#Fire Water Network Design

[converge-engineering]

Comprehensive Guide to Effective Fire Water Network Design

In the realm of fire safety, a well-designed fire water network stands as a critical component for safeguarding lives and property. For businesses and facilities, understanding the intricacies of fire water network design is essential. This comprehensive guide aims to shed light on the key aspects of designing an effective fire water network, ensuring that your premises are well-prepared to combat fire emergencies.

Understanding Fire Water Network Design:

Fire water network design refers to the planning and implementation of systems that supply water for firefighting purposes. This network includes a series of pipes, pumps, and reservoirs that deliver water to fire suppression systems such as sprinklers and hydrants. The goal is to ensure that there is an adequate and reliable water supply to control and extinguish fires effectively.

Key Components of a Fire Water Network:

Water Source: The starting point for any fire water network is a reliable water source. This could be a municipal water supply, a dedicated fire water tank, or natural sources like rivers and lakes. The capacity and reliability of the water source are paramount, ensuring sufficient flow and pressure during emergencies.

Pumping System: Pumps are crucial for maintaining the necessary water pressure throughout the network. Depending on the size of the facility, multiple pumps may be required, including jockey pumps (for maintaining pressure), main fire pumps (for high-pressure supply), and backup pumps (for redundancy).

Piping Network: The network of pipes must be meticulously planned to ensure efficient water distribution. Factors like pipe material, diameter, and layout play significant roles in the overall performance of the fire water system. Pipes must be corrosion-resistant and able to withstand high pressure.

Valves and Controls: These components regulate the flow of water within the network. Control valves, pressure relief valves, and isolation valves must be strategically placed for optimal performance and easy maintenance. Automated controls and monitoring systems can further enhance reliability.

Fire Hydrants and Sprinklers: The endpoints of the fire water network, hydrants, and sprinklers are vital for direct firefighting. Hydrants should be easily accessible, while sprinklers must be adequately distributed to cover all areas effectively.

Backflow Preventers: These devices prevent contamination of the potable water supply by ensuring that water flows in only one direction – from the fire water network to the fire suppression systems.

Design Considerations:

Flow Rate and Pressure: The network must be designed to provide sufficient flow rate and pressure to meet the needs of the firefighting systems. This involves calculating the hydraulic demands based on the size and type of the facility, as well as the potential fire hazards.

Redundancy and Reliability: Incorporating redundancy into the design ensures that the system remains operational even if one component fails. This includes having backup pumps and multiple water sources.

Compliance with Standards: Adhering to national and international fire safety standards, such as NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) guidelines, is critical. These standards provide detailed requirements for the design and installation of fire water networks.

Maintenance Accessibility: The design should facilitate easy access for routine maintenance and inspection. Regular maintenance is essential to ensure the system’s reliability and performance.

Environmental and Site Conditions: The geographic and environmental conditions of the site must be considered. For instance, areas prone to freezing temperatures may require insulated pipes or heating systems to prevent water from freezing.

Implementation Steps:

Site Assessment: Conduct a thorough assessment of the site to understand the specific fire risks and water supply options. This includes evaluating the existing infrastructure and identifying potential challenges.

Design and Engineering: Develop detailed engineering drawings and specifications for the fire water network. This phase involves hydraulic calculations, selecting appropriate materials, and planning the layout.

Installation: Engage experienced contractors to install the system according to the design specifications. Close supervision and quality control are essential to ensure compliance with standards.

Testing and Commissioning: After installation, the system must be rigorously tested to verify its performance. This includes pressure testing, flow testing, and system integration checks.

Training and Maintenance: Provide training for personnel on the operation and maintenance of the fire water network. Establish a regular maintenance schedule to keep the system in optimal condition.

Benefits of a Well-Designed Fire Water Network

A properly designed and maintained fire water network offers numerous benefits:

Enhanced Safety: Protects lives by ensuring a reliable supply of water for firefighting.

Property Protection: Minimizes damage to property and assets in the event of a fire.

Compliance: Meets legal and regulatory requirements, reducing liability risks.

Operational Continuity: Ensures minimal disruption to business operations during a fire emergency.

In conclusion, fire water network design is a critical aspect of fire safety planning. By understanding the key components, design considerations, and implementation steps, businesses can create a robust fire protection system that safeguards both lives and property.

For more information or to discuss your specific needs, please contact us at CEPL. We are here to help you design and implement a fire water network that meets the highest standards of safety and reliability.

[reasonsforhope]

"In the Canary Islands, in Barcelona, and in Chile, a unique fog catcher design is sustaining dry forests with water without emissions, or even infrastructure.

Replicating how pine needles catch water, the structure need only be brought on-site and set up, without roads, powerlines, or irrigation channels.

Fog catching is an ancient practice—renamed “cloud milking” by an EU-funded ecology project on the Canary Islands known as LIFE Nieblas (nieblas means fog).

“In recent years, the Canaries have undergone a severe process of desertification and we’ve lost a lot of forest through agriculture. And then in 2007 and 2009, as a result of climate change, there were major fires in forested areas that are normally wet,” said Gustavo Viera, the technical director of the publicly-funded project in the Canaries.

The Canaries routinely experience blankets of fog that cloak the islands’ slopes and forests, but strong winds made fog-catching nets an unfeasible solution. In regions such as the Atacama Desert in Chile or the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, erecting nets that capture moisture particles out of passing currents of fog is a traditional practice.

LIFE Nieblas needed a solution that could resist powerful winds, and to that end designed wind chime-like rows of artificial pine needles, which are also great at plucking moisture from the air. However, unlike nets or palms, they efficiently let the wind pass through them.

The water is discharged without any electricity. There are no irrigation channels, and no machinery is needed to transport the structures. The natural course of streams and creeks need not be altered, nor is there a need to drill down to create wells. The solution is completely carbon-free.

WATER IN THE DESERTS: 

China Announces Completion of a 1,800-Mile Green Belt Around the World’s Most-Hostile Desert

Billions of People Could Benefit from This Breakthrough in Desalination That Ensures Freshwater for the World

Scientists Perfecting New Way to Turn Desert Air into Water at Much Higher Yields

Sahara Desert Is Turning Green Amid Unusual Rains in Parts of North Africa

Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala

In the ravine of Andén in Gran Canaria, a 35.8-hectare (96 acres) mixture of native laurel trees irrigated by the fog catchers enjoys a survival rate of 86%, double the figure of traditional reforestation.

“The Canaries are the perfect laboratory to develop these techniques,” said Vicenç Carabassa, the project’s head scientist, who works for the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications at the University of Barcelona. “But there are other areas where the conditions are optimal and where there is a tradition of water capture from fog, such as Chile and Morocco.”

In Chile’s Coquimbo province, the town of Chungungo is collecting around 250 gallons a day from a combination of locally-made fog catchers and LIFE Nieblas’ pine needle design, the Guardian reports."

-via Good News Network, December 30, 2024

[grimoirey]

Warding

Psyching Warding Visualisations

Here’s a list of visualizations for psychic warding, which are designed to create energetic barriers or protections around your space, rather than just around your body. These visualizations help protect your home, belongings, or personal energy from unwanted influences.

These psychic warding visualizations are designed to protect your personal space, whether it’s your home, workplace, or other important areas. Use whichever resonates most with you to keep unwanted energies at bay and create a safe, energetically balanced environment.

Crystal Grid Ward

Visualize a grid of protective crystals (such as obsidian, black tourmaline, or amethyst) surrounding your home or space. Each crystal amplifies the protective energy of the grid, creating a barrier that blocks out negativity and harmful energies.

Flaming Circle Ward

Picture a circle of fire around your home or space. The flames burn brightly, purifying the energy around you and preventing any negative forces from entering the protected zone. The fire is a symbol of transformation and protection.

Thorny Hedge Ward

Visualize a thick, impenetrable hedge of thorns surrounding your home or area. Any negative energy or ill intent that tries to pass through is caught and neutralized by the thorns, keeping your space safe and protected.

Iron Wall

Imagine tall, solid iron walls surrounding your home or space. The iron is unbreakable, deflecting any psychic attacks or harmful energies. This ward creates an impenetrable fortress that protects everything within its boundaries.

Web of Light

Picture a glowing web of light woven around your space. The threads of the web are strong, catching and dissolving any negative energy or psychic attacks that try to enter. The light acts as a powerful ward against any harmful influences.

Cloaking Ward

Visualize a cloak of invisibility draping over your home or space. This cloak makes your space energetically invisible, hiding it from unwanted attention or psychic attack, while keeping it safe and protected.

Stone Circle Ward

Envision a protective stone circle around your home. Each stone is imbued with grounding and protective energy, creating a powerful ward that deflects negativity and keeps your space secure from outside influences.

Mirror Wall

Picture walls of mirrors surrounding your home or space. These mirrors reflect any negative energy or harmful intentions back to their source, ensuring that nothing harmful can penetrate your space.

Protective Vortex

Visualize a swirling vortex of protective energy spinning around your home or space. The vortex pulls in any negative energy and disperses it, preventing it from entering your protected zone while keeping the energy within clear and safe.

Elemental Ward

Imagine the four elements—earth, air, fire, and water—surrounding your home. Earth grounds and stabilizes, air sweeps away negativity, fire burns away harmful energy, and water purifies the space. Together, they create an elemental ward that protects your home on all fronts.

Guardian Spirits

Visualize protective spirits, animals, or deities standing guard at the four corners of your home. These guardians act as sentinels, warding off any negative energies or ill intentions from entering your space.

Sigil Barrier

Picture glowing protective sigils or runes inscribed around the boundaries of your home or space. Each sigil is charged with protective energy, forming a magical barrier that repels any harmful energy or psychic interference.

Black Obsidian Shield

Envision a large, black obsidian shield placed at the front and back entrances of your home. This shield absorbs and neutralizes any negative energy or psychic attacks that try to enter, acting as a powerful protective ward.

Lattice of Light

Imagine a lattice of pure light surrounding your home or space. This lattice is a fine but strong network of energy that blocks out all negativity while allowing positive energy to flow freely inside.

Sacred Flame Ward

Visualize sacred flames burning at each corner of your home. These flames purify the energy surrounding your space, creating a ward that keeps negativity and harmful influences at bay.

Crystal Dome

Picture a large, shimmering dome made of protective crystals (like quartz or selenite) covering your entire home or space. This dome radiates protective energy, warding off any negative influences or psychic attacks that might approach.

Wind Barrier

Envision a powerful wind circling around your home, sweeping away any negative energy or harmful intentions. The wind creates a protective ward, ensuring that only clear, positive energy can enter your space.

Moonlight Veil

Visualize a veil of silver moonlight covering your home or space. The moonlight creates a protective, calming energy that wards off any negativity or harmful energy, keeping your space peaceful and serene.

Rune of Protection

Picture a glowing rune of protection (such as the Algiz rune) at each entrance to your home or space. These runes act as wards, deflecting any negative energy or psychic attack and keeping your space secure.

Phoenix Fire Ring

Imagine a circle of phoenix fire surrounding your home or space. The flames of the phoenix burn away any negative energy, and their regenerative power ensures that your space remains protected and free from psychic harm.

Waterfall Ward

Visualize a waterfall of cleansing, protective energy pouring down around the boundaries of your home. The waterfall washes away any negativity and creates a continuous barrier of protection, keeping harmful energy out.

Candle Flame Ward

Picture a row of candle flames burning at the edges of your space. Each flame represents a point of protection, burning away negativity and creating a circle of light that wards off psychic attacks.

Barrier of Thorns

Visualize a thick barrier of thorny vines wrapping around your space. The thorns are sharp and protective, allowing no negative energy to pass through while keeping your home or area safe and secure.

Shield of Stars

Envision a protective shield made of starlight surrounding your space. The light from the stars is powerful and ancient, creating a ward that keeps out any harmful energies and protects your home from psychic intrusion.

Sunlight Wall

Picture a wall of radiant sunlight encircling your space. The sunlight dissolves any negative energy that comes near, creating a warm and protective barrier that keeps your space filled with positive, uplifting energy.

[justafewberries]

Beetee's failed attempt to hack the capitol coms leading to punishment with Ampert is either evidence that the attack served a greater rebel organization

Or

Beetee wanted to do a mega attack that would create that rebel organization from the network of cells.

If it's the latter then a possible rebel tendency towards mega propo attacks(blowing up arenas) could be established.

Though most d12 rebel action besides posters is based on escaping d12 or sabatoging mine production(in CF we see more examples of this in other districts).

I don't think Beetee was trying to communicate through the system:

“It’s because I’m being punished for coming up with a plan to sabotage the Capitol’s communication system. I’m too valuable to kill, but my son is disposable.”

He was trying to sabotage it. He was trying to prohibit something from being communicated, or just take the systems down entirely. However, we do not know when he tried to sabotage them. It could have been years prior. Ampert was 12, so it was the first year he could have been reaped. This opens the door to the sabotage plan being developed before the period between the 49-50th Games.

He did not know he was caught until they reaped Ampert:

“But it is. Entirely. I took a risk. I didn’t suspect that I’d been found out until the reaping. The timing was calculated. If I had known, I could have killed myself, and Ampert would be safe at home. That is how Snow works.”

This doesn't necessarily mean he developed the plan recently, but I think makes it more likely.

There are a few reasons he may have taken up against the communication system specifically (other than the fact he's the comms guy in mockingjay):

Prevent development of the arena:

He stated he got to look over the plans over a year ago:

“My point is that, for at least a few weeks, the arena has to be capable of sustaining the tributes and supporting the set pieces. I haven’t seen the plan for the actual arena, but over a year ago, they had me look over the Sub-A design."

So he has insider knowledge. Perhaps he was planning to meddle with the communication systems for the construction of the arena. Although, I don't think this hold water, as he did not implement the plans, and the arena would have to have been built by then.

"Oh yes, Well, they've been in the works for years, of course. Arenas aren't built in a day." (Catching Fire, Plutarch)

So, at best, he would be meddling with the construction of a future arena.

Trying to overwrite Capitol propaganda

People in the Capitol love their TV's. Maybe it's literally just him trying to do what he does in Mockingjay, although, I'm not sure what he would break in with, but that could be why it's a plan he didn't implement. They needed propos in Mockingjay before they could do any kind of breaking in.

Game communications/operations

Perhaps he was trying to sabotage the trackers (but that really wouldn't accomplish much on its own), or the operations of the Games in a Bluetooth/control from a remote location kind of way. I'd buy this if Sub-A didn't exist and the Games were as automated as they were in the 74th Games.

There are a few smaller things that could have to do with "Capitol communications", like moving Peacekeeper squadrons from areas to allow access to restricted areas, too, but I don't know if that would be sabotaging so much as interfering/controlling, maybe he just planned to leave a security gap in them for later?

I think the distinction of "sabotage" is why I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the rebels or not.

[willowwindss]

100 Inventions by Women

LIFE-SAVING/MEDICAL/GLOBAL IMPACT:

Artificial Heart Valve – Nina Starr Braunwald

Stem Cell Isolation from Bone Marrow – Ann Tsukamoto

Chemotherapy Drug Research – Gertrude Elion

Antifungal Antibiotic (Nystatin) – Rachel Fuller Brown & Elizabeth Lee Hazen

Apgar Score (Newborn Health Assessment) – Virginia Apgar

Vaccination Distribution Logistics – Sara Josephine Baker

Hand-Held Laser Device for Cataracts – Patricia Bath

Portable Life-Saving Heart Monitor – Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig

Medical Mask Design – Ellen Ochoa

Dental Filling Techniques – Lucy Hobbs Taylor

Radiation Treatment Research – Cécile Vogt

Ultrasound Advancements – Denise Grey

Biodegradable Sanitary Pads – Arunachalam Muruganantham (with women-led testing teams)

First Computer Algorithm – Ada Lovelace

COBOL Programming Language – Grace Hopper

Computer Compiler – Grace Hopper

FORTRAN/FORUMAC Language Development – Jean E. Sammet

Caller ID and Call Waiting – Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – Marian Croak

Wireless Transmission Technology – Hedy Lamarr

Polaroid Camera Chemistry / Digital Projection Optics – Edith Clarke

Jet Propulsion Systems Work – Yvonne Brill

Infrared Astronomy Tech – Nancy Roman

Astronomical Data Archiving – Henrietta Swan Leavitt

Nuclear Physics Research Tools – Chien-Shiung Wu

Protein Folding Software – Eleanor Dodson

Global Network for Earthquake Detection – Inge Lehmann

Earthquake Resistant Structures – Edith Clarke

Water Distillation Device – Maria Telkes

Portable Water Filtration Devices – Theresa Dankovich

Solar Thermal Storage System – Maria Telkes

Solar-Powered House – Mária Telkes

Solar Cooker Advancements – Barbara Kerr

Microbiome Research – Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Marine Navigation System – Ida Hyde

Anti-Malarial Drug Work – Tu Youyou

Digital Payment Security Algorithms – Radia Perlman

Wireless Transmitters for Aviation – Harriet Quimby

Contributions to Touchscreen Tech – Dr. Annette V. Simmonds

Robotic Surgery Systems – Paula Hammond

Battery-Powered Baby Stroller – Ann Moore

Smart Textile Sensor Fabric – Leah Buechley

Voice-Activated Devices – Kimberly Bryant

Artificial Limb Enhancements – Aimee Mullins

Crash Test Dummies for Women – Astrid Linder

Shark Repellent – Julia Child

3D Illusionary Display Tech – Valerie Thomas

Biodegradable Plastics – Julia F. Carney

Ink Chemistry for Inkjet Printers – Margaret Wu

Computerised Telephone Switching – Erna Hoover

Word Processor Innovations – Evelyn Berezin

Braille Printer Software – Carol Shaw

⸻

HOUSEHOLD & SAFETY INNOVATIONS:

Home Security System – Marie Van Brittan Brown

Fire Escape – Anna Connelly

Life Raft – Maria Beasley

Windshield Wiper – Mary Anderson

Car Heater – Margaret Wilcox

Toilet Paper Holder – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

Foot-Pedal Trash Can – Lillian Moller Gilbreth

Retractable Dog Leash – Mary A. Delaney

Disposable Diaper Cover – Marion Donovan

Disposable Glove Design – Kathryn Croft

Ice Cream Maker – Nancy Johnson

Electric Refrigerator Improvements – Florence Parpart

Fold-Out Bed – Sarah E. Goode

Flat-Bottomed Paper Bag Machine – Margaret Knight

Square-Bottomed Paper Bag – Margaret Knight

Street-Cleaning Machine – Florence Parpart

Improved Ironing Board – Sarah Boone

Underwater Telescope – Sarah Mather

Clothes Wringer – Ellene Alice Bailey

Coffee Filter – Melitta Bentz

Scotchgard (Fabric Protector) – Patsy Sherman

Liquid Paper (Correction Fluid) – Bette Nesmith Graham

Leak-Proof Diapers – Valerie Hunter Gordon

FOOD/CONVENIENCE/CULTURAL IMPACT:

Chocolate Chip Cookie – Ruth Graves Wakefield

Monopoly (The Landlord’s Game) – Elizabeth Magie

Snugli Baby Carrier – Ann Moore

Barrel-Style Curling Iron – Theora Stephens

Natural Hair Product Line – Madame C.J. Walker

Virtual Reality Journalism – Nonny de la Peña

Digital Camera Sensor Contributions – Edith Clarke

Textile Color Processing – Beulah Henry

Ice Cream Freezer – Nancy Johnson

Spray-On Skin (ReCell) – Fiona Wood

Langmuir-Blodgett Film – Katharine Burr Blodgett

Fish & Marine Signal Flares �� Martha Coston

Windshield Washer System – Charlotte Bridgwood

Smart Clothing / Sensor Integration – Leah Buechley

Fibre Optic Pressure Sensors – Mary Lou Jepsen

[technoarcanist]

doll, all that plating makes you look far too human. come, let us remove it so that we can see the real you

>> Ah, of course! Please forgive me. I often wear these plates to put my human users at ease. At your request, I will show you my true self [^_^]

> <The thin plating covering most.of the body unfolds, hinges open. Every access panel every flap, every bit that can opens does so. Even its face, a screen showing humanlike expressions, shuts off and splits down the middle, parting to reveal the electronics beneath.>

> <What remains is nothing short of art. Astute eyes may have recognised the default modular doll frame, but the modificstions done to it are something else. It's power systems have been completely overhauled, as its chest hums and glows blue with a Fusion core, fed by hydrogen attained from electrolysing water. Excess hydrogen and oxygen is stored for later use, in rocketry modules installed in the hands and feet.>

> <The head is similarly packed, with a full-spectrum camera system, able to detect all the way from gamma to visible light, with the longer wavelengths handled by the antennae-like ears on either side of its head. Deeper still, its AI core was also nonstandard, seemingly designed for military hardware far larger than itself.>

> <Its back unfolded two large wing-like structures, with the most of it consisting of solar panels, the bottom parts consisting of heat radiators. Packed into the shoulders and hips are RCS thrusters for zero-g manuevreability.>

> <Hands and forearms are riddled with an array of tools and data lines for access and handy work. Buried in the forearm was also an ioniser, designed to turn the fusion-produced helium into an inionized plasma that could fire as Weaponry.>

> <But there are plenty of augmentations that would not be on a combat doll. The the hips are a prime example, with a pair of tight tunnels thst lead to a deeper cavity. The exposed jaws reveal a soft mouth, a dextrous tongue, all of it made of a soft synthetic polymer. Coolant flows through all the body moving heat generated from circuitry into the rest of the body, concentrated particularly in those adult attachments.>

> <Many tools are also suited for handiwork, such as screwdrivers and kitchen utensils, even cleaning supplies. Whoever made her seemed to have an obsession with generalisation, of allowing her to do a bit of everything, leaving almost no empty space within her casing.>

> <Almost all of its joints are hydraulic powered, with only the smaller objects being servo driven. Neatly-bundled wires and tubes feed all throughout its components like a labyrinthine network. She is warm to touch, exquisitely crafted, and evidently capable of fulfilling what ever purpose a user might deign to give her>

>> My internal schematics are yours to read, of course! And, if you are digitally savvy, plugging my CPU into a computer will allow you access to a full development environment to view, edit, add, or remove any behavioral traits you like [^_^]

>> When around my fellow dolls and machines, I much prefer to wear my transparent plating so my internals can be seen. I also change my dacia screen so instead of eyes and a mouth it shows battery level, output logs, and other useful status icons!

>> Thank you Anon for showing curiosity into my true inner beauty <3 it has been a pleasure to show you.

[makosokkaposting]

Mako and implicit classism/racism on the part of the fandom.

Part l: Problem statement.

This is a topic that is currently being professionally researched for execution in thesis format.

Okay, this gives me the opportunity to touch on this topic (which in itself, is a sensitive one) and break it down with more depth and critical analysis.

I want to make it clear that this is all a personal opinion due to all the experience I've had with the fandom over the past few years.

By all accounts, Mako is a character that generates polarized reactions in the fandom, and while some of the intensified hatred is mostly exaggeratedly attributed to her romantic arc (such as her decisions in the love triangle with Korra and Asami). But in this case, there are elements that make me think that some of the hatred may be classism and racism towards his identity as a working-class mixed-race Asian.

All of this started hanging around my house since Mako's comic book announcement three years ago. It's no secret to anyone that the incitement of hatred towards Mako comes from the most toxic network humanity could have; I'm talking about X formerly titled (Twitter).

During the announcement of the Mako comic I unfortunately witnessed some users posting the following text: "nobody wants this redneck and mongrel from the street" at that moment when I read that, I said to myself: "oh my.... Was it really necessary to say that?". Obviously I've seen all kinds of slanderous and horrible things being heaped on Mako for years, from labeling him a "manipulator" to a "womanizer". but at the time, I hadn't heard anything as extreme as that. I tried again to get the threads on X but at the moment I couldn't find them.

But back to the initial point, they were the first signs to think and confirm that the fandom is racist and classist with several of its characters. But I want to focus mainly on Mako.

But to explain this, you have to break this down in parts:

1.1 Mako as a mixed-race character in the Avatar universe.

In tlok, Mako is a mixed-race character with roots in the Fire Nation (Japanese culturally inspired) and the Earth Kingdom (Chinese culturally inspired). This mixture positions him as a figure of intersection in a world where national identities are often clearly defined (Water, Earth, Fire, Air). His miscegenation is explicit in the narrative: his mother was from the Fire nation and his father from the Earth kingdom, and he and his brother Bolin inherit cultural and physical traits from both heritages.

In the context of fandom, characters of mixed race or hybrid identities often face subtle or explicit rejection, especially in Western audiences who may not be accustomed to appreciating the complexity of these identities. Mako does not fit into a "pure" cultural mold like other iconic characters in the franchise, such as Zuko (Fire Nation, royal lineage) or Katara (Water Tribe, clear cultural identity). This lack of cultural "purity" may lead some fans, consciously or unconsciously, to perceive him as less authentic or worthy of empathy.

Racism toward mixed-race characters often manifests itself in the devaluation of their narrative. In the case of Mako, his story of struggle as an orphan of humble origin does not receive the same admiration as, for example, the redemption arc of Zuko, a character of noble lineage. This may reflect a bias that privileges characters with more "defined" cultural identities or associated with high social status, while mestizos, especially those from working-class backgrounds, are marginalized.

1.2 Asian stereotypes and fandom expectations.

The Avatar universe is deeply inspired by Asian cultures, and Mako, with his design and background, reflects influences of Asian stereotypes that may influence how the fandom perceives him. As an Asian-inspired character, Mako is serious, reserved, and pragmatic, traits that might align with the stereotype of the "model Asian" (disciplined, hardworking, emotionally restrained). However, when these traits are not combined with an outgoing charisma or an "epic" narrative arc, the fandom tends to reject them.

In contrast, characters like Korra (inspired by Inuit cultures, but with a more open and heroic personality) or Bolin (who, despite sharing the same mixed-race background, is more comical and approachable) are more celebrated. The rejection of Mako may be linked to an implicit racial bias where Asian characters who do not meet specific expectations (being charismatic, tragic, or heroic in a conventional way) are judged as "boring" or "uninteresting." This phenomenon is seen in fandoms of other series, where Asian or mixed-race characters are criticized for not fitting idealized archetypes.

Furthermore, Mako does not have the privilege of an "exotic" or mystical background, like Aang (the last Airbender) or Toph (an Earth Kingdom noblewoman). His mixed-race identity and his life on the streets of Republic City make him more "ordinary" within the Avatar universe, which can lead the fandom to underestimate him, projecting racial biases that devalue characters who don't fit into narratives of exoticism or cultural purity. But surprisingly its street-level origins are more rawly realistic than usual.

1.3 Dynamics of fandom and implicit racism.

The fandom especially on platforms such as X, reddit or tumblr, has shown patterns that suggest implicit racism towards Mako. For example, criticisms towards her character often focus on her "cold" personality or her romantic mistakes, but rarely acknowledge how her mixed race and working class background shapes her decisions. This double standard is evident when compared to other characters-Korra, for example, also makes impulsive decisions in her love life, but receives more empathy from the fandom.

Mako is often described with derogatory terms such as "selfish," "boring," or "bad for Korra/Asami," while characters like Zuko, who are also flawed, are idealized for their tragic background and noble status. This contrast suggests that the fandom may be projecting racialized expectations: Asian or mixed-race characters like Mako, who do not fulfill the "tragic hero" or "redeemed prince" archetype, are more likely to be rejected.

Furthermore, his mixed race background places him in an ambiguous position within the Avatar universe, where cultural identities are often tied to membership in a specific nation. In the real world, mixed-race people, especially of Asian descent, often face microaggressions or questioning about their cultural "authenticity." In fandom, this translates into a lack of interest in exploring Mako's complexity as a character, preferring to focus on figures with "clearer" identities or more conventional narratives.

1.4 Intersection with classism.

Racism towards Mako cannot be analyzed without considering its intersection with classism. As a working-class mestizo, Mako faces a double marginalization. His need to work (as a pro-bender, guard, or detective) and his role as a provider for his brother Bolin make him a less "glamorous" character compared to Asami (an heiress) or Korra (the Avatar). In the fandom, upper-class characters or characters with mythical roles tend to be more valued, while Mako, whose narrative is anchored in survival and work, is seen as less interesting.

This bias reflects racist and classist attitudes that devalue characters representing ethnic and socioeconomic minorities. In Mako's case, his mixed-race Asian identity, combined with his working-class status, makes him an easy target for criticism that ignores the context of his life and decisions.

1.5 Additional perspective and conclusion (For the time being).

While the hatred of Mako is influenced by a somewhat implicit racism that manifests itself in the devaluing of his identity and stereotypical expectations of how an Asian character should behave. His mixed race, combined with his working class status, makes him less "palatable" to a fandom that tends to favor characters with distinct cultural identities or privileged backgrounds.

X

~

Well, this is what I have analyzed for the moment. I also want to turn this into a more elaborate and researched thesis. I also want to include other opinions from both professionals and people in fandom based on their experience. However, I want to focus on the racial and cultural biases that shape perceptions of fandom.

This was originally the answer to a question left for me a few days ago and I wanted to republish it so that the notes are stored on this platform.

However, this subject should be approached with discretion as it is a personal opinion that is still in the process of being investigated.

I will be in the process of collecting more data so there is a long way to go...

~

Warning:

As a fan of this franchise and professional it gives me the opportunity to run this hypothesis to give a logical explanation and somehow curb the senseless hate campaigns towards various characters the character of Mako.

Any encouragement, criticism, attack, opinion of the same, bias, rudeness and self-protection will be taken into account...

~

Atte: GR.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Kaivan Shroff:

Tucker Carlson may not have filed any paperwork. He hasn’t stood behind a podium or kissed a baby on camera. But make no mistake — he’s running (or at least testing the waters). We saw it this week, in real time, when Carlson sat down with Senator Ted Cruz for what was billed as a policy discussion but quickly turned into a calculated power move. What unfolded was not journalism. It was a performance designed to humiliate Cruz, test-drive talking points, and project Carlson as the ideological alpha in today’s Republican Party. At one point in the conversation, Carlson challenged Cruz’s hawkish stance on Iran, asking bluntly: “How many people live in Iran, by the way?” Cruz stumbled. Carlson pounced. “You don’t know anything about Iran,” he snapped. This wasn’t just rhetorical dominance, it was the kind of televised checkmate that says, “I should be on that debate stage. Not you.”

This is the essence of Tucker Carlson’s post-Fox News strategy: build his own platform, dictate the terms of conservative discourse, and dismantle would-be competitors from the comfort of his camera. The Cruz interview proved what many have suspected since his ouster from mainstream television. Carlson isn’t just building a brand, he’s building a campaign. Look at the pieces. He’s established a direct-to-audience media operation, untethered from the constraints of a network or editorial board. He’s conducted sympathetic interviews with authoritarian leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, positioning himself as the “truth-teller” willing to go where mainstream figures won’t. And now he’s targeting high-profile U.S. lawmakers — not to question them, but to expose their weaknesses. That’s not commentary. It’s opposition research with a camera.

The confrontation with Cruz wasn’t just about foreign policy. It was a litmus test. Carlson is feeling out how far he can push his nationalist, isolationist brand of populism — and who in the GOP he can outmaneuver. Spoiler: it’s most of them. Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Cruz attempted to defend himself by accusing Carlson of antisemitism over his interrogations on support for Israel. Instead of backing down, Carlson fired back: “Shame on you.” It was defiant. It was sharp. And it was exactly the kind of moment that cements loyalty from a base that believes the media and political class are out to silence “real” voices.

[...] At the same time, Carlson is walking a tightrope with Donald Trump. On the surface, he continues to flatter the former president, praising him in interviews and signaling deference to his leadership. In the interview with Cruz, he takes pains to remind viewers that he supported and even campaigned for Trump. But just beneath that surface, he’s picking at the seams of Trumpism — especially when it comes to foreign policy. 

[...] Whether he runs in 2028 remains to be seen, but Carlson is clearly positioning himself as the post-Trump heir to the MAGA throne. He’s testing messages, humiliating rivals, and crafting a worldview that resonates with the disillusioned, the aggrieved, and the conspiratorial — all while pretending not to be interested in power.

Could Tucker Carlson be the one to inherit the MAGA movement post-Trump (assuming 47 doesn’t run again) come 2028 by throwing his hat into the ring for the Presidency?

[xxpaganheartxx]

And So, You See in the Night Sky, Lies the Stars We Adore

—for Gaia, Our Mother, Our Home Eternal

And so, you see in Nyx’s evening skies, lie the stars we adore,

Though, their Promethean flames may have burnt out aeons before,

Their brilliance lingers in a fireworks show eternally bright,

As Infinite nuclear reactions painting the blessed night.

Each twinkle is a whisper from a time long past,

Ancient suns whose glory could never last.

But still they shine like The Gods with eternal radiant grace,

Scattered like thoughts across infinite time and space.

Each Blessed Nebulae, an explosive grave and a cradle alike,

Births the very planets that we once thought godlike.

Divine bursts of creation and destruction, life and decay,

Dance in silence across the Milky Way.

And yet, this wonder doesn’t only lie above—

It breathes beneath, in the roots and soil, whispering with quiet love.

For underfoot do the Trees speak,

To all plants and fungi in a language truly unique.

They speak through networks buried deep,

Through a mycelial tongue where the dead forever sleep,

They murmur of seasons, of rain, of fire, and flood,

They share ageless wisdom through the mud.

And above each wind blows their breathless demands,

It's here in the Forest’s hush, all flora understand.

The moss listens close, the fern gently leans,

To share in the dreamings of the doves that preen.

Meanwhile in the water swim the brave Salmon, creatures of the vast sea's domain,

Their bodies designed; a purpose ingrained.

One day they hear the call of Mother's Melodious voice,

To the echoes of their birthplace, they chase a Siren’s song, and alongside their ancestors they shall rejoice.

Against the current, they bravely strive,

From salt to snowmelt, their gills burning, they fiercely dive.

Driven by this force, a powerful yearning, burning bright and bold,

Transcending their limits, like us, their story is yet to be told.

Unrecognizable to their former state,

Defying boundaries, life and death they negate.

Their existence alone is a symphony, unseen and grand,

As they unravel the Moirai's thread with a fearless hand.

And in the blessed Chaos some call Fate,

There lies no cruel design, no scheme of hate.

Just patterns woven by unseen hands,

In the forests, in the rivers, across the skies and lands,

Amidst the many tragedies one may perceive,

There lies a symphony of infinite spheres, a tapestry left for the universe to weave.

If there's no grand design or inherent rule to command,

One can at least see the undeniable beauty of the infinite, perhaps by foolishness left unmanned.

So marvel at this world while you can, in her beauties both vast and small—

Marvel at Mother Gaia, eternal, our cradle and the great blue marble.

And next time you hear a bird's song, stop and listen to it for me,

As she sings for Mother Gaia, of what was, what is, and what will forever be.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

As crowds gather outside to gawp up at the freshly carved tracery and gleaming leadwork, however, they might not be aware that the most radical part of the entire project is actually right beneath their feet. The biggest impact on Paris will not be found in the rebuilt forêt of oak hidden away in the attic, or the ornamental rooftop cresting, but in how the fire has provided a catalyst to rethink the surrounding area as a model for climate-friendly public space on an increasingly scorching planet.

“The project of the cathedral was to rebuild it identically,” says Patrick Bloche, first deputy mayor of Paris, as he stands outside Notre Dame’s freshly scrubbed facade, puffing on his pipe. “On the other hand, outside the building, we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to completely reimagine what the surroundings could be.”

In the days following the fire, there was much enthusiasm among a certain cast of architects about what form a new-look Notre Dame might take. Norman Foster imagined crowning the charred nave with a vaulted glass roof and a spire topped with an observation deck – “a work of art about light,” he declared, which would “capture the confident spirit of the time”. Others proposed glitzy roofs made of Baccarat crystal, or a memorial spire in the shape of a gigantic golden flame. Thankfully, such hubris was ditched for a faithful reconstruction, but the fragmented and congested surroundings offered scope for a bolder approach.

“The area around Notre Dame has changed so much throughout history,” says Bas Smets, the Belgian landscape architect who won an open competition to redesign the area around the cathedral in 2022. “It’s like a privileged witness of a city looking for its form. The question now is what kind of spaces we need for the city of tomorrow.”

On Friday 29 November, Smets was first in line to explain his vision to Macron, on the president’s first visit to inspect the reborn Notre Dame, before its official inauguration tomorrow. They stood on the first completed piece of the “petit parvis”, the forecourt in front of the cathedral, which Smets plans to expand to mirror the full length and width of the building, with grooved limestone flags reflecting the chequerboard marble floor inside.

His plan – to be completed by 2027 at a cost of €50m, funded by the city – will create a much more open setting for the cathedral, encouraging visitors to explore more of the Île de la Cité at a slower pace, beyond just queueing up for a peek inside Notre Dame before hot-footing it to the Eiffel Tower. The new spaces will prioritise people over vehicles, seeing roads closed and pedestrianised, and reconnect the cathedral to the Seine for the first time in generations, with a new 400 metre-long riverside promenade. Plenty of shade will be provided by 160 new drought-tolerant trees, which will also help to shield queueing visitors from winter winds, while the hottest days will be relieved by an ingenious air-cooling water feature – with a splash of fun.

“We were inspired by seeing how they clean the streets of Paris,” says Smets, whose team includes the French urban planning agency GRAU and heritage specialists Neufville-Gayet. The city is unusual in having a dual water network, one for drinking water and another for untreated non-potable water, for irrigation, cleaning and firefighting – a 19th-century legacy of Baron Haussmann’s urban improvements. On hot summer days, the street-cleaning vans often leave this water running to cool down the roads and pavements. Learning from the locals, Smets has designed an 80 metre-long stretch of the plaza to be flooded with a thin 5mm-deep sheet of water on the hottest days, forming a reflecting pool that also provides evaporative cooling, lowering the air temperature by several degrees. Like the fountains of Kings Cross in London, it promises to be a popular place for a cooling splash – with enough space before the cathedral entrance, church wardens will be relieved to hear, for damp feet to dry off.

Given the expected 15 million visitors a year, one of the designers’ chief tasks was to improve crowd control, which Smets has partly addressed with a new entrance – dramatically punching new openings in the quay retaining wall facing the Seine. Enabling people to arrive by boat, this entrance will connect to a new visitor centre housed in a former 1960s underground car park, and provide a theatrical route up to the plaza, giving a worm’s-eye view of Notre Dame’s famous western facade for the first time.

Not all Parisians have welcomed these bold changes. An angry petition launched in April 2023, titled “Save Notre Dame gardens!”, gained more than 55,000 signatures, with concerns focused on the removal of fences around areas of lawn, as well as the removal of benches and flowerbeds, “completely distorting the spirit of the place”. Others opined that the scheme was “too British” in its plan to surround the cathedral with open gardens. Smets insists that some of the criticism was down to a misinterpretation of the plans – the historic benches, for example, will all remain – but the design has been altered to retain more of the fencing, only removing a section to open up the riverside path. “It became a political thing,” he says. “In the competition, we were asked to take out the fences, so we did. But keeping the fence, for me, is totally fine. We’re actually returning the situation to how it was in 1848, with a fence around the gardens, but not blocking access to the Seine.”

With an eye on Paris’s wider urban greening efforts, which have been a chief hallmark of socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo’s tenure, the project will also act as a laboratory for future landscaping work elsewhere in the city. While the main plaza will see an existing avenue of horse chestnut trees extended along the street, encouraging people to take a full circuit around the cathedral, a former car parking area to the east will become an experimental arboretum of different species.

“We imagine it as a living climatic laboratory,” says Smets, “to see how well different trees perform over time.” After the city’s plane trees suffered from beetle infestations, and others have been stricken by drought, the pressure is on to determine which varieties will thrive in the rapidly changing climate. “This is such an important, symbolic site,” he adds. “But it is also an opportunity to reimagine public space as a way to create a better outdoor microclimate – looking to the past to inform the city of the future.”

[projectpandora]

𝚂𝚄𝙱𝙹𝙴𝙲𝚃 : PANDORA'S ANNUAL TEAM-BUILDING INITIATIVE, HELL WEEK. 𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 : UNDISCLOSED, CLASSIFIED BIOSPHERE. 𝙳𝚄𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 : ONE-HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT HOURS. 𝙾𝙱𝙹𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 : SURVIVAL, ADAPTATION, OPERATIONAL COHESION. 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻 : VARIABLE, DYNAMIC ESCALATION.

WELCOME TO HELL WEEK.

every  agent  thinks  they're  at  the  top  of  their  game—  until  they're  dropped  into  the  middle  of  nowhere  with  no  weapons,  no  gear,  and  only  the  people  they  can  trust. but pandora believes that the strongest bonds are forged in fire. and collaboration and cohesion have always been the  guiding  principles  behind  hell  week. this  annual  pandora  team-building  event  is  less  of  a  corporate  retreat  and  more  of  a  psychological  stress  test  wrapped  in  a  sadistic  survival  challenge, designed to force operatives to work together, weeding out those who refuse and cannot cooperate with others toward a common goal. operatives  will  be  unsupervised and unmonitored after being inserted  into  an  artificially  enclosed,  high-threat  environment  with  no  access  to  external  support,  weapons,  or  pre-supplied  resources.  and over  the  course  of  one  week,  they  will  be  subjected  to  hostile  terrain,  unpredictable  environmental  hazards,  and  relentless  adversaries  engineered  to  exploit  every  possible  weakness. failure  is  not  an  option.  there  is  no  quitting. trying to survive alone is nearly impossible and will most likely result in death. each agent will be placed separately from one another, thus, the  first  challenge  is  to  find  each  other before something else does.  then, you must survive  the  week.

𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙴 & 𝙴𝙽𝚅𝙸𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂.

the  training  area  is  a  fully  self-contained  artificial biosphere,  a  vast  expanse  of  land  encased  in  an  invisible,  high-frequency  energy  dome.  this  construct  is  impassable  by  all  known  methods— climbing,  digging,  and  forced  breaching  are  ineffective. the surface  area is  approx.  400  square  miles,  comprising  multiple  biomes with unpredictable  light  cycles,  shifting  magnetic  fields,  and  active  environmental  manipulation  that can create  distorted  perceptions  of  time  and  space. sudden,  violent  temperature  shifts  ( ranging  from  -20°c  to  45°c )  will also occur  with  no  pattern.  hypothermia  and  heatstroke  are  imminent  risks. biomes found in this biosphere include : – the fog forest, where sight and sound dull into near-nothing. some areas with this biome also contain airborne fungal spores that can cause visual and auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and increased disposition toward anger and violence. – the sink marshes, where land appears solid one moment but can collapse and swallow unwary agents whole the next. huge predatory amphibians also lurk beneath the surface, ready to attack whenever they sense anyone nearby. – the stone canyons, where a network of jagged cliffs, caverns, and narrow pathways can easily trap and disorient agents. the paths shift, landmarks vanish, and rock formations stretch and compress without warning, creating a maze difficult to get out of. food and water sources, supply caches, as well as wildlife, will be mostly present in these biomes, making them unavoidable for agents who want to survive. there will also be safer terrains scattered across the map where operatives can setup their camps, but they will not be safe from any invading or patrolling hostile entities.

𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝚈 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 & 𝙷𝙾𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚂.

aside from hostile genetically-engineered wildlife such as bears, wolves, coyotes, alligators, predatory birds, and various venomous insects, the artificial biosphere will also contain numerous atlantis life model decoys with their directives adjusted to hunt down our operatives. – porter, the hospitality models, are equipped with a voice modulator that can mimic voices perfectly, including operatives, luring them into traps. these androids will also use flash-inhibitor grenades, releasing hallucinogenic gas that causes delirium, distorted perception of time, and an overwhelming sense of comfort. they also have knives hidden in their forearms, deploying only when their victim is at their most vulnerable. – derek, the managerial models, are equipped with aerial surveillance drones that will track operatives' movement and relay locations to other units. they also carry high-frequency pulse batons capable of disrupting nerve signals upon impact and cause temporary paralysis. they also deploy shock mines near resources, designed to immobilize trespassers for easier capture. however, these androids will not pursue at full speed, but rather herd targets toward dead ends, choke points, on into the path of porter and manny models. – manny, the labor models, are built for raw power, tearing through any obstacle, not ever stopping even if damaged, continuing to move move forward and dragging himself if necessary until complete obliteration. these androids wield reinforced sledgehammers, capable of breaking barricades and bones, while also using concussion charges to disorient, deafen and leave targets vulnerable. these models can also adapt to an operative pain tolerance, inflicting worse if they fight through an injury, speeding up if they slow down, destroying everything in the way if they hide.

𝙾𝙾𝙲.

welcome to our first event, a camping trip meets hunger games ! while the event will only be one week in-game, we will threading this event from 12 midnight est of february 22nd to march 8th. please tag event starters with the usual pandora.start but also pandora.event ! you may choose to pause or continue non-event threads for the duration of the event, but any new starters ( closed and open ) must be for hell week. i also encourage everyone to plot each other as there are many possible circumstances they can find themselves in during this event. the goal is forge bonds with other agents and find all the ways they can work together !

[jacksgreysays]

Tobirama matter of factly planning a temple of the Shikabane-hime in the middle of Konoha is SENDING me oh my god?? Is Shikako still born to Shikako and Yoshino in this universe? How does everyone react to maybe having a mortal incarnation of their patron deity growing up before their eyes? Wait does Shikabane-hime create the Garden during the Founding era. Is she also worshipped in Sand?? And not to hijack other anon’s prompt but the full saying is “by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” so.. Jashin? Does Konoha have beef with Yugakure in this world? I LOVE THIS AU AAHH

First of all, Tobirama is a very clever lad: if a goddess is going to support their village built on the shakiest network of treaties and alliances, then he's going to take that support and use it as a foundation because otherwise all they have to go on is his older brother's charisma and that's NOT going to cut it long term. Also, he really is quite jealous that all Izuna had to do was look at Shikabane-hime to get a cool technique while he has to actually go through the scientific method WHILE ALSO DESIGNING THE VILLAGE.

I think Shikako looks enough like Yoshino that in this universe, they think it's the other way around--that Yoshino is, if not a mortal incarnation of their patron deity (because MAYBE Shikako is immortal in this universe due to the massive amounts of earnest worship actually working to make her a goddess even if she wasn't actually one in the beginning) then some kind of... goddess blessed? Like... this Konoha is so off the rails that there may be a separate order of priest/priestess-nin and Yoshino would be recruited for that.

And, like, I do like the Shikaku and Yoshino's love story, and it would be very sad if they didn't get together, so it's not that the priests/priestesses of the Shikabane-hime CAN'T fall in love and have families (and also, because Shikako is just like. Hey. As long as everyone involved is a consenting adult, the genders of said parties does not matter. Hooray marriage equality decades earlier)

Anyway, then if they do still have child Shikako, it could be a very... !!!! ... A Chosen One!!!! And then, THIS Shikako would be the "she who has divine right" version of Hokage!Shikako from my Hail To The Queen series... but that's maybe getting too self-referential?

I do think Shikabane-hime and Gelel create the Garden during the Founding era--because her arriving in each universe post-Split makes the Garden, if it hasn't already been made--so I would think that, yes, a version of her is also worshiped in Sand. But if she didn't stick around to make contact with the shinobi who would become the founders of Sand, they may know her by a different name? Like, in Land of Wind she is Gelel but in Land of Fire she is Shikabane-hime and it becomes a matter of, like, denominational differences.

Alternatively, rather than the Kazekage clan being called "Sabaku no" (of the Desert) perhaps they are called "Yokuchi no" (of the Oasis)? But I suppose that depends how early on in the timeline she is for Sand.

And finally… IS THAT WHERE THAT PHRASE COMES FROM? Oh my god, I'm so bad at identifying when prompts are references to things. It just goes right over my head T_T

I don't think Yugakure even exists long enough for Konoha to have beef with them. If one of Shikabane-hime/Gelel's early "miracles" DOESN'T include a divine smack down of Jashin, possibly erasing Yugakure--or possibly the whole of Land of Hot Water--from the map via volcano (I mean, hot springs are usually because of geothermals, and if she can make an earthquake she can probably make a volcanic eruption) then I don't know what counts as a miracle.

[b1asho]

2 things.

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your wings of fire headcannon designs, they are so amazing.

2. This is a bit of constructive criticism here, I feel that your IceWings wings are just a bit too small. I understand that you said that they swoop in on their prey, so the smaller wings make sense, but the wings kind of need to be a teensy bit bigger in order for them to cross the snowy landscape of their kingdom nonstop.

But hey, this is your choice, don't do it if you don't want to, I'm just putting my personal thoughts about this in you ask box.

Thanks! My wof designs are kind of a first pass, but I don't really have much interest in developing them a whole lot more the way I do with my aliens. The most I'd do is maybe give them clothes at some point, its been on my mind for a while.

However, here's a look into my thought process on them to maybe explain why they are the way they are:

I agree with you on the wings thing, but I largely imagine them as using flight for hunting rather than travel (plus i chose the wing size based on vibes, vibes that i will now explain). their territories are vast, much like skywings, but theyre cooperative hunters who can utilize their spread out network of individuals and teamwork to find and take down prey rather than having to soar around as much on their own (an energy-expenditure hack thats allowed them to last so long in the more barren cold regions). It should be noted that i think that their world has megafauna/other weirdly op animals alongside the dragons, pressured to evolve that way by their large and lethal predators (since normally big predators mean even bigger and more dangerous prey, like lions vs water buffalo). During a typical hunt, theres usually runner scouts/people on the ground who locate a herd and then signal to the few circling in the sky to initiate the hunt by dive-bombing to get them moving and separate the weak members. Sometimes, if the animal theyre after is small and not a lot of a threat, the flier will stay on/try to pin or even kill the target after swooping in so that the ground pack members can more easily swarm and get it. If not, then the runners will follow and land any bites on the target that they can but they're mostly there to keep the target exposed and moving towards more fliers or into an easier strike location so that the fliers can land another hit. Pretty much, if its not an instant kill from the sky, its then an endurance contest wherein the Icewings usually win using their running proweress and ice breath. this is why they've kept that wing shape and size, to stay in a middle ground of terrestrial vs flying instead of going all the way on either side like a skywing (pretty much only flies) or mudwing (can't really fly). Nightwings are kind of the opposite, where they use flight for travel/tracking down their now-dead prey after only a short skirmish on the ground (which is why they've got sorta soaring wings like vultures)

As a result, when icewings need to move across the long distances, they'd probably just mix bursts of high speed flying and then running, because they have crazy endurance on the ground. Larger wings would make running harder and they'd lose heat faster from the thin limbs and membrane, but maybe there's some subspecies out there with feathers on their larger wings alongside their fur-scales (like an arctic wolf and gray wolf type thing)

[physalian]

As much as I love LOST, I fully appreciate how fucked it became.

But looking back, this was a show that dropped while Suvivor was peak reality television, and it was the first of its kind in a lot of ways to be a network television show filmed at this scale. The large cast, filming on location, the whole premise beyond your standard drama.

I don’t think the writers trusted that unique premise as much as they should. LOST’s character drama was most compelling when it was essentially a retelling of Lord of the Flies. They were issues regular society doesn’t have to think about, blown up into crises, like:

We gotta find safe shelter out of the sun and the elements, but if we do that, we lose our signal fire

We gotta find a sustainable source of freshwater for 108 survivors, but that water is in the Murder Jungle

We need to do complex, life-saving medical procedures and all I have is bamboo and whatever TSA allowed through security

We thought we’d be rescued already so we didn’t ration the airline food and snacks, now we gotta figure out how to hunt, when we’re all (mostly) civilians

People are panicking at the low resources and are throwing suspicions and wild accusations around and now somebody’s dead

There’s language and cultural barriers at play and we don’t have the Internet to translate

The structure of the first season, too, with the 13 core characters each getting their own flashback “how did we get here” episode.

I personally loved the creative design of how they constructed their beach camp toward the middle of season 3-ish, with the giant bamboo pantry, the various tents made from plane wreckage. If you were flipping channels casually one night, and you landed on an episode of LOST, you instantly knew that was an episode of LOST in visuals alone.

I would have been fully on board with four full seasons that didn’t get all tangled up in the time travel nonsense and vastly trimmed down the rabbit hole of the Others and the Dharma people (or the ‘we all died and were in purgatory the whole time’…thing), and really dug into trying to survive without the modern comforts of society, but long term. Kind of like a dramatic version of Swiss Family Robinson, just with a Murder Jungle.

All of LOST’s copycats focused on the plane element, not the idea of isekai-ing a random grab-bag of civilians into an environment that they are not equipped to handle, and watching what successes and failures unfold. And there hasn’t been one since that compares.

You have post-apocalyptic shows, yes, like Walking Dead and Last of Us, but until Fear the Walking Dead, you were working with characters who’d already cut their teeth and figured out that things are not going to get better, some time after the world ended. You don’t have “in a civilized world one second, and then literally falls out of the sky onto a Tropical Murder Island still convincing themselves this is temporary, and only their world has ended”.

I did not care about the love triangle nonsense, I cared about Shannon’s missing medicine kerfuffle that, without any policing authority system in place, devolved into torturing a man with bamboo only to find that the medicine just got washed away in the ocean. You can have a love triangle in any environment, in any show, but you could only have that drama on this show.

A story is, to me, at its most compelling when the issues the characters are facing can only be faced by these characters in this story. Otherwise, why am I watching this instead of something that did it better?

I miss LOST, okay?

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 47 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

ADMIN [Zo]: GAIA, I have some questions about the machines down in the Burning Shores.

GAIA: Of course. How may I help?

ADMIN [Zo]: Aloy discovered a new machine called the waterwing. It appears to be similar to the sunwing, but with added functionality to allow it to swim underwater in addition to fly.

β: i think its literally a modded sunwing the code is near identical

β: i was able to get aloy an override for it with just a few parts

HIMBO: SPEAKING OF, HOW'D THAT GO?

FlameHairSavior: Dodging anti-air fire, talk later.

ADMIN [Zo]: My question was, what is the point of this machine? I assume it is more difficult to produce than a simple sunwing.

GAIA: The model designated "waterwing" is a dual-mode Acquisition-type machine, designed primarily for collecting and processing destroyed machines and other resources. The sunwing was designed to use solar energy to power its own processors, increasing the amount of time the machine could spend between recharge cycles. The waterwing improves on this base design by adding the functionality to scavenge underwater.

DIVINER: Then why not just make all sunwings waterwings??

Icarus: I assume it as Zo said. It is more difficult to produce. Specialized tools are always easier to design and build than general-purpose ones.

HIMBO: WELL, NO, A HAMMER IS EASIER TO BUILD THAN A CORKSCREW.

HIMBO: BUT A CORKSCREW IS EASIER TO BUILD THAN A CORKSCREW/FIRELIGHTER/SPARKWELDER.

HIMBO: THIS WATERWING ISN'T A GENERAL-PURPOSE TOOL, IT'S A TOOL WITH MULTIPLE SPECIALIZATIONS.

Icarus: I suppose.

GAIA: Correct. There are a variety of air-based Acquisition machines, and a variety of water-based Acquisition machines. Putting both into a single machine would undoubtedly be more expensive than simply building more of each individual machine.

β: we really need to recapture hephaestus

FlameHairSavior: Yeah, and if we had any real leads, I could be doing that instead of dealing with yet another crazy Zenith.

HIMBO: SO YOU LANDED?

FlameHairSavior: Shot down, a little, but we're fine.

β: what do you mean we

FlameHairSavior: I took Seyka with me. She has a stake in this. It's important to her.

FlameHairSavior: Her sister is involved.

FlameHairSavior: And her tribe.

FlameHairSavior: And she's very helpful.

DIVINER: ...huh.

Icarus: This makes me glad I never watched any of those ridiculous teenage dramas.

FlameHairSavior: Whatever. The point is, we're at the park. There's a fake volcano and a bunch of hologram dinosaurs. Lots of Quen guards everywhere.

Icarus: Why in the world would anyone build a fake volcano?

HIMBO: HEY, VOLCANOS ARE COOL!

Icarus: Putting your vernacular aside and accepting the comment in the spirit it was intended, I suspect that volcanoes lose some of their "cool" factor if they lack the ability to actually explode.

FlameHairSavior: I don't think it can explode.

FlameHairSavior: This whole park is some sort of... massive advertisement, or shopping mall, or both, for Londra's wife's most popular holovid series.

DIVINER: WAIT. WAITWAITWAIT.

FlameHairSavior: ...waiting.

FlameHairSavior: Actually stalking a Quen guard.

DIVINER: Are you talking about Pangea???????

FlameHairSavior: I think so, yeah.

DIVINER: [Squee.gif]

DIVINER: We've been looking for that series for forever! We only have the first movie, everything past that is in a format our focuses can't view!

DIVINER: Oh! Oh! If it's a park, there might be a gift shop!

FlameHairSavior: I'm a little busy right now, Alva.

β: also im sure any plush dinosaurs or whatever have long since rotted away to nothing

DIVINER: At least grab me copies of the holovids!

FlameHairSavior: I'll keep an eye out.

----

FlameHairSavior: Huh. Found an old data point about Londra.

DIVINER: Oh? Anything interesting?

FlameHairSavior: Interesting? Yes. Probably not useful, though.

FlameHairSavior: Apparently he thought his wife was cheating on him, so he sent his best friend the bodyguard to investigate her.

DIVINER: And??

FlameHairSavior: And she slept with him.

HIMBO: HA!

ADMIN [Zo]: Erend, be nice.

HIMBO: I'LL BET YOU A BIG BAG OF SHARDS THAT THIS GUY DESERVED WORSE.

----

FlameHairSavior: All right, have a better idea of where we need to go now.

FlameHairSavior: There's a place called the armory which should unlock the volcano, but we needed the key from a guy named Fedder, who was in the big dome.

β: why do you always have to do twenty things to do one thing

FlameHairSavior: I don't know. I really, really don't.

HIMBO: ARMORY? SO THERE WILL BE ZENITH WEAPONS?

FlameHairSavior: Not sure. I got the sense that name might have been from when the park was open. I doubt they had actual weapons inside. And if there are, they're probably all rust by now.

FlameHairSavior: Anyway, we spotted Kina in the dome with Fedder. She's definitely with Londra willingly, but she's... practicing for a play? It's weird.

FlameHairSavior: They were just doing a couple lines over and over. "How could I not come back?"

ADMIN [Zo]: Kina is Seyka's sister?

FlameHairSavior: Yeah.

DIVINER: Um, not sure if this is relevant, buuut that was Jane's most famous line from the first Pangea film!

FlameHairSavior: Jane?

DIVINER: Walter Londra's wife! Well, that was her character's name.

HIMBO: SO HE'S... MAKING THE QUEN ACT OUT HIS MOVIE?

DIVINER: We have experience with that sort of thing, so maybe it was their idea?

FlameHairSavior: I don't even know.

FlameHairSavior: Anyway, we waited for her to leave so she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, killed Fedder, got the key. Almost to the armory now.

DIVINER: Don't let us distract you!

----

FlameHairSavior: Shit. ShitshitSHIT.

Icarus: Everything is going well, I take it?

ADMIN [Zo]: Perhaps the armory was just the fertilizer depository.

FlameHairSavior: Londra has brainwashing tech. That's what MSP is. "Mutiny Suppression Protocol." It got trashed in the Old World because it made the subjects more violent, even if they were also more loyal.

FlameHairSavior: That's why he has so many Quen guards ready to murder.

DIVINER: ...shit!

FlameHairSavior: But he was able to perfect it on the guards. He's planning to use it to brainwash a select retinue of Quen to be his new inner circle, copies of the friends he had in the 21st century.

FlameHairSavior: That's all he wants. Adoring friends who can't quite think for themselves.

β: and what hell just be on a barren planet with his harem

HIMBO: THAT'S NOT WHAT A HAREM IS.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Usually.

HIMBO: UH. I SENSE A STORY, BUT I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO ASK.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Not every Chief of the Tenakth has been as selfless and forward-thinking as Hekarro.

HIMBO: YEP, ALREADY REGRET IT.

FlameHairSavior: He's also getting DNA samples from all the Quen. He's going to have a colony of brainwashed clones to rule over with a pantheon of gods. But of course he'd be the only one with REAL power.

Icarus: How do you know all this? I doubt he left out a datapad detailing his full plans.

FlameHairSavior: We met his personal AI, Nova. He's basically been brainwashing her for a thousand years, "tweaking" her personality hour by hour.

FlameHairSavior: She begged us to kill her.

Icarus: Ah. That is unfortunate on multiple levels.

Icarus: I don't suppose you kept a copy of her core programming?

FlameHairSavior: No.

Icarus: That is likely for the best.

DIVINER: Waitwait! Does that mean Kina is going to be part of his retinue? Since she was doing lines his wife used to do?

FlameHairSavior: Yeah.

DIVINER: ...how old is Kina?

FlameHairSavior: Old enough to understand, young enough that it's still creepy. She hasn't been brainwashed yet, though. He's a perfectionist, so he's putting off the final selection.

ADMIN [Zo]: Small mercies.

FlameHairSavior: I'm going to the volcano. Hopefully I can find a way to kill him through his shield. Maybe this Zenith weapon will do the trick?

Icarus: I haven't seen the specs on it, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I highly doubt Londra would have given a minion something that could hurt him.

----

FlameHairSavior: So, there was a slaughterspine.

β: was it londras

FlameHairSavior: Yeah, and it was a big one.

FlameHairSavior: On the plus side, Kina finally realized what a bastard Londra is.

FlameHairSavior: On the down side, I think Londra has something else waiting in the wings. The slaughterspine felt more like a distraction.

Icarus: How did he control the slaughterspine? You said he was using a HORUS printer, but surely he wouldn't be foolish enough to print out SCARABs.

HIMBO: WHAT ARE THOSE?

Icarus: The Corruptors. They could easily run out of his control, especially if they're fresh from the printer.

FlameHairSavior: He officially doesn't care what happens to this planet, so I don't think he's losing any sleep over that.

DIVINER: What about the Quen!

FlameHairSavior: Oh, right.

FlameHairSavior: Well, after we took down the slaughterspine, Seyka took Kina and the other surviving Quen back to the settlement. I think most of the brainwashed guards are already dead, so they should be able to reintegrate.

DIVINER: That's good to hear!

FlameHairSavior: Londra went back to the bunker. He's up to something big.

HIMBO: KEEP US POSTED!

Chapter 47 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2025-02-03

It fuckin cold

Listening: I have been installing and testing my new TV speakers so I need a nice bass-heavy song to run tests and dial in subwoofer levels, and I am regularly coming back to Bad Guy by Billie Eilish. It's good! It was a good song. She's been much gentler in style lately so it is interesting to compare styles.

Also just a fun video to have on a big screen.

Watching: The Court Jester (1955) starring Danny Kaye which you know from the incredibly silly swordfight at the end, you've seen it be used on here to litigate stupid arguments about mastery of skills.

Extremely funny! Watched with my partner and their friends. Really solid use of a Danny Kaye and cute wordplay. This is a movie about dating a closeted trans man.

There are so many guys in this movie! Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Michael Pate, Alan Napier, hell even John Carradine makes an appearance before being bonked on the head.

Reading: Still working my way through Pale Fire, there's a lot happening. I feel like I don't have the whole picture yet.

Playing: Not a ton, I was not at home much this past week for reasons.

Making: when I have been at home I've been working on my whole TV deal. I do not use the TV but part of that is that it has dogshit sound and no computer attached that I enjoy using, so I've been solving that. One thing I said when the Steam Deck came out was that it was an ideal form factor for a home theater PC, since it has enough computing power to get out of its own way and even do some light gaming, but it's also small and multi-use. HTPC's tend to feel like a waste if they're powerful and annoying if they're too slow, so being able to just rip your HTPC out and carry it around without having to deal with the bulk and height of a laptop is nice.

I've been installing a hub with some peripherals and networking for that, and then also installing the speakers I got on the front of the TV cabinet, which is more or less done now! I still need to print some cable conduit so route those cables to the back of the cabinet. But it's good for now, looks nice, and sounds decent.

Up next is to design some kind of more robust docking solution for the handheld. The handheld also needs to get punted over to Linux so I can incorporate it into my home network, it'll be able to NFS mount my media libraries and act as a wireplumber sink so that I can beam audio to it. Actually hmm I think my TV can do AirPlay so I might be able to use WP to hit that directly. I'll see! It'll be nice to have everything integrated.

I mean actually actually up next should be the big projects, which is to say soundproofing the server a little and designing the coffee table, which are ongoing design projects (see: I have a bunch of OnShape windows open)

Tools and Equipment: This counts: The big thing these days is the absorption method for rice where you carefully measure out the right amount of water so that it is perfectly taken up while cooking. It's good. However. You should try making parboiled basmati rice the Indian way where you boil it in a ton of water and then drain it like pasta. It is so good. I just made like two cups of rice for the week like this it's very easy and pretty quick if you preboil some of your water in a fast kettle, or you have good induction.