#Seismic resilience

[little-p-eng-engineering]

Leading the Future with Structural and Piping Design for Hydrogen Pilot Plants in the Green Energy

As the world gradually transitions towards sustainable energy sources, hydrogen stands out as a beacon of hope in the quest for green energy. The intricacies involved in harnessing hydrogen's power necessitate advanced pilot plants equipped with state-of-the-art designs. Enter Little P.Eng. Engineering, the torchbearer of structural and piping design for hydrogen pilot plants, pushing the boundaries of innovation and safety in North America.

The Growing Importance of Hydrogen in Green Energy

With zero carbon emissions when burned, hydrogen promises a cleaner future, especially when produced through green methods like electrolysis of water using renewable energy. The challenge lies in efficiently storing and transporting hydrogen, which requires meticulously designed infrastructure. This is where pilot plants come into play, acting as the testing grounds for groundbreaking technologies and methodologies.

Understanding the Role of Structural and Piping Design

In any hydrogen pilot plant, the importance of structural and piping design cannot be overstated:

Structural Design: Ensures the physical stability and safety of the plant. With hydrogen's volatile nature, the infrastructure must be robust enough to withstand pressures, prevent leaks, and guarantee longevity.

Piping Design: Deals with the intricate network of tubes and pipes that transport hydrogen and other fluids within the plant. An optimized piping system reduces losses, increases efficiency, and ensures the safe transportation of hydrogen.

Little P.Eng. Engineering's Expertise in Action

1. Customization: Every pilot plant has unique needs. Little P.Eng. Engineering’s team initiates a thorough groundwork phase, understanding the plant's specific requirements, and then tailoring designs to fit those needs perfectly.

2. Advanced Simulations: Before any design is finalized, it undergoes rigorous simulations to test its viability, strength, and efficiency. This ensures that any potential issues are addressed long before implementation.

3. Safety Above All: Given hydrogen's highly flammable nature, safety is paramount. Designs incorporate advanced safety mechanisms, pressure-relief systems, and fail-safes, ensuring the utmost protection for both the workers and the environment.

4. Seamless Integration: Little P.Eng. Engineering’s designs aren’t just about functionality – they're about integration. The designs ensure that all components of the pilot plant work in harmony, enhancing the overall operational efficiency.

A Look at Piping in Detail

Hydrogen, with its low viscosity and high diffusivity, poses unique challenges:

Material Selection: Hydrogen can lead to material embrittlement. Little P.Eng. chooses materials that resist this phenomenon, ensuring the pipes remain durable even under intense hydrogen flow.

Leak Prevention: With advanced sealing technologies and meticulous design, the piping systems are virtually leak-proof, preventing hydrogen wastage and potential hazards.

Optimal Flow: The piping designs ensure that hydrogen flows at optimal rates, reducing energy consumption and maximizing efficiency.

The Structural Marvels of Little P.Eng. Engineering

When it comes to structural design, it's a balance of strength, flexibility, and longevity:

Earthquake Resilience: Many areas in North America are prone to seismic activities. Designs from Little P.Eng. factor in these challenges, ensuring that structures can withstand tremors without sustaining damage.

Weather Resistance: Whether it's the freezing Canadian winters or the blistering heat of the southern USA, the structures are built to weather it all, quite literally.

Modularity: As the hydrogen industry evolves, pilot plants might need upgrades. Little P.Eng.'s modular designs ensure that expansions and modifications can be made without major overhauls.

Conclusion

The green energy revolution is upon us, and hydrogen is at its forefront. As pilot plants become the crucibles of innovation in this sector, having the right structural and piping design is crucial. Little P.Eng. Engineering, with its blend of expertise, innovation, and commitment to sustainability, is not just a participant but a leader in this transition towards a cleaner future. Their designs for hydrogen pilot plants stand as testaments to what is possible when engineering prowess meets environmental consciousness.

Tags:

Little P.Eng. Engineering

Structural design

Energy efficiency

Engineering expertise

Hydrogen pilot plant

Green energy

Piping design

Sustainable energy sources

Hydrogen storage

Hydrogen transportation

Structural stability

Pressure-relief systems

Safety mechanisms

Hydrogen production

Electrolysis

Advanced simulations

Material embrittlement

Leak prevention

Optimal hydrogen flow

Seismic resilience

Weather-resistant structures

Modular designs

Renewable energy

Zero carbon emissions

Advanced safety

North American energy transition

Environmental consciousness

Hydrogen infrastructure

Hydrogen diffusivity

Cleaner future

Hydrogen Production Plant Design

Engineering Services

Structural Engineering Consultancy

Located in Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; Houston Texas; Torrance, California; El Segundo, CA; Manhattan Beach, CA; Concord, CA; We offer our engineering consultancy services across Canada and United States. Meena Rezkallah.

[hsmagazine254]

Revolutionizing Real Estate: The Advantages of Using Precast Panels

Building the Future: Precast Panels in Real Estate In the realm of real estate and construction, innovation is reshaping the way we build homes and structures. Precast concrete panels have emerged as a cutting-edge technology that offers a multitude of advantages in the construction industry. From enhancing efficiency to ensuring sustainability, precast panels are transforming the way we…

[nnctales]

Basalt Fiber Reinforcement in Construction: A Sustainable Paradigm Shift

Introduction In the contemporary construction landscape, a notable shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly building materials is underway. Among the alternatives gaining prominence is basalt fiber reinforcement, positioning itself as a compelling substitute for traditional steel reinforcement. This transition is fueled by a collective desire to reduce environmental impact and elevate the…

[westvalleyfaultph]

Metro Manila's Earthquake Shield: A World Bank-Funded Project in Limbo

A race against time to prepare for “The Big One” Metro Manila, a bustling metropolis often dubbed as the “economic heart of the Philippines,” is ticking towards a potential seismic catastrophe. The looming threat of “The Big One,” a magnitude-7.2 earthquake predicted to strike along the West Valley Fault, has prompted urgent action. A World Bank-funded project, aimed at bolstering the region’s…

[shreetmtbars]

Discover the incredible story of how earthquake-resistant TMT bars protected our home during a seismic event. Learn about their importance and how they can safeguard your property.

[constructionsafetynetwork]

The Evolution of Building Codes and Their Impact on Safety

In the world of construction, the evolution of building codes and their impact on safety is a vital topic. This article delves into how building codes have transformed over the years, focusing on their influence on construction safety. Understanding this evolution is crucial for professionals in the field and anyone interested in building safety. The Early Days: Foundation of Building…

[micallefkostas]

All buildings have a natural, period, or resonance, which is the number of seconds it takes for the building to naturally vibrate back and forth. The ground also has a specific resonant frequency. Hard bedrock has higher frequencies softer sediments. If the period of ground motion matches the natural resonance of a building, it will undergo the largest oscillations possible and suffer the greatest damage.

[wilwheaton]

Over the weekend, as events unfolded chaotically across Israel, it was difficult to assess what was real and what wasn’t. That has arguably gotten even harder amid the fallout, both in terms of assessing what exactly happened during horrific attacks on Israeli civilians and on Israel’s response, which has involved the cutting of food, water, and electricity from Gaza’s two million residents. Per a Wired report from Monday, “Rather than being shown verified and fact-checked information, X users were presented with video game footage passed off as footage of a Hamas attack and images of firework celebrations in Algeria presented as Israeli strikes on Hamas. There were faked pictures of soccer superstar Ronaldo holding the Palestinian flag, while a three-year-old video from the Syrian civil war [was] repurposed to look like it was taken this weekend.” Twitter has gotten slower and worse at removing disinformation before it spreads. And users willing to spend $8 a month for a blue check can boost—and, in some cases, monetize—the spread of misinformation. All told, the social network demonstrated a singular ability to take a complex, fast-moving situation and make it more difficult to comprehend. This is a disaster for Twitter, which had previously demonstrated an ability to be indispensable during fast-moving crises. Changes made by Musk to the platform—from the gutting of teams devoted to trust and safety, to the removal of “legacy” blue checks for reporters, even to the recent removal of headlines from links—have all made it more difficult to ascertain if what you are seeing in the ruins of your Twitter feed is real or fake, making it much easier to spread misinformation. For over a year, we’ve heard various reports of Twitter’s demise. Some have been hyperbolic; many have failed to appreciate how resilient the the service was before Musk’s arrival. It’s likely that some facsimile of Twitter will exist, far into the future. But a seismic shift in how the platform is perceived has occurred. If it isn’t good for breaking news, then what good is it? Perhaps it’s not a force for good at all.

The Week Twitter Went Evil

This is all by design. This is all intentional. Elon Musk is an antisemitic white supremacist who wants to sow as much chaos as possible. He’s a younger, slightly less vulgar Trump. Everything he’s done since he took over Twitter has been in service of ruining its utility for real communication, instantaneous delivery of vital information, while promoting neonazis, antisemitism, and right wing disinformation.

Elon Musk presents an existential threat to humanity. Innocent people are dying, and will continue to suffer and die, as a direct result of his actions.

[lullabyes22-blog]

Snippet - Doggerel - Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

Mel and Silco have it out...

tw: narcissistic abuse, blackmail, verbal abuse

Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

Snippet:

Confidential: State Files – Piltover & Zaun.

Memorandum of Encrypted Telephone Conversation

Subjects: Councilor Mel Medarda & First Chancellor Silco

Declassified and De-encrypted Under Authority of the Intra-agency Security Panel

E.P. 46732 Section 5. T(a)

Councilor Medarda: Silco?

First Chancellor Silco: Councilor. To what do I owe the pleasure?

Councilor Medarda: You may pleasure me by calling me Mel. As we agreed.

First Chancellor Silco: Mel, then.

Councilor Medarda:  It's been difficult to get a hold of you as of late. I trust all's well?

First Chancellor Silco: You know it is.

Councilor Medarda: Violet? Jinx? Are they getting on?

First Chancellor Silco:  Like a house on fire—with equal the collateral damage.

Councilor Medarda:  I beg your pardon. Is that—a positive or a negative?

First Chancellor Silco: Depends on the collateral. The girls, themselves, are well. Violet fulfills her duties with diligence. Jinx performs hers with panache. I believe both will come into their full potential with time.

Councilor Medarda: They each possess exceptional talent.

First Chancellor Silco:  And, between them, enough firepower for a battalion.

Councilor Medarda: I trust you are in jest.

First Chancellor Silco: No more than the usual amount.

Councilor Medarda: I'd enjoy it if that were so. And yet...

First Chancellor Silco: Oh, I know that tone. Speak plainly, my dear.

Councilor Medarda: There have been a great many temblors belowground. The most recent: quite nasty, by all accounts. Are you and your city holding up all right?

First Chancellor Silco: There are always quakes Down-Low. Zaun's buildings are designed accordingly. Their architectural resilience is well-proven.

Councilor Medarda: As I understand it, these quakes are not of the usual variety. And, forgive me, I do have an abiding interest in your welfare.

First Chancellor Silco:  You have my word: I'm fine.

Councilor Medarda: And I know that tone. Are you so busy that the simple task of sending me a letter is an imposition? A call, now and again?

First Chancellor Silco:  Time has a way of moving quickly here.

Councilor Medarda: Meaning what? Your clocks run differently? Or that you can't spare a moment for those beyond your fiefdom?

First Chancellor Silco: Zaun is not a fiefdom. It's a free city-state.

Councilor Medarda: As you've often reminded me, and at length. Still...

First Chancellor Silco: You've been listening to the doomsayers again, haven't you? Hoskel, Bolbok and their ilk. What are they saying now? That the Pilt will boil over? That the chem-seams will melt into hellfire? That the Fissures will swallow your city whole?

Councilor Medarda: No one's saying that. But Zaun does appear to be...flexing. As if stretching muscles long unused. And that concerns them.

First Chancellor Silco: Flexing? Like a fist?

Councilor Medarda: Or a prizefighter.

First Chancellor Silco: It's a doomed man who'd dare to blacken your lovely eye.

Councilor Medarda: I abhor it when you speak that way.

First Chancellor Silco: What? Your eyes are lovely...

Councilor Medarda: And you speak of blacking them with the same casualness as you'd mention spilling wine on my gown. Which, by the by, is not some demure shade of pastel.

First Chancellor Silco: Ooh, she's piqued.

Councilor Medarda: And she's not the only one.  I've spoken to a number of our geological survey experts. They state that there've been quakes of this magnitude in the Fissures before. But the latest ones aren't some freak one-off. They are an entire seismic trend. As if a beast long dormant is rousing itself.

First Chancellor Silco: Or, put another way: Topside's been puttering along on the flat of the same note for so long that it's now spooked by a little rhythmic variance.

Councilor Medarda: Now there's a metaphor.

First Chancellor Silco: And if your Council, comfortable with the stagnant backbeat of same-old-same-old, are unsettled, what can I do? I don't control the tectonic plates, any more than I do the sea-currents.

Councilor Medarda: The way you've been going lately, that might be next.

First Chancellor Silco: What's the point of this call, Mel? It's late, even here. I've an early start tomorrow.

Councilor Medarda: I mean, simply, to ask whether you know anything.

First Chancellor Silco: Do I know what's causing the quakes?

Councilor Medarda: Yes.

First Chancellor Silco: If you'd like to see the reports of Zaun's geologists, I'll happily make them available. Though they'd give you the same reasons as myself.

Councilor Medarda: Namely?

First Chancellor Silco: That the Fissures are inconstant and mysterious. Always have been.

Councilor Medarda: A quality they share with their statesman.

First Chancellor Silco: Forgive me. Is that meant as a slight?

Councilor Medarda: Only when it is.

First Chancellor Silco: So: not yet.

Councilor Medarda:  I'm only keeping my ear to the ground.

First Chancellor Silco: The ground—or my boudoir?

Councilor Medarda: That, I believe, is a slight.

First Chancellor Silco: Only when it is. Is this truly about a few shakes and rattles? Or is there a deeper inquiry you wish to make?

Councilor Medarda:  The Safeguard Act passed by your Cabinet.

First Chancellor Silco: Ah. To the crux.

Councilor Medarda: Your last legislation placed a blanket ban on Shimmer abroad. The Safeguard Act has taken the same tack on the domestic front.  It's made it an imprisonable offence to sell recreational Shimmer to Zaunites. It empowers blackguards to crack down on cartels, raid dens, seize shipments. It is even rumored that the Act has expanded their powers of arrest, such that they may enter a chem-baron's domicile without having obtained a writ.

First Chancellor Silco: And?

Councilor Medarda: And yet, even as your blackguards play avengers from on high, I'm told your private chem-refineries are running all-out. The mining of raw crystal for Shimmer distillates is up nearly twenty percent. The production of synthetic Shimmer serums is up thirty.

First Chancellor Silco: We are refocusing our internal resources.

Councilor Medarda: In preparation for war?  

First Chancellor Silco:  If we were, it's Zaun's prerogative to invest in defense. 

Councilor Medarda: I mean a war of the commercial variety. A way to keep Piltover in thrall, without the dirty stigma of addiction itself. 

First Chancellor Silco: We have been considering branching into medicinal Shimmer, if that's what you mean.

Councilor Medarda:  I'd hoped you'd deny the rumors that you were looking to topple my city with the same poison that nearly sank yours.

First Chancellor Silco: I'm not in the habit of denying rumors.

Councilor Medarda: Because?

First Chancellor Silco:  Oh, a number of reasons. Foremost, it gives credence to falsehoods. Second, it gives credence to the buffoons on your Council, who think their falsehoods are worthy of denial.

Councilor Medarda: So I'm a buffoon, now.

First Chancellor Silco: You must be, to believe to such twaddle.

Councilor Medarda: Then you are not ramping up synthetic Shimmer, in efforts of rebranding it as a health-enhancement tonic, to make it easier to push through our markets?

First Chancellor Silco:  Oh, I am. 

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: But, I am a man of my word. The drug's new formulation is a wonder, Mel. We're in the process of patenting it as we speak. It promotes cellular growth, without the nasty side-effects of its predecessor.  The drug will be produced under my direct supervision, and distributed under strict license. It will be safe and well-regulated. Not to mention: revitalizing. I have it on good authority that your Councilors are interested in Zaun's budding chem-industry. In particular, the uppers and sexual enhancers.

Councilor Medarda: I don't know what you—

First Chancellor Silco: No? So Salo doesn't have a fondness for Pink Myst, which is a mild Shimmer inhalant, and good for shaking off that late-night languor that is an aristocrat's prerogative? So Hoskel isn't an impotency hypochondriac with a desperate need to keep his old soldier saluting? So Shoola's eldest isn't a full-blown addict, and she's not taken a hit from her own family's coffers to hire a chem-rehabilitation specialist for the boy's treatment?

Councilor Medarda: Do not speak of this. Under any circumstance. Do you understand?  If these allegations were to come to light—

First Chancellor Silco: Allegations? These are facts. We both know it.

Councilor Medarda: What paths the Councilors do, on their own coin, holds no bearing on Zaun's domestic policy.

First Chancellor Silco: You think so?

Councilor Medarda: I think your domestic regulations are nothing more than a ruse to cut the legs out from under your chem-barons and seize the market for yourself. I think you will cannibalize their holdings to consolidate your foothold within Zaun's industrial firmament. I think your next step is to expand beyond your borders and transform Shimmer from a recreational stimulant to an essential medical commodity. A product you will leverage as a corporate sledgehammer, and force our most profitable industries into a stranglehold.

First Chancellor Silco: ...do go on.

Councilor Medarda: I've made my point. Now heed this: I will not let your drug into my city.

First Chancellor Silco: My dear, my drug is already in your city. I don't mean in an underhanded way. It's simply the inevitable flow of trade. Of supply, and demand.  If I truly planned to cripple your industries in a chemical stranglehold, why bother with foreign or domestic reforms at all? I'd simply stop selling Shimmer: period.

Councilor Medarda: As if it were so simple. You and Shimmer are indelibly linked. To kill one is to kill the other. And you, as we both know, have no intention of dying. Not without dragging my city down with you.

First Chancellor Silco: I do abhor when you're so dramatic.

Councilor Medarda: Dramatic, am I?

First Chancellor Silco: And so, so wrong. I'd no sooner drag your city to the grave than I'd set my own on fire.

Councilor Medarda:  Not unless you foresee the profit, yes?

First Chancellor Silco: Then perhaps we should consider that we are not quite so disparate in our goals. 

Councilor Medarda: Or perhaps we should consider that I am tired of you using me to further yours! This is not what our partnership was meant for! Certainly not how I saw our cities' futures written in the firmament: with Shimmer through the backdoor, and poison in every Piltovan's bloodstream!

First Chancellor Silco:  Poison? Who says?

Councilor Medarda:  Every backalley chemist between here and Zaun. Shimmer is a scourge.

First Chancellor Silco: Only if misused.

Councilor Medarda: This was never part of your embargo, Silco. As per Zaun's legislation, you'd stem Shimmer's flow to Piltover in exchange for our non-interference in Viktor's repatriation. We formed the Joint Oversight Committee to supervise Zaun's transition away from the drug. We agreed to superintend Hextech's development on your soil, in exchange for no filth in ours.

First Chancellor Silco: And I am grateful for the show of faith.

Councilor Medarda: This is how you show gratitude? By placing me in the untenable position of having to defend my choice? Putting my city in the grip of a drug epidemic? Putting my own neck on the block, and the blade in your hand?

First Chancellor Silco: Mel...

Councilor Medarda:  Do not Mel me! You're using my trust to get what you want. You've lied to me, time and again, in service to your own ends. The Hexcore was one thing. Viktor's kidnapping, quite another. But now Shimmer? On my doorstep, in the veins of my people? Do you imagine what the Council would do if they knew of my collusion in this?

First Chancellor Silco: It's the Council who stand to profit the most.

Councilor Medarda: What are you—?

First Chancellor Silco:  As we speak, my representatives are reaching out to your colleagues. Not as officials, but as discreet, interested entrepreneurs. They have made Shimmer's new medicinal formulation available on a trial basis. If it is found efficacious, we will discuss a wholesale distribution agreement through Piltovan medical facilities.  And, naturally, we'll extend you a significant discount as our valued trading partner.  Not to mention a split in revenue for the privilege of—

Councilor Medarda: What is wrong with you?!

First Chancellor Silco: Excuse me?

Councilor Medarda:  After everything that's passed between us? How could you betray my trust like that? To go behind my back and offer the Council what, in essence, amounts to a bribe?

First Chancellor Silco: Not a bribe. A bargain.  You'll benefit the most out of all of them. House Medarda already has first-mover rights in Zaun's chem-tech market. Your investments will get a headstart on potential competitors. You will enjoy a guaranteed monopoly for five years. The revenue alone—

Councilor Medarda: I do not care a lick for revenue! Don't you see what you've done? My Council's been divided on Zaun's independence from the start! Some see the nation as a valuable ally. The rest would see it swallowed whole, in exchange for access to its natural resources. The offer you've extended will only exacerbate the divisions!

First Chancellor Silco: That's hardly my fault.

Councilor Medarda: It is when you extend the offer in a poisoned chalice!

First Chancellor Silco: Poison, or panacea?

Councilor Medarda: Do not turn this into a game of semantics! I demand to know: will you rescind the offer? Or must I set the margin of my influence to the flame?

First Chancellor Silco: Neither, I'm afraid, is possible.

Councilor Medarda: What?

First Chancellor Silco: The contracts are already signed. Salo and Shoola, for instance, have already forwarded preliminary funds to the designated accounts.  They're awaiting the first shipments of Shimmer products, as are several other members of the Council. I was hoping you might assist in—

Councilor Medarda: No.

First Chancellor Silco: I beg your—

Councilor Medarda: Du Mißgeburt! Ich schneide dir deine gespaltene Zunge raus!

 First Chancellor Silco: My word. I'd forgotten your command of the old tongue.

Councilor Medarda: You'll not forget my hand, either. Not after it's fed your severed balls through your mouth.  Gods, how could you do this? How could you dare?

First Chancellor Silco: Mel...

Councilor Medarda: You've backed me into a corner, and now you expect me to stick the knife in myself!

First Chancellor Silco: I expect no such thing. I've no intention of endangering you. I am only—

Councilor Medarda: Only playing my Council like fools! As you're playing me, like some naif halfwit with stars in her eyes. I'm not a child, Silco. And I am certainly not your dupe.  If you think I'm going to stand aside and let you bribe my Council into signing my city's fate over to a drug peddler, you are sadly mistaken.  

First Chancellor Silco: You're a hypocrite, then.

Councilor Medarda: What did you—?

First Chancellor Silco: You heard me. You'll take everything else from my city—our manpower, our resources, our technological savvy—but you draw the line at a pharmaceutical breakthrough that could benefit both sides?  What's the difference, Mel? What's the line that makes one thing acceptable in your eyes, and the other not?

Councilor Medarda:  You are a criminal.

First Chancellor Silco:  I've always been a criminal. From the moment I was born. From the moment I chose to scale my way out of the Sumps, and survive by the skin of my teeth.  My entire life has been a crime. You know this. And yet you've defended me at every turn. Why do that, unless you're as much a criminal as I am?

Councilor Medarda: Because—

First Chancellor Silco: Because I am your dirty secret? Your backdoor liaison for keeping Zaun's treasures in your Council's pocket? For a little touch-and-go, when Talis is too busy pounding away in his gloomy smithy, and pining for his Tin-Man to pay attention to the flesh-and-blood woman who loves him? Is that why?

Councilor Medarda: If you do not drop Jayce from this conversation, I will—

First Chancellor Silco:  You'll what? Hang up and retreat into your shining tower? Leave me, in the dark, to rot, as is the Topside way? Well, fuck that—and fuck you. It's fine when my economy's dependent on yours, and you're turning a ripe profit by proxy? Then suddenly I'm your go-to for cozy rendezvous by the Riverside? But the minute Zaun makes money-moves, and our industry threatens yours? Suddenly I'm a scumbag drug pusher and your morality comes out to shine? As if you weren't lapping my jism off your lips a month ago, and spreading your thighs wide for me to lick the cream right from your cunt? 

Councilor Medarda: How dare you speak to me like that?

First Chancellor Silco: Oh, I dare. I dare, because someone needs to strike a match before those lovely eyes, so they're not dazzled by their own brilliance. You're no different than I am. Just prettier, wealthier, with a name that opens doors. And that name lets you hunt on an even playing field. Meanwhile I've been bred to hunt in the dark. But this relationship will go nowhere unless you can see past the differences, and accept me on equal footing.

Councilor Medarda:  Ours is no relationship. It's an arrangement.

First Chancellor Silco:  And every arrangement has a price.

Councilor Medarda:  Are you...are you recording this?  This conversation, are you—?

First Chancellor Silco:  Do you truly believe I'd stoop that low?

Councilor Medarda:  I've said things on this line I should never have said. Things that can be used against me, should they be made public.  Things that could ruin my career, cost lives, set our cities against each other. I need to know. Is. This. Recorded?

First Chancellor Silco:  No.

Councilor Medarda:  Do not lie to me. Not about this.

First Chancellor Silco: Why should I lie when our every conversation's imprinted in my memory? When everytime you've visited belowground, I've committed you to mind: every curve, every caress, every cry? What secrets would I share with the Council, Mel? The time you bargained for Jayce's repatriation, then sank to your knees and unbuttoned my trousers as soon as I'd signed the release forms? Or the time, during the Icathian opera, you slipped into my private box, and rode my fingers until you sang an aria worthy of the mezzo-soprano? Or the time, after the trade delegation from Demacia agreed to a ten-year shipping treaty, you unbuttoned your blouse afterward, and took my cock between your breasts, and squeezed until I'd spilled myself all over them? How you licked every drop off with a smile?  How you told me, afterward, that it was rare that filth made you feel cleaner than the hottest saltbath?

Councilor Medarda: How dare you how dare you how dare you—

First Chancellor Silco:  And you told me that you trusted me. Remember?

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: So why should I lie when the truth of you is so plain?

Councilor Medarda: I will not hear this. I will not.

First Chancellor Silco: You never do, when it's the truth. But Mel... you've told me yours, time and again. About your family. Your childhood. Your self. You remember what you've said. I know you do.

Councilor Medarda: Stop.

First Chancellor Silco: You told me your parents had affairs by the score, infidelity upon infidelity, yet always slept in each other's arms at night. You told me Kino was Ambessa's favorite, but you were his, and when your mother learnt of it, she shipped him off to a war-campaign in the Ionian straits to keep you apart. You told me how your mother despised your tender heart. That she punished you for every tear with the back of her hand, until, by the age of twelve, your visage was as smooth as stone.  You told me that after your first time in a man's bed, you bled so badly you had to hide your bedlinens for a week, because you were terrified that Ambessa would learn the truth. And when she did, she didn't beat you. Only banished you, not for the sin of falling in love, but for the fatal flaw of believing you could be loved in return. You told me Talis was the first man to make you believe otherwise. You told me you'd never even come to climax before he touched you: that you'd spent a decade of calculated, passionless sex in the company of men who saw you as a gilded ornament, rather than a person, with dreams beyond their ken.  You told me that Talis changed all that. That he made you cry. Made you come. Made you see stars.

Councilor Medarda: I said stop.

First Chancellor Silco: You also told me he was inexperienced. That he'd had his share of trysts as the Man of Tomorrow. But never a woman as worldly as you. That, in the beginning, you'd had to teach him how to please you. That, for all his boldness in the lab, he was timid as a beau. But always so sincere. So eager to learn. So giving. So gentle.

Councilor Medarda: Please...

First Chancellor Silco: And you told me I was his opposite in all ways. The opposite of every man you'd known. That I knew I was a bastard, but I owned the epithet, and wore it like a crown. That when I touched you, you saw no stars, or fireworks, or any such romantic drivel. Because you were too jaded to pretend to such innocence. And yet, in my arms, you felt innocent again. You told me I was, in your words, the first man who'd made you feel as though you were flesh and blood, not glitter and gold. That there was power in the revelation; a resurrection so terrifying, so profound, that you felt you'd fall apart, if I didn't hold you fast. You told me I'd made you believe, not in love, but in yourself.

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: You've told me many secrets, Mel. I've kept them all.

Councilor Medarda: That does not excuse the way you spoke to me.

First Chancellor Silco: It does not. But does it excuse the way you spoke to me? The way you're so quick to dehumanize me? To make me into the monster who'll devour your city, rather than the man who seeks, only, to be its equal?

Councilor Medarda: You've used me. Used me as a pawn to further your ends.

First Chancellor Silco: And you've used me to secure yours. Only to insult me when I play real politics, as if I'm a footman on your payroll, who's dared to act out of turn. As if I haven't worked my whole life to escape this same servile fate. To be more than a body in the mines, or a grotesquerie at a carnival sideshow. 

Councilor Medarda: I haven't used you—

First Chancellor Silco: You call me when it suits you, and hang up when it doesn't. You let me frig you off and suckle your cunt, but the moment I dare to open my mouth and say something you dislike, suddenly I'm a snake. Suddenly my tongue's a fork, and my touch is tainted, and you're threatening to sever my balls with your bare hands.

Councilor Medarda: You're using your position to threaten me!

First Chancellor Silco:  I have no power to threaten. I have only what I've built, and I've built it with blood between my teeth, and blisters on my back, and the constant blade of death hanging over me.  A blade your Council held for decades. So I am sorry if my tactics offend. But I do not work for you, and my life does not belong to you, and neither does my city. Either you accept that, and see me as an equal, flaws and fuckups included—or we end this farce right here and now.

Councilor Medarda:  First extortion, now you seek to muzzle me?

First Chancellor Silco: If you're muzzled, Mel, then I'm leashed. And we both obey one mistress: progress.

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: I know you're upset that I bypassed you. I know you are the Council's crown jewel, and the rest are simply stones in your diadem. I know I should have spoken to you first. But I had reason not to.  Reason to suspect you’d react badly.  Shimmer's not a name that goes down easy on Topside. Especially in your Council's chambers.  Except their bedchambers are already lined with our drugs. They've been using them, and abusing them, for years. I'd have made no headway, if I hadn't appealed to their basest cravings.

Councilor Medarda:  That does not excuse your actions. Nor does it change my mind.

First Chancellor Silco:  This is not a zero-sum game, Mel. I am not out to get you. I am only out to get what's mine, and what's mine by right. Zaun's future rests upon its chem industry. To ensure the self-sufficiency of my nation, we must expand.

Councilor Medarda: To Piltover?

First Chancellor Silco: That's only a step on the path. I've no plans oversaturate the markets with medicinal Shimmer, such that knock-offs of my serum become the vogue. I'll ensure the quality remains consistent and the supply is tightly regulated.  

Councilor Medarda: For how long?

First Chancellor Silco: A decade. Enough to recoup the revenue lost from our cartels. Then it'll all be yours to use as you see fit.

Councilor Medarda: You mean—

First Chancellor Silco: I'll release my patents. Your chemists will have full access to the drug's formulae. And the freedom to manufacture at their discretion.

Councilor Medarda:  I will not have my name besmirched. And I will not have my Council beholden to you. If that is the cost of your independence, I'll be glad to pay it, but I won't have my city suffer the price.

First Chancellor Silco: Your city will not suffer, Mel. You have my word.  Piltover will flourish.

Councilor Medarda: That is a bold claim.

First Chancellor Silco: Made in earnest. The question is: do you believe it? Or do we make a foe of each other?

Councilor Medarda: Between these choices, I have none.

First Chancellor Silco: That's what you don't understand, Mel. Neither do I. We've both done things that run contrary to our natures. But we are where we're meant to be. Our nations are where they're meant to be.  Let us simply accept that, and work together to build something lasting. Something greater than the sum of our pasts.

Councilor Medarda: If your synthetic serum is as efficacious as you say...

First Chancellor Silco:  I'd not have spent millions in its development if I were unsure.

Councilor Medarda: I'll have our medical facilities perform a thorough assessment.

First Chancellor Silco:  That can be arranged.

Councilor Medarda: It must pass muster. If it's anything but foolproof, it won't see the light of day.

First Chancellor Silco: Understood. But when it's approved—as I'm certain it will be—I'd like to discuss distribution channels.  We have several options in the works, but there's a few that stand out. The Hexgates, for instance—

Councilor Medarda: I believe you've done quite enough discussing. Particularly with my colleagues. You may now conduct all official correspondence with my office. And with me, personally. That is the condition under which I'll sign.

First Chancellor Silco: Acceptable.

Councilor Medarda:  I expect to be looped into your plans from this day forward. In full. Is that clear?

First Chancellor Silco: Perfectly.

Councilor Medarda:  Why is the smile in your voice so evident?

First Chancellor Silco: You can hear my smiles now? I'll need to be careful.

Councilor Medarda: You're a scoundrel.

First Chancellor Silco: From you, that's the closest I'll get to an accolade.  Well, second-closest.  I've had others. 

Councilor Medarda: Viler still.

First Chancellor Silco:  I much prefer when you're being vile. The way you lash out when you're cornered. Like a feral beast. I half-believed you'd bite my face off through the line.

 Councilor Medarda: Don't call me a beast.

First Chancellor Silco:  No, that's no fair comparison, is it? A beast's a simple thing, driven by simple needs. You? You're as complex as they come.

Councilor Medarda:  Do not try to flatter me, either.

First Chancellor Silco: Is it not working?

Councilor Medarda: No in the least.

First Chancellor Silco: And yet I hear the catch in your voice…

Councilor Medarda:  And I hear the falsehood in yours. So we're even.

First Chancellor Silco:  Ever so. And yet I cannot help but wish that the fates were kinder.   That the distance between our cities wasn't so wide, and the waters not so cold….

Councilor Medarda: I'll thank you to stop waxing poetic.

First Chancellor Silco: Why?

Councilor Medarda: Poetry is the province of lovers. You've made plain the bedrock of our bond is blackmail.

First Chancellor Silco:  If you'd prefer, I can skip to the verse about your breasts?

Councilor Medarda:  Do you even grasp the gravity of this discussion? 

First Chancellor Silco: Are we speaking of our cities, or your tits?

Councilor Medarda: Silco.

First Chancellor Silco: What?

Councilor Medarda: Do not do this again. I warn you. Do not go behind my back. Do not jeopardize my life's work.  Zaun is your home. Whatever privations you've endured, nobody can take that from you. Nobody can deny your birthright. But Piltover is mine by choice. The only choice I've left to make. But it's not a city of welcome mat and warm hearth. I've had to prove myself, again and again, as more than a warmonger's leavings. More than some empty-headed beauty, whose only value is in the gowns she wears, and the men who wish to peel them off her. I've fought for my seat at the Council table, tooth and nail. I've won their respect through guile and grit. Every day, I wake and I face the same gauntlet.  And I endure it. For Piltover. For progress. I will not have that legacy tarnished by your indiscretions. Is that understood?

First Chancellor Silco: Mel...

Councilor Medarda: I mean it. Swear to me.

First Chancellor Silco: Answer me this, first. Is tarnish so terrible?

Councilor Medarda: It is, for a city that prides itself on polish.

First Chancellor Silco: I see.

Councilor Medarda: And I—I confess, I envy that about Zaun. That, despite everything, it's most compelling at its rawest. It's a city of open wounds and weeping sores. And yet it dares to flaunt them. Unflinching. Unashamed.  As you are. I wish I had that conviction. That courage.

First Chancellor Silco: Oh, you're plenty courageous.

Councilor Medarda:  Am I? To me, it often feels as if I've lived a lie.

First Chancellor Silco: Because you were not born of the city you love? Or because the birthright you should love, you disowned?

Councilor Medarda:  A bit of both. From the start, I've felt like a stranger in my own skin. As if I were a changeling, and the real me was elsewhere. The closest I came to finding her was here. In Piltover. And yet, I remain the foreigner on her shores. For the public, a Councilor. Always on a pedestal. Always beyond reach. In private, the exotic emigree. To be admired, and envied, and desired. But never embraced. Never...

First Chancellor Silco: Never loved?

Councilor Medarda:  Not in the way that I've...always longed for.

First Chancellor Silco: Who among us has been?

Councilor Medarda:  Then you understand? In the eyes of Piltover, I must remain pristine. Be a reflection of their expectations. A symbol, not a soul. Otherwise symbols are torn down. And if I fall from grace, then all I've worked toward falls with me.  And I—I cannot let that happen.  Do you understand?

First Chancellor Silco: I do. But... Mel?

Councilor Medarda: Yes?

First Chancellor Silco: The fall from grace isn't fatal.

Councilor Medarda:  It is, if your city soars as high as mine.

First Chancellor Silco: And if a city sinks to the depths like mine?

Councilor Medarda:  Then there is nowhere to go but up. Isn't that why you're fighting?

First Chancellor Silco: ...

Councilor Medarda:  You're not the only one who listens, Silco.  I've kept your secrets, too. Your ambitions, and your insecurities. The nights you'll call because you're too wired to sleep, and have made the mistake of looking into the mirror, and seen your own mortality staring back.  The mornings you're too impatient to return my calls, because your nightmares have yielded a glimpse of the future, except it reads like a reckoning. The evenings you'll ring me up, only to end the call halfway through our chat, because your daughter's come in and kissed you on the cheek, and suddenly the warmth of my voice is a pale echo in comparison.  You're a man of a hundred masks. But a man all the same. 

First Chancellor Silco: Mel...

Councilor Medarda:  And I'd have that man swear he'll not endanger our work. Swear he'll not play me false. Swear, on the future of his city, that he'll not risk mine.

First Chancellor Silco: I swear.

Councilor Medarda: Then I shall do the same.

First Chancellor Silco: Thank you.

Councilor Medarda:  I'll look over the contracts.  If I think they're worth the ink it takes to sign them, I'll see that funds are procured from the rest of the Council.  But the moment I sense a foul wind blowing from Zaun, it's over. Do you hear?

First Chancellor Silco:  Loud as the hammer in the forge. By the by: how's Talis? His sabbatical's nearly at an end.

Councilor Medarda: He is... keeping busy. He plans to travel.

First Chancellor Silco: Where to?

Councilor Medarda: To the Shuriman plains. Somewhere he visited, long ago, with his family. He says it's to broaden his mind, acquire the distance necessary to reevaluate his contributions to Piltover. I suspect it's a quarter-life crisis, precipitated by Viktor's departure, and Heimerdinger's death.  

First Chancellor Silco: He'll take proper security measures, I trust?

Councilor Medarda:  This is Jayce we're talking about. Security measures are not his forte.

First Chancellor Silco:  I'd suggest a bodyguard. Or five.

Councilor Medarda:  I've already seen to it.

First Chancellor Silco: And I'll see to it that my network keeps a weather eye out.  Should he stumble into dangerous terrain, I'll have the information relayed to you. 

Councilor Medarda:  You have a keen eye for dangerous terrain, Silco. And I... I thank you for watching over him. 

First Chancellor Silco:  That was why we bargained, did we not? Your lover for my daughter.

Councilor Medarda: You didn't barter for him. You bargained to keep Jinx out of harm's way. And, in doing so, you saved my heart. I won't forget that.

First Chancellor Silco: You still love him, don't you? Despite everything.

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: Do not answer if you do not wish to.

Councilor Medarda: No, it... it's true. Despite the hurt, and the heartbreak. Despite the way he looks at me, sometimes, as if he's seeing past the mirage into the flawed and frightened girl beneath. Despite the fact that he's a flawed and foolish boy, who can only love with the whole of his soul, or none at all. Despite his pride, and his pig-headedness, and the times when he makes me want to throttle him. Yes, I still love him.

First Chancellor Silco: It must be difficult, given how often your star-crossed paths collide.

Councilor Medarda: It isn't the collision I mind. It's the aftermath. The sense of a distance growing between the lines. As it does, when lovers part.  I wish I could say the right thing, to heal the wounds left by the Siege. I wish I could find a way to bring him home. Not to me. To himself.  But I think, when a man's touched the sky, even the most shining city can begin to feel like a cage.

First Chancellor Silco:  Not the sun at its heart, surely?

Councilor Medarda:  You refer to me?

First Chancellor Silco: Who else? 

Councilor Medarda:  He's not beholden to me, Silco.

First Chancellor Silco: But he's certainly bound to you. By gravity, if nothing else.

Councilor Medarda: And what is it that binds you? Besides this blood-bargain we've struck to keep him safe?

First Chancellor Silco:  If I said: progress, would that suffice? You've already made plain your distaste when I wax poetic.

Councilor Medarda:  My disdain's for your doggerel. And, if you must know, its delivery.   

First Chancellor Silco: Too wooden?

Councilor Medarda: The opposite: too practiced.

First Chancellor Silco: Ah.

Councilor Medarda: You've a flair for words, Silco, but a paucity of passion. You speak with gravity. But there are more fundamental forces at play between souls. It is not the gravity of a star that makes the galaxies dance. It's the fire at its core.  The fury. The fission. The fusion.

First Chancellor Silco: Ooh, you're positively scalding tonight…

Councilor Medarda: I just mean—I like it best when you're sincere. When you cut to the quick of a conversation, and not around the edges.  When you spin, not a ruse, but a revelation. A truth that hits hard, and hurts. But hurts so beautifully.

First Chancellor Silco: Like when I've got three fingers in your wet little cunt, and you're begging me to let you come?

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: Because if that's the candor I'm supposed to be cultivating, I'll have to take you to task, next we meet.

Councilor Medarda:  That's not—

First Chancellor Silco:  The sort of sincerity you crave? I believe it is, Mel. It's why we work so well together.  In business and out of it.  I sell the bitter truths, you the sweet lies. And between us, we're the only ones who know when we're buying the other's wares.

Councilor Medarda: This... this is not a transaction.

First Chancellor Silco: I thought it was. That's what you said, at any rat. An arrangement. One where we each make good on what we owe.

Councilor Medarda: If so, we're both in arrears.

First Chancellor Silco: Then perhaps you'll consider this an overdue payment. Are you free next week?

Councilor Medarda: Next week?

First Chancellor Silco:  There's a press junket for Zaun's Shimmer-fed agrifarms, and the Hex-hydroponics your city's funded. We'll be doing a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and showcasing the newest Shimmer formulae. They're not ready for distribution yet, but there's enough interest to warrant a sneak-preview. I'd like you to be there. For the optics, yes. But also because I want your opinion on the final product. I've had my labs running non-stop to make these drugs top-notch.  I trust no one's judgment like my own.  Except yours.

Councilor Medarda:  I'm flattered.

First Chancellor Silco: You needn't be. This is straightforward business. You'll see the product firsthand, and I'll have your feedback to guide the final stages of production.

Councilor Medarda:  That's it? I'm to offer my feedback, and be on my way?

First Chancellor Silco:  With a few hours elsewhere, if it pleases.

Councilor Medarda: Pleases whom?

First Chancellor Silco: Myself, invariably. You?  That depends on your willingness.

Councilor Medarda: To do what, pray tell?

First Chancellor Silco:  Now you're playing coy.  I'd rather show than tell.  Unless you'd rather have me tell than show?

Councilor Medarda:  Neither. Until we're done with the contracts.  Then I'll be free to... entertain the notion.

First Chancellor Silco: So formal. So frigid. So Piltovan. But beneath it all, that Noxian blood runs hot.  I do look forward to warming myself in the glow.

Councilor Medarda: As I look forward to keeping you at arms' length. You've quite tested my patience today.  And my trust.

First Chancellor Silco: Whereas my trust in you's not shaken in the least.  You'll do right by our cities, Mel.  You always do.

Councilor Medarda:  I wish that were so. I wish I had from the start. Then maybe I wouldn't have—

First Chancellor Silco: What?

Councilor Medarda: Nothing.

First Chancellor Silco: You can tell me, Mel. Or I can guess. You mean Talis, don't you? You two wouldn't have fallen out. He wouldn't have left the Council. Wouldn't have broken his heart, and your own. You wouldn't have picked up the pieces, and found yourself here, having to bargain for his safety, with a brute like me.

Councilor Medarda: That's not what I was going to say.

First Chancellor Silco: No?

Councilor Medarda: I—I want to tell you. But I know that if I do, you'll leverage it against me. Take me to task. Or hold me to ransom.

First Chancellor Silco: I'd never take you to task, Mel. But I can think of plenty other places I'd take you, if you're game.

Councilor Medarda:  Silco. Please.

First Chancellor Silco: I'm listening, Mel. I swear, I am.

Councilor Medarda:  I only meant to say... I miss Jayce. I do.  But not as much, lately. Not like I used to.

First Chancellor Silco:  That's good, isn't it? A little breathing room, so the sores don't fester.

Councilor Medarda: There are times when I'd still welcome the festering. If it meant dreaming of him. Dreaming of... being loved. In that way. Seeing the stars, and feeling as if my soul could sing. But lately...

First Chancellor Silco: Lately?

Councilor Medarda: Do you know how it feels when a fever breaks? When you've sweated through the night, and your bedsheets are drenched, and the world is spinning darkly. But your head's a little clearer. You're a little stronger. A little surer. A little closer to yourself. 

First Chancellor Silco:  I do.

Councilor Medarda: I've had the chills, since that night. The Siege. When I saw my worst nightmares come to life. War, at my doorstep. And the man I loved, broken by the same demons that have haunted me for years. But lately... it feels as though the fever's broken.  As if the air is lighter, and my steps are steadier. And if the stars no longer shine as bright, I don't mind. Because the darkness no longer daunts me.

First Chancellor Silco: Because you hold a candle in your heart?

Councilor Medarda: Because I've a companion who walks with me. Who knows what shadows to cross, and where to steer clear. 

First Chancellor Silco: ...

Councilor Medarda: What I mean to say—

First Chancellor Silco: You needn't say anything, Mel.

Councilor Medarda: The smile's gone from your voice. 

First Chancellor Silco: Because the call's coming to an end.

Councilor Medarda: Silco—

First Chancellor Silco:  Before you say anything else you believe I'll leverage against you.

Councilor Medarda: That's not—

First Chancellor Silco: I'll give you a chance to take it back. Or, rather, to leave it unsaid. But, Mel?

Councilor Medarda: Yes?

First Chancellor Silco:  Thank you. For sharing that with me. For trusting me, when I deserve no such trust. And for being honest. With me, and with yourself. I wish—well. I wish a lot of things. But know one thing. There's no perfect endings in this world, much less perfect beginnings. Only perfect moments, if we're smart. If we're blessed. If we're brave.

Councilor Medarda:  I think we could be brave. If... if we tried.

First Chancellor Silco: And is that something you want?

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: Maybe for a night. Or a week. Or a year. But you'd be a fool to want it forever.

Councilor Medarda: You're wrong.

First Chancellor Silco: I'm not. If anything, it's a mercy that we're a river's-width apart. You with your stars, and me with my shadows. It's better this way. Safer.

Councilor Medarda: Why, after everything, are you so resigned? Why, when you fight for everything, won't you fight for us? Even if only for a night. A week. A year. Isn't that worth it, if a perfect moment's all that lasts?

First Chancellor Silco: Because I know what happens when that moment ends.

Councilor Medarda: Is this one of your double-entendres?

First Chancellor Silco: If it were, I'd not be saying the words, but showing them. With a hand on your breast, and another between your legs. But since we've only words, allow me to speak them plainly. When a perfect moment ends, the pain of its ending is a thousandfold. Especially if you've been granted a glimpse of what could be. But never what will.

Councilor Medarda: And you've had such moments, have you?

First Chancellor Silco: Haven't we both?

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: This, between us, will always be ours, Mel. No matter what. But anything beyond? Anything more than stolen hours, and secret trysts? It'd end, like all things. In ruin.

Councilor Medarda:  You're a fortune-teller now?

First Chancellor Silco: Just an old hand at hard-luck draws, and bad-luck deals. And this? This is neither. This is a blood game, and one we must play o win. We cannot afford the alternative. Neither Zaun nor Piltover can.

Councilor Medarda: Is that all we are? A risky indulgence?  A pair of high-rollers, betting on the odds?

First Chancellor Silco: We are. And the safest bet is a sure one.

Councilor Medarda: Then you're a coward, Schatz.

First Chancellor Silco: Who's Schatz?

Councilor Medarda: You are. A treasure determined to bury himself in the deepest pits. And to hell with what's left in his wake.

First Chancellor Silco:  What's left in my wake will be a strong city. My daughter, grown. Her future, secure. And you? Gilded in gold, with the stars shining bright, and your happiness in the palm of your hands. And you'll thank me for it, before the end.

Councilor Medarda: Or curse you for denying me the choice.

First Chancellor Silco: I'm not the one who'll deny it. The world's done that, and more, since before we were born.

Councilor Medarda: It saddens me that a man who'd defy the very laws of physics refuses to break the rules that bind his heart.

First Chancellor Silco: And it saddens me, that you'd believe hearts are meant for binding—and not breaking.

Councilor Medarda:  Back to the doggerel, I see.

First Chancellor Silco: Mel. Let's not push this matter further. We have our bargain, and we have each other's backs. It's enough. It has to be.

Councilor Medarda: As you say, First Chancellor. But you'll excuse me if I reserve the right to disagree.

First Chancellor Silco:  You can call me the other name, if it makes a difference.

Councilor Medarda:  Schatz.

First Chancellor Silco: Hmm.

Councilor Medarda: You like the sound of it. I can hear the smile in your voice.

First Chancellor Silco: I wish I'd something to give in return.

Councilor Medarda: A kiss, for a start.

First Chancellor Silco: I'd give you more than that.

Councilor Medarda: More than an hour? Two hours, perhaps? A night?

First Chancellor Silco: And then some. But a night is not in the cards. Not yet.

Councilor Medarda: When?

First Chancellor Silco: When it's safe for us to risk more.

Councilor Medarda: And lose twice as much.

First Chancellor Silco: ...

First Chancellor Silco: And I'd thought you a diplomat.

Councilor Medarda: As I'd thought you a businessman. But we are, both of us, fools.

First Chancellor Silco: So it seems.

Councilor Medarda: I've missed you, Silco. I've missed our talks, even if they're too brief, and we're both far too clever for our own good. I've missed someone challenging me, and arguing with me, and not placing me on a pedestal of reverence. I've missed—I've missed us. Being us. Whatever that means.

First Chancellor Silco: It means whatever we wish it to. As long as we wish it so.

Councilor Medarda: ... I wish you were here. I wish I could—you said it was a mercy that we're a river's-width apart. Well, I wish it were a river of fire. Then we'd be forced to leap, and damn the consequences. Damn the Council, and our cities, and the world. They'd not last a day without us. And yet here we are, sacrificing our dreams on their altar. It's madness, Silco. We're fools, but not for believing in each other. For not daring to.

First Chancellor Silco:  Mel. My treasure. Don't say another word. Please.

Councilor Medarda: Treasure, am I?

First Chancellor Silco: In a sea full of pearls, and diamonds, and gems, you'd still outshine them all.

Councilor Medarda: More doggerel.

First Chancellor Silco: Not when it's true.

Councilor Medarda: As true as this: I'll always love Jayce. Always. But tonight, I'll dream of the dark. And in that dark, I'll hear my name whispered. It will be soft, and smoky, like a whiskey-waft on a winter's eve. I'll see a single eye, the color of a bad moon. And it won't be Jayce's, but yours. You'll kiss me, and I'll taste no heartbreak. Only hunger without end. You'll touch me, and it won't be a fever, but a fusion. Your lips, my breasts. My breath, your skin. My moans, your name. Then you'll spread my legs, and fill me. And for a moment, the stars won't be enough. The galaxy won't be enough. All I'll want is the darkness. All I'll crave is more.

First Chancellor Silco: ...

Councilor Medarda: Are you still there?

First Chancellor Silco: Yes, and you're killing me.

Councilor Medarda: Is my fantasy such a dagger in your heart?

First Chancellor Silco: It's a bullet through my brain. It's the death of my will, and the birth of my ruin.

Councilor Medarda: What, pray tell, is the alternative?

First Chancellor Silco: To give you all that, doggerel be damned. To have you, and hold you, and fuck you. To watch the stars wink out of your eyes as I make you come.

Councilor Medarda: ...

First Chancellor Silco: Mel?

Councilor Medarda: Good night, Silco. Before—either of us forgets to be fools, and dares to be brave.

First Chancellor Silco: Wait, you can't just—

Councilor Medarda: I'll see you next week. At the press junket.

First Chancellor Silco: Oh, you will. I guarantee it.

Councilor Medarda: Is that a threat?

First Chancellor Silco: I don't threaten. I settle the score. Best come prepared, Councilor. You won't get off easy.

Councilor Medarda: But I'll certainly enjoy getting off.

First Chancellor Silco: Sweet little slut.

Councilor Medarda: Until next week. Good night, mein Schatz. Schlaf schön.

First Chancellor Silco:  Sweet dreams, Mel. Du wirst mir fehlen während du schläfst.

Councilor Medarda: Mmm. That's the delivery I want.

First Chancellor Silco: You'll get plenty more, when we meet.

Councilor Medarda: Hang up?

First Chancellor Silco: On the count of three.

Councilor Medarda: Eins…

First Chancellor Silco: Zwei…

Councilor Medarda: Drei—

[END MEMORANDUM]

[follow-up-news]

Dozens of aging bridges in 16 states will be replaced or improved with the help of $5 billion in federal grants announced Wednesday by President Joe Biden’s administration, the latest beneficiaries of a massive infrastructure law. The projects range from coast to coast, with the largest providing an additional $1.4 billion to help replace two vertical lift bridges over the Columbia River that carry Interstate 5 traffic between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The bridges, which also received $600 million in December, are “the worst trucking bottleneck” in the region, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. The new bridges will be seismically resilient and multimodal, with room for vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and transit. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek described the federal funding as “fantastic news” that will aid the economy while also advancing “goals of reducing carbon emissions and curbing the effects of climate change.” Other projects receiving $500 million or more include the Sagamore Bridge in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; an Interstate 10 bridge project in Mobile, Alabama; and the Interstate 83 South bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which Buttigieg highlighted Wednesday with a visit.

[alexanders-pokemon-adventure]

AL.CO file Quintessence

Subject:Quintessence 

Species: Empowered-Human  

Pronouns:They/Them 

Type:Other(an inherited genetic trait carried by their maternal family)

Level:Alpha 

Description 

    Alexander is one in a long line of empowered humans with abilities inherited genetically through the generations. The exact origin of this familial trait are unknown. [it is noted that almost all of Alexander’s material family posses a form or limited degree of Alex’s abilities]

    Physically like many empowered humans Alexander possesses a resilience to damage more like that of a pokemon 

    Alexander is able to conduct[absorb\Drain] the dynamic living energy’s generated by pokemon, render said energy down into more basic forms , store and utilize that energy for a variety of effects depending on the quantity, type and move which has been conducted.  

     In broad strokes, they are able to conduct energy from moves performed on them or through physical contact with a Pokémon[also some human], renders that energy into its most basic form, generally(exceptions exist) that of a singular type when conducted from a move , or more when when conducted directly from a Pokémon(s). Once that energy is rendered inside their body, they are able to manipulate it in a variety of ways depending on the energy-types they have available to them. In general, they are either able to imbued this energy onto others for their use, or utilize the energy themself at their discretion.

(For example, the energy rendered by absorbing a solarbeam, will be grass type , but energy draw directly from Breeloom will be both Grass and Fighting)

      On a basic level, all energy-types when used have a few overarching abilities, which are shared, regardless of type. When in use the individual utilizing said energy[referred to as Charged], will experienced varying degrees of heightened strength, speed, agility, reflexes, alertness, stamina, and if in possession, a greater ability to utilize abilities, they possess.

     On a more specific level, each energy-type has a range of additional characteristics that are imbues on to its user. Said characteristics can overlap, when more than one energy type is being used. When Alexander or another individual are sufficiently Charged the individuals, utilizing said energy may learn how to generate Move phenomenon. Alexander, as the possessor of this ability has learned to manifest a host of move phenomenon of various types when appropriately Charged. 

     In addition to their ability to generate move phenomenon and perhaps the defining aspect of their abilities that qualify Alexander as an alpha level empowered human is their ability to generate non-move, quantifiable phenomenon. In particular with the energy-types, Alexander has the most experience with. Even able to generate emergent abilities by combining energy-types to generate unique effects. 

Energy-Type Characteristics 

 [it is of note that Alexander has not spent sufficient time conducting energy with every type to determine the individually unique characteristics of each ,As such only the ones, Alexander has sufficient evidence of, will be listed below.]

Electric-type energy-enhance speed , electroreception ,access to electric type Moves and general Electrokinesis.

Flying-type energy-enhanced accuracy and positional awareness access to flying type moves and general aerokinesis.

Grass-type energy-greater stamina, photometabolize light ,access to grass type moves and general florakenesis 

Bug-type energy- stronger reflexes, access to bug type moves, energy carapace generation

Water-type energy-pressure resilience ,enhanced lung capacity ,access to water type moves, general Hydrokinesis

Fire-type energy-high temperature resilience access to fire type moves general Pyrokinesis 

Ice-type energy-low temperature resilience access to ice type moves , general cryokinesis

Psychic-type energy- ESP , access to psychic type moves, general psychokinesis

Ground-type energy-seismic sense , access to ground type moves , limited geokinesis(sand,soil,clay and mud)

[Awaiting updates]

[little-p-eng-engineering]

Little P.Eng. Engineering: A Comprehensive Dive into Structural Engineering Expertise

In the labyrinth of urbanization and infrastructure evolution, robust and innovative structural engineering solutions are of paramount importance. Standing as a beacon in this complex maze is Little P.Eng. Engineering. Recognized for its precision, innovative methodologies, and a holistic approach, the firm offers a gamut of services that range from foundation design to heavy industrial structure design. This article seeks to delve deep into the essence of Little P.Eng. Engineering's offerings and its role in reshaping the structural engineering landscape.

1. The Essence of Little P.Eng. Engineering

Beyond its technical expertise, Little P.Eng. Engineering embodies a philosophy: merging structural resilience with aesthetic elegance. The firm stands as a testament to the fusion of advanced technology and time-honored engineering principles.

2. Foundation Design: The Underpinning of Stability

Every monumental structure begins with a firm foundation. It's more than just laying concrete; it's about ensuring that what stands atop remains unwavering, come what may.

2.1 Site Analysis: A meticulous study of the terrain, soil properties, groundwater levels, and potential geotechnical challenges.

2.2 Choice of Foundations: Depending on the edifice, whether it’s a shallow, deep, slab, or mat foundation, Little P.Eng tailors solutions to meet specific needs.

2.3 Technological Edge: The firm embraces modern tools like ground-penetrating radar and soil liquefaction analysis, ensuring that the foundation design is fail-proof.

3. Concrete Structure Design: Molding the Future

Concrete is the canvas upon which modern infrastructural marvels are painted, balancing strength with moldability.

3.1 Concrete Composition and Quality: Every mix is a calculated decision, ensuring optimal compressive strength, durability, and workability.

3.2 Design Philosophy: With a balance of load-bearing capacity and aesthetic considerations, every concrete structure designed is both robust and visually appealing.

3.3 Reinforcement Dynamics: An integral aspect of concrete design, ensuring structures are fortified against both static and dynamic loads.

4. Steel Structure Design: The Alloy of Dreams

Steel's versatility and strength render it the material of choice for a spectrum of structures, from skyscrapers to bridges.

4.1 Steel Grade Selection: Depending on the project, whether it's a high-rise or a pedestrian bridge, the steel grade is selected to withstand specific stresses.

4.2 Structural Calculations: Ensuring that the steel members, be it beams, columns, or trusses, can handle imposed loads without deformation or failure.

4.3 Sustainability: The recyclable nature of steel resonates with Little P.Eng’s commitment to eco-friendly design solutions.

5. Steel Connection Design: Joining the Dots

While steel structures boast of strength, the connections are the unsung heroes ensuring overall stability.

5.1 Types of Connections: From simple bolted connections to intricate welded joints, each connection is designed considering load transfer mechanisms.

5.2 Rigidity and Rotation: Ensuring that connections offer the desired level of rigidity or allow rotations, depending on the design need.

5.3 Inspection and Quality: Every connection is examined to ensure it conforms to safety and quality standards.

6. Seismic Bracing Design: Withstanding Earth’s Fury

Earthquakes pose unique challenges, and Little P.Eng’s seismic bracing design stands as a shield against these natural calamities.

6.1 Seismic Data Analysis: Historical and predictive data are utilized to understand potential seismic threats.

6.2 Bracing Mechanisms: Depending on the structure and its purpose, various bracing systems, from cross-bracing to shear walls, are implemented.

6.3 Dynamic Response Analysis: Understanding how the structure would respond to seismic waves, ensuring minimal damage and maximum safety.

7. Heavy Industrial Structure Design: The Titans of Industry

For industries, structures aren't just buildings; they are the backbone of production and growth.

7.1 Load Considerations: Apart from static loads, dynamic and impact loads from machinery are factored into the design.

7.2 Material Selection: Depending on the industry, whether it's petrochemical, manufacturing, or power generation, material resistance to chemicals, heat, or radiation might be considered.

7.3 Expansion and Scalability: Industrial needs evolve, and Little P.Eng. ensures that their designs can accommodate future growth and modifications.

Little P.Eng. Engineering: A Comprehensive Dive into Structural Engineering Expertise

Conclusion

Little P.Eng. Engineering, through its broad spectrum of services, is redefining the boundaries of structural engineering. By fusing innovation with reliability, they are not just designing structures but crafting legacies that stand tall against the test of time.

Tags:

Little P.Eng. Engineering

Seismic Bracing

Structural Engineering

Material Selection

Sustainability

Structural Calculations

Structural Resilience

Bolted Connections

Load-bearing Capacity

Steel Connection

Connection Rigidity

Industrial Structure Design

Reinforcement Dynamics

Site Analysis

Load Considerations

Concrete Composition

Industrial Scalability

Infrastructure Evolution

Earthquake Safety

Recyclable Steel

Foundation Design

Bracing Mechanisms

Steel Grade Selection

Technological Edge

Welded Joints

Concrete Structure

Dynamic Response

Steel Structure

Structural Aesthetics

Seismic Data

Engineering Services

Structural Engineering Consultancy

Seismic Bracing Experts

Located in Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; Houston Texas; Torrance, California; El Segundo, CA; Manhattan Beach, CA; Concord, CA; We offer our engineering consultancy services across Canada and United States. Meena Rezkallah.

[marvelshifter111]

Earth child

Earth children are the guardians of the planet, embodying its strength, resilience, and life-giving nature. They can shape the land, make plants grow, and restore balance to the environment. With earthy features, glowing skin, and a calming presence, they bring stability and harmony wherever they go. Their bond with nature is unbreakable, and they draw wisdom and strength from the Earth itself.

Abilities

Earth healing - The power to heal damaged ecosystems, purify soil, and restore balance to the environment.

Mineral affinity - A connection to gemstones and metals, allowing them to summon or shape these materials.

Environmental awareness - A deep, almost supernatural sense of the Earth's condition, such as detecting danger or finding resources.

Elemental shielding - Creating barriers of stone, roots, or soil to protect themselves or others.

Animal bond - A natural connection to animals, allowing them to communicate or calm even the wildest creatures.

Seismic control - The ability to cause tremors or minor earthquakes by channeling the Earth's energy.

Earth healing - The power to heal damaged ecosystems, purify soil, and restore balance to the environment.

Enchanted endurance, stability and strength

Earth manipulation

Gravity manipulation

Plant manipulation

Characteristics

Eyes often reflect natural hues, like green, brown, or amber, with a grounding, calming effect.

Natural scent - soil, rain, or forests

Hair is usually brown or red,

Grounded presence - Their presence feels stabilizing, as if they bring balance and calm wherever they go.

Earth symbols - Patterns resembling tree roots, leaves, or cracks in stone might appear as markings on their skin.

Textured skin - their skin may take on the texture of bark, stone, or soil, especially when using their powers.

Sturdy build

Living accessories - Flowers, moss, or small plants might grow naturally on their clothes or hair

Eyes of wisdom - their eyes are usually green, blue or dark brown

Gets sick easily

Full form:

Names | Planet children | Masterlist

[nnctales]

Leveraging GPT AI for Seismic Design in Structural Engineering: A Technical Perspective

In the contemporary landscape of structural engineering, seismic design is a critical consideration. The constant threat of seismic events requires innovative methods that factor in such disturbances to ensure robust and resilient built environments. The latest advancement reshaping seismic design in this field is GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) AI, developed by OpenAI. GPT AI, an…

[westvalleyfaultph]

Bohol's Fault Lines: A Ticking Time Bomb?

Bohol, a province known for its pristine beaches and historical sites, is also grappling with a geological reality: a network of active fault lines that pose a significant threat to its residents. The East Bohol Fault: A Cause for Concern One of the most concerning fault lines is the East Bohol Fault, which stretches from Loay to Sierra Bullones. This fault, which has been relatively quiet for…

[visit-new-york]

Why is Empire State Building famous? The Empire State Building is famous for several reasons. Firstly, its construction during the Great Depression was a remarkable feat of engineering, completed in just 13.5 months, making it one of the tallest buildings in the world. Its iconic Art Deco design and prominent location in the heart of Manhattan have turned it into a symbol of New York City and a recognized cultural landmark worldwide. Additionally, its appearance in movies and its spectacular observation decks have further contributed to its fame.

Who was the Empire State building built for? The Empire State Building was built for commercial purposes. It was originally intended to provide office spaces for various businesses and companies. John J. Raskob and Al Smith, the main developers, saw it as an opportunity to create a prestigious office building that would attract tenants and stand as a monument to their company, Empire State Inc.

What is the Empire State building used for now? Today, the Empire State Building continues to serve as a commercial office building, housing numerous businesses and organizations. However, it has evolved into more than just office spaces. It has also become a major tourist attraction with its observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, offering stunning views of New York City. Additionally, the building is used for broadcasting and telecommunications purposes, further diversifying its functionality.

Why do people love the Empire State building? People love the Empire State Building for various reasons. Its majestic Art Deco architecture and historical significance make it an awe-inspiring sight. The observation decks provide a unique opportunity to view the city from above, creating unforgettable experiences for visitors. Its portrayal in popular culture, especially in movies and TV shows, has also contributed to its global fame and endearment. Moreover, it stands as a symbol of human achievement, resilience, and determination, making it a cherished cultural icon for many.

Who owns the Empire State? The Empire State Building is owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) that manages a portfolio of commercial properties.

Could you live in the Empire State Building? No, the Empire State Building is not designed for residential purposes. It lacks the necessary amenities and infrastructure to support residential living, and its primary function remains as a commercial office building.

How long can you stay in the Empire State Building? Visitors are welcome to stay on the observation decks for as long as they like during the building's operating hours. There is no strict time limit, allowing visitors to take their time and enjoy the breathtaking views at their own pace.

How many floors is the Empire State? The Empire State Building consists of 102 floors above ground. The observation deck is located on the 86th floor, providing visitors with expansive views of the city and surrounding areas.

Why is the Empire State building so strong? The Empire State Building's strength is attributed to its innovative design and construction methods. Its steel frame provides exceptional support and stability, making it highly resistant to various environmental forces, including wind and seismic activity. The combination of a robust steel structure and a masonry exterior contributes to its enduring strength and durability.

Is Empire State Building free? No, visiting the Empire State Building's observation decks is not free. There is an admission fee to access the 86th and 102nd-floor observatories. The pricing may vary based on the type of ticket, such as standard admission, express passes, or special packages.

How deep is the Empire State building? The Empire State Building extends approximately 55 feet (16.8 meters) below street level. Its foundation reaches this depth to ensure stability and support for the immense weight and height of the building.

When did the Empire State building become famous? The Empire State Building gained fame immediately upon its completion in 1931. Its grand opening and record-breaking height captivated the world's attention, and over the years, it has become one of the most recognizable and celebrated buildings on the planet.

Why was the Empire State building built so fast? The Empire State Building was constructed quickly due to several factors. First, the developers were engaged in a race to build the tallest building in the world, leading them to expedite the construction process. Second, the use of prefabricated components and efficient assembly-line construction methods allowed for rapid progress. Additionally, the Great Depression provided a vast pool of available labor, enabling round-the-clock construction in three shifts.

Who uses the Empire State Building? The Empire State Building is home to a diverse array of commercial tenants. Various businesses and organizations lease office spaces within the building. Additionally, the building's observation decks attract millions of visitors annually, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

20 Most Fascinating Facts About the Empire State Building:

Construction Workers and Speed: The construction of the Empire State Building involved approximately 3,400 workers who toiled day and night in three shifts to meet the ambitious construction timeline.

Steel Skeleton: The Empire State Building's steel frame, a cutting-edge design of its time, provides the necessary strength and flexibility to withstand environmental forces and support the immense weight of the structure.

Lightning Strikes: Due to its height and prominent location, the Empire State Building is frequently struck by lightning. To protect against these strikes, the building is equipped with lightning rods and grounding systems.

Observation Decks: The building's observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors offer breathtaking panoramic views of New York City, making them a major tourist attraction.

The 102nd Floor Observatory: Originally planned as a docking station for airships, the 102nd-floor observatory was never used for this purpose due to safety concerns and the decline in airship travel.

Art Deco Interior: The Empire State Building's lobby features elegant Art Deco motifs, including polished aluminum and marble finishes, decorative friezes, and chandeliers, which reflect the architectural style of the time.

Empire State Building Run-Up: Since 1978, the Empire State Building Run-Up has been an annual event, challenging participants to climb the building's 1,576 steps to the 86th-floor observatory.

Sustainability Initiatives: In recent years, the Empire State Building has implemented various sustainability initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and energy consumption.

Empire State Building Music-to-Light Shows: The building hosts music-to-light shows during special events, where its lighting is synchronized with music, creating a mesmerizing visual display.

King Kong and the Empire State Building: The Empire State Building gained further fame through its appearance in the 1933 film "King Kong," where the giant ape famously climbed the building's spire.

Renovation and Restoration: Over the years, the Empire State Building has undergone several renovations and restorations to preserve its architectural integrity and modernize its systems.

Empire State Building at Night: The building's lighting scheme changes to commemorate holidays, special events, and charitable causes, transforming its appearance at night.

Empire State Building During World War II: During World War II, the building's lights were dimmed to conserve energy and comply with blackout regulations, but they were used to communicate Morse code messages.

Empire State Building's Popularity in Media: The Empire State Building has been referenced in various songs, featured in video games, and replicated in miniature models, solidifying its place in popular culture.

Empire State Building's Global Recognition: As one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Empire State Building has appeared in numerous travel guides, documentaries, and international media.

Empire State Building and Light Pollution: The building's lights are dimmed or turned off during certain periods to reduce light pollution and protect migrating birds.

Celebrity Visitors: Over the years, the Empire State Building has welcomed numerous celebrities and dignitaries from around the world.

Empire State Building Art Exhibits: The building's lobby occasionally hosts art exhibits, adding an artistic dimension to its cultural significance.

Empire State Building: A Symbol of Hope: During challenging times and crises, the Empire State Building has been used as a symbol of hope and unity.

Empire State Building's Charm and Legacy: The Empire State Building's historical significance, iconic status, and architectural brilliance have cemented its charm and enduring legacy.

Conclusion: The Empire State Building stands tall as a testament to human ingenuity, determination, and the spirit of progress. Its fame, earned through its record-breaking height, iconic design, and global recognition, has made it an enduring symbol of New York City and an emblem of human achievement. As it continues to captivate visitors with its breathtaking views, the Empire State Building remains a cherished cultural landmark that will inspire generations to come. Its significance transcends its physical presence, embodying the dreams and aspirations of millions who dared to dream big and reach for the sky.