten his life. If he hadn’t later plummeted to his death, he might have needed some antibiotics, professional medical attention, and physical therapy.

Neck Needles

Neck needles aren’t a thing, but I’ve talked about those in previous posts.

3-Quinuclidinyl Benzilate Poisoning

Oh hey look, we’re already at 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate poisoning! And fam? this is where I really did my research.

If you’ve been on this blog long enough you know I like my chemical weapons. Not in a “kill everyone” way but in more of a “strong academic interest I may one day write a thesis about” way. And man, do I love having access to an academic library again. Whoo buddy. This was fun.

In the episode, Mason uses a chemical weapon called 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate (also noted in the episode as “BZ”), smuggled in a false tooth, to subdue Mac before making his escape from the interrogation room. The tooth contains QNB  in an aerosol form, which when released forms a visible cloud in the room. Mac breathes the aerosol, which appears to instantly paralyze or possibly sedate him, while Mason takes advantage of the small amount of uncontaminated air in Mac’s water bottle before making his escape up the air vent. A security team makes their way to Mac, Desi calls for a med team, and Mac is revived with an antidote delivered by a needle straight to his heart.

When someone mentions chemical weapons, most people think of mustard gas or nerve agents. But poisons designed to torture and kill people aren’t the only things that fall into the category of chemical weapons. In fact, there’s a whole class of them, called “incapacitants” that are specifically designed to take people out of commission without a high risk of death or permanent disability. 

Let me just say, Jim Adler is a writer after my own heart. He wrote both this episode and “Mac+Fallout+Jack” and considering both were absolutely gut-wrenching and contained reasonable choices of incapacitating agents, I really, really appreciate what he’s done for the canon. He didn’t get everything right here (*cough cough* neck and heart needles *cough cough*), but he clearly understands enough about drugging people to buy some literary license. Not all of it, but some.

Now, as I’ve talked about in other posts, drugging people into unconsciousness isn’t a particularly safe thing to do. Unconscious people can’t protect their airway, and most drugs that render people unconscious significantly impact their respiratory rate, blood pressure, or both. Unless the party doing the drugging is prepared to devote at least one trained person to monitoring and management of the drugged individual, there’s a chance that person could suffocate and die. Paralytic agents have a lot of the same issues.

This becomes even more problematic if you’re trying to incapacitate multiple people. Case in point- in 2002 a small group of Chechan rebels held over a 1,000 Russian civilians hostage in a theater in Moscow. After several days, in order to end the stand-off, Russian military personnel used what was probably an aerosalized opioid* to render everyone in the building unconscious. They then stormed the building and rescued the hostages. Unfortunately, even though antidotes were available and used, about 1 out of every 10 hostages ended up dying due to the mass drugging, which didn’t win any PR points for the use of incapacitating agents.

But if you get just slightly more creative, sedation and paralysis are not the only two ways to drug enemy combatants into uselessness. Turns out, a variety of hallucinogens and deliriants can achieve the same goal without the same risk of death by suffocation. If you can get someone to a state where they can’t remember what they’re doing or perform basic skills like reading or decision making, they can’t easily attack and kill your own personnel.

This is where 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, (NATO code BZ, US Army code EA-2277, Soviet code Substance 78, and usually referred to as “QNB” in medical circles) starts to stand out. QNB is a deliriant and hallucinogen. Now, there are lots of drugs that fall into these categories- think LSD, ketamine, PCP, and atropine to name a few. QNB works very similarly to atropine, by selectively blocking the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (think the opposite of a nerve agent), but with significantly more of its action concentrated around the mind-altering side-effects. It’s also safer, hardier, more versatile, and has a more ideal onset and duration of action.

The typical course of incapacitation with QNB involves:

An initial period of progressively worsening anxiety, restlessness, and confusion

A period of extreme drowsiness

Finally, more confusion, an inability to perform simple tasks, difficulty with movement, hallucinations, and bizarre behaviors including picking at things, which all gradually wane over the course of 2-4 days.

Here are some reasons QNB stands out as a particularly effective incapacitant (and all the ways the episode ignored them):

The first is therapeutic index. A drug’s therapeutic index is the difference between its effective dose and it’s toxic dose. If we say a drug has a “narrow” therapeutic index, that means there’s a very small difference between an effective dose and a toxic one, while a “wide” therapeutic index means that the two doses are very different. When drugging someone without their knowledge, no matter how you’re delivering the drug, it’s really hard to estimate the actual ingested dose. Because of this, you want the widest possible range of effective-but-not-deadly doses you can have- the best drugs for mass druggings are those with the widest possible therapeutic indices.

QNB happens to have a very wide therapeutic index compared to other possibilities for incapacitants. The lowest effective dose is about 150 micrograms, while a toxic dose is more than 650 times that at about 100 miligrams. In small doses, the drug doesn’t last as long and causes more sedating vs delirious effect, but is still very useful in lowering the effectiveness of an enemy force.

The second is its options for route and availability in an environment. How any drug is given is referred to the route of administration. These can include:

PO (oral- taken as a pill or liquid)

IV (intravenous- injected into a vein)

IM (intramuscular- injected into a muscle)

SC (subcutaneous- injected into fat)

IO (intrasseous- injected into a bone in an emergency)

Inhaled (breathed and absorbed through blood vessels in the lungs)

PR (rectal- given rectally)

Transdermal (absorbed through the skin)

Most drugs work best when administered a certain way, and some may only be produced for use by a certain route. Some, like ketamine or LSD, can’t be absorbed in the stomach, so giving them orally doesn’t work (LSD “tabs” are actually absorbed through the mucous membrane in the mouth). QNB’s advantage is that it can be given by any route. You want to drug food or drink? It works. Aerosolize it and pump it into the air? Also works. Inject it IM, SC, or IV? Yes but you might have to answer some questions. Coat something like a doorknob? It goes through skin too!

QNB is particularly suited as an aerosol, not because it readily evaporates, but because it’s odorless. No one would even know they were breathing it until it started working, and even then, they might not know what happened. It also stays in the environment for a long time- up to several weeks depending on conditions- and can survive extreme heat without degrading, so it could be disbursed via explosive (LSD would not survive). Bottom line, everyone that came into that room to rescue Mac was contaminated, probably enough to cause them problems. Also, so was Mason, so take that as you will.

The third is the drug’s onset and duration of action. In the episode Mac is almost instantly incapacitated when the spray hits his face. This is not how any drug works (even via the IV route, the quickest-onset drugs still take at least 15-30 seconds to be felt), but particularly not QNB. QNB has an onset time of about an hour, no matter the route. This is actually beneficial to the drug’s original purpose- if no one shows symptoms from drugging with an odorless aerosol until an hour after exposure, there’s no way to take protective measures. Suddenly everyone’s hallucinating and can’t do basic math. Sucks for that attack plan you were working on.

The fourth and final benefit that QNB provides is both it’s lack of (specific) antidote and the fact that there are no lasting effects. Some people point to physostigmine as a possible antidote, but it’s not perfect and has some incapacitating side effects of its own. As incapacitation with QNB is generally not life threatening, it’s probably better for most people to be cared for in a safe place and ride out the effects. Since it’s also not a carcinogen or mutagen, once the effects subside, there shouldn’t be any additional problems.

Phew. Okay.

Heart Needles

I swear I’ve talked about heart needles before, but I’ll do it again since it hasn’t been recently. In the episode, Mac is injected with an antidote directly into his heart. Now, like we said before, using an antidote wouldn’t really help him much, and its not really necessary. He’s just gonna have to ride it out (I don’t make the rules...).

But they chose to do it, so we should talk about it- in the pre-CPR era, intracardiac injections represented the only way of getting emergency medications like epi to the heart in the case of cardiac arrest. As late as 1992, there were still some groups advocating for it if the patient was in asystole (flatline) and IV or IO access couldn’t be obtained. Mac has excellent veins if I do say so myself, and he also wasn’t coding, so there’s no reason for this to have been a thing in the episode. It’s also never used today.

Also, I’m going to be particularly disappointed if that was just a callback to the similarly inaccurate Pulp Fiction scene. Because this show has already used epi to counter an acetylcholine-based problem, and you already only get to do that once. EPINEPHRINE IS NOT AN ALL-PURPOSE ANTIDOTE.

Jim Adler based on your other work I have to assume you know better.

Also it’s late and I’m not talking about the toxic smoke. See my many posts on cyanide and some time in the future come read my post on carbon monoxide.

*According to the book Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten by James Ketchum, who did a lot of the initial research on chemical incapacitants. Other sources reference the drug used as anything from traditional nerve agents to QNB itself, but the onset times and symptoms initially reported seem to match up better with an opioid than QNB.

R E F E R E N C E S

Awl - X-Ray + Penny - Duct Tape + Jack - CD + Hoagie Foil - Guts + Fuel + Hope - Wilderness + Training + Survival - Father + Bride + Betrayal - Lidar + Rogues + Duty - Nightmares - Seeds + Permafrost + Feather - Friends + Enemies + Border -

[unbreakablejemmasimmons]

Dear Yuletide Writer

Thanks for signing up for this superfun exchange! This is the sixth year I’ve participated now, and I’ve always enjoyed it– I hope you do, too.

Below you’ll find the following:

General Likes/Kinks General DNWs Fandom Specifics/Prompts

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Rebecca Bunch, Greg Serrano

Legally Blonde (Movie) - Elle Woods

Mad Men - Peggy Olson, Stan Rizzo

Superstore - Jonah Simms, Amy Dubanowski

I’ve tried to list some varied prompts for each fandom, but please don’t feel like you have to stick to what I’ve come up with. If the rest of my letter gives you another idea you’d like to write, I’d love to read it!

a little about me to start:

My AO3 name is SuburbanSun; you can also check out my Tumblr if you’d like, and my tags for each of my requested fandoms here:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Legally Blonde | Mad Men | Superstore

general likes/kinks:

I’m a big trope fan in general– faves include rivals/enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, bed-sharing, trapped in an enclosed space, mutual pining, secret dating/sneaking around, slow burn, FWBs that turns into something more. Subversions of tropes are also great, so don’t feel like you have to go the obvious route if you choose to write something tropey!

I have a great love for Secret Service/bodyguard/witness protection AUs and private eye AUs, and these days I’m (perhaps unhealthily) invested in US politics/news in my everyday life, so if you want to have any of my requested characters run for office, I’d never turn that down.

Epistolary fic, either as part of a story or as all of it, is always fun to me, if it’s up your alley. Phone calls! (Phone sex?) Emails! Letters! I love it all!

I love strong-but-flawed-and-realistic female characters in general. Ladies kicking ass through cleverness and wit and competence is the best, and I love it when they’re allowed to make mistakes and fuck up and dig themselves into a hole, too.

Smut is cool and fun and here are some kinks that I like to read: Teasing. Phone sex/sexting. Semi-public sex (not actually getting caught though). Workplace sex. Dirty talk. Oral sex. Playfulness/joking around during sex.

general dnws:

Superangst and sad endings. Babyfic/kidfic/pregnancy in general. Self-harm/abuse. Noncon/dubcon. A/B/O, mpreg, incest, bestiality, hard kink. Poly/threesomes/orgies. Members of my ships being paired romantically with other people (unless it’s just briefly, on the way to an OTP-happy ending). First person POV.

fandom specifics/prompts:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Rebecca Bunch, Greg Serrano

I loved this show from beginning to end. It’s clever, it’s feminist, it’s funny, it’s real (even as it features elaborate musical sequences!), and the characters are so flawed but so great. 

I shipped Rebecca and Greg so hard in the early seasons, before he left. When I read that they were bringing the character back but recasting, I was naturally a bit suspicious-- how would that work? Would it diminish my love for the ship? Reader, it did not diminish anything, and in fact made me kind of love them even more. Skylar Astin’s performance of Greg, a little grown up and a little more put together, made me swoon. And I began to see how they could make an adult relationship work. Naturally, things went awry during the course of the final season, but I think the finale left us with so much hope that they would find their way back to each other.

I love all the other characters, so feel free to mix them in-- especially Paula!

Prompts:

Rebecca and Greg find their way back to each other! How does it happen? 

Rebecca/Greg + any number of tropes– stuck somewhere together; inconvenient bed-sharing; fake dating, the works.

Maybe West Covina has run its course for both of them, and they decide-- together or separately-- to move somewhere else. Maybe Rebecca decides it’s time for her to go back to New York to give her Broadway dreams a try? Maybe Greg tags along? Or maybe it’s fate, and just as she’s made the choice to head back East, he gets a job offer there, too, so they’re both moving to NYC but aren’t technically together, and how does that work?

It’s Christmas in West Covina, and Greg gets Rebecca’s name in Secret Santa. How does he find the perfect present that says both “I’m still kind of sort of in love with you” and also “I spent no time on this whatsoever because pssh who cares?”

Legally Blonde (Movie) Elle Woods

This movie is such a classic to me, one I can quote, and one I can’t help but watch when it’s on TV. I love Elle Woods’ determination and relentlessness, and how she’s a shining example of how prettiness and positivity doesn’t preclude smarts and success. I want more about the unstoppable Elle Woods, charging toward her ambitions with a designer handbag and the perfect pink lip.

(I generally dig Elle with Emmett in canon, but I don’t really care much about him, so if you’d rather write her solo or with someone new, go for it!)

Prompts:

Elle Woods for President! Tell me about Elle on the campaign trail. Tell me about the debate between Elle and her opponent. Tell me about how Elle interacts with her campaign staff, or her strategy to win Iowa. 

Elle Woods AS President! Tell me about her first night living in the White House after she wins, or her first big challenge, or what it feels like looking out on Washington and thinking about how far she’s come.

Elle heads back to Harvard– does she become a professor? Is it to mentor young law students? Is it for a case?

Elle the Vampire Slayer AU

Mad Men Peggy Olson, Stan Rizzo

I love and miss this show so much. It was so smart and made me feel so many things, and in truth, Peggy Olson is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction.

Peggy and Stan is such a great ship, to me, and one I was on board with from the very beginning. Omitting his boorish behavior early on, once they established a rapport, they were such equals, and he seemed to respect her so much, and vice versa. They got on each other’s nerves and knew how to push each other’s buttons, but that’s just because they connected so well and really got each other.

Prompts:

I absolutely adore the time period where they’re basically phone buddies. Maybe an AU where they get together earlier in the series, during that time? How their phone conversations evolve from discussing work to discussing everything to falling for each other (or realizing they already had)? Phone sex (or getting ever-so-close to it before realizing they’re in the office and it’s inappropriate) is a-okay here too.

In the same vein, epistolary fic could be really fun to play around with here. Maybe a story told through a series of interoffice memos, messages, notes in the margins of copy pitches and along the edges of spec art?

What are things like now that Peggy and Stan are working together and being together (and possibly living together)? It’s got to be frustrating at times but worth it in the end, right?

NASA/Space Race AU– Peggy’s a NASA scientist/engineer and Stan is an astronaut

Superstore Jonah Simms, Amy Dubanowski

This is such a fun and funny show, one that snuck up on me but that is reliably a show I look forward to every single week. Amy and Jonah’s slow burn was a delight to watch, and I love their occasionally contentious attraction to each other, and especially how supremely dorky, pretentious and pedantic Jonah can be.

I love all the other characters, so feel free to mix them in!

Prompts:

I’m really interested in exploring Jonah’s ambition or lack thereof. Does he have any, at this point? What if he decides to quit Cloud 9 to pursue a dream? Does he get an MBA or a creative writing degree? Does he decide to write a screenplay? Give me all the pretentious but well-intentioned Jonah.

A look at before Jonah and Amy got together, or if they’d gotten together earlier-- sneaking around the store, or UST in the break room.

AU where some kind of scary outbreak (zombies? werewolves? giant bats?) has hit the town and they’re trapped in Cloud 9 while they wait it out.

So, that’s that! I really hope you enjoy the whole process this Yuletide season, and thanks for participating! Happy writing!

[s-n-arly]

A Peek Into the Indie Writer World - Part III: Output Options

Many apologies, this was posted elsewhere weeks ago and I missed getting it up here.

⁂

Once you’ve chosen the indie writer path, you need to decide what products or outputs you want to provide. Common options include print, e‑book, audio book, and online serial. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Looking at your target audience to see how they prefer their media, and deciding what you can afford to spend on your launch are good starting points.

Indie publishing doesn’t have to break the bank, but there are some expenses; these will depend on your skill-set and the products you’re creating. Even if you’re able to do all the technical work yourself, you’ll need to buy an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for each publication or version of a publication.

Print Run vs Print on Demand

If you decide you want to offer a print edition of your book, there are still a lot of choices to make. Do you want hardcover or paperback? If paperback, do you want mass market (sometimes called pocketbook) or the larger trade size? Do you want regular print and large print options? Are you going to do a print run or go with print on demand (POD)?

Print Run

In traditional publishing, many copies of a book are printed all at one time. This is a print run. The goal is to sell all or most of the print run. If a book’s print run sells out early enough in its publication life, it will go back for a second printing. Indie writers can duplicate this process, working directly with printing companies to produce hardcover or paperback books, paying for the print run and hoping to sell enough to break even or make a profit.

An advantage of a print run is that it’s easier to sell something that people can take with them right then and there. There are also some nice finishing features that a print run can make available that don’t exist in print on demand, such as a variety of bindings and maps on the inside front cover and/or endpaper.

Each printed format of the book (hardcover, paperback, large print, etc) requires its own run. If you’re planning multiple print formats, or if you don’t have investors or ready money to cover the outlay, a print run may not be the best fit for you.

Indie writers who go exclusively with a print run, rely on hand-selling their book at conventions or events, and are directly responsible for all sales. Independent book stores may carry your books on consignment, but it can be very tough to get big chain stores to carry your books outside of their distribution channels.

Print on Demand (POD)

Print on demand is a publishing model where physical books are individually printed as they are ordered. Modern technology has made POD an affordable and common option. If you order a book from an online retailer, and the book is scheduled to take a week or two to arrive, odds are good that it’s POD book. POD printers can provide hardcover and multiple paperback formats.

POD printers often work with both print and e-book outputs. Many have arrangements for distribution to retailers, national and world-wide, which can take some of the burden of selling off the writer’s plate. You must follow designated formatting standards if you want your book to qualify for distribution. This is a detail-focused task that results in a professional product.

Unless you’re buying additional services, POD has a very low cost to the author. You will need to buy a proof of the book, a copy for you to review and make sure it printed properly, before it will be released to the general public. You may need to make changes and order an additional proof to confirm the end product is as expected.

Once you’re happy with the output, you can order your own mini print run of ten or twenty books to hand-sell at readings or events. There’s usually a price break at certain levels, making it worthwhile to buy a larger number, but the per-book price will not be as low as it is with a regular print run.

A disadvantage with POD is that many online retailers have contracts with various printing shops around the country (or even the world), ensuring the book is printed closer to the delivery address. These shops may not have the same quality or standards, and indie writers can’t possibly know how that quality compares. Like a print run, it can be very difficult to get your books carried in brick and mortar stores, but big chain retailers may have them available for online ordering.

E-book

Electronic books, or e-books, are one of the easiest ways to dip your toes into the indie pool. Many e-book providers also offer distribution (sometimes referred to as aggregation). To qualify for wide distribution, your end product will need to meet specific criteria ensuring that it looks professionally produced.

There are many advantages of going the e-book route. It’s relatively simple to set up and produce. Depending on your skill set, and willingness to work through the technical elements, this can cost as little as $25 (the cost for an ISBN). Some e‑book production companies provide a free ISBN; just read the fine print to ensure you aren’t going to regret not being the owner of that number.

E-books become available relatively quickly, often the same day you complete the publishing process. Because of the low cost of production, these can be priced low enough that curious readers may be willing to take a risk on someone they’ve never read or heard of before.

A disadvantage with e-books is the difficulty in standing out from the deluge of e‑books published daily. While libraries are starting to carry e-books, it’s not universal, making this a tough bottleneck to get through. Not all audiences have embraced e‑books, so it’s critical that you know your audience’s preference.

Audio Book

Audio book is an output I’ve researched significantly but haven’t been able to provide. I have friends with visual disabilities who would benefit, and I know several people who enjoy listening to books on the bus or long car rides.

Like a print run, audio book has more up front expenses than other outputs. You can expect to pay your voice actors at least $200 to $400. If you’re doing your own recording, be careful not to over-estimate your ability or your equipment. Theatrical or voice training can definitely help you out, but they don’t guarantee a successful product. The reading quality and audio quality will make or break your audio book.

Online Serial

Online serial publication is another easy place to start, especially if you can stick to a schedule. It doesn’t require an ISBN, but it does require participation in a service that is set up for subscriptions and donations. If you’re tech savvy enough, perhaps you can program this into your own site. Most writers use something like Patreon or Wattpad.

This route is still relatively new in the industry. The advantage is that writers can more directly connect with their audience. Some writers use this to gain a following, posting short stories and teasers for free to draw people in, while providing subscribers regular chapters and higher level content.

Disadvantages can include difficulty in getting enough traffic, the pressure of providing routine content for subscribers, and random changes in terms of service (a problem Patreon has had several times in the last year). Some writers don’t feel this counts as truly publishing, but if you are providing content to readers, it does fit the definition.

⁂

On the surface these options can seem really intimidating. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed, pick one to focus on at a time. There’s no reason you can’t roll out various editions as you get more comfortable with the formats. Many writers provide only one format, and that’s fine too. Going indie, means you can do what works for you.

⁂

For the first article in this series, check out Part I. Or if you just missed the previous article, check out Part II. For the next article, check out Part IV.

For more articles on writing, check out my Reflections From the Sol section.

[sanjuno]

Ummmm howabout a one piece time travel fic of your choice?

(1/32 SI Promptfest)

The sea is a treacherous bitch, and I have never hated being proved right more than the moment I realized that the undertow that drowned mereally did come out of nowhere just to drag my ass away from shore. How, you ask me at this point, did I know my bitter sarcasm was more than simple railing against my unfortunate circumstances?

The giant glowing sea goddess clad in sea foam and coral tipped me off. A smidge. Just a wee little bit of a hint there.

Terrible and majestic, the Ocean spoke in a voice like the waves crashing against stone. ‘My son will appreciate the help you canprovide, Occhio D Vittoria.’

“… eh?” I was understandably suffering a bit of a BSOD inthe brain, between the worldview shift required when a technical atheist meets withthe divine face to face and the oxygen deprivation. The Ocean then proceeded to slam me head-first down a whirlpool before I could even get a complete word out, and then pain from the bends set my blood on fire.

Needless to say, I was not in the best frame of mind when Iwoke up still under the water. “That’s not my fucking name, you salt-soaked whore!”

A rather scandalized clownfish burbled at me in shock, retreating into its anemone. It took me longer than I care to admit to realizethat I was actually breathing water rather than using a self-taught diving trick to recycle old air. Hard on the heels of that revelation was the notice that my legs had been replaced with a fishtail. Specifically, I was sporting the iconic ray-finned crimson-and-neon barbsof a clearfin lionfish.

“…” I stared for a good long while, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on. This was a situation that called for a witty one-liner. “… Well if I have to be a male-gaze fantasy trope at least I get to be a venomous one.”

… Eh, good enough. I always did have a habit of identifying the benefits of any given situation, and being neurotoxic was a fairly decent defense mechanism when all is said and done. Next step was movement, fairly easy to adapt to given that despite the surface characteristics my tail was still jointed like an aquatic mammalian.This meant I propelled myself with the vertical kick I was familiar with from when I still had legs rather than having to learn how to steer using the lateral movements of an actual fish.

Bonk!

“Mother of fuck!” One hand pressed to my brand new brain injury, I slapped the other one forward to press against the glass wall. Now that I was paying attention to something other than my new meatsuit, I recognized the not-quite-mirror quality of aquarium glass. “Oh, you’ve got to be fucking with me.”

I was in a honest-to-goodness fishbowl. What in the name of all that was held sacred did the Ocean think she was doing sticking me in a fucking aquarium? Was this vengeance for the time I let my mother help me clean my fish tank and she accidentally boiled my placo?

Holy shit I hopenot.

Pressing my face up against the glass I could see… wanted posters. In a… more-than-slightly-familiar printing style. Hm.

My fins flared out in shock as I stared at a wanted poster for Portgas D Rouge. There were other posters, all of them bounties for female pirates. Those, combined with the questionable taste of the statuary bolted to the floor, told me exactly what kind of situation I had ended up in.

I was in One Piece, I was a captive mermaid, and my ‘owner’had a fetish typical of the series’ stock of minor villains. A perversion that was played up for comedy during the build-up and action events while actually being beyond horrifying when realistically considered. I was trapped inside the glass, and swallowing back the surge of fear made me acutely aware of the pressure of what I presumed was a bomb collar around my neck. I had no resources, no allies, no clue what I was even doing in this world, and no realistic hope of rescue.

I was, in short, completely doomed unless the Ocean decided to take pity and toss a miracle or two my way.

BOOM!

Well, ask and ye shall receive… at least so long as the Ocean Goddess still has a use for me, I suppose. The water in my tank vibrated, the walls of the room outside of it shaking madly as what I assumed was a Grand Line style brawl grew closer. An ugly man, made recognizable to me by his inbred ugliness as a World Noble, flew through the far wall to crash into the memorabilia shrine. The posters and broken pieces of plaster flew up into the air.

I am Canadian to my core, and also a mouthy shit with no shame, so I threw my arms in the air and made like a bullhorn. “GOOOOAAAAALLLL!”

The man dramatically emerging from the smoke in a predatory stalk promptly stumbled as he sputtered. Two smaller bodies shoved around his knees to stare at me curiously. The view was a bit distorted, but it was hard to mistake those two particular children for anyone else.

Blinking, I took in the sight of Portgas D Ace and Monkey D Luffy in all their tiny, childhood glory. For some reason they were dressed in the tattered remains of tropical print sundresses. Which really did not make me feel any better about how they had managed to end up in the same room as my cage. Then I lifted my gaze to the adult accompanying them and felt my eye twitch.

It was an adult version of Ace, tattooed front and back with an elaborate phoenix-and-wave design that I had never managed to draw out quite to my satisfaction. Well, at least if I had to be a victimized minority in One Piece I was in a fix-it AU and now I knew how to create a situation where I could make the most of it.

“Hi, Riot!” I waved cheerfully, hoping against hope that anime physics would come into play and let my voice carry through the glass. “Could you be a dear and get the key to this bomb collar before you completely destroy that asshole’s everything?”

“Hi, Pretty Fish Lady!” Luffy waved back, and oh, look at that. There were den-den mushi installed on either side of the glass for easy communication. That made better sense. “Do you know my big brother?”

“I saw him be born! A real firecracker, your big brother.” Technically I am actually telling thetruth, which is great because Luffy is oddly perceptive about things like that. Riot gave me a sharp look, and I winked at him trying to mime holding a crystal ball, hoping he would pick up on the wording and… yeah, there it was. Thank you for your reputation, Madame Sharkey, and let us all hope I never get called out on borrowing it.

“Stop right there, pirate scum!” The man who rushed at Riot was dressed in white, and… yep. There was that sand-blasted awful coat with the hideous epaulettes.

Carnage ensued. The glass of my tank got broken as Riot’s fight with the Noble’s Marine bodyguard ramped up, and I had a terrifying flashback to the time my five gallon tank got shoved off the table and broken glass sliced my betta in half. Luck and possible divine intervention allowed everyone involved in the confusion to avoid gaining a serious injury from the glass shards. Ace proved that his pick pocketing skills were still sharp when he rushed over to me with a stupidly elaborate key ring in hand.

Key in lock and turn and yes! Free!

I ripped the collar away from my neck as soon as the clasp popped loose, glaring at the Noble only just managing to pull himself free of the pile of debris Riot had buried him in. He needed to be buried deeper and I needed my fucking legs back!

A lurch, like when your gut drops out from under you on a roller coaster.

“HA! Feet! Score one for maturity!” I am a very mature and poised individual indeed. Ask anyone. I am also really glad for the worldbuilding that means despite being a mermaid, as an adult I can have feet whenever I need them. Certain people just really need a good curb-stomping, and it is hard to deliver such without heels to slam down into tender places.

I might also have fed the Noble the bomb collar. After arming it. In retrospect, I have no idea how I managed to avoid making a horrid mess of myself.

… Honestly I think I just got caught up in the moment. Also I have a very low empathy score and a duty to future generations to remove certain bad influences from the gene pool. Especially when said bad influences make creepy comments about small children and their ‘uses’.

Noting that Riot seemed to be finishing up his fight, I grabbed one of the wrap dresses from the wreckage of the armoire and cinched it tight, vowing to change into something with a less tainted providence at the first available opportunity. Then I slung the children over my shoulders like particularly vocal grain sacks and headed for the stairs. Predictably, things started to explode as Riot put the Marine down for good. I was already up on the deck with my wiggling burdens by the time a massive fireball chewed through most of the Noble’s ostentatiously gaudy ship.

Riot emerged from the flames, predictably unscathed, and the Marine was nowhere to be seen. He stared at me, I stared back at him, and Luffy whined into my shoulder-blade about me not letting him watch the end of the fight. “You’re a mean Fish Lady.”

“Little fry should not be fighting sharks.” I told the youngest boy even as I tossed Ace at his older counterpart and re-secured Luffy before he could slip free. “Salut, cousin. I appreciate the assist and the chance to get my own back. Although I do hope you have an escape route in mind.”

“My ship is right there.” Riot caught Ace without pausing stride and motioned to where a galleon flying a jolly roger was pulling up broadside to the rapidly burning vessel. The light from the flames made it easy to see Riot frown, his entirely understandable distrust of strangers warring with the reality of the situation I was in when he found me. “… Are you comingalong?”

“If you don’t mind the company.” I smiled at him as we began to move towards the pirate ship and pulled the one bounty poster I had made a point of picking up out of my pocket. “It’d be nice to get to know Miss Rouge’s sons.”

Riot flicked another searching look at me while Ace gaped at the picture of his mother. It was probably the first time the kid had seen her face. Hells bells, they were young. I still had a decade on Riot at this point in his life, more than twice that on Ace and Luffy. Still, time to make the most of being the eldest.

“The name’s Occhio D Vittoria, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” … Aw fuck no. That was not my name. The Ocean was still playing silly buggers and I did not appreciate the sudden re-branding at all.

… Oh shit, maybe the D stood for Drowned.

[mamgt]

Children of Blood And Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Book Review

After reading the Red Queen series, I found this book to have the same kind of struggle between having people with specific powers (meaning that their magic is different from wizards because it is limited to a certain element they can yield and such) and those who do not. The main message is the mostly the same that fear is really a dangerous tool to get people to hurt others and to treat them inhumanely. This is not to say Adeyemi’s book is not it’s own plot and it’s own life. It does share a lot of basic information as Aveyards in the fact that it tackles a love between two different people, two different sides of the debate, as well as having a “newblood” that doesn’t conform to the black and white picture of society. However, I think Adeyemi pursues a different light on this kind of narration. I like that, unlike Aveyard, she gives a concrete reason as to why there is magic in the first place, how it comes about and the history of it. With Aveyard, you never find out how this magic came about, why the chosen people, and how newbloods grew out of their history. Probably in Broken Throne, that would be explained but I haven’t read that yet.

Anyways, comparison aside, Adeyemi is powerful in her metaphor for the black experience. I cannot say for myself if it is true to what Africans, African-Americans, or any black person feels but based on what I see on the news and what activists have tried to communicate to the masses, there is hatred that becomes the root of pain and trauma. People are stripped off of their basic human rights because of fear. That is such a powerful image that Adeyemi brings to her story. More than that, it shows the reality of privilege as seen through the journey of Amari, which for me is something I can relate to. It’s easier to close your eyes on this issue when you are not directly affected but like Amari, our silence, our ignorance, our choice to not choose to take stand does enable the prejudice and the discrimination towards certain groups of people.

This story is powerful and written thoughtfully. It is well-paced. Even if you are not very socially aware, this story will capture you and you’ll finish it before you know it. I liked that we were given different points of views because in anything, in any issue, there’s always different people who come from different walks of life who will hold different opinions. It’s good to see people transform, and some even regress, but most of all a story of never giving up even if the fight seems futile. If it’s something worth hurting for and struggling for, you don’t give up.

As someone who is very religious, this book speaks to me. So many times we can feel like we’re all alone and that life had reached it’s tipping point. You search for gods or a God to help and yet he/she is silent. At the very last breathe, they seem to have abandoned you but the cry of Zelie, the plead for someone to help her and something does happen? That just shows you that you are never alone. No matter what you believe it’s important to know that there is always someone watching out for you. There is more to this life than what we are experiencing.

Moreover, I think that the book is unique because it’s rare for authors to take a very cultural route or a very tribal one, I don’t know how to explain that. I’m pretty sure there are books out there that deal with kaftans and traditional celebrations but this book was able to bring that into the Young Adult genre and even a the Fantasy Fiction genre. I think we need to put out more authors, or believe in more authors who diversify culture. I want more authors who use different languages, ancient languages and not just Western ones. I really liked this because it’s probably my first time to read about locks of hair seen on Africans to be the norm instead of a quirky characteristic. I like the description of the designs embedded on sticks and buildings that are worded as if they were weird, aka Indiana Jones, type of feel but like they are a natural sight.

I feel like I have so much more to say about this but I just want to see the next book, the movie adaptation and hopefully they cast appropriate colors, meaning Zelie better be as dark as the night.

[backwards-pumpkin-blog]

Best Motherboard for Z270 Processor in 2018!

This past year was crazy with fresh processor launches from AMD and Intel. Intel got things began with a refresh of its on-going Skylake architecture, codenamed Kaby Lake, which brought faster clockspeeds and some brand-new facilities to the prevailing LGA1151 system. AMD countered using its Ryzen processors and the AM4 good, and Intel released its enthusiast Skylake-X/Kaby Lake-X parts with LGA2066 and AMD countered with Threadripper and socket TR4. With the new cpus, it could be difficult to learn how motherboards will be the best for every platform. Intel's new seventh Gen Espresso lake processor chips has gone out now, even though these types of people utilize the same LGA1151 tooth socket as Kaby Lake, of the processors need brand-new 300-series chipsets. But if you are thinking of create a new mainstream system with an Intel processor chip, where in fact the Core i7-7700K and Core i5-7600K remain respectable options at reasonable prices, you'll want to begin which includes a Z270 motherboard. The start features, style, and performance from Z97 to Z270 has been useful and dramatic to enthusiasts of most stripes, awry outstripping CPU advancements as Haswell. Many Z270 motherboards support multiple x4 Pci-e Gen3 M. 2 slot machine games, enough PCIe lanes dual-GPU configurations, changeable or subtle color schemes, Realtek’s new ALC1220 sound codec is commonplace, and as well , there are always a sponsor of refinements for overclocking. Mounts for 3D-imprinted add-ons are even beginning to appear. In the mean time, legacy ports are beginning to disappear. USB 2 . zero headers and back-panel fittings are receiving swapped for a few. 0 and 3. you counterparts. SATA interface counts are receiving shaved to free of charge space and assets for M. 2 and as well , U. 2 storage space. Every one of the boards right here feature at minimum a couple of M. 2 slot machines, and each is full- velocity, 32 Gb/s implementations. The times of SATA could be using (at least if indeed they will get prices on M. 8 SSDs right down to more sensible levels). The Z270 chipset (and other 200-series parts) take a position backwards appropriate for 6th Style Skylake CPUs, and 100-series chipsets may also use 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. Nevertheless, Z270 provides four extra PCIe lanes, which explains why wish seeing even more M. a pair of slot machine games this round, and you will also want a 200-series chipset if you would like to make use of Intel's Optimus Storage engineering, technological innovation. While most motherboards will continue to work to tell the truth, enthusiasts will need more than the bottom level of efficiency and features often. After considerable research and testing, these are the very best Z270 motherboards.

ASUS Maximus IX Hero Review

The mid-range Maximus Hero IX reflected its name during testing, dealing with motherboards costing almost as very much and frequently pulling forward on performance or features twice, which makes it best overall elect for Z270.

Gunmetal grey heatsink designs and relatively restrained styling clothe this in any other case hardcore gaming item in upscale attire. Go home away the Aura light and you might presume a fresh workstation table. This unbiased color scheme is effective at extravagant rig builders as well; start the lights just, match your colours, and you’re all set, regardless of what neon-colored parts or court cases in store.

Hardware hobbyists will see plenty to experiment with also. Subtly included along the upper correct and simply lower plank edges happen to be control keys for power, program reboot, storage reset, and so BIOS access, which are nice additions when tinkering within a workbench. Extensive and well-placed lover headers are supported by features such a circulation tachometer for drinking water soothing loops and ASUS’s complex BIOS lover control.

In addition, all of this attention takes care of in addition to the best multiplier and mémoire figures among the boards examined right here. The Hero IX handled a stress- free of charge 5. 1 GHz and so pushed two-stick memory space styles beyond their rated 3600 MHz capacity. Further, post-benchmark BCLK testing elevated who to nearly 5. 2ghz without incident before the warmth became one factor. None of the various other boards right here came repair, with the Hero upstaging ASUS’s own even, more costly Formula IX.

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270I Review

Micro motherboards happen to be back business again because of the success of Intel’s NUC route and the evolution of on the internet streaming, with ITX large systems enjoying an upgraded relevance for DIY masters. These smaller sized boards offer features that significantly outstrip likewise priced ATX boards frequently, simply perfect for spending budget building workers who do not brain ltd expansion options later on.

ASUS’s new Strix items include things like basic level for the Republic of Gamers lineup, however the Z270I feels mainly because fine simply because the Maximus motherboards near the top of the stack. Posting the same dark grey, blown steel heatsinks and heavy PCB as the big chat rooms, it feels as though a discount at list price.

Like the majority of ITX boards, an B. 2 slot lives on all flipside within an inaccessible region after initial set up just ASUS includes another slit at the top of the Strix, concealed underneath what appears like that chipset shield in little channel that accommodates get sticks up to 80mm long.

Aura lighting helps it be onboard as well, with a type of LEDs beneath the motherboard's right part and an RGB header for exterior lighting pieces. Wi-Fi is usually provided via 2T2R Atheros wireless at approximately half gigabit speed, and the hardware handles Bluetooth 4. 1 works. New ALC 1220A CODEC can be used for sound realtek’s, backed with ASUS’s SupremeFX tweaks and a great up to date software program layer; advantageous additions because so many ITX platforms are destined for living space media use.

Shortcomings will be inevitable in that tiny bundle, and the Strix includes a couple of. While earlier ROG ITX boards from ASUS got no trouble reaching storage and simply multiplier limitations with Haswell and Skylake, the Z270i Strix struggled to attain 5GHz via multiplier and could not support 3600MHz DDR4 CORDIAL NIP.

As the true numbers were much better than MSI’s Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon ITX, there’s still area for improvement, specifically equipped with ASRock’s Fatality Z270 GAMING-ITX/AC offering extras like integrated Thunderbolt 3. In the event that's a gift you wish, ASRock's which provide is usually a close second.

MSI Z270 Tomahawk Review

While lots to like about Z270 there’s, additional dollars necessary for buy-in certainly are a drawback. Component producers have not been shy about walking prices for the previous few chipet generations, although the strike certainly is not as large as it had been from Z97 to Z170. An instant diagnostic at Newegg yields an absolute price basement around $105 for an entry-level Z270 board.MSI’s Tomahawk cable retails only a few dollars above this price flooring but provides a credible middle group of features and construction non-etheless. The dark teal and red colorization scheme uses crimson backlighting, an assessed design on the PCB, and simply an integral I/O shroud from illuminated logo design. The total result is handsome, of course, if potential element color choices clashes be concerned you, there’s an arctic white edition available that appears better and can match any style in store even.Don’t expect top-shelf storage CPU or functionality speeds with this spending budget board, however. The multiplier check came up brief at 4. 9 GHz and memory space was limited by 3200MHz. Benchmark figures reflected regarding, but didn’t affect considered video gaming performance too much. Exotic parts like pre-binned 5GHz CPUs and high-speed DDR4 aren’t usually on the menu with budget builds anyway.Rear We /O entails 8 USB ports, integrating 1 type C and so five type A UNIVERSAL SERIES BUS 3. 1 connectors. Ethernet, is dealt with via Intel’s low-latency V219 controller.One particular drawback well worth mentioning may be the aging Realtek ALC 892 sound codec. While flawlessly sufficient for standard duties, almost all of the additional boards right here sport the brand new ALC 1220, which includes around eight years of developments. Fortunately, MSI’s codec execution is a great a person, which means this isn’t an offer breaker, but if leading edge disturbance is component of your strategy, look elsewhere.For ultra-budget builds, MSI’s H270 Tomahawk variants provide practically identical looks and similar performance at even lower prices, although just forget about overclocking or memory space data above 2133.

[davidanderson7162]

Resin Bonded Driveways

Resin bound driveways are ending up being progressively preferred as public recognition boosts and prices boil down. A material bound driveway is a driveway laid making use of a technique that bonds material to ornamental aggregate.Resin Bound Kit

The driveways are specifically great because they look fantastic, are hard-wearing, quick to lay, slip-resistant, they don't have loosened stones that can harm automobiles, as well as they have great grip.

Resin bound driveways are developed using the Scatter Coat method, which is one of the two alternatives for producing material based appearing. It is more affordable than the Trowelled approach (also known as material bound emerging) since the material is just used at the base.

Scatter finish appearing includes a base, the material as well as the aggregate. The base requires to be audio and as degree as possible. It must likewise be monolithic, so ought to be a composite whole, such as concrete. A surface that has many joins can stir, which will receive the ended up surface. The base also requires to be clean of oil, standing water as well as loosened material. Preparing the based appropriately makes sure that the resin bonds correctly.

The resin is fast setting, as well as can hold up against traffic within hours. Resins are offered in various colours as well as should be selected to enhance the aggregate. When the active ingredients to make the material are blended, the resin can be laid directly on the base. The material requires to be spread out uniformly within a few mins.

There are many different aggregates to choose from, nevertheless, they need to be 6mm or much less for ideal effect. The accumulated requirements to be spread over the resin layer asap, because of the quick setting time of the resin. An also coating is needed to prevent bald spots, as well as it is best to add way too much as opposed to not enough aggregate because unwanted can be gathered as soon as the material is totally set. The rocks will slowly sink and also the surface area will certainly heal for a few hrs.

Material Driveways - A Superior Addition To Your Home

Material Driveways come in a huge range of finishes and colours. Imaging the pristine appearance of the driveway when checking out a workplace block or public structure, this is the beautiful clean appearance you can now obtain with the driveway leading up to your house.

Material bound driveways are only a little bit much more expensive than regular driveways, yet the difference in feel and look can be incredible.

You understand you are driving on a quality surface area when you have the "professional" look of a nice and also smooth adhered driveway.

So Why Buy A Resin Driveway?

Practically any type of accumulation you select can be put down on your driveway as well as do with a bonded resin. Aggregates such as Gravel, Marble, Granite as well as even Bauxite can be used as the base product for your drive, these are masterfully laid as well as made to match in any type of colour or texture you desire.

The Resin bonded driveway is something which can make your residential or commercial property stick out from all the remainder in the street as you are including something of impeccable top quality as well as worth to your property.

You can even have a stone laid drive fitted as well as adhered with resin if you wanted, this will certainly keep the driveway looking excellent as well as provide it years of hard wearing usage. Rationale of a material kind driveway is to improve the quality of your drive as well as to offer your home a durable yet excellent looking location to drive on.

We have actually all seen these bodged up tarmac driveways laid by uncertain individuals, nonetheless this certain style of driveway takes a lot more skill to lay and therefore needs to be laid by knowledgeable service providers.

Before agreeing to any kind of work of this nature, you need to constantly have a look at previous clients of the professional you choose. Also, if you have consent, I would certainly speak with the proprietors of houses that have actually undertaken this job just to see initial hand roughly what's entailed as well as exactly how the service providers who accomplished the job behaved on site Resin Bound.

Block Paved Driveways

There is a climbing trend to have a grand driveway for your home. There are many different kinds to choose from and also several layouts as well as styles. The concern is are they worth the money or are they simply a craze. Allow's take a look at a few of the various other types of driveways that yo8u could have outdoors your home.

The first up would most likely be the material bound driveway. This is a relatively new edition to the driveway household and a relatively brand-new principle to the industry. What is a material bound driveway? To make it basic a material bonded driveway appears to be made to look like a typical pea roof shingles driveway however on closer assessment we discover that it is a small layer of angular grit held together with adhesive. The product is essentially blended as well as with a trowel spread onto a tarmac surface and also delegated set. Why not just has a pea tile driveway? Well several driveway professionals have actually located that after a brief period of time the tile starts to be brought later on in the tracks of automobile tyres that have rolled onto the drive, the shingle winds up being carried later on and regularly the pea shingle needs to be changed. With the material bound driveway the surface area is unmovable however still provides the exact same appearance of a tile driveway. One significant benefit of a resin bound driveway is that you can have almost any type of shade you want, the dye is simply mixed in at the beginning of the procedure.

Traditional gravel or pea shingle driveways: These were once for the extremely rich. They were introduced as a safety step. The concept being that when an automobile or person made contact with the roof shingles, the sound would inform the family to the burglar. Roof shingles driveways are still incredibly popular and also will certainly continue to be. They are still affordable to develop and also the security facet is still favored by those that are in remote locations. One major negative aspect is the shingle has the ability to hold metal objects upright and also these will ultimately find their means right into the tires in your auto.

Block led driveways: These have only been around because the early eighties yet appear to have actually lasted the examination of time. There are many different types colours as well as designs to pick from, you might also make your very own pattern if you so desire. The advantages of having a block led driveway are minimal; much of it comes down to personal preference. But longevity is a significant attraction as block paving can last a very long time.

Developing a Driveway the Right Way!

When it comes to creating instantaneous "kerb charm" a good looking driveway ought to be high up on the list of top priorities to make your house stand out from the group - despite whether you are thinking of selling or staying!

The smartest properties and also the most wonderful yards can never achieve their complete style capacity if they are let down by an uninspiring, neglected driveway. In addition to the apparent aesthetic advantages of purchasing a magnificent driveway, there are a variety of practical factors to take into consideration. A well laid driveway can disregard the seasonal appearance of undesirable puddles, whilst additionally providing a clear as well as clean path from the road to your home - especially important for when you are consistently dumping a vehicle packed with shopping bags! If you have youngsters, you will likewise appreciate the extra pleasure of educating your youngster to ride their bike within the risk-free confines of your own residential property, instead of risking life as well as arm or leg on the open roadway!

Driveway Choices

Once you've chosen to invest in a new driveway, you'll require to offer some thought to the following:

Colour - ensure you choose a driveway tool which is available in a colour to either complement or contrast with your house and also its surroundings

Product - the ultimate driveway product is block paving but realize that garden paving items are typically not appropriate for developing a professional driveway. Alternatives to obstruct paving consist of crushed rock (which is terrific as a burglar deterrent but reliant motion and can be travelled right into your house), concrete and also tarmac (although you will be restricted in regards to choice of colour). There are also a series of resin bound paving services which use natural crushed rock, crushed rock, imported marble as well as recycled materials, these are offered in a wide variety of colours as well as coatings

Drainage - get it best as well as you can kiss bye-bye to pools of water sitting on the driveway. Discover a professional driveway installer to ensure your ended up driveway drains pipes easily

Regulations - Bear in mind that adhering to the introduction of regulations which came into impact in October 2008, unless you are collaborating with an absorptive driveway paving product you may need preparation consent to pave over a front garden Material Bound.

Illumination - an immaculate driveway will certainly take advantage of purposefully placed lights to illuminate a risk-free route to the door. Low power LED lighting can be straightforward to mount, weatherproof and also needs marginal upkeep.

Driveway Drama

If you want your driveway to provide a significant design statement consider laying pavers to incorporate a striking circular or octant pattern. Conversely for included effect, you can consist of bands of contrasting pavers to produce either an attractive edging or a distinct stand alone attribute in its very own right.

Driveways with a conscience

In developed settings, as high as 95% of rains makes it method directly into drains pipes as well as straight to the watercourse - which puts enormous stress on the country's water drainage systems. The summer season of 2007 damaging floods demonstrated the prospective disastrous effects of putting our drain systems under way too much discomfort and The Environment Firm has estimated that as much as two thirds of the floodings in 2007 were brought on by the surge in surface water overwhelming the nation's drainage systems.

The expanding trouble associated with excess surface water running off right into our drain systems has actually generated the new planning legislation which now requires owners aiming to pave over their front yard - which can consist of producing a driveway - will certainly require approval unless absorptive products are made use of.

If you wish to be future ideal and also environmentally accountable, there are currently numerous brand-new absorptive products on the market which seek to assist address the above concern. The systems are created to allow surface water to drain away at source straight right into the ground rather than into the difficult pushed drain systems during times of heavy rainfall.

Material Based Surfacing

Material based emerging is still a relative newcomer on the DIY as well as building market. Significant advancements in epoxy resins and also polymers have been made over the previous few decades and also currently, the price is right also. However, regardless of this, many individuals are still not aware that resin based surfacing is a choice for them.

The surfacing is made from ornamental crushed rock being 'glued' with a clear material to an existing strong surface. The strong surface requires to be properly prepared and tidy. The base additionally requires to be what is known as monolithic, which indicates that it ought to have few, if any kind of, joints. There are then two methods of laying the material and also aggregate - resin bound as well as resin bonded. Both techniques will certainly set in much less than an hour so require to be laid by skilled workmen or Do It Yourself enthusiasts.

The material bound technique involves the accumulation as well as resin being thoroughly mixed together and after that spread over the base by hand making use of trowels as well as screeding bars. The right density of the blend can be laid in this manner.

The material bound technique includes laying the material over the base and then scattering the aggregate over the ugly Material Bound.

Material based appearing has applications in both the residential and also industrial markets. Commercially it is terrific for bus as well as cycle lanes and for cheering up community locations. Companies can establish their logo design into the emerging as well as complete their identification of their workplace or manufacturing facility area.

For residential use, the emerging can be made use of on driveways, paths as well as exterior play areas. It can also be used inside in conservatories or cooking areas.

There are many advantages for both residential and also business customers to making use of a material based emerging. It is quick drying so can be made use of soon after laying, there are no loose chippings, the completed surface is UV secure and also immune to oil spills, special layouts are possible, there are thousands of colours to pick from, it is quick to lay, and the surface has a lengthy life expectancy.

Fundamentals to Material Based Surfaces

A material based surface area is starting to become a very popular selection for domestic usage for resurfacing driveways, pathways, and outdoor play areas. This appearing product is able to offer a coating that is extremely ornamental in a series of colors as well as appearances as well as is able to improve the appearance of essentially any landscape design project. This surface is similarly best for renovating a tired or neglected driveway to giving a smooth as well as contemporary seek to a new develop task.

Resin surfaces are perfect to lay over a pre-existing tarmac or concrete surface for total ease in application. It's primary benefits are the secure surface, which is resistant to UV rays and oil spills, its capability to dry quickly after application, the potential to supply customized layouts, and also its capability to use a longer life expectancy.

While this is still fairly a brand-new surface area laying choice in the structure market, there have actually been quite significant advancements in the accessibility of epoxy materials and polymers, which suggests that the cost of this material is currently at a quite affordable level. Nonetheless, in spite of this attractive pricing not all DIY fanatics recognize the availability of this highly eye-catching resurfacing product Resin Bound.

Basically the surface area is created by laying ornamental gravel which is after that glued to an existing concrete or tarmac surface area utilizing a transparent or clear material. The initial surface area will certainly nonetheless need to be efficiently cleansed and also prepared before application. It additionally assists if this surface is relatively free and free from joints. Additionally, as the bonding agents tend to completely dry rapidly when laying this surface area, it is frequently advised that a competent service provider is made use of throughout the process.

The real bonding procedure can be a quite included with the need to properly mix the accumulation as well as material at the proper thickness, so this is an additional reason it is ideal delegated the qualified individual to undertake this particular type of home enhancement job.

Past its typical usage in property applications, the material based surface area is additionally seen in bus and also bike lanes, in addition to illuminating particular public locations. Likewise, if this appearing product is utilized on business properties, it is often possible to imprint a logo design externally which assists to identify a factory or office.

[droneseco]

The Vari Electric Standing Desk Review: Functional but Flawed

Vari Electric Standing Desk

6.00 / 10

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The Vari Electric Standing Desk is a comfortably-sized unit with a standard feature set. Its key selling points are the ease of assembly and the absolutely gorgeous finish. But high costs and questionable materials prevent the desk from being the top choice when it comes to incorporating a standing desk into your home or office setup.

Key Features

Easy Assembly With No Additional Tools

T-Style Steel Legs

Durable Laminate Surface

5 Color Options

Specifications

Brand: Vari (Formerly Varidesk)

Lifting Mechanism: Electric

Maximum Load: 200 lbs (90KG)

Colors: White, Black, Dark Wood, Butcher Block, Reclaimed Wood

Desktop Size: 60"W x 30"D x 25"H

Pros

Finish is Exceptional

Smooth Operation

Assembly is Easy

Cons

Prop 65 Warning: Lead and Lead Compounds

Expensive

Only Basic Features

No Anti-Collision Detection

Buy This Product

Vari Electric Standing Desk amazon

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  Vari (formerly Varidesk) is a leading standing desk manufacturer that has been making office furniture since 2013.

Unfortunately, Varidesk hasn’t always had the best reputation. Vari’s previous Pro 60 series standing desks under the Varidesk brand were criticized for poor stability, high cost, and the infamous “knee crusher” crossbar that many manufacturers have since abandoned.

With new branding and a newly redesigned Electric Standing Desk, Vari is hoping to remove some of the tarnish that has eroded its reputation. But where does this new desk stand in relation to its competitors? Has Vari made enough changes to its product to earn a space in your home? Today we’re taking a closer look at the new Vari Electric Standing Desk to find out.

Why Buy an Electric Standing Desk?

An electric standing desk is a convertible solution to sitting down all day. Unlike a normal desk, a standing desk can adjust to suit both standing or sitting positions.

These units are great for people who spend a lot of time at their desks, but who appreciate some added movement incorporated into their workday. A recent scientific study conducted by Texas A&M also shows that adjustable standing desks can improve productivity by approximately 45% over workers who sit all day.

That's why, when Vari offered to send the review team one of their standing desks to review, we got excited.

Related: Home Office Workstation Tips to Boost Your Productivity

Shipping Woes

Our 60x30 Vari Electric Standing Desk arrived in three boxes. The shipping time between the initial order and receipt was around 4 days, which was extremely fast for something so heavy that it had to be shipped in separate boxes.

When checking tracking numbers, there was the question of whether all parts would arrive simultaneously due to the information on the tracking website. However, all three packages showed up at the same time.

When you purchase a product like a standing desk, especially if it is over $500 (like the Vari Electric Standing Desk is), you expect that all components will arrive with minimal shipping damage. In our case, the shipping boxes were beaten up, the large box containing the desk surface was torn open, and the desk’s surface was exposed.

While this isn’t Vari’s fault, it is something that should be addressed. We did not contact Vari about this issue. Surprisingly, everything arrived without any damage, despite the boxes looking like they had been mishandled.

Once the boxes were opened and the parts were laid out, it was shocking how few items were needed to get this unit up and running.

What’s in the Box?

1 Faux-wood laminated desktop

2 t-style motorized legs with bases

1 Plastic-housed control unit

1 Power cable

1 Cable Tray w/hardware

1 LED display

1 Vari silicone coaster

2 Vari plastic hooks

1 pack of Vari hook-and-loop cable wraps

Allen bolts and Allen wrenches

Assembly

Assembling the desk was fairly straightforward. The instructions said to leave the desktop upside down inside the box to protect its surface. However, we like to live dangerously, so we set it onto a sheet of foam packing material and disposed of the damaged cardboard.

The next step in installation was to attach the legs, which slide into the cross member of the desktop. These legs were fastened down with two Allen-head bolts each and the pigtails for each leg were routed through the cross member. We then installed the plastic control box into the middle of the cross member and plugged in the pigtails.

Attaching the LED display was done by sliding it into a preinstalled bracket on the underside of the desk. This bracket is on the right side of the unit by default, but the mount is detachable if you would like to reposition it to the left side of the desk. The cable for the LED display unit was also long enough to reach both sides of the motor control unit without issue.

Installing the T-style support bases was done via two more Allen bolts on the bottom of each leg. Once this was complete, we flipped the desk over and slid it into position in our workspace.

This installation and assembly were some of the easiest that this reviewer has completed. It was impressive how quickly things came together, and while the Vari claim of 5 minutes is slightly unrealistic, (it took us about 30 minutes) this desk went together faster than any piece of Swedish furniture.

Technical Specifications

It is important to note that this unit is not a converter. It's a full-size adjustable desk.

The weight rating for the 60 x 30 desk is 200lbs. The weight rating for the smaller, 48 x 30 is 220lbs. Both desk styles use 120V AC single-phase 60Hz 4A motors, that are suited for both home and commercial use.

As tested, the desk weighs 126.1 lbs. The rear of the unit has a slight indentation for routing cables through. This allows easy access to the included cable management tray.

This standing desk also carries a 5-year warranty against any manufacturer defects.

Color and Finish Options

Unlike other standing desk manufacturers who offer a confusing array of finishes, the Vari standing desk comes in only five available finish options: White, Black, Dark Wood, Butcher Block, and Reclaimed Wood.

Despite the look of wood, each of these options is instead labeled as a “contractor-grade” laminate surface by Vari. Our demo was sent in the Reclaimed Wood finish. From a distance, it is hard to tell that this is a laminate surface.

Vari has even added some minor imperfections to the surface to make the reclaimed wood seem more realistic. This is a nice touch, and other manufacturers should take note.

Upon close inspection it is possible to see the pattern of the laminate and the shine of light off of the surface is notably laminate-looking. Even so, the Reclaimed Wood finish is very handsome.

Operation

Raising and lowering the Vari standing desk is done via a series of buttons on the LED control unit. There are four buttons that can be preprogrammed using a simple press-and-hold method. Set the desk to the proper height, press the “M” button, and then hold the number of the button you’d like to assign.

Vari recommends that when this desk is first assembled that it be calibrated using the included instructions. We followed these instructions and calibrated the desk without any issues before programming the buttons to their preferred height.

Once the desk is calibrated, you can press each button a single time to activate the desk’s movement. For people who are particular about fine-tuning, The LED display counts in increments of .1 which makes tiny adjustments possible.

The desk extends to a height of 50.5” and lowers to a height of 25”. While 50.5” is a decent maximum height for many people, those who are extra tall may find themselves non-plussed at this maximum height. For average height users, and folks on the shorter side, this desk works just fine.

No More Knee Crusher

One of the first and most important changes that Vari has made to its standing desks is the removal of the lower crossbar. Early in the standing desk game, many manufacturers resorted to a lower crossbar to increase the stability of a top-heavy standing desk.

This crossbar was dubbed a “knee crusher” primarily due to worker’s tendencies to bang their knees into it when sitting. Once this nickname became common, many standing desk manufacturers abandoned the knee crusher in favor of a top-mounted crossbar under the desk’s surface.

Vari has adopted this practice, and its upper crossbar is the only one you will find on its new Electric Standing Desk. But what does this do for stability? Well, even with the removal of this cross member, the desk did not seem unstable.

The new Electric Standing Desk is extremely sturdy. While this desk does experience some of the classic wobbles that most standing desks exhibit, the likely cause is more physics than design. Anything that is top-heavy is almost certainly going to have a slight wobble due to gravitational force. It doesn’t take a game of wobbly stick to understand why.

That being said, this design choice was a good one. The freedom from worrying about bruised knees is something you don’t realize you need until you don’t have it. By removing the crossbar, Vari has banished one of the major pain points, both literally and figuratively, from its standing desk lineup.

Related: The AndaSeat Jungle Series is a Great Gaming Chair for the Price

Missing Anti-Collision Detection

Something that is missing from Vari’s offering is anti-collision detection. Anti-collision means that if the desk is going to hit, say, a $300 commissioned watercolor painting hanging on the wall, then the anti-collision will stop the desk from moving. This isn’t a feature that Vari highlighted in its product documentation, but we wanted to test the unit to see what would happen.

Our testing was conducted by simultaneously raising the desk and pressing down on the desk surface. Surprisingly, we found the motor would reverse slightly if enough downward force was placed on the desk’s surface after movement had begun.

Despite the reversal, we were unable to get consistent results. Sometimes the desk would stop and back off a bit, and other times it just kept going as long as we held the button.

If anti-collision is something that is important to you, then you might want to reconsider buying this desk.

Proposition 65 Warning: Lead and Lead Compounds

An important aspect of this desk that should be considered before purchasing is the warning that Vari has presented on their website about lead and lead compounds in accordance with California Proposition 65.

This proposition states that any company involved in the manufacturing of products that contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer must disclose those chemicals in the product’s official documentation

On the Vari website, the Prop 65 warning is displayed under the information sheet on the 60 x 30 standing desk. This is a problem for some people. If you have young children, or are pregnant/nursing, or have a member of your family who is pregnant or nursing, then this may be a significant concern for you.

If lead is not something that you are concerned with then this documentation may not bother you, however, the potential for exposure to harmful chemicals is something that should be carefully considered before adding this unit to your home or office.

For full details on Proposition 65 and what it means for consumers, we recommend you visit the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Page regarding Proposition 65.

Poor Cable Management

The included cable tray for the Vari Electric Standing Desk is a nice idea, however, the execution is something that is a bit lacking for this reviewer’s setup. For those with large numbers of cables, or who run dual monitor setups, the included cable tray leaves cables looking sloppy and unkempt. If you’re a neat freak, or you really love cable management, then this tray is going to make your eyes twitch.

The tray might be fine for those with few power cables, or those who use a single monitor. Additionally, if you don’t mind your cables appearing slightly messy then this may not be a problem for you.

Related: How to Keep Cables Under Your Desk Tidy

Can You Repair the Vari Electric Standing Desk?

The internal motors and electronic parts of this unit are not designed to be taken apart. However, if you have a malfunctioning component like a control unit, isolating that part is fairly easy to do. Since everything is plugged into a central control unit, simply unplug the malfunctioning part.

That being said, it is unclear if Vari is offering replacement components for products that break. We'd recommend you contact Vari if you are looking for advice on repairing this desk.

Teardown of the desk to relocate, however, is about as easy as setting it up. Flip the desk over, remove the Allen bolts holding the base and legs to the surface, and everything should slide apart. Once the unit has been relocated, just reinstall the legs and the bolts.

Should You Buy the Vari Electric Standing Desk?

Due to the high cost and the potential for exposure to harmful chemicals, this desk is tough to recommend. Obviously, avoiding any type of harmful chemicals is important when you have young children or are pregnant/nursing.

If these conditions don’t apply to you, or if you’re not concerned about these chemicals, then this desk will be a good choice. It works well, is an exceptional size, feels sturdy, and the overall aesthetic appeal is great. If you don’t need features like Bluetooth, app control, or anti-collision detection, then we think this desk will suit your interest.

However, if you are concerned with the aforementioned potential for exposure to harmful chemicals, are looking for real wood, or are budget conscious, then this desk might be a poor choice. It’s expensive, and the limited feature set doesn’t justify costs that are one-third to one-half higher than other standing desks with similar features.

Does Vari’s Desk Stand Out From Others?

Overall, the Vari Electric Standing Desk is a comfortably-sized unit with a standard feature set. Its key selling points are the ease of assembly and the absolutely gorgeous finish. But high costs and questionable materials prevent the desk from being the top choice when it comes to incorporating a standing desk into your home or office setup.

While we really wanted to like the Vari Electric Standing Desk, the manufacturer is going to have to make some upgrades to both the materials and the feature set if it wants to justify Vari’s unreasonably high price.

The Vari Electric Standing Desk Review: Functional but Flawed published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[surly01]

A Pox Upon Us

Originally published on the Doomstead Diner on March 22, 2020

“Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves” ― Albert Camus, The Plague

During the incursions of the Black Death, the bubonic plague that attacked Europe in waves during the 14th and 16th centuries, the rich have always taken pains to insure that sickness remains the province of the poor. Some things never change.

Plague doctors wore a beaked mask and carried a stick. During the 16th century, French royal physician Charles de Lorme is credited with having invented the bird-beak plague mask. The long, beaked mask was typically filled with sweet or strong-smelling herbs, such as wormwood, the main ingredient in absinthe, which were believed to filter out miasma, or bad air, thought at the time to spread plague.

As Jezebel reminds us, Rich People Have Always Been Assholes During Plagues​. In the 14th century Black Death, which wiped out somewhere between 30 to 50 percent of Europe’s population, those who could afford were told “cito, longe, tarde:”  “flee soon, go far, come back late.” As servants were left behind to clean the houses of an absent aristocracy, the swells and grandees got the hell out of town. Reports abound of those left in cities screaming while being enclosed alive in body bags bound for the plague pits.

The 21st century version of retreating to one’s Italian villa seems to be barricading oneself in a Hamptons mansion. The new court physician is the concierge doctor, and the new plague mask is the high-end, sold-out Urban Air Mask 2.0, miasma-blocking herbs replaced by “cutting-edge filter technology with timeless Scandinavian design,” the company’s website reads.  Gwenyth Paltrow recently posted a selfie wearing the $65 modern-day plague mask en route to Paris, though doctors say they’re likely ineffective, as the masks are intended to prevent sick people from spreading coronavirus, not protect well people from catching it.

Our own rich are following the advice to flee and stay away, hiring private planes to avoid the miasma emanating from those who fly coach. The Rich Are Scrambling To Escape COVID-19 On Private Jets. And money is often no object.

The most wealthy among us are trying to get around flight bans with private jet flights as they are desperate to get into or home from Caribbean countries, many of which have partial or full international travel bans. .. These countries are home to many affluent expatriates. The money some of them spend on private jet flights is staggering. One round trip to Europe in a Gulfstream 550 jet from the United States with five passengers can easily cost the client six figures.

With the world being crippled in many ways by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ultra-wealthy still have places to be and airline options are not only becoming restrictive, they are dwindling. Rumors currently abound of private jet pilots, both from charter operations and private flight departments, being offered large bonuses to get into and out of Caribbean resort countries undetected and bypassing customs and port of entry requirements.

Yes, I know you have your so-called "rules," but this is ME we're talking about. And I'll pay you handsomely.

And you might wonder: Why are the rich and famous getting coronavirus tests while we aren't? It occurs to a couch-surfing peasant to wonder how elite athletes on NBA teams, rich actors and well-connected swells can get tested, when first responders and many presenting with obvious symptoms have been turned away.

Just kidding.

While the evasions and lubrications by the rich may stink as much as the flesh of rotting buboes, we'll need a plague mask to mask the stench of corruption emanating from Washington, DC this week.

Virus Vultures

On Thursday, Senators faced a massive scandal after multiple members revealed in public filings that they had sold large stock holdings after private briefings on the coronavirus outbreak.  Senator Richard Burr Sold a Fortune in Stocks as G.O.P. Played Down Coronavirus Threat to the mere public. And Sen. Kelly Loeffler, she of the half-billion dollar net worth (the richest member of Congress), sold off seven figures worth of stock holdings  after the same, private, all-senators meeting as Burr. Then, she bought stock in a telework software company. Later, as March unfolded, fear of the virus hammered U.S. equities for its largest loss in decades.

After they were briefed that the coronavirus crisis would be far worse than was publicly known, they dumped their personal stock market holdings while publicly insisting that things would be fine. Even while privately telling wealthyt constituents that it was going to be ugly.  From the Times:

Senator Richard M. Burr sold hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of stock in major companies last month, as President Trump and others in his party were still playing down the threat presented by the coronavirus outbreak and before the stock market’s precipitous plunge.

The stocks were sold in mid-February, days after Mr. Burr, Republican of North Carolina and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, wrote an opinion article for Fox News suggesting that the United States was “better prepared than ever before” to confront the virus. At least three other senators sold major stock holdings around the same time, disclosure records show.

No less a noted socialist than Fox News host Tucker Carlson, called for Burr’s resignation.

“He dumped his shares in hotel stocks so he wouldn’t lose money, and then he stayed silent,” Mr. Carlson said during his show on Thursday night. “Maybe there is an honest explanation for what he did. If there is, he should share it with us immediately. Otherwise, he must resign from the Senate and face prosecution for insider trading.”

Three other senators also sold major holdings around the same time.

It makes perfect sense to believe, does it not, that the richest single member of Congress, a former investment banker CEO worth $500M and married to the NY stock exchange president, a Senator with inside knowledge and ability to manipulate markets,  has no idea what her portfolio is doing.

These moves place Burr and Loeffler in direct violation of the STOCK Act of 2012, which specifically made it illegal for members of Congress to trade equities based on any secret information received as part of their jobs.

For their parts, Burr and Loeffler have asked for Ethics Committee investigations to, wait for it, "clear their names." Which, since the secretive committee meets behind closed doors, means waiting until the shitmist from the scandal settles and it's time to start pounding the phones to raise money for re-election.

No idea at all. Baseless attack.

The Times article continues:

In a series of posts on Twitter, Mr. Burr accused NPR of twisting his comments into a “tabloid-style hit piece.” He argued that the report made him look duplicitous for sharing information at a publicly advertised event that was consistent with the message members of the Trump administration were then trying to promulgate. He did not address his stock sales.

Of course he didn't.

You Can't Have One.

This is the above-referenced selfie of Gwyneth Paltrow, actress-cum-celebrity goopifier, who has built a second career positing that illness can be prevented by cold baths, energy healing and making better lifestyle choices, wearing a ventilator. And not just any ventilator. From the looks of it, an Airnum in Onyx Black. And don't ask, peasant: sold out.

Remember that we pissed away two months of lead time because Trump didn't want "the numbers" to harsh the stock market and thus his re-election chances. For months, Trump has his band of grifters and right wing media enablers have said that it was nothing to worry about, and they had it contained.

Pete Hegseth said “the more I learn about this, the less there is to worry about.” Jeanine Pirro asserted that mainstream-media coverage “doesn’t reflect reality.”  Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham accused the non-cult press as “panic pushers” stirring up “mass hysteria.” And Trish Regan at Fox Business accused the “liberal media” of using the coronavirus “to impeach the president. That last outburst was apparently bad enough to rouse Rupert Murdoch from his crypt to take her off the air.

What a difference a few days, and a few thousand active coronavirus cases in the U.S., can make. Both Trump and FNC have changed their tune regarding the significance of the virus. And Trump, prevented from staging his Nuremberg rallies to bathe in the adulation of his cult, has taken his act of vindictiveness, press attacks, and racism to the White House briefing room. It is a failing of the corporate media that they continue to live broadcast these exercises in propaganda. During a pandemic, disinformation costs lives.

It’s certainly true that health workers and those who have already contracted the virus should be getting masks before celebrities, considering we’re entering into global mask shortage that will make it even more difficult to contain a rapidly spreading public health crisis.

But Paltrow isn’t modeling a mask out of deep concern for public health; she’s posting because she’s beginning to panic. Covid-19 definitely isn’t the end times, but it’s a useful indication of what end times might look like: All our favorite celebrities, like the rest of the idle rich, tossing away their public postures and scrambling to spend as much money as necessary to make sure that they stay safe.

Latebreaking News:

Coronavirus updates: Angela Merkel quarantined, Rand Paul tests positive, Ohio on lockdown

Germany is banning gatherings of 2 or more people to slow coronavirus outbreak

US states report price gouging

A top New York surgeon warns that the coronavirus has 'breached' hospital walls and infections could peak in 22 to 32 days

Italy Tightens Quarantine as It Battles World’s Deadliest Coronavirus Outbreak

In strategic shift, doctors in America's two largest cities are told to skip some coronavirus testing​.

Surly1 was an administrator and contributing author to Doomstead Diner. He is the author of numerous rants, screeds and spittle-flecked invective here and elsewhere. He lives a quiet domestic existence in Southeastern Virginia with his wife Contrary. Descended from a long line of people to whom one could never tell anything, all opinions are his and his alone, because he paid full retail for everything he has managed to learn.

[echoeternally]

Whaddya think of Niles and Rhajat, both as same gender s-supports and as unique characters, with their personalities

Ooh, Fire Emblem question! I like these.

Let’s start with Rhajat, who is Tharja. As an S-Support, she was an obvious choice to be a given, considering the devotion both she and Tharja had for the Avatar in their respective games. Rhajat is overall a softer version of Tharja, I guess because she’s younger, but perhaps her environment helped raise her to be a little nicer. (Just a bit.) She also tries to fit in more with the army, something that Tharja didn’t go out of her way to pull off, if she really ever tried. I like both as characters, but I enjoyed Tharja’s dry, biting, and dark humor more than Rhajat’s, probably because it felt newer at the time.

Niles is a fun character, I think. He perfectly embodies Nohr’s representation, in which they are viewed as full and true enemies in Birthright, but are given vastly more sympathetic perspectives in Conquest and Revelations. NIles is a character with depth, in which his surface appearance is a criminal/thief scum type of guy, but as you get to know him, you learn that he’s fiercely loyal to Leo, and develops unlikely friendships with the rest of the army. Plus, I think a lot of people enjoy saucy double entendres. As the same gender S-Support for the player character, he’s a good choice.

More below the cut, because this gets longer.

Ok, so, I do love that there are same gender options, but I’m very annoyed at the lack of them. Rhajat, while an obvious choice, is from the second gen, and I’m personally not a fan of second gen romances with the Avatar, especially in Fates, where…well, if you never have any of the kids join the army, you’re not missing anything from the core story, excluding all Xenologues. Niles, while a good choice, doesn’t have an overly complex relationship with the Avatar himself. (I hate saying Avatar, btw, because Corrin sounds so much nicer.)

Characters that most certainly should have been same gender romance options would be: Azura, Camilla, Soleil, Felicia, Flora, Jakob, Silas, and Kaze, with maybe room for two more male options. (I think most would want Xander and Ryoma, or otherwise Leo and Takumi, because duh, but I have a personal pick in Saizo, because jealous brother / overprotective charge shenanigans, and probably Shigure, because second gen boy even if I’m not in favor of it.)

Ranting mode engaged below, watch out.

Let’s start with reasoning for ladies. Azura not being a romance option for femCorrin is literally, what’s the word, queer-baiting? She’s literally written as a character with a very specific interest in the player character, and she’s absolutely considered the “canon” love interest for manCorrin. So, that’s a load of crap that she can’t be one for femCorrin, because “no gays allowed.” (Yes, I am fully aware of the late game & story incest thing, but I’m considering that as either an oversight on IS’s team, or perhaps a careful attention to history. Either way, doesn’t change Azura being the big romance option for Corrin, and should have carried through both ways.)

Camilla should absolutely have been a romance option for femCorrin. The way she fawns over manCorrin and gets down to the romance with him, but not femCorrin? She literally fusses and adores femCorrin the exact same way. Furthermore, Camilla is stated several times in spots of the game to like strong women. I get that it doesn’t have to mean that she’s gay, but come on. (Again, I get the incest vibes, but again, this works for manCorrin, and should work for femCorrin just as well.)

Soleil is one that I shouldn’t even have to type out. Yeah, I know the history about the whole “wrongly interpreted” dialogues from Japanese to English. That doesn’t matter in regards to Soleil’s very canon tastes in female characters. Even if one argues that liking cute girls is a thing that people do that doesn’t make them gay, sure, fine. In a game that literally lets people pair up characters for romance and goes the distance to have a female like other females, but literally sticks up its nose at the prominent closing point, ESPECIALLY with the player’s own character, who can literally get with another female that is literally an equivalent to this one? Like…there is no justifying that. I’m not a fan of gen 2 romances with Avatars in Awakening or Fates. But if they’re going to be there, at least try to make it fair.

Felicia and Flora are probably the less commonly desired options, since the above three are, I believe, the big three. However, considering that Felicia has a very specific and special bond with manCorrin, and that it should equally translate to the same bond with femCorrin, that should go without saying that it should work out easily. Furthermore, it’d be cute as all hell, fight me on this. Flora, literally a very depressed, very repressed, Corrinsexual character, is probably the biggest one that should have gotten with Corrin either way. Not because pity party, but because of any character that understands Corrin, while also having a dynamic relationship with them, while also having a very significant dialogue tree that somehow didn’t lead to her falling for femCorrin (are you seriously kidding me, with that wish thing, come on), Flora is easily one of the better options for a gay romance with Corrin that didn’t happen.

Let me try to be a little more curt with the guys, since…this is all old hat. But anyway! Silas is first, because he’s basically the “canon and straight” femCorrin selection. Best friends thing, blah blah, S-Support. I’d roll my eyes at how very designated he was…if he had a completely different attitude around manCorrin. But he doesn’t. Silas is just as adamant about helping manCorrin, and just as intimate, as he is with femCorrin. He literally reads as a character full of love for Corrin, regardless of gender. How does that not make sense as a same gender romance? Because he and Azura should have literally been the top options for the gay players to have.

Kaze makes me want to scream with how painfully obvious of an option he should have been. He’s this really nice guy that is swallowed with guilt over failing to save Corrin. After reuniting with them, he goes to incredible lengths to make amends and renew his loyalty to them. Kaze literally vows to be your retainer by choice, something that Felicia, Jakob, Flora, and Gunter never had. And then…he admits his love for Corrin…only if Corrin is a girl. EXCUSE ME? He literally reads as someone that is over the top in love with Corrin, but only if Corrin is a lady? Come on!

Jakob is literally the same thing as Kaze, because in spite of being instructed to be Corrin’s retainer, he is absolutely mad with devotion. It amazes me that Jakob is just as entranced with manCorrin as he is with femCorrin, but whoops, can’t be gay, so he is literally prevented from getting with manCorrin. There’s no reason why, there’s nothing that holds him back, and if manCorrin confessed love to him or if he did the same confession as he did with femCorrin, it would easily work out. But nope, too gay, can’t have.

Saizo and Shigure are kind of “have them or leave" them options. Yeah, Xander and Ryoma make more sense, because adamant desire to have Corrin reunite with them. Yeah, Leo and Takumi could make sense, because jealous younger brother that actually is crushing on their adopted sibling, which…sounds gross, but whatever, it happens. There’s no second gen male character available, and Shigure makes sense since he’s available on both routes, and probably the most desirable second gen male, which is still gross, but sure.

Meanwhile, Saizo is probably the oddest option. One silly reason is because every other sibling makes sense as a gay option for Corrin, so why not him? Considering how obsessed with Ryoma he can be, it would make an easy jump for him to be easily infatuated by who he’s charged to protect. Tsundere is also fun to have as an option for romance, so why not one for the gay romances? It works nicely. Plus, he dated Kagero before Fates, so guess what that would make him? The ever elusive bisexual representation, golly! 

Bonus option overall would have to be Charlotte, because honestly, any royal, noble, or other rich character should do her good for money. How gender honestly formed to be a barrier for her is just slapped on for no reason.

Not every character needed to be a gay option. Having any options at all was nice for IS to give. Fans have made gay hacks to grant those options be available. This is probably a tired series of arguments.

But, they wouldn’t be necessary if we were given a sizable number of selections. Hacks wouldn’t be necessary if fans didn’t have to take the very concept of having gay options into their own hands. And just having the option of gay romances shouldn’t be a gift in today’s world; it should be a given, since players are flexible and each one has a different perspective and experience. There shouldn’t be limits in places that are completely unnecessary.

Niles and Rhajat were decent first steps, but the time for that is beyond over. So, there should be a really attempt to either make a better, diverse cast, or just allow any option for every option. Hopefully, the next Fire Emblem for the Nintendo Switch will at least try to make a difference. We’ll see.

[stephenlibbyy]

Exploring Batfish with Cumulus – Part 2

In Part 1 of our look into navigating Batfish with Cumulus, we explored how to get started with communicating with the pybatfish SDK, as well as getting some basic actionable topology information back. With the introduction out of the way, we’re going to take a look at some of the more advanced use cases when it comes to parsing the information we get back in response to our queries. Finally, we’re going to reference an existing CI/CD pipeline, where templates are used to dynamically generate switch configuration files, and see exactly where and how Batfish can fit in and aid in our efforts to dynamically test changes.

For a look under the covers, the examples mentioned in this series of posts are tracked in “https://gitlab.com/permitanyany/cldemo2”

Enforcing Policy

As you may remember, in Part 1 we gathered the expected BGP status of all our sessions via the bgpSessionStatus query and added some simple logic to tell us when any of those sessions would report back as anything but “Established”. Building on that type of policy expectation, we’re going to add a few more rules that we want to enforce in our topology.

For example:

“A leaf switch should only peer with a spine switch”

“All spine switches should use the same BGP AS”

“Leaf switches that are part of an MLAG pair should use the same BGP AS”

This list can easily grow or change based the topology design and how granular you want to get, but it drives home the point that we can make sure that any change to the environment will not violate these expectations.

As a refresher, here is what our BGP information looks like and the data we’ll be parsing from it.

Looking at the first requirement, we want to start with the Node column and view what the corresponding Remote_Node is, when querying for bgpSessionStatus.

After importing the pybatfish libraries and initializing the Batfish snapshot, we iterate through the Node column. We’re looking for values that start with “leaf” and checking to see if the corresponding Remote_Node value contains “spine” in the name. If there’s no matching spine neighbor, we raise an exception. The reason we choose to go the exception route (instead of just printing the message) is because it later helps us properly identify the script’s exit code in our pipeline, and whether the result is a success or failure based on the data we were looking for.

Moving towards our next requirement, we want to make sure all of our spine switches are configured with the same AS number (65020 in this case).

Taking a similar approach, we focus on the nodes that have “spine” in the name. Once those are identified, we iterate through them and make sure their corresponding Local_AS values match 650220.

Looking at the third requirement, we want to be able to make sure that leaf nodes in the same rack (aka MLAG peers) have the same AS number. To do that, we need to jump through a couple of hoops to figure out how to identify that 2 leaf switches are a pair. Our logic here while parsing the nodes, is if a switch ends with an even number we’ll assume his peer we’ll be the same switch number minus one. Likewise, with switches ending in odd numbers, the peer will be assumed to be the switch number plus one.

As seen in the below output, we’re able to confirm that the leaf AS numbers match our expectations.

Bringing all 3 of these tests together, we can now lay the foundation of what we’d like to run as a test with every change to our pipeline.

Continuous Integration Pipeline

Now that we’re ready to handle the testing aspect of our network changes, before we jam our script into a pipeline, it might be worthwhile to review what a typical continuous integration workflow looks like. Keep in mind however, that this is a broad topic which would take numerous separate articles to fully setup and walk through, so I’ll stick to the high-level explanation here and defer to existing online resources for the rest. If the Gitlab repository link at the top of the post doesn’t make much sense to you and you need help getting started, leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

Using Gitlab as the CI tool of choice and Ansible to push out configurations, the overall goal of this pipeline is to define variable files per device or group and have a template that will read those variables in and render out switch configurations, which are finally pushed to the devices themselves. Below is a snippet of the leaf01 specific variables.

These variables are then fed into a switch configuration template that will generate a config specific to a device it is reading variables in from.

An Ansible playbook ultimately sends these rendered configurations to the switches and configuration changes are pushed.

All of this is code is version controlled and Gitlab reacts any time someone pushes a change to the repository, so that the Ansible playbook runs and pushes out the necessary changes automatically. This behavior is controlled by a Gitlab specific configuration file, “.gitlab-ci.yml”. which displays one stage so far, “deploy”.

When one of these deploys occurs, they can be tracked in Gitlab to find out whether the latest commit and code push succeeded or failed.

Integrating Batfish

Now that you have an idea of what a pipeline workflow looks like, let’s add the Batfish testing component. Overall, the “gitlab-ci” file will dictate what scripts we’ll be running to test our changes and in what order they will be executed. The important aspect of this order is that if a certain stage fails, the workflow will be interrupted and subsequent stages will not be executed.

Our proposed workflow should look like the following:

Change is made to a device variable and configuration is generated.

Batfish looks at the “new” configuration and runs its set of tests against it

Assuming those tests pass, the configuration is then pushed to the switches via Ansible

As you may remember from Part 1, Batfish currently only supports looking at Cumulus configurations in an NCLU format, which poses a problem for us, since the templatized configurations we’re generating are using Linux flat files. While Batfish will likely support parsing flat files soon, in the interim we have to think of a way to convert these configurations from flat files to NCLU on the fly. To do this, we’re going to create a Cumulus VX test switch in this topology that we’ll use for the sole purpose of converting configs from flat files to NCLU and sending them back to Batfish for analysis.

Our updated workflow will now be the following:

Change is made to a device variable and configuration is generated.

Configuration is sent to test switch and applied (one switch at a time).

Test switch sends NCLU generated configuration back to Batfish host.

Batfish looks at the “new” configuration and runs its set of tests against it.

Assuming those tests pass, the configuration is then pushed to the switches via Ansible.

As you can see in the updated “gitlab-ci” file, we introduced 2 new stages in our pipeline. We have also split up the configuration generation portion of the playbook from the configuration deployment portion and inserted the testing phase in the middle. Our testing phase contains 2 python scripts, one which we came up with in the beginning of this post and the second from the end of part 1.

Let’s now go ahead and make a sample config change that we do not expect to violate any of our testing policies. We’ll change the description of swp1 on leaf01 and commit it to the Gitlab repository.

We can see below that our stages are in the process of running.

Looking at the specific job in the Gitlab pipeline, we see that Ansible detected a change on leaf01 when generating the interfaces config file.

Let’s now introduce a failure that should violate our testing policies. We’re going to change the BGP AS number of leaf02 to 65050 (leaf01 is 65011).

Looking at the pipeline run status, we see a failure.

Digging further into the reason, the failure occurred at the testing phase (as we’d expect). The logs of the run point us exactly to where we expect.

Our script threw up an exception and the config push stage of the pipeline was not reached, due to a failure in the test stage.

Conclusion

Hopefully, seeing Batfish’s place in a real-life workflow helped connect some dots about how a testing methodology fits into a modern datacenter network. You can now envision how this type of pre-change testing can add a level of repeatability and confidence to the practice of treating your network infrastructure as code.

Exploring Batfish with Cumulus – Part 2 published first on https://wdmsh.tumblr.com/

[callmemoprah]

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[janetchavezcom]

The Top Five Luxury Travel Trailers

Travel trailers are expected to offer a comfortable and safe space for you to camp and sleep during your adventures on the road. You could be headed for the mountains, the forests, the beaches or some remote place that is tucked away from the distractions of the modern world. You could be traveling cross-country or you may prefer to stick to the highways.

Regardless of the types of facilities that might be available at your destination or are available en-route, luxury travel trailers should provide more than the basic necessities and should offer more than a convenient location to your head at night. Some travel trailers are of course more luxurious than others. They will not only offer you a homely space where you can unwind, rejuvenate and attend to your daily needs but also a generous dose of fun and entertainment that is more often than not more akin to a well-appointed apartment.

We are now more than ever spoilt for choice when it comes to luxury travel trailers. However, luxury should be properly defined, as an abstract view will lead to inappropriate and possibly irrelevant comparisons. When we talk about the top five luxury travel trailers, we are prioritizing design and features, build quality and floor plan, ratings, and reviews from experts and fellow adventurers. So, without further ado, here is our tailor-made concise list of the five best luxury travel trailers right now. It perhaps goes without saying, but most of these are relatively expensive but they are more than worthy of being described as premium travel trailers.

Grand Design Reflection Travel Trailer

If you were to open up a dictionary, this travel trailer might just be the definition of what grandeur looks and feels like. There are five-floor plans you can choose from. The unloaded weight of the travel trailer ranges from around 7,500 pounds to almost 9,000 pounds. As few as five and as many as ten people can sleep in the trailer which is not surprising considering the dimensions of the trailer are thirty-three feet to thirty-seven feet long. The unloaded weight is in an ideal range but the loaded weight may be a tad too high for vehicles weighing half a ton, so make sure you know the towing capacity of your vehicle. This series of travel trailer is a fine example of a design that is a combination of substance and style. It looks amazing and is practical at the same time.

There are a reasonable number of variants so you may want to focus on Reflection 315RLTS or Reflection 285BHTS. The sleeping capacities of these two make them more desirable, especially for larger families. There is not much of a difference in regards to features as they remain the same regardless of the floor plan you choose. The more luxurious travel trailers in the Reflection series have a skylight with a wide view in the shower. All Grand Design Reflection travel trailers come with hand polished maple cabinet doors, a tri-fold hide-a-bed sofa, king sized wardrobe and oversized storage under the bed.

Keystone Hideout Travel Trailer

This luxurious travel trailer is one of the most spacious options that’s available on the market at the moment. The trailer is twenty-three feet to thirty-seven feet long. There are as many as forty-four different floor plans. The unloaded weight ranges from 4,100 pounds to just over 8,500 pounds. The trailer is spacious enough for three to ten people. The trailer is as spacious as it is versatile, boasting a range of features. The sheer number of floor plans offers you an opportunity to pick a unique layout to suit your specific needs, you’d be hard pressed to not find something that meets your requirements. The length, weight and other capacities would obviously vary depending on your choice. You can choose a more versatile plan if you want, provided it is sufficient for the number of people you want to accommodate. Or alternatively, choose a floor plan that provides ample room for your family, guests, and friends.  Just make sure you’re assessing all the floor plans if you wish to find the perfect Keystone Hideout travel trailer.

Hideout 28RBS and Hideout 32BHTS are relatively more popular right now owing to the features and the sheer number of choices available. There are variants that come with a roof upon which you can walk or camp and even sleep overnight if the weather is conducive to camping out. There is a high definition television inside and it is complemented by surround sound speakers, so it has your entertainment sorted if you want to have a movie night or if the weather has turned bad. There is enough storage. Most of the space under the master bed has been used for storage. There are the usual storage cabinets and spaces as well. Nearly all the variants of Keystone Hideout travel trailers come with reversible dinette cushions, six cubic feet fridge, surround sound speakers and full strutted storage under the master bed.

Palomino Puma Travel Trailer

The Palomino Puma travel trailer falls short by just one-floor plan compared to the Keystone Hideout travel trailer. There are forty-three floor plans but they come with the same features, so you are not going to compromise on any of the luxuries assured by the brand in this series. The length ranges from twenty-seven feet to thirty-eight feet. The unloaded weight ranges from just over 5,000 pounds to nearly 9,000 pounds. As many as ten people can sleep in the trailer, which even when maxed out, it doesn’t feel overly cramped or lacking in space.  If you’re traveling as a couple or even by yourself, the space available is a little bit excessive, we think it’s best for four or more travelers.

Palomino Puma travel trailer is versatile and spacious. It’s really comfortable and has in our opinion a really swanky interior. The luxury features are simply great given the price range. Many manufacturers tend to limit the luxury features when creating some of the more reasonably priced variants. This brand does no such thing with this series, with prices that are substantially more appreciable than those of some of the other luxury travel trailers on this list, you’ll be hard pressed to find better value elsewhere.

The Puma 32RKTS and Puma 27RLSS have been critically well received, and we think this is well deserved. Both have decorative kitchen backsplash, bath skylight, jackknife sofa, nickel finish kitchen faucet and extra storage space such as under the sofa among other places. There are four choices of interior décor, which is in addition to the floor plans you choose. The single control kitchen faucet has a high rise, the splashboard is utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing, the pull-down drink tray at the center of the jackknife sofa is well positioned and practical, and the extensive list of possible expansions and upgrades are going to be sufficient to satiate even the most demanding users.

Heartland North Trail Travel Trailer

The Heartland North Trail travel trailer excels at providing an environment for relaxation and entertainment, which are two quintessential elements that ensure you finish your travels relaxed and rejuvenated. The Heartland North Trail travel trailer has twenty-one different floor plans. The trailers weigh anywhere between 4,500 pounds to just over 8,000 pounds when unloaded.  The heartland is suitable for between four and nine people and is available in varying lengths from twenty-six feet to thirty-seven feet. The spectrum of choices is almost mind-blowing, which means that I will put money down that you’re bound to find one that meets your needs.  So, while other luxury travel trailers might not meet all your requirements, meaning you’ll be forced to make compromises. For example, you may find some luxury travel trailers are unsuitable for vehicles with lower towing capacity, but this is not something you’ll run into with the Heartland.  The heartland boasts so many options, sizes and configuration options that there’s something for everyone.

If you choose to go with the lightest Heartland North Trail which weighs 4,450 pounds without any additional load, it is well suited for those driving a half ton vehicle or have a little more towing capacity.  Anyone with this sort of vehicle is unlikely to be able to choose a trailer that weighs a whopping 8,000 unloaded pounds.

If your towing vehicle is up to the challenge, and you can afford to pull 8,000 pounds of unloaded weight, you’ll be rewarded with an impressive amount of floor space in which you can stretch your legs. That is more than enough space for as many as ten people, or less if you really like to stretch out. The diversity in the floor plans ensures you can find just the kind of layout you need for your adventures without compromising how you wish to go about your daily tasks, relaxation or anything else.

North Trail 33 BUDS and North Trail 31BHDD have been well received by the press recently and for good reason. They are exceptionally well appointed and incredibly spacious as well. It should be noted that the more compact models or variants within the series do not necessarily compromise on the luxurious features. You can still get the high definition LED television and the swivel feature so you can point the television towards the bedroom and fall asleep while watching your favorite show or movie. The interiors are brought to life courtesy of the accented walls, the decorative inserts made of glass and you may even choose outside speakers if you want to take the fun outside. All models or variants come with a monitor panel in the bathroom, shower skylight, designer accent walls, and decorative glass inserts and you can have outside speakers with any.

Jayco White Hawk Travel Trailer

The Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has a sleek external appearance, and it has just as comfortable interiors as the others on this list. The unloaded weight of this trailer ranges from over 5,200 to nearly 7,800 pounds. The length varies from twenty-six feet to thirty-seven feet. You can comfortably accommodate four to nine people depending on the floor plan you choose, which will determine the legroom to a large extent.

Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has a standout décor. There are three distinct options to choose from. While all the luxury travel trailers listed here look amazing inside, this one is sophisticated and chic at the same time. One décor makes it just another version of a typical home and another makes it look like a motorhome or vanity camper used by celebrities. Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has more than sufficient versatility in regards to floor plans. Sure, you do not get as many as forty-three or forty-four options but twenty-six variants you get to choose from are enough to satiate your need for distinctness. It is unlikely you would not find at least half a dozen plans suitable for your family and friends. White Hawk 32 BHS and White Hawk 31BH are the more popular ones right now but the others are equally worthwhile.

Jayco White Hawk travel trailers come with wood grain accent paneling, furnace with auto ignition, skylight in bathroom, thermostat and a whole gamut of optional upgrades that you can choose from on the basis of need, preference and of course affordability. For instance, you can choose tub surround, a better air conditioner or a secondary air conditioner, frameless windows or a skylight in the kitchen perhaps. Why should a bath or shower be under the sun or a starry sky, cooking could be too. The high output furnace with a thermostat in the wall, the décor and the variants, the closeable and directional vents for the air conditioner and floor plans pave the way for the versatility you would want.

Choosing the Best Luxury Travel Trailer

It is always imperative to tick the essential checkboxes prior to delving into the luxury features or additional amenities, regardless of how much you have prioritized the latter. You have to comply with the towing capacity, bear in mind the restrictions in length and in some cases weight depending on the routes you take or wherever you are headed, the accommodating capacity would always be important and so would be the storage space. The more people you have onboard, the storage requirement would escalate proportionately and not every travel trailer has the same space for such needs.

You should focus on imperative features that you need and which will satiate all the requirements of your family and friends. Prioritize the best manufacturers or the most reliable brands. Use some budgeting tools such as payment calculator and always explore finance options, tow vehicle ratings, and trade-in values before you choose a particular brand, model or specific variant. These may seem to be facilitating factors but they can be crucial and almost consequential when you have to account for a substantial difference in what you can conveniently afford and what you must pay, whether or not the value would be worthwhile and if the travel trailer will be appropriate given the towing capacity of your vehicle. You may want to consider upgrades or optional features after you have zeroed in on a model or variant. The surplus factors would only complicate the process of choosing the best among the top five luxury travel trailers.

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source https://www.crowsurvival.com/luxury-travel-trailers/ source https://crowsurvival.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-top-five-luxury-travel-trailers.html

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The Top Five Luxury Travel Trailers

Travel trailers are expected to offer a comfortable and safe space for you to camp and sleep during your adventures on the road. You could be headed for the mountains, the forests, the beaches or some remote place that is tucked away from the distractions of the modern world. You could be traveling cross-country or you may prefer to stick to the highways.

Regardless of the types of facilities that might be available at your destination or are available en-route, luxury travel trailers should provide more than the basic necessities and should offer more than a convenient location to your head at night. Some travel trailers are of course more luxurious than others. They will not only offer you a homely space where you can unwind, rejuvenate and attend to your daily needs but also a generous dose of fun and entertainment that is more often than not more akin to a well-appointed apartment.

We are now more than ever spoilt for choice when it comes to luxury travel trailers. However, luxury should be properly defined, as an abstract view will lead to inappropriate and possibly irrelevant comparisons. When we talk about the top five luxury travel trailers, we are prioritizing design and features, build quality and floor plan, ratings, and reviews from experts and fellow adventurers. So, without further ado, here is our tailor-made concise list of the five best luxury travel trailers right now. It perhaps goes without saying, but most of these are relatively expensive but they are more than worthy of being described as premium travel trailers.

Grand Design Reflection Travel Trailer

If you were to open up a dictionary, this travel trailer might just be the definition of what grandeur looks and feels like. There are five-floor plans you can choose from. The unloaded weight of the travel trailer ranges from around 7,500 pounds to almost 9,000 pounds. As few as five and as many as ten people can sleep in the trailer which is not surprising considering the dimensions of the trailer are thirty-three feet to thirty-seven feet long. The unloaded weight is in an ideal range but the loaded weight may be a tad too high for vehicles weighing half a ton, so make sure you know the towing capacity of your vehicle. This series of travel trailer is a fine example of a design that is a combination of substance and style. It looks amazing and is practical at the same time.

There are a reasonable number of variants so you may want to focus on Reflection 315RLTS or Reflection 285BHTS. The sleeping capacities of these two make them more desirable, especially for larger families. There is not much of a difference in regards to features as they remain the same regardless of the floor plan you choose. The more luxurious travel trailers in the Reflection series have a skylight with a wide view in the shower. All Grand Design Reflection travel trailers come with hand polished maple cabinet doors, a tri-fold hide-a-bed sofa, king sized wardrobe and oversized storage under the bed.

Keystone Hideout Travel Trailer

This luxurious travel trailer is one of the most spacious options that’s available on the market at the moment. The trailer is twenty-three feet to thirty-seven feet long. There are as many as forty-four different floor plans. The unloaded weight ranges from 4,100 pounds to just over 8,500 pounds. The trailer is spacious enough for three to ten people. The trailer is as spacious as it is versatile, boasting a range of features. The sheer number of floor plans offers you an opportunity to pick a unique layout to suit your specific needs, you’d be hard pressed to not find something that meets your requirements. The length, weight and other capacities would obviously vary depending on your choice. You can choose a more versatile plan if you want, provided it is sufficient for the number of people you want to accommodate. Or alternatively, choose a floor plan that provides ample room for your family, guests, and friends.  Just make sure you’re assessing all the floor plans if you wish to find the perfect Keystone Hideout travel trailer.

Hideout 28RBS and Hideout 32BHTS are relatively more popular right now owing to the features and the sheer number of choices available. There are variants that come with a roof upon which you can walk or camp and even sleep overnight if the weather is conducive to camping out. There is a high definition television inside and it is complemented by surround sound speakers, so it has your entertainment sorted if you want to have a movie night or if the weather has turned bad. There is enough storage. Most of the space under the master bed has been used for storage. There are the usual storage cabinets and spaces as well. Nearly all the variants of Keystone Hideout travel trailers come with reversible dinette cushions, six cubic feet fridge, surround sound speakers and full strutted storage under the master bed.

Palomino Puma Travel Trailer

The Palomino Puma travel trailer falls short by just one-floor plan compared to the Keystone Hideout travel trailer. There are forty-three floor plans but they come with the same features, so you are not going to compromise on any of the luxuries assured by the brand in this series. The length ranges from twenty-seven feet to thirty-eight feet. The unloaded weight ranges from just over 5,000 pounds to nearly 9,000 pounds. As many as ten people can sleep in the trailer, which even when maxed out, it doesn’t feel overly cramped or lacking in space.  If you’re traveling as a couple or even by yourself, the space available is a little bit excessive, we think it’s best for four or more travelers.

Palomino Puma travel trailer is versatile and spacious. It’s really comfortable and has in our opinion a really swanky interior. The luxury features are simply great given the price range. Many manufacturers tend to limit the luxury features when creating some of the more reasonably priced variants. This brand does no such thing with this series, with prices that are substantially more appreciable than those of some of the other luxury travel trailers on this list, you’ll be hard pressed to find better value elsewhere.

The Puma 32RKTS and Puma 27RLSS have been critically well received, and we think this is well deserved. Both have decorative kitchen backsplash, bath skylight, jackknife sofa, nickel finish kitchen faucet and extra storage space such as under the sofa among other places. There are four choices of interior décor, which is in addition to the floor plans you choose. The single control kitchen faucet has a high rise, the splashboard is utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing, the pull-down drink tray at the center of the jackknife sofa is well positioned and practical, and the extensive list of possible expansions and upgrades are going to be sufficient to satiate even the most demanding users.

Heartland North Trail Travel Trailer

The Heartland North Trail travel trailer excels at providing an environment for relaxation and entertainment, which are two quintessential elements that ensure you finish your travels relaxed and rejuvenated. The Heartland North Trail travel trailer has twenty-one different floor plans. The trailers weigh anywhere between 4,500 pounds to just over 8,000 pounds when unloaded.  The heartland is suitable for between four and nine people and is available in varying lengths from twenty-six feet to thirty-seven feet. The spectrum of choices is almost mind-blowing, which means that I will put money down that you’re bound to find one that meets your needs.  So, while other luxury travel trailers might not meet all your requirements, meaning you’ll be forced to make compromises. For example, you may find some luxury travel trailers are unsuitable for vehicles with lower towing capacity, but this is not something you’ll run into with the Heartland.  The heartland boasts so many options, sizes and configuration options that there’s something for everyone.

If you choose to go with the lightest Heartland North Trail which weighs 4,450 pounds without any additional load, it is well suited for those driving a half ton vehicle or have a little more towing capacity.  Anyone with this sort of vehicle is unlikely to be able to choose a trailer that weighs a whopping 8,000 unloaded pounds.

If your towing vehicle is up to the challenge, and you can afford to pull 8,000 pounds of unloaded weight, you’ll be rewarded with an impressive amount of floor space in which you can stretch your legs. That is more than enough space for as many as ten people, or less if you really like to stretch out. The diversity in the floor plans ensures you can find just the kind of layout you need for your adventures without compromising how you wish to go about your daily tasks, relaxation or anything else.

North Trail 33 BUDS and North Trail 31BHDD have been well received by the press recently and for good reason. They are exceptionally well appointed and incredibly spacious as well. It should be noted that the more compact models or variants within the series do not necessarily compromise on the luxurious features. You can still get the high definition LED television and the swivel feature so you can point the television towards the bedroom and fall asleep while watching your favorite show or movie. The interiors are brought to life courtesy of the accented walls, the decorative inserts made of glass and you may even choose outside speakers if you want to take the fun outside. All models or variants come with a monitor panel in the bathroom, shower skylight, designer accent walls, and decorative glass inserts and you can have outside speakers with any.

Jayco White Hawk Travel Trailer

The Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has a sleek external appearance, and it has just as comfortable interiors as the others on this list. The unloaded weight of this trailer ranges from over 5,200 to nearly 7,800 pounds. The length varies from twenty-six feet to thirty-seven feet. You can comfortably accommodate four to nine people depending on the floor plan you choose, which will determine the legroom to a large extent.

Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has a standout décor. There are three distinct options to choose from. While all the luxury travel trailers listed here look amazing inside, this one is sophisticated and chic at the same time. One décor makes it just another version of a typical home and another makes it look like a motorhome or vanity camper used by celebrities. Jayco White Hawk travel trailer has more than sufficient versatility in regards to floor plans. Sure, you do not get as many as forty-three or forty-four options but twenty-six variants you get to choose from are enough to satiate your need for distinctness. It is unlikely you would not find at least half a dozen plans suitable for your family and friends. White Hawk 32 BHS and White Hawk 31BH are the more popular ones right now but the others are equally worthwhile.

Jayco White Hawk travel trailers come with wood grain accent paneling, furnace with auto ignition, skylight in bathroom, thermostat and a whole gamut of optional upgrades that you can choose from on the basis of need, preference and of course affordability. For instance, you can choose tub surround, a better air conditioner or a secondary air conditioner, frameless windows or a skylight in the kitchen perhaps. Why should a bath or shower be under the sun or a starry sky, cooking could be too. The high output furnace with a thermostat in the wall, the décor and the variants, the closeable and directional vents for the air conditioner and floor plans pave the way for the versatility you would want.

Choosing the Best Luxury Travel Trailer

It is always imperative to tick the essential checkboxes prior to delving into the luxury features or additional amenities, regardless of how much you have prioritized the latter. You have to comply with the towing capacity, bear in mind the restrictions in length and in some cases weight depending on the routes you take or wherever you are headed, the accommodating capacity would always be important and so would be the storage space. The more people you have onboard, the storage requirement would escalate proportionately and not every travel trailer has the same space for such needs.

You should focus on imperative features that you need and which will satiate all the requirements of your family and friends. Prioritize the best manufacturers or the most reliable brands. Use some budgeting tools such as payment calculator and always explore finance options, tow vehicle ratings, and trade-in values before you choose a particular brand, model or specific variant. These may seem to be facilitating factors but they can be crucial and almost consequential when you have to account for a substantial difference in what you can conveniently afford and what you must pay, whether or not the value would be worthwhile and if the travel trailer will be appropriate given the towing capacity of your vehicle. You may want to consider upgrades or optional features after you have zeroed in on a model or variant. The surplus factors would only complicate the process of choosing the best among the top five luxury travel trailers.

crowsurvival.com

The post The Top Five Luxury Travel Trailers appeared first on Crow Survival.

source https://www.crowsurvival.com/luxury-travel-trailers/