#alternate spinning technology

[techdriveplay]

GIGABYTE Launches GIGABYTE AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 GRE GAMING OC 16G Graphics Cards

Feb 26, 2024 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of premium gaming hardware, today announced the new GIGABYTE AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 GRE graphics cards powered by AMD RDNA™ 3 architecture – the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7900 GRE GAMING OC 16G graphics cards available for purchase on February 27, 2024. The GAMING OC graphics card, a classic and popular GIGABYTE graphics card, focuses on…

[buckyalpine]

LMAOO OKAY IMAGINE 40s!BUCKY (like tfa stark expo version) MAGICALLY TELEPORTING TO MODERN DAY, and Sharon’s bitch ass is hanging all over him, flirting hardcore, and is absolutely thrilled bc he’s actually giving her some attention. BUT THEN HE SEES THE READER AND IS LIKE “oh wow who is THAT” and leaves her alone to go woo the gorgeous dame. I can picture her face getting all red and embarrassed and upset. And Sam and Nat and Tony are in the background giggling.

GOD I LOOOVEEE THISSSS 40's heart has my heart cause this blushing soldier would be such a perfect mix of devilishly handsome and adorably shy.

-

"Shit" Tony huffed watching his time portal experiment start up and fail for the fourth time in a row while Bruce continued to medal with the dials, resetting the machine once more. "Why does it keep doing that"

"Give it a secondary power source, there's not enough juice with the first one"

Tony nodded, rummaging through a pile of knick knacks on his desk, grabbing a vial and adding it to the generator.

"Alright, set the timer to 19:00 hours and 40 in the past. Let's see if we can just travel to yesterday first before messing with going back years" He snorted, as Bruce punched in the time before hitting the start up button. The machine started to rumble before growing hot, the dials and buttons spinning and clicking on its own, parts starting to pop off.

"Oh shit!" Tony ducked under the table, shielding himself from getting knocked out as the portal grew more powerful, a force filed growing, knocking down things around the lab.

"What the hell did you use as a power source?!" Bruce yelled over the high pitched whizz the machine started to make, blinding light filling the room before disappearing, leaving a cloud of smoke in its place.

"I don't know, I just grabbed something that look like it'd fit" Toy shrugged between coughs as the smoke dissipated, squinting when he realized the platform wasn't empty.

Someone was standing there.

"What the hell..."

Blinking with bright blue eyes was a young soldier, dressed in a fresh, clean and pressed uniform, looking like a lost puppy while Tony and Bruce blinked in both confusion and amusement.

"Banner what the hell did you do with the timer?!"

"You're vial set everything into over drive, it must've recalibrated to 1940 instead of a couple of hours ago!" Bruce threw his hands up while the younger version of Bucky stared at the lab with child like wonder, his eyes twinkling as if it were Christmas day.

"Holy shit..." He breathed out seeing the vast technology, his mind still reeling over what was happening. One minute, he was on his way to see Steve and take some girls dancing and next thing he knew, he was sucked through a loop.

"Dear God-alright, uh-Barnes?" Tony waved the soldier over, mentally debating on what to tell him.

"Mr. Stark? It's-it's an honor, sir" Bucky shook Tony's hand before standing tall before him with his back straight, ever the bright eyed Sargent. Tony scratched his head before letting him take a seat, figuring honesty was the best police.

"Sargent. This may take a while"

-

Bucky understood bits and pieces of what Tony explained to him while getting a tour of the compound, the common room being the last place for him to check out. The team alternated between greeting and secretly cooing over the adorable young Bucky while also simultaneously laughing at Tony. At the very least, the billionaire was lucky the actual Bucky was away on a mission with you and Steve; there was only so much he could handle in a day. The soldier decided to hang back in the living room with the others, happily chatting away with Sam and Nat.

Then there was Sharon

"Hey Soldier" She winked, giving him a smirk causing the young Bucky to blush, throwing her a flirty smile right back.

"Nice to meet ya' doll" Bucky drawled out making her giggle, his lip catching between his teeth when she flipped her hair back.

"Aren't you sweet" She whispered, her heart beating a little faster when he moved towards her, his sweet baby blues gazing down at her intently. She'd tried a million times to get Bucky's attention before and he didn't look at her twice. She wasn't about to lose her chance with the new one.

"Look whose talking" Bucky chuckled back, his naturally flirty nature taking over with ease, after all it would be rude for him to ignore her.

"Someone's gotta protect him from this randy she goat" Sam whispered while Nat snorted, watching the two of them continuing to flirt, Sharon's hands toying with the buttons on Bucky's uniform, making her way up to brush his collar.

There was no way she was going to just let the gorgeous soldier go.

The machine wasn't fixed any time soon so Bucky was given a room to stay in. He loved the feeling of modern day sweats, looking cute as ever in some comfy joggers and a cotton tshirt, his fluffy cropped hair always neatly brushed and face shaven.

He was a Sargent after all. He always looked his best, even in lounge clothing.

There hadn't been a day where Sharon left Bucky alone. She clung onto his side, practically crawling up his leg day in and day out while the others side eyed the situation, keeping an eye out for the innocent Bucky.

"So, what's a soldier like you doin' without a girl, hm?" Sharon teased, pressing her hand to his chest, loving the way Bucky flirted back with her while the both of them sat in the common room with a movie playing in the background. Tony, Nat and Sam glanced at each other, quietly watching from their place in the kitchen while the blonde continued to giggle and blush, running her finger's through his hair.

"How do you keep your hair so soft, Sargent"

"Well, I- woah"

Sharon frowned when the soldier stopped talking half way after something- or someone- caught his attention. His eyes grew wide, a classic boyish smile appearing on his face when he saw the prettiest dame he'd ever laid his eyes on walk by the living room, making his heart flutter.

"who was THAT" Bucky stared in awe, seeing her stretch her arms up, still in some type of modern tactical suit, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yet she was still one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.

"Uh-excuse me" Sharon's face twisted watching Bucky stare are you like a love struck puppy, nearly jumping over the sofa so he could run and talk to you. He didn't take his eyes off you, practically swooning when he saw you pack away the gun from you holster.

"Huh-yeah, sorry-" Bucky mumbled, still focused on you, unbothered by the way Sharon's face was now red with embarrassment, seething at what he was doing.

"Look at this guy, he's not even hiding the fact that he's staring at y/n" Sam snorted while Tony and Nat snickered, watching the young Bucky watch you with heart eyes, "Aw man, he's got it bad"

"Hey y/n, looks like someone's got a little crush on you" Nat whispered, discreetly nodding to the living room. You nearly squeaked in surprise, seeing a very very young version of your boyfriend sitting on the couch, taking peeks over at you whilst ignoring the blonde who was still fighting for his attention.

"Tony, you did this, didn't you" You sighed while Tony smiled proudly, now fully invested in how all this was going to play out.

"I'll explain later. Go wash and change and you can talk to him"

As soon as you were out of the kitchen, Bucky scrambled to the group, cheeks tinted pink, bashful as ever, looking at the three smirking faces, wiggling their eyebrows at him.

"See something you like, soldier?" Nat prodded while Bucky nearly giggled, nodding.

"Who was that" He asked in earnest, truly curious to at least get your name.

"That would be y/n. I'll introduce you once she's back down. You might be her type, y'know" Sam winked knowing damn well he was your type. After all you were technically already dating. Bucky bounced on his heels, waiting patiently while Sharon huffed, refusing to move from her spot on the couch. You made your way back down after a shower to see an exited Sam and a shy Bucky along with a smug Tony and Nat.

"Y/n, meet young Buck" Sam smiled while you held your hand out, swooning at the way he shook it gently, throwing you smile few got to see, one he had when he got butterflies in his belly.

"Nice to meet you Sarge"

"Pleasures all mine, angel" Bucky whispered, leading you off to the living room to talk to you more, offering you a seat, wondering if you wanted anything to snack on or drink, forgetting Sharon's existence entirely. Sharon nearly opened her mouth to say something, immediately shutting it with a satisfied smirk seeing the other Bucky walk in followed by Steve. Hopefully he'd see his girlfriend was a cheating whore, flirting with someone else even if it was him from the past. Her brain wracked itself in hopes that this would all crash and burn while Bucky frowned the closer he got.

"What the fuck Stark" Bucky scrunched his face walking in on some punk flirting with his girl, only to realize said punk was a younger version of him.

"Relax, I'll fuse you two together" Tony shrugged while Bucky's face twisted again, grumbling when his younger self kissed you hand again, pulling you up for a dance while fumbling with a phone he'd just managed to figure out.

"They're cute" Steve grinned, nudging Bucky playfully while Bucky rolled his eyes, smiling to himself a little while later when you caught his eyes, throwing him a wink. You laid your head against the young soldiers chest while he swayed with you, unaware that he was being watched by everyone else, in his own world with just you in it.

"You better fuse us together" Bucky hissed, narrowing his eyes when you giggled at something that was whispered in you ear; Tony snorted with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Why Barnes, scared of a little competition?"

Before Bucky could retort, Sharon was up and walking with purpose, stalking right towards Bucky.

"Y'know they're both flirting hard, right? Aren't you two dating?"

Bucky wordlessly stared at her while the others looked at her with confusion, the desperation becoming embarrassing.

"Sharon, shut up" Sam deadpanned while her mouth gaped open and shut before storming off.

"Back to what I was saying. Scared, Barnes?"

"You should be the scared one" Bucky sassed back, knowing exactly what his younger self was capable of; he knew that innocent boyish charm did wonders when it needed to. That being said, even his past self recognized real love, gravitating towards his one true soul mate after just seeing her once.

He watched the two of you continue to dance and whisper, the young soldier tipping your chin up, eyes flicking to your lips, his soft pouty pink lips so close to yours, leaning down so he could press a kiss so sweet-

"Alright that's it, punk get your hands off her!"

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard art book pages, under a cut due to spoilers:

Top center: We designed a lot of Tevinter props to float, to make sure you were never far from some display of magic. Top right: A Shadow Dragon secret decoder ring. Center: Floating chairs may have a tendency to drift. Center right: Nothing helps you figure out a place like designing its food. Bottom left: It is much easier to light a room with floating lanterns. Bottom right: Candy tastes better out of a floating dish.

The Fade The Fade is the scrap heap Solas created when he made the wall of the Veil and threw all the magic in Thedas over it. It is inhabited by magical creatures, spirits, and demons. It is shaped by the dreams of people in Thedas. Some locations in the Fade seem coherent, resembling places from the other side of the Veil. Others are chaotic abstractions. Top right: The Crossroads are a separate dimension beyond the waking world and beyond the fade. It has been described as a tiny world between the eluvians. Center right: The Black City, once known as the Golden City and the heart of heaven, is a city in the Fade said to be the former seat of the Maker or the realm of the Old Gods, depending on the religious perspective. Bottom: Today the Black City is a place of darkness and nightmares with cold and twisted spires, "its towers forever stained, its gates forever shut". A floating island with the city atop it is the one constant geographical feature within the Fade. At any time, one can look up and see it in the sky, always in the distance. Actually traveling to the Black City from elsewhere in the Fade is impossible. Even the most powerful spirits and demons seem to avoid the place lest they become tainted.

Veil Jumpers Ancient magic awakens! Arcane powers are spinning out of control! Mysteries abound! A fabled lost kingdom now stirs with dreadful monsters and strange conjurations spawned by the dreams of mad elven gods! Who dares brave the uncharted depths of Arlathan Forest to confront the dangers that lie within? Top left: Some Veil Jumper gear is made from scraps they've found along the way. Every now and then they find fully intact gear from the ancient elven empire. Top right: A mix of mage-scholar and warriors, they launch expeditions to map the unknown reaches of the territory and search for relics. Center: The Veil Jumpers have integrated a lot of the magic technology they've scavenged in Arlathan. Annotation on illustration in top left of page reads "Alternate mask".

Top left: They wear gear that is best suited to detecting, surviving, and in some cases, collecting magical anomalies. Top right 1: Their gear is dyed to blend in with the perpetual autumn of Arlathan Forest. Top right 2: They have different specializations, ranging from daring explorers to mages who research the dangerous anomalies of the forest. Center left: A more ceremonial outfit. No telling what kind of gear is needed when dealing with unstable magic. Center right: A crack team of Veil Jumpers have long guarded the innermost regions of Arlathan, protecting its secrets from outsiders - but also containing the dangers that life within. Now they must mount an expedition into the heart of the unknown to battle the chaos and safeguard the legacy of their people. Their goal is reaching the never-before-glimpsed ruins of Arlathan City. Bottom: They've built heavy-duty magical protection suits to wear when they need to enter areas they know are highly dangerous.

Artifacts from that long-ago time have begun to activate. Infused with the powerful magic that saturates the very ground in the forest, they have made what was already a dangerous place far stranger and more deadly.

Arlathan Forest Arlathan Forest, once the seat of power for the ancient elven empire, is now a realm where magic runs wild and twists reality itself into new and terrifying shapes. Right: Images like this often start with simple block levels from designers. We try to push concepts pretty far. The final level sits somewhere in the middle.

Top left 1: Ominous remnant. Top left 2: The forest in agony. Center: Despite being abandoned for millennia, many of the ruins still hum with life. Bottom: The fallout from the ancient destruction of Arlathan City stirs once more. Magical eddies and vortices long dormant are coming to life, transforming the land into a dangerous territory few dare tread. Even now, after thousands of years, some regions of Arlathan Forest still remain uncharted. Tales of legend say the ruins of the ancient elven capital lie somewhere deep within its borders...

Top: Explore deep enough, and you'll find many of Arlathan's ruins are still in pristine condition. Center: Early exploration of Veil Jumper treehouses, campsites, and activities. Bottom: The remains of one of several ritual sites that can be found in Arlathan.

Top: The ruins of Arlathan are crumbling, but then they're not: now they're floating away like dandelion seeds; now they're upside down... Center: To differentiate it from previous forest and jungle locations in Dragon Age, we went with an autumnal color palette. It has the benefit of feeling ominously like the end. Bottom: Arlathan was once the capital of the elven empire in Thedas. Most of it has been drifting through the Fade for millennia, so what we see in Veilguard is a small overgrown remnant of its former glory.

Finding doors to both strange new lands and familiar old lands.

Top: An Archdemon awakes. Center left: We've seen elven ruins since the first Dragon Age game. Arlathan is what remains of the former capital of their Thedas-spanning empire, so we wanted to imply more grandeur than ever. Center right: The first view of Solas's ritual site from the opening of the game. Bottom: Solas's ritual starts to bend reality as the Veil is weakened.

Top: The Veil Jumpers are rarely comfortable setting up camp in the ruins. They'll often create smaller bases with their aravels. Bottom: This place may be deadly, but it can still be beautiful.

Using magical technology to full advantage.

In the early stages, this faction was a more archetypal elven faction - with some shapeshifting thrown in for good measure.

Top left: For the Veil Jumpers' salvaged technology, we wanted something simple and versatile that didn't look too futuristic. Center left: We went with triangular bronze plates that can be reshaped as needed. Center right: Veil Jumper symbolism. The "skull halla" implies their willingness to risk death. Bottom: Of the most primitive shapes, triangles have the strongest association with danger.

Top left: Artists thrive on limitations. Designing weapons made entirely from triangular pieces proved to be a ton of fun. Top right: Magically summoned arrows that manifest as the archer draws the "string". Center: We explored many ways Veil Jumpers could carry their technology. These early "gloves" eventually became Bellara's gauntlet. Bottom: Veil Jumper plates can be used offensively and defensively.

Top left: An examination table for discovering the secrets of Arlathan's magical artifacts. Top center: Containers for trapping and carrying the more mysterious anomalies. Top right: Some mysterious objects turn out to be benign enough for daily use, like these light sources. Center: Assorted salvage and some of the equipment used to study and record it. Annotations on illustrations near top of page read "1) Plug. Turn to align triangle in circle. Opens here", "2) All pieces stuck together when dead, expand when charged. Becomes unstable when overcharged. Dead. Charged. Overcharged. Collapses again in plug", "3) Wall plug", "4)". Annotation on illustration near bottom of page reads "magnifying lens bracelet".

Top right 1: Instruments and artwork help make a faction feel more grounded and believable. Top right 2: Diagrams of some of the more terrifying mysteries encountered in Arlathan Forest. Center 1: Veil Jumper props are all about field research. They carry simple camping equipment for the necessities, along with storage containers for all the technology and anomalies they're likely to find. Center 2: The Veil Jumper aravel is like a mobile base camp and laboratory on wheels. It can hover slightly above the ground, allowing it to enter locations a normal wagon couldn't. Center right: A classic southern aravel. Bottom right: The Veil Jumper aravel has been designed for their extreme circumstances.

Wardens The Grey Wardens defend civilization from what goes bump in the night. Heads high, eyes open, and swords drawn, they walk toward what most people would flee. From darkspawn lurking in the shadows to monstrosities beyond imagination, the Wardens vanquish our greatest nightmares - until the Calling pulls them into the very darkness they fight. Working with the Wardens means standing side-by-side in the face of overwhelming odds. They have a grim sense of duty, but one that's balanced by an exhilarating sense of adventure, unwavering determination, and a little gallows humor. Top left 1: Ultraheavy armor. Top left 2: A Warden executioner. Center left: With each faction, we explored a range of aspirational fantasies. For the Wardens, this ranged from knights in shining armor to brutal tanks to a Nietzsche quote: "Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster." Center: A dwarven Warden. Center right: For each faction, we designed their most expensive gear. In this case, the ultimate ceremonial heavy armor. Bottom: After being corrupted by Corypheus in Inquisition, the Wardens will once again play the role of heroes - if undeniably flawed ones, as so many Dragon Age heroes are.

Top right 1: Many people can become Wardens, and they can bring their own flavor, from the flashy Orlesian set to the freed gladiator to the legendary dragon hunter. Top right 2: Because most of the Anderfels is a desert wasteland, we mixed in more elements of desert survival. Top right 3: In previous games we saw southern Wardens. We thought it would be interesting to explore what made their northern cousins distinct. Bottom: Dragon theme on the left, griffon theme on the right.

Anderfels The Anderfels is a vast red desert that is often quite cold. It is also regularly attacked by roving hordes of darkspawn. Everything is built to withstand this harsh environment. Top: The war room at the heart of Weisshaupt Fortress. Center: Weisshaupt Fortress - the ancient and mysterious Grey Warden stronghold - rests in the southern Anderfels. A mere shadow of its former self with large portions left dark and unused, it still supplies and houses the Warden Order. A temporary haven in a harsh land... until the gods destroy it. Bottom: The home of the Wardens in Thedas. Weisshaupt is designed to be a mix of European and Middle Eastern castles.

Top right: A Warden outpost keeps watch over an Anderfels valley. Center: Early versions of Weisshaupt were based on classic castles. Bottom: There are Warden outposts built all across the Anderfels. They serve as refuges for civilians when darkspawn make their way to the surface.

Top: The Grey Wardens are a beloved faction who have been part of the Dragon Age universe since the beginning. The Wardens combine aspirational heroism with the Joining, the Calling, and the Blights - some of our eeriest lore. Bottom: For centuries the Wardens have had one mission: combat blight in all its forms. It's a mission that's carried the Wardens to the darkest corners of Thedas, and they've encountered no shortage of demons, monsters, and undead along the way. The Wardens know that evils besides darkspawn lurk in the shadows - and always will.

Top: An early image of a Warden stockade, still standing after an onslaught of darkspawn. Griffon riders fly through plumes of smoke as the fallen burn below. Center: Wardens are always the first to throw themselves into danger. Bottom: A heroic Warden makes his last stand.

Top left 1: A Warden wanted poster. Top left 2: Warden props were designed to reflect a care for craft and tradition mixed with a sturdiness to endure the centuries. Center right: To bring more life to the world, we thought about what industries would keep the Anderfels afloat. We took the prominent Warden blue color and envisioned an industry harvesting flowers, creating dye, and then weaving copious amounts of blue fabric. Bottom center: Darkspawn specimens. Bottom right: Warden murals depicting the glory days of griffon riders.

The ballista and trebuchet were designed with unusual standing "cockpits" to make interacting with them easy and fun.

The Hub The most important aspect of the player base was that it should be easy for the players to use. We wanted to create a very practical space and then wrap a fun narrative metaphor around it. We wanted it to be smaller than Skyhold, so that players spent less time running around to visit followers. The house idea survived through multiple iterations because it solved this problem well. Top left: The central room in the Lighthouse. Top right: Dragon Age: Inquisition had the war table with your three advisors. For Veilguard, we created a less formal table, surrounded by your followers. Bottom: The kitchen starts with Solas's sad single bowl of porridge and eventually becomes the warm heart of the Lighthouse.

Bottom: A room that was never built, full of Qunari artifacts and a sand garden.

Top: As the story developed, the idea solidified that Solas, now bound in the Fade, would give you access to his secret base of operations. This tied the base to a main character, giving us a chance to explore Solas as a character, like wandering around a friend's house for the first time. Center: The idea we worked with was that Solas, during his years rebelling against the evil gods, would have used his magic to "steal" the equivalent of a train station and hide it outside of the waking world. This hub of eluvians would have allowed the evil gods to get around their Thedas-spanning empire quickly. Solas used this to fight against the evil gods and, later, to accomplish his plans faster than most could keep up.

some other pages -

Some opening pages

Foreword

Google Books preview pages Part One

Google Books preview pages Part Two

Amazon preview pages

Page batch

Page batch 2

Page batch 3

Page batch 4

Page batch 5

Book art credits:

BioWare art: Matt Rhodes, Ramil Sunga, Albert Urmanov, Christopher Scoles, Nick Thornborrow, Steve Klit

Volta art: Gui Guimaraes, Stéphanie Bouchard, Akim Kaliberda, Alejandro Olmedo, Alexey Zaryuta, Julien Carrasco, Maksim Marenkov, Marianne Martin, Mariia Istomina, Marion Kivits, Matti Marttinen, Mélanie Bourgeois, Pablo Hurtado De Mendoza, Rael Lyra, Rodrigo Ramos, Thomas Schaffer, Tiago Sousa, Tristan Kang, Vladimir Mokry, Yintion J, Joseph Meehan, Stefan Atanasov, Julien Carrasco

Additional art: Marc Holmes, Thomas Scholes

[andmaybegayer]

For a different project I was reading about developments in induction heating technologies and realized I had a small misunderstanding about how induction stoves work.

So, the classic misunderstanding is in why steel works on an induction hob but aluminium doesn't. Most people assume this is because you need a magnetic material in order to induce a current, but if you know your physics you know this isn't true. You can induce a current in any conductor, and indeed inducing currents in aluminium is something that happens in industry all the time.

So then you get to my understanding of why you can't use aluminium and copper, which is that they're too good at conducting electricity. Induction generates a voltage that pushes a current through the material. Aluminium and copper are much better conductors than steel, so the generated potential is lower and the overall current is lower as a result of material interactions with the field, so you don't get nearly as much heat out of induction on aluminium as on steel. This was what I thought. This is also wrong, although it's closer.

The actual answer is one step deeper. Induction hobs have to operate at pretty high frequencies, usually 24-ish kHz, both for audible noise reasons and, crucially, because they rely heavily on the skin effect. Interestingly this makes that first wrong explanation kind of more correct, I'll get to that in a moment.

The skin effect is a thing that happens when you have an alternating current in a bulk material; the AC signal sets up magnetic fields that force current to flow in a thin layer closer to the surface of the solid rather than flowing evenly throughout the material. This increases the effective resistance of the material, since you end up with a reduced effective surface area through which current can flow. The skin effect gets more pronounced at higher frequencies, and it's part of why you'll see bundles of smaller cables used to conduct high power AC: each cable has its own skin that can carry more current than the same quantity of material in one bulk cable.

In the right kinds of steel and iron, 24kHz is enough to generate a current carrying skin only a few tenths of a millimeter thick, which has a high enough resistance to generate the heat needed for cooking. Ferromagnetic materials have very high magnetic permeability, which causes them to experience much stronger skin effects. Copper and aluminium, between their high conductivity and lower magnetic permeability, have much weaker skin effects, their skins at 24kHz are much thicker, and so you just can't kick up enough resistance to the current to generate heat, it just spins around in there getting kind of warm but you'd have a hard time actually cooking with it. Indeed, non-magnetic stainless steel also won't work on induction hobs, because it also has a much thicker skin effect.

So you have the "real answer" being a fun hybrid of the two incorrect explanations.

The main side effects I take away from this are twofold.

1) you can absolutely make an induction hob that will heat copper and aluminum and non-magnetic stainless steels, you just need a high enough frequency to generate a strong enough skin effect to generate heat. Panasonic makes one that uses 60+kHz induction under the brand "Met-all".

2) if you physically constrain the current by having a really thin piece of metal, you can induction heat it anyway. When I read this, I stopped, took out a piece of aluminium foil, and stuck it on my induction cooktop. It almost immediately got incredibly hot and I pulled it away before anything bad happened. Turns out you could definitely melt and maybe even vaporize aluminium this way. So don't do that. Apparently people do this with lightweight titanium cookware too, which would not be able to sustain the necessary currents in a large bulk solid but can if you thin the base of the pan out enough.

[caliburn-the-sword]

the main talking point of a lot of people that love eah but bash on descendants is that "eah was deep!! descendants was just a disney knockoff that meant nothing and was just a cashgrab" SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP (to be clear i am an eah lover). analytical thoughts to follow:

consider also, that auradon is portrayed as very technologically advanced in direct opposition to the isle being associated with magic (even with its ban) and a lot of of clearly second hand, worn and torn fridges and tvs and whatever

also, the fact that she felt PRESSURED to not only culturally assimilate into auradon culture, but alter her physical appearance to assimilate further. consider mal's costuming in the first movie. on the isle, we see her with (what i assume is her natural) purple hair, leather, etc. she is even, to a degree, gender nonconforming. pretty much the ONLY time we see her in skirts is when she's trying to impress ben for her plan to work

compare this with the hair costuming in descendants 2:

(i actually can't remember which scenes the third one was in but whatever) they have taken away her sparkle!! she's assimilated firstly into auradon fashion by dressing in pastels like them, and in SKIRTS which she textually only wore in the first movie when she wanted to impress ben. now with the added context of her wanting to impress auradon. and it really speaks a lot that she feels she has to conform to gender norms more in order to be accepted by auradon

and what about hair. she's felt the need to not only change the way she dresses, but change her hair to the eurocentric standard, so blonde that it's almost WHITE to conform to auradon's society (because let's be real, her mum's a fairy/dragon and her dad is a greek god. i'd be MORE surprised if she was DYING her hair purple than it being natural). changing your natural hair in order to to conform to and be accepted by the majority... where have i heard that one before??

shoutout to @soniccat

(to be clear. it is not a one for one analogy. "hey using a spell to force someone to forget what you did is an invasion" to me is like going "well actually people were right to fear mutants in x-men because some of them were walking weapons" IT'S A METAPHOR THAT IS ALSO A PLOT DEVICE)

('backwater' being used ironically, do not let my meaning be misconstrued here. a better way to word it is that immigrants are guilttripped into having to be 'grateful' for their oppression in a first world country because microaggressions or assimilation is considered better than the alternative, being back in your home country where living conditions may be considered poorer)

in the sense that for instance, jay put a VK spin on supporting feminism. like yes, he could've done it the rulefollowing, create a petition and gather signatures route, but INSTEAD he finds and exploits an existing loophole to let lonnie join the team. or evie shouting out dizzy's creations, uplifting her voice despite the fact she could've still taken the credit since she was the one that paired the outfit with the accessories. etc

are the descendants movies objectively bad movies?? yes. but this was to me, one of the most compelling analogies for immigrant struggles. take particular notice how almost ALL the main VKs are either racebent from the original disney movies (evie, carlos, uma) or were already based on an ethnic character (mal, jay)

but wait, mal is the whitest white girl to walk the planet. how is she already based on an ethnic character?

glad you asked. it is quite unclear in the descendants movie (basing its portrayal of maleficent on the disney sleeping beauty) is a fairy or a dragon. while the maleficent movie isn't canon to the descendants universe, i'm still going to use the fact that she's a fairy with the magical ability to turn herself into a dragon

a lot fairy folklore comes from ireland. the name maleficent itself, and i quote

shares similarities to the name millicent. millicent has irish (or scottish) roots (even a coat of arms) as in

thus one could argue that maleficent herself could potentially be irish coded

whether or not you agree with the idea that maleficent is irish coded, it is undeniable that mal is the daughter of hades, a greek god. it's a shame that that was a retcon in the third movie and not planned from the start, because the role could've gone to an actually greek actress (please google the ottoman empire and greek independence day if you still think it's not fitting for me to group mal with the others)

where was i going with this?? right. it's extremely telling that most of the main/side VKs, save for gil, are ethnic, in the story of a group of misfits finding themselves in an unfamiliar country with new social norms for them to learn as they try to fit in with and become accepted by their peers

[c-schroed]

Why Not Watch Some Movies Set in 2025?

Another new year has just begun, and I love to start it with a look back to how some people years ago envisioned this specific year to be (just like last year). So, I'll share with you my list of movies set in the year of 2025, based on this gorgeous Wikipedia list.

Of course, some of the movies listed there don't provide much of a vision, because they're set just a few years in the future. So, I'll focus on movies that are at least ten years old, reducing my Get Ready For '25 watchlist to 11 entries. Future me will edit this post, adding a quick review to each film after I've watched it. So, let's have a look at the movies, after the cut.

Endgame (Original title: Bronx Lotta Finale). The oldest entry in the list comes from 1983, and it shows us a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic New York. Seemingly, some nuclear war has happened (around 1990, as a clever Wikipedia writer deduces based on the technology shown in the film), leaving a wasteland filled with scavengers and telepathic mutants. Oh, and hunters and gladiators who fight to death for a TV show called Endgame. A Boy And His Dog meets The Running Man, as it seems. One could start worse, I guess, though the writer/director worked under a pseudonym for this, which I admit is not the best of omens. PS: I usually look at places like Youtube and Dailymotion if someone uploaded some of the older flicks, and on this lil quest I among others found a German dubbed version with Hungarian voice-over of this originally Italian flick. So if you happen to understand Hungarian (I don't), have fun with this truly pan-european edition! Wow. I admit that this flick was a better start than I anticipated. It's still not great, but the first third is very entertaining, with some nicely choreographed fights. Very wrestling-esque, very sweet. However, then all of a sudden the whole gladiator fight TV show stuff ends, and instead we get some "Bring these guys to this place" plot instead. Entertaining The Running Man ripoff becomes less entertaining Mad Max 2 ripoff. 5 out of 10 points. Oh, and I solved the riddle of the director's pseudonym: He usually made smut films, so I guess he did not want to confuse his smut film fans by putting his smut film persona into the credits of this relatively non-smut production.

Future Hunters. A movie from 1986, and yet another post-apocalyptic world. Some rebel group search for the Spear of Destiny, which allows them to travel back in time. So, I'm afraid most of the film will not happen in 2025, but 39 years earlier, where the Spear has to be reunited with its shaft (the Shaft of Destiny, I guess?) to break its curse. Or so. Raiders of the Lost Ark seems to meet Terminator, here. And we even have Robert Patrick in one of his first leading roles, five years before becoming a real Terminator. I am indeed disappointed by how little a role the year 2025 plays. The Guy From The Future even dies within the first ten minutes, and afterwards it's The Adventures of I-Wanna-Be-an-Anthropologist-One-Day And Her Boyfriend Who Will Later Play The T-1000. Poor female protagonist hardly passes the Sexy Lamp Test – The plot needs her exactly one (1) time, and this is in fact the number an actual lamp is needed for the plot, too! I admit, though, that the final third of this wild ride is a bit entertaining. Still, a movie that makes you rethink your new year's traditions. 3 out of 10 points.

Futuresport. This one is from 1998, and it was made directly for TV. The eponymous sport of the year 2025 is a mix of basketball, baseball and hockey that uses hoverboards and rollerblades, and it is used as a less lethal alternative for gang warfare. Specifically, this sport shall be used to decide who will rule over the Hawaiian Islands. When looking at this synopsis, I can't stop thinking about one of my favourite movies, the 1975 sci-fi classic Rollerball. Rollerball is set in the year of 2018, so maybe I can spin me some head canon that has Futuresport developing from Rollerball. We'll see. Nevermind that head canon dream of mine, this has nothing in common with Rollerball. It's quite entertaining, though, I'll give it that. Of the 2025 visions so far, this one is the first to show a bit of imagination, with Borg camera operators and President Chelsea. Nice. And even a Beyond Belief moment. I liked movies for less. 6 out of 10 points.

Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision. A 2003 direct-to-video sequel to the Jean-Claude Van Damme flick of 1994. Timecop part one was set in 2004, and 21 years later, in the sequel, some guy is sent to Berlin of the past. To kill Hitler. Oh my. This could be quite the ride. I think I watched part one when I was young, but I can't remember much. So maybe this year is a good opportunity for a rewatch of this Van Damme flick - though I don't think it will be needed to understand part 2. The double feature DVD box is cheap to get, so we'll see.

Negadon, the Monster from Mars. A 2005 animated kaiju short film from Japan, wherein a mars mission brings some monster back to earth. Which of course has to be fought with some huge robot. Sounds okay, and we're talking about 25 minutes to spend. So why not.

Repo Men. A 2010 film that shows us a 2025 where bio-mechanical organs are rented to people in need. If they can't afford the organs any more, well, the repossession is quite bloody. So basically it's 2008's Repo! The Genetical Opera, but without the cool singing. I watched this movie when it was in cinemas, and it was okayish. So, time for a rewatch.

Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City. Some Japanese superhero flick from 2010, of course it's a sequel to a film called Zebraman, from 2004, wherein a teacher starts to fight crime in the costume of his childhood TV hero. The sequel is set 15 years after part one (so yes, Zebraman 2 is produced in the year that Zebraman 1 is set in), and Tokyo is renamed to Zebra City and now has a "Zebra Time", a daily period of five minutes where all crime is legal, but presumed criminals will be attacked by the "Zebra Police". This could be hilarious, The Purge on speed (before the first part of The Purge even existed!), but I'll keep my expectations low. And I'll try to watch part one first, because Zebraman 2 seems to use a lot of its characters.

Pacific Rim. A 2013 instant classic. In 2025, giant kaijus must be fought with giant mechas (just as in Negadon; see above). Gosh, I love this one, but spouse hasn't seen it yet. And is highly sceptical. But when if not this year should one give this a try, right?

Hot Tub Time Machine 2. Four guys are sent ten years into the future by the eponymous bathing device, to find someone who tried to kill one of them. I absolutely did not like the first part, so I really feel tempted to skip this.

Mountains May Depart. A 2015 Chinese drama spanning a time from 1999 to 2025. The synopsis is full of love-triangles and family drama, so I don't suspect much of a vision of the future. Plus, it seems to be rather hard to get, so maybe I'll skip this one, too.

Ten Years. Also from 2015, this movie from Hong Kong speculates about what the semi-autonomous Hong Kong will be in ten years from then, with human rights and freedoms gradually diminishing as the influence of the Chinese government increases. I'm very curious about this one!

[drnikolatesla]

One of the Greatest Inventions of All Time

Nikola Tesla has many revolutionary inventions to his credit, but he is best known for his pioneering work in the development and promotion of alternating current (AC) electrical systems. Tesla's innovations in AC technology revolutionized the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power, becoming the foundation for the modern electrical power systems that we use today.

There is a common misconception made that Tesla was the first to invent, or discover, AC, but this is not true. It is well-known that Hippolyte Pixii was the first to discover AC in 1832. Pixii was an instrument maker from Paris who built an early form of an alternating current electrical generator (based on the principle of electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday), and thus started a new industry in power transmission. Tesla was not the first to discover or invent an AC motor, but he was the first to invent a practical AC induction motor with commercial value that could outperform all other motors. It must be noted that Italian inventor Galileo Ferraris also invented an induction motor similar to Tesla's, but it had no commercial value, and he even admitted himself that it was useless. Tesla's induction motor operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction, properly utilizing a rotating magnetic field that induces a current in a stationary conductor, resulting in rotational motion. The utilization of the rotating magnetic field makes the motor more simple, robust, versatile, efficient, and cost effective in that it has less moving parts reducing the likelihood of mechanical failure (as was common in other motors).

Tesla's induction motor became a fundamental component in the field of electrical engineering and is used today in various applications, being one of the most widely used devices in the world. The motors play a crucial role in transmitting electrical power to homes and businesses. They are commonly used in power generation plants to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is then transmitted through the power grid for distribution to various locations. Induction motors are also widely employed in appliances and machinery within homes and businesses for various applications. These applications include conveyor systems, hoists, cranes, lifts, pumps, fans, ventilation systems, compressors, manufacturing machinery, wind turbines, washing machines, refrigerators, garbage disposals, microwaves, dishwashers, vacuums, air conditioners, robotics, electric vehicles, trains, power tools, printers, etc. Basically, anything that requires a spinning action for power.

The induction motor is widely considered one of the most important inventions in the history of electrical engineering. Its importance lies in its transformative impact on industries, its efficiency and reliability, and its role in the broader electrification of society.

[novella-november]

This isn't going to be another "you hate fanfiction!!" because very obviously you do not, but it is prompted by the discussion of branching out into original work, since it's something I often struggle with when trying to make that jump. Do you or any of your followers have any good resources on beginner worldbuilding? I really struggle with it.

Thank you!

If you check out my post where I made a "Prep Calendar" for Outline October (Which is a November-prep alternative/ supplement to Ominous October, the spooky short story event), I actually made a rather rough calendar outline of how to go about world building in advance for November;

The basic first steps for me are usually just three things:

Who are your characters

What kind of world do they live in (aka setting)

Whats your main plot/conflict?

To start worldbuilding at its lowest level, start with number one and work your way up; figure out what kind of character you'd like to write, where they live, and go from there!

Here is the prep calendar I threw together in MS paint, I definitely reccomend downloading it on desktop to actually zoom in to see what all it says lol.

And as a bonus, I will even make a fun, silly little exercise for anyone who'd like to get some practice in!

If you want to join in, grab a pen and pencil, or open up your favorite note-taking app :D

Here we go....!

Let's start out by saying that my basic concept for a character is *spins mental wheel of random ideas*....... a talking deer! 1) So now that I have decided that I want a talking deer character, now I have to decide: A) do *all*deer talk? B) Do *all* animals? C) Or is it just this one singular deer who is special? 2) If it *is* just this one singular deer who can talk, are they: D) otherwise a perfectly normal deer who just happens to be able to talk? E) Can they talk because they used to be human? F) Can they talk because they used to be an Alien or encountered Alien Tech (scifi) ? G) Can they talk because they used to be a Magical Creature or ran into a Magical Spell (fantasy) ? 3) Now you get to decide, mostly if you chose A or B from #1 but also useful for C : H) Is your story a more personal nature documentary, with realistic interactions between predators and prey? I) Is your story going to be a unique world where deer have built a society with technology and know how to defend themselves from predators? J) Is your story a unique world where all animals can talk and are equally sentient, therefore predators are revered as gods or keepers of the dead, who bring all back to the circle of life and prevent the spread of illness and disease, with older animals proudly going "to the wolves" to give their life to their brethren who consecrate the bones of the dead and keep resources plentiful? K) Or are predators the monsters in the dark, the teeth that bite, the slavering jaws that kill to live and *cannot live any other way*, so has learned not to regret? L) Or even, predators who feed from the already-dead when they can, and eat their fill of berries, nuts and fruits when they cannot, because they do not wish to take the lives of others for their own sake?

*clears throat* ahem. Drama done (can you see why I love worldbuilding) ,

go ahead and pick a letter from each of the above options, and jot them down on your paper or note-taking app.

You now have: A basic character, their backstory, and a basic setting!

From three-ish questions from a basic idea, you can spawn multiple possibilities, each of which can branch off into their own unique iterations!

Here's a few more, if you'd like to continue the exercise as further practice:

What is your deer's name?

What do they look like / what kind of deer are they? (deer of various species are found over almost the entire world, so there is tons of variety! :D )

What kind of world do they live in?

How do they interact with humans?

*are* there humans in your story?

What kind of zany or terrifying adventures would your talking deer and a human go on?

What kind of adventures would your talking deer go on with other deer or other animals?

How does your deer get along with other species?

Do they have friends from other species?

Do they have rivals from other species?

Do they have *sworn enemies* from other species?

Do they have a *love interest* from another species?

etc!

I am hoping this game/exercise is helpful, my brain being both autistic and ADHD means I am, at the drop of a hat, ready to start spouting more and more ideas sparked from a single concept at any given moment!

And yes, if you did this exercise, please feel free to use your deer character in a story, draw art of your deer character, etc!

If this exercise was helpful to you or fun, please feel free to tag any deer creations with "NovellaDeer" , I'd love to see them!

You can easily adapt this exercise to any story concept you need to worldbuild; pick what basic idea you have for a main character, and start asking yourself questions about them and their circumstances, and let yourself come up with multiple, contradicting answers for each question; the more the merrier!

After you've decided which starting answers you like the most, you can work your way down the list, asking follow-up questions, and before you know it you will have your very own original character :D

And do not feel like you need to keep your character exactly the way they start out as; characters evolve over time, and you may find yourself changing their "base" character to suit your story or to suit your tastes as you get more experienced with writing and world building!

[angelmichelangelo]

your honor i plead the idea of post grudge match 2003 mikey with the 💊/"did you take your medicine?" and his guilty brothers agenda 🙏🙏🙏 i don't remember if you've done any fics about that episode but i am so excited about seeing your take on it. (or any other thoughts about that ep in general hehe fuck kluh)

alternatively, that prompt with portal duo post-movie. self sacrificing boys my beloveds...

this one got away from me because i have not!! in fact, written a grudge match related fic (from what i can remember lol) and i had a lot of fun with this :3 i didn't mean for it to become so leo + mikey centric but i can't help gravitate towards them and leo during this era is just. whump central to me lol. anywho! sorry for the wait on this one :] enjoy!!

x

Medics had been quick to swarm his little brother immediately after the hubbub of everything that happened with the Grudge Match, whisking him away from the thrumming excitement of the crowd and the arena, the rest of his family quick to follow.

It hadn't taken a genius to figure out from the way his brother had been doubled over on the cot bed, gulping down ragged breaths with a wince and his palm pressed tight against his side that Kluh had done some considerable damage during their fight.

Some fancy technology that had scanned over his brother's torso without so much as tickling him had shown he had an array of broken and cracked ribs, bruising around his lungs that had made his breathing shallow and rigid.

Leo had watched on intently as they’d dished out their strongest medications to help mediate his pain, Mikey washing them down with a sharp gulp, face all screwed up and tight with his discomfort.

They’d allowed for Mikey to travel back home after a couple of hours of further monitoring had deemed him well enough to finally leave their care and head home, where he’d promptly taken himself to bed to sleep off the rather traumatic and exciting day he’d just endured.

Leo, however, doesn’t sleep so easily when he retires to his own bed for the night. He tries to meditate, as per his usual bedtime routine, and when that doesn’t seem to balm his mind, he’s finding himself retreat to the kitchen for a herbal tea, letting it sink warmth into his belly in hopes to gradually bring him to a slumber, but alas, he finds himself just as awake as he had been hours ago, staring up at the sloping curves of his bedroom ceiling, tracing his eyes over the fuzzy shapes that formed in the dark, gradually cut clear with his precise focus. 

He eventually gives in to his spinning mind, clamouring out of bed to pad gently towards their makeshift dojo, rolling out his shoulders, he silently works through his katas as the rest of his family gradually wakes. There’s the sound of the shower rattling to life, no doubt Raphael using up their hot water reserves before anyone else could, and then water on a boil at the stove; Splinter setting up his own breakfast, as well as the sound of keys on a keyboard clacking away — Donnie’s usual ritual of checking their security alarms and emails for anything worth worrying after.

The only thing missing from what would make this a morning like any other was the brash singing from Michelangelo as he worked through the home like a small grade hurricane, or the laughter ringing out from room to room as he giddily teased at his siblings, or even the obnoxious sound of whatever TV show he’d plonk himself down in front and watch over a sloppy bowl of cereal.

Sweat gathering at his temples, perspiration only a faint sign of his endurance before he stretches his aching limbs out from their rigid stances, and shakes out the pinch before he leaves the room in search for someone to give him much needed company.

“Hey,” he says, stopping by where Donnie sat at his computer, shoulders hunched a little and his mask hung loose and casual around his neck. Beside him was an already half downed mug of rather strong smelling coffee. “Is Mikey up yet?”

Donnie’s eyes linger across his screen for a second before he’s finally drawing his attention away. 

“Still sleeping,” he informs him, tiredly rubbing the back of his neck with a small smile. “I just checked on him. He seems pretty out of it still.”

Eyes glancing downwards towards the little clock that flashed the time on his brother's screen, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Leo’s youngest brother to sleep the morning away without any sort of reason to get himself up.

Leo nods, throat bobbing with a breath. “Good, good.”

A silence settles before them, Donnie’s chair wheels creaking slightly as he delicately adjusts his weight.

“How, uh. How are you doing, Leo?” He’s asking him, carefully treading over his words like mines buried in a field.

Leo blinks. Him? How is he doing? He gulps, shifting his stance from foot to foot.

“Alright, yes,” he says with a short shrug of his shoulders, feeling the strain and tension in his muscles remain there at the action. “Are… you?” He then asks, rather woodenly.

Donnie nods slowly, fingers still tracing delicately over the keyboard keys, yet makes no immediate action to return to the task at hand, his eyes drawing away and downwards from where they meet Leo’s.

“Yeah,” he says, voice small, tucked away at the back of his throat somewhere that wouldn’t have Leo entirely convinced. “I mean… yesterday wasn’t the strangest day of our lives.”

His voice lifts into a nervous sounding laugh, edges of his mouth just barely curling upwards. 

“That’s… true,” Leo admits quietly. “Still. I’m just glad we’re all okay.”

Donnie's expression softens, more natural looking with ease at his brother's words, sinking backwards into his chair a little.

“Yeah, me too,” he agrees softly. “Mike will be fine. Just as long as he rests and manages his pain somewhat.”

Leo finds himself scoffing, bemused at the rather tall order they were expecting of their resident whirlwind sibling.

“You try telling him that,” Leo says with a faint grin.

After he leaves Donnie to finish up his work, Leo moves around the lair, chatting idly in the kitchen with Splinter, and then a Raphael that appears from the bathroom, whistling low under his breath and he fixes himself up something to eat.

It all still feels rather odd without the presence of another in the room, like a hole had been scooped right out of his perfect sense of normality.

“I think I’ll go check in on Michelangelo,” Leo tells his father; hours had passed since morning had broken, and so far the door to his brother's bedroom had remained firmly sealed.

He treads carefully up the walkway towards the room, nudging the steel door open with a knuckle, nothing out of the ordinary was to show for his rather disorganised bedroom.

Comic books stacked up on his nightstand, colourful covers highlighted by the soft glow of his nightlight. Mikey lay there in bed, sprawled out on his shell, his old stuffed bear curled protectively underneath his arm.

The rest of the worktop space of his brother's boxy little room was cluttered with action figures and toys collected over a number of years, all stood there with pride and adornment. 

Leo drinks in the sight for a moment, sights landing across the back wall that held a few tattered, old movie posters tacked up with tape, as well as a few photographs that included himself and the rest of his family. His heart swells heavily in his chest at the pride as he steps in.

His foot makes contact with the remains of an old, discarded chip bag, crinkling loudly in the silence, and as Leo withdraws his step, he finds it’s all too late as Mikey’s jaw swings shut and his eyes are blearily blinking to find him standing there in the doorway.

“—eo?” He rasps, gingerly sitting upwards onto his elbows. “Wha’s up?”

A sense of unfamiliar abashment falls over him as he stands there under the curious gaze of his little brother, bear now lovingly pulled close to his plastron, thumbing over the wonky, re-stitched ear that sits across his fuzzy little head.

“Oh. Just checking on you,” Leo whispers through the dark, carefully stepping forward again. “How… how are you feeling?”

Mikey manages to sit up fully now, but not without just a tiny bit of a struggle as well as some grumbling under his breath. Leo’s instincts are to move and help him, yet his feet remain planted firmly on the ground making him unable to move.

“Eh, you know,” his brother manages around a lopsided grin. “Like I got hit by a six hundred pound alien bastard, but it is what it is.”

He laughs heartily, yet it quickly melts into a bigger wince, eyes screwed shut and teeth bared as he waits for the sudden pain to subside with a bated breath. 

Leo’s feet finally allow him to move, just about sliding against floorboards to expel some of the nervous energy that buzzes through his system.

He’s there at his bedside in no time, hands awkwardly hovering as they await for something to do, but once the ache dissolves and he can unravel himself from where he’d curled in on himself, Mikey just smiles up at him, bemused at his fretting, and waves him off with a simple, short flick of his wrist. 

“I’m alright, Leo, really,” he’s quick to assure him with a lighthearted chuckle. How his little brother could go from being beaten to an inch of his life to laughing in just under twenty four hours was beyond Leonardo’s comprehension.

His brother had such an affinity for allowing his troubles to roll right off his shell like that; something Leo secretly envied in a way.

“Did you take your medicine?” He finds himself asking him, hands dropping to rest limply at his sides without any need for them to be helping elsewhere. “You kind of slept through the entire morning already.”

The other turtles face wrinkles. “Aw man, did I?” 

From beneath the blankets he’d been securely snuggled beneath, he slowly stretches out his legs, a long yawn popping his jaw when it swings open and closed again.

“Here.” Leo hands him two that had rested on his bedside table awaiting him, no doubt planted there by Donatello earlier. “You’ll probably feel like you need them now.”

Mikey willingly plucks them from his brother's palm and huffs.

“I’ll say.”

Chucking his head back to chase them down with a dry swallow as he coughs just the once, enough to rattle enough of his injuries once again, making him hiss and jolt with the sudden pain.

Leo’s hands make use of themselves this time, landing on his shoulder and curling around the shape of it with his fingers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Hey. Hey, take it easy. Nice slow breaths, alright?”

Mikey sighs wearily as he settles back comfortably as he possibly could against his pillows. His bear still happily residing in the crook of his arm when his eyes start to come to a close.

Leo’s little brother: the same one he’d stood up upon that hill those few days ago, with an early, bitter breeze battering against them when he’d basically palmed off his responsibility into willing, pliant hands. 

The same little brother that still read comic books and played with action figures on rainy days and slept with his childhood stuffie close by. 

The little brother that Leo had viciously envied whilst he’d stewed in his own trauma and hate, all because here was the perfect representation of everything Leo had ever failed to be when he’d taken up the mantle of their leader. 

“I’m sorry.” He chokes, voice abrupt and loud in the still of the room.

Mikey peels open just one eye to look at him. “Come again?” He rasps, tiredness taking hold of him where the magical meds do their thing.

“I said… I’m sorry,” Leo repeats, words wetter and wobblier around the edges this time. “For pushing you. For… for putting that on you. I… I should have known something was up during the match. I didn’t even think.”

His breath snags in his chest, with it, his head comes careening down, glaring at the floor instead of daring to look his brother in the eyes. “You… you could have died, Mike and there I was… worried about honor.”

The word had never tasted so foul, so vile in all of his life, spat between his lips instead of where it usually nestled somewhere in his chest with an abundance of pride.

He garners the courage to look up, vision swimming with his unshed tears, miserably clearing when he blinks, face growing wet and chest aching.

“You know,” Mikey speaks, voice soft and calculating. Yet so very comforting, still. “I’m gonna milk this for all it’s worth for like, probably forever, right?”

Leo sniffs, desperate to regain his composure from where he’d so easily allowed it to slip. 

“More than before?” Leo finds himself saying, trying to keep up the level of banter he knew Mikey was ping-ponging his way with ease.

Mikey’s brow ridges soar upwards, mouth curling into his signature, devilish grin. “Well, if it annoys the crap outta Raphie then… yeah,” he admits cheekily, all before his expression and his tone of voice sober significantly. “I mean that I won for the right reasons this time.” Leo swallows, a cold lump pressing hard into the back of his throat barbs all his words from spilling upwards and outwards, just meek whispers of what he wishes to say. “Because you were worthy and you–” “Nope.” Mikey cuts him off with a sharp shake of his head, popping the p with emphasis in the way that his brother often would when he was trying to make a point about something. “I won because I knew it was the right thing to do,” he tells him sternly. “If I hadn’t, it wasn’t just my pride that was at stake, Leo. It wasn’t for some dumb, stupid medal.” He keeps his focus unwavering on his brother, steely eyes burn right through him like he’s one of his favorite superheroes in his favorite comics. “You told me, that when one of us goes down…” The lump shifts slightly. “...We all go down,” Leo finishes for him quietly. “And that still remains true,” Mikey tells him with a knowing nod of his head. “It means the same for you too, bro.” Leo bristles, caught off guard momentarily by the wise nature of his little brother, despite the fact that he’d been more than aware of what skill he possessed outside of his playful attitude to dig deep right into each and every one of their personalities with finesse. “Listen, whatever has got you so in your own head lately, Leo, you can’t fight it alone. Kinda like with me and Kluh, it’ll just mess you up something ugly.” He gestures to his plastron, still a faded array of purples and blues and blacks swirled around in the places where the giant fist had repeatedly come into contact with his body. “What you told me up on that mountain,” Mikey goes on to say, “is what kept me alive, essentially. I was ready to call it quits when I remembered that this, here,” he gestures between them both. “This with us and Donnie and Raph and Dad and whoever – it don’t work solo style, bro.” A breath, chest sinking for a second before he carries on, voice softening around the edges, as well as the glint in his eyes, now glassier than it had been moments before. “You got some stuff to work out,” Mikey tells him. “And that’s cool.” He holds his bear tighter in his grasp, smoothing over rugged fur with a thumb. “But we do it together. Right?” Leo exhales shakily. When had his little brother gotten so big? Blinking back the watery warmth that looms before his eyes, he manages a small, timid smile and says, “Yeah. Of course.”

[quackysmackk]

Same!! It also provided more stable grounding for some of my own ideas, like there being another Vanny involved, along with the fact that the Freddy we see in Ruin is not the Freddy from SB, along with a couple other things, but what I'm gonna suggest here is something different.

Digital Possession~

The game showcased that possession of a robot is very much a possible thing, albeit not in a supernatural way (though still possible) but in a digital way through the use of VR/AR technology~ And they don't even need to be dead! So imagine if the Glamrocks gained their personalities or sentience through having someone's "actual" personality uploaded into them? OwO

OOOOO

That’s an interesting take!

I do like the idea about the personalities and sentience’s being uploaded to make things more “sentient.” It’s like a modern spin to the FNaF history of possession giving animatronics movement/life.

I feel like the game also revealed an alternate point of view into what we could define as the whole process of “giving life” to something in the FNaF universe.

[drawings-in-the-void]

Day 8: Spaceship

While not technically a spaceship, it's still cool to be there.

There’s nothing quite as annoying as being summoned on a random Tuesday during your lunch hour.

Ok, maybe it could be slightly outshined by the second time Danny had ever been summoned before, and the sinking feeling that this was something that would, in fact, be a recurring issue. What made that particular incident a bit better than the current predicament was the fact that he had 100% been summoned in the middle of a bonfire party, in the year 1988, on Halloween, surrounded by drunk teens and 20 somethings.

It took half an hour to get everyone to chill out.

It took another half hour for Danny to get the whos-whats and whens.

After 15 minutes of being taught how to do trick shots at beer pong someone tripped and fell on the summoning circle, the line of salt it was drawn with broken and Danny was treated to whatever feeling happened when he got summoned, only in reverse.

Did he say annoying? The cultist the first time was annoying, these guys kinda ruled for the 15 minutes of A-lister fame he got for being a freak of nature. 

This is all to say Danny already got an earful from Clockwork about how the magic that bound Pariah Dark prevented any summonings of his person, however with his defeat at Danny’s hand meant that if people were just trying to summon whatever power technically held the throne, he’d be the one next in line.

Danny had asked how that even worked, considering it was technically his parents' technology that “defeated” Pariah Dark, he had just been piloting it.

Clockwork had just raised his hand and made a so-so motion.

Useful, once again.

The only other information he had been able to get out of the old/young/man/ghost was that when he was being summoned didn’t necessarily mean just moving through space, after all the infinite realms are infinite for a reason, and time didn’t really exist here, dead as the rest of it’s occupants, so things tended to happen out of order. Additionally, as it turns out the party he’d been, well invited to, wasn’t just out of time, but out of place as well.

Clockwork said that that incident had pulled him to the bonfire had dragged him between timelines as well, which Danny took to mean more like it was an alternate universe from his own, and the longer CW took to answer his ensuing questions kept making his head spin.

“If people are just gonna be able to summon me all the time, is there a way to stop it? I can’t just be dragged away all the time, I’ve got homework! And a Doomed tournament!” he had asked, feeling a bit childish as he had floated in the space around Clockworks’s head while the ghost looked onto the cog occupied by aftermath of the bonfire party, and from the cog’s point of view Danny could make out a few unconscious bodies in various sleeping positions around the extinguished fire. 

One girl, slumped against the failing fabric of a folded chair and painfully crimped blond hair spilling over her face, waves a hand in the air, seemingly to swat away some nats in the early morning, only for a particular thing to happen to the air around her hand. 

The air around it wavered like a heatwave, and bugs, previously invisible from the point of view of the cog, now glowed a faint white, and dispersed from the campground area.

“The further you are pulled from your timeline, the more drastic the changes are to your own.” Clockwork had told him.

Danny speedruns away from the cafeteria, and the ensuing excuses his friends have to make to whichever teacher was on lunch duty, and he’s able to dive into a closet moments before the feeling of being dropped into freefall whites out his vision. 

According to Mary Jane (blond crimped hair) it’s quite a sight when Danny got summoned, and he thinks he can kinda connect the dots between what he feels and what everyone else sees as it happens. 

So far each time he’s dropped into a summoning circle it’s always been in ghost form, and this was slightly different as he was still Danny to begin with, which was a great mini heart attack to have when he realized, only for that feeling of weightlessness to wash over him as he’s thrown back into the visible plane. What everyone else sees is the air in the circle to crumple like a piece of paper, and a bright-as-the-sun tear to rip through it. 

From this rift, one small, white, gloved hand reaches through, gripping the crumpled air like a wall and following it shortly with another hand, also reaching through to guide the person attached to them into the room.

From the rift, it’s nearly impossible to really understand what you’re looking at, and it’s not until Danny sets his feet gently on the ground beneath him, like gravity was only a suggestion, that all parties got a good look at eachother.

Now, knowing that you could be anywhere and anywhen for any reason made Danny prepared to be as open minded as possible to keep things from getting out of hand.

He was not prepared for several very buff, brightly colored, costumed adults.

With the spectacle died down, the room was dead silent, and Danny was starting to feel awkward.

He’s dealt with screaming, he’s dealt with groveling, hell he’s even dealt with people trying to sell him their souls. 

The woman in front of him, the one in the middle holding some old looking book, colored a deep green, seemed frozen in time, mouth agape in surprise. He realizes, somewhat belatedly, that she’s dressed in a magicians costume, and was in fact lacking in the pants department.

Current assumption: Costume party gone wrong.

The room he’s been summoned in looks a bit like a meeting room for corporate office stuff, going by the table moved off to the side and stacked chairs.

Revised assumption: Office costume party gone wrong.

Little bit of an older crowd compared to the last party he was invited to, but to their credit there’s been a lot less screaming this time around, maybe the simplest way to get back to lunch is the direct route?

“...Hi?” Ancients, he was bad at this, but in Danny’s defense these guys were giving him nothing! Luckily getting some words out broke the tension.

Unluckily it was not because that tension went away.

“Zatanna, did something go wrong with the spell?” First guy, a big muscled guy in bright blue and red spandex and straight up a cape, talks first, forcing himself next to the magician woman, who clamped her mouth shut with a click of her teeth. 

“N-not possible-”

“It has to be, this is a kid!” Another guy, all in red this time with a hood(???) covering the top half of his face mirrors the first guy looking at the book, much to the annoyance of the magician lady who glares at both of them as they crowd around her.

“Keep your position Flash, this is still an unknown.” Another big guy, all in black with cat ears on (?????) growled out from the corner of the room that Danny didn’t even notice before.

“It’s still a kid! A glowy, floaty, kid but this isn’t some world ending demon.”

“We cannot judge a book by its cover, I suggest we simply ask the child.” Finally, a quite frankly, terrifyingly tall woman spoke up from her corner of the room, and Danny could feel the weight of her gaze on him like it was physical. 

And suddenly all eyes on him once more.

“You guys were trying to get Pariah Dark for your costume party?” Danny might’ve lost the plot a little bit while everyone was talking at once. 

Magician lady snapped her book shut.

“You’re not Pariah Dark?”

“Nope.” Danny says, popping the “p” and leaning back on his heels. “And you should probably stop trying to summon the guy, he’s kinda a pain to deal with, plus you’re gonna have to try harder to jailbreak him than that.” Talk about judging a book by its cover, these guys had to be the most brightly colored cultists he’s ever met.

“Pariah Dark’s been imprisoned?” Cat ears growls out again, and Danny thinks that if he’s sick he probably shouldn’t have shown up for a summoning party.

“Uh yeah, has been for a while? Well, got out, was put back in again- sorry, so what’s with the costumes?” Yeah he’s gotta ask now it’s starting to get distracting.

“Our apologies-” Tall lady again, she moves from her corner to circle around to stand in front of the rest of the group to be face-to-face with him, only a few inches from the chalk lines written on the stiff gray carpet. “We haven’t done proper introductions yet, if you wouldn’t mind extending some grace to us, I am called Wonder Woman and my associates…” She nodded behind her, and the magician woman stepped up with the book in hand. “Sorry, yes, my name is Zatanna, and behind me is Superman and Flash, Batman’s the guy in the corner over there-” “Hng.” “-Don’t let ‘em scare you, we were just, well. Caught off guard a bit.” She fiddled with one of her white gloves and Danny feels a bit like he got someone else’s invite to a birthday party.

“You would’ve been less caught off guard if the tyrannical ghost king showed up in your office instead?” Danny can’t help but ask.

Zatanna pursed her lips together in a tight line at that, and with an impressive face of consideration she glances from the tall lady (these people have such weird names) and back to him. 

“You’re a resident of the infinite realms right?” She levels her own question at him, and Danny hums, kicking both his feet off the ground and floating a few feet above where he was standing and taps a finger to his chin consideringly and kicking one leg over the other so he was essentially reclined on nothing but air.

“I wonder what could’ve gave that away…” He theatrically sighs, and when he side eyes the group again the stupid shtick did its job and everyone looked a little less likely to start throwing things at him. Except the dude in the corner, he just looked the same. Broody.

“But yeah, you dragged me through the ghost zone with that thing,” Danny continues, nodding to the book in the woman’s hand, “But you won’t be able to get Pariah.”

The flashy guy, or the flash or something, went from being 10 feet away from Zatanna to 1 in less than the blink of an eye, which is enough to sufficiently distract Danny enough to not pay attention to what he hissed in her ear, which was “Did you kidnap a dead teenager Zatanna?”

Zatanna did something with her hand and Flash was suddenly very busy dealing with his jaw being locked closed.

“Sorry, just to clarify, we aren’t trying to summon Pariah Dark to end the world or something, we were going to try and stop it! According to some rumors, he had been released and the crown and ring had once again been claimed for the throne, something like that you understand could be devastating, not just in our world but yours too! I have a spell here that could potentially weaken him, and we could work to keep him from getting out again-”

“But he’s already locked up.”

“It’s your word against many, I’ve spoken to others from your realm, they all say the same, that the king has returned!” Ah. Not great. 

Danny lets himself fall back to the ground with a dull thud and holds out a hand for the book.

Wonder Woman raises an eyebrow at the bold gesture and Zatanna regards him with a level of distrust.

“What exactly are you trying to prove- hey!” Wonder Woman plucks the book from her arms, keeping it out of reach of the shorter woman until she holds it out to Danny, just outside the circle.

Danny steps over the chalk lines with ease and takes the book.

Zatanna and Superman both inhale sharply at the motion, and Flash made a muttered sound of alarm, Danny ignored them to instead see if there would be any reaction from the big lady, she was clearly the one in charge. 

“You could have left the circle at any point, correct?” she asks him, and Danny nods.

“You guys should stop looking for Pariah Dark, or to summon him, even if you got lucky and got him here, I doubt you have the power to hold him back.” Danny hopes he sounds serious enough to not be taken lightly, he opens up the book and flicks through it when Wonder Woman’s face becomes distant and she nodded, glancing over to the Batman guy.

It’s nearly all in ghost writing, something Danny’s still not great with, and going by the sticky notes pressed between the pages the magician woman only translated about a fourth of the book, and the translation wasn’t exact going by Danny’s own knowledge and what was written down. Oh well, he should probably see if Clockwork knows what to do with it. 

Danny snaps the book closed and sticks it in his chest like he would with his thermos, partially to keep anyone else from trying to take it back and partially to watch the various reactions of horror from the adults.

“Like I said, you guys don’t need to worry about him anymore anyways, so if that’s sorted I’ll leave you to your uh- well whatever you guys do?” Danny says, backing away back to the chalk lines in the carpet, if he can rub his boot into the chalk, he might be able to break the right line to send him back. He’s paused by a cartoon ripping noise coming from the red guy.

With probably a bit too much dramatics put into it, Flash breathes a great big grasp of fresh air as his jaw comes free. Near Danny, Zatanna rolls her eyes.

“Ok! Hold on a second kid! I don’t know about the rest of you guys but there’s still WAY too many questions we’ve got to just let you leave yet, with our stuff in the first place!” 

In the blink of an eye Flash is in front of him, glaring down like Danny’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“I mean this isn’t technically yours, you guys can’t even read it!” He protested, taking another step back.

“You don’t need to tower over him, Flash, he's still just a kid.” Superman piped up, “What are you gonna do to him, throw him out the airlock?” Airlock? 

“Don’t be stupid ghosts don’t need to breathe, besides, wouldn't throwing him out in space be the same as telling him to go home!” Space???

“The infinite realms aren’t in space Flash it’s another layer of reality all together-” Zatanna is cut off as Danny drops through the floor.

For every layer of dense machinery and the occasional yell of surprise, Danny knows what he’s looking for the moment he drops through the last layer and finds himself looking down at Earth from a fucking spaceship.

Danny was definitely very cool and chill about being face to face with one of his biggest dreams.

He definitely didn’t let out the soundless scream of a teenager and do half a dozen laps around the perimeter of the station (Yes he knew after the first lap that it technically wasn’t a spaceship, but wow was it a LOT more advanced than ANYTHING he had seen in NASA’s magazines). 

What finally paused him from flying around like a kid in a candy store was surveying the stars around him, and that’s exactly where Batman found him.

Danny didn’t see him at first, and didn’t expect to either, as thick metal shutters raised on the wall he had thought was just a wall, and instead revealed a foot of glass, and the room that Batman was now in. 

It was the light that had Danny turning back to the station, shifting from where he had been sitting, cross-legged in space. When he turns, Batman nods his head to the space next to him in the hall. Danny sighs, and phases through the glass, dropping down to stand on his feet.

“You really don’t need to worry about Pariah anymore he-”

“Was defeated by you.” The older man rumbles out, he looks out the window to space, like he doesn’t need to see Danny’s reaction to know his response. Danny opens his mouth to protest, but it dies when Batman levels that look to Danny, and he’s really not able to read it at all, but with his mouth set into a hard line, Danny could almost say he looks grim.

“Uh, yeah, technically. Honestly it’s kinda… Complicated.”

“And now you’re the new Ghost King.” Danny’s boots have become incredibly interesting all of the sudden.

“...It’s complicated.” The first person for Danny to talk to about the Ghost king deal other than Clockwork and it’s a guy in a bat fursuit, lovely.

There’s a beat of silence and Danny wonder’s if Mr dark and broody is going to ask him more, but he seems to think better of it, because he instead turns back to the window.

“...Is it your first time being out in space like this?” The change in topic is a bit out of left field, but not unappreciated, as Danny looks back up to the window with lights in his eyes.

“Yes! Well, kinda? The ghost zone- er infinite realms, are kinda like space, just a lot greener with a bunch of purple doors that could go anywhere! And I’ve flown all the way up to some satellites in the past but I’ve never been on a spaceship or a space station before! Some of this technology is incredible, nothing like my pa-” Danny clears his throat, purposefully not looking back to see if the slip was noticed. “And uh, the stars here are different.”

“Different?” 

“Shifted, some of the constellations I know aren’t there. While I was out there I uh, well I guess I was making up new ones.” He finished, a little embarrassed. 

Batman just hums an affirmative rumble.

“The others aren’t upset about me taking off right? Sorry, I guess I just got a bit excited, I can still answer any other questions you guys wanted to ask.” 

“You don’t need to apologize, Flash shouldn’t have tried to antagonize you. Besides, you’ve already given us the answers we needed, I told Zatanna to start redrawing the circle to send you back home.”

Batman says this to no one, because in that same breath, he’s found himself in a crumpled pile of brooms, mops and buckets.

And he’s missed his lunch hour.

[gotyouanyway]

an actual non-joking vague outline & the most self indulgent thing i could ever imagine:

episode 1 timeless children style matrix flashback overview of gallifreyan history (but it's about the founders not the doctor. platt style. sorry)

episode 2 companion gets to see what the planet is all about. characters like romana and borusa are there. romana is president. some gallifrey audio lore is incorporated. it's fun

episode 3 the main threat is revealed to be something related to gallifreyan history and/or technology. the eye of harmony and the matrix play a big part. maybe it's rassilon AND omega returning this time. maybe even the o-

episode 4 companion gets in trouble and faces discrimination for being an alien. the most star trek this season gets but more purely fucked up and less moralizing bc it's not star trek

episode 5 a plot-driven tour of the capitol. chasing or hiding from someone, you know. i want to see the academy, low town, and regular living quarters

episode 6 another lore dump, this time we visit a House or the drylands or something. maybe it's an alternate timeline twilight zone thing where the companion wakes up as a time lord on gallifrey. maybe leela is there

episode 7 the cia gets involved with the main plot and they try to involve the doctor. yeah the doctor is actually in this season. i forgot

episode 8 welcome back mr. the other and welcome back hand of omega? things are starting to spin out of control

episode 9 chancellery guard lower decks or some other kind of breather

episode 10 major nod to the political games of gallifrey audios. romana and the doctor turn on each other. things get dangerous and weird especially for the companion. the time lords are starting to look quite alien and scary

episode 11 the eye of harmony is involved with the main plot so we get weird about that too. hand of omega is a main character

episode 12 and of course, while we're at it, we get VERY weird about the matrix. main plot is resolved everyone is (kind of?) friends again. the doctor and companion are leaving now but we're definitely coming back regularly in the next few seasons......

[evoblue]

giving the headcanon generator a spin...

generate 10 headcanons for your muse and then accept ✔ or reject ✖ them!

If someone they knew committed a crime, Blue would cover for them. ✔ (depends on the person (Silver, Yellow, Rosa, for example) and the crime, maybe)

Blue is awful with technology and doesn't know how to use a smartphone. ✖ (she is literally a tech guru, this is just wrong lol)

Blue has a roblox account. ✖ (the fuck is a roblox?)

Blue chews their nails when nervous. ✖ (never, her nails are impeccable 99.9% of the time)

Blue was dropped out of a window as a child. ✖ (no, but in an alternate universe, she fell down a well and drowned, does that count?)

Blue steals other people's clothes. ✖ (she likes to wear her own, well-fitting clothes... though she might steal a hat or something while flirting idk)

Blue has an incredible long-term memory but an awful short-term memory. ✖ (she's sharp, she hardly ever forgets anything)

Blue shops exclusively at Hot Topic. ✖ (you wouldn't catch her dead inside that store)

Blue sleeps in until noon. ✔ (sometimes, on occasion)

Blue can play the piano. ✔

tagged by @darkestrellar!! tagging @wishmcker for Green, @weisskunig, @weisskunigin, @illusions-end, @murmursdraconic, and @talesforged for Noir!

[the-emerald-isle-au]

hello!

this is an au created by @0vergrowngraveyard. idk if there’s any real plot to it yet. it started off as character design practice then became a kitesune!tails au then it spiraled into this so i’m still figuring shit out as i go lmao

feel free to ask questions to either myself or the characters! i’m not sure how often this will be updated but i sure will try

general story:

an accident involving the chaos emeralds sends sonic to an alternate dimension (it’s kinda like a shatterverse) where his friends (+eggman and sage) have very strong connections to the chaos emeralds and all dwell on an island called the emerald isle

the main island is split into 3 areas:

- flaming core zone

- whispering woods zone

- luminous ravines zone

each area has its own unique ecosystem and little villages where his friends are seen as great protectors

there’s also one tiny island that can be seen from the shorelines of the flaming core zone that appears to be home to very futuristic technology but it’s not a place that any of the inhabitants of the main island travel to. plus it’s usually covered by fog anyway there’s no need to worry about it, right? as they say: out of sight, out of mind

in order to get home, he needs to collect all 7 of the chaos emeralds but it’s proving to be a little challenging

unsurprisingly, these new versions of his friends are a tad bit protective over their power sources and none of them are trusting sonic nearly as quickly as he hoped they would. in fact, a lot of them seem to straight up dislike him! i guess that’s what happens when you ask someone to give up their power for a complete stranger

i’ll get more into the specifics in future posts but this is the basic idea of it

i hope you guys enjoy my ramblings about this silly little idea that’s been spinning in my head like a microwave 🩵

[lonestarflight]

Cancelled Missions: NASA's October 1977 Space Shuttle Flight Itinerary

"Soon after President Richard Nixon gave his blessing to the Space Shuttle Program on January 5, 1972, NASA scheduled its first orbital flight for 1977, then for March 1978. By early 1975, the date had slipped to March 1979. Funding shortfalls were to blame, as were the daunting engineering challenges of developing the world's first reusable orbital spaceship based on 1970s technology. The schedule slip was actually worse than NASA let on: as early as January 32, 1975, an internal NASA document (marked 'sensitive') gave a '90% probability date' for the first Shuttle launch of December 1979.

In October 1977, Chester Lee, director of Space Transportation System (STS) Operations at NASA Headquarters, distributed the first edition of the STS Flight Assignment Baseline, a launch schedule and payload manifest for the first 16 operational Shuttle missions. The document was in keeping with NASA's stated philosophy that reusable Shuttle Orbiters would fly on-time and often, like a fleet of cargo airplanes. The STS Utilization and Operations Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston had prepared the document, which was meant to be revised quarterly as new customers chose the Space Shuttle as their cheap and reliable ride to space.

The JSC planners assumed that six Orbital Flight Test (OFT) missions would precede the first operational Shuttle flight. The OFT flights would see two-man crews (Commander and Pilot) put Orbiter Vehicle 102 (OV-102) through its paces in low-Earth orbit. The planners did not include the OFT schedule in their document, but the May 30, 1980 launch date for their first operational Shuttle mission suggests that they based their flight schedule on the March 1979 first OFT launch date.

Thirteen of the 16 operational flights would use OV-102 and three would use OV-101. NASA would christen OV-102 Columbia in February 1979, shortly before it rolled out of the Rockwell International plant in Palmdale, California.

As for OV-101, its name was changed from Constitution to Enterprise in mid-1976 at the insistence of Star Trek fans. Enterprise flew in Approach and Landing Test (ALT) flights at Edwards Air Force Base in California beginning on February 15, 1977. ALT flights, which saw the Orbiter carried by and dropped from a modified 747, ended soon after the NASA JSC planners released their document.

The first operational Space Shuttle mission, Flight 7 (May 30 - June 3, 1980), would see Columbia climb to a 225-nautical-mile (n-mi) orbit inclined 28.5° relative to Earth's equator (unless otherwise stated, all orbits are inclined at 28.5°, the latitude of Kennedy Space Center in Florida). The delta-winged Orbiter would carry a three-person crew in its two-deck crew compartment and the bus-sized Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) in its 15-foot-wide, 60-foot-long payload bay.

Columbia would also carry a 'payload of opportunity' - that is, an unspecified payload. The presence of a payload of opportunity meant that the flight had available excess payload weight capacity. Payload mass up would total 27,925 pounds. Payload mass down after the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm hoisted LDEF out of Columbia's payload bay and released it into orbit would total 9080 pounds.

A page from the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document of October 1977 shows payloads and other features of the first five operational Space Shuttle missions plus Flight 12/Flight 12 Alternate

During Flight 8 (July 1-3, 1980), Columbia would orbit 160 n mi above the Earth. Three astronauts would release two satellites and their solid-propellant rocket stages: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-A (TDRS-A) with a two-stage Interim Upper Stage (IUS) and the Satellite Business Systems-A (SBS-A) commercial communications satellite on a Spinning Solid Upper Stage-Delta-class (SSUS-D).

Prior to release, the crew would spin the SBS-A satellite about its long axis on a turntable to create gyroscopic stability and raise TDRS-A on a tilt-table. After release, their respective solid-propellant stages would propel them to their assigned slots in geostationary orbit (GEO), 19,323 n mi above the equator. Payload mass up would total 51,243 pounds; mass down, 8912 pounds, most of which would comprise reusable restraint and deployment hardware for the satellites.

The TDRS system, which would include three operational satellites and an orbiting spare, was meant to trim costs and improve communications coverage by replacing most of the ground-based Manned Space Flight Network (MSFN). Previous U.S. piloted missions had relied on MSFN ground stations to relay communications to and from the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston. Because spacecraft in low-Earth orbit could remain in range of a given ground station for only a few minutes at a time, astronauts were frequently out of contact with the MCC.

On Flight 9 (August 1-6, 1980), Columbia would climb to a 160-n-mi orbit. Three astronauts would deploy GOES-D, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite, and Anik-C/1, a Canadian communications satellite. Before release, the crew would raise the NOAA satellite and its SSUS-Atlas-class (SSUS-A) rocket stage on the tilt-table and spin up the Anik-C/1-SSUS-D combination on the turntable. In addition to the two named satellites, NASA JSC planners reckoned that Columbia could carry a 14,000-pound payload of opportunity. Payload mass up would total 36,017 pounds; mass down, 21,116 pounds.

Following Flight 9, NASA would withdraw Columbia from service for 12 weeks to permit conversion from OFT configuration to operational configuration. The JSC planners explained that the conversion would be deferred until after Flight 9 to ensure an on-time first operational flight and to save time by combining it with Columbia's preparations for the first Spacelab mission on Flight 11. The switch from OFT to operational configuration would entail removal of Development Flight Instrumentation (sensors for monitoring Orbiter systems and performance); replacement of Commander and Pilot ejection seats on the crew compartment upper deck (the flight deck) with fixed seats; power system upgrades; and installation of an airlock on the crew compartment lower deck (the mid-deck).

Flight 10 (November 14-16, 1980) would be a near-copy of Flight 8. A three-person Columbia crew would deploy TDRS-B/IUS and SBS-B/SSUS-D into a 160-n-mi-high orbit. The rocket stages would then boost the satellites to GEO. Cargo mass up would total 53,744 pounds; mass down, 11,443 pounds.

Flight 11 (December 18-25, 1980) would see the orbital debut of Spacelab. Columbia would orbit Earth 160 n mi high at 57° of inclination. NASA and the multinational European Space Research Organization (ESRO) agreed in August 1973 that Europe should develop and manufacture Spacelab pressurized modules and unpressurized pallets for use in the Space Shuttle Program. Initially dubbed the 'sortie lab,' Spacelab would operate only in the Orbiter payload bay; it was not intended as an independent space station, though many hoped that it would help to demonstrate that an Earth-orbiting station could be useful.

ESRO merged with the European Launcher Development Organization in 1975 to form the European Space Agency (ESA). Columbia's five-person crew for Flight 11 would probably include scientists and at least one astronaut from an ESA member country.

Flight 12 (January 30 - February 1, 1981), a near-copy of Flights 8 and 10, would see Columbia's three-person crew deploy TDRS-C/IUS and Anik-C/2/SSUS-D into 160-n-mi-high orbit. Payload mass up would total 53,744 pounds; mass down, 11,443 pounds.

JSC planners inserted an optional 'Flight 12 Alternate' (January 30 - February 4, 1981) into their schedule which, if flown, would replace Flight 12. Columbia would orbit 160 n mi above the Earth. Its three-person crew would deploy Anik-C/2 on a SSUS-D stage. The mission's main purpose, however, would be to create a backup launch opportunity for an Intelsat V-class satellite already scheduled for launch on a U.S. Atlas-Centaur or European Ariane I rocket. An SSUS-A stage would boost the Intelsat V from Shuttle orbit to GEO.

NASA JSC assumed that, besides the satellites, stages, and their support hardware, Columbia would for Flight 12 Alternate tote an attached payload of opportunity that would need to operate in space for five days to provide useful data (hence the mission's planned duration). Payload mass up would total 37,067 pounds; mass down, 17,347 pounds.

Space Shuttle Flights 13 through 18 would include the first orbital mission of the OV-101 Enterprise (Flight 17), during which astronauts would retrieve the LDEF payload deployed during Flight 7.

Flight 13 (March 3-8, 1981) would see three astronauts on board Columbia release NOAA's GOES-E satellite attached to an SSUS-D stage into a 160-n-mi-high orbit. OV-102 would have room for two payloads of opportunity: one attached at the front of the payload bay and one deployed from a turntable aft of the GOES-E/SSUS-D combination. Payload mass up would total 38,549 pounds; mass down, 23,647 pounds.

Flight 14 would last 12 days, making it the longest described in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document. Scheduled for launch on April 7, 1981, it would carry a 'train' of four unpressurized Spacelab experiment pallets and an 'Igloo,' a small pressurized compartment for pallet support equipment. The Igloo, though pressurized, would not be accessible to the five-person crew. OV-102 would orbit 225 n mi high at an inclination of 57°. Mass up would total 31,833 pounds; mass down, 28,450 pounds.

Flight 15 (May 13-15, 1981) would be a near-copy of Flights 8, 10, and 12. OV-102 would transport to orbit a payload totaling 53,744 pounds; payload mass down would total 11,443 pounds. The JSC planners noted the possibility that none of the potential payloads for Flight 15 — TDRS-D and SBS-C or Anik-C/3 — would need to be launched as early as May 1981. TDRS-D was meant as an orbiting spare; if the first three TDRS operated as planned, its launch could be postponed. Likewise, SBS-C and Anik-C/3 were each a backup for the previously launched satellites in their series.

Flight 16 (June 16-23, 1981) would be a five-person Spacelab pressurized module flight aboard OV-102 in 160-n-mi-high orbit. Payloads of opportunity totaling about 18,000 pounds might accompany the Spacelab module; for planning purposes, a satellite and SSUS-D on a turntable behind the module was assumed. Payload mass up would total 35,676 pounds; mass down, 27,995 pounds.

Flight 17, scheduled for July 16-20, 1981, would see the space debut of Enterprise and the retrieval of the LDEF released during Flight 7. OV-101 would climb to a roughly 200-n-mi-high orbit (LDEF's altitude after 13.5 months of orbital decay would determine the mission's precise altitude).

Before rendezvous with LDEF, Flight 17's three-man crew would release an Intelsat V/SSUS-A and a satellite payload of opportunity. After the satellites were sent on their way, the astronauts would pilot Enterprise to a rendezvous with LDEF, snare it with the RMS, and secure it in the payload bay. Mass up would total 26,564 pounds; mass down, 26,369 pounds.

For Flight 18 (July 29-August 5, 1981), Columbia would carry to a 160-n-mi-high orbit a Spacelab pallet dedicated to materials processing in the vacuum and microgravity of space. The three-person flight might also include the first acknowledged Department of Defense (DOD) payload of the Space Shuttle Program, a U.S. Air Force pallet designated STP-P80-1. JSC called the payload 'Planned' rather than 'Firm' and noted somewhat cryptically that it was the Teal Ruby experiment 'accommodated from OFT [Orbital Flight Test].'

The presence of the Earth-directed Teal Ruby sensor payload would account for Flight 18's planned 57° orbital inclination, which would take it over most of Earth's densely populated areas. Payload mass up might total 32,548 pounds; mass down, 23,827 pounds.

Space Shuttle Flights 20 through 23 would include the first mission to make use of an OMS kit to increase its orbital altitude (Flight 21), the first European Space Agency-sponsored Spacelab mission (Flight 22), and the launch of the Jupiter Orbiter and Probe spacecraft (Flight 23)

Flight 19 (September 2-9, 1981) would see five Spacelab experiment pallets fill Columbia's payload bay. Five astronauts would operate the experiments, which would emphasize physics and astronomy. The Orbiter would circle Earth in a 216-n-mi-high orbit. Payload mass up would total 29,214 pounds; mass down, 27,522 pounds.

Flight 20 (September 30-October 6, 1981), the second Enterprise mission, would see five astronauts conduct life science and astronomy experiments in a 216-n-mi-high orbit using a Spacelab pressurized module and an unpressurized pallet. JSC planners acknowledged that the mission's down payload mass (34,248 pounds) might be 'excessive,' but noted that their estimate was 'based on preliminary payload data.' Mass up would total 37,065 pounds.

On Flight 21, scheduled for launch on October 14, 1981, Columbia would carry the first Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) Kit at the aft end of its payload bay. The OMS Kit would carry enough supplemental propellants for the Orbiter's twin rear-mounted OMS engines to perform a velocity change of 500 feet per second. This would enable OV-102 to rendezvous with and retrieve the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite in a 300-n-mi-high orbit.

Three astronauts would fly the five-day mission, which would attain the highest orbital altitude of any flight in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document. JSC planners noted that the Multi-mission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) support hardware meant to carry SMM back to Earth could also transport an MMS-type satellite into orbit. Payload mass up would total 37,145 pounds; mass down, 23,433 pounds.

On Flight 22 (November 25 - December 2, 1981), Enterprise might carry an ESA-sponsored Spacelab mission with a five-person crew, a pressurized lab module, and a pallet to a 155-to-177-n-mi orbit inclined at 57°. Payload mass up might total 34,031 pounds; mass down, 32,339 pounds.

During Flight 23 (January 5-6, 1982), the last described in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document, three astronauts would deploy into a 150-to-160-n-mi-high orbit the Jupiter Orbiter and Probe (JOP) spacecraft on a stack of three IUSs. President Jimmy Carter had requested new-start funds for JOP in his Fiscal Year 1978 NASA budget, which had taken effect on October 1, 1977. Because JOP was so new when they prepared their document, JSC planners declined to estimate up/down payload masses.

Flight 23 formed an anchor point for the Shuttle schedule because JOP had a launch window dictated by the movements of the planets. If the automated explorer did not leave for Jupiter between January 2 and 12, 1982, it would mean a 13-month delay while Earth and Jupiter moved into position for another launch attempt.

Almost nothing in the October 1977 STS Flight Assignment Baseline document occurred as planned. It was not even updated quarterly; no update had been issued as of mid-November 1978, by which time the target launch dates for the first Space Shuttle orbital mission and the first operational Shuttle flight had slipped officially to September 28, 1979 and February 27, 1981, respectively.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia lifts off at the start of STS-1.

The first Shuttle flight, designated STS-1, did not in fact lift off until April 12, 1981. As in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document, OV-102 Columbia performed the OFT missions; OFT concluded, however, after only four flights. After the seven-day STS-4 mission (June 27 - July 4, 1982), President Ronald Reagan declared the Shuttle operational.

The first operational flight, also using Columbia, was STS-5 (November 11-16, 1982). The mission launched SBS-3 and Anik-C/3; because of Shuttle delays, the other SBS and Anik-C satellites planned for Shuttle launch had already reached space atop expendable rockets.

To the chagrin of many Star Trek fans, Enterprise never reached space. NASA decided that it would be less costly to convert Structural Test Article-099 into a flight-worthy Orbiter than to refit Enterprise for spaceflight after the ALT series. OV-099, christened Challenger, first reached space on mission STS-6 (April 4-9, 1983), which saw deployment of the first TDRS satellite.

NASA put OV-101 Enterprise to work in a variety of tests and rehearsals (such as the 'fit check' shown in the image above), but did not convert it into a spaceflight-worthy Orbiter.

The voluminous Spacelab pressurized module first reached orbit on board Columbia on mission STS-9 (November 28- December 8,1983). The 10-day Spacelab 1 mission included ESA researcher Ulf Merbold and NASA scientist-astronauts Owen Garriott and Robert Parker. Garriott, selected to be an astronaut in 1965, had flown for 59 days on board the Skylab space station in 1973. Parker had been selected in 1967, but STS-9 was his first spaceflight.

The 21,500-pound LDEF reached Earth orbit on board Challenger on STS-41C, the 11th Space Shuttle mission (April 6-13, 1984). During the same mission, astronauts captured, repaired, and released the SMM satellite, which had reached orbit on 14 February 1980 and malfunctioned in January 1981. Challenger reached SMM without an OMS kit; in fact, no OMS kit ever reached space.

STS Flight Assignment Baseline document assumed that 22 Shuttle flights (six OFT and 16 operational) would occur before January 1982. In fact, the 22nd Shuttle flight did not begin until October 1985, when Challenger carried eight astronauts and the West German Spacelab D1 into space (STS-61A, October 30 - November 6, 1985). Three months later (28 January 1986), Challenger was destroyed at the start of STS-51L, the Shuttle Program's 25th mission.

In addition to seven astronauts — NASA's first in-flight fatalities — Challenger took with it TDRS-B, NASA's second TDRS satellite. The Shuttle would not fly again until September 1988 (STS-26, September 29 - October 3, 1988). On that mission, OV-103 Discovery deployed TDRS-C. The TDRS system would not include the three satellites necessary for global coverage until TDRS-D reached orbit on board Discovery on mission STS-29 (13-18 March 1989).

Following the Challenger accident, NASA abandoned — though not without some resistance — the pretense that it operated a fleet of cargo planes. The space agency had at one time aimed for 60 Shuttle flights per year; between 1988 and 2003, the Shuttle Program managed about six per year. The most flights the Shuttle fleet accomplished in a year was nine in 1985.

Shuttle delays meant that JOP, renamed Galileo, missed its early January 1982 launch window. It was eventually rescheduled for May 1986, but the Challenger accident intervened. Galileo finally left Earth orbit on 18 October 1989 following deployment from OV-104 Atlantis during STS-34 (October 18-23, 1989).

Between the time JOP/Galileo received its first funding and the Challenger explosion, NASA, the White House, and Congress had sparred over how the Jupiter spacecraft would depart Earth orbit. Eventually, they settled on the powerful liquid-propellant Centaur-G' rocket stage.

Citing new concern for safety following Challenger, NASA canceled Centaur G'. Galileo had to rely on the less-powerful IUS, which meant that it could not travel directly to Jupiter; it had instead to perform gravity-assist flybys of Venus and Earth to reach its exploration target. Galileo did not reach the Jupiter system until December 1995.

LDEF had been scheduled for retrieval in March 1985, less than a year after deployment, but flight delays and the Challenger accident postponed its return to Earth by nearly six years. On mission STS-32 (January 9-20, 1990), astronauts on board Columbia retrieved LDEF, the orbit of which had decayed to 178 n mi. LDEF remains the largest object ever retrieved in space and returned to Earth.

During reentry at the end of mission STS-107 (16 January-1 February 2003), Columbia broke apart over northeast Texas, killing its international crew of seven astronauts. This precipitated cancellation of the Space Shuttle Program by President George W. Bush, who announced his decision on 14 January 2004.

The end of the Space Shuttle Program was originally scheduled for 2010, immediately following the planned completion of the International Space Station. In the event, STS-135, the final Space Shuttle mission, took place four years ago (July 2011), three months after the 30th anniversary of STS-1. The Orbiter Atlantis lifted off on 8 July with a four-person crew — the smallest since STS-6. It docked with the International Space Station to deliver supplies and spares and landed in Florida 13 days later."

Article by David S. F. Portree: link

source, source

NASA ID: S77-5784, S77-5785, S77-5758

[azspot]

Does Thiel believe, along with Girard, that the scapegoat mechanism no longer works, or just that we need new myths and scapegoats? Is he realy a Christian or a pagan worshipping at the altar of technological Moloch? When the Silicon Valley occultists commune with the spirits are they talking to God or the Devil? It seems like as the alternative to violence spinning out of control, he wants to focus it on a few enemies, he wants the new regime to produce scapegoats. I think he doesn’t want it to look too savage and primitive. It has to have some semblance of order, otherwise, it will be too clear what’s going on—like the text, it needs to be a little esoteric. It has to have the appurtenances of justice and truth and be given a Christian covering, the possibility of forgiveness and mercy.

Reading Thiel's Op-Ed